Countdown to Extinction (episode)

The name or term "Countdown to Extinction" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, seeCountdown to Extinction (disambiguation).

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Prime helps Megatron to shoot his load.
"Countdown to Extinction"
Production code	#700-11
Season	1
No. in season	14
Production company	Sunbow Productions
Airdate	December 1,1984
Written by	Reed RobbinsandPeter Salas
Animation studio	Toei
Continuity	Generation 1 cartoon continuity
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In the aftermath of Cybertron's catastrophic orbit of Earth, both sides regroup, while Starscream puts into motion a plan to destroy the planet.

Contents 1Synopsis 2Featured characters 3Quotes 4Notes 4.1Production information 4.2Continuity notes 4.3Real-world references 4.4Technical or animation glitches 4.5Shout! Factory DVD release 4.6Continuity errors 4.7Trivia 4.8Foreign localization 4.9Toys inspired by this episode 5Home video releases 6References 7External links

Synopsis

The previous threat ofCybertron's orbits overEarthhave passed.Optimus Primeand theAutobotswork to help repair cities and do other generous/benevolent type things. After all,Megatronis MIA, believed killed in the explosion that moved Cybertron from Earth's orbit. But they are not the only ones affected by Megatron's absence.

WithStarscreamhaving gone AWOL and their headquarters still heavily damaged, the Decepticons are in disarray;Skywarppicks a fight withRumbleandFrenzywhileThundercrackerfruitlessly tries to keep them on task. This squabbling is short-lived, however, as Megatron returns, having survived the explosion of his starship. When he learns that Starscream andDoctor Arkevilleare apparently working together, he sets off in pursuit with the other Decepticons.

Starscream, still believing Megatron destroyed, forces Doctor Arkeville to take him to his secret laboratory. Once there, he discovers another of the Doctor's inventions, theExponential Generator,a power source that, if it overcharges, will detonate with enough energy to destroy the Earth.

Seeking to gain power for himself, Starscream links the generator to a timer and then takes Doctor Arkeville with him toCybertron,which is still nearby. He plans to collect the energy unleashed by Earth's destruction to revitalize Cybertron. He coercesShockwaveinto serving him, and to help in the restoration of Cybertron.

The Autobots detect the Decepticon activity and set off after them. After a short battle the Autobots are trapped in quicksand.Ironhidefreezes the quicksand with his liquid nitrogen allowing them to escape.Laserbeak,who was standing guard over them, is captured andJazzforces him to play his findings. The Autobots learn that the Decepticons are heading for the Doctor's secret laboratory and they set off to follow them.

The Doctor, unwilling to let Starscream benefit from the Earth's destruction, attempts to sabotage the energy collectors, but the Decepticon security system stuns him with a blast of electricity. Starscream has the badly-injured Doctor 'repaired' by themedicroids,leaving him more machine now than man. Of course, he was twisted and evil to start with, so.

The Autobots and Decepticons arrive at the laboratory and battle each other again. Unaware of the danger it represents, Megatron covets the exponential generator and fights Optimus Prime for its possession. During the fight, Megatron receives a communication from Shockwave on Cybertron.

Shockwave, unwilling to further serve Starscream, warns Megatron about the timer and Starscream's plan. Megatron rips the timer from the wall just in time. On Cybertron, Starscream is baffled that the Earth has not exploded and sets off back to check the timer.

The exponential generator has become volatile and begins to go critical, ready to explode. Prime rips it away from Megatron, but theDecepticon leadersays he needs the Autobot leader's help.Transforming,Megatron tells Prime to load the generator into his gun barrel, and then fires it into space. It explodes quite near Starscream who is flying up to Earth, and the blast sends him crashing... just in front of none-too-pleased Megatron. Stunned, Starscream tries to babble something to excuse himself, but Megatron gathers the hapless Starscream up and drags him away.

With the threat ended, the Autobots let the Decepticons go.Bumblebeewonders what will happen to Starscream, and the other Autobots are amused at the thought of what Megatron plans to do.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"Can't you doanythingright, Skywarp? "
"Watch it, you metallic mini-meatball, or I'll step on you!"

