Did the Autobots KILL Kremzeek?

So, I'm expecting a Kremzeek toy that I got off eBay, created by the
guys at impossibletoys.com, and over the weekend I showed the episode
to my kids so they could see why I liked the little guy so much.  This
way, I could also show off the toy to them once I got it and it would
actually make sense to them (well, inasuch as a little yellow monster
made of electricity could make any kind of sense).

It's been a while since I've actually sat through the episode from
start to finish (usually I only pop in the DVD's long enough to get a
screen capture of whatever project I'm working on that week).  Perhaps
the recent discussions about the non-evil of the Decepticons has left
an odd taste in my mouth, but... well, don't the Autobots basically
murder Kremzeek at the end of the episode, pretty much?

I mean, Prime makes this flimsy excuse that Kremzeek "doesn't belong
in this world," whatever that means, as if that gives him free reign
to decide what life forms are allowed to live and which ones must
die.  That's kind of like having a baby killed because it was born
with an extra toe.  Six-toed babies arguably don't belong in this
world, either, but that in and of itself isn't a reason to terminate a
life.

And make no mistake--Kremzeek was definitely alive.  Dr. Yo****kawa
said something about how energy can't be outright destroyed, but while
Kremzeek was clearly energy-BASED, he obviously wasn't pure energy.
Energon cubes are pure energy, but energon cubes don't go around
demoli****ng stoplights and television factories and great big neon
signs with ****d Japanese women on them.  (I don't make this stuff up,
you know.)

In fact, I'd even go so far as to say he demonstrated MORE
intelligence/sapience/sentience (insert your pet word of choice) than
a certain female ninja robot.  He exhibited rudimentary speech
capability, problem-solving skills, and even had a sense of humor
(witness Kremzeek shaking his fist, Ethan Hammond style, at the
opponents of the video game he infiltrated).

The Autobots knew that destroying Kremzeek was wrong.  Bumblebee, in
particular, demonstrated significant remorse over eliminating the
creature, but what's really telling about this scene is that even
Optimus Prime himself had trouble doing it after he made the decision
to destroy Kremzeek.  He had to cover his face and turn away his gaze
in what was apparently a momentary pang of guilt before zapping the
poor creature into oblivion.

Now, it's one thing for the Decepticons to steal energy and not really
feel bad about doing it because they (possibly) don't consider it
unethical like humans do.  When the Autobots do something that they
KNOW is wrong, though, because it violates their OWN ethical code and
they're racked with guilt about doing it, isn't that the very
definition of evil?

Discuss.


Zob