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The many deaths of Optimus Prime

2024-11-10T22:29:16Z

DoctorFluffy: /* The Transformers: The Movie */

{{disambig3|Death of Optimus Prime}}
[[File:Afterdeath-gameoverman.jpg|right|upright=1.67|thumb|Oh, he's gone and died again. Botheration! Most inconvenient.]]
Across the various continuities, '''Optimus Prime dies a lot.''' This happens for various reasons:

*It allows for him to be replaced by [[Hot Rod (G1)|a new character]] (and thus [[To sell toys|a new toy]]).
*It allows for him to come back from the dead in a new body (again, a new toy).
*It allows for his corpse to [[Aggressive depigmentation|look]] different (which means yet again, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#MP4S|a new toy]])
*It's dramatic (or it used to be).
*It makes him into something of a [[Jesus|Christ]]-figure.
*It allows for numerous [[Optimus Prime memorial|memorials]] to be constructed in his honor (though they're sometimes built even ''before'' he dies, morbidly enough).
*It allows him to come back stronger than before as a sort of Deus ex Machina just when it seems the Decepticons are on the verge of victory.

Nearly every major continuity family has featured Optimus Prime dying at least once; notable outliers are the Primes from the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 cartoon)|2001 ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon]] (though an alternate version [[Shell Game|wasn't so lucky]]), and ''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]'' (since in that case, it's [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]]'s job).

{{quote|Oh, you Optimuses do love to sacrifice yourselves, don't you?|A very genre-savvy [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]|"[[Other Voices, Part 2]]"}}

==Generation 1 continuity family==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
[[File:Wardawn orion dies.jpg|upright=1.15|thumb|Dying before he's even Optimus Prime (he's that good).]]
[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Orion Pax]] died (or was at least severely damaged by [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]]) and had to be rebuilt into Optimus Prime by [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]]. It's possible that if Orion had not been repaired, Optimus Prime would have ceased to exist. Pax's girlfriend Ariel was also heavily damaged, and rebuilt into [[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]]. They were with their friend [[Dion (G1)|Dion]] when they were attacked by Megatron, but he was never rebuilt and presumably died. {{storylink|War Dawn (episode)|War Dawn}}

====''The Transformers: The Movie''====
[[File:TFTM optimus color fades.gif|left|thumb|Would be a real dick move to die right now.]]
This is the best known example, in which [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] infamously died of wounds from his battle with Megatron. Notably, his body [[Aggressive depigmentation|turned gray]] as he died. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}} [[Misconceptions and urban legends about Transformers#Early internet misconceptions|Urban legend]] says his body also ''crumbled'' (sometimes only in an "uncut" version of the film), but no such footage is known to exist. Presumably, people have mistaken [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]'s demise for Optimus, given Starscream both turned gray ''and'' crumbled into ash. Being the first time he died, it was actually unexpected. Hasbro have since regretted killing Optimus, not realizing how many heartbroken little boys were attached to him.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=[Hasbro] didn't recognize that Optimus Prime was the heartbeat of the Autobots. The strong and fatherly presence that made sure everybody else behaves and tries to live up to his example. You cannot pass that over and have any hope of duplicating the success you had. I proved right because they resurrected him rapidly. They established an icon.|link=https://toddmatthy.com/2013/12/31/he-killed-optimus-prime-an-interview-with-ron-friedman-writer-of-transformers-the-movie/|name=Ron Friedman|site=ToddMatthy.com (interview)|year=2013|month=12|day=31}}</ref>

====''Kiss Players''====
Sometime between [[The Transformers: The Movie|2005]] and [[The Transformers (cartoon)|2010]], [[Marissa Faireborn]] revived Optimus using the Galvatron cells in her body... by kissing him. Ultimately, all the cells were put back into [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]], and without them, Optimus promptly died again. {{storylink|I, You, and the Spinning Earth}}

====''The Transformers'' Season 3====
[[File:Optimusg1zombie.jpg|right|upright=1.4|thumb|"He's passed on! This Optimus is no more! He has ceased to be! He's expired and gone to meet his maker! He's a stiff! Bereft of life, he rests in peace! He's kicked the bucket, he's shuffled off his rectifier coil, run down the curtain and joined the bleedin' choir invisibile!! THIS IS AN EX-AUTOBOT!!"]]
He returned from the dead ''twice;'' first as a [[zombie]] under [[Quintesson]] control as part of a plan to destroy the [[Autobot]]s, only to die again when he overcame the Quintesson control through the power of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] and possibly the strength of his will, and sacrificed himself to save the Autobots. {{storylink|Dark Awakening (episode)|Dark Awakening}} He then was brought to life again by a [[Quintesson]] scientist to help combat the [[Hate Plague]]. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1}}

====''The Headmasters''====
[[File:Headmasters-primedies.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67|"...I'm dead." "YES, you are!" "You think that's funny, Jenning?!"]]
Prime's death in ''The Transformers: The Movie'' was sort-of recreated in a flashback montage, but not really. Rather than die while taking down his ultimate nemesis in a one-on-one struggle to the death to defend his city, his comrades, the planet [[Earth]], and freedom itself, he just kind of got randomly shot while in the middle of an ordinary battle outside of the [[Ark (G1)|Autobot Headquarters]], and turned gray. Nobody else seemed to notice this. It's not clear that ''Prime himself'' noticed it. It's about the most half-hearted death ever. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}}

Optimus Prime later died again — in another act of self-sacrifice, of course — when he walked into [[Vector Sigma]] and tried to bring it back under control directly. His body turned gray as he died, followed by a (likely only symbolic) scene of him telling [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Rodimus Prime]] that it would be his responsibility to keep leading the Autobots and to continue his work, seen as a transparent, light-haloed figure against the sky and heard in third person narration as Rodimus stared into the sky. (Then again, given the proven existence of [[ghost]]s...) {{storylink|Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime}}

====''Unite Warriors''====
Optimus Prime was revived through the efforts of Vector Sigma and [[Ratchet (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ratchet]]'s new healing unit, but his multiple previous deaths left their mark and Vector Sigma's power could only keep him alive for seven days. {{storylink|Megatronia Chapter}} After a week had passed, Optimus died again until a more powerful energy source could be found. {{storylink|Ruination Chapter, Part Two}}

====''Return of Convoy''====
The [[Battlestars]] managed to restore Optimus's life with the power of the [[Zodiac]], evolving him into Star Convoy. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: The Battlestars (story page)|The Battlestars}}

====''Generation 2''====
Optimus Prime was fatally wounded by Megatron's [[fusion cannon]], but was resurrected and evolved yet again, this time into [[Laser Rod]] Optimus Prime, by the power of the [[Reconfiguration Matrix]]. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (pack-in manga)##13 Battle Convoy (2-pages)|G-2 #13}}

===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Generation 1====
[[File:Pmoptimusprimedeath.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|"Give me my face!"]]
[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]], after failing to live up to his moral principles while playing a video game against [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]], actually ''volunteered'' to be killed. The Autobots launched his [[Transformer funerary practices|funeral]] bier into space. Fortunately, the creator of the video game, [[Ethan Zachary]], saved a backup copy of Prime's mind on a [[floppy disk]]. {{storylink|Afterdeath!}} We first met this virtual Prime sixteen issues later. {{storylink|Pretender to the Throne!}} He got his new [[Powermaster]] body two issues thereafter. {{storylink|People Power!}} A previous attempt was made at making virtual Prime a new body. The body ''spontaneously blew up''. {{storylink|Totaled!}}

About thirty issues later, Prime sacrificed himself again to defeat [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}} and died. {{storylink|Still Life!}} However, his Powermaster partner, [[Hi-Q]], survived, and almost immediately began babbling about how he's ''really'' Optimus Prime. This turned out to be true, and the [[Last Autobot]] metamorphosed Hi-Q into Prime (with a new [[Action Master]] body) in the last issue of the original Marvel US series. {{storylink|End of the Road! (US)|End of the Road!}}

====''Generation 2''====
[[File:Swarmoptimus.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Unleashing the light of the Matrix upon a great evil. Again.]]
This Prime wasn't done dying yet. His adventures continued in the G2 comics, and he died defeating the [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]]. The Swarm reconstituted him three pages later (in a body based on his then-current [[Hero (G2)|Hero]] toy). {{storylink|A Rage in Heaven!}}

====''Regeneration One''====
Despite being possessed by the [[Dark Matrix]] creature, a wounded Optimus Prime was able to help [[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Rodimus Prime]] and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Circuit Smasher]] stop the creature's plan to spread across the multiverse from [[Zero Space]]. At the conclusion of the conflict, Rodimus and Spike bore witness as Optimus died in his protege's arms in the Primus chamber. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 5}}
{{--}}

===''Beast Wars'' cartoon continuity===
====''Beast Wars'' cartoon====
[[File:Smelt Prime.JPG|right|upright=1.1|thumb|"I'm not quite dead yet! I feel happy!"]]
In ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' and ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]'', you could mark the end of a season by the near-death experience of one [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus]] or [[Optimus Prime (G1)|another]]...

At the end of the first season of ''Beast Wars'', Optimus Primal piloted a bomb-equipped [[stasis pod]] in an attempt to destroy the [[Planet Buster]]. Unfortunately, [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] had sealed the pod's hatch, and Optimus blew up with it. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}} Early in the second season (a few hours later as far as the characters were concerned), [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] managed to unite Optimus's drifting [[spark]] with a [[blank]] [[protoform]], thus bringing him back to life (and in a new [[Transmetal]] [[:File:BadSpark Optimus robot mode.jpg|body]], too). {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}}

At the end of the second season, the ''Beast Wars'' Megatron came very close to killing the original Optimus Prime. But [[Optimal Situation|Prime didn't ''quite'' die]], so we really shouldn't count it. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)}}

(Strangely, the end of the third season of ''Beast Wars'' had no Optimus deaths whatsoever! A half-dozen others died, but not Optimus.) {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}

====''Beast Machines'' cartoon====
[[File:Fallout title.jpg|thumb|left|Quick, someone reinflate him!]]
At the end of the first season of ''Beast Machines'', Optimus and Megatron had a cataclysmic battle, using the energies of [[Vector Sigma]] and the [[Plasma Energy Chamber]]. This would have destroyed [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], but Optimus took the warring energies into himself and disintegrated. However, his spark was trapped within the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]], and the other [[Maximal]]s convinced him to return to the real world at [[Fallout (episode)|the start of second season]]. The Oracle kindly gave him a new body (which, believe it or not, was ''not'' a new toy). {{storylink|End of the Line}}

During a trip to the underground ruins of Iacon, Optimus Primal encountered a hologram of the original Optimus Prime, who claimed to have perished in "the final battle", presumably in the Great War. The hologram was a ruse by Megatron, so make of that what you will. {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search|The Search}}

At the end of the series, Optimus Primal gave his life to defeat Megatron once and for all, pushing him into the [[technorganic]] [[organic core|core of the planet]]. {{storylink|Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future}} In assorted ancillary media, he comes back to life yet again. {{storylink|Transformers: Universe (comic)|Transformers: Universe}} {{storylink|Beast Wars Reborn}} {{storylink|Transformers: Alternators}}

====''Beast Wars Transmetals'' game====
In one of several alternate timelines created by Megatron warning his past self of his own defeat, the Predacon leader actually succeeded in killing Optimus Prime, ensuring an easy victory for the Decepticons in the future. However, this proved to have unforeseen consequences when Unicron attacked in 2005, as the Matrix was destroyed along with Prime. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals (N64)|Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals}}

===2005 IDW continuity===
[[File:Unicron6 The Last Hug.jpg|thumb|200px]]
{{quote|Optimus will be back. He '''always''' comes back.|[[Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Starscream]]|"[[The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|The Hallowing]]"}}

In his first battle with the [[Ore-13]] powered Megatron, Optimus was killed. {{storylink|Escalation issue 5}} Or at least, his ''main body'' was: by quickly downloading his consciousness into [[Combat Deck (G1)|Combat Deck]] (and then back again), Optimus was able to survive. Being that close to death meant he briefly existed in a [[infraspace|limbo]] state, which got him noticed by [[Nova Prime]] in the [[Dead Universe]]. {{storylink|Escalation issue 6}} He then spent a considerable period badly damaged and near death after being flung through a malfunctioning [[space bridge]] portal. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7}} He was eventually repaired and revived by [[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 9}}

A rare ''metaphorical'' version occurred when he left Cybertron to appease the anti-Autobot [[NAIL]]s. With no duties or lives to mind but his own, and no Matrix to carry, he claimed that Optimus Prime was dead, but Orion Pax had been reborn. {{storylink|Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime}} Of course, just like the real deaths, this one didn't stick; Orion later reclaimed the Optimus name during his final battle with [[Nova Prime]]. {{storylink|Finis Temporis: Dark Cybertron Chapter 9|Finis Temporis}}

Ultimately, Prime finally met his end by jumping into the black hole at the heart of Unicron. Within the confines of Infraspace, he extended a hand of compassion to [[Unicron's creator]], allowing the two to peacefully pass on as Unicron's body collapsed in on itself. {{storylink|Ceremony}}

Meanwhile, [[Domitius Major|a guy who ''thought'' he was Optimus Prime]] died on Earth during [[World War I]]. The closest he came to returning to life was having a bunch of [[IRON Trooper]]s wear his dead body like a suit. {{storylink|Strange Visitors}}

===2006 IDW ''Beast Wars'' continuity===
In the final conflict of the Great War in 2035, Optimus Prime and Galvatron were both killed on Cybertron. Command of the Autobot forces subsequently fell to the [[Primal Council]]. {{storylink|Dawn of the Predacus}}

===''Beast Wars: Uprising''===
''This'' Optimus Prime has been through a hell of a lot.

In this particular universe, [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] succeeded in his time-travelling gambit to kill Optimus Prime. Optimus Prime died, and as a result of his death the Maximals and Predacons that had engineered his death succumbed to the history-altering [[timestorm]] as the timeline spun off onto a new course. {{storylink|A Change to the Agenda}} Without Optimus's inspiring presence, the Great War was much more violent, and Earth was ravaged by the depredations of the Decepticons. {{storylink|Micro-Aggressions}}

By 2033, the Autobots had managed to revive their leader through unknown means, and when the war spread to [[Master (planet)|Master]] he binary-bonded himself to a trio of [[Cyberdroid]]s, including [[Diac]], who replaced Prime's damaged head. {{storylink|A Brush With Infamy–Prologue}} [[Galvatron (BW)|Galvatron]] fondly recalled a moment when he crushed Optimus's new head, which can't have ended well for ol' Prime. {{storylink|Derailment}}

Ultimately, Optimus Prime would die for good after sacrificing himself to the Swarm in an attempt to save the [[Human Confederacy]], taking the Matrix with him. {{storylink|Book of Logos}}

In the 24th century, [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] was one of several rebels against the new [[Builder of Cybertron|Builder]] status quo, but her breaking point came when her colleagues [[Silverbolt (Fuzor)|Silverbolt]] and [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] died. When her commander Optimus Primal refused to turn against the Builders, Blackarachnia and [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] killed him. {{storylink|Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 25|"TransTech" Blackarachnia's profile in Club magazine #25}}

===''Prime Wars Trilogy'' cartoon===
[[File:Machinima-Titans-Return-Ep10-OptimusDies.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|There's a hole in my heart that can only be filled by you...]]
At some point during the Great War, Megatron killed Optimus, but he eventually came back. Years later, Megatron sarcastically asked if Optimus was still mad at him for it. {{storylink|The Fight Begins}} When [[The Fallen|Megatronus]] returned, Optimus attempted to stop him, but Megatronus shot a beam clean through his chest and he died once again. {{storylink|All Things Must Pass}} His [[spark]] passed on to the [[Well of All Sparks|Well of Sparks]], but thanks to his connection to the Matrix and the Primes, it was freed after Megatronus's destruction, and he emerged from the Well with a shiny new body. {{storylink|Saga's End}}
{{-}}

===''War for Cybertron Trilogy'' cartoon===
[[File:WFC-Earthrise-Ep5-Optimus-dies-vision.jpg|thumb|300px]]
While travelling through the [[Dead Universe]], [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky-Lynx]] showed Optimus a vision of his own death in a possible future. {{storylink|Earthrise episode 5}} In this future, long after Cybertron had decayed thanks to the removal of the Allspark, Megatron succeeded in finally killing Optimus. {{storylink|Kingdom episode 5}} To prevent the possibility of the Autobots and Decepticons ever allying against him, [[Unicron]] resurrected Optimus and enslaved him, reformatting him into [[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]]. {{storylink|Kingdom episode 6}}
{{-}}

==''Robots in Disguise'' continuity family==
===2001 ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon===
This [[Optimus Prime (RID)#Notes|Optimus Prime]] is one of the only Primes that ''didn't'' die! However, he came ''very'' close in the final battle, when he planned to sacrifice himself to stop [[Megatron (RID)|Galvatron]]. {{storylink|The Final Battle (RID)|The Final Battle}}

===Shell Game===
[[File:ShellGame optimusprime.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1|Good thing we didn't see what happened to him, or else [[The Transformers: The Movie|history would've repeated itself.]]]]
And scratch what we said above, because a 2015 retcon says a version of him was killed by [[Megazarak (Universe)|Megazarak]] in [[Viron 704.31 Epsilon]]. {{storylink|Shell Game}} The tyrannical Decepticon's victory had come about in part due to the transdimensional abductions of several of Prime's loyal Autobots by [[Unicron]]. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/30}}
{{--}}

==Unicron Trilogy continuity family==
===''Armada'' cartoon===
[[File:Crisis Optimus Prime dies.jpg|right|upright=1.4|thumb|Now Optimus, don't go all to pieces. You say you have to split? Well, you're a chip off the ol' block.]]
[[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] used the power of his [[spark]] to block the blast of [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]]'s [[Hydra Cannon]], protecting the [[Earth]]. When the cannon was destroyed and his spark's power was expended, Optimus turned grayish-white, then ''actually'' crumbled to bits. {{storylink|Crisis (Armada)|Crisis}} A bunch of [[Mini-Con]]s used the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] to resurrect him three episodes later. {{storylink|Miracle (episode)|Miracle}}

===Dreamwave ''Armada'' comic===
''An'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] from [[Primax 703.02 Gamma|a Primax universe]] where he was fatally wounded by Unicron briefly appeared before dying. {{storylink|Worlds Collide, Part 1 of 4}} Yep, practically all we know about this Optimus is that he died. He didn't turn gray, but his colors were faded.

===''Cybertron'' comic===
[[File:Nemesisprimetfuclone.jpg|left|thumb|Technically, this is the clone.]]
The corpse of [[Optimus Prime (Balancing Act)|Optimus Prime]] (killed by [[Megazarak (Universe)|Megazarak]]) from [[Aurex 304.0 Epsilon]] was cloned by Unicron to create [[Nemesis Prime (Universe)|Nemesis Prime]]. {{storylink|Balancing Act, Part 2}} {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime}} Once again, practically all we know about this Optimus is that he died.
{{-}}

==Live-action film series==
{{Note|Though Optimus Prime doesn't die in the first [[Transformers (film)|movie itself]], he does consider fusing the [[AllSpark]] into his own spark, an action that would destroy them both, if necessary to keep it out of Decepticon hands.}}

===''Transformers The Game''===
In Decepticon mode storyline, [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] was beaten to the ground, and as he crawled for the [[AllSpark]], [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] smashed his head with his flail... poor Prime, he gets the most violent death. {{Storylink|Transformers The Game (console)}}

===''Transformers Decepticons''===
While Megatron sought the Allspark, which Starscream had stolen, he was confronted by Optimus. The two brothers fought, Optimus telling him he would never build an empire, until Megatron vanquished him. {{storylink|Transformers Autobots/Decepticons|Transformers: Decepticons}}

===''Revenge of the Fallen'' film===
[[File:ROTF Optimus death.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.67|Shot through the heart, and [[Megatron (Movie)|you're]] to blame, you give love a bad name!]]
This is perhaps the most brutal Prime death to date, in keeping with the rather more graphic nature of combat in the live-action movies. To protect [[Sam Witwicky]], Optimus Prime engaged in a fierce battle with [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]], [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]], and [[Grindor (ROTF)|Grindor]]. Despite injuring Starscream and destroying Grindor by ripping his head apart, Optimus was viciously run-through from behind by Megatron and then blasted through the back, killing him. This event caused Sam to follow the symbols the AllSpark sliver placed in his mind to find the ancient [[Matrix of Leadership#Live-action film series|Matrix of Leadership]], the only thing that could restore life to Optimus. Unfortunately, it crumbled into dust upon touching it in the [[Tomb of the Primes]] on the border between [[Egypt]] and [[Jordan]]. During the climactic battle in Egypt between [[NEST]] and the Decepticons, Sam was seemingly killed by Megatron, only to be taken to another plane of existence where he met [[Dynasty of Primes|the Primes who died]] to prevent [[The Fallen]] from achieving victory, and they bestowed upon him the true Matrix, which allowed Sam to revive Optimus. {{Storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
{{Note|In the [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (novel)|novelization]] of ''Revenge of the Fallen'', unlike the movie, it is explicitly stated that Optimus Prime survived Megatron's attack, but was so badly damaged his body had gone into [[stasis lock]], and would likely stay that way for many years while his body repaired itself if not for Sam's intervention.}}
{{-}}

==''Animated''==
===''Animated'' cartoon===
[[File:TFAnimated transformandrollout DEATH.jpg|right|250px|thumb|It's a new record, Primey!]]
In the aftermath of the Autobots' first battle with [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] on Earth, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] was left dangling from a passing blimp before falling several stories onto the pavement below, turning gray as he died moments later. [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] used the mysterious [[AllSpark Key]] to revive him only 75 real-time seconds later — the shortest death-to-rebirth cycle of any Optimus to date. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}
{{-}}

==Aligned continuity family==
===''Prime'' cartoon===
[[File:Rebellion-eyes.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67|'''Optimus:''' Now I join the AllSpark… '''Smokescreen:''' But you’ve got a new ''Beast Hunters'' toy! '''Optimus:''' Oh, cool, never mind then.]]

Following the creation of a [[Darkmount (Earth)|Decepticon fortress]] practically on the Autobots' doorstep, Optimus had the others evacuate the base while he heroically stayed behind to destroy the [[GroundBridge]] to cover their retreat. He was still in the base when the Decepticons blew it up. {{storylink|Darkest Hour (episode)|Darkest Hour}} [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] pulled him from the rubble and he lay dying in a cavern for several days. {{storylink|Darkmount, NV}} His lingering death seemed like it was coming to an end when he had a vision of the bright light of the Allspark and spoke with [[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]]. In the real world, the light faded from Optimus's optics and his chest opened to reveal the Matrix, at which point Smokescreen used the [[Forge of Solus Prime]] to return him to life in a new, upgraded body. {{storylink|Rebellion (Prime)|Rebellion}}

To defeat Unicron the second time, Optimus had to merge the [[AllSpark]] with the Matrix of Leadership so he could use the empty container to entrap his foe. This essentially resulted in his own spark becoming one with the AllSpark, and thus in order to restore the AllSpark to its rightful place, Optimus was required to make the ultimate act of self-sacrifice, giving up his own existence so that Cybertron might bear new life. {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Prime)|Predacons Rising}}
{{-}}

===2015 ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon===
Moments before death, the [[Thirteen]] plucked Optimus Prime's spark before it was extinguished. {{storylink|Decepticon Island (Part 1)}} Despite not being in the realm of the living, Optimus Prime appeared to [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] in visions, first guiding Bumblebee to Earth. {{storylink|Pilot (Part 1)}} Optimus was able to physically manifest himself for a brief period in order to help Bumblebee's team defeat [[Underbite]]. Afterwards, Optimus stated that he wasn't sure if he was alive or not, nor did he know what the fates had for him. He then disappeared. {{storylink|Pilot (Part 2)}} In another vision to Bumblebee, Optimus stated that he can only reappear when the need for him is most dire, as decided by the Thirteen. {{storylink|W.W.O.D.?}} It was later revealed that Optimus existed in the [[Realm of the Primes]], undergoing training for a new mission on Earth. {{storylink|Out of Focus}} When the Primes could sense the coming to that planet of [[The Fallen|Megatronus]], Optimus had to convince the Thirteen that he was ready to face him, despite not completing his training. In order to him to face Megatronus, the Thirteen had to put segments of their own sparks into Optimus, causing him to upgrade into a new form. Optimus was thus sent to Earth, re-entering the mortal plane and cheating death once more. {{storylink|Battlegrounds, Part 1}}

==''Cyberverse'' cartoon==
[[File:Cyberverse TheOtherOne MegatronBlastsOptimus.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|What If... Optimus Prime Died?]]
In an alternate reality where Optimus Prime was captain of the ''[[Ark (Cyberverse)|Ark]]'', the ship and the entire crew, presumably including the Autobot leader, crumbled away into nothingness after entering through a portal and being in [[unspace]] for a prolonged amount of time. {{storylink|The Crossroads}}

In another alternate reality, early in the war, [[Megatron X (Cyberverse)|Megatron]] realized Optimus would never be able to compromise with him and killed him with a point-blank shot, ripping the Matrix from his chest. Without Prime or the Matrix to aid them, the Autobots quickly fell and Megatron took control of the planet. Eons later, when the [[Windblade (Cyberverse)|Windblade]] of another universe found herself trapped in the Matrix, this Optimus was there to greet her, instructing her to destroy the Matrix from within to save everyone. {{storylink|The Other One}}

The "main" [[Optimus Prime (Cyberverse)|Optimus]] meanwhile, like his ''Robots in Disguise'' counterpart, never actually died...but he came ''very'' close many times, most prominently when he used the Matrix's power to stop the AllSpark-powered [[Starscream (Cyberverse)|Starscream]] and was left comatose. {{storylink|I Am The Allspark}} {{storylink|Escape From Earth}}

==''EarthSpark'' cartoon==
Due to [[Optimus Prime (ES)|Optimus]] being brainwashed by [[Mandroid]], [[Twitch]] was forced to use Mandroid's spear in self-defense to drain his energon and shut him down. However, Mandroid was ultimately successful in using his superweapon to deactivate every Transformer on Earth, sans Twitch. Fortunately, [[Robby Malto|Robby]] and [[Mo Malto]] used the power of the [[Emberstone]] in conjunction with the weapon to revive everyone, including Optimus. {{storylink|The Last Hope, Part 2}}

==''One'' film==
While trying his best to dissuade a vengeful [[Megatron (One)|D-16]] from murdering a deposed and powerless [[Sentinel Prime (One)|Sentinel Prime]], [[Optimus Prime (One)|Orion Pax]] leapt in front of D-16's [[fusion cannon]] and took a blast meant for Sentinel with his body. With a gaping hole blown open on his chest, Orion toppled off a nearby ledge into a fathomless drop. At first D-16 grabbed Orion's hand to save him, but soon changed his mind and relinquished his grip, leaving Orion to fall into the dark depths of Cybertron. Orion succumbed to his injuries and turned gray as he fell, but his destiny was not over — when his body reached the planet's core, [[Primus]] himself bestowed the long-lost [[Matrix of Leadership]] to him, with a vision of the [[Thirteen]] appearing before him as the voice of [[Alpha Trion (One)|Alpha Trion]] announced Orion's rebirth as Optimus Prime. Revived and empowered by the power of the Matrix, Optimus rocketed back to the surface to fight his former friend. {{storylink|Transformers One (film)|One}}

==Merchandise==
[[File:MP4Sconvoysleepmode.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Don't worry kids, he's just sleeping.]]
You would think that when there's a new Optimus Prime (usually colored [[Black repaint|black]] or with battle damage) mean another toy to sell, even of a dead Optimus. However, the amount of dead Optimus Prime toys is actually lower than one might think compared to his myraids of demises, probably due to the fact one reason for his death is to allow ''other'' toys to spend some time in the spotlight. Although maybe black repaints of Optimus Prime or toys (or toys of characters mistaken for a dead Prime such as [[Nemesis Prime]]) are confused for a "dead" version of Optimus Prime, only a few actually are actually of him post-mortem, such as the [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#MP4S|"Convoy Sleep Mode"]] version of his original ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' form.

[[File:MTG-Optimus-Prime.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Transform when I tap out, figuratively and literally.]]
Notably, the [[Magic: The Gathering]] ''Universes Beyond: Transformers'' set is the first game that seems to embrace Optimus' tendency to fall in battle, having him able to return to the battlefield in his Vehicle mode should he die in his Artifact Creature mode, and should you meet the requirements to transform him back, allows you to repeat the process, just like Hasbro!

==See also==
*[[Death]]
*[[Primus apotheosis]] — A personality disorder whose symptoms cause those afflicted to emulate Optimus Prime, including a penchant for self-sacrifice.
*"[[Prime Spark (story)|Prime Spark]]" — A short story in which various Optimuses meet each other after their respective deaths.
*[[Ginrai (robot)#Victory cartoon|God Ginrai]] — An Optimus Prime lookalike who is often erroneously put in this category.
*[[Sentinel Prime (disambiguation)|Sentinel Prime]] — Optimus's predecessor, whose own death often precedes Optimus's ascent to leadership.
*[[Starscream (disambiguation)|Starscream]] — Another character who often perishes in fiction, though many of these incarnations tend to come back as [[ghost]]s.
*[[Cy-Kill (disambiguation)|Cy-Kill]] — The main antagonist of ''[[GoBots]]'', lookalikes of whom were often killed in various early 2000s ''Transformers'' comics as a cheap joke, though this gradually fell off with time.

==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Many deaths of Optimus Prime}}
[[Category:Stories]]

Sentinel Prime (Animated)

2024-10-15T19:02:17Z

DoctorFluffy:

{{disambigm|Sentinel Prime (disambiguation)|Sentinel Minor|Sentinel Major}}
{{factions|autobot|eliteguard|primusvanguard}}
{{featured}}
:''Sentinel Prime is <s>a jerk</s> an [[Autobot]] from the [[Animated continuity family]].''

[[File:SentinelPrimeAnimated-model.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|"Where's the jerk who calls himself Sentinel Prime?" "I am that jerk!"]]

Many times brash, leap-before-you-think types learn a lesson from their misadventures and use that knowledge to grow into more mature well-rounded fighters, even leadership roles. And sometimes they learn the wrong lesson (or the right lesson the wrong way) and turn out like '''Sentinel Prime''' (alternatively known as '''Sentinel [[Minor]]''', '''Sentinel [[Major]]''', and [sigh] '''Sentinel [[Magnus (rank)|Magnus]]''').

Sentinel was once one of the impulsive-types until [[Twilight (Animated)|a disastrous "unsanctioned" mission he'd suggested]] with best friends [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] ended in the loss of Elita. Though both 'bots carried the grief, Sentinel blamed Optimus for abandoning her. When Optimus officially took the fall for the mission and Sentinel failed to speak up for his part of it, he placed his anger on his former friend and drove himself to climb the [[Autobot]] ranks into the [[Elite Guard|Cybertron Elite Guard]] through strict adherence to military protocol.

The result is an Autobot who could be one of the Autobots' greatest assets but is such a jerk it's hard to see ''how''. His expandable [[Skyboom (Animated)|Skyboom Shield]] is virtually impenetrable and he's a strong combatant and utterly tenacious hunter. He seems to have [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s best interests at heart... but his perception of "best interests" and how far he'll ''go'' for said interests is definitely skewed.

To his core, he's still the same smug act-first-think-later-maybe bot he was before, only far more focused. Despite the "stickler for the rules" aspect of his personality that has come from the loss of Elita, he seems to use the rules largely to bully his way of doing things on others, and struggles with perceived challenges to his authority. He really can't handle [[Decepticon|the unexpected]] thanks to a distinct lack of genuine field experience and inability to improvise like [[Jazz (Animated)|others in the Guard]]. Thanks to that one fateful trip to [[Archa Seven]], he has a severe phobia of organics and burning desire to further humiliate Optimus. To his credit, he would never actively sabotage another Autobot... but he sure will make their lives a living hell if he thinks he can get away with it.

Don't mention his [[chin]]. He's a little touchy about it.

{{bigquote|[Sentinel] is a glitch-head. All due respect.|[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] sums up Sentinel Prime|"[[The Elite Guard]]"}}

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon continuity===
{{Idw-tfa}}
{{voiceactor|[[Townsend Coleman]] (English), [[Marty Isenberg]] ([[BotCon 2011]]), [[Jim Sorenson]] ([[BotCon 2015]]), [[Junichi Suwabe]] (Japanese)|[[Alexander Kovriznyh]] (Russian), [[Peter Reinhardt]] (German), [[César Marchetti]] (Portuguese Seasons 1 and 2), [[Ricardo Teles]] (Portuguese Season 3), [[Bruno Magne]] (French), [[Ricardo Soto]] (Latin American Spanish, seasons 1 and 2), [[Suso Álvarez]] (Castilian Spanish), [[Jari Salo]] (Finnish, episode one), [[Juha Paananen]] (Finnish, regular voice), [[Massimiliano Lotti]] (Italian, regular voice), [[Pietro Ubaldi]] (Italian, (Transform and Roll Out only) }}

[[File:SurvivalSkills-simulatedcombat.jpg|"Watch out, Elita. Optimus gets a little wild when he's playing Beat Saber."|thumb|upright=1.3|right]]
''Sentinel was named and trained in [[Autobot boot camp]] by the drill sergeant [[Kup (Animated)|Kup]] which is also where he met Optimus and Elita-1. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II}} During their studies, Elita and Sentinel observed Optimus battle [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] in a virtual training program. Sentinel sneered when Optimus ultimately failed, but Ultra Magnus noted that Optimus had scored better than any Autobot thus far. {{storylink|The Arrival issue 5#"Survival Skills"|Survival Skills}}''

[[File:Animated sentinel1.JPG|left|upright=1.1|thumb|"You're gonna need tickets to—THE GUN SHOW!"]]
Sentinel took Optimus and Elita-1 on a mission to [[Archa Seven]] looking for an old Decepticon [[Twilight (Animated)|warship]], hoping to get all the [[Energon]] stored within. However, they ran into a pack of massive arachnids. Sentinel tried to hold them off long enough for Optimus and Elita to escape. When he came across a ship that Optimus and Elita had found Optimus had to drag him away from the exploding energon forcing them to leave Elita-1 behind. Optimus's radar couldn't find Elita's energy signature, and he assumed that she was dead. A furious Sentinel blamed Optimus for what happened even though this whole disaster had been ''his'' idea. Jerk. {{storylink|Along Came a Spider}} When Ultra Magnus brought the two up on a military tribuna, Optimus gallantly took the fall — while Sentinel just stood there smirking. {{storylink|Endgame, Part I}}

After graduation from the Academy he received an official rank as Sentinel ''[[Minor]]'', the drill officer for an Autobot training camp. Obviously compensating for being a jerk he took out his frustrations on recruits like [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]], [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]], [[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]], [[Shockwave (Animated)|Longarm]] and [[Wasp]]. Busting their transistors at every turn, he liked to conduct surprise inspections and force the recruits to chant they were worthless grease stains. Of course, in Bumblebee's case the extra attention was not exactly unmerited, as the little glitch-head managed to get Sentinel's feelings on whether Ultra Magnus should retire from command broadcast across the camp. In the end, he commended Bumblebee for his role in discovering a seeming Decepticon traitor. Then Bumblebee reluctantly admitted to accidentally knocking a tower on him (actually covering for Bulkhead) and Sentinel gave him and his buddy the boot (to the [[Mudflap (slang)|mudflap]]'s joy and the bumbler's anguish). {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}}

[[File:The Arrival 1 Memorial Plaza Sentinel speech.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb]]
Years later, he was still a jerk, but a jerk with prestige, having been promoted to Sentinel ''Prime''. When Optimus Prime rang up the Cybertron Elite Guard to tell them of the Decepticons in pursuit, he sneered that a screw-up like Optimus wasn't worth the attention of Ultra Magnus. Seeing a piped-through visual of the [[AllSpark]] from the cargo hold of [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|their ship]] shut him up quickly enough. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}

''After the ship was lost, Sentinel found himself the only one who knew Optimus well enough to give him a eulogy. However, while his words were reasonably civil, his thoughts were not. Later, when Longarm pressed him to continue the search, Sentinel acted like an old man and told him some things are best left buried.'' {{storylink|Dispatches}}

[[File:Sentl prime alt.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|When the snow starts a-falling, There's a man you should be calling...]]

Later, the Elite Guard visited Earth to reclaim the AllSpark. When [[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] decided to take a closer look at the humans, Sentinel warned that organics could spew out slime that melts through armor plating, deliberately goading Optimus Prime with memories of Elita-1's fate. He decontaminated Optimus Prime's crew after setting a force field around the ship. When he heard that they'd defeated [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] and the Decepticons, he didn't believe Optimus, almost causing a fight between him and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]]. Sentinel boasted to Ultra Magnus that he had taken the initiative and scanned some "typical" Earth vehicles so they would not draw undue attention. He had, in fact, scanned massive, destructive vehicles for them both.

En route to [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], Sentinel further evidenced how subtlety obviously isn't his strong point by driving through a blockade and off an overpass still under construction. When he, Optimus and Magnus arrived, they encountered the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]], and Sentinel began to attack, believing their technology was primitive. [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]]'s subsequent [[transformation]] caught him off guard. They then went back to the city to take care of malfunctioning [[police drone]]s. Sentinel started to act like a jerk again, more worried about organic contamination, and vowed to see Optimus arraigned on charges of high treason, but Optimus had got enough of Sentinel's mouth and finally told him off, asserting that his former friend was on his turf now and should respect Optimus's decisions. Unsurprisingly, Sentinel was unmoved. Even when shown proof of the AllSpark not being destroyed, Sentinel's attitude did not change. He was thus rather surprised when Ultra Magnus said that Optimus had characteristics that Sentinel himself could stand to learn. {{storylink|The Elite Guard}}

[[File:Sentinelprimeanimatedbattlemask.jpg|left|thumb|Come one, come all! Join the merriment at the Cybertronian Renaissance Faire!]]

[[File:Sentinelprimeanimatedknightmode.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|He's here to eat giant turkey legs and kick butt...and he's all out of giant turkey legs.]]

Not taking the criticism to heart at all, he continued to be a general jerk to Optimus, the local police, humans, and pretty much everyone. His comeuppance would soon come in the form of a humiliating body-jacking by the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]]. Putting his reputation (and his noggin) in Optimus Prime's hands, he trusted his comrade to help him get his body back without letting anybody else find out. In this state, he was slightly less condescending to Optimus, but it was hard to talk down to someone when reduced to a tenth his size. He still had choice words about Optimus's actions in the process of saving his body, however, such as ripping its arm off, using his head as a soccer ball, and taking the opportunity for some stress relief. Deep down, Optimus was enjoying himself.

After recovering his body, Sentinel had to face the embarrassing prospect of reporting to Ultra Magnus, but surprisingly enough, Optimus covered for him. It took every ounce of effort for the big guy to utter a "thank you" to his comrade later.

While in the Headmaster's possession, Sentinel's body's weapons were upgraded into more powerful forms. At the moment, it's not clear whether Sentinel got to keep the upgrades when the Headmaster Unit was separated. {{storylink|The Return of the Headmaster}}

Unfortunately, the whole Headmaster debacle ''still'' failed to purge Sentinel of even a dram of his jerk quotient. When Optimus protested Ultra Magnus's decision to have his crew join the rest of the Autobots off-Earth, Sentinel was quick to jump on Optimus, saying that ''no'' sign of Decepticon activity had been detected (failing to consider that the Decepticons had been dampening their signals). He even went so far as to bribe Optimus with an offer of reinstatement in the Elite Guard if he went along with the official story. Through all this, he was more than slightly keen to slap [[stasis cuffs]] on Optimus in order to get him to comply with Magnus's orders.

[[File:Sentinel Prime shocked.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Will get owned again...]]

When the Elite Guard's ship detected an AllSpark fragment in a runaway passenger train (actually a trap set by [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]]), Sentinel was irritated to find that he had to stay behind and nursemaid "Maintenance Prime" while Ultra Magnus and Jazz set off to investigate. The situation got worse when, discovering Decepticon presence, Optimus goaded Sentinel into a blind attack and took the opportunity to slap the stasis cuffs on ''him.'' Poor sap... (snicker)

Sentinel eventually worked his way out of the cuffs and pursued Optimus to where the AllSparked train had stopped, threatening to have him tried and blacklisted for assaulting an Elite Guard, dismissing out of hand Optimus's justification of Decepticon involvement. Fortunately for Optimus, Megatron and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] chose that moment to blast Starscream to the ground in front of the Autobots.

[[File:Sentinel vs Optimus, with Jazz in the middle.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|"You're a jerk!" "No, you!" "No, YOU!" Ummm... bad guy?"]]

Sentinel had to take more time than the other Elite Guards to rally; unlike Magnus and Optimus, he had never seen a Decepticon before. Initial dismay aside, Sentinel did manage to last longer than the other Autobots against Starscream's onslaught, but the only reason he didn't fall was that Optimus took the stasis cuffs Sentinel had brought with him (anticipating Optimus's formal arrest as he was) and slapped them onto Starscream. Sentinel still thought Optimus drew out that battle on purpose.

Afterwards, Magnus expressed admiration over Optimus's willingness to disregard what were clearly ill-informed orders—praise to which Sentinel, predictably, objected. This just earned him another chastisement from Magnus about how sometimes the right thing ''was'' to trust one's gut over the book. Shortly afterward, the Elite Guard departed for Cybertron. Sentinel could probably sigh in relief—no more looking worse than the "washout". {{storylink|Mission Accomplished}} ''As soon as they left Earth, Sentinel Prime was quick to ditch his snowplow alternate mode in favour of his original Cybertronian body.'' {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac}}

Unfortunately, while the Elite Guard was in deep space, Starscream managed to escape his stasis cuffs and get out of their ship. Being the jerk he is, Sentinel probably thinks Optimus is responsible for that happening. {{storylink|A Fistful of Energon}} ''Upon returning to Cybertron, Sentinel got saddled with training the twins [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] and [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] (though he wanted to simply call them both "Jetfire"). Their new flying altmodes proved difficult to work into Sentinel's usual drill sergeant routine, since the twins could use them to easily bypass most training obstacles. Thankfully, their training was taken over by Jazz after their first battle exercise.'' {{storylink|First (and Second) in Flight}}
Things only got worse for Sentinel, as his former trainee and convicted "traitor" Wasp escaped from prison. Pursuing the former Autobot across an asteroid field, Sentinel had a standoff with Wasp at a space bridge relay point. The escapee activated the space bridge, and, blinded by its energies, Sentinel assumed Wasp had gone through it to parts unknown. In reality, Wasp had mustered what little cunning his shattered mind had left and faked out the Elite Guard member by hiding behind the archway. As usual, Sentinel's deductive skills left something to be desired, so he returned to base. {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}} ''When Ultra Magnus announced that he planned on keeping his versatile Earth vehicle mode, Sentinel decided to reformat back into his Earth form too.'' {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac}}

Later, Sentinel, Magnus and Jazz took the Elite Guard's flagship to back up [[Rodimus Prime (Animated)|Rodimus Prime]]'s team, who were defending [[space bridge 687-030]] from [[Team Chaar|a Decepticon raiding party]]. As the Elite Guard arrived, however, Megatron ordered all of his troops to withdraw, having changed his plans thanks to a [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|recent acquisition]]. After returning to Cybertron, Sentinel and Jazz were ordered ''back'' into space to hunt down the "traitor" Wasp. {{storylink|TransWarped}}

Upon arriving in Earth orbit, Sentinel was contacted by an agitated Longarm Prime. Now head of Autobot Intel, Longarm was upset that Sentinel's ship had entered Earth Sector when Longarm had ordered that all contact with Earth be filtered through him first. Sentinel was annoyed, since Longarm had sent them to intercept Wasp in the first place. After Ultra Magnus cut in to explain, Sentinel confirmed for Longarm that no one had heard from Optimus Prime's crew in at least a [[units of time|decacycle]].

Upon touchdown near [[Detroit]], Sentinel was disgusted with yet another aspect of Earth: rain. He quickly proved he had no ability to handle rain-soaked pavement in vehicle mode, further bruising his ego. With their other crew members already dispatched to hunt for Wasp, he and Jazz arrived at the Earth Autobots' base just after Wasp (actually Bumblebee in a forced disguise) had departed from there. Sentinel was all for chewing out Optimus for not answering his comlink, and he didn't care about Optimus's "excuses", as he had a fugitive spy to catch. It didn't help that Optimus pointed out said spy had just slipped past Sentinel, then claimed that Longarm was the real spy. Disgusted with such a brazen, baseless accusation, Sentinel ordered Prime's group to stay out of his way, then he and Jazz departed. Jerk.

[[File:Where is thy Sting? – Optimus and Sentinel running and arguing.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Eventually, he found Prime and Ratchet battling his new recruits, [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] and [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]], whom they'd mistaken for Decepticons since the new pair could fly. Sure, he hadn't told Prime about them before, but that was Prime's fault for butting in on Elite Guard business. Prime still insisted Wasp wasn't a double agent, but Sentinel would hear none of it and ordered the jet twins to find Wasp again. While he struggled to avoid skidding on the pavement and keep pace with Jazz, Optimus and Ratchet, he got word from Jetstorm that he and Jetfire had found Wasp, but that Bulkhead and Prowl were apparently his cohorts. Prime continued attempting to persuade him that he was on the wrong track, but Sentinel was all for arresting everyone and letting Ultra Magnus sort it out.

Back at the Earth Autobots' base, "Bumblebee" tried to prove his identity by recounting the various ways he'd inconvenienced Sentinel during 'Bee's stint in boot camp—most of which Sentinel didn't remember. Sentinel quickly got fed up and ordered "Wasp" wheeled out, but then Bulkhead hit upon a sure-fire way to tell who was who: a versus round of Bumblebee's latest video game passion, ''[[Ninja Gladiator]]''. Despite Sentinel's doubts, the real Wasp quickly revealed himself, taking 'Bee hostage and escaping. Jazz realized the full import of this revelation: The true Decepticon double agent was the head of Autobot Intel. Sentinel protested that Prime should have told him this in the first place. {{storylink|Where Is Thy Sting?}}

[[File:5servos sentinel kicked.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|If only he had been kicked [[Anatomic euphemism#Gearbox|a little lower]]...]]

Remaining on Earth, Sentinel made contact with the bounty hunter [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] for a mutually beneficial arrangement: if Sentinel supplied him with parts from the Elite Guard ship, Lockdown would turn over Decepticons to Sentinel and let him take the credit. His ego overriding his sense of superiority, Sentinel agreed, bringing the captured Decepticons and taking all the credit. Only the twins believed that Sentinel was really making the captures alone, especially as Sentinel was both vague and defensive about how he captured the Decepticons. Finally, Lockdown needed a gyrostabilizer from the ship, in exchange for the [[Ramjet (Animated)|Liar Starscream]]. Prowl followed Sentinel, and discovered the arrangement, but was betrayed by Lockdown and the clone, and placed in stasis cuffs. Despite using Sentinel as a hostage, the Autobots showed little restraint in attacking, even though they only succeeded in hurting Sentinel. The battle ended with Sentinel being driven into the ground head first. After establishing contact with Cybertron, the Autobots learned that Ultra Magnus had been attacked by Shockwave, but was recovering. Optimus decided not to inform Cybertron Command of Sentinel's misconduct, but instead gave sole credit for the captures to Prowl. Even though he wasn't going to be court-martialled, Sentinel was still displeased that he didn't get a single ounce of credit. Annoyed, Optimus reminded him that there were more important things than his ego, but gave Sentinel fair warning: when smoke clears, there will be a reckoning. {{storylink|Five Servos of Doom}}

[[File:TFA-PredaconsRising-OhSentinel.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|{{w|Bender (Futurama)|Jimmy cracked corn and I don't care!}}]]
Even knowing Wasp was innocent, Sentinel continued to pursue the 'bot, leading to a chase through the streets of Detroit as Optimus and Bumblebee attempted to reach him first. When they did, a jurisdictional argument between Optimus and Sentinel allowed Wasp to slip away... only for him to be flown away by [[Swoop (Animated)|a Dinobot]]. Despite Optimus warning Sentinel off, Sentinel pursued them to Dinobot Island under [[Safeguard (Animated)|Safeguard]] in his own... unique... manner.

[[File:TFA-PredaconsRising-SentinelBlackArachnia.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|This is ''not'' the kind of [[Blackarachnia (BW)|romantic]] [[Silverbolt (Fuzor)|couple]] you were expecting.]]
Bulling past the Dinobots, Sentinel entered the laboratory inside... to be confronted by what Elita-1 had become, and the experiment she was undertaking on Wasp. Blackarachnia's existence as a [[technorganic]] disgusted him to the deepest core of his spark, and he wished she had gone offline on Archa Seven. In return, after the emergence of the technorganic "Waspinator", she attempted to drain him dry. He was saved by a pursuing Optimus, and shortly afterward Blackarachnia was transwarped to apparent oblivion by the exploding Waspinator. Sentinel walked off without a word.

As he was set for departure to Cybertron to take his place as acting [[Magnus (rank)|Magnus]], he discussed what had happened with Optimus, and admitted that they should never have gone to the spider-planet in the first place. {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Animated)|Predacons Rising}}

[[File:TFA-DecepticonAir-SentinelJazz.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"Jazz old friend, I don't know which disgusts me more: Your cowardice or your stupidity! We'll simply set a new course for that empty region over there. Near that blackish, holish thing."]]
On the trip back to Cybertron, after a failed interrogation of the Decepticon prisoners, he was contacted by [[Perceptor (Animated)|Perceptor]], [[Alpha Trion (Animated)|Alpha Trion]] and [[Cliffjumper (Animated)|Cliffjumper]], to inform him that the [[Autobot High Council]] intended to make the news of the attack on Ultra Magnus public. Sentinel was unhappy about this, but they reminded him that the decision was for the full Council to make, and that his "taking control" as acting [[Magnus (rank)|Magnus]] was premature, since Ultra Magnus was still online, albeit on [[spark support]]; and Cliffjumper wound him up further by reminding him that Prowl, not SP, had been given credit for the capture of the Decepticon prisoners. As a result, he took his frustrations out on Jazz, ordering him to take the ''[[Sigma Supreme|Steelhaven]]'' to full power—even after Jazz reminded him it would use up all their energon—and to steer through a stormy nebula. Jerk.

The effect of the electrical storms on the ship then caused [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] to be freed of his transformation lock, and in turn he freed the other prisoners. They then attacked the bridge, and with Sentinel refusing to contact Cybertron and let them know what his mistake had wrought, he sent [[Broken Lance|a coded message]] to Optimus Prime, asking for help shortly before they were all captured. Optimus then [[unspace|transwarped]] in through Swindle's [[Subspace storage pocket|personal storage dimension]]. During the whole ordeal, Optimus refused to obey a single order from Sentinel and used him as a bludgeon to knock [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] away. However, he made up for that by coming up with a plan to defeat the remaining Decepticons and save the day. Chastened, even Sentinel had to admit Optimus had done a good job and offered him the position on the Elite Guard he would have to vacate to become Magnus, although Optimus declined. He then dropped Optimus back on Earth, and they mutually saluted in goodbye.

Finally arriving at Cybertron, Sentinel proceeded to lead a parade across Cybertron in his own honour, urging the cheering throngs to accept him as their Magnus. {{storylink|Decepticon Air}}

[[File:TFA ThisIsWhyIHateMachines Sentinel Propaganda.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|He's the Decider!]]
Sentinel Prime immediately began putting out propaganda warning Autobots that anyone they knew could be a Decepticon spy, began shutting down facilities like [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]] as a security measure, and started viewing any challenge to him as treason. When the Decepticon-occupied [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] appeared in the skies above Cybertron, Sentinel immediately advocated firing on it, ignoring a displaced [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]]'s warnings that Omega was so transwarp-saturated that this would ''take out the planet''.

Ratchet's opposition led to Sentinel having him hunted down for treason. Jerkier still, Sentinel prepared to fire on Omega while the Council were still discussing the matter, and he lied to them about his intentions. Luckily, when he did have the Elite Guard's [[Fortress Maximus (Animated)|Fortress Maximus]] fire on the titan, the Decepticons transwarped away. Sentinel brushed off the Council's ire and tried to take [[Magnus Hammer|Ultra Magnus' salvaged hammer]] from Ratchet, attempting to pursue and arrest the medic when Ratchet simply took the hammer with him back to Earth. Jazz volunteered to go instead, taking the opportunity to get out from under Sentinel's command. {{storylink|This Is Why I Hate Machines}}

[[File:EndgamePart2-Sentinel.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|The end of an error.]]

