« Transformers: Energon ep 26 »
We totally ripped up your mom's space.
"Ripped Up Space" 切り裂かれた宇宙 () (Kirisakareta Uchū)
Production company	TV Tokyo, NAS
Airdate	2 July 2004 (Japanese) September 4, 2004 (English)
Writer	Akira Okeya
Director	Naoki Ōhira
Animation studio	Actas, Studio A-CAT (3D)
Continuity	Unicron Trilogy

There's a hole in the universe, dear Optimus, a hole.

Synopsis

Alpha Q marvels as Unicron returns to life. Kicker and Misha are likewise amazed, but also worried about what will happen now that Unicron has his head back. Scorponok notes that the only remaining task is to get rid of Megatron.

In his control harness, Megatron swears revenge on Alpha Q. Rodimus (linked with Hot Shot) arrives with Landmine and Prowl; but Megatron shields himself before they can fire. Megatron causes Unicron to release massive amounts of unstable, potentially explosive energon.

Shockblast stalks Optimus Prime through Unicron, but when he threatens to usurp Megatron, Mirage and Starscream arrive and hold both of them off. Optimus's entreaties to Starscream to stop Megatron fall on deafly obedient ears.

The power of burning spirit! Or maybe it's just energon.

Alpha Q panics, noting that Megatron's actions will destroy Unicron. Kicker wonders how they're supposed to stop him, which Alpha Q immediately takes as a refusal.

Rodimus and company blast into Megatron's chamber, but he's gone. They keep hunting for him.

The newly recreated Wing Dagger, now calling himself Wing Saber, arrives to help Prime out. They combine and counterattack, quickly leaving Megatron's troops behind.

Scorponok wants to leave Ironhide behind, saying that he's just "baggage". Prime meets up with Rodimus; Ironhide radios that he's with Scorponok somewhere, and that Scorponok has sensed an energon stockpile. Prime and Rodimus realize Scorponok is a Terrorcon. Rodimus tells Prime that Megatron wants nothing less than a final showdown with Prime and places himself under Prime's command. Prime has devised a complex attack strategy: Destroy Megatron.

Prime's plan changes: Hot Shot will help Alpha Q and separate Unicron's head from his body, while he and Rodimus finish off Megatron.

I say, that's going a bit far.

In space, Alpha Q's red orb drifts away from Unicron. Hot Shot informs Kicker that Alpha Q is moving, so they'll need the human's guidance. Elsewhere, Alpha Q is releasing energon under Kicker and Misha's direction, but he's a bit confused as to why. Kicker tells him to go slowly, so Megatron won't notice.

Megatron, wired up to another control node, is furious at this attempt at resistance. He plans to destroy Unicron and then everyone else. Scorponok arrives and challenges him. Alpha Q stops, as he senses Scorponok and Megatron engaging. Despite backup from Ironhide, Megatron slices off Scorponok's tail, rips off his arm, and stabs him through the chest. Alpha Q refuses to leave his friend behind and heads back toward Unicron, despite Kicker's protests.

Megatron rejoins with his control harness. Alpha Q speaks, asking why Megatron is doing this and telling him that Unicron will destroy him as well if he doesn't stop. Megatron expels Scorponok and Ironhide and activates his energon. The energon starts to react, spreading panic among all the forces. Megatron merely chuckles as a giant energy rift forms near Unicron, sucking in Hot Shot's team. Ironhide challenges him, but Optimus and Rodimus arrive before Megatron can do anything. Hot Shot and Prowl combine to go after Landmine; Demolishor and Snow Cat are also sucked in.

THIS IS WHY WE CAN'T HAVE NICE THINGS.

Alpha Q retreats in the face of the rift, getting too close to it, to the point that it begins to pull him in. Having started this, Alpha Q vows to see it through. Kicker loses contact with him.

