Accidental Public Confession: Starscream is infuriated that Arachnid has likely took credit for him killing Cliffjumper. Unfortunately for him, he was still talking to Arcee at the time and pretty much exposed himself, because she was actually talking about Tailgate.
Arson Murder And Jay Walking: Starscream hates Airachnid for the following reasons: she acts like the boss even though she clearly isn't, defamed him into Megatron, stole his position as second in command of the Decepticons and (allegedly) took credit for killing Cliffjumper.
Book Ends: Starscream's opening and closing monologues, with most of the lines exactly the same. The opening concludes with him proclaiming loyalty to Megatron, but the closing proclaiming loyalty only to himself.
Didn't Think This Through: Airachnid scoffs at Starscream never bothering to check the ship's cargo manifest and proceeds to do so herself. Starscream immediately calls her an idiot for not even considering that the Autobots would detect the ship's reactivated systems and investigate. Sure enough, Ratchet immediately picks up the energy signature and alerts Optimus.
Dirty Coward: Again, Starscream. He didn't hesitate to gloat over Arcee when he was beating on her, but once she gets her Heroic Second Wind and beats the crap out of him, he tells her she may as well kill him since he'll face a similar if not worse fate if he returns to Megatron. When it is apparent Arcee was serious about killing him, Starscream immediately screamed for mercy.
The Dragon: Optimus and later Megatron acknowledge how Starscream's status as second-in-command means he knows all sorts of details about Decepticon operations.
Foreshadowing: Optimus being more willing to grant his enemies second chances is questioned by Arcee, but he remains firm on it. His attitude will later be called out by Ratchet and ultimately reach a breaking point.
Starscream: How dare you accuse me! You're nothing but a scavenger! An opportunist!
Airachnid: Aren't YOU one to talk.
I Warned You: Before leaving with the others to face Airachnid, Optimus told Arcee to guard Starscream because he feels her desire for revenge makes her sloppy at a very crucial time. She realizes Optimus was right after her actions caused Starscream to escape, and she kicks herself for it.
Optimus: Wisdom cannot be granted, Arcee; it must be earned. Sometimes, at a cost.
Idiot Ball: Starscream, while captured, for screaming out loud to Arcee that he's the one who killed her partner, not knowing that she was actually thinking about Tailgate, not Cliffjumper. NO Starscream (G1, Armada, Animated, Bay-verse) has done something that stupid.
Starscream: You're tougher to scrap than your former partner... at least the one I scrapped. Was Tailgate weak like Cliffjumper?
Meaningful Background Event: As Airachnid gloats about her apparent victory to the immobilized Optimus, Bumblebee suddenly starts moving and slowly walks towards her.
Never My Fault: Airachnid tries blaming Starscream for the loss of the Immobilizer when getting berated by Megatron. Megatron barks back at her that he's angry about her not because of that, but for leaving Starscream, both his second-in-command who knows a great amount of Decepticon intelligence and a backstabbing traitor, at the hands of the Autobots.
Never Say "Die": "Terminated", "scrapped" and "extinguished".
Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Starscream was actually sincere about his desire to join the Autobots. As Arcee acknowledges, her actions allow Starscream to escape and rob the Autobots of valuable intelligence.
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Megatron thinks this is the case upon learning Airachnid left Starscream with the Autobots, thus endangering Decepticon intelligence. While that is not the case, Airachnid's actions were the final impetus for Starscream to go on his own way.
Nobody Here but Us Statues: Bumblebee plans to get Airachnid by pretending to be hit with the Immobilizer
Noodle Incident: The Harbinger met its end in a fight with an Autobot battalion, getting ripped in two before crashing.
No Ontological Inertia: Averted. Bumblebee destroying the Immobilizer does not automatically restore Optimus and Bulkhead. Ratchet has to rebuild the Immobilizer and use it to reverse the effects to do that.
Not-So-Harmless Villain: After increasingly being reduced to a joke, Starscream reminds the audience he is not harmless when Playing Possum allows him to nearly kill Arcee.
Airachnid's expression when she realizes that she didn't immobilize Bumblebee like she thought, before he decks her hard.
Starscream begged Arcee for a Mercy Kill rather than be punished by Megatron. He didn't think she'd actually do it, though, so he's freaked when she expresses willingness to comply.
