The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1
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 Megatron's latest addition of troops. He's really going to regret this. | |||||||||
| "The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1" | |||||||||
| Production code | 700-55 | ||||||||
| Production company | Sunbow Productions | ||||||||
| Airdate | November 25, 1985 | ||||||||
| Written by | David Wise | ||||||||
| Animation studio | Toei | ||||||||
| Continuity | Generation 1 cartoon continuity | ||||||||
After being beaten by the Autobots once again, Megatron hatches a plan to create a team of Decepticons that will give him supremacy over the roads.
- Japanese title: ベクターシグマの鍵 PART I (Vector Sigma no Kagi PART I, "The Key of Vector Sigma PART I")
- Italian title, dub 1: Gli Stunticons ("The Stunticons")
- Italian title, dub 2: La chiave di Vector Sigma - I ("The key of Vector Sigma - I")
Synopsis
The Autobots are escorting a convoy of tankers which carry a new superfuel which the government has given to the Autobots. Things have been quiet so far, but Optimus Prime is wary. Prowl thinks that the Decepticons are unaware of the superfuel, when they take that moment to attack. Megatron sends the Coneheads to attack, but they are unable to follow them into the tunnels and canyons on the road. Megatron himself decides to destroy the superfuel, but Smokescreen manages to distract him, while Optimus and Prowl drive Megatron off.
Megatron is furious that the Autobots beat them, and decides to rectify the situation. Rumble is sent to steal cars of various models, and Possum Brown's truck, all of which Megatron alters with Decepticon technology, such as anti-gravity boosters and automatic force fields. Using a remote control, Megatron tests the cars' abilities. Rumble is amazed with their stunt driving, and Megatron decides that it's a good name. Bringing them about, he has them transform into robot mode, and dubs them the Stunticons.
Learning that the Decepticons are making new soldiers, Prime realizes they'll need Cybernetic personalities to truly live, and there is only one way to do that. Omega Supreme takes a group of Autobots to Cybertron, where Megatron is informed by Shockwave that he has located Vector Sigma, the megacomputer that gave the Transformers life. But they will require the circuit key to activate it. The Key is in the possession of Alpha Trion, and the Decepticons head for his lab. After a brief struggle, Soundwave locates the Key and gives it to Megatron.
Arriving on Cybertron, the Autobots hurry to Alpha Trion's lab, only to find a dying Alpha Trion. Ratchet and Hoist are able to save his life, and he explains to Optimus what Megatron intends to do. The Autobots head into the tunnels for Vector Sigma.
In the tunnels, the Decepticons encounter Centurion droids, which Megatron discovers he can control with the Key, and instructs them to attack the Autobots. The Autobots encounter the drones and, unable to destroy their attackers, retreat to a derelict hangar. Heading to Vector Sigma, Megatron activates the super computer, which gives life to the Stunticons: Motormaster, Dead End, Breakdown, Drag Strip, and Wildrider. The Decepticons return to Earth, where the Stunticons are set loose on human roads.
In the hangar, Ratchet and Wheeljack set about repairing the damaged maintenance drones which are scattered around, sending them out to fight the Centurions, with little success. Finally a column of maintenance drones marches off a cliff, and the Centurion drones blindly follow them. The Autobots reach Vector Sigma, learning that it already gave the Stunticons life. Optimus plans to use a series of ancient rockets and have them rebuilt as Earth style jets, planning to fight the Decepticons in the air.
At a human base, the Stunticons arrive attempting to make another attempt to steal the superfuel, and the soldiers believe they're being attacked by the Autobots.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Others |
|---|---|---|
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Quotes
"So much for your security, Prowl."
- —Smokescreen, as the Decepticons attack
"I knew I'd never make it."
- —Dirge, accepting his lot in life.
"No, Megatron, you'll have to blow us all up, and frankly, I don't think you have the guts."
- —Optimus Prime goads Megatron to shoot at the super fuel.
"Annnnd Mueller takes it! What in the world?"
"You mean Rumble takes it!"
- —Race track announcer and Rumble, who proceeds quite literally to take it
"Incredible! Not even the Autobots can do that kind of stunt driving."
