Rodimus Friend or Foe?
Airdate: 7/2/04
Cyclonus’ reformatting into Snow Cat is complete and this episode opens with him “skiing” between asteroids around Earth’s energon grid. Megatron tells Demolishor he’s through with attacking Earth and knows there’s another source of energon out there. Alpha-Q has a Terrorcon spying on Megatron’s fortress and fears that Megatron knows there’s energon stored in Unicron. Even though Megatron knew that several episodes ago and took some of the energon back then. Plot holes.
In another bizarre hole, Prime somehow knows Megatron’s planning something to do with Unicron. Megatron finds out that Alpha-Q has been spying on him and decides something needs to be done about Alpha-Q.
The Autobots and Kicker also decide to do something about Alpha-Q. Meanwhile, Rodimus secretly contacts Hot Shot and arranges a covert rendezvous. Kicker finds out about it via his psychic hair and he and Ironhide watch Hot Shot take a spacebridge.
When Megatron attacks the Terrorcons, Starscream tries to persuade him to not destroy them since they’re mindless machines. Megatron calls out to Scorponok to test his loyalty.
Hot Shot arrives at the ruins of Mars City in the midst of Scorponok and his Terrorcons. Hot Shot prepares to kick them off the planet and is stopped by Rodimus’ arrival. Rodimus demands Hot Shot to hold his fire while Scorponok and his drones escape with energon. Rodimus tells Hot Shot that Unicron must be rebuilt because, “That is the order of things.”
Kicker and Ironhide arrive as Rodimus explains that Unicron is apparently controlled by Alpha-Q and that the Terrorcons are made from pieces of Unicron. Rodimus tries to get Hot Shot to help him perform some sort of mission and blasts him when he refuses. Kicker and Ironhide are suddenly joined by Skyblast who heals Hot Shot with energon. The pair chase Rodimus across the Mars landscape right into an ambush. Rodimus and Prowl powerlink and menace Kicker. Ironhide comes up with the energon saber to defend his partner. Rodimus summons a rain of lasers before Landmine arrives to incapacitate Ironhide. The trio of warriors depart leaving Ironhide punishing himself for drawing his gun on a superior officer.
En route to the Decepticon fortress, Scorponok is joined by an escort of more loyal Decepticons. Megatron accuses Scorponok of stealing energon for Alpha-Q, straps him to an artificial comet, and sends it hurtling towards Earth. Right before leaving him, Megatron taunts him asking if he thinks Alpha-Q finds him valuable enough to save, using him as bait to find Alpha-Q. The episode concludes with the comet hitting the energon grid with Alpha-Q telling Scorponok to hang on.