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Season 1 (1984-85)

1. More Than Meets The Eye Part 1

With their energy reserves dwindling, the Autobots set out to find newreserves in their ship but are followed by the Decepticons who attack inside a meteor shower. They board the Autobot ship, and in the battle which ensues,the ship is damaged and thrown off course to crash land on Earth. Several million years later, an eruption of a volcano causes the computer to reactivate and its repair program kicks in, repairing the closest Transformer to the specifications on Earth vehicles gathered by a probe. That Transformer happens to be Skywarp who moves his fellow 'cons into the repair beam. They leave the Autobots behind and prepare to raid the world's resources, but Starscream unwittingly causes the Autobots to be reactivated. Some Autobots track down the Decepticons' base, but are discovered and barely escape. The 'cons attack an oil rig manned by humans Spike and Sparkplug Witwicky, and when the Autobots arrive, they and the humans are caught up in the destruction of the platform.

2. More Than Meets The Eye Part 2

The Autobots escape from the rubble and save the humans. Spike and Sparkplug return to Autobot HQ with them to help them in their battle. The Decepticons continue to plunder Earth's resources and make Energon cubes, planning on returning to Cybertron with enough energy to lead the Decepticons to victory. The Autobots intervene, but are not able to stop the 'cons plot. In an attempt to trap the 'cons in the cave they are mining in, Bumblebee and Sparkplug go in to set an explosive device. They run into problems and Prime send Roller in to help. The device goes off, trapping Bumblebee and Sparkplug and injuring Prime through Roller.

3. More Than Meets The Eye Part 3

Bumblebee and Sparkplug are quickly rescued, but the Decepticons are able to blast their way out. Hound and Prime come up with a plan to trick the 'cons. The captured Ravage is allowed to escape, having overheard the (false) location of a rocket base. The Autobots await the Decepticons attack at a holographic rocket base generated by Hound. The 'cons arrive, but Megatron has anticipated the plot and the 'cons are actually dummies, with the real 'cons attacking the real site. The Decepticons have built a new ship to take them back to Cybertron. Prime and the Autobots make every attempt to stop them and fail, but the Decepticon ship is sabotaged by Mirage who has unbeknownst to his fellow Autobots stowed away on the ship. The Decepticon ship crashes into the ocean.

4.Transport to Oblivion

The Decepticons, working out of an undersea base created from their crashed ship, create a "space bridge" back to Cybertron. Bumblebee and Spike are caught spying and are to be used to test the device which has already failed to work once. Bumblebee is reprogrammed to lead the Autobots into a trap, but Megatron must call off his assault on them since the space bridge is reactivated and must be used within a short period of time. Spike is saved by Bumblebee, and the Energon being transported is detonated, throwing Megatron into the bridge as it is activated.

5. Roll For It

The Decepticons, now led by Starscream continue to attack targets on Earth, but are easily Thwarted by the Autobots. Prime sends Prowl and Bluestreak after the Decepticon attack force, but they bite off more than they can chew. A very much alive Megatron contacts the Earth-bound Decepticons and returns via space bridge. Meanwhile, Bumblebee, Spike, and wheelchair-bound computer-whiz friend Chip Chase visit a human project to develop an anti-matter formula. A backup is given to Chip for safe-keeping. At home, Chip receives a distress call from Prowl and assumes control of him, enabling him and Bluestreak to overcome the Decepticons he has tracked down. Megatron and the Decepticons attempt to steal the anti-matter formula, but the scientist is able to delete it from the computer. Megatron is quickly able to extract the location of the backup from the scientist and has Chip kidnapped. The Decepticons take over the anti-matter project compound and hold Chip hostage. Hound and Mirage manage to infiltrate the compound using their unique skills and get Chip out. The Autobots attack, but anti-matter powered Megatron is too powerful. Eventually, the anti-matter becomes too unstable and Megatron must jettison it and retreat.

6. Divide and Conquer

The Decepticon jets badly damage Optimus Prime in an attack on a power plant. A group of Autobots must go to Wheeljack's lab on Cybertron to obtain a part needed to repair Optimus. The Decepticons attack while the Autobots are thus weakened, but Prime is repaired at the last minute and answers Megatron's challenge for a one-on-one combat. The 'cons are defeated and retreat.

7. Fire in the Sky

The Decepticons are plotting to drain the Earth's energy through a crystal at the North Pole. They discover a Transformer, Skyfire, buried in the ice and revive him. Skyfire, a scientist, crash-landed on Earth before the Autobot ship crashed during a survey mission with Starscream. He allies himself with the Decepticons because of Starscream, and takes Spike and Sparkplug prisoner, being too powerful for the Autobots to stop. However, when he sees how Megatron treats his human prisoners, he changes sides. The Decepticons are defeated, but only at the cost of Skyfire, who ends up frozen in the ice once again.

8. SOS Dinobots

The Autobots discover fossilized dinosaurs in their cave and it leads them to creating three Dinobots, Grimlock, Slag, and Sludge to help them. They are, however mentally unstable, and Prime orders them deactivated. When all the Autobots are captured by Megatron, Wheeljack violates Prime's previous orders and reactivates the Dinobots. They save the others, thereby proving their worth, and Prime allows them to stay activated.

9. Fire on the Mountain

The Decepticons plan to use an ancient crystal as an energy source for their new weapon. After the Autobots detect the energy source, the newly-unthawed Skyfire is dispatched with Windcharger and Brawn to survey the area. They discover Decepticon activity and the entire Autobot force comes in to restore the crystal to its rightful place.

10. War of the Dinobots

The three Dinobots get out of the Autobots' control and ally themselves with the Decepticons. The Autobots design two more Dinobots to bring the others back under their control.

11-13.

• The Ultimate Doom Part 1
• The Ultimate Doom Part 2
• The Ultimate Doom Part 3

14. Countdown to Extinction

Both the Autobots and Decepticons recover from the aftermath of Cybertron's proximity to Earth. Megatron returns to lead the Decepticons. Starscream breaks into Dr. Archivil's lab, and connects the exponential generator there on a timer, which will cause it to explode and destroy Earth. He then travels to Cybertron, where he will collect the released energy. Megatron and Prime, warned by Shockwave, team up to stop the explosion; Starscream returns to find out what went wrong, and is dragged away by a none-too-pleased Megatron.

