My Friend Sixshot!



Separated from their comrades by an asteroid storm, Daniel and Sixshot are thrust together when they become stranded on a dangerous planet, and Daniel discovers that the ninja may not be all that he appears.


 * English/Malay dub name: "From Enemy to Friend"

Detailed synopsis
The Decepticons are headed for Earth at full speed after their departure from Master, but find an asteroid storm directly in their path. Despite Sixshot's belief that they should go around, Scorponok insists that they go through, with predictably painful results, setting the ninja and his commander at each other's throats.

Battleship Maximus, on the other hand, diverts its course around the asteroids, and while the Autobots are voyaging smoothly along, Daniel and Wheelie sneak inside the ship's laser turret to see what it's like. Highbrow almost notices the door opening on his screens, but Scorponok comes into view, and it is quickly forgotten as battle stations are assumed. Unfortunately for Daniel, this means that blast doors fall into place throughout the ship, cutting him off from Wheelie and trapping him in the turret. To make matters worse, a hit from Scorponok strikes the turret and causes it to malfunction, prompting the unwitting Headmasters to jettison it from the craft, with Daniel inside! At the same time, Scorponok orders Sixshot to disembark the ship and attack Maximus personally - both he and the laser turret are then swept up in the asteroid storm and are sent hurtling through space. Scorponok is not exactly concerned with the loss of Sixshot, and continues on his way to Earth; discovering Daniel's fate, the Autobot Targetmasters keep on Scorponok's trail while the Headmasters turn their attention to finding and rescuing their human friend.

Daniel and Wheelie, meanwhile, have crash-landed on the barren planet Daira, a world which is actually one large living organism. Recovering first, Sixshot explores and comes upon the laser turret, popping it open and finding the unconscious Daniel inside. Daniel promptly awakens, and is horrified to see the Decepticon ninja looming over him, but Sixshot tells him to relax - he's not in the habit of killing children. Daniel is naturally untrustworthy, and Sixshot, not bothered, simply gets up and walks away. Within seconds, however, a rocky humanoid creature suddenly appears and attempts to seize Daniel from behind. Sixshot opens fire on it, blowing it to pebbles, and realizes that it must be one of Daira's fabled rock-people. Daniel is unsure what to make of the situation, having been saved by a Decepticon, but the unease is set aside when he spots a strange rainbow in the sky - in truth, it is an energy shield, impervious to Sixshot's blasts, that has been set up by the rock-people to keep them in one place.

Back out in space, the Autobots successfully deduce the trajectory of the winds that pulled Daniel away, and immediately set course after him. A little time has passed on Daira, meanwhile, and Sixshot and Daniel are simply sitting, waiting, on a cliff-edge. Sixshot inquires if Daniel has any food, and the solitary home-made space ration that he has with him only reminds him of his parents. Sixshot insists that he eat it now, to build up his strength for when the rock-people return; Daniel is amazed at how different Sixshot seems to him. Sixshot brushes off his kindness, simply telling Daniel not to overestimate him. It is at that point that the rock-people arrive en masse, and Daniel and Sixshot work together to reduce them to rubble.

More time passes, and while the Autobots on Battleship Maximus deal with the difficult task of riding the asteroid storm, Daniel and Sixshot track the rock-people back to their base of operations. It consists purely of a massive, flaming pit - a furnace-like "mouth" of sorts for the living planet, into which the rock-people hurl "food" in the form of wrecked spaceships, fallen meteorites, or whatever else is unfortunate enough to fit the bill. Sixshot is in favor of completely destroying the living planet, to eliminate the shield holding them in, but Daniel is sure that Battleship Maximus will come. The two admit the strange, inexplicable kinship they feel, and Sixshot promises to return Daniel to Earth. Once again, the rock-creatures attack, but this time, Daniel is seized, and almost tossed into the flames, before Sixshot comes to his rescue.

In space, Battleship Maximus is still buffetted by space-winds, unable to break free of the hurricane they have trapped themselves in, until Chromedome fires the ship's freeze ray, crystallizing the atmosphere and allowing them to break through. They can see planet Daira in the distance, and, noticing that nearby asteroids are being drawn down to it, realize that Daniel probably went the same way.

Down on Daira, the rock-creatures revive and plunge themselves into the flame-pit, where they are fused together into one, gigantic stone monster. The creature seems impervious to attack from any of Sixshot's modes, but when Daniel opens fire on it, sheer luck sees him strike its weak point, between its eyes. Sixshot transforms to wolf mode and hits it just right, taking its head off its shoulders and destroying it outright. At that point, Battleship Maximus appears overhead and lands in front of the pair; the Headmasters emerge and, mistaking the situation, demand that Sixshot hand Daniel over. Daniel explains the situation to the amazed Headamsters, but Chromedome in particular is not totally convinced. Sixshot departs quickly, even as Daniel calls after him.

A little later, as Battleship Maximus continues on his way, Daniel laments that Sixshot will be returning to the Decepticons, and says that without the war, he is sure they could be friends. The Headmasters silently agree, but more fighting is ahead, as Pointblank reports in that Scorponok has just entered Earth's solar system...

Stats
Original airdate: 11th March 1988

Featured Characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Transformers references

 * Daniel is using his video game light gun (originally introduced in "Find MegaZarak's Weak Spot!!") as a weapon again, as he previously did in episodes like "Mystery of the Space Pirate Ship", "The Master Sword is in Danger!!" and "The Zarak Shield Turns the Tide."
 * Chromedome's vendetta against Sixshot still remains, after his hand in the deaths of Abel (in "Terror! The Six Shadows"), Ultra Magnus (in "Ultra Magnus Dies!!") and Jack (in "Miracle Warriors, The Targetmasters (Part 2)"). This sub-plot will come to a head in the next episode.

Miscellaneous trivia

 * The manga version of The Headmasters, published concurrent to the airing of the series in Japan's TV Magazine, primarily consists of stories that occur in an around the TV episodes, making direct references to their events on at least two occasions. In it's fourth issue, however, it tells a similar story to this episode, about Daniel and Sixshot being stranded on a planet together, but which is otherwise totally different.