I saw some people post about how it was Tailgate that realized the planet-sized flaw in the plan and that got me thinking because, despite what most people (including myself initially), Tailgate is actually incredibly smart:

In mtmte #5, after Tailgate decides to become an Autobot and starts learning the Autobot’s code, Ultra Magnus informs us of a couple of important details about what said learning would entail:

A ten thousand pages military manual.

which they’ll go through “word by word, line by line" while analyzing each and every one of them “subjecting them to a series of ethical stress tests of philological ambiguity”.

Now I’m no expert on the matter but I did a little googling and the estimated amount of pages a law school student reads in a year is between 7,500 – 8,000.

which means Tailgate should rightfully be terrified considering that Ultra Magnus then followed it up with this:

A FEW WEEKS.

Tailgate is expected to cover more than a year of law school’s worth of reading material in great detail and deep understanding in A FEW WEEKS.

And the crazy thing is?

HE DOES. he passes the test.

Now they are 2 things you might say to dismiss this incredible fit of his:

1. Every Autobot must have studied it, can’t be that hard, right?

OH NO.

Everybody who didn’t need UM personal approval to become an Autobot learned the abridged version. I mean look at the standard Autobot. they did not go to law school to get there. sorry.

2. He says himself it wasn’t a good grade.

that might be it if you don’t take into account a very important fact:

Tailgate is a terrible speller. 

not surprising considering he’s a very low-class bot, with probably less advanced linguistic programs. (which I am personally headcanoning as robo-dyslexia).

now I defy you to tell me Ultra fragging Magnus won’t take away points for misspellings. I DARE you. 

AND HE STILL PASSED.

so yeah. he might not be Perceptor or Brainstorm or Nautica but Tailgate of Rivets field is one brilliant little minibot.