The Ultimate Doom, Part 3

« The Transformers ep 13 » « Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers ep 68 » « The Transformers: Generation 2 ep 43 »
Autobots, transform and kick some diodes!
"The Ultimate Doom, Part 3"
Production code	#700-10
Season	1
No. in season	13
Production company	Sunbow Productions
Airdate	November 17, 1984
Story by	Dick Robbins, Bryce Malek, Douglas Booth and Leo D. Paur
Teleplay by	Leo D. Paur
Animation studio	Toei, Ashi Productions, Nakamura Production
Continuity	Generation 1 cartoon continuity
Watch this episode on YouTube

As Cybertron's orbit ravages Earth, the Autobots take the fight to the Decepticons.

Synopsis

Not the friendliest homecoming.

On Cybertron, a brainwashed Sparkplug Witwicky sounds an alarm on Spike, Brawn, and Bumblebee. As Shockwave and Soundwave attempt to destroy them, Skyfire, Wheeljack, and Trailbreaker rescue them. Heading to Wheeljack's lab, they review the hypno-chip data they've gained.

This sort of embarrassment is why they finally just recruited Seaspray.

On Earth, Megatron is overseeing the construction of the sea funnel, a large hydroelectric generator that will allow the Decepticons to harvest more energy. Doctor Arkeville is becoming increasingly dissatisfied with Megatron's disregard of his interests, and feels that Starscream may be more sympathetic. Optimus Prime leads Jazz, Prowl, Ironhide, and Bluestreak (on surfboards) to the generator, where their wipeout prevents them from being able to stop the Decepticons from leaving in a shuttle carrying energon cubes. Arkeville is left to die, but Starscream saves him, having his own plans for the scientist.

On Cybertron, Wheeljack develops a device that should disrupt the hypno-chips' control over the humans. Spike attempts another rescue of his father, but is discovered by Shockwave. However, Wheeljack's device works as planned, and the Autobots flee back to Earth with Sparkplug, who is now freed from Decepticon control.

Jungle Love Bug

On an island, Megatron is overseeing the loading of a shuttle with energon cubes while Mirage goes to see if he can direct the humans away from the ship. Nearby, Starscream's own experiments in draining neural energy from Arkeville have failed to fill a single energon cube. Megatron discovers them and prepares to execute Starscream for treason (again). However, Mirage manages to direct the humans away from the shuttle, and Prime orders an attack. The Decepticons outnumber the Autobots, but Skyfire and company soon arrive to even the odds as well as to free the slaves from the Decepticons' control. However, Cybertron comes into view of the island, causing a tidal wave, and Megatron flees in the shuttle for Cybertron.

Im in ur orbit, killin ur planet.

Spike declares that they just need to knock Cybertron out of Earth's orbit, but Prowl says that they'd need the equivalent of ten billion astroliters of energy to do that. Suddenly, Prime realizes that the energon on board the shuttle could theoretically be enough to move Cybertron. Prime orders the Autobots to shoot Megatron's shuttle. The plan works, with the energon on board moving Cybertron away from Earth.

Back on the island, Spike remarks to Optimus that Megatron appears to be gone for good, but the Autobot leader, knowing his mortal enemy's survival rate, is not so sure. In space, Megatron comes back online and flies away from the wreckage of the shuttle, vowing revenge.

Featured Characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"Take them!"
"I don't 'take' so easy."

—Soundwave and Brawn

"Prepare for termination!"
"Prepare for a very large headache!"

—Shockwave vs. Brawn

"You cannot get out!"
[Shockwave unleashes a massive blast, but blows a hole in the wall instead of Skyfire]
"I can now!"

—Shockwave and Skyfire

"All the comforts of home... if you like living in an auto-robotic factory."

—Wheeljack, on his workshop

"My slaves will be caught in the tidal wave!"
"I thought humans liked to play in the ocean!"

—Dr. Arkeville teaches Megatron an important fact about human anatomy.

"Surf's up! And I'm talkin' UP!"

—Bluestreak spots an approaching tsunami.

