Optimus Prime (G1)

2008-01-28T08:07:48Z

61.69.160.151:

{{Template:Disambig3|Optimus Prime}}

:''Optimus Prime is the leader of the [[Autobot]]s in the [[Generation 1]] continuity family. Before he became Optimus Prime, he was named alternatively '''Orion Pax''' or '''Optronix''' in certain continuities.''

[[Image:Optimusg1.jpg|right|thumb|300px|I'm that guy everyone remembers. No, not the [[Soundwave (G1)|tape guy]], the ''other'' guy.]]

'''Optimus Prime''' is the awe-inspiring [[Prime (rank)|leader]] of the Autobot forces. Originally a mere civilian, he was chosen by the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] to command, the first in a number of heavy burdens he has been forced to bear. Another is his bringing of the Transformers' conflict to Earth. The complete opposite of his mortal enemy [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], every casualty, [[human]] or [[Transformer|Cybertronian]], weighs heavily on his [[spark]]. He does not show this side to his soldiers, and he never succumbs to despair. The Autobots need a decisive, charismatic leader, and that is what he gives them. It was that leadership which turned the tide of the [[Great War]].

On the battlefield, there are few who rival Optimus Prime's prowess. His [[ion blaster]] and his [[energon-axe]] are deadly weapons, though lacking when compared to others. He is easily the strongest of any Autobot his [[Scale|size]], and what he lacks in raw firepower he easily compensates with guts. He would sacrifice his life to protect his fellow Autobots or those under their care, and has on a few occasions. His compassion for other sentient beings is his only real weakness, and one the Decepticons have taken advantage of time and again... though it's also the source of his strength!

Prime (usually) carries within him the Matrix of Leadership.

{{quote|Freedom is the right of all sentient beings.|Optimus Prime's most common [[bio]] quote}}

:''Nicknames'': '''Autobot Commander''', '''Chief''', '''Big Boss''', '''Roller'''<ref>Nicknames found in early ''Universe''-style profiles published in [[The Transformers Comics Magazine]].</ref>
:''Italian name:'' '''Commander'''
:''Japanese name:'' '''Convoy''', '''Battle Convoy''' (Laser Optimus Prime)<br>
:''French-Canadian & Chzech name:'' '''Optimus Primus'''
:''Hungarian name:'' '''Optimusz Fővezér'''; and '''Optimusz Prájm''' (pronounced: prīm) in the first ''The Movie'' dub
:''Brazilian name - cartoon:'' '''Líder Optimus'''
:''Brazilian name - comics:'' '''Supremus Absolutus'''

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Generation 1====
{{noteukonly}}
[[Image:Optimusprimeg1preearthmarvel2.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Optimus Prime's Cybertronic truck mode, along with a Cybertronic Grumman X-29 , a Cybertronic Earth motorcycle, and a Cybertronic Porsche 962.]]

''Before the [[Great War]] broke out on Cybertron, the robot who would be Optimus Prime (his name before becoming the Prime Autobot remains unknown) was a Transformer of note, displaying his skills in the Infraformers Sharp-shooting Competition.'' Subsequently, when the war began, Prime quickly made a name for himself as a combat leader. On a mission with the [[Triggerbot (G1)|Triggerbots]] to stop [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] from claiming the [[Underbase]], Prime was forced to jettison the massive databank into space to prevent anyone acquiring its power, but with this action, proved his wisdom and skill to the [[Autobot Council of Elders]]. ''The outbreak of the Great War saw Autobot territories falling under Decepticon dominion, one City-State at a time. The last City-State to be taken was the Autobot capital of [[Iacon]]. As Decepticons besieged Iacon, the Council of Elders prepared to surrender. Councillor [[Xaaron]] suggested that High Councillor [[Traachon]] step down and allow a military officer to assume Autobot leadership. Traachon then used his powers of veto and effectively elected himself out of office, allowing Optimus Prime to assume supreme command of the Autobots, becoming the first soldier to ever hold the mantle of Autobot leadership.''

[[Image:Optimusprimeg1marvelfirst.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Prime had to go through an experimental "box with a gun on top" phase before he could commit to the truck thing.]]

Four million years ago, Cybertron - shaken from its orbit and drifting through space - came under threat when it floated into the path of a massive asteroid swarm that could potentially devastate the planet. Prime led a group of his most powerful Autobot warriors on the Autobot starship, the Ark, on a mission to destroy the asteroids, and although successful, in the aftermath of this mission the Ark was attacked by Decepticons, hoping to overcome their weakened foes. Intent on keeping the secrets of the Ark's computer, [[Auntie]], from the Decepticons, Prime set the craft on a suicide course, crashing it into the prehistoric planet Earth.

In 1984 C.E., a volcanic eruption reactivated Auntie, which in turn brought the Transformers back on-line. Prime led the Autobots in their opening battles to prevent the Decepticons from plundering Earth's resources, but following their initial victory, the Autobots were all deactivated by [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. Prime was decapitated by Shockwave, and had the energy of the Creation Matrix leeched from his mind to give life to Shockwave's creations, the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]]s (although Shockwave was unaware that the Matrix was not merely a program in Prime's mind, but a physical object in his chest). Before Shockwave could give life to his next Decepticon, [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]], Prime transferred the Matrix energy into the mind of [[Buster Witwicky]], who used the energy to turn Jetfire on Shockwave, allowing Prime to reclaim his body and retake leadership of the Autobots, giving Jetfire true life as a reward.

''Optimus Prime began to consider whether he was too important to the Autobots, and if they could carry on should he fall. To alleve his doubts, he and a reluctant [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] plotted to fake Prime's death to teach the Autobots how to fend for themselves. While Prime was setting up an imposter version of himself to leave behind destroyed for the Autobots to find, Megatron sent the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]] to attack Prime. In an ironic twist, would the Autobots stumble across a genuine dead Prime?''

After a period of effective leadership, Prime engaged Megatron in a [[video game]] duel for possession of a super fuel. Prime was victorious, but Megatron implemented a cheat code, allowing him to re-enter the game. Prime was able to defeat him yet again, but in doing so, he also destroyed several of the game sprites, and refused to accept his victory, as he had performed an action that compromised his beliefs about the preservation of life, which he would never have done, had the duel been real. In accordance with the rules of the game, Prime's body exploded and he died. Autobot surgeon [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]]'s subsequent efforts to restore him were unsuccessful, and his body was launched into space. The funeral barge eventually crashed on giant moon where it lay for untold time. At one stage, an alien ship crashed near the barge. The dying alien reached out toward the Matrix, with the Matrix choosing to revive the being as Death Bringer. Much later, the Matrix would revive a small predatory animal which would prove instrumental to the conclusion of the Matrix Quest.

Prime's personality had been copied onto a [[floppy disk]] by the technician running the game, [[Ethan Zachary]], who employed him in various video game scenarios he developed. Prime's damaged mind led him to belive that he himself was a video game character, and in an attempt to bring him back to life, [[Bumblebee (G1)|Goldbug]], [[Joyride]], [[Slapdash]], and [[Getaway]] took the disk to the planet [[Nebulos]], where a new body was constructed for Prime. They built a new body for Optimus Prime, and even upgraded it with the ability to combine with the trailer to form a larger robot. In an effort to keep Transformers off their planet, however, the Nebulans had poisoned their fuel, and the sensation of dying convinced Prime that he was truly alive, and not a game character. To save his life, the Nebulan scientist [[Hi-Q]] [[binary-bonding|bonded]] with him, creating '''[[Powermaster]] Optimus Prime'''.