15. A Plague of Insecticons

Both the Autobots and Decepticons move to investigate the appearance of several new Transformers, the Insecticons. The first battle is between Skyfire and the Insecticons. The Decepticons form an alliance with them, and steal oil from a refinery. The Autobots intervene, but are seriously damaged by the lightning bolts shot at them by one of the Insecticons. They realize that if they transform they are insulated from the electricity with their rubber tires and defeat the Insecticons. The Decepticons and Insecticons end up turning against one another.

16. Heavy Metal War

Megatron has built the Constructicons to create a machine capable of transferring all the Decepticons' special powers over to him. He then challenges Prime to a fight which he must accept by a code of honor. Megatron defeats Prime, and the Autobots must keep their side of the bargain and abandon Earth. Meanwhile, the Constructicons have broken into Autobot headquarters to deactivate Teletran 1 before it can reveal that Megatron has cheated. They are confronted by the Dinobots and, even as Devastator, are defeated by the Autobots once they discover the truth. The Decepticons are all driven into a chasm.

Season 2 (1985-86)

17. Autobot Spike

Sparkplug creates Autobot X out of spare parts. The robot goes crazy during its first test and is put into storage. Later, Spike gets badly injured in a firefight with the Decepticons. To save his life, the Autobots transfer his mind into Autobot X so the doctors can operate on his body. With an unstable mind and Megatron's goading, Autobot Spike turns against the Autobots, but relents when he nearly kills Sparkplug. Spike's body makes it through the operation, and Spike's mind is returned to it.

22. The Immobilizer

[This episode was probably aired second to introduce Carly to the audience]

Wheeljack has created the Immobilizer, a new weapon that can temporarily stop any Transformer in its tracks. The Decepticons manage to steal it partly due to Carly (first appearance) distracting Ironhide from his lookout post. During the battle which follows, Ironhide rescues Carly from the Decepticons, but they have made the Immobilizer's affect permanent and start immobilizing Autobots left and right. With the assistance of Brawn and Jazz, Spike and Carly manage to reverse the effects of the Immobilizer and save the Autobots. The Immobilizer is then destroyed.

30. Dinobot Island Part 1

[This episode was probably aired to introduce many of the second year characters to the audience (particularly due to the stilted introductory lines by many of them)]

Powerglide and Bumblebee discover a prehistoric island filled with dinosaurs. The Dinobots destructive fighting tactics end up causing harm and havoc to the Autobots during a demonstration. As a result, Prime orders the Dinobots to be secluded on an island where they will train to better control themselves in combat, and to be able to work better as a group when they fight. The Decepticons find out about the island and want to tap the many natural resources for power. Megatron eventually learns of this, and then discovers that the island is rich in energy. The Decepticons arrive on the island and proceed to turn the energy into energon cubes. They confronted by the Dinobots, and Megatron stampedes some dinosaurs to force the Dinobots into a tar pit, trapping them.

31. Dinobot Island Part 2

As the Deceps steal energy from the island to fill energon-cubes, it disrupts the time-space continuity, causing other timewarps to appear at random across the world. The Autobots have to send mammoths, cowboys and other historic relics back through the timewarps before they are trapped in modern day. The Autobots eventually figure out the cause of the timewarps, and send a force to stop the Deceps on Dinobot Island. They arrive on the island, but are taken out rather handily. All does not look well until the Dinobots revive and stop the Deceps. Prime sees they have learned to function better as a group and allows them to return to the Autobots.

21. Traitor

The Decepticons capture an unstable power source (electrocells) and seek to exploit them, with the Insecticons' help. Mirage's plan to turn the Insecticons and Decepticons against one another backfires when he is mind-controlled by Bombshell. Under the Insecticon's influence he leads the Autobots into a trap. Ratchet removes Bombshell's cerebro shell and learns the truth, however. In a final battle with Megatron, the electrocells are destroyed.

26. Enter the Nightbird

The Decepticons, working out of a desert base, steal an experimental female ninja robot named Nightbird, and use her to steal the Autobots' computer chip containing information on the world's energy sources. She succeeds in stealing the chip from Autobot headquarters, but is confronted and trapped by the Autobots. The Decepticons come to her aid, but she is ambushed by the jealous Starscream. The Decepticons chase after the fleeing Starscream, leaving Nightbird and the chip with the Autobots.

18. Changing Gears

Normally grouchy Gears is abducted by the Decepticons and Megatron steals his personality cartridge to use in his latest plot, making Gears friendly to them. The Autobots must stop the Decepticons from using a space needle from penetrating and destroying Earth's sun and they retrieve Gears' component, but nobody is particularly happy about it.

27. A Prime Problem

The Decepticons discover a chasm full of crystals that destroy machinery, and they create a machine that can duplicate Transformers. The Decepticons duplicate Optimus Prime and confuse the Autobots as to who is the real Prime. The Autobots and Decepticons fight near the chasm, and the duplicated Prime destroys a duplicated Starscream to further confuse the Autobots. The Autobots are just about ready to follow the fake Prime into the chasm when he (controlled by Megatron) breaks the masquerade by not showing any concern for Spike's welfare. The Autobots knock the fake Prime into the chasm, and the fake Prime is destroyed. The Decepticons abandon their desert base in this episode.

24. Atlantis Arise

Atlantis is raised from the ocean by the Decepticons and the inhabitants plan to take over the Transformers and Washington, D.C.

20. Attack of the Autobots

Megatron alters the Autobots' rechargers to change the Autobots to evil. Jazz and Bumblebee (who did not recharge) and Sparkplug, work to restore the Autobots and prevent Megatron from stealing a solar power satellite. After restoring the Autobots to good, Jazz shatters the Decepticons' escape rocket with a musical sonic boom, and their plot to return to Cybertron with the satellite is thwarted.

32. The Master Builders

Grapple has designed a solar energy-collecting tower, but Prime won't allow its construction on the grounds that it's too difficult to defend, and the consequences would be too great should Megatron take it over. Hoist and Grapple go to sulk in the desert, and the Constructicons dupe them into believing that they've deserted. They build the tower, supposedly for the sake of building it, but after it is finished the Constructicons turn it over to their leader and the Autobots are forced to destroy it.

