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T.M.I.

2012-08-10T00:33:07Z

96.21.86.21: /* Synopsis */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 21
|prev=Partners
|next=Stronger, Faster
|image=TMI-Mikojogsmemories.jpg
|caption=
|title="T.M.I."
|airdate=[[August 7]], [[2011]]
|written by=[[Joseph Kuhr]]
|directed by=[[Todd Waterman]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''Bulkhead absorbs a data cylinder that greatly increases his intelligence, but is also destroying him.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] and [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] are enjoying a monster truck rally on the [[television|TV]], much to [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]]'s annoyance. Ratchet thinks they shouldn't be watching it, and that Bulkhead would be better off helping [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]]'s mission to retrieve a [[Cybertronian data cylinder]]. He interrupts their monster truck footage to explain how the cylinders were created during [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s [[Golden Age]] and hidden throughout the galaxy after the war broke out. Bulkhead and Miko are bored by it all, but Optimus contacts base to ask for backup, which is Bulkhead's cue to head for the field. Ratchet hands Miko a mop, and she's so enthusiastic about having to clean up that she drops it and runs through the [[GroundBridge]] after Bulkhead.

[[Image:TMI-datacylinder.jpg|left|thumb|250px|]]

On the battlefield, she finds the 'Bots battling [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]], [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] and a bunch of [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]]. Immediately, she runs into trouble, as a Vehicon Bulkhead is punching staggers back towards her. She takes cover behind a pile of rock, before spotting the cylinder sitting nearby. While everyone fights, Miko runs over to the cylinder and phones Ratchet. Ratchet tries providing a GroundBridge, but Miko can't give him precise enough coordinates to grab the cylinder. She tries pushing the device towards the GroundBridge and even kicking it, but all that succeeds in doing is activating the cylinder. At that moment, Bulkhead spots her and runs over, only to trip and take the cylinder's charge in the forehead. With Bulkhead temporarily out, Knock Out grabs the cylinder and the Decepticons split. Moments later, Bulkhead is back on his feet, apparently none the worse for wear.

Bulkhead undergoes a medical check back at base, but insists he's fine. Ratchet tells him to help Miko tidy up. After announcing Ratchet is "null vector squared", Bulkhead wonders if they have any paint.

On the ''[[Trypticon (Prime)|Nemesis]]'' in orbit, the Decepticons have discovered that the cylinder is empty. They quickly realize the energy from the device has ended up in Bulkhead.

Miko draws Ratchet's attention to what Bulkhead is painting, which Ratchet finds is a scientific formula. After another scan, Ratchet locates the cylinder's energy in Bulkhead's head. They determine that the device interpreted Miko's kick as an attack and ejected the data into Bulkhead, and the equations Bulkhead's been writing down are for [[synthetic energon]]. The Autobots are excited and collect the equations as Bulkhead writes them. Miko quickly becomes bored and wants to draw Bulkhead away from his work. Ratchet has grave news, however—the data is slowly consuming Bulkhead's mind, and by the time the formula is complete, Bulkhead's mind may be gone altogether. The other Autobots believe they might be able to get the data back into the cylinder. Miko gets out her guitar to try and distract Bulkhead, but when he doesn't recognize Ratchet's name, she figures something's up and goes to Ratchet to get the truth.

Knock Out reports that they've detected the cylinder's energy signature, and [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] decides to go himself to avoid any more failures. Rather than Bulkhead, he and the Vehicons find Optimus, [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] and [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]]. Optimus has a deal for him: If Megatron gives them the cylinder, Optimus will return it to him restored with energy.

Miko talks to Bulkhead, but he's becoming increasingly unresponsive and fails to recall her name when she asks if he remembers it. Finally, she steals his mop brush and leads him through the GroundBridge.

Megatron is thinking on Optimus's proposal when he's contacted by Knock Out, who has detected Bulkhead's energy signature. Megatron orders him to retrieve the Autobot's head.

[[Image:TMI-KnockOutpainted.jpg|right|thumb|300px|[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJpsAe70uig DINKLEBERG!]]]

At the monster truck race track, Miko attempts to jog Bulkhead's memory, but he's too busy painting the formula on the wall to take any notice of her. Her sorrow is interrupted by Knock Out and Breakdown, so she manages to persuade Bulkhead to follow her and hide among the monster trucks.

On hearing they've caught up with Bulkhead, Megatron sics the Vehicons on Optimus's team.

Miko tries to find somewhere outside the Decepticon jamming range so she can use [[Miko's phone|her phone]]. Knock Out and Breakdown search for Bulkhead, until Knock Out uses a tracking device to find the Autobot. Bulkhead transforms and scrawls a glyph on Knock Out's chest, but before the outraged Decepticon can do anything, Breakdown renders Bulkhead unconscious. Knock Out then prepares to remove Bulkhead's head.

The Autobots finish off the Vehicons, only for Megatron to simply crush the cylinder and fly off. Ratchet reports that Bulkhead and Miko have left the base.

Miko takes a swing at Knock Out with the mop, but misses and falls against Bulkhead. The cylinder energy promptly triggers, firing off into the sky. Knock Out checks Bulkhead and finds the energy is gone. Infuriated, he and Breakdown are ready to take some revenge, but are forced to retreat when the other Autobots GroundBridge in.

The Autobots return Bulkhead's comatose body back to base, where Miko tearfully blames herself for his condition. Ratchet suggests that it's too early to tell how long Bulkhead might remain like that and anything could trigger his awakening, and so Miko decides to try her guitar. After she strums a chord, Bulkhead stirs and wakes up, back to normal.

==Featured characters==

{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (2)
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (3)
*[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (7)
*[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (9)
|c2=
*[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] (5)
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]]s (6)
*[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] (8)
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (10)

|c3=
*[[Miko Nakadai]] (1)

}}

==Quotes==
'''Bulkhead''': Hey, Ratch, check out the monster truck rally Miko took me to last week. 
'''Miko''': I compiled some highlights with my cellphone. 
'''Ratchet''': Innocent vehicles battling for the entertainment of human spectators? (''shudders'') Bloodsport! 
'''Bulkhead''' and '''Miko''': Yeah!
:—Ratchet disapproves of Bulkhead and Miko's taste in sports.

"That's not art - It's SCIENCE!"
:—'''Ratchet''' approves of Bulkhead's (lack of) taste in art.

"Come to papa." 
(''Bulkhead knocks Knock Out away'') "Run to mommy!" 
(''Breakdown attacks Bulkhead from behind'') "Say uncle! Say it!" 
:—'''Knock Out''', '''Bulkhead''', and '''Breakdown''' continue with humorous mid-battle banter.

"How about our Sunday morning dune-bashings? Rocking out to [[Slash Monkey]]? Helping me with my homework? Trick question! You know I don't do homework...''don't you?''" 
:—'''Miko''' is at least more subtle in her remember-who-you are monologue [[Out of His Head|than Raf was.]]

"You...''painted'' my paint job! Prepare for ''surgery''!" 
:—'''Knock Out''' really needs to sort out his priorities.

"Because the energy took Bulkhead's mind with it. Heavenward. Lost to the stars. It's my fault you'll never know the rest of the formula, and it's my fault Bulkhead's gone forever."
:—'''Miko''' pulls an Optimus on us.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
* The Vehicons that the Autobots are fighting in the beginning of the episode are clearly ground units, but magically become flying units when it comes time to retreat.

===Continuity notes===
* Miko recalls the story of [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] throwing a grenade into a Decepticon heat exchanger which Bulkhead told her back in "[[Con Job]]", and shows Bulkhead a picture of him with Wheeljack from the same episode.

===Continuity errors===
* Did Knock Out and Breakdown not already know Bulkhead's vehicle mode?
* If Megatron thought that the Autobots have Starscream in their custody at the end of "[[Partners]]", why didn't he question them about him?

===Transformers references===
* The Monster Truck announcer declares the trucks "the baddest [[Beast Machines: Transformers (franchise)|beast machines]] on the planet."
* During his rambling, Bulkhead mentions [[Perceptor (Prime)|Perceptor]].
*Optimus mentions the "no matter the cost" line, just like his [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Generation 1 counterpart]].

===Real-world references===
* Bulkhead's technobabble is not gibberish. Much of it is real, present-day scientific and mathematical terms, though not arranged coherently.
* Amongst Bulkhead's babblings is "the differential of one-third r cubed is r-dr-r," a gag lifted right out of the classic ''[[Wikipedia:The Simpsons|Simpsons]]'' episode, "[[wikipedia:Bart the Genius|Bart the Genius]]". Har-de-har-har!
* Bulkhead also refers to "Clank's law", a Transformery take on [[wikipedia:Planck's law|Planck's law]] (a mathematical law relating to the energy emission of [[black body|black bodies]], and possibly a reference to Clank from the [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratchet_%26_Clank)| Ratchet and Clank games]].

===Foreign localization===
'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Bulkhead, das Superhirn'''" ("Bulkhead, the Brainiac")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[February 10|10 February]] [[2012]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Troppe chiacchiere!'''" ("Too Many Chatters!")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 4|4 December]] [[2011]]

'''Korean'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Gieok Sangsil'''" (기억 상실, "Amnesia")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 7|7 November]] [[2011]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' ?
:*''Original airdate:'' [[January 2|2 January]] [[2012]]

'''Spanish (Spain)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Demasiada información'''" ("T.M.I.")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 7|7 July]] [[2012]]

===Trivia===
*The episode was first broadcast on [[Canada]]'s [http://www.teletoon.com Teletoon] channel. As none of the listings mentioned the episode title, and ''Prime'' episodes lack an on-screen title, the name of the episode was originally a mystery. Its name was revealed about a week later on [http://affiliate.zap2it.com/tv/transformers-prime-tmi/EP013408350023 Zap2it]'s website. It would air in the United States on [[September 10]], [[2011]].

[[Category:Prime episodes|Tmi]]

Stronger, Faster

2012-08-10T00:26:20Z

96.21.86.21: /* Real-world references */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 22
|prev=T.M.I.
|next=One Shall Fall
|image=StrongerFaster-peekaboo.jpg
|caption=More alive.
|title="Stronger, Faster"
|airdate=[[August 14]], [[2011]]
|written by=[[Mairghread Scott]]
|directed by=[[Shaunt Nigoghossian]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''Ratchet 'finalizes' the synthetic energon formula and uses himself as a test subject, but it ends up having some negative side effects.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] checks out a sample of [[Synthetic Energon|synthetic energon]] he's created, watched by [[Raf Esquivel|Raf]]. Approving the stability of the energon, Ratchet tries it on a test engine, and it works fine. Raf's keen to try it on [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]], but Ratchet says it'll require more testing first. Meanwhile, the base sensors pick up [[energon]] movement, but before [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] gives the order to roll out, Ratchet warns him about the depleted state of their energon reserves. Once Prime's team departs, Ratchet has the idea to try the synthetic energon on himself. The injection causes him to lose consciousness, and Raf rouses him from lying on the floor shortly afterward. The synthetic energon appears to be a success, giving him more fuel efficiency and better motor functions.

[[Image:StrongerFaster-surrounded.jpg|left|thumb|300px|I need you to hurry up now, 'cause I can't wait much longer.]]

Meanwhile Prime's team chases [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] and [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] through an icy canyon. The Decepticons aren't in any hurry to bridge out, as they're trying to "help" the [[Autobot]]s run out of energon. Some [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]]s flying overhead blast the sheer sides of canyon, causing a rock fall that blocks off the Autobots' path. [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] manages to drive over it in her motorcycle mode, despite Prime's warnings, and races after the two Decepticons, only to be hit by missiles from the Vehicons. She is swiftly surrounded by Decepticons, and things look grim until Ratchet comes flying through the GroundBridge and begins laying into them with gusto. Knock Out and Breakdown assume that the Ratchet's a new Autobot, but are forced to retreat as Optimus, [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] and Bumblebee come into view, firing at them. Ratchet finishes off the last of the Vehicons, to stunned looks from his teammates.

Back at base, Ratchet reveals his secret to the other Autobots, but Optimus doesn't think it's a good idea to test the synthetic energon on Autobots, and he underlines the importance of Ratchet's job as medic. Some time later, Ratchet's retelling his fight to Bulkhead, and in demonstrating a move, manages to throw his fellow Autobot through a nearby wall. The other Autobots are startled at his new personality. Ratchet goes and injects more of the synthetic energon into himself. When the sensors light up once more, Prime prepares to roll out again, but Ratchet volunteers to go along.

[[Image:StrongerFaster-crouchbehindrock.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Work it make it do it makes us.]]

As they head through a mountainous area, Ratchet moves ninja-style at the front of the team. They soon find some Vehicons and a [[Decepticon Miner|miner]] drilling into a rock face, and Ratchet immediately moves in. When the miner makes a run for it, Ratchet gives chase and knocks him down with a well-thrown rock. The other Autobots find Ratchet forcibly interrogating the miner with his blowtorch. Optimus stops him from finishing off the prisoner and begins to lecture him on doing harm where none is necessary, but Ratchet is agitated, believing they should be more proactive. As the argument heats up, Ratchet even manages to antagonize Arcee by bringing up [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]], and calls Prime out for his many missed opportunities to kill [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]. Prime decides to confine Ratchet to base. Though Ratchet appears to go calmly through the GroundBridge, moments later, he charges back out, flattening Bulkhead and racing off. Prime's team returns to base, but is unable to get a fix on Ratchet's signal.

In a Decepticon energon mine, Breakdown is chatting with a miner when Ratchet walks into the cavern. Elsewhere, Megatron shouts at Knock Out for not finding a new energon source, but they're interrupted by Ratchet dropping Breakdown on the floor. Megatron scoffs at the newcomer, until a punch from Ratchet sends him flying. However, Megatron is made of sterner stuff, and he gives Ratchet a savage injury, telling Knock Out to take a sample of the resultant leaking fluids so they can find out how Ratchet got so amped up.

[[Image:StrongerFaster-KnockOutMegatronRatchet.jpg|left|thumb|300px|That that that that that don't kill me, can only make me stronger.]]

On the bright side, as the synthetic energon drains out, Ratchet is rendered visible to the sensors in the [[Autobot Outpost Omega One|Autobot base]], and Optimus, Arcee and Bulkhead use the GroundBridge to attack the mine.

Knock Out completes taking his sample and moves in to finish Ratchet off with his circular saw. When the sound of approaching fighting distracts the Decepticon, Ratchet takes the opportunity to fight back, resulting in Knock Out's saw getting stuck in the wall. Ratchet promptly grabs the synthetic energon sample and smashes it. Knock Out is outraged, but once more has to retreat as the other Autobots arrive.

Ratchet is hooked up to a drip back at base, and he apologizes for his behavior. Optimus points out the new supply of energon they got from the mine, and Ratchet promises to do more testing on the synthetic stuff before using it on Autobots again. Optimus is just thankful they destroyed Knock Out's sample, unaware of the fact that back at the mine, Knock Out has found a single drop of synthetic energon.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==

{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (1)
*[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (3)
*[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (4)
*[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (5)
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (6)
*[[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]] (8) (flashback)
|c2=
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (7)
*[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] (9)
*[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] (10)
*[[Decepticon Miner]] (11)
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (12)
|c3=
*[[Raf Esquivel]] (2)

}}

==Quotes==
"HOOAAH!"
:—'''Ratchet''' gets a new catchphrase. He needed that.

'''Ratchet:''' (''clicks as he walks by'') How's it hummin'? 
'''Arcee:''' ...Did he just? 
'''Bulkhead:''' Stronger, faster, studlier.
:—Yeah, he did.

"It's all right! I'm an emergency vehicle!"
:—'''Ratchet''', engaging the Decepticons.

'''Megatron:''' (''speaking to Knock Out'') That is your fearsome new adversary? (''Chuckles'') He's Optimus Prime's medic! 
'''Ratchet:''' (''speaking to Megatron'') Oh no, '''Megatron''', I am your doctor of doom! 
:-'''Ratchet''' boasts to '''Megatron'''.

"Yeah, she's kinda domineering and the extra arms are weird, but... I find myself intrigued by her."
:—'''Breakdown''' chats to a miner about his thoughts on [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]].

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
*After Arcee continues to chase down Knock Out and Breakdown, air-support arrives. However, when they shoot Arcee, Knock Out and Breakdown have vanished from in front of her. Furthermore, when the other Autobots finally climb over the rock pile to help Arcee, she is only a few yards from the pile, whereas she should be several miles away.
*During his first fight with the Vehicons, Ratchet slices the arm off one and throws it to the ground, where it stays. When Ratchet moves on to his next opponent, the arm simply blinks out of existence.
*Bumblebee is shown returning with the other Autobots despite staying at base to operate the GroundBridge.
*The sample of synthetic energon Knock Out was holding was only about half full, but when Ratchet picked it up, it was completely full.
*Just before destroying the cylinder of synthetic energon, Ratchet's wound is not shown to be leaking. Mere moments after he's hit the ground, another puddle of energon has formed beneath him.
*Breakdown is knocked out by Ratchet just before he engages Megatron. When the Autobots show up at the end, however, Breakdown has vanished and he isn't shown fleeing with Knock Out.
*You can see several instances during Ratchet's first fight with the Vehicons where his shoulder-pad-thingies cut into his backpack, chest and torso.

===Other errors===
*Ratchet jumps onto and leaps off of a tree branch which seems totally capable of supporting all the weight of an SUV landing on top of it with all that force, then leaping off. Not so much as a wood chip or crack to be seen - though it does creak audibly.
*When Ratchet first injects himself, he drops the glass cylinder and it shatters on the ground. Later, when Knock Out collects a sample of the synthetic energon in a nearly identical cylinder, and Ratchet kicks it out of his hands, the cylinder flies ''across the entire room'' and lands without breaking. Then Ratchet throws it against a rock wall in the same room and it breaks instantly.
*When Arcee is hurt, she obviously couldn't move her leg, but when she walks through the GroundBridge she is magically healed.

===Continuity notes===
* The synthetic energon created in the episode is derived from the formula transcribed by Bulkhead in [[T.M.I.|the previous episode]].
* Ratchet's description of the Autobots having fought numerous battles recently is accompanied by flashbacks to various battles from the "[[Darkness Rising]]" five-part pilot among others, including "[[Operation: Breakdown]]" and "[[Partners]]".
* The engine Ratchet uses to test the synthetic energon is a larger version of the device Ratchet built for [[Jack Darby|Jack's]] science project in "[[Masters & Students]]". Thankfully, it doesn't flip out like Jack's did.
* Knock Out confuses Ratchet for a "new" Autobot. Which makes sense, since he hasn't encountered him before. Ratchet ''was'' with the other Autobots when they charged in to rescue Bulkhead from Starscream and Breakdown in "[[Operation: Breakdown]]", but it's entirely possible that Breakdown simply didn't see him, since he was focused on escaping and missing an eye at the time.

===Real-world references===
* Given that the plot centres on the idea of artificial enhancement, this episode's title is almost certainly a reference to the opening of the 1974 ''[[wikipedia:The Six Million Dollar Man|Six Million Dollar Man]]'' series, which promised a cybernetic secret agent who was "Better, stronger, faster."
** That said, there's also the possibility it could be a reference to the original [[Action Master]]s [[commercial/Generation 1#1990|commercial]], in which [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] described the new breed of Transformer as "Stronger, faster, more alive!"
** And we guess we wouldn't ''totally'' rule out the notion that it refers to ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]'' director/producer [[George Lucas]]'s desire for his actors to be "Stronger, faster— more intense!", or Daft Punk's 2009 [[Wikipedia:Grammy|Grammy]] winning song ''Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger''.
* It's also the same plot as about a billion after-school specials on the dangers of drugs.
* Ratchet referred to himself as Megatron's "[[Doctor Doom|Doctor of Doom]]." This goes without saying.
* Ratchet dabbling with a green liquid 'enhancement' is reminiscent of his voice actor, [[Jeffrey Combs]] in ''Re-Animator''.

===Foreign localization===
'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Gegen die Vorschrift'''" ("Against the Rules")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[February 17|17 February]] [[2012]]

'''Hungarian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Erősebb, gyorsabb'''" ("Stronger, Faster")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[February 7|7 February]] [[2012]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Più forte, più veloce'''" ("Stronger, Faster")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 10|10 December]] [[2011]]

'''Korean'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Hapseong Eneojon'''" (합성 에너존, "Synthetic Energon")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 8|8 November]] [[2011]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' ?
:*''Original airdate:'' [[January 3|3 January]] [[2012]]

'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' ?
:*''Original airdate:'' [[April 2|2 April]] [[2012]]

'''Spanish (Spain)'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Más fuerte, más rápido'''" ("Stronger, Faster")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 14|14 July]] [[2012]]

===Trivia===
*The episode was first broadcast on Canada's Teletoon channel. It later first aired in the United States on [[September 17]], [[2011]].
*When Ratchet transforms to attack the Decepticon miners, his [[license plate]] reads "'''449·EPQ'''".
*This was the last stand-alone episode until "[[Loose Cannons]]" in Season 2. It was followed by a seven-part story arc, a two-parter, and massive delays between episode airings.

[[Category:Prime episodes]]

World War II

2012-08-10T00:14:07Z

96.21.86.21:

'''World War II''' was a gigantic military conflict on 20th Century [[Earth]]. The [[Wikipedia:Axis powers|Axis]], the belligerent faction in the war, included the [[Japan|Empire of Japan]] and [[Cobra]]. It followed a [[Wikipedia:World War I|previous world war]]. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.15|Making Waves}}

In order to win the war, both the [[United States of America]] and the Axis worked on creating "[[Sgt. Savage|super]]-[[Captain America|soldiers]]": men enhanced by scientific treatments to the peak of human ability.

The United States and its [[Wikipedia:Allies of World War II|allies]] won in the end. Victory, though, only led to [[Cold War (history)|further conflict]].

==Fiction==
===''The Transformers'' cartoon===
Various battles were fought against Japan in the Pacific. One such battle was at [[Guadalcanal]] in [[1943]], where [[United States military|US forces]] battled the Japanese. The debris would still be there in [[1985]]. {{storylink|Starscream's Brigade}}

In [[2006]], [[Jessica Morgan]] believed that if the [[Hate Plague]] were to get out in the open, it would make World War II look a schoolyard brawl. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1}}

===''Transformers/G.I. Joe''===

The [[Fera Islands]] based [[Cobra]], in this reality having Decepticon assistance, conquered much of [[Europe]] between [[1938]] and [[1939]]. This brought the United States into the war. {{storylink|Transformers/G.I. Joe}}

===''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon===
During World War II, [[Japan]] was heavily bombed. Old bombs that never went off can still be found and may detonate, especially if you're [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]]. {{storylink|Ultra Magnus (episode)|Ultra Magnus}}

===Live-action film series===
====Titan Magazines====

Japan had bombed the American base [[Pearl Harbor|Pearl Harbour]] {{sic}}, and apparently their aircraft were so dangerous that [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Cybertronian spacecraft]] were assumed to be Japanese. Due to the conflict, American merchant ships went around armed to the teeth. During the war and for some months afterwards, the United States used Grumman Avenger bombers, which were capable of seriously whalloping alien warcraft. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.15|Making Waves}}

====IDW Comics====

During the war, [[Germany]] captured the Transformer [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]] and began reverse-engineering robots from his parts. [[Sector Seven]] sent in a commando unit of veteran US soldiers to take out the project, just in time for when the [[Panzer-Giganten]] had been completed. Every German involved in the project was killed and the machines destroyed, but only [[William Simmons]] returned from the S7 striketeam. {{storylink|Weapon}}

==Notes==
* ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II]]'' uses a lot of concepts and terms from World War II for its history of [[Great War (Animated)|the Great War]], particularly the Pacific Theatre (though the Decepticon's strategic bombing campaign is more akin to the European theatre). In addition, the [[Quintesson]]s are mentioned as possessing a "Co-Prosperity Sphere", the same term Japan used for its conquered territories.

==External links==
*[[Wikipedia:World War II|World War II]] on [[Wikipedia]]

[[Category:Generation 1 history]]
[[Category:Live-action film series history]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen]]
[[Category:Robots in Disguise]]
[[Category: Wars]]

Jules Verne

2012-08-10T00:00:15Z

96.21.86.21:

[[Image:Jules Verne.jpg|right|200px|thumb|...Whatever one of those may be.]]

'''Jules Verne''' is a famous French science-fiction author best know for his works including: ''A Journey to the Centre of the Earth'', ''From the Earth to the Moon'', ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea'', ''Around the World in Eighty Days'' and ''The Mysterious Island''. What is lesser known about him is the fact that he participated in a millennia-old battle between [[Transformer|alien robots]] here on Earth.

==Fiction==
===''Hearts of Steel''===
While visiting [[San Francisco]] around the year 1867, Verne rode a [[Enterprise|chartered ferry]] with [[Mark Twain]] into the middle of [[San Francisco Bay]] to witness [[Tobias Muldoon]]'s new invention, a "sub-marine" named the [[S.S. Vicuna|S.S. ''Vicuna'']]. However, a technical mishap plunged the ''Vicuna'' to the bottom of the bay, a misfortune that brought laughter from Verne, Twain, and the [[Enterprise captain|ferry's skipper]]. {{storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 1|Hearts of Steel #1}}

A few years later, Verne published ''Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea''. Coincidence? We think not.

==Notes==
*In the real world, Jules Verne never visited San Francisco and did not know Twain personally. Of course, the real world has no cool giant robots, either, so we'll take the fiction.

==External links==
*[[Wikipedia:Jules Verne|Jules Verne at Wikipedia]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Verne, Jules}}
[[Category:Generation 1 humans]]
[[Category:Entertainers]]
[[Category:Real people]]

The Transformers: The Movie

2012-08-08T23:20:07Z

96.21.86.21: /* Criticisms */

{{disambig3|Transformers: The Movie}}

{{quote|Conceived in the epic tradition of ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]''...|[[Victor Caroli]] ain't just whistling Dixie|[[The Transformers: The Movie promo|''The Transformers: The Movie'' promo]]}}

{{episode|
|seriess=[[The Transformers (cartoon)|The Transformers]]
|prev=B.O.T. (episode)
|next=Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1
|seriess2=[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (franchise)|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers]]
|prev2=Scramble City: Mobilization
|title=''The Transformers: The Movie''
|image=Transformersanimatedfilmposter.jpg
|caption=Featuring the [[death]]s of all your favorite Transformers characters.
|production code=
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|writer=[[Ron Friedman]]
|directed by=[[Nelson Shin]]
|animation studio=[[Toei]]
|release date=[[August 8]], [[1986]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''''The Transformers: The Movie''''' is an animated feature film based on the original Transformers toyline. It was released in the United States on Friday, August 8, 1986.

The film's storyline follows the same continuity as the ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|Transformers]]'' cartoon. It introduces a [[Scale|planet-sized Transformer]] called [[Unicron]] who eats other planets, and is approaching [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. As part of their continuing wars, the Autobots and Decepticons have a [[Battle of Autobot City|fierce battle]] on Earth which sees both Optimus Prime and Megatron mortally wounded. Prime passes the [[Matrix of Leadership]] to Ultra Magnus and dies, and Megatron is transformed by Unicron into [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (briefly) assumes leadership of the Decepticons, but is killed when Galvatron arrives at Cybertron. Galvatron then chases the surviving Autobots on Earth across space, splitting them up and taking the Matrix. The Autobots find their way back to each other, and follow Galvatron to Cybertron just as Unicron transforms into robot mode and begins to eat their world. Travelling inside Unicron, [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] recovers the Matrix, transforms into Rodimus Prime, and uses the Matrix to destroy Unicron.

Often referred to by fans simply as "the movie" or "TFTM", the movie was a step up in almost every area from the television series, with a more sophisticated plot, more serious treatment of war and violence, a hugely ambitious scope and a greatly increased animation budget with well-known celebrities providing voice work. For these reasons the film remains very popular with children of the 1980s.

The film opens with characters who had been featured in the first two years of the toyline and associated media (cartoons, comic books, etc.), but quickly introduces new characters and kills many of the old ones to make room. In particular, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]], and [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] are all destroyed during the course of the film.

{{quote|The Japanese have funded a full-length animated cartoon about the doings of these toys, which is all bad outer-space stuff. I play a planet. I menace somebody called Something-or-other. Then I'm destroyed. My plan to destroy Whoever-it-is is thwarted and I tear myself apart on the screen.|Orson Welles<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=KlqsYy512WIC&source=gbs_navlinks_s "Orson Welles: A Biography"] page 522</ref>}}

==Synopsis==
[[Image:TFTM_Unicron_Lithone.jpg|left|200px|thumb|That's no moon.]]

A mechanical planet travels through the depths of space, attacking [[Lithone (planet)|a metal planet]] which has [[Lithone (species)|robotic inhabitants]]. Robots, vehicles, buildings, and even large chunks of rock are sucked off the surface and devoured by the monstrous planet.

It is the year 2005, and the [[Decepticon]]s are now in control of Cybertron. The [[Autobot]]s are preparing to launch an assault to retake the planet from hidden bases on two of Cybertron's moons. The Autobots launch a [[Autobot shuttle|shuttle]] to pick up a final shipment of [[energon]] from [[Earth]] before they strike.

[[Image:Tftm1986a.jpg|right|200px|thumb|I have a bad feeling about this.]]

Plans for the attack are overheard by [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], who reports back to [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]]. The Decepticons attack the Autobot shuttle en route to Earth, wiping out its crew (including [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] and [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]]). Using the Autobots' own shuttle, the Decepticons are able to get very close to the Autobots' base on Earth, [[Autobot City]], before they are detected, and begin a devastating surprise attack on the unprepared city.

During the battle at Autobot City, both [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] and Megatron suffer mortal injuries, and a number of others are also killed. Eventually the Decepticons retreat, but the damage suffered by the Autobots has been severe.

{{note|For an extensive synopsis of the battle, see [[Battle of Autobot City]].}}

[[Image:Tftm1986b.jpg|left|200px|thumb|If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.]]

Shortly after the battle, Prime lies on his deathbed. He passes the reins of leadership to [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] and gives him the [[Matrix of Leadership]]. (Though Hot Rod actually touches the Matrix before Magnus does.) Prime relates a prophecy: "One day, an Autobot shall rise from our ranks, and use the power of the Matrix to light our [[darkest hour]]." He then gives the oath, "[['Til all are one]]", and [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|dies]]. This sequence of events is observed remotely by Unicron, who appears unusually concerned by the survival of the Matrix.

The Decepticons are making their escape aboard [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], but are too heavy for him to get them all home under his own power. After putting the matter to a fair vote, the Decepticons decide to throw their injured members off the ship to better the chance of survival for the rest. One of the most severely injured Decepticons is Megatron. [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] tosses him out and claims leadership of the Decepticon army.

Megatron and the other adrift Decepticons then encounter Unicron in interstellar space. Unicron offers to rebuild Megatron and his minions in exchange for their service. Megatron agrees, and is [[Reformatting|reformatted]] into [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. The other Decepticons are turned into [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]], [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]], and the [[Sweep]]s. Unicron provides them with a [[Revenge (G1)|ship]], and sends them to kill Ultra Magnus and destroy the Matrix, stating that the Matrix is the only thing which can stand in his way.

[[Image:Tftm1986c.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed.]]
Galvatron first stops at Cybertron to take his revenge by killing Starscream and reclaiming leadership of the Decepticons. Almost immediately afterwards, Unicron arrives in Cybertron's vicinity and devours at least two moons—both of the Autobots' moon bases are destroyed. Under coercion by Unicron, Galvatron finally heads to Earth to kill Ultra Magnus, but Magnus and the other surviving Autobots flee in a pair of shuttles. Eventually Galvatron manages to cause one shuttle to crash on yet another metal planet ([[Quintessa]]), and detonates the other with a volley of missiles. However, the Autobots in the second shuttle escape unnoticed by separating the front portion of their shuttle just before impact.

The Autobots in the crashed shuttle, [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], [[Kup (G1)|Kup]], and the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], find themselves separated and in a hostile environment. Hot Rod and Kup are captured by a squad of [[Allicon]]s and taken before a [[Quintesson]] [[Quintesson#Judges|judge]] and his court. While being held there, they learn the name and nature of Unicron from [[Kranix]], a survivor of the planet destroyed in the opening of the film, which he calls [[Lithone (planet)|Lithone]]. Meanwhile, the Dinobots encounter and befriend a young, wild Autobot named [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] who has been living alone on Quintessa. Together, they crash the trial just as Hot Rod and Kup are fighting losing odds against the Quintessons' [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]]. The tide is turned, and the Autobots commandeer a [[Quintesson Cruiser]].

[[Image:Tftm1986d.jpg|left|200px|thumb|What an incredible smell you've discovered!]]
The other group of Autobots has landed on the planet [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]] to make repairs, but are attacked yet again by Galvatron, who was tipped off to their survival by Unicron. During the battle, Ultra Magnus tries to open the Matrix to use its power, but is unable to do so, and instead is killed. Galvatron absconds with the Matrix, taking it away to Unicron. The remaining Autobots—[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike's]] son [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel]]—are then ambushed by [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]], the eponymous natives of Junkion, who are also giant transforming robots. This battle is cut short, however, by the arrival of Hot Rod's group in their Quintesson ship. After exchanging the [[universal greeting]] they all make friends, and the Junkions restore Ultra Magnus to life. Together, the whole group travels to Cybertron to try to recover the Matrix.

[[Image:TFTM Unicron smashes cybertron.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Rebel base in range. You may fire when ready.]]
Galvatron attempts to open the Matrix to use its power against Unicron, but is also unable to get it open. Unicron, not pleased with this attempted treachery, shocks Galvatron by transforming from a planet into a [[Scale|planet-sized robot]]. Unicron plucks Galvatron off his chest and swallows him, Matrix and all, and then begins attacking Cybertron itself. [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] scrambles the Decepticon forces to defend the planet, but they are ineffective against so large an enemy. Shortly the Autobots arrive from Junkion, and fly the Quintesson ship straight through Unicron's eye. This impact destroys the ship, and the Autobots fall out inside Unicron. Hot Rod, separated from the others, eventually runs into Galvatron. During their fight, Hot Rod gets his hands on the Matrix and hears Optimus's voice speak the words, "Arise, Rodimus Prime." Hot Rod grows in stature, adopts a much sterner demeanor, and quickly dispatches Galvatron by tossing him through Unicron's hull out into space. He then opens the Matrix, which fills Unicron with light and begins destroying him.

[[Image:Tftm1986e.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Use the Force, Luke.]]
In the meantime, the other Autobots inside Unicron have located some of their comrades from the moon bases who had been presumed dead, including [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] and Daniel's father, Spike. The Autobots, including Rodimus, escape through Unicron's remaining eye just as he begins to fall apart and explode. The scene then immediately shifts to the surface of Cybertron, where—for unclear reasons—the Autobots seem to be in charge again. Rodimus predicts an era of peace and prosperity, and the film closes with a shot of Unicron's severed head still floating in orbit around Cybertron.

[['Til all are one]].
{{-}}

==Quotes==
"Such heroic nonsense."
:—'''Megatron''' coldly finishes off Ironhide. The 'Cons always get the best lines.

"I've got better things to do tonight than die!"
:—'''Springer''', telling it like it is.

"One shall stand. One shall fall."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' uttering the most quoted line of the Movie. An ass kicker cometh.

"Why throw your life away so recklessly?" 
"That's a question you should ask yourself, Megatron." 
"No! I'll crush you with my ''bare hands!''"
:-'''Megatron''' and '''Optimus Prime''', about to engage in one last battle to the death.

"You, who are without mercy, now plead for it? I thought you were made of '''''sterner stuff'''''."
:—'''Optimus Prime''''s trash talk is actually [http://www.enotes.com/shakespeare-quotes/sterner-stuff a lot cooler than it sounds].

"I would have waited an eternity for this! It's over, Prime." 
"'''''NEVER!'''''"
:-'''Megatron''' is about to learn that a wounded '''Optimus Prime''' has enough strength left for one good hit.

"Until that day...'til all are one..."
:—'''Optimus Prime''''s final words.

"Oh, how it ''pains'' me to do this." 
"Wait! I still function!" 
"Wanna ''bet''?"
:—'''Starscream''' fights back the tears as he throws '''Megatron''' out of Astrotrain.

"I have summoned you here for a purpose." 
"Nobody summons Megatron!" 
"Then it pleases me to be the first."
:—'''Unicron''' shows '''Megatron''' who's the boss.

"Who disrupts my coronation?" 
"Coronation, Starscream? This is bad comedy." 
"Megatron? Is that you?" 
"Here's a hint!"
:—'''Galvatron''' drops "hints" for '''Starscream''' like others drop anvils.

"Did we ''have'' to let them detonate three quarters of the ship?" 
"Seeing as how they would have detonated ''four'' quarters, I think it was a good choice."
:—'''Arcee''' and '''Springer''', debating the launch of their emergency shuttle.

"For a time... I considered ''sparing'' your wretched little planet Cybertron. But now... you shall witness... its ''dismemberment''!"
:—'''Unicron''' really needs to work on his anger management skills...

"Let this mark the end of the Cybertronian Wars as we march forward into a new era of peace and happiness! 'Til all are one!" 
:—'''Rodimus Prime''' announces the end of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]...yeah, right.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]]/Rodimus Prime ([[Judd Nelson]])
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] ([[Robert Stack]])
*[[Kup (G1)|Kup]] ([[Lionel Stander]])
*[[Springer (G1)|Springer]] ([[Neil Ross]])
*[[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] ([[Susan Blu]])
*[[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] ([[John Moschitta]])
*[[Grimlock (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Grimlock]] ([[Gregg Berger]])
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] ([[Paul Eiding]])
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] ([[Buster Jones]])
*[[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] ([[Michael Bell]])
*[[Slag (G1)|Slag]] ([[Neil Ross]])
*[[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]]
*[[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] ([[Michael Bell]])
*[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] ([[Scatman Crothers]])
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] ([[Dan Gilvezan]])
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] ([[Casey Kasem]])
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] ([[Corey Burton]])
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] ([[Don Messick]])*
*[[Auto-combatant]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Eject]]
*[[Rewind]]
*[[Steeljaw (G1)|Steeljaw]]
*[[Ramhorn (G1)|Ramhorn]]
*[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]
*[[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]]
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]]
*[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]]
*[[Grapple]]
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]]
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]]
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]]
*[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]]
*[[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]]** ([[Walker Edmiston]])
|c2=
*[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] ([[Leonard Nimoy]])
*[[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] ([[Chris Latta]])
*[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] ([[Roger C. Carmel]])
*[[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] ([[Stan Jones]])
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] ([[Arthur Burghardt]])
*[[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] ([[Michael Bell]])
*[[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] ([[Neil Ross]])
*[[Hook (G1)|Hook]] ([[Neil Ross]])
*[[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] ([[Don Messick]])
*[[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]]
*[[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]]
*[[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] ([[Hal Rayle]])
*[[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] ([[Clive Revill]])
*[[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]]
*[[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] ([[Jack Angel]])
*[[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] ([[Corey Burton]])
*[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] ([[Bud Davis]])
*[[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] ([[Ed Gilbert]])
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]]
*[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]]
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]]
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]]
*[[Sweep]]s
*[[Cyclonus's Armada]]
|h3=[[Junkion (species)|Junkions]]|c3=
*[[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] ([[Eric Idle]])
*[[Scrapheap (G1)|Scrapheap]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Rubbish]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Re-Cycle]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Trashbin]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Junkyard (G1)|Junkyard]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[HAZMAT]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Ashtray]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Wasteoid Gamma]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Greasestain]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
|h4=Others|c4=
'''[[Human]]s'''
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] ([[Corey Burton]])
*[[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] ([[David Mendenhall]])

'''[[Lithone (species)|Lithones]]'''
*[[Kranix]] ([[Norman Alden|Norm Alden]])
*[[Arblus]] ([[Norman Alden|Norm Alden]])

'''[[Quintesson]]s'''
*[[Quintesson]] leader ([[Roger C. Carmel]])
*[[Quintesson#Judges|Quintesson judge]] ([[Regis Cordic|Rege Cordic]])
*[[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]]
*[[Allicon]]s

'''Other'''
*[[Unicron]] ([[Orson Welles]])
*Unnamed Red Alien (in Tribunal Quintessa)
|nonumbering=true
}}
<nowiki>*</nowiki>Credited, but may or may not have appeared.

<nowiki>**</nowiki>Credited, but did not appear.

==Animation errors==
* When Unicron is approaching Lithone at the start of the movie, at the line "Look, it's Unicron!", a [[Animation error#Sizing errors|cel stacking error]] results in Unicron's ring appearing in front of a building arch, [[Distribution|making Unicron look very tiny]] in that shot. In the next shot, it is clear that Unicron is several times larger than the entire planet of Lithone.
* The inside of one of the Lithonian ships being devoured by Unicron is visible for a couple of frames. The pilot of the ship appears to be Kranix, even though he apparently screams out Kranix's name, and Kranix appears later in the Quintesson prison.
* When Optimus Prime asks Jazz to report security status, it shows both Jazz and Cliffjumper. Cliffjumper is seen twiddling knobs above the actual drawn computer, as if a section was supposed to be present.
*When the closeup of Cliffjumper doing his countdown is shown, his shoulders are blue (like his windows) instead of red.
* When the Decepticons blow a hole through the Autobot shuttle to get in, it is a clean break. However, Megatron is still shown ripping through random ship components to get in.
* Scavenger's head is white instead of black as he ducks from Prowl's shot.
* When the Decepticons are killing the Autobot shuttle crew, there is one of the common Starscream/Skywarp/Thundercracker miscolors. Megatron transforms into gun mode and Starscream catches him, killing Brawn. When they cut back to the Decepticons, Starscream is in front of the Constructicons without Megatron and is firing one of his arm rifles (this probably should have been Skywarp or Thundercracker). When they cut back to the Decepticons for the third time, Starscream has Megatron again and is finishing off the rest of the Autobots. In the shot of Starscream firing his own lasers, his wings are red instead of gray.
* When the Decepticons fly to the shuttle's controls, all of the Autobots have changed positions from when they fell—Brawn is now on his back, for example, while Prowl is now face-down. Ironhide's chest is also completely intact, despite having a bunch of holes blown in it.
* When Hot Rod catches a fish, it is barely the size of his finger. When he releases it, it's [[Scale|suddenly huge]].
* Hot Rod has at least two totally different transformation schemes during the course of the film.
* When Kup and several Autobots at the roadblock react to Hot Rod's attack on the hijacked Autobot shuttle, Bluestreak is represented by Prowl's [[Character model|animation model]], in Bluestreak's grey and black colours.
* Sunstreaker appears with Kup's group on Earth as they observe Hot Rod firing on Ironhide's shuttle. Sunstreaker later appears as Optimus Prime's co-pilot when they arrive on Earth with the Dinobots, and is seen disembarking the shuttle along with Optimus Prime and Hound.
* In a wide aerial shot of the city under attack, a Reflector flies by in Ironhide's color scheme. Shockwave also makes his only appearance in the battle; considering both his role as Cybertron's guardian and his absence from any other scenes during the battle, his presence is probably an animation error. Rumble also flies past, despite being inside Soundwave at this point.
* Blaster's forehead is red instead of white after his "look out and shout!" line, and again after he returns to robot mode.
* A laser blast that should be behind Blaster is instead layered in front of him as he acknowledges Perceptor's orders.
* In the big lineup of firing Decepticons, Soundwave's cheek guards are blue instead of white.
* When [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] sends out his cassette troops, [[FIRRIB|Rumble is the same color as Frenzy]].
* Blaster first ejects what looks like Eject, who stays blue up until he gets to the edge of the screen. He then turns black like Rewind. Then Blaster ejects another blue cassette, which after about a second turns black. This one gets through half his transformation colored black, then turns blue for a split second then turns black again. Then, when the cassettes are fighting each other, Eject runs in from the left and jumps over Perceptor. And then he runs in from the left ''again'' to shoot Ravage.
* As Springer runs up to the launcher, Wheeljack's body is visible, but he's in red, white and blue colors.
* While Springer and Arcee are trying to move the launcher into place, Springer's face is the same color as his helmet.
* When Devastator forms in Autobot City, his chest plate is the same green as the rest of him. In the next shot, it's the usual purple. However, it promptly turns green again in the next shot.
* As Devastator lays into the walls, Shrapnel is white where he should be black.
* While Perceptor and Grapple are shooting, Swoop's lower half runs by in the foreground, long before the rest of him gets there.
* Megatron's pelvis is white instead of black as he gives the "let the slaughter begin!" order.
* Prime's dramatic transformation sequence far outlasts the transformation sound that's supposed to go with it. It's also the wrong sound (ascending pitch) for his robot-to-vehicle transformation. His trailer is also missing the Autobot logo, which reappears for the rest of the scene.
* When Prime drives up behind the Decepticons, Blitzwing's head is tan instead of purple. It becomes purple when he turns it, then goes back to tan again as he turns it back.
* Prime is missing the transformation sound as he blasts back to robot mode.
* The gun Megatron uses to fatally injure Optimus is blue and white for most of the shots it is seen in, but when Megatron screams "Fall! FALL!" while shooting Prime again, it is black.
* The gun Megatron fires uses the same sound effect as his fusion cannon.
* Prime's antennae are white as he tries to stand after knocking Megatron off the ledge.
* As he orders Astrotrain to take off, Starscream's face is gray instead of black.
* Starscream's whole nosecone, rather than just the canopy, is yellow as he looms over Megatron.
* When Optimus Prime takes the Matrix out of his chest to give to Ultra Magnus, there is another Matrix beneath it in his chest. (On which note, see also ''[[Matrix of Leadership#Universe|Matrix of Leadership, Universe comic]].'') Also, he initially grabs just the core of the Matrix, while the rest of the scene shows the entire assembly.
* When Ultra Magnus accepts the Matrix, he's seen inserting it into his chest twice, or at best readjusting its "fit".
* As the other Decepticons prepare to push him out, Bombshell's chest is rendered as a shapeless gray mass, rather than with its yellow canopy.
* The voice that says, "Brothers! Don't!" is nowhere close to the voices of any of the five Decepticons shown getting thrown out of Astrotrain.
* Starscream's got an extra yellow segment on his canopy as he nominates himself for leadership. Man, even the A-list animation team couldn't keep this straight.
* Most of Megatron's chest emblem isn't colored in as he first speaks to Unicron. It might pass for battle damage, but a few shots later it's fully purple.
[[Image:TFTMStarscreamCoronationErrors.jpg|thumb|right|250px| *''trumpet fanfare''* ]]
* Even after the [[Battle of Autobot City]], characters who are supposedly dead continue to appear in crowd shots and battles. Shrapnel's role in the fight on [[Junkion (planet)|Junk]] is the most noticeable (and he was called for by name in the original script), but Thundercracker, Skywarp and Kickback can all be seen at Starscream's coronation. The two jets are later seen again, flying into Unicron's mouth.
* Hook has two eyes instead of a visor as he looks around in confusion during the trumpet scene.
* An early establishing shot clearly shows Cybertron with two and ''only'' two moons in low orbit. Yet a third moon is visible right after Unicron finishes eating the two Autobot bases.
* When Galvatron introduces himself to the Coronation party, Soundwave's chest window is drawn far too small.
* When Cyclonus is strafing the Autobot shuttle in space, he briefly flies offscreen, and during that time his laser blasts come from a point that in no way matches his flight path.
*During the wide shot of the Autobots in the crashed ship on Junk, Blurr's entire head is white.
* Daniel's lips don't purse when he whistles.
* Wreck-Gar's mouth doesn't move at all during his first lines, despite the camera pushing in all close on his face.
* The pistol Ultra Magnus fires uses the same sound effect as Optimus Prime's rifle.
* Shrapnel's lower legs are white when he lands on Junk, instead of black. Must be a side effect of being dead.
* During the Junkion chase scene, Trashbin attacks Arcee. When she fights him off his motorcycle, his model is switched for Junkyard's when he falls down.
* When Hot Rod tells the Junkions the universal greeting, the Autobot insignia on his chest is coloured black.
* When Grimlock gets kissed, his eyes are round instead of triangular.
* When Unicron transforms, the first hand we see (his right) is backwards relative to how the arm is shown on screen.
* After transforming, Unicron has all-white hands (instead of white with gold knuckles) and a white, rectangular chin (instead of the double-triangular chin with a goatee) he has later.
* As Hot Rod falls off one of Unicron's inner spikes, his lower body isn't drawn in. It looks like it should be blocked by our view of the spike, but is layered above it instead.
* Hot Rod's missing his Autobot symbol as he regains his footing inside Unicron.
* During the same sequence, we see a standard-looking control panel next to Hot Rod. It's unlikely Galvatron had time to create one inside Unicron, so where did it come from?
* As the Dinobots fly around Unicron, both his eyes are intact. (The left one had been shattered.)
* As the Dinobots fly away from Unicron, the spikes on Grimlock's right arm are gray instead of gold.
* The third smelting victim (who looks a lot like another Bumblebee) doesn't fall from the conveyor belt; he simply vanishes.

== Continuity errors ==
[[Image:G1TFTM Snarl cameo.JPG|thumb|right|250px|He used to bulls-eye womp-rats in his T16 back home.]]

* The Dinobot [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] is mysteriously absent from almost the entire movie, even though the Dinobots as a group are featured prominently. Copies of the script which have come into fans' hands repeatedly list the Dinobots, but never make mention of Snarl by name. In fact, at one point the script refers to "the four Dinobots". Despite this, Snarl does appear in three very brief shots{{m-}}in which at least one other Dinobot (Swoop in one, Sludge in another) is entirely absent. Hmm.
* Also curiously absent are the 1985 Autobot cars and Mini-Vehicles, such as Inferno, Smokescreen, Cosmos, Warpath, etc. It would seem that these characters were available at the time of the movie:
** Perceptor and Blaster both debuted at the same time in the cartoon as the 1985 cars, and both play prominent roles in the movie.
** Grapple is [[:Image:BattleAutobotCity.jpg|seen ''very'' briefly]] during the battle for Autobot City.
** The 1985 Decepticons (Astrotrain, Dirge, etc.) appear in the film.
** [[:Image:TFTM-SideswipeRedAlertTracks.jpg|Tracks]], [[:Image:TFTM-RedAlertDown.jpg|Red Alert]] and Smokescreen (who was supposed to be the corpse in place of Wheeljack next to Windcharger) all appeared in storyboards but not the finished film.
* Devastator is treated as ''the'' ultimate threat, while in the cartoon, his role (and apparent power) was already being [[Starscream's Brigade|severely diminished]], presumably because several other combiners had been introduced. In story terms, the absence of these newer combiners, not to mention the mighty Omega Supreme, is inexplicable. In real-life terms, those characters didn't exist when the film commenced production. (The [[Transformers: The Animated Movie]] adaptation shows Omega Supreme, Superion and Defensor guarding the Ark against an attack by Bruticus and Menasor, attempting to [[retcon]] the problem away.)
[[Image:Cyclonus armada tftf.jpg|thumb|right|250px|We'll be safe enough once we make the jump into lightspeed.]]
* The existence of Cybertron's moons is contentious ''at best''.
** On the one hand, in numerous close and distant shots of the planet throughout the first two seasons, not a single moon was seen. Ever. Even after it got knocked out of Earth's orbit.
** On the other hand, Megatron ''does'' refer to Cybertron as "land of the metal moon" (note the singular) during "[[Microbots]]", suggesting otherwise. The fact that he was overenergized at the time and lost consciousness in mid-sentence - just before he ''might'' have specified a plural number of moons, (in)conveniently enough - makes it unclear just how much credence we should lend this statement.
** The movie promptly introduces two (possibly three) moons over the planet. In continuity terms, they must either have highly elliptical orbits with periapsides (points in their orbits that bring them closest to the planet) that just happened to coincide with the timeframe of the movie or they were constructed sometime after 1986.
* During the Battle of Autobot City, Starscream gets his leg caught. He shoots downward and gets away while screaming "My foot!", but it's his shin that's smoking while his foot looks fine. Later he kicks Megatron with the same foot. Shouldn't that hurt, according to him? Note there is a time lapse between the "foot shooting" and the kicking, leaving the option of a battlefield repair.
* So Ultra Magnus just happens to have a ready-made Matrix chamber installed in his chest cavity? Is this standard issue for all Autobots?
* The cartoon had already established that Astrotrain increases his size when he transforms to shuttle mode, being large enough to carry a pair of Decepticons in his cockpit. However, within the movie itself, his size is [[scale|noticeably inconsistent]]: When he leaves Autobot City, he's just large enough for the Decepticon army to cram themselves in; later, he's so huge that the Constructicons can quite comfortably form Devastator inside him.
* Speaking of Astrotrain, his entire body flips over when he transforms from train to space shuttle to escape from Autobot City. While ''we'' applaud the [[toy-accuracy]], the Decepticons inside probably didn't.
* Soundwave is loyal enough to pick up a wounded Megatron and save him, but when Starscream goes to throw Megatron out, Soundwave doesn't try to intervene. He even tries to steal the leadership once Megatron is gone. The "loyalty" attribute that has pertained so strongly to Soundwave seems to be alienated from the character in this scene.
* The number of minions created by Unicron changes throughout the film, with more Sweeps appearing as the story progresses. A second Cyclonus ("Cyclonus, the warrior, and [[Cyclonus's Armada|his armada]]") is shown being created but disappears shortly thereafter. At least ''seven'' new characters are shown at one point, created from only ''six'' Decepticons thrown from the shuttle.
*How can the Constructicons blow on those trumpets? Only [[Hook (G1)|three]] [[Bonecrusher (G1)|of]] [[Mixmaster (G1)|them]] have mouths. Do robots even ''need'' to breathe?
*Speaking of which, Galvatron was breathing hard when Unicron mentally tortured him.

[[Image:SSBQ.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"I've been looking forward to this for a long time." "Yes, I bet you have."]]
* [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] is capable of reducing [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] to ashes with a single shot from his cannon mode. Though in later episodes Galvatron is shown blowing up even small ''[[Thrull|planets]]'' with his cannon, his extraordinary killing power seems to be gone—like when he scores a direct hit in cannon mode on Ultra Magnus in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5]]" and Magnus isn't especially hurt at all, or how a similar blast against Scourge in "[[The Burden Hardest to Bear]]" only leaves the latter temporarily incapacitated. [[Marvel Comics]] bios explain this by suggesting that Galvatron had nearly limitless power through Unicron... but then again, Galvatron himself claims to be "more powerful than ever" after Unicron is dead in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2]]". [[To sell toys|Who knows.]]
* Why didn't the Autobots notice Unicron until he was within devouring distance of Cybertron's moons? Why doesn't Shockwave, who is ''on Cybertron,'' react until after Unicron has eaten these moons, transformed into a giant robot, and ''smashed his hand into the planet's surface?''
* Despite running out of energon goodies on Quintessa, Hot Rod has at least one to offer to the Junkions. Maybe he got some on the ship. It's also possible that, when he told the Allicons "No more," he meant that he wasn't going to ''feed'' them any more energon goodies, not that he didn't ''have'' anymore.
* Daniel, who was just learning how to use his exo-suit, had to knock down the acid cover inside Unicron to save his loved ones. Why couldn't the more experienced Spike do the same with his suit from above? He had both of his arms free and a clear shot at the cover. On the other hand, the clamp holding him may well disable his exo-suit's weapons and movement abilities-if it didn't, Unicron probably wouldn't have eaten half as many victims by now...
* It's not clear how Rodimus Prime (carrying two humans) and the other Autobots survived their jump out of Unicron's eye and their plunge towards the surface of Cybertron.
* It's also unclear just how the dozen or so Autobots (and one shipload of Junkions) managed to retake the whole planet of Cybertron. Did Unicron really wipe out ''that'' many Decepticons?
* When the Autobots are repairing Autobot City, Blaster is present, but a few minutes later, he's nowhere to be seen. And he isn't seen getting on one of the shuttles. It is possible that they took off without him, but Daniel noticed Arcee was not on board. Guess he cares more about Arcee than Blaster.
* Ultra Magnus blows up, but later his parts are just in individual sections. The Junkions place them together and shine him up, and he's fine! No welding or reprogramming, no replacing damaged parts...
* Makes you wonder why they couldn't fly Prime's body over and repair it, too. At the end of season three, we find out the Matrix can be given back to him, so that's not the issue...

===Not necessarily errors===
* Fans have noted throughout the years that Astrotrain, in his flight through zero-gravity space, should not have needed to "jettison some weight" in the literal sense. However, since the ejected Decepticons quickly fall behind Astrotrain instead of floating alongside him, he must still have been accelerating and thus would have needed to burn a greater amount of fuel in order to push a larger payload. Perhaps he should have said "jettison some ''mass''", but then again, just being a spaceship doesn't make him a rocket scientist.
* Starscream is shown just inside Astrotrain's cargo bay when he commands him to take off, but in the next shot (Astrotrain's door closing as his rocket engines ignite), Starscream is nowhere to be seen. It's possible that he walked further in, but he should still be at least partially visible.

==Continuity notes==
* The Movie has had a huge effect in shaping the mythos. Among the elements and characters which would reappear in many other iterations of Transformers are:
** The notion that Cybertron has moons
** The Matrix as a physical object, rather than the computer program previously depicted in the Marvel Comics. Even the Marvel Comics would eventually shoehorn this one in.
** Autobot City
** Unicron
** The notion of Megatron becoming Galvatron
** And it killed off Optimus Prime before it was cool!
* Gadgets and powers:
** Springer deploys a small flip-out twin laser from his wrist during the Autobot City battle.
** Arcee and Hot Rod both activate a long-distance scanner of some sort by lowering a red visor from under their helmets over their eyes.
** Hot Rod uses a saw blade that extends from his retracted wrist.
** Blurr has the same kind of hooked welding tip used by various Autobots as far back as "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 2]]".
** Arcee unleashes a nasty barbed post from her fender to fend off a Junkion.
** Grimlock shows the never-before seen ability to shoot lasers from his fists.
* '''[[The Revenge of Bruticus|< <]]''' What makes Starscream the leader? Megatron's <s>dead</s> almost dead!

==Real-world references and Easter eggs==
[[Image:TFTMUnicronSkyscrapers.jpg|thumb|]]
* When the inside of Unicron is shown after he devours Lithone, the "blinking energy" effect of Unicron's innards shows, for a split second, various environments in a state of ruin. A frame by frame viewing reveals what appear to be several images of post-apocalyptic buildings inside Unicron, some of which are upside-down.
* When Sludge gets haymakered by Devastator, his eyes pop out of their sockets in ''[[Wikipedia:Looney Tunes|Looney Tunes]]'' fashion.
* Kup's storytelling sequence aboard the shuttle is drawn from the novel ''[[Wikipedia:Of Mice and Men|Of Mice and Men]]'', complete with Grimlock in the Lenny role asking Kup to "tell Grimlock about petrorabbits again".
* The Junkions speak almost entirely in pop culture quotes and pastiches. Littered among the generic phrases like "operators are standing by!", "Film at eleven" and "eliminate even the toughest stains" are more specific references, such as:
** "Don't look behind door #2, Monty!" - a reference to the game show ''[[Wikipedia:Let's Make a Deal|Let's Make a Deal]]'' and its host, [[Wikipedia:Monty Hall|Monty Hall]].
** "Ger-ronny-doo-ron-ron-ronny-mo!" - both the famous "[[Wikipedia:Geronimo (exclamation)|Geronimo!]]" war cry, and the 1963 hit "[[Wikipedia:Da Doo Ron Ron|Da Doo Ron Ron]]".
** "You check in, but you don't check out" - a parody of the tagline for [[Wikipedia:Roach Motel (insect trap)|Roach Motel]] insect traps.
** "Happy motoring!" - the slogan of gas company [[Wikipedia:Esso|Esso]].
[[Image:Tftm rosencrantz-and-guildenstern.jpg|thumb|You have ''no'' idea how long it took to identify all the pieces on these guys.]]
* The Quintesson jail cell includes robot debris ''strongly'' resembling [[:Image:Tftm rosencrantz-and-guildenstern.jpg#parts|several mobile suits]] from 1985 Japanese animation ''[[Wikipedia:Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam|Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam]]''.
* ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' sound effects (yes, even the high-budget Movie uses them):
** The ''[[Millennium Falcon]]'' engine burst noise is used extensively throughout the film, over and over and over, almost any time a Decepticon takes flight.

** [[Luke Skywalker]]'s deactivating [[lightsaber]] is used as the sound of the Quintesson ship's ramp extending.
** Clashing lightsabers are used as Unicron fires eye-blasts at the attacking Transformers.

** An igniting lightsaber is used as Rodimus opens the Matrix.
* The ''Star Trek'' sliding door sound is used as Wreck-Gar pulls out his <s>iPhone</s> mini-TV.
* Also, the sound used for the communicators on Star Trek was used when Daniel was activating his blaster to save Spike

==Adaptations==
*[[Transformers: The Movie (Marvel comic)|A comic adaptation of the movie]] was published by [[Marvel Comics]] in 1986, concurrently with the movie's theater run. It was based off a non-finalized version of the script, and differs in many details from the final film. Additionally, most of the major character models (and possibly their unedited original character write-ups) appear in issue #4 of the ''[[The Transformers Universe|Transformers Universe]]'' series.
* [[Transformers the Movie (Ladybird adaptation)|A storybook adaptation]] was released in the UK by [[Ladybird Books]].
*A four-part adaptation was released in 2006/2007 by [[IDW Publishing]], as part of the film's 20th anniversary celebration. It was titled ''[[Transformers: The Animated Movie]]'' to differentiate it from the [[Michael Bay]] [[Transformers (film)|live-action film]]. Unlike its predecessor, it adheres rigidly to the script and plot of the finished movie.

==Soundtrack==
{{main|The Transformers: The Movie - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack}}

==Promotions==
* Early in the movie's production, a [[The Transformers: The Movie promo|promotional trailer]] was made to sell the project to potential investors.
* The movie was advertised on related 1986 toy packages via the [[Decipher the Decepticon]] Sweepstakes, which included a pack-in poster and contest.
* The movie was heavily advertised directly by TV [[commercial]]s, and tail-end segments on Transformer toy ads. Portions of its story were also retold in altered fashion by animation segments of commercials for the movie character toys, such as a spot showing Springer doing battle with Wreck-Gar.

==In the comic continuity==
The [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel UK comic]] made extensive use of the Movie as the basis for a series of stories involving the Transformers in the future. However there are several differences between the events seen on screen and those referenced in the comic:

*The comic always dates the movie to 2006, following the date given in a treatment that was all [[Simon Furman]] had when he wrote [[Target: 2006]].
*In Target: 2006, [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] states that he was previously "[[Life Spark]]".
*The Matrix is always called the "Creation Matrix" in the comic, a name that predates the "Matrix of Leadership" but which is now used for the same physical object.
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] and [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] both survive the events, both later appearing in [[Space Pirates!]] (set in 2008).

In addition, Shockwave definitely survives the attack by Unicron.

The US comic almost completely ignored the events of the Movie, though later in the run an alternative future is briefly shown in "[[Rhythms of Darkness!]]" and "[[A Savage Circle]]". In this timeline at least some of the events of the Movie took place such as the creation of Galvatron from Megatron, which is dated to 2005, though Prowl's death was overlooked. [[Prowl II|Wouldn't be the first time. Or the last.]]
*The US version of the future story [[The Big Broadcast of 2006 (issue)|The Big Broadcast of 2006]] implicitly has the events of the movie as part of its backstory. However, since the rest of the US series ignored the movie, this issue's place in the continuity is questionable.

==Edits==
Several English-language versions of the film exist, with the following differences in content from the American theatrical run:

* In some versions (notably the European version) the opening credits are replaced with a scrolling text ("''Star Wars'' style") which provides backstory.
* In some versions (notably the European version) the film ends with [[Victor Caroli|a narrator]] reassuring the audience that Optimus Prime will return.
* Instances of swearing in the film (there are two) were edited out; sometimes one, sometimes both. Those instances are: Spike yelling, "Oh shit, what are we gonna do now?" after the self-destructing Moon Base 2 fails to scratch Unicron, and Ultra Magnus growling, "Open, damn it, open!" while trying to open the Matrix to fend off Galvatron and the Sweeps on Junkion. The United Kingdom cinema version had the swearing included but, when it was released on VHS in the United Kingdom, Spike's line was cut ("damn" not being considered offensive in the UK). However it has been restored on all United Kingdom DVD releases.
* In some early FHE video releases, the shot of the Matrix falling out of Optimus Prime's hand and being caught by Hot Rod is edited so that it appears that Ultra Magnus simply takes the Matrix from Prime. Why this was done is not known, and the replay of the Hot Rod catch on Unicron's monitors was left intact.
*Instead of DEG, the [[Wikipedia:Rank Organisation|Rank Film]] "[[Wikipedia:Gongman|Gongman]]" appears before the film, as Rank were the United Kingdom distributors.

None of these edits significantly affect the story. They should not be confused with various other sequences which were changed before the film's final release:

* Originally, Ultra Magnus's "death sequence" on Junkion called for him to be lassoed and drawn and quartered by the Sweeps' energy beams, but this was deemed too graphic for audiences, hence the less disturbing "shot to death" sequence seen instead. There is evidence that the original sequence had been fully animated when the decision was made, however; the Sweeps still kept their solid energy lassos when they fire upon Magnus, and Magnus is seen visibly straining against what appears to be said lassos (edited out and replaced with laser fire) before exploding.
* A number of other sequences were illustrated as [[storyboard]]s but dropped, presumably without ever being animated. Among them were:
** A short scene showing Ironhide piloting the Autobot shuttle through ''huge chunks of ice'' from the tail of a passing comet, explaining how the Decepticons caught them unawares. In response to a reprimand by Prowl who prickishly disapproves of Ironhide's piloting shenanigans, Ironhide exclaims, "I can sure as shootin' dodge a couple of ice chunks". When the Autobots are suddenly jolted by the Decepticon strike force as Megatron and his troops attempt to enter the shuttle, Ironhide tells the others on board, "That was no ice chunk...". Heroic nonsense ensues...
** An extended sequence with Hot Rod and Daniel outside the city.
** A sequence of Mirage blasting Bombshell and being fired on by Megatron.
** The Autobots finally bringing down Devastator with a barrage of missiles (and the Constructicons subsequently shooting Red Alert in the back).
** The Decepticons dogpiling Optimus Prime, explaining why he seems to be standing up just before his fight with Megatron, and no longer holding his rifle. According to storyboards, Prime gets bum-rushed by Blitzwing (who causes Prime to drop his gun), Starscream, Astrotrain, and Skywarp. While it is not clear how Prime defeated the first four hand-to-hand combatants, Dirge is later shown attempting one final sneak attack (and gets his can handed back to him) as Prime is talking to Megatron before the two leaders' final fight.
** Trailbreaker is shown dead among the wreckage of Autobot City as the Decepticons begin their retreat.
:Some of these concepts were in earlier versions of the script, and hence made it into the comic adaptation.
* Rumors have occasionally circulated in the fandom of additional animated footage that was dropped from the film, such as ultra-violent battle scenes. No evidence has ever surfaced to back these claims; the only known edits are those listed in this section.
:{{see|Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers#The Transformers: The Movie|Urban legends about ''The Transformers: The Movie''}}

==Reception==
{{quote|''The Transformers'', in which Orson Welles plays a planet, is pure headache material. Target audience of cartoon-watchers also will probably find the film unintelligible, noisy and unoriginal. Boxoffice prospects are dismal.|2=[http://books.google.com/books?id=DHNZAAAAMAAJ&q=Hasbro+Transformers&dq=Hasbro+Transformers&lr=&as_drrb_is=b&as_minm_is=1&as_miny_is=1983&as_maxm_is=12&as_maxy_is=2005&num=50&as_brr=0&cd=69 Variety's Film Reviews 1985-1986, Volume 19]}}

{{quote|Obnoxious animated feature about the title good guys, who defend the universe against an evil planet (which has a voice of its own... provided by Orson Welles.) That deafening rock score certainly doesn't help. Little more than a feature-length toy commercial.|Leonard Maltin, ''1987 Movie & Video Guide''}}

{{quote|While all this action may captivate young children, the animation is not spectacular enough to dazzle adults, and the Transformers have few truly human elements to lure parents along, even when their voices are supplied by well-known actors. |2=[http://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/09/movies/screen-transformers-animation-for-children.html The New York Times]}}

{{quote|Transformers -- The Movie, a feature-length animated film inspired by the syndicated TV cartoon series inspired by the Hasbro toy imported from Japan, is utterly uninspired entertainment. |2=[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0ED3CE8EA8D40CCA&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM The Dallas Morning News]}}

{{quote|If you can swallow, without gagging, a large measure of sentimental and offensive religiosity - lines like "Do not grieve. Soon I will be one with the Matrix," whispered by a failing hunk of Autobot metal - then you have a better than even chance of leaving the theatre on your own two feet. |2=[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=01kiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=W6gFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2445,1286000&dq=transformers&hl=en The Montreal Gazette]}}

{{quote|Everything is poorly drawn and - when it's in focus - one dimensional. It is terribly hard to separate the robots from the backgrounds, and there is no easy way to tell the good guys from the bad guys. In an earlier movie based on the same sort of robot toys - "Go-Bots: The Battle of the Rock Lords" - the good guys were either white or colorful and the bad guys were dreary, and they had distinct personalities. Not this movie; everyone looks and sounds alike, except one pink robot who is a female good guy. Her tin voluptuousness makes her stand out. |2=[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kw4wAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OgMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6957,6334152&dq=transformers&hl=en The Toledo Blade]}}

{{quote|Even with an all-star cast doing the voice overs... and a rock music score, this is still nothing more than a ripoff of a successful toy line. |2=[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AYckAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dtsFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4192,1494652&dq=transformers&hl=en The Palm Beach Post]}}

{{quote|The great animated villains, like the Wicked Queen in Disney's "Snow White," had motivations as compelling as any live-action character. Unicron apparently destroys entire worlds because it has nothing else to do. |2=[http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/57996397.html?dids=57996397:57996397&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+8%2C+1986&author=CHARLES+SOLOMON&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=8&desc=%60THE+TRANSFORMERS%27%3A+STRETCHING+A+POINT The LA Times]}}

''The Transformers: The Movie'' was almost universally panned by professional critics upon its release.

Well-known film critic and animation enthusiast, Leonard Maltin, gave it a rating below 1 1/2 stars in his ''1987 Movie & Video Guide'', regarding it as a "bomb", then proceeded to write an unflattering blurb denouncing the film as a "feature-length toy commercial" (well, he was ''right'').

Caryn James of the ''New York Times'' admitted in the [[August 9]], 1986 edition of the paper that the film was intended for young children, pointing out that the kids in the audience were having a grand ole time with the ''Transformer'' toys and comics they brought with them to the theater, but derided the film as having little to no appeal to adults (''man-children'', on the other hand...).

''Variety's Film Reviews 1985-1986, Volume 19 '' was far less even-handed in their review, claiming the film had no appeal to adults ''or'' children. They predicted the film would perform poorly in the box office (and were correct, in that regard).

Carrie Rickey of the ''Dallas Morning News'' chided the film in the [[August 13]], 1986 issue of the paper, describing it as "essentially a cartoon ''Star Wars'' about robots from a toybox galaxy far, far away". She then went on to say that the film "never takes off" and derided it as "uninspired".

Janice Kennedy of the ''Montreal Gazette'' verbally disemboweled the film in the [[August 23]], 1986 edition of the paper, criticizing it as overly commercial, profane, loud, violent, humorless, heavy-handed in its religious messages and chaulk-full of gratuitous celebrity voice-overs. Her only compliment: "But ''The Transformers: The Movie'' does have at least one good thing going for it, a howlingly appropriate song by [["Weird Al" Yankovic]]. It's title? ''Dare to be Stupid''." ''Ouch''.

Nanciann Cherry in the August 13, 1986 edition of the ''Toledo Blade'' claimed the robots in the movie had little personality and faded into the background. She even went on to say that ''Challenge of the GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords'' was a superior film! Her review was filled with inaccuracies, however, citing characters such as "Unicon" and claiming that the destruction of Cybertron's moons by "Unicon" is what caused the Autobots to travel to Autobot City, at which point Megatron attacked. To be fair, she readily admits, "About 20 minutes into the film, I gave up on the plot and tried to count all the ideas that were stolen from other sources. Now that kept me busy." So she wasn't really paying attention, anyway.

Kathryn Buxton in the [[August 22]], 1986 edition of the ''Palm Beach Post'' gave the film a whopping ''one'' star, calling it "a ripoff of a successful toyline", whatever ''that'' means. In the same article, she also gave David Cronenberg's ''[[Fly|The Fly]]'' one star, just for reference.

In the August 8, 1986 edition of the ''LA Times'', critic Charles Solomon made clear his dislike for the film centered primarily on the fact that none of the characters had interesting or believable motivation. He stated, "Not even the best actor can create a character out of nothing. Not one of the robots has a reason for doing what he does." Solomon then pointed to Unicron specifically as an example of the lack of deep, multi-dimensional motivations in the characters.

Over time, however, the movie has acquired something of a cult following beyond the core base of [[fandom|Transformers fans]], particularly among children of the 80s. It is sometimes screened as a midnight movie at colleges. Online, it is not hard to find amateur reviews lauding everything about it as utterly awesome, from the premise to the soundtrack, and dismissing more critical views out of hand.

To date, the budget of the film has not been disclosed—at least, not in any place the [[fandom]] has found. According to most box office tracking sites,<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=transformers.htm</ref><ref>http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1986/0TRTM.php</ref> ''The Transformers: The Movie'' made $5,849,647 in domestic (e.g., United States) theaters. Comparing this with other animated films of 1986, the results are not particularly charitable; while it did better financially than ''[[GoBots (franchise)|GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords]]''<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=gobots.htm</ref> ($1,338,264) and ''Heathcliff: The Movie''<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=heathcliff.htm</ref> ($2,610,686), it performed worse than the ''[[My Little Pony]]'' movie<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=mylittlepony.htm</ref> ($5,958,456) and the '''second''' ''Care Bears'' movie<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=carebearsmovie2.htm</ref> ($8,540,346). Bringing up ''The Great Mouse Detective''<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=greatmousedetective.htm</ref> ($25,336,794) and ''An American Tail''<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=americantail.htm</ref> ($47,483,002) would really just be overkill.

==Significance in Transfandom==
''The Transformers: The Movie'' remains one of the most important elements of the entire Transformers brand, both within the fiction and from the perspective of the brand's popularity and "mindshare".

Fictionally, it established several story concepts that have been used repeatedly in the years since 1986, some of which—such as Unicron and the Matrix—are now central to the entire Transformers mythos. The movie is also the centerpiece of the most well-known Transformers continuity: the Generation 1 animated universe. The ''Transformers'' cartoon is split into "pre-movie" and "post-movie" sections which feature different characters and settings, and even somewhat different visual styles. (Most pre-movie episodes were animated by the studio [[Toei]], while most post-movie episodes were animated by [[AKOM]].)

On a practical note, it was widely available on videotape, and remained so long after the ''The Transformers'' cartoon had gone off the air. Only a [[Family Home Entertainment|handful of series episodes]] were available on video, making ''The Transformers: The Movie'' the logical choice for someone looking to pick up a ''Transformers'' cartoon; this made it far more well-known among fans than any particular cartoon episode.

To an entire generation of young fans, the movie was the most visually spectacular and narratively epic ''Transformers'' experience of their entire youth. Events such as the death of Optimus Prime are widely reported to have reduced many kids to tears. It is hardly a surprise that these emotional experiences embedded themselves deeply in many fans' memories.

==Criticisms==
[[Image:TFTM Ratchet dies.jpg|180px|left|thumb|Only [[Stormtrooper (SW)|Imperial Stormtroopers]] are so precise.]]

All this is not all to say that the movie is a "masterpiece", exactly. The film met with extremely harsh critical reviews on its release, and some of those criticisms still ring true today.

The film displays an arguably cynical attitude towards itself as [[To sell toys|a vehicle for advertising toys]], especially in the way beloved characters are killed—sometimes gratuitously—for sake of justifying the story's focus on a new group of toys. (Note that with the exception of Laserbeak and possibly Buzzsaw [http://www.flickr.com/photos/42232106@N06/3893688802] the poster at the top of this article features ''only'' new characters.)

Further, the two primary plot devices—[[Unicron]] and the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]]—have no prior establishment in the fiction. Unicron is given no backstory ([[Call of the Primitives|until season 3]]) or justification; he simply exists, is very dangerous, and is afraid of the Matrix, all for no adequately explained reason. The introduction of the Matrix itself is a heavy [[retcon]]. The story asks the audience to accept that this cosmically powerful artifact has been in Prime's possession all along (even though an X-ray of Optimus Prime's innards in the second season episode "[[A Prime Problem]]" show absolutely no signs of said Matrix), but has somehow never been relevant before. In fact, this lack of prior establishment is what led [[Simon Furman]] to develop the divinity backstory of Unicron and [[Primus]] in the UK comics run.

[[Image:Megatronlightsaber.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Your powers are weak, old man!]]
The movie bears many similarities to ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'': There are several character-parallels ([[Springer (G1)|Springer]] is a [[Han Solo]]-type and [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] even has Princess Leia's hairdo!), the primary threat is similar (it's the [[Death Star]]... [[Unicron|but it transforms!]]), and both feature a climactic battle where the [[Hot Rod (G1)|young hero]] hears the voice of his [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|dead, wise mentor]] one last time before saving the day.

To be a bit more fair to ''The Transformers: The Movie'', however, most of these similarities are either superficial (Arcee's Leia-hair; Megatron's "lightsaber" he briefly uses in his duel against Optimus Prime) or can be seen as elements common to thousands of years worth of epic storytelling through human history, not just common to ''Star Wars''. As a simple example, the phenomenon of two charismatic leaders dealing each other mortal injuries in battle hearkens back to some versions of the "King Arthur" myth; in their final battle, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Arthur]] and his arch-enemy [[Megatron (G1)|Sir Mordred]] deal one another lethal injuries and both apparently expire—though Arthur according to the legend will [[The Return of Optimus Prime|return]] when [[Cybertron (planet)|England's]] need [[Darkest hour|is greatest]].

==Formatting==
[[Image:Tftm widescreenesque.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The "widescreen" picture (left) actually ''cuts off'' the top and bottom of the fullscreen picture (right).]]
Although it was billed in some advertisements before its theatrical release as being "widescreen", the movie was in fact animated in a 4:3 (fullscreen) aspect ratio. For its theatrical screenings, the film was matted down in the projector by the projectionist to a 16:9 aspect ratio (widescreen), chopping the top and bottom off the picture, but all video transfers of the movie were done without mattes, meaning that there was actually more picture visible in the fullscreen video and DVD releases than there would have been in theaters. Across 2006 and 2007, new editions of the DVD of the film were released by Sony BMG and [[Metrodome]] which applied the mattes in order to replicate the original theatrical presentation of the film for the first time in home entertainment. Some fans, however, didn't realize that the film wasn't actually ''animated'' in widescreen, and, hearing that the DVD was to be in widescreen, expected to see the fullscreen image with additional footage at the sides, causing them to complain that the top and bottom were cut off, thereby totally missing the point.

==International versions==
{{main|The Transformers: The Movie/dubs}}

==Commercial Releases==
[[Image:Tftm laserdisk cover.jpg|right|thumb|The cover image from the original Japanese home media release of the movie.]]
* The movie was originally released in North America on home video in 1987 by [[Family Home Entertainment]], minus Spike's swear. Not long after, it was released in the UK by [[Video Gems]]. This version featured the opening text crawl and closing narration inherent to the UK version of the film. In Australia, the film was released on video by RCA/Columbia Pictures/Hoyts. In Japan, Hillcrane released a Laserdisc version alongside a VHS copy, both sporting a gorgeous painted cover that decorated many a fan's desktop back in the day.
*The movie was released spottily in the '90s, beginning with a budget VHS by Avid Home Entertainment in 1991. [[Malofilm]] released a VHS in Canada in 1995, notable for being the first home entertainment version to include Spike's swear. In 1998, Japanese company Pioneer produced another pair of Laserdisc and VHS releases. In 1999, things kicked off when American company [[Kid Rhino]] secured the Transformers license and released the film on VHS once again.
*The 21st century's flirtation with ''The Transformers: The Movie'' started with a UK budget VHS release of that country's version by [[Sony|Sony Wonder]], distributed by [[Maverick Entertainment]]. A Japanese company called CatCo followed this up with a VideoCD, and Malofilm—now Seville—were the first to release a DVD version of the film, though it was just a dump of their VHS version.
*In November 2000, ''The Transformers: The Movie'' got its first, full professional DVD release from Kid Rhino. This edition, labelled a "Special Collector's Edition", is the first to feature remastered video and audio, and several special features, including storyboards and an interview with [[Vince DiCola]]. Rhino concurrently released this version on VHS, sans extras.
*In 2001 in the UK, Sony Wonder released their own much-delayed DVD version of the film. It was the UK version of the film, but included Spike's swear. However, the release was burdened by badly interlaced video, though it notably included the [[Omni Productions]] dub version of the ''[[Transformers: The Headmasters (cartoon)|Headmasters]]'' episode "[[Four Warriors Come out of the Sky]]" as an extra. This version (including the ''Headmasters'' episode) was simultaneously released on VHS.
*The movie was released on DVD in Australia in 2003 by [[Madman Entertainment]], using the same video as the Maverick version, but distinguished by some nifty new cover art by [[Don Figueroa]], and special features not seen on other editions, such as ''[[Stan Bush|The Touch]]'' music video and 80s TV spots.
[[Image:Tftm uk covers.jpg|right|180px|thumb|The UK poster art (left) has been the most common DVD and VHS cover in its home country, but the Ultimate Edition featured new art by Andy Wildman (right).]]
*After acquiring the license to release ''Transformers'' DVDs in the UK, [[Metrodome]] focused on completing their run of series box sets before turning their attention to the movie properly, releasing only a cheap budget DVD of the UK version through Prism Leisure with no extras, and a UMD of the same version.
*In 2005, Metrodome released ''Transformers: The Movie - Reconstructed'', a new version of the film designed to expose as much of the animated picture as possible. This, however, only resulted in exposing the rough, unfinished edges of the animation, and an overly pale remaster was compounded by excessive interlacing due to an unnecessary NTSC to PAL transfer. This, coupled with a 5.1 remix from [[Magno Sound & Video]], featuring the same extra sound effects that they added to Rhino's season box sets, made this release both controversial and disappointing to many. This was the first time that the US version of the movie was released in the UK, and the first to feature the US poster art as a cover (although a Silverscreen store exclusive version of the disc included a reversible cover with the UK poster art as well). Extras include trailers, TV spots, the character biographies from the Madman release, and a subtitled version of "[[Four Warriors Come out of the Sky]]".
[[Image:Tftm sony covers.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Sony's covers, by Don Figueroa.]]
*For the movie's 20th anniversary in 2006, new license holder [[Sony|Sony BMG]] released a two-disc special edition of the film, featuring both a high-quality widescreen remaster and the original fullscreen version, audio commentaries from crew and fans, several new featurettes interviewing those involved in the movie's production, storyboards, tv spots, American and Japanese commercials and more. Most notably, this version included the first Western release of "[[Scramble City: Mobilization]]", albeit silent and unsubtitled, featuring only audio commentary. This release featured two covers by Don Figueroa: one is of the '84-'85 cast that appear in the movie, and one is of the movie's new characters, available either as a lenticular hologram that switches between the two, or as a reversible sleeve with the images printed on either side.
[[Image:Tftm madman covers.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Madman's 2003 DVD cover (left), and their 2007 Special Edition cover (right).]]
*Delayed a bit to coincide with the hype for the 2007 [[Transformers (film)|live-action movie]], Metrodome also released a two-disc "Ultimate Edition" with a different widescreen master. Like "Reconstructed", this version used the US edition of the film, but this time, the UK version was also included, in fullscreen, on the second disc. Extras include TV spots, commercials, the Madman biographies, storyboards, commentary, "Scramble City" (with audio and subtitles), featurettes with [[Flint Dille]] and [[Peter Cullen]], and more. The double-disc edition was sold in a steel case featuring new art by [[Andrew Wildman]], with the UK poster art adorning the standard case inside. Various store exclusives were available, including postcards from Play.Com, a reversible cover with the US poster art from HMV, art cards from Virgin Megastore and [[posters]] from Woolworths and [[Toys"R"Us]]. It was also available in an extra-less single-disc version. This version was premiered at the Mid Ulster Film Festival in Ireland which was the only cinema showing of the remastered version of the film to date.
*The film was released in Full HD 1080p on Blu-ray in the UK in October 2007. The Blu-ray is not region-locked, so it will play anywhere in the world. It features a 2.0 soundtrack, 5.1 Dolby Digital track, and a full bitrate DTS 5.1 track. The master used was the same used by Sony for their US DVD. The picture is quite stunning and the sound very good. Sadly, there are no extras on the DVD. The version of the film on the Blu-ray is the US one, complete with curse words.
*Madman produced their two-disc special edition through some collaboration with Metrodome, and consequently it features much of the same content, with additional extras taking the form of The Touch music video and a bonus episode of ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]''. This release again features cover artwork by Don Figueroa, specifically the cover of [[IDW Publishing|IDW]]'s ''[[Transformers: The Animated Movie]]'' adaptation.

