A Better Mousetrap

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A Better Mousetrap is a first season episode of Beast Wars which first aired on October 8, 1996.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Plot

Sentinel, a new automated defense system for the Axalon, is under development by Rhinox, as the Maximals' best line of defense against a Predacon attack. Dinobot, however, is not impressed by the system's non-lethal methods of subduing Preds, prompting Rattrap to prove the system viable by using it against the former Pred, unwittingly elicting a violent backlash from him which ends up damaging Sentinel's command console. With the 'friend or foe' program not fully installed yet, the now-activated Sentinel falsely assumes the Maximals as the enemy and attacks them, driving most of them outside. Rattrap, however, decides against orders to stay behind and try to shut the wayward defense program down, as his actions led to its malfunction, in the first place.

Despite himeslf, Rattrap begins to have fun with Sentinel's ever-increasing attempts to eliminate him, likening it to an 'obstacle course for spy guys' like himself. Unfortunately for the rest of his teammates, Sentinel's shields prevent any sort of communication between them and him, meaning they have no idea of what exactly is going on in the base. They attempt to blast their way in, to try and save their comrade, but the shields are too strong, forcing them to wait and pray.

While all this is going on, a small team of Predacons lead by Blackarachnia attempt to tunnel their way into the Axalon from the underside, hoping to catch the Maximals unprepared and unawares. However, Waspinator grows tired of taking orders from the she-spider and splits, unknowingly giving away their location to both Optimus Primal and Tigatron, the latter of whom investigates further while the former heads back to base by a warning from Sentinel of intruders there. Tigatron locates and defeats the Predacons on his own, thwarting their plans.

However, none of the other Maximals are any closer to blasting a hole in Sentinel's shields, while inside, Rattrap manages to infiltrate Sentinel's core and is within inches of shutting it down, before being pinned down with a cannon set to administer a lethal bast to his person. In that instant, Sentinel's shields drop, which alarm the rest of the Axalon crew, who realize Sentinel would never stand down unless the threat inside was neutralized. The Maximals take this as a sign that Rattrap failed, and mourn his loss...until Rattrap appears, alive and well, to milk the scene for all its worth, having successfully corrected his initial mistake.