Other Voices, Part 1
Title card via TFWiki, fan-archive fair use
The alien Vok reveal themselves and begin to assemble a weapon that could destroy the entire planet.
In a flash of light, a power anomaly emerges from a wormhole above the planet and descends to the surface. The aliens have arrived.
Rhinox detects the arrival and alerts Optimus Primal, who hopes the truce is still holding. He flies off to meet Airazor and Rattrap at the landing site located in Grid Trion.
Tarantulas is programming his stolen transwarp cell, when Blackarachnia pays him another visit. She tells him she can get them inside the Maximal base to steal a stasis pod. Megatron monitors the entire discussion between the two spiders and sends Waspinator to the location the aliens are anticipated to arrive at.
Rattrap and Airazor reach the site, which is a large circular plaza of stone, pulsing with energy and containing a stable energon crystal. When Airazor tries to scan it, it zaps her, blasts Rattrap away, and engulfs the entire site inside an organic dome-like structure with Airazor inside
Airazor awakens inside the "nutty alien bungalow", where a garbled alien voice speaks to her. She assures the aliens she means them no harm, but they have no such compunctions and painfully scan her until she converts to beast mode. After the scan ends, they are left with one word of information: "Cybertron".
Outside, Waspinator arrives to "secure the area", but Rattrap drives him off with a vigorous bout of fisticuffs.
Optimus Primal arrives and surveys the situation. Rattrap's efforts to use a laser to cut through the dome structure are ineffective. Megatron then arrives with Terrorsaur and Scorponok. He mocks Optimus for thinking that simple laser could get through the structure, commenting that the aliens can "create energon itself". He then has Scorponok fire a "toxic sting" that eats through the structure. Primal and Rattrap venture inside; Rattrap drags the semi-conscious Airazor out, while Primal stays to confront the aliens. A series of whip-like metal tentacles ensnare him and lift him up into an agonizing scanning grid.
Tarantulas and Blackarachnia have made their way to the Maximal base, where Blackarachnia activates a device that creates a small opening in the shields. The spiders move in, unaware that they are being followed by Inferno, who notes that they're up to no good and develops his own entry by digging a tunnel below ground.
—Waspinator and Megatron discuss the fine print.
—Waspinator after receiving a brutal beatdown from Rattrap.
—Optimus Primal and Rattrap
—Megatron enjoying the soothing lullaby of Optimus Primal's agonized screams.
—The Vok refuse to bargain with Optimus Primal
- The Vok claim that "there is more danger than you know", suggesting that the destruction of the Earth is necessary to forestall some greater threat. This idea was never touched on again. They likewise claim that their true forms are incomprehensible, although later episodes would also ignore this statement.
- Terrorsaur is strangely quiet in this episode, not even crying out when he gets shot by Rattrap. (On the other hand, Dinobot is on screen for less time but does get to speak one whole word: "Invaders!")
- In a line originally in the script but not included in the episode, Rattrap described the Bio-Dome as "creepier than Crystal City on Constructicon day."
- The start of the audio commentary for this episode with fan consultant Ben Yee and story editor Larry DiTillio on the Madman Entertainment Beast Wars Season 1 DVD is almost inaudible. As Larry DiTillio is trying to explain something, something happens that is very difficult to make out, with Ben Yee suggesting they start over.
- Bob Forward has said this was originally meant to be a 4-parter but the plans were changed at the last minute—"Apparently anything more than a two-parter is too hard to schedule". Despite his comments, this episode follows on almost directly from Before the Storm (as noted above). This ability to link episodes together without making them explicit two-parters will become more and more common over the next two seasons.
- After Waspinator is defeated by Rattrap, he has exactly the voice you'd expect from someone who's been kicked in the nards.
Screencaps via TFWiki (Teletraan I), used under fan-archive fair use.