The ghost of Starscream possesses Scourge and forces him to assist in a scheme to give him a new body. Starscream and Scourge travel to the disembodied head of Unicron and bring him back online. Starscream strikes a deal with Unicron to fulfill three labours for him in exchange for a new body, and uses his ghostly powers to steal from the Autobots and Decepticons to accomplish his tasks.
Tropes
- Did You Just Scam Cthulhu?: Unicron orders Starscream to connect his head to Cybertron during the climax, but Starscream is unable to make the final connections due to his incorporeal nature as a ghost. He demands that Unicron give him a physical body to finish the job. Unicron grants his request only for Starscream to betray him and refuse to make the last connections as the Autobots launch his head back into orbit.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Scourge is only helping Starscream and Unicron out of self-preservation and fear of Galvatron's reprisal after seemingly betraying him. Once he learns that Unicron wants Starscream to turn Cybertron into his new body and continue his path of planetary destruction, Scourge flees and warns the Autobots about Starscream's plan to revive Unicron.Scourge: Hey, I didn't buy into this. I'm gone!
- Eye Scream: Unicron tasks Starscream and Scourge with stealing the eyes of Metroplex to replace the ones he lost during the movie. Scourge accidentally drops one of Metroplex's eyes and shatters it, which forces him and Starscream to steal one of Trypticon's eyes as a replacement.
- Hypocritical Humor: When Scourge starts attacking his fellow Decepticons after he's possessed by Starscream, Galvatron is the one who questions his sanity:Galvatron: There's no reasoning with him! Destroy him! He's gone mad!
- Irony: Starscream and Scourge barely escape from Trypticon and are clearly in no mood to go back. Unicron’s next task turns out to be bringing him Trypticon (as the Wiki points out, they could’ve saved themselves a lot of time if Unicron had simply told them the three labours ahead of time).
- Pyrrhic Victory: Starscream gets exactly what he wants and tricks Unicron into giving him a new body. Unfortunately, he's immediately blasted into the depths of space when the Autobots launch Unicron's head back into orbit. Galvatron and the other Decepticons then start blasting at Starscream's now vulnerable body as he hurtles helplessly through space.
- Sequel Episode: This episode follows up the events of "Starscream's Ghost", as Starscream seeks to find a way to restore himself back to life and continues possessing the bodies of other Transformers.
- Shout-Out: Runabout and Runamuck demand to see Scourge's security pass, only for Starscream's ghost to materialize and claim "I don't have to show you no stinkin' passes".
- Threat Backfire: When Starscream possesses Trypticon, Galvatron yells that Starscream is "a dead mechanism". Starscream fire back by saying that he's already dead.
- The Three Trials: Unicron gives Starscream three labours he must fulfill if wants a new body from him. The first to retrieve the eyes of Metroplex, the second is to steal Trypticon's transformation-cog, and the final labour is to connect Unicron's head to Cybertron and fully restore his body.
- Tranquil Fury: Galvatron is unusually calm and restrained at first when he learns that Scourge is working with Starscream and the other Decepticons let them get away. It doesn't last:Galvatron: First, you two let Scourge and Starscream steal one of Trypticon's eyes. And then you two allowed Astrotrain to be used as their escape vehicle. So Scourge is helping Starscream voluntarily, and you four were unable to stop them. Well, all I can say is... BWWWAAAAAAA!
[Galvatron fires at his troops] - You Have Outlived Your Usefulness:
- Starscream possesses Astrotrain so he and Scourge can make a clean getaway from Chaar. Once they arrive at Cybertron, Starscream abandons Astrotrain's body and leaves him to be fired upon by the Autobots.
- Later on, Starscream does this to Unicron after he's brought back to life by refusing to connect his head to Cybertron and letting the Autobots blast his head back into orbit.
