History Recap / TransformersPrimeS2E10Armada

* ChewToy: Starscream, feeling all the pain his clones do when they get terminated, be it from Bulkhead, Megatron, or himself.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: When confronting Bulkhead in the opening, Starscream's hands are able to turn into guns, something a T-Cog-less Cybertronian should not be able to do. This hints that something weird is going on.
** For that matter, how would he be able to get to ship without his ability to fly?

** Later in the series, Shockwave uses a different cloning method for the deceased Predacon leader Predaking, and he sets about cloning more Predacons. Ancient Predacon bones are harvested for the required genetic material, and the clones are grown in tanks of yellow fluid until they're fully-formed adults. They apparently also inherit some fragment memories from their genetic sources, if Predaking's brief flashback to his original self's death before the clone fully understood himself is any indication.

* BittersweetEnding: Arcee wins defeats Airachnid and, this time, manages to capture her in the process, but it results in the Insecticon hive returning to Megatron's command. On the plus side, Bulkhead grounds the Decepticon warship as he finds a way out and back to base. As for Starscream, his plan to kill Megatron via clones fails miserably, though his opportunity to kill off his last clone implies that he can fish out a T-Cog from the body as a consolation prize.

* BaitAndSwitch: It seems like the Autobots (Bulkhead) have finally managed to permanently kill off aanother Decepticon (Starscream). It is soon revealed that Starscream had made copies of himself from stored Protoforms beforehand.
* BerserkButton: When the Starscream Clone threatens to kill him "like a certain Cliffjumper," Bulkhead stops playing nice.

* ChronicBackstabbingDisorder: Starscream's clones manage to avoid turning each other, but the last one still attempts to betray him. Since Starscream knows how his clones think, he anticipates it and kills the clone.

* TheStoic: Megatron must've not had his coffee today, because ''nothing'', from an army of Insecticons, Starscream clones, or even his own ship so much as causes him to raise an eyebrow more than once.

* BittersweetEnding: Arcee wins one over Airachnid but, this time, manages to capture her in the process, but it results in the Insecticon hive returning to Megatron's command. On the plus side, Bulkhead grounds the Decepticon warship as he finds a way out and back to base. As for Starscream, his plan to kill Megatron via clones fails miserably, though his opportunity to kill off his last clone implies that he can dig out a T-Cog from the body as a consolation prize.

* HowWeGotHere: The episode begins with Bulkhead waking up in the Decepticon warship storage room and then running into and killing off Starscream. It then rewinds 24 hours earlier shiwing further context between both Cybertronians.

* BittersweetEnding: Arcee finally wins one over Airachnid and even manages to capture her in the process, but it results in the Insecticon hive returning to Megatron's command. On the plus side, Bulk grounds the Decepticon warship as he finds a way out and back to base. As for Starscream, his plan to kill Megatron via clones fails miserably, though his opportunity to kill off his last clone implies that he can dig out a T-Cog from the body as a consolation prize.
* ChewToy: Starscream, feeling all the pain his clones do when they get terminated, be it Bulkhead, Megatron, or himself.

* ChewToy: Starscream, feeling all the pain his clones do when they get beaten to death.

* ContinuityNod: Starscream wonders why every-time he returns to the ''Nemesis'', an Autobot happens to be on board, referencing when he encountered Optimus back in the season 2 premiere.

* IDidWhatIHadToDo: After beating the Starscream clone to death, a shaken Bulkhead remarks he had no choice.
* MesACrowd: Thanks to Starscream creating clones of himself.

* OhCrap: The Starscream Clone just before Bulkhead starts beating the slag out of him.

Bulkhead recovers consciousness, and realizes he's on the ''Nemesis''. Unable to contact base, he begins to explore, but while hiding from Vehicons, he runs into Starscream. Starscream is reluctant to help, and strikes at Bulkhead, so Bulkhead returns the favor by jumping on Starscream and literally beating the life out of him. Guiltily justifying his actions by muttering that Starscream left him no choice, Bulkhead returns to his exploration.

Some 24 hours before, Starscream reaches the wreck of the ''Harbinger'' in his search for energon. Instead, he finds a laboratory containing five protoforms. Elsewhere, Bulkhead picks up a strong energon reading. Starscream finds information in the ''Harbinger'''s computer on cloning, and fires up the lab equipment. Soon, five duplicates of himself stand before him. Meanwhile Bulkhead, clambering into a hole he's found, realizes there's boxed energon at the bottom of it, and that the ''Nemesis'' is arriving overhead, ready to pick it up. As he struggles, he falls among the energon and, losing consciousness, is transported up to the Decepticon ship with it.

