MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Aligned continuity family

2012-03-26T04:12:36Z

173.57.44.139: /* Alex Irvine novels */

{{noname-unconfirmed}}
[[Image:Hasbrobible-OPrimedescription.jpg|350px|thumb|Optimus Prime's depiction in Hasbro's brand bible at the center of the aligned continuity family.]]
The '''Aligned continuity family''' was launched in 2010 with the intention of being the foundation of most ''[[Transformers brand|Transformers]]'' projects for the decade to come.<ref name="decade">[[Hasbro Q&A/January 2011: Answers|TFWiki.net Hasbro Q&A, Jan. 2011]]</ref> Its core is the "[[Binder of Revelation]]",<ref>[http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/botcon-2011-coverage-hasbro-intellectual-property-panel/21870/ Seibertron.com Botcon 2011 Coverage: Hasbro Intellectual Property Panel]</ref> a 354-page<ref>[http://www.figures.com/forums/news/13305-botcon-2011-hasbro-panel-report.html Figures.com recap of Hasbro BotCon 2011 panel]</ref> [[production bible|brand bible]] co-written by [[Aaron Archer]], [[Rik Alvarez]] and other Transformer experts from [[Hasbro]] and the [[fandom]], charting billions of years worth of history for the Transformers.<ref>''[[Transformers Vault]]''.</ref> The [[Continuity family|family]] currently comprises the ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)|War for Cybertron]]'', ''[[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|Prime]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Rescue Bots (franchise)|Rescue Bots]]''franchises,<ref name="aligned">[http://www.allspark.com/content/view/8189/20/ Hasbro continuity declaration]</ref> and it has some influence on [[Transformers Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] character portrayal.<ref name="newaligned">[http://www.tfviews.com/news/main/hasbro-q-and-a/1024 TFviews.com Hasbro Q&A, July 2010]</ref>

Hasbro has not given this family an official title. We have derived the name "Aligned" from Hasbro statements referring to this as a new "aligned continuity".<ref name="aligned" /><ref name="newaligned" /> Hasbro considered the whole continuity "a bit of an animal to define".<ref name="allspark2011botcon"/>

==Creative vision==
The Aligned venture appears to be Hasbro's attempt at synthesizing a grand unified [[continuity]] out of all of the previous lore. An expression of this can be seen in the Hall of Fame profiles, one of which was officially confirmed as being "based off of" Aligned continuity.<ref name="newaligned" /> That one and several others present each character as an amalgam of traits from disparate continuities, ranging from ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]'' to the [[Unicron Trilogy]] to the [[live-action film series]] and more (see [[#Hall of Fame profiles|below]]).

This is a significant departure from Hasbro's [[Transformers: Universe (2003 franchise)|previous]] [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club (magazine)|forays]] into meta-continuity, which preserved the integrity of old timelines as separate, coexistent universes within a single [[multiverse]]. In that schema, the Aligned family would be simply one more [[universal stream]] added to the mix, beholden to preestablished concepts like [[Multiversal singularity|multiversal singularities]]. But when asked about how [[The Fallen|a certain singularity]] would relate to the new fiction, Hasbro replied, "Anything you know from past generations of the brand may or may not be factual in the new continuity."<ref name="fallen">[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=74182&view=findpost&p=1675011 Allspark.com Hasbro Q&A, Nov. 2010]</ref> At [[BotCon 2011]], the multiverse was referred to as a "separate universe".<ref name="allspark2011botcon">[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=79726 AllSpark.com live transcript of Archer and Alvarez's 2011 BotCon panel]</ref>

Where, exactly, this leaves the Aligned fiction in relation to the rest of the multiverse is unclear. [[Movie continuity|Other]] [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|contemporary]] [[Transformers Timelines (fiction)|fiction]] has continued to tell stories set in older universes, so it seems at least that Aligned material is not meant to supersede the continuities from which it draws.

==Continuities==
''See also: [[Aligned timeline]]''

Hasbro consistently refers to all Aligned fiction as one "continuity", and while different storylines may appear to contradict each other, "reasons for the confusion will be revealed".<ref name="decade" /> However, that ideal is hampered by the fact that various elements of the fiction have separate creative teams with distinct visions that sometimes conflict. For that reason, this wiki takes the more cautious route of calling it a "continuity family". The brand bible's description in ''Transformers Vault'' states it paints the Transformers history in broad strokes, so as to give creators the necessary flexibility when crafting their stories, a belief echoed by statements made at [[BotCon 2011]]: Archer spoke of a "squint test" where everything can be seen as one family of stories, where only fans would see differences.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/conventions-15/botcon-2011-hasbro-story-building-panel-172316/ TFW coverage of Botcon 2011 Hasbro Story Building Panel]</ref> Branches of fiction include:

===Hall of Fame profiles===
In May of 2010, before any Aligned franchises had launched, Hasbro announced a "Transformers Hall of Fame" honoring characters and people associated with the ''Transformers'' brand. The spot for one inductee was put to a fan-vote: [[Transformers Hall of Fame#Nominees|Five character profiles]] were published on Hasbro.com, and users could cast a vote for one of them. Most of them were described with a combination of traits from various continuities; for example, [[Jazz (disambiguation)|Jazz]] is pictured in [[Jazz (G1)|his ''Generation 1'' form]] but described as a "[[Cyber-Ninja Corps|Cyber-Ninja]]" like [[Jazz (Animated)|his ''Animated'' incarnation]].<ref>[http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/news/TRANSFORMERS-HALL-OF-FAME-Nominee-3.cfm Jazz's Hall of Fame profile]</ref> [[Soundwave (disambiguation)|Soundwave]], also looking like [[Soundwave (G1)|his ''Generation 1'' self]], is said to have a mysterious origin like [[Soundwave (Cybertron)|his ''Cybertron'' counterpart]], his partners are called "[[Mini-Con]]s" instead of "[[Mini-Cassette]]s", and he has [[Soundwave (ROTF)|his live-action movie incarnation]]'s vulnerability to simultaneous sonic booms.<ref>[http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/news/TRANSFORMERS-HALL-OF-FAME-Nominee-1.cfm Soundwave's Hall of Fame profile]</ref> Later, a [[Hasbro Q&A]] answer stated that Jazz's entry is based on Aligned continuity.<ref name="newaligned" /> [[Jazz (WFC)|The character does appear in ''War for Cybertron'' fiction]], but with no particularly Cyber-Ninja-like attributes.

===''War for Cybertron'' and ''Fall of Cybertron'' video games===
Created by [[High Moon Studios]] under Game Director [[Matt Tieger]] with tie-in games by [[Next Level Games]] and [[Vicarious Visions]], [[Transformers: War for Cybertron (games)|''War for Cybertron'']]'s aesthetics and characterizations are heavily based on [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]; for example, [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] and [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] speak words, despite both being quasi-mute in the [[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|''Prime'' cartoon]]. Set in the ancient days of the [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]ian war, the games' plot focuses on [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]'s quest to harness [[Dark Energon]], which ends up corrupting the planet itself and leaving it uninhabitable for millions of years. Those events overlap a large portion of the simultaneously-released ''[[Transformers: Exodus]]'' novel, but they [[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)#Synopsis|differ in many details]]. Two years later, ''War for Cybertron'' was followed by its sequel, ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]''.

===Alex Irvine novels===
Written by [[Alex Irvine]], ''[[Transformers: Exodus]]'' describes the beginning of the war and then, as mentioned above, covers the same ground as the ''War for Cybertron'' games with many differing details. (Hasbro did take a small stab at reconciliation by declaring [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]]'s predecessor in the games, "Zeta Prime", and the one in the novel, "Sentinel Prime", to be the same individual, "[[Sentinel Zeta Prime]]".)<ref>[http://www.ripten.com/2010/06/26/creators-talk-transformers-war-for-cybertron-at-botcon-2010-panel-lbd416/ Ripten.com's coverage of the BotCon 2010 Activision panel]</ref> Irvine also wrote the [[Transformers: War for Cybertron (comic)|''War for Cybertron'' comic]] and the apocryphal short story [[Bumblebee at Tyger Pax]], both set in the novel's pre-game period. The comic contains no major discrepancies, other than maintaining the "Sentinel Prime" name, but the short story features [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] losing his ability to speak words before the game events. ''[[Transformers: Exiles]]'' continues the saga post-Cybertron. A third novel is planned that conclude the saga on Earth and lead into ''[[Transformers: Prime]]''.

===''Generations'' toy bios===
[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)#Toys|A handful of toys]] were created directly from ''War for Cybertron'' designs and sold as part of the [[Generations (toyline)|''Generations'' toyline]]. While lacking the phrase "War for Cybertron" on their packaging, the release of the first wave was timed within days of the games and novel,<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=69812 Allspark.com toy-sighting forum reports]</ref> and their on-package [[bio]]s are basically in sync with that fiction as well. Megatron's, for example, focuses on his penchant for upgrading his body with "bleeding-edge" technology,<ref>[http://www.seibertron.com/images/toys/files/127/cybertronian-megatron-011.jpg Cybertronian Megatron's on-package bio]</ref> which may be an allusion to his lustful utilization of Dark Energon. Bumblebee's says he was once a "chatterbox" but is now a "silent warrior",<ref>[http://www.seibertron.com/images/toys/files/127/wfc-bumblebee-009.jpg Cybertronian Bumblebee's on-package bio]</ref> which appears to be a bridge between his ''War for Cybertron'' and then-upcoming ''Prime'' portrayals; however, it's not strictly accurate because in ''Prime'' he can still vocalize, just [[R2-D2|not in words]].

===''Prime'' cartoon===
Overseen by the team of [[Jeff Kline]], [[Duane Capizzi]], [[Roberto Orci]] and [[Alex Kurtzman]], this show is set on modern-day [[Earth]] with a unique aesthetic somewhere between the [[live-action film series]] and ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]]''. Released five months after ''War for Cybertron'', it also features Dark Energon as a primary plot element, but it seems to be a more mysterious substance with the added quality of being able to [[Terrorcon (Prime)|reanimate corpses]].<ref>[[Darkness Rising, Part 2|''Prime'' episode "Darkness Rising, Part 2"]]</ref> Also, strangely, Megatron is able to create an army of such creatures by crashing Dark Energon into the dead world of Cybertron,<ref>[[Darkness Rising, Part 2|''Prime'' episode "Darkness Rising, Part 5"]]</ref> despite the reason for the planet's demise in ''War for Cybertron'' being its complete infection with the stuff. It was stated at [[BotCon 2011]] that Dark Energon's nature differed because of the modern era of the show, as opposed to the ancient setting of the novel and games. The producers also iterated that while they strive to maintain continuity, ultimately leeway was allowed if it served the story.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/conventions-15/botcon-2011-transformers-prime-panel-172315/ TFW coverage of Hasbro Studios panel at BotCon 2011]</ref>

A [[Transformers: Prime (comic)|prequel comic]] written by [[Mike Johnson]] shows events on Cybertron immediately before the cartoon, incorporating the ''Exodus'' notion of [[space bridge]]s being a lost art and Megatron's backstory as a [[Kaon]]ian miner.

