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Operation: Breakdown

2011-06-19T22:44:50Z

207.161.87.23:

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 16
|prev=Shadowzone (episode)
|next=Crisscross
|image=OperationBreakdown-Consdontbreak.jpg
|caption=Now all he needs is an eye patch and a bottle of scrumpy.
|title="Operation: Breakdown"
|airdate=[[June 18]], [[2011]]
|written by=[[Steven Melching]]
|directed by=[[Shaunt Nigoghossian]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}
'''Breakdown is captured by MECH, and the only ones who can save him are... Team Prime.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] is fighting [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] in a ghost town on the [[Kamchatka Peninsula]] in Eastern [[Russia]] after the two have a run-in while tracking an energon signature. Though Bulkhead fights valiantly, Breakdown lays him flat with a hammer blow. As Breakdown prepares to finish the unconscious Bulkhead off, he's zapped by a blast of energy from a helicopter, which lands and disgorges [[Silas]] and a pack of [[MECH]] troops. Silas instructs them to take Breakdown. Bulkhead comes around to find Breakdown missing and [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] calling out to him on the comm. After he bridges back to base for repairs, everyone's confused about what happened to Breakdown. [[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]] has an idea who might be behind it.

On the ''[[Nemesis (Prime)|Nemesis]]'', [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] relays news of Breakdown's capture to [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]. Starscream is keen to hunt down the [[human]]s responsible, but Megatron intends to leave Breakdown to his fate for being captured by those weaker.

[[Image:OperationBreakdown-WeAreMECH.jpg|thumb|left|300px|"No, Mister Bot, I expect you to die."]]

Breakdown recovers to find himself firmly attached to a metal slab. Silas introduces himself to the captive, who announces that Megatron will never pay a ransom, but Silas reveals they're not after money, just the technology in Breakdown's body.

Fowler fills the Autobots in — his intel has reported MECH activity in the Kamchatka Peninsula. While the other Autobots are happy for MECH to have Breakdown, [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] decides to mount a rescue mission. The others are surprised, and Bulkhead wonders if Optimus believes Breakdown will switch sides if the Autobots rescue him, but Optimus says while that's unlikely, they can't let MECH get Cybertronian technology.

Meanwhile, MECH have disengaged Breakdown's pain receptors in preparation for the operation. Silas thanks their captive in advance for the service he is about to do them, and the heavy machinery moves in to take the Decepticon apart.

Miko tries to talk Bulkhead into going on the mission, but he's not keen, and Optimus agrees he would not be an asset on the mission. Optimus departs with [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]], [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] and [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]]. Miko looks disappointed, and Bulkhead suggests they watch a movie instead. [[Image:TFPep16DoubleCreatureFeature.jpeg|right|thumb|300px|"I know what'll make you feel better - watching a rip-off of an old Japanese movie!"]]

Prime's team arrives in the ghost town, to find it deserted. Though Bumblebee spots some vehicle tracks, Ratchet reports he's got an [[energon (fuel)|energon]] trace, and they go to look for the source.

Fowler has already fallen asleep in front of ''[[Dinolizard vs. Five-Headed Ape]]''. Miko isn't watching the movie though, as she's disappointed that Bulkhead isn't getting to face down his own arch-enemy. Bulkhead still doesn't want to rescue the 'Con, but Miko points out that if he doesn't, he won't get to have a rematch. Bulkhead takes the [[GroundBridge]] to [[Russia]].

Prime's team finds the energon reading — it's Breakdown's eye, sitting in the open.

Bulkhead follows a MECH car to a railway tunnel and, weapons primed, ventures inside.

Ratchet hooks Breakdown's eye up to his scanner so they can retrieve the last images it saw, however it turns out that Silas has turned the eye into a two-way video feed. Silas is surprised to see the Autobots, but shows off the work they're doing on Breakdown and points out the bomb the Autobots are standing virtually on top of. Prime's team just manages to get clear before the bomb explodes.

Silas passes on the news to Breakdown that his would-be rescuers are Autobots, much to the captive's confusion. At this point, Bulkhead breaks through an outer door and fights his way through the MECH goons to find Breakdown. Freeing the startled Decepticon, Bulkhead leads the way to the exit, but once outside they're confronted by the bulk of the MECH forces. Bulkhead calls for backup and their pair start fighting in earnest. Silas's 'copter begins firing bursts of energy, and Breakdown in an uncharacteristic act of altruism knocks Bulkhead out of the way of them. The fight continues, but [[MECH Navigator|Silas's copilot]] reports incoming signals, resulting in Silas ordering a general retreat. Arriving, however, is not Optimus's team, but Starscream and a bunch of [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]]s. Starscream orders Breakdown to destroy Bulkhead, and though Breakdown is initially reluctant, Starscream sways him, and he attacks his Autobot rescuer. Bulkhead soundly pummels Breakdown before smashing Starscream and taking out the Vehicons with Breakdown's body. The Decepticons are forced to retreat as Optimus's team finally shows up. Optimus is impressed that Bulkhead has risen above his petty rivalries to rescue Breakdown, but the moment is spoiled by Bulkhead asking if they all saw how he bashed the Decepticons.

Breakdown pauses short of the ''Nemesis'', where Starscream informs him that he will repay his debt one day... when he must choose between Megatron's leadership and Starscream's.

Silas records that the information they gained from Breakdown was enough for them to start [[Project Chimera]]...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (1)
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (6)
*[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (7)
*[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (8)
*[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (9)
|c2=
*[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] (2)
*[[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] (11)
*[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (12)
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (13)
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]]s (15)
|c3=
*[[Silas]] (3)
*[[MECH Commando]] (4)
*[[Miko Nakadai]] (5)
*[[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]] (10)
*[[MECH Navigator]] (14)
}}

==Quotes==

"As much as I'll miss our little reunions... ''hammer time''."
:—'''Breakdown''' before being captured by MECH

"You're making a very big mistake, little man. When I'm done with you they'll have to scrape you off the floor!"
:—'''Breakdown''' promises to make JaAm out of '''Silas'''.

"It's a trap!" 
"Would this be a 'roll out' kind of trap?"
:—'''Optimus Prime''' ackbars and '''Arcee''' continues to be genre savvy.

"'Marco!' You're supposed to say 'Polo!'"
:—'''Bulkhead''' plays with MECH.

"Never run when you can fight."
:—'''Breakdown'''

"One day, you will repay your debt to me, Breakdown... the day it comes time to choose sides." 
“Huh... between ‘Bots and ‘Cons?” 
“Between myself – and Megatron.”
:—'''Starscream''' informs a confused '''Breakdown''' of his plans for the future.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
*Breakdown's chest panels are closed when Bulkhead helps him get up, but are open again when the camera focuses on him.
*Who shut off the groundbridge after Bulkhead entered the Kamchatka Peninsula? There's no way Miko could have pulled that switch by herself.

===Continuity errors===
* Moments after calling Optimus Prime by name and stating that he was expecting Megatron, Silas tells Breakdown about his "would be rescuers" without moving from the same location from which he had just been talking to them - yet Breakdown seems to have no idea that they were Autobots. How did he not hear the conversation?

===Transformers references===

===Foreign dubbing===

===Real-world references===
*Miko plays the game "Marco Polo" with Bulkhead. Bulkhead later plays the game with MECH.

===Trivia===
* MECH can carve up Breakdown with ease with their surgical lasers, but the guns they give their footsoldiers seemingly have no effect on Transformers. Clearly MECH's footsoldiers should be equipped with surgical lasers instead.
*The episode was screened at [[BotCon 2011]] before its first airing on television.
*This is the first episode of the series that [[Jack Darby|Jack]] hasn't appeared in, leaving Arcee the only character at this point in the series to have appeared in every episode.
*Starscream got better.
*Miko seems to have [[Shadowzone (episode)|learned her lesson]]: she didn't follow Bulkhead this time.
*Human death ''must'' have occurred during Bulkhead and Breakdown's outdoor battle with MECH. Case in point: Breakdown throwing a car at a helicopter, causing a midair explosion.
*Despite being Breakdown's partner, Knock Out makes no appearance in his episode, leaving the audience to wonder if he didn't know about Breakdown's capture, or didn't care enough to bother rescuing him.
*The [[Wikipedia:Kamchatka Peninsula|Kamchatka Peninsula]] is an actual place, with heavy volcanic activity. But if the show is placed in 2011, there are no recorded evacuations in 1991 due to volcanic activity.
*This episode has displayed a grand difference between Megatron and Starscream as leaders; Megatron has no regard for his servants if they go missing, especially if they're captured by humans, while Starscream values his teammates and is willing to go and rescue them against Megatron's orders. (Of course, Starscream subsequently ''uses'' this as blackmail to ensure Breakdown's loyalty to him against Megatron, but, well, still.)

==Home video releases==

==External links==

[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Darkness Rising, Part 5

2011-04-08T09:42:03Z

207.161.87.23: /* Real-world references */

{{picsneeded}}
{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 5
|prev=Darkness Rising, Part 4
|next=Masters & Students
|image=DarknessRising5-OptimusStand.jpg
|caption=Spoilers: the good guys win.
|title="Darkness Rising, Part 5"
|airdate=[[December 3]], [[2010]]
|written by=[[Joseph Kuhr]]
|directed by=[[Vinton Heuck]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}
'''The Autobots race to stop Megatron from raising an undead army on Cybertron.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] imagines in dread what will happen if [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] uses the [[Dark Energon]] to raise an army of [[Terrorcon (Prime)|Terrorcons]] on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and brings them to conquer [[Earth]].

[[Jack Darby|Jack]] arrives at [[KO Burger]] and encounters [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]], who muses that her recent loss of a [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|friend]] makes it hard for her to say goodbye to him. The Autobots have pinpointed Megatron's [[space bridge]] in Earth orbit and must use the [[ground bridge]] to reach it, despite the risks this poses. Arcee and Jack arrive back in time for Arcee to join the mission, and Optimus leads the team (minus [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]]) through the bridge. They land on the space bridge terminal and look up to see the [[Nemesis (Prime)|Decepticon ship]] moving into position. Megatron observes their presence, but [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] says that [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] is locking on to Cybertron's coordinates.

As the Autobots assume attack positions, Arcee notes that the Decepticons haven't done anything. Optimus scans the ship, and learns that Bulkhead damaged its interstellar navigation dish during [[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]]'s rescue. Since a target as far as Cybertron needs pinpoint accuracy, the Decepticons will be unable to use it to aim the space bridge without an alternate targeting system. Raf reasons that the Decepticons may be using a radio dish array in [[Texas]], but Fowler is still too out of it to alert the array staff to the danger. [[Rafael Esquivel|Raf]] attempts to hack in, but the array's firewalls are too good. Jack thinks they should go on site, and they talk Optimus into letting them do it.

Meanwhile, Megatron sends out the Decepticon forces to attack the Autobots. Battle commences.

The kids ground-bridge to the array and sneak in. In a small, unused room, Raf finds a computer and determines that the Decepticons have also hacked in, but takes the opportunity to download their space bridge plans onto his flash drive. Little do the kids know that [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] is in the very next room, plugged into the computer system as well. He aligns the array, which sets the space bridge ready to use, but Raf promptly realigns it. Responding to Starscream's requests to know what's going on, Soundwave taps into the installation's security systems and locates the three kids. While the kids are discussing what the Decepticons could do, Soundwave's tentacle slithers into the room behind them and attacks. As it goes after Raf, [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] grabs an axe and strikes at it. She completely misses, and the tentacle strikes her backward before picking up the axe itself. Though the kids believe it's about to attack them with the weapon, the tentacle withdraws. The kids run to the next room, where they found Soundwave has realigned the dishes and used the axe to cut the hard line, making it impossible to undo his work. Miko then takes a cell phone photo of Soundwave. Before Soundwave leaves, he takes a photo of them.

