End of the Line

« Beast Machines: Transformers ep 13 »
Monkey hate technology. Robot hate the monkey. They will fight eternally.
"End of the Line"
Season	1
No. in season	13
Production company	Mainframe Entertainment
Airdate	December 18, 1999
Written by	Steven Melching
Directed by	Mark Sawers
Animation studio	Mainframe Entertainment
Continuity	Beast Wars continuity

Megatron and Optimus are set to go head to head with dueling doomsday weapons, and both seem willing to destroy Cybertron to gain victory.

Synopsis

It's like holochess, but with munkies.

Cheetor and Rattrap hack into Megatron's central computer, looking for clues to who has tampered with the Oracle, but turn up nothing. Finally, just as Rattrap is about to find something, they're chased off by Tank Drones and soon find themselves surrounded. Rattrap throws some bombs which cover the tanks in vines, disabling them, and the two Maximals scarper.

Meanwhile, the Diagnostic Drone reports the Key to Vector Sigma has been downloaded to all of the tank drones. Tankor is pleased, until he tries to command the drones and discovers he no longer has control of them. He realises instead he will need to get Megatron to deploy them.

Optimus Primal has another vision from the Oracle, which tells him he must undertake his final journey. As he's telling Blackarachnia and Nightscream that he knows how to defeat Megatron, the other two Maximals arrive to report that Megatron has loaded the Key program into the tank drones.

The Diagnostic Drone disengages from the Oracle, reporting that he just created a counterfeit vision. Tankor monitors the Maximals, who are strolling through the city in robot mode. They reach a dead end, and turn back, but Optimus' eyes glow and a pair of huge doors open. They ride an elevator downwards to the Plasma Energy Chamber, which Optimus believes he can control. As he speaks, a Mole Drone appears, and he orders the Maximals into beast mode, before unleashing a bolt of energy from the chamber which vaporises the drone. He explains to the amazed Maximals that plasma energy will overload any electrical-mechanical systems. He plans to shut down everything technological on the entire planet. Cheetor tries to talk Optimus out of global Armageddon. Optimus shuts down the chamber and listens to Cheetor's alternate plan—use the seed grenades to keep the tank drones busy while Rattrap searches for a way to disable the Keys.

Tankor is pleased that Optimus has found the Plasma Energy Chamber, knowing that Optimus would never use it, but knowing that Megatron could never take that chance. Indeed, Megatron is very annoyed when told about the discovery by the Diagnostic Drone, who suggests that the Key weapon be deployed before Optimus has a chance to use the chamber. The tank drones are deployed around a huge structure which rises from the surface of Cybertron and are promptly attacked by the Maximals, throwing them into disarray. Megatron orders the Maximals' destruction.

Rattrap hacks into Megatron's computer again, only to find Tankor waiting to blast him. With Rattrap disabled, Tankor uses his link with the Diagnostic Drone to try to get Megatron to fire the Key weapon. Megatron doesn't believe that Optimus would ever use the Plasma Energy Chamber, and becomes more suspicious of the Drone, disabling it. Tankor rages that he will not be denied and leaves Rattrap's twitching technomatter self calling out to Optimus for help.

Optimus rushes into the Council Citadel to confront Megatron. The pair fight, and Megatron shows on monitors the other Maximals being transformed into technomatter. Optimus argues that it is the will of the Matrix that the organic prevail, and Megatron transforms into beast mode in rage. As they wrestle, Optimus attempts to reformat his opponent, but Tankor arrives in time to zap Optimus into technomatter. Tankor tries to zap Megatron as well - but is stopped by a secret failsafe Megatron had programmed into him, then captured by power bonds. Megatron transforms and thanks Tankor for his help in handing him victory.

As Megatron gloats over Optimus, the Maximal sends a mental command to open the Plasma Energy Chamber. The unleashed plasma energy begins ripping through Cybertron, and Megatron command his tank drones to fire the Key weapon. The conflicting energies create a maelstrom, swirling across the planet. Optimus Primal's hand disintegrates before his eyes.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"You must make one final journey. Complete your destiny. Tip the balance, Optimus. Transform your world or suffer extinction."

—Optimus' fake Oracle vision.

"Shut down Megatron for good, along with everything technological on the entire planet, right down to the last diode."

