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To sell toys

2008-04-03T07:52:32Z

131.230.179.177: /* Unicron Trilogy */ There's an article for this

[[Image:MarvelUS-19.jpg|thumb|right|200px|[[Hasbro]] wasn't quite sure whether to advertise [[Omega Supreme (G1)#Toys|this expensive toy]] until the fans forced their hand.]]To understand Transformers fiction, it is important to understand that it exists '''to sell toys.''' [[Hasbro]] and [[TakaraTomy]] are toy companies, and they are primarily interested in continuing to sell [[toy]]s to children and adults. The cartoons, comic books, etc., mostly exist to make this happen. To be sure, they normally make a profit in their own right, but this is regarded as mere gravy.

The "to sell toys" effect often distorts the fiction in interesting ways. Primarily, since you can't usually sell someone the same toy twice<ref>Except for repaints of [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]].</ref>, [[HasTak]] constantly introduces new toys, and often requires the creators of the fiction to introduce the new characters into ongoing storylines. Older characters (whose toys are no longer being sold) are shoved aside to make room.

Another effect of "to sell toys" is when the toys have gimmicks which must be explained in the fiction. Sometimes ([[Mini-Cons]]) this is relatively easy, while other times it requires a lot of imagination on the part of the writers (the in-comic explanations for the [[Headmasters]] and [[Targetmasters]] are kinda wonky).

Blatant examples of "to sell toys" in the fiction include:

==Generation One cartoon==
[[Image:Tftm1986a.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Brawn|Guess who's]] no longer in the [[Mini Vehicles]] case assortment?]]
* In ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', numerous main characters were killed or changed, including [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. They were replaced by a slew of new protagonists and antagonists, such as [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] and [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]]. Indeed, the poster for the movie shows ''only'' new characters.

* Season 3 of the cartoon almost completely ignored the characters of the previous two seasons that were no longer on toy shelves. The 1985 Autobot cars, for example, are not seen at all. Bumblebee, by contrast, shows up now and again, as his toy was still shipping. [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] was also seen occasionally, but never had a speaking role, but that was also because his voice actor [[Scatman Crothers]] died.

* [[The Rebirth, Part 1|The Rebirth]] abruptly introduced about 60 new characters, including all the first waves of Headmasters and Targetmasters, all their Nebulan partners, the Clones, Sixshot, and Punch/Counterpunch.

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==Generation One comic==
[[Image:Newyorkunderbase.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Marvel|Publisher]]'s clearing house.]]
* The [[Underbase Saga]]: A super-powerful [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] killed literally ''dozens'' of characters; some place the count over fifty. The survivors were mostly from the [[Pretender]], Headmaster, and Targetmaster ranks, those being the then-current toy lines. Those characters would eventually get their own turn to die two years later, during the climactic [[On the Edge of Extinction!|battle with Unicron]], which also showcased many of Starscream's victims returning to action. Their return could largely be attributed to the UK [[Classics (Euro)|Classics]] line re-releasing older toys, and the American [[Actionmaster]]s line, which featured new figures of old characters.

* A similar phenomenon can be witnessed in the Marvel UK comics saga [[Time Wars]], where the body count at the hands of [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] and [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] is similarly high. Albeit a little subtler than the Underbase Saga in characters shuffling off their mortal coils (and from the toy shelves), older, more obscure characters such as [[Roadbuster]], [[Topspin (G1)|Topspin]], [[Twin Twist]], and even [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] and [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] nonetheless met their ends—sometimes, in decidedly more grisly ways than their US counterparts. And once again, the Grim Reaper seemed to spare either popular characters (to wit: Galvatron and Megatron) or newer characters ([[Carnivac]], [[Catilla]], [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], and all of the [[Terrorcons]], for example.)

* Many issues of the [[Generation 1 (Marvel Comics)|Marvel comic]] had cover blurbs in the form "Introducing the _______!", where the blank was whatever the latest line of toys was. (The following issues specifically introduce new toys on the cover: 8, 10, 11, 19, 21, 29, 30, 40, 46, 47, and 60. Throw in a few covers where new characters were pictured but not named, and that's 1/5th of the series.) Sometimes the storyline had to jump through hoops to explain these new characters. (In particular, for both the simultaneous introduction of the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbot]]s and [[Stunticon]]s, and the introduction of the Pretenders, there was a lot of rigamarole involved in explaining why both the Autobots and the Decepticons had new members with identical gimmicks at the same time.) Other times, the characters were simply ''there,'' with no explanation for why we'd never seen them before. In both cases, the comic often used blatant exposition to introduce characters and their special powers; see article ''[[introdump]]'' for more.