34. Microbots

Megatron has obtained a new super energy component, the "Heart of Cybertron," from the crashed Decepticon ship. It is violently unstable, and could explode catastrophically at any time. Perceptor, Brawn and Bumblebee are shrunk to micro size to sneak into Megatron's body (he's "drunk" at the time) and retrieve the component. The search is difficult, given Megatron's immune system, and the argument between Perceptor and Brawn of mind over power, but Perceptor finally earns Brawn's respect as the trio finds the component and manages to escape Megatron and shoot the self-destructing component just in time.

29. The Insecticon Syndrome

The Autobots and the Insecticons engage in battle in a forest where the Insecticons are eating the trees. After beating the Autobots, the Insecticons along with the Decepticons go to a base containing a power source which the Insecticons feed on which turns them into big bugs, also making them very unstable. In the process, they kidnap Soundwave and turn him into their slave (thanks to one of Bombshell's cerebro shells) and badly damage Wheeljack and Ironhide, which forces the Autobots to retreat. Soon Megatron and Starscream realize that Soundwave and all the other Decepticons are under Insecticon control. Bombshell launches two cerebro shells, one hits Starscream and he becomes controlled, but Megatron crushes the other one before it hits him. Prime warns Megatron that any blast that hits one of the Insecticons could destroy them all. The Autobots create three antidotes to prevent this from happening. Megatron is forced to work with the Autobots and transforms to fire the antidotes. Bombshell and Kickback are saved and return to normal size, but Shrapnel explodes before the antidote put in him by Spike can work. The Decepticons are freed from Insecticon control and Bombshell reassembles Shrapnel. The Insecticons retreat with the Decepticons chasing them.

25. Day of the Machines

Megatron reprograms Torq III, a supercomputer, to obey him. He uses it to control oil tankers, and direct them to a platform under his control. Optimus Prime destroys the computer; the Autobots attack the platform, and escape as it self-destructs.

35-36.

• Megatron's Master Plan Part 1
• Megatron's Master Plan Part 2

33. Auto Berserk

Red Alert has always been a little jittery, but he is pushed over the edge when an explosion jolts his circuitry while he is helping guard a deadly tank. He thinks Prime is out to replace him, and runs away scared. Starscream is once again kicked out of the Deceps and strikes out to take the tank himself. Eventually, Red forms an alliance with Starscream and the Autobots have to retrieve the tank and repair Red's circuits before he self-destructs, with Inferno in charge of the rescue of his old friend.

19. City of Steel

New York City is rebuild by Megatron into a steel city. Optimus Prime is captured and disassembled. The Autobots locate his pieces scattered throughout the city.

37-38.

• Desertion of the Dinobots Part 1
• Desertion of the Dinobots Part 2

40. A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court

Warpath, Hoist, and Spike are fighting Starscream, Ravage, Rumble, and Ramjet when the Decepticons go in a cave to escape, pursued by the Autobots, and all are transported back to medieval times. The Decepticons hook up with one Lord, while the Autobots hook up with another knight whose daughter Spike is attracted to. Spike gets a full suit of armor and rides Warpath in a joust against Rumble and Ramjet. The joust is not spectacular, because the Transformers are low on fuel. The Decepticons kidnap the knight's daughter, and are able to repel the Autobots because their human ally provided them with an energy source (right before they betrayed him, of course). They also have an advantage because they have made a primitive gunpowder. The Autobots eventually win, the daughter agrees to marry her kidnapper, and the Transformers go back to the cave with a wizard who promises to send them home. The action is not over yet, because the Transformers must duck a dragon to get to the cave. They find themselves back in the middle of the major battle they started out in.

42. The God Gambit

Cosmos discovers an energy source on Titan (a moon of Saturn), but is pursued and disabled by Astrotrain. Astrotrain persuades Titan's inhabitants to worship him as a god, and to help him mine the energy crystals. Omega Supreme, with Perceptor and Jazz aboard, arrives and eventually drives off the Decepticons.

28. The Core

Megatron constructs a drill to reach the center of the Earth and tap the energy there, despite Starscream's warnings that this will destroy the planet. The Autobots, meanwhile, have come up with a way to control Devastator. In their attack on the drill, however, Megatron activates a countermeasure. The conflicting signals cause Devastator to go berserk; only by cooperating are the Autobots and Decepticons able to control him again. Devastator destroys the drill, and the earth is safe.

43. Make Tracks

Tracks is stolen by a human and his abilities to talk and transform are lost. Once reconnected, he reveals who he really is and the two work together to discover that the Decepticons have hired humans to steal a total of 500 cars which they are converting. The Decepticon-controlled cars are unleashed and the Autobots spread out over the city to stop them. They are highly outnumbered, though, when the cars all turn into Decepticons drones. They are finally stopped by Blaster disrupting their remote control signals.

39. Blaster Blues

Blaster feels unappreciated for his ability to pound out the tunes, but other tunes are overwhelming earth, as Megatron uses a radio-jamming device on the moon to disrupt all radio signals. The Autobots assist the radio-less humans anyway they can, while Cosmos and Blaster try to stop the Deceps. They are captured, but Blaster uses his own music to jam the Deceps' radio jammer. Meanwhile, Omega Supreme and Astrotrain duke it out for control of the jamming base.

23. The Autobot Run

The Autobots participate in a stunt show and race for charity, but the Decepticons employ a device to lock them into their vehicle modes. Alerted by Hound, the few Autobots not present at the charity race work to free their friends.

41. The Golden Lagoon

A group of Autobots end up in a firefight with Megatron and several Decepticons. Beachcomber and Thrust become separated in the conflict and end up in a forested area. Beachcomber finds a hidden lagoon with a pool of electrum. Unfortunately, Thrust discovers that if one coats oneself with this electrum, one becomes invulnerable. The Decepticons coat themselves with the electrum and trash the Autobots. Eventually, the Autobots figure out what is going on, find the pool, and coat themselves with electrum. Megatron wishes to destroy the pond before this can occur. The Autobots arrive just before the Decepticons and bathe in the liquid. What follows is a standoff in the secret lagoon. Eventually, the Decepticons' coating of electrum wears off and they flee, but before retreating, Megatron destroys the electrum pool and the resulting explosion destroys all life in the area. The once beautiful lagoon is now wasteland and Beachcomber is horrified at the fighting he has brought to the peaceful forest.