Starscream activates the space bridge, and Megatron physically throws a huge chunk of Dark Energon through. The Dark Energon strikes Cybertron, swiftly covering the planet and turning millions of dead Transformers into millions of Terrorcons. Optimus realizes that the only course of action left to them is to destroy the space bridge. Raf supplies the specs he downloaded earlier, and Ratchet sets about working out a way to do so. As Optimus faces Megatron, Bulkhead, Arcee and Bumblebee go to implement some sabotage.

[[Image:DarknessRising5-Megatronsword.jpg|right|thumb|220px|He can do the ''ultimate'' bird flip.]]

Megatron manages to defeat Prime, but as he raises his sword, Starscream alerts him to the actions of the other Autobots. Optimus takes advantage of the distraction to blast Megatron, but the Decepticon leader transforms and flies off to find Prime's team. Arcee's team has succeeded in rigging the space bridge to blow when Megatron attacks and blasts her off into space. The Autobots jump into the ground bridge, Bumblebee collecting Arcee on the way. Megatron realizes his ship appears to be absent, but before his army of Terrorcons can come through, the space bridge explodes in his face.

A short distance away in the ship, Starscream notes that there's totally no way Megatron could have survived that, and he is leader now.

The Autobots make it back to their base, though Arcee's in a bad way. Optimus announces that there's totally no way Megatron could have survived the space bridge explosion. Fowler thanks the Autobots for saving him, then leaves. Optimus gives a big speech and sends a signal into space to let the galaxy know that Earth is defended by the Autobots.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (2)
* [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (3)
* [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (4)
* [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
* [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (6)

|c2=
* [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (9)
* [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] (10)
* [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (11)
* [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (13)

|c3=
* [[Jack Darby]] (1)
* [[Miko Nakadai]] (7)
* [[Rafael Esquivel]] (8)
* [[William Fowler]] (12)

|c4=
* [[Terrorcon (Prime)|Terrorcons]] (14)

}}

==Quotes==
"Optimus, if you leave me stranded on a planet teeming with humans, I will never forgive you."
:—'''Ratchet'''

"Optimus Prime never disappoints. Unlike YOU, Starscream!"
:—'''Megatron''', burning a disappointing '''Starscream'''

"Surely, Lord Megatron, the Autobots are up to something." 
"Really, Starscream?"
:—'''Starscream''' observes the Autobots and '''Megatron''' lays on the sarcasm.

"I hold no illusions about engaging your army, Megatron. But I might derail its objective...[[Decapitation|by removing its head.]]"
:—'''Optimus Prime's''' [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|solution to most problems]].

"Starscream! Where is my ship?" 
"We would never make it, Lord Megatron! Don't be a fool! Take flight and retreat!"
:—'''Starscream''' fruitlessly tries to get '''Megatron''' to flee the detonating space bridge.

"Decepticons, it is with deep sorrow that I note for the log...Megatron's spark has been extinguished. All hail Starscream."
:—Looks like '''Starscream''' is back to his old self again.

"Without a means of leaving this world, we Autobots take strength in the bonds we have forged with our three young friends - true warriors. If not in body, then in spirit. My name is Optimus Prime, and I send this message. Though we did not choose to be of Earth, it would seem that we are here to stay. If you approach this planet with hostile intent, know this: We will defend ourselves. We will defend humanity. We will defend... our home."
:—'''Optimus Prime'''

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
===Continuity errors===
* The Terrorcons are able to leave Cybertron and pass through the space bridge despite the fact that it's in space. Even accounting for the fact that Decepticon corpses might have flight capabilities, it seems unlikely that every Terrorcon would.
* Despite Megatron being able to ''cut off half of Prime's blade'' earlier in their battle, when Optimus resisted, the other blade was nearly as resistant as Megatron's own blade.

===Astronomical errors===
* The Autobots somehow jump from the detonating space bridge straight into the waiting ground bridge vortex, which is positioned below the space bridge, even though there ''is no gravity in space!'' (Though a possible explanation for this is that the ground bridge creates its own gravity.)

===Transformers references===
* There are two references which are directly related to [[The Transformers: The Movie|the 1986 animated movie]]. First Ratchet says, "Then by all means, let us light our [[darkest hour]]." Later, Optimus exchanges with Megatron: "One shall stand, one shall fall."
* Optimus's Energon blade and Megatron's hidden fusion cannon blade are references to [[Optimus Prime (Movie)| their movie]] [[Megatron (Movie)|counterparts]].
* Optimus's speech at the end is similar to the ones Movie Optimus gives at the end of both movies.

===Foreign dubbing===

===Real-world references===
[[Image:DarknessRising5-Michelangelo.jpg|thumb|250px|Or it could be another [[Steven Spielberg|Spielberg]] reference.]]
* Miko tries to use an axe on [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]]'s tentacle, which is the same tactic Tom Cruise's character tries on the Tripod tentacle in [[Steven Spielberg]]'s ''War of the Worlds''. Of course, both attempts fail.
* Miko refers to space as "the final frontier". "Space. The final frontier" is the first line of the opening credits of several ''[[Wikipedia: Star Trek|Star Trek]]'' TV shows. ''Prime'' show developers [[Alex Kurtzman]] and [[Roberto Orci]] are also the screenwriters of the current ''Star Trek'' movies.
* Megatron, when he rises out of the Decepticon ship with the boulder of Dark Energon on his back, is clearly meant to evoke the classic [[Wikipedia:Atlas|Atlas]] pose.
* The shot of Megatron reaching out to a Terrorcon before the space bridge implosion is reminiscent of [[Wikipedia:Michelangelo|Michelangelo]]'s ''[[Wikipedia:The Creation of Adam|The Creation of Adam]]''.

===Trivia===
* Winged versions of the Vehicons make their appearance here.
* The Decepticons are unable to simply warp to Cybertron thanks to Bulkhead ripping off a vital piece of equipment in the previous episode.
* While it's unlikely anything from ''[[Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron|Exodus]]'' applies to the cartoon, a number of Autobots, including [[Ultra Magnus (Prime)|Ultra Magnus]], [[Omega Supreme (Prime)|Omega Supreme]] and the [[Wrecker]]s, were left behind on Cybertron at the end of that book. Sure hope they weren't around when the Terrorcons came crawling. In a similar vein, [[Shockwave (Prime)|Shockwave]] is also still on Cybertron at the end of the novel. Granted, it's established fact that the war had continued on other worlds after Cybertron's shutdown, though (as stated by [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]] in the [[Transformers: Prime (comic)|prequel comic]]) it's probable that all of them have since moved on to less hostile locales in the intervening years.
* When the kids arrive at the radio array, they note that the place seems deserted. A brief shadowy glimpse of a human slumped against the wall suggests that, like [[Blackout (Movie)| Blackout]], Soundwave isn't keen on leaving survivors or witnesses.
* When Starscream tries to convince Megatron to retreat, there is a surprising tone of concern in his voice. Either that, or he's a much better actor than certain other [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscreams]].
* It ''seems'' to take a lot longer for the Terrorcon army to come from Cybertron across the space bridge than it took for the Dark Energon to get there in the first place. [[Wikipedia:Doomsday (Doctor Who)|Must've been the sheer mass of all of them]].
* A short video showing a rehearsal or an earlier take of the confrontation between Optimus Prime and Megatron was screened at both [[BotCon 2010]] and San Diego Comic-Con 2010 <ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvW4nsr3ZDo#t=2m53s "Transformers: Prime" panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2010]</ref>. The dialogue was somewhat different, with Optimus referring to battle on an alien world when ordering the Autobots away, and lacking the "One shall stand, one shall fall" exchange. Instead, it had Megatron shouting Optimus's name in a rather exaggerated manner.

==Home video releases==

==External links==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Darkness Rising, Part 5

2011-04-08T09:40:34Z

207.161.87.23: /* Real-world references */

{{picsneeded}}
{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 5
|prev=Darkness Rising, Part 4
|next=Masters & Students
|image=DarknessRising5-OptimusStand.jpg
|caption=Spoilers: the good guys win.
|title="Darkness Rising, Part 5"
|airdate=[[December 3]], [[2010]]
|written by=[[Joseph Kuhr]]
|directed by=[[Vinton Heuck]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}
'''The Autobots race to stop Megatron from raising an undead army on Cybertron.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] imagines in dread what will happen if [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] uses the [[Dark Energon]] to raise an army of [[Terrorcon (Prime)|Terrorcons]] on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and brings them to conquer [[Earth]].

[[Jack Darby|Jack]] arrives at [[KO Burger]] and encounters [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]], who muses that her recent loss of a [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|friend]] makes it hard for her to say goodbye to him. The Autobots have pinpointed Megatron's [[space bridge]] in Earth orbit and must use the [[ground bridge]] to reach it, despite the risks this poses. Arcee and Jack arrive back in time for Arcee to join the mission, and Optimus leads the team (minus [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]]) through the bridge. They land on the space bridge terminal and look up to see the [[Nemesis (Prime)|Decepticon ship]] moving into position. Megatron observes their presence, but [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] says that [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] is locking on to Cybertron's coordinates.

As the Autobots assume attack positions, Arcee notes that the Decepticons haven't done anything. Optimus scans the ship, and learns that Bulkhead damaged its interstellar navigation dish during [[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]]'s rescue. Since a target as far as Cybertron needs pinpoint accuracy, the Decepticons will be unable to use it to aim the space bridge without an alternate targeting system. Raf reasons that the Decepticons may be using a radio dish array in [[Texas]], but Fowler is still too out of it to alert the array staff to the danger. [[Rafael Esquivel|Raf]] attempts to hack in, but the array's firewalls are too good. Jack thinks they should go on site, and they talk Optimus into letting them do it.

Meanwhile, Megatron sends out the Decepticon forces to attack the Autobots. Battle commences.

The kids ground-bridge to the array and sneak in. In a small, unused room, Raf finds a computer and determines that the Decepticons have also hacked in, but takes the opportunity to download their space bridge plans onto his flash drive. Little do the kids know that [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] is in the very next room, plugged into the computer system as well. He aligns the array, which sets the space bridge ready to use, but Raf promptly realigns it. Responding to Starscream's requests to know what's going on, Soundwave taps into the installation's security systems and locates the three kids. While the kids are discussing what the Decepticons could do, Soundwave's tentacle slithers into the room behind them and attacks. As it goes after Raf, [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] grabs an axe and strikes at it. She completely misses, and the tentacle strikes her backward before picking up the axe itself. Though the kids believe it's about to attack them with the weapon, the tentacle withdraws. The kids run to the next room, where they found Soundwave has realigned the dishes and used the axe to cut the hard line, making it impossible to undo his work. Miko then takes a cell phone photo of Soundwave. Before Soundwave leaves, he takes a photo of them.