Powermaster Prime and his Autobots later battled [[Deathbringer]]. ''Optimus Prime immediately sensed Matrix energies emanating from Death Bringer, and realised that the undead reaper was a creation of the Matrix. Although Death Bringer proved to be invulnerable, Optimus Prime was finally able to defeat it by convincing it to self-destruct in concordance with its primary function. The battle with Death Bringer alerted Optimus Prime to the fact that his old body was still out there somewhere in space, and more importantly, that the Matrix that it carried was also with it. With a war to win, the location of the Matrix was not a high priority.''

[[Image:Pmoptimusprimedeath.jpg|left|thumb|150px|"I'll have a #5, medium, no cheese."<br>"''Rarf ur rarff rarf.''"<br>"...What?"]]

With the subsequent threat of [[Unicron]] looming, priorites quickly changed and Prime began a quest to locate his old body and the physical Matrix object within it. When the Matrix was successfully reacquired, Prime sacrificed his life one more time to destroy Unicron by plunging the Matrix into his maw. However, the Powermaster process had been working to fully bond Prime and Hi-Q, and with Prime now destroyed, the process completed itself in Hi-Q's body, and the two minds and souls became one. Hi-Q's biomechanical body was stripped down and reconstructed by the [[Last Autobot]], creating a brand new Optimus Prime.
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===="Another Time and Place"====
{{storylink|Another Time and Place}}
{{note|This text story was later [[retcon]]ned away by the events of ''[[Generation 2]]''.}}

{{charstub}}

====Generation 2====
[[image:Optimusprime-g2.jpg|right|thumb|150px|More apocalyptic visions than you can shake a [[Covenant of Primus|covenant]] at.]]

Prime was plagued by visions of the [[Swarm]] - a destructive by-product of Transformer reproduction - entering into an alliance with Megatron against it and the forces of the second-generation [[Cybertronian]]s led by [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]. Prime's body was destroyed yet again when he confronted the Swarm, but upon releasing the energy of the Matrix into it, purifying it, Prime was reborn by the repentant creature. At the end of the battle, Prime’s dream of reuniting the two races of Transformers into a single force for good seemed to be a possibility when the [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s fought side by side against a common foe.

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====Fun Publications ''Classics'' comics====

{{note|The Classics comic takes place after the end of the original Marvel Comic, but in a new timeline that does not include the events of the Marvel UK-exclusive stories or ''Generation 2''.}}

[[Image:Classicscomicautobots.jpg|left|thumb|200px|"All right, do-over. This time I'll skip the visions of doom, and you won't get yourself tangled up with [[Cobra]]. Deal?"]]

Optimus Prime has returned to Earth commanding [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]], [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]], [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]], [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] and [[Hot Rod|Rodimus]] (formerly Hot Rod) to counter the return of [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. When Transformers from another reality, [[Skyfall (Cybertron)|Skyfall]] and [[Landquake (Timelines)|Landquake]], arrive on Earth unexpectedly, Megatron stumbles upon them, only to find himself under attack by Prime and his Autobots. {{storylink|Crossing Over, Part 1}} Overwhelmed, Megatron managed to escape with Landquake, while the Autobots returned to Autobot headquarters with Skyfall. {{storylink|Crossing Over, Part 2}}

Optimus Prime took his Autobots and Skyfall to [[South America]], where the Decepticons were investigating a mysterious energy source that was similar to the radiation readings of their new dimension-traveling companions. After Prime left Jetfire in mid-transit to help [[RUNT]] fight the [[Seeker]]s, he and the remaining Autobots arrived at their destination and battled the rest of Megatron's forces on the ground.{{storylink|Crossing Over, Part 3}}

Shortly after the events of this battle, Prime regrouped, seemingly having lost Skyfall and Cliffjumper (along with Landquake). He was pleased to be visited (seemingly very quickly, if really at all) by [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] when their paths crossed while the latter was hunting [[Bug Bite]]. {{storylink|Games of Deception}}

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===American animated continuity===

:''Voice actors:'' [[Peter Cullen]] (Optimus Prime only), [[Laurie Faso]] (Orion Pax only) (US), [[Tesshō Genda]] (Japan), [[Francis Lax]] (France)<br>

[[Image:Orionpax.jpg|right|thumb|Ariel spends a lot of time hanging around the docks.]]

Optimus Prime began his life as a robot named '''Orion Pax''', a simple dock worker during the Golden Age of Cybertron nine million years ago, with a girlfriend named [[Ariel]], and a best friend named [[Dion]]. At the time, a new breed of robot had recently appeared on the planet - ones with new robot-mode flight powers that made Orion idolize them. Unfortunately for Orion, when [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], the leader of these robots, approached him with inquiries about using one of the dock warehouses, Orion fell for the deception and he and Ariel were critically wounded when Megatron and his forces then attacked in order to claim the energy stored there. Searching for someone to help them, the time-displaced [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] took Orion and Ariel to the ancient Autobot [[Alpha Trion]], who used them as the first subjects for the new reconstruction process he had developed - rebuilding the frail Autobot frames into battle-hardy configurations. With this reconstruction, Orion Pax became Optimus Prime, the first of the Autobot warriors, who took the mantle of leadership as the civil war against Megatron and Decepticons erupted, while Ariel was rebuilt into [[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]], the commander of the Autobot resistance on Cybertron. {{storylink|War Dawn}}

As leader of the Autobots, Prime headed up the Autobots' mission to search out new worlds with new sources of energy to revitalise the depleted Cybertron. However, shortly after its launch, the [[Ark (G1)|Autobots' craft]] was attacked by the [[Nemesis|Decepticon space cruiser]] and boarded by Megatron and the Decepticons. In the ensuing struggle, the g-forces of a nearby planet pulled both crafts down, and the Autobots' ship crashed into a volcano, thrusting all the occupants of the ship into emergency stasis. Four million years later, in the Earth year 1984 C.E., a volcanic eruption jarred the ship's computer, [[Teletraan I]] back to life, and it reactivated the Decepticons, programming them with new Earth-based disguise modes. As a petty parting gesture, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] fired upon the Autobot ship, creating a landslide that knocked Prime into the path of the computer's restoration beam, restoring him to life, and beginning the war anew on Earth. {{Storylink|More Than Meets The Eye, Part 1}}

Prime was perpetually at the forefront of the action throughout the early years of the war on Earth, usually confronting Megatron, and, in some rare instances, being forced to team up with him for the greater good (or the lesser evil). He has suffered his fair share of battlefield scrapes, almost meeting his end when his vital [[cosmotron]] component was critically damaged by the Decepticon jets and [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] {{storylink|Divide and Conquer}}, and suffering a severe - though unfair - defeat when Megatron challenged him to one-on-one combat while imbued with the different powers of all the Decepticons. {{storylink|Heavy Metal War}}