45. Quest for Survival

Cosmos, Spike, and Bumblebee are bringing robotic insecticide to Earth to stop the Insecticons when they are caught by robotic plants called Morphobots. They manage to escape, but carry the plants with them unwittingly. Cosmos goes down and the Morphobots multiply quickly. The Decepticons discover what is going on and try to claim the insecticide for themselves. The Autobots get through the Morphobots by using Blaster's music, but the insecticide is destroyed. The Insecticons try to feed on the Morphobots, but instead are eaten by them (except the original Shrapnel, Bombshell, and Kickback who escape). The Autobots shoot the Morphobots back into space in a rocket.

46. The Secret of Omega Supreme

Omega Supreme tells his story to Optimus Prime of how he was guardian of Crystal City on Cybertron. There he was friends with the Constructicons until Megatron changed them and they destroyed the city. Now he seeks revenge and has pursued them to Earth.

44. Child's Play

Through a freak accident with the space bridge, a group of Autobots and Decepticons find themselves transported to another world where they are the size of toys. A child helps the Autobots, but the other aliens believe they are dangerous and want them dissected. They finally escape using a toy rocket modified by Perceptor.

47. The Gambler (chronologically comes immediately after Child's Play)

En route to Earth from the planet of giants, the Autobots are captured and de-energized by a gambler and con-man. Smokescreen is unaffected and teams up with the being to win - via gambling - enough energon to restore the ship and the Autobots. The Decepticons Astrotrain, Dirge, and Ramjet attempt to interfere, but are driven off with the help of another Autobot, Defcon.

53. The Search for Alpha Trion

Shockwave discovers that "female" Autobots have been raiding the Decepticon energon stockpiles. Megatron sends Starscream and a few other Decepticons to capture their leader, Elita-1. They do so and blackmail Prime into coming to Cybertron to rescue her. He is captured and is executed by Starscream. Elita-1 uses her time-freezing ability and saves Prime, but it nearly costs her her life. Only Alpha Trion can save her. Meanwhile, Powerglide, Inferno and Ironhide have come looking for Prime and they join forces with the other females to fight off the Deceps. It is also implied in this episode that Alpha Trion created Optimus Prime and Elita-1.

52. Auto-Bop

Megatron is using a dance club to play hypnotic music, which he uses to force humans to help him construct buildings. Tracks and Blaster infiltrate the place with the help of Tracks' pal Raul and his buddies. Raul discovers the best cure: a splash of water. Tracks frees the humans while Blaster has a one-on-one battle with Soundwave--"all talk, no shock".

51. Prime Target

A (stereotypical) British hunter wants to get the ultimate prize, the head of Optimus Prime, mounted over his fireplace. So, he manages to lay several clever traps for other Autobots including Grapple, Inferno, Beachcomber and Blaster, and takes them hostage in his castle. He then challenges Prime to come and release them. Prime works his way past many other complex traps, and naturally frees his comrades and escapes with his head.

54. The Girl Who Loved Powerglide

A spoiled, rich teenage girl gets attacked at a carnival in honor of her birthday by the Decepticons. Powerglide saves her, and she falls for him. She tries to tag along with him. The Decepticons want her because they believe she has the secret of her father's last invention. The Decepticons capture her and try to suck the info out of her brain, but she is too much. Powerglide has severely been beaten up. She looks at the locket that her dad said never to take off, which she also knows contains the invention's secret, and throws it into some machinery, saving Powerglide. Powerglide opens his chestplate, and there is an outline of a glowing heart

50. Triple Takeover

Blitzwing and Astrotrain are dissatisfied with the Decep ranks and take off on their own. They dupe Starscream into leading himself and Megatron into a trap. Blitzwing takes over a stadium and abducts a football coach, believing him to be a strategic genius. The Constructicons build a fortress and maze around the stadium, and build four Autobots into a throne after they fall. Meanwhile, Astrotrain makes an "army" of subway trains and uses them to collect power. Megatron eventually gets loose, and brings down the rebellion.

49. Sea Change

Seaspray falls for a girl on another planet. She is a resistance fighter against a robot called Deceptitran. There is a pool that changes beings into anything they want. The girl and Seaspray change into merpeople and go to the underwater base of the rebels. In the process, Rumble is tricked into becoming a tree.

55. Hoist Goes Hollywood

Hoist saves some stuntmen in a Hollywood movie and is asked to star himself. He is quickly joined by Tracks, Warpath, Sunstreaker, and Powerglide who all want in on the movie business. They unwittingly stumble upon the Decepticons as they try to rescue Dirge and a machine stolen from Wheeljack's workshop on Cybertron which have crashed at the studio. The Decepticons are stopped and Wheeljack reveals that the machine never really worked anyway.

[At this point, sometime around late November/early December, the special teams are introduced, starting with the Aerialbots/Stunticons. This seems to be in synch with toy releases, which would have been in time for the holidays.]

56-57.

• The Key to Vector Sigma Part 1
• The Key to Vector Sigma Part 2

64. Masquerade

After several skirmishes with the Stunticons, the Autobots finally manage to capture them as they are trying to steal mysterious mechanical parts. The Autobots place them in special cells so they can't form Menasor. Wheeljack then comes up with a special camouflage paint to allow the Autobots to disguise themselves as the Stunticons, thereby sneaking close to Megatron without him knowing it. Sideswipe, Prime, Mirage, Windcharger, and Jazz disguise themselves as Breakdown, Motormaster, Dragstrip, Wildrider and Deadend to find out what the spare parts are for. The gambit succeeds, and they find out the parts are for a super laser, but Breakdown causes his cell to malfunction and he breaks free. He frees the other Stunticons and they return to Decepticon camp to warn Megatron. When they arrive at camp, Megatron cannot distinguish between the two groups of Stunticons. As a test, he commands them to form Menasor, and whoever cannot will be destroyed. Surprisingly, both groups do. Prime has Windcharger use his magnet beam to hold the Autobots together while Mirage creates an illusion of Menasor. The real Menasor hits the fake one, however, and the fake one comes apart. The charade discovered, the Autobots manage to destroy the laser barely get away from the Decepticons.

