Team Optimus Prime

As the Autobots head into the black hole, Dr. Jones and his family sit around in Ocean City telling each other things they already know.
 * Japanese title:

Summary
In Ocean City, Dr. Jones is concerned -- not by the government officials who are waiting to meet him, but by the fact that he can't get back the energon he sent to Kicker. Rad makes contact, but has no new information on the Miranda II; he reports that the black hole is going to collapse, vanishing completely. Kicker's family worries over him.


 * Dr. Jones sent all of Earth's energon to Unicron, allowing Alpha Q to re-energize him, while Megatron began bleeding potentially explosive energon from Unicron's body. The energon reacted, ripping open the universe.  Alpha Q entered the rift in search of his home.  Megatron and the Decepticons fled through the rift as well, as Unicron was dragged in. The Autobots pursued, and Kicker followed.

Dr. Jones notes that Kicker has come to care for the Autobots -- quite a change from his previous attitude.


 * Young Kicker was terrified by the Autobots when he first arrived on Cybertron, and hid from Optimus Prime. He fell into a pit, where he was snared by wires and spoke with Primus, "the heart, the very life-force of Cybertron", who granted him strange powers.

That's how the humans' energon-searching mision began.


 * In Ocean City on Earth, Kicker sensed energon, but soon the Terrorcons attacked, and a battle ensued. When Megatron returned, he wanted energon too.  With the energon grid completed, Earth was safe, but the threat of Unicron kept the fighting going.  So the Autobots launched the Miranda II to destroy two transmitters.

Sally wonders when Alpha Q and Scorponok changed sides; Dr. Jones has to think, because it's been so long since it happened.


 * Dr. Jones didn't like Kicker risking his life, and told Optimus as much. Kicker was taken by Rodimus to meet Alpha Q.  Rodimus told Optimus that Unicron shouldn't be destroyed, and that Unicron consumed Alpha Q's home planet in the past.  Alpha Q was angry at being stood up by Rodimus, as his planet was destroyed by Unicron.  Rodimus arrived too late to help.  Kicker wondered how Rodimus and Optimus met, and Inferno gives a very bored explanation about how Rodimus left Cybertron while Optimus stayed to defend Cybertron.  Rodimus and Optimus agreed to take care of Unicron at the right time.  The combined team attacked Unicron, though Megatron was unimpressed.   As he prepared to destroy Planet Cybertron, Alpha Q came rushing in to the rescue, and Kicker requested all of Earth's energon.

The government types finally give up and leave, to Dr. Jones' relief. Alexis makes contact from Jungle City, and requests that Dr. Jones join her.

He arrives to find that the ruins are being rebuilt, and Alexis offers to give him a tour. But there's more. They head underground, where an active energon mine is in operation, with more energon. The energon is to be administered by the Earth Federation Council, who want Dr. Jones as a consultant. Dr. Jones agrees to help.


 * Optimus says that his decision was in the past, and they have to look to the future.

In space, the Miranda II flies through the rift amid tons of debris. The black hole ahead is pulling them forward. Kicker says they'll find a way out of the situation, and then the ship flies into the black hole.

Stats
Original airdate:

Written by:

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

Quotes
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Animation and/or technical glitches

 * This episode exists.

Continuity errors

 * The reconstruction of Jungle City and the adjacent ruins is an incredibly clumsy retcon. The entire landscape around Jungle City was utterly pulverized, making it unlikely that full-growth trees would be there now, or that underground mining would be possible.  And you can't just... rebuild ruins! Architecture does not work that way!!

Miscellaneous notes

 * Even for a clip episode, this one is really bad.
 * The first flashback is barely even delineated as a flashback. It's a confusing mess of bad editing and confusing visuals, with no narration to explain what the heck is happening.  As a way to catch up on prior events, it's almost totally useless.
 * The rest of the flashbacks aren't quite as confusing, but they try. The last one is randomly intercut between the last two scenes, and without having seen (and memorized) the episode "Crisis in Jungle City", there's no way to even realize that it is a flashback.