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Ark (G1)

2012-07-08T16:22:36Z

98.182.38.139: /* Devil's Due G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers comics */

{{disambig3|Ark}}
[[Image:Ark-Toon.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Hurry up and get on, will ya? The flood's starting.]]
The '''Ark''' is the name given to the Autobot spaceship that, in many universes, originally carried the [[Autobot]] and [[Decepticon]] armies to [[Earth]].

The Ark is a [[Vanguard (ship class)|''Vanguard'']]-class Deep Space Interceptor.
It has 5 Decks and houses a full crew complement of 300 Transformers (although it can be flown by only a handful if necessary). Its environment is fully automated and self-sufficient. For engines, it features 4 Hyperfuel Intake Accelerators.

It is armed with 16 particle-combustion cannons (port), 16 laser emitters (starboard), a primary starfield missile launcher, and an Overshock sonic battery.

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Generation 1====
{{noteukonly}}
{{note|The comic version of the ship tends to have a more squared-off look to it and is frequently (though not always) shown as being a metallic silver. It has a main computer designated [[Aunty]] and a number of ancillary [[Ark shuttlecraft|shuttlecraft]].}}

[[Image:ArkComic1.jpg|left|180px|thumb|The Ark as it first appeared in the Marvel Comics...]]

''The Ark was "the last of the great arks," suggesting that there had been previous ''Vanguard''-class ships. {{storylink|Raiders of the Last Ark}}'' It is also referred to as the most powerful starship in Cybertron's history, and control of it was considered a huge tactical advantage.

It was launched to clear a path for the wandering planet [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] through an asteroid field. When this was done and her reserves depleted, the Decepticons attacked and boarded her. Hoping to end the threat of Megatron forever, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] '''purposely''' crashed the ship into the passing planet Earth. The Ark crashed into [[Mount St. Hilary]], a volcano located a small distance outside of what would one day become [[Portland|Portland, Oregon]]. {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers}}

After the crash, some of the Ark's systems still functioned, and when they detected the Decepticon [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] making planetfall, the ship revived five of her Autobot crew and rebuilt them into the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]. Upon the disappearance of these warriors in their attempt to destroy Shockwave, the Ark shut itself down. {{storylink|Repeat Performance!}}

{{note|At no point in the comics does it explain why it rebuilt the Dinobots based on the dominant organic life, and yet it could only assimilate mechanical life in 1984.}}

[[Image:ArkComic2.jpg|right|300px|thumb|...and as it came to be fairly consistently portrayed as the comics progressed.]]
Four million years later, Mount St. Hilary erupted, jarring the ship back to life. It revived and, unable to distinguish Autobot from Decepticon or to detect organic life (clearly it had suffered additional malfunctions since creating the Dinobots), it revived both sides to transform into the machines it perceived as the planet's dominant lifeforms.

The Ark became the Autobots' main base of operations on Earth. {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers}}

The Ark constructed five new Transformer bodies. [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] installed within them the minds of five Autobot warriors, which were encoded in crystals before the Autobots left Cybertron. {{storylink|Rock and Roll-Out!}}

During [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock's]] first term as Autobot leader, he had the ship repaired {{storylink|Used Autobots}} and returned to space. {{storylink|Child's Play (issue)|Child's Play}} The Ark hung around near Earth for a time, until it was abandoned in orbit when Primus teleported all nearby Transformers back to Cybertron to face [[Unicron]]. {{storylink|Out of Time!}} It was recovered by the Dinobots and flown to Cybertron to engage Unicron. {{storylink|The Void! (US)|The Void!}} Grimlock, being the master of tactics that he is, physically rammed Unicron with the powerfully armed starship, which was then abandoned and crashed on Cybertron. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}} It was recovered this time by Shockwave and [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], who repaired it and took it to Earth to conquer that planet with it. {{storylink|Still Life!}} This plan was foiled by [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], Megatron and [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] crashing the party. Their battle caused the ship to crash to Earth again, this time into the Canadian wilderness. {{storylink|A Savage Circle}}

;Crew of the Ark
[[Image:AuntieTransmitsSignals.jpg|right|thumb|200px|[[Aunty]], their computer system]]
[[Image:Interautobotradio.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Inter-Autobot radio]]
[[Image:Arkrepairbay.jpg|right|thumb|200px|[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]]'s repair bay]]
[[Image:Arkaltar.jpg|right|thumb|200px|The Ark's altar]]
The Ark's original crew in the comics included all of the 1984 Autobots, the Dinobots, ''[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] (in the UK),'' the recorded mental engrams of most of the other 1985 Autobot cars, and [[Toaster]].

The crew of the Ark consisted of:

*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]]
*[[Autobot Cars]]
**[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]]
**[[Hound (G1)|Hound]]
**[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]
**[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]]
**[[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]]
**[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]
**[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]]
**[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]]
**[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]]
**[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]]
**[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]
*[[Mini Vehicle|Autobot Mini Vehicles]]
**[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]]
**[[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]
**[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]]
**[[Gears (G1)|Gears]]
**[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]]
**[[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]]
*[[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]
**[[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]
**[[Slag (G1)|Slag]]
**[[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]]
**[[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]]
**[[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]]
{{-}}

====Generation 2====
The Ark was recovered and repaired by Megatron, {{storylink|Realignments}} who attempted to take it back to Cybertron and conquer ''that'' planet with it. This was foiled by [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]], who sacrificed their lives to cause an anti-matter explosion that finally destroyed the great ship. {{storylink|All or Nothing!}}

====''Classics''====
{{note|The Classics comics pick up after the Marvel comics series but ignore the events of the UK books and Generation 2.}}
[[Image:Swooparkclassics.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Since it crashed 15 years ago, it's rounded itself off and grown another rocket port.]]
Megatron took command of the Ark, but apparently kept it (with Ratchet on ice, and Shockwave's head in a jar) as his new headquarters on Earth. The ship played host to the visiting Decepticons led by [[Bug Bite (G1)|Bug Bite]], and a subsequent battle between the Decepticons as well as a party of invading Autobots, who destroyed its computers. {{storylink|Games of Deception}}
{{-}}

===Generation 1 cartoon===
{{note|The Autobot ship in the Generation 1 cartoon is never actually named. Fans have generally called it the Ark, however, borrowing the name from its comics counterpart. In appearance, the ship tends to have a more rounded, ovoid look to it and is a golden yellow color. It has a main computer designated [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletraan I]].}}
[[Image:ArkCartoon1.jpg|left|250px|thumb|The Ark's launch. An unseen bumper sticker reads: "Primus is my copilot".]]
Other ''Vanguard''-class ships, pretty much identical to the Ark, are seen taking refugees from Cybertron on a history tape. {{storylink|Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2}} It is suspected that the settlers of known Autobot colonies such as [[Paradron]] were among these.

[[Image:CrashedArk1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Doooo Dooooo Dooooooo DOODOOOOOOO DOOT DOOT DOOT DOOT DOOT DOOT DOOTDOOT Doooo!]]
The Ark was launched under the command of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] to search for fuel, but ran afoul of two colliding asteroids. Then the [[Nemesis (G1)|Decepticon ship]] attacked, and the Decepticons under [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] boarded it. Out of control, the Ark crashed to Earth, smashing into a volcano in what would eventually become a desert. The exact location is unknown, but closely resembled the American southwest. There it rested until a volcanic eruption four million years later reactivated it and its inhabitants. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}}

{{note|In the [[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 2|second issue]] of the [[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (manga)|''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' manga]], the Autobot Headquarters is said to be located in Arizona. The manga acted as a supplement to the television series. Whether this pertains to the English version of the show is debatable.}}

;Crew of the Ark
The Ark's crew consisted of all the 1984 Autobots. A vehicle resembling [[Grapple]]'s alt-mode and called "[[Hauler]]" is also seen shortly after the Autobots revived on Earth and may represent another crew member. Some or all of the 1985 Autobots '''may''' also have been crewmembers.

The original crew of the Ark consisted of:

*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]
**[[Roller (G1)|Roller]]
*[[Autobot Cars]]
**[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]]
**[[Hound (G1)|Hound]]
**[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]
**[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]]
**[[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]]
**[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]
**[[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]]
**[[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]]
**[[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]]
**[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]]
**[[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]
**[[Hauler]]
*[[Mini Vehicle|Autobot Mini Vehicles]]
**[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]]
**[[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]]
**[[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]]
**[[Gears (G1)|Gears]]
**[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]]
**[[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]]

{{note|A number of Autobots introduced later in the series ([[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]], etc.) came down with [[Cybertonium]] depletion {{storylink|Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1}} indicating they have been away from Cybertron just as long as the known members of the original Ark crew. This may indicate they were also part of the Ark crew behind the scenes and perhaps not initially repaired by Teletraan I.}}

====Autobot Headquarters====
[[Image:Ladybreakeandfatjazzr.jpg|left|250px|thumb|They're working hard to remove all the rocks that aren't part of the background matte.]]
After coming back online, the Decepticons immediately departed. However, the Autobots remained in their crashed ship, which served as their base of operations: '''Autobot Headquarters'''.

The ship was severely damaged by the crash and its subsequent entombment; massive rocks were visible inside the ship (whether they penetrated the hull on impact or were formed there later is unclear), and broken and damaged consoles are frequently seen in the background. The ship never flew again. The Autobots seemed to be preparing to re-launch it after the crash of the [[Victory (G1)|Decepticon space cruiser]], {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 3}} but months later, both the Autobots and the ship remained on Earth. {{storylink|Transport to Oblivion}}

Over time, the Autobots modified and expanded their base. An elevator provided passage to upper levels within the volcano, {{storylink|Enter the Nightbird}} and a retractable door sealed off the volcano's crater. {{storylink|Dinobot Island, Part 2}} Early on, a small module serving as Ratchet's medical center sat near the main entrance, {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}} but was later removed. Explorations by [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] and [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] revealed a system of caves beyond the ship's walls. The caves revealed a treasure trove of dinosaur bones, which became the inspiration for the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]. {{storylink|S.O.S. Dinobots}} The base's nerve center was the supercomputer Teletraan I.

