More...Much More Than Meets The Eye!
It is a world transformed...where things are not as they seem...

More Than Meets The Eye, Part 1

Written by George Arthur Bloom

Synopsis by Shwiggie

     The episode opens with a narrative providing the background for the series; telling of the world of Cybertron, the home of the Autobots and Decepticons. A Great war had been started by the Decepticons against the Autobots in order to gain control of the planet. However, the millions of years of fighting had drained the metallic world of its' resources and was subsequently low on energy. The Autobots were driven to their limits in their attempts to stay alive under both the Decepticon assault and the depleted resources at their disposal.

     We then shift to Wheeljack and Bumblebee, two Autobots, stealing energy rods from the Decepticons for use at their headquarters at Iacon. After Wheeljack transforms into his hovercraft mode, Bumblebee boards him with their cargo and they take off. However, just before they are to reach Iacon, they are confronted by a group of Decepticon jets, who begin firing immediately at the Autobots. Wheeljack gets his shields up before the blasts hit, and drops off Bumblebee to trade shots with the Decepticons. The firefight escalates, as the Decepticons are reinforced by new troops, including one equipped with a flamethrower, who encircles the Autobots with a ring of fire. The two transform into vehicle mode and barrel through the Decepticon barricades, only to be pursued after the Decepticons transform into jet mode!

     The Decepticons strafe the two speeding Autobots for a while, eventually landing a blow on Bumblebee. He quickly loads himself into Wheeljack's cargo bay, and they continue towards home while under heavy attack by the attacking jets. However, they manage to duck underground, ending the Decepticon pursuit, and the jets determine to return to headquarters. While the Autobots return to Iacon, they pass by a seeming street lamp, who reveals himself to be Soundwave, the Decepticon communications officer. He then ejects what appears to be a Cybertronian cassette tape, who is referred to as Laserbeak, and is ordered to fly to Iacon and spy on the Autobots. As Laserbeak begins to transmit data, Soundwave is forced to transform as another Autobot hovercraft, Jazz, zooms by. Thus averting detection, Soundwave orders Laserbeak to continue his monitoring mission.

     As Jazz enters the Iacon compound, he is met by the Autobots Prowl, Trailbreaker, and Optimus Prime, the leader of the Autobots. Optimus asks how the mission went, and Jazz reports that he found no new power source. After Optimus declares that the lack of fuel will preclude any victory in this war, Prowl asks when they should take off for a energy expedition. Prime then announces that they'll leave as soon as they can. After hearing every word that was spoken, Laserbeak takes off and rejoins his keeper. Soundwave then flys away to Decepticon headquarters to report the data to Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons.

     As Megatron learns of the Autobot's search for energy, he asserts that the Decepticons must be the ones to find any new fuel source. As Soundwave announces that the Autobots are prepared to depart, Megatron assigns the Decepticon Shockwave with the task of maintaining the Decepticon dominance of Cybertron while he is away. While Megatron postures about seeing Optimus Prime surrender, Starscream interjects, claiming that he would have won the war eons before, had he been in charge. Megatron reminds him that he is still leader and will remain so, and Starscream just stands by, saying, "my time will come..." The Decepticons prepare to leave.

     The Autobots blast off in their starship, later known as the Ark. At that time, the Decepticons launch in pursuit of the Autobots. Shortly after the Transformers' entourages depart, they find themselves in a dense asteroid field. Megatron commands that they follow the Autobots while they blast a path through the space debris. However, upon exiting the field, Prowl detects the Decepticon warship following them. Starscream questions why they don't simply destroy the Ark, but Megatron wants to find out what the Autobots are looking for. After unsuccessfully trying to shake their pursuers, the Autobots are caught in a Decepticon tractor beam, without enough power to escape its pull or counterattack. As the Decepticons attempt to board the Ark, the Autobots prepare for fight them off. The opposing sides fight furiously, but the Decepticons have the advantage in close quarters combat. Due to their proximity to a planet, the ships begin to fly apart. Optimus Prime mans the controls in a desperate attempt to steady the ship for a crash landing on a primitive planet, and buries the vessel into a mountainside!