==Television Broadcasts==
Following an airing during Season Five in parts, the feature film was only ever aired on American television in 1989 via the Fox stations. Air dates and times were June 17 at Noon, July 30 at 11 A.M. and September 2 at 10 A.M. Of course, this was the language-edited video release from Family Home Entertainment.

The movie was aired on [[The Hub]] on February 18, 2012, following [[Orion Pax, Part 1|the Season 2 premier]] of ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' on what was called "Transformers Mega Saturday". Uniquely this version seemed to combine the European opening naration with the US scrawl-free opening credits, muted the two swear words, used the European closing narration at the end, and sped up the scroll of the end credits to cut it down for time, ending the lyrics of the theme song around the beginning of its second verse.

The American television airing of the feature film adds one extra sound effect, and it has never been heard in any other release. During the scene when Arcee is racing to jump aboard the departing Autobot shuttle, there is a distinctive sound effect when she jumps. In all other releases there is no sound effect.

==Notes==
* According to [[Buzz Dixon]], Hasbro's decision to kill off Optimus Prime was actually an attempt to maintain some brand-storytelling parity with ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'', as Dixon had just convinced them to allow the death of [[Duke (G.I. Joe)|Duke]] in ''[[wikipedia:G.I. Joe: The Movie|G.I. Joe: The Movie]]'' and both films were in production at the same time.<ref>http://www.joeheadquarters.com/interviews_dixon.shtml</ref>

* This film was the last professional performance by [[Orson Welles]], who died only a month later. According to production materials shown at [[BotCon 2000]] by Tim Finn, the voice recording sessions for ''The Transformers: The Movie'' were done on [[September 10]] and [[September 11|11]] of 1985. Welles died on [[October 10]] of that same year. It has often been speculated that Unicron's last line ("Destiny… you cannot destroy my destiny!") was recorded by another actor—possibly [[Leonard Nimoy|Nimoy]]—because it sounds different than the other lines. This speculation has been quashed by statements by Transformers voice director [[Wally Burr]].<ref>http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/60-astrominutes/wally-burr/wally_burr_3.html</ref>
[[Image:Windcharger wheeljack otp.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Uncle Owen! Aunt Beru!!]]

* With the exception of Starscream and possibly Shockwave, only the Autobots suffered fatalities in the movie. All of the other "dead" Decepticons from the Autobot City battle were rebuilt into Galvatron's new troops, and although more Decepticons were shown taking heavy damage and suffering huge casualties while fighting Unicron, their identities and their final condition are uncertain. Additionally, both Starscream and Unicron survived in the post-movie series in some form or another. Shockwave's death in the finished film is highly uncertain, although in the script it is fairly strongly implied. He does make some miscolored appearances in crowd shots in later cartoon episodes, but these are probably examples of the fairly common animation errors in those episodes.

* Somewhat ironically, though only three of the original eighteen Autobots - [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]], [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]], and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] - are definitively shown to have survived the movie, two would quite literally never be heard from again: [[Scatman Crothers]] passed away (though this didn't stop Jazz from making any number of background cameos) while Casey Kasem [[Casey Kasem#Notes|quit the show early in the third season]]. Fate's finger is fickle indeed.

*[[:Image:TFTM-MaybeBeachcomber.jpg|A robot resembling Beachcomber]] appears alongside Spike and the Autobots inside Unicron seconds before Daniel blasts the acid cover. Whether this was actually meant to be Beachcomber or just coincidental coloring is unknown, but regardless, Beachcomber shows up alive and well in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5]]".

==External links==
* [http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=transformers.htm ''The Transformers: The Movie'''s box office domestic gross.]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080426020409/http://www.tftm.net/ ''The Transformers: The Movie'' "Unofficial Fansite", an extremely thorough site about the movie]
* [http://www.wombatking.com/coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=4 ''The Transformers: The Movie'' deleted storyboards]

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Transformers: The Movie}}

[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]
[[Category:Generation 1 media]]
[[Category:MSTF]]
[[Category:Real world films]]

The Transformers: The Movie

2012-08-08T23:12:36Z

96.21.86.21: /* Television Broadcasts */

{{disambig3|Transformers: The Movie}}

{{quote|Conceived in the epic tradition of ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]''...|[[Victor Caroli]] ain't just whistling Dixie|[[The Transformers: The Movie promo|''The Transformers: The Movie'' promo]]}}

{{episode|
|seriess=[[The Transformers (cartoon)|The Transformers]]
|prev=B.O.T. (episode)
|next=Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1
|seriess2=[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (franchise)|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers]]
|prev2=Scramble City: Mobilization
|title=''The Transformers: The Movie''
|image=Transformersanimatedfilmposter.jpg
|caption=Featuring the [[death]]s of all your favorite Transformers characters.
|production code=
|production company=[[Sunbow Productions]]
|writer=[[Ron Friedman]]
|directed by=[[Nelson Shin]]
|animation studio=[[Toei]]
|release date=[[August 8]], [[1986]]
|continuity=[[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]]
}}

'''''The Transformers: The Movie''''' is an animated feature film based on the original Transformers toyline. It was released in the United States on Friday, August 8, 1986.

The film's storyline follows the same continuity as the ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|Transformers]]'' cartoon. It introduces a [[Scale|planet-sized Transformer]] called [[Unicron]] who eats other planets, and is approaching [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. As part of their continuing wars, the Autobots and Decepticons have a [[Battle of Autobot City|fierce battle]] on Earth which sees both Optimus Prime and Megatron mortally wounded. Prime passes the [[Matrix of Leadership]] to Ultra Magnus and dies, and Megatron is transformed by Unicron into [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (briefly) assumes leadership of the Decepticons, but is killed when Galvatron arrives at Cybertron. Galvatron then chases the surviving Autobots on Earth across space, splitting them up and taking the Matrix. The Autobots find their way back to each other, and follow Galvatron to Cybertron just as Unicron transforms into robot mode and begins to eat their world. Travelling inside Unicron, [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] recovers the Matrix, transforms into Rodimus Prime, and uses the Matrix to destroy Unicron.

Often referred to by fans simply as "the movie" or "TFTM", the movie was a step up in almost every area from the television series, with a more sophisticated plot, more serious treatment of war and violence, a hugely ambitious scope and a greatly increased animation budget with well-known celebrities providing voice work. For these reasons the film remains very popular with children of the 1980s.

The film opens with characters who had been featured in the first two years of the toyline and associated media (cartoons, comic books, etc.), but quickly introduces new characters and kills many of the old ones to make room. In particular, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]], and [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] are all destroyed during the course of the film.

{{quote|The Japanese have funded a full-length animated cartoon about the doings of these toys, which is all bad outer-space stuff. I play a planet. I menace somebody called Something-or-other. Then I'm destroyed. My plan to destroy Whoever-it-is is thwarted and I tear myself apart on the screen.|Orson Welles<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=KlqsYy512WIC&source=gbs_navlinks_s "Orson Welles: A Biography"] page 522</ref>}}

==Synopsis==
[[Image:TFTM_Unicron_Lithone.jpg|left|200px|thumb|That's no moon.]]

A mechanical planet travels through the depths of space, attacking [[Lithone (planet)|a metal planet]] which has [[Lithone (species)|robotic inhabitants]]. Robots, vehicles, buildings, and even large chunks of rock are sucked off the surface and devoured by the monstrous planet.

It is the year 2005, and the [[Decepticon]]s are now in control of Cybertron. The [[Autobot]]s are preparing to launch an assault to retake the planet from hidden bases on two of Cybertron's moons. The Autobots launch a [[Autobot shuttle|shuttle]] to pick up a final shipment of [[energon]] from [[Earth]] before they strike.

[[Image:Tftm1986a.jpg|right|200px|thumb|I have a bad feeling about this.]]

Plans for the attack are overheard by [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], who reports back to [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]]. The Decepticons attack the Autobot shuttle en route to Earth, wiping out its crew (including [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] and [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]]). Using the Autobots' own shuttle, the Decepticons are able to get very close to the Autobots' base on Earth, [[Autobot City]], before they are detected, and begin a devastating surprise attack on the unprepared city.

During the battle at Autobot City, both [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] and Megatron suffer mortal injuries, and a number of others are also killed. Eventually the Decepticons retreat, but the damage suffered by the Autobots has been severe.

{{note|For an extensive synopsis of the battle, see [[Battle of Autobot City]].}}

[[Image:Tftm1986b.jpg|left|200px|thumb|If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.]]

Shortly after the battle, Prime lies on his deathbed. He passes the reins of leadership to [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] and gives him the [[Matrix of Leadership]]. (Though Hot Rod actually touches the Matrix before Magnus does.) Prime relates a prophecy: "One day, an Autobot shall rise from our ranks, and use the power of the Matrix to light our [[darkest hour]]." He then gives the oath, "[['Til all are one]]", and [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|dies]]. This sequence of events is observed remotely by Unicron, who appears unusually concerned by the survival of the Matrix.

The Decepticons are making their escape aboard [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], but are too heavy for him to get them all home under his own power. After putting the matter to a fair vote, the Decepticons decide to throw their injured members off the ship to better the chance of survival for the rest. One of the most severely injured Decepticons is Megatron. [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] tosses him out and claims leadership of the Decepticon army.

Megatron and the other adrift Decepticons then encounter Unicron in interstellar space. Unicron offers to rebuild Megatron and his minions in exchange for their service. Megatron agrees, and is [[Reformatting|reformatted]] into [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. The other Decepticons are turned into [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]], [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]], and the [[Sweep]]s. Unicron provides them with a [[Revenge (G1)|ship]], and sends them to kill Ultra Magnus and destroy the Matrix, stating that the Matrix is the only thing which can stand in his way.

[[Image:Tftm1986c.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Don't be too proud of this technological terror you've constructed.]]
Galvatron first stops at Cybertron to take his revenge by killing Starscream and reclaiming leadership of the Decepticons. Almost immediately afterwards, Unicron arrives in Cybertron's vicinity and devours at least two moons—both of the Autobots' moon bases are destroyed. Under coercion by Unicron, Galvatron finally heads to Earth to kill Ultra Magnus, but Magnus and the other surviving Autobots flee in a pair of shuttles. Eventually Galvatron manages to cause one shuttle to crash on yet another metal planet ([[Quintessa]]), and detonates the other with a volley of missiles. However, the Autobots in the second shuttle escape unnoticed by separating the front portion of their shuttle just before impact.

The Autobots in the crashed shuttle, [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], [[Kup (G1)|Kup]], and the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], find themselves separated and in a hostile environment. Hot Rod and Kup are captured by a squad of [[Allicon]]s and taken before a [[Quintesson]] [[Quintesson#Judges|judge]] and his court. While being held there, they learn the name and nature of Unicron from [[Kranix]], a survivor of the planet destroyed in the opening of the film, which he calls [[Lithone (planet)|Lithone]]. Meanwhile, the Dinobots encounter and befriend a young, wild Autobot named [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] who has been living alone on Quintessa. Together, they crash the trial just as Hot Rod and Kup are fighting losing odds against the Quintessons' [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]]. The tide is turned, and the Autobots commandeer a [[Quintesson Cruiser]].

[[Image:Tftm1986d.jpg|left|200px|thumb|What an incredible smell you've discovered!]]
The other group of Autobots has landed on the planet [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]] to make repairs, but are attacked yet again by Galvatron, who was tipped off to their survival by Unicron. During the battle, Ultra Magnus tries to open the Matrix to use its power, but is unable to do so, and instead is killed. Galvatron absconds with the Matrix, taking it away to Unicron. The remaining Autobots—[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike's]] son [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel]]—are then ambushed by [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]], the eponymous natives of Junkion, who are also giant transforming robots. This battle is cut short, however, by the arrival of Hot Rod's group in their Quintesson ship. After exchanging the [[universal greeting]] they all make friends, and the Junkions restore Ultra Magnus to life. Together, the whole group travels to Cybertron to try to recover the Matrix.

[[Image:TFTM Unicron smashes cybertron.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Rebel base in range. You may fire when ready.]]
Galvatron attempts to open the Matrix to use its power against Unicron, but is also unable to get it open. Unicron, not pleased with this attempted treachery, shocks Galvatron by transforming from a planet into a [[Scale|planet-sized robot]]. Unicron plucks Galvatron off his chest and swallows him, Matrix and all, and then begins attacking Cybertron itself. [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] scrambles the Decepticon forces to defend the planet, but they are ineffective against so large an enemy. Shortly the Autobots arrive from Junkion, and fly the Quintesson ship straight through Unicron's eye. This impact destroys the ship, and the Autobots fall out inside Unicron. Hot Rod, separated from the others, eventually runs into Galvatron. During their fight, Hot Rod gets his hands on the Matrix and hears Optimus's voice speak the words, "Arise, Rodimus Prime." Hot Rod grows in stature, adopts a much sterner demeanor, and quickly dispatches Galvatron by tossing him through Unicron's hull out into space. He then opens the Matrix, which fills Unicron with light and begins destroying him.

[[Image:Tftm1986e.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Use the Force, Luke.]]
In the meantime, the other Autobots inside Unicron have located some of their comrades from the moon bases who had been presumed dead, including [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] and Daniel's father, Spike. The Autobots, including Rodimus, escape through Unicron's remaining eye just as he begins to fall apart and explode. The scene then immediately shifts to the surface of Cybertron, where—for unclear reasons—the Autobots seem to be in charge again. Rodimus predicts an era of peace and prosperity, and the film closes with a shot of Unicron's severed head still floating in orbit around Cybertron.

[['Til all are one]].
{{-}}

==Quotes==
"Such heroic nonsense."
:—'''Megatron''' coldly finishes off Ironhide. The 'Cons always get the best lines.

"I've got better things to do tonight than die!"
:—'''Springer''', telling it like it is.

"One shall stand. One shall fall."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' uttering the most quoted line of the Movie. An ass kicker cometh.

"Why throw your life away so recklessly?" 
"That's a question you should ask yourself, Megatron." 
"No! I'll crush you with my ''bare hands!''"
:-'''Megatron''' and '''Optimus Prime''', about to engage in one last battle to the death.

"You, who are without mercy, now plead for it? I thought you were made of '''''sterner stuff'''''."
:—'''Optimus Prime''''s trash talk is actually [http://www.enotes.com/shakespeare-quotes/sterner-stuff a lot cooler than it sounds].

"I would have waited an eternity for this! It's over, Prime." 
"'''''NEVER!'''''"
:-'''Megatron''' is about to learn that a wounded '''Optimus Prime''' has enough strength left for one good hit.

"Until that day...'til all are one..."
:—'''Optimus Prime''''s final words.

"Oh, how it ''pains'' me to do this." 
"Wait! I still function!" 
"Wanna ''bet''?"
:—'''Starscream''' fights back the tears as he throws '''Megatron''' out of Astrotrain.

"I have summoned you here for a purpose." 
"Nobody summons Megatron!" 
"Then it pleases me to be the first."
:—'''Unicron''' shows '''Megatron''' who's the boss.

"Who disrupts my coronation?" 
"Coronation, Starscream? This is bad comedy." 
"Megatron? Is that you?" 
"Here's a hint!"
:—'''Galvatron''' drops "hints" for '''Starscream''' like others drop anvils.

"Did we ''have'' to let them detonate three quarters of the ship?" 
"Seeing as how they would have detonated ''four'' quarters, I think it was a good choice."
:—'''Arcee''' and '''Springer''', debating the launch of their emergency shuttle.

"For a time... I considered ''sparing'' your wretched little planet Cybertron. But now... you shall witness... its ''dismemberment''!"
:—'''Unicron''' really needs to work on his anger management skills...

"Let this mark the end of the Cybertronian Wars as we march forward into a new era of peace and happiness! 'Til all are one!" 
:—'''Rodimus Prime''' announces the end of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]...yeah, right.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]]/Rodimus Prime ([[Judd Nelson]])
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] ([[Robert Stack]])
*[[Kup (G1)|Kup]] ([[Lionel Stander]])
*[[Springer (G1)|Springer]] ([[Neil Ross]])
*[[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] ([[Susan Blu]])
*[[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] ([[John Moschitta]])
*[[Grimlock (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Grimlock]] ([[Gregg Berger]])
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] ([[Paul Eiding]])
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] ([[Buster Jones]])
*[[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] ([[Michael Bell]])
*[[Slag (G1)|Slag]] ([[Neil Ross]])
*[[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]]
*[[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] ([[Michael Bell]])
*[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] ([[Scatman Crothers]])
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] ([[Dan Gilvezan]])
*[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] ([[Casey Kasem]])
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] ([[Corey Burton]])
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] ([[Don Messick]])*
*[[Auto-combatant]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Eject]]
*[[Rewind]]
*[[Steeljaw (G1)|Steeljaw]]
*[[Ramhorn (G1)|Ramhorn]]
*[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]
*[[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]]
*[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]]
*[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]]
*[[Grapple]]
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]]
*[[Hound (G1)|Hound]]
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]]
*[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]]
*[[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]]** ([[Walker Edmiston]])
|c2=
*[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] ([[Leonard Nimoy]])
*[[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] ([[Chris Latta]])
*[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] ([[Roger C. Carmel]])
*[[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] ([[Stan Jones]])
*[[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] ([[Arthur Burghardt]])
*[[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] ([[Michael Bell]])
*[[Bonecrusher (G1)|Bonecrusher]] ([[Neil Ross]])
*[[Hook (G1)|Hook]] ([[Neil Ross]])
*[[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] ([[Don Messick]])
*[[Mixmaster (G1)|Mixmaster]]
*[[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]]
*[[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] ([[Hal Rayle]])
*[[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] ([[Clive Revill]])
*[[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]]
*[[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] ([[Jack Angel]])
*[[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] ([[Corey Burton]])
*[[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] ([[Bud Davis]])
*[[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] ([[Ed Gilbert]])
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]]
*[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]]
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]]
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]]
*[[Sweep]]s
*[[Cyclonus's Armada]]
|h3=[[Junkion (species)|Junkions]]|c3=
*[[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] ([[Eric Idle]])
*[[Scrapheap (G1)|Scrapheap]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Rubbish]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Re-Cycle]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Trashbin]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Junkyard (G1)|Junkyard]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[HAZMAT]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Ashtray]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Wasteoid Gamma]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
*[[Greasestain]] ([[Michael Bell|Bell]] and/or [[Frank Welker|Welker]])
|h4=Others|c4=
'''[[Human]]s'''
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] ([[Corey Burton]])
*[[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] ([[David Mendenhall]])

'''[[Lithone (species)|Lithones]]'''
*[[Kranix]] ([[Norman Alden|Norm Alden]])
*[[Arblus]] ([[Norman Alden|Norm Alden]])

'''[[Quintesson]]s'''
*[[Quintesson]] leader ([[Roger C. Carmel]])
*[[Quintesson#Judges|Quintesson judge]] ([[Regis Cordic|Rege Cordic]])
*[[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]]
*[[Allicon]]s

'''Other'''
*[[Unicron]] ([[Orson Welles]])
*Unnamed Red Alien (in Tribunal Quintessa)
|nonumbering=true
}}
<nowiki>*</nowiki>Credited, but may or may not have appeared.

<nowiki>**</nowiki>Credited, but did not appear.

==Animation errors==
* When Unicron is approaching Lithone at the start of the movie, at the line "Look, it's Unicron!", a [[Animation error#Sizing errors|cel stacking error]] results in Unicron's ring appearing in front of a building arch, [[Distribution|making Unicron look very tiny]] in that shot. In the next shot, it is clear that Unicron is several times larger than the entire planet of Lithone.
* The inside of one of the Lithonian ships being devoured by Unicron is visible for a couple of frames. The pilot of the ship appears to be Kranix, even though he apparently screams out Kranix's name, and Kranix appears later in the Quintesson prison.
* When Optimus Prime asks Jazz to report security status, it shows both Jazz and Cliffjumper. Cliffjumper is seen twiddling knobs above the actual drawn computer, as if a section was supposed to be present.
*When the closeup of Cliffjumper doing his countdown is shown, his shoulders are blue (like his windows) instead of red.
* When the Decepticons blow a hole through the Autobot shuttle to get in, it is a clean break. However, Megatron is still shown ripping through random ship components to get in.
* Scavenger's head is white instead of black as he ducks from Prowl's shot.
* When the Decepticons are killing the Autobot shuttle crew, there is one of the common Starscream/Skywarp/Thundercracker miscolors. Megatron transforms into gun mode and Starscream catches him, killing Brawn. When they cut back to the Decepticons, Starscream is in front of the Constructicons without Megatron and is firing one of his arm rifles (this probably should have been Skywarp or Thundercracker). When they cut back to the Decepticons for the third time, Starscream has Megatron again and is finishing off the rest of the Autobots. In the shot of Starscream firing his own lasers, his wings are red instead of gray.
* When the Decepticons fly to the shuttle's controls, all of the Autobots have changed positions from when they fell—Brawn is now on his back, for example, while Prowl is now face-down. Ironhide's chest is also completely intact, despite having a bunch of holes blown in it.
* When Hot Rod catches a fish, it is barely the size of his finger. When he releases it, it's [[Scale|suddenly huge]].
* Hot Rod has at least two totally different transformation schemes during the course of the film.
* When Kup and several Autobots at the roadblock react to Hot Rod's attack on the hijacked Autobot shuttle, Bluestreak is represented by Prowl's [[Character model|animation model]], in Bluestreak's grey and black colours.
* Sunstreaker appears with Kup's group on Earth as they observe Hot Rod firing on Ironhide's shuttle. Sunstreaker later appears as Optimus Prime's co-pilot when they arrive on Earth with the Dinobots, and is seen disembarking the shuttle along with Optimus Prime and Hound.
* In a wide aerial shot of the city under attack, a Reflector flies by in Ironhide's color scheme. Shockwave also makes his only appearance in the battle; considering both his role as Cybertron's guardian and his absence from any other scenes during the battle, his presence is probably an animation error. Rumble also flies past, despite being inside Soundwave at this point.
* Blaster's forehead is red instead of white after his "look out and shout!" line, and again after he returns to robot mode.
* A laser blast that should be behind Blaster is instead layered in front of him as he acknowledges Perceptor's orders.
* In the big lineup of firing Decepticons, Soundwave's cheek guards are blue instead of white.
* When [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] sends out his cassette troops, [[FIRRIB|Rumble is the same color as Frenzy]].
* Blaster first ejects what looks like Eject, who stays blue up until he gets to the edge of the screen. He then turns black like Rewind. Then Blaster ejects another blue cassette, which after about a second turns black. This one gets through half his transformation colored black, then turns blue for a split second then turns black again. Then, when the cassettes are fighting each other, Eject runs in from the left and jumps over Perceptor. And then he runs in from the left ''again'' to shoot Ravage.
* As Springer runs up to the launcher, Wheeljack's body is visible, but he's in red, white and blue colors.
* While Springer and Arcee are trying to move the launcher into place, Springer's face is the same color as his helmet.
* When Devastator forms in Autobot City, his chest plate is the same green as the rest of him. In the next shot, it's the usual purple. However, it promptly turns green again in the next shot.
* As Devastator lays into the walls, Shrapnel is white where he should be black.
* While Perceptor and Grapple are shooting, Swoop's lower half runs by in the foreground, long before the rest of him gets there.
* Megatron's pelvis is white instead of black as he gives the "let the slaughter begin!" order.
* Prime's dramatic transformation sequence far outlasts the transformation sound that's supposed to go with it. It's also the wrong sound (ascending pitch) for his robot-to-vehicle transformation. His trailer is also missing the Autobot logo, which reappears for the rest of the scene.
* When Prime drives up behind the Decepticons, Blitzwing's head is tan instead of purple. It becomes purple when he turns it, then goes back to tan again as he turns it back.
* Prime is missing the transformation sound as he blasts back to robot mode.
* The gun Megatron uses to fatally injure Optimus is blue and white for most of the shots it is seen in, but when Megatron screams "Fall! FALL!" while shooting Prime again, it is black.
* The gun Megatron fires uses the same sound effect as his fusion cannon.
* Prime's antennae are white as he tries to stand after knocking Megatron off the ledge.
* As he orders Astrotrain to take off, Starscream's face is gray instead of black.
* Starscream's whole nosecone, rather than just the canopy, is yellow as he looms over Megatron.
* When Optimus Prime takes the Matrix out of his chest to give to Ultra Magnus, there is another Matrix beneath it in his chest. (On which note, see also ''[[Matrix of Leadership#Universe|Matrix of Leadership, Universe comic]].'') Also, he initially grabs just the core of the Matrix, while the rest of the scene shows the entire assembly.
* When Ultra Magnus accepts the Matrix, he's seen inserting it into his chest twice, or at best readjusting its "fit".
* As the other Decepticons prepare to push him out, Bombshell's chest is rendered as a shapeless gray mass, rather than with its yellow canopy.
* The voice that says, "Brothers! Don't!" is nowhere close to the voices of any of the five Decepticons shown getting thrown out of Astrotrain.
* Starscream's got an extra yellow segment on his canopy as he nominates himself for leadership. Man, even the A-list animation team couldn't keep this straight.
* Most of Megatron's chest emblem isn't colored in as he first speaks to Unicron. It might pass for battle damage, but a few shots later it's fully purple.
[[Image:TFTMStarscreamCoronationErrors.jpg|thumb|right|250px| *''trumpet fanfare''* ]]
* Even after the [[Battle of Autobot City]], characters who are supposedly dead continue to appear in crowd shots and battles. Shrapnel's role in the fight on [[Junkion (planet)|Junk]] is the most noticeable (and he was called for by name in the original script), but Thundercracker, Skywarp and Kickback can all be seen at Starscream's coronation. The two jets are later seen again, flying into Unicron's mouth.
* Hook has two eyes instead of a visor as he looks around in confusion during the trumpet scene.
* An early establishing shot clearly shows Cybertron with two and ''only'' two moons in low orbit. Yet a third moon is visible right after Unicron finishes eating the two Autobot bases.
* When Galvatron introduces himself to the Coronation party, Soundwave's chest window is drawn far too small.
* When Cyclonus is strafing the Autobot shuttle in space, he briefly flies offscreen, and during that time his laser blasts come from a point that in no way matches his flight path.
*During the wide shot of the Autobots in the crashed ship on Junk, Blurr's entire head is white.
* Daniel's lips don't purse when he whistles.
* Wreck-Gar's mouth doesn't move at all during his first lines, despite the camera pushing in all close on his face.
* The pistol Ultra Magnus fires uses the same sound effect as Optimus Prime's rifle.
* Shrapnel's lower legs are white when he lands on Junk, instead of black. Must be a side effect of being dead.
* During the Junkion chase scene, Trashbin attacks Arcee. When she fights him off his motorcycle, his model is switched for Junkyard's when he falls down.
* When Hot Rod tells the Junkions the universal greeting, the Autobot insignia on his chest is coloured black.
* When Grimlock gets kissed, his eyes are round instead of triangular.
* When Unicron transforms, the first hand we see (his right) is backwards relative to how the arm is shown on screen.
* After transforming, Unicron has all-white hands (instead of white with gold knuckles) and a white, rectangular chin (instead of the double-triangular chin with a goatee) he has later.
* As Hot Rod falls off one of Unicron's inner spikes, his lower body isn't drawn in. It looks like it should be blocked by our view of the spike, but is layered above it instead.
* Hot Rod's missing his Autobot symbol as he regains his footing inside Unicron.
* During the same sequence, we see a standard-looking control panel next to Hot Rod. It's unlikely Galvatron had time to create one inside Unicron, so where did it come from?
* As the Dinobots fly around Unicron, both his eyes are intact. (The left one had been shattered.)
* As the Dinobots fly away from Unicron, the spikes on Grimlock's right arm are gray instead of gold.
* The third smelting victim (who looks a lot like another Bumblebee) doesn't fall from the conveyor belt; he simply vanishes.

== Continuity errors ==
[[Image:G1TFTM Snarl cameo.JPG|thumb|right|250px|He used to bulls-eye womp-rats in his T16 back home.]]

* The Dinobot [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] is mysteriously absent from almost the entire movie, even though the Dinobots as a group are featured prominently. Copies of the script which have come into fans' hands repeatedly list the Dinobots, but never make mention of Snarl by name. In fact, at one point the script refers to "the four Dinobots". Despite this, Snarl does appear in three very brief shots{{m-}}in which at least one other Dinobot (Swoop in one, Sludge in another) is entirely absent. Hmm.
* Also curiously absent are the 1985 Autobot cars and Mini-Vehicles, such as Inferno, Smokescreen, Cosmos, Warpath, etc. It would seem that these characters were available at the time of the movie:
** Perceptor and Blaster both debuted at the same time in the cartoon as the 1985 cars, and both play prominent roles in the movie.
** Grapple is [[:Image:BattleAutobotCity.jpg|seen ''very'' briefly]] during the battle for Autobot City.
** The 1985 Decepticons (Astrotrain, Dirge, etc.) appear in the film.
** [[:Image:TFTM-SideswipeRedAlertTracks.jpg|Tracks]], [[:Image:TFTM-RedAlertDown.jpg|Red Alert]] and Smokescreen (who was supposed to be the corpse in place of Wheeljack next to Windcharger) all appeared in storyboards but not the finished film.
* Devastator is treated as ''the'' ultimate threat, while in the cartoon, his role (and apparent power) was already being [[Starscream's Brigade|severely diminished]], presumably because several other combiners had been introduced. In story terms, the absence of these newer combiners, not to mention the mighty Omega Supreme, is inexplicable. In real-life terms, those characters didn't exist when the film commenced production. (The [[Transformers: The Animated Movie]] adaptation shows Omega Supreme, Superion and Defensor guarding the Ark against an attack by Bruticus and Menasor, attempting to [[retcon]] the problem away.)
[[Image:Cyclonus armada tftf.jpg|thumb|right|250px|We'll be safe enough once we make the jump into lightspeed.]]
* The existence of Cybertron's moons is contentious ''at best''.
** On the one hand, in numerous close and distant shots of the planet throughout the first two seasons, not a single moon was seen. Ever. Even after it got knocked out of Earth's orbit.
** On the other hand, Megatron ''does'' refer to Cybertron as "land of the metal moon" (note the singular) during "[[Microbots]]", suggesting otherwise. The fact that he was overenergized at the time and lost consciousness in mid-sentence - just before he ''might'' have specified a plural number of moons, (in)conveniently enough - makes it unclear just how much credence we should lend this statement.
** The movie promptly introduces two (possibly three) moons over the planet. In continuity terms, they must either have highly elliptical orbits with periapsides (points in their orbits that bring them closest to the planet) that just happened to coincide with the timeframe of the movie or they were constructed sometime after 1986.
* During the Battle of Autobot City, Starscream gets his leg caught. He shoots downward and gets away while screaming "My foot!", but it's his shin that's smoking while his foot looks fine. Later he kicks Megatron with the same foot. Shouldn't that hurt, according to him? Note there is a time lapse between the "foot shooting" and the kicking, leaving the option of a battlefield repair.
* So Ultra Magnus just happens to have a ready-made Matrix chamber installed in his chest cavity? Is this standard issue for all Autobots?
* The cartoon had already established that Astrotrain increases his size when he transforms to shuttle mode, being large enough to carry a pair of Decepticons in his cockpit. However, within the movie itself, his size is [[scale|noticeably inconsistent]]: When he leaves Autobot City, he's just large enough for the Decepticon army to cram themselves in; later, he's so huge that the Constructicons can quite comfortably form Devastator inside him.
* Speaking of Astrotrain, his entire body flips over when he transforms from train to space shuttle to escape from Autobot City. While ''we'' applaud the [[toy-accuracy]], the Decepticons inside probably didn't.
* Soundwave is loyal enough to pick up a wounded Megatron and save him, but when Starscream goes to throw Megatron out, Soundwave doesn't try to intervene. He even tries to steal the leadership once Megatron is gone. The "loyalty" attribute that has pertained so strongly to Soundwave seems to be alienated from the character in this scene.
* The number of minions created by Unicron changes throughout the film, with more Sweeps appearing as the story progresses. A second Cyclonus ("Cyclonus, the warrior, and [[Cyclonus's Armada|his armada]]") is shown being created but disappears shortly thereafter. At least ''seven'' new characters are shown at one point, created from only ''six'' Decepticons thrown from the shuttle.
*How can the Constructicons blow on those trumpets? Only [[Hook (G1)|three]] [[Bonecrusher (G1)|of]] [[Mixmaster (G1)|them]] have mouths. Do robots even ''need'' to breathe?
*Speaking of which, Galvatron was breathing hard when Unicron mentally tortured him.

[[Image:SSBQ.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"I've been looking forward to this for a long time." "Yes, I bet you have."]]
* [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] is capable of reducing [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] to ashes with a single shot from his cannon mode. Though in later episodes Galvatron is shown blowing up even small ''[[Thrull|planets]]'' with his cannon, his extraordinary killing power seems to be gone—like when he scores a direct hit in cannon mode on Ultra Magnus in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5]]" and Magnus isn't especially hurt at all, or how a similar blast against Scourge in "[[The Burden Hardest to Bear]]" only leaves the latter temporarily incapacitated. [[Marvel Comics]] bios explain this by suggesting that Galvatron had nearly limitless power through Unicron... but then again, Galvatron himself claims to be "more powerful than ever" after Unicron is dead in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2]]". [[To sell toys|Who knows.]]
* Why didn't the Autobots notice Unicron until he was within devouring distance of Cybertron's moons? Why doesn't Shockwave, who is ''on Cybertron,'' react until after Unicron has eaten these moons, transformed into a giant robot, and ''smashed his hand into the planet's surface?''
* Despite running out of energon goodies on Quintessa, Hot Rod has at least one to offer to the Junkions. Maybe he got some on the ship. It's also possible that, when he told the Allicons "No more," he meant that he wasn't going to ''feed'' them any more energon goodies, not that he didn't ''have'' anymore.
* Daniel, who was just learning how to use his exo-suit, had to knock down the acid cover inside Unicron to save his loved ones. Why couldn't the more experienced Spike do the same with his suit from above? He had both of his arms free and a clear shot at the cover. On the other hand, the clamp holding him may well disable his exo-suit's weapons and movement abilities-if it didn't, Unicron probably wouldn't have eaten half as many victims by now...
* It's not clear how Rodimus Prime (carrying two humans) and the other Autobots survived their jump out of Unicron's eye and their plunge towards the surface of Cybertron.
* It's also unclear just how the dozen or so Autobots (and one shipload of Junkions) managed to retake the whole planet of Cybertron. Did Unicron really wipe out ''that'' many Decepticons?
* When the Autobots are repairing Autobot City, Blaster is present, but a few minutes later, he's nowhere to be seen. And he isn't seen getting on one of the shuttles. It is possible that they took off without him, but Daniel noticed Arcee was not on board. Guess he cares more about Arcee than Blaster.
* Ultra Magnus blows up, but later his parts are just in individual sections. The Junkions place them together and shine him up, and he's fine! No welding or reprogramming, no replacing damaged parts...
* Makes you wonder why they couldn't fly Prime's body over and repair it, too. At the end of season three, we find out the Matrix can be given back to him, so that's not the issue...

===Not necessarily errors===
* Fans have noted throughout the years that Astrotrain, in his flight through zero-gravity space, should not have needed to "jettison some weight" in the literal sense. However, since the ejected Decepticons quickly fall behind Astrotrain instead of floating alongside him, he must still have been accelerating and thus would have needed to burn a greater amount of fuel in order to push a larger payload. Perhaps he should have said "jettison some ''mass''", but then again, just being a spaceship doesn't make him a rocket scientist.
* Starscream is shown just inside Astrotrain's cargo bay when he commands him to take off, but in the next shot (Astrotrain's door closing as his rocket engines ignite), Starscream is nowhere to be seen. It's possible that he walked further in, but he should still be at least partially visible.

==Continuity notes==
* The Movie has had a huge effect in shaping the mythos. Among the elements and characters which would reappear in many other iterations of Transformers are:
** The notion that Cybertron has moons
** The Matrix as a physical object, rather than the computer program previously depicted in the Marvel Comics. Even the Marvel Comics would eventually shoehorn this one in.
** Autobot City
** Unicron
** The notion of Megatron becoming Galvatron
** And it killed off Optimus Prime before it was cool!
* Gadgets and powers:
** Springer deploys a small flip-out twin laser from his wrist during the Autobot City battle.
** Arcee and Hot Rod both activate a long-distance scanner of some sort by lowering a red visor from under their helmets over their eyes.
** Hot Rod uses a saw blade that extends from his retracted wrist.
** Blurr has the same kind of hooked welding tip used by various Autobots as far back as "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 2]]".
** Arcee unleashes a nasty barbed post from her fender to fend off a Junkion.
** Grimlock shows the never-before seen ability to shoot lasers from his fists.
* '''[[The Revenge of Bruticus|< <]]''' What makes Starscream the leader? Megatron's <s>dead</s> almost dead!

==Real-world references and Easter eggs==
[[Image:TFTMUnicronSkyscrapers.jpg|thumb|]]
* When the inside of Unicron is shown after he devours Lithone, the "blinking energy" effect of Unicron's innards shows, for a split second, various environments in a state of ruin. A frame by frame viewing reveals what appear to be several images of post-apocalyptic buildings inside Unicron, some of which are upside-down.
* When Sludge gets haymakered by Devastator, his eyes pop out of their sockets in ''[[Wikipedia:Looney Tunes|Looney Tunes]]'' fashion.
* Kup's storytelling sequence aboard the shuttle is drawn from the novel ''[[Wikipedia:Of Mice and Men|Of Mice and Men]]'', complete with Grimlock in the Lenny role asking Kup to "tell Grimlock about petrorabbits again".
* The Junkions speak almost entirely in pop culture quotes and pastiches. Littered among the generic phrases like "operators are standing by!", "Film at eleven" and "eliminate even the toughest stains" are more specific references, such as:
** "Don't look behind door #2, Monty!" - a reference to the game show ''[[Wikipedia:Let's Make a Deal|Let's Make a Deal]]'' and its host, [[Wikipedia:Monty Hall|Monty Hall]].
** "Ger-ronny-doo-ron-ron-ronny-mo!" - both the famous "[[Wikipedia:Geronimo (exclamation)|Geronimo!]]" war cry, and the 1963 hit "[[Wikipedia:Da Doo Ron Ron|Da Doo Ron Ron]]".
** "You check in, but you don't check out" - a parody of the tagline for [[Wikipedia:Roach Motel (insect trap)|Roach Motel]] insect traps.
** "Happy motoring!" - the slogan of gas company [[Wikipedia:Esso|Esso]].
[[Image:Tftm rosencrantz-and-guildenstern.jpg|thumb|You have ''no'' idea how long it took to identify all the pieces on these guys.]]
* The Quintesson jail cell includes robot debris ''strongly'' resembling [[:Image:Tftm rosencrantz-and-guildenstern.jpg#parts|several mobile suits]] from 1985 Japanese animation ''[[Wikipedia:Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam|Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam]]''.
* ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'' sound effects (yes, even the high-budget Movie uses them):
** The ''[[Millennium Falcon]]'' engine burst noise is used extensively throughout the film, over and over and over, almost any time a Decepticon takes flight.

** [[Luke Skywalker]]'s deactivating [[lightsaber]] is used as the sound of the Quintesson ship's ramp extending.
** Clashing lightsabers are used as Unicron fires eye-blasts at the attacking Transformers.

** An igniting lightsaber is used as Rodimus opens the Matrix.
* The ''Star Trek'' sliding door sound is used as Wreck-Gar pulls out his <s>iPhone</s> mini-TV.
* Also, the sound used for the communicators on Star Trek was used when Daniel was activating his blaster to save Spike

==Adaptations==
*[[Transformers: The Movie (Marvel comic)|A comic adaptation of the movie]] was published by [[Marvel Comics]] in 1986, concurrently with the movie's theater run. It was based off a non-finalized version of the script, and differs in many details from the final film. Additionally, most of the major character models (and possibly their unedited original character write-ups) appear in issue #4 of the ''[[The Transformers Universe|Transformers Universe]]'' series.
* [[Transformers the Movie (Ladybird adaptation)|A storybook adaptation]] was released in the UK by [[Ladybird Books]].
*A four-part adaptation was released in 2006/2007 by [[IDW Publishing]], as part of the film's 20th anniversary celebration. It was titled ''[[Transformers: The Animated Movie]]'' to differentiate it from the [[Michael Bay]] [[Transformers (film)|live-action film]]. Unlike its predecessor, it adheres rigidly to the script and plot of the finished movie.

==Soundtrack==
{{main|The Transformers: The Movie - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack}}

==Promotions==
* Early in the movie's production, a [[The Transformers: The Movie promo|promotional trailer]] was made to sell the project to potential investors.
* The movie was advertised on related 1986 toy packages via the [[Decipher the Decepticon]] Sweepstakes, which included a pack-in poster and contest.
* The movie was heavily advertised directly by TV [[commercial]]s, and tail-end segments on Transformer toy ads. Portions of its story were also retold in altered fashion by animation segments of commercials for the movie character toys, such as a spot showing Springer doing battle with Wreck-Gar.

==In the comic continuity==
The [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel UK comic]] made extensive use of the Movie as the basis for a series of stories involving the Transformers in the future. However there are several differences between the events seen on screen and those referenced in the comic:

*The comic always dates the movie to 2006, following the date given in a treatment that was all [[Simon Furman]] had when he wrote [[Target: 2006]].
*In Target: 2006, [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] states that he was previously "[[Life Spark]]".
*The Matrix is always called the "Creation Matrix" in the comic, a name that predates the "Matrix of Leadership" but which is now used for the same physical object.
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] and [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] both survive the events, both later appearing in [[Space Pirates!]] (set in 2008).

In addition, Shockwave definitely survives the attack by Unicron.

The US comic almost completely ignored the events of the Movie, though later in the run an alternative future is briefly shown in "[[Rhythms of Darkness!]]" and "[[A Savage Circle]]". In this timeline at least some of the events of the Movie took place such as the creation of Galvatron from Megatron, which is dated to 2005, though Prowl's death was overlooked. [[Prowl II|Wouldn't be the first time. Or the last.]]
*The US version of the future story [[The Big Broadcast of 2006 (issue)|The Big Broadcast of 2006]] implicitly has the events of the movie as part of its backstory. However, since the rest of the US series ignored the movie, this issue's place in the continuity is questionable.

==Edits==
Several English-language versions of the film exist, with the following differences in content from the American theatrical run:

* In some versions (notably the European version) the opening credits are replaced with a scrolling text ("''Star Wars'' style") which provides backstory.
* In some versions (notably the European version) the film ends with [[Victor Caroli|a narrator]] reassuring the audience that Optimus Prime will return.
* Instances of swearing in the film (there are two) were edited out; sometimes one, sometimes both. Those instances are: Spike yelling, "Oh shit, what are we gonna do now?" after the self-destructing Moon Base 2 fails to scratch Unicron, and Ultra Magnus growling, "Open, damn it, open!" while trying to open the Matrix to fend off Galvatron and the Sweeps on Junkion. The United Kingdom cinema version had the swearing included but, when it was released on VHS in the United Kingdom, Spike's line was cut ("damn" not being considered offensive in the UK). However it has been restored on all United Kingdom DVD releases.
* In some early FHE video releases, the shot of the Matrix falling out of Optimus Prime's hand and being caught by Hot Rod is edited so that it appears that Ultra Magnus simply takes the Matrix from Prime. Why this was done is not known, and the replay of the Hot Rod catch on Unicron's monitors was left intact.
*Instead of DEG, the [[Wikipedia:Rank Organisation|Rank Film]] "[[Wikipedia:Gongman|Gongman]]" appears before the film, as Rank were the United Kingdom distributors.

None of these edits significantly affect the story. They should not be confused with various other sequences which were changed before the film's final release:

* Originally, Ultra Magnus's "death sequence" on Junkion called for him to be lassoed and drawn and quartered by the Sweeps' energy beams, but this was deemed too graphic for audiences, hence the less disturbing "shot to death" sequence seen instead. There is evidence that the original sequence had been fully animated when the decision was made, however; the Sweeps still kept their solid energy lassos when they fire upon Magnus, and Magnus is seen visibly straining against what appears to be said lassos (edited out and replaced with laser fire) before exploding.
* A number of other sequences were illustrated as [[storyboard]]s but dropped, presumably without ever being animated. Among them were:
** A short scene showing Ironhide piloting the Autobot shuttle through ''huge chunks of ice'' from the tail of a passing comet, explaining how the Decepticons caught them unawares. In response to a reprimand by Prowl who prickishly disapproves of Ironhide's piloting shenanigans, Ironhide exclaims, "I can sure as shootin' dodge a couple of ice chunks". When the Autobots are suddenly jolted by the Decepticon strike force as Megatron and his troops attempt to enter the shuttle, Ironhide tells the others on board, "That was no ice chunk...". Heroic nonsense ensues...
** An extended sequence with Hot Rod and Daniel outside the city.
** A sequence of Mirage blasting Bombshell and being fired on by Megatron.
** The Autobots finally bringing down Devastator with a barrage of missiles (and the Constructicons subsequently shooting Red Alert in the back).
** The Decepticons dogpiling Optimus Prime, explaining why he seems to be standing up just before his fight with Megatron, and no longer holding his rifle. According to storyboards, Prime gets bum-rushed by Blitzwing (who causes Prime to drop his gun), Starscream, Astrotrain, and Skywarp. While it is not clear how Prime defeated the first four hand-to-hand combatants, Dirge is later shown attempting one final sneak attack (and gets his can handed back to him) as Prime is talking to Megatron before the two leaders' final fight.
** Trailbreaker is shown dead among the wreckage of Autobot City as the Decepticons begin their retreat.
:Some of these concepts were in earlier versions of the script, and hence made it into the comic adaptation.
* Rumors have occasionally circulated in the fandom of additional animated footage that was dropped from the film, such as ultra-violent battle scenes. No evidence has ever surfaced to back these claims; the only known edits are those listed in this section.
:{{see|Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers#The Transformers: The Movie|Urban legends about ''The Transformers: The Movie''}}

==Reception==
{{quote|''The Transformers'', in which Orson Welles plays a planet, is pure headache material. Target audience of cartoon-watchers also will probably find the film unintelligible, noisy and unoriginal. Boxoffice prospects are dismal.|2=[http://books.google.com/books?id=DHNZAAAAMAAJ&q=Hasbro+Transformers&dq=Hasbro+Transformers&lr=&as_drrb_is=b&as_minm_is=1&as_miny_is=1983&as_maxm_is=12&as_maxy_is=2005&num=50&as_brr=0&cd=69 Variety's Film Reviews 1985-1986, Volume 19]}}

{{quote|Obnoxious animated feature about the title good guys, who defend the universe against an evil planet (which has a voice of its own... provided by Orson Welles.) That deafening rock score certainly doesn't help. Little more than a feature-length toy commercial.|Leonard Maltin, ''1987 Movie & Video Guide''}}

{{quote|While all this action may captivate young children, the animation is not spectacular enough to dazzle adults, and the Transformers have few truly human elements to lure parents along, even when their voices are supplied by well-known actors. |2=[http://www.nytimes.com/1986/08/09/movies/screen-transformers-animation-for-children.html The New York Times]}}

{{quote|Transformers -- The Movie, a feature-length animated film inspired by the syndicated TV cartoon series inspired by the Hasbro toy imported from Japan, is utterly uninspired entertainment. |2=[http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=DM&p_theme=dm&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0ED3CE8EA8D40CCA&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM The Dallas Morning News]}}

{{quote|If you can swallow, without gagging, a large measure of sentimental and offensive religiosity - lines like "Do not grieve. Soon I will be one with the Matrix," whispered by a failing hunk of Autobot metal - then you have a better than even chance of leaving the theatre on your own two feet. |2=[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=01kiAAAAIBAJ&sjid=W6gFAAAAIBAJ&pg=2445,1286000&dq=transformers&hl=en The Montreal Gazette]}}

{{quote|Everything is poorly drawn and - when it's in focus - one dimensional. It is terribly hard to separate the robots from the backgrounds, and there is no easy way to tell the good guys from the bad guys. In an earlier movie based on the same sort of robot toys - "Go-Bots: The Battle of the Rock Lords" - the good guys were either white or colorful and the bad guys were dreary, and they had distinct personalities. Not this movie; everyone looks and sounds alike, except one pink robot who is a female good guy. Her tin voluptuousness makes her stand out. |2=[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=kw4wAAAAIBAJ&sjid=OgMEAAAAIBAJ&pg=6957,6334152&dq=transformers&hl=en The Toledo Blade]}}

{{quote|Even with an all-star cast doing the voice overs... and a rock music score, this is still nothing more than a ripoff of a successful toy line. |2=[http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=AYckAAAAIBAJ&sjid=dtsFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4192,1494652&dq=transformers&hl=en The Palm Beach Post]}}

{{quote|The great animated villains, like the Wicked Queen in Disney's "Snow White," had motivations as compelling as any live-action character. Unicron apparently destroys entire worlds because it has nothing else to do. |2=[http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/latimes/access/57996397.html?dids=57996397:57996397&FMT=ABS&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Aug+8%2C+1986&author=CHARLES+SOLOMON&pub=Los+Angeles+Times+(pre-1997+Fulltext)&edition=&startpage=8&desc=%60THE+TRANSFORMERS%27%3A+STRETCHING+A+POINT The LA Times]}}

''The Transformers: The Movie'' was almost universally panned by professional critics upon its release.

Well-known film critic and animation enthusiast, Leonard Maltin, gave it a rating below 1 1/2 stars in his ''1987 Movie & Video Guide'', regarding it as a "bomb", then proceeded to write an unflattering blurb denouncing the film as a "feature-length toy commercial" (well, he was ''right'').

Caryn James of the ''New York Times'' admitted in the [[August 9]], 1986 edition of the paper that the film was intended for young children, pointing out that the kids in the audience were having a grand ole time with the ''Transformer'' toys and comics they brought with them to the theater, but derided the film as having little to no appeal to adults (''man-children'', on the other hand...).

''Variety's Film Reviews 1985-1986, Volume 19 '' was far less even-handed in their review, claiming the film had no appeal to adults ''or'' children. They predicted the film would perform poorly in the box office (and were correct, in that regard).

Carrie Rickey of the ''Dallas Morning News'' chided the film in the [[August 13]], 1986 issue of the paper, describing it as "essentially a cartoon ''Star Wars'' about robots from a toybox galaxy far, far away". She then went on to say that the film "never takes off" and derided it as "uninspired".

Janice Kennedy of the ''Montreal Gazette'' verbally disemboweled the film in the [[August 23]], 1986 edition of the paper, criticizing it as overly commercial, profane, loud, violent, humorless, heavy-handed in its religious messages and chaulk-full of gratuitous celebrity voice-overs. Her only compliment: "But ''The Transformers: The Movie'' does have at least one good thing going for it, a howlingly appropriate song by [["Weird Al" Yankovic]]. It's title? ''Dare to be Stupid''." ''Ouch''.

Nanciann Cherry in the August 13, 1986 edition of the ''Toledo Blade'' claimed the robots in the movie had little personality and faded into the background. She even went on to say that ''Challenge of the GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords'' was a superior film! Her review was filled with inaccuracies, however, citing characters such as "Unicon" and claiming that the destruction of Cybertron's moons by "Unicon" is what caused the Autobots to travel to Autobot City, at which point Megatron attacked. To be fair, she readily admits, "About 20 minutes into the film, I gave up on the plot and tried to count all the ideas that were stolen from other sources. Now that kept me busy." So she wasn't really paying attention, anyway.

Kathryn Buxton in the [[August 22]], 1986 edition of the ''Palm Beach Post'' gave the film a whopping ''one'' star, calling it "a ripoff of a successful toyline", whatever ''that'' means. In the same article, she also gave David Cronenberg's ''[[Fly|The Fly]]'' one star, just for reference.

In the August 8, 1986 edition of the ''LA Times'', critic Charles Solomon made clear his dislike for the film centered primarily on the fact that none of the characters had interesting or believable motivation. He stated, "Not even the best actor can create a character out of nothing. Not one of the robots has a reason for doing what he does." Solomon then pointed to Unicron specifically as an example of the lack of deep, multi-dimensional motivations in the characters.

Over time, however, the movie has acquired something of a cult following beyond the core base of [[fandom|Transformers fans]], particularly among children of the 80s. It is sometimes screened as a midnight movie at colleges. Online, it is not hard to find amateur reviews lauding everything about it as utterly awesome, from the premise to the soundtrack, and dismissing more critical views out of hand.

To date, the budget of the film has not been disclosed—at least, not in any place the [[fandom]] has found. According to most box office tracking sites,<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=transformers.htm</ref><ref>http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1986/0TRTM.php</ref> ''The Transformers: The Movie'' made $5,849,647 in domestic (e.g., United States) theaters. Comparing this with other animated films of 1986, the results are not particularly charitable; while it did better financially than ''[[GoBots (franchise)|GoBots: Battle of the Rock Lords]]''<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=gobots.htm</ref> ($1,338,264) and ''Heathcliff: The Movie''<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=heathcliff.htm</ref> ($2,610,686), it performed worse than the ''[[My Little Pony]]'' movie<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=mylittlepony.htm</ref> ($5,958,456) and the '''second''' ''Care Bears'' movie<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=carebearsmovie2.htm</ref> ($8,540,346). Bringing up ''The Great Mouse Detective''<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=greatmousedetective.htm</ref> ($25,336,794) and ''An American Tail''<ref>http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=americantail.htm</ref> ($47,483,002) would really just be overkill.

==Significance in Transfandom==
''The Transformers: The Movie'' remains one of the most important elements of the entire Transformers brand, both within the fiction and from the perspective of the brand's popularity and "mindshare".

Fictionally, it established several story concepts that have been used repeatedly in the years since 1986, some of which—such as Unicron and the Matrix—are now central to the entire Transformers mythos. The movie is also the centerpiece of the most well-known Transformers continuity: the Generation 1 animated universe. The ''Transformers'' cartoon is split into "pre-movie" and "post-movie" sections which feature different characters and settings, and even somewhat different visual styles. (Most pre-movie episodes were animated by the studio [[Toei]], while most post-movie episodes were animated by [[AKOM]].)

On a practical note, it was widely available on videotape, and remained so long after the ''The Transformers'' cartoon had gone off the air. Only a [[Family Home Entertainment|handful of series episodes]] were available on video, making ''The Transformers: The Movie'' the logical choice for someone looking to pick up a ''Transformers'' cartoon; this made it far more well-known among fans than any particular cartoon episode.

To an entire generation of young fans, the movie was the most visually spectacular and narratively epic ''Transformers'' experience of their entire youth. Events such as the death of Optimus Prime are widely reported to have reduced many kids to tears. It is hardly a surprise that these emotional experiences embedded themselves deeply in many fans' memories.

==Criticisms==
[[Image:TFTM Ratchet dies.jpg|180px|left|thumb|Only Imperial Stormtroopers are so precise.]]

All this is not all to say that the movie is a "masterpiece", exactly. The film met with extremely harsh critical reviews on its release, and some of those criticisms still ring true today.

The film displays an arguably cynical attitude towards itself as [[To sell toys|a vehicle for advertising toys]], especially in the way beloved characters are killed—sometimes gratuitously—for sake of justifying the story's focus on a new group of toys. (Note that with the exception of Laserbeak and possibly Buzzsaw [http://www.flickr.com/photos/42232106@N06/3893688802] the poster at the top of this article features ''only'' new characters.)

Further, the two primary plot devices—[[Unicron]] and the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]]—have no prior establishment in the fiction. Unicron is given no backstory ([[Call of the Primitives|until season 3]]) or justification; he simply exists, is very dangerous, and is afraid of the Matrix, all for no adequately explained reason. The introduction of the Matrix itself is a heavy [[retcon]]. The story asks the audience to accept that this cosmically powerful artifact has been in Prime's possession all along (even though an X-ray of Optimus Prime's innards in the second season episode "[[A Prime Problem]]" show absolutely no signs of said Matrix), but has somehow never been relevant before. In fact, this lack of prior establishment is what led [[Simon Furman]] to develop the divinity backstory of Unicron and [[Primus]] in the UK comics run.

[[Image:Megatronlightsaber.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Your powers are weak, old man!]]
The movie bears many similarities to ''[[Star Wars (film)|Star Wars]]'': There are several character-parallels ([[Springer (G1)|Springer]] is a [[Han Solo]]-type and [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] even has Princess Leia's hairdo!), the primary threat is similar (it's the [[Death Star]]... [[Unicron|but it transforms!]]), and both feature a climactic battle where the [[Hot Rod (G1)|young hero]] hears the voice of his [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|dead, wise mentor]] one last time before saving the day.

To be a bit more fair to ''The Transformers: The Movie'', however, most of these similarities are either superficial (Arcee's Leia-hair; Megatron's "lightsaber" he briefly uses in his duel against Optimus Prime) or can be seen as elements common to thousands of years worth of epic storytelling through human history, not just common to ''Star Wars''. As a simple example, the phenomenon of two charismatic leaders dealing each other mortal injuries in battle hearkens back to some versions of the "King Arthur" myth; in their final battle, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Arthur]] and his arch-enemy [[Megatron (G1)|Sir Mordred]] deal one another lethal injuries and both apparently expire—though Arthur according to the legend will [[The Return of Optimus Prime|return]] when [[Cybertron (planet)|England's]] need [[Darkest hour|is greatest]].

==Formatting==
[[Image:Tftm widescreenesque.jpg|right|300px|thumb|The "widescreen" picture (left) actually ''cuts off'' the top and bottom of the fullscreen picture (right).]]
Although it was billed in some advertisements before its theatrical release as being "widescreen", the movie was in fact animated in a 4:3 (fullscreen) aspect ratio. For its theatrical screenings, the film was matted down in the projector by the projectionist to a 16:9 aspect ratio (widescreen), chopping the top and bottom off the picture, but all video transfers of the movie were done without mattes, meaning that there was actually more picture visible in the fullscreen video and DVD releases than there would have been in theaters. Across 2006 and 2007, new editions of the DVD of the film were released by Sony BMG and [[Metrodome]] which applied the mattes in order to replicate the original theatrical presentation of the film for the first time in home entertainment. Some fans, however, didn't realize that the film wasn't actually ''animated'' in widescreen, and, hearing that the DVD was to be in widescreen, expected to see the fullscreen image with additional footage at the sides, causing them to complain that the top and bottom were cut off, thereby totally missing the point.

==International versions==
{{main|The Transformers: The Movie/dubs}}

==Commercial Releases==
[[Image:Tftm laserdisk cover.jpg|right|thumb|The cover image from the original Japanese home media release of the movie.]]
* The movie was originally released in North America on home video in 1987 by [[Family Home Entertainment]], minus Spike's swear. Not long after, it was released in the UK by [[Video Gems]]. This version featured the opening text crawl and closing narration inherent to the UK version of the film. In Australia, the film was released on video by RCA/Columbia Pictures/Hoyts. In Japan, Hillcrane released a Laserdisc version alongside a VHS copy, both sporting a gorgeous painted cover that decorated many a fan's desktop back in the day.
*The movie was released spottily in the '90s, beginning with a budget VHS by Avid Home Entertainment in 1991. [[Malofilm]] released a VHS in Canada in 1995, notable for being the first home entertainment version to include Spike's swear. In 1998, Japanese company Pioneer produced another pair of Laserdisc and VHS releases. In 1999, things kicked off when American company [[Kid Rhino]] secured the Transformers license and released the film on VHS once again.
*The 21st century's flirtation with ''The Transformers: The Movie'' started with a UK budget VHS release of that country's version by [[Sony|Sony Wonder]], distributed by [[Maverick Entertainment]]. A Japanese company called CatCo followed this up with a VideoCD, and Malofilm—now Seville—were the first to release a DVD version of the film, though it was just a dump of their VHS version.
*In November 2000, ''The Transformers: The Movie'' got its first, full professional DVD release from Kid Rhino. This edition, labelled a "Special Collector's Edition", is the first to feature remastered video and audio, and several special features, including storyboards and an interview with [[Vince DiCola]]. Rhino concurrently released this version on VHS, sans extras.
*In 2001 in the UK, Sony Wonder released their own much-delayed DVD version of the film. It was the UK version of the film, but included Spike's swear. However, the release was burdened by badly interlaced video, though it notably included the [[Omni Productions]] dub version of the ''[[Transformers: The Headmasters (cartoon)|Headmasters]]'' episode "[[Four Warriors Come out of the Sky]]" as an extra. This version (including the ''Headmasters'' episode) was simultaneously released on VHS.
*The movie was released on DVD in Australia in 2003 by [[Madman Entertainment]], using the same video as the Maverick version, but distinguished by some nifty new cover art by [[Don Figueroa]], and special features not seen on other editions, such as ''[[Stan Bush|The Touch]]'' music video and 80s TV spots.
[[Image:Tftm uk covers.jpg|right|180px|thumb|The UK poster art (left) has been the most common DVD and VHS cover in its home country, but the Ultimate Edition featured new art by Andy Wildman (right).]]
*After acquiring the license to release ''Transformers'' DVDs in the UK, [[Metrodome]] focused on completing their run of series box sets before turning their attention to the movie properly, releasing only a cheap budget DVD of the UK version through Prism Leisure with no extras, and a UMD of the same version.
*In 2005, Metrodome released ''Transformers: The Movie - Reconstructed'', a new version of the film designed to expose as much of the animated picture as possible. This, however, only resulted in exposing the rough, unfinished edges of the animation, and an overly pale remaster was compounded by excessive interlacing due to an unnecessary NTSC to PAL transfer. This, coupled with a 5.1 remix from [[Magno Sound & Video]], featuring the same extra sound effects that they added to Rhino's season box sets, made this release both controversial and disappointing to many. This was the first time that the US version of the movie was released in the UK, and the first to feature the US poster art as a cover (although a Silverscreen store exclusive version of the disc included a reversible cover with the UK poster art as well). Extras include trailers, TV spots, the character biographies from the Madman release, and a subtitled version of "[[Four Warriors Come out of the Sky]]".
[[Image:Tftm sony covers.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Sony's covers, by Don Figueroa.]]
*For the movie's 20th anniversary in 2006, new license holder [[Sony|Sony BMG]] released a two-disc special edition of the film, featuring both a high-quality widescreen remaster and the original fullscreen version, audio commentaries from crew and fans, several new featurettes interviewing those involved in the movie's production, storyboards, tv spots, American and Japanese commercials and more. Most notably, this version included the first Western release of "[[Scramble City: Mobilization]]", albeit silent and unsubtitled, featuring only audio commentary. This release featured two covers by Don Figueroa: one is of the '84-'85 cast that appear in the movie, and one is of the movie's new characters, available either as a lenticular hologram that switches between the two, or as a reversible sleeve with the images printed on either side.
[[Image:Tftm madman covers.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Madman's 2003 DVD cover (left), and their 2007 Special Edition cover (right).]]
*Delayed a bit to coincide with the hype for the 2007 [[Transformers (film)|live-action movie]], Metrodome also released a two-disc "Ultimate Edition" with a different widescreen master. Like "Reconstructed", this version used the US edition of the film, but this time, the UK version was also included, in fullscreen, on the second disc. Extras include TV spots, commercials, the Madman biographies, storyboards, commentary, "Scramble City" (with audio and subtitles), featurettes with [[Flint Dille]] and [[Peter Cullen]], and more. The double-disc edition was sold in a steel case featuring new art by [[Andrew Wildman]], with the UK poster art adorning the standard case inside. Various store exclusives were available, including postcards from Play.Com, a reversible cover with the US poster art from HMV, art cards from Virgin Megastore and [[posters]] from Woolworths and [[Toys"R"Us]]. It was also available in an extra-less single-disc version. This version was premiered at the Mid Ulster Film Festival in Ireland which was the only cinema showing of the remastered version of the film to date.
*The film was released in Full HD 1080p on Blu-ray in the UK in October 2007. The Blu-ray is not region-locked, so it will play anywhere in the world. It features a 2.0 soundtrack, 5.1 Dolby Digital track, and a full bitrate DTS 5.1 track. The master used was the same used by Sony for their US DVD. The picture is quite stunning and the sound very good. Sadly, there are no extras on the DVD. The version of the film on the Blu-ray is the US one, complete with curse words.
*Madman produced their two-disc special edition through some collaboration with Metrodome, and consequently it features much of the same content, with additional extras taking the form of The Touch music video and a bonus episode of ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]''. This release again features cover artwork by Don Figueroa, specifically the cover of [[IDW Publishing|IDW]]'s ''[[Transformers: The Animated Movie]]'' adaptation.

==Television Broadcasts==
Following an airing during Season Five in parts, the feature film was only ever aired on American television in 1989 via the Fox stations. Air dates and times were June 17 at Noon, July 30 at 11 A.M. and September 2 at 10 A.M. Of course, this was the language-edited video release from Family Home Entertainment.

The movie was aired on [[The Hub]] on February 18, 2012, following [[Orion Pax, Part 1|the Season 2 premier]] of ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' on what was called "Transformers Mega Saturday". Uniquely this version seemed to combine the European opening naration with the US scrawl-free opening credits, muted the two swear words, used the European closing narration at the end, and sped up the scroll of the end credits to cut it down for time, ending the lyrics of the theme song around the beginning of its second verse.

The American television airing of the feature film adds one extra sound effect, and it has never been heard in any other release. During the scene when Arcee is racing to jump aboard the departing Autobot shuttle, there is a distinctive sound effect when she jumps. In all other releases there is no sound effect.

==Notes==
* According to [[Buzz Dixon]], Hasbro's decision to kill off Optimus Prime was actually an attempt to maintain some brand-storytelling parity with ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'', as Dixon had just convinced them to allow the death of [[Duke (G.I. Joe)|Duke]] in ''[[wikipedia:G.I. Joe: The Movie|G.I. Joe: The Movie]]'' and both films were in production at the same time.<ref>http://www.joeheadquarters.com/interviews_dixon.shtml</ref>

* This film was the last professional performance by [[Orson Welles]], who died only a month later. According to production materials shown at [[BotCon 2000]] by Tim Finn, the voice recording sessions for ''The Transformers: The Movie'' were done on [[September 10]] and [[September 11|11]] of 1985. Welles died on [[October 10]] of that same year. It has often been speculated that Unicron's last line ("Destiny… you cannot destroy my destiny!") was recorded by another actor—possibly [[Leonard Nimoy|Nimoy]]—because it sounds different than the other lines. This speculation has been quashed by statements by Transformers voice director [[Wally Burr]].<ref>http://cybertronchronicle.freewebspace.com/60-astrominutes/wally-burr/wally_burr_3.html</ref>
[[Image:Windcharger wheeljack otp.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Uncle Owen! Aunt Beru!!]]

* With the exception of Starscream and possibly Shockwave, only the Autobots suffered fatalities in the movie. All of the other "dead" Decepticons from the Autobot City battle were rebuilt into Galvatron's new troops, and although more Decepticons were shown taking heavy damage and suffering huge casualties while fighting Unicron, their identities and their final condition are uncertain. Additionally, both Starscream and Unicron survived in the post-movie series in some form or another. Shockwave's death in the finished film is highly uncertain, although in the script it is fairly strongly implied. He does make some miscolored appearances in crowd shots in later cartoon episodes, but these are probably examples of the fairly common animation errors in those episodes.

* Somewhat ironically, though only three of the original eighteen Autobots - [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]], [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]], and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] - are definitively shown to have survived the movie, two would quite literally never be heard from again: [[Scatman Crothers]] passed away (though this didn't stop Jazz from making any number of background cameos) while Casey Kasem [[Casey Kasem#Notes|quit the show early in the third season]]. Fate's finger is fickle indeed.

*[[:Image:TFTM-MaybeBeachcomber.jpg|A robot resembling Beachcomber]] appears alongside Spike and the Autobots inside Unicron seconds before Daniel blasts the acid cover. Whether this was actually meant to be Beachcomber or just coincidental coloring is unknown, but regardless, Beachcomber shows up alive and well in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5]]".

==External links==
* [http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=transformers.htm ''The Transformers: The Movie'''s box office domestic gross.]
* [http://web.archive.org/web/20080426020409/http://www.tftm.net/ ''The Transformers: The Movie'' "Unofficial Fansite", an extremely thorough site about the movie]
* [http://www.wombatking.com/coppermine/thumbnails.php?album=4 ''The Transformers: The Movie'' deleted storyboards]

==Footnotes==
{{Reflist|2}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Transformers: The Movie}}

[[Category:Generation 1 episodes]]
[[Category:Generation 1 media]]
[[Category:MSTF]]
[[Category:Real world films]]

Dan Woren

2012-08-03T01:08:58Z

96.21.86.21:

{{disambig3|Dan}}

[[Image:Dan Woren.jpg|thumb|right|Hiya Player!]]
'''Dan Woren''' (born [[January 8]], [[1952]]) is an American voice actor. Among his better-known roles are Roy Fokker on ''Robotech'', Byakuya Kuchiki on ''Bleach'', Zen-Aku on ''Power Rangers: Wild Force'', Laguna Glock on ''Gungrave'', and Arthur in ''[[Marvel]] vs. Capcom 3''.

==Voice roles==
===''Robots in Disguise''===
* [[Crosswise (RID)|Crosswise]]

==External links==
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0199965/ Dan Woren at the Internet Movie Database]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woren, Dan}}
[[Category:English voice actors]]

Richard Epcar

2012-08-01T05:40:01Z

96.21.86.21:

[[Image:RichardEpcar.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Even electronic brain pancake crystal elderly]]
'''Richard Epcar''' (born [[April 29]], [[1955]]) is an American actor-voice actor / director and writer. He's done over 300 characters in games and animation. He also acts on camera in films, television, commercials and does tons of other voice work on trailers, commercial voice overs and narration of audio books-including 'White Eyes' a Doc Savage Novel. He has also supervised the dubbing of American movies into foreign languages and adapted and directed many foreign films-including many Academy Award winning films into English. He probably best known as Batou in ''Ghost in the Shell'', the eponymous hero of ''Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo'', Jigen in ''Lupin the Third''; Ansem, Seeker of Darkness and Terra-Xehanort in the ''Kingdom Hearts'' series, Raiden in the ''Mortal Kombat'' series, Zangetsu and Koga from ''Bleach'', and Ben Dixon and Lunk from ''Robotech'', to name just a few. He is very proud to be part of the ''Transformers'' universe.

Dude is ''busy''.

==Episode scripts==
===''Robots in Disguise''===
{{collist|3|
* [[Spychangers to the Rescue]]
* [[Sideburn's Obsession]]
* [[Mirage's Betrayal]]
* [[The Ultimate Robot Warrior]]
* [[Wedge's Short Fuse]]
* [[A Test of Metal]]
* [[Fortress Maximus (episode)|Fortress Maximus]]
* [[Koji Gets His Wish]]
* [[Galvatron's Revenge]]
}}

==Voice roles==
===''Robots in Disguise''===
* [[Armorhide (RID)|Armorhide]]

===''War for Cybertron/Cybertron Adventures''===
* [[Destroyer (WFC)|Autobot Destroyer]]
* [[Brute (WFC)|Decepticon Brute]]
* [[Heavy Soldier|Decepticon Heavy Soldier]]
* [[Shockwave (WFC)|Retaliator]]
* [[Skywarp (Prime)|Skywarp]]
* [[Leader (WFC)|Spy]]
* Additional voices

==Convention appearances==
* [[BotCon 2002]]

==External links==
* [http://www.richardepcar.com/ Richard Epcar's official website]
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0258268/ Richard Epcar at the Internet Movie Database]
* [http://therealmcast.com/22000/exclusive-interview-richard-epcar/ Interview with Richard Epcar at the RealmCast]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Epcar, Richard}}
[[Category:Convention guests]]
[[Category:English voice actors]]
[[Category:Writers]]
[[Category:Activision]]

Jamieson Price

2012-08-01T05:37:07Z

96.21.86.21:

[[Image:JamiesonPrice.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Welcome to... The World.]]
'''Jamieson Price''' (born [[April 28]], [[1961]] in West Palm Beach, [[Florida]]) is an American voice actor. He can be recognized as the voice of Algol in ''Soul Calibur IV'', Lu Bu in the ''Dynasty Warriors'' and ''Warriors Orochi'' series, Oikawa in ''Digimon: Digital Monsters'', Chad in ''Bleach'', Spiral King Lordgenome in ''Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann'', Angra in ''God Hand'' and Ovan in the ''.hack//G.U.'' video games.

==Voice Roles==
===''War for Cybertron''===
*[[Ultra Magnus (Prime)|Ultra Magnus]]
*[[Warpath (WFC)|Warpath]]
*[[Autobot High Council|High Council leader]]
*Additional voices

==Notes==
*Jamieson Price has dubbed over [[ Jōji Nakata]]'s roles several times but currently neither has voiced the same Transformer.

==External links==
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0528936/ Jamieson Price] at the Internet Movie Database
*[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=12807 Jamieson Price at Anime News Network]
*[http://jamiesonkprice.com/ His official website]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Price, Jamieson}}
[[Category:English voice actors]]
[[Category:Activision]]

Transtech

2012-08-01T05:11:30Z

96.21.86.21: /* Cancellation */

{{disambig3|Transtech}}

'''''Transtech''''' was originally planned as the follow-up to the [[Beast Machines: Transformers (franchise)|''Beast Machines'' franchise]]. It would have begun in summer 2001, but was instead replaced by ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'' while [[Hasbro]] geared up for ''[[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Armada]]''.

In 2008, the [[Transformers Collectors' Club]] used the ''Transtech'' designs as inspiration for the ''[[Transformers: TransTech|TransTech]]'' universe.

==Fiction==
Story-wise, not much is known about the original concept. It likely would have picked up on [[technorganic]] [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] following the events of ''Beast Machines''. A Mainframe CGI animated series to support the line was likely in the discussion stage at some point.

==Toys==
[[Image:TransScream.gif|right|150px|thumb|Nightscream would have been spared a lot of hate had he looked like this in BM.]]
The characters transformed into Cybertronic vehicles that in many cases had animal-like features/deco. Cheetor was a Cybertronic race-car with a cheetah-like paint job, for instance, and Prime (confusingly invoking [[Optimus Primal]]) was a truck whose front end looked like an ape's face. Designs were done by [[Draxhall Jump]] and had somewhat less traditional robot modes (Cheetor had large hoop "wheels" for shoulders and feet, for instance) and didn't always resemble older versions of the character very closely. The overall aesthetic was somewhere in-between ''Beast Machines''' odder moments and the new 2007 movie designs. Many of these designs were first shown at [[BotCon 2002]] (apparently without Hasbro's permission, as they were pulled from the booth halfway through the show) and subsequently made available online.

Online retailer [[BigBadToyStore]] posted a preliminary retailer list of early 2001 ''Transformers'' product in December 2000. In addition to revealing several unproduced and delayed ''Beast Machines'' toys, the listing indicated the intent of releasing ''Transtech'' in the summer of 2001 launching with 4 deluxes (Shockwave, Starscream, Cheetor and Silverbolt) along side 2 mega class figures and 2 Ultra class figures (the requisite Optimus and Megatron). A second wave consisting of a deluxe Rattrap and another unnamed deluxe was due shortly after this initial wave.

[[Image:TransCharge.gif|right|150px|thumb|Depth Charge replaces "[[Pretender#Double_Pretenders_.28unreleased.29|Bandito Spider]]" as coolest unmade TF ever.]]
The line would have included Maximals carried over from ''Beast Machines'':

*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]]
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]]
*[[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]]
*[[Rattrap|Rattrap]]

a returning ''Beast Wars'' character:

*[[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]]

returning Generation 1 characters:

*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]
*[[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]
*[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]

[[Image:Starscream-transtech.jpg|right|150px|thumb|So close, yet so far away...]]
and at least one new character

*[[Immorticon]]

Design sketches for a [[Megatron (disambiguation)|Megatron]] and a [[Scavenger (disambiguation)|Scavenger]] of uncertain identity also exist.

The toyline got to the early [[Prototype|hardcopy prototype]] stage, and some prototypes, including Cheetor, Starscream, and Prime, have surfaced. None of them apparently reached a stage of production where real, usable molds were created, and so future release is extremely unlikely.

When Draxhall Jump made their design sketches for Transtech available, they also included a number of designs from other lines (such as GI Joe), but put them all under the "Transtech" header for their web page, causing a bit of confusion. This artwork included a work-up sketch of [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] as a souped-up blue boom-box, which is often mistaken to be a member of the Transtech line.

{{canceledtoy}}

==Cancellation==
The reasons for ''Transtech''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s cancellation remain unknown for certain, though over the years, a number of possible reasons have been speculated, among them: negative fan reaction to ''Beast Machines'', conflict with Mainframe, economic difficulties due to poor performance by other Hasbro toylines at the time (notably the significant under-performance of the first ''[[Star Wars]]'' prequel), differences with Takara, or simply a desire to go in a new direction. The most likely explanation is not a singular culprit, but a number of corresponding culprits, perhaps culminating in the closing of Hasbro's Cincinnati offices and departures of staff, followed by the subsequent relocation to Hasbro's central offices in Rhode Island.

The cancellation of ''Transtech'' led to the Japanese ''Car Robots'' cartoon and toyline [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (franchise)|being imported]] as a stopgap measure while Hasbro and Takara began to work together to jointly create and launch the ''[[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'' line.

And look how ''that'' turned out.

==Notes==
* According to the creative staff of ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'' at [[BotCon 2008]], ''Animated'' [[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]]'s design is partially inspired by ''Transtech'' Cheetor, most notably the hubless wheels making up part of his feet.
* Though the toyline was cancelled, several of the designs have been adapted into other toylines. Notably [[Megatron (Armada)|''Armada'' Megatron]], [[Scavenger (Armada)|''Armada'' Scavenger]] and [[Landmine (Energon)|''Energon'' Landmine]].
* The designs for Toy Biz's ''Marvel Megamorphs'' transforming superhero toyline were done by Draxhall Jump as well. These designs strongly resemble their ''Transtech'' work, specifically with [[Hulk]] using Immorticon's design and [[Iron Man]] using Starscream's. Unfortunately, they don't resemble good toys, suffering from the same drawbacks most transforming toys from companies not used to making transforming toys do. For example: they suck.

==External links==
*[http://www.draxhall.com/draxhall/ Draxhall Jump]
*[http://tfarchive.com/fandom/transtech/?dgallery=browse Transtech concept art gallery from TFarchive.com]
*[http://www.behindthetoys.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7202 Transtech Megatron Style Study Board]
*[http://www.behindthetoys.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7205 Transtech Megatron Destroyer Tank Concept drawings]
*[http://www.behindthetoys.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7209 Transtech Optimus Prime Style Study Board]
*[http://www.behindthetoys.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7210 Transtech Silverbolt Control Drawing]
*[http://www.behindthetoys.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7195 Transtech Cheetor Prototype]
*[http://www.behindthetoys.com/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=7198 Transtech Starscream Prototype]

[[Category:Toys]]
[[Category:TransTech]]
[[Category:Things that don't exist]]

Optimus Prime (G1)

2012-08-01T01:19:30Z

96.21.86.21: /* Hearts of Steel */

{{factions|autobot|autobotg2|hofsilver}}
{{disambig3|Optimus Prime}}
{{suite}}
:''Optimus Prime is the leader of the [[Autobot]]s from the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''
[[Image:Optimusg1.jpg|right|350px|thumb|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 [[Transformer]]s' 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 (G1)|Great War]].

On the battlefield, there are few who rival Optimus Prime's prowess. He is easily the strongest of any Autobot his [[Scale|size]], and his [[ion blaster]] and his [[energon-axe]] are deadly weapons. He would sacrifice his life to protect his fellow Autobots or those under their care, and [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|does so on a regular basis]]. 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 carries within him the [[Matrix of Leadership]].

Before being rebuilt into a [[Powermaster]], his robot mode split into three components:

*A sentient robot module, the [[Brain Center]].
*A wheeled drone module known as [[Roller (G1)|Roller]].
*A [[Combat Deck (G1)|Combat Deck]].

Although Optimus Prime can function as three independent modules, injury to any one module is felt by the other two.

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

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
{{main|Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity}}
[[Image:CommandPerformances-Autobotsattack.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Don't worry, the multiple crises of conscience come soon enough.]]

Optimus Prime was a gladiator champion for [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] before quickly working his way up the Autobot ranks once [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] started the war. Four million years ago, when Decepticons attacked the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], he personally chose to crash it onto [[Earth]], a decision that caused him much remorse when the war restarted on Earth in the modern day.

Though Optimus allowed himself to be destroyed when he betrayed his own moral code while playing a video game, a copy of his mind survived on a [[floppy disk]]. Years later, he was restored as a [[Powermaster]], binary bonded to the [[Nebulan]], [[Hi-Q]]. Optimus Prime slowly earned the respect of Decepticon leader [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], mourned the loss of his friend [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]], and ultimately sacrificed everything to defeat [[Unicron]]. Though Optimus died again, his mind persisted in Hi-Q, and the [[Last Autobot]] was able to restore him as an [[Action Master]] in time to bring a temporary end to the war.

In [[Transformers: Generation 2 (Marvel)|one universe]], Optimus Prime went on to battle [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]], his [[Cybertronian (faction)|Cybertronian troops]], and the [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]]. In [[Transformers: Classics|another]], fifteen years of peace passed before Megatron rose again.
{{-}}

===S.T.A.R.S. pack-in flyers===
[[Image:PackIn RodimusPrimeRemembers Inside2.jpg|right|thumb|250px|The fury of the "Road Warriors"... and Cosmos.]]
The Autobots were outnumbered and outgunned on Earth from the start, though Optimus was confident (and correct) that reinforcements from Cybertron would arrive. {{storylink|Reinforcements from Cybertron!}}

However, the situation was still so desperate that Optimus not only decided to recruit human allies {{storylink|The battle is far from over!}}, but aggressively tried to recruit and ''deputise'' human children, including giving them the power to co-ordinate Autobot teams in battles. He wouldn't even make a final move on the Decepticons until he had enough child soldiers on his side. {{storylink|Earthlings: THE S.T.A.R.S. need your help now!}} {{storylink|Have the Decepticons defeated us once and for all?}} In at least one case, this likely led to the ''death'' of a small boy at Decepticon hands. {{storylink|Can one boy, alone, hold back the evil Decepticons?}}

Optimus later led a convoy in search for a building site for [[Autobot City]], which ran into a Decepticon ambush. {{storylink|Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth.}} He sent off several Autobots to get help, knowing this was the only chance of victory. {{storylink|Transformers Combat Data}} Those several Autobots were seen again, but Prime... wasn't.
{{-}}

===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
{{main|Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity}}

[[Image:Mtmte2_shermandam.jpg|left|250px|thumb|He had this ax once. It was very memorable.]]