—Optimus on what he plans to do with the plasma energy.

"He found WHAT?! The plasma energy chamber is only a legend."
"As was the Key to Vector Sigma. Do you detect a pattern forming here?"

—Megatron and the increasingly sarcastic Diagnostic Drone.

"Hmmm, do I detect a personal stake in this contest?"
"Why, only that of my master."
"And which 'master' would that be?"

—Megatron and Diagnostic Drone, moments before the latter's destruction

"No planet is alive, Optimus, merely infested, and I intend to restore it to its natural condition."
"Over my sparkless body."
"My sentiments exactly."

—Megatron and Optimus.

"You can't destroy me — it's hardwired into your programming! Did you think I would grant you a spark and not protect myself from your treachery? You've been the perfect pawn all along, your independent mind weaving webs of deceit that I would never have conceived. I must thank you! If I had never let you roam free, I never would have obtained the key to my victory!"

—Megatron calls Tankor stupid.

"I... still... control... the... Plasma... Energy... Chamber."
"HAHAHAHAHA! An empty threat, my dear Optimus! You've always lacked the machine-like clarity to do what is logical — and necessary — to win!"
"Not... this... time!"
"LET THE FATES FALL WHERE THEY MAY!"

—Optimus and Megatron shoot their apocalyptic doomsday weapons at each other (and at everything else too).

Notes

Animation and technical errors

Tankor wore the wrong shirt that day.

• For the first half of the episode, Tankor is almost consistently portrayed using the character model of a plain Tank Drone rather than his personal one. Two extreme close up shots of him while he's in his hideout show him with the correct model, but all other shots of him during the same scene use the Tank Drone model instead.
• After Cheetor throws the bombs on the Tank drones, but just before his feet reach the ground, his left foot makes a 360° rotation.
• While grabbing the tail of Megatron's dragon form, one of its prongs passes through Optimus' hand.
• Megatron's transformation back into his robot mode again recycles animation of his shiny Beast Wars texturing.

Continuity notes

• It appears that Megatron remembered what happened the last time he reprogrammed Rhinox as evil (he came closer than most to usurping Megatron), and apparently knew since "Revelations Part III: Apocalypse" that Tankor has gone rogue. You didn't think Megatron would neglect to include a fail-safe this time.

Transformers references

• The Plasma Energy Chamber first appeared in "The Rebirth, Part 1".
• Several sequences during the battle between Optimus Primal and Megatron are reused animation from "Master of the House".

Real-world references

• Rattrap refers to "Control-Alt-Delete".

Trivia

• This episode contains one of the many deaths of Optimus Primal.
• In a rarity for Beast Machines, the episode features a sunset.
• End of the Line premiered on the same day in English and in Japanese just five years apart.

Foreign localization

French

• Title: "Guerre Techno-Organique, Partie III" ("Techno-Organic War, Part III")

German

• Title: "Die Vision" ("The Vision")
• Original airdate: December 14, 2000

Italian

• Title: "Guerra techno organica (terza parte) - Distruzione totale" ("Techno organic war (third part) - Total destruction")

• Once, the Diagnostic Drone says "vehicle" instead of "Vehicon".

Japanese

• Title: "Kecchaku no Toki" (決着の時, "The Moment of Truth")
• Original airdate: December 18, 2004

Mandarin

• Title: "Qióng Tú Mò Lù " (穷途末路, "In Dead End")

Polish

• Title: "Koniec Drogi " ("The End Of The Road")

Brazilian Portuguese

• Title: "Fim da Linha" ("End of the Line")

Spanish

• Title: "Guerra Tecno-Orgánica, Parte Tres: El Final de la Línea" ("Techno-Organic War, Part Three: The End of the Line")

Home video releases

DVD

2005 — Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Returns — Volume 4 (Geneon Entertainment) — Japanese audio only.
2006 — Beast Machines: Transformers — The Complete Series (Rhinomation)
2014 — Transformers: Beast Machines — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)
2007 — Transformers: Beast Machines — Season One: Volume Two (Sony)
2007 — Transformers: Beast Machines — Season One: Volume Two — Revelations (Sony)
2007 — Transformers: Beast Machines — Complete Season One (Sony)
2009 — Transformers: Beast Machines — Intégrale Saison 1 (Sony) — French audio only.