The base's geographic location proved a liability on at least two occasions, when Decepticon-induced calamities caused the volcano to become active again. During the first of these eruptions, several Autobots were blasted out of the cone and into the troposphere, requiring [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]] to come to their rescue. Ironhide managed to bring the eruption to a halt by shooting down some rocks. No, really. {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 2}} The system of caves beneath the base also allowed the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] to enter the base from below, in an attempt to destroy Teletraan I. {{storylink|Heavy Metal War}} [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] was known to use the volcano's crater as an entry/exit point when on spying missions. {{storylink|Divide and Conquer}}

Autobot Headquarters remained in use in 2005, though it appears to have been supplanted by [[Autobot City]] as the Autobots' primary operations center. During Megatron's massive assault on Autobot City in 2005, Autobot Headquarters fell under assault by [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] and [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The Animated Movie}}

[[Image:FFoD5 ArkvsTrypticon.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Jealous of the better mountain headquarters, Matt Trakker sends in Trypticon.]]
By 2006, the base had been equipped with a large number of retractable cannons built into the mountainside. They were not enough to save it from destruction at the hands of the giant Decepticon [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], however. A [[Mini Vehicle|squad of Autobots]] led by [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]] made a stand against the oncoming [[city-bot]], but were brushed aside. Warpath ordered Teletraan I to activate the automated defenses, but the barrage of cannonfire gave Trypticon only momentary pause. He smashed the guns, then blasted the entire mountain to rubble. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5}}

{{note|The distinction between the ship and the headquarters is unclear. The presence of damaged equipment in the base (presumably, damaged when the ship crashed) implies that the Ark and Autobot Headquarters are one and the same. However, the Autobots are consistently shown driving more-or-less directly out of their headquarters through a ground-level passage '''below''' the ship. Further, the Ark rests at a high angle from the horizontal, while the inside of Autobot Headquarters is shown with everything upright and normal. While artificial gravity (which the Transformers definitely have) could explain the latter, another explanation might be that Autobot Headquarters is actually a series of remodeled caves within the volcano, adjacent to the ship.}}

===''Beast Wars'' continuity===
====''Beast Wars'' cartoon====
{{note|The Ark as it appeared in ''Beast Wars'' was based upon the general appearance of the Ark from the ''Generation 1'' cartoon, but with some design influences from the ''U.S.S. Defiant'' from science fiction series ''Star Trek: Deep Space Nine''.}}
[[Image:Arkbw.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Wait a minute...that's not engine exhaust! The Ark is on fire!]]
According to [[Optimus Primal]], the Ark was built using "[[die-cast]]" construction, a lost art by the Beast Wars era.

According to [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]], the Ark was launched under the command of [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], carrying a group of the Autobots' "finest heroes". One of the two copies of the ''[[Covenant of Primus]]'' was carried aboard. During the voyage, the Ark came under attack by the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'', the flagship of the [[Decepticon fleet]]. Decepticon Leader [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] led a boarding party which attacked the Ark crew. However, both ships were damaged and fell into the gravity well of the nearby planet Earth. The Ark crashed into a semi-active volcano, and the Transformers aboard were sent into emergency stasis lock.

Though [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] had ostensibly come to prehistoric Earth to look for a massive cache of [[energon]] to fuel his war against the [[Maximal Imperium]], he was in reality following instructions recorded by the original Megatron on the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]] from the Voyager space probe. Once on Earth, he apparently found the crash site of the Ark, but buried the entrance to the interior of the volcano. At that point, he had deemed the plan to destroy the deactivated Autobots aboard her and change the outcome of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]] as a last-chance gamble should he ever be backed into a corner with little hope of escape. Such a situation came to pass while he was a prisoner aboard [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]]'s [[transwarp cruiser]], and he convinced the former Decepticon to free him by revealing his plan. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}}

[[Image:Ark BWAgenda1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"She may have flaws, but she has teeth."]]
After failing to destroy the [[Axalon (BW)|Maximal base]], he traveled to the crash site, where he forced Blackarachnia to deactivate the security systems of Teletraan I and allow him access to the Ark's bridge. Observing that he was walking in the hallowed halls of the past as somebody who was soon to change the very course of history, he flew to the prone form of Optimus Prime and unleashed a torrent of pent-up rage over what he felt was Maximal injustice toward the conquered Predacons. He then fired at Optimus Prime's head, which created a time storm. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)}} Fortunately, the Maximals fixed everything. {{storylink|Optimal Situation}}

Megatron would later reenter the Ark with a new mission: take the [[spark]] of Megatron and merge it with his own. However, [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] betrayed him and set the Ark to self-destruct. Fortunately, Blackarachnia was able to deactivate the overload. {{storylink|Master Blaster}}

After securing the ''Nemesis'', Megatron attempted to destroy the Ark (along with all the Decepticons inside, which might have destroyed him as well). The Maximals tried to bring the Ark online and use it to fight against the ''Nemesis'', but the engines had been idle for too long. However, using a [[Autobot Shuttle Omega Delta|shuttle]] housed in the Ark, [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] was able to damage the ''Nemesis'' and capture Megatron. After sufficient modifications, the shuttle was later used to transport the Maximals home, while the Ark and its sleeping passengers remained in the volcano to begin the Great War eventually. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}

====IDW ''Beast Wars'' comics====
[[Image:Ark BWGathering.jpg|left|200px|thumb|"Tough little ship."<br/> "''Little?''"]]
[[Razorbeast]] and his small, temporally displaced group traveled to the Maximal encampment in the volcano in order to obtain tools to repair the transwarp signal booster which they hoped to find in the wreckage of Ravage's transwarp cruiser. Not willing to risk taking something that might be noticed missing from the ''Axalon'''s shell, they instead took what they need from the Ark. {{storylink|The Gathering issue 3}}

{{-}}

===Dreamwave Generation 1 comics===
There is some question as to the Ark's appearance in the [[Dreamwave Generation One continuity|Dreamwave continuity]], as it is never shown in totality in an actual comic story. Pictures are seen in the final issue of their ''[[Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' guide, and there it is drawn to look mostly like the cartoon model (though oddly missing the rear "spoiler"). However, the [[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide|DK ''Transformers Ultimate Guide'']], whose main focus was Dreamwave continuity, gives a cutaway diagram of the Ark drawn in the Marvel Comics style instead, only colored yellow-gold as in the cartoon.

The Ark was destroyed in 2004 while [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] and [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] countered a Decepticon attack headed by [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] and [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]]. {{storylink|Night of the Combaticons}}

===Devil's Due ''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers'' comics===
[[Image:GIJoevsTF2_Ark.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Wow, people actually ''noticed'' a giant alien ship? That's been imbedded in the side of a mountain over the entire course of human history? Who'd have thought?]]
The Ark crashed on Earth at some point in the past, leaving the Autobots and Decepticons inside it deactivated. Eventually, the craft was found by the arms trafficker [[Destro]], who passed the information on to the terrorist organization [[Cobra]]. Cobra then broke into the ''Ark'', hauled away its dormant passengers, and covered up their tracks so nobody else would discover the ship. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 1}} Unbeknownst to the humans, their break-in caused the Ark's computer, [[Teletraan I (G1)|Teletran-One]], to be reactivated. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 4}} Unfortunately for Cobra, [[Mercer|one of their own]] defected to [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] and told them all about their findings. The United States government subsequently dug up the Ark, dismantled it, and brought the pieces to [[Roswell]] for study. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 2}}

Following the defeat of Cobra and the Decepticons, the government helped the Autobots construct a new Ark with which to return to Cybertron. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers issue 6}}

{{-}}

===IDW Generation 1 comics===
[[Image:SpotlightGalvatron Ark1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Continuing the tradition of horrible things happening to every ship named Ark.]]
6.2 million [[Units of time|meta-cycles]] ago, the first legendary vessel to be designated as the ''Ark'' was launched from Cybertron under the command of [[Nova Prime]]. Its stated mission was to plot a safe passage from the [[Cybertronian Quadrant]] of the galaxy through the [[Benzuli Expanse]], though its true mission was [[Expansion]]. Twenty-thousand [[Units of time|astro-cycle]]s out, it disappeared with all hands lost. Over the eras following its loss, rumor, myth and legend sprang up around the ship, obscuring the few existing facts surrounding its fate. {{storylink|Spotlight: Optimus Prime}}, {{storylink|Spotlight: Galvatron}}

{{note|This ''Ark'' appears in the flashbacks to look a bit like a merging of the older cartoon and Marvel Comics designs.}}
Known passengers on this first ''Ark'' include:

* Nova Prime
* [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]]
* [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]
* [[Grindcore (G1)|Grindcore]]
* [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]
* [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]]
* [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]]

[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] was also supposed to be on board, but never made it to the launch. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|How to Say Goodbye and Mean It}}

On his reappearance, Galvatron revealed that the ship disappeared after he intentionally piloted it directly into the anomaly within the Benzuli Expanse, which turned out to be a gateway to a region known as the [[Dead Universe]]. {{storylink|Spotlight: Galvatron}}

In the present day, the fate of the first ''Ark'' was one of the "big three" mysteries that [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] liked to dig into in his free time. He eventually got a lead on possible remains of the ship, but it turned out to be a trap specifically set to draw him in. On [[Gorlam Prime]] he found wreckage of the correct type and age to come from the ship, and far beneath the surface, he discovered a vast inter-dimensional portal. Before he could dig into the mystery even more, he was overtaken by a strange group of Transformers who captured him and messed with his head, eventually erasing his memory of being there at all. {{storylink|Spotlight: Nightbeat}}

While Nova Prime's plans for the Expansion failed, the ''Ark'' remained in the Dead Universe alongside the wreckage of starships from other universes. Galvatron floated past it when he returned to the strange dimension and met [[D-Void]]. {{storylink|Heart of Darkness issue 2}}

In the modern era, the Autobots utilized numerous ships designated "''Ark''", each distinguished by a number following the title. Among them were the ''[[Ark-12]]'', ''[[Ark-17]]'', ''[[Ark-19]]'', ''[[Ark-27]]'', and ''[[Ark-32]]''. The original ''Ark'' was retroactively given the designation ''Ark-1''.

The [[Ark-1 Memorial Grounds]] were dedicated to the first ''Ark'' and its crew. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 2}} The Autobot [[Rung]] had a model of the ''Ark-1'' on his desk. {{storylink|Bullets}}

==Merchandise==
===Titanium Series===
* '''Autobot Shuttle Ark''' (3-inch Robot Masters, 2006)

[[Image:Arktitanium.jpg|left|180px|thumb|Look closely. [[R2-D2]] apparently got lost before he auditioned for the voice of Roller.]]
:The first ever tangible representation of the Ark was a die-cast Titanium figurine at the 3-inch scale. The very forward section was based on the Ark's appearance in the original cartoon, but attached to it is an approximation of the back 2/3s of another space ship, the "Electronic Star Bird" created and sold by Milton Bradley in 1978. [http://www.bugeyedmonster.com/toys/starbird/] Odder yet, the technical information on the back refers to the Marvel Comics Ark's destruction at the hands of Fortress Maximus, and that Ark, as seen above, does not resemble either the cartoon Ark or this toy at all.