Before the war, Optimus Prime was originally '''Orion Pax''', a young dock worker with a girlfriend named [[Elita One|Ariel]]. But as the war began, Megatron destroyed them both, and [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] rebuilt them into more powerful warriors.

Four million years ago, Optimus Prime ended a Decepticon attack on the Ark by directing it towards prehistoric Earth. When both factions reawakened in [[1984]], Optimus Prime and the Autobots fought the Decepticons on numerous occasions until [[2005]]. During an attack on [[Autobot City]] on Earth, Prime fell in battle against Megatron and passed the [[Matrix of Leadership]] to [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]].

Optimus Prime eventually returned, once as a [[zombie]], and again when he was rebuilt by the [[Quintesson]]s to stop the spread of the [[Hate Plague]].

The details between these events differ between universes. Sometimes Optimus Prime merged with [[Vector Sigma]] soon after defeating the Hate Plague, and returned much, much later as Star Convoy. Sometimes Optimus Prime partnered up with [[Marissa Faireborn]] to receive upgrades through mutual [[kiss]]ing. Sometimes... look, he did a lot of weird stuff, okay?

===Marvel coloring books===
[[Image:SummertimeColoring Optimus Prime combat deck.jpg|thumb|right|300px]]
Alerted by [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] of [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s latest plan, Optimus Prime led the mission on [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]'s ship to foil them. He sent Bumblebee on an underwater scouting mission, and took part in a pitched battle that ended in the Decepticon's being defeated. {{storylink|Search for Treasure Under the Sea}} When [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] dropped rocks on the Autobots, Optimus used [[Roller (G1)|Roller]] to eliminate most of them. Unfortunately he was forced to surrender when he saw the other Autobots had been captured by the Decepticons, and was placed in a [[special Autobot prison]]. Luckily Bumblebee remained free, and after he'd rescued the others, Optimus wrapped Megatron up with an iron bar. {{storylink|Bumblebee to the Rescue!}}

One peaceful day, Optimus decided it was ''too'' quiet, and sent Bumblebee and [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] to find out what the Decepticons were up to. Sure enough, the Decepticons were looking for a factory, so Optimus had Mirage create a holographic factory as a trick, and ambushed the Decepticons. Optimus himself hurled Megatron into orbit. {{storylink|Decepticon Patrol}} Optimus and his Autobots rescued [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]] and [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]] when the pair were captured by Decepticons, and afterwards Prime was amazed when Sparkplug repaired [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] and [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]. After Bumblebee and [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] discovered that the Decepticons were attacking [[Hoover Dam]], Optimus and his team defeated them. {{storylink|The Deadly Fuel Shortage}}

[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] reported to Optimus that the Decepticons were stealing gas, and Optimus was able to use Roller to find out the Decepticons were using a [[molecular transfer device]]. The Autobots assaulted the Decepticon stronghold so they could take care of the device. {{storylink|Summertime Coloring Book}} After a rain storm, Optimus and most of the other Autobots went out on patrol. When the Decepticons used a fake message to lure Bumblebee out of the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] so they could take it over, Optimus used the same gambit to retake the ship. {{storylink|A Message From Outer Space}}

[[Image:Forestrescuemission-bunny.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]
When the Decepticons turned up in the same forest that the Autobots were taking a vacation in, Optimus took great pleasure in stopping them and returning the forest to pristine condition. {{storylink|Forest Rescue Mission}} Optimus was undertaking some repairs when Bumblebee offered to help, but Prime told him the repairs were too hard for him. When later the other Autobots were dismissive of Bumblebee's report of a Decepticon attack, Optimus alone listened to him, and they subsequently defeated the Decepticons. {{storylink|Bumblebee's Dangerous Mission}}

{{storylink|The Big Book of Coloring Fun}}

[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] warned Optimus about a fuel plant the Decepticons were building, so Optimus took the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] in his trailer and, under the guise of having a delivery for [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], invaded the construction site and defeated the Decepticons. {{storylink|The Autobot Spy in the Sky}}

{{storylink|Hot Rod's Escape}}
{{charstubfiction}}

===Kid Stuff Talking Story Books===
{{voiceactor|? (English)}}
Optimus and Prowl received message from [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]] of a coal transport in [[Africa]], and discovered Megatron was using human slaves. Megatron detonated his coal mines with the world's largest explosion, killing the humans and forging the world's largest diamond — that he would use to as a lens for a [[Crystal satellite|satellite]] to focus the Sun's beams, melting the [[Rocky Mountains]]! Prime ordered Skyfire to attack the satellite, and [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] to build a square mile panel of metal to deflect the beam, blowing the satellite up. {{storylink|Satellite of Doom}} The Decepticons attempted to drain the [[Prudhoe Bay oil reservoir]], causing volcanic eruptions and Russia to approach America, accelerating tensions between the countries. Optimus ordered [[razon gas]] to be pumped into the reservoir, returning the oil below and raising the Decepticons' aquatic drill. {{storylink|When Continents Collide}}

Accompanied by Prowl, Optimus went to [[Sumatra]] and discovered much of the jungle had been destroyed. The Decepticons tried to destroy the [[Brazil]]ian jungle and take its oil, but once again the Autobots stopped them. {{storylink|Storms of Destruction}} Following a battle between the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s and the Decepticons, Optimus ordered [[Slag (G1)|Slag]] be repaired by Ratchet at their [[Antarctica|Antarctic]] oil supply. Tracking Slag, Megatron attempted to destroy the base with the [[Crusher]], slicing icebergs off the continent. Optimus ordered [[Autobot superjet]]s to counterattack, but the battle was won when Megatron unwittingly reawakened hundreds of dormant Dinobots beneath the ice. {{storylink|Jaws of Terror}} Optimus and Prowl were baffled by Megatron's next strategy, a series of hit-and-run attacks in the Pacific rim. It emerged it was a distraction from the enslavement of the population of [[Buru]]. Optimus, Prowl and the Dinobots arrived and fought off the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]], foiling the scheme to drain the island's oil. {{storylink|Slaves of the Insecticons}} When Megatron planned to drain the world's largest supertanker, Optimus had the oil tainted with a corrosive acid, sabotaging the Decepticon submersible. The Autobots flew the tanker to [[New York City]], and ordered the few witnesses' memory to be wiped. Wow. {{storylink|Attack of the Decepticons}}

===Big Looker Story Books===
[[Image:KidsPrime1.jpg|right|250px|thumb|And the fluffy kitten played with that yarn all gosh-darn night.]]
After a thousand years of war on Cybertron, the planet was shaken from its orbit and risked being smashed to pieces by an asteroid field. Optimus decided to take a group of Autobots in the Ark and destroy the asteroids, but they were attacked by the Decepticons, and Optimus crashed the ship on Earth. Four million years later, the Ark repaired them, and they encountered [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]] and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]]. Sparkplug suggested to Prime that the Autobots tap the volcano they'd crashed into for power. The two humans also warned the Autobots of an impending Decepticon attack, and Optimus laid a trap. Unfortunately the Decepticon forces attacked from all directions, and [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]'s [[null-ray]] put Optimus out of commission. Luckily Sparkplug easily fixed him, and his fast recovery inspired the Autobots to chase the Decepticons off. Optimus vowed to protect this new world. {{storylink|Battle for Cybertron}}

When a two-part race was being held with a massive supply of oil and gasoline as the prize, both the Decepticons and the Autobots badly wanted to win it. Megatron entered the race by hiding himself inside a hollowed-out car and harassed [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] all throughout the contest. When Prime discovered the car was being driven by his arch foe, he swiftly pulled a telephone pole out from the ground and used it to bash the mortal hell out of the cheating Decepticon. Thanks to Prime's violent intervention, Cliffjumper was able to win the race. Afterward, Optimus Prime celebrated the Minibot's victory with a gargantuan smile as all the Decepticons starved to death. {{storylink|The Great Car Rally}}

The morning after a particularly vicious battle, Optimus listened to birdsong and pondered life as a giant robot, before asking [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] and [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] for a damage report. The Autobots were puzzled when the Decepticon [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]]s (and [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]]) did a flyby on their camp, as the Decepticons were similarly damaged after the battle, but [[Shooting Star]] reported that the Decepticons were trying to distract them while an attempt was made to secure a broken-down oil truck a few miles away. Optimus took a small group to investigate, and successfully aided the [[Abe Walters|humans]] in getting their truck moving. [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] was instrumental in stopping the Decepticon attack, and Optimus commended the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]] for his valor. {{storylink|Decepticon Hijack}}

On another beautiful day, Optimus sat under a tree with [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] and [[Hound (G1)|Hound]], discussing the Decepticons. A while later, [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] reported that [[Grapple]] had shot at him. Optimus smelled a Decepticon plot and led an assault on their headquarters, only to find that Grapple had been injected with a [[cerebro-shell]], placing him in Decepticon control. Battle commenced, during which Grapple was freed and helped them defeat the Decepticon. Afterward Optimus said it all had been worth it to get Grapple back. {{storylink|Insecticon Attack!}}

===Ladybird Books===
{{voiceactor|[[Peter Marinker]] (English)}}

[[Image: Ladybird_prime_transforms.jpg|left|thumb|250px|The ghost of Optimus Prime possesses...himself?]]
Upon witnessing the incredible power of a lightning storm for the first time, Optimus Prime had Sparkplug Witwicky explain the phenomenon to him. Intrigued by the potential of lightning, Prime put [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] and [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] to work finding a way to harness its energy, so they could use it to aid in the rebuilding of their spaceship. Huffer constructed a giant lightning rod, and Optimus Prime and the Autobots gathered to watch its first test. They were shocked, however, when a fleet of battered, damaged Decepticons flew out of the mountain housing the antenna and off into the night. The evil robots had attempted to discover the device's secrets and been seriously electrocuted! Once the lightning rod had been checked, Prime vowed to make the lightning-harnessing technology the Autobots' gift to Earth once they had left the planet. {{storylink|Autobots' Lightning Strike}}

When the Decepticons tried to take control of a solar energy station, Prime sent Roller in to investigate. {{storylink|Megatron's Fight for Power}} Later, Prime sent [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] to spy on the Decepticons' latest misdeeds, and the Autobots discovered that they were having trouble with the ion drive of their starship. Prime led the Autobots in an attack on the mine the Decepticons were using to test their propulsion system and routed Megatron's force. {{storylink|Autobots Fight Back}}

Optimus Prime grew concerned when [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] picked up a communication from [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] that indicated the Decepticons had grown interested in a mysterious structure near a human village. Prime and a team of Autobots headed out to investigate, and they battled the Decepticons over the structure, which turned out to be a harmless windmill. {{storylink|Laserbeak's Fury}}

[[Image:Ladybird_powermaster_prime.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Invisible keyboard solo!]]

At some point, Optimus Prime disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] arrived from Cybertron to take his place as Autobot commander. {{storylink|Galvatron's Air Attack}} Prime eventually returned many centuries later, now sporting a [[Powermaster]] body, and rejoined the Transformers' war after it had moved from Earth to the alien planet of [[Nebulos]].

When [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] was captured by the Decepticon leader [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], Optimus Prime agreed to surrender himself to ensure his fellow Autobot's safety. Naturally, though, Prime did not expect Scorponok to hold up his end of the bargain, and he had [[Hosehead]] and [[Fizzle]] rescue Highbrow while he allowed himself to be imprisoned. Their mission successful, Hosehead and Fizzle then sprang Prime from his cell, and the team beat a hasty retreat. {{storylink|Autobot Hostage}}

After weeks of Decepticon silence, Optimus Prime decided to get proactive and sent out patrols all over the planet to try and flush the villains out. None of the patrols reported back with any success, however, and Prime realized that there was one area of the planet that his troops had deliberately ignored: the mysterious "[[Nebulos Triangle]]". [[Quickswitch]], [[Scoop (G1)|Scoop]] and [[Quickmix (G1)|Quickmix]] were sent into the Triangle, and they did indeed discover and foil the Decepticon plot going on in the area. {{storylink|Decepticons Underground}}
{{-}}

===Colorforms audiobooks continuity===
{{voiceactor|? (English)}}
Optimus had [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] and Huffer plant false information to mislead the Decepticons. As the Autobots were in need of a new power source, he sent [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] to find Doctor [[Heath Blaisedale]] and had to apologize to the doctor after Cliffjumper kidnapped her. Persuading her to help them, the Autobots traveled to the solar plant to make use of her solar reactor, only to find the Decepticons were already planning to attack it. While the other Autobots re-energized, Optimus protected them from an attack by [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] and [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]]. [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] abducted Blaisedale as a diversion, forcing Optimus to lead a team and rescue her. When the team returned, the plant was already under attack and Optimus helped the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] drive them off. Unfortunately the Dinobots totaled the plant in the process, and Optimus promised Blaisedale the Autobots would help her rebuild. In return, Blaisedale organized a meeting with the [[President of the United States]] so the Autobots could forge an alliance. {{storylink|Sun Raid}}

===The Battle for Planet Earth===
{{voiceactor|[[Peter Marinker]] (English)}}
In search of new energy sources, Optimus led a team to central [[South America]]. When they spotted [[Mount Sheelah]], their two human friends [[John Gordon|John]] and [[Tim Gordon]] explained volcanoes, and, believing it to be of possible use, the Autobots went to examine it. During a battle with the Decepticons over the volcano, Optimus was convinced by the two humans to retreat, ultimately saving them when Mount Sheelah erupted. {{storylink|Terror of Mount Sheelah}} After discovering that the Decepticons were kidnapping humans, Optimus sent [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] to scout the Decepticon base. When Bumblebee returned with the Decepticons' [[global crystal]], Optimus was able to use it to blackmail the Decepticons into letting the humans go. {{storylink|Bumblebee to the Rescue (G1)|Bumblebee to the Rescue}}

Using their network of human allies, the Autobots tracked the Decepticons to [[Stanley Lake]]. When Optimus learned that the Decepticons had taken over the hydro-plant, he lured them out into the valley in front of the dam so that [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] and the humans could flood the valley, washing the Decepticons away. {{storylink|Menace at the Dam}} [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] attempted to defect as part of a ploy to get a spy into the Autobots' midst, but Optimus wasn't fooled at all. He and his men concocted a false plan which they shared with Starscream, and while the Decepticons were subsequently on [[Deuterium Orbital Laser Tracing System|a wild goose chase]], Optimus's team smashed the Decepticon base flat. As they let Starscream go, Optimus couldn't help mocking him. {{storylink|Espionage!!!!!}}

===''Transformers in 3-D''===
Not long after his resurrection, Optimus was alerted by [[Monitorus]] to an attack on [[Tau-Ursa]]. Optimus's impending speech was interrupted by a Decepticon attack led by [[Sixshot]]. Prime soon discovered that the attack was a diversion, while Galvatron tried out his [[Nullification Cannon]] on Cybertron's Energon supplies. Optimus rushed to the Energon plant, but, after clouting [[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]] so hard that the Decepticon was left dangling over a precipice, Prime's morals forced him to rescue the Decepticon instead of stopping Galvatron from getting away.

Although Cybertron's Energon stocks were destroyed, the Autobots discovered a recording pointing to the [[Logicon]] planet [[Metascan Alpha]], which had Energon in abundance. Optimus ordered Hot Rod and Ultra Magnus to take a team each to find the planet. The Autobots discovered they were being spied on by the Decepticon [[Clone (subgroup)|Clone]]s, and Optimus swore that Galvatron could pay. He led a team to the derelict space destroyer which the Decepticons were using for a base and fought their leader one-on-one. As he was about to destroy the Nullification Cannon, [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] took a swing at him which connected instead with the Cannon, obliterating it. Optimus was helped away from the destruction by [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] and [[Sureshot (G1)|Sureshot]]. {{storylink|The War Against the Destructons, Chapter 1 of 3}}

===''Transformers PD Type''===
[[Image:PDtype-Matrixattack.jpg|left|thumb|250px|This is the highlight of this entire page.]]

When a horde of time-displaced Decepticons joined forces to hunt down the five [[Blackball]]s, a super energy source, Optimus Prime gathered a team of time-displaced Autobots to help stop them.

In one encounter with his arch-foe [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], they reenacted their epic struggle from the [[Battle of Autobot City]]. However, this time around, Prime avoided dying by launching his "Matrix Attack"...''literally'' launching the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] from his chest, bonking Megatron on the head. {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##1 "You're Great! Optimus Prime!"|You're Great! Optimus Prime!}}

Later, Optimus Prime and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] concocted a cunning strategy. They disguised a round, black cartoon explosive as a Blackball and gave it to [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]. Starscream promptly brought it to Megatron, where it blew both of them up. Optimus and Magnus were astounded their plan actually worked. {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##3 "Don't Cry! Megatron!!"|Don't Cry! Megatron!!}}

In one of his less impressive moments, after running out of ammo during a battle with [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]], Optimus Prime ordered his fellow Autobots to improvise and hurl everything that wasn't nailed down at their enemy. This included the Blackball, unfortunately. Catching it, Deathsaurus began to fantasize about his inevitable galactic conquest, all the while being pelted with rocks and litter. Frustrated, Deathsaurus accidentally hurled the Blackball back to the Autobots in a fit of rage. {{storylink|Transformers PD Type##4 "Good Job! Deathsaurus!!"|Good Job! Deathsaurus!!}}
{{-}}

===''Comic Bom Bom G-2'' comic===
[[Image:G2Hero.jpg|right|200px|thumb|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 (G2)|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 New Battle!!}}

===''Beast Wars'' cartoon continuity===
====''Beast Wars'' cartoon====
[[Image:G1Prime BWMegs.jpg|left|180px|thumb|You have to get up preeeeetty early in the timestream to beat Optimus Prime!]]

The [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] raged on prehistoric Earth, eventually leading to the discovery of the buried Ark sometime after its crash on prehistoric Earth. [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]], following [[Megatron (G1)|his namesake's]] 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/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|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)}}

====''Beast Machines'' cartoon====
[[Image:Sparkwar2_Optimus_hologram_primal.jpg|right|200px|thumb|]]
{{voiceactor|[[Garry Chalk]] (English)|[[Tilo Schmitz]] (German)}}

Optimus appears to have fallen in "the final battle" against the Decepticons. {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search}}

An enormous [[Optimus Prime memorial|statue]] of Optimus Prime, bearing two [[Golden Disk (disambiguation)|Golden Disks]], could be seen on Cybertron in front of the Hall of Archives. The statue was subsequently blown to pieces by the [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon forces]]. {{storylink|Fires of the Past}} Later, Megatron beamed a hologram of Optimus Prime down to the ruins of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] to confront [[Optimus Primal]], claiming to contain the "essence" of the real Prime that had been stored here since the Final Battle. Primal was conned by this and was tricked by the hologram into accessing the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]]. Megatron seized control of the Oracle code and 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}}

====3H comics====
[[Image:Sparkholderprimevaldawn.jpg|left|190px|thumb|"Oh, I also have this in me now, too."]]

After the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], Optimus Prime disappeared with other legends into the mysterious location on Cybertron dubbed [[J'nwan]]. When the warlord [[Shokaract]], powered by [[Unicron]]'s [[Dark Essence]], traveled into the past to secure his own future, a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] named [[Sandstorm (BW)|Sandstorm]] traversed the confusing mists of J'nwan to seek out its occupants to help. Sandstorm prevailed and brought Optimus, Megatron, Soundwave, and Grimlock with him to prehistoric Earth during the time of the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] where a battle with Shokaract had already begun. When Sandstorm (secretly Scorpius) and the rest of the [[Covenant]] arrived to vanquish the Dark Essence and defeat Shokaract, Optimus Prime and the others escaped through portals as that timeline was paradoxed from existence. {{storylink|Terminus (issue)|Terminus}}

After the Beast Wars had ended and the Maximals and Predacons that survived it had headed home, the Vok entered the Ark and removed the Matrix of Leadership from an unconscious Optimus Prime. They used it to create [[Primal Prime]], and then gave the Matrix to their new creation. {{storylink|Primeval Dawn Part 1}}

{{note|''Primeval Dawn'' was never completed, but presumably the Matrix was returned to Optimus Prime's body before Primal Prime returned to Cybertron.}}

As the [[Universe war|Universe conflict]] began, [[Optimus Primal]] was shown a myriad of Transformers from across all timelines that he could choose to recruit into his [[Child of Primus|Children of Primus]] in the battle against the [[Minion of Unicron|Minions of Unicron]]. One such possibility was a Transformer who was either [[Thunder Clash]] or Optimus Prime, but, regardless, Primal chose [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]] and [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox instead]]. {{storylink|Homecoming (issue)|Homecoming}}

===''Beast Wars Metals'' comic===
[[Image:CheetasManga1.jpg|right|100px|thumb|Cheetor, that's Prime's Spark, not a toy.]]
Optimus Prime was blasted into pieces by Dragon Megatron. {{storylink|Beast Wars Metals issue 5|Beast Wars Metals #5}} Fortunately, his spark remained perfectly intact—in the remains of his Matrix-shaped spark chamber. Megatron was going to destroy Prime's spark, but [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (now in his Transmetal body) saved it. Prime's spark was eventually swallowed by Optimus Primal, who was upgraded into Optimal Optimus by doing so.

After Megatron was killed by Optimal Optimus, Primal and his crew said it would be troublesome to fix Optimus Prime's body. {{storylink|Beast Wars Metals issue 6|Beast Wars Metals #6}}

===''Transformers Legends''===
When Bumblebee, Hound and Spike brought a badly-damaged Starscream back to the Ark, Optimus struggled with the ethical implications of allowing Wheeljack and Ratchet to mess with the Decepticon's logic circuits, but gave them the go ahead. Starscream proved to be amnesic, and Optimus was able to take the opportunity to help him as much as possible, even physically preventing Megatron from retrieving his former lieutenant when Starscream opted to stay with the Autobots. Though Starscream left as soon as he regained his memory, Prime reflected that they'd learned that maybe it was possible to reason with a Decepticon. {{storylink|Redemption Center}}

After passing the Matrix to Ultra Magnus and expiring in the aftermath of the [[battle of Autobot City]], Optimus Prime found himself in [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]]. There he encountered Optimus Primal and another [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] from a [[Unicron Trilogy|different universe]]. Together, the four of them overcame the other Optimus Prime's doubts about his leadership, before returning to their respective time lines. {{storylink|Prime Spark}}

{{note|The following takes place in a version of Dreamwave comic continuity}}
While the Autobots were boarding the Ark, Optimus voiced his lack of confidence in his leadership, before welcoming aboard [[Geosensus]], who was incapable of transforming to robot mode. Four million years later, Prime and [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] found the Ark was under attack and defended it with deadly force. In examining the wreckage of the attackers, they realised that the robot Optimus had destroyed was not a Decepticon but Geosensus, who had forced himself to transform in an attempt to fight off the Decepticons. Though Prime was willing to take the rap, Prowl insisted on covering up the mistake to protect Optimus's image as a leader. {{storylink|Parts}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation 1'' comics===
{{notekeepers}}
[[Image:Optronix optimus.jpg|left|180px|thumb|What? OPTRONIX is evolving!]]
Optimus Prime started life as '''Optronix''' ''('''Orion''' to his friends)'', {{storylink|Hardwired}} a data archivist at the [[Vaults]]. 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 Ancients]] 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. After dispatching a Decepticon assassination squad sent to, well, assassinate him, he ordered the Autobots to prepare to evacuate Cybertron, intending to leave the Decepticons to their own devices. {{storylink|The War Within issue 1|The War Within #1}}

As he and Prowl discussed the wisdom of evacuating, a huge explosion obliterated the [[Forum of Enlightenment]]. Optimus led a team there, realising that the destruction was a message from Megatron. Leaving his team, he ventured underground, encountering [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]], who blasted him into a pit. {{storylink|The War Within issue 2|The War Within #2}} Exploring the underground, Prime had a strange vision of a transparent version of himself, which warned that he must grasp Cybertron's significance. Then he was attacked by [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] and the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]]s, whom he was able to easily best. As Optimus encountered [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] in person for the first time, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] blasted the bridge they were standing on, plunging them into yet another chasm. {{storylink|The War Within issue 3|The War Within #3}} Recovering, Prime heard another disembodied voice telling him about Cybertron. Before he could look for a way out, Megatron found him, and informed him about the true nature of the Matrix. This spurred Optimus to fight back, but before long, Megatron took control of the battle, smashing his fist into Prime's chest to get at the Matrix. A blaze of light enveloped the pair, who found themselves abruptly on 20th century [[Earth]]. {{storylink|The War Within issue 4|The War Within #4}}

As Megatron explained that the Matrix was giving them a vision of the future, they witnessed themselves battling on [[Sherman Dam]]. The nature of their surroundings established, Megatron resumed the scheduled beating, but a series of setting shifts ended with Optimus reunited with [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]. Grimlock handed Prime a sword and suggested he finish Megatron for good. {{storylink|The War Within issue 5|The War Within #5}} Optimus found Megatron again, engaging him in combat and announcing that he was playing the game by Megatron's rules now—without mercy. A short time later, he joined the other Autobots in attacking the Decepticons who were trying to use Cybertron's giant engines. Grimlock was finally impressed with Prime. They arrived back at [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] to find it destroyed, but Optimus announced they were no longer evacuating the planet and threw away the [[Golden Disk (council)|Golden Disk]] full of the knowledge of his predecessors which the council had given him, saying he would choose his own course. {{storylink|The War Within issue 6|The War Within #6}}

Some time into his role as leader, Optimus Prime disappeared in a [[space bridge]] explosion along with Megatron, {{storylink|Fragmentation}} but returned some time later, having spent a period of time on [[Quintessa]].

{{note|Due to the closure of Dreamwave, Optimus's return to Cybertron was never depicted.}}

[[Image:DWPrimeDirective1 Sparkplug newspaper.jpg|250px|thumb|]]

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 [[Magnificent Seven|seven humans]], including Witwicky patriarch [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]]. Before the ship departed, Prime gave a piece of the Matrix to [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|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.

Optimus Prime's body was hauled out of the Arctic Ocean by the US military. While a terrorist organization run by the enigmatic [[Lazarus]] was able to seize control of several of the other Transformers that fell back to Earth, the military worked unsuccessfully to reactivate Prime. They eventually called in Spike Witwicky. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 1|Prime Directive #1}} Spike was forced by the project 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. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 2|Prime Directive #2}}

The Autobots helped repair a [[Smitco Oil Refinery]] site which the Lazarus-controlled Transformers had attacked. Optimus had no answer for Spikes accusation that the Transformers' presence on Earth was responsible for the destruction. When Megatron's activities at Lazarus's base were spotted by the military, Optimus insisted on the Autobots going in without backup. They discovered Megatron in the middle of a plan to reformat Earth into a new Cybertron using a [[cyber-virus]]. Optimus rejected Megatron's suggestion he should just let it happen, but while the two factions fought, the human military unleashed [[Operation Clean-Up]], dropping a bomb on them. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 3|Prime Directive #3}}

The energy of the explosion absorbed by the virus, the Autobots dug themselves out and set about recovering their fellows whom Megatron had used to power the cyber-virus in its early stages. [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] passed on a message from Megatron — there was a surprise in store for the Autobot leader. Optimus and some Autobots including [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] sped to [[San Francisco]], where Megatron had unleashed [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. As Prime battled Megatron, he took time to save three humans who were threatened by falling debris, only for the humans to turn on him. The defeat of Superion turned the tide of the battle against the Autobots. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 4|Prime Directive #4}}

[[Image:DWPrimeDirective6 Autobots wanttheirheads.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Optimus sets a [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|trend]].]]

Never one to give up, Optimus managed to down Devastator in return, only to find himself at Megatron's mercy. The Decepticon leader pointed out to him the humans' self-obsessed behavior in the face of the devastation, suggesting the fleshlings were worthless, and the Autobots should join the Decepticons in wiping them out. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 5|Prime Directive #5}} The heroic actions of a team of firefighters and other humans proved to Optimus that the humans were worth saving, and the Autobots delivered a smackdown on the Decepticons. The fight was interrupted by the news that a nuclear missile was inbound, and despite Prime's protests, Superion sacrificed himself intercepting it. Prime recovered from the shock wave to find that the Decepticons had fled. He appealed to Grimlock to return to the Autobot ranks, an offer turned down by the Dinobot. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 6|Prime Directive #6}}

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, and brought a team of [[Triple Changer]]s to apprehend them. As Optimus stared down [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]]'s cannon barrel, he was saved by Grimlock, though he subsequently had to order a retreat. Prowl convinced him to let a small team stay as recon while the others returned to the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] and discussed the change in situation. {{storylink|New World Order}} Though Optimus was puzzled by [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] having fallen in with Shockwave, he had little other choice, and surrendered to Magnus. Despite being bound, he took the first opportunity he got to make his feelings clear. Prime and those of his Autobots who had also surrendered were put on a shuttle back to Cybertron, where Shockwave planned to have them deactivated. {{storylink|Brothers' Burden}}

Stewing in a cell, Optimus blamed himself for their predicament, but he and the Autobots were soon rescued by [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] and [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]]. Sandstorm and Optimus traveled through Cybertron's [[Old Slave Trails]], only to find themselves ambushed by [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]], who swiftly killed Sandstorm, and then the Decepticon was attacked by a [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticon]], which lunged at Prime. {{storylink|Cold War (issue)|Cold War}} Prime recovered to find himself in the care of a group of Autobot rebels including [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] and [[Kup (G1)|Kup]]. They revealed to Optimus that Shockwave had been transmitting subliminal signals to increase Transformer aggression. {{storylink|Passive Aggression}}

Optimus was able to rally Autobot factions from across Cybertron to the cause and launch an all-out attack on Shockwave's fortress. Shown the image of Shockwave blasting Ultra Magnus, Optimus charged in to confront the Decepticon, only to be overpowered and the Matrix ripped from his chest in order to activate Vector Sigma. {{storylink|Countdown to Extinction (issue)|Countdown to Extinction}} Stalling, Prime listened as Shockwave recounted the history of Cybertron, and eventually Ultra Magnus arrived, having recovered, to attack and defeat Shockwave. Prime and Grimlock helped him escape from the fortress as it crumbled to the ground. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}} The injuries Prime took in this conflict necessitated a prolonged restoration period in stasis. {{storylink|Black Sunshine}}

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

===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''===
[[Image:GIJoevsTFcobraprime.jpg|right|275px|thumb|G.1. Joe—the real universal hero!]]
In the early stages of the war, Optimus Prime was an archivist, watching the battles from afar and keeping records of them. This all changed when the [[Matrix of Leadership]] chose him to lead the Autobots in battle. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 2|The Art of War #2}} Shortly after he ascended to Primehood, [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] tried to kill him, but failed. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 1 of 2|Black Horizon, Part 1}}

Several Autobots and Decepticons, including Optimus Prime, were reformatted into will-less war machines under the control of [[Cobra]]. During an initial attack on a human peace conference, Cobra's remote control of Optimus (whom they had nicknamed "[[HISS tank|HISS-14]]") mysteriously failed. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 1|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue #1}} Later at Cobra's [[Cobra Island|island headquarters]] in the Caribbean, Cobra scientists pulled Optimus apart to find out what was impeding their commands. As this analysis took place, Optimus reverse hacked into Cobra computers until they shut him down in a panic. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 2|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #2}} Despite this, Prime sent a viral message out to hundreds of email addresses that included the coordinates of Cobra's base. The message was intercepted by [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] who teamed up with Wheeljack and Bumblebee. After Wheeljack broke the remote control over the Transformers, Prime went after [[Cobra Commander]]. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 3|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #3}} More than a bit frightened of a giant robot gunning for him, the human released Megatron, who was trapped in gun model. Megatron transformed and fought Prime to a standstill until other Autobots came to back him up. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 4|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4}}

Although he was weak and low on [[energon]], Prime made a last-ditch effort to save the day when he rammed through the wall of Megatron's energon-producing lab. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 5|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #5}} After a quick recharge, Optimus single-handedly smashed the Decepticons, pounded Megatron to the ground, and ripped his [[fusion cannon]] off his arm. Prime then teamed up with the Joes and used Megatron's cannon to shoot down the [[SPS Satellite]] that had gone rogue and was destroying the island.

With the battle over, Prime and the Autobots boarded a new ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' ship built by G.I. Joe and returned to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 6|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #6}}

[[Image:GIJoevstfIIprime1930s.jpg|left|275px|thumb|Retro Convoy: TRANSFORM!!!]]
On a Cybertron dominated by [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] and the Decepticons, Optimus Prime and the Autobots took on the roles of resistance fighters. Cobra experimentation transported a contingent of Cobras and G.I. Joes to Cybertron and destabilized [[Teletran 3]], which led to the computer sending several Transformers to [[Earth]] across different time periods. When Optimus Prime saw Jazz get zapped by Teletran 3, he leapt to rescue his soldier, only to be transported away as well. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 1|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #1}} A team made up of Joes and Cobra agents were sent back and found Optimus Prime and the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] in 1930s-era Chicago, disguised as period cars and trucks. The Stunticons chased Prime and the Joes around the city until everything was wrapped up with bullets, a collapsed bridge and some dynamite. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 2|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #2}}

After the Transformers and humans were returned to present-day Cybertron and the Decepticons were vanquished by the recently-arrived [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], Prime made an agreement with the Joes to destroy the technology that started the whole mess in order to protect Earth. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 4|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #4}}

On Cybertron, Optimus Prime kicked back to do a little bit of paperwork and reminisce. With Shockwave defeated, Cybertron was enjoying a new era of peace. He was interrupted by Hot Rod, who reported that a group of "pesky humans with their peashooters" were giving an Autobot team on Earth a hard time. Prime suspected Cobra's involvement and counseled Hot Rod not to be so dismissive of the humans. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 1|The Art of War #1}} When the team returned to Cybertron and mysteriously vanished in the [[Gladiator Zone]], Prime was prepared to go search for them, but was convinced by Hot Rod to stay behind and organize a peace ceremony. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 2|The Art of War #2}}

Later, at the peace celebration, Prime was watching a procession of Autobots when Decepticons attacked. Optimus ordered [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] into action but the huge Autobot was quickly overcome by [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]], [[Piranacon (G1)|Piranacon]] and [[Predaking]]. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 3|The Art of War #3}} Prime hopped into the fray, saved a [[Optimus Prime's rescuees|civilian]] from getting smushed by the falling Omega, rode [[Sixshot]] into Piranacon's face, smashed [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] into the ground, and carried a [[Optimus Prime's rescuees|wounded civilian]] out of danger.

[[Image:Primevsserpentor.jpg|right|175px|thumb|Serpent O.R. soon realized that "This I command!" doesn't work on Optimus Prime.]]
Menasor cut off Prime's escape and handed him the [[Reflector (G1)|Reflector]] trio, who confronted Prime with a hologram of [[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]] The new Decepticon leader carried Megatron's memories and information downloaded from Soundwave, from which he learned of the Matrix of Leadership. Serpent O.R. offered Optimus a trade: hostages and peace if he handed over the Matrix. Optimus agreed.

In his stronghold, Serpent O.R. questioned Prime about his own worthiness to carry the Matrix, but Optimus broke free of his chains and aggressively ordered him to surrender. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 4|The Art of War #4}} A group of Decepticons broke in and nearly took Prime apart, but not before Serpent O.R. took the Matrix for himself and changed into the massive Serpentor Prime. The Matrix showed Serpentor Prime the error of his ways but as he was about to commit suicide Cobra Commander tripped a device and took over Serpentor Prime's body. Moments before he crushed Arcee, a severely damaged Optimus Prime threw Hawk toward the Matrix but warned the human not to touch the artifact. Hawk did so anyway and through a quasi-mystical transfer of power Serpentor Prime was vanquished.

Later repaired by a [[Paradron Medic|female nursebot]], Optimus went back to finishing his paperwork. A leader's job is never done. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 5|The Art of War #5}}

Sensing a new, yet old, danger to planet Earth, Prime elected to send himself to earth on an investigation, and gave Hot Rod a glare when the young Autobot accused his leader of taking an unnecessary risk to atone for the death of a [[Bumblebee (G1)|close friend]].

Optimus Prime landed in the Himalayan Mountains with G.I. Joes [[Flint (G.I. Joe)|Flint]] and [[Hawk (G.I. Joe)|Hawk]]. As they searched the area, the trio was attacked by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] in his [[Pretender]] shell. Prime whacked him with his [[energon-axe]] and in return Bludgeon bearhugged him and coated him in metal-eating slime. Hawk, still carrying power from the Matrix, helped Prime break free. Optimus then shot his way into the hidden kingdom of [[Cobra-La]].

While they wandered through the tunnels, the Joes and Prime found cave paintings that described the last visit to Earth by the planet-eating god [[Unicron]]. They were attacked again by Bludgeon and Cobra-La minions, but were led away by a ragged [[Joe Colton]], prisoner of Cobra-La for the last 25 years. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 1 of 2|Black Horizon, Part 1}} Bludgeon managed to find them again and during a second battle Prime tore open the Pretender's shell, revealing Bludgeon's robot form inside. Bludgeon tripped and dangled dangerously over a chasm, but rather than let Optimus Prime save him, Bludgeon forced Prime to drop him to his death laughing all the way down.

The Joes discovered a cavern where the people of Cobra-La were growing [[metal-eating spore]]s as a last defense against Unicron. Flint and [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] took a load of the spores into space just as Unicron appeared in Earth orbit. Prime, Hawk and Colton headed deeper into Cobra-La to rescue [[Firewall]] and kick butt. Prime was tackled and pinned by a giant bug creature, but made a dramatic recovery and tossed the bug aside. He then took the machine-hating Cobra-La leader [[Golobulus]] to task with a single punch. Flint and Cosmos released the spores, which devoured Unicron from the inside and defeated the giant Transformer before he could harm [[Earth]].

With the threat of Unicron gone, Prime relaxed with [[Eject]] and Firewall by watching some reality TV, and sighed at the banality. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 2 of 2|Black Horizon, Part 2}}

===Dreamwave ''Armada'' comics===
[[Image:Wc_prime.jpg|right|thumb|What is it with Primes and weak stomachs?]]

After their own [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] disappeared, [[Scavenger (Armada)|Scavenger]] and [[Smokescreen (Armada)|Smokescreen]] discovered an alternate version of Optimus Prime lying unconscious and barely alive in [[Autobase (Armada)|Autobase]] Earth. Though [[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] did what he could, the mysterious Prime reactivated only long enough to utter a cryptic statement about the walls crumbling and the coming of chaos, then died. {{storylink|Worlds Collide, Part 1 of 4}}

[[Unicron]] later explained that he sent the alternate Optimus Prime into their universe as a "calling card", a terrifying warning of his imminent arrival. This was probably to tell the uninitiated that Unicron is a jerk. {{storylink|Worlds Collide, Part 4 of 4}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers/G.I. Joe''===
Optimus Prime and his troops lay deactivated on the [[Fera Islands]] for three million years until [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] stumbled upon them one day in [[1939]]. {{storylink|The Line}} The Autobots were reactivated by a [[Sky Spy|repair drone]] and given new disguises, with Optimus Prime being reformatted into an unknown [[World War II]]-era human vehicle. He explained to [[Duke (G.I. Joe)|Duke]] who they were, and learned that [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s Decepticons had been reactivated a year prior, and were currently wreaking havoc on [[Europe]] along with [[Cobra]]. While hesitant at first, Optimus Prime soon joined G.I. Joe in their mission to destroy Cobra and the Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformed}} After commanding the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] to get the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]] out of the way, Prime advanced across the Fera Islands, but met resistance in the form of [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]]. {{storylink|Trial by Fire}}

As the Autobots were having trouble with Rumble, Optimus Prime told them try to use his earthquakes to their advantage, which led to the end of the Decepticon. Prime subsequently ordered the Aerialbots to [[Superion (G1)|combine]] and save Grimlock and [[Roadblock (G.I. Joe)|Roadblock]] from falling off a cliff. {{storylink|Wolves}} As they got closer to the Cobra [[Terrordrome]], however, Prime started regretting getting the Autobots involved with the humans' war. He offered to carry G.I. Joe across the water separating them from the Terrordrome, but told them that Autobots only fight if they have no choice, and they had no reason to fight anymore. Moments later, he saw that Cobra were using innocent prisoners as human shields, and Duke added that anyone who Cobra ''didn't'' enslave, they murdered. Filled with righteous anger, Optimus Prime ordered his troops to roll out. {{storylink|Trenches}}

Shortly after reaching the other shore and taking out [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]], Prime witnessed the gigantic [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]] bust out of the Terrordrome and attack everything around him. With Superion gone, Prime knew that there was only one way to stop this rampaging monster, and ordered his Autobots to evacuate the humans while he went looking for the [[Matrix of Leadership]]. He soon found that [[Snake-Eyes]] was in possession of the artifact, but was under attack from Megatron. Prime attacked Megatron, keeping him at bay while telling Snake-Eyes that destroying the Matrix would kill Bruticus. The ninja complied, only to learn that Optimus had left something out of the story: smashing the Matrix would kill ''all'' the Transformers, including Prime himself. Looking at the Autobot leader's body, the Joes knew that Prime had been aware of this, and had deemed it a necessary sacrifice to save the humans. {{storylink|The Iron Fist}}

Decades later, in 1986, Duke showed [[Flint (G.I. Joe)|Flint]] and [[Spirit]] footage from the battle of the Fera Islands, including Optimus Prime's fight with Megatron. {{storylink|Targets of Opportunity}}

===IDW Generation 1 comics===
[[Image:YoumustbeMegaton.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Megaton—tron—whatever.]]

Before the war, Optimus, then known as Orion Pax, was a graduate from the [[Institute for Higher Programming]] and a rising star in Cybertron's police, an inspiration to officers like [[Springarm]]. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 2}} Shortly before [[Nominus Prime]]'s assassination, Pax became captain of the [[Rodion]] Police and a somewhat liberal one at that. When the lowly miner Megatron was arrested for assault, Orion read his treatise on ''non-violent'' resistance, did some investigation, and found he wasn't guilty; he had him released, and told Megatron he'd read his treatise and told him to keep working for change. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1}} In addition, he locked up his officer [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] for abusing the prisoner.

That last part made some high-placed friends of Whirl's ''very'' unhappy, and thugs working for [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel]] were sent to threaten Pax to release him. Orion refused, but the encounter rattled him; Megatron's writings had claimed the Senate was corrupt but he couldn't bring himself to believe that. He believed it when the thugs came back to spring Whirl and murder him, killing Springarm and [[Wheelarch]] in the process. In a mix of righteous fury and tactical skills, Orion took them down, arrested the leader, and then forced his way into the [[Grand Imperium]]: he made a defiant speech against the Senate's corruption and brutality, saying his eyes had been opened by Megatron.

[[Image:MO3 EOOPAT funeral.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Helloooo cameo.]]
Brutal corrupt regimes aren't likely to be guilt tripped and will instead arrest you. However, not every Senator was corrupt: one had Orion freed and repaired in a way that gave him a Matrix cavity. This Senator revealed elements of the Senate were behind Nominus' demise, intending to get the Matrix from him... {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 2}} Some time later, two Autobots named [[Fastback (G1)|Fastback]] and [[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]] were killed by Megatron, who had changed was now trying to overthrow the Senate by force. Orion Pax (with a completely changed appearance) was one of several Transformers who gathered for their funeral, standing solemnly with his arm around his [[Elita One|girlfriend]], next to his [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|white clone]] and [[Alpha Trion (G1)|a guy with a beard]]. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}}

[[Image:SpotlightBlurr-Optimus.jpg|left|thumb|200px|There's something missing...]]
After the death of Sentinel Prime, [[Zeta Prime]] rose to lead the battle against the growing Decepticon insurgency. Orion Pax continued upholding the law by changing from police captain to soldier, and was assigned to a unit commanded by the veteran [[Kup (G1)|Kup]]. ''Once again'', during this time, he adopted a completely new robot mode, and was for some reason calling himself "Optimus". During this tour of duty, his unit intercepted a message reporting a planned attempt on the Prime's life. He approached former racer [[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] as a reliable means of getting the news to Zeta Prime in a hurry. The former celebrity balked, but ultimately the young soldier helped Blurr find what really drove him to race, and thus recruited him to the Autobot cause. {{storylink|Spotlight: Blurr}}

Orion Pax would face Megatron in open combat for the first time at [[Sherma Bridge]], during the [[Rorsha Campaign]]; his side lost 5000 men but he tore off the tyrant's cannon arm before he losing and getting thrown off the bridge. Every Autobot and Decepticon stopped fighting to witness their duel. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1}}

Eventually, Orion became the commander of his own counter-insurgency unit working directly under Zeta Prime, though he had grown angry and detached from his experiences. During a mission to arrest the arms dealer [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] in [[Nyon]], he lost his temper and almost beat the Decepticon to death in front of horrified onlookers. {{storylink|Law and Disorder}} He later admitted to [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] that he was frustrated with his own failures and uncertain if they were really on the right side, since so many civilians seemed to hate them and the government. {{storylink|Parasites}} Dispatched by Zeta Prime to hunt down the spy [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]], Orion succeeded in defeating the Decepticon in spite of [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]]'s attempts to turn the fear and paranoia of bystanders against him. Before he could capture him, however, several other Decepticons arrived, taking his subordinate [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] hostage and telling him Megatron wanted an audience with him. {{storylink|The Hunt for Soundwave}} Brought to a [[Jump Joint|bar]] in [[Kaon]], Orion listened to Megatron compliment him on standing up against the Senate but refused his offer to help the Decepticons overthrow them. In turn, Megatron revealed that Zeta Prime was not only planning on draining energon from civilians for the war effort, but had also sent Orion's unit to Nyon because he had hoped they would die, thus giving him an official reason to attack the city. Orion stalled the conversation long enough that his allies could break in and rescue him and Bumblebee, then returned to Iacon and confronted Zeta with Megatron's claims. Zeta only told him not to question his motives before sending him on his next mission to capture the insurgent [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]]. {{storylink|Cause and Effect}}

Tracking Hot Rod to the [[Acropolex]] in Nyon, Orion Pax and his men were baited followed him into the depths of the building, where they discovered tanks of energon drained from the city's population by Zeta Prime. Having seen the truth with his own eyes, Orion decided to turn on the corrupt government just as Zeta began attacking Nyon with his [[Omega Destructor]]s. {{storylink|Ruins}} Leaving Hot Rod to evacuate the city, he and his unit tried and failed to defeat one of the Destructors. As they tried to escape, Nyon began to explode, and Orion realized that Zeta had set everything up to force Hot Rod's insurgents into self-destructing their own city. As Zeta arrived in person, Orion tried to fight him but was quickly dispatched by his [[vamparc ribbon]]. {{storylink|Purge}} Before Zeta could execute them, Orion and his team were saved by none other than Megatron and his Decepticons, who brought them back to Kaon for repairs. Though he still didn't trust Megatron, Orion Pax now knew he had told the truth about Zeta Prime and accepted his proposal that they join forces against him. After assuring a depressed Hot Rod that destroying Nyon had been the right thing to do, he shook hands with Megatron to cement their alliance. {{storylink|Choices}}

As their soldiers invaded Zeta Prime's [[Citadel]], Orion Pax and Megatron were air-dropped into his [[Primacy Auditorium|chamber]] and confronted him in person. Though Orion lost an arm in the battle, he managed to destroy Zeta's weapon, and the corrupt Prime was finally killed by Megatron. As soon as everything was over, however, Megatron betrayed the Autobots and shot Orion in the back. {{storylink|Overthrown}} Left for dead in the [[Undergrid]] beneath the Citadel, Orion was pulled towards a distant light which turned out to be the hiding place of the Matrix of Leadership. As a voice called out for him to take the artifact, he did so and was suddenly overcome with the pain, fear, and loneliness felt by all living Cybertronians. Imbued with new clarity and wisdom, he realized that Cybertronians don't need to be "united" since in the eyes of the Matrix, [['Til all are one|all were one]], and that Autobots are meant to fight for the freedom of all sapient beings rather than uphold the laws of a long broken system. As the Matrix repaired his body, Orion Pax declared that he was giving up his identity for his people: he was now Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Transformation (issue)|Transformation}} Guided by the Matrix, Optimus Prime returned to the ruins of Nyon, where he called out for a dormant life force beneath the city. He was soon joined by his old allies and Hot Rod, who had now joined the Autobots, and announced to them that he was now Prime and that it was time to fight for justice instead of laws. The life force then revealed itself to be the Acropolex itself, in truth an ancient Transformer, though Optimus renamed him [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]. {{storylink|Rise}}

In order to defeat Megatron, who had declared the Decepticons rulers of Cybertron following the death of Zeta Prime, Optimus Prime needed an army. He recruited the help of [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] in order to hack into the [[Iaconian Newsfeed Service]] and broadcast a rallying call for additional help against the Decepticon tyranny across the entire planet. Joined by thousands of freedom-seeking Transformers in need of a strong leader, he marched on Iacon to fight the Decepticons for control of Cybertron. {{storylink|Broadcast}} When Megatron brought out his massive "vamparc annihilator" weapon, Optimus called on Metroplex to take it out, causing Megatron to fall near him and leading to [[The Transformers: The Movie|familiar duel]]. Though Optimus won, Megatron managed to flee back to Kaon and promised him that the war was only beginning. In the aftermath of the Decepticons' retreat, [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] showed Optimus a stash of illegal weapons kept by Zeta and suggested they use it against the Decepticons. He refused this and ordered them destroyed, trying not to make the same mistakes as Zeta did. Later, he congratulated Hot Rod for saving his life in the battle, and though Hot Rod stated he didn't deserve gratitude due to his destruction of Nyon, Optimus just told him hold his head high like a true hero because someday he might be holding the Matrix. {{storylink|Endgame}}

In his early days of commanding the Autobot army, Optimus Prime was reviewing new recruits when he came upon a defiant old veteran called Ironhide, who thought of Prime as a wet-behind-the-audio-receptors upstart. Optimus was intrigued by this old coot and asked to teach him about the ways of war—and Ironhide did just that. Everything he threw at Optimus, Optimus took and learnt. One day, Optimus, having gained much wisdom since meeting Ironhide, decided to go against Ironhide's counsel, heading east instead of west. This turned out to be a good idea, as [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] had been waiting in the west to ambush the Autobot forces. Later still, Ironhide and Optimus got a bit unlucky and ended up dangling off a cliff with Ironhide missing a leg. They were eventually rescued. As time went on, Ironhide developed a respect and awe for his protege. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 13|Old Ways}}

Four million years ago, Optimus Prime led a strike team to prevent the Decepticons from overtaking the latest in a series of Cybertronian cities. Leaving Prowl to hold the line, Optimus and Ironhide went after a convoy of Decepticons bring fresh energon to the enemy troops. Fighting their way through [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]], [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] and the Mini-Cassettes, the Autobot duo held [[Octane|Tankor]] and his soldiers at gunpoint, threatening to blow them and their energon cargo to kingdom come unless they surrendered. Tankor chose the better part of valor, and Optimus captured five Decepticons without firing a single shot.

At a party celebrating their win, Optimus Prime politely declined Prowl's request for him to address the troops, reasoning that the Autobots needed some R&R, not the usual "destiny and honor" speech. He conversed quietly with [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] and Ironhide afterwards, privately confiding in them that he foresaw the war going on without end. The Decepticons were a philosophy, an idea...and you cannot beat an idea, only change it somehow. Despite his sad reservations, Optimus took the time to mingle among his soldiers, and listen to their tales of glory. He was saved from an assassination attempt by Ironhide, his ever vigilant bodyguard, whose devotion to his leader led him to throw himself in the path of [[Axer (G1)|the assassin]]'s blast. {{storylink|The Iron Age}}

{{spoiler|Rules of Disengagement| August 25}}
Optimus Prime was later part of the [[113th Battalion]] where the [[Infiltration protocol|phase sixer]] [[Black Shadow (Victory)|Black Shadow]] fought against the 113th Battalion, singlehandedly defeating him and Ultra Magnus and killing 3,003 others. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement}}

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

Over the course of the war, Optimus Prime commanded the Autobot armed forces spread across the galaxy from the [[Autobot Orbital Command Hub]] {{Storylink|The Transformers: Stormbringer|Stormbringer}}, using an [[Omniglobe]] to absorb the data and direct the battle {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement}}. He fought Megatron on multiple worlds, each time either taking and/or dishing out horrific damage. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1}} He was directly involved in the cataclysm ([[IDW timeline|just under 450 years ago]]) that reduced [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to a dead husk, fighting alongside [[Megatron (G1)|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 he advocated that Cybertron be destroyed to better insure that the mad Decepticon was forever destroyed. Optimus Prime refused and threatened to stop any effort that Megatron attempted. Megatron agreed to spare the planet, but warned Prime that anything which happened afterward 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 (G1)|Starscream]] had broken their infiltration methods and enacted [[Infiltration protocol|siege mode]] prematurely. Soon afterward, the Autobot science vessel ''[[Calabi-Yau]]'' sent a distress signal from above Thunderhead Pass, and he ordered the [[Wrecker]]s to withdraw from [[Varas Centralus]] and meet him on Cybertron. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 2|Stormbringer #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)|Predacons]] and [[Centurion droid]]s 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|Stormbringer #4}}

[[Image:IDWPrime Earth.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Don't crush the cameraman!]]
[[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, and having undergone alteration so that he could disguise himself as an Earth truck, he slowly began to realize how unusual the situation Prowl's unit had found itself in was. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}} [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] alerted Optimus Prime to Decepticon activity in [[Latveria]], so Optimus Prime ordered everyone except Wheeljack to [[roll out]]. They arrived and the humans assembled There they discovered a heavily shielded "array" that the Decepticons were using as a base.{{storylink|Man and Machine, Part One}} They skirmished with the humans that were assembled outside who were under the influence of the Decepticons' mind-altering [[Psycho-Prism]]. Optimus Prime ordered his troops to use standard human containment techniques, and to not kill any of them.

After a while, Ratchet was able to attach an inhibitor device to [[Captain America]] which nullified the effects of the Psycho-Prism. He gave Captain America enough devices for everyone on his team. Now calmed down, Optimus Prime was able to explain about their struggle against the Decepticons, and they teamed up to shut down the Psycho-Prism. They began attacking the array's defenses which caused the Decepticons—whose powers were augmented by [[Spider-Man]]'s super powers—to attack. Optimus Prime got blasted and injured by Thundercracker. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Two}} As they fought, Optimus Prime told Ratchet to get inside the array. He then made a point to coordinate better with the leader of the humans. Then Bumblebee, Jazz, and Prime gave a power-boost to [[Iron Man]] in his Transformer-sized armor. This allowed them to beat the Decepticons back.

After the battle quieted down, Megatron communicated via hologram from inside the array with his new ally [[Doctor Doom]]. They showed their captives, Ratchet, Prowl, Luke Cage, and [[Spider-Man]]. Megatron ordered their surrender or the captives would die. Optimus Prime ordered the quick destruction of the array. After a brief discussion, they all attacked the array. Megatron turned on Doctor Doom for being incorrect about them surrendering. Megatron didn't go through with his threat to kill his captives, instead he went outside to face his opponents and carrying Luke Cage. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Three}}

While Megatron was attacking, Bumblebee, Jazz, and [[Wolverine (superhero)|Wolverine]] [[orbital jump|orbital bounced]] into the array. They found that Doctor Doom switched sides and freed Spider-Man. Prowl and Ratchet augmented their power with Wolverine's blood, and orbital bounced with Spider-Man outside to join the battle. With their help they defeated Megatron while Wolverine destroyed the Psycho-Prism. Megatron and the Decepticons retreated. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Four}}

Not only had the Decepticons broken their own infiltration protocols over what Starscream had dubbed [[Ultra-Energon|Ore-13]], but after attempting to recover what appeared to be [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]]'s remains, it was also evident that some of the planet's native sentient lifeforms—[[human]]s—posed a threat possibly equal to that of their old enemies. {{storylink|Escalation issue 2|Escalation #2}}

[[Image:Escalation5 Primedies enlightning.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Rule of thumb, Megs—if he don't turn gray, he's A-OK.]]
Optimus Prime, now fully filled-in on Earth's happenings, decided that they needed reinforcements. He called Nightbeat, [[Hot Rod (G1)|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 (G1)|Roller]] was right behind him and took out Blitzwing with a 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 cannon]] clean off. Megatron, however, tireless thanks to Ore-13, prevailed, almost beating Prime into [[stasis lock]]. {{storylink|Escalation issue 5|Escalation #5}}

However, Prime transferred 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, blasting him point blank in the face and 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|Escalation #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—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 a superior race and should remake the universe in their image, and he faced down the rampaging [[Monstructor (G1)|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, handed Monstructor's limbs over to Jetfire's team, and went on to have angst-ridden introspection about himself and the tarnished legacy of the [[Prime (rank)|Prime lineage]]. {{storylink|Spotlight: Optimus Prime}}

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 the Decepticons' living weapon, [[Sixshot]]. While moving the ''Ark-19'', Prime and the others came under fire by Sixshot, who severely damaged their ship. {{storylink|Devastation issue 1|Devastation #1}}

[[Image:Devastation4 PrimeSixshot hyperbole.jpg|left|180px|thumb|"And THAT'S for killing my brother in another timeline!"]]
Ordering [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] to get [[Jimmy Pink]] and [[Verity Carlo]] 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|Devastation #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 (G1)|Bumblebee]] and the others, ready to take on Sixshot. {{storylink|Devastation issue 3|Devastation #3}} Optimus and the Autobots held Sixshot at bay, but the U.S. military ordered an air strike to destroy the alien robots. The battle was a stalemate, as Sixshot had to return to the Decepticons while the Autobots [[orbital jump]]ed just in time to avoid destruction. {{storylink|Devastation issue 4|Devastation #4}} On ''Ark-32'', after a conversation with Jetfire, Prime informed Prowl that they needed to retrieve Wheeljack, Hot Rod and Ironhide, and leave Earth to see to another crisis. The secure facility on [[Garrus-9]] had been breached, and Prime and company needed to make sure that some of the "recent inmates" there didn't end up "in enemy hands". {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}} Before leaving Earth, Optimus Prime redirected Hound's unit to rendezvous with ''Ark-32'' at Garrus-9, and he told Hound to impress upon Sideswipe the importance of their mission and how he didn't leave Earth or Sunstreaker behind lightly. {{storylink|Devastation issue 6|Devastation #6}}

[[Image:DarknessPrimes.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Think he can go one series without having a near-death experience?]]
Optimus Prime and Prowl met with [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] and Jetfire on Garrus-9 and discussed the prisoners' breakout and how a surviving Decepticon had been tortured. Maximus and Jetfire gave each other a guilty glance. Prime left Maximus in charge and returned with Prowl to the ''Ark-32''. Meanwhile, [[Dead Universe]] resident [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] attacked Hound's crew, but they received help from Ultra Magnus and drove Cyclonus to escape to [[Corata-Vaz]]. There, he activated the [[Nega-Core]] and fought with Magnus and Hound's crew, who had followed him. In desperation, Cyclonus activated the Nega-Core's guardian—Thunderwing. Using the distraction, Cyclonus escaped, but Magnus sent another tracker after him. All this was reported to Optimus Prime on the ''Ark-32'', who recognized that this had something to do with his infraspace encounter in Brasnya. Prime ordered Jetfire to summon the Wreckers to find out what Thunderwing was guarding. {{storylink|Spotlight: Cyclonus}}

The prison soon came under attack from Nova Prime. Rather than watch his soldiers be slaughtered by the undead monster, Optimus Prime ordered a retreat and faced Nova alone. Announcing his new title of Nemesis Prime, Optimus's predecessor explained the nature of the [[Darkness (G1)|Darkness]] before unleashing a portion on the Autobot leader. Shattered, Prime collapsed onto his hands and knees as Nemesis loomed. {{storylink|Spotlight: Doubledealer}}

[[Image:OptimusdeadNemesis.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"Optimus! I've come to help y—oh. Sorted, then?"]]

Unexpectedly for Nemesis Prime, the Darkness seemed to be more interested in the younger Prime and sought to be passed onto Optimus. Nemesis wasn't about to let go of the power he commanded, and he savagely attacked Optimus Prime, whose attempts at reason fell on deaf ears. Just as Nemesis Prime seemed victorious, [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] attacked the fallen Prime from behind, killing him. Nemesis's death allowed the Darkness finally to enter Optimus, who tried to fight against its evil to no avail. Galvatron offered the Autobot a choice: kill himself by plunging into the [[Solar pool]], or pass on the Darkness to Galvatron, who had coveted it for so long. Optimus seemed to do so willingly, but just as he passed on the Darkness, he threw the surprised Galvatron into the solar pool. As Optimus gazed upon the dead body of Nemesis, he told himself he could not mourn the elder Prime's death, as Nova had truly died long ago. {{storylink|Spotlight: Sideswipe}}

[[Image:AHMPrimecritical.jpg|right|250px|thumb|So he's dying. [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|This shouldn't be a problem by now]].]]
A year later, Optimus Prime combined his Autobot squad with another squad. Having received word of a supposed Decepticon power struggle, Prime led the Autobots to a location where Starscream's "group" was, only to be ambushed by a unified Decepticon force. Though they managed to turn the tide briefly, Devastator's appearance made the difference, enabling Megatron to rip the Matrix of Leadership from Prime's chest. Prime was dealt another blow (mentally) when the Autobots were told that they'd been sold out by a traitor in their ranks (who was later revealed to be [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]]). {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 8|All Hail Megatron #8}} The Autobots were led to a space bridge, where Prime, who was the last to go, used his remaining energy to destroy the machine. Unfortunately, this heroic act left Prime in critical condition. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}} With this defeat, the Autobots were forced to leave Earth to the Decepticons. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 1|All Hail Megatron #1}}

After Prime's unit met up with Kup's unit, and after dealing with the Swarm and Sunstreaker's sacrifice to save them, Ratchet and Wheeljack managed to use energon from the ''Trion'' to bring Prime back online in time to smooth over an Autobot argument. As the others excitedly welcomed him back, Prime made a speech about how he was proud of them and that he wanted to win the war. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 9|All Hail Megatron #9}}. After the Autobots recovered and prepared for a final stand against the Swarm, Prime had a brief chat with Ironhide (during which Ironhide admitted to hating him secretly at first sight at the start of the Great War), then prepared for the Swarm's onslaught. When they came, the Autobots fought back, but they were quickly outnumbered by the thousands. Thankfully, Omega Supreme arrived and saved them from certain doom. After Omega briefly told them about his arrival, Prime ordered him to transform and transport the Autobots back to Earth. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}}

Arriving at [[New York City]] while the Decepticons were fending off attacks by a European air squad, Optimus and the Autobots began to engage the Decepticons again. After a bit of fighting, and with the threat of Devastator, Optimus ordered Omega Supreme to take Devastator away from the city and fight him elsewhere. Optimus Prime encountered Megatron, and the two engaged in a bit of viewpoint bantering, mostly about the way their war was now changing and the fact that the humans Prime had "sworn to protect" were about to drop a nuclear bomb on the city. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 11|All Hail Megatron #11}}

[[Image:AHM-13 Prime mouth.jpg|thumb|left|150px|Optimus will overenergize on this stuff, then wake up the next morning in a CR chamber full of ice with his robo-kidneys missing.]]

After that, they engaged in a fierce battle while trading more banter. At first, Megatron took the advantage, but just as he was about to leave with the Decepticons and take the Matrix with him, a shot from [[Shockwave (G1)|an experimental weapon made from a Transformer]] fired by [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|a brave human]] hit him it the face. Seizing the opportunity, Optimus grabbed Megatron's fusion cannon and slammed it against Megatron's head, bringing him down in defeat. Before Optimus could truly finish him off, however, Starscream intervened and, after exchanging words, took off with Megatron and the Matrix. Prime's decision to go after them or save New York from nuclear devastation was rendered moot when Thundercracker, who had grown disenchanted with the way the Decepticons went after the humans, blew up the bomb at the cost of his own life (thanks to an angry Skywarp). The war over for the moment, Prime met with Spike Witwicky, thanked him for helping the Autobots out, and asked if there was some way to help the humans in return. However, Spike responded that they had brought their war to Earth, so any chance of human-Transformer relations was now long gone. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 12|All Hail Megatron #12}}

Later, in an abandoned cave supposedly somewhere within NY's ruins, Optimus heard Ironhide's resignation from the Autobot forces. Respecting Ironhide too much, he did not argue, but after some energon and a little flashback, Optimus convinced Ironhide to stay. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 13|Old Ways}}

[[Image:Ongoing Issue 1-Optimus Surrenders.jpg|right|thumb|200px|His attempt to start the wave was not going down well.]]

Three years later, Prime was still insisting the Autobots remain on Earth despite minimal Decepticon activity and the development of human technology capable of fending off Cybertronian. Hot Rod, already frustrated by the capture of Prowl, snapped and accused Prime of allowing both his guilt at the events of three years ago and his need to protect something to trap the Autobots on a world that didn't want them anymore. Optimus was left nearly speechless, forcing him to allow Hot Rod to lead a risky mission to free Prowl. In order to put some of his fears to rest, Ironhide went along to keep the more emotional 'bots in check. This mission ended with the freeing of Prowl, at the cost of Ironhide's life.

The loss of Ironhide forced Optimus to re-examine his actions of the past years. Concluding he had been the wrong, leading the Autobots down a self-destructive path, Prime resigned his post as Autobot leader and handed himself over to the humans. {{storylink|...For All Mankind}} Optimus was brought inside the Skywatch base and put into transformation stasis. However, he was shortly freed (but not released) as Spike Witwicky decided they needed to talk. {{storylink|New Arrivals, Old Encounters}} Spike attempted to have a conversation with Optimus and get him some help, but Optimus stonewalled him, saying that he was captured, at their mercy and therefore not allowed to be treated nicely. He refused to talk any further and was moved into a holding cell. Later, [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] and [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] were brought into Skywatch captivity. Spike explained that although Prime didn't want any help, he'd want to help his troops, and so should talk with Spike. {{storylink|A Rude Awakening}}

Optimus told Spike that he believed that he was an ineffective leader since the Decepticons left. Prime hoped that without his overwhelming presence, his men would learn to evolve and move beyond his mistakes. {{Storylink|Enemies of the System}}Spike later convinced Optimus to help the Autobots and Skywatch prevent the loss of innocent lives threatened by the new combiner, Menasor. Optimus heroically battled Menasor, but after the combiner was defeated, Red Alert asked Prime what to do next and Optimus responded that he was not in charge anymore and would return in Skywatch custody. {{storylink|Earthworks}} Optimus later thanked Spike for the human contributions to defeating the Decepticons. {{storylink|All His Engines}}

Soon, the Combaticons appeared in North Korea, and Spike recruited Optimus and the Autobots to fight against them. {{storylink|International Incident Part 1: "The Land Ironclads"}} Optimus later saw Spike complaining of the lack of brains his unit was displaying and stated that such a flaw is reflected on its commander. The Autobots were forced to fight in vehicle mode after the President called them "weapons of mass destruction". {{storylink|International Incident Part 2: "Ranks of Bronze"}} During the battle, Prime smashed into Vortex and managed to bring the Combaticons' leader Onslaught to his knees. All was going well until the arrival of the Predacons, representing the People's Republic of China. {{storylink|International Incident Part 3: "Hawk Among the Sparrows"}} Optimus Prime tried to get the Predacons to stand down, and they agreed to move no moves against the other warriors so long as China's borders were not breached. At least, until Onslaught shot Rampage in the back. This caused a brawl between the Autobots, Combaticons, and Predacons. Optimus took control of the situation by having Thundercracker attack Dandong and Pyongyang to cut off China and North Korea's energon production capacity and their involvements with the Cybertronians for good. {{storylink|International Incident Part 4: "All My Sins Remembered"}}

After the assassination attempt on Bumblebee while Prime's forces were still overseas, Optimus Prime tried to figure out how a mere human weapon used by the protester could have damaged Bumblebee. Smokescreen jumped to the conclusion that it was Skywatch weaponry but Spike insisted Skywatch didn't want the weapons out in the public as much as the Autobots. Just then, Jazz ordered everyone to don their crash suits right before the jet exploded. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 1: The Demolished Man}} Optimus Prime and the others survived the plane crash, making their way underwater for several hours in vehicle mode (with Spike and the Skywatch agents inside) until reaching the Panama Canal. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 3: Woken Furies}}

Megatron revealed his involvement in recent events, and told Optimus Prime he knew Prime would survive the plane crash. Megatron said he did not want kill Optimus, but to destroy him, and the Autobots would soon know the difference. Optimus met up with Megatron and Soundwave as the Decepticon leader explained the guns made from his previous body were scattered around the world and nobody could stop him. Optimus insisted those humans using the guns are renegades and admitted he didn't trust all humans, but he trusted Spike. Megatron pushed the situation by dumping several wounded Autobots onto a school playground where some Megatron-gun holders prepared to destroy them. Optimus charged up his ion blaster and Megatron laughed because the weapon would not harm him in his current state. Optimus said he's right and blasted Soundwave through the head, ending the communication to the Megatron-guns. Furious, Megatron stated he has lost one soldier, but Prime would lose everything. He departed, leaving Prime to clean up the mess. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 4: Burning Chrome}}

Back at Omega Supreme, Optimus learned that Ultra Magnus put a tracking chip on Soundwave earlier and Optimus Prime prepared to track him down. Before the assault, Prime told Jetfire and Cosmos to meet him in Earth's orbit. Optimus jumped from a plane, dropping onto an abandoned laboratory where Megatron had Shockwave working to save Soundwave. He told Megatron to bring the fight outside if he didn't want to lose more troops. With Jetfire's help, Optimus arranged for a Kinetic Harpoon to blast down on Megatron's position, but the massive devastation kicked up by the impact still didn't drop the repowered Decepticon leader. He started beating on Megatron asking why he never dies. Megatron beat Prime and brought him back to Skywatch where he surprised everyone by surrendering. After receiving repairs, Optimus told a heavily restrained Megatron that Omega Supreme will transform if he sensed Megatron trying to escape. Megatron responded by telling Prime he was exactly where he wanted to be. Megatron then claimed one of the Autobots' human allies killed Scrapper and Prime told Prowl to investigate this claim. Prime reviewed their current situation and contemplated the coming chaos. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 5: Enemy Mine}} Optimus Prime later learned, from a sudden appearance of Hot Rod, Sunstreaker, and Ironhide, that Cybertron was habitable but had been taken over by Galvatron. Optimus and most of the Autobots left aboard Omega Supreme's rocket part to liberate their homeworld. {{storylink|Space Opera—Final Tableaux: Orphans of the Helix}} On the way, Optimus questioned a captive Megatron why he surrendered but never got an answer. Optimus then resorted to using the VVH and, if Omega Supreme hadn't had cut the power, Megatron would have perished. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1}}

Optimus Prime arrived on Cybertron and did battle with Galvatron's forces. Galvatron warned Optimus of a threat that could destroy them all but did not elaborate more afterwards. {{storylink|Chaos Part One: Lamentations}} Optimus later realized the Kimia facility preparing to fire on Cybertron. Rodimus and Trailbreaker headed for the facility's target and Silverbolt and all fliers headed to battle the facility. The Kimia facility opened fire on the planet and blew a crater on the surface. Optimus ordered the remaining Autobots to plow through the Sweeps. It turned out Lightspeed and Afterburner were aboard the Kimia facility. Lightspeed activated explosives and the facility exploded. Megatron was freed from Omega Supreme and declared Cybertron was his. {{storylink|Chaos Part Two: Numbers}} Optimus Prime, Rodimus, Ironhide, and Drift pursued Galvatron and Jhiaxus to the crater on Cybertron. Galvatron hypnotized the newly arrived Decepticons and Sweeps into forming a huge monster, Deceptigod. Deceptigod smashed Omega Supreme, preventing the Autobots' escape. Megatron arrived and Optimus Prime pursued Galvatron while Megatron faces Deceptigod. {{storylink|Chaos Part Three: Kings}} Galvatron infused Vector Sigma with his Heart of Darkness, expecting that D-Void would cease his assault. Instead, it brought the Darkness to Cybertron and began swallowing Vector Sigma. Rodimus explained to Optimus he somehow ''knew'' that the Matrix would defeat the Darkness. Optimus's doubt allowed Galvatron to shoot him in the back. Cyclonus just then came and fought against Galvatron, believing himself to be tricked into doing Galvatron's work. Optimus opened the Matrix and a huge light came out. After the light, Optimus was left kneeling in a new crater with two empty halves of the Matrix at his feet. {{storylink|Chaos Part Four: Genesis}}

Optimus woke up on a Cybertron convulsing with primordial energies and missing some recognizable features. He ran into Rodimus and Bumblebee and learned that Cybertron had new arrivals called [[NAIL]]s who had left the planet during the Great War and hated the Autobots because they were symbols of that war. Prime learned also that the Decepticons that formed Deceptigod were captured and controlled with I/D chips. Optimus then addressed to the entire population of Cybertron that he will hope for Cybertron to be rebuilt without him as he's leaving. As Optimus Prime left the planet, he suddenly felt free and no longer responsible for anyone's life or death. Optimus Prime was dead. Orion Pax was reborn. {{storylink|Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime}}

After voyaging through space for some time, Orion was contacted by Hardhead with some strange news: a distress signal from the planet [[Arduria]] had awoken Hardhead's formerly-catatonic prisoner, Jhiaxus, who began screaming Orion's name. Investigating the Ardurian signal, Orion and Hardhead found that they had been lured into a Decepticon trap when they were attacked by Monstructor. His knowledge of the combiner from their past fight availed Orion little, as the monster's weak spot had been removed, and Monstructor was able to keep them busy long enough for his new master Bludgeon to free Jhiaxus. Realizing that Jhiaxus and Bludgeon were intending to hunt down all the planets that had been targeted by Shockwave's [[Regenesis]] program, Orion and Hardhead set course for the [[Lenocinium Velnero System]] and gave chase. {{storylink|Syndromica (1)}}

Fifteen million years later, Ironhide looked back at the war and wondered if Optimus Prime was still out there, and Alpha Trion assured him that he was. {{storylink|Pax Cybertronia (issue)|Pax Cybertronia}} This may or may not just have been a vision Ironhide had. {{storylink|A Better Tomorrow}}

{{note|The events of ''Spotlight: Mirage'' possibly take place in an alternate/unknown continuity.}}
Optimus Prime commanded one of the last remaining pockets of Autobot resistance, hiding out in the [[Pegasus Star Cluster]]. While awaiting the arrival of Bumblebee's team, he and Hound tried to work out how to convert the [[Zodiac|Zodiac Energy]] for their consumption. "Bumblebee's" arrival proved to be their downfall, as it was really the self-serving mercenary [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]], who destroyed the bunker security systems, allowing the Decepticons inside. Optimus Prime refused to surrender during the ensuing struggle, until Mirage used the critically injured Jetfire as a hostage, forcing Prime to back down. When Megatron betrayed Mirage's word and ordered the execution of the Autobots, Optimus Prime tried to reason with the mercenary, appealing to his former friendship with Hound...until Mirage killed Hound in defiance. Furious, Optimus Prime broke free of his captors and tackled Mirage into the Zodiac Energy chamber. {{storylink|Spotlight: Mirage}}

===''Hearts of Steel''===
[[Image:HeartsofSteel_1_Prime_Bumblebee.jpg|thumb|left|200px|"I keep telling you Bumblebee, the Dinobots will never accept you into their clique!"]]

The Autobots and the Decepticons came to [[Earth|a distant world]] in the grip of an ice age. Assuming alternate modes based upon the [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dominant (though doomed) indigenous creatures]] of this planet, they continued their [[Ice Age Wars|ancient, unending war]]. However, the Autobots, with their energy levels dangerously low, withdrew from combat as the world grew colder. They sought refuge in a deep cavern and entered [[stasis lock]], awaiting the day when surface conditions changed to better suit their operation. Millions of years later, Bumblebee was awoken by the hammering of humans working on a rail line. He briefly considered awakening Optimus Prime, but thought better of it. After discovering the world had changed significantly, Ratchet thought there was no reason to awaken Prime. {{storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 1|Hearts of Steel #1}} When Bumblebee discovered the Decepticons were once again active on this world, Ratchet and Prowl agreed that the Autobots must intervene, but again decided out of rousing Optimus from his slumber. {{Storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 2|Hearts of Steel #2}}

Optimus Prime is finally needed to be awakened after the new threat, the [[Elder God]]s, comes to be.{{storylink|Infestation 2: The Transformers issue 1|Infestation 2: The Transformers #1}}Ratchet, Trailblazer, and Hound give energy necessary to recharge Optimus Prime, who awakens and reawakens the trio with his energon reserves. Optimus and the others go to Port Cenotaph to stop the attending Elder God and manage to slice the Elder God off though Optimus doesn't believe the God is defeated. Optimus then promises the Autobots will help fight it if it ever returns.{{storylink|Infestation 2: The Transformers issue 2|Infestation 2: The Transformers #2}}

===''Music Label''===
In the year 2007, the Autobots discovered that the Decepticon communications officer [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] was attempting to control the minds of humans through hypnotic music broadcast through a series of tiny clones of himself. Optimus Prime upgraded his trailer with a huge pair of speakers, and proceeded to drive around, broadcasting a counter-frequency that undid the villain's brainwashing. {{storylink|Transformers Music Label}}

{{note|The [[Generation 1 cartoon timeline (Japan)|2007 Takara timeline]] placed the events of the ''[[Transformers Music Label|Music Label]]'' storyline in the [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Generation 1 cartoon continuity]], but Optimus Prime's role in the story is therefore made impossible, as he was dead in that universe in 2007. However, given the way the timeline is unhelpfully laid out, it's not impossible that this adventure may take place not in the mainstream timeline, but in the branched-off parallel dimension of the ''[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity#Binaltech|Binaltech]]'' storyline, where Optimus did not die.}}

===''Henkei! Henkei!'' pack-in comics===
Optimus foiled Megatron's attack on 21st century [[Tokyo]]. {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 1}} He and Bumblebee had to stop [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]]'s attack on [[Shinjuku Station]], but it was actually a distraction from Megatron's gathering of energon cubes. {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 2}} {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 3}} Megatron used one to transform into Galvatron, and would have killed Prime were it not for Ironhide's timely intervention, transforming him back into Megatron. {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 7}}

===''Henkei! Henkei!'' Bun Bun manga===
When the legendary [[Energon Cube]] was lost to the reaches of space, Optimus Prime led a small team of Autobots in pursuit of it. The giant energy source crashed on Earth in the Japanese town of [[Hoshinochō]], where it shattered into fragments that were scattered far and wide. Prime and the other Autobots set up a subterranean base below the Cube's impact crater and began their search for the shards, taking the forms of local vehicles to hide their activities. Despite their attempts at remaining unseen, glimpses of the Autobots only magnified the reputation the crash of the Cube (believed by humans to be a meteor) had given Hoshinochō: that of a hotbed of rumored alien and UFO activity, Japan's answer to [[United States of America|America]]'s Roswell. {{storylink|Kingdom of Giants}}

The Autobots gained a human ally in their quest when they befriended Doctor [[Osamu Kihara]] of the Governmental Special Diplomatic Agency, who provided more assistance than they could have imagined when his son, [[Akira Kihara|Akira]], was discovered to be a "[[Booster]]", one of many legendary beings born with the ability to control and detect the energies of the Energon Cube. Alas, the Decepticons had followed Prime's Autobots to Earth, and [[Megatron (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Megatron]] sought the boy's powers for his own. To protect Optimus Prime and himself, Akira unleashed the full extent of his powers, driving Megatron back, but causing his body to burn out and disintegrate. Prime was wracked with guilt over what had occurred, and it would haunt him afterward. {{storylink|Time of Resurrection}}

Eleven years after their arrival on Earth, Prime and the Autobots made a new human ally in [[Wataru Hoshinoumi]] when he stumbled into the midst of a battle between Prime's team and [[Starscream (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Starscream]] and [[Ramjet (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Ramjet]]. {{storylink|Enter! The Transformers}} When Megatron joined the fight soon after, he held [[Bumblebee (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Bumblebee]] and Wataru hostage, daring Prime to make a move against him. Prime opened fire, but Megatron merely used the defeated Starscream for a shield, then turned his cannon on the younger duo. Prime unleashed his [[ion blaster]] and apparently deflected the blast with a shot of his own, saving Bumblebee and Wataru and prompting the Decepticons to retreat. {{storylink|The Emperor of Destruction Appears!}}

Prime invited Wataru to visit the Autobots' subterranean base, and he gave the boy a personal tour as he carried the injured Bumblebee to the infirmary. Telling him the story of the Energon Cube and the Autobots' coming to Earth, Prime showed Wataru the large chunk of the cube that they had managed to recover. He then turned his attention to repairing Bumblebee's wounds, and as such, did not notice Wataru reaching out to touch the cube sliver. A bizarre energy discharge resulted that not only showed the Autobots images of [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Another Time & Place]], but also healed both Autobots' wounds. Prime dived at Wataru and hauled him away from the shard, returning things to normal, but leaving Prime with grave concerns over what the strange occurrence might mean. {{storylink|Kingdom of Giants}}

When Starscream attacked a power plant with the aid of his brainwashed ally, [[Jetfire (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Skyfire]], Prime carried [[Grimlock (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga|Grimlock]] to the scene of the battle on the back of his truck mode. {{storylink|The Enemy from the Arctic}} During the conflict that followed, Prime's suspicions about Wataru were confirmed when the boy manifested a barrier to protect himself and Bumblebee and to help Skyfire overcome the influence of Starscream's mind-controlling helmet. Wataru was a Booster as well! {{storylink|Wataru's Power}} His past experiences naturally made Prime hesitant to put Wataru's power to use, but Osamu Kihara made the point that Wataru's power was invaluable for hunting down shards of the Energon Cube. Prime and Wataru headed out to investigate a local relic that Kihara suspected was a cube shard, and Wataru's powers soon confirmed the doctor's findings. Just as Prime was about to report back to Kihara, however, Megatron struck, demanding that Prime hand over both the shard and Wataru. Prime attempted to feign ignorance of Wataru's powers, but Megatron ignored his bluff and encouraged him to hand the boy over, lest he cost ''another'' Booster their life. Driven into a rage by the stinging barb, Prime violently attacked Megatron with his energon-axe, but as the duel raged, Megatron continued to question Prime's beliefs and his attitude. Unable to deny Megatron's accusation that he had hoped to use Wataru's power to defeat him, Prime lost his concentration and was taken down by the Decepticon leader. Despite what he had learned about a previous Booster dying, Wataru stayed true to Optimus and activated his powers, healing the Autobot's wounds and powering up his energon-axe into a huge sword. Summoning all his energy, Prime took down Megatron with one almighty slash, then collapsed into [[stasis lock]]. {{storylink|Optimus Prime's Secret}}

Prime was brought back to the Autobot base for treatment, but the Decepticons exploited the Autobots' lack of manpower and struck again before Prime recovered. With his men taking a pummeling, the unconscious Prime had a vision of Akira, who spurred him on to awaken and rejoin the battle. With another power boost from Wataru, Prime unleashed a super-charged shot from his ion blaster that took down the fleeing Decepticons. {{storylink|Time of Resurrection}}
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Creation! The New Emperor of Destruction!!}} {{storylink|The Threat of Galvatron}} {{storylink|Revenge (issue)|Revenge}} {{storylink|A Nightmare, Once Again}} {{storylink|To the Sea of Stars}}

===''Alternity''===
[[Image:Alternity_convoy_boxart.jpg|right|thumb|220px|This might take some getting used to. Hand me the instructions again!]]
In 2007, the Optimus Prime of [[universal stream]] Primax 109.0 Beta encountered a mysterious messenger from another world: [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity#Alternity|another incarnation of himself]] from a parallel dimension who left him with a warning. Two years hence, Megatron would bring the terrifying super-dimensional lifeform known as the "Beast of Time", [[Hytherion]], into their dimension to destroy Earth. The only thing that could battle Hytherion was the power of the super-evolved multi-dimensional race of Cybertronians known as the [[Alternity]]. Prime agreed that when the danger appeared, he would join the Alternity in the fight.

