TOTAL NUMBER OF BLOOPERS: 104BEST LINES:
CROSSHAIRS: "We gotta stop our guys from destroying the thing that could wipe out the galaxy, and we gotta to straight into Deceptiville to do it!"
HOT ROD: "Yeah, we never seem to get a break."
TRIVIA QUESTIONS:
- How long of a time delay did Galvatron set before the plasma energy chamber opened?
- What were Fortress Maximus's and Scorponok's only lines in the episode?
PLOT OVERSIGHTS: (20)
- I have a problem with some of the narration from the previous episode's trailer. First, the narrator says that Galvatron tried to steal the key to the plasma energy chamber in the last episode; Galvatron wasn't even in the last episode. Second--and I admit this is a minor point--they make it sound like the Autobots became Headmasters and Targetmasters, then the Decepticons did. (It was actually 'Bot Headmasters, then 'Con Headmasters and Targetmasters, then 'Bot Targetmasters.) Finally, the narrator states that Optimus learned from Vector Sigma that plasma energy can destroy "machines, robots, even entire stars." Nobody ever said anything about the destruction of stars! I smell a plot point brewing...
- Wow... Optimus lets himself get manipulated yet again in this episode. He leaves behind a badly injured fellow Autobot, not to mention the only one around who could survive the plasma energy... all because Spike said "please." Sheesh! But wait--Optimus is forgetting the ten Nebulons who are part of the team now! They're organic, right? Still, he's basically leaving Spike stranded on Nebulos.
- In this episode, Galvatron has commissioned the Combaticons to build a giant rocket engine for Cybertron. The Combaticons? Sure, we've seen that both Onslaught and Swindle have some technical skill, but wouldn't this be a job for the Constructicons? We know they're still alive; we just saw them in part 1.
- And just when Galvatron thinks he's got Cybertron within his grasp, Ultra Magnus and the Protectobots launch an ambush... including First Aid, toting a gun and firing away with the rest of them. Is this the same First Aid who in "The Ultimate Weapon" didn't believe in fighting--indeed, literally wouldn't raise a weapon to save his life? (I'm wondering if Rodimus didn't "program" some sense into him.)
- Spike sure is one manipulative son of a biscuit, isn't he? Before, Cerebros was willing to put everything at stake to stand up for what he believed in--peace. But in this episode, Spike somehow convinces him to forsake everything just to help out Danny. Either Spike has some kind of hypnotic power over Autobots, or Cerebros is a real pushover.
- When Monzo (or whoever--see Animation and Continuity below) is interrogating Danny, he grabs the arms of the exo-suit and yanks, tearing the shoulder connection of the suit a little. Danny lets out a scream like he's in pain. Why? True, his arms are inside the exo-suit armor, but it shouldn't be hurting him. (Now, say, if he'd ripped the entire arm off...)
- At one point, Alpha Trion appears to Optimus Prime in a vision, holding the plasma energy key. Wait a minute. Optimus is on a shuttle when this happens; Vector Sigma is light-years away, and the Matrix is empty. So where did Alpha Trion come from? Is this his ghost or something? Can Alpha Trion exist in three different places?!
- Galvatron orders the power packs ripped out of the Autobots because they need more fuel for the rocket engine. Earlier, however, he gave the impression that he'd be using their bodies themselves as fuel.
- Isn't it amazing that, at a passing glance, Spike can figure out how to operate the Hive machines using a totally alien control panel?
- Wow, Optimus really has no clue what he's doing in this episode! Hot Rod, on Scorponok: "How are we ever gonna fight that thing?" Optimus: "I don't know, Hot Rod. But we've got to try."
Sureshot, later: "But how could Galvatron move a whole planet?" Optimus: "I don't know. But there's only one place he'd take it." (Obviously, Prime's forgotten the time Megatron used the space bridge to bring Cybertron into Earth's orbit in "The Ultimate Doom." But then, this is just the guy that the Quintesson programmed from scratch in "The Return of Optimus Prime.") And finally, Crosshairs: "What do you suppose Galvatron's up to?" Optimus: "I don't know. But I'm gonna find out." Well, let's see--Galvatron's spent the last three episodes trying to get the key to the plasma energy chamber... maybe, just maybe, he's planning on opening the chamber?? (You get the feeling Prime is really wishing he'd never dumped the Matrix empty about now?)- Say, shouldn't Cybertron's close proximity to Earth be tearing the planet apart, as it did in "The Ultimate Doom"? Optimus seems blissfully unconcerned about it. (Granted, a few trees falling over really isn't a big deal compared to the Sun going nova, but still...)
