Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)



Dinobot breaks into the Predacon base and steals the golden disks; meanwhile two oddly misshapen Transformers emerge from their stasis pods.

Summary
At the Predacon base, the ships sensors detect two stasis pods. Desparate for troops, Megatron and Inferno  move out to secure them. Waspinator notices that there is only one moon now, and flies back into the base. Dinobot, looking from afar, also notices the planet's single satellite. Sneaking into the base, Dinobot corners Waspinator, who is looking at the Golden Disks. Grabbed by the thorax, Waspintor points out that there is only one moon now, and Dinobot explains the significance. They're on Earth, and the Disks can fortell the future. In a surprising show of ambition, Waspinator offers to join forces with Dinobot to steal the disks, but Dinobot uses Waspinator to deactivate the shield (by throwing him at it) then escaping and shooting the computers. Blackarachnia, hauling the deactivated body of Tarantulas to his lab, making a half-hearted effort to stop Dinobot. Having been reduced to crushed ball, Waspinator is forced to drag himself to the restoration chamber. Poor Waspy.

Meanwhile, the Maximals have found another stasis pod. Tigatron and Airazor are heading out for a more extensive survey to see what other effects the Planet Buster has had on the planet. Rattrap says that they should open up the pod, but there is no spark within, and the protoform is a blank. Rattrap asks what the use of that is, and Rhinox says there isn't a use&mdash;yet. Elsewhere, the two pods the Predacons are seeking activate their DNA scanners, but the scanners malfunction. Two Transformers emerge, one a wolf-eagle hybrid, the other a scorpion-cobra hybrid. Neither recognizes the other, the scorpion-cobra speculates that he could beat the wolf-eagle up, and attacks. Inferno arrives, and attacks. Megatron, observing, alters their command codes to become Predacons. Introducing himself, the Predacon leader shows them that they are Transformers. The scorpion-cobra names itself Quickstrike, and the wolf-eagle names itself Silverbolt.

Elsewhere, Dinobot is talking to himself about the two disks. Do they hold the future, or just what might be the future? A quick look would confirm how he dies, but it could be used once, and Dinobot could not live unless he were master of his own fate. Destroying them would be a coward's act, so he resolves to note the truth, but later. Placing the original disk under a rock, he takes the alien disk back to the Axalon. At the Maximal base, Cheetor is sent to find Dinobot, while Rhinox hooks himself up to some equipment for an unnamed purpose. Cheetor spots the Preds, but is attacked. Being alerted, Rattrap prepares to unload Sentinel on them, only for the computer to inform him that any disturbance to the base could separate Rhinox's core conciousness from his body. Dinobot arrives (hiding the disk) and asks what's going on. As Rattrap explains the problems, Dinobot, carrying more armament than Roadbuster, declares that they must take the fight away from the base.

At the Darksyde, Tarantulas's mind is restored to his body, but he left a psychic link with Blackarachnia, in an attempt to control her. Megatron contacts the base, and Waspinator, finally revived, tries to tell Megatron what happened early, but Megatron orders them to link up with other Predacons. As Rattrap and Dinobot find Cheetor, the Predacons, doubling the Maximal numbers, prepare to attack.

To be continued...

Quotes
Cheetor:They're on my tail!

Rattrap:Oh pussycat, you really know how to tickle my joystick.
 * Cheetor being chased by fuzors, and Rattrap using some unfortunately chosen words.

Stats
Writers: Bob Forward Original air date: November 2, 1997

Major characters (in order of appearance): Characters Minor characters (in order of appearance): Characters

Technical/Animation glitches

 * When Megatron shoots Silverbolt the smoke from his shoulder gun barrels stay the same shape and in place even as he is moving.

Transformers references

 * Silverbolt's line "I think my name is... Silverbolt. Yes! Pure, strong, and... and fast." mirrors the first line of the original Silverbolt

Real-world references

 * Dinobot makes his second Hamlet reference when contemplating the Golden Disks.
 * The final scene of the episode is a reference to old Spaghetti Westerns, right down to the tumbleweed.