Enter the Nightbird

Sleep with one eye open...

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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.

Nightbird wants her own spotlight comic.

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.

Prime, taking advantage of the fact Elita's on another planet.

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.

Hell hath no fury like a Nightbird scorned.

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.)

Autobots	Decepticons	Humans	Others
Ratchet (1) Trailbreaker (2) Wheeljack (3) Optimus Prime (4) Ironhide (5) Cliffjumper (6) Jazz (7) Prowl (10) Mirage (11) Bluestreak (15) Brawn (16) Hound (21)	Rumble (8) Frenzy (9) Laserbeak (12) Megatron (13) Soundwave (14) Thundercracker (17) Starscream (18) Skywarp (19) Bombshell (20)	Regulars Spike Witwicky Guests Doctor Fujiyama the Famous Scientist	Nightbird

Notable quotes

"Imagine, Autobots playing nursemaid to an earth robot. It's probably just a glorified wind-up toy."

–Look who's talking, Wheeljack

"If it walks it probably needs a long extension cord."
"Heh heh heh. I wonder if batteries are included. Heh, heh, Heh."
"When they turn it on it'll probably blow the lights."

–Wheeljack and Ratchet making jokes at the robot's expense.

"We're here to guard the robot, not to make jokes at its expense."

—Optimus Prime telling Wheeljack and Ratchet to shut up.

"Ah, why build a ninja robot doctor? Isn't that rather dangerous?"

–The guy with the white mustache asked what we're all thinking

"I love warping minds for you Megatron, love it."

—Bombshell, the spokesman for Grand Theft Auto.

"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.

Other notes

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.
• Optimus Prime gets shot in the back by Megatron, but his voice sounds like Mirage as he falls over.

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

(separate by commas and link each one so a page can be created for it if it does not already exist)

External links

• Dossier at the Cybertron Chronicle

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