Transformers G1 Full Episode

This is a list containing the episodes of The Transformers, an animated television series depicting a war among the Autobots and Decepticons who could transform into vehicles, other objects and animals. Written and recorded in America, the series was animated in Japan and later South Korea. The entire series was based upon the line of transforming toys originally created by Japanese toy manufacturer Takara, which were developed into the Transformers line by American company Hasbro.

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In the United States, the show aired a total of 98 episodes between 1984 and 1987. The episodes are ordered chronologically by broadcast date.

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Title Writer Original airdate Production code 1 Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1: Flint Dille: September 15, 1986 #700-86 The Decepticons were thought to be defeated and the Autobots, now led by Rodimus Prime, are looking forward to a more peaceful future.Well, they can't be more wrong about that.

2Generation 1

Series overview[edit]

Season		Episodes		Originally aired
Season		Episodes		First aired	Last aired
Miniseries	3		September 17, 1984	September 19, 1984
1	13		October 6, 1984	December 15, 1984
2	49		September 23, 1985	January 9, 1986
Feature film			August 8, 1986
3	30		September 15, 1986	February 25, 1987
4	3		November 9, 1987	November 11, 1987

Generation 1[edit]

Miniseries (1984)[edit]

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code
1	1	'More Than Meets the Eye, Part 1'	George Arthur Bloom	September 17, 1984	MP4023
Constant war between the Autobots and the Decepticons on Cybertron has caused great hardship. Both need supplies, and select numbers from each side and intend to get them. The Autobots weren't looking for a fight with the Decepticons, but they get one out in space anyway. When the Decepticons board the Autobots' ship it takes a beating and crashes onto Primitive Earth and knocks everyone unconscious. Four million years later, in 1984, a volcano eruption causes a probe to give them all new forms which come from vehicles in the surrounding area. They are all awoken – leading to a renewed conflict and the inclusion of humans.
2	2	'More Than Meets the Eye, Part 2'	George Arthur Bloom	September 18, 1984	MP4024
Things continue to progress; with the Decepticons on the move, and the Autobots gaining Spike and Sparkplug Witwicky as allies. Still, two humans may not make a difference. The long dormancy has merely delayed Megatron and the Decepticons' ambitions, and they prove increasingly proficient in making up for lost time. Repeated clashes lead to a bigger one in a Decepticon ruby mine and even bigger danger.
3	3	'More Than Meets the Eye, Part 3'	George Arthur Bloom	September 19, 1984	MP4025
Following the latest action, both sides are basically back to where they started. The Autobots use Ravage and some holograms in an attempt to lure the Decepticons into a final defeat. Ravage escapes informing Megatron proves even sneakier seeing through Optimus' ruse and keeping them distracted from interfering in his own plans. Even worse, the Decepticons are done plundering Earth. With a ship ready and Cybertron in great danger, an all-out battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons looms.

Season 1 (1984)[edit]

Order # is the correct chronological story order for the episodes of this season, which aired out of order.

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	Order #
4	1	'Transport to Oblivion'	Dick Robbins & Bryce Malek	October 6, 1984	700-01	1
Returning to Cybertron with energy is the Decepticons' top priority. The new space bridge could do that, but it has problems like possibly being fatal to whoever tries to go through it. Finding where the Decepticons are hiding, Bumblebee and Spike discover what they are doing only they don't have a chance to warn Optimus. The Decepticons instead have nasty plans for them. A space bridge trip awaits Spike, while a little reprogramming on Bumblebee threatens to see the Decepticons finally destroy the other Autobots.
5	2	'Roll for It'	Douglas Booth	October 13, 1984	700-02	2
With Megatron assumed dead, Starscream seizes power and does things his way. Naturally, only the Autobots benefit from his 'command' style. This also gives Bumblebee and Spike time to relax with Chip Chase. They end up getting involved in a scientist's new anti-matter experiments. Megatron is back and again in charge of the Decepticons. It turns out that he has big plans for the anti-matter meaning big trouble for everyone, especially Chip.
6	3	'Divide and Conquer'	Donald F. Glut	October 20, 1984	700-03	3
The Autobots prevent the Decepticons from harming a weapons factory, but at a heavy price: Optimus himself. His life is on the line, but Wheeljack knows exactly how to save him before it's too late. Problem is, the required part is back on Cybertron in his old laboratory. Bumblebee, Trailbreaker, Ironhide, Bluestreak, and Chip Chase leave to save Optimus. Without Optimus Prime in command, the Autobots are left vulnerable as Megatron hatches a plan to destroy the team on Cybertron.
7	4	'S.O.S. Dinobots'	Donald F. Glut	October 27, 1984	700-05	5
A little extra muscle in the Autobot ranks would certainly be welcome. Coincidentally, nearby dinosaur fossils provide the necessary means. Soon enough, Wheeljack unveils Grimlock, Slag and Sludge. Their poor intelligence and great strength make for an uncomfortable combination. Optimus sees all of this as a mistake shutting down the Dinobots before they can harm themselves or anyone else. However, a sudden and devastating Decepticon attack with Megatron using a new and powerful weapon, prompts reconsidering this policy.
8	5	'The Ultimate Doom: Brainwash (Part 1)'	Story: Dick Robbins, Bryce Malek, Douglas Booth, and Larry Strauss Teleplay: Larry Strauss	November 3, 1984	700-08	8
Sparkplug gets left behind when all of the Autobots believe they have a major Decepticon problem at Maharaja. In truth, the Decepticons put one over on them to leave their base vulnerable and kidnap Sparkplug. Dr. Arkeville enslaves Sparkplug for Megatron with a hypno-chip as a test of the device. It works and more humans will soon follow. Megatron has a dangerous new scheme in the works, and it includes a new space bridge. As for Sparkplug, it is decided that he can better serve Megatron when among the Autobots, ultimately making them vulnerable to a new attack. Note: This episode and its other 2 parts have events similar to Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
9	6	'The Ultimate Doom: Search (Part 2)'	Story: Dick Robbins, Bryce Malek, Douglas Booth, and Earl Kress Teleplay:Earl Kress	November 10, 1984	700-09	9
Cybertron's nearby presence has sent Earth and everyone on it into chaos. The Autobots and the Dinobots have their hands full trying to protect innocents and themselves from every possible natural disaster. Undoing what Megatron has done is a major priority, but so is rescuing Sparkplug. He is currently a Decepticon prisoner on Cybertron, and the Autobots aren't about to hang him out to dry. Spike and an Autobot team are sent out, but Sparkplug is still wearing a hypno-chip meaning more danger than expected. Meanwhile, the Earth-bound Autobots try to stop Megatron.
10	7	'The Ultimate Doom: Revival (Part 3)'	Story: Dick Robbins, Bryce Malek, Douglas Booth, and Leo D. Paur Teleplay: Leo D. Paur	November 17, 1984	700–10	10
Cybertron is proving most unwelcome to Spike and the team of Autobots. However, the only chance of disabling the hypno-chips can be found there. Wheeljack quickly gets to work on that in his laboratory. Sparkplug is soon free, but numerous others aren't so lucky at the moment. Meanwhile, Megatron has nearly succeeded and is preparing the final stages of his energy plan. The site is an island and massive tidal waves threaten the human slaves there. Optimus leads his remaining team into battle to stop Megatron once and for all.
11	8	'War of the Dinobots'	Donald F. Glut	November 24, 1984	700-07	7
Certainly, the Dinobots give the Autobots something of an advantage over the Decepticons in battle. Naturally, Megatron wants that advantage to be his instead. That doesn't prove very difficult to do, so the Autobots are soon facing the battle fury of Grimlock, Slag and Sludge. The only chance of setting things right lies with the construction and success of the newest set of Dinobots Snarl and Swoop.
12	9	'Countdown to Extinction'	Reed Robbins & Peter Salas	December 1, 1984	700–11	11
Starscream plans to destroy Earth to gather energy from the destruction and make Cybertron his. He sets a timer in Dr. Arkeville's lab. Dr. Arkeville tries to save Earth, but only Decepticons can use their computer. Optimus shoots a pebble from Megatron's gun form, making Starscream return to Earth where he is punished by Megatron.
13	10	'Fire in the Sky'	Dick Robbins, Bryce Malek, and Alfred A. Pegal	December 8, 1984	700-04	4
Megatron believes that the key to a Decepticon victory lies in the North Pole, but quite suddenly not just via a new energy scheme. The brilliant, frozen Skyfire awaits, and it turns out he has been there for millions of years. It also turns out that he and Starscream shared something of a friendship in the past, something he hasn't forgotten. Now, the Autobots face Skyfire and the results aren't pretty. It seems like Megatron's victory is assured, but the key to convincing Skyfire of the truth involves the captured Spike and Sparkplug.
14	11	'Heavy Metal War'	Donald F. Glut	December 15, 1984	700–13	13
The war gets more crowded with the sudden introduction of the Constructicons. However, rather than simply just providing raw numbers, they serve a greater purpose for Megatron. Their construction ingenuity ultimately gives Megatron every unique ability his team possesses. Of course, Optimus Prime is his primary target and in official combat. Per the terms, the loser must take his team off Earth forever. Given Megatron's current power and the Autobots being kept in the dark about it, how can Optimus possibly win this challenge?
15	12	'Fire on the Mountain'	Douglas Booth	December 22, 1984	700-06	6
There is a crystal of massive power out there. Both sides become aware of it and the Decepticons reach it first. It can power a weapon destructive enough to eliminate the Autobots and decide the fate of Earth once and for all. Only Windcharger, Brawn and Skyfire are in range to stop them before it's too late.
16	13	'A Plague of Insecticons'	Douglas Booth	December 29, 1984	700–12	12
The Insecticons have come to Earth. They certainly give the Autobots and the Decepticons good reason to take notice. The Insecticons have more in common with the latter than the former. These collective enemies don't scare the Autobots into submission, but bravery is hardly enough. Faced with such sheer power, the Autobots must rely on their intelligence and all of their resources to win.

