Autobot HQ is covered in snow -and Spike walks up to what he thinks is the biggest snowman that he's ever seen. The snowman breaks apart and says he's not a snowman -he's a snowbot! It's Jazz playing around.

Some of the other Autobots pelt Jazz with snowballs, and he thinks that's snow fair! As the Autobots continue to play around in the snow, Spike says he can't believe he's having a snowball fight in July, in the middle of the desert, it's amazing! Optimus Prime has been watching and says this is perhaps dangerous as well.

Prime uses Teletraan I to do a global weather report, and finds that temperatures are 40 degrees lower than normal, and are falling rapidly. Prime realizes that the heat energy from the Earth's core is somehow being drained away. Gears is also looking into the matter and comes up with a pretty good hunch: this must be the work of Megatron and the Decepticons! And sure enough, somewhere in the Arctic...

...the Decepticons have completed a series of tunnel blasting operations, revealing large crystals. The Decepticons start to drain these crystals of their energy, and use it to fill up energon cubes. Starscream tells Megatron that everything is proceeding to schedule. Locating the crystal shaft leading to the Earth's core was the hard part, but pumping the heat energy out is simple. Megatron says that soon the entire planet will freeze into an icy tomb, whilst they'll return to Cybertron with enough energon cubes to dominate the universe!

Rumble is busy pounding some ice with his piledrivers, but comes across some that's pretty hard to break. Skywarp arrives and starts mocking him, so Rumble tries a bit too hard and causes a small avalanche. When the two Decepticons recover...

...they see that there is something buried in the ice. Starscream and Megatron appear and see that they've found something. Starscream is ordered to thaw whatever it is out, and Megatron says that it appears to be some kind of robot. It's a big robot too, and Megatron thinks that with his size and probable strength, he'll make an excellent Decepticon.

Teletraan I reports of an abnormally large energy expenditure in the Arctic Circle. A Sky Spy observes the area and finds the green crystal, and Prime says this is the source of Earth's problem. Teletraan I then reports there is Decepticon activity there, and Prime says they've got to stop them or the Earth is doomed. The Autobots transform and roll out, as Spike says Arctic Circle here they come.

Meanwhile, the Decepticons have dug out the robot and are repairing him. Starscream instructs what to do and Megatron asks why he's so concerned. Starscream explains that he knew this robot, a long time ago. His name is Skyfire, and millions of years a go, before the war on Cybertron, the two of them were explorers.

They'd gone towards what was an uncharted planet at the time: Earth. They'd detected no intelligent life on the surface, but Skyfire insisted that they looked closer. But as they went down, they got caught in a polar wind storm. The two of them were separated. Back in the present, Starscream says he circled half the globe searching for him, but he was gone. But Megatron says that now, millions of Earth years later, Starscream has found him.

Skyfire's repairs are completed, and he is reactivated. He gets up and recognizes Starscream, but wonders where he is, as this clearly isn't Cybertron. Starscream explains that this is Earth, the place he'd crashed many years ago. Megatron then introduces himself and says he's the supreme leader of all Decepticons. He says that they're on this planet to collect the energy they need to revive Cybertron and conquer the universe, and the Autobots are now their enemies.

Skyfire is taken outside and branded with a Decepticon insignia. Megatron tells him that with this symbol, he is now a member of the Decepticon forces. He gets Skyfire to repeat his words: hail Cybertron, and destruction to all Autobots! Skyfire is a bit taken aback by the latter statement, as Megatron walks off whilst telling Starscream to put Skyfire on guard patrol. Skyfire asks if Starscream is happier being a warrior instead of a scientist, and he says he is -it's far more exciting! And one day he's going to be the leader instead of Megatron. He'll make Skyfire his second in command! Skyfire is grateful he freed him from the ice, and will try to credit him.

Skyfire begins his guard duty shift and quickly comes across several vehicles heading his way. It seems the time has come for him to make the change from science to war. The vehicles Skyfire can see are actually the Autobots, and they see Skyfire and wonder who he is. Skyfire demands for them to all halt and identify themselves, so Prime orders for the Autobots to transform.

Upon hearing that they're Autobots, Skyfire says they must be destroyed, and opens fire. The Autobots are scattered, and Sparkplug and Spike end up being cut off. Skyfire's blasts break up parts of the ground, casting the two humans adrift. As Spike screams for help, Skyfire hears them and goes to investigate, totally ignoring the Autobots firing at him.

Sparkplug and Spike tell at him to get away, but he picks them up and asks why they are so frightened, as he won't harm them. They ask why he has a Decepticon symbol, and he tells them only the evil Autobots need to fear him. Spike says the Autobots aren't evil, they're good, and are fighting to protect this planet. Sparkplug that it's the Decepticons who are the real monsters. Skyfire thinks this can't be true, and says he'll prove it to them by taking them to his leader, Megatron. He'll show them that they have nothing to fear. The Autobots can only watch, as Prime says they can't fire without rising hitting Spike or Sparkplug. They'll have to find a safer way of rescuing them -if there is one.

Skyfire takes Sparkplug and Spike back to Megatron, who praises him for bringing these two Autobot sympathizers -they may prove useful to their cause. The pair are imprisoned in an icy cell, but Skyfire says he'd promised them no harm would could to them, and this is wrong. Megatron says he's overstepped his authority, and Starscream tells him who does he think he is to offer safety to their enemies? Skyfire says they aren't enemies, they're his friends, but Starscream tells him not to interfere, and shoots his hand.

Skyfire backs off and says he doesn't understand. Starscream tells him these puny flesh creatures are insignificant, and once they cease being useful to them, they'll be terminated. Skyfire thinks that his function is to further science and learning... not to destroy innocent life forms.

