City

« Transformers: Cybertron ep 41 » Galaxy Force ep 42
...repair and rule?
"City" 地下世界へGO!! () (Chika Sekai he GO!!) "To the Underworld, GO!!"
Production company	TV Aichi, We've, Tōkyū Agency
Airdate	October 22, 2005 (Japanese) September 15, 2006 (English)
Writer	Kazuhiko Sōma
Director	Atsushi Takeyama
Animation studio	GONZO
Continuity	Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity

The Autobots split up to head for the inner layers of Gigantion, and Coby reveals his latest creation.

Synopsis

With the discovery of the crashed Atlantis on Gigantion, Optimus Prime gathers the Autobots on the bridge of the Ogygia in order to formulate a plan to finally rescue Bud and the Mini-Cons, who have long been trapped on the ancient starship.

On board the Atlantis, Sideways comes to, and is chewed out by Starscream. When the Autobots attack, Starscream declares he's still weakened, and sends Sideways out to handle the intruders. Sideways plays it up all loyal in front of Starscream ("Oui, mon capitan!"), but as soon as he's alone, he starts bitching. He heads outside and battles Optimus Prime and Wing Saber, unaware that the combined Autobots are serving as a distraction while Override and the Cybertron Defense Team infiltrate the Atlantis by ground. This quartet are not the first to get on board, however, as Bud, Jolt and Reverb discover when they hear an ominous rumbling in the ship's ventilation system. Before long, the creature bursts out of a vent and reveals itself to be a Scrapmetal, but when the trio try to run, they find it's not an ordinary Scrapmetal... it's one piloted by Bud's brother Coby, who has come to their rescue!

Outside, Optimus fires a Cyber-Key-enhanced blast at Sideways, but Soundwave arrives and yanks him out of the way. Starscream mutters that once again, he's the only one he can trust, and begins pressing keys. The Autobots soon feel the effect of Starscream's machinations outside, as the ship begins rumble as they are reunited with Bud and the Mini-Cons. Optimus notes it's too damaged to fly, but Scattorshot, who's been taking readings, notes that that's not the problem: Starscream is powering up the main guns using the engines' power. Quickmix arrives, snarling that he's not about to let some "ratchet-headed offworlder" destroy any city, and with the aid of his Mini-Con partner Stripmine, he begins pumping untold amounts of quick-drying cement that covers the entire ship and starts filling the crevice. His plans foiled, trapped and out of power, Starscream can do little more than profane.

MASTERFORCE!!!

Back on the Ogygia, thanks are exchanged, and both Bud and Lori ask Coby when he's going to build each of them a giant robot. Coby apologizes for only having parts enough for one, and then goes on to show everyone what else the machine can do, transforming it into the Cobybot! Optimus sees Scattorshot's hand in the robot, but Scattorshot claims he didn't do that much of the work, and notes that the 'bot hasn't got any onboard weapons systems for safety. Optimus approves, and places an Autobot insignia on the Cobybot's shoulder-armor, telling Coby that from now on, when he changes modes, he should psyche himself up by shouting "TRANSFORM!" There is laughter all around, but Prime has to regretfully bring the merriment to an end so that the Autobots can put a plan to recover the Cyber Planet Key in motion. Using the data drive Coby had previously found, Scattorshot discovers there are four main routes to the central layer, but with no way to tell which one is the quickest, the Autobots decide to split up into teams to cover them all. A backup team remains on the Ogygia just in case.

Back in the normal universe, Primus carefully rations his energy, firing periodic blasts to keep the black hole from expanding too much. Across the galaxy, on Velocitron, Jungle Planet and Earth, familiar faces look up at the space bridges in the sky, and at the images of the black hole menacingly hovering above them...

ARE WE LIVE??

On Gigantion, there's activity all around the planet. In one location, Sideways thanks Soundwave for saving his bacon, and Soundwave reminds him that they have a purpose for being here... in another, the Decepticons buff up Galvatron's armor, before he orders them all to depart and search for the Cyber Planet Key... and in yet another, the team consisting of Optimus Prime, Vector Prime, Metroplex, Bud and the Mini-Cons have come across a giant pile of scrap blocking the way. Bud and Jolt crawl through a small hole, and set off charges to let the larger bots in. Jolt checks the map-box strapped to his back, and they carry on... unaware that they're being followed by Ransack and Crumplezone. The Autobots come across a big door, and Metroplex forces it open... revealing an entire city under a bright daylight sky. Optimus is befuddled, as they're supposed to be underground, but Metroplex and Jolt inform him it's all an illusion set up by the ceiling above. Jolt is about to check the map when he's snatched by Ransack and Crumplezone, who give themselves an overly-extended intro, then start leaping from rooftop to rooftop, playing hot potato with the Mini-Con, who can't fly with the map strapped to his back. Optimus and Vector give chase, but can't shoot out of fear of hitting Jolt, so Bud calls Coby in for help.