[[Image:Arktitaniumfront.jpg|right|100px|thumb|Tiny, isn't she?]]
The very forward portion of the Titanium is removable, allowing for a more accurate toy. (The most iconic portion of the Ark, the rear engines which were often seen protruding from its rocky resting point on Earth, are not present due to placement of the attachment point.)

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Autobot/TitArk/ark.htm More information on the Ark at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

===Diamond Select===
[[Image:Ark_Globe.jpg|thumb|right|200px|The Bot in the Plastic Bubble]]
*'''Autobot Snow Globe''' (2007)

:The ''Ark'' appears as part of the base of this snow globe, mostly embedded in a mountain like in the cartoon. The globe was sculpted by [[Art Asylum]] and sold by [[Diamond Select Toys]].

{{-}}

==Notes==
* The Ark was clearly named after the real-world [[wikipedia:Bible|biblical]] story of [[wikipedia:Noah's Ark|Noah's Ark]], a seagoing vessel that carried representatives of every animal species on Earth through the [[wikipedia:Deluge myth|Great Flood]]. With the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon adding the [[Covenant of Primus]] to the ship's cargo, it could be said to parallel the [[wikipedia:Ark of the Covenant|''other'' biblical Ark]] as well.
* An Autobot shuttle featured in Marvel UK's "[[Space Pirates!]]" and "[[Firebug!]]" stories used the cartoon series' design for the Ark.
* A working name for the Ark was "[[Aunty]]". This was confirmed by [[Bob Budiansky]] at his panel at [[BotCon 2010]].<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/conventions-15/botcon-2010-bob-budiansky-panel-coverage-170041/ Bob Budiansky Botcon Panel Coverage]</ref>
* Also confirmed by Bob Budiansky was that the ship was originally planned to crash into [[Mount St. Helens]] rather than Mount St. Hilary.
*The ship's Japanese name in supplemental media, "Iacon Bridge", was derived from the translation of the English line "We're nearing the bridge to Iacon. One mega-mile to go.", in which "Bridge" was rendered as the English word and not as a Japanese word. From that line, the Japanese assumed that "Iacon Bridge" referred to the ship. A later reference book uses the term to refer to [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] itself.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Iacon Bridge''' (アイアコーンブリッジ ''Aiakōn Burijji''), '''Ark''' (アーク ''Āku'')

==Footnotes==
<references/>

[[Category:Autobot bases on Earth]]
[[Category:Autobot starships]]
[[Category:Beast Wars locations]]
[[Category:Beast Wars starships]]
[[Category:Decepticon bases on Earth]]
[[Category:Generation 1 locations]]
[[Category:Generation 1 starships]]
[[Category:Generation 2 starships]]
[[Category:Pacific Northwest]]
[[Category:Titanium Series]]

Hall of Records

2012-07-08T16:06:35Z

98.182.38.139:

[[Image:OneShallRise3-HallofRecords.jpg|thumb|400px|Having fun isn't hard, when you've got a library card!]]

The '''Hall of Records''' is a library facility located in Iacon, the capital city of the Autobots, on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] which contains information on [[Transformer]]s, including the date they were created, and also contains not ''quite'' the entire history of the [[Autobot]]s.

==Fiction==
===''The Transformers'' cartoon===
[[Image:Surprise Party Hall of Records.jpg|thumb|left|The books are there to give it a stately, respectable ambiance.]]
[[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] wanted to find out the date [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] was created in order to plan a surprise party for him. After going to the [[Cybertron Central Records]] and asking [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], he and [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] learnt that the information was not located there but was perhaps in the Hall of Records. Once they journeyed there, they met the [[Custodiobot]], who told them that the data was not available in the Hall, but was in the [[Lost Cybertronian Storage Asteroid‎|Storage Asteroid]]. {{storylink|Surprise Party}}

===''Exodus''===
The Hall of Records, located in the city of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] is not open to the public. The information contained within is vast, (stretching from the mythology of a billion years past to the important [[DataNet]] transmissions of today), and it all is methodically cataloged, and filled away by monitors such as [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Orion Pax]]. The robot in charge of the Hall of Records is the Archivist of Iacon, [[Alpha Trion (Prime)|Alpha Trion]] who, some suspect, may be [[Thirteen|more than meets the eye]]. During the [[Autobot]]-[[Decepticon]] war, the Hall of Records was maintained by a skeleton crew, and a reading room became the informal headquarters of the Autobots.

It is referred to as the '''House of Records''' by High Councilor [[Drivetrain (WFC)|Drivetrain]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}}

===Hall of Fame bios===
[[Waspinator]] was part of the crew that stole the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disc]] from the Hall of Records. {{storylink|Transformers Hall of Fame|Waspinator's 2011 bio}}

===''Prime'' cartoon===
Late in the war, the Decepticons stormed the Hall of Records and retrieved many important files, but were unable to decrypt them. The discovery of amnesiac [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]]—in the mindset of Hall archivist Orion Pax—finally gave [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] the opportunity to decode the files, and [[Project Iacon]] commenced, Orion working on decoding the locations of Cybertronian artifacts hidden on Earth. To prevent Orion from discovering his deception, Megatron ordered [[Soundwave (Prime)|Soundwave]] to sterilize the parts of the archive relating to war history, aware of Orion's inquisitiveness. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 1}}

==Notes==
*In its Generation 1 appearance as well as the usual computer storage, the Hall of Records bizarrely also holds information in book form—although when we say "holds", we really mean they're left lying around in piles.
*Orion Pax worked past a maze of corridors, on the 18th floor of the Hall, third from the northwest corner, where he was lucky enough to be near a window with a pleasant cool breeze and a nice view of the lights of Iacon.
*Likewise, he picked an airy reading room with a high ceiling and narrow arched windows because it gave him space to think. The bot has good taste.

[[Category:Archives on Cybertron]]
[[Category:Autobot bases on Cybertron]]
[[Category:Beast Wars locations]]
[[Category:Generation 1 locations]]
[[Category:Iacon]]
[[Category:Prime locations]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron locations]]

Cliffjumper (Animated)

2012-07-08T15:55:28Z

98.182.38.139: /* Fiction */

{{factions|autobot}}
{{disambig3|Cliffjumper}}
:''Cliffjumper is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Transformers Animated]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:AniCliffjumperModel.jpg|right|250px|thumb|"Yeah, [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] turning red in [[Nanosec (episode)|Nanosec]] was ''totally'' a reference to me. Totally."]]

Due to his temper, '''Cliffjumper''' never made it as a spy. He does excel at collecting data from those who did, however, and presents this information to his superiors. Given the data that passes in front of his optical sensors, he's pretty high-strung regarding potential Decepticon attacks, and always ready for a brawl.

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon===
{{Idw-tfa}}
:''Voice actor'': [[David Kaye]] (English), [[Atsushi Imaruoka]] (Japanese)

Cliffjumper worked with [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Minor]] at the [[Autobot boot camp]]. He was listening wordlessly to Sentinel's complaints about his latest recruits, and casting aspersions on [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]]'s mental state. When asked about the echo that Sentinel was hearing, he gave no reply. Shortly after that, Cliffjumper hauled away the cadet [[Wasp]], who had been arrested for being a [[Decepticon]] spy. ([[Shockwave (Animated)|Too bad they got the wrong guy.]]) {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}}

[[Image:Transwarped-Cliffjumpersecretary.jpg|left|thumb|250px|He may have a temper, but he types 100 wpm!]]

Years later, Cliffjumper was assigned to [[Shockwave (Animated)|Longarm Prime]] in the intelligence division. During a series of concentrated Decepticon raids on [[space bridge]]s, Cliffjumper alerted his commander that Ultra Magnus had ordered the entire space bridge nexus shut down in order to prevent the Decepticons from using any to reach [[Cybertron (planet)#Animated|Cybertron]]. A little later, Longarm asked the unsuspecting Cliffjumper to dispose of some "[[Blurr (Animated)|sensitive material]]". {{storylink|TransWarped}}

Cliffjumper answered the call from Sentinel Prime on [[Earth]], gladly taking the good news that many of the Decepticons operating there had been taken into custody. He got to break it to the Primes that Ultra Magnus had been attacked and critically wounded by the ''true'' Decepticon spy, Longarm. {{storylink|Five Servos of Doom}}

[[Image:FiveServosofDoom-CliffjumperVideoConferenceWithPrimes.JPG|right|thumb|200px|[[Chins|Chin-''tastic!'']]]]

He later was given command of [[Cybertron Intelligence]] and a resulting seat on the [[Autobot High Council]]. He was part of their discussion with Sentinel, and bluntly poked holes in his former boss' claims of capturing Decepticons. {{storylink|Decepticon Air}}

When [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] and his crew finally returned to Cybertron victorious over [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]], Cliffjumper was among the cheering crowd that welcomed him. {{storylink|Endgame, Part II}}

''Cliffjumper was soon seen holding the cubified [[Blurr (Animated)|Blurr]] in the stadium where the [[Team Stunticon|Stunticons]] were holding their performance.'' {{storylink|The Stunti-Con Job}}
{{--}}

==Toys==
===Animated===
[[Image:Cliffjumperactivators.jpg|right|300px|thumb|What temper? He's just a bot in need of a hug.]]
*'''Cliffjumper''' (Activators, 2009)

:Part of the fifth wave of ''[[Transformers Animated (toyline)|Animated]]'' [[Activators]], Cliffjumper is a [[retool]]ing of [[Bumblebee (Animated)#Activator|Bumblebee]]. He [[autotransformation|automatically transforms]] from a sub-compact car to robot mode via spring-loaded releases when you press his top-mounted police light.

:Cliffjumper and his new-to-the-assortment wave-mate [[Dirge (Animated)|Dirge]] saw widespread release in European markets well before they made it to US stores in decent numbers, leading to a certain amount of fan-panic over their potential cancellation.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Autobot/Cliffjumper/cliffjumper.htm More information on Cliffjumper at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

[[Image:Activators takaracliffjumper.jpg|right|300px|thumb|Now he's miffed because he didn't get a shiny new paint job like everyone else.]]
*'''Autobot Intelligence Aide Cliffjumper''' (Activators, 2010)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TA-10'''
:Cliffjumper was released in Japan by [[TakaraTomy]]. The main difference between this toy and the US release is the full-color Autobot symbol.