Optimus Prime tells the Autobots to transform and head into a cave they've found. A batch of them go through, but Gears stops and says he thinks they might be falling into a trap. But before they can ponder about it, the ice under him, Ironhide, Ratchet and Hound suddenly breaks apart, causing them to fall. Hound says he can locate Spike and Sparkplug, and leads the way.

However the other Autobots have already found the pair, and Cliffjumper frees them. Bumblebee says they should now find Ironhide and the others. Ironhide's group transform, and have found something else...

...the Decepticons, who are draining the heat energy right out of the Earth's core. They also see that they've converted this energy into a massive stack of energon cubes. Before they can contact Optimus Prime, Megatron sees them, and the Decepticons quickly surround the group.

Megatron tells Soundwave to check if there are any more Autobots in the vicinity, so Soundwave sends Ravage out to investigate. The other Autobots are still searching through the ice caves, but Cliffjumper gets frustrated with their slow search tactics, and runs off by himself.

He is immediately pounced on by Ravage, but Prime shoots him off. The Autobots transform and continue on. Meanwhile, Ironhide's group have been taken back to the surface, and are lined up against the crystal.

Starscream tells Skyfire that those years under the ice have diminished his loyalty, but because of their old friendship, he'll be generous. He's going to give him the pleasure of melting down these Autobots. Skyfire protests, saying he's a scientist, not an executioner. Starscream says that he is his superior, and orders him to terminate them. Skyfire refuses, saying they've done no wrong. Starscream yells that he has -he's a traitor! He quickly takes aim and fires at him.

Skyfire is knocked down, and Starscream wastes no time taking aim at the Autobots. He fires and hits the crystal, causing a large explosion...

...that blows the Autobots to pieces! He turns to the fallen Skyfire and tells him he's fortunate he hasn't ended up like his Autobot friends. He then walks off and heads back underground.

Seconds later, the Autobots are revealed to have survived -their blown up pieces were actually created from Hound's holograms. They check on Skyfire, who is very confused and what's just happened, and Ratchet explains to him what Hound can do. Skyfire has been damaged, so the Autobots regroup, and Ratchet begins to make some repairs on him.

Cliffjumper doesn't understand why they're trying to save a Decepticon, but Hound explains Skyfire tried to save them, only for Starscream to blast him for it. As Ratchet finishes up his work, nobody notices that Laserbeak has found them, and reports to Megatron via a series of bleeps. Megatron gets annoyed with Starscream for failing, but Starscream realizes he was tricked by Hound's holograms.

Megatron tells the Decepticons to attack, and Starscream, Thundercracker and Skywarp lead the assault. They start bombing the Autobots, so Prime says it's time for reinforcements. He transforms and opens up his trailer, and sends out his combat deck.

This starts firing and hits Skywarp, damaging his stabilizers and making him crash into Thundercracker, which results in both of them crashing into the sea. Prime transforms back and orders his Autobots on the battlefield, but Megatron gets behind him and fires.

Prime avoids the shot and grabs a chunk of crystal, using it as a weapon. He gets Megatron's cannon off, but Megatron recovers and grabs his own crystal shard. The two continue to battle and Prime gets knocked down, but as Megatron leaps towards him, Prime spins his crystal around rapidly, sending Megatron flying into a wall. Megatron congratulates him, but it's a pity he's still lost...

...as Skyfire appears. Megatron orders him to destroy Optimus Prime and all of the other Autobots, but Skyfire says he takes no orders from him. He rips off his Decepticon symbol and replaces it with an Autobot one, and tells Megatron he is an Autobot now!

He walks over to Megatron, picks him up and throws him into the ice. Reflector then attempts to fight him...

...but is easily knocked down. Starscream them attacks from the air, so Skyfire transforms and goes after him. The two collide mid-air, which forces Starscream to crash land on the ice.

Skyfire has also been damaged and is going down, but he manages to make one last blast, hitting a particular spot right in front of the Autobots. There's a big explosion that causes an avalanche, causing snow and rocks to cover up the crystal...

...but as he crash lands, the snow and ice also buries him. The Autobots move in but Skyfire is once again entombed, and Optimus tells Spike that Skyfire risked everything to save them and the Earth. The energy drain has been stopped now, so the Earth will heat up again. And the Decepticons have been defeated. Spike says that Skyfire is still gone, but Optimus says that he won't be forgotten, and will live forever. So long as freedom exists, they shall remember him.

NOTES

-SCRIPT DIFFERENCES: Click here for details.

-Skyfire's toy wasn't available until 1985, whilst this episode aired in December 1984, giving kids an early preview of what was in the pipeline.

-However, Skyfire would turn into a nightmare for Hasbro, and the character would be phased out of the cartoon early on in the second season (more on that later). The Skyfire toy was actually called Jetfire, the name was changed for unknown reasons (in the comics he was still called Jetfire). During the original recording session for this episode, the character was called Jetfire, as this video proves, but the dialogue was later re-recorded to accommodate the name change.

-The problem revolved around Skyfire/Jetfire's toy not being a Takara product -visit the TF wiki for more info about this. The general theory is that, to appease Takara, Skyfire's character model for the cartoon was made to look little like the toy.

-In previous episodes, Prime tells the Autobots to just "roll", but this one is the first to have him speak what's perhaps his most famous line: "transform and roll out!"

-Prime's combat deck makes another appearance, it was last seen in this episode, where it was destroyed by Megatron. It seems to have been rebuilt and now differs from Prime's toy, as it's on a separate trailer which can roll our of the main trailer. On the toy, the combat deck can't be removed from the main trailer.