- Upon spotting the deactivated Autobots, Brainstorm announces, "They'll all die soon without energon!" If this Optimus impostor were the real thing, he would have said, "Actually, Brainstorm, when we Autobots crash-landed on Earth, we survived quite nicely... for over four million years!" (Incidentally, the Beast Wars episode "The Agenda" part 3 does solve this nit somewhat.)
- Optimus claims, "If Galvatron opens the plasma energy chamber, we'll all be destroyed. Along with the Earth... the Sun..." As I said earlier: The Earth transforms matter into energy? Since when?! (Now, If Optimus had said, "We'll all be destroyed. The Sun will go nova, destroying the Earth...")
- Chromedome says something to the effect that the Headmasters automatically revert to their vehicle modes without their heads. Why, then, in part 1, were the Autobots standing around headless, while their heads were being converted into exo-suits for the Nebulons?
But okay, let's say that this feature engineered after they became Headmasters. This creates a new problem, though. Remember back in "A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court" when Warpath said he was so low on energy, he couldn't stay transformed? Does it still use up energy for the Headmasters to stay transformed, then? What if the Nebulons who form their heads never come back? Would they revert to headless robot modes when they ran low on energy, or just run out 'till they died?- The plasma energy chamber was created millions of years ago by the Quintessons... and its timer can be programmed for ten minutes? Say what?
- Obviously, Scorponok and Fortress Maximus can't be sentient. I know this because only Vector Sigma can give a Transformer life, and neither Zarak nor Spike endowed their creations with life. I wonder why, then, they have their own voices? ("I am the great and powerful Fortress Maximus... Oh, er, pay no attention to that guy with the microphone...")
- The Headmaster procedure Spike used on Cerebros must be different than the one used for the rest of the Autobots. Once Spike and Cerebros combine, it seems to rob Cerebros of all his self-will. Spike does all the talking, but Cerebros responds as though he were an extension of Spike's body. Cerebros even shakes his fist when Spike says, "That does it--I'm mad!"
- I'd also like to say that Spike must have put in an awful lot of extra college hours. He managed to create the largest Autobot ever, with three transformations, an entire weapons array, not to mention totally refashioning Cerebros's transformed-mode. That's sure a far cry from not knowing how to change Skyfire's fuses in "Fire on the Mountain." (He probably gets lessons from Carlie.)
- Spike tells the Nebulons to get out of their exo-suits after the plasma energy chamber is activated. The only reason I can see for this is if the suits have electronic components in them, they could be affected by the plasma energy. That makes sense. If that's the case, though, what about Danny? He relies on the exo-suit to survive. Wouldn't the plasma energy shut it down as well?
- There are always some unresolved questions at the end of a series... One of them is, Optimus decrees that Cerebros shall remain on Nebulos. Well, Spike turns into his head now. Does that mean Spike has to stay on Nebulos, too? And what about the other Headmasters and Targetmasters? Do all the Autobots have to stay on the planet, or will all the Nebulons have to leave for Cybertron? And, perhaps most significant of all, what of Arcee and Daniel? Will she have to go to school with him every day--if he even goes to school? Will Arcee have to live with the Witwickys forever? Should I end this now? Probably.
DIALOGUE AND SOUND EFFECTS: (14)
- At the beginning of the episode, Grax yells, "The female one, mighty Scorponok! She has the key!" only Skullcruncher's mouth is moving.
- Optimus remembered Alpha Trion's words wrong. When Spike wants to stay on Nebulos, a voice in Prime's head reminds him, "Only organic life is immune to plasma energy." What Alpha Trion actually said was, "Only organic life is unaffected."
- Onslaught's voice sounds different than usual in this episode, with a slightly higher pitch and a different accent. I guess they figured it wouldn't be cost-effective to bring in Mark Jordan just to deliver one line, so they gave the line to Steve Bulin (who was already doing Strafe and Sureshot). Phah.
- When the Decepticon Targetmasters attack the Protectobots, their guns are making the "Don't!" sound effect again.