Season 2 (1985–86)[edit]

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	Order #
17	1	'Autobot Spike'	Donald F. Glut	September 23, 1985	700–16	1
A Decepticon attack leaves Spike wounded. To save his son's life, Sparkplug helps the Autobots transfer Spike's mind to the body of an experimental robot called Autobot X while the doctors at the hospital work on repairing Spike's real body. The experiment works like a charm and Spike's mind is in Autobot X, temporarily becoming Autobot Spike. Unfortunately, the procedure has a side effect, making the state of Spike's mind to become questionable.
18	2	'The Immobilizer'	Earl Kress	September 24, 1985	700–21	6
An opportunity to defeat the Decepticons arises, courtesy of Wheeljack and a new invention. The effects may only be temporary, but the Immobilizer lives up to its name against any Transformer. Little time passes before the Decepticons learn about it. A new friend to the Autobots Carly unwittingly helps them. Now, the soon-modified Immobilizer gives the Decepticons the means to end the war once and for all. Pretty soon, only Brawn and Jazz are left standing leaving them, Spike and Carly a lot of work to do.
19	3	'Dinobot Island, Part 1'	Donald F. Glut	September 25, 1985	700–29	14
Despite possessing great power, the well-meaning Dinobots prove to be just as dangerous as Decepticons. The latest instance shows Optimus and the other Autobots just how much this needs to change. Some serious training should clear this up, but they need a place where no one else will get caught in the middle. A new island seems to fit the bill, but the Dinobots won't be alone there. Dinosaurs are very much alive there, and even worse its natural resources soon garner Decepticon attention.
20	4	'Dinobot Island, Part 2'	Donald F. Glut	September 26, 1985	700–30	15
The energy-hungry Decepticons get down to business on Dinobot Island. As bad as that is for everything on the island, the rest of the world suffers even more. Somehow, various temporal displacements occur and all sorts of things emerge. This mess distracts the Autobots from the real problem the Decepticons. It is ultimately up to the Dinobots to save the day, but have they finally gotten their act together?
21	5	'Traitor'	George Hampton & Mike Moore	September 27, 1985	700–20	5
It is believed that the electrocells could be very valuable assets in the war. The lure of this power brings the Decepticons and the Insecticons together again. They've had problems with each other in the past, however problems that Mirage tries to exploit to the Autobots' advantage. He is found out and Bombshell attaches a cerebro-shell to him. With Mirage their puppet, the Decepticons and the Insecticons intend to finish the Autobots once and for all.
22	6	'Enter the Nightbird'	Richard Milton & Sylvia Wilson	September 30, 1985	700–25	10
The Autobots have been busy marking crucial energy locations for easy use and protection purposes. Naturally, this is something that the Decepticons desperately want. This is a solo mission, and they need someone that get in and out quickly. Meanwhile, word spreads about the new, powerful Nightbird being developed giving Megatron an idea. Under Decepticon control, Nightbird embarks on her mission into the Autobot base. Can the Autobots thwart the Decepticon plot and overcome Nightbird's martial arts techniques?
23	7	'Changing Gears'	Larry Parr	October 1, 1985	700–17	2
Gears is in one very foul mood, so nothing is really new there. However, the Decepticons suddenly strike and get the drop on him. The thing is, all they want from him is his personality cartridge. Now, Gears has one heck of a sunny disposition no matter who he is around. Meanwhile, the Decepticons have the final component for the space needle. If they aren't stopped, the sun itself will be destroyed. Note: This episode has similarities to Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.
24	8	'A Prime Problem'	Dick Robbins & Bryce Malek	October 2, 1985	700–26	11
Megatron plans to destroy the Autobots by creating a clone of Optimus Prime to lead them into a deadly trap he has set for them. When Spike is captured by the Decepticons, the Autobots must figure out which Optimus Prime is the real Optimus Prime and save Spike's life. But can they foil Megatron's plan?
25	9	'Atlantis, Arise!'	Douglas Booth	October 3, 1985	700–23	8
The Decepticons stumble upon a magnificent find: the legendary Atlantis. They believe that Atlantean forces could prove invaluable to them finally winning the war. Once at the surface level, the battle-hungry Atlanteans strike and strike hard. The Autobots face tough times and Washington, D.C. is next. However, while enjoying the sights, the Decepticons had better keep their own guard up around their supposed Atlantean allies.
26	10	'Attack of the Autobots'	David Wise	October 4, 1985	700–19	4
A solar power satellite is desired by the Decepticons. To pull off the theft, they need the Autobots out of the way. Rather than try to destroy them, however, Megatron hatches a plan to change their loyalties instead. The keys to this plot are sabotaged energy rechargers in the Autobot base. Now, when they use them, the unknowing Autobots are imprinted with Decepticon ideals and forced to act just like them. Only Bumblebee and Jazz escape this fate. Sparkplug comes up with an invention to change the Autobots back, but they still have to stop the Decepticons.
27	11	'Microbots'	David Wise	October 7, 1985	700–33	18
The Decepticons finally locate their old ship missing since the crash on Earth millions of years ago. Above all else on it, Megatron wants and claims the Heart Of Cybertron. He becomes more powerful than ever and easily crushes anyone who stands against him. This is all very bad, but it threatens to get worse. The Autobots learn that the Heart Of Cybertron will soon explode and take many with it including Megatron himself. The only way to tamp down this threat is for Perceptor, Bumblebee and Brawn to embark on a 'fantastic voyage.' Megatron's body proves most inhospitable to the three Autobots, but inner conflicts also threaten their mission.
28	12	'The Master Builder'	David N. Gottlieb & Herb Engelhart	October 8, 1985	700–31	16
The Constructicons suddenly get the drop on the desert-bound Grapple and Hoist. However, they claim to not be looking for a fight, but instead looking to help in the Autobot cause. They prove their newfound loyalties by using their skills on Grapple's powerful solar energy-collection tower schematics. Grapple is thrilled at the opportunity, especially since Optimus turned it down earlier. The Constructicons are lying and Megatron plans to use the powerful tower for himself.
29	13	'The Insecticon Syndrome'	Douglas Booth	October 9, 1985	700–28	13
The Insecticons feed on a new energy source that proves to be unstable, threatening to blow them to smithereens. With the power core inside them, the Autobots must find an antidote and prevent the Insecticons from exploding inside Iron Mountain.
30	14	'Day of the Machines'	David Wise	October 10, 1985	700–24	9
The Torq III supercomputer is online and promises to be of good use to humanity. Torq III isn't a secret from Megatron. In short order, a little reprogramming grants the Decepticons practically endless supplies of oil. The Autobots quickly go to work in order to try to foil Megatron's current plan, but a difficult choice must be made.
31	15	'Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1'	Donald F. Glut	October 14, 1985	700–34	19
With the help of the wealthy Shawn Berger, Megatron turns the public against the Autobots. But Spike discovers the tape as a Decepticon trick. But before the boy can reveal the truth, the Autobots are found guilty and banished from Earth. Megatron reprograms Teletran One, sending the Autobots on a one way journey into the sun. Note: This episode and its other 2 parts have events similar to Transformers: Dark of the Moon.
32	16	'Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2'	Donald F. Glut	October 15, 1985	700–35	20
With the Autobots banished from Earth, the Decepticons are free to do as they desire. Megatron betrays Shawn Berger and imprisons him along with Spike, Sparkplug, Chip, and the mayor of Central City. Meanwhile, the Autobots struggle to escape from their predicament and return to Earth to save it from the Decepticons.
33	17	'Auto Berserk'	Antoni Zalewski	October 16, 1985	700–32	17
A battle with the Decepticons leaves Red Alert's logic and reason circuits fried. As a result, Red becomes paranoid and believes that his own fellow Autobots are plotting to betray him. Starscream discovers the situation and he tricks the paranoid Red Alert into helping him steal an experimental weapon. Now, the Autobots must save Red Alert before he explodes.
34	18	'City of Steel'	Douglas Booth	October 17, 1985	700–18	3
The Decepticons hit New York City, and most definitely not for the sights. Instead, New Yorkers may have to get used to living in vastly different conditions. Even worse, the Decepticons foil Optimus' attempt to stop them and exact a vicious toll on him. Now, in addition to undoing what has been done to New York City, the other Autobots must rebuild their leader from numerous parts. Problem is, they will have to scour the city first to do so.
35	19	'Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1'	Earl Kress	October 21, 1985	700–36	21
The Dinobots feel taken for granted for lately. This couldn't have come at a worse time, though, as a deadly scourge strikes every other Transformer. Only Cybertronium can cure their collective ills, but only the Decepticons have easy access to it. With the Autobots in serious trouble, the Dinobots are practically left to decide whether they will live or die.
36	20	'Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2'	Earl Kress	October 22, 1985	700–37	22
Things get worse for the Autobots, while the Decepticons are back to full strength. With the Dinobots gone, hope certainly seems lost. On Cybertron, Spike and Carly appeal to the Dinobots for their help. Even if the two humans can succeed, though, the Decepticons intend to make sure that the Autobots never even lay eyes on Cybertronium under any circumstances. Saving the day ends up falling to Swoop and the two humans.
37	21	'Blaster Blues'	Larry Strauss	October 23, 1985	700–38	23
Radios across Earth suddenly experience 'technical difficulties.' Once alerted to this trouble, the Autobots trace the source of the trouble the moon-located Megatron and Decepticons. With all sorts of human matters experiencing trouble, many Autobots have a lot on their plates. Fighting the Decepticons head-on, though, falls to Blaster who has been itching to prove the worth of his unique power and Cosmos. Omega Supreme also takes on Astrotrain. However, can they all get the job done?
38	22	'A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court'	Douglas Booth	October 24, 1985	700–39	24
The discovery of a mysterious time transporter sends Spike and the Transformers to medieval times, where Starscream plots to take over the home of a knight named Sir Aethling the Red. With the help of their new friends in the past, Spike and the Autobots defeat the Decepticons and take them back to their own time with them. Note 1: This episode has similarities to Transformers: The Last Knight. Note 2: Optimus Prime is not in this episode. Note 3: There are only 2 Autobot and few Decepticons characters in this episode.
39	23	'The God Gambit'	Buzz Dixon	October 28, 1985	700–41	26
The Decepticons arrive on a planet called Titan, where Astrotrain tricks its natives into worshiping him and the other Decepticons as sky gods. When Cosmos is captured, Jazz, Perceptor, and Omega Supreme travel to Titan to rescue him. There, they must reveal the truth to the people of Titan about the Decepticons' deception. Note: Megatron is not in this episode.
40	24	'The Core'	Dennis Marks	October 29, 1985	700–27	12
A means to forcibly use Devastator for the side of good is found. This proves quite fortuitous, as Megatron and the Decepticons are embarking on a new, dangerous plan. Regardless of the consequences to the planet, they want energy from the Earth's core itself. Worse, they have nearly drilled the whole way there. A showdown is looming underground, but both sides' attempts to use Devastator for their benefit spell disaster for all of them. Can both sides save the day and themselves from Devastator?
41	25	'Make Tracks'	David Wise	October 30, 1985	700–42	27
A rash of car thefts suddenly occurs. The latest theft Tracks in vehicle mode. He is briefly damaged in the process and is unable to save himself. Later, he shows his thief the error of his ways and convinces him to do good. It turns out that all of the thieves are really working for the Decepticons. The stolen cars will be used to create an army against the Autobots. Can Tracks and his new friend foil their plan before it's too late?
42	26	'The Autobot Run'	Donald F. Glut	October 31, 1985	700–22	7
Megatron believes that if the Autobots couldn't transform to robot mode, they would be easy prey for the Decepticons. A new weapon is about to give him the chance to find out. Meanwhile, charity work gives a number of Autobots the chance to help humanity without having to fight in the process. Simple car activities await them, but so does a Decepticon attack. Little time passes before the Autobots are unable to transform and are at the Decepticons' mercy. Saving the day falls to just a handful of Autobots.