Prime and Megatron prepare to have a final showdown. Shockblast briefly interferes, but a chunk of debris clobbers him and sends him spiraling off into the rift. Megatron leads Starscream and Mirage away into the rift. The Autobots retreat, as Unicron is about to explode. Unicron falls into the rift. Prime sends Ironhide to report back to Cybertron and leads the rest of the team in pursuit of Megatron through the rift. Ironhide contacts Kicker, who yells and screams a lot till Ironhide tells him he's just following orders. Arcee arrives with a squad of Omnicons as the Miranda II prepares to follow Optimus through the rift.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"Kicker..."
"...we're confused."
"We have... a question."

—Alpha Q summarizes the entire episode series in a nutshell.

"I'll use the energon I've collected and use it to destroy all who dare challenge my supremacy!"

—Megatron is such a user.

Rodimus: "Optimus. I hate to disagree."
Optimus: "Uh?"
Rodimus: "You can't let Ironhide get ahead of us. Megatron will annihilate him in a nanosecond. Megatron wants a showdown with you, his arch-rival, and he won't let anything stand in his way."
Optimus: "Yes."
Hot Shot: "Let's do this!"
Landmine: "Yeah!"
Rodimus: "Until this mission is completed, I put myself totally under your command, Optimus. Just let us know what you need, sir."
Optimus: "Thank you, Rodimus."
Prowl: "So. I guess that means we kinda got ourselves a new boss, Landmine."
Landmine: "Kinda looks like it, doesn't it, Prowl."
Rodimus: "Okay. Now that we all agree that you're running the show, Optimus, what's our first plan of attack?"
Optimus: "Ha hah. Very simple. We destroy Megatron. But remember—he's mine."
Rodimus: "Yes, sir."
Optimus: "Okay, let's get moving, men. We've got a job to do. Roll out!"
Rodimus: "Hm. Just lead the way. Disengage!"
[Hot Shot separates from Rodimus]
Hot Shot: "Hot Shot reporting in, sir."
Optimus: "We're counting on you, soldier."
Rodimus: "Remember to stay close, in case we need to link up again, Hot Shot."
Hot Shot: "Don't you worry, Rodimus. We'll do whatever it takes to win this fight."
Rodimus: "Right. Then let's listen up to Optimus."
Optimus: "Change in plans, men. Hot Shot, take Prowl and Landmine and help Alpha Q. Rodimus and I will take care of Megatron. Your mission is to separate Unicron's head from its body."
Hot Shot: "Yes, sir!"
Optimus: "This is the most dangerous mission we've ever been on. But with the power of energon, we will succeed."

—The Autobots put their faith in a true master tactician.

"There's a hole in the universe!"

—Alpha Q

"Optimus. What's our next plan of action, sir?"
"We save the universe."
"That's a pretty tall order, sir."

—Rodimus calls bullshit on Optimus

"So what are you doing back here?"
"Well, because...Optimus ordered me—"
"Where did everybody else go?"
"They all followed Optimus somewhere."
"Why didn't you go?! Why are you here?! Where's Optimus?!"
"I was ordered to report to Cybertron!"
"Why didn't you say that before?!"