Open Mouth, Insert Foot: Starscream's reaction when he realizes he just accidentally confessed to murdering Cliffjumper in front of his partner Arcee, while he's restrained and defenseless.
Megatron is enraged with Airachnid when he finds out she left Starscream in the hands of the Autobots, even when she (falsely) claims it was Starscream's fault they lost the Immobilizer. This isn't necessarily because he cares about Starscream, but because Starscream is still his second in command, meaning he has valuable knowledge and intelligence which he can now share with the enemy.
Airachnid remarks she could very well run off with the Immobilizer as a personal prize that could keep both sides off her back, but she figures her best long-term interest is delivering it (plus the immbolizied Optimus) to Megatron and being seen as a dependable, trustworthy underling.
Pre-Mortem One-Liner: Starscream gives Arcee one when he's about to deal the killing blow after incapacitating her.
Starscream: Now, prepare to reunite with your partners.
Properly Paranoid: Starscream warns Airachnid that even for an old ship, the remains of the Harbinger could still give off an energy signal for the Autobots to pick up on if she accesses the archives. A moment after she looks into the files, the Autobots indeed track the signal.
Puppy-Dog Eyes: Arcee gets this from Bumblebee and Starscream.
Put on a Bus: Starscream becomes disillusioned with both Autobots and Decepticons, after both sides threaten his life, that he flies off to be a neutral individual. He disappears for the rest of Season 1.
Rage Breaking Point: When Arcee realizes Starscream was the one who killed Cliffjumper.
Revenge Before Reason: Arcee toward Airachnid. Optimus knows that, so he orders her to guard Starscream instead of pursuing Airachnid. Of course, then Arcee learns that Starscream killed Cliffjumper, so...
Saying Too Much: When Arcee tells Starscream how Airachnid killed her partner, he's outraged and rants how she is stealing the credit for his handiwork. He failed to ask which partner Arcee was talking about, but she managed to figure it out herself after his bungled Verbal Backspace: Arachnid killed her earlier partner Tailgate, meaning that Starscream was the one who killed Cliffjumper. Whoops.
Self-Deprecation: Starscream thinks in his mind "I have been a fool, made mistakes, monumental ones".
Skewed Priorities: Defied when Megatron berates Airachnid for what she's done.
Megatron: You left Starscream with the Autobots?! Do you have any notion as to the consequences of your blunder?! Airachnid: But, my lordship, it was Starscream's incompetence that cost us the Immobilizer. Megatron: I don't care about some trinket! My second-in-command is a prisoner of the enemy, which means all Decepticon intelligence could be at the fingertips of the Autobots!!
The Starscream: One reason that Optimus is willing to give Starscream a chance is because the guy's questionable loyalty to Megatron is well-known.
Tranquil Fury: Starscream goes silently berserk over Airachnid calling him her own personal native guide.
Villain Has a Point: Starscream's reasoning to join the Autobots when they say he's always been a Con.
Starscream: And what have they done for me, lately? Spy on me, demote me... Megatron tried to extinguish my spark in cold blood, then all but replaced me with that treacherous filth Airachnid. She abandoned me, left me for scrap! So why not rat them out?
Megatron is furious that Arachnid had abandoned Starscream to the Autobots. Sure, Starscream is a compulsive traitor always gunning for Megs' leadership, but if he is tempted to give up any Decepticon secrets to the enemy, that would be bad.
What the Hell, Hero?: Arcee is about to finish a defeated Starscream, but then sees Bumblebee watching her. He doesn't make a peep, but Arcee (and the audience) can see this trope in his sad eyes.
Optimus: However unlikely that scenario, every sentient being deserves an opportunity for redemption. Arcee: Even bot-killers? Even Airachnid?! Optimus: Without that hope, we may never achieve lasting peace.
When Arcee challenges Starscream to a fight for accidentally admitting that he killed Cliffjumper, the Seeker plays up his cowardice when she throws him the key to his cuffs, giving the captive an opening to slash her in the gut when she's about to pick it up. Arcee's wound gives Starscream a massive advantage in the ensuing battle.
Arcee did take a nasty hit, but when she gets knocked down, she lies there and mumbles quietly. When Starscream leans in close to gloat, she delivers a beatdown.
You Fool!: Airachnid when Bumblebee destroys the Immobilizer.
