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clairejaygreen

Hidden treasures in the threequel include new 'bots and a not-so-new heroine.
By Kara Warner

Shia LaBeouf in "Transformers: Dark of the Moon"
Photo: Jaimie Trueblood

As is to be expected with Michael Bay movies, "Transformers: Dark of the Moon" is jam-packed with a lot more than his patented brand of eye-popping action sequences. The movie is two hours and thirty-seven minutes, after all, so even with all the Autobot vs. Decepticon fighting action, there is plenty of room for an actual plot and, more importantly, a ton of fun Easter eggs for the most perceptive fans out there.

In addition to all the "Star Trek" nods, Bay and company have cleverly inserted five "Transformers"-specific Easter eggs in the film. Thanks to the eagle eye of Splash Page editor Rick Marshall, along with his extensive "Transformers" knowledge, MTV News is proud to provide you with a few key things to look out for while watching "Dark of the Moon."

Not-So-New Girl Carly
Played by Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, the character of Carly is new to Bay's "Transformers" but has a meaty role as one of the humans in the "Transformers" cartoons. Carly is the wife of Spike Witwicky in the original animated series, the inspiration for Shia LaBeouf's character Sam Witwicky.

The Ark of the Moon
The opening of "Dark of the Moon" is all about a mysterious ship that crash lands on the moon. Optimus Prime calls that ship "the Ark," which is the name of the spaceship that first brought Optimus and the rest of the Transformers to Earth in the original cartoon.

Spock's Speaking-Part Past
We mentioned the Nimoy connection in our "Trek" Easter eggs article, but his work is such a nerdy thrill, it gets another mention here. In "Dark of the Moon," Nimoy is the voice of Sentinel Prime, which marks the second time he has lent his voice to a robot in the series. In the 1986 classic "Transformers: The Animated Movie," Nimoy voiced Galvatron, Megatron's equally mischievous successor.

Bridges in Space
We won't go into details about how a space bridge may or may not be mentioned and/or used in "Dark of the Moon," but throughout Transformers history onscreen and in comics, the space bridge allowed for travel between Earth and Cybertron.

Old New Faces
"Dark of the Moon" introduces us to a slew of new Autobots and Decepticons, although the die-hard "Transformers" fans out there will recognize the following from the cartoons. New-to-the-movie Autobots include: Wheeljack (has a strong Albert Einstein-like resemblance), Mirage (a red sports car) and Optimus Prime's fancy silver trailer. Decepticon debuts include: fan-favorite master of destruction Shockwave and bird-like Lazerbeak, who transforms into a variety of objects, save for the excellent cassette-tape shape of his cartoon counterpart.

Check out everything we've got on "Transformers: Dark of the Moon."

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