Generally, Prime acting in a commanding role as part of larger battles and event, but played prominent and solo roles in a few, also. In 1985, Megatron created a perfect duplicate of him, leaving the Autobots unable to differentiate between the two until the clone disregarded the safety of their human companion, [[Spike Witwicky]], exposing the deception. {{storylink|A Prime Problem}} Later in the same year, Prime's fame and prowess led him to become the target of the demented big-game hunter, [[Lord Chumley]], who sought his head to go along with his other rare trophies. Entering the hunter's estate alone, Prime defeated all the traps and beasts lying in wait and brought Chumley to justice. {{storylink|Prime Target}} The same year also saw Elita One captured by the Decepticons on Cybertron and used to lure Prime there alone; although knowing it was a trap, he ventured in solo and was defeated by the Decepticons and nearly destroyed, until Elita's stasis-field powers froze time long enough for them to escape. Prime was forced to seek out Alpha Trion to save the wounded Elita's life, and in the process, rediscovered his forgotten connection to his creator. {{storylink|The Search for Alpha Trion}} When Megatron created the [[Stunticon]]s, Prime decided to have the Aerialbots created as a countermeasure, though Alpha Trion gave his life by merging with [[Vector Sigma]] to ensure their creation. {{storylink|The Key to Vector Sigma}} For some reason, his [[Optimus Prime Memorial|memorial]] was also built 20 years before his death. {{storylink|Starscream's Brigade}}

[[Image:Optimusg1passingthematrix.jpg|thumb|left|"Oh, hey, I have this in me now, by the way."]]

Over the course of the next twenty years, the [[Decepticon]]s succeeded in seizing control of all of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], forcing the Autobots to operate from their new [[Autobot City|city]] on Earth, and from two bases on Cybertron's moons. In the Earth year 2005, Prime was stationed on [[Moonbase One]], and dispatched troops to Earth to acquire energy for an upcoming strike on Cybertron. The Decepticons, however, got wind of the plan and attacked the shuttle, killing its occupants. Their scheme was to use the shuttle to stage a [[Battle of Autobot City|surprise attack on Autobot City]]; an attack which would have suceeded, if not for a distress call which summoned Prime and support troops to Earth.

Optimus Prime foresaw that his final battle with his arch-nemesis was looming, deciding that the Decepticons must be stopped, no matter the cost. Bravely, he plowed through the remaining Decepticon ranks, punishing them for every Autobot they killed overnight, before confronting Megatron. In the ensuing battle with Megatron, Optimus Prime sustained fatal injuries, but not before turning the tide of battle and forcing the Decepticon to flee. Despite the efforts of [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], Optimus Prime could not be saved. Knowing his time had come, he passed the [[Matrix of Leadership]], and with it leadership of the Autobots, into the hands of his old friend, the city's commander, [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]. With his last ounce of energy, he muttered [['Til all are one]], then died, his lifeforce becoming one with the ancient wisdom contained within the Matrix. When the young Autobot, [[Hot Rod]], opened the Matrix within the body of the planet-eater, [[Unicron]], Prime's voice was heard once more, dubbing the transformed Hot Rod "Rodimus Prime," new leader of the Autobots. {{Storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

[[Image:Optimusg1zombie.jpg|right|thumb|"WHERE IS DARTH VADER?"]]

Prime's body was entombed in a massive deep-space mausoleum with the many other fallen Autobots, but his corpse was desecrated by the [[Quintessons]] in 2006 when they reanimated it as part of an attempt to destroy the Autobots by using Prime to lure their space fleet into a trap. However, the Matrix was able to purify Prime of the Quintesson influence, and he got the other Autobots clear while he piloted his flagship into the Quintessons' detonator, triggering the explosion of a nearby sun. {{storylink|Dark Awakening}}

Prime was believed to have been destroyed in the explosion, but in reality, before the flagship impacted with the detonator, his body was recovered from the craft by two human scientists, [[Jessica Morgan]] and [[Gregory Swofford]]. As their ship departed, it was coated in solar spores released by the explosion of the sun. Jessica's father, [[Mark Morgan]], loathed the Autobots, and his hatred only grew when an attempt by the Decepticons to steal a heat-resistant alloy he had developed resulted in Jessica being paralyzed. Swofford and Morgan reconstructed Optimus Prime's body in an attempt to use it as a delivery system for the spores, which induced hatred and madness, in order to destroy the Transformers. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1}} However, when they could not reanimate him, they used his body as a lure instead, bringing the Autobots to their lab, where they were infected. As this "[[Hate Plague]]" proceeded to spread across the galaxy, [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] retrieved a Quintesson, who fully restored Optimus Prime to life. Coating himself in Morgan's heat-resistant alloy, Prime reclaimed the Matrix from Rodimus and unleashed its concentrated wisdom to destroy the Hate Plague. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2}}

{{Note|There is a considerable continuity error concerning zombie Optimus. At the end of "[[Dark Awakening]]", Optimus is in pretty rough shape (as the screen shot shows), missing an arm, part of his face, a sizable portion of his shoulder, covered with cosmetic damage, etc. However, when he is discovered in "[[The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1]]", he's shining new. The intent was for him to retain his damage and be repaired during Morgan and Swofford's attempt at reanimating him, but even this does not explain how he went from being conscious to dead again, why there is no barrage of Quintesson laser-fire piercing Prime's now-pristine ship, or why the ship is now flying into an exploding star instead of the Quints' booby-trapped detonator asteroid.}}

[[Image:Puppetpmprime.jpg|right|150px|thumb|Prime's legal troubles began after he gave Tommy "the Touch." Strangely, the prosecution never even noticed the double entendre.]]

In 2007, Prime began to suffer visions following the release of the Matrix's energy, which foretold a great transformation for Cybertron. Events began with the Decepticons' theft of the key to the [[Plasma Energy Chamber]], {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 1}} which forced Prime to consult Alpha Trion within [[Vector Sigma]], learning that the mega-computer had orchestrated events in order to restore Cybertron's Golden Age. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 2}} When the Plasma Energy Chamber was opened and threatened to drive Earth's Sun supernova, [[Spike Witwicky]] and the other organic [[Nebulan]]s who had become involved in the conflict as a result of these events were able to drain off the excess solar energy and revitalize Cybertron. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 3}}

At an undetermined point in time, through unknown circumstances, Prime was upgraded into a [[Powermaster]] body, and began associating with a young human boy named [[Tommy Kennedy]]. Tommy enjoyed doing school reports on the history of the Transformers, and who better to educate him on that subject than Prime? After finishing a story, Prime would often leave Tommy asking numerous questions only to inform him that they'd be answered another day before flying off into outer space. Some times, before leaving to attend intergalactic peace conferences, Prime would keep Tommy entertained with educational music videos performed by [[Stan Bush]]. {{storylink|Season 5}}

===Japanese animated continuity===
{{Note|The events of the American animated series occur in Japanese continuity as noted above, except that the events of Season 3, which took place in 2006 in America, were moved back to 2010, and "The Rebirth" and subsequent events do not occur. Japanese animated continuity inserts a large number of additional storylines, told through various different media, into the timeline (in particular, between Season 2 and the movie, and between the movie and Season 3), as detailed below.}}

====''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformer'' manga====
When the Decepticons turned their attention to pillaging the energies of Japan in the late 1980s, Optimus Prime and the Autobots met up with a young Japanese boy named [[Kenji]], whose inventive mind helped them to defeat [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] during an energy raid on [[Tokyo]]. As a token of thanks, Optimus Prime granted Kenji a special communications helmet and made him an official Autobot ally. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformer issue 1|F!SRLF #1}}

