In Darkest Knight

« Beast Machines: Transformers ep 17 »
I'm Batman.
"In Darkest Knight"
Season	2
No. in season	4
Production company	Mainframe Entertainment
Airdate	March 1, 2000 (Canada) September 2, 2000 (USA)
Written by	Steven Melching
Directed by	George Samilski
Animation studio	Mainframe Entertainment
Continuity	Beast Wars continuity

Blackarachnia is finally able to revive Silverbolt, but he doesn't seem too happy about it.

Synopsis

As the big floating head, Megatron's newest body, drifts overhead, Nightscream searches through a derelict region of Cybertron for his former friend, the organic Savage/Noble. However, his search is cut short by Jetstorm and Thrust.

"Behold my new invention: a LIGHT!"

Back at the Maximal base, Rattrap talks to Blackarachnia about his newest invention, combining a spark extractor with a DNA scanner. This process, he hopes, could someday be used to restore any of the captured sparks they recover into Transformer bodies. Optimus Primal and Cheetor arrive, wondering what's happened to Nightscream. Nobody has seen him for a while, so the team head aboveground to find out where he's gone. However, Blackarachnia has a lingering fascination with Rattrap's new device.

The Maximals find Nightscream surrounded by a pack of Cycle Drones and other Vehicons. A fight to rescue their young member begins. Cheetor uses his blades to glide through the air, fighting the Aero Drones all the while. Rattrap outraces several more Cycle Drones. Cooking up her own plot, Blackarachnia places Rattrap's device on Jetstorm, hoping to free his spark and reformat him.

Megatron, in his gigantic head, uses his gravity beams to capture Optimus and Cheetor, ending the conflict quickly. Nightscream is left behind, at the mercy of Thrust. Luckily, he is protected by Savage/Noble, who uses both of his tails to damage Thrust. Rattrap sees the strange dragon haul Nightscream's unconscious body away and, suspecting Savage intends to consume the younger Maximal, follows.

"Kermit, I would like to have a word about injecting some culture into this show."

Blackarachnia leads Jetstorm deeper underground. The jet crashes through one of her webs and into a pool of organic fluid. With the general restrained, the DNA scanner Blackarachnia placed onto him activates and begins to detect local fossils. The scanner passes by several other bones before locking onto a suitable candidate: a skeleton of a prehistoric, condor-like creature. After a painful metamorphosis, the Vehicon once known as Jetstorm is destroyed, and the Maximal Silverbolt is reborn. He becomes aware of himself and is surprised by his new, technorganic form. Shocked, disgruntled, and angry, he flies out of the cave in which he was brought back, leaving a confused Blackarachnia behind.

Confronting the renegade Maximal atop a skyscraper, Blackarachnia discovers a change in her lover. Instead of the corny, phrase-spouting 'bot of prehistoric Earth, this new, angry Silverbolt loathes himself. Blackarachnia tries to remind the Maximal of the heroic personality he used to be, but Silverbolt (who is no longer silver) no longer has any connection to those ideals that once defined him. He comes along with Blackarachnia on a trip to rescue Optimus Primal and Cheetor not out of concern for his Maximal pals, but only as a way to confront his former master, Megatron.

Nightscream awakens in an abandoned warehouse, now serving as Savage/Noble's "den". The creature, in his "Noble" form, provides a metallic apple for Nightscream to feed on. Noble has lost his former mental skills, but still seems to like Nightscream and remember him. Rattrap tries to rescue Nightscream quietly but catches Noble's attention. Confused, Noble shifts into his Savage form, causing Nightscream and Rattrap to cheese it.

"I'm a pepper! Don't you want to be a pepper, too?"

Inside of the Grand Mal, Cheetor and Optimus are interrogated for information on the Oracle and how Megatron can use it to manipulate the Sparks he holds captive. Blackarachnia and Silverbolt arrive in the same chamber, where Megatron manifests an image of himself, a hologram of the Grand Mal made out of floating masses of data. He explains why he selected Silverbolt's spark to be made into a new general: He believed Silverbolt's sense of honor would let him stay true to Megatron's Vehicon ideology. Blackarachnia argues, hoping Silverbolt understands that friendship and love are more important.

Silverbolt rejects Megatron's dogma and transforms into his new robot mode. His throwing blades heavily damage Megatron's insides. Freed, Primal orders a retreat, but Silverbolt feels it would be better to fight and die. Blackarachnia uses one of her abilities to stun him so she can drag him out.

A sunset on Cybertron? Crazy!

Rattrap and Nightscream are still running from Savage when they find Thrust and his drones standing in their way. The Maximals let Savage take care of the drones, while Silverbolt tosses away Thrust into the water. Primal welcomes Silverbolt back into the Maximals, but the bird just leaves the Maximals, not yet ready to be part of the team. Nightscream argues that Savage/Noble still has the qualities of a good guy inside of him, and Primal decides that the best thing to do is to wait.

That morning, sitting on a skyscraper, Blackarachnia and Silverbolt have another discussion, in which he reveals how he enjoyed being a Vehicon, without having to follow his code of honor. Despite this, Blackarachnia is still ready to reach out to him, and together they return to the Maximals.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"Nothing noble about us!"
"But savage? We can do that!"

—Thrust and Jetstorm

"You broke 'em, you bought 'em, kittycat!"

—Jetstorm

"What do you want from us?"
"Oh, nothing much. Just every bit of data on the Oracle to better understand how I can fully exploit the precious sparks in my possession. I anticipate that extracting this information will be slow, painful, and, regrettably...fatal."