43	27	'The Golden Lagoon'	Dennis Marks	November 4, 1985	700–40	25
Fierce action leads both Beachcomber and Thrust to stumble upon electrum, a liquid key to invincibility. There is a forest lagoon's worth of the stuff, but only the Decepticons succeed in making a claim. The results, of course, render the Autobots' weapons essentially useless. The only hope that the Autobots have is to try to fight fire with fire, but Megatron isn't about to give them the chance. What price must be paid for victory?
44	28	'Quest for Survival'	David Wise	November 5, 1985	700–44	29
Though the Insecticons are a growing threat, a new insecticide may be able to stop them in their tracks. A trip into space is required to get it, but Bumblebee, Cosmos and Spike easily succeed. The path back to Earth means a confrontation with the Morphobots, dangerous hybrids of plants and robots. As bad as a space confrontation is, things get worse when some Morphobots secretly arrive on Earth with Spike and the two Autobots. The whole team will have to find a way to tamp down this threat a task made more difficult by the Decepticons now after the insecticide.
45	29	'The Secret of Omega Supreme'	David Wise	November 6, 1985	700–45	30
Omega Supreme seems a bit off lately and Optimus wants to know why. After having to order Omega Supreme, Optimus gets more than he bargained for. Long ago, Omega Supreme defended Crystal City, where he was once friends with the Constructicons. Times were good. But their friendship came to an abrupt end because of Megatron and a little reprogramming. Becoming evil, the Constructicons set out to follow his orders, bringing them into conflict with their former friend, Omega Supreme.
46	30	'Child's Play'	Beth Bornstein	November 7, 1985	700–43	28
During a Transformer battle, the space bridge malfunctions. A strange world of massive giants awaits Autobots and Decepticons alike. Such a situation isn't easy for those used to being among the tallest around. The Transformers need to find a way back home and one local child is the key. However, this planet is otherwise unwelcome to outsiders. If the Transformers don't hurry, they will be in big trouble.
47	31	'The Gambler'	Michael Charles Hill	November 11, 1985	700–46	31
The Autobots are eager to put recent experiences behind them, but rest-and-relaxation isn't likely to happen. An alien trap leaves everyone but Smokescreen powerless, as well as the ship itself. A little energon can fix this, but the only way to get some presents certain challenges. He is even forced to trust an alien that helped get him into this mess. Now, can Smokescreen master the art of gambling and win big? And can Dirge, Ramjet and Astrotrain be kept at bay throughout all of this? Note: This is technically a continuation of the previous episode 'Child's Play'. However, it is not considered a part two. Megatron is not in this episode.
48	32	'The Search for Alpha Trion'	Beth Bornstein	November 12, 1985	700–52	37
Realizing that the Decepticons have capture his long lost love, Elita One, Optimus travels to Cybertron to rescue her. While traveling to Cybertron, Optimus is captured as well. Elita uses her special power to save him, but her special power drains her of all her life force. Optimus takes her to Alpha Trion, hoping that he could save her before it's too late.
49	33	'Auto-Bop'	David Wise	November 13, 1985	700–51	36
People are partying to music at a local dance club. They are really subtly being mind-controlled to obey Megatron's orders. Soundwave, unsurprisingly, is overseeing this project. The Decepticon-controlled humans soon start seeming weird to casual observers prompting the Autobots to get involved. It will take Tracks, Blaster, Raul and other humans to undo this Decepticon plot. Can they take down Soundwave and find a way to break the mind control? Note: Optimus Prime is not in this episode.
50	34	'Prime Target'	Flint Dille & Buzz Dixon	November 14, 1985	700–50	35
Across the globe, one British hunter has amassed an impressive collection of dead animals. The desire for a challenge, though, has prompted him to set sights on the most challenging prey of all, Optimus Prime. However, this hunter is no fool and intends to confront his quarry on his own terms. A number of captured Autobots certainly provides the bait to lure Optimus in. Can the Autobot leader survive what awaits him in the hunter's castle and save the day?
51	35	'The Girl Who Loved Powerglide'	David Wise	November 18, 1985	700–53	38
Powerglide befriends a young woman named Astoria who is being targeted by the Decepticons. It would stand to reason the Decepticons are targeting Astoria is because she might have a secret formula her father was working on before he died and left his company to her. When the Decepticons abduct Astoria, Powerglide must find her and rescue her. But can they stop Megatron from getting his hands on Astoria's father's formula?
52	36	'Triple Takeover'	Larry Strauss	November 19, 1985	700–49	34
In their attempt to take command of the Decepticons, Astrotrain and Blitzwing decide to trick Starscream into leading himself and Megatron into a trap, which results in chaos on Earth, where they proceed to wreak havoc, threatening to endanger innocent humans in the process as well. But can the Autobots put a stop to Astrotrain and Blitzwing's plan?
53	37	'Sea Change'	Douglas Booth	November 20, 1985	700–48	33
The evil Deceptitran has been making life miserable for an alien world and resistance efforts have been slow going. However, one female fighter's encounter with Seaspray may help tip the scales. Head over heels in love, Seaspray is all-too happy to help her. Still, a bigger transformation than anything Transformers regularly do awaits him. Even then, is Seaspray up to the task of defeating Deceptitran?
54	38	'Hoist Goes Hollywood'	Earl Kress	November 21, 1985	700–54	39
Hollywood productions don't always run smoothly, and one case almost sees stuntmen in for real-life trouble. Fortunately, tragedy is averted in the nick of time by Hoist. Since mere thanks aren't enough, Hoist now has a shot at being on the silver screen. Could Hollywood be ready for Hoist and his entourage Sunstreaker, Powerglide, Warpath and Tracks? More importantly, can they overcome a Decepticon plot involving Dirge and one of Wheeljack's inventions? The answers may be more exciting than the movie itself. Note: Optimus Prime is not in this episode.
55	39	'The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1'	David Wise	November 25, 1985	700–55	40
With the Stunticons (Motormaster, Dead End, Breakdown, Drag Strip, and Wildrider) at their disposal, the Decepticons hope to crush the Autobots once and for all. Problem is, the Stunticons will always be lifeless pieces of metal without the Cybertron-located Vector Sigma. Finding Vector Sigma isn't really the challenge. Finding the Key is. Upon learning that something is up, the Autobots quickly jump into action and the search. It is practically a race to see who will be first to find the Key and use it to access Vector Sigma.
56	40	'The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2'	David Wise	November 26, 1985	700–56	41
With the Stunticons operational and the Key in hand, the situation is definitely in the Decepticons' favor. Most severe of all, the Key will allow Megatron to eliminate all organic life on Earth replacing it with technology. The Autobots need new allies the Aerialbots (Silverbolt, Air Raid, Fireflight, Skydive, and Slingshot) and quickly. Being unable to use Vector Sigma, though, complicates that idea. It will take sacrificing one life to give the Aerialbots' theirs. This episode reveals the Aerialbots and Stunticons combined modes: Superion and Menasor. On top of that, despite his status, Silverbolt has acrophobia.
57	41	'Aerial Assault'	Douglas Booth	December 10, 1985	700–57	42
Plans for an air fortress currently take up the Decepticons and Combaticons' time. An arms smuggler helps them 'acquire' a Middle Eastern palace and airplanes essential to the plot. It's rather complicated, but necessary to maintain secrecy as best as possible. Upon arriving into the region themselves, the Aerialbots try to take care of business. Slingshot and Sky Dive get into big trouble, but are saved by Hassan who has a personal stake in this situation. Will he be enough to help the Aerialbots come out on top? Note: This episode takes place sometime after the events in Starscream's Brigade and The Revenge of Bruticus, because the Combaticons are in this episode and they have already been reprogrammed to obey only Megatron.
58	42	'Masquerade'	Donald F. Glut	December 16, 1985	700–63	48
The Decepticons are up to something and a series of thefts by the Stunticons are related. The Stunticons themselves end up biting off more than they can chew against some Autobots and get locked up. The Autobots are still in the dark about Megatron's latest plan, though, but there is a remedy from unsurprisingly Wheeljack. Advanced paint makes Optimus (as Motormaster), Jazz (as Dead End), Mirage (as Drag Strip), Sideswipe (as Breakdown) and Windcharger (as Wildrider) look exactly like each of the Stunticons. The plan is infiltrate, learn about and foil Megatron's plan. It won't be easy to pass for the Stunticons while surrounded by Decepticons, though, especially when the real ones escape Autobot captivity.
59	43	'Trans-Europe Express'	David Wise	December 23, 1985	700–59	44
Autobots are suddenly Europe-bound for a charity race. They and every human driver including Augie Canay intend to win and leave the others in their dust. No one realizes that the Decepticons and the Stunticons are lurking about masterminding the whole thing. The Pearl of Bahoudin and Augie's unique car play roles in their latest plot against Earth. The former is especially dangerous if in the wrong hands. It is ultimately up to Bumblebee, Bluestreak, Tracks and Augie to foil them and their plot. Note: Optimus Prime is not in this episode.
60	44	'War Dawn'	David Wise	December 25, 1985	700–58	43
The Aerialbots are in trouble when they become trapped in the distant past of Cybertron via a time machine. There, they end up 9 million years in the past, where they befriend and save the life of a gentle robot named Orion Pax. Back in the present, the Autobots are battling the Decepticons who have reactivated a headless Guardian robot. But will the Aerialbots be able to return to their own time and stop Megatron from destroying the Autobots?
61	45	'Cosmic Rust'	Paul Davids	December 26, 1985	700–60	45
When Megatron becomes infected with a plague that threatens to wipe out entire races of robots, he decides to kidnap Perceptor and force him to cure him of his infection. But of course, even if Perceptor gives him the cure for this plague, Megatron has no intention of maintaining his part of the bargain. When Megatron is cured, he uses the same plague as a weapon against Perceptor and the other Autobots. But will the Autobots be able to get the antidote for the infection before it's too late?
62	46	'Kremzeek!'	David Wise	December 27, 1985	700–47	32
Routine matters accidentally result in Kremzeek, who is small, seemingly sentient and made of pure energy. However, this little guy proves to be rather annoying quickly and scrambles all but Optimus, Bumblebee, Blaster and Inferno. Worse, he proves to be exceedingly dangerous and the people of Japan are about to learn that firsthand. The four Autobots and a local scientist have to move it to counter this literally growing threat. Meanwhile, an energy magnet plays a role in the Decepticons' latest plan.
63	47	'Starscream's Brigade'	Michael Charles Hill	January 7, 1986	700–61	46
Another failure to topple Megatron and a prompt island exile hardly deters Starscream. Abandoned World War II-era vehicles and stolen personality components provide the 'tools' that he needs. In no time, the five Combaticons are online and serving Starscream. These five quickly prove formidable when they are apart and also when they are united in their giant robot mode which is named Bruticus. Can Megatron possibly overcome Starscream and Bruticus?
64	48	'The Revenge of Bruticus'	Larry Parr	January 8, 1986	700–62	47
The recent defeat has not dampened Starscream and the Combaticons' resolve, which spells bad news for everyone else. They tamper with the space bridge to bring Earth and the sun a lot closer together. All is indeed going well for Starscream, until the Combaticons start thinking for themselves. With Cybertron soon also in danger, a battle royal involving Optimus, Megatron and Bruticus awaits. Meanwhile, chaos on Earth leaves the Protectobots with their hands full.
65	49	'B.O.T.'	Earl Kress	January 9, 1986	700–64	49
The Combaticons pursue a personal agenda, which the Protectobots gladly interrupt. The only one to make it out in one piece, Swindle cuts his losses at the other Combaticons' expense by selling them off piece by piece. Megatron, however, wants all of the Combaticons back and gives Swindle proper motivation a timed bomb placed in his head. Racing against time, Swindle finds his efforts complicated by three college students and their B.O.T. science project. It turns out that they unknowingly used Brawl's personality component, which not only makes B.O.T. 'unique' it also makes it deadly dangerous. All this and another deadly Megatron plot against the Autobots, too. Note: Jerrica and Kimber Benton, characters from Jem and the Holograms, make cameos in this episode.

