Transformers Syndication Edits

SCI-FI CHANNEL EDITS | FIFTH SEASON NARRATION | TRANSFORMERS: GENERATION 2 | OTHER MODIFICATIONS | BEAST WARS

"I'm missing several scenes from the picture.  Someone broke in here and stole them!"--the video room editor, "Hoist Goes Hollywood" (TF)

"Time to add firobably hate myself in the morning, but...!"--Grapple/Inferno, "Masquerade" (TF)

Every episode of the original Transformers series exists in at least two incarnations.  There is, of course, the original unabridged version, and there's also a slightly edited version that was played when the series aired on the Sci-Fi Channel on and off from 1993 to about 1995.  About one minute's worth of footage was typically removed from each episode, though the edits were usually made in small increments.  They did this for more commercial time, since programs actually ran longer back in the 1980's than they do today.  Most of the edits were fairly insignificant, but a number of them change the significance of entire scenes, and a few of the edits all but nullify the whole point of the episode!

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Sci-Fi Channel Edits

Given the preponderance of the Sci-Fi Channel's version of these episodes, being distrubuted as second-hand copies and available for download online, I thought it might be useful to document the content that is missing from these abridged episodes.  The numbers in parentheses below represent the total length of content removed from the Sci-Fi Channel airings. I've For the historical clips, the lines or in italics and parenthesis represent sections that were edited.

Note that every first-season and second-season episode aired on Sci-Fi used the second season title sequence and third-season theme music, since this was the form in which the episodes existed when they were presented near the end of their original run in 1986. The "More Than Meets the Eye" trilogy was the only set of first-season episodes to retain their original ending credits.  "Five Faces of Darkness" retained its own unique title sequence, as did "The Rebirth," while the rest of the third season had its usual intro.  Also, the original commercial bumpers were never aired on Sci-Fi, replaced in favor of the generic "Sci-Fi Cartoon Quest" bumpers used for their other weekday morning programs.

Eventually, the Transformers: Generation 2 series was produced, consisting of the original, unedited episodes augmented with computer graphics.  By 1996, the Sci-Fi Channel was still airing the Transformers series on their "Animation Station" programming, but only the remaning 46 episodes that had never aired for the G2 show.

I've used a combination of italics and parentheses to denote three different types of content.  When I've transcribed brief scenes of dialogue, they are used as "stage directions" to indicate characters' actions that are not evident from the dialogue alone.  For the third-season narrative trailers, I've used them to demonstrate which parts of the trailers were cut out.  Finally, for the fifth-season narration, they are meant to show where scenes from the episodes were interspersed within the narrative dialogue.  This should be fairly self-evident when taken in context.

Right now this list is still incomplete.  The archive I was using as reference for the unabridged episodes went offline when I still had 24 episodes to research.  I'll be completing the list as soon as I'm feeling up to tackling it again.

1.  "More Than Meets the Eye" part 1 (55 seconds)

• About two seconds were cut during the pause between the narrator's lines, "...draining the planet's once-rich sources of energy," and, "The Autobots, on the verge of extinction, battled vaiantly to survive."
• Six seconds of footage were removed after Bumblebee says, "I bet Optimus Prime will be glad to see us."  The scene cuts directly to Wheeljack saying, "We're nearing the bridge to Iacon."
• About eight seconds after Bumblebee takes a couple of pot shots at the Decepticons:
  BUMBLEBEE:  Prime told me there'd be days like this!
  WHEELJACK:  And you didn't believe him?
  BUMBLEBEE:  I do now!
• Approximately 12 seconds after Bumblebee boards Wheeljack:
  WHEELJACK:  Are you all right?
  BUMBLEBEE:  Yeah... I think it's my... rear axle...
• About seven seconds of the establishing shot of the Autobots about to launch the Ark.
• The previews for the next episode were cut, running 20 seconds:  "In the next episode of The Transformers, the evil Decepticons create a tremendous tidal wave; Optimus Prime battles his arch enemy, Megatron, high atop Sherman Dam; and Megatron discovers the ruby crystals of Burma.  All in the next exciting episode of The Transformers!

2.  "More Than Meets the Eye" part 2  (75 seconds)

• 10 seconds of Brawn's rescue of Huffer:
  HUFFER:  There are two things I really hate, Brawn!
  BRAWN:  What are they?
  HUFFER:  Fire... and water!
  BRAWN:  Great, you're in the right place!
• About five seconds of Trailbreaker and Wheeljack trying to contain and extinguish the fire.
• A two-second clip of Spike carrying Soundwave into the Autobot base.  Somebody actually paid attention to the music here, and edited carefully so that it doesn't sound choppy.
• Seven seconds after Spike asks Trailbreaker why the Autobots transform and Trailbreaker answers, "Simple--disguise!"
  TRAILBREAKER:  Besides, it sure beats walking!
  SPIKE:  Yeah, but... how do you do it?
• Another 26 seconds after Hound transforms:
  HOUND:  Now, watch this!  (Holographic driver appears.)
  SPIKE:  Who's he?
  TRAILBREAKER:  Nobody.  He doesn't really exist, Spike--he's a hologram.
  SPIKE:  What other tricks can you do?
  MIRAGE:  Try this one, Spike!  Now you see me, now you don't!  (Mirage turns invisible.)
  SPIKE:  Hey, where'd Mirage go?  (Mirage reappears on the other side of the room.)
  MIRAGE:  Over here!
  SPIKE:  Disappearing--it's the best disguise of all!
  HOUND:  Hop in, Spike!  I'm gonna take you for the ride of your life!
  This scene wasn't tremendously important, but it does firmly establish Mirage's ability to turn invisible, which turns out to be significant later in part 3.
• About four seconds of the Decepticons' arrival at Sherman Dam.
• For some strange reason, the Sci-Fi Channel actually changed the spot for one of the commercial breaks.  Instead of the break after Prime falls in the big, big water, they wait until Prime assures Huffer, "We can't ignore the danger--we must conquer it!" to cut to commercial.
• The previews for part 3 were cut, running 21 seconds in length:  "In the next episode of The Transformers, the Autobots create an astonishing illusion trap the treacherous Decepticons, and Optimus Prime risks his very existence as the Decepticons rocket back to Cybertron with enough energy to rule the universe!  All in the third and final part of The Transformers!"

3.  "More Than Meets the Eye" part 3  (65 seconds)

• About five seconds were cut from the very beginning, in which Optimus Prime finishes his tumble down the mountainside.
• Maybe four seconds after the Decepticons blast themselves free from the remains of the mines and Ironhide reacts:  "Leakin' lubricants!"
• Three more seconds of Jazz going, "Bluestreak, no!" after he flies off to retrive Ironhide.
• Roughly 17 seconds of Ironhide and Bluestreak hanging in the air and letting Skywarp shoot missiles at them.  Bluestreak's line, "It's like fightin' a shadow!" was cut.
• Seven more seconds of Ironhide's conversation with Optimus Prime after Prime says, "You gave us all a pretty good scare":
  IRONHIDE:  It's been worse.  I remember the time on Cybertron...
  OPTIMUS PRIME:  Save the war stories, hotshot.  
  In the Sci-Fi version, Prime's line cuts right to, "Just remember that there's a thin line between being a hero and being a memory."
• The last ten seconds before the first commercial.  Sci-Fi actually steps on the scene in which Hound is in the middle of creating the rocket base hologram.  
• About two seconds of a couple of the Autobots' transformations are missing when they convert to vehicle mode and leave to stop the Decepticon ship from launching.
• 11 seconds after Megatron says that it's time to return to Cybertron and conquer the Autobots.  The Decepticons cheer for a bit, and Megatron orders, "Board the space cruiser!"
• Also, about six seconds of the Autobots' transformation to robot mode are missing when they arrive.  (Sci-Fi edited this very badly.  The transformation sound effects cut off, and then a piece of another one is heard as the Autobots run toward the Decepticon installation.)

4.  "Transport to Oblivion"(31 seconds)

• About six seconds of the establishing shot of the new Decepticon underwater base before Megatron says, "The Autobots think they have defeated us, and yet we survive!"
• Another six seconds after the aforementioned scene of the establishing shots of Cybertron before Shockwave transforms and says, "Losing power..."
• Maybe three seconds of yet another establishing shot, this time of the power plant before the plant worker asks his buddy to turn his tape player down.
• About 16 seconds after Ratchet removes Ironhide's damaged terminal for repairs:
  SPARKPLUG:  Hmm, and that rear-end assembly looks like it could use some old-fashioned blowtorch work to secure it.
  RATCHET: Eh, it sure does.
  IRONHIDE:  That's what you think, Ratchet.  Just keep your clamps off my--
  RATCHET:  No more backtalk, or I'll short your mouth circuit!  (Shuts Ironhide off.)
  IRONHIDE:  Why, you... (Trails off as he shuts down.)
• Why was so little content cut from this episode (only about half again as much as usual)?  I have no idea.

5.  "Roll For It" (59 seconds)

• Ten seconds after Optimus Prime orders Prowl and Bluestreak to follow the Decepticons:
  OPTIMUS PRIME:  ...But don't bite off more than you can shred!
  BLUESTREAK:  (Laughs.)  Who, me?  C'mon, Prowl!  Autobots, roll!
• About five seconds of the establishing shot of Cybertron.
• Maybe four seconds of Bumblebee and passengers approaching the laboratory before the guard greets them.
• Ten seconds of Bumblebee driving through the front gate and his passengers disembarking.
• Two seconds of scene bumper after Bumblebee evades Laserbeak's attack.
• Three seconds were removed before the first commercial break of Bluestreak getting pounced on by Ravage.  The Sci-Fi version fades to commercial as soon as Prowl gets zapped.  
• Another nine seconds are missing after the first commercial break of Megatron saying, "Unlimited energy is almost mine!" and Rumble doing a very odd non-flanged laugh.  The Sci-Fi version picks up just as Reflector is keying in the access code to the lab.
• Four seconds after the Decepticons retreat from the aircraft factory of Prowl saying, "Chip, for a human being, you make one heck of an Autobot!"
• Twelve seconds of the Autobots prepping for Chip's rescue:
  OPTIMUS PRIME:  Where's Mirage?
  MIRAGE:  Sorry, Chief.  I was just getting ready!
  HOUND:  So were--was--we.  Uh, that is, me and my two holographic twins.
  OPTIMUS PRIME:  Fine...

6.  "Divide and Conquer" (44 seconds)

• About eight seconds after Optimus Prime transforms and orders the other Autobots to meet him at the munitions plant:
  IRONHIDE:  You heard the chief!  Roll out!
  SPARKPLUG:  Heh.  I wonder if I'll ever get used to that...
• About two seconds between the scene of Optimus pulling out of the munitions plant and the Autobots driving back to base.
• The two-second scene bumper after Bumblebee says, "Optimus is gonna pull through... he--he's got to!"
• Six seconds after the Decepticons return to their base of the docking tower submerging and an establishing shot of the inside of their headquarters.
• Another six seconds of Laserbeak transforming and landing on Brawn's shoulder as he, Gears and Windcharger walk through headquarters.  While it's still possible to deduce what's going on, this edit badly interrupts the flow of the scene.
• After Ironhide says, "C'mon, Teletraan, Prime is running out of time!" and Prime groans a little, five seconds of the Decepticons loading energon cubes were cut.
• Three seconds of Rumble saying to the Reflector module piloting the space bridge vehicle, "Say 'hi' to the old gang on Cybertron!"
• About five seconds of the Reflector module's journey to Cybertron.  (And yes, the two overlapping musical scores when he arrives were actually part of the original soundtrack.)
• The two-second scene bumper after Shockwave announces that the energon cubes made it to Cybertron.
• (Not an edit, but it's always struck me as strange that Megatron says, "The rain has given me an idea... let the Autobots win."  Then immediately after, he follows this up with, "Do as I say!" as though he were countermanding a protest from Starscream that seems to be missing from this scene.)
• Five seconds of Bumblebee, Ironhide, Bluestreak and Trailbreaker's trip to Cybertron over the space bridge.  (Again, the music was always that choppy--it's not just Sci-Fi's fault.)

7.  "Fire in the Sky"  (54 seconds)

• About eight seconds of music and establishing shots from the very beginning before Spike's first line, "Wow, that's the biggest snowman I ever saw!"
• Eleven seconds or so of Teletraan 1 scanning for the source of the heat loss and reporting, "Abnormally large energy expenditure in the Arctic Circle."
• Fifteen seconds of the Decepticons' treatment of Skyfire:
  STARSCREAM:  "Again!  This time a million volts!"
  SOUNDWAVE:  "Also, cyber-motor relays... are useless."
  STARSCREAM:  "Memory monitor activating!"
• For some reason, the Sci-Fi Channel tossed in an extra scene bumper before they cut to the first commercial.
• Approximately 20 seconds after the first commercial break are missing:
  SKYFIRE:  Destruction to all Autobots!
  SPARKPLUG:  Hit the ice, Spike!  He's gonna fire again!
  SPIKE:  Dad, help!
  SPARKPLUG:  Grab hold, son!  Hurry!  Huurgh!

8.  "S.O.S. Dinobots"  (21 seconds)

• Not sure if this happened every time the episode aired on Sci-Fi or just the time I taped it, but the music warbles in a couple of places when the Decepticons are surveying the Great Falls, and again when Wheeljack postulates the notion of having some dinosaurs on the Autobot team.
• The two-second scene bumper after the Decepticons return to base.
• About nine seconds after Spike and Hound enter the museum:
  SPIKE:  Careful, don't bump your head.
  PUNK:  Wow, man!  That's what I call heavy metal!
  (I'm kind of glad they cut this part, actually.)
• Four seconds of Huffer's enthusiasm for the Dinobots project after Optimus gives Wheeljack the go-ahead:
  HUFFER:  It'll never work... big waste of time.
• The three-second scene bumper after the Dinobots are buried is missing.
• Another scene bumper was removed after Megatron takes over the Great Falls.  See, this is the sort of editing we like--the kind that doesn't remove any actual content!
• This episode is the same length as the other first-season episodes, so I have no idea why so comparatively little content was removed.

9.  "Fire on the Mountain"  (Total edited content: unknown.)

Note:  This is the only episode of which I do not own a complete Sci-Fi Channel recording.  If you have the Sci-Fi Channel version on tape and wouldn't mind transcribing the first few minutes' worth of the episode (up to the scene in which Skyfire is rediscovered), I'd appreciate it.

• Seven seconds of the villagers reacting to Megatron blasting the top of a mountain with his new toy:  (?)
  VILLAGER #1:  Look!  
  VILLAGER #2:  What is it?
  VILLAGER #3:  A star?
  VILLAGER #2:  The power that destroyed it came from the ruins!
• The three-second scene bumper after Luisa agrees to take Spike and Bumblebee to the temple.
• About eight seconds of the Autobots preparing to take care of the avalanche:
  OPTIMUS PRIME:  Autobots, weapons ready.  Commence firing!
• Eight seconds of the Autobots arriving at the temple after Megatron chuckles to himself and before Windcharger says, "Uh... Brawn?!"

10.  "War of the Dinobots"  (61 seconds)

• About seven seconds of dialogue-less establishing shots at the very beginning.
• Three seconds after Chip announces he'll contact the Autobots, adding, "They're the only ones who can save the Earth!"
• Ten seconds after Megatron orders Soundwave to spy on the Dinobots, including the scene bumper and part of Soundwave's arrival at the meteorite crater.
• Six seconds while the Autobots wait for the meteor to land:
  SPIKE:  Maybe we'll even name it after you.  "Meteorini Chiparoni," or something.
  HOUND:  Get ready...
• Another three-second clip of Spike announcing, "There!  I can see it!"
• Five seconds after Ironhide protects Chip and Spike from the meteorite landing:
  SPIKE:  Thanks, pal!
  CHIP:  No wonder you're called "Ironhide!"
• Six seconds after Optimus transforms:
  CHIP:  No matter how many times I see it, it's always outrageous!
  Prime's order, "Autobots, transform... and roll out!" is one consecutive line in the Sci-Fi version.
• Fifteen seconds as the Autobots are leaving:
  OPTIMUS PRIME:  I'm pleased with the Dinobots, Spike.  I think I'll have Wheeljack and Ratchet build two more.
  SPIKE:  Wow, can Chip and I help out?
  Needless to say, the Sci-Fi version offers no explanation as to why these new Dinobots are being built.
• Six more seconds of Sparkplug asking, "Is there anything you don't know about, Chip?" and the scene bumper that follows.

11.  "The Ultimate Doom" part 1 (57 seconds)

• Eleven seconds of the Autobots' dialogue near the beginning:
  JAZZ:  Thanks for the crazy waterskis, Wheeljack.  I always wanted to play motorboat!
  SUNSTREAKER:  Eh, I wish they were painted to match my base coat.  They clash!
  OPTIMUS PRIME:  Redecorate later, Sunstreaker...
  The Sci-Fi version picks up on the rest of Prime's line, "Our primary concern is the Decepticons."  Needless to say, this is a fairly pointless line by itself, and only serves to further Prime's reputation for spouting senseless non sequiturs.  Heh.
• Six seconds before Rumble starts pounding the ground:
  IRONHIDE:  Ahh!  Watch it, Sparkplug!
  SPARKPLUG:  What's wrong?  The oil too hot?  (Sparky is drawn like Spike in this scene, by the way.)
• Three seconds after Sideswipe knocks Ravage into the wall:
  SPIKE:  Way to go, Sideswipe!
  SPARKPLUG:  Clobber that Decepti-kitty!
• The previews for part 2 were cut, which ran for 37 seconds:
  "In the next episode of The Transformers, Megatron's deadly plan to bring Cybertron into Earth's orbit creates tremendous natural disasters around the world; the Dinobots attempt to stop the huge tidal waves and earthquakes which threaten to rip the planet apart; and Spike journeys to Cybertron to save his father, Sparkplug, who has been turned into a mindless slave.  All in the next exciting episode of The Transformers: "The Ultimate Doom!"

