Energon Tower (episode)

« Transformers: Energon ep 10 »
Following Armada Tower, and followed by Cybertron Tower.
"Energon Tower" 出現! エネルゴンタワー () (Shutsgen! Energon Tower) "Appear! Energon Tower"
Production company	TV Tokyo, NAS
Airdate	12 March 2004 (Japanese) April 9, 2004 (English)
Writer	Shōji Tonoike
Director	Naoki Ōhira
Animation studio	Actas, Studio A-CAT (3D)
Continuity	Unicron Trilogy

The Autobots and humans work to complete an energon tower defense grid for Earth before the Decepticons can find out about it.

Synopsis

Thank Primus Starscream isn't here.

Dr. Jones arrives at Ocean City to push for and oversee his energon tower project, to Kicker's surprise. The project gets underway with Earth Federation backing and massive work crews both human and Transformer. Kicker notes that it's the biggest project "since building Armed City".

Alexis reports to Dr. Jones about incoming supplies, and recalls the terror of Unicron. She offers to help get more personnel, but Dr. Jones says that it's not necessary. By re-using existing structures, they expect the project to take about a week.

Sally and Miranda Jones return to Ocean City, wondering if Dr. Jones and Kicker will get along this time. Kicker is worrying to Optimus Prime about a possible attack during the construction, when Dr. Jones comes looking for him, annoying him by calling him "Junior". Kicker turns him down for lunch and leaves with Misha.

Do you think it screams?

On Mars, Cyclonus is bored as the energon scavenging operations drag on, but Megatron promises him action soon. Soon, the time comes to return to Unicron. Megatron vows to create a new mobile fortress, and does so. Within Unicron, Megatron has his sword recreated into a more powerful weapon. Demolishor is thrown slightly for a loop by when Megatron questions him about Ocean City; Megatron then orders the Decepticons to attack while Prime is stationed there. Alpha Q observes the Decepticons leaving Unicron aboard the mobile fortress, and figures it's the perfect chance to steal back the energon, dispatching Terrorcons.

Kicker has traveled with Misha to Jungle City, anxious to get away from his dad. He detects an incoming attack. Ocean City braces for attack.

The Autobots and the automated defenses hold off the Terrorcons, but Megatron emerges from the sea and attacks Optimus Prime with his new sword. Demolishor winds up facing off with Ironhide, and hesitates till he's goaded into action by Megatron.

So it repels Decepticons but not Autobots? If, hypothetically, an Autobot were forcibly turned evil, what would be the result?

Ironhide breaks off from the battle to pursue Scorponok. Dr. Jones leaves a shelter in the middle of the fight to go help, with Sally following. Ironhide contacts Kicker, who ignores him. Sally follows up, telling him that their dad is injured.

The Transformers square off: Jetfire vs. Scorponok, Inferno and Hot Shot vs. Tidal Wave; Demolishor vs. Ironhide; Optimus Prime vs. Megatron. Megatron taunts Prime that Unicron's revival is already underway.

Alpha Q and Starscream observe the Terrorcons returning from Unicron's body, loaded with energon for Unicron's revival.

Kicker arrives in the middle of the battle aboard Skyblast and gives some tactical help to the Autobots. Scorponok attacks him, but suddenly a huge tower begins to arise from Ocean City. It sends a beam into the sky, enhanced by a team of Signal Flares. Something huge emerges from the sky—the energon tower! It lands and connects with the energon tower, glowing red with energy. The pulses begin destroying the Terrorcons, and Megatron orders a retreat. Dr. Jones emerges, alive and well, and rejoicing in the energy pulses washing over the city.

Kicker yells at Sally for lying about their dad being injured; she counters that it was the only way to get him to return. Dr. Jones explains his "energon shockwave assault" to the Autobots. Prime worries that, having seen the energon tower, Megatron will be back soon.

Megatron angrily wonders how the Autobots built the tower without him finding out. And Alpha Q observes as Unicron's head flickers with new energy; it won't be long now.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"Let's just hope they're getting some R and R or something, till we get the tower up."
"That's a good idea! Hook 'em up with some kind of vacation package would ya?" (Laughs joyfully)

—Alexis and Dr. Jones, who always seems to find humor in everything anyone says.

"Demolishor! I understand Optimus Prime is stationed in your old home town."
"Yes, I mean — it's more or less the same place."
"Inarticulate as always."
"Forgive me, sir; it's just, I spent a lot of time away, so even though I come from there—"
"Never mind!"

—Megatron isn't going to let Demolishor have an easy time.

"You just bought yourself a first-class ticket to annihilationville! HAHAHAHA! Barbecue, anyone?!
"Yeah, and you're the main course!"

—Cyclonus opens fire and Inferno implies he wants to eat him.

"What is this monstrosity?"
"Big. BIG!"

—Megatron and Tidal Wave, who gets right to the point

"Uhhh.... translation, anybody?"

—Ironhide watches the Energon cartoon the energon tower descend.

"What is this stuff, anyway?"
"It's the awesome power of energon! Amazing."

—Hot Shot and Optimus Prime want you to buy those toys!

Notes

Differences with Super Link

A huge number of backgrounds were not finished for the Energon version of this episode. Most of the time, an adequate substitute was used (in fact it's not clear why some of them even needed to be changed), but in a couple of places it makes the story less clear.

