A Bridge Too Close, Part II



The fates of Cybertron and Earth lie in the balance as Optimus Prime and his Autobots battle Megatron and his Decepticons in a fight to the finish for the AllSpark.

Summary
Starscream and his clones swoop into the Decepticons’ mine headquarters and concentrate their fire on Megatron. Chaos erupts as the Autobots free themselves and start tackling the clones, and Bulkhead and Professor Sumdac attempt to deactivate the space bridge. Mixmaster is attacked by the egomaniac clone and binds him in cement, while Blurr stasis cuffs the coward. As fast as he is, though, Blurr fails to get out of the way of the egomaniac, who crashes into both him and the coward, getting them caught in his cement overcoat and sending them all tumbling into the space bridge. Bulkhead attempts to recall them, but explains that the targeting co-ordinates of the bridge were never set, meaning that they could have been sent anywhere in the galaxy. Before he can complete his task, he is attacked by the female clone, but she overpowers him and hits him with stasis cuffs. Simultaneously, Megatron and Starscream engage in a one-on-one duel, but the balance doesn’t last long, as the female and liar clones approach Megatron from behind. Optimus Prime, of all ‘bots, comes to Megatron’s rescue, though the irony is not lost on the two combatants.

Meanwhile, on Dinobot Island, Ratchet finishes loading the AllSpark fragments into the Autobot ship’s spark chamber. Sari uses her key to jump-start the craft, but still can’t fathom why Ratchet is talking to the ship...until the ship talks back! Ratchet explains that the ship used to be a warrior who sacrificed his spark to win the Great War, and whose body has been in a state of modified stasis ever since.

Back in the mine, Prime and Megatron continue battling the remaining Starscream clones, but Megatron is not above seizing Prime and using him as a shield. He calls for Mixmaster, currently battling Bumblebee and Prowl, to focus his efforts on the “head Starscream,” giving Professor Sumdac an idea. Just as the clones overpower Megatron and Starscream prepares to finish him, Sumdac clambers inside the Headmaster unit and uses it to decapitate Starscream and take over his body. As Sumdac-Starscream lunges for Megatron, however, the Decepticon leader makes it clear that he is not impressed, and he blasts the Headmaster and Sumdac clean off Starscream’s body. With Starscream now in two pieces and thoroughly defeated, the clones swear loyalty to Megatron.

Back on Dinobot Island, Ratchet and Sari put Sari's key to work repairing the ship’s memory core. The ship comments that it is unable to see, and Ratchet explains that’s because it’s buried in a cliff and that getting out is priority number one. With another key boost to help, the ship fires up its engines and manages to tear itself free and take to the air once more.

In the mine, things are looked bad for the Autobotsthey’ve all been stasis-cuffed, Professor Sumdac is a captive again, and Scrapper has found Lugnut and Blitzwing. In true supervillain style, Megatron explains to the Autobots that he plans to use the space bridge to lead his Decepticons in an attack on the under-protected Cybertron, where they will take over the entire space bridge network and transport the entire Decepticon army to the planet. Bulkhead notes that the space bridge requires a receiving code to work, which would mean Megatron would have to have someone on Cybertron, but Bumblebee points out that there is someone: Wasp, the spy he caught at boot camp. Someone is eager to correct Bumblebee, however, as Megatron’s true double agent, Shockwave, appears on a monitor and reveals how he, as Longarm Prime, deceived Bumblebee so long ago. With the theatricalities and exposition complete, Megatron prepares to toss Optimus Prime through the space bridge as a test, when suddenly, the base is rocked by heavy fire from outside. The Autobot ship has arrived!

The fight moves outside as the Starscream clones, Lugnut and Blitzwing all lay siege to the Autobot ship, which is quickly overpowered by the onslaught and begins to fall out of the sky. With another burst of key power to boost its systems, Ratchet has the ship activate its emergency defense system, codename: Omega. As the shocked Decepticons look on, the ship transforms into a colossal robot modethe mountainous Omega Supreme!

The female Starscream clone directs the Decepticons to fire on his legs to bring him down, and the move succeeds, but Ratchet links his own systems up to Omega to give him the strength he needs to rise back up and strike back. A hail of lasers and missiles is unleashed upon the villains as Omega strikes, kicks and headbutts them all across the battlefield.

