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Starscream clone (Animated)

2009-07-14T13:04:03Z

69.249.151.72: /* Animated cartoon */

{{factions|decepticon}}
{{disambig2|the abominations from the Transformers Animated continuity family|the mad Starscream clone from the Dreamwave comics|Sunstorm (G1)}}
:''Starscream clones are a group from the [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Lotta_starscreams.jpg|300px|thumb|right|Are there no signs of normalcy in these wretches? No [[Skywarp (Animated)|cowardice]] or [[Thundercracker (Animated)|pomposity]], no [[Slipstream (Animated)|snideness]] or [[Sunstorm (Animated)|smarm]], not even basic honest-to-goodness [[Dirge (Animated)|double-dealing]] [[Liar Starscream|two-facedness]]?]]

A '''Starscream clone''' is one of an army of (mostly) physically identical copies of [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]]. They have all of his abilities, with the added bonus of being extremely disposable. While there seem to be a large number of mass-produced clones, a handful have appeared which carry [[AllSpark (Animated)|AllSpark]] energy signatures, have different colour schemes, and seem to embody various elements of Starscream's personality.
The clones include:

*[[Dirge (Animated)|Dirge]], representing Starscream's greed.
*[[Skywarp (Animated)|Skywarp]], representing Starscream's cowardice.
*[[Sunstorm (Animated)|Sunstorm]], representing Starscream's bootlicking tendencies.
*[[Thundercracker (Animated)|Thundercracker]], representing Starscream's ego.
*[[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]], representing parts of Starscream best left unexplored.
*[[Liar Starscream|A clone that is as honest as the day is long.]]

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon===
Starscream created the clones in a multi-step process. First mechanical shells based on Starscream's design were infused with protoforms stolen from Master [[Yoketron]]'s dojo. {{storylink|Endgame, Part I}} Since those protoforms were sparkless, a fragment Starscream's AllSpark fragment was inserted into their chassis to give them life. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part I‎}}

[[Image:Dragging_purple.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Skywarp, you've got a longer yellow streak than a herd of diarrhetic camels.]]

After [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] and [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] captured and then lost the original Starscream on the Moon, his sycophantic clone destroyed Prowl's shuttle and headed for Earth. The two bots followed him, but bumped into the cowardly clone first. After capturing him, Lockdown double-crossed Prowl and dragged the clone away. As the [[Autobots]] gave chase, the Sycophant appeared and offered to deal. Prowl wasn't having any of it, and after a brief skirmish, managed to get the [[stasis cuffs]] on him. Both Lockdown and the Autobots took the clones to an abandoned warehouse, where the [[Decepticons]] were waiting. As everyone was understandably shocked, some sort of program deactivated the clones' higher functions and opened their spark chambers, which were empty... except for a pair of powerful bombs. As Lockdown and the Decepticons made a break for it, Prowl welded his borrowed mods to the pair and launched them into the sky, where they exploded. The Decepticons were caught in the blast wave, but the city was saved. In the wreckage of the ''[[Nemesis (Animated)|Nemesis]]'', a disappointed but pragmatic Starscream consoled himself with the fact he still had plenty left. {{storylink|A Fistful of Energon}}

While [[Megatron]] was officially bringing the [[Constructicons]] into his army on Earth, Starscream was doing the same with his fifth clone on the Moon. Immediately after he brought his final clone on-line, however, the neurotic ensemble began giving him trouble, and he learned that each of them embodied a distilled facet of his personality: his cowardice, his sycophancy, his deceitfulness, his egomania...and one facet that warned him not to ask what she was. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part I‎}}

After bringing the five clones to life, the Starscreams all flew to Earth after Megatron made the [[space bridge]]. Starscream attacked the Decepticons with his new army and lost two clones (along with Blurr) in a blob of cement, and soon after lost his head to Prof. Sumdac. Finally, the other Starscream clones decided he was unworthy to lead them and sided with Megatron, but after that they all had to attack [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] and were easily defeated. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part I‎I}}

The two clones who were warped into space with Blurr were able to escape their cement prison, but were left behind in space as Blurr darted away. {{storylink|TransWarped}}

It was also revealed that the Liar Starscream had survived, as he saved Lugnut (and promised not to tell Megatron), {{storylink|Three's a Crowd}} and later paid Lockdown to help him against the Autobots. {{storylink|Five Servos of Doom}} Both he and Sunstorm would end up as prisoners, and briefly broke free before being recaptured. {{storylink|Decepticon Air}}

The final Earthbound clone, Slipstream, kept a low profile after the disastrous encounter with Omega Supreme, but she eventually resurfaced when Optimus Prime was attempting to learn to fly. She pursued him assuming he was Starscream, and was quite confused when she realized she was actually confronting a flying Autobot. But that didn't stop her from shooting Prime down, then escaping once more to parts unknown.{{storylink|Endgame, Part I}}

The remaining cache of unactivated Starscream clone shells were unceremoniously destroyed by Megatron, upon the latter's return to his destroyed warship on the moon. {{storylink|Endgame, Part I}}

===Titan Magazines===
Starscream used his mass produced clones to seize the Autobot base. Unfortunately, Sari knew their weakness: they weren't immune to [[Dinobot (Animated)|giant robot dinosaurs beating the slag out of them]]. {{storylink|Dino-MIGHT!}}

==Trivia==
* The clones are a reference to the common practice of redecoing Starscream toys as new characters, specifically the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]].
*The color schemes (though little more) of most of the clones are inspired by various [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] Seekers.
* At [[BotCon 2008]], ''Animated'' series creators [[Derrick Wyatt]] and [[Marty Isenberg]] repeatedly emphasized that there would be "no clone army... definitely no clone army... absolutely no clone army in this show." Lots of reports forgot the sarcasm tag.
* Starscream could certainly be considered an [[Army-building|army-builder]].
* This is, however, not [[A Prime Problem|the first appearance]] of a Starscream clone.
* Or even [[Sunstorm (G1)|the second.]]
* For some reason, [[Dirge (Animated)|Dirge]] was added to the clones after their fictional appearance, making him the single toy-only clone so far (and one of the few ''Animated'' toy-only characters, period).
* Derrick Wyatt explained in a recent interview that he intended the clones to evolve into individuals the longer they remained online. Noting it has not been depicted, he implied the concept was dropped.