Soon, Sentinel would have to swallow his pride when Optimus Prime returned to Cybertron with his crew, with captured Megatron, Shockwave, and Lugnut, and with three reclaimed stasis pods—in Omega Supreme, no less! He stood glowering as the <s>cheering throngs</s> unwashed masses surrounded his rival. {{storylink|Endgame, Part II}}

''When [[Kremzeek|an ancient Decepticon weapon]] made its way to Fortress Maximus, Sentinel was more concerned about a now-adolescent Sari and [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]] slipping past security than the fact that the photon pulse cannon was self-activating and aiming at [[Iacon (polity)#Animated cartoon|Iacon]]. Fortunately for him, Sari's quick thinking was able to contain the menace.'' {{storylink|The Return of Blurr}}

''With Optimus Prime being hailed as "Cybertron's greatest hero", Sentinel tried to borrow some credit for the Decepticons' capture by arranging for them to be held in [[Trypticon Prison]], Megatron's old fortress in [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]]. He also agreed to have a stunt show set up in view of the prison, with Autobot actors openly mocking the Decepticon leaders with their act. Of course, Sentinel Magnus's "actors" turned out to be Decepticons in disguise, orchestrating an elaborate plot to free Megatron from Trypticon Prison right out from under Sentinel's olfactory receptors.

History would vindicate his actions!'' {{storylink|The Stunti-Con Job}}

Jerk.
{{-}}

====Sentinel Shouting====
[[File:Ask Vector Prime Sentinel Prime.jpg|thumb|upright=.66|I was elected to lead, not to read!]]
After [[Swindle (G1)#TransTech|Swindle]] was fired, [[Rook (TransTech)|Rook]]—searching for someone "earnest" and "straightforward"—hired Sentinel Minor as the third ad hoc replacement for the missing [[Vector Prime]].

This worked out about as well as you'd expect.

As a columnist, Sentinel spent most of his time lecturing his readers about the values of Autobot boot camp and what ''he'd'' do if he became Magnus. He walked out the minute he learned he was communicating with organics. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Sentinel Shouting|Sentinel Shouting}}

====''Legends'' comic====
Sometime following his rise to Magnus, Sentinel issued an alert that the dangerous fugitive [[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]] was loose on Cybertron and demanded she be captured. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 16|Bonus Edition Vol. 16}}

{{-}}

===''The Cool'' comic===
[[File:TheCoolEliteGuard01.jpg|thumb|upright=1|"Don't try to play dumb! Am I right, <s>Lord Elion</s> Ultra Magnus?"]]

Years ago, after losing their friend [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] on a distant planet, Sentinel and Optimus immediately formed a rescue party to save her. Despite all their searching, however, they were unable to find her and were forced to give up. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 4}}

Sentinel Prime was later present when Optimus Prime was discharged from the Elite Guard by Ultra Magnus. {{storylink|The Cool Extra issue 1}}

Sentinel later traveled with the Elite Guard to Earth in order to extract an explanation from Optimus Prime regarding why he had yet to return to Cybertron with his crew. Sentinel looked obnoxiously smug, of course. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 5}}

On Cybertron, Sentinel joined a throng of Autobot citizens in welcoming the victorious Optimus Prime and his Autobots back home. Sentinel remarked to himself that Optimus and his crew had finally returned... as ''heroes''. {{storylink|The Cool Episode Final}}
{{-}}

===''Kre-O'' comic===
[[File:SentinelPrime-wheelbody.JPG|thumb|100px|[[tvtropes:Main/FrequentlyBrokenUnbreakableVow|We won't.]]]]

When Earth's five most wanted criminals attacked [[Metroplex (G1)|Autobot City]], [[Headmaster (Animated)|the Headmaster]] took over Sentinel Prime's body. After the villains were repelled, the Autobots put Sentinel's head on a small, wheeled body. {{storylink|The Brick List: Earth's Most Wanted}}

===Precursor World===
A [[Primus Vanguard|Warrior of the Seven Lights]] resembling Sentinel Prime was a member of the [[Blue Order]] of the [[Primus Vanguard]]. When the traitorous [[Straxus (G1)#Precursor World|Straxus twins]] unleashed a rage virus to destroy the corps from within, he was on the receiving end of some friendly fire in the ensuing brawl. {{storylink|God Neptune comic 1}}
{{-}}

==Toys==
===''Animated''===
[[File:Deluxeanimatedsentinel.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|The jerk store called, they're running out of him.]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-a1|'''Sentinel Prime''' (Deluxe Class, 2008 / 2010)}}</ul>
:*''Takara name'': '''Autobot Sentinel'''
:*''Takara ID number:'' '''TA-28'''
:*''Takara release date'': [[July 24]], 2010
:*''Accessories:'' [[Lance]], "[[Skyboom (Animated)|Skyboom]] shield"
{{toydesigner|[[Eric Siebenaler]] (Hasbro), [[Alex Kubalsky]] (TakaraTomy)|[[Derrick J. Wyatt]] (concept artist)}}

: Released in the fourth wave of ''[[Transformers Animated (toyline)|Animated]]'' Deluxes, Sentinel Prime transforms into a metallic blue monster-truck snowplow. In robot mode, he is armed with his Skyboom shield and lance; either item can fit in either of his hands, and the shield has a ring mount to allow the lance to attach to it for transporting on the back of the vehicle mode. Surprisingly for an otherwise pointy object, the lance is actually cast in hard plastic. The weapons are also painted blue rather than cast in translucent plastic, an unusual choice for modern "energy" weapons. The toy also has an abandoned light-piping gimmick: not only are the eyes painted over, but the eye-piece is cast in black plastic, making it useless.

: Unfortunately, due to being released in the Deluxe size class, the Sentinel toy is ''technically'' incompatible with the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] accessory, which is only designed to work with Leader-class toys. You actually can wedge it on to him quite snugly, though.

: Due to a quirk of the transformation process, the plow on the front of the truck can be angled left or right, just as on real-world snowplows. Also, if you're the type that ''really'' goes for [[show-accuracy]], the antenna on the left side of Sentinel Prime's robot mode head can be tilted back and forth, just like he did in the episode "[[Predacons Rising (Animated)|Predacons Rising]]". That's some mighty fine scannin', Sentinel!

: Takara also released Sentinel in the sixth wave of their [[Transformers Animated (toyline)#TakaraTomy Animated toyline|''Animated'' toyline]] years later. Like most of the Takara line, "Autobot Sentinel" has been given a more extensive (and shinier) paint job, including painted wheel rims, and coating all of his orange plastics in metallic orange overspray. In a surprising reversal from the norm, this release of the figure uses softer, rubbery plastic on the lance rather than the harder plastic of the Hasbro release.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/SentinelPrime/sentinelprime.htm More information on Sentinel Prime at TFU.info]''

===''Kre-O''===
[[File:KreOtoy-SentinelPrimeHeadmaster.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1]]
<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-multi|'''Earth's Most Wanted''' (Kreon multi-pack, 2015)}}</ul>
:*''Accessories'': Sword

:''[[Kre-O]]'' Sentinel Prime is the only [[Kreon]] in the "Earth's Most Wanted" pack of a character who is neither human nor Earth-built, yet is included due to his relation to the [[Headmaster (Animated)#Kre-O|Headmaster]]. He uses ''Kre-O'' [[Prowl (G1)/toys#Kre-O|Prowl]]'s helmet and carries a sword. As with the others in his set, he and Headmaster come with a flat Kreon stand. He uses the 2015-style Kreon build type.

: As both he and the Headmaster are Kreons, you can of course remove Sentinel's head and replace it with that of the Headmaster if that floats your boat.
{{-}}

==Notes==
[[File:TFASentinel-OriginalHead.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|Spooooon!!]]

*[[Marty Isenberg]]'s love of ''{{w|M*A*S*H}}'' was the reason Sentinel Prime is a jerk; he believed that the Transformers universe "needed a {{w|Frank Burns|Major Frank Burns}}".<ref>Marty Isenberg interview in [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 22|''Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club'' #22]]</ref> Conceived as "Rodimus Prime", Hasbro did not like the idea of Rodimus being a jerk, so the character was shifted to being "Sentinel Prime".<ref name="cnbotcon"/>
*Sentinel Prime is voiced by Townsend Coleman, who provided the voice of {{w|Tick (comics)|the Tick}} in his 1990s animated series. After he was cast, Sentinel Prime was designed to homage the Tick with his blue coloration and pronounced [[chin]] (even by normal ''Animated'' standards!).<ref name="cnbotcon">[[Cartoon Network]] panel at [[BotCon 2008]]</ref> The writers ran further with it, having him utter silly, Tick-esque lines like "Energon-y goodness!"
*At the time "Transform and Roll Out" went into production, the only part of Sentinel Prime that had been fully designed was his head.<ref name="cnbotcon"/> However, this turned out to be a non-final design; in his subsequent appearances, Sentinel's head is shorter and squatter, with a more bulbous chin and dark grey instead of white. He also has a set of extra smoke stacks/antennae on his shoulders, which would vanish during his first full-body appearance.
*In the planned season 4 of ''Animated'', Sentinel would try to secure his position as Sentinel Magnus after Megatron's escape from prison and the death of Ultra Magnus, first by commissioning a [[Project Powermaster|Powermaster]] upgrade for himself from the [[Project Omega]] team, then by invading Earth with the intent of using the collected AllSpark fragments to defeat Megatron. Optimus would steal Sentinel's Powermaster upgrade and travel to Earth to stop Sentinel from making a huge mistake. Had the "Powermaster Optimus Prime" toy been completed, designers vaguely planned, if at all possible, for it to also be compatible with the Sentinel Prime toy.<ref>''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II]]''</ref>
*Sentinel Prime's animation model and toy served as raw material for informal mockups of how [[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]]'s Earth form would look in Season 4. Ironhide's actual appearance and toy, would they have been completed, would have resulted in an entirely new look and action figure.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Sentinel''' (センチネル ''Senchineru'')
*''Portuguese:'' '''Sentinela Prime''' (Brazil, "Sentinel Prime")

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Animated Autobots]]
[[Category:Autobot leaders]]
[[Category:Blue Order]]
[[Category:Council members]]
[[Category:Elite Guard]]
[[Category:Kre-O Autobots]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Legends Autobots]]
[[Category:Primes]]
[[Category:TransTech Autobots]]

IP infringement

2024-08-29T22:08:32Z

DoctorFluffy: I am very rusty at this, but Skybound has gotten me THINKING.

{{disambig2|unlicensed toys based on ''Transformers''|third parties that produce actual ''Transformers'' products under license|Third party}}
[[File:01-Studio Headless Unicron.jpg|thumb|200px|"You underestimate me, Hasbro."]]
The many and varied facets of the [[Transformers brand|''Transformers'' brand]] are the intellectual property (IP) of [[Hasbro]] and [[TakaraTomy]], and their ownership of these ideas and designs is [[Copyright|protected by law]]. Alas, some rascally elements have, over the years, decided they'd like a slice of that pie, which has led to the creation of what have been described as '''IP infringing items''' by employees of former Hasbro licensee [[Fun Publications]].

{{bigquote|Theft of IP like this is staggering, develop your own characters and designs!|[[Aaron Archer]], former [[Hasbro]] employee<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20170510214929/https://aaron-archer-art.tumblr.com/post/88471654165/aeonmagnus-fans-toys-ft-03-scoria-gallery Aaron Archer on Tumblr]</ref><ref>Archer would later do design work for a not-[[Octopunch (G1)|Octopunch]] figure for an abortive Kickstarter project. TFWiki.net leaves you to make of this what you will.</ref>}}

==Kinds of IP infringement==
Technically, any use of Hasbro and Takara's ''Transformers'' names, characters, and concepts without obtaining a license could be considered IP infringement. Things such as fan art and fan fiction, however, are rarely considered problematic, being as they are not intended to generate profit or are otherwise one-off works. In fact, in the past Hasbro has laid out guidelines to fan-artists and similar creators wishing to make and sell art and crafts based on ''Transformers'', which basically boiled down to being careful how one "branded" it (or, in practice, ''didn't'' brand it by just avoiding the use of brand names and some minor semantics).

When things get dicey —and the license-holders get tetchy— is when IP infringement occurs on a grander, and more organized scale.

===Knockoffs===
[[File:DOTM.MIRAGEKO.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Automatons in Concealment]]
{{main|Knockoff}}
In the context of ''Transformers'', [[knockoff]] is often used to describe both low-budget/quality toys, the kind of off-color, oversized/undersized thing that one might come across in a "dollar store" cranked out by the bajillions from China, and higher-quality toys that actually attempt to pass themselves off as genuine Hasbro or Takara products. Knockoffs that are direct replicas of existing Hasbro toys are very obviously the result of theft – in that case, it is the precise design and engineering for the toy that has been stolen. However, it is not unheard of for manufacturers to create their own cheap toys in the image of ''Transformers'' characters, and these still constitute IP infringement– Optimus Prime the Character is as much Hasbro's property as Optimus Prime the Specific Toy.

Conversely, a toy that copies the engineering (i.e. [[transformation]]) of an existing Hasbro/Takara product but is changed enough as to not resemble an existing character protected by copyright might not necessarily constitute IP infringement: Functionality is protected by patents, and patent protection legally expires after 20 years. This is why you occasionally see off-brand toys that work just like the [[Jumpstarter]]s but look nothing like [[Topspin (G1)|Topspin]] or [[Twin Twist]].
{{--}}

==="Third party" toys===
[[File:MechaformNotJetfire.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.85|I Can't Believe It's Not Jetfire!]]
In the late 2000s, spurred on by the ''Transformers'' nostalgia boom invoked by the [[live-action film series]], a new phenomenon arose—unlicensed products based on ''Transformers'' aimed at the adult collector market. The very earliest examples of this kind of product were accessories and then "upgrades" for existing Hasbro toys, such as a trailer/armor set for [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/toys#Classics|''Classics'' Ultra Magnus]], but the market quickly grew to include standalone action figures based on ''Transformers'' characters. The number of groups producing these figures has ballooned rapidly, to the point that two or even three separate companies will be simultaneously releasing toys of the same characters. Popular market trends have included [[combiner]]s and, more recently, figures emulating the qualities of the ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' line.

The [[fandom]]'s generally recognized name for these kinds of figures is "third party Transformers", although this is ultimately a misnomer for the plain reason that they are not actual ''Transformers'' products. This terminology makes more sense in light of their history, as the initial accessories, add-ons and "upgrade" kits can still somewhat be considered "third party" products, and the term, once established among the fandom, was simply never adjusted when standalone figures became the main focus of such offerings. It also differentiates them from "bootleg" toys, as bootlegs are usually considered explicit copies of official Transformers toys designed to "trick" unaware buyers into purchasing thing, while "third party" products are usually explicitly purchased by collectors for their qualities. Obviously, these should not be confused with the actual [[Third party|third parties]] who produce ''Transformers'' merchandise under license from Hasbro or Takara.

In (very half-hearted) attempts to dissuade the notion that they are pinching ''Transformers'' characters, "third party" toy manufacturers typically avoid using [[Insignia|faction symbols]] (although sometimes include molded spaces for the buyer to apply their own), and give their figures alternative names that attempt to capture the sound and/or spirit of the [[trademark]]ed originals, with varying degrees of bizarreness. A toy intended to look like [[Starscream (disambiguation)|Starscream]] might, for example, wind up named "Stellaryell". Initially, fans would often avoid confusion by referring to these figures as "not" versions of the characters they were based on (for example, "Not-Starscream"), though as the market has grown that terminology has been mostly abandoned since there's liable to be multiple different Not-Starscreams. After many years of these products, name overlaps are bound to happen; for example, different companies have figures alternatively based on [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] and [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] that are both named "Rager". Even more hilariously (though not really surprising), there are even ''knockoffs'' of "third party" toys! Let's see ''them'' duke out their IP conflicts in court.

Desire for those toys arises for various reasons, including:

* Wanting a toy of a character who has not received a modern, or any toy, at a certain scale or quality, or in a specific style, such as the ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' line.
* Desiring different aesthetics (such as a more [[Live-action film series|movie]] accurate design compared to official toys), or a new design of a character.
* A belief that they are of superior quality. Design limitations such as [[For safety reasons|safety regulations]] and [[Design change|budget]] are much less of an issue compared to official toys; like many other figures designed for an adult audience, a "not a toy" disclaimer can be found on some of these products to justify these features, such as sharper edges on characters or small parts.

For reasons that should be obvious, TFWiki considers "third party" toys unrelated to its goal of documenting the ''Transformers'' brand, beyond examples where they have influenced official product.

====Types of "third party" toys====
Note: The following terms are descriptors rather than actual official terms since, well, they're clearly not official products.

=====Accessories=====
These are generally items that are designed to interact with official product, but involve no modification to said official product. These are most often weapons (e.g. the [[Star Saber (Prima)|Star Saber]] and [[Dark Star Saber]] from ''Transformers: Prime''), but may also include [[:Category:MacGuffins|MacGuffins]] like the [[AllSpark Matrix]] or even characters like notable humans such as [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari]] and [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]].

=====Add-ons=====
These are items that are designed to interact with official product and modify their appearance. However, said modification takes advantage of preexisting tabs, slots, posts and so on, thus requiring no actual modification of the official product. An example would be panels designed to fill in the gaps in the thighs of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generations toys#Titans Return|''Titans Return'' Powermaster Optimus Prime]], which slot in snugly into the gaps.

=====Upgrade kits=====
These are items designed to interact with official product and modify their appearance, but require some sort of actual modification to the official product. This can be as simple as popping off and swapping a limb on ball joints or putting a small piece in a gap to fill it in, to more comprehensive modifications like partial disassembly and replacing of parts. A kit that allows someone to switch the head of ''Classics'' Bumblebee to create a ''Classics''-styled Goldbug or giving ''G1'' Ironhide and Ratchet actual heads would be an example of this.

=====Full figures=====
As mentioned above, these are generally what is meant when references are made to "third party Transformers". These are standalone fully transformable figures clearly based on and meant to evoke actual ''Transformers'' characters. One of the earliest and most (in)famous examples was a triple-changing Not-Springer which became wildly popular because official Springer toys of that time transformed into either a land vehicle or an air vehicle, but not both. These types of products are arguably the most problematic, as they may actually cause lost sales for an official figure. Add-ons and upgrade kits, in contrast, may actually encourage collectors to purchase the official products they are meant to complement.

Again, these are descriptors, partially because there is a lot of overlap. For example, would a replacement head for a reissue G1 Bruticus that comes with light up LED eyes be considered an upgrade kit (since it replaces the original head) or an add-on (since it makes use of the post hole already intended for the original head)? Would hands and feet for a ''Combiner Wars'' Combiner that also transform into weapons for the component bots fall under accessories (as they're weapons) or upgrade kits (since they replace the original hands and feet) or add-ons (since they slot into preexisting ports)? And what about stickers that can change, for example, [[Prowl (G1)/toys#War for Cybertron: Siege|''Siege'' Prowl]] into an approximation of an [[Autotrooper (disambiguation)|Autotrooper]]? In fact, a lot of what created the demand for figures in the first place was that grey area. The first widely-successful "third-party" figures were technically an upgrade kit for [[Bruticus Maximus (ROTF)|Bruticus Maximus]], which were "fixing" the problem of the set having only two limb molds by adding two additional Basic-sized figures to the mix.
{{--}}

===Doujinshi===
Generally understood to mean fan-comics, ''doujinshi'' (同人誌) are a uniquely Japanese occurrence. Japan has a very healthy culture of fan groups who make their own manga, many of them starring original characters but a huge portion starring characters owned by companies (for a ''Transformers'' example, imagine a gag manga where [[Deathsaurus (G1)|Deathsaurus]] is portrayed as a little child and being raised by [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] and the other Decepticons to be the mighty [[Emperor of Destruction]] he is in [[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (franchise)#Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Victory|''Transformers: Victory'']]. Hijinks ensue). This would of course never fly in a litigious society like the US, but in Japan doujinshi exist in a strange gray area.<ref>[https://www.tofugu.com/japan/doujinshi-definition/ A page explaining doujinshi and why they're tolerated in Japan]</ref>

Basically, the difference between what would be understood as a fan-comic in the West and a doujinshi in Japan is that in the West (especially the US), while a company might turn a blind eye to someone making fan-comics for fun (e.g. on a site like DeviantArt), they would come down on them if they tried to put those same fan comics up for sale. [[Hasbro]] might allow (or at least ignore) people selling fanart and fan-comics at a proper ''Transformers'' convention like [[BotCon]], but might be much less forgiving if those same people tried to sell those items at, say, a general science fiction convention. Meanwhile, in Japan, there are various conventions where doujinshi are actually the key focus, such as the famous {{w|Comiket}}. A ''Transformers'' doujinshi might be sold at a ''Transformers''-related convention, but might also appear at, say, a mecha-related convention or a general science fiction-related convention (since the Transformers would fall under a mecha or science fiction category).

Long story short, [[TakaraTomy]] could complain and shut down groups making doujinshi any time they wanted, but like many Japanese companies, it appears that it simply isn't worth the hassle. People who make doujinshi are often the most hardcore of fans, and so alienating them isn't something most companies are eager to do. In addition, any victory would simply not be worth the resulting bad press, since fan groups are not exactly swimming in cash and while doujinshi are put up for sale, a lot of groups seem to just do it for love of the art or the series. Most doujinshi also receive extremely limited distribution, such as at dedicated conventions for only one or two days at a time. It should also be mentioned that many big names in manga got their starts or honed their skills in doujinshi circles, and it isn't impossible for a company to want to recruit some of these up-and-coming talents.

It, er, probably should be pointed out that some (though not all) doujinshi are very, ''very'' NSFW.

{{--}}

==Hasbro and IP infringement==
===Remarks and actions===
Official statements from Hasbro on "third party" toys are few and far between. In one response, provided as part of the company's now-defunct fansite Q&A program, they noted the illegal nature of the figures, and remarked that this kind of IP infringement was unfair to legitimate licensees who pay to produce ''Transformers'' merchandise.<ref>[http://www.tfviews.com/news/main/hasbro-q-and-a/499 TFviews Hasbro Q&A, August 2009]</ref> Hasbro did keep a binder cataloging every "third party" toy in case action needed to be taken against them.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/997302-aaron-archers-statements-toy-design-tfcon-2014-a.html "Aaron Archers statements on toy design at Tfcon 2014"] at TFW2005.</ref>

In 2015, Hasbro's UK branch distributed an online survey of the collecting habits of ''Transformers'' fans to coincide with the Auto Assembly unofficial convention, which included a surprising number of questions regarding "third party" products. In a bit of an embarrassing ''faux pas'', a Hasbro representative present at the convention itself also addressed a [[Vos (G1)|Vos]] cosplayer as "Cynicus", the name of an unofficial figure of that character.<ref>[http://waspshot23.tumblr.com/post/127569311096/ok-so waspshot23 on Tumblr]</ref>

To date, there has only been one known instance of Hasbro pursuing actual legal action against the manufacturers of "third party" toys. While such unofficial toys were banned from being sold at the dealer room at [[BotCon 2012]],<ref>This mandate initially encompassed fan art too, but this was quickly relaxed.</ref> [[BotCon 2015|2015]] and [[BotCon 2016|2016]], they generally seem to adopt a "laissez-faire" approach to such toys; while they don't officially condone such material, they're willing to allow it to exist as long as it isn't impacting Hasbro's bottom line. The one instance of Hasbro taking legal action was an unofficial toy of [[Unicron]], announced during the [[Hasbro Pulse#HasLab|HasLab]] campaign for [[Unicron/toys#War for Cybertron|''War for Cybertron'' Unicron]], seemingly intended to directly undercut Hasbro's big-ticket crowdfunded toy; evidently and understandably unhappy with this, Hasbro apparently intervened to have all posts about the pretender to the throne taken down from social media.<ref>[https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/3rd-party-not-unicron-apparently-removed-by-hasbro/43937/ 3rd Party (Not) Unicron Apparently Removed by Hasbro] at Seibertron</ref>

===Third party designs in official products and marketing===
[[File:MTMTE18 cvrB.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|IP un-infringement?]]
Beginning in the 2010s, there have been occasions where "third party" figure designs have slipped into official media. One cover for [[Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|''More than Meets the Eye'' #18]] saw [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] and [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] drawn based on unofficial figures "Rager" and "Cogz." Hasbro and [[IDW Publishing|IDW]] did not comment on this, although it seems likely that somebody somewhere might've gotten a slap on the wrist. (The artist in question has not done any comic covers since...)

Meanwhile, ''official'' third party licensee [[Imaginarium Art]]'s statues of [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] and [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] seem to be based on the unofficial figures "Carry" and "Green Giant", with [http://imaginarium-art.com/project_news.php Rodimus Prime] featuring detailing on his forearms otherwise unique to Carry and [https://www.facebook.com/imaginarium.hobby/posts/575739045925230 Devastator] having kneepads only found on Giant. One has to assume Hasbro wasn't looking too closely, or were understandably unaware of those figures, when they signed off on these.

In what was presumably an innocent mistake that resulted from the use of a fan's personal collection, a slide shown at the Hasbro investor and press event presentation during [[Toy Fair 2016]] that represented Transformers "Spanning Generations" featured a photograph of a father and son surrounded by a variety of ''Masterpiece'' toys... and the "third party" [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] "Green Giant".<ref name="toyfair16">[http://news.tfw2005.com/2016/02/12/tfw2005-coverage-hasbro-toy-fair-2016-investor-press-event-309206 Slides from the Hasbro investor and press event presentation during Toy Fair 2016].</ref> Oops!

Although stylized, the ''[[Transformers: Earth Wars]]'' models for the Predacons are recognizably based upon the "Feralcons", one of the three notable sets of "third party" Predacons. It even leaked into their combined mode, thusly based upon "Feral Rex". Meanwhile, [[Motormaster (G1)#Transformers: Earth Wars|Motormaster]] is modeled on the TransFormMission "Powertrain" interpretation of Motormaster's design from IDW's [[The Transformers (IDW)|2009-2011 ongoing series]].

[[File:LL19 vehicle modes.jpg|thumb|left|250px|IP dis-infringement.]]
The ''Earth Wars'' rendition of [[Warpath (G1)#Transformers: Earth Wars|Warpath]] is based on one or both of BadCube "Wardog" and FansToys "Sheridan".

Similarly, ''Earth Wars'' and the ''[[Transformers: Power of the Primes (cartoon)|Power of the Primes]]'' cartoon feature models for the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] based on the Fanstoys' "Iron Dibots" figures, rather than those from the concurrent [[Power of the Primes (toyline)|toyline]].

In an odd occurrence for a game which almost exclusively employed screen models and recent toys, [[Jazz (G1)#Transformers: Forged to Fight|Jazz]] in ''[[Transformers: Forged to Fight]]'' is directly modeled on Toyworld's "Coolsville" figure.

[[E. J. Su]], fulfilling the role of guest artist for [[Crucible (Part 1): A Dance Before Dying|''Lost Light'' #19]], was not given vehicle mode references for Rodimus, Drift, Ratchet, and Chromedome. Consequently, he had to make do with googling and used alt-modes [[:File:LL19 vehicle modes.jpg|based directly]] on the Mastermind Creations "Calidus" and "Stray" figures. Ratchet and Chromedome were based on official, though inaccurate, toys of the character.

An [[Industrial Light & Magic|ILM]] [[:File:BBArcee Head Revisions.jpg|design presentation]] about the 2018 ''[[Bumblebee (film)|Bumblebee]]'' movie used an image of Fans Toys "Rouge" as a [[Arcee (G1)|"Generation 1" Arcee]] design reference for [[Arcee (Movie)|''Bumblebee'' Arcee]].<ref>[https://www.ilm.com/visual_development/bumblebee-developing-an-epic-set-piece/ Bumblebee: Developing an Epic Set Piece - ILM San Francisco]</ref> This is an unsurprising research method as Arcee did not receive an official ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' figure until 2020, with multiple unlicensed third-party companies vying for fans' attention throughout the 2010s.

[[Package art]] for the [[Nemesis_(G1)#Legacy|''Legacy Evolution'' Titan-class Nemesis]] toy featured [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] in his Cybertronian "Tetra Jet" mode with the art for it being based off Impossible Toy's "Prankstor".

[[Singapore Comic Con#2023|Cybertron Fest 2023]] accidentally let some third party upgrade kits slip through the cracks in it's display of fan collections.
Namely, in a cabinet full of Optimus Primes, ''[[Transformers Unite Warriors|Unite Warriors]]'' [[Optimus Maximus (G1)#Unite_Warriors|Optimus Maximus]] has the Perfect Effect upgrade kit equipped, giving him a different pair of hands, feet, torso, and waist than the normal retail release. Not too far away, ''[[Transformers: Generations#Thrilling 30 (2013-2014)''|Thrilling 30]]'' [[Metroplex (G1)#Generations|Metroplex]] and mold-mate ''[[Titans Return (toyline)|Titans Return]]'' [[Fortress Maximus (G1)#Titans_Return|Fortress Maximus]] have also been seemingly upgraded, using the Unique Toys Metropolis head and Perfect Effect PC-14EX blaster (meant for [[Grand Maximus#Legends|his brother]]) respectively.

[[Daniel Warren Johnson]] uses Magic Square's 2023 "Light of Peace" Optimus as a reference when drawing him in Skybound's [[Transformers (2023 comic)| Transformers comic,]] on account of its poseability. .<ref>{{citesocial|quote=This is the Optimus Prime figure that Magic Square put out this past year in 2023. It's an update, so it has a new head sculpt, it looks just like the movie, the '86 movie which of course has been my bible. He looks so good that you can actually like, kind of pose him, and he looks pretty dynamic. And I knew that, man, if the toy looks this cool in real life, then I can make him look really cool... like look at this, it looks great, he looks kind of alive.|link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joUZgObXmU0&t=798s|name=Daniel Warren Johnson|site=YouTube|title=TRANSFORMERS Issue 1 DIRECTOR'S COMMENTARY|year=2023|month=10|day=06}}</ref>
{{-}}

===Hasbro's own copyright dodging===
[[File:CYB sonic bomber originalsculpt.jpg|right|upright=0.85|thumb|First party problems.]]
Despite Hasbro's own (completely understandable) aversion against people making a profit off their IP without permission, it's not like Hasbro is entirely innocent in this regard: In fact, the ''Transformers'' toys' [[alternate mode]]s being unlicensed reproductions of real-world vehicles and aircraft goes back all the way to the very first ''[[The Transformers (toyline)|Transformers]]'' toys.

While the whole market situation was still very different back in the 1980s, and car manufacturers apparently didn't start properly enforcing their intellectual properties in the field of toys and merchandise until the early 2000s, ''Transformers'' toys with [[licensed vehicle alternate modes]] are still the exception rather than the rule. The vast majority of [[popular Earth vehicle alternate modes]] are still unlicensed approximations of their real-life inspirations, basically "[[Sunstreaker (G1)/toys|not-Lamborghinis]]" or "[[Powerglide (G1)/toys|not-A-10s]]", with a few details altered to avoid a lawsuit — though this wasn't enough in [[Side Burn (RID)#Toys|one notable case]]. [[Downshift (Energon)#Cybertron|Some]] [[Windcharger (G1)#Transformers (2010)|examples]] are a little more creative, meshing together two or more real-life inspirations to create a genuine "hybrid" design, but most are just barely altered and instantly recognizable for what they are supposed to represent. While the target audience is obviously a different one (most people who buy a Hasbro Sunstreaker do so because he represents Sunstreaker the ''Transformers'' character, not because they want a Lamborghini for their toy car collection; however, most, if not all, people who buy a "third party" version of Sunstreaker do so because he represents Sunstreaker the ''Transformers'' character), it illustrates the gray area involved.

Less of a gray area appears to be the case of the ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' [[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bot]] [[High Beam#Generation 2|High Beam]] (released in 1995), though: Its alternate mode looks plain ''identical'' to a vehicle from [[Mattel]]'s ''[[Hot Wheels]]'' line that was first released in 1991 under the names "Back Burner" and "Sonic Special", but would eventually become more well known in 1995 under the name "[[Wikia:hotwheels:Speed Blaster|Speed Blaster]]". Unless both toys were based on the same obscure real-life concept car that has since been ''completely'' forgotten by history, that would be a ''very'' blatant case of Hasbro ''literally'' copying one of its competitor's toys and just making it transform.

Hasbro's ''[[Built to Rule!]]'' and ''[[Kre-O]]'' toylines "knocking off" [[LEGO]]'s iconic bricks cannot be considered IP infringement, however, as the technical patents for their brick-building system expired in [[1978]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Fan terminology]]
[[Category:Toys]]

Sparkeater (creature)

2018-07-03T02:03:06Z

DoctorFluffy: /* References */ (whoops_

{{disambig2|the vicious predator|Roadbuster's weapon|Sparkeater (weapon)}}
[[File:IDW Sparkeater.jpg|thumb|upright=2.2|It's not every day that Transformers fiction is inspired by {{w|Snorks#Villains|the Snorks}}.]]
'''Sparkeaters''' are powerful and monstrous predators, so rarely seen that they are largely believed by [[Transformer|Cybertronians]] to be mythical. As such, mere mention of them can invoke a sense of supernatural terror even among battle-hardened warriors. Little is firmly known of their habits or origin, but it is apparent that multiple denizens of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] possess the capacity to become one of these unfortunate, cannibalistic creatures, from ordinary Transformers to lowly [[turbofox]]es. Tracking the intensity of their prey's [[spark]] energy, they are able to immobilize and kill Transformers without making physical contact, through powers that seem to defy conventional explanation. Once consumed, the sparks linger in their abdomens and are slowly digested.

Inkeeping with the lack of general knowledge about them and the myths that have sprung up around them, they are sometimes also known as '''Cybervores''', '''Soulsnatchers''', and '''The Nightmare with a Thousand Names'''.

{{Bigquote|
Nickel, iron, cobalt, chrome, 
He'll eat your soul, 
Turn your spark to stone, 
Nickel, iron, cobalt, chrome, 
Run, little robot, run away home.|Traditional Cybertronian rhyme|[[Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things]]}}

==Fiction==
===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
Little is known about Sparkeaters by the Cybertronian populace at large. [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] believed that the only things capable of neutralizing them were extreme technologies like "industrial strength energy dampeners", "nullification booths", and "level-9 containment fields". {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}} A self-deluded Decepticon named [[Blip]] deified Sparkeaters, and even professed to be one. He was slain for this heresey by the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}}{{storylink|The Permanent Revolution}} who themselves also professed to have ''tamed'' a Sparkeater as their [[Dominus Ambus|pet]], {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} {{storylink|Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|Who's Afraid of the DJD?}} but they were just lying to scare people. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 4: At Close of Day|At Close of Day}}

The existence of Sparkeaters is, in actuality, an ontological paradox. The legend of the monsters would inspire [[Autobot]] scientist [[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]] to invent a [[Sparkeater Gun|gun]] that could transform those shot with it into Sparkeaters. Unaware of what the weapon was or what it did, [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] took the gun with him when he and the crew of the ''[[Lost Light]]'' embarked on a time-travel adventure four million years into the past. While in the past, Whirl shot a [[Senate]] goon with the weapon; the robot subsequently mutated into the first Sparkeater to chronologically exist, and went on to inspire the legend in the first place. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 2: Stet|Stet}} At the moment, the gun is the only known method of creating a Sparkeater. It's possible that there may be a method of transmitting Sparkeaterism, <ref>[http://www.transmissionspodcast.com/2015/03/transmissions-episode-94-james-roberts-mtmte-elegant-chaos-interview/ TransMissions Episode 94 – James Roberts MTMTE Elegant Chaos Interview] 1:08:00 to 1:08:21</ref> but little is known about that.

The ''Lost Light'' crew's adventure proceeded to take them a further million years back in time, where the gun changed hands from Whirl to [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]]. Locating and breaking into the newly-constructed past incarnation of their own ship, the ''Lost Light'', the crew ran into a security guard with a pack of turbofoxes. Cyclonus blasted the guard with the gun, and when he began to mutate, locked him and his pets in a nearby room. The ship was then accidentally shot across time and space {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|Predestination: An Expert's Guide}} where it was found a ground of [[NAIL|Cybertronian expatriates]]. Being worshipers of the death god [[Mortilus]], they kept the Sparkeater alive by feeding it more turbofoxes. {{storylink|Twenty Plus One}}

[[File:Sparkeater rips The Chaos of Warm Things.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.5|Someone got a little excited watching their 3TP together.]]

The ''Lost Light'' would eventually return to Cybertron, where its owners sold it to [[Drift (G1)|Drift]]. Upon launch, the ship suffered an engine malfunction and premature quantum jump, which caused severe damage and allowed the Sparkeater to breach its cell. The beast made the [[Duobot]] [[Shock (G1)|Shock]] its first victim, disconnecting and extracting his [[brain module]] through his mouth in order to paralyze him, then consuming his spark. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}} [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] subsequently discovered Shock's body and telltale claw marks on the nearby walls, and deduced that a Sparkeater was responsible; {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}} a diagnosis [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] later begrudgingly confirmed despite his skepticism and instinctual disregard for myths and legends. Seeking out the "brightest spark" on the ship, the Sparkeater was drawn to [[Rung (G1)|Rung]], but on its way to the psychiatrist's quarters, encountered and killed [[Animus]]. Whirl attempted to kill the monster with a missile barrage—only for [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] to save it with his forcefield, as a weapon strike on the unstable, partially digested sparks inside the monster's belly would have caused a catastrophic explosion. The Sparkeater relentlessly and single-mindedly pursued Rung throughout the ship, even ignoring Brainstorm in favor of the tastier prey. Finally, Rodimus seized Rung and used him as live bait to lure the Sparkeater close to the ship's engine room. As the beast lunged, Rodimus ordered [[Perceptor (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Perceptor]] to activate the [[quantum generator]]s, then quickly grabbed the monster and pushed it up one of them. The generator's localized disruption of the laws of physics resulted in the Sparkeater being fused into the engine block, killing it. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}}

On a quantum duplicate of the ''Lost Light'' created by the launch accident, it was Animus who was used as bait to lure the Sparkeater to the engine room, as Rung had already been lost. This version of Rodimus used the same strategy to get rid of the monster, but mistimed the attempt and got part of his head stuck in the engine, killing him alongside the Sparkeater. {{storylink|slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken|The Road Not Taken}}

In a vision seen by Drift, Pharma was leading an army of sparkeaters and [[Worldsweeper|Worldsweepers]]. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron|Some Other Cybertron}}

After solving the mystery of the [[Transformer afterlife|"Afterspark"]], Rodimus's crew and the [[Scavenger (group)|Scavengers]] were beset upon by a group of sparkeaters, some of whom were formerly [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], [[Hound (G1)|Hound]], and [[Mainframe (G1)|Mainframe]]. {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (3): You Are Here|You Are Here}}

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:IDW Generation 1 species]]
[[Category:Monsters]]
[[Category:Religion]]

Sparkeater (creature)

2018-07-03T02:00:03Z

DoctorFluffy:

{{disambig2|the vicious predator|Roadbuster's weapon|Sparkeater (weapon)}}
[[File:IDW Sparkeater.jpg|thumb|upright=2.2|It's not every day that Transformers fiction is inspired by {{w|Snorks#Villains|the Snorks}}.]]
'''Sparkeaters''' are powerful and monstrous predators, so rarely seen that they are largely believed by [[Transformer|Cybertronians]] to be mythical. As such, mere mention of them can invoke a sense of supernatural terror even among battle-hardened warriors. Little is firmly known of their habits or origin, but it is apparent that multiple denizens of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] possess the capacity to become one of these unfortunate, cannibalistic creatures, from ordinary Transformers to lowly [[turbofox]]es. Tracking the intensity of their prey's [[spark]] energy, they are able to immobilize and kill Transformers without making physical contact, through powers that seem to defy conventional explanation. Once consumed, the sparks linger in their abdomens and are slowly digested.

Inkeeping with the lack of general knowledge about them and the myths that have sprung up around them, they are sometimes also known as '''Cybervores''', '''Soulsnatchers''', and '''The Nightmare with a Thousand Names'''.

{{Bigquote|
Nickel, iron, cobalt, chrome, 
He'll eat your soul, 
Turn your spark to stone, 
Nickel, iron, cobalt, chrome, 
Run, little robot, run away home.|Traditional Cybertronian rhyme|[[Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things]]}}

==Fiction==
===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
Little is known about Sparkeaters by the Cybertronian populace at large. [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] believed that the only things capable of neutralizing them were extreme technologies like "industrial strength energy dampeners", "nullification booths", and "level-9 containment fields". {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}} A self-deluded Decepticon named [[Blip]] deified Sparkeaters, and even professed to be one. He was slain for this heresey by the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}}{{storylink|The Permanent Revolution}} who themselves also professed to have ''tamed'' a Sparkeater as their [[Dominus Ambus|pet]], {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} {{storylink|Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|Who's Afraid of the DJD?}} but they were just lying to scare people. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 4: At Close of Day|At Close of Day}}

The existence of Sparkeaters is, in actuality, an ontological paradox. The legend of the monsters would inspire [[Autobot]] scientist [[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]] to invent a [[Sparkeater Gun|gun]] that could transform those shot with it into Sparkeaters. Unaware of what the weapon was or what it did, [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] took the gun with him when he and the crew of the ''[[Lost Light]]'' embarked on a time-travel adventure four million years into the past. While in the past, Whirl shot a [[Senate]] goon with the weapon; the robot subsequently mutated into the first Sparkeater to chronologically exist, and went on to inspire the legend in the first place. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 2: Stet|Stet}} At the moment, the gun is the only known method of creating a Sparkeater. It's possible that there may be a method of transmitting Sparkeaterism, <ref>[http://www.transmissionspodcast.com/2015/03/transmissions-episode-94-james-roberts-mtmte-elegant-chaos-interview/ TransMissions Episode 94 – James Roberts MTMTE Elegant Chaos Interview] 1:08:00 to 1:08:21</ref> but little is known about that.

The ''Lost Light'' crew's adventure proceeded to take them a further million years back in time, where the gun changed hands from Whirl to [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]]. Locating and breaking into the newly-constructed past incarnation of their own ship, the ''Lost Light'', the crew ran into a security guard with a pack of turbofoxes. Cyclonus blasted the guard with the gun, and when he began to mutate, locked him and his pets in a nearby room. The ship was then accidentally shot across time and space {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|Predestination: An Expert's Guide}} where it was found a ground of [[NAIL|Cybertronian expatriates]]. Being worshipers of the death god [[Mortilus]], they kept the Sparkeater alive by feeding it more turbofoxes. {{storylink|Twenty Plus One}}

[[File:Sparkeater rips The Chaos of Warm Things.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.5|Someone got a little excited watching their 3TP together.]]

The ''Lost Light'' would eventually return to Cybertron, where its owners sold it to [[Drift (G1)|Drift]]. Upon launch, the ship suffered an engine malfunction and premature quantum jump, which caused severe damage and allowed the Sparkeater to breach its cell. The beast made the [[Duobot]] [[Shock (G1)|Shock]] its first victim, disconnecting and extracting his [[brain module]] through his mouth in order to paralyze him, then consuming his spark. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}} [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] subsequently discovered Shock's body and telltale claw marks on the nearby walls, and deduced that a Sparkeater was responsible; {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}} a diagnosis [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] later begrudgingly confirmed despite his skepticism and instinctual disregard for myths and legends. Seeking out the "brightest spark" on the ship, the Sparkeater was drawn to [[Rung (G1)|Rung]], but on its way to the psychiatrist's quarters, encountered and killed [[Animus]]. Whirl attempted to kill the monster with a missile barrage—only for [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] to save it with his forcefield, as a weapon strike on the unstable, partially digested sparks inside the monster's belly would have caused a catastrophic explosion. The Sparkeater relentlessly and single-mindedly pursued Rung throughout the ship, even ignoring Brainstorm in favor of the tastier prey. Finally, Rodimus seized Rung and used him as live bait to lure the Sparkeater close to the ship's engine room. As the beast lunged, Rodimus ordered [[Perceptor (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Perceptor]] to activate the [[quantum generator]]s, then quickly grabbed the monster and pushed it up one of them. The generator's localized disruption of the laws of physics resulted in the Sparkeater being fused into the engine block, killing it. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}}

On a quantum duplicate of the ''Lost Light'' created by the launch accident, it was Animus who was used as bait to lure the Sparkeater to the engine room, as Rung had already been lost. This version of Rodimus used the same strategy to get rid of the monster, but mistimed the attempt and got part of his head stuck in the engine, killing him alongside the Sparkeater. {{storylink|slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken|The Road Not Taken}}

In a vision seen by Drift, Pharma was leading an army of sparkeaters and [[Worldsweeper|Worldsweepers]]. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron|Some Other Cybertron}}

After solving the mystery of the [[Transformer afterlife|"Afterspark"]], Rodimus's crew and the [[Scavenger (group)|Scavengers]] were beset upon by a group of sparkeaters, some of whom were formerly [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], [[Hound (G1)|Hound]], and [[Mainframe (G1)|Mainframe]]. {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (3): You Are Here|You Are Here}}

==References==
</references>

[[Category:IDW Generation 1 species]]
[[Category:Monsters]]
[[Category:Religion]]

Rules of Disengagement (issue)

2017-10-17T19:59:20Z

DoctorFluffy: /* Transformers references */ I am _terrible_ at coding.

{{disambigr|Rules of Disengagement|the ''[[Transformers Legends (mobile game)|Transformers Legends]]'' event|Rules of Disengagement (Legends)}}
{{Comicstory|
|series=mtmte|issueno=7
|prev=Interiors
|next=Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations
|seriesissue2="Scavengers"
|next2=Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?
|caption=
|image=MTMTE7_cvrA.jpg
|title="Rules of Disengagement"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[July 25]], [[2012]]
|coverdate=July 2012
|story by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Alex Milne]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]] and [[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Shawn Lee]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2012)]]
}}
'''A mismatched group of Decepticons find themselves in the crosshairs of the deadliest team of killers there is... the Decepticon Justice Division!'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Mtmte7 djd.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.8]]
As a [[Phase Sixer]], [[Black Shadow (Victory)|Black Shadow]] is one of the most feared Decepticons, having tackled the [[Wrecker]]s single-handedly, defeated the entire [[113th Battalion]], and massacred the population of [[Rigel IV]]. But when he accepted a bribe to blow up a fleet of [[Warworld|War Worlds]], he landed himself in the sights of the [[Decepticon Justice Division]], a team of vicious killers fanatically dedicated to [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] and charged with destroying all who cross him. It's not a pretty sight when the D.J.D. catch up to Black Shadow: melted by [[Helex (DJD)|Helex]], crushed by [[Tesarus (DJD)|Tesarus]], and electrocuted by [[Kaon (DJD)|Kaon]], he is explosively finished off when DJD leader [[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]] uses his ability of "weaponized conversation" to stop the pulse of his [[spark]]. Their task done, the DJD set off to find their next target on the planet of [[Clemency]]—a target guilty of simply living.

On the ''[[Lost Light]]'', [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]], [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] and [[Ambulon]] combine their medical expertise to save the life of the wounded [[Rung (G1)|Rung]], though the psychiatrist remains comatose. A few hours later, [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] visits Rung in secrecy, believing—in his increasing paranoia—that the attempt on Rung's life was a deliberate one after Red told him about the voice he heard from beneath the ship. Certain that he is next, Red hides a [[data slug]] containing video he has taken of the voice's owner—[[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]]—on Rung's body and bids him goodbye. But a medical [[Diagnostic Drone]] has observed the entire thing, and soon, a shadowed figure arrives in the medibay and recovers the slug...

[[File:RulesofDisengagement-FulcrumMisfire.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]
On Clemency, a band of [[Decepticon]] [[Scavenger (group)|Scavengers]] consisting of [[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]], [[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]], [[Krok (G1)|Krok]], [[Crankcase (G1)|Crankcase]], and [[Flywheels]] are in the process of draining [[Transformer fuel|fuel]] from the vast array of Transformer corpses that litter the war-torn world when one of them, a chipper fellow named [[Fulcrum]], proves to be still alive. After a slight panic over the possibility that he might be a [[zombie]], the six 'cons settle down around a fire to talk about the great battle in Clemency's past, and the grim reality of war and how it reduces lives to statistics. Fulcrum is shocked to discover that the war is ''over'', barely able to comprehend such a thing, and the other Decepticons mumble about how meaningless it all turned out to be and how unclear their goals had been anyway. In spite of this, though, when one of the Autobot bodies stoking the Decepticons' fire proves to still be alive, Krok casually kills the poor 'bot.

Back on the ''Lost Light'', [[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]] visits [[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]] in his lab to get the scientist's analysis of [[Skids (G1)|Skids]]'s mysterious gun, which Chromedome palmed from the theoretician when he was distracted. The weapon immediately blew up when Brainstorm tried to examine it, but he was able to recognise at least some of the engineering, and has concluded that as impossible as it may seem, the gun may have come from somewhere known as "the [[Institute]]"...

[[File:MTMTE7 artificial gravity.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2.2]]
As dawn breaks on Clemency, the Decepticons resume their scavenging, only for Misfire to suddenly break away from the group, thinking that he has spotted the [[Censere|Necrobot]], a mythical Grim Reaper-like figure in Cybertronian culture. Instead, what he has discovered is a P-6 [[Worldsweeper]], a famous model of gigantic Decepticon spaceship cast in the image of the faction's [[insignia]]. Investigating the vessel, the Decepticons make some horrifyingly strange discoveries: a ceiling covered entirely in [[brain module]]s, tanks of warped, malformed [[protoform]]s, a non-functional robot made entirely of wood, and a corridor composed of organic flesh that proves to have been responsible for causing the ship to crash, having ''bled'' into the fuel supply and polluted it. Misfire in particular is aghast and advocates immediate departure, but Fulcrum, coming around to the idea of new horizons, is eager to investigate. All emotions on the ship quickly turn to terror, however, when Krok receives a communication from the D.J.D., announcing that one of their number is on the Division's list. Tarn signs off with the promise that if the guilty party is handed over, the other six will be allowed to watch his execution. The numbers don't add up, and Fulcrum assumes the D.J.D. simply miscounted their life-signs... but Krok soon discovers that there is indeed a seventh party on the ship, unconscious and sealed in a stasis tube... [[Grimlock (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Grimlock]]!
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks.) 
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*''[[Piston (Wrecker)|Piston]]''<ref name="RobertsIDWforum">[http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?p=301648#301648 James Roberts, IDW forum]: A while back I was PM'd by Ironhide/Paul, who asked me for some information on the Wreckers who showed up in the flashback on Page 1 of issue 7. I promised to post something on this forum. Here's the relevant extract from the script:

2 / Flashback. BLACK SHADOW fights the Wreckers (an old version of the team) at close quarters: tight, dirty and violent. He rips CREST’s head off and blasts PISTON through the chest, killing him. Also in shot are VALVE, HYPERION, IMPACTOR and RACK, all trying to get a piece of him. But it’s clear that Black Shadow owns this fight. Crest has been mentioned but not seen before, but should be readily identifiable by a big old crest on his chest. Valve is a spark brother to Springarm and Wheelarch, so should look like them. Piston is all-new. Hyperion was glimpsed in MTMTE issue 2.</ref> (2)
*''[[Rack'n'Ruin|Rack]]''<ref name="RobertsIDWforum" /> (3)
*''[[Valve]]''<ref name="RobertsIDWforum" /> (4)
*''[[Hyperion (G1)|Hyperion]]''<ref name="RobertsIDWforum" /> (6)
*''[[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]]'' (7)
*''[[Crest]]''<ref name="RobertsIDWforum" /> (8)
*''[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]]'' (9)
*''[[Pyro (G1)|Pyro]]'' (10)
*''[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]]'' (11)
*''[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]]'' (12)
*''[[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]]'' (13)
*''[[Kup (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Kup]]'' (14)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] (21)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Rung (G1)|Rung]] (22)
*[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (23)
*[[Ambulon]] (24)
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (25)
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (26)
*[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] (27)
*[[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]] (34)
*[[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]] (35)
*''[[Rewind (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rewind]]'' (36)
*[[Grimlock (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Grimlock]] (37)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]] (1)
*[[Black Shadow (Victory)|Black Shadow]] (5)
*[[Kaon (DJD)|Kaon]] (15)
*[[Helex (DJD)|Helex]] (16)
*[[Tesarus (DJD)|Tesarus]] (17)
*[[Vos (DJD)|Vos]] (18)
*''[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]]'' (19)
*[[Crankcase (G1)|Crankcase]] (28)
*[[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]] (28)
*[[Flywheels]] (30)
*[[Krok (G1)|Krok]] (31)
*[[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] (32)
*[[Fulcrum]] (33)
|c4=
*[[Dominus Ambus|The Pet]] (20)
}}

==Quotes==
"'My weapon is my burden: a reminder of the path I was forced to take. When the word 'weapon' is emptied of meaning; when the '''purpose''' of a weapon is impossible to grasp; when the rejection of my weapon is of significance to no one other than myself... only then shall I remove it from my arm. Because only then will I have earned the right to rid myself of my burden.'"
:-'''Tarn''' recites a passage from Megatron's ''[[Towards Peace]]''

"Nice to meet you, loser! They call me '''Misfire'''. Long story. Actually, you know what? It isn't. It's a very short story involving a machine gun, a '''misunderstanding''', and a dozen dead Decepticons."
:—In the IDW-universe, '''Misfire''' actually managed to hit something!