Starscream activates the space bridge, and Megatron physically throws a huge chunk of Dark Energon through. The Dark Energon strikes Cybertron, swiftly covering the planet and turning millions of dead Transformers into millions of Terrorcons. Optimus realizes that the only course of action left to them is to destroy the space bridge. Raf supplies the specs he downloaded earlier, and Ratchet sets about working out a way to do so. As Optimus faces Megatron, Bulkhead, Arcee and Bumblebee go to implement some sabotage.

[[Image:DarknessRising5-Megatronsword.jpg|right|thumb|220px|He can do the ''ultimate'' bird flip.]]

Megatron manages to defeat Prime, but as he raises his sword, Starscream alerts him to the actions of the other Autobots. Optimus takes advantage of the distraction to blast Megatron, but the Decepticon leader transforms and flies off to find Prime's team. Arcee's team has succeeded in rigging the space bridge to blow when Megatron attacks and blasts her off into space. The Autobots jump into the ground bridge, Bumblebee collecting Arcee on the way. Megatron realizes his ship appears to be absent, but before his army of Terrorcons can come through, the space bridge explodes in his face.

A short distance away in the ship, Starscream notes that there's totally no way Megatron could have survived that, and he is leader now.

The Autobots make it back to their base, though Arcee's in a bad way. Optimus announces that there's totally no way Megatron could have survived the space bridge explosion. Fowler thanks the Autobots for saving him, then leaves. Optimus gives a big speech and sends a signal into space to let the galaxy know that Earth is defended by the Autobots.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (2)
* [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (3)
* [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (4)
* [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (5)
* [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (6)

|c2=
* [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (9)
* [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] (10)
* [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (11)
* [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (13)

|c3=
* [[Jack Darby]] (1)
* [[Miko Nakadai]] (7)
* [[Rafael Esquivel]] (8)
* [[William Fowler]] (12)

|c4=
* [[Terrorcon (Prime)|Terrorcons]] (14)

}}

==Quotes==
"Optimus, if you leave me stranded on a planet teeming with humans, I will never forgive you."
:—'''Ratchet'''

"Optimus Prime never disappoints. Unlike YOU, Starscream!"
:—'''Megatron''', burning a disappointing '''Starscream'''

"Surely, Lord Megatron, the Autobots are up to something." 
"Really, Starscream?"
:—'''Starscream''' observes the Autobots and '''Megatron''' lays on the sarcasm.

"I hold no illusions about engaging your army, Megatron. But I might derail its objective...[[Decapitation|by removing its head.]]"
:—'''Optimus Prime's''' [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|solution to most problems]].

"Starscream! Where is my ship?" 
"We would never make it, Lord Megatron! Don't be a fool! Take flight and retreat!"
:—'''Starscream''' fruitlessly tries to get '''Megatron''' to flee the detonating space bridge.

"Decepticons, it is with deep sorrow that I note for the log...Megatron's spark has been extinguished. All hail Starscream."
:—Looks like '''Starscream''' is back to his old self again.

"Without a means of leaving this world, we Autobots take strength in the bonds we have forged with our three young friends - true warriors. If not in body, then in spirit. My name is Optimus Prime, and I send this message. Though we did not choose to be of Earth, it would seem that we are here to stay. If you approach this planet with hostile intent, know this: We will defend ourselves. We will defend humanity. We will defend... our home."
:—'''Optimus Prime'''

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
===Continuity errors===
* The Terrorcons are able to leave Cybertron and pass through the space bridge despite the fact that it's in space. Even accounting for the fact that Decepticon corpses might have flight capabilities, it seems unlikely that every Terrorcon would.
* Despite Megatron being able to ''cut off half of Prime's blade'' earlier in their battle, when Optimus resisted, the other blade was nearly as resistant as Megatron's own blade.

===Astronomical errors===
* The Autobots somehow jump from the detonating space bridge straight into the waiting ground bridge vortex, which is positioned below the space bridge, even though there ''is no gravity in space!'' (Though a possible explanation for this is that the ground bridge creates its own gravity.)

===Transformers references===
* There are two references which are directly related to [[The Transformers: The Movie|the 1986 animated movie]]. First Ratchet says, "Then by all means, let us light our [[darkest hour]]." Later, Optimus exchanges with Megatron: "One shall stand, one shall fall."
* Optimus's Energon blade and Megatron's hidden fusion cannon blade are references to [[Optimus Prime (Movie)| their movie]] [[Megatron (Movie)|counterparts]].
* Optimus's speech at the end is similar to the ones Movie Optimus gives at the end of both movies.

===Foreign dubbing===

===Real-world references===
[[Image:DarknessRising5-Michelangelo.jpg|thumb|250px|Or it could be another [[Steven Spielberg|Spielberg]] reference.]]
* Miko tries to use an axe on [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]]'s tentacle, which is the same tactic Tom Cruise's character tries on the Tripod tentacle in [[Steven Spielberg]]'s ''War of the Worlds''. Of course, both attempts fail.
* Miko refers to space as "the final frontier". "Space. The final frontier" is the first line of the opening credits of several ''[[Wikipedia: Star Trek|Star Trek]]'' TV shows. ''Prime'' show developers [[Alex Kurtzman]] and [[Roberto Orci]] are also the screenwriters of the current ''Star Trek'' movies.
* Megatron, with the boulder of Dark Energon on his back, is clearly meant to evoke tje classic [[Wikipedia:Atlas]] pose.
* The shot of Megatron reaching out to a Terrorcon before the space bridge implosion is reminiscent of [[Wikipedia:Michelangelo|Michelangelo]]'s ''[[Wikipedia:The Creation of Adam|The Creation of Adam]]''.

===Trivia===
* Winged versions of the Vehicons make their appearance here.
* The Decepticons are unable to simply warp to Cybertron thanks to Bulkhead ripping off a vital piece of equipment in the previous episode.
* While it's unlikely anything from ''[[Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron|Exodus]]'' applies to the cartoon, a number of Autobots, including [[Ultra Magnus (Prime)|Ultra Magnus]], [[Omega Supreme (Prime)|Omega Supreme]] and the [[Wrecker]]s, were left behind on Cybertron at the end of that book. Sure hope they weren't around when the Terrorcons came crawling. In a similar vein, [[Shockwave (Prime)|Shockwave]] is also still on Cybertron at the end of the novel. Granted, it's established fact that the war had continued on other worlds after Cybertron's shutdown, though (as stated by [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]] in the [[Transformers: Prime (comic)|prequel comic]]) it's probable that all of them have since moved on to less hostile locales in the intervening years.
* When the kids arrive at the radio array, they note that the place seems deserted. A brief shadowy glimpse of a human slumped against the wall suggests that, like [[Blackout (Movie)| Blackout]], Soundwave isn't keen on leaving survivors or witnesses.
* When Starscream tries to convince Megatron to retreat, there is a surprising tone of concern in his voice. Either that, or he's a much better actor than certain other [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscreams]].
* It ''seems'' to take a lot longer for the Terrorcon army to come from Cybertron across the space bridge than it took for the Dark Energon to get there in the first place. [[Wikipedia:Doomsday (Doctor Who)|Must've been the sheer mass of all of them]].
* A short video showing a rehearsal or an earlier take of the confrontation between Optimus Prime and Megatron was screened at both [[BotCon 2010]] and San Diego Comic-Con 2010 <ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvW4nsr3ZDo#t=2m53s "Transformers: Prime" panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2010]</ref>. The dialogue was somewhat different, with Optimus referring to battle on an alien world when ordering the Autobots away, and lacking the "One shall stand, one shall fall" exchange. Instead, it had Megatron shouting Optimus's name in a rather exaggerated manner.

==Home video releases==

==External links==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Thunderwing (G1)

2011-01-30T02:44:03Z

207.161.87.23: /* Generations */

{{factions|decepticon|unicron}}
{{disambig3|Thunderwing}}
{{featured}}
:''Thunderwing is a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''

[[Image:Thunderwing with matrix.jpg|right|300px|thumb|And we are dutifully impressed.]]

In a better world, '''Thunderwing''' would be the ideal Decepticon leader. He's fearless, ruthless, and immensely powerful, while uncommonly concerned about the welfare of his fellow Decepticons. For this mindset, Thunderwing gets a high approval rating from his peers, but, sadly, this is not the whole story.

Thunderwing's vice is, simply, obsession. When his mind sets its sights on a who or what that furthers his goals, he will stop at nothing to achieve victory. Slowly but surely, his esteem for his colleagues is replaced by single-mindedness, until finally Thunderwing awakens from his haze, potentially victorious, but either abandoned or surrounded by the bodies of the few friends who tried valiantly to snap him out of it. In these dark moments, the usually noble Thunderwing is as two-faced as any halfwit Decepticon.

But what separates Thunderwing from the rest is his sheer power. His [[Pretender]] shell is likely the most powerful ever built, and it forms impenetrable armor around his robot body. Every inch is covered in weaponry, from the electrostatic guns in his shoulders, to the hoses in his chest that emit dangerous gases, to even the rarely-used metal-eating laser beam that fires out of his forehead. In addition to this built-in arsenal, he carries around his signature cyclone cannon, the power of which is increased 50% by the powerpack his shell houses on its back. In jet mode, Thunderwing can unleash a never-ending torrent of plasma charges.

Because of all this, Thunderwing is almost always successful in hunting down his obsessions, though at regrettable costs.

:''French-Canadian name:'' '''Aérofoudre''' ("Aerolightning")

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
{{noteukonly}}
A handful of Transformers are born with a natural affinity to the [[Creation Matrix]]. Though these special few are usually Autobots, Thunderwing was an exception. Thunderwing felt that the Matrix called to him, and believed that he would become the first Decepticon to possess it. {{storylink|Deadly Obsession}}

''Early on in the war, he served at [[Fort Scyk]]. He became a protege of Fort commander [[Megadeath (G1)|Megadeath]], who saw and encouraged the burning ambition within the lad, grooming Thunderwing as an asset and potential general for when he'd make a bid for leadership. For his part, Thunderwing thought Megadeath was utterly mental but also that he'd be his ticket to the top. He later soured on Megadeath when he viciously tortured the [[Magnificent Six]], which Thunderwing felt was ill-fitting for such valiant enemies, and then Megadeath let himself and the whole of [[Stanix]] get nuked to slag ''anyway''.'' {{storylink|The Magnificent Six!}}

[[Image:Thunderwingisapretender.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Thunderwing is a Pretender? The hell you say!]]

''Four million years later, with a vacuum in Decepticon high command, a driven Thunderwing rose quickly from relative obscurity to a command position in the ranks. He made a bid for full leadership of the Decepticons to the [[Decepticon High Council|High Council]], and they decided to test him with a hunting mission: Three Autobot prisoners were released on Earth, and Thunderwing was charged with chasing down and executing them on his own. While [[Playback]] and [[Horsepower (G1)|Horsepower]] did fall before his cyclone cannon, the last runner, [[Hosehead]], was saved by his fellow Autobots [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] and [[Siren]]. The [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] exploded the fuel core in Playback's corpse at close range to Thunderwing, nearly cooking him alive inside his own impenetrable [[Pretender]] shell. Shrieking in agony, Thunderwing plunged into the nearby surf. {{storylink|The Big Shutdown!}}''

[[Image:AssaultontheArk-Thunderwing.jpg|right|thumb|300px|This is exactly how cable news pundits are hired.]]