12.  "The Ultimate Doom" part 2 (67 seconds)

• Eight seconds after Laserbeak captures the two guards for Dr. Archeville, including the scene bumper and the footage of the docking tower.
• Thirteen seconds after the energy beams enclose around the guards:
  RUMBLE:  Okay, who's first?  How about... you!  (Reaches inside the energy bonds and pulls out one of the guards.  He screams in pain and faints.)  Heh heh heh heh...  You humans sure can't take it.
• About nine seconds right before Bumblebee bursts a tire:
  BUMBLEBEE:  Whoa, this wind is really pushing us around!  I hope I got enough energy left to keep Gears in sight.
• The three-second scene bumper was removed after the Dinobots build their anti-tidal wave defenses.
• Sci-Fi removed the previews for part 3, totalling 34 seconds:
  "In the next episode of The Transformers, Spike and the Autobots discover the plans for the hypno-chip on Cybertron and learn how Megatron controls his army of human slaves, while the Autobots on Earth try to stop the evil Decepticons from producing more energon cubes and storing them in a gigantic starship, and Spike makes one final desperate attempt to rescue his father, Sparkplug, before the planet Earth is torn to pieces.  All in the final exciting episode of The Transformers: 'The Ultimate Doom!'"

13.  "The Ultimate Doom" part 3 (52 seconds)

• About six seconds of the final moments of the preview for part 2 and the establishing shot of the beginning of part 3.
• About eight seconds after Skyfire escapes the Decepticon base, including the scene bumper and an establishing shot of Cybertron's exterior.
• Eight seconds after Wheeljack accesses the computer disk, including the scene bumper and the shot of Megatron's sea funnel before the surfer-dude Autobots show up.
• Eleven seconds after surfer-dude Ironhide's detects the tidal wave:
  BLUESTREAK:  Uh-oh.  Gangway!  Surf's up--and I'm talkin' up!
• Around 13 seconds after the surfer-dude Autobots make their way toward the sea funnel and before Archeville reports the status of the project to Megatron.
• Five seconds after Archeville says, "Hmm, perhaps Starscream is the ally I've been looking for," and before Megatron asks, "Are tidal waves forming?"

14.  "Countdown to Extinction"  (67 seconds)

• About eleven seconds of Ironhide filling potholes with cement.  (I must praise Sci-Fi for this edit, since--through luck or design--they managed to time the edit precisely with the rhythm of the music.)
• Eight seconds after Frenzy throws Skywarp into the wall.  Frenzy leaps up and starts pummeling Skywarp, who protests, "Get off me, you walking junkyard!"
• The three-second scene bumper after the Decepticons depart for Archeville's lab.
• Another scene bumper after the Autobots depart to chase after the Decepticons.
• About six seconds of Starscream and Dr. Archeville arriving at the secret lab entrance.
• Four seconds after Archeville uses the "open sesame!" command to cause the rock covering the entrance to slide open:
  STARSCREAM:  How original.
• Another eleven seconds after Starscream grabs the boulder and tosses it aside, where it crumbles:
  STARSCREAM:  A small example of what happens to anyone who tries my patience--especially you, doctor!
• About four seconds after Starscream notes that he doesn't care about "this minor planet" and before Rumble notices the Autobots in pursuit.
• Another three seconds' worth of scene bumper after the Decepticons launch their missiles at the 'Bots.
• Here's an edit that's actually an improvement over the original version.  After Starscream installs the timer mechanism, he asks Archeville to come back into the lab, and the background music suddenly jumps to a different part of the theme for about three seconds before it returns to normal.  Those three seconds were cut.
• About six seconds of the shot of the timer after we come back from the first commercial break were cut.
• Not an edit, but in case you were wondering, the badly overlapped music as Starscream and Archeville enter Shockwave's control room are present in the original version, too.
• The three-second scene bumper after Starscream leaves the control room was edited out.
• About two seconds of closing music from the very end of the episode.

15.  "A Plague of Insecticons" (59 seconds)

• About five seconds of the establishing shot of Autobot Headquarters.
• Five more seconds after Laserbeak returns to base and before Megatron confirms, "Giant insects?  Well done, Laserbeak!"  What's interesting about this scene is that Laserbeak appears to be communicating this information to Megatron by transmitting electronic signals.
• Four seconds of the Decepticons following Ravage after he picks up the Insecticons' scent.
• The three-second scene bumper after the Insecticons start munchin' on the farm crops.
• Nine seconds of Sideswipe leading the Autobots to his shortcut:
  SUNSTREAKER:  Since when do you know anything about this countryside?
  SIDESWIPE:  Listen, I got instincts like a proton-powered pathfinder!
  The Sci-Fi version picks up just as the Autobots hit a dead end and Wheeljack comments, "Proton-powered pathfinder, huh?"  Needless to say, Wheeljack's responding to a line that doesn't exist in the edited version.
• Another scene bumper after Sideswipe proposes that the Autobots tunnel underneath the village.
• 12 seconds before the Autobots burst through the rock wall:
  OPTIMUS PRIME:  Stand back, Sideswipe.  It's my turn.
  SIDESWIPE:  I'm not really tired... but... if you insist...
• Eight seconds of footage after Megatron says, "That oil refinery awaits our pleasure," in which he adds, "Once we have taken its power, we will deal with our enemies once and for all!"
  A scene bumper was also cut along with this needlessly redundant exposition.
• Six seconds after Prime catches Wheeljack, including the scene bumper and the establishing shot of the oil refinery.
• About four seconds of the Decepticon energy collection before Rumble asks Thundercracker for more energon cubes.

16.  "Heavy Metal War" (45 seconds)

• About eleven seconds of establishing shots of the construction site before the foreman's line, "So far, we're right on schedule..."
• A huge 22-second clip of Megatron doing the usual bragging and Starscream doing the usual nagging:
  MEGATRON:  Soon, Starscream, soon!  Scrapper's invention will give me the power to defeat the Autobots once and for all!
  STARSCREAM:  Forgive me, but I beleive your boast sounds vaguely familiar.
  MEGATRON:  We failed before through no fault of mine!  But this time, I shall not be denied...
• Eleven more seconds after Megatron explains that the Constructicons plan to destroy Teletraan 1:
  MEGATRON:  Optimus Prime won't know what hit him!  (Five seconds of evil laughter.)
• The scene in which Prime falls to the ground, defeated, fades to the first commercial break about one second too early.

17.  "Autobot Spike" (45 seconds)

• Six seconds of Spike saying, "Wow, Dad, you kind of created a metal Frankenstein's monster!"  (Plot point!  Plot point!)
• About six seconds of Prime and Thundercracker exchanging shots before all the rockets go up in flames.  The Sci-Fi version actually sort of makes it look like the rockets were all destroyed when Brawn tossed Soundwave into them.
• Five seconds of the Decepticons realizing that they goofed:
  SOUNDWAVE:  Energy supply inadvertantly destroyed.
• About two seconds of the Decepticons transforming before they depart from the rocket base.
• About three seconds after Sideswipe and Sunstreaker rush forward to help Autobot Spike:
  SIDESWIPE:  C'mon.
  SPIKE:  Sideswipe... Sunstreaker...!
  The Sci-Fi Channel didn't cut this line very cleanly, and you can still catch the last syllable of the word "Sunstreaker" in the edited version.
• About five seconds of Laserbeak's return to Decepticon Headquarters.  
• Six seconds after Megatron says, "So, the human called Spike now possesses an Autobot body..."
  MEGATRON:  "...and the state of his mind is questionable.  Interesting."
• About 12 seconds after the Frankenstein movie gets Spike a little too riled up:
  WHEELJACK:  Just like I thought!  Spike's mind is--
  SPARKPLUG:  No, don't say it!
  AUTOBOT X:  (Growls.)
  RATCHET:  Sorry, I'll have to finish the job later, Bumblebee!  (Bumblebee transforms.)

18.  "Changing Gears" (54 seconds)

• This has got to be, hands down, the one episode that suffers the worst from the Sci-Fi editing, at least in the plot department.  The first edit cuts out a 23-second chunk:
  GEARS:  Ah, wouldn't you know it.  Every time I get set to lube my cable relays, somethin' happens.
  IRONHIDE:  Action first, Gears. Maintenance later.
  GEARS:  That's easy for you to say.  Your pulleys don't squeak!
  BUMBLEBEE:  Your squeakin's not the problem.  Oof!  (Vaults over Gears' shoulders.)  It's your squawkin'!
• About ten seconds of the Autobots driving away from their headquarters and the first few seconds of their arrival at the mining camp.
• About eight seconds including the line from Megatron, "So, the Autobots have finally arrived!"  In the Sci-Fi version, Prime orders the Autobots to attack, and then almost immediately orders them to regroup.
• Another thirteen seconds, inlcuding the only other dialogue that establishes the character of Gears before he becomes a slave:
  GEARS:  Eh, go ding your diodes and get defunct, Megatron.  I'm not helpin' you do zilch!
  MEGATRON:  Starscream, perhaps your null ray will make our guest more... cooperative.
  In other words, Gears' very first words in the Sci-Fi edition are, "What happened? Suddenly I feel so good-natured?"  Compared to what??

19.  "City of Steel" (57 seconds)

• The first cut consists of about two seconds of the Autobots boarding the off-ramp to the right after Spike asks Bumblebee to make a left turn.  Heh.
• A nice, big, 32-second chunk after the above scene:
  MEGATRON:  Your pitiful attempt to stop my conquest of New Your City has failed, Prime!  And soon the rest of North America will fall to me as well.  But, even immobilized, you worry me...  Hook, disassemble him at once!
  HOOK:  (Transforms.)  With finesse, and pleasure!  (Produces a lightsaber-type weapon and holds it menacingly over Prime for five seconds.)
• Because of the above edit, the scene bumper incorrectly flips from Decepticon symbol to another Decepticon symbol when we go from the scene of the Autobots driving around to the scene of Long Haul dumping Prime's parts from his truck bed.
• Five seconds after Mirage tells the Autobots to follow him and turns invisible:
  HOUND:  Lucky my sensors can track old Mr. Invisible, or he'd be a touch act to follow!
• An 18-second chunk after Megatron tells the Constructicons to work faster (in which Scrapper has Sideswipe's voice):
  SCRAPPER:  Look, Megatron!  If the Autobots ever drive down this street, they'll be riding down their own grave!  (Gleeful chuckle.)
  SKYWARP:  See what you can do with this, Mixmaster!  (Loads a car into his mixing drum.)
  MIXMASTER:  Hee hee heh heh!  Only my best, Skywarp!  Only my best-best!  (Spits out some steel girders.)
• The Sci-Fi Channel retained the ten-second "Emergency Autobot Alert" message that was played occasionally during the third season.  It shows scenes from the movie and goes like this:
  OPTIMUS PRIME:  Heroes never die.  I, Optimus Prime, can never be conquered!
  NARRATOR:  Catch the surprise return of Optimus Prime, coming soon to The Transformers!
  After the third season made its debut in 1986, the series alternated every other day for a while between the first/second season episodes and new third-season adventures.  Clearly, the Sci-Fi Channel ended up with the version of this episode that had the Emergency Autobot Alert tacked onto the end.
  Curiously, this clip actually overlaps the first ten seconds of the ending credits for the episode.  I'm guessing that this was done by the guys who put the third season together and not the Sci-Fi Channel, this time.  Probably, extending the episode's running time would have messed with the commerial airtime, so they opted to play the new clip on top of the credits.

20.  "Attack of the Autobots"  (37 seconds)

• About 18 seconds after the Decepticons abandon the battle:
  RATCHET:  Hhh... a hit-and-run raid?  That's not Megatron's style.
  PROWL:  Well, perhaps we responded so quickly, he had no time to achieve his objective.
  OPTIMUS PRIME:  Perhaps, but Megatron always has some method to his madness.  And whatever it was this time, you can be sure it won't do us any good.
• 11 seconds of Dr. Harding talking on the telephone before the voice on the intercom warns her that the Autobots are attacking:
  DR. HARDING:  ...Yes?  And you'd like me to join you in the command bunker?  You're launching my solar-powered generating satellite?  Wonderful!
• About eight seconds of Bumblebee whining after Prime knocks him down:
  BUMBLEBEE:  Prime!  It's Bumblebee!  I'm one of your-- I don't believe this is happening!  Prime!!
• This episode actually runs about a minute longer than average, so it surprises me that they didn't cut out more.

21.  "Traitor" (54 seconds)

• About 19 seconds after Starscream destroys the Experimental Energy Research Laboratory:
  STARSCREAM:  It is as you ordered, mighty Megatron!
  MEGATRON:  Then let us return to headquarters and begin the first chapter in the book of Decepticon supremacy!
  Even though this scene is edited out in the Sci-Fi version, you can still spot the scene change before they cut to the scene bumper.
• The entire 32-second confrontation between Mirage and Skywarp, in which Mirage tears the Decepticon insignia off Skywarp's wing.  This is only the most important scene in the episode, so naturally, Sci-Fi got rid of it.  Without this scene intact, there's no way of knowing where Mirage got the Decepticon symbol he's clutching in the next scene (below).
• About three seconds after Mirage mutters under his breath, "I don't need rest..."

22.  "The Immobilizer"  (55 seconds)

• Seven seconds or so of the establishing shot of the Robots Video Arcade.
• About eight seconds of the assorted Autobots transforming to go test the immobilizer outside, except for the very beginning of the sequence (with Ironhide's head retracting) and the very end (with Optimus Prime transforming).
• A 29-second clip after Megatron says, "The Autobots shall pay for this humiliation soon enough--I, Megatron, swear it!"
  OPTIMUS PRIME:  We can deal with the Decepticons later.  We've got to take Wheeljack back to headquarters, and let's hope the immobilization effect on him is as temporary on him as it was on the water.  
  BUMBLEBEE:  We gotta get back to headquarters!
  CARLY:  Can I come with you?
  SPIKE:  Sure, follow us!
  OPTIMUS PRIME:  Autobots, transform!
  (Wheeljack is loaded into Prime's trailer.)
  OPTIMUS PRIME:  Roll out!
• 11 seconds after Spike and Bumblebee depart to look for Carly, in which Optimus Prime almost slips into an Ironhide accent:
  OPTIMUS PRIME:  We've got to recover the immobilizer before Megatron turns it against us.  Autobots, transform and roll!
• Not an edit, but the really bad sound effects edit at the very end of Carly's car peeling out is in the original version, too.

23.  "The Autobot Run" (61 seconds)

• 19 seconds after Megatron tests the transfixatron on Starscream, who implores Megatron to free him:
  STARSCREAM:  ...I'll do anything you command!
  MEGATRON:  Hmm, perhaps I should leave you as a jet plane... forever!
  STARSCREAM:  You can't leave me like this!  I'm too valuable to you--to the Decepticon cause!  Megatron, I'm begging you!
• About five seconds after Megatron orders the Constructicons to start building the Autobot-crushing thingy.  Bonecrusher scoops up some dirt and
• 16 more seconds after the race beings:
  IRONHIDE:  Got lead in your drive shaft?
  TRAILBREAKER:  I don't see you breaking the sound barrier, Ironhide!
  CHIP:  C'mon, Ironhide!  Trailbreaker, you can do it!
  SUNSTREAKER:  Showtime!  Move over, you snail-racer slowpokes!
• This episode has one of the cleanest edits that Sci-Fi ever pulled off.  Originally, Jazz starts up some groovy drivin' music and we cut away to some mysterious and fairly pointless exposition courtesy of the Constructicons.  Then we cut back to the race, and Jazz's music has started all over again.  Well, Sci-Fi spliced together the scenes so that as soon as Jazz tunes into a good rock station, we cut directly to the second scene, right before Skywarp appears.  I was very impressed when I finally got a copy of the G2 version and realized what Sci-Fi had done.
  Here's the scene that was removed, 21 seconds in all, including a bit of Jazz's music and a scene bumper before it, and another scene bumper afterwards:
  LONG HAUL:  Wish I were goin' with 'em... to fight!
  BONECRUSHER:  When this device is ready, it'll wreck those Autobots good, Long Haul!  They won't know what hit them!
• Here's a change that the Sci-Fi Channel made in which footage was not cut, but it's still worth noting.  After Megatron clears the stands and approaches the Autobots just before the first commercial break, the Autobots are sitting there in their vehicle modes and trembling in fear (or revving their engines silently, take your pick).  Apparently, somebody at Sci-Fi thought that this was a mistake (perhaps thinking that the original animation was glitched, even though only the characters were vibrating, not the background), so they "fixed" this scene by freezing the Autobots in place.  Even though there was no mistake to fix, you've got to give them points for trying.  (What I want to know is, why didn't they edit out the animation that actually was frozen from "The Secret of Omega Supreme"?)

24.  "Atlantis, Arise!"  (43 seconds)

• The first edit is a huge 38-second clip that removes the entire football game with the Dinobots:
  SPIKE:  Hut one, hut two, hike!  (Bumblebee passes him the ball.)
  BUMBLEBEE:  (Holding Grimlock at bay.)  Spike, I can't... block him... much longer!
  GRIMLOCK:  (Transforms.)  Huuuh.  Here come me, Grimlock!
  HOUND:  I'm clear!  Pass it!  (Transforms to Jeep mode and evades Swoop, catching the ball in his passenger seat.)  Got it!  I'm heading for Touchdown City!  (Runs into Slag.)  Aaah!
  WHEELJACK:  Hey, guys!  Optimus Prime wants us, on the double!
  HOUND:  (Holding the deflated football.)  Are you sure humans do this for fun...?
  Needless to say, later on when Prime asks for volunteers to investigate the activity in the Atlantic Ocean, Hound's comment, "It's gotta be safer than playing football with Dinobots" is a total non sequitur in this version.
• About five seconds of Hound's canopy covering his cabin before the Autobots submerge.  You can actually still hear the tail-end sound effect of his gears whirring even in the edited version.
• These were the only edits I found, which surprises me considering that this episode runs about a minute longer than average.

25.  "Day of the Machines"  (43 seconds)

• An 18-second clip in which Dr. Gates' colleague tries to dissuade his doubts about the TORQ project.  Note that this exposition is fairly important, as it explains how TORQ can take over the facility, as it does a moment later:
  SCIENTIST:  ...TORQ is the first machine that can build other machines.  Robot welders, robot constructors, robot-controlled doors, even... robot file cabinets!  Hmm, I didn't realize how late it was.  We should got home and get some sleep.
  DR. GATES:  Perhaps you're right.
• About two seconds of music before Megatron announces, "Oil tankers below!"
• 23 seconds of the Autobots fighting TORQ's machine army:
  OPTIMUS PRIME: Stop those armored vehicles!  Good grief.  More bad news!  This isn't one of our shining days!  The tires--aim for the tires!
  (I've always thought Prime sounded like Ironhide when he says the word "tires.")