—Ironhide should really just step on Kicker

Notes

Lost in translation

• The precise nature of what the hell is happening in this episode is obscured by the dub's repeated failure to explain the following key fact: if the red, positively-charged energon that Unicron's head is powered-up with comes into contact with the green, negatively-charged energon from Unicron's body, they will react, to devastating effect. Megatron is releasing the green energon from Unicron in a specific attempt to cause this reaction, in hopes of destroying Alpha Q. This is why Kicker is constantly screaming at Alpha Q to get the hell away, and why he goes bonkers when Alpha Q decides to turn around and head back. Save for one unexplained reference to "the energon reacting," the dub just makes it sound like Megatron is going to make Unicron self-destruct (even after the rift has opened and he's just falling into it!).
• You see those little sparkly balls floating around the glowing red sphere that was formerly Unicron's head? Those are the "sparks" of all the planets consumed by Unicron, which Alpha Q released at the end of the previous episode. Guess what? The dub never explains that.
• The dub opens with some pep talk from Kicker. He's supposed to be angrily cursing that Alpha Q has foolishly released his planets too soon.
• An early scene of Scorponok and Ironhide features the Terrorcon saying that he's not going to slow down for Ironhide's sake. Energon warps this into Scorponok deliberately leaving Ironhide behind, since he would "only slow him down"—which is kinda at odds with the fact that Ironhide is constantly with him.
• And again with the "Unicron is coming to life" nonsense.
• This episode is one of those affected by the Energon dub's bizarre fondness for intermittently ignoring Primus. When Wing Saber credits his revival to Energon, and in the quoted scene above where Prime says that power of Energon will help the Autobots win, Super Link has Primus being referred to instead.
• The point of Hot Shot's separation from Rodimus is screwed up for Energon, where he just sort of disengages and says hi. In Super Link, the point was that Prime was thanking all of his troops for backing him up, and looked down at pants mode Hot Shot, prompting him and Rodimus to separate so that he could be properly recognized for this. Instead of telling Hot Shot to stay close so they can link up again, Rodimus was actually apologising for using him as his legs for so long!
• Without explaining what the planet sparks are, the dub has Alpha Q randomly decide that he has to flee, amid a barrage of contradictory statements like "We have to go" and "We must help protect you". In Super Link, he heads into the rift because his planet is getting sucked into it.
• Unicron isn't "about to blow", as Rodimus says; he's getting sucked into the rift.
• Optimus's order in Super Link isn't to "save the universe"; it's to follow Megatron into the rift, hence Rodimus's hesitation. The dub's "universe" bit apparently comes from his next line, about how their duty is to defend the universe, no matter which one.
• While the Energon dub makes it appear that Megatron arbitrarily decides not to fight Prime and run away into the rift instead, in Super Link, he's incensed because Shockblast's unceremonious interruption and exit has ruined the drama of the moment. As such, he decides to "postpone" the fight until it can be done right.

The colors, Duke, the colors!

• There are a few examples of unfinished animation in the Energon version of this episode, but nothing serious—just some missing glow effects and color tints. Check out the screenshots on the right.

Pain count

• "Uh?": 22
• Stock footage: 1
• You're kidding/joking: 2
• The power of energon: 2
• It's time to: 1
• We don't have time for this: 4
• We've gotta: 3
• Let's do it: 3
• Our planets: 3

Continuity errors

• Scorponok manually climbs up a cliff despite having a flying alternate mode.

Trivia

• This episode is an incredibly chaotic jumble of bad visuals, incongruous scene changes and garbled script writing—and it ain't just down to the dub. Specifically, if you haven't seen the previous episode, you're not likely to realize that the big glowing red ball is Unicron's head, and that Alpha Q is inside it, because it's not overtly stated in either the dub or the original (mind you, it doesn't help that the ambiguous nature of the Energon dialogue could make you think that Unicron's actually got his head back on his shoulders, instead of stabbed into his side).
• Scorponok's scream of pain as Megatron smashes him up is drawn by hand.

Foreign localization

Italian

• Title: "L'universo spezzato" ("The Universe Ripped")

• Megatron says that he's bringing back Unicron "to the light" instead of "to life", which in fact makes more sense.
• Prowl's: "Is it stopping?!" is translated as: "Did it really stop?!". The problem is that... he said that slightly before it actually stopped.
• Rodimus correctly states that Unicron is getting sucked instead of saying that he's "about to blow".

Home video releases

DVD

2004 — Transformer: Super Link — Volume 007 (Interchannel) — Japanese audio only.
2005 — Transformers: Energon — Volume 3: Shockblast Unleashed (Paramount)
2008 — Transformers: Energon — The Ultimate Collection (Paramount)
2014 — Transformers: Energon — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)