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Transformers Episode Guide V1.89a

Contents
Introduction
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Acknowledgements & How You Can Contribute

Introduction
I would ask that anyone with a copy of a prior version of this
guide on his or her website please download this version or link here (although
I can't guarantee how long this site will be available). Most
"corrections" I seem to get to the guide have long since been fixed.
Thank you.
Also, if you are looking for copies of any the episodes, do NOT e-mail me. I
don't have copies of all the episodes, or the time to be making copies even if I
did. Your best bet is to look for people selling copies in alt.toys.transformers
(Dejanews is a good way to do a search).
The guide was compiled from some original tapes, from various other listings
I've collected, and quite a bit of information provided by others. I have tried
to list the episodes in their original order, however this task is more
difficult than it would first appear. The episodes were apparently produced in a
different order than they were shown, and airdates for the bulk of second and
third season episodes seem to vary depending on the local stations (although the
order is preserved). There also appear to be a few order discrepancies between
different cities which I have tried to note.
Just to make things even more complicated, certain episodes have to take
place after events seen in episodes that weren't produced and/or shown until
later. Again, I have tried to note this.
Episodes are listed in the closest original airing order I can determine. The
numbers are in reference to production order, which is what I believe the SF
channel used (although they did pull most of the episodes out of their run as
the G2 series took over the rights for those episodes.
Anyone with more airdate information, please contact me ASAP so I can try and
incorporate it. I am guessing that first season episodes had definite airdates,
but have yet to see any info on what they are.
The guide is available at http://www.cs.rit.edu/~abm4111/tfepgd.txt
or in html form (nothing fancy, though) at http://www.cs.rit.edu/~abm4111/tfepgd.html

Season 1
(1984-1985, 16 episodes) shown weekly, no titles on screen
The original title sequence used for these episodes can be most commonly seen
on the f.h.e. home video releases.
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More Than Meets The Eye Part 1
by George Arthur Bloom
(released on video in the US by f.h.e. Home Video as Volume 1)
With their energy reserves dwindling, the Autobots set out to find new
reserves in their ship but are followed by the Decepticons who attack inside a
meteor shower. They board the Autobot ship, and in the battle which ensues, the
ship is damaged and thrown off course to crash land on Earth. Several million
years later, an eruption of a volcano causes the computer to reactivate and its
repair program kicks in, repairing the closest Transformer to the specifications
on Earth vehicles gathered by a probe. That Transformer happens to be Skywarp
who moves his fellow 'cons into the repair beam. They leave the Autobots behind
and prepare to raid the world's resources, but Starscream unwittingly
causes the Autobots to be reactivated. Some Autobots track down the Decepticons'
base, but are discovered and barely escape. The 'cons attack an oil rig manned
by humans Spike and Sparkplug Witwicky, and when the Autobots arrive, they and
the humans are caught up in the destruction of the platform.

More Than Meets The Eye Part 2
by George Arthur Bloom
(released on video in the US by f.h.e. Home Video as Volume 1)
The Autobots escape from the rubble and save the humans. Spike and Sparkplug
return to Autobot HQ with them to help them in their battle. The Decepticons
continue to plunder Earth's resources and make Energon cubes, planning on
returning to Cybertron with enough energy to lead the Decepticons to victory.
The Autobots intervene, but are not able to stop the 'cons plot. In an attempt
to trap the 'cons in the cave they are mining in, Bumblebee and Sparkplug
go in to set an explosive device. They run into problems and Prime send
Roller in to help. The device goes off, trapping Bumblebee and Sparkplug
and injuring Prime through Roller.

More Than Meets The Eye Part 3
by George Arthur Bloom
(released on video in the US by f.h.e. Home Video as Volume 1)
Bumblebee and Sparkplug are quickly rescued, but the Decepticons are
able to blast their way out. Hound and Prime come up with a plan
to trick the 'cons. The captured Ravage is allowed to escape, having
overheard the (false) location of a rocket base. The Autobots await the
Decepticons attack at a holographic rocket base generated by Hound. The
'cons arrive, but Megatron has anticipated the plot and the 'cons are
actually dummies, with the real 'cons attacking the real site. The Decepticons
have built a new ship to take them back to Cybertron. Prime and the
Autobots make every attempt to stop them and fail, but the Decepticon ship
sabotaged by Mirage who has unbeknownst to his fellow Autobots stowed
away on the ship. The Decepticon ship crashes into the ocean.

Transport to Oblivion
(released on video in the US by f.h.e. Home Video as Volume 7)
The Decepticons, working out of an undersea base created from their crashed
ship, create a "space bridge" back to Cybertron. Bumblebee and
Spike are caught spying and are to be used to test the device which has already
failed to work once. Bumblebee is reprogrammed to lead the Autobots into
a trap, but Megatron must call off his assault on them since the space
bridge is reactivated and must be used within a short period of time. Spike is
saved by Bumblebee, and the Energon being transported is detonated,
throwing Megatron into the bridge as it is activated.

Roll For It
by George Arthur Bloom
(released on video in the US by f.h.e. Home Video as Volume 6)
The Decepticons, now led by Starscream, continue to attack targets on
Earth, but are easily Thwarted by the Autobots. Prime sends Prowl
and Bluestreak after the Decepticon attack force, but they bite off more
than they can chew. A very much alive Megatron contacts the Earth-bound
Decepticons and returns via space bridge. Meanwhile, Bumblebee, Spike,
and wheelchair-bound computer-whiz friend Chip Chase visit a human project to
develop an anti-matter formula. A backup is given to Chip for safe-keeping. At
home, Chip receives a distress call from Prowl and assumes control of
him, enabling him and Bluestreak to overcome the Decepticons they have
tracked down. Megatron and the Decepticons attempt to steal the
anti-matter formula, but the scientist is able to delete it from the computer. Megatron
is quickly able to extract the location of the backup from the scientist and has
Chip kidnapped. The Decepticons take over the anti-matter project compound and
hold Chip hostage. Hound and Mirage manage to infiltrate the
compound using their unique skills and get Chip out. The Autobots attack, but
anti-matter powered Megatron is too powerful. Eventually, the anti-matter
becomes too unstable and Megatron must jettison it and retreat.

Divide and Conquer
(released on video in the US by f.h.e. Home Video as Volume 5)
The Decepticon jets badly damage Optimus Prime in an attack on a power
plant. A group of Autobots must go to Wheeljack's lab on Cybertron to
obtain a part needed to repair Optimus. The Decepticons attack while the
Autobots are thus weakened, but Prime is repaired at the last minute and
answers Megatron's challenge for a one-on-one combat. The 'cons are
defeated and retreat.

Fire in the Sky
(released on video in the US by f.h.e. Home Video as Volume 4)
The Decepticons are plotting to drain the Earth's energy through a crystal at
the North Pole. They discover a Transformer, Skyfire, buried in the ice
and revive him. Skyfire, a scientist, crash-landed on Earth before the
Autobot ship crashed during a survey mission with Starscream. He allies
himself with the Decepticons because of Starscream, and takes Spike and
Sparkplug prisoner, being too powerful for the Autobots to stop. However, when
he sees how Megatron treats his human prisoners, he changes sides. The
Decepticons are defeated, but only at the cost of Skyfire, who ends up
frozen in the ice once again.

SOS Dinobots
(released on video in the US by f.h.e. Home Video as Volume 3)
The Autobots discover fossilized dinosaurs in their cave and it leads them to
creating three Dinobots, Grimlock, Slag, and Sludge to help
them. They are, however mentally unstable, and Prime orders them
deactivated. When all the Autobots are captured by Megatron, Wheeljack
violates Prime's previous orders and reactivates the Dinobots. They save
the others, thereby proving their worth, and Prime allows them to stay
activated.

Fire on the Mountain
(released on video in the US by f.h.e. Home Video as Volume 8)
The Decepticons plan to use an ancient crystal as an energy source for their
new weapon. After the Autobots detect the energy source, the newly-unthawed Skyfire
is dispatched with Windcharger and Brawn to survey the area. They
discover Decepticon activity and the entire Autobot force comes in to restore
the crystal to its rightful place.

War of the Dinobots
(released on video in the US by f.h.e. Home Video as Volume 9)
The three Dinobots get out of the Autobots' control and ally themselves with
the Decepticons. The Autobots design two more Dinobots to bring the others back
under their control.