* An even more extreme example of the above point came in 1987, when Hasbro released too many new toys at one time to be sensibly fit in the existing storyline. The result was the ''[[Headmasters (comic)|Headmasters]]'' miniseries, which existed to introduce the Headmasters, Targetmasters, [[Technobots]], [[Terrorcons]], and [[Monsterbots]] (''sixty-two'' characters total), and provide a semi-rational explanation for "little guys who turn into heads and guns", without having to shoehorn all that into the regular comic. (Amusingly, after the miniseries concluded and all the above characters journeyed to Earth, it only took ''two'' issues before another dozen characters (the Pretenders) had to be introduced . . . )

* At one point, Marvel UK had to promote the [[Special Teams]] toys ''before'' they knew how they'd be appearing in the US reprints. To get around this, Simon Furman wrote a short story arc leading up to ''[[Second Generation!]]'', where [[Buster Witwicky]], Optimus and Shockwave <strike>watched an advert</strike> saw a Matrix-induced vision of the Special Teams.

* In some cases, old and "beloved" characters were killed off only to be resurrected in new incarnations -- in line with their corresponding toy's re-release using a new "gimmick". The Autobots' leader was, if you'll pardon the pun, a "prime" example of this: killed by explosive detonation in his original form, Optimus Prime's personality was preserved on disk until he was returned to life as a [[Powermaster]], only to be killed again in battle with Unicron, and brought back to life once more by the [[Last Autobot]] ... this time in his [[Actionmaster]] form. Similarly, [[Bumblebee]] was killed off in the US and UK comics, resurrected as [[Goldbug]], killed again by Starscream during the Underbase Saga, and then returned to life once more as a [[Classic Pretender]] in his Bumblebee identity. Needless to say, these bargings back and forth through death's door required [[retcon|increasingly implausible explanations]] and reliance on the idea that Transformer life [[Life cycle|does not operate in the same way as human life]].

* To add insult to injury, some dead characters got no rest ''before'' coming back to life, thanks to the marketing imperative. Optimus Prime, dead for some years in the Marvel US comic, had his first major "return" appearance when used primarily as <strike>a selling point</strike> an integral part of the introduction of the [[Pretenders]]. Not inhabiting a body during the course of that story, Prime instead operated as something of a "presence in spirit" to the Autobot forces in that issue and never conceived of himself as being alive. A similar device was used in the prelude to the Underbase Saga. Optimus Prime and Megatron were the lead characters in a story set before the Transformers came to Earth, but that story introduced (surprise surprise) the newest "gimmick" characters, the [[Triggercon|Triggercons]] and the [[Triggerbot|Triggerbots]].

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==Beast Wars==
[[Image:BW_Scorponok_Terrorsaur_deaths.jpg|thumb|right|150px|[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]], [[Terrorsaur]], we're condemning you to a fiery death 'cause [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] has a bigger fan club.]]

* Hasbro would repeatedly interject its own marketing priorities into the development of series scripts, resulting in some characters having a very odd and confusing history. [[Tigerhawk]] was introduced and then killed off within three episodes, due to corporate uncertainty about whether the toy would actually be produced. [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] was pretty clearly shown being killed--being ''disintegrated''--but in the next season appeared to have just been bruised and cracked, because Hasbro was not ready to have a Mega-scaled toy removed from the series. Mainframe planned to use [[Wolfang]] but [[Tigatron]] appeared instead because he had an upcoming toy (and to save money as his cgi model was only a slight tweak of Cheetor's).

* The expense of creating and animating a CGI body model meant that the character roster had to remain fairly constant: pre-existing characters could gain new bodies that replaced their old ones (itself a conspicuous marketing device that was used many times throughout seasons 2 and 3), but the introduction of all-new characters usually required the removal of an equal number of pre-existing characters. And so, [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] die just in time for the arrival of [[Quickstrike]] and [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]]; [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] was killed off one episode after the debut of [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]].