"Thanks, guys, for not giving up on me. Especially you, Spike."
"Dad, it's like you taught me: You never quit on the people you love."
"Mushy, but true."

—Sparkplug and Spike have a touching father-son moment, with an addendum by Brawn.

"You're not pushing slaves around this time."

—Optimus Prime, preparing to open a Kremzeek brand can of whup-ass.

Notes

Production information

• First draft script: undated
• Script revised by Ron Friedman: 28th July 1984
• Final script: 6th August 1984

Continuity notes

Hello, my face is up here?

• Wheeljack's place on Cybertron, previously seen in "Divide and Conquer", is shown again.
• A couple of Decepticon cars are shown in this episode, but it's not clear if they are Transformers. They have a Reflector-like color scheme.
• Gadgets and powers:
  • Rather than the hydrofoils they were using just two episodes ago, the Autobots are now traveling the oceans on motor-powered surfboards.
  • Both Prime and Ironhide have "early warning scanners" which can detect mountain-sized tidal waves just slightly over the horizon. Man, those aren't very effective scanners.
  • Rumble can extend his optic visor to make it function like binoculars.
  • Shockwave can light up his chest like a searchlight. It's not clear if this is meant to be some kind of force field holding Spike in place, or if Spike just stops due to some deer-in-the-headlights psychological effect.
  • Ironhide briefly carries a grey copy of the bazooka he had in "Transport to Oblivion"... which was itself a green version of the bazooka Cliffjumper had in "More than Meets the Eye, Part 1".
  • Megatron transforms and fires at Skyfire unassisted... which kinda puts the lie to all those sarcastic fan claims that his gun mode is oh-so-totally-useless without someone to fire him. Of course, he also does this in the show's title sequence, so it really shouldn't be such a surprise. (Granted, title sequences also give us things like flying Autobots and Insecticons swimming around in lava, so their relevance is debatable.)
• << Brawn vs. Soundwave, Round 2: Brawn dispatches Soundwave with a single mighty blast to the chest! Brawn 2, Soundwave 0 >>

Real-world references

• Prowl's line "Ask, and you shall receive!" is from the Gospel of John in the New Testament.
• Starscream's dramatic proclamation "I shall return!" is a popular TV trope referring to the famous speech of U.S. General Douglas MacArthur upon his retreat from the Philippines in World War II.
• Star Wars sound effects:
  • Millennium Falcon engine burst as Starscream grabs Dr. Arkeville and escapes from the island.
  • TIE Fighter engine and some Falcon engine whine as Skywarp and Thundercracker strafe the Autobots.
  • An igniting lightsaber serves as the sound of an energon cube being dropped by the freed slaves.
  • Falcon engine whine as the Seekers depart the island.

Technical or animation glitches

• In his opening recap narration, Victor Caroli mispronounces Dr. Arkeville's name as "Ark-vill".
• Both Spike and Sparkplug were wearing their signature hard hats at the end of last episode, but are missing them now.
• Coloring errors:
  • Bumblebee's nose is yellow as Brawn tells Spike they need to roll out.
  • Wheeljack is missing the orange on his chest as Spike takes shelter behind his leg.
  • The two Seekers guarding the entrance of Decepticon Headquarters are shown with Starscream and Thundercracker's color schemes.
  • Wheeljack's roof is plain white as the tetrajets appear above him.
  • The two tetrajets that chase the Autobots first have the same color schemes as Thundercracker and Skywarp; however, when Skyfire is shooting at them, they're both colored like Skywarp. In the same shot, Skyfire's red has become blue, and his whites have become red.
  • When Skyfire blasts one of the tetrajets, both of them are colored like Thundercracker.
  • Wheeljack's chest (i.e., his roof) is again missing its colors in the overhead shot of his lab.
  • As Wheeljack studies the mind control program, the side of Trailbreaker's chest is colored as though it were a windshield, and only the front side of Wheeljack's "ears" flash.
  • Ironhide's helmet rim is gray instead of red as he turns to look at the oncoming tidal wave.
  • The inside of Prime's cheek guards are gray instead of blue as he announces that they're almost there.
  • The area around Starscream's cockpit is colored the same orange as the cockpit itself as he rises from the ocean to collect Dr. Arkeville.
  • Skyfire's cockpit canopy is colored white instead of blue as he appears over the Autobots on Cybertron.
  • As Prime announces his intention to attack, Prowl is colored like Skywarp. Prime's waist is also unusually huge.
  • Skywarp's cockpit is black instead of orange as Megatron says "A fool's ploy".
  • Gray helmet rims on Ironhide again as he advises Cliffjumper to save his ammo.
  • Prowl's doors are all-black instead of half-black as he says they're outnumbered.
  • Bumblebee's side is colored like glass as he observes the approaching crevasse.
  • When Thundercracker launches to follow Megatron, he's a much darker blue than usual.
  • Wheeljack is missing his orange chest colors as the Autobots brush themselves off after the explosion of Megatron's ship.
• As Shockwave melts Brawn's girder, Brawn's mouth moves, but there's no dialog. (It sure looks like he's mouthing a shocked obscenity, though!)
• Wheeljack's transformation sound doesn't play till after he's transformed.

