Operation Bumblebee, Part 1

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"Operation Bumblebee, Part 1"
Production company	Hasbro Studios
Airdate	March 10, 2012
Written by	Marty Isenberg
Directed by	Todd Waterman
Animation studio	Polygon Pictures

Bumblebee questions his worthiness to his team after he is compromised.

Synopsis

Optimus Prime and Ratchet stake out a Vehicon mining operation overseen by Megatron. Optimus isn't about to let Megatron have whatever gave off the signal that led him and Ratchet here, and he confronts Megatron just as the Vehicons break earth and hand the package to him. Megatron advises Optimus to stow his weapons; the device they've unearthed is a deadly spark extractor, capable of sapping the spark from the body of every Cybertronian in its radius. He takes the opportunity to gloat about how Optimus—ahem, Orion—led him to it before stepping through the GroundBridge, and ordering the Vehicons to hold Ratchet and Optimus off. Close by, Bumblebee speeds over a cliff and through the attacking Vehicons, before driving into the GroundBridge. He transforms and grabs the package from Megatron's hand, before turning around and bolting. Megatron runs after him, but upon arriving outside the vortex, finds his troops destroyed and all three Autobots gone.

Back at base, Bumblebee brags about his vehicular acrobatics. Ratchet informs Optimus of the reason for the Autobot homing beacon on the device—it was sealed away in Iacon during the war, but was jettisoned offworld when the Decepticons raided the city. Arcee asks if Optimus remembers if transcripted any other coordinates, but Optimus regrets that he does not. Ratchet posits that Megatron said he decrypted multiple targets to play havoc with Optimus' psyche.

On the Nemesis, Megatron laments over the loss of the spark extractor, and regrets that he did no more than destroy Bumblebee's voicebox back on Cybertron.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"Oh, for Primus' sake. Will SOMEONE keep him occupied so I can get some work done?!"

—Ratchet doesn't like to be distracted.

"The new Urbana 500. It won't just rock your world. It will transform it."

—The commercial narrator hates Bumblebee.

"You want to ride with the siren on?"
"No, thank you."

—Ratchet attempts to cheer up Raf.

"Bumblebee, where's your famous horsepower? Show me some speed!"

—Knock Out, unintentionally striking a nerve.

"What is with the rent-a-car?"

—Knock Out on Bumblebee's choice of pursuit vehicle

Notes

Continuity notes

• It is with this episode that the events of Alex Irvine's apocryphal story, Bumblebee at Tyger Pax, are confirmed. However, this does not place the story in the realm of canon-it is still not sanctioned by Hasbro.
• Optimus is referred by Megatron as his pre-Prime name "Orion Pax" from the previous episodes.

Transformers references

• The device dú jour today is the spark extractor, courtesy of ancient Decepticons. However, unlike the original, this one seems to be more of a bomb-like device, sapping the sparks of everyone in its radius.
• The T-cog is a reference to the transformation cog of G1 lore. It also controlled at least one robot's ability to transform, and when removed, has similar results.
• Like the Animated version, Bumblebee inherits some speed-demon behavior from Cybertron Hot Shot.

Real-world references

• Megatron uses the term "mutually assured destruction", a longtime slogan for the effect of nuclear war.
• Knock Out references Rent-A-Car, a real-world car rental service.

Trivia

• Starscream's voice is somewhat deeper in this episodes than ones previous. It's kind of unsettling.
• In a first for the series, Bumblebee's car mode is revealed as the Urbana 500. The Urbana 500. It won't just rock your world. It'll transform it.
• Silas' secret "Project Chimera" is finally unvieled: a MECH-designed Transformer. No idea who it could be--yet.