While showing Kenji around the Autobots' new Tokyo base, Optimus Prime lamented that he wished his "kid brother" [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] would hurry up and arrive with his trailer upgrade. As he pondered the where-abouts of his sibling, the Decepticons attacked Yokohama. The Autobots hurried to the scene only to encounter an over-powered Megatron in his newest form: the Super Megatron Gun. The Autobots' defeat seemed assured until Magnus arrived with Prime's trailer upgrade, the [[Scramble Power Buster]]. The Scramble Power Buster trumped the might of the Super Megatron Gun, leaving Prime and Magnus to vanquish the Decepticon forces with their combined attack: the Double Cross Kick (basically, them jump-kicking the Decepticons in the spine at the same time). {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformer issue 4|F!SRLF #4}}

Prime and Magnus teamed up again to battle the Stunticons and [[Combaticon]]s when the two Decepticons teams posed as Autobots and besmirched the two commanders' good names. Although [[Menasor]] and [[Onslaught]]'s [[Decepticon Trailer Brigade|Decepticon Great Wheel]] attack proved a challenge, Prime and Magnus's "Finish Double" attack (suspiciously similar to their Double Cross Kick) soon won the day. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformer issue 7|F!SRLF #7}}

====''Scramble City''====
As the 1980s rolled on, the Autobots began an initiative to construct a new battle fortress known as [[Metroplex (G1)|Scramble City]]. The facility to construct the fortress was concealed within a cavern and overseen by Ultra Magnus, but when it was discovered by Decepticon spy [[Ratbat]], Megatron unleashed a horde of Decepticon [[combiner]]s to destroy the project before it could be completed. Optimus Prime lead a counter-offensive of Autobot combiners to the front lines. Things looked grim, as the Decepticon combiners thrashed the Autobots. As a last resort, [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] activated Scramble City, which transformed into its robot mode of [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] and arrived in time to fight off the Decepticons. However, Megatron unleashed his trump card, the Decepticon City: [[Trypticon]]. {{storylink|Scramble City}}

{{note|This storyline was never concluded, as a second installment of ''Scramble City'' was never produced.}}

====''Super Robot Magazine'' manga====
Continued Autobot and human interaction led to a joint project to create an [[warp gate|interstellar transport system]] in the late 1990s. When Starscream fused with the mechansm and attempted a coup, Prime and Megatron were forced to team up to stop him, and went missing following the battle that ensued. {{storylink|Super Robot Magazine}}

{{Note|This manga's cliffhanger was never resolved, but was retroactively exploited to insert the ''[[Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|Robots in Disguise]]'' animated series into the Japanese Generation 1 continuity, by claiming that its events took place when Prime and Megatron were absent and most of the Autobots and Decepticons were injured and off-planet.}}

====''Binaltech''====
In 2003, the Decepticons attacked the Autobots on Earth with a plague of [[Cosmic Rust]], leaving many of them injured, and the planet's defense force significantly depleted when Megatron made his big push to fully take over Cybertron in 2004. With Prime leading the Autobots in battling the Decepticons on their homeworld, no troops could be spared to bolster the defense of Earth, leading to the creation of new "Binaltech" bodies for various damaged Autobot warriors on the planet.

In the midst of the Binaltech conflict, the time-travelling [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Ravage]] attempted to alter history by using the [[Kronosphere]] to teleport Megatron and the Decepticon armada outside of time during a turning-point battle with Prime and the Autobots. This left the Autobots to face the looming threat of [[Unicron]] alone, but as Prime and Ultra Magnus co-ordinated a last-chance attack against the chaos bringer, Prime dispatched [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] into the past to undo the change made to the timeline.

Although the restoration of the original timeline was accomplished, the intervention of a mysterious entity known as "[[Nemesis Prime (G1)|the Protector]]" preserved the "Binal-Time" timeline as an alternate universe. Prime was injured in the final battle with Unicron and gave the Matrix to Ultra Magnus, who used it to destroy the planet-eater, but ultimately, Prime survived and continued to lead the Autobots.

====''Robot Masters'' ====
Also in 2004, the Scramble City project was expanded through the use of the newly-discovered element [[Solitarium]] to involve the construction of the fully-fledged Autobot City on Earth. This coincided with the opening of a dimensional fissure known as the [[Blasty Zone]], which transported the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] through time to the present day. This "Beast Megatron" seized control of the Decepticons, left leaderless by the mysterious absence of Megatron, and went up against Optimus Prime and the Autobots for control of the world's solitarium, but Prime was able to fend off the villains with the help of several Autobots and Maximals from throughout time and space who came through the Blasty Zone - [[Star Saber (G1)|Star Saber]], [[Victory Leo]], [[Lio Convoy]] and [[Optimus Primal]]. Through interaction with these heroes, Prime gains the power of and [[Energon Matrix]].

Beast Megatron would not relent, and eventually discovered a massive deposit of solitarium beneath [[New York City]]. The Decepticons razed the city in search of the element until Prime and his forces arrived to save the day, this time aided by the enigmatic Autobot [[Reverse Convoy]]. Things were going smoothly until Reverse Convoy revealed himself to actually be the ''real'' Megatron, inhabiting the body of a Transformer from the planet Vehicon through use of his black hole interlink system. Now going by the name Rebirth Megatron, Prime's nemesis teamed with Beast Megatron to conquer their mutual foes. Prime managed to defeat the duo by combining his power with Lio Convoy's and Optimus Primal's.

Eventually, Prime returned all the displaced Autobots, Maximals, Decepticons and Predacons to their rightful place in time using the power of solitarium, and rid the Earth of Decepticons.

====''15 Go! Go!'' comics====
[[Image:TGGStarConvoy.jpg|right|thumb|"Hot Rod?! Did you [[Micromaster|shrink]] in the wash?"]]

[[Image:TGGLaserPrime.jpg|left|thumb|"How do you think I'd look in [[Scourge (RID)|black]]?"]]

Shortly before the [[Unicron]] War of 2005, an unknown saboteur badly damaged [[Teletraan I]]'s databanks. Optimus Prime notified his Autobots of the attack and issued a command that the information be recovered as soon as possible. "[[Ravage|Black Panther Man]]," stationed on the artificial Earth satellite [[Nana]], volunteered for the important task and assigned [[Teletraan 15]] to the case.

Teletraan 15 later traveled to the future, where [[Micromaster]] [[Hot Rod]] saved her from a [[Novaroid]]. As Dark Nova and Ultra Megatron prepared to merge, '''Star Convoy''' arrived and asked Hot Rod to aid him in the coming fight. But before they could start the battle, an interruption came from an unexpected source: [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] emerged from a [[Transwarp]] portal and attacked!

On another mission into the future, Teletraan 15 and her companion [[Steeljaw]] were aboard [[Jetfire]] as he was attacked by the [[Decepticon]] jets [[Smokescreen (G2)|Smokescreen]] and [[Dreadwing (G2)|Dreadwing]] on his way to his commander. Fortunately for them, '''Battle Convoy''' (a.k.a. Laser Optimus Prime) appeared and severed Dreadwing's wing with a single mighty slash of his sword. Teletraan 15 thought that he looked sad and wondered if he had learned his sword skills during his [[Kiss Player]] days.