[[Category:Animated]]
[[Category:Clones]]
[[Category:Decepticon subgroups]]
[[Category:Drones]]
[[Category:Mass-produced Transformers]]
[[Category:Nameless things]]

Slipstream (Animated)

2009-07-14T12:15:08Z

69.249.151.72: /* Notes */

{{factions|decepticon}}
{{disambig3|Slipstream}}


:''Slipstream is a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]] [[continuity family]]''.

[[Image:Femalescream-ABTC.jpg|thumb|300px|You say "bitch" like it's a ''bad'' thing!]]

'''Slipstream''', the '''Female Starscream''', is the [[Starscream clone]] that raises the most questions. She possesses considerable strategic thinking, a biting sense of humor, and a short temper. Like all of the clones, she represents an aspect of the [[Starscream (Animated)|original Starscream's]] personality... though which aspect that is, he's better off not asking (or so she says).

Practically everything she ever says to the original Starscream is an insult of some form. Really makes you wonder about Starscream, doesn't it?

{{quote|''Any'' leader has to be an improvement over you!|Slipstream offers an opinion on her template|"[[A Bridge Too Close, Part II]]"}}

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Tara Strong]] (English), [[Silvia Mißbach]] (German)

[[Image:TFA ABTC1 Screamer Clones Argue.jpg|thumb|left|thumb|Humph. Men.]]

When his clones were brought online, Starscream was confronted with various personality issues. The female clone revealed that each one represented an aspect of his personality: [[Thundercracker (Animated)|megalomania]], [[Skywarp (Animated)|cowardice]], [[Sunstorm (Animated)|bootlicking]], and [[Liar Starscream|deception]]. When Starscream asked where she came from, Slipstream informed him that he was better off not knowing. Once they were ready to depart, Thundercracker pushed Starscream aside, and the original realized that he really ''was'' a pain in the gearshaft. Slipstream bitingly noted that he'd finally "arrived at the party", then childishly claimed that she wasn't starting anything. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part I}}

Slipstream proved to be a capable fighter, managing to get a pair of stasis cuffs on the massive [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]]. After the original Starscream was decapitated by [[Isaac Sumdac]] piloting a [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] unit, Slipstream promptly declared that she was better off being led by [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]]. When [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] joined the battle, she and the other Decepticons were blasted away. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}

Slipstream apparently decided to lay low on Earth after the space bridge battle, managing to evade capture unlike her fellow clones (and several non-clone Decepticons). However, when she spotted a [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|red figure flying through the sky]], she mistook it for Starscream and chased after it in a rage. When Slipstream saw it was Optimus, she shot at him anyway, and then fled the scene. {{storylink|Endgame, Part I}}

==Notes==
[[Image:Femalescream-full.jpg|thumb|150px|Not Pretender Starscream, not G2 Ramjet... '''Overlord'''. He's a Decepticon ''leader'', that's why!]]

* Where Slipstream got her colors from was debated within the fandom, with the most frequent guess being ''[[Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' [[Ramjet_(G1)#Generation_2_2|Ramjet]]. However, when contacted about it, [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] revealed that her color scheme was actually "loosely inspired" by the [[Godmaster]] [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]]. Unexpected! Still, half of Overlord ''was'' [[Mega|technically female]]...

*As her colors weren't closely based on any of the pre-existing [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]]s, fans didn't have much of a clue what to call her, and created a lot of different nicknames. No official name had been created for her, either (she was just referred to as "Female Starscream" in the show's credits), a situation that writer [[Jim Sorenson]] sought to rectify for her entry in the ''[[AllSpark Almanac]]''. Sorenson proposed "Slipstream" to [[Derrick Wyatt]] and [[Marty Isenberg]], who both liked it, and Sorenson subsequently included the name in the first draft of the Almanac.<ref>[http://boltax.blogspot.com/2009/05/dont-cross-slipstream.html Disciples of Boltax: Don't cross the Slipstream.]</ref> Hasbro raised no objection to the idea, and publicly announced the name for the first time during the Hasbro panel at [[BotCon 2009]].

* While the Transformers [[fandom]] has long mused upon the possibility of female "Seekers" (and produced countless [[Wikipedia:Mary Sue|self-insertion characters]] that are variants on the theme), this is the first canonical female character to share a body template with Starscream. This is either great or horrible, depending on your perspective.

* When asked which aspect of Starscream's personality she represents, Derrick Wyatt responded with "I try not to think about that one!"<ref>[http://community.livejournal.com/tf_animated/271043.html Derrick J. Wyatt Q&A... answers!]</ref> He also confirmed that it's not his self-loathing (considering she seems to hate Starscream with a passion, this just makes the issue more confusing).<ref>[http://twitter.com/yuefairchild/status/1819450817 Query] and [http://twitter.com/DerrickJWyatt/status/1823006574 response]</ref>

==References==
<references/>

[[Category: Animated characters]]
[[Category: Cartoon-only characters]]
[[Category: Clones]]
[[Category: Decepticons]]
[[Category: Female Transformers]]