{{-}}
==Notes==
* Character designer [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] personally requested this page be moved to "Cliffjumper (Animated)" versus "Little red Autobot" back when his only appearance was as an unnamed, voiceless cameo.
* It was stated in an interview with [[Marty Isenberg]] that Cliffjumper was originally supposed to be the [[Wasp|Autobot framed for being a spy]], but [[Hasbro]] ruled against the idea. <ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/interviews-27/tfw2005-interviews-transformers-animated-story-editor-marty-isenberg-165509/ TFW2005 interview with Marty Isenberg]</ref>
* According to [[Derrick J. Wyatt]], Cliffjumper is the acting head of Intel, but has not been promoted to a proper Prime yet. <ref>[https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=21975298&postID=7377197988130647403&isPopup=true Derrick J. Watt bloggy thing]</ref>
* Cliffjumper's voice changes in tone from episode-to-episode. Who knows why?
* In the ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|AllSpark Almanac II]]'', Cliffjumper not trusting [[Mirage (Animated)|Mirage]] is a reference to their Generation 1 counterparts going through the same clash in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]] episode “[[Traitor]]”.
* Cliffjumper wears the [[65356-9292-346]] [[body-type]].

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Cliffjumper''' (クリフジャンパー ''Kurifujanpā'')

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Animated Autobots]]
[[Category:Security officers]]

Megatron (Animated)

2012-07-01T00:13:56Z

98.182.38.139:

{{factions|decepticon|hofsilver}}{{disambig3|Megatron}}
:''Megatron is a [[Decepticon]] from the [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Megatronanimated.jpg|300px|thumb|An insult to G1, we swear!]]
If you were to ask '''Megatron''' to describe himself in one word, he'd probably go with "heroic". He sees himself as a freedom fighter, [[Decepticon leader#Animated|leading]] the Decepticons out of the days of "[[Autobot]] tyranny". The fact he's hoping to replace that with Decepticon tyranny isn't really a concern. A fanatic at [[spark]], he revels in every Autobot who suffers at Decepticon hands and doesn't register humans as anything more than "collateral damage."

Megatron demands loyalty from the Decepticons, loyalty he gains by his awe-inspiring power. With the combined threat of a sharp mind, his [[fusion cannon]], a pair of deadly swords and simple brute strength, there aren't many who'd dare cross him. Still, he has no problem manhandling troops as a gentle reminder.

The loss of his body and former power was only a minor setback for him, as Megatron proved a master manipulator. He effortlessly duped [[Isaac Sumdac]] into helping him—and once Megatron was restored to full power, he turned the tables on his old captor.

He is extremely intolerant of treachery and deals with [[Starscream (Animated)|said treacherous bots]] with a vicious no-nonsense efficiency, [[Megatron (G1)|unlike other Decepticon leaders]]. He is also a shrewd strategist who effortlessly [[Scrapper (Animated)|wraps]] [[Mixmaster (Animated)|others]] around his fingers.

{{bigquote|Decepticons... ''transform and rise up!''|Megatron puts a new twist on [[Roll out|an old saying]]|"[[Megatron Rising - Part 2]]"}}

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon===
{{Idw-tfa}}
:''Voice actor:'' [[Corey Burton]] (English), [[Norio Wakamoto]] (Japanese), [[Jan Spitzer]] (German), [[Mirosław Neinert]] (Polish), [[Raffaele Farina]] (Italian), [[Afonso Amajones]] (Portuguese), [[Mario Santander]] (Latin American Spanish, season 1 and 2), [[Alexander Páez]] (Latin American Spanish, season 3), [[Song Junseok]] (Korean)

[[Image:Megatron Cybertron.jpg|left|thumb|Pointier than thou.]]
''Eons ago, Megatron overthrew the [[Decepticon|Decepticon]] leader [[Megazarak (Animated)|Megazarak]] and took control of the faction for himself. He gave speeches and wrote manifestos calling for the Decepticons to rise up and take control of both Cybertron and the [[AllSpark]] from the Autobots. Finally, on the [[Cycle of Infamy]], he took the Decepticons from mere rhetoric to outright war.''

''The Decepticons overran Autobot space but the Autobots under [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] had one major advantage—[[space bridge]] technology, which allowed them to move about the galaxy more easily. The Decepticon advance ground to a halt.'' {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}} However, Megatron's forces continued to fight on until the Autobots sent the AllSpark through the space bridge to random coordinates. Realizing that the AllSpark was the key to defeating the Autobots, Megatron abandoned the Cybertron theater and began searching the galaxy aboard his massive flagship, the ''[[Nemesis (Animated)|Nemesis]]''. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}} ''With the war going badly after this, Megatron tried a last-ditch attempt with the [[False Calm]] and sent his troops at sub-light speeds to Cybertron. During the [[Battle for Iacon]], Megatron destroyed [[Gamma Supreme]]. Ultimately, the attack failed and the Decepticons were finally forced to agree to an armistice and exile.'' {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}}

[[Image:TFA TARO Decepticons attention.JPG|175px|thumb|He's not planning on shaking Prime's hand...he's going to tear it off.]] However, Megatron continued to search for the AllSpark. Four million years later, the ''Nemesis's'' crew discovered a [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|small Autobot repair vessel]] after detecting the AllSpark. When [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] volunteered to attack, Megatron saw his ambitions all too clearly, and pointedly remarked that he wasn't about to let four million solar cycles of searching for the AllSpark end with Starscream getting his greasy wings on it. No, Megatron would strike the Autobot ship and take the AllSpark himself. Just prior to his departure, Starscream approached him again, ostensibly to wish him luck, but actually to place an overload device on his leader's back. This device went off just as Megatron's fusion cannon was about to breach the hull of the Autobots' ship. The Autobot crew managed to steer the now-failing ship through an asteroid field and into a nearby [[space bridge]].

With the ship now plummeting through the Earth's atmosphere, a wounded Megatron still managed to thrash the crew soundly and nearly claimed the AllSpark. Quick thinking on the part of [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] sent the Decepticon leader out the cargo hatch and into free fall. Megatron [[Megatron (Movie)|fell from the sky]] and crashed in Paw Paw, Michigan, where his head (and later, a hand) was found by a young [[Isaac Sumdac]].

Over the next fifty years, Sumdac built a robotics empire by reverse-engineering Megatron's components, while, Megatron's inert head remained secretly in Sumdac's private lab, the source of the human's engineering genius and also a secret shame. Megatron's severed hand was there as well, used by Sumdac as a piece of furniture. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}

[[Image:AniMegsHead-TransformAndRollout.jpg|left|150px|thumb|Hey Megatron, don't lose your... oh.]]
After the Autobots re-awoke, [[Sari Sumdac|Sari]] used her [[AllSpark Key]] to sneak into her father's lab. He stopped her from seeing anything it contained, but the AllSpark energy from the Key was absorbed by Megatron's head, reawakening his spark and bringing him back online. Confused and disoriented, he automatically brought up video footage of Starscream and the Autobots, footage in which Starscream admitted to his treachery. Furious both at Starscream's betrayal and the fact he didn't have the hands to reach out and take the AllSpark which was finally within his grasp, he released a burst of energy which activated a small drone Dr. Sumdac had been working on. Megatron thus realized he could control the extremely primitive (by his standards) technology around him. Learning Sari was going to spend the night at the Autobot base, he secreted his drone into her backpack. Once she arrived, Megatron sent the drone to look for the AllSpark, but his search was fruitless. He decided to try a simpler method: Kill the Autobots and extract the data from their lifeless corpses. Interfacing with the factory's assembly line, he attacked. As the Autobots fought back, he decided to cut out the middleman and knocked a hole in a fuel tank. [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] realized the factory was working via motion sensors and managed to get close to the control panel. To counter him, Megatron simply took over the factory arms and snatched up Prowl. However, he failed to stop [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]], due to the primitive tools he was forced to use. With his plans foiled, Megatron was out of patience, refusing to work through these worthless proxy machines. He needed a body, which meant it was time to provide some more advanced technology to Sumdac... {{storylink|Home Is Where the Spark Is}}

Megatron soon revealed to Isaac that he still functioned and, when Isaac guessed he was a friend of the Autobots, Megatron played along. He persuaded Isaac to keep his existence secret until Isaac had built him a new body, as then the Autobots would be more forgiving of how Isaac had reverse-engineered their friend. Megatron then helped construct the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]], deliberately programming them to go on a rampage and building fire-breath into them as a prototype for a planned army of drones. When they were defeated, Megatron despaired he might never gain a new body, but upon discovering they'd been turned into sentient Transformers, he quickly convinced them that cars, trucks and "[[Autobot|car robots]]" were evil beings that ate the fossil fuels supposedly derived from dinosaurs.

During their second rampage, Isaac realized Megatron had deliberately built weapons into the Dinobots. The tyrant feigned shame, saying he'd added experimental features out of a desire to have a body again. Isaac promised not to tell the Autobots and that Megatron would have a body again one day... {{storylink|Blast from the Past}}

[[Image:TFA Nanosec Sumdac Megatron chill.JPG|right|200px|thumb|Rub it in, why don't you?]]
Soon, Dr. Sumdac began attempting to build him some new servos, but these proved inadequate. Megatron revealed that his body would need [[Destronium]] to work, but Isaac responded there was only a small amount available and that it would have to be delivered across town in less than 10 minutes or it would become unstable. Taking notice of an experimental turbo suit Sumdac's labs were developing (with flaws that possibly precluded Isaac considering it as a solution), Megatron manipulated computer systems so the suit was delivered to small-time hood [[Nanosec|Nino Sexton]]. Once Sexton began using the suit to commit crimes too quickly to be stopped, Megatron contacted him with an offer of much money out of Dr. Sumdac's private account if Sexton used the suit to steal and deliver the Destronium. Between Autobot interference and the suit aging him prematurely, Sexton failed. Worse, the Destronium was energized to a critical level, risking an explosion that would destroy [[Detroit]]. The Autobots barely managed to send the Destronium sample into the upper atmosphere before it exploded, and they were left to wonder why a human had tried to steal it in the first place. {{storylink|Nanosec (episode)|Nanosec}}