''Thunderwing eventually rose from the waters, his still-cooling shell juxtaposed with the growing intensity of his rage at being beaten. Thunderwing lashed out at everything around him and very nearly destroyed a ship of his fellow Decepticons who had been sent to find him. As a duly appointed officer of the Decepticon High Council, [[Ruckus (G1)|Ruckus]] was sent to inform Thunderwing that his bid for leadership was not being rejected outright, but was still under review, and the Councilors had asked that he return to Cybertron. Instead, Thunderwing violently conscripted Ruckus and his team into joining him for an assault on the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] in order to get revenge on Hosehead and his ilk. {{storylink|Rage!}} Thunderwing single-handedly blasted his way into the Ark and confronted [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] directly before Ruckus convinced him to save the fight for another day. Returning to Cybertron, Thunderwing was surprised to learn that the Decepticon High Council was impressed by his initiative and the strength of his vendetta, and so granted him full leadership of the Decepticons of Cybertron. {{storylink|Assault on the Ark!}}''

''One of Thunderwing's first actions on taking over Decepticon leadership was to abolish neutral territories, making places such as [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]] Decepticon-only establishments. {{storylink|Out to Lunch!}}'' Despite these movements, Lord Thunderwing became displeased with the growing success of the newly-rebuilt [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]], [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]], and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] and their raiding of Decepticon fuel depositories. Fearing the Autobot resistance movement was gaining momentum, he ordered [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]], [[Octopunch]] and [[Stranglehold]], the [[Mayhem Attack Squad]], to find and kill the Autobot Pretenders. {{storylink|Yesterday's Heroes!}}

[[Image:Thunderwingmindleech.jpg|left|250px|thumb|This is probably the closest look we'll get at Thunderwing's unpublished character model. [[José Delbo]] was a copier.]]

When the Mayhem Attack Squad failed, Thunderwing became curious when teams of Autobots were subsequently ordered to search an area of space. Trailing a team on [[Pz-Zazz]] which included ''(again)'' Nightbeat, Hosehead, and Siren, he waited until the right moment to blast and capture them. {{storylink|Bird of Prey!}} As Thunderwing's Decepticons began trailing another team of Autobots on [[Cheyne]] ([[Backstreet (G1)|Backstreet]], [[Dogfight]], and [[Override (G1)|Override]]), he subjected the captured first group to his [[Mind Leech]] machine. He learned from these torture sessions that the Autobots were scouring the universe for the lost Creation Matrix. Unfortunately, the second group was no closer to finding the Matrix either, and he left them to their own devices. {{storylink|Kings of the Wild Frontier.}} His obsession with finding the Creation Matrix caused some concerns for the Decepticons under his command, and he even began attacking his own troops when accused of taking his personal quest too far. These outbursts began coming to a head when he found traces of Matrix energy in a [[Klud|sea monster]] on [[Pequod]]. Ruckus made the mistake of questioning his leader's growing obsession, and Thunderwing backhanded him into some equipment (unknowingly shorting out the Mind Leech which held their captive Autobots immobile). While his troops battled the Autobots searching there, he used his affinity for the Matrix to mind-link with the sea monster. Discovering that the Matrix was on [[Cameron]]'s third moon, [[VsQs]], he abandoned the battle, much to the growing frustration of his troops. {{storylink|Deadly Obsession}}

[[Image:Thunderwingwhereisthecreationmatrix.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Obsessed much?]]

As it happened, between the revival of the Klud and the arrival of Thunderwing, the Creation Matrix had become warped. Thunderwing fought intensely with Bumblebee, Jazz, and Grimlock on VsQs, and they were overwhelmed not only by his vastly superior might, but by the strength of his desire to possess the Matrix. However, he and his troops were subdued by a [[Matrixspawn]], a darkly-evolved creature contaminated by the Matrix, allowing Bumblebee and the other Autobots to grab the Matrix and head for their ship. But when the Autobot shuttlecraft later arrived within the Ark, it was Thunderwing who emerged, in full possession of the Creation Matrix, enshrouded in its energies. {{storylink|Dark Creation}}

[[Image:AllFallDown-Thunderwingpossessed.jpg|left|thumb|200px|We are '''power incarnate!''' We are '''unstoppable!''' We are a '''really short Deluxe Class toy!''']]

On board the Ark, Thunderwing savagely beat Optimus Prime, the latter of whom was afraid to return the violence in kind, in fear that the Matrix would be destroyed and their race would be doomed against Unicron. Waves of Autobots stormed against Thunderwing, ending in [[Landmine (G1)|Landmine]] and others being killed or critically wounded. Quickly, the increasingly-evil Matrix took over Thunderwing, overpowering his thoughts and controlling his actions. After turning his power on his own troops, he had one final moment of clarity at what he had become, but it was too late. He was consumed. Nightbeat, Siren, and Hosehead, who Thunderwing had captured earlier, had escaped their constraints, and after releasing the bay doors, Thunderwing was harpooned to the shuttlecraft. The shuttle self-destructed and Thunderwing and the Creation Matrix were seemingly lost. {{storylink|All Fall Down (issue)|All Fall Down}}

[[Image:G1thunderwingthevoid.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Thunderwing displays that, yes, he has an alt mode just before showing up to die again.]]

The Matrix, however, was made of sterner stuff, and after some time reactivated alongside Thunderwing's body and the Autobot shuttlecraft on [[Earth]]'s [[Moon (moon)|Moon]]. {{storylink|Out of Time!}} As time passed, and though only the "barest [[spark]] remained," it healed Thunderwing's body, eventually allowing it to transform and escape the Moon. It (they) now hungered for revenge! {{storylink|The Void! (US)|The Void!}}

Thunderwing, completely controlled by the Creation Matrix, arrived on Cybertron just as Unicron had attacked. Through Thunderwing, the Matrix continued to manifest as a frightening demon, which blasted Unicron and buried its tendrils within him. Though Unicron was momentarily stunned, once the Matrix revealed that it was now attempting to be a force of Evil, Unicron ripped the manifestation apart. Unicron has no equal in the arena of evil. Thunderwing's body fell in tatters, and the Matrix casing dropped to the planet below. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
{{--}}

===Dreamwave ''Armada'' comic===
[[Image:Thunderwingg1worldscollide.jpg|left|150px|thumb|They weren't even trying to color me right!]]
Versions of Thunderwing, [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]], [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]], [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]], and [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] from various devoured universes were sent by their master, [[Unicron]], to prepare another universe for his coming. Porting into [[Decepticon Command Headquarters]] on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Galvatron left Thunderwing and the others on Cybertron to accomplish their task. {{storylink|Worlds Collide, Part 1 of 4|Worlds Collide, Part 1}} Though they destroyed all of the Decepticons in their headquarters and established a network of [[space bridge]] portals, this universe's [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] was not amongst their victims. {{storylink|Worlds Collide, Part 2 of 4|Worlds Collide, Part 2}}

Traveling to Earth's Decepticon headquarters (but leaving Bludgeon behind on Cybertron to guard the portal), they found it momentarily abandoned, so Thunderwing suggested they hunt down this universe's [[Thrust (Armada)|Thrust]] to learn Megatron's location. {{storylink|Worlds Collide, Part 3 of 4|Worlds Collide, Part 3}} However, Thrust knew nothing, and they quickly returned to Decepticon Earth headquarters when Thunderwing detected that their space bridge nexus on Cybertron had been breached. Ultimately, Thunderwing and the other servants of Unicron were destroyed when this universe's [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] detonated a bomb in Cybertron's Decepticon Command Headquarters, incinerating them all. {{storylink|Worlds Collide, Part 4 of 4|Worlds Collide, Part 4}}
{{--}}
===IDW comics continuity===
[[Image:Thunderwingwhathaveyoudone.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Moral of Stormbringer: Pretenders [[Ruined FOREVER|ruined Transformers]].]]
Seven hundred years ago, during the height of the Autobot-Decepticon war on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Thunderwing was a Decepticon scientist who alerted both sides to the damage that the ongoing conflict was doing to their planet and the resultant danger of an impending catastrophic event. According to [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]], his warnings were ignored, even by [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]].

[[Image:Thunderwing stormbringer.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Y'know, Thunderwing, Al Gore was content with just making a slide show.]]

Subsequently, Thunderwing took action on his own, subjecting himself to a "polydermal grafting" process of his own design, one that had previously been summarily rejected by [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] as "unnatural" and "ill-conceived". This process of grafting tissue culled from living subjects onto a Transformer to create an armored symbiotic carapace somehow also appears to have made him the avatar of the very apocalypse he had warned against. The process drove Thunderwing insane but made him invulnerable; even the combined might of the Autobots and Decepticons couldn't stop him. In the end, he was swallowed whole by Cybertron itself, leaving the planet completely uninhabitable. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 1|Stormbringer #1}}

When [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] went missing, Megatron assigned Bludgeon to dig into his research and find out what he'd been doing. An indeterminate time later, Thunderwing's resting place was discovered by a group of Decepticons led by Bludgeon, who planned to continue where Thunderwing left off. {{storylink|Spotlight: Soundwave}} The project was completed in the present day, using a combination of "[[Ultra-Energon]]" (culled from Shockwave's research) and a set of imprinted commands. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 2|Stormbringer #2}} Thunderwing was thus resurrected and immediately departed for [[Nebulos]], following Bludgeon's plans to sacrifice that world to restore Cybertron somehow. There, Thunderwing was engaged by the Decepticon Infiltration team in place, which did not want to see Nebulos completely destroyed. After Thunderwing totaled [[Crankcase (G1)|Crankcase]], [[Ruckus (G1)|Ruckus]], [[Skullcruncher]], and [[Roadgrabber]], the survivors, [[Dreadwind (G1)|Dreadwind]], [[Darkwing]], and [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]], abandoned the planet, leaving Thunderwing alone. However, after the destruction of Bludgeon's control harness, Thunderwing changed course—back towards Cybertron. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 3|Stormbringer #3}}

[[Image:Thunderwingidwultramode.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Ultra mode" puts all that wing kibble to use!]]
There, he was attacked by [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], the [[Wrecker]]s, the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]], and reprogrammed [[Centurion droid|Centurion drones]]. Jetfire revealed that enough punishment would eventually cause Thunderwing to drain most of his [[Energon (fuel)|Energon]] reserves. However, Thunderwing revealed a third "[[Super Mode|Ultra]]" robot configuration. Thanks to the Wreckers, the Decepticons, the instability of Ultra Energon, and a speech/salvo combination from Optimus Prime, he was stopped dead in his tracks. His inanimate form was taken into custody by the [[Autobot]]s. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 4|Stormbringer #4}}

[[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] would later steal Thunderwing's body from [[Hound (G1)|Hound]]'s detail of Autobots, in service of [[Nova Prime|his master]] in the [[Dead Universe]]. {{storylink|Spotlight: Galvatron}} Since the Dead Universe Transformers can only spend a limited amount of time in the land of the living, they programmed Thunderwing to guard the cave entrance to the [[Nega-Core]] on planet [[Corata-Vaz]]. He easily batted away Hound's crew and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], but did not pursue them, as his programming seemed to keep him on a leash that only included the cave entrance. It did, however, allow [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] the time he needed to escape. {{storylink|Spotlight: Cyclonus}}

The [[Wrecker]]s later attempted to penetrate Thunderwing's defenses and reach the Nega-Core, but apparently had no more success than Ultra Magnus and company. {{storylink|Spotlight: Hardhead}}

