Approach of the Demon Meteorite

« Transformers: The Headmasters ep 6 »
Proto-Dead End?
"Approach of the Demon Meteorite" 悪魔の隕石接近 () (Akuma no Inseki Sekkin)
Production company	Takara, Toei
Airdate	August 7, 1987
Writer	Keisuke Fujikawa
Director	Katsutoshi Sasaki
Animation studio	Toei
Continuity	Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

Galvatron sends a metal-warping meteor on a collision course with Cybertron, and only Daniel can save the day.

Synopsis

Whoa, Air Raid! Like, what was in that energon we picked up at that last outpost, man? This is, like, really trippy!

As the Aerialbots pilot a survey vessel back to Earth, they cross paths with a mysterious glowing meteor that causes their craft to warp and twist out of shape. Alarmed, Ultra Magnus deploys the Technobots as a rescue team.

On Chaar, Galvatron is overjoyed at the success of their new weapon, and plots to use it again the Autobot base on Athenia. When the Decepticons detect that the Technobots have been sent out, Galvatron has them alert the Decepticons on Earth. Cyclonus and the Terrorcons are sent out to obstruct the Technobots, and Cyclonus reveals that the meteor—named Metamorphose by Galvatron—is a Decepticon creation.

Second worst thing to happen to Rollbar in this episode.

The Autobots on Athenia send out the Autobot Headmasters in Battleship Maximus to destroy the meteor. Rodimus Prime and the others are glad it wasn't heading for Cybertron, though Daniel Witwicky frets what will happen if the meteor reaches Athenia. The Headmasters reach the meteor and open fire, but everything they throw at it is deflected away. Fortress reports back to Rodimus, who tells him to observe the meteor.

Galvatron and the Decepticon Headmasters arrive on Earth where Scourge reports Cyclonus's current success in interfering with the Autobots. They're attacked by the Throttlebots, who immediately tangle with the Headmasters and come off decidedly second best. Galvatron, Scourge and the Sweeps head off and join Cyclonus. While Galvatron is gloating to the Technobots, Battleship Maximus suddenly hoves into view overhead and disgorges the Autobot Headmasters. The Decepticon Headmasters, having defeated the Throttlebots, also turn up, and a battle begins to rage.

Meanwhile, a ship launches from the Autobot's base on Earth—the Throttlebots, having played dead, have instead decided to sneak off in an Autobot frigate to try and deal with the meteor themselves, even ignoring an order to turn back from Rodimus. Wideload and Chase jump out to attack the meteor, but the meteor's gravity field warps both them and the ship.

I'm sorry, Daniel, but we can't do the ending credits scene any more. I am not a Transformer.

Realising that stopping Metamorphose will require a non-metallic agent, the Autobots request that one of their human allies plant bombs on the meteorite, but Spike is still recovering from wounds recently sustained in battle, and Marissa Faireborn of the EDC is too busy to go. The Autobots are reluctant to expose Daniel to danger, and the boy runs to see his father. When Spike learns of the situation, he's determined to go, despite Daniel and Carly's protests. Fortunately the other Autobots think it's a bad idea as well, and Daniel announces that he will go instead.

On Earth, the Autobots and Decepticons are still shooting at each other. The Headmasters are called away back to Athenia and depart in Battleship Maximus while Computron keeps Galvatron and his men distracted.

It was this exact moment when we realized this series made Daniel even more annoying.

Daniel is suited up in a non-metallic spacesuit and is briefed by Spike before he and Wheelie head out to catch a ride on Battleship Maximus. Partway there they encounter Galvatron and the Decepticon Headmasters, and the Autobot Headmasters bar Fortress jump out to handle them. Daniel gets cold feet, but Fortress calms the boy with an impromptu bit of gurning. Fortress prepares to leave Wheelie in charge of the ship so he can go attack the meteor, but Daniel is now happy enough to make the attempt himself. Jumping off onto the meteor, Daniel is shot at by one of the metal-warping guns—it has no effect on him, but he's able to ride it inside. Successfully disabling the gravity emitters using the controls, he then plants a bomb before jumping overboard. The meteor explodes and Galvatron furiously retreats. Back on Athenia, Daniel is hailed as a hero.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Notes

Continuity notes

"Here's the plan: we do nothing."
"Yup. It's another world-beater!"

