The Face of the Nijika
Title card via TFWiki, fan-archive fair use
Stranded on an unknown world, the Autobots are caught between Decepticon and Quintesson forces and an ancient mystery.
Sky Lynx, who is carrying Rodimus Prime, Ultra Magnus, Blurr, and Perceptor, detects a disturbance nearby and discovers Galvatron bashing on some strange disk. They also detect a Quintesson ship heading for that same location. Perceptor speculates that the Quintessons don't want Galvatron meddling with the disk, so Rodimus decides to meddle with the Decepticons and the Quintessons.
At the disk, Galvatron continues bashing away, taking a moment to bash Cyclonus when he warns the Decepticon leader that the Quintessons are approaching. The Quintessons fire at Galvatron and are thankful that the quadrant lock is not damaged. However, the Autobots then arrive. The Quintessons refuse to let the Autobots learn anything about the lock...unless, say, they learn from the other side. Opening the lock, the Quintessons drive their ship through, taking Rodimus, Magnus, Blurr, and Perceptor with them. Unwilling to let the Autobots learn its secrets, Galvatron throws Cyclonus at them so he is also drawn through the lock, which closes. Unfortunately for the Quintessons, their isolator key has been damaged, and it is the only thing that can open the quadrant lock. However, Perceptor has a universal emulator, which could serve as a replacement.
Falling into the gravity well of the nearby planet Zamojin, Perceptor announces that he is suffering from transformation paralysis, and is stuck in microscope mode. However, the other Autobots do not respond. On the planet, members of a primitive, humanoid civilization see their descent. One man declares that the "devils" have returned, leading an angry mob out of their city. However, a blacksmith outside the city sees them and goes to investigate astride his mount, Bruta Lo, and recovers Perceptor. Meanwhile, the Autobots are not doing so well after their crash-landing. Rodimus and Magnus hit the trees, which are as hard as rocks, while Blurr hit an actual rock and is so injured he cannot walk. Rodimus tells him to lean on "fearless leader", while Magnus wonders where Perceptor crashed.
At his hut, the blacksmith removes Perceptor's insignia, which also contains his universal emulator. Having tracked Perceptor's descent, the Quintessons dispatch a pair of Sharkticons to retrieve the scientist, but someone follows them. The blacksmith places Perceptor's insignia on a small, female robot called Nijika. The Sharkticons arrive, but the blacksmith fights them off, damaging their armor with his bare hands. (Holy slag!) Meanwhile, Perceptor, having taken control of Nijika, asks the blacksmith, named Katsu Don, what is going on. Perceptor learns that the Zamojin were once advanced and that they had developed interstellar travel, protected by the guardian Kodu Ri. Katsu Don's ancestor, Niko Don, built Nijika as an exploration drone, hoping to make contact with other races. However, the Quintessons attacked, damaging Kodu Ri and Nijika, then sealed them with the quadrant lock, which blacked out the stars. The Zamojin were reduced from technologically advanced to primitive within a very short amount of time and have been that way since. Perceptor concludes that something about the Zamojin terrified the Quintessons so much that they locked them in this part of space, and now he and Katsu Don need to warn the latter's people that the Quintessons have returned.
Elsewhere, Rodimus, Magnus, and Blurr are moving, but the injured Blurr is slowing them down. (That's a turnaround.) Blurr tells them to leave him and find Perceptor, as only he can repair Blurr. Though not happy, they agree. This proves a mistake, for moments later, a band of warriors finds Blurr. On the Quintesson ship, the Quintessons are debating what to do. One of them will have to go to the surface, but if a single Zamojin damaged two Sharkticons, what chance do they have? Cyclonus appears and offers them a deal: Give Galvatron the secrets of the quadrant lock, and he will go with one of them to retrieve Perceptor. Looking for Perceptor, Rodimus and Magnus are attacked by a group of warriors but are able to drive them off. They locate Perceptor's body, but without the emulator, he is offline. Rodimus and Magnus decide to search the city.
At the city of Tozin, the Zamojin are preparing to execute Blurr, dangling him over a molten pit. Just to nudge things along, Cyclonus shouts out "Burn him now!", inciting the Zamojin to lower him in. However, the Zamojin Empress commands them to stop. She reveals Perceptor/Nijika, who tries to explain the situation. However, the Quintesson shouts that the doll is possessed, putting the crowd back into a mob mentality. Realizing that the Quintesson has just endangered the tool they've worked so hard to get, Cyclonus grabs Perceptor and orders the Quintesson to bring their ship.
Katsu Don grabs Cyclonus's legs as he flies off, and is carried into the Quintesson ship, where the remaining Quintesson traps him with some electrified headgear. The Quintesson orders Perceptor to hand over the emulator, or Katsu Don will die. Perceptor complies, while the other Quintesson shoots Blurr's rope, causing him to fall into the molten liquid...which he describes as a nice soak that lets him repair the bent strut that's been crippling him. Transforming, Blurr launches out of the pit and onto the Quintesson ship, with Rodimus and Magnus following. Blurr frees Katsu Don, while Magnus takes on Cyclonus. Rodimus throws Katsu Don out, while Blurr grabs the emulator and Magnus takes Cyclonus, who follows after the Quintessons.
The Zamojin Empress fears what the Quintessons will take this time, but Perceptor, now in his real body, says that the Quintessons are about to give the Zamojin something. The Quintesson ship passes through the quadrant lock...and it fades, revealing the stars. With the Quintessons unable to reseal the quadrant lock, the Autobots realize the Zamojin's technology is telepathic in nature and powered by starlight. The intelligence of the Zamojin advances rapidly, and they repair Kodu Ri. As Sky Lynx lands, Perceptor asks Katsu Don if he will continue his ancestor's research. Katsu Don vows that Perceptor will meet Nijika again...out among the stars.
- Internal Marvel/Sunbow documentation shows that this episode is supposed to be titled merely "The Face of Nijika," but an extra "the" wound up in the on-screen title that's never been corrected.
- This episode was originally assigned the production code 700-109, but the script was subsequently "put on hold" by Hasbro for unknown reasons. When later revised and approved, the episode was given a new production code of 700–113, according to a piece of internal correspondence from Marvel Productions.
- The entrance to Kodu Ri is shown in a glowing pattern similar to that of The Oracle from a few episodes ago.
- For one frame when falling down the slope, and in a longer shot a few seconds later, Rodimus Prime is shown to have a car mode - similar to, but distinct from, his Hot Rod car mode - when separated from his trailer in vehicle mode.
- Sky Lynx transforms to robot mode and the Autobots exit by flying out through his mouth!
- Perceptor is equipped with a "universal emulator", which can, at the very least, mimic the function of the Quintessons' isolator key. It is presumably responsible for letting Perceptor take control of the Nijika construct and maybe the reason why his Autobot insignia morphs into Nijika's face.
Screencaps via TFWiki (Teletraan I), used under fan-archive fair use.