"Stunt driving...yes! Behold—the Stunticons!"
- —Rumble gives Megatron an inspiration.
"This can't be the way those Deceptigoons came."
"On the contrary, it definitely is."
"What makes you so sure?"
"Because who else would have sent them to kill us?"
- —Ratchet and Alpha Trion as the Centurion droids approach
"I am Vector Sigma. Before Cybertron was, I was! Who reactivates me?"
- —Vector Sigma
Megatron: I am Megatron, your leader. Declare yourselves to me.
Motormaster: I am Motormaster. I swear loyalty to you!
Dead End: I am Dead End. I guess I'll have to do what you say.
Breakdown: I'm... I'm Breakdown. I'll obey too.
Drag Strip: I am Drag Strip. I live to obey!
Wildrider: I'm Wildrider! And I wanna bust something up!
- —The Stunticons speak their first words.
"Big and stupid."
- —Blaster on the Centurion droids who, in their zealousness, ran off a cliff to chase the maintenance robots.
Notes
Animation or technical glitches
- At the beginning of the episode, as Prime notes how quiet it's been, his headlights and bumper are red (instead of white and gray).
- Part of Megatron's leg is blue during his "Thrust, Dirge, Ramjet, after them!" line.
- When Ramjet crashes, he reverts to robot mode without the transformation sound.
- In the scene with the coneheads, when Thrust transforms, it's actually Ramjet's animation model with Thrust's deco.
- Megatron's left arm is white instead of grey when he gripes about the Autobots after the first attempt to steal the superfuel.
- Rumble's visor is the same color as his face when he steals the F1 car which will become Drag Strip. Oddly enough, it's red when the Autobots review the same sequence on Teletraan I later on!
- One of the bank robbers, the getaway driver and the lorry driver are all wearing hard hats; have Spike and Sparkplug started a fashion trend?
- As Rumble steals the semi truck, two of his shots start with Megatron's fusion cannon sound effect and end with the usual Decepticon laser effect.
- When the Decepticons are chatting with Shockwave on Cybertron, Rumble's head disappears for a brief moment.
- As the Autobots race towards Alpha Trion's lab, Omega Supreme actually clips through Blaster.
- When the Centurian Droids attack, Megatron's nose is colored dark gray.
- In one shot of the Autobots walking through a corridor, Blaster's mouth is jumping up and down independently of his face.
Continuity errors
- The central premise of this episode—that bringing new Transformers to life requires the supercomputer Vector Sigma—has already been contradicted by the creation of the Dinobots, and possibly the Constructicons as well (though that's a whole can of worms in itself.) Later episodes would likewise contradict it, showing Trypticon and the Technobots being brought to life without Vector Sigma. Optimus *sort of* explains most of this by saying "There's no place on Earth to give them Cybernetic personalities like we have", the "like we have" part insinuating that personalities from Earth would end up with low intelligence. For Trypticon and the Dinobots at least, this appears to be correct.
- In "The Search for Alpha Trion", Alpha Trion was introduced as an enigmatic old Transformer hiding in an underground base. This episode ignores the brunt of that. For starters, Alpha Trion's base is no longer underground and doesn't appear to be secret anymore. Nor does Alpha Trion himself. For some reason, the Decepticons know that Alpha Trion still lives, that he has the Key to Vector Sigma and what the location of his laboratory is. Wheeljack makes the situation even more peculiar by remarking that Alpha Trion's base is messier than it's ever been, insinuating that he's been there before. On a sidenote, in "The Search for Alpha Trion", Alpha Trion's lab was neat and tidy.
- Alpha Trion goes along with Optimus's plan to reconfigure Cybertronian shuttles into Earth-style jets, even though he's never been to Earth.
- Megatron tells Vector Sigma "I am Megatron, one of your creations...". The problem with this is that in "Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4", Megatron was build by the evil Constructicons (the same ones he would turn evil back on Cybertron and later build on Earth) and not by Vector Sigma. Then again the Constructions (when they were built) didn't need to go to Vector Sigma either. Probably because before they were built, they were turned evil and before that built Megatron. Have a headache yet?
