Unfinished
From Transformers Wiki
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 "Unfinished?" What, did Candlejack show u | |||||||||
| "Unfinished" (Galaxy Convoy tai Master Galvatron—Saishū Kessen!) "Galaxy Convoy VS Master Galvatron—The Final Battle!" | |||||||||
| Production company | TV Aichi, We've, Tōkyū Agency | ||||||||
| Airdate | December 24, 2005 (Japanese) September 28, 2006 (English) | ||||||||
| Writer | Gyō Yamatoya | ||||||||
| Director | Manabu Ono | ||||||||
| Animation studio | GONZO | ||||||||
| Continuity | Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity | ||||||||
As the Autobots race to save Jungle Planet, Optimus Prime and Galvatron have their final battle.
Contents |
Synopsis
With the black hole destroyed and peace returned to the universe, Coby, Bud and Lori relax on Cybertron. While Coby is working on his Cobybot, Bud sneaks up behind him and jumps on him, leading the two brothers to run around chasing each other in good spirits. Lori shrugs at their childishness, before noticing that Optimus Prime appears distracted. After all, Galvatron is still out there...
Galvatron is, in fact, much closer than the Autobot leader realizes, staring down at Cybertron from his vantage point on an asteroid floating above the planet. Wondering aloud if this is truly to be the end of his ambition, Galvatron's attention is suddenly drawn to a sparkle of light above his head. As he looks up, the light flares around him, and he suddenly finds himself on a burning landscape, standing before the towering form of Starscream, who sits upon a throne flanked by Soundwave and Sideways. Starscream mocks Galvatron for giving up, inciting the Decepticon commander's rage, at which point the burning world fades away, and Galvatron finds himself on the asteroid once more. The sparkle of light floats nearer, and is revealed to be Starscream's crown, which Galvatron takes in his hands. Reflecting on Starscream's words, he crushes the crown, and swears to finish things once and for all.
Down on Cybertron, the Autobots are dealing with the last lingering remnant of the chaos wreaked upon the universe by the black hole: the Jungle Planet has been pulled out of its normal place in the cosmos, and must be restored. Working together as a massive construction crew, the Autobots disassemble and rebuild the engines of the colossal starship, the Ark, on Jungle Planet's surface, intending to use their thrust to push the planet through a space bridge, back to its rightful place in the universe. Scourge thanks Optimus Prime for all that he has done for him, and all the non-Jungle-Planet-native Transformers return to Cybertron so that the planet can depart. The engines are fired up and all is going well, until Galvatron comes streaking down out of the sky and blasts his way through one of the four boosters, throwing off the planet's trajectory and causing it to careen towards Cybertron itself. No sooner are the Autobots aware of this crisis than Galvatron warps into their command centre on Cybertron, intent on finishing their war one way or another. Despite Jetfire's protestations, Optimus Prime instructs the other Autobots to go and deal with the booster problem, leaving him to handle Galvatron one-on-one.
The Autobots rush to Jungle Planet, where they quickly and effectively manage to extinguish the fires blazing around the rocket. Just as this task is accomplished, however, the struts supporting the damaged booster give way, and the rocket begins to topple over. Scourge rashly leaps into action, attempting to push the monolithic engine back into place using nothing but his own strength, and Leobreaker soon joins him. All the Autobots follow their lead, and with the addition of the towering warriors of Gigantion, the rocket's collapse is halted. However, it still needs to be righted back to its original placement to stop the collision with Cybertron, and the Autobots do not have the strength to do so. To make matters worse, Thundercracker, Crumplezone, Ransack and Thunderblast all turn up, apparently poised to take down the Autobots when they are busy supporting the booster and unable to fight back. In truth, however, the four former ne'er-do-wells are here to help save the planets as well, and all start pushing the rocket alongside the Autobots! More and more allies arrive through the space bridge, as the Transformers of Earth, along with the natives of Jungle Planet, come to lend their strength to the effort. Together as one, the Transformers all glow with the power of Primus, and the rocket is thrust back into its correct position, propelling the Jungle Planet safely past Cybertron, through the space bridge, and home again.
As this triumphant battle against gravity is waged, Galvatron and Optimus Prime's own battle was been growing ever fiercer. Prime looks to be on the ropes until Galvatron vows to kill all his followers once he is done with Prime, a threat that galvanized Prime into action. Seizing his perennial foe, Prime takes flight, and carries them both to one of Cybertron's moons, where they watch as the Jungle Planet is saved. As their fight continues, the other Autobots soon come flying in to support their leader, and Galvatron exploits their presence to strike Prime where it will hurt the most. Unleashing a storm of purple lightning, Galvatron brings all the Autobots to their knees, then manifests a sword of dark energy which he uses to cleave one of Optimus's wings off. As he stands poised to deliver the killing blow...
