Evangelion and the Transformers: Ghost in the Machine

Steve Jablonsky

Michael Giacchino

***Evangelion and the Transformers: Ghost in the Machine*** is a 2017 science fiction crossover film named after a Generation 1 episode. It was released on March 31, 2017 as KB Fan Fiction’s 200th feature film.

## Plot

The film is set in the year 2025, when Cybertron’s central computer, Vector Sigma, is seemingly hacked by an unknown signal. Evangelion Units 02, 00 and 08 volunteer to investigate the problem and boards the Eva flagship, the 4A Wunder. They are assisted by a team of Autobots: Windblade, Rodimus Prime, Kup, Strongarm, Scorn, Slash, Sludge and Fixit, along with Human-Transformer relations agent Rose Star (Mari Makinami). The Wunder tracks the signal to a dimensional warp and gets caught inside it, severing the crew’s communications to Cybertron.

After burning out its engines during re-entry to a planet’s atmosphere, the Wunder crash-lands near a futuristic megalopolis. Mari discovers that she and the Cybertronians have landed on the city of Moscow, Russia, in an alternate world where the Cold War was an atomic war and the Soviet Union and their communist allies were victorious, which explains why Moscow is a megalopolis in that world. The Wunder’s engine is badly damaged during the crash. Mari and the Cybertronians are attacked by KGB troops who are patrolling the area. During the assault, Kup was blinded and all the Cybertronians are captured by the KGB troops, while Mari escapes by using her exo-suit to transform into a motorcycle.

Meanwhile in the same world, the Decepticon Justice Division: Tarn, Tesarus, Vos, Kaon and Helex meet a mysterious hacker named the Ghost in the Machine. The Ghost commands Tarn, the leader, to order his squad to deploy beacons to transmit a hacking signal across the galaxy. Tarn is sent to New Moscow, which is New York City being controlled by the Soviet Union after the Cold War. At the same time, Mari secretly frees the captive Cybertronians.

The next day, the Soviet Union holds a victory parade at the Red Square celebrating their victory in the Cold War, and the Autobots begin to investigate the activities while Kup is treated by Fixit, who knows little about optical repair. Mari meets the Soviet dictator, Vladimir Ivan Smirnov and discusses about the Cybertronians and the problems they face.

The three Evangelions return to the Wunder, only to find its scanner operational and detecting a similar, stronger hacking signal. Unit-02 tracks the signal to Berlin at Communist-ruled Germany (which had united under East Germany due to the Soviet bloc being stronger in the Cold War). During the investigation, Unit-02 is attacked by Helex. After a titanic battle, Unit-02 subdues Helex, not before being warned that a “Ghost” is commanding them to transmit the hacking signal through a beacon in the city. Suddenly, Helex’s head was ripped off by Vos, who proceeds to injure the Evangelion with a laser blast from his gun mode.

During the discussion at the Kremlin, Mari learns that the Soviet Union’s victory was actually assisted by a certain “Ghost in the Machine”. During that Cold War, the United States of America was reduced to a rump state, with some states forming an American Empire and most territories such as New York, Chicago, Washington DC, Alaska and Hawaii were annexed and absorbed into the Soviet Union.

Meanwhile, Unit-00 discovers another hacking signal and follows it to China. China was neutral in the Cold War, but the Chinese government was wary about Unit-00’s arrival in the ruins of Beijing, which had been destroyed by an asteroid impact during the Cold War. Unit-00 sees Kaon transmitting the signals via another beacon at the same area. Kaon traps Unit-00 in his electric chair mode. At the same time, Unit-08 discovers another beacon in Kuala Lumpur, the metropolitan capital of the Malayan Empire. Unit-08 manages to deactivate the beacon.

The discussions at the Kremlin become more and more complicated when Mari mentions the hacking signals and the “Ghost”, which causes Vladimir to become fearful and shoot Mari on the shoulder, damaging her exo-suit. The dictator then orders a KGB firing squad to execute her before leaving the meeting. Mari fights her way and reunites with the Autobots, with suspicion that the Soviet dictator may have connections with the Ghost. Vladimir meets the Ghost and Tarn, who send Tesarus to attempt to reactivate the KL beacon. Tesarus encounters Unit-08 and engage in a big battle in Korea.

In Germany, Unit-02 battles Vos, unintentionally activating a secret function installed to his processor module by his Quintesson creators which causes the Evangelion to enter the “Beast Mode” state. Unit-02 eventually throws him onto the beacon, destroying it and killing Vos. In Beijing, Unit-00 frees himself from Kaon’s torture and uses Kaon’s electrical field to deactivate the beacon, causing Kaon’s head to explode in the process. The Evangelions reunite with Unit-08, who is battling Tesarus. Windblade arrives and finishes off Tesarus after throwing her Stormfall Sword into Tesarus’ chest cavity.

Windblade and the Evangelions return to Moscow where the receive news that a beacon is being activated at New Moscow (New York City) via a gigantic statue of the Worker and Kolkhoz Woman which replaced the Statue of Liberty. Kup is eventually fixed by Fixit and Eva-08, who finds out that the energy needed to power the beacons could replace the Wunder’s damaged engine. Mari joins Windblade to investigate Vladimir’s whereabouts.