Down in the mine, as the Constructicons clear rubble away from the space bridge and Megatron prepares to continue his test, Prowl successfully employs a processor-over-matter focusing technique to escape his stasis cuffs. Just as Prime is about to disappear through the bridge, Prowl hurls a shuriken that breaks his leader’s cuffs, enabling him to fire his grappling line and haul himself to safety. At this point, the space bridge shuts down, and Megatron quickly deduces that the AllSpark fragment powering it is not strong enough. Luckily for him, he has another oneand he promptly grabs Starscream’s head and stuffs it in the power core, along with the fragment the head contains. This, however, causes the core to overload and the bridge to malfunction. As it begins to pull in all surrounding material, Shockwave reports that the destination code has been deleted and that the bridge could send them anywhere. Even in defeat, Megatron attempts to take Prime with him, but before he can fire the blast that will rid him of the Autobot leader, Prime manages to slap a pair of stasis cuffs on Megatron, immobilizing him and causing his body to be sucked into the space bridge. Prowl and Prime free Bulkhead, Bumblebee and Sumdac, but the bridge still threatens to consume the entire state until help comes from above in the form of Omega Supreme. Omega blocks the bridge with his massive body and absorbs its transwarp energies, willing to sacrifice himself once more to save the Autobots. After ejecting Sari and Ratchet from his body, Omega is sucked into the bridge, which collapses in upon itself and vanishes in a dramatic implosion. As Sari and her father are reunited at last, the mine begins to cave in, and the Autobots escape while the Constructicons are buried alive attempting to save their oil.

Retreating to the edge of a nearby cliff that overlooks the destruction, the Autobots reflect on the fact that Omega is probably still out there, somewhere. As Sumdac expresses relief that the whole ordeal is over, Sari once again tells the Autobots that she knew her father could never have betrayed them to the Decepticons. However, even as she espouses her father's honesty, Sari looks down at a cut on her arm...and beneath her skin, she and all around her are shocked to see the sparking circuitry of robotics. Terrified and confused, Sari clutches her arm and takes a few steps away from her father, who explains that they...need to talk...

Somewhere out in the endless void of space, Megatron and the decapitated Starscream float aimlessly in the cosmic night, with nothing to do but snark back and forth at each other for eternity.

Stats

 * Written by: Marty Isenberg
 * Directed by: Irineo Maramba, Christopher Berkeley, Noboro Huruse
 * Original airdate: June 28, 2008

Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes
Egomaniac Starscream: Fool! A mere construction-bot is no match for my superior firepower. Mixmaster: Oh, really. Well, you know where you can stick it? (Traps the clone with a glob of adhesive goo) Egomaniac Starscream: Impossible! You cannot defeat me! You are not worthy! You are inferior! And your joke stinks!
 * Arrogance claims yet another Starscream.

"Don't worry, I won't shoot."
 * Liar Starscream tells it like it ain't.

"What are you doing? Aim for his spark chamber!" " ' Aim for his spark chamber! '  Don't tell me how to slag Megatron! I was slagging Megatron when you were still a gleam in my spark!" "And look how well that turned out."
 * Female Starscream and the original Starscream. Kids today.

Starscream: (Hits Optimus Prime with his null-ray while Megatron is using him as a shield) It's not like you to hide behind an Autobot. Megatron: (Drops Optimus Prime) But it's completely like you to hide behind an army of cheap knockoffs.
 * Megatron and Starscream discuss each other's flaws.

Starscream: Hey! What you you think you're—ACHK! [Starscream is decapitated] Issac Sumdac: Total ownage, n00b.
 * It's contagious, isn't it?

[Starscream has been decapitated and buried under his own body] Starscream: Well, what are you waiting for? Destroy Megatron! Female Starscream:...Any leader has to be an improvement over you! Sycophant Starscream: Oh wise and great Megatron, you have truly proven your vast superiority! Liar Starscream: I will remain loyal to you forever! [Kicks Starscream's body and walks over to Megatron]
 * Starscream learns that his clones all share the worst aspect of his personalityhis treachery.

Optimus: I still don't see where all this "expertise" came from. Bulkhead: I had a lot of time to study space bridge schematics back on the energon farm. I just had a knack for 'em, I guess. Bumblebee: Oh, well, that's great. So the one thing you're good at is going to hand Cybertron over to the Decepticons.
 * Even after being declared a technical genius, Bulkhead still can't catch a break.

