Trans-Dimensional Turtles (TMNT 2012 Episode)

# Trans-Dimensional Turtles

**"Trans-Dimensional Turtles"** is the tenth episode of the fourth season of the 2012 TV series, and is the eighty-eighth episode overall in the series. It first aired on March 27, 2016

## Characters

### Major Characters

* 1987 Ninja Turtles
	+ 80s Donatello (Barry Gordon)
	+ 80s Leonardo (Cam Clarke)
	+ 80s Michelangelo (Townsend Coleman)
	+ 80s Raphael (Rob Paulsen)
* 2012 Ninja Turtles
	+ Donnie (Rob Paulsen)
	+ Leo (Seth Green)
	+ Mikey (Greg Cipes)
	+ Raph (Sean Astin)
* 80s Krang (Pat Fraley) ***(debut)***
* The Kraang
	+ - Kraang Subprime (Gilbert Gottfried)

### Minor Characters

* April O'Neil
* Casey Jones
* Fugitoid (David Tennant)
* Kraathatrogon
* Mirage Comics/Prime-World Turtles ***(debut)***
	+ Mirage Donatello ***(debut)***
	+ Mirage Leonardo ***(debut)***
	+ Mirage Michelangelo ***(debut)***
	+ Mirage Raphael ***(debut)***
* Pizza Guy
* Splinter (Hoon Lee)
* Shredder (cameo)
* Tiger Claw

## Plot

As the Ulixes continues through space, Mikey joins his brothers and the Fugitoid on the bridge after some trouble sleeping with April and Casey. The Turtles are concerned about destroying the pieces of the Heart of Darkness they already have, but the Fugitoid knows full well that the Triceratons can recreate the other pieces anyhow if they get the final piece, so they have to destroy all of them. Before further can be said, the Fugitoid detects a trans-dimensional anomaly centered around the Turtles. Before anything can be done, the four are transported away, much to the Fugitoid's concern.

The Turtles end up in the world of their 1987 counterparts, who need their help to stop their Krang from setting off a device he calls the "Dimensionizer" to destroy their dimension. Before they can stop him, Krang travels to the Earth of the 2012 Turtles, to plant another one on that dimension's Channel 6 building. Though he puts up a tough fight against the two Turtle teams, the device is retrieved, but Krang manages to escape. Despite that, both teams return to the 2012 Turtles' lair to deactivate the device after the 2012 Donnie notices it to be some sort of anti-matter device, allowing the 2012 Turtles to reunite with the still-alive Master Splinter, who immediately demands an explanation when he sees the 1987 Turtles. As Leo goes to speak with him alone in the dojo, Leo momentarily suffers a vision of things to come in regards to their mission to destroy the Heart of Darkness, with Shredder murdering Splinter, but before he can explain future events, they are summoned to Donnie's lab, who reveals that Krang planted two more Dimensionizers, set to go off in a few minutes unless they are deactivated first. Splinter understands, and allows the 2012 Turtles to help their 1987 counterparts in saving their dimension from destruction.

Unfortunately, they end up in the 1987 Technodrome, where they are confronted by Krang, Kraang Subprime, and several Kraangdroids. It turns out Krang is an old cousin of Subprime, who is proud of Krang's achievements with bringing the two Turtle teams to Subprime's doorstep. After retrieving the device the 1987 Donnie used to originally bring the 2012 Turtles to the 1987 Earth, they return to 1987 Earth and disarm the Dimensionizer atop that Channel 6 building. While the 2012 and 1987 Leo's, Raph's, and Mikey's hold off Krang and Subprime, the 2012 and 1987 Donnie's travel to the dimension of the Mirage Turtles, the prime dimension, to disarm the Dimensionizer there. They are nearly attacked by the Mirage Turtles, but succeed in disarming the device and taking their leave immediately after, much to the Mirage Turtles' confusion.

Back in the 1987 dimension, with all the Dimensionizers disarmed, the Turtles attempt to leave, but Subprime sends them right back to the 1987 Technodrome, where in his taunting, the Turtles destroy the device that he's using to keep sending them back to the Technodrome, before revealing the true nature of Krang's plan. Furious, Subprime gives Krang a scolding before sending him back to the 1987 dimension as punishment for another screw-up. On his last nerve, Subprime attacks the two Turtle teams, but they manage to defeat him and send him to the Mirage Turtles' dimension, much to his horror.

