Guardian (episode)
From Transformers Wiki
| The name or term "Guardian" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Guardian (disambiguation). |
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 He lived a space-time warrior... and died a space-time hero. | |||||||||
| "Guardian" (Eien no Jikū Kanshisha) "The Eternal Spacetime Guardian" | |||||||||
| Production company | TV Aichi, We've, Tōkyū Agency | ||||||||
| Airdate | December 3, 2005 (Japanese) September 25, 2006 (US) | ||||||||
| Writer | Hiro Masaki | ||||||||
| Director | Kenji Setō | ||||||||
| Animation studio | GONZO | ||||||||
| Continuity | Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity | ||||||||
To return the Autobots to their home universe, Vector Prime makes the ultimate sacrifice.
Contents |
Synopsis
The Autobots and their human allies look up into the Gigantion sky and watch as the space bridge opened by the Omega Lock disintegrates, leaving them with no route back to their home universe. Bud appears to freak out, but really, he's only pretending, since he is sure that Coby, or Red Alert or someone will have an idea on what to do. Unfortunately no-one does...except maybe Vector Prime, who murmurs quietly to himself. Jolt looks up at him, suspecting that he knows what Vector Prime is thinking, and tells him that he cannot do it. Optimus Prime takes action, bringing the panic to an end with the suggestion that they build a new space bridge generator. The Cybertron Defense Team start to argue among themselves that it's impossible: Scattorshot claims that even a starship wouldn't have enough energy to power the device. But then he realizes...they've got three! With the expert builders of Gigantion on their side, the Autobots start constructing the new generator and synchronising the reactors of their three starships to power it.
After a flurry of hard work, the space bridge is completed, and Coby is particularly impressed with the device. The generator is fired up, and successfully opens a space bridge above the Autobots' heads...but Vector Prime senses that something is not right, and is soon proven correct when a colossal swarm of bird drones comes flying through the portal! The Autobots recognize them as natives of Planet X and open fire, but even the power of Metroplex's axe and Optimus Prime's Super Mode cannons cannot make a dent in the ever-growing flock of drones. When the generator fails to respond to Scattorshot's shut-down comands, Vector Prime is forced to destroy it with his sword, closing the portal and causing the remaining drones to fade away. Disheartened as the Autobots are, Optimus assures them that Vector Prime did the right thing. Alas, Scattorshot declares that building a new space bridge generator is now impossible.
Reflecting on what to do next, Metroplex inquires why the Autobots do not simply go back out of the universe the way they came in. Everyone explains that the warp gate they used has since closed, and will not open for another year...at which point Vector Prime speaks his mind at last, informing everyone that the warp is the only option. The Autobots do not understand—after all, they cannot wait a year—but Bud quickly pipes up, having realized that Vector Prime intends to use his powers to reverse time to take everyone back in time to when the warp was open, thereby allowing them to travel through it. Jolt protests, however, shocking the Autobots with the revelation that turning back time to such a degree will kill Vector Prime. Optimus Prime refuses to condone such an action, and Jetfire suggests trying to evacuate the inhabitants of their universe into this one, but Vector Prime relates what he has long known: the black hole will not merely consume physical matter...it will eventually consume the substance of time itself, destroying all universes, all realities, all of creation. Vector Prime claims that he will not truly die, but Bud does not understand, and so Jolt helps to explain that while Vector Prime's linear lifespan may come to an end, since he has spent most of his life existing in the void outside of the flow of time, he will always exist there, and watch over them forever.
The Autobots unenthusiastically leave to start preparing the starships for departure, while Bud congratulates Vector Prime on what he believes to be a "new job", not truly understanding that his friend is going to die. Vector Prime shrinks the Planet Map and gives it to Bud as a memento, and then separates from Safeguard, bidding him and his fellow Mini-Cons a fond farewell. Finally, Vector Prime says his final goodbye to Optimus Prime on a mountaintop, shaking the Autobot commander's hand and declaring their partnership an honor.
With the three starships in flight, Vector Prime too takes to the skies, where the three craft channel their energy into his sword, and he begins to reverse the flow of time. The warp tunnel opens, and the ships enter, even seeing the past incarnation of the Ogygia as it came through the tunnel in the first place. Just as they cross paths with the ship from the past, however, the time reversal effect begins to slow down, as Vector Prime grows weary. With the very last of his strength, Vector Prime pushes ahead, and the ships are able to exit the tunnel and re-synchronize with the local timestream. Glowing like a star in the sea of space, Vector Prime's body begins to dissolve, as the humans all burst into tears and the Autobots salute their comrade. Smiling down upon all the friends he has made since he started his new life, Vector Prime's form fades away, and his spark dissolves into atoms, having made the future his gift to them.
The memory of their friend strong in their minds, the Autobots set course for Cybertron, the black hole, Galvatron... and the final battle.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Humans | Others |
|---|---|---|
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Quotes
"At this rate, they'll beat us by attrition!"
"Addition? Dude, what's with the math? Just keep shooting!"
- —Red Alert again proves that Hot Shot isn't the brightest 'bot in the Autobot ranks.
"As I travelled through the timestream, into what you would call the future, I came upon an impassible barrier. Such things are not uncommon...all great events leave their mark upon the timestream. But as I peered through this barrier... I saw nothing beyond. Only emptiness. And I recognized the black hole for what it truly was. The end of time."