• The Throttlebots really look like they die in this episode, but they turn up okay later in the series. It's unclear if they were retrieved and repaired, or if they managed to recover and retreat like the Aerialbots.
• The Sweeps make their first of two appearances in the Headmasters
• This is the first The Headmasters episode to feature fewer than 50 characters.

Transformers references

• Although she doesn't appear in the episode, or at any point during Headmasters, Daniel suggests Marissa Faireborn, who last appeared in "The Burden Hardest to Bear", as a possible candidate for the mission.

Animation and technical errors

• As the Aerialbots' ship is approaching Earth, it passes by several objects that are drawn to look like planets but are not much larger than their ship.
• When first assessing the threat of the meteorite, Jazz is missing his insignia.
• As the Headmasters and Wheelie toss Daniel in the air, Wheelie is the same size as the Headmasters.
• In the Omni Productions dub, after the line "But then again, the universe is endless, there might be a rogue in here" someone laughs in the audio.

Trivia

• Daniel sure regresses mentally in this episode. He bawls like a colicky two-year-old, complete with flailing fists in the air as Fortress holds him like he's got a full diaper (like Daniel has the full diaper, not Fortress), and Fortress makes silly faces to make him (Daniel) laugh. It's embarrassing, and the sad thing is, it won't be the last time.
• Note how no-one even suggests that Carly—Spike's daring, intelligent wife who once infiltrated a Decepticon base on her own—could go on the mission to the meteor. Instead it's straight to sending the whiny pre-teen kid to save everyone.
• Galvatron is a really terrible shot. As the Autobot Headmasters retreat, he can't land a single shot even near the enormous city building-sized Battleship Maximus directly in front of him.
• It's rather considerate of Galvatron to design the controls for the gravity emitter to be not just human-height but pre-teen human height.

Foreign localization

English

• Title: "The Evil Meteor'" (Omni Productions dub)
• Original airdate: August 16, 1992

• Title: "Approach of the Demon Meteorite" (Shout! Factory sub)

• The title is misspelled as "Approach of the Demon Metorite" in the DVD menu.
• The meteorite is named "Metamorphosis" in Shout! Factory's subtitles, as opposed to "Metamorpho" in Metrodome's subtitles and the original "Metamorphose" name.

Italian

• Title: "Il coraggio di Daniel" ("Daniel's courage")
• Original airdate: ?

• The asteroid is always referred to as a meteorite.
• When Blurr asks Rodimus why the asteroid wasn't considered natural, in Italian he actually asks what does "artificial meteorite" means.
• When the Headmasters come to pick up Daniel, the dub makes the latter say: «Wait, those are the Headmasters!», making it look like he didn't knew they were coming.
• When Fortress manages to calm down Daniel, and he tells him that the stars are beautiful, instead of saying that they really are, Daniel says: «Yes, I'm going now», making it look like he actually choose to go out. This, of course, contradicts what happens next.

Mandarin

• Title: "Èmó Yǔnshí Jiējìn" (恶魔陨石接近, "Approach of the Demon Meteorite")

Russian

• Title: "Zloveschy Meteorit" (Зловещий метеорит, "The Ominous Meteorite")

Home video releases

Laserdisc

1996 — Transformers: The Headmasters Set (Takara) — Japanese audio only.

DVD

2002 — Transformers: Takara (Sony Wonder) — Omni dub only.
2002 — Transformers: The Headmasters — DVD Box (Pioneer LDC) — Japanese audio only.
2005 — The Takara Collection Vol 1 — Transformers: Headmasters (Metrodome)
2007 — Transformers — The Complete Takara Collection (Metrodome)
2007 — The Transformers: Headmasters (Madman Entertainment)
2009 — The Transformers: Japan Generation 1 — Complete Collection (Madman Entertainment)
2011 — Transformers Japanese Collection: Headmasters (Shout! Factory) — Japanese audio with optional English subtitles only.
2012 — Transformers: The Japanese Collection (Shout! Factory) — Japanese audio with optional English subtitles only.