...the glowing Planet Map suddenly flies from Bud's pocket, and blocks his blade! The light from the map floods the lunar battlefield, and Optimus Prime sees at its heart the spectral form of Vector Prime, who reminds his old friend that he is watching over him from beyond the veil of time, and will always be there for him when his need is greatest. And this time, Vector Prime tells Optimus, he has brought a gift...
As the light of the map fades and the moon comes back into view, the luminescent globe of the Planet Map hangs between Prime and Galvatron, as the Decepticon leader demands to know what is happening. Optimus answers by reaching into the sphere before him, and from it, drawing Vector Prime's gift: his mighty sword, Rhisling! Galvatron is hurled aside by a strike from this blade of blades, and the two leaders power up for what can only be their final attack. Glowing with the golden energy of the Matrix, Optimus charges at Galvatron and impales his eternal enemy on Vector Prime's sword. A huge explosion results, and the Autobots wait nervously as the dust clears to see the outcome. As their visibility returns, Optimus Prime is standing over the collapsed Galvatron, who—even with a sword run through him—still reaches his hand outward towards Prime, claiming it will never be over. Unflinching, Optimus Prime bids Galvatron farewell...and the Decepticon's body disintegrates into ashes that blow away on the lunar winds. Moments later, an exhausted Prime collapses to his knees, as the other Autobots rush to their victorious commander's aid.
Featured Characters
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)
| Autobots | Decepticons | Humans | Others |
|---|---|---|---|
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Quotes
"So, you're giving up. Heh, you're certainly no Unicron!"
"How can this be?"
"You defeated me, and this is all you have to show for it? How dare you give up before the job is done!?"
"You... Starscream!"
"So you haven't forgotten me like you forgot your ambitions, or was it just too much for you?"
"You dare talk to me of ambition, you backstabbing fiend! If not for them, those accursed Autobots, I would have destroyed the universe!"
"Hehehe... well, whatever you have to tell yourself."
"Starscream! Come back here!"
- —Starscream mocks Galvatron from the fire dimension.
"Hmmm, his crown... As pathetic as it sounds, he's right! I am Galvatron! I will destroy the universe and remake it in my image! And NOTHING WILL STAND IN MY WAY! HAHAHAHA!"
- —Galvatron reflects on Starscream's taunts.
"Why throw away your life so recklessly, Prime? It's a pity it has to end like this."
"That's a question you should ask yourself, Galvatron! I will finish you!"
- —Galvatron and Optimus Prime,
fanwankhomage #1
"You will always lose, Galvatron. You think about nothing but destruction. None of your victories last! You care about nothing but yourself! No one cares about you!"
- —Optimus Prime
"Only one shall stand, Galvatron! It ends here!"
"NEVER!!"
"At last, the Universe will be freed from your evil!"
- —Optimus Prime and Galvatron, homage #2
"I still function. You haven't... won. Not while my spark... still burns..."
- —Galvatron's last words, homage #3
Notes
Differences with Galaxy Force
- As in the previous episode, the landscape of the reborn Cybertron differs between the two versions of the show. Galaxy Force shows the planet with organic trees and fields of grass that are part of the background painting, whereas Cybertron replaces the trees with apparently-technorganic counterparts, and the fields with swathes of green circuit boards, both CGI-animated.
- In Cybertron, Starscream mocks Galvatron for giving up, which angers Galvatron, who then decides to finish things once and for all. In Galaxy Force, Starscream simply asks Galvatron if he's giving up, Galvatron tells him that he can destroy the universe with just his fist, to which Starscream replies "That's the Galvatron I know."
- In Cybertron, Scourge thanks Lori for all that she has done; in Galaxy Force, he tells her that he will come and visit her on Earth.
- In Cybertron, Red Alert attempts to shut down the rockets in order to halt the planet's movement, only to have a short circuit increase their power and speed, hastening the danger. Conversely in Galaxy Force, getting the power back up was his intention.
- In Cybertron, Thunderblast, Thundercracker, Crumplezone, and Ransack all join in to push the rocket because they got tired of losing and being disrespected by Galvatron. In Galaxy Force, they only do it because they want to be the ones to defeat the Autobots instead of letting the rocket do it.
- In its final great moment of burning spirit, this episode sees the entire Transformer race glow with a magic golden aura that suddenly makes them strong enough to push the rocket back into place. Steadfast to the last, Galaxy Force does not remark upon this, treating it as perfectly normal, while Cybertron slips in the explanation that they are glowing with the power of Primus that exists in all of them.
- Vector Prime tells Optimus that he will always be looking out for him, just before giving Optimus his sword in Cybertron. In Galaxy Force, the old bot is more cryptic, saying that there are still things that Optimus must do in the universe (and so cannot afford to fall in this battle).
- The tone of Prime and Galvatron's final battle following Vector Prime's appearance is much more "victorious" and "exciting" in Cybertron, as heroic music swells up, and after the final blow is struck, Prime assures his troops that he is okay. In Galaxy Force, by comparison, the music for the fight is somber and dramatic, and the final seconds of the episode are silent.
