Lonely Hydra
From Transformers Wiki
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| "Lonely Hydra" (Hitoribotchi no Hydra) | ||||||
| Production code | BWN-12 | |||||
| Production company | TV Tokyo, NAS, Ashi Productions | |||||
| Airdate | 21 April 1999 | |||||
| Writer | Katsuyuki Sumisawa | |||||
| Director | Kazuhiko Kikuchi | |||||
| Animation studio | Ashi Productions, J.C.F. | |||||
| Continuity | Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity | |||||
Won't somebody please visit Hydra?
Contents |
Synopsis
On the Fortress Planet Porcupine, the Predacon Hydra is very lonely. He passes the time by retelling the same handful of jokes to his unamused service droid Ope. While Ope works dismantling a structure, she finds a mysterious glowing capsule!
Coincidentally, the Maximals have received a signal for the same Angolmois capsule. Despite widespread skepticism that one would be in such a remote region of space, they set a warp course in the Gung Ho for the area. This is noted by the Predacon ship Dinosaur, who know that the Gung Ho's destination is where Hydra is based. They contact their comrade, who is furious to be hearing from Guiledart, whom he considers a terrible brown-noser. Magmatron breaks up the argument and warns Hydra that the Maximals are heading towards him in search of an Angolmois capsule. Hydra casually asks if they mean the capsule he and Ope found earlier.
The Gung Ho exits warp and the crew are surprised to find a planet where one isn't charted. The ship is immediately picked up on Porcupine's sensors, so Hydra and Ope activate the artificial planet's defenses. Massive, spear-tipped tentacles reach out from the planet towards the Gung Ho, forcing it to take evasive maneuvers. Big Convoy realizes that the mysterious planet must be a Predacon fortress. He orders NAVI to pilot the ship directly towards the planet, but she refuses, saying her safety measures prevent it. Colada takes over steering the ship, but they're quickly hit by the tentacles. Despite the damage, the Maximals continue on towards Porcupine. Hydra activates a battery of missiles, but Big Convoy notices their deployment. He orders Break to intercept them with vacuum missiles, Colada to flip the ship 180 degrees and Longrack to immediately take it into warp. With the Seagull launched as a decoy, Big Convoy's plan is executed successfully, convincing Hydra that the Gung Ho has been destroyed. Ope, however, notices that the Maximals have managed to retreat, rather than be destroyed.
Having gained some distance from Porcupine, the Maximals set about repairing the extensive damage to the Gung Ho. Stampy next examines data from scans of the planet, locating the likely placement of control center for the planet. Colada inquires about a large hollow space in the planet, which Big Convoy explains is used to capture and then dismantle passing spaceships, so the materials can be used to further construct the fortress. He's confident that he's come up with a plan to take out the fortress planet, but warns his cadets that it will be dangerous. The ship has been repaired enough to travel, but the weapons are not operational. Stampy expresses concern about what they're going to do if they run into the Dinosaur, but Big Convoy confidently says the Dinosaur is a part of his plan. Right on cue, it appears near the Gung Ho. The crew are sent to battle stations, except Heinrad, for whom Big Convoy has a request.
On the Dinosaur, Magmatron is smug about Porcupine's defenses. Hydra transmits to tell him that the Angolmois capsule is still safe. He is told to wait for the Dinosaur's crew to teleport down to the fortress. The Dinosaur's approach is seen by the Gung Ho. Big Convoy orders the ship to ram the Dinosaur, confident that the Porcupine won't deploy its tentacles while the Predacon ship is also in range. Big Convoy takes position on top of the Gung Ho, drawing the Dinosaur's attention and arsenal. In the ship's deployment cannon, Heinrad is being reluctantly prepped for launch by Colada. As the two ships draw closer, they exchange fire, covering the launch of Heinrad at close range.
As the moment approaches, Heinrad activates his time freeze ability and takes Colada along with him on the bullet sled. Magmatron contacts Hydra and tells him to expect Guiledart teleporting in imminently. Guiledart's teleportation is observed by Heinrad and a somewhat disorientated Colada, who shuffle along the floor to not-so-stealthily get teleported along with the Predacon. An uninterested DNAVI confirms to Magmatron that three people have been sent down to Porcupine, but she doesn't care to confirm who the extra passengers are. The Predacons assume that it must be two Maximals somehow, but Magmatron is unconcerned, as there's no way they could escape Porcupine. Any attempts by the Gung Ho to collect them will open the ship up to the tentacles again and its assured destruction, potentially even allowing the Predacons to gain the Maximals' collection of Angolmois capsules!
Guiledart materializes on Porcupine with Heinrad and Colada restraining him, but he slips free when Hydra fires at them. Guiledart identifies himself and calls out to Hydra not to shoot him, but Hydra explains that he's trying to hit Guiledart. Hydra explains that if he takes out Guiledart, he can become Magmatron's lieutenant instead. The Maximals take the opportunity to make a break for the Angolmois capsule, driving off Ope. Guiledart tries to warn Hydra, but the recluse refuses to believe the lying, trickster Triceratops, not after all the other times he's been fooled. He even refuses to believe Ope that the Maximals have the capsule. It's only when Heinrad himself calls over and tells him not to always be so skeptical that Hydra realizes what's happening and demands to know why Guiledart didn't warn him. Guiledart responds by shooting down Hydra.
Colada contacts the Gung Ho, which surprises Big Convoy, to let them know they've acquired the capsule. Big Convoy orders them to make their escape, but the rest of the cadets are confused as to how they're going to manage it. Heinrad explains that it's easy: they'll just use the Seagull, which was deliberately sent to be captured in the initial skirmish.
The Dinosaur notices the Gung Ho moving. Magmatron orders Hydra to deploy the tentacles when the Dinosaur is out of range, but before that can happen, they spot the Seagull escaping from Porcupine. Furious that Hydra didn't mention the shuttle previously, Magmatron moves the Dinosaur away from Porcupine so it can attack in tandem with the tentacles being unleashed. The Seagull has already managed to dock with the Gung Ho, though, and the Dinosaur's fire is nimbly evaded by the Maximal craft. Instead, the full force of the blast hits Porcupine, destroying it and propelling Hydra and Ope into space. Hydra manages to come up with a new joke for once, but Ope still isn't impressed.
Guiledart teleports back onto the Dinosaur, blaming the mission's failure on Hydra, but Magmatron doesn't let him pass the buck. On the Gung Ho, Big Convoy pats himself on the back for his tactical acumen, but stumbles on thanking his crew for their efforts until Vector Sigma, once again, takes over for him.
Capsule score
- Maximals: 8
- Predacons: 3
Featured characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Maximals | Predacons | Others |
|---|---|---|
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Notes
Animation and technical errors
Continuity errors
- The Gung Ho now has main cannons and vacuum missiles, whereas only two episodes previously it was unarmed save for a laser that had to be jury-rigged into an offensive weapon. A continuity error or Big Convoy deciding to tool up in case of being consumed by giant space worms again? You decide!
- The Dinosaur's teleportation system, which is inconsistent throughout the entire series, changes in this episode, conveniently becoming a beam like system that teleports anything it hits, rather than the targeted system that teleports specific individuals.
Transformers references
Trivia
Home video releases
- VHS
1999 — Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Neo — ACT. 4 (Pioneer LDC)