'''Fulcrum:''' "Ah! Now! Just—just wait a second! Just— The thing about me—my big thing is this: I'm really not keen on '''dying'''. Now '''survival'''—oh wow, '''huge''' fan. Put me down for some of '''that'''. Besides, we don't even know each other! You might '''like''' me! You might find me—disarming! Yes! I'd '''disarm''' you!" 
'''Spinister:''' "You'd '''what''' me?" 
'''Flywheels:''' "Careful—he's using words to confuse and frighten us."

"'''Go away.''' I'm busier than you've ever been and I'm doing more important things than you've ever done." 
"It's Chromedome." 
"So?" 
"So you have to be '''nice''' to me, I'm your only friend. Why are you—?" 
"Building weapons whilst hanging from the ceiling? Because no one else can. I was hoping '''Perceptor''' would walk in."
:—'''Brainstorm''' and '''Chromedome'''

"Chromedome, you're looking at a bona fide '''Binary Gun.'''" 
"What's a Binary Gun?" 
"I'm not sure—I've only just made up the name. But I called it that because inside there's only room for two cartridges, '''here''' and '''here.'''" 
"So what does it '''do?''' Where'd Skids get it? Why'd he carry it around with him all the time?" 
"I don't know! I've done my bit...!" 
"You made the gun '''blow up''' and then you '''gave it a name!''' I could have done that '''and''' I'd have come up with a better name!"
:—'''Brainstorm''' and '''Chromedome''' again

"But there's '''always''' been a war! That's like saying there's no more '''blue''' or—or the '''weather's''' stopped!"
:—'''Fulcrum''' catches up on recent history

"I always dreamed of captaining my own P-6—Followin' the likes of [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]] and [[Sixshot]] and the other big guns. I'd have called it something '''noble''' and '''majestic''', like '''''Mega Starpuncher''''' or '''''Mighty Spaceship'''''."
:—'''Crankcase'''

"You know, there are some Decepticons who, upon finding themselves in a skin-covered room surrounded by '''aborted protoforms''' and '''mechanoids made of bark,''' would rub their hands together, marvel at the universe's infinite capacity for surprise and '''dive right in.''' I am not one of those Decepticons. I say we run away screaming." 
"I '''am''' one of those Decepticons, Misfire, and I say we stick around—because frankly, this is amazing." 
"What's amazing?" 
"This! Us! Now! Who owns this ship? Where are they now? Where will '''we''' be an '''hour''' from now, or '''tomorrow''', or '''next month?''' The answer to '''all''' those questions is '''"Who knows?"''' And that's a '''great answer!''' That's the '''best answer ever!''' All our lives we've followed orders—all our lives someone else has always told us what to do next! Well, not anymore! For the first time in '''forever,''' we can do whatever we like! We're '''free!'''"
:—'''Misfire''' and '''Fulcrum'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Black Shadow was established to be a Phase Sixer in his sole previous IDW appearance in ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'' [[Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 2|#2]].
*Tarn quotes a passage from ''[[Towards Peace]]'', which will later be established as Megatron's autobiography.
*In addition to obvious members Impactor and Rack (pre-Ruin), the version of the Wreckers that Black Shadow fights is made up mostly of characters mentioned and briefly glimpsed in past James Roberts works which he specified in the script.<ref name="RobertsIDWforum" /> None are named on-panel but Hyperion is recognizable from his corpse's role in [[Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|issue #2]], while Valve has never been seen before, but shares a body-type with his brothers [[Wheelarch]] and [[Springarm]] from "[[Chaos Theory Part 1|Chaos Theory]]". Crest was mentioned in "[[Bullets]]" (and can be recognized by his large chest-crest), while the unfortunate Piston is a new character, separate from the earlier IDW character [[Piston (mechanic)|of the same name]].
*The Decepticon Justice Division were first mentioned in one of Roberts's earliest IDW works, [[Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 1|''Last Stand of the Wreckers'' #1]], and have come up on occasion since then. They are named after cities on Cybertron; specifically, the "[[Fall of the First Five Cities|First Five Cities]]" to fall to the Decepticons in the war, which were listed in [[Life After the Big Bang|issue #4]].
*Chromedome palmed Skids's gun between pages 4 and 5 of [[Life After the Big Bang|issue #4]].
*Reference was previously made to the mysterious "Institute" by the [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|nameless senator]] in [[Chaos Theory Part 2|"Chaos Theory", Part 2]], and as part of Red Alert's paranoid delusions in [[How Ratchet Got His Hands Back|issue #5]].
*The [[Censere|Necrobot]] was previously mentioned by [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] in [[Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|issue #3]] among other [[:Category: Things that don't exist|things that don't exist]] like the [[Shimmer]] or the [[Moonbase One|Seething Moon]]. All of these turn out to exist in some form...
*Grimlock was last seen at the close of the ''[[The Transformers: Maximum Dinobots|Maximum Dinobots]]'' mini-series, over three years before the publication of this issue. Since then, all we've heard is that he had left [[Garrus-9]] after it was sacked by the Decepticons under unrevealed circumstances, as detailed in [[Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 4|''Last Stand of the Wreckers'' #4]].
*It was most likely Drift who got the data slug.

===Transformers references===
*Black Shadow's design is based on his ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' toy.
*Whilst [[Rigel III|other]] [[Rigel 6|planets]] that orbit [[Rigel|the same star]] have shown up in Transformers fiction before, this issue is the first mention of Rigel IV. It's also known as being [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kang_and_Kodos the home of a pair of pesky space aliens] from ''The Simpsons''.
* Surprisingly, this isn't [[Mara-Al-Utha|the first time]] that wooden robots have shown up in a G1 continuity.
*Black Shadow's bribe is in [[Shanix]], a little-referenced Cybertronian currency that first appeared in issue #113 of the Marvel UK series. It's seen some previous mentions in IDW continuity in [[Chaos Theory Part 1|"Chaos Theory", Part 1]] and "[[Stick Together]]".
*The Warworld was the Decepticon mothership in the Marvel ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (Marvel)|Generation 2]]'' comic. The idea of a fleet of multiple Warworlds originated with the non-canon ''[[Alignment]]''.
*Vos's dialogue, referred to as the "[[Cybertronian language#IDW Generation 1 continuity|Primal Vernacular]]", is written using the [[Cyberglyphics]] symbol language from the [[movie continuity|live-action movie continuity]]. Employing the substitution cypher regularly used by [[Titan Books|Titan]] in their [[Transformers (Titan Magazine)|UK Transformers comic]] shows that most of his speech bubbles are nonsense, however, save for the first, which reads: "So tired me go night xth".
*[[Kol]] was first seen in [[Swarm (issue)|''Generation 2'' #9]], where it was a planet. It became the name of a [[Kol System|system]] in [[Stormbringer issue 2|''Stormbringer'' #2]] with the introduction of [[Varas Centralus]], which is located there.
*Roberts had previously created a Decepticon named Fulcrum in his fan-published ''Transformers: Eugenesis'' novel. Whether these are meant to be iterations of the same character (as was the case with Rung) or just a name reuse is unclear.
*That Flywheels should freak out so seriously at the prospect of a [[zombie]] is fitting, given his prominent role in the greatest Transformers zombie story, Marvel UK's "[[City of Fear!]]" (indeed, his only prominent role in anything before now).
*Amusingly, to go by the original tech spec numbers, Krok is actually the lowest ranking Decepticon of his group. But since when was fiction accurate to the tech specs?
*[[Hydrus Four|Hydrus 4]] is the planet of origin for [[Nucleon (substance)|nucleon]], seen in the original Marvel series. Its sister world [[Hydrus 5]] was created by James Roberts and first mentioned in "[[Bullets]]".
*The planet [[Elpasos]] is mentioned in passing, a world that debuted in—you guessed it, issue #113 of the Marvel UK series. It got a previous IDW mention in [[Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|''Last Stand of the Wreckers'' #5]].
*Reference is made to "Nova Peak", which is prrrrrobably the same thing as [[Nova Point]].

===Trivia===
*Although "Rules of Disengagement" is the only on-page title for this issue's story, the following issue was labelled "Scavengers (Part 2)", identifying this as an unmarked Part 1.
*The 113th Battalion is another use of the number 113 by James Roberts, referring to the [[Wanted: Galvatron — Dead or Alive!|issue of the UK comic]] that got him hooked on the series. On the same page, Black Shadow is seen battling the '''11'''th iteration of the Wreckers, with '''3''' kills.
*This is not the first time Roberts has written a character has having been "talked to death", though this version is a lot more literal than the reference made in "Bullets" to [[Violator|a Decepticon]] who killed himself rather than listen to [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] drone on!
*Krok's ship is named the ''[[Weak Anthropic Principle]]'', which is a philosophical postulate which basically states that only a universe capable of supporting intelligent life is able to be noted by said life, whereas a universe incapable of supporting such life will go unbeheld.

===Errors===
*"Halt" is misspelled "hault" on page 3, this was corrected for the TPB.
*Spinister was previously shown to be among the Decepticons who had already returned to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] in ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[The Autonomy Lesson (issue)|#1]]. Quick, someone [[Bluster|make up]] [[Firster Aid|a name]]!
*Spinister's name is misspelled as "Spinisther" during the search of the Symbol Ship, this remained uncorrected in the TPB.
*Krok spends most of the issue in a new set of colors, only appearing in his toy's colors in one panel on page 20.

===Crew Manifest===
*The "Story so far" segment on the inside front cover notes that "a number of [[Delphi]]'s patients" were brought to the ''Lost Light'', which is the first mention that anyone other than [[Fortress Maximus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Fortress Maximus]] came back with Ratchet and the medics.
*5 deaths, 5+ new arrivals since the launch.

===Soundtrack===
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk0vQhxyR5Y "My Year in Lists"] by [[Wikipedia:Los Campesinos!|Los Campesinos!]]

===Covers (3)===
*'''Cover A:''' Tarn, by Alex Milne and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Cover B:''' Misfire, Crankcase, Spinister, Flywheels, and Krok, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Cover RI:''' [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]] and [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], by [[Marcelo Matere]] and [[Priscilla Tramontano]], the second quarter of a combined image formed with the RI cover to ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Interference Patterns|#7]], [[Dinobot Hunt (IDW)|#8]], and ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' [[Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|#8]].

<gallery>
File:MTMTE7_cvrA.jpg|The last image in Black Shadow's mind.
File:MTMTE7_cvrB.jpg|Hi, can I have your heart?
File:MTMTE7_cvrRI.jpg|Cover RI
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' [[Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|#8]]
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Dinobot Hunt (IDW)|#8]]
*''[[The Transformers: Regeneration One|Regeneration One]]'' [[Loose Ends, Part 2|#82]]
*Sergio Aragones' ''Groo: Artist's Edition''
*''[[The Transformers: Autocracy|Autocracy]]''
*''Regeneration One'' [[Loose Ends, Part 1|#81]]
*IDW's ''Mars Attacks'' comic (back cover)

==References==
{{reflist}}

Rules of Disengagement (issue)

2017-10-17T19:58:51Z

DoctorFluffy: /* Transformers references */

{{disambigr|Rules of Disengagement|the ''[[Transformers Legends (mobile game)|Transformers Legends]]'' event|Rules of Disengagement (Legends)}}
{{Comicstory|
|series=mtmte|issueno=7
|prev=Interiors
|next=Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations
|seriesissue2="Scavengers"
|next2=Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?
|caption=
|image=MTMTE7_cvrA.jpg
|title="Rules of Disengagement"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[July 25]], [[2012]]
|coverdate=July 2012
|story by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Alex Milne]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]] and [[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Shawn Lee]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2012)]]
}}
'''A mismatched group of Decepticons find themselves in the crosshairs of the deadliest team of killers there is... the Decepticon Justice Division!'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Mtmte7 djd.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.8]]
As a [[Phase Sixer]], [[Black Shadow (Victory)|Black Shadow]] is one of the most feared Decepticons, having tackled the [[Wrecker]]s single-handedly, defeated the entire [[113th Battalion]], and massacred the population of [[Rigel IV]]. But when he accepted a bribe to blow up a fleet of [[Warworld|War Worlds]], he landed himself in the sights of the [[Decepticon Justice Division]], a team of vicious killers fanatically dedicated to [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] and charged with destroying all who cross him. It's not a pretty sight when the D.J.D. catch up to Black Shadow: melted by [[Helex (DJD)|Helex]], crushed by [[Tesarus (DJD)|Tesarus]], and electrocuted by [[Kaon (DJD)|Kaon]], he is explosively finished off when DJD leader [[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]] uses his ability of "weaponized conversation" to stop the pulse of his [[spark]]. Their task done, the DJD set off to find their next target on the planet of [[Clemency]]—a target guilty of simply living.

On the ''[[Lost Light]]'', [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]], [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] and [[Ambulon]] combine their medical expertise to save the life of the wounded [[Rung (G1)|Rung]], though the psychiatrist remains comatose. A few hours later, [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] visits Rung in secrecy, believing—in his increasing paranoia—that the attempt on Rung's life was a deliberate one after Red told him about the voice he heard from beneath the ship. Certain that he is next, Red hides a [[data slug]] containing video he has taken of the voice's owner—[[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]]—on Rung's body and bids him goodbye. But a medical [[Diagnostic Drone]] has observed the entire thing, and soon, a shadowed figure arrives in the medibay and recovers the slug...

[[File:RulesofDisengagement-FulcrumMisfire.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]
On Clemency, a band of [[Decepticon]] [[Scavenger (group)|Scavengers]] consisting of [[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]], [[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]], [[Krok (G1)|Krok]], [[Crankcase (G1)|Crankcase]], and [[Flywheels]] are in the process of draining [[Transformer fuel|fuel]] from the vast array of Transformer corpses that litter the war-torn world when one of them, a chipper fellow named [[Fulcrum]], proves to be still alive. After a slight panic over the possibility that he might be a [[zombie]], the six 'cons settle down around a fire to talk about the great battle in Clemency's past, and the grim reality of war and how it reduces lives to statistics. Fulcrum is shocked to discover that the war is ''over'', barely able to comprehend such a thing, and the other Decepticons mumble about how meaningless it all turned out to be and how unclear their goals had been anyway. In spite of this, though, when one of the Autobot bodies stoking the Decepticons' fire proves to still be alive, Krok casually kills the poor 'bot.

Back on the ''Lost Light'', [[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]] visits [[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]] in his lab to get the scientist's analysis of [[Skids (G1)|Skids]]'s mysterious gun, which Chromedome palmed from the theoretician when he was distracted. The weapon immediately blew up when Brainstorm tried to examine it, but he was able to recognise at least some of the engineering, and has concluded that as impossible as it may seem, the gun may have come from somewhere known as "the [[Institute]]"...

[[File:MTMTE7 artificial gravity.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2.2]]
As dawn breaks on Clemency, the Decepticons resume their scavenging, only for Misfire to suddenly break away from the group, thinking that he has spotted the [[Censere|Necrobot]], a mythical Grim Reaper-like figure in Cybertronian culture. Instead, what he has discovered is a P-6 [[Worldsweeper]], a famous model of gigantic Decepticon spaceship cast in the image of the faction's [[insignia]]. Investigating the vessel, the Decepticons make some horrifyingly strange discoveries: a ceiling covered entirely in [[brain module]]s, tanks of warped, malformed [[protoform]]s, a non-functional robot made entirely of wood, and a corridor composed of organic flesh that proves to have been responsible for causing the ship to crash, having ''bled'' into the fuel supply and polluted it. Misfire in particular is aghast and advocates immediate departure, but Fulcrum, coming around to the idea of new horizons, is eager to investigate. All emotions on the ship quickly turn to terror, however, when Krok receives a communication from the D.J.D., announcing that one of their number is on the Division's list. Tarn signs off with the promise that if the guilty party is handed over, the other six will be allowed to watch his execution. The numbers don't add up, and Fulcrum assumes the D.J.D. simply miscounted their life-signs... but Krok soon discovers that there is indeed a seventh party on the ship, unconscious and sealed in a stasis tube... [[Grimlock (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Grimlock]]!
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks.) 
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*''[[Piston (Wrecker)|Piston]]''<ref name="RobertsIDWforum">[http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?p=301648#301648 James Roberts, IDW forum]: A while back I was PM'd by Ironhide/Paul, who asked me for some information on the Wreckers who showed up in the flashback on Page 1 of issue 7. I promised to post something on this forum. Here's the relevant extract from the script:

2 / Flashback. BLACK SHADOW fights the Wreckers (an old version of the team) at close quarters: tight, dirty and violent. He rips CREST’s head off and blasts PISTON through the chest, killing him. Also in shot are VALVE, HYPERION, IMPACTOR and RACK, all trying to get a piece of him. But it’s clear that Black Shadow owns this fight. Crest has been mentioned but not seen before, but should be readily identifiable by a big old crest on his chest. Valve is a spark brother to Springarm and Wheelarch, so should look like them. Piston is all-new. Hyperion was glimpsed in MTMTE issue 2.</ref> (2)
*''[[Rack'n'Ruin|Rack]]''<ref name="RobertsIDWforum" /> (3)
*''[[Valve]]''<ref name="RobertsIDWforum" /> (4)
*''[[Hyperion (G1)|Hyperion]]''<ref name="RobertsIDWforum" /> (6)
*''[[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]]'' (7)
*''[[Crest]]''<ref name="RobertsIDWforum" /> (8)
*''[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]]'' (9)
*''[[Pyro (G1)|Pyro]]'' (10)
*''[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]]'' (11)
*''[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]]'' (12)
*''[[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]]'' (13)
*''[[Kup (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Kup]]'' (14)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] (21)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Rung (G1)|Rung]] (22)
*[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (23)
*[[Ambulon]] (24)
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (25)
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (26)
*[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] (27)
*[[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]] (34)
*[[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]] (35)
*''[[Rewind (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rewind]]'' (36)
*[[Grimlock (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Grimlock]] (37)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]] (1)
*[[Black Shadow (Victory)|Black Shadow]] (5)
*[[Kaon (DJD)|Kaon]] (15)
*[[Helex (DJD)|Helex]] (16)
*[[Tesarus (DJD)|Tesarus]] (17)
*[[Vos (DJD)|Vos]] (18)
*''[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]]'' (19)
*[[Crankcase (G1)|Crankcase]] (28)
*[[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]] (28)
*[[Flywheels]] (30)
*[[Krok (G1)|Krok]] (31)
*[[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] (32)
*[[Fulcrum]] (33)
|c4=
*[[Dominus Ambus|The Pet]] (20)
}}

==Quotes==
"'My weapon is my burden: a reminder of the path I was forced to take. When the word 'weapon' is emptied of meaning; when the '''purpose''' of a weapon is impossible to grasp; when the rejection of my weapon is of significance to no one other than myself... only then shall I remove it from my arm. Because only then will I have earned the right to rid myself of my burden.'"
:-'''Tarn''' recites a passage from Megatron's ''[[Towards Peace]]''

"Nice to meet you, loser! They call me '''Misfire'''. Long story. Actually, you know what? It isn't. It's a very short story involving a machine gun, a '''misunderstanding''', and a dozen dead Decepticons."
:—In the IDW-universe, '''Misfire''' actually managed to hit something!

'''Fulcrum:''' "Ah! Now! Just—just wait a second! Just— The thing about me—my big thing is this: I'm really not keen on '''dying'''. Now '''survival'''—oh wow, '''huge''' fan. Put me down for some of '''that'''. Besides, we don't even know each other! You might '''like''' me! You might find me—disarming! Yes! I'd '''disarm''' you!" 
'''Spinister:''' "You'd '''what''' me?" 
'''Flywheels:''' "Careful—he's using words to confuse and frighten us."

"'''Go away.''' I'm busier than you've ever been and I'm doing more important things than you've ever done." 
"It's Chromedome." 
"So?" 
"So you have to be '''nice''' to me, I'm your only friend. Why are you—?" 
"Building weapons whilst hanging from the ceiling? Because no one else can. I was hoping '''Perceptor''' would walk in."
:—'''Brainstorm''' and '''Chromedome'''

"Chromedome, you're looking at a bona fide '''Binary Gun.'''" 
"What's a Binary Gun?" 
"I'm not sure—I've only just made up the name. But I called it that because inside there's only room for two cartridges, '''here''' and '''here.'''" 
"So what does it '''do?''' Where'd Skids get it? Why'd he carry it around with him all the time?" 
"I don't know! I've done my bit...!" 
"You made the gun '''blow up''' and then you '''gave it a name!''' I could have done that '''and''' I'd have come up with a better name!"
:—'''Brainstorm''' and '''Chromedome''' again

"But there's '''always''' been a war! That's like saying there's no more '''blue''' or—or the '''weather's''' stopped!"
:—'''Fulcrum''' catches up on recent history

"I always dreamed of captaining my own P-6—Followin' the likes of [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]] and [[Sixshot]] and the other big guns. I'd have called it something '''noble''' and '''majestic''', like '''''Mega Starpuncher''''' or '''''Mighty Spaceship'''''."
:—'''Crankcase'''

"You know, there are some Decepticons who, upon finding themselves in a skin-covered room surrounded by '''aborted protoforms''' and '''mechanoids made of bark,''' would rub their hands together, marvel at the universe's infinite capacity for surprise and '''dive right in.''' I am not one of those Decepticons. I say we run away screaming." 
"I '''am''' one of those Decepticons, Misfire, and I say we stick around—because frankly, this is amazing." 
"What's amazing?" 
"This! Us! Now! Who owns this ship? Where are they now? Where will '''we''' be an '''hour''' from now, or '''tomorrow''', or '''next month?''' The answer to '''all''' those questions is '''"Who knows?"''' And that's a '''great answer!''' That's the '''best answer ever!''' All our lives we've followed orders—all our lives someone else has always told us what to do next! Well, not anymore! For the first time in '''forever,''' we can do whatever we like! We're '''free!'''"
:—'''Misfire''' and '''Fulcrum'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Black Shadow was established to be a Phase Sixer in his sole previous IDW appearance in ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'' [[Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 2|#2]].
*Tarn quotes a passage from ''[[Towards Peace]]'', which will later be established as Megatron's autobiography.
*In addition to obvious members Impactor and Rack (pre-Ruin), the version of the Wreckers that Black Shadow fights is made up mostly of characters mentioned and briefly glimpsed in past James Roberts works which he specified in the script.<ref name="RobertsIDWforum" /> None are named on-panel but Hyperion is recognizable from his corpse's role in [[Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|issue #2]], while Valve has never been seen before, but shares a body-type with his brothers [[Wheelarch]] and [[Springarm]] from "[[Chaos Theory Part 1|Chaos Theory]]". Crest was mentioned in "[[Bullets]]" (and can be recognized by his large chest-crest), while the unfortunate Piston is a new character, separate from the earlier IDW character [[Piston (mechanic)|of the same name]].
*The Decepticon Justice Division were first mentioned in one of Roberts's earliest IDW works, [[Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 1|''Last Stand of the Wreckers'' #1]], and have come up on occasion since then. They are named after cities on Cybertron; specifically, the "[[Fall of the First Five Cities|First Five Cities]]" to fall to the Decepticons in the war, which were listed in [[Life After the Big Bang|issue #4]].
*Chromedome palmed Skids's gun between pages 4 and 5 of [[Life After the Big Bang|issue #4]].
*Reference was previously made to the mysterious "Institute" by the [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|nameless senator]] in [[Chaos Theory Part 2|"Chaos Theory", Part 2]], and as part of Red Alert's paranoid delusions in [[How Ratchet Got His Hands Back|issue #5]].
*The [[Censere|Necrobot]] was previously mentioned by [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] in [[Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|issue #3]] among other [[:Category: Things that don't exist|things that don't exist]] like the [[Shimmer]] or the [[Moonbase One|Seething Moon]]. All of these turn out to exist in some form...
*Grimlock was last seen at the close of the ''[[The Transformers: Maximum Dinobots|Maximum Dinobots]]'' mini-series, over three years before the publication of this issue. Since then, all we've heard is that he had left [[Garrus-9]] after it was sacked by the Decepticons under unrevealed circumstances, as detailed in [[Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 4|''Last Stand of the Wreckers'' #4]].
*It was most likely Drift who got the data slug.

===Transformers references===
*Black Shadow's design is based on his ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' toy.
*Whilst [[Rigel III|other]] [[Rigel 6|planets]] that orbit [[Rigel|the same star]] have shown up in Transformers fiction before, this issue is the first mention of Rigel IV. It's also known as being [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kang_and_Kodos the home of a pair of pesky space aliens] from ''The Simpsons''.
* Surprisingly, this isn't [[http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Mara-Al-Utha|the first time]] that wooden robots have shown up in a G1 continuity.
*Black Shadow's bribe is in [[Shanix]], a little-referenced Cybertronian currency that first appeared in issue #113 of the Marvel UK series. It's seen some previous mentions in IDW continuity in [[Chaos Theory Part 1|"Chaos Theory", Part 1]] and "[[Stick Together]]".
*The Warworld was the Decepticon mothership in the Marvel ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (Marvel)|Generation 2]]'' comic. The idea of a fleet of multiple Warworlds originated with the non-canon ''[[Alignment]]''.
*Vos's dialogue, referred to as the "[[Cybertronian language#IDW Generation 1 continuity|Primal Vernacular]]", is written using the [[Cyberglyphics]] symbol language from the [[movie continuity|live-action movie continuity]]. Employing the substitution cypher regularly used by [[Titan Books|Titan]] in their [[Transformers (Titan Magazine)|UK Transformers comic]] shows that most of his speech bubbles are nonsense, however, save for the first, which reads: "So tired me go night xth".
*[[Kol]] was first seen in [[Swarm (issue)|''Generation 2'' #9]], where it was a planet. It became the name of a [[Kol System|system]] in [[Stormbringer issue 2|''Stormbringer'' #2]] with the introduction of [[Varas Centralus]], which is located there.
*Roberts had previously created a Decepticon named Fulcrum in his fan-published ''Transformers: Eugenesis'' novel. Whether these are meant to be iterations of the same character (as was the case with Rung) or just a name reuse is unclear.
*That Flywheels should freak out so seriously at the prospect of a [[zombie]] is fitting, given his prominent role in the greatest Transformers zombie story, Marvel UK's "[[City of Fear!]]" (indeed, his only prominent role in anything before now).
*Amusingly, to go by the original tech spec numbers, Krok is actually the lowest ranking Decepticon of his group. But since when was fiction accurate to the tech specs?
*[[Hydrus Four|Hydrus 4]] is the planet of origin for [[Nucleon (substance)|nucleon]], seen in the original Marvel series. Its sister world [[Hydrus 5]] was created by James Roberts and first mentioned in "[[Bullets]]".
*The planet [[Elpasos]] is mentioned in passing, a world that debuted in—you guessed it, issue #113 of the Marvel UK series. It got a previous IDW mention in [[Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|''Last Stand of the Wreckers'' #5]].
*Reference is made to "Nova Peak", which is prrrrrobably the same thing as [[Nova Point]].

===Trivia===
*Although "Rules of Disengagement" is the only on-page title for this issue's story, the following issue was labelled "Scavengers (Part 2)", identifying this as an unmarked Part 1.
*The 113th Battalion is another use of the number 113 by James Roberts, referring to the [[Wanted: Galvatron — Dead or Alive!|issue of the UK comic]] that got him hooked on the series. On the same page, Black Shadow is seen battling the '''11'''th iteration of the Wreckers, with '''3''' kills.
*This is not the first time Roberts has written a character has having been "talked to death", though this version is a lot more literal than the reference made in "Bullets" to [[Violator|a Decepticon]] who killed himself rather than listen to [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] drone on!
*Krok's ship is named the ''[[Weak Anthropic Principle]]'', which is a philosophical postulate which basically states that only a universe capable of supporting intelligent life is able to be noted by said life, whereas a universe incapable of supporting such life will go unbeheld.

===Errors===
*"Halt" is misspelled "hault" on page 3, this was corrected for the TPB.
*Spinister was previously shown to be among the Decepticons who had already returned to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] in ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[The Autonomy Lesson (issue)|#1]]. Quick, someone [[Bluster|make up]] [[Firster Aid|a name]]!
*Spinister's name is misspelled as "Spinisther" during the search of the Symbol Ship, this remained uncorrected in the TPB.
*Krok spends most of the issue in a new set of colors, only appearing in his toy's colors in one panel on page 20.

===Crew Manifest===
*The "Story so far" segment on the inside front cover notes that "a number of [[Delphi]]'s patients" were brought to the ''Lost Light'', which is the first mention that anyone other than [[Fortress Maximus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Fortress Maximus]] came back with Ratchet and the medics.
*5 deaths, 5+ new arrivals since the launch.

===Soundtrack===
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tk0vQhxyR5Y "My Year in Lists"] by [[Wikipedia:Los Campesinos!|Los Campesinos!]]

===Covers (3)===
*'''Cover A:''' Tarn, by Alex Milne and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Cover B:''' Misfire, Crankcase, Spinister, Flywheels, and Krok, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Cover RI:''' [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]] and [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]], by [[Marcelo Matere]] and [[Priscilla Tramontano]], the second quarter of a combined image formed with the RI cover to ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Interference Patterns|#7]], [[Dinobot Hunt (IDW)|#8]], and ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' [[Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|#8]].

<gallery>
File:MTMTE7_cvrA.jpg|The last image in Black Shadow's mind.
File:MTMTE7_cvrB.jpg|Hi, can I have your heart?
File:MTMTE7_cvrRI.jpg|Cover RI
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' [[Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|#8]]
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Dinobot Hunt (IDW)|#8]]
*''[[The Transformers: Regeneration One|Regeneration One]]'' [[Loose Ends, Part 2|#82]]
*Sergio Aragones' ''Groo: Artist's Edition''
*''[[The Transformers: Autocracy|Autocracy]]''
*''Regeneration One'' [[Loose Ends, Part 1|#81]]
*IDW's ''Mars Attacks'' comic (back cover)

==References==
{{reflist}}

M9-2 Harpoon Gun

2017-08-20T17:45:42Z

DoctorFluffy:

[[File:M9-2 Harpoon Gun.jpg|right|upright=1.67|thumb|Paging Captain Ahab: Your mail order is here.]]

The '''M9-2 Harpoon Gun''' is a weapon developed by [[Sector Seven]], under the direction of [[Rebecca Howard]]. The initial prototype was completed in 2003. Featuring an armor-piercing projectile that weighs 21.2 kilograms, the weapon has a range of 55 meters with a muzzle velocity of 324 meters per second.

==Fiction==
===IDW ''Transformers'' movie comics===
[[File:Movie Targetcomic harpoon bumblebee.jpg|left|upright=1.4|thumb|Damn thee, thou cursed NBE!]]
In 2003, as [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] was leaving [[Baton Rouge]], [[Louisiana]], Sector Seven field operatives attempted to capture him using M9-2 Harpoons while he was in [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]], but failed. {{storylink|Interlude|Interlude}}

{{-}}

===''Transformers'' (2007) movie===
[[File:Movie Harpooncapture Bumblebee.jpg|right|upright=1.4|thumb|He's at the 30, the 20, nothing can stop— OOH!]]
Four years later, after rescuing [[Sam Witwicky]] and [[Mikaela Banes]] from [[Seymour Simmons|Agent Simmons]], the Autobots found themselves on the run from Sector Seven reinforcements. As [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] hid in the spans under a bridge, Mikaela and Sam both fell when Sector Seven helicopters passed below. They were saved from a messy death when Bumblebee transformed and caught them both in mid-air. However, this provided a target for the Sector Seven helicopters, which were armed with the M9-2 Harpoons. They lassoed and dragged Bumblebee to the ground with ease as the Autobot refused to fight back against his captors. Sector Seven cryo units then moved in to freeze Bumblebee, who was tied fast by the cables. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}}

{{-}}

==Notes==
*The schematic of the M9-2 Harpoon Gun was revealed as part of the first "remote access client" of the [[Sector Seven (game)|Sector Seven alternate reality game]].
*The M9-2 Harpoon Gun appears to be built around an M2 Browning machinegun.

[[Category:Movie weapons]]
[[Category:Sector Seven]]

Chaos Theory Part 1

2017-04-14T21:00:36Z

DoctorFluffy: /* Transformers references */

{{Comicstory|
|seriesissue=''[[The Transformers (IDW)|The Transformers]]'' #22
|prev=Police Action: Prologue
|next=Chaos Theory Part 2
|seriesissue2="[[Chaos (IDW)|Chaos]]"
|prev2=Space Opera—Final Tableaux: Orphans of the Helix
|next2=Chaos Theory Part 2
|title="Chaos Theory Part 1"
|image=Transformersissue22-CoverA.jpg
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[July 20]], [[2011]]
|coverdate=July 2011
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Alex Milne]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Shawn Lee]]
|assistant editor=[[Carlos Guzman]]
|editor=[[Andy Schmidt]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2011)]]
}}
'''Why did Megatron surrender...?'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Ongoing22 MaccadamsNewOilHouse.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]
''On [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], before the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] and [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] are sitting in [[Maccadam's Old Oil House|Maccadam's New Oil House]], discussing Megatron's treatise that calls for non-violent direct action to bring about a revolution. A bar fight involving [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] soon attracts Impactor's violent attention, despite Megatron's protests.''

Aboard [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]'s rocket, [[Perceptor (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Perceptor]] and [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] scan the captured Megatron for weapons. A paranoid Ratchet worries about a rumor that Megatron can siphon [[antimatter]] from a [[black hole]] and release it through his eyes. Perceptor finds his paranoia ridiculous and turns the [[Decepticon]] over to [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]]. While Megatron is being investigated by the scientists, Optimus watches with [[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] and [[Xaaron]], who came from [[Kimia Facility|Kimia]] to see Megatron for himself and offer [[Wheeljack (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Wheeljack]] a position at Kimia. Optimus Prime questions Megatron's motives, wondering if his nemesis wants the war to be over as much as he does. Ironhide offers to handle the interrogation, but Prime considers Megatron as his responsibility and as his greatest failure.

''In a police cell, [[Springarm]], a police officer, checks Megatron's information and asks for his name and where he was created. Megatron asks of Impactor's whereabouts, learning that he is in a medical facility. However, the cadets he beat up are in a much poorer condition. [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] enters with a [[Communicube]] to relieve Springarm and warns Megatron that things for him will not turn out well if the cadets expire.''

Optimus Prime, alone and blocking out any prying eyes, engages Megatron in a "civilized conversation". After being released of his restraints and taking a seat, Megatron enquires about his troops back on [[Earth]], but Prime tells him to focus on the current topic. Megatron elaborates on the constants of his millions of years of war and conquering: hate, created in his stay in prison thanks to an Autobot, and Optimus Prime. Megatron does not hate Prime himself, just what he represents and the barriers he creates for Megatron's ambition. Megatron asks Optimus if he hates him; the question is first answered with a yes, but Optimus takes it back. "Hate" is too simple a word—it may sustain Megatron, but he is lessened by it. Megatron mocks Prime's rhetoric and claims to know the [[Autobot]] leader all too well. Optimus tires of the conversation, but Megatron points out that the war has changed; things are speeding up. Optimus asks him what victory is to him. It is dominion over the lesser species, the Autobots vanquished, and a new [[Golden Age]]—peace through tyranny. Optimus attempts to compare the two's desires for peace, but Megatron refuses to accept the parallel. Optimus has done nothing for his goal, while Megatron fought to address the injustice in their society. Optimus asks when the two first met, leading into the two recalling their battles over the years. Optimus wishes for Megatron's help in ending the war, but he refuses.

[[File:ChaosTheory1 take a seat.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6]]
The [[Autobot High Command]] convenes to discuss the situation with Megatron. Xaaron wants to make sure that there is a proper public and independent trial. [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] agrees and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] suggests Chief Justice [[Tyrest (G1)|Tyrest]], seen as neutral by the [[Galactic Council]]. The conversation turns to the death sentence, but [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] fears making Megatron a martyr and turning away from the Autobots' principles. The ultimate decision, however, rests with Optimus Prime. [[Hot Rod/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] doubts whether Optimus can make the right decision and points out that, although there was no visual showing of the conversation between Optimus and Megatron, the audio feed was not shut down and everyone heard the cozy recall of memories. Prime is livid, and soon sits alone in despair.

[[File:Ongoing22 WhirlbeatsMegatron.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.8]]
''In a police cell, Whirl savagely beats Megatron for supposedly crippling his cadet friends and threatens to kill the prisoner, planning to claim self-defense. He notes his death will mean nothing. Before Whirl can carry out the threat, Springarm stops him, horrified at what Whirl has done. The prisoner is released under orders and Megatron is escorted to see the police captain, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]]. Pax had read Megatron's treatise and surmised that he was not prone to violence and the bartender's evidence backed this up. Orion tells Megatron that, though he doesn't agree with the entirety of the treatise, he is glad someone is voicing their concerns and encourages Megatron to keep it up.''

Annoyed, Optimus Prime returns to Megatron's cell and demands to know why he surrendered. The Decepticon is obtuse, telling him to rephrase the question. Optimus rants at Megatron, laying singular blame on him for millennia of conflict, the billions of lives ruined, and their race on the edge of extinction. Again, Megatron insists that Prime rephrase his question, and Optimus Prime asks if Megatron feels even the slightest remorse. The answer is "no"; Megatron's only regret is that he didn't do more while he had the chance, that he didn't kill even more. He will always respond by killing on an industrial scale, he will do anything to murder every single Autobot, and doing so will give him great pleasure. Megatron turns the conversation on Optimus Prime, stating that the war made Prime who he is now, and that he should be grateful to Megatron for starting it. Optimus realizes Megatron's attempts to bring out anger, but nevertheless activates the [[variable voltage harness]]. From the audience, Rodimus observes sternly. Recovering, Megatron tells Prime that they first met in [[Rodion]] and thanks him for what happened back then.

Leaving the cell, Optimus Prime tells Omega Supreme that he should have cut the power to the harness. Omega explains that he did and that, had he not, Megatron would likely be dead. Ironhide asks Optimus if he had found out what Megatron wanted, and Optimus replies sadly that he thinks he does.

''Outside the Rodion police station, Springarm bids farewell to Megatron and hands back his non-violent treatise on Cybertronian society. Megatron looks at it briefly before smashing it through a large screen. He walks away with fresh determination and a new perspective.''

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashbacks.) 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] (6)
*[[Perceptor (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Perceptor]] (7)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] (8)
*[[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] (9)
*[[Xaaron]] (10)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] (11)
*[[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] (12)
*[[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (13)
*[[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] (14)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (15)
*[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] (16)
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]] (19)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sunstreaker]] (20)
*[[Hot Rod/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] (21)
*[[Sideswipe (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sideswipe]] (22)
*[[Wheeljack (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Wheeljack]] (23)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (24)
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (25)
*[[Hound (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hound]] (26)
*[[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] (27)
*''[[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]]'' (29)
*''[[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]'' (30)
*''[[Ironfist (G1)|Ironfist]]'' (33)
*''[[Kup (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Kup]]'' (35)
*''[[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]]'' (37)
*''[[Grimlock (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Grimlock]]'' (39)
*''[[Seaspray (G1)|Seaspray]]'' (45)
*''[[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]]'' (46)
*[[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] (47)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] (48)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (49)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] (2)
*''[[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]]'' (28)
*''[[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] (34)
*''[[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]'' (36)
*''[[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]]'' (38)
*''[[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]'' (40)
*''[[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]]'' (41)
*''[[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]]'' (43)
*''[[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]]'' (44)
|c4=
*''[[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]]'' (1)
*''[[Rung (G1)|Rung]]'' (3)
*''Cadets'' (4-5)
*''[[Springarm]]'' (17)
*''[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]]'' (18)
*''[[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]]'' (31)
*''[[Verity Carlo]]'' (32)
*''[[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]]'' (42)
*''[[Wheelarch]]'' (50)
}}

==Quotes==

"[[Hasbro|They]] say he can use this weird inter-dimensional circuity to syphon anti-matter from... from a [[black hole]]. You know, in space. So." 
"With respect, Ratchet, that sounds—that just sounds ''stupid''."
:—'''Ratchet''' and '''Perceptor'''

"So. How are we going to play this? Are we going to spend the next hour ''posturing'', or are we going to rise to the occasion and actually have a ''civilised conversation''?" 
"'Rise to the occasion'? What is this, a summit meeting? I'm bolted to the wall, I'm riddled with inhibitor chips, and I'm precisely ''one rash gesture'' away from being ''electrocuted to death''. It's hardly conducive to a frank exchange of views." 
"Fair point. [unbolts] Take a seat."
:—'''Optimus''' and '''Megatron'''

"I look back over the last four million years and recognize that there have been only two constants: hate... and you."
:—'''Megatron'''

"Look me in the eye and say you want it ended, and ''it will end''."
:—'''Optimus'''

"Do you even feel the ''slightest'' remorse?" 
"No."
:—'''Optimus''' and '''Megatron'''

"Understand ''this''. So long as you stand in my way- so long as ''anybody'' stands in my way, I will respond by killing. Murder on an ''industrial'' scale. Because in the final analysis, I would happily wade across a river of corpses, chest-deep in rust and grease and engine [[oil]], just to crush the spark of the last Autobot standing. And I would do so not simply as a means to an end, no. I'd do it, Prime, because it would give me ''pleasure''."
:—'''Megatron'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*The flashback portion of this issue takes place before ''[[The Transformers: Megatron Origin|Megatron Origin]]'' and fill in a lot of details that the miniseries left out: namely, ''why'' Megatron is already so angry and willing to turn to violence.
*Impactor and Megatron are sitting in [[Maccadam's Old Oil House|Maccadam's NEW Oil House]], an early version of the classic Transformers hangout that was previously only mentioned in dialogue in the IDW continuity, in the ''[[The Transformers: Ironhide|Ironhide]]'' mini-series.
*Xaaron mentions a free lab on [[Kimia Facility|Kimia]]; it's [[Ironfist (G1)|Ironfist]]'s old one, free following his demise in ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]''.
*This issue introduces [[Nominus Prime]], ''another'' previously-unheard-of Prime who was not part of the lineage as glimpsed in ''[[Spotlight: Optimus Prime]]''. Where the last one, [[Zeta Prime]], introduced in ''[[Spotlight: Blurr]]'', came after [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]], Nominus ''precedes'' Sentinel.
*The idea of the Transformers as a pariah race, shunned by the rest of the galaxy, was originally suggested by some aliens' reactions to them in ''[[Spotlight: Drift]]''.
*The montage of war scenes include: ''[[The Transformers: Stormbringer|Stormbringer]]'', ''[[The Transformers: Infiltration|Infiltration]]'', "[[Spotlight: Arcee]]", ''[[The Transformers: Drift|Drift]]'', ''[[The Transformers: Escalation|Escalation]]'', "[[Spotlight: Kup]]", "[[Spotlight: Shockwave]]", ''[[The Transformers: Ironhide|Ironhide]]'', ''[[The Transformers: Devastation|Devastation]]'', "[[...For All Mankind]]", ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'', and ''[[The Transformers: Heart of Darkness|Heart of Darkness]]''.
*When recalling past fights, Megatron and Optimus remember their relatively recent battle in [[Brasnya]] from ''Escalation'', and one at [[Rada Mor]], which was previously mentioned in "[[Bullets]]". Also mentioned are the [[Vorsk Offensive]] and the [[Battle for Hell's Point]], which would receive some expansion during Roberts's later stories. Contrarily, this is thus far the only mention of the [[Siege of Massunstrad]].
*The Tremorcons were mentioned before in "Bullets"; Rung—a character originally created by Roberts for a passing mention in his unofficial novella "Eugenesis"—was also seen in that story, as well as being the writer of the ''Last Stand of the Wreckers'' [[Autopedia]] profiles.
*The screen that Megatron throws his treatise through ends up with a hole the shape of the Decepticon insignia, inspiring the design of the badge of his cause-to-be.
*Knowing that he would soon be writing an ongoing series of his own, ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'', James Roberts wrote many story seeds into "Chaos Theory", including:
**A reference to the "[[Knights of Cybertron]]", who were going to be in an abandoned [[Mike Costa]] plot after "Chaos"; the search for the Knights would become the backbone of ''More than Meets the Eye''.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/comics-16/idw-transformers-comic-writer-mike-costa-reflects-on-transformers-173922/ TFW2005 interview with Mike Costa]</ref>
**The introduction of the concept of "forged" and "constructed cold" methods of Transformer creation, which would take several years to be explained. Further, the idea of racism against constructed cold 'bots debuts; this was an idea which Roberts came up with in ''Eugenesis''. Cybertron used to have apartheid based on your origin, which was ''supposed'' to no longer matter near the end of Nominus' reign (but obviously still does). The idea of racism based on the circumstances of your birth would be greatly expanded on during ''More than Meets the Eye'' to encompass the ideals of [[Functionism]].
**Mention of the [[Galactic Council]].
**Whirl as the prison guard who beats up Megatron; Whirl is a main cast member in ''More than Meets the Eye'', and was specifically chosen for this scene in "Chaos Theory" for that reason.
*Roberts didn't know at this point whether Megatron was forged or constructed, and the missing batch code was done to create mystery around the character. But they'll both turn out to be relevant in [[Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|''Elegant Chaos'']]!<ref>[http://www.transmissionspodcast.com/2015/03/transmissions-episode-94-james-roberts-mtmte-elegant-chaos-interview/ TransMissions Episode 94 – James Roberts MTMTE Elegant Chaos Interview] 36:27 to 37:37</ref>
*At the end of the story, Ironhide asks Optimus if he had found out what Megatron wanted. Optimus replies "I think so, and I think I just gave it to him." In the past, whilst in prison it was the beating given by Whirl that turned Megatron from pacifist rhetoric to violence. In the present day, Optimus notes that before handing himself in, Megatron had sounded "hollow" - he had lost his passion, it is this he wanted to renew. During their second conversation, Megatron repeatably goads Optimus into a reaction, until eventually Optimus applies a full blast of the VVH (It is only intervention by Omega Supreme that prevents the death of Megatron). As before in the past, it is this act of violence that refuels the fire in Megatron, and Optimus only realises too late what he has unleashed.

===Transformers references===
*Ratchet and Perceptor are discussing a superpower that Megatron was given in his original [[bio]]...and which almost every single G1 story since has ignored. Probably because, as Perceptor notes, throwing a black hole around is a little too silly. Ratchet talking about it as "the thing with the eyes" is a reference to the Marvel UK story "[[Resurrection!]]", in which Megatron used said power to channel [[antimatter]] [[:File:MegatronAntimatterUK.jpg|through his eyes]]. Except, as it turns out, it wasn't just a rumor {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}}.
*Some graffiti in Megatron's cell reads "peace through tyranny", the motto from his original bio, indicating this is where he picked up the phrase.
*Megatron correcting the guard on his name seems to be a reference to how [[Bob Budiansky]] came up with the actual name: combining the words "megaton" and "electron".
*Among the battles recalled by Prime and Megatron include one at [[Sherma Bridge]], a nod to the infamous [[Sherman Dam]] punchup from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|Generation 1 cartoon]] episode, "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 2]]".
*The [[variable voltage harness]] comes from [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|the original Marvel comics]]. Also mentioned are [[Pathblaster]]s, [[communicube]]s, and [[Shanix]] from the Marvel UK comics.
*The plot element of Optimus and Megatron having met before the war, and the former agreeing with the latter's ideals, is reminiscent of the [[Aligned continuity family|Aligned]] versions of [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]]. This, however, would turn out to be complete coincidence, developed by Roberts independent of any Aligned material.
*On page 17, a [[Diagnostic Drone]]-like drone appears.
*Megatron mentions he spent two year stuck in alt-mode, possibly a reference to the Marvel story [[Shooting Star!]]

===Real-life references===
*Megatron's serial number, "071-980", is an apparent reference to July 1980, the month in which [[Marvel Comics|Marvel]]'s ''[[Wikipedia:Shogun Warriors (toys)|Shogun Warriors]]'' #18 was published, in which the name "Megatron" was first used by the company.

===Errors===
*Jazz is seen amongst the Autobots who are viewing the captive Megatron, but [[Police Action: Part 1|issue #25]] will establish that he should currently be on Earth.
*Both ''[[The Transformers: Megatron Origin|Megatron Origin]]'' and "[[Spotlight: Blurr]]" had a pre-Prime Optimus sporting a body clearly inspired by Orion Pax. Here, before either story, Optimus is already in his usual Cybertronian Optimus Prime form. This would later be remedied in ''[[Omega's Conundrum|Spotlight: Orion Pax]]''.
*Despite Megatron's recollection of being trapped in a gun [[alternate mode|alt mode]] after the [[Battle for Hell's Point]], Prime's recollection of the fight shows Megatron having the [[Don Figueroa]]-designed body that transforms into a Cybertronian tank. It is, of course, possible that Megatron was forced to withdraw and swap alt-modes in the midst of that battle, only to return later.
* The notion of Optimus and Megatron having their first (or second) meeting at [[Sherma Bridge]] would essentially be retconned away by ''[[The Transformers: Autocracy|Autocracy]]''. Chalk it up to Megatron switching the subject, perhaps?
*In the first panel Impactor either has a normal right hand which later transforms or his drill attachment is mis-colored.

===Other notes===

*'''JAMES ROBERTS!'''
*"Chaos Theory" was originally going to be published separated from the ongoing as a one-shot, but the series had higher sales than one-shots and minis, so it and "[[Chaos (IDW)|Chaos]]", which was going to be a mini-series, were rolled in—which is why the series ended on #31 and not #25.)<ref>[http://moonbase2.libsyn.com/webpage/the-underbase-reviews-ongoing-31 Moonbase 2 interview with Mike Costa ("Special Guest")]</ref> Other early plans were that it would be set on Earth, the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] were going to attack, and Impactor would turn out to have been visiting Megatron in his cell and would steal his badge for Guzzle. (''All that in one issue.'') Other characters would talk to Megatron before Optimus. Crucially for the future, Whirl would not be in it but a new character.<ref>[http://www.fullmetalhero.com/t14540/ Moonbase2's second interview with James Roberts - 01:33:27 to 01:35:01]</ref> <ref>[http://tfarchive.com/fandom/features/podcast/?name=podcast_maximus_episode_3.mp3 Podcast Maximus episode 3], 06:10 to 05:00</ref>
*Orion Pax was originally scripted as looking like he does in ''[[Spotlight: Blurr]]''.<ref>[http://tfarchive.com/fandom/features/podcast/?name=podcast_maximus_episode_3.mp3 Podcast Maximus episode 3], 07:09 to 07:19</ref>
*"Forged" and "constructed cold" come up here for the first time. "Constructed cold" was a concept from Roberts' ''Eugenesis'': Transformers made by the Matrix instead of [[reproduction|budding]] and seen as unnatural for it. The idea would be heavily reworked for the IDW world.

===Covers (3)===
*'''Cover A:''' Megatron's current head; art by [[Alex Milne]] and colors by [[Josh Perez]].
*'''Cover B:''' Megatron's head from [[The Transformers: Megatron Origin|Megatron Origin]]; art by Milne and colors by Perez.
*'''Cover RI:''' Both half-heads combined into one time-spanning B&W super head; art by Milne.