The Ultimate Doom Part 1
(released on video in the US by f.h.e. Home Video on Volume 2)
The Autobots learn that an attack on the Maharaja was nothing more than a
diversion by the Decepticons to leave the Ark unguarded. The Decepticon tapes
get inside the Ark and manage to capture Sparkplug in the middle of the
commotion. Sparkplug is taken to the Decepticons' underwater base where a hypno-chip
is put in him in order to turn him into a mindless slave. The hypno-chip was
designed by Megatron's new human ally, Dr. Arkeville, in order to create an army
of human slaves to build a giant and more powerful Space Bridge that could
transport Cybertron itself into Earth's orbit. The energy released by this act
would be converted into Energon and easily transported to Cybertron. Sparkplug
is rescued by the Autobots who take him back to the Ark, unaware that he is
under Arkeville's control. The Autobots are attacked by the Decepticons, who got
inside the Ark due to the controlled Sparkplug sabotaging Teletran 1. Spike is
able to repair Teletran, forcing the Decepticons to make their escape. The
Autobots find the location of the new Space Bridge and attack, but Optimus
Prime is forced to open the Space Bridge or the already-approaching
Cybertron would be destroyed. As Cybertron passes through the Space Bridge, the
Earth's weather begins to turn violent.

The Ultimate Doom Part 2
(released on video in the US by f.h.e. Home Video on Volume 2)
As the Autobots battle the elements and the Decepticons, Megatron's
slaves are lost, prompting the Decepticons to return to their base to capture
more. The Autobots send out the Dinobots to handle the raging tidal waves,
floods, and earthquakes while they form a plan, but the volcano housing the Ark
erupts, forcing Ironhide to plug it to prevent the loss of their base. When Optimus
Prime finds out that Sparkplug has been taken to Cybertron, he sends Skyfire,
Trailbreaker, Wheeljack, Brawn, Bumblebee, and Spike
to their home planet to rescue him. Brawn, Bumblebee, and Spike
fall into a trap that leads right to the Decepticon lab, where they learn the
truth about the hypno-chips. Sparkplug is located within the lab, and the hypno-chip
is activated, forcing Sparkplug to sound the alarm and alert the Decepticons of
the Autobot presence.

The Ultimate Doom Part 3
(released on video in the US by f.h.e. Home Video on Volume 2)
The Autobots manage to escape, but have no choice but to leave Sparkplug
behind. They hide in Wheeljack's lab, where they began to build a device
that would free the slaves from the hypno-chip's control. On Earth, Optimus
Prime and the rest of the Autobots arrive at Megatron's
energy-generating base as they await the oncoming tidal waves. On Cybertron, Wheeljack
is able to use his device to free Sparkplug and escape back to Earth. The
Autobots follow Megatron to his island outpost as the slaves load his
starcruiser with the newly created Energon cubes. Megatron discovers Starscream's
deceit once more as he tries to develop his own way of creating Energon. He
escapes Megatron's wrath as the Autobots attack. Wheeljack frees
the remaining slaves with his device while the Autobots defeat the Decepticons. Megatron
makes a last ditch attempt to escape on his starcruiser, but is shot down by the
Autobots, with the Energon on board exploding and forcing Cybertron back out
into orbit. The Autobots recover as Megatron floats through space
awaiting his revenge.
[Roger M. Wilcox notes that this three parter is very similar to the five
part GoBots premiere, "Battle for Gobotron," in plot]

Countdown to Extinction
(released on video in the US by f.h.e. Home Video as Volume 11)
Both the Autobots and Decepticons recover from the aftermath of Cybertron's
proximity to Earth. Megatron returns to lead the Decepticons. Starscream
breaks into Dr. Arkeville's lab, and connects the exponential generator there on
a timer, which will cause it to explode and destroy Earth. He then travels to
Cybertron, where he will collect the released energy. Megatron and Prime,
warned by Shockwave, team up to stop the explosion; Starscream
returns to find out what went wrong, and is dragged away by a none-too-pleased Megatron.

A Plague of Insecticons
(released on video in the US by f.h.e. Home Video on Volume 12)
Both the Autobots and Decepticons move to investigate the appearance of
several new Transformers, the Insecticons. The first battle is between Skyfire
and the Insecticons. The Decepticons form an alliance with them, and steal oil
from a refinery. The Autobots intervene, but are seriously damaged by the
lightning bolts shot at them by one of the Insecticons. They realize that if
they transform they are insulated from the electricity with their rubber tires
and defeat the Insecticons. The Decepticons and Insecticons end up turning
against one another.

Heavy Metal War
(released on video in the US by f.h.e. Home Video as Volume 10)
Megatron has built the Constructicons to create a machine capable of
transferring all the Decepticons' special powers over to him. He then challenges
Prime to a fight which he must accept by a code of honor. Megatron
defeats Prime, and the Autobots must keep their side of the bargain and
abandon Earth. Meanwhile, the Constructicons have broken into Autobot
headquarters to deactivate Teletran 1 before it can reveal that Megatron
has cheated. They are confronted by the Dinobots and, even as Devastator,
are defeated by the Autobots once they discover the truth. The Decepticons are
all driven into a chasm.

Season 2
(1985-1986, 49 new episodes, with the 16 first season episodes randomly
scattered through the run for a total of 65 episodes)
New opening titles and closing credits were used for the second
season, featuring some of the second year characters, and a new version of the
opening music was used for them. The second season titles and credits replaced
the first season ones when the first season episodes were run.
Episodes ran weekdays, beginning in September 1985
[Buzzsaw and Frenzy make occasional appearances in episodes 17-26, but no
other new characters are introduced until episode 27, when second year
characters begin to appear without explanation (and don't ask why #28 is first
year characters only. My best guess is some sort of production delay)]
| Production Order |
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Airing Order |
| Prod. # |
Episode Title |
|
Prod. # |
Episode Title |
| 17 |
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17 |
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| 18 |
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22 |
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| 19 |
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30 |
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| 20 |
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31 |
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| 21 |
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21 |
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| 22 |
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26 |
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| 23 |
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18 |
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| 24 |
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27 |
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| 25 |
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24 |
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| 26 |
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20 |
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| 27 |
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32 |
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| 28 |
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34 |
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| 29 |
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29 |
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25 |
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35 |
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| 32 |
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| 33 |
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| 34 |
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19 |
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| 35 |
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| 36 |
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| 37 |
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| 38 |
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42 |
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| 39 |
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28 |
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| 40 |
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43 |
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| 41 |
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| 42 |
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23 |
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| 43 |
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| 52 |
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| 53 |
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49 |
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| 54 |
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55 |
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| [Starting with episode #56, airing sometime around late
November/early December, the special teams are introduced, starting with
the Aerialbots/Stunticons. This seems to be in synch with toy releases,
which would have been in time for the holidays.] |
| 55 |
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56 |
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| 56 |
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57 |
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| 57 |
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64 |
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| 58 |
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58 |
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| 59 |
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60 |
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| 60 |
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61 |
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| 61 |
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| 62 |
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62 |
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| 63 |
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63 |
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| 64 |
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65 |
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| 65 |
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48 |
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Autobot Spike
by Donald F. Glut
Sparkplug creates Autobot X out of spare parts. The robot goes
crazy during its first test and is put into storage. Later, Spike gets badly
injured in a firefight with the Decepticons. To save his life, the Autobots
transfer his mind into Autobot X so the doctors can operate on his body. With an
unstable mind and Megatron's goading, Autobot Spike turns against the
Autobots, but relents when he nearly kills Sparkplug. Spike's body makes it
through the operation, and Spike's mind is returned to it.

The Immobilizer
by Earl Kress
[This episode was probably aired second to introduce Carly to
the audience]
Wheeljack has created the Immobilizer, a new weapon that can
temporarily stop any Transformer in its tracks. The Decepticons manage to steal
it partly due to Carly (first appearance) distracting Ironhide from his lookout
post. During the battle which follows, Ironhide rescues Carly from the
Decepticons, but they have made the Immobilizer's affect permanent and start
immobilizing Autobots left and right. With the assistance of Brawn and Jazz,
Spike and Carly manage to reverse the effects of the Immobilizer and save the
Autobots. The Immobilizer is then destroyed.