Scramble City (1986)[edit]

Scramble City was a special direct-to-video episode produced for the Japanese market, released in April 1986. It served to further promote the new 'combiner' figures who had been introduced at the end of season 2, and a few other figures from the 1986 product line (like Ultra Magnus, Metroplex and Trypticon) who had not yet appeared in the American cartoon, which were all being released in Japan with the sub-branding of 'Scramble City.'

Set soon after the end of the second season, the episode focuses on the Autobots' efforts to construct a new mobile fortress, the titular 'Scramble City.' When the Decepticons learn of this, their combiner robots are deployed to attack, and a battle between them and their Autobot counterparts ensues, focusing on their 'Scramble Power' – the interchangeability of the individual limbs – to the extent that at one point, Breakdown of the Stunticons connects to Superion to damage him. At the episode's conclusion, Scramble City is activated and assumes its robot mode of Metroplex to rout the Decepticons. However, from the ocean depths, the Decepticons' own city, Trypticon, rises.

The Transformers: The Movie (1986)[edit]

The Transformers: The Movie is a 1986 animated feature film. It was released in North America on August 8, 1986. Set to an upbeat rock music soundtrack, the movie has a decidedly darker tone than the television series, with detailed visuals in Toei Animation's typical animated feature film styling. The film features several grand battles in which a handful of major characters meet their end.

The story takes place in 2005, twenty years after the events of the TV series' second season and serves as a bridge to the third season. Decepticon villains are more menacing, killing Ironhide, Ratchet, Prowl, Brawn, Windcharger and Wheeljack without hesitation. Optimus Prime dies following a battle with Megatron. Later, Megatron is reformed into Galvatron by Unicron, while Skywarp, Thundercracker, Shrapnel, Kickback and Bombshell are reformed as Cyclonus, Scourge and the Sweeps. Starscream is destroyed by Galvatron. Blaster gets four cassettes of his own like Soundwave known as Ramhorn, Steeljaw, Eject and Rewind; however, Soundwave gets a new cassette called Ratbat. At the end of the film, Hot Rod becomes Rodimus Prime and uses the Matrix of leadership to destroy Unicron. He then becomes the new leader of the Autobots.