Sure enough, in 2009, when Hytherion's colossal claw-marks appeared on planets throughout the solar system, Prime's other-dimensional incarnation returned, bringing with him a "Vibrant Red" Vector 109 [[auto-avatar]] with which Prime fused. In that instant, he was reborn as part of the Alternity, a manifold being who encompassed all the different incarnations of Optimus Prime through the multiverse at once. Prime reached his hands heavenward and peeled back the layers of reality, exposing the gargantuan fanged maw of Hytherion looming above the Autobots. {{storylink|From Here to Alternity}}

Optimus battled alongside the Alternity to fend off the beast, when unexpectedly, [[Megatron (G1)#Alternity|Megatron]] overwrote the beast's higher functions with his own. At first, it seemed that Hytherion had been killed, but a newly empowered Megatron (in two bodies) appeared and declared that, now possessing a power that rivaled the Alternity's, he challenged his opponents to take him on or see the multiverse itself burn. {{storylink|To Mega Therion}}

As battles between numerous different Primes and Megatrons erupted quite literally all across time and space, another member of the Convoy Corps was later seen battling [[Starscream (G1)#Alternity|Starscream]], who had been empowered by Megatron to serve as leader of his [[Questor]]s. This Prime was so surprised by Starscream's uncharacteristic sports car alternate mode that he left himself open for a blast from Starscream's Retroactive Nullifer cannon, which erased him from the timestream. As he faded out of existence, Prime responded to Starscream's taunts about the death of the Alternity by telling him that they were already well aware of their prophesied end and were well prepared. {{storylink|Foreshadows}}
{{note|Alternity beings are both individuals and a collective of separate entities. More fiction about Optimus Prime's Alternity collective can be found [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity#Alternity|here]].}}

===''Robot Heroes'' comic===
[[Image:IDW I am Optimus Prime battle.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Adorobots VS. Decepticutes.]]
Optimus Prime was given the Matrix by [[Primus]] himself, and used to be friends with Megatron. Prowl is his closest friend and Ratchet is his oldest. Searching for Energon, the Autobots landed on Earth, but were followed by the Decepticons. With the help of their human allies, they bested off their foes, and knowing they would return, decided to stay and wait to defend the planet once more. Optimus Prime was proud to be an Autobot. {{storylink|I Am Optimus Prime (Robot Heroes)|I Am Optimus Prime}}
{{-}}

===''Universe'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Ron Hayden]] (English)}}
[[Image:Actionblast1matrix.jpg|left|thumb|250px|Anyone with a history of seizures should leave the room now.]]
Optimus Prime narrated the events of what happened before the Ark crashed on Earth. He became the new leader of a long line of Autobot leaders via the discovery of the Matrix. On their quest for more Energon, the Autobots were chased by Decepticons to the planet known as Earth and crashed on it. When they emerged from the Ark, Optimus Prime scanned his truck altmode, stating that the war would not end on Earth. {{Storylink|Action Blast 1}}

[[Image:FfE Optimus Prime Cyclonus.JPG|right|thumb|250px|Don't get distracted by your own fist Cyclonus! Do you WANT to lose your face?]]
Both Optimus Prime and Bumblebee raced down a street in an unknown desert while having an argument about Energon. He ordered Bumblebee to scan the surroundings to find the location where the Decepticons were hiding, and to be careful for possible scouts. When Bumblebee noted what the Decepticons were doing, Prime speculated that they might be planning to convert the energy into Energon, and ordered Bumblebee to create a diversion. While Bumblebee and Cyclonus fought, Prime made a surprise attack and took out Cyclonus with his Ion-axe, before turning his attention to Megatron. When both Decepticons fled, Prime told Bumblebee they'd done a good job (in front of a burning Gas station), and both Autobots got back on the move. {{storylink|Fight for Energon}}
{{--}}

===''Wings Universe''===
[[Image:BattleLines1-DionOrionAriel.jpg|left|thumb|200px|We demand more frolicking!]]
Nine million years ago, the dockworker Orion Pax and his coworkers and friends [[Elita One|Ariel]] and [[Dion]] were murdered by [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] and his new [[Decepticon]] army. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 1}}

Orion Pax was rebuilt into Optimus Prime as part of [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]]'s "[[Prime Initiative]]", a proposed alternative to the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]]. {{storylink|The Coming Storm: Part 2}} However, after most of the Elite Guard were destroyed by the turncoat Guardsmen [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]], the [[Autobot High Council]] was prepared to give Optimus Prime command of the new Autobot military. This transferal of power was carried out at the [[Autobot High Council Citadel|Citadel]], with Prime standing with his best warriors. Prime promised to match the Decepticons' ferocity in order to preserve their way of life. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 1}}

[[Image:BattleLinesPrimeandCo.jpg|right|thumb|200px|[[Magnum]] was always more of a Rodimus guy.]]

He told his team that their primary mission would be to find and stop Megatron, though Ironhide thought they should be going after [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] and the Combaticons. Optimus reminded him that orders were orders, but broke off his speech when he noticed that [[Side Burn (G1)|Side Burn]] was missing. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 2}}

A week or so later, after Side Burn had been located, Optimus gladly accepted an apology from [[Magnum]], who had previously felt that the two of them had a rivalry. As the pair agreed to a new, combined Autobot military, Dion ran up with the news that the Decepticons were massing at the walls of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]]. Though Magnum tried to give the order to assemble the Elite Guard, Optimus received news from Ironhide that it was already too late. They watched as [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] broke through the city wall. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 5}} After Dion aided in the dismantling of Devastator, Optimus Prime boasted to Megatron that the Autobots were aided by two capable leaders, and so the Decepticons were doomed to defeat. Megatron responded, perhaps unsurprisingly, by putting a big hole in [[Magnum]]. Megatron attempted to do the same to Optimus, but Dion dived between the blast and its target. This infuriated Optimus, and as he shouted "Not again, never again!" he overwhelmed the Decepticons with firepower. As they retreated, Optimus crouched over Dion's crumpled body.

[[Image:BattleLines6-UltraMagnus.jpg|left|thumb|300px|]]

As the Autobots' tended to their wounded, [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] warned over Magnum and Dion's bodies that he could only save one of them. Indeed, one of the two was successfully rebuilt as [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]].

Five million years later, Optimus organized a group of Autobots to leave Cybertron to search for energy to replenish their planet's resources. However, a Decepticon attack forced some Autobots, such as [[Elita One]], to remain behind. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 6}}

In [[1993]], Optimus Prime and the Autobots worked with their allies in [[Earth Defense Command]] to create a stronger link between their two peoples. A [[Cyberfactory]] was created on Earth to manufacture new Transformers with all the rights and status of citizens of Earth. Many years later, one of these Cybertronians named [[Rapido]] saved Optimus Prime from the [[Concurrence]] in 2006 by marshalling his Earthborn comrades into an effective fighting force. Out of respect for his abilities, Optimus gave Rapido emergency command powers on Earth, letting him assume leadership of any group of Autobots whenever the situation required it.

Following the rebirth of Cybertron's Golden Age that same year, [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] and [[Zarak (G1)|Lord Zarak]] abandoned Earth and Cybertron to seek new sources of energon deeper in space. Optimus Prime assembled the majority of the Autobot army to pursue them, leaving behind only a small group of Autobots at [[Autobot City]] on Earth. Unfortunately, over the next few years several Earthborn Cybertronians from the Cyberfactories turned to crime, assembling as a new [[Decepticon Syndicate]]. Once he received word of the troubles on Earth, Prime sent [[Scorch (G1)|Scorch]] the [[Turbomaster]] to assess the situation. {{storylink|Generation 2: Redux}}

===''TransTech''===
[[Image:InvasionPrologue-Primes.jpg|left|thumb|300px|This breaks caption protocol, we know, but "Not [[Sureshot (G2)|Sureshot]]."]]
An unspecified time later, Optimus Prime was gathered in [[Axiom Nexus]] by [[Optimus Prime (TransTech)|its Optimus Prime]], along with a roster of other Optimus Primes and [[Lio Convoy|their kin]]. A multiversal cataclysm in [[Primax 207.0 Epsilon|a universe]] seeded with [[Rarified Energon]] and an invasion by [[Primax -408.24 Epsilon|natives from the negative polarity universe]] had called them into action. Since Matrix bearers were usually never allowed into Axiom Nexus, this was a grave threat indeed! {{storylink|Invasion Prologue}}
{{-}}

==Commercial appearances==
Optimus Prime has appeared in more [[Commercial|television commercials]] than any other Transformer... just as with everything else. He has been voiced by [[Peter Cullen]] in every animation segment in which he's had a speaking role.

[[Image:Toycommercial-firstPrime.jpg|right|thumb|My wheels don't disappear!]]

* He was one of the featured characters in the first ever appearance of the Transformers anywhere, an advertisement for the first issue of [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|the Generation 1 comic]]. He arrives in the midst of a desert battle as the Decepticons attacked a power plant on Earth, driving to back up his troops in defending it. He strikes a rather iconic pose as he transforms and fires, which would be replicated and copied numerous times in the early years of the franchise. This first commercial used nonfinal versions of the characters' [[character model]]s; Optimus Prime, for example, still had wheels on his legs. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9-7RjhFzpM]

* In a commercial for the [[Triple Changer]]s, Optimus confronts Astrotrain on a desert battlefield, but the Triple-Changer escapes under fire from other Autobots. Shortly afterward, Prime uses Perceptor's microscope mode to examine a fragment of Decepticon battle armor. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WssZjIsUIU]

* Prime and Jazz are shown fighting Megatron in the desert in an ad for the 1985 cars, whom he summons to help out with the battle. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WssZjIsUIU]

* Prime narrates two commercials around the time of ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', describing the action as [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] battles [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]], and [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] and [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] take on the [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]]. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5X-10pud7DY]

[[Image:Toycommercial-PowermasterOptimusPrime.jpg|right|thumb|An integral part of Powermaster Prime's transformation is Joyride shooting lightning bolts through his pointed finger.]]

* Prime was prominently featured in the ad for the first comic issue featuring the [[Powermaster]]s. On the rocky plains where practically every Transformer battle ever seems to happen, Prime arrives in his Powermaster body to back up three of his troops against Dreadwind and Darkwing. He's shown combining with [[Hi-Q]] and transforming, attacking with his trailer's battle station mode, then combining with the trailer to continue the attack. Who wins? Find out in [[People Power!|Marvel Comics]]! [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=voX_KNNxNCI]

[[Image:OptimusQuickswitchCommercial.jpg|right|thumb|Optimus Prime is so giving, he even gives other Transformers time in his commercials.]]

* Prime also features briefly in [[Quickswitch]]'s ad; in a battle on the moon, Quickswitch transforms to gun mode and is wielded by Powermaster Optimus Prime.

* An abbreviated ad for Powermaster Prime uses footage from both the Marvel Comic and Quickswitch commercials.

* Prime's Powermaster body shows up yet again in the [[Classic Pretender|Pretender Classic]]s ad. He comes under attack in the darkened streets of the city, prompting the [[narrator]] to explain that he needs the greatest Transformers ever! Prime then welcomes back Bumblebee and Jazz in their Pretender forms. [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mahbq-FnSPY]

* Powermaster Prime and [[Piranacon (G1)|Piranacon]] are the representatives from each faction that [[Doubledealer]] doublecrosses! Everyone wonders who that guy is that Prime's talking to... He looks kinda suspicious!

* Optimus features prominently in the first [[Action Master]] commercial; he's shown surrounded by a circle of his troops, and challenges them to give up their transforming powers to become faster, stronger, more alive! [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeNf3jQ1zdw]

* A stock intro was used for several Micromaster commercials, with Optimus opening his fist to reveal a Micromaster city within.

[[Image:Hotrodpatrolcommercial.jpg|right|thumb|Prime wants to know if they can transform, because he sure can't!]]

* A similar sequence in another Micromaster ad has Prime opening his fist to find the [[Hot Rod Patrol]] inside. He and Jazz check them out, and Optimus wonders if they can transform.

* In an ad for the Micromaster micro bases, a battle rages outside an Autobot base, and Prime watches impassively as Bumblebee and Jazz pull two [[Interstellar shuttle|captured]] [[Attack Copter|vehicles]] into the base. Prime is the first to notice that the vehicles are transforming and shooting things.

* Prime and [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] are the stars of the first ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (franchise)|Generation 2]]'' commercial, animated with [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]]. Prime is shown driving down a road in his ''Generation 2'' colored truck mode. He rocket-launches up into the air to transform, then has a brutal fight with Ramjet. Despite getting a hole blasted in his chest, he wins the fight and fires his gun into the air in triumph. Non-speaking.

* Prime also is shown briefly in a commercial for the new Megatron tank toy. He transforms and finds his head in a target crosshairs. In the subsequent toy segment, Prime's toy is shown getting completely trashed by that of Megatron. Non-speaking.

* And finally, Prime got his own rap segment. He's shown in his Combat toy body, waiting for Megatron as he attacks a human subdivision. Prime converts to robot form, blows up Megatron's weapon at point blank range, and slugs it out with him. Apparently emerging victorious, is next shown sitting next to an identical truck, which the live-action kid mistakes for the real thing. The real Prime then transforms and picks up the kid, inspecting the human with his cold, lifeless, flashing red optics. Prime is once again voiced by Peter Cullen in this commercial.

Prime also appeared in commercials for ''Transformers'' products other than the toys themselves...

* In the ad for [[Coleco]]'s [[Power Cycle]], Optimus Prime shoots ''at'' a child riding the title cycle, but misses. This footage is recycled from the advertisement for the comic.

* Prime delivers a load of shoes to schoolchildren in a South American ad for [[Bata]]'s licensed ''Transformers'' footwear.

* Prime was referred to as the Autobot Commander in his debut commercial.

==Games==
===Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons===
When Megatron and his Decepticons allies held captive the Autobot's [[Mini Vehicle|Minicar]] troops, Optimus Prime entered the Decepticon's maze-like base in order to rescue his friends.{{storylink|Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons|Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons packaging blurb and game}}
===''The Transformers'' (1985)===
Optimus Prime was among the few remaining Autobots in the wake of the Decepticon creation of ROBO-CLONING technology. With his energy-starved comrades, he desperately sought pieces of the Autobot Energon Cube before the Decepticons could get their hands on them. {{storylink|The Transformers (Commodore 64)|The Transformers}}

===Transformers: Mystery of Convoy===

When a mysterious force killed Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus rose as Autobot Commander in his place, and went forth to find out what killed Optimus. {{storylink|Transformers: Mystery of Convoy}}

{{note|For an alternate interpretation of these events, see ''[[To Die Game!]]''}}

===''DreamMix TV World Fighters'' video game===
{{voiceactor|[[Tesshō Genda]] (Japanese)}}

As part of [[DreamMix TV]]'s attempt to pull in more ratings, Optimus Prime and his eternal rival Megatron were invited to battle bunches of other beings on the television show ''[[World Fighters]]''. {{storylink|DreamMix TV World Fighters}}

===''The Transformers'' (PS2)===
{{voiceactor|[[Robert Belgrade]] (English)}}
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|The Transformers (PS2)|The Transformers}}

===''Revenge of the Fallen'' - The Game (Xbox 360/PlayStation 3/PC)===
[[Image:ROTF_360PS3_PC_G1OptimusPrime_DLC.jpg|thumb|200px|]]
{{voiceactor|[[Peter Cullen]] (English)}}

{{Note|On [[August 27]], [[2009]], Optimus Prime was one of a handful of downloadable characters in a DLC pack for Xbox 360 and Sony Playstation 3.}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
{{-}}

===Transformers G1: Awakening===
{{storylink|Transformers G1: Awakening}}
{{charstubfiction}}

===Transformers Battle Universe===
At the edge of time, when the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] needed a new host, Optimus Prime was among several warriors (and [[Optimus Prime|Prime]]s) summoned from the multiverse to battle for control of the prize. {{storylink|Transformers Battle Universe}}

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

==Merchandise==
:''Main article: [[Optimus Prime (G1)/merchandise]]''

==Notes==
* According to [[Bob Budiansky]], longtime comics writer [[Denny O'Neil]] named Optimus Prime prior to Budiansky being brought on to the ''Transformers'' project.
* Optimus Prime's Japanese name is "Convoy", which is named after his original name "Battle Convoy" in the ''[[Diaclone]]'' toyline, because the name "Optimus Prime" is difficult for Japanese kids to remember and pronounce.<ref>''[[Figure Ō]]'' No. 114</ref>
* According to an early ''[[The Transformers Universe|Universe]]''-style profile published in ''[[The Transformers Comics Magazine]]'', Optimus Prime's "official" nicknames were at one point considered to be "Autobot Commander", "Chief", "Big Boss" and "Roller". As far as it is known, no piece of fiction has ever purposely addressed him using these nicknames, though it's a fair bet he's been called "chief" at least once or twice anyway. And technically ''part'' of him is called "[[Roller (G1)|Roller]]" with some frequency.
* Optimus Prime has fictionally shown a dislike of certain kinds of music and dance. For the Marvel continuity, the [[Letters page (Marvel UK)|letters page]] for [[Still Life!|issue 324]] mentions he hates the music of [[Mötley Crüe]]. In the cartoon continuity, "[[Blaster Blues]]" and "[[Quest for Survival]]" have Optimus react noticeably more passive-aggressively to Blaster's choice of music than the other Autobots. And in the Dreamwave continuity, "[[Hardwired]]" features an uncalled for negative remark about Jazz's dance skills.
* According to the staff of ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'', Optimus Prime became a space explorer in the [[Beast Era]].<ref>Page 37, Guest Character and ''G1'' Icons, ''[[Beast Wars Universe]]'' ISBN 978-4766938005</ref>
* Writer [[Bob Skir]] claims that neither the statue from "[[Fires of the Past]]" nor the golden disks in its hands were mentioned in 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://web.archive.org/web/20080614012630/http://bigbot.com/beast-machines-transformers-bob-skir/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Tue_12_Oct_1999.html Q&A from Bigbot's "bobskir.com"] (archive copy)</ref> We're betting on the latter.
[[Image:Optimusprime-mom.jpg|right|125px|thumb|Prime's mom knows how to write in cursive.]]
* By the time Optimus Prime appeared in ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|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.
* According to [[E. J. Su]], Optimus Prime's [[Holomatter|Holomatter avatar]] is modeled after [[wikipedia:Ulysses_S._Grant|Ulysses S. Grant]].<ref>[http://www.protodepot.com/archive/2007_11_01_archive.html Idea: Holomatter Projection]</ref>
* As of [[All Hail Megatron issue 13|All Hail Megatron #13]], Optimus has a mouth underneath that [[Mouthplate|faceplate]] of his.
* This Optimus Prime, along with the original [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]], and [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] makes a cameo appearance as one of the four elders who began the [[Space bridge]] project in the ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|Cybertron]]'' episode "[[Balance]]".
* As noted on [http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=74382 this thread here], Optimus Prime made a surprising (and somewhat awkward) cameo in the [[Calendar|January]] [[2009]] issue of "P.S.: The Preventive Maintenance Monthly" (#674), a monthly magazine issued by the [[United States Army]] that discusses issues in regards to equipment maintenance (scan included in thread; look for post #5).
* It should be noted that "Orion Pax" would, when translated from Latin to English, mean "Peace Hunter".

===Foreign names===
* ''Japanese:'' '''Convoy''' (コンボイ ''Konboi''), '''Orion Pax''' (オライオン・パックス ''Oraion Pakkusu''), '''Battle Convoy''' (Laser Optimus Prime, バトルコンボイ ''Batoru Konboi''), '''Optimus Prime''' (オプティマスプライム ''Oputimasu Puraimu'')
* ''Cantonese:'' '''O Baak Man''' (Hong Kong, 柯柏文)
* ''Czech:'' '''Optimus Prime''' or '''Optimuse Prima'''
* ''French:'' '''Optimus Prime''', '''Optimus Primus''' (Canada)
* ''Hebrew:'' '''Optimus Prime''' (אופטימוס פריים ''Awpjimws Priim'')
* ''Hungarian:'' '''Optimusz Fővezér''', '''Optimusz Prájm''' ("Optimus Chief")
* ''Italian:'' '''Commander'''
* ''Mandarin:'' '''Jr-tsūn''' (Taiwan, 至尊, "Prime"), '''Orion Pax''' (奧萊安派斯 ''Àu Lái Ān Pài Sū''), '''Qíng Tīan Zhù''' (China, 擎天柱, "Pillar that Supports the Sky")
* ''Portuguese:'' '''Optimus Supremo''' (Portugal comics, "Optimus Supreme"), '''Líder Optimus''' (Brazil cartoon, "Leader Optimus"), '''Supremus Absolutus''' (Brazil comic)
* ''Russian:'' '''Optimus Prime''' (Оптимус Прайм ''Optimus Prajm'')
* ''Serbian:'' '''Optimus Prime''' (Оптимус Прајм ''Optimus Prajm'')
* ''Taiwanese:'' '''Tīh-ghŭ''' (鐵牛, "Iron Ox")
* ''Ukrainian:'' '''Optimus Najkrashchiy''' (Оптимус Найкращий, "Optimus the Best"), '''Optimus Prime''' (''The Movie'', Оптимус Прайм)

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

== Footnotes ==
<references />

[[Category:Action Masters]]
[[Category:Alternators Autobots]]
[[Category:Alternity Autobots]]
[[Category:Armada Autobots]]
[[Category:Autobot leaders]]
[[Category:Beast Machines Autobots]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Autobots]]
[[Category:Classics Autobots]]
[[Category:Combiners]]
[[Category:Decoys]]
[[Category:Dimension hoppers]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 2 Autobots]]
[[Category:Ghosts]]
[[Category:Gladiators]]
[[Category:Go-Bots]]
[[Category:Hall of Fame]]
[[Category:The Headmasters Autobots]]
[[Category:Henkei! Henkei! Autobots]]
[[Category:Kiss Players Autobots]]
[[Category:Machine Wars Autobots]]
[[Category:Matrix bearers]]
[[Category:Multi-component Transformers]]
[[Category:Music Label]]
[[Category:Powermasters]]
[[Category:Primes]]
[[Category:Return of Convoy Autobots]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen Autobots]]
[[Category:Robot Masters Autobots]]
[[Category:Rulers of Cybertron]]
[[Category:Transformers with three modes]]
[[Category:TransTech Autobots]]
[[Category:United Autobots]]
[[Category:Wings Universe Autobots]]
[[Category:Zombies]]

Jim Byrnes

2012-07-31T08:18:43Z

96.21.86.21:

{{disambig3|Jim}}

[[Image:JimByrnes.jpg|right|180px|thumb|"Allow me to play you a song, my queen..."]]
'''Jim Byrnes''' (born [[September 22]], [[1948]]), also credited as '''Jim Byrne''' and '''James Thomas Byrnes''', is an American/Canadian actor and accomplished blues musician. He is also known for the role of Dr. Light in the 90s ''Mega Man'' cartoon as well as Joe Dawson in the ''Highlander'' television series, and the later motion pictures of that franchise. He also prominently voiced the Grand Vizier on ''War Planets'', and [[Nick Fury]] in X-Men: Evolution.

==Roles==
===Beast Wars===
*[[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]]

===Beast Machines===
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]]

==Convention appearances==
*[[BotCon 1999]]

==External links==
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0126325/ Jim Byrnes at the Internet Movie Database]
*[http://www.jamestbyrnes.com/ The Official website of Jim Byrnes]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrnes, Jim}}
[[Category:Convention guests]]
[[Category:Mainframe Entertainment]]
[[Category:English voice actors]]

Blades (RB)

2012-07-31T07:37:06Z

96.21.86.21: /* Rescue Bots cartoon */ - Spoilers have expired

{{factions|{{factions/icons|custom=RescueBots symbol.png|cLink=Rescue Bot|cSize=37x37px}}}}
{{disambig3|Blades}}
:''Blades is an [[Autobot]] from the ''[[Transformers: Rescue Bots (franchise)|Rescue Bots]]'' portion of the [[Aligned continuity family]].''

[[Image:RescueBotsBlades-charactermodel.jpg|thumb|300px|Function: Autobot Nebbish.]]

With the help of his partner, the eager and daring rescue tech [[Dani Burns]], '''Blades''' the Copter-Bot struggles to overcome the fear of heights his new Earth-gained flying form has revealed. Young and unsure at times, Blades would prefer to be safe and on the ground...but he doesn't let that stop him when others are in danger. Overcoming his own fears to save others is part of what makes Blades a Rescue Bot and a true hero. He also partners with [[Sawyer Storm]].

==Fiction==
===''Rescue Bots'' cartoon===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Parvesh Cheena]] (English)
Blades was part of a team of [[Rescue Bot]]s drifting through space when their spaceship received a transmission from [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] and landed on [[Earth]]. After dropping the bombshell that [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] was no more, Optimus assigned the team to [[Griffin Rock]] to work with the Burns family. Blades was not keen on the helicopter [[alternate mode]] he was forced to take, as his previous form had wheels and he was afraid of heights. The four Rescue Bots were presented to the public by [[Charlie Burns|Chief Burns]] at a ceremony, following which Blades discovered that his new partner, [[Dani Burns]], could yell really loud when she wanted him to fly faster as they went to the [[Griffin Rock Natural History Museum|museum]] to attend to a fire. That night, [[Cody Burns]] discovered the Rescue Bots' secret, and after they helped stop a rogue robot ''Tyrannosaurus rex'', Chief Burns revealed the truth to the rest of the team. {{storylink|Family of Heroes}}

Dani and Blades continued to have trouble working together, arriving late to an emergency. Cody tried unsuccessfully to get the pair to bond, until there was another emergency when [[Mount Magma]] began threatening the island with lava. Blades and Dani operated the switch to open the volcano's crater as a relief measure, but when they were subsequently caught in an ash cloud, Dani had to cajole a panicking Blades into flying out of it. He managed to earn her respect when he subsequently braved the ash to pick up a water tower and douse the lava with it. {{storylink|Under Pressure}}

[[Image:Hotshots Blades with scoopclaw belly.jpg|thumb|left|250px]]
After Blades felt like he wasn't contributing enough, Dani fitted a scoop claw to him, something he wasn't that enthusiastic about, and made him look fat in robot mode. The claw soon proved its worth, though the other Rescue Bots were annoyed Blades and Dani were hogging all the rescues and even threatened to forcibly remove it. When during a patrol, Blades was forced down by a lightning strike, the other Rescue Bots came to his aid, and he and Dani decided to use the claw scoop a little less often in the future. {{storylink|Hotshots}} Blades and Dani retrieved a lobster parade balloon after it carried away Doc Greene. Three of the Rescue Bots took part in the technology parade during the [[Lobster and Technology Festival]] but the town was attacked by [[flobster]]s, who seemed to have a liking for Blades's face. He and Dani helped round them up using a cage and the lobster balloon, so they could be neutralized. Afterwards, Blades finally worked out the joke. {{storylink|Flobsters on Parade}}

[[Image:FourBotsBaby Blades lowers harness.jpg|thumb|right|240px]]
After helping prevent a hazardous chemical spill, the Rescue Bots were forced to endure a screening of ''[[The Natives of Tatui]]'' that resulted in [[Huxley Prescott]] causing a mass panic when he reported an alien invasion. The Rescue Bots had to help during the ensuing chaos and destroyed Huxley's [[SETI]] dish to avoid the island's destruction. {{storylink|The Alien Invasion of Griffin Rock}} After Boulder got the idea to adopt a pet, Blades helped him by shutting down the power to [[Griffin Rock Zoo]]. They spent the rest of the night trying to find the [[Whiskers|lion]] that Boulder had let loose, and Blades ended up catching it in a cage. {{storylink|Walk on the Wild Side}}

After Cody souped up a go-kart, Blades was worried he wouldn't want to hang out with them any more. The go-kart turned sour when Cody tried to soup it up with nanites, which instead ran rampant, and the Rescue Bots had to help him. {{storylink|Cody on Patrol}} Cody roped the Rescue Bots into helping him take care of a [[Robo-Baby]]. They found Blades's rotors had a soothing effect on the baby and put it to sleep. When the bank was in danger of falling into a sinkhole, Blades and Dani had to rescue [[Harrison (RB)|Mr Harrison]] again, and in the meantime the baby escaped from the fire station, forcing Cody and the Rescue Bots to track it down. {{storylink|Four Bots and a Baby}}

[[Image:DeepTrouble Pirate Blades.jpg|thumb|left|300px]]
During a snowfall caused by a weather machine, Dani and Blades helped save city hall by flying upside-down and clearing the snow off the roof. Unfortunately this left Blades too frozen to fly when they later needed to rescue [[Frankie Greene|Frankie]] from a chunk of ice on the river. {{storylink|Christmas in July}} Blades and Dani rescued Mayor Luskey when his boat, the ''[[Floating Xanadu]]'' was in danger of running aground. He and the other Rescue Bots were invited on a fishing trip with Chief Burns and Cody the next day, and Blades, who had been watching too many pirate movies, began affecting pirate talk. After the Bots encountered and fought a [[shark submarine]], the sub started a self destruct sequence, and Blades had to fly it out to sea before it exploded. {{storylink|Deep Trouble}}

Blades was happy at being grounded due to fog, but had to fly anyway when the dinosaur from the museum was spotted near the lab. Though it turned out the dinosaur had been reprogrammed, a short time later the island's technology went wild, and the Rescue Bots had to deal with the out-of-control devices and a hacked [[Trex]]. After they subdued the beast, Blades had to fly Doc Greene back to his lab to remove the virus from Trex. {{storylink|Return of the Dinobot}} When [[Morocco|Doctor Morocco]] turned up with his [[MorBot]] and threatened to overshadow the Rescue Bots, the team was forced to compete with the doctor's invention to prove themselves worthy. Thanks to Morocco's machinations, they failed and were stood down from service. {{storylink|The Other Doctor}} Blades turned to television. He was pressed into service by Cody, who had Dani fly him over to spy on the lab, which worked until they were spotted by the MorBot which chased them back to the fire station. After being called out to a fire at the lab, the Rescue Bots got the chance to exact some payback on the MorBot. The team was subsequently reinstated as Griffin Rock's rescue service. {{storylink|The Reign of Morocco}}

Though Blades and Dani turned up to rescue [[Haley (RB)|Haley]], Kade insisted on doing it himself so he could impress the girl. The team turned up to a break-in at the [[Hall of Inspiration]], during which Blades, Heatwave and Boulder were shrunk to the size of ants by the [[Minimizer]] and ended up in the sewer. After braving huge rats and a torrent of water, they made it to the [[Griffin Rock dam]], where they rescued Kade and alerted the rest of the team to the fact that the dam was near bursting. Cody later used the Minimizer to return them to their normal sizes. {{storylink|Small Blessings}} While trying to save [[Wild|Captain Wild]]'s boat, Blades was pulled under the sea but managed to save the boat with the help of the rest of the team. He helped Cody search the tunnels under the island to find a mooring station, leading the team to venture into the sea where they helped [[Anna Baranova|Professor Baranova]] seal the vent causing the [[Griffin Rock Triangle]]. {{storylink|The Griffin Rock Triangle}}

After the daring rescue of Huxley Prescott by the four bots, Chief left them with strict orders not to go to [[Griffin Crest]]. After receiving an apparent SOS from Cody, Blades and the others went there anyway and ended up immobilized by an [[Electromagnetic pulse|EMP]] field, leaving them in need of a rescue. {{storylink|Rules and Regulations}} Blades had a rotor bend during a rescue at the airport, so when he and the other three Bots were washed out to sea with Cody and ended up on an inhabited island, he was unable to fly back to Griffin Rock for help. The Bots' attempts to build him shelter and gather food were less than successful, but they did manage to find traces of the ''[[Oaken Crow]]'', which led to them finding the ship and getting off the island. {{storylink|The Lost Bell}}

While on a mission to [[Wayward Island]], Blades was excited to meet [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]], however his attempting to show off backfired when he got stuck to a tree and Bumblebee had to rescue him. Back on Griffin Rock, the team attended another rescue, but when the other three Rescue Bots seized up, Bumblebee once again had to help Blades complete the rescue. As it turned out the others had been infected by a virus from the meteorite, Blades stayed at the fire station while the humans and Bumblebee went to deal with it, but ended up flying out himself to rescue Bumblebee from an undersea trench. Faced with an out-of-control bomb, the two Bots used it to destroy the meteorite, but were infected by the virus themselves. Luckily a sample of the meteorite they'd obtained resulted in the finding of a cure, and Blades was overjoyed to get some photos of himself with Bumblebee. {{storylink|Bumblebee to the Rescue (RB)|Bumblebee to the Rescue}}

When the Rescue Bots were called out to deal with a huge blob of space goo, Blades was horrified by it eating [[Mister Pettypaws]] and tried fruitlessly to hit it with a park sculpture. He and Dani tracked the [[Squilsh]] from the air, and later provided an air lift when the team cornered it at the [[Griffin Rock Community Pool]]. {{storylink|You've Been Squilshed}}

Blades and Dani rescued Frankie from [[Tracer (RB)|tracers]] after most of the townspeople were teleported elsewhere by them, and had to fly through the wind farm to try to lose a swarm of the bugs. Back at the fire station, the Bots had their work cut out squishing bugs, though Blades managed to catch one, enabling Boulder to find a way to neutralize them. The four Bots later tracked down the cavern where the townsfolk had been teleported and rescued them all. {{storylink|Countdown (RB)|Countdown}}
{{--}}

==Toys==
===Rescue Bots===
[[Image:Rescue-Bots-Blades.jpg|right|thumb|200px|If it's all the same to you, I'd rather just hide in the toy box.]]
*'''Blades the Copter-Bot''' (2011)
:Blades can be transformed from helicopter to robot by twisting the knob on his propeller.

[[Category: Rescue Bots Autobots]]

Insecticon (WFC)

2012-07-30T09:30:48Z

96.21.86.21:

{{factions|decepticon}}
{{disambig3|Insecticon}}
:''The Insecticons are [[Transformer]]s from the [[Aligned continuity family]].''
[[Image:FOCInsecticon.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[Michael Bay]]'s ''A Bug's Life''.]]

Denizens of the under levels of Cybertron, the '''Insecticons''' live in destructive swarms, eating metal and remodeling the landscape into enormous interconnected hive networks.

Known Insecticons include:
*[[Hardshell]]
*[[Sharpshot]]
*[[Kickback (FOC)|Kickback]]

==Fiction==
===Aligned novels===
[[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] experimented on three specimens, optimizing them for battle in the gladiatorial arenas of [[Kaon]] by turning them into [[combiner]]s—something that disgusted the gladiator [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatronus]]. They were primitive to the point of barely possessing a sentient consciousness, but surprisingly capable fighters. The way they moved together gave away their nature as combiners even when separate. Even with one of their number dead, the remaining two could combine into a hovering attack mode.

The trio competed in the [[gladiatorial combat|gladiatorial]] [[Tournament of Champions]] when they encountered Megatronus. He allowed them to [[trans-scan|scan]] a vehicle form before attacking. One emerged from a scrapheap as an all-terrain vehicle with magnetic studded tracks and sought a vantage point on the combat pit's wall, while another sprayed acid on Megatronus's shoulder. Megatronus caught the third Insecticon's multiple, vibrobladed hands and tore an arm off, flinging it into the audience and causing havoc.

Taking fire from the other two, Megatronus made the wounded Insecticon fire his own ion cannon into its neck, killing it in an attempt to ensure there would be no combination. He then slammed the acid-spitter to the floor, but it wriggled away and managed to combine with the ATV, wiring itself into girders while blasting and spitting acid at the gladiator. Megatronus transformed and blasted them, before pinning them down in robot mode and smashing them to pieces with two [[energon mace|maces]]. Megatronus roared "I still function!", as the crowd began chanting a shortened version of his name: Megatron. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}}

===''Prime'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Frank Welker]] (English), [[Steve Blum|Steven Blum]] (English), [[Kevin Michael Richardson]] (English)}}

[[Image:Prime-insecticon.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Who thinks they can squash me like a bug?]]
An Insecticon was left in stasis on Cybertron, acting as a Decepticon sentry. It was awakened by [[Jack Darby|Jack]] and [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]]'s arrival in [[Kaon]], and began pursuing them. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 2}}

As they used the [[Key to Vector Sigma]] to reveal a hidden passage under the city's arena, the Insecticon attacked. Arcee attempted to distract it so that Jack could escape into the newly-revealed entrance, but she was soundly beaten when it slammed her into the arena wall. The Insecticon then tracked Jack to [[Vector Sigma]], but was horrified to see the supercomputer covered in [[scraplet]]s. Jack hurled one of the scraplets at the Insecticon so that they would stop feeding on Vector Sigma, and the rest of the swarm followed it in attacking the larger beast-bot. The Insecticon was savaged, falling off the bridge into a chasm as it was eaten alive. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 3}}

[[Image:Crossfire Megatron and Insecticon close together.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Megatron put Eradicating Aerosol in his deck for just such an occasion.]]
When [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] was seeking Energon scraps in an old mine, he noticed an Insecticon doing the same, and was surprised that one was on [[Earth]]. Starscream demanded that the Insecticon hand over the Energon it had found, though it instead turned on him and attacked, before [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] called it off. Airachnid had managed to control it, due to their being related. Though Starscream suggested that they all team up to end [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]], Airachnid instead ordered the Insecticon to attack him, however he escaped. Sometime later, the Insecticon attacked Megatron as part of Airachnid's trap, refusing to obey him instead. The Insecticon had the upper hand on the Decepticon leader, particularly when Airachnid removed his fusion cannon from the equation, however Megatron eventually triumphed as he beheaded the Insecticon.

However, as the escaped Airachnid discovered, it was only a scout for an entire hive of Insecticons in stasis underground.{{storylink|Crossfire}}

[[Image:Armada-armadasurroundMegatron.jpg|left|thumb|300px|We're going to need a bigger ship.]]
Airachnid awoke the Insecticons after detecting a signal from the ''[[Trypticon (Prime)|Nemesis]]'', and sent most of them to terminate Megatron, while others attempted to protect her from the Autobots who arrived to see what was happening. While [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] eliminated the Insecticons attacking them, Arcee chased down Airachnid and put her in stasis. At that point her control of the Insecticons ceased, and those attacking the ''Nemesis'' stopped and proclaimed their loyalty to Megatron. Then, the ''Nemesis'' crashed for [[Bulkhead (Prime)|some reason]]. {{storylink|Armada (episode)|Armada}}

Now added to the Decepticon ranks, the Insecticons were free to move about the ship. After Megatron used [[Dark Energon]] to bring the ship back online but as a consequence the ship started making its own decisions, Megatron then sent all of the ship's crew, including the Insecticons, to stop the ''Nemesis''. They failed and were stasis locked by the ''Nemesis'''s stasis cannon sweep of the ship. They started recovering after Jack disabled the ship's Dark Energon influence. {{storylink|Flying Mind}}

A single Insecticon went with [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] to watch over the medic as they searched for one of the [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] relics in the [[New York City|Manhattan]] subway. When Arcee and [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] turned up, it easily brought them down. But soon they started fighting back, and the Insecticon pursued Arcee down the tunnel, and eventually the two began clashing. The Insecticon had the upper hand until she managed to get it to come into contact with the electrified third rail on the subway track, frying it. {{storylink|Tunnel Vision}}

[[Image:HardshellTeaser.jpg|right|thumb|250px]]

Megatron entered the chamber occupied by the Insecticons and asked for the fiercest among them to retrieve the fourth Iacon relic. [[Hardshell]] led three other Insecticons to the Earth's equator, and Hardshell's first fight with Bulkhead resulted in defeat. As they continued their mission, one of the Insecticons fell prey to a grenade and some [[Tox-En]]. Hardshell and the others were mislead by a false trail left by Bulkhead, but eventually caught up with the Wrecker at the top of a nearby volcano. He managed to acquit himself well against the trio, finishing off one Insecticon and throwing Hardshell and the Tox-En into the volcano. Hardshell survived his swim and shot Bulkhead in the back as the Autobot was retreating through the [[GroundBridge]]. {{storylink|Toxicity}}

==Games==
===''Fall of Cybertron''===
[[Image:FOC Grimlock vs Insecticons.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Me Grimlock say I squash you like bug.]]
{{comingsoon}}
{{--}}

== Toys ==
=== Generations ===
[[Image:Kickback foc toy.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]
*'''Insecticon Kickback''' (Deluxe Class, 2012)
{{comingsoontoy}}

[[Category:Combiner teams]]
[[Category:Decepticon subgroups]]
[[Category:Gladiators]]
[[Category:Insecticons| Insecticon (Prime)]]
[[Category:Prime subgroups]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron subgroups]]
[[Category:Prime Decepticons]]

Cad Bane

2012-07-27T01:46:24Z

96.21.86.21: /* Star Wars Crossovers */

:''Cad Bane is an [[alien]] and a bounty hunter from the [[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]] continuity family.''
[[Image:SW_Cad_Bane_cardart.jpg|thumb|right|250px|No hat? No thanks.]]

'''Cad Bane''' is a bounty hunter who flies a ship called the ''[[Xanadu Blood]]''. His [[mech]] suit transforms from a robot resembling him into the ship.

==Fiction==
===Toy bios===
Invading a senate building on [[Coruscant]], Bane made it off with important information and several hostages. When the [[Jedi]] [[Darth Vader|Anakin Skywalker]] managed to chase him down and free the hostages, the bounty hunter tried to surprise him with the ''Xanadu Blood'''s [[transformation]] ability, but Skywalker revealed that his [[Y-wing]] could do the same trick. The two then fought eachother using their mech suits, but the victor is unknown.<ref>''Crossovers'' "Cad Bane to Cad Bane's ''Xanadu Blood''" and "Anakin Skywalker to Y-wing Bomber" toy bios.</ref>

==Toys==
===''Star Wars Crossovers''===
[[Image:Crossovers-toy_CadBane.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Inside, [[Orson Welles]] is smashing the ''hell'' out of the set.]]
*'''Cad Bane to Cad Bane's ''Xanadu Blood''''' (2010)
**''Accessories:'' 2 guns, 2 missiles, 4 staff components

:Cad Bane is a retool of the [[MagnaGuard]] toy with a new head, transforming into the ''Xanadu Blood'' (a modified version of the Porax-38 starfighter that the MagnaGuard transforms into). The ship is armed with six cannons; the two on the sides are firing missile launchers that can be used as handheld guns in robot mode, while the remaining four combine to form a staff weapon. He is woefully bereft of headwear.

:During the period between 26 December 2010 and 31 January 2011, Hasbro ran their "Supercharge Your Holidays" promotion: for every $20 spent on Hasbro-branded product, customers could receive a free, random product from a list provided by Hasbro. Among the items on the list was "Star Wars Transformers Crossovers". According to [http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=75487 this discussion thread on Allspark.com], Cad Bane to Cad Bane's ''Xanadu Blood'' was one of the figures distributed.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{wookiee|Cad Bane}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bane, Cad}}
[[Category:Bounty hunters]]
[[Category:Star Wars characters]]
[[Category:Toy-only characters]]

The Invisibility Factor

2012-07-27T01:43:06Z

96.21.86.21: /* Notes */

{{comicstory|seriesissue=[[Find Your Fate Junior]] #9
|prev=Project Brain Drain
|title="The Invisibility Factor"
|image=FYF Invisibility Factor Cover.jpg
|caption=Man, that sure is Galvatron's [[box art]] coming out of the ''[[Millennium Falcon]]'' there.
|publisher=[[Ballantine Books]]
|imprint=[[Find Your Fate Junior]]
|date=1986
|writer=[[Josepha Sherman]]
|illustrator=[[William Schmidt]] (interior pencils and cover painting)
|pagecount=73pp
|ISBN=ISBN 978034533391 ISBN 0-345-33391-8
}}
''The Invisibility Factor'' was a [[Multipath adventure]] in [[Generation 1]].

==Synopsis==
While driving through the desert outside [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] one night, [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] and [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] come upon a battered ship that can become invisible.
==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=

* [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]]
* [[Kup (G1)|Kup]]
* [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]
* [[Springer (G1)|Springer]]
* [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]
* [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]]
* [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]]
* [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]]
* [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]]

|c2=
* [[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]]
* [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]
* [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]
* [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]]
* [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]]
* [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]]
* [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]
* [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]]
* [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]]
* [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]]

|c3=
* [[Sarah Sanders]]
}}
==Notes==
[[Image:Sarah sanders ship.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"20 years before [[Crossovers]]."]]
* [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] is alive in this book, as is [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]].
* [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] and [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] have the power of speech.
* Hot Rod appears to have severed his own arm and welded the forearm to his chest.
* Seriously. That is totally the ''[[Millennium Falcon]]'' on the cover. If that weren't enough, the illustrations also make use of an [[Imperial Shuttle]].

{{stub}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Invisibility Factor}}
[[Category:Generation 1 multipath adventures]]

Leech (Prime)

2012-07-27T00:16:44Z

96.21.86.21: "Spoilers have expired, you may remove this tag"

:''Leech is a [[human]] from the [[Aligned continuity family]].''
[[Image:Titan4.10 Colonel Leech.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]
'''Colonel Leech''' is a member of the [[United States military]] under [[Rufus Madison|General Rufus "Mad Dog" Madison]].

==Fiction==
===Titan Magazines ''Prime'' comics===
After Madison was told by the United States government that the weapons project was being shut down, Colonel Leech informed him that their spies in the [[Pentagon]] had discovered that [[William Fowler]] was running a rival department based in [[Jasper]], [[Nevada]] which appeared to have stolen the [[robotic battle suit]] designs from Madison's department. When Madison set a trap for the usurpers on the [[Deep Driller]] oil platform, Leech piloted one of the department's battle suits in combat against the rival department's suits, only for them to discover that the enemy battle suits were actually [[Autobot|real robots]]. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.10|Mad Dogs & Autobots}}

[[Category:Comic-only characters]]
[[Category:Prime humans]]
[[Category:United States military]]

Rufus Madison

2012-07-27T00:16:28Z

96.21.86.21: "Spoilers have expired, you may remove this tag"

:''Rufus Madison is a [[human]] from the [[Aligned continuity family]].''
[[Image:Titan4.10 Mad Dog Madison.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]
'''General Rufus Madison'''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> nickname is "Mad Dog", which covers pretty much everything about his personality. He is a general in the [[United States military]], and heads a highly-advanced weapons development program aimed at developing [[robotic battle suit]]s.

==Fiction==
===Titan Magazines ''Prime'' comics===
General Madison was extremely disappointed by the government's decision to shut down his division, but when [[Leech|Colonel Leech]] gave him news that a rival department operating in [[Jasper]], [[Nevada]] appeared to have stolen their battle suit designs, Madison decided to show the competition what he was made of. He spread a false report that environmentalists had taken over the [[Deep Driller]] oil rig, and waited there along with Leech and four others in battle suits. When the rival department's battle suits turned up, Madison and his men engaged them in combat. Though four of Madison's men fell, the rival team suddenly surrendered. Victorious, Madison attempted to oblige the leader's wish to be extracted from his battle suit, only to find that the rival team weren't using battle suits but were instead [[Autobot|autonomous robot]]s. When the military arrived, Madison was taken away strapped to a trolly. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.10|Mad Dogs & Autobots}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Madison, Rufus}}
[[Category:Comic-only characters]]
[[Category:Prime humans]]
[[Category:United States military]]

This Is Why I Hate Machines

2012-07-24T08:05:08Z

96.21.86.21: /* Real-world references */

{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=TFAni ThisisWhyIHateMachines Fanzone Crowd.jpg
|caption=
|ep=40
|ep2=37
|prev2=Decepticon Air
|next2=Endgame, Part I
|title="This Is Why I Hate Machines"
|caption=This is what hell looks like to Captain Fanzone.
|airdate=[[May 9]], [[2009]]
|written by=[[Rob Hoegee]]
|directed by=[[Kalvin Lee]] [[Yutaka Hirata]]
|animation studio=[[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''A space bridge accident sends Ratchet and Captain Fanzone to Cybertron, right as the Decepticon controlled Omega Supreme arrives.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:TFA ThisIsWhyIHateMachines Fanzone SpaceBridge.jpg|thumb|200px|left|That's it! I'm firing my travel agent.]]
[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] is trying to calibrate the newly constructed [[space bridge]] properly to begin the hunt for [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]]. Unfortunately, [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]]'s advanced notation system of adhesive note papers leaves something to be desired. [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] chooses that moment to step off [[Sumdac Tower]]'s elevator, engaged in a spirited discussion with [[Sumdac Systems]] technical support over some malfunctioning police drones. Fanzone has come to take up the matter with [[Isaac Sumdac]] himself, but before he can start looking for the scientist, a pair of police drones catch up to him and open fire with lethal force. Now dodging gunfire while the oblivious Ratchet continues to sort through Bulkhead's notes, Fanzone grows progressively more irate until the space bridge suddenly activates, having located Omega Supreme's transwarp signature. Ratchet looks up just in time to see the hapless Fanzone being sucked into the space bridge portal, and, deciding that this probably isn't a good thing, opts to follow.

[[Image:ThisIsWhyIHateMachines-Glyphandothers.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Just robot asses as far as the eye can see.]]

Fanzone finds himself unceremoniously dumped in the middle of a large city on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], a situation he's less than thrilled about. A crowd of Autobots freaks out at the presence of the horrifying organic lifeform. Nearly stepped on by the immense [[Grandus (Animated)|Grandus]] at the urging of a [[Flareup (Animated)|friend]], Fanzone is rescued by the timely arrival of Ratchet. Fanzone wants to return home immediately, but Ratchet insists that while they're on Cybertron, they may as well hit up [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]]. To his dismay, his favorite watering hole has been shut down, along with other "subversive" gathering places, by order of [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]]. After watching one of Sentinel Prime's propaganda videos, the pair are soon approached by the Elite Guard, and Sentinel Prime demands to know how they have been able to get to Cybertron with space bridge travel locked down. Ratchet angrily explains that they didn't use the space bridge network, but rather piggybacked on Omega Supreme's transwarp signature. Sentinel, well-informed as always, laughs off Ratchet, thinking that Omega Supreme had been decommissioned centuries ago. He is immediately proven wrong as the looming shape of Omega Supreme's robot form appears in the Cybertronian skies.

Above the city, aboard Omega's inert body, [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] muses on this (glorious!) moment for the [[Decepticon]]s: those who were once driven away from Cybertron in exile are now poised over it in one of its greatest weapons. As [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] points out that they have no means actually to ''use'' said weapon, [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] comes to Megatron's defense, saying that with the [[plasma dynamic thruster]] removed, the Decepticons have control over Omega's navigational systems, transformation, and free access to the ship. Starscream points out that they have no control over the weapons systems, but Megatron rebuffs him with the revelation that he still has a spy on Cybertron who can fetch him the access codes to Omega Supreme. On cue, [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] contacts the Decepticons, saying that he knows of another means to the get the codes, only needing time to get to it. Starscream comments that this will only work if the Cybertronian defense cannons don't shoot them out of the sky, but Megatron doubts that they would fire on one of the greatest symbols of Autobot military strength.

Meanwhile, Sentinel advocates that they fire the Cybertronian defense cannons on one of the greatest symbols of Autobot military strength. This understandably does not go over well with several prominent members of the [[Autobot High Council]], to say nothing of Omega Supreme's former mentor, Ratchet, who warns that destroying Omega with the amount of transwarp energy currently stored within him could cause a blast that would wipe out Cybertron itself. [[Alpha Trion (Animated)|Alpha Trion]] and [[Perceptor (Animated)|Perceptor]] rebuff Sentinel and inform him to wait for the council's decision. Ratchet warns Sentinel that there will be consequences if Omega is harmed, and Sentinel prepares to lock up Ratchet and Fanzone, but they make a break for it when Fanzone fakes a sneeze. The Elite Guard pursue the two, but lose them outside the [[Metroplex (Animated)|Metroplex]]. Sentinel orders Jazz to continue searching, while he and the twins head to [[Fortress Maximus (Animated)|Fortress Maximus]] to prepare the defense cannons, as Sentinel intends to attack regardless of the Council's decision.

Meanwhile, Ratchet and Fanzone take refuge in the forgotten network of maintenance tunnels beneath the city, which have been sealed for quite some time, but soon realize that someone ''else'' has been hiding in the tunnels quite recently. The occupant of that hideout is revealed to be none other than the double-agent [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]], who nearly gets the jump on the duo, still armed with the stolen [[Magnus Hammer]]. Ratchet fights back, surmising that Shockwave wishes to hack his processor to get the access codes to Omega Supreme, but Shockwave scoffs at this, revealing that he plans to go right to the original source: [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]]! Horrified, Ratchet loses his concentration, allowing Shockwave to hurl him aside and escape.

At Fortress Maximus, Sentinel's diverting of all but essential [[Energon]] has not gone unnoticed, and Perceptor contacts him for an explanation. Sentinel says that the Elite Guard is simply preparing to attack if the Council gives the okay, and Alpha Trion informs him that they will have a decision shortly. As the council continues to deliberate a course of action, Sentinel Prime orders [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] and [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] to arm the weapons of the Elite Guard's base and aim at Omega Supreme. Lugnut advocates that they leave Omega's body and retaliate, something Starscream agrees to for different reasons, but Megatron silences them, claiming he has a reason for exposing their position. Shockwave then contacts Megatron to inform him that he has acquired clearance codes to enter the facility holding Arcee.

[[Image:TFA-ThisIsWhyIHateMachines-UltraMagnusSparkSupport.jpg|thumb|200px|left|"Is it water on the knee?" "A whole bucket, see?" "A Charley Horse, it's true!" "I'm the doctor for YOU!"]]
Fanzone puts his cop instincts to work and quickly tracks down the local stoolie, [[Rattletrap]], the bot who gave Shockwave the clearance codes. With a little organic coercion, the pair are able to force an access card from Rattletrap, but when they attempt to use it, they discover that the codes are bogus. Just as they make this discovery, [[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] steps from the shadows to offer them his aid. He has finally had it with Sentinel Prime's attitude, and he gives Fanzone and Ratchet a functioning access card. The duo quickly locate Arcee, only to find that they have inadvertently led Shockwave right to her. A running firefight ensues as Ratchet tries to get Arcee to safety while Shockwave pursues them, and the battle carries them to the medical bay in which [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] is convalescing. Thinking that Ratchet is out of commission after a blow from the Magnus Hammer, Shockwave decides to finish the job on Ultra Magnus and turns his back on his fallen foe. Ratchet is still very much alive and kicking, however, and he downs Shockwave with a blast from his [[electromagnetic pulse]] generator, allowing him to reclaim the Magnus Hammer from the Decepticon's clutches. Of course, Sentinel Prime chooses that moment to enter the room, and he promptly leaps to the conclusion that Ratchet is trying to do away with Ultra Magnus. This distraction offers Shockwave the time he needs to escape with Arcee, which prompts Sentinel to issue the command to fire on Omega Supreme. Fortress Maximus opens fire, but Omega transwarps out of the path of the blast, which shoots off harmlessly through the sky.

A short while later, the council and Elite Guard see Ratchet and Fanzone to the [[space bridge nexus]] so that they can return to [[Earth]]. Alpha Trion chastises Sentinel for his actions, making it clear that if it was up to him alone, Sentinel wouldn't be Magnus for a second longer. Trion extends his thanks to Ratchet and Fanzone, but Ratchet sees little reason to celebrate, as the Decepticons now have Arcee. Perceptor tries to assure Ratchet that the damage done to Arcee's processor is irreversible, but Ratchet is not cheered up at the prospect. Just before they enter the space bridge, Sentinel orders Ratchet to hand over the Magnus Hammer, but Ratchet refuses, telling him they will give it back to its rightful owner, Ultra Magnus, when he is repaired. Before Sentinel can object, Ratchet and Fanzone dart off through the space bridge. Sentinel is about to pursue them, but Jazz blocks his path and offers to go in his stead. Ratchet and Fanzone are not happy to see Jazz when he appears in front of them, but Jazz explains that he is unable to condone Sentinel's actions any more and is deserting to join the Autobots on Earth.

[[Image:TFAni ThisisWhyIHateMachines Arcee Earth.jpg‎|thumb|200px|right|Insert ''2001: A Space Odyssey'' instrumental here.]]
Out in space, Omega Supreme rematerializes close to Earth's [[moon (moon)|moon]]. Aboard the dormant Autobot, Shockwave bows before Megatron and abandons his [[electronic paint job]] so that he can finally serve his leader under his true colors. Megatron bids his "most loyal servant" to rise, sending Lugnut into fits of silent, quivering rage—much to Starscream's amusement. On the other side of the bridge, the ''conscious'' Arcee lies upon a table and looks out at the Earth below, quietly whispering Ratchet's name...
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (1)
*[[Freeway (Animated)|Freeway]] (4)
*[[Carrera (Animated)|Carrera]] (5)
*[[Huffer (Animated)|Huffer]] (6)
*[[Sedan (Animated)|Sedan]] (7)
*[[Glyph (Animated)|Glyph]] (8)
*[[Bumper (Animated)|Bumper]] (9)
*[[Tap-Out (Animated)|Tap-Out]] (10)
*[[Powerglide (Animated)|Powerglide]] (11)
*[[Grandus (Animated)|Grandus]] (12)
*[[Flareup (Animated)|Flareup]] (13)
*[[Steeljaw (Animated)|Steeljaw]] (14)
*[[Zaur]] (15)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (16)
*[[Autotrooper (Animated)|Autotrooper]] (21)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (22)
*[[Tracks (Animated)|Tracks]] (23)
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (24)
*[[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] (25)
*[[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] (26)
*[[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] (27)
*[[Perceptor (Animated)|Perceptor]] (28)
*[[Alpha Trion (Animated)|Alpha Trion]] (29)
*[[Rattletrap]] (30)
*[[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]] (31)

|c2=
*[[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] (17)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (18)
*[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] (19)
*[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] (20)
*[[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] (32, flashback)

|c3=
*[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (2)

|c4=
*[[Copterdrone]]s (3)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Security Bot''': ''Halt. You are in violation of Criminal Code 30114. Lethal force has been authorised.'' 
''[Security bots open fire]'' 
'''Fanzone''': Hey! Ow! Hey! 
'''Ratchet''': Think you have it bad? I got to decipher ''Bulkhead''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> handwriting! And those claws of his aren't exactly designed for penbotship.
:—As the Security Bots try to kill Captain Fanzone, Ratchet shows the depth to which he does not care.

"I'd be a happy man if I never see another—"''[Fanzone takes in his surroundings]''"...''robot''?"
:—'''Captain Fanzone''' enters his own personal hell, and its name is Cybertron.

"I can't believe we're on Cybertron! Of all the places we transwarped, this is great!"
:—'''Ratchet''', happy for the first time since...well, since we've seen him.

"Citizens of Cybertron, Decepticons are in our midst! Neighbours, friends, even ''your own model'' can be a spy! Do your duty and report any suspicious activity to the Elite Guard immediately." 
"...what is this scrap?!" 
"For your protection, all potentially subversive gathering places remain closed. Curfew remains in effect. Remember, Decepticons will stop at nothing to destroy our way of life! Don't let THIS ''[picture of Ultra Magnus on [[spark support]]]'' happen to you. As your Magnus, I will continue to defeat the Decepticon scourge and bring peace and security to Cybertron! I'm Sentinel Prime, and I approve of this message." 
"No-good glory-hog's got a lot of steel. It was [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] who caught those 'Cons!"
:—'''Sentinel Prime'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s propaganda film, with commentary by '''Ratchet'''

"Cybertron. At last, our ultimate goal is at our feet. And here we stand, aboard its ultimate weapon." 
"Now, wouldn't it be nice if we could actually figure out how to use it!" 
:—'''Megatron''' has a moment, which '''Starscream''' ruins.

'''Megatron''': No Autobot would be foolish enough to fire upon their greatest weapon. 
'''Sentinel Prime''': I say we fire on Omega Supreme! 
:—Even '''Megatron''' can't predict what goes on in '''Sentinel Prime's''' head.

'''Perceptor''': Sentinel Prime, please explain why all but essential Energon has been diverted to Fortress Maximus. 
'''Alpha Trion''': Need we remind you that the Council is still deliberating? 
'''Sentinel Prime''': As acting Magnus, I must be ready to strike should Omega... should Megatron make a move against us. 
'''Alpha Trion''': Very well. We will inform you of our decision shortly.
:—Sentinel Prime reveals his secret dream of blowing up Omega Supreme and covers it up neatly.

"How'd you know about this bot?" ''[indicating Rattletrap]'' 
"Ehh. There's one in every town." 
:—'''Ratchet''' learns a little more about how '''Captain Fanzone''' works.

"This is why I hate machines." ''[looks at Sentinel Prime]'' "Certain machines more than others."
:—'''Captain Fanzone'''

'''Captain Fanzone''': I get mixed up in a war, nearly stepped on, blasted, buried, and possibly zapped into space, and now, you've just made me an accomplice to INTERGALACTIC GRAND THEFT!! 
'''Police Drone:''' Halt. You are under arrest. 
''(Ratchet blows it up with his magnetic powers)'' 
'''Captain Fanzone''': Let's say we call it even.
:—Captain Fanzone complains about the worst day of his life and then blows it off.

==Notes==

===Animation or technical errors===
[[Image:Bulkhead's_postit_notes.jpg|right|thumb|200px|"No TV and no beer make Homer something something"?]]
* All of Bulkhead's post-its say the exact same thing.
* A few of the laser blasts that the drone fires at Captain Fanzone (before he gets sucked up by the Space Bridge) are out of sync with the animation of the strafing drone.
* Shockwave's head model changes randomly throughout the episode in shape, size and in the positioning of his optic.
* When Shockwave holds up the Magnus Hammer and starts generating lightning, its handle is only half as long as usual.
* When Sentinel Prime first sees Omega Supreme, his shoulder pads end up behind the circle around his neck.

===Continuity notes===
* Parade footage from "[[Decepticon Air]]" is used in Sentinel's little propaganda video. (See said episode for the list of cameos within.)
* Ratchet remarks that [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] was the one to capture the Decepticon prisoners, as seen in "[[Five Servos of Doom]]".
* Ratchet's flashback uses footage from "[[The Thrill of the Hunt]]", giving Lockdown a brief "appearance" in this episode.

===Transformers references===
* Captain Fanzone's arrival on Cybertron treats us to another crowd scene full of cameos, some of which we haven't seen before. Notable newbies in this crowd include [[Glyph (Animated)|Glyph]], [[Bumper (Animated)|Bumper]] and his white recolor [[Sedan (Animated)|Sedan]], [[Steeljaw (Animated)|Steeljaw]], [[Zaur]] and robot-mode [[Grandus (Animated)|Grandus]]. We also get a closer look at [[Carrera (Animated)|Carrera]], but only from behind, as he talks to an unnamed blue-and-tan female robot.
* Ratchet's favorite hangout is [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]].
* The Autobot Council's headquarters is known as "the [[Metroplex (Animated)|Metroplex]]", and the Elite Guard's battle station is "[[Fortress Maximus (Animated)|Fortress Maximus]]".
* At the end of the episode, Shockwave utilizes an [[electronic paint job]] to reveal his "true colors", represented by a [[Target]] [[exclusive]] [[redeco]] reminiscent of his [[Shockwave (G1)|Generation 1 namesake]]'s color scheme.
*Rattletrap's design and speech pattern are modelled after [[Rattrap]].

===Foreign dubbing===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Voila pourquoi je hais tant les machines'''" ("This Is Why I Hate Machines")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Fanzone, Cybertron-Sei e Iku'''" (ファンゾーン、サイバトロン星へ行く, "Fanzone Goes to the Planet Cybertron")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 11|11 December]] [[2010]]
::*New [[stock footage]] for Megatron in his Earth form as he doles out the warning.

===Real-world references===
*Sentinel Prime's broadcast was based on [[wikipedia:The Red Scare|The Red Scare]] during the Cold War. The broadcast concludes with him saying "I'm Sentinel Prime, and I approve of this message."—in the style of contemporary [[President of the United States|political campaign ads]].
*Sentinel's insistence that he is the one who "makes the tough decisions" and insistence that any questioning of his orders is tantamount to treason is probably some kind of statement about [[Mission Accomplished|some''one'' or some''thing'']], but we'll leave it at that.
*Shockwave's slow, deadpan delivery of "I'm afraid I can't let you do that" is a reference to the menacing supercomputer HAL from Stanley Kubrick's ''[[wikipedia:2001 (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]'', who also featured an unblinking single red eye.
* When Ratchet and Fanzone are headed to Maccadam's, they stop in front of a building which appears to have [[Target]]'s trademark "bull's-eye" logo.
* Ratchet retorts to Shockwave about taking the activation codes from his "cold, offline processor", similar to one of Charlton Heston's most famous quotes in support of the NRA. He'd previously used a similar line in [[Megatron Rising - Part 1]].

===Trivia===
*This is the first, and only, episode in which [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] does not appear at all.
*There is oxygen on Cybertron.
*This episode marks the last appearances of Jetfire, Jetstorm, Ultra Magnus and Captain Fanzone in the series.
*Arcee wasn't actually offline at the end of the flashbacks in "The Thrill of the Hunt"—although she was amnesiac, she could stand, talk and take in her surroundings. This implies that it was the vivisection of her head in the "[[TransWarped]]" flashbacks in an attempt to retrieve the activation codes for Omega Supreme which caused the "damage to her circuitry" that Perceptor called "completely irreversible", and meant she was left, comatose, in a hospital bed for millions of stellar cycles.
*Everything has to be [[Megatron Rising - Part 1|"cold and offline"]] with Ratchet, doesn't it?

==Home video releases==
*This episode has yet to be released on home video.

[[Category:Animated episodes]]

UDON Entertainment

2012-07-20T02:32:15Z

96.21.86.21:

[[Image:UDON Entertainment logo.jpg|right]]
'''UDON Entertainment''' is a Canadian comic book studio, most noted for their comics based on Capcom's video games, including ''Street Fighter'' and ''Mega Man''. It was founded in [[2000]] by Erik Ko, Jim Zubkavich and [[Matt Moylan]]. In addition to producing their own comic books, UDON artists have supplied work to other comics publishers, including [[Marvel Comics]] and [[Devil's Due Press]]. <ref>[http://comicbookdb.com/creator.php?ID=1969 UDON Studios] on ComicBookDB</ref>

In [[2001]], when Hasbro were seeking a comics publisher to create new ''Transformers'' comics, UDON was part of a joint bid with Marvel, and would have supplied the art for the title. The work instead went to [[Dreamwave Productions]]. <ref>[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=14153 Lying in the Gutters Transformers Special]</ref> UDON did eventually get ''Transformers'' comics work, providing limited edition covers for Devil's Due's ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' crossover comics. Following the collapse of [[Dreamwave Productions]], many of the orphaned artists were picked up by UDON.

==Comic covers==
*[[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 3|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #3]] (cover B)
*[[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 4|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4]] (cover B)
*[[G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers: The Art of War]] #1-#5 (variant covers that combined into a single image, available through their Club UDON online store)

==External links==
*[http://www.udonentertainment.com/ UDON Entertainment]
*[[Wikipedia:UDON|UDON]] on Wikipedia

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Companies]]

Lightpole

2012-07-20T02:24:43Z

96.21.86.21: /* Fiction */

:''Lipoles are [[Alien|aliens]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] and [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]] [[continuity family|continuity families]].''

[[Image:Lipole close up.jpg|right|270px|thumb|And I go, "Yeah, baby, 'cause I'm the evil Io bomb-bat what bombs on Io!"]]

'''Lipoles''' are flying, bat-like creatures, though they can furl their wings and walk. They live in smoldering craters on [[Jupiter]]'s moon of [[Io]]. Their saliva is acidic and they eat metal. When threatened, they can [[Transformation|transform]] into explosive missiles and fling themselves at predators.
{{TOCclear}}
==Fiction==
===''The Transformers'' cartoon===
[[Image:FFOD4 Autobots lipoles.JPG|left|200px|thumb|"I'm [[Batman]]." "No, I'm Batman." "I'm Batman!" "No! I'm Batman!"]]
[[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] and [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] crashed on Io while bringing [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]'s [[transformation cog]] to [[Earth]]. As they awaited rescue, two glowing, acid-dripping lipoles emerged from a crater with wings furled. One picked up a piece of metal and devoured it for a light snack. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3}}

[[Image:Lipoloe missiles from Five Faces of Darkness.jpg|right|200px|thumb|It's not silly! Really! Bees do this in real life!]]
Shortly thereafter, a swarm of lipoles attacked them. Without weapons, Blurr and Wheelie attempted to flee, though Wheelie wasn't fast enough to keep out of their talons. [[Marissa Faireborn]] arrived to rescue the pair. She landed and began to attack the swarm with a handgun. Once faced with energy weapons, some of the swarm transformed into suicidal missile mode and destroyed her ship, leaving the Autobots and human stranded. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}}

After a brief respite, additional lipoles continued to assault Blurr, Wheelie, and Marissa. Finally, [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] effortlessly rescued the trio from the creatures' ravenous clutches. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5}}
{{--}}

===''Animated'' cartoon===
[[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] noted that [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] was "a few lipoles short of a nest". {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac}}

==Notes==
[[Image:Lipoles and wheelie.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Composite panning shot]]
* There is some indication that the animators misunderstood what the lipoles were supposed to be, or possibly even that the writer changed his mind mid-stream. In their first on-screen appearance at the end of "Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3", two lipoles are shown crawling out of a crater behind Blurr and Wheelie, immediately followed by a screen-filling shot of one, wings furled, eating some scrap metal. The two shots give the impression of a monstrously huge, land-based menace... in sharp contrast to the lipoles' subsequent appearance as a flock of tiny, swarming creatures in the following episodes.
* Likewise, these first two Lipoles glow radioactively, and one drools smoldering acid saliva. These traits are notably absent from the creatures' later appearances.
* Though the lipoles ''appear'' mechanical—their transition to missile-mode is even accompanied by the "Transformation" sound—Marissa Faireborne refers to them as "bags of protoplasm."
* The name "lipole" is never used in the story portion of the episodes. It is only used in the recap section of "Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5".

[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Generation 1 species]]
[[Category:Robots]]

Canon

2012-07-20T01:00:27Z

96.21.86.21: /* Canon in other media franchises */

{{disambig2|the story material which is considered to affect the overall continuity|various big guns|Cannon (disambiguation)}}

[[Image:KidsCliff1.jpg|right|thumb|300px|This is canon.]]

'''Canon''' originally referred to (among other things) the recognized books of the Bible. In the 20th century, however, the term has also been adopted in the discussion of most long-running media franchises to mean any event, character, or location within the fiction that is considered to have been "real" with respect to that fictional [[continuity]]. Only canonical material should be used as evidence in debates on the nature of the fictional universe and the characters that inhabit them.

In the ''Transformers'' brand, as a result of editorial choice and the [[multiverse|multiversal]] nature of the [[Transformers brand|''Transformers'' brand]], canon is both extremely complicated and extremely simple, depending on how you look at it. The only reliable metric for determining the canonical status of ''Transformers'' fiction is whether it was officially licensed/approved or not. If so, it is canon... for ''some'' continuity. If not, it is not canon at all.

==Canon in other media franchises==
[[Image:VaderVsPrime.jpg|right|250px|thumb|So is this.]]

Before examining canonicity as it pertains to ''Transformers'' it might first be useful to understand how canon is dealt with in other media franchises. It is tempting to dismiss canonicity as a trivial matter, of interest only to [[Ironfist (G1)|the most obsessive fans]], and while it is true that many casual fans of a franchise will give very little thought to the canon, some franchise owners have taken it seriously enough to create their own "canon policies". Others ignore the issue totally.

The owners of three of the largest franchises in existence today, ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]'', ''[[Star Trek]]'' and ''[[Doctor|Doctor Who]]'', have vastly different views on canon. Lucasfilm has developed several tiers of canonicity into which a ''Star Wars'' text can fall, ranging from G-Canon (the films) down to T-Canon (the TV cartoons) and so on to N-Canon (ignored). The policy decrees that most fiction is canonical unless it is contradicted by a higher level source (effectively, the movies and TV show trump everything else), or is explicitly marked as non-canonical (such as material released under the Infinities banner)<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Wars_canon</ref>.

By contrast, CBS, the owners of ''Star Trek'', have for the most part limited their canon to events within the live-action television series and the motion pictures. All other material is largely considered non-canonical.<ref>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek_canon</ref>.

Some franchise owners ignore canon totally: the BBC, owners of ''Doctor Who'', have no canon policy for the franchise, and fans are left to [[personal canon|argue it out themselves]]. Partly this is due to statute (as a public broadcaster the BBC cannot have its programs refer to merchandise) and partly because nobody involved gave much of a toss until the 1980s, when fans started to get more organised and loud. So despite being a single continuous story, even ''the core show'' is riddled with countless irreconcilable continuity clashes! The 2005-9 showrunner Russell T. Davies said he'd prefer to let fans decide their own canons "completely free of the production team's hot and heavy hands" <ref>''Doctor Who Magazine'' #356</ref>, and made it clear in 2005 that time/continuity can be rewritten ''at any time''<ref>''The Unquiet Dead'' mentions it, and ''The Long Game'', ''Father's Day'', and ''Bad Wolf'' all have plots involving the timeline being changed.</ref>, the ultimate get-out clause. [[Image:11rattrap.GIF|right|130px|thumb|And this.]]

==Canon in ''Transformers''==

Right from its conception in 1984 ''Transformers'' differed from many other franchises in that it was made up of more than a single [[continuity]], the two main ones being the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Sunbow cartoon series]] and the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel comic series]]. Although based on the same basic concept both series offered different interpretations of events and characters. For example, in the cartoon, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] was shown to be slavishly loyal to [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], whereas the comic portrayed him as a usurper constantly plotting to take control of the Decepticons himself. ''Both interpretations are canonical within the confines of their specific continuity.''

In addition to these two main continuities, countless other licensed products offered their own take on the Transformers' fictional universe, resulting in yet more [[Micro-continuity|micro-continuities]], such as those presented in the [[Ladybird Books]], [[Big Looker Storybook]]s (also published by Marvel) and [[Kid Stuff]]’s Talk and Read series to name but three. Then it got stranger when the [[United Kingdom]] started to make its ''own'' UK-only stories set in and around the American Marvel Comics, and in 1987 [[Japan]] started to make its own cartoons following on from Sunbow's.

[[Image:Preds in tears.jpg|thumb|250px|Yeah, this too.]]

Over the years as new ''Transformers'' franchises have been developed, multiple continuities have given way to multiple [[Continuity family|continuity ''families'']], each of which may contain dozens of continuities. The first time this happened was with the arrival of ''[[Robots in Disguise (cartoon)|Transformers: Robots in Disguise]]'', which was the first time any Transformers fiction had not been a continuation of the 1984 cartoon and/or comic.

[[Hasbro]]'s only real input on what constitutes canon in ''Transformers'' comes from the ''[[Universe (2003 franchise)|Transformers Universe]]'' franchise, which grew out of the [[BotCon]] merchandise and fiction produced by [[3H Productions]], and has continued with [[Fun Publications]]' fan club and ''Timelines'' comics. These stories present the idea that each ''Transformers'' continuity exists in its own separate universe, with [[Primus]] and [[Unicron]] as entities which straddle (or easily travel between) these universes. This approach is essentially a tacit endorsement of the model that the ''Transformers'' [[fandom]] had already started working under:

:'''Everything is canon.'''

In ''Transformers'', "canon" is for all intents and purposes a synonym for "official". If it was released by a ''Transformers'' [[licensor]] with Hasbro<ref>Or, in the case of Japanese canon, [[TakaraTomy]].</ref> approval, then it is canonical. However, simply being canonical doesn't say anything about what continuity or continuities it applies to.

3H and IDW have both released comics which take place "just offscreen" during the ''[[Beast Wars (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' cartoon, but these comics contradict each other. Rather than the newer IDW comics ''invalidating'' the 3H story or [[Retcon|retconning]] it out of existence, the two are simply relegated to separate but closely parallel universes.

[[Image:Movie2007 Bumblebee lubricates Simmons.JPG|thumb|250px|Sorry, this as well.]]

While this "multiverse" approach helps to ensure that essentially all ''Transformers'' fiction is given a certain amount of validity, there are occasions when a given fiction will contradict itself. The origin of the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] in the original cartoon series is probably the most infamous example: they were built on 1980s Earth, are Autobots from Cybertron brainwashed into being Decepticons, ''and'' were Decepticons millions of years ago. Unless and until official fiction says "this origin is the right one" and [[retcon]]s the other two somehow, which one of the origins is the "real one" or how they might fit together is the domain of [[personal canon]]: a fan's subjective collection of ideas about the official fiction, constantly being reevaluated and changed.

One example of contradictions being retconned is the fan-club comic ''[[Transformers: Cybertron: Balancing Act|Balancing Act]]'', which said all the continuity contradictions in ''[[Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'' was because [[Unicron Singularity|the black hole]] was warping reality.
[[Image:Tf commag 09.JPG|thumb|250px|And this.]]

==General canon rules==
When dealing with ''Transformers'' fiction, these general rules apply:

*All officially-licensed fiction is canonical for ''some'' continuity.
*If conflicting events occur which are ostensibly within the same continuity, there is no single "correct" interpretation, unless an official retcon is later issued. Fans may reach a consensus on it, or not. The two events may be relegated to slightly different continuities, or an in-continuity fix may be applied.
*While canon from one continuity cannot, in general, be used as evidence to support canon in a different continuity, there are exceptions. For example, the [[Tech Spec|Tech Specs]] and [[Bio|bios]] from toy packaging are used as the basis for character personalities across various continuities, and can therefore hold some cross-continuity weight.
*Fan fiction is not canon.
*Toy catalogs produced by companies other than Hasbro (such as [[:Image:Seekers ad.jpg|J.C. Penney]]) are not canon.
*Some fans have their own ideas about what constitutes canon and nothing anyone else says will change their mind (see [[personal canon]]).
*Perhaps most important of all...it only has one N in the center, and one at the end. Megatron has a "[[Fusion cannon|personal cannon]]," but you likely never will.

==See also==
[[Image:Elisetape.jpg|thumb|250px|Oh god, why was [[B.O.T.|this]] canon?]]
* [[Authorial intent]]
* [[Fan fiction]]
* [[Fanon]]
* [[Personal canon]]
* [[Pseudocanon]]

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Fandom]]
[[Category:Continuities| ]]

Hasbro

2012-07-20T00:52:10Z

96.21.86.21: /* History */

[[Image:Hasbrologo.jpg|right|130px|thumb|Making the world transform. (Well, apart from Japan, [[TakaraTomy|these guys]] handle that.)]]
'''Hasbro''' is a [[toy]] company, and owner of the [[Transformers brand|''Transformers'' brand]] in most markets outside of Japan, where it is owned by [[TakaraTomy]].

==Fiction==
===Marvel UK ''Generation 1'' comics===
After [[Donny Finkleberg]]'s adventures as Robot-Master, he got a job packaging toys for Hasbro. {{storylink|Letters page (Marvel UK)|Darn 'n' Blast #308}}

===Dreamwave Generation 1 comics===
Hasbro had many signs indicating its presence in [[San Desto]]. {{Storylink|Extermination}}

===IDW Generation 1 comics===
[[Image:AHM1 NYCToyCompanies1.jpg|right|230px|]]
A [[Toys"R"Us]] store in [[Times Square]] sold Hasbro products. {{Storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 1|All Hail Megatron #1}}

===Timelines===
[[Flamewar (G1)|Flamewar]] collects Hasbro memorabilia.

==History==
[[Image:Hasbrooldlogo.jpg|left|75px|thumb|Siamese twins at home.]]

Hasbro was originally founded in [[1923]] as "Hassenfeld Brothers" by brothers Henry and Helal Hassenfeld from Rhode Island. The company originally sold textile remnants, but soon moved into manufacturing pencil boxes and school supplies.
In [[1952]], Hasbro first rose to fame with a little toy called [[Optimash Prime|''Mr. Potato Head'']]. You might have heard of it. The company went so far as to purchase advertising time for the toy on a newfangled invention called television. You might have heard of that, too.

In [[1964]], Hasbro had an even greater success with the original ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' toy designed by Don Levine, which caused Hassenfeld Bros. to grow to be one of the largest toy companies in the USA. In [[1968]], the company would change its name to "Hasbro Industries, Inc."

Through a series of importing licenses and spin-offs, G.I. Joe ultimately led to the ''[[Microman]]'' and ''[[Diaclone]]'' toylines by Japanese toymaker [[TakaraTomy|Takara]], which in turn would lead to Hasbro's release of the original ''Transformers'' toyline in [[1984]]. At that time, Hasbro was employing the services of [[Marvel Comics]] and the advertising agency [[Griffin Bacal]], who helped them come up with new marketing strategies and background stories for their toylines, including the revamped ''G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero'' and ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|The Transformers]]''.

In 1984, Hasbro also bought out a competing toy company named [[Milton Bradley]] (MB), which resulted in the merged company briefly assuming the name "Hasbro Bradley, Inc." After the merger was completed, the company changed its name into simply "Hasbro, Inc." Milton Bradley's European facilities would also be used to distribute the initial wave of [[Toy|''Transformers'' toys]] to be [[Generation 1 (European toyline)|released in Europe]] before the merger was completed. Later in the '80s, Hasbro would go on to release other toy brands such as ''[[Visionaries]]'', ''[[My Little Pony]]'', ''[[Inhumanoids|Inhumanoids]]'', ''[[Robotix]]'', ''[[Jem]]'', and ''[[Beastformer|Battle Beasts]]'' — the latter eventually becoming closely (if strangely) related to ''Transformers''.

In [[1991]], Hasbro bought out former competitor [[Tonka]]—which by that point in time already owned another former Hasbro competitor, [[Kenner]], meaning that this acquisition added ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]'' to Hasbro's product portfolio. In the same year, Hasbro consolidated most of their international markets: Prior to this point, Hasbro subsidiaries such as the aforementioned Milton Bradley had still been responsible for distributing ''Transformers'' toys in some countries (even though the toys' packaging had sported the name "Hasbro" since [[1986]]). Those subsidiaries were officially restructured and given the parent companies' name in an attempt to establish "Hasbro" as a worldwide household name.

In [[1995]] Hasbro temporarily transferred control of the ''Transformers'' franchise to its Kenner subsidiary, then phased out the Kenner brand in [[2000]].

