Vow

Let's see what you can see... This article is in need of images.

« Transformers: Armada ep 22 »
You burned me out but I'm back at your door / Like Joan of Arc coming back for more
"Vow" 伝心 (ふれあい) (Fureai) "Legendary Spirit: Connectedness"
Production code	TF: A-22
Production company	TV Tokyo, NAS
Airdate	January 25, 2003 (UK, English premiere) January 27, 2003 (USA) 6 June 2003 (Japanese)
Writer	Akira Okeya
Director	Osamu Kamijō
Animation studio	Actas Inc.
Continuity	Unicron Trilogy

Megatron tries to lead Optimus into a trap while the kids believe the Decepticon-aligned Mini-Cons want to defect.

Synopsis

Rad questions the Star Saber and the Skyboom Shield's origins and why the Autobots won't give the kids any answers. Blurr and Hot Shot won't even let them into the base, and Optimus Prime steps out to tell the kids it's too dangerous.

Full tank/Not even a quarter tank.

Megatron attempts to run a battle simulation on the Moon; he Powerlinx with four Mini-Cons and instructs the Land Military Mini-Con Team to run interference while attacking a hologram of Prime. Sideways launches a shot at his leader to remind him there'll be other Autobots on the battlefield too. After shooting at Prime for a bit, Megatron snarls at the Land Military team for defying his orders.

Meanwhile, Optimus briefs his men on the battle formation for their next mission, including Smokescreen, ready to launch the Skyboom Shield off his long arm launcher. The Street Action Mini-Con Team interrupts the briefing, wanting to know why they're not joining the mission too, but Optimus rationalizes it's too risky.

The kids wander away from the Autobot base, complaining about not being allowed in. The three Street Action Mini-Cons soon catch up with them and let the kids know they've received a transmission from the Decepticon-held Mini-Cons. Fred's theory that the Decepticons' Mini-Cons are lonely and want to join with their friends on Earth gains traction. While Rad and Fred leave to tell Optimus, the rest of the kids run towards the warp gate with their Mini-Cons.

On the Moon, Megatron confirms with the Land Military team that they've contacted the Mini-Cons on Earth. Teleporting them and four other Mini-Cons to Earth, he tells his men that he'll divide the Autobots and call them with further instructions.

Fred and Rad can't enter the Autobot base until Rad uses Laserbeak to let Optimus know what's up. Optimus and Hot Shot appear to tell the pair to stay put since they're going to take care of it.

The rest of the kids reach the warp gate area in time to see the Land Military team teleport in and promptly teleport out again. When Carlos steps forward, Optimus appears and tells the kids to go back. Then Megatron teleports in and invites Optimus to come in his direction before disappearing again. Although Optimus repeats warning the kids, Fred doesn't think there's anything to fear. Walking over to where Megatron was, Fred also disappears, followed by Rad. The other Autobots follow suit, much to the annoyance of Alexis, who feels left out.

The Decepticons find that one of the Mini-Cons seems to be messing with their teleport signal. Although Demolishor is concerned for his leader, Sideways and Starscream are unenthusiastic. In the Autobot base, Alexis tells Scavenger and Red Alert that she can't raise a signal from Laserbeak.

Prime goes down on one knee.

The four missing Autobots arrive with Rad and Fred in a heavily forested area and immediately come under fire from Megatron before he teleports out. Optimus and the boys also teleport, followed by Hot Shot, leaving Blurr and Smokescreen wondering how the plan will work now. Hot Shot arrives in an icy wasteland alone while Rad and Fred arrive in a mountainous area, and Optimus saves them from falling. He explains that the Mini-Cons may be difficult to lure away from Megatron as they regard him as a father figure. The trio soon gets teleported again, this time to a ghost town. Megatron tells them to follow him and then teleports out with his Mini-Con troops. A couple of Mini-Cons stay behind long enough to speak to Rad.