<gallery>
File:Transformersissue22-CoverA.jpg|'''Cover A''' - Megatron; as in Electron
File:Transformersissue22-CoverB.jpg|'''Cover B''' - Megatron; as in Neutron Bomb
File:Transformersissue22-CoverR1.jpg|'''Cover RI''' - Not Megaton
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*"Chaos" Checklist
*''Walter Simonson's The Mighty Thor: Artist's Edition''
*[[IDWords]] plugging ''Thor'', 'Dave Stevens: The Complete Sketchbook", IDW Legacy Editions
*IDW on Twitter
*''Angel: The Covers'' (back cover)

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:IDW The Transformers issues]]

Pit

2017-04-09T20:46:27Z

DoctorFluffy:

[[Image:Pit universe1.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Burn, Maximals!]]
* The Pit — A location within [[Unicron]] where unfortunate Transformers have their bodies burned away and painfully re-built so they may serve his purposes. {{storylink|Abduction}} ''The Pit broadly resembles an early script concept of Galvatron's recreation in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', which later actually appeared in [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel UK]]. {{storylink|The Planet-Eater!}}''
* The Pit — Roughly analogous to [[wikipedia:Hell|Hell]]; in both Maximal and Predacon belief systems. While the existence of its Heaven-analogue counterpart, the [[Allspark|Matrix]], is a proven fact, the Pit dwells firmly in the realm of the unproven myth. The myth could possibly be based on the location inside Unicron, though Transformers are often ignorant of the Unicron connection. The '''Inferno''' (associated myth, see comments) is said to be extremely dark. {{storylink|Dark Voyage|Dark Voyage}}
**A Vehicon in ''Transformers: Prime'' calls the Insecticons "Pit-bound scavengers". {{storylink|Hurt}}
* The Pit — A gigantic facility used to produce and bring [[Spark|life]] to [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[protoform]]s. Located on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. ''Apparently named for the Pit myth above.'' {{storylink|The Razor's Edge}}
* "By the Pit!" / "By the Inferno!" — A Predacon exclamatory invective. First mentioned by [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] and used by [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]], {{fact}} it refers to the Pit myth above.<ref>The exclamation ''could'' also refer to the Pit facility, viewed strictly from a canon standpoint, but it was originally written as the Hell-analog.</ref> ''See below for connection.'' Also used by [[Tornado]] on [[Tornado - Decepticon Saboteur|his Facebook]].
* In the Animated universe it's also used as an exclamatory invective. Kup refers to "the Pit-damned [[Fallen]]" while describing the flames on [[Rodimus Prime (Animated)|Rodimus]]' chest{{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II}}.
*The Pit - Location mentioned by [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] during his battle with [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]]; assumed to be a Gladiatorial Ring. {{storylink|Transformers: Fall of Cybertron}}

==Behind-the-Scenes==
While outlining the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|''Beast Wars'' cartoon]], [[Bob Forward]] and [[Larry DiTillio]] created the made-up curse "By the Inferno" so the bad guys could swear. This was changed to "By the Pit" to avoid confusion when a Predacon named [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] was added to the cast. Having made the [[Allspark|Matrix dimension]] an analogue to Heaven, they made the Inferno/Pit their Hell.

The ''BW'' series [[Production bible|bible]] included two facilities that created protoforms, the Matrix for the Maximals and the Pit for the Predacons<ref>[[Beast Wars Universe]]</ref> (names reflecting the heaven/hell dynamic.) These were never mentioned in the series (possibly it was a stand-in concept in case they ever 'needed to answer' to where protoforms came from.) However, 10 years later (2007) the protoform facilities were made [[canon]] by a club-exclusive story... despite the canon now having several other sources of protoforms.

The 2004 [[Transformers: Universe (comic)|''Universe'' comic]] introduced the Pit within Unicron. It also introduced the idea that there is only one Unicron across all continuities, so the Pit myth would ''retroactively'' be about this version of the Pit (probably,) which even includes its own fiery inferno! A connection to/inspiration by the early version Galvatron's reformatting has never been confirmed, and is pure speculation.

==Footnotes==
<references />

[[Category:Beast Wars]]
[[Category:Beast Wars locations]]
[[Category:Curses]]
[[Category:Dimensions]]
[[Category:Interjections]]
[[Category:Unicron]]
[[Category:Universe 2003 locations]]

Rung (G1)

2017-03-28T12:35:04Z

DoctorFluffy:

{{factions|autobot}}
{{featured}}
{{disambig2|the Generation 1 Autobot|the ''Animated'' Autobot|Rung (Animated)}}
:''Rung is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:IDW Rung.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"Tell me again about your mother."]]
The Autobots have this, you know, psy-ops specialist. He's red, right? Orangey-red? And tiny? Basically defenseless? Does anyone remember his name? It's something like... Ring? Rong? Rang? Dang. It's on the tip of my tongue. He files these reports, you know, for [[Autopedia]]? He's written entries for each Autobot, from [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] to [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] to Red Alert again. As part of his duties, he performs the mental assessments of potential [[Wrecker]]s-to-be. He's very important. He's got... these huge eyebrows. You gotta know who this is describing, right? Collects and builds model spacecraft? Seriously. What's his name?

Oh, right! '''Rung'''! Thanks.

Or maybe Wrung. Who knows, really.

==Fiction==
===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
{{ongoing}}
'''Rong of the Pious Pools (sic)''' {{storylink|Little Victories}} may be a quiet, unassuming guy in the background but he's managed to meet almost every post-war surviving Autobot you care to name! [[Rewind (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rewind]] has called him a historical constant. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}} He thinks his backgrounder status is because [[Mode attachment|he's always kept his original design]], leaving everyone to get used to him; that and those ''gits'' in rival disciplines damaging his reputation as a psychiatrist. {{storylink|Signal to Noise}} Sporting the "impressive" serial code of 100000000, Rung's precise age is unknown. In his youth, he lived near the [[Vinvissius Canals]], before they were eventually redeveloped into the Vinvissisus Heights. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}} Rung was established in his field as early as the launch of the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark-1]]'', with his eponymous "Rungian analysis" being in common parlance. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|How to Say Goodbye and Mean It}} He was called back from serving on the ''Ark-1'' at the last second, as the [[Senate]] allegedly needed him. Some time later, he picked up a hobby of making models of every ship he'd been part of. {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}}

Upon the rise of the [[Functionist Council]], Rung presented them a unique problem: no-one, not even Rung himself, knew the purpose of his altmode. This threatened to undermine the Functionists' [[functionism|entire philosophy]] and their Grand Cybertronian Taxonomy itself, so the psychiatrist was subjected to repeated and rigorous tests and in the meantime, to "reassure" other Cybertronians, he was forced to wear a false wheel on his back. Eventually, even the Functionists found themselves stumped as to what Rung's purpose could be and so the problem was neatly sidestepped by creating a new entry in the [[Grand Cybertronian Taxonomy]] specifically for Rung's altmode: they classified him as an "[[Ornament class|ornament]]". {{storylink|Little Victories}}

[[File:Stet-Rungwhistle.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|They see me rolling...]]
Rung was subsequently employed by the [[Senate]] as a patho-psychologist, equal in rank to his professional rival [[Froid]]. {{storylink|Births, Deaths, and Interventions}} Rung and Froid were once such good friends that Rung felt able to tell his fellow psychotherapist his deepest, darkest secret: the fact that Rung had been disbarred by practising medicine by a tribunal on the ship ''[[Fateful Archetype]]'', after they'd learned he'd become too close to a patient, but that the entire crew save for himself had died in a crash and nobody knew. {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} Unfortunately, over time, their professional rivalry superseded their friendship. They clashed over the proper use of personality adjustment treatment {{storylink|Births, Deaths, and Interventions}} and in later times, Froid actually ''stole'' the [[Froidian Classification System]] of personality types from Rung. The dark secret he knew was always held over Rung. {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}}

In 4th Cycle 499, Rung was returning to his wellbeing clinic when a time-traveling [[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]] attacked him with electric knuckledusters, knocking the psychiatrist unconscious. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 2: Stet|Stet}}

In 51st Cycle 500, Rung travelled to [[Mining Outpost C-12|Croteus 12]] after a secret Senate session amended the law to require two signatures on requests for [[shadowplay|personality adjustments]]. His arrival interrupted the use of the procedure on the exiled revolutionary [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]], which had been approved by Froid. However, before Rung could assess whether he would countersign the operation, an underground energy surge prompted a complete evacuation of the facility. {{storylink|Births, Deaths, and Interventions}}

Once Zeta Prime rose to power, Rung served as a psychotherapist under the new Autobot regime. He provided literature and adjustment assistance to bots undergoing body augmentation or retrofitting, including the New Senate operative [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]]. {{storylink|Omega's Conundrum}} After Zeta's death and the outbreak of full-scale war, Rung was present during a battle that saw [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] and [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] clash. {{storylink|Primacy issue 4|Primacy #4}}

As the war continued, [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] became one of Rung's patients. He'd stay one of Rung's patients for six centuries, his paranoia so bad it took ninety-seven sessions before he let Rung see his face, two hundred eighty-eight sessions before he told Rung his '''real''' name, and three hundred thirty-two sessions before he stopped recording their conversations. {{storylink|How Ratchet Got His Hands Back}}

Rung did a psychological evaluation of [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] before his trial for [[Squadron X|unlawful executions]]. He ended up being physically assaulted and threatened with extreme violence if he tried 'putting ideas' in Impactor's head, but managed to calm the situation down. In the end, Rung was left questioning whether Autobot High Command shared the blame for Impactor's crimes for turning a blind eye to the robot's growing psychopathy. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|Impactor's Autopedia entry}}

Over time, Froid and other rivals inflicted irreparable damage on Rung's reputation. Long after their deaths, Rung would write papers but never distribute them. {{storylink|Signal to Noise}} With his reputation wrecked, Rung left Cybertron. {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}}

Rung later performed a pre-mission psych-screening on new Wreckers [[Rotorstorm (G1)|Rotorstorm]], [[Ironfist (G1)|Ironfist]], [[Pyro (G1)|Pyro]], and [[Guzzle (G1)|Guzzle]] to estimate if they were suited to be put on the [[Garrus-9]] case. Rung was unimpressed by Rotorstorm's unrelenting bragging and joking, and found himself cutting through the charade when he mentioned [[Simanzi Massacre|Simanzi]]. Taking note of his dual personality, Rung declared him cleared for mission. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 1|Rotorstorm's Autopedia entry}} With Pyro, he diagnosed the robot as an extreme sufferer of [[Primus apotheosis]] and noted with sadness that the robot was suppressing his own engaging personality for a copy of another's. He cleared Pyro with reservations, noting that apotheosis sufferers were known for sacrificing themselves. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|Pyro's Autopedia entry}} With Guzzle, he cleared the 'bot as having personality flaws but no real psychological flaws, though he was unnerved by his disturbing habit of playing with his gun's safety. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|Guzzle's Autopedia entry}}

When screening Ironfist, he was impressed by his enthusiasm and knowledge, but not so much by his actual combat experience and mentality. Rung advised against Ironfist's participation, but retracted his negative conclusion when he received 'unsolicited advice' from [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|an undisclosed party]]. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 4|Ironfist's Autopedia entry}}

[[File:Chaos3-KimiaSurvivors.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|At least Rung's right there to treat any outbreaks of claustrophobia.]]
Rung treated the shell-shocked Autobot [[Flattop (Autobot)|Flattop]]. He discovered Flattop was a survivor of the [[Babu Yar]] atrocity, but that was not his immediate problem. What pushed him over the edge this time was an encounter with the [[Shimmer]]. Rung tried to give rational explanations for the appearance of Shimmer, but Flattop died right there in his office. {{storylink|Bullets}}

[[Kup (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Kup]], one of Rung's oldest friends, asked him to examine [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] after a [[zero point]] affliction had left him in a coma. Believing that certain emotional triggers could cause Springer's subconscious to force his [[spark]] across the zero point, Rung asked [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]] to read ''[[Wreckers: Declassified]]'' datalogs to him in hopes that the memories would have some effect. {{storylink|Zero Point}}

Rung was among the survivors of [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]]'s attack on [[Kimia Facility]]. He and the others drifted in a cramped escape pod for some time until they were rescued by [[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]]. {{storylink|Chaos Part Three: Kings|Kings}} {{storylink|Chaos Part Four: Genesis|Genesis}}

[[File:LiarsAtoD3-RungSkids.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67|This large panel is the source of 80% of Transformers-related shipping on Tumblr.]]
After Cybertron was reborn in the wake of the [[D-Void]]'s defeat, Rung joined [[Hot Rod/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]]'s crew on the ''[[Lost Light]]'' in search for the [[Knights of Cybertron]]. Before he could get on the ship, his arm was detached by a wildly flying Cyclonus. {{Storylink|Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|How to Say Goodbye and Mean It}} After getting his arm repaired in [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]]'s care, Rung was choked by an irrational and unresponsive [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]]. The psychiatrist managed to get him to release his grip when he reminded Whirl that he would go back to prison, forever, if he didn't stay in line. When [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] joined the crew, Rung informed him of their quest. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}} Rung later had a close call with a [[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeater]], but was saved by Skids. Rodimus used the two to lure the Sparkeater so he could defeat it. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}}

As a result of his almost never using it, the nature of Rung's [[alternate mode]] became the subject of a 100 [[shanix]] wager between [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] and [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]]. A early blow in this "war" came when Swerve repeatedly threw a hand grenade at the back of Rung's head, hoping to trigger an involuntary mode change. {{storylink|Little Victories}}

[[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]], previously thought cured, returned to therapy shortly after the launch of the ''Lost Light''. Rung was concerned that all the progress they had made on Red Alert's rampant paranoia over the years was coming undone. Red Alert informed Rung that he was hearing noises coming from a crack in the floor of the Sparkeater's chamber. He gave him a recording of the noise which Rung vaguely recognized as a voice, albeit tremendously slowed-down. When they sped the sound up, the words "kill...me" could be identified. {{storylink|How Ratchet Got His Hands Back}}

Rung held a session with the newly returned [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]], whose mental state had been called into question after he had suffered torture and humiliation at the hands of [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] for three years. Rung urged him to open up and explore his trauma, to no avail. Maximus later snapped and went on a rampage across the ''Lost Light'', gunning down Autobots that reminded him of Overlord. Rung was in the middle of a session with [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] when Max broke in and took them both hostage. Rung was bound to his chair and Whirl was overpowered and pinned to the ground. Rung tried to reason with Maximus, while simultaneously recording and broadcasting what was happening in his office through the microphone in his thumb. When Maximus noticed it, he tore Rung's thumb off.

[[File:Rung FortMax Interiors.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|"Wait! I'm starting to come down with Stockholm syndrome...handsome!"]]
As the situation dragged on, Rung continued to try and break through to Maximus. Max kept dodging the issue, pinning the reason for his actions on [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]]'s delay in sending help to [[Garrus-9]], instead of acknowledging that Overlord was at the root of his psychosis. Maximus then confronted Whirl, who told Maximus about his life. Rung expressed wonder at this, as there were details that Whirl told Maximus that he had never told Rung. Whirl replied that Rung had never threatened any of his friends, to Rung's visible surprise. When a holo-image of Overlord torturing him was projected into the room by Rewind, Maximus froze up and crumbled to his knees. Rung tenderly comforted him and the hostage situation appeared to be at an end. Unfortunately, a shot from Swerve meant to disable Fortress Maximus instead hit Rung in the head. A memorial service was later held for Rung, which Rodimus presided over. {{storylink|Interiors}}

Surprisingly, Rung's spark and [[brain module]] ''survived'' and the medical staff believed he might pull through: something Ratchet said was akin to a miracle. Later, after a visit by [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] and a horrified Swerve, Red Alert came to see the comatose psychiatrist. Believing that Rung's near-death was a result of the recording he had played to Rung, the paranoid security officer said he couldn't tell anyone else the truth he'd discovered — the voice was Overlord's, the sadistic Decepticon "strung up and sedated" in the bowels of the ''Lost Light''. Expecting to be killed himself, he left a [[data slug]] of his findings in Rung's hand and said goodbye. Unfortunately, a [[Diagnostic Drone]] had recorded Red Alert's confession, and summoned a mysterious figure who removed the slug... {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} After the ''Lost Light''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s encounter with a [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]], Swerve explained his religious interpretation of events to the comatose Rung. {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}}

[[File:CybertronianHomesickBlues-SkidsRung.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|How much is the bill?]]
After Rung's head was rebuilt, it took hours of patient work from [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] to get Rung to be able to distinguish between people and objects. Then it took Swerve talking for ''147 hours straight'' to get Rung to move again (placing a finger over Swerve's mouth). With Rung still locked into the fog of his own thoughts, {{storylink|Signal to Noise}} Rewind decided that they could help repair the psychiatrist's brain by telling him a story: hearing stories required the brain to use its cognitive functions. He assembled a group of Autobots who'd all been part of interlinked events and tried to use the story to kick-start Rung's brain. And then he tried again. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} Not knowing when to try a different tack and intending to finally talk to Rung about [[Dominus Ambus]] {{storylink|No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases}}, he then tried a third time with a group of 'Bots who had been involved in a chain of events during the [[Clampdown (event)|Clampdown]] and prompted them to talk about it. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|Post Hoc}} Rewind checked Rung again during the story later and still found no mental signs in him {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} and he still showed no signs when the story was finished. Seeing that Rewind was on the wrong track, Skids tried a simpler idea, drawing from the sheer number of connections the psychiatrist had made during his lifespan without leaving an impact on many. He deliberately got his name wrong several times in front of him, and an irritated Rung immediately said his name was "Rung. Forever." {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}}

After being fully repaired and helping Brainstorm develop [[Holomatter|holomatter avatars]] that could reflect an Autobot's inner psyche, he went down to [[Hedonia]] for shore leave with Swerve, Skids, Tailgate, Rewind and Cyclonus, Whirl, and Ultra Magnus, who just tagged along. The group spent the evening between a bar {{storylink|Cybertronian Homesick Blues}} and a gift shop, where the sight of a memory stick caused the psychiatrist to remember his last conversation with Red Alert. {{storylink|Signal to Noise}} After a violent outburst from Cyclonus saw the group leave the bar, Rung helped bring an unconscious Ultra Magnus back to the shuttle. {{storylink|Cybertronian Homesick Blues}} Back aboard the ''Lost Light'', Rung shared Red Alert's concerns with Rodimus, but the ship's captain claimed to have greater priorities than immediately investigating. {{storylink|Signal to Noise}}

[[File:MTMTE22 Rung's alternate mode.jpg|thumb|upright=1.7|Maybe he turns into a Playstation Move.]]
As part of the ongoing bet, Tailgate attempted to have Rung transform as part of an "alt-mode party", although the psychiatrist wound up simply bemused. When the ''[[Vis Vitalis]]'' contacted the ''Lost Light'', Rung was excited at the prospect of meeting its captain, the superlative [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]]. However, the famous Autobot wound up held at gunpoint by his First Officer [[Paddox]], who had been revealed as an [[Ammonite]] spy. Rung was instrumental in saving the day, allowing Swerve to wield his "ornamental" alt mode as a blunt instrument with which to bludgeon the aggressor. Rung was also interviewed by Rewind, as part of the documentary the archivist was producing. {{storylink|Little Victories}}

Rung visited Fortress Maximus in the ship's brig, where he forgave the ex-warden for the events surrounding the psychiatrist's near-death. Their moment was interrupted, however, by an alarm signaling Overlord's escape into the ship. In the battle that followed, Rung mostly watched helplessly from the sidelines. {{storylink|Under Cold Blue Stars}}

After Overlord's defeat, Rodimus was left despondent and angry, and made angrier when Rung, correctly, realised his problem was that ''others'' had stopped Overlord and not him. At the funerals, Rung's stern, silent glance got Rodimus to admit that others, including the poor, dead Rewind, had saved the day. {{storylink|The Gloaming}} Speaking truth to power got Rung drafted for a mission to the legendary [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]], in pursuit of the missing Ultra Magnus: Rodimus needed someone who was willing to say things he didn't want to hear. After reaching the moon's surface, the group encountered a newly ignited [[hot spot]], but they were quickly chased away by a [[Titan Hunter|gang of mercenaries]] {{storylink|Remain in Light 1 of 5: The Fecund Moon|The Fecund Moon}} in the employ of [[Tyrest (G1)|Chief Justice Tyrest]].

[[File:HouseofAmbus-Rung&Minimus.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|Given his history, Rung should really know better now than to get involved in situations with angry poets.]]
The group was charged with "crimes against creation", and shoved into a cell with a guy called Minimus Ambus. Rung swiftly picked up that Ambus had the same mannerisms, nervous tics, and speech patterns as Ultra Magnus. Keeping his suspicions to himself at first, Rung tested his theory by wearing his Autobot badge at an angle and deliberately making a mess. Before long, Ambus relented and confirmed his identity, {{storylink|Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|House of Ambus}} explaining that "[[Magnus Armor|Ultra Magnus]]" was an identity passed down through the ages. Confused by the charges against the ''Lost Light'' crew, Ambus left to confront Tyrest, whilst Skids, Swerve, and [[Getaway]] were dumped into the cell. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}}

Getaway revealed that he and the amnesiac Skids had been dispatched by Prowl to alter the unstable Tyrest's memories, and used his escapology skills to break the entire group out. Rung and the others confronted Tyrest, his deranged plan to kill all cold-constructed [[Transformer]]s and reach [[Cyberutopia]] revealed. Immobilizing the ''Lost Light''ers, the Chief Justice activated his [[universal killswitch]], {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}} but was defeated by Tailgate and Minimus Ambus. Whilst Rodimus and Perceptor used the [[Matrix of Leadership]] to disable the killswitch, Rung comforted First Aid, who had been goaded into killing Tyrest's accomplice [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]]. When a final order from Tyrest brought his [[Legislator]] robots back to accost Rung and the others, Tailgate saved the day by amending the law at the Chief Justice's computer console. {{storylink|Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|This Calamitous Life}} In the aftermath of the battle, Rung met with Fortress Maximus in Swerve's, and the ex-warden revealed that he had been offered the role of Duly Appointed Enforcer of the [[Tyrest Accord]] by Rodimus and Ultra Magnus. {{storylink|The Sound of Breaking Glass}}

When [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] and the crew of the ''[[Skyroller]]'' came aboard the ''Lost Light'', Rung was present for the 'welcome aboard' party at Swerve's. {{storylink|Black Metal: Dark Cybertron Chapter 2|Black Metal}} Shortly afterwards, the ship quantum jumped beneath the seas of [[Hydrophena]] in search of Metroplex, and Rung was one of the crew members who disembarked to battle the [[Ammonite]]s who set upon the ''Lost Light''. The psychiatrist was able to split apart one "Minicon" combiner by striking its weak spot, but was immediately shoulder-barged by another. {{storylink|Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|Into the Abyss}} Eventually the ship's crew was able to rescue Metroplex and jump the Metrotitan and the ''Lost Light'' back to Cybertron. Rung was among the crew who met up with the contingent of Autobots and Decepticons fighting against [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]]'s machinations. {{storylink|Finis Temporis: Dark Cybertron Chapter 9|Finis Temporis}} With the scientist's [[Necrotitan]] defeated by Metroplex, the psychiatrist and several other Autobots took some time to relax at Swerve's, where Rung watched the bar's owner freak out over [[Blurr (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Blurr]]'s presence. {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}}

The festivities were cut short, however, by the materialization of seventy billion Ammonites in the planet's skies, and Rung mostly spent the battle that followed looking on in horror. {{storylink|Black Planet: Dark Cybertron Chapter 11|Black Planet}} After the dust settled, Rung was present to see Optimus Prime and Megatron stand side-by-side, the Decepticon leader having declared his new faction during the climactic confrontation with Shockwave. {{storylink|...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|...And the Damage Done}}

[[File:WordsHangInTheAir-Nightbeat.jpg|right|thumb|250px|Nightbeat's wondering why Raiz drew it differently.]]
In the days that followed, Rung was in the crowd on [[Moonbase Two|Luna 2]] observing Megatron stand trial for his crimes during the war. By the trial's resolution, Megatron was declared co-captain of the ''Lost Light'', and six months later, after the ship had resumed its quest, the former Decepticon attended a therapy session with the Autobot psychiatrist. Megatron spent much of the session evading Rung's inquiries, at one point changing the subject to the first time he encountered the psychotherapist, at [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]] in 4th Cycle 496. Unable to remember this incident, Rung took the opportunity to segue into discussing a first-edition copy of Megatron's original autobiography, ''Towards Peace'', that he had been given by new crew member [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]]. Of interest was a dedication to 'Terminus' that the ex-Decepticon removed from all subsequent copies. The session was then interrupted by a brief black-out, and Megatron took the chance to end the meeting. As he left, Megatron revealed that Terminus was somebody who taught him "not to get attached." {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} Later that day, [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] examined a schematic of Rung's enigmatic alt-mode, {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}} whilst the psychiatrist himself attended a screening of the [[Earth]] film ''{{w|Zulu (1964 film)|Zulu}}'' at Swerve's. The event was interrupted, however, when the ''Lost Light'' began disappearing piece by piece, and Rung escaped onto a shuttle. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}} Eventually Rung and every other original crew member disappeared, with the remaining ''Lost Light''ers discovering that the ship's initial quantum jump had caused it and its passengers to duplicate. The other ship's Rung, they learned, was "lost" during the explosive jump. Eventually, the ''Lost Light'' and its crew were restored and its duplicate vanished. {{storylink|slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken|The Road Not Taken}}

Not long after the ship's reappearance, Rung was at [[Swerve's]] when Brainstorm activated an electro-sensitive poison, knocking everybody who'd been drinking from the spiked engex vats unconscious. As a teetotaler, Rung merely wound up buried under a pile of his collapsed crewmates. {{storylink|The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue|The Custom-Made Now}} When Brainstorm, apparently revealed as a Decepticon, travelled back in time, Rung was recruited to the team pursuing the engineer into the past. Materializing in [[Alyon]] in 1st Cycle 502, the group encountered a team of insurgents and [[Outlier]]s, led by Orion Pax, trying to protect a hot spot from Senate forces. Whilst the two teams rested, Rung was startled to discover that [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] was taking [[circuit speeder]]s to keep up with his Outlier teammates, and warned of their health risks. After helping save the hot spot's newborn sparks, the ''Lost Light'' team followed Brainstorm further into the past, {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|All Our Parlous Yesterdays}} to 4th Cycle 501, during the Clampdown.

[[File:Rung Ongoing 22.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.7|"Hey, I didn't order that!"]]
Rung was assigned to survey Maccadam's New Oil House in [[Rodion]], where he passed the time building a model of the ''Lost Light''. Unbeknownst to him, he was observed by both Brainstorm, who realized that he had been pursued into the past, {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 2: Stet|Stet}} and [[Quark]] and Nightbeat, who bickered over whether the psychiatrist was a Senate spy or just a billy-no-mates. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|Post Hoc}} After Brainstorm time-jumped again, Rung's crewmates regrouped at Maccadam's to be sent even further into the past, to 4th Cycle 499. When the group split up, Rung was in the contingent that stayed at the bar, and was dispatched to fetch a [[curly straw]] for Tailgate. In doing so, however, he spilled a Senate cadet's drink. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 2: Stet|Stet}} After refusing to clean up the spill, the poor 'bot was tossed across the bar, right onto [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] and Megatron's table. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1|Chaos Theory Part 1}} A barfight quickly ensued, away from which Rodimus dragged the unconscious Rung. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 2: Stet|Stet}}

Having realized that Brainstorm intended to kill Megatron, Rung and the ''Lost Light''ers pursued the engineer back to 1st Cycle 012, where the Decepticon-to-be had just been created in a cold construction facility. After Brainstorm was hit with a "grenado", Rung checked the facility's computer's and found that the rogue engineer had already wiped Megatron's batch code, and then spent ten minutes pointing his gun at the newborn. When Brainstorm pulled a pistol again, Rung was able to talk him down, realizing that the engineer was still conflicted. A short time later, the crew used Rodimus's "time phone" to send a warning message for their past selves, and Rung chipped in with instructions to not visit [[Delphi]] (though the message failed to reach its intended recipients). After the group returned to the present day, Rung visited Perceptor, who revealed that their actions in the past were pre-destined, already part of established history, and that tampering with the time machine might have lead to a multitude of alternate realities being created. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|Predestination: An Expert's Guide}}

[[File:MTMTE48 skids and rung.jpg|right|thumb|upright=0.9|Let's face it, Rung isn't Robert's self-insert; he's ''ours''.]]

As well as helping on the ''Lost Light'', Rung was remotely providing aid to Fortress Maximus. The new enforcer of the Tyrest Accord admitted to him how he'd been thrown to discover some Decepticons had been a bunch of damaged guys and not complete monsters. Rung gently steered him towards changing his ultraviolent approach, as many Decepticons may be like that now. {{storylink|Animals}}

While assisting Skids with reclaiming his lost memories, Rung was surprised to find ''Froid'' (who was supposed to be [[death|dead]]) visiting the ''Lost Light''! [[File:MTMTE48 creepy froid.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.0|Aaaaaand this panel is the source of the other 20%.]] His rival wrangled a private chat with his "old friend" and began to mock, cajole, intimidate, and outright blackmail Rung to hand over all his patient notes. Even the threat of revealing he shouldn't be practicing therapy anymore wouldn't break Rung. Instead, Rung ran a sting and asked if he could 'help' with anything else while quietly alerting Skids to show up loaded for bastard. Unfortunately, it turned out Froid wanted the patient information as a way of feeding his "prisoner": monstrous serial killer and memory-eating [[Mnemosurgery|mnemosurgeon]], [[Sunder (G1)|Sunder the Tetraxian Ripper]]!

Sunder remotely accessed Rung's memories of the patients and broke out to have this all-you-can-eat buffet of repressed memories, starting with Skids. {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} Rung had been recording the event and transmitted everything to Megatron, who declared the ship on lockdown. As Sunder prowled the ship, attacking anyone who hadn't locked themselves away, Rung was carrying Skids in a search for Chromedome, hoping the mnemosurgeon could stop the guy's memory surge. Froid tagged along and was brutally killed by Sunder before Thunderclash and Megatron could drive him back; when the monster proved too much, Rung saved Megatron with his ''ship collection'', all capable of flight and shooting!

Once the Ripper was finally stopped, Rung resigned as therapist: the transmission meant Megatron knew he had been struck off. When the captain tried to talk him out of this, Rung snapped that the only way you could defend what he'd done is if you thought his work was unimportant.{{storylink|Speak, Memory! (Part 2)}}

The crew found a shrinking 'time window' in [[Swerve's]] that could allow you to look back in its past. Rung and Chromedome both went to look back at Rewind's attempt to fix his brain-damaged self, and Rung would have to gently remind Chromedome when it was time to go. {{storylink|No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases}}

Rung had been asked (and his mind wiped) by Getaway if he'd be willing to mutiny against Megatron. As he wasn't, the mutiny tricked Rung into leaving the ship with the other Megatron 'loyalists': a transmission was sent from the Necrobot's planet to draw them in. (A dying Necrobot, corrupting it in the hope of scaring people away, made it terrify them; Rung heard something he refused to discuss) The group followed the transmission to the planet and came under immediate, violent attack from the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] and [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] before learning the ''Lost Light'' was abandoning them. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}} The Autobots holed up in the Necrobot's old house and Rung helped Rodimus run through their assets. Which were none.

Others found there were dozens of slumbering organics underneath the base and that there was a long-range teleporter, but using the latter meant abandoning the former. Rung listened with weariness as Brainstorm argued for abandoning the organics as they could do far more good for the world if they escaped but, after Megatron spoke in favour of staying, Rung stayed to protect the helpless. While preparing for battle, he and the others realised [[Ten]] had been trying to alert them they could create a forcefield. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 2: The Sun in Flight|The Sun in Flight}}

[[Image:mtmte50 rung's funeral request.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.2|]]

Three weeks after the mutiny, the crew's last messages, including Rung's, were received by several parties on Earth and Cybertron. Rung begged them to dismantle him if he died in alt mode and "put me beyond use" .{{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}}

{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 4: At Close of Day|At Close of Day}} {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}} {{storylink|Last Light}} {{storylink|Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron|Some Other Cybertron}} {{storylink|Dissolution Part 2: Anomie|Anomie}}}}

{{-}}

====The Functionist Universe====
[[File:Rung predestination an experts guide.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|We told you he was an ornament.]]
In a [[Functionist Universe|divergent timeline]], no one could figure out the exact purpose of Rung's alternate mode, so he was locked up in [[Cog (base)|The Cog]] and regularly tortured for two million years by the scientist [[Quark]] to try and discern the mystery. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|Predestination: An Expert's Guide}} His unique position in a purely functionist society caused a cult to develop around him. He was hailed as the "Useless One", with his "[[Female protester|followers]]" openly defying the government and being met with [[Death|a reminder of the status quo]]. {{storylink|The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue|The Custom-Made Now}} Eventually while he was cleaning Rung's cell [[Sweep (IDW)|Sweep]] (a ''janitor'', not a scientist) figured out what he turned into and the purpose of his alternate form. Whatever it was, [[One-of-Twelve]] did not like it, labelling it a massive threat to the [[Functionist Council]] and society. One-of-Twelve greeted the "Useless One" (which Rung commented was ironic given that One-of-Twelve didn't even '''have''' an alt-mode) and pulled a gun to his head. Rung warned him that if he took the shot, the Functionist world would be destroyed and then proceeded to goad him into firing. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|Predestination: An Expert's Guide}}

[[File:AWorldDisplaced-RungAlternateMode.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|left|His is the drill that will pierce the heavens.]]

Years later, the Functionist Council announced [[Revelation Day]]: at the end of the countdown, they'd disprove this whole "Useless One" anti-functionist talk by revealing exactly what Rung was for. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 2: Anomie|Anomie}}

Supposedly Rung turned into a colossal mining tank with a very conspicuous crystalline drill, something which Team Rodimus found suspicious. According to [[Six-of-Twelve]], the point of Rungs' alternate mode was to drill through the [[Ununtrium|ununtrium]] wall that surrounded [[Vector Sigma]]. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 3: A World Misplaced|A World Misplaced}}

{{-}}

===''Kre-O'' online manga===
[[File:KreO-webcomic-6-Rung.jpg|75px|thumb|right|Insert appropriate Doc Brown sound here.]]
Rung directed a crane hauling a load of energy blocks into [[Metroplex (Kre-O)|Scramble City]] when the [[Devastator (Kre-O)|Constructicons]] attacked. {{Storylink|A New Menace! The Giant Soldier Devastator Appears!}}

{{-}}

===Transformers Facebook page===

Rung managed to get his own TV show, ''[[Rung Up with Rung]]'', in which he analyzes a weekly Cybertronian guest.
{{--}}

==Toys==
===Fictional toys===
[[File:Mtmte22-coverb-rung-toy.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|Quite articulated for a G1 dude.]]
*'''Rung'''
**''Accessories:'' Data Journal, "ARK-1" Model, Tech Specs Decoder

:In some time-lost continuity, Swerve tried to figure out a Rung toy. Its features included moveable eyebrows to alter the robot's expression, and a "Listening Mode". {{storylink|Little Victories}}
{{--}}

==Notes==
*A psychoanalyst named Rung was referenced in the unofficial Transformers novel ''Eugenesis'', written by [[James Roberts]].
*The name "Rung" is a reference to {{w|Carl Jung}}, founder of analytical psychology.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/comics-16/tfw2005-interviews-james-roberts-175563/ TFW2005.com interview with James Roberts]</ref> The mention of "Rungian analysis" in [[Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|''More Than Meets the Eye'' #1]] is a further play on this.
*Incidentally, the above reference to "Rungian analysis" came from [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] on his way to the original Ark. This means Rung was an established psychotherapist as far back as six million years ago, in the times of [[Nova Prime]], making him one of the few ''identified'' survivors of that era. His age was also hinted on in "[[Zero Point]]" which established him as one of the oldest friends of [[Kup (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Kup]], whose entire shtick is being really old.
*Rung's longest suffering patient was [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]].
*[[Alex Milne]] modeled Rung's appearance on actors {{w|Brent Spiner}} and {{w|David Hyde-Pierce}}.<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/notes/transformers/transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-vol-2-alex-milne-interview/395646703838863 Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye vol. 2 Alex Milne interview]</ref>
*More than a few hints have been dropped indicating that Rung is, well, more than meets the eye:
**Red Alert cites his "impressive" serial number of 1,000,000 in [[Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|''More Than Meets the Eye'' #1]].
**He has an utterly unique [[alternate mode]] (a plot point in the [[Functionist Universe]], where a protester "dressed" as Rung cries out "All hail the useless one!" in apparent reference to his alternate form). Whatever his alternate mode is, it was apparently ominous enough that the Functionist Council believed that it could completely upset Cybertron's social order.
**The Sparkeater apparently seeks him out as having the brightest Spark on the ship in [[Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|''More Than Meets the Eye'' #3]].
**He somehow manages to stay (mostly) out of harm's way throughout millions of years of war and remain in like-new condition, as commented on by Ratchet in [[Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|''More Than Meets the Eye'' #2]].
**He rather miraculously survives having his head destroyed.
**Despite all this, he remains curiously forgotten, unknown and overlooked by others.
**He is mentioned as having been "lost" in the explosion that created a quantum duplicate of the ''Lost Light''—a curious choice of words.
**He was apparently slated to travel aboard the ''Ark-1'', but was recalled at the last moment by the Senate for reasons unknown.
**When facing death, he requests to have his body torn apart and "put beyond use", "just in case". This suggests that whatever makes Rung so odd, he's aware of it.
**Fortunately, James Roberts has clarified the issue by explicitly pointing out that there is nothing special about Rung whatsoever, and that we should not pay any attention to Rung, his various quirks, or any of his future adventures.<ref>James Roberts Q&A panel at TFCon 2015</ref> Would James Roberts lie to us?
*In his many Roberts-penned appearances, Rung tends to avoid being identified by his name while he's around others and conscious. In his comic appearances, his name is mispronounced or he's only described, only able to be named by others when they're not in his vicinity or when he's unconscious. In prose stories, others can name him directly while he's around. Rung's dismay at being unidentified and his general inability to be noticed likely tie in to the promo image for ''More Than Meets the Eye'' #1, where Rung was identified as wanting "to be remembered."
*Rung's Holomatter avatar is named {{w|Mary Sue}}, a tongue-in-cheek reference to the literary term of the same name and a wink at fans who consider Rung to be Roberts's own alter-ego.
*In [[Speak, Memory: Part 1|''More Than Meets the Eye'' #48]] we learn Rung collects models of ships he's served on. His collection has all the Arks from 1 to 9, as we know from [[Little Victories|''More Than Meets the Eye'' #22]].

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://markerguru.deviantart.com/art/rung-colour-guide-253698917 Rung concept art at Alex Milne's deviantART]
*[http://markerguru.deviantart.com/gallery/?q=rung#/d471m8d More Rung design art, featuring an unused alternate mode concept]

[[Category:Fiction-only Transformers]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Kre-O Autobots]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Lost Light crew]]
[[Category:Scientists]]

Anti-Vocationist League

2017-02-26T21:17:33Z

DoctorFluffy:

: ''The Anti-Vocationist League are a guerilla group from the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]] portion of the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''

[[File:Anomie-AntiVocationistLeague.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"We are the Judean People's Front crack suicide squad. Suicide squad! Attack!"]]

The '''Anti-Vocationist League''' ('''AVL''') stands in opposition to the [[Functionist Council]], supporting the freedom of the oppressed. Many of them have "redundant" alt-modes, such as data-sticks, the [[Lunabot]]s from the [[astro class]], and those who have altered themselves to look like the fabled [[Rung (G1)|Useless One]].

==Fiction==
===IDW Generation 1 continuity===

[[Twelve-of-Twelve]] and his [[Functionary|Functionaries]] were rounding up AVL dissidents when they encountered the universally-displaced crewmembers of the ''[[Lost Light]]'' and naturally assumed they were simply more or the rabble-rousers to be arrested. Other AVL members, led by [[Clicker]], attempted a rescue, but only succeeded in proving they were terrible at the whole resistance-fighter thing, needing to be saved by the Lost Light crew. Clicker then revealed the AVL's base of operations was [[Cyberutopia]]. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 2: Anomie|Anomie}}

Or at least, that's what it was ''called'' - in actuality, it was the city of [[Kalis]].

Apparently, they had a presence on pre-[[Great War]] Cybertron, with Chromedome mentioning that some of their number had been attracted to join the Decepticons{{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}}. Exactly what happened to them in the original timeline is not known.

[[Category:IDW Generation 1 subgroups]]

Anti-Vocationist League

2017-02-22T19:28:00Z

DoctorFluffy:

: ''The Anti-Vocationist League are a guerilla group from the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]] portion of the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''

[[File:Anomie-AntiVocationistLeague.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"We are the Judean People's Front crack suicide squad. Suicide squad! Attack!"]]

The '''Anti-Vocationist League''' ('''AVL''') stands in opposition to the [[Functionist Council]], supporting the freedom of the oppressed. Many of them have "redundant" alt-modes, such as data-sticks, the [[Lunabot]]s from the [[astro class]], and those who have altered themselves to look like the fabled [[Rung (G1)|Useless One]].

==Fiction==
===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
[[Twelve-of-Twelve]] and his [[Functionary|Functionaries]] were rounding up AVL dissidents when they encountered the universally-displaced crewmembers of the ''[[Lost Light]]'' and naturally assumed they were simply more or the rabble-rousers to be arrested. Other AVL members, led by [[Clicker]], attempted a rescue, but only succeeded in proving they were terrible at the whole resistance-fighter thing, needing to be saved by the Lost Light crew. Clicker then revealed the AVL's base of operations was [[Cyberutopia]]. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 2: Anomie|Anomie}}

Or at least, that's what it was ''called'' - in actuality, it was the city of [[Kalis]].

[[Category:IDW Generation 1 subgroups]]

Whirl (FOC)

2017-02-19T23:30:30Z

DoctorFluffy: /* Bot on the Street */

{{faction|autobot|wreckers}}
{{disambig3|Whirl}}
:''Whirl is an [[Autobot]] and [[Wrecker]] from the [[Aligned continuity family]].''
[[File:FOC-Whirlcardart.jpg|right|thumb|300px|"Knock knock. My fist up your balls!" "...Who's there?"]]

'''Whirl''' is the most visible Wrecker. On the battlefield, he bobs and weaves, matching the numerous [[Decepticon]] fliers move for move. He delights in his showmanship, but even though the audience rarely does, Whirl doesn't mind; the act isn't for the audience, after all. While they focus on the jukes and zigs and zags, the other Wreckers are closing in to drop the curtain.

He [[Combiner|combines]] with several of his fellow Wreckers to form [[Ruination (FOC)|Ruination]].

==Fiction==
===Bot on the Street===
Whirl was not popular with his teammates, to the point that all of them considered him a reason to forever reject combining. {{storylink|Bot on the Street}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: Battle Tactics''===
[[File:Battle-Tactics-Whirl-(FOC).jpg|thumb|upright=2.2]]
Whirl (FOC) participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was a Super Rare character who could be acquired as a reward to 55 leagues in the "Ruination's Mayhem" event. {{storylink|Transformers: Battle Tactics}}
{{--}}

==Toys==
===Generations===
[[Image:Generations_fall_of_cybertron_whirl.jpg|thumb|300px|''Boom!'' Do you want it? ''Boom!'' Do you need it? ''Boom!'' Let me hear it!]]
*'''Autobot Whirl''' (Deluxe, 2013)
**''Series / Number'': '''01 / #018'''
**'''PART 3 OF 5!'''
**''Accessories'': 2 swords, cannon

: Part of the fourth wave of 2012-onwards ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' Deluxe Class toys, ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]'' "Autobot Whirl" is a blue and orange [[redeco]] and [[retool]] of ''Fall of Cybertron'' [[Vortex (FOC)#Generations|Vortex]], with a new head sculpt based on [[The Transformers (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]]. He transforms into a [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertronian]] assault helicopter with a double-barreled gun at the front end of the cockpit.

:Whirl comes with two swords, which feature sculpted weapon barrels on the underside and can be either held as swords or as rifles with "bayonets" in robot mode, and can also be attached to the skid-like sections on both sides of the cockpit, both via [[5mm post]]. In addition, he also comes with a brand new quintuple-barreled cannon which can extend and spin its barrels, and features three 5mm posts and two ports.

:In addition to his robot and vehicle modes, Whirl can also combine with his fellow Wreckers into Ruination and serve as any of the gestalt robot's four limbs, though his official configuration is either the right leg (shown in the [[instructions]]) or the left leg (shown in [[stock photography|stock photos]].) His arm mode has 5mm-compatible hands, and the swords can be combined with the other Wreckers' weapons into a huge weapon for Ruination to wield.

:The original version of this mold was also used to make ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' [[Vortex (G1)#FOCgiftset|Vortex]]. This mold also served as the basis of the non-toy characters ''[[Transformers Cloud|Cloud]]'' [[Whirl (G1)#Cloud|Whirl]] and ''[[Transformers: Wings Universe|Wings Universe]]'' [[Rotorstorm (G1)#Wings Universe|Rotorstorm]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2013/Autobot/FOCWhirl/whirl.htm More information on Whirl at TFU.info]''

[[Category:Combiners]]
[[Category:Fall of Cybertron Autobots]]
[[Category:Generations]]
[[Category:Wreckers]]

Dauntless Maximus

2017-02-19T23:28:55Z

DoctorFluffy: In my defense, the same joke was being used twice - once here, once on Superion's page.

{{factions|autobot}}
{{disambig3|Maximus}}
:''Dauntless Maximus is an [[Autobot]] [[combiner]] from the [[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|Energon]] portion of the [[Unicron Trilogy]] [[continuity family]].''

[[File:E50 anonymousamximus.jpg|250px|thumb|"Who am I? I'm certainly not that fellow SUPERION MAXIMUS, even though I do look like SUPERION MAXIMUS a whole bunch. I'm not SUPERION MAXIMUS, that's for sure. Yep."]]
'''Dauntless Maximus''' is one of four ancient warriors tasked with guarding the [[Super Energon Temple]] along with his little brother [[Superion Maximus]].

Physically he is identical to his brother in every way. You'd think that would cause confusion, wouldn't you?

==Fiction==
===''Energon'' cartoon===
[[File:Superions brother wreck.jpg|left|thumb|I was never as good as my totally not made-up brother Zed, and we're totally different people!]]
Long ago, during a time when the Decepticons and Autobots were at peace, Dauntless Maximus, his brother [[Superion Maximus]], and the Decepticons [[Constructicon Maximus]] and [[Bruticus Maximus (Energon)|Bruticus Maximus]] were tasked with guarding the [[Super Energon Temple]]. The Autobots and Decepticons glared at one another in mutual acrimony until they became completely corroded and were unable to move.

In the year [[2020]], [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]], guided by [[Unicron]]'s voice within him, discovered the Super Energon Temple. Confronted by the four rusted guardians, he destroyed Dauntless Maximus to force them to acknowledge him. While Constructicon Maximus and Bruticus Maximus followed, Superion Maximus was horrified when he awoke, and he fled rather than serve Megatron. {{storylink|Ambition}}

Some time later when Superion, having been reduced to [[Storm Jet (Energon)|his central component]] after defeating Constructicon Maximus, was being savagely beaten by Bruticus Maximus, Dauntless Maximus's ghost appeared to save his little brother. He blasted Bruticus Maximus, destroying [[Blackout (combiner)|his left arm]] in the process. With his brother momentarily safe, Dauntless Maximus gave him a reassuring smile and faded away. {{storylink|Spark (episode)|Spark}}

{{-}}

==Toys==
===''Energon''===
Though no actual toy has been made for Dauntless Maximus, since he is identical in every way to his brother, one could just purchase a second [[Superion Maximus#Toys|Superion Maximus]] figure and [[repurpose|make pretend]].

==Notes==
*As a "hi-then-die" character who actually died ''before'' he came back to say hi, Dauntless Maximus was unnamed in the ''Energon'' cartoon, and didn't even have a unique character model, appearing only as first a pile of wreckage, then as an identical twin of Superion. We used to called him "Anonymous Maximus", but he ''finally'' got an official name in a 2015 Facebook post of [[Ask Vector Prime]].

[[Category:Cartoon-only Transformers]]
[[Category:Combined forms]]
[[Category:Energon Autobots]]
[[Category:Ghosts]]

Anti-Vocationist League

2017-02-11T23:00:05Z

DoctorFluffy: They weren't exactly alt-modes. Sorry, that one's on me.

: ''The Anti-Vocationist League are a guerilla group from the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]] portion of the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''

[[File:Anomie-AntiVocationistLeague.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"We are the Judean People's Front crack suicide squad. Suicide squad! Attack!"]]

The '''Anti-Vocationist League''' ('''AVL''') stands in opposition to the [[Functionist Council]], supporting the freedom of the oppressed. Many of them have "Redundant" alt-modes, such as data-sticks, the [[Lunabot |Lunabots]] from the [[astro class]], and those who have altered themselves to look like the fabled [[Rung (G1)|Useless One]].

==Fiction==
===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
[[Twelve-of-Twelve]] and his [[Functionary|Functionaries]] were rounding up AVL dissidents when they encountered the universally-displaced crewmembers of the ''[[Lost Light]]'' and naturally assumed they were simply more or the rabble-rousers to be arrested. Other AVL members, led by [[Clicker]], attempted a rescue, but only succeeded in proving they were terrible at the whole resistance-fighter thing, needing to be saved by the Lost Light crew. Clicker then revealed the AVL's base of operations was [[Cyberutopia]]. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 2: Anomie|Anomie}}

[[Category:IDW Generation 1 subgroups]]

Crucible

2017-02-11T22:29:26Z

DoctorFluffy: /* IDW Generation 1 continuity */ Eh, the joke wasn't funny. And I'm sorry for that.

{{disambig3|Crucible}}

:''The Crucible is a.....something from the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW portion]] of the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
The '''Crucible''', whatever it was, was at the centre of the [[Simanzi Massacre]].

==Fiction==
===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
During the Massacre, it took the involvement of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] to prevent over a thousand Autobots (such as [[Pyro (G1)|Pyro]]) and neutrals from falling into the Crucible. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|Pyro's Profile}} Apparently, Shock and Ore braved it {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things}}.

[[Category:IDW Generation 1]]

Crucible

2017-02-11T22:26:30Z

DoctorFluffy:

{{disambig3|Crucible}}

:''The Crucible is a.....something from the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW portion]] of the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
The '''Crucible''', whatever it was, was at the centre of the [[Simanzi Massacre]].

==Fiction==
===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
During the Massacre, it took the involvement of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] to prevent over a thousand Autobots (such as [[Pyro (G1)|Pyro]]) and neutrals from falling into the Crucible. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|Pyro's Profile}} Apparently, Shock and Ore braved it, {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things}} whatever it was.

[[Category:IDW Generation 1]]

Tarn (G1)

2017-02-02T02:03:05Z

DoctorFluffy: Because it was funny. And informative.

{{factions|decepticon}}
{{disambigm|Tarn (polity)|Glitch|Demus}}
:''Tarn is a [[Decepticon]] from the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW portion]] of the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[File:MTMTE Tarn Alex Milne.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|He kills you with culture... and also ''violence''.]]
Formerly the [[outlier]] known as '''Damus''' and '''Glitch''', '''Tarn''' is an eloquent [[Decepticon]]. He enjoys nothing more than playing beautiful [[The Empyrean Suite|music]] as he waxes poetic quoting ''[[Towards Peace]]'' and other philosophical works by [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]]. He tends to indulge these pleasures at the same time he's using his specially modulated vocal processor to cause the [[Decepticon Justice Division]]'s latest transgressor's spark to self-destruct. The leader of the D.J.D., Tarn epitomizes the mentality of the team. He is beyond zealous in his devotion to Megatron's cause, going so far as to emboss the Decepticon [[insignia]] onto his own faceplate. No traitor, no coward is capable of escaping his team.

Despite appearances, Tarn is a mess of contradictions. Viewing himself as the central pillar of the D.J.D., he can be as brutally violent as any other Decepticon, but views himself as a bureaucrat and his team as his administration. He believes his actions are entirely justified, yet sometimes his thoughts are a constant stream of self-denigration. He claims to have moral standards, but this does absolutely nothing to stop him from acting on his most violent and sadistic impulses. He works hard to run a tight but fair ship, and is not above taking in an open-minded, needy stray. On the other hand, for all his thoughts of sophistication and control, Tarn can go from affable to life-threatening at the least provocation. His addictive tendencies have led to him burning out his original [[transformation cog]] years ago, and his reliance on the power-enhancing [[Nucleon (substance)|Nuke]] can lead to his losing himself to the lust for violence. And have no doubt that while he may try and convince himself otherwise, Tarn is a truly sociopathic murderer. Ultimately whether Tarn is a monster or not is irrelevant. His utter devotion to the Decepticon cause means he will ensure the fear of Megatron is put into any that would consider abandoning their noble goals.