===''Online'' and ''Universe'' MMOs===
Developed by [[NetDragon]] and [[Jagex]] for their respective Eastern and Western markets, the ''[[Transformers Online]]'' and ''[[Transformers Universe]]'' MMOs tie into ''Prime'' aesthetically and broaden the universe. Their continuities will presumably not tie into each other however.

===''Rescue Bots'' cartoon===
''[[Transformers: Rescue Bots (cartoon)| Rescue Bots]]'' features a group of Autobots not ready to face the Decepticons. Instead, they are assigned to help a team of search & rescue workers on an island in Maine.

===''Bot Shots'' toyline, bios and online game===
The [[Bot Shots]] characters are somewhere between [[Live-action film| the live action movies]] and [[Generation 1 (franchise)| Generation 1]] aesthetically, with some Prime mixed in for good measure. Since this kind of makes the wiki's brain hurt, we have decided to place them with the Aligned continuity.

==Notes==
* Instead of giving this continuity family an official name, Hasbro has instead referred to it with brief descriptors such as "new aligned",<ref name="newaligned" /> "aligned",<ref name="aligned" /> "modern",<ref name="decade" /><ref name="fallen" /> and "War for Cybertron/Exodus".<ref name="newaligned" /> VP of Intellectual Property Development [[Aaron Archer]] said at a [[BotCon 2010]] panel that he had considered naming it "Epochs" but then decided not to.
* The [[Transformers (2010 toyline)|subtitle-less ''Transformers'' toyline launched in 2010]] and its companion line, ''Generations'', share some of the Aligned spirit, since they likewise contain characters and concepts from previous franchises with little separation. But the only real connection between those toylines and Aligned material is the small number of [[#Generations toy bios|previously-mentioned]] ''War for Cybertron''-inspired toys. Hasbro has referred to the [[Power Core Combiners]] subline as "exist[ing] in the modern world continuity",<ref>[[Hasbro Q&A/November 2010: Answers|TFWiki.net Hasbro Q&A, Nov. 2010]]</ref> but the context of that statement doesn't suggest a specific reference to Aligned.
* The ''Hubworld Transformers: Prime'' TV special featured footage of BotCon attendees taking a ''Transformers'' quiz, with the questions being what Optimus Prime's original name was, what his job had been, and which soap opera was the Autobots' favorite. The soap opera (''[[As the Kitchen Sinks]]'') is from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|''Generation 1'' cartoon]], but the "correct" answers to the first two questions were said to be "Orion Pax" and "data clerk". Aligned continuity is the only source where both of those ideas are true. This seems to reflect Hasbro's current policy of treating Aligned material as the default ''Transformers'' "truth". Something similar occurred during the [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]] era, where [[DK Publishing|DK]]'s ''[[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide]]'' treated that continuity as the default "truth," so this not a completely new phenomenon.
* The Aligned continuity has influenced the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]], with [[James Roberts]] introducing elements of the Optimus-Megatron backstory with "[[Chaos Theory Part 1]]", while ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye| More than Meets the Eye]]'' and ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise| Robots in Disguise]]'' series utilize ''War for Cybertron'' character designs.

==See also==

* [[Aligned timeline]]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Aligned| ]]
[[Category:Continuity families]]
[[Category:Prime]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron]]

Aligned continuity family

2012-03-08T05:14:08Z

173.57.44.139: /* Rescue Bots cartoon */

{{noname-unconfirmed}}
[[Image:Hasbrobible-OPrimedescription.jpg|350px|thumb|Optimus Prime's depiction in Hasbro's brand bible at the center of the aligned continuity family.]]
The '''Aligned continuity family''' was launched in 2010 with the intention of being the foundation of most ''[[Transformers brand|Transformers]]'' projects for the decade to come.<ref name="decade">[[Hasbro Q&A/January 2011: Answers|TFWiki.net Hasbro Q&A, Jan. 2011]]</ref> Its core is the "[[Binder of Revelation]]",<ref>[http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/botcon-2011-coverage-hasbro-intellectual-property-panel/21870/ Seibertron.com Botcon 2011 Coverage: Hasbro Intellectual Property Panel]</ref> a 354-page<ref>[http://www.figures.com/forums/news/13305-botcon-2011-hasbro-panel-report.html Figures.com recap of Hasbro BotCon 2011 panel]</ref> [[production bible|brand bible]] co-written by [[Aaron Archer]], [[Rik Alvarez]] and other Transformer experts from [[Hasbro]] and the [[fandom]], charting billions of years worth of history for the Transformers.<ref>''[[Transformers Vault]]''.</ref> The [[Continuity family|family]] currently comprises the ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)|War for Cybertron]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|Prime]]'' franchises,<ref name="aligned">[http://www.allspark.com/content/view/8189/20/ Hasbro continuity declaration]</ref> and it has some influence on [[Transformers Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] character portrayal.<ref name="newaligned">[http://www.tfviews.com/news/main/hasbro-q-and-a/1024 TFviews.com Hasbro Q&A, July 2010]</ref>

Hasbro has not given this family an official title. We have derived the name "Aligned" from Hasbro statements referring to this as a new "aligned continuity".<ref name="aligned" /><ref name="newaligned" /> Hasbro considered the whole continuity "a bit of an animal to define".<ref name="allspark2011botcon"/>

==Creative vision==
The Aligned venture appears to be Hasbro's attempt at synthesizing a grand unified [[continuity]] out of all of the previous lore. An expression of this can be seen in the Hall of Fame profiles, one of which was officially confirmed as being "based off of" Aligned continuity.<ref name="newaligned" /> That one and several others present each character as an amalgam of traits from disparate continuities, ranging from ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]'' to the [[Unicron Trilogy]] to the [[live-action film series]] and more (see [[#Hall of Fame profiles|below]]).

This is a significant departure from Hasbro's [[Transformers: Universe (2003 franchise)|previous]] [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club (magazine)|forays]] into meta-continuity, which preserved the integrity of old timelines as separate, coexistent universes within a single [[multiverse]]. In that schema, the Aligned family would be simply one more [[universal stream]] added to the mix, beholden to preestablished concepts like [[Multiversal singularity|multiversal singularities]]. But when asked about how [[The Fallen|a certain singularity]] would relate to the new fiction, Hasbro replied, "Anything you know from past generations of the brand may or may not be factual in the new continuity."<ref name="fallen">[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=74182&view=findpost&p=1675011 Allspark.com Hasbro Q&A, Nov. 2010]</ref> At [[BotCon 2011]], the multiverse was referred to as a "separate universe".<ref name="allspark2011botcon">[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=79726 AllSpark.com live transcript of Archer and Alvarez's 2011 BotCon panel]</ref>

Where, exactly, this leaves the Aligned fiction in relation to the rest of the multiverse is unclear. [[Movie continuity|Other]] [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|contemporary]] [[Transformers Timelines (fiction)|fiction]] has continued to tell stories set in older universes, so it seems at least that Aligned material is not meant to supersede the continuities from which it draws.

==Continuities==
''See also: [[Aligned timeline]]''

Hasbro consistently refers to all Aligned fiction as one "continuity", and while different storylines may appear to contradict each other, "reasons for the confusion will be revealed".<ref name="decade" /> However, that ideal is hampered by the fact that various elements of the fiction have separate creative teams with distinct visions that sometimes conflict. For that reason, this wiki takes the more cautious route of calling it a "continuity family". The brand bible's description in ''Transformers Vault'' states it paints the Transformers history in broad strokes, so as to give creators the necessary flexibility when crafting their stories, a belief echoed by statements made at [[BotCon 2011]]: Archer spoke of a "squint test" where everything can be seen as one family of stories, where only fans would see differences.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/conventions-15/botcon-2011-hasbro-story-building-panel-172316/ TFW coverage of Botcon 2011 Hasbro Story Building Panel]</ref> Branches of fiction include:

===Hall of Fame profiles===
In May of 2010, before any Aligned franchises had launched, Hasbro announced a "Transformers Hall of Fame" honoring characters and people associated with the ''Transformers'' brand. The spot for one inductee was put to a fan-vote: [[Transformers Hall of Fame#Nominees|Five character profiles]] were published on Hasbro.com, and users could cast a vote for one of them. Most of them were described with a combination of traits from various continuities; for example, [[Jazz (disambiguation)|Jazz]] is pictured in [[Jazz (G1)|his ''Generation 1'' form]] but described as a "[[Cyber-Ninja Corps|Cyber-Ninja]]" like [[Jazz (Animated)|his ''Animated'' incarnation]].<ref>[http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/news/TRANSFORMERS-HALL-OF-FAME-Nominee-3.cfm Jazz's Hall of Fame profile]</ref> [[Soundwave (disambiguation)|Soundwave]], also looking like [[Soundwave (G1)|his ''Generation 1'' self]], is said to have a mysterious origin like [[Soundwave (Cybertron)|his ''Cybertron'' counterpart]], his partners are called "[[Mini-Con]]s" instead of "[[Mini-Cassette]]s", and he has [[Soundwave (ROTF)|his live-action movie incarnation]]'s vulnerability to simultaneous sonic booms.<ref>[http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/news/TRANSFORMERS-HALL-OF-FAME-Nominee-1.cfm Soundwave's Hall of Fame profile]</ref> Later, a [[Hasbro Q&A]] answer stated that Jazz's entry is based on Aligned continuity.<ref name="newaligned" /> [[Jazz (WFC)|The character does appear in ''War for Cybertron'' fiction]], but with no particularly Cyber-Ninja-like attributes.

===''War for Cybertron'' and ''Fall of Cybertron'' video games===
Created by [[High Moon Studios]] under Game Director [[Matt Tieger]] with tie-in games by [[Next Level Games]] and [[Vicarious Visions]], [[Transformers: War for Cybertron (games)|''War for Cybertron'']]'s aesthetics and characterizations are heavily based on [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]; for example, [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] and [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] speak words, despite both being quasi-mute in the [[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|''Prime'' cartoon]]. Set in the ancient days of the [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]ian war, the games' plot focuses on [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]'s quest to harness [[Dark Energon]], which ends up corrupting the planet itself and leaving it uninhabitable for millions of years. Those events overlap a large portion of the simultaneously-released ''[[Transformers: Exodus]]'' novel, but they [[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)#Synopsis|differ in many details]]. Two years later, ''War for Cybertron'' was followed by its sequel, ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]''.

===Alex Irvine novels===
Written by [[Alex Irvine]], ''[[Transformers: Exodus]]'' describes the beginning of the war and then, as mentioned above, covers the same ground as the ''War for Cybertron'' games with many differing details. (Hasbro did take a small stab at reconciliation by declaring [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]]'s predecessor in the games, "Zeta Prime", and the one in the novel, "Sentinel Prime", to be the same individual, "[[Sentinel Zeta Prime]]".)<ref>[http://www.ripten.com/2010/06/26/creators-talk-transformers-war-for-cybertron-at-botcon-2010-panel-lbd416/ Ripten.com's coverage of the BotCon 2010 Activision panel]</ref> Irvine also wrote the [[Transformers: War for Cybertron (comic)|''War for Cybertron'' comic]] and the apocryphal short story [[Bumblebee at Tyger Pax]], both set in the novel's pre-game period. The comic contains no major discrepancies, other than maintaining the "Sentinel Prime" name, but the short story features [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] losing his ability to speak words before the game events. ''[[Transformers: Exiles]]'' continues the saga post-Cybertron.

