The Autobots are given the most minimal of advance warnings when Hot Rod, playing with Spike Witwicky's son Daniel outside Autobot City, notices something wrong with the ship. The Autobots scramble to prepare their base for battle, but being unprepared for this head-on assault, they are soon overwhelmed. As the embattled Decepticons journey through space, Astrotrain informs them that they must jettison dead weight or they'll never make it back to Cybertron. Starscream sees an opportunity. All of the most wounded Decepticons are tossed out into deep space, including Megatron.