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==Robots in Disguise==

* In the first ''four'' episodes, ''eighteen'' <strike>toys</strike> characters are introduced in quick succession.

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==Unicron Trilogy==
* The [[Unicron Trilogy]] was noted for its gimmicks in all three toylines: Power-enhancing [[Mini-Cons]] in ''[[Armada (toyline)|Armada]],'' [[powerlinx]]ing and hyper-modes in ''[[Energon (toyline)|Energon]],'' and cyber keys in ''[[Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]].'' The gimmicks shaped the cartoons as well, with powerlinx training in ''Energon'' and quests for keys in ''Cybertron.'' The Mini-Cons of ''Armada'' practically ''defined'' the plot of the cartoon, with both factions out to recruit or capture all the Mini-Cons, thus encouraging viewers to emulate their heroes, and buy 'em all. All three series were also marked by lengthy transformation sequences which highlighted the gimmicks in very toy-accurate animation (and also made production cheaper, thanks to [[stock footage|recycled footage]]).

* Megatron is turned into Galvatron three times - at the end of each series, he's turned back into Megatron but with a different body. This is due to Hasbro wanting to keep the [[trademark]]s "Megatron" and "Galvatron" as well as to sell more toys.

* The first thirteen issues of the ''[[Armada (Dreamwave comic)|Armada]]'' comic were focused around the Mini-Cons, with plots often revolving around their desire to be seen as equals and not be enslaved. Then without ''any'' prior set-up, the last five issues turn into a dimension-spanning battle against [[Unicron]] - who had just had a new and expensive toy. (In the same story, Jetfire and Optimus abruptly change into their Powerlinx toy colours.)

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==Titan Magazines (Movie)==

* The UK [[Transformers (Titan Magazine)|movie-based Transformers comic]] takes this to more blatant heights. Not only do the movie toys like [[Clocker (Movie)|Clocker]] and [[Skyblast (Movie)|Skyblast]] appear in strips, not only has the editor told readers in Mech Mail that all the toys are great and should be bought...

* ...But there is a specific 4-page feature every week called ''Top Gear'', which exists solely to promote the newest Transformers merchandise. This has led to readers being told how great [[Optimash Prime]] was.

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==Post-Marvel comics==
[[Image:Infiltration_1c.jpg|thumb|right|200px|"Hey, [[Runamuck]], it's our first appearance on a comic book cover in twenty years!"<br>"Heh heh, now if only we could appear on toy store shelves . . ."]]

There's also an interesting exception: The [[Dreamwave]] and [[IDW]] comics. The two recent holders of the license to publish Transformers comic books sometimes produce comics using whichever toy line is current (e.g., Dreamwave's ''[[Armada (Dreamwave comic)|Armada]]'' comic or IDW's [[Transformers (2007)|2007 movie]] tie-ins), and sometimes publish comics using whatever characters they please (e.g., ''[[The War Within]]'' and ''[[Escalation]]''). The characters in their "discretionary" comics are often not currently available in toy form ([[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]], a current character in IDW's G1 continuity, has not had a toy in 20 years), sometimes are drawn with bodies that have ''never'' been toys (most of the ''War Within'' characters), and sometimes are toys that were never available outside of specific countries ([[Lio Convoy]] in IDW's ''Beast Wars''). While the details of the licenses these companies received from Hasbro are not available to us, they apparently require the licensee to produce some comics "to sell toys", while also allowing them to do other comics with ''carte blanche.''

==Footnotes==
<references/>

[[Category: Toys]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>

Beast Wars (event)

2008-04-03T02:33:19Z

131.230.179.177: /* Beast Wars cartoon */ I know, it doesn't exist.

{{disambig2|the historical event within the fiction|the real-world franchise|Beast Wars (franchise)}}
:''The Beast Wars are a conflict in the [[Beast Era]] portion of the [[Generation 1]] [[continuity family]]. Aaaaaaaaand maybe the [[Unicron Trilogy]] too.''

[[image:BWGatheringCoverPromo.jpg|thumb|right|250px|When he says it's the Beast Wars, it's damn well the Beast Wars.]]