—RumbleandSkywarpshortly before the former gets owned.

"Hey, I didn't volunteer for this geeky assignment. I want Skywarp's job."
"Butt out, Frenzy. Geek work's made for a geek! Like you!"

—FrenzyandSkywarpbickering before resorting to violence.

"I, Doctor Arkeville, genius of science, say... OPEN SESAME!"
"How original."

—Dr. ArkevilleshowsStarscreamthe entrance to his secret lab.

"Hey Optimus, how'd you like to hear the number one on the Decepticon hot cassette charts?"
"As I believe the Earthlings say... lay it on me, man."

—JazzandOptimus Prime

"Your destiny is to serve me, my potent beauty."

—Megatron's interest in the exponential generator gets a little creepy.

Rumble:Megatron, it's... it's the Autobots!
Megatron:Impossible! They were doomed!
Skywarp:Don't worry. We'll make them regret undooming themselves.

—The Decepticons prepare to kick some exhaust port.

Megatron:Here! Have a ton of fun!
[Megatron throws a boulder at Optimus, misses and hits Rumble.]
Optimus:Hahaha! Your aim's improving, Megatron!

—Optimus Primeis having a blast.

"Welcome home, noble voyager."

—Megatronmissed Janeway too.

Bumblebee:Hey Prime, what do you think Megatron's gonna do to Starscream? "
Optimus:Nothing gentle, I would say.
[general laughter]
Jazz:I think we seen the last of ol' Starcreep alright! And that's the first thing that's gone right all day.

—The Autobots muse on Starscream's fate after Megatron is last seen carrying him off screen.

Notes

Production information

• First draft script: 23rd July 1984
• Script revised byRon Friedman:26th July 1984
• Final script: 9th August 1984
• Dialogue recording: (Peter Cullennot present for main session,Chris Lattavoiced Optimus Prime for scratch track)

Continuity notes

• This episode follows on from "The Ultimate Doom, Part 3"and includes a narrative recap of that episode's crucial events.
• Frenzyfirst appears in this episode... andhe's red.
• Rumble calls Skywarp amaxi-turkey.

• Gadgets and powers:
  • A relatively rare instance of Wheeljack firing his missile launcher.
  • An even more rare instance of Mirage firing his.
  • Ironhide unleashes his old favorite, supercooled nitrogen. It's a whitish-clear gas this time, coming from his retracted wrist. (And since nitrogen boils at well below room temperature, this may be the one time inTransformerswhere the substance is actually shown correctly.)
  • Megatron's communication with Shockwave on Cybertron is indicated by his upper-chest rectangles blinking.
• As proof of his leadership, Starscream shows a badge with the Decepticonsymbol.Everyotherleaderjust had Laserbeak perch on his shoulder or arm.
• We never see Arkeville again; Starscream leaves him on Cybertron as an immobilized cyborg.
• The episode isamazinglyconsistent about showing the same 13 Autobots in Prime's strike force.
• < <What makes Starscream the leader? Megatron's ship blew up!> >

Real-world references

• Star Warssound effects:
  • Millennium Falconengine burst as Starscream approaches the secret lab.
  • TIE Fighterengine roar andFalconwhine as Skywarp and Thundercracker open fire on the Autobot convoy.
  • MoreFalconrumble as Skywarp is hit by Wheeljack's missile.
  • More TIE engine as the Decepticons move to land a second later.
  • Death Starfiring noise as the Decepticons launch to retreat.
  • DivingX-Wingsas the Decepticons leave the quicksand pit.
  • TIE/Falconas Laserbeak launches to stop Ironhide.
• A sound effect more commonly used for the Road Runner is repurposed as Skywarp and Thundercracker diving to attack the Autobots.