In the new millennium, Hasbro, following [[Marvel Comics|Marvel's]] example, intends to reinvent itself as an "entertainment" company, [[Hasbro Studios]]. Instead of merely commissioning animated TV shows as advertising vehicles for their toys, Hasbro licenses its brands to [[Hollywood]] studios, which turn them into big budget blockbuster movies, using the toys' established household names as a marketing appeal. [[2007]]'s ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]'' movie was the first of those feature films. The sequel, ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen]]'', and a ''[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]'' movie were both released in [[2009]], and movies based on the successful board game ''[[Monopoly]]'' and [[Kenner]]'s old ''Stretch Armstrong'' toy have also been confirmed. Hasbro believes that their new "the movie of the toy" strategy will be more lucrative than the old "the toy of the movie" concept, which involves hefty licensing fees.<ref name="brandweek">[http://www.businessweek.com/bwdaily/dnflash/content/jun2009/db20090611_333306.htm Brandweek article on Hasbro's new movie-related business strategy]</ref>

==Hasbro today==
===Employees===
====Corporate====
* [[Brian Goldner]], Chief Executive Officer
* [[Alfred J. Verrecchia]], Chairman of the Board
* [[Aaron Archer]], Vice President of Intellectual Property Development, Creative Director of ''Transformers''

===Boys' Toys===
* [[Samantha Lomow]], Global Brand Leader, Vice President of Marketing and Design for ''Transformers''
* [[Vickie Stratford]], formerly Sr. Design Project Manager for ''Transformers'', transferred to the ''Star Wars'' brand as its head of design(?)
* [[Steve Bono]], Design Manager, ''G.I. Joe'' and ''Action Man''
* [[Eric Siebenaler]], formerly Senior Product Designer for ''Transformers'', transferred to the ''Star Wars'' brand

===Girls' Toys===
* [[Michelle Field]], formerly Director of Marketing for ''Transformers'' and boys toys, now Sr. Director of Marketing for girls's toys

===Toys for everyone!===
* [[Jared Wade]], formerly Director of Global Product Design for ''Transformers'', transferred to the ''Sesame Street'' brand
* [[Brian Wilk]], formerly Design Director for ''Transformers'', transferred to the ''Playskool'' brand
* [[Greg Lombardo]], formerly Sr. Director of Global Marketing for ''Transformers'', transferred to the ''Playdoh'' brand

===''Transformers'' Brand===
====Marketing====
* [[Michael Vibede Vanting]], Global Brand Marketing Director
* [[Kristin Hamilton]], international marketing
* [[Michael Ballog]], marketing
* [[Jared Jones]], marketing
* [[Matthew Proulx]], marketing
* [[Forest Lee]], copywriting

====Design====
(in alphabetical order)
* [[Brian Chapman]], Head of Design, Global toy/game/IP
* [[Chris Hicks]], senior designer
* [[Joe Kyde]], Designer
* [[Lenny Panzica]], product designer
* [[Michelino Paolino]]
* [[Todd Patrick]], packaging design
* [[Bill Rawley|William Rawley]], product design manager
* [[Alan Roach]]

===Hasbro's regional offices===
Hasbro has smaller offices all around the world, who are not involved in the production of toys, but rather take care of the customer relationships and marketing in their local regions. Known locations of local offices include Denmark (covering the whole Nordic region), [[Canada]], [[Germany]] (responsible for the distribution in continental Europe), the [[United Kingdom]], [[France]], [[Australia]] and [[New Zealand]].

===Relationship with fandom===
[[Image:Hasbrotour-fleshlesskitty.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Hasbro showed they love the fans by giving a tour of their offices during BotCon 2007. Hasbro showed they hate the fans by including this!]]

[[Fandom|Fandom's]] relationship with Hasbro is as paradoxical and confusing as our relationships with our [[wikipedia:Alcoholism|parents]]. They are an incredible source of joy and happiness, as well as the focal point of rage and blame for pretty much everyone in the Transformers community. To much of the fandom, Hasbro's actual involvement in the Transformers franchise is rarely acknowledged when not negative. Many view their activities to consist entirely of:

* [[Thundercracker (G1)/toys#Timelines|Slapping fans in the face]].
* [[Trukk not munky|Getting things all wrong]].
* [[For safety reasons|Screwing up Takara's toys]].
* [[Redeco|Being lazy]].
* [[To sell toys|Trying to make money]].
* [[Ruined FOREVER|Ruining everything forever]].

When they found the time to create and maintain a successful, celebrated franchise that was the basis of {{#expr:{{CURRENTYEAR}}-1984}} years of obsession and happiness for the exact same fans is unknown.

===Questionable brand decisions===
* In the early days of the ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' line's run, Hasbro was entirely focused on "product" and viewed the attached fiction as a mere marketing tool. As a consequence, they viewed "[[character]]s" as easily replacable, and their strategy at that time can be summed up as "new toys, new characters". Hasbro certainly didn't anticipate the audience actually to attach to the characters featured in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|television show]], and were utterly surprised by the fan backlash after nearly all of the 1984–85 cast had been graphically killed off in the [[The Transformers: The Movie|animated movie]] and replaced by newly introduced characters. Hasbro now recognizes that this move was a mistake that hurt the brand.<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2007-06-28-transformers-main_n.htm USA Today: "Transformers: From Toy Story to Serious Art?"]</ref> In Hasbro's defense, though, it needs to be pointed out that this wasn't a flawed approach unique to them, as the importance of recognizable characters for the public image of a brand was a novel concept to the toy industry as a whole at that time. Hasbro has learned their lesson, and now [[Jazz (Movie)|mostly]] kill relative [[Blackout (Movie)|nobodies]], and rely a lot more heavily on recurring, recognizable characters across their various toylines and the corresponding fiction.

* Hasbro's corporate executives were eager to make the move to [[multilingual packaging]] for the United States market to save money, forcing that decision upon their ''Transformers'' staff. Although representatives were prepared with responses to fan complaints about how ugly and uninformative it was, the design team eventually managed to convince their higher-ups how ugly it was, so the US packaging returned to normal.<ref name="botcon2005">[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/msg/0cd6f0724b39615f?dmode=source&output=gplain Steve-o's 2005 BotCon Report]</ref>

* At times, Hasbro has been willing to allow the broadcast of clearly incomplete or poorly-constructed [[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|advertising media]].

* Hasbro often have their official promotional [[toy]] [[stock photography]] done by people (both internal and outsourced third party photo studios) who have a tendency to display the toys in awkwardly mistransformed states, sometimes so glaringly incorrect that the photos could be viewed as detrimental representations of Hasbro's products... yet they are used in official advertising, including Hasbro's public website and even on the toys' packaging. Reportedly, Hasbro has recently decided to send a member of the design team (at least an intern) along to the photo studio to transform and pose the toys properly.

* As the toys became more and more complex, Hasbro's official toy [[instructions]] became less and less helpful. Written directions were omitted entirely in favor of pictures-only instructions with the launch of the ''[[Transformers: Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' line in 2002, and those pictures-only instructions have a tendency to omit useful steps, are sometimes unclear on vital details, and might occasionally be based on early [[prototype]]s that [[design change|differ from the final toy]], thereby including transformation steps that aren't ''possible'' with the toy in hand. ''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]]'' [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] even recycled the instructions from his [[mold]]-mate [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]], even though Sideswipe was supposed to use an alternate transformation as compared to Sunstreaker.

* In the lead up to the [[Transformers (film)|2007 live-action movie]], to deal with the expected international audience for both the movie and the accompanying toys, Hasbro started to redirect visitors of their official ''Transformers'' website to localized versions of the site based upon their IPs. However, it was obvious that Hasbro's interest in their international markets was rather marginal, as demonstrated by the fact that many of these international localised sites were rarely updated, if at all; and if they were, the updates were still marginal, and the product lists remained incomplete. To the frustration of non-American fans, clicking any links to the US version of the site resulted in the user being automatically redirected to their outdated localized versions. Even bugs that allowed users to circumvent the redirect were eventually "fixed" in favor of an even more aggressive redirect. This was ''finally'' resolved for good in 2009, with the addition of a US-specific website URL that doesn't redirect anyone anywhere anymore.

* The somewhat more "mature" tone of the live action movies, [[Transformers (film)|''Transformers'']] and ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen]]'', especially the crude, often sexually-themed humor displayed in both films, has been the center of much controversy. In particular, a lobbyist group named the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood repeatedly tried to lobby the Federal Communications Commission into tightening regulations for marketing movies rated "PG-13" and [[Movie (toyline)|associated]] [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|merchandise]] to children.<ref name="fccfilter">[http://arstechnica.com/media/news/2009/08/transformers-movies-get-caught-in-fcc-content-filtering-inquiry.ars Ars Technica article on the CCFC/FCC story.]</ref> Hasbro themselves appear to be still undecided about their official position regarding the more "mature" tone of the movies and its ramifications for the [[Transformers brand|brand's]] public image, having left several questions to this effect unanswered.<ref name="allsparkqa">[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=61539 July/August 2009 edition] of the Allspark [[Hasbro Q&A]]</ref><ref name="tformersqa">[http://tformers.com/transformers-hasbro-answers-your-burning-questions-part-v/12149/news.html July/August 2009 edition] of the TFormers Hasbro Q&A</ref>

==Home video==
{{factions/body|vhs|dvd|worldwide}}
Hasbro has produced some home video releases as part of their marketing strategies. The earliest of these were VHS tapes of ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' packed with ''Beast Wars'' toys. Subsequently, two different ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]'' tapes, along with another ''Beast Wars'' tape, were produced as giveaways for [[KB Toys]] promotions wherein you would get a free tape for purchasing ''Beast Machines'' toys. The promotions were not terribly successful, leading to leftover tapes being disposed of in various ways including being sold by themselves. The last VHS tape bundled with a toy held the first two episodes of the [[Go-Bots (cartoon)|''Go-Bots'' cartoon]] and came with a [[Speed-Bot]] toy. Since then, Hasbro has produced a variety of [[Pack-in_material#CD-ROMs_and_DVDs|pack-in DVDs]].

===Releases===
;VHS
* '''''Beast Wars: Transformers''''' — '''[[Aftermath]]''' & '''[[Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)]]''' (1998, packed with [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] or [[Razorclaw (BW)|Razorclaw]])
* '''''Beast Wars: Transformers''''' — '''[[Aftermath]]''' (1998, UK exclusive [[Claw Jaw]] pack-in)
* '''''Beast Wars: Transformers''''' — '''[[Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)]]''' (1998, UK exclusive [[Spittor (BW)|Spittor]] pack-in)
* '''''Beast Wars: Transformers''''' — '''[[Bad Spark]]''' & '''[[Code of Hero]]''' (1999)
* '''''Beast Machines: Transformers''''' — '''[[The Reformatting]]''' & '''[[Master of the House]]''' (1999)
* '''''Beast Machines: Transformers: Battle for the Spark''''' — '''[[Sparkwar Pt. I: The Strike|Sparkwar Part I: The Strike]]''' (2000)
* '''''Go-Bots''''' — '''[[Typhoon Twister]]''' & '''[[Arctic Oil Spill]]''' (2003, packed with the Video Go-Bot edition of [[Speed-Bot]])
<center><gallery>
Image:Hasbro BW Combo 1 VHS.jpg|The Aftermath & Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)
Image:Hasbro BW Aftermath VHS.jpg|The Aftermath
Image:Hasbro BW Fuzors VHS.jpg|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)
Image:Hasbro BW Combo 2 VHS.jpg|Bad Spark & Code of Hero
Image:Hasbro BM Combo VHS.jpg|The Reformatting & Master of the House
Image:Hasbro BM Sparkwar VHS.jpg|Sparkwar Part I: The Strike
Image:PlayskoolGo-BotsVHSCover.jpg|Typhoon Twister & Arctic Oil Spill
</gallery></center>

;DVD
===[[Transformers: Beast Wars 10th Anniversary]] ===
* '''''Beast Wars: Transformers''''' — '''[[Equal Measures]]''' (with [[Cheetor (BW)/toys#Beast_Wars_10th_Anniversary|Cheetor]])(2006)
* '''''Beast Wars: Transformers''''' — '''[[A Better Mousetrap]]''' (with [[Rattrap#Beast_Wars_10th_Anniversary|Rattrap]])(2006)
* '''''Beast Wars: Transformers''''' — '''[[The Spark]]''' (with [[Rhinox (BW)#Beast_Wars_10th_Anniversary|Rhinox]])(2006)
* '''''Beast Wars: Transformers''''' — '''[[Spider's Game]]''' (with [[Tarantulas (BW)#Beast_Wars_10th_Anniversary|Predacon Tarantulus]])(2006)
* '''''Beast Wars: Transformers''''' — '''[[Possession]]''' (with [[Waspinator#Beast_Wars_10th_Anniversary|Waspinator]] or [[Optimus Primal/toys#Beast_Wars_10th_Anniversary|Optimus Primal]] vs. [[Megatron (BW)/toys#Beast_Wars_10th_Anniversary|Megatron]])(2006)
* '''''Beast Wars: Transformers''''' — '''[[Code of Hero]]''' (with [[Dinobot (BW)#Beast_Wars_10th_Anniversary|Dinobot]])(2006)

=== Others ===
* '''''[[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|Transformers: Cybertron]]''''' — '''[[Hidden]]''' (2006)
* '''''[[Optimus Prime vs Megatron: The Ultimate Battle]]''''' (2006)
* '''''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Transformers Animated]]''''' — '''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home_video#Pack-in_disc|The Battle Begins]]''' (2008)
* '''''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|The Transformers]]''''' — '''[[More than Meets the Eye (episode)|More than Meets the Eye]]''' (2008)
* '''''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]''''' — '''[[Masters & Students]]''' (2011)
<center><gallery>
Image:Hidden DVD.jpg|Hidden
Image:Ultimate Battle DVD.jpg|The Ultimate Battle
Image:Animated Battle Begins DVD.jpg|The Battle Begins
Image:25th Optimus MTMTE DVD.jpg|More than Meets the Eye
Image:Prime Masters and Students DVD.jpg|Masters & Students
</gallery></center>
{{-}}

==Notes==
* Hasbro isn't all about [[To sell toys|selling toys]] and making money. According to [[Transformers (film)|''Transformers'' live-action movie]] writer [[Roberto Orci]], some at Hasbro argued against updating some returning characters in ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen]]'', so that parents would '''not''' have to buy the same toy twice for their children just because of a minor change or modification to the characters' designs. <ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showpost.php?p=2186879&postcount=171 Roberto Orci posting at TFW2005.com]</ref> (We will just point out now that they ''still did that''.)
* According to Hasbro Australia representatives and designer [[Eric Siebenaler]], all of the Transformers toys jointly developed between Hasbro and Takara/TakaraTomy are manufactured at factories contracted to the Japanese toy company. This means Takara is indirectly responsible for whatever [[quality control]] problems you have been having with your toys, so you can stop complaining about it being entirely Hasbro's fault.
* Hasbro is the patron of the [http://www.lifespan.org/hch/about/ Hasbro Children's Hospital]. See [[Toy Fair 1986#Transformers Fan Community Charity Drive|here]] for how the [[fandom]] contributed to it in 2010.
* In 2008, Hasbro purchased all rights to the library of Sunbow programming based on the toy company's brands, including the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|American Generation One ''Transformers'' cartoon]] and international rights to most of the televised Japanese Generation One canon.
{{-}}

==See also==
*[[The Hub]]

==Footnotes==
<references/>

==External links==
*[http://www.hasbro.com/ Hasbro's official website]
*[http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/ Hasbro's official ''Transformers'' website]

[[Category:Companies]]
[[Category:Generation 1 businesses]]
[[Category:Hasbro]]

Daniel Riordan

2012-07-20T00:50:51Z

96.21.86.21:

{{disambig3|Daniel}}

[[Image:Danriordanzoom.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Being Captain Zoom is still more dignified than being ''Robots in Disguise'' Megatron.]]
'''Daniel Riordan''' is an American actor. He has made several appearances on various ''Star Trek'' series, and also appeared in ''Ed Wood'', ''Jingle all the Way'' and ''Scooby Doo: The Mystery Begins'' (Which also featured [[Garry Chalk]] and [[Frank Welker]]) as the voice of the Dark Spector. He also voiced Mr. Sinister in ''X-Men Legends II: Rise of Apocalypse'', and Doc Samson in ''The Incredible [[Hulk]]: Ultimate Destrcution''.

==Voice roles==
===''Robots in Disguise''===
* [[Megatron (RID)|Megatron/Galvatron]]
* [[Omega Prime]]

===''Transformers: The Game'' (2007)===
* [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]]
* [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]]

==External links==
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0727850/ Daniel Riordan at the Internet Movie Database]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riordan, Daniel}}
[[Category:English voice actors]]
[[Category:Activision]]

The Transformers (issue)

2012-07-20T00:32:38Z

96.21.86.21: /* US */

{{disambig2|the first comic issue of the first comic series about Transformers|other uses of ''The Transformers''|Transformers (disambiguation)}}
{{comicstory|
|seriesissue=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|''The Transformers'' (US)]] #1
|next=Power Play!
|seriesissue2=[[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|''The Transformers'' (UK)]] #1–2
|next2=Power Play!
|image=MarvelUS-01.jpg
|caption=[[Smallest Transforming Transformers|Largest Transforming Transformers]] Optimus Prime! One of six blind-packed $500,000,000 toys!
|title="The Transformers"
|publisher=[[Marvel Comics]]
|date=[[May 8]], 1984
|coverdate=September 1984
|plot=[[Bill Mantlo]]
|script=[[Ralph Macchio]]
|pencils=[[Frank Springer]]
|inks=[[Kim DeMulder]]
|colors=[[Nelson Yomtov]]
|lettering=[[Michael Higgins]], [[Rick Parker]]
|editor=[[Bob Budiansky]]
|continuity=[[Marvel Comics continuity]]
|packaged with=|packaged with=[[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Universe (2008)|Optimus Prime]]
}}

'''A group of sentient warring robots crash-lands on Earth four million years ago. When they awake in the present day, their battle begins anew.'''

==Synopsis==
On the [[Saturn]]-sized mechanical world of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], life has evolved not through carbon bonding, but via "[[Atechnogenesis|naturally-occurring gears, levers, and pulleys]]". The resultant sentient robots, the [[Autobot]]s, live in peace for many eons, until some of their number fall victim to a lust for power. Rallying behind the banner of the powerful [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]], these "[[Decepticon]]s" rebuild their bodies, allowing them to [[Transformation|change]] at will between a humanoid form and the form of various war machines. The Decepticons unleash a furious war on the Autobots, intending to conquer the planet and rebuild it as a cosmic dreadnought.

Faced with annihilation, the Autobots turn to a noble leader from their own ranks: [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]]. Under his leadership, the Autobots, also now gifted with the ability to "transform", rally and counterattack. And thus, an [[Great War (G1)|all-consuming war]] rages across the planet for a thousand years, while the planet itself—dislodged from its orbit by the titanic battles—spins out of control through the cosmos.

Eventually Cybertron enters another [[solar system]] and is faced with destruction as it approaches an asteroid belt. Aboard a huge spacecraft dubbed the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], Optimus Prime leads a team of Autobots on a mission to clear a path through the asteroids. After the mission is completed, the Decepticons attack the weakened Autobot warriors. Facing inevitable defeat, Optimus Prime sends the Ark on a suicide course into a supposedly [[Earth|lifeless planet]]. The crash renders all the combatants inert.

[[Image:Combat deck marvel 1.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Combat Deck bought a junker lot from eBay.]]
Four million years later, a [[Mount St. Hilary|volcanic eruption]] reactivates the Ark's dormant computer, which finds the planet now teaming with mechanical "life". It reactivates the ship's passengers, rebuilding them to resemble the planet's natives. Damaged, the computer does not recognize friend from foe, and thus both factions are restored to life. After [[Introdump|checking themselves over]], the Decepticons flee for other parts, leaving the Autobots to make their home in the crashed Ark. Observing the planet, Optimus notes that they must work to save the planet from the Decepticons, whom they've accidentally unleashed upon it.

Optimus Prime sends a team of five, under the command of [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], to scout out the new world and make contact with the natives. En route, they are sighted by Decepticon spy [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]]. The Autobots mistake a drive-in movie theater for some kind of religious ritual; Bumblebee over-enthusiastically nudges a "native", violently jostling its teenage occupants [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster]], [[Jesse (G1)|Jesse]] and [["O"]]. As Buster and the others climb out to see what happened, the Decepticons attack, intent on keeping their foes from establishing an alliance with the planet's natives. The Autobots reluctantly transform and defend themselves, turning the drive-in into a battlefield. During the battle, Prowl realizes that the automobiles are not alive at all, but the [[Human|small, pink creatures]] fleeing from them are; the Autobots retreat to draw the Decepticons' fire away from the apparently defenseless fleshlings.

During the battle, Buster hears the damaged Bumblebee cry out in pain, and ends up "driving" him away from the battlefield. That night, his father "[[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]]" finds him tinkering with the yellow Volkswagen Beetle in his garage. He's delighted that his son is finally showing some interest in mechanics, but not so amused when the car cries out that it needs help, because it's dying...

{{note|Chronologically, the UK Annual stories "[[State Games]]" and "[[And There Shall Come...a Leader!]]" are set during the early events of this issue.}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] (4)
* [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (10)
* [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (13)
* [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] (14)
* [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (15)
* [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (16)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (17)
* [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] (18)
* [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (19)
* [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (20)
* [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] (21)
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (22)
* [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (23)
* [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (24)
* [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] (25)
* [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (26)
* [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (27)
* [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (28)
|c2=
* [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (1)
* [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] (2)
* [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] (3)
* [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (5)
* [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (6)
* [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (7)
* [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (8)
* [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (9)
* [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (11)
* [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] (12)
|c3=
* [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]] (29)
* [[Sparkplug Witwicky]] (30)
* [[Jesse (G1)|Jesse]] (31)
* [["O"]] (32)}}

==Notes==
* Advertised as part #1 in a [[The Transformers Four-Issue Limited Series|four-issue limited series]].
* Printed on high-quality [[Mando paper]].
* The artwork uses early character designs for many characters, some of them heavily toy-based (Ironhide, Ratchet, Brawn, Gears), others based on early models that would later be changed (Megatron, Starscream's color scheme), and still others completely random (Gears again).
* The "revival drones" that reactivate the Ark's crew are based on Optimus Prime's [[Combat Deck (G1)|Combat Deck]].
* Though many generics appear in the pre-Earth battle aboard the Ark and its aftermath, the art might be seen as providing an "out": On page 12, what looks to be a huge pile of unrepaired Transformers can be seen between behind Optimus and Megatron as they re-awaken.
* On [[May 22]], the [http://groups.google.com/group/net.comics/msg/1cdaf7df610e0376?dmode=source&hl=en first Usenet post about Transformers] is posted by Ted Nolan to net.comics, regarding this issue. Capsule review? "Worst comic of the year."
* The cover price is 75 cents, which would be $1.50 when adjusted for inflation to 2007 dollars. In November, 2007, [[IDW Publishing]]'s Transformers comics cost $3.99.
* The cover corner box, a staple of Marvel's covers from the 1970s through the mid-1990s, features a [[character model]] of Optimus Prime. A new, more dramatic pose would debut with the first ongoing issue ([[The New Order|issue #5]]).
* Over the course of the series, some of this issue's early details would be retconned away or simply ignored. Among them are the notion of a Saturn-sized Cybertron, the "naturally evolving" origin of the Transformers, and the toy-based appearance of several characters, such as Ratchet, Ironhide, Bumblebee and Brawn.
* The UK printing in both the original issues and the Collected Comics reprints omits the two-page spread of the Autobots introducing themselves. The original UK printing instead shifts the spread to the centre pages (out of order with the rest of the story) as a poster, with the Transformers logo pasted over the smaller top-left frame. It would eventually appear by itself in the [[Transformers Annual 1986|first annual]] and with the rest of the story in "The Complete Works" reprint (though the smaller previously obscured panel would be redrawn by [[Geoff Senior]] - presumably Marvel UK damaged the original while creating the poster). This means the early UK continuity initially lacks an official complete list of the Autobots originally on Earth and appearances by [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] in "[[The Enemy Within!]]" and (seemingly) [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] in "[[Decepticon Dam-Busters!]]" are thus easier to reconcile.
* The letters printed in issue 1 of the UK comic were provided by pupils from Greycourt School (in Ham, near Richmond in South West London) who were visiting the Marvel UK offices. Their visit was written up in a magazine published at the school. The teacher who arranged the visit was Stephen Payne, former president of the Doctor Who Appreciation Society and soon to be publisher of Visual Imagination Magazines (Starburst & TV Zone).<ref>Extract from Greycourt school 1984 sci fi mag detailing visit to the Marvel UK comics offices that resulted in comments appearing in the letters page of Marvel UK Transformers #1 http://www.flickr.com/photos/48819633@N05/5297859701/ </ref>

===Errors===
Hoo-boy.
* It's said in this issue that the war between the Transformers ''knocked Cybertron out of its orbit'', which sounds...very improbable because of the sheer magnitude of force required for something like that to happen; Cybertron would have likely been completely obliterated before it would've been knocked out of its orbit.

[[Image:Contentedfools.jpg|thumb|right|250px| ]]
* In his very first appearance, parts of Soundwave's backpack, arms and legs are colored red.

[[Image:M01 tomaandi.jpg|thumb|right|250px| ]]
* As he and Optimus Prime report to the Autobot Elders, Jazz is shown with two missile launchers instead of one, and is colored yellow and blue instead of his proper white and black. He's also ''extremely'' toy-based, right down to have the toy's conjoined uni-feet, and complete with Earthly car parts!
* Numerous [[generic]]s show up aboard the Ark. By story continuity, it should only have the 18 crew members shown here, plus the future Dinobots (whose characters presumably didn't exist yet in real-life terms).

[[Image:Generic decepticons marvel 1.jpg|thumb|right|250px|...[[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]], is that you?]]
* Page 7:
** As the Decepticons first strike the Ark, Optimus Prime is colored almost entirely red.
** A blue-chested, red-legged Optimus Prime is among the invading Decepticons! In the same panel, Optimus himself is colored entirely red and is missing his chest windows.
** None of the invading Decepticons resemble the ten Decepticons later shown to compose Megatron's crew.
* Page 8: Prowl is missing his door/wings, though one could retcon this as being his "Cybertronian" body.
* Page 10: "The drone swiftly plots its return to the Ark"—it's not clear from context if "it" is the jet scanned by the probe, or the probe itself. Neither makes a lot of sense.
* Page 12: The robots undergoing repair don't really correspond to any Transformer known to be present.
* Nobody thought to attack the other faction instead of standing around yakking? (Granted, some of the Autobots do open fire as the Decepticons transform to escape.)
* Soundwave converts to his tape player form and flies off with the jets! Or starts to, at least—he's not shown in the next panel as the Decepticons flee the volcano.
* In the giant two-page Autobot spread:
** Sideswipe seems to have a made-up or at least off-model head.
** Wheeljack's "ears" are kind of folded up against his head.
** Bluestreak is missing his door/wings and shoulder rockets.
** Gears is a strange alternate model bearing almost no resemblance to his toy or later design.
** Hound, Wheeljack, and Sideswipe are all missing their shoulder launchers.
** Trailbreaker is missing his force field projector.

[[Image:Gearsg1firstappearance.jpg|thumb|right|250px| ]]
* Page 16:
** Gears seems to have an entirely new, entirely different model here.
** Bluestreak is colored like Prowl.
** Bumblebee suddenly has the toy-based "backing plate" behind his head, whereas before he didn't.
** Not all of the silhouettes correspond to actual characters.
** Sunstreaker's "ears" are misshapen.
* Page 17: Sparkplug's "okay" is missing a period at the end.
* Page 19: Prowl calls Brawn "Bumblebee". More Deception generics visible on the cliff.
* Page 22: Starscream's entire cockpit cowling is colored as though it were a canopy.
* When Ravage confronts him, Hound has ''two'' shoulder launchers.
* Soundwave is colored silver-blue as he attacks Prowl and Cliffjumper. His gun is missing its narrow tip.
* Cliffjumper's arms are colored white as Prowl orders the retreat.

===Real-world references===
*A [[Hitchhiker]] compares the sound of a team of Autobots driving down the highway to the [[Indy 500]].

===Covers (6)===
* '''US issue #1 cover:''' gigantic Optimus Prime, tiny Starscream, Gears, Laserbeak and the Witwickys, by [[Bill Sienkiewicz]].
* '''UK issue #1 cover:''' Soundwave and Buzzsaw kick Prime's ass, by [[Jerry Paris]].
* '''UK issue #2 cover:''' the Autobots depart the Ark, by [[John Ridgway]].
* '''Collected Comics #1 cover:''' Reuse of US issue #2's cover.
* '''The Complete Works Part 1 cover:''' reuse of UK issue #1's cover.
* '''25th Anniversary Optimus Prime cover:''' now including tiny disclaimer: "Headline from original comic; this reissue is not part of a series."
<gallery>
Image:MarvelUS-01.jpg|'''US issue #1''' - First he will crush the planes, then he will crush the giant floating heads.
Image:MarvelUK-1.jpg|'''UK issue #1''' - Is Soundwave on [[Ultra-Energon]]?
Image:MarvelUK-2.jpg|'''UK issue #2''' - Is this girl '''that''' into her doll that she didn't see the [[Michael Bay|giant f*cking robots]]?
Image:Tfcolcom01.jpg|'''Collected Comics #1'''
Image:Complete works 1 cover.jpg|'''The Complete Works Part 1'''
Image:MarvelUS-01-25years.jpg|'''US issue #1''' (25th Anniversary Optimus Prime pack-in)
</gallery>

===Generics===
This issue features a broad range of [[generic]] Transformers, from peace-loving Autobots to a Decepticon raiding party. As the brand was in its infancy at this stage, [[Character model|character models]] were not yet fixed and coloring tended to veer towards the random, so some of these generics may have been [[authorial intent|intended]] to represent actual characters. Whether they do so is probably best left [[Personal canon|up to you]].

{{main|Big Red}}

<gallery>
Image:Generic autobots marvel 1.jpg|The first glimpse of the Transformers. The Autobot on the far right may represent a pre-war Optimus Prime (Orion Pax/Optronix?) while the others share design elements (if not colors) with the 1984 [[Autobot Cars|Autobot cars]].
Image:Generics marvel 1.jpg|Since he is called out in the caption box, it is probably fair to assume that the robot armed with the [[ion blaster]] represents Optimus Prime, albeit miscolored. That may be Sideswipe to his right, apparently armed with a [[fusion cannon]].
Image:Generic decepticons marvel 1.jpg|In one of the more famous mistakes from this issue, a robot resembling a miscolored Optimus Prime leads the Decepticon raid on the Ark.
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
====US====
* ''The Last Starfighter'' (Inside cover)
* Free [[Spider-Man]] Comic from Fig Newtons
* Olympic Sales Club
* Mile High Comics
* Block of various Sketchy Things (I.E. Charles Atlas)
* Helen of Toy mail-in military scenes
* Marvel bonus certificate
* ''Muppets Take Manhattan'' storybook & record (Inside rear cover)
* ''[[Star Wars]]'' home console video arcade cassette (Rear cover)

====UK====

===Reprints===
*1985 — [[Transformers Collected Comics|''The Transformers 1985 Summer Special'']]
*1986 — ''[[The Transformers: The Complete Works]]''
*1986 — [[Die Transformer issue 1|''Die Transformer'' #1]]
*1987 — [[The Transformers Comics Magazine issue 1|''The Transformers Comics Magazine'' #1]]
*2003 — [[Transformers: Beginnings (G1)|''Transformers: Beginnings'']]
*2008 — ''[[Classic Transformers Volume 1]]''
*2011 — ''[[The Transformers Classics, Vol. 1]]''

==Footnotes==
<references />

{{DEFAULTSORT:Transformers (issue)}}
[[Category:Marvel US issues]]
[[Category:Marvel UK issues]]
[[Category:Pack-in material]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]

T.M.I.

2012-07-19T06:45:34Z

96.21.86.21: /* Transformers references */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 21
|prev=Partners
|next=Stronger, Faster
|image=TMI-Mikojogsmemories.jpg
|caption=
|title="T.M.I."
|airdate=[[August 7]], [[2011]]
|written by=[[Joseph Kuhr]]
|directed by=[[Todd Waterman]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''Bulkhead absorbs a data cylinder that greatly increases his intelligence, but is also destroying him.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] and [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] are enjoying a monster truck rally on the [[television|TV]], much to [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]]'s annoyance. Ratchet thinks they shouldn't be watching it, and that Bulkhead would be better off helping [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]]'s mission to retrieve a [[Cybertronian data cylinder]]. He interrupts their monster truck footage to explain how the cylinders were created during [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s [[Golden Age]] and hidden throughout the galaxy after the war broke out. Bulkhead and Miko are bored by it all, but Optimus contacts base to ask for backup, which is Bulkhead's cue to head for the field. Ratchet hands Miko a mop, and she's so enthusiastic about having to clean up that she drops it and runs through the [[GroundBridge]] after Bulkhead.

[[Image:TMI-datacylinder.jpg|left|thumb|250px|]]

On the battlefield, she finds the 'Bots battling [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]], [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] and a bunch of [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]]. Immediately, she runs into trouble, as a Vehicon Bulkhead is punching staggers back towards her. She takes cover behind a pile of rock, before spotting the cylinder sitting nearby. While everyone fights, Miko runs over to the cylinder and phones Ratchet. Ratchet tries providing a GroundBridge, but Miko can't give him precise enough coordinates to grab the cylinder. She tries pushing the device towards the GroundBridge and even kicking it, but all that succeeds in doing is activating the cylinder. At that moment, Bulkhead spots her and runs over, only to trip and take the cylinder's charge in the forehead. With Bulkhead temporarily out, Knock Out grabs the cylinder and the Decepticons split. Moments later, Bulkhead is back on his feet, apparently none the worse for wear.

Bulkhead undergoes a medical check back at base, but insists he's fine. Ratchet tells him to help Miko tidy up. After announcing Ratchet is "null vector squared", Bulkhead wonders if they have any paint.

On the ''[[Trypticon (Prime)|Nemesis]]'' in orbit, the Decepticons have discovered that the cylinder is empty. They quickly realize the energy from the device has ended up in Bulkhead.

Miko draws Ratchet's attention to what Bulkhead is painting, which Ratchet finds is a scientific formula. After another scan, Ratchet locates the cylinder's energy in Bulkhead's head. They determine that the device interpreted Miko's kick as an attack and ejected the data into Bulkhead, and the equations Bulkhead's been writing down are for synthetic [[energon]]. The Autobots are excited and collect the equations as Bulkhead writes them. Miko quickly becomes bored and wants to draw Bulkhead away from his work. Ratchet has grave news, however—the data is slowly consuming Bulkhead's mind, and by the time the formula is complete, Bulkhead's mind may be gone altogether. The other Autobots believe they might be able to get the data back into the cylinder. Miko gets out her guitar to try and distract Bulkhead, but when he doesn't recognize Ratchet's name, she figures something's up and goes to Ratchet to get the truth.

Knock Out reports that they've detected the cylinder's energy signature, and [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] decides to go himself to avoid any more failures. Rather than Bulkhead, he and the Vehicons find Optimus, [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] and [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]]. Optimus has a deal for him: If Megatron gives them the cylinder, Optimus will return it to him restored with energy.

Miko talks to Bulkhead, but he's becoming increasingly unresponsive and fails to recall her name when she asks if he remembers it. Finally, she steals his mop brush and leads him through the GroundBridge.

Megatron is thinking on Optimus's proposal when he's contacted by Knock Out, who has detected Bulkhead's energy signature. Megatron orders him to retrieve the Autobot's head.

[[Image:TMI-KnockOutpainted.jpg|right|thumb|300px|[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJpsAe70uig DINKLEBERG!]]]

At the monster truck race track, Miko attempts to jog Bulkhead's memory, but he's too busy painting the formula on the wall to take any notice of her. Her sorrow is interrupted by Knock Out and Breakdown, so she manages to persuade Bulkhead to follow her and hide among the monster trucks.

On hearing they've caught up with Bulkhead, Megatron sics the Vehicons on Optimus's team.

Miko tries to find somewhere outside the Decepticon jamming range so she can use [[Miko's phone|her phone]]. Knock Out and Breakdown search for Bulkhead, until Knock Out uses a tracking device to find the Autobot. Bulkhead transforms and scrawls a glyph on Knock Out's chest, but before the outraged Decepticon can do anything, Breakdown renders Bulkhead unconscious. Knock Out then prepares to remove Bulkhead's head.

The Autobots finish off the Vehicons, only for Megatron to simply crush the cylinder and fly off. Ratchet reports that Bulkhead and Miko have left the base.

Miko takes a swing at Knock Out with the mop, but misses and falls against Bulkhead. The cylinder energy promptly triggers, firing off into the sky. Knock Out checks Bulkhead and finds the energy is gone. Infuriated, he and Breakdown are ready to take some revenge, but are forced to retreat when the other Autobots GroundBridge in.

The Autobots return Bulkhead's comatose body back to base, where Miko tearfully blames herself for his condition. Ratchet suggests that it's too early to tell how long Bulkhead might remain like that and anything could trigger his awakening, and so Miko decides to try her guitar. After she strums a chord, Bulkhead stirs and wakes up, back to normal.

==Featured characters==

{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (2)
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (3)
*[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (7)
*[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (9)
|c2=
*[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] (5)
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]]s (6)
*[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] (8)
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (10)

|c3=
*[[Miko Nakadai]] (1)

}}

==Quotes==
'''Bulkhead''': Hey, Ratch, check out the monster truck rally Miko took me to last week. 
'''Miko''': I compiled some highlights with my cellphone. 
'''Ratchet''': Innocent vehicles battling for the entertainment of human spectators? (''shudders'') Bloodsport! 
'''Bulkhead''' and '''Miko''': Yeah!
:—Ratchet disapproves of Bulkhead and Miko's taste in sports.

"That's not art - It's SCIENCE!"
:—'''Ratchet''' approves of Bulkhead's (lack of) taste in art.

"Come to papa." 
(''Bulkhead knocks Knock Out away'') "Run to mommy!" 
(''Breakdown attacks Bulkhead from behind'') "Say uncle! Say it!" 
:—'''Knock Out''', '''Bulkhead''', and '''Breakdown''' continue with humorous mid-battle banter.

"How about our Sunday morning dune-bashings? Rocking out to [[Slash Monkey]]? Helping me with my homework? Trick question! You know I don't do homework...''don't you?''" 
:—'''Miko''' is at least more subtle in her remember-who-you are monologue [[Out of His Head|than Raf was.]]

"You...''painted'' my paint job! Prepare for ''surgery''!" 
:—'''Knock Out''' really needs to sort out his priorities.

"Because the energy took Bulkhead's mind with it. Heavenward. Lost to the stars. It's my fault you'll never know the rest of the formula, and it's my fault Bulkhead's gone forever."
:—'''Miko''' pulls an Optimus on us.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
* The Vehicons that the Autobots are fighting in the beginning of the episode are clearly ground units, but magically become flying units when it comes time to retreat.

===Continuity notes===
* Miko recalls the story of [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] throwing a grenade into a Decepticon heat exchanger which Bulkhead told her back in "[[Con Job]]", and shows Bulkhead a picture of him with Wheeljack from the same episode.

===Continuity errors===
* Did Knock Out and Breakdown not already know Bulkhead's vehicle mode?
* If Megatron thought that the Autobots have Starscream in their custody at the end of "[[Partners]]", why didn't he question them about him?

===Transformers references===
* The Monster Truck announcer declares the trucks "the baddest [[Beast Machines: Transformers (franchise)|beast machines]] on the planet."
* During his rambling, Bulkhead mentions [[Perceptor (Prime)|Perceptor]].
*Optimus mentions the "no matter the cost" line, just like his [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Generation 1 counterpart]].
*The Data Cylinder shares a startling resemblence to the space bridge control [[pillar]] used by [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]] in ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon]]''.

===Real-world references===
* Bulkhead's technobabble is not gibberish. Much of it is real, present-day scientific and mathematical terms, though not arranged coherently.
* Amongst Bulkhead's babblings is "the differential of one-third r cubed is r-dr-r," a gag lifted right out of the classic ''[[Wikipedia:The Simpsons|Simpsons]]'' episode, "[[wikipedia:Bart the Genius|Bart the Genius]]". Har-de-har-har!
* Bulkhead also refers to "Clank's law", a Transformery take on [[wikipedia:Planck's law|Planck's law]] (a mathematical law relating to the energy emission of [[black body|black bodies]]).

===Foreign localization===
'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Bulkhead, das Superhirn'''" ("Bulkhead, the Brainiac")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[February 10|10 February]] [[2012]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Troppe chiacchiere!'''" ("Too Many Chatters!")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 4|4 December]] [[2011]]

'''Korean'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Gieok Sangsil'''" (기억 상실, "Amnesia")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 7|7 November]] [[2011]]

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' ?
:*''Original airdate:'' [[January 2|2 January]] [[2012]]

===Trivia===
*The episode was first broadcast on [[Canada]]'s [http://www.teletoon.com Teletoon] channel. As none of the listings mentioned the episode title, and ''Prime'' episodes lack an on-screen title, the name of the episode was originally a mystery. Its name was revealed about a week later on [http://affiliate.zap2it.com/tv/transformers-prime-tmi/EP013408350023 Zap2it]'s website. It would air in the United States on [[September 10]], [[2011]].

[[Category:Prime episodes|Tmi]]

Grill (episode)

2012-07-19T01:07:54Z

96.21.86.21: /* Continuity notes */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 35
|prev=Nemesis Prime (episode)
|next=Armada (episode)
|image=Grill Fowler sits back down.jpg
|caption=
|title="Grill"
|airdate=[[April 14]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[Duane Capizzi]]
|directed by=[[Kevin Altieri]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''Agent Fowler has some explaining to do under the threat of military tribunal and Team Prime's termination.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Grill too close private.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"Since I joined these bots, I've seen slag that would turn you '''white'''!"]]
[[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]] steps into [[Bryce|General Bryce]]'s office to provide some explanations. Bryce first asks about [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]]'s recent death, and Fowler clarifies that the body the military have is [[Nemesis Prime (Prime)|Nemesis Prime]], though Bryce has trouble swallowing it. Fowler explains a bit about [[MECH]] and wonders if some of MECH's men are special forces like [[Silas]]. Under further questioning, Fowler relates more about the [[Autobot]]s and their war, and his own involvement in helping [[Team Prime]]. Bryce asks him to run through the identities of the Autobots in Team Prime, and comes to the death of [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]]. Bryce reiterates that all they have to go on regarding Optimus Prime's recent defection to the [[Decepticon]]s is Fowler's report, and the current debriefing is a result of concerns about the potential danger the Autobots pose, with the possibility of a military tribunal later and potentially the termination of Team Prime.

[[Image:Grill Optimus through window.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"Hey, Sam, you find those glasses ye- Oops. Wrong house."]]
Fowler insists that the Autobots are very careful about protecting [[human]]s, but lets slip about the kids. He quickly covers the mistake by claiming they're civilians working with the Autobots and valuable team members, carefully leaving out the fact that they're minors. Bryce seems mollified, but asks why [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] hasn't been terminated yet, which leads Fowler to mention [[Unicron]]. Bryce decides that Fowler needs a psychological evaluation, though after Fowler clarifies that he didn't say "[[unicorn]]", the evaluation is called off. Fowler also relays how both [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] and [[Airachnid]] have gone rogue, and that the Autobots have gained valuable intel from the former. Though he says Optimus thinks [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] could be converted, Fowler doesn't agree. When questioned about Optimus's recent defection, Fowler is confident that Optimus is firmly an Autobot. He mentions the current Decepticon hunt for ancient Transformer artifacts, and has Optimus himself look through the window and converse with Bryce. General Bryce is convinced and dismisses Fowler.

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in clips from previous episodes.) 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (4)
* ''[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]]'' (12)
* ''[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]]'' (13)
* ''[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]]'' (17)
* ''[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]]'' (19)
* ''[[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]]''
* ''[[Tailgate (Prime)|Tailgate]]''

|c2=
*''[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]]'' (7)
*''[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]]'' (11)
*''[[Decepticon Miner]]s'' (18)
*''[[Terrorcon (Prime)|Terrorcons]]'' (20)
*''[[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]]'' (21)
*''[[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]]'' (22)
*''[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]'' (25)
*''[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]]'' (27)
*''[[Airachnid]]'' (28)
*''[[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticon]]'' (29)
*''[[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]]'' (31)
*''[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]]'' (32)

|c3=
* [[William Fowler]] (1)
* [[Bryce|General Bryce]] (2)
* [[Daley|Private Daley]] (3)
* ''[[MECH Surgeon]]'' (6)
* ''[[Silas]]'' (8)
* ''[[MECH Commando]]'' (9)
* ''[[MECH Navigator]]'' (10)
* ''[[Miko Nakadai]]'' (14)
* ''[[Jack Darby]]'' (15)
* ''[[Raf Esquivel]]'' (16)
* ''[[Museum security guard|Guard]]'' (23)
* ''[[June Darby]]'' (24)

|c4=
* ''[[Nemesis Prime (Prime)|Nemesis Prime]]'' (5)
* ''[[Scraplet]]s'' (26)
* ''[[Unicron]]'' (30)
|}}

==Quotes==
"Soldier, too close."
:—'''Agent Fowler''' doesn't like close ups of his face

"It defies all logic, Bill. Dark energon? Then you go on record saying that you believe in magical horses with horns on their heads." 
"What?" 
"Do you deny previously reporting that Megatron helped defeat a unicorn?" 
"Oh? That's what you...? ''Unicron!'' The ultimate evil! Permission to strike this from the record." 
:—'''General Bryce''' makes the second unicron/unicorn joke in 25 years, and '''Agent Fowler''' avoids a psychological evaluation.

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* Being a [[clip show]], this episode shows bits from virtually every episode of the series up to this point.
* Like Miko in "[[One Shall Rise, Part 1]]", General Bryce mistakes "Unicron" for "[[unicorn]]".
* Fowler's dialogue makes a reference to the title of "[[Loose Cannons]]".
* This episode finally explains why Agent Fowler doesn't wear a flight suit.

===Transformers references===
* Fowler notes that Bumblebee got his voicebox torn out during the "[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)|war for Cybertron]]".
* At one point, Fowler refers to Nemesis Prime as a "[[knockoff]]".

===Trivia===
* As previously revealed on the package of the Ultimate Opponents Entertainment Pack, [[Silas]]'s real name is Leland Bishop. Newly revealed in this episode is his former military rank of Colonel.
* Aside from all the clips shown in this episode, the only Transformer appearing physically in this episode is Optimus Prime.
* A shot of Airachnid screaming Jack's name from "[[Predatory]]" is played without dialog, presumably to avoid having to pay [[Gina Torres]] an additional fee.
* We finally get an explanation for why Fowler can fly a jet without a flight suit. At some point (most likely before "[[Darkness Rising, Part 1]]"), Ratchet modified the air pressure regulators in Fowler's jet. Fowler also makes a comment about the jet being a VTOL, which explains the maneuvers it made in "[[Loose Cannons]]".
* Interestingly enough, when Bryce asks Fowler for a headcount of the Autobots, [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] isn't mentioned despite Fowler's knowledge of his presence on Earth (he even had a face-to-face discussion with Jackie!). Maybe he thinks he left Earth? That, or he took Jackie's statement of "I'm not one of Optimus Prime's people" seriously.
* General Bryce mentions that the "five-stars" are upset. In real life, the [[Wikipedia:Five-star rank#US five-star ranks|five-star rank]] is not currently active in the United States military, being last awarded in 1950.

[[Category:Clip shows]]
[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Nemesis Prime (episode)

2012-07-19T01:07:06Z

96.21.86.21:

{{disambig3|Nemesis Prime}}
{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 34
|prev=Crossfire
|next=Grill
|image=NemesisPrime-NemesisPrime.jpg
|caption=The first person to suggest [[A Prime Problem|a race]] gets banned.
|title="Nemesis Prime"
|airdate=[[April 7]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[David McDermott]]
|directed by=[[Todd Waterman]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''When Optimus Prime appears to attack Agent Fowler, the Autobots discover MECH's ultimate plan.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:NemesisPrime truck vs car.jpg|thumb|left|250px]]
[[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]] drives out of a military base, listening to [[The Touch|a few tunes]], when a semi truck begins to tailgate him too close for comfort. He realizes that it's more than a case of road rage when the truck rams him. Fowler notices a familiar symbol on his attacker's grille-the [[Autobot]] [[insignia|symbol]]. He contacts the Autobot base, where [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] is not present. The apparent Optimus Prime continues to attack, and as Fowler comes upon a bridge, he pushes his car through the divider, where it hangs precariously. The Autobots receive his message and bridge in, causing Prime to flee and [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] to give chase. [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] catches Fowler's car as it falls, but the bumper detaches, and [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] catches it before it hits the ground. Arcee comes upon Optimus, but is knocked out when he runs her over.

The next thing she knows, she's back at base, being checked up on. [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] doubts Arcee's assertion that Optimus ran her down, and the big 'bot arrives at base. The team goes on guard, but as Optimus offers proof that he's been at an underground energon site, the team stands down.

[[Image:NemesisPrime Nemesis Prime truck in base.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]
The other "Optimus" drives full speed into [[Alden Military Base]], wrecking helicopters and prompting chase until he stops. As soldiers surround him and open the door to find no driver, he transforms, and aims a weapon at them. Speaking in Prime's own voice, the double clearly announces himself as Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, before laying waste to the base around him. The other Prime tears through lines of soldiers, prompting Optimus, Arcee, Bumblebee and Bulkhead to bridge to his position. The fake retreats, and arriving military helicopters fire on the Autobots. They retreat to base.

Fowler fields a call asking about the attack, and receives the news that all Transformers, regardless of allegiance, are to be shot on sight. The team realizes that [[MECH]] has finally succeeded in replicating Cybertronians, inside and out, using human-made parts after studying Transformer anatomy so carefully.

[[Image:NemesisPrime Silas at controls.jpg|thumb|left|250px]]
Meanwhile, the false Prime arrives at a MECH bunker, where it is revealed that the robot is a remotely operated drone unit, with [[Silas]] in the control seat, expressing extreme satisfaction at the test run.

In attempting to locate the MECH base, Optimus notes that, unlike them, the duplicate (dubbed "Nemesis Prime" by Miko) must rely on its vehicle mode to travel, having no access to a [[GroundBridge]]. This places its lair within driving distance of both incidents, giving a range for them to search. The 'bots fan out, and Bumblebee comes upon a large complex. Optimus and the rest plan to rendezvous at his position. He enters, while Silas watches him. He powers up Nemesis Prime, and sends it out. Bumblebee is briefly fooled by the fake, until Silas slips and reveals he cannot understand Bumblebee's speech. The scout attacks but is quickly overpowered by the more imposing robot.

The rest of the Autobots enter the compound, cautious of any lookalikes. Bulkhead and Arcee are both taken out individually, leaving Optimus for the final showdown with his doppelganger.

At base, Ratchet attempts to isolate the control frequency of Nemesis Prime to pinpoint the location of its operator. He does, and Fowler insists on bridging in, citing that he is the one best equipped to deal with the "human element".

[[Image:NemesisPrime Nemesis vs Optimus.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]
Nemesis squares off against Optimus, showing equal strength and agility. Fowler bridges in, and makes for the control bunker as the two Primes continue to spar. Nemesis catches Optimus, and shoves its blade into the Autobot leader. Silas gloats, commenting that he cannot feel pain through the robot, unlike his opponent, and revealing his intentions to build an army of these soldiers, when Fowler enters. They spar as well, and Fowler falls to Silas' superior hand-to-hand combat skills, only to reveal that he was just buying time for Optimus to beat the now-directionless copy. The real Prime dominates Nemesis, and their fight collapses the ceiling of the bunker, sending Silas's creation and a ton of rubble crashing down on top of him, putting Nemesis Prime out of commission in the process.

Optimus meditates on MECH's seemingly impaired functionality, now that it lacks a leader. However, Fowler brings him troubling news — in the pile of wreckage, no body was found.

Elsewhere, a group of MECH scientists monitor Silas' condition, noting that his injuries are terminal by normal standards — yet MECH is anything but, as they have the body of [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] all wired up to their leader.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (3)
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (4)
*[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (5)
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (6)
*[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (10)
|c2=
*[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] (15)
|c3=
*[[William Fowler]] (1)
*[[Raf Esquivel]] (7)
*[[Miko Nakadai]] (8)
*[[Jack Darby]] (9)
*[[Silas]] (11)
*[[MECH|MECH soldiers]] (12)
*[[MECH Surgeon]] (13)
*[[MECH Commando]] (14)
|c4=
*[[Nemesis Prime (Prime)|Nemesis Prime]] (2)
}}

==Quotes==
"Yes, that's it. Follow the light." 
"Wait, what? Not the best choice of words, Ratchet."
:—'''Ratchet''' and '''Arcee'''

"I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, and I bring you this message."
:—'''Nemesis Prime''' steals one of Optimus's catchphrases.

"They actually did it. Those butchers managed to crack the code!"
:—'''Ratchet''' realizes that [[Project Chimera]] has produced results.

"Be on your guard. My double could be anywhere." 
''*Bumblebee beeps a reply*'' 
"I'm sorry. What?"
:—'''Nemesis Prime''' tries and fails to fool Bumblebee.

"Look [[Ratchet (Prime)|doc]], I don't plan on dancing with any bots, but there's a human element in play here. And in case you haven't noticed, I happen to be a highly-trained, government-grade, human."
:—'''Agent Fowler'''; accept no substitutes!

"My robot chassis possesses all your strength, speed...and firepower!" 
''*Optimus lunges at Nemesis Prime, only to be thrown off with ease*'' 
"Add my extensive combat training, and MECH has clearly achieved the perfect meld of man and machine!"
:—'''Silas''' brags about his new toy.

"This is only the beginning. Imagine an army of transforming robots! No one will stand against the newly rebooted MECH!" 
"Think again, Sy!"
:—'''Silas''''s gloating is interrupted by '''Agent Fowler''''s arrival.

"The internal damage to his organs is massive, and beyond the scope of conventional medicine. Fortunately for our leader, MECH is [[Breakdown (Prime)|anything]] but conventional."
:—A '''MECH Surgeon''' on Silas's future.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
*Due to model reuse, Fowler's car has the same [[license plate]] number as June Darby's.
*After calling the Autobots to ask about Optimus, Fowler is seen approaching a bridge at least a half mile away. But, when the camera shifts, it shows him already on the bridge.
*No matter what size, shape, weight, or speed a car is going, it will ''never'' be possible to break through a concrete barrier and come out with as little damage as Fowler's car had.
*Bulkhead is somehow able to fall faster than Fowler's car, despite dropping from the bridge later than it.
*Before Optimus Prime climbs the tower, you can't hear his blaster turn back into his hand.
*Despite being ordered by Optimus to go covert, Arcee does not have her holographic driver on when in her motorcycle form.
*How exactly did MECH extract Silas from under several tons of robot with the US military overhead and Fowler in the room?

===Continuity notes===
*With the construction of Nemesis Prime, MECH has finally yielded results from [[Project Chimera]].
*MECH has Breakdown's reassembled remains, which they collected after [[Airachnid]] killed him in "[[Crossfire]]".
*Ratchet recalls MECH's study of Breakdown in "[[Operation: Breakdown]]".
*Optimus recalls the theft of Starscream's T-Cog, which they learned about in "Crossfire" after it happened in "[[Operation Bumblebee, Part 2]]".
*Silas took a scan of Optimus at the end of "[[Convoy (episode)|Convoy]]", which is evidently how he was able to produce a nearly-identical copy of him in this episode.
*Silas learned how Transformers scan a vehicular form in "[[Crisscross]]", when he saw Airachnid scanning Agent Fowler's helicopter.
*MECH learned that their knockoff Transformer required Energon to function in "[[Operation Bumblebee, Part 1]]". This episode also showed that they had managed to duplicate the scanning process.
*Optimus's right sword, which was broken in "[[One Shall Fall]]" and last seen still broken in "[[Orion Pax, Part 3]]", has been repaired at some point.
*This is the [[One Shall Rise, Part 1|second time]] Bumblebee has tried and failed to save a car on screen. Only this time, someone was inside the car when he loses part of it.
*As this is Fowler's first time in the GroundBridge, he experiences nausea, similar to the effect on the children in "[[Darkness Rising, Part 5]]".

===Transformers references===
*Fowler listens to an instrumental version of "[[The Touch]]" on his car radio.
*The first transformation of the fake Prime on the military base is in a similar animation layout to [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|another Optimus Prime]]. The attack itself bears no small resemblance to [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]]'s attack on the [[SOCCENT Forward Operations Base|base]] in the first film.
*Miko and Ratchet refer to the false Optimus Prime as "Nemesis Prime", a name first established in ''[[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'' as indicating an evil version of Optimus Prime and used [[Nemesis Prime (disambiguation)|a number of times since]].

===Real-world references===
*The opening scene with Fowler references [[Steven Spielberg]]'s 1971 film ''Duel'', starring an evil truck.
*Nemesis Prime's eyes and weapons glow yellow, similar to the yellow glowing "eye" on K.A.R.R, the evil version of K.I.T.T from the TV show, ''Knight Rider''. (K.A.R.R was also, in one episode, voiced by Peter Cullen.)

===Trivia===
*Silas is a former member of the Special Tactics branch of the military, while Fowler is an ex-Army Ranger.
*Nemesis Prime's transformation uses a modified version of the regular transformation sound effect, which makes it sound as if the transformation is not as smooth as that of an actual Cybertronian.
*Nemesis Prime's body is tarnished and dirty-looking, with heavily faded colors. The overall effect makes it look [[Zombie|undead]], even though it is more of a puppet than anything.

[[Category:Prime episodes]]

UnshÅ Ishizuka

2012-07-19T01:04:59Z

96.21.86.21:

'''Unshō Ishizuka (石塚運昇 Ishizuka Unshō)''' is a Japanese voice actor born on [[May 16]], [[1951]] in Katsuyama, Fukui. He is currently affiliated with Aoni Production and is best known for providing the voice of both the Narrator and Professor Oak on the Japanese anime series, Pokémon. He is also known for voicing Jet Black from ''Cowboy Bebop'', Gozaburo Kaiba on ''Yu-Gi-Oh'', Sergei Smirnov on ''Mobile Suit Gundam 00'', Mr. Satan/Hercule on ''Dragonball Z Kai'' (taking on the role from the late [[Daisuke Gori]]), Heihachi Mishima in the ''Tekken'' series (ditto), Zabuza Momochi in ''Naurto'', Eugene Gallardo from ''Tales of Rebirth'' and Captain Matthews in the ''Xenosaga'' trilogy. He is also the Japanese dub voice of Horatio Caine in ''CSI: Maimi'', [[Kevin Michael Richardson|Captain Gantu]] in ''Lilo and Stitch'', Captain John Price in ''Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3'', Paul Sheldon in ''Misery'', Pazuzu in ''The Exorcist'' and Prince Charming in the ''Shrek'' series.

==Voice roles==
===Transformers Prime===
*[[Silas]]

==External links==
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0411167/ Unshō Ishizuka] at The Internet Movie Database
*[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=1178 Unshō Ishizuka] at The Anime News Network

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ishizuka, Unshō}}
[[Category:Japanese voice actors]]

Operation Bumblebee, Part 1

2012-07-19T00:47:11Z

96.21.86.21: /* Transformers references */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 30
|prev=Orion Pax, Part 3
|next=Operation Bumblebee, Part 2
|image=OperationBumblebee1 Bumblebee's new ride.jpg
|caption="Listen, this isn't what it looks like..."
|title="Operation Bumblebee, Part 1"
|airdate=[[March 10]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[Marty Isenberg]]
|directed by=[[Todd Waterman]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''Bumblebee questions his worthiness to his team after he is compromised.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:OperationBumblebee1 extractor yoink.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Yoink!]]
[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] stake out a [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]] mining operation overseen by [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]. Optimus isn't about to let Megatron have whatever gave off the signal that led him and Ratchet here, and he confronts Megatron just as the Vehicons break earth and hand the package to him. Megatron advises Optimus to stow his weapons; the device they've unearthed is a deadly [[spark extractor]], capable of sapping the spark from the body of every Cybertronian in its radius. He takes the opportunity to gloat about how Optimus—ahem, ''Orion''—led him to it before stepping through the [[GroundBridge]], and ordering the Vehicons to hold Ratchet and Optimus off. Close by, [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] speeds over a cliff and through the attacking Vehicons, before driving into the GroundBridge. He transforms and grabs the package from Megatron's hand, before turning around and bolting. Megatron runs after him, but upon arriving outside the vortex, finds his troops destroyed and all three Autobots gone.

Back at base, Bumblebee brags about his vehicular acrobatics. Ratchet informs Optimus of the reason for the Autobot homing beacon on the device—it was sealed away in Iacon during the war, but was jettisoned offworld when the Decepticons raided the city. [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] asks if Optimus remembers if he transcribed any other coordinates, but Optimus regrets that he does not. Ratchet posits that Megatron said he decrypted multiple targets to play havoc with Optimus' psyche.

On the ''[[Nemesis (Prime)|Nemesis]]'', Megatron laments over the loss of the spark extractor, and regrets that he did no more than destroy Bumblebee's [[voice box]] back on Cybertron. [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] reminds Megatron that there are still two contacts on Earth to investigate.

[[Image:OperationBumblebee1 Bumblebee's operation.jpg|thumb|right|250px|'''Doctor''': So what are we transplanting today? '''Silas''': A T-cog--er, I mean liver. '''Doctor''': A liver? In a robot? '''Silas''': And?]]
On the road, Bumblebee sounds off to [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] to rendezvous with him at the coordinates of the new distress beacon. Upon arriving, however, the only device present is an upright beacon. Suddenly, Bumblebee is stunned by a large electrical blast, and he falls unconscious. [[Silas]] and a [[MECH]] team emerge from the shadows, including a [[MECH Surgeon]] who starts work on Bumblebee. Unseen by the troops below, Starscream arrives and transforms on an overlooking cliff. As MECH spots Bulkhead incoming, the surgeon finishes his work, and the team departs in a helicopter. Bulkhead arrives and asks Bumblebee who did it, but Bumblebee doesn't recall. Bulkhead advises pursuit, and transforms to roll—but Bumblebee doesn't. Antsy at the hold-up, Bulkhead asks Bumblebee why he's not transforming, and Bumblebee replies that he can't.

Back at base, Ratchet scans Bumblebee and discovers that his [[transformation cog|T-cog]] is missing. The Autobots quickly work out MECH is behind it, and Optimus tells Bumblebee he's going to have to rely on his friends for a while. Bumblebee is very depressed. Optimus is worried about what Megatron might unearth next.

[[Image:OperationBumblebee1 Silas meets Starscream.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"So, which of us should be called Scarface?"]]
MECH install Bumblebee's T-cog into the robot they've built, but when they power it up and have it scan a helicopter, the robot is unable to transform. Starscream, who has been spying on them, reveals himself and proposes an alliance. He explains the T-cog requires [[energon]] to work. He intends to supply MECH with information on energon so they can work out a way to find energon deposits.

Bumblebee is making a pain of himself bugging Ratchet, who asks [[Raf Esquivel|Raf]] and [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] to keep him busy. Unfortunately all of their entertainment reminds Bumblebee of his missing vehicle mode. Raf makes another attempt to make Bumblebee feel better, but is undermined by Arcee and [[Jack Darby|Jack]] racing into the base at high speed. Ratchet has to stop Bumblebee from going out for a walk, but feels guilty at his inability to fix his fellow Autobot.
Some time later, Ratchet picks Raf up outside school, much to the boy's discomfort.

[[Image:OperationBumblebee1 Bumblebee runs after Knock Out.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Robots in mirror are closer than they appear.]]
On monitoring duty, Bulkhead detects a signal, and Bumblebee insists on going with him to investigate.

Raf asks how Bumblebee's voice box was damaged, and Ratchet tells how Bumblebee was captured at [[Tyger Pax]] and given a working over by the Decepticons. Though a [[Ratchet (Prime)|field medic]] saved the scout, it wasn't enough to save his voice box.

Bulkhead and Bumblebee track the signal to a cave. [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] soon comes barreling out, closely followed by [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]]. While Bulkhead tackles the latter, Bumblebee attempts to chase Knock Out on foot. He soon finds he can't even transform his arms to deploy his guns, and is forced to continue the pursuit by using an old truck as an impromptu go-kart. Unfortunately it loses a wheel, and as Knock Out speeds off with the pilfered device, Bumblebee is sent flying off a cliff.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (3)
*[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] (4)
*[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (5)
*[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (7)
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (9)
|c2=
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (1)
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (2)
*[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (10)
*[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] (18)
*[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] (19)
|c3=
*[[Jack Darby]] (6)
*[[Miko Nakadai]] (7)
*[[Raf Esquivel]] (8)
*[[Silas]] (11)
*[[MECH Surgeon]] (12)
*[[Sierra]] (14)
*[[Sierra's friend]] (15)
*[[Starter Guy]] (16)
*[[Vince]] (17)

|c4=
*[[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] (13)
}}

==Quotes==
"The new Urbana 500. It won't just rock your world. It will transform it."
:—The '''commercial narrator''' hates Bumblebee.

"...You want to ride with the siren on?" 
"No, thank you."
:—'''Ratchet''' attempts to cheer up '''Raf'''.

"Still don't know how you talked me into this. You're worse than Miko."
:—'''Bulkhead''' on Bumblebee's persuasiveness.

"Bumblebee, where's your famous horsepower? Show me some ''speed''!"
:—'''Knock Out''', unintentionally striking a nerve.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
* Though Ratchet has standard vehicle instrumentation, the needles don't move, at least while they're in shot. His speedometer is showing a higher reading as they slowly move away from the school than later when they're driving down the street.
* When Optimus draws his weapon at the start of the episode, he draws his left cannon. When he charges Megatron he's then wielding his right cannon.
*In [[Darkness Rising, Part 2]] [[Agent Fowler]] refers to Bumblebee as a custom black and yellow muscle car, but in this episode he is revealed to be an [[Urbana 500]] luxury car.

===Continuity notes===
*This marks the first mention of Megatron being responsible for destroying Bumblebee's capacity to speak at [[Tyger Pax]], having been established in ''[[Transformers: Exodus]]'' for the Aligned continuity.
*Megatron calls Optimus by his pre-Prime name "Orion Pax" from the previous episodes. The three sets of coordinates the Decepticons are investigating here are likewise the fruits of [[Project Iacon]].
*We first heard about [[Project Chimera]] in "[[Operation: Breakdown]]", the events of which Starscream makes mention of. Here we finally see what the project is—an attempt to create a MECH-designed Transformer.
*The old pickup truck Bumblebee uses to chase Knock Out was first seen in "[[Convoy (episode)|Convoy]]", and again in "[[Metal Attraction]]".
*MECH's attacks on Breakdown and Arcee are brought up, which happened in "[[Operation: Breakdown]]" and "[[Crisscross]]", respectively.
*Starscream compares facial scars with Silas, having gotten his from Arcee in "[[Partners]]".

===Transformers references===
[[Image:OperationBumblebee1 spark extractor.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Behold, the latest handheld gaming system: THE SEGA MATRIX, with the ability to transform into any gaming system in the world, even those NOT made by [[Sega|SEGA]]!]]
*The ''device dú jour'' today is the spark extractor, courtesy of ancient Decepticons. However, unlike the [[spark extractor|original]], this one seems to be more of a bomb-like device, sapping the sparks of everyone in its radius. It might not be a coincidence that the device showed up in an episode written by [[Marty Isenberg]], given that he was one of the two showrunners of the [[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|series]] it originated from.
*The T-cog is a reference to the [[transformation cog]] of G1 lore. It was first referred to in the ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|The Transformers]]'' episode "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1]]", in which the lack of a transformation cog meant that [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] was stuck in city mode.
*Ratchet also has to explain to Bumblebee that the Autobots are "[[Robots in Disguise (disambiguation)|Robots In Disguise]]", which is why he can't leave the base while his T-Cog is missing.
* The reason behind the loss of Bumblebee's voice is near identical to the explanation given for [[Bumblebee (Movie)|another Bumblebee]]. In fact, several of the visuals for the flashback scene are lifted almost directly from [[IDW Publishing|IDW's]] ''[[Transformers: Movie Prequel|Movie Prequel]]'' [[Movie Prequel issue 1|issue 1]].

===Real-world references===
*Megatron uses the term "mutually assured destruction", a longtime slogan for the effect of nuclear war.
*Knock Out references Rent-A-Car, a real-world car rental service, though given what a generic name it has, this may be a coincidence.

===Trivia===
*In a first for the series, Bumblebee's car mode is revealed as the [[Urbana 500]].
*This is the first time a fight has happened ''inside'' the GroundBridge. Seeing as it's quite long, this may explain how in other episodes, characters sometimes exit the GroundBridge in a different order than they entered it.
*Bumblebee, Ratchet and Starscream's Cybertronian modes, again, have Earth vehicle kibble.
*The title is a nod to a Season 1 episode "[[Operation: Breakdown]]".
*It was revealed that several artifacts were jettisoned into space during the war, explaining why [[Energon Harvester|earlier]] [[polarity gauntlet|devices]] were found on Earth.
*Bumblebee's door wings move with his emotions just like with Starscream.
*Optimus has finally been repaired from the damage he got in his battle with Megatron in [[One Shall Fall]].
* [[Project Chimera]]'s fingers and right shoulder armor look ''very'' similar to Optimus's. We see why [[Nemesis Prime (episode)|episodes later]].
[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Orion Pax, Part 2

2012-07-19T00:41:44Z

96.21.86.21: /* Transformers references */

{{disambig3|Orion Pax}}
{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 28
|prev=Orion Pax, Part 1
|next=Orion Pax, Part 3
|image=
|caption=
|title="Orion Pax, Part 2"
|airdate=[[February 25]], [[2012]]
|written by=[[Mairghread Scott]]
|directed by=[[Scooter Tidwell]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

{{picsneeded}}

'''Jack learns how to restore Optimus's memory.'''

==Synopsis==
On the ''[[Trypticon (Prime)|Nemesis]]'', [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] points his missiles at [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Orion Pax]]. Accidentally addressing him as "Optimus Prime", the former Seeker realizes something is wrong. Through a brief conversation, Starscream learns of [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]'s deception to Orion, and states that the archivist has much to learn. He begins to speak, but is interrupted by a team of [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]]. Starscream leaps into action and makes a quick escape, and Pax is ordered to stay in his quarters, his curiosity piqued.

Back at base, [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] finishes adjustments on the [[GroundBridge]]'s power level, hoping to increase its range. [[Raf Esquivel|Raf]] pilots a test subject in the form of a toy car into the bridge, but instead of teleporting, it is destroyed. Raf consoles Ratchet on the failure, saying it was only the first try, but Ratchet thinks it was a doomed idea from the start. In an effort to cheer him up, Raf tells the story of his slow triumph over the rope climb in gym class, but it falls on oblivious ears, since Ratchet doesn't understand what gym class has to do with increasing the Ground Bridge's power level.

In the halls of the ''Nemesis'', Starscream deftly maneuvers his way past many guards, blasting a door out in his bid for freedom. Seconds away from escape, a laser blast catches his tail, and he spins to the ground. Orion is soon visited by Megatron, who apologizes for the commotion. Orion asks why Megatron told him Starscream was dead, and he replies that Starscream is dead to the Decepticon cause—a defector to the Autobots. Megatron departs, but Orion's interest is piqued by Starscream's reference to him, and he begins to read more about this "Optimus Prime." On the database page for Optimus Prime (which displays a false image of a menacing-looking robot), Orion reads that the name belonged to the leader of the Autobot faction, who was not Ratchet, as Megatron told him.

[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] arrives at base, and reports no leads on the location of the Decepticons' [[space bridge]]. About to send Bulkhead on his way to the next search quadrant, Ratchet receives a high-frequency message of peculiar nature: it is addressed to him, and is from Starscream. The plane tells him that he must come alone with a medical kit to repair him, in exchange for valuable intel about Optimus.

In a forest, the Ground Bridge portal opens, to the surprise and dismay of the wounded Starscream, for both Ratchet and Bulkhead step out. Ratchet plays no games with his help, refusing to repair him unless he gets some useful information. Realizing his compromised position, Starscream tells all, but succumbs to horror when he finds the Autobots already know it as well, and plan to abandon him as a result. As Ratchet and Bulkhead depart, the medic responds to Starscream's pleading with the ultimatum that unless he knows anything about the space bridge, he's going to rot. The jet is amazed that his troops finished his project when he was gone, then realizes that this is the information Ratchet is looking for. He smugly shows the Autobot where it hurts.

The group convenes at base to discuss the plan of action in seizing the space bridge. [[June Darby|June]] voices her concern at the prospect of [[Jack Darby|Jack]] traveling to another planet, but is reassured by [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] and [[William Fowler|Fowler]], and realizes the necessity of his mission. Ratchet works out a plan, where all four Autobots storm the space bridge chamber, jamming communications to block the deployment of Decepticon reinforcements. Fowler offers Jack a spacesuit for use on Cybertron, and Arcee volunteers to go with him. The Ground Bridge opens, and the team enters.

[[Image:TFP Orion Pax Part 2 - Jack Salute .jpg|thumb|left|200px|Don't wanna close my eyes, don't wanna fall asleep...]]At the Space Bridge complex, the team makes quick work of the guards. One attempts to send a message to control, but is stymied by Ratchet's scrambler and Bulkhead's fist. They arrive at the bridge, and Jack, fully decked out in a donated spacesuit from [[NASA]], is bridged to the location. The space bridge is activated, and the duo step through to Arcee's homeworld and Jack's destiny.

In the complex, the remaining Autobots are stopped in their tracks by a transmission from [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]], asking for a status report. As he makes continual demands for a report, who should take the call is fumbled over, as Ratchet and Bulkhead's voices would be recognized, and Bumblebee can't speak at all. Ratchet settles on Agent Fowler, and he is patched through. He manages to field the call, and turns it around, asking Breakdown how he was, to surprising success.

Meanwhile, Orion searches through all files he can on "Optimus Prime", only to find that they have been altered, the true files encrypted, to his chagrin. However, Orion, a skillful hacker, manages to get past them and find an image that shocks him; ''he'' is Optimus Prime! This does not go unnoticed by [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] and Megatron. The latter vows that he ''will'' see to it that Orion completes [[Project Iacon]], even if he has to inflict grievous pain on him.

On Cybertron, Jack and Arcee follow the [[Key to Vector Sigma|Key]]'s signal and are surprised to find that it leads to [[Kaon]], the Decepticon capital, which is now abandoned, except, as Arcee puts it, for "Vermin". As they advance on foot, they cross a bridge, unaware that underneath them, one such Vermin is transforming and beginning to follow them...
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] (4)
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (8)
*[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] (9)
*[[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] (10)

|c2=
*"[[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Orion Pax]]" (2)
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (3)
*[[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] (6)
*[[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] (7)
*[[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] (15)
*[[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticon]] (16)

|c3=
*[[Raf Esquivel]] (5)
*[[June Darby]] (11)
*[[William Fowler]] (12)
*[[Miko Nakadai]] (13)
*[[Jack Darby]] (14)

|c4=
*[[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] (1)

}}

==Quotes==
"You do not suggest that our leader...would speak falsehoods?" 
"You truly are being kept in the dark, aren't you?"
:—'''Starscream''', upon learning of '''"Orion's"''' deception.

"The Decepticon Space Bridge is located right here, deep within an energon mine." 
"Adjacent to a raw fuel supply, clever. What's our intel?" 
"A...reliable source" 
:—'''Ratchet''' talks to '''Arcee''' about their tip, without realizing he's calling a Decepticon reliable.

"Command, this is Space Bridge Control! We are under attack! Command, do you read me?" 
<nowiki>*</nowiki>commlink static* 
<nowiki>*</nowiki>''Bulkhead smashes the Vehicon's face''* 
"Shhhh."
:—A '''Vehicon''' is reminded of the no-talking rule by '''Ratchet'''.

"Thank you, Starscream." 
<nowiki>*</nowiki>''Bulkhead looks at Arcee''* 
"Who else would it have been?"
:—'''Arcee'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s too clever by half.

"Don't worry, Space Bridging is just like Ground Bridging." 
<nowiki>*</nowiki>''Space Bridge fires up with a loud noise''* 
"Just a little more intense!"
:—'''Arcee''' tries to ease Jack's nerves about going on the big boy rides.

'''Fowler''': "Somebody say something, pronto!" 
'''Ratchet''': "Rafael, patch in Agent Fowler."
:—Agent Fowler gets exactly what he wants, just not what he expected.

"You have one nano-cycle to respond or—" 
"This is Space Bridge Control. Situation normal." 
"Normal? You sure about that?" 
"We were just calibrating the subsystems and we, uh, had a surge, but it's fine now. How are ''you''?" 
"Uh...uh... Never better. I know it's thankless down there. Keep up the good work, huh?" 
"Will do. Control out."
:—'''Breakdown''' and '''Fowler''' demonstrate that hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good "how are you" at your side.

"My name is Orion Pax, I am far from being a prime."
:—'''Optimus Prime''' admits he's not worthy to be a prime.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===

===Continuity errors===
*There's no evidence of [[Dark Energon]] on Cybertron, much less any [[Terrorcon (Prime)|zombies]], despite Megatron having used enough to cover the entire planet in "[[Darkness Rising, Part 5]]".

===Continuity notes===
* The braces on Raf's legs from last episode are gone. This is not so jarring as it seems at first, as the events of that led to his condition (in "[[One Shall Fall]]") took place two months prior, according to Fowler.
*Ratchet notes that Breakdown would recognize his or Bulkhead's voice. The latter is due to Breakdown and Bulkhead's rivalry (seen from Breakdown's first appearance in "[[Deus Ex Machina]]"), and the former is probably from Breakdown's encounter with Ratchet in "[[Stronger, Faster]]".
*Kaon, the Decepticon capital, makes its first actual appearance, following Megatron's dream recreation of it in "[[Sick Mind]]". Jack remembers it from the events of that episode after Arcee identifies it.

===Transformers references===
*The false image of Optimus Prime had some resemblance to [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|G1 Ultra Magnus]].

===Real-world references===
*The scene of Fowler talking to Breakdown is a reference to a similar scene in ''[[Star Wars]] Episode IV: A New Hope''. However, this time the guy on the other end responds more warmly to the "how are you?" bit.

===Trivia===
* Aww, Breakdown cares about the worker bots.
* This is the second time Megatron denounces a mistake relating to Starscream that he "[[Out of His Head|does not intend to make again]]".
*A neat, slowed down version of Bulkhead's weapon transformation is seen, as opposed to the normally lightning fast animation employed.
[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Sam Riegel

2012-07-19T00:35:56Z

96.21.86.21:

{{disambig3|Sam}}
[[Image:SamRiegel.jpg|thumb|right|130px|His voice gives him super-strength!]]
'''Sam Riegel''' (born [[October 9]], [[1976]]) is an American voice actor who has also provided the voices of Donatello in the 2003 ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' cartoon, Kudamon in ''Digimon'', Viral in ''Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann'', Jiro in ''Blue Dragon'', Baki from ''Naruto'', Minoru Shiraishi of ''Lucky Star'', Azel/Devil Hand in ''God Hand'', Phoenix Wright in ''Ultimate [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]] vs. Capcom 3'', Riven in the Nickelodeon version of ''Winx Club'' (alongside [[Josh Keaton]]), and the first voice of Tristan Taylor/Hiroto Honda and Rex Raptor from ''Yu-Gi-Oh!''. Riegel also makes up half of the online comedy duo "Riegel and Blatt".

Riegel also appeared in the documentry ''102 Minutes that Changed America'', as he was in [[New York City]] on [[September 11]], [[2001]] and caught the attacks on the World Trade Center on film.

==Voice Roles==
===''War for Cybertron''===
*[[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]]
*Additional voices

==External links==
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0726184/ Sam Riegel] at the Internet Movie Database
*[http://www.riegelandblatt.com/ Riegel and Blatt]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Riegel, Sam}}
[[Category:English voice actors]]
[[Category:Activision]]

Teruaki Ogawa

2012-07-19T00:23:02Z

96.21.86.21:

'''Teruaki Ogawa''' (小川輝晃 ''Ogawa Teruaki'') is a Japanese voice actor born [[August 29]], [[1968]] in [[Osaka]], [[Japan]]. He is best known for his screen roles in the ''Super Sentai'' series as Sasuke/NinjaRed in ''[[wikipedia:Ninja Sentai Kakuranger|Ninja Sentai Kakuranger]]'' and Hyūga/BullBlack in ''[[wikipedia:Seijuu Sentai Gingaman|Seijū Sentai Gingaman]]'' and episode 20 of ''[[wikipedia:Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger|Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger]]''.

==Roles==
===''Beast Wars Neo''===
*[[Mach Kick]]

==External links==
*[http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=8343 Teruaki Ogawa] at Anime News Network

[[Category:Japanese voice actors|Ogawa, Teruaki]]

YÅ«ji Kishi

2012-07-18T19:44:34Z

96.21.86.21:

{{picsneeded}}
'''Yūji Kishi''' (岸祐二, ''Kishi Yūji'') is a Japanese voice actor who was born [[September 28]], [[1970]] in Tokyo, Japan. He originally worked for Mausu Promotion, but switched agencies to CUBE Group in 2007.

He began working in live action Super Sentai shows, playing Kyōsuke Jinnai (Red Racer) in ''Gekiso Sentai CarRanger'' (with a guest stint in the anniversary series ''Kaizoku Sentai Gokaiger'') and Shurikenger Kazuma in ''Ninpu Sentai Hurricanger''. As a voice actor, he played Ken in the ''Street Fighter'' series and TJ in the Japanese dub of ''Power Rangers: Turbo'' and ''Power Rangers in Space''.

==Roles==
===Beast Wars II===
* [[Scuba]]
* [[Drill Nuts]]

==External links==
* [http://www.cubeinc.co.jp/members/prf/124.html Official profile] at CUBE Group (Japanese)
* [http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/people.php?id=7135 Yūji Kishi] at Anime News Network

[[Category:Japanese voice actors|Kishi Yuji]]

Toonami

2012-07-18T19:24:19Z

96.21.86.21:

[[Image:ToonamiTomArmada01.jpg|right|300px|thumb|''Funky rhythms not audible''.]]

'''Toonami''' is a programming block on [[Cartoon Network]] that specializes in action cartoons. Toonami infrequently premiered numerous ''Transformers'' animated series during its first incarnation from 1997 to September of 2008. Initially hosted by Moltar of ''Space Ghost'' fame, the block is then hosted by TOM (voiced by [[Steve Blum]]) after 1999, with [[Peter Cullen]] (referred to by TOM as "The Big Guy") narrating commercials and other promotions. One of Toonami's most popular attributes is its original [[title sequence]]s, crafted from clips and soundbytes of their respective shows and set to funky techno beats.

==''Transformers'' series==
===''Beast Wars''===
''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' was Toonami's first ''Transformers'' series, replacing ''The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest'' for a special week of premieres in 1998. The five episodes in question were "[[Code of Hero]]", "[[Transmutate (episode)|Transmutate]]", "[[The Agenda (Part 1)]]", "[[The Agenda (Part 2)]]" and "[[The Agenda (Part III)]]".

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDgP9EbSFm0 Promo:] Moltar introduces ''Beast Wars'' as [[Rattrap]] sends Jonny Quest to a gruesome fate.

===''Armada''===
Toonami wouldn't see any ''Transformers'' action again until 2002, when it premiered ''[[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|Transformers Armada]]''. The first three episodes were combined and advertised as a "movie", premiering on the "all new" Friday night block. Reruns were then aired Monday through Thursday, with a new episode each Friday.

The [[Unicron Trilogy]] would be plagued by Cartoon Network's rather indecipherable scheduling logic, oftentimes being moved off of the block and back onto it without any warning, making following the series a chore at best.

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G45WaMUv8MI Promo:] Original teaser trailer for the ''Armada'' premiere, narrated by Cullen. This promo happens to be far more exciting than the actual series.

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT94fbR0JVQ Intro:] Excited? Don't be.

===''Energon''===
Beginning in 2004, Toonami moved to Saturday nights from its original weekday afternoon format and issued one new ''[[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|Transformers Energon]]'' episode a week.

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD7vwruOqmQ Intro:] "We gotta stop fighting each other." *punches*

===''Cybertron''===
''[[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|Transformers Cybertron]]'' would be Toonami's fourth ''Transformers'' series, premiering in 2005. In 2006, they cobbled several episodes together to create a TV special called "[[Primus Unleashed (TV special)|Primus Unleashed]]". In 2007, as a tie-in during the opening week of the live-action ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]'' film, Toonami dedicated an entire night to a ''Cybertron'' marathon.

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyaAfYAD_No&feature=related Intro:] "These guys rock!"

==External links==
*[http://adultswim.com/shows/toonami Official Toonami website]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toonami Toonami at Wikipedia]

[[Category:Programming blocks]]

Toonami

2012-07-18T19:22:40Z

96.21.86.21:

[[Image:ToonamiTomArmada01.jpg|right|300px|thumb|''Funky rhythms not audible''.]]