In the newly-repaired Wunder, the Autobots and the Evangelions set course to New Moscow and encounter Tarn. They battle but are overpowered by Tarn. Meanwhile, Windblade encounters the Ghost, who reveals himself to be a disguised Galvatron. Mari, who found Vladimir, also finds out that the alternate Soviets collaborated with Galvatron and the Decepticon Justice Division. Vladimir deploys a giant machine to kill Mari, while Windblade and Galvatron battle. The Evangelions and the Autobots gain the upper hand during their battle with Tarn. Unit-02 and Rodimus Prime defeat Tarn by ripping off his mask and blowing his head off with a laser shot through the chest. Windblade unleashes a burst of energy from her Star Energon essence, destroying Vladimir’s machine and presumably Galvatron.

The following day, news had spread that “Soviet dictator Vladimir Ivan Smirnov was found to have collaborated with alien robots to ensure victory, cheated in the Cold War and expanded his tyranny”. Mari, the Evangelions and the Autobots are congratulated by the oppressed folk around the world. At the same time, Vladimir resigns from his position and announces the disestablishment of the Soviet Union and the Soviet Bloc. The giant Soviet flag flying over the megalopolis is finally lowered. Relieved, the heroes begin their journey back to the real dimension on the Wunder after its scanner detects the same dimensional warp.

During the film’s mid credits, Vladimir is executed by a shadowy figure revealed to be Galvatron, who had survived the climactic battle, but realizes he is stuck in the alternate dimension. The post-credits trailer previews the sequel, Eva-TF: Nemesis. It shows Windblade, Strafe and Unit-01 battling an army of unknown robots in Cybertron.

## Cast

### Evangelions (Evas)

* EVA Unit 00
* EVA Unit 02
* EVA Unit 08
* EVA Unit 01

### Autobots

* Windblade
* Rodimus Prime
* Kup
* Scorn
* Slash
* Sludge
* Strongarm
* Fixit
* Strafe

### Decepticons

* Galvatron (Ghost in the Machine)
* Helex
* Kaon
* Tarn
* Tesarus
* Vos

### Human-Transformer Relations

* Mari Makinami Illustrious/Agent Rose Star

### Others

* Vladimir Ivan Smirnov, Dictator of the Soviet Union

## Trivia

* This is the first KB film to use two different production logos: the 2012 logo at the beginning and the newly-introduced 2017 logo at the back. The 2017 logo is made to commemorate the 200th feature film released by KB Productions and will become the opening logo for KB feature films starting from 200KB.
* The character Vladimir Ivan Smirnov is largely based on real life Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. He is the second original character to be based on Stalin.
	+ Stalin as a character appeared in a KB film: *Dinomaster: The Ultimate War* (2014). In the film, he is portrayed as an anti-hero who is at war with the film’s main villain, Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler.
* A saurian version of Stalin is the main antagonist of Whirly and the Giant Nut (2015). That character won the 2015 KB Award for Best Villain.
* This is the first KB fan fiction film to cross over with the alternate history genre.

### *Evangelion* references

* During most of his meeting with Mari, Vladimir and his vice-president are seen in the Gendou Pose (or Ambassador Pose) from Neon Genesis Evangelion, where Vladimir sits with his fingers crossed (finger-tenting) while the vice-president stands.

* The battles between the Evas and Decepticon Justice Division members Kaon and Tesarus are loosely based on the battles with the 8th and 10th Angels in *Evangelion 2.0: You Can (Not) Advance*.

### *Transformers* references

* The film’s title is based on a Season 3 episode of *Transformers: Generation 1*. The episode features the second appearance of Starscream as a ghost, as he is tasked by Unicron to give him a new body.
* The film’s plot is partially based on the plot for a *Transformers Legends* game episode, *Rules of Disengagement*.
* The scene where Vos rips Helex’s head off is a reference to an issue of the *Dying of the Light* IDW comic series where Kaon’s head is removed by Tarn.

### References to other KB works

* The film continues KB’s tradition of using the Imperial March from Star Wars to represent the Decepticons.
* A113 is seen on a KGB tank.
* A Mountain Dew dispenser can be seen when Mari races across the Moscow megalopolis.
* The flag of the Soviet Union is the flag used by the Sovietball in *Countryballs: World War III*.
* The film’s ending is the second time where a Decepticon leader is trapped in an alternate dimension. The first one is Megatron getting trapped in 1944 in *WALL-E and the Transformers: The Third Reich* (2015).

### Historical/cultural references

* See article Enermax 199.89 δ.
* In the Communist World, The Soviet Union has 25 republics, while in the real world, it has 15. The CW version of the USSR is said to have gained the new republics by annexing Afghanistan, Chinese and American territories after the end of its Cold War, where the USSR triumphed due to its technological advancement. In that world, subsequent Soviet invasions were rendered successful, including the invasion of Afghanistan.
	+ The Turkestan Soviet Socialist Republic is based on the Soviet invasion of Xinjiang during World War II.
	+ The Manchurian Soviet Socialist Republic is based on the Soviet invasion of Manchuria during World War II.