Jetfire came up with the idea to try and take control of Thunderwing using Bludgeon's (apparently repaired) control harness. This alerted [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]], who activated Bludgeon (now under his control) to put a stop to it. {{storylink|Spotlight: Doubledealer}}

While Jetfire managed to halt Thunderwing in his tracks for a brief time, a visit from the Jhiaxus-controlled Bludgeon forced Jetfire to focus on other, more pressing issues. While the Wreckers were successful in disabling the Nega-Core, Thunderwing once again began to advance on them. {{storylink|Spotlight: Sideswipe}}

{{Note|Due to the truncated nature of the [[Revelation (IDW)|Revelation]] mini-series, the end result of this battle was not shown, but as all of the Wreckers appeared later on, Thunderwing was presumably disabled along with the other guardians when Jhiaxus was defeated.}}

===Wings of Honor===
Thunderwing was captured by the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticon]]s after being cornered and making an unsuccessful attempt to defend himself with what turned out to be a dud bomb. {{storylink|The Coming Storm: Part 3}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
[[Image:G1Thunderwing toy.jpg|right|300px|thumb|You passed this up when you saw it in the stores. Then Furman had to come along.]]
*'''Thunderwing''' (Mega Pretender, 1989)
**''Accessories'': Pretender shell, 2 large blasters, small laser gun

:Thunderwing's inner robot transforms into a rather simple Cybertronic shuttlecraft. His [[Pretender]] shell also transforms into a starship mode of its own. The inner vehicle can be attached underneath the nose of the larger vehicle to create a combined starship mode. The inner robot is relatively generic in appearance (as with most Pretenders) while his outer Pretender shell resembles an alien warrior with Japanese [[wikipedia:Oni (folklore)|Oni]] influences. The inner robot carries a small laser, while the shell is armed with two large blasters. All three of his guns can be mounted on his shell's vehicle mode. The large laser cannons can be mounted on the jet two different ways, either perpendicular or parallel to the wing undersides.

:Unlike fellow Mega Pretenders [[Crossblades (G1)|Crossblades]] or [[Vroom]], parts do not need to be removed and rearranged in order for Thunderwing to achieve any of his modes.

: This mold was [[retool]]ed to make [[Black Shadow]].
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1989/Decepticon/Thunderwing/thunderwing.htm More information on Thunderwing at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Generations===
[[Image:Generationstoy-Thunderwing.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Matrix obsession sold separately.]]
*'''Thunderwing''' (Deluxe, 2010)
:Part of the fifth wave of [[Generations (toyline)|''Generations'']] Deluxe class toys, Thunderwing transforms from a jet into a robot that looks like the original Thunderwing toy's Pretender shell. The nose of the jet can detach and become a separate aerial drone, while the two missile launchers can detach from the wings and become handheld weapons or clip together into one massive gun. Thunderwing's colors seem to be inspired by his color scheme in the latter end of the Marvel run, considering his green arms. His hands are closed a touch too small, and are of too-rigid plastic, to hold the Matrix of Leadership accessories from the various uses of the Masterpiece Convoy mold.

:At [[BotCon 2010]], the [[Hasbro]] design team noted that they had wanted to make the aerial drone unit transform into a robot but were unable to do so (presumably for budget reasons, though they didn't go into that detail).

:Thunderwing's instructions depict him with Black Shadow's head and chest, revealing an eventual [[retool]] that still has not been officially announced.
{{--}}

==Notes==
[[Image:Thunderwingisdeath.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Like that cannon he always carries around? Too bad, the toy ain't got it.]]
* Thunderwing only transformed out of his humanoid shell mode once in the entire United States run of the Marvel Comics series. Even then, it was into his non-combined shell-only jet mode, leaving no hint that he had an inner robot mode at all. The only time we see his inner robot mode is in his first appearance, the Marvel United Kingdom story, "[[The Big Shutdown!]]".
* Thunderwing's Marvel Comics appearances give him a four-barreled hand weapon that's completely fabricated, as it's not based on any of the toy's three guns. As with the melee weapons [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]], [[Stranglehold]], and [[Octopunch]] use in the comic, his four-barreled cannon likely originated from his unpublished [[character model]].
* A phenomenon [[Straxus (G1)|seen]] [[Circuit Breaker|often]] in the Marvel United States material, Thunderwing suffered from color scheme shift. At first, he appears in colors that approximate his toy's layout as best as the printing process allowed. Suddenly, in his biggest, most memorable appearances in [[Dark Creation|#65]] and [[All Fall Down (issue)|#66]], much of his blacks, grays, and blues were replaced by light greens. As a side effect of this phenomenon, since covers are colored in advance of the interiors, #66's cover featured a blue-armed Thunderwing with a green-armed Thunderwing inside.
[[Image:Thunderwingg1catalog.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Early Thunderwing was faaaabulous!]]
*Hasbro photography of Thunderwing shows some plastic color differences from the final product. His shell's arms are the same purple as his guns instead of gray, and his inner robot's thighs are that purple as well, instead of the final toy's black. Black paint is applied to the shell's thighs differently, and the inner robot's forearms seem to be painted light gray. Additionally, the smaller robot is incapable of toting either of the larger guns in jet mode, as the peghole isn't large enough.
*Speaking of pegholes, both of Thunderwing's large guns have [[5mm post]]s with holes in the center that can function very much like [[Powerlinx]]able pegs, which means one can store [[Mini-Con]]s on them, if one so desires.
*Fitting with [[Don Figueroa]]'s method of making all of his robot designs able to be easily turned into toys (until [[The Transformers (IDW)|recently]], anyways), IDW Thunderwing's Ultra Mode is telegraphed by his kibble. An image in the [[Stormbringer (comics)|Stormbringer's trade paperback's]] sketch section shows exactly how he transforms into it.

[[Category:Armada Decepticons]]
[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:Dimension hoppers]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Generations]]
[[Category:Matrix bearers]]
[[Category:Pretenders]]
[[Category:Scientists]]
[[Category:Unicron-related characters]]

Barricade (WFC)

2010-12-05T08:02:59Z

207.161.87.23: /* Transformers: War for Cybertron (Xbox 360/PS3/PC) */

{{faction|decepticon}}
{{disambig3|Barricade}}
:''Barricade is a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Transformers: Prime]] [[continuity family]].''
[[Image:WFCBarricade.jpg|300px|thumb|Stop stealing [[Breakdown (Prime)|poses]] Barricade!]]

'''Barricade''' is a true speed demon, powering his engine to speeds faster than some jets. He is a brutal leader on the battlefield, scolding Decepticons that don't perform up to his and [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron's]] standards. His favorite tactic is to goad [[Autobot]]s into transforming and chasing him, then taking them on fatal routes that only he can navigate. His skill is such that Megatron doesn't often threaten to kill him, even in the face of direct questioning.

{{quote|Huh. And we're fresh out of star cruisers to tunnel our way.|Barricade, criticizing Megatron's tactics and not getting dead for it|[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron]]}}

==Fiction==
===''Exodus: The History of the War for Cybertron''===
Barricade ran the day-to-day events of [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]'s [[gladiatorial combat|gladiatorial ring]]/revolutionary movement/emerging army. When [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Orion Pax]] came to [[Kaon]] for his first face-to-face meeting with Megatron, Barricade and [[Lugnut (Prime)|Lugnut]] "greeted" him at the entrance to their headquarters. Throughout Orion's tour of the headquarters, Barricade followed and got lippy with the archivist, but was rather curtly cut off by Megatron. {{storylink|Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Steve Blum]] (English)

During the early days of the war against the Autobots, Barricade was part of the bridge crew of a Decepticon Star Cruiser under the command of their leader, [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]], serving alongside [[Brawl (Prime)|Brawl]]. Megatron planned to steal the last remaining supply of [[Dark Energon]] from an orbiting relay station guarded by the neutral Sky Commander [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]]. After gaining entry into the station (by ramming the ship into the station; talk about a barricade), Barricade accompanied Megatron and Brawl into the station...so that Megatron could use the corrupted, highly dangerous energy source to 'save' Cybertron. Yeah, it wasn't a very good plan. While fighting through the station, and hordes of Starscream's soldiers, Barricade expressed doubts that Dark Energon was everything Megatron believed it to be, and also that the station was ''totally'' old and decrepit, noting in particular the large number of cubic crates. Strange he never noticed that fourth wall... Anyway, Megatron said he had plans to [[Trypticon (Prime)|upgrade]] the station. Barricade further asked him what made him so certain he could control the Dark Energon, to which Megatron explained that only the strong could control such a power, and he was the strongest. Okay, so the invasion of Normandy, this really was not.

Megatron was getting annoyed by this point, and told Barricade not to question him again. Barricade obeyed, and despite his skepticism, helped Megatron secure the supply of Dark Energon. It would seem his skepticism about the Dark Energon was silenced when Megatron infused him with its power.

{{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron}}

==Notes==
* Barricade is based on his [[Barricade (G1)|Generation 1 counterpart]] while borrowing some design cues from the [[Barricade (Movie)|live-action film version]].
* There is a slight difference in the way Barricade looks like in the book compared to the game. In the book, he's described as black and white with ruby-red optics, while in the game, he has yellow eyes and purple detailing.
* In [[Transformers: Cybertron Adventures|Cybertron Adventures]], [[Skywarp (Prime)|Skywarp]] and [[Thundercracker (Prime)|Thundercracker]] make fun of his inability to fly by stating he likes to hold his arms out to the side and say "''VROOM!''" when he is by himself.

[[Category:Fiction-only Transformers]]
[[Category:Prime Decepticons]]

Silverbolt (WFC)

2010-11-24T00:50:49Z

207.161.87.23:

{{faction|autobot}}
{{disambig3|Silverbolt}}
:''Silverbolt is an Autobot from the ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron| War for Cybertron]]'' portion of the [[Transformers: Prime| Prime]] [[continuity family]].''
[[Image:WFCSilverbolt.jpg|thumb|300px|That's not a pose, he's just in shock because he thinks the white means he's flying.]]
'''Silverbolt''' is a brave Autobot. Who else would command the [[Aerialbot (Prime)|Aerialbot]]s despite his fear of heights? He cares more for his friends than himself, and as a true believer in the Autobot cause, he would gladly sacrifice himself to protect them.

==Games==
===''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' (360/PS3/PC)===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Patrick Seitz]] (English)
As Cybertron was dying, [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] ordered an evacuation of all Autobot cities. However, [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] had refitted the station producing [[Dark Energon]] with a colossal weapon that blasted the ships holding the Autobots who defied him by escaping. Prime sent for Silverbolt, [[Jetfire (Prime)|Jetfire]], and [[Air Raid (Prime)|Air Raid]] to lead the Aerialbots in an assault to take Megatron's battle station offline. After getting into the relay station, and disabling the safety locks, the Autobots managed to find the coolant room, where Silverbolt suggested blasting everything. Shooting through wave after wave of Decepticons, Air Raid admitted he had wanted to be the Aerialbot commander, but was impressed with his leader not entirely sucking at the job--especially for a guy who was afraid of flying. Silverbolt was not amused.