Dinobot Island Part 1
by Donald F. Glut
[This episode was probably aired to introduce many of the second
year characters to the audience (particularly due to the stilted introductory
lines by many of them)]
Powerglide and Bumblebee discover a prehistoric island filled
with dinosaurs. The Dinobots destructive fighting tactics end up causing harm
and havoc to the Autobots during a demonstration. As a result, Prime
orders the Dinobots to be secluded on an island where they will train to better
control themselves in combat, and to be able to work better as a group when they
fight. The Decepticons find out about the island and want to tap the many
natural resources for power. Megatron eventually learns of this, and then
discovers that the island is rich in energy. The Decepticons arrive on the
island and proceed to turn the energy into energon cubes. They confronted by the
Dinobots, and Megatron stampedes some dinosaurs to force the Dinobots
into a tar pit, trapping them.

Dinobot Island Part 2
by Donald F. Glut
As the Deceps steal energy from the island to fill energon-cubes,
it disrupts the time-space continuity, causing other timewarps to appear at
random across the world. The Autobots have to send mammoths, cowboys and other
historic relics back through the timewarps before they are trapped in modern
day. The Autobots eventually figure out the cause of the timewarps, and send a
force to stop the Deceps on Dinobot Island. They arrive on the island, but are
taken out rather handily. All does not look well until the Dinobots revive and
stop the Deceps. Prime sees they have learned to function better as a
group and allows them to return to the Autobots.

Traitor
by George Hampton & Mike Moore
The Decepticons capture an unstable power source (electrocells)
and seek to exploit them, with the Insecticons' help. Mirage's plan to
turn the Insecticons and Decepticons against one another backfires when he is
mind-controlled by Bombshell. Under the Insecticon's influence he leads the
Autobots into a trap. Ratchet removes Bombshell's cerebro shell
and learns the truth, however. In a final battle with Megatron, the
electrocells are destroyed.

Enter the Nightbird
by Sylvia Wilson & Richard Milton
The Decepticons, working out of a desert base, steal an
experimental female ninja robot named Nightbird, and use her to steal the
Autobots' computer chip containing information on the world's energy sources.
She succeeds in stealing the chip from Autobot headquarters, but is confronted
and trapped by the Autobots. The Decepticons come to her aid, but she is
ambushed by the jealous Starscream. The Decepticons chase after the
fleeing Starscream, leaving Nightbird and the chip with the Autobots.

Changing Gears
by Larry Parr
Normally grouchy Gears is abducted by the Decepticons and
Megatron steals his personality cartridge to use in his latest plot,
making Gears friendly to them. The Autobots must stop the Decepticons
from using a space needle from penetrating and destroying Earth's sun and they
retrieve Gears' component, but nobody is particularly happy.

A Prime Problem
by Dick Robbins & Bryce Malek
The Decepticons discover a chasm full of crystals that destroy
machinery, and they create a machine that can duplicate Transformers. The
Decepticons duplicate Optimus Prime and confuse the Autobots as to who is
the real Prime. The Autobots and Decepticons fight near the chasm, and the
duplicated Prime destroys a duplicated Starscream to further
confuse the Autobots. The Autobots are just about ready to follow the fake Primeinto
the chasm when he (controlled by Megatron) breaks the masquerade by not
showing any concern for Spike's welfare. The Autobots knock the fake Prime
into the chasm, and the fake Prime is destroyed. The Decepticons abandon
their desert base in this episode.

Atlantis Arise
by Douglas Booth
Atlantis is raised from the ocean by the Decepticons and the
inhabitants plan to take over the Transformers and Washington, D.C.

Attack of the Autobots
by David Wise
Megatron alters the Autobots' rechargers to change the
Autobots to evil. Jazz and Bumblebee (who did not recharge) and
Sparkplug, work to restore the Autobots and prevent Megatron from
stealing a solar power satellite. After restoring the Autobots to good, Jazz
shatters the Decepticons' escape rocket with a musical sonic boom, and their
plot to return to Cybertron with the satellite is thwarted.

The Master Builders
by David N. Gottlieb & Herb Engelhardt
Grapple has designed a solar energy-collecting tower, but
Prime won't allow its construction on the grounds that it's too difficult
to defend, and the consequences would be too great should Megatron take
it over. Hoist and Grapple go to sulk in the desert, and the
Constructicons dupe them into believing that they've deserted. They build the
tower, supposedly for the sake of building it, but after it is finished the
Constructicons turn it over to their leader and the Autobots are forced to
destroy it.

Microbots
by David Wise
Megatron has obtained a new super energy component, the
"Heart of Cybertron," from the crashed Decepticon ship. It is
violently unstable, and could explode catastrophically at any time. Perceptor,
Brawn and Bumblebee are shrunk to micro size to sneak into Megatron's
body (he's "drunk" at the time) and retrieve the component. The search
is difficult, given Megatron's immune system, and the argument between Perceptor
and Brawn of mind over power, but Perceptor finally earns Brawn's
respect as the trio finds the component and manages to escape Megatron
and shoot the self-destructing component just in time.

The Insecticon Syndrome
by Douglas Booth
The Autobots and the Insecticons engage in battle in a forest
where the Insecticons are eating the trees. After beating the Autobots, the
Insecticons along with the Decepticons go to a base containing a power source
which the Insecticons feed on which turns them into big bugs, also making them
very unstable. In the process, they kidnap Soundwave and turn him into
their slave (thanks to one of Bombshell's cerebro shells) and badly
damage Wheeljack and Ironhide, which forces the Autobots to
retreat. Soon Megatron and Starscream realize that Soundwave
and all the other Decepticons are under Insecticon control. Bombshell launches
two cerebro shells, one hits Starscream and he becomes controlled, but Megatron
crushes the other one before it hits him. Prime warns Megatron
that any blast that hits one of the Insecticons could destroy them all. The
Autobots create three antidotes to prevent this from happening. Megatron
is forced to work with the Autobots and transforms to fire the antidotes. Bombshell
and Kickback are saved and return to normal size, but Shrapnel
explodes before the antidote put in him by Spike can work. The Decepticons are
freed from Insecticon control and Bombshell reassembles Shrapnel.
The Insecticons retreat with the Decepticons chasing them.

Day of the Machines
by David Wise
Megatron reprograms Torq III, a supercomputer, to obey
him. He uses it to control oil tankers, and direct them to a platform under his
control. Optimus Prime destroys the computer; the Autobots attack the
platform, and escape as it self-destructs.

Megatron's Master Plan Part 1
by Donald F. Glut
Megatron's Master Plan Part 2
by Donald F. Glut
Megatron conspires with a human politician and sets up
the Autobots so it appears that they are not acting in Earth's best interest.
The Autobots are put into a ship and sent back to Cybertron, but discover Megatron
has reset the course to take them into the sun. Meanwhile, Spike discovers the
truth on Earth. The Autobots return to Earth low on energon, but they are still
able to defeat the Decepticons.

Auto Berserk
by Antoni Zalewski
Red Alert has always been a little jittery, but he is
pushed over the edge when an explosion jolts his circuitry while he is helping
guard a deadly tank. He thinks Prime is out to replace him, and runs away
scared. Starscream is once again kicked out of the Deceps and strikes out
to take the tank himself. Eventually, Red forms an alliance with Starscream
and the Autobots have to retrieve the tank and repair Red's circuits
before he self-destructs, with Inferno in charge of the rescue of his old
friend.

City of Steel
by Douglas Booth
New York City is rebuild by Megatron into a steel city. Optimus
Prime is captured and disassembled. The Autobots locate his pieces scattered
throughout the city.

Desertion of the Dinobots Part 1
by Earl Kress
Desertion of the Dinobots Part 2
by Earl Kress
The Transformers begin to suffer the effects of the decay of a
rare element, Cybertonium, which does not exist on Earth. The Earth-built
Dinobots are not affected, but - disenchanted with always doing the Autobot's
dirty work - have left for Cybertron. The Decepticons get their supply from the
Space Bridge, but the Autobots need the Dinobots to get them their supply. Carly
and Spike pursue them to Cybertron and team up with Swoop who is the only
Dinobot to escape capture. Together the three rescue the others and after a
brief history lesson, the Dinobots are convinced to return to Earth with the
Cybertronium for the Autobots.