{{quote|If you want to break someone—mentally, physically, emotionally—wait until they're happy. Let them live and love and thrive. Once they recognize the value of a life well lived... THAT'S when you move in for the kill. Because you can't take anything from someone who has nothing to lose.|Tarn|"[[The Dying of the Light Part 2: The Sun in Flight|The Sun in Flight]]" teaser}}

==Fiction==
===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
[[File:Ratchet glitch shadowplay.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Glitch is [[Wolverine (superhero)|the one with the claws]].]]
Damus was [[reproduction|forged]], born an exceptionally powerful [[Point One Percenter]] {{storylink|The Permanent Revolution}} and an outlier who possessed the ability to render non-sentient machinery inoperative by touching it, but with one drawback: the power hurt him every time he used it. Before the [[Great War (G1)|war]], Damus attended the [[Jhiaxian Academy of Advanced Technology]] where they possibly attempted to analyze his brain-wave patterns and kept his outlier status hidden from the [[Senate]] and [[Functionist Council]].

At some point, he crossed the [[Senate]] and was subjected to [[empurata]]: his hands and head replaced to mark him out as someone to shun. After that, to tie in with his power, he started to call himself Glitch. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}}

When [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] devised a plan to steal a bomb disguised as the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] from [[Nominus Prime]]'s corpse his [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Senator friend]] recruited Damus, [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] and [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] from the Academy to participate in the heist. Damus's part in the plan was to deactivate the deflector beams above the [[Primal Basilica]] and despite a slight hitch when Damus accidentally jammed Skids's grappling hook by touching his arm, the plan succeeded. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}}

Following Shockwave's capture and brainwashing by the [[Senate]], the Outliers stuck with Orion Pax and aided him in defending a [[hot spot]] in [[Alyon]] from [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]'s forces. By this time Damus had gotten replacement hands and learned to use his power to from a distance, utilizing it to break down [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]] vehicles from afar. With help from a group of time travelers from the ''[[Lost Light]]'' of the future, the group took down a weapons platform sent to irradiate the hot spot's [[spark]]s, then had their memories of the travelers wiped by [[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]].

During the whole affair, Orion Pax recommended reading Megatron's treatises around Glitch: "powerful stuff," he said. Considering Megatron's stated reasons for converting him to the Decepticon cause, we can only assume that he listened a little too well. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|All Our Parlous Yesterdays}}

[[File:PermanentRevolution-Backwards.jpg|left|thumb]]
Exactly how and when Damus joined the Decepticons is unknown, but Megatron would later claim it was done to hurt ''someone'' and prove a point. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 3: Your Fierce Tears|Your Fierce Tears}} He joined early enough to be at the beginning of Megatron's march across Cybertron. Rebuilt under the supervision of [[Lobe]], {{storylink|The Permanent Revolution}} Damus's power and endurance was considered by [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] to put him on the same level as a [[Phase Sixer]]. {{storylink|Remembrance Day}} His mask was taken as a sign of Decepticon supremacy but, at least so he told himself, it was really so nobody would notice when he closed his eyes around Decepticon brutality. {{storylink|The Permanent Revolution}}

[[File:SpeakMemory2-results.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5]]
Damus became commandant of [[Grindcore (prison)|Grindcore prison]], where he became associated with "[[The Empyrean Suite]]", playing it at maximum volume to drown out the screams of the prisoners he executed via smelting. {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} In this, he was trying to deliberately bastardize a song composed by [[Eucryphia]] to celebrate [[Prima]] and the [[Thirteen Tribes]]. {{storylink|The Permanent Revolution}} One of his prisoners, soon after the prison's smelting chamber had malfunctioned, was his old comrade Skids. Damus bargained with Skids to fix it, telling him it was a "teleport chamber" and fifty prisoners would be released from Grindcore for this, and was able to con Skids into thinking that he could be trusted. Skids was relaxed enough around Damus to take praise genuinely and push for more freed prisoners later.

In the end, Damus sent all fifty prisoners to the "teleporation chamber" and forced Skids to watch as it was used to execute a group of prisoners, including Skids's cellmate [[Quark]], melting them down into raw materials for use in the creation of [[M.T.O.]]s. As Skids was made to watch, Damus cruelly used the event to deliberately cripple Skids's religious faith. {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} {{storylink|Speak, Memory! (Part 2)}}

After Damus became leader of the D.J.D. as "Tarn" (and would never again use his old name), his powers developed to the point where he could shut down sentient machines using his voice alone. Under him, the group became ''very'' focused on paperwork: the [[Decepticon Empire]] required good administration, in his view.

The Division established a base on the world of [[Messatine]] in order to obtain the "Nuke" superfuel there. {{storylink|The Permanent Revolution}} Tarn coerced [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]], head surgeon of the planet's Autobot medical facility [[Delphi]], into helping feed his addiction by supplying him with an ever-increasing number of transformation cogs from deceased patients, in exchange for the hospital being unmolested by his team. Pharma would eventually cut off Tarn's supply by orchestrating the facility's shutdown. {{storylink|How Ratchet Got His Hands Back}}

[[File:Tarn transforms MTMTE08.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|He's got friends on the other side.]]
Informed by Decepticon spy [[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]] that high-priority target [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] was aboard the starship ''[[Lost Light]]'', Tarn and the D.J.D. continued to work through their [[The List|list]] of offenders as they waited for Brainstorm to drop the ship's shielding so they could pick up Overlord's signal. {{storylink|The Permanent Revolution}} One such unfortunate was [[Black Shadow (Victory)|Black Shadow]], whom Tarn explosively finished off with his deadly voice, after which the team set course of the planet [[Clemency]] to hunt down Decepticon deserter [[Fulcrum]]. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} Arriving on Clemency, the team discovered a mysterious [[stasis pod|stasis tube]] awaiting them; when Tarn investigated, he found it contained a deranged, [[circuit speeder]]-enhanced [[Grimlock (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Grimlock]], unleashed by Fulcrum and his new allies, the [[Scavenger (group)|Scavengers]]. Tarn was soon able to subdue the brain-damaged [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]], but was then crushed beneath the foot of a [[Cybernought]] battle-mech that [[Crankcase (G1)|Crankcase]] had activated. Tarn recovered in time to hear Fulcrum deliver a speech to all assembled about Decepticon ideals before apparently committing suicide. At that point, [[Kaon (DJD)|Kaon]] detected Overlord's long-awaited signal, and Tarn ordered the D.J.D. to head out—but not before warning the surviving Scavengers that their names had now made it onto [[The List]]. {{storylink|Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|Who's Afraid of the DJD?}}

Tracking Overlord's signal, the D.J.D. found the ''Lost Light''—which was, unbeknownst to Tarn and his team, actually one of ''two'' versions of the ship created by a malfunction of its [[quantum generator]]s—near the planet [[Ofsted XVII]]. Despite having promised Brainstorm they would not harm any of the crew, the discovery that the traitor [[Drift (G1)|Deadlock]] was aboard the ship them set the D.J.D. off, and after dealing with him, they set about murdering the rest of the ship. {{storylink|The Permanent Revolution}} Tarn personally destroyed [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]], [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]], and [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]], and forced a large portion of the crew to transform before executing them, leaving their transformation cogs warm for location and harvesting. Eventually, Tarn removed a still-restrained and suicidal Overlord's head with a chainsaw, and the D.J.D. left the ship. {{storylink|slaughterhouse}} {{storylink|slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken|The Road Not Taken}}

Sometime during the months that followed, Kaon spontaneously began [[universal killswitch|writhing in agony]] right in front of Tarn, who tried to get his teammate to tell him what he could do to help, before the mysterious effect subsided. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}} Also during this time, the D.J.D. welcomed a new member—[[Nickel]], last survivor of a Cybertronian colony wiped out by the [[Black Block Consortia]]. At Nickel's insistence, they returned to Ofsted XVII to salvage the quantum engines from the derelict ''Lost Light''. They wound up arriving in the middle of a battle between the Consortia and the [[Galactic Council]], who teamed up against the Cybertronians. Under attack by both sides and faced with additional enemy reinforcements, Tarn was forced to retreat, leaving Vos and Kaon behind. {{storylink|The Permanent Revolution}}

The diminished D.J.D. returned to their duties, though Tarn began to weary of the work. After apprehending the [[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeater]]-worshipping [[Blip]], Tarn was about to end his life using his voice, until Blip used his last words to demand that Tarn remove his mask. Affronted, Tarn allowed [[Helex (DJD)|Helex]] and [[Tesarus (DJD)|Tesarus]] to finish Blip instead, averting his gaze beneath his mask. Tarn subsequently ordered performance reviews for the team, and nearly came to blows with Tesarus when he implied that abandoning Vos and Kaon was not the Decepticon thing to do. Calming himself, Tarn explained that they were returning to Ofsted XVII again in order to recover their bodies, but was interrupted by Helex's announcement that Vos and Kaon had returned to the ship safe, sound, and with something unbelievable: a postwar edition of ''[[Towards Peace]]'' that revealed Megatron himself had defected from the Decepticons.

His world shattered by this discovery, Tarn had the D.J.D. return to Messatine, where he attempted to fatally overdose on Nuke. Finding even the sensation of dying disappointing, Tarn opened his eyes to see a distraught Nickel pressed against the glass of his fueling capsule. The sight of her triggered a revelation for Tarn: she was a 'bot who had experienced first-hand the threat the predominantly-organic universe posed to Cybertronians, and who had fully embraced the Decepticon cause despite living her life outside of the war. The cause, Tarn now realized, was bigger than any one 'bot—bigger than Megatron. Galvanized, Tarn set up a meeting with the rogue Decepticon warlord [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] aboard his stolen [[Warworld]]. Knowing full well he was on the D.J.D.'s list, Deathsaurus pre-emptively attacked Tarn upon his arrival, even deactivating his audio receptors to protect himself from Tarn's voice, but Tarn was able to communicate with him and his troops through [[inter-Decepticon radio]] and explained the reason for his presence: he wished them to ally with him, in return for their being taken off The List. Deathsaurus agreed on the condition that Tarn kill the rest of the D.J.D., which Tarn refused to do—which was the response Deathsaurus had been hoping for. With their alliance cemented, Tarn declared their new objective: kill the traitorous Megatron and all of his allies! {{storylink|The Permanent Revolution}}

[[File:YourFierceTears-byebyekaon.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Give me your...you know the drill.]]
The allied forces of Tarn and Deathsaurus proceeded to attack the [[Necroworld|Necrobot's world]], killing [[Censere|its sole inhabitant]] and using his machinery to broadcast a message that lured Megatron and all those aboard the ''Lost Light'' sympathetic to him down to the planet. When they arrived, the villains shot them down and cornered them in the Necrobot's fortress. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}} As an act of indirect torture, Tarn had their forces pull back, warning Megatron and his comrades that they would return at sunset, leaving them to stew in their own fear. Returning to the ''[[Peaceful Tyranny]]'', Tarn spent the time showing off his collection of Megatron's writings to Deathsaurus, and discussing tactics with his men; he did not take Tesarus's concerns about the Necrobot's fortress's storm shield seriously, but the discussion was interrupted by a call on Tarn's personal communicator from Megatron himself. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 2: The Sun in Flight|The Sun in Flight}} [[File:MTMTE53FullyArmedBatallion.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|left|'''Cause when push'' ''Comes to shove'' ''I will send a fully armed battalion'' ''To remind you of my love'' <s>for the cause</s>
]] Tarn agreed to a meeting with Megatron alone, whereupon his former leader agreed to surrender in exchange for the rest of the Autobots being allowed to go free. Saddened and disgusted to truly see with his own eyes how far his idol had fallen, Tarn beat him to within an inch of his life, and was just about to deliver the killing shot when [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] suddenly appeared, insisting that it was his right to end Megatron's life. Both refused to stand down, resulting in a bickering battle between the two that gave Megatron the chance to escape. Realizing their folly, Tarn and Overlord agreed to a truce, though Overlord continued to needle Tarn all the way back to the ''Peaceful Tyranny''. The final straw came when a distraught Kaon arrived with the news that the Autobots had kidnapped the D.J.D.'s [[Dominus Ambus|pet sparkeater]]; determined to cut out of both the hearts of himself and his men the compassion that he saw as Megatron's downfall, Tarn slew Kaon on the spot, tearing his head from his shoulders. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 3: Your Fierce Tears|Your Fierce Tears}}

At sundown, Tarn led the Decepticons in their attack, {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 4: At Close of Day|At Close of Day}} playing "The Empyrean Suite" across the battlefield as battle commenced. He initially hung back with Deathsaurus, but joined the fight in earnest after a temporary power-up acquired by the Autobots wore off, ripping [[Ravage (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ravage]] clean in half. Unfortunately, that turned out to be just the thing to bring Megatron out onto the battlefield, cutting swathes through the Decepticon troops. Tarn surreptitiously ordered the D.J.D. to retreat, whilst demanding Deathsaurus's troops enact a suicidal assault on Megatron. When the ex-Decepticon's new fusion cannon was destroyed, he unexpectedly sunk to his knees in panicked defeat, and Tarn and Overlord moved to strike the final blow together. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 5: Rage, Rage|Rage, Rage}}

[[File:mtmte55 goodbye tarn.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|You will die alone. Unmourned. And unloved.]]
Their shots, however, were reflected by the sudden activation of a forcefield by Megatron. It was at this moment that [[Swerve]] and [[Rewind]] artificially inflicted an attack of conscience on Overlord and Deathsaurus with one of the Necrobot's devices. They abandoned the planet, unwilling to waste their time and troops respectively on Megatron. Tellingly, the attack of conscience had absolutely no effect on Tarn and the other remaining members of the D.J.D.

The D.J.D then assaulted the forcefield until they could finally force their way in. Unfortunately, this was all according to Megatron's plan–after years of study, he had finally managed to interlink his systems with a black hole to harvest antimatter. With his former enforcers now trapped, Megatron tore through them with tendrils of antimatter, speaking their true names at the moments of their deaths, literally and metaphorically dismantling them. Tarn was saved for last, his mask ripped off as Megatron called him by his previous name: "Glitch". Tarn first begged for Megatron to be "reasonable", then tried fake bravado, just as many of his own victims had done... And with as little success.

Completing his denouncement of his former enforcer, Megatron informed Damus that "Everything you did was for nothing" and obliterated him with antimatter. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}}
{{-}}

===''Kre-O'' online comic===
[[File:KreO-webcomic-9-Tarn.jpg|upright=0.6|thumb]]
Tarn was part of [[Bludgeon (Kre-O)|Bludgeon]]'s forces when they uncovered the [[Red Bucket]]. {{storylink|Treasure Competition! Defeat with Block Power!}}

===''TransTech''===
An [[Offworlder]] in [[Axiom Nexus]], Tarn was a judge of ''[[Cybertron's Got Talent]]'' in the wake of [[Ego (TransTech)|Ego]]'s death. Tarn enjoyed calling out sub-par transformations as part of his judging. {{storylink|Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News Reporter|Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News, 2015/05/14}}

==Games==
===''Transformers Legends''===
Tarn and the rest of the DJD pursued Black Shadow for taking bribes from the Autobots. The DJD found their target hiding on planet Clemency, and dispatched them with extreme prejudice as Tarn set course for their next assignment. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (Legends)|Rules of Disengagement}}

==Notes==
[[File:Tarn BlackShadow RulesofDisengagement.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1|"What are you gonna do, talk me to death?" "Yup"]]
*[[Alex Milne]] said in a Facebook interview that his ideal voice for Tarn is [[Keith David]]. That is ''AWESOME''.<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/notes/transformers/transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-vol-2-alex-milne-interview/395646703838863 Transformers: More Than Meets the Eye vol. 2 Alex Milne interview]</ref>
*Prowl lists Tarn as being on par with the [[Phase Sixer]]s [[Sixshot]] and [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] in "[[Remembrance Day]]". So far there's no official confirmation that Tarn is himself a Sixer, with "[[The Permanent Revolution]]" and the season 2 finale resolution strongly suggesting that his power levels were due to a combination of personal augmentation and the nuke. The same issue confirms Tarn's status as a Point One Percenter, calling out his possessing a "mottled green spark". This makes Tarn the only known case of someone who is both an outlier and a Point One Percenter.
*Like all non-toy robot [[Kreon]]s in the Kre-O comics, Tarn is made from existing Kre-O parts, but extensively "painted". He uses the [[Ratchet (Kre-O)|Ratchet]] helmet, the [[Megatron (Kre-O)|Megatron]] arm-cannon, and some kind of setup to wear the Bludgeon treads on his back.
*For some time, the popular speculation among the readership of MTMTE was that Tarn had originally been [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]]. [[Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays#Other trivia|''MTMTE'' #36]] dropped a number of clues to further this theory before the actual revelation in [[The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|issue #55]], which revealed these to be nothing more than red herrings. James Roberts cheekily had Roller reveal himself as still alive and intact on the page right after Velocity asked who Tarn really was and just before the actual unmasking.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:Fiction-only Transformers]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Kre-O Decepticons]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Point One Percenters]]
[[Category:TransTech Decepticons]]

Anti-Vocationist League

2017-02-02T01:33:20Z

DoctorFluffy: Created page with "The Anti-Vocationist League (AVL) is a group from the Functionist Universe, and the primary source of resistance against the totalitarian Functionist government. Many of t..."

The Anti-Vocationist League (AVL) is a group from the [[Functionist Universe]], and the primary source of resistance against the totalitarian Functionist government. Many of them have "Redundant" alt-modes, such as data-sticks, the [[Lunabot |Lunabots]] from the [[astro class]], and those who have fixed their alt-modes to look like [[Rung]].

Unfortunately, they don't seem to be very good at physical resistance, not putting much of a fight against the [[Functionary |Functionaries]].
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 subgroups]]

Lunabot

2017-02-02T01:20:22Z

DoctorFluffy: /* The Functionist Universe */

:''Lunabots are a sub-group of the [[astro class]] from the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW portion]] of the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:Lunabot the custom-made now.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|You don't belong in this continuity. Die now and make our classification easier.]]
'''Lunabots''' serve primarily as transport between [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and [[Moonbase Two|Luna 2]].

==Fiction==
===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
====The Functionist Universe====
In [[Functionist Universe|an alternate timeline]], the ruling [[Functionist Council]] had come to an agreement with the [[Black Block Consortia|Black Box Consortia]] after two milion years of conflict, by selling Luna 2 to them. As a result, the Lunabots no longer served a purpose and they were [[mass recall|recalled]], though three of their number somehow managed to survive their [[obsolescence chip]] detonating. One was later discovered and killed by the [[Functionary|Functionaries]] in front of [[Minimus Ambus]] and [[Rewind (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rewind]] while trying to escape the planet at a spaceport. {{storylink|The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue|The Custom-Made Now}} At least two others had also managed to survive and joined up with the [[Anti-Vocationist League]]. These two joined [[Clicker]] in an attempt to rescue several other Anti-Vocationists (and, as it happened, the dimensionally displaced [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] and his crew) who'd been captured by [[Twelve-of-Twelve]] and his [[Functionary|Functionaries]]. They weren't able to put up much of a fight, however, one of them getting blasted by Twelve-of-Twelve. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 2: Anomie|Anomie}}

==Toys==
===''Energon''===
[[File:Energon Jetfire toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]
*'''Jetfire''' (Mega, [[2004]])
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''SC-05'''
**''Accessories:'' Spring-loaded missile launcher and 1 missile
{{note|The Lunabot was [[Repurposing|repurposed]] from ''[[Transformers: Energon (toyline)|Energon]]'' [[Jetfire (Armada)#Energon|Jetfire]].}}

:Jetfire transforms into a white and red futuristic space shuttle and has the ability to combine with most other Autobot [[Size class|Deluxe and Mega]] ''Energon'' toys. He features an electronic transforming sound effect that activates when another Autobot combines with him.

:The Japanese version of this toy does not feature any of the electronics, uses red translucent plastic in place of orange, and has a sticker covering the now-absent battery compartment.

:This mold was also used to make ''[[Transformers: Energon (toyline)|Energon]]'' [[Overcast (Energon)#Toys|Overcast]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2004/Autobot/Jetfire/jetfire.htm More information on ''Energon'' Jetfire at TFU.info]''

[[Category:IDW Generation 1 subgroups]]
[[Category:Repurposed toys]]

Dissolution Part 2: Anomie

2017-02-02T01:18:30Z

DoctorFluffy: /* Continuity notes */

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[The Transformers: Lost Light|The Transformers: Lost Light]]'' #2
|prev=Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron
|next=Dissolution Part 3
|image=LL2_regcvr.jpg
|title="Dissolution Part 2: Anomie"
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[February 1]], [[2017]]
|coverdate=January 2017
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Jack Lawrence]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[Carlos Guzman]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}
'''While Rodimus's team gets to grips with the Functionist Universe, Tailgate's increasingly aggressive behavior lands Anode in hot water.'''

==Synopsis==
Confronted by [[Twelve-of-Twelve]] and his [[Functionary|Functionaries]], [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] and company realize they have wound up in the [[Functionist Universe|alternate universe]] previously glimpsed by [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]]—a world ruled by the [[Functionist Council]], where [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] never lived to start the war. Believing them to be members of the [[Anti-Vocationist League]], like the other prisoners currently in his clutches, Twelve-of-Twelve has them arrested; Megatron instructs everyone to go along peacefully, hoping the rest of the council can be reasoned with. After a Functionary destroys their "teleport den," the group is paraded through the streets, where Megatron observes in disgust as the populace fawns over Twelve-of-Twelve. Rodimus is naturally in a bad mood about the whole situation, and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Minimus Ambus]] only succeeds in annoying him more when he tries to sympathize. [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] and [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] observe several large screens around the city displaying countdown clocks and wonder how they are connected to the "Day of Revelation" mentioned by their captor, but Drift attention is soon diverted to a colossal, building-sized statue of [[Primus]], bearing the inscription "Survive and Thrive" at its base. Haunted by the phrase, Drift tells Ratchet about the vision he experienced just before they left: a vision that included [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]], [[Grimlock (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Grimlock]], [[Sparkeater (creature)|sparkeaters]], the legendary "[[Phantom Fleet]]" of lost [[Worldsweeper]]s... and those words, and many others, scrawled in multiple ancient dialects. Drift also begins to describe the "rain" in his vision, but before he can finish, a grenade clatters into the street and blows up in the faces of the Functionaries leading the group. The Anti-Vocationist League has arrived to save its captive members!

On [[Necroworld]], [[Anode]] finds [[Lug (IDW)|Lug]] lounging by the Memorial to the Disappeared, relaxing after the difficult business of apologizing to everyone for Anode's lack of a social filter. Anode claims not to care what any of them think, but Lug knows she's lying, as she hid her original function from [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] when asked. After a bit of poking, Anode admits that she's interested in the quest for [[Cyberutopia]], thinking it might be nice to settle down there; Lug retorts with a laugh that Anode isn't interested in "settling down," but in plundering its treasures. Just then, the body of [[Fangry]] comes flying through the air and crashes into the memorial, followed swiftly by a furious [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]], who has beaten Fangry to a pulp for his attack on [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]]. Anode attempts to intervene, but Tailgate backhands her away, inadvertently hurling her against a chunk of debris that impales her through the torso. As Fangry's fellow Decepticons beat a hasty retreat when Tailgate snarls at them, Cyclonus arrives on the scene and reproaches the little 'bot for his actions. In an attempt to make Tailgate understand the enormity and severity of the change his new powers represent, Cyclonus takes him to the site of the group's battle with the [[Decepticon Justice Division]], still littered with the bodies of the many, ''many'' Decepticons Tailgate killed. Tailgate thinks he is merely attempting to make him feel guilty for causing so much death, and argues that it was kill-or-be-killed; Cyclonus tries to make him understand that it is evidence of how much his strength is growing, potentially to a point beyond his control, and how fast his increasing powers are burning through his [[energon]]. Tailgate tries to argue otherwise... at which point, his energon reserves deplete and he collapses.

Back in the [[Censere|Necrobot]]'s fortress, Anode awakes with a start in the med-bay, roused by nightmarish recollections of her old life. Her wounds have been patched by another of the "Disappeared," [[Kaput]], who responded to Lug's calls for help. But no sooner has the medic introduced himself than [[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]] storms into the med-bay and pins Anode down, announcing that she is making a citizen's arrest. Just as Anode had feared, Velocity remembers her—as a thief. While [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] goes to check the life-support pods and make sure there aren't any other late-to-revive stragglers like Anode and Lug in them (with a strange remark to [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] on the way out, tapping his neck and saying he "needs another" something when he gets back because he is "starting to feel it again"), Velocity produces the "snowflake" treasure previously found by Anode and demands they talk about "the Lighthouse..."

The Anti-Functionist League, it turns out, are a bunch of total wimps who can't put up any kind of fight against the Functionaries. At Rodimus's urging, Megatron breaks his bonds, frees the rest of the team, then takes command of the situation, directing everyone in a brief, dramatic, one-sided battle that sees them emerge victorious. Twelve-of-Twelve boasts that they still cannot stop the broadcast that is about to begin, but when [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] snags him around the throat with a chain, all his bravado disappears and he puts in a distress call to be teleported out. As he vanishes, [[Terminus (G1)|Terminus]] marvels over Megatron's leadership skills, while Rodimus asks the AVL leader [[Clicker]] what the next step of his plan is. Clicker explains they will be using a concealed matter transporter nearby to relocate to the AVL's base of operations: Cyberutopia. Rodimus stares gape-mouthed at Clicker, but before he can ask any questions, the countdown timers all reach zero, and are replaced on the screens with an image of Functionist Council member [[Six-of-Twelve]]. The Day of Revelation has come, Six-of-Twelve tells everyone watching: the day on which the Functionists reveal to the world what the alternate mode of their prisoner, the rebel icon [[Rung (G1)|Rung]], is for!

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]] (2)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] (4)
*[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] (5)
*[[Rewind (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rewind]] (6)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] (9)
*[[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]] (13)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Minimus Ambus]] (14)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (18)
*[[Kaput]] (23)
*[[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]] (25)
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (26)
*[[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] (27)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Fangry]] (12)
*[[Rapidfire]] (20)
*Two other "Disappeared" Decepticons (19, 21)
*[[Jack-Knife]]'s corpse (24)

|c4=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] (1)
*[[Terminus (G1)|Terminus]] (3)
*[[Twelve-of-Twelve]] (7)
*Multiple [[Functionary|Functionaries]] (8)
*[[Anode]] (10)
*[[Lug (IDW)|Lug]] (11)
*Two [[Lunabot]]s (15)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*Other [[Anti-Vocationist League]]rs (16)
*[[Clicker]] (17)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] (22)
*[[Six-of-Twelve]] (28)
*Functionist Universe [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] (29)
{{!}}}
}}

==Quotes==
"Be careful. When you lie to me, you lie to '''God.'''"
:—'''Twelve-of-Twelve''' threatens our heroes

"The ''Lost Light''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s been stolen; we're '''once again''' without a map to Cyberutopia; and now, to top it all, we're trapped in entirely the wrong universe. We've never been further from our goal. '''Ever.''' In fact, it's hard to escape the conclusion that we'd be closer to finding the '''Knights of Cybertron''' if we hadn't started looking for them in the first place." 
"What was that? What was that supposed to be? The opposite of a '''pep talk,''' that's what that was. God! I was angry, now I'm angry and '''depressed.''' Can I be chained to someone else, please?"
:—'''Minimus Ambus''' gets on '''Rodimus'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s nerves

"Ah. Okay. Oooh-kay. I get it. Bad guy or not, he was a '''person.''' Point taken. Lesson learned. Except '''no.''' Because it was '''him or me''', Cyclonus, I didn't kill him for '''fun!''' And if I'm '''honest?''' I don't think you get to play that card. I mean, how many people have '''you''' killed? '''Innocent''' people. How often do you think about '''them?'''" 
"Every day."
:—'''Tailgate''' and '''Cyclonus'''

"I'm making a '''citizen's arrest.'''" 
''(beat)'' 
"Who knows how to make a citizen's arrest?"
:—'''Velocity'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Rewind references the "Black Box Consortia," the Functionist Universe version of the [[Black Block Consortia]] who were previously mentioned in [[The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue|''More than Meets the Eye'' #35]]. This finally confirms that wasn't just a typo!
*Oddly enough, Tailgate and Cyclonus' current relationship parallels their dynamic from the beginning of the comic. But this time, it's ''Tailgate'' who's the violent and powerful bot that needs to calm down.
*Primus's statue renders the character as he appeared in [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|the ''More than Meets the Eye'' 2012 annual]].
*Drift mentioned having another vision recently last issue; we here learn that he was not referring to his original vision, which inspired him to join the ''[[Lost Light]]'' crew, but rather to a new premonition that guided him and Ratchet to Necroworld, which took place off-panel prior to [[The Dying of the Light Part 2: The Sun in Flight|''More than Meets the Eye'' #51]].
*The Worldsweepers seen in Drift's vision last issue are identified by him as the [[Phantom Fleet]], which disappeared in the [[Dark Nebula]]. The Nebula was previously mentioned in [[Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again!|the ''More than Meets the Eye: Revolution'' one-shot]] as the home of the [[Dire Wraith]]s.
*The Anti-Vocationist League members seen in this issue include two [[Lunabot]]s, as seen before in issue #35.
*Kaput previously appeared in [[Omega's Conundrum|''Spotlight: Orion Pax'']]. His inclusion among the "Disappeared" tells us that the Necrobot didn't keep his list in chronological order, because Kaput was known to be active until just a few years ago, having helped to repair [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] following the events of ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'', according to "[[Zero Point]]."
*Swerve's remarks to Nautica as he leaves indicate he is undergoing a process that temporarily keeps him from "feeling" something. After last issue drew attention to how he didn't appear to be feeling any sadness over [[Skids (G1)|Skids]]'s death, that's rather worrying...
*When Six-of-Twelve previously appeared in issue #35, he had a normal-shaped head, but as Chromedome notes, it has since been redesigned to resemble the [[Matrix of Leadership]]. The fate of the Matrix is unknown in the Functionist Universe; without the war to bring [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] to prominence, it presumably must still reside in the [[Undergrid]] where it was concealed millennia ago, per [[Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|''More than Meets the Eye'' #19]].

===Transformers references===
*Continuing with the standard set by issue #35 the crowd scenes set within the Functionist Universe feature easter egg appearances by lots of characters from the [[Unicron Trilogy]], including [[Inferno (Energon)|''Energon'' Inferno]], [[Smokescreen (Armada)|''Armada'' Smokescreen]], [[Strongarm (Energon)|''Energon'' Strongarm]], [[Metroplex (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Metroplex]], [[Scavenger (Armada)|''Armada'' Scavenger]], [[Quickmix (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Quickmix]], [[Menasor (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Menasor]] (with a proper face), [[Landmine (Energon)|''Cybertron'' Landmine]], and [[Smokescreen (Armada)|''Armada'' Hoist]], as well as [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 franchise)|''Robots in Disguise'']] characters [[Grimlock (RID 2001)|Grimlock]] and [[Hightower (RID)|Hightower]]. The two Lunabots seen among the Anti-Vocationist League remain based on [[Jetfire (Armada)|''Energon'' Jetfire]], just as the one seen in issue #35 was.
*The two nameless Decepticons who flee Tailgate's wrath alongside [[Rapidfire]] are based on the [[Divebomb (Energon)|''Energon'' Divebomb]] and [[Hardtop (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Hardtop]] molds, with new color schemes. As a dune buggy, "Hardtop" seems to be in [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]]-blues-and-greys.

===Real life references===
*The title of this issue, "Anomie," is a word meaning the "lack of the usual social or ethical standards in an individual or group."

===Errors===
*On the regular cover, Cyclonus's [[Great Sword]] is ''way'' too short. He's not holding it an angle that would induce foreshortening.
*Twelve-of-Twelve gives the date as "1st Cycle 3041," but that's way off. The present era is something closer to 3819, per the date on the post for ''Information Creep'' in [[slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken|issue #33]]. In fact, 3041 would predate even the [[Simanzi Massacre]], which took place in 3178, per [[The Gloaming|issue #16]].
*On page 5, panel 1, there's a little 'bot standing on the rooftop with a crane-arm on his back. The tip of his crane arm is cut off where it meets the edge of the roof, because the roof was apparently "pasted" onto the art.
*On page 13, panel 2, the edge of Tailgate's first speech balloon isn't properly aligned with the edge of the panel.

===Other trivia===
*Originally solicited for release in January 2017, this issue arrives a little late, slipping into the first week of February.

===Soundtrack===
For all of "Dissolution":
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEI75kn9FTc Neither Here Nor There]" by {{w|Lost in the Trees}}

For this issue alone:
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYigyIuY8to It Ended on an Oily Stage]" by {{w|British Sea Power}}
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTS5jXKLGkQ Optimo]" by {{w|Liquid Liquid}}
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G21swi--fc Lille]" by {{w|Lisa Hannigan}}

===Covers (4)===
*'''Regular cover:''' Cyclonus defends Swerve, Tailgate, and [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]], by [[Jack Lawrence]] and [[Joana Lafuente]]
*'''Subscription cover A:''' Our heroes at the wrong ends of an array of blasters, by [[Alex Milne]]; one of a series of black-and-white "Artist's Edition" covers on IDW's January titles.
*'''Subscription cover B:''' Megatron reaches for a [[brain module]], by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' Rodimus stares out at an alien world, by [[Joana Lafuente]]; one of a series of retailer incentive variants by Lafuente on January's ''Transformers'' titles.

<gallery>
File:LL2 regcvr.jpg|
File:LL2 subcvrA.jpg|
File:LL2 subcvrB.jpg|
File:LL2 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''Lost Light'' #3
*"The Hasbro Tribune" editorial page promoting January's [[Hasbro Universe]] titles, including this issue, [[New Cybertron Part 3: Behind My Bleeding Back|''Optimus Prime'' #3]], [[Desperate Measures|''Till All Are One'' #7]], ''Revolutionaries'' #2, and [[G.I. Joe vol. 5 issue 2|''G.I. Joe'' #2]].
*2017 IDW Annuals
*''[[Action Man]]'' trade paperback
*''[[Revolution]]'' trade paperback
*IDW on Comixology Unlimited

==External links==
*[http://www.cbr.com/transformers-lost-light-2-exclusive-preview/ Preview]

[[Category: Lost Light issues]]

Dissolution Part 2: Anomie

2017-02-01T18:14:30Z

DoctorFluffy: /* Continuity notes */

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[The Transformers: Lost Light|The Transformers: Lost Light]]'' #2
|prev=Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron
|next=Dissolution Part 3
|image=LL2_regcvr.jpg
|title="Dissolution Part 2: Anomie"
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[February 1]], [[2017]]
|coverdate=January 2017
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Jack Lawrence]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[Carlos Guzman]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}
'''While Rodimus's team gets to grips with the Functionist Universe, Tailgate's increasingly aggressive behavior lands Anode in hot water.'''

==Synopsis==
Confronted by [[Twelve-of-Twelve]] and his [[Functionary|Functionaries]], [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] and company realize they have wound up in the [[Functionist Universe|alternate universe]] previously glimpsed by [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]]—a world ruled by the [[Functionist Council]], where [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] never lived to start the war. Believing them to be members of the [[Anti-Vocationist League]], like the other prisoners currently in his clutches, Twelve-of-Twelve has them arrested; Megatron instructs everyone to go along peacefully, hoping the rest of the council can be reasoned with. After a Functionary destroys their "teleport den," the group is paraded through the streets, where Megatron observes in disgust as the populace fawns over Twelve-of-Twelve. Rodimus is naturally in a bad mood about the whole situation, and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Minimus Ambus]] only succeeds in annoying him more when he tries to sympathize. [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] and [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] observe several large screens around the city displaying countdown clocks and wonder how they are connected to the "Day of Revelation" mentioned by their captor, but Drift attention is soon diverted to a colossal, building-sized statue of [[Primus]], bearing the inscription "Survive and Thrive" at its base. Haunted by the phrase, Drift tells Ratchet about the vision he experienced just before they left: a vision that included [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]], [[Grimlock (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Grimlock]], [[Sparkeater (creature)|sparkeaters]], the legendary "[[Phantom Fleet]]" of lost [[Worldsweeper]]s... and those words, and many others, scrawled in multiple ancient dialects. Drift also begins to describe the "rain" in his vision, but before he can finish, a grenade clatters into the street and blows up in the faces of the Functionaries leading the group. The Anti-Vocationist League has arrived to save its captive members!

On [[Necroworld]], [[Anode]] finds [[Lug (IDW)|Lug]] lounging by the Memorial to the Disappeared, relaxing after the difficult business of apologizing to everyone for Anode's lack of a social filter. Anode claims not to care what any of them think, but Lug knows she's lying, as she hid her original function from [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] when asked. After a bit of poking, Anode admits that she's interested in the quest for [[Cyberutopia]], thinking it might be nice to settle down there; Lug retorts with a laugh that Anode isn't interested in "settling down," but in plundering its treasures. Just then, the body of [[Fangry]] comes flying through the air and crashes into the memorial, followed swiftly by a furious [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]], who has beaten Fangry to a pulp for his attack on [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]]. Anode attempts to intervene, but Tailgate backhands her away, inadvertently hurling her against a chunk of debris that impales her through the torso. As Fangry's fellow Decepticons beat a hasty retreat when Tailgate snarls at them, Cyclonus arrives on the scene and reproaches the little 'bot for his actions. In an attempt to make Tailgate understand the enormity and severity of the change his new powers represent, Cyclonus takes him to the site of the group's battle with the [[Decepticon Justice Division]], still littered with the bodies of the many, ''many'' Decepticons Tailgate killed. Tailgate thinks he is merely attempting to make him feel guilty for causing so much death, and argues that it was kill-or-be-killed; Cyclonus tries to make him understand that it is evidence of how much his strength is growing, potentially to a point beyond his control, and how fast his increasing powers are burning through his [[energon]]. Tailgate tries to argue otherwise... at which point, his energon reserves deplete and he collapses.

Back in the [[Censere|Necrobot]]'s fortress, Anode awakes with a start in the med-bay, roused by nightmarish recollections of her old life. Her wounds have been patched by another of the "Disappeared," [[Kaput]], who responded to Lug's calls for help. But no sooner has the medic introduced himself than [[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]] storms into the med-bay and pins Anode down, announcing that she is making a citizen's arrest. Just as Anode had feared, Velocity remembers her—as a thief. While [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] goes to check the life-support pods and make sure there aren't any other late-to-revive stragglers like Anode and Lug in them (with a strange remark to [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] on the way out, tapping his neck and saying he "needs another" something when he gets back because he is "starting to feel it again"), Velocity produces the "snowflake" treasure previously found by Anode and demands they talk about "the Lighthouse..."

The Anti-Functionist League, it turns out, are a bunch of total wimps who can't put up any kind of fight against the Functionaries. At Rodimus's urging, Megatron breaks his bonds, frees the rest of the team, then takes command of the situation, directing everyone in a brief, dramatic battle that sees them emerge victorious. Twelve-of-Twelve boasts that they still cannot stop the broadcast that is about to begin, but when [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] snags him around the throat with a chain, all his bravado disappears and he puts in a distress call to be teleported out. As he vanishes, [[Terminus (G1)|Terminus]] marvels over Megatron's leadership skills, while Rodimus asks the AVL leader [[Clicker]] what the next step of his plan is. Clicker explains they will be using a concealed matter transporter nearby to relocate to the AVL's base of operations: Cyberutopia. Rodimus stares gape-mouthed at Clicker, but before he can ask any questions, the countdown timers all reach zero, and are replaced on the screens with an image of Functionist Council member [[Six-of-Twelve]]. The Day of Revelation has come, Six-of-Twelve tells everyone watching: the day on which the Functionists reveal to the world what the alternate mode of their prisoner, the rebel icon [[Rung (G1)|Rung]], is for!

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]] (2)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] (4)
*[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] (5)
*[[Rewind (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rewind]] (6)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] (9)
*[[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]] (13)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Minimus Ambus]] (14)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (18)
*[[Kaput]] (23)
*[[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]] (25)
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (26)
*[[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] (27)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Fangry]] (12)
*[[Rapidfire]] (20)
*Two other "Disappeared" Decepticons (19, 21)
*[[Jack-Knife]]'s corpse (24)

|c4=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] (1)
*[[Terminus (G1)|Terminus]] (3)
*[[Twelve-of-Twelve]] (7)
*Multiple [[Functionary|Functionaries]] (8)
*[[Anode]] (10)
*[[Lug (IDW)|Lug]] (11)
*Two [[Lunabot]]s (15)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*Other [[Anti-Vocationist League]]rs (16)
*[[Clicker]] (17)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] (22)
*[[Six-of-Twelve]] (28)
*Functionist Universe [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] (29)
{{!}}}
}}

==Quotes==
"Be careful. When you lie to me, you lie to '''God.'''"
:—'''Twelve-of-Twelve''' threatens our heroes

"The ''Lost Light''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s been stolen; we're '''once again''' without a map to Cyberutopia; and now, to top it all, we're trapped in entirely the wrong universe. We've never been further from our goal. '''Ever.''' In fact, it's hard to escape the conclusion that we'd be closer to finding the '''Knights of Cybertron''' if we hadn't started looking for them in the first place." 
"What was that? What was that supposed to be? The opposite of a '''pep talk,''' that's what that was. God! I was angry, now I'm angry and '''depressed.''' Can I be chained to someone else, please?"
:—'''Minimus Ambus''' gets on '''Rodimus'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s nerves

"Ah. Okay. Oooh-kay. I get it. Bad guy or not, he was a '''person.''' Point taken. Lesson learned. Except '''no.''' Because it was '''him or me''', Cyclonus, I didn't kill him for '''fun!''' And if I'm '''honest?''' I don't think you get to play that card. I mean, how many people have '''you''' killed? '''Innocent''' people. How often do you think about '''them?'''" 
"Every day."
:—'''Tailgate''' and '''Cyclonus'''

"I'm making a '''citizen's arrest.'''" 
''(beat)'' 
"Who knows how to make a citizen's arrest?"
:—'''Velocity'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Rewind references the "Black Box Consortia," the Functionist Universe version of the [[Black Block Consortia]] who were previously mentioned in [[The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue|''More than Meets the Eye'' #35]]. This finally confirms that wasn't just a typo!
*Oddly enough, Tailgate and Cyclonus' current relationship parallels their dynamic from the beginning of the comic. But this time, it's ''Tailgate'' who's the violent and powerful bot that needs to calm down.
*Primus's statue renders the character as he appeared in [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|the ''More than Meets the Eye'' 2012 annual]].
*Drift mentioned having another vision recently last issue; we here learn that he was not referring to his original vision, which inspired him to join the ''[[Lost Light]]'' crew, but rather to a new premonition that guided him and Ratchet to Necroworld, which took place off-panel prior to [[The Dying of the Light Part 2: The Sun in Flight|''More than Meets the Eye'' #51]].
*The Worldsweepers seen in Drift's vision last issue are identified by him as the [[Phantom Fleet]], which disappeared in the [[Dark Nebula]]. The Nebula was previously mentioned in [[Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again!|the ''More than Meets the Eye: Revolution'' one-shot]] as the home of the [[Dire Wraith]]s.
*The Anti-Vocationist League members seen in this issue include two [[Lunabot]]s, as seen before in issue #35.
*Kaput previously appeared in [[Omega's Conundrum|''Spotlight: Orion Pax'']]. His inclusion among the "Disappeared" tells us that the Necrobot didn't keep his list in chronological order, because Kaput was known to be active until just a few years ago, having helped to repair [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] following the events of ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'', according to "[[Zero Point]]."
*Swerve's remarks to Nautica as he leaves indicate he is undergoing a process that temporarily keeps him from "feeling" something. After last issue drew attention to how he didn't appear to be feeling any sadness over [[Skids (G1)|Skids]]'s death, that's rather worrying...
*When Six-of-Twelve previously appeared in issue #35, he had a normal-shaped head, but as Chromedome notes, it has since been redesigned to resemble the [[Matrix of Leadership]] The fate of the Matrix is unknown in the Functionist Universe; without the war to bring [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] to prominence, it presumably must still reside in the [[Undergrid]] where it was concealed millennia ago, per [[Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|''More than Meets the Eye'' #19]].

===Transformers references===
*Continuing with the standard set by issue #35 the crowd scenes set within the Functionist Universe feature easter egg appearances by lots of characters from the [[Unicron Trilogy]], including [[Inferno (Energon)|''Energon'' Inferno]], [[Smokescreen (Armada)|''Armada'' Smokescreen]], [[Strongarm (Energon)|''Energon'' Strongarm]], [[Metroplex (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Metroplex]], [[Scavenger (Armada)|''Armada'' Scavenger]], [[Quickmix (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Quickmix]], [[Menasor (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Menasor]] (with a proper face), [[Landmine (Energon)|''Cybertron'' Landmine]], and [[Smokescreen (Armada)|''Armada'' Hoist]], as well as [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 franchise)|''Robots in Disguise'']] characters [[Grimlock (RID 2001)|Grimlock]] and [[Hightower (RID)|Hightower]]. The two Lunabots seen among the Anti-Vocationist League remain based on [[Jetfire (Armada)|''Energon'' Jetfire]], just as the one seen in issue #35 was.
*The two nameless Decepticons who flee Tailgate's wrath alongside [[Rapidfire]] are based on the [[Divebomb (Energon)|''Energon'' Divebomb]] and [[Hardtop (Cybertron)|''Cybertron'' Hardtop]] molds, with new color schemes. As a dune buggy, "Hardtop" seems to be in [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]]-blues-and-greys.

===Real life references===
*The title of this issue, "Anomie," is a word meaning the "lack of the usual social or ethical standards in an individual or group."

===Errors===
*On the regular cover, Cyclonus's [[Great Sword]] is ''way'' too short. He's not holding it an angle that would induce foreshortening.
*Twelve-of-Twelve gives the date as "1st Cycle 3041," but that's way off. The present era is something closer to 3819, per the date on the post for ''Information Creep'' in [[slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken|issue #33]]. In fact, 3041 would predate even the [[Simanzi Massacre]], which took place in 3178, per [[The Gloaming|issue #16]].
*On page 5, panel 1, there's a little 'bot standing on the rooftop with a crane-arm on his back. The tip of his crane arm is cut off where it meets the edge of the roof, because the roof was apparently "pasted" onto the art.
*On page 13, panel 2, the edge of Tailgate's first speech balloon isn't properly aligned with the edge of the panel.

===Other trivia===
*Originally solicited for release in January 2017, this issue arrives a little late, slipping into the first week of February.

===Soundtrack===
For all of "Dissolution":
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEI75kn9FTc Neither Here Nor There]" by {{w|Lost in the Trees}}

For this issue alone:
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYigyIuY8to It Ended on an Oily Stage]" by {{w|British Sea Power}}
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTS5jXKLGkQ Optimo]" by {{w|Liquid Liquid}}
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2G21swi--fc Lille]" by {{w|Lisa Hannigan}}

===Covers (4)===
*'''Regular cover:''' Cyclonus defends Swerve, Tailgate, and [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]], by [[Jack Lawrence]] and [[Joana Lafuente]]
*'''Subscription cover A:''' Our heroes at the wrong ends of an array of blasters, by [[Alex Milne]]; one of a series of black-and-white "Artist's Edition" covers on IDW's January titles.
*'''Subscription cover B:''' Megatron reaches for a [[brain module]], by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' Rodimus stares out at an alien world, by [[Joana Lafuente]]; one of a series of retailer incentive variants by Lafuente on January's ''Transformers'' titles.

<gallery>
File:LL2 regcvr.jpg|
File:LL2 subcvrA.jpg|
File:LL2 subcvrB.jpg|
File:LL2 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''Lost Light'' #3
*"The Hasbro Tribune" editorial page promoting January's [[Hasbro Universe]] titles, including this issue, [[New Cybertron Part 3: Behind My Bleeding Back|''Optimus Prime'' #3]], [[Desperate Measures|''Till All Are One'' #7]], ''Revolutionaries'' #2, and [[G.I. Joe vol. 5 issue 2|''G.I. Joe'' #2]].
*2017 IDW Annuals
*''[[Action Man]]'' trade paperback
*''[[Revolution]]'' trade paperback
*IDW on Comixology Unlimited

==External links==
*[http://www.cbr.com/transformers-lost-light-2-exclusive-preview/ Preview]

[[Category: Lost Light issues]]

Simanzi Massacre

2017-02-01T18:03:48Z

DoctorFluffy: I don't know if this is redundant, but I have the strangest feeling that more people are going to come to think link than the one for Simanzi. Might as well let them know, yeah?

:''The Simanzi Massacre is a battle from the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW portion]] of the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''

The '''Simanzi Massacre''' was a watershed moment for the Cybertronian race - a titanic battle in the region known as [[Simanzi]] that raged for generations, annihilating half of the entire Cybertronian race and leaving the devastated planet [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] almost entirely under Decepticon control. Something called [[Crucible|The Crucible]] was at the centre of it; an associated event was known as the [[Forced Flood]]. So great were the forces unleashed that the planet's southern hemisphere was superheated.

{{quote|They said that after Simanzi, Cybertron glowed purple in the heavens...|Megatron, [[The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming]]}}

==Fiction==
===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
The Simanzi Massacre occurred in the first cycle, 3178. As with many military campaigns, a number of [[M.T.O.|Made To Order]] soldiers such as [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] were created specifically to fight in it. {{storylink|Twenty Plus One}} The [[Wrecker]]s, however, ignored it in favour of chasing [[Squadron X]]. {{storylink|Zero Point}}

[[File:MTMTE16 magnus on simanzi.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"When they told me Simanzi was a toilet, I thought it was a metaphor."]]
The [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|contemporary Ultra Magnus]] was killed five miles from the Crucible in the first year of the conflict. He and [[Rotorstorm (G1)|Rotorstorm]] had waded through a muddy muck of some kind in an attempt evade a troop of [[Cybernought]]s but were caught unawares. Magnus was gunned down {{storylink|The Gloaming}} and his replacement rushed into action.

The battle, or perhaps the Crucible, caused some kind of superheating of the planet's entire southern hemisphere, requiring some length of time to cool down. The planet still burnt your feet in cycle 3180. {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} By the time it finally cooled, 99% of the planet was now under Decepticon control and ''half'' of the planet's population were dead. {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}} The Autobots responded with the [[Endless Retaliation]] {{Storylink|Life After the Big Bang}} and the tide was turned, but Megatron would still consider it as the closest he'd ever come to winning. {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}}

Many Autobots would gain fame for their actions. Rotorstorm's timely intervention saved the Autobot 9th Battalion from annihilation, earning him the [[Novic Medal for Outstanding Valor]] {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 1|Rotorstorm's Profile}} and decorated hero [[Countdown (G1)|Countdown]] was involved enough that [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] would call him "''Simanzi'' Countdown?". {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] saved over a thousand Autobots (such as [[Pyro (G1)|Pyro]]) and neutrals from falling into The Crucible. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|Pyro's Profile}} [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] became famous for the amount of Decepticons he killed at Simanzi. {{storylink|Interiors}}

Long after the battle, some survivors, such as the [[Duobot]]s [[Shock (G1)|Shock]] and [[Ore]], simply noted it as one of their bigger events. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}} Others were left mentally scarred: Rotorstorm was so haunted by what he saw that he had to create a 'cover personality' to compensate and Pyro's road to ''[[primus apotheosis]]'' began at the Crucible. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 1|Rotorstorm's Profile}} {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|Pyro's Profile}} Fortress Maximus would recount he walked away from Simanzi with a smile. {{storylink|Animals}}

The Massacre was such an evil act on the behalf of the Decepticons that, years later, [[Rewind (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rewind]] used it to show [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] the true nature of the Decepticons. {{storylink|Life After the Big Bang}} When a repentant Megatron admitted he'd seen Simanzi as a victory, [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] was appalled. {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}}

==Trivia==
* Apparently, "Simanzi" can mean grief, depression, or deep sorrow in Swahili, meaning that this could be called the "Deep Sorrow Massacre." That's pretty bleak, huh? And it seems pretty apt considering the implicit level of devastation, and Rotorstorm and Pyro's respective traumas.

[[Category:Battles]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 history]]

Simanzi

2017-02-01T04:50:26Z

DoctorFluffy: The stuff you learn...

:''Simanzi is a place on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] from the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW portion]] of the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
'''Simanzi''' is a place on Cybertron. Little is known about it except the fact that it was the location of the [[Simanzi Massacre]], a conflict so devastating that the Cybertronian race was cut in half.

==Fiction==
===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
During the Massacre, something called the [[Crucible]] was located in Simanzi, and it took the involvement of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] to stop over a thousand [[Autobot]]s and neutrals from falling into it.