===''Generations'' toy bios===
[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)#Toys|A handful of toys]] were created directly from ''War for Cybertron'' designs and sold as part of the [[Generations (toyline)|''Generations'' toyline]]. While lacking the phrase "War for Cybertron" on their packaging, the release of the first wave was timed within days of the games and novel,<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=69812 Allspark.com toy-sighting forum reports]</ref> and their on-package [[bio]]s are basically in sync with that fiction as well. Megatron's, for example, focuses on his penchant for upgrading his body with "bleeding-edge" technology,<ref>[http://www.seibertron.com/images/toys/files/127/cybertronian-megatron-011.jpg Cybertronian Megatron's on-package bio]</ref> which may be an allusion to his lustful utilization of Dark Energon. Bumblebee's says he was once a "chatterbox" but is now a "silent warrior",<ref>[http://www.seibertron.com/images/toys/files/127/wfc-bumblebee-009.jpg Cybertronian Bumblebee's on-package bio]</ref> which appears to be a bridge between his ''War for Cybertron'' and then-upcoming ''Prime'' portrayals; however, it's not strictly accurate because in ''Prime'' he can still vocalize, just [[R2-D2|not in words]].

===''Prime'' cartoon===
Overseen by the team of [[Jeff Kline]], [[Duane Capizzi]], [[Roberto Orci]] and [[Alex Kurtzman]], this show is set on modern-day [[Earth]] with a unique aesthetic somewhere between the [[live-action film series]] and ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]]''. Released five months after ''War for Cybertron'', it also features Dark Energon as a primary plot element, but it seems to be a more mysterious substance with the added quality of being able to [[Terrorcon (Prime)|reanimate corpses]].<ref>[[Darkness Rising, Part 2|''Prime'' episode "Darkness Rising, Part 2"]]</ref> Also, strangely, Megatron is able to create an army of such creatures by crashing Dark Energon into the dead world of Cybertron,<ref>[[Darkness Rising, Part 2|''Prime'' episode "Darkness Rising, Part 5"]]</ref> despite the reason for the planet's demise in ''War for Cybertron'' being its complete infection with the stuff. It was stated at [[BotCon 2011]] that Dark Energon's nature differed because of the modern era of the show, as opposed to the ancient setting of the novel and games. The producers also iterated that while they strive to maintain continuity, ultimately leeway was allowed if it served the story.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/conventions-15/botcon-2011-transformers-prime-panel-172315/ TFW coverage of Hasbro Studios panel at BotCon 2011]</ref>

A [[Transformers: Prime (comic)|prequel comic]] written by [[Mike Johnson]] shows events on Cybertron immediately before the cartoon, incorporating the ''Exodus'' notion of [[space bridge]]s being a lost art and Megatron's backstory as a [[Kaon]]ian miner.

===''Online'' and ''Universe'' MMOs===
Developed by [[NetDragon]] and [[Jagex]] for their respective Eastern and Western markets, the ''[[Transformers Online]]'' and ''[[Transformers Universe]]'' MMOs tie into ''Prime'' aesthetically and broaden the universe. Their continuities will presumably not tie into each other however.

===''Rescue Bots'' cartoon===
''[[Rescue Bots]]'' features a group of Autobots not ready to face the Decepticons. Instead, they are assigned to help a team of search & rescue workers on an island in Maine.

===''Bot Shots'' toyline, bios and online game===
The [[Bot Shots]] characters are somewhere between [[Live-action film| the live action movies]] and [[Generation 1 (franchise)| Generation 1]] aesthetically, with some Prime mixed in for good measure. Since this kind of makes the wiki's brain hurt, we have decided to place them with the Aligned continuity.

==Notes==
* Instead of giving this continuity family an official name, Hasbro has instead referred to it with brief descriptors such as "new aligned",<ref name="newaligned" /> "aligned",<ref name="aligned" /> "modern",<ref name="decade" /><ref name="fallen" /> and "War for Cybertron/Exodus".<ref name="newaligned" /> VP of Intellectual Property Development [[Aaron Archer]] said at a [[BotCon 2010]] panel that he had considered naming it "Epochs" but then decided not to.
* The [[Transformers (2010 toyline)|subtitle-less ''Transformers'' toyline launched in 2010]] and its companion line, ''Generations'', share some of the Aligned spirit, since they likewise contain characters and concepts from previous franchises with little separation. But the only real connection between those toylines and Aligned material is the small number of [[#Generations toy bios|previously-mentioned]] ''War for Cybertron''-inspired toys. Hasbro has referred to the [[Power Core Combiners]] subline as "exist[ing] in the modern world continuity",<ref>[[Hasbro Q&A/November 2010: Answers|TFWiki.net Hasbro Q&A, Nov. 2010]]</ref> but the context of that statement doesn't suggest a specific reference to Aligned.
* The ''Hubworld Transformers: Prime'' TV special featured footage of BotCon attendees taking a ''Transformers'' quiz, with the questions being what Optimus Prime's original name was, what his job had been, and which soap opera was the Autobots' favorite. The soap opera (''[[As the Kitchen Sinks]]'') is from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|''Generation 1'' cartoon]], but the "correct" answers to the first two questions were said to be "Orion Pax" and "data clerk". Aligned continuity is the only source where both of those ideas are true. This seems to reflect Hasbro's current policy of treating Aligned material as the default ''Transformers'' "truth". Something similar occurred during the [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]] era, where [[DK Publishing|DK]]'s ''[[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide]]'' treated that continuity as the default "truth," so this not a completely new phenomenon.
* The Aligned continuity has influenced the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]], with [[James Roberts]] introducing elements of the Optimus-Megatron backstory with "[[Chaos Theory Part 1]]", while ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye| More than Meets the Eye]]'' and ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise| Robots in Disguise]]'' series utilize ''War for Cybertron'' character designs.

==See also==

* [[Aligned timeline]]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Aligned| ]]
[[Category:Continuity families]]
[[Category:Prime]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron]]

Aligned continuity family

2012-03-08T05:13:50Z

173.57.44.139: /* Rescue Bots cartoon */

{{noname-unconfirmed}}
[[Image:Hasbrobible-OPrimedescription.jpg|350px|thumb|Optimus Prime's depiction in Hasbro's brand bible at the center of the aligned continuity family.]]
The '''Aligned continuity family''' was launched in 2010 with the intention of being the foundation of most ''[[Transformers brand|Transformers]]'' projects for the decade to come.<ref name="decade">[[Hasbro Q&A/January 2011: Answers|TFWiki.net Hasbro Q&A, Jan. 2011]]</ref> Its core is the "[[Binder of Revelation]]",<ref>[http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/botcon-2011-coverage-hasbro-intellectual-property-panel/21870/ Seibertron.com Botcon 2011 Coverage: Hasbro Intellectual Property Panel]</ref> a 354-page<ref>[http://www.figures.com/forums/news/13305-botcon-2011-hasbro-panel-report.html Figures.com recap of Hasbro BotCon 2011 panel]</ref> [[production bible|brand bible]] co-written by [[Aaron Archer]], [[Rik Alvarez]] and other Transformer experts from [[Hasbro]] and the [[fandom]], charting billions of years worth of history for the Transformers.<ref>''[[Transformers Vault]]''.</ref> The [[Continuity family|family]] currently comprises the ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)|War for Cybertron]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|Prime]]'' franchises,<ref name="aligned">[http://www.allspark.com/content/view/8189/20/ Hasbro continuity declaration]</ref> and it has some influence on [[Transformers Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] character portrayal.<ref name="newaligned">[http://www.tfviews.com/news/main/hasbro-q-and-a/1024 TFviews.com Hasbro Q&A, July 2010]</ref>

Hasbro has not given this family an official title. We have derived the name "Aligned" from Hasbro statements referring to this as a new "aligned continuity".<ref name="aligned" /><ref name="newaligned" /> Hasbro considered the whole continuity "a bit of an animal to define".<ref name="allspark2011botcon"/>

==Creative vision==
The Aligned venture appears to be Hasbro's attempt at synthesizing a grand unified [[continuity]] out of all of the previous lore. An expression of this can be seen in the Hall of Fame profiles, one of which was officially confirmed as being "based off of" Aligned continuity.<ref name="newaligned" /> That one and several others present each character as an amalgam of traits from disparate continuities, ranging from ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]'' to the [[Unicron Trilogy]] to the [[live-action film series]] and more (see [[#Hall of Fame profiles|below]]).

This is a significant departure from Hasbro's [[Transformers: Universe (2003 franchise)|previous]] [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club (magazine)|forays]] into meta-continuity, which preserved the integrity of old timelines as separate, coexistent universes within a single [[multiverse]]. In that schema, the Aligned family would be simply one more [[universal stream]] added to the mix, beholden to preestablished concepts like [[Multiversal singularity|multiversal singularities]]. But when asked about how [[The Fallen|a certain singularity]] would relate to the new fiction, Hasbro replied, "Anything you know from past generations of the brand may or may not be factual in the new continuity."<ref name="fallen">[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=74182&view=findpost&p=1675011 Allspark.com Hasbro Q&A, Nov. 2010]</ref> At [[BotCon 2011]], the multiverse was referred to as a "separate universe".<ref name="allspark2011botcon">[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=79726 AllSpark.com live transcript of Archer and Alvarez's 2011 BotCon panel]</ref>

Where, exactly, this leaves the Aligned fiction in relation to the rest of the multiverse is unclear. [[Movie continuity|Other]] [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|contemporary]] [[Transformers Timelines (fiction)|fiction]] has continued to tell stories set in older universes, so it seems at least that Aligned material is not meant to supersede the continuities from which it draws.