Technical or animation glitches

• As the Dinobots push the building back into place, Grimlock has his old head design, and Sludge has that strange yellow mouth interior again.
• As Wheeljack raises his hand to indicate where the Dinobots should stop, the flashing glow of his "ears" is layered on top of his hand.
• Two Brawns are seen repairing the damaged dam, one handing the other a concrete block. In the next shot, one of them has turned into Gears, in time for Huffer to hassle him.
• When Shockwave contacts Megatron about the generator's imminent destruction, the eyes on his Decepticon insignia are missing.
• Coloring errors:
  • When Skywarp's hand and arm reach into the frame to slap Rumble, they're in Thundercracker's colors.
  • Soundwave is missing the yellow lines around his tape door as he mocks Thundercracker.
  • As Megatron asks about Arkeville, Skywarp's chest intakes are colored black. Both he and Thundercracker have the bottom segments of their canopies colored orange instead of black/blue respectively.
  • The Laserbeak tapeis bluein the first shot, but during the close-up, its coloring changes to Laserbeak's normal red-and-white.
  • While listening to Laserbeak, the black line above Megatron's eyes is white making his eyes look extra small.
  • As Megatron orders his troops to move out, Soundwave's hand is white, then changes to blue.
    

    
  • Starscream's wing stripe is gray instead of red, and his wings are mounted too low, as he orders the Doctor to open his lab door.
  • Starscream's foot is light gray instead of blue as he comments on the Doctor's originality.
  • Bumblebee is tan instead of yellow as the jets fire on the Autobot convoy.
  • The area in front of Starscream's neck is dark gray instead of light gray as Dr. Arkeville says he must work under his supervision.'
  • As Starscream prepares to flip the switch, his wings are missing most of their paint details.
  • As Starscream congratulates the Doctor for understanding his intent, the stripes on his wings are white instead of red.
  • In the next shot, the bridge of Starscream's nose is dark gray instead of medium gray. In fact, Starscream's nose changes color a lot throughout this episode, too much to mention.
  • Starscream's elbow segment is red instead of gray after he threatens Shockwave.
  • Optimus's antenna is white instead of blue as he looks up at Megatron perched on the rock peak, and again as he watches the Decepticons fly off.
  • As he stands over the generator, the square red button on Megatron's waist is colored blue.
  • Starscream's tailfins are miscolored as he falls to Earth and impacts.
  • The chest segment above Starscream's canopy is colored yellow instead of gray as Megatron looms over him.
• Missing Seeker insignia:
  • Skywarp and Thundercracker are both missing the insignia on the back of their wings as Thundercracker steps in to tell them to shape up.
• As the sliding doors start to open to admit Megatron, he disappears for a frame or two.
• Skywarp is drawn delivering Thundercracker's "He's gone!" lines.
• As usual when he's playing back a tape report, Soundwave's tape door suddenly becomes transparent as Laserbeak plays back. Behind him, Thundercracker's canopy is still over-oranged, and his wings aren't symmetrical.
• Wheeljack is missing his ears as he watches Megatron & co. on screen.
• Improbable viewpoints:
  • How DID Teletraan I get that image of the Decepticons flying along?
• "Puny flesh creature!" The insignia on Starscream's wing-back is badly out of place.
• Starscream's air intakes are light gray instead of red as Dr. Arkeville boards hisjet mode.
• As Starscream talks to Dr. Arkeville in space, his voice is muffled as though coming over a radio. Since Arkeville isinsidehim, shouldn't Starscream's voice be normal?
• Brawn's helmet is yellow instead of gray in the big lineup of firing Autobots. Jazz is missing his insignia. Wheeljack's ears flash for a single frame even though he's not speaking, and they're orange; he's missing his missile launcher.
• When Starscream instructs Shockwave to start setting up energy collectors, Shockwave's gun-hand has switched to his right arm.
• Thundercracker has no stripes or insignia on his wings as he, Soundwave and Rumble half-heartedly dodge Autobot fire (instead of landing like Megatron just ordered.)
• Thundercracker is drawn delivering Skywarp's "undooming themselves" line.
• The end of Megatron's fusion cannon ismuchtoo thin as he aims at Prime in front of the generator.
• As Prime warns Megatron to be careful, his faceplate drops almost all the way to his chin as he speaks.
• The damage caused to Megatron's chest by the exponential generator disappears after he leaves the lab.
• As the Autobots drive past cam, Ironhide and Ratchet's passenger side windows are HUGE.
• Prime's strange half-sloped windscreen design appears in the next shot, an error found in several other episodes including "Divide and Conquer".
• 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.
• Peter Cullen's voice for Optimus Prime is given an unusual amount of robotic modulation in this episode. It's particularly noticeable in the third act's scenes between Optimus Prime and Megatron inside the lab.

