Past
From Transformers Wiki
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| "Past" (Innen) "Past, Part 1: Pretext" | ||||||
| Production code | TF: A-31 | |||||
| Production company | TV Tokyo, NAS | |||||
| Airdate | March 29, 2003 (English) 8 August 2003 (Japanese) | |||||
| Writer | Shōji Tonoike | |||||
| English adaptation | Jono Howard | |||||
| Director | Masayuki Motsumoto | |||||
| Animation studio | Actas Inc., Click Ani | |||||
| Continuity | Unicron Trilogy | |||||
An Autobot and a Decepticon arrive from Cybertron, each with histories tied to the Autobot crew.
Contents |
Synopsis
Surrounded by flames, Hot Shot tries to lift off a large piece of debris holding down Wheeljack's legs. Over Wheeljack's protest, Hot Shot runs to get additional assistance, leaving his friend waiting. Outside of the flames, Hot Shot's superior refuses to let Hot Shot endanger himself by entering the flames again.
On Earth, the kids mock Side Swipe's self-introduction. Side Swipe greets Blurr, but Blurr is embarrassed and denies knowing Side Swipe. After coming inside, Side Swipe stands on his head and calls for help to jog Blurr's memory of the two's meeting.
On a sunny Cybertron, Side Swipe has been suspended upside down (possibly due to a poor attempt at a parachute landing). After a brief name exchange, Blurr blasts the rope holding Side Swipe in place.
Seeking his savior, Side Swipe followed Blurr to Earth. But Blurr has no interest in the enthusiastic wannabe and walks away. When Side Swipe tries to follow, he stumbles and disturbs Blurr's work. Blurr, Optimus Prime, and Hot Shot meet and decide that Hot Shot is best suited to become Side Swipe's mentor.
Fred and Billy play a video game. Billy wins, but they get scolded by Alexis.
Hot Shot walks out into the rain to take Side Swipe under his wing. After the two get introduced, they go to the target range. Side Swipe manages to destroy his target, but without anything close to precision. Outside, Side Swipe displays that he can't transform very fast either.
Wheeljack, stranded inside the burning terrain, calls out for help. While Hot Shot doesn't answer, Megatron marches from the flames.
By a pretty lake, Side Swipe and Hot Shot have a heart-to-heart. Side Swipe explains how he idolizes Blurr's dedication, but Hot Shot instead suggests Side Swipe set more reasonable goals to find his own identity. A black car monitors the two in secret.
Alexis enjoys Fred and Billy's video game.
The black car cruises on a highway and aggressively approaches the two Autobots. They attempt to ignore him (assuming he's domestic to the planet), but Wheeljack knocks away Side Swipe and shows his defaced Autobot logo to Hot Shot. Side Swipe connects with his Mini-Con and accelerates to fight back, while Hot Shot remembers:
On Cybertron, years ago, Hot Shot was appointed the supervisor of an enthusiastic younger bot. In-person, Wheeljack's idolization matches Side Swipe's idolization of Blurr. Wheeljack then cryptically mentions the possibility of battle separating them.
The use of holograms, vanishing, and aggressive driving allow Wheeljack to easily knock Side Swipe off a cliff on one side of the road. With the younger Autobot out of the way, Hot Shot and Wheeljack are formally reintroduced. Wheeljack disregards Hot Shot's apology for abandoning him on Cybertron and explains how Megatron saved and recruited him. Now the two stand on opposite sides and Wheeljack faces down Hot Shot with his weapon drawn... and fires.
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans | Mini-Cons |
|---|---|---|---|
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Quotes
Side Swipe: "...maybe this'll help you."
(Side Swipe steps away from Blurr and does a handstand)
Carlos and Rad: "Huh?"
Hot Shot: "Hey, what is this..? The circus?"
Side Swipe: "Ahem... HEEELP! WILL SOMEBODY HELP MEEEEE?!"
- —Side Swipe tries his hardest to make Blurr remember him.
"Attention soldier! Side Swipe, as this moment, you will be working under the supervision and guidance of Hot Shot."
"Under Hot Shot?"
"That's right kid."
"Well, who's that?"
"I am! I'm Hot Shot, you idiot!"
- —Hot Shot assigns Side Swipe to himself.
"Prepare yourself, Hot Shot. You're about to get a little surprise from your past. You may have forgotten what you did to me but I will never forget."
- —Wheeljack expositing as he drives toward Hot Shot and Side Swipe.