Meanwhile, [[Rotorstorm (G1)|Rotorstorm]]'s intervention saved the Autobot 9th Battalion from being wiped out. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 1|Rotorstorm's Profile}} {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|Pyro's Profile}}

==Trivia==
* Apparently, "Simanzi" can mean grief, depression, or deep sorrow in Swahili. We can't say for sure whether this was intentional, but it seems pretty apt considering the implicit level of devastation, and [[Rotorstorm (G1)|Rotorstorm]] and Pyro's respective traumas.

[[Category:IDW Generation 1 locations]]

Unreliable Narratives

2017-01-31T03:44:47Z

DoctorFluffy: /* Transformers references */

{{episode
|otherseries=''[[Transformers Timelines (fiction)|Transformers Timelines]]'' script reading
|title="Unreliable Narratives"
|prev=Bee in the City 2: Electric Boogaloo
|next=Prevenge
|image=
|caption=
|written by=[[Greg Sepelak]] and [[Trent Troop]]
|directed by=
|original presentation=10:00am [[June 30]], [[2013]] (BotCon)
|continuity=[[Aligned continuity family]]}}

'''Kup tells Hot Shot a story. And then another one.'''

==Synopsis==
''In the middle of a pitched battle in the [[Rigel]] system, [[Kup (WFC)|Kup]] has just finished telling [[Hot Shot (Prime)|Hot Shot]] one of his trademark war stories, much to the younger Autobot's chagrin. The elder of the two [[Wrecker]]s notices that their [[Decepticon]] opponents are not standard [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]], but instead sport experimental Enemy-class drone bodies. Kup was in fact present when that design was first tested, and, despite his companion's protests, he decides to tell that tale...''

It is the midst of the war for [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. [[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]] has just taken over the Wreckers, [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] is fueled by [[Dark Energon]], and boxy shapes and glowing stripes are in fashion. The war isn't going so well for the [[Autobot]]s, so new Wrecker Kup decides to try and bring [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]], who had left after a falling out with Ultra Magnus, back into the team. He finds the warrior engineer just outside [[Alfes Station]], sitting on a pile of dead Decepticons, and the pair exchange tough guy banter until Wheeljack finally opens up. He has been scavenging the wreckage of newly minted Decepticon heavy troops, and has found that they're clad in nanocrystal lattice armor created in his old laboratory in [[Ankmor Park|Ankmor]]. Kup expresses surprise that the surly loner Wheeljack is a scientist, but nevertheless agrees to join him in a strike on the Decepticon science installation that has set up shop there.

The duo sneak their way in through a chemical run-off pipe and a tangle of vent-tunnels, and, from a hidden vantage point, find that the operation is being run by the notorious Decepticon scientist [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]]. With him is [[Thundercracker (WFC)|Thundercracker]], who is not best pleased about their squalid workspace, and [[Rumble (WFC)|Rumble]] and [[Frenzy (WFC)|Frenzy]], who are strapped down for some experiment. Conveniently for the eavesdroppers, Rumble has Shockwave reiterate the goal of said experiment – the scientist plans to extract the sparks of the diminutive Decepticons and place them in [[laser core]] containment chambers, a permanent process which will allow them to be easily swapped into new bodies. Rumble and Frenzy aren't happy with this plan, especially once Shockwave explains the less-than-certain chances of success, but some death threats soon have them raring to participate.

Shockwave has grand plans for his laser core process, envisioning a future where injured Decepticons can quickly and easily have their sparks moved into new bodies, overwhelming the Autobots with unending troops. Thundercracker throws the switch, and the laboratory is filled with light and smoke. As the room clears, Rumble and Frenzy are in their new bodies... but they can't agree as to whether Shockwave has gotten their colors the right way around!

As the Decepticons bicker, the Wreckers burst down into the room, and Wheeljack demands that Shockwave leave his laboratory. Just like Kup, however, the Decepticon finds it hard to believe that destructive Wrecker is a scientist. The two sides exchange threats, and Thundercracker releases Rumble and Frenzy as backup. Wheeljack, luckily, has a plan – he lined the entire lab with unstable [[energon]] and detonation charges years ago, which he now threatens to set off. With guns and missiles now off limits thanks to the explosives, the room descends into a chaotic melee. Eventually, Shockwave disarms Wheeljack and orders Rumble and Frenzy to shoot the two Autobots, but they grab the duo's abandoned data disc bodies, wagering that the Decepticons will be unwilling to "shoot themselves". Rumble and Frenzy charge Kup and Wheeljack, but get bludgeoned with their old bodies, which the Autobots then throw out the window into the waste canals. The pair flee to retrieve their bodies, leaving the Wreckers with an even fight. Wheeljack manages to convince Shockwave that he's just crazy enough that the explosives could be real, and the Decepticon makes the logical decision to call a retreat. Once they've fled, the surly Wrecker admits to Kup that he ''was'' bluffing after all!

''In the present, Kup explains how the pair brought Shockwave's abandoned data to [[Autobot Command]], and while [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] declined to pursue the laser core process, it nevertheless helped improve regular spark transplants, getting many Autobots back on their feet. Hot Shot realizes that their assailants have stopped shooting, and Kup reveals that this was his plan all along: hunker down, wait for them to run out of ammo, and escape whilst they resupply. Just as Hot Shot expresses his gratitude that the story is over, his partner reveals that it isn't quite finished...''

Shockwave, Thundercracker, Rumble, and Frenzy have convened with [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] in [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]], where the spymaster has demanded that his two minions are returned to their original bodies. Shockwave agrees, and reveals that not only was he able to download full records for the laser core process before retreating, but that he retrieved a scrap of Wheeljack's armor. He plans to extract the Wrecker's [[CNA]] and use it to clone new bodies to house laser cores, and requests access to [[Dead End (WFC)|Dead End]] and [[Wildrider (Prime)|Wildrider]], critically-injured at [[Skyquake Pre-Memorial Hospital]], as test subjects.

''Back in the present, Hot Shot wonders how Kup can tell the story of events he wasn't present for. The elder Wrecker's answer?''

'''''"Shut up!"'''''

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters|c1=
* [[Kup (WFC)|Kup]] (1)
* [[Hot Shot (Prime)|Hot Shot]] (2)
* [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] (4)
|c2=
* Enemy-class drones (3)
* [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] (5)
* [[Thundercracker (WFC)|Thundercracker]] (6)
* [[Rumble (WFC)|Rumble]] (7)
* [[Frenzy (WFC)|Frenzy]] (8)
* [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] (9)
}}

==Quotes==

==Notes==
*The cast:
**[[James Horan]]: [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]], [[Thundercracker (WFC)|Thundercracker]]
**[[David Sobolov]]: [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]]
**[[Jason Jansen]]: [[Hot Shot (Prime)|Hot Shot]]
**[[Wally Burr]]: [[Kup (WFC)|Kup]]
**[[Greg Sepelak]]: [[Rumble (WFC)|Rumble]], [[Frenzy (WFC)|Frenzy]]

===Continuity notes===
*Kup's tale takes place more-or-less between ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|War for Cybertron]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]''.
*Ultra Magnus taking command of the Wreckers was mentioned in ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Prime]]'' episode "[[Project Predacon]]"; this is in contrast to the ''[[Transformers: Exodus|Exodus]]'' novel, in which he is one of the group's founding members.
*Megatron's acquisition of Dark Energon was the focus of much of ''War For Cybertron'' and ''Exodus''.
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] is mentioned as having left to join [[Team Prime]].
*Shockwave mentions other planned CNA projects, such as cloning [[Predacon (Prime)|prehistoric beasts]] and refashioning [[Dinobot (FOC)|Cybertronian warriors]] into [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|alien monsters]].

===Transformers references===
*The Rigel system has had multiple mentions in Transformers history; [[Rigel III]] was the homeworld of [[Rorza, the Rocket-cycle Racer from Rigel III]], mentioned in [[The Cosmic Carnival|issue #44]] of the original [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel Transformers series]], while [[Rigel 6]] was mentioned in [[King of the Hill!|issue #27]]. [[Rigel IV]] and [[Rigel VII]], meanwhile, were mentioned in [[Rules of Disengagement (issue)|issue #7]] and the short [[Signal to Noise|prose story]] in [[More than Meets the Eye issue 13|issue #13]] of [[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]], respectively.
*Kup mentions [[Regulon Four]], a planet originally established in one of the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original ''The Transformers'' cartoon]] [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]]'s stories in "[[The Rebirth, Part 2]]".
*Kup quotes his Generation 1 counterpart's line about appreciating experience from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
*Hot Shot bemoans being in constant [[JaAm|jams]].
*Hot Shot notes that Optimus Prime is unlikely to "put [them] on his shoulder and fly [them] away", in reference to [[Tommy Kennedy (G1)|Tommy Kennedy]]'s interaction with [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus]] in "Season 5" of the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original ''The Transformers'' cartoon]], Hot Shot being voiced by Jason Jansen, who, of course, played Tommy Kennedy.
*The Enemy-class drones are named after [[Enemy (G1)|Enemy]], who shared a body with Generation 1 [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]].
*Ankmor was mentioned in the previous ''Timelines'' stories "[[The New World]]" and "[[Wreckers: Finale Part II]]".
*Thundercracker expresses disdain for Rumble and Frenzy's ground-based [[alternate mode]]s, calling back to Generation 1 [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]]'s dislike of non-flying [[Transformer]]s.
*[[Guinea pigatron|Guinea pig-o-tron]]s, originally mentioned in "[[The Autobot Run]]", are brought up.
*Laser cores were mentioned in "[[Divide and Conquer]]" and the previously discussed "The Autobot Run". The idea that it holds the spark originated from the ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (toyline)|Beast Machines]]'' [[Beast Rider]] [[Mechatron]].
*Rumble and Frenzy's new bodies are their ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)|Prime]]'' / ''[[Arms Micron]]'' Deluxe toys. Their confusion as to colors references the fact that the two toylines used opposite schemes, with [[Hasbro]] following [[FIRRIB]] and [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] FIBRIR. Kup even jokes about this by the end, saying that by the end they never found out which one was red.
*The story repeatedly makes light of ''Prime'' Shockwave's predilection for the word 'logic'.
*Hot Shot corrects the use of 'firepower' to '[[fireblast]]', the [[trademark]]-friendly alternative used on modern [[Tech Spec]]s.
*Kup lost his original head on [[Nebulos]], the planet traditionally associated with [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] technology.
*Kup having a replacement head references his ''Prime'' toy which, as a [[redeco]] of [[Ironhide (WFC)|Ironhide]], has a head resembling that Autobot, rather than Kup.
*Rumble or Frenzy mentions sticking an octopus on his larger body, in reference to the [[Dago]] Micron that was included with their ''Arms Micron'' releases.
*The term "data disk" for Rumble and Frenzy's original bodies originated from their ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' toys.
*Dead End and Wildrider's toys are, of course, redecoes of ''Prime'' Wheeljack, hence their involvement in a project cloning him.
*"Skyquake Pre-Memorial Hospital" refers to ''Prime'' [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]], who does indeed die years later on [[Earth]].

===Real-world references===
*The Alfes Station is named for Japanese fan Alphes2010, who runs a [http://higekumatoytoy.blog60.fc2.com/ toy review blog].
*Wheeljack paraphrases the "layers" line from [[DreamWorks]] film ''{{w|Shrek}}''.
*Kup mentions a Battle of the Euclidean Flats, referencing the geometrical concept of {{w|Euclidean space}}.
*Shockwave notes that all his clone specimens will be female to prevent breeding, in reference to ''{{w|Jurassic Park}}''.

===Trivia===
===Errors===
*Shockwave refers to Thundercracker as [[Slipstream (WFC)|Slipstream]] on one occasion. Either he's bad with names, or the script was originally written with an additional female voice actor in mind.

[[Category:Prime media]]
[[Category:Script reading]]
[[Category:Timelines media]]

Circuit-Su

2017-01-21T22:49:36Z

DoctorFluffy: /* Trivia */ I can't hyperlink... *groans*

:''Circuit-Su is a martial art from the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

'''Circuit-Su''' is a Cybertronian martial art. It focuses heavily on mental and spiritual discipline, often to the exclusion of the physical. Practitioners study the focusing of their willpower, as well as the nature of their [[spark]]s. It is rumored that masters of this fighting style can actually harness their spark energy as a physical attack.

==Known practitioners==
===Generation 1===
*[[Bugly (G1)|Bugly]]<ref>Bugly's toy bio.</ref>
*[[Elita One]]<ref>Elita-1's BotCon 2009 toy bio.</ref>

===Animated===
*[[Yoketron (Animated)|Yoketron]]
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]]
*[[Oil Slick (Animated)|Oil Slick]]
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]]
*[[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]]
*[[Bugly (Animated)|Bugly]]

===Aligned===
*[[Skywarp (WFC)|Skywarp]]<ref>Skywarp's Japanese ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' toy bio.</ref>

==References==
<references/>

==Trivia==
* The name is likely a play on the real-world martial art of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jujutsu jiu-jitsu], as both sound alike when you say them out loud.

[[Category:Animated]]
[[Category:Generation 1]]
[[Category:Martial arts]]

Circuit-Su

2017-01-21T22:47:42Z

DoctorFluffy: /* Trivia */

:''Circuit-Su is a martial art from the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

'''Circuit-Su''' is a Cybertronian martial art. It focuses heavily on mental and spiritual discipline, often to the exclusion of the physical. Practitioners study the focusing of their willpower, as well as the nature of their [[spark]]s. It is rumored that masters of this fighting style can actually harness their spark energy as a physical attack.

==Known practitioners==
===Generation 1===
*[[Bugly (G1)|Bugly]]<ref>Bugly's toy bio.</ref>
*[[Elita One]]<ref>Elita-1's BotCon 2009 toy bio.</ref>

===Animated===
*[[Yoketron (Animated)|Yoketron]]
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]]
*[[Oil Slick (Animated)|Oil Slick]]
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]]
*[[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]]
*[[Bugly (Animated)|Bugly]]

===Aligned===
*[[Skywarp (WFC)|Skywarp]]<ref>Skywarp's Japanese ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' toy bio.</ref>

==References==
<references/>

==Trivia==
* The name is likely a play on the real-world martial art of jiu-jitsu

[[Category:Animated]]
[[Category:Generation 1]]
[[Category:Martial arts]]

Circuit-Su

2017-01-21T22:47:10Z

DoctorFluffy:

:''Circuit-Su is a martial art from the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

'''Circuit-Su''' is a Cybertronian martial art. It focuses heavily on mental and spiritual discipline, often to the exclusion of the physical. Practitioners study the focusing of their willpower, as well as the nature of their [[spark]]s. It is rumored that masters of this fighting style can actually harness their spark energy as a physical attack.

==Known practitioners==
===Generation 1===
*[[Bugly (G1)|Bugly]]<ref>Bugly's toy bio.</ref>
*[[Elita One]]<ref>Elita-1's BotCon 2009 toy bio.</ref>

===Animated===
*[[Yoketron (Animated)|Yoketron]]
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]]
*[[Oil Slick (Animated)|Oil Slick]]
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]]
*[[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]]
*[[Bugly (Animated)|Bugly]]

===Aligned===
*[[Skywarp (WFC)|Skywarp]]<ref>Skywarp's Japanese ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' toy bio.</ref>

==References==
<references/>

==Trivia==
* The name is likely a play on the real-world martial art of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jujutsu| Jiujitsu].

[[Category:Animated]]
[[Category:Generation 1]]
[[Category:Martial arts]]

World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide

2017-01-18T04:37:47Z

DoctorFluffy: /* Synopsis */

{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=30
|prev=World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air
|next=Twenty Plus One
|image=MTMTE30 subcvr.jpg
|title="World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide"
|caption= [[Knock Out (Prime)|Watch the paint.]]
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[June 25]], [[2014]]
|coverdate=June 2014
|written by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[Alex Milne]]
|colors by=[[Joana Lafuente]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|assistant editor=[[Rebecca Huard]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2014)]]
}}
'''Megatron's trial comes to a head while in the present day, things on board the ''Lost Light'' start falling apart.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Megatron seawing predestination a beginners guide.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.9]]
''Six months in the past, the trial on [[Moonbase Two|Luna 2]] takes an unexpected turn as [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] informs the court of [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]]'s decision to retract his earlier guilty plea. As [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]], [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]], and [[Autobot High Command]] look on in anger and chagrin, Magnus delivers an affidavit on Megatron's behalf. Magnus recounts the alleged reasons behind the defendant's change of mind: while initially content to let justice take its course, the prosecution's course of action has convinced him that the trial is nothing more than a grandstanding political maneuver to promote the [[Autobot]]s' version of events, including his "attempted mental violation" by [[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]] and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus]] himself presiding as [[Chief Justice]]. However, as Ultra Magnus is about to suggest a second course of action, the surviving [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]] and [[Seacon (G1)|Seacons]], freed from the brig of the ''[[Lost Light]]'', storm the arena with the intent of rescuing their leader via [[orbital jump]]. As Optimus and co. move to engage the loyal soldiers, [[Seawing (G1)|Seawing]] implores Megatron to grab his extra [[teleport pack]], only for the former [[Decepticon leader]] to apologetically refuse. As the [[Decepticon]] soldiers are swiftly defeated, Optimus decrees that the court will adjourn for a brief recess...''

Onboard the ''Lost Light'', assistant bartender and "entertainments officer" [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] runs [[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]] and [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] through the various Earth films he's got in store for the patrons of [[Swerve's]] while [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]], confined to quarters for the suspected theft of Ultra Magnus' desk tidy, looks on through his [[holomatter]] avatar. [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] urges [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] to finish his drink or risk being late to Megatron's education seminar, only for the [[Hydrobot]] to reply that class was cancelled today. This exchange gives [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] opportunity to voice his displeasure with their new captain and predict that the class is yet another rung in the ladder of Megatron's domination of the universe.

''At the recess, high command converges to hear Ultra Magnus conclude Megatron's argument: in concurrence with the ancient legal system of Luna 2, different and separate from that of Cybertron, Megatron has invoked his right to be tried by the only body which can objectively process his charges: the [[Knights of Cybertron]]. [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] and Starscream are quick to protest this unwelcome development, but Ultra Magnus insists that the trial cannot be reshuffled for the convenience of the prosecution's argument, and Optimus is quick to back him up, pointing out that their handling of the trial is just as important as the actual outcome. Rattrap also speaks up in favor of their argument, pointing out that such duplicity belies the trial as a strictly black-and-white moral affair.''

In the ''Lost Light''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s medibay, [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]], Ultra Magnus, and Megatron look on as [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] examines the contents of the mysterious coffin: [[Hot Rod/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]]'s apparent corpse. Though he is able to quickly confirm the gaping head wound as the cause of death, there is no obvious evidence that the figure isn't their captain...much to the shock and confusion of Rodimus himself, who arrives to view "his" corpse, bickering with "co-captain" Megatron all the while.

''Before the trial's conclusion, Optimus visits Megatron's cell once more, confronting him about his earlier request to have the trial take place on Luna 2, under the pretense of the [[Raskol Arena|arena]] there being the only structure large enough to contain all the people he has ever wronged. Megatron insists that his intentions are not to escape justice, but to atone for his crimes by finding the Cybertronian race a new home in the form of [[Cyberutopia]], the fabled domain of the Knights of Cybertron, after which he will gladly let justice take its course. Optimus hands Megatron a datapad and promises to uphold Megatron's wish and let him join the ''Lost Light'' crew—as long as he relays the message on it to the crowd. ''

[[File:MTMTE30 Team Rodimus.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5]]
In the medibay, Megatron's barbs rouse the sulky Rodimus into action. Calling on [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]], Chromedome, Brainstorm, Skids, and [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]], he charges "Team Rodimus" with using their considerable abilities to determining the nature of the dead doppelgänger. While Megatron looks on in disgust, Chromedome attempts to extract memories from its ruined brain, and Nautica inquires about Brainstorm's [[Early Early Warning System|''early'' Early Warning System]] (for those times that your early warning system just isn't enough). Nautica notes the presence of [[Spectralism|spectralist]] symbols on the coffin, causing Ratchet to theorize that [[Drift (G1)|Drift]], a practicing spectralist, may have been the one to build the coffin. His speculation is cut short as Chromedome and First Aid announce the bizarre and rather disturbing truth: based on the body's surviving memories, and the age of its [[innermost energon]], it's none other than Rodimus's future self! As the early early warning system delivers a warning, Rodimus reasons that he should be able to upset any such time loop relatively easily, and immediately decides to ''lop off one of his arms with a chainsaw''. Megatron points out that his future self's arm could very well have been reattached postmortem, and Nightbeat realizes that this future Rodimus is missing the "crisis vote" engraving in his palm. Rodimus reveals that he removed the engraving after a conversation with Ratchet, only for the others to ignore him and stare in shock as part of the ship's hull disappears behind him!

[[File:PredestinationABeginnersGuide- GetawayandTailgate.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]
In Swerve's, [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] proves that old habits die hard, wowing the patrons with tales of his heroism on [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]]. [[Getaway]] approaches, applauding the little 'bot as [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] silently looks on. The escapologist asserts that Tailgate's lifesaving actions on Luna 1 were a feat worthy of the title of Prime, much to Tailgate's embarrassment, before taking a seat and asking why Tailgate changed his arm decal back to "Waste Disposal," causing Tailgate to recount his bid at reinventing himself as a hero. Getaway sympathizes, bringing up his own less-than-illustrious career before joining the [[Diplomatic Corps]], before giving Tailgate an affectionate "bomp" on the chin. Neither of them notice Cyclonus storming out of the bar in disapproval, but the sudden blaring of the alarm is enough to get their attention.

''At the height of the trial, Megatron makes good on his part of the deal and recites Optimus' message, renouncing Decepticonism and its ideals and ordering its members everywhere to do the same. With this damning discreditation, the trial plays out exactly as Optimus had promised, and Prime even stops by Megatron's cell afterwards to congratulate him. Megatron remarks that the old him would have vowed death on Prime, but Optimus responds that that is exactly the point. Optimus leaves satisfied, not noticing Megatron bury his head in his hands.''

[[File:Mtmte30-p23-lost-light-disintegrates.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
''Later, Rodimus gleefully shows an unimpressed Ratchet the new [[Rodpod]] the crew has built him, before his exultant demeanor abruptly gives way and he remarks that it's a hard time to be reminded that people are fundamentally good. Confused, Ratchet presses the matter, and Rodimus comes clean about reading [[Atomizer]]'s list of the 89 crewmembers who voted to remove him. Ratchet furiously reminds Rodimus that such conduct is very much illegal, but Rodimus reassures him that he had already made up his mind not to act on the information, and is considering telling Magnus the truth about the affair after the latter is done with Megatron. Ratchet floors him in with the outcome of the trial and the revelation that they are ''anything'' but done with the apostate. As Ratchet fills him in on the specifics, Rodimus is overcome with rage and disbelief. Ratchet grimly concurs before handing him back the list, saying that a universe where a Decepticon mass murderer can sit on an Autobot bridge makes it easier to forgive Rodimus's actions. Rodimus complies with Ratchet's suggestions and destroys the list as Ratchet tells him that he was wise not to act on it, as it's a fake. When Rodimus asks how he knows, Ratchet replies that ''his'' name isn't on it.''

As more and more pieces of the ''Lost Light'' begin vanishing, Megatron orders the crew to evacuate to the shuttles. Rodimus yanks him off the intercom and into the Rodpod, sparking off another ill-timed round of bickering as the shuttles take off. Ultra Magnus stills the spat with some truly frightening news: The ''Lost Light'' has fully given in to the mysterious decay and completely disappeared!
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in the flashback portion of the issue.) 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*''[[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]]'' (1)
*[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] (2)
*''[[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]]'' (3)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (4)
*''[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]]'' (5)
*''[[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]]'' (6)
*''[[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]]'' (16)
*[[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] (17)
*''[[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]]'' (18)
*''[[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]]'' (19)
*[[Rung (G1)|Rung]] (23)
*[[Doublecross]] (24)
*[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] (25)
*[[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]] (26)
*[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (27)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (28)
*[[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] (29)
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (30)
*[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (31)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] (32)
*[[Hot Rod/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] (33)
*[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] (34)
*[[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]] (35)
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (36)
*[[Groove (G1)|Groove]] (37)
*[[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] (38)
*[[Siren (G1)|Siren]] (39)
*[[Hosehead (G1)|Hosehead]] (40)
*[[Getaway]] (41)
*[[Perceptor (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Perceptor]] (44)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*Matrix thief? (45)
*[[Atomizer]] (46)
*[[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] (47)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (48)
*[[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (49)
*[[Jackpot (G1)|Jackpot]] (50)
*[[Mainframe (G1)|Mainframe]] (51)
*[[Hound (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hound]] (52)
*[[Blades (G1)|Blades]] (53)
*[[Repugnus (G1)|Repugnus]] (54)
*[[Mirage (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Mirage]] (55)
*[[Slapdash (G1)|Slapdash]] (56)
*[[Dipstick]] (57)
*[[Streetwise (G1)|Streetwise]] (58)
*[[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] (59)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*''[[Rippersnapper (G1)|Rippersnapper]]'' (9)
*''[[Rage (G1)|Rage]]'' (10)
*''[[Snapdragon (G1)|Snapdragon]]'' (11)
*''[[Hydradread]]'' (12)
*''[[Bulletbike (G2)|Bulletbike]]'' (13)
*''[[Blip]]'' (14)
*''[[Hun-Gurrr (G1)|Hun-Grr]]'' (15)
*''[[Seawing (G1)|Seawing]]'' (20)
*''[[Tentakil (G1)|Tentakil]]'' (21)
*''[[Snaptrap (G1)|Snap Trap]]'' (22)
|c4=
*''[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]]'' (7)
*''[[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]]'' (8)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] (42)
*[[Ten]] (43)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Ultra Magnus:''' "Your honor—is it an '''abuse of process''' to request that the presiding judge '''intervene'''?" 
'''Optimus Prime:''' "I will allow it." 
'''Hun-Grr:''' "Objec—" 
''THWOK!'' 
'''Hun-Grr:''' —''shnn!''"

'''Megatron:''' "You've been '''sulking in the shadows''' ever since we took off." 
'''Rodimus:''' "I've been '''taking stock!'''" 
'''Megatron:''' "No, Optimus "takes stock." '''I''' "take stock". You sulk. You're sulking '''now'''." 
'''Rodimus:''' "I'm '''confronting my own mortality'''! I'm having one of those—those '''existential crisises'''!" 
'''Ultra Magnus:''' "Crises." 
'''Rodimus:''' "'''Not now,''' Magnus."

"If there are still some memories in my '''dead lookalike''', you could '''read them''' and find out if he's really me." 
"You do realize that interfacing with a corpse is highly dangerous. I could die." 
""Could"! The '''luxury''' of "could"! I'm '''already dead'''!"
:—'''Rodimus''' and '''Chromedome'''

"Got any '''theories''', Perceptor?" 
"One or two." 
"Is that all? I've got '''hundreds.'''" 
"Then you clearly have a lot of eliminating to do."
:—'''Brainstorm''' and '''Perceptor'''

"What are you doing? '''UNHAND ME!'''" 
"Shut up and follow me. Oh, and for future reference? Only '''bad guys''' say "unhand me"."
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Rodimus'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Snap Trap and Hun-Grr's crews of Decepticons were locked up in the ''Lost Light''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s brig in [[Before & After|issue #12]]. It's fitting that they, of all the Decepticons present for the trial, should be the ones who stage the attempted escape; after all, they were among the 'Cons mentioned by Megatron in [[Burning Bright: Dark Cybertron Chapter 8|issue #26]] who were still out in space, doing dastardly Decepticonny things, instead of trying to live in peace like most of those on Cybertron.
*Whirl's holomatter avatar reappears, last seen in [[Cybertronian Homesick Blues|issue #13]]. As with several of the other avatars that appeared in that issue, which sported different [[Alex Milne]] designs on the cover of the comic compared to the [[Guido Guidi]] designs they appeared with in the story, Whirl is here redesigned with a more punkish look, featuring chains, big boots, and spiked knee- and elbow-pads.
*Ratchet posits a poor attempt at [[shadowplay]] as a possible cause of coffin-Rodimus's demise.
*Scrawled in graffiti on Megatron's cell wall is the partially-obscured phrase "Equal Rights For Knockoffs", a slogan denouncing prejudice against those who were [[Reproduction#IDW Generation 1 continuity|constructed cold]]. We heard Brainstorm rattle this tagline off in [[Remain in Light 1 of 5: The Fecund Moon|issue #17]].
*The [[communicube]] Megatron was seen handing Rodimus in [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|issue #28]] is revealed to have contained a request to move the trial to Luna 2.
*Megatron's reaction to Chromedome's mind-reading needles may be a callback to his extreme reaction against having his mind read (or altered) in issue #28.
*Drift was flagged as a "practicing spectralist" in [[Little Victories|issue #22]].
*Rodimus tries to not think about the circumstances of Drift's departure, back in [[The Gloaming|issue #16]]. Considering it was Rodimus's fault, you can't really blame him...
*Rodimus's adventures as mentioned by Chromedome include "waking up in [[Nyon]]" (''[[The Transformers: Autocracy|Autocracy]]'' taught us that Hot Rod hails from Nyon and [[Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|#36]] will imply this means his 'birth'), "finding the [[Magnificence]]" (as seen in ''[[Spotlight: Hot Rod]]''), and "the speech at [[Rivets Field]]" (given in [[Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|issue #1]]).
*Swerve snapped photos of Optimus, Magnus, and Rodimus drinking in the bar in [[Black Metal: Dark Cybertron Chapter 2|issue #23]]; here one of those shots is framed and hanging on the wall.
*The previous [[Rodpod]] was destroyed in [[No Exit: Dark Cybertron Chapter 6|issue #25]].
*Rodimus got the (''false!'') list of crew votes from Atomizer [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|last issue]].
*Ratchet notes he voted against Rodimus staying on as captain; we don't need to rattle off a laundry list of Rodimus's mistakes that led to the crisis act being invoked, but in Ratchet's case, it was likely the blaming and exile of Drift, with whom he was forming a complicated relationship, that earned his vote against him.
*The deleterious effects of Megatron's canister of "superfuel" on Trailcutter last issue are explained here: it's actually [[Fool's Energon]], a toxin created by [[Quickmix (G1)|Quickmix]] that drains his strength.
*As the alarm sounds through the ''Lost Light'', an unidentified 'bot with an animalistic [[alternate mode]] appears sitting opposite Groove in Swerve's. Though the colors and body design are different, his helmet is a dead ringer for that of the mysterious thief who stole the [[Matrix of Leadership]] millions of years in the past, seen in [[Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|issue #19]].

===Transformers references===
*Ultra Magnus's use of a big honking hammer is a callback to the signature weapon of his ''[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Animated]]'' and ''[[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Prime]]'' counterparts.
*Getaway's nickname for Tailgate, "Scout," is also a size class for Transformers toys. Specifically, small toys.

===Real-life references===
[[File:Zulu predestination a beginners guide.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb]]
*Bluestreak has brought along a selection of human-made movies from his time on Earth, including ''[[Zulu]]'' (right), ''{{w|Aguirre, the Wrath of God}}'', ''{{w|The Muppets Take Manhattan}}'', and ''{{w|Breathless (1960 film)|À bout de souffle}}''. Whirl is a fan of the latter's director, {{w|Jean-Luc Godard}}.
*Right after we hear Swerve loves Earth comics, we see him flailing a dramatic hand while he exposits a supervillainy scheme Megatron must be up to.
*The arena in which Megatron's trial is held is named the "{{w|Raskol}} arena", the Russian word for "split" or "schism". The term specifically refers to the 17th century splitting of the Russian Orthodox Church, triggered by reforms introduced by its patriarch; no coincidence, then, that the Raskol arena should play host to such a shattering change to the Decepticon movement following a pronouncement by ''its'' patriarch. Indeed, real-life Russian parallels have played a large role in Roberts's expansion of Decepticon history throughout ''More than Meets the Eye''; the general mindset and growth of the party is evocative of Communist Russia, and several Russian loanwords have been used to describe activities during the war, such as "samizdat" (describing Megatron's writings in [[Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|issue #9]]) and "pogrom" ("anti-Neutral progroms" were carried out by [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]], according to [[Life After the Big Bang|issue #4]]). James Roberts has also described Megatron as akin to Raskolnikov from Fyodor Dostoyevsky's novel ''Crime and Punishment'' on [https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/522288037016133632 his Twitter feed], so the name "Raskol" might be a reference to that.
{{-}}

===Errors===
*Bluestreak claims to have "spent time on Earth as part of an infiltration unit". Ah.... no, he didn't. He wasn't part of the unit that appeared under Prowl's command at the start of IDW's comics; in fact, during the time infiltration units were in play, he was stationed on the [[Autobot Orbital Command Hub]] and saw action on [[Varas Centralus]], as seen during ''[[Stormbringer]]'', and didn't make his way to Earth until the [[The Transformers (IDW)|2009-2011 ongoing series]], after infiltration protocol had been abandoned. Nothing saying he couldn't have picked the fondness for Earth culture up ''then'', of course.
*When Optimus hands Megatron a datapad with the speech to disband the Decepticons on it, his words are "'''Freedom of Movemen'''t"; the "t" is not bolded like the rest of the phrase.
*Page 13, panel 2: When Rodimus says, "...then the future in which I die..." the "I" is written with a sans-serif letter ''I''. This is in contradiction to MTMTE's normal lettering style, which like most comics uses a serif-adorned ''I'' for the first person singular pronoun. (For comparison, look at Rodimus's other two uses of "I" in the very same word balloon.) This is fixed in the trade paperback collection.

===Crew manifest===
*Rodimus is revealed to be alive (at least for the moment) and "co-captain" of the ''Lost Light''.
**Confirmed previous crew: First Aid, Rodimus, Smokescreen, Siren, Atomizer, Highbrow, Blaster, Mainframe, Hound, Powerglide, Slapdash, Dipstick
***At least 30/79 original crew still on board, 2 departed
**Confirmed new arrivals: none this issue
***At least 17 new crew members since second launch
**Confirmed departures: The ''Lost Light'' itself?

===Soundtrack===
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38x5GYAS6xY&app=desktop "Speedway"] by {{w|Morrisey}}
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vq7JSic1DtM&feature=youtu.be "Rise"] by {{w|Public Image Ltd}}
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrTB-iiecqk&feature=youtu.be "Street Spirit (Fade Out)"] by {{w|Radiohead}}

===Other trivia===
*Rung's ''Lost Light'' scale model appears to be missing some bits, foreshadowing the ship's bizarre disappearance.
*Hun-Grr's on his third name spelling since his introduction in IDW continuity. He started out as "Hun-Grrr" (the most prevalent spelling of his name in the 80s), until issue #12, when it was changed to "Hun-Gar" (a never-before-seen spelling, and a change also reflected in ''[[The Transformers: Monstrosity|Monstrosity]]''). Now, he's Hun-''Grr'', the spelling from the original Marvel series.

===Covers (6)===
*'''Regular cover:''' The Rodpod and various shuttles abandon the ''Lost Light'', by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Joana Lafuente]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' Rodimus hands over the ''Lost Light''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s keys to Megatron, by [[Nick Roche]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''30th Anniversary cover:''' Megatron sits on the [[Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln Memorial]] as seen in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original ''The Transformers'' cartoon]] episode "[[Atlantis, Arise!]]", by [[Guido Guidi]] and [[John-Paul Bove]]
<gallery>
File:MTMTE30 cvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE30 subcvr.jpg|
File:MTMTE30 cvrRI.jpg
</gallery>
*'''BotCon cover:''' Black-and-white lineart version of the 30th anniversary cover available at [[BotCon 2014]], several days before the regular retail edition of the comic was released.
*'''Retailer Exclusive covers:''' A pair of connecting covers that depict [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] in a DJ battle against [[My Little Pony|DJ Pon-3]], by [[Tony Fleecs]]. These covers were available as a shared exclusive between [http://www.plasticempire.com/ Plastic Empire] and [http://thetoyfederation.com/ The Toy Federation], and were first made available at their booth at [[BotCon 2014]].
<gallery>
File:MTMTE30 concvr.jpg
File:MTMTE30 cvrREA.jpg|
File:MTMTE30 cvrREB.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''More than Meets the Eye'' #31
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Earthfall Chapter 3: The Mind Bomb|#31]]
*''[[The Transformers: Windblade|Windblade]]'' [[Windblade issue 3|#3]]
*15 Years of IDW: Spotlight on Gabriel Rodriguez
*''[[Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (console)|Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark]]''
*IDW: Getting Into Your Head for 15 Years (back cover)

Little Victories

2017-01-18T04:37:16Z

DoctorFluffy: /* Synopsis */ Adding link to spectralism on any relevant pages.

{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=22
|prev=More than Meets the Eye issue 21
|next=Black Metal: Dark Cybertron Chapter 2
|seriesissue2=''[[Dark Cybertron (IDW)|Dark Cybertron Prelude]]''
|prev2=Soundwaves (issue)
|next2=Dark Dawn: Dark Cybertron Chapter 1
|image=MTMTE22 cvrA.jpg
|title="Little Victories" A film by Rewind of Lower Petrohex
|caption=What a guy!
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[October 9]], [[2013]] (iBooks) [[October 16]], [[2013]] (print)
|coverdate=October 2013
|story by=[[James Roberts]]
|art by=[[James Raiz]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2013)]]
}}
'''Rewind's recordings become a movie that charts the crew's adventures, including an intrusion into another robotic civil war, the mystery of Rung's alternate mode, and a visit from one of the greatest Autobots around!'''

==Synopsis==
In a series of brief talking-head segments, the crew of the ''[[Lost Light]]'' introduce themselves to the audience as a set of title cards appear between soundbytes: "Little Victories: A film by [[Rewind (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rewind]] of [[Lower Petrohex]]". After everyone has given their names, Rewind turns his camera around to introduce his film, created at [[Hot Rod/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]]'s request, through a combination of his perpetual recordings of the goings-on on the ship and footage from the many security cameras installed on the vessel by [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]]. To begin the movie proper, we see Rodimus requesting its filming, followed by a candid clip of [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] expressing some concern at potentially looking ridiculous as a result of questionable editing decisions. Rodimus gives him permission to censor the finished product if necessary, and blacked-out sections of the film prove he wasn't shy about it.

While lounging around in the ship's [[oil]] reservoir, Rewind, [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]], and [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] talk about the cool [[alternate mode]]s of their teammates, and the conversation turns to the mystery of what [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] turns into. Swerve wagers a hundred [[Shanix]] to the first person to figure it out, and starts trying by "accidentally" clonking him on the head in hopes of automatically triggering a transformation. Talking-head clips of Tailgate and Swerve reflecting on their wager turn to talk of hobbies, a topic that Rewind gets [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] to weigh in on; the theoretician lists "meeting new people", and recalls an encounter on [[Hedonia]]...

[[File:Littlevictories-happynow.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.6]]
The film shifts to Hedonia, some time beforehand, and shows Skids and [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] meeting the [[Ammonite]]s, a race of mechanical beings engaged in a civil war with their enemies the [[Terradore]]s. Whirl disparages their conflict in comparison with the Transformers' own, but it soon becomes apparent that the Ammonites trump the Cybertronians at every turn: their war has lasted ''sixteen'' million years rather than four, they have ten-changing "Decabots" instead of just [[Six Changer]]s, and while the Transformers are still trying to master [[Combiner]] technology, the Ammonites are ''all'' interchangeable combiners, and prove it by separating into their diminutive component 'bots. The two 'bots are enjoying a drink with their new rivals when a patron alerts the barman to the arrival of a huge Terradorian cruiser. As the Ammonites panic, Whirl strides outside and, with Skids looking on, quickly and easily murders the Terradore leader [[Imperius Drax]], smugly informing his new "friends" that ''that'' is how it's done.

[[File:LittleVictories-Thunderclash.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Another talking-head segment follows, as Rewind asks each crew-member if they are "happy", to a variety of positive, confused, suspicious and veiled answers. A short scene of Tailgate trying and failing to trick Rung into transforming with an "alt-mode party" comes next, after which the movie shows Rodimus arriving in the ''Lost Light'' communication suite wearing a makeshift "[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]]" helmet made from a bucket for a theme night as [[Swerve's]]. [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] informs him that they have received a message from [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]], captain of the ''[[Vis Vitalis]]'', who is quickly proven by another series of soundbytes from the crew to be one of the most popular, awesome, super-cool and handsome Autobots in the whole entire universe. Rodimus, however, is not a fan, and an extremely passive-aggressive exchange of pleasantries follows as Thunderclash comes aboard with his first officer [[Paddox]]. Rodimus tries to show off his crew, but Thunderclash knows them all well: he actually gets a ''hug'' from Ultra Magnus when he compliments his writings on "the relationship between typograpy and military justice", he impresses [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] by respecting [[Spectralism|his religion]] with an appropriate greeting, and he turns out to be old friends from medical school with [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]]. Rodimus ''just about'' holds himself together through all of this, but explodes when Thunderclash reveals that ''he'' is on a quest for the [[Knights of Cybertron]] too! He angrily demands to know what Thunderclash wants, and the film cuts away to segments from Ratchet and [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] that explain that the ''Vis Vitalis'' is actually a huge, wireless life support machine that keeps the gravely-wounded Thunderclash alive, and that he has come to the ''Lost Light'' hoping for a ship-to-ship jumpstart to replenish his vessel's failing power supply.

[[File:Paddox little victories.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.5]]
A little later, Thunderclash walks [[Perceptor (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Perceptor]] through how to use the [[quantum generator|quantum engines]] to accomplish the power-transfer, but just before the process is activated, Paddox suddenly pulls a gun on Thunderclash, revealing himself to be an Ammonite deep-cover agent! The Ammonites, it turns out, are actually the ''bad guys'' in their war, and following Whirl's assassination of the Terradores' leader, all Ammonites have been recalled for a big push back against the extreme tactics of his successor—tactics that potentially include allying with the mysterious "[[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Dark Cyclops]]". "Paddox" intends to take the Autobots' quantum engines for the Ammonite war effort, but is abruptly taken out in the most unusual way possible: Swerve sneaks up and clobbers him over the head with... Rung in alternate mode. The film cuts away briefly for Rung to explain that even ''he'' doesn't know what his odd, cylindrical alternate mode is—he was classified as an "ornament" by the [[Functionist Council]]—then cuts back to Thunderclash thanking Rodimus for his efforts, and Rodimus quietly whispering to Rewind that he has begun to regret the candid nature of the movie...

[[File:MTMTE22 Rung's alternate mode.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6]]
''On [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]], the [[Circle of Light]] boo the movie, which Skids is playing as part of a recruitment drive, hoping to get some of the Circle to join the ''Lost Light''. The Circle mock the movie and the entire ship's crew, accusing them all of being crazies and shirkers who never make any progress in their quest, and all leave, with some thinking of signing up with Thunderclash. Behind Skids, on the screen, the movie continues to roll on...''

A final talking-head segment sees Rewind ask each of the crewmembers what they hope is next for them. Some see the end in sight and some think the journey itself and the friends they've made are what it's all about, but Tailgate sums it up best when he says: "Who knows?" For the final scene of the movie, Rewind calls all his friends together for a group shot in Swerve's, not caring who stands where as along as everyone is together.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Hot Rod/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] (1)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (2)
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (3)
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (4)
*[[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]] (6)
*[[Rung (G1)|Rung]] (7)
*[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (9)
*[[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]] (10)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Perceptor (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Perceptor]] (11)
*[[Drift (G1)|Drift]] (12)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] (13)
*[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (14)
*[[Rewind (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rewind]] (15)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]] (19)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (20)
*[[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]] (21)
{{!}}}
|c4=
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (5)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] (8)
*Assorted [[Ammonite]]s (16)
*[[16444/9]] (17)
*[[Mondo]] (18)
*[[Paddox]] (22)
*Multiple [[Circle of Light]] members (23)
}}

==Quotes==
"It's '''Whirl''', spelled: ''ker-klick! '''Choom!'''" 
:—'''Whirl''', on his own name

"So you think you're better at war than us? How long were you fighting?" 
"Four million years. You?" 
"Sixteen." 
"Sixteen years." 
"Sixteen million." 
<big>"'''Sixteen million years?!'''</big> Six-'''teen'''? That's ridiculous. That's a ridiculous number."
:—'''16444/9''' and '''Skids'''

"I once went toe-to-toe with a '''six-changer'''. Jet! Beast! Tank! Gun! '''And something else I can't remember!'''"
:—'''Whirl'''

''(Rodimus enters the communications room with a bucket on his head.)'' 
"I thought you didn't like hats." 
"'''Theme Night''' at Swerve's: 'People You'd Like to Punch.' I was a lone '''Megatron''' in a sea of '''Whirls'''."
:—'''Blaster''' and '''Rodimus'''

"What's the '''problem?''' Everyone on board the ''Lost Light'' is '''cracked in the head!'''" 
"Yeah, '''dysfunctional''' isn't the word! There isn't a '''normal''' 'bot among you!" 
"And that wouldn't be so bad if you actually '''made progress'''—but as far as I can make out, all you do is '''argue''', crack jokes, and get '''sidetracked''' doing pointless, silly things that only you find amusing!"
:—Various members of the '''Circle of Light''' get a bit meta on the comic. Er, the movie.

"In the future, I'd like to see a world without guns. Ha! No. Joking."
:—'''Brainstorm'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*The fact that Rewind was making a documentary about life on the ''Lost Light'' was revealed in [[Under Cold Blue Stars|issue #15]], in which [[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]] noted he was about to attend a screening of the rough cut. Obviously, this comic ''is'' that rough cut, since Rewind wasn't around to make any changes after that story was over.
*The scenes in the documentary take place over a wide span of time. The earliest takes place during issue #1, while the latest—consisting predominantly of Thunderclash's visit to the ship and a substantial number of the talking-head interview scenes—must occur in-between issues [[Cybertronian Homesick Blues|#13]] (in which the crew visited Hedonia) and [[Remembrance Day|#14]]. The one present day scene, taking place outside the documentary, occurs between scenes in the [[Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|previous issue]], after Tyrest's defeat but before the ''Lost Light'' departs Luna-1.
*Ultra Magnus notes that he has received the [[Novic Medal for Outstanding Valor|Novic Medal]], presumably named in reference to the legendary Nova Prime (Tailgate, still lying about his history, claims to have earned ''seven''). It was previously mentioned in [[Rotorstorm (G1)|Rotorstorm]]'s bio in ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]''.
*Rewind asks Magnus if he's received the [[Rodimus Star]], an accolade that hasn't appeared in the main ''More than Meets the Eye'' series itself, but which was introduced in ''[[The Reluctant Specialist|Spotlight: Trailcutter]]''.
*A number of moments from this issue were hinted at or even seen in previous issues, which took place later chronologically.
**Two of the panels in Rewind's farewell montage in issue [[The Gloaming|#16]] have their source in the events depicted this issue: Perceptor running out of his smoking lab (page 2, panel 5), from which dialogue was lifted directly, and Rung counting his model collection (page 5, panel 7). Back in #16, the scene of the former had camera read-out text when none of the others did. Now we know why.
**In issue [[Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|#19]], Tyrest brings up Ultra Magnus hugging someone.
**In issue #21, Magnus talks about Rodimus's immature reaction to a "Thunder--."
*Swerve claims to have been playing hand-grenade tag with [[Waverider]], a pastime for which the latter was put in the brig just prior to issue #13.
*The Raging Prism was mentioned back in #13, where some of the characters talked about visiting its "Temple" on Hedonia. It makes sense, then, that a Hedonian resident would make reference to it.
*One of the Ammonites exclaims, "By the Great Shattering." According to the [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|Annual]], something called the Shattering caused the formation of the Galactic Council. And since we learn this issue that the Council formed in response to the Ammonite-Terradore war... Ta-da, it all adds up!
*When asked if he's happy, Brainstorm rather ominously replies "''Soon. Not yet. Soon.''" This would be expanded on in [[Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|issue #38]].
*For the first time, we have in-story acknowledgment that Tailgate and Rung are from the same era, confirming that the former's reference to Rungian analysis in issue #1 was no error.
*Tailgate's altmode appears for the first time, indicating that his t-cog had not yet succumbed to [[cybercrosis]]. Interestingly, it is a Cybertronic version of his original toy (including T-tops!), rather than his upcoming ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' release.
*Upon seeing Rodimus's "Megatron" costume (a bucket on his head), Blaster remarks on his captain's dislike for hats, which was introduced in the [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|2012 annual]].
*Tailgate's statement that he wants to hate Thunderclash is a reference to his tendency to resent 'bots of greatness, previously seen in his attitudes toward Dominus Ambus and pre-insanity Tyrest.
*Back in issue #16, Chromedome pointed out a constellation he and Rewind had dubbed the "Vis Vitalis". Given that this term refers to something decided non-physical (see real-life references, below), we can probably assume that the stars made a picture of Thunderclash's ship.
*Continuing the running joke of people getting his name wrong, Rung's old ID card spells his name R-O-N-G.
*Chromedome finally learns to make the sound "pfft", having struggled to do so for ''four million years'' across issues [[Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|#9]] and [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|#11]].

===Transformers references===
*The Rung toy Swerve is trying to figure out on this issue's B cover comes with a set of [[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]]-style [[instructions]]. It has articulated eyebrows and a "listening mode"!
*Swerve tries to make Rung reflexively transform by striking his [[neural cluster]], a weak spot on Transformers mentioned in the Marvel UK story "[[Fire on High!]]".
*The Ammonites and Terradores are designated "Evil" and "Heroic", just like the "Heroic Autobots" and "Evil Decepticons" in classic Transformers marketing.

===Real-life references===
*The title of this issue appears in white Windsor typeface on a plain black background, in homage to the [http://fontsinuse.com/uses/2147/woody-allen-film-titles-1977-2012 title cards] of many {{w|Woody Allen}} films. It also uses Allen's trademark quotation marks.
*The panels "censored" by Ultra Magnus, meanwhile, use a font for their captions based on that used in the TV series ''{{w|Arrested Development (TV series)|Arrested Development}}'', of which James Roberts is an avowed fan.
*The "Vis Vitalis" is a classical alchemical principle that proposes the existence of "life force" possessed by living creatures.
*Probably hardly worth mentioning by this point, but one of the cameras is numbered [[113 (disambiguation)|113]].

===Trivia===
*Because this issue was written to be packed in with the ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' Deluxe Class [[Skids (G1)#Generations|Autobot Skids]] toy, it had to be written ''well'' in advance, before even #16 was penned, hence its standalone, not-too-continuity-heavy nature.
*The digital version of this issue was inadvertently released a week early through iBooks. It wasn't taken down, but nobody really noticed until a few days before its print release.
*This issue is labelled as a "[[Dark Cybertron (IDW)|Dark Cybertron]]" prelude, and has a redesigned inside front cover to go along with this branding.
*This issue's visiting guest Autobot has his named parsed as "Thunder Clash" on the cover, as it was on his original toy, but as "Thunderclash" in the story itself, as pretty much every [[Thunderclash (disambiguation)|other use of the name]] is.
*No "Meet the Crew" feature is included this issue, but then, the first two pages of the story cover that all pretty well themselves!
*A [http://www.twitlonger.com/show/n_1sjk4t3 deleted scene] from this issue featured Ratchet pulling a prank on Drift by claiming that [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]]'s hands were haunted, punching people of their own accord. The scene was later [http://dcjosh.tumblr.com/post/107665292031/its-done-the-mtmte-22-deleted-scene-in-all-its illustrated] by [[Josh Burcham]].

===Edits===
*The version of this comic available with the ''Generations'' Deluxe Class Autobot Skids toy is identified as "The Transformers: Skids" on the inside cover, rather than "''The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye'' #22".
*In addition, there are several differences between the original release of this issue (which remained unchanged for the trade paperback reprint except for one change noted under "errors") and the version packaged with Deluxe Skids:
:*On page 1, several minor alterations to the dialogue, such as the removal of quotation marks around Skids's name, changing Rewind's line in panel 7 from "What is it, '''nerves'''?" (emphasis on "nerves") to "What is it? Nerves?" and merging Chromedome's lines "--calls me Chromedome." and "Even you." into a single speech bubble.
:*On page 3, the first panel has the location and date "Cybertron, 18 months ago" added.
:*On page 6, [[16444/9]]'s "accursed [[Terradore]]s" gets changed to "hated Terradores", and inexplicably, "take your pick" gets changed to "... what he said." Furthermore, Whirl's list of "vehicles, machinery, and weapons" loses the second comma.
:*On page 18, Swerve's line "Wait. Look over there..." isn't immediately followed by Rung saying "We have to do something." Rather, Rung explicitly completes Swerve's ellipsis with "... is that Thunderclash with a gun to his head?"
:*Brainstorm's dialogue on page 21 is completely altered, from "In the future, I'd like to see a world without guns. Ha! No. Joking." to "The future? No. No. No. You're looking in the wrong direction." [[The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue|Issue 35]] provides an explanation for this initally rather odd-seeming line.
:*Also on page 21, Rewind's dialogue is changed from "Group shot, everyone! Group shot! Everyone over here! Come on, chop chop! You too, Cyclonus... I don't care where everyone stands..." to "Group shot, group shot! Come on, come on! Everyone over here! And you, Cyclonus... I don't care where people stand..."