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====''Kiss Players''====

{{note|[[Kiss Players]] takes place between ''The Transformers: The Movie'' and the third season of the animated series. While there is no particularly large time-gap between these stories in American animated continuity, in Japan, since the third season was moved to 2010 but the movie remained set in 2005, there was a five-year milieu that made room for plenty of new stories to be told.}}

[[Image:Illust.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Optimus is the one on the left. With the dignity.]]

Following Optimus Prime's death in the [[Battle of Autobot City]], Tokyo was devastated when [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] crash-landed into the city after being hurled out of Unicron's body by Rodimus Prime. The death and destruction that resulted caused a massive anti-Transformer sentiment to spring up, epitomized by the formation of the government organization known as the [[Earth Defense Command]], who forced any remaining Transformers on Earth off the planet. Dissatisfaction with the E.D.C.'s extreme actions resulted in the formation of an underground resistance group led by the young [[Marissa Faireborn]], a girl who had been rescued from danger by Optimus Prime in 1996, with the deceased Prime forming a rallying point for these commandos.

[[Image:Marissa_convoy_stack.jpg|left|thumb|150px|She prefers the Japanese version's [[For safety reasons|''longer stacks''.]]]]

When Prime's corpse was covertly flown to Japan by the E.D.C., Marissa commandos attacked the convoy transporting the Autobots leader's body. Believing that they had secured Prime's body, the commandos were taken by surprise and slaughtered by the [[Ne squad]] [[Kiss Player]] [[Ringo]] and her [[Autrooper]] partner, who burst out of the torso of the decoy Prime body that had been atop the flatbed truck. As the sole surviving member of the squad, Marissa discovered that the true body was being transported within Prime's own trailer nearby. Slicing the trailer open, she was too late to prevent an E.D.C. Autrooper from partially fusing with Prime. Reflecting on her childhood memories of playing with the kindly Autobot leader, Marissa lovingly kissed his faceplate. In an explosion of energy that destroyed the trailer, the two [[ParasiTech|fused]] and Prime was reborn in a new, living body. The pair had become Kiss Players!

As fugitives from the E.D.C., Prime and Marissa spent their days on the run and their nights hanging out at the beach. He longed for the day when he would be able to see her bathing in the sun, rather than the moonlight, although he also thought that all the soft-serve ice cream she was eating was making her a little fat. One night while Marissa was surfing, she had a squid latch onto her. Then a [[Legion]] that had infused itself with both an octopus and shipwreck attacked her. With tentacles. Prime fought it off and saved Marissa, but the E.D.C. [[Autrooper]]s were soon dispatched to the scene, and the two had to beat a hasty retreat.

[[Image:PrimeKP.jpg|right|thumb|"And THIS is for [[Trailbreaker|TRAILBREAKER]], who DESERVED to have GOTTEN this MOLD INSTEAD!"]]

Over the months that followed, Prime and Marissa battled Legions, led Legions (due to the Galvatron-infused cells inside Prime's new body, which sometimes overcame him with nightmares about his old enemy Megatron), fled from Hot Rod, who believed Prime to be an impersonator of his dead commander, and both fought and fled from the E.D.C.

Finally, teaming up with Hot Rod and his Kiss Player partner [[Shaoshao Li]] (who had adored Marissa since childhood and hated Prime for "stealing" her friend's affections), and the E.D.C. Kiss Player [[Atari Hitotonari]] with her Autrooper partner, Prime and Marissa entered the secret experimental facility beneath the Tokyo headquarters of the E.D.C. and discovered the sinister truth behind the shadowy organization. Everything that had occurred was part of an attempt by E.D.C. commander [[Amao]] to resurrect her daughter, who had been killed in the 2005 catastrophe. Finding Galvatron's headless corpse imprisoned in the facility, the Kiss Players realized that the only way to repair things was to return the [[Unicron]]-created Decepticon's cells. Galvatron's body absorbed the Legions, the Autroopers, and the cells inside Prime and Hot Rod, who were returned to their former forms... which meant that Prime was once again dead.

Marissa did get a few chances to see her friend again - in 2007, she and her friends were transported back through time to 1984 where they witnessed Prime's battle with Megatron atop [[Sherman Dam]], and then later, ''forward'' in time, to 2010, where Prime (and [[Goldbug]]) helped her once more by rescuing her and her friends from the [[Sharkticon]] pit on [[Quintessa]].

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====''The Headmasters''====
One year after Prime's resurrection, in 2011, the Autobots had entered into an even closer relationship with Earth and began the colonization of other worlds, the first of which was the planet [[Athenia]], where Optimus Prime was stationed. It soon became apparent, however, that when Prime had released the energy of the Matrix to cure the Hate Plague, the consequences were more far-reaching than he had anticipated - without the energy of the Matrix to act as a balancing factor, [[Vector Sigma]] had become destabilized, and the Decepticons suddenly returned to exploit this, assaulting Cybertron in order to seize control of the mega-computer. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come Out Of The Sky}} Prime took a squad of troops to aid in the battle on the planet, and when the arrival of the Autobot [[Headmaster]]s tipped the battle in their favor, Prime broke off from the main attack and headed down into the depths of the planet, planning on stabilizing Vector Sigma at any cost. {{storylink|The Mystery of Planet Master}}

Guided through the dangers of the planet's catacombs by the spirit of Alpha Trion while the other Autobots searched for the Matrix on Earth, Prime eventually arrived at the computer, only to find his way barred by [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] and [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]]. Hot Rod then arrived with the Matrix, with which Alpha Trion merged, re-energizing it and transforming Hot Rod back into Rodimus Prime; for the first time, the two Primes fought side-by-side and defeated Galvatron. Before Rodimus could implement the Matrix to stabilize Vector Sigma, however, Optimus Prime sacrificed himself to perform the task, merging with the computer and restoring its balance to save the planet. {{storylink|A Dream is Born, Double Prime}}

====''Battlestars: Return of Convoy''====
[[Image:StarConvoyBoxArt1.jpg|right|thumb|150px|"Occasionally you meet a nice one{{m-}}Star Convoy, E.T. ... but usually they just turn out to be some kind of big lizard!"]]

In a sinister plot to destroy the Autobots, [[Dark Nova]] had Optimus Prime's [[spark|sparkless]] body revived as the evil [[False Convoy]]. False Convoy battled the Autobots but was defeated. Using the power of the [[Zodiac|the Zodiac]], Optimus Prime was brought back online and upgraded into '''Star Convoy'''. He was then reunited with [[Hot Rod (G1)#Battlestars: Return of Convoy (Japan-only)|Hot Rod]], who became his [[Micromaster]] partner.

With the likes of [[Sky Garry]], [[Grandus]] and [[Sixliner]], Star Convoy did battle with the Decepticons and Dark Nova's horde of [[Great Galaman]] drone warriors. Getting nowhere fast, Dark Nova then resurrected [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] (last seen buried in ice) as [[Megatron (G1)#Battlestars: Return of Convoy (Japan-only)|Super Megatron]] to counter Star Convoy. This didn't work all that well, and after defeating Super Megatron, his foe was resurrected again by Dark Nova as [[Megatron (G1)#Battlestars: Return of Convoy (Japan-only)|Ultra Megatron]]. After disposing of him yet again, Dark Nova merged with Ultra Megatron into [[Dark Nova|Star Giant]].