Arriving in a desert, the Mini-Cons are seemingly on the verge of deserting Megatron until he threatens to slice them in half. Once Optimus and the boys come, he forces the Mini-Cons to attack. Rad and Fred manage to persuade Optimus to stop firing back, and, once the boys are out of harm's way, he lowers his weapons, walking towards the Mini-Cons. As Megatron gloats, the Mini-Cons pause in their attack, and he has to prompt them to resume firing. Optimus falters but continues until finally, the Mini-Cons stop firing. Megatron interprets this as an invitation for him to finish Prime off himself.

Alexis and Demolishor finally contact the battlefield as the Mini-Cons hear Optimus's impassioned plea and turn their weapons on Megatron. Optimus opens fire on Megatron as well, though the Star Saber protects the latter. The rest of the Autobots warp in with the Skyboom Shield, which Hot Shot uses to block Megatron's attack. The Decepticon leader retreats.

Back at base, Optimus undergoes repairs and says that the energy released when the Star Saber and Skyboom Shield clashed was the enslaved Mini-Cons' cries. The Autobots must work as a team to free the remaining seized Mini-Cons.

Featured characters

(Numbers indicate order of appearance.)

Quotes

"But we should do something. I really don't like sitting on the sidelines like this. After all, I am a man of action, you know."

—Carlos, man of action.

"I say this calls for a sandwich!"

—Fred, man of food.

"No, wait, Fred's right!"

—Rad says the unthinkable.

"Ah! They're shooting at us!"
"I know that! Promise you won't leave me!"

—Rad being hugged in panic by Fred.

