Beast Wars
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Season 1
Beast Wars 1
Beast Wars 2
The Web
Equal Measures
Chain of Command
Power Surge
Fallen Comrades
Double Jeapordy
A Better Mousetrap
Gorilla Warfare
The Probe
Victory
Dark Designs
Double Dinobot
The Spark
The Trigger 1
The Trigger 2
Spider's Game
Call of the Wild
Dark Voyage
Possession
The Low Road
Law of the Jungle
Before the Storm
Other Voices 1
Other Voices 2

Beast Wars Part 1

In space, near a small blue and green planet a Transwarp portal opens and two ships, a stolen Predacon vessel and the Maximal ship named the Axalon, burst forth from it. Both ships fire upon one another and send each other crashing through the planet's atmosphere. Before the Axalon begins re-entry, they launch all of their stasis pods into orbit, to prevent the protoforms inside from being destroyed in the coming crash.

The spaceships crash near each other and, while both ships are badly damaged, the crews survive. Their computers report that the planet has dangerous levels of Energon radiation, which will damage their circuitry, so both the Maximals and the Predacons (descendants of the Autobots and Decepticons, respectively) decide to take on forms based off of local lifeforms that will enable them to move out of their ships without fear of damage from the Energon radiation.

Megatron, the Predacon in charge of the stolen ship, learns that the planet's features do not match his planned destination, Earth, but he is just as pleased because there is a sizable amount of Energon available. This strange world is littered with glowing shards of Energon crystals and has two moons orbiting it. Another Predacon with the form of a Velociraptor, Dinobot, berates Megatron for their failure to find Earth. Megatron and his Predacon crew had also stolen a Maximal artifact, the Golden Disk (which is one of the golden "Sounds of Earth" records from the Voyager probes), which they hoped would lead them to Earth where they could gather enough Energon to stage a coup and overthrow their Maximal oppressors. Dinobot challenges Megatron, who has taken the form of a tyrannosaur, for leadership of the Predacons, and Megatron answers with treachery, by getting Scorponok to blast Dinobot. The explosion hits Dinobot so hard that he is blown far from the base.

At the Axalon, the Maximals emerge in their new beast modes. Their leader, Optimus Primal, has taken the form of a gorilla while their science officer has taken the form of a rhinoceros and the name Rhinox. The other two members of the crew have taken beast modes and names appropriate for their new forms: Cheetor and Rattrap (a cheetah and a rat, respectively). Rhinox explains that when they locked onto and blindly followed Megatron's ship through the portal, they could have been transported anywhere or any time, since Transwarp engines can travel through space and time. They came from a time centuries after the end of the Great War, but now they don't know where or when they are. Their mission is to prevent Megatron from gathering Energon and to recover the stolen Golden Disk, but first they must find the Predacons. Optimus orders the Maximals to search the area for signs of Predacon survivors.

It doesn't take long for Cheetor to find the Predacon named Waspinator (who has taken the form of a giant wasp) and start a fight. Soon the other Maximals and Predacons are attracted by the sounds of battle. The Maximals are lined up on one side of a trench, while the Predacons are lined up along the other. Megatron is accompanied by Waspinator, Scorponok (in the form of a giant scorpion), Tarantulas (in the form of a giant tarantula) and Terrorsaur (who has taken the form of a pteranodon). Optimus Primal attempts to restore peace between the groups, since their factions have been at peace for centuries, but Megatron refuses to listen, and fighting breaks out again when Cheetor takes a cheap shot at Megatron, and only spurs the Predacons into action.

Cheetor is pinned in the bottom of the trench by Predacon fire, and Optimus Primal orders Rattrap to go in after Cheetor. Rattrap refuses so Primal must go in for himself, and is damaged in the process. The Predacons stay in their robot modes too long and begin to suffer from Energon surges, ending the battle while the Maximals retreat.

As the Maximals approach the natural canyon spanning rock bridge which leads back to the Axalon, they see Dinobot standing in the midst of it. He challenges Optimus Primal to mortal combat over leadership of the Maximals.