Crack is the thirty-seventh episode of Armada. It first aired in the United States on May 10, 2003 on Cartoon Network.
Content[]
Summary[]
Starscream must choose between the human friends he has made among the Autobots and his hunger to destroy Megatron. Betrayal and conspiracy are so addictive.
Plot[]
In a secret meeting, Sideways and Thrust plot how to get the Mini-Con weapons away from the Autobots. It's all very ominous. On Earth, Starscream finds he doesn't feel very motivated to help the Autobots build their stupid spaceship. He feels it's a waste of time when they could be off killing Megatron instead of worrying about Mini-Cons. Optimus Prime explains to Hot Shot, who is exasperated with Starscream's apathy, that the Autobots should take this opportunity to try and understand what makes Autobots and Decepticons different, and learn how to work together; after all, an inability to make such a rapport is why the two factions have been fighting for so long. Starscream, meanwhile, is quite shocked to find the human kids throwing him a surprise party. It was Alexis's idea, to thank him for the Mars rock he previously gave her. The kids present him with a crudely stitched but brightly colorful chamois, which they have made for him themselves and claim is for cleaning the Star Saber. Starscream explains to them that he has never received a present before, so he doesn't know how to react. When Jetfire arrives to assign Starscream to monitor duty, Starscream figures that if he just slacks off, someone else will do it; Alexis has to explain the notion of teamwork to him. Starscream storms off after her abortive lecture, claiming that he needs some peace and quiet. As with most of what Starscream says and does, this is total bluster, and he does in fact end up doing his monitor duty as assigned. When a bizarre signal appears on the screens, he goes out to investigate its source. He finds Thrust, who tries to talk Starscream into rejoining the Decepticons so that the two of them can work against Megatron from within. Fred and Billy happen by just in time to hear Thrust mention that if Starscream were to bring the Skyboom Shield to Megatron, he might be welcomed back. Back at the Autobot base, Starscream watches the Race Team -- the Mini-Cons who combine to form the Skyboom -- and broods. Fred and Billy tell the Autobots about Thrust's appearance and how Starscream chased him away. Jetfire makes a crack about how Fred shouldn't consider Starscream a hero, which is, of course, the moment when Starscream walks in on the conversation. An awkward moment is shared by all before the Decepticon-turned-Autobot turns and exits. Smokescreen arrives shortly thereafter, reporting that the Race Team have disappeared. Billy and Fred remember that Thrust wanted them, which leads the Autobots -- especially Hot Shot -- to accuse Starscream of stealing them. Starscream doesn't bother to defend himself; he decides that trying to get along with the Autobots is a failed experiment. The tense situation is interrupted by a Decepticon attack, which draws the Autobots out to fight. Starscream charges out with his erstwhile comrades, eager to face Thrust, drawing the Star Saber and his chamois. Thrust is still bent on convincing Starscream to work with him against Megatron. Hot Shot, who had been chased into a forest by Tidal Wave, runs into Alexis, Carlos, Rad, and the Mini-Con Race Team. He learns that the kids had simply taken the Mini-Cons for a walk, conveniently without notifying anyone. Hot Shot realizes he was wrong to accuse Starscream, and asks the Mini-Cons to help him. Meanwhile, Starscream is at a loss to explain to himself why he won't just kill Thrust and be done with the whole sorry affair. Thrust opines that working alongside the Autobots has caused him to go soft and forget his heritage. On the ground, Smokescreen tosses the Skyboom Shield to Optimus, but Starscream intercepts it. Wielding both it and the Star Saber, Starscream rushes to meet with Thrust, letting the chamois fall back to Earth behind him. He wonders momentarily if he's doing the right thing, but he knows that he must go to any length to bring Megatron down. He knows that he will never forget the human kids, and in his heart he thanks them.
Trivia[]
In the episode[]
Background[]
English dub changes[]
Characters[]
- Major characters: Sideways, Thrust, Starscream, Alexis, Fred, Billy, Skyboom Shield / Race Team (Dirt Boss, Downshift, and Mirage)
- Minor characters: Jetfire, Hot Shot, Scavenger, Red Alert, Smokescreen, Optimus Prime, Megatron, Carlos, Rad, Star Saber / Air Defense Team (Runway, Jetstorm, and Sonar), Blurr, Tidal Wave, Demolishor, Cyclonus, Wheeljack
Quotes[]
Red Alert: Hey, enough chit-chat ladies, we got a job to do.
Hot Shot: Ah- sorry Red Alert, but what about Starscream?
Blurr, the jerk: You mean Star-traitor, don't you?
Fred: Starscream is my hero.
Hot Shot: You are one twisted kid.
Hot Shot: No one said you did it, we just want to know the truth.
Starscream: But you can't handle the truth.
Notes[]
Animation and/or technical glitches[]
- Starscream's wings vanish during the second scene, when he walks away from the rest of the Autobots.
- When Hot Shot is being pursued by Tidal Wave he drives into the forest and presumably hides behind some bushes, but what's shown on screen is Hot Shot kinda disappearing in front of the bush and then reappearing behind it.
Continuity errors[]
- Hot Shot instructs the kids to powerlink with the Skyboom Shield. This is likely some kind of error since . . . kids don't powerlink.
- After being punched in the face by Starscream, Thrust falls over and lands with a thud. It's usually impossible to land on a cloud and generally impossible to make a "thud" with them.
Real-world references[]
- The line "You can't handle the truth" is from the movie A Few Good Men. Moments after delivering the line, Starscream isn't wearing a necktie.
Miscellaneous trivia[]
- Silent intro.
Gallery[]
Episode[]
Preview[]
Videos[]
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