'''Toonami''' is a programming block on Adult Swim (formely on [[Cartoon Network]] before 2012) that specializes in action cartoons. Toonami infrequently premiered numerous ''Transformers'' animated series during its first incarnation on Cartoon Network from 1997 to September of 2008. Initially hosted by Moltar of ''Space Ghost'' fame, the block is then hosted by TOM (voiced by [[Steve Blum]]) after 1999, with [[Peter Cullen]] (referred to by TOM as "The Big Guy") narrating commercials and other promotions. One of Toonami's most popular attributes is its original [[title sequence]]s, crafted from clips and soundbytes of their respective shows and set to funky techno beats.

==''Transformers'' series==
===''Beast Wars''===
''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' was Toonami's first ''Transformers'' series, replacing ''The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest'' for a special week of premieres in 1998. The five episodes in question were "[[Code of Hero]]", "[[Transmutate (episode)|Transmutate]]", "[[The Agenda (Part 1)]]", "[[The Agenda (Part 2)]]" and "[[The Agenda (Part III)]]".

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDgP9EbSFm0 Promo:] Moltar introduces ''Beast Wars'' as [[Rattrap]] sends Jonny Quest to a gruesome fate.

===''Armada''===
Toonami wouldn't see any ''Transformers'' action again until 2002, when it premiered ''[[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|Transformers Armada]]''. The first three episodes were combined and advertised as a "movie", premiering on the "all new" Friday night block. Reruns were then aired Monday through Thursday, with a new episode each Friday.

The [[Unicron Trilogy]] would be plagued by Cartoon Network's rather indecipherable scheduling logic, oftentimes being moved off of the block and back onto it without any warning, making following the series a chore at best.

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G45WaMUv8MI Promo:] Original teaser trailer for the ''Armada'' premiere, narrated by Cullen. This promo happens to be far more exciting than the actual series.

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT94fbR0JVQ Intro:] Excited? Don't be.

===''Energon''===
Beginning in 2004, Toonami moved to Saturday nights from its original weekday afternoon format and issued one new ''[[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|Transformers Energon]]'' episode a week.

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cD7vwruOqmQ Intro:] "We gotta stop fighting each other." *punches*

===''Cybertron''===
''[[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|Transformers Cybertron]]'' would be Toonami's fourth ''Transformers'' series, premiering in 2005. In 2006, they cobbled several episodes together to create a TV special called "[[Primus Unleashed (TV special)|Primus Unleashed]]". In 2007, as a tie-in during the opening week of the live-action ''[[Transformers (film)|Transformers]]'' film, Toonami dedicated an entire night to a ''Cybertron'' marathon.

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eyaAfYAD_No&feature=related Intro:] "These guys rock!"

==External links==
*[http://adultswim.com/shows/toonami Official Toonami website]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toonami Toonami at Wikipedia]

[[Category:Programming blocks]]

Tania Gunadi

2012-07-18T19:06:53Z

96.21.86.21: /* Notes */ - Replacing dead link.

[[Image:Tania Gunadi.jpg|thumb|120px|]]

'''Tania Gunadi''' (born [[July 29]], [[1983]]) is an Indonesian-born American actress. She is best known for her role as Emma Lau from ''Aaron Stone''. She also played as Allison Wong in [[Shia LaBeouf|Even Stevens]] and was in the unsold pilot ''Weiner Park'' (which also featured [[Fred Willard]] and [[Robin Atkin Downes]]).

==Voice Role==
===Transformers: Prime===
* [[Miko Nakadai]]

==Convention appearances==
*[[BotCon 2011]]

==Notes==
* The first news of Tania working on ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' came when she posted on Twitter, "Working with [[Peter Cullen]] ([[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]]) and [[Frank Welker]] ([[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]) is sooooo cool!!!!!". That was posted months before it was confirmed that Cullen and Welker were involved with the show.
* Tania Gunadi had worked with [[Roberto Orci]] and [[Alex Kurtzman]] before, playing a fish-faced communications technician in ''Star Trek''.
* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bL7Z1Mrl25o She's a ninja! She's a hoodie ninja! She's a ninja! Hoodie hoodie ninja!]
* In addition to doing commercial work for Honda (previous link), she's quite possibly [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glquKfXhLFo the most adorable second grade teacher ever] for [[Target]]. And yes, those are her hamsters. (So much glitter!)

==External Links==
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1040208/ Tania Gunadi at IMDB]
* [http://taniagunadi.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.bwtf.com/interviews/tania-gunadi/ Tania Gunadi interview] @ BWTF.com

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gunadi, Tania}}
[[Category:English voice actors]]
[[Category:Hasbro Studios]]

Starscream (Movie)

2012-07-18T09:39:15Z

96.21.86.21: /* IDW Transformers movie comics */

{{factions|decepticonfilm|hofsilver}}
{{disambig3|Starscream}}{{suite}}

:''Starscream is a [[Decepticon]] from the [[live-action film series]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:RevengeOfTheFallenStarscream.jpg|right|350px|thumb|I got yer AllSpark, ''right here''.]]
'''Starscream''' is a hero on the wrong side. Over the centuries he's come to believe both [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus]] and [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] have lost sight of what is best for the Cybertronian race, and simply pursue their own agendas. At some point, he came to the decision that, for the good of the species, a new leader must emerge, and he would be that leader. However, over time, he became as corrupt in his own way as Megatron, although he prefers subtlety and deception to Megatron's brute force. Now, what may once have been noble goals are buried under layers of self interest, transforming Starscream into that which he supposedly despised.

{{quote|Truly the universe favors those who persist.|Starscream|''[[Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday| Ghosts of Yesterday]]''}}

==Fiction==
===IDW ''Transformers'' movie comics===
Many years before civil war broke out on Cybertron, Starscream was guarding a [[hatchling]] school trip when they were attacked by a [[Driller|subterranean monster]]. He was saved by [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] and [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]], much to his irritation, but Megatron liked Starscream's "feisty" attitude, and saw a place for him in the future of Cybertron he hoped to shape. He later joined Megatron's [[Defense Force]], and was very much at home, killing a [[malcontent]] that challenged the new order in spite of surrendering. {{storylink|Foundation issue 2|Foundation #2}}

[[Image:Defiance1_Starscream_Ratchet.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Someone is praising Starscream!? Stop the presses!]]

Later, he was patrolling the [[Eshems Nebula]] when he encountered the fourth alien scout ship he had spotted in the same [[Units of time|cycle]]. As he related this to first officer [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] of the [[Science Division]], this time the alien ship did not maintain a safe distance, forcing Starscream to attack, and he was damaged in the subsequent battle (and was late for a meeting with [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus]] and [[Lord High Protector]] Megatron). Soon afterwards, these same aliens attacked Cybertron, and Starscream commanded the aerial forces in the defense of the [[Simfur Temple|temple]] in [[Simfur]]. After Megatron was injured in battle, Starscream rushed to his side to enquire about his condition and to ask for further orders. He was informed to keep Optimus's team out of the military's way. {{storylink|Defiance issue 1|Defiance #1}}

Megatron was influenced by [[The Fallen|the mysterious relic]] found outside [[Simfur]] to wage a vengeful war against the aliens. Starscream attended a war rally at [[Trypticon (Movie)|Trypticon]] where Megatron assumed dictatorship of Cybertron and its armed forces. After destroying much of the enemy fleet and eliminating its leader, Megatron ordered Starscream and his fellow fliers to destroy the alien flagship and conquer the surrounding systems. {{Storylink|Defiance issue 2|Defiance #2}} Underground opposition to the new regime came in the form of Optimus and his science division, something Lord Megatron would not stand for. While [[Prowl (Movie)|Prowl]] and security officers arrested Optimus on trumped-up charges of treason, Starscream's squadron was given orders to capture Optimus alive and leave no living witnesses. Unfortunately, Optimus ''Prime'' proved more than a match for Starscream's entire unit, bringing down the ruins of a city upon them. The group survived, and were used by Megatron as "proof" that there were enemies within Cybertron as well as without, to rally his army into a new faction: the Decepticons. {{Storylink|Defiance issue 3|Defiance #3}}

During the launch of the ''[[Nemesis (ROTF)|Nemesis]]'', Starscream believed Megatron's propaganda that [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]] was a liar, and expressed disdain for Optimus's claim that he was a Prime too. {{storylink|Foundation issue 3|Foundation #3}} During the subsequent civil war, Starscream blindly followed Megatron's orders, murdering those who did not bow to his Lord's will, even those who did not choose sides. {{Storylink|Defiance issue 4|Defiance #4}} During the Autobot assault on Simfur Temple, Starscream noticed [[Elita-One (Movie)|Elita-One]] reaching the [[AllSpark]] and activating Sentinel's "[[pillar|torch]]". He pursued her but she escaped into the tunnels. Despite Megatron's desperate command to stand down, Starscream attacked Sentinel when he arrived on the [[Ark (DOTM)|Ark]], causing the ship to disappear in a tremendous explosion. {{storylink|Foundation issue 4|Foundation #4}}

Starscream was inside [[Lord High Protector citadel|Megatron's citadel]] when Optimus launched another attack in revenge for Sentinel's death. While Optimus and Megatron faced off, Starscream and Shockwave fought their former captain, [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]]. When the sky darkened, Optimus emerged and blasted both of them, allowing them to escape. The attack had actually been a distraction from [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Wheeljack]]'s theft of the AllSpark after the first assault had exhausted Simfur's Decepticons. {{storylink|Foundation issue 4|Foundation #4}} Later, Starscream was leading an assault on the Autobots at [[Tyger Pax]] when [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] arrived to reinforce them. They witnessed the launch of the AllSpark into space, a desperate gambit by the Autobots, and immediately Starscream and Blackout began to bicker over their next move. Seeing Megatron leave the planet in pursuit of the AllSpark, Starscream decided that so would they. {{storylink|Planetfall (Movie)|Planetfall}}

[[Image:Planetfall Starscream yesweare.jpg|200px|thumb|"Hey, what's that?" "I'd call it a TARGET!"]]

Starscream was concerned over the Autobots who still posed a threat, but Megatron ordered him to gather a crew to pursue [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]]'s [[Ark (Movie)|ship]]. Unfortunately, [[Nemesis (Movie)|Starscream's ship]] was led into a trap and crippled by [[concussion pulse]] weapons, throwing them off the chase, for now. Humiliated, Starscream and his crew limped back home for repairs. Sometime later, they followed the AllSpark's trace energy pulse and the wake of Prime's ship to a solar system galaxies away. Landing on the [[Mars (planet)|fourth planet]], they destroyed [[Beagle 2 Rover|a primitive lifeform]] that seemed to have been created from the AllSpark, and felt the tag of the life-giving object on the third planet. {{storylink|The Reign of Starscream issue 1|The Reign of Starscream #1}}

Starscream's team made planetfall on [[Earth]] in Afghanistan, quickly attracting the attention of a nearby US military base, which sent out an armoured personnel carrier to investigate. After it was destroyed, the Decepticons attacked the base itself. During the rather one-sided assault, a human agent of Sector Seven was impressed by the alien invaders' ability to adapt to Earth's finest weaponry. Starscream agreed that they were impressive, and killed the fleshling. After Blackout left the group for another nearby base, Starscream told his fellow Decepticons that their mission wouldn't always be this easy, as the Autobots were bound to turn up. {{storylink|Planetfall (Movie)|Planetfall}} {{storylink|The Reign of Starscream issue 1|The Reign of Starscream #1}}

{{note|The events of Planetfall are inconsistent with the events of IDW's own [[Transformers: Movie Prequel |prequel comic]]. However, the depiction of the Decepticon arrival in Afghanistan was later used in [[Transformers: The Reign of Starscream|The Reign of Starscream]].}}

In 2003, Starscream's infiltration team, consisting of [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] and Blackout, touched down on [[Mars (planet)|Mars]] and destroyed the [[Beagle 2 Rover]]. Starscream was disgusted with the rover, but Blackout and Barricade warned that there was an obviously intelligent species nearby, so they would need to be cautious. Starscream agreed, as long as they got to kill something. {{storylink|Movie Prequel issue 3|Movie Prequel #3}}

[[Image:MoviePrequel4 Starscream youcangonow.jpg|left|300px|thumb|Top this one, [[Samus Aran|Samus]].]]

Splitting up, they headed to Earth, where Starscream scanned an F-22 Raptor fighter jet being tested by the [[United States Air Force|US Air Force]] at [[United States Air Force#Facilities|Nellis Air Force Base]]. He destroyed it, then adopted the vehicle form for himself. Leaving the scene of destruction, he radioed his fellow Decepticons to report in on their hunt for new disguise forms, which they did. He reiterated that their mission was to find the AllSpark, to which Blackout responded with a reminder that the mission was also to find Megatron. Starscream dismissively replied, "Yeah, right... him too."

Later, Starscream and Blackout detected the unique radiation of the AllSpark and investigated, but Starscream soon realized it was a trap by Sector Seven. Starscream destroyed several AH-64 Apache helicopters while Blackout attacked Sector Seven's bunker and attempted to hack into their mainframe. When the humans severed the connection, the Decepticons broke off from the battle and linked up with Barricade, who was in pursuit of the Autobot [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]. {{storylink|Movie Prequel issue 4|Movie Prequel #4}}
{{--}}

===''Transformers: Beginnings''===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Patrick Hallahan]]

Starscream led the Decepticons to Earth while following the beacon signal used by Bumblebee to call the Autobots. In typical Starscream fashion, he seemed more concerned about collecting the AllSpark to further his own goals than to rescue [[Megatron (Movie)|Lord High Protector Megatron]]. Attracting the attention of a nearby military installation, they were attacked, but easily overpowered the humans, after which he and Blackout took their [[alternate mode]]s from vehicles on base. Starscream, along with Blackout, followed Bumblebee as he fled from a losing battle against Barricade.

Later, when Sector Seven tried to use a false energy signature to attract Bumblebee to their location, the Decepticons picked up on it and followed. Realizing the signal was fake, Starscream pulled the troops out and waited for the Autobots to arrive and flush out the AllSpark for them. {{storylink|Transformers: Beginnings (Movie)|Transformers: Beginnings}}

{{note|Transformers: Beginnings is a condensed, flash-animated retelling of the [[IDW Publishing|IDW]] [[Transformers: Movie Prequel |Movie Prequel]] that is detailed above this section.}}

===''Ghosts of Yesterday'' prequel novel===
Starscream had ascended to Decepticon leadership in the absence of their former lord, and though he had to ''seem'' to carry on the long search for the lost Megatron and the [[AllSpark]] to keep his position as leader, his greatest hope was that Megatron would NEVER be found. Some loyal Decepticons, especially [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]], strongly suspected this and sought to frustrate Starscream's species-serving plans. [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] buddied up with him, but he did like to trick people. [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]] hated him, but one shouldn't really read too much into that. [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]] and [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]]'s opinions are unknown, but Frenzy's a complete lunatic and nobody cared what the pet thought.

During a search of an abandoned solar system, the ''[[Nemesis (Movie)|Nemesis]]'' came across ''[[Ghost 1|a vessel]]'' that bore a resemblance to Megatron's [[alternate mode]]. Starscream went to investigate it, intending to destroy it. After chasing off [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]], he communicated with the creatures aboard the vessel, who called themselves [[human]]s. Starscream claimed that his people once lived with the [[Autobot]]s, and that their treacherous leader, [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]], started a war for the AllSpark. The humans told him of a robotic creature that they had found on their world, and Starscream, recognizing it as Megatron, told them it was an Autobot scout. While communicating with them, he downloaded all the information on their computers, learning that the AllSpark was also located on Earth. He offered to help the humans to return to their world if they helped Starscream's group attack the Autobots, hoping that Prime would destroy them and be guilt-stricken in the process. The humans attacked Optimus and Bumblebee, but the two Autobots escaped. After their ship sank into a cavern, Starscream revealed his true nature and abandoned them. As a result, the humans concluded neither faction could be fully trusted. Way to make first contact there, Starscream.

Returning to the battle, he lied to his fellow Decepticons, claiming that the two Autobots were dead and that he'd been unable to communicate with the humans. Blackout, unconvinced by the story, challenged Starscream to single combat. Starscream won, and the Decepticons launched an attack on the ''[[Ark (Movie)|Ark]]''. Unfortunately for Starscream, Optimus, Bumblebee and the human vessel showed up. Starscream, fearful of the information that the ship contained, ordered the Decepticons to destroy it. Unfortunately, Starscream experienced a minor mutiny when Bonecrusher and Blackout demanded answers, and even Barricade wanted to know why. As the battle drew to a close, Starscream was in a position to terminate Prime but came under fire from the humans' weapons. Seriously damaged, Starscream finished them off with a single plasma blast, then ordered the Decepticons to retreat, despite the advantage they had over the Autobots. The Autobots figured that Starscream would not risk traveling to [[Earth]] for fear of losing power, but Prime figured that it was only a matter of time before the desire for vengeance and the lure of the AllSpark brought the Decepticons to that world. {{storylink|Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday|Ghosts of Yesterday}}

===''Transformers'' (2007 film)===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Charlie Adler]] (English), [[Tadashi Miyazawa]] (Japan), [[José Sant'anna]] (Brazil), [[Axel Lutter]] (German), [[Luigi Scribani]] (Italian), [[Germán Fabregat]] (Latin American-Spanish)

[[Image:Movie2007_Starscream_HooverDam.jpg|left|300px|thumb|Starscream without the [[null-ray]]?! But... how can the fans possibly ''survive'' such a wanton desecration of their childhoods??]]

Starscream was lying in wait at a [[United States military|US]] air base when covert agent [[Frenzy (Movie)|Frenzy]] reported that the [[AllSpark]] had been located, along with Megatron, underneath [[Hoover Dam]]. Though he had long feared this day would come, Starscream ordered the rest of the Decepticons to mobilize. The others responded, with Blackout rallying in the name of Megatron.

[[Image:Starscreammovieheadshot.jpg|right|300px|thumb|It's a bird! It's a plane! It's... a bird-legged freak that transforms into a plane!]]

The first to arrive, Starscream attacked the hydroelectric power plant attached to the dam to cause havoc to [[Sector Seven|Sector Seven's]] operations and to speed the thawing of Megatron. With Frenzy's sabotage, Megatron quickly broke free of his icy restraints and escaped the facility. He almost immediately met with the waiting Starscream, who repledged his loyalty to Megatron. Demanding to know what had happened to the AllSpark, Megatron was told by his [[second-in-command]] that it was now in the possession of the humans. Furious, Megatron berated his lieutenant for yet another failure. What a warm reunion.

During the assault on a [[Mission City|nearby city]], Starscream fooled [[William Lennox|Captain Lennox's]] unit by posing as an [[wikipedia:F-22 Raptor|F-22 Raptor]] providing cover. Starscream launched an attack that crippled [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] as [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] realized too late who the fighter really was. As [[Sam Witwicky|Sam Witwicky]] ran with the AllSpark, Starscream swooped down, blocking his path, only to be attacked by both Ironhide and [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]. After fighting without much effort, but still besting them, Starscream took to the skies again, instead of securing the AllSpark from the now-defenseless Sam.

[[Image:Starscreammoviestillrobot.jpg|left|300px|thumb|How do you feel, mighty traffic? Yah!]]

While Megatron attempted to retrieve the AllSpark from Sam, Starscream perched on nearby buildings and shot down an Army Blackhawk helicopter when it attempted to help the human evacuate the Cube. Eventually, real F-22 Raptors from the US Air Force arrived, and Starscream disguised himself. Pretending to be a part of their squadron, Starscream surprised the human pilots by transforming in mid-air and destroying three of the Raptors before he was fired upon. He transformed back into his disguise and fled, and was not seen in the closing moments of the battle between Optimus Prime and Megatron. (Or was he?)

[[Image:Starscream bails.JPG|right|300px|thumb|I will rule the sequel, Megatron! Even if I am the only one ''in'' the sequel!]]

Most of the Decepticons were defeated, and their bodies cast into the deepest part of the ocean. Ultimately, Starscream retreated from Earth to parts—and with intentions—unknown. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}}
{{-}}

===Toy bios===
{{notemoviebio}}

Fleeing from the Mission City fiasco, Starscream repaired and reenergised himself from a nearby power plant, then fled into deep space to find Decepticon reinforcements. {{storylink|Starscream (Movie)/toys#Voyager Class toys|Deep Space Starscream}}

He eventually decided this was too time-consuming, and went back to Earth in a new stealthy form to wait for the Decepticons, alerted by the energy signature of the AllSpark's destruction, to come to ''him''. He succeeded in building a small army, and had them distract the Autobot forces while he launched a surprise attack on a lone Optimus. {{storylink|Starscream (Movie)/toys#Legends Class toys|Nightwatch Optimus Prime vs. Stealth Starscream}} The battle ended with Optimus still alive and the Decepticons beaten on Earth. {{storylink|Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#Fast Action Battlers|Fire Blast Optimus Prime}}

===Beast Wars Diorama Story===
At some point, Starscream and multiple Autobots and Decepticons traversed dimensions and found themselves on a different [[Earth]], in the distant past. They crossed paths with new Transformer factions, the [[Maximal]]s and the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, who were engaged in a conflict called the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]]. A battle broke out between the four factions and Starscream found himself pitted against the Maximal [[Tigatron]]. He attempted to blast the Maximal from the high ground, only to get shot in the face, instead. [[Optimus Primal]] and [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] then double-teamed Starscream, defeating him. With the battle over, the Autobots and the Decepticons returned to their home dimension, leaving the Maximals and Predacons behind to settle the Beast Wars. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Diorama Story|Beast Wars Diorama Story}}

===Titan Magazines ''Transformers'' movie comics===
{{Note|The following event is unique to the Titan Magazines comic continuity and thus doesn't occur anywhere else.}}

Within seconds of Megatron's defeat, Starscream dubbed himself the new Decepticon leader, with the main problem being that he didn't actually have any troops to lead. To amend this slight impediment, he attacked several [[AllSpark Mutation]]s and removed the energy from their bodies, which he then proceeded to implant into the corpses of [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]], [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] and [[Brawl (Movie)|Devastator]]. With his former comrades reanimated in this [[Zombie|rudimentary manner]], he directed the shambling husks to attack the Autobots, who were still recovering from their battle that had just finished. While the Autobots eventually destroyed the zombies, Starscream had escaped with several AllSpark energy fragments still in his possession. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 7|Starscream's Militia}}

{{notetitantlg}}

[[Image:Tf mag 10 2008.JPG|left|150px|thumb|So evil, boats spontaneously explode rather than face him.]]
Starscream remained on Earth serving under Megatron—and taking orders from [[Dropkick]], who's got a higher rank. In secret, however, he was using [[Insecticon (Movie)|Insecticons]] to implant cerebro-strips in the heads of useful humans; at will, he could control their minds, paving the way for a more subtle conquest when he finally got Megatron out of the way. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 14|Aftermath Part 1}}

He became aware of the moon-based Autobots and while ordered to join [[Dreadwing (Movie)|Dreadwing]] in beating up [[NATO]], {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 9|Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 1}} he got bored during the mission and left as soon as he could to attack the moon-based Autobots. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 10|Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 2}} He beat them up and viciously taunted them, forcing them to take the initiative and go to Earth—just as he wanted. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 11|Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 3}} As he hoped, the Autobots eventually won, killing Megatron, destroying the AllSpark and halting the cyberforming of Earth... leaving him free to take command of the Decepticons!

On top of that, he got his hands on the nanovirus the Autobots used on Megatron. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 13|Twilight's Last Gleaming, Part: 5}} He also took the AllSpark interface module from Megatron's corpse and assimilated it. He started hearing Megatron's voice in his head some time after this... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 22|The Decepticon Who Haunted Himself}}

[[Image:InsecticonMovie.JPG|right|250px|thumb|Hey, Starscream's ''bugging'' us lolololololol]]

One of his first acts as leader was to begin a bombing campaign against any human attempt to rebuild infrastructure or regain a foothold in the United States. He then organised an attack that would get all the Autobots together so a NATO tank regiment (its commander under cerebro-strip control) could wipe them all out. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 14|Aftermath Part 1}} While this failed, Starscream has still ensured the new [[President of the United States]] is under cerebro control—and the Autobots have no idea he's in command... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 15|Aftermath Part 2}}

As well as secretly overseeing scorched-earth strategies and attempted Energon grabs, {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 16|Dark Spark}} he also gained [[Mikaela Banes]] as a cerebro-controlled slave. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 18|Return to Cybertron: Part 2}} When the bulk of the Autobots prepared to briefly leave Earth and had Mikaela watch over their [[Savannah]] base, Starscream just waited until they'd gone and effortlessly seized the place. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 19|Return to Cybertron: Part 3}} As a result, the six hundred square miles around the Autobot base were swiftly seized as an autonomous Decepticon nation, with all resistance smashed easily. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 20|Return to Cybertron: Part 4}} This means, shockingly, he actually ''is'' a better leader than Megatron. ''[[Jesus]]''.

[[Image:Starscream Titan22.JPG|left|210px|thumb|"Stop looking at me ''stop looking at me!''"]]
He sadistically taunted Mikaela, hoping there was part of her that was screaming for help, before dispatching [[Jazz (Movie)|the corrupted Jazz]] and [[Kullt]] to assassinate Optimus. It didn't work. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 21|Hard Target}}

While preparing an ambush for the Autobots who he knew would come for Mikaela, he ranted to the Megatron in his head how he'd been a ''far'' better leader and how he was about to kill all the Autobots. His ambush almost worked too, and he almost killed Prime himself—only for the Autobots to turn out to have had a better plan all along, and escape. Admitting to the voices that he had failed and demanding a strategy from then, he realised to his horror that Megatron's mind had wanted him to take the interface module and had downloaded his brain into it; The voice ''really was'' Megatron and he was demanding to be released! {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 22|The Decepticon Who Haunted Himself}}

He didn't release him, though Megatron did feed Starscream a strategy—blackmailing America into booting the Autobots out, then having Allen nuke their ship. This plan was a success, {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 23|Revolution Part 1}} and a jubilant Starscream despatched his armies to seize the United States, all the while having his mind-controlled humans hamper ''any'' military counter-offensive. He was ''this'' close to total victory when [[Stockade (Movie)|''Stockade'']] turned up, turning a third of the drone armies and possibly two generals to his side, sparking a [[Decepticon Civil War]].

Watching everything collapse around him, a gibbering Starscream was visited by Megatron's voice again, telling him once again that the only way out was to release him and allow Megatron to live again... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 24|Revolution Part 2}}

[[Image:Starscreamseesthings_Titan25.jpg|right|350px|thumb|"I'm as sane as the [[Thunderwing (G1)|next]] leader!"]]

...and this time, desperate and pressured, Starscream ''did''. With his mind now his own again, he realised to his horror what he'd done... but it was too late, he was now a minion again, and tasked to strafe Stockade's forces while Megatron took on the rebel himself. It all was for naught, however: the Autobots (surprisingly ''not'' dead!) intervened and forcibly teleported all the Decepticons to Cybertron, leaving Starscream trapped there ''forever''. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 25|Revolution Part Three}}

====Star Screams====
{{Note|The following details Starscream's tenure as letter-answerer on the Star Screams letters page.}}

{{bigquote|You could mark [your letters] 'All Hail Starscream' so long as you make it clear this is in no way a reflection on our glorious leader or a prelude to some sort of coup. Just so that we're clear on that.|Star Screams}}

[[Image:Star Screams logo.JPG|left|150px|thumb|Hate mail!]]
As of issue 7, he runs the letters page (renamed Star Screams from the original Mech Mail). He hates the letters, the readers, the comic, the editorial team, and probably the baby [[Jesus]]—but he's still got nothing on ''[[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'' [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream's]] [[Transformers: Armada (Panini)|letter-answering stint]]. The source of his misanthropy appears to be that nobody ever sent in fan-art of him (#8). The few things he does like are recycling and environmental measures (#14), girls becoming Transformers fans (#19), and [[To sell toys|humans collecting his action figures]].

Autobot sympathisers are hunted down to be exterminated, especially those who dress up as Autobots (#8, #12 and #17), and even the Prime Minister isn't safe (#24). That said, Starscream appears to have a soft spot for his own fans—in #11, when a female reader complained her mum and aunt kept telling her she was too old for Transformers, he announced that the offending relatives had been shortlisted to spend forever polishing his armour with their own spit, bless.

In #8, he revealed he hates the movie because his best scenes and lines were cut out, and #13 confirmed the Decepticon army loathes [[Michael Bay]] for producing pro-Autobot propaganda. This still hasn't prevented him from shilling Bay's second documentary ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'', as he believes it will depict a Decepticon victory (#10) and is going to ignore the script if it says otherwise (#18). Since then, however, he has come under the sway of an unknown higher power in regards to the film, one Starscream fears (#22)...

In #7, he expressed concern that this "[[Simon Furman|Fur-Man]]" was a [[Maximal]] agent, and warned that Titan Magazines would be destroyed if they continued to produce Autobot propaganda. By #13, the Decepticons appear to have taken over Titan and have imprisoned the staff and creators in cages, forcing them to work merely for food—it is surely no coincidence that during this period, Starscream became a successful leader of the Decepticons in the comic strip and that Starscream began wanting more issues brought out. This mistreatment is causing severe physical trauma to [[Steve White]] and [[Den Patrick]] (#19) though Fur-Man is still a free agent and is evading Decepticon capture (#21). Writer [[Robin Etherington]] appears to have angered him, as Starscream is believed to have deliberately miscredited one of his stories in #24. [http://www.studioblinktwice.com/announce.php?Year=2009]

He has incredible hate for [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]], gleefully recounting the guy's horrible death and going berserk in #9 at the idea of Jazz answering the letters.

While he has said he talks to himself to get intelligent conversation and doesn't trust anyone (#9), he has shown some signs of wanting company: he hoped the [[Seeker (Movie)|Seeker]] jets would all be reunited in the next film (#9), is trying to convince [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] to be in it too (#15), and wishes Ironhide would join the Decepticons (#16). Despite wanting to re-unite with Thundercracker, he shows contempt for the guy's lack of drive (#11). He views [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]] and Soundwave as potential successors if anything ever happens to him (#21). He also appreciates [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout's]] work (#23) and while he's annoyed the helicopter is more popular than him, he did go to the trouble of giving the guy a proper burial. (#25)

Starscream appears to have had several "off the record" adventures. He has revealed he once had an [[Starscream (G1)|F-15 mode]] and liked it (#9), openly confirming he was [[:Image:Starscream 1982.jpg|active in 1982]] and the impetus for the [[Hungry Dragon]] cover-up. He also refers to [[Thundercracker (Movie)|Thundercracker]] also being an F-15 (#11), implying both were active in [[1982]]. He has also had some experience with and knowledge of [[Unicron]] (#12), something [[Transformers Comic issue 19|no other Transformer had]] and something that terrified him (#17), and in which he apparently witnessed Unicron trying to devour Cybertron (#19)...

He maintains that his voice is not [[Chris Latta|scratchy]] in any way.

Eventually, however, the constant stress of the letters drove him to a nervous breakdown, and he was sent to a very special home (or "on a mission of great importance", according to his cover story). He still produces a regular horrorscope. (Vol.2 #1) [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] has wondered about Starscream's ongoing absence, noting the home must have better security than the Decepticons first thought! (Vol.2 #12)

===IDW ''Revenge of the Fallen'' movie comics===
{{bigquote|My plan failed, or was it my troops that failed me? I can only process the situation and hope for a conclusion. There are allies on Earth, and more scattered across the Galaxy. I will seek them out. By my side they will join, and in time, I '''will''' have my kingdom... regardless of the location.|Starscream|[[The Reign of Starscream issue 5|The Reign of Starscream #5]]}}

Starscream assumed the role of [[Decepticon leader]] on Earth following Megatron's defeat and the destruction of the AllSpark. Though tempted to exact revenge on the humans, he realized he might be the last functional Decepticon on the planet, so he escaped Mission City to recover the badly-damaged Barricade. Starscream gave him orders to continue his reconnaissance of the Autobot once he was able, and headed for Hoover Dam to retrieve Frenzy. {{storylink|The Reign of Starscream issue 1|The Reign of Starscream #1}}

Starscream made his way to Hoover Dam, taking out masses of human soldiers and a [[Landmine (Movie)|less-than-functional attack drone]]. Starscream took a [[Salazar|human captive]] along with Frenzy's body, but the fleshling didn't survive the Decepticon's trip to [[Mars (planet)|Mars]]. However, the trip, combined with the damage from the battle took its toll and upon finding his starship, he had to be helped inside by [[Thundercracker (Movie)|Thundercracker]]. The pair discussed Thundercracker's progress with the space bridge terminal, the physiology of humans and the abilities of Starscream's new form. While recharging, he ordered Thundercracker to download the information from Frenzy; however, an Autobot scouting party interrupted their efforts. {{storylink|The Reign of Starscream issue 2|The Reign of Starscream #2}}

[[Image:ROSWannabet.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Let's hope that Dreadwing isn't revived by Unicron.]]
Starscream ordered Thundercracker and the drones to deal with them while he prepared for take off. After recovering, he made short work of the Autobots and dragged a damaged Thundercracker inside the ship, before activating the terminal and warping to Cybertron. He handed Thundercracker over to [[Ramjet (Movie)|Ramjet]], and ordered construction of a [[replica AllSpark]], based on Frenzy's data. Approaching Megatron's citadel, Starscream, still impressed by the power his new form gave him, destroyed the former leader's figurehead. {{storylink|The Reign of Starscream issue 3|The Reign of Starscream #3}}

A [[Units of time|quartex]] later, Starscream ruminated about ruling over a Cybertron free of war or factions, as well as bringing certain [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|war criminals]] to justice. He arrived at the AllSpark construction yard, busted [[Crankcase (Movie)|Crankcase]]'s vocal processor for whining too much, and chained him up along with [[Elita-One (Movie)|four]] [[Warpath (Movie)|enslaved]] [[Signal Flare (Movie)|Autobot]] [[Grindcore (Movie)|prisoners]] on the new AllSpark, ready to offer up their lives in exchange for a new life for Cybertron. {{storylink|The Reign of Starscream issue 4|The Reign of Starscream #4}}

[[Image:StarscreamandWreckageAlliance2.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Yes, it is!]]

Things sort of went downhill from there, though. First, the AllSpark replica didn't work; then [[Dreadwing (Movie)|Dreadwing]] rebelled. Then they saw that Arcee had snuck aboard Starscream's ship, led an Autobot attack on [[Simfur]] and destroyed the new AllSpark. In the ensuing chaos, Starscream, along with his few remaining loyal subjects, fought off the army of Dreadwing drones and assorted other traitors. Starscream tracked Dreadwing to the space bridge as he took a starship through it. By the time the ship arrived on [[Mars (planet)|Mars]], it was damaged by Starscream's attack, but Dreadwing survived. However, Starscream also survived, revealed himself, and ripped out Dreadwing's spark core. {{storylink|The Reign of Starscream issue 5|The Reign of Starscream #5}}

After Dreadwing's betrayal, Starscream relocated to Earth, his aspirations for leadership and his faith in his fellow Decepticons shattered. As he brooded and carved AllSpark runes onto his exo-structure, he picked up a transmission from [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]], informing Starscream of Optimus Prime's forthcoming journey to a Sector Seven facility where Wreckage was held. {{storylink|Alliance issue 1|Alliance #1}} Starscream recorded a message chronicling Megatron's death, the destruction of the Cube and Wreckage's betrayal before he left Mars. [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] found the message upon his return to Earth, and deemed it a suicide note. {{storylink|Convergence chapter 4}}

Starscream arrived on Earth not long after Wreckage escaped. The two engaged in a heated battle, each accusing the other of betrayal. Wreckage managed to gain the upper hand, but the timely arrival of Bumblebee gave Starscream the chance to kill Wreckage. He thanked Bumblebee by blasting him, but was contacted by Soundwave before he could finish the job. Shocked that Soundwave was still alive, Starscream left with renewed vigor, believing Soundwave held the key to making a new army. Rendezvousing on Mars, Starscream informed Soundwave of Megatron's death and the AllSpark's loss, and was pleased when he was told a number of troops were headed for Earth, with more in stasis. After receiving co-ordinates to Soundwave's ship, a more enthusiastic Starscream left for the ''Nemesis'', aiming to bring the troops aboard out of stasis while Soundwave carried out "[[Star Harvester|other orders]]". {{storylink|Alliance issue 2|Alliance #2}}
{{-}}

===''The Veiled Threat'' prequel novel===
{{Note|The events of ''The Veiled Threat'' take place during [[IDW Publishing]]'s ''[[Transformers: Alliance|Alliance]]'' comic.}}
Starscream was in [[Zambia]] where he gained control of the rebel [[Human Accessory Force]] by synthesizing [[gold]] coins with his own body. He sent [[Macerator]], [[Dropkick]] and [[Payload (Movie)|Payload]] to blow up a series of dams along the Zambezi River. Although the three Decepticons were stopped by [[NEST]], Starscream intercepted them and killed [[Beachbreak]], who was hoisting [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] up Victoria Falls. He then oversaw the Decepticons attack on a dam along the Zambezi, but the action saw the loss of Macerator and Payload. With their plan in ruins, Starscream ordered Dropkick to retreat.

Little did Starscream know that not all of the troops Soundwave had brought were so eager to serve him for merely succeeding to the Decepticon throne. A number of Decepticons were working in secret to amass vast quantities of energy to locate Megatron and jump start his spark. Upon discovering the existence of this faction, Optimus surmised that Starscream would be hard pressed to withstand a coup, and the only way to secure his claim would be to destroy Optimus and the Autobots quickly.

Starscream flew to [[Italy]] where he allied with criminal mastermind [[Bruno Carrera]], promising him rule of Europe once Starscream ruled Earth if he helped kill Optimus Prime. [[Swindle (Movie)|Swindle]] and [[Jolt (Movie)|Deadend]] drew NEST to Rome, where Starscream challenged Optimus to one-on-one combat in the Coliseum: it was a trap, and Optimus fell through a hidden door into a set of restraints in an underground tunnel built by Carrera. The humans helped Optimus escape though, and Starscream flew off to pay Carrera back for his failure. {{storylink|Transformers: The Veiled Threat|The Veiled Threat}}

===Titan Magazines ''Revenge of the Fallen'' comics===

[[Image:Titan1_FallenStarscream.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Hey! C'mon on outa there you!]]

With Megatron dead, Starscream found himself as one of [[The Fallen]]'s proxies and was not too happy with the idea of working for another guy ''again''. He organised <strike>his</strike> the Fallen's Decepticon army and took them to Cybertron on the Fallen's orders. Unfortunately he was spied on by [[Mudflap (ROTF)|two]] [[Skids (ROTF)|Autobots]], and failed to exterminate them before they fled to Earth. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.1|Training Day}} News of this made the Fallen ''very unhappy'', who ordered Starscream to remain on Cybertron and ''not fail again''. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.2|Dogfight!}}

After the Twins' bumbling on Earth, they were suspected of being double agents and were to be sent into orbitary exile. [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] ordered Starscream to take out the Twins' military escort in an effort to make them defect. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.6|Outlaw Blues}}

[[Image:Titan8_Starscreamlastwords.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Are my eyes blue?]]

Later, after the Decepticons had captured the lost [[Ransack (ROTF)|Ransack]], Starscream sat in on Soundwave's interrogation of the old fogey. However, Ransack refused to tell them, and Starscream had to step in to stop an angry Soundwave from killing the guy. He volunteered to interrogate the ancient Seeker himself, but Ransack found the whole thing laughable: he knew the Decepticons were operating their ''own'' agenda while the Fallen was incapacitated, but they'd soon learn their freedom was just an illusion.

A few seconds later, the twins arrived to bust the base up. Starscream and Soundwave soon put an end to ''that'', and Starscream gleefully prepared to exterminate Mudflap at long last... Whoops, that gave Ransack the chance to shoot Starscream in the back and leg it! Desperate to keep the Fallen from knowing they'd been up to anything, Starscream and the other 'Cons chased after the Seeker. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.8|Back-to-Back}}

{{-}}

===''Revenge of the Fallen'' movie===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Charlie Adler]] (English), [[José Sant'anna]] (Portuguese), [[Tadashi Miyazawa]] (Japanese), [[Axel Lutter]] (German), [[Luigi Scribani]] (Italian), [[Germán Fabregat]] (Latin American-Spanish)

[[Image:ROTF Megatron choke Starscream.jpg|thumb|left|300px|"We really shouldn't fight in front of the chil—" "SHUT UP!"]]
Starscream was unconcerned with reviving his leader Megatron, choosing to spend his time as acting commander on the ''[[Nemesis (ROTF)|Nemesis]]'' engineering a new army. His plan was failing miserably, as without [[energon]] the [[hatchling]]s were dying. After [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] successfully executed his plan to resurrect Megatron, Starscream (who may or may not have known of said plan) attempted to welcome his commander with open arms, only to be criticized for leaving him for dead. Starscream defended his actions by saying [[The Fallen]] decreed the spawning of a new army, and that in Megatron's absence, someone had to take command. This was a bad choice of words on Starscream's part, as Megatron slammed him into a hatchling sack and told him the simple truth: even in death, there is no command greater than Megatron's.

Megatron noted the plight of the hatchlings though, and sought the advice of the Fallen, whom Starscream had kept on life support, on another source of energon now that the [[AllSpark]] was destroyed. The Fallen revealed there was another source, and that the key to attaining it was through the boy who had killed Megatron. But first, The Fallen commanded that they kill [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]], the last of the [[Dynasty of Primes]], so that he would be safe. Since Optimus would come to protect Sam, it would be a simple matter to capture him. Starscream arrived and announced that they had [[Alice|an agent]] within sight of the boy. He was eager to get that energon, as the hatchlings would keep dying without it.

[[Image:ROTF Starscream Sam Mikaela.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Damn things are everywhere.]]
Starscream aided in [[Sam Witwicky]]'s capture by cutting open the car [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]] had captured him in, and watched as Megatron and [[Scalpel (ROTF)|Scalpel]] threatened to dissect him for the information in his mind from the AllSpark regarding the energon source. Optimus and [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] arrived to rescue Sam: Starscream let Megatron do most of the fighting in the factory, before Optimus blasted him through the wall and drove off with Sam to a forest.

[[Image:ROTF Prime Starscream arm.jpg|thumb|left|300px|"MY ARM!" "Oh, you want it back? HERE!"]]
Starscream arrived, immediately going for the boy, but Prime ran interference, grabbing Starscream, suplexing him, and kicking off part of his mouth, leading the three Decepticons to gang up on him. Surprisingly, it went quite poorly for the Decepticons: Prime was able to take on all three, using Starscream as a shield and sending his artillery flying at Grindor. After stabbing Megatron multiple times, Optimus ripped off Starscream's arm. Starscream could only cry out in horror as Optimus then used it as a club against the Decepticon. Although Optimus managed to kill Grindor, Megatron eventually managed to kill Optimus, but before they could retrieve Sam, the rest of the Autobots arrived while Bumblebee spirited Sam away. Megatron and Starscream were forced to retreat.

[[Image:ROTF_movie_MegatronStarscream_roofchat.jpg|thumb|right|300px|25 years later and I'm still your punching bag!]]

Starscream and Megatron flew to the top of a [[New York City]] skyscraper, where Starscream revealed that they had lost track of the boy. Megatron berated Starscream and hit him with the detached arm he was trying to stick in, furious that he lost track of a single insect. Starscream countered that there were seven billion insects on the planet, and that he could be anywhere at this point. Megatron decided to reveal the Decepticons' presence to the world: Starscream stood openly atop a skyscraper during the rejuvenated Fallen's announcement to the world.

After Soundwave learned that the boy was in [[Egypt]], Starscream flew to investigate. Locating the boy, he fired upon Bumblebee, [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]], who had Sam, [[Mikaela Banes]], [[Leo Spitz]] and [[Seymour Simmons]] as their passengers, bombing them to no avail. Bumblebee, Simmons, Leo, and the Twins drew Starscream's fire while Sam and Mikaela fled to the NEST soldiers. During his flyby of the NEST team, he released an electromagnetic pulse that took out the humans' communications, but saw Prime's body. Meeting Megatron atop the pyramid which hid the harvester, Starscream informed Megatron of his discovery, and Megatron ordered the [[Operation: Firestorm|assault]] to begin.

[[Image:ROTF Starscream grab.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Ceiling Seeker is watching you masturbate. And he will no longer tolerate it.]]

As Sam and Mikaela tried to reach Optimus to revive him with the [[Matrix of Leadership]], Starscream led several [[Constructicon (ROTF)|Constructicons]] and [[Protoform]]s in a search for Sam. It wasn't going very well, to the point that Starscream started shooting the ground in anger. An [[Insecticon (Movie)|Insecticon]] managed to find them, and Starscream tore the roof off the building they were in and fired at them as they jumped off another building, but the two humans managed to lose them again. Starscream then took to the sky to locate them, and ordered [[Rampage (ROTF)|Rampage]] to hold Sam's parents [[Ron Witwicky|Ron]] and [[Judy Witwicky|Judy]] for ransom: Sam was ready to exchange the Matrix, but Bumblebee rescued them and killed Rampage. Starscream was unable to search for Sam any longer and was soon drawn into the battle with [[NEST]], joining his comrades in firing on them.

[[Image:ROTF Starscream cowards survive.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"Not to call you a coward-Oh heck, you are a coward!"]]
Starscream avoided the carpet bombing which killed many other Decepticons, and watched from afar as Optimus was resurrected by the Matrix. Although the Fallen obtained the Matrix and activated his star harvester, the last of the Primes combined with [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]], killed the Fallen and destroyed the harvester. Starscream went to the wounded Megatron, who had lost his right arm and had half his face blown off thanks to Optimus Prime. Starscream advised his master that they should flee (cowards do survive after all), something that Megatron acknowledged, but asserted it wasn't over. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen (film)}}
{{-}}

===Cyber Missions===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Bronco D. Jackson]] (English), [[Andrés García]] (Latin American-Spanish)
[[Image:CyberMissions10 Starscream.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Toy accuracy wasted on a fiction no one even knew existed.]]
Starscream watched from the air as [[Mindwipe (ROTF)|Mindwipe]] interrogated [[Jack (ROTF)|Jack]]. As the other Decepticon announced the Energon would be his, Starscream corrected his obviously erroneous statement. When they found the convoy, Starscream dropped mines on the road in front of [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] and [[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]], knocking loose the trailer-load of energon. While Mindwipe turned his hypnotic abilities on the two Autobots, Starscream landed behind them. The two Decepticons' bickering allowed Sideswipe to break Mindwipe's concentration, and he began grappling with Starscream while Ratchet went for the energon. Starscream quickly got the better of Sideswipe and threatened to rip his spark out, but Ratchet responded by throwing the energon and Mindwipe off a nearby cliff. Starscream dived after it, ignoring Mindwipe's pleas for help, and grabbed the energon. Ratchet shot the energon which exploded, but Starscream subsequently streaked from the flames in his jet mode, and the two Autobots decided to find somewhere safe to take cover. {{storylink|Cyber Missions 10}}

Starscream met up with Megatron in the Arctic sometime later, but it was far from a pleasant reunion - Megatron was pissed that Starscream openly defied him, and once again reminded him of his absolute power. Optimus arrived, and a two on one duel ensued. Soon, the Autobots arrived, and Starscream broke off to leave the duel to be leader-to-leader. Starscream took on Ratchet, Ironhide, Bumblebee, and Sideswipe all at once, and eventually was defeated. Starscream quickly fled the scene. {{storylink|Cyber Missions 12}}

Later, Megatron led Starscream, Barricade, Mindwipe, and Bludgeon to rescue the imprisoned Soundwave from the Autobots. However, Soundwave was only a hologram, and Optimus confronted the Decepticons. Megatron once again dueled Optimus, and Starscream told the others to wait until Megatron wore the Autobot leader down, then attack Optimus... only for Ratchet, Ironhide, and Bumblebee to arrive. In the ensuing battle, Starscream tried to flee, but was fired at by Ironhide, and Starscream retaliated by tackling and grappling with Ironhide on the ground. The Autobots' human allies arrived, and outnumbered the Decepticons a hundred to one, and Megatron was once again defeated by Optimus. The Autobot leader gave the Decepticons a choice: leave Earth or fight and die. Starscream, naturally, was the first to leave and abandon his leader, and Mindwipe and Bludgeon followed. {{storylink|Decepticons Attack}}
{{--}}

===Titan Magazines post-''Revenge of the Fallen'' comics===

[[Image:Titan17_Starscreamstatue.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Hasbro's just losing the battle against copyright infringement...]]

Starscream wanted to create his ''own'' Decepticon army and assumed there had to be some Energon sources and artifacts still on Earth to enable this: after all, why else would the Autobots stay? He tore through [[Peru]]'s Amazon rainforest looking for Energon and, in the process, a local tribe began worshipping him and erecting statues in his honour. He briefly thought about recruiting them.

When an Autobot/human team arrived, Starscream briefly engaged them in combat and shrugged off claims that they ''hadn't got'' an ulterior motive for being on Earth. To cover his retreat, he set fire to the rainforest so the Autobots would have to put it out rather than follow him. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.17|The Kingdom of Starscream}}

{{-}}

===IDW ''Dark of the Moon'' comics===
{{charstubfiction}}
At the Decepticon camp in Namibia, Megatron makes it very clear to Starscream, by way of a beating, that he does not appreciate being told how to do his job. Tired of endlessly submitting to the Decepticon leader, Starscream snaps, and flies off with the intention of starting his own 'New Decepticon Empire'.

When he detects a Cybertronian energy signature, Starscream pursues and sees a shape plummet into the sea next to an amusement park on the pier. The shape is [[Space Case (DOTM)|Space Case]], who, tired of "bein' pushed around", immediately attacks Starscream, punching him into a Ferris wheel. Starscream hauls himself up and opens fire on Space Case, but quickly realizes the identity of the rogue Decepticon. Knowing that Space Case is stupid enough to manipulate, Starscream starts to lay on the compliments, hoping to recruit him as the first soldier in his new army. With his promised reward for Space Case's loyalty being the [[Earth]], he eventually succeeds, and as the sun sets, they walk away from the ruined pier, Starscream now having found a partner who would listen to ''his'' thoughts, for once.
{{storylink|Transformers: Starscream}}

Starscream had set up a base of operations in a junkyard on the outskirts of Mexico City. However, the Decepticon known as Shockwave appeared with [[Ruination (ROTF)|Ruination]] and [[Deadlift]] at shooting range, explaining that he found the base by picking up [[Divebomb (Movie)|Divebomb]]'s trail. Deadlift stood up for the commander, but was blown to bits by the Decepticon assassin. [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]] then informed Starscream that his presence was requested by Megatron. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 1}} After learning that a Decepticon Intelligence unit, called [[Brains]], had escaped to Sam Witwicky, Starscream rallied a group of Decepticons and attacked his college. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 2}} Things didn't bode well for the Decepticons when Autobot reinforcements arrived. Starscream was able to retreat with the help of Shockwave and his pet. When the Decepticons returned to Namibia, Starscream complained to their leader. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 3}}

===Titan Magazines ''Dark of the Moon'' prequel strips===
Starscream and Barricade crashed an anti-[[Transformer]] protest in [[San Jose]], starting off by blowing up the [[Tech Museum of Innovation]]. While Barricade grappled with Ironhide, Starscream decided the whole affair was taking too long, and threw a tanker truck at Ratchet and some humans. Ironhide dealt with the tanker, but was caught in the explosion, leaving himself open for Starscream and Barricade to finish him off. That was when the two Decepticons were mobbed by the human protesters and Optimus Prime turned up. They departed with alacrity. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 3.4|Automatic for the People}}

===''Dark of the Moon'' film===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Charlie Adler]] (English), [[Tadashi Miyazawa]] (Japanese), [[Germán Fabregat]] (Latin American Spanish), [[Axel Lutter]] (German), [[Luigi Scribani]] (Italian).
[[Image:Megatron and Starscream.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Megatron and Starscream in the ridiculous curse of Bobby Langurel.]]
Oh, how it pained Starscream to see his poor master Megatron in such a weak, damaged state at Decepticon High Command in Africa when he arrived back from an unknown venture. Megatron told Starscream to stuff it, and that he only knew what he was told. Starscream watched as [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] and [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]] reported to Megatron that the Autobots had discovered the ''[[Ark (DOTM)|Ark]]'' on the planet's moon and returned with an unknown, special cargo.

[[Image:Starscreaminorbit.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Ceiling Seeker is now Orbital Seeker. ]]
Later in Washington, D.C., as [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]] summoned a Decepticon army to Earth via Space Bridge, Starscream was surprised to learn that Sentinel had been leaving to defect all those many years ago. He noted the brilliance in Megatron's scheme, and asked if Sentinel was now his partner, and Megatron retorted that Sentinel was his greatest triumph, and explained that they had intended to meet up on Earth, but both were waylaid by fate. Later, the Autobots were forced by the humans into exile by Sentinel's demand, and their ship, the ''[[Xantium (DOTM)|Xantium]]'', departed Earth with them inside. Starscream, lying in wait for the moment high up in the Earth's atmosphere, swooped in for the kill, destroying the ship and presumably all eleven Autobots on board.

[[Image:DOTM - StarscreamSaw.jpg|left|thumb|300px|The film is in 3D? Great! Now I can kill real life humans!]] Starscream subsequently helped take Chicago for the Decepticons, and stood by his leader as they worked on their plan to bring Cybertron itself into Earth's atmosphere with Sentinel's Space Bridge. When the still-alive Autobots made an attack with NEST, he attacked the V-22 Ospreys carrying [[William Lennox|Lennox's]] team as they tried to sneak into Chicago using wing suits. Although Starscream took out most of the aircraft, Lennox and many soldiers managed to jump to safety. Later in the battle, Starscream took several potshots at [[Robert Epps|Epps]]'s team, separating [[Sam Witwicky|Sam]] and [[Carly Spencer|Carly]] from the soldiers.

[[Image:Dotm_Starscream_BOOM.jpg|right|thumb|300px|I know I don't have a head, but can I still become a ghost?]]

Relishing a chance to be alone with the fleshling once again, Starscream mocked and toyed with the human while trying to kill him. However Sam had a [[grapple glove|grappling hook]] from [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Que]] on hand, and fired it into Starscream's optic, partially and painfully blinding the Decepticon. Starscream flailed around in pain, causing Sam to fly through a building window. Then Lennox's team arrived and began firing on him. As he tried to return fire, Sam jumped onto his shoulder and stabbed a boomstick into his remaining optic, fully blinding him. Starscream began losing it, screaming in panic and pain as he tried scraping it out of his eye on the ground, cursing the human scum. Lennox attempted to free Sam from the grappling wire, but the panicked Starscream flew up to the top of a nearby building, taking them both with him. As he swore to kill the humans, the boomstick went off, fatally blowing off a large chunk of Starscream's head and causing his chest to explode, leaving his lifeless body to fall to the ground, breaking off several pieces while doing so. Lennox and Sam were saved from the fall by [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] and Sam nervously assured everyone Starscream was dead.

{{note|In an earlier draft of the movie's script, Starscream was originally meant to be the one who had shot down the Ark, but he was replaced by the [[Orbital Assault Carrier]] in the final movie (unless he had an alternate mode similar to those carriers), the alternate beginning for ''Dark of the Moon'' is used in the novelization and Foundation. Starscream was also originally meant to end the life of [[Mirage (Movie)|Dino/Mirage]].}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}

==="Keroro Gunsō X Transformers" comic===

{{storylink|Keroro Gunsō X Transformers}}

==Games==
===''The Real Effing Deal'' ARG Game===
[[Leo Spitz]] posted blurry pictures of Starscream attacking a power station on the same day as the Mission City incident.

On December 21, 2008, Starscream was seen moving in front of some fireworks. {{storylink|The Real Effing Deal}}

{{picsneeded|Game screen shots, cut scenes, whatever}}
===3D Battle-Card Game===
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|3D Battle-Card Game}}

===''Transformers'': The Game===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Daniel Ross]]

====Autobot campaign====
Starscream, Blackout, and a pair of [[Dreadwing (Movie)|Dreadwing]] drones took on [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]] during the battle of [[Mission City]], but the smaller Autobot managed to beat all four of them. Guess he finally got to fight the big ones. {{storylink|Transformers The Game (console)|Transformers The Game}}

====Decepticon campaign====
Starscream coordinated the missions for Blackout and Barricade while hiding in a military base. After receiving information from Barricade that Megatron had been located, Starscream ordered him to proceed to Hoover Dam, while he himself went to locate [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]] and [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]]. However, the humans were aware of the three Decepticons and used drones, weapon platforms, and fighters based on Cybertronian design. Starscream was forced to move back and forth between Bonecrusher and Brawl, rescuing them from human attackers, all to background music far too heroic for someone of Starscream's character. After taking a moment to enjoy the ruin he had made of the base, Starscream proceeded to Hoover Dam. Blackout informed him that the structure was blocking their scans, so Starscream ordered him to tear it down piece by piece to find Megatron and the AllSpark. When Megatron emerged, Starscream bowed before his [[Lord High Protector|Lord]].

At [[Mission City]], Starscream took a moment to [[Ramjet (G1)|ram]] Optimus Prime during the latter's duel with Megatron, and tried to go head to head with Optimus Prime but was knocked away. After Megatron absorbed the AllSpark and Earth was decimated, Starscream stood at his master's left side as the Decepticon leader declared their business on Earth was concluded.

There is an unlockable skin for Starscream that gives him a G1 paintjob. {{storylink|Transformers The Game (console)|Transformers The Game}}

===Transformers: Autobots (DS)===
:''Voice actor'': [[Daniel Ross]]

While on a mission in the Arctic to find and destroy Megatron and recover the AllSpark, [[Create-A-Bot (Autobot)|Create-A-Bot]] and Ironhide ran into the air commander during their escape. Making Create-A-Bot run for cover, Ironhide took on Starscream and his lackeys (despite mentioning he's "getting too old for this"). Once defeated, Starscream took off into the atmosphere, never to be seen again. {{storylink|Transformers Autobots/Decepticons|Transformers: Autobots}}

{{Note|Starscream is the only Decepticon in this version of the game who is not definitively destroyed. (Bonecrusher isn't included, since Prime cut off his head on his way in. Bonecrusher hates this game because of that.) Starscream's body type appears as Skydive, unlockable with 2500 WiFi Tokens. In the US, this feature is also unlockable by downloading the ''Transformers'' preview movie from a Target DS Download Station.}}

===Transformers: Decepticons (DS)===
:''Voice actor'': [[Daniel Ross]]

After the disappearance of Megatron nearly a million years ago (yeah, we know), Starscream took over the Decepticons as their high commander. Arriving on Earth, he instructed [[Create-A-Bot (Decepticon)|Create-A-Bot]] to follow Barricade until he arrived. However, none of the other Decepticons would trust him, and he confided in Create-A-Bot a great number of secrets, including the location of the AllSpark and the identity of the lost Decepticon they were retrieving: [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]. Starscream reasoned that he hid these things because revealing them would lead to a power struggle, but no one bought it except the naive rookie.

Soon, though, the other Decepticons revealed the reason for their lack of faith (which Create-A-Bot found disturbing): Starscream was a morally ambiguous backstabber. Of course, Megatron wasn't much better, since he was a treacherous, black-hearted face-stabber, but at least he let you know where you stood with him. Once the Autobots returned the AllSpark to Tranquility, he gave chase after a now-AllSpark-empowered Bumblebee (in the single most frustrating level of the game), caught the "babbling fool", and destroyed a meddlesome Blackout, until Barricade got in the way.

After threat of execution for treason, Starscream proceeded to show the smaller Decepticon WHY Megatron picked him as his second-in-command: his brute strength and incredible battle strategy. After a severe thrashing, Create-A-Bot arrived with intent to kill. However, Starscream now had the AllSpark and was nearly unstoppable. They proceeded to battle over the Casino Strip, where Create-A-Bot took the AllSpark from him and smashed it into his chest. Create-A-Bot was knocked back and severely damaged by the blast, but Starscream remained as powerful as ever, perhaps more so now that the AllSpark had merged with his body. However, as was quickly proven, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscreams]] who receive [[Starscream (Armada)|ungodly power]] tend to explode, as Megatron found him and proceeded to chase and tear him apart. In his last breath, Starscream spat on Megatron's name, saying there would always be those who would question his power. Megatron simply replied by smashing his face in. {{storylink|Transformers Autobots/Decepticons|Transformers: Decepticons}}

{{note|Starscream's body type is available in two forms, the regular Starscream playable in certain missions (unlocked by beating the game) and G1 Starscream, based on the Target exclusive retooling/redeco. The G1 body is unlocked by earning 2500 WiFi tokens, or by downloading the preview movie for the game from a Target DS Download Station.}}

===Transformers: The Game (PSP)===
Starscream attacked Hoover Dam to free Megatron from his "tomb". Afterwards, he battled [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]] over the leadership of the Decepticons back on Cybertron. {{storylink|Transformers The Game (PSP)|Transformers The Game}}
{{-}}

===Autobot Stronghold===
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Autobot Stronghold}}

===Transformers: Battle for the Matrix===
{{Note|Battle for the Matrix is a simplified retelling of the events of [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]. It can be played from the perspective of either Bumblebee or Optimus Prime. Starscream is a recurring foe.}}
[[Image:Starscream battleforthematrix.jpg|thumb|200px|left |Basically the same thing as attacktix]] {{storylink|Transformers: Battle for the Matrix}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' - The Game===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Charlie Adler]]

====Xbox 360/Sony PS3/PC====
=====Decepticon campaign=====
[[Image:ROTF_360PS3PC_Starscream_AerialbotScout1.jpg|thumb|250px|Starscream demonstrating hardware accelerated graphics including particle effects, dynamic lighting, shinemaps, and Autobot-smashing.]]
Starscream served as the main aerial assault unit, utilizing his rapid-fire Gatling gun and his homing missiles. He could also activate a [[Null Reactor]], which slowed enemies down and increased the damage he dealt to them.

After the Decepticons lost possession of Mikaela, Starscream decided to seek out [[Theodore Galloway|NSA chief Galloway]], and force the location of the other remaining AllSpark shard, and Megatron's location, from him. The fleshing was known to be visiting one of several buildings around the canals of Sam and Mikaela's hometown, and Starscream destroyed each in turn, looking to flush out his target. Galloway was soon located, and Starscream took him for extraction.

The information gained from Galloway lead to the Decepticons capturing an AllSpark shard, and armed with this artifact, a team was sent to revive Megatron. Whilst other Decepticons descended into the sea to attend to their leader, Starscream and several Constructicons attacked the carrier group on the ocean surface. Seeking to eliminate their defense, Starscream destroyed the AA guns mounted on the larger craft, and then sank the small control boats in the area. Before long, Megatron rose from the ocean, and the Decepticons left the area.

When Sam and Bumblebee travelled to an east coast museum to meet with Jetfire, Starscream was ordered by Megatron to destroy the building and retrieve the boy. Although, under heavy fire from Autobots, Starscream collapsed the museum, Sam, Bumblebee and Jetfire escape via space bridge. After Megatron defeated their master [[The Fallen]], who was monitoring the progress of the [[Star Harvester]], Starscream immediately reported to Megatron that Optimus had deactivated the machine. Megatron took this reply well, and went off to activate The Fallen's hidden army of protoforms. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

=====Autobot campaign=====
Following Sam Witwicky's flight to Egypt with Jetfire, Starscream fled with his minions to the abandoned foundry where the Decepticons had previously held Sam. Locating him, Optimus Prime battled it out with Starscream, forcing the Air Commander to retreat.

Later, Starscream joined Megatron in attacking Optimus Prime and Jetfire in Egypt. As leader fought leader, [[Seeker (Movie)|Seeker]] fought [[Seeker (ROTF)|Seeker]], with Jetfire holding his own against Starscream until Optimus defeated Megatron and helped defeat Starscream. As Jetfire held the Air Commander at his mercy, Megatron snuck up and ran Jetfire through with his sword, allowing the Decepticons to retreat. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

===Starscream Showdown===
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Starscream Showdown}}

===Hunt for the Decepticons===
{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Hunt for the Decepticons}}

===Revenge of the Fallen (mobile game)===
[[Image:ROTFMobile Starscream.jpg|thumb|84px|left]]
[[The Fallen]] sent Starscream to [[Shanghai]] to find a fragment of the [[AllSpark]]. He succeeded, but was found by [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]]. Though the Autobot leader beat him, Starscream managed to escape and return to The Fallen with the AllSpark shard he'd found. He apologized to his master for failing to kill Optimus, but The Fallen was pleased with the AllSpark fragment, and sent Starscream to attack NEST HQ as a diversion. Starscream attempted to reach the central core before [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] but lost the race and was locked out. Furious, he fought Bumblebee but began losing badly, so he zapped Bumblebee with his [[null-ray|null ray]]. He was shortly afterward contacted by the resurrected [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] and flew off back to the Decepticon base. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Glu)|Revenge of the Fallen (Glu)}}
{{--}}
===Victory Is Sweet===
Starscream concocted a plan to destroy a major city, but needed to set up three beacons in order to achieve it. Despite Starscream making sure the beacons were well-guarded, [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] managed to destroy them all before tracking down Starscream in a mid-city park. Starscream would have finished off the runt himself, but [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] arrived and shot him until he had to fly away. {{storylink|Victory Is Sweet}}

===''Transformers: Dark of the Moon - The Game''===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Steve Blum]]

====(Xbox 360/PS3)====
Three years after the Fallen's defeat, Starscream was in charge of launching a ship off Earth for whatever reason. When Mirage arrived to attempt to save a captured Sideswipe, Starscream intercepted him by blasting Mirage off a bridge. However, Mirage survived and managed to free Sideswipe with Bumblebee. Starscream then attempted to take care of the Autobots himself but was forced to flee. However, the ship managed to take off. After a while, Starscream was ordered by Megatron to destroy a shipment of [[MechTech]] weapons that were aboard Stratosphere. Starscream chased the Aerialbot known as Air Raid for a while before taking out Stratosphere and the Aerialbots. Before Stratosphere went down, Starscream took a boomstick for further study. When he came back, Megatron yelled at Starscream for taking a weapon that could have a tracking device on it. Megatron was about to drain Starscream's energy when he was informed by Soundwave that Autobots were attacking the base. Megatron then ordered Starscream to bomb the Autobot forces from above but it shook up the base in the process. After the assault was done, Starscream returned to the new Decepticon hideout in Namibia, Africa where Megatron informed everyone of Operation: Pillar. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (Xbox 360/PS3)| Dark of the Moon}}
====Autobots/Decepticons====
[[Image:DOTMDS Starscream.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Starscream presents: Tales from the screamer.]]
Starscream passed on [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]'s orders a lot, and occasionally deigned to assist his fellow Decepticons by carpet-bombing the Autobots. He was assigned to attack a [[NEST]] base, and ordered [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] to create a diversion, only for Soundwave to question if the orders actually came from Megatron or not. Starscream then went to find [[Crowbar]], and ordered him to create a second diversion, only for Crowbar to tell him he needed to mellow out. Following that, Starscream ordered [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]] to infiltrate the NEST facility and steal any data he could. Lockdown succeeded but was frustratingly slack in sending the data to Starscream. The data revealed that the Autobots had taken over a [[Sector Seven|Sector 7]] base in the [[Pacific]], so Starscream dispatched Lockdown and Crowbar to investigate. Next, he sent Lockdown and Soundwave into a NEST base to, respectively, destroy the communications arrays and steal Mechtech data. Soundwave was less than appreciative of Starscream blabbing loudly over the comms channel. After the Decepticons' [[Siberia]]n base was overrun by Autobots, Starscream contacted Megatron, promising that if the Decepticon leader didn't survive, Starscream would dedicate his reign as leader to honoring him. Perhaps to Starscream's disappointment, Megatron made it out alive with [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon: Autobots/Decepticons|Dark of the Moon: Autobots/Decepticons}}

===''Transformers: The Ride''===
Starscream saw his chance to attack the Autobot Evac when he emerged from Devastator's Vortex Grinder. He flew by and latched his grappling hook into Evac and whipped him through the air as he fly, insulting him the whole way. Evac was eventually slammed into a building and the grappling hook was severed and starscream flew onwards. He chose to "drop in" again when NEST helicopters arrived to provide air support for Evac and Optimus. After destroying one and moving in on Evac he was shot in the back by more Nest choppers and retreated in frustration. He was probably very happy when Megatron was deafeated.{{storylink|Transformers: The Ride}}
{{charstubfiction}}

==Toys==
''See [[Starscream (Movie)/toys]].''

==Merchandise==
''See [[Starscream (Movie)/toys#Merchandise]].''

==Notes==
[[Image:ProtoformStarscreamProto.jpg|thumb|250px|Rar.]]
* Starscream's film design was initially conceptualized by designer [[Feng Zhu]].<ref>http://www.fengzhudesign.com/portfolio.html</ref>
* The card back of Protoform Starscream's packaging features a completely different, earlier head sculpt. What's more, this head design is featured on his protoform body in IDW's movie prequel comics. It's since become Starscream's standard "pre-Earth" face, likely out of consistency.
* His protoform was not the only design to get a new head. The earliest concepts of Starscream's head were more skull-like and oblong in shape. This was, of course, redesigned to look more "like a samurai helmet." Unlike the redesigned head of Megatron, Starscream's earlier face only shows up in ''one'' piece of media: the book [[Look and Find Transformers]].
* Starscream's final head design was one that was rejected for Megatron.<ref>''Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen'' Blu-ray gallery</ref>
* It has been suggested that, following his attack on the F-22 squadron over the city, Starscream was able to hide among the survivors and take part in the attack on Megatron shortly thereafter. This theory is speculative; While it fits the character of the Generation 1 Starscream, there is nothing on the screen to suggest it. (Roberto Orci was asked, but refused to give a definite answer.)<ref>http://boards.transformersmovie.com/showpost.php?p=387172&postcount=185 Roberto Orci refusing to comment on the possibility of Starscream attacking Megatron during the final battle</ref>
* Starscream's bio for his Deep Space figure mentions that he re-energized himself at a power plant after the [[Mission City]] battle. Whilst this was not seen in the film, it appears [[The Real Effing Deal|others]] caught notice of it; [http://www.therealeffingdeal.com/blog/“mission-city-update-exclusive”/].
* The Sector Seven online ARG used the "[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]" version of [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] to represent the "real" Starscream who had infiltrated Earth. A lot of Generation 1 cameos were made in this manner. Make of that what you will.
* The downloadable content for the ''Revenge of the Fallen'' game on Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 gives Starscream [[Starscream (G1)|another form]] and a [[Sunstorm (G1)|repaint of it]]. Because of this, Starscream ends up with the most alternate skins of any character.
* Hasbro mentions that his arch-enemy is Megatron. [[Starscream (G1)|Like]] [[Starscream (Armada)|that's]] [[Starscream (Animated)|surprising]].
* His rivalry with Megatron was only shown in IDW comics and other related media, but was never shown in the three films, with the only hint for his desire of leadership was pathetic excuses for leaving him behind dead on Earth in ''Revenge of the Fallen'', along with obviously sarcastic comments and sinister hand rolling in ''Dark of the Moon''.
* Starscream is one of a few Transformers from the live action film series who has the ability of flight in robot form.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Starscream''' (スタースクリーム ''Sutāsukurīmu'')
*''Cantonese:'' '''Sing Sing Giu''' (星星叫, "Star Shouting")
*''Hungarian:'' '''Üstökös''' ("Comet"), '''Csillagsikoly''' (Titan comics, "Starscream")
*''Mandarin:'' '''Tīen-wáng-hsīng''' (Taiwan, 天王星, "Uranus"), '''Hóng Zhīzhū''' (China, 紅蜘蛛, "Red Spider")
*''Ukrainian:'' '''Zorekryk''' (Зорекрик, "Dawnscream")

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.tfu.info/2007/Decepticon/Starscream/starscream.htm Starscream at TFU.info]

[[Category:3D Battle-Cards]]
[[Category:Cyber Missions characters]]
[[Category:Dark of the Moon Decepticons]]
[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:Hall of Fame]]
[[Category:Letters page answerers]]
[[Category:Movie Decepticons]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen Decepticons]]
[[Category:Seekers]]

The Answer Studio

2012-07-18T08:53:53Z

96.21.86.21:

'''The Answer Studio''' is a Japan-based animation studio founded in 2004. Previously, the company was known as ''Walt Disney Animation (Japan)'' and had worked on such Disney animation as ''Gargoyles'', ''Aladdin the Series'', ''The Tigger Movie'', ''101 Dalmatians 2: Patch's London Adventure'' and other Disney projects. When Disney pulled the plug on virtually all their foreign animation studios, the staff and talent formed the Answer Studio, an independent animation organization.

Since then, some of their work has included ''The Cat that Looked at a King'' (a short film created for the 40th anniversary ''Mary Poppins'' DVD), ''Super Robot Monkey Team Hyper Force Go!'', ''NeposNapos'', ''The DC SuperFriends'', and ''[[Batman]]: Under The Red Hood''.

They were one of the three studios hired to animate ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Transformers Animated]]''. For season 1 and 2, they split animation duties with fellow Japanese studio [[Mook]] (with [[Studio 4°C]] only animating "special" material rather than full episodes). For whatever reason, they were dropped after season 2, with Mook taking on full animation responsibilities for season 3.

==Episodes animated==
{{collist|2|
* Ep.4 - [[Home Is Where the Spark Is]]
* Ep.7 - [[The Thrill of the Hunt]]
* Ep.8 - [[Nanosec (episode)|Nanosec]]
* Ep.10 - [[Sound and Fury]]
* Ep.13 - [[Headmaster (episode)|Headmaster]]
* Ep.14 - [[Nature Calls]]
* Ep.16 - [[Megatron Rising - Part 2]]
* Ep.18 - [[The Return of the Headmaster]]
* Ep.20 - [[Garbage In, Garbage Out]]
* Ep.22 - [[Rise of the Constructicons]]
* Ep.24 - [[SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy]]
* Ep.25 - [[Autoboot Camp]]
* Ep.28 - [[A Bridge Too Close, Part I]]
}}

==External links==
*[http://mag.awn.com/?article_no=2271&ltype=all Interview with Answer Studio founder Motoyoshi Takunaga]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Answer Studio}}
[[Category:Animation companies]]

Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5

2012-07-18T06:19:34Z

96.21.86.21:

{{Comicstory|
|seriesissue=''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'' #5
|prev=Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 4
|next=Escape (G1)
|image=Last Stand of the Wreckers5 Cover A.jpg
|caption=This is the end, my former friend.
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[May 19]], [[2010]]
|coverdate=May 2010
|story=[[Nick Roche]] & [[James Roberts]]
|script=Nick Roche & James Roberts
|art=Nick Roche
|colors=[[Josh Burcham]]
|letters=[[Chris Mowry]]
|editor=[[Andy Schmidt]]
|associate editor=[[Denton J. Tipton]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2010)]]
}}

'''Where everything FINALLY hits the fan.'''

==Synopsis==
In the future, "Fisitron" will write up the story and what it means in the 332nd ''[[Wreckers: Declassified]]'' datalog. But ''now'', in [[Garrus-9]], [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] tears [[Guzzle (G1)|Guzzle]] in half, bashes [[Kup (G1)|Kup]] into unconsciousness, and smirks when his ''right eye is destroyed'' by [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]]. And in down in the [[Aequitas]] chamber, [[Verity Carlo]] continues to argue against detonating the deterrence chips: it won't just kill Impactor, it'll kill the [[Wrecker]]s as a concept. She puts her case to [[Ironfist (G1)|Ironfist]], arguing that he's made the Wreckers stand for something, turned a bunch of thugs with a death wish into a symbol of hope and heroism for the other robots, and ''his'' Wreckers would never kill one of their own.

[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] decides she's right, while [[Pyro (G1)|Pyro]] decides to abandon his egotistical visions of a glorious death and tells the others to run, that he'll cover them: dying for people he cares about, he tells Ironfist, is the most he can do, and he tells Verity that the ''[[Autobot]]s'' need the humans to look after ''them''. The Wreckers withdraw, Ironfist working out a plan to deal with Overlord, while Pyro is ingloriously torn to pieces behind them. As they withdraw, at Verity's urging, Ironfist reveals the truth he's learnt about Impactor and [[Pova]]...

''Twenty years ago, in battle, Impactor decided the best way to get a shot at [[Squadron X]] would be to fire through [[Springer (G1)|Springer]]'s midsection. Despite Springer's protest that he didn't '''have''' the circuit dampeners Impactor wanted him to engage and his pleas, Impactor fired. After the battle, he reported in to [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] to reveal all of the enemy had been caught. Prowl reported back that under the [[Neutrality Agreement]] with the [[Povian]]s, the Autobots aren't allowed to be there: to prevent the [[Decepticon]]s using this to turn Pova against them, the Wreckers had to release Squadron X immediately. Instead, Impactor took [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]]'s gun and locked himself in the room with the prisoners. Springer attempted to stop him but he murdered every single Decepticon as they lay in chains on their knees, while the other Wreckers simply stood in silence...''

Back outside, Overlord has won and Springer is about to be killed. He tells Overlord that his men will have freed every Autobot prisoner by now and will be leading them this way... except Overlord, the instant he learnt the Wreckers had arrived, ordered ''every single prisoner'' to be murdered in their cells. But luckily, the other Wreckers have arrived! Perceptor uses his sniper laser to blow the monster's hand off and free Springer! Ironfist chucks a ''massive'' chaingun of doom to his leader! Overlord is repeatedly shot!

And then he shrugs off the fire, ''rips off Springer's face'', blasts Perceptor offline, and only Ironfist is left standing, trying futilely to warn Overlord to back off. And ''that'' is when said nerd reveals the gun was loaded with deterrence chips, all of them laying roots in the monster's endoskeleton, and then he uses Aequitas to detonate them!

[[Image:LastStandoftheWreckers5-brittlebones.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Overlord learned the hard way never let [[The Fallen]] ever do your makeovers.]]
And then Ironfist falls down inactive, his head wracked by pain, and Verity is left alone as Overlord rises as a ''fire-consumed, skeletal horror'', intent on ripping her to pieces, snarling in hate that "you and your ''dead friends''" have left him unable to best [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] when he arrives. Verity, however, notes a weak spot, and informs him [[All Hail Megatron issue 12|Megatron is long dead]]; she begins to laugh at him, pointing out he's spent all this time believing Megatron is coming after him and the tyrant died not remembering Overlord ''at all''. The monster falls to his knees, his world shattered, and then Impactor rises from the mat to finish him off. Overlord won't fight back against the beating, but Impactor refuses to kill him: he's doing this for Springer, the one who told him he didn't have the right to murder Squadron X, and that Springer would want the Decepticon to stand trial for what he did.

The villain is beaten, the Decepticons have all fled now Overlord can't hold them, help is coming, and Ironfist wakes up! All is well...

Except four of the Wreckers are still dead; Springer and [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] are on emergency life support, their chances of recovery unclear; Impactor and a repaired Guzzle abruptly left once Overlord was arrested; and Ironfist died en route to Earth from an aneurysm, caused by a lab accident with his [[Cerebro-sensitive bullet|cerebro-centric bullet]]s eighteen months ago that had one inching towards his brain all along.

[[Image:Prowl_LSOTW5_Pressure.jpg|thumb|right|150px|]]
On Earth, Prowl takes this report and the single data slug Ironfist was able to make of the Aequitas data. He admits to [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] that he knew about Ironfist's approaching death and had arranged for him to be placed on the Wreckers, his dream job, in exchange for bypassing the suicide lock on Aequitas. ("''Yes'', of ''course'' I regret it.") Prowl reveals the reason behind this whole mission: they couldn't allow the Decepticons to get their hands on Aequitas's transcripts of the ''Autobot'' trials, as it would be too great a propaganda weapon. Magnus notes those transcripts are the only evidence left for most of the accused, while Prowl remembers the utter ''horror'' of the trials, of hearing all the atrocities that Autobots had undertaken. Magnus believes a public trial is the only way, as [[Tyrest (Autobot)|Chief Justice Tyrest]] intends; Prowl agrees justice must be publicly done but not ''now'', believing the Autobots will be shattered if they learn about the monsters in their midst now.

He says he'll make sure the slug gets to [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], while Ultra Magnus remarks he ''knows'' Prowl hopes the data is corrupted so everyone can move on, and that he likes to think better of the Autobot than to believe he'll destroy the evidence. On his own, contemplating the slug, Prowl starts to apply some pressure to it...

And on Earth, Verity writes under the guise of "Fisitron", musing whether this is the end of the road for the Wreckers or just a stop-off to reflect. "Because that's how we ''honor'' those we've lost: by looking ''forward'', not back."

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Guzzle (G1)|Guzzle]] (1)
*[[Springer (G1)|Springer]] (3)
*[[Kup (G1)|Kup]] (4)
*[[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] (5)
*[[Pyro (G1)|Pyro]] (6)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (7)
*[[Ironfist (G1)|Ironfist]] (8)
*[[Topspin (G1)|Topspin]] (10)
*[[Rack'n'Ruin]] (14)
*[[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]] (15)
*[[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] (16)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (17)
*[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (20)
*[[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] (21)
*[[Rad]] (22)
*[[Jackpot (G1)|Jackpot]] (23)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (24)
*[[Flame (Marvel)|Flame]] (25)
*[[Tyrest (Autobot)|Tyrest]] (26)
*[[Xaaron]] (27)
*[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] (28)
|c2=
*[[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] (2)
*[[Tornado (Marvel)|Tornado]] (11)
*[[Macabre]] (12)
*[[Earthquake (G1)|Earthquake]] (13)
*[[Fang]] (18)
*[[Triton]] (19)
|c3=
*[[Verity Carlo]] (9)
}}

==Quotes==
"It's a story of sacrifice and betrayal, and of good people dying in ''stupid, pointless ways''."
:—'''"Fisitron"'''

"Oh, don't look so ''surprised''. You didn't expected this stunted little ''wretch'' to ''survive'', did you?" 
"You're a '''maniac'''!"
:—'''Overlord''''s opinion on Guzzle's chance of living and '''Kup''' pretty much summing up readers' thoughts of Overlord.

"Ironfist! You should know better than ''anyone'' what the Wreckers are ''really'' about! They give the other Autobots something to ''believe in''!"
:—'''Verity''' trying to motivate Ironfist.

"I figure that dying to save people you ''care about'' is the most that anyone can do." 
"I think you have your ''motto''." 
"No... my ''last words''."
:—'''Pyro''' and '''Ironfist'''

"Sweet."
:—'''Springer''' gets thrown a giant gun to shoot Overlord with.

"Sweet."
:—'''Overlord''' holds Springer's face-skin in his palm.

"Oh, man, this is PERFECT! You can't accept that he never gave chase! You lived your life thinking about him every day, and he died forgetting all about you!" 
"But... But he owes me! He owes me."
:—'''Verity''' giving '''Overlord''' the ''wonderful'' news about Megatron.