Animation and technical glitches
- As he reports that the fires are extinguished, Evac speaks with Jetfire's voice.
- Leobreaker says he has Snarl's back when he went to help Scourge.
- When Crosswise brings reinforcements, Mudflap's CG model has him driving in reverse.
Continuity notes
- Starscream, Sideways and Soundwave were blasted into another dimension in "Showdown". Their appearance in this episode is fairly confusing, as they appear to be reaching out across the dimensions somehow.
- The theme of absolute reciprocative trust between Optimus and his troops is again touched on here (with even more specificity in the Galaxy Force version.) This lesson in trust was first learned (the hard way) in "Optimus".
- To bring the series full circle, the start of Optimus's final battle with Galvatron begins IDENTICALLY as Prime's very first battle with Megatron back in episode 01 Fallen. Both faction leaders square off one-on-one in Skydome on planet Cybertron, zooming in toward each other with punches extended such that, when their fists collide, the room surroundings are shattered in a huge concussive explosion.
Transformers references
- The opening moments of this episode, as Coby works on his Cobybot and Bud scares him by sneaking up from behind, exactly mirror the original animation added to Galaxy Force's third opening sequence of Coby working on his motorbike, down to the movements of the characters' hands. About the only difference is the clothes they're wearing.
- Galvatron and Optimus deliver several lines of paraphrased dialogue from The Transformers: The Movie, all quoted above. Cybertron is no stranger to pilfering movie dialogue, but while "I still function" has been heard in the show before, used by Starscream back in "Showdown", and "Why throw away your life so recklessly?" has been heard before in "Fury", "Only one shall stand" has never been used in the show before. The use of movie lines is actually fairly appropriate here, given the visual similarities between the two battles.
- Jetfire quotes "Till all are one."
Real-world references
"Vector? A mother??"
- The Cybertronians of all planets and factions coming together to push the Jungle Planet's engine and save their worlds from danger may be a homage to the ending of the film Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack. In the final climatic scene of Char's Counterattack, Amuro Ray and the pilots of all factions attempt to use their Mobile Suits' thrusters to push the Axis asteroid back into space to prevent the destruction of Earth. In both Cybertron and Char's Counterattack, the groups are also enveloped and boosted by an aura that helps them save their worlds, the power of Primus channeling through the Cybertronians in a golden glow, and the collected willpower of humanity coming through the v Gundam's psychoframe in a green glow.
- The battle between Optimus Prime and Galvatron contains several visual references to the final showdown between Great Exkaizer and Dinogeist from the anime series Brave Exkaiser. Both clashes take place on a moon, and the heroes both wield massive swords that are drawn in an identically dynamic fashion (known as the Obari Sword Pose), glow golden as they deliver the final blow to the villain, and have their helmets shattered during the fight.
Trivia
- This is the only episode in Galaxy Force to not have commercial bumpers featuring a character/characters from the series. The only indication of leading to commercial and returning is the Galaxy Force logo appearing on screen in the upper-right and lower-right corners, respectively.
- In the grand Japanese Transformers tradition of modes like Sixshot's "Wingwolf", the weapon configuration Galvatron adopts in this episode (named his "Death Cannon" in Galaxy Force, pictured at right) is not part of the toy's instructions, but was created by the cartoon's production staff after fiddling with the figure. As such, it's entirely possible to configure the toy into this form.
- Also, in Galaxy Force, Megatron/Galvatron begins the name of each of his special weapons with "Death". The arm-mounted claw is the "Death Claw", his energy gatling gun is the "Death Machine Gun", and this is the "Death Cannon".
- During the fire-fighting scenes of this episode, there is a brief moment where Vector Prime's map falls to the ground and catches Bud's attention. This will be a familiar staple to you if you've watched a lot of anime, since in Japan, for something to fall over or break without anyone touching it or any form of outside interference—a teacup cracking, a shoelace breaking, or the family shrine falling—has usually been considered as a bad omen, or at least a warning. Transformers has even had a prior example, in the Armada episode "Cramp", when Alexis's necklace cracked at the moment of Starscream's death.
Foreign localization
Italian
- Title: "Un regalo inatteso" ("An Unexpected Gift")
- Before Optimus an Galvatron's duel, Jolt's line: "Come on, let's leave them to it!" is nonsensically changed to: "Come on, let's let them go!". Erm... "go" where?
- The line: "What's the point of all this if we lose Optimus" is translated as: "What's the matter if we lose Optimus?". Seriously, how did they even thought this could have been the actual line?!
Home video releases
- DVD
2006 — Transformers: Galaxy Force — Vol. 13 (Victor Entertainment) — Japanese audio only.
2008 — Transformers: Cybertron — The Ultimate Collection (Paramount)
2014 — Transformers: Cybertron — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)
