Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1

Detailed synopsis

The Mayor of Central City is officially opening a new Solar Tower when his speech is interrupted by Starscream, Thrust, Dirge and Ramjet. After they realise there is no energy in the tower yet, guards come out with tanks and attempt to shoo the decepticons away. The tanks are destroyed and the guards escape with their lives, while the mayor calls for the Autobots.

An Autobot attack force, consisting of Prime, Ironhide, Smokescreen, Tracks, Warpath and Bumblebee arrive at the scene. Everyone transforms, except Tracks, who transforms to his flight mode and takes off after the coneheads, who are making a quick exit. Tracks uses a radiator mounted black beam gun to blind Dirge. Ramjet seeks revenge for this and knocks Tracks clean out the air. On the ground however, Starscream is being hammered by laserblasts from Ironhide, Smokescreen, Prime and Warpath. Thrust saves him with a missile barrage. Smokescreen retaliates and fires his head mounted lasers, which damage his guidance systems. Beaten and battered, the Decepticons retreat.

The Mayor thanks the Autobots and decides to honour them at city hall. Spike comments that its about time the Autobots got some recognition for their actions.

In his office, Shawn Berger watches the events and is infuriated, since he wants to be Mayor so badly. He sends his guards out, claiming he needs to think. He picks up an odd looking cassette on his desk, which transforms into Laserbeak. He grabs Shawn and flies out the office and out of the city, towards a mountain ridge.

There, Megatron, Soundwave and Dirge await the arrival of Shawn. Megatron tells Shawn that he can help get the power that he so desperately wants, even 2 cities if he wants, in return...Shawn must use his wealth, power and influence to help the Decepticons. Megatron seems to lie and tell Berger, that like many others, he's been blinded by Autobot Propaganda. He persuades Berger into thinking the Decepticons are good and the Autobots are evil and that all he needs is evidence. He agrees and then Dirge sends him back to his office, Megatron tells soundwave that Berger "thinks he will be king, but he will be nothing more than a pawn!"

On a deserted oil field, Optimus Prime shows up with a small army of Autobots, which consist of Wheeljack, Sunstreaker and Ironhide. Berger in a news helicopter flies over head and records the Autobots stealing energy. Ironhide notices the helicopter and warns Prime, who begins to fire on it. Megatron, along with Starscream, Thrust, Dirge and Ramjet save Berger and drive off the Autobots. Wheeljack fires as he escapes and knocks off the camera beneath the copter. Thrust finds it and gives it to Megatron, who must return it to Berger, since it "contains valuable evidence"

At Central City hall, the public is gathered and cheering the Autobots as the roll parade style through town. The Autobots all transform and head towards the Hall. Inside, Optimus Prime is joined by Hound, Ironhide, Cliffjumper and Bumblebee. After a brief moment of reading out the wrong speech, the Mayor finally gets it right and proceeds to ask to be shown a video of the work the Autobots did at the Solar Plant yesterday. However, Berger had the tapes switched and it shows the tape the Decepticons made. It shows additional scenes of Prime and Wheeljack turning the coneheads evil with a ray gun and Prime claimign that the Autobots will claim the earth for their own once fully trusted.

Now hated by the public, the Autobots returned the Ark. After a brief rest period, they end up being arrested by the Mayor and Berger's private army. They and the Decepticons are taken to court. During the trial, Spike escapes and sets out to clear the Autobots names, Soundwave launches Ravage to slow Spike down. After slamming Ravage in a revolving door, Spike escapes. He later finds the tape room and watches one of the tapes...it reveals that the Autobots at the Oil field were Decepticons in disguise. He goes to head back to the trial with the tape, only to find his path blocked by Ravage.

Back at the trial, without evidence...the Autobots are found guilty and are banished from earth forever. Later that night, the Autobots are taken to a shuttle and forced to board by Megatron. They blast off, heading towards Cybertron.

Inside the Ark, Megatron and Shawn Berger are at Teletraan-1. They reprogram the rocket's guidance systems for a one way trip into the sun.

[edit] Stats

Written by: Donald F. Glut [edit] Featured characters

Autobots 	Decepticons 	Humans

* Beachcomber * Blaster * Bluestreak * Brawn * Bumblebee * Cliffjumper * Grapple * Hoist * Hound * Huffer * Inferno * Ironhide * Jazz * Mirage * Optimus Prime * Prowl * Ratchet * Red Alert * Smokescreen * Teletraan 1 * Tracks * Warpath * Wheeljack * Windcharger

* Dirge * Laserbeak * Megatron * Ramjet * Ravage * Skywarp * Soundwave * Starscream * Thrust * Thundercracker

Humans

* Chip Chase * Mayor of Central City * Shawn Berger * Spike Witwicky * Sparkplug Witwicky

[edit] Notable quotes

"SAVE THE HUMANS" - Megatron

"Hold the last order Prime...I wanna throw some..dark on the subject" - Tracks

[edit] Other Notes [edit] Animation and/or technical glitches

* If Starscream was wearing the Optimus Prime costume during the oilfield stunt, how was he able to be there in person, fighting the "Autobots"?

* Why are the public so quickly swayed by 3 scenes on a tape after the amount of times the Autobots have saved them in the past year or so?

* Someone at Toei forgot to animate the Decepticons as they force the Autobots to go into the rocket.

[edit] Miscellaneous trivia

* When released as a video in the UK, it was released as both parts thrown together as a 45 minutes "movie" instead of a 2 part episode.

* This is the first time in the series Smokescreen has ever used his head mounted lasers to fight, instead of his exhaust fumes and laser rifle

* The seeker jets in this episode prefer to use missiles and rockets to fight the Autobots and terrorise the humans with rather than the traditional lasers. They do however use the lasers in robot mode * In the oil field fight, Starscream is able to use his null rays from his nose in jet mode, the first time ever

Category: Generation 1 episodes