==Continuities==
''See also: [[Aligned timeline]]''

Hasbro consistently refers to all Aligned fiction as one "continuity", and while different storylines may appear to contradict each other, "reasons for the confusion will be revealed".<ref name="decade" /> However, that ideal is hampered by the fact that various elements of the fiction have separate creative teams with distinct visions that sometimes conflict. For that reason, this wiki takes the more cautious route of calling it a "continuity family". The brand bible's description in ''Transformers Vault'' states it paints the Transformers history in broad strokes, so as to give creators the necessary flexibility when crafting their stories, a belief echoed by statements made at [[BotCon 2011]]: Archer spoke of a "squint test" where everything can be seen as one family of stories, where only fans would see differences.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/conventions-15/botcon-2011-hasbro-story-building-panel-172316/ TFW coverage of Botcon 2011 Hasbro Story Building Panel]</ref> Branches of fiction include:

===Hall of Fame profiles===
In May of 2010, before any Aligned franchises had launched, Hasbro announced a "Transformers Hall of Fame" honoring characters and people associated with the ''Transformers'' brand. The spot for one inductee was put to a fan-vote: [[Transformers Hall of Fame#Nominees|Five character profiles]] were published on Hasbro.com, and users could cast a vote for one of them. Most of them were described with a combination of traits from various continuities; for example, [[Jazz (disambiguation)|Jazz]] is pictured in [[Jazz (G1)|his ''Generation 1'' form]] but described as a "[[Cyber-Ninja Corps|Cyber-Ninja]]" like [[Jazz (Animated)|his ''Animated'' incarnation]].<ref>[http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/news/TRANSFORMERS-HALL-OF-FAME-Nominee-3.cfm Jazz's Hall of Fame profile]</ref> [[Soundwave (disambiguation)|Soundwave]], also looking like [[Soundwave (G1)|his ''Generation 1'' self]], is said to have a mysterious origin like [[Soundwave (Cybertron)|his ''Cybertron'' counterpart]], his partners are called "[[Mini-Con]]s" instead of "[[Mini-Cassette]]s", and he has [[Soundwave (ROTF)|his live-action movie incarnation]]'s vulnerability to simultaneous sonic booms.<ref>[http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/news/TRANSFORMERS-HALL-OF-FAME-Nominee-1.cfm Soundwave's Hall of Fame profile]</ref> Later, a [[Hasbro Q&A]] answer stated that Jazz's entry is based on Aligned continuity.<ref name="newaligned" /> [[Jazz (WFC)|The character does appear in ''War for Cybertron'' fiction]], but with no particularly Cyber-Ninja-like attributes.

===''War for Cybertron'' and ''Fall of Cybertron'' video games===
Created by [[High Moon Studios]] under Game Director [[Matt Tieger]] with tie-in games by [[Next Level Games]] and [[Vicarious Visions]], [[Transformers: War for Cybertron (games)|''War for Cybertron'']]'s aesthetics and characterizations are heavily based on [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]; for example, [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] and [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] speak words, despite both being quasi-mute in the [[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|''Prime'' cartoon]]. Set in the ancient days of the [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]ian war, the games' plot focuses on [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]'s quest to harness [[Dark Energon]], which ends up corrupting the planet itself and leaving it uninhabitable for millions of years. Those events overlap a large portion of the simultaneously-released ''[[Transformers: Exodus]]'' novel, but they [[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)#Synopsis|differ in many details]]. Two years later, ''War for Cybertron'' was followed by its sequel, ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]''.

===Alex Irvine novels===
Written by [[Alex Irvine]], ''[[Transformers: Exodus]]'' describes the beginning of the war and then, as mentioned above, covers the same ground as the ''War for Cybertron'' games with many differing details. (Hasbro did take a small stab at reconciliation by declaring [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]]'s predecessor in the games, "Zeta Prime", and the one in the novel, "Sentinel Prime", to be the same individual, "[[Sentinel Zeta Prime]]".)<ref>[http://www.ripten.com/2010/06/26/creators-talk-transformers-war-for-cybertron-at-botcon-2010-panel-lbd416/ Ripten.com's coverage of the BotCon 2010 Activision panel]</ref> Irvine also wrote the [[Transformers: War for Cybertron (comic)|''War for Cybertron'' comic]] and the apocryphal short story [[Bumblebee at Tyger Pax]], both set in the novel's pre-game period. The comic contains no major discrepancies, other than maintaining the "Sentinel Prime" name, but the short story features [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] losing his ability to speak words before the game events. ''[[Transformers: Exiles]]'' continues the saga post-Cybertron.

===''Generations'' toy bios===
[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)#Toys|A handful of toys]] were created directly from ''War for Cybertron'' designs and sold as part of the [[Generations (toyline)|''Generations'' toyline]]. While lacking the phrase "War for Cybertron" on their packaging, the release of the first wave was timed within days of the games and novel,<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=69812 Allspark.com toy-sighting forum reports]</ref> and their on-package [[bio]]s are basically in sync with that fiction as well. Megatron's, for example, focuses on his penchant for upgrading his body with "bleeding-edge" technology,<ref>[http://www.seibertron.com/images/toys/files/127/cybertronian-megatron-011.jpg Cybertronian Megatron's on-package bio]</ref> which may be an allusion to his lustful utilization of Dark Energon. Bumblebee's says he was once a "chatterbox" but is now a "silent warrior",<ref>[http://www.seibertron.com/images/toys/files/127/wfc-bumblebee-009.jpg Cybertronian Bumblebee's on-package bio]</ref> which appears to be a bridge between his ''War for Cybertron'' and then-upcoming ''Prime'' portrayals; however, it's not strictly accurate because in ''Prime'' he can still vocalize, just [[R2-D2|not in words]].

===''Prime'' cartoon===
Overseen by the team of [[Jeff Kline]], [[Duane Capizzi]], [[Roberto Orci]] and [[Alex Kurtzman]], this show is set on modern-day [[Earth]] with a unique aesthetic somewhere between the [[live-action film series]] and ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]]''. Released five months after ''War for Cybertron'', it also features Dark Energon as a primary plot element, but it seems to be a more mysterious substance with the added quality of being able to [[Terrorcon (Prime)|reanimate corpses]].<ref>[[Darkness Rising, Part 2|''Prime'' episode "Darkness Rising, Part 2"]]</ref> Also, strangely, Megatron is able to create an army of such creatures by crashing Dark Energon into the dead world of Cybertron,<ref>[[Darkness Rising, Part 2|''Prime'' episode "Darkness Rising, Part 5"]]</ref> despite the reason for the planet's demise in ''War for Cybertron'' being its complete infection with the stuff. It was stated at [[BotCon 2011]] that Dark Energon's nature differed because of the modern era of the show, as opposed to the ancient setting of the novel and games. The producers also iterated that while they strive to maintain continuity, ultimately leeway was allowed if it served the story.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/conventions-15/botcon-2011-transformers-prime-panel-172315/ TFW coverage of Hasbro Studios panel at BotCon 2011]</ref>

A [[Transformers: Prime (comic)|prequel comic]] written by [[Mike Johnson]] shows events on Cybertron immediately before the cartoon, incorporating the ''Exodus'' notion of [[space bridge]]s being a lost art and Megatron's backstory as a [[Kaon]]ian miner.

===''Online'' and ''Universe'' MMOs===
Developed by [[NetDragon]] and [[Jagex]] for their respective Eastern and Western markets, the ''[[Transformers Online]]'' and ''[[Transformers Universe]]'' MMOs tie into ''Prime'' aesthetically and broaden the universe. Their continuities will presumably not tie into each other however.

===''Rescue Bots'' cartoon===
''Rescue Bots'' features a group of Autobots not ready to face the Decepticons. Instead, they are assigned to help a team of search & rescue workers on an island in Maine.

===''Bot Shots'' toyline, bios and online game===
The [[Bot Shots]] characters are somewhere between [[Live-action film| the live action movies]] and [[Generation 1 (franchise)| Generation 1]] aesthetically, with some Prime mixed in for good measure. Since this kind of makes the wiki's brain hurt, we have decided to place them with the Aligned continuity.

==Notes==
* Instead of giving this continuity family an official name, Hasbro has instead referred to it with brief descriptors such as "new aligned",<ref name="newaligned" /> "aligned",<ref name="aligned" /> "modern",<ref name="decade" /><ref name="fallen" /> and "War for Cybertron/Exodus".<ref name="newaligned" /> VP of Intellectual Property Development [[Aaron Archer]] said at a [[BotCon 2010]] panel that he had considered naming it "Epochs" but then decided not to.
* The [[Transformers (2010 toyline)|subtitle-less ''Transformers'' toyline launched in 2010]] and its companion line, ''Generations'', share some of the Aligned spirit, since they likewise contain characters and concepts from previous franchises with little separation. But the only real connection between those toylines and Aligned material is the small number of [[#Generations toy bios|previously-mentioned]] ''War for Cybertron''-inspired toys. Hasbro has referred to the [[Power Core Combiners]] subline as "exist[ing] in the modern world continuity",<ref>[[Hasbro Q&A/November 2010: Answers|TFWiki.net Hasbro Q&A, Nov. 2010]]</ref> but the context of that statement doesn't suggest a specific reference to Aligned.
* The ''Hubworld Transformers: Prime'' TV special featured footage of BotCon attendees taking a ''Transformers'' quiz, with the questions being what Optimus Prime's original name was, what his job had been, and which soap opera was the Autobots' favorite. The soap opera (''[[As the Kitchen Sinks]]'') is from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|''Generation 1'' cartoon]], but the "correct" answers to the first two questions were said to be "Orion Pax" and "data clerk". Aligned continuity is the only source where both of those ideas are true. This seems to reflect Hasbro's current policy of treating Aligned material as the default ''Transformers'' "truth". Something similar occurred during the [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]] era, where [[DK Publishing|DK]]'s ''[[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide]]'' treated that continuity as the default "truth," so this not a completely new phenomenon.
* The Aligned continuity has influenced the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]], with [[James Roberts]] introducing elements of the Optimus-Megatron backstory with "[[Chaos Theory Part 1]]", while ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye| More than Meets the Eye]]'' and ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise| Robots in Disguise]]'' series utilize ''War for Cybertron'' character designs.

==See also==

* [[Aligned timeline]]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Aligned| ]]
[[Category:Continuity families]]
[[Category:Prime]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron]]

Aligned continuity family

2012-03-08T05:13:03Z

173.57.44.139: /* Rescue Bots cartoon */

{{noname-unconfirmed}}
[[Image:Hasbrobible-OPrimedescription.jpg|350px|thumb|Optimus Prime's depiction in Hasbro's brand bible at the center of the aligned continuity family.]]
The '''Aligned continuity family''' was launched in 2010 with the intention of being the foundation of most ''[[Transformers brand|Transformers]]'' projects for the decade to come.<ref name="decade">[[Hasbro Q&A/January 2011: Answers|TFWiki.net Hasbro Q&A, Jan. 2011]]</ref> Its core is the "[[Binder of Revelation]]",<ref>[http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/botcon-2011-coverage-hasbro-intellectual-property-panel/21870/ Seibertron.com Botcon 2011 Coverage: Hasbro Intellectual Property Panel]</ref> a 354-page<ref>[http://www.figures.com/forums/news/13305-botcon-2011-hasbro-panel-report.html Figures.com recap of Hasbro BotCon 2011 panel]</ref> [[production bible|brand bible]] co-written by [[Aaron Archer]], [[Rik Alvarez]] and other Transformer experts from [[Hasbro]] and the [[fandom]], charting billions of years worth of history for the Transformers.<ref>''[[Transformers Vault]]''.</ref> The [[Continuity family|family]] currently comprises the ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)|War for Cybertron]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|Prime]]'' franchises,<ref name="aligned">[http://www.allspark.com/content/view/8189/20/ Hasbro continuity declaration]</ref> and it has some influence on [[Transformers Hall of Fame|Hall of Fame]] character portrayal.<ref name="newaligned">[http://www.tfviews.com/news/main/hasbro-q-and-a/1024 TFviews.com Hasbro Q&A, July 2010]</ref>

Hasbro has not given this family an official title. We have derived the name "Aligned" from Hasbro statements referring to this as a new "aligned continuity".<ref name="aligned" /><ref name="newaligned" /> Hasbro considered the whole continuity "a bit of an animal to define".<ref name="allspark2011botcon"/>

==Creative vision==
The Aligned venture appears to be Hasbro's attempt at synthesizing a grand unified [[continuity]] out of all of the previous lore. An expression of this can be seen in the Hall of Fame profiles, one of which was officially confirmed as being "based off of" Aligned continuity.<ref name="newaligned" /> That one and several others present each character as an amalgam of traits from disparate continuities, ranging from ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]'' to the [[Unicron Trilogy]] to the [[live-action film series]] and more (see [[#Hall of Fame profiles|below]]).

