More than Meets the Eye, Part 1



Generation One >  Season 1

In search of energy, the Autobots leave Cybertron and are pursued by the Decepticons.

Detailed synopsis
Act One: On Cybertron, many millions of years ago, the Autobots are on the verge of extinction. Eons of war have drained the planet's once plentiful resources. Autobots Wheeljack and Bumblebee are scraping together energy conductors, and narrowly avoid capture by a Decepticon patrol. They arrive at Iacon, the Autobots headquarters. There, the Autobots are planning to leave Cybertron on a mission to search for new sources of energy. This plot is overheard by the Decepticon spy Laserbeak. The Decepticon leader, Megatron, plots to intercept the Autobots.

The Autobots blast off aboard an Autobot spaceship, led by Optimus Prime. An asteroid collision forces them to use up most of their energy clearing a path through the resulting storm. The Decepticons take advantage of this vulnerability and attack. Both ships spin out of control, crashing on nearby Earth.

Act Two: Four million years pass. It is the year 1984, and volcanic activity stirs the half-buried Ark, awakening the computer systems aboard. Teletraan-1 sends out a sky-spy satellite to reconnoiter this new world, and scans examples of terrestrial machinery in order to reformat the Transformers into new modes. The Decepticons are awakened first. An impudent Starscream leaves a parting shot at the dormant Autobots, unwittingly awakening them.

Megatron decrees that their mission is to drain Earth of its resources in order to build an ultimate weapon and conquer the universe. To start, they'll need a base of operations, so he puts Starscream in charge of converting the area for the construction of a new star cruiser. The Decepticon Rumble trashes a nearby power station to serve as raw materials.

Meanwhile, Optimus Prime dispatches Hound and Cliffjumper to recon the area. They find the Decepticons, and Cliffjumper brashly takes a shot at Megatron. He misses, and the Decepticons unleash Laserbeak in pursuit. Hound is blasted and injured.

Act Three: Autobot medic Ratchet and Hauler come to fetch Hound. Meanwhile, Decepticon Thundercracker and Reflector spot an Earth vehicle coming to investigate the destruction of the power station. Ravage intercepts the vehicle, frightening the human workers away.

Hound is repaired, and reports what he overheard: that the Decepticons are on the hunt for energy. Prime has Jazz assemble a battle group to go after them. The Decepticons attack an off-shore oil rig, where William "Sparkplug" Witwicky and his son Spike work. They begin gathering energon cubes, but are interrupted by the Autobots.

A battle erupts on the drilling platform. Megatron blasts the rig's supports, tipping it into the ocean. It bursts into flames. Realizing the humans are in danger, Optimus Prime tries to save Spike and Sparkplug while the Decepticons retreat with their energon plunder.

To be continued...

Stats
Original airdate: September 17, 1984

Production number: 4023

Written by: George Arthur Bloom

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

Notable quotes
"Here's something to keep you warm." Megatron as he ignites the oil spill

"Use your imagination!" - Megatron, instructing Starscream on where he's supposed to find materials.

Animation and/or technical glitches

 * The Decepticon "welcoming committee" that tries to detain Wheeljack and Bumblebee includes a seeker with Starscream's exact colors, but with a very different voice.
 * Immediately after a shot of Optimus Prime rallying his troops to prepare to repulse Decepticon boarders ("Prepare for battle!"), the same animation is re-used, but this time with Megatron's voice urging his troops to "Attack! Attack!" When the episode was re-done for the Generation 2 series, this scene was amended by placing a shot of Megatron sitting on this throne from earlier in the episode over the image, shouting the command.
 * A shot of Soundwave being kicked out of frame by Ironhide is immediately followed by Soundwave sparring with Ratchet.
 * When Soundwave tosses Ratchet into a console aboard the Ark, the Autobot Medic is sporting a Decepticon symbol in the center of his chest windshield, most likely the result of the animator carrying over Soundwave's design.
 * When Optimus Prime assigns Hound his mission, the establishing shot has Cliffjumper with Bumblebee's yellow colors.
 * In the pan shot on the Ark when the Transformers find out they're going to crash, there are TWO Soundwaves...
 * When Laserbeak shoots Hound only his blaster is visible.

Continuity errors

 * Jazz's role-call of the Autobots assembled to stop the Decepticons at the oil platform does not match the Autobots who eventually go on the mission. For example, Huffer and Brawn are both seen next episode at the oil platform, though Jazz never called their names.
 * Because Laserbeak discovered the oil platform long after Hound was chased away, Hound could not have overheard the Decepticon plans to attack the platform. As such, it is unclear how the Autobots knew to go there.
 * The Autobots are all shown flying. In subsequent episodes, this ability would disappear when required.

Real-world references

 * References

Miscellaneous trivia

 * Misc

Keywords
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