Planet of the Ultimate Weapon

« Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Neo ep 16 »
"Planet of the Ultimate Weapon" 最強兵器の星 () (Saikyō Heiki no Hoshi)
Production code	BWN-16
Production company	TV Tokyo, NAS, Ashi Productions
Airdate	19 May 1999
Writer	Katsuyuki Sumisawa
Director	Shigeki Hatakeyama
Animation studio	Ashi Productions
Continuity	Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

Can Longrack and Mach Kick put up with each other long enough to get the Angolmois capsule on the weapons-infested planet, Arachide?

Synopsis

Aboard the Gung Ho, Mach Kick is loudly snoring, to the annoyance of Longrack. He is awakened by NAVI declaring an emergency and calling all personnel to the bridge.

An Angolmois Capsule has been detected on the Green Binary Planets known as Arachide, a pair of beautiful but uninhabited planets. NAVI shows the Maximals images from the surface, revealing a lot of weaponry and military vehicles overgrown with vegetation, leading to the conclusion that the planets used to be inhabited, but the natives wiped each other out in a war. Big Convoy orders Longrack to organize a drop team, but before he can, Mach Kick interjects, saying he and Longrack should be more than enough, cautioning the young lieutenant against bringing too many people when they don't know exactly how the natives went extinct.

Mach Kick continues to grate on Longrack's nerves, in particular his arrogance and dismissal of Longrack's authority and skills, as well as his eagerness to die for Big Convoy. Upon arrival on one of the planets, the pair are scanned by an unknown computer. As they approach the Angolmois signal, Mach Kick attempts to contact the Gung Ho, only to discover that the weaponry of this planet is still active and putting out a jamming signal. Longrack wants to hurry up and grab the capsule from the tower it resides in, but Mach Kick holds him back, saying he has a bad feeling. Mach Kick explains that the tower is in such a location between the two planets that it would have been an important, highly defended base during the native's war. Longrack is skeptical, but his partner is proven correct, as the computer within the tower dispatches a drone that begins attacking them. Longrack blows it up pretty easily, but soon another approaches. Longrack fires on this one as well, only for it to dodge his missiles, forcing Mach Kick to take it down. Mach Kick deduces that it learned Longrack's attack and adapted. Longrack laments that they should have brought more backup, to which Mach Kick agrees.

Meanwhile, the Dinosaur is also scanning Arachide. DNAVI fills in Magmatron on the planet's adaptive weaponry, which is even upgraded by the central computer whenever it gets destroyed. DNAVI clarifies for Guiledart, this means the weaponry wiped out the natives on its own. Saberback worries about the Maximals making these weapons stronger against them, and wants to hurry up and retrieve the capsule before that happens, but Dead End believes they can leave the Maximals to be destroyed by them instead, at which point they could figure out a way to nab the capsule. Curious, Archadis asks DNAVI - or Dorothy, as she wants to be called today - where the main computer system is, and she reveals that it's in the same place as the capsule. Archadis explains his strategy would be to run from the weaponry without attacking it, and wait for an opportunity to destroy the computer. Sling loves the idea, Guiledart thinks it's cowardly. In any event, Archadis worries that two of the Maximals will be able to come to the same conclusion - Big Convoy and Mach Kick.

On the surface of Arachide, Mach Kick and Longrack are running away from the drone. Longrack points out that Mach Kick earlier said he'd be willing to die for Big Convoy, but Mach Kick deflects, saying that dying to the drone right now would be pointless, and tells him "you’ll need to use your life and head a bit more wisely". Longrack stops in anger, thinking it was a jab at him, forcing Mach Kick to destroy the drone before it shoots the young Maximal. Longrack sheepishly thanks Mach Kick for saving his life, who tells him not to worry about it and suggests they head for the Angolmois Capsule before another drone shows up.