Star Giant proved to be virtually indestructible from the outside until Star Convoy got the bright idea of giving the villain [[Furmanism|the worst case of indigestion he's ever had]]. Holding Star Giant's massive mouth open, he ordered Sky Garry and [[Grandus]] to move in. After all 3 were swallowed, they began taking Star Giant down from the inside while simultaneously fighting off his various defensive systems. As soon as the trio escaped from Star Giant's interior, the monster exploded, leaving only his head slightly intact. As it happens, Megatron was housed inside Star Giant's noggin and survived the attack.

====Nucleon Quest Convoy bio====
Following the defeat of Star Giant, the restoration of Cybertron (following its devastation in 2011) began, but the planet was in the throes of a chronic energy shortage. In order to re-energize the struggling planet, Optimus Prime upgraded himself into a Powermaster by fusing with the Nebulan scientist Hi-Q. Protecting his body with a Phase Modulation Shield, Prime ventured into a black hole to obtain the super-energy Nucleon, which was used to restore Cybertron to its former glory.

====''Generation 2'' story pages and mini-comics====
[[Image:G2PrimeJustice.jpg|thumb|right|"SHALOM!"]]

With Cybertron restored, Optimus Prime upgraded himself into a new [[Action Master]] body. Megatron eventually recovered from his defeat and turned over a new leaf, joining with Prime to form the [[Cybertron Alliance]]. Things were good for a little while, as Megatron's attempts at peace were genuinely sincere, and the alliance ushered in what would be called the Second Generation of the Transformers. However, after human soldiers killed one of his dearest comrades, Megatron adopted a new body and started the war anew.

To counter Megatron, Optimus Prime upgraded his body into a new Missle Trailer mode. Rallying a new wave of Autobot warriors, Optimus diligently repelled Megatron and the Decepticons. Megatron eventually wore Optimus down in battle, though, blowing him away with a barrage of devastating attacks. Megatron finally succeeded in delivering a fatal blow to Optimus, shooting him at point blank with his cannon. Prime would have been done for, except that the [[spark|sparks]] of the previous Autobot Supreme Commanders within the [[Matrix of Leadership]] activated the [[Reconfiguration Matrix]] to forge him a new body. Optimus Prime became '''Battle Convoy''' and easily trumped Megatron's power. After a lengthy and costly war, Battle Convoy managed to drive the Decepticon forces to retreat into deep space. Prime was last seen wounded, being aided off the battlefield by his fellow Autobots.

====E-Hobby ''Generation 2'' storyline====
When the universe came under threat from an [[Galvatron II|alternate-reality incarnation of Galvatron]], Prime used his [[Reconfiguration Matrix]] to once again transform his body into a form resembling his original. Armed with powerful solar-powered missile launchers created by the Decepticons that were so energy-consumptive that Prime required a sunlight-absorbing [[Wikipedia:Black body|black body]] coating to operate them at full power, Prime put his new body to use rescuing Laser Ultra Magnus from Galvatron's clutches.

===''Generation 2'' manga===

[[Image: G2Hero.jpg|left|thumb|200px|GAH HE'S LOOKING AT ME]]

In the year 199X, the Decepticons had learned of a powerful new energy source known as [[forestonite]] which just happened to be located (surprise surprise) on [[Earth]]. Megatron sent his trio of [[Cyberjet]]s to Earth first to draw out the enemy Autobots. The Cyberjets made quick work of [[Electro]] but were soon halted by the appearance of Optimus Prime.

Megatron then entered the fray and fired his Black Hole Burn attack from his fusion cannon, narrowly missing Optimus Prime but vaporizing [[Hooligan]] in the process. Prime fought fiercely but Megatron began to take the upper-hand in battle.

However, Prime was encouraged to keep fighting by the cheers of a human boy named [[Junpei]]. Megatron, surprised at Prime's resilience, attempted to finish his foe off with his Tornado Axe attack. Prime countered with his Double Wheel-Torque Mega-Ton, which trumped Megatron's attack and injured the Decepticon badly. Megatron teleported back to his ship and left Earth's atmosphere, vowing to return.

Optimus Prime addressed Junpei, asking if the boy was injured. Junpei revealed he was alright but presented concern about the Decepticons returning to Earth. Optimus Prime swore that the Autobots would remain on Earth until the threat of the Decepticons was finished and asked for Junpei's help in making that future a reality. {{storylink|The Earth is in Danger!}}

===Beast Era===
====''Beast Wars''====
[[Image:G1Prime_BWMegs.jpg|right|thumb|You have to get up preeeeetty early in the timestream to beat Optimus Prime!]]

The Beast Wars raged on prehistoric Earth, eventually leading to the discovery of the buried Ark sometime after it's crash on prehistoric Earth. [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], following his namesakes instructions in a desperate gambit, decided to attempt to change history by killing Prime, who was still lying in the Ark in [[stasis lock]]. Megatron hoped that this would result in the Decepticons winning the Great War and eventually [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] control of Cybertron. Megatron unleashed a full-power weapon blast at Optimus Prime's face, near-fatally injuring him. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)}} However, [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] proceeded to take Prime's spark into his body to protect it from surgical trauma while his injuries were repaired. The subsequent power increase caused by Prime's spark's connection to the Matrix mutated Primal into a large, [[Transmetal]] "Optimal Optimus" form. Then, with the repairs complete, Prime's spark was restored, and he briefly activated before sinking back into normal stasis. {{storylink|Optimal Situation}}

Sometime after the Autobots and Decepticons awoke in the 1980s, the original Megatron gained access to one of Earth's ''Voyager'' spacecraft and inscribed a message on the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|disk]] on board. In the event that he lost the War, Megatron left instructions for the descendants of the Decepticons to use [[transwarp]] technology to travel to Prehistoric Earth, locate the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'', and change history by killing Optimus Prime. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}} Prime's head is incorrectly coloured- instead of the blue battle helmet he wears in the G1 series, it's grey!

====''Beast Machines''====
:''Voice actor'': [[Garry Chalk]]

An enormous statue of Optimus Prime, bearing two [[Golden Disk]]s, could be seen on Cybertron in front of the Hall of Archives. The statue was subsequently blown to pieces by the [[Vehicon]] forces. {{storylink|Fires of the Past}} Later, Megatron beamed a hologram of Optimus Prime down to the ruins of [[Iacon]] to confront [[Optimus Primal]]. Primal mistook the hologram for the real thing and shared with it the code for the [[Oracle]]. Megatron quickly revealed his ruse. Primal explained to his Maximals that he knew the image was fake, but he needed the location of the missing [[spark]]s from Megatron's mind.{{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search}}

{{note|Writer [[Bob Skir]] claims that neither the statue nor the golden disks in its hands were mentioned the script. However, he suggested that they were either the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|disks]] from the Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 probes, or that Optimus won them in the 2,395,989th Annual Cybertronian spelling bee.<ref>[http://bigbot.com/beast-machines-transformers-bob-skir/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Tue_12_Oct_1999.html Q&A from Bigbot's "bobskir.com"]</ref> We're betting on the latter.}}

====''Universe: Primeval Dawn''====
[[Image:Sparkholderprimevaldawn.jpg|left|190px|thumb|"Oh, I also have ''this'' in me now, too."]]