Season 3 (1986–87) [edit]

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	Order #
66	1	'Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1'	Flint Dille	September 15, 1986	700–86	1
Under Rodimus Prime's leadership, the Autobots have freed their home planet of Cybertron from Decepticon control, which results in a new age of peace and happiness. But this does not last forever. When Spike, Kup, and Ultra Magnus are kidnapped by an unknown enemy, the Autobots suspect that the Decepticons are behind the kidnapping. But what happens when they discover that the Decepticons are not the ones who abducted their friends?
67	2	'Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2'	Flint Dille	September 16, 1986	700–87	2
Rodimus enters the Matrix of Leadership to discover the identity of the ones who kidnapped Kup, Spike, and Ultra Magnus. Meanwhile, Cyclonus and Scourge retrieve their fallen leader, Galvatron to make matters worse. But when the Autobots come to the rescue of their kidnapped friends, the Quintessons decide to blow up their home planet of Quintessa to try to prevent their enemies from escaping.
68	3	'Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3'	Flint Dille	September 17, 1986	700–88	3
In their attempt to destroy the Autobots, the Quintessons decide to form an alliance with the Decepticons to complicate matters. Meanwhile, Rodimus and his friends end up on an unknown planet called Goo after the Quintessons destroyed their own home world of Quintessa. But what the Decepticons don't know is that their new allies are planning to betray them once they destroy the Autobots.
69	4	'Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4'	Flint Dille	September 18, 1986	700–89	4
Galvatron returns to assume his leadership of the Decepticons once more. He meets the Quintessons, who offer him a deal he can't refuse. Meanwhile, Rodimus enters the Matrix, where he makes a discovery about what role the Quintessons played in the Transformers' creation on Cybertron eons ago. Now, the Quintessons' goal is to regain control of Cybertron and destroy every Transformer in the galaxy.
70	5	'Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5'	Flint Dille	September 19, 1986	700–90	5
The Autobots struggle to defend Cybertron and Earth from the Decepticons and the Quintessons, whose goal is to destroy the Transformers. While Metroplex battles Trypticon on Earth, Blitzwing makes a discovery about the Quintessons' true intentions, and the Autobots are forced to team up with Blitzwing to stop the Quintessons from destroying the Transformers. But do the Autobots have what it takes to defeat the alien race that played a part in their creation?
71	6	'The Killing Jar'	Michael Charles Hill & Joey Kurihara Piedra	September 29, 1986	700–91	6
Ultra Magnus, Cyclonus, Wreck-Gar and Marissa Faireborn are captured by a Quintesson scientist for his experiments in behavioral study. However, the Transformers, Marissa, and the Quintesson scientist become trapped in some kind of negative universe, where they are forced to work together to escape their predicament.
72	7	'Chaos'	Paul Davids	September 30, 1986	700–92	7
The Decepticons create an experimental weapon and they plan to use it against the Autobots. But the Decepticons are the least of their worries. The monstrous Chaos has awakened and Kup must overcome his fears of this ferocious beast to help his friends destroy the Decepticons' new weapon. Note: Rodimus Prime is not in this episode.
73	8	'Dark Awakening'	Antoni Zalewski	October 1, 1986	700–93	8
Optimus Prime returns from the grave to assume his leadership of the Autobots once again. Upon seeing his mentor again, Rodimus Prime returns the Matrix of Leadership to Optimus, reverting to carefree Hot Rod once again. But things turn ugly when it becomes clear that this is not the same Optimus Prime they once knew. Note: This Episode and its events with Optimus Prime turning evil and violent have a few similarities with Transformers: The Last Knight.
74	9	'Starscream's Ghost'	Megeen McLaughlin	October 2, 1986	700–95	10
Octane, a Decepticon traitor, is on the run and the Decepticons are pursuing him across the galaxy. Despite Sandstorm's help, there is little protection that the Autobots can actually offer him. Then, Octane takes refuge in some kind of ancient Decepticon crypt on Cybertron, where he encounters the vengeful ghost of his former comrade, Starscream, who is scheming to seek his revenge against Galvatron for destroying him. Note: This episode takes place after Thief in the Night and Fight or Flee.
75	10	'Thief in the Night'	Paul Davids	October 6, 1986	700–96	11
Desperate for power, Octane and Trypticon secretly conspire with Abdul Fakkadi to steal monuments from around the world. But when the Autobots are blamed for the theft, they must find them and return them to their rightful places.
76	11	'Forever Is a Long Time Coming'	Gerry Conway & Carla Conway	October 8, 1986	700–94	9
The Quintessons construct a time machine to try to stop the Autobot Rebellion in the past, intending to change history forever. But when five of the Autobots are trapped in the past, the Autobots in the present are forced to work with the Quintessons to save the universe when their meddling with the past threatens to jeopardize the stability of reality itself. But can they succeed in rescuing their missing friends and returning A-3 (Alpha Trion), the leader of the Autobot Rebellion to his time? Note: The Decepticons are not in this episode.
77	12	'Surprise Party'	Steve Mitchell & Barbara Petty	October 9, 1986	700–97	12
Daniel and Wheelie travel to an Autobot records asteroid to find out the date of Ultra Magnus' origin. Unfortunately, they get into trouble when they are captured by the Decepticons who set the asteroid on a collision course with Cybertron and only the Autobots can rescue their friends.
78	13	'Madman's Paradise'	Craig Rand	October 13, 1986	700–98	13
Daniel and Grimlock are accidentally transported to another dimension, where they meet the mysterious Red Wizard. But what they don't know is that their host is not what he seems. Will the Autobots be able to find their missing friends and unmask the Red Wizard? Note: The Decepticons are not in this episode.
79	14	'Carnage in C-Minor'	Buzz Dixon	October 14, 1986	700–102	17
On an alien world, Galvatron hatches a vile plot against the Autobots. The conniving villain steals the power of 3 peaceful harmonics and he intends to use it to destroy Metroplex. To stop Galvatron and foil his plot, the Autobots and their new friends on that alien planet must join forces to stop him from destroying Metroplex. Note: Rodimus Prime is not in this episode.
80	15	'Fight or Flee'	Tony Cinciripini & Larry Leahy	October 15, 1986	700–106	21
The Decepticons arrive on a planet that is inhabited by Autobot pacifists. There, they invade the planet and enslave its inhabitants. To stop the Decepticons, the Autobots gain an ally of their own named Sandstorm. But can the Autobots stop the Decepticons before they could use Paradron's resources to attack Cybertron?
81	16	'Webworld'	Len Wein & Diane Duane	October 20, 1986	700–101	16
Cyclonus tricks Galvatron into going to an alien planet, where the doctors begin Galvatron's treatment, hoping that they can cure him of his own madness. But when their attempts to cure Galvatron fail, they decide to initiate an operation that threatens to destroy Galvatron's mind, reducing him to a shell of his former self. Note: Rodimus Prime is not in this episode.
82	17	'Ghost in the Machine'	Michael Charles Hill & Joey Kurihara Piedra	October 21, 1986	700–100	15
Requiring a body of his own, Starscream possesses Scourge and strikes a bargain with Unicron to get his body back. The Chaos Bringer, who wants a body as well, agrees to grant the sly Decepticon his request, but only after he performs 3 labors. Note: This episode takes place after Starscream's Ghost.
83	18	'The Dweller in the Depths'	Paul Dini	October 30, 1986	700–107	22
In their attempt to destroy the Transformers, the Quintessons decide to trick the Decepticons into releasing the Dweller, a vampire-like creature that drains robots of their energy. The Dweller targets Autobots and Decepticons alike, turning some of their forces into energy vampires as well, and threatens to latch on to Cybertron's power core, which will make it unstoppable. But can the Autobots stop this beast from draining their home planet completely dry?
84	19	'Nightmare Planet'	Beth Bornstein	October 31, 1986	700–99	14
Daniel is troubled by recurring dreams of being chased by a gigantic version of Galvatron. Meanwhile, the Autobots become trapped in a nightmare fantasy world, where they are forced to team up with the Predacons to escape their predicament when they discover that their weapons have no effect on the monsters that they encounter.
85	20	'The Ultimate Weapon'	Arthur Byron Cover	November 10, 1986	700–104	19
First Aid is having doubts after Swindle steals Metroplex's transformation cog for Galvatron. But of course, First Aid will soon learn how much his friends really need him when Trypticon threatens to crush Metroplex, who is unable to transform without his transformation cog. But will the Autobots be able to get Metroplex's transformation cog back from the Decepticons?
86	21	'The Quintesson Journal'	Richard Merwin	November 11, 1986	700–103	18
Knowing of a destructive war between 2 alien planets, the Autobots decide to broker a peace treaty between both worlds, which includes finding the journal that once belonged to the Quintessons. Unfortunately, the Quintessons want it back and they are trying to keep the Autobots from discovering its secrets. Now, the Autobots must prevent the Quintessons from getting their journal back. But will they be able to figure out why the journal is so important to the Quintesson race? Note: This episode takes place after The Big Broadcast of 2006.
87	22	'The Big Broadcast of 2006'	Michael Reaves	November 12, 1986	700–105	20
The universe is plunged into chaos when every living being is pitted against each other, which will threaten to result in a war that could threaten to spell doom for the entire universe and all of its inhabitants. But will the Autobots be able to restore the natural order? What is the secret of the journal that the Quintessons want to prevent from being discovered?
88	23	'Only Human'	Susan K. Williams	November 13, 1986	700–108	23
Victor Drath has had enough of the Autobots ruining his plans. He secures help from a mysterious man named Old Snake in making for the beginning of a deadly plot against Autobot City. A sneak attack disables Rodimus and his comrades. Then, they are surprised to wake up in artificial human bodies. Drath and Old Snake intend to finish them off and strike the city with the Autobots' own robotic bodies. Lacking their usual weapons and abilities, the Autobots must get by as humans and foil their enemies' plot to destroy Autobot City in order to regain their bodies. Note: The Decepticons are not in this episode. Old Snake apparently is the former and older version of Cobra Commander from sister show G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero. He does the Cobra cry but coughs at the end of the episode.
89	24	'Grimlock's New Brain'	Paul Davids	November 14, 1986	700–110	24
Grimlock becomes super smart while helping his Autobot friends deal with a problem that involves anti-electrons. Meanwhile, the Decepticons travel to the head of Unicron to find more of the anti-electrons that they need to destroy the Autobots. To help his friends, Grimlock gives life to the Technobots in order to battle Galvatron's deadly allies, the Terrorcons. But will Grimlock be able to return to normal when they stop Galvatron from getting the anti-electrons from inside Unicron's brain?
90	25	'Money Is Everything'	Gerry Conway & Carla Conway	November 17, 1986	700–111	25
The conniving Dirk Manus runs into a lot of trouble from Marissa Faireborn and the Technobots. While Dirk is in custody, it is revealed that he somehow got a hold of a dangerous weapon and intended to sell it to the highest bidder. It also turns out that the Quintessons expressed the most interest in it, but they didn't pay for it. Now, Marissa, the Technobots, and Dirk need to get the weapon back from the Quintessons before it's too late. Note: Rodimus Prime and Galvatron are not in this episode.
91	26	'Call of the Primitives'	Donald F. Glut	November 18, 1986	700–112	26
The evil Primacron has plans for universal conquest, which includes giving life to Tornadron, a cloud-like entity that threatens to destroy every Transformer and whatever else gets in his way. Now, Grimlock must stop Tornedron and save the universe before it's too late. But can Grimlock find Primacron's laboratory and prevent his twisted dream from becoming a reality?
92	27	'The Burden Hardest to Bear'	Michael Charles Hill	November 19, 1986	700–114	28
Rodimus is feeling the pressures of leadership. But when he is attacked by the Decepticons, they steal the Matrix of Leadership. As a result, he reverts to carefree Hot Rod once again. As Hot Rod, he does not want the Matrix back. Eventually, Hot Rod will learn to accept his obligation if he is to defeat a mutated Scourge to regain the Matrix. Note: This episode features a partial recreation of a scene from the film The Yakuza, in which Hot Rod attends a Kendo class where a sensei tells his student to 'expect nothing' when he is defeated in a sparring match. The sensei then explains the philosophy to Hot Rod, which leads in part to his reconciliation with his obligations as the bearer of the Matrix.
93	28	'The Face of the Nijika'	Mary Skrenes & Steve Skeates	November 20, 1986	700–113	27
While battling Decepticon and Quintesson forces, the Autobots end up on an unknown alien world. There, they meet the natives of this world who have been imprisoned by the Quintessons for a long time. But when Perceptor goes missing, the other Autobots must find him before the Quintessons do and free the natives from their imprisonment. But will they be able to find Perceptor and stop the Quintessons from destroying the natives?
94	29	'The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1'	Story:Cherie Wilkerson & Marv Wolfman Teleplay: Michael Charles Hill	February 24, 1987	700–115	29
An embittered scientist and his partner decide to use Optimus Prime's lifeless body to lure the Autobots into a trap. There, they infect Ultra Magnus and the other Autobots with a deadly plague from space that pits Autobot against Autobot. But soon, the infection spreads to the entire galaxy as well. Unless a cure is found, no one is safe from the outbreak of the Hate Plague.
95	30	'The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2'	Story: Cherie Wilkerson & Marv Wolfman Teleplay: Michael Charles Hill	February 25, 1987	700–116	30
Sky Lynx and a lone Quintesson succeed in restoring Optimus Prime to life. Back from the dead once again, Optimus and his team of uninfected Autobots set out to retrieve an experimental metal that shields its user from heat and radiation. Once Optimus is coated with that metal, it will protect him from the infection and enable him to reclaim the Matrix of Leadership from his infected friend, Rodimus Prime. But can Optimus succeed in finding the cure for the Hate Plague?