58. Aerial Assault (this episode takes place after The Revenge of Bruticus)

Somewhere in the Mid East, the Deceps and an arms smuggler have kicked the local prince out of his palace and are using his resources to steal airplane parts; the planes are disassembled, built into harmless looking vehicles for transport, and then taken apart to be used to build an air fortress. The Aerialbots are sent to investigate, and Sky Dive and Slingshot go undercover. They are partially taken apart, and befriend a teenager named Hassan who helps them reconstruct themselves. Slingshot is still without a weapons console as the other Aerialbots fight the Combaticons and the new air fortress. He and Hassan make the repairs just in time to form Superion to defeat Bruticus. Everyone is surprised to find Hassan is the ousted prince.

60. Trans-Europe Express

A million dollars will be given to the select charity of a trans-Europe race, where several Autobots participate. The race is actually set up by the Deceps, who are searching for the weather-controlling Pearl of Bahoudin and need a metal from the race car of snobbish driver Augie Canay to contain it. The Stunticons trash most of the Autobots during the race, leaving only Bluestreak, Tracks and Bumblebee to retrieve the pearl and Augie's car. Augie sacrifices his car to defeat Menasor, while the others destroy the pearl once it has been released from its protective shell.

61. Cosmic Rust (aka Rust in Piece)

Decepticons are dying of the Cosmic Rust that Megatron picked up on a lost robot colony. They kidnap Perceptor to diagnose it and come up with a cure. Perceptor says the cure is element X, which the Autobots used to coat the Statue of Liberty. The Decepticons get the element to cure themselves, and infect Perceptor when he is rescued, the rest of the Autobots. Blaster radios from Cosmos in space that there is no more element X to be found. The Autobots do battle with the Decepticons at the Statue of Liberty so they can scrape off some element X. The Autobots win and go back to their base, and use the element to cure themselves.

59. War Dawn

The Autobots and Aerialbots travel to Cybertron on Omega Supreme to stop Megatron's latest plan. The gullible Aerialbots are tricked by the Decepticons and sent back to the beginning of time, but due to the timely intervention of the Autobots, are only transported back by in time a few million years where they observe how Transformer Orion Pax and his friends were recreated by Alpha Trion into Optimus Prime and others and became leaders of the Autobots on Cybertron against the forces of Megatron.

62. Starscream's Brigade

Starscream is banished by Megatron to an island where he discovers the remains of several WWII vehicles. He masterminds a plot in which he steals five personality components from Cybertron and installs them in the vehicles, reforming them into his forces, the Combaticons. He then uses them to take out his revenge on Megatron, who cannot stop the Combaticons as Bruticus, even with the help of Devastator. The Stunticons arrive at the last minute and defeat Bruticus as Menasor and Starscream and the Combaticons are banished to an asteroid.

63. The Revenge of Bruticus

Starscream travels to Cybertron where he continues his plots against Megatron. Earth is driven into the sun via the space bridge, and the Protectobots evacuate humans from dangerous situations. Megatron and Prime team up to stop Bruticus, who is out of control on Cybertron. Starscream volunteers the information on Bruticus' weak points and he is seemingly defeated. In reality, Megatron has gained control of the Combaticons and Prime has been fooled.

65. B.O.T.

Three college students are forced to build something as a science project, and they end up creating B.O.T. Meanwhile, the Protectobots end up fighting the Combaticons, who are trying to upgrade themselves without Megatron's knowledge. They end up destroying all the Combaticons except Swindle, who escapes. Swindle sells the spare parts of his comrades for money, but when he tells Megatron what happened, Megatron gets angry and has a bomb placed in Swindle's head that will blow up in a set amount of time if Swindle fails to rebuild the Combaticons. In the meantime, the three students need a computer board to make their robot work. They think they find what they need when they pick up Brawl's personality board. After inserting the board into the robot, the robot goes berserk and rampages through the city. Swindle rebuilds the Combaticons, but without Brawl's personality board they can't form Bruticus. Swindle finds B.O.T. and restores Brawl's brain, and Megatron orders the Decepticons to Autobot headquarters. Megatron has a new weapon, that when fired, will obliterate the crashed ship and the Autobots. The Protectobots are called to the scene, and they merge to form Defensor, who puts up a shield to buy time. The college kids eventually get their robot on-line who saves the day by getting close enough to the cannon and self-destructing.

48. Kremzeek!

[The airdate I have for this is blatantly after all the other episodes and the episode seems out of sequence. I can only assume that either 1) There was a prior airing that I do not have not documented or 2) The episode was delayed for unknown reasons.]

Somehow, an energy being is created who is small compared to the Autobots, and runs around yelling Kremzeek! Kremzeek! He goes into the electrical lines and ends up in Japan. At some point, a Japanese scientist helps the Autobots. An army of little Kremzeeks becomes a very big Kremzeek but the Autobots transmit it into the Decepticon base using the 'cons energy magnet.

Season 3 (1986-87)

66. Five Face of Darkness Part 1

In the midst of celebrations over Unicron's defeat, Wheelie and Blurr are sent to Earth with a new transformation cog for Metroplex, and Spike, Magnus and Kup are kidnaped by mysterious captors. Arcee, Grimlock, Rod and Springer capture an alien who claims the Deceps are behind the plot, so they go to Charr (the new Decep base) to investigate, but the Deceps are in bad condition, low in energy, and Cyclonus and Scourge are off looking for the missing-presumed-dead Galvatron. Although they decide the kidnappers must be someone else, Grimlock and Rod have their cover blown and are in for a major trashing.

67. Five Face of Darkness Part 2

Arcee and Springer rescue Rod and Grimlock from Charr, but Rod appears dead. He is actually making a subconscious journey into the Matrix, where he is shown that the Quintessons are the real kidnapers. He wakes up and prepares for a rescue on Quintessa. Meanwhile, Scourge and Cyclonus find Galvatron, who is fully recovered and ready to resume the fight with the Autobots. The Quintessons are about to feed Kup, Spike, and Magnus to the Sharkticons for an unspecified crime when the others show up and pull them out, but the Quints decide to destroy Quintessa if it will mean killing the Autobots....

