Family of Heroes
From Transformers Wiki
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 How tall are you, test subject? Four-nine? I was unaware they stacked human waste that high. | ||||||
| "Family of Heroes" | ||||||
| Season | 1 | |||||
| No. in season | 1 | |||||
| Production company | Hasbro Studios | |||||
| Airdate | December 17, 2011 (sneak peek) February 18, 2012 (official premiere) | |||||
| Writer | Nicole Dubuc | |||||
| Directors | Patrick Archibald and Nathan Chew | |||||
| Animation studio | Atomic Cartoons | |||||
 Watch this episode on YouTube
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A team of Rescue Bots is assigned by Optimus Prime to work with the Burns family on the island of Griffin Rock.
Contents |
Synopsis
Somewhere in space, a drifting Autobot spaceship receives a message from Optimus Prime directing them to Earth. The ship automatically changes course and eventually touches down in a military base. The four members of Rescue Force Sigma-17 emerge and are greeted by Optimus himself, who informs them that Cybertron is no longer the Autobots' home.
On the island of Griffin Rock, Cody Burns is biking to school when his dad pulls up alongside in the old police car, which is soon to be replaced with a new car as part of the town's function as a hi-tech testing ground. Cody wants to test drive the new vehicles, but the rest of his family points out they're for grown-ups.
Optimus tells the new arrivals that he has a new mission for them: to live with a human family and learn more about Earth, but they must do so disguised as normal machines. He gives them rescue vehicles to scan, though Blades is unenthusiastic when he discovers the alternate mode he's ended up with flies. Optimus introduces them to Chief Charlie Burns, the only human who knows the Rescue Bots' true nature.
That afternoon, Cody arrives at the dedication, where he meets Frankie Greene and her father, Doc Greene, in the audience, though Frankie's more interested in the new exhibit of robot dinosaurs at the museum. Chief Burns introduces the gathered crowd to the Rescue Bots, describing them as new hi-tech robots which will work with him and his family as a rescue response unit. When a butterfly lands on Boulder's face, the Autobot instinctively goes to shoo it away, but is stopped by Heatwave. However, Cody's suspicions are already raised. When Cody jumps up and knocks on Boulder's foot, he's told to get lost by a reporter. The press photos are interrupted when word comes in of a fire at the Natural History Museum.
Burns and his rescue squad head to the museum, although Dani discovers her helicopter doesn't seem to like flying too high. Chase begins clearing the humans from the area, though is confused when a couple of Egyptian mummies fail to comply. Graham is bemused when he tells Boulder to move some planters and the Autobot responds that it would ruin the aesthetics. They manage to get the fire out, and Graham locates the cause: a short in one of the robotic dinosaurs. While he's fixing it, Cody sneaks into the museum, having followed the team on his bike. He's therefore present to witness Heatwave saving Chief Burns and Graham from a falling dinosaur head. Burns explains it as Heatwave having been left in rescue mode, and Kade is glad to take the credit. As they leave the museum, the eyes on a short-circuiting animatronic Tyrannosaurus rex light up ominously!
That night, back in the fire station, the Rescue Bots take a lift down to a Cold War bunker underneath the station. Upstairs, Cody excuses himself from dinner with his family and heads downstairs, where he catches the Rescue Bots complaining about their new gig. Heatwave has just decided they're going to leave when Cody speaks up. The Rescue Bots realize their cover is blown, but after introductions are made, Cody shows them that there are many tunnels leading around the island from the bunker. They check out a giant robot movie at a drive in, and Cody attempts to teach the Rescue Bots how to act like "real" robots as well as give them tips on dealing with his siblings. Lessons are brought to a halt when they spot the robotic T. rex from the museum, now rampaging along the street. As it moves into the drive-in, Cody gets Chase to start his lights, and they establish the thing is attracted to light. They begin leading the creature to a safe area while Cody contacts his dad.
Burns takes the rest of his family in the old squad car, and they soon catch up with the Rescue Bots as the chase moves outside town. While they try to work out how to deal with the rogue dinosaur, Cody calls Frankie. Soon Boulder is extracting a jail cell from the police station, which Dani and Blades fly to the scene. Meanwhile, Chase keeps the T. rex occupied, and Kade and Heatwave wet some ground to make mud. Kade is shocked when Heatwave transforms, attracts the dinosaur's attention, and then throws it into the mud. Dani lowers the makeshift cage over it, allowing Cody to shut the dinosaur down.
