Written by George Arthur Bloom
"By leading us to this planet, the Autobots have sealed their own doom!"On Cybertron, a race of beings with a fantastic form-altering ability is at war with itself. The Decepticons, a merciless, energy-hungry team led by Megatron, started the war with the Autobots, a band of freedom fighters commanded by Optimus Prime. After weathering the millions of years of fighting, however, Cybertron--a huge, mechanical construct itself--is running out of power.
The Autobots realize the discovery of a new energy source is the only way they can win, and launch a ship into space to search. The Decepticons launch a space cruiser of their own in pursuit. The Decepticons, leaving Shockwave behind as guardian of Cybertron, give chase. The Autobot encounters two asteroids in space that collide, resulting in a torrent of meteors that divert both ships off course. The Decepticon ship connects with the Autobot ship , and the Decepticons board it. While both groups fight, gravitational forces from a planet nearby, Earth, drag both ships down. The Autobot ship crashes into a volcano, and when the dust settles, not a single robot stirs.
They remain deactivated for four million years, until the volcano erupts and the ship's computer , Teletran I, is reactivated. The ship launches a probe, the Sky Spy, to learn more about the planet, and returns with images of human machines--cars, trucks, planes--which it mistakes for the planet's dominant life forms. It reconstructs both the Autobots and Decepticons into these new forms, to better adapt to the terrain.
Teletran I reactivates Skywarp, who drags Megatron and the other Decepticons into the repairing beams. The Decepticons leave the ship, but not before Starscream pops off a few shots as a "good-bye." This causes a small tremor which knocks Optimus Prime into the repair beams. He revives the other Autobots.
The Decepticons, still determined to conquer Cybertron, decide to strip the Earth of its abundant resources. They set up a temporary base and begin to build a new space cruiser, developing a new means of storing the energy they collect--energon cubes--for the journey to Cybertron.
Some of the Autobots, meanwhile, want to forget about the Decepticons and return home. Optimus Prime won't allow that, realizing that if their enemies conquer Earth, they would have enough energy to secure Cybertron, too. Optimus sends Hound and Cliffjumper to locate the Decepticons, but once they track the Decepticons down, Cliffjumper opens fire on them. Megatron sends Laserbeak after the Autobots, who badly injures Hound.
Undaunted, Megatron's first attack is on a nearby floating oil platform. The Autobots arrive to stop them, but before the Decepticons retreat, Megatron blasts the platform, sending it half-submerged into the ocean and burning. The Decepticons escape with the energy, and the Autobots are left trying to save the humans trapped at the oil rig...
First Appearances: Most of our series regulars--Optimus Prime; Jazz; Ironhide; Ratchet; Trailbreaker; Prowl; Bluestreak; Hound; Mirage; Sunstreaker; Sideswipe; Wheeljack; Bumblebee; Cliffjumper; Brawn; Huffer; Windcharger; Megatron; Starscream; Thundercracker; Skywarp; Soundwave; Rumble; Ravage; Laserbeak; Reflector; and Shockwave.
Transfacts:
- Before the Transformers come to Earth, we see a few of their Cybertronic transformations, including those of Bumblebee, Wheeljack, Jazz, Laserbeak, Soundwave, and the Decepticon jets. Their robot modes remain unchanged after they are converted into Earth forms, however.
- Energon cubes are first developed in this episode.
- While the Autobots' ship becomes their new headquarters, the fate of the Decepticons' space cruiser is not revealed until "Microbots" (TF).
- An Autobot named Hauler, an orange crane, appears in this episode. He was apparently an early version of Grapple, who didn't appear until "Dinobot Island" (TF).
CONTINUED IN "MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE" PART 2 |
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