The Autobots then destroyed the station's coolant pump, and Silverbolt ordered the squad to navigate towards the control room, showing utter devotion to the task at hand. In the room, the controls were blocked off and Megatron projected an image of himself, taunting the Autobots, Jetfire in particular. Silverbolt was surprised that they knew each other, and after a war of words, Megatron sent in his Decepticon troops. Though the Autobots were outnumbered, Silverbolt swore he'd fight to his last spark, and the opposition was no match. Silverbolt then flushed the coolant tanks and the Autobots tore off through the now-empty tunnels, which were starting to come apart. After overhearing a Decepticon commander talk about Megatron's plans for Trypticon, Silverbolt's squad destroyed his troops and flew to the nerve centre, where they deactivated the beam's pulse regulator. After stalling waves of Decepticons, the plasma within the regulator reached 110% and blew sky-high.

However, Megatron had backup systems, and sent more Decepticons. Silverbolt decided that his team could still blow the weapon up from the inside, and the team flew inside to the energy conduit, where Optimus contacted him, telling him to disable the gun immediately, as the damage from the cannon was becoming catastrophic. Silverbolt had no clear plan, but still swore to do what he could prevent the Autobot deaths. Then...the gun taunted the Autobots, revealing its true identity as a Cybertronian, [[Trypticon (Prime)|Trypticon]]. As they dispatched the Decepticons and flew in further, the situation became more and more dire, and Air Raid suggested the destruction of Trypticon's [[conversion cog]], changing him to his original mode. Jetfire was skeptical, but Silverbolt encouraged the idea, as anything was better than a gigantic talking space gun. They managed to destroy the cog before it Trypticon could unleash a full-power blast at Optimus Prime's position, and Trypticon was forced into his beastly robot mode, falling towards Cybertron. Silverbolt ordered the team to destroy Trypticon's jetpacks, and when they were eliminated, allowed gravity to do the rest.

Sure enough, Trypticon crashed on Cybertron, and Optimus, [[Ironhide (Prime)|Ironhide]] and [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] went to investigate. Silverbolt told Optimus he and the others were en route, and even gave them advice on how to defeat Trypticon. Optimus's group took Silverbolt's advice, and just after damaging his weapon systems, Silverbolt's squad arrived and tried to help out, but all three flying Autobots were swatted aside by the beast.

Silverbolt and his teammates survived, however, and got better in time to witness Optimus's post-victory speech, staying on Cybertron continuing the fight against Megatron. They would be among the future crew members of the ''[[Ark (Prime)|Ark]]'' when the Autobots' time came to leave their home. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)}}

===''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' (DS)===
:''Voice actor:'' Patrick Seitz (English)
As the Decepticons attempted to restart the [[Energon Bridge]], Silverbolt set a group of Autobot fighters on them and used Energon dampeners to disrupt the flow of power. Though the Decepticons quickly destroyed the dampeners, they were forced to attempt to reroute the Energon through a back-up link. Silverbolt confronted them at the back-up controls. He proved unable to stop them, and they successfully reactivated the bridge. Silverbolt had still bought the rest of the Autobots time, and the Decepticons discovered that they had used the [[Omega Key]] to sever the connection to Cybertron's core, limiting the power flow.
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (DS)}}

[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Prime characters]]
[[Category: Video game-only characters]]

Brawl (WFC)

2010-10-18T07:17:30Z

207.161.87.23: /* Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC) */

{{faction|decepticon}}
{{disambig3|Brawl}}
:''Brawl is a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Transformers: War for Cybertron|War for Cybertron]] portion of the [[Transformers: Prime]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:WFC Brawl.jpg|thumb|300px|I carry around these twin cannons on my back ... and my default weapon is an assault rifle. Sigh.]]

'''Brawl''' ''loves'' explosions. He ''loves'' to kill them [[Autobot|Auto-brats]], too. Really, if it involves massive amounts of violence, chances are he'll ''love'' it.

{{bigquote|Real Decepticons roll on treads.|Brawl on car alt-modes.|[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron]] }}

==Games==

===''Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)''===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Nolan North]]

During the final days of the war, Brawl served aboard a Decepticon starship under [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]], who was seeking the [[Dark Energon]] guarded by the neutral Sky Commander [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]]. He was part of the bridge crew, along with [[Barricade (Prime)|Barricade]] as Megatron laid siege to the orbiting station where Starscream hid the supply of Dark Energon. After Megatron gained entry to the station (by ramming his starship into it, no less), Brawl and Barricade then helped Megatron fight his way into the station, past Starscream's soldiers. Starscream's constant taunting irritated Brawl, to the point he requested permission to rip off Starscream's head. He even said please. The Decepticons eventually reached the supply of Dark Energon and prevented Starscream from destroying it, and as his reward, Brawl was infused with the corrupted Energon's power by Megatron.

Later, during the Decepticon assault on the Autobot capital of Iacon, Brawl had the honour of commanding and spearheading the ground attack while Starscream (his head sadly still attached) commanded the aerial forces and Megatron personally led a small strikeforce into the heart of the city. Megatron's team eventually reunited with Brawl and his forces outside the Iacon Vaults, where Autobot leader [[Sentinel Zeta Prime]] had taken refuge. Despite being heavily out-numbered (and being dogpiled by numerous Autobots), Brawl held out until Megatron, [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] and [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] arrived to assist. Brawl complained about Starscream's refusal to give his ground troops air support, but Megatron wasn't interested in excuses.

When even Megatron's Dark Energon powers failed to open the massive doors to the Vaults, the enraged Decepticon ordered a bombing run. Brawl attempted to protest, since the Autobots' anti-aircraft defenses were still active, but Megatron would not be convinced. After the bombing attempt failed miserably, Brawl tactfully suggested they first take the anti-aircraft guns in order to guarantee success. Megatron noted this was 'an excellent suggestion' and commanded him to see to it.

The Decepticons successfully disabled the anti-aircraft guns and Brawl once again called down a bombing run, only to be bluntly refused by Starscream. Taking issue with Starscream referring to the bombers as 'his ships', Megatron cut in and ensured the bombing run would take place. However, Brawl and his comrades now had to hold off a massive Autobot counterattack until the bombers arrived. Despite fighting and killing numerous Autobots (including several Heavy Soldiers and Aerialbots), it seemed as though the Decepticons would be overwhelmed by nothing less than the entire Autobot army. Brawl, keeping track of the bombers' progress, started counting down the last few seconds verbally, and the Decepticons watched as the Autobots realized their doom, too late to retreat to safety. Megatron ordered Brawl to hold his position while he led his team to 'discuss' matters with Zeta Prime.

Brawl followed his orders to hold his ground to the letter. In fact, while Megatron, Breakdown and Soundwave were being attacked by [[Destroyer (WFC)|a huge Autobot]], Brawl watched, no doubt confident that his master would be victorious.

He probably wasn't too happy when Starscream claimed leadership when Megatron was apparently killed by a [[Omega Supreme (Prime)|huge heavily-armed ship]]. That was fixed soon enough, though.

Brawl then journeyed with Megatron and the rest of the Decepticons to Cybertron's core, watching as Megatron corrupted the core and cowered from falling debris.{{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)}}

===''Transformers: War for Cybertron - Decepticon (DS)''===
Brawl, Megatron, and Dirge captured an Autobot training facility during the waning days of the Great War. He later accompanied Megatron during the capture of Trypticon Space Station - a station which could manufacture Dark Energon. After a field test, the Dark Energon enhanced the Decepticons' stamina and strength. However, the Decepticons had to journey to Cybertron's core to get the fuel to make more Dark Energon. Brawl helped in an all-out assault on Iacon City to find the Omega Key, the key to Cybertron's core - but upon taking it from Zeta Prime, it activated the titanic Autobot Omega Supreme, who quickly decimated the Decepticons. Brawl followed his leader, and defeated Omega Supreme, gaining total supremacy over Cybertron.

Later, the Autobots, with their new leader Optimus Prime, came to the Core to flush out the Dark Energon. Brawl had been lying in wait for such an attack, and unleashed his full power upon them. But the Autobots defeated Brawl, and the Decepticon retreated.

==Notes==
*Despite his [[Brawl (G1)|Generation 1 counterpart]] being nothing more than a battle-hungry bundle of rage and his [[Brawl (Movie)|live-action movie counterpart]] being a heavily-armed, battle-hungry bundle of rage (both being shock-troops you unleashed on the enemy), this Brawl is intelligent enough to act as overall ground commander. He even makes a calm, well-thought out suggestion during the Iacon battle, advising Megatron to disable the anti-aircraft guns.

*While his tank mode, colouring and lust for battle are Brawl, his intelligence, strategic outlook and command ability are more in line with the Combaticon commander [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]]. The twin barrels on his back also harken back to his old boss, as the original Brawl only had one barrel.

*As he is not mentioned in ''[[Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron|Exodus]]'' it is unknown if he combines with [[Onslaught (Prime)|Onslaught]] to form [[Bruticus Maximus (Prime)|Bruticus Maximus]].

[[Category: Decepticons]]
[[Category: Prime characters]]
[[Category: Video game-only characters]]

Optimus Prime (WFC)

2010-10-18T06:54:43Z

207.161.87.23: /* Transformers: War for Cybertron (Xbox 360/PS3/PC) */

{{faction|autobot}}
{{disambig3|Optimus Prime}}
:''Optimus Prime is an Autobot from the [[Transformers: Prime]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:PrimeOptimus.jpg|thumb|250px|Megatron awakened within him a secret yearning. The slashfic writes itself.]]

The robot who would become '''Optimus Prime''' was a lowly archivist, but it wasn't until he heard of a rogue gladiator named [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] and his call for an upheaval of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s society that he realized he was unsatisfied with his lot in life. Freedom to make your own choice should be the right of all sentient beings! Little did he realize that his boss, [[Alpha Trion (Prime)|Alpha Trion]], knew of a secret potential within the archivist, and that Cybertron's history was at a precipice. Once he and Megatron discovered they did not have as much in common as they once believed, the lowly archivist was promoted by the [[Autobot High Council|High Council]] to be the next [[Prime (rank)|Prime]].

The battle over Cybertron caused the planet to be lost to both sides, but Optimus is determined to ensure other worlds don't share the same fate. People on Earth may find him stern and not very cuddly, but he truly does care: he's just seen too many battles, and knows that more are coming...

{{bigquote|We will [[Theme song|wage our battle to destroy the evil forces of the Decepticons]] wherever it may take us. And one day, we will go home.|Optimus Prime|''[[Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron|Exodus]]''}}

==Fiction==
===''Exodus: The History of the War for Cybertron''===
Like all Cybertronians, when Orion Pax emerged from the [[Well of All Sparks]], he was taught how to transform, to select a natural [[alternate mode]], and was put in a [[caste system|caste]]. Orion worked at the [[Hall of Records]], where he befriended the cultural investigator [[Jazz (Prime)|Jazz]]. Orion would read and index information, but was forbidden to analyze. He began monitoring transmissions on the [[Communication Grid]] by the [[Kaon]]ian gladiator [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]us, who preached a message of individual freedom that flew in the face of their society. Moved by what the gladiator had to say, and realizing his own dissatisfactions in life - namely that his caste was generally not allowed to visit [[Six Lasers Over Cybertron]] - Orion began a secret correspondence with Megatronus, who had shortened his name to Megatron. They had intense but friendly debates over the nature of free will and the dangerousness of their ideals, and Megatron suggested Orion learn how to fight for his beliefs. Orion began training with Jazz, learning to fire an [[ion blaster|ion-cannon]] and to fashion his arms into an [[energon-axe|axe]] and a [[Dual Energon Swords|sword]].