26.  "Enter the Nightbird" (59 seconds)

• A 24-second scene in which Wheeljack and Ratchet reveal their pro-Cybertron bias:
  RATCHET:  Dr. Fujiyama's doohickey's under that drape.
  WHEELJACK:  If it walks, it probably needs a long extension cord.  Heh heh.
  RATCHET:  Heh heh heh.  I wonder if batteries are included?  Heh heh heh heh.
  WHEELJACK:  When they turn it on, it'll probably blow the lights!
  OPTIMUS PRIME:  We're here to guard the robot, not to make jokes at its expense.
• Another 25 seconds of the Decepticons arriving at their temporary base with the gigantic Decepticon symbol:
  MEGATRON:  Soundwave, activate the passageway.
  SOUNDWAVE:  As you command, Megatron.  (His Decepticon symbol glows, apparently sending a signal to the base.  The doors open.)
  MEGATRON:  This new base is only temporary, but it will do nicely for the game I intend to play with those acursed Autobots!
• Ten seconds after Nightbird steals the energy chip and the power goes out:
  OPTIMUS PRIME:  This could mean only one thing... an intruder!

27.  "A Prime Problem" (57 seconds)

• Five seconds after Laserbeak emerges of Prime declaring, "Laserbeak!  You tin-foil turkey!"
• About eight seconds of the clone's response after Prime concludes, "Which would mean that I'm... an impostor."
  PRIME CLONE:  You can't talk your way out of this one.  Every Autobot knows that I am the genuine Opitmus Prime.
• Six seconds after Huffer says, "Did someone mention traps?"
  GEARS:  I don't mind hitting the dirt (cough, choke) but I don't enjoy eating it!
• 16 seconds after Megatron announces that the Prime clone will destroy one of the Decepticons:
  STARSCREAM:  Yes, yes!  Destroying a Decepticon will convince the Autobots that your replica is the real Optimus Prime!
  MEGATRON:  Exactly!  And do you have any idea which Decepticon will be brave enough to make that sacrifice?
• 14 seconds after Spike notices that Laserbeak is chasing Starscream:
  WINDCHARGER:  Then let's find out why!
  SPIKE:  We'll check out that mountainside.  They seemed to come right out of it!
  STARSCREAM:  You're not taking me back!  I refuse to sacrifice myself!  (Fires at Laserbeak.)
• About five seconds of Windcharger's fall into the energy crevice.
• Four seconds after Thundercracker asks, "Did you have a blowout in your brain box, Starscream?"
  THUNDERCRACKER:  (Clutching Gears.)  I've got an Autobot right--
  STARSCREAM:  I said, hold your fire!

28.  "The Core"  (28 seconds, at least)

• About four seconds of Scrapper trying to seal the fissure at the drill site and groaning in frustration when it doesn't work.
• 14 more seconds of the Constructicons doing their thing:
  MIXMASTER:  Long Haul, load those chemicals into my mixing drum.
  LONG HAUL:  Load and unload.  That's the story of my life, Mixmaster.
  MIXMASTER:  Lucky for us, you're on the job.  And luckier still that I'm a genoius of a chemist!
• Six seconds of the Autobot patrol driving through the former river bed:
  GEARS:  Hey, Jazz!  What's with the mud massage?
  JAZZ:  Chill out, Gears!  It'll do wonders for all the chrome in your complexion!
• Four more seconds after Megatron tells Starscream to let the Autobot commando raiding party go free:
  STARSCREAM:  What? Traitor!
  MEGATRON:  Nonsense!

29.  "The Insecticon Syndrome"  (39 seconds)

• The first edit is a 14-second clip after the first commercial:
  SHRAPNEL:  (Laughs.)  Insecticons always triumph, triumph!
  BOMBSHELL:  I'm hungry.
• About five seconds of the Autobots transforming after Optimus orders them to, followed by Optimus saying "Roll out!"
• Four more seconds of music after the second commercial break before Megatron says, "Give up, humans!"
• 16 seconds after the Insecticons collapse the mountainside on the Autobots:
  SPIKE:  Guys... you all right?
  HOUND:  Just... great.  If you don't mind two tons of Inferno sittin' on your head plate.
  INFERNO:  Look, you get ten tons of boulders off my shoulder struts, and I'll get off your noggin.

30.  "Dinobot Island" part 1 (67 seconds)

• Fifteen seconds of Bumblebee and Powerglide's trip, just after Bumblebee finishes transmitting to Optimus Prime:
  BUMBLEBEE:  Wow, I didn't know the big guy thought that much of me.
  POWERGLIDE:  Hey, you must be hot stuff, pal, or you wouldn't be sharing the sky with ol' Powerglide.
  BUMBLEBEE:  Where ya going?
  POWERGLIDE:  Joyriding, little 'Bee buddy!  I'm in a cloud-climing mood!  Watch me!
• Another six seconds from the same scene, after Powerglide says the energy waves surrounding the island don't bother him:
  BUMBLEBEE:  Well, they're giving me dizzy diodes!
  POWERGLIDE:  Nothin' to it when you got the zap!  Heh heh!
• And yet another 17 seconds after Bumblebee spots the pteranodon:
  BUMBLEBEE:  ...Looks kinda like that Dinobot, Swoop!  (The pteranodon grabs him.)  Oh, no!
  POWERGLIDE:  Hang in there, Bumblebee!  Prepare for a daring rescue maneuver!
  BUMBLEBEE:  Can't he just save a guy without doing a commercial?!
• Yet another 14 seconds after Wheeljack explains he's been teaching the Dinobots to behave more gracefully, in which Huffer seems to have developed a Southern accent:
  HUFFER:  Beryllium boloney, Wheeljack.  Once a dino-klutz, always a dino-klutz.  But go ahead with your demonstration; it'll only prove my point.  
  WHEELJACK:  Ahem.  I think you're gonna eat those words on a silicon wafer...
  (Note that Huffer's line later on in the episode, "I told you it wasn't gonna work, Wheeljack," makes no sense in the Sci-Fi version.)
• About four seconds after Grimlock changes Blaster's radio station:
  IRONHIDE:  Cut that racket!  You're fusin' my audio sensors!
• Yet another 11 seconds after Slag and Sludge go off to do their thing:
  SPIKE:  Hey, Wheeljack did it!
  SPARKPLUG:  He actually civilized the Dinobots!  Sort of.
  WHEELJACK:  Your verdict, Optimus?
  OPTIMUS PRIME:  Very impressive, Wheeljack.  But what about the other Dinobots?

31.  "Dinobot Island" part 2  (48 seconds)

• About twelve seconds of Blitzwing collecting energy from Dinobot Island.
• Ten seconds as the Autobots leave for the libarary:
  OPTIMUS PRIME:  Roll out!  (He transforms to vehicle mode.)
  RATCHET:  Try not to worry, Sparkplug.  We all want to help Spike.
• Nine seconds after Ironhide asks if Spike is okay and Spike responds, "Not a scratch, Ironhide."
  SPIKE:  ...Though I can't say the same thing for Bumblebee.  He protected me with his body.  He's a real hero!
  BUMBLEBEE:  Ah, anybody'd have done the same.
• About 17 seconds of the barbarians and mammoths coming through the time warp, scaring and terrorizing the populace, and stealing from the jewelry store.  (No, I'm serious.  This actually happens.)
• About four seconds of a mammoth trampling a car:
  HUFFER:  I doubt that his insurance covers elephant damage!
  Note that this edit takes place directly after a line of Sideswipe's, and Huffer's line was not removed in its entirety, so it actually sounds like Sideswipe is saying, "Then we'll just have to pull our punchage!"

32.  "The Master Builders"  (66 seconds)

• About seven seconds after the first line, "Move over, blue skies!  Here comes ol' Powerglide!"
  POWERGLIDE:  ...King of the Cloudchasers; Sultan of the Stratosphere; Ace of the Air!
  At this point Skywarp emerges from some cloud cover and opens fire.
• About three more seconds of Powerglide and Skywarp taking potshots at each other before Starscream shows up.
• Ten seconds after Grapple says, "One more connection, Hoist, and my solar tower model will be finished."
  GRAPPLE:  Here comes the Sun!  (He moves a lamp into position and switches it on.  The model begins absorbing energy.)
  HOIST:  Amazing, Grapple!
• About ninteteen more seconds as Hoist and Grapple walk towards the control room:
  WHEELJACK:  A-okay, Grapple!  With a capital "A!"
  (Spike is teaching Optimus Prime how to play basketball.)
  SPIKE:  Try to keep me from taking the ball.
  OPTIMUS PRIME:  All right, Spike!  (Laughs.)  Am I drooling correctly?
  SPIKE:  The word is "dribbling," Optimus!
• Ten seconds after Hoist and Grapple depart to recover Powerglide, including the scene bumper:
  GRAPPLE:  (Repairing Powerglide)  I should give up solar architecture and become a grease-monkey.  Then my genius might be appreciated!
• Six more seconds after Grapple admits, "Yes, I guess you're right.  I suppose it is just a selfish dream," in which he adds, "But someday, somehow, my solar power is going to become a reality."
• The Sci-Fi Channel decided to postpone the first commercial break, so the scenes before and after the original break were spliced together, with the music from before the break actually carrying over to the scene after the original break.  About five seconds of footage were removed in the process.
• Six seconds were cut after Scrapper tells the Autobots, "If we wanted to destroy you, you'd be ten feet under by now!"
  BONECRUSHER:  And we could still finish the job!
  SCRAPPER:  None of that, Bonecrusher...
  In other words, in the Sci-Fi version, Scrapper switches spontaneously from reassuring Grapple and Hoist to telling Bonecrusher, "We've got no greivances against these two," countering an argument that doesn't exist.
• The new commercial break was placed after the scene bumper following Megatron's line, "Then you must give him my most precious possession!"  The Sci-Fi Channel fades out in the middle of the scene bumper, in fact.

33.  "Auto Berserk" (55 seconds)

• Four seconds after Ironhide declares, "Negavator works!" of Wheeljack adding, "And very well, too, if I do say so myself."
• About three seconds of the military officers making a move to grab Soundwave in tape deck mode before he transforms.
• Six seconds after the Autobots transform:
  RED ALERT:  Not so fast, Inferno.  I need backup!
  INFERNO:  Aw, not again!  I wanna fight!
  (The Sci-Fi Channel offers no explanation as to why Inferno stays behind.)
• About four more seconds of the Autobots driving out of the bunker.
• Five seconds after Soundwave orders the cassettes to destroy the Autobots:
  FRENZY:  With pleasure!  We'll turn that bunker into a burial mound!
• Ten seconds of the ensuing battle:
  IRONHIDE:  Huh!  It'll take more than that to stop Autobots!
  OPTIMUS PRIME:  Back!  The heat will cook out data banks!
  (This strikes me as an important plot point, and helps to heighten the tension when Red Alert is trapped inside the burning bunker near the end of the episode.)
• About five seconds after the Autobots make their way out of the bunker and attack:
  GRAPPLE: This'll teach you to bomb my buildings!  (Fires on the Decepticons.)
• Another six seconds from the battle:
  SOUNDWAVE:  Rumble, eliminate resistance!
  RUMBLE:  I'm tryin', Soundwave!
• Eight seconds after Inferno drives Rumble out of the negavator:
  IRONHIDE:  Here we are...
  WHEELJACK:  ...And there they go!
• Four seconds after Soundwave gives the order to retreat:
  RUMBLE:  Not without leavin' em a little goin' away present!
• The Sci-Fi Channel decided to stick the second commercial break in a different spot.  Instead of cutting to commercial when Red first meets up with Starscream, they wait until Megatron decides to let Starscream and Red Alert steal the negavator.

34.  "Microbots" (57 seconds)

• Five seconds after the archaeologists discover the Decepticon ship:
  ARCHAEOLOGIST:  The Mayas didn't have space crafts!
  JOAN:  I know that, but look at the strata...
• The two-second scene bumper before we cut to Decepticon Headquarters.
• Nine seconds after Ironhide tells Perceptor to stop talking to his damanged memory circuit and fix it:
  BRAWN:  Yeah, Perceptor, there's real work to be done around here.
  PERCEPTOR:  This is real work, Brawn.
  BRAWN:  Real work is crushing Decepticons, not fussing with chips!
  (Needless to say, the omission of this dialogue makes Perceptor's next line, "If I didn't 'fuss with chips,' you couldn't crush Decepticons," sound terribly out of place.)
• About five seconds' worth of Perceptor using the transmat reduction beam to enlarge Ironhide's circuit in order to fix it.
• Thirteen seconds after Perceptor comments that it takes more than muscle to fight:
  BRAWN:  Yeah, it takes courage.  Or maybe that word's not in your fancy vocabulary?
  BUMBLEBEE:  Leave him alone, Brawn, or you're gonna tangle with me!
  BRAWN:  Oh, I'm shakin' in my proton boots.
  OPTIMUS PRIME:  (From outside the hallway.)  That's enough, all of you.
• About nine seconds after the Autobots depart for South America, including the scene bumper and the first few seconds of the Decepticons bulldozing the landscape.
• Four seconds after Starscream struggles with Cobra Comman--er, I mean the snake:
  MIXMASTER:  (Laughs.  In Rumble's voice.)
  RUMBLE:  I think it looks stunning on ya!  (Laughs the same laugh as Mixmaster.)
• Four more seconds of Ravage's fight with Cheetor.
• Six seconds after Brawn asks why they don't just blast through the trees (you know, just like the Autobots did in "Changing Gears"):
  OPTIMUS PRIME:  That's not our style, Brawn.
  RATCHET:  And besides, we don't have to.  Look!
  (In fact, this edit also removes the first word from Prime's next line, "The Decepticons blazed a trail for us!")

35.  "Megatron's Master Plan" part 1 (49 seconds)

• Something like one second after the Central City mayor spots the Decepticons and Shawn Berger says, "Good, they took the bait."
• Eight seconds after Starscream produces an energon cube.  The other Decepticon jets do the same, and hold their cubes up to the generators.  
• About three seconds of Tracks flying through the air before he fires his black beam gun at Dirge.
• Thirteen seconds after Starscream whines for help.  Thrust threatens, "Taste death, Autobots!" and Smokescreen takes a couple of shots with his electro-disruptors.  In the Sci-Fi version, Thrust spontaneously scrambles his guidance systems.
• About ten seconds of the crowd cheering and the Autobots' responses:
  IRONHIDE:  Heh heh.  Relax, folks.  It's all in a day's work.
  TRACKS:  (Covering his audio receptors.)  I enjoy the adulation, but the noise is most irritating!
• About five seconds of Berger 's guards leaving his office and shutting the doors before he says, "I must find another path to glory..."
• Nine more seconds of Laserbeak taking a pot-shot at Berger's guards before flying away, including the scene bumper.  Even though the music's pretty choppy as a result of this edit, I like the scene better without the scene bumper, which kind of disrupts the flow of things a bit.

36.  "Megatron's Master Plan" part 2  (?? seconds)

• The beginning of this episode was pretty badly butchered.  One eight-second clip and another 13-second clip were removed from the beginning of the Decepticon Day parade.  The first edit actually makes some attempt to keep in time with the music, but the subsequent edits operate under no such pretenses.  Here's the dialogue from the second edit:
  SHAWN BERGER:  Ladies and gentlemen, this is Shawn Berger.
  KID IN CROWD:  (Sees the Decepticons.)  There they are!
• Another edit gets rid of Izzy in his Megatron costume:
  KID IN CROWD:  Yay!  Way to go, Megatron!  Yay, Soundwave!
• About 21 seconds of Spike tangling with Ravage before Ravage decides to give up the hunt and head for the teen dance.  (What, you think I'm making this stuff up?)
• Nine more seconds of Cosmos trying to access Teletraan 1 and reporting, "Negative, Prime!  I can't interface!"
• Six seconds of the Autobots' reactions inside the ship after closing in on the Sun:
  BUMBLEBEE: Hey, my... my circuits are overheating!
  HUFFER:  We'll... unhh... we'll--
  HOUND:  We'll vaporize!
• The second commercial break was stuck in a different spot.  About five seconds' worth of Ravage attacking Spike (again) was sacrified in order to splice the two acts together.  The second break in the Sci-Fi version doesn't take place until after Chip goes to Autobot Headquarters, gets Teletraan blown up, and returns to the power plant.  I'm sure this change has got something to do with the fact that the original commercial spots were less than four minutes apart from one another.

37.  "Desertion of the Dinobots" part 1 (61 seconds)

• Ten seconds after Megatron tells Starscream to be discreet and use a detonator to destroy the ultraplane:
  STARSCREAM:  Since when has discretion mattered to us?  Perhaps you're getting weak, Megatron.  (Flies toward the ultraplane.)
• An entire 30-second clip after Megatron flies off, including Jazz's comment, "Now there's a sight I never get tired of," the scene bumper, and the following exchange on the ride at the Fun-A-Rama park:
  BUMBLEBEE:  This is supposed to be fun?
  CARLY:  You'll see, Bumblebee!  (Opens his chest and makes some adjustments.)
  BUMBLEBEE:  Whoa!  (Laughs.)
  SPIKE:  What did you do?
  CARLY:  I switched off his equilibrium circuits!
  Not a crucial scene to the plot, but it does establish that Carly has an active understanding of the Autobots' inner workings, and makes her reprogramming of the Dinobots later on a bit more credible.
• Four seconds after the Dinobots leave for the airport, in which Wheeljack comments, "I've got to work on their personality circuits!"
• Twelve seconds of the Dinobot cleanup crew:
  HOIST:  (Transforms to robot mode.)  How dreadful.  What happened?  (Picks up Grimlock and tosses him on top of one of the damaged air liners.)
  RED ALERT:  I warned you there was trouble!
• Five seconds after Carly throws Sparkplug the keys to her car and asks him to drive them to find the Dinobots, in which Sparkplug comments, "I've been riding with the Autobots so long, I hope I still know how to drive!"