A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court
by Douglas Booth
Warpath, Hoist, and Spike are fighting Starscream,
Ravage, Rumble, and Ramjet when the Decepticons go in a
cave to escape, pursued by the Autobots, and all are transported back to
medieval times. The Decepticons hook up with one Lord, while the Autobots hook
up with another knight whose daughter Spike is attracted to. Spike gets a full
suit of armor and rides Warpath in a joust against Rumble and Ramjet.
The joust is not spectacular, because the Transformers are low on fuel. The
Decepticons kidnap the knight's daughter, and are able to repel the Autobots
because their human ally provided them with an energy source (right before they
betrayed him, of course). They also have an advantage because they have made a
primitive gunpowder. The Autobots eventually win, the daughter agrees to marry
her kidnapper, and the Transformers go back to the cave with a wizard who
promises to send them home. The action is not over yet, because the Transformers
must duck a dragon to get to the cave. They find themselves back in the middle
of the major battle they started out in.

The God Gambit
by Buzz Dixon
Cosmos discovers an energy source on Titan (a moon of
Saturn), but is pursued and disabled by Astrotrain. Astrotrain persuades Titan's
inhabitants to worship him as a god, and to help him mine the energy crystals. Omega
Supreme, with Perceptor and Jazz aboard, arrives and
eventually drives off the Decepticons.

The Core
by Dennis Marks
Megatron constructs a drill to reach the center of the
Earth and tap the energy there, despite Starscream's warnings that this
will destroy the planet. The Autobots, meanwhile, have come up with a way to
control Devastator. In their attack on the drill, however, Megatron
activates a countermeasure. The conflicting signals cause Devastator to
go berserk; only by cooperating are the Autobots and Decepticons able to control
him again. Devastator destroys the drill, and the earth is safe.

Make Tracks
by David Wise
Tracks is stolen by a human and his abilities to talk and
transform are lost. Once reconnected, he reveals who he really is and the two
work together to discover that the Decepticons have hired humans to steal a
total of 500 cars which they are converting. The Decepticon-controlled cars are
unleashed and the Autobots spread out over the city to stop them. They are
highly outnumbered, though, when the cars all turn into Decepticons drones. They
are finally stopped by Blaster disrupting their remote control signals.

Blaster Blues
by Larry Strauss
Blaster feels unappreciated for his ability to pound out
the tunes, but other tunes are overwhelming earth, as Megatron uses a
radio-jamming device on the moon to disrupt all radio signals. The Autobots
assist the radio-less humans anyway they can, while Cosmos and Blaster
try to stop the Deceps. They are captured, but Blaster uses his own music
to jam the Deceps' radio jammer. Meanwhile, Omega Supreme and Astrotrain
duke it out for control of the jamming base.

The Autobot Run
by Donald F. Glut
The Autobots participate in a stunt show and race for charity,
but the Decepticons employ a device to lock them into their vehicle modes.
Alerted by Hound, the few Autobots not present at the charity race work
to free their friends.

The Golden Lagoon
by Dennis Marks
A group of Autobots end up in a firefight with Megatron
and several Decepticons. Beachcomber and Thrust become separated
in the conflict and end up in a forested area. Beachcomber finds a hidden
lagoon with a pool of electrum. Unfortunately, Thrust discovers that if
one coats oneself with this electrum, one becomes invulnerable. The Decepticons
coat themselves with the electrum and trash the Autobots. Eventually, the
Autobots figure out what is going on, find the pool, and coat themselves with
electrum. Megatron wishes to destroy the pond before this can occur. The
Autobots arrive just before the Decepticons and bathe in the liquid. What
follows is a standoff in the secret lagoon. Eventually, the Decepticons' coating
of electrum wears off and they flee, but before retreating, Megatron
destroys the electrum pool and the resulting explosion destroys all life in the
area. The once beautiful lagoon is now wasteland and Beachcomber is
horrified at the fighting he has brought to the peaceful forest.

Quest for Survival
by Reed Robbins & Peter Salas
Cosmos, Spike, and Bumblebee are bringing robotic
insecticide to Earth to stop the Insecticons when they are caught by robotic
plants called Morphobots. They manage to escape, but carry the plants with them
unwittingly. Cosmos goes down and the Morphobots multiply quickly. The
Decepticons discover what is going on and try to claim the insecticide for
themselves. The Autobots get through the Morphobots by using Blaster's
music, but the insecticide is destroyed. The Insecticons try to feed on the
Morphobots, but instead are eaten by them (except the original Shrapnel, Bombshell,
and Kickback who escape). The Autobots shoot the Morphobots back into
space in a rocket.

The Secret of Omega Supreme
by David Wise
(released on video in the US by f.h.e. Home Video on Volume 12)
Omega Supreme tells his story to Optimus Prime of how he was
guardian of Crystal City on Cybertron. There he was friends with the
Constructicons until Megatron changed them and they destroyed the city.
Now he seeks revenge and has pursued them to Earth.

Child's Play
by Beth Bornstein
Through a freak accident with the space bridge, a group of
Autobots and Decepticons find themselves transported to another world where they
are the size of toys. A child helps the Autobots, but the other aliens believe
they are dangerous and want them dissected. They finally escape using a toy
rocket modified by Perceptor.

The Gambler
by Michael Charles Hill
(chronologically comes immediately after Child's Play)
En route to Earth from the planet of giants, the Autobots are captured and
de-energized by a gambler and con-man. Smokescreen is unaffected and
teams up with the being to win - via gambling - enough energon to restore the
ship and the Autobots. The Decepticons Astrotrain, Dirge, and Ramjet
attempt to interfere, but are driven off with the help of another Autobot,
Defcon.

The Search for Alpha Trion
by Beth Bornstein
Shockwave discovers that "female" Autobots have
been raiding the Decepticon energon stockpiles. Megatron sends Starscream
and a few other Decepticons to capture their leader, Elita-1. They do so and
blackmail Prime into coming to Cybertron to rescue her. He is captured
and is executed by Starscream. Elita-1 uses her time-freezing ability and
saves Prime, but it nearly costs her her life. Only Alpha Trion can save
her. Meanwhile, Powerglide, Inferno and Ironhide have come
looking for Prime and they join forces with the other females to fight
off the Deceps. It is also implied in this episode that Alpha Trion created Optimus
Prime and Elita-1.

Auto-Bop
by David Wise
Megatron is using a dance club to play hypnotic music,
which he uses to force humans to help him construct buildings. Tracks and
Blaster infiltrate the place with the help of Tracks' pal Raul and
his buddies. Raul discovers the best cure: a splash of water. Tracks
frees the humans while Blaster has a one-on-one battle with Soundwave--"all
talk, no shock".

Prime Target
by Flint Dille & Buzz Dixon
A (stereotypical) British hunter wants to get the ultimate
prize, the head of Optimus Prime, mounted over his fireplace. So, he
manages to lay several clever traps for other Autobots including Grapple,
Inferno, Beachcomber, and Blaster, and takes them hostage
in his castle. He then challenges Prime to come and release them. Prime
works his way past many other complex traps, and naturally frees his comrades
and escapes with his head.

The Girl Who Loved Powerglide
by David Wise
A spoiled, rich teenage girl gets attacked at a carnival in
honor of her birthday by the Decepticons. Powerglide saves her, and she
falls for him. She tries to tag along with him. The Decepticons want her because
they believe she has the secret of her father's last invention. The Decepticons
capture her and try to suck the info out of her brain, but she is too much. Powerglide
has severely been beaten up. She looks at the locket that her dad said never to
take off, which she also knows contains the invention's secret, and throws it
into some machinery, saving Powerglide. Powerglide opens his
chestplate, and there is an outline of a glowing heart.

Triple Takeover
by Larry Strauss
Blitzwing and Astrotrain are dissatisfied with the
Decep ranks and take off on their own. They dupe Starscream into leading
himself and Megatron into a trap. Blitzwing takes over a stadium
and abducts a football coach, believing him to be a strategic genius. The
Constructicons build a fortress and maze around the stadium, and build four
Autobots into a throne after they fall. Meanwhile, Astrotrain makes an
"army" of subway trains and uses them to collect power. Megatron
eventually gets loose, and brings down the rebellion.

Sea Change
by Douglas Booth
Seaspray falls for a girl on another planet. She is a
resistance fighter against a robot called Deceptitran. There is a pool that
changes beings into anything they want. The girl and Seaspray change into
merpeople and go to the underwater base of the rebels. In the process, Rumble
is tricked into becoming a tree.