Notes

Differences with Legends of the Microns

• Rad's opening narration for Armada has him saying the Mini-Con weapons do grave damage in the wrong hands, the new mystery of their origins, and ask why the Autobots are secretive about it. Legends of the Microns removes the Autobots' mention and changes the narration to Rad wondering if the weapons' power once destroyed a civilization and bringing up the mystery of why their power exists.
• In Armada, when Optimus exits the base, his lines extend into the next scene. In Legends of the Microns, he has just one line that doesn't extend into the next shot in which he confirms to the kids that Blurr and Hot Shot are following his orders; he also doesn't single out Carlos.
• Before starting the training simulation, Megatron commands the Mini-Cons to Powerlinx with him. The plan is to first attack with his Full Blast Mode before using the Star Saber while the Autobots are distracted.
• After firing at Megatron, Sideways says it's to remind him that other Autobots will be around in Armada, but he notes that Smokescreen would use his Longarm Launcher in the Japanese dub. After dismissing Sideways, Legends of the Microns changes Megatron's line of stating the Mini-Cons' job of disrupting the Autobots' communications to scolding the Mini-Cons for not disturbing the enemy's formation, calling them useless.
• The Autobots' lines near the end of their strategy meeting are slightly changed: Hot Shot tells Smokescreen they can't let the Decepticons reclaim the Skyboom Shield. Then Scavenger says the shield has an important role, and Optimus finishes by saying they must remember not to let the Skyboom Shield and Star Saber hit each other since their mystery is still unsolved.
• In Armada, Hot Shot guesses that High Wire, Sureshock, and Grindor ask why they aren't joining the team on their mission, and Optimus tells them it's too risky. Legends of the Microns changes it to Hot Shot supposing the Mini-Cons are asking about the kids, and Optimus tells them about barring the kids from the base.
• The children's dialogue as they walk through the forest is slightly altered: Rad talks about the energy blast released by the Star Saber and Skyboom Shield colliding; Alexis believes the Autobots are worried about another battle breaking out at Mount Astrogate; Carlos says the kids already know another big fight could occur, and they want to help the Autobots, but the latter push them away like the kids aren't their friends; Fred says the Autobots shouldn't treat them like they are children, and Billy agrees before saying Fred is the only child among them.
• Fred states how cute the Mini-Cons are instead of asking for a sandwich.
• In Armada, Fred thinks the Decepticon Mini-Cons want to talk, Carlos chastises him, and Rad says Fred is right. Legends of the Microns has Fred saying he's probably figured out the answer; Carlos tells Fred not to keep it to himself, and Rad asks Fred for his theory. Fred says the Decepticons' Mini-Cons want to join them on Earth and agrees with Rad and Alexis about the Mini-Cons desiring peace.
• In Legends of the Microns, Carlos recalls the Skyboom Shield moving to protect Sparkplug in the previous episode instead of Rad. When the scene cuts to the Moon, it's silent, but Armada gives Rad an extra line about the Mini-Cons there wanting no part in the Decepticons' war despite being under Megatron's control.
• Armada has Megatron the Mini-Con confirm contacting the Street Action Mini-Con Team and says the Mini-Cons on Earth will be helpful if all goes according to plan. In Legends of the Microns, he states that his operation should divide the Autobots and weaken them and that his "useless" Mini-Cons may still be valuable.
• Legends of the Microns changes Rad and Billy's lines as the kids run towards the warp gate location. Instead, Rad says they'll gain more friends, and Billy agrees.
• When running back to the base with Rad to get Optimus, Fred doesn't complain about being hungry.
• Megatron tells Demolishor that his job is activating the warp gate quickly to split up the Autobots and doesn't say anything about contacting him. After Megatron leaves the Decepticon base, Cyclonus laughs that Megatron is finally going to do some work for once in Armada but says that Megatron has thought of an exciting operation in Legends of the Microns.
• The first half of the scene of the kids waiting for the warp gate is primarily silent, and Optimus doesn't say anything during his shot after he stops Carlos. After Megatron appears and disappears, Fred asks if it was the warp gate and walks closer to find it before disappearing. In Armada, Fred says there's nothing to be afraid of now that Megatron's gone. After the others go through the warp gate, Alexis's line of selfishly telling them not to leave her, Billy, Carlos, and the Mini-Cons behind is changed to her wondering what happened.
• In Armada, Demolishor tells Sideways and Starscream to ensure Megatron's return to the base, and they say they're going to drag their feet. In Legends of the Microns, Demolishor asks them if they care about Megatron returning, and they say Megatron can handle himself.