38.  "Desertion of the Dinobots" part 2  (56 seconds)

• A whole mess of footage was removed from the first scene with Spike and Carly's arrival on Cybertron.  One six-second edit got rid of the space bridge receiver doors opening, and Spike's reaction shot at seeing Shockwave standing behind the doors (as well as Carly's complete lack of a reaction, if her reflection in the rear-viw mirror is any indication).  
• Another nine-second edit gets rid of Carly finally bothering to react, after her car vanishes:
  CARLY:  That was my car, not an Autobot!  Decepti-creep!
  SPIKE:  I don't think he cares, Carly!
• The next edit is 28 seconds long.  Shockwave blasts a support beam or something that Spike and Carly are hiding behind, they run, he chases, they run s'more.  This is the only actual dialogue that was removed:
  SPIKE:  He won't blast one of his own robots.  (The droid is disintegrated before their eyes.)
  CARLY:  Wrong!
• About eight seconds including an establishing shot of the disabled Autobots inside their headquarters, and Spike saying, "Spike calling Teletraan 1!" again.
• About five seconds of Spike and Carly climbing down the ladder inside the Decepticon computer brain that leads to the outside.

39.  "Blaster Blues" (52 seconds)

• About ten seconds of the music at the rock concert, directly after the opening titles.
• 14 seconds after Blaster says, "Music--the universal language!"
  SPIKE:  Awesome!  Too bad the other Autobots aren't here to enjoy it.
  BLASTER:  They don't gotta be!  I'll send 'em the beat with hi-fi heat!
  COSMOS:  (Flying in space in spaceship mode, and picks up the signal.)  All right!  (Dances a crazy jig.)
• Another six seconds after Hoist says, "Humans call it music!"  
  SPARKPLUG:  Not this human!
  JAZZ:  Sounds all right to me!  (Starts dancing.)
  This edit basically spoils the entire point of this admittedly short scene.  I do so detest Sci-Fi sometimes.
• Six seconds after Megatron explains to the scientists who think they're being contacted by another galaxy that he's actually "much closer than that!"  He does this weird laugh that overlaps itself, and Starscream adds, "But we'll gladly blitz you to another galaxy!"  
• About seven seconds of Sunstreaker's, Sideswipe's, and Mirage's transformation sequences before the Autobots depart for the obervatory.
• About five seconds of Jazz explaining lamely to Dr. Hayleigh, "We were help up by a little musical diversion!"  In other words, "Sorry about the 'Cons stealing your thingy, but we listening to music and stuff so we didn't get here in time."  I know that would make me feel a lot better.
• Four seconds of the driving-away-from-the-observatory scene.

40.  "A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court"  (58 seconds)

• Seven seconds of Hoist attempting to clear the rubble in front of the Dragon Mound and Warpath going, "Come on, Hoist!  You take any longer, and BANG! I'm in!" or something like that.
• 13 seconds of Starscream stopping the other Decepticons from chasing after Nimue:
  STARSCREAM:  Stay!  Let Ravage get the spy.  What's more important is that we have one thousand four hundred and fifty-one years to go before we have to worry about the Autobots and that bungler, Megatron!
  I suspect the reason this line was removed is because somebody at Sci-Fi figured it would date the episode a bit.  Of course, had they bothered to do the math, they would have realized that Starscream's calculation places this episode nicely in 1994 (which, by the way, was the year this episode aired for Transformers: Generation 2).
• A three-second clip after Nimue says, "Hurry, we must get away from here before the dragon returns!"
  WARPATH:  (To Hoist, under his breath.)  She must mean Starscream.
  This edit changes an otherwise clever bit of foreshadowing.  Instead of dismissing her comment because they assume she's ascribing the term to technology she doesn't understand, the Autobots ignore her comment entirely, apparently more interested in the style of dress she's wearing.
• 26 seconds of preparation before the beginning of the tournament:
  NIMUE:  Oh, father, this is so exciting!
  ATHELING:  I just hope I can make Sir Waggon see reason.
  WARPATH:  Okay, kiddo, now aim for the center of the guy's shield, and CLANG!  Hang onto your horse!
  SPIKE:  I'll do my best!
  Needless to say, this setup is necessary for Spike's line later, "At least I hung onto my horse..." to make sense.
• A nine-second realization from Starscream and Warpath and Ramjet prepare to collide:
  STARSCREAM:  No!  It's impossible!  The Autobots can't have followed us here.  This is my world to conquer... mine!
  You can actually hear the tail-end of the word "mine," even in the edited version.

41.  "The Golden Lagoon" (?? seconds)

• (Coming Soon.)

42.  "The God Gambit"  (56 seconds)

• Eight seconds of the establishing shot of space before Cosmos is fired on.
• About twelve seconds after Astrotrain's decision to masquerade as a Sky God:
  STARSCREAM:  Why should you be the supreme god?  I'm a much better choice--aagh!  (Astrotrain grabs him.)
• ASTROTRAIN:  Quiet, Starscream.  I've got a coronation to attend...
• A seven-second clip and another protest from Starscream after Astrotrain orders Cosmos propped up on the altar:
  STARSCREAM:  Why do we do all the work?
  THRUST:  Because Astrotrain will vaporize us if we don't!
• Another seven seconds of Omega Supreme blasting off and Optimus Prime's comment, "Let's hope it's not just a one-way trip."
• The three-second scene bumper after Omega starts to fall off the ledge and before Astrotrain orders the Titans to stockpile the crystals.
• Eleven seconds that removes a line I find highly amusing for some reason:
  PERCEPTOR:  Not the slightest sign of Cosmos... but there is a native in that tree shooting arrows at us.
  Incidentally, in the Sci-Fi version, there's no indication why Perceptor is in microscope mode.
• About eight more seconds of Starscream being his usual self:
  STARSCREAM:  Faster, faster!  To the temple!  Heh heh heh... mustn't anger your "gods," hmm?

43.  "Make Tracks"  (?? seconds)

• (Coming Soon.)

44.  "Child's Play" (65 seconds)

• Seven seconds of the Autobots exploring the toy building set:
  PERCEPTOR:  And it appears to be extremely shody construction!  (Knocks on wall, which falls over.)
• Another ten seconds after Bumblebee says, "It's a giant boy!"
  PERCEPTOR:  Actually, it's all a matter of perspective.  We're miniature robots, to him.
  INFERNO:  And breakfast to his pets!
  Sci-Fi actually stepped on Bumblebee's line, which cuts out in the middle of the word "boy" and skips right to Prime's warning, "Don't make a sound!"  It's a very bad edit.
• About twelve seconds after Aaron throws his boot at Nitro.  Bumblebee says, "Here we go again!" as Nitro shakes the building set; Thrust shoots Aaron, who says, "Ow!  That wasn't very nice!" and throws Thrust across the room.  
• About ten seconds of Prime's greeting to Aaron:
  OPTIMUS PRIME:  I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots.  This is Perceptor, Bumblebee, and Inferno.
  INFERNO:  And the others are Decepticons--be careful of 'em!
  (Smokescreen was pretty much a non-entity in this episode, and when I was a kid I always thought that his appearance in "The Gambler" was a retcon, since I didn't remember him being in this one at all.  I think the fact that he was left out of the roster above had a lot to do with that.)
• About six seconds after Aaron tells his parents that he's turned over all the robots (well, all the Decepticons, at any rate):
  AARON'S MOM:  Tell the truth, Aaron.  We don't know where these creatures might have been... they may be very dangerous!
• About ten seconds of Chip Chase's assessment of the Autobots' disappearance:
  CHIP:  To tell you the truth... I have no idea where they are!
• A seven-second clip of Aaron's confrontation with the bully after Aaron insists that he's not carrying anything of interest:
  MARTY:  Sez you!  Hand it over!  (The Autobots escape into a public waste receptacle.)
  BUMBLEBEE:  Yuck!  What a dump!
  MARTY:  One last chance, airhead!
• The three-second scene bumper before the Decepticons escape from being stapled to the operating table.

45.  "Quest for Survival" (?? seconds)

• (Coming Soon.)

46.  "The Secret of Omega Supreme" (49 seconds)

• A three-second snippet as the Constructicons' rocket pushes the asteroid along through space.
• About seven seconds after Megatron orders Astrotrain to depart, and Astrotrain responds with the rather nonsensical line, "Activating to alert status, Megatron!"  (What does that even mean?)
• Another five seconds after Megatron boasts, "If the ore is as energy-rich as your readings indicate, Soundwave, our energy shortage will be over forever!"  The edit steps on the end of his line, actually.
• Ten seconds of footage after the physician tells Omega Supreme to "Clear on out of here!  Your city needs you!"
  OMEGA SUPREME:  I'll say, what with all the trouble the Decepticons have been making!  Thanks, doc.
• Eleven seconds after the spiky robot (the one with blue eyes and Autobot-style voice flanging) is reprogrammed:
  SPIKY ROBOT:  ...I will obey your every order!
  MEGATRON:  Yes, I know you will!  (Evil laughter.)
• Another twelve seconds after Omega Supreme departs for the capital city:
  SCRAPPER:  Constructicons... let's go to work!
• About six seconds or so of Omega Supreme and the "restored" Constructicons heading back home before the robo smasher pops up.  Sci-Fi did a lousy job editing this scene, cutting off Omega's dialogue in the middle of a word.  In their version, he says, "Robo sma--Careful, I don't want it to get you guys again!"
• I don't know if the episode had this problem every time it aired on Sci-Fi or just the time I taped it, but when Omega Supreme is fighting the space creature in San Francisco, some warbly lines appear on the screen, as though the tape heads in the broadcast studio's equipment were misaligned for a moment.

47.  "The Gambler" (34 seconds)

• About eight seconds after the Autobots' ship is captured and they are led to the bridge of the freighter.
• Ten seconds of Bosch and Smokescreen's trip to the gambling asteroid:
  BOSCH:  Hold onto your "lucky charm."  Destination: Monacus!
• About six seconds after Lord Gyconi orders Sleazardo to prepare the Autobots for the fight.  Sleazardo mumbles an acknowledgement and Gyconi either has a good belly laugh or gets a case of the dry heaves.  (It's a pretty disturbing sound, really.)
• Another ten seconds after Dirge and Ramjet depart for the city but before Dirge suspects he's being watched:
  ASTROTRAIN:  Eh, it's always the same thing.  I fly them to points unknown, exhaust all my fuel, and they get to have all the fun.

48.  "Kremzeek!" (?? seconds)

• (Coming Soon.)

49.  "Sea Change" (?? seconds)

• (Coming Soon.)

50.  "Triple Takeover" (?? seconds)

• (Coming Soon.)

51.  "Prime Target" (?? seconds)

• (Coming Soon.)

52.  "Auto-Bop" (?? seconds)

• (Coming Soon.)

53.  "The Search for Alpha Trion" (?? seconds)

• (Coming Soon.)

54.  "The Girl Who Loved Powerglide"  (44 seconds so far)

• A four-second line from Powerglide after Prime suggests that the Decepticons are holding Astoria hostage in exchange for secret information:
  POWERGLIDE:  Yeah, but what information?  That's what bothers me.
• About six seconds after Powerglide realizes just why Astoria's not allowed access to HyTech's equipment:
  ASTORIA:  Yeah, I guess me and machines don't... get along too well.
  POWERGLIDE:  I can personally attest to that.
• Another eight seconds after Powerglide tells Astoria they're going to Autobot Headquarters (including the scene bumper that follows):
  ASTORIA:  I'm hungry.  I absolutely gotta have something to eat!
  POWERGLIDE:  Why does everything always happen to me...
• Another 12 seconds after Megatron theatens to scrap the Coneheads (including the scene bumper):
  POWERGLIDE:  Astoria, we've gotta get--
  ASTORIA:  No, wait.  I wanna do that!  (Points to merry-go-round.)
• About six seconds before Powerglide tells Astoria to run.  Powerglide says, "Astoria..." is a sort of detatched manner, and she reponds, "Yeah?"
• Eight more seconds of the battle between Powerglide and the Coneheads at the carnival, including the scene in which Powerglide shoots down the tent.  The Sci-Fi version offers no explanation as to why the Coneheads are suddenly trapped under the tent.

55.  "Hoist Goes Hollywood" (62 seconds)

• A 15-second chunk of Astrotrain, Thrust and Ramjet departing the Decepticon base, and Hoist arriving on the movie set.
• About 27 seconds of Tracks finishing his entrance, and Warpath and Sunstreaker making their appearances. The Sci-Fi version of this scene makes no sense considering that Powerglide says, "You don't want a star that can't get off the ground!" in apparent reference to Tracks and his flying car mode.
• 20 seconds of Sunstreaker serving as a stunt vehicle and being towed away by Hoist after the crash.

56.  "The Key to Vector Sigma" part 1 (68 seconds)

• Seven seconds of the Autobots making the right turn and entering the tunnel.
• 25 seconds of the Decepticon pursuit of the Autobots, beginning from when Ramjet crashes into the tunnel entrance:
  THRUST:  Ramjet's down!
  DIRGE:  He's looked better.
  THRUST:  Gotta get him out of here for repairs!
  MEGATRON:  I can't believe it!  Those motorized morons are getting away!
  RUMBLE:  So?  We can't exactly drive after 'em!
  MEGATRON:  Dah!
• 22 seconds of Megatron's plan to retaliate against the Autobots:
  MEGATRON:  If it weren't for those acursed Autobots, that superfuel would be mine, now!
  RUMBLE:  What are ya gonna do?  They practically rule the roads!
  MEGATRON:  That's something I'm going to have to change.
  SOUNDWAVE:  Attention!  We are deviating off-course from headquarters.
  MEGATRON:  We're going to get some wheels!
• Fourteen seconds of some of the Stunticon schematics on the Decepticons' computer; Megatron cutting into Wildrider's vehicle shell; Breakdown being moved into position; Megatron cutting Breakdown's vehicle shell in half.

57.  "The Key to Vector Sigma" part 2 (61 seconds)

• Thirteen seconds after Optimus Prime asks Vector Sigma to give life to the Aerialbots:
  BLASTER:  "He gave himself up just so we could have some jets?  That's nuts!"
  OPTIMUS PRIME:  "No.  One Autobot gave his life so that six could be born.  He made a choice... the kind of choice I hope they'll be able to make when the time's right."
• About six seconds of the Aerialbots transforming after returning topside, and Silverbolt asking the Autobots to "climb on!"
• Eight seconds of Omega Supreme standing around looking useless and watching the Aerialbots emerge from the chamber.  This edit also cuts off the first syllable of Optimus Prime ordering, "Rocket mode, Omega Supreme--fast!"
• Three seconds of Slingshot reacting to the military unit's accusation that the Autobots stole the superfuel:  "And we're sworn to protect these birdbrains?"
• 13 seconds of Blaster's encounter with Wildrider--his taunt, "Eat asphalt, chump!"; the unnecessary transforming sound effect when Blaster turns his leg-speakers on; and Wildrider's collision with Blaster.
• 18 seconds of the Aerialbots fighting the Stunticons:  the five Aerialbots transforming and taking off; Dead End in car mode chasing Wheeljack in robot mode and shooting at him with his headlight lasers; Air Raid bombing Dead End; Skydive's mid-air collision with Wildrider that causes Wildrider to fall into a ditch; and Fireflight and Silverbolt taking turns smashing into Drag Strip on the ground.

58.  "Aerial Assault" (?? seconds)

• (Coming Soon.)

59.  "War Dawn" (?? seconds)

• Eleven seconds during the Decepticon dogfight with the Aerialbots.  After Skywarp transforms, Fireflight observes, "There's Thundercracker!"  He and Slingshot chase him, and Slingshot comments, "Boy, can that guy ever maneuver!"  
• 34 seconds of the scene inside Autobot Headquarters:
  FIREFLIGHT:  "Boy, did you see how fast that Starscream took off?"
  SLINGSHOT:  "Man, those guys are incredible."
  RATCHET:  "You talk about those Decepticons as though you admire them, Slingshot."
  SKYDIVE:  "They're well-built... resourceful..."
  SLINGSHOT:  "And, they're superior to humans in just about every way."
  SILVERBOLT:  "They're also evil, guys.  What about those people they dumped?"
  SLINGSHOT:  "Eh, maybe it was an accident."
  IRONHIDE:  "You arrogant young punks.  If you'd been fightin' the Decepti-creeps as long as we have, you wouldn't--"
  OPTIMUS PRIME:  "That's the point, Ironhide.  The Aerialbots were only created a few weeks ago.  They'll understand soon enough."
• Six seconds of Silverbolt flying toward the building housing the chronosphere, transforming and landing, and running inside.
• (?)  Two seconds of the Aerialbots running toward the energy docks.  Slingshot says, "So, what's the big deal?"

60.  "Trans-Europe Express" (?? seconds)

• (Coming Soon.)

61.  "Cosmic Rust" (?? seconds)

• (Coming Soon.)

62.  "Starscream's Brigade"  (?? seconds)

• (Coming Soon.)

63.  "The Revenge of Bruticus" (?? seconds)

• (Coming Soon.)

64.  "Masquerade"  (?? seconds)

• (Coming Soon.)

65.  "B.O.T."  (?? seconds)

• (Coming Soon.)

The Transformers: the Movie

The movie never aired on the Sci-Fi Channel.  See the Fifth Season notes below to read about the changes made when the film was split into five episodes.

66.  "Five Faces of Darkness" part 1 (?? seconds)

• Sixteen seconds or so of Astrotrain's descent toward Chaar, crashing into a rock formation and attempting to transform a bit before the Constructicons notice him.
• About nine seconds of the Insecticons making a play for the energon scraps, and Cyclonus and the Sweeps shooting at them before they land.
• Eight seconds after the Sweeps chant "Hail Galvatron" a couple of times:
  SWEEPS:  Hail Galvatron!
  ASTROTRAIN:  Well, they were the same guy.
  CYCLONUS:  Hmm... we must take desperate measures.
• A four-second clip of scenes from the Galactic Olympics, and another thirteen-second chunk that removes one of my favorite bits in the entire mini-series.  The scene shows some weird little round alien guys that occasionally somersalt several times in a row, and the announcer says, "Representing the Nova System are: the Arcadroids!  They are heavily favored in the downhill events."  I don't know why, but that line has always cracked me up.
• (Coming Soon.)

67.  "Five Faces of Darkness" part 2  

• (Coming Soon.)

68.  "Five Faces of Darkness" part 3

• (Coming Soon.)

69.  "Five Faces of Darkness" part 4

• (Coming Soon.)