This is a significant departure from Hasbro's [[Transformers: Universe (2003 franchise)|previous]] [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club (magazine)|forays]] into meta-continuity, which preserved the integrity of old timelines as separate, coexistent universes within a single [[multiverse]]. In that schema, the Aligned family would be simply one more [[universal stream]] added to the mix, beholden to preestablished concepts like [[Multiversal singularity|multiversal singularities]]. But when asked about how [[The Fallen|a certain singularity]] would relate to the new fiction, Hasbro replied, "Anything you know from past generations of the brand may or may not be factual in the new continuity."<ref name="fallen">[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=74182&view=findpost&p=1675011 Allspark.com Hasbro Q&A, Nov. 2010]</ref> At [[BotCon 2011]], the multiverse was referred to as a "separate universe".<ref name="allspark2011botcon">[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=79726 AllSpark.com live transcript of Archer and Alvarez's 2011 BotCon panel]</ref>

Where, exactly, this leaves the Aligned fiction in relation to the rest of the multiverse is unclear. [[Movie continuity|Other]] [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|contemporary]] [[Transformers Timelines (fiction)|fiction]] has continued to tell stories set in older universes, so it seems at least that Aligned material is not meant to supersede the continuities from which it draws.

==Continuities==
''See also: [[Aligned timeline]]''

Hasbro consistently refers to all Aligned fiction as one "continuity", and while different storylines may appear to contradict each other, "reasons for the confusion will be revealed".<ref name="decade" /> However, that ideal is hampered by the fact that various elements of the fiction have separate creative teams with distinct visions that sometimes conflict. For that reason, this wiki takes the more cautious route of calling it a "continuity family". The brand bible's description in ''Transformers Vault'' states it paints the Transformers history in broad strokes, so as to give creators the necessary flexibility when crafting their stories, a belief echoed by statements made at [[BotCon 2011]]: Archer spoke of a "squint test" where everything can be seen as one family of stories, where only fans would see differences.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/conventions-15/botcon-2011-hasbro-story-building-panel-172316/ TFW coverage of Botcon 2011 Hasbro Story Building Panel]</ref> Branches of fiction include:

===Hall of Fame profiles===
In May of 2010, before any Aligned franchises had launched, Hasbro announced a "Transformers Hall of Fame" honoring characters and people associated with the ''Transformers'' brand. The spot for one inductee was put to a fan-vote: [[Transformers Hall of Fame#Nominees|Five character profiles]] were published on Hasbro.com, and users could cast a vote for one of them. Most of them were described with a combination of traits from various continuities; for example, [[Jazz (disambiguation)|Jazz]] is pictured in [[Jazz (G1)|his ''Generation 1'' form]] but described as a "[[Cyber-Ninja Corps|Cyber-Ninja]]" like [[Jazz (Animated)|his ''Animated'' incarnation]].<ref>[http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/news/TRANSFORMERS-HALL-OF-FAME-Nominee-3.cfm Jazz's Hall of Fame profile]</ref> [[Soundwave (disambiguation)|Soundwave]], also looking like [[Soundwave (G1)|his ''Generation 1'' self]], is said to have a mysterious origin like [[Soundwave (Cybertron)|his ''Cybertron'' counterpart]], his partners are called "[[Mini-Con]]s" instead of "[[Mini-Cassette]]s", and he has [[Soundwave (ROTF)|his live-action movie incarnation]]'s vulnerability to simultaneous sonic booms.<ref>[http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/news/TRANSFORMERS-HALL-OF-FAME-Nominee-1.cfm Soundwave's Hall of Fame profile]</ref> Later, a [[Hasbro Q&A]] answer stated that Jazz's entry is based on Aligned continuity.<ref name="newaligned" /> [[Jazz (WFC)|The character does appear in ''War for Cybertron'' fiction]], but with no particularly Cyber-Ninja-like attributes.

===''War for Cybertron'' and ''Fall of Cybertron'' video games===
Created by [[High Moon Studios]] under Game Director [[Matt Tieger]] with tie-in games by [[Next Level Games]] and [[Vicarious Visions]], [[Transformers: War for Cybertron (games)|''War for Cybertron'']]'s aesthetics and characterizations are heavily based on [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]; for example, [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] and [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] speak words, despite both being quasi-mute in the [[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|''Prime'' cartoon]]. Set in the ancient days of the [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]ian war, the games' plot focuses on [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]'s quest to harness [[Dark Energon]], which ends up corrupting the planet itself and leaving it uninhabitable for millions of years. Those events overlap a large portion of the simultaneously-released ''[[Transformers: Exodus]]'' novel, but they [[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)#Synopsis|differ in many details]]. Two years later, ''War for Cybertron'' was followed by its sequel, ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]''.

===Alex Irvine novels===
Written by [[Alex Irvine]], ''[[Transformers: Exodus]]'' describes the beginning of the war and then, as mentioned above, covers the same ground as the ''War for Cybertron'' games with many differing details. (Hasbro did take a small stab at reconciliation by declaring [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]]'s predecessor in the games, "Zeta Prime", and the one in the novel, "Sentinel Prime", to be the same individual, "[[Sentinel Zeta Prime]]".)<ref>[http://www.ripten.com/2010/06/26/creators-talk-transformers-war-for-cybertron-at-botcon-2010-panel-lbd416/ Ripten.com's coverage of the BotCon 2010 Activision panel]</ref> Irvine also wrote the [[Transformers: War for Cybertron (comic)|''War for Cybertron'' comic]] and the apocryphal short story [[Bumblebee at Tyger Pax]], both set in the novel's pre-game period. The comic contains no major discrepancies, other than maintaining the "Sentinel Prime" name, but the short story features [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] losing his ability to speak words before the game events. ''[[Transformers: Exiles]]'' continues the saga post-Cybertron.

===''Generations'' toy bios===
[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)#Toys|A handful of toys]] were created directly from ''War for Cybertron'' designs and sold as part of the [[Generations (toyline)|''Generations'' toyline]]. While lacking the phrase "War for Cybertron" on their packaging, the release of the first wave was timed within days of the games and novel,<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=69812 Allspark.com toy-sighting forum reports]</ref> and their on-package [[bio]]s are basically in sync with that fiction as well. Megatron's, for example, focuses on his penchant for upgrading his body with "bleeding-edge" technology,<ref>[http://www.seibertron.com/images/toys/files/127/cybertronian-megatron-011.jpg Cybertronian Megatron's on-package bio]</ref> which may be an allusion to his lustful utilization of Dark Energon. Bumblebee's says he was once a "chatterbox" but is now a "silent warrior",<ref>[http://www.seibertron.com/images/toys/files/127/wfc-bumblebee-009.jpg Cybertronian Bumblebee's on-package bio]</ref> which appears to be a bridge between his ''War for Cybertron'' and then-upcoming ''Prime'' portrayals; however, it's not strictly accurate because in ''Prime'' he can still vocalize, just [[R2-D2|not in words]].

===''Prime'' cartoon===
Overseen by the team of [[Jeff Kline]], [[Duane Capizzi]], [[Roberto Orci]] and [[Alex Kurtzman]], this show is set on modern-day [[Earth]] with a unique aesthetic somewhere between the [[live-action film series]] and ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]]''. Released five months after ''War for Cybertron'', it also features Dark Energon as a primary plot element, but it seems to be a more mysterious substance with the added quality of being able to [[Terrorcon (Prime)|reanimate corpses]].<ref>[[Darkness Rising, Part 2|''Prime'' episode "Darkness Rising, Part 2"]]</ref> Also, strangely, Megatron is able to create an army of such creatures by crashing Dark Energon into the dead world of Cybertron,<ref>[[Darkness Rising, Part 2|''Prime'' episode "Darkness Rising, Part 5"]]</ref> despite the reason for the planet's demise in ''War for Cybertron'' being its complete infection with the stuff. It was stated at [[BotCon 2011]] that Dark Energon's nature differed because of the modern era of the show, as opposed to the ancient setting of the novel and games. The producers also iterated that while they strive to maintain continuity, ultimately leeway was allowed if it served the story.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/conventions-15/botcon-2011-transformers-prime-panel-172315/ TFW coverage of Hasbro Studios panel at BotCon 2011]</ref>

A [[Transformers: Prime (comic)|prequel comic]] written by [[Mike Johnson]] shows events on Cybertron immediately before the cartoon, incorporating the ''Exodus'' notion of [[space bridge]]s being a lost art and Megatron's backstory as a [[Kaon]]ian miner.

===''Online'' and ''Universe'' MMOs===
Developed by [[NetDragon]] and [[Jagex]] for their respective Eastern and Western markets, the ''[[Transformers Online]]'' and ''[[Transformers Universe]]'' MMOs tie into ''Prime'' aesthetically and broaden the universe. Their continuities will presumably not tie into each other however.

===''Rescue Bots'' cartoon===
''Rescue Bots'' features a group of Autobots not ready to face the Decepticons. Instead, they are assigned to help a team of search & rescue workers on an island in Maine.

===''Bot Shots'' toyline, bios and online game===
The [[Bot Shots]] characters are somewhere between [[Live-action film| the live action movies]] and [[Generation 1 (franchise)| Generation 1]] aesthetically, with some Prime mixed in for good measure. Since this kind of makes the wiki's brain hurt, we have decided to place them with the Aligned continuity.

==Notes==
* Instead of giving this continuity family an official name, Hasbro has instead referred to it with brief descriptors such as "new aligned",<ref name="newaligned" /> "aligned",<ref name="aligned" /> "modern",<ref name="decade" /><ref name="fallen" /> and "War for Cybertron/Exodus".<ref name="newaligned" /> VP of Intellectual Property Development [[Aaron Archer]] said at a [[BotCon 2010]] panel that he had considered naming it "Epochs" but then decided not to.
* The [[Transformers (2010 toyline)|subtitle-less ''Transformers'' toyline launched in 2010]] and its companion line, ''Generations'', share some of the Aligned spirit, since they likewise contain characters and concepts from previous franchises with little separation. But the only real connection between those toylines and Aligned material is the small number of [[#Generations toy bios|previously-mentioned]] ''War for Cybertron''-inspired toys. Hasbro has referred to the [[Power Core Combiners]] subline as "exist[ing] in the modern world continuity",<ref>[[Hasbro Q&A/November 2010: Answers|TFWiki.net Hasbro Q&A, Nov. 2010]]</ref> but the context of that statement doesn't suggest a specific reference to Aligned.
* The ''Hubworld Transformers: Prime'' TV special featured footage of BotCon attendees taking a ''Transformers'' quiz, with the questions being what Optimus Prime's original name was, what his job had been, and which soap opera was the Autobots' favorite. The soap opera (''[[As the Kitchen Sinks]]'') is from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|''Generation 1'' cartoon]], but the "correct" answers to the first two questions were said to be "Orion Pax" and "data clerk". Aligned continuity is the only source where both of those ideas are true. This seems to reflect Hasbro's current policy of treating Aligned material as the default ''Transformers'' "truth". Something similar occurred during the [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]] era, where [[DK Publishing|DK]]'s ''[[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide]]'' treated that continuity as the default "truth," so this not a completely new phenomenon.
* The Aligned continuity has influenced the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]], with [[James Roberts]] introducing elements of the Optimus-Megatron backstory with "[[Chaos Theory Part 1]]", while ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye| More than Meets the Eye]]'' and ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise| Robots in Disguise]]'' series utilize ''War for Cybertron'' character designs.