Season 4 (1987)[edit]

Season 4's title sequence was made of parts from the others and TV commercials with Season 3 music.

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Written by	Original air date	Prod. code	Order #
96	1	'The Rebirth, Part 1'	David Wise	November 9, 1987	6701-0001	1
The Decepticons decide to steal the key to the Plasma Energy Chamber, the forge where the original Autobots were created millions of years ago. The Autobots regain the key, but a volt of Plasma Energy strikes their ship, sending them millions of miles into space. They crash land on a planet called Nebulos, where some transformations are about to take place, which will result in uniting the Autobots with a band of Nebulan rebels to become a new breed of Transformer known as the Headmasters.
97	2	'The Rebirth, Part 2'	David Wise	November 10, 1987	6701-0002	2
The operation to merge the Autobots and Nebulans into Headmasters proves to be a success when they go to rescue their captured friends. But the Decepticons join forces with the merciless Hive to counter-attack as Decepticon Headmasters and Targetmasters. While on Cybertron, Optimus Prime merges with Vector Sigma and discovers the deadly secret of Plasma Energy. But while on Nebulos, Zarak, evil leader of the Nebulan Hive, succeeds in turning the Hive's entire city into a Decepticon super robot, the most powerful ever created, the deadly Scorponok.
98	3	'The Rebirth, Part 3'	David Wise	November 11, 1987	6701-0003	3
With Daniel and the Autobots captured, Spike finds a way to stop the Decepticons once and for all. The answer to saving his son and friends lies in the lost city of the Hive. With the help of Cerebros, Spike changes the lost city into an Autobot Headmaster named Fortress Maximus. Unfortunately, Galvatron opens the Plasma Energy Chamber and its energy overloads the Autobots as well as Earth's sun, causing it to go nova. Now, Spike is the only one who can save the Autobots and the universe. But will Spike be able to succeed in shutting down the Plasma Energy Chamber?

Epilogue[edit]

Season 4 is the end of the American series. The Transformers continued in Japan as Transformers: The Headmasters with 35 new episodes, however, it ignores the events of 'The Rebirth' and is set in a different continuity. A fifth season was aired in the United States but consisted entirely of re-runs of previous episodes being told as stories by Powermaster Optimus Prime.^{[citation needed]}

Generation 2[edit]

Generation 2 episodes were all taken from the Generation 1 television series which had been previously produced, but with added effects and editing. These episodes aired between 1993 and 1995.^[1]

References[edit]

^Alex Kurtzman (June 27, 2011). 'The History of Transformers on TV – Page 2 of 3'. IGN. Retrieved 2017-03-08.

External links[edit]

The Transformers on IMDb
The Transformers at TV.com
Transformers at Cartoon Encyclopedia
Screen captures from the Transformers Cartoon on Seibertron.com

Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_The_Transformers_episodes&oldid=918138218'

The Transformers
Genre
Created by
Based on	Transformers by
Developed by	Hasbro
Written by	Various
Voices of	Jared Barclay Roger Behr Michael Chain Joy Grdnic John Haymer S. Marc Jordan Aron Kindaid Morgan Lofting Denise Mora Ted Schwartz Tony St. James
Narrated by	Victor Caroli
Composer(s)
Country of origin	United States
No. of seasons	4
No. of episodes	98^[1](list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Joe Bacal Tom Griffin
Producer(s)	John Walker George Singer Gerald Moeller Kenichi Morohashi Atsushi Shimizu Tim Spiedel
Running time	23–24 minutes
Production company(s)	Toei Animation(seasons 1–3) AKOM(seasons 2-4)
Distributor	Claster Television (United States) Sunbow Productions International (Internationally)
Release
Original network	First-run syndication^[2]
Audio format	Stereo
Original release	September 17, 1984 – November 11, 1987
Chronology
Followed by	The Headmasters (Japan) Transformers: Generation 2 (U.S.) Beast Wars: Transformers (Canada)
External links
Website

The Transformers is a half-hour American^[3] animated robot superhero television series which originally aired from September 17, 1984 to November 11, 1987. The first of many series in the Transformers franchise, it was based upon Hasbro's Transformers toy line (itself based upon the Diaclone and Microman toy lines originally created by Japanese toy manufacturer Takara^[4]) and depicts a war among giant robots that can transform into vehicles and other objects.^[5]

Co-produced between Marvel Productions and Sunbow Productions for first-run syndication, animation for the series was done by Toei Animation in Japan,^[6] and later by AKOM in South Korea.^{[citation needed]} The series was supplemented by a feature film, The Transformers: The Movie (1986), taking place between the second and third seasons.