After Megatron learned of the power of Sari's AllSpark Key and the careless nature in which she used it, he attempted to trick her into assisting him. He designed [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]], a musical toy that was secretly meant to grow more powerful every time Sari used the Key upon it, until eventually it would be a suitable robotic body for Megatron himself. When the Key instead brought Soundwave to independent life, Megatron changed his plan and, with convincing logic, recruited Soundwave as a Decepticon warrior. {{storylink|Sound and Fury}}

When [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] and [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] arrived on Earth, Megatron, remembering Starscream's betrayal, was hesitant to act. After witnessing a battle between his soldiers and the Autobots, Megatron concluded that Blitzwing was too unstable, but Lugnut was genuinely loyal. He contacted Lugnut only, instructing him to locate the AllSpark, which would help restore him. Later, he also informed Lugnut about the Key. Unfortunately, Lugnut and Blitzwing were defeated and damaged by the Autobots, severing Lugnut's link with Megatron—and Megatron's only link to the outside world. {{storylink|Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found}}

[[Image:Sumdac megatron%27s body.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Yeah, it's a fixer-upper.]]
Although Megatron himself was not mentally involved, his headless body was infected with [[space barnacle]]s, causing the barnacles to mutate into a semi-sentient form. After absorbing two mining bots and attacking a [[Sparkplug (Animated human)|miner]], it was defeated by Bumblebee and Prowl. Later, the body was discovered (minus space barnacles) by Isaac Sumdac and most likely brought back to his laboratory. Sumdac remarked that Megatron would be ''very'' pleased with the find... {{storylink|Nature Calls}}

[[Image:MegRisingRebuilt.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Don't call it a comeback; I've been here for years.]] Sumdac attempted to rebuild Megatron, but progress was slowed by a power failure. Frustrated, Megatron again contacted Lugnut and ordered him to bring him the AllSpark Key. This communication triggered Starscream's curiosity, and the treacherous jet located Megatron. Starscream didn't have time to <s>finish his speech</s> slay Megatron before he was distracted by the Autobots—and Megatron used that distraction to take Starscream by surprise and eject him from the lab. When Blitzwing and Lugnut arrived with the Key, Megatron revealed his true identity to his human "friend". Sumdac, seized by the mechanical hand he had so long used as a chair, could only watch and wail in horror as the Decepticon tyrant used the power of the AllSpark to reconstruct himself, more powerful than ever. Finally restored, he burst through the roof of [[Sumdac Tower]], to the horror of the Autobots and Starscream, ready to unleash his vengeance on all of them. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 1}}

[[Image:PayThePiper.JPG|200px|left|thumb|"Will anyone else attempt to fill his shoes?"]] Megatron's revenge was quick and brutal. Trashing the Autobots in short order, he called his Decepticons to him. As Starscream bootlicked, Megatron powered up his fusion cannon to destroy the one responsible for his defeat—then used the AllSpark Key to send a painful power surge through Starscream, extinguishing the traitor's spark and reinforcing his authority over Blitzwing and Lugnut. He commanded them to "transform and rise up," and the three Decepticons took to the sky, using the Key to track the AllSpark.

[[Image:Megatron Rising 2 All Spark Megs boom.jpg|right|200px|thumb|This is not good...]] Finding it aboard the Autobots' ship, the Decepticons caused the ship to crash on [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], where Megatron proceeded to beat the [[Slag (slang)|slag]] out of Optimus Prime. Getting into the ship, Megatron removed the AllSpark from its casing and placed it in his chest, preparing to devastate Earth before conquering Cybertron. However, Professor Sumdac used his knowledge of Megatron's circuitry to disrupt his equilibrium sensors, causing Megatron to drop the AllSpark Key. Optimus Prime used the Key to force a surge of power through the AllSpark within Megatron, causing it to explode and disperse its energy.

And yet, it was not a total loss for Megatron; despite the damage, he escaped and managed to abduct Sumdac. Once again, their fates were intertwined, only this time Sumdac was Megatron's prisoner. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 2}}

Establishing a base deep underground in a mine, Megatron quickly adjusted his plans after the loss of the AllSpark. During his battle aboard the Autobot ship, he had managed to download a partial [[space bridge]] schematic from their computers. He planned to use the space bridge to teleport himself, Lugnut, and Blitzwing to Cybertron, then conquer the planet from within. To facilitate this plan, Megatron used the captive Professor Sumdac to reverse-engineer the space bridge and fill in the "gaps" within the schematics. However, when a service bot suddenly malfunctioned, it was revealed that a shard of the AllSpark was embedded within it. This gave Megatron hope that the AllSpark was not destroyed, but dispersed throughout the city of Detroit. {{storylink|The Elite Guard}}

[[Image:Swordscream.JPG|200px|left|thumb|Yes, Starscream, and we'll keep doing it until you get it right!]]
Finding out about the AllSpark fragments, however, didn't seem to result in any changes in his plans. Megatron received word from a spy that the Decepticons had begun making random assaults on the Autobots. He realized that they needed to make a concentrated effort in order to secure his victory. He had Lugnut and Blitzwing steal a tachyon transmitter from the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]] so he could send his message, but was interrupted during his transmission by a revived Starscream. After quickly beating him to a pulp, Megatron relayed his commands to the spacefaring 'Cons, only to be repeatedly attacked by a seemingly invincible Starscream. The renegade even attempted to draw Megatron out with an AllSpark fragment. Megatron emerged victorious every time and was informed by his spy that all was going as planned: With his [[Decepticon Uprisings|forces now drawing the Autobots away from Cybertron]], Megatron could attack a weakened Cybertron from within as soon as his space bridge was completed. {{storylink|Mission Accomplished}}

Later, while at the Decepticon base, Lugnut detected an AllSpark energy signal emanating from Detroit. Megatron quickly dispatched Lugnut to retrieve the AllSpark shard before the Autobots could. Lugnut proceeded to praise his master's "grand and glorious plan", but Megatron, fed up with the adulation to the point of involuntary optic-twitching, curtly commanded his enforcer to get going. {{storylink|Garbage In, Garbage Out}}

[[Image:RiseoftheConstructicons-Megatron%27sprivateblend.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Gentlemen, to evil.]]
When Lugnut and Blitzwing brought the [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructobots]] back to base, Megatron saw the advantage of keeping them alive, and he invited them to have a look at his space bridge schematics. Impressed by their knowledge, he decided to put them to work stealing supplies. After an encounter with [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]], the Constructobots became convinced of "the funny guy's" less-than-noble intentions, and they returned to the mine to confront him. Megatron calmly slammed them both against a rock face and asked them to explain. He feigned shock and brought them in to discuss things over his own private oil blend. Megatron showed himself to be a bit of an oil connoisseur, possessing stylish little goblets for it made of twisted oil drums, as well as a secret stash of top-quality oil and a chamber to drink it in. Megatron spoke of the glories they could achieve as Constructicons: the adulation, the statues in their honor...the barrels of oil they could down. Ever the shrewd worker, it didn't take much for him to convince them to join up, and he promptly sent them to the Autobot base to retrieve the AllSpark fragments. {{storylink|Rise of the Constructicons}}

[[Image:Rise Constructicons Megatron what.jpg|200px|left|thumb|Constructicons say WHAAAAAT?]]
When Starscream escaped from the Elite Guard's ship, Megatron received [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]]'s alert to the Autobots thanks to the stolen tachyon transmitter. Megatron had placed a bounty on the traitor, and [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] (with the unknowing aid of Prowl) pretty much took the opportunity to bring him to the Decepticon leader. Lockdown contacted Megatron to confirm that he had captured a purple-ish "Starscream" (who was acting quite odd and cowardly) and agreed to meet at an abandoned warehouse for the exchange. As "Starscream" was brought to Megatron, Prowl, who was hiding on a rafter high above, accidentally scuffed a small bolt, which grabbed the Decepticons' attention. Not too long after, the Autobots appeared with another, different-colored Starscream. Megatron intercepted Lockdown's escape and announced confusedly that no one was to leave until they found out which was the true Starscream. However, it turned out that both Starscreams were clones with bombs in their [[spark]] chambers designed to destroy Megatron and the Autobots in one go. Quickly thinking up a plan, Megatron and the other Decepticons transformed and escaped forcibly through the ceiling. However, Prowl used the upgrades given to him by Lockdown to send the [[Starscream clone (Animated)|clones]] into the air, not too far from the fleeing Decepticons, when the bombs exploded. It is unknown if they were wounded, but Megatron later raised the bounty on Starscream—insisting on the ''real'' one this time. {{storylink|A Fistful of Energon}}

He was later contacted by [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]], who attempted to sell him a new weapon. Nothing came of this, as Swindle was defeated before the deal could be closed. {{storylink|SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy}} Megatron also made some ''"secret"'' transmissions to his [[Shockwave (Animated)|double agent]] on Cybertron in order to settle his new plans for the coming Autobot-Decepticon war. {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}}

[[Image:TFA ABTC1 Megatron Sumdac Hostage.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"Did I tell you about the time I killed the cult leader?"]]
Megatron's plans finally seemed on the verge of fruition when Sumdac and the Constructicons completed the space bridge. However, some vital technical aspects made it inoperable. In order to remedy this, Megatron contacted Shockwave to learn who was Cybertron's leading [[Space bridge technician]], which turned out to be the Autobot Bulkhead. Not wishing to leave Doctor Sumdac alone to sabotage the Constructicons' efforts, Megatron took him along as a hostage while he went to capture Bulkhead. Once he had the big Autobot in custody, Megatron threatened to use the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] unit on him if he didn't help make the space bridge operational. To Megatron's satisfaction, Bulkhead agreed and finished the project. Just as the machine was activated, both the Autobots and Starscream and his clone army attacked. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part I}}

The three-way free-for-all ironically forced Megatron and Optimus Prime to team up temporarily, but this quickly ended when Megatron used Prime's body as a shield against one of Starscream's clone's attacks. Despite putting up a decent resistance, Megatron was overwhelmed and held down by two of the Starscream clones. As the original Starscream gloated, he was head-jacked by Isaac Sumdac in the Headmaster unit. Sumdac prepared to fight Megatron himself, but Megatron simply used his strength to throw the two Starscream clones at him, knocking off the Headmaster unit and proving himself the victor. With Starscream incapacitated, the clones sided with Megatron. He then made his own victory speech to his soldiers, declaring he would send Optimus Prime through the bridge to test it. However, the Autobots got some [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|reinforcements]]. Megatron quickly ordered the majority of his forces to deal with this new menace while the Constructicons cleared the space bridge area of rubble. Grabbing Optimus, Megatron threw him into the portal, but was frustrated when Prowl freed his leader in the nick of time, at which point the bridge shut down. Bulkhead declared the power source wasn't strong enough to maintain the link for long, so Megatron grabbed Starscream's AllSpark-powered head to maintain the gateway. However, this provided too much power, sending the space bridge portal out of control. An enraged Megatron decided to terminate Optimus Prime, only for Optimus to slap [[stasis cuffs]] on him, causing him to lose his grip and fall into the portal.

