Before the Storm
Title card via TFWiki, fan-archive fair use
Megatron and Optimus both sense the aliens’ growing power and call an uneasy truce before the coming catastrophe.
Tigatron observes a strange energy pulse in a distant mountain. Simultaneously, within the Predacon base, Megatron is woken by his computer. It reports the energy anomaly, and that it is of alien origin. Megatron suspects this could be the start of something big and thus sends Inferno to investigate. The fire ant burrows into the mountain and recovers a strange discus.
Primal is on a scouting run looking for the energy anomaly that Tigatron reported. He sees a strange probe, and follows it. The probe stops and forms into a hologram of Megatron. He proposes to meet about a truce on neutral ground, between both leaders.
When they meet, Megatron insists that the truce is not an act of treachery. He explains that he has no time to fight Maximals, and he needs time to think. Primal reluctantly agrees to a truce, bound by Maximal code. Rhinox proposes that it's about the alien energy. Primal agrees, stating that something scared Megatron very badly. Rattrap is sent—despite his usual complaints—to infiltrate the Darksyde.
Meanwhile, Tarantulas hacks his way into a holding chamber to steal one of the Predacon ship's remaining transwarp cells. Waspinator surprises him and demands an answer, and Tarantulas easily defeats him. Megatron, watching the exchange, decides to let Tarantulas do his work, and throw another kink in it—Blackarachnia.
Airazor delivers Rattrap to the Predacon base—unarmed—and drops him off quickly before hailing the Predacon channels. Megatron casually disarms the perimeter defenses and asks Airazor to leave. As she leaves, he stops her a moment and suggests she take Rattrap with her. Foiled, they return to the base and report to Primal, but exchange knowing glances—the distraction was enough for Tigatron to make his entrance.
Blackarachnia surprises Tarantulas, and in the confusion, Megatron hacks the Transwarp cell and adds his own programming.
Tigatron hacks the Predacon database in a cool VR world, and discovers the second Golden Disk's datatracks. Terrorsaur finds Tigatron hacking and sounds the alarm, but Tigatron uses Terrorsaur and Scorponok's goonery against each other. Under orders not to fire, the Predacons chase Tigatron, leading into a battle with the rest of the Maximals.
Under the limitations of a truce, the Predacons and Maximals battle without using their weapons. Primal steals a wire from Inferno's rocket. Terrorsaur fails at dodging a piece of sheet metal that Cheetor and Rhinox move into position. The spiders are smart enough to avoid one trap set by Dinobot, but in doing so, are crushed by another. Without firing a single shot, the Maximals have won the day... unless, of course, Megatron intentionally let them get away.
—Optimus Primal correctly assesses Megatron.
—Optimus Primal and Megatron
—Optimus Primal channels John Lennon.
—Rattrap and Airazor
—Terrorsaur, finding Tigatron inside the Predacon Base
- Bob Forward has said this was originally planned to be part of a 4-part "Other Voices" but the plans were changed at the last minute—"Apparently anything more than a two-parter is too hard to schedule. Before The Storm had to be made into a stand-alone ep." Despite the "stand-alone" claim, this episode is the most continuity heavy so far. It advances the aliens mystery, showing Megatron moving towards long-term plans of conquest rather than single-episode "destroy the Maximals" schemes, and makes several other references to prior episodes. Tigatron's declaration that the aliens are on their way and Tarantulas's determination to leave the planet all lead into the season finale. The episode even opens with a shot prominently showing the two moons, just for an extra bit of foreshadowing.
- This is the first time Inferno is seen referring to Megatron as his "Queen", which would become an occasional recurring gag throughout the rest of the series.
- The idea Maximals and Predacons have of "truce" is rather odd. Instead of meaning a full end of hostilities, it seems to be a rather literal-minded interpretation of a "cease-fire", merely prohibiting the use of guns (and probably other conventional weaponry); unusual and comic violence such as boulder-throwing or use of a metal plate is still possible. Also, punching is still allowed.
- Apparently, all you have to do to hack all of the Predacon ship's data is to play a virtual reality video game. The Predacons' computer virtual interface is similar to what's seen in early-to-mid 90s techno-films like Johnny Mnemonic.
- Blackarachnia can be seen trapping a red poison-dart frog in her webbing when Megatron communicates with her via computer.
- Waspinator breaks the fourth wall after Tarantulas throws him the bomb, looking at the camera as he wails "oh, no!"
Screencaps via TFWiki (Teletraan I), used under fan-archive fair use.