===Errors===
*What little can be seen of Trailcutter's vehicle mode is noticeably off-model on page 11, resembling his traditional Earth pickup truck mode far more than it ought to.
*On page 17, panel 5, "actually" is misspelled "actaually", this remained uncorrected in the TPB and the version packaged with the ''Generations'' Deluxe Class Autobot Skids figure.
*Back in issue 13, as the Autobots were departing Hedonia, Whirl remarked that they hadn't killed anybody, which this issue proves to be incorrect. The error was caught well in advance of the publication of this issue (since it was written so far ahead of time), and the offending line was removed from the trade paperback reprinting of issue #13.
*Tailgate's alt mode has an Autobrand, despite his never having undergone a true initiation.
*In one of the little "censored" panels, Ultra Magnus is referred to as the Duly ''Elected'' Enforcer of the Tyrest Accord, instead of the usual Duly ''Appointed''.

===Crew manifest===
*No updates!

===Soundtrack===
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3eM2R1aCKQ "I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous"] by {{w|Frank Turner}}
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YMYC0pS4Ws "Goodnight Kiss"] by {{w|Black Box Recorder}}
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xB2TEElBU64 "End Credits"] by {{w|Jesse Hartman|Laptop}}

===Covers (4)===
*'''Cover A:''' Rung holds a datapad bearing Thunder Clash's image, signed by the 'bot himself, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Cover B:''' Swerve tries to puzzle out the transformation of a Rung toy, by [[Nick Roche]] and Josh Burcham.
*'''Cover RI:''' Skids, by [[Phil Jimenez]] and [[Romulo Fajardo Jr.]]
* '''Hasbro exclusive cover:''' Cropped-in version of cover RI, exclusively available with ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' Deluxe Class [[Skids (G1)#Generations|Autobot Skids]].
<gallery>
File:MTMTE22 cvrA.jpg|The totally modest Thunderclash.
File:MTMTE22 cvrB.jpg|Swerve feels [[fandom|our]] pain.
File:MTMTE22 cvrRI.jpg|Guess which cover comes with the Skids toy?
File:MTMTE22 cvrHAS.jpg|And the winner is...
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*[[Dark Dawn: Dark Cybertron Chapter 1|''The Transformers: Dark Cybertron'' #1]]
*''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' [[Black Metal: Dark Cybertron Chapter 2|#23]]
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Winners & Losers: Dark Cybertron Chapter 3|#23]]
*''Robots in Disguise'' [[Soundwaves (issue)|#24]]
*''[[The Transformers: Regeneration One|Regeneration One]]'' [[Destiny, Part Five|#95]]
*IDW ''Samurai Jack'' comic
*''[[My Little Pony]]'' Annual 2013
*''[[Star Trek]]: Khan'' (back cover)

==External links==
* [http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/comics-16/transformers-more-than-meets-the-eyes-22-full-preview-178599/ Preview]
* [http://boards.idwpublishing.com/3/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=15275&p=353870#p353870 James Roberts reflects on the creative process of this issue on the IDW forums]
[[Category:Dark Cybertron issues]]

Spectralism

2017-01-18T04:35:31Z

DoctorFluffy:

:''Spectralism is a religious movement from the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW portion]] of the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

Spectralism is a Cybertronian religious movement, placing great importance on colors, and their meaning. For example, blue and purple are considered both a sign of grief and a statement of intent to kill. They also have a greeting identified as the "Call of the Wavelength". Spectralist funerial customs involve making a coffin from material found at the scene of the deceased's death. Not much is known about it at the moment.

==Fiction==
===IDW Generation 1 Continuity===

After a near-death experience, [[Drift]] became a practicing spectralist. As Drift is the most prominent spectralist we've seen so far, most of this article's information comes from him. When Thunderclash visited the ''Lost Light'', he recognized Drift as a spectralist and gave him the Call of the Wavelength, before agreeing with him that the emotional discomfort in the room was making the moment "magenta". {{storylink|Little Victories}} Going by this and Drift's explanation of purple and blue as related to violence and grief, it's safe to say that darker colors such as purple and blue often have negative meanings.

Before he was forced off the ship, Drift also had tried to convert Rodimus, to no apparent luck. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}}

On the duplicate ''Lost Light'' created by the ship's malfunction on take-off, Rodimus was buried spectralist-style on Drift's insistence after his demise fighting a sparkeater. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}} {{storylink|slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken}}

Rodimus converted to Spectralism after Skids' death and took on a blue and purple paintjob. When Drift questioned whether it was a promise to kill Getaway or a way to mourn Skids, Rodimus refused to answer. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron}}

[[Category:IDW Generation 1 legends]]
[[Category:Religion]]

Autobot

2017-01-04T19:51:19Z

DoctorFluffy: /* Animated continuity family */ I can only hope that this doesn't come across as me doing what tvtropes calls Ron The Death Eater. I figured this had to be mentioned somewhere...

{{factions|autobot|autobotg2|ttautobot|sgAutobot}}
{{disambig2|the faction|Generation 2 watch-Autobot|Autobot (G2)}}
[[File:Autobot symbol.png|upright=1.4|thumb|If you don't recognize this [[Insignia|symbol]], what the heck are you doing here?]]

{{quote|[['Til all are one]].|Autobot rally cry|''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''}}

The '''Autobots''' are one of the primary factions in the [[Transformer]]s mythos. They usually find themselves defending both their own race and other species against the [[Decepticon]]s and upholding justice and freedom throughout the galaxy.

They are considered "the good guys" in most, but not in [[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|all]] Transformers stories.

A generally heroic, honorable group, they tend to be dedicated to peace, and feel a need to protect other races from the Decepticons. As a result, they are usually Transformers who change into non-combat oriented [[alternate mode]]s such as domestic vehicles, cars, trucks, or rescue vehicles. This is not ''always'' the case, however, as their ranks certainly contain ne'er-do-wells, malcontents, and unsavory types, and the necessities of war have led many to adopt more combat-oriented alternate forms. While the Autobots have usually found themselves outnumbered by the Decepticons, the Autobots have always had home-field advantage, having not only the humans' military support, but also having more places on Earth to fall back on, while the Decepticons are entirely unwelcome on Earth.

Key concepts that repeat throughout most continuities are the use of the name [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] (or a variation thereof) to denote Autobot leadership, and the existence of an artifact of great life-giving power, usually referred to as a "[[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]]", traditionally held by their leader.

The collective noun for Autobots is an "exaltation".<ref>"...more dangerous than an exaltation of Autobots." — [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Blackarachnia]], ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac]]'' (2009) p 101</ref>

{{quote|Few beings think of themselves as evil. Many justify their actions as good, even if they are not. But if you believe the 'good guys' would not harm any life-form, then you may consider me a member of that team.|[[Gears (ROTF)|Gears]]|''[[Transformers Classified: Switching Gears|Switching Gears]]''|width=500px}}

==Generation 1 / Beast Era==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics====
[[File:Primag2.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|The birth of Prima, the first Autobot. Just before Primus went around handing out cigars.]]
In the beginning [[Primus]] created the Transformers, a race of living robots that could change their bodies into the likeness of weapons, vehicles, and machinery, and all Transformers were Autobots, and he saw that they were good. The Autobot symbol (or [[insignia|Autobrand]] as it is sometimes called) was based on the face of the [[Last Autobot]], the sleeping guardian Primus left for the day when his plans came to fruition.

At first Autobot numbers were small (a mere [[Thirteen|13]] began things), but through [[Reproduction|budding]] they expanded their race to fill the planet. When the correct level of population was reached, a mechanism triggered and memory of the process was wiped from the Transformers minds. At some point in these early days Unicron was able to reach through the mental link he shared with Primus and sow the seeds of corruption in a few Autobots, though this dark cult of Unicron would not bear fruit for a long time.

Eons passed in relative peace. Autobot society formed its own traditions, institutions, city-states and politics. From a human perspective this society resembled that of ancient Rome. [[Senate|Senators]] and [[Emirate]]s governed wisely or corruptly, priests worshipped Primus and passed his holy Matrix to the chosen bearer (the lineage: [[Prima]] to [[Prime Nova]], Prime Nova to [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]), gladiatorial games were held for sport and entertainment, and above it all the [[Overlord (rank)|Overlords]] ruled.

It was only with the advent of [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] at the end of the [[Golden Age]], coinciding with the death of the last hereditary Overlord, and the subsequent rise of the Decepticons, that the words "Autobot" and "Transformer" ceased being necessary synonyms and the population was divided by war.

[[File:Optimusprimeg1marvelfirst.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Optimus Prime appears to turn the tide.]]
In the early days of the war the Autobots were overwhelmed by the Decepticon war machine. They fell back again and again and for a while it looked like the war would be quickly lost... and then a young warrior rose from their ranks and rallied the troops to fight back. He made his reputation by denying Megatron access to the [[Underbase]], soon rose to command the Autobots' elite air corps, and then, at last, was granted full command of all Autobot armies. [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] had turned the tide, and under his leadership the Autobots fought back until Megatron's war machine was stalled out and stalemated.

[[File:Marvel71 neversurrender.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|left]]
The war ground on until Autobot scientists detected that their planet's path was going to pass through a deadly asteroid belt. Putting the planet-wide conflict aside for the moment they turned their attention to planetary salvation and the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] was built.

[[File:Autobotline.gif|upright=2.2|thumb|And now, shadow puppet theatre.]]
Optimus and a crew of his best soldiers took the Ark into space and cleared a path for the planet through the asteroid field. Unfortunately with their power depleted from that Herculean task they were then ambushed by Megatron and his Decepticons. The crews of both ships were lost to history.

Without Megatron or Prime the pace of the war slowed considerably. Still, fighting continued and both sides dug in for a long bitter struggle. In Prime’s absence [[Xaaron|Emirate Xaaron]] led the Autobot forces in their struggle to retake their homeworld.

[[File:Autobots-disintegratedcircuits1.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

The next four million years passed quickly (as it is wont to do) and without any major alteration (only a general degradation) of the situation. Finally news came to Cybertron: Optimus Prime and his forces lived! Yet this news came at a steep price, as it meant a new front had opened in the war. Optimus Prime and his forces fought the Decepticons on the distant world of Earth, while Xaaron, his [[Wrecker]]s, and others carried on the war for Cybertron.

Despite Prime's dedication to protecting Earth, Autobot/Human relations were not good. Humanity viewed all Transformers as threats and attacked any they discovered regardless of faction. Industrialist [[G.B. Blackrock]] tried to inform the public that there were two factions, with the Autobots being the benign faction, but the [[Intelligence and Information Institute]], the government agency tasked with countering the Transformers, was either unable or unwilling to distinguish between factions.

Not long after his survival was discovered, tragedy struck and Optimus Prime was killed on Earth. The Dinobot commander [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] took on the leadership of Prime's soldiers, though he favored the abandonment of Earth and a renewed focus on Cybertron.

At roughly the same time, the great Autobot warrior [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] reached an important decision. He was tired of the war and if he could not end it he would leave it behind. Gathering a large following of likeminded warriors he left Cybertron for the world of Nebulos in hopes of a new and peaceful life. This was not to be. Decepticons followed Maximus and opened a third front to the war. In the end both factions abandoned Nebulos and Maximus led them to Earth to unite with the forces under Optimus Prime.

[[File:LastAutobot.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|From Prima to Last Autobot, we come full circle. You may close your notebooks.]]
However, when they arrived they discovered Prime dead and Grimlock less than welcoming. Grimlock and Maximus attempted to establish a single Autobot leader with trial by combat, but were interrupted by a devastating Decepticon attack. The upside of it all was that they ended up putting their differences aside and Optimus Prime was soon reborn to take up leadership of the Earth-based forces once again.

Not long after, a dimensional transporter accident led to the rediscovery and accidental disturbance of Primus deep in the center of Cybertron. The Autobots learned that their ancient myths about Primus were the truth, and Unicron was now coming for them. Since the Creation Matrix had been lost and corrupted, Optimus Prime offered the Autobots' unconditional surrender to the Decepticons in the hopes that this would lead the two factions to stand together against the coming threat. It did, and the Matrix was retrieved and purified in time to stop Unicron. Both Optimus Prime and Emirate Xaaron were killed in the battle, and Grimlock ascended to Autobot leadership again, this time over all Autobots.

The alliance with the Decepticons would be short lived. Cybertron appeared to be destroying itself and the Decepticons betrayed the Autobots, leaving them to die with their world. Grimlock’s leadership led to the Autobots escaping that trap, and walking right into a different one. Oops. Thankfully, the awakening of the Last Autobot saved Cybertron and led to the rebirth of Optimus Prime, who reclaimed Autobot leadership and beat the Decepticons once and for all.

''(From this point both the Marvel Generation 2 and the Fun Publication's Classics comics continue the story in separate and mutually exclusive directions.)''

====Marvel ''Generation 2'' comic====
The war finally over, most of the Autobots retired to the revived and prosperous Cybertron. It wasn't to last. Grimlock led a crew of Autobots not ready to take a vacation and put their feet up to try and track down any remaining Decepticon trouble. They found more than they could imagine as they discovered a vast and militant Empire constructed across the stars by Decepticons who left Cybertron long ago.

At the same time, Megatron reared his head again on Earth and soon the surviving Decepticons from the end of the war joined him, intent on restarting the war on Earth. It was not long before Decepticons and Autobots were teamed up against the forces of the Cybertronian Empire. Though this new conflict never touched the revived Cybertron, Earth was devastated by it. The Bot/Con alliance won, but how long this new alliance would last and what [[Liege Maximo|new threats]] awaited remained a question.

====''Classics''====
{{noteclassics}}

{{groupstub}}

===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
[[File:BetasAutobotRebels.jpg|275px|thumb|There just weren't as many characters to cosplay as in the old days.]]
The Autobots originated as a line of non-living consumer goods robots, created by the [[Quintesson]]s alongside the military hardware robots that would become the Decepticons. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}} Developing sentience and emotion, the robots turned on their alien masters, though the Quintessons' gargantuan [[Dark Guardian]] robots made victory an unlikely prospect. A major tipping point occurred when the rebel leader [[Alpha Trion (G1)|A-3]] used his [[Coder Remote]], hidden within his slave brand, to deactivate the Dark Guardians, striking a major blow against the Quintessons and forever transforming the brand into a mark of autonomy that eventually became the Autobots' faction insignia. {{storylink|Forever Is a Long Time Coming (episode)|Forever Is a Long Time Coming}} At some point in these early days, the Autobots somehow gained possession of the mysterious [[Matrix of Leadership]], which was carried by each successive leader of their race, and became a repository for their consciousness upon their passing. During the early days of Quintesson rule, it was carried by [[Primon]], who was succeeded by the first robot to challenge the Quintessons, [[Prima]], followed by the leader during the rebellion, [[Prime Nova]]. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}}
[[File:FFOD4 passing the matrix.jpg|left|thumb|225px]]
After the Quintessons were successfully forced from Cybertron, a period of peace descended during which the Autobots—as they now called themselves—began building a civilization, but the warlike Decepticons soon declared war on them, claiming the lives of leaders [[Guardian Prime]] and [[Zeta Prime (G1)|Zeta Prime]]. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}} Outmatched by their enemies, many Autobots fled Cybertron, seeking to start new lives free of conflict elsewhere in the universe, {{storylink|Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2}} settling on planets such as [[Paradron]]. {{storylink|Fight or Flee (episode)|Fight or Flee}} Outmached in strength and firepower, the Autobots turned instead to stealth, inventing the art of [[transformation]]. Using this power, Autobot leader [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] defeated [[Trannis]], and ended the war. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}}
[[File:MTMTE2 stick it in neutral.jpg|thumb|225px]]
Peace settled over Cybertron and what became known as the [[Golden Age]] began, but around nine million years ago, the Decepticons struck back, now under the command of [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]]. Megatron slew Sentinel Prime, who passed stewardship of the Matrix to A-3—now Alpha Trion—who was busy working on a means of rebuilding the Autobots so they would be able to fight the Decepticons on equal footing. When a wounded young robot named [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Orion Pax]] was brought to Alpha Trion, Trion repaired him using the process, rebuilding him as [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] and giving him the Matrix that he might serve as the leader of the first of a new breed of war-ready Autobot. {{storylink|War Dawn (episode)|War Dawn}} Under Prime's leadership, the protracted warfare ran for five million years, draining Cybertron dry of energy and forcing the Transformers to seek new power sources on other planets. Optimus Prime's best and brightest departed on this quest aboard [[Ark (G1)|a spacecraft]], but were pursued and attacked by Megatron's elite, leading all involved to a crash-land on prehistoric Earth, entombed in stasis for four million years. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}}
[[File:CosmicRust-BigGroup.jpg|left|upright=1.66|thumb|"Incompetent fools! There's only like seven Decepticons and fifty of us!"]]

In 1984, a volcanic eruption awakened the Transformers, and their war for energy continued on Earth. Believing the Decepticons had been defeated, the Autobots entered into an alliance with Earth's governments for the energy needed to repair their ship and return to Cybertron, {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 3}} but the unanticipated return prompted Optimus Prime and his men to stay on Earth to defend the planet. {{storylink|Transport to Oblivion (episode)|Transport to Oblivion}} The Autobots rebuilt their spaceship to serve as their headquarters, integrating it with the volcano it lay in, and maintained a position of superiority on Earth over the following years, aided by their human allies in world's governments and the [[Witwicky]] family, and regularly bolstered by the addition of new troops from various quarters.
[[File:FightorFlee future autobots.jpg|thumb|225px]]
Over the next twenty years, the Decepticons managed to drive the Autobots from Cybertron, forcing them to operate out of two bases on Cybertron's moons with a reserve force at [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]] on Earth. In 2005, learning that the Autobots were preparing a major assault, the Decepticons [[Battle of Autobot City|besieged Autobot City]], leading to a battle which saw the deaths of many Autobots, including Optimus Prime, who passed leadership to [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] before dying. Subsequently, the planet-eating [[Unicron]] attacked Cybertron, but the young Autobot [[Hot Rod/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] was able to prove himself Optimus's true successor when he used the Matrix to destroy Unicron, transformed in the process by its power into Rodimus Prime. Under Rodimus's leadership, the Autobots routed the remaining Decepticons on Cybertron, shattered by Unicron's attack, and they finally retook their home planet. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
The Autobots remained in control of Cybertron throughout 2006, slowly working to revitalize their homeworld while defending with comparative ease against various attacks by the surviving Decepticons, and the manipulations of the returned Quintessons. [[File:Rebirthpt2 headmasters charge.jpg|left|thumb|225px]] They did not neglect their adopted home-world of Earth, either, regularly working with [[Earth Defense Command]] to protect the planet. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness}} Despite the successes enjoyed under his leadership, Rodimus Prime was never comfortable with the burden of command, and happily relinquished it when Optimus Prime was later restored to life. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2}}

In 2007, when the Decepticons mounted an all-out attack on Cybertron's [[Plasma Energy Chamber]], several Autobots were hurled across the galaxy by a blast of the chamber's power to the planet [[Nebulos]]. There, they became [[binary bonding|binary bonded]] to a cell of local rebels as [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] and [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmasters]], helping them to defeat the planet's evil rulers, the [[Hive (G1)|Hive]]. Returning to Cybertron with the key to the Plasma Energy Chamber, they were able to thwart the Decepticons' plan to destroy Cybertron and Earth with the chamber, instead using its power to revitalize their home-world and restore the Golden Age. {{storylink|The Rebirth}}
{{-}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
{{note|In Japanese cartoon continuity, the events of "The Rebirth" do not occur, and Headmasters and Targetmasters have a different origin.}}
[[File:FourWarriorsfromtheSky.jpg|thumb|225px]]

Following Optimus Prime's resurrection, the Decepticons retreated into hiding, allowing the Autobots to expand their operations. A new major command post was set up on the planet [[Athenia]], and plans were made to terraform the planet into a second Cybertron, but this was tabled when the Decepticons returned in 2011, attempting to seize control of Cybertron through [[Vector Sigma]]. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}} Bolstered by the addition of Headmasters to their ranks—Cybertronians who had left their planet long ago and taken up residence on the planet [[Master (planet)|Master]], led by [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress]]—the Autobots were able to thwart their plan, but in the effort, Optimus Prime died once again, and Rodimus Prime became leader again. {{storylink|Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime}} Rodimus's tenure was short-lived when, after a Decepticon bomb plot resulted in the destruction of Cybertron, he passed leadership to Fortress and set off into space to find a new homeworld for the Transformers. {{storylink|Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 2}} Under Fortress's leadership, the Autobots succeeded in preventing a Decepticon plan to destroy the Earth with [[plasma energy]], and finally forced the evil robots off the planet for good. {{storylink|The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)}}
[[File:FourChojinWarriors.jpg|left|thumb|225px]]
The Autobots likewise withdrew from Earth, and, staging their operations from Athenia, proceeded to engage their enemies in a series of space-based exchanges known as the [[Master Wars]]. {{storylink|Master File No, 1}} Learning that the mysterious alien [[Devil Z]] had taken control of the Decepticons and had a scheme brewing on Earth, Fortress left defense of the planet to a small team of [[Pretender]]s led by [[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|Metalhawk]], who had been operating there in secret among human civilization since neolithic times. {{storylink|Rise Up!! Pretenders}} To protect Earth against Devil Z's schemes, the Pretenders recruited human beings to become merged with Transformer technology as [[Headmaster Junior]]s and [[Godmaster (lifeform)|Godmasters]], and the most powerful of their number, [[Ginrai (human)|Ginrai]], destroyed Devil Z in combat. {{storylink|A Battle... and Then...}}
[[File:Brainmasters victory cartoon.jpg|thumb|225px]]
Following Devil Z's defeat, the Decepticons reorganized under [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] and began attacking planets all across the galaxy, prompting the Autobots to step up their game, allying with humanity and many other races to form the star-spanning [[Galactic Peace Alliance]]. The Autobot swordsman [[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]] was appointed the Autobots' new Supreme Commander and head of the alliance's Galactic Defense Force, and led his elite [[Brainmaster]] and [[Multiforce]] troops in defending the Earth when it was targeted by Deathsaurus as a source of energy to re-power his [[Planet-Destroying Fortress]] in 2025. {{storylink|The Brave Hero of the Universe - Star Saber}}
[[File:SkyGarry1.jpg|left|thumb|225px]]
Star Saber was later injured defending the planet [[Feminia]] against the [[Nine Great Demon Generals]] and was succeeded as Autobot leader by [[Powered Master]] [[Dai Atlas (Zone)|Dai Atlas]], who foiled the evil entity [[Violen Jiger]]'s plans for conquest using the power of the enigmatic [[Zodiac]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Zone (franchise)|Zone}} The Zodiac presented a possible avenue to resurrect the legendary Optimus Prime, so Dai Atlas entrusted both it and interim Autobot leadership to [[Sky Garry (ROC)|Sky Garry]], who rescued Prime's body from the evil alien [[Dark Nova]]. Revived by the Zodiac as "Star Convoy," Prime destroyed Dark Nova. {{storylink|Transformers: Return of Convoy (franchise)|Return of Convoy}}

In the year 2035, with Autobot/Decepticon conflict mostly occurring in space once again, the Autobots and humanity joined forced to develop [[Power Core Combination]] technology. This powerful new tech drew the Decepticons' attention back to the planet, but the schemes of their current eader [[Scrash (OC)|Scrash]] were put down by the new Autobot Power Core Combiners, [[Guard City]], and the Micromaster six-combiners. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Operation Combination (franchise)|Operation Combination}} {{storylink|Transformers United EX|United EX}} Following this, the Autobots and Decepticons laid down their arms and united to established the [[Cybertron Alliance]], rebuilding Cybertron. Unfortunately, Megatron soon turned to evil again, and Optimus Prime was forced to battle and defeat him in the [[Mirtonian constellation]], apparently bring the war to an end once and for all. {{storylink|Transformers: G-2 (pack-in manga)|G-2}} Alas, the Autobots had not reckoned with the time-travelling [[Galvatron II]], who arrived from another timeline to take control of the Decepticons and continue the war, and so bolstered their ranks to fight back with mass-produced [[Eldedroid]]s. {{storylink|MP-1B Cybertron Commander / Convoy Black Ver.|e-HOBBY storyline}}
{{-}}

===''Beast Wars'' cartoon===
{{main|Maximal}}

The Autobots won the Great War, and their descendants the [[Maximal]]s succeeded them. It's unclear what happened to the Autobots, though followup series provided more clues.

===''Beast Machines'' cartoon===
[[File:ProwlMaybe BM.jpg|left|upright=0.85|thumb|Where's your Pax Cybertronia now?]]
When [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] subdued Cybertron's population with his [[Transformation virus|virus]], he extracted their sparks and used their bodies as raw materials for building [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]]. [[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] and his team discovered a junkyard/factory with acres of these corpses, one of which very clearly bore the Autobot symbol (and an uncanny resemblance to [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]). {{storylink|Revelations Part I: Discovery}} Also, among the [[Vehicon general]]s were the revived Great War veterans [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] and [[Strika (BM)|Strika]], who may have been Autobots themselves. {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. I: The Strike}}

===3H comics===
Many of the great Autobot and Decepticon heroes (such as Optimus Prime, Grimlock, Soundwave, and Megatron) retired to a strange quasi-reality called [[J'nwan]]. Almost all who tried to reach J'nwan and seek their aid succumbed to madness, and the ancient heroes did not appreciate being disturbed by any survivors. However, the great figures did eventually decide to fight once more at [[Point Omega]], an event which erased much of the timeline they had come from. It's unclear whether or not J'nwan or the events regarding it remained intact.

Meanwhile, some other Autobots and Decepticons, such as [[Hot Rod|Rodimus]], [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], and [[Devcon (G1)|Devcon]] did not enter J'nwan but remained active on Cybertron. Some Autobots became Maximals while others did not. {{storylink|Departure}} {{storylink|Betrayal}}

===IDW ''Beast Wars'' comics===
The three components of the combiner [[Magnaboss (BW)|Magnaboss]] are the Autobots [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]], [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]]. They vanished after the [[Pax Cybertronia]] was signed, but it is said they will return in a time of great need. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
[[File:AutoLitho.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|Come on you bots! Do you want to live forever?!?]]
The Autobots arose as the group who sided with Sentinel Prime and the [[Council of Ancients]] and opposed Megatron's desire for the conquest of Cybertron, but their inexperience with warfare led to a serious tactical disadvantage. Sentinel Prime led the war effort for half a million years, until Megatron killed him in combat, hoping to secure the Matrix from him. Sentinel's successor, Optimus Prime, originally decided to evacuate Cybertron, fearing that, even if the Autobots won, Cybertron would be a wasteland. However, a subsequent encounter between Optimus Prime and Megatron, where he learned of the planetary engines the Decepticon leader hoped to power with the Matrix, convinced Prime to remain on Cybertron. {{storylink|Transformers: The War Within|The War Within}}

Later, Optimus Prime and Megatron disappeared in a space bridge explosion. Without strong leadership, both sides degenerated into factions. The [[Wrecker]]s and the [[Lightning Strike Coalition]] broke off from the main Autobot army, which was led by Prowl. {{storylink|Transformers: War Within: The Dark Ages|War Within: The Dark Ages}} After [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] took control of the Autobots, he reunified the factions, and manage to negotiate a cease-fire with [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave's]] Decepticons and Ratbat's [[Ultracon]]s. However, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream's]] [[Predacon (War Within)|Predacons]] made a last ditch assault, and Megatron suddenly returned leading the [[Air Warrior|Aerospace Extermination Squadron]], an army of [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] drones created by the Quintessons. Megatron managed to conquer Cybertron, forcing most of the Autobots into slavery and the escapees into hiding. The period of Autobot enslavement ended when Optimus Prime returned to Cybertron and the Air Warriors were destroyed. ''We don't know how.'' {{storylink|Transformers: War Within: The Age of Wrath|War Within: The Age of Wrath}}

Four million years before humans arose, Cybertron was threatened by a massive asteroid. The Autobots developed the ''Ark'' to destroy the asteroid. They were successful, but Megatron attacked with the ''Nemesis''. Both ships crashed on Earth, with both crews aboard the ''Ark''. On Cybertron, Ultra Magnus and [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] worked to keep the Autobots from splitting up again. With energon growing scarce, Magnus agreed to work with Shockwave to create the [[Micromaster]]s, downsized Transformers intended for better fuel efficiency. Magnus also launched [[Operation: Containment]], a twofold program intended to prevent the Decepticons from threatening other planets and locating the ''Ark''. {{storylink|Transformers: Micromasters}} However, with the [[Great Shutdown]], all Transformers entered a period of enforced [[stasis lock]]. Shockwave was the first to be reactivated, and made peace with the Autobots, installing himself as Head of State with an [[Autobot High Council]] as a legislature.

On Earth, the Autobots on the ''Ark'' awoke in 1984. Cut off from Cybertron, and seeing that a sentient species had evolved around them, the Autobots resolved to defend Earth from the Decepticons. Over the next fifteen years, the Autobots were largely successful at preventing a Decepticon conquest, while also befriending the [[Witwicky]] family. Eventually, the Autobots allied with the humans and defeated the Decepticons, capturing them. However, rogue elements of the United States Military, apparently being manipulated by Shockwave, sabotaged the ''[[Ark II]]'', capturing several Autobots and most of the Decepticons, until the chief scientist, [[Lazarus|Adam Rook]], went rogue and set himself up as an arms dealer. [[Robert Hallo]], the original mastermind of the conspiracy, used [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] to reactivate Optimus Prime, who revived the Autobots and stopped a reactivated Megatron. {{storylink|Prime Directive}} A year later, Shockwave came to tie up loose ends and acquire the Matrix from Prime. A rebel Autobot cell managed to rescue Prime, who united the other resistance groups, and Shockwave was overthrown, bringing Cybertron under Autobot control. {{storylink|War and Peace}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
{{ongoing}}
Over four million years ago, "Autobot" was a term used by other races to describe Cybertronians. It was derived from "automaton", describing how the species lived routine, monotonous lives without any change. [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] was the first Transformer to lay claim to the name for their own use, saying it could stand for "autonomous" instead. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 2}}

The "First Face", the symbol that would become the Autobot insignia, was an ancient design used by many factions in the past and once considered a universal symbol of Cybertronians. {{storylink|Omega's Conundrum}} During the time of the [[Senate]], it was used to represent their security forces led by [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]. {{storylink|The Transformers: Megatron Origin|Megatron Origin}} After [[Zeta Prime (G1)|Zeta Prime]] succeeded Sentinel, he and his good friend Orion Pax shaped the security forces into the faction known as the Autobots and appropriated the symbol for their use. {{storylink|Omega's Conundrum}} The Autobots went on to lead the battle against [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]]'s Decepticon terrorist movement, but Zeta's increasingly ruthless methods and neglect of the civilian populace made them widely unpopular. {{storylink|Law and Disorder}} Following Zeta's death, Orion Pax became Optimus Prime and convinced many neutral Cybertronians to join the Autobot army for the sake of defeating Megatron. {{storylink|Broadcast}}

With both Autobots and Decepticons now having powerful leaders and large armies, the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]] between the broke out. Eventually, the Autobots spread across the galaxy and formed into small units to counter the Decepticon units infiltrating various planets. The two sides joined forces to combat [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] and the ensuing battle rendered Cybertron uninhabitable. {{storylink|The Transformers: Stormbringer |Stormbringer}}

===''Beast Wars: Uprising''===
The Autobots and Decepticons, isolated on Cybertron by humanity for causing too much devastation during the Great War, became the [[Builder of Cybertron|Builders of Cybertron]]. The Autobots constructed the Maximals as their descendants, naming them after [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]]. {{storylink|Broken Windshields}} {{storylink|Head Games}}

==2001 ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon==
Here, the Autobots are the main race on Cybertron, and their enemies are the [[Predacon (RID)|Predacons]]. The Autobots fought in the [[Cybertronian Civil Wars]], presumably against the Predacons. [[Vector Sigma]], the [[Allspark]], chooses which Autobot is to be granted the Matrix and thus the position of commander-in-chief.

The Autobots were already on [[Earth]] when the Predacons arrived, having taken the form of Earth vehicles to work as camouflage and established a [[Global Space Bridge]] network and a central base monitoring the entire planet.

In their disguises, the Autobots integrated themselves into human society; [[Team Bullet Train]] worked as actual trains, [[X-Brawn]] was owned as a car by [[Kelly (RID)|Kelly]], and Optimus Prime was working for a fire department. This continued after they went public; both [[Prowl (RID)|Prowl]] and [[Tow-Line (RID)|Tow-Line]], for example, were shown enforcing human laws in an apparently official capacity, suggesting the Autobots had official ties to human authorities.

It's known Optimus fought the Predacons on other worlds, presumably using the same tactics as on Earth.

==Unicron Trilogy continuity family==
===Dreamwave comic continuity===
====Dreamwave ''Armada'' comic====
Originally, the Autobots were not a faction, but the name of a peacekeeping organization; under the command of [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]], they defended [[Cyber City]]. Their headquarters was adorned with the motto "Truth - Justice - Freedom". They were unable to stop the [[Mini-Con]]-powered Decepticons from taking Cyber City, and for a million years they were reduced to a rebel organization desperately trying & failing to protect Cybertron. The reactivation of the Mini-Cons on Earth gave the Autobots an opportunity to gain Mini-Con power of their own, but eventually the Decepticons were beaten not by them, but due to the attack of [[Unicron]].

===Cartoon continuity===
====''Armada'' cartoon====
Throughout the Unicron Trilogy, the Autobots switched motives after each major conflict. At first, they were attempting to liberate smaller robots, called [[Mini-Con]]s, from the tyrannical control of [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]], who saw them as tools to be used and disposed of when no longer needed. The Autobots followed the Mini-Cons' ship to Earth, where they crashed and eventually continued their battle against the Decepticons (some two million years later. Geez, Megatron can hold a grudge).

These two sides would unite to fight the Chaos Bringer, [[Unicron]], when he threatened to devour Cybertron. With Megatron sacrificing himself to save the rest of the Universe, Unicron shut down and was destroyed. The remaining Transformers united as the Autobots, following Megatron's order to assist them in rebuilding Cybertron.

====''Energon'' cartoon====
Megatron's final orders to his troops still stood: work with the Autobots. The Decepticons maintained a degree of autonomy, still wearing the faction sigil and often taking military/defensive positions in the growing number of energon-mining colonies, but they were ultimately answerable to [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] and the Autobots. There were, of course, dissenters, most of whom were captured and imprisoned. For a decade, Autobot and Decepticon worked side-by-side in a somewhat stable truce.

Both sides found themselves the target of attacks from Unicron again; hordes of Terrorcon drones, sent by Alpha Quintesson to steal energon ore with which to revive the now-shattered husk of Unicron. What the alien did not count on was that Megatron's spark had survived within the remains, and was siphoning energon from Unicron's body. Soon the Decepticon leader had revived himself in a new form, driven off Alpha Quintesson, and, along with an elite cadre of soldiers and a seemingly inexhaustible supply of mindless Terrorcon drones, begun his new plans for conquest.

When news of Megatron's return reached Cybertron, hundreds of Decepticons rose up and rebelled, eager to get back to conquering. But having been joined to Unicron for so long apparently had given Megatron a taste of godhood; he had no more interest in amassing a galaxy-spanning army of troops. Countless Decepticons died in the resulting battles, with Megatron more than willing to sacrifice them without a thought to attain ultimate power for himself. As the "Powerlinx Battles" - as they came to be called - came to their climax, Megatron found that his actions and thoughts were being influenced and controlled by the dark spark of Unicron. Unwilling to let Unicron stand in his way, Megatron ultimately sacrificed himself (again) and seemingly destroyed Unicron's spark by plunging himself into a newly formed energon sun created by Primus.

====''Cybertron'' cartoon====
Another ten years after Energon, the energon sun created by Primus was gone, collapsed into the [[Unicron Singularity]], a giant black hole threatening to devour all of existence. In death, Unicron's power to destroy his only opposition - Primus - was greater than ever. The Autobots searched for a method of destroying the Black Hole and found a single answer; the Omega Lock, a powerful artifact linked to the Spark of Primus. With it, the Universe could be saved... or destroyed. Seeing an opportunity to rebuild existence in his own image, Megatron sought out the Omega Lock and the Cyber Planet Keys.

As the two sides battled for the Keys, the Autobots would eventually find all four and use them to revive Primus, but in doing so caused a massive earthquake that began shattering the planet around them.

Or so they thought.

Primus was emerging from Cybertron, awakened from the body he sculpted into a world for his creation. When informed of Unicron's destruction, he was infuriated to find that the universe was out of balance because of a severe lack of evil. Starscream attacked Primus's weakened form, due to the smaller robot stealing a piece of his spark and becoming an even equally huge monster, but was quickly dispatched by his creator. Defeated, Starscream flew off, leaving the Autobots to seal the Black Hole. Once this was accomplished, Galvatron attempted an escape from his fire dimension, but by combining Vector Prime's sword with the Omega Lock, the portal was sealed, and the Autobots returned home in peace.

The remaining Decepticons joined the Autobots, save for four who left Earth to start the New Decepticon Army. Their ship made it to Mars before crashing.

==Live-action film series==
[[File:Movie Sam Mikaela meettheAutobots.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Hello [[Michael Bay]]. Goodbye childhood.]]
The Autobots (autonomous robotic organisms) are the second Cybertronian civilization, being the descendants of the early workers who served the [[Dynasty of Primes]]. Following the outbreak of the war, the Autobots became the Transformers who rallied around [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus]], the last of the Primes, to prevent [[Megatron (Movie)|Protector Megatron]] from claiming the [[AllSpark]]. They were formed mostly from the [[Science Division]], the [[Security Force]], and what few members of the [[Defense Force]] rejected Megatron's violent ambitions. Although they fought valiantly, the Decepticons were more warlike, and they began to gain ground. In a move to prevent the Decepticons from acquiring the AllSpark, Prime sent it hurtling into deep space. Megatron followed, and disappeared. The Autobots then scattered among the universe, searching for the AllSpark. {{storylink|Transformers: Defiance|Defiance}} {{storylink|Transformers: Movie Prequel |Movie Prequel}}

Following some twelve thousand years of searching, the Autobots encountered a stranded human vessel in space. Known as ''[[Ghost 1]]'', the creatures aboard, named humans, revealed that they had developed the ship based on studies from Megatron. Recognizing that Megatron would destroy their world if he came back online, Optimus tried to send them back to Earth, but they sacrificed their lives to save Optimus from [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]. Already suspecting that the AllSpark was on their homeworld, the Autobots made efforts to find [[Earth]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday|Ghosts of Yesterday}}

Eventually, the Autobots made their way to Earth, discovering a link to the AllSpark with [[Sam Witwicky]]. The Autobot [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] came into Sam's possession, and contacted Optimus Prime. Prime came to Earth with [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]], [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]], and [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] to retrieve the AllSpark and eliminate Megatron, fearing the Decepticon would use the Cube to raise an army from human technology. However, Starscream's retrieval team was also on Earth, having come for the AllSpark. The Autobots were further hampered by [[Sector Seven]], the human agency tasked with dealing with Transformers. Eventually forming a brief truce with Sector Seven and a group of Army Rangers who had encountered [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] and [[Scorponok (Movie)|Scorponok]], the Autobots fought off the Decepticons in [[Mission City]], which saw the deaths of Megatron, Blackout, [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]], and [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]], but Jazz was killed and the AllSpark destroyed when Sam Witwicky extinguished Megatron's spark. Without a means to restore Cybertron, the Autobots decided to remain on Earth, and Optimus Prime sent a message into space for Autobots to come and protect their new home and newfound allies in humanity. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}}

{{note|In the movie it is Ratchet who provides the name "Autobot", claiming it is an abbreviation after Optimus's line, "We are autonomous robotic organisms from the planet Cybertron". Seeing as how Decepticons also fit this description, this may imply that "Autobot" is the species name for the Transformers. In a departure from previous Transformers incarnations, Japan used the name "Autobots" for this franchise, rather than "Cybertrons".<ref>[http://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/TF/products/movie/autobots.html Movie Autobots toy listing on Takaratomy.com]</ref>}}

Over the next two years, more Autobots began making their way to Earth, such as [[Arcee (Movie)|Arcee]], [[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]], [[Jolt (Movie)|Jolt]], Mudflap, Skids, Elita One, and Chromia joining a human military force known as [[NEST]]. Under the classified Autobot Alien cooperation act, the Autobots entrusted the remaining AllSpark shard to humanity and gave them intelligence about the Decepticons they were facing. However, the Autobots refused to share weapons technology with humanity, knowing their history internecine warfare. {{storylink|Transformers: Alliance}} {{storylink|Transformers: The Veiled Threat|The Veiled Threat}}

In 2009, NEST had five encounters with the Decepticons on different continents, indicating that the Decepticons were searching for something. During a sweep of [[Shanghai]], NEST encountered [[Demolishor (ROTF)|Demolishor]] and [[Sideways (ROTF)|Sideways]], who caused substantial damage to the city during their attempts to escape. Although they were neutralized, Demolishor relayed a warning to Optimus Prime: "[[The Fallen]] shall rise again". Following this, NEST returned to their base of operations at [[Diego Garcia]], where they relayed the warning to [[Morshower|General Morshower]] and [[Theodore Galloway|Director Galloway]]. Having been appointed liaison by the President, Galloway concluded that the Decepticons only interest in Earth was to hunt down the Autobots. Unfortunately, Galloway also revealed both Megatron's resting place and the presence of the shard on Diego Garica. [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] was listening to the briefing, and directed [[Ravage (ROTF)|Ravage]] and the [[Constructicon (ROTF)|Constructicons]] to raise Megatron. Meeting with his master, The Fallen, Megatron was commanded to retrieve Sam Witwicky, who had absorbed the knowledge of the AllSpark, and kill Optimus Prime, the only one who could defeat The Fallen. Optimus died helping Sam escape, and the Decepticons launched multiple attacks to have the humans turn Sam over to them. Galloway used the attacks as an excuse to have himself placed in charge of NEST and place the Autobots under guard.

Meanwhile, Sam, his girlfriend [[Mikaela Banes]], and his roommate [[Leo Spitz]] were being hidden by Bumblebee and the Twins [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]], and with help from [[Seymour Simmons]] of Sector Seven, discovered Decepticon-turned-Autobot [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]], who told them that the Fallen, one of the founders of the Dynasty of Primes, was looking for the Matrix of Leadership needed to activate the [[Star Harvester]], which would destroy Earth's sun and make energon. As only a Prime could defeat the Fallen, Sam and his group started a search for the Matrix and located it, leading to a massive battle with the Decepticons near the Star Harvester during which Sam tried reach Optimus to resurrect him and the Decepticons attempted to stop him and get the Matrix. After most of the Decepticons were killed, Megatron killed Sam, but he was resurrected by the Dynasty of Primes and granted the Matrix which he used to resurrect Optimus Prime. With help from Jetfire, who sacrificed himself to give him his parts, Optimus was able to destroy the Harvester, defeat Megatron, leaving him seriously injured and kill the Fallen. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

A few years later, as there had been no major contact with the Decepticons since the death of the Fallen, the Autobots helped set up [[energon detector]]s in Earth's major cities to watch for a Decepticon presence. The Autobots, now common knowledge among Earth's people, helped out with major human threats. After Colonel Lennox learned of something alien at Chernobyl, the Autobots traveled there and encountered [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]] and his [[Driller]] after retrieving a mysterious part. After Shockwave was driven off, Optimus was shocked to discover that it was an engine part from the long-lost ''[[Ark (DOTM)|Ark]]'', which had crashed on the Moon. He and Ratchet traveled to the ''Ark'' and recovered five of the [[space bridge]] [[pillar]]s along with [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]] who was revived by the Matrix of Leadership. Sentinel eventually revealed himself to be a traitor, murdered Ironhide and used the space bridge to bring an army of over 200 Decepticons to Earth. Earth's governments forced the Autobots off the planet, with the Decepticons attempting to learn the Autobots' plans to fight back via Sam. Without revealing any plans, the Autobots left Earth in the ''[[Xantium (DOTM)|Xantium]]'' and were apparently destroyed by [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]].

The Decepticons, led by Megatron and Sentinel Prime took over the human city of [[Chicago]] unopposed and prepared to bring Cybertron to Earth to use Earth's natural resources and its people as slaves to rebuild their home. The Autobots, who faked their deaths to trick the Decepticons, arrived in Chicago and linked up with a team of humans led by [[Sam Witwicky]] and former NEST soldier [[Robert Epps]] who were determined to fight even against overwhelming odds. With the help of the team and later NEST, the Autobots launched an attack on the city and together the Autobots and humans managed to kill [[Laserbeak (DOTM)|Laserbeak]], the Driller, Starscream, [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]], Barricade, Shockwave and many other Decepticons, losing only [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Que]] and possibly Wheelie and Brains in the process. Optimus Prime battled Sentinel Prime and though Optimus was defeated and nearly killed, Megatron suddenly turned on Sentinel and severely maimed him, having realized that he would never be able to remain leader of the Decepticons as long as Sentinel was alive. Meanwhile, the Control Pillar was destroyed by Bumblebee, and the collapsing space bridge destroyed Cybertron and the remaining Decepticon forces in Chicago. Megatron then tried to deceive Optimus into thinking that he wanted peace, but Optimus saw through the ruse and killed his seemingly eternal foe. Optimus then terminated Sentinel. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}

However, after the devastation of Chicago, the Autobots' alliance with the humans was officially dissolved, and NEST disbanded, while [[Harold Attinger]] of the CIA was tasked with hunting down the remaining Decepticons. Attinger's unit, a secret cabal of the CIA known as "Cemetery Wind", instead set out to destroy all Transformers, Autobot and Decepticon alike. The public and even the White House were kept under the impression that Cemetery Wind was only hunting down the Decepticons and that they were preparing to send the Autobots away from Earth. When he learned of Cemetery Wind's mission, Optimus sent a distress signal to his troops, warning them of the betrayal and to run for their lives. The Autobots scattered, some remaining in groups and some striking out on their own. The neutral [[Lockdown (ROTF)|Lockdown]], who was hunting Optimus for his own reasons, assisted Attinger's lieutenant [[James Savoy]] in hunting down the Transformers. Five years after the Chicago battle, [[Leadfoot (DOTM)|Leadfoot]] and the majority of the Autobots had been slaughtered, their remains being used by Joshua Joyce's KSI to produce man-made Transformers, intending to replace the Autobots as humanity's protectors.

Around the same time of the demise of Ratchet, Optimus narrowly survived an ambush and went into hiding as a rusty old cabover truck. Optimus was inadvertedly discovered by [[Cade Yeager]], and befriended the struggling inventor. The two escaped Savoy and Lockdown with Cade's daughter [[Tessa Yeager|Tessa]] and her boyfriend [[Shane Dyson|Shane]]. After taking a new vehicle form, Optimus met up with the surviving Autobots - Bumblebee, [[Drift (AOE)|Drift]], [[Hound (Movie)|Hound]], and [[Crosshairs (AOE)|Crosshairs]], with the sad truth that they were the last Autobots on the planet sinking in as they learned of Leadfoot's demise. The Autobots assisted in infiltrating KSI, until they were informed of Ratchet's gruesome fate. Optimus snapped, and led a ferocious assault on KSI, also freeing the imprisoned [[Brains]] along the way. However, Joyce confronted the Autobots, declaring humans didn't need the Autobots anymore, who were now little more than outdated technology for humanity to abuse. Disgusted, the Autobots left, but were pursued by KSI's [[Galvatron (AOE)|Galvatron]] and [[Stinger (AOE)|Stinger]], which resulted in Optimus and Tessa's capture by Lockdown.

In Chicago, the Autobots snuck aboard Lockdown's ship with Cade and Shane to rescue their friends, and succeeded in detaching a smaller ship from the whole before Lockdown learned of Optimus' escape. After regrouping and learning that Galvatron was a rebuilt Megatron plotting to use the Seed to kill millions of humans, Optimus ordered the Autobots to depart Earth forever and leave the humans to their fate. He was only convinced to stay when Cade convinced Optimus to have faith in who humanity could be. Hound and Bumblebee ended up separated from the group when they tried to retrieve the Seed from a repentant Joyce, only for Galvatron's new Decepticons to shoot down their ship. In the Wulong Valley, Optimus recruited the [[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobots]] to join them, which they did after he beat some obedience into [[Grimlock (AOE)|Grimlock]]. The Dinobots' assistance proved invaluable in turning the tide against the Decepticons, who had nearly overwhelmed Hound, Bumblebee and Cade in battle. The entire group attempted to escort Joyce and the Seed out of Hong Kong, but Lockdown returned. Optimus, Bumblebee, and the Yeagers all worked together and were able to kill Attinger and Lockdown. After regrouping, the Dinobots were set free on Earth, and Optimus assigned his Autobots to defend the Yeager family, while he departed to take the Seed from Earth and to confront his mysterious Creators. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction}}

==''Animated'' continuity family==
Approximately 750 million years ago, the Autobots began as a sub-faction of the ruling [[Protectobot (Animated)|Protectobot]]s. Quickly eclipsing their predecessors, the Autobots rose to prominence and advocated expanding Cybertronian influence to neighboring planets within the [[Hadeen System]]. They were present throughout the [[Age of Expansion]], and fought in several skirmishes against the [[Quintesson Pan Galactic Co-Prosperity Sphere]].

Tensions between the Autobots and the [[Destron (Animated)|Destron]]s began to grow, a conflict which escalated after the Decepticons emerged within the Destrons.

30 million years ago, [[PC Magnus]] oversaw the construction of [[Fortress Maximus (Animated)|Fortress Maximus]], headquarters of the [[Cybertron Elite Guard]]. 18 million years later, his successor [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] passed the [[Decepticon Registration Act]], sparking the [[Great War (Animated)|Great War]]. {{Storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}} The Autobots won the war with the Decepticons because of three things: the Autobot-exclusive [[space bridge]] technology, [[Project Omega]], and by sending the [[AllSpark]] into space to keep the Decepticons from getting it. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}

Since then [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] has known peace under the rule of the [[Autobot High Council]], headed by a [[Magnus (rank)|Magnus]]. Ultra Magnus commands the military portion of the planet's defense force, the Elite Guard, still based at Fortress Maximus. ([[Alpha Trion (Animated)|Alpha Trion]] is in charge of the civilian guards, which may include the [[Cyber-Ninja Corps]]). [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] is a subordinate rank answerable to the Magnus, and [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]], [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel]], [[Rodimus Prime (Animated)|Rodimus]] and [[Shockwave (Animated)|Longarm]] have been promoted to this rank. A lower officer is known as a [[Minor (rank)|Minor]]. The High Council, [[Cybertron Intelligence]] and the [[Ministry of Science]] are based at the [[Metroplex (Animated)|Metroplex]].

Notably, Autobots in this universe are almost entirely ground-bound; almost all of them transform into various land or sea vehicles and none are capable of sustained flight. However, recent experiments in combining Autobot and Decepticon physiology have produced [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] and [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]], flight-capable Autobots and prototypes for a future group of [[Aerialbot (Animated)|Aerialbot]]s. {{Storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}} Unlike the Decepticons, the Autobots utilize various gadgets and tools in place of weapons (although rocket-propelled axes and shurikens are fair game).

Also notable is that they're somewhat more morally grey than other depictions of Autobots. The aforementioned experiment to create Jetfire and Jetstorm was done without consent, as the high command considered them expendable and saw "No point risking Elite Guard resources." Their words, not ours {{storylink|First (and Second) in Flight}}. Vast swathes of Autobots don't seem to have names, and Project Omega workers are in Blitzwing's words "nameless, faceless, and without identity," {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}} to say nothing of how Project Omega's creations were deliberately mentally handicapped so as not to question the devastation they'd caused. And their attitudes towards organics leave much to be desired. Apparently, autobot prison is so horrific that it drove [[Waspinator (Animated)|a wrongfully accused autobot]] to the brink of madness.

Also, they let [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|jerks]] into positions of power. That said, they're probably still better from a moral standpoint than the Decepticons.

