The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1

The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1 is the first part of the two-part season finale of Season 3 of the Generation 1 animated series.

Detailed synopsis
While on a deep-space mission to test a new heat- and radiation-resistant alloy that they have developed, scientists Jessica Morgan and Greggory Swofford detect a ship carrying Optimus Prime's body (see Dark Awakening) on a collision course with a planetoid orbitting a star they are researching nearby. Despite Greggory's reservations (his face was scarred in a previous scuffle between Optimus and Megatron, which he blames on Optimus), he is talked into helping Jessica rescue Prime's body before the ship collides with the planetoid, the impact of which also sets off the star into a supernova and coating their ship with unusual spores. Upon return to Earth, Jessica's father studies the spores and learns that they are not only alive, but are an incredibly contagious viral agent that induces hatred and destructive urges into whoever they contaminate. After a new scuffle between the Technobots and Terrorcons over the new alloy gravely injures Jessica, her father is convinced by Greggory to try and resurrect Prime's body as a carrier of the spores against the Autobots, a sentiment exacerbated when it's learned Jessica was paralyzed from the waist down in the accident and now needs a special exosuit to walk. However, when reviving Prime's body turns out to be impossible for them, Greggory and Jessica's father decide to use it as bait for the other Autobots, forcing Jessica into luring them into a spore trap at the lab.

The trap goes off without a hitch, mostly due to Rodimus' reckless haste in recovering his predecessor's corpse in lieu of caution, and several Autobots - including Superion and Defensor, two of the most powerful Autobot gestalts - are infected. However, the Decepticons had learned about Optimus Prime's recovery as well, and have shown up to terminate the once Autobot leader permanently, but are instead infected themselves. Fortunately, Rodimus, Jessica, and Galvatron manage to escape unharmed, the former two with Optimus' body; a few other Autobots manage to escape infection as well, but are badly wounded while attempting to subdue a sickened and crazed Superion. Back at Autobot City, Rodimus pleads to Wreck-Gar to try and repair Prime, but Prime is too far gone even for Junkion medical experience. Desperate, Rodimus contacts Sky Lynx and orders him to locate and bring back a Quintesson, remembering that they had once before restored Optimus to life, before disconnecting Metroplex, keeping the city-former from becoming infected. However, just as he finishes the final steps to do so, an infected Ultra Magnus appears and has a short chase with Rodimus before being temporarily subdued by Wreck-Gar...who ends up becoming infected, and infecting Rodimus in return, for his efforts.

Now, with the Hate Plague, as it's now called, rampaging even to the ends of the galaxy, Sky Lynx finds an uninfected Quintesson who he's able to convince to help revive Optimus, even though he warns that - should anything go too awry during the process - there's a good chance that Optimus will never live again. It's touch-and-go for a while, but eventually, the Quintesson manages to pull through and Optimus is restored to full life, declaring that "no force in the Universe can stop me."

To be continued...

Stats
Original airdate: February 24, 1987

Featured characters
("Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Notable quotes
"Computron thinks too much!"
 * -- Abominus after which he shoots Computron.

"Where's that punk Rodimus Prime?! I want him!"
 * -- infected Ultra Magnus.

"There you are, you wimp!"
 * -- infected Ultra Magnus. In virus veritas, indeed.

"The Autobots are acting like madmen!" "Its a madness plague, Galvatron. If one of those Transformers touches you, you're infected." "You're lying!" "Fine, don't believe me. Whatever makes you a happy Decepticon. Just watch your rear thruster."
 * -- Galvatron as he sees his troops get infected by Autobots and Rodimus Prime explaining the threat they are facing.

"I'm a doctor, not a forklift!"
 * -- Wreck-gar as he examines Optimus Prime.

"His engines, they cannae take the strain!" - Wreck-gar as he examines Optimus Prime.

"He's dead, Jim."
 * -- Wreck-gar medical conclusion of Optimus's condition.

"Its over kid; I've won!" ''"Don't believe it, old friend!"
 * -- infected Ultra Magnus as he blocks the path and Rodimus Prime who manages to evade the trap.

"You can't escape, Rodimus! I can track your gas fumes anywhere!"
 * -- infected Ultra Magnus as he chases Rodimus Prime.

"It's as I said before, kid: It's all over. What...? ARGH!" "And as I said before: Don't believe it."
 * -- infected Ultra Magnus cornering Rodimus Prime in an alley when a rope suddenly is thrown around Magnus by Wreck-gar.

"I'm a pepper! Wouldn't you like to be a pepper, too?"
 * -- Wreck-gar as he got infected and asked if he was "ok" by Rodimus Prime.

"The world needs a leader, now!"
 * -- Sky Lynx on the reactivation of Optimus Prime.

"I've done it! Optimus Prime lives!" "It's true; our leader is back." "Yes, Sky Lynx, and this time, no force in the universe can stop me."
 * -- Quintesson and Sky Lynx as Optimus Prime is revived and comments on his resurrection.

Animation and/or technical glitches

 * When Rodimus is done talking to Optimus's statue, his head slides backwards. Twice.
 * When Greggory and Jessica's father rush at the hospital and find the Autobots, Swindle is amongst them.
 * When Soundwave looks down after having Ratbat inserted into him, his faceplate stays in its old position of looking upwards.
 * Also pertaining to Soundwave, those wacky voice editors forgot to use the vocoder on his voice in this ep, again making him sound like Dr. Claw
 * In one scene, Bruticus is the same size as all the regular Decepticons, or the regular Decepticons are the same size as Bruticus.
 * Before entering the lab to retrieve Prime's body, Rodimus gives orders to Defensor...though Defensor is shown as the one making all of those orders.
 * In the same scene as above, Goldbug is somehow right in front of Defensor, but Bumblebee wasn't rebuilt into him yet.

Continuity errors

 * Optimus Prime's body is shown to be in perfect condition despite him having lost an arm and half of his face at the end of Dark Awakening. In addition, when his body is rescued, the ship is not being fired upon as it was shown to be previously.
 * When Jessica Morgan asks who built Optimus Prime in the first place, Rodimus Prime responds by saying the Quintessons did so, yet Optimus was modified from Orion Pax who was repaired by Alpha Trion, though he might have meant who built him in his original form.

Transformers references

 * References

Real-world references

 * Wreck-Gar's lines: "I'm a doctor, not a forklift!" and "He's dead, Jim." Reference popular quotes from Star Trek medic Dr. Leonard H. McCoy.
 * Similarly "His engines, they cannot take the strain!" comes from another Star Trek character, namely Montgomery Scott (AKA Scotty), though this is often claimed to not be attributed to the character except for its use in parodies.
 * Wreck-Gar's comment: "I'm a pepper! Wouldn't you like to be a pepper, too?" is a reference to an old Dr. Pepper ad campaign in the late 70's to early 80's.

Miscellaneous trivia

 * Trivia