Rattrap uses a catalyst program to accelerate the growth of the plants at the Maximal stronghold, and Blackarachnia learns the truth about Thrust.
- The Catalyst (Japanese title: The Water Of Life) (生命 の 水 Inochi no Mizu) is the twelfth/penultimate episode of first season of Beast Machines: Transformers, is the twelfth episode of the Beast Machines: Transformers series and is overall the sixty-fourth episode of the Beast Era of the Transformers series. It is overall the one hundredth-sixty-second episode of the G1 Era of Transformers.
Summary
Hoping to set Optimus Primal and Megatron upon each other and take over Cybertron, Tankor forces his enslaved diagnostics drone to tell Megatron about the Key to Vector Sigma program. Tankor hoped that Megatron will grow desperate against the Maximals' organic threat and use the Key to purge Cybertron of all things organic. Unfortunately, Megatron refused the trap and instead downloaded the Key program into his Vehicon drones to test its power on the Maximals.
Meanwhile, Rattrap does a search for any programs involving Cybertron's organic core that could help the team's progress along. But, as he does so, a monitor drone secretly spies on Rattrap's activities, and Rattrap without hesitation claims that he smells An 8-Legged Rat, as she takes the core quietly before Rattrap stops her. Blackarachnia explains that she needs the core as a catalyst to reawaken Silverbolt's spark, which she claims is inside Thrust. Rattrap allows her, warns her to bring The Bird Dog back in one piece.
Jetstorm, Thrust and Diagnostic Drone make their appearance in the episode, with Jetstorm announcing a welcome to another edition of "Digging for Maximals." But Diagnostic Drone gives the two Vehicons a distraction of "Maximal Signature Detected", which they immediately respond to. He then questions if Tankor's plan will work or not, and Tankor, being extremely smart of every event that is happening, then says yes to his new loyal servant.
Rattrap hooks himself up to the Maximals' machine and activates the download he collected in scene two, which causes some unexpected surprises, involving the plant life entangling Rattrap as they grow. His face flies into the camera for the next act: The Maximals Optimus, Cheetor and Nightscream arrive on the scene, and ask the rat what's happening. The rat gives his answer, and the Maximals cut the plants down to size.
Jetstorm and Thrust see nothing before Diagnostic Drone enters and rejoins them. The Vehicon Generals explain they detect no Maximal Signatures and that this was the work of Egghead tricking them so that he'd be free to do his own dark needs. But it's not long at all before "Maximal Signature Detected." and turn to Thrust who claims that it's inside. all scanners turn there to find Blackarachnia crawling upwards preparing for a surprise strike on them while their backs are turned. She strikes when they are ready to leave and stops them from going anywhere else.
Optimus warns Rattrap to test a new program on a smaller scale next time.
Up in the city, Blackarachnia knocks out Jetstorm and the Diagnostic Drone before leading Thrust to a more secluded location where she traps him in a web. Dosed with goo, Thrust reverts to his old personality—Waspinator. Waspinator explains that he got bored on prehistoric Earth and flew back to Cybertron (tho in truth, it was actually the Protohumans that force Waspinator to leave after the later slings rocks at a near-by Protohuman), which—at least according to him—"took forever." Blackarachnia is more than a little disappointed that he's not Silverbolt, but they're interrupted by Jetstorm, who knocks the container of goo from Blackarachnia's hand and is dosed with it. Jetstorm's old personality comes out, and this time it's Silverbolt.
Rattrap admits to Cheetor and Nightscream what the spider's up to. Nightscream volunteers to get Optimus, but Cheetor has other plans. Optimus, meanwhile, is having problems accessing the Oracle.
Silverbolt and Waspinator fight over Blackarachnia, but they're interrupted by the arrival of Aero and Cycle Drones, which neither Vehicon realises they can control. The power of the Keys eliminates the goo, reverting Thrust and Jetstorm to their normal selves, and they order the drones to close in. Fortunately the other three Maximals burst in riding a giant vine, and pick up Blackarachnia, whisking her away to safety.
Diagnostic Drone reports failure to Megatron, but he's been monitoring the situation anyway. The drones zap the huge vine with their keys, changing it to technomatter. The Maximals leap off before they're infected, but Rattrap announces they have to sever the vines to stop the infection spreading to the orchid and Cybertron's organic core. They race alongside the vine, chasing the infection until it reaches the orchid. Optimus spots the problem and frantically begins breaking vines. He succeeds, and rounds on Cheetor for disobeying orders, before informing him that he believes the Oracle has been tampered with.
Tankor, through the Diagnostic Drone, convinces Megatron to load the Key into all of the tank drones, and muses to himself that it's all thanks to the catalyst program he let Rattrap find.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Maximals | Vehicons | Predacons | Others |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Guests
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Guests
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|
Quotes
Your glorious army will shine less brightly without his guiding... can I have his tank drones?
- —Jetstorm, why that greedy son of a... It's the Pit for you then!
Rattrap! What happened here?
I err... sort of tested out this new program...
(All 3) I Am Transformed!
- —Rattrap's usage of the new program has been found by Optimus, Cheetor & Nightscream before the 3 get down to some cutting work
(As Thrust) Ahh... Ahhh-ahh... AAAAAAHHHHHH.....
Silverbolt!
Nooooooo. Doggie-bot not here.
- —Blackarachnia learns the hard way of who Thrust's Spark really is.
You mean... I risked everything to save this... this... SCRAPHEAP!? EWWW!
That mean Spider-Bot not go steady with Waspinator?
(Screaming) NO!
- —Blackarachnia now regrets her act of finding out Thrust's true identity; the act of which has ultimately become her mistake...
Blackarachnia... O dark poison of my heart!
There's only 1 Transformer who could say something that corny with a straight face...
It is I, my love...
- —Blackarachnia's knight in shining armor shines again inside Jetstorm's body.
Notes
- Thrust and Jetstorm are revealed to be the reprogramed Sparks of Waspinator, and Silverbolt respectively. Their Beast Wars personalities emerge in this episode, albeit for a few minutes, before their Drones strike the Technorganic liquid Blackarachnia applied to their chests with copies of the Key to Vector Sigma to remove it and restore their Vehicon personas. Silverbolt's return will be permanent however later on in the Season 2 episode of Beast Machines: Transformers "In Darkest Knight".
Technical/Animation Glitches
- When Megatron asks the drone what the Key to Vector Sigma will do to his beast mode, his scar is switched to his left eye.
Continuity errors
- Silverbolt and Waspinator seem unaware that they are in Vehicon bodies with drones at their command. This is odd, considering that Rhinox was fully aware (or so he claims) within the body of Tankor, and even more so when Silverbolt feels guilt when he finally returns to the Maximal fold (although these can both be chalked up to the Maximals tampering with their respective programming). Even a few seconds before Waspinator acts oblivious to his command over the drones, he confesses "now Waspinator cool biker bot, hardly ever get blown up and Chick-bots dig the brooding loner bit", acknowledging his role as Thrust. Huh? This is getting stranger by the minute...
Real-World References
- Nightscream refers to Blackarachnia as "Miss Spider", referring to the children's book character of the same name.
Notes
- It seems unusual that Megatron would threaten the Diagnostic Drone with a spark extractor, seeing as how it doesn't have any to begin with.
- Palm tree is the most ecological way to time-travel.
External Links
- Link