Shout! Factory DVD release

• The volume of the sound effects in the Shout! release of this episode are noticeably reduced from the original; the beeping of the timer after the first commercial break, for example, is barely audible.

Continuity errors

• NarratorVictor Caroliclaims that Cybertron's orbit of Earth has "left the world in ruins". Yet somehow, after the opening scenes of this episode, we never see any signs of this catastrophic damage—in this episode or any future one. The Autobots are shown repairing things, but things return to normal too quickly even for Autobots.
• Megatron was beat to hell at the end of last episode. When he returns to Decepticon Headquarters, he's brand-spankin' new. Where did he get the resources to repair himself so thoroughly?
• Optimus says that "we can't let [Megatron] and the Decepticons regroup"... but it should be obvious from the screen that they alreadyhaveregrouped.
• The timer that Starscream connects to the exponential generator, which starts at 8:00:00, leads to some dubious situations:
  • When the timer says 7:58:20 (1:40 minutes), only about 20 seconds have passed.
  • It takes Starscream less than 30 seconds to reach outer space (and have a good bit of distance between him and Earth). He then reaches Cybertron in about 4 hours. For what it's worth, Starscream's toybiostates that he can reach Mach 2.8. Also, Cybertron was probably still relatively close to Earth.
  • Theshenanigansbattles out in the field, including when the Decepticons initially bury Bumblebee, and the quicksand trap, take about 5 1/2 hours.
  • There's a time lapse of around 15 minutes between the moment Megatron finds the exponential generator and when he opens it up. That, of course, could be overlooked seeing how it may take Megatron, who's unfamiliar with the lab, that much time to figure out the controls.
  • The battle outside Doctor Arkeville's lab, including Megatron's own standoff with Optimus Prime, goes on for 2 hours. Maybe not so dubious, but it's not the norm for the television series.
• How is it that everyone seems to know where Doctor Arkeville'ssecretlaboratory is? (The very prominentfront staircasemight be a clue.)

• When we last see Laserbeak, he's held prisoner in Jazz's tape deck. We never do learn how he gets free.
• If the generator can melt Megatron's chest, why doesn't it melt his hands?
• The explosion from the exponential generator is supposed to be powerful enough to destroy the Earth, and yet the actual explosion is so small, all it does is knock Starscream out of the air. (See also "War of the Dinobots"for another example of an" Earth-destroying "explosion). In fairness, Megatron by this point has spent some time de-wiring and perhaps de-powering the device.

Trivia

• TheSunbow Productionscast list for this episode lists "Tyrex" and "Bronton" asDinobotsappearing with non-speaking roles. Evidence points to these being early names for Grimlock and Sludge coined by writerDonald F. Glut;in an interview with Glut,^[1]he revealed that, prior to the Dinobots receiving their final names, he had submitted more "dinosaurian" names for them. Why Glut's proposed names were used on a cast list page for an episode he did not write—particularly when Grimlock and Sludge had been referred to in prior cast list pages under their proper names—is unknown.
• Thundercracker appears to be the one commanding the remaining Decepticons before Megatron returns; while not an outright error, it's a bit odd as based on what's understood about the Decepticon hierarchy, it seems like Soundwave is the highest-ranking one present.
• In theFamily Home EntertainmentVHS promotional blurb for this episode, the narrator claims the exponential generator's explosion is powerful enough to destroythe entire universe.So, uhhh, maybe every bit of TF fiction produced after this actually represents a differentuniversal stream!
• One ofTransformers: War for Cybertron'smultiplayer modes is named after this very episode.
• Yes, the Heroic Autobots are laughing over how Megatron is going to torture Starscream.

Foreign localization

French

• Title (European French):"Raz de marée"(" Tidal Wave ")
• Title (Canadian French):"Le Générateur exponentiel"(" The Exponential Generator ")
• Original airdate:?