The '''Beast Wars''' are the melodramatically-named battles between [[Optimus Primal]]'s [[Maximal]]s and [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s on prehistoric [[Earth]]. Originally an isolated conflict between the stranded Maximals and Predacons over territory and [[energon]], the conflict gradually became an event that would affect not only the future of the [[Transformer]]s, but also the very fabric of space and time.

{{quote|Megatron may be back, and there is still more energon. If they ever get enough, they could conquer the galaxy. So for now, let the battle be here on this strange, primitive world. And let it be called ''Beast Wars!''|Optimus Primal|"[[Beast Wars (Part 2)]]"}}

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 / Beast Era===
====''Beast Wars'' cartoon====
[[Image:Dinobot_GoldenDisk.jpg|thumb|left|150px|"The chocolate within could be limitless!"]]

The Beast Wars may not have formally begun until Primal's declaration on prehistoric Earth, but they were precipitated on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] 300 years after [[Pax Cybertronia|the end]] of the [[Great War]]. The Predacon Megatron had stolen the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]], escaping with his band of rogues in [[Darksyde|a transwarp ship]]. [[Axalon (BW)|A Maximal exploration vessel]], the only one near enough to catch them, gave chase through a [[transwarp]] portal. Their ensuing battle ended with both ships crashing on a planet that all parties believed to be an unknown world. The truth that they ''had'' reached Megatron's intended destination of prehistoric Earth would not come to light for some time.

[[Image:BeastWars2_clash.jpg|thumb|right|250px|The energon is shorting out our [[scale|depth perception]]!]]

One source of confusion was the overabundant [[energon]], so plentiful that its ubiquitous radiation would overload the Transformers' systems within minutes if they left their ships. They adopted semi-organic beast modes to shield themselves, though their robot modes were still vulnerable. Primal feared that Megatron would use the energon to restart the [[Great War]] on Cybertron, so he immediately prepped [[Rattrap|his]] [[Cheetor (BW)|small]] [[Rhinox (BW)|crew]] to fight against [[Waspinator|the]] [[Terrorsaur (BW)|comparably]]-[[Scorponok (BW)|sized]] [[Tarantulas|Predacon]] [[Dinobot (BW)|team]].

One might say that the first shot of the Beast Wars was fired by Cheetor, who spotted Waspinator (in insect mode, no less) and immediately attacked him. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}} This led to a series of territorial skirmishes culminating in the detonation of an energon-infused mountain. Primal, realizing that a long fight lay ahead, made his epic pronouncement that their battles would be known as the "Beast Wars." {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 2)}}

[[Image:VokDisk_Monolith.jpg|thumb|left|150px|"Disk, disk, on the rock. Who burninates around the clock?"]]

As they explored their world, they found [[Flying Island|powerful]] [[Standing Stones|artifacts]] of [[Vok|a mysterious alien race]], including [[Golden Disk (Vok)|another Golden Disk]]. These finds tended to lead to battles as Megatron tried to claim the artifacts as weapons; however, the only lasting effect was to alert the aliens to the Transformers' presence. Deciding that their experiment on the planet had been contaminated, the aliens activated one of its two moons. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 1}} The satellite turned into [[Planet Buster|a weapon]] that ignited most of the energon deposits around the world. The planet-buster was only stopped when Primal sacrificed his life to blow it up. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}} (Primal would soon be resurrected, though, in the start of a continuing trend for him.) {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}}

[[Image:Protohumans1_CodeofHero.jpg|thumb|right|150px|"Check it out - we can OPPOSE these thumbs."]]

Realizing just how powerful the aliens were, Megatron schemed all the more intently on hijacking [[Metal Hunter|their technology]]. Meanwhile, [[Tigatron|more]] [[Blackarachnia (BW)|combatants]] [[Airazor|had]] [[Inferno (BW)|been]] [[Silverbolt (BW)|joining]] [[Quickstrike (BW)|the]] [[Rampage (BW)|fray]] as [[protoform]]-bearing [[stasis pod]]s fell to Earth, an after-effect of the original space battle. And, in the absence of overwhelming energon (and a moon), the Beast Warriors slowly began to realize that they were on prehistoric Earth after all. This turned the battle away from territorial squabbles and toward matters of timeline-alteration. With information from the Golden Disk he had stolen, Megatron was able to threaten both [[Protohuman|the developing human race]] and the comatose, ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]''-bound [[Autobot]]s. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}

[[Image:Optimusx2.JPG|thumb|left|150px|"Dad, can I borrow your soul? Just for tonight."]]