• Instead of Fred begging Rad not to leave him, he asks Rad to tell him what's happening. Before going through the next warp gate, Fred says they'll disappear again instead of crying for his mom. In Legends of the Microns, Optimus doesn't say Megatron's name during the woods scene.
• The dialogue between Rad, Fred, and Optimus in the mountainous region differs in the Japanese dub. Optimus tells the boys everything that's happening is a trap set by Megatron, but they refuse to believe it. Then Rad tells Optimus the other Mini-Cons also hate fighting despite being on the Decepticons' side. Optimus brings up the Mini-Cons' Servility Program. Fred accuses Optimus of not understanding the Decepticon-aligned Mini-Cons wanting peace. Optimus says they are fighting a war, and while he sympathizes with the other Mini-Cons, they're the enemy, and one can't underestimate their enemy. Then Fred tells Optimus that fighting is all he knows, and he doesn't understand how much the Mini-Cons hate it.
• Megatron doesn't threaten the Mini-Cons with the Star Saber after arriving in the desert. Instead, he asks them if they think they can defy him, and he takes the Mini-Cons' silence as them understanding their place. After Optimus, Fred, and Rad arrive, Rad is silent as Optimus explains that Megatron has completed his plan to separate the Autobots, happening before the pan-up shot showing Megatron and his Mini-Cons ready and waiting. Armada extends Optimus's dialogue before cutting back to Rad and Fred. Before Megatron forces the Mini-Cons to attack, Fred says it must be a lie, but Optimus says the enemy lured them into a trap. Then Fred frantically says that it can't be right. In Armada, Fred is the one who says it was a trap before whining about not having lunch.
• As the Mini-Cons fire at them in Armada, Fred tells Optimus they wouldn't attack them on their own, and then Rad urges Optimus to trust him about the Mini-Cons wanting peace. In Legends of the Microns, Fred tells Optimus that Megatron forced the Mini-Cons to attack, and Rad's line is changed to him telling Optimus about the Mini-Cons telling him they want peace just before going through the last warp gate.
• While Optimus walks towards Megatron and the Mini-Cons, Rad says Optimus won't stop in Armada but wonders if Optimus has an unknown intention in Legends of the Microns. Armada has Optimus's internal dialogue saying that despite not knowing if Fred and Rad are right about the Mini-Cons, risking himself is the only way to discover for sure. Legends of the Microns changes his line to show him putting his faith in the boys' claim. Then, instead of Megatron calling Optimus soft, he orders the Mini-Cons to keep shooting the Autobot leader and "reduce him to slag!"
• Instead of saying it's not over, Rad asserts to Fred that they weren't wrong about the Mini-Cons.
• In Armada, Megatron assumes the Mini-Cons stop attacking so that he can finish off Optimus personally and says the Mini-Cons learned a lot from him. Legends of the Microns has Megatron saying he didn't tell the Mini-Cons they can rest, so he calls them stubborn and asks them, "Are you going to let me have the rest of the fun?"
• Instead of telling the Mini-Cons to stop listening to Megatron, Optimus says the children believe in them. Then Megatron questions what "nonsense" Optimus is spouting before deciding to kill him quickly so he'll die without suffering. Armada has Megatron more ruthless as he mocks Optimus for having nothing better to say for his last words and desires to finish him off so he won't hear any more of Prime's "pathetic speeches." Unlike Armada, Megatron only grunts after the Mini-Cons save Optimus instead of talking.
• Some of the dialogue in the ending scene is changed or omitted in Legends of the Microns: Fred and Rad thank Optimus for believing them; Optimus is silent and doesn't say, "Thanks to you"; Carlos asks if the kids are now welcome to come back anytime; Smokescreen says today's fight showed that saving only a few Mini-Cons isn't enough; Red Alert says the Autobots understand the kids wanting them to rescue all the Mini-Cons and that Optimus wants that to happen more than anyone, and Rad acknowledges Optimus's wish for the Mini-Cons. Interestingly, Armada has no music present during this scene, whereas Legends of the Microns plays "Hope For The Future."
• Legends of the Microns has Rad's ending narration bring up how the Star Saber and Skyboom Shield didn't react when they collided as they did in the last battle, probably because the Mini-Cons sensed how Optimus was willing to risk his life to save them. In Armada, Rad says the Mini-Cons' silent strength is what gives the Star Saber and Skyboom Shield their power, but they're forced to do evil in the hands of someone like Megatron. Rad determinedly says that he and his friends will ensure that the Mini-Cons live in peace with the Autobots' help. Although Armada's version answers the question from the opening about the mystery behind the Mini-Con weapons and their power, Legends of the Microns adds to it and ties it all together by recalling the sword and shield's previous clash.

