Beast Wars II: Lio Convoy’s Close Call! (1998) Plot Summary & Timeline

Gaia’s atmosphere becomes a tense crossroads for two ancient transformer factions, the Jointrons and the Seacons, until a colossal spaceship rams into their clash, ripping the battles far from their course and sending everyone spiraling into space before it crash-lands on the planet. The sudden intrusion sets off alarms among the Maximals and Predacons, who sense that this mysterious vessel could tilt the balance of their ongoing feud and force new choices on all sides.

On the Galvaburg II, Gigastorm urges the ship’s destruction, but Galvatron sees something different—a potential stroke of fortune for the Predacons if they can exploit the mystery vessel. The tension between instinct for aggression and calculated cunning hangs heavy as the leaders weigh their next move.

On the Yukikaze, Lio Convoy, Hozumi Goda orders a unit to investigate the ship, but Lio Junior, Yumiko Kobayashi wishes to go as well. The other Maximals try to keep him back, yet Tasmania Kid argues for giving both a chance. In a show of tempered leadership, Lio Convoy agrees and has Stanton and Skywarp accompany the expedition, hoping to keep the mission balanced and safer.

The four Maximals reach the derelict craft and uncover a startling feature: a “teleport gate,” an ancient device capable of bending time and pulling living beings from the past into the present. It requires a control unit to function. When Lio Junior locates the unit, trouble arrives in the form of the Predacon Combaticons—Hellscream, Dirgegun, Thrustor, and Max-B—who swoop in to grab it. Lio Junior dives after the stolen device, but the Predacons overwhelm him and nearly kill him. In a sudden act of bravery, Tasmania Kid absorbs the fatal blow, and the other Maximals race in to scare off the attackers and secure the control unit.

With Kid barely clinging to life, the Maximals rally around him, but suspicion and blame arise. The squad holds Lio Junior responsible for the precarious turn of events, and a growing rift forms as they worry about his reckless approach. Lio Convoy, though, stands by his troops, scolding his son for being reckless and impatient and focusing on blasting the Predacons instead of protecting innocent lives, as their code would require. Lio Junior seethes, vowing to take down the Predacons himself, but in his anger he forgets to return the control unit. The rift between father and son widens just as the real danger grows.

Dirgegun privately passes critical information to Galvatron, revealing how the time gate operates and sensing an opening to exploit Lio Junior’s anger against his father. He manipulates the young Maximal, telling him that the Predacons accidentally activated the gate and that it will self-destruct in under an hour, threatening everyone on Gaia unless the unit is returned. A barely functioning Tasmania Kid drags himself to safety and pleads with Lio Junior not to trust Dirgegun, but Galvatron knocks him out and pushes the plan forward, dragging Lio Junior back toward the Galvaburg to shut down the machine and prove his worth to the Predacons. Yet the deception is not finished: the moment Galvatron has the control unit, he discards the façade and imprisons Lio Junior aboard his ship, announcing his plan to summon Megatron from the Beast Wars to assist in destroying the Maximals.

After Kid regains consciousness, he informs Lio Convoy of his son’s defection and of Galvatron’s possession of the control unit, prompting Lio Convoy to marshal a rescue mission to stop Galvatron from activating the gate. The elder Maximal voices his displeasure with his son’s earlier actions, but Kid pleads for understanding, arguing that youth can be reckless—and that courage is needed to defeat a common foe.

Meanwhile, Gigastorm activates the teleport gate to summon Megatron, but the gate misfires and instead conjures Majin Zarak, a colossal Decepticon with overwhelming strength and an arsenal of weapons. Galvatron is delighted by the power now at his command, and he moves with Majin Zarak to bring the battle to the Maximals. The situation grows direr as Majin Zarak, in carrier-form and armed with relentless firepower, towers over the Maximals who attempt a counterattack with a small shuttle. Their efforts falter under the giant’s strength, forcing them to regroup for a land ambush.

In the midst of the escalating conflict, Lio Junior escapes and seeks backup, joining forces with Stanton and Skywarp. The trio fuse into Magnaboss, a powerful alliance that can stand up to Majin Zarak’s fearsome power. Magnaboss quickly proves its mettle by dismantling Thrustor and Dirgegun, though Dirgegun succumbs to a fatal strike in the process. With a final surge of energy, Magnaboss activates the teleport gate in a last bid to turn the tide and summons reinforcements that could shift the balance of power.

Lio Convoy leads the Maximals into a canyon confrontation against the Predacons, turning Majin Zarak into a new base of operations. The Maximals manage to push back Hellscream, Max-B, and the Autorollers, even as Galvatron and Gigastorm keep up their pressure on Zarak, forcing a ruthless exchange. Galvatron unveils Zarak’s robot mode to deliver a devastating energy burst that seems to vaporize the surrounding terrain, and for a moment it looks like the Maximals are finished. A call from a mysterious “Convoy” redirects Galvatron to a second battle at Point B-2, leaving the ship’s ridge and the planet’s fate hanging in the balance.

Underground, Lio Convoy, barely conscious, is contacted by a familiar voice—one who extols his command abilities and the sacrifices he has made for Gaia. The voice reveals a truth that stirs hope: his son’s willingness to go to great lengths to summon him to the present time—and a chance to work alongside a legendary commander from the past—Optimus Primal. Takehito Koyasu, the actor portraying Optimus Primal, returns to the fray, and the Maximals sense a new alliance on the horizon.

When Lio Convoy awakens, he finds that every Maximal has survived the near-catastrophe, including a fully recovered Tasmanian Kid. The revelation brings a fresh sense of unity and humility; Lio Convoy apologizes to Magnaboss for his earlier harshness, and Magnaboss is celebrated as a unifying force in the fight. The beacon of hope arrives in the form of Optimus Primal, who agrees to join forces with Lio Convoy to lead the assault against Galvatron and Majin Zarak. Magnaboss begs to join, but Lio Convoy scales back the plan, at first—until Kid merges with Magnaboss to restore his strength and push the combined force forward.

Galvatron and Majin Zarak close in on Point B-2, furious to learn that the call did not come from Lio Convoy but from Optimus Primal and his allies. The confrontation intensifies as Magnaboss interposes itself to shield its allies, while Gigastorm provides some support from behind. Zarak’s presence on the battlefield shifts the momentum again, and Galvatron’s anger grows as he witnesses the power of Primal’s ancient lineage.

With Majin Zarak finally incapacitated, Zarak reveals a dangerous secret: he had a will of his own all along and was never under Galvatron’s control. He launches a brutal barrage of attacks that injure Bighorn and Apache, as well as Kid and Magnaboss, leaving Lio Convoy and Optimus Primal to face the threat head-on. Scuba and Diver discover Zarak’s weakness—the third eye—and combine their Energon Matrix powers to amplify each other and strike a decisive, fatal blow.

In the aftermath, Optimus Primal returns to his Beasts Wars timeline on prehistoric Earth to support the team stranded in the past, while Gaia’s ancient guardians debate the dangers of the teleport gate. Apache’s theory suggests that the civilization that created the gate sent it to Gaia to be destroyed, a hint at the gate’s fragile origin and potential for misuse. Before Optimus departs, he commends Lio Convoy and the Maximals for their unity and courage, and Lio Convoy orders the teleport gate destroyed to ensure it cannot be misused again. The battlefield quiets, but the echoes of their alliance linger, promising a future where cooperation outlasts conflict.