==See also==

* [[Aligned timeline]]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Aligned| ]]
[[Category:Continuity families]]
[[Category:Prime]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron]]

Transformers: Exiles

2012-03-08T05:09:01Z

173.57.44.139: /* Notes */

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''Transformers: Exiles''
|prev=Transformers: Exodus
|next=
|title=
|image=TransformersExiles.jpg
|caption= ''Does it feel like a trial?'' 
''Does it trouble your mind the way you trouble mine?'' 
''Does it feel like a trial?'' 
''Now you're thinking too fast'' 
''You're like marbles on glass''

|publisher=[[Del Rey Books]]
|price=$7.99 (US)
|date=[[October 4]], [[2011]]
|writer=[[Alex Irvine]]
|continuity=[[Aligned continuity family]]
|ISBN=ISBN 0345519868 ISBN 978-0345519863
|pagecount=384
}}
'''As the Autobots search for the Allspark in the depths of space, Optimus must discover the secrets of the Thirteen.'''

==Synopsis==

Following the destruction of Cybertron's last working [[space bridge|Space Bridge]], [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] and his crew aboard the ''[[Ark (WFC)|Ark]]'' find themselves teleported into interstellar space. However, Optimus's [[Matrix of Leadership]] projects a star map, which guides them to the long-lost world of [[Velocitron]], one of the colony worlds that was abandoned millennia ago and left to its own devices. Taking a small group of [[Autobot]]s, Prime discovers that the planet is still inhabited by a culture of speed-obsessed Cybertronians. Encountering [[Ransack (Prime)|Ransack]], a surly co-ruler of the planet, he and his party travel to [[Delta]], the main capital of the planet. There, Optimus sees the full extent of Velocitronian culture—a hyper-specialized lifestyle that has eschewed all other forms of transport besides wheels—and meets [[Override (Prime)|Override]], the other ruler of the planet, who won her position through a race.

The Velocitronians falsely believe that the Cybertronians have arrived to save them. Override confides in Optimus Prime that their society is gradually collapsing; not only is their sun in its final period of its life, they have been running short on planetary resources for a while. Nevertheless, they are preparing for the great [[Speedia]] race to determine the fastest Velocitronian. As he watches the race, Optimus mulls over the fact that these races are similar to the gladiatorial matches that allowed [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] to begin his rise to power. As a way of showing the Velocitronians that the Autobots are powerful, Optimus orders [[Silverbolt (WFC)|Silverbolt]] to fly over the race as it ends ([[Blurr (Prime)|Blurr]] is the winner), which awes most of the Velocitronians but only angers Ransack.

Eventually, the other Autobots land the ''Ark'' at Delta and commence repairs on their ship. Optimus Prime takes advantage of this to explore the world of Velocitron, traveling with a young Velocitronian named Clocker to the remnants of the planet's Space Bridge.

Meanwhile, Ransack and his bodyguard are contacted by another mysterious Cybertronian, who only goes by the name "[[Makeshift (Prime)|777]]". 777 tells them about the coming [[Decepticon]]s and Megatron, which intrigues Ransack and his group.

Meanwhile at the Space Bridge, Optimus Prime communes with the Matrix, which shows him a cryptic vision—but, at the same time, allows him to encounter a mysterious piece of metal, which Optimus believes to be a part of the mythical [[Star Saber (Prima)|Star Saber]]. However, the two come under fire from a group of Decepticon sympathizers. [[Clocker (Prime)|Clocker]] and Optimus manage to escape and return to Delta. However, both Clocker and another Velocitronian mechanic named [[Mainspring]] decide to leave with Optimus aboard the ''Ark''.

Upon returning to Delta, Optimus consults with the other Autobots about the meaning of the metal shard. They are interrupted by Blurr, who realizes that the trophy he won at Speedia contains a similar shard. Not long afterwards, the ''Ark'' is sabotaged. As the Autobots try to repair it, Ransack strikes with his acolytes, trying to wrest leadership from Override. Override responds in kind, and as the Autobots try to escape from Cybertron, Velocitron is plunged into civil war.

The Autobots manage to escape, and find themselves in orbit around an even stranger world; a planet of garbage and trash called [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]]. Optimus and a small crew encounters an eccentric bot named [[Wreck-Gar (Prime)|Wreck-Gar]], who claims to be the leader of the scavenging tribes on the world. His mind temporarily cleared by the power of the Matrix, he and the other [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]] pledge their allegiance to Optimus and vow to help repair the ''Ark''.

Meanwhile, the ''[[Nemesis (Prime)|Nemesis]]'', having also been transported into interstellar space by the Space Bridge, pick up the ''Ark''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s trail and make preparations to land on Velocitron, where they believe the Autobots are.

As repairs commence on the ''Ark'', Optimus Prime travels down into the depths of Junkion, discovering a mysterious ship. The Matrix projects another map, directing him to the last of Junkion's functional Space Bridges. Upon reaching the surface, he requests use of a ship from Wreck-Gar. However, [[Prowl (Prime)|Prowl]] discovers that [[Shearbolt]]—a trader that the Autobots encountered early on, had been killed before the Autobots landed, causing Optimus to suspect that there may be a [[Shifter]] aboard. At the same time, [[Axer (Prime)|Axer]], an ex-Decepticon stranded on Junkion through a Space Bridge mishap, tries to convince Wreck-Gar to turn against them. While both groups begin scavenging parts to repair a ship, Optimus discovers another mysterious artifact about to be incinerated, but manages to save it at the last second.

Meanwhile, on Velocitron, Override and her cadre of loyalists are visited by an enigmatic group of pirates, who claim to be looking for Cybertronians. Their arrival ignites tensions and causes the civil war to redouble.

Simultaneously, on Junkion, Prowl manages to track and trace Axer, interrogating him about Shearbolt's killing. From his testimony, Optimus Prime and [[Jazz (WFC)|Jazz]] manage to deduce that [[Hound (Prime)|Hound]] is the Decepticon Shifter, and manage to lure him into a trap. He is taken prisoner by the Junkions. Meanwhile, the ''Nemesis'' arrives on Velocitron. Megatron encounters several Decepticon-allied Velocitronians, including Ransack, and gains several new followers. However, the ''Nemesis'' almost immediately makes preparations to leave for Junkion, in pursuit of the Autobots.

Optimus Prime, Silverbolt, [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]], and Jazz travel through the Space Bridge, reaching a new region of space that contains the tomb of weaponsmith [[Solus Prime]]. A hologram of Solus Prime appears and warns Optimus and the others to leave immediately. However, a messenger from Cybertron—a young Autobot named [[Chaindrive]], teleported there by [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]]—appears and gives Optimus two more pieces of the artifact, which Optimus realizes are the [[Blades of Time]]. Assembling them correctly, he contacts [[Vector Prime]], who informs him about the nature of the [[Requiem Blaster (Prime)|Requiem Blaster]] and its location, which is sought by Axer. Returning to Junkion, the party arrives just in time for the ''Nemesis'' to appear, launching an attack on both the Autobots and Junkions.

As the fight rages across Junkion, Axer manages to escape down to the core of Junkion, discovering the Requiem Blaster. However, when he moves it, the gravitational disturbance it creates begins to tear Junkion apart from the inside out. Reporting to Megatron, the Blaster is grafted to the hull of the ''Nemesis''. The disturbances awaken another Junkion named [[Cannonspring]]. Cannonspring, Mainspring, [[Pinion]], Clocker, and Chaindrive unite into the mythical [[Nexus Prime]]. Nexus contacts Optimus and bestows upon him the [[Cyber Caliber]], a legendary sword. Megatron and Optimus duel atop a bridge, with Optimus ultimately triumphant. However, at that moment, he receives a vision of the [[AllSpark|Allspark]]'s location, and begins to retreat towards the ''Ark'' to pursue it. The Requiem Blaster overheats, and is jettisoned by the Decepticons.

The [[Star Seeker]]s too arrive on Junkion as part of their quest. Taking Wreck-Gar and many of his Junkions prisoner, they force the natives to weld a Space Bridge to the hull of their ship. Axer is also taken aboard as a hostage, but manages to convince [[Thundertron]], their captain, to keep him alive so that he may lead them to more Cybertronians. The hunt for the Allspark continues, but the Star Seekers are now also in pursuit...

==Characters==

{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]]
*[[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]]
*[[Sideswipe (WFC)|Sideswipe]]
*[[Prowl (Prime)|Prowl]]
*[[Jazz (WFC)|Jazz]]
*[[Silverbolt (WFC)|Silverbolt]]
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]]
*[[Perceptor (Prime)|Perceptor]]
*[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]]
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]]
*[[Springer (Prime)|Springer]]
*[[Makeshift (Prime)|Hound]]
*[[Ironhide (Prime) |Ironhide]]
*[[Wheeljack (Prime) |Wheeljack]]
|c2=
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]
*[[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]]
*[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]]
*[[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]]
*[[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]]
*[[Slipstream (WFC)|Slipstream]]
*[[Thundercracker (WFC)|Thundercracker]]
*[[Skywarp (WFC)|Skywarp]]
*[[Lugnut (WFC)|Lugnut]]
|h3=[[Thirteen]]|c3=
*[[Alpha Trion (Prime)|Alpha Trion]]
*[[Vector Prime]]
*[[Solus Prime]]
*[[Nexus Prime]]
** [[Clocker (Prime)|Clocker]]
** [[Mainspring]]
** [[Chaindrive]]
** [[Cannonspring]]
** [[Pinion]]

|h4=[[Star Seeker]]s|c4=
*[[Thundertron]]
*[[Brimstone (Prime)|Brimstone]]
*[[Cannonball (Prime)|Cannonball]]
*[[Sandstorm (Prime)|Sandstorm]]
*[[Axer (Prime)|Axer]]

|h5=Others|c5=
'''[[Velocitron]]ians'''
*[[Override (Prime)|Override]]
*[[Blurr (Prime)|Blurr]]
*[[Backfire (Prime)|Backfire]]
*[[Ransack (Prime)|Ransack]]
*[[Hightail (Prime)|Hightail]]
*[[Armco]]
*[[Syncol]]
*[[Blueshift]]

'''[[Junkion (species)|Junkion]]s'''
*[[Wreck-Gar (Prime)|Wreck-Gar]]
*[[Shearbolt]]
*[[Detritus (Prime)|Detritus]]
*[[Arclight]]
|nonumbering=true
}}

==Transformers references==

* The entire book revisits the idea of lost Cybertronian colony worlds; something was initially explored in the ''[[Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'' franchise. Velocitron and many of its inhabitants are re-imagined versions of ''Cybertron'' Velocitronians.
* Junkion first appeared in the [[Generation 1]] continuity family.
* Wreck-Gar's cheerful proclamation of "that's what I'm good for, garbage!" recalls [[Wreck-Gar (Animated)|a different Wreck-Gar]] and his perceived lot in life.
* The [[universal greeting]] is used several times in the book.
* Alpha Trion mentions that the Star Saber may be made up of three smaller robots; in its ''Armada'' incarnation, the [[Star Saber (Armada)|Star Saber]] was just that.
* The idea of a Decepticon with an Autobot alt-mode [[Punch (G1)|is not]] [[Shockwave (Animated)|a new idea.]]