[[Image:TFA ABTC2 Megatron Screamer End.jpg|200px|left|thumb|"Stop staring at me!"]]
With the overload having deleted the space bridge's receiving coordinates, the defeated Megatron was transported to some unknown sector of space. Still immobilized by the stasis cuffs, Megatron's only companion was now Starscream's head, which a cruel twist of Fate had deposited right next to him. Forced to remain face to face with his traitorous ex-lieutenant, Megatron could only trade verbal blows. A most cruel fate, indeed. {{storylink|A Bridge Too Close, Part II}}

After their bickering subsided, Starscream began trying to free Megatron from the stasis cuffs, but having no body was a hindrance. Megatron was only freed when Starscream revealed a previously unseen weapon from his mouth. Before they could react, Omega Supreme appeared, offline. Getting aboard him, Megatron was captured by Omega, but was able to convince the simple processor possessing behemoth to take him to Cybertron to face a war crimes tribunal. However, Omega Supreme's attempt to transwarp to Cybertron left them somewhere else in space, but did drain Omega for the time being. Initially disgusted that he was trapped aboard the cause of the Decepticons defeat, as well without his weapons and only Starscream for company, Megatron soon realized that if he could reprogram Omega to serve him, he would be a great advantage.

Managing to hotwire the Autobot with the stasis cuffs and Starscream's AllSpark charged head, Megatron contacted Shockwave to give him a status report on the Earth space bridge. However, the situation was worse than Megatron realized: not only was the space bridge network shut down, but the Earth Autobots could expose Shockwave at any moment. Although Omega Supreme provided an advantage that could end both problems, Megatron decided that the space bridge invasion plan was a failure, and issued a fleet wide stand down order. Heading to Earth, Megatron attempted to use Omega to destroy the Autobots (even though he couldn't remember their names). However, Prowl and Optimus Prime managed to board Omega and sever Megatron's control over him. Unfortunately, Starscream managed to gain control over Omega Supreme, capturing Megatron again. Ever the manipulator, Megatron convinced Starscream that his time would be better spent conquering Cybertron. However, the Autobots managed to install the [[plasma dynamic thruster]] from Megatron's space bridge into Omega Supreme, sending Omega and the two Decepticons aboard warping through space randomly. {{storylink|TransWarped}}

[[Image:TFAni Decepticon Air Lugnut Megatron.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Don't you just hate it when fanboys keep following you?]]
Later, as Lugnut was floating through space following his half-successful escape from the Elite Guard flagship, Omega Supreme transwarped to directly in front of him and he smashed into the bridge window. When Starscream asked Megatron if they were picking up hitchhickers, Megatron simply slapped his head of its position. That was for asking stupid questions.. {{storylink|Decepticon Air}}

Soon thereafter, Megatron gained control of Omega Supreme's transforming mechanism, and by detaching the plasma dynamic thruster was also able to direct their transwarp jumps; however, he could not get the weapons online without the proper access codes. Megatron brought the ship to Cybertron, where they could do little but float helplessly in the air; Megatron reasoned—correctly—that the Autobots would not dare fire on their own most famous weapon (though [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel "Magnus"]] sure wanted to). Megatron ordered Shockwave to hurry up his search for the access codes; once Shockwave successfully abducted Arcee and boarded the ship, they transwarped into Earth orbit right before Sentinel opened fire. Megatron welcomed Shockwave aboard as his "most loyal" servant, to the great concern of Lugnut. {{storylink|This Is Why I Hate Machines}}

Now on the moon, Megatron commanded Shockwave to extract the access codes from Arcee's mind. When Starscream re-attached his head to another clone body, Megatron pursued him and destroyed all the remaining clones, teasing Starscream for having always thought on a small scale. Megatron's ultimate plans for the protoforms aboard the ''Nemesis'' was to use them to create his own clone fleet of Omega Supremes—based on the personality template of his ''truly'' most loyal minion, Lugnut. That part of the plan went just fine, but Shockwave was still unable to get Arcee to do his bidding—perhaps because although she was fooled by his Longarm Prime persona, she saw the evil Megatron standing right behind him and refused to cooperate. After a few technical bypasses put Lugnut in mental command of the "[[Lugnut Supreme]]" fleet, Megatron ordered his new weapons to test their skills by destroying the Earthbound Autobots. {{storylink|Endgame, Part I}}

[[Image:TFA-Endgame-PanAcrossEveryone.jpg|left|thumb|240px|...No Comment]]
Observing from within one of the Lugnut Supremes, Megatron's first target for destruction was his former prison, Sumdac Tower. But when the tower's forcefield proved impenetrable and Optimus Prime was able to destroy one of the Lugnut Supremes and severely damage the other two by using the [[Magnus Hammer]], Megatron settled on a new plan: destroying everything that wasn't him. He flew cover over the advancing Lugnut Supremes, directly engaging Optimus Prime (at first mistaken for [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]], then dismissed as a [[knockoff|"cheap imitation"]]) so Prime would not again be able to use the Magnus Hammer on the giants. As their combat raged on, Megatron was at last able to remember Optimus Prime's name, to Prime's bitter enjoyment. The two were later trapped within a prison of Allspark energy—meant to seal in the timebomb that Starscream had secretly placed in one of the Lugnut Supremes and Megatron reasoned that even if he himself had to die, he could at least kill Prime first. But Prowl's ghost was having none of that, and Megatron soon found himself left alone to be blown up. Though massively damaged, he survived this and turned to attack the Autobots once more. He was quickly defeated by Optimus Prime, and when Megatron then invited Prime to kill him, Prime retorted that that would be "the easy way out," which Megatron did not deserve. Megatron was placed in [[stasis cuffs]] and arrested, then brought back to Cybertron and displayed as a prisoner before the cheering Autobot masses. {{storylink|Endgame, Part II}}

''If [[Cyclonus (Animated)|Cyclonus]] is to be believed, Megatron would have become '''Galvatron''' in the future and kill [[Oil Slick (Animated)|Oil Slick]].'' {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}}

===''Quest for the AllSpark''===
Megatron took to hanging around online using the alias "Meg A. Tron". Masquerading thusly, he was able to recruit the unwitting help of [[Heinz Von Furstwartz|Professor Heinz Von Furstwartz]] in his scheme to sow confusion amongst the Autobots and get hold of the AllSpark. He was also able to take control of Detroit's legion of robot workers, forcing the Autobots to enact an elaborate plan to keep the AllSpark safe. {{storylink|Quest for the AllSpark}}

===Titan Magazines===
[[Image:MegatronTitan23.jpg|right|180px|thumb|"NIXON'S BAAACK!"]]

Apart from showing interest in the activities of [[Quake-Maker]], {{storylink|Animated Comic issue 1|Burnout!}} Megatron seemed idle... but what the Autobots were unaware of was that he'd constructed a Spark-less drone unit, [[Afterburn]], as a prototype of a future army, and then sent Afterburn off to spy on the Autobots.

He not only received repeated communications from his spy, but gained directions to the Autobot base! Megatron entered with explosive results {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 23|Divebomb}} and then ''killed'' Afterburn while rubbing [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]'s nose in it. He proceeded to summon the other Decepticons and thrash most of the Autobots with ease, making some really bad puns along the way, only stopped when [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] secretly got him buried under a crane. Starscream then "saved" him, making Megatron think he'd turned over a new leaf and thus giving him temporary command until he got better. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 24|Megatron's Revenge}}

{{-}}
===Animated shorts===
[[Image:MockMegs-bunny.jpg|thumb|left|200px|If only [[Cyclonus (Animated)|he]] was around to see this]]
While Megatron gave an inspirational speech to his Decepticons (which seemed to be very similar to [[Mission Accomplished|another message]] he'd sent out), Starscream proceeded to make fun of him behind his back—making faces, giving Megatron bunny ears, and shaking his butt at his leader. Megatron was suspicious of Starscream's actions, but each time he turned to look, his lieutenant was standing there innocently, doing nothing unseemly. Megatron apparently decided to let it go, as did the other Decepticons (even Lugnut), until he finally caught Starscream in mid-heckle and dealt with him by blasting him through a wall. {{storylink|Starscream Heckles Megatron}}
{{-}}

===''The Cool'' comic===
[[Image:TheCoolMegatronChokesPrime01.jpg|thumb|300px|right|All aboard the Crazy Train! ''Toot! Toot!'']]

Stumbling across Optimus Prime's band of Autobots, who had recently discovered the long-lost Allspark, Megatron pursued the Space Bridge repair crew relentlessly, even after they lost the rest of Megatron's band of Decepticons by going through a Space Bridge gate. Having invaded the Autobot's ship, he beat down the entirety of its crew, save for their leader. Though already having all-but lost an arm in combat when he confronted Optimus, Megatron engaged in vicious melee combat, gloating all-the-while that the Universe would be under his possession when the Allspark would be in his possession. Defiantly, Optimus managed to expulse Megatron from the ship's cargo bay door as the vessel was plummeting though the Earth's atmosphere, reducing the mighty Decepticon to a smoldering head, to be discovered by a young boy...{{storylink|The Cool Extra issue 3}}

At some point, [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] double-crossed Megatron and attempted to kill him. Unbeknownst to anyone, Megatron's head survived his destruction and had hooked into [[Detroit]]'s closed-circuit video surveillance system. Following the dispersion of the [[AllSpark]] (and Starscream's apparent demise), Megatron became intrigued by [[Sari Sumdac|Sari's]] [[AllSpark Key|key]] after she used it to bring [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] back to life. Interests piqued, Megatron declared the time was right to initiate the next phase of his operation. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 2}}

Megatron eventually got his hands on the key and used its power to revive himself. After killing Starscream, Megatron engaged Optimus Prime in a sword-to-axe duel. The outcome of that fight is unknown, though apparently the Autobots survived the day. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 5}}

Megatron later hired [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] to capture the (somehow still alive) Starscream. Lockdown mistakenly captured [[Clone number 3370318|Clone #3370318]], instead, while the Autobots captured [[Clone number 2716057|Clone #2716057]]. Megatron was met with both clones at his meeting place in a warehouse and demanded to know why there were ''two'' Starscreams. When the clones turned out to be bombs, Megatron attempted to flee in helicopter mode, only to be chased down by the explosives after [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] attached a pair of rockets to them. Megatron screamed in confusion as he was caught in the explosion. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 6}}

