Enter the Nightbird



The Decepticons get a hold of the Nightbird, a deadly ninja-bot.

Japanese title: "The Shadow of the Nightbird"

Summary
The Autobots attend the unveiling of Nightbird, a human-built “female ninja robot,” by invitation from the robot’s creator, Dr. Fujiyama. Predictably, the Decepticons attack and immediately have the upper hand because the Autobots won’t fight in a hall crowded with humans. Starscream and the other Seekers steal the robot, and the other Decepticons take off.

Apologetic for their abject failure to protect the robot, Optimus promises to return it back to Dr. Fujiyama quickly and unharmed.

Meanwhile, inside his masterfully disguised fortress, Megatron has Bombshell reprogram Nightbird and triple her power. When activated, she immediately smacks Starscream. She might be quiet, but she’s perceptive. Megatron, joyous at the result of Bombshell’s tinkering, sends Nightbird on a mission to infiltrate Autobot headquarters and steal the World Energy Chip from Teletraan 1.

Using her ninja skills, Nightbird accomplishes the mission, but she is detected by the Autobots. She bashes Mirage and manages to escape the base. The Autobots pursue to capture Nightbird, but are hampered by the promise they made not to damage her. Because, you know, it’s not gentlemanly to hit a girl. Prime tries to reason with her, but she drops him like a bad habit and keeps avoiding capture.

Megatron watches all of this remotely and says he’s considering her as Starscream’s replacement. Starscream doesn’t find it funny and attacks Megatron, but he is quickly caged. Megatron turns back to his spying and sees that Nightbird has finally been caught by the Autobots in an energy web.

Megatron orders everyone on a mission to rescue her and the World Energy Chip. They arrive and battle. Meanwhile, Starscream escapes his cage, arrives on the scene and uses his null-ray to put Nightbird out of commission. His hatred for traitors outweighing his common sense, Megatron orders the Decepticons after Starscream and leaves the ninja robot and the chip in Prime’s hands.

The Autobots make good on their promise by returning Nightbird unharmed to Fujiyama, who decides to put her in storage. Despite being neutralized, Nightbird casts a final, angered glare out at the cold, cold, world.

Stats
Original airdate: September 30, 1985

Production number: 700-25

Written by: Sylvia Wilson and Richard Milton

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

Notable quotes
"We're here to protect it, not make jokes at its expense."
 * —Optimus Prime telling Wheeljack and Ratchet to shut up

"She's not so hot!" "She's hot enough to replace you whenever I choose!"
 * —Starscream and Megatron utter the words that launch a thousand fanfics.

"Yes, you're definitely on my replacement list, Starscream... Hahaha, she's everything I've always wanted!"
 * —Megatron. Aw, all he wanted was some love.

"I bring you greetings, Optimus Prime... Lethal greetings!"
 * —Megatron. His writers don't get paid enough.

Animation and/or technical glitches

 * When Rumble and Frenzy broke into the show room, Rumble's pile drivers are rectangular prisms instead of cylinders.
 * When Nightbird's lightsaber is shot and deactivated, you can still hear the sound effects for about 2 more seconds before they stop.

Continuity errors

 * Wheeljack makes fun of humanity's attempt at robotics, when his security system being fitted at the beginning of the episode is just a glorified metal detector, that reacts to metal, the very thing that the Autobots and the base are made of.
 * At the end of Act Two, Nightbird gets the drop on Prime and raises her sword as if to slice him in half. At the opening of Act Three, however, she's just standing there in front of him, idly spinning the sword around.

Transformers references

 * In 3H's Universe comics, Nightbird returned as a savage horde, which forced Daniel Witwicky to kill himself and Wheelie to destroy them...which goes to show that they are good for something.

Real-world references

 * References

Miscellaneous trivia

 * When the Autobots are chasing Nightbird up a cliff, Cliffjumper can't jump the cliff. He might need a new name.

Keywords
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