Animation and technical errors

• Optimus's character model changes between the scene of his first appearance and the close-up shot immediately after it.
• Sideways's head is miscolored when he appears behind Optimus's hologram.
• Optimus looks off-proportion in the overhead shot of him going over the plan.
• Smokescreen is missing his antenna/horn in the scenes where Optimus discusses the plan. He's missing it again the next time he shows up (at the trap) and another time when he returns to the base at the end of the episode.
• During the first part of the forest scene with the kids talking, their mouths seemingly don't move at all.
• When Rad speaks to Optimus through Laserbeak, Optimus's chest grill is red instead of gray. Legends of the Microns corrects it.
• Optimus's eyes go from their neutral position to a slightly angry expression between the close-ups of him talking to Rad and Fred outside the base.
• When Megatron first teleports to Earth, his Decepticon symbols on his shoulders are missing, and Blurr's Autobot symbol is as well.
• Before and while Fred approaches the warp gate, he looks drawn in low-quality animation compared to the other characters in the scene and almost seems superimposed.
• After Demolishor orders Starscream and Sideways to return to work, Sideways's head is his Autobot head colored like his Decepticon head. Also, Demolishor's Decepticon emblem is gone.
• After going through the first part of the trap, the Autobots appear squashed with almost chibi proportions.
• During the first part of the trap, Megatron's Decepticon symbols on his chest and left shoulder have vanished. All 3 of them are there in the next shot. Two of them are then gone in the next shot because of stock footage when he warps away. Finally, when only Optimus and the kids remain in the ghost town, Megatron has all three insignias again.
• Optimus's mouthplate looks off-model in some scenes.
• When Hot Shot gets separated from Optimus and calls for him, it crossfades into the next scene despite cutting to a different location. Legends of the Microns removes this.
• When they arrive in the mountainous region, Rad is on Fred's left when they're on the outcrop, but when they fall, Rad is suddenly on Fred's right.
• At the start of the desert scene, all 3 of Megatron's Decepticon symbols are gone. In the next shot, only his chest insignia vanishes because his shoulder ones are back. In the next shot that he's visible in, all three of Megatron's emblems have returned. In the following shots, he appears after that because of stock footage once more, and only his chest emblem is gone. Finally, as Megatron advances towards Optimus, all three have disappeared once more. Make up your mind, man.
• Later still, Megatron's right shoulder Decepticon symbol is oddly misshaped.
• Oh, and after that, where Megatron's Decepticon symbols on his shoulders should be, there are just purple squares, and his chest one is gone once more. In the next shot, the purple squares are white, and his chest symbol is back.
• During the pan-up shot after Optimus, Rad, and Fred arrive in the desert, the Autobot symbol that would be on Prime's back is simply a red pentagon.
• Despite Fred saying the Decepticons' Mini-Cons are giving up (or running away in Legends of the Microns), the previous shot has the Mini-Cons animated as coming closer. However, they look like they're walking in place.
• Megatron is missing the shadow around his eyes in some shots.
• On the Moon, when Demolishor finally locks onto Megatron's signal, HIS Decepticon symbol is missing.
• And then Megatron's Decepticon emblem on his chest is gone again, but his shoulder ones are back to normal. The chest one varies back and forth between shots from being there to being absent. Later, it's just a purple space.
• When the Autobots return to save the day, so has Megatron's Decepticon emblem on his chest. But Scavenger's Autobot symbol is gone. And then Megatron's chest insignia disappears yet again. Then Blurr's Autobot insignia is a blue square, and Megatron's Decepticon logo on his chest is back. Before he teleports back to the Moon, Megatron's Decepticon emblem on his chest is a purple space again. Soon in the Autobot base, Blurr and Scavenger have their Autobot symbols back, but Megatron's complicated case remains mysterious.

