Law of the Jungle
Title card via TFWiki, fan-archive fair use
Tigatron is forced to choose between the Maximal cause and the natural world he has sworn to protect.
Frogs eat bugs, snakes kill frogs, birds kill snakes. Things are mercilessly killing each other, as Nature intended. But Nature didn't intend for a giant crazed robotic fire ant to attack Cheetor and Dinobot. As the maniacal Inferno gleefully assaults the two, Terrorsaur brings out some heavy explosives from a mountaintop weapons cache to take out Dinobot, though he ends up knocking Inferno aside as well; Waspinator just hangs back, waiting for the signal that Terrorsaur never bothered to give. After getting blasted a good distance, Terrorsaur signals for Waspinator to attack. Cheetor radios for back-up.
Waspinator plans an attack on Cheetor using another heavy explosive, but overestimates his own strength and can't keep himself aloft when he's holding the weapon. While trying to keep airborne, Waspinator sees a tiger, which he naturally mistakes for Tigatron—who is actually a few feet higher on the mountain, ready to pounce on the Predacon. Tigatron holds on and guides the bug to a crash.
Inferno switches his weapon to a flamethrower to cook the cats. Tigatron transforms and blasts Inferno away, but a stray shot from his own gun passes Inferno and heads towards the mountain where both Snowstalker and the Predacon's weaponry cache are located. The entire supply of explosives detonates in a single blast, and Tigatron's animal friend is caught in the rockslide. Concerned for his companion, Tigatron hurries to unbury the wild tiger, but it's too late.
Later, as the sky darkens, Tigatron finishes constructing a marker for Snowstalker's resting place. Surveying the damage to the landscape from the fight, Tigatron resolves to quit being a participant in the Beast Wars. Dinobot argues that destruction is part of the nature of war, but Tigatron remains with his decision to stay out of the Maximal/Predacon conflict. After Tigatron leaves, Dinobot follows him, making it clear he has a sort of plan. Cheetor is relieved when Primal arrives to make sense of the situation.
The three Predacons meet to plan their next move.
In the dark of night, in thick foliage, Dinobot shows Tigatron an example of Nature in action: a tiger killing some gazelles. Slaughter for survival, just like the Maximals battle the Predacons for the survival of peace on Cybertron. Dinobot explains that if Megatron wins, he will spread war to other worlds, ultimately destroying Cybertron in the process. Thus, the Maximals must stop him. It is the legacy of the Autobots and the Decepticons: they will always oppose each other. Tigatron still disagrees, and Dinobot gets aggressive. Luckily, before Dinobot gets carried away, Primal arrives to take his turn at reasoning. Disgusted, Dinobot takes his leave. After he leaves, Primal tells Tigatron that he hates the Beast Wars just as much as him, but that as long as they are on this planet, they have a duty to protect it from the Predacons.
The three Predacons attack Dinobot, overpowering the lone Maximal despite his inhumanly flexible neck. Primal arrives soon after, and the Predacons hope for another victory. Optimus puts up a better fight, knocking away both Terrorsaur and Waspinator with one shot, but Inferno hits Optimus from behind with a strong blast. The two Maximals are too damaged to fight against the killer fire ant, when to their rescue comes Tigatron, who can't sit passively while his friends are close to death.
Inferno's flamethrower ignites a bush, adding to Tigatron's fury. The cat blasts Inferno into the distance, ending the Predacon's campaign. Tigatron extinguishes the fire and is welcomed back to the Beast Wars. Although he still hates the collateral damage, Tigatron now understands he can do more good as a warrior than a bystander.
—Inferno, completely destroying the element of surprise.
—Waspinator and Terrorsaur attempt to salvage the situation after Inferno ruins the ambush.
—Terrorsaur and Waspinator discuss strategy.
—Inferno and Tigatron exchange trash talk.
—Tigatron at Snowstalker's grave
- According to a 1997 interview with Bob Forward, though credited to Mark Leiren-Young, this episode was almost completely rewritten by Larry DiTillio.
- While Tigatron stands up to Inferno, Dinobot and Optimus Primal appear behind him in their beast modes, mimicking his finger-waggle with a sassy "nuh-uh" head-bob.
- The recording session for this episode was briefly shown in the Beast Wars Transformers "Making Of" Special.
- At the beginning of the episode, Cheetor and Dinobot are searching for more alien sites.
- Snowstalker had previously been seen in the episode "Fallen Comrades". Who's the fallen comrade NOW?
- Inferno calls Tigatron "destroyer of my colony!", a reference to how the tiger-bot ticked him off in his debut episode. Seemingly, Inferno doesn't yet think of the Predacon base as his colony. Earlier in the episode though, he calls other Maximals "food for the Colony"... so does he?





Screencaps via TFWiki (Teletraan I), used under fan-archive fair use.