The Vok took the Matrix of Leadership from an unconscious Optimus Prime, used it to create [[Primal Prime]], then gave the Matrix to their new creation.

{{note|In the Beast Wars cartoon, Prime's spark was shown to be contained in a Matrix-like vessel. In [[Universe (comic)|Primeval Dawn]], that vessel was shown to be merely a container for his spark, and the actual Matrix was hidden underneath.}}

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===Kid Stuff Talking Story Books===
:''Voice actor:'' Unknown

Optimus Prime is a "metallic nemesis." Megatron said so.

===Big Looker Story Books===
[[Image:KidsPrime1.jpg|right|150px|thumb|And the fluffy kitten played with that yarn all gosh-darn night.]]

In "[[The Great Car Rally]]", a 2-part race was being held with a massive supply of oil and gasoline as the prize. The Decepticons wanted it badly, but so did the Autobots. Megatron entered the race by hiding himself inside a hollowed-out car, but ended up losing to [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]]. Optimus Prime celebrated the Minibot's victory with a gargantuan smile as all the Decepticons starved to death.
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===Dreamwave comics continuity===

Optimus Prime started life as '''Optronix''' (Orion to his friends<ref>The [[Keepers Trilogy]] novels set in Dreamwave continuity</ref>), a data archivist. After taking note of a battle in which the Autobot leader [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] had been defeated by Megatron, he was summoned to the council of elders and informed that the Matrix had chosen him to be the next leader of the Autobots. He received the Matrix of Leadership shortly thereafter, gaining a powerful new body in the process, and almost arranged for the Autobot evacuation of Cybertron, intending to leave the Decepticons to their own devices, until a battle with Megatron beneath the planet's surface, accompanied by visions from the Matrix, stirred him on to fight for the safety of his homeworld. Some time into his role as leader, Prime disappeared in a [[space bridge]] explosion along with Megatron, but returned some time later, having spent a period of time on [[Quintessa]].

[[Image:Optronix_optimus.jpg|thumb|left|What? OPTRONIX is evolving!]]

Following the awakening of the Transformers on Earth, the Autobots protected the planet from the Decepticons. Over the next fifteen years, the Autobots befriended the humans, particularly the [[Witwicky|Witwicky family]]. The Autobots finally allied with humankind and eventually defeated the Decepticons at the turn of the century. They planned to return to Cybertron aboard the newly constructed ''[[Ark_II]]'', along with seven humans, including Witwicky patriatch [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]]. Before the ship departed, Prime gave a piece of the Matrix to [[Spike Witwicky]], Sparkplug's son and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]'s closest human friend. But the ship was destroyed as part of a military conspiracy to take control of the Transformers. However, a terrorist organization run by the enigmatic [[Lazarus]] was able to seize control of several of the Transformers that fell back to Earth, while the U.S. military located Prime's body. Spike was forced by the product chief, General [[Robert Hallo]], to use the piece of the Matrix to reactivate Prime. Functional again, Prime used the Matrix to reactivate more of his fallen comrades, and then faced off against Megatron in [[San Francisco]].

Following this, Prime began to experience subconscious urgings, leading both the Autobots and the Decepticons to the Arctic Circle, where Shockwave arrived to greet them - and arrest them as war criminals. Shockwave had succeeded in ending the war on Cybertron, but Prime soon fell in with a rebel Autobot group that had discovered Shockwave had a greater agenda. Rallying Autobots across Cybertron to the cause, Prime faced Shockwave in battle but was defeated and had the Matrix ripped from him and used to activate Vector Sigma. Before Shockwave could make full use of the mega-computer's data, however, [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] arrived and bested him. The injuries Prime took in this conflicted necessitated a prolonged restoration period in stasis...

{{note|...which turned out to be the remainder of Dreamwave's existence. Bummer.}}

===Devil's Due G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers comics continuity===
{{charstub}}

=== IDW comics continuity ===
{{ongoing}}
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{{note|[[Megatron Origin]] depicted that before the war, a robot that's a hybrid of the "Orion Pax" and "Optronix" designs appears listening to [[Sentinel Prime]]'s speech at the funeral of [[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]] and [[Fastback]]. He is standing with [[Elita One]], [[Alpha Trion]], and a white version of himself (presumably [[Ultra Magnus]], possibly even [[Dion]]). Whether this is truly the [[IDW continuity]]'s version of pre-Prime Optimus remains unrevealed.}}

[[Image:IDWOptimus.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Freedom is the right of all sentient and heavily-armed beings.]]

Optimus Prime commands the Autobot armed forces spread across the galaxy from the [[Autobot Orbital Command Hub]]. He was directly involved in the cataclysm ([[IDW timeline|just under 450 years ago]]) that reduced Cybertron to a dead husk, fighting alongside Megatron in an attempt to stop [[Thunderwing_(G1)|Thunderwing]]'s rampage. Their efforts were futile, and they only survived due to Cybertron itself swallowing Thunderwing at [[Thunderhead Pass]]. Megatron was unconvinced that Thunderwing was dead, and advocated that Cybertron be destroyed to better insure that the mad Decepticon was forever destroyed. Prime refused, and threatened to stop any effort that Megatron attempted. Megatron agreed to spare the planet, but warned Prime that anything which happened afterwards was on his head.

In the present, Prime received a pulsewave from [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], who was stationed under [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]'s team on Earth, saying that the Decepticon infiltration cell under Starscream had broken their infiltration methods and enacted [[siege mode]] prematurely. Soon afterward, the Autobot science vessel ''[[Calabi-Yau]]'' sent a distress signal from above [[Thunderhead Pass]], and he ordered the [[Wreckers]] to withdraw from [[Varas Centralus]] and meet him on Cybertron. {{Storylink|Stormbringer issue 2}} Thunderwing had been restored by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] and his followers, and though the Wreckers made short work of them, the real fight would be met with Thunderwing. After the Wreckers, [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]]s and [[Centurion droids|Centurion drones]] were unable to destroy the monster, Prime took to the field, firing massive amounts of energy at Thunderwing, forcing it to exhaust its last reserves of [[Ultra Energon]] and, ultimately, its life. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 4}}

[[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] discovered information in Bludgeon's files about the mysterious new form of Energon found on Earth. Linking it to the pulsewave transmission from Ironhide, Prime diverted his spacecraft to Earth and called [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] in to assist him. {{storylink|Spotlight: Nightbeat}}. Shortly after arrival{{m-}}having undergone alteration so that he could disguise himself as an Earth truck{{m-}}he slowly began to realize how unusual the situation Prowl's unit had found itself in was. {{Storylink|Infiltration issue 6}} Not only had the Decepticons broken their own infiltration protocols over what Starscream had dubbed [[Ore-13]], but after attempting to recover what appeared to be Sunstreaker's remains, it was also evident that some of the planet's native sentients{{m-}}[[human]]s{{m-}}posed a threat possibly equal to that of their old enemies. {{Storylink|Escalation issue 2}}

[[Image:IDWPrime_Earth.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Don't crush the cameraman!]]

Optimus Prime, now fully filled in on Earth's happenings, decided that they needed reinforcements. He called [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]], [[Hot Rod]], and [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] to come when they could. When Prowl pointed out that Megatron, in his new gun-based Earth mode, was in the breakaway Soviet state of [[Brasnya]] stirring up trouble, Prime ordered them into action.