Hiya

On the Ogygia, Coby preps his Cobybot, and Quickmix gives him... something. Coby assures the Autobots he can handle those two "sprocket-heads" by himself, and hovers off at speed to back Optimus's team up, arriving just as the two Decepticons start shooting down chunks of the false sky. Coby makes a suitably dramatic entrance, transforming his mech (with the appropriate "Cobybot, TRANSFORM!!!" and stock-footage sequence, earning a thumbs-up from the Primes and Metroplex) and hurling a steel ball at the two Decepticons, which breaks open and sprays some stuff at their feet. The two 'Cons laugh it off, until they realize they're stuck, thanks to Quickmix's super-fast-drying cement. Optimus Prime approaches the two menacingly, demanding Jolt back, and Crumplezone tosses the Mini-Con over his shoulder, hoping to send Prime after him... but Jolt is caught by Evac, leaving Prime free to deal with the troublemakers. Metroplex then tosses Optimus the Sparkdrinker, which stock-footages the two Decepticons far, far away.

After the brief battle, the team regroups, and Optimus thanks the backup team for coming along. He tells Coby he needs more 'bots like him on his team, which Bud takes his cue to again pester Coby to build him a robot suit.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"Awww, man, never mix energon and... huh?!"

—Sideways, returning from unconsciousness

"I'm still too drained to go and fight them. Sideways! Get rid of them!"
"Oui, mon capitan!"

—Starscream is given the Napoleonic treatment by Sideways

"Aw, man, I always knew you'd rescue me! I just never dreamed you'd do it in such a cool way!"
"Huh? You don't think I'm cool?"
"Not that cool."

—Bud and Coby

"But there's one more thing everyone." *beat pause* "You might want to try shouting TRANSFORM when you do that, it'll really get you psyched up!"

—Optimus on Coby's ability to transform

"Och, it's just a door. Do ye not have doors where ye come from?"

—Metroplex pooh-poohs the grandeur

Ransack: It's the terrible twosome!
Crumplezone: The masters of disaster!
Ransack: Barons of bad!!
Crumplezone: Dukes of doom!
Together: The villaaaaaaaaains from Velocitron! *pause* (We're not done.)
Crumplezone: My name's Crumplezone, and this is my partner...
Together: Ransack!
Ransack: How's that for an entrance?
Optimus: It stinks.

—Optimus is unimpressed by Ransack and Crumplezone's self-publicizing.

Optimus: There we go. Now I hope you two don't think this is a tad excessive!
Crumplezone & Ransack: N-N-N-N-No sir!
Optimus: That's good! After all, I'm trying to be fair!

—Optimus Prime mere moments away from dealing with Crumplezone and Ransack in a VERY excessive manner.

"Why us, Ransack?"
"It's the Wheel of Fate, my friend."
"It ran right over us!"

—Ransack, Crumplezone, then the two of them together

"Come on Bud, you're not even old enough to drive!"
"Yeah, but this is a whole other universe! Earth laws don't apply!"

—Coby and Bud argue the merits of building a Budbot

Notes

Differences with Galaxy Force

• Galaxy Force includes a "previously on" segment that summarizes the final seconds of "Fury".
• Within the crashed Atlantis, Starscream makes a comment about being low on Energon in Cybertron, ordering Sideways to go find him some. In Galaxy Force, there is no mention of Energon from either character as they regain consciousness, just confusion about where they are followed by an order from Starscream to Sideways (Noisemaze) to go take care of the Auotobots.
• In Cybertron, Coby makes a disappointed face upon his reunion with Bud because his brother doesn't think he's cool. In Galaxy Force, the look is because Bud is not happy to see him, but rather, happy at the prospect of eating some real food other than the emergency rations he's been surviving on.
• In Galaxy Force, Starscream is not powering up the Atlantis's guns, but instead setting the deck to explode.
• While cryptic in both versions, in Cybertron, Soundwave reminds Sideways that saving each other is "what our people do", then encourages him to remember "why we are both here" without further explanation. In Galaxy Force he goes one step further by reminding Sideways of "revenge"—but for what, we don't know yet.
• Primus is silent in Galaxy Force during the cutback scene of him holding off the black hole with beams of energy; instead, a narrator describes the situation. Primus himself does the narration in Cybertron.
• Cybertron explains that the fourth tunnel has more blockages than the other three, thus requiring "more muscle" on the fourth team. Galaxy Force omits this, making Prime's team seem quite lopsided for no reason.
• In Cybertron, Hot Shot suggests picking a random tunnel, and his idea is shot down by Override. In Galaxy Force, he is asking why they don't just use the crevice Galvatron tore in the previous episode, and Override points out that they just filled it with concrete. (This also implies that the crevice does NOT go all the way to the lowest level of the planet-if it did, the organic layer would be covered in cement.)
• The very next lines of dialogue are also different: in Cybertron, Vector Prime recommends splitting up into four teams, Hot Shot inquires what they would do if one team was attacked, and Optimus Prime suggests putting together a fifth back-up team as a precaution. Conversely, Galaxy Force has Vector Prime explain how Galvatron became incorporeal and travelled underground that way (as seen in the previous episode), suggesting the Autobots find a way to separate their sparks from their bodies to replicate the effect, Hot Shot gets freaked out at the notion, and Optimus Prime decides that they should just split up into four teams (with no mention of a backup team until the rosters are being called out a minute later).
• In Galaxy Force, Optimus Prime's team simply marvels at the underground city, while Jolt is given pause to think about the waste of resources it represents. In Cybertron, most of the conversation is given over to explaining the technology behind the presence of a sky over their heads.
• While Cybertron has Ransack and Crumplezone chatting trying to figure out exactly what the Coby-bot is, Galaxy Force adds a hilarious exchange wherein Armbullet (Crumplezone) says that Coby-bot is making it seem like the two of them are the bad guys. Gasket (Ransack) leans over and surreptitiously reminds him "we are!" which leaves Crumplezone scratching his head and asking "Really?" Megs sure knows how to pick his henchmen!