- When Zarak first introduces himself to the Decepticons, he's wearing his helmet and face mask; his mouth doesn't move when he talks. Then when his helmet flips back to reveal his real face, his real mouth moves. This makes sense; the mask isn't attached to his face, so there's no reason for the mask's mouth to move. So why do all the other Hive and Nebulon partners mouths move when they're wearing the masks?
- When Crosshairs wonders what Galvatron is up to, Prime responds, "I don't know, but I'm gonna find out," without moving his face plate. Also, when he transforms in this scene, the accompanying sound effect comes way too early.
- After overhearing that the plasma energy might even reach Nebulos, Gort says, "That does it, Optimus Prime," only Highbrow's mouth moves.
- A few moments later, it sounds like Gort says, "We're gonna destroy that key before it destroys Nebulous!" (Like, as in nebulous entity? You see, because Optimal Optimus' tech specs says... ahh, never mind.)
- After the Autobots pursue the Nebulons and arrive at Scorponok, it sounds like Crosshairs says, "Korponok!"
- Is it just me, or is Cyclonus acting a little out of character in this episode, especially near the end? In a way, I'm glad he got a new voice actor; can you imagine the old Cyclonus saying, "So long, suckers!"
- When Scorponok yells, "Autobots, dieeee!" his mouth closes midway through the "dieeee!"
- When Galvatron is warning the Decepticons they must get off the planet before the plasma energy chamber opens, he says, "We must get inside, Scorponok!" He's talking to the other Decepticons, but it sounds like he's addressing someone called Scorponok. Get it?
- Erm... when Optimus is talking to Spike after Spike frees him... why are they yelling? Op and Cerebros are standing right next to each other! (You know that idiosyncrasy some people have where they raise their voices to speak to the blind, or foreigners, or the elderly? Maybe Op does it with Headmasters.)
ANIMATION AND CONTINUITY: (70)
- Near the beginning, when Scorponok reaches for Arcee, all of a sudden she's in vehicle mode. She was in robot mode a few scenes back.
- When Arcee transforms while in Scorponok's clutches, her head just pops up from inside her body. How did Danny become her head? Is there a little compartment inside her cockpit he can slide into, transform, and pop out as Arcee's head?
- Also in this scene, there's a grey panel on Scorp's claw that should be purple.
- Arcee's got a small, compact gun in this episode. It looks a lot like the one she had in "The Dweller in the Depths," except this one's pink. That makes the fourth gun she's gone through.
- In the scene where Spike is trying to convince Prime to let him stay on Nebulos, why is the sky behind Spike purple, but the sky behind Optimus is orange?
- Meanwhile, back on Cybertron, the Technobots are fighting the Terrorcons. In this scene, Scattershot is colored like Strafe; Afterburner is colored like Crosshairs; and, in the foreground, Searchlight is colored (more or less) like Hun-Grrr.
- When Silverbolt transforms right after he's shot down, his jet nose cone splits down the middle during his transformation. In "The Ultimate Weapon," and almost every other episode, the nose cone doesn't split in two; it telescopes into itself like a radio antenna.
- In the scene where Galvatron orders for the deactivated Autobots to be hauled away, aside from Silverbolt, one of them is Air Raid colored purple, black, and grey--almost like Mindwipe, but not quite. The other deactivated robots, I believe, are supposed to be two other Aerialbots, but one is purple and orange, and the other is orange and yellow (Predaking?). Also, standing behind Onslaught is what looks like Brawl, or maybe Swindle, except he's grey with red arms (Autobot clone?). Huh?
- After Brawl tosses Fireflight's body into Swindle's seat, Brawl proceeds to drag off a robot who looks a lot like... Blot!
- When Ultra Magnus says, "You haven't even made the down payment, Galvatron!" he's training his gun on him. It looks like yet another new weapon for our Autobot city commander. It's shaped like one of Rumble's except without the wings, and it's blue. So, what's that make? Eight? Nine different guns?
- When the Protectobots ambush Galvatron, Groove's eyes are blue. They should actually be orange, like his face.
- When Scorponok arrives on Cybertron and its ramp lowers, the ramp is a much darker purple than the rest of fortress. It should all be the same color.
- When Cyclonus guns down Blades and Streetwise, Streets is missing his nose and lips.