Megatron: Decepticons! Prepare for our conquest of Cybertron! ''[The Decepticons start cheering wildly.] Scrapper: What's a Cybertron? Mixmaster: I have no idea, he lost me at "Your fate is sealed now."
 * The Constructicons are in this for the oil, not the conquests.

Ratchet: Careful not to fire on our friends! Sari Sumdac: And try to get a visual of my dad! Omega Supreme: Sure... what's a dad?
 * Omega Supreme is confused on the concept of organics and their paternal relationships. Bit like us really.

Hothead Blitzwing: You overgrown Autobot! I will scramble your circuits so bad you'll need a GPS scanner to find your own exhaust port (Gets headbutted by Omega Supreme and is sent flying into the distance) Random Blitzwing: Mayday! Mayday! Let's all dance around ze maypole!
 * As ever, Blitzwing still finds humor in being defeated.

"Autobots: in danger!"
 * Omega Supreme gives one last nod to the fans.

Animation errors

 * When Coward Starscream is dodging Bumblebee's stinger blasts, his eyes shift to Autobot blue for a split-second.
 * After Shockwave reveals to Bumblebee that he is Longarm Prime, the pan-across shot that follows shows Shockwave on the monitor. In the next close-up of the monitor, Longarm is shown transforming back into Shockwave.
 * Just before Ratchet gives his "don't give up on me now" speech to Omega, there is a shot from the front showing Ratchet with Sari tucked into the mouth of his "backpack". In the next shot, it shows Ratchet from behind, with Sari on top of the backpack, and then switches back to the front view with Sari back in the gap.
 * When Megatron is dragged into the Space Bridge, only one hand is cuffed. When we see him next (engaging in what could have been witty banter with Starscream's decapitated head), both of them are.
 * It is not clear when Sari receives her injury, for she seems fine upon landing with Ratchet, but is seen holding her elbow in the next shot.

Continuity errors

 * Bulkhead states that he gained his expertise on space bridges by studying schematics while on the energon farm. However, Megatron acquiring space bridge schematics in "The Elite Guard" was an enormous step towards conquering Cybertron. If space bridge schematics were available to every Autobot on a farm, then it shouldn't have taken Megatron four million stellar cycles to acquire the plans. Then again, Bulkhead states in "Autoboot Camp" that his dream is to be a space bridge technician, so he probably had an easier time getting his hands on a set. Maybe Megatron should have just signed up for the correspondence course?

Transformers references

 * Omega Supreme refers to the energy given off by the space bridge as Transwarp energy, similar to the transwarp drives used in the Beast Era.

Real-world references

 * Prowl's humming forcing the stasis cuffs to open seems inspired by a similar sequence in British superspy spoof movie Johnny English, where the titular hero attempts to escape a prison cell by "humming" at the door-lock in the hope that the right frequency will cause the tumblers to rotate. Unlike Johnny however, Prowl succeeded. He is that awesome.

Miscellaneous trivia

 * The Headmaster unit even works on Decepticons, whose armor is much tougher than Bulkhead's. Where did Masterson get that cutting beam?
 * Speaking of the Headmaster unit, this is the first time its facial expression has changed.
 * Now seriously, if Professor Sumdac wanted to help, he could have just lopped off Megatron's head instead of Starscream's.
 * In the shots after the female Starscream clone yells "Aim for the legs," Lugnut is shown firing his engine pods (which are his hands in robot mode) as missiles at Omega. Those probably weren't supposed to come off. However he's shown doing the same thing a minute later, and this time in robot mode, so it isn't a lone animation error. One has to wonder where he keeps all the spare hands. Certainly nothing up his sleeve...
 * Seriously, Bulkhead is the foremost expert on space bridges in the galaxy!? He must have had a lot of spare time on the energon farm.
 * Prowl flunked out of ninja school, apparently. Which explains why he was on space-bridge detail.
 * Fans had been theorizing that the Autobot ship was Omega Supreme since quite literally the first episode.
 * Fans had also been theorizing that Sari had a li'l bit of robot in her since the first episode too! How silly!
 * Fans did not theorize that when this episode premiered on YTV, the announcer would happily yammer inanely over the closing credits sequence of Megatron and Starscream insulting each other in space. Way to go, there.
 * It was said at BotCon 2008 that the entire last scene of this season was improvised.