==Notes==
* Irvine said that the [[space bridge]]s will play an important part in the sequel, "and they lead to some [[Velocitron|unexpected]] [[Junkion (planet)|places]]". The focus remains on [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]], but the [[Thirteen|original Thirteen Primes]] and their Artifacts "comes to play in this book too, but in unexpected ways".<ref>[http://www2.unicron.com/2011/2011-interviews/308-unicroncom-interview-with-transformers-exodus-author-alex-irvine.html 2011 Unicron.com interview with Alex Irvine]</ref>
* Originally, the title was going to incorporate ''[[Transformers: Prime (franchise)| Prime]]''.<ref>[http://twitter.com/alexirvine/status/50528392700899328 Irvine's Tweet].</ref>
* There will be a sequel that features the Star Seekers in a major role and ends with the Autobots and the Decepticons reaching Earth.

===Errors===
*In chapter three and the start of chapter four, the first team sent down to Velocitron is composed of Prime, Bumblebee, Jazz and Perceptor, with Perceptor getting several bits of analytical dialogue. But from page 23, Silverbolt suddenly replaces Perceptor, and has an important role in the climax of the Speedia race.
*Similarly, page 25 identifies the second Velocitron landing team as Sideswipe, Hound, Ironhide and Prowl, but from page 29, Ironhide is replaced with Ratchet.
*At the end of chapter five, Optimus Prime and Clocker drive away and leave the monolith behind, but then at the start of chapter seven, they're suddenly back in front of it again as if they'd never left.
*Page 209 makes the claim that Makeshift cannot even change his facial expressions while in the statis field, but the rest of his interrogation scene repeatedly describe him doing just that.
*On page 218, Optimus decides to have Silverbolt provide the transport for the mission to the space bridge, rather than using the ship they had previously salvaged. This notion is carried through, with the Aerialbot described as carrying Prime and Bumblebee into orbit (p. 234), and they subsequently move around the space graveyard without a ship. However, when the group departs from Solus Prime's tomb, they go "''back to the ship''", and are said to board the salvaged spacecraft with Sideswipe at the helm (p. 267). This doesn't last long, as when they enter the other space bridge and return to Junkion (p. 271), it is back to just the "''four bots''" (Chaindrive has joined them), with no ship.
*On page 276, Sideswipe joins the conversation, despite Ratchet and Jazz being the only Autobots described as joining up with Optimus' party.
*It's never explained how exactly Optimus manages to travel to Velocitron's south pole and back in such a short time.
*The final few chapters have a lot of trouble with the names of swords. While the rest of the book talks about the fragments of the [[Star Saber (Prima)|Star Saber]], once Nexus Prime is formed, the sword he produces and gives to Optimus Prime is called the "[[Cyber Caliber]]". Logically, one might immediately assume that this is a different sword and that the Star Saber is still out there somewhere else, but when the fight is over, the sword is broken up into fragments like the Star Saber and integrated into each of Nexus's components, and in the epilogue, Alpha Trion again refers to Nexus Prime as possessor of the Star Saber. Similarly, Nexus Prime's personal blade is at first called the "Omni Saber" in one instance, and then in the subsequent two instances of it being named, is called the "Chaos Edge". Alex has confirmed via Twitter that the Saber and Caliber are separate swords not an error (so he claims at least), whether the same is true of the other two and Nexus is toting ''four unrelated swords'' around inside him, who can say...

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.amazon.com/Transformers-Exiles-Alex-Irvine/dp/0345519868/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1300978654&sr=8-1 Amazon.com page]
*[http://www.randomhouse.com/book/198675/transformers-exiles-by-alex-irvine Random House page]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Exiles}}
[[Category:Prime media]]
[[Category:Novels]]

Orion Pax, Part 3

2012-03-08T05:05:08Z

173.57.44.139: /* Synopsis */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 29
|prev=Orion Pax, Part 2
|next=Operation Bumblebee, Part 1
|image=
|caption=
|title="Orion Pax, Part 3"
|airdate=[[March 3]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[Joseph Kuhr]]
|directed by=[[Shaunt Nigoghossian]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}
{{template:picsneeded}}

'''Jack and Arcee undertake a dangerous mission on Cybertron to access Vector Sigma, while Orion begins to rebel against Megatron.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Jack Darby|Jack]] and [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] walk through [[Kaon]], guided by the light of the [[Key to Vector Sigma]]. They come upon a circular clearing, and the key glows intensely, indicating that they must be close. Suddenly, the ground begins to shake, and cracks appear in the surface. The duo watch in awe as a passageway rises from the ground, its door illuminated the same as the Key. It opens, but just as the two are about to enter, an enormous creature rears up from atop the passage. Arcee's [[Autobot]] symbol catches its eye, and it charges her, Arcee's minute strength doing nothing to injure it. She is quickly incapacitated, and the creature notices Jack, giving temporary pursuit until distracted by Arcee. Jack radios [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] and is told that the creature is an [[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticon]], one of many sentries left to guard the dead [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Arcee tells Jack to go, to his surprise, but he realizes the necessity. As he enters, the door closes behind him.

On the ''[[Nemesis (Prime)|Nemesis]]'', [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] inquires as to [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Orion]]'s progress on [[Project Iacon]]. Orion says it's tough work, but Megatron says otherwise, revealing to him that all of his unsanctioned research has been recorded. Orion takes the opportunity to ask about his reported affiliation with the Autobots, but Megatron merely tells him to get back to work. Orion decides that enough is enough, and erases his progress in the archives. Megatron laughs, and shows the clerk that he has been recorded and documented in his pursuits. [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] intrudes, to show Megatron that one of their sentries came online on Cybertron. Orion asks how anything is alive on the planet, but Megatron tells him to continue his work-or be terminated.

Back on Cybertron, Arcee tangles with the enormous bug, but is no match for its brute strength. Finished with her, the Insecticon turns its attention to the fleshling, and breaks its way into the tunnel.

In the depths of the tunnel, Jack hears a [[Scraplet|familiar noise]], and uproots a metal bar for protection.

Back on the ''Nemesis'', Megatron reviews the reports with Soundwave. He learns of the [[space bridge]]'s activation, its endpoint, and the fact that it is still active. He quickly deduces the Autobots' plan.

In Cybertron's gullet, Jack arrives at the chamber of [[Vector Sigma]]. He proceeds to the center of a circular platform, where he places the Key. The entire chamber begins to transform and glow with the Key's energy, and the enormous supercomputer reveals itself, and begins to transfer its energy to the Key.

On the ''Nemesis'', Orion is hassled by the guards. He appeals to their "good nature", saying that he believes Megatron will use the information he is agglomerating for nefarious purposes. Good-old fashioned police brutality ensues as the helpless clerk is kicked and punched by his guards.

In the chamber, Jack is antsy about the speed of his download. His problems lie beyond his dial-up, however, because behind him, a horde of Scraplets has just taken notice of the ''very'' alive metal before him in the form of the Key to Vector Sigma. Jack is helpless to fend them off, and they begin to snack on the download port. He reports frantically on his position to ground control

In the space bridge chamber, however, the Autobots have bigger fish to fry as Megatron steps out of a [[GroundBridge]] to them. Ratchet vows to protect their charges, and the battle begins, Megatron easily flooring every Autobot, Ratchet and [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] twice.

On Cybertron, Arcee awakes to find a Scraplet chewing on her foot. She blasts it off, and notices the opened passage—and the absent Insecticon. Transforming, she speeds into the passageway.

Jack valiantly smashes the Scraplets as they feed, but is unable to stop their progress towards the Matrix. Another problem presents itself behind him in the form of the Insecticon. It charges towards him, but stops in its tracks, staring at the key. Jack realizes why, and the Scraplets suddenly become a blessing. He formulates an idea, pulling a Scraplet off the Key and pointing it at the aggressor. The Insecticon turns tail as it realizes what's happening, but the Scraplets give chase and latch on, quickly chewing through the giant insect as it falls to its doom, limbs disconnected. The download completes, and Jack retrieves the key. Arcee finally arrives, and the two depart.

The [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]] guards continue to beat down Orion, and one of them lets slip that it's a privilege to beat the former leader of the Autobots. Orion pleads with them to stop, and in his defense, he accidentally transforms his arms into blasters. Realizing they're in trouble, the guards fire on Pax, but he quickly dispatches them both.

Arcee and Jack arrive at the space bridge portal, and radio Ratchet about their position. Total silence on the comm tip them off that something is wrong, and, undetected on the other end of the portal, Megatron waits to end the lineage of the Primes. However, he is surprised by the sudden arrival of Orion Pax, who vows that, no matter what his heritage might be, his spark is aligned with the Autobots. He deploys his blades, and charges for Megatron, but is quickly defeated. Megatron says that he has much to learn, and prepares to kill him, but Arcee speeds through the bridge and collides with him, sending them both flying. In the light of the bridge, Jack presents the Key to Orion, who hesitates, but accepts his destiny.

The Key begins to upload the Matrix to its host. Megatron, preoccupied with fighting Arcee, notices this, and desperately runs at him. However, Orion Pax—now ''Optimus Prime'' once again—isn't ready to go down again, and trounces his enemy. A GroundBridge portal opens up, and the Autobots retreat.

At base, the Autobots and humans rejoice at their reunion. Noticing his Decepticon symbol, Optimus asks Ratchet what had happened. He replies that it was their darkest hour, but at every point along the way, Optimus was truly an Autobot at spark.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (2)
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (8)
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (15)
*[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (16)
*[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (17)

|c2=
*[[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticon]] (3)
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (9)
*"[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Orion Pax]]" (10)
*[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (11)
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (14)

|c3=
*[[Jack Darby]] (1)
*[[June Darby]] (4)
*[[Miko Nakadai]] (5)
*[[Raf Esquivel]] (6)
*[[William Fowler]] (7)

|c4=
*[[Scraplet]]s (12)
*[[Vector Sigma]] (13)

}}

==Quotes==
"Why does history portray me siding with the Autobot aggressors? And why did Starscream call me a Prime? I must know...who ''am'' I?" 
"You are my clerk."
:—'''"Orion Pax"''' questions his identity, while '''Megatron''' responds with a firm establishment of the pecking order.