"I think you're mistaken, Hot Shot. I didn't come here for revenge. I'm no longer the Wheeljack you knew. Like I said, I've been reborn. I've become... a Decepticon!"
"No! It's... not true!"
"Sorry, but it is. Our friendship's over. Let's forget the past and get on with our lives so we can battle as enemies, understand? There's nothing I can do to change the past."
- —Wheeljack oddly, claiming he isn't here for revenge when he's here for revenge.
Notes
Differences with Legends of the Microns
- Hot Shot's opening narration over the flashback is Armada-exclusive. He thinks to himself that he can't move the metal before telling Wheeljack to wait while he gets help in the Japanese dub.
- After punching Hot Shot to the ground, the blue bot tells him to consider the whole unit over a single soldier in Armada. In Legends of the Microns, he says they can't afford to lose Hot Shot and tells him to think about what's important to the Autobots.
- Side Swipe's arrival to the Autobot base is silent. After Side Swipe introduces himself, Hot Shot asks who he is before Side Swipe calls for Blurr. Armada adds Optimus reacting in surprise.
- Blurr doesn't say anything after Alexis tells him to take another look at Side Swipe. Hot Shot says they should let Side Swipe in since he's a loudmouth, and they'll be in trouble if anyone from Earth sees him.
- Blurr is silent in his flashback until the first time Side Swipe asks him to wait.
- In Armada, Side Swipe says he made up an excuse to get transferred to Earth after asking around about Blurr, and Hot Shot sarcastically says Blurr is a hero to him too. Then Side Swipe promises not to get in Blurr's way before Blurr says he's already in his way. In Legends of the Microns, Side Swipe offered himself for deployment to the front lines after tracking Blurr's whereabouts, and Hot Shot understands that Side Swipe sees Blurr as his hero. Then Side Swipe says he knows it might cause some trouble for Blurr, and Blurr says it's a lot of trouble.
- Armada gives Billy and Fred some filler dialogue whenever their video game is onscreen; they only speak or react whenever the shot cuts to them in Legends of the Microns. Billy tells Alexis the game helps them "strategize for future attacks" in the Japanese dub.
Animation and technical errors
- During the opening flashback, it sounds like Hot Shot says he needs to go back for "her" instead of "him."
- Connecting with his Mini-Con changes Side Swipe's appearance, but they reuse his artwork from before he Powerlinxed in the next overhead shot.
- In the shot with multiple Wheeljacks, they are all missing their damaged Autobot symbols.
- Additionally, Blurr is missing the Autobot symbol on his chest in Side Swipe's flashback and again in the following scene back at the base. Legends of the Microns adds Blurr's Autobot symbol in the flashback just before he shoots down Side Swipe and in the following scene in the base.
- Blurr and Side Swipe are drawn in their Earth animation models in the flashback, despite having Cybertronian models in the Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003.
- In an error introduced in the Legends of the Microns version of the episode shows Wheeljack's car mode interior briefly flashing the color scheme seen in the American version during the crossfade before changing over to a different coloration for the rest of his introduction on Earth.
- While Wheeljack is chasing Hot Shot and Side Swipe, his small Decepticon symbol is missing in one shot.
- When Wheeljack first pulls his weapon out, it's colored grey. In the next shot, it's the proper color of yellow.
- Hot Shot and Wheeljack are drawn without the details indicating having terrestrial alternate modes. But Megatron is animated in his Earth animation model, instead of the Cybertronian mode animation model he had in "First Encounter." This mistake also happens in the Japanese version.
Continuity notes
- Side Swipe and Wheeljack debut in this episode.
- This episode introduces three original characters that use Generation 1 designs. While all of these "generics" went unnamed during the original release of the show, they were later given names in 2015 by Ask Vector Prime:
- Peritus Maximus, uses The Headmasters Fortress Maximus's model, and is much, much smaller.
- Sentinel Minor, uses The Headmasters Sureshot's model.
- Endo, uses Generation 1 Wheelie's model, only... much larger.
- According to Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003, Hot Shot's advice about understanding the difference between yourself and someone else is a continuation of what he learned from Scavenger back in "Conspiracy."
- How and where Side Swipe picked up Nightbeat goes unexplained.
- Cybertron has clouds and an Earth-like atmosphere during its daylight scenes, something that carries over into Energon.
- Gadgets and powers:
- Side Swipe uses his pistol without its bayonet.