Hoist Goes Hollywood
by Earl Kress
Hoist saves some stuntmen in a Hollywood movie and is
asked to star himself. He is quickly joined by Tracks, Warpath, Sunstreaker,
and Powerglide who all want in on the movie business. They unwittingly
stumble upon the Decepticons as they try to rescue Dirge and a machine
stolen from Wheeljack's workshop on Cybertron which have crashed at the
studio. The Decepticons are stopped and Wheeljack reveals that the
machine never really worked anyway.

The Key to Vector Sigma Part 1
by David Wise
The Key to Vector Sigma Part 2
by David Wise
The Decepticons seek out Vector Sigma in order to give their new
warriors, the Stunticons, life (so they can have an advantage on the ground).
The Autobots pursue on Cybertron. The Decepticons get the key to Vector Sigma,
and they manage to successfully gain access and give the Stunticons life. The
Decepticons also accidentally discover that the Key has the power to transmute
organic material into machinery and Megatron plots to make Earth into a
second Cybertron. In order to stop them, the Autobots create the Aerialbots, but
the cost is Alpha Trion's life. The Aerialbot leader, Silverbolt, must
overcome his fear of heights in order to successfully defeat the Stunticons.

Masquerade
by Donald F. Glut
After several skirmishes with the Stunticons, the Autobots
finally manage to capture them as they are trying to steal mysterious mechanical
parts. The Autobots place them in special cells so they can't form Menasor.
Wheeljack then comes up with a special camouflage paint to allow the
Autobots to disguise themselves as the Stunticons, thereby sneaking close to Megatron
without him knowing it. Sideswipe, Prime, Mirage, Windcharger,
and Jazz disguise themselves as Breakdown, Motormaster, Dragstrip,
Wildrider and Dead End to find out what the spare parts are for.
The gambit succeeds, and they find out the part are for a super laser, but Breakdown
causes his cell to malfunction and he breaks free. He frees the other Stunticons
and they return to Decepticon camp to warn Megatron. When they arrive at
camp, Megatron cannot distinguish between the two groups of Stunticons.
As a test, he commands them to form Menasor, and whoever cannot will be
destroyed. Surprisingly, both groups do. Prime has Windcharger use
his magnet beam to hold the Autobots together while Mirage creates an
illusion of Menasor. The real Menasor hits the fake one, however,
and the fake one comes apart. The charade discovered, the Autobots manage to
destroy the laser barely get away from the Decepticons.

Aerial Assault
by Douglas Booth
Somewhere in the Mideast, the Deceps and an arms smuggler have
kicked the local prince out of his palace and are using his resources to steal
airplane parts; the planes are disassembled, built into harmless looking
vehicles for transport, and then taken apart to be used to build an air
fortress. The Aerialbots are sent to investigate, and Sky Dive and Slingshotgo
undercover. They are partially taken apart, and befriend a teenager named Hassan
who helps them reconstruct themselves. Slingshot is still without a
weapons console as the other Aerialbots fight the Combaticons and the new air
fortress. He and Hassan make the repairs just in time to form Superion to
defeat Bruticus. Everyone is surprised to find Hassan is the ousted
prince.

Trans-Europe Express
by David Wise
A million dollars will be given to the select charity of a
trans-Europe race, where several Autobots participate. The race is actually set
up by the Deceps, who are searching for the weather-controlling Pearl of
Bahoudin and need a metal from the race car of snobbish driver Augie Canay to
contain it. The Stunticons trash most of the Autobots during the race, leaving
only Bluestreak, Tracks and Bumblebee to retrieve the pearl
and Augie's car. Augie sacrifices his car to defeat Menasor, while the
others destroy the pearl once it has been released from its protective shell.

Cosmic Rust
by Paul Davids
Decepticons are dying of the Cosmic Rust that Megatron
picked up on a lost robot colony. They kidnap Perceptor to diagnose it
and come up with a cure. Perceptor says the cure is element X, which the
Autobots used to coat the Statue of Liberty. The Decepticons get the element to
cure themselves, and infect Perceptor when he is rescued, the rest of the
Autobots. Blaster radios from Cosmos in space that there is no
more element X to be found. The Autobots do battle with the Decepticons at the
Statue of Liberty so they can scrape off some element X. The Autobots win and go
back to Autobot headquarters, and use the element to cure themselves.

War Dawn
by David Wise
(released on video in the US by f.h.e. Home Video on Volume 12)
The Autobots and Aerialbots travel to Cybertron on Omega Supreme to
stop Megatron's latest plan. The gullible Aerialbots are tricked by the
Decepticons and sent back to the beginning of time, but due to the timely
intervention of the Autobots, are only transported back by in time a few million
years where they observe how Transformer Orion Pax and his friends were
recreated by Alpha Trion into Optimus Prime and others and became leaders
of the Autobots on Cybertron against the forces of Megatron.

Starscream's Brigade
by Michael Charles Hill
Starscream is banished by Megatron to an island
where he discovers the remains of several WWII vehicles. He masterminds a plot
in which he steals five personality components from Cybertron and installs them
in the vehicles, reforming them into his forces, the Combaticons. He then uses
them to take out his revenge on Megatron, who cannot stop the Combaticons
as Bruticus, even with the help of Devastator. The Stunticons
arrive at the last minute and defeat Bruticus as Menasor and Starscream
and the Combaticons are banished to an asteroid.

The Revenge of Bruticus
by Larry Strauss
Starscream travels to Cybertron where he continues his
plots against Megatron. Earth is driven into the sun via the space
bridge, and the Protectobots evacuate humans from dangerous situations. Megatron
and Prime team up to stop Bruticus, who is out of control on
Cybertron. Starscream volunteers the information on Bruticus' weak
points and he is seemingly defeated. In reality, Megatron has gained
control of the Combaticons and Prime has been fooled.

B.O.T.
by Earl Kress
Three college students are forced to build something as a
science project, and they end up creating B.O.T. Meanwhile, the Protectobots end
up fighting the Combaticons, who are trying to upgrade themselves without Megatron's
knowledge. They end up destroying all the Combaticons except Swindle, who
escapes. Swindle sells the spare parts of his comrades for money, but
when he tells Megatron what happened, Megatron gets angry and has
a bomb placed in Swindle's head that will blow up in a set amount of time
if Swindle fails to rebuild the Combaticons. In the meantime, the three
students need a computer board to make their robot work. They think they find
what they need when they pick up Brawl's personality board. After
inserting the board into the robot, the robot goes berserk and rampages through
the city. Swindle rebuilds the Combaticons, but without Brawl's
personality board they can't form Bruticus. Swindle finds B.O.T.
and restores Brawl's brain, and Megatron orders the Decepticons to
Autobot headquarters. Megatron has a new weapon, that when fired, will
obliterate the crashed ship and the Autobots. The Protectobots are called to the
scene, and they merge to form Defensor, who puts up a shield to buy time.
The college kids eventually get their robot online who saves the day by getting
close enough to the cannon and self-destructing.

Kremzeek!
by David Wise
[The airdate I have for this is blatantly after all the other
episodes aired and the episode seems out of sequence. I can only assume that
either 1) There was a prior airing that I do not have not documented or 2) The
episode was delayed for unknown reasons.]
Somehow, an energy being is created who is small compared to the Autobots,
and runs around yelling Kremzeek! Kremzeek! He goes into the electrical lines
and ends up in Japan. At some point, a Japanese scientist helps the Autobots. An
army of little Kremzeeks becomes a very big Kremzeek but the Autobots transmit
it into the Decepticon base using the 'cons energy magnet.