70.  "Five Faces of Darkness" part 5  

• (Coming Soon.)

71.  "The Killing Jar" (61 seconds)

• Maybe 12 seconds of the establishing shots of Chaar and Cyclonus saying, "Ready... aim..." before he says, "Fire!" (which is where the scene begins in the Sci-Fi version).
• About 17 seconds after Marissa says, "Either I'm in a zoo, or worse, a jail!"
  WRECK-GAR:  Book me, Danno!  I have the right to remain silent!
  ULTRA MAGNUS:  Marissa, are you all right?
  MARISSA:  That depends on how you define "all right."
  (The captives are stunned with the submission device.)
  CYCLONUS:  Who dares do this to us?!
• Around 15 seconds of character reactions after the ship enters the electron storm:
  WRECK-GAR:  What a revoltin' development!
  CYCLONUS:  Is this another Quintesson experiment?
  MARISSA:  Ultra Magnus?  What is it?  What--what's happening?
• A four-second clip of the Quintesson scientist apologizing (?!) to the Sharkticon guard:  "I may have been hasty in my assessment of your piloting skills."  
• A whole 17-second string of Wreck-Gar dialogue, probably removed because you can't make out half of what he says anyway:
  WRECK-GAR:  Sorry, Peel (?) is in good hands!  But, arm is (something) 90-day money-back guarantee!  Hurry, hurry, sale is for a limited time!  Good as new, with easy terms.

72.  "Chaos"  (61 seconds)

• About ten seconds of the Skuxxoid's dialogue during his confrontation with Blast Off (that I had considerable difficulty deciphering.  I think whoever edited this episode also cut Wreck-Gar's lines from "The Killing Jar"):
  SKUXXOID:  Hey, what's the big deal?  I was just having a few yuks!  No fair, give me a chance to reload!
• Five seconds of the establishing shot when Kup is telling stories to the Autobots.
• About six seconds of Wreck-Gar's preliminary transmission before he asks Kup to check out the EDC command station crash.
• Three seconds after Kup says there was a calamity on Goo of Grimlock saying, "What this mean, 'calamity?'"
• About eight seconds of Sky Lynx landing on planet Goo and the Autobots disembarking.
• After Kup says, "I always hoped I'd never be alive to see this day," a three-second clip was cut of Grimlock asking, "What wrong this day?"
• Approximate 18 seconds of Blast Off and Runamuck's attack on the Autobots after Sky Lynx says, "It appears I'll have to save you as usual," and another five seconds after Runamuck taunts, "Say your last words, Autobots!"  The music is really jumpy in this scene as a result.
• Another three seconds with no dialogue after Grimlock says, "Why it make noise, Kup?  Why?"

73.  "Dark Awakening" (52 seconds)

• About 17 seconds after the Decepticon mothership fires on the Autobot shuttle:
  RODIMUS PRIME:  Company's coming.
  ULTRA MAGNUS:  We can't outrun them, not with an engine down!
  RODIMUS PRIME:  Then, there's only one option.
• Another eight seconds after Magnus points out that without communications, it could be months before the Autobots find the life pod:
  SPIKE:  Ah, swell.  What do Daniel and I do when the air runs out?
  RODIMUS PRIME:  Well, basically you'll have two choices--suffocate or smother.
  About six seconds as the life pod is approaching the mausoleum:
  DANIEL:  Do... do we have to go inside?
  RODIMUS PRIME:  Nothing in there can hurt us, Daniel.
• Seven seconds at the very beginning of the Decepticon attack:
  ULTRA MAGNUS:  There are too many of them!
  KUP:  One Decepticon is one too many!
  RODIMUS PRIME:  Take cover!
• About ten seconds of Daniel and Spike recovering after Optimus attacks.
• Six seconds of Grimlock making disgusting growly noises after he threatens to "stomp Quintessons flat into ground!"
• Four seconds of one of the Quintessons saying, "May I propose an anticipatory snicker of triumph?"  Besides ruining a really great line, the Sci-Fi version also mischaracterizes the Quintessons rather badly by having them launch right into this evil laughter spontaneously.
• Although this episode aired very early in the third season, it was altered by the producers to serve as a precursor to "The Return of Optimus Prime."  This does not mean that "Dark Awakening" takes place immediately before "The Return of Optimus Prime," as evidenced by the fact that the Sci-Fi Channel restored it to its original spot in the production run, even though their version retained the revised edition.  Rodimus Prime's final line, "So long... Prime," was replaced with the narrator's lines, "But is this really the end of Optimus Prime?  Find out in tomorrow's exciting episode, 'The Return of Optimus Prime!'"

74.  "Forever is a Long Time Coming" (68 seconds)

• The content of the episode itself is unedited, but the historical trailer on the Predacons was chopped up a bit.  I've transcribed the trailer in its entirety with the edited content in parentheses:
  "Like the untamed forces of nature, the Predacons are ferocious animal robots who lash out with fury.  (Edit: "Swift, savage, and always relying on animal instinct, the Predacons explode into action.  There's Divebomb, the eagle who can spot a target from a mile up in the sky; Rampage, the tiger who can leap 500 feet; Headstrong, the rhino whose horn can puncture eight feet of solid rock; Tantrum; the bufallo who loves to use brute force; and there's the Predacon commander, Razorclaw, whose claws can rip through steel.")  Together, they combine into a hair-trigger horror,the giant robot Predaking.  ("Predacons, merge to become Predaking!")  As a warrior, Predaking has no equal.  As a weapon, he has no known weaknesses.  He can lift five hundred tons without straning a circui... (Edit:  "...t.  With the help of the Predacons, no planet is too wild or untamed for the Decepticons to conquer.  The Autobots are forced to find new defenses against the mechanical menace, Predaking!")
  In case I didn't make it obvious above, the Sci-Fi Channel cuts the trailer off at the tail-end of the word "circuit."

75.  "Starscream's Ghost" (73 seconds)

• The historical trailer on the Autobots was removed, totalling 1 minute and 13 seconds.

76.  "Thief in the Night" (49 seconds)

• Five seconds after Octane berates Trypticon for wasting his energy firing at the vacation liner:
  TRYPTICON:  No waste!  Destroy dangerous enemy!
• Another twelve seconds as the two Decepticons enter Carbombya City:
  TRYPTICON:  Uhh...  Me sit down.  Rest... walked too far.
  OCTANE:  It's just like I told you, lizard-brain!  You're still convalescent...
• The three-second scene bumper after Fakkadi rants about how much it costs to feed Trypticon.
• The tail end of Trypticon stealing Fort Knox and the guards screaming in terror, which shaved off about three more seconds.
• Six seconds of drunken rambling from Trypticon after Octane offers him a partnership as Decepticon leader and warns that they have to keep Fakkadi happy:
  TRYPTICON:  Strong... partners!  I'll keep him more happy!
• About seventeen seconds of Fakkadi negotiating with the Decepticons:
  FAKKADI:  The King of Kings and President for Life of Carbombya will not tolerate this!  No one invited you here!  I want you Decepticons out!
  GALVATRON:  Make him see reason, Octane!  You have such a way with words.
• Three seconds after Air Raid is shot down in which he says, "Good-bye, cruel world!"
• The historical trailer on the Decepticons was not edited for this episode.  Just so you know.
• This was the only third-season episode aired by the Sci-Fi Channel in which the Emergency Autobot Alert clip appears, which ran ten seconds in length.  Optimus Prime says, "Heroes never die.  I, Optimus Prime, can never be conquered!" as footage from the movie of Prime's battle with Megatron is shown, and the narrator announces, "Catch the surprise return of Optimus Prime, coming soon to The Transformers!"  I seem to recall seeing this clip quite a few times when the third season originally aired, so I'm guessing the Sci-Fi Channel removed it in quite a few cases.

77.  "Surprise Party"

• For some reason, the Sci-Fi Channel changed where the commercial break was placed.  
• The entire historical trailer on the Predacons was removed, totaling 1 minute and 37 seconds.

78.  "Madman's Paradise" (?? seconds)

• About five seconds or so of Daniel and Grimlock sliding down the secret passage on Cybertron.
• Eleven seconds of Grimlock blowing the dust from the markings on the walls and Daniel's subsequent sneezing.
• Six seconds of the establishing shot of Manonia before Grimlock and Daniel appear.
• Decepticons clip edited?

79.  "Nightmare Planet"  (69 seconds)

• No edits were made to reduce the length of the episode itself, but they put the commercial in the wrong place.  Originally, the second break was during the scene when the giant Galvatron is about to crush Rodimus Prime and Headstrong, but the Sci-Fi Channel placed the break after the princess tells Springer and Razorclaw to follow the yellow brick road.  (Wonder which one of them is the Tin Man?)
• The historical trailer on the Quintessons was trimmed down a bit from 1:51 to 1:25.  It cuts out the following 26-second line, "Their goal is to regain control of Cybertron and eradicate all Autobots and Decepticons.  Yet, so manipulative and cunning are they that they even tricked the Decepticons into helping them achieve their aim," as well as the scenes from "Five Faces of Darkness" part 4 that follow.
• The trailer on the Decepticons which immediately followed was very, very badly edited, clipped down from a running time of 1:48 to 1:05.  I've transcribed it below, with the edited content in italics and parentheses just to give you an idea of how badly it was chopped up:
  The Decepticons are a malevolent race of robot warriors.  (Edit: "Brutal and merciless...") the Decepticons are driven by a single, undeviating goal: total domination of the universe.  (Edit:  "In the war that raged between the Decepticons and Autobots for millions of years...") their home planet of Cybertron was drained of its once-rich sources of energy.  In hopes of finding new reserves for making energon, their basic fuel, the Decepticons followed the Autobots to Earth.  (Edit: Clip from "Transport to Oblivion" of Soundwave ejecting Laserbeak.)  Under the leadership of the ruthless Megatron, they continued their efforts to destroy the remaining Autobot forces.  (Edit:  "They attacked throughout the Earth and in space, using their underwater headquarters as their staging base and bunker.")  But, by the year 2000, the Decepticons had proven to be the losers of the last Great War.  (Edit: "In an attempt to bolster the Decepticons' stren...") ...gth, the evil, planet-gobbling world Unicron reformed Megatron into a new robot, named Galvatron, to lead the Decepticons in a new era.  (Edit: "Now...") in 2006, the Decepticons have retreated to a burnt-out hulk of a planet called Chaar (Edit: "...a world of ash and ruin.")  Galvatron and his Decepticon lietenants... (Edit: "...the sleek and awesome Cyclonus; and the mighty Scourge, master of the dreaded Sweeps...") strike fear throughout the universe.  Their ultimate goal: to reconquer Cybertron and destroy the Autobots.
  In case I didn't make it clear above, one of the edits only removed part of the word "strength."  Now, what I want to know is: Why didn't they just remove one or both of these clips completely instead of chopping them up beyond recognition?

80.  "Ghost in the Machine"  (?? seconds)

• (Coming Soon.)

81.  "Webworld" (73 seconds removed, 3 seconds added)

• The content of the episode itself was not edited, but the historical trailer on the Autobots was removed, which freed up 1 minute 13 seconds. 
• Also, for some reason the Sci-Fi Channel actually added a scene bumper after the end of the episode and before the credits.  

82.  "Carnage in C-Minor"  (65 seconds)

• About 17 seconds were cut after Soundwave says, "That was heaven!  The purest, most vibrant, most perfect harmony I've ever heard!"
  GALVATRON:  Yes!  To say nothing of... destructive!  Nrrraah!  (Broadside grabs him.)
  BROADSIDE:  You!  Because o' you, I got blasted outta space!  Do you realize what that did to my paint job?!
• Another 14 seconds of dialogue after Ultra Magnus and co. leave to find the source of the harmony:
  PERCEPTOR:  Unless Ultra Magnus and Broadside return quickly with the harmonic weapon, your enjoyment may be brief!  (Apparently he's responding to Hot Spot, who said something about 53 seconds earlier.)
• A fairly redundant six-second translation from Blaster:
  BLASTER:  Basso here says anybody who disagrees with him can do a big hike, like somebody named... Allegra?
• About eight seconds of Galvatron and Soundwave' attack on the Autobots, in which Blaster points out, "Uh-oh!  We're gonna be splattered (?) under the bridge!"
• Around ten seconds of Allegra's symphony before Galvatron shows up and comments, "Very impressive!"
• Six more seconds after Blaster says Allegra's got a place to compose new harmonies because Basso Profundo doesn't like her music.
  BROADSIDE:  Everybody's a critic.  Where is this "pad"?
  BLASTER:  Zeebop says straight ahead!
• When Zeebop sees that Allegra has joined the Decepticons and says, "No, it can't be!  Allegra!  Allegra!"  The second "Allegra" was cut.  Two seconds removed.
• The little "plink" at the end of the musical track that ends the episode was removed.  Again, two seconds.

83.  "The Big Broadcast of 2006" (73 seconds)

• The historical trailer on the Autobots was removed, which ran one minute 13 seconds long.

84.  "The Quintesson Journal"  (71 seconds)

• The historical trailer on Metroplex and Trypticon was edited down from one mintue 35 seconds down to only 24 seconds in length, removing the references to Metroplex's auxiliary robots and to Trypticon.  The shortened version is as follows:
  "Now, in the year 2006, Autobot city has become the new Autobot Earth base.  Autobot city is also a Transformer known as Metroplex, with the capacity to transform from city mode to a battle station or to a giant robot.  Metroplex is the Autobots' last line of defense--the robot they depend upon when all other options fail."  (They fade out right in the middle of the word "fail," actually.)

85.  "The Ultimate Weapon"(?? seconds)

• (Coming Soon.)

86.  "Fight or Flee" (?? seconds)

• (Coming Soon.)

87.  "The Dweller in the Depths"  (75 seconds)

• A 28-second rant by Galvatron:
  GALVATRON:  You cringing, cowardly, weak-willed fools!  Why am I still stuck on this worthless, cosmic trash bin?  Why have I not retaken Cybertron?  And most importantly, why have I been saddled with such a useless pile of rusting junk for followers?!
  SCOURGE:  But Galvatron, we humble Sweeps need energon to--
  GALVATRON:  It's power you want?  I'll give you power!  (Prepares to fire on them.)
• For some inexplicable reason, the Sci-Fi Channel actually added a scene bumper after we return from the second commercial break and Arcee is still trying to escape the Dweller's energy net.  Do they have any idea what the scene bumpers are actually used for?  (Even with the commercials edited out, this still looks pretty lousy on my tapes.)
• The Decepticons trailer, originally one minute 48 seconds long, was edited to 61 seconds.  The introductory narration was removed, as were the references to the Decepticons losing the war, Unicron creating Galvatron, and the Decepticons locating to Chaar.  A transcription of the edited version follows:
  "In the war that raged between the Decepticons and Autobots for millions of years, their home planet of Cybertron was drained of its once-rich sources of energy.  In hopes of finding new resources for making energon, their basic fuel, the Decepticons followed the Autobots to Earth.  Under the leadership of the ruthless Megatron, they continued their efforts to destroy the remaining Autobot forces.  They attacked throughout the Earth, and in space, using their underwater headquarters as their staging base and bunker.  Galvatron and his Decepticon lieutenants--the sleek and awesome Cyclonus, and the mighty Scourge, master of the dreaded Sweeps--strike fear throughout the universe.  Their ultimate goal: to reconquer Cybertron, and destroy the Autobots."

88.  "Only Human" (64 seconds)

• An entire 39-second clip, including Springer saving some civilians from a building window (in which he flies far too close than a helicopter should ever be able to):
  SPRINGER: You lucked out, chum.  The Autobots are in town!
  MAN:  Help, please!  Somebody, help!
  SPRINGER:  Will I do?
  ARCEE:  Are you all right?
  SPRINGER:  I've been better.  (To humans) Okay, folks, hop in!  (To Rodimus?) You got loaders at work on the docks.
• Five seconds of the Autobots recovering from the newtronium explosion: 
  RODIMUS PRIME:  When am I gonna learn to be more careful?
  ULTRA MAGNUS:  Hopefully, at the next opportunity.
• A brief 20-second conversation between the human Rodimus and human Springer:
  SPRINGER:  They've spotted us!
  RODIMUS PRIME:  I'll lead them back toward the house.  You try to hook up with Ultra Magnus and--
  SPRINGER:  Whoa, wait a minute!  Hold it, pal.  We're stickin' together!
  RODIMUS PRIME:  And risk our both getting caught?  Sorry, we can't afford that.
  DUTCH:  There they go!
  SPRINGER:  I could kill him for this!  (This line is mistakenly flanged, by the way.)
  In the Sci-Fi version of the scene, after Rodimus says, "Maybe we should pay a call," it cuts to Rodimus running toward the house immediately.  There's no explanation why Drath's men are suddenly shooting at Rodimus in a later scene, having removed all indications that Rodimus is deliberately leading the men away from Springer.
• As with "The Dweller in the Depths," they added a scene bumper after the second commercial break.  If they really wanted to add new commercial bumpers, why not just retain the original ones?

89.  "Money is Everything" (72 seconds)

• The historical trailer on cassette technology was removed, which ran for one minute and twelve seconds.

90.  "Grimlock's New Brain" (73 seconds)

• Nine seconds of Grimlock's confusion in the control tower during the power generator ceremony:
  GRIMLOCK:  Me, Grimlock, ready!  But forgot which button.
  RODIMUS PRIME:  I went through it with him five times!
• Another 11 seconds of Grimlock trying to remember which controls to activate:
  GRIMLOCK:  Uh... this one, maybe?
  RODIMUS PRIME:  Now he's set off the emergency alarm!
• Three seconds of Rodimus leading the Autobots with the electro-map and saying, "C'mon...this way."
• The historical trailer on Ultra Magnus was removed, which ran for 50 seconds.