With the [[space bridge#Animated cartoon|Space Bridge]] nearly completed, Megatron was caught off-guard by a surprise attack from Optimus Prime and the Autobots. Clashing sword with Prime's axe, Megatron arrogantly told the Autobot he could never win, though his efforts were amusing. Megatron was then met by a second surprise: an attack by Starscream and his [[Starscream clone (Animated)|Clone Army]]. Megatron was forced to fight side by side with Optimus, but quickly dissolved the partnership when he use Prime as a shield to block one of [[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]]'s shots. Dropping Prime's smoking body, Megatron informed all listening that the universe belonged to him. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 7}}

Megatron then installed the severed head of Starscream into the Space Bridge in order to power it with his AllSpark fragment. The fragment proved ''too'' powerful and caused the Space Bridge to overload. Optimus, recovered, took Megatron's distraction as an opportunity to defeat the villain once and for all. Slapping a pair of stasis cuffs on him, Optimus kicked Megatron in the jaw and sent him hurtling into the vortex. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 8}}

Megatron found himself warped to the same coordinates as Starscream's head and Omega Supreme. Megatron attempted to use Starscream's [[spark]] to jumpstart Omega Supreme, but the plan backfired and Starscream took control of Omega's systems. Starscream sized Megatron in his giant hand and, taunting him, returned to [[Earth]] for vengeance against the Autobots. Megatron would not be so easily defeated, however, and breaking free, teamed with Optimus Prime to sever Starscream's connection to Omega. That dealt with, Megatron and Optimus then agreed to end their rivalry with a final battle. Flying off into the sky, the enemies clashed sword with hammer. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 9}}

Megatron found himself outmatched by Optimus's Wingblade and Magnus Hammer, however, and chose to even the odds by blasting his foe with his fusion cannon, powered by Starscream's AllSpark fragment! The blast blew Optimus to pieces, but just to be sure, Megatron impaled his foe through the [[spark]] chamber with his sword, anyway. Optimus refused to be beaten and absorbed the power of the AllSpark fragment into himself... somehow. Repaired and now apparently invincible, Prime mopped the floor with Megatron. The defeated [[Emperor of Destruction]] was then carted back to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] in shackles. {{storylink|The Cool Episode Final}}

==Games==
===Transformers Animated: The Game===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Corey Burton]] (English)
[[Image:TFAnimated Game Megatron.jpg|thumb|left|126px|Helmet design provided by Lego.]]
After completing a space bridge terminal in his hidden mine base on [[Earth]], Megatron began to prepare to attack Cybertron. He hired [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] to collect [[AllSpark]] fragments to power his Space Bridge and obtained enough to do so, however while he was in the process of powering it up, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]]'s team found the base and attacked him. Though he boasted he could beat them easily without the use of weapons, they used an electromagnet to defeat him, and he was forced to escape by transwarping to Cybertron.

There, he was able to take control of some of the planet's defense systems, driving the Autobots away from the Space Bridge Nexus, and sent out a message ordering his forces to take control of the Space Bridges around the rim of the galaxy. [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] soon reported that they'd captured more than a dozen Space Bridges. Before Megatron could take control of the nexus, Optimus's team caught up with him. Commandeering some of the defense systems, they managed to defeat him. Growling that the Decepticons would rise again, Megatron transwarped out to parts unknown. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The Game}}

===Transformers Battle Universe===

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

{{--}}

==Toys==
===Animated===
[[Image:TFAnimated Deluxe BattleBegins Megatron toy.jpg|250px|thumb|SPAAAACE ROOOAAACH!]]
*'''Optimus Prime vs. Megatron: The Battle Begins''' (Entertainment Pack, 2008)
**''Accessories'': Missile

: Transforms into a sleek spacecraft with, er, VTOL turbofans (presumably designed to show some lineage with his eventual helicopter mode. It's best if you don't think about it too hard). Megatron's signature fusion cannon forms the central chassis and cockpit section of the spacecraft (officially, a "Fusion Fighter"); his sword sections mount on the sides of the cannon for storage, though the blade is unremovable and effectively useless. Like the [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Prime]] figure he comes with, he features a punching gimmick, having a spring-loaded waist that snaps back when twisted. Unfortunately, Megatron's balljoint hips and the swivel joints between his thighs and knees are rather loose, making it difficult to pose the figure in such a way that he stands on his own. The figure features a silver color scheme and battle damage paint applications. Also included was [[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video#Pack-in disc|a DVD]] featuring the first episode of ''Transformers Animated''.

:The design makes it tricky to tell which end of his Fusion Fighter is the front and which is the back.

:This toy was also released in a 2-pack with Prowl as a Wal*Mart [[exclusive]] (see below).

:If you want to be pedantic about it, the battle implied by the battle-pack pairing is technically a timeline impossibility, insofar as it depicts Cybertron Mode Megatron versus Earth Mode Optimus. It is also [[scale]]d incorrectly, as Megatron was shown as being notably larger than Optimus in "[[Transform and Roll Out]]".

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Decepticon/BattleBeginsMegatron/megatron.htm More information on "The Battle Begins" Megatron at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|VoyagerCybMode}}

[[Image:Animated megatron voyager.jpg|250px|thumb|Curse you, Earth's atmosphere!]]
*'''CYBERTRON Mode Megatron''' (Voyager, 2008)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TA-06'''
**''Accessories'': Missile

: A larger, bulkier, more detailed, and more gimmick-laden iteration of the same character design used in the deluxe-scaled versus pack toy. Note that while both modes of both toys look very similar, they have different transformation mechanisms and are not a simple upscaling/downscaling of each other. Where the deluxe version is straight silver, this version has a pearl-gray paint scheme. The figure features an [[automorph]] gimmick in the chest, which closes like a clamshell in transforming to robot mode. A second automorph gimmick is built into the energon blades on the cannon, swinging them into place to form a polearm. Red translucent plastic is heavily used throughout the figure, including in the light piping for the head and the missile for the spring-loaded cannon. Even his ''fingers'' are made of energon, it seems.

:This toy apparently had a safety modification done late on in the design process (late enough that it doesn't show up on the instructions), possibly as a result of drop test failure. The strut that holds his fusion cannon has been reinforced, and as a result, his cannon cannot be mounted flush against his arm. It is also noted that his cannon easily pops off.

:As with the smaller figure above, it's not obvious exactly what end is the front of his spaceship mode. Neither orientation really matches up to the version seen in the show, which had the fusion cannon mounted in a way that's impossible with both toys.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Decepticon/VoyagerMegatron/megatron.htm More information on Cybertron Mode Megatron at TFU.info]''
{{-}}{{anchor|Leader}}

[[Image:Animated megatron leader.jpg|250px|thumb|"I kill you till you're dead!"]]
*'''Megatron''' (Leader, 2008)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TA-26'''
**''Accessories'' Missile, 2 rotor-swords

: Megatron's "Earth" robot mode bears a significant resemblance to Generation 1 [[Megatron (G1)#The Battlestars|Super Megatron]] from the ''Battlestars'' storyline, and thus, in turn, to his original G1 body. His alt-mode is a dual-rotored helicopter design, somewhat like an [[Incinerator (Movie)|Osprey]] [[Obsidian|helicopter]] or the [[Cobra]] Mamba. Its rotors form double-bladed swords. The fusion cannon is attached to the left arm out of the box, but it can be detached and put on either arm. It has wheels for use in vehicle mode, and if it is removed, then (undocumented) landing gear can be deployed to make up for the loss. Interestingly, it seems the alt-mode was originally intended to allow for the removal of the cannon without removal of the bottom half of the fuselage. With a fair amount of force the cannon can be popped off (and will reattach), but the cannon mount/fuselage lower half does not provide the front landing gear with sufficient clearance to fully extend. The toy has a [[Gimmick|voice chip]], activated by pressing the Decepticon symbol on his chest. If used in robot mode it says one of three quotes: "Crush the Autobots!", "Where is the AllSpark?", and (glorious) evil laughter. In helicopter mode it makes the sound of the rotors warming up, spinning, and powering down. When the cockpit is moved during transformation the classic G1/Animated [[Transformation#The noise|transformation noise]] is heard. It is compatible with the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] toy, but it does not change his quotes.

: The instructions leave a couple of things out. First, the shoulders should be pushed backwards/upwards for vehicle mode. This lowers the wings down and aligns the front of the engines with the back. Second, the barrel of the cannon can be rotated 180 degrees (at a separate pivot from the one at its base) for robot mode, to better match how it looks in the cartoon, with the red stripes facing his arm. Considering how padded the instructions are to mask the relatively simple transformation (two whole steps just to move the rear landing gear), leaving all this out is quite a feat. Bad Hasbro.

:There is no doubt whatsoever as to which end is the front and which is the back of his vehicle mode.

: The TakaraTomy version of the toy features a metallic silver and red paint job, and replaces the English voice clips with typically hammy Japanese ones by [[Norio Wakamoto]]: "I am Megatron" in Japanese and "Megatron, transform!" and "Fusion Cannon!" in [[Engrish]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Decepticon/Megatron/megatron.htm More information on Leader Megatron at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|McDonalds}}

*'''Megatron''' (McDonald's Happy Meal Toys, 2008)

:This is a very simple representation of Megatron in his Earth form. It transforms by rotating the head, lying face down and flipping the arms onto the back. The robot mode seems to have taken priority in the design process, since the vehicle mode looks like his robot mode lying down. Megatron does not come with his signature arm cannon.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Decepticon/McMegatron/megatron.htm More information on McDonald's Megatron at TFU.info]''

[[Image:TFA_McD_Megatron_Jumpstarter.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Too much "roll out," not enough "rise up."]]
*'''Megatron''' (McDonald's Happy Meal toys, 2008)

:This is a very simplistic version of Megatron, he converts from non-articulated robot mode to a "folded" robot with three wheels (which is a very non-show-accurate alt-mode). Like the G1 [[Jumpstarter|Jumpstarters]] toys he features a pull-back motor in vehicle mode that propels him forward on smooth surfaces; after a short run the latch that keeps his spring-loaded legs releases, causing him to flip forward and into upright robot mode.
:Like the rest of his assortment, this Megatron was only available in Brazil, Mexico and Venezuela.

