Ghost in the Machine (The Transformers)

Set on regaining a physical body, the ghost of Starscream possesses Scourge and makes a deal with the devil.

Japanese title: "Starscream's Revival"

Detailed synopsis
On Chaar, the Decepticons are following Galvatron, when Starscream's ghost appears and possesses Scourge. Despite his better efforts, Starscream forces Scourge to fire on Galvatron, then flees with Cyclonus in pursuit. Cyclonus follows as far as Cybertron, where he breaks off, assuming that Scourge has defected to the Autobots. But that is not Starscream's goal. He instead flies to the severed head of Unicron. Using Scourge to reactivate the Dark God, Starscream offers his services in exchange for a new body. Unicron agrees to restore him to life in exchange for three labors. The first labor is to bring Metroplex's eyes to Unicron. With nowhere else to go, Scourge agrees to serve Unicron.

On Earth, Kup arrives for an inspection of Autobot City, when Scourge and Starscream make their move. Destroying Metroplex's security system, the two Decepticons steal the eyes, but Bumblebee and Spike Witwicky cause Scourge to drop one, shattering it. Fleeing, Metroplex transforms, but cannot see, and begins firing on the Autobots. However, a photon bomb disables Metroplex, causing him to crash. Lacking one eye, the two head back for Chaar, where they dispatch the Battlechargers, outwit Starscream's former soldiers, and steal one of Trypticon's eyes. In addition, Starscream possesses Astrotrain to serve as their ride home, where Astrotrain is left to the mercy of the Autobots. Upon learning of what happened, Galvatron reacts in a rational, controlled manner...for Galvatron.

Pleased with his new eyes, Unicron informs Starscream and Scourge of their next labor: bring Trypticon to Unicron (should have told them that before they left). Starscream heads off to complete the task. Meanwhile, Rodimus Prime interrogates Astrotrain, who claims not to remember what happened, but Blurr reveals that Unicron has his eyes back! Ultra Magnus takes Sky Lynx, Hot Spot, and Springer to investigate, but Unicron drives them off. Scourge is becoming nervous, but Unicron warns his creation that he can take what he has given. On Chaar, Galvatron orders the Battlechargers and Coneheads to locate Starscream and Scourge, only for Trypticon to transform, under Starscream's control, and depart, with the Decepticons in pursuit.

As the Autobots prepare for the Decepticon assault, Unicron commands Starscream to remove Trypticon's transformation cog and place it in Unicron. The Decepticons arrive and attack, but Starscream uses Trypticon to disable their weapons. As the Decepticons flee, Unicron commands his minions to complete the third labor&mdash;connect Unicron's head to Cybertron, making it his new body. Scourge decides to book it, and Starscream is left to complete the task. Scourge tries to warn Galvatron, but he doesn't care. Scourge then heads to the Autobots, and warns them of Unicron's intentions.

Within Trypticon, the Battlecharges and the Coneheads disable Starscream's control over Trypticon, so Starscream demands his body to complete the labors. Unicron restores his body, but Starscream (surprise, surprise), tells Unicron to connect himself to Cybertron. However, the Autobots manage to plant some Energon cubes on Unicron's head. They detonate the Energon, causing Unicron's head to return to orbit and Starscream to go flying. Thrown past the Decepticons, Galvatron orders them to fire on Starscream. When their shots begin hitting him, Cyclonus wonders why Starscream's ghost has lost control.

On Cybertron, Rodimus agrees to allow Scourge and Astrotrain to leave, in exchange for their help. He then tells the Autobots of their new mission to retrieve Metroplex's eye, but then reveals that he was joking, saying that the eyes were probably destroyed in the explosion.

Unseen by the Autobots, Unicron's eye twinkles in the night...

Stats
Original airdate: Tuesday October 21, 1986

Episode #: 82

Product Code: 700-100

Written by: Joey Kurihara Piedra, Michael Charles Hill

Featured Characters
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Notable quotes
"DESTROY HIM! HE'S LOST HIS MIND!"
 * Galvatron, calling the kettle black.

"Aerialbots! Wait for...umm...nevermind."
 * Warpath getting left behind.

"Decepticon intruders IN MY BRAIN!!!"
 * Metroplex saying one of the more disturbing lines in the series.

"Where are my eyes?!"
 * Metroplex, he should have gone to specsavers.

"First, you two let Scourge and Starscream steal one of Trypticon's eyes. And then you two allowed Astrotrain to be used as their escape vehicle. So Scourge is helping Starscream voluntarily, and you four were unable to stop them! Well, all I can say is...BWWWAAAAAAA!"
 * Galvatron, showing his usual eloquence.

"You know for the strong silent type you sure talk too much."
 * Starscream after Scurge began complaining

"Why did Galvatron have you attack Cybertron all by yourself? Are you stupid or just obedient?"
 * Rodimus Prime to Astrotrain

"I don't have to show you no stinking passes."
 * Starscream (see Stinking badges)

"Starscream! You're a dead mechanism!" "Of course I'm dead, Galvatron! But not for much longer. And then are you going to be sorry!" "I'm already sorry!"
 * Galvatron and Starscream.

"Wait, since when do ghosts tumble out of control through space?"
 * Cyclonus

"Now make the connection!" "Do it yourself!"
 * Unicron and Starscream, Unicron bet on the wrong pony, and Screamer just loves being a prick.

Animation and/or technical glitches

 * After Rodimus jokes about recovering Metroplex's eyes from Unicron, Hot Spot is shown with Ultra Magnus's color scheme.
 * In the last seconds of the episode, there are two Ultra Magnuses, one of them in the wrong colors.
 * In a few scenes Hot Spot has a mouth on his faceplate.

Continuity errors

 * Although undoubtedly big, Metroplex and Trypticon's eyes should be way too small for Unicron to use as like-for-like replacements.
 * When Scourge approaches Galvatron he says, "Galvatron, don't shoot!" Galvatron states he couldn't even if he wanted to, because Trypticon neutralized their weapons. Yet, when Starscream's out of control body flies past him, he begins firing on him.

Transformers references

 * First appearance of Runabout.
 * This episode marks the last appearances of Dirge, Thrust, Warpath and Starscream in the series.
 * This episode is the second appearance of Starscream's ghost. His first appearance was in the G1 episode "Starscream's Ghost". His ghost makes a third appearance in the Beast Wars episode "Possession" in which he takes over Waspinator.

Miscellaneous trivia

 * Unicron displays the ability to electrocute the Autobots inside his head and expel them through his neck.
 * Starscream is last seen tumbling away through space in his new body, possibly damaged from Galvatron's attacks but still very much alive. This is sometimes seen as a point of conflict with his appearance as a ghost in the Beast Wars episode "Possession".  Fans have reconciled this by speculating that he died again off-screen, or else traveled through time to the Beast Wars era (and back) before this episode took place chronologically.  Alternatively, the Beast Wars cartoon does not follow strictly from any specific Generation 1 continuity, allowing the "error" to be dismissed entirely.
 * All it took to reactivate Unicron was the reconnection of one circuit. You'd think his wiring would be a little more complex than that.

Keywords
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