Transformers references
- Soundwave actually uses that gun on his shoulder while fighting the Centurion drones.
Real World references
- For robots that have never been exposed to human culture, the Centurion droids demonstrate surprising proficiency in pro-wrestling, performing moves such as the German Suplex, body slam, headlock and Irish Whip.
Trivia
- According to episode writer David Wise at various conventions (such as BotCon 2009), he was instructed to include Vector Sigma when writing this episode as part of the Hasbro episode mandates. Not knowing what Vector Sigma was, he pressed story editor Bryce Malek, who in turn had to go to Hasbro to learn that Vector Sigma was "the computer that gave all the Transformers personalities". This caused Malek to respond: "Well, it didn't do a very good job, did it!"
- At the script stage, this episode had the uninspired sub-title "Creation of the Stunticons".
- The shooting scripts for both installments of this two-parter contain several "deleted scenes" which expand greatly upon some of the more significant events in the story. In this episode:
- "That blast" mentioned by Prime in the finished episode actually happens.
- While the other Autobots are busy down in the tunnels, Omega Supreme battles Shockwave on the planet's surface throughout the second act of the episode. Shockwave refers to Omega as his "old enemy," and is on the losing end of the fight until he gets his hands on a "cyberbomb," which he uses to defeat Omega, leaving him very badly damaged. There is a vestigial reference to this battle in Part 2, and further scenes relating to its consequences are removed from that episode, altering the nature of its turning point quite a bit.
- In the scene where the Autobots walk through a chamber with lots of destroyed Transformers in it, there are two generics in the foreground. The same character models previously appeared during the "historic footage" segment in "Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2". The green and yellow generic retained his color scheme, whereas the blue one is now one solid shade of blue. The model will appear again in "The Burden Hardest to Bear", again in different colors.
- The tank vehicles seen at the army base are the M.O.B.A.T. and the Armadillo from the G.I. Joe animated series.
- Rumble is shown capturing a Tyrrell P34 during a Formula 1 race, the year presumably being 1986. In actuality, the six-wheeler Tyrrell P34 was retired after the 1977 season, and did not appear again on any race circuit until 1999.
- Dirge, Ramjet and Thrust all crash into the mountain. Yet Ramjet is the only one being knocked out by the hit despite being the one who likes to crash into things on purpose. Should he not be more resistant to this kind of damage? According to Dirge and Thrust he even needs repairs though that could be simply an excuse for them to flee. (You know, with them both being cowards.)
- Megatron apparently creates the Stunticons by himself. Where are the Constructicons, who were useful in creating the robotic cars in "Make Tracks"?
Home video releases
- VHS
1986 — The Transformers — The Key to Vector Sigma & War Dawn (A.M.T. Video Gems)
1988 — The Transformers — The Key to Vector Sigma & War Dawn (V.I.P. Video Gems)
1991 — The Transformers — The Key to Vector Sigma (Little Gems Video Club)
2000 — The Original Transformers — Volume 4: The Key to Vector Sigma (Rhino Entertainment)
- Laserdisc
1995 — Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers — Megatron Set (Takara) — Japanese audio only.
1999 — The Transformers — Decepticon Edition (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.
- DVD
2001 — The Transformers — DVD Box 2 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.
2003 — The Original Transformers — Season 2 Part 2 (Rhino Entertainment)
2003 — The Original Transformers — Season 2 Part 2: Vol. 7 (Rhino Entertainment)
2004 — Transformers — Season 2 Part 2 (Metrodome)
2004 — Transformers — Collection 3: Series 2.2 (Madman Entertainment)
2006 — Transformers — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome)
2007 — The Transformers — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)
2009 — Transformers — Volume 06: Stagione Due Parte Quarta (Medianetwork Communication) — English and Italian audio.
2009 — Transformers — Season Two: Part Two (Metrodome)
2009 — The Transformers — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment)
2009 — The Transformers — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)
2009 — The Transformers — Season Two, Volume Two: 25th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory)