Season 3
(1986-1987, 30 new episodes, with 65 previous eps for total of 95 eps)
The new episodes for the third season take place after movie. Episodes were
shown on weekdays starting in September 1986. New episodes were usually shown on
Mondays and Tuesdays, with older episodes running the rest of the week.
Another new title sequence was used for the third season, updating to the
third year characters. Another new version of the music was used. The first and
second season episodes retained the second season opening titles and closing
credits, but the new music was dubbed over them, and that is how they have
continued to air, even on the SF channel. The Five Faces of Darkness miniseries
that opened the season had its own opening titles, adapting some of the scenes.
It used the standard season 3 music.
| Production Order |
|
Airing Order |
| Prod. # |
Episode Title |
|
Prod. # |
Episode Title |
| 66 |
|
|
66 |
|
| 67 |
|
|
67 |
|
| 68 |
|
|
68 |
|
| 69 |
|
|
69 |
|
| 70 |
|
|
70 |
|
| [It appears in several sources that there was a week in
which no new episodes aired between #70 and #71] |
| 71 |
|
|
71 |
|
| 72 |
|
|
72 |
|
| 73 |
|
|
73 |
|
| 74 |
|
|
75 |
|
| 75 |
|
|
76 |
|
| 76 |
|
|
74 |
|
| 77 |
|
|
77 |
|
| 78 |
|
|
78 |
|
| 79 |
|
|
82 |
|
| 80 |
|
|
86 |
|
| 81 |
|
|
81 |
|
| 82 |
|
|
80 |
|
| 83 |
|
|
87 |
|
| [Episodes 79 and 84 may have been flip-flopped in
different areas] |
| 84 |
|
|
79 |
|
| 85 |
|
|
84 |
|
| 86 |
|
|
83 |
|
| 87 |
|
|
85 |
|
| 88 |
|
|
89 |
|
| 89 |
|
|
88 |
|
| [This was the last new episode of the calendar year, with
a rerun break during December and January. New episodes again began in
February, probably for sweeps. Maybe this gave animators time to do such
a good job with Call of the Primitives?] |
| 90 |
|
|
90 |
|
| 91 |
|
|
91 |
|
| 92 |
|
|
92 |
|
| 93 |
|
|
93 |
|
| [Dark Awakening is shown with a
slightly redubbed ending on February 23, 1987 as a prelude to the next
episodes] |
| 94 |
|
|
94 |
|
| 95 |
|
|
95 |
|

Five Faces of Darkness Part 1
by Flint Dille
In the midst of celebrations over Unicron's defeat, Wheelie
and Blurr are sent to Earth with a new transformation cog for Metroplex,
and Spike, Magnus and Kup are kidnapped by mysterious captors. Arcee,
Grimlock, Rodimus Prime and Springer capture an alien who
claims the Deceps are behind the plot, so they go to Charr (the new Decep base)
to investigate, but the Deceps are in bad condition, low in energy, and Cyclonus
and Scourge are off looking for the missing-presumed-dead Galvatron.
Although they decide the kidnappers must be someone else, Grimlock and Rod
have their cover blown and are in for a major trashing.

Five Faces of Darkness Part 2
by Flint Dille
Arcee and Springer rescue Rod and Grimlock
from Charr, but Rod appears dead. He is actually making a subconscious
journey into the Matrix, where he is shown that the Quintessons are the real
kidnapers. He wakes up and prepares for a rescue on Quintessa. Meanwhile, Scourge
and Cyclonus find Galvatron, who is fully recovered and ready to
resume the fight with the Autobots. The Quintessons are about to feed Kup,
Spike, and Magnus to the Sharkticons for an unspecified crime when the
others show up and pull them out, but the Quints decide to destroy Quintessa if
it will mean killing the Autobots....

Five Faces of Darkness Part 3
by Flint Dille
The exploding Quintessa sends the Autobots to the trash dump Goo,
where a garbage scow dismembers Springer. Wheelie and Blurr
are stranded on a distant planet, plagued by Decep attacks, space storms and
mechanical bats. Marissa Fairborne of Earth Defense Command (first appearance)
answers their distress call, but her ship is also blown up. The Quints have made
a deal with the decrepit Deceps, and offer them energy in return for destroying
the Autobots; all except Blitzwing accept and follow the Quints to Goo,
where they open fire on the stuck Autobots.

Five Faces of Darkness Part 4
by Flint Dille
Galvatron and the others find Blitzwing, who is
still on Charr and who tells them their comrades are on Goo. Galvatron
calls off the fight to conference with their suspicious new allies, the
Quintessons. The Quints secure an alliance with Galvatron by suggesting
that there is a Decepticon Matrix to be found. The Junkions give the Autobots a
lift and repair Springer. Rod is curious about the Quint's
motives, and journeys into the Matrix once more to get a final answer. It turns
out the Quints are the original creators of all Transformers eons ago when the
Autobots and Decepticons had not begun to fight. The Transformers revolted and
drove the Quints off the factory of Cybertron, and the Quints have been looking
for revenge ever since. Knowing this means deep trouble, Rod and the
others put Cybertron on full alert, but a clever trick destroys Cybertron's
power station, allowing the Deceps to literally walk in as an all-out battle
begins.

Five Faces of Darkness Part 5
by Flint Dille
As the fighting on Cybertron goes on, back on Earth, the
Constructions have created Trypticon, who attacks the still transforming
cog-less Metroplex. Sky Lynx is sent to retrieve the cog from Wheelie
and Blurr, and ends up fighting off the new Predacons before making it
back to Earth. The cog is given to Metroplex during the battle, and he
throws Tryptie over the horizon. Blitzwing discovers that there is no
Decepticon Matrix. On Cybertron, the Quints sneak past the distracted Deceps and
Autobots and activate a immobilization device, which they had previously tried
unsuccessfully to use to stop the revolt of the Transformers. All Transformers
are immobilized, but Spike isn't and manages to reverse the freeze ray. After
the Quints escape, the fighting is called off by Blitzwing, who forces Galvatron
to retreat for the time being.

The Killing Jar
by Michael Charles Hill & Joey Kurihara Piedra
The Quintessons are ever expanding their research on living
beings, and decide to conduct a study on a new group of subjects. Marissa, Cyclonus,
Magnus, and Wreck-Gar are captured and put into cages for study.
The Quints toy with them, gaging their interactions, and don't notice the ship
is dangerously near a black hole; they are sucked into a negative world. The
Quints end up studying how everyone works together as they all cooperate to find
a way of pulling the ship out.

Chaos
by Paul Davids
Blast-Off and discovers a wimpy alien using a very
powerful cannon: a bazooka-device which shoots green explosive crystals. The
crystals are "shed" from the body of Chaos, a giant humanoid monster
that Kup met ages ago. Galvatron goes to Chaos's planet and builds
a giant gun (with which he plans to destroy Cybertron). Kup and some
other Autobots stop him, and Kup turns the gun on his old enemy, Chaos.

Dark Awakening
by Antoni Zalewski
The Autobots discover the ship which contains the dead bodies of
several Autobots, including Optimus Prime. It seems, however, that Optimus
is not as dead as previously thought, and he reclaims the Matrix from Rodimus
Prime. The others soon realize that Optimus is not acting under his
own free will, and it is all a plot by the Quintessons. The Matrix is returned
to Hot Rod and the others escape, leaving Optimus to pilot the
ship to his death.

Starscream's Ghost
by Megeen McLaughlin
[takes place after Thief in the Night and Fight or Flee]
Trying to escape from Galvatron and the Decepticons who want him
destroyed, Octane befriends Autobot Sandstorm, who gets him
asylum. The Decepticons, however, track him down and attack him on Cybertron,
where he takes refuge in a Decepticon crypt. He then encounters Starscream's
ghost, who possesses Cyclonus and pretends to torture Octane. Galvatron
discovers the truth at the last minute and blasts Cyclonus. Cyclonus
comes to, with no memory of what happened; meanwhile Scourge is possessed
by Starscream...

Thief in the Night
by Paul Davids
[takes place after Fight or Flee]
After the battle with Metroplex, Trypticon has been vanquished,
but Decepticon Octane has found him, and has taken him to an oil-rich
country, where they do the king's bidding in exchange for special energon. The
Autobots catch on to what's happening after world monuments begin to disappear
and the evidence indicates a dinosaur Transformer. The other Decepticons find Octane
and he convinces Galvatron he was scouting resources for him. The
Autobots soon arrive with Metroplex, and Trypticon is once more
defeated.

Forever is a Long Time Coming
by Gerry & Carla Conway
The Quintessons build a device which focuses chronal energy in
an attempt to go back in time, stopping their robots from rebelling. A team of
Autobots end up in Cybertron's past, fighting against the Guardians, while a
timid robot from the past, A-3, is transported to the 21st century. The
time-travel mechanism eventually goes berserk, threatening the entire universe
as time begins to lose meaning. Eventually, A-3 is returned to the past, where
he deactivates the Guardian robots, and bids the Autobots to return home. Later,
an Autobot notes that A can stand for "Alpha" and 3 can stand for
"Trion"...