GAH! Don't do that on camera!

• As the Autobots escape from Decepticon HQ, Soundwave's Decepticon insignia is missing in two successive shots.
• Shockwave's eye isn't flashing as he says "You cannot get out!"
• When Skyfire says "I can now", his mouth does not move with the dialogue.
• When Spike says, "More Watchdogs on our tail, Wheeljack!", Wheeljack follows up by replying, "We've gotta lose them!" Spike smiles in reply to this sentence, not the next one, which is "My workshop's just ahead". Perhaps Wheeljack was supposed to say: "We're gonna lose them!".
• Prime's faceplate doesn't move as he reports his sensor readings to Ironhide.
• During his "Surf's up" lines, Bluestreak has only one door and one missile launcher.
• The generator Megatron throws at Starscream changes its relative size mid-air. It is initially almost as big as Megatron himself, but becomes only about as big and as wide as Starscream's chest.
• Appearing/disappearing Autobots:
  • The establishing shot of the surfing Autobots shows only five 'bots (Prime, Ironhide & Ratchet, Jazz, and either Prowl or Bluestreak.) Prowl and Bluestreak are shown in the same shot a moment later, making six total. Most successive shots show only 3 or 4 surfing bots. We finally see all six as the tidal wave pursues them down the sea funnel.
  • There's plenty of time for Mirage and Cliffjumper to join the group as they travel to the island, but the addition of just those two seems a bit odd. Where are Sunstreaker, Gears, Sideswipe, etc. during all this?
• As Prowl grouses about Megatron's energon supply, Jazz has some weird extra lines on his optic visor.
• Reflector's voice comes in its usual triplicate form... even though there's only one of him present.
• Wheeljack is missing his Autobot insignia as he reports to Optimus.
• Wheeljack's ears are waaaay too small as he proposes field testing the anti-hypnochip device.
• Spike slightly phases through a wall just before Shockwave lights him up.
• The two Seekers that accompany Shockwave just can't make up their minds who they want to be:
  • As Shockwave reaches to pick up Spike, the two generic Seekers behind him have been replaced by two Skywarps.
  • As the Autobots show up, the two Skywarps have become a Thundercracker and a pine-green generic.
  • As the Autobots escape, the two Seekers are colored as Thundercracker and Starscream.
  • And then one of them is Skywarp again as he fires after the escaping Autobots.
• Spike has no pupils as he reacts to his father pulling a gun on him.

"Well, we don't need Aquaman any more."