68. Five Face of Darkness Part 3

The exploding Quintessa sends the Autobots to the trash dump Goo, where a garbage scow dismembers Springer. Wheelie and Blurr are stranded on a distant planet, plagued by Decep attacks, space storms and mechanical bats. Marissa Fairborne of Earth Defense Command (first appearance) answers their distress call, but her ship is also blown up. The Quints have made a deal with the decrepit Deceps, and offer them energy in return for destroying the Autobots; all except Blitzwing accept and follow the Quints to Goo, where they open fire on the stuck Autobots.

69. Five Face of Darkness Part 4

Galvatron and the others find Blitzwing, who is still on Charr and who tells them their comrades are on Goo. Galvatron calls off the fight to conference with their suspicious new allies, the Quints. The Quints secure an alliance with Galvatron by suggesting that there is a Decepticon Matrix to be found. The Junkions give the Autobots a lift and repair Springer. Rod is curious about the Quints' motives, and journeys into the Matrix once more to get a final answer. It turns out the Quints are the original creators of all Transformers eons ago when the Autobots and Decepticons had not begun to fight. The Transformers revolted and drove the Quints off the factory of Cybertron, and the Quints have been looking for revenge ever since. Knowing this means deep trouble, Rod and the others put Cybertron on full alert, but a clever trick destroys Cybertron's power station, allowing the Deceps to literally walk in as an all-out battle begins.

70. Five Face of Darkness Part 5

As the fighting on Cybertrongoes on, back on Earth, the Constructions have created Trypticon, who attacks the still transforming cog-less Metroplex. Sky Lynx is sent to retrieve the cog from Wheelie and Blurr, and ends up fighting off the new Predacons before making it back to Earth. The cog is given to Metroplex during the battle, and he throws Tryptie over the horizon. Blitzwing discovers that there is no Decepticon Matrix. On Cybertron, the Quints sneak past the distracted Deceps and Autobots and activate a immobilization device, which they had previously tried unsuccessfully to use to stop the revolt of the Transformers. All Transformers are immobilized, but Spike isn't and manages to reverse the freeze ray. After the Quints escape, the fighting is called off by Blitzwing, who forces Galvatron to retreat for the time being.

[It appears in several sources that there was a week in which no new episodes aired between #70 and #71]

71. The Killing Jar

The Quintessons are ever expanding their research on living beings, and decide to conduct a study on a new group of subjects. Marissa, Cyclonus, Magnus, and Wreck-Gar are captured and put into cages for study. The Quints toy with them, gaging their interactions, and don't notice the ship is dangerously near a black hole; they are sucked into a negative world. The Quints end up studying how everyone works together as they all cooperate to find a way of pulling the ship out.

72. Chaos

Blast-Off discovers a wimpy alien using a very powerful cannon: a bazooka-device which shoots green explosive crystals. The crystals are "shed" from the body of Chaos, a giant humanoid monster that Kup met ages ago. Galvatron goes to Chaos's planet and builds a giant gun (with which he plans to destroy Cybertron). Kup and some other Autobots stop him, and Kup turns the gun on his old enemy Chaos.

73. Dark Awakening

The Autobots discover the ship which contains the dead bodies of several Autobots, including Optimus Prime. It seems, however, that Optimus is not as dead as previously thought, and he reclaims the Matrix from Rodimus Prime. The others soon realize that Optimus is not acting under his own free will, and it is all a plot by the Quintessons. The Matrix is returned to Hot Rod and the others escape, leaving Optimus to pilot the ship to his death.

75. Starscream's Ghost (takes place after Thief in the Night and Fight or Flee)

Trying to escape from Galvatron and the Decepticons who want him destroyed, Octane befriends Autobot Sandstorm, who gets him asylum. The Decepticons, however, track him down and attack him on Cybertron, where he takes refuge in a Decepticon crypt. He then encounters Starscream's ghost, who possesses Cyclonus and pretends to torture Octane. Galvatron discovers the truth at the last minute and blasts Cyclonus. Cyclonus comes to, with no memory of what happened; meanwhile Scourge is possessed by Starscream...

76. Thief in the Night (takes place after Fight or Flee)

After the battle with Metroplex, Trypticon has been vanquished, but Decepticon Octane has found him, and has taken him to an oil-rich country, where they do the king's bidding in exchange for special energon. The Autobots catch on to what's happening after world monuments begin to disappear and the evidence indicates a dinosaur Transformer. The other Decepticons find Octane and he convinces Galvatron he was scouting resources for him. The Autobots soon arrive with Metroplex, and Trypticon is once more defeated.

74. Forever is a Long Time Coming

The Quintessons build a device which focuses chronal energy in an attempt to go back in time, stopping their robots from rebelling. A team of Autobots end up in Cybertron's past, fighting against the Guardians, while a timid robot from the past, A-3, is transported to the 21st century. The time-travel mechanism eventually goes berserk, threatening the entire universe as time begins to lose meaning. Eventually, A-3 is returned to the past, where he deactivates the Guardian robots, and bids the Autobots to return home. Later, an Autobot notes that A can stand for "Alpha" and 3 can stand for "Trion"...

77. Surprise Party

Following Daniel's surprise birthday party, Ultra Magnus saves Wheelie's life. Both Daniel and Wheelie want to do something nice for him, so they decide to throw him a surprise party. There's only one problem: no one, including Ultra Magnus, knows his birthday. Daniel and Wheelie go to the Autobots' records planetoid to learn the info. Cyclonus sees this and goes and captures them, setting the planetoid on a collision course with Cybertron. Daniel and Wheelie get off the place, and the planetoid is destroyed.

78. Madman's Paradise

Spike Witwicky and his wife Carly host a banquet for a visiting ambassador. Their son Daniel gets impatient and storms off. Grimlock follows him, and they find a mystical chamber where Quintessons banished their criminals. They slip through to a world of magic, and fight on the Red Wizard's side, only to find out that he is a Quintesson, and that they must help the Golden One. Ultra Magnus, Blaster, Eject, Rewind, Ramhorn, and Steeljaw show up to help, they go home, and everyone is happy.