[[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] almost got the drop on Prime, but [[Roller]] was right behind him and executed him with one single shot. Megatron returned to his full-size robot mode and disagreed with the quality of Prime's tea and crumpets. At last, the two rivals were going to go at it.

The fight went well at first, with Prime blowing Megatron's fusion blaster clean off. Megatron, however, tireless thanks to Ore-13, prevailed, almost beating Prime into [[stasis lock]]. {{storylink|Escalation issue 5}}

However, Prime transfered his consciousness into his trailer, leading Megatron to believe him dead. Realizing that Ore-13 was the same as Ultra Energon, Prime returned to his body in time to save his forces from the relentless Megatron, dealing enough damage to the Decepticon leader to drain his power reserves, just as he did against Thunderwing. The victory was narrow, however, leaving Optimus with the daunting task of fending off an increasing enemy force without his last ace in the hole. {{storylink|Escalation issue 6}}

This near-death experience had left Prime somewhat unsettled. While his consciousness was in [[infraspace]] downloading to his trailer, he sensed a presence of dread{{m-}}the visage of his long-missing predecessor, [[Nova Prime]]. Looking for answers, Optimus Prime left Earth temporarily to seek an audience with [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] for answers. Once there, he found out about Nova's beliefs of how Transformers were better than everyone else and should show it, and faced down the rampaging [[Monstructor]], a legacy of Nova's tenure locked away by Omega Supreme. Then he gave his "you shouldn't have done that" speech to Omega, hand Monstructor's limbs over to Jetfire's team, and went on to do what comic G1 Primes do best: have angst-ridden introspection about himself and the tarnished legacy of the [[Prime (rank)|Prime lineage]]. {{storylink|Spotlight: Optimus Prime}}

{{spoiler|Devastation}}
After returning to Earth, Nightbeat discovered that a human group was aware of the base's location and recommended to Prime that they move the ''[[Ark-19]]''. As preparations were underway, Prime received a message from [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] saying that Thunderwing had been stolen. [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]], eager to search for [[Sunstreaker]], suggested that they be reassigned to Earth, and Prime agreed. However, the thrashing that Prime gave Megatron had so embarrassed the Decepticon leader that he ordered in [[Sixshot]]. While moving the ''Ark-19'', Prime and the others came under fire by Sixshot. {{storylink|Devastation issue 1}}

Ordering Ratchet to get Jimmy and Verity to safety, Optimus then instructed Nightbeat to upload all of ''Ark-19<nowiki>'</nowiki>s'' data to ''[[Ark-32]]'' and for Prowl to activate the self-destruct sequence. {{storylink|Devastation issue 2}} When ''Ark-19'' exploded, it was assumed that Optimus was on board, but all was good at the end when he appeared with Bumblebee and the others{{m-}}ready to take on Sixshot. {{storylink|Devastation issue 3}} Optimus and the Autobots held Sixshot at bay, but the military ordered an air strike to destroy the alien robots. The battle was a stalemate, as Sixshot had to return to the Decepticons and the Autobots [[orbital jump]]ed just in time to avoid destruction. {{storylink|Devastation issue 4}}

===IDW ''[[Hearts of Steel]]'' continuity===
He appears very briefly in the first few pages, in his "Ice Age Wars" body (we only see him in robot mode, but his altmode is a brachiosaurus<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?s=d5d311674e796c81d010d26ac751389b&showtopic=10074&st=20&p=266183&#entry266183 Allspark forums post] by [[Guido Guidi]], August 15th, 2006</ref>). {{Storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 1}} He spends most of the story in [[stasis lock]].
====IDW ''Hearts of Steel'' Concept Art micro-continuity====
Optimus is depicted as turning into the front half of a fanciful red-and-blue locomotive. The rear half of the locomotive turns into a battle station. Since this altmode has no place in the story, these sketches constitute a [[micro-continuity]] in which Optimus Prime and [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] are active in the late 19th century.

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==Toys==
{{main|Optimus Prime (G1) toys}}

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==Trivia==
*According to [[Bob Budiansky]], longtime comics writer [[Denny O'Neil]] named Optimus Prime prior to Budiansky being brought on to the ''Transformers'' project.

*According to the staff of [[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]], Optimus Prime became a space explorer in the [[Beast Era]].<ref>[[Beast Wars Universe]] ISBN 978-4766938005</ref>

[[image:Optimusprime-mom.jpg|125px|right|thumb|Prime's mom knows how to write in cursive.]]

*By the time Optimus Prime appeared in Beast Machines, his 3D model from Beast Wars had apparently been lost, leading the animators to use a faceplated Optimus Primal head as a quick replacement to save time and budget.

*Aside from occasionally having Alpha Trion as a father figure, Optimus Prime may have a mother! In an advertisement for [[Pepsi Convoy]] that shows him in a refrigerator (along with [[Destron Pizza]]), a note attached to a nearby piece of tupperware reads:

:''Dear Convoy''
:''Warm it before you eat''
:''Mom''

:Although the ad itself is for Pepsi Convoy, he is a separate character, and it can be assumed that the note was left for Convoy/Optimus Prime himself.

* The first wave of Dreamwave posters in 2001 identified Optimus Prime as [http://www.comicden.com/merch/posters.htm Captimus Primus], which is tantalizingly close to making some sort of sense.

* Optimus Prime's Japanese name is "Convoy", which is named after his original name "Battle Convoy" in [[Diaclone]] toyline, because the name "Optimus Prime" is difficult for Japanese kids to remember and pronounce. <ref>'''Figure-Oh''' No. 114</ref>

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==External links==
* [http://www.tfu.info/1984/Autobot/OptimusPrime/optimusprime.htm Optimus Prime on TFU.info]

* [http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Optimus_Prime Optimus Prime's Universe profile at NTFA.net]

* [http://www.toybin.org/search.php?q=1984+Autobot+Optimus+Prime ToyBin Optimus Prime Toy gallery]

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== Footnotes ==
<references />

[[Category: Action Masters]]
[[Category: Alternators]]
[[Category: Attacktix]]
[[Category: Autobots]]
[[Category: Autobot leaders]]
[[Category: Battlestars characters]]
[[Category: Beast Wars characters]]
[[Category: Classics characters]]
[[Category: Combiners]]
[[Category: Convention exclusives]]
[[Category: E-Hobby]]
[[Category: Generation 1 characters]]
[[Category: Generation 2 characters]]
[[Category: Go-Bots]]
[[Category: Headmasters characters]]
[[Category: Kiss Players characters]]
[[Category: Machine Wars characters]]
[[Category: Mail order exclusives]]
[[Category: Matrix bearers]]
[[Category: Powermasters]]
[[Category: Robot Heroes]]
[[Category: Robot Masters characters]]
[[Category: Rulers of Cybertron]]
[[Category: Titanium Series]]
[[Category: Toys "R" Us exclusives]]
[[Category: Unreleased toys]]
[[Category: Zombies]]<div id="wikia-credits"><br /><br /><small>From [http://transformers.wikia.com Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki], a [http://www.wikia.com Wikia] wiki.</small></div>

MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

Moustache Man

Optimus Prime (G1)