Orion made his first trip to Kaon to meet Megatron in person at his base. Megatron was the only gladiator who gave Orion a warm welcome. It was then terrorists began bombings in Megatron's name. Megatron made his first public announcement on the Grid, stating he was not responsible for the attacks and would bring the perpetrators to justice, and Orion followed him up with a speech of his own. When he returned to [[Iacon (city-state)|Iacon]], [[Alpha Trion (Prime)|Alpha Trion]] asked Orion why he trusted Megatron: Orion found it hard to explain but felt if Megatron were responsible for the attacks he would have wanted to be associated with them. Later, when [[Shockwave (Prime)|Shockwave]] took him to meet Megatron at an arena beneath Iacon's Observatory, Orion was shocked to see Jazz in attendance, and that Megatron had heard rumors about the bombings but did nothing to prevent them.

[[Image:War for Cybertron comic - Orion testimony.jpg|right|thumb|300px| Lookin' awful buff and armored for an insignifigant young library clerk. One has to wonder if the [[Guilds of Cybertron|Guilds]] may have dropped the ball on this one.]]
When "[[Decepticon]]s" kidnapped [[Sentinel Zeta Prime|Sentinel Prime]], Orion requested Alpha Trion make the [[Autobot High Council|High Council]] grant an audience with him and Megatron now that most Cybertronians blamed them and wanted their heads. Megatron also requested Orion investigate the history of [[Trypticon (Prime)|Trypticon Station]], a base his ally [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] had made home, though Orion's research led to dead ends. During their hearing in the [[High Council Tower]], Orion rigorously defended their ideals, even reviving the ancient philosophical phrase "[[Autobot]]s" to describe the autonomy his brethren sought. It was then Councillor [[Halogen]] declared Orion the new [[Prime (rank)|Prime]]: Optimus Prime. An outraged Megatron accused his brother of treachery, and then murdered Halogen. When Optimus ordered the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]] to not harm Megatron, Megatron declared Optimus had fallen into the trappings of power the High Council had foistered upon him, and those in attendance dispersed, with the planet forever divided into Autobots and Decepticons.

Optimus forgoed the first engagement of the war, allowing the Decepticons to take [[Fort Scyk]] so he would gain time to recruit more Autobots. Optimus learned from Jazz after the fall of Scyk that he would have to learn to not mourn every soldier. Optimus fought for the first time during the next battle, the siege of the [[Hydrax Plateau]]. The first Cybertronian he ever killed was a former industrial drone named [[Drixco]]. Afterwards Optimus confided to Alpha Trion that the act of killing alone made him feel he was on the wrong side. Despite the efforts of Optimus and [[Ultra Magnus (Prime)|Ultra Magnus]] the Decepticons conquered the Hydrax Plateau. It was at the stalemate of [[Praxus]] that Optimus gained the indispensable allies [[Prowl (Prime)|Prowl]] and [[Ironhide (Prime)|Ironhide]]. The first Autobot victory was at [[Kalis]], a vital area due to its fusion reactor that powered Iacon. Optimus, Jazz and [[Sideswipe (Prime)|Sideswipe]] worked together to bring down the monstrous [[Bruticus Maximus (Prime)|Bruticus Maximus]], but the battle was mostly won due to the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]]s' absence. As Energon depleted, the war descended into a mere siege of Iacon lasting millions of cycles, and Optimus opted to eject the [[AllSpark (Prime)|AllSpark]] itself into space: during this battle Optimus gained another great friend in [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]].

While visiting the Hall of Records during the siege, Alpha Trion revealed that it was him who suggested that the High Council appoint Orion Pax Prime. Alpha Trion added he believed the High Council would've come to the same conclusion that Orion was the Prime that would save Cybertron from civil war, as foretold in the [[Covenant of Primus]]. He cited Optimus' own intuition and empathy when investigating Megatron before the war, when any other archivist would've just passed on the transmissions for a superior to investigate. Later in the lull of the war, Alpha Trion revealed he had deleted most of the information surrounding ''Trypticon'' for it was a store of [[Dark Energon]], the essence of [[Unicron]], and sensed the Decepticons had found it. Indeed, Decepticons using the powerful narcotic appeared on the battlefield routing Autobot patrols, but Optimus wisely predicted it was an inefficient resource that would run out soon. However, to their horror Megatron and Starscream infiltrated [[Teletraan-1]] to steal the [[Plasma energy|Plasma Energy Chamber]], and although Teletraan-1 awakened the legendary [[Omega Supreme (Prime)|Omega Supreme]] to ferry the Chamber to safety, the Dark Energon-powered Decepticons overpowered the Autobots and used the Chamber, in concert with the [[Geosynchronous Energon Bridge]], to corrupt the [[Core]] of Cybertron and spread Dark Energon across the planet.

During the battle, Megatron revealed he had killed Sentinel Prime below the High Council Tower to gain access to the Chamber. Afterwards Prowl picked up a message from Sentinel on the Grid, and Optimus, realizing he had not found Sentinel's body in Iacon, deduced Sentinel was alive and in Kaon. When Optimus, Jazz and Prowl rescued him, they found Kaon strangely deserted, only battling two gibbering guards. Optimus believed Dark Energon was having a severe effect on Decepticon morale. When they found Sentinel, he was dying, and said he regretted his overlong reign as Prime, and that the High Council had made the right decision in appointing Optimus Prime. He finally told him he had to go to the Core and purge its corruption of Dark Energon.

After Sentinel's funeral in Iacon, where Optimus was officially appointed Prime after holding the de facto position for so long, he journeyed to the Core with Bumblebee and [[Jetfire (Prime)|Jetfire]] and removed the Plasma Energy Chamber. It was then a voice from the Core told Optimus he was too late, and the Autobots would have to leave Cybertron as the planet healed itself. But it finally bestowed upon him the [[Matrix of Leadership]], the essence of [[Primus]], explaining that while Sentinel lived, he was still Prime, and that he had been unworthy of the Matrix. It told him that when the day came that they would return to Cybertron, the Core and the Matrix would restore the planet and Optimus would lead the Autobots in an "age of unimagined wonders". It was then Optimus launched [[Ark (Prime)|Project Generation One]], to build a ship — that Jazz dubbed the ''Ark'' — to take them to the stars, a plan some Autobots objected to.

But before their exodus, Optimus planned to fool Megatron by gathering every spaceworthy vessel and having them rendezvouz at what was apparently the last remaining [[space bridge]] in orbit. Megatron ordered ''Trypticon'' fire on the ships, but Optimus ordered a fallback and he, Jetfire, Jazz, Ironhide, Prowl, Sideswipe and Bumblebee flew the ''[[Eight Track]]'' to enter a weak spot in ''Trypticon''. Battling the drones Shockwave had installed within, the crew knocked ''Trypticon'' from orbit, crashing into the [[Mithril Sea|Mithric Sea]]. Optimus's team returned to find the ''Ark'' ready at the Well of All Sparks, but Trypticon survived the impact and transformed to attack. Jetfire, Magnus and his Wreckers including [[Springer (Prime)|Springer]] and a repaired Omega Supreme declared they would remain on Cybertron if only to fight off the titanic monster. Optimus also bade farewell to Alpha Trion, who believed [[Vector Sigma]] would protect him when the rest of the planet would be unable to sustain life: it was then Optimus realized Alpha Trion was one of the [[thirteen original Transformers]].

Yet as the ''Ark'' took off the Decepticons overran Iacon and Megatron and his elite boarded Trypticon, who transformed into a ''Nemesis''-class cruiser and pursued the Autobots. Megatron used his and Orion's old frequency to inform Optimus that he would pursue him across the stars and eventually kill him. The ''Ark'' entered the last space bridge and emerged with the ''Nemesis'' gone. They were near a [[Milky Way|spiral galaxy]] and Prowl detected the AllSpark. Knowing the Matrix within would help them find a way home, Optimus vowed that the Autobots would continue to wage their battle across the stars. {{storylink|Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron}}

===''Prime'' comic===
From [[Earth]], Optimus sent an encrypted message directing the Autobots to their new world. When [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]] and [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] landed, Optimus and Bumblebee detected them and came to retrieve them. For Optimus to find them under attack from [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] and [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] was no matter, for Optimus crushed the air commander and sent his brawny accomplice running. Optimus picked up the wounded Arcee, and took her through a [[ground bridge]] to his base for Ratchet to repair her, while informing Cliffjumper that while his journey was over, their battle was just beginning. {{storylink|Transformers: Prime (comic)}}

===''Prime'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter Cullen]] (English)
[[Image:TFPrimeOptimustruck.jpg|thumb|So, it hasn't got flames. [[Ruined FOREVER|It's still not a flat nose truck.]]]]
{{comingsoon}}
{{-}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Peter Cullen]] (English), [[Marco Balzarotti]] (Italian)

[[Image:WFC-OptimusPrimeconcept.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Steroids are the right of all sentient beings.]]
In the waning days of the war for Cybertron, Optimus spots a little yellow Autobot in trouble, and defeats the surrounding drone forces. [[Ratchet (Prime)| Ratchet]] arrives on the scene, and Optimus helps up the Autobot scout, who reveals his name is [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]]. Bumblebee informs Optimus that the Decepticons have taken control of communication relays, so that the only way to contact Optimus is by messenger. Oh! And also their leader, [[Sentinel Zeta Prime]], is dead. Optimus suspects [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]'s hand, and is informed by Bumblebee that the [[Autobot High Council]] have gone into hiding because of this. Optimus believes that the Council will emerge during a safer time, and forms a team with Bumblebee and Ratchet.

They drive to the [[Decagon]], where they find [[Ironhide (Prime)|Ironhide]] battling the forces of [[Starscream (Prime)| Starscream]]. After assisting him in defeating Starscream's army, they confront Starscream himself within the Decagon. After the trio combat and drive off Starscream, a hologram of Zeta Prime's face appears in the center of the room, stating that he is being held in the [[Kaon]] prison complex. Optimus takes Bumblebee and Sideswipe to the Kaon prison, allowing themselves to be captured so that they can infiltrate the facility. The Decepticons prepare to execute them, but [[Air Raid (Prime)| Air Raid]] lends a hand so they can escape, though he himself is captured. While sneaking through the corridors, the three manage to free Air Raid, [[Arcee (Prime)| Arcee]], and others. They continue through the hallways, and finally locate the room where Zeta is being held, only to face [[Soundwave (Prime)| Soundwave]]. The Decepticon cowers behind a force field, sending [[Frenzy (Prime)| Frenzy]], [[Rumble (Prime)| Rumble]], and [[Laserbeak (Prime)| Laserbeak]] out to fight for him, only venturing out to administer needed repairs to his minions. As Soundwave's energy becomes low, he attempts to drain Zeta Prime, only to be interrupted by Optimus, who takes a shot meant for Zeta. Though Soundwave and his minions retreat, the damage is done, and Zeta Prime dies before Optimus can free him.

Optimus brings Zeta's corpse to the site of the hiding High Council, where he lays the dead body in the center of the room. Optimus states that the Autobots crave their guidance, but the Council states that their mission is to choose the Primes, not to lead them. They then tell him that Optimus himself is a Prime, and that he has changed the lives around him. Optimus was then told that Megatron had corrupted the core of Cybertron, and that he was the one that could remove this blight. He takes this burden and responsibility, then is told by the Council that he is now Optimus ''Prime'', the last Prime.