"That may be true, or yet another deception, but this much I do know: my sympathies lie with the Autobots, and you are ''not'' one of us!"
:—'''"Orion Pax"''' to Megatron, realizing the truth.

"Are you...certain I am worthy?" 
"You have no idea."
:—'''"Orion Pax"''' and '''Jack'''.

"Megatron—''be gone!''"
:—'''Optimus Prime''', before delivering the most awesome series of punches in the entire series.

"Optimus, it has truly been our darkest hour, but know this: from every indication your spark never ceased being that of an Autobot."
:—'''Ratchet'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*The scraplets seem a ''lot'' nastier in this episode, chewing so fast as to render a hulking robot limbless in a matter of seconds. This is ''not'' an error, as many factors could contribute, such as the scraplets' inability to find living metal on the barren Cybertron and the ancient state of the Insecticon.
*Optimus still has the broken sword from waaaaay back in "[[One Shall Fall]]". It would seem that the Decepticons neglected to repair it. Or rather, neglected to mention that he had weapons in the first place.

===Transformers references===
* Ratchet references ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' by referring to an event as "our darkest hour", as he did before in "[[Darkness Rising, Part 5]]".
* Bulkhead calls Megatron a "bucket head", a reference to [[Megatron (G1)|the original Megatron]].
* The Insecticon's insect mode resembles a large rhinoceros beetle, [[Bombshell (G1)|like]] [[Salvo|several]] [[Barrage (Insecticon)|other]] [[Insecticon (Energon)|Insecticons]].
* From the Scraplets' point-of-view, the sphere of Vector Sigma is seen in its faceted orb appearance common to many continuities.

===Real-world references===
*Bulkhead's line bemoaning the Scraplets on Cybertron is a paraphrase of the oft-referenced "Why did it have to be snakes?" line from ''Raiders of the Lost Ark''.

===Trivia===
*Look closely at the arena circle in Kaon: it's the same arena as seen in "One Shall Rise, Part 3". Ironic that the entrance to Vector Sigma lay beneath Megatron's feet at that moment.
*The way Optimus catches Megatron's sword just after he regains his memory is the exact same as when Megatron catches Optimus' sword when he's trying to exterminate him in "[[One Shall Fall]]". It even makes the same thundering noise.

[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Orion Pax, Part 3

2012-03-08T05:04:05Z

173.57.44.139: /* Synopsis */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 29
|prev=Orion Pax, Part 2
|next=Operation Bumblebee, Part 1
|image=
|caption=
|title="Orion Pax, Part 3"
|airdate=[[March 3]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[Joseph Kuhr]]
|directed by=[[Shaunt Nigoghossian]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}
{{template:picsneeded}}

'''Jack and Arcee undertake a dangerous mission on Cybertron to access Vector Sigma, while Orion begins to rebel against Megatron.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Jack Darby|Jack]] and [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] walk through [[Kaon]], guided by the light of the [[Key to Vector Sigma]]. They come upon a circular clearing, and the key glows intensely, indicating that they must be close. Suddenly, the ground begins to shake, and cracks appear in the surface. The duo watch in awe as a passageway rises from the ground, its door illuminated the same as the Key. It opens, but just as the two are about to enter, an enormous creature rears up from atop the passage. Arcee's [[Autobot]] symbol catches its eye, and it charges her, Arcee's minute strength doing nothing to injure it. She is quickly incapacitated, and the creature notices Jack, giving temporary pursuit until distracted by Arcee. Jack radios [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] and is told that the creature is an [[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticon]], one of many sentries left to guard the dead [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Arcee tells Jack to go, to his surprise, but he realizes the necessity. As he enters, the door closes behind him.

On the ''[[Nemesis (Prime)|Nemesis]]'', [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] inquires as to [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Orion]]'s progress on [[Project Iacon]]. Orion says it's tough work, but Megatron says otherwise, revealing to him that all of his unsanctioned research has been recorded. Orion takes the opportunity to ask about his reported affiliation with the Autobots, but Megatron merely tells him to get back to work. Orion decides that enough is enough, and erases his progress in the archives. Megatron laughs, and shows the clerk that he has been recorded and documented in his pursuits. [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] intrudes, to show Megatron that one of their sentries came online on Cybertron. Orion asks how anything is alive on the planet, but Megatron tells him to continue his work-or be terminated.

Back on Cybertron, Arcee tangles with the enormous bug, but is no match for its brute strength. Finished with her, the Insecticon turns its attention to the fleshling, and breaks its way into the tunnel.

In the depths of the tunnel, Jack hears a [[Scraplet|familiar noise]], and uproots a metal bar for protection.

Back on the ''Nemesis'', Megatron reviews the reports with Soundwave. He learns of the [[space bridge]]'s activation, its endpoint, and the fact that it is still active. He quickly deduces the Autobots' plan.

In Cybertron's gullet, Jack arrives at the chamber of [[Vector Sigma]]. He proceeds to the center of a circular platform, where he places the Key. The entire chamber begins to transform and glow with the Key's energy, and the enormous supercomputer reveals itself, and begins to transfer its energy to the Key.

On the ''Nemesis'', Orion is hassled by the guards. He appeals to their "good nature", saying that he believes Megatron will use the information he is agglomerating for nefarious purposes. Good-old fashioned police brutality ensues as the helpless clerk is kicked and punched by his guards.

In the chamber, Jack is antsy about the speed of his download. His problems lie beyond his dial-up, however, because behind him, a horde of Scraplets has just taken notice of the ''very'' alive metal before him in the form of the Key to Vector Sigma. Jack is helpless to fend them off, and they begin to snack on the download port. He reports frantically on his position to ground control

In the space bridge chamber, however, the Autobots have bigger fish to fry as Megatron steps out of a [[GroundBridge]] to them. Ratchet vows to protect their charges, and the battle begins, Megatron easily flooring every Autobot, Ratchet and [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] twice.

On Cybertron, Arcee awakes to find a Scraplet chewing on her foot. She blasts it off, and notices the opened passage—and the absent Insecticon. Transforming, she speeds into the passageway.

Jack valiantly smashes the Scraplets as they feed, but is unable to stop their progress towards the Matrix. Another problem presents itself behind him in the form of the Insecticon. It charges towards him, but stops in its tracks, staring at the key. Jack realizes why, and the Scraplets suddenly become a blessing. He formulates an idea, pulling a Scraplet off the Key and pointing it at the aggressor. The Insecticon turns tail as it realizes what's happening, but the Scraplets give chase and latch on, quickly chewing through the giant insect as it falls to its doom, limbs disconnected. The download completes, and Jack retrieves the key. Arcee finally arrives, and the two depart.

The [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]] guards continue to beat down Orion, and one of them lets slip that it's a privilege to beat the former leader of the Autobots. Orion pleads with them to stop, and in his defense, he accidentally transforms his arms into blasters. Realizing they're in trouble, the guards fire on Pax, but he quickly dispatches them both.

Arcee and Jack arrive at the space bridge portal, and radio Ratchet about their position. Total silence on the comm tip them off that something is wrong, and, undetected on the other end of the portal, Megatron waits to end the lineage of the Primes. However, he is surprised by the sudden arrival of Orion Pax, who vows that, no matter what his heritage might be, his spark is aligned with the Autobots. He deploys his blades, and charges for Megatron, but is quickly defeated. Megatron says that he has much to learn, and prepares to kill him, but Arcee speeds through the bridge and collides with him, sending them both flying. In the light of the bridge, Jack presents the Key to Orion, who hesitates, but accepts his destiny.

The Key begins to upload the Matrix to its host. Megatron, preoccupied with fighting Arcee, notices this, and desperately runs at him. However, Orion Pax—now ''Optimus Prime'' again—isn't ready to go down again, and trounces his enemy. A GroundBridge portal opens up, and the Autobots retreat.

At base, the Autobots and humans rejoice at their reunion. Noticing his Decepticon symbol, Optimus asks Ratchet what had happened. He replies that it was their darkest hour, but at every point along the way, Optimus was truly an Autobot at spark.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (2)
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (8)
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (15)
*[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (16)
*[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (17)

|c2=
*[[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticon]] (3)
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (9)
*"[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Orion Pax]]" (10)
*[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (11)
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (14)

|c3=
*[[Jack Darby]] (1)
*[[June Darby]] (4)
*[[Miko Nakadai]] (5)
*[[Raf Esquivel]] (6)
*[[William Fowler]] (7)

|c4=
*[[Scraplet]]s (12)
*[[Vector Sigma]] (13)

}}

==Quotes==
"Why does history portray me siding with the Autobot aggressors? And why did Starscream call me a Prime? I must know...who ''am'' I?" 
"You are my clerk."
:—'''"Orion Pax"''' questions his identity, while '''Megatron''' responds with a firm establishment of the pecking order.

"That may be true, or yet another deception, but this much I do know: my sympathies lie with the Autobots, and you are ''not'' one of us!"
:—'''"Orion Pax"''' to Megatron, realizing the truth.

"Are you...certain I am worthy?" 
"You have no idea."
:—'''"Orion Pax"''' and '''Jack'''.

"Megatron—''be gone!''"
:—'''Optimus Prime''', before delivering the most awesome series of punches in the entire series.

"Optimus, it has truly been our darkest hour, but know this: from every indication your spark never ceased being that of an Autobot."
:—'''Ratchet'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*The scraplets seem a ''lot'' nastier in this episode, chewing so fast as to render a hulking robot limbless in a matter of seconds. This is ''not'' an error, as many factors could contribute, such as the scraplets' inability to find living metal on the barren Cybertron and the ancient state of the Insecticon.
*Optimus still has the broken sword from waaaaay back in "[[One Shall Fall]]". It would seem that the Decepticons neglected to repair it. Or rather, neglected to mention that he had weapons in the first place.

===Transformers references===
* Ratchet references ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' by referring to an event as "our darkest hour", as he did before in "[[Darkness Rising, Part 5]]".
* Bulkhead calls Megatron a "bucket head", a reference to [[Megatron (G1)|the original Megatron]].
* The Insecticon's insect mode resembles a large rhinoceros beetle, [[Bombshell (G1)|like]] [[Salvo|several]] [[Barrage (Insecticon)|other]] [[Insecticon (Energon)|Insecticons]].
* From the Scraplets' point-of-view, the sphere of Vector Sigma is seen in its faceted orb appearance common to many continuities.

===Real-world references===
*Bulkhead's line bemoaning the Scraplets on Cybertron is a paraphrase of the oft-referenced "Why did it have to be snakes?" line from ''Raiders of the Lost Ark''.

===Trivia===
*Look closely at the arena circle in Kaon: it's the same arena as seen in "One Shall Rise, Part 3". Ironic that the entrance to Vector Sigma lay beneath Megatron's feet at that moment.
*The way Optimus catches Megatron's sword just after he regains his memory is the exact same as when Megatron catches Optimus' sword when he's trying to exterminate him in "[[One Shall Fall]]". It even makes the same thundering noise.

[[Category:Prime episodes]]