Back on the Cybertron of their home-time, the [[Tripredacus Council]] became aware of Megatron's location, and they sent their [[Decepticon]]-turned-Predacon agent [[Ravage]] to retrieve the rogue. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 1)}} He nearly succeeded, but he ended up switching sides when Megatron revealed the truth about the Golden Disk: [[Megatron (G1)|the original Megatron]] had left a message on the disk, included access codes to the ''Ark'', and had instructed the descendants of the Decepticons to travel through time to locate the ''Ark'' and kill [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] while he was still in [[stasis lock]]. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}} Ravage would end up giving his life while aiding Megatron. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)}} And Megatron himself almost destroyed Optimus Prime, which caused a timestorm, but the Maximals were able to repair the Autobot and preserve the status quo. {{storylink|Optimal Situation}}

[[Image:MegatronBW_StrappedToShuttle.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Primal, there's a reason they don't put prisoners on the ''outside'' of the prison.]]

The last encounter with the aliens came in the form of [[Tigerhawk]], an emissary created from two kidnapped Maximals. He identified the aliens as the "Vok" and tried to destroy Megatron for his temporal interference. But despite his vast power, he was subdued by Tarantulas, who extracted the Vok essence from him. This ended explosively, with Tarantulas apparently destroyed and Tigerhawk left a mere Maximal again. {{storylink|Other Victories}} But little was learned about him before he perished when Megatron raised the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'' from the ocean floor and rained havoc upon Maximal and Predacon alike. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}} In defending the ''Ark,'' the Maximals managed to bring the ''Nemesis'' down and capture Megatron, whose troops had either deserted or been destroyed. As the Maximals blasted off in an Autobot shuttle bound for the Cybertron of the future, Primal declared, "The Beast Wars are over... for now." {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}

{{note|The cartoon inspired many spinoffs (mostly comics) that expanded upon its events. Most of these series contradict each other, but they all hold the cartoon more-or-less sacrosanct. In the spirit of the [[Continuity|multiverse]], the various series are presented here as equally-valid branches of continuity, and the cartoon events are referred to as the "core timeline."}}

====3H comics====

[[Image:VisitationsBattle.jpg|thumb|left|200px|"Must... reach... retcon lever..."]]

Inamongst the Beast Warriors of the core timeline were several other Maximals and Predacons bolstering both teams. [[Packrat]], [[Fractyl]], [[Onyx Primal]], and [[Vice Grip]] appeared without origin or explanation in adventures that were at first innocuous but later quite significant. {{storylink|Ground Zero}} When they fought over a mysterious artifact, they were waging the first battle leading to Point Omega, a timeline-shattering apocalypse. {{storylink|Visitations}} [[Antagony]], a visitor from the distant future, sought to claim the artifact, a dimensional key which belonged to [[Apelinq]] (who had arrived independently from the Beast Warriors' own home-time). The crux of the matter was [[Unicron]]'s [[Matrix of Conquest|Dark Essence]], which had somehow ended up in a cave on prehistoric Earth after his destruction in 2005. Its continued presence on Earth well into the future was necessary for Antagony's timeline to exist, and the dimensional key could either cement the Essence there or banish it. {{storylink|Herald, Covenant, Schism, Paradox}}

[[Image:Shokaract.jpg|thumb|right|150px|"Also, my name means Transformageddon."]]

The conflict came to a head near the end of the Beast Wars, just as Megatron had assumed his dragon form. [[Windrazor (BW)|More]] [[Shokaract|visitors]] from the threatened timeline appeared, and they were soon followed by [[Covenant|the Covenant]], the ancient heroes of [[J'nwan]], and [[Polar Claw|other]] [[B'Boom|Beast]] [[Drill Bit (BW)|Warriors]] [[Transquito|from]] [[Air Hammer|alternate]] [[Cybershark|dimensions]]. Optimus Primal and the Predacon Megatron were also caught up in this massive battle - Omega Point - which ended with the dispatching of the Dark Essence and the nullifying of its connected timeline. All of the time-travelers vanished in an explosion of light, and their participation in the Beast Wars was seemingly erased from history as well. {{storylink|Terminus}}