[[Image:WFC-OptimusPrimeAltmode.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Welcome to the ''Twilight Zone'' Prime.]]
For a new mission, Optimus selects Ironhide and [[Warpath (Prime)|Warpath]], and the team ventures to entrance of the core, where a corrupted [[Omega Supreme (Prime)| Omega Supreme]] is being tortured. After a prolonged battle, the Autobots defeat the torturers and free Omega Supreme from the Dark Energon influence. Omega Supreme escapes, and the Autobots find some [[Space slug| space slugs]] to use as steeds. One long journey later, they reach the core and defeat a corrupted slug. Unfortunately the core itself has become contaminated, and informs Optimus as much. The only solution is for the core to reboot, which will take millions of years, during which the planet will be unusable, and Optimus realizes that the Autobots will have to leave their home. Before shutting down, the core reveals the [[Matrix of Leadership]], which it installs inside Optimus Prime's chest.

Optimus arrives back at Iacon, where he orders all Autobots to evacuate the planet. Megatron announces that everyone must stay or face destruction, and fires a massive cannon installed in the Dark Energon space station. Optimus Prime orders his Air Commander [[Silverbolt (Prime)|Silverbolt]] to shut down the cannon with his team. They succeed, and the station crashes into Iacon. Optimus, Bumblebee, and Ironhide discover that the "space station" isn't a space station at all: it is the giant Decepticon, [[Trypticon (Prime)|Trypticon]]. They manage to defeat the heavily-armed menace, who plunges into a pool of energon. The Autobots celebrate their victory, but notice that ''they'' have to evacuate as well. Optimus reveals a massive starship they will use called the [[Ark (Prime)|Ark]], a ship still under construction that will allow them to take a part of Cybertron with them across the galaxy. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron}}

===''Transformers: Cybertron Adventures''===
:''Voice actor:'' Peter Cullen (English), [[Marco Balzarotti]] (Italian)

{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Cybertron Adventures}}

==Toys==
===Generations===
[[Image:Generationstoy-CybertronianOptimusPrime.jpg|right|thumb|300px|It's ''[[War Within]]'' but with fewer chinstraps and handvents.]]
*'''Cybertronian Optimus Prime''' (Deluxe Class, 2010)
:*''Accessories: '' "blaster" rifle

: Based on his appearance in the video game ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron]]'', Optimus Prime transforms from a red, blue, and silver robot into an "armored truck mode." His rifle transforms as well, folding and plugging into the roof of the vehicle mode. The rifle can also peg into his forearms, and, in its compact configuration, can attach to his shoulders via peg holes on the backs of his front tires. Optimus has a stylized Autobot insignia on his back, as seen in the game, but it is masked by [[kibble]].

:As with (it seems) every modern toy, the instructions don't include all the features of the toy. In this case, neither the instructions nor any promotional photography show that Optimus Prime's knees can rotate out to form a back bumper with tail lights in vehicle mode. Oddly, the toy itself and the cardbox art show Optimus Prime with 4 fingers on each hand, while in the video game Optimus Prime has 5 fingers. The picture above is slightly mistransformed; the step 26 exhaust stack rotation has not been done. On the plus side, for a Deluxe-class toy, it has a surprisingly complex [[transformation (toys)|transformation]], and mad levels of [[articulation]]. The instructions show the rifle being plugged in by its shorter peg, which causes it to resemble the ''Transformers Animated'' Voyager-class Optimus Prime, but the packaging depicts the rifle stored by its grip, which keeps the weapon higher off Prime's body, but is also more secure. Amusingly, the part where the gun plugs in in vehicle mode becomes his crotch in robot mode.

:Optimus Prime is part of the first wave of ''[[Generations (toyline)|Generations]]'' Deluxes, but he and Cybertronian [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] shipped ahead of their two other wavemates via [[Toys"R"Us]].

::*''[http://tfu.info/2010/Autobot/GenerationsOptimusPrime/optimusprime.htm More information on Cybertronian Optimus Prime at TFU.info]''

==Notes==
*''Exodus'' and ''War for Cybertron'' are different continuities within the same "continuity family", so their difference on O.P.'s pre-Prime name is not a real contradiction in and of itself. However [[Hasbro]]'s [http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/play/details.cfm?guid=7fd5ecd9-19b9-f369-1041-a7635be83172 online timeline] - meant as prequel to ''War for Cybertron'' - refers to Optimus's pre-Prime name as "Orion Pax" like ''Exodus''. To confuse matters even more, in [[IDW Publishing]]'s ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (comic)|War for Cybertron]]'' comic, [[Alex Irvine]], in adapting scenes from his novel, changes the character's name to "Optimus".

[[Category: Autobot leaders]]
[[Category: Generations]]
[[Category: Matrix bearers]]
[[Category: Prime characters]]

Thundercracker (WFC)

2010-10-18T06:48:51Z

207.161.87.23: /* Transformers: War for Cybertron (Xbox 360/PS3/PC) */

{{faction|decepticon}}
{{disambig3|Thundercracker}}
:''Thundercracker is an [[Decepticon]] from the [[Transformers: Prime]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:WFC_Thundercracker.jpg|thumb|350px|Someone told me I was meeting Mike Costa here.]]

A scientist by nature, with a more upperclass air, '''Thundercracker''' stands out among his fellow Decepticons in being a fairly calm and level-headed fellow. He believes in the cause, even if he's not enthusiastic about certain of Megatron's methods. Lacking the endless ambition of [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] and the cruel thuggery of [[Skywarp (Prime)|Skywarp]], he displays little malice towards his enemies and takes no joy from battle. For Thundercracker, conflict is simply applied physics and chemistry, nothing more than the redirection of forces and energy towards the desired target...his foes.

==Fiction==
===''Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron''===
When [[Decepticon]]s bombed [[Altihex]] Casino, [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] told [[Sentinel Zeta Prime|Sentinel Prime]] that Thundercracker and [[Skywarp (Prime)|Skywarp]] were his trusted lieutenants and that they would take him to safety. They actually took him to [[Kaon]] Prison. {{storylink|Exodus: The Official History of the War for Cybertron}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Graham McTavish]] (English)

Thundercracker served with Skywarp, [[Jetfire (Prime)|Jetfire]], and the former Sky Commander Starscream on a dilapidated orbital research station that once experimented on the powerful, but highly dangerous [[Dark Energon]]. This made it a target for the leader of the Decepticons, [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]], who wished to restart Dark Energon production in his plans to revitalise [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Megatron attacked the station and fought his way into the laboratory, and despite Starscream's attempts to destroy the remaining Dark Energon, Megatron withstood its destructive power and bent it to his will. His survival intrigued Starscream, who offered to serve Megatron in exchange for learning how to manipulate Dark Energon himself; Thundercracker and Skywarp fell into line. Jetfire declared them traitors and left to warn [[Sentinel Zeta Prime|Zeta Prime]]. Thundercracker and Skywarp were prepared to give chase, but Megatron allowed the Autobot to leave, as he wished Zeta Prime to know his demise was coming. However, the Decepticon commander scoffed at the idea of being given what he could simply take from Starscream, until the one-time Sky Commander revealed that there was very little Dark Energon left on the research station, but he knew how to manufacture more, and that the ancient, long-forgotten [[Geosynchronous Energon Bridge|Energon Bridge]] needed to be reactivated before they could do so.

Thundercracker, Starscream and Skywarp were sent the cliffs of [[Kaon]], where they could make their way into the underground. Thundercracker commented with wonder that he had never travelled this far into Cybertron before, for which Skywarp labelled him as being boring as always. As they entered an underground energon reservoir, Thundercracker warned his teammates to avoid touching the flowing streams and waterfalls of crude energon, as in that state is was extremely volatile; Skywarp once again mocked his companion's thoughtfulness. Making their way out of the reservoir, the three fliers faced their first serious challenge when an Autobot cruiser appeared in a canyon they needed to travel through. The trio crippled the cruiser's weapons system, fought their way past the [[Aerialbot (Prime)|Aerialbot]] squadron it launched, and moved into the ship. Defeating the ship's defenders, they then destroyed it by placing a detpack on the ship's power core. While Starscream and Skywarp busied themselves with glory hogging and relishing the battle against the Autobots, Thundercracker tried to keep them alive, using his [[Energon repair ray]] to heal their wounds. Deeper in the core, they encountered strange creatures the likes of which Thundercracker had never seen before. Eventually, they found themselves before the mechanism needed to restart the Energon Bridge, but Thundercracker's scans detected something very unusual about the machine. Starscream, tired of Thundercracker's readings and sensors, pushed his way past and injected Dark Energon into it without waiting for more information. Perhaps he should have listened to Thundercracker, as the machine activated its defense systems, revealing itself to be [[Cybertron's Sentinel]]. The three Decepticons were forced to fight a desperate battle where the Sentinel threw heat-seeking fireballs at them, activated powerful energy beams and turned the floor into lava. Exploiting the machine's cooling down period, they were eventually victorious, and barely escaped with their lives when the Dark Energon infected the facility and reactivated the Energon Bridge, which sent its energon bouncing along satellites to Megatron's Dark Energon facility. Thundercracker remarked his amazement at this...but not until after Skywarp did. Y'know, TC, it's all well and good for you to be thoughtful and careful, but when Skywarp beats you to the punch in stating the blindly obvious, you might want to speed it up.

Shortly after the defeat of Zeta Prime, [[Iacon (city-state)|Iacon]]'s guardian [[Omega Supreme (Prime)|Omega Supreme]] gave chase to Megatron, though based on Megatron's attitude it was hard to tell exactly who was chasing whom at times. At one point, Megatron even ordered Starscream, Skywarp, and Thundercracker to attack the behemoth, if only to provide a distraction. The three apparently eluded him after drawing his fire, however, as after Omega had cornered Megatron's team at an Autobot anti-aircraft terrace (or, depending on who you talk to, when Megatron tricked him into attacking them there), Omega's armour was breached by Megatron using the heavy guns, and Starscream led Skywarp and Thundercracker in shooting down the mighty Autobot, forcing him to crash land in a sub-level below. After Megatron defeated Omega Supreme on the ground and forced him to open the [[Omega Gate]], Thundercracker and the others watched as Megatron achieved his plan to infect Cybertron's core with Dark Energon. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron}}

===''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' (DS)===
:''Voice actor:'' Graham McTavish (English)
{{Note|Thundercracker is an unlockable character for the [[Transformers: War for Cybertron (DS)|DS version of ''War for Cybertron'']]. He is unlocked by finding a disc in the mission "Testing the Experiment" (requires a Air class flying character). On the Decepticon version he can replace any of the other Decepticons in the campaign mode.}}

Thundercracker served under Megatron loyally during the final days of the war. He followed Megatron into battle against the titanic Autobot Omega Supreme, but not without expressing his numbing fear of the giant first.
{{Storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (DS)|Transformers: War for Cybertron}}

==Notes==
*Thundercracker is usable in both the Autobot and Decepticon versions of the ''War for Cybertron'' games for the DS. Used only for multiplayer, bonus missions and Arena mode in the Autobot version and used in Multiplayer, Arena mode, and campaign in the Decepticon version.

[[Category: Decepticons]]
[[Category: Fiction-only characters]]
[[Category: Prime characters]]
[[Category: Seekers]]