Megatron targets Nightscream for capture, so he can learn more about how the Maximal was able to survive the virus.
- Survivor (Japanese title: The Entrails of the Machine) (機械のはらわた Kikai no Harawa ta) is the tenth episode of first season of Beast Machines: Transformers, is the tenth episode of the Beast Machines: Transformers series and is overall the sixty-second episode of the Beast Era of the Transformers series. It is overall the one hundredth-sixtieth episode of the G1 Era of Transformers.
Summary[]
In the Council Citadel, Megatron rages at yet another setback in purging his organic form. He changes to dragon mode and unleashes a fireball at the Diagnostic Drone, who suggests an easier method would be to simply transplant Megatron's spark to a new body. Megatron is not keen on leaving his spark unprotected, so the Drone suggests another course of action: the Maximal Nightscream seems to have scanned an organic body, so if they could capture him, study the process and reverse it... Megatron orders his Vehicon generals to take the Diagnostic Drone to the catacombs and capture Nightscream.
Optimus Primal and Rattrap are trying to help Nightscream unlock his memories. To their surprise, they find that the young Maximal has a built-in DNA scanner, to which he responds that everyone junked the stasis pods in favour of inbuilt scanners in the Quantum Cycle Upgrade. After Rattrap mentions they'd been off-planet fighting the Beast Wars, he resoundingly mocks them for losing said wars and is reminded that the Maximals lost friends during it. As Optimus stresses the importance of finding out where Nightscream scanned organic DNA on Cybertron, Rattrap drops a seed from the tree they found earlier into his hand. Cheetor reminds Primal of what happened last time they ate fruit from that tree, but Optimus merely says that the seed is what the Oracle was referring to when it mentioned "the seeds of the future".
The Maximals return to the chamber where they originally found the tree, only to discover it's been sealed off. Nightscream begins to use his sonic attack to break through. Unfortunately, the soundwaves gain the attention of the Diagnostic Drone, and the Vehicons interrupt Nightscream before the barrier is breached. Thrust buries Optimus beneath some rubble, while Blackarachnia immobilises Jetstorm in a web and then confronts Thrust. The pair freeze, waiting to see who will make the first move, until a recovered Jetstorm fires on Blackarachnia. The other three Maximals are reluctantly fighting Tankor with the knowledge he contains Rhinox's spark, until he blasts them all. The Maximals recover to find that Nightscream is gone.
Elsewhere in the catacombs, their friend is being spirited away by the Vehicons. The Diagnostic Drone observes that the regeneration chamber they've put Nightscream in doesn't seem to be doing anything for him. The chamber is opened, and the young Maximal transforms, much to the fascination of the Drone who says that his technorganic body is repairing itself and they will be able to use the same process to purge Megatron's beast form. The Drone closes itself in the regeneration chamber with Nightscream, who promises to tell the secret of his ability—and then unleashes a sonic attack at point blank range. Thrust and Jetstorm pursue the boy while Tankor digs out the Diagnostic Drone. Nightscream manages to lose the two Vehicons with some fancy flying.
Tankor digs out the Drone, but hides it under some rubble as the other four Maximals pass, searching for their friend. He again pulls out the Diagnostic Drone, who is surprised at Tankor's change of personality. Tankor explains that his time as both a Maximal and Vehicon has given him a greater perspective and though Megatron's plan has merit, it has one problem—Megatron himself. Tankor intends to personally become ruler of Cybertron. The Diagnostic Drone says it's programmed to serve only Megatron, and so Tankor begins the reprogramming.
Meanwhile, Nightscream has reached a dead end with Jetstorm and Thrust once again closing in behind him. He uses his sonic attack to escape through a tunnel, and the two Vehicons are cut off by the other four Maximals. Optimus pursues Nightscream while Rattrap, Cheetor and Blackarachnia fight the Vehicons, swiftly defeating them. Blackarachnia hesitates in slagging Thrust, which give the Vehicons ample recovery time to take off after Optimus and Nightscream.
Tankor completes his reprogramming job and gives his new loyal servant the task of tracking down a particular energy signature.
Elsewhere, Nightscream finds himself in a cave staring at the skeleton of a bat. Optimus arrives as the young Maximal realises that the fossil was picked up by his DNA scanners, allowing him to reformat into his bat mode and survive Megatron's purge. While he's still wrought over why he survived and no one else, Jetstorm and Thrust pop up in time to be blasted by his sonic cry. The blast reveals more bones, and Optimus realises that Cybertron once had organic life. Nightscream angsts that if he hadn't been so self-absorbed, perhaps he could have saved other Transformers. Optimus commiserates and they plant the seed Rattrap found.
Back at the Citadel, the Diagnostic Drone can give no excuse for yet another failed purge and suggests the problem is Megatron himself. After the Drone is dismissed, it contacts Tankor to report. Tankor thanks the Drone for the accurate information on the energy signature—he has found the Oracle.
Featured characters[]
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
Maximals | Vehicons |
---|---|
|
Quotes[]
Nightscream: "They deserved to live as much as me, more even! Why did I get to live? WHY?"
Jetstorm: "Beats me, kid, but I'll be happy to put you out of your misery!"
- -Frankly, it beats us why, too.
Notes[]
Technical/Animation Glitches[]
- When Megatron calls out for the Vehicon generals, not only is Tankor missing his headlights, the background pattern of his split-screen segment is visible through his mouth.
- Though Thrust bowing before Megatron is a deliberate piece of animation, his "hand" really wasn't designed to rotate separately from his lower arm like that, clipping through his gun barrel.
- As the Maximals walk towards the sealed-off chamber, Nightscream doesn't seem to have a shadow – or he was just accidentally animated walking in the air.
- When Blackarachnia first faces off against Thrust, the latter's body, apart from his head, is very blocky.
- The animators also forgot to turn on the subdivisions on Nightscream's model just before he lunges at Tankor, causing him to look crude and blocky as well.
- As the Diagnostic Drone emerges from the rubble, one of the fingers on his left hand briefly clips through some debris.
- After Jetstorm transforms while speeding towards the cornered Nightscream, bits of his robot mode remain poking through the underside of his jet mode.
- Just before Optimus jumps into the hole after Nigthscream, Cheetor pokes the tip of one of his blades through his own shoulder.
- Cheetor's blade is rendered over his body when he and Rattrap face Thrust. Even though it's meant to be on his back, it looks like it's floating in front of his chest, then miraculously jumps into his hand, with its grip floating over his closed fist.
- Nightscream spends a good chunk of the episode flying in robot mode without the aid of his usual heel-wings.
Continuity errors[]
- When chasing after the escaped Nightscream, Thrust uses the transformation code "accelerate", instead of his usual "overdrive".
Transformers references[]
- When Nightscream chastises the Maximals for losing the Beast wars, Rattrap angrily replies "You watch your mouth junior, I lost friends in that war!" This is most likely a reference to Dinobot, and perhaps Tigatron, Airazor, Depth Charge and Tigerhawk.
Real-world references[]
- When Jetstorm ambushes the Maximals, he taunts them sneering "Honey, I'm home!". This is a recurring line from the 50s sitcom "I Love Lucy".
- When Nightscream escapes he remarks about how he can't return to the others because he'll lead the Vehicons right to them. He then laments about how he'll be "alone again, naturally," a line from the song of the same name by Gilbert O'Sullivan.
External Links[]
- Link