{{note|It's unclear exactly how many of the preceding events were undone in the end. Primal would later have only the vaguest inkling of a memory of Apelinq and Point Omega, so it's probably safe to assume that all the time-travel incidents had no longer occurred. But the curious presence of Packrat et al. was never addressed again, and the possibility exists that their adventures among the core Beast Warriors were also undone (though that requires more convoluted assumptions). This possibility echoes remarks from series artist [[Dan Khanna]], who said that if the comics had continued, those characters would've been "rebooted" with a new, post-Beast-Wars origin.<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=40029&view=findpost&p=801852 Post by Dan Khanna on Allspark.com] about the anomalous 3H-specific characters.</ref>}}

[[Image:Primeval Tarantulas.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Did Primal leave the iron plugged in, too?]]

After Optimus Primal and his Maximals left Earth with Megatron in chains, the Beast Wars continued in a fashion. Tarantulas, believed dead, was actually still alive and more dangerous than ever, wielding the captured power of the Vok who had come with Tigerhawk. He resurrected Ravage and gathered [[Spittor|a]] [[Iguanus (BW)|few]] [[Razorclaw (BW)|other]] Predacons as well (presumably from stasis pods), set on claiming the Matrix of Leadership. The other Vok retaliated by creating [[Primal Prime]], using [[Matrix of Leadership|the Matrix]] itself as his [[spark]]. They also gave new life to Tigatron and Airazor, whose sparks they had saved from Tigerhawk's destruction. {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 1}} Despite assistance from them and the newly-reactivated [[Ramulus]], Primal Prime still fell to Tarantulas, who stole the Matrix. {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 2}} He planned to deliver it to his master, Unicron, which the Vok feared would disrupt the grand harmony of the multiverse. Their response was to inhabit Primal Prime's body as a "font of energy to rival the Matrix itself." {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 3}}

[[Image:Primal Prime Birth.JPG|thumb|right|175px|Don't let him get [[Dark Creation|the taste of blood]].]]

It's unknown what happened afterwards, but Primal Prime (showing no signs of Vok-possession) and his crew (minus Airazor and plus Spittor) would eventually travel to [[Vehicon]]-era Cybertron via transwarp portal - the same portal simultaneously whisking Apelinq to the past. {{storylink|Apelinq's War Journals}} The rest of Tarantulas' team would never be seen again, though Tarantulas himself did return to Unicron. {{storylink|Escape (Universe comic)|Escape}} The Matrix had presumably been taken back from him and replaced in Prime's chest, as no subsequent disruption of history was ever mentioned.

{{note|With [[3H Productions|3H]]'s bankruptcy, this storyline was left unfinished. Also notable is that this series is the only one in which the Vok are identified as an incarnation of the [[Swarm]].}}

====Dreamwave G1 comics====
[[Image:Dw theft.jpg|thumb|left|100px|Pick a disk, any disk.]]

Before the Beast Wars, Megatron and Dinobot infiltrated the [[Vector Sigma Chamber|Vector Sigma chamber]] and stole from it the Golden Disk. [[Golden Disk (MTMTE)|This disk]] looked different than the one stolen in the core timeline; also, it seemed to contain vastly more information: a whole history of the Great War and its combatants. From that research, Megatron took his name. {{storylink|More Than Meets The Eye}} This also differed from the core timeline, where Megatron had taken his name from the [[Covenant of Primus]]. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}

[[Image:DWBWMaximals.jpg|thumb|right|200px|We know what you did last season.]]

During the Beast Wars, [[Bonecrusher (BW)|at]] [[Optimus Minor|least]] [[Wolfang|three]] Maximals had activated separately from the main teams, and they kept themselves at a distance. They only revealed themselves once, to save Rattrap from [[Dinobot II]]. He tried to welcome them into the fold, but they claimed to no longer be Maximals. They had a new, unspecified purpose that did not involve fighting. Rattrap apparently abided by their wishes and kept quiet. On the trip back to Cybertron, he dreamed fitfully of the encounter, but when Primal asked what was wrong, Rattrap gave no details. {{storylink|Ain't No Rat}}

{{-}}

====Devil's Due ''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers'' comics====
Among the history datatracks of the Decepticon [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] was an image of a "warrior known as Optimus Primal" in his pre-[[Transmetal]] ape form. Just what role Primal played in this particular version of Transformers history is not known. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 1}}

====IDW ''Beast Wars'' comics====
[[Image:IDW Megatron Magmatron.jpg|thumb|left|200px|"Bah! Enough of these time-travelers meddling with my show!"]]

