The Mystery of Planet Master



After learning of the origins of the Headmasters and the planet Master, the Autobots race to recover the missing Matrix.


 * English/Malay dub name: The Tale of the Master Star

Detailed synopsis
As the battle between the newly-arrived Autobot Headmasters and their Decepticon counterparts rages around him, Optimus Prime ventures into the depths of Cybertron, heading for Vector Sigma in order to stabilize and restore an Autobot power balance on the planet. Fortress subsequently dispatches the Decepticons within the power of his battleship, Maximus, and Kup realises that he and the other Autobot Headmasters are refugees who fled the planet millions of years beforehand. Fortress relates the story of the civilisation they have established on the planet Master, and how several of their number rebelled under the leadership of a shadowy figure named Scorponok and were banished from Master, only to join up with the Decepticons.

Meanwhile, Optimus Prime is aided in his mission by the ghostly figure of Alpha Trion, but without the Matrix, which has been left on Earth to recharge, there is little he can do to stabilize the fluctuating computer. Realizing the importance of the Matrix in Prime's task, the Autobots divide into teams in order to track down the secret location where the Matrix has been hidden and bring it to Cybertron. However, Soundwave and his cassettes catch wind of their plan, and various Decepticon squads intercept the Autobot forces searching for the Matrix. The Stunticons battle the Aerialbots in the desert, but their conflict eventually moves to the Arctic, and they in the midst of Hot Rod, Blaster and the Autobot cassettes' clash with the Predacons. Soundwave and his cassettes arrive to pick off Hot Rod, but Blaster and his team leap to the rescue, culminating in a one-on-one battle between the two communicators that ends with their mutual destruction. Soundwave's exploded remains are recovered by his cassettes, while Blaster dies in Hot Rod's arms, and the young Autobot vows to complete his mission.

Stats
Original airdate: 10th July 1987

Featured characters
(''Numbers indicate order of appearance.

Animation and/or technical glitches

 * As the tale of the Headmasters-to-be is recounted, Fortress is shown leading civilians onto spaceships, looking as he does now. This, of course, is wrong - he should appear as his smallest Headmaster component (Spike, in the American version), as he's not a Headmaster yet.

Transformers references

 * This episode revisits the concept of Transformers becoming drained of colour whenever they die, as seen in The Transformers: The Movie. In this case, however, when Soundwave and Blaster meet their ends, they turn white, rather than various shades of grey.
 * The Centurion droids from The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1 reappear, once again guarding the path to the mega-computer.
 * Although Scorponok will not appear for five more episodes, a silhouette of him appears in this episode. Notably, the silhouette is of his Transtector, which will not be unveiled fully until episode 14.

Miscellaneous trivia

 * Steeljaw has abruptly developed the power of speech with this episode. Although his fellow animal cassette, Ramhorn, previously talked in Forever is a Long Time Coming, Steeljaw never indicated he had the gift of gab until now.
 * People who haven't seen it think the fight between Blaster and Soundwave is awesome. It's really not.
 * Darn that Soundwave. EEEEUUUAAAAAAGH!