Renaming

2010-07-11T08:48:01Z

58.7.112.173: /* Generation 1 */

''What's in a name? A [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] by any other name would cause as many explosions.''

For a Transformer, [[Transformer naming|a name]] is not just a convenient handle for referring to someone--it's a way to describe yourself. As a result, Transformers sometimes take new names upon going through major changes.

==Generation 1==
[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]]'s real name is unpronounceable in English, so just call him Jazz. {{storylink|Man of Iron!}} This may imply that the Transformer names as we know them are generally English aliases.

Probably the most famous name changes are the new names taken by the faction leaders. Different versions of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] have had the previous names Orion Pax and Optronix, [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] changed his name when he became [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], and [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] (alternatively known as Rodimus Major or just Rodimus) became Rodimus Prime upon receiving the [[Matrix]]. In addition, [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] has displayed a tendency to change his name to Goldbug.

Other Transformers have changed their names in specific universes; for instance, the most prominent version of [[Elita One]] was once known as Ariel, and one version of [[Outback]] changed his name to Fallback. Also, [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] was called Divebomb in the past in Marvel Comics continuity and Dreamwave comics continuity. Before he defected from the Decepticons, the Autobot [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] was known as Deadlock.

==Beast Era==
Nearly every member of the [[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]] and [[Darksyde]] crews appeared to take a new name upon first taking an animal [[alternate mode]], though [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] was the only one seen to do so explicitly. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}} [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] claimed to have taken his own name from a figure in the [[Covenant of Primus]], which suggests that he had had a different name before that point. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}} In one branch of the timeline, [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] had previously been known as "Wing Saber," but her memory banks were damaged and her body was reverted to a [[protoform]] state before she was reborn in the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]], so her new identity was more than a mere name-change. {{storylink|The Razor's Edge}} {{storylink|Dawn of Future's Past}}

Several of the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] who fought [[Lio Convoy]]'s [[Maximal|Maximals]] on [[Gaea]] took modified names upon being upgraded by [[Angolmois]] energy.

In ''Beast Wars II'', [[Lio Convoy|a rookie Convoy]] changed his name to "Lio Convoy" after scanning a mysterious white lion.

In ''Beast Wars Neo'' manga, [[Big Convoy]] was originally named "Big" before becoming a Transformer.

==Robots in Disguise==
[[Megatron (RID)|Megatron]] changed his name to Galvatron upon being upgraded, while the [[Autobot Brothers]] simply added the prefix "Super" to their names.

==Unicron Trilogy==
[[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] has a tendency to change his name to Galvatron when he receives a power boost, but for some reason back to Megatron when getting an all new body. Others, such as [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Overhaul]] and [[Cyclonus (Armada)|Cyclonus]], prefer to reserve name changes for when they are upgraded into entirely new bodies. Others yet, such as [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]], retain their name even when upgraded into a new form. Perhaps this is because some Transformers change their name to reflect their new body's abilities; for example, it makes little sense for a snow machine to be named "Cyclonus", while the gorilla-like Demolishor still maintains a destructive personality. Or maybe Hasbro just wants to use certain names for certain toys.

''In the Japanese version of the Unicron Trilogy, characters change names whenever they get a new body, though not necessarily when they get a power boost that results merely in new colors. In [[Cybertron (cartoon)|Cybertron]]'s Japanese counterpart, ''Galaxy Force'', this rule does not necessarily hold true, as ''Galaxy Force'' was originally a separate universe until being retconned into continuity.''

==See also==
*[[Trademark]]
*[[Reformatting]]
*[[Blastification]]

[[Category:Transformer culture]]

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Renaming