Surprise Party
by Steve Mitchell & Barbara Petty
Following Daniel's surprise birthday party, Ultra Magnus
saves Wheelie's life. Both Daniel and Wheelie want to do something
nice for him, so they decide to throw him a surprise party. There's only one
problem: no one, including Ultra Magnus, knows his birthday. Daniel and Wheelie
go to the Autobots' records planetoid to learn the info. Cyclonus sees
this and captures them, setting the planetoid on a collision course with
Cybertron. Daniel and Wheelie get off the place, and the planetoid is
destroyed.

Madman's Paradise
by Craig Rand
Spike Witwicky and his wife Carly host a banquet for a visiting
ambassador. Their son Daniel gets impatient and storms off. Grimlock
follows him, and they find a mystical chamber where Quintessons banished their
criminals. They slip through to a world of magic, and fight on the Red Wizard's
side, only to find out that he is a Quintesson, and that they must help the
Golden One. Ultra Magnus, Blaster, Eject, Rewind, Ramhorn,
and Steeljaw show up to help, they go home, and everyone is happy.

Carnage in C-Minor
by Buzz Dixon
[Conflicting sources here, but this is most likely location
based on rerun periods]
The Transformers find a planet where sound technology is the norm, and three
people use their combined voices as a super weapon. The Deceps convince the
soprano female, who is dissatisfied with her society, to join them; Soundwave
records her voice and wreaks havoc. The Autobots hook up with the alto, her
lover, and she rejoins them. The Deceps manage to record the bass voice, and
prepare to attack Metroplex with the three voices; Blaster
counters them with the "anti-sound" of the singers.

Fight or Flee
by Tony Cinciripini & Larry Leahy
[This episode may have been aired so early in sequence because
of continuity with Starscream's Ghost. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like it
was finished early enough to schedule correctly -- or maybe the schedulers were
just ignorant]
Sandstorm is the leader of a group of pacifist Autobots on a planet
with a rich energy core called Paratron. The Deceps find the planet and take it
over; the Autobots on the planet will not fight them, as they have sworn off war
to keep their planet peaceful. The other Autobots land on the planet and
convince their compatriots that fighting is the only way to get rid of the
Deceps. The Deceps decide to blow up the planet if they can't keep it, and all
Autobots are evacuated to Cybertron.

Web World
by Len Wein & Diane Duane
Galvatron is brought to a world in order to repair his
deranged mind. Psychologists try every treatment that they have to try to cure
him, but they all fail. When they run out of options, they decide to use a
treatment that would destroy the "damaged" part of Galvatron's
brain. Cyclonus realizes that that would turn his leader into a mental
vegetable and puts up a fight. In all the commotion, Galvatron breaks
free and destroys the planet using the knowledge he gained in his mindmeld.

Ghost in the Machine
by Michael Charles Hill & Joey Kurihara Piedra
Starscream's ghost seeks a new body and, through the body
of Scourge, reactivates Unicron's head. He is given three tasks to
fulfill in order to receive his body. He must first steal Metroplex's
eyes (but one is destroyed and one of Trypticon's must be taken), then
steal Trypticon's transforming cog, and finally connect Unicron to
Cybertron as his new body. Scourge cuts out of the deal, and the plan to
give Unicron a new body is stopped, but Starscream has his body, although
he finds himself drifting through space aimlessly.

The Dweller in the Depths
by Paul Dini
In a plot to destroy the Transformers and reclaim Cybertron, the
Quintessons convince Galvatron and the Decepticons to unleash a
half-organic, half-metallic beast located at the center of Cybertron. It attacks
the entire planet, forcing the Autobots to eject a newly installed power core to
prevent the beast from becoming unstoppable.

Nightmare Planet
by Beth Bornstein
Daniel is having nightmares, and the Autobots find themselves
caught up in them with Predacons. They manage to battle through the situations
they find themselves in with the help of an unconscious Daniel's imagination.
They soon discover that Daniel is the subject of a Quintesson experiment, and
rescue him.

The Ultimate Weapon
by Arthur Byron Cover
Galvatron claims to have a new weapon which is capable of
mass destruction which he uses as a threat to get what he wants. First Aid,
a pacifist by nature, leaves his fellow Autobots after failing to stop Swindle
from stealing Metroplex's transformation cog. First Aid is finally
persuaded by Hot Spot to return, and he steals Trypticon's
transformation cog and installs it in Metroplex. Rodimus realizes Galvatron
is bluffing about the weapon or he would have already used it, and the
Decepticons retreat.

The Quintesson Journal
by Richard Merwin
[takes place after The Big Broadcast of 2006]
Two ancient races are at war. The Quintessons have been aggravating the war
for centuries(?) so that they can sell arms to both sides. The Autobots
eventually discover a lost Quintesson Journal detailing these activities and
display it at a peace conference they set up between the two races. The races
call off the war and go their separate ways.

The Big Broadcast of 2006
by Michael Reaves
[adapted in TF comic #43]
The Quintessons transmit subliminal messages over the Junkions' airwaves in
an attempt to control them. The Junkions first become hostile and then generous
-- a phase in which they decide to share their doctored airwaves with the other
races in the galaxy, spreading the subliminal messages even further. Cyclonus
attempts to convince Galvatron of the strategic possibilities of this but
he refuses to listen, so Cyclonus investigates on his own.

Money is Everything
by Carla & Gerry Conway
[takes place after Grimlock's New Brain]
[New teams are introduced in time for the holidays as with previous year]
The Technobots are patrolling Earth with Marissa Fairborne and capture a
smuggler who has been double crossed by the Quintessons. He takes his ship and
some of the Technobots to the Quintesson base against the plans of Fairborne.
The others follow and are attacked by the Terrorcons, who are being controlled
by the Quintessons on timers. The smuggler uses a clever ploy to reenergize the
damaged Technobots using the device he smuggled, and Abominus and the
Quintessons are defeated.

Only Human
by Susan K. Williams
Rodimus, Magnus, Arcee, and Springer
are captured by humans led by Cobra Commander and their consciousnesses are
removed. They find themselves in human bodies, and barely escape being killed in
a trash compactor. Meanwhile, their Transformer bodies are going to be used to
infiltrate Autobot City and destroy the remaining Autobots. Springer
manages to be the pilot of his own body and rescues the other Transformer-humans
and then attacks Autobot City straight on to let them know something is wrong.
The Autobots are returned to their bodies by Perceptor.

Grimlock's New Brain
by Paul Davids
Galvatron attempts to sabotage the Autobots' new power
source on Cybertron by introducing particles that cause Transformers to go out
of control. The Autobots travel through the subterranean caves of Cybertron to
shut down the malfunctioning power source, and Grimlock is charged with
the particles, which makes him brilliant. Galvatron is determined to find
more of the particles and discovers they only exist in Unicron's brain. The
Decepticons and Terrorcons travel to Unicron's head and get a new supply, but Grimlock
has anticipated this and the Autobots counterattack. The Autobots are being
defeated by the particles, but Grimlock creates the Technobots to battle the
Terrorcons who have formed Abominus. Grimlock's incredible
knowledge is transferred to Computron. The 'cons are defeated and their
supply of the particles is destroyed.

Call of the Primitives
by Donald F. Glut
During a huge battle, all of the "primitive"
Transformers are summoned to a planet. An energy creature has been unleashed,
and it drains the life energy of all the other Transformers. Its creator,
Primacron, was also responsible for Unicron and many of the primitives, and his
assistant believes that only the instincts of those Transformers can stop the
intellect of Primacron. All except Grimlock are defeated and he stops the
energy being who has betrayed Primacron by throwing the system into reverse.

Face of the Nijika
by Mary Skrenes & Steve Skeates
Long ago, the Quintessons locked up a race of people in some
kind of quadrant lock to prevent them from using the light of the stars to do
wondrous things which would present a danger to their own power. Running from
the Autobots, the Quintessons retreat to that planet, but the Autobots follow
and the quadrant lock device becomes damaged. The race trapped on the planet
hate both the Quintessons and their robots, causing trouble for the Autobots. Perceptor
is separated from the others and he is locked in microscope mode. One of the
natives carves out his Autobot symbol and a vital component beneath it which he
uses to repair a robot astronaut from before the first coming of the Quintessons.
Perceptor manages to take control of this robot and the two of them
become friends. The Quintessons also need Perceptor's component to fix
their quadrant lock device so they kidnap Perceptor's friend and force
him to give it up. The Autobots attack at that time, defeat the Quintessons, and
take the planet out of the quadrant lock.