- Scourge is the only Decepticon whose Targetmaster gun isn't in the same place as his respective figure. In this episode, Fracas mounts on the hood of Scourge's hovercraft mode, but for the toy, it actually replaces the middle laser on the top of his vehicle form.
- To use his communicator, Galvatron presses the panel on the top of his chest, and a microphone pops out of the side of his helmet. In "Call of the Primitives," however, a more sophisticated-looking microphone popped out of that panel, and an antenna came up from his shoulder component.
- When Galvatron starts with his "Are you out of our minds?!" speech, Slugslinger's got some orange detailing on his chest and an orange face. His entire chest should be that sickly dark green, and his face should be light grey.
- As Cyclonus and Scourge defend their reasons for becoming Targetmasters, Cyclonus is back to his regular "movie" design.
- When Zarak introduces himself to Galvatron, he's actually drawn with Scorponok's head, minus the antennae. Then Zarak's helmet flips back, but in the following shot, he's suddenly not wearing his exo-suit! Also, instead of having one eye shut, his bottom eyelid is colored off-yellow. It's icky because it looks like he has no pupil in that eye!
- The Scene Change Flippy Symbol goes from Autobot (Zarak meeting Galvatron) to Decepticon (Monzo interrogating Danny).
- In this scene, when Monzo and Zarak first show up, Zarak is colored like Scorponok's robot mode.
- When Zarak threatens to rip the key out of Arcee, he's missing the thingies on either side of his head. (Incidentally, for anyone who doesn't know, the Headmasters toys all had tech specs readouts in their chests. When their heads were in place, the length of the thingies determined how high the ratings were.)
- Also, I don't think Zarak recognizes the Hive in their new bodies. The guy torturing Danny is Vorath, in both color and design. It is Monzo's voice, however. (Zarak does actually have the correct helmet when he orders Monzo to interrogate Danny. It's one of the few scenes in which he's drawn correctly.)
- When Alpha Trion comes to Prime in the vision, holding the key to the plasma energy chamber, the key changes from a jagged-edge pyramid to a smooth pyramid, then back to jagged-edge again.
- When Hot Rod calls Optimus over and Kup explains that Cybertron is missing, Hot Rod is back to his "movie" design. (Check out the shoulders.) So far throughout "The Rebirth," he's had his "toy" design.
- As Galvatron orders the Autobots' power packs ripped out, the left part of Magnus's chest is colored light grey and the window is colored dark grey. I guess the animators though this chest was open, but this is before Blast Off ever opened him up. Also in this pile of Autobots is Chase, colored orange with a white head.
- When Scourge protests the idea of Galvatron opening the plasma energy chamber again, he's got stubby little pink fingertips instead of the usual long, pointy, pink fingernails.2
- At the lost city of the Hive, when Cerebros asks Spike what he's looking for, Cerebros's eyes go from blue to grey and his neck goes from light grey to dark grey.
- After the Autobots arrive on Cybertron, the Earth come up over the horizon, only it appears in front of some of the Cybertronic buildings in the background.1
- When Gort, inside Highbrow's head, says, "This is a menace to the whole galaxy!" his irises are a sickly light green instead of their normal dark green. He looks like a zombie. (Zobovor waits for Dolores to start singing, "In your head, in your heeeaaad...")
- When Gort pops off of Highbrow and Highbrow transforms involuntarily, as Gort transforms, Highbrow's face shrinks and becomes Gort's face. Does that seem right?
- And when Hardhead and Chromedome transform involuntarily, it doesn't look like Duros and Stylor run off at all--they slip into the cockpits of their Autobot partners as they transform!
- When Optimus transforms to chase after the Nebulons, his blue truck parts are light blue instead of dark blue.
- Also, when Op and co. arrive at Scorponok, Op's front grill structure is yellow instead of white. In the scene immediately following that, he's suddenly got side-view mirrors, and his headlights are round instead of square.
- Scorponok is a backdrop in this scene, by the way. It's drawn well enough (a rarity for characters appearing in the backdrop), but the base is entirely grey instead of purple and green.
- When Cyclonus and the Combaticons capture Optimus and the Autobots, Vortex is colored like Blades! Also, Cyclonus has his pre-Targetmaster gun again instead of Nightstick.