91.  "Call of the Primitives" (68 seconds)

• About nine seconds of Tornatron chasing down a comet and draining its energy, just before we cut to the battle on the Earth's moon.
• Five seconds of Tornatron, as a spider, draining the energy from Cybertron.
• Six seconds of Springer confirming, "We're in big trouble!", Rodimus ordering, "Dinos!  Get off your butts!" and the Dinobots standing enthralled as they are being called.
• Five seconds of footage, after Springer's comment regarding Sky Lynx, "Well, well, Commander Modesty's here!" in which Rodimus Prime says, "As long as he delivers, I don't care about his ego!"
• About seven seconds after Rodimus Prime announces, "I'm getting strange energy readings," with Blaster confirming, "So am I!  And it's got a bad backbeat!"
• About two seconds of the energy-drained Decepticons floating in space after Tornatron attacks them.
• Five seconds after the fist commercial break of the establishing shots of the drained Autobots on the Moon and the drained Decepticons in space.
• About four seconds of Sky Lynx's descent on the asteroid on which Tornatron's assistant dwells.
• Three seconds after Sky Lynx says to the others, "Your brutishness is matched only by your stubbornness!" and detects Tornatron in his gorilla form.
• Another four seconds of Unicron attacking Primacron and his assistant.  I don't believe this scene was cut because of the content, but rather because it was a convenient scene without expository dialogue.
• Nine seconds in which Tornatron first arrives and Trypticon attacks, prompting Tornatron to transform to a dragon form.
• Four more seconds after Snarl yells, "Us primitives are not stupid!"  Ratbat, Divebomb, Cutthroat, and Swoop are shown flying off, then a very short but beautifully animated sequence of Snarl scrambling away from Trypticon, leaving Grimlock in the dust.
• Yet another three seconds after Sky Lynx shouts, "Suffer my rage, monster!" in which he continues, "I will show you no mercy and lauches a missile from his mouth, which Tornatron promptly consumes.
• A scene bumper was added after the end of the cassette technology trailer and before the credits, for reasons which escape me.

92.  "The Face of the Nijika" (72 seconds)

• The historical trailer on cassette technology was removed from the Sci-Fi version, however.  Total running time: one minute, twelve seconds.

93.  "The Burden Hardest to Bear" (58 seconds)

• Six seconds of the fishermen fishing at the beginning.
• Another 6 seconds of the gulls flying off and an establishing shot of the Japanese bullet train before Astrotrain appears.
• Two seconds of Marissa Faireborne driving under a bridge while looking for Rodimus.
• The same crappy edited version of the Decepticons historical trailer from "Nightmare Planet" was used again for this episode, removing 43 seconds.

94.  "The Return of Optimus Prime" part 1 (73 seconds)

• This episode was not edited for content, but the historical trailer on the Autobots was removed.  Time: one minute, thirteen seconds.

95.  "The Return of Optimus Prime" part 2 (56 seconds)

• Several seconds of the Quintesson making the final adjustments to the injured Autobots before announcing, "I'm finished.  They are all restored."
• Another few seconds of the Autobots getting up from the repair tables and adjusting to their surroundings.  Blurr makes a bunch of "Ooooh... ooooh..." noises.
• The historical trailer on Ultra Magnus was removed, totalling 50 seconds.
  

96.  "The Rebirth" part 1 (69 seconds)

• Three seconds of an Autobot voice announcing "Decepticon attack!  Decepticon attack!" as the Technobots and Throttlebots race out of Autobot City.
• About three seconds of Hot Rod and Pointblank skidding out in car mode and transforming to robot mode.
• The preview for part 2, totalling one minute three seconds:  "On the next exciting episode of The Transformers, the operation to merge the Autobots and Nebulons into Headmasters is completed.  But the Decepticons make a sinister deal with the Hive and counterattack as Decepticon Headmasters and Targetmasters. While on Cybertron, Optimus Prime merges with the supercomputer Vector Sigma, and discovers the deadly secret of plasma energy.  New Headmasters, new Targetmasters, and colossal new super robots, all in part 2 of The Transformers: 'Rebirth!'"

97.  "The Rebirth" part 2 (67 seconds)

• 10 seconds of the Autobot Headmasters' attack on the Decepticons:  Hardhead transforming; the Autobots circling around the Decepticons; Brainstorm transforming.
• About two seconds of Optimus Prime being downloaded into Vector Sigma.
• Four seconds of the Autobots towing the remains of the Decepticon mothership before they transform and spot Cerebros.
• Eight seconds of the battle between the Autobot Headmasters and the Decepticon Targetmasters and Headmasters.  Chromedome yells, "Autobot Headmasters, let's butt head with 'em!" and he, Highbrow, and Hardhead transform; Nightstick transforms and lands in Cyclonus' hand, who proceeds to blast the three Autobots.
• The previews for part 3, which are 43 seconds in length:  "On the next exciting episode of The Transformers, Galvatron transports Cybertron itself into Earth's orbit.  There, he opens the deadly plasma energy chamber and the Sun begins to go nova!  While on the distant planet Nebulos, Spike races against time to create a super Headmaster that can defeat the Decepticons once and for all.  The fate of the Autobots, Cybertron and Earth hangs in the balance...but who will survive the most titanic Transformer battle ever?  Find out in the Earth-shattering conclusion of The Transformers: 'Rebirth!'"

98.  "The Rebirth" part 3 (54 seconds)

• The two-second gap between the recap of the last episode and the beginning of part 3.
• About ten seconds of Scorponok trampling Sureshot, Daniel yelling, "Let's burn rubber, Arcee!", and Scorponok flicking Hardhead out of the way while Zarak booms, "There's no escape!"
• Nine seconds after Spike convinces Prime to allow him to remain on Nebulos.  Prime orders, "Autobots, we're off!" and the shuttle launches, while Spike turns back inside the caves.
• After Galvatron says, "We have a use for their miserable bodies," Swindle asks, "Oh yeah?  For what?"  This edit seems rather pointless, given that it removes less than two seconds of footage.
• The entire conversation between Spike and Cerebros after Spike repairs him, totaling 31 seconds:
  SPIKE:  Cerebros... can you hear me?
  CEREBROS:  Wha... what happened?
  SPIKE:  I'll explain later.  I want you to take me to that city you discovered.  We've got to use it to hit back at the Decepticons, or we're all finished.
  CEREBROS:  No, no, no!  I've had all the fighting I can stand.  Leave me alone!
  SPIKE:  The Decepticons have my son, Cerebros.  What only knows what they're doing to him right now!
  CEREBROS:  Oh... very well.

---

Fifth Season Narration

Following "The Rebirth," the Transformers series was revamped for the 1987-88 television season.  No new episodes were animated, but existing stories were augmented with new sequences of the Powermaster version of Optimus Prime (actually an animatronic puppet) telling stories of his grand adventures to his young human friend, Tommy (played by Jason Jansen).  All of Victor Caroli's original narration was replaced with Prime's, sometimes changing the storyline slightly.  The show also got a new title sequence (made up primarily of clips from the movie and from toy commercials), and was the first incarnation of Transformers that didn't feature characters transforming from one mode to the other during the scene bumpers. Twenty episodes got this treatment, including a televised version of The Transformers: the Movie,  which was broken down into five installments.

At the beginning of almost every episode, Tommy runs out into the middle of what looks like a barren asteroid and yells "Optimus!" as Optimus Prime, in his combined Powermaster form, flies toward the asteroid and lands.  Tommy's also a fantastic gymnast, as he sometimes manages to do a jumping flip and land on Prime's shoulder.  (This footage is recycled so often that I haven't included it in the transcriptions below.  It typically added about 20 seconds to the episode's total running time.)  The end credits were also extended to 45 seconds in length because extra screens for the live action/puppetry segments were added.  The lines from the episodes below in parentheses and italics are meant to indicate where these scenes appear in the narrative commentary.

1.  "More Than Meets the Eye" part 1

• Here's the exchange between Optimus Prime and Tommy before the episode began:
  TOMMY:  Prime, I don't have much time today.  I'm working on a special project for school.
  PRIME:  What's it about?
  TOMMY:  Prime, tell me how you and the other Autobots got to Earth.
  PRIME:  Okay, Tommy.  I've handled enough emergencies to know that some things just can't wait.  (Episode begins.)  The Transformers first lived on the planet Cybertron...
  TOMMY:  Prime, tell me something I don't know.
  PRIME:  Well, did you know that centuries of war had drained our planet of its precious energy resources?
  TOMMY:  Whoa.  Looks like old Cybertron was ready for the scrap heap.
  PRIME:  Yes, it was--and the Autobots and Decepticons were on the verge of extinction.
  TOMMY:  How'd they survive?
  PRIME:  They scoured the planet for what energy remained, but each side knew that at any moment, a battle could erupt--and that battle could be their last...
• Here's most of the narration for the end of the episode:
  PRIME:  ...The Autobots become friends with the humans...  ("I don't know who you are, but you saved our lives!"  "We are the only ones who can stop the Decepticons."  "But my son Spike and I know more about Earth than you do."  "Hmm, maybe you can help us.")   The Decepticons create tidal waves to destroy the Sherman Dam...  ("It's working!" "The river's rising!")  And we track the Decepticons to the mines of Burma.  ("I will build the ultimate weapon to defeat the Autobots... to control the planet... to conquer the universe!")
  TOMMY:  Prime, I wanna hear about it and everything, but now I gotta go!
  PRIME:  This must be some special project.
  TOMMY:  It is, and I'll tell you all about it as soon as I can.  Now, I've really got to get back to Autobot City!
  PRIME:  Would you like a ride?
  TOMMY:  You bet!

2.  "More Than Meets the Eye" part 2

• Here's the opening narration:
  PRIME:  Still working on that special school project?
  TOMMY:  Yeah, it's taking me a lot of time!
  PRIME:  Let's get to it, then.  Where was I?
  TOMMY:  You told me about how Cybertron was almost energy, and the Autobots went into outer space looking for more, but the Decepticons attacked and caused you guys to crash-land on Earth.
  PRIME:  Luckily, the ship's computers repaired us all, using Earth planes and cars as the blueprints.  ("Thanks!")
  TOMMY:  But the Decepticons were still as evil as ever!
  PRIME:  That's right, and they were determined to plunder the Earth for its energy, no matter what the cost to human life.  (Evil Megatron laughter.)
  TOMMY:  It's a good thing you Autobots showed up!
• Here's the closing narration for this episode:
  TOMMY:  Boy, Prime.  That was quite a tumble you took when that bomb went off.
  PRIME:  It's nothing compared to the tumble I take later, when I pursue Megatron into outer space!
  TOMMY:  A little advice--next time, take a space ship.
  PRIME:  What would I do without you, Tommy?
  TOMMY:  I dunno, but you're gonna have to try.  I really gotta get back to Autobot City!  Can you give me a ride?
  PRIME:  Sure, if you just tell me what this project is all about.
  TOMMY:  Prime, next time I promise to tell you everything--when I transform your day into an adventure!

3.  "More Than Meets the Eye" part 3

• Here's the fifth-season opening narration for this episode:
  TOMMY:  Prime, since my teacher knows you're my friend, he said I could give you a sneak preview of our special project.
  PRIME:  Finally!
  TOMMY:  But first, the end of the story!
  PRIME:  But I told you how the Autobots crash-landed on Earth, and how the computers revived the Autobots and the Decepticons... ("We shall return home with the power to build the ultimate weapon... and conquer the universe!") and how we met the human Spike...  ("What other tricks can you do?"  "Try this one, Spike!  Now you see me, now you don't!"  "Incredible!")  
  TOMMY:  Yeah, but you also left me hanging!  ("Now!")  Bumblebee and Spike [sic] went into the cave to plan an explosive and bury the Decepticons.  They were captured before they could get out and the bomb exploded--and you were sent crashing down the side of the mountain!  ("Prime!")  So you've gotta finish the story first.
  PRIME:  Then you promise to show me the project?
  TOMMY:  I promise.
  PRIME:  Well, it was that fall that really rattled my transmission, but luckily the other Autobots were around to help me out...
• And the closing narration:
  PRIME:  I think the story's finished, so now can we look?
  TOMMY:  Sure.  (Unveils the statue.)
  PRIME:  Tommy, I don't know what to say.  Even my own programmer couldn't tell the difference, but... what's it for?
  TOMMY:  I'm going to present it to all the Autobots to celebrate the anniversary of you guys coming to Earth!  And what better way to celebrate than with a statue of the greatest Autobot of all?  Powermaster Optimus Prime! 

 However, it was aired as part of the Transformers series during the fifth season, in which Powermaster Optimus Prime narrated the stories.  In this version, Spike's line, "Oh, shit!  What are we gonna do now?" is removed from the soundtrack.  Also, Ultra Magnus' "Open, dammit, open!" was changed to "Open... open!"

The Transformers: the Movie Day One

• Here's the opening narration for the fifth-season televised version:
  PRIME:  Tommy, what happened?
  TOMMY:  Some oversized creep at school tried to rough me up.
  PRIME:  Yes, I know how much trouble oversized creeps can be.
  TOMMY:  Really?  What was the toughest fight you and the Autobots ever had?
  PRIME:  I suppose the toughest was against... Unicron.
  TOMMY:  Was he a big guy?
  PRIME:  Tommy, Unicron was a monster planet--capable of devouring entire galaxies...  
• Here's Prime's narration for the opening scene on Cybertron, which replaced Victor Caroli's:
  PRIME:  It was the year two thousand and five.  The treacherous Decepticons had conquered our home planet of Cybertron.  But, from secret staging grounds on two of Cybertron's moons, we Autobots were preparing to reclaim our homeland...
• And here's the closing narration:
  TOMMY:  Wow, this really is the toughest battle ever!
  PRIME:  You think it's tough now?  Just wait 'till the Dinobots join the fray!...  ("Me, Grimlock, love challenge!  Dinobots, transform!")
  TOMMY:  Devastator's trashing 'em!
  PRIME:  It gets worse.  Megatron and I fight to the finish.
  TOMMY:  Oh, you'll beat him.  No problem.  ("One shall stand, one shall fall."  "I"ll crush you with my bare hands!")
  PRIME:  Megatron reverts to treachery...  ("No you don't, Megatron!"  "Out of the way, Hot Rod!"  "Fall!")
  TOMMY:  Hey, what's wrong?  Its looks like you've been deactivated--forever!  ("I fear the wounds are... fatal.")
  PRIME:  Don't worry, Tommy--not forever.  But before I can be revived as a Powermaster, the Matrix of Leadership must be passed on to someone who is worthy...  ("'Till all are one...")
  TOMMY:  This is terrible!
  PRIME:  It gets even worse.  Unicron gives Megatron a powerful new robot body.  ("Behold--Galvatron!")  He sends him on a deadly mission... ("Destroy the Matrix!")  Then, Unicron himself attacks Moon Base One.
  TOMMY:  Unbelievable!  Tell me more!
  PRIME:  I'm sorry, Tommy.  I've got to help Joyride repair the space bridge.
  TOMMY:  Can I come?  I'm pretty handy with a screwdriver.
  PRIME:  Sure, you can come.  And if you can lift one of our two-ton screwdrivers, you can even help.
  TOMMY:  All right!

The Transformers: the Movie Day Two

• Opening narration for this episode:
  PRIME:  Yes, Tommy, what is it?
  TOMMY:  You promised to tell me more about Unicron!
  PRIME:  I did?  Sorry, Tommy, I've been having trouble with my memory chip.  Where were we?
  TOMMY:  Unicron was chowing down on planets, and you guys didn't know he was out there yet!...  The Decepticons had taken over an Autobot space shuttle!... And they were attacking Autobot City on Earth.
  PRIME:  They were?  Hmm, I don't remember any of this.  Why don't you check the circuit behind my ear, Tommy?  I think it may be loose.
  TOMMY:  If you say so.
  PRIME:  Ah, that's better.  Now I remember!  The Autobots fought back valiantly, but they were hopelessly outnumbered.  To  protect themselves, they had to transform Autobot City into battle mode.
  TOMMY:  Yeah, but even that didn't help...  (Episode begins with Starscream chasing Springer and Arcee.)
• And here's the closing scenes:
  TOMMY:  What happens next?
  PRIME:  I... I can't remember.  My chip's failing me again--all I'm getting are brief flashes.  Hot Rod battling a strange undersea foe!  Kup in pieces!
  TOMMY:  Who are those creatures?
  PRIME:  I... I can't recall.  No, wait--they're Sharkticons!  They feed on robotic flesh, and even they are not as cruel as their evil masters!...  ("Guilty, or innocent?"  "Innocent."  "Feed him to the Sharkticons!")  Now I'm getting another image--of Galvatron!  He's after the Matrix!...  ("Ultra Magnus is mine!"  "Face it, Magnus, the Decepticons are gonna dog us until they see us dead!"  "Then that's exactly what they're gonna see!"  "The Autobots have been terminated!"  "Excellent... and the Matrix with them!")
  TOMMY:  No, they can't be dead!  You guys are too cool to die!  You gotta tell me what happens next.
  PRIME:  There's a lot more to tell you, but I just can't remember it now.
  TOMMY:  Prime, you gotta go fix your memory chip.
  PRIME:  Okay.  We're on our way!

The Transformers: the Movie Day Three

• Opening scenes:
  TOMMY:  There... fixed!
  PRIME:  Ah... thanks, Tommy.  That memory chip was really giving me trouble.  
  TOMMY:  Well, let's test it out.  Whatcha remember?
  PRIME:  Let me see... the entire galaxy was being threatened by that monster planet, Unicron, and I had been completely deactivated by Megatron.  ("'Till all are one...")  
  TOMMY:  Yeah, but you short-circuited Megatron for keeps... ("Never!") and the Decepticons dumped him into outer space.  
  PRIME:  But then, Unicron transformed Megatron into Galvatron, improving his design, equipping him with a deadlier weapon, and providing him with new, fiercer allies--the Sweeps!  Unicron commanded Galvatron to do his bidding... ("Destroy the Matrix!")  But before Galvatron could do this, he had to reassert his mastery over the Decepticons.  (Starscream is destroyed.  "Long live Galvatron!"  "Galvatron.")  Meanwhile, Unicron continued to indulge his insatiable hunger, by devouring Moon Base One!
  TOMMY:  Okay, your memory's in tip-top shape.  Tell me what happens next!
  PRIME:  Well, try as they might, Jazz and Cliffjumper couldn't escape!  (Episode begins with Cliffjumper's line, "Jazz!  We're not getting away!")
• As with most incarnations of the video release, Spike's line, "Oh shit, what are we gonna do now?" was removed from the soundtrack of the televised version.
• Here are the closing scenes:
  TOMMY:  Prime, I-I don't want to hear any more!  I can't stand to see things get any worse!
  PRIME:  You mean you don't want to hear that Hot Rod and Kup are going to be dropped into the Sharkticon pit?  
  TOMMY:  They are?  ("Guity or innocent?"  "Innocent!")
  PRIME:  And I suppose you also don't want to hear that the other Autobots fight a group of aliens made entirely of junk?  ("You check in, but you don't check out!")
  TOMMY:  Aliens made of junk?
  PRIME:  And I'm sure you don't want to hear that Ultra Magnus is blown to pieces by Galvatron.  ("I want the Matrix!"  "Never!" "Sweeps, terminate him!  Die... die!")
  TOMMY:  Prime, wait!  I changed my mind--I do want to hear more.
  PRIME:  Don't worry, Tommy.  I'll be back soon, to transform your day... into an adventure!