• Super Link and Energon use different opening shots of Ocean City, and again when Sally and her mom arrive.
• Energon takes an idle thought by Kicker about how "each of the armed cities" will have its own energon tower, and turns it into the wildly nonsensical statement that "this was the biggest project since the construction of Armed City".
• Immediately after, Kicker's impressed thought that "I never would have thought of that" gets mutilated into a scornful "I don't know what these people are thinking".
• In Energon, the cables that attach Megatron to Unicron are missing their color. Super Link also adds some glowing effects to the cables as they power up, and likewise to Megatron's eyes.
• Energon makes Megatron's dialog while creating the new mobile fortress somewhat at odds with the animation. He proclaims "we WILL create a new fortress", only for it to happen just a second later; he then orders the Terrorcons to "seek out what will be your new home", as if it wasn't right there in front of them. In Super Link, he simply orders Unicron to create the fortress, then tells the Terrorcons that it is their home now.
• Demolishor's statement that he's spent a lot of time away (quoted above) was originally a statement that Optimus Prime often leaves Ocean City, and might not be there.
• Super Link features full coloration on the demonic faces that briefly appear around Megatron's sword. They also glow green before exploding. In Energon, they're simply shaded blue.
• Alpha Q's "no one here but us!" is, of course, an Energon flub, since Alpha Q isn't in Unicron's body.
• Super Link features new establishing shots of Jungle City, scrolling through cliffs and showing the tower under construciton. Energon recycles some still shots of the ancient pyramids instead.
• Kicker's thought "you don't know the half of it" is purely an Energon addition.
• Still more unfinished/changed backgrounds as Dr. Jones leaves the shelter, and Sally arrives in the control room.
• Scorponok's "Poison Claw" line, rather inexplicably said in reference to his tail, was original just a line about some "poison".
• The Signal Flares' bizarre cry of "SOREEEE!" (a nonsense word said for emphasis of action) as they bring in the tower is changed to a simple and more Western-palatable "Fire!" for Energon.
• More unfinished animation: the bottom of the descending energon tower looks like a fuzzy moon. Super Link replaces this with a darkened orb.
• Energon lacks any animation to show the suborbital top of the tower activating. In Super Link, a different background painting is used, with red energon pulses.

Pain count

• "Uh?": 12

Animation and technical errors

• When Megatron orders his soldiers to leave through the portal with him, Tidal Wave's growls can be heard very briefly, yet Tidal Wave isn't present in the scene.
• Megatron's new Energon Sword is colored entirely green, the turret is rotated 180 degrees, and the blade is stuck onto the outside of it, all of which is inaccurate to the toy and later depictions.
• Once again, Tidal Wave is exaggerated in size. He is depicted as being the size of a city—while being in a city—as he goes to crush Hot Shot, who should actually be up to Tidal Wave's knee—not the size of his palm.
• The top of the energon tower connection is missing when it extends.

Continuity notes

• The energon towers are built using existing cities/towers.
• Alpha Q has almost fully powered up Unicron's head.
• Gadgets and powers:
  • Megatron upgrades his Energon Sword into a miniature version of his old tank body.
  • Demolishor's tank form is linked to the bottom of Cyclonus's helicopter mode.
  • Scorponok uses his cab cannons and tail cannons in scorpion mode.
  • Powerlinx Inferno uses his shoulder cannons.
  • Optimus Prime (in his Super Mode) launches Fire-1 at Megatron, to which Fire-1 vibrates on Megatron causing harm? Uh...Right.
  • The Energon Blaster makes a brief reappearance.
  • The Signal Flares combine their beams (in vehicle mode) to direct the connections of energon tower for the first time.
• Powerlinx forms:
  • Optimus Prime Super Mode
  • Powerlinx Inferno with Hot Shot (first use)

Continuity errors

• How did the Decepticons manage to get so close to Ocean City without being detected?
• Just where Scorponok is going, and why it's so important, is never quite made clear.
• Demolishor cuts off Ironhide's pursuit of Scorponok, but for some reason it's not actually shown on-screen.
• Sally isn't shown leaving the shelter; we don't realize she's done so till she arrives in the control center.

Trivia

• Apart from the conversation between Dr. Jones and Alexis, this episode's dialog actually flows pretty well.
• Scorponok is really enjoying the battle, laughing madly through the whole thing.
• The generic Autobots don't get slagged for once.
• In some scenes where Kicker is riding Skyblast in vehicle mode, Skyblast is drawn by hand.

Foreign localization

Italian

• Title: "La torre di energon" ("The Energon Tower")

• After Megatron creates the fortress, "seek out what will be your new home" is changed to "and visit your new home", hence solving the problem of the future tense. Still, before that, he talks in future tense while saying that they will create a new fortress.
• When Megatron talks to Demolishor, "hometown" is translated as "native town", despite the fact that Demolishor obviously wasn't born there.
• When Scorponok talks about his "poison claw", it is changed to "poisoned sting", which makes more sense since he was talking about his tail.

Home video releases

DVD

2004 — Transformer: Super Link — Volume 003 (Interchannel) — Japanese audio only.
2008 — Transformers: Energon — The Ultimate Collection (Paramount)
2014 — Transformers: Energon — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)