Back on the Gung Ho, the other Maximals begin to worry about not being able to contact the drop team. Break fears the worst and wants to go down there, starting an argument with Colada about who would have destroyed them. Whether the Predacons or something else, Break insists they need to go help, to which Big Convoy agrees. On the surface, Longrack and Mach Kick enter the tower and begin flying towards the top, only for a group of drones to descend upon them. The first few are dispatched easily, but Longrack suddenly realizes Mach Kick is missing, before one of the drones envelops him in a blinding white light. Longrack panics and runs off, running into Mach Kick, who ducked into a corridor. Longrack asks if, perchance, Mach Kick used him as a decoy, which Mach Kick denies. Unconvinced, Longrack storms after Mach Kick.

Entering the control room, the pair behold the main computer. Longrack spots the Angolmois capsule at the very top of the terminal and goes for it, but Mach Kick stops him. Sick of his antics, Longrack flat-out asks if the reason he's still alive is because he always runs away. "Maybe", Mach Kick says, but there's benefit in using your head. He picks up a metal beam and throws it into the electromagnetic barrier Longrack was about to step into, and it disintegrates. Mach Kick hands Longrack the only weapon they have left, and tells him to aim for the computer's main switch. When Longrack asks what Mach Kick plans to do, he extends his elastic crusher into the barrier, opening a hole large enough for Longrack to fire the Spy Shot through, seemingly deactivating the main computer. Longrack pauses to see if Mach Kick is okay before heading towards the capsule. Suddenly, Mach Kick's old superior officer, Captain Strada appears! Strada compliments his old subordinate as Mach Kick stammers in confusion, explaining to Longrack that Strada was in charge of the Thoroughbred Corps, but they had all been wiped out. Strada explains that he survived as well as Mach Kick, and that he's been waiting for Mach Kick to assemble a new Thoroughbred unit. Longrack brings up Mach Kick's position with Big Convoy, to which Strada explains that he already contacted the Maximal battleship. Alarm bells ring for Longrack, as the Gung Ho is NOT a battleship, but a trainee ship! This causes Mach Kick to stop; Strada's chest opens to reveal a blaster, but Longrack launches his claw at the phony, only for it to turn out to be a hologram. Longrack berates Mach Kick for not thinking, and wonders when the Arachide computer scanned their minds. Suddenly, Archadis steps out with Sling and explains that he programmed the computer with that data! Longrack and Mach Kick swear he won't get away with this, but Archadis simply leaves the Maximals to continue fighting the computer's drones, after destroying a few himself to make the next batch even stronger. Archadis asks "Dorothy" to teleport him, while Sling retrieves the capsule. Sling refuses, and as Archadis teleports out, Sling demands DNAVI teleport him, too, which she does after he gets her name-of-the-day correct.

Mach Kick tells Longrack to go for the capsule while he distracts the drones, and tells him to leave as soon as he does. Mach Kick laments his mistakes, feeling he can't face Big Convoy. Enacting their strategem, Mack Kick fends off the drones for a bit before throwing his tail tomohawk at the computer, only to find that the computer itself also adapts to attacks! Longrack, meanwhile, is struggling to fly up to the capsule. As drones close in on him, Mach Kick hits upon the idea to pit the perfect attack against the perfect defense, and tricks the drones into firing on the computer controlling them! This causes computer and drones alike to shut down, allowing Longrack to descend with the capsule. Mach Kick tells Longrack he needs to hurry, before the computer reactivates stronger than ever. Longrack refuses to leave without Mach Kick, as it's the lieutenant's duty to ensure his men's safety. The computer begins to reactivate, but Big Convoy arrives and shuts it down for good with his Big Cannon.

Back on the Gung Ho, Big Convoy praises the pair for their good work, with Vector Sigma taking over to explain that the mission was a success because of their teamwork.

Mach Kick's snoring is still irritating, though.

Quotes

Capsule score

Maximals: 11

Predacons: 3

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Notes

Animation and technical errors

Continuity errors

Transformers references

Trivia

Home video releases

VHS

1999 — Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Neo — ACT. 6 (Pioneer LDC)

External links

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