• Concerning the European French dub:

• Jacques Ferrièreis absent from this episode. All his characters are consequently distributed to other cast members.
• Laserbeak is called "Laserback" twice in this episode. In previous episodes he was called "Laserobreak".
• Very rare case, all names are pronounced in the argument scene between the Decepticons (Rumble is named, and Skywarp is named twice!).
• Ironhide is called "Ironhike" twice. A mix between his original name and "Irok", the name they usually use in the dub.
• Optimus Prime's laugh after Megatron hit Rumble is replaced by weird sounds fromFrancis Lax,making it sound like Optimus is in great pain or struggles to do something.
• Shockwave reports to Megatron by introducing himself as "Shock". This is the name that was mistakenly used for Soundwave in several previous episodes.

Italian

• Title (dub 1):"Astrum, il traditore"(" Starscream, the Traitor ")
• Original airdate:?

• Rumble is called "Scarlet" in this episode, despite his Italian name being "Tartar".
• "Tread water" oddly becomes "walk on water".

• Title (dub 2):"Conto alla rovescia per l'estinzione"(" Countdown to Extinction ")
• Original airdate:?

Japanese

• Title:"Chikyū Shōmetsu Keikaku"( địa cầu tiêu diệt kế hoạch," The Earth Obliteration Plan ")
• Original airdate:August 31,1985

• Due toSkyfire's status as aBandaitoy in Japan, the Japanese broadcast of "The Ultimate Doom" three-parter had to be delayed until the end of the series, when the legal matters could be resolved. As a result, with this episode being an epilogue to "The Ultimate Doom", its chronology rubs off as rather confusing in the broadcast order of the series. A guide written byHirofumi Ichikawafor thePioneerDVD box set featured a "proper viewing order" feature so that Japanese fans could watch the episodes in a more logical continuity.
• This episode was commemorated by an exclusiveSuper Collection Figuregiftset sold at the Wonder Festival 2002 convention in Japan. The set included both a metallic-painted PVC of Optimus Prime holding Megatron in gun mode and a metallic-painted PVC of Prime in truck mode.

Mandarin

• Title:"Bàozhà Qiánxī"( nổ mạnh đêm trước," Before Explosion ")
• Original airdate:?

Brazilian Portuguese

• Title:"Contagem Para Destruição"(" Countdown to Destruction ")
• Original airdate:?

Russian

• Title:"Otschyot gibeli"(Отсчёт гибели," Death Countdown ")
• Original airdate:?

Serbian

• Title:"Odbrojavanje pred uništenje"(Одбројавање пред уништење," Countdown to Destruction ")
• Original airdate:?

Latin Spanish

• Title:"Cuenta atrás hacia la extinción"(" Countdown to Extinction ")
• Original airdate:?

Toys inspired by this episode

• Optimus Prime(2003/2004)
  • Japanese ID number:MP-1
  • Accessories:Scope, silencer, stock

20th AnniversaryOptimus Prime included an accessory of Megatron in his classic Walther P-38 altmode in reference to this episode, as well as a similar team-up in "The Insecticon Syndrome".Although non-transforming, it is quite detailed and includes the individually removable silencer / barrel extension, scope, and (hinged) stock.

As theMasterpieceOptimus Prime mold has been has re-released multiple times, so too has Megatron. He was made available again without changes as an accessory for Takara's MP-4, "Convoy Perfect Edition"and MP-1L,"Convoy Last Production",and Hasbro's"DVD Edition",but has also been redecoed several times: these distinct new versions of Megatron are listed onMegatron's toy's page.

Home video releases

VHS

1986 —The Transformers— Volume 11: "Countdown to Extinction" (Family Home Entertainment)

LaserDisc

1994 —Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers— Convoy Set (Takara) — Japanese audio only.
1998 —The Transformers— Autobot Edition (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.

DVD

2001 —The Transformers— DVD Box 1 (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.
2002 —Transformers— Original Series: Volume Three (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— Le Retour de Megatron (UFG Junior) — 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)

References

1. ↑Interview with Donald F. Glut

External links

• Full episode script, finalised on 9th August 1984
• Model sheets and background layouts
• Gallery of storyboards for Act III of this episode