[Conflicting sources here, but this is most likely location based on rerun periods]

82. Carnage in C-Minor

The Transformers find a planet where sound technology is the norm, and three people use their combined voices as a super weapon. The Deceps convince the soprano female, who is dissatisfied with her society, to join them; Soundwave records her voice and wreaks havoc. The Autobots hook up with the alto, her lover, and she rejoins them. The Deceps manage to record the bass voice, and prepare to attack Metroplex with the three voices; Blaster counters them with the "anti-sound" of the singers.

[This episode may have been aired so early in sequence to because of continuity with Starscream's Ghost. Unfortunately, it doesn't look like it was finished early enough to schedule correctly -- or maybe the schedulers were just ignorant]

86. Fight or Flee

Sandstorm is the leader of a group of pacifist Autobots on a planet with a rich energy core called Paratron. The Deceps find the planet and take it over; the Autobots on the planet will not fight them, as they have sworn off war to keep their planet peaceful. The other Autobots land on the planet and convince their compatriots that fighting is the only way to get rid of the Deceps. The Deceps decide to blow up the planet if they can't keep it, and all Autobots are evacuated to Cybertron.

81. Web World

Galvatron is brought to a world in order to repair his deranged mind. Psychologists try every treatment that they have to try to cure him, but they all fail. When they run out of options, they decide to use a treatment that would destroy the "damaged" part of Galvatron's brain. Cyclonus realizes that that would turn his leader into a mental vegetable and puts up a fight. In all the commotion, Galvatron breaks free and destroys the planet using the knowledge he gained in his mindmeld.

80. Ghost in the Machine

Starscream's Ghost seeks a new body and, through the body of Scourge, reactivates Unicron's head. He is given three tasks to fulfill in order to receive his body. He must first steal Metroplex's eyes (but one is destroyed and one of Trypticon's must be taken), then steal Trypticon's transforming cog, and finally connect Unicron to Cybertron as his new body. Scourge cuts out of the deal, and the plan to give Unicron a new body is stopped, but Starscream has his body, although he finds himself drifting through space aimlessly.

87. The Dweller in the Depths

In a plot to destroy the Transformers and reclaim Cybertron, the Quintessons convince Galvatron and the Decepticons to unleash a half-organic, half-metallic beast located at the center of Cybertron. It attacks the entire planet, forcing the Autobots to eject a newly installed power core to prevent the beast from becoming unstoppable.

[The next two episodes may have been flip-flopped in different areas]

79. Nightmare Planet

Daniel is having nightmares, and the Autobots find themselves caught up in them with Predacons. They manage to battle through the situations they find themselves in with the help of an unconscious Daniel's imagination. They soon discover that Daniel is the subject of a Quintesson experiment, and rescue him.

84. The Ultimate Weapon

Galvatron claims to have a new weapon which is capable of mass destruction which he uses as a threat to get what he wants. First Aid, a pacifist by nature, leaves his fellow Autobots after failing to stop Swindle from stealing Metroplex's transformation cog. First Aid is finally persuaded by Hot Spot to return, and he steals Trypticon's transformation cog and installs it in Metroplex. Rodimus realizes Galvatron is bluffing about the weapon or he would have already used it, and the Decepticons retreat.

83. The Quintesson Journal (takes place after The Big Broadcast of 2006)

Two ancient races are at war. The Quintessons have been aggravating the war for centuries(?) so that they can sell arms to both sides. The Autobots eventually discover a lost Quintesson Journal detailing these activities and display it at a peace conference they set up between the two races. The races call off the war and go their separate ways.

85. The Big Broadcast of 2006 [adapted in TF comic #43]

The Quintessons transmit subliminal messages over the Junkions' airwaves in an attempt to control them. The Junkions first become hostile and then generous -- a phase in which they decide to share their doctored airwaves with the other races in the galaxy, spreading the subliminal messages even further. Cyclonus attempts to convince Galvatron of the strategic possibilities of this but he refuses to listen, so Cyclonus investigates on his own.

89. Money is Everything (takes place after Grimlock's New Brain)

[New teams are introduced in time for the holidays as with previous year]

The Technobots are patrolling Earth with Marissa Fairborne and capture a smuggler who has been double crossed by the Quintessons. He takes his ship and some of the Technobots to the Quintesson base against the plans of Fairborne. The others follow and are attacked by the Terrorcons, who are being controlled by the Quintessons on timers. The smuggler uses a clever ploy to reenergize the damaged Technobots using the device he smuggled, and Abominus and the Quintessons are defeated.

88. Only Human

Rodimus, Magnus, Arcee, and Springer are captured by humans led by Cobra Commander and their consciousnesses are removed. They find themselves in human bodies, and barely escape being killed in a trash compactor. Meanwhile, their Transformer bodies are going to be used to infiltrate Autobot City and destroy the remaining Autobots. Springer manages to be the pilot of his own body and rescues the other Transformer-humans and then attacks Autobot City straight on to let them know something is wrong. The Autobots are returned to their bodies by Perceptor.

[This was the last new episode of the calendar year, with a rerun break during December and January. New episodes again began in February, probably for sweeps. Maybe this gave animators time to do such a good job with Call of the Primitives?]

90. Grimlock's New Brain

Galvatron attempts to sabotages the Autobots' new power source on Cybertron by introducing particles that cause Transformers to go out of control. The Autobots travel through the subterranean caves of Cybertron to shut down the malfunctioning power source, and Grimlock is charged with the particles, which makes him brilliant. Galvatron is determined to find more of the particles and discovers they only exist in Unicron's brain. The Decepticons and Terrorcons travel to Unicron's head and get a new supply, but Grimlock has anticipated this and the Autobots counterattack. The Autobots are being defeated by the particles, but Grimlock creates the Technobots to battle the Terrorcons who have formed Abominus. Grimlock's incredible knowledge is transferred to Computron. The 'cons are defeated and their supply of the particles is destroyed.

91. Call of the Primitives

During a huge battle, all of the "primitive" Transformers are summoned to a planet. An energy creature has been unleashed, and it drains the life energy of all the other Transformers. Its creator, Primacron, was also responsible for Unicron and many of the primitives, and his assistant believes that only the instincts of those Transformers can stop the intellect of Primacron. All except Grimlock are defeated and he stops the energy being who has betrayed Primacron by throwing the system into reverse.