• As Wheeljack activates the hypno-chip-un-hypnotizer, Bumblebee is represented by a yellow-colored Cliffjumper.
• Shockwave's eye doesn't flash as he orders "After them!"
• Only the front side of Wheeljack's "ears" flash as he radios Skyfire.
• The background music overlaps the scene transition as the Autobots prepare to leave Cybertron.
• Mirage's invisibility power is strangely portrayed in this episode; he lacks the usual glowing prism and energy sound effect as he activates his power, instead merely turning transparent and monochrome. They get both the sound and the effect correct when he reappears in Act 3.
• Megatron is missing his Decepticon symbol as he appears behind Starscream.
• The last of the slaves to be turned around by Mirage just kind of stops, then slides off-screen rather than walking off.
• When Ironhide runs a trench to get to Optimus and Prowl, he's carrying a bazooka that disappears after he reaches them.
• In what is otherwise a beautiful depiction of his robot mode, Rumble is missing his mouth after he blasts Mirage.
• Wheeljack's ears don't flash as he announces the coming of "independence day".
• The energon cubes dropped by the slaves are a strange translucent yellow-white-purple, rather than the usual solid glowing pink-purple. In the same shot, we cannot see the torso of the fat mustached slave through the energon cube that he's carrying... but we can see his feet through the cube after he drops it.
• The chunks of earth falling into Rumble's earthquake crevasse have grass that disappears and reappears between frames.
• The exploding energon cubes are shown against a completely black background. Even if they're in an unlit cargo compartment, the cubes themselves should illuminate the space.
• A series of "natural disaster" shots is recycled from Part 1 as Megatron's ship explodes... including one of Prime talking to himself, this time without any dialog to go with his moving mouthplate.
• The last shot of orbital Cybertron once again includes clouds behind the orbiting planet.
• Optimus is missing the horizontal lines on his tummy grille as Spike takes stock of the day's work.

Continuity errors

• The opening recap takes some liberties with events that happened for the sake of drama:
  • Bumblebee's fall down the crevasse is cut into the scenes of the volcano housing the Ark erupting to make it appear as if he tumbled into the mouth of the volcano itself.
  • But the most puzzling change is that the scene of Megatron's forces attacking the Ark from part 1 are mixed with scenes that have yet to occur (The Decepticons responding to the alarm Sparkplug pulled) to make it appear as if Megatron shot Brawn. Ominous!
• As seen last episode, Ironhide is part of the Autobot rescue party that boards Skyfire and arrives on Cybertron, only to disappear immediately after. In this episode, we see that he actually stayed behind on Earth.
• Soundwave's presence on Cybertron is not inexplicable — there's no reason he couldn't just fly there, and later have flown back to Earth before Cybertron was knocked out of its orbit. But it's a bit odd for him to have made the trip for no obvious reason or explanation.
• When we last saw Wheeljack's workshop in "Divide and Conquer", it was sealed by a computerized Decepticon lock. This time, the Autobots just drive right into it, no problem.
  • It’s entirely possible that the Autobots were able to remove it after Chip cracked it, but this is never mentioned.
• When the Autobots and Spike arrive in the workshop, Wheeljack is wondering how the Decepticons are controlling Sparkplug, Bumblebee says that it is mind control, to which Wheeljack replies, "Mind control! Of course!" ...Seriously, what else could it have been? And how did Wheeljack, master inventor, not realize this when Bumblebee did?

Shockwave investigates the pivotal question of how well humans bounce.

• Superhuman Spike:
  • Survives being dropped from shoulder height by Shockwave.
  • Can lift Optimus's giant metal rifle.
• The dialogue of the surfing Autobots suggests they don't know what they are going to find on the beach, and quickly realize they could all be killed by ramming into the sea funnel. What... was the plan, exactly?
• Holy crap, how freaking stupid is Starscream? With a whole planet going crazy with energy sources all around him—storms, earthquakes, volcanoes, tidal waves—he makes the bizarre decision to try and suck energon out of a human's brain. He further decides to do this right under Megatron's nose. His attempts to convert Doctor Arkeville's neural energy into energon fail, of course; what this says about the intelligence of both scientists is debatable.
• Speaking of poor planning: Megatron leaves Dr. Arkeville to drown in the ruins of the sea funnel, saying "He is of no further use to me." Then a few minutes later when Megatron needs the slaves to work faster, he demands to know where Arkeville is. Later still, he is angry at the thought that perhaps Arkeville could have betrayed him.
• As often happens, the Autobots' claim to be outnumbered is a bit dubious. There are 8 Autobots (Prime's surfer six, plus Mirage & Cliffjumper) against only Megatron, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Rumble, and a couple of Reflectors.
• Prime's comment to Prowl ("If we lose now, Cybertron's next orbit will tear the earth apart!") doesn't make much sense, and calls out the same total lack of strategy that the Autobots had in the last episode - namely, they aren't doing or planning anything to actually make Cybertron go away.
• Prime really does just kind of sit there and let Megatron run off into his spaceship.
• Did Spike and Prowl both hit on the idea of blowing up Megatron's ship, and just not actually say so? Or were they both hoping to shoot Cybertron out of its orbit?
• Wouldn't blowing up Megatron's ship be a good idea anyway? Why were they just letting him go?
• Megatron is able to survive an explosion which had enough energy to shift the orbit of Cybertron. Considering previous evidence of his durability, how he could survive a planet-moving blast is a mystery.
• Wouldn't a giant explosion just wreck both planets, rather than neatly pushing one of them away?
• And for that matter, if the explosion pushed Cybertron away, why wasn't Earth moved in the opposite direction?

