The Trial

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If you wish to hang yourself, Mr. Rodimus, you're welcome to, but not inside my courtroom.
"The Trial"
Season	3
No. in season	9
Production company	Allspark Animation
Airdate	February 19, 2020 (UK) April 5, 2020 (USA)
Writer	Eugene Son
Director	Jean Texier
Animation studio	Boulder Media Studio
Watch this episode on YouTube

Hot Rod takes a strike team to free Windblade but gets captured by the Quintessons.

Synopsis

In the bowels of the slumbering Iaconus, the resistance flee the Titan's security measures until they finally reach a large room containing the Titan's face. Whirl's attempt at waking him goes nowhere and Dead End repeats his statement that their efforts are pointless, an assessment Perceptor agrees with. They cannot wake the citybot without a Cityspeaker; therefore, they need Windblade.

In the Quintesson tower, Dead End, Whirl and Perceptor sneak past the guarding Prosecutors, disguising themselves with inactive versions of the Quintesson spark-draining machines, while Hot Rod and Clobber use the cortical psychic patch to plug into the Loop. Perceptor reaches Windblade and affixes a signal interruptor device over the Spark draining helmet, giving them the go-ahead.

Inside the Loop, they find Windblade chatting with Chromia, enjoying the Parade of Metals. Hot Rod has Clobber occupy Chromia's attention while he has Perceptor show Windblade what's actually happening. Unfortunately, the others have been found by the Quintessons, interrupting their efforts, and Windblade goes back to cheering for the parade.

The resistance tries fighting off the Quintessons, but despite their efforts, Hot Rod is captured and Whirl is shot down. As Whirl crash-lands, he dislodges some of the machinery from the dormant Soundwave. Watching Hot Rod's abduction, Dead End says it is too late, and he and Clobber leave. As they exit the tower, Clobber worries for Perceptor and Whirl, but Dead End is more concerned about them, though he does not finish the thought as Soundwave appears behind them. However, something is clearly off with him, as he jitters and collapses at their feet.

In the tower, Hot Rod is unthreatened by the Prosecutors. Spotting a pair of Sharkticons, who dismiss his guards, he tries making a connection, but the Sharkticons aren't interested in talking. He tries transforming and escaping, but his captors catch him before he can get anywhere, and drag him to their superior: a gargantuan, five-faced mechanoid, the acting judge of the universe. And court is now in session.

Back at Maccadam's, Perceptor analyses Soundwave while Dead End and Clobber complain about their luck in waking Soundwave of all bots.

Back in the tower, the Judge declares Quintessons the masters of all the multiverse. One face wishes simply to burn Hot Rod but another declares punishment will come after the trial, wanting to know how Hot Rod has evaded the Prosecutors. Hot Rod tries to inquire what exactly the Quintessons are judges of. The reasonable face explains: there are an infinite number of universes, and the Quintessons travel to each one to judge if that universe is worthy. If it is not, they destroy it. Hot Rod asks who they are to judge his universe, but the Judge clarifies: they are not the judge of this universe, but he'll wish they were.

Outside, Whirl reports in to Perceptor that he has had no luck finding Hot Rod. Perceptor tells him to keep looking. Maccadam reassures him everything will be fine, for Hot Rod has not even met "the scientist" yet.

Meanwhile, the Judge becomes impatient with Hot Rod's deflections and finds him in contempt. Their verdict is reached: Hot Rod is guilty and sentenced to the Loop. Having had enough of the parade, Hot Rod busts free from his Sharkticon guards and drives off.

At Maccadam's, Clobber and Dead End investigate the still-inactive Soundwave, the cycloptic Decepticon asking what they should do if he does not wake up. Dead End asks if she means they should deactivate him, saying he thinks it is a good idea. A barely-functional Soundwave disagrees.

In the tower, Hot Rod tries evading the Prosecutors, eventually coming to a door. Unfortunately for him, it leads right out to a very, very long drop to the ground. With the Quintessons fast approaching, Hot Rod decides to make the jump anyway. Before he hits the ground, Whirl manages to swoop in to rescue him. Still pursued by the Prosecutors, the two dive into Maccadam's. Hot Rod thanks Whirl for the rescue and is in turned "thanked" by Soundwave.

Featured characters

Characters in italic text appear only in simulation sequences.
(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

Hot Rod: One ugly face is bad enough, but five? That's a lot of ugly.
Judge: Silence. Quintessons are the great and mighty masters of all the multiverse. (face switches) Enough chatter! Let him BURN! (face switches) Punishment will come after interrogation. Tell us how you have managed to evade our Prosecutors. (face switches) Answer the Judge! (whispers) But watch out. The others, they're all crazy! Hahaha!

—The Judge says let the trial commence.

"Wait, what exactly are you the "Judge" of anyway?"
"There are an infinite amount of universes in the multiverse. (face switches) Too many! Too MANY! BURN THEM ALL! (face switches) Quintessons travel to each universe and judge which are worthy of existence. (face switches) And if they're found guilty, hehehehehe... (face switches) Then that universe is destroyed."

—The Quintesson Job Description, provided by the Judge.

"Who are you to judge my universe?"
"You misunderstand. We are not the Judge of this universe. (face switches) But you will wish we were. (face switches) Yesterday's gone, and tomorrow will rid today!"

—The Judge gives some foreshadowing.

"So I was tellin' Bumblebee-- you should meet Bumblebee, he's awesome. I was tellin' him, 'You should consider goin' red,' and then he said, 'Everyone will think I'm Cliffjumper!' Hahahaha!"
"Enough lies and evasion!"

—Hot Rod makes a little inside joke. The Judge is not amused.

Notes

Continuity notes

• Soundwave's poor health from his impromptu awakening is an implicit reason, which the next episode will confirm, as to why the resistance don't just yank those face-masks off everyone's faces, rather than going through the whole mess with the Cortical psychic patch we've been seeing for the last several episodes.
• Hot Rod attempts to befriend a Sharkticon by referencing his membership of the Snouts in "Wiped Out".
• The Quintessons seen since "The Loop" are identified as Prosecutors.

Transformers references

• Hot Rod swears by Amalgamous Prime when he sees the Judge.
• The Judge is designed after the traditional Quintesson appearance - five rotating faces on one body, though with a few differences, such as each face having a different personality, and the body being less ovoid. Their stated role as judges of the multiverse is a new version of their fondness for subjecting people to trials.
• Hot Rod's story mentions an Autobot named Cliffjumper, and references the tendency for toys of Cliffjumper to be red versions of Bumblebee.

Real-world references

• TBA

Other trivia

• After the last few episodes showed the Quintessons being pretty poor with their security, leaving their victims entirely unguarded, they've now taken to Prosecutors prowling around. Though evidently they haven't learned that much, if an inactive face-mask which isn't even plugged in is enough to fool them.

Animation and technical errors

• TBA

Foreign localization

German

• Title: "Das Gericht"
• Original airdate: November 14, 2020

Portuguese

• Title: "O Julgamento" ("The Trial")
• Original airdate: September 24, 2021

Home video releases

• TBA