"You see, this is one of those stories with a ''moral''. And the moral is simply this: life persists."
:—'''Verity'''

==Notes==
* Either Springer, Perceptor or Kup ''were'' going to die in the final issue during planning, but in the end Roche and Roberts weren't allowed to do it.<ref>[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9DPbginVXE Moonbase 2's AA2010 interview], 19:00 - 19:40</ref> Also dropped was a Guzzle/Kup confrontation, as there simply wasn't ''room'' in the condensed beast for it.
* [[Autopedia]] profiles include Pyro, Guzzle, and Impactor. Huzzah!
* Part of "Fisitron's" narration on the first page is based upon Alfred, Lord Tennyson's poem, ''[[Wikipedia:The Charge of the Light Brigade (poem)|The Charge of the Light Brigade]]''. At the end of the issue, with Verity finishing the entry as "Fisitron", a book of [[Tennyson]]'s poetry is on the table.
* The visuals of the battle on Pova in this issue contrasts sharply with how it was depicted in [[Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 4|the previous issue]]. In issue 4, the battle was depicted with a sense of non-reality (befitting a falsified story), taking place on a sunny day, with the participants having little damage upon their bodies, even in death. However, in issue 5, the reality shows a depressing, rainy landscape with the participants all showing the signs of battle injuries. When Impactor is shown standing above the corpses of Squadron X, he is splattered with their fluids.
* On Pova, Prowl admonished Impactor through a communications device in his palm which projected an image that resembles a [[communicube]]. The text story "[[Bullets]]" would later confirm these as communicubes.
* Ironfist's little head scar had been around since #1, so we'd all been visually forewarned what his accident had been...
* The scenes of the dead prisoners is a deliberate copy of #3's scene of the imprisoned prisoners hearing the Wreckers have come to save them...
* The final scene takes place in [[Mister O's]].
** The police car parked outside is not [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] or [[Streetwise (G1)|Streetwise]].<ref>[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Fisitron's Facts]]</ref>
* Impactor's [[Autopedia]] profile mentions that Impactor got the idea for his harpoon arm after meeting an unnamed dimension-hopping "freelance peacekeeping agent" who had been "ricocheting from universe to universe after leaping through an exploding time portal." [[Death's Head (G1)|Death's Head]], yes? Their meeting is chronicled in ''[[Wreckers: Declassified]]'', [[Datalog]] 151, which refers to the [[The Legacy of Unicron!|Marvel UK issue number]] in which Death's Head leaps through a time portal with [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] and [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] and disappears from the story. The title of said datalog, "The Wreckers at the Crossroads of Time", refers to the short ''[[Doctor|Doctor Who]]'' story, "The Crossroads of Time", which saw the titular Time Lord have a run-in with Death's Head following the time portal incident.
* Near the end of the issue we see [[Flame (Marvel)|Flame]] on trial.
* Autopedia tells us that Pyro suffers from [[Primus apotheosis]].
* Pyro's profile reveals he was at the [[Simanzi Massacre]], same as [[Rotorstorm (G1)|Rotorstorm]] in his profile. Both began to suffer their personality disorders following the Massacre...
* Speaking of Datalog numbers, the Datalog retelling of this series is numbered #332, which was the total number of issues of the Marvel UK ''Transformers'' comic had.
* Prowl starts to squeeze the chip a bit but it's left ambiguous as to whether he actually destroyed it. Even Roche and Roberts don't know whether Prowl did it! <ref>[http://tfarchive.com/community/showpost.php?p=690984&postcount=228 Fan account of the Auto Assembly 2010 Q&A]</ref> So how dodgy do ''you'' think Prowl is?
* James Roberts has noted that Prowl never asks about the Autobot prisoners, the alleged reason the Wreckers were sent in the first place. Brr.
* Ultra Magnus is shown in this issue in the design that [[Don Figueroa]] gave him for the first arc of the [[The Transformers (IDW)|ongoing series]].
*At the end of this issue, Kup and Perceptor are the only active Wreckers, with the other eight either dead, AWOL (Impactor and Guzzle) or in critical condition (Springer).

===Errors===
* In the first scene in the Aequitas chamber, Topspin's body is initially colored gray and black (deactivated), but on the next page, it is colored normally.
* In the panel where Verity is on her knees mourning Ironfist's death, the part of the shirt below her ribcage is colored like skin.

===Real-world references===
* One of the sites of Flame's atrocities, [[Babu Yar]], is named very similarly to a [[wikipedia:Babi Yar|famous historical massacre site on Earth]].
* Amongst Flame's atrocities is listed the crime of "circuit-boarding", a reference to the torture technique controversially used by the CIA known as [[wikipedia:Waterboarding|waterboarding]]—kind of appropriate for a rogue Autobot.

===Covers (3)===
{{picsneeded|Covers}}
* '''Cover A:''' A silhouette of Overlord looming over Impactor and Springer amidst flames with several Autobot grave markers in front of them, art by [[Nick Roche]] and colors by [[Josh Burcham]].
* '''Cover B:''' A Transformer hand lying on the ground, art and colors by [[Trevor Hutchison]].
* '''Cover RI:''' "Virgin" title-free edition of cover B.
<gallery>
Image:Last Stand of the Wreckers5 Cover A.jpg|
Image:Last Stand of the Wreckers5 Cover B.jpg|
Image:Last Stand of the Wreckers5 Cover RI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
* ''[[The Transformers: Ironhide]]'' [[The Iron Age|issue 1]]
* [[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Volume One]]''
* ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]: Disavowed'' TPB
* ''[[Star Trek]]: Motion Picture Trilogy''
* ''Archie: The Best of Dan DeCarlo'' TPB
* ''The Family Circus Library: Book 2''
* [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]]'s ''The Wonderful Wizard of OZ'' TPB
* Comic app for the iPhone and iPod touch

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Last Stand of the Wreckers issues]]

Airachnid (Prime)

2012-07-18T04:46:45Z

96.21.86.21: /* Notes */

{{faction|decepticon}}
{{disambig2|the Decepticon spider-copter|the Predacon spider-base|Arachnid}}
:''Airachnid is a Decepticon from the [[Transformers: Prime (franchise)| Prime]] portion of the [[Aligned continuity family]].''

[[Image:Airachnid-HowToDraw.jpg|right|thumb|300px|There once was a spider who knew how to fly / I don't know why the spider could fly / Perhaps you'll die]]

Long ago, '''Airachnid''' was with the [[Decepticon]]s, where her cruel, cold-sparked, murderous demeanor served her well. But after the [[Great Exodus]] of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], she decided to go solo. Nevertheless, she still feels a sort of kinship with her former allies, so if a [[MECH|group of humans]] attempted to disassemble a [[Breakdown (Prime)|Decepticon]], she would take offense to it.

These days, Airachnid spends her time engaging in her new hobby: collecting [[Airachnid's specimens|endangered species]]. Well, parts of endangered species. Mostly the heads.

And if a species ''isn't'' endangered? Oh, they will be. She'll make ''sure'' of that. And she'll make sure it's a slow, painful process.

==Fiction==
===''Prime'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Gina Torres]] (English), [[Ryōka Yuzuki]] (Japanese), |[[Erica Edwards]] (Latin American-Spanish), [[Heide Domanowski]] (German), [[Julia Martínez]] (Spain-Spanish)}}

[[Image:Airachnid.jpg|left|300px|thumb|Shelob gave dieting a go after seeing how much weight her director lost.]]

During the war for Cybertron, Airachnid managed to capture [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]] and her partner [[Tailgate (Prime)|Tailgate]]. Quickly realizing that Arcee would resist the physical torture she used, Airachnid decided to employ a simpler threat: Tell her the attack coordinates of an impeding attack, or Tailgate dies. Arcee insisted she didn't know the coordinates, but Airachnid didn't believe her and killed Tailgate. Moments later, [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] and [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]] burst into the holding room, killing the two [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]]s and rescuing Arcee. Airachnid, however, escaped.

Following the [[Great Exodus]], Airachnid concluded that the war was over, meaning she needed a new way to spend her time. Abandoning the Decepticons, she decided to hunt sentient species, then wipe them out after getting a trophy. Eventually, Airachnid crash-landed [[Airachnid's ship|her ship]] on [[Earth]]. She initially laid her optics on a lone camper, but was ambushed by Arcee. While Arcee gained the upper hand, she was distracted by her human partner, [[Jack Darby]], and Airachnid webbed her to a rock. Having learned of Cliffjumper's recent demise, Airachnid decided that making Jack her next trophy would be a delicious way to hurt Arcee before finally snuffing out her [[spark]]. She chased Jack back to her ship, but discovered too late that the human had snuck out the underside. She spotted Jack ''just'' in time to see him hurl a flaming stick into a pool of [[energon]] that was leaking from her ship. Airachnid barely managed to escape the explosion, but she was wounded and ''really'' pissed. She managed to web the fleeing Jack to a tree, but before Airachnid could deliver the killing blow, Arcee came to the rescue and absolutely wiped the forest floor with the Decepticon. Deciding she had endured enough for one night, Airachnid drilled into the ground and fled. {{storylink|Predatory}}

[[Image:Crisscross-helicopter.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Finally a use for those helicopter cockpit halves on her shoulders!]]
Learning of [[MECH]]'s treatment of [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]], Airachnid engineered a distress call which lured [[Silas]] to the forest. She made a deal with the MECH agent to give him Arcee – at least, what would be ''left'' of her – if he could deliver Jack to her. Silas used the [[Internet]] to track down information on Jack and have [[June Darby]] kidnapped so Airachnid cocooned her and dangled her from a building in the disused [[Jasper]] factory MECH was occupying. When Jack arrived, Airacnid gave him six minutes to rescue his mother. She followed Jack around the factory and, when he eventually found June and claimed victory, she pointed out the task was to ''rescue'' mom, not just find her. Before Airachnid could start with the dismemberment, Arcee arrived to attack her and the two enemies fought at length around the building's structure. During the fight, Airachnid was thrown into a container and coated with concrete, but managed to get free and web Arcee to the ground. She was about to finish off Arcee when she was attacked by [[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]]'s helicopters, and was forced to [[scanning|scan]] one so she could escape. {{storylink|Crisscross}}

[[Image:MetalAttraction-Airachnidcaptured.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"Breakdown, you have a bug on your... um... windshield?"]]
Airachnid followed a magnetic signal and found [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] with a [[polarity gauntlet]]. Seeking to obtain the weapon, she buried him underground, but he escaped and she was forced to fight him. Then Arcee turned up with a [[Bulkhead (Prime)|new partner for her to snuff]] and she had to fight them as well. When Breakdown activated the gauntlet, she fled in alarm. She later ambushed the 'Con on his way back to the ''[[Trypticon (Prime)|Nemesis]]'', taking the gauntlet from him and reacting with disdain to his suggestion they could take it back to [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] together. The Autobots caught up with them, and Airachnid used the gauntlet to draw Arcee to her for a little one-on-one fighting. When the battle started to turn sour, however, she grabbed the gauntlet and attempted to flee in her helicopter form. Unfortunately, Bulkhead grabbed her and threw her into Breakdown. Fused magnetically to the 'Con, she was carried back to the ''Nemesis'', where she had no choice but to rejoin the Decepticons. {{storylink|Metal Attraction}}

[[Image:Partners-Immobilizer.jpg|thumb|250px|"Even shinier than the [[Polarity gauntlet]]!"]]
Immediately ingratiating herself with Megatron, Airachnid told the Decepticon leader that [[Starscream (Prime)|Starscream]] had been keeping information to himself, such as the location of the crashed Decepticon ship, the ''[[Harbinger]]''. Megatron ordered Starscream to take Airachnid to the ship's crash site and secure the experimental weapon it contained. Once there, Airachnid discovered that the half of the ship containing the [[Immobilizer]] had broken off before impact. She webbed up Starscream and forced him to tell her the location of the aft section, but was attacked by the Autobots while leaving. After a brief fight with Arcee, Airachnid was chased off by [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]], and instead went to find the ''Harbinger''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> aft. She quickly located it and retrieved the Immobilizer, then lay in wait as Optimus's team approached the ship. She was able to freeze Bulkhead and Optimus, but some deft trickery by Bumblebee allowed him to sneak up on her and destroy the Immobilizer. She retreated back to the ''Nemesis'' where she tried to blame the loss of the Immobilizer on Starscream as well as explain why she left him behind. Unluckily for her, an enraged Megatron roared that by allowing the Decepticon second-in-command to be taken prisoner, she'd just put all Decepticon intelligence at the fingertips of the Autobots. {{storylink|Partners}}

Despite this, she was promoted to Second in Command during Starscream's absence. {{storylink|One Shall Fall}} Breakdown seemed to have developed a crush on Airachnid. {{storylink|Stronger, Faster}}

[[Image:Tfprime Airachnid thoughts of betrayal.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Who needs Starscream?]]
When the Decepticons located the last part they needed for their space bridge in a human installation, Airachnid suggested she could burrow up under it, but Megatron announced that the time for stealth was past, so she didn't. Once they secured the power source they needed, Airachnid and Knock Out observed Megatron acting strangely and wondered if their leader was losing it. {{storylink|One Shall Fall}} While the [[Decepticon Miner|miners]] gathered up [[Dark Energon]], Airachnid hung out on the bridge and watched as [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] played back [[Unicron]]'s pulse. She reported to Megatron that the hold was full, and they should think about retreating. He responded by leaving her in charge while he went to go and talk to Unicron. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 1}} Airachnid returned the ''Nemesis'' to orbit to wait. When no further word came from Megatron, she told Soundwave that Megatron might not be coming back. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 2}}

[[Image:OneShallRise3-SoundwaveAirachnid.jpg|right|thumb|250px|''Round One. FIGHT!!!'']]
When she called the ''Nemesis''<nowiki>'</nowiki> crew to the bridge, she had deduced that Megatron, either deceased or deep within Unicron, had abandoned them, and with Earth falling into chaos, decided that they should relocate to [[Regulon Four]]. As none of the other Decepticons spoke out against her, Airachnid ordered Soundwave to set the ''Nemesis'' on course, however the silent Decepticon refused to comply. She attempted to assert her leadership by attacking him, only to discover that she was no match for Soundwave and his Minicon [[Laserbeak (Prime)|Laserbeak]]. The pair double-teamed her, and she was forced to yield when held underfoot. She subsequently decided to be elsewhere when Megatron did return. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 3}}

Airachnid was soon back as Megatron's subordinate, though she expressed her concern about the amnesiac Optimus Prime being allowed full run of the ship. When Arcee sneaked on board The Nemesis to find Optimus, Airachnid readily volunteered to go and deal with her, even offering to offline The Autobot. However, Megatron felt that the situation needed to be dealt with more subtly, so he sent Soundwave instead. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 1}}

[[Image:Crossfire Airachnid captures Arcee.jpg|thumb|left|250px|Let the shipping commence!]]
Though Airachnid offered to employ her tracking skills in finding more artifacts, Megatron instead had [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] and Breakdown try to offline her. She webbed the former to a tree and dismantled the latter. Not long after, she encountered an [[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticon]] which she was able to control. After an encounter with Starscream, she lured Megatron to an abandoned energon mine and set the Insecticon on him, watching the fight until she was attacked by Arcee. The Autobot pursued her as she burrowed away, but Airachnid managed to ambush her foe. She was prevented from terminating the helpless Arcee by Starscream, and instead had to flee, but this fortuitously led her to stumble on a whole Insecticon hive. {{Storylink|Crossfire}}

Detecting a beacon transmitting from the ''Nemesis'', Airachnid woke the Insecticon army to go eliminate Megatron. Their activity drew the attention of the Autobots, and though Airachnid sent Insecticons after them, Arcee relentlessly pursued her into the Insecticon hive. As they fought, Arcee managed to maneuver Airachnid onto one of the pods, which closed and put her into stasis. The stasis-locked Airachnid was taken back to [[Autobot Outpost Omega One|the Autobot base]]. {{storylink|Armada (episode)|Armada}}
{{--}}

==Toys==
===Prime===
[[Image:Primetoy-AirachnidRID.jpg|right|thumb|350px|Quite possibly does the meanest [[wikipedia:Robot (dance)|robot]] this side of the Milky Way.]]
*'''Airachnid''' (Deluxe, 2012)
**''Series / number:'' '''1 / 012'''
**''Japanese release date'': '''[[August 25|8-25]]-2012'''
**''Japanese ID number'': '''AM-18'''
**''Accessories'': Rotor/Triple-bladed sword, two "electro-stingers" (Hasbro only), Arms Micron (TakaraTomy only)

:Part of the fourth wave of ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)#Robots in Disguise (2012)|Prime: Robots in Disguise]]'' toys, Airachnid transforms into a stealth helicopter with an opening canopy. She comes with two "electro-stingers" which can [[5mm post|mount]] onto her open palms or onto the helicopter sides/her upper arms. These weapons each feature two pegs in two different locations and a peg-hole in-between, allowing the weapons to be mounted/held in different ways, while her rotors can also detach from her base and be used as a sword via a [[5mm post]], meaning all of her weapons can combine with each other to form a larger weapon.

:In robot mode, Airachnid has a ''severely'' limited range of [[articulation]]. Her head is unable to turn or tilt in any significant way due to her [[light-piping]] plastic being molded as the helicopter seat and being blocked by the surrounding cockpit, her hands cannot be swung down parallel to her panel arms due to a bit of the panel getting in the way, and while her legs ''were'' designed to have thigh [[Swivel joint|swivel]]s, her thigh panels and the helicopter kibble behind it block ''much'' of her leg articulation.

:Her [[stock photography]] depicts paint details on her legs and toes that were omitted on the final product.
{{-}}
*'''Airachnid''' (Cyberverse Legion, 2013)
{{comingsoontoy}}

==Notes==
* Her head design is reminiscent of both the Disney villain [[wikipedia:Maleficent|Maleficent]] and the similarly spider-like ''[[Doctor|Doctor Who]]'' monster [[wikipedia:List_of_Doctor_Who_monsters_and_aliens#Racnoss|The Empress of the Racnoss]].
* Airachnid went her entire introductory episode without transforming into a true [[alternate mode]], only from biped-mode to spider-legs mode and back. This is due to her not scanning an alternate mode until "[[Crisscross]]".
* The said alternate mode doesn't really make sense: Airachnid scanned Agent Fowler's Bell 212 Huey helicopter, but she somehow ended up with a stealth helicopter alt-mode.
* The existence of the name "Airachnid" was first revealed when Hasbro filed an intent-to-use [http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=77892423 trademark application] for the term with the US Trademark and Patent Office. However, the application was eventually denied for registration.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/beast-wars-2/case-closed---goodbye-airachnid-170451/ "Case Closed – Goodbye Airachnid"]</ref>.
* Deluxe Airachnid's electro-stingers are modeled after the [[Null-ray#Prime_cartoon|Null-ray]] Knock Out offered Starscream in "[[Shadowzone (episode)|Shadowzone]]".
* In the Japanese dub of ''Prime'', Airachnid's personality is completely different from her US interpretation. In the dub, she is a bubbly, giggling, high-strung chatterbox that is obsessed with collecting handsome boys as trophies. Played up as something of a female Pepe Le Pew, she constantly swoons over Jack, calling him her "hunk", her "darling", her "cutie Jack-chan" and various other lovey-dovey remarks as she amorously pursues him (even going so far as to sing love songs to him, mid-chase). While her sadistic qualities remain, she's played more like a creepy stalker girl than a vicious monster. Airachnid is dubbed by [[Ryōka Yuzuki]], the actress who dubbed ''Beast Wars'' [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Black Widow]] and ''Animated'' [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]], and so many of the quirks she conceived for those characters (such as a habit of making a hissing ''tshaaaaa--'' noise) are present. Likewise, the constant, incessant talking seems to be a throwback to the "adlibbing" prevalent in the Japanese dub of ''Beast Wars''.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Prime Decepticons]]
[[Category:Female Transformers]]
[[Category:Transformers with three modes]]

Trademark

2012-07-18T04:07:36Z

96.21.86.21:

[[Image:Aniarrival04 tifof trademark.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Silly [[Porter C. Powell]], you can't copyright a name! You're thinking of a Trademark!]]
A '''trademark''' is a name, phrase or symbol used by a company to distinguish their goods or services from those of other companies in a similar range, preventing "brand confusion". Trademarks are indicated by a ™ symbol, or in the case of '''registered trademarks''', a ® symbol. [[Hasbro]]'s ability to legally secure a trademark dictates what proper nouns they will use to describe a toy, gimmick, or line.

It is ''not'' the same thing as [[copyright]]. Trademarks are ''only'' relevant in commercial contexts. Private individuals who are not associated with a company that operates in the same field as the trademark holder cannot commit trademark infringement by simply using a trademarked name in a non-commercial context.

Hasbro does not strictly ''need'' to claim trademarks for the [[character]] names applied to individual toys. Some toy companies do not claim them, though this is most often in the case of short-lived licensed lines based on movies or video games. But, Hasbro values the advantages of maintaining established characters (or character types) in the long term, and they wish to be able to hold exclusive claim to those names and use them as long as possible without fear of litigation from or loss to another company.

Trademark law is full of gray areas and complexity; otherwise lawyers couldn't charge exorbitant sums for their services in that field. The whims of the judges who look at the cases also play into the end results. However, there are guidelines and general rules that can explain why items end up named like they do.

==Trademark basics==
Trademarks are categorized into groups of products/services, so when a company applies for a trademark, lawyers compare them to similar marks within the same category, not across all products ever. ''Transformers'' toys fall under '''International Class 28, "Toys and Sporting Goods."'''

The name "[[Bumblebee (disambiguation)|Bumblebee]]" provides an illustration of how these categories work: during the time Hasbro was unable to mark a ''Transformers'' toy named "Bumblebee" (see "notable cases", below), Hasbro licensee [[Fun4All]] was able to release a keychain named Bumblebee, because keychains are not categorized as "Toys and Sporting Goods". Similarly, the character of Bumblebee could be referred to by that name within a comic book, since the comic company was not actually claiming it as a trademark within that field. If they were to release [[The Transformers: Bumblebee|a comic ''series'' titled "Bumblebee"]], though, a trademark search (and possibly claim) for comics would be needed.

This is also why there can be car batteries with "[[Megatron (disambiguation)|Mega-Tron]]" as a brand name,<ref name="interstate">[http://www.interstatebatteries.com/cs_estore/content/product_info/auto.asp "Mega-Tron" and "Mega-Tron II" car batteries by Interstate Batteries]</ref> despite having no connection to Hasbro or ''Transformers''. Hasbro does not make car batteries or anything along the lines of automobile parts, so the odds of "brand confusion" are exceedingly remote, making the battery-maker safe from litigation.

For toys released as part of multi-packs, Hasbro traditionally claims each individual character's name in the pack as a separate trademark ever since the days of [[Action Master]]s. So when they release a [[Transformers: Energon (toyline)|two-pack]] containing two toys named "[[Grimlock (Energon)|Grimlock]]" and [[Swoop (Energon)|Swoop]]", they count as two individually trademarked names, rather than one compound trademark for "Grimlock & Swoop". The only exception was the ''[[Heroes of Cybertron]]'' two-pack of [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] and [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys|Bumblebee]], which was officially called "Autobot Espionage Team" without claiming the individual characters' names as trademarks, since the name "Bumblebee" was unavailable to Hasbro at that time.

Often, companies that own character-based Intellectual Property (IP) will apply for trademarks across a vast swath of categories to maximize the range of product on which they can use that name. Around the time of ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'', Konami brought the wildly successful Japanese collectible card game franchise ''Yu-Gi-Oh!'' to the US. Among the trademarks they applied for across multiple categories was "Space Megatron," the name of one of the game cards (called simply "Megatron" in Japan). Some [[Fandom|fans]], upon hearing this, believed that Hasbro was in danger of losing the "Megatron" trademark. However, since Hasbro had made steady and repeated use of the name over the course of the previous decade ([[Megatron (G1)/toys|over a dozen toys branded “Megatron”]] between 1990 and 2001, plus media association thanks to five years of the name belonging to a central villain of the associated TV shows), this seems unlikely. The card in question did end up being called "Space Megatron" because at the time that Konami applied for that trademark, Hasbro did not have any ''Transformers'' trading or playing cards and thus could not contest the claim in that field. However, no "Megatron" toys were produced in association with the ''Yu-Gi-Oh'' brand. Still, Hasbro ultimately didn't manage to successfully register the name "Megatron" until 2005.

{{quote|How foolish is it that some other beings in the multiverse have stolen my name?|[[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]]|[[What Lies Beneath, Part Three|Energon #22]] (letters page)}}

==Relevance==
===Brand recognition===
[[Image:PowermasterOptimusPrime toy.jpg|thumb|200px|right|I'm the beginning of a new trend!]]
Originally, Hasbro didn't put as much emphasis on outstanding [[character]]s for the ''Transformers'' toy line from a marketing standpoint as they do today. Toys were supposed to have a shelf life of two years at maximum, to be replaced by new toys, which would be entirely new characters. With the exception of [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] (only in the cartoon and comic fiction) and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Goldbug]], all the new-toy line-ups from 1985 through 1987 were entirely new characters (not counting variants or reuses of existing sculpts, such as the [[Targetmaster]] versions of [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] etc.), as were most of the [[Pretender|Pretenders]] and all of the [[Micromaster|Micromasters]] released by Hasbro. As a consequence, Hasbro only bothered to register a small number of trademarks in the 1980s, such as "[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]"<ref name="opuspto">[http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=73496873 United States Patent and Trademark Office file for the trademark "Optimus Prime"], filed in 1984, registered in 1985.</ref> or "[[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]"<ref name="swuspto">[http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=73496875 United States Patent and Trademark Office file for the trademark "Soundwave"], filed in 1984, registered in 1985.</ref>.

Hasbro didn't originally realize how much of a crucial part recognizable characters had played in the success of the original ''Transformers'' series until they were facing the massive viewer backlash following Optimus Prime's death in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. As a consequence, the first entirely new ''Transformers'' toy to be released under the name of an older toy intended to represent the same character was the [[Powermaster]] version of Optimus Prime in 1988, followed by the [[Classic Pretender]] versions of Bumblebee, [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]], [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] and [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] in 1989. Following that, about half of the [[Action Master]] line-up in 1990 consisted of "classic" characters from the 1984-85 toy line-up.

Since then, Hasbro have been putting more emphasis on recognizable characters in all their ''Transformers'' lines, and by extension, on recurring names in general—although ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' put it to a stretch with modified names such as "[[Optimus Primal]]", and numerous characters sporting the names of older ''Transformers'' toys, but not sharing any other similarities with those characters beyond the name.

===Market situation===
[[Image:TrademarksG1FortMaxvsBackstreet.jpg|thumb|250px|right|Guys, I think we forgot something.]]Hasbro wasn't the only company slowly coming to realize the importance of recognizable, "iconic" characters, however: Similar discoveries were made by competing companies at the same time. Since "characters" were no longer considered easily replaced throwaway elements of toy lines, companies began to put a stronger focus on developing, emphasizing and defending their intellectual properties—which included the characters' individual names: For comparison, back in the 1980s, it was possible for both [[Hasbro]] and [[Tonka]] to have toys named [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]], [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] in their respective ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Transformers]]'' and ''[[GoBots (franchise)|GoBots]]'' toy lines at the same time, without either company bothering to cause any legal problems with the other one. This is particularly remarkable considering how competitive Hasbro and Tonka were at that time. Furthermore, [[Kenner]] (which was a subdivision of Tonka at that point) had a toy named Slingshot in its ''M.A.S.K.'' toy line in 1986 (including ™ claim after the name on the packaging) at the same time Hasbro had a [[Slingshot (G1)|Slingshot]] toy on the market, followed a year later by a ''M.A.S.K.'' Afterburner and a ''Transformers'' [[Afterburner (G1)|Afterburner]]. Likewise, Hasbro was able to release a [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]] named [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] in 1985 even though Tomy's US branch had registered the name as a trademark that same year (Tomy was still separate from [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] at that time). Hasbro didn't even start slapping a ™ claim after individual toys' names on their packaging until 1988, suggesting that they weren't really bothered that another company might use those names for their own toys. And despite the slowly changing market situation, Hasbro still didn't start systematically trying to ''register'' as many trademarks as possible until the turn of the millennium. They didn't even bother to file for a registration of the name "[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]]", a major character with multiple toys in both ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (toyline)|Beast Wars]]'' and ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (toyline)|Beast Machines]]'', until 1999, three years after the first toy using that name had been released!

In contrast to that, toy companies enforce their trademarks a lot more rigidly these days. As a consequence, Hasbro's lawyers have become a lot more conservative, objecting the use of any names they fear ''might'' interfere with another company's trademark. This has resulted in quite a few names becoming "off limits" for any further use as part of a ''Transformers'' toy line, at least until the other company decides to abandon the name in question. In return, Hasbro have also performed several not-so-nice maneuvers to seize a trademark in order to prevent their competitor Bandai from introducing certain toy lines in the US market under their original names, such as "Machine Robo Rescue" or "Crush Gear". Furthermore, Hasbro's legal department also prefers to modify certain names in order to make them easier to defend in court... since Hasbro wouldn't want one of their competitors to release a toy under a name so similar to a ''Transformers'' toy's that it could easily cause confusion on behalf of the customers.

==Protection and loss==
Once a trademark is claimed, legal protection of that mark hinges primarily on usage. A company cannot defend a trademark that they never actually use. Protection of a trademark in the action figure world typically lasts roughly a year, though this (like most anything involving trademark law) is not ironclad. ([[#BumblebeeCase|See "notable cases" below.]]) The longer and more frequently a company uses a trademark ("consistent use"), the stronger their case becomes to retain ownership of it should it be contested by a competitor.

Registered trademarks are a stronger level of protection, thanks to a more involved process (and some more fees): With a standard trademark claim (™), a company that feels that another company is infringing on one of their trademarks needs to ''actively'' prove that they have used the trademark (preferably consistently) if they want to take legal action against their competitor. With a registered trademark (®), on the other hand, that process becomes somewhat automated: A company regularly needs to provide the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) with evidence of consistent use of the trademark in question anyway in order to guarantee continued registration—otherwise, the USPTO will consider the trademark "abandoned" and cancel the registration. If ''that'' company now feels another company is infringing on one of their their trademarks, the burden of proof of consistent use has become automated, and they have an 800–pound gorilla (i.e. the USPTO) backing them up on their case.

Note, however, that even registered trademarks are not by any means absolute protection: Even a registered trademark can be lost due to lack of use (abandonment) or a successful challenge from another company.

In some cases, [[Transformers names in other Hasbro lines|Transformers toys also share their trademarked names with toys from other lines]] distributed by Hasbro or one of their subsidiaries. This also counts as a use of a trademark in commerce. All that matters is that the parent company, a subsidiary or even a licensee has used the trademark in the "toys" category. In order to allow for this to work, however, the description of intended use needs to be sufficient and not too specific. This is why Hasbro had to file for a ''second'' registration of the name "[[Soundwave (disambiguation)|Soundwave]]" in 2000: The original registration, filed way back in 1984, was specifically for a "toy robot convertible into a cassette recorder", making it insufficient for [[Soundwave (G1)/toys#Generation 2|any toys]] with other [[alternate mode]]s (or [[Soundwave (G1)/toys#ActionMaster|no alternate mode at all]]). This [[Soundwave (BW)|doesn't mean]] Hasbro couldn't ''use'' the name "Soundwave" outside that narrow definition; all it means is that any other uses wouldn't have helped Hasbro to ''defend'' the trademark registration had anyone tried to challenge it. The second registration from 2000 therefore uses a ''much'' broader definition of intended use, namely "toy action figures and accessories for use therewith". Because it is possible (albeit by default ''unnecessary'') for the same company to have the same trademark registered in the same category more than once (as the company is unlikely to take itself to court over a trademark dispute), this has resulted in the weird situation where Hasbro has the name "Soundwave" registered twice, once for specific use on transforming toys that turn into a cassette recorder, and once for action figures and accessories in general.

By acting through a licensee, a company doesn't even need to release its own products in a specific category in order to defend a trademark. For example, [[General Motors]] doesn't need to produce and/or distribute Chevrolet Camaro toys; all they need to do is grant Hasbro the license to release [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys|toys]] [[Cliffjumper (Movie)#Toys|based on]] the Camaro, Hasbro explicitly identifies the name "Chevrolet Camaro" as a General Motors trademark used under license on the toys' packaging, and GM can defend the name "Chevrolet Camaro" in the "toys" category.

===Descriptive trademarks===
Defensibility is also determined by the name itself and its distinctive qualities regarding to what it’s being applied. One could not reasonably expect to claim trademark of "Apple" as a product name for apples. But for, say, computers, which would not otherwise be referred to as an "apple", that works. In regards to toys and ''Transformers'', "Car" would be basically impossible to defend successfully as a distinct trademark. "Carblast", however, is fairly strong, being a made-up compound word highly unlikely to be used elsewhere. "Autobot Carblast" is even more defensible, thanks to the addition of a clearly nonsensical word, which is ''by itself'' very strong, like "[[Rodimus (disambiguation)|Rodimus]]" or "[[Cybertron (disambiguation)|Cybertron]]". This is also why there was no "[[Bumblebee (disambiguation)|Bumblebee]]" character during ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'': A toy that ''is'' a bumblebee and is ''named'' "Bumblebee" would make the name impossible to defend as a trademark, [[Bumblebee (G1)|unlike]] ''[[Bumblebee (Movie)|a car]]'' [[Bumblebee (Animated)|named]] "[[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]]".

Because Hasbro has been shoring up some of their infrequently-used "common word" names in recent years by adding prefixes (such as "Autobot [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]]" or "Decepticon [[Frenzy (disambiguation)|Frenzy]]"), fans sometimes mistake this to mean that reclaiming a trademark from another company is as simple as writing a faction name in front of it. This is ''not true''. If it were, then a competitor such as [[Bandai]] could release a line of robot toys called "Megazord Transformers" with an "Optimus Prime Zord" toy and get away with it. Hasbro's addition of extra words to these old names is primarily to strengthen the claim to a name that is currently (likely) uncontested and Hasbro is likely to try and use often in the future. It is also the case that the names Hasbro has reinforced in this way are all real English words, not made-up words. Real words are harder to defend as a trademark than [[Blastification|nonsense words]]. Adding nonsense to a real word makes it more defensible, but adding nonsense to somebody else's active trademark is only asking for trouble.

Another popular method Hasbro uses to modify real words to make them more distinctive (and thus easier to defend) is by using an alternate spelling (in other words, a deliberate "misspelling"), such as "Tank'''o'''r", "Demolish'''o'''r", "Spitt'''o'''r" or "Scatt'''o'''rshot" (and, possibly, also "Grapp'''el'''"; see below).

Based on some of Hasbro's naming choices, it could be argued that the strategy of Hasbro's IP lawyers is somewhat conservative or cautious. They may be able to defend more than they try to defend, but they choose not to <s>spend the money</s> take that risk.

===Genericized trademarks===
Trademarks can also be lost by allowing a term to become a "[[wikipedia:genericized_trademark|genericized trademark]]" — effectively, letting their mark become a common term. Examples include "thermos" for [[Aladdin Industries|vacuum flasks]] (genericized in the USA in 1963), "[[Wikipedia:linoleum|linoleum]]" for floor covering, and "[[Wikipedia:zipper|zipper]]" for a method of fastening fabric. (Another example commonly cited is "[[Wikipedia:aspirin|aspirin]]" for acetylsalicylic acid; however, in this case, the trademark registration was cancelled via court ruling in the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Russia as part of Germany's reparations for World War I; "Aspirin" is still trademarked by [[Wikipedia:Bayer|Bayer]] in Germany.) Brand names that are also in danger of becoming genericized (but are currently still protected as trademarks) include "[[Wikipedia:Kleenex|Kleenex]]" for facial tissues, "[[Wikipedia:Jell-O|Jell-O]]" for processed, gelatinized pig hooves, "[[Wikipedia:Xerox|Xerox]]" for photocopies, and "[[Wikipedia:Google|Google]]" for computer searches.

[[Image:Productdoesnotconvert.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Product also does not xerox, kleenex, or jello.]]
Recently, Hasbro has realized that using the word "transform" as a verb to describe the [[Transformation|process of changing a ''Transformers'' toy from one mode into another one]] would make the brand name "Transformers" descriptive, making the mark indefensible. The end result would have been a loss of the mark ''Transformers'' as a registered trademark, allowing competitors to use the term "transformer" as a generic term for ''their'' shape-shifting robot toys and thus creating further confusion among parents when asked to buy a ''Transformer''.

As a consequence, Hasbro has implemented various methods of preventing this. For example, use of "transform" as a verb when being used to describe product is almost strictly forbidden in certain written materials<ref>[[Greg Sepelak]], author of the [[Transformers The Game|''Transformers The Game'']] strategy guide from [[BradyGames]]</ref>: If it's a toy that "converts", Hasbro can argue that ''Transformers'' is not merely a descriptive term, thus allowing for trademark protection to persist. Although this mandate does not extend to character dialogue within fiction, synonyms like "convert" (or simply "change") are used in Hasbro's own products (like [[packaging]] call-outs and [[instructions]]) and in licensees' products (such as game guides). Despite this, Mattel and their subsidiary Fisher-Price are currently using the term "transform" to describe several of their toys' ability to convert from one form into another, such as a "transforming" [http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=7080&e=product&pid=49464 "DragonWagon"] or [http://shop.mattel.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3761277 several] [http://www.fisher-price.com/fp.aspx?st=7502&e=product&pcat=hero_world_sf&pid=55485 "transforming Batmobiles"]. Furthermore, the packaging of LEGO's "[http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003F7V6AI Atlantis Undersea Explorer]" prominently features the call-out "TRANSFORMS". This could either be due to aggressive fighting over the trademark, or a simple attempt to cash in on the success of the [[live-action film series]]. Either way, the more recent LEGO "[http://www.amazon.com/dp/B005VPRFIO/ Ninjago Destiny's Bounty]" set uses the term "converts" instead, implying legal action on Hasbro's behalf. Meanwhile, the "Spy Shifters" from Mattel's ''Disney Cars 2'' line feature "TRANSFORMS" blurbs in English on their packaging... but those are limited to the European market version, whereas the packaging used for the United States market features "SHIFT TO SPY MODE!" blurbs instead.

As a matter of fact, "Transformer" (specifically "with a capital initial") is listed in the Oxford English Dictionary as a description of "a type of children's toy, first manufactured in Japan, consisting of a model robot which can be transformed into another toy". However, since the term is identified as a "proprietary name" and Hasbro is specifically mentioned in the name etymology, the entry makes it pretty clear that the term is not a catch-all description of a general product type, but tied to a specific manufacturer, hence posing no threat to Hasbro's exclusive claim of the trademark.<ref name="oxford">[http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry_main/50256225?query_type=word&queryword=Transformer&first=1&max_to_show=10&sort_type=alpha&search_id=ump0-DmIxzp-1209&result_place=2&case_id=ump0-rzJWHE-1213&hilite=50256225 Oxford Englisch Dictionary entry for "Transformers"] (note: Only available for registered users)</ref> The fact that the entry has been in the dictionary since 1993 also implies that Hasbro has never seen any need for intervention. (The same dictionary also has an entry for Mattel's "Barbie", for that matter.)
{{-}}

===Trademark dilution===
In cases where a trademark is very well-known among the general populace due to the brand's popularity, and is commonly associated with the particular brand (instead of being merely associated with a general product type, hence being in danger of becoming genericized), it's possible for the brand owner to defend their "popular" trademarks even in categories they don't operate in. This is only possible for very well-known brands where a company can reasonably argue that another company is trying to cash in on their "good name", and may create confusion among the target audience who may mistakenly associate the other company's product with its more well-known namesake by the original company. The argument is that the well-known trademark is considered "unique", and its intended use in other fields by other parties would lessen its uniqueness. Calling your car dealership simply "McDonald's" is probably not exactly a good idea. This may be the reason why Hasbro renamed the [[redeco]] of [[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)|2008 ''Universe'']] [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]], whose deco was based on ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' [[Darkwing]], into "Darkwind": Although there is currently no toy line based on [[Wikipedia:The Walt Disney Company|Disney's]] [[Wikipedia:Darkwing Duck|Darkwing Duck]], the brand is still very well-known, and Hasbro's legal department may have been simply cautious to avoid any potential problems with Disney in the first place.

Conversely, in 2010, a company named Mavizon offered user interface technology for cars (a field Hasbro doesn't operate in) named "AutoBot". A few years ago, Hasbro would have probably just let this pass; however, with the increased popularity of the [[Transformers brand]] thanks to the [[live-action film series]], they have a much better legal stand in this regard. By the end of 2010, Mavizon changed the name of their product to "Mavia".<ref name="mavizon">[http://www.mavizontech.com/MeetAutobot.htm Mavizon, the creators of Mavia, formerly "AutoBot"].</ref> As of late 2011, Hasbro is engaging in a lawsuit against Asus over their "Transformer Prime" Android tablets.<ref name="asus">[http://mobile.theverge.com/2011/12/21/2653920/hasbro-sues-asus-over-transformer-prime-tablet Hasbro sues Asus over Transformer Prime tablet]</ref>

===The international market===
Since Hasbro is a company rooted in the United States, the focus of trademarks is also naturally on the United States market. Trademark law differs across countries and the availability of terms can differ. Using above examples, "aspirin" is also a genericized word in several other countries including the United Kingdom, but there are many other countries where it is still a protected trademark including Germany, Canada, Mexico and others. In these countries producers of acetylsalicylic acid must use a different term. Similarly there is less danger of the terms "Kleenex" or "Xerox" becoming genericised in the United Kingdom as these terms are rarely used to refer to anything other than the relevant company's products. The status of a trademarked word in one country often has little bearing on its use in other jurisdictions.

Unlike in the early 1990s, when name [[variant]]s were abundant across the various international (particularly European) markets—especially when the [[The Transformers (toyline)|''Generation 1'' toy line]] had been cancelled in the USA, but was still being continued with all-new toys in Europe and other places—Hasbro now aim for a uniform brand representation. In other words, a toy has the same name in every country it's released in by Hasbro (thus making Japanese names an anomaly... which is also changing now, with [[TakaraTomy]] shifting over to Western names for their toys more and more). However, that could mean a toy that can't be released by Hasbro under its originally intended name in the USA (because another company is already using the trademark), but could easily be released under that name in the United Kingdom, will still be released under the substitute name chosen for the US market everywhere in the world, because it's easier to manage than individual names for individual markets.

In theory, however, this could also backfire: A toy's name that has been cleared for use in the USA by Hasbro's legal department might conflict with another company's trademark in another country. A [[Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers#Europe (all generations)|rumor]]<ref name="optimusdutch">[http://www.fredsworkshop.com/veuro2.html The origin (?) of the "Optimus trademark conflict in Europe" rumor?] at The Complete Transformers Variants Page</ref> claims that this ''did'' actually happen back in 1985, when Hasbro/[[Milton Bradley]] introduced the [[Generation 1 (European toyline)|''Generation 1'' toy line]] in the European market and a manufacturer of kitchen utensils named "Optimus" made the use of the name "Optimus Prime" unfeasible for the time being; however, this theory is heavily contested, not least because a manufacturer of kitchen utensils usually does not operate in the "toys" field, thus making a trademark conflict unlikely, thus suggesting a more plausible explanation for why ''Generation 1'' Optimus Prime was initially not released in Europe.<ref name="mijo">[http://20thcenturytoycollector.com/mb-transformers-part-5/ Mijo's "MB Transformers: Part 5" article] at 20th Century Toy Collector</ref> In general, European trademark law is a lot less rigid than it is in the USA, and Hasbro generally refrain from using any trademark claims after names on their international packaging, either because that would require them to actively try to defend those trademarks in ''every single country'' they release those toys in, or because the ™ symbol has no legal power in many countries outside the USA. Hasbro never really bothered to register any individual trademarks besides "The Transformers" in the various European countries, at least.

Although there are no known recent examples of ''Transformers'' toys that couldn't be released in specific countries for ''trademark'' reasons, there are at least two cases where the intention to release a toy in other markets ''did'' affect the ''United States'' name of those toys: For the [[Transformers Animated (toyline)|''Animated'' toy line]], Hasbro registered the name [[Snarl (Animated)|Slag]], in homage to the [[Slag (G1)|''Generation 1'' character of the same name]]. Even though the trademark was never opposed, and Hasbro renewed it as late as Christmas of 2007, they were eventually informed that "[[Slag (slang)|slag]]" was considered a slur word not only in ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'', but also in the United Kingdom. As a consequence, Hasbro decided to change the toy's name into "Snarl", and released it under that name in all worldwide markets, including the United States. Likewise, when the originally proposed name for the [[redeco]] of [[Power Core Combiners]] [[Leadfoot (PCC)|Leadfoot]], "Spastic", turned out to be a massively offensive insult in the United Kingdom (whereas it is a fairly inoffensive pejorative in the United States), Hasbro promptly reacted by renaming the toy into "[[Over-Run (PCC)|Over-Run]]" for the US market, even though it was never intended for a UK release to begin with.

==Names that require(d) prefixes or suffixes==
===Hasbro===
*[[Ark (disambiguation)|Ark]]: Autobot Starship Ark, Autobot Ark
*[[Blades (G1)|Blades]]: Autobot Blades
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]: Autobot Blaster
*[[Bludgeon (disambiguation)|Bludgeon]]: Decepticon Bludgeon (''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (toyline)|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Bludgeon (RID)|Bludgeon]] was officially named "[[Destructicon (RID)|Destructicon]] Bludgeon", with an individual ™ claim after each word, which at least ''technically'' means that Hasbro still claimed "Bludgeon" as a trademark by itself in 2003)
*[[Brawl (disambiguation)|Brawl]]: Decepticon Brawl, Deep Desert Brawl, Desert Blast Brawl (also used as part of multi-pack names such as "Freeway Brawl", "Back Road Brawl", "Desert Ruins Brawl" and "Streetside Bot Brawl", of which only the third actually includes a "Brawl" character)
*[[Bruticus (disambiguation)|Bruticus]]: Predacon Bruticus, Bruticus Maximus
*[[Camshaft (disambiguation)|Camshaft]]: Autobot Camshaft
*[[Cosmos (disambiguation)|Cosmos]]: Autobot Cosmos
*[[Countdown (G1)|Countdown]]: Autobot Countdown
*[[Devastator (disambiguation)|Devastator]]: Constructicon Devastator, Devastator Showdown
*[[Drag Strip (disambiguation)|Drag Strip]]: Decepticon Drag Strip
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]]: Autobot Drift (exceptional since it has never been used as a Transformers toy's name before)
*[[Dropshot (disambiguation)|Dropshot]]: Decepticon Dropshot
*[[Fracture (Movie)|Fracture]]: Decepticon Fracture (exceptional since it has never been used as a Transformers toy's name before)
*[[Frenzy (disambiguation)|Frenzy]]: Decepticon Frenzy
*[[Grapple]]: Autobot Grapple (misspelled as "Au'''ot'''bot Grapple" in several instances on the ''[[The Transformers: Generation One Commemorative Series|Commemorative Series]]'' reissue's packaging; also used as part of "Grapple Grip [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]]", which isn't a "Grapple" character; spelled "Grapp'''el''' Grip Mudflap" on the [[multilingual packaging|European packaging]]), Solar Storm Grapp'''el''' (see "notable/unusual cases" for more)
*[[Groove (disambiguation)|Groove]]: Autobot Groove
*[[Guzzle (disambiguation)|Guzzle]]: Autobot Guzzle
*[[Hatchet]]: Decepticon Hatchet (exceptional, since the name was never used on a Transformer before)
*[[Heavy Load (disambiguation)|Heavy Load]]: Decepticon Heavy Load
*[[Hot Spot (disambiguation)|Hot Spot]]: Autobot Hot Zone (the ultimate real "Autobot Carblast" case - renaming "Hot Spot" into "Hot Zone" ''and'' adding an "Autobot" prefix) used only once, the [[Titanium Series]] figure is simply named "Hot Zone", without prefix
*[[Hound (disambiguation)|Hound]]: Autobot Hound, Tracker Hound
*[[Jazz (disambiguation)|Jazz]]: Autobot Jazz, Final Battle Jazz, Protoform Jazz, Battle Jazz, Freeway Jazz, Stealth Ninja Jazz (only released in Australia), Special Ops Jazz
*[[Kup (G1)|Kup]]: Sergeant Kup
*[[Nautilator]]: Decepticon Nautilator
*[[Piranacon (G1)|Piranacon]]: Decepticon Piranacon
*[[Primus]]: Cybertron Primus (exceptional since it has never been used as a Transformers toy's name before)
*[[Ratchet (disambiguation)|Ratchet]]: Autobot Ratchet, Rescue Ratchet, Rescue Torch Ratchet, Desert Tracker Ratchet, Night Ops Ratchet, Specialist Ratchet
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]]: Battle Ravage, Command Ravage (both abandoned, back to simply "Ravage" since 2007)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]]: Decepticon Rumble, Demolition Rumble (the latter currently still unreleased; "Rumble" was also used as part of multi-pack names such as "Rotorwash Rumble" or "Hunters Rumble" that don't actually include a "Rumble" character, and as part of a prefix for [[Activator]]s redecos, "Rally Rumble Bumblebee" and "Rally Rumble Optimus Prime")
*[[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]]: Autobot Roadbuster, Track Battle Roadbuster
*[[Roller (DOTM)|Roller]]: Autobot Roller (exceptional since it was never used as a toy trademark before)
*[[Scrapper (disambiguation)|Scrapper]]: Decepticon Scrapper (''[[Transformers: Classics|Classics]]'' [[Devastator (G1)|Constructicon Devastator]] giftset only; the ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' toys are simply named "Scrapper")
*[[Seawing (G1)|Seawing]]: Decepticon Seawing
*[[Slicer]]: Decepticon Slice (only on his [[bio]] card; the polybag packaging calls him "Slicer")
*[[Snaptrap (G1)|Snaptrap]]: Decepticon Snap Trap (the name itself also parsed as two words)
*[[Skids (disambiguation)|Skids]]: Autobot Skids, Missile Blast Skids, Offroad Skids, Tuner Skids
*[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]]: Predacon Tarantulus (using the spelling "Tarantul'''u'''s" only once), Predacon Tarantulas
*[[Tentakil (G1)|Tentakil]]: Decepticon Tentakil
*[[Topspin (disambiguation)|Topspin]]: Autobot Topspin, Autobot Armor Topspin
*[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]]: Autobot Tracks, Turbo Tracks
*[[Whirl (disambiguation)|Whirl]]: Autobot Whirl
*[[Wheelie (disambiguation)|Wheelie]]: Autobot Wheelie

====Prefixes NOT required for trademark reasons====
*[[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]]: "Autobot Optimus Prime" for a single release of the ''[[Movie (toyline)|Movie]]'' Voyager Class toy with "battle damage" deco that was only available in Asia and from US-based online retailers. In this case, the "Autobot" prefix was probably only intended to distinguish this release from all the numerous other "Optimus Prime" toys from the ''Movie'' line.
*[[Reverb (Movie)|Reverb]]: "Decepticon Reverb" only for the unreleased [[Target]] [[exclusive]] ''Movie'' Scout (intended to be released in 2008). ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' [[Reverb (Cybertron)|Reverb]] (who had his last toy released in 2006, as part of the [[Recon Mini-Con Team|Shadow Recon Mini-Con Team]]), ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' "[[Reverb (ROTF)|Reverb]]" (2009) and ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (toyline)|Dark of the Moon]]'' [[Human Alliance]] [[Reverb (DOTM)|Reverb]] (2011) were all simply named "Reverb", without a prefix.
*[[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]]: "Decepticon Sideways" for a [[Toys"R"Us]] exclusive ''Revenge of the Fallen'' two-pack with [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] that was released in Europe. Presumably, this was simply because "Decepticon Sideways" sounds better together with "Autobot Wheelie" than a mere "Sideways" without the prefix.
*[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]: "Autobot Wheeljack" for the [[KB Toys]] exclusive "G1" [[Spy Changer|Spychanger]]... but only on the cardbacks of the entire Spychanger lineup. On the front side of his own card, he was simply named "Wheeljack", without a prefix. Since then, multiple "Wheeljack" toys have been released without a prefix.
*[[Flak (TF 2010)|Flak]]: "Autobot Flak" only for the [[Transformers (2010 toyline)|2010 ''Transformers'']] toy. Both [[BotCon 2009]] [[Flak (G1)#Timelines|Flak]] (released a year earlier) and ''Dark of the Moon'' [[Cyberverse]] [[Flak (TF 2010)#Dark of the Moon|Flak]] (released a year later) were simply named "Flak".
*All other prefixes used for same-[[character]] [[redeco]]s of toys that didn't require a prefix for their original release.

====Cosmetic prefixes that don't actually allow Hasbro to use a trademark====
*[[Erector (G1)|Erector]] was referred to as "Autobot Erector" for his [[Transformers Hall of Fame|2011 Hall of Fame]] nomination [http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/movie-news/TRANSFORMERS-HALL-OF-FAME-2011-Nominee-ERECTOR.cfm bio]. As the word "Erector" in the domain of toys is ''thoroughly'' trademarked by [[wikipedia:Meccano Ltd|Meccano Ltd]] for [[wikipedia:Erector Set|Erector Set]] construction toys (they even own it [http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=77878820 specifically for toy robots!]), this was something of an empty gesture, as putting "Autobot" in front of his name wouldn't actually allow Hasbro to use that trademark in the field of toys. (Granted, a write-up on a webpage isn't actually something that you can trademark...)

===TakaraTomy===
Japanese trademark law has apparently changed in recent years, in a way very similar to American trademark law. As a consequence, TakaraTomy also started using prefixes with one of the last ''[[The Transformers Collection|Transformers Collection]]'' [[Generation 1 reissues|reissues]], followed by several more cases in ''[[Henkei! Henkei! Transformers (toyline)|Henkei!]]''.

TakaraTomy's versions of the ''[[Movie (toyline)|Movie]]'', ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (toyline)|Darkside Moon]]'' toy lines used the same names as their Hasbro counterparts for the most part, including "Autobot" and "Decepticon" prefixes for a lot of names (though [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]], [[Springer (ROTF)|Springer]] and [[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]] didn't require "Autobot" or "Constructicon" prefixes). However, TakaraTomy also added ''more'' prefixes for toys whose Hasbro versions ''didn't'' have prefixes (or, in one case, for giving a [[redeco]] a ''[[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]]''-based Hasbro name that is unavailable to Hasbro altogether). This usually only applies to listings of these toys by online stores and in Japanese hobby magazines in katakana. For toys with Hasbro counterparts, the English names on the packaging were unchanged from the Hasbro versions.

With ''[[Transformers Animated (toyline)|Transformers Animated]]'' and ''[[Transformers United]]'', TakaraTomy once again mostly followed Hasbro's naming choices (although ''Animated'' [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] and [[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]] were renamed into "Ironhide" and "Armorhide", respectively, and the ''United'' version of [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]] was released under that name rather than Hasbro's substitute name "Darkmount"). Once again, some names featured more prefixes that either were not required by or differed from their Hasbro counterparts. On the toys' packaging, the names were spelled with those prefixes both in English and in katakana.

*[[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]]: Decepticon Barricade, Interrogator Barricade, Barricade & Frenzy
*[[Blazemaster]]: Autobot Blazemaster
*[[Blurr (disambiguation)|Blurr]]: Autobot Blurr
*[[Booster X10]]: Decepticon Booster X10
*[[Brakedown (ROTF)|Brakedown]]: [[NEST|N.E.S.T.]] Scout Brakedown
*[[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]]: Decepticon Brawl, Electronic Brawl (only toys from the 2007 ''Movie'' line; the ''[[Transformers Encore|Encore]]'' reissue of the ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' [[Brawl (G1)|toy]] and the 2010 [[Legends Class|EZ Collection]] toy of the movie character were simply named "Brawl")
*[[Breakaway (ROTF)|Breakaway]]: Autobot Breakaway
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetus]]: Cybertron Cheetus
*[[Grapple]]: Autobot Grapple
*[[Hook (ROTF)|Hook]]: Decepticon Hook
*[[Hot Rod (Henkei!)|Hot Rod]]: Cybertron Hot Rod
*[[Inferno (disambiguation)|Inferno]]: Cybertron Inferno
*[[Jazz (disambiguation)|Jazz]]: Autobot Jazz
*[[Knock Out (ROTF)|Knock Out]]: Autobot Knock Out
*[[Kup (G1)|Kup]]: Autobot Kup
*[[Lockdown (disambiguation)|Lockdown]]: Decepticon Lockdown, N.E.S.T. Lockdown
*[[Longarm (Movie)|Longarm]]: Autobot Longarm
*[[Lugnut (disambiguation)|Lugnut]]: Decepticon Lugnut
*[[Mixmaster (ROTF)|Mixmaster]]: Decepticon Mixmaster
*[[Octane|Octone]]: Destron Octone
*[[Overload (ROTF)|Overload]]: Decepticon Overload
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]]: Cybertron Perceptor, Autobot Perceptor
*[[Power Up VT6]]: Decepticon Power Up VT6
*[[Rampage (ROTF)|Rampage]]: Decepticon Rampage
*[[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]: Autobot Ratchet, Desert Tracker Ratchet, N.E.S.T. Autobot Ratchet (only toys from the 2007 ''Movie'' and ''Revenge'' lines; ''Henkei'' [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]], ''Animated'' [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and ''Darkside Moon'' toys are simply named "Ratchet")
*[[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]]: Decepticon Scourge
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel]]: Autobot Sentinel (exceptional as he's missing his Hasbro counterpart's "Prime" suffix)
*[[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]]: Decepticon Shockwave (only the ''Animated'' toy; the ''Darkside Moon'' toy is simply named "Shockwave")
*[[Slingshot (G1)|Sling]]: Cybertron Sling
*[[Bluestreak (G1)|Streak]]: Cybertron Streak
*[[Sunstorm (Animated)|Sunstorm]]: Decepticon Sunstorm
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]]: Autobot Swoop
*[[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]]: Decepticon Thunderwing
*[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]]: Autobot Tracks
*[[Vortex (G1)|Vorter]]: Destron Vorter
*[[Vortex (ROTF)|Vortex]]: Decepticon Vortex
*[[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]]: Autobot Wheelie (only the ''Revenge'' character; ''Henkei'' Wheelie is simply named "Wheelie")
*[[Wildrider (G1)|Wildrider]]: Stuntron Wildrider
*[[Wipe-Out]]: Decepticon Wipe Out
{{Note|Since "N.E.S.T." was used as a standard prefix for the TakaraTomy counterparts of the ''[[N.E.S.T. Global Alliance]]'' [[subline imprint]] including toys whose names ''definitely'' didn't require a prefix (such as "N.E.S.T. [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys#Alliance|Alliance Bumblebee]]" or "N.E.S.T. [[Ironhide (Movie)/toys#Recon|Recon Ironhide]]"), it's hard to say whether "N.E.S.T. [[Brawn (ROTF)|Brawn]]", "N.E.S.T. [[Bludgeon (ROTF)|Bludgeon]]", "N.E.S.T. [[Dirge (ROTF)|Dirge]]", "N.E.S.T. [[Scattorshot (ROTF)|Scattorshot]]", "N.E.S.T. [[Mindwipe (ROTF)|Mindwipe]]" and "N.E.S.T. [[Skystalker (ROTF)|Skystalker]]" required the prefix for trademark reasons or not. The only ''certain'' cases were names that had previously required a different prefix (''Animated'' "[[Lockdown (Animated)|Decepticon Lockdown]]") or had a particularly clunky prefix ("N.E.S.T. Autobot Ratchet", "N.E.S.T. Scout Brakedown").}}

For the ''[[Transformers Device Label|Device Label]]'' line, which falls into a different product category than "toys", TakaraTomy also needed prefixes for some names:
*[[Grimlock (disambiguation)|Grimlock]]: Device Grimlock
*[[Ravage (disambiguation)|Jaguar]]: Device Jaguar

==Notable/unusual cases==
{{note|This is not a list of every lost ''Transformers'' trademark ever, just some instances with unusual or interesting twists.}}
[[Image:HotShotisBumblebee.jpg|thumb|right|250px|[[David Willis]]'s head just exploded.]]
* As mentioned above, "Bumblebee" was unavailable to Hasbro for many years. The name was being used as a registered trademark by a company called Playcore for their "Buzz the Bumble Bee" swing as of 2003, and as Hasbro had not used the name for a toy since 1995, their case to contest was likely a weak one. The ''[[Heroes of Cybertron]]'' PVC two-pack with [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] was officially named "Autobot Espionage Team" for that reason, although the [[bio]] on the back of the packaging identified the two characters as "Bumblebee" and "Spike" (but without claiming them as trademarks). However, in March 2005, Hasbro tried to reclaim the trademark, due to its intended association with a principal character in the [[Transformers (film)|big-deal live-action movie]] and its associated merchandise planned across a great many categories. However, the registration attempt was contested in July 2005, both by a production company named "Bumble Bee Productions, Inc." and by an online toy retailer named "Bumblebee Toys", both of which argued that the mark, as it was filed under the "toys" field, was too close to their own registered marks. Ultimately, Hasbro abandoned the registration attempt for "Bumblebee" in 2006 and simply decided to use the name as a "normal", non-registered trademark instead. The movie's release date being pushed back a year meant that the first "Bumblebee"-branded ''Transformers'' toys in over a decade were a 3" ''[[Titanium Series]]'' figure and a toy from the ''[[Transformers: Classics|Classics]]'' line. (Playcore, or more accurately, its subsidiary Swing-N-Slide no longer manufactures the "Buzz the Bumble Bee" swingset.<ref>[http://www.drillspot.com/products/291165/Swing-N-Slide_NE_4541_Buzz_Bumble_Bee_Swing Retailer site] mentioning the discontinuation. Also, said swing is no longer visible/available on Swing-N-Slide's official site.</ref>)
[[Image:Camshaftalternator.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Silly Hasbro, you won't be able to name your toys "Bluestreak" again until 2010!]]
* "[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]]" is one of the most infamous cases of a name of a classic character being unavailable to Hasbro for a long time, since a company named Gendron, Inc. registered the name "Toledo 'Blue Streak'" in 2002. All toys based on the ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' Bluestreak character released since then were officially named "Silverstreak" instead. (Note that this does only affect Hasbro; while the character is traditionally known as simply "Streak" in Japan, [[TakaraTomy]] once released a blue [[redeco]] of the ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Binaltech]]'' Streak toy, named "Bluestreak".) Gendron finally abandoned their trademark in 2009, with Hasbro subsequently using the name "Bluestreak" for a ''[[Speed Stars]]'' car (a [[redeco]] of ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Robot Powered Machines|R.P.M.]] [[Sideswipe (Movie)#Speed Series|Sideswipe]]).
* Next to Bluestreak, "[[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]]" is the most well-known case of a name unavailable to Hasbro. Mattel has registered various "confusingly similar" trademarks over the years, among them "Ho! Ho! Hot Rod", "Hot Rods" and "Hott Rodd". Hasbro's original substitute name for the ''[[The Transformers: Generation One Commemorative Series|Commemorative Series]]'' line of reissues was "Rodimus Major"; "[[Rodimus (Energon)|Rodimus]]" was used for [[Transformers: Energon (toyline)|Energon]] and then later also for the ''Classics'' Deluxe toy and the [[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]] Legends toy; and the toy based on the ''[[Transformers Animated (toyline)|Animated]]'' [[Rodimus Prime (Animated)|Rodimus Prime]] character was called "Rodimus Minor".
* "[[Shockwave (disambiguation)|Shockwave]]" was temporarily lost to a company named Lanard Toys, Ltd—who actually used it in their ''The Corps!'' military figure series, direct competitors to Hasbro's ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]''. An ''Energon'' toy designed as an homage to ''Generation 1'' Shockwave was named "[[Shockblast]]" instead, as was the ''Alternators'' toy. However, Lanard had abandoned the registration for the "Shockwave" trademark shortly prior to the release of the ''Alternators'' toy (too late to change the name on the packaging), so Hasbro seized the opportunity and slapped the name onto the next best [[Shockwave (Cybertron)|Mini-Con]] just to claim it back. They have since been able to use it for [[Shockwave (Animated)|other toys]] more closely based on the ''Generation 1'' character. Ironically, a figure from Hasbro's ''G.I. Joe 25th Anniversary'' line based on an older figure from 1988 named [http://www.yojoe.com/action/88/shockwave.shtml "Shockwave"] was released under the name [http://www.yojoe.com/action/08/shockblast.shtml "Shockblast"] in 2008, presumably either in an attempt to avoid brand confusion or maintain the "Shockblast" trademark. Either way, Hasbro apparently considers the name "Shockwave" more iconic for the ''Transformers'' character.
*"[[Ravage (disambiguation)|Ravage]]" became unavailable during ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (toyline)|Beast Wars]]'', so Hasbro used the alternative "Shadow Panther" instead, and when even ''that'' turned out to be off-limits, used the somewhat clunky name "Tripredacus Agent". The name "Ravage" eventually became available again in time for ''Energon'', but apparently Hasbro decided to play safe and added a prefix, thus releasing the ''Energon'' toy under the compound name "[[Battle Ravage]]" (and later, its redeco as "[[Command Ravage]]"). Hasbro also used "Battle Ravage" for the ''Alternators'' toy and ''also'' intended to use it for a [[Generation 1 reissues|reissue]] of the [[Ravage (G1)/toys|original ''Generation 1'' toy]] available with a [[Toys"R"Us]] [[exclusive]] ''Classics''-affiliated "Commemorative Edition" reissue of [[Soundwave (G1)/toys|Soundwave]]... but then decided that the single name "Ravage" would work just as fine. Thus, the reissue is still named "Battle Ravage" on the packaging, but simply "Ravage" in the [[instructions]]. Following that, multiple subsequent toys have simply used the name "Ravage".
*"[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]]" has been unavailable as a trademark for years, which has—at least indirectly—resulted in several toys originally inteded to be named "Trailbreaker" going through various changes before their release: A [[redeco]] of ''Robots in Disguise'' [[X-Brawn]] became "[[Ratchet (Universe)|Autobot Ratchet]]" with a different deco; a redeco of ''Robots in Disguise'' [[Spy Changer]] [[Ironhide (RID)|Ironhide]] became another "[[Ironhide (Universe)|Ironhide]]" while retaining a heavily Trailbreaker-inspired deco; a redeco/[[retool]] of ''Alternators'' [[Hound (G1)|Autobot Hound]] became [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]], retaining his Trailbreaker-inspired head sculpt while being given a different deco; an intended ''Commemorative Series'' reissue of the ''Generation 1'' Trailbreaker toy fell victim to Toys"R"Us sudden decision to discontinue the ''Commemorative Series'' line; and a ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'' [[character]] intended as a Trailbreaker [[homage]] ultimately became an entirely new character named "[[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Overhaul]]", losing pretty much all similarities with ''Generation 1'' Trailbreaker in the process. Hasbro ''finally'' released a [[Legends Class]] version of ''Generation 1'' Trailbreaker as part of the ''[[Reveal the Shield]]'' [[subline imprint]] of their [[Transformers (2010 toyline)|2010 ''Transformers'' toy line]], under the substitute name "Trailcutter".
* In 2001, Hasbro trademarked "[[Skyfire (RID)|Skyfire]]" for use in the ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'' line. However, at the same time, their competitor Mattel applied for a registered trademark on the name for a vehicle/accessory in their ''Max Steel'' toy line. Without any past usage to call on to contend Mattel's claim, Hasbro lost the trademark for "Skyfire" to the stronger registered claim within a very short time frame. This resulted in the name "[[Sky Blast]]", used first on an ''[[Transformers: Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' [[Mini-Con]], then for the ''Energon'' [[Omnicon]] [[Skyblast (Energon)|Skyblast]], who is a clear [[homage]] to the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon]] character, "[[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]]".
* A particularly odd case: During the 1990s, another company held the "[[Sideswipe (disambiguation)|Sideswipe]]" trademark in the "toys" field, even though Hasbro still released [[Sideswipe (G1)|two toys]] using that name as part of the [[Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)|''Generation 2'' line]] (it's unclear if this resulted in any legal repercussions for Hasbro). When Hasbro finally managed to reclaim the name for the ''Robots in Disguise'' line, the name was now parsed as "[[Side Swipe (RID)|Side Swipe]]", in two words, for whatever reason. Despite that, the [[OTFCC 2003]] [[exclusive]] and the ''Armada'' [[Side Swipe (Armada)|Super-Con]] both still spelled the name as one word on their packaging; however, the [[cross-sell]] on the packaging for the OTFCC 2003 exclusive [[Shadow Striker (Universe)|Shadow Striker]]/[[Roulette (Universe)|Roulette]] two-pack referred to OTFCC Sideswipe as "Side Swipe", and a packaging [[variant]] for the Armada toy released as part of the "[[The Unicron Battles|Unicron Battles]]" [[subline imprint|refresh]] of the ''Armada'' line also saw the name changed to "Side Swipe". After many years' worth of "Side Swipe" toys, the ''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 franchise)|2008 Universe]]'' Deluxe toy finally hailed the return of "Sideswipe" (as one word). Presumably, the (then planned) use of the name on a [[Sideswipe (Movie)|character]] in the movie ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen]]'' was reason enough for Hasbro to apply for a second registration to get rid of that pesky extra space.
[[Image:GrappelGripMudflapEuro.jpg|thumb|200px|right|Hilarious error or intentional misspelling for better trademark protection? You decide!]]
* In 2004, the Commemorative Series VI [[Generation 1 reissues|reissue]] of [[Grapple]] was simply prefixed "Autobot Grapple" (although the name was [[quality control#packaging and paperwork|misspelled]] "Au'''ot'''bot Grapple" in several instances on the packaging). The [[Transformers (2010 toyline)|2010 ''Transformers'']] [[retool]] of 2008 ''Universe'' Voyager Class [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] not only tried to be a little more creative with a new prefix, "Solar Storm"... but also spelled the name "Grapp'''el'''". While this could be attributed to a particularly glaring typo, it's not without precedent: ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Fast Action Battlers]] [[Mudflap (ROTF)#Fast Action Battlers|Grapple Grip Mudflap]], who uses "Grapple" as part of a prefix, ''also'' had it spelled as "Grapp'''el'''" all over his [[multilingual packaging|European packaging]] and on Hasbro's public website<ref name="fabhasbro">[http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/shop/details.cfm?guid=B237456C-7A23-1014-B596-FBA5EE4D560D&product_id=24286&src=endeca Hasbro website entry for FAB "Grappel Grip" Mudflap]</ref>, whereas the North American version had it spelled as "Grapple". Chances are that Hasbro decided to misspell the name in order to make it more defensible as a trademark, similar to "[[Scattershot (disambiguation)|Scattorshot]]" and "[[Demolishor (disambiguation)|Demolishor]]". The US-released Solar Storm Grappel's on-packaging [[bio]] also refers to the character simply as "Grappel™", whereas ''Reveal the Shield'' [[Jazz (G1)/toys#Transformers (2010)|Special Ops Jazz]] and [[Tracks (G1)#Transformers (2010)|Turbo Tracks]] are still referred to as "Autobot Jazz™" and "Autobot Tracks™" in their US bios, respectively (but not in their European packaging bios).
* In 2005, [[Fun Publications]] was forced to change the name of a [[BotCon 2005]] exclusive intended as an homage to ''Generation 1'' [[Outback (G1)|Outback]] to "Fallback". The Outback Steakhouse restaurant chain has successfully applied for "Outback" across a ''vast'' number of categories. Since Hasbro had not used the name for a product since 1993, there seems to be no way for them to wrest control of Outback Steakhouse's active claim to the mark without heavy modification - the "Outback" name was used for a 2008 exclusive ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' figure, as well as a forthcoming limited release, as "Stuart 'Outback' Selkirk." TFWiki.net then presumes it is only a matter of time until fans start clamoring for a figure of [[Judd Nelson|Judd "Hot Rod" Nelson]].
* Similar trademark problems affected other items in the BotCon 2005 set: notably, [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] began life as [[Moonracer]] until it was discovered Royal Treasury, LLC owned the "[http://tarr.uspto.gov/servlet/tarr?regser=serial&entry=78095736 King Moonracer]" trademark for toys from the [[wikipedia:Rudolph_the_Red-Nosed_Reindeer_(TV_special)#The_Island_of_Misfit_Toys|Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer]] TV special. Unfortunately, Moonracer was already well into production when Fun Publications learned the name was unavailable, and due to the time involved in trademark searches, a suitably appropriate alternative could not be found. This necessitated the use of Chromia — reportedly their "third or fourth choice", but a name which ''had'' cleared legal.<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/msg/e39fbfb4b4bd2b3a alt.toys.transformers post] by [[Lanny Lathem]] explaining the Moonracer/Chromia SNAFU.</ref> [[Brian Savage]] expressed particular vexation with this turn of events at the BotCon 2005 organizer's panel.
* According to Hasbro copy writer [[Forest Lee]] at [[BotCon 2006]], Hasbro's IP lawyers were initially skittish about using the name "[[Matrix of Leadership]]" on packaging for the 20th Anniversary version of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], as they were unaware of the history of the term "[[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]]" within the brand, and feared confusion with the franchise surrounding the film, ''[[wikipedia:The_Matrix_(series)|The Matrix]]''. Although the lawyers were satisfied and allowed "Matrix" to be used in that instance, it appeared that some variation of the term "[[AllSpark]]" would supplant "Matrix" in future ''Transformers'' franchises, until ''Revenge of the Fallen'' used "Matrix of Leadership" as a name for a MacGuffin (contradicting the writers' earlier statements that the Matrix would not appear in the live-action movies, and the AllSpark would be a replacement for it). "AllSpark" is, of course, an easier mark to defend because — unlike "matrix" — it is a contrived compound word that doesn't have any other meaning.

==Notes==
[[Image:AMH16-Ratchet.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Lawyer-friendly medic.]]
*Ironically, [[Bob Budiansky]]'s originally intended name for [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] was "Jazz'''z'''", with ''three'' "z"s. Whether or not that would have made it easier for Hasbro to protect the name without a prefix in recent years or not is hard to tell. Though if "Grapp'''el'''" is any indication, we might actually see them use that spelling in the near future...
*Unbeknownst to most people, the "red cross on white backdrop" logo often associated with medical services that was used on a [[variant]] of the ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]'' [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] toy as well as in the [[The Transformers (toyline)|cartoon]] and various ''Generation 1''-based comics is in fact a trademark owned by the [[Red Cross|International Committee of the Red Cross]], who enforce the use of their marks heavily these days, even with regards to toys and within the context of fictional works (such as comic books or video games), where the symbol is not used as part of advertising for the product itself. Using the logo on a ''Transformers'' toy is a no-go these days, as it can be considered an abuse of the symbol's meaning. (The red cross symbol was in fact incorrectly used on ''Generation 1'' Ratchet to begin with, since the symbol represents a humanitarian organization that normally doesn't operate regular urban ambulances.) In fact, the Red Cross took Hasbro to court over the use of their symbol on ''[[Transformers: Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' [[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] and won, resulting in the symbol not only being dropped from the toy's [[redeco]], but also having to be forcibly removed from the then-current [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]] comics.<ref name="redcross">[http://www.lilformers.com/blog/2012/04/05/dreamslaves-4-red-crosses/ "DREAMSLAVES #4: Red Crosses"] by Matt Moylan.</ref> As a consequence, Hasbro typically use [[:Ratchet (Animated)|"electrocardiogram" graphics]] as a substitute these days, which is usually also reflected in fiction. [[:Image:Ratchet-DiamondSelectstatue.jpg|The]] [[:Image:Ratchet-AtFightsEnd.jpg|occasional]] [[:Image:Ratchetg1.jpg|flub]] still slips through, though.
*In recent years, the [[Transformers Collectors' Club]] has shown an irritating tendency to slap a "registered trademark" ® after the names of [[BotCon]] [[exclusive]] toys on their [[bio]] cards regardless of whether Hasbro actually has those names registered (or had them registered at that time) or not.
*For the [[Movie (toyline)|2007 ''Movie'' line's]] [[Fast Action Battlers]], Hasbro added gimmick-specific prefixes to each toy's name. For names that required prefixes for trademark reasons (as listed above), this resulted in particularly clunky names such as "[[Jazz (Movie)|Ion Blast Autobot Jazz]]", "[[Brawl (Movie)|Double Missile Decepticon Brawl]]" or "[[Ratchet (Movie)|Axe Attack Autobot Ratchet]]". By the time the [[redeco]] [[wave]]s started, Hasbro realized that they could simply use the gimmick descriptions as ''actual'' prefixes, thereby omitting the extra "Autobot" and "Decepticon" prefixes, which gave us "Desert Blast Brawl" and "Rescue Torch Ratchet". With ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'', Hasbro suffered a temporary relapse with "Beam Blast Autobot Ratchet", but then omitted the gratuitous prefixes again for "[[Skids (ROTF)|Missile Blast Skids]]" and his redeco, "Offroad Skids".
*Though it ''might'' be a coincidence, Hasbro didn't use any names that required "Autobot" or similar prefixes for any toys from the [[Unicron Trilogy]]. This ''might'' stem from a notion that such modified names are a less-than-ideal solution, and Hasbro wanted to avoid using them whenever possible (Aaron Archer's reasoning for the ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]]'' version of [[Jazz (G1)/toys#Alternators/Binaltech|Jazz]] being named "Meister" was that "three 'Autobot someone' toys in a row" were "redundant", referring to "[[Hound (G1)#Alternators|Autobot Hound]]" and "[[Tracks (G1)#Alternators|Autobot Tracks]]"). This might explain why the Autobot medic from ''[[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'' is named "Red Alert" rather than "[[Ratchet (disambiguation)|(Autobot) Ratchet]]". During that time, prefixed names only appeared in "secondary" lines such as ''Alternators'', ''[[Transformers: Universe (2003 toyline)|Universe]]'' and the ''[[The Transformers: Generation One Commemorative Series|Commemorative Series]]'' [[Generation 1 reissues|reissues]], where the toys typically represented existing characters whose names require prefixes these days. It wasn't until the [[Transformers (film)|2007 live-action movie]] prominently featured several characters whose names require prefixes when used as trademarks that "[[Jazz (Movie)|Autobot Jazz]]", "[[Ratchet (Movie)|Autobot Ratchet]]", "[[Frenzy (Movie)|Decepticon Frenzy]]" and "[[Brawl (Movie)|Decepticon Brawl]]" started to appear in a [[Movie (toyline)|"mainstream" toy line]]. These days, prefixed names are a common staple in ''Transformers'' toy lines regardless of whether they're backed by "mainstream" media such as a movie or cartoon or not.
*Hasbro's desire to defend their exclusive claim on trademarks occasionally also leads to somewhat clunky on-[[packaging]] [[bio]]s that include prefixes (where required) every time a character's name is mentioned in a bio ("During the long process of being rebuilt by AUTOBOT RATCHET®, there was a long time to think. AUTOBOT JAZZ digs his Earth vehicle form..."<ref name="targetjazzbio">From the bio of the [[Target]] [[exclusive]] "[[Generation 1 (franchise)|G1]]" [[homage]] redeco of ''[[Movie (toyline)|Movie]]'' Deluxe Class [[Jazz (Movie)|Autobot Jazz]]</ref>). A particularly egregious example are the bios for ''[[Reveal the Shield]]'' [[Jazz (G1)/toys|Special Ops Jazz]] and [[Tracks (G1)|Turbo Tracks]], whose names used different prefixes in order to support the "gimmick" of the ''Reveal the Shield'' [[subline imprint]] (where a toy's faction was only supposed to be revealed via a [[rubsign]])... yet the on-packaging bios blatantly referred to them as "Autobot Jazz" and "Autobot Tracks". Interestingly, the heavily truncated multi-lingual bios on the [[multilingual packaging|''European'' packaging]] simply called them "Jazz" and "Tracks" (although the toys' names were still "Special Ops Jazz" and "Turbo Tracks"), possibly due to a different trademark situation in the European market, where Hasbro isn't trying to enforce an exclusive trademark claim on every single toy's name for every single national market.

==Footnotes==
<references />

==See Also==
* [[Transformers names in other Hasbro lines]]
* [[Blastification]]

==External links==
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trademark Trademarks at Wikipedia]
* [http://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/tac/tmep/1400.htm#_Toc536248429 US Trademark & Patent Office]
*[http://www.tfarchive.com/toys/trademarks/g1_trademarks_intro.php Extensive article about Transformers-related trademarks at TFArchive.com] (outdated)

[[Category:Companies]]
[[Category:Toys]]

Death's Head (Animated)

2012-07-17T03:46:13Z

96.21.86.21: /* Notes */

{{disambig2|Lockdown's ship from ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]]''|the Marvel comics <s>bounty hunter</s> freelance peacekeeping agent|Death's Head (G1)|here, yes?}}
:''The ''Death's Head'' is a starship from the [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]] [[continuity family]].''
[[Image:ThrilloftheHunt_DeathsHead.jpg|right|thumb|300px|[[Han Solo|It's the ship that made the Kessel Run in less than twelve parsecs.]]]]

The '''''Death's Head''''' is the personal vessel of the neutral bounty hunter, [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]]. It is a heavily modified IG-2000 class vessel equipped with two Deckard cannons and three Samus blasters, along with Vandarian holographic technology purchased from [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]]<ref>[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac|The AllSpark Almanac]] page 164</ref>.

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon===
{{note|Events from [[IDW Publishing]] comics are in italics}}

When Lockdown captured [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] and [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]] many years in the past, he brought them aboard the ''Death's Head'' in order to take them to [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]], but they managed to escape.

Some four million [[Units of time|stellar cycles]] later, Lockdown was hired to bring in [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] and tracked him to [[Earth]]. {{storylink|The Thrill of the Hunt}} ''After a brief scuffle with [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]] on the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]], he continued to the planet's surface, not knowing that the female Decepticon had stowed aboard his ship. {{storylink|A Few Loose Strands}}'' Landing in [[Detroit]], Lockdown disguised the ''Death's Head'' as an inconspicuous warehouse before capturing Optimus and tying him down inside the ship. When the other [[Autobot]]s came to save their leader, Lockdown activated a number of defensive turrets, but [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] destroyed them. Lockdown eventually defeated the Autobots and took off in the ''Death's Head'', only to find Ratchet had infiltrated the ship. In the ensuing fight, Ratchet blasted its controls with his [[Electromagnetic pulse|EMP generator]]. With its engines shut off, the ''Death's Head'' crashed into a river and exploded violently. {{storylink|The Thrill of the Hunt}}

The damage to Lockdown's ship was apparently not all that it seemed, however, as he used it later on to track down his next target, [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]]. He cloaked the ''Death's Head'' near the wreckage of the ''[[Nemesis (Animated)|Nemesis]]'' on the Moon, but soon had to move it when [[Clone number 2716057|it seemed]] Starscream was escaping to Earth. The ship had a stowaway this time as well: Prowl, who wanted to use the ship's sensors to track Starscream. The ''Death's Head'' was again disguised as a building in Detroit during Lockdown and Prowl's temporary partnership. {{storylink|A Fistful of Energon}}

During Lockdown's third visit to Earth, he captured Prowl and summoned the ''Death's Head'' to [[Tigatron Stadium]] via remote control. The ninja fought back, however, and Lockdown escaped on his ship. {{storylink|Five Servos of Doom}}

===''Web of Deception''===
Lockdown had a [[Trobulum]] cage fitted into his ship when Blackarachnia hired him to capture one of the [[Archa Seven arachnid|giant spiders]] which had contaminated her. Lockdown flew his ship to Earth and parked it on the bottom of [[Lake Erie]] while he abducted Optimus Prime and secured the Autobot to a bomb. While it was there, a trio of Autobots may have broken in accompanied by a couple of small [[human]]s and promptly been caught, either by the ship's many automated defenses, or by Lockdown himself. {{storylink|Web of Deception}}
{{note|As "Web of Deception" is a [[multipath adventure]], some accounts of the events may vary.}}

==Notes==
*The Death's Head's class and armament names are taken from other science fiction franchises. IG-2000 is the name of the ship belonging to IG-88, an android bounty hunter from the ''[[Star Wars]]'' franchise. The "Deckard cannons" take their names from bounty hunter Rick Deckard, the protagonist from ''[[wikipedia:Blade Runner|Blade Runner]]'', while the "Samus blasters" take their names from bounty hunter (are you sensing a pattern here?) [[Samus Aran]], the heroine of the ''Metroid'' franchise. Not to mention that the ship itself is named after Marvel Comics' <s>bounty hunter</s> Freelance Peacekeeping Agent [[Death's Head]], who has previously been featured in the Transformers universe, yes?

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Animated starships]]
[[Category:Decepticon starships]]

Sega

2012-07-16T03:10:49Z

96.21.86.21:

[[Image:SEGA_Logo.png|right|thumb|To be this good takes AGES, to be this good takes SEGA.]]

'''Sega''' is a multinational Video Game and Software designer whose main office is in Ota, Tokyo, [[Japan]]. Their mascot is [[wikipedia:Sonic the Hedgehog (character)|Sonic the Hedgehog]].