—Optimus Primal and Megatron

"How can you stand the sight of me? Look at what I've become!"

–Silverbolt doesn't like his new design any more than the rest of us.

"You helped me find the light once."
"I was a fool back then. I believed in things."

—Blackarachnia and Silverbolt

"Don't listen to him, Silverbolt! He turned you into a monster!"
"I gave you strength. I gave you power."
"We gave you friendship! I gave you my heart."
"I gave you purpose. I gave you life!"
"You... gave... me... NOTHING!!!"

-Blackarachnia and Megatron play Loyalty-tug-of-war with Silverbolt. Guess who loses?

"Nobody's judging you. You were under Megatron's control. Join us, and you can avenge yourself."
"You still don't get it, do you? I don't hate Megatron for what he made me do. He freed me from my code of honor, and I revelled in it. Don't you see? I… enjoyed it. I don't know what I am anymore."
"You are what you've always been – honest, pure, virtuous to a fault."
[Blackarachnia takes Silverbolt's hand]
"You're taking a huge risk."
"Considering how well I know the goodness in your heart, it really isn't a risk at all."

—Blackarachnia and Silverbolt

Notes

Animation or technical errors

Continuity errors

• How do the Maximals know that Noble survived at all?
• Similarly, how do the Maximals know where to find Nightscream after he goes missing?
• When Blackarachnia previously freed Silverbolt from his Jetstorm persona back in "The Catalyst", he seemed to immediately return to his original chivalrous goofball personality, with no psychological side effects.
• It's not clear how Noble, a purely organic creature, has been managing to survive on Cybertron. The "fruits" that he gives Nightscream appear to be completely technological in origin... and raise questions about where these things are even coming from.
• Seeing as how Silverbolt looks virtually nothing like his previous form, it seems somewhat odd that Rattrap would instantly recognise him without being introduced.
• Remember how, in "Revelations Part III: Apocalypse", Optimus said that changing Rhinox against his will is no better than Megatron? Or, in "Crossing the Rubicon", when he said much the same thing about Blackarachnia herself? Well, either Blackarachnia doesn't remember or it's okay when Jetstorm/Silverbolt has a new toy out. Then again, it's not unlike Blackarachnia to ignore directions and strike out on her own.
• Previously, it was a major plot point to maintain robot mode. Now Nightscream is able to maintain robot form while unconscious. Good focus, kid.
• Silverbolt is able to transform without any practice. This is not the first time, nor will it be the last.

Continuity notes

• DNA scanners were a major component of Beast Wars, incorporated into stasis pods. Nightscream noted in "Survivor" that all DNA scanners have since been directly integrated into Cybertronians.
• One of the fossils in the cavern belongs to the same prehistoric bat species that Nightscream scanned.
• Silverbolt had previously shown a non-chivalrous, dark side to him from time to time: most notably in "Crossing the Rubicon" where he intends to murder Tarantulas.
• Blackarachnia refers to how Silverbolt helped her "find the light", referring to her defection to the Maximals in Beast Wars.
• During the escape, when Optimus orders Blackarachnia and Silverbolt to retreat, he calls her "Arachnia" instead of "Blackarachnia". Either this is an error or Optimus has a new nickname for Blackarachnia.
• Gadgets and powers:
  • In his new body, Megatron can grab people off the ground and drag them up into the Grand Mal, UFO-abduction style.
  • Rattrap has telescopic vision, thanks to his face-mask.
  • Cheetor later uses his swords as a parachute.

Transformers references

Real-world references

• The episode's title, of course, is a reference to "The Dark Knight", a nickname for Batman. Writer Steven Melching based Silverbolt's drastic personality change on the Caped Crusader himself: comparing Silverbolt's Beast Wars incarnation to the silly, campy Adam West version of the character, while the grim, vengeance-driven reincarnation we see here was inspired by the darker takes on the character.

Trivia

• While it's not explicitly saying so, this episode does give a reason for how Waspinator of all people could influence his Vehicon self to help Blackarachnia but her true love couldn't: it wasn't that he couldn't, he just didn't want to stop being a villain.
• Vehicons are a superstitious and cowardly lot.

Foreign localization

French

• Title: "Une Sombre Nuit" ("A Dark Night")

German

• Title: "Silver Bolt"
• Original airdate: December 18, 2000

Italian

• Title: "Il cavaliere oscuro" ("The dark knight")

• When Rattrap talks about restoring Transformer sparks, he says "spark of the Transformer" like if he was talking about a single Transformer.
• A few moments later, Cheetor pluralizes "Vehicon" as "Vehicons" despite it mostly being used as an invariable noun in this series.

Japanese

• Title: "Yajū no Ongaeshi" (野獣の恩返し, "The Gratitude of the Beast")
• Original airdate: January 1, 2005

Brazilian Portuguese

• Title: "O Cavaleiro das Trevas" ("The Dark Knight")

Mandarin

• Title: "Dúzhīzhū de Xīn " (毒蜘蛛的心, "The Heart of Blackarachnia")

Spanish

• Title: "El Caballero en la Oscuridad" ("The Knight in the Dark")

Home video releases

DVD

2005 — Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Returns — Volume 5 (Geneon Entertainment) — Japanese audio only.
2006 — Beast Machines: Transformers — The Complete Series (Rhinomation)
2014 — Transformers: Beast Machines — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)
2007 — Transformers: Beast Machines — Season Two: Volume One (Sony)
2007 — Transformers: Beast Machines — Complete Season Two (Sony)
2009 — Transformers: Beast Machines — Intégrale Saison 2 (Sony) — French audio only.