The Transformers: the Movie Day Four

• Here are the opening scenes:
  TOMMY:  Prime, I thought you'd never get here!  What took you so long?
  PRIME:  Grimlock.  He made a wrong turn on the way over here... I should never have let that Dinobot drive the shuttle.
  TOMMY:  Still have time to tell me more of the story?
  PRIME:  Are you sure you want to hear more?  After all, Unicron has devoured Moon Base One and Two.  It's only a matter of time before he reaches Cybertron itself.
  TOMMY:  Yeah, I know, but it really isn't so bad.  After all, Unicron must be scared of the Matrix of Leadership, or he wouldn't have sent Galvatron to destroy it for him.  ("Destroy the Matrix!"  "I will rip open Ultra Magnus and every other Autobot until the Matrix has been destroyed!")  And remember when it looked like Galvatron had creamed the Autobot ship?
  PRIME:  Yes, it was only a trick so the Autobots could escape.  ("Did we have to let them detonate three-quarters of the ship?"  "Seeing as how they would have detonated four quarters, I think it was a good choice.")
  TOMMY:  And what about Hot Rod and Kup?  It looked like they were goners, too, but Hot Rod saved the day.  (Hot Rod battles the squid on Quintessa.)
  PRIME:  So, are you ready to hear more?
  TOMMY:  Lay it on me!
  PRIME:  All right.  As you remember, Hot Rod had just been captured, and were witness to a cruel mockery of justice...  (Episode begins with Kranix's trial.)
• In the televised version, Ultra Magnus does not say "Open, dammit, open!" when trying to use the Matrix on the Planet of Junk.  The offensive word was simply removed from the soundtrack, so in this version Magnus says, "Open... open!"
• Closing scenes:
  TOMMY:  Prime, are you telling me that the Junkions are gonna help the Autobots tackle Unicron?
  PRIME:  I am.
  TOMMY:  Get real!  What good is a pile of junk against someone who can eat Cybertron for breakfast?  ("Decepticons, we're under attack!  Scramble!")
  PRIME:  It's true Unicron is powerful--and he has powers you haven't even seen yet.  ("You underestimate me, Galvatron."  Unicron transforms.)  Sometimes a great challenge can bring out the best in people.  Take Hot Rod--he was always considered too young, too immature.
  TOMMY: So what's wrong with being young?
  PRIME:   Nothing, Tommy.  In fact, there will come a time when Galvatron's the only one that stands between Galvatron and the Matrix--and I'm willing to bet that he'll grow to conquer the situation.  ("I will crush you with my bare hands!"  Hot Rod is transformed.)
  TOMMY:  All right!  Go, Rodimus!  ("Arise, Rodimus Prime!"  "Optimus!"  "No..."  "Now, light our darkest hour!")  Don't stop now, Prime!
  PRIME:  I'm sorry, Tommy, but I've got to take Grimlock to have his brain circuits upgraded.  
  TOMMY:  But you'll be back, right?
  PRIME:  Don't worry, Tommy.  I'll be back soon, to transform your day... into an adventure!

The Transformers: the Movie Day Five

• The opening recap for this episode was very long, to make up for the fact that there was only about ten minutes left in the movie:
  PRIME:  All right, are you ready for the end of the story?
  TOMMY:  Prime, could you... well... I mean, I don't have a computer brain like you, and, uh...
  PRIME:  You want a quick rundown?
  TOMMY:  Yeah.  The story's so cosmic, I can't keep track of everything!
  PRIME:  Well, you remember Unicron, that monster planet.  
  TOMMY:  Who could forget him?
  PRIME:  Well, while he was making his way across the galaxy, devouring everything in his path, the Decepticons were busy attacking Autobot City on Earth.  The Autobots fought back valianty...
  TOMMY:  Yeah, but they were hopelessly outnumbered!  
  PRIME:  To protect themselves, the Autobots transformed Autobot City into battle mode.  
  TOMMY:  Yeah, but it still looked like their circuits were gonna get scrambled.  ("Pathetic fools!  There's no escape!")
  PRIME:  I engaged Megatron in hand-to-hand combat.  It was clear to both of us that this would be our last fight.  ("One shall stand, one shall fall!")  
  TOMMY:  But that Decepti-creep Megatron pulled a fast one!  ("No more, Optimus Prime!  Grant me mercy, I beg of you!"  "No you don't, Megatron!" "Out of the way, Hot Rod!" "Fall... fall!")
  PRIME: Thanks to Megatron's treachery, I was deactivated.  But before my diodes burned out, I passed the Matrix of Leadership to Ultra Magnus for safe keeping.  
  TOMMY:  You were in bad shape, Prime.
  PRIME:  True, but Megatron faced a fate far worse than deactivation.  ("Starscreeeeeam!")  He was transformed into a manical robot named Galvatron, and he became Unicron's slave.  ("Destroy the Matrix...")  Galvatron pursued the Autobots into outer space.   He attacked Hot Rod's ship, sending it hurtling to the planet Quintessa.  Then, he attacked Ultra Magnus' ship, forcing it to crash-land on the Planet of Junk.
  TOMMY:  Prime, wait.  Whatever happened to Hot Rod and Kup?
  PRIME:  They were subjected to a cruel mockery of justice.
  TOMMY:  Yeah, they took a beating--but they also gave those metal-munchers one humongous repair bill!
  PRIME:  That's right, Tommy, and with a little help from the Dinobots, they defeated the evil Quintessons.
  TOMMY:  Now, tell me what happened to Ultra Magnus and the others.
  PRIME:  Well, Galvatron tracked them to the Planet of Junk.  ("Die... die!")  He devastated Ultra Magnus and captured the Matrix of Leadership.
  TOMMY:  Now I remember, and the other Autobots were ambushed by those warriors made of junk.
  PRIME:  The Junkions.  Fortunately, Kup and Hot Rod showed up and made peace with them.  ("Bah weep graaagnah wheep ni ni bong!")  
  TOMMY:  Good thing the universal greeting worked that time.
  PRIME:  As a token of their new friendship, the Junkions restored Ultra Magnus to full function and agreed to help the Autobots face their deadliest enemy of all.
  TOMMY:  You mean... Unicron?
  PRIME:  Unicron--the most powerful force in the galaxy.  Unicron had already devoured Moon Base One and Two, and was drawing ever closer to Cybertron....  (Episode begins with Galvatron's confrontation with Unicron, just before Unicron transforms.)
• And here are the parting scenes:
  TOMMY:  You were right, Prime, that was the Autobots' toughest battle ever!
  PRIME:  So, are you satisfied now?
  TOMMY:  Are you kidding?  You answered one question, but now I've got a million more, like:  What happened to those weird Quintessons, and what's up with Grimlock--did he fall on his head when he was a kid, or what?  And how'd they ever bring you back to life?
  PRIME:  Whoa, slow down, Tommy.  Right now, I've got to attend an interstellar peace conference, but until then, I leave you with "The Touch!"  I'll be back soon, to transform your day into... an adventure!
• The music video for "The Touch" by Stan Bush (originally aired on MTV in conjunction with the movie release in theaters) was played at this point, which consisted of scenes from the movie with Stan Bush playing his guitar superimposed on the screen for most of the song.  He also deflects laser blasts with his guitar at one point.  Heh.

66.  "Five Faces of Darkness" part 1

• The opening narration is transcribed below.  Note that Tommy almost always yells "Prime!" and watches him land, but this time Prime is already standing on the planet looking for Tommy, an obvious setup so Tommy can get the jump on him.
  PRIME:  Tommy?  Tommy!  Tommy, where are you?
  TOMMY:  (Jumps up from behind Prime)  Raaarrgh!
  PRIME:  What the--?!  Tommy, don't sneak up on me like that.  You're lucky I didn't mistake you for a Decepticon.
  TOMMY:  Sorry, Prime, but... hasn't anybody ever surprised you before?
  PRIME:  Not many have tried.  (Episode begins.  Rodimus leads the Autobots through Unicron's eye and Unicron explodes.)  There was a time when the Autobots faced surprises at every turn.  It was right after the Great War with Unicron.  The Autobots were in a mood to celebrate!  Rodimus Prime had proven himself to be a brave, new leader, and Cybertron was ours once again.  As for the Decepticons, it looked like they had finally been defeated.  They were leaderless, and desperately low on energon, the fuel that powers all Transformers...
• And the closing narration:
  TOMMY:  Gee, Prime, things look pretty grim.  Rodimus and Grimlock against an entire planet of Decepticons?
  PRIME:  Yes, I'm afraid they're going to get the electrodes knocked out of them.  That's only the beginning of the Autobots' troubles.  Cyclonus and the Sweeps revive Galvatron on the planet Thraal--he's mightier and more maniacal than ever.  (Galvatron laughs.  "Come, Decepticons.  We have an empire to regain!")  Ultra Magnus, Kup, and Spike are sentenced to death.  (Sharkticons growling.)  And Rodimus Prime risks his life, journeying deep inside the Matrix to learn the incredible identities of the Autobots' kidnappers--foes so evil, they'll do anything to wipe out the Autobots, even destroy their own planet!
  TOMMY:  But who are they, Prime?  You've gotta tell me!
  PRIME:  I thought you liked surprises.
  TOMMY:  Prime, you can't leave me in suspense!
  PRIME:  Don't worry, Tommy.  I'll be back soon, to transform your day into... an adventure!

67.  "Five Faces of Darkness" part 2  

• Here are the opening scenes.  Note that the fifth-season version has the correct voice (Dick Gautier) for Rodimus Prime in the summary, rather than the early alternate voice (Ted Schwartz) that can still be heard in part 3 during the scene on Goo.
  TOMMY:  Prime, you've gotta tell me!
  PRIME:  Tell you what, Tommy?
  TOMMY:  Who kidnapped Ultra Magnus, Kup, and Spike?
  PRIME:  But isn't it more fun to try and figure it out?  Maybe it's the Decepticons.
  TOMMY:  No, it can't be the Decepticons.  They're too weak--you said so.  (Menasor attacks Devastator.)  Besides, they don't even have a leader.  Galvatron's stuck in that lava gunk somewhere.
  PRIME:  Then, maybe it's someone we've never seen before. ("You aren't even denting it!")
  TOMMY:  Prime, you know that's not true, 'cause when Rodimus Prime checked out that attacker, he said:  ("Somehow, it looks familiar, but it isn't any Decepticon I know.")  And then, when he and Grimlock went to Chaar to find the Decepticons, he said: ("These guys are hurting.  You know, they couldn't have been responsible for the kidnappings."  "They not?  But if not they, who are?")  So, see?  It couldn't have been the Decepticons, but it has to be someone we've seen before.
  PRIME:  Anything else?
  TOMMY:  Yeah, what's happening with Springer and Arcee?  We saw them chasing that sleazy Skuxxoid guy.  (Skuxxoid babbles to himself.  "He's putting up a good fight!" "Yeah, but not good enough!")  Then their spaceship got smashed, and they took that other weird spaceship.  ("I surrender, I surrender!" "This'll take us right there."  "Precisely as we had expected."  "--am?  I'm--")  And what have they got to do with the rest of the story?
  PRIME:  Heh.  Calm down, and I'll tell you.
  TOMMY:  Okay... (takes a breath)  I'm calm.
  PRIME:  Well, as you remember... ("Destroy them!") Rodimus and Grimlock were being trashed by the Decepticons...
• I'm afraid I don't have the closing scenes.  My tape cuts off as Tommy says, "Wow, Prime.  That explosion was really--"

68.  "Five Faces of Darkness" part 3

• PRIME:  Ready for more of that story, Tommy?
  TOMMY:  Does a Transformer transform?  This story's really getting good!  Springer and Arcee had rescued Rodimus and Grimlock from the Decepticons.  Then, Rodimus tried to figure out who captured Ultra Magnus, Kup and Spike by journeying deep inside the Matrix of Leadership.
  PRIME:  Yes, and there he found the answer.  ("The Quintessons...")  And while the Autobots were busy worrying about the Quintessons, Cyclonus rescued Galvatron.  ("Come, Decepticons.  We have an empire to regain!")  
  TOMMY:  Then, Rodimus, Springer and Arcee... ("Get in there and pull our guys out!") rescued Ultra Magnus, Kup and Spike from the Quintessons.  ("Grab on!")  But the Quintessons got away!  And they're so determined to get rid of the Autobots, they're even willing to blow up their own planet.  ("I shall miss Quintessa...")  So what did the Quintessons overlook?
  PRIME:  Heh.  You know there'd be something, didn't you?  Well, the Quintessons hadn't counted on Rodimus bringing along...
  TOMMY:  The Aerialbots!  ("We're about to enter the atmosphere.  Prepare for rescue operation!")
• Here's part of the closing narration:
  PRIME:  Tommy, are you ready to learn a little history?
  TOMMY:  History?  Oh, no way!  Yuck!
  PRIME:  Don't you want to know where the Transformers came from?
  TOMMY:  Of course I do.
  PRIME:  Well, that's history.  And when Rodimus -reenters the Matrix, he not only learns more about the Quintessons, he learns about the origins of the Transformers themselves.  (Note: My tape is missing a chunk here.)  ("You fear the humans?" "Hail Galvatron!")  And together, the Decepticons and Quintessons create the most powerful Transformer ever.  ("Transform it!"  "What's goin' on here?" "The street's shaking!" "Trypticon lives!")  And that's as much as I can tell you now, Tommy.  I have to go.
  TOMMY:  But you'll be back, right?  I mean, I don't really hate history--well, not Transformers history, anyway.
  PRIME:  Don't worry, friend.  I'll be back soon, to transform your day... into an adventure!

69.  "Five Faces of Darkness" part 4

• Sorry, I went on vacation when this episode aired.

70.  "Five Faces of Darkness" part 5  

• Nope, don't have this one either.

77.  "Surprise Party"

• For some reason, this episode got a lot of air time during the fifth season.  I guess the producers thought the Daniel/Wheelie angle made it extremely kid-friendly or something.  Anyway, here's the opening dialogue:
  PRIME:  What would you like to hear today?
  TOMMY:  You don't happen to have any stories about... birthdays, do you?
  PRIME:  Birthdays?
  TOMMY:  You know, like maybe one of the Transformers forgot somebody'sbirthday or something?
  PRIME:  As a matter of fact, I do.  It all began quite mysteriously...
• And here are the closing scenes, which borrow clips from "Surprise Party" itself:
  PRIME:  What's the matter, Tommy?  I thought you wanted to hear a story about birthdays.
  TOMMY:  Prime, how could you forget my birthday?
  PRIME:  Oh, is that all that's bothering you?  ("Surprise!"  Autobots laugh.)  It's from all the Autobots.
  TOMMY:  Wow, you didn't forget after all!
  PRIME:  Happy birthday, Tommy.
  TOMMY:  Thanks, Prime!  (Blows out the candles on his cake.  "Happy birthday!"  "Yeah, yeah!  Good, good!")

73.  "Dark Awakening"

• When this episode was aired for the fifth season, it was again treated as the immediate prequel to "The Return of Optimus Prime."  Here's the narration that opened the episode:
  TOMMY:  This is Tommy Kennedy reporting for the Autobot City News.  I'm here with Powermaster Optimus Prime.
  PRIME:  What's all this about, Tommy?
  TOMMY:  I have to interview someone important for the Autobot City News, and you're the most important person (or robot) I know.
  PRIME:  Okay, what would you like me to tell you?
  TOMMY:  Tell us the real scoop--the behind-the-scenes, super-secret story--of how you came back from the dead.
  PRIME:  Well, it all began in the outer reaches of the galaxy.  The Autobots, led by Rodimus Prime, were being chased by the Decepticons...
• Here's the narration that closed the episode.
  PRIME:  Are you getting the story you wanted?
  TOMMY:  No way!  You said you were going to tell me how you were brought back to life...
  PRIME:  I did.
  TOMMY:  ...and instead, you tell me a story where you weren't really brought back to life at all.  And even if you were, you'd be dead again by now.
  PRIME:  Ah, there's more than meets the eye here, Tommy.
  TOMMY:  What's that supposed to mean?
  PRIME:  It means the story's not over yet.  Because, unknown to the Autobots and the Decepticons, there's another ship in the sector... ("It's... an Autobot!") and they rescue my body before it's burned up by the intense heat of the Sun [sic].
  TOMMY:  Why didn't you say so in the first place?
  PRIME:  But that's not all.  The scientists also release a deadly plague that pits Autobot against Autobot!  (Infected Transformers fighting.)
  TOMMY:  Prime, wait!
  PRIME:  I thought you wanted to hear this.
  TOMMY:  The tape's run out.  Can you take me to get some more?
  PRIME:  Sure, let's go!
  TOMMY:  All right!