92. Face of the Nijika

Long ago, the Quintessons locked up a race of people in some kind of quadrant lock to prevent them from using the light of the stars to do wondrous things which would present a danger to their own power. Running from the Autobots, the Quintessons retreat to that planet, but the Autobots follow and the quadrant lock device becomes damaged. The race trapped on the planet hate both the Quintessons and their robots, causing trouble for the Autobots. Perceptor is separated from the others and he is locked in microscope mode. One of the natives carves out his Autobot symbol and a vital component beneath it which he uses to repair a robot astronaut from before the first coming of the Quintessons. Perceptor manages to take control of this robot and the two of them become friends. The Quintessons also need Perceptor's component to fix their quadrant lock device so they kidnap Perceptor's friend and force him to give it up. The Autobots attack at that time, defeat the Quintessons, and take the planet out of the quadrant lock.

93. The Burden Hardest to Bear

Rodimus is feeling annoyed at having to be the leader. Coincidentally, he has a run-in with some Decepticon cars and crashes down a mountainside, losing the Matrix. The 'cons bring it to Galvatron, who attempts to use it to soup-up his cannon but fails. He orders Scourge to destroy it, but Scourge takes the Matrix into himself and becomes super-powerful. He rebels against Galvatron and attacks Earth. Hot Rod, is jubilant over not having to deal with leadership anymore, but ends up defeating Scourge and retakes the Matrix, realizing it is his responsibility.

[73a. Dark Awakening is shown with a slightly redubbed ending as a prelude to the next episodes on February 23, 1987]

94. The Return of Optimus Prime Part 1 (February 24, 1987)

Humans using a new experimental metal pilot their ship into the star in which the ship piloted by Optimus Prime is burning up. They rescue the body and bring it back to Earth. One of the scientist has a grudge against Prime and Transformers and wants to use him as bait to set the other Autobots up. The scientists discover their ship has been covered in spores that induce hate and plan to use these on the Autobots. Another scientist warns the Autobots of the trap, but she is not informed of the whole plan and the Throttlebots and Aerialbots, as well as many Autobots are infected. The Decepticons arrive, intending to steal the metal, but are themselves infected, except for Galvatron. The infected Transformers go on a rampage, infecting Transformers and humans alike. Rodimus escapes and shuts down Metroplex, but is pursued and infected by Ultra Magnus. Sky Lynx follows his previous orders and captures a Quintesson to rebuild Optimus. They arrive on Earth and Optimus is brought back to life.

95. The Return of Optimus Prime Part 2 (February 25, 1987)

A small force of Autobots who were deactivated by Superion rather than infected are rebuilt by the Quintesson. Bumblebee is rebuilt into Goldbug. The Autobots must get the Matrix from Rodimus, and they need the metal Galvatron stole to protect Optimus from infection. They locate Galvatron, but nearly all of the Autobots and Galvatron are infected in the process. Optimus gets the Matrix from Rodimus, but the remaining Autobots are infected. He enters the Matrix and uses it to cure everyone, but the knowledge of the Matrix has been lost in its use.

Season 4 (1987-88)

96. Rebirth Part 1

In a race on Cybertron, Hot Rod manages to defeat the other Autobot cars, including Blurr with the help of Spike in the driver's seat. Autobot Brainstorm declares that Autobots could be even more efficient with the help of human operators. Meanwhile, the Decepticons attack Autobot City in an attempt to steal the key to the plasma chamber on Cybertron. They succeed and Punch is badly damaged. The 'cons then attack Cybertron and try to gain access to the chamber, but when they try to open it, ten Decepticons (led by Cyclonus) and twelve Autobots (led by Hot Rod), as well as Spike and Daniel, are propelled to the far away world of Nebulos, along with the key. The planet Nebulos has two factions: the Hive, evil Nebulons who use their mental power to control machines to do their bidding, led by Lord Zarak, and their opponents, who hate machinery and just want to live in peace. Each group of Transformers falls in with its respective camp, but the good Nebulons nearly destroy the 'bots, hating machinery. Daniel is severely wounded in a battle and the 'bots decide they need an edge after half their number are captured by the 'cons. They plan to link with four Nebulons (and Spike and Daniel) to become Headmasters. Cerebros, a pacifist, refuses to bond with Spike, but the others successfully complete the operation, with Daniel's bond to Arcee saving his life.

97. Rebirth Part 2

The 'bots rescue their friends. The 'cons meet up with the evil Nebulons, who mimic the Autobot's Headmaster idea: the five monster 'cons become Headmasters. Cyclonus and the other four 'cons have their weapons bonded with evil Nebulons. Another fight ensues, and the 'cons defeat the 'bots, but Brainstorm scans a 'con Targetmaster during the fight. The 'bots limp back and duplicate the Targetmaster idea with the remaining five of their number. Meanwhile, the Hive converts their base into Scorponok, which attacks just after the 'bots defeat the 'cons and recapture the key. (At some point in this ep, the other Transformers find Nebulos.)

98. Rebirth Part 3

The 'cons get the key back, and return to Cybertron. Galvatron has a giant engine built on Cybertron to move it close to Earth's sun. He then uses Cybertron's plasma chamber to attempt to drive the Earth's Sun nova and capture the energy. Optimus Prime arrives on Nebulos after a conference with Alpha Trion, and the Autobots pursue, except for Cerebros and Spike who stay behind. Cerebros is convinced by Spike to help rebuild an old Hive city defended by drones (Gasket and Grommet). As the Autobots are threatened with defeat on Cybertron, the city arrives (flying through space), with Spike and Cerebros. Spike becomes Cerebros' head, and in turn, Cerebros becomes the head of the transformed city, now Fortress Maximus who defeats Scorponok. Spike and the Nebulons use the giant engine to suck the surplus off of the Sun before it novas, and uses the energy to bring about a Golden Age on Cybertron. Scorponok and the 'cons flee off into space.

Ed. note: The series was apparently cancelled at this point. There was technically a fifth season, but it consisted of the movie broken up into 5 episodes and several reruns of previously-aired titles.