Their dimensions safe, the two Turtle teams part ways and return to their respective dimensions. Back in the 1987 dimension, the 1987 Turtles are enjoying some pizza when they spot a Kraathatrogon worm emerge from a portal and start to cause trouble. As they leap down and attack it, they are shocked when Tiger Claw cuts his way out of the worm, forcing them to attack him instead.

## Trivia

* This episode contains several references from the 1987 TV Series:
	+ When 80's Raphael throws a pizza at a Kraangdroid, it's a direct homage to the first Fred Wolf intro for Raphael's part, where he throws a pizza at the camera and eats it. He even says the in-theme quote, "Give me a break!" when 2012 Raphael calls him out on having a pizza.
	+ At the end of the episode, 80's Donatello speaks "It's great to be back home!" but it's Rob Paulsen who says it, not Barry Gordon. The Fred Wolf cartoon had several errors where a certain voice comes out of the wrong character.
	+ Compared to other incarnations, the 80's Turtles usually utilized goofy methods of defeating villains. This occurs when the 80's Turtles fight Krang in their dimension, with 80's Leo kicking at Krang but missing until he trips over a crack; 80's Raph follows up with using his sai to open a fire hydrant before 80's Mikey using his grappling hook across a street lamp to knock down Krang.
	+ After the Dimensionizer is fired by 80's Donnie to return the 2012 Turtles' home dimension, 2012 Raphael remarks it doesn't make sense. 80's Donnie often made several inventions to assist with the plot.
* In addition to homages to the Fred Wolf cartoon, the episode also follows a similar pattern to *Turtles Forever*, the finale to the 2003 series with some differences:
	+ The current Turtle team joins forces with a previous iteration; instead of the past being summoned though, the current Turtles this time are summoned.
	+ A villain obsessed with eliminating the Turtles entirely with Krang in this episode and Ch'rell in Turtles Forever.
	+ Involves traveling into the "Prime" (Mirage Universe) to prevent the franchise's destruction. This episode has the Donatellos attempting to prevent the universe from being destroyed but are attacked while the Mirage Turtles assist in Turtles Forever.
	+ Raphael briefly makes fun of the 80's Turtles' belt buckles; an occurrence like this happens with the 2003 and 80's Turtles arrive in the Mirage Universe in Turtles Forever.
* This episode had an early screening at WonderCon a day before its broadcast date on March 26th, 2016, which also happened to be Easter Sunday.
* Kraang Subprime mentions real life actress Megan Fox, who plays April O'Neil in the Paramount Pictures movies.
* The interaction between 2012 Donatello and 80's Raphael on their voices is a joke due to Rob Paulsen voicing both of them.
* The characters break the fourth wall by acknowledging the art style shift between their worlds.
	+ The episode ends with the 80s Turtles fighting the Kraathatrogon and Tiger Claw from the 2012's universe.
		- Although the fight took place over a year prior at the end of "The Manhattan Project" and this episode taking place a few months prior to the events of "Annihilation Earth!".
		- Tiger Claw is shown to already have an eyepatch over his left eye after emerging from the Kraathatrogon, even though he had gained it sometime after fighting the 80's turtles.
	+ Krang being an Utrom banished to two-dimensional Earth by Kraang Subprime contradicts the Fred Wolf cartoon, where he was the reptilian warlord of Dimension X who lost his body when he was banished to Earth.
	+ After 80s Leonardo develops a plan to defeat 80s Krang in the Nickelodeon universe, the poses the 80s Turtles take are based upon the *Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles* arcade game.
	+ This episode is the final battle between the Ninja Turtles and the Kraang Hive Mind.
	+ 80s Donatello's portal ray portals resemble the portals used in the PBS Kids series *Cyberchase*.
	+ This episode marks the final appearance of Kraang Subprime.
	+ Rob Paulsen reprises his role as 80s Raphael reuniting with the 80s turtle cast.
	+ 80's Donatello not knowing the Prime Turtles is an error because he meet them along with the other 80's Turtles & The 2003 Turtles in the 2009 special Turtles Forever.