In 1957, Service Games and Rosen Enterprises merged and became SEGA. ('''Se'''rvice '''Ga'''mes). They became popular with a submarine simulator which became popular in Japan. In 1969, Rosen sold Sega to Gulf & Western Industries, but himself remained on as CEO of the Sega division. They prospered and in 1979 they took the company public. They manufactured home consoles from 1982-2004. In 1991 they created Sonic, who became their mascot and took the world by storm. They currently make third party games.

They have made a few ''[[Transformers brand|Transformers]]'' products including the ''[[Transformers Animated: The Chase]]'' and ''[[Transformers Animated: The Shooting]]'' arcade games that interacted with [[Transformers Cards]].

[[Category:Video game companies]]

Geno

2012-07-16T01:48:56Z

96.21.86.21:

{{noname-unconfirmed}}
:''Geno is a being of some form in the [[Transformers: TransTech|TransTech]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Samus Aran.jpg|thumb|300px|]]

"'''Geno'''" is a strange and seemingly wooden life form. With [[Axiom Nexus]] being frequently visited by [[Offworlder]]s, it is likely that he is not originally of the [[Nexus 208.0 Epsilon]] universe.

==Fiction==
===''TransTech''===
When [[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]] was showing [[Jackpot (G1)|Jackpot]] and [[Hubcap (G1)|Hubcap]] around [[Axiom Nexus]], Geno was nearby with a [[Samus Aran|orange mechanoid]]. {{Storylink|Gone Too Far}}

==Notes==
*[http://www.mariowiki.com/Geno Geno] is a character originally from the video game ''[[Wikipedia:Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars|Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars]]''.

[[Category:External properties]]
[[Category:TransTech characters]]

Eberron

2012-07-16T01:43:32Z

96.21.86.21:

'''Eberron''' is a planet in the [[Milky Way]].

==Fiction==
===''The AllSpark Almanac''===
Eberron was an unclaimed or neutral organic planet in the Milky Way. {{Storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}}

==Notes==
*[[Wikipedia:Eberron|Eberron]] is a setting from ''[[Wikipedia:Dungeons & Dragons|Dungeons & Dragons]]''. It was also one of the universes involved in the crossover event ''[[Infestation 2]]''. As none of its inhabitants interacted with the Transformers universe in that event or vice-versa, the setting's actions are not detailed here.

[[Category:Almanac-only planets]]

Skids (ROTF)

2012-07-11T23:31:23Z

96.21.86.21: /* Human Alliance */

{{factions|autobotfilm|NEST}}
{{disambig3|Skids}}
:''Skids is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Live-action film series|live-action film]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:ROTF_Skids_promo.jpg|thumb|300px|Look, it's that robot child actor that grew up and robbed a convenience store.]]

The dopey-looking '''Skids''' spends a lot of his time arguing with his [[The Twins|twin]] brother [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]] and trying to outdo him in crazy stunts, all while believing ''he's'' the responsible, level headed one. In his own mind, everything dangerous and dopey he does is simply making him a better warrior. And that means one day, one ''glorious'' day, [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] will ''notice'' him! Prime even looking in his direction makes him babble, fall over, and generally fail to make an impression, but that won't stop him trying! Underneath it all, he harbors a secret fear that Mudflap is actually the superior warrior of the pair... which is probably true.<ref>[http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/Battle-Bios.cfm Hasbro Skids Battle Bio]</ref>

Skids' hyper-reactive optical imaging scanner allows him to process tactical information faster than ''anyone'' (except his twin). Add that to his supreme firepower and his unpredictable actions, and he's a pain in the aft for any [[Decepticon]] who wants to counter him! And that's only if they spot him. He changes alt-mode so much it's hard to keep track of him. On Earth, he's already been part of an ice-cream truck (combining with his brother), and more recently a Chevy Beat, but that's unlikely to last very long.

{{bigquote|Undercover y'all. Y'know, ya gotta blend into your surroundings, gotta be part of the landscape—OW!|A less-than-successful Skids tries to conceal himself|''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]''}}

==Fiction==
===IDW ''Transformers'' movie comics===
[[Image:Tales_of_the_Fallen_Issue_6_Twins.jpg|right|thumb|150px|Rob Schneider is... DERP!]]
Some time after hearing Optimus Prime's rallying call but before making it to Earth, Skids and Mudflap were kidnapped by [[Thundercracker (Movie)|Thundercracker]] and taken to an unspecified Decepticon outpost. There, unscrupulous Decepticon medic [[Flatline|Flatline]] attempted to forcibly reprogram them into loyal Decepticon soldiers, but all he ended up doing was knocking out a good chunk of their intellect and reasoning skills. They probably would've spent the rest of their days locked up and experimented on if a recently upgraded [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]] had not sprung them from their cell. Even though they didn't understand everything the silly biker ladies were saying, Skids and Mudflap let Arcee escort them both to their stolen ship, past hordes of drones, Flatline and Thundercracker himself before the outpost self-destructed. {{storylink|Tales of the Fallen issue 6}}

[[Image:Alliance04 icecreamtruck.jpg|left|thumb|150px|Skids is the one in front.]]
Skids and Mudflap arrived on [[Earth]] as part of Autobot reinforcements that [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] with [[Topspin (DOTM)|Topspin]], [[Leadfoot (DOTM)|Leadfoot]], [[Roadbuster (DOTM)|Roadbuster]], [[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]], [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]], [[Chromia (ROTF)|Chromia]] and [[Elita-One (Movie)|Elita-One]] on the [[Wrecker]]s ship [[Xantium (DOTM)|Xantium]]. The ship and the Wreckers stayed behind in [[NASA]], {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}{{storylink|Dark of the Moon issue 3}}. They both chose the [[combiner|combined]] form of an old, beat-up ice cream truck. The newly-arrived Autobots joined the human-Transformer military alliance [[NEST]] and began training in earnest on [[Diego Garcia]], but soon had to be deployed to [[Shanghai]], [[China]]. {{Storylink|Alliance issue 4|Alliance #4}}
{{-}}

===Titan Magazines ''Revenge of the Fallen'' comics===
Skids first met [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] when they were about to be thrown into a [[smelting pool]]. {{Storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.2|Dogfight!}} He and his twin are well known for tall tales and messing about, enough so that people have stopped believing their claims. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.3|Learning Curve}}

[[Image:Titan2-1_Skids.jpg|right|thumb|350px|You know what? ''You'' tell him he looks dopey.]]

Skids and Mudflap happily stayed on Cybertron, going through intensive training (which ''totally'' wasn't goofing off) and having extreme-sports contests. Neither wanted to leave their homeworld, and they were the only Transformers on it until [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] turned up with [[Purple generic drones|a Decepticon army]]. When they heard him mention a [[Star Harvester]], they realised they should tell someone...but Skids worked out the fastest way to do that would be in person, meaning they'd have to leave their homeworld.

The decision was made for them when the Decepticons attacked. Skids angrily blew away some of the jet-drones when they shot his brother, using an impressive missile barrage, and used transform-and-shoot moves to keep their pursuers away...but he realised this was delaying the inevitable. They fled the planet, with Skids remembering to head for Earth, the site of Optimus's message. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.1|Training Day}}

[[Image:Titan2_twinsbeats.jpg|left|thumb|200px|...actually, no, tell him to ''put some clothes on. JESUS!'']]

The twins made it to [[Earth]] soon, crash-landing in [[Toronto]], [[Canada]]. On the way in, Mudflap hit a [[Wikipedia: CN Tower|big tower]], but Skids felt it wasn't that big a deal. They swam their way to Ball's Falls, where they picked up Earth alternate modes and set out to try and find local Autobots and warn them about the Star Harvester.

Driving along the wrong side of the Interstate (Skids wanted a challenge!), the twins were attacked by the Seeker [[Ransack (ROTF)|Ransack]], trying to kill them on [[the Fallen]]'s orders. While Skids dissed Ransack's retro alt mode, he pursued them across [[Wikipedia: North by Northwest|open countryside]]. With their energon levels low, the airborne enemy kept up with the twins, and Skids soon collapsed, unable to run any further. He and his brother would've both died, if not for Bumblebee arriving and forcing the Seeker into retreat. {{Storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.2|Dogfight!}}

[[Image:Titan2-3_Mudflap_face.jpg|right|thumb|"I hear you're racist now, Father! How'd you get involved in that sorta thing?"]]

Now living at [[NEST]]'s [[California]]n base with Bumblebee as their minder, Skids and Mudflap repeatedly asked to deliver their info to [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]]—and only Optimus, much to [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide's]] annoyance. He was more annoyed when they ambushed him (Skids tipping crates on him!) to get to Optimus...who, as it turns out, was away on a need-to-know mission anyway.

After this defeat, and with Ironhide having bluntly told them nobody believed them, they desperately asked to join in a NEST op in [[Las Vegas]]...getting turned down, because they were too crap to get involved. Annoyed with this, Skids went along with Mudflap's suggestion to go to Vegas and show Ironhide just what they could do! What they could do, it turned out, was screw up a successful mission by freeing [[Grindor (ROTF)|a captured Decepticon]] by trying to "shoot him down". Skids was left mortified. Ironhide, recognising what they were trying to do, told him that maybe they could work on training the twins not to jump in without looking, and that the trick was to learn from mistakes. The twins claimed they'd try. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.3|Learning Curve}}

They soon wished they hadn't, as they were condemned to NEST's [[United Kingdom|Orkney Islands]] base for days of sim-com (simulated combat) training under [[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]]. Skids had a nagging feeling this was just an excuse to keep them away from the main action, and both protested to Sideswipe that they could handle Decepticons. Him pointing out their failure with Grindor shut them up. However, the training was interrupted when [[Ravage (ROTF)|a huge metal cat monster]] broke into the base, KOed Sideswipe, and tried to eat the twins!

[[Image:Titan2-4_SkidsRavage.jpg|left|thumb|250px| That's a bad Mister Kitty!]]

They transformed and fled, drawing the creature into a trap where Skids used his weaponry to bring the roof down on it. When that failed, he deferred to and helped Mudflap carry out his plan of trapping the beast in a sim-com session on maximum setting. With that done, and with it revealed that the creature was sent after them by another Decepticon, they tried to fill in the revived Sideswipe... except the creature had gone, leaving their instructor with the view that ''they'd'' knocked him out in revenge for their training. Between that and Grindor, he thinks they're up to something... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.4|New Tricks}}

[[Image:Titan2-5_twinsHEstartedit.jpg|right|thumb|Which one of you left the tap running!?]]

The twins were later taken to Diego Garcia, and ecstatic to learn Optimus was coming there! Sideswipe stated he didn't know about their info and wasn't here to talk to them, cutting off Skids as he attempted to mention the [[the Fallen|"dude they call the F-"]]. While their trainer told them how they weren't to see Prime, the twins cunningly drove off when he wasn't looking and headed for the base's runway. The mood soured when Skids noticed Mudflap was planning to pinch the credit for their intel, and soon the two of them were having a big fight and slagging match on the runway...

And so their first meeting with Optimus Prime was to be yelled at for conduct unbecoming of an Autobot warrior. (Mudflap started it!)

That was when [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]] made his attack, blasting at the distracted Prime. Skids made the situation worse by accidentally tripping over Optimus, preventing him from taking control, and so Scorponok liberated the prisoner [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]]. Sideswipe, watching from a distance, believed Skids had done that ''deliberately'', and convinced Prime that the twins were traitors: they must have helped Scorponok get here and now assisted him in his mission, on top of freeing Grindor and attacking him at Orkney! Skids and Mudflap protested they were being set up because they knew too much, but it fell on deaf ears as they were taken into custody. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.5|Reversal of Fortune}}

[[Image:Titan6_Samabducted.jpg|left|thumb|250px|The car picks the driver.]]

Following this, the decision was made to exile the twins into orbit. A disgruntled Skids remarked they should've minded their own business and ignored the Fallen, but help was at hand... from the Decepticons? Freed by a Decepticon attack, an angry Skids realised they'd been framed ''again'' and now the Autobots would think they were massive traitors. The two went underground to clear their names, and hit on the foolproof plan of abducting [[Sam Witwicky]] from his house and pleading with him to tell their story to Optimus. All this did was cause Bumblebee to launch an attack to rescue Sam. Skids spat out the kid, remarking he'd need to clean his seats to get the organic off them, but that didn't stop Bumblebee holding him at gunpoint...

...until Soundwave arrived, gunning down the Autobot and offering the twins sanctuary in the Decepticons. Skids quickly agreed {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.6|Outlaw Blues}}, intending to get into a position where they could whallop a Decepticon and hand him over to the Autobots to clear their names. After some fun times of annoying the other Decepticons, the twins were dispatched to bring in an AWOL member; Skids was annoyed to find Mudflap didn't know they were just pretending, and hoped Soundwave would be sending a minder (either Grindor or Sideways) they could ambush.

[[Image:Titan_deceptitwins.jpg|thumb|right|250px|''Two of these things are not like the other...'']]

The AWOL member turned out to be Ransack. Skids quickly lied to him, saying they'd ''totally'' been sent by [[the Fallen]] to bring him in from the cold. This deception worked, until the Decepticon minders attacked... both of them! Skids ordered Mudflap after Sideways while he launched suppressive fire on Grindor and dodged each shot. Unfortunately, the chopper bugged out with Ransack held captive. While the twins had captured Sideways, Skids wasn't satisfied: he was tired of taking the fall and being pushed around. He decided they were going to go gunning for Soundwave and bring down his whole conspiracy! {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.7|Turnabout}}

[[Image:Titan2-8_twinsanywaytowelcome.jpg|left|thumb|350px|]]
Upon returning to the Phobos base, it suddenly occurred to Skids that they had no plan... but, as Mudflap wisely pointed out to him, that never stopped them before! The twins stormed the base, but initial success was undone when Starscream and Soundwave fought back. Luckily, the two Decepticons were forced to run off after Ransack, who'd fled talking about reporting to the Fallen. Skids was left feeling that they'd just seen part of a really big, confusing picture. Unfortunately, this was just a short respite, as the twins discovered just what that army massing on Cybertron had been planning: to arrive at the Phobos base en route to Earth...

The twins stood ready to make their last stand, and Skids told his brother it had been an honour to work with him... when Optimus arrived with the other Autobots! The twins had been tracked to Phobos and to their shock, the other Autobots had realised they weren't traitors and were even apologising! And with all the street cred of uncovering the Phobos base, the twins were welcomed to the Autobots' Earth division. Skids briefly wondered if they should mention "the ''Fa-''" again, but was convinced not to by Mudflap. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.8|Back-to-Back}}
{{-}}

===''Revenge of the Fallen'' movie===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Tom Kenny]] (English), [[Tomokazu Seki]] (Japan), [[Michael Pan]] (German), [[Vladimiro Conti]] (Italian), [[Alan Prieto]] (Latin American-Spanish)

[[Image:ROTF-icecreamtruck.jpg|thumb|left|250px|When the kiddies hear my bell, they all know to run like hell...]]

Skids and his brother were part of a taskforce deployed in Shanghai to root out Decepticon activity. In their combined ice cream truck [[alternate mode]], they rolled through the evacuated zone, taunting and trying to lure out the Decepticons in the area. When the Decepticons did show themselves, they gave chase to the escaping [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]]. However, their slow and ungainly choice of vehicle could not keep up with the fugitive, and they rounded a corner too sharply, tearing their combined form in half. Even though Mudflap took the blame for the separation, Skids still berated (and smacked) his brother for his failure. Skids reminded his brother that they were in a combat situation and wondered what was wrong with him.

[[Image:ROTF Twins truck robot modes.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Yipee! It's Mister Whippy!]]
Upon arrival at [[Diego Garcia]] and NEST headquarters, the twins received new, separate alternate modes. A fight broke out between the two of them over which vehicle they wanted, and Skids "called" the [[Wikipedia: Chevy Beat|Beat]], resigning Mudflap to the form of a [[Wikipedia: Chevy Trax|Trax]].

Later, the twins, along with the other NEST-allied Autobots, were dispatched to look for [[Sam Witwicky]] when Decepticons were detected heading towards his college. After [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] was killed by [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]], the twins helped the Autobot force fight off the Decepticon leader and [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], allowing Sam, [[Leo Spitz]], [[Mikaela Banes]] and [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] to make good their escape. Skids and Mudflap met up with Bumblebee and the humans, and together they fled to a remote location. After teasing Leo for a while for his panic attack, Sam inquired whether one of them could interpret the Cybertronic symbols he had become obsessed with, but the twins claimed that they couldn't read the ancient Language of the Primes, and weren't much into reading, anyway.

[[Image:ROTF_movie_SkidsMudflap_bigmother.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"Yousome people gonna die??" "Yep. Wesa screwed."]]

With the help of the Decepticon [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] and former [[Sector Seven]] agent [[Seymour Simmons]], the group made their way to the Smithsonian, where the humans reactivated the venerable ex-Decepticon [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]]. He teleported them all to [[Egypt]] before telling them the tale of the original [[Dynasty of Primes|Primes]], the [[Star Harvester]], which had the potential to destroy all life on Earth, and finally, the [[Matrix of Leadership]], the key to activating the harvester, and possibly the only thing that could bring Optimus Prime back to life. When the Matrix could not be found at the ruins of [[Petra]], the twins began arguing with each other over why they were following Sam, which soon escalated into physical violence. As their brawl nearly crushed the humans, Bumblebee picked up the twins in each hand, slammed them together, and threw them outside the ruins, which Skids considered to be just rude. Fortunately, their bickering created a hole in the wall where the [[Tomb of the Primes]] lay, and with it, the Matrix.

[[Image:ROTF Skids toothless.jpg|thumb|right|250px|More or less an improvement.]]
Making their way back to the Pyramids where NEST waited with Optimus Prime's body, the group came under attack by Starscream. Mudflap, Skids, Leo and Simmons acted as a decoy to lure the Decepticons away from Sam and Mikaela. Unfortunately, they attracted the attention of the [[Constructicon (ROTF)|Constructicons]], who [[combiner|combined]] into [[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]] and attacked by vacuuming up loose objects such as sand, cars, and Mudflap. As Skids mourned the loss of his twin, Simmons realized that the safest place to be was directly under the giant. But Mudflap had survived being vacuumed up by Devastator, and to escape he had blasted a hole through its head. To buy the humans time to escape, Skids clambered up Devastator's [[Hightower (ROTF)|right forepaw]] to assist Mudflap. Skids threw a cable to Mudflap, who grabbed it and swung off Devastator's head onto his arm. However, once they landed, Mudflap accidentally shot Skids in the face, knocking them off the arm and knocking out Skids' gold tooth in the process. At [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]]'s command, Devastator continued onto the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]]. {{Storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
{{-}}

===Toy bios===
Skids and his brother idolise Optimus Prime and the other great Autobot heroes, and joined the battle on Earth solely to be part of their crew. {{storylink|Mudflap (ROTF)#Deluxe Class Toys|Deluxe Mudflap}} In an early mission, however, they found themselves used as guinea pigs for experimental combination technology; trying to ''stay'' combined in their gestalt vehicle mode took up more of their focus than fighting Decepticons! {{storylink|#Deluxe Class Toys|Autobot Skids and Mudflap}}

Believing himself to be the "smart one" of the twins, Skids constantly tries to impress Autobot High Command with his <strike>inane, random babbling about everything</strike> insightful comments about things. {{storylink|Mudflap (ROTF)#Deluxe Class Toys|Deluxe Mudflap}} This chatter blows any stealth mission he's part of, so Ironhide has cunningly assigned Skids and his brother to create diversions (far, ''far'' away from him). {{storylink|#Robot Replicas|Robot Replica Skids}}

===IDW ''Revenge of the Fallen'' comics===

Skids and Mudflap were in [[Seattle]] with NEST tracking the Decepticon straggler, [[Alice]]. They helped guide her stolen RV right into Sideswipe's sights, and he then impaled the "girl" in her seat. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 1|Nefarious #1}}

Later, when [[Theodore Galloway]] and his unit were attacked by [[Ransack (ROTF)|Ransack]] en route to investigate the mysterious activities of the enigmatic [[Initiative]] at [[Hoover Dam]], the Autobots dispatched Skids and Mudflap to Galloway's aid. Together, they held Ransack off until a NEST strike team could arrive and finish him off. The Twins then accompanied Galloway and the soldiers to Hoover Dam, and while the Initiative forces had already cleared out, Skids and Mudflap realized what they had been after: residal energy from the [[AllSpark]] that had been kept there. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 4|Nefarious #4}} To uncover the Initiative's secret goals, the Autobot soon allied themselves with [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]], and followed his lead to the Initiative's base of operations in [[Crater Lake]], [[Oregon]]. Skids and Mudflap were deployed to attack the base from the east; when they were met with resistance in the form of the Initiative's troops, they took them out of the equation by disabling the advanced weaponry they were wielding with precision blasts. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 5|Nefarious #5}} He and Mudflap then worked as back-up for Bumblebee's team of cadets in the final battle at Crater Lake. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 6|Nefarious #6}}

When NEST discovered that Starscream was selling Transformer weaponry to humans, a sting operation was staged in which [[Theodore Galloway]] would pose as a buyer to lure the Decepticons in. When [[Skystalker (ROTF)|Skystalker]], [[Divebomb (Movie)|Divebomb]] and [[Fearswoop (ROTF)|Fearswoop]] took the bait, The Twins joined Arcee and her sisters and the human forces of NEST in tackling them, the Decepticons we´re killed and [[Fearswoop (ROTF)|Fearswoop]] taken as a prisioner. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 1|Rising Storm #1}} after [[Sam Witwicky]] contacted NEST as [[Philadelphia]] was beign attacked by Decepticons, the Twins joined Prime and the Others. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 2|Rising Storm #2}} the Twins along the others arrived to Philadelphia. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 3|Rising Storm #3}} Skids and Mudflap survived the battle and witness when the [[Driller]] took [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]] away. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 4|Rising Storm #4}}

===''Dark of the Moon'' film===
[[Image:DOTM Skids, Mudflap, Que and Sideswipe.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Skids: "Bay fired us from ''DOTM'', what a pussy!" Mudflap: "At least he [[Animation error#Continuity error|forgot to remove us from this scene]], HA!"]]
Skids and Mudflap could be spotted in vehicle mode at the end of an Autobot convoy as the team rolled into the hangar of NEST's [[Washington, D.C.]] base.

Later, what appears to be Skids (or Mudflap) can be seen parked next to Sideswipe, when Sam comes to NEST for the first time. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}

{{note|Skids and Mudflap were originally scripted to feature in ''Dark of the Moon'', but their appearances were cut from the finished film, save for this ''very'' brief shot. See "adaptations" below for what they would have done if they'd made it through to the final cut.}}
{{-}}

===''Dark of the Moon'' adaptations===
[[Image:DOTM3 skids dies.jpg|left|thumb|250px|This scan is for all you film critics out there!]]
Skids and Mudflap were present at NEST's Washington base during Optimus Prime's conversation with [[Charlotte Mearing]] about the moon landings.

Later, the Twins were on hand when [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]] revealed that he was in league with the Decepticons and killed Ironhide. As Sentinel turned his weapon toward Bumblebee, Skids charged forward to stop the ancient Autobot, but wound up taking the full force of the blast himself and perished. But before he died, Skids last word's to Mudflap was "''Sorry, bro … guess I wasn’t … as smart … as I thought … sor—''" as he crumbled into dust under the effects of the [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]]. Skids's death sent Mudflap into a rage, but even his righteous anger could not make him a match for Sentinel, and he too met his ends moments later. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (novel)|Dark of the Moon}} {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon Movie Adaptation|Dark of the Moon Movie Adaptation}}
{{-}}

==Commercial appearances==
* Skids and Mudflap were present outside a [[Burger King]], and watched patiently alongside a group of [[human]] children who were waiting for a familiar [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Chevy Camaro]] to transform. Much to their chagrin, however, the car was revealed to be just "some dude's car" and not Bumblebee himself.

==Toys==
===''Revenge of the Fallen''===

====Legends Class Toys====
[[Image:ROTF-toy_Legends_Skids.jpg|250px|thumb|For some reason, [[Scrapper (ROTF)|Scrapper]] has no interest in [[Triple Takeover|making him into a chair]] anytime soon.]]
*'''Autobot Skids''' (Legends, 2009/2010)

: Legends Class Skids is a simple, affordable small-scale toy. Amusingly, just like his brother Mudflap, the [[kibble]] on his arm actually works as his big deformed hand, only grossly oversized.
{{-}}

[[Image:TargetLegendsOffroadSkids.jpg|thumb|250px|Because what you want when you're offroading is a front-drive hatchback city car.]]
*'''Rally Mudflap and Offroad Skids''' (Legends multi-pack, 2010)

:This redeco of Legends Skids features white stripes, yellow headlights and various other changed details. He was packaged with a redecoed Mudflap as a [[Target]] exclusive two-pack, and was part of the [[N.E.S.T. Global Alliance]] [[subline imprint]].

{{-}}

====Deluxe Class toys====
[[Image:ROTFtoy-SkidsDeluxe.jpg|250px|thumb|Kids, never try to deflect a fusion cannon blast with your face.]]
*'''Autobot Skids''' (Deluxe, 2009)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RA-10'''

:Skids was released as part of the second wave of deluxe class ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' action figures. He transforms into a green Chevy Beat Concept car with black stripe designs on either side and a black hood. His vehicle form features transparent blue windows. In robot mode, Skids features a "[[Mech Alive]]" [[gimmick]] that makes the fenders on the sides of his chest push out and his head move forward when the front grill is pushed inwards. Moving the head up and down through this gimmick may suggest it's meant to make him appear as though he is talking, but the packaging only says "Moving Armor Panels".

:Skids's right arm is larger than his left, just like his movie counterpart's. It features a small cannon that, when pressed, both makes the cannon stick out in a position more suitable for firing and activates Skids's "Punching Robot Fist" action. Despite this, his right hand is surprisingly poseable.

:Skids originally came with unpainted teeth cast in green plastic. A [[variant|running change variant]] adds gold paint for one tooth and white paint for the other one.<ref name="deluxeteeth">[http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/toys/revenge-of-the-fallen/skids/1818/1/41/ Both variants of Deluxe Class Autobot Skids with painted and unpainted teeth at Seibertron.com]</ref>

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Autobot/Skids/skids.htm More information on Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

{{anchor|Icecreamtruck}}
[[Image:ROTF_Deluxe_Skids&Mudflap_toy.jpg|thumb|250px|Hey look, it's the robot child actor who grew up and ''became'' a convenience store.]]
*'''Autobot Skids And Mudflap''' (Deluxe, 2009)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RA-20'''

:This two-pack of the twin Autobot brothers can combine into a single, old-fashioned ice cream truck. The vehicle splits in half right down the middle of its chassis (similar to how it does in the film) to create the two small robot forms. Other than the transformation, the toy features no [[gimmick]]s.

:Mudflap's heels are too thick for his feet to fold up properly in vehicle mode, though this can be fixed by trimming them. Also, this toy may be the first Transformer to feature the typeface Comic Sans, which is used to write "MADE FRESH FOR YOU" across both front wheel hubs. But that's on Skids's half, so Mudflap is partly absolved here.

:Both Skids and Mudflap have sculpted rust detailing all over the Ice cream tuck, but for some reason, they are not painted.

:Amusingly, the ice cream truck accommodates [[Human Alliance]] human figures ''really'' well.
{{-}}

[[Image:ROTFDesertVersionSkidsAndMudflap.jpg|thumb|250px|Muddy Skids. Wait, ew.]]
*'''Desert Version Skids''' (Deluxe, 2009)
:This version of Skids has a sandblasted deco to closer match his onscreen appearance during the scenes in Egypt. It is only available in Japan with purchase of the Revenge of the Fallen DVD.
{{-}}

[[Image:TRUShanghaiShowdownSkidsAndMudflap.jpg|thumb|250px|The good, the bad, the rusty.]]
*'''Shanghai Showdown''' (Multi-pack, 2010)
:The twins in this set have additional decals for you to put on (save for the "suck my popsicle" slogan) and painted rust and "Caution Children" for the ice cream truck mode. They come with a redecoed version of [[Demolishor (ROTF)|Demolishor]].

{{-}}

====Fast Action Battlers====
[[Image:ROTF_FAB_Missile_Blast_Skids.jpg|thumb|250px|That's not going to pick up any [[Charlene (cowgirl)|cowgirls]] any time soon.]]
*'''Missile Blast Skids''' (Fast Action Battler, 2009)
**''Accessories:'' Missile

:[[Fast Action Battlers]] Missile Blast Skids is quite similar in transformation engineering to [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys#Fast Action Battlers|Plasma Punch/Plasma Blast Bumblebee]], and even has a similar [[gimmick]] in having one arm being a spring-loaded projectile launcher.

{{charstubtoys}}
{{-}}
{{anchor|FABOffroad}}
[[Image:ROTF-toy_FAB_OffroadSkids.jpg|thumb|right|250px|]]
*'''Offroad Skids''' (Fast Action Battler)
**''Accessories:'' Missile

:A [[redeco]] of Missile Blast Skids with different details, such as silver on the back of his car mode, Autobot insignias on his doors and his name on his windshield.

{{canceledtoy}}
{{-}}
{{anchor|FAB2Pack}}
*'''Rally Mudflap & Offroad Skids''' (Fast Action Battler two-pack, 2009)
**''Accessories:'' Missile

:An unchanged version of Offroad Skids was released in a two-pack, alongside an unchanged version of [[Mudflap (ROTF)#FAB2Pack|Rally Mudflap]]. So far, this two-pack has been confirmed to have been released in Hong Kong, the Philippines and Australia.

{{-}}

====Human Alliance====
{{anchor|haskids2009}}[[Image:ROTFtoy-SkidsHumanAlliance.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Then again...]]
*'''Autobot Skids / Arcee / Mikaela Banes''' (Human Alliance, 2009)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RA-25'''
**''Accessories:'' Missile
:Human Alliance Skids comes with a transforming figure of [[Arcee (Movie)#Human Alliance|Arcee]], as well as a posable figure of [[Mikaela Banes]] that can fit inside in Skids's vehicle mode, plugging into either of his seats via a small hole in her back. In robot mode, Skids' seats end up on his arms, and Mikaela can still sit in either of them. Skids' right arm also features a spring-loaded missile launcher that can rotate into place in front of the seat, with flip-up firing controls for Mikaela to take charge of. Mikaela can also stand on a small flip-up platform behind Skids (via peg-holes on her feet), manning a small non-firing minigun that flips out over the top of Skids' head. Additionally, Skids' palms each contain a peg, meaning Mikaela can securely stand or sit on her big buddy's hands.

:Finally, pressing down on the middle gray piece above Skids' eyes opens and closes his mouth, to simulate a talking motion.

:There is a small [[Show-accuracy|inaccuracy]] in the design of the toy's robot mode, being that the CGI robot's model doesn't have door wings; the doors cannot be hidden without modification. The primary weapons of HA Skids and HA Mudflap are also switched, being that the grappling hook actually belongs to Skids, while the gun belongs to Mudflap, instead.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Autobot/HASkids/skids.htm More information on Human Alliance Skids at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

====Gravity Bots====
[[Image:ROTF_GravityBots_Skids.jpg|thumb|250px|From car to novelty trash can in the blink of an eye!]]
*'''Autobot Skids''' (Gravity Bot, 2009)
:An extremely simplified version of Skids with a small tab on the bottom of his feet that when he placed on his feet will automatically transform him to robot mode. There is also one on his back side that when placed upon will transform him to his vehicle mode.
{{-}}

====Robot Replicas====
[[Image:ROTF-toy_RobotReplicas_Skids.jpg|thumb|200px|]]
*'''Autobot Skids''' (Robot Replicas, 2009)

{{charstubtoys}}

{{-}}

===Transformers (2010)===
====Legends Class toys====
[[Image:TF2010toyline_LegendsTunerSkids.JPG|right|thumb|300px|The white...]]
*'''Tuner Skids''' (Legends, 2010)

:Tuner Skids is a [[redeco]] of ROTF [[Legends Class]] Autobot Skids, colored similarly to Fast Action Battlers Offroad Skids.

{{-}}
[[Image:EZDeliverySkids.jpg|thumb|300px|Skid-Zette.]]
*'''Delivery Skids''' (EZ Collection, 2010)

:Delivery Skids is a redeco of Legends Class Skids in pink and white, referencing his and Mudflap's ice cream truck form. This toy was only available in Japan.

{{-}}

====Deluxe Class toys====
[[Image:TF2010-toy_DeluxeTunerSkids.jpg|thumb|right|300px|... and the black.]]
*'''Tuner Skids''' (Deluxe, 2010)

: Tuner Skids is a [[redeco]] of ROTF Deluxe Class Autobot Skids (Chevrolet Beat version) in black and a darker shade of green. His license plate says "1H8CONS," and on the back is a bumper sticker that reads "I helped make the Fallen falled!" While stock photography shows the figure has one gold painted tooth and one silver one, the figure actually has both teeth painted silver.

{{-}}

{{anchor|SpyBattle}}
*'''High-Speed Spy Battle''' (Multi-pack, 2010)
[[Image:TargetHighSpeedSpyBattle.jpg|thumb|300px|In hindsight, this is kinda morbid.]]
:This [[Target]]-exclusive two pack (or three pack, depending on [[Rack'n'Ruin|how you count]]) features a redecoed Sideways and the ice-cream truck mode of Mudflap and Skids, which replaces most of the robot mode white plastic on the originals with a rusty brown, adds even more rusty paint applications than the earlier "Shanghai Showdown" version and omits the comic-sans "Made fresh for you" on the front wheel wells of the truck.

{{-}}

===Dark of the Moon===
====Cyberverse====
[[Image:DOTM_Cyberverse_Skids_toy.jpg|thumb|300px|]]
*'''Autobot Skids''' (Cyberverse Legion, 2011)
**''Series:'' '''1'''
**''Number:'' '''005'''
**''Japanese ID Number:''

:''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (toyline)|Dark of the Moon]]'' [[Cyberverse]] Legion Skids is a retool of ''Revenge of the Fallen'' Legends Class Autobot Skids, retaining his Chevrolet Beat concept car mode from the previous movie compared to his brother Mudflap's updated Chevrolet Spark vehicle mode. However, Skids' packaging refers to his vehicle mode as a "Chevrolet Spark Concept Mode". The smaller hand on this figure has been remolded to accommodate weapons from other Cyberverse figures.

{{-}}

====Deluxe Class toys====
[[Image:DOTM_Deluxe_Skids_toy.jpg|thumb|300px|''Screw'' being in disguise, he's getting rush hour traffic out of his way ''by any means''.]]
*'''Autobot Skids''' (MechTech Deluxe, 2011)
**''Japanese ID Number:'' '''DA07'''
**''Accessories:'' MechTech Hand Blaster/Double-Barreled Cannon

: Part of the first wave of ''Dark of the Moon'' [[MechTech]] Deluxe-Class toys, Autobot Skids transforms from a black Chevrolet Spark with narrow green stripes into a stumpy robot with big feet. He is a smaller and less articulated, but more stable and <strike>movie-accurate</strike> comic-accurate figure, and comes with a Hand Blaster that transforms into a Double-Barreled Cannon when the scope is pulled. He features seven MechTech ports in total, with two ports on the roof in vehicle mode, one for each of his hands, one each on the underside and the sculpted panel on his right arm, one on the foldable panel on his left arm, and one port on his back to allow the weapon to be mounted over his head.

: His weapon was redecoed into the weapons of [[Ratchet (Movie)/toys#SpecialistRatchet|Specialist Ratchet]] and [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys#StreetsideBotBrawl|Streetside Bot Brawl Bumblebee]]. It is also similar to the MechTech weapon of [[Bumblebee (Movie)/toys#NitroBee|Nitro Bumblebee]], although that is an entirely new mold.

{{-}}

====Human Alliance====
[[Image:DOTM_Human_Alliance_Skids_Epps.jpg|thumb|right|300px|How can Skids still be racist? he's hanging out with [[Epps|Robert Epps]] the only serious black guy in the entire trilogy.]]
*'''Autobot Skids / Elita-1 / Tech Sergeant Epps''' (Human Alliance, 2011)
**''Japanese ID Number:''
**''Accessories:'' Missile

:''Dark of the Moon'' Human Alliance Skids is a redeco of the ''Revenge of the Fallen'' toy in his new colors, and now comes with a figure of [[Robert Epps]] to drive him instead of Mikaela. The included Arcee toy was redecoed into [[Elita-One (Movie)|Elita-1]].

{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Revenge of the Fallen===
====RPMs - Robot Powered Machines====
[[Image:ROTFtoy-SkidsRPM.jpg|right|300px|thumb|I ran myself over!]]
*'''Mudflap vs Autobot Skids''' (R.P.M. Mini-Vehicle, 2009)
**''Series:'' '''Battle Series'''
**''Number:'' '''04 of 08'''

: Number four in a series of eight [[Robot Powered Machines]] Mini-Vehicle versus packs, Skids is packaged against his twin, Mudflap. He's an untransformable Hot Wheels-like car, unless you count his robot mode being sculpted and painted onto the underside of him.

: This toy is also available with the Devastator Showdown track set.

*'''Devastator Showdown''' (R.P.M. Mini-Vehicle Track Set, 2009)

: A Mini-Vehicle of Skids also comes with this [[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]]-themed race track set.

*'''Autobot Skids''' (R.P.M. Mini-Vehicle, 2010)
**''Series:'' '''Combat Series 2'''
**''Number:'' '''04 of 04'''

: An individual release of Battle Series Skids.

{{-}}

===Robot Heroes===
[[Image:RobotHeroes_SkidsMegatron.jpg|right|thumb|300px|"My head is bigger than your cannon!"]]
*'''Autobot Skids and Megatron''' (2009)

:''[[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]]'' Skids is a [[super deformed]] figure with limited articulation in his neck and shoulders. He came in a two-pack with [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]].

{{-}}
[[Image:rotf_desertdevastation_rh.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Give me your fac—oh wait, wrong article.]]
*'''Desert Devastation''' (Multi-pack, 2010)

:Both Skids and Mudflap are sculpted in their vehicle modes for this box-set that also includes [[Devastator (ROTF)|Devastator]] and [[William Lennox]].

{{-}}
[[Image:Robotheroestwinswidewaysprimedemolishorsideswipe.jpg|right|thumb|300px|[[B.O.T. (episode)|Pink smoke?]] Should probably get that looked at.]]
*'''Shanghai Shootout''' (Multi-pack, 2010)
:Shanghai Shootout replicates the opening action scene from ''Revenge of the Fallen'', featuring figurines of [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]] and Skids in their combined ice cream truck mode, [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]] (vehicle mode), [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]], [[Demolishor (ROTF)|Demolishor]], and [[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]] (vehicle mode). Demolishor is a slightly-oversized figure and the centerpiece of the box set.

{{-}}

===Speed Stars===
[[Image:SpeedStars_LightsSounds_Skids.jpg|thumb|right|300px|You shouldn't be able to moon someone in car mode, but Skids has ''found'' a way.]]
*'''Autobot Skids''' (2010)
**''Series:'' '''Lights & Sounds'''

:''[[Speed Stars]]'' Lights & Sounds Skids is a cute and round Chevy Beat with various playing sounds and flashing lights. Like the toys in the Robot Powered Machines line, it doesn't transform, but features a sculpted robot mode on its underside.

{{-}}

==Notes==
*The ice cream truck is apparently based on a heavily customized 1930s Chevrolet truck.{{fact|confirmation needed}} [[Ben Procter]] apparently lifted the color scheme and deco for his early concept design for the ice cream truck<ref name="procterrotf">[http://conceptartworld.com/?p=2772 Ben Procter's ROTF concept art at Concept Art World.]</ref> ''directly'' off a photo of an [[Australia]]n ice cream truck that had been added to the Wikipedia article for "ice cream van" in February 2006<ref name="wikipediaice">[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ice_Cream_Truck_Sydney_Australia_-_crop.png Photo of an Australian ice cream truck at Wikipedia, added in February 2006.]</ref>, down to identical placement and design of the fonts and graphics. The details were later slightly tweaked for the final design that can be seen in the movie... but only very slightly so.
*One of the decals on the ice cream truck's side that was created specifically for the movie reads "[[Image:Symbol decept reg.png|15px]] suck my popsicle." Classy. Too bad the toy does not. (Because, you know, for kids...)
**A "censored" version of the movie is rumored to exist with the aforementioned text edited out, with the somewhat nonsensical result of "[[Image:Symbol decept reg.png|15px]]           popsicle". This version was supposedly shown in some theaters even though other theaters in the same market apparently got the uncensored version. The more likely explanation for this would be that different theaters simply used different lightings settings, which effectively rendered the words "suck my" (which were written in dark red on a black backdrop to begin with) invisible, with no actual intention of "censorship" behind it.
[[Image:ROTFSmartCarTwinConcept.jpg|thumb|250px|Skids and Mudflap would never get their Larry.]]
*The Twins' final alternate modes in the film, the Chevrolet Beat (Skids) and Chevrolet Trax (Mudflap), were designed by General Motors as small car concept vehicles. At one point in the film's pre-production, another small car, the [[wikipedia:Mercedes-Benz|Mercedes-Benz]] [[wikipedia:Smart (automobile)|Smart]], was evidently considered as an option for a film character; concept art of a "third twin" based on it appears in various sections of the ''Revenge'' DVD special features, always in close proximity to concept art of Skids and Mudflap. Whether it was meant to be a third character related to Skids and Mudflap or if it was supposed to be used in place of one of them is unknown. What '''is''' known is that [[Hasbro]] has had great difficultly in the past trying to get likeness licenses from German automakers, which is probably why the vehicle/character was dropped.
*In their combined ice cream truck mode, the Twins sport the [[license plate]] "KDM 814". A minor variant of this, "KDM 0814" with an extra "0", was later used for the life-sized Bumblebee prop on various displays from 2009 up until at least 2011. For the individual cars, two different sets of license plates were apparently used, either "Beat" and "Trax" referencing their car models or "Skids" and "Mudflap", with the latter two being featured more prominently in the movie (the "BEAT" plate can be seen briefly during the New York City scene, and it's ''possible'' the "TRAX" plate was used for the same scene, although the car's plate is offscreen during that scene). All four plates were auctioned off in October 2009.<ref name="licenseauct">[http://www.icollector.com/Autobots-Skids-and-Mudfap-s-license-plates-from-Transformers-Revenge-of-the-Fallen_i8633012 Mudflap and Skids license plates for auction] at icollector.com</ref> The auction claims that the plates referring to their car models were used in vehicle mode, while those identifying the two Autobots by name were used in robot mode... which is ''directly'' refuted by screencaps from the movie included with the auction, which show the robot name plates on the cars in vehicle mode. Also, the two ''real'' Chevrolet Beat and Trax cars the Twins scan already feature individualized license plates sporting their robot names. Huh.
*The Chevrolet Beat, Skids's upgraded [[alternate mode]], goes into production in 2011 as the Chevrolet Spark.

*The Twins have been accused of being derogatory racial stereotypes of inner-city African-Americans. Writers [[Roberto Orci]] and [[Alex Kurtzman]] claim to have followed [[Michael Bay]]'s lead with the characters, while Bay says voice actors [[Tom Kenny]] (Skids) and [[Reno Wilson]] (Mudflap) came up with their schtick on their own. Reportedly, Wilson (who is African-American himself) was sad to learn his way of speaking was apparently offensive to himself.<ref name="jive">[http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/06/24/transformers-jivetalking-_n_220005.html The Huffington Post's coverage of the furor over the Twins]</ref> Orci and Kurtzman said the twins' portrayal was not in their script, that they were disappointed in the characters and admitted that they could understand if others were offended by the characters.<ref>[http://www.filmschoolrejects.com/news/orci-and-kurtzman-respond-to-claims-of-racism-in-transformers-2.php Robert Orci and Alex Kurtzman respond to claims of racism on ''Revenge of the Fallen'', Film School Rejects, June 24, 2009]</ref>

*The twins are less slangy in the [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen Official Movie Adaptation|comic adaptation]] and [[Transformers (Titan Magazine)|Titan comics]], which could either indicate it was a last-minute voice actor decision or [[Simon Furman]] just didn't want to try writing "street".

*In [[Tales of the Fallen issue 6|''Tales of the Fallen'' #6]], it's revealed that the Twins' processors were messed up by the Decepticon medic [[Flatline]]. So... now they act the way they do in the film because they're ''brain-damaged''? This is not exactly ''helping''.






*Amusingly, [http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/Battle-Bios.cfm Hasbro's Battle Bio] for Skids lists his arch-enemy as... [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]].

*Skids's name is only mentioned once on-screen (by Mudflap right before he loses his grip on Skids when Devastator is trying to suck them up).

* The Twins were originally supposed to return for ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon]]''. Even though [[General Motors]] provided two Chevrolet Sparks to serve as their alternate modes<ref name="chevyspark">[http://www.leftlanenews.com/chevrolet-spark-transformers-3.html Left Lane News article on two Chevrolet Sparks spotted on the DOTM set], May 2010.</ref> which were still spotted on the set as late as October 2010<ref name="dcparking">[http://transformerslive.blogspot.com/2010/10/transformers-3-dc-parking-lot-gallery.html "Transformers 3 DC Parking Lot Gallery"], Transformers Live Action Movie Blog, October 2010.</ref>, the two were mostly edited out of the final movie (their vehicle modes can barely be glimpsed in a brief shot). Michael Bay even went so far as to offer a $25,000 reward for anyone who would see the Twins "perform" in the movie.<ref name="reward">[http://collider.com/transformers-3-twins-skids-mudflap-michael-bay/91104/ Collider.com article on Michael Bay's "reward" for spotting Skids and Mudflap "perform" in DOTM], May 2011.</ref> In the novelization and the comic adaptation, Skids and Mudflap still appear.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Skids''' (スキッズ ''Skizzu'')

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Combiners]]
[[Category:Dark of the Moon Autobots]]
[[Category:Human Alliance]]
[[Category:NEST]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen Autobots]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Cyberverse]]
[[Category:Target exclusives]]
[[Category:Transformers (2010) Autobots]]

Starscream (WFC)

2012-06-28T07:24:22Z

96.21.86.21: /* Notes */

{{faction|decepticon|hofsilver}}
{{disambig3|Starscream}}
:''Starscream is a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Aligned continuity family]].''
[[Image:StarscreamPrime.jpg|thumb|300px|In a cruel twist of fate, perhaps the most legitimately competent Starscream ever, but no one will take him seriously for even a minute.]]
'''Starscream''' was an Air Commander of the [[Energon]] [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]]s, [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s finest air warriors. His dream was to recover the [[Matrix of Leadership]] and become the [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] that would return the Transformers to the [[Golden Age]], and he saw opportunity with the rebel upstart [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]. A patient and polite schemer, Starscream used to wish Megatron would drop the heroic anti-[[caste system|caste]] charade and be more honest about his lust for power.

These days, he alternatively wishes Megatron would stop being obsessed with his lust for power and chafes under having to work for such a madman. While he serves as Megatron's right-hand man, he constantly looks for a way to become the commander himself and Megatron knows it: Starscream's extremely volatile personality means he is not adept at hiding his true intent. Fortunately for Megatron, Starscream is prone to panic, cowardice and bombastic gestures, meaning that it'd take exceptional circumstances for Starscream to actually manage to get behind him to shove the knife in.

He may be a scientist, but [[Starscream (Prime)#Notes|we're not quite sure]].

{{quote|That shot was perfect, much like the one who fired it!|Starscream after achieving a headshot|''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron]]''}}

==Fiction==
===Aligned novels===
Starscream may or may not have had a history as a scientist. Regardless of what he did prior, in the early days before the war began he was one of the leaders of the Cybertronian Air Command. When [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] fell into chaos following bombings by [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]]'s [[Decepticon]] followers, Starscream was posted as [[Sentinel Zeta Prime|Sentinel Prime]]'s bodyguard. He was with the Prime at [[Altihex]] Casino during a performance by comedian [[Armorhide (WFC)|Armorhide]] when the Decepticons attacked. Sentinel's attempt to flee rather than fight back made Starscream ashamed of his leader, so he had [[Skywarp (Prime)|Skywarp]] and [[Thundercracker (WFC)|Thundercracker]] take him to [[Kaon]] Prison rather than the safety of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]]. This earned him loyalty with Megatron, but wary of how sour a revolution could quickly turn Starscream opted not to be directly involved in the gladiator's operations, posting his Seekers at [[Moonbase One|Moon Base One]] and [[Trypticon (Prime)|Trypticon]] Station. Megatron was intrigued by why Starscream wanted to occupy "that semi-sentient pile of junk" but despite [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Orion Pax]]'s research they found no clues, with information regarding the Station seemingly censored.

Whenever Starscream's Seekers were present, the Decepticons were victorious in battle against the [[Autobot]]s. Starscream however, found Megatron's strategies overly convoluted. As the war devolved into a siege of Iacon, Megatron and [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]], by probing into forgotten areas of the [[DataNet]], discovered Trypticon was a storage of [[Dark Energon]], the life essence of [[Unicron]]. When questioned, Starscream explained since even the Air Command was not sure what Dark Energon was, he had forbidden its use, fearing the damage Megatron's gladiators would unleash. Megatron forgave Starscream, noting how he "was smart enough to be afraid of it", and was granted access.

Starscream sent a message to the Autobots proposing a meeting. Optimus only granted him a communication channel. Starscream stated if the Autobots did not know what Dark Energon was (they did) they would need to find out — and asked what would he could expect from them if something happened to Megatron. Optimus replied that he sought a just peace. Starscream said he understood, broke off the conversation and flew to [[Kaon]] Prison where Sentinel was held. Starscream offered Sentinel a chance to redeem his cowardly behavior at Altihex. The ultimate aim of this road to becoming Decepticon leader was to become [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] in a peace settlement with Optimus, and lead Cybertron back to its [[Golden Age]]. Starscream then flew to Moon Base One when Megatron ordered him to Trypticon, where he found the Decepticons had invaded the Station and slaughtered and maimed his scientists.

Megatron and [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] forced Starscream to select two survivors to absorb [[Dark Energon]], for what was a successful experiment. Requiring more for the Decepticon war effort, Megatron ordered Starscream to capture the [[Geosynchronous Energon Bridge]], below the ruins of [[Crystal City]]. Empowered by his first taste of Dark Energon, Starscream activated the device that transmitted Energon to the Station for it to be Darkened. But the Bridge still did not produce enough, and Starscream was ordered to find the Code [[Key of Power]] and [[Key of Justice]] to the [[Plasma energy|Plasma Energy Chamber]] underneath the [[High Council Tower]] in Iacon. Starscream decided it was time to release Sentinel, renouncing Dark Energon after realizing Megatron had turned his soldiers into addicts. Starscream found the Key of Power within the [[Hall of Justice]] and flew underground to find his plan had failed, as Megatron had mortally wounded Sentinel. He could see within Sentinel's body was the Key of Justice, but was prevented from taking it by [[Blackout (WFC)|Blackout]]. Megatron fought Starscream to a standstill, sparing him because he realized he was a better soldier than a would-be example.

As Megatron entered the Chamber, [[Teletraan-1]] activated the legendary [[Omega Supreme (WFC)|Omega Supreme]] to fly it away. Aware Starscream had a better chance of escaping Omega's awakening, Megatron ordered Starscream and his Seekers to down Omega, in exchange for more Dark Energon. Giving up on his attempt to give up his addiction, Starscream gleefully accepted and they successfully blew Omega out of the sky, allowing the Decepticons to retrieve the Chamber and corrupt the [[core]]. As Cybertron became uninhabitable, the Autobots left on the largest starship ever built - the ''[[Ark (WFC)|Ark]]''. Starscream left the planet with Megatron as they gave pursuit on Trypticon, now a ''Nemesis''-class supercruiser. The two ships entered a [[space bridge]], which separated the two ships to unknown parts of space... {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}}

{{charstubfiction}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Exiles|Exiles}}

===''Prime'' comic===
[[Image:Primecomic-Starscream.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Hey, look, a backscratcher!]]
Starscream had been on [[Earth]] at some point, but was assigned by Megatron to scour the galaxy for remnants of space bridge technology. Returning to their dead homeworld, Starscream built a weapons lab in Kaon and began building a space bridge. He was informed by his [[Vehicon (Prime)|Eradicon]]s elsewhere they had apprehended the Autobot spy [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]]. Later, after basking in the glory of successfully activating the space bridge that would return them to Earth and its [[Energon]], Starscream realized Cliffjumper was present. The Autobot claimed to be freed by his captors after defecting to the Decepticons, and warned them of [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]]: this ruse successfully distracted Starscream long enough for Arcee to activate and overload the space bridge, but he jumped in after them moments before the lab was blown sky high.

Falling to Earth, a dazed Starscream picked up a [[bunny rabbit]], commenting that [[human]]s were smaller than he remembered. [[Scanning]] a fleet of jets flying overhead, he found Cliffjumper and Arcee driving on a road and launched a missile at them. He picked up Arcee's blown off arm and started battering Cliffjumper with it, but the Autobot blew up the rock formation above them and crushed Starscream with the rubble. Having received Starscream's signal, [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] came to his rescue, and the duo pursued and overwhelmed the Autobots. Just as Starscream was about to send them back to the [[AllSpark]], Optimus jumped and landed on him, while gunning Breakdown away. As Starscream greeted his opponent, [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] tapped him on the shoulder and sent him flying. Optimus opted not to finish the job, allowing Starscream to escape and fight another day as he got Cliffjumper and Arcee to base. {{storylink|Transformers: Prime (comic)|Transformers: Prime}}
{{-}}

===''Prime'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Steve Blum]] (English)|[[Satoshi Tsuruoka]] (Japanese), [[Leopoldo Ballesteros]] (Spain-Spanish), [[Jin-uk Hong]] (Korean), [[Gianluca Iacono]] (Italian), [[Gerald Paradies]] (German), [[José Antonio Macías]] (Latin American Spanish), [[Nicolas Dubois]] (French), [[Nestor Chiesse]] (Brazilian Portuguese)}}

[[Image:DarknessRising1-Starscreamsneer.jpg|right|thumb|300px|One look sells him as Starscream.]]
Before Starscream joined Megatron and the Decepticons, he was commander of a squadron of Energon Seekers on Cybertron. {{Storylink|Partners}} When the Decepticons arrived on Earth, Starscream scouted a old Decepticon ship called the ''[[Harbinger]]'' that had crashed landed on Earth. However he failed to record the coordinates of the crash site or find the [[Immobilizer]]. {{Storylink|Partners}} In time, [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] departed [[Earth]] to gather an army out in space, leaving Starscream in charge. Starscream spent his time sending out [[Vehicon (Prime)|Decepticon grunts]] to search for [[Energon]] deposits{{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 2}}, and managed to set up a lucrative energon mine in secret. {{storylink|Rock Bottom}}

Three years later, one of Starscream's energon searches was interrupted by [[Cliffjumper (Prime)|Cliffjumper]]. Once Cliffjumper was defeated by the Vehicons, Starscream personally killed the Autobot. [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] alerted him to Arcee's location, and Starscream decided she would be their next target. Later, when Soundwave received a signal from deep space, Starscream hesitantly opened the space bridge for Megatron's return. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 1}} Megatron revealed to Starscream that he'd brought back [[Dark Energon]], and Starscream provided Cliffjumper's corpse so they could test the substance's reanimation properties. When the undead Cliffjumper's signal led the Autobots to the mine, Starscream blew the facility up on Megatron's orders. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 2}}

[[Image:DarknessRising3-interrogateFowler.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"No, Mister Fowler, I expect you to be saved at the last minute!"]]
Following a test of Dark Energon on himself, Megatron took off for parts unknown, leaving Starscream in charge once more. When Soundwave picked up [[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]]'s transmissions, Starscream had the human captured and began trying to extract the location of the Autobot base from him. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 3}} The interrogation almost succeeded, but for the arrival of Arcee, [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]] and [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] who, after a standoff, forced Starscream to retreat. Once Megatron returned to the ship, he was outraged at Starscream's actions and proceeded to beat his subordinate for "delaying his plans". Starscream managed to quell his master's anger by announcing he had a way to get their plans back on course. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 4}}

[[Image:DarknessRising5-ohgeez.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Oh my God. It's called toothpaste, use it.]]
As it turned out, his plan was to send Soundwave down to use a radio dish array on Earth to set the space bridge's target. Once the bridge was properly targeted, Starscream opened it so that Megatron could throw the chunk of Dark Energon though. Starscream moved the ship back to a safe distance when the fighting on the rim of the space bridge became more intense, while imploring his master to withdraw as well. Alas, the space bridge exploded, apparently taking Megatron with it, and Starscream gave a brief eulogy before declaring himself leader. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 5}}

[[Image:Masters&Students-SoundwaveStarscream.jpg|thumb|250px|left|*ping* "FINE! FINE! I'LL WRITE A THANK-YOU NOTE!"]]
Starscream's speeches were poorly received. Intending to find more potentially-loyal warriors, Starscream took Soundwave to try to revive the long-dormant [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]]. To Starscream's disappointment, Skyquake was loyal only to Megatron, and interested only in fighting the Autobots who arrived. A signal detected by Soundwave sent Starscream to the location of the space bridge explosion, where he found Megatron's body and ripped the sliver of Dark Energon from it. He was forced by the observing [[Laserbeak (Prime)|Laserbeak]] to return the body to the ''[[Trypticon (Prime)|Nemesis]]'', where he also learned that Skyquake had been terminated by the Autobots. {{storylink|Masters & Students}}

When [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] arrived on Earth, Starscream had him captured and substituted [[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]] with the mission to open the Autobot [[GroundBridge]] to let the Decepticon forces into the Autobot base. Unfortunately Wheeljack broke free before the plan could succeed, and as a result, Makeshift was expelled from the Autobot base onto the ''Nemesis'' hull with an activated grenade. Starscream vacated the hull before Makeshift exploded. {{storylink|Con Job}} After Soundwave picked up on [[Dynamic Nuclear Generation System|another Autobot operation]], Starscream figured it was a good opportunity to get rid of the Autobots while they were distracted, and sent a squadron of Vehicons on a search and destroy mission. {{storylink|Convoy (episode)|Convoy}}

[[Image:DeusExMachina-Screamer grins.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"We've had too much Energon shed. I think that a cleansing is in order."]]
To Starscream's discomfort, the crew held a vote and he was obliged to call in [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] and [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] to aid in Megatron's recovery. The discovery that an [[Energon Harvester]] was located in an museum on Earth was all the excuse Starscream needed to put that on hold, and the other Decepticons soon obtained the device for him. While they were testing it in [[Greece]], Bulkhead attacked them and destroyed the Harvester. {{storylink|Deus ex Machina}} Starscream was irritated by Knock Out's participation in street racing, and eventually decided to make an example of him. {{storylink|Speed Metal}}

[[Image:OutOfHisHead-grabby.jpg|left|thumb|250px|That's NOT how ATB Megatron and Starscream combine!]]
Some time later, after the ship's electromagnetic shielding failed, Starscream put the Vehicons to work fixing it. Offering Knock Out a post as second-in-command, Starscream persuaded him to help convince Soundwave that Megatron was a lost cause. They were interrupted by Arcee and Bumblebee, who were doing something with Megatron's corpse, and after chasing the two Autobots off, they discovered that Megatron no longer had any brain activity. {{storylink|Sick Mind}} Overjoyed at this, Starscream began a new plan, constructing a heat ray which he attempted to use to melt a glacier to get to a huge [[energon]] deposit. Unfortunately, not only did the Autobots arrive and destroy the heat ray, but Megatron was resurrected and dragged the protesting Starscream away for punishment. {{storylink|Out of His Head}}

[[Image:Shadowzone-gah.jpg|right|thumb|225px|Damn, in another [[Starscream (Movie)|continuity]] the arm comes off and they mock it in this one.]]
Starscream ended up in the infirmary as a result of Megatron's punishment, but continued undaunted in his plans. He took the chunk of Dark Energon he'd been hiding, and went to the site of Skyquake's grave, intending to resurrect the warrior as well as imbuing himself with Dark Energon. Unfortunately the Autobots arrived before Skyquake rose, and Starscream had to retreat through the Decepticon GroundBridge, albeit minus his right arm. After subjecting himself to treatment from Knock Out, Starscream returned to the site to confirm whether Skyquake had risen, only to be attacked by Skyquake's zombified right arm. {{storylink|Shadowzone (episode)|Shadowzone}}

When Breakdown was captured to [[MECH]], Starscream's suggestion they rescue their comrade was turned down by Megatron. Starscream went anyway, and found Breakdown had already been rescued by Bulkhead, but escorted Breakdown back to the ship. {{storylink|Operation: Breakdown}} At an old energon mine, Megatron confronted Starscream about his many transgressions and prepared to terminate his subordinate. Starscream was only saved by the arrival of the Autobots, but on escaping the collapsed mine, realized that he would have to go back in and attempt to rescue Megatron, or face his master's possible wrath later. Venturing back inside, he ended up tangling with the Autobots, and when Megatron later found him, he had been left supporting a large boulder. {{storylink|Rock Bottom}}

[[Image:Partners-ScreamPrisoner.jpg|thumb|250px|left|Why am I always seen like this? Chest and lower body off to one side, head towards y'all....]]
Starscream was sent with [[Airachnid]] to locate the ''Harbinger'' wreck, only for the spider to leave him webbed up when it turned out the ship was broken in half and the weapon they sought was in the other half. Starscream was found by the Autobots and attempted to convince them he wanted to switch sides, even pointing them to the location of the weapon Airachnid was after. Unfortunately he let slip he'd been the one to kill Cliffjumper, provoking Arcee into attacking him. After fighting her, he was able to limp away, though he decided from then on he would be an independent. {{storylink|Partners}}

Many months later, Starscream snuck on board the ''Nemesis'' to steal [[energon cube]]s and blundered into the workroom that was being used by the recently-amnesiac Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 1}} Starscream soon realized what was going on, but when more Vehicons arrived, he was wounded while fleeing the ship. He contacted the Autobots to exchange information for medical help. When [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] and Bulkhead arrived, it turned out they already knew about Optimus's situation, but were interested in what he knew about the space bridge, so he was able to trade the information for aid. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 2}}

[[Image:OperationBumblebee1 Silas meets Starscream.jpg|right|thumb|250px|]]
Tracking a signal, Starscream stumbled upon a MECH trap already sprung by Bumblebee. He was intrigued and followed the MECH helicopter and watched as they tried to install the [[transformation cog|T-cog]] they'd taken into a robot. When their attempt to make the robot work failed, Starscream revealed himself and managed to strike a partnership with them. {{storylink|Operation Bumblebee, Part 1}} With Starscream's help, MECH secured a source of energon and Starscream was there when they used it on their robot. As Bumblebee came looking for his T-cog, Starscream helped defend it, but when it looked like Bumblebee might get it back, Starscream blasted it and left. Unfortunately Silas was less than impressed, and after a short nap thanks to MECH's weapons, Starscream woke up minus his own T-cog. {{Storylink|Operation Bumblebee, Part 2}}

[[Image:Crossfire Starscream injured.jpg|thumb|left|300px|]]
While scavenging for energon, Starscream found that Airachnid had been cast out from the Decepticons and obtained a pet in the form of an [[Insecticon (Prime)|Insecticon]]. She spurned his suggestion that they team up to defeat Megatron, and he barely escaped with his life. Wounded, he employed his previous trick to get medical help from the Autobots in exchange for information about Airachnid's activities, and even later saved Arcee from Airachnid, sparing her life like she spared his much, much earlier. {{storylink|Crossfire}}

Starscream returned to the ''Harbinger'' in search of energon, and instead found a laboratory containing five [[protoform]]s and the equipment necessary for [[cloning]]. He had soon whipped up five [[Starscream clone (Prime)|Starscream clone]]s, which he dispatched to dispatch Megatron. Unfortunately he soon discovered that he could sympathetically feel every injury they suffered, which gave him a good idea how the mission was going. When the last clone returned to report failure, Starscream sensed the clone's treachery and blasted it. Fully aware of the effect on him, he terminated the clone, screaming in their shared pain as he did. {{storylink|Armada (episode)|Armada}}

[[Image:Triangulation Starscream Apex armor.jpg|thumb|right|240px|Don'tcha know who I am? I'M THE SCREAMERNAUT, B--*gets blasted*]]
He was about to operate on himself to install the clone's T-cog when the ship detected the Decepticons sending teams out to locations around the globe. Intrigued, he used the ship's GroundBridge to reach [[Antarctica]], only to be captured by [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]], whom he at first mistook for Skyquake. The arrival of Optimus led Starscream to find the relic everyone was after, the [[Apex Armor (Prime)|Apex Armor]], which he used to fight both Optimus and Dreadwing. Though Starscream was rendered invulnerable, he still couldn't fly, and a few bombs created a hole in the ice which he fell through. He was subsequently forced to plod along the bottom of the ocean. {{storylink|Triangulation}}
{{--}}

===Titan Magazines ''Prime'' comics===
Starscream accompanied [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] on a trip to [[Antarctica]] to attack the [[Yamal|NS ''Yamal'']]. He carried the [[static lance]] that Megatron intended to use to detonate the ship's nuclear reactors, and when the Autobots arrived to intercede, Starscream used the weapon to knock [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] out. He tried to do the same to [[Bumblebee (Prime)|Bumblebee]], but the Autobot dodged the blow and kicked him in the head. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.3|Ice Breaker}}

Tasked by Megatron with trying to draw the Autobots out, Starscream attacked and captured [[Air Force One]], taking it to the [[Grand Canyon]]. He sent a message demanding Optimus Prime's surrender in exchange for the safe return of the [[President of the United States|President]], but the Autobots turned up in force. Starscream's accompaniment of Vehicons was soon quashed, and Optimus rescued the President, whom Starscream was using as a human shield, by chopping the Decepticon's left arm off. Defeated, Starscream fled. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.6|All the President's 'Bots!}}

Starscream was appalled when Megatron revealed the latest plan—pit the Vehicons against each other in a series of deathmatches to ensure their army contained only the toughest. He was even more shocked when Megatron expected ''him'' to fight against [[Fearstorm]]. Through application of his wits, Starscream was able to defeat the much-larger Decepticon and Megatron let him return to the ship. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.7|Megatron's Law}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' (Xbox 360/PS3/PC)===
{{voiceactor|[[Sam Riegel]] (English)|[[Gianluca Iacono]] (Italian), [[Leopoldo Ballesteros]] (Spain-Spanish)}}
[[Image:WFC_Starscream.jpg|thumb|300px|Where are your stupid Macross jokes now?!]]
{{quote|Have no fear, Lord Megatron. Under my leadership, Decepticon victory is assured!|Starscream being all modest|''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron]]''}}

For the last thousand years of the [[Great War (Prime)|Great War]], Starscream was in charge of an orbital facility that had the capability of producing [[Dark Energon]], though they maintained only a small stockpile because of its unpredictable and uncontrollable nature. The station's force of neutral soldiers were no match for Megatron's invading forces, while Starscream and [[Jetfire (WFC)|Jetfire]]'s repeated warnings that no one could control Dark Energon had no effect on Megatron's determination. Instead, Megatron tempted Starscream with knowledge of his past, reminding him of his demotion from Sky Commander to a mere guard over an all-but-derelict station, and offered to let him join the Decepticons, something Starscream scoffed at — at least, at first. Starscream attempted to destroy the station's stock of Dark Energon before the Decepticon leader could reach it, but failed, and watched, first with amusement as Megatron entered the storage chamber...and then with shock as Megatron infused himself with the substance and bent it to his will within moments. Starscream quickly volunteered his services for the Decepticon cause, causing Jetfire to label him a traitor and leave to warn Zeta Prime. Megatron sent him with [[Thundercracker (WFC)|Thundercracker]] and [[Skywarp (Prime)|Skywarp]] to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to reactivate the [[Geosynchronous Energon Bridge|Energon Bridge]]. Starscream performed the mission successfully using his trademark style, flair, and modesty, never mind Megatron's taunting and unreasonable impatience, or Thundercracker's warning him of the danger of certain courses of action, or even Skywarp's cluing in to his constant insults.

During the Battle of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon City]], Starscream led the Decepticons aerial squadrons and [[Brawl (WFC)|Brawl]] led the Decepticons' ground assault, while Megatron, [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]], and [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] went behind enemy lines and tried to secure the [[Omega Key]]. When Megatron's group met up with Brawl, Starscream refused to send Dark Energon bombers, saying that he wouldn't let Brawl waste anymore of "his ships". Megatron took issue with Starscream dubbing the bombers his, and overrode Starscream's refusal. Later that evening, while looking for the "real" Omega Key, they ran into it: [[Omega Supreme (WFC)|Omega Supreme]]. Starscream assumed Megatron was killed when Omega attacked a dropship Megatron was heading for and declared himself Decepticon commander. Shortly afterward, Megatron managed to communicate with Starscream and ordered him to attack Omega Supreme, getting the massive Autobot off of Megatron's back. By the time Megatron's group were heading for the [[missile turret]]s, Starscream was ready to sound a retreat, which Megatron overrode with the threat of marking any retreating Decepticon as "kill on sight". Fortunately, Megatron arrived moments later and managed to defeat Omega Supreme, making the retreat unnecessary. Later on, he was present at the Core of Cybertron as Megatron corrupted it with Dark Energon.

As the Battle of Iacon continued, Starscream fought through Jetfire and [[Silverbolt (WFC)|Silverbolt]], and attacked [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus]]'s group in the [[Decagon]]. However, the Air Commander was injured by Optimus's [[Energon-axe]] and forced to retreat. The wound was apparently bad enough to cause him to sit out the remainder of the conflict. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron}}
{{charstubfiction}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' (DS)===
:''Voice actor'': Sam Riegel (English), Gianluca Iacono (Italian)
Starscream had been in control of Trypticon Space Station for years, until Megatron and his forces invaded. Megatron wished to revive the Dark Energon project to aid him in his conquest of Cybertron, but Starscream would have none of it. Megatron was able to fight his way to Starscream himself, and after a brief battle, Starscream had lost. He begged for mercy, and Megatrons spared Starscream in exchange for loyalty to the Decepticons. Starscream obliged and Megatron was taken to the core of the station.

After a test run of the Dark Energon's effects on Decepticons in Kaon Prison, Soundwave deduced the element would only destroy the host. A furious Megatron set Starscream to work on fixing the problem, with Starscream continuously bickering with Barricade over his usefullness. The problem was eventually solved in time for an attack on Iacon City. When Megatron felled Zeta Prime and found the Omega Key, the titanic Autobot Omega Supreme was unleashed upon the Decepticons, quickly crushing them with ease.

Megatron was downright furious with Starscream, declaring he had brought Omega Supreme's rampage upon them all. Starscream retorted that if it wasn't for Megatron and his blind troops, none of this would've happened. Starscream invited Megatron to kill him, but warned him it wouldn't do a thing about Omega Supreme out for their blood. Megatron for the moment let it go, and finally felled Omega Supreme, gaining total dominance over Cybertron.

Sometime later, Starscream ambushed an [[Autobot rookie|Autobot recruit-in-training]], and would've killed him if it wasn't for Optimus charging to the rescue. He wasn't seen again after that.
{{Storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (DS)|Transformers: War for Cybertron}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Cybertron Adventures''===
:''Voice actor'': Sam Riegel (English), Gianluca Iacono (Italian)

Being Megatron's "right-hand man," he wonders how the war could have changed if HE were to be the leader, not Megatron. Still he was ordered by Megatron to do his dirty work, and growing jealous, he waits for the right time, to take his place, as leader of the Decepticons.
{{storylink|Transformers: Cybertron Adventures}}

===''Transformers: Fall of Cybertron''===
Starscream is stated to make a reappearance in ''Fall of Cybertron''. Statements so far state that he'll become a fugitive running from both sides, which may or may not have something to do with the fact that he tries talking [[Grimlock (WFC)| Grimlock]] into joining him while also making insults at him before possibly letting him out, resulting a beating from the angry Autobot.

=== ''Transformers Prime: The Game'' ===
[[Image:TransformersPrimeTheGame Starscream.jpg|thumb|left|200px]]
{{voiceactor|[[Steve Blum]] (English)}}
{{comingsoon}}
{{storylink|Transformers Prime: The Game}}
{{--}}

==Toys==
===War for Cybertron===
[[Image:WFC_Legends_Starscream.jpg|thumb|300px|So I'm ''Cybertron'' Starscream in Generation 1 Starscream colors as ''Prime'' Starscream. Confused? ''Good!'' '''*BLAM!*''']]
*'''Starscream''' (Legends Class, 2010)

: This redeco of Legends Class [[Transformers: Cybertron (toyline)|''Cybertron'']] [[Starscream (Armada)#LOC|Starscream]] appeared pretty much out of the blue one day, when, without fanfare, it was offered as a promotional giveaway in the United Kingdom to those who purchased the ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron]]'' video game from [http://www.shopto.net ShopTo.Net]. He transforms into a Cybertronic jet fighter and features hidden weapons in his wing-sections/biceps: the right arm hides a blade, while the left arm has a non-firing cannon.

: This toy was later offered as a gift to attendees at the Animation-Comic-Game Hong Kong fair 2010 if they made a combined purchase of [[Transformers (2010 toyline)|''Transformers'' toys]] amounting to more than HK$400.

: This mold was also used the make ''Cybertron'' [[Ramjet (Universe)#Cybertron|Ramjet]], [[Skywarp (Armada)#Cybertron|Skywarp]] and [[Sunstorm (LOC)#Toys|Sunstorm]], ''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]]'' [[Ramjet (G1)#Classic Series|Ramjet]] and [[Thrust (G1)#Classic Series|Thrust]], and [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (toyline)|''Dark of the Moon'']] [[Starscream (Movie)/toys#BeeStarscream|Cybertronian Starscream]].
{{-}}

===Prime: First Edition===
{{anchor|FirstEdition}}
[[Image:Primetoy-StarscreamDeluxe.jpg|right|thumb|300px|He's got legs, and he knows how to attach them to the underside of his jetmode.]]
*'''Starscream''' (Deluxe Class, 2011)
**''Number:'' '''003'''
**''Japanese release date:'' '''[[December 28]], 2012'''
**''Accessories:'' 2 missile pods, stand (Hasbro only)

: Deluxe Class Starscream transforms from a jet resembling a [[Wikipedia:General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon|General Dynamics F-16 Fighting Falcon]] into a skinny robot and back! He comes with two missile pod accessories that can either attach onto tabs on the underside of his wings, or onto the rear wings on his arms in robot mode. Additionally, he has a [[5mm post|5mm peg]] hole that goes through each arm, both of which become the sides of his jet mode tail. This allows accessories with the same size peg to be used in either mode. Also, since the tail stabilizers fold into the sides of the tail to become the arms, the hole isn't very deep in robot mode unless you leave these fins folded out. Undocumented in either of his [[Hasbro]] and [[TakaraTomy]] [[instructions]], Starscream has a couple of features that help make him slightly more [[Show-accuracy|show-accurate]]: he has a deployable winglet on the back of each of his legs, and his large wing kibble can tilt slightly upward.

: Some units have the head aerial deformed in-package due to being made of soft plastic. This is due to friction preventing it from hinging back. The aerial is supposed to fold back along the head for transformation, but can be tough enough to get in place due to simply flexing instead of changing position. His knee spikes also tend to deform.

: As with all Hasbro-release "First Edition" toys, a cardboard stand is included. The Takara release omits the stand in order to fit the toy into the bubble in robot mode.

: This mold was [[retool]]ed to make [[Skywarp (Prime)#Toys|''Prime'' Skywarp]] and [[Slipstream (Prime)#Timelines|''Timelines'' Slipstream]].

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===Prime===
{{anchor|Cyberverse}}
[[Image:StarscreamCommander.jpg|right|thumb|300px|]]
*'''Starscream''' (Cyberverse Commander, 2012)
**''Japanese number:'' '''EZ-03'''
**''Japanese release date:'' '''[[March 31]], 2012
**''Accessories'': 2 "missile cannons"

: This Cyberverse-scaled Starscream is cast partly in translucent plastic so that the toy can be lit using the electronic lights featured in the larger playsets. He also comes with two translucent "missile cannon" weapons and a pack-in file card. The Hasbro release features soft, rubbery material on both the nosecone and tailfin for safety purposes, but not on the pointier missile cannon accessories. Starscream's arms can separate from the nosecone fuselage on the elbow joint for greater show-accuracy, if you ignore the giant jet pieces hanging off his arms. Or the fact that the 'con symbol on his chest is purple.

{{-}}{{anchor|EntertainmentPack}}
[[Image:Primetoy-BumblebeevsStarscreamStarscream.jpg|right|thumb|300px|I'd be a poor man's Skywarp if I didn't cost more to import.]]
*'''Starscream vs. Bumblebee''' (2012)
**''Accessories:'' 2 missile pods
: This deluxe-class Starscream is a [[redeco]] of his First Edition release in lighter gray plastic with several purple highlights, possibly intended to represent his powering up with [[Dark Energon]] in the episode [[Shadowzone (episode)|''Shadowzone'']]. Unlike the original release of this mold, this version features [[Paint operation|paint operations]] on its soft plastic parts, such as his forehead crest and missile-tips.

: Starscream came packed-in with a redeco of First Edition Bumblebee, small unarticulated figurines of [[Silas]] and a MECH soldier, as well as a DVD containing the episodes ''[[Convoy (episode)|Convoy]]'', ''[[Sick Mind]]'' and ''[[Out of His Head]]''. The two-pack was also available in Australian markets virtually unchanged, except the DVD was replaced with a booklet including short (and by that, we mean one sentence) bios as well as [[Tech Spec]]s for [[Breakdown (Prime)|most]] [[Airachnid|of]] the characters.

{{-}}{{anchor|Powerizer}}
[[Image:PrimeRIDtoy-StarscreamVoyager.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Oh, that can't be aerodynamic.]]
*'''Starscream''' (Voyager, 2012)
**''Japanese release date:'' '''[[June 30]], 2012'''
**''Accessories'': Missile pod/light-up [[null-ray]] blaster, two missiles

: A larger mold, ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)#Robots in Disguise (2012)|Prime: Robots in Disguise'']] Starscream still transforms into a fighter jet. He now comes with two missiles, as well as a missile pod attached to a half-translucent base of random parts, both of which can be mounted (via 5mm posts) behind his canopy/on his back, or onto his wings, arms, and hands. Additionally, the missile pod itself features a peg-hole on each side, and his wings each feature a [[Mini-Con]]-compatible peg. When the missile pod/lever is pulled, the LED inside the weapon housing lights up red and swivels down, and the base extends to form his "null-ray blaster", all while being illuminated by the LED as a sort of "Energon glow". As with other Robots in Disguise Voyager Class toys, the deployed weapon cannot lock into place.

: His prototype [[stock photography]] depicts additional [[paint operation]]s on the wings and vertical stabilizer that were omitted in the final product. His [[instructions]] and stock photos also incorrectly show his completed robot mode's shoulder-pads as being left flipped-up, despite the instructions telling [[you]] to flip them down ''just a few steps before''.

{{-}}

===Generations===
[[Image:Generationstoy-WFCFOCStarscream.jpg|thumb|300px|]]
*'''Starscream''' (Deluxe, 2013)
**''Accessories:'' Two mini-guns

: Part of the first wave of [[2013]] ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' Deluxe Class toys, Starscream is based on his ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)|War for Cybertron]]'' design and transforms from a robot to a spaceship and back. He appears to come with two mini-guns that are geared to spin and can combine to form a larger hand-held weapon.

{{comingsoontoy}}
{{-}}

==Merchandise==
*'''Starscream''' McDonald's Happy Meal Toy (2012)
: Part of McDonald's ''Transformers: Prime'' promotion, Starscream is depicted as a non-transformable, simplified version of his jet mode, cast in light and dark gray plastic with some blue, black, and purple paint applications. Pressing the raised Decepticon symbol on the fuseage causes the cockpit to pop up on a hinge, revealing two non-firing missiles.

==Notes==
[[Image:Tfprimestarscreamjet.jpg|right|250px|thumb|''ooooo-ooooo/We fade to grey!'']]
[[Image:VectorSigmaBotBuilderStarscream.jpg|thumb|250px|Fabulouscream.]]
*Starscream's backstory in ''Exodus'' is self-contradictory:
:''"Not even Starscream, who had spent much of his scientific career in the labs contained within these refracting walls..."'' (p. 78).
:''"See what?" Starscream asked. Neither Starscream nor Megatron were scientists."'' (p. 158).
:*When asked via Twitter, Exodus's writer [[Alex Irvine]] stated "Let's say he's always been scientifically curious."<ref>[http://twitter.com/alexirvine/status/36051088754868224 Twitter post]</ref>
*Despite being a [[Neutral]] before joining Megatron's cause in War for Cybertron, Starscream begins the game with his glowing details already in Decepticon purple as opposed to Neutral yellow.
*Starscream's thin body and narrow, upward-swept wings in robot mode recalls [[Starscream (Animated)|''Animated'' Starscream]], but his voice, colour scheme, Igor-like posture and subservience to Megatron recalls the [[Starscream (Movie)|live-action incarnation]]. The game design has the movie bulk but with a [[Starscream (G1)|Generation 1]] head and colours.
*Starscream's chest design is basically his live-action incarnation's head design. Now that's a visual homage.
**And an unintentional one at that, according to the New York Comic-Con Transformers: Prime panel.
*''Prime'''s Starscream has [[Starscream (SG)|a red Decepticon insignia]].
*[[Steve Blum]] said he was a fan of [[Charlie Adler]] and [[Tom Kenny]]'s portrayals of Starscream, and had Adler give him his blessing after he got the part.<ref>[http://sknr.net/2011/04/20/steve-blum-talks-transformers-prime-guild-wars-2-bulletstorm-more/ Skewed magazine Steve Blum interview.]</ref> Coincidentally, Blum, Adler and Kenny are all in ''The Super Hero Squad Show''.
* Screamer appears to have [[Decepticon]] logos on his legs. They disappeared after "[[Masters & Students]]".
* His eyes change color from episode to episode. On some occasions, they are solid red with lighter red dots for his pupils. Other times, they are empty (like Arcee's eyes) with a solid red iris and lighter red pupils.
* For the rest of the series after "[[Partners]]", Starscream has a scar on his right cheek from his battle with Arcee.
* Sometimes during the series, depending on Starscream's mood (usually when scared), the wings on his back in robot mode tend to droop down like an animal's ears when scared or saddened. It's quite adorable, really.
* Starscream's body parts are available to use in the Hub website's [[Vector Sigma Bot Builder]] online game. Normally, you cannot configure a generic 'bot using all Starscream parts, but you can see what one would look like at right through the magic of Photoshop.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Starscream''' (スタースクリーム ''Sutāsukurīmu'')
*''Mandarin:'' '''Tīen-wáng-hsīng''' (Taiwan, 天王星, "Uranus"), '''Hóng Zhīzhū''' (China, 紅蜘蛛, "Red Spider")

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:Exclusives]]
[[Category:Hall of Fame]]
[[Category:Prime Decepticons]]
[[Category:Scientists]]
[[Category:Seekers]]
[[Category:Transformers Online Decepticons]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron Decepticons]]
[[Category:Fall of Cybertron Decepticons]]

Seok-jeong Yang

2012-06-05T06:47:45Z

96.21.86.21:

[[Image:Seok Jeong Yang.jpg|thumb|right|150px]]
'''Seok Jeong Yang''' (양석정 ''Yang Seok Jeong''; born [[January 18]], [[1975]]) is a South Korean voice actor. He has voiced on many dub for films, TV and anime, including [[Obi-Wan Kenobi]] in the ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]'' prequels, Sayid in ''Lost'', Sanji in ''One Piece''. He is a member of the Korea Broadcasting Voice Acting Division.

==Voice roles==
===''Transformers Animated''===
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]]

==External links==
*[http://ko.wikipedia.org/wiki/%EC%96%91%EC%84%9D%EC%A0%95 Seok Jeong Yang] on the Korean Wikipedia.
*[http://www.kbs.co.kr/voiceactor/profile/14.html Profile on KBS site]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yang, Seok Jeong}}
[[Category:Korean voice actors]]

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