- As Cyclonus and the Combaticons run outside of Scorponok to see Fortress Maximus's arrival, only five robots exit ; they're drawn too small to make out who they are, but they're colored like Cyclonus, Cutthroat, Rippersnapper, Misfire, and Onslaught.
- When Fortress Maximus first lands, the large Autobot symbol on the center tower isn't colored in red.
- I always wondered what Cerebros transformed into before he became a Headmaster. (Of course, the only reason the Cerebros toy exists is to be Fort Max's head, but I figured for the cartoon, they'd give him a vehicle mode or something to make him seem like a normal Autobot.) Well, right before Fort Max transforms, we get a glimpse of Cerebros's transformed-mode. Why, he's a... headless robot with no arms. Hmm. (More on this in a bit.)
- When Spike first combines with Cerebros, the action freezes for a moment near the end of the transformation.
- As Cyclonus and Scourge are being bombarded with Fort Max fire, Aimless and Blowpipe, respectively, become their weapons when they transform. I guess these Hive guys aren't too picky about their partners! In the next scene, suddenly it's Cyclonus and Triggerhappy flying around instead of Galvatron. (Scourge is down in the plasma energy chamber with Galvatron!)
- Scourge must have taken the long route to the chamber in part 1. After Galvatron sets the timer, instead of coming back out through that manhole cover-looking thing, he comes out through something akin to a subway entrance. (By the way, I'm still convinced there are two Cyclonuses. While the "movie" Cyclonus is being attacked by Fort Max, the "toy" Cyclonus runs up through the subway entrance with Galvatron.)
- When Zarak first transforms, he turns into a tan-colored head, but when he connects with Scorponok's body, the head is black, and his antennae are also black instead of orange. (Tired of all the coloring mistakes? Wait for Beast Wars...)
- When Fort Max first transforms to robot mode, the sides of his waist are white instead of red.
- If Cerebros, a rather large Transformer, becomes Fort Max's head; and Zarak, a human-sized Nebulon, becomes Scorponok's head... how is it that Fort Max and Scorponok are the same size? (The toys aren't, by the way. Fort Max is nearly twice as tall as Scorp, and the Scorponok toy has a helmet to augment the size of his head in robot mode.)
- When Scorponok and Fort Max face off, the top of Scorp's body is purple. It should be dark grey.
- As Fort Max gets hit with Scorp's chest missiles, as he reels from the blow,his eyes are way too small.
- When Scorp tackles Fort Max, Max is missing the red stripes on his waist.
- When last we heard, the Autobot Nebulons were inside Scorponok, looking to destroy the plasma energy key. We don't actually see them until the battle between Fort Max and Scorponok, when Arcana and Stylor leap off of some metal box, seconds before Scorp grabs it. How did they get out of Scorp, and where are the others? They must have retreated, realizing they were over their heads! (Y'see, because they're Headmasters, and, uh...)
- When Zarak is threatening Danny and the Autobots, there's another scene where he's out of his exo-suit. I can't drive this home enough: isn't his body supposed to be useless?
- Isn't it highly strategically unsound for Spike to pop out of Fort Max's body during his battle with Scorp, just to get in a few good quips? Sure, he's wearing armor, but I doubt it would stand up to Scorponok.
- As Fort Max is transforming back to city mode, he's missing the red stripes on either side of his waist again.
- Also, after Fort Max's head pops off and floats to the ground, Cerebros (in robot mode) jumps out of Max's body and follows suit. (I suppose it could be Spike colored like Cerebros; I can't be sure.)
- When Spike re-combines with Cerebros, as Spike transforms, Cerebros's face plate goes from dark grey to light grey.
- As the Decepticons are trying to get past Fort Max to get inside Scorponok, a wide shot of both shows him in scorpion mode. When he collapsed after the battle, he was in city mode.
- When Max is firing on the Decepticons right before the second commercial, Onslaught is colored yellow (I guess like Weirdwolf). Hey, it's Generation 2 Onslaught!
- As the plasma energy chamber is ready to activate, a timer display appears. It starts at 00:06 and counts down to 00:00 in less than a second. I'd say they might be astro-seconds, but Galvatron clearly said it was set for ten minutes.