- —Vector Prime, revealing the true magnitude of the black hole's threat.
"Every single thing in the cosmos has a fixed life. Galaxies, planets, humans, Transformers... I alone have stood outside the reach of time, watching, ever vigilant, as the millennium marched past. I have seen oceans rise, continents shift and mountains crumble. I have seen brother rise against brother, and the decimation it leaves behind. And always the great cycle continues, as new life rises from the ashes of destruction. Now after eons of watching, I too have become part of the cycle, starting a new life with purpose and meaning, and though that life might end, I know now I will never die."
- —Vector Prime, on the cyclical nature of time.
"Vector Prime has always lived outside of time. For that reason, Vector Prime will always exist, as long as time itself exists, but we will never see him again. But I know he'll be there, watching over us."
- —Jolt, clarifying Vector Prime's "death".
"We won't be able to ever see him again, but he'll always be with us in our hearts."
- —Lori
"After eons of watching, I began a new life, with purpose and meaning. And though that life now ends, I know that in the hearts of these friends I have made, I shall live forever. Farewell, Bud, the future is my gift to you."
- —Vector Prime's final words (in the linear timestream).
"Farewell, my friend."
- —Optimus Prime paying his last respects
"I finally understand the true value of time, for it is the bonds between us that give time its meaning."
- —Vector Prime's epiphany.
Notes
Differences with Galaxy Force
- In the opening of the episode, Jolt knows what Vector Prime is thinking and tells him he cannot do it. Galaxy Force omits this part, leading to a few awkward seconds of the two characters staring at each other.
- Cybertron has Scattorshot note that the space bridge is not responding to his commands for it to shut down, hence why destroying it is necessary. Galaxy Force never mentions this.
- Galaxy Force explains that the space bridge was not functioning properly and tore open a door in time, rather than space, which is where the Laserbeaks came from. Destroying the portal severed their connection to the past and they faded away. Cybertron explains none of this, indicating that the Laserbeaks are present-day survivors of Planet X who have gone feral, but glossing over why they would fade away after the portal closes, or how so many of them survived the war in the first place.
- In turn, it is this distortion of space-time, and the risk it poses to Gigantion, that forces the Autobots to abandon their space bridge plan, rather than a lack of power, as in Cybertron. The original reasons are touched on, however, when Optimus supports Vector Prime's decision to destroy the space bridge due to the possibility of Gigantion being overrun with Laserbeak drones.
- Seconds after the destruction of the space bridge generator, Cybertron has Jetfire react disappointedly, claiming that the Autobots' shot at going home was over. Conversely, Galaxy Force has Jetfire in confusion from the mayhem that happened earlier.
- In the scene where Optimus assures them that Vector Prime did the right thing of destroying the space bridge generator, Galaxy Force has Prime to demand Vector to explain what was going on.
- In Cybertron, Bud congratulates Vector Prime on receiving a "new job", and Vector Prime thanks him. In Galaxy Force, Bud wants to know how he'll be able to contact Vector Prime when it's time for them to meet again, and Vector Prime simply tells him "he will know".
Animation and/or technical glitches
- Can Vector Prime's "helmet" move? Because it does.
- When Optimus Prime tries to dissuade Vector Prime from sacrificing himself, he says "you can't ask me to stand by while you sacrifice yourselves"-but he's only referring to one person.
- When the Autobots are saluting Vector Prime a final farewell, Jetfire is seen standing next to Override's right in the foreground, while Wing Saber is to Optimus' right in the background. Yet the next scene immediately shows Jetfire standing with Wing Saber on his left.
Continuity notes
- Vector Prime's ability to reverse time was previously displayed once before, in the appropriately-titled "Time".
Transformer references
- As Vector Prime lists off things have a "fixed life," a silhouette of Generation 1 Optimus Prime's character model appears to illustrate Transformers.
- The other silhouetted image of Optimus Prime, which appears in a battle scene (pictured at right) is lifted from artwork from the sixth Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers story page.
Trivia
- Vector Prime reveals that the black hole will eventually devour all existence if left unchecked. Even when he's dead, Unicron still keeps trying to achieve his goals-and arguably even more efficiently than when he's alive!
- This is the first (and only) episode where Vector Prime visibly smiles a real smile.
- Despite passing from the physical plane of existence, Vector Prime continues to live on as an ethereal form in the netherworld. He'll be back. So dry your tears. All is well.
- Feel free to cry if you want, though. It is a pretty sad moment.
Foreign localization
Korean
- Title: "Youngwon-han Sigong-ui Gamsija" (영원한 시공의 감시자, "Eternal Watcher of Time and Space")
- Original airdate: 3 November 2008
- Vector Prime's voice actor is the narrator of the series in Korean dub. Because of this, Vector Prime is sometimes considered not dead.
- Narrator (Vector Prime's VA) talks
- Bud: Huh? This voice...
- Optimus Prime: Nevermind, Bud.
- Narrator talks
- Bud: Really, this voice is-
- Optimus Prime: (stops Bud) Bud, count on the new episode!
Home video releases
- DVD
2006 — Transformers: Galaxy Force — Vol. 12 (Victor Entertainment) — Japanese audio only.
2008 — Transformers: Cybertron — The Ultimate Collection (Paramount)
2014 — Transformers: Cybertron — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)
