The Quintesson Journal
Title card via TFWiki, fan-archive fair use
The Autobots intercept a Quintesson record that could end a destructive war between two alien planets.
On Cybertron, the Autobots are hosting a peace conference for two neighboring planets, Xetaxxis and Lanarq, which have been at war for centuries and will wipe each other out within a generation, as explained by Melkorr. Spike Witwicky asks the leaders of the two delegations to shake hands. They take the opportunity to grapple with each other. Rodimus Prime remarks that it's going well so far.
Elsewhere, a lost Quintesson Journal tumbles from space and lands on an unknown world. Predaking detects the journal's strange Quintesson signal. He contacts Cyclonus, who intends to meet him at the coordinates. However, Perceptor has also detected the signal, and he sends Sky Lynx, who is carrying Blaster and Outback, to the Angarrix sector to investigate. The foliage is too thick for Sky Lynx to land, so Blaster and Outback head out on foot. Blaster ejects Steeljaw and Ramhorn to help in the search. Meanwhile, Predaking separates into the Predacons to cover more ground. The Autobots are suddenly attacked by vines, but are able to free themselves and find the source of the signal, a strange golden cylinder. Just then, a tree nearly falls on the device, and Outback blasts it, causing the device to activate. The Autobots learn that the cylinder is a Quintesson Journal, a record of their commercial activities on various planets. The Predacons then arrive and attack. Sky Lynx arrives to rescue the Autobots, and the Predacons unite. The Autobots are able to board Sky Lynx and escape, only to be attacked by Cyclonus and the Sweeps. Suddenly, an energy field grabs Sky Lynx through an unseen warp gate, which closes.
On the other side of the warp gate, a Quintesson ship captures Sky Lynx, disabling his ability to transform. The Quintessons reclaim the journal and take Outback, Blaster, and the cassettes prisoner. Outback is able to trick a Sharkticon into opening the cell for some energon, and Blaster then...uh, blasts the Sharkticon. Outback grabs the journal, and the Autobots escape aboard Sky Lynx, only to discover that Galvatron, Cyclonus, the Sweeps, and Predaking have located them. The Decepticons manage to steal the journal and flee. At the peace conference, the two delegations leave, intending to purchase doomsday weapons from their suppliers...the Quintessons.
On an unnamed planet, the Decepticons begin to examine the journal. Upon discovering it is economic in nature, Galvatron is angry—well, angrier than usual. However, the Autobots have tracked the Decepticons down, and they learn that the war between Xetaxxis and Lanarq is among the journal's archives. Knowing that this could end the war, the Autobots attempt to steal the journal back, only for the Quintessons to steal it back again. On Cybertron, the delegations begin fighting each other. Rodimus is so frustrated that the Autobot leader fires his weapon and orders the two delegations to sit down. Furious, the Xetaxxan and Lanarqan leaders request the Quintessons to bring their omega bombs. The Quintessons decide that they will deliver both bombs once they have been paid. However, the Autobots manage to break into their ship and steal back the journal.
Arriving on Cybertron, Blaster and Outback show the recordings to the delegations, who are horrified to discover that their worlds have suffered to finance the Quintessons. Having been found out, the Quintessons contact the peace conference, announcing that they will deliver the omega bombs—right into Xetaxxis and Lanarq. This is a big mistake on the Quintessons' part, for they're passing right by Cybertron at that moment. Rodimus and Ultra Magnus jump aboard Sky Lynx and follow the Quintessons, destroying their ship before the bombs can be launched. On Cybertron, a peace is negotiated between Xetaxxis and Lanarq. However, Rodimus notes that the only real winners of the conflict were the Quintessons.
—Rodimus Prime as the delegates begin struggling with each other.
—Outback, after a run-in with some vines
—Predaking just wants to break something, and Galvatron is psychotic, as usual.
—Spike and Rodimus Prime find diplomacy ain't so easy
—Obtaining the Quintesson journal is not Galvatron's greatest victory
- This episode is full of names and terms that the fandom would be unable to properly spell until the dialogue script surfaced in the mid-2000s. Damn you, Richard Merwin!
- It's never stated outright, but it would seem this is intended to be the same journal from "The Big Broadcast of 2006", last seen tumbling away through space (even though, as noted below, they messed up the color scheme.)
- Predaking is presumably hungry for revenge against Sky Lynx after his previous defeats in "Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5" and "Chaos". Sky Lynx evidently didn't rate the latter face-off, though, as he specifically refers to only "one thorough drubbing".
- Blaster is first shown riding inside Sky Lynx in boombox mode. He doesn't seem to have size-changed, as he is very large compared to Outback. Ramhorn and Steeljaw are both in mini-cassette mode resting against Blaster. The three of them sort of bounce towards Sky Lynx's exit and freefall to a planet surface before finally transforming. Later on, Blaster rides in Sky Lynx in robot mode with no problem.
- The Quintessons' economic victims include the planets Tyxlara and Alaxuu, as well as Xetaxxis and Lanarq.
- The Quintessons can apparently summon up warp gates out of the ether at will.
Screencaps via TFWiki (Teletraan I), used under fan-archive fair use.