The Burden Hardest to Bear
by Michael Charles Hill
Rodimus is feeling annoyed at having to be the leader.
Coincidentally, he has a run-in with some Decepticon cars and crashes down a
mountainside, losing the Matrix. The 'cons bring it to Galvatron, who
attempts to use it to soup-up his cannon but fails. He orders Scourge to
destroy it, but Scourge takes the Matrix into himself and becomes
super-powerful. He rebels against Galvatron and attacks Earth. Hot Rod,
is jubilant over not having to deal with leadership anymore, but ends up
defeating Scourge and retakes the Matrix, realizing it is his
responsibility.

The Return of Optimus Prime Part 1
by Cherie Wilkerson & Marv Wolfman
(first aired February 24, 1987)
Humans using a new experimental metal pilot their ship into the star in which
the ship piloted by Optimus Prime is burning up. They rescue the body and
bring it back to Earth. One of the scientists has a grudge against Prime
and Transformers and wants to use him as bait to set the other Autobots up. The
scientists discover their ship has been covered in spores that induce hate and
plan to use these on the Autobots. Another scientist warns the Autobots of the
trap, but she is not informed of the whole plan and the Throttlebots and
Aerialbots, as well as many Autobots are infected. The Decepticons arrive,
intending to steal the metal, but are themselves infected, except for Galvatron.
The infected Transformers go on a rampage, infecting Transformers and humans
alike. Rodimus escapes and shuts down Metroplex, but is pursued
and infected by Ultra Magnus. Sky Lynx follows his previous orders
and captures a Quintesson to rebuild Optimus. They arrive on Earth and Optimus
is brought back to life.

The Return of Optimus Prime Part 2
by Cherie Wilkerson & Marv Wolfman
(first aired February 25, 1987)
A small force of Autobots who were deactivated by Superion rather than
infected are rebuilt by the Quintesson. Bumblebee is rebuilt into Goldbug.
The Autobots must get the Matrix from Rodimus, and they need the metal Galvatron
stole to protect Optimus from infection. They locate Galvatron,
but nearly all of the Autobots and Galvatron are infected in the process.
Optimus gets the Matrix from Rodimus, but the remaining Autobots
are infected. He enters the Matrix and uses it to cure everyone, but the
knowledge of the Matrix has been lost in its use.

Season 4
(1987-1988, 3 new episodes added to existing 95 for total of 98)
Another new opening was used for the three new episodes, using a lot of
footage from commercials for the year 3 and 4 toys. No new music was introduced,
and the first through third season episodes remained in their third season
formats.
| Production Order |
|
Airing Order |
| Prod. # |
Episode Title |
|
Prod. # |
Episode Title |
| 96 |
|
|
96 |
|
| 97 |
|
|
97 |
|
| 98 |
|
|
98 |
|

Rebirth Part 1
by David Wise
In a race on Cybertron, Hot Rod manages to defeat the
other Autobot cars, including Blurr with the help of Spike in the
driver's seat. Autobot Brainstorm declares that Autobots could be even
more efficient with human operators. Meanwhile, The Decepticons attack Autobot
City in an attempt to steal the key to the plasma chamber on Cybertron. They
succeed and Punch is badly damaged. The 'cons then attack Cybertron and
try to gain access to the chamber, but, when they try to open it, ten
Decepticons (led by Cyclonus) and twelve Autobots (led by Hot Rod),
as well as Spike and Daniel, are propelled to the far away world of Nebulos,
along with the key. The planet Nebulos has two factions: the Hive, evil Nebulons
who use their mental power to control machines to do their bidding, led by Lord
Zarak, and their opponents who hate machinery and just want to live in peace.
Each group of Transformers falls in with its respective camp, but the good
Nebulons nearly destroy the 'bots, hating machinery. Daniel is severely wounded
in battle, and the 'bots decide they need an edge after half their number are
captured by the 'cons. They plan to link with four Nebulons (and Spike and
Daniel) to become Headmasters. Cerebros, a pacifist, refuses to bond with Spike,
but the others successfully complete the operation, with Daniel's bond to Arcee,
saving his life.

Rebirth Part 2
by David Wise
The 'bots rescue their friends. The 'cons meet up with the evil
Nebulons, who mimic the Autobot's Headmaster idea: the five monster 'cons become
Headmasters. Cyclonus and the other four 'cons have their weapons bonded
with evil Nebulons. Another fight ensues, and the 'cons defeat the 'bots, but Brainstorm
scans a 'con Targetmaster during the fight. The 'bots limp back and duplicate
the Targetmaster idea with the remaining five of their number. Meanwhile, the
Hive converts their base into Scorponok, which attacks just after the
'bots defeat the 'cons and recapture the key. (At some point in this ep, the
other Transformers find Nebulos.)

Rebirth Part 3
by David Wise
The 'cons get the key back, and return to Cybertron. Galvatron
has a giant engine built on Cybertron to move it close to Earth's sun. He then
uses Cybertron's plasma chamber to attempt to drive the Earth's sun nova and
capture the energy. Optimus Prime arrives on Nebulos after a conference
with Alpha Trion, and the Autobots pursue, except for pacifist Cerebros
and Spike who stay behind. Cerebros is convinced by Spike to help rebuild
an old Hive city , defended by drones (Gasket and Grommet). As the
Autobots are threatened with defeat on Cybertron, the city arrives (flying
through space), with Spike and Cerebros. Spike becomes Cerebros'
head, and in turn, Cerebros becomes the head of the transformed city, now
Fortress Maximus who defeats Scorponok. Spike and the Nebulons use the
giant engine to suck the surplus off of the Sun before it novas, and uses the
energy to bring about a Golden Age on Cybertron. Scorponok and the 'cons
flee off into space.

Season 5
(1988-1989, ? eps, including Movie split into 5 parts)
The series went back to a weekend run at this point. The openings and
closings were all disposed of and the episodes were introduced and narrated by a
Powermaster Optimus Prime puppet (using some stop-animation). Prime would tell
the stories to a boy named Tommy Kennedy and would sometimes refer to other
fifth year toyline characters.
Transformers: The Movie was aired in five parts in December 1988, with the
episodes titled "Transformers: The Movie: Day One" and so forth. The
fifth part also included the video of "The Touch." Other episodes
known to have aired in this format are:
More Than Meets the Eye Part 1
More Than Meets the Eye Part 2
More Than Meets the Eye Part 3
Dark Awakening
Surprise Party
The Return of Optimus Prime Part 1
The Return of Optimus Prime Part 2
Rebirth Part 1
Rebirth Part 2
Rebirth Part 3
If anyone knows of any other episodes shown in this format, let me know.
Just for the record, that makes a total of 227 different known
episodes/variations of episodes during the original run.

Acknowledgements & How You Can Contribute
Thanks to Dairenn Lombard, Keith Peyton, Robert Powers, Carrie Favela,
Zenson Shiau, ZACHARY42@delphi.com, Jeff Lampert, VSuzukawa@aol.com, djweber@MIT.EDU,
Mischa E Gelman, KARBUNKLE1@aol.com, Steven R. Sosnoski, Steve McCargar, Matt
Kuphaldt, the Nixtr, Raksha, DSV75@aol.com, Christian Leewis, James Jackson,
Kris Smith and Jim Ware for various useful information and episode summaries.
Special thanks to VSuzukawa@aol.com for confirming and completing the episode
production order using in part a list from the book The Encyclopedia of
Animated Cartoons, by Jeff Lenburg, published by Facts On File Inc, 1991
edition.
Another special thanks to Raksha, who posted information compiled by Jon and
Karl Hartman on the original air order (and dates for at least one city) of the
episodes. (And thereby prompting a massive restructure of this guide)
And yet another special thanks to Earlwin who helped me locate some
additional information for the guide.
I could still use some help in certain areas: I need some of the multiple
part episodes broken down into parts and some of the shorter summaries extended.
Any more airdate information would also be appreciated (particularly regarding
the first season). So if anyone out there has copies of original tapes with the
commercials intact and can tell me what date it aired on, please e-mail.
If you have any comments, additions, or corrections, please e-mail me at abm4111@rit.edu.
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