Continuity notes

• Wreckage and Knock Out of the Land Military Mini-Con Team debut in this episode.
• According to the Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003, Megatron's plan to divide the Autobots originates from Sideways pointing out that the Autobots would pass the Skyboom Shield to Smokescreen.
• The Autobots use a simulation to plan a strategy for the first time in the series.
• Optimus can't understand Mini-Con speech; this is somewhat expected since the large Transformers' ability to understand the Mini-Cons seems to come and go at random times.
• The Decepticons don't want to back up Demolishor once again.
• Although Fred and Rad "join" the Autobots on the mission involuntarily, the kids haven't accompanied the Autobots on the battlefield since "Gale". The Autobots won't let the kids join them on the front lines again until everyone leaves for Cybertron in "Depart".
• Legends of the Microns has Optimus explain that it's hard to make Mini-Cons awakened by Decepticons turn against them since they form a sort of "parent-child" relationship with the enemy and that control is hard to break. Armada ignores defining the Mini-Cons' Servility Program until halfway into "Linkup."
• The Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003 explains that Fred's claim that Optimus doesn't understand the feelings of the Mini-Cons who don't want to fight since he only knows combat establishes a vital plot point that returns in the show's final episodes. However, it's something Armada doesn't bother bringing up until much later.
• The animation of Hot Shot transforming in the desert is reused from the ending of "Metamorphosis."
• Gadgets and powers:
  • Dualor and Knock Out use their shoulder cannons to fire lasers.
  • Bonecrusher and Wreckage use their cannon hands to fire lasers.
  • Buzzsaw, Oval, and Backtrack fire lasers from their fists.
  • Smokescreen uses his "Longarm Launcher" (or Longarm Cannon) to fire the Skyboom Shield to his teammates for the first time.
• Powerlinx forms:
  • Megatron Powerlinx with Dualor, Buzzsaw, Backtrack, Oval, and Leader-1 in Full Blast Mode. Oddly, Dualor and Buzzsaw aren't attached via Mini-Con ports, making this impossible to achieve in toy form.
    • This episode is the first and last time in the Unicron Trilogy that a Transformer Powerlinx with multiple Mini-Cons at once. Linkage and Timelines would present other cases of this ability being used in the cartoon universe.
  • Hot Shot Powerlinx with the Skyboom Shield for the first time.

Continuity errors

• In the forest, Alexis mentions "the Astrogate," but Armada never said the mountain's name before. On the other hand, Legends of the Microns establishes the mountain's name in the first episode, and the kids often bring it up.
• Cyclonus says Megatron will do some work for once, but nothing has shown Megatron being lazy. The Japanese dub changes his line, so it's not an issue.
• Immediately after that, Demolishor says the Decepticons will get the Skyboom Shield if the plan succeeds like the 'Cons never had the shield in the first place. Legends of the Microns fixes the wording as he says the Decepticons will regain the shield.
• How does Optimus fail to notice Megatron blatantly forcing the Mini-Cons to fire at him? The Japanese dub corrects this with Fred outright telling Optimus that Megatron forced the Mini-Cons to attack.
• In the desert, Rad states the obvious about Megatron having the Star Saber. Legends of the Microns fixes this mistake by changing Rad's line to Optimus being no match for the weapon.
• Smokescreen pointlessly tells Hot Shot to use the Skyboom Shield. Legends of the Microns has Smokescreen hope the shield and Star Saber don't trigger another burst of energy by colliding like last time.

Trivia

• There's no exact translation to 伝心—伝 itself can mean 1) "tradition", "legend", 2) "biography", "life", and 3) "method", "way", courtesy of Jim Breen's J-E online Dictionary. Although it could be just a short way of saying 以心伝心 (ishindenshin), meaning "tacit understanding" for this episode. "Fureai" uses 触れ合い.
• "Vow" first aired in the United States on January 27, 2003.
• The Legends of the Microns Year Book 2003 reveals that Fred gets more screentime in this episode after his occasional confident remarks in "Carnival" made him a favorite character among the staff. It also gives the episode a mix of seriousness and gags, like when Starscream asks "Huh?" after Demolishor tells him and Sideways to move.

Foreign localization

French

• Title: "L'Embuscade" ("The Ambush")

Hungarian

• Title: "Kelepce" ("Ambush")

Italian

• Title: "La promessa" ("The Vow")

Korean

• Title: "메가트론의 함정" ("Megatron's Trap")

Polish

• Title: "Zasadzka" ("Ambush")

Portuguese

• Title: "Juramento" ("Vow")

Home video releases

DVD

2003 — Transformers: Legends of the Microns — Volume 6 (Columbia Music Entertainment) — Japanese audio only.
2004 — Transformers: Armada — Season One: Part One (Rhino Entertainment)
2008 — Transformers: Armada — Volume One (New KSM) — English and German audio.
2014 — Transformers: Armada — The Complete Series (Shout! Factory)

VideoNow

2003 Transformers: Armada (Tiger Electronics)