Rhino DVD errors

• In several of Shockwave's speaking scenes, the glow from his eye is missing while some are managed by overlays added.
• Only one segment of Wheeljack's "ears" flash as he delivers his "We figured you might be getting lonesome" line.
• As Skyfire is shooting at the Decepticons while saying his house cleaning line, the laser fire out of his gun is missing but the sound can still be heard.
• Various shots of the Autobots "surfing" are different, more poorly-animated versions.
• The scene of Shockwave saying "We've been expecting you!" has a bizarre purple tint.
• When Mirage reappears inside the Decepticon ship, a piece of missing footage in the production master Rhino were using meant he actually didn't reappear. Rhino actually took a crack at fixing this, though, but the "fix" constituted taking a ghastly, high-contrast, low-res, single-frame figure from another version of the episode and primitively copy-pasting it into the scene.
• As he observes Skyfire's approach, Prowl's face disappears, leaving only his helmet.
• Skywarp is colored as a second Thundercracker as the pair follows their retreating leader from the island.
• The shot of the energon cubes exploding is missing its background.
• The remastered DVD releases of this episode use an incorrect closing credits sequence, which overlays the text credits from Season 2 over the animation from Season 1.

Trivia

• This episode is subtitled "Revival" in scripts and other official materials.
• This was one of the six episodes featured on the Revenge of the Fallen console game. For some unknown reason, this version of the episode makes use of the Generation 2 broadcast's audio, as the Cybernet Space Cube can be heard throughout without the Cube's visuals.
• The episode shares many of the same visual hallmarks that "Roll for It" and "S.O.S. Dinobots" had, including overly rounded appearances for Optimus and Wheeljack, and the stylized flying poses by the Decepticons. The main difference between those episodes and this one is that instead of orange, Wheeljack's headlights flash their usual blue color.

Foreign localization

French

• Title (European French): "Le dernier jugement, partie 3" ("The last judgement, part 3")
• Title (Canadian French): "L'ultime destin - Partie 3" ("The ultimate doom - Part 3")
• Original airdate: ?

• About the European French dub:

• Shockwave's line "Destruction to all trespassers" is absent from the dub. The same goes for Brawn's line just after, "You're out of the picture, guys!".
• Skyfire's lines during the dogfight are all missing.
• Several logo transitions were cut. It is unknown if it was that way for the original broadcast or if the episode was chopped for the DVD release.
• Wheeljack's line "It's independance day!" becomes "You'll have to work yourself!".
• Despite never adding titles on-screen on their DVDs, the Déclic Images edition adds the title "Le sursis" ("The reprieve") for this episode.

Italian

• Title (dub 1): "La resa dei conti" ("The Last Stand")
• Original airdate: ?

• In the recap, the narrator states that Soundwave was the one who warned Megatron, instead of Sparkplug. He also weirdly calls Soundwave a "robot of the last generation".

• Title (dub 2): "Destino finale - Terza parte" ("Final Destiny - Third Part")
• Original airdate: ?

