Beast Wars (Part 2)

Writers: Bob Forward

Summary: After a battle between Optimus and Dinobot, a huge cache of Energon is discovered.

Major Characters (in order of appearance): Optimus Primal, Dinobot, Rattrap, Megatron

Minor Characters (in order of appearance): Characters

Original Air Date: September 17, 1996

Summary
...The fight between Optimus Primal and Dinobot breaks out just as the Predacons attack. Primal falls, but is rescued by Dinobot. He confesses that Primal slipped, and the fight would not be honorable. As they continue to fight, both fall, but are rescued by Rhinox. Primal sees that Dinobot is trustworthy, and allows him to join the Maximal ranks.

The gunfire on the conflict flies far in the distance, striking a mountain and unveiling a massive energon cache, giving them all the power either team would need to return home - and, in Megatron's case, start the Great War again.

Both teams rush to the site, and begin to fight - but in Beast Modes. The massive energon exposure would render their robot modes in stasis lock in moments if they attempted to transform. Megatron, seeing the fight is lost, opens fire on Primal. Dinobot diverts the missile fired, saving Primal but causing a massive chain reaction in the mountainside. Both teams quickly flee.

As the Maximals leave, Dinobot explains that he owed Primal his life, and that his actions made them even. Primal proclaims that the Beast Wars have begun.

Technical/animation glitches

 * Waspinator's bee-stripes on his thighs are mapped along the wrong axis.


 * Often, when the 'Energon mountain' appears in the distance, a large piece of energon in the foreground clips and flickers, making it appear as though the energon is appearing and disappearing at random.

Continuity errors

 * After the energon mountain explodes and the Maximals are seen ducking for cover, every shot where Optimus Primal and Dinobot are in the foreground do not feature any of the other Maximals in the background, even though they were seen standing behind the pair moments earlier, and both Rattrap and Rhinox are seen when Rattrap thinks they have won. Oddly enough, Cheetor is no longer in the scene.


 * The very same scene features a lot of rubble from the destroyed mountain in close ups of Rattrap and Rhinox, but relatively little rubble when Optimus Primal and Dinobot are in the foreground.

Plot errors

 * Scorponok directs Megatron's attention to the missiles approaching the mountain. The missiles then hit the mountain, revealing it to be full of energon.  There's no reason to believe Scorponok knew the energon was there, so why did he care about the imminent impact of the missiles?

Transformers references

 * None known.

Real-world references

 * None known.

Miscellaneous trivia

 * During the audio commentary for this episode on Madman Entertainment's Beast Wars Season 3 DVD, Garry Chalk's cell phone suddenly rings, forcing him to step outside, while Scott McNeil and Alec Willows crack jokes about it being his (Garry's) mom on the line.