This series is also popularly known as 'Generation 1', a term originally coined by fans in response to the re-branding of the franchise as Transformers: Generation 2 in 1992, which eventually made its way into official use.^{[citation needed]}

The series was later shown in reruns on Sci-Fi Channel, The Hub and Discovery Family.

2Broadcast history
5VHS, Betamax, and DVD releases

Production background[edit]

The Transformers toyline and cartoon/animated series was inspired by the Japanese toyline, Microman (an Eastern descendant of the 12' G.I. Joe action figure series). In 1980, the Microman spin-off, Diaclone, was released, featuring inch-tall humanoid figures able to sit in the drivers' seats of scale model vehicles, which could transform into humanoid robot bodies the drivers piloted. Later still, in 1983, a Microman sub-line, MicroChange was introduced, featuring 'actual size' items that transformed into robots, such as microcassettes, guns and toy cars. Diaclone and MicroChange toys were subsequently discovered at the 1983 Tokyo Toy Fair by Hasbro toy company product developer Henry Orenstein, who presented the concept to Hasbro's head of R&D, George Dunsay. Enthusiastic about the product, it was decided to release toys from both Diaclone and MicroChange as one toyline for their markets, although there were eventual changes to the color schemes from the original toys to match the new series.^[7]

By 1984, U.S. regulators had removed many of the restrictions regarding the placement of promotional content within children's television programming. The way was cleared for the new product-based television program. Hasbro had previously worked with Marvel Comics to develop G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero for a three-pronged marketing scheme – the toyline, a tie-in comic book by Marvel, and an animated mini-series co-produced by Marvel's media arm, Marvel Productions, and the Griffin-Bacal Advertising Agency's Sunbow Productions production house. Given the success of that strategy, the process was repeated in 1984 when Hasbro marketing vice president Bob Prupis approached Marvel to develop their new robot series, which Jay Bacal dubbed 'Transformers.'^[5]

Marvel's Editor-in-Chief at the time, Jim Shooter, produced a rough story concept for the series, creating the idea of the two warring factions of alien robots – the heroic Autobots and the evil Decepticons.^[8] To flesh out his concept, Shooter called upon veteran editor Dennis O'Neil to create character names and profiles for the cast, but O'Neill's work did not meet with Hasbro's expectations, and they requested heavy revisions. O'Neill declined to make said revisions, and the project was turned down by several writers and editors approached by Shooter until editor Bob Budiansky accepted the task. Hastily performing the revisions over a weekend, Budiansky's new names and profiles were a hit with Hasbro, and production began on a bi-monthly four-issue comic book miniseries, and three-part television pilot. Both comic and cartoon would wind up continuing for years beyond these short-term beginnings, using Budiansky's original development work as a springboard to tell the story of the Transformers in very different ways from one another, forming two separate, unrelated continuities for the brand out of the gate.

Japanese designer Shōhei Kohara was responsible for creating the earliest character models for the Transformers cast, greatly humanising the toy designs to create more approachable robot characters for the comic and cartoon. His designs were subsequently simplified by Floro Dery, who went on to become the lead designer for the series, creating many more concepts and designs in the future.

Broadcast history[edit]

Season		Episodes		Originally aired
Season		Episodes		First aired	Last aired
Miniseries	3		September 17, 1984	September 19, 1984
1	13		October 6, 1984	December 15, 1984
2	49		September 23, 1985	January 9, 1986
Feature film			August 8, 1986
3	30		September 15, 1986	February 25, 1987
4	3		November 9, 1987	November 11, 1987

Pilot miniseries[edit]

The three-part pilot miniseries (retroactively titled 'More than Meets the Eye') first aired in the United States in September 1984. The story follows Optimus Prime's heroic Autobots and Megatron's evil Decepticons as they leave their metallic homeworld of Cybertron to search for new sources of energy to revitalize their war efforts, only to crash-land on Earth, where they remain entombed and offline for four million years. Awakening in the year of 1984, the Decepticons set about pillaging the energy sources of Earth, while the Autobots—aided by human father and son Sparkplug and Spike Witwicky—attempt to protect the new world on which they find themselves. The miniseries concludes with the Decepticons believed dead after their space cruiser is sent plunging into the ocean depths, while the Autobots prepare to return to Cybertron.^[9]

Season 1[edit]

The thirteen-episode first season, commissioned and produced before the pilot miniseries aired, was broadcast between October and December on Saturday mornings. Story-edited at Marvel Productions by Bryce Malek and Dick Robbins, the season begins with the revelation that the Decepticons have survived the events of the pilot and follows them as they set about constructing a 'space bridge' to teleport resources back to Cybertron. A loose story arc centered on this technology spans the season, culminating in 'The Ultimate Doom', a three-part episode in which the Decepticons teleport Cybertron itself into Earth's orbit. The paraplegic computer expert Chip Chase joins Spike and Sparkplug as a new human ally for the Autobots.

The season also introduced several new characters from the upcoming 1985 product line in advance of their toys' release including Skyfire, the Dinobots and Insecticons and the first 'combiner' team, the Constructicons, who are able to merge into a giant robot, Devastator, whose introduction was set alongside a climactic one-on-one duel between Optimus Prime and Megatron that served as a part of the season finale.^[10]

Season 2[edit]

49 further episodes were commissioned for the show's second season in 1985, bringing the total up to the 'magic number' of 65 required to move the series into weekday broadcast syndication. Compared to the first season, season two's stories are more episodic, with many of them able to air in whatever order networks chose. Episodes would often spotlight individual characters or groups of characters as a means of promoting their toys and later in the season, the lore of the series would be expanded on as the history of Cybertron and origin of Optimus Prime were discovered and significant cartoon-original characters like Alpha Trion and the first female Transformer characters were introduced. A new recurring human cast member was also added in the form of Spike's girlfriend Carly.

Partway into the season, the remainder of the 1985 product line was introduced, mostly through the two-part episode 'Dinobot Island.' These new characters, like the first year cast, were largely derived from Takara's Diaclone and Micro Change lines, including new Autobot car and mini-vehicles and Decepticon jets and the giant Autobot sentinel Omega Supreme and Decepticon 'Triple-Changers' Astrotrain and Blitzwing. To expand the line, however, Hasbro also licensed several toys from other companies, including Takara's Japanese competitor, Bandai. Legal complications that arose from incorporating the first of these, Skyfire, into the first season resulted in the character quickly being phased out early in season 2 and meant that none of the other Bandai-derived characters featured in the series.

Toward the end of the season, the first 1986 product was introduced into the series: the Aerialbots, Stunticons, Protectobots and Combaticons, four combiner teams based on an unmade Diaclone line that was aborted in Japan in favor of importing the Transformers toyline itself. To promote these new toys even further in Japanese markets, a single Japanese-exclusive episode, Transformers: Scramble City, was released direct-to-video in spring of 1986.

The Movie[edit]

The gap between seasons two and three was bridged by The Transformers: The Movie, which was released to theaters in the summer of 1986. Set twenty years after the second season, in the year 2005, the film featured the deaths of many characters, including Optimus Prime himself, clearing away all the discontinued product from the 1984 and 1985 toylines and introduced a new cast of the characters designed for the film, who were then made into toys for the 1986 range. Young Autobot Hot Rod used the power of the Autobot talisman known as the Matrix of Leadership to become the new Autobot leader Rodimus Prime and defeated the world-eating robot planet Unicron.

Season 3[edit]

Season three picks up where the movie leaves off, with the Autobots now in control of Cybertron once more, working to restore their homeworld and serving as peacemakers for worlds all across the galaxy. The Decepticons, meanwhile, are in exile on the ruined world of Chaar, led now by Galvatron, the rebuilt, upgraded version of Megatron recreated by Unicron. Interconnected episodes, running plot threads and small story arcs became more common in the series, including the return of Starscream (following his death in the movie) as a ghost, frequent battles between the giant Autobot and Decepticon cities of Metroplex and Trypticon and the threat to both sides posed by the alien Quintessons, introduced in the movie and revealed in the season's premiere miniseries 'Five Faces of Darkness' to be the true creators of the Transformers.