- When Scourge points to the monitor displaying the escaping Autobots, there are three problems. First, Hot Rod, Kup, and Crosshairs are missing from the group. Second, Brainstorm and Highbrow are rolling, not flying. I suppose they can do it, but why would they want to? Finally, Optimus is in robot mode, running to catch up, instead of in truck mode. (Again, he can do this, but why?) Also, Op's legs are entirely grey, when his lower legs should be blue.
- When Galvatron is trying to "get this oversized shopping center in the air," he makes several false starts before he finally grabs the correct lever. I suspect the animators thought there were going to be controls at the bottom of the screen; his actions make sense if you imagine a panel right at Galvatron's waist. As it stands, it looks like our dear Galvatron might be going blind! Or maybe it's just really dark in that control room?1
- When the Autobots are being bombarded by the plasma energy, two robots are in the upper left-hand corner of the screen who jump away, off-camera. Due to the plasma energy bolts I can't tell who they're drawn as--I'm tempted to say Nebulons because of their size--but they're colored like Crosshairs and Wide Load.
- I seem to recall Monzo (or whoever) tearing Danny's exo-suit arm a little during the interrogation, but when Spike arrives and frees Arcee and Danny, the tear seems to have healed itself.
- How many transformations does Cerebros have? Let's forget about the vehicular mode he probably had before Spike got ahold of him, and focus on the ones we've actually seen. He turns into Fort Max's head. He turns into a robot with no arms or head. (I'm not sure what this is supposed to be. The Cerebros toy does integrate into the Fort Max toy to form a communications room, but it looks nothing like an armless robot.) We do see a third transformation; Cerebros reverts to it when he's hit by the plasma energy bolt. Why, it's... a miniature version of Fort Max's city mode! Aww, how cute! We see it again after Spike saves the universe.
- When Op is lying on the ground, dying from the plasma energy, there's a scene where he's got some extra lines on the outside of his eyes that go down the sides of his face. They're similar to the ones Perceptor had in "The Dweller in the Depths," and they make Op look like a really sad Autobot. (Well, he and the other Autobots are dying; Vector Sigma apparently lied to him; and Galvatron is about to win. I'd say he has cause to be a little upset.)
- Spike asks the Headmaster Nebulons to get out of their exo-suits, but when he turns to address them, he's looking at Highbrow, Hardhead, and Brainstorm.
- When Spike shuts down the chamber, as the plasma energy dissipates, Cybertron's color fades from gold to grey. I don't think this was intentional--Cybertron shouldn't become golden until the excess solar energy is shunted to Vector Sigma.
- In that very scene, wherein the solar energy is routed to Vector Sigma, Vector Sigma is a dull grey. In "The Key to Vector Sigma," even when the computer wasn't activated, it was a glowing, backlit gold.
- The second time we see Cerebros in his transformed-mode (read: Fort Max's city mode), Spike is addressing him, and he's carrying not his own exo-suit, but a miniaturized version of Cerebros's body!
- In the scene where all the Autobots are cheering, there are a couple of glitches--Pinpointer is standing among the Autobots, the same height as everybody else; and Bumblebee is suddenly back, standing next to Sureshot (and right behind Sureshot, by the way, is Goldbug)!
- Back on Nebulos, as Gort is talking about destroying the rest of the Hive's machines, Optimus is standing with the Headmaster Nebulons, who are nearly his height. Also, they're colored like their respective partners--Stylor is colored like Chromedome, Gort is colored like Highbrow, etc.
- When the Autobot Headmasters merge with their heads, for what will be the last time, there's some blue electricity when they connect. That never happened before. Plasma energy residue?
- Also, when Arcee combines with Danny, Danny slips through the top of her body, then pops up as her head. (I think the animators did this because there was no transformation model for drawing Danny's exo-suit turning into Arcee's head.) Also in this scene, Arcee's got unusually slanty eyes.
- And, in the scene where Danny's expressing his feelings for Arcee, we see him inside the cockpit... still wearing his exo-suit! Huh??
- In the final scene with Galvatron and Zarak--indeed, the last blooper of the entire series--the side of Zarak's head is purple instead of tan! Wa-hoo! Cha-ching! I'm outta here!
- Ten minutes.
- Fortress Maximus: "Decepticons, prepare to face--Fortress Maximus!" Scorponok: "Autobots--dieeee!"
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
1Parallax
2Ratbat
©1999 Inspiration Studios