{{-}}{{anchor|Activator}}

[[Image:Megatronanimatedactivator.jpg|250px|thumb|"Transform and shrink down!"]]
*'''Megatron''' (Activators, 2008)

:Part of the fourth wave of [[Activators]], this version of Megatron is a very simplified, roughly-Basic-sized version of his Earth mode. His spring-loaded transformation from vehicle to robot mode is activated by a single switch on the back of his copter mode.

:Despite having a cannon on the bottom of his vehicle mode, he does not possess one on either arm in robot mode.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Decepticon/ActMegatron/megatron.htm More information on Activators Megatron at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|ShadowBlade}}

[[Image:SBAniMegs..jpg|200px|thumb|I defy the Unicron Trilogy. Defy it, I say!]]
*'''Shadow Blade Megatron''' (Leader, 2008)

: A [[Black repaint|black]], grey and purple redeco of Megatron's leader class mold with a slight remolding to the tail... that's NOT called [[Megatron (Armada)/toys|Galvatron]]. YeabuhWHA?

:Surprisingly for a Hasbro produced redeco, Shadow Blade Megatron is cast entirely in black plastic with the exception of his translucent parts. His nose is not painted, so whenever his lights light up...his nose glows red.

: Many units of this figure have a slight molding problem that prevents him from actually moving his face when the Decepticon insignia is pressed. However, as many units are also unaffected, this may have been an inconsistent problem or corrected by a running change.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Decepticon/SBMegatron/megatron.htm More information on Shadow Blade Megatron at TFU.info]''

{{-}}
{{anchor|FightOfStart}}
*'''Fight of Start''' (Deluxe 2-pack, 2010)
**''Accessories'': Missile
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''VS-F'''

:For its Japanese release, "Battle Begins" Megatron was given a shinier metallic paint job (sans battle damage) and white-bordered Decepticon symbols, like the majority of the TakaraTomy ''Animated'' toys. The figure was only available in a 2-pack with a redecoed version of the Deluxe-scale CYBERTRON Mode Optimus Prime.

:The title of this set in Japanese is "hajimari no taiketsu" - which amounts to "the battle begins" when translated, but the back of the box chooses to render the phrase as "Fight of Start". [[Engrish|Oh well...]]

{{-}}{{anchor|GoldVersion}}
[[Image:AniDXMegsGoldVersion.jpg|thumb|250px| All that glitters is gold.]]
*'''Megatron Gold Version''' (Deluxe, 2011)
**''Accessories'': Missile

:A gold-chromed version of the Deluxe-class Battle Begins Megatron, Megatron Gold Version was made available to residents of Japan via a lottery. There were several ways to enter the drawing for him: one could clip out and send in a barcode from a single standard ''Animated'' toy or a single standard ''Autobot Alliance'' live action film series toy (or four EZ Collection barcodes), '''or''' send in 5 Sega Transformers trading cards, '''or''' cut out and send in the appropriate portion of the character cards included with volumes 4 or 5 of Paramount of Japan's ''Animated'' DVDs or the "[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Transformers: Revenge]] Greatest Hits" DVD. The entry period of the drawing was November 1st, 2010 to January 16th, 2011.

:Megatron Gold Version was limited to 1,000 pieces.

{{-}}

[[Image:MarauderMegatron.jpg|200px|thumb|Tonight, I dine on turtle soup!]]
*'''Marauder Megatron'''
**''Accessories:'' Missiles

:A mold of Megatron as a [[Triple Changer]] in the canceled fourth season. He has a jet mode and a tank mode, and his robot mode head has a muzzle-like plate over the mouth in a homage to ''[[Beast Machines (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]'' [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]. [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] also based the design on [[Super Megatron|Super and Ultra Megatron]].[http://www.formspring.me/DerrickJWyatt/q/878717866]

{{canceledtoy}}
{{--}}

==Notes==
[[Image:AnimatedMegatronMovieHat.jpg|150px|thumb|They moonlight as lawn darts.]]

[[Image:AnimatedMegatronAltmode.jpg|150px|thumb|"''That's'' a ship?!" "Who cares, as long as it flies."]]

[[Image:AniMegsKatana.jpg|thumb|150px|Where is my [[fusion cannon]]?! All Megatrons should have them! ALL OF THEM, I TELL YOU!!!]]

* Megatron's pre-Earth head has a rather pointed resemblance to the somewhat early head of 2007 movie's [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]], which went unused in the actual movie but appeared on loads of promotional materials and merchandise. Also in common with Movie Megatron, ''Animated'' Megatron lay inert for many years while his technology was [[Sector Seven|reverse-engineered by humans]].

* He is, additionally, [[Megatron (BW)|not the only Megatron]] to spend time as [[Grand Mal|a giant, disembodied head]].

* Megatron's cannon makes the same sound as his [[Megatron (G1)|Generation 1 counterpart]]'s weapon, except with additional effects mixed in to make it actually sound like a laser cannon and not a blender.

* Megatron's outer space alt mode, shown for all of 20 seconds, has ''two'' toy molds devoted to it. Though these "Cybertron mode" toys resemble each other, neither looks anything like the alt mode of the pre-Earth Megatron seen on the show.

* Megatron is the only one of the original 5 Decepticons in ''Animated'' actually to have a Cybertronian vehicle mode design. Although the others have different robot mode kibble before they scan their Earth modes, none of them had an alt-mode created. Having a toy helps. (This is in contrast to the Autobots, who all had Cybertronian-modes designed for them from the start, even if we didn't see them in the first episode.)

* Sumdac found Megatron's head intact in its original Cybertronian mode. The head housed in his lab, however, is essentially a damaged version of his Earth-mode head. Presumably, this change is the result of Sumdac's destructive tinkering and research over the fifty years Megatron was in stasis lock.

* According to ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac|The Allspark Almanac]]'', Megatron's Earth mode cockpit seats five.

* When he was a disembodied head, Megatron had a pupil in his right eye, similar to the Autobots. Once he regained his body, this never appeared again.

* An early image of Megatron's Earth body had slight differences from the finished product, most notably the lack of a fusion cannon and the presence of a katana instead of his twin swords. This image originally appeared as part of an Amazon.com listing for [[Transformers Animated Volume 2|volume 2]] of [[IDW Publishing]]'s screenshot-based ''[[Transformers Animated (IDW Publishing)|Transformers Animated]]'' adaption series.

* In the initial planning phases of the never-greenlit fourth season, Megatron would have broken out of prison on Cybertron and become a [[Triple Changer]], as detailed in the ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The Allspark Almanac II]]''.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Megatron''' (メガトロン ''Megatoron'')

[[Category:Animated Decepticons]]
[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:Emperors]]
[[Category:Engineers]]
[[Category:Fast food exclusives]]
[[Category:Hall of Fame]]

Synthetic Energon

2012-07-01T00:09:27Z

98.182.38.139:

:''The Synethetic Energon is a substance from the [[Transformers: Prime (franchise)| Prime]] portion of the [[Aligned continuity family]].''

[[Image:SyntheticEnergonMolecules.jpg|right|thumb|300px|[[JaAm|Don't tell]] [[Hot Shot (Prime)|Hot Shot.]]]]

'''Synthetic Energon''', also known as '''Synth En''', is a manufactured version of [[energon]] which tends to resemble a greenish liquid form of that fuel. Unrefined samples can provide greater energy efficiency, but it can also be addictive and corrupt the user's personality. So remember, kids, don't do drugs!

==Fiction==
===''Prime'' cartoon===
[[Image:RatchetShootingSyntheticEnergon.jpg|left|thumb|"I'm so excited! I'm so excited! I'm so... scared..."]]
Knowledge on synthetic energon was one of many subjects recorded on [[Cybertronian data cylinder]]s which were launched from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] at the onset of the [[Great War (Prime)|Great War]] to prevent the [[Decepticon]]s getting hold of them. The cylinder containing the recorded data on making synthetic energon crashed on [[Earth]], where its contents were beamed directly into the brain of [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]]. This information began to overwhelm his neural net, and he began painting the symbols of the synthetic energon chemical equation, which [[Ratchet (Prime)|Ratchet]] recognised. Bulkhead managed to inscribe much of the knowledge before the contents were ejected from his brain and sent into space. {{storylink|T.M.I.}}

Ratchet subsequently studied the equations so he could attempt to complete and refine the formula to create synthetic energon, as the [[Autobot]]s' stockpiles of natural energon were running low. Initially, he tested the substance on machines, but leaped to injecting himself with it out of a desire to help the other Autobots in their battles. The synthetic energon supercharged his physical attributes, and he easily defeated the Decepticon [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] that had nearly overwhelmed [[Arcee (Prime)|Arcee]]. Afterwards, he revealed his boosted strength and reflexes were due to the synthetic energon, but [[Optimus Prime (Prime)|Optimus Prime]] disapproved of its use without further testing on unliving machines. However, the Synth En began to affect Ratchet's mental stability, and he became increasingly aggressive, arrogant and ruthless.

In his rage, he eventually went rogue and attacked a Decepticon mine in order to assault [[Megatron (Prime)|Megatron]] directly. He infiltrated the base and easily managed to best [[Breakdown (Prime)|Breakdown]] before confronting Megatron himself. Despite managing to knock the [[Decepticon leader]] back, Ratchet was easily beaten by Megatron, who became curious about how the Autobot medic demonstrated improved physical strength. [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] suggested a chemical enhancement, and Megatron ripped open a portion of Ratchet, who began to leak synthetic energon. Ordering Knock Out to collect a sample, Megatron intended to replicate the substance in order to administer it to his troops. Whilst Knock Out managed to get a sample, an attack by [[Team Prime]] led him to be distracted, allowing Ratchet to overcome him. Ratchet then shattered the container containing the synthetic energon sample. This, combined with the arrival of the Autobots, forced Knock Out to retreat.

At [[Autobot Outpost Omega One]], Ratchet recovered from his energon loss and confessed that the formula needed refinement, though he excused his behavior as he wanted to be useful in battle. Though Prime felt that the formula was lost to the Decepticons, Knock Out discovered a small drop of the stuff at the battle site. {{storylink|Stronger, Faster}}

==Notes==
* Ratchet's nickname for the chemical, "Synth En", is similar to the name of [[Tox-En|another glowing green Energon variant]] with negative effects on Transformers.
* Its negative effects are implied to be a result of Ratchet working from an incomplete formula.
===Foreign names===
*''Korean:'' '''Hapseong Eneojon''' (합성 에너존, "Synthetic Energon")

[[Category:Energon]]
[[Category:Prime]]