This season saw story-editing duties transfer from Marvel Productions to Sunbow, overseen by Flint Dille, Marv Wolfman and Steve Gerber. Animation for around half the season was provided by producer Nelson Shin's South Korean AKOM animation studio, creating a different 'look' for the show that encompassed its opening sequence and commercial bumpers.

The death of Optimus Prime proved a controversial move and did not sit well with the viewing audience, resulting in a letter-writing campaign that ultimately compelled Hasbro to resurrect the Autobot leader in a two-part season finale called 'The Return of Optimus Prime', which aired in March 1987.

Season 4[edit]

The series came to a close in November 1987 with the broadcast of the fourth season, a three-part finale miniseries named 'The Rebirth'. This packed adventure, written by regular series writer David Wise, sent the Autobots and Decepticons to the alien world of Nebulos, where they bonded with the native Nebulans to become Headmasters and Targetmasters. The series concluded with the successful restoration of Cybertron at last, but the Decepticons stole the final scene, their threat not yet quashed.

Beyond The Transformers[edit]

The Transformers did not disappear from American airwaves, however, as a fifth season aired in 1988.^[11] It consisted of re-runs of 15 episodes from the original series, along with The Transformers: The Movie edited into five episodes, with new introductory sequences featuring a human boy named Tommy Kennedy (portrayed by actor Jason Jansen) and a stop-motion/machine prop Optimus Prime puppet.

From 1993–1995, select episodes of the series were rebroadcast under the title Transformers: Generation 2. The stories were presented as though they were historical recordings displayed by the 'Cybernet Space Cube', which added computer-generated borders and scene-transitions to the original animation.

Supplemental sequences[edit]

Each of the first three seasons of the series featured its own tailored opening sequence, featuring completely original animation and a unique arrangement of the theme tune. Additionally, the third-season premiere 'Five Faces of Darkness' had its own specialized opening, depicting events that occurred in the mini-series. The fourth season, however, did not feature any new animation in its opening sequence, instead combining together footage from the third season opening and various clips of animation from 1987 toy commercials; likewise, the fifth season featured commercial animation mixed in with footage from The Transformers: The Movie. Both used the season three musical arrangement.

The series featured a distinctive scene transition that saw the Autobot and Decepticon symbols 'flipping' from one to the other, accompanied by a distinctive five-note refrain. This transition technique became a hallmark of the series, and was used throughout the entire four-year run. Commercial breaks were segued into and out of using commercial bumpers featuring brief eyecatch-styled original animation with a voice over by series narrator Victor Caroli.

A set of five proposed public service announcements were created to be tagged onto the end of episodes from the second season of the series, re-using the scripts from similar PSAs created for sister series G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, complete with the catchphrase '...and knowing is half the battle!' These were never actually aired on television, but eventually appeared as bonus features on various DVDs and video games. For the third season, episodes were tagged with 'The Secret Files of Teletraan II', a series of short featurettes that used clips from the show and new narration from Caroli to provide histories for the Autobots, the Decepticons, the Quintessons, and other subjects.

Japanese release[edit]

In Japan, the first two seasons of the show were collectively released as Fight! Super Robot Life-Form Transformers (戦え！超ロボット生命体トランスフォーマーTatakae! Chō Robotto Seimei-Tai Toransufōmā), then rebranded as Transformers 2010 (トランスフォーマー２０１０Toransufōmā Tū О̄ Wan О̄) for Season 3. Following the conclusion of the third season, the Japanese opted not to import 'The Rebirth', but instead created a series of new animated shows to continue the story, beginning with Transformers: The Headmasters in 1987, and continuing into Transformers: Super-God Masterforce in 1988, Transformers: Victory in 1989 and the single OVA direct to video release; Transformers: Zone in 1990.^[12] Supplementary manga written by Masami Kaneda and illustrated by Ban Magami ran alongside each series in Kodansha's TV Magazine.

VHS, Betamax, and DVD releases[edit]

In the 1980s, episodes from the first and second seasons as well as the third season's 'Five Faces of Darkness' and 'Return of Optimus Prime' were released on VHS and Betamax by Family Home Entertainment.

Between 1995 - 1999, Canadian home entertainment company Malofilm (later renamed as Behaviour Distribution) released several episodes of the series on VHS, and some under the Transformers: Generation 2 name. None of the Malofilm VHS cover art was specifically related to the contents of the episodes either, as they were all various segments of promotional art related to the 1986 spin-off animated feature The Transformers: The Movie.

Region 1[edit]

Seasons 1–4 were released on DVD in the U.S. by Rhino Entertainment Company/Kid Rhino Entertainment (under its Rhinomation classic animation entertainment brand) (a subsidiary of AOL Time Warner) (a division of Warner Music Group) between April 23, 2002, and March 9, 2004.^[13] Due to degradation of the original 1-inch master tapes, some sections of the Rhino Entertainment release use earlier incomplete animation, often introducing errors, such as mis-colored Decepticon jets, Skyfire colored like Skywarp, missing laser blasts, or a confusing sequence where Megatron, equipped with Skywarp's teleportation power, teleports but does not actually disappear. This version also added extra sound effects that were presented in the remixed 5.1 surround soundtrack, but not present in the original broadcast version.

In 2005, Rhino lost the rights to distribute Transformers on DVD. The license was subsequently acquired by Sony Wonder (a division of Sony BMG). Sony Wonder announced in October 2006 that they would re-release the first season of the series in 2007, with the other seasons presumably following.^[14] In June 2007, Sony BMG dissolved Sony Wonder and moved the label to Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, without releasing any DVD sets.^[15]

In May 2008, Hasbro re-acquired the rights to the Sunbow library of shows including Transformers.^[16]

In March 2009, Shout! Factory announced that they had acquired license from Hasbro to release Transformers on DVD in Region 1 with Vivendi Entertainment. They subsequently released the complete first season on June 16, 2009. Season 2, Volume 1 was released on September 15, 2009. Season 2, Volume 2 was released on January 12, 2010.^[17] Seasons 3 & 4 was released together in one set on April 20, 2010.^[18] These releases corrected most of the newly introduced Rhino animation errors, but this was necessarily accomplished by using lower quality sources taken from the original broadcast master tapes. Rhino's added sound effects were discarded in favor of a sound mix more faithful to the original mono audio.

On October 20, 2009, Shout! Factory released the complete series in a box set for the first time in Region 1. This set, dubbed 'Transformers - The Complete Series: The Matrix of Leadership Collector's Set', features all 98 remastered episodes along with all new bonus features.^[19]

DVD name	Ep no.	Release date
The Complete First Season: 25th Anniversary Edition	16	June 16, 2009
Season Two, Volume One: 25th Anniversary Edition	28	September 15, 2009
Season Two, Volume Two: 25th Anniversary Edition	21	January 12, 2010^[17]
Seasons Three and Four: 25th Anniversary Edition	33	April 20, 2010^[18]
Transformers – The Complete Series: 'Matrix Of Leadership' Edition	98	October 20, 2009

Region 2[edit]

Maverick released Season 1 in the UK in 2001. Three individual volumes were released (though the episodes are in the wrong order), a box set of the three disks, which included a fourth disk containing bonus features, and one volume of Transformers: Generation 2 with five episodes that had the Cybernetic Space Cube graphics added. They also released a volume of Transformers: Takara which included the first six episodes of the Asian English dub of Transformers: The Headmasters.

Metrodome Distribution released Seasons 1–4 in the UK between November 17, 2003 and October 11, 2004. Their first release was a budget-range DVD of the Transformers movie, released through Prism Leisure. The seasons were released in four box sets: Season 1, Season 2 Part 1, Season 2 Part 2 and Seasons 3–4. Notably Season 2 was released first by Metrodome because Season 1 had been released by Maverick.Metrodome's releases use the remastered production masters which originated with the Rhino release of the series (and contain all the inherent errors). Additionally, they include Magno Sound & Video's 5.1 audio (with added sound effects), but use a modified version of their 2.0 track.

DVD Name	Ep #	Release Date
Season One	16	October 11, 2004
Season Two, Volume One.	28	November 17, 2003
Transformers: The Movie — Reconstructed	98	September 5, 2005
Season Two, Volume Two	21	May 3, 2004
Seasons Three and Four	33	August 30, 2004

Full Episode Usa

Region 4[edit]

Madman Entertainment released the four seasons in six box sets in Australia and New Zealand (Region 4): Season 1, Season 2.1, Season 2.2, Season 3.1, Season 3.2 and Season 4.

They later released the remastered Shout! Factory version of Transformers in the same volume arrangement as the American release. In 2007, Madman Entertainment released a 17-disc complete collection box set.

Other releases[edit]

A collector's tin box set was released in Asia by Guangdong Qianhe Audio & Video Communication Co., Ltd. under license by Pexlan International (Picture) Limited. The set includes the entire series, The Transformers: The Movie, a set of full color postcards, a rubber keychain and a full color book (graphic novel style) which serves as an episode guide. While the book is almost entirely in Mandarin, the chapter menus contain English translations for each episode. The set is coded as Region 1.

Transformers Cartoon G1 Full Episodes