- It's not entirely clear, but Wheeljack can either teleport or use light manipulation.
- Wheeljack can also make copies/holograms of himself.
- Wheeljack uses one of his weird guns; these are the yellow missiles on his toy.
- Powerlinx forms:
- Side Swipe Powerlinx with Nightbeat for the only time in the cartoon, making his vehicle mode drive faster.
- As an impressive piece of toy accuracy, Nightbeat leaps out of Side Swipe's trunk compartment and activates the button on his hood, extending the front end of his vehicle mode. Once that occurs, Nightbeat transforms back to motorcycle mode and Powerlinx onto Side Swipe's Mini-Con port.
- Side Swipe Powerlinx with Nightbeat for the only time in the cartoon, making his vehicle mode drive faster.
Continuity errors
- Why would Billy call Side Swipe the weakest Transformers he's ever seen when he hasn't even seen the guy in battle yet? He might mean Side Swipe has a weak personality, but still. The Japanese dub changes Billy's line to say Side Swipe doesn't look like the most reliable guy instead.
- Wheeljack claims he's not here for revenge, yet the rest of the episode clearly shows him obsessed with the past. He intentionally targets Hot Shot, drives Side Swipe off of a cliff in front of him, attempting to damage his psyche just before finishing him off, or so he thought. The Japanese version has identical/similar dialogue and plot point inconsistencies. Strangely, Wheeljack says that he was out for revenge in the next episode's English dub.
- Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003 mentions that the episode plays Wheeljack having a grudge on Hot Shot due to what happened in the past as a mystery, so this may not exactly be an error.
Transformers references
- Autobot Wheeljack is colored white, similar to his Generation 1 namesake.
- In the Japanese dub, Blurr and Hot Shot utter, "By the Matrix..."
Real-world references
- The Fighter Machine game controllers Billy and Fred use resemble Nintendo 64 controllers.
Trivia
- The kanji 過去 would be kako and 前編 would be pronounced as zenpen, while innen is used for 因縁.
- This episode has no narration from Rad or Jim Conrad in the title sequence at all and is the only one to do so.
- This episode ends on a cliffhanger, with the screen fading to black as Wheeljack points his weapon at Hot Shot before a gunshot goes off.
- Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003 reveals the following tidbits:
- This episode is the only one where flashbacks tell half of the current story, going in a back-and-forth way.
- Side Swipe's introduction brings more comedy to the episode, as he even throws the calm and collected Blurr off his game.
- Takeshi Sano likens Wheeljack to a ninja, including his design.
- Sano was particularly worried about showing Hot Shot's relationship with Side Swipe and Wheeljack, but he thinks he managed to give each one legitimacy.
- The Fighter Machine game Billy and Fred play is something of a combo of Transformers and Beyblade. The producers hoped to extend Armada's success into hobbyist toys and commercialize Fighter Machines, so they tried forcing it into the story. However, the problem was that no one had ever seen a Fighter Machine toy before.
- Aside from one moment in "Cramp," this episode is the last one to feature a Powerlinx with a Mini-Con as the showrunners wanted to work more on the story. The gimmick was also not as impressive as it could've been in the show like it was with the prototype toys.
- This is the show's only two-part episode.
- This is the second episode in the series where both factions gain a new member, after "Tactician."
Foreign localization
German
- Title: "Der Überläufer, Teil 1" ("The Renegade, Part 1")
- Original airdate: This episode was never shown on TV but dubbed in 2003. The dub premiered in 2009 with the German DVD release of the show.
Hungarian
- Title: "A múlt árnyai, 1. rész" ("Shadows of the Past, part 1")
Italian
- Title: "Il passato (prima parte)" ("The Past (First Part)")
Korean
- Title: "돌아온 프레디" ("Returning Freddy")
Polish
- Title: "Przeszłość" ("Past")
Portuguese
- Title: "Passado" ("Past")
Home video releases
- DVD
2003 — Transformers: Legends of the Microns — Volume 8 (Columbia Music Entertainment) — Japanese audio only.
2003 — Transformers: Armada — Vol:10 (Warner Music Video)
2004 — Transformers: Armada — Flashbacks (Rhino Entertainment)
2006 — Transformers: Armada — Season One: Part Two (Rhino Entertainment)
2007 — Transformers: Armada — The Collector's Edition (Universal)
2009 — Transformers: Armada — Volume Two (New KSM) — English and German audio.
2014 — Transformers: Armada — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)