Animation or technical errors

• When Bud and the Mini-Cons come to, Reverb's arm is in the shot, but he's missing the entire truck-bed/wheel portion of it.

• Jolt's propeller spins when he bows in thanks to Optimus. In order to do this, it clips through the tail-rudder sticking out of his butt. This is not by any means the only time this occurs in the series, but it is a rare instance of us actually getting to see it doing so.

• When Override transforms when the teams roll out, it honestly looks like she lands right on top of Lori.

• For being unable to move thanks to having his foot cemented to the floor, Ransack's supposedly-cemented foot sure does move a lot.

Continuity errors

• When discussing the Cobybot, Scattorshot is carrying the long blue rifle that comes with his toy. The error in question here is that it proceeds to vanish after this shot, but really, it's more notable that he's got it at all, because this is one of a very small number of times that the rifle ever appears in the show when he's in robot mode, the first being in "Assault".

Continuity notes

• Coby was seen re-engineering the Scrapmetal that became his "Cobybot" in "Warp". Though not explicitly stated, it's obvious that it was the secret cargo he was seen loading in the same episode, and which was referred to again in "Giant".
• Crumplezone references his rebirth in "Darkness" while fixing up Galvatron.
• With this episode, Bud joins Coby and Lori in donning a new set of clothes. As before, Cybertron doesn't explain where the clothes come from, while Galaxy Force explained, back in "Family", that they had been packed by Lori's mother.

Transformers references

• Just as Hot Shot did back in "Family", Bud refers to Optimus Prime as "Big Bot", originally used by Beast Wars Cheetor as a nickname for Optimus Primal.
• When the Cobybot first transforms to robot mode, it does so with the classic transformation noise, first heard in the original The Transformers cartoon (and no stock footage, either!)

Real-world references

• Sideways' squeak of "mother!" when Optimus fires his Key-enhanced blast recalls cartoon legend Daffy Duck, who would frequently squeak out "mother!" right before something horrible happened to him.
• Part of the Velocitron duo's extended intro involves the line "My name's Crumplezone, and this is my partner Ransack!". This is word-for-word (aside from names, of course!) the introduction comedian-magicians Penn & Teller use, with the big guy (Penn/Crumplezone) introducing the little guy (Teller/Ransack). The only difference is that Ransack joins in to say his name, while Teller is never seen to talk.
• Crumplezone yells "the sky is falling!" which may be a reference to the classic children's fable Chicken Little who repeatedly voiced the phrase every time something landed on his head.
• The way that the "terrible twosome" mentioned above are sent flying by Optimus, vanishing into the distance with a twinkling effect while commenting on their misfortune, is reminiscent of Team Rocket's typical defeats in the Pokémon anime.

Trivia

• This is the first time we see any connection between Sideways and Soundwave, though right now there's still little explaining Sideways' ultimate motive...
• This episode sees a canonical explanation of why Transformers shout "Transform!" According to Optimus Prime it's because it's more exciting (Galaxy Force) and will "really get you psyched up!" (Cybertron).

Home video releases

DVD

2006 — Transformers: Galaxy Force — Vol. 11 (Victor Entertainment) — Japanese audio only.
2008 — Transformers: Cybertron — The Ultimate Collection (Paramount)
2014 — Transformers: Cybertron — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)