     Four million years pass by...and in 1984, an eruption of the volcano energizes the ship's computer systems, Teletran I, which deploys a probe in order to explore the new world and procure new designs with which to disguise the ship's fallen occupants. Teletran begins to repair the Transformers, unfortunately beginning with the Decepticon Skywarp, who then drags his leader into the path of the computer's repair ray to be reanimated. They immediately have the computer revive the other Decepticons, and depart the ship through the newly opened hole in it hull and the opening in the volcano caused by it's explosion. They awake to discover a planet that has evolved greatly in the time in which they slept. Megatron declares that their mission to find any available energy resources is still on, and that they do so in order to finally conquer Cybertron and use it as the ultimate weapon with which to dominate the entire universe! At this time, Starscream fires a few "parting shots" toward the hated Autobots as they depart. However, these blast knock the body of Optimus Prime into the light of the repair beam, and is rebuilt with the form of an Earthly tractor trailer. The Decepticons locate a site suitable for their new base. Megatron commands Soundwave to make plans for a new starship and Starscream to make the area fit for construction work. For materials, the Decepticons determine to plunder a human construction site, and Starscream, Soundwave, and his cassette robot Rumble fly off in that direction.

     The newly awakened Optimus Prime determines that this new planet has bountiful resources of energy, but that the Decepticons must be prevented from harvesting it. He assigns Hound to scout for the Decepticons, and Cliffjumper decides to accompany him. At this time, the Decepticons land at their target. Starscream begins to expound to Rumble about how he will soon lead the Decepticon armies, but Rumble retorts that Megatron can't be defeated and proceeds to cause an earthquake to start their attack. The two Autobot scouts sense the presence of the Decepticons, and head to the area that is being attacked. Meanwhile, the Decepticons learn that they can produce energy matrices called Energon cubes that would be suitable for transport on their new cruiser. But, Cliffjumper gets impatient, and fires a cannon at Megatron. Thus alerted to the presence of an enemy, Laserbeak is dispatched to find out who it was that fired. The two scouts flee, but are pursued by a newly rebuilt Laserbeak. The two split up, to force the investigating flyer to commit to one target. But, Laserbeak sends one of his independently targetable laser blasters after Cliffjumper, while he chases Hound! Cliffjumper fires his trademarked Glass Gas at the laser, knocking it out of the sky, but Laserbeak is able to force Hound to crash and fall down a cliff. Later, the Autobot medic, Ratchet, comes along to fix Hound, and is accompanied by Cliffjumper and the Autobot crane Grapple and proceed to lift him out of the ravine. The Decepticons Thundercracker and spy camera Reflector notice mechanical activity, and report it back to Soundwave. The Decepticons prepare for Autobots, but it's the human workers of the demolished plant, who are rapidly dispersed by the Decepticon cassette, Ravage.

     Hound is able to report back to Optimus Prime about the Decepticon activity he eavesdropped upon. Prime directs Jazz to put together a strike team, and they immediately organize. Jazz calls on Prowl, Trailbreaker, Cliffjumper, Wheeljack, Ironhide, Mirage, Sunstreaker, and Sideswipe; and Optimus Prime leads his warrior convoy towards the Decepticon field base. The Decepticons are busy concerning themselves with locating a fuel source. Laserbeak locates an off-shore oil drilling derrick being manned by human workers, including a young man named Spike. The Decepticons land on the platform, and are instantly attacked by the humans, who are quickly dispersed. The boy Spike is knocked off the platform by Rumble, but his father knocks the tiny Decepticon away and jumps after his son. Megatron then commands Starscream to activate his null rays, to stop the further expenditure of energy in the derrick. Soundwave begins to produce energon cubes from his chest window, and the Decepticons begin to fill them with oil and condense them into energon cubes. Starscream is elated, thinking that they can finally go back to rule Cybertron, but Megatron reminds him that they require much more than what they now have to do so. At that time, the Autobots fly onto the scene! The battle begins, with Megatron and Prime grappling, and the other Transformers become locked in combat. The Autobots fire on the energon cubes, which causes the Decepticons to retreat, but Megatron shoots the rig, causing it to fall apart and catch afire, and leaves the Autobots to cope with the situation. Optimus hears the desperate cries of the human father and son, but he can not lift the grating that prevents their escape. Telling the humans to hold onto him and hold their heads above the water, the episode ends in a cliffhanger!

     There are several points to notice about this, the first episode of the Transformers saga:

1. Autobots aren't normally capable of flight in the series, with the exception of a select few, but here they did so with no seeming assistance. It may be assumed that they utilized jet packs to allow for flight.
2. The fact that they had Cybertronian alternative forms that were altered upon their revival on Earth.
3. While the Autobot Grapple was the real name of the crane used to lift Hound from the ravine, in this episode he was referred to as Hauler. One might suppose that this was the original name for this character.
4. Starscream's weapon was referred to as "The Null Ray", denoting its status as a special armament. Later in the series its significance is downplayed to the level of a standard issue weapon.