Japanese

• Title: "Hametsu no Hi PART III" (破滅の日 PART III, "Day of Destruction PART III")
• Original airdate: November 7, 1986

• Due to Skyfire's status as a Bandai toy in Japan, the Japanese broadcast of "The Ultimate Doom" three-parter was delayed to the end of the series, when the legal issues were resolved (as were most Skyfire episodes). All three episodes of "The Ultimate Doom" aired on the same day in Japan as an extra length series finale.

Mandarin

• Title: "Miè Dǐng zhī Zāi (Xià)" (灭顶之灾(下), "Catastrophe of Extinction, Part III")
• Original airdate: ?

Brazilian Portuguese

• Title: "A Destruição Final, Parte 3: Reavivamento" ("The Final Destruction, Part 3: Revival")
• Original airdate: ?

Serbian

• Title: "Sudnji dan, treći deo" (Судњи дан, трећи део, "Judgment Day, Part 3")
• Original airdate: ?

Latin Spanish

• Title: "La Destrucción Máxima, Parte III" ("The Maximum Destruction, Part III")
• Original airdate: ?

Toys inspired by this episode

The Ultimate Masterpiece, Part 1.

• Henkei! Henkei! Electro Disruptor Ligier (TakaraTomy, Deluxe Class, 2009)

"Electro Disruptor Ligier" is a translucent plastic version of Henkei Mirage offered as a mail-away exclusive to those who have bought the book Transformers Generations 2009 Volume 1. Its monochrome color scheme suggests it was based on the one-time depiction of Mirage's invisibility power in this episode.

• Masterpiece MP-20 Wheeljack (TakaraTomy, 2015)

A Masterpiece toy of Wheeljack that includes a weapon accessory based on the generic laser pistol he wields in this episode. Additionally, if purchased in Japan through Amazon, one additionally gets a toolbox based on the hypno-chip disabling device he also uses in this episode.

• Masterpiece MP-20+ Wheeljack (TakaraTomy, 2019?)

A redeco of Masterpiece Wheeljack in a more cartoon-accurate color scheme that again includes the laser pistol from "The Ultimate Doom, Part 3".

Home video releases

VHS

1985 — The Transformers — Volume 2: "The Ultimate Doom" (Family Home Entertainment)
1996 — The Transformers — The Ultimate Doom (Malofilm)
2001 — The Original Transformers — Villains: The Ultimate Doom (Rhino Entertainment)

LaserDisc

1995 — Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers — Megatron Set (Takara) — Japanese audio only.
1999 — The Transformers — Decepticon Edition (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.

DVD

2001 — The Transformers — DVD Box 2 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.
2001 — The Original Transformers — Villains: The Ultimate Doom (Rhino Entertainment)
2002 — Transformers — Original Series: Volume One (Sony Wonder)
2002 — Transformers — Complete Original Series: Deluxe Edition (Sony Wonder)
2002 — The Original Transformers — First Season Collector's Edition (Rhino Entertainment)
2002 — The Original Transformers — Volume Three (Rhino Entertainment)
2003 — Transformers — Collection 1: Series 1 (Madman Entertainment)
2004 — Transformers — Season 1 (Metrodome)
2004 — Transformers — Volume 3 (Déclic Images) — European French audio only.
2006 — Transformers — The Complete Generation One Collection (Metrodome)
2007 — Classic Transformers — Series One: Part Two (Metrodome)
2007 — The Transformers — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)
2008 — Transformers — Volume 02: Stagione Uno Parte Seconda (Medianetwork Communication) — English and Italian audio.
2009 — Transformers — Season One (Metrodome)
2009 — The Transformers — Complete Collection: Decepticon Edition (Madman Entertainment)
2009 — The Transformers — The Complete First Season: 25th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory)
2009 — The Transformers — The Complete Series: 25th Anniversary "Matrix of Leadership" Collection (Shout! Factory)
2011 — The Transformers — The Complete Original Series (Shout! Factory)
2014 — The Transformers — The Complete First Season: 30th Anniversary Edition (Shout! Factory)
2014 — Transformers — The Classic Animated Series (Metrodome)

External links

• Episode Dossier at The Cybertron Chronicle
• Full episode script, finalised on 6th August 1984
• Model sheets and background layouts
• Gallery of storyboards for Act III of this episode