After Ravage's failure, the Tripredacus Council sent another agent, [[Magmatron]], to perform the same task. Unlike Ravage, he took a team with him, and also unlike Ravage, they were all chronally displaced to be just out of sync with the core Beast Warriors. While the new arrivals could see them, they couldn't see the new arrivals. And one could even walk right through the other. Thus, the core Beast Warriors were completely unaware when Magmatron activated dozens of the downed stasis pods to create a chronally-displaced army. But one of his soldiers, [[Razorbeast]], was a spy who was able to turn many of the protoforms to Maximals. Foreseeing the scope of the impending battles, Magmatron declared the start of his ''own'' "Beast Wars." {{storylink|The Gathering issue 1}}

As both groups tracked down their widespread, newly-activated allies, Magmatron realized he needed assistance to fulfill his mission. He was able to recover Ravage's spark from his corpse, and he gave the Decepticon new life in a blank protoform. While Ravage led the main Predacon force against Razorbeast and the Maximals, Magmatron captured Megatron. {{storylink|The Gathering issue 3}} To do so, he had to undo his chronal displacement, and this would be his downfall. While Magmatron was preparing the unconscious Megatron for transwarp delivery to Cybertron, Razorbeast stole his chronal-phase armband and used it to slip in and out of sync as he attacked the Predacon. Megatron was freed, and Magmatron was thrown into his own transwarp device, which catapulted him out of normal space entirely. {{storylink|The Gathering issue 4}}

[[Image:Shokaract cranky.jpg|thumb|right|150px|''You'' again.]]

But, as [[Prowl II|Prowl]] would note, this did not end their particular Beast Wars. Ravage's Predacons continued to harry Razorbeast's Maximals, attempting to recover the stolen chronal-phase facilitators. Meanwhile, on the Cybertron of their home-time, a drug-like substance called "[[Angolmois]]" was spreading amongst the population. Magmatron, floating through chronospace, could see that Angolmois was a tool for the resurrection of Unicron, and Cybertron was almost inevitably doomed. {{storylink|The Ascending issue 1}} But even trapped outside of space-time, he was able to deliver messages to [[Lio Convoy]] on Cybertron and Ravage on Earth, bringing the various teams together against their common enemy.

Lio Convoy and his [[Pack]] journeyed to prehistoric Earth to retrieve the combatants of the new Beast Wars, but they were ambushed by Angolmois-infused servants of Unicron. {{storylink|The Ascending issue 2}} The Pack only managed to bring a handful of Beast Warriors back to Cybertron - just in time to fight [[Shokaract]], who was the conduit of Angolmois energy. They were able to defeat him with a chronal-phase facilitator, shunting him into chronospace with Magmatron. There, Magmatron showed him how Unicron would use him as a vessel for his return, destroying the hapless Shokaract in the process. In horror, Shokaract tore the Anti-Matrix from his own chest, self-destructing and sending Magmatron back to normal space.

With the help of a retrovirus, the Maximals set about undoing the effects of Angolmois across the planet. Meanwhile, Megatron had just returned from the Beast Wars, set to unleash his [[Transformation virus|new threat]]. And on prehistoric Earth, the servants of Unicron were destroyed, but Razorbeast had fallen victim to an Angolmois injection and was euthanized at his own request. The united Maximals and Predacons around him mourned his passing. {{storylink|The Ascending issue 4}}

====''Timelines'' Beast-era comics, text stories, & cartoons====
[[Image:Megatronbwtheft.jpg|thumb|left|150px|"Download the MP3s?! A true connoisseur prefers vinyl, yesss."]]
The Maximal who would become Airazor was known previously as "Wing Saber," and she had some adventures on Cybertron. Everyone, including Airazor, did their best to try to forget this. {{storylink|Razor's Edge}}