94.  "The Return of Optimus Prime" part 1

• Continuing the story from "Dark Awakening," here's the narration when this episode was aired during the fifth season:
  TOMMY:  This is Tommy Kennedy reporting for the Autobot City News.  Today I'm here with Powermaster Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots and a close personal friend of yours truly.  He's been telling me the sensational story of how he came back to life.
  PRIME:  Shall I continue?
  TOMMY:  Yeah, but before you do, let me recap.  First, it looked like he had come back to life... (Danny screams.)  Then, we found out it was really a plan by the Quintessons to try to destroy the other Autobots.  And then, to top it all off, it looked like your spaceship was going to blow up, and you were going to die all over again!  ("Until... all... are... one!")
  PRIME:  But, as I said before, things aren't always what they seem.  For, unknown to the Autobots and the Quintessons, another spaceship was in the area that day...
• Here's the closing narration for the fifth-season version:
  TOMMY:  Prime, tell us the rest of the story--and don't leave anything out!
  PRIME:  Well, only a handful of Autobots remain uninfected and ready to help me against the deadly plague.  ("Let's go trash those Decepti-creeps!")  So, I am forced to form an alliance with Galvatron.  ("We must team together to save ourselves!"  "Combine forces... for now!")
  TOMMY:  You and Galvatron on the same side?  You gotta be kidding me.
  PRIME:  I have no choice.  It's our only hope.
  TOMMY:  But what if he doublecrosses you?  (Evil Galvatron laughter.)
  PRIME:  That's a chance I'll have to take.
  TOMMY:  Yeah, but how can you or any robot stop the plague?  ("Optimus... why have you returned?")
  PRIME:  To find a cure, I must journey deep inside the Matrix of Leadership.  But to get the Matrix, I must fight Rodimus Prime.
  TOMMY:  You against Rodimus Prime?  I wouldn't want to bet on that fight.
  PRIME:  I wouldn't want to bet on that fight, either.
  TOMMY:  But you gotta tell me who wins!
  PRIME:  It'll have to wait, Tommy.  I promised Cloudburst I'd help him redesign his retro-rockets today.  But I'll be back soon, to transform your day... into an adventure!

95.  "The Return of Optimus Prime" part 2

• The opening narration for the fifth-season version is as follows:
  TOMMY:  Tommy Kennedy, back once again with Powermaster Optimus Prime--the greatest fighter in the galaxy!  
  PRIME:  Well, Tommy, I do believe there are things worth fighting for--but fighting doesn't solve all your problems.  That's why, when the Autobots confronted the space plague [sic], I had to find another answer...
• And here are the closing scenes:
  TOMMY:  Thanks for the interviews, Prime.
  PRIME:  Now, how would you like to help me refuel Sky High?
  TOMMY:  You bet--let me just sign off!  This has been Tommy Kennedy for the Autobot City News.  (To Prime)  Let's go!

96.  "The Rebirth" part 1

• Here are the scenes that kicked off this episode:
  TOMMY:  Prime, I just had the greatest idea ever.  I want to be turned into a Headmaster!
  PRIME:  Tommy, becoming a Headmaster's not that easy.
  TOMMY:  What do you mean?
  PRIME:  Well, let me tell you how the Headmasters were first created, and then I think you'll understand...
• And the closing narration:
  TOMMY:  Boy, Danny's some lucky kid.
  PRIME:  Lucky?  He almost lost his life!
  TOMMY:  Yeah, but now he's gonna become a Headmaster... just like I wanna be.
  PRIME:  Becoming a Headmaster doesn't solve all of your problems, Tommy.  Look what happens to Daniel and the others--they undergo the incredible transformation into Headmasters.  ("Charge!" "What the devil?!" "Two Autobots are better than one, Cy-clown-us!"  "They're demolishing us!"  "Ah, but this development could be most useful to us.")  But then, the Decepticons team up with the Hive, and not only become Headmasters, but dangerous Targetmasters as well!  And with their new advantage, the Decepticons are able to steal back the plasma energy key.  ("They're getting away!"  "And they've got the key!"  "A final warning, Prime.  Whatever happens, the key to the plasma energy chamber must not be destroyed.  Vector Sigma commands it!")  
  TOMMY:  I know it doesn't look good, but I'm sure the Autobots'll figure out a way to get the key back.  So, make me a Headmaster!
  PRIME:  You're not gonna let me talk you out of this, are you?
  TOMMY:  No way.
  PRIME:  Well, I can't today, Tommy.  Landmine is going into the shop today for some minor retooling, and I promised I'd be there.  But I'll be back soon, to transform your day into... an adventure!  

97.  "The Rebirth" part 2

• Here are the opening scenes.  Note that the almost non sequitur Brainstorm reference seems designed specifically to make his line, "Those creeps, swiping my idea!" make sense in context.
  PRIME:  So, Tommy, what do you want to be this week?  A computer engineer?  A galaxy patrolman?
  TOMMY:  Prime, I told you--I want to become a Headmaster!  It's the neatest idea the Autobots ever had! ("Autobots, you are about to become... Headmasters!"  "Charge!" "Decepticons, attack!")  And to think, it all started when the Decepticons tried to steal that energy thing.
  PRIME:  The plasma energy key.
  TOMMY:  Yeah, and then the Autobots tried to stop them.  ("The key!")  They got blown clear across the galaxy to the planet Nebulos.
  PRIME:  The Nebulons didn't trust them, at first.  
  TOMMY:  Yeah, but when the Decepticons arrived, they finally wised up and agreed to join forces with the Autobots.  ("The magnetic bombs--let 'em have it!"  "Yaaah!"  "Clear out!")  
  PRIME:  That's true.  And it was Brainstorm's idea to form the Headmasters.  ("Let's do it!")  
  TOMMY:  Two heads are definitely better than one.  So, tell the rest of the story!
  PRIME:  Well, Spike went right to work...
• And the closing scenes:
  PRIME:  So, you see, Tommy, becoming Headmasters didn't solve all the Autobots' problems.  Now, they have to face Scorponok.... ("The female one, mighty Scorponok!  She has the key!") and Scorponok quickly overwhelms them and captures the plasma energy key.  ("Ohhh!")  Then, Galvatron uses the key to unlock the plamsa energy chamber.  ("This entire solar system... will be destroyed!")  It unleashes energy so powerful, it causes the Sun to go nova [sic], threatening to destroy Cybertron and the Earth!  ("What's happening?!" "Power overload!")
  TOMMY:  I still want to become a Headmaster!
  PRIME:  Okay, Tommy, I'll make you a deal.  Next time, I'll finish the story.  Then, if you still want to become a Headmaster, I'll make you one.
  TOMMY:  It's a deal!
  PRIME:  I'll be back soon, to transform your day... into an adventure!

98.  "The Rebirth" part 3

• This is another episode I never saw the fifth-season version of.  If somebody's got this one on tape or any of the others I'm missing and would be willing to transcribe the narration clips for me, I'd greatly appreciate it.

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Transformers: Generation 2

In 1993, shortly after the first of the Transformers: Generation 2 toys were released, Sunbow broke out some of the original episodes for syndication on television once again, augmented with the Cybernet Space Cube.  Using a new computer-animated title sequence (originally played in movie theaters to advertise the Generation 2 comic book) and a new narrator (Gary Chalk, later of Beast Wars fame), thirteen episodes were produced for the initial run.  The first-season episodes can be identified by tiny, nearly illegible on-screen titles and the fact that Victor Caroli's original narration was replaced and duplicated by the new narrator.

Fewer changes were made to the second season episodes; the original on-screen titles were retained when applicable, and someone took the time to try to match the original font used to finally add titles to episodes like "Roll for It" and "The Ultimate Doom."  Victor Caroli's narration was also kept intact for these episodes.  This season made use of more creative computer graphics, such as the "puzzle piece" scene bumper and an on-screen mechanical border added late in the season that "transformed" during many of the characters' transformation sequences (see image above).  Episodes from this season can be identified by the title sequence, in which Optimus Prime's head morphs into the cyber-net space cube after punching out Ramjet.

Almost none of the Generation 2 episodes were edited for time, although they contained scenes that were occasionally obstructed by the new computer graphics around the edges of the screen or during scene transitions (as well as the fade-outs and fade-ins between commercial breaks).  For the most part, their running length is identical--in fact, the animation was often slowed down immediately before and after the commercial breaks in order to make up for the fact that the fades were cut, even though doing so frequently put the animation briefly out of synch with the dialogue.  The one exception to this was "The Autobot Run," which had two seconds of music edited at the beginning of the episode.

Since a few minor changes were made to the episodes themselves, whether deliberate or inadvertant, I've noted them below as well.

1.  "More Than Meets the Eye" part 1

• In the original edition of this episode, as the Decepticons are about to board the Ark, Prime points to the breach in the hull and yells, "They're coming aboard!  Prepare for battle!"  Then, we hear Megatron order, "Attack!  Attack!" but the scene of Prime pointing is recycled.
  In the G2 version, they replaced the recycled scene with a new window of Megatron issuing the order from his throne.  I expect that Megatron was actually supposed to be boarding the ship himself at this point, but nevertheless it does improve the flow of this scene.
• After the Ark crashes, the original subtitles that read "FOUR MILLION YEARS LATER" were replaced with a computer window and the sound effect of a dot matrix printer.
• When the previews for part 2 are shown, somebody added some new mini-transforming sound effects as Optimus and Megatron retract their hands and replace them with their axe and morning star weapons.

2.  "More Than Meets the Eye" part 2

• The original narration for the summary of part 1 had a wording error.  Victor Caroli says, "In search of precious energy, the Autobots venture forth into outer space, but the evil Decepticons attack them.  Four million years later, the Autobots and Decepticons are reactivated.  The Decepticons convert oil into energon cubes, and many workers and their Autobot rescuers trapped as we begin the second episode of The Transformers!"
  They fixed the sentence for the G2 version, which now explains, "...and many workers and their Autobot rescuers are trapped..."
• After Soundwave reveals himself to Spike inside Autobot Headquarters and takes a swipe at him, there's a new swoosh sound effect.
• As Prime and Megatron are fighting inside the Sherman Dam building, when Prime falls and Megatron steps on his fingers, the mechanical rustling noise was replaced with the sound of circuitry fizzling and shorting out.
• Somebody on the G2 team apparently liked the sound effect used when Hound creates the rocket base hologram, since they recycled it for the preview of part 3 for the scene in which the Decepticon space cruiser's gun batteries shoot Prime out of the sky.

3.  "More Than Meets the Eye" part 3

• This is a very minor thing, but the wording of the summary for part 2 was changed slightly.  Originally it went, "In search of precious energy, the Autobots venture forth into outer space, but the evil Decepticons attack them. Four million years later, the Autobots and Decepticons are reactivated. The Autobots track the Decepticons to the crystal mines of Burma, but the dangerous mission backfires as we begin the final episode of The Transformers!"
  The G2 version says, "...the Autobots and the Decepticons are reactivated..."  Why they made this change is beyond me, since the first version wasn't actually wrong, but hey.  Mine is not to question why; mine is but to tally up the changes and move onto the next episode.

14.  "Countdown to Extinction"

• Somebody remixed the soundtrack for the G2 version.  The dialogue is louder now, but the sound effects track is almost completely muted.  You can barely hear the Autobots' engines revving when they're trapped in the quicksand or the controls beeping as Shockwave tries to contact Megatron against Starscream's orders.

16.  "Heavy Metal War"

• Somebody remixed this episode or something, because unlike the Sci-Fi version, the sound effects are heavily muted in the G2 version.  For example, in the Sci-Fi version, when Megatron says, "You cannot blast what you cannot see!" the flash of light from Megatron's torso is making a loud sound that's covering up the word "see."  In the G2 version, the dialogue all comes through sharply.

23.  "The Autobot Run"

• This is the only episode I'm aware of that was edited when it was aired for Generation 2.  At the very beginning of the episode, there's a musical pick-up while the screen is still black, and another one just as the title screen and opening scene appear on screen.  Both pick-ups are missing from the G2 version, totalling three seconds of footage that were removed.
• The G2 version creates a blooper when the picture-in-picture window pops up as Soundwave is playing the tape of Chip and Spike discussing the idea of an Autobot race.  Somebody cycled a scene of Spike talking over and over as we hear the playback, even though Chip's the one speaking in this scene.
• Also, this episodes does sort of cut another scene, even though this edit doesn't reduce the total running time. In the original version, Mirage's scope picks up the Decepticons, and we cut to a very brief shot (like, one second) of the Decepticons in the sky.  In the G2 version, they used the shot of the Decepticons for the picture-in-picture window while Mirage's scanner is spinning around, but they had to slow down the animation slightly to fill the one second's worth of footage that they left empty by pulling the Decepticons scene.

27.  "A Prime Problem"

• The sound effects were muted in the G2 version.  For example, you can barely hear the Autobots' footfalls when Prime orders, "Faster, before they run for it!" near the end of the episode.

34.  "Microbots"

• They slowed down the scene before the first commercial so much that the soundtrack doesn't match up with the animation at all.  Megatron's lip synching is way off when he taunts, "Come on, Autobots, follow your leader's orders... and attack!" and we hear him shoot energy from his fingertips a couple of seconds before we actually see it.  I'm guessing they did this to make up for the fact that the scene fades to black before the music actually ends.

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Other Modifications

As the Transformers gained worldwide popularity and the cartoon series began airing in other countries, changes were sometimes made.  The Japanese version of the series sometimes spliced the content of one or more episodes together to create new stories.  Subtitled versions were made for viewers overseas who didn't speak the English language.  Curiously, SKY Channel in Britain aired every episode from the first and second season without on-screen titles and writer credits, with the exception of "War Dawn."

5.  "Roll for It"

• SKY Channel usually edited out the commercials flawlessly, but somebody was asleep at the knob for this episode.  We get several seconds of commercial bumper during both breaks.

8.  "S.O.S. Dinobots"

• In the SKY Channel version of this episode, there's a two-second scene missing as Bumblebee attempts to lead Grimlock back out of the control room.  My best guess is that someone thought the scene was a mistake, since it consists of Grimlock basically hovering motionlessly, and so they removed it.
• Also in the SKY version, about two seconds' worth of the Dinobots' growling at the very end of the episode is missing.

10.  "War of the Dinobots"

• Again, somebody at SKY Channel was a bit sloppy editing out the scene bumpers, since while there are no commercials, almost the entire bumper before the first and second commercial breaks is intact in both cases.

12.  "The Ultimate Doom" part 2

• When this episode aired on SKY Channel, scene bumpers were added where the commercial break would have normally been in both instances.  Of course, this is a little screwy considering that it's still the same scene after the commercials in both cases.
• SKY Channel also added a scene bumper in between the end of the episode and the previews for the next episode.

16.  "Heavy Metal War"

• SKY Channel's version seems to have the same muted sound effects that the G2 version has.  You can barely hear most of them, especially compared to the Sci-Fi version.

34.  "Microbots"

• For some bizarre reason, the last note of the scene bumper is missing when we cut from the scene of the Decepticons digging themselves out to the scene of Perceptor making repairs to Powerglide's circuitry.

36.  "Megatron's Master Plan" part 2

• The previews from part 1 are missing from the SKY Channel version, which ran for 20 seconds.

69.  "Five Faces of Darkness" part 4

• Curiously, SKY Channel got the version with the missing dialogue (see above), which suggests that the creators did some minor post-production work on this episode even after it was sent around to a few different places.

92.  "The Face of the Nijika"

• For some reason, SKY Channel made a minor edit to the episode when it was aired overseas.  The scene bumper is missing after Perceptor and Katsudan leave for the city and before the damaged Sharkticons are returned to the Quintesson cruiser.

98.  "The Rebirth" part 3

• The 1999 Malofilm video release of "The Rebirth" cut out the fade-outs and opening titles in between the three episodes.  (A sharp cut to black at the end of part 1 was inserted so that the "to be continued" subtitle was not visible.)  This version also has an edit when the damaged Optimus Prime says to Spike, "Autobots all gone... up to you... Vector Sigma promised a miracle!"  The pause after the word "you," along with part of the word itself, was cut out for some reason.

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Beast Wars

Even the first computer-animated Transformers series didn't escape the axe.  When the FOX network picked up the series for syndication, they made some minor edits for violence or other content.  Also, a third commercial break was added to the third act of each episode. They seemed to strongly disapprove of Rhinox's chain guns, in particular; they typically worked around those scenes, showing him just after he's fired. I've never seen the FOX version of Beast Wars and don't have copies of the episodes, so I don't have anything close to a complete list at this time.

In Canada, which ironically enough was where Beast Wars was originally produced, the series was renamed Beasties due to censorship issues (the same reason our War Planets became their Shadow Raiders) and got a revised theme song and title sequence to match.  Beast Wars was also edited when it aired in Great Britain on GMTV.  Most of their changes involved the removal of any dialogue containing the word "slag," since the term has a decidedly negative connotation in Great Britain.  Some scenes were also cut due to violent content.

There were also some changes made to the Beast Wars series that were independant from censorship guidelines, which I have also noted below.

1.  "Beast Wars" (part 1)

• About three seconds of the opening scene, just before the Maximal and Predacon ships appear through the trans-warp rupture.
• Around six seconds of the establishing shot of the Axalon and Cheetor's line, "Rupture! Hull breach in sector seven! Guidance systems failing!"
• Maybe two seconds after Scorponok blasts Dinobot.  Megatron's comment, "Loser," is missing.
• Optimus Primal's communique to Cheetor, as heard over Cheetor's com-link after he runs off:  "Cheetor, report to base immediately!"

2.  "Beast Wars" (part 2)

• When this episode originally aired in April of 1996 as a sneak-preview before the other episodes were finished, after Optimus Primal exclaims, "And let it be called... Beast Wars!" there is a follow-up voiceover of Primal saying, "Look for more Beast Wars action this fall!"  The voiceover was removed from subsequent airings.
• Also, during the final battle in this episode when Megatron hovers menacingly over Optimus Primal with his jaws open wide in front of Primal's face, newer versions of the episode had a low, distant-sounding roar dubbed in.  There was no roar in the original airing.

9.  "A Better Mousetrap"  

Every known airing of this episode in the U.S. is missing the on-screen title and writer credits.  Larry DiTillio said that his copy of the episode has the titles intact, which makes me wonder if Mainframe gave him a completed version but sent out the unfinished version to the networks.

14.  "Double Dinobot"  

Not a syndication edit, but there's an interesting variation on this episode in existence.  Rattrap and the Dinobot clone go to investigate the clone's claims of a Predacon operation, and Rattrap transforms after they arrive.  In an early version of the episode, one of the sound effects layers for his transformation is missing--you can hear his parts shuffling around, but the high-pitched noise of whirring gears is absent.  Apparently, two separate versions of the episode were sent out (possibly when somebody at Mainframe noticed the problem?) because subsequent airings included the correct sound effects.  

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to Skyflight for his information about the Sci-Fi Channel's post-G2 lineup.  Special thanks to Rikard Bakke, whose RealAudio episode recordings I used in some cases to compare the unabridged episodes with the Sci-Fi versions.  Some fifth-season narration clips were transcribed from the sound files available at bigbot.com.

This Page Created: 1/25/2001
Last Update: 5/28/2001