The next day, they return the dinosaur to the museum, and Burns decides to get a picture of "his heroes" outside. After Heatwave tells Kade that Cody's part of the team or the Rescue Bots leave, Chief Burns reveals that they're not just robots, they're aliens.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Humans |
|---|---|
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Quotes
"I have a message for all Autobots scattered throughout the galaxies. Though Cybertron has fallen, we still stand, follow these coordinates to join us, Priority Prime."
- —Optimus Prime's "Priority Prime" message plays on the Rescue Bots' ship before it sets off for Earth.
"We need to remove the planters to create a fire block."
"But... I... That will destroy the harmonious nature of the plaza's design."
"What?!"
- —Graham Burns and Boulder, who fails at being a robot.
"I don't know where you learned that... but no."
- —Cody Burns draws a line between dancing "the robot" and actually acting like a robot.
"We can't use technology prone to malfunction."
"They're not malfunctioning... They're aliens."
"What!?"
- —Charlie Burns reveals a shocking secret to the Burns family.
Notes
Continuity notes
- Rescue Bots takes place in continuity with Transformers: Prime, though it's unclear exactly at which point in the other series this episode takes place.
- We get a little information about what the Rescue Bots used to do. Heatwave notes that the fire engine serves the same function as his old job "back home".
- Chief Burns comments "A dinosaur? Again?" Clearly this sort of thing happens a lot, as later episodes will demonstrate!
Transformers references
- Optimus's message calling Autobots to Earth, which is received by the Rescue Bots' spacecraft riffs off a similar message sent into space by Optimus Prime at the end of the 2007 Transformers film.
- When talking to their passengers in vehicle mode, the Rescue Bots display an image of their robot mode faces on a screen, much like the Autobots in the 2001 Transformers: Robots in Disguise cartoon.
- The vehicle Chase scans is a police car that resembles a Ford Mustang. Sounds familiar.
Real-world references
- The below-ground bunker is a relic of the Cold War.
- The robot in the drive-in movie bears a resemblance to Robby the Robot.
- During the sequence in which Cody is attempting to teach everyone how to act like robots, Blades is seen doing the Robot.
Animation and technical errors
- When Chase is polishing his chest and shoulder during Heatwave's rant, the yellow parts of his eyes appear a greyish-green. They become yellow when Cody first appears, but revert to grey shortly after. They turn yellow once more as Heatwave introduces himself, and remain that way for several minutes, but are grey again when he contacts the chief.
- As the Burns family watch the Rescue Bots and dinosaur speed past, the holographic traffic lights on the intersection aren't working, though they were a shot earlier.
- As Kade drives away in Heatwave to deal with the Dinobot, Cody's comlink suddenly appears clipped to the collar of his jacket. It vanishes by the next shot, but then inexplicably reappears in-between frames after he powers down the Dinobot. It quickly disappears again, reappears as he moves away from his family for Chief's photo, then disappears once more as he stands in front of the Bots. But when the Burnses (minus Kade) gather around him for the picture, the comlink is present one final time - only to vanish as Heatwave puts a hand on Cody's shoulder.
Trivia
- Optimus's mouthplate moves when he talks.
- This episode was later adapted into storybook form as Meet Chase the Police-bot.
Foreign localization
French
- Title: "Nouvelle Mission" ("New Mission")
- Original airdate: 27 October 2012
German
- Title: "Eine Familie von Helden" ("A Family of Heroes")
- Original airdate: 18 February 2013
Hungarian
- Title: "Hősök családja" ("Family of Heroes")
- Original airdate: 7 February 2013
Italian
Portuguese
Home video releases
2013 — Rescue Bots — "2 Action-packed Episodes" (Toys"R"Us)
2013 — Rescue Bots — "Roll to the Rescue" (Shout! Factory)
2013 — Rescue Bots — "Eine Familie von Helden" (EDEL:kids) — German and English audio
2013 — Rescue Bots — "Hot Shots" (Beyond Home Entertainment)
2015 — Rescue Bots — "Complete Season 1" (Beyond Home Entertainment)