Just before the Beast Wars, the Predacon crimelord [[Cryotek]] engineered the theft of the Golden Disk. He put his star pupil, Megatron, in charge of the actual operation. Secretly, Cryotek set his protégé up by alerting the Maximals, with the intent that [[Dirge (BWII)|a more loyal agent]] would deliver the disk to him while Megatron took the fall. Unfortunately for Cryotek, Megatron beat him to the treacherous punch, as the package Cryotek received only contained a Maximal homing beacon. While Maximal forces converged on Cryotek, Megatron and his cohorts escaped with the disk in the ''Darksyde.'' {{storylink|Theft of the Golden Disk}}

[[Image:Laserbeakbuzzsawdawn.jpg|thumb|right|125px|"I mean, um, AAAWWWWWWK, sir."]]

But Cryotek was not the only Predacon string-puller: The Decepticon [[Divebomb (G1)|Divebomb]] had also been somehow involved in the affair, ensuring that the ''Darksyde'' was available while everyone "played their part" for the "Decepticon dream." As Megatron fled, Divebomb ordered [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] to covertly safeguard the ''Darksyde.''

[[Image:Airazorbwdawn.jpg|thumb|left|125px|Go for it, kids. You won't remember a thing in the morning.]]

This would prove a wise decision, as the [[Maximal Imperium]] sent the ''Axalon'' in pursuit. Just out of Cybertronian orbit, the two bird-bots attacked the ''Axalon'' in a ship of their own. The battle was going against the Maximals until Tigatron and Airazor came to their rescue. The Decepticon ship was destroyed, but Tigatron and Airazor were left in critical condition. Rhinox saved them by transferring their sparks to blank protoforms at the expense of much or all of their "core mainframes." {{storylink|Dawn of Future's Past}}

{{-}}

===Unicron Trilogy===
====''Cybertron'' toy bios====
When [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] went undercover as a Decepticon, he searched the "Axalon archives" for a past Decepticon to pattern himself after. He took the name "Sky Shadow" in reference to a long-lost "Predacon/Decepticon." This warrior had once been a lieutenant of Megatron, and he had been "sent to Earth during the legendary Beast Wars," where he was instrumental as a strategist and leader against the Maximals. He apparently never returned.<ref>[http://www.bigbot.com/transformers-cybertron/cyber-planet-key-codes.shtml Unlocked Cyber Key Code bios,] notably Jetfire's.</ref>

Notably, there ''had'' been a Beast Warrior named "[[Sky Shadow (BW)|Sky Shadow]]," but the Beast Wars timelines are thought to be wholly separate from this universe. References to "Axalon," "Predacon," and "Megatron" only muddy the issue, as those names apply to [[Axalon (Armada)|some]] [[Predacon (Armada)|things]] [[Megatron (Armada)|here]] as well. Either this universe contains its ''own'' Beast Wars and Maximals, or some cross-dimensional travel has occurred (possibly related to the [[Unicron Singularity]]).

==Trivia==
*The exact time period of the Beast Wars (beyond simply "prehistory") was never precisely established in the cartoon, though several casual comments suggest that AD 1984 is "four million years" in their future. The 3H comics identify it as 180,000 BC. The IDW comics say 70,000 BC. This is just one of many ways in which the spinoffs contradict each other.
*Speaking of contradictions, the first toys' on-package [[bio]]s and [[Optimus Primal vs Megatron!|pack-in comic]] set the Beast Wars on modern-day Earth, with Primal and Megatron actually being their ''Generation 1'' counterparts. However, as the show took off, the bios followed its lead. For a long time, the bios did not explicitly [[retcon]] their original conceits; however, ambiguity was introduced by referring to, for example, "the Beast Wars world" instead of Earth in any particular time. The final nail in this [[micro-continuity]]'s coffin came with [[BotCon 2006#Convention-exclusive toys|the last Beast Wars toys produced]], whose bios and [[Dawn of Future's Past|tie-in comic]] were a very intentional prequel to the cartoon.

==References==
<references />

[[Category:3H]]
[[Category:Beast Era]]
[[Category:Beast Wars]]
[[Category:Cybertron]]
[[Category:Dreamwave]]
[[Category:Earth]]
[[Category:History]]
[[Category:IDW]]
[[Category:Mainframe]]
[[Category:Planet Cybertron]]
[[Category:Unicron]]
[[Category:Unicron Trilogy]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>