Starscream discovers that his clones are complete duplicates of himself, personality, memories, and all. The one significant difference seems to be that the clones have intact Transformation Cogs, and thus can fly. As the ''Harbinger'' is able to track where the ''Nemesis'' is, he sends his clones to eliminate Megatron once and for all. The five clones board the ''Nemesis'' and split up, one of them running into Bulkhead, who terminates the clone. The original Starscream is dismayed to discover that he feels the same pain his clones feel. Bulkhead locates a comm unit and attempts to use it to contact the other Autobots, only to set off an alarm and bring Vehicons running. As he escapes, the Vehicons are distracted by another Starscream clone, but unbeknownst to anyone, Bulkhead has inadvertently triggered a Decepticon beacon.

The beacon is detected by Airachnid, who releases her Insecticon army from their stasis pods to go terminate Megatron. The activity is detected by the Autobots, and Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and Arcee [=GroundBridge=] to the location to investigate, discovering Airachnid in the middle of sending her troops. She sets some of the Insecticons after the trio, but Arcee bursts through the explosions and begins pursuing her. Optimus and Bumblebee begin mowing down Insecticons.

Bulkhead crawls through a service duct, and spots Megatron. Megatron starts heading for the bridge in response to reports that Starscream's there.

Arcee continues her pursuit of Airachnid, despite having to contend with two Insecticons. After the Insecticons are taken out, Airachnid disappears underground, and Arcee follows.

On the ''Nemesis'' bridge, Megatron finds himself face-to-faces with the four remaining Starscream clones. He offers to make them all second-in-command if they terminate Starscream for him, but the clones are stable enough to keep to the mission. Before they can open fire, the ship is attacked by Insecticons. The distraction is all Megatron needs, and he starts taking out clones. The last of the clones manages to escape as the Insecticon attack intensifies, and Megatron finally checks on what's going on outside.

Optimus and Bumblebee finish off the last of the Insecticons that were attacking them, and start looking for Arcee. Their comrade is currently deep underground hunting Airachnid. Arcee exchanges fire with her foe, and manages to manoeuvre Airachnid onto one of the open stasis pods, which promptly closes and puts the rogue Decepticon on ice. The Insecticons attacking the Nemesis all immediately stop their attack, drop on to the ship's hull, and proclaim their loyalty to a bemused Megatron.

Within the ''Nemesis'', Bulkhead finds the ship's power core, and hits it very hard, causing it to explode. The ship slowly begins its descent. As he runs to the exit, Bulkhead encounters the Starscream clone, who promptly takes off. Bulkhead is puzzled at the fact that Starscream is alive and can transform. Once the ''Nemesis'' has crashed to earth, Bulkhead is able to drive off and speed away. He soon reaches base, where the Autobots are inspecting the stasis-locked Airachnid.

The last Starscream clone returns to the ''Harbinger'' and lets the original Starscream know the mission failed. He's about to shoot his progenitor, when Starscream turns and blasts him, complaining as the clone dies about the pain he shared with him.

* {{Synchronization}}: Starscream discovers the hard way that whatever pain the clones feel, he in turn will feel. He was clearly not happy.

* AbsenteeActor: Soundwave, Dreadwing and Knock Out are noticeably not around to aid Megatron against assassination attempts, leaving the Decepticon leader with only generic mooks as back-up.

* ContinuityNod: Starscream wonders why every-time he returns to the Nemesis, an Autobot happens to be on board, referencing when he encountered Optimus back in the season 2 premiere.

* MesACrowd

* ShooOutTheClowns: Knockout, the Decepticons' comic relief, is absent in an episode where the Transformers face such a serious threat (a swarm of monstrous Insecticons) even Megatron lacks confidence in taking them on.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: While she didn't know it, Arcee defeating Airachnid terminated her control over the Insecticons. They immediately ended their attempt to kill Megatron and instead pledged their loyalty to him.

* ScreamDiscretionShot: The screen fades to black just as Starscream terminates his last clone before it betrays him. However, instead of the clone, it's the real Starscream that screams due to sharing their pain.

* TalkingToHimself: Steve Blum as Starscream and his clones.

* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Megatron, when he's surrounded by Insecticons, and later when he realizes the ship is about to crash

--> '''Starscream:''' (feeling the pain a clone receives from Bulkhead) AAAAAAAAGH!!! My genetic code provides my clones with a T-cog I no longer possess, and all I get is their AGONY!?