Unfortunately, the series was canceled before this moral ambiguity could be properly explored.

{{note|Takara also used the name "Autobots" instead of "Cybertrons" for the faction in this franchise.}}

==''Shattered Glass''==
[[File:Autobot Shattered Glass.png|177px|thumb|...the evil forces of the Autobots?]]
{{quote|'Til all are gone.|[[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]]|"[[Shattered Glass (issue)|Shattered Glass]]"}}

In this universe, the Autobots are the evildoers, bent on conquering and destroying everything in their path, starting with Earth. On Cybertron, they are the dominant faction, ruled by the Prime, specifically [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]]. Ranks are in constant flux due to their backstabbing nature. [[Rodimus (SG)|Rodimus]] may very well usurp rule one day. {{storylink|Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass}}
{{-}}

==Aligned continuity family==
[[File:DarknessRising1-untappedenergondeposit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
"Autobot", a contraction of "autonomous robot", was an old philosopical phrase [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Orion Pax]] found on the [[DataNet]] and one that he suggested to his friend [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] to be the name of their movement to abolish the [[caste system]]. At their hearing with the [[Autobot High Council|High Council]], Orion used the term over and over again to remind his enthusiastic followers of the freedom they sought. He implored the Council choose a new Prime, so [[Halogen (WFC)|Halogen]] chose Orion as the new Prime, tearing Orion and Megatron's movement in two. In the war with Megatron's Decepticons, the Autobots only held fifteen percent of Cybertron, including [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] and [[Kalis]]. The Autobots left Cybertron on the ''[[Ark (WFC)|Ark]]'', transported by the [[space bridge]] to the [[Milky Way]]. [[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]]'s [[Wrecker]]s, [[Jetfire (WFC)|Jetfire]], [[Omega Supreme (WFC)|Omega Supreme]], and [[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]] remained on the planet. ''{{storylink|Transformers: Exodus}}''

{{Main|Team Prime}}
Soon enough, Cybertron became deserted, with Autobot forces stretched thin across the universe. {{storylink|Transformers: Prime (graphic novel)}} With the death of [[Cliffjumper (WFC)|Cliffjumper]], Optimus only had [[Team Prime|four Autobots]] with him on [[Earth]], {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 1}} though he would later be joined on Earth with [[Rescue Force Sigma-17]], {{storylink|Family of Heroes}} [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]], {{storylink|New Recruit}} rogue member [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]], {{storylink|Loose Cannons}} [[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]], {{storylink|Prey (episode)|Prey}}, former Decepticon [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]], {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Prime)|Predacons Rising}} [[High Tide]], [[Servo (RB)|Servo]], {{storylink|Turning the Tide}} [[Salvage (RB)|Salvage]], and [[Blurr (Prime)|Blurr]]. {{storylink|The New Recruits}}
{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Transformers (2007)===
====Transformers Movie Screen Cleaners====
[[File:Movie Autobot Screencleaner.jpg|106px|thumb|This was originally the top bit of [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion's]] pimp cane.]]
*'''Autobot''' (2008)
:Released by [[Gacha International|Tomy Yujin]] in January 2008, this dangler is a [[Insignia|faction logo]]-shaped screen cleaner for your cell phone, with a stock image of Autobot insignia printed on the other side.
{{-}}

====Kinnerton====
[[File:Kinnerton Transformers Tin.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|For holding all your Autobot-symbol-shaped cookies.]]
*'''Transformers Tin''' (2008)
: Confectionery and... stationary company [[Kinnerton]] produced ''Movie''-style Autobot sigil-shaped tins. It is currently unknown what these tins were used for. These tins and other Kinnerton products were available in [[Australia]].
{{-}}

====PTI Group====
*'''Transformers Treat Containers''' (2008)
:Produced as an exclusive for [[Target]] stores, these blue plastic containers were molded in the shape of the Autobot symbol. They were sold in packs of three. While not dishwasher safe, they were perfect for containing any number of small treats.
{{--}}

==Notes==
===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Cybertron''' (サイバトロン ''Saibatoron''), '''Autobot''' (オートボット ''Ōtobotto'')
*''Cantonese:'' '''Bǒk Pāǐ''' (博派, "Fraternity Faction")
*''Hungarian:'' '''Autobotok'''
*''Italian:'' '''Autorobot'''
*''Korean:'' '''Cybertron''' (사이버트론 ''Saibeoteuron''), '''Autobot''' (오토봇 ''Otobot'')
*''Mandarin:'' '''Autobot''' (Taiwan, 奧特巴 ''Àu Thè Pā''), '''Bó Pâi''' (博派, "Bot Faction"), '''Qìchērén''' (China, 汽车人, "Car Person"), '''Zìyóurén''' (自由人, "Freeman"),
*''Polish:'' '''Autoboty'''
*''Portuguese:'' '''Autobóticos''' (Portugal comic), '''Optimus''' (Brazil comic)
*''Ukrainian:'' '''Cybery''' (Кібери, ''Cybers'')

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Animated factions]]
[[Category:Beast Wars: Uprising factions]]
[[Category:Armada]]
[[Category:Autobots]]
[[Category:Cybertron franchise]]
[[Category:Energon franchise]]
[[Category:Factions]]
[[Category:Generation 1 factions]]
[[Category:Generation 2]]
[[Category:Machine Wars]]
[[Category:Robots in Disguise (2001)]]
[[Category:Universe (2003)]]

Spectralism

2016-12-27T06:44:26Z

DoctorFluffy:

:''Spectralism is a religious movement from the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW portion]] of the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

Spectralism is a Cybertronian religious movement, placing great importance on colors, and their meaning. For example, blue and purple are considered both a sign of grief and a statement of intent to kill. They also have a greeting identified as the "Call of the Wavelength". Spectralist funerial customs involve making a coffin from material found at the scene of the deceased's death. Not much is known about it at the moment.

==Fiction==
===IDW Generation 1 Continuity===

After a near-death experience, Drift became a practicing spectralist. When Thunderclash visited the ''Lost Light'', he recognized Drift as a spectralist and gave him the Call of the Wavelength, before agreeing with him that the emotional discomfort in the room was making the moment "magenta". {{storylink|Little Victories}} Going by this and Drift's explanation of purple and blue as related to violence and grief, it's safe to say that darker colors such as purple and blue often have negative meanings.

Before he was forced off the ship, Drift also had tried to convert Rodimus, to no apparent luck. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}}

On the duplicate ''Lost Light'' created by the ship's malfunction on take-off, Rodimus was buried spectralist-style on Drift's insistence after his demise fighting a sparkeater. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}} {{storylink|slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken}}

Rodimus converted to Spectralism after Skids' death and took on a blue and purple paintjob. When Drift questioned whether it was a promise to kill Getaway or a way to mourn Skids, Rodimus refused to answer. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron}}

[[Category:IDW Generation 1 legends]]
[[Category:Religion]]

Domestication

2016-12-26T16:18:31Z

DoctorFluffy: Well that didn't work...

:''Domestication is a terrible thing from the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW portion]] of the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''

'''Domestication''' is a gruesome form of torture, a medical process designed to denigrate and humiliate [[Transformer]]s who possess [[beast mode]]s. By lobotomizing the Transformer in question, mutilating their [[voice box]], and subsequently removing their [[transformation cog]], the victim becomes little more than a feral animal, unable to comprehend their situation or return to [[robot mode]].

==Fiction==
===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
[[Dominus Ambus]] served as a mole within the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] until his cover was eventually blown. As retribution, [[Kaon (DJD)|Kaon]] had Dominus domesticated, leaving him permanently trapped as a [[turbofox]] that his tormentor adopted, nicknaming him "The Pet". {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 4: At Close of Day|At Close of Day}}

After the end of the war, the ex-Decpeticon [[Demus]] began kidnapping and domesticating beast mode Transformers, marketing them as fun "[[Roboid]]" toys. These half-dead "toys" were marketed to violent, robophobic species across the galaxy, and buyers tended to use them as torture dolls; the Roboids in question were ''just'' sentient enough to feel the pain. Following Demus's death, [[Fortress Maximus]] took custody of the Roboids, and [[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]] left Maximus a note explaining how to reverse the domestication process. {{storylink|Animals}}

Back on [[Luna 1]], [[Cerebros]] was tasked with reversing the procedure. Although Spinister's techniques were successful, they were also time-consuming, and months later only a fraction of the Roboids had been re-habiliated. {{storylink|Ten to Midnight}}

==See also==
*[[Transformation paralysis]]
*[[Suppressor (device)]]
*[[Transfixatron]]
*[[Transformation lock lens]]
*[[Transformation virus]]
*[[Empurata]]

[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Transformer culture]]
[[Category:Restraining devices]]

Domestication

2016-12-26T16:18:19Z

DoctorFluffy: It seemed vaguely similar.

:''Domestication is a terrible thing from the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW portion]] of the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''

'''Domestication''' is a gruesome form of torture, a medical process designed to denigrate and humiliate [[Transformer]]s who possess [[beast mode]]s. By lobotomizing the Transformer in question, mutilating their [[voice box]], and subsequently removing their [[transformation cog]], the victim becomes little more than a feral animal, unable to comprehend their situation or return to [[robot mode]].

==Fiction==
===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
[[Dominus Ambus]] served as a mole within the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] until his cover was eventually blown. As retribution, [[Kaon (DJD)|Kaon]] had Dominus domesticated, leaving him permanently trapped as a [[turbofox]] that his tormentor adopted, nicknaming him "The Pet". {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 4: At Close of Day|At Close of Day}}

After the end of the war, the ex-Decpeticon [[Demus]] began kidnapping and domesticating beast mode Transformers, marketing them as fun "[[Roboid]]" toys. These half-dead "toys" were marketed to violent, robophobic species across the galaxy, and buyers tended to use them as torture dolls; the Roboids in question were ''just'' sentient enough to feel the pain. Following Demus's death, [[Fortress Maximus]] took custody of the Roboids, and [[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]] left Maximus a note explaining how to reverse the domestication process. {{storylink|Animals}}

Back on [[Luna 1]], [[Cerebros]] was tasked with reversing the procedure. Although Spinister's techniques were successful, they were also time-consuming, and months later only a fraction of the Roboids had been re-habiliated. {{storylink|Ten to Midnight}}

==See also==
*[[Transformation paralysis]]
*[[Suppressor (device)]]
*[[Transfixatron]]
*[[Transformation lock lens]]
*[[Transformation virus]]
*[[Empurata}}

[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Transformer culture]]
[[Category:Restraining devices]]

Spectralism

2016-12-17T23:53:06Z

DoctorFluffy: Created page with "Spectralism is one of many religions in the IDW Generation 1 continuity, placing great importance on colors. As Drift is one of very few practitioners we've seen, ''and'' the ..."

Spectralism is one of many religions in the IDW Generation 1 continuity, placing great importance on colors. As Drift is one of very few practitioners we've seen, ''and'' the most prominent, information is scarce.
===IDW Generation 1 Continuity===

Drift's meeting with Thunderclash and thus someone who respects him is considered a "magenta moment" and blue and purple can be considered a promise to kill.

Rodimus converted to Spectralism after Skids' death and took on a blue and purple paintjob as a promise to kill him. As this is Rodimus, it's not certain how serious he is about it.

[[Category:IDW Generation 1 legends]]
[[Category:Religion]]

Religion

2016-12-17T23:32:12Z

DoctorFluffy: /* IDW Generation 1 continuity */

As in [[human]] cultures, in many continuities the Transformers have possessed '''religion''' to help them explain and cope with their place in the universe. There are various [[god]]s and religious figures the Transformers are known to believe in. In continuities where they exist, Transformer spiritual and religious beliefs are usually specifically illustrated to be truth rather than legend or superstition.

The [[Covenant of Primus]] is a compilation of prophecies that can be regarded as the Transformers bible.

==Generation 1 cartoon continuity==
In the original [[The Transformers (cartoon)|''The Transformers'' cartoon]], despite the lead characters witnessing supernatural occurrences such as [[magic]] and [[ghosts]] on a number of occasions without any apparent amazement or surprise, there is little direct evidence for general Transformer spiritual or religious beliefs. [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]] recommends praying before battle, but does not specify to whom. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness}}

It is known that the spirits of [[Prime (rank)|Autobot leaders]] past dwell within the [[Matrix of Leadership]] even after their deaths, but the mechanism of this is unknown. A living Autobot leader can journey within the Matrix to commune with them and receive visions of the past. (Rodimus needed to be near death to achieve this, but Optimus could instigate it at will.) It is unknown how spiritual or how mechanical this whole process is.

The best, if not only, other evidence we have comes from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' with the apparent prophecy that "one day an Autobot shall rise from our ranks, and use the power of the Matrix to light our [[darkest hour]]" and the repetition, prayer-like, of the phrase "[['Til all are one]]."

==Marvel Comics continuity==
[[File:Primus original.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|No resemblance to Hot Rod whatsoever, no siree, no foreshadowing here!]]
This is where the concept of Transformer religion and spiritual beliefs really took form and spread. Nearly all subsequent uses of Transformer religion derive from the foundation laid in these stories.

=== Primary beliefs ===
The story of the gods [[Primus]] and [[Unicron]] went through several iterations as they were retold by different speakers over the course of the US and UK comic run. The most distinct difference across these revisions was the fading out of their respective pantheons. When first told, by Unicron, Primus and Unicron were each merely part of a whole pantheon of other light and dark gods respectively. In the next version, by the [[Keeper (Transformer)|Keeper]], they were the last of their pantheons, the others already having been destroyed or passed on to the [[Omniversal Matrix]]. Finally, in the version told by Primus, they were each unique beings with the existence of other gods ignored or refuted. This final version is the most frequently borrowed by later material. (The [[BotCon]] "Reaching the Omega Point" story being the notable exception, see below.)

One legend surrounding Primus is that of the [[Last Autobot]], Primus' final guardian who would come after the god's passing and the defeat of Unicron.
{{-}}
=== Sacred artifacts ===
[[File:Creation Matrix 65.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|This is the strangest Poké Ball I've ever seen.]]
The [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]] is the living essence of Primus' life force and considered a sacred artifact. The bearer of it is gifted with the power to create new Transformer life. Each Matrix bearer, known as a Prime, takes a derivation of the name Primus as part of his own. Five have existed: [[Prima]], [[Prime Nova]], [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]], Optimus Prime, and Rodimus Prime. Though its existence was well known, the manifest physical nature of the Matrix was not, thus it was ignored by Shockwave when he captured Optimus and, following his death, was launched into space with Optimus' body by his fellow Autobots.

[[File:Matrixflame.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Noooooo! Someone blew the candle out!]]
The [[Matrix Flame]] on Cybertron is set in a golden brazier on a green altar, and tended by a [[Matrix Flame priest|red tabard clad acolyte]]. It is the living embodiment of the sacred Creation Matrix. Its status indicates that of the Matrix and its bearer.

Several scriptural texts were recorded in the [[Covenant of Primus]], believed to be prophetic. Only two copies existed.

{{-}}

=== Believers ===
After millennia of war, many Transformers regarded Primus and Unicron as mere legends or disregarded them entirely. On hearing the name Primus spoken Bumblebee claims to have almost forgotten the Transformers ever had a God. Even when confronted with a giant head at the center of their planet Grimlock does not at first accept the myth of Primus and Unicron as true.

On the other hand, [[Emirate]] [[Xaaron]] appears to have believed, and Optimus Prime, likely due to his being Prime, was quick to accept Primus and Unicron. Interestingly, though he is bearer of Primus's life force, Optimus was not one to unthinkingly and zealously follow his god, harboring, at times, serious misgivings and distrust about the use to which Primus was putting his children.

One of Primus' most devoted warriors was without a doubt [[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]]. Due to an accident in the lab where he was created, data from Cybertron's core itself got written into his software, bestowing him with vast knowledge about his race, their planet and maybe even Primus' future plans. Sunstorm himself believes to be a supernatural being and his god's holy prophet, whether this is closer to truth or misguidance stays unknown. [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]], though being an atheist, admitted that he would never be sure about him.

There were likely still some number of true believers, even prior to Primus' reemergence, as the tender of the Matrix Flame and the purple cloaked monk-like elders who aid Prime in the Generation 2 comics attest.

==Reaching the Omega Point==
The first "other" Transformer God, aside from Primus and Unicron, to appear in any story shows up here: The [[Chronarchitect]]. He is presumably of Primus' pantheon (see Marvel Comics above) given his alliance. He is the god of time.

==Beast Wars/Machines==
The Transformers have a belief in "the Matrix", where the sparks of the dead go and exist together. It would turn out this is an actual dimension, the [[Allspark]], where all sparks that exist, have existed, or ever will exist originate, existing as a collective whole.

==Unicron Trilogy==
While exploring Cybertron's interior [[Brian Jones (Energon)|Dr. Brian Jones]] was transported to an long-abandoned temple where offerings of [[energon]] had been left for the legendary "[[Omega Supreme (Energon)|guardian of energon]]" who had protected Cybertron long before the current generation of Transformers was created. Prior to witnessing [[Ancient Guardian]]'s reactivation, Jones believed these stories were just myths. {{storylink|Crash Course}} ''The Japanese version of this episode describes the Energon offerings as happening 'tens of thousands of years ago.'''

==Aligned==
While Primus and Unicron are generally accepted to exist, especially since [[Energon]] is the emanation of the former, the [[Thirteen|thirteen original Transformers]] and the artifacts surrounding them were a matter of belief. [[Jazz (WFC)|Jazz]] didn't believe the 13 existed, though he felt there were great lessons to be learned from the stories surrounding them, while [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] saw little use in [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] gaining the Matrix of Leadership. Many Cybertronians were pious enough to be offended when the [[Decepticon]]s bombed the [[Sonic Canyons]], which they incorrectly believed to be the entrance to [[Vector Sigma]] (which was actually located in [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]]).

==IDW Generation 1 continuity==
Unlike many others, Transformers from this continuity hold a wide variety of religious reliefs, and the true nature of Cybertronian life remains a mystery into the modern day. The most common deistic belief is in the pantheon known as the [[Guiding Hand]], five aspects of the warrior god Primus, a being conceived in reaction to an unknown 'opposite'. The creation myth known as the "Primal Sacrament" describes how these five gods populated Cybertron before falling in a war amongst themselves, their last remains becoming Vector Sigma, the Matrix of Leadership, and the archetypal [[brain module]] and [[transformation cog]]. {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}} Belief in these gods is known as Primalism {{storylink|The Gloaming|Meet the Crew}}, and Primalists would sometimes wear a 'tattoo' of the Matrix on one cheek as a symbol of their faith. The religious texts known as the "[[Primal Prophecies]]" and belief in the [[Underbase]] are also associated with Primalism. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1}}

[[File:MtMtEAnn2012-TheGuidingHand.jpg|upright=1.95|thumb|The New God...er The Guiding Hand.]]

Many other sects and religious organizations also exist. The [[Militant Monoform Movement]] is a group which specifically rejects the Guiding Hand's [[Adaptus]] through the removal of their transformation cogs {{storylink|Life After the Big Bang}}, and Neoprimalism is a form of organised religion which seemingly emphasises belief in miracles and the existence of unholy evil beings. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] championed a reinterpretation of the Primal Prophecies which viewed Primus as an abstract idea found in the beauty of the natural world. {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}} Drift is also a practicing spectralist, which places importance on the importance of color.

The existence of the [[Knights of Cybertron]], said to be the first Cybertronians and disciples of the Guiding Hand, is considered by some to be a religious belief {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 2}}, but the existence of the original [[Crystal City]] on Cybertron and the testimony of the ancient Transformer [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] suggests they did truly exist. {{storylink|Primus: All Good Things|All Good Things}}

After the time of the Knights of Cybertron, [[Thirteen Tribes]] of Cybertron came to power, each headed by a Prime. Some see these Primes as simply warlords and leaders, but others see them as literal living gods and worship them as such. Transformers from the colony world of [[Caminus]] in particular follow the [[Way of Flame]] a religion that places [[Solus Prime]] in particular at the top of The Thirteen.

Atheistic Cybertronians are referred to as "evolutionary engineerists" after the scientifically-grounded theory of [[atechnogenesis]]. {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}}

On occasion, Transformers were heard to use idioms referring to something named [[Primacron]], {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 2|Stormbringer #2}} but it is unclear if they are a deity.

==The multiversal mythos==
Beginning around the time of ''[[Transformers: Armada (franchise)|Armada]]'', a new version of the Primus/Unicron story began to take shape. This new mythos was most notable for its multiversal nature: it applied not just to the new [[Unicron Trilogy]] [[continuity family]] but also to the new iterations of Generation 1 being created by [[Dreamwave Productions]] and to the multiversal ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Machines]]'' spin-off [[Transformers: Universe (2003 franchise)|Transformers: Universe]]. In fact, by its very nature the new Multiversal Mythos attempted to apply itself to everything, even retroactively to past continuity where it was often a not-so-easy fit.

The basics of this new version of the myth are that both Primus and Unicron were created by "The One," an original God-being, and sent out into the universe as emissaries/explorers. Unicron goes bad and Primus must stop him. For some unexplained reason Primus exists in all possible continuities simultaneously (picture a single string stretching through many rooms) and his destruction in any one of them would destroy all creation, while Unicron, on the other hand, exists in only one Universe at a time ever. There are no "alternate reality" multiversal versions of Unicron, he's just one single God who leaps between universes (picture a ball of yarn thrown from room to room).

Needless to say this is a tricky bit of [[retcon]]ning that is hard to mesh with the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original cartoon]] (where there was no Primus and Unicron was only a robot made by [[Primacron]]) or the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel Comics]] where Primus is stated to have died and the multiverse doesn't implode.

An event known as [[Shroud|The Shrouding]], however, severed the connections among the different universes in the multiverse, rendering iterations of Primus and Unicron as individual entities rather than multiversal singularities. What this implies for their "origins" has not yet been explored.

== Alternate beliefs ==
===Cult of Unicron===
[[File:Acolyte of unicron.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Trick or Treat?]]
Some Transformers have willingly (or unwillingly) come to serve the dark god Unicron. [[The Fallen]] was the first of these.

In the Marvel comics, before their long sleep Unicron was able to bury a powerful compulsion in the minds of a number of Transformers causing them to form a secret cult of Unicron, which attempted to slay Optimus Prime upon his being named the leader of Primus' forces.

===Decepticon religion?===
The Decepticon myth of the [[Last Autobot|Ultimate Warrior]] appears to be a corruption of the [[Last Autobot]] story. In the Marvel Comic the mystically inclined Decepticon [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] dedicated his life to the "teachings" of the Ultimate Warrior, a path that may be taken as a possible alternate Cybertronian religion.

In Dreamwave's second ''[[Transformers: The War Within|The War Within]]'' miniseries Bludgeon and other like-minded Decepticon mystics are shown to commune with and worship [[Dark science|"dark" mystical forces]] in attempt to gain power.

The Japanese Generation 1 series present two characters that might also factor in to a Decepticon religion. [[Devil Z]] is described alternately as 'the god of the Destrons' and a guardian angel who's looked after/been worshiped by them. After Devil Z's destruction a new supernatural being arises to lead the Decepticons: [[Violen Jiger]]. A demon-like being said to be born from many angry Decepticon sparks, V.J. possessed the supernatural ability to raise the dead.

===The Covenant's Megatron===
The name "[[Megatron (myth)|Megatron]]" appears in the Covenant of Primus, referring to a dread figure that brings great destruction and is spread throughout time: verses refer to Megatron as "the beginning and the end", and the figure himself declare he's "that which is, which was, and is yet to come". {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}

We don't know what link this has to [[Megatron (G1)|the Decepticon leader Megatron]], but the [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Predacon Megatron]] explicitly states that he took his name from the Covenant figure. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

===Xal===
The [[Cybertronian (faction)|Cybertronian]] [[Mindset (G2)|Mindset]], in a moment of great fear, screamed "Great [[Xal]] protect me!". {{storylink|Swarm (issue)|Swarm}} The nature of Xal is unknown, though the Cybertronians appear familiar with the concept of Primus which indicates Xal is a separate entity.

In the ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Transformers Animated]]'' continuity, Xal appears to be a principal deity believed in by Cybertronians; those heard swearing by Xal's name include [[Kup (Animated)|Kup]], [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] and [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]]. The deity's name is also one of the ten star signs Cybertronians are born under. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}}

===Atechnogenesis===
[[File:Wellofallsparks.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Em..., I think I need a stiff drink now.]]
{{main|Atechnogenesis}}
[[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] is often portrayed as being a Transformer atheist due to his scientific worldview. In IDW's comic series he swears by [[Primacron]] rather than Primus. (Although what that implies about said continuity beyond being a cute in-joke is unknown. [[Scoop (G1)|Scoop]] swears by him later on in the same issue.)

{{-}}

==Fiction==
===Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics===
{{noteukonly}}
When the Transformers first woke up on [[Earth]], the [[Autobot]]s mistook vehicles and other machines for life forms. When driving past a drive-in, they could not figure out why the Earthlings were all lined up staring at moving pictures on the large screen. [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] suggested it might be a religious ritual. [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] wondered why they would be worshiping the strange images ([[human]]s [[kiss]]ing) that appeared on the screen. {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers}}

[[File:Muk97-guardianspirit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]

''While being hunted by the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]]s, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime's]] thoughts turned to whatever guardian spirit watches over him and how his current predicament probably stretched the spirit's grace to the limit.'' {{storylink|Prey!}}

While the [[Rescue Patrol (G1)|Rescue Patrol]] and the Autobot [[Classic Pretender]]s were preparing to travel to Earth from [[Autobase]], [[Xaaron|Emirate Xaaron]] called on [[Primus]] to watch over them on their return journey. [[Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Bumblebee]] thanked him for reminding him that the Autobots had god. Nobody had mentioned that legendary figure to Bumblebee in recent memory, and he had completely forgotten about him.

As the seven Autobots entered the [[trans-time dimensional portal]] for return to Earth, the [[Mayhem Attack Squad]] appeared, messed with the control panel, and followed them through the portal, which sent them to the center of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. At the end of the tunnel they were walking in, they stumbled on Primus's chamber. {{storylink|Yesterday's Heroes!}}

The [[Keeper (Transformer)|Keeper]] was there and yelled at them to bow in their unworthiness before their creator, their living god. Bumblebee, [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]], and the Rescue Patrol complied, but [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] thought they were fools for falling for such trickery. He demanded proof in the form of the story how he was created.

The Keeper explained that the age of the gods of light and darkness was almost at an end. Life, in many forms was spreading through the cosmos. Primus had one more job to do before taking his place within the [[Omniversal Matrix]]—destroy [[Unicron]]. They fought, but Primus was not faring very well, so he fled. Unicron followed and they were both imprisoned within asteroids. Over time, both beings transformed their asteroid prisons. Unicron changed his asteroid into a transforming planetoid body. Primus built a [[Transformer]] army to fight Unicron for him, and instilled his life essence into the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]]. Primus slept, waiting for the time when his creations would be ready for the epic battle. The Mayhem Attack Squad interrupted, killing the Keeper. A battle ensued which resulted in Primus getting shot in the face. The blast did no damage, but woke Primus long enough to be detected by Unicron over their psychic link. {{storylink|The Primal Scream|Primal Scream}}

Later, Optimus Prime was feeling uncomfortable with the mystical aspects of the Creation Matrix and so paid a visit to the altar on board the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] there he reached out to the Matrix, only to find that it was tainted by evil. He foresaw a future of oblivion for the Autobots and Decepticons. {{storylink|Kings of the Wild Frontier.}}

{{stub}}

[[Category:Religion| ]]

City

2016-12-10T20:27:28Z

DoctorFluffy: /* Quotes */

{{episode
|series=Cybertron
|ep=41
|series2=Galaxy Force
|ep2=42
|image=Cyb_ep41_cobys_symbol.jpg
|caption=...''repair'' and rule?
|title="City"
|japanese=地下世界へGO!!
|romaji=Chika Sekai he GO!!
|translation=To the Underworld, GO!!
|production code=
|production company=[[TV Aichi]], [[We've]], [[Tōkyū Agency]]
|writer=[[Kazuhiko Sōma]]
|director=[[Atsushi Takeyama]]
|animation studio=[[GONZO]]
|airdate=[[October 22]], [[2005]] (Japanese) [[September 15]], [[2006]] (English)
|continuity=[[Unicron Trilogy cartoon timeline|Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity]]
}}
'''The Autobots split up to head for the inner layers of Gigantion, and Coby reveals his latest creation.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Cyb ep41 enter cobybot.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]]
With the discovery of the crashed ''[[Atlantis]]'' on [[Gigantion]], [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] gathers the [[Autobot]]s on the bridge of the ''[[Ogygia (Cybertron)|Ogygia]]'' in order to formulate a plan to finally rescue [[Bud Hansen|Bud]] and the [[Mini-Con]]s, who have long been trapped on the ancient starship.

On board the ''Atlantis'', [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] comes to, and is chewed out by [[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]]. When the Autobots attack, Starscream declares he's still weakened, and sends Sideways out to handle the intruders. Sideways plays it up all loyal in front of Starscream ("''Oui, mon capitan!''"), but as soon as he's alone, he starts bitching. He heads outside and battles Optimus Prime and [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]], unaware that the combined Autobots are serving as a distraction while [[Override (Cybertron)|Override]] and the [[Cybertron Defense Team]] infiltrate the ''Atlantis'' by ground. This quartet are not the first to get on board, however, as Bud, [[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] and [[Reverb (Cybertron)|Reverb]] discover when they hear an ominous rumbling in the ship's ventilation system. Before long, the creature bursts out of a vent and reveals itself to be a [[Scrapmetal (race)|Scrapmetal]], but when the trio try to run, they find it's not an ordinary Scrapmetal... it's one piloted by Bud's brother [[Coby Hansen|Coby]], who has come to their rescue!

[[File:Cyb ep41 concrete.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]

Outside, Optimus fires a Cyber-Key-enhanced blast at Sideways, but [[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Soundwave]] arrives and yanks him out of the way. Starscream mutters that once again, he's the only one he can trust, and begins pressing keys. The Autobots soon feel the effect of Starscream's machinations outside, as the ship begins rumble as they are reunited with Bud and the Mini-Cons. Optimus notes it's too damaged to fly, but [[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]], who's been taking readings, notes that that's not the problem: Starscream is powering up the main guns using the engines' power. [[Quickmix (Cybertron)|Quickmix]] arrives, snarling that he's not about to let some "ratchet-headed offworlder" destroy any city, and with the aid of his Mini-Con partner [[Stripmine]], he begins pumping untold amounts of quick-drying cement that covers the entire ship and starts filling the crevice. His plans foiled, trapped and out of power, Starscream can do little more than profane.

[[File:Cyb ep41 cobybot.jpg|left|thumb|220px |MASTERFORCE!!!]]

Back on the ''Ogygia'', thanks are exchanged, and both Bud and Lori ask Coby when he's going to build each of ''them'' a giant robot. Coby apologizes for only having parts enough for one, and then goes on to show everyone what else the machine can do, transforming it into the [[Cobybot]]! Optimus sees Scattorshot's hand in the robot, but Scattorshot claims he didn't do ''that'' much of the work, and notes that the 'bot hasn't got any onboard weapons systems for safety. Optimus approves, and places an Autobot [[insignia]] on the Cobybot's shoulder-armor, telling Coby that from now on, when he changes modes, he should psyche himself up by shouting "TRANSFORM!" There is laughter all around, but Prime has to regretfully bring the merriment to an end so that the Autobots can put a plan to recover the [[Cyber Planet Key]] in motion. Using the data drive Coby had previously found, Scattorshot discovers there are four main routes to the central layer, but with no way to tell which one is the quickest, the Autobots decide to split up into teams to cover them all. A backup team remains on the ''Ogygia'' just in case.

Back in the normal universe, Primus carefully rations his energy, firing periodic blasts to keep the [[Unicron Singularity|black hole]] from expanding too much. Across the galaxy, on [[Velocitron]], [[Animatron|Jungle Planet]] and [[Earth]], familiar faces look up at the [[space bridge]]s in the sky, and at the images of the black hole menacingly hovering above them...

[[File:RansackCrumpleKidnap.jpg|upright=1.2|thumb|ARE WE LIVE??]]

On Gigantion, there's activity all around the planet. In one location, Sideways thanks Soundwave for saving his bacon, and Soundwave reminds him that they have a purpose for being here... in another, the Decepticons buff up Galvatron's armor, before he orders them all to depart and search for the Cyber Planet Key... and in yet another, the team consisting of Optimus Prime, [[Vector Prime]], [[Metroplex (Cybertron)|Metroplex]], Bud and the Mini-Cons have come across a giant pile of scrap blocking the way. Bud and Jolt crawl through a small hole, and set off charges to let the larger bots in. Jolt checks the map-box strapped to his back, and they carry on... unaware that they're being followed by [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] and [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]]. The Autobots come across a big door, and Metroplex forces it open... revealing an entire city under a bright daylight sky. Optimus is befuddled, as they're supposed to be underground, but Metroplex and Jolt inform him it's all an illusion set up by the ceiling above. Jolt is about to check the map when he's snatched by Ransack and Crumplezone, who give themselves an overly-extended intro, then start leaping from rooftop to rooftop, playing hot potato with the Mini-Con, who can't fly with the map strapped to his back. Optimus and Vector give chase, but can't shoot out of fear of hitting Jolt, so Bud calls Coby in for help.

[[File:Cyb ep41 angry optimus.jpg|left|upright=1.2|thumb|Hiya]]

On the ''Ogygia'', Coby preps his Cobybot, and Quickmix gives him... something. Coby assures the Autobots he can handle those two "sprocket-heads" by himself, and hovers off at speed to back Optimus's team up, arriving just as the two Decepticons start shooting down chunks of the false sky. Coby makes a suitably dramatic entrance, transforming his mech (with the appropriate "''Cobybot, TRANSFORM!!!''" and stock-footage sequence, earning a thumbs-up from the Primes and Metroplex) and hurling a steel ball at the two Decepticons, which breaks open and sprays some stuff at their feet. The two 'Cons laugh it off, until they realize they're stuck, thanks to Quickmix's super-fast-drying cement. Optimus Prime approaches the two menacingly, demanding Jolt back, and Crumplezone tosses the Mini-Con over his shoulder, hoping to send Prime after him... but Jolt is caught by [[Evac (Cybertron)|Evac]], leaving Prime free to deal with the troublemakers. Metroplex then tosses Optimus the [[Sparkdrinker]], which stock-footages the two Decepticons far, far away.

After the brief battle, the team regroups, and Optimus thanks the backup team for coming along. He tells Coby he needs more 'bots like him on his team, which Bud takes his cue to again pester Coby to build ''him'' a robot suit.
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*[[Vector Prime]] (2)
*[[Safeguard (Cybertron)|Safeguard]] (3)
*[[Override (Cybertron)|Override]] (4)
*[[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]] (5)
*[[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] (6)
*[[Landmine (Energon)|Landmine]] (7)
*[[Evac (Cybertron)|Evac]] (8)
*[[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] (9)
*[[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]] (10)
*[[Reverb (Cybertron)|Reverb]] (15)
*[[Jolt (Cybertron)|Jolt]] (17)
*[[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] (18)
*[[Quickmix (Cybertron)|Quickmix]] (20)
*[[Stripmine]] (21)
*[[Six-Speed (Cybertron)|Six-Speed]] (22)
*[[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] (23)
*[[Snarl (Cybertron)|Snarl]] (24)
*[[Primus]] (25)
*[[Brakedown (Cybertron)|Brakedown]] (26)
*[[Clocker (Cybertron)|Clocker]] (27)
*[[Backstop (Cybertron)|Backstop]] (29)
*[[Metroplex (Cybertron)|Metroplex]] (34)
*[[Drill Bit (Cybertron)|Drill Bit]] (35)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]] (14)
*[[Brimstone (Cybertron)|Brimstone]] (30)
*[[Undermine (Cybertron)|Undermine]] (31)
*[[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]] (36)
*[[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] (37)
*[[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] (38)
*[[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]] (39)
*[[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]] (40)
*[[Menasor (Cybertron)|Menasor]] (41)
*[[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] (42)

|c3=
*[[Lori Jiménez]] (11)
*[[Coby Hansen]] (12)
*[[Bud Hansen]] (16)
*[[Mike Franklin]] (32)
*[[Lucy Suzuki]] (33)

|c4=
*[[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]] (13)
*[[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Soundwave]] (19)
*[[Dirt Boss (Cybertron)|Dirt Boss]] (28)
}}

==Quotes==
"Awww, man, never mix [[energon]] and... huh?!"
:—'''Sideways''', returning from unconsciousness

"I'm still too drained to go and fight them. Sideways! Get rid of them!" 
''"Oui, mon capitan!"''
:—'''Starscream''' is given the Napoleonic treatment by '''Sideways'''

"Aw, man, I always knew you'd rescue me! I just never dreamed you'd do it in such a cool way!" 
"Huh? You don't think I'm cool?" 
"Not ''that'' cool."
:—'''Bud''' and '''Coby'''

"But there's one more thing everyone." *long pause*"You might want to try shouting ''TRANSFORM'' when you do that, it'll really get you psyched up!"
:—'''Optimus''' on '''Coby''''s ability to transform

"Och, it's just a door. Do ye not have ''doors'' where ye come from?"
:—'''Metroplex''' pooh-poohs the grandeur

'''Ransack''': It's the terrible twosome! 
'''Crumplezone:''' The masters of disaster! 
'''Ransack''': Barons of bad!!'' 
'''Crumplezone:''' Dukes of doom! 
'''Together:''' The villaaaaaaaaains from Velocitron! *pause*(We're not done) 
'''Crumplezone:''' My name's Crumplezone, and this is my partner... 
'''Together:''' Ransack! 
'''Ransack:''' How's ''that'' for an entrance? 
'''Optimus:''' It stinks.
:—'''Optimus''' is unimpressed by Ransack and Crumplezone's self-publicizing.

"Why us, Ransack?" 
"It's the Wheel of Fate, my friend." 
"''It ran right over us!''"
:—'''Ransack''', '''Crumplezone''', then the two of them together

"Come on Bud, you're not even old enough to drive!" 
"Yeah but this is a whole other universe, Earth laws don't apply 
:—'''Coby''' and '''Bud''' argue the merits of building a Budbot

==Notes==
===Differences with ''Galaxy Force''===
*''Galaxy Force'' includes a "previously on" segment that summarizes the final seconds of "[[Fury]]".
*In ''Cybertron'', Coby makes a disappointed face upon his reunion with Bud because his brother doesn't think he's cool. In ''Galaxy Force'', the look is because Bud is not happy to see him, but rather, happy at the prospect of eating some real food other than the emergency rations he's been surviving on.
*In ''Galaxy Force'', Starscream is not powering up the ''Atlantis'''s guns, but instead setting the deck to explode.
*In ''Cybertron'', Hot Shot suggests picking a random tunnel, and his idea is shot down by Override. In ''Galaxy Force'', he is asking why they don't just use the crevice Galvatron tore in the previous episode, and Override points out that they just filled it with concrete. (This also implies that the crevice does NOT go all the way to the lowest level of the planet-if it did, the organic layer would be covered in cement.)
*The very next lines of dialogue are also different: in ''Cybertron'', Vector Prime recommends splitting up into four teams, Hot Shot inquires what they would do if one team was attacked, and Optimus Prime suggests putting together a fifth back-up team as a precaution. Conversely, ''Galaxy Force'' has Vector Prime explain how Galvatron became incorporeal and travelled underground that way (as seen in the previous episode), suggesting the Autobots find a way to separate their sparks from their bodies to replicate the effect, Hot Shot gets freaked out at the notion, and Optimus Prime decides that they should just split up into four teams (with no mention of a backup team until the rosters are being called out a minute later).
*In ''Galaxy Force'', Optimus Prime's team simply marvels at the underground city, while Jolt is given pause to think about the waste of resources it represents. In ''Cybertron'', most of the conversation is given over to explaining the technology behind the presence of a sky over their heads.

===Animation or technical errors===
*When Bud and the Mini-Cons come to, Reverb's arm is in the shot, but he's missing the entire truck-bed/wheel portion of it.

*Jolt's propeller spins when he bows in thanks to Optimus. In order to do this, it clips through the tail-rudder sticking out of his butt. This is not by any means the only time this occurs in the series, but it is a rare instance of us actually getting to ''see'' it doing so.

*When Override transforms when the teams roll out, it honestly looks like she lands ''right on top'' of Lori.

*For being unable to move thanks to having his foot cemented to the floor, Ransack's supposedly-cemented foot sure does move a lot.

===Continuity errors===
[[File:Cyb ep41 rarely seen rifle.jpg|thumb]]
*When discussing the Cobybot, Scattorshot is carrying the long blue rifle that comes with his toy. The error in question here is that it proceeds to vanish after this shot, but really, it's more notable that he's got it ''at all'', because this is one of a very small number of times that the rifle ever appears in the show when he's in [[robot mode]], the first being in "[[Assault]]".

===Transformers references===

*Coby was seen re-engineering the Scrapmetal that became his "Cobybot" in "[[Warp]]". Though not explicitly stated, it's obvious that it was the secret cargo he was seen loading in the same episode, and which was referred to again in "[[Giant]]".
*Just as Hot Shot did back in "[[Family]]", Bud refers to Optimus Prime as "Big Bot", originally used by ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] as a nickname for [[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]].
*When the Cobybot first transforms to robot mode, it does so with the classic transformation noise, first heard in the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original ''The Transformers'' cartoon]] (and no stock footage, either!)
*Crumplezone references his rebirth in "[[Darkness (episode)|Darkness]]" while fixing up Galvatron.

===Real-world references===
*Sideways' squeak of "mother!" when Optimus fires his Key-enhanced blast recalls cartoon legend Daffy Duck, who would frequently squeak out "mother!" right before something horrible happened to him.

*Part of the Velocitron duo's extended intro involves the line "My name's Crumplezone, and this is my partner Ransack!". This is word-for-word (aside from names, of course!) the introduction comedian-magicians [[wikipedia:Penn & Teller|Penn & Teller]] use, with the big guy (Penn/Crumplezone) introducing the little guy (Teller/Ransack). The only difference is that Ransack joins in to say his name, while Teller is never seen to talk.

===Trivia===
*This is the first time we see any connection between Sideways and Soundwave, though right now there's still little explaining Sideways' ultimate motive...
*With this episode, Bud joins Coby and Lori in donning a new set of clothes. As before, ''Cybertron'' doesn't explain where the clothes come from, while ''Galaxy Force'' explained, back in "Family", that they had been packed by [[Gloria Jiménez|Lori's mother]].
*This episode sees a canonical explanation of why Transformers shout "Transform!" According to Optimus Prime it's because it's more exciting.

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2006 — ''Transformers: Galaxy Force'' — Vol. 11 ([[Victor Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2008 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Ultimate Collection ([[Paramount Pictures|Paramount]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Cybertron'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

[[Category:Cybertron episodes]]

Burning spirit

2016-12-10T07:26:22Z

DoctorFluffy: /* Cybertron */ That was a ''really'' long sentence.

{{bigquote|The secondary heroes stand around and watch, calling on their burning spirit and heart of justice to empower the main hero from afar.|[[Shockwave (TransTech)|Shockwave]]|"[[Bee in the City]]"}}

[[File:Superginrai manga.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|And you thought we were exaggerating.]]

For lack of a better term, "'''burning justice'''" refers to the mysterious power conveyed on some Transformers by positive psychic reinforcement—that is, by ''belief,'' either from the subject's own self-confidence and righteous indignation, or the championing power of an adoring crowd cheering them on, or some other ambient psychic effect. The actual mechanism by which the beliefs are transmitted and converted into energy are unclear, and are often inconsistent between circumstances.

Far from a simple emotional state, when a Transformer is endowed with "burning justice", they often show undeniable physical alterations—e.g., [[Spontaneous recoloration|color changes]], physical growth, new weapon attachments, or abilities they possess at no other time—which in turn can include powers that are all but miraculous, such as repairing grievous bodily injury, raising the dead, or temporarily suspending the {{w|Laws of thermodynamics|laws of thermodynamics}}.

==Fiction==
===''Super-God Masterforce''===
[[Ginrai (human)|God Ginrai]] (and to a smaller extent, the other [[Godmaster (lifeform)|Godmasters]]) lives and breathes burning justice. While in-fiction the Godmasters were deliberately designed to have these [[Chōkon Power|miraculous powers]], God Ginrai lives up to the stereotype by becoming encased in a flaming aura on several occasions when his sense of justice becomes particularly riled up. This includes the final battle with [[Devil Z]], where he and the Headmaster Juniors pooled their energy to finish the villain. {{Storylink|A Battle... and Then...}}

===''Beast Wars II''===
When the legendary warrior [[Optimus Primal|Convoy]] was pulled out of space-time by a warp gate, he joined forces with [[Lio Convoy]] against [[Majin Zarak]]. Together, they activated the power of their [[Energon Matrix]]es to achieve new color schemes and powers as '''Burning Convoy''' and '''Flash Lio Convoy'''.
{{storylink|Lio Convoy in Imminent Danger!}}

Lio Convoy and [[Lio Junior]] also learned to merge the power of their Energon Matrixes, becoming a single warrior glowing green with internal energies. {{storylink|Legend! The Green Warrior}}

===''Robots in Disguise''===
When he found out that the Decepticons had lied to him about switching sides, [[Optimus Prime (RID)|Optimus Prime]] glowed green with burning justice, and he delivered a brutal smackdown which had the Decepticons retreating with all haste. [[X-Brawn]] claimed the glow was simply the heat generated by Optimus's cyber-matrix. {{Storylink|The Test (episode)|The Test}}

[[Megatron (RID)|Galvatron]] scientifically determined that the most powerful energy source in the universe was the optimism and hope of human children. He intended to use his swarms of mind-controlling bats to allow him to harness and control this power. [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|Fortress Maximus]] was later restored to full functionality when all the children in the world logged onto their computers to send him their well-wishes. {{storylink|The Final Battle (RID)|The Final Battle}}

In the original ''Car Robots'' dub of ''Robots in Disguise'', one of Fire Convoy/Optimus Prime's catch phrases in dire times, though omitted for the RID dub, was ''"Nothing is impossible for a burning spirit."'' This was literally Fire Convoy's way of saying that '''''burning justice''''' is the solution to all of the Autobots' problems. ''Spiritual, man.''

===''Armada''===
{{stub}}

===''Energon''===
{{stub}}

===''Cybertron''===
As moments of burning justice were abundant in ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|Galaxy Force]]'', perhaps to a greater magnitude than ''any'' other piece of Transformers fiction, the English-language ''Cybertron'' dub was somewhat flummoxed by them. As such, on a regular basis, Cybertron would desperately attempt to make these instances ''make sense'' or at least acknowledge how bizarre they were. This was done through the insertion of dialogue that explained where the power boost was coming from, or just altering dialogue so that the characters would be amazed and/or mystified by what was happening to them, as opposed to the Japanese versions' nonchalant reactions that presented it as the most normal thing in the world. (This is a rare case where ''Cybertron'''s [[Dull surprise|somewhat lackluster]] facial animations paid off.)

It COULD be through the power of the Cyber Keys, somehow activated or called upon during moments of desperation, also triggered energon auras to give the visual effect, sometimes accompanied with the Omega Frequency.

The episode "[[Cybertron (episode)|Cybertron]]", when faced with a particularly inexplicable example of burning justice, gave up and just flagged up the inexplicableness for laughs: [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Leobreaker]] casually stating this just keeps happening to him and he no longer questions it, and a stunned [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)|Crumplezone]] double-checking with [[Ransack (Cybertron)|Ransack]]:

{{quote|Did something weird just happen or is it just me?|Crumplezone}}
{{quote|Nope, that was pretty weird all right.|Ransack}}

===''Animated''===
''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II]]'' referred to [[Safeguard (Animated)|Safeguard's]] powered-up mode as his 'Burning Justice' mode.

The Japanese [[title sequence#Animated|title sequence]] features [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] surrounding himself with a blue aura as he launches himself at [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] who is practically a silhouette within his own ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|Transformers: Cybertron]]''-style red aura.

==Notes==
As you can guess, '''burning justice''' is a slightly snarky way of describing the tendency of protagonists (especially in Japanese media) to become stronger through seemingly nothing more than sheer force of will. Sometimes, the media in question will attempt to explain these instances (e.g. ''Dragon Ball'' and its various ki auras), but it is usually implied that it is simply the character's determination that causes this effect.

Despite the name, it isn't necessarily the good guys who can pull '''burning justice''' off. The major difference is that in heroes, it is brought about by positive emotions (such as faith, courage or love) while in villains it is generally anger or ambition. For example, in "[[Revelation (episode)|Revelation]]", [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]]'s anger at being bested by the Autobots powers him up to the point he nearly kills three of them. Later, his fury allows him to attain an entirely new form with vastly increased powers, enabling him to defeat almost every Autobot in his way.

Note that the major difference between '''burning justice''' and good old-fashioned grim determination is whether or not there are any real, physical changes that occur. A mortally wounded [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] using the last of his strength to strike [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]]? Desperation or determination. A battered but defiant [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] turning gold to strike down [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]? '''Burning justice''' all the way, baby.

Incidentally, '''burning justice''' is an easy way to show off just how awesome and cool a character is. [[To sell toys|You can guess why]].

==See also==
*[[Stock footage]]

[[Category:Gimmicks]]
[[Category:Transformer anatomy]]
[[Category:Transformer culture]]

Sentinel Prime (Animated)

2016-12-07T17:28:02Z

DoctorFluffy:

{{disambig3|Sentinel Prime}}
{{factions|autobot|eliteguard}}
:''Sentinel Prime is <s>a jerk</s> an [[Autobot]] from the [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]] [[continuity family]].''

[[File:SentinelPrimeAnimated-model.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|"Where's the jerk who calls himself Sentinel Prime?" "I am that jerk!"]]

Many times, brash, leap-before-you-think types learn a lesson from their misadventures, and use that knowledge to grow into more mature, well-rounded fighters, even into leadership roles.

And sometimes, they learn the wrong lesson (or the right lesson the wrong way), and turn out like '''Sentinel Prime'''.

Sentinel was once the impulsive type, until a disastrous "unsanctioned" mission he'd suggested with his best friends [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] ended in the loss of Elita. Though both bots carried the grief, Sentinel blamed Optimus for abandoning her. When Optimus officially took the blame for the mission (and Sentinel failed to speak up for his part of it), Sentinel placed all his anger on his former friend, and drove himself to climb the Autobot ranks into the [[Cybertron Elite Guard]] through strict adherence to military protocol.

The end result is an Autobot who could be one of the Autobots' greatest assets, but he's such a jerk that it's hard to see ''how''. His expandable [[Skyboom (Animated)|Skyboom Shield]] is virtually impenetrable, and he's a strong combatant and utterly tenacious hunter. And he seems to have Cybertron's best interests at heart... but his perception of "best interests," and how far he'll ''go'' for said interests is definitely skewed.

To his core, he's still the same smug, act-first-think-later-maybe bot he was before, only far more focused. Despite the "stickler for the rules" aspect of his personality that has come from the loss of Elita, he seems to use the rules largely to bully his way of doing things on others. He really can't handle the unexpected, thanks to a distinct lack of genuine field experience and inability to improvise like [[Jazz (Animated)|others in the Guard]]. Thanks to that one fateful trip to [[Archa Seven]], he has a severe phobia of organics, and a burning desire to further humiliate Optimus. To his credit, he would never actively sabotage another Autobot... but he sure will make their lives a living hell if he thinks he can get away with it.

Don't mention his [[chin]]. He's a little touchy about it.

{{bigquote|[Sentinel] is a glitch-head. All due respect.|[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] sums up Sentinel Prime|"[[The Elite Guard]]"}}

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon===
{{Idw-tfa}}
{{voiceactor|[[Townsend Coleman]] (English), [[Marty Isenberg]] ([[BotCon 2011]]), [[Jim Sorenson]] ([[BotCon 2015]]), [[Junichi Suwabe]] (Japanese)|[[Peter Reinhardt]] (German), [[César Marchetti]] (Portuguese Seasons 1 and 2), [[Ricardo Teles]] (Portuguese Season 3), [[Ricardo Soto]] (Latin American Spanish, seasons 1 and 2), [[Jari Salo]] (Finnish, episode one), [[Juha Paananen]] (Finnish, regular voice)}}

[[File:SurvivalSkills-simulatedcombat.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|right]]
''Sentinel was named and trained in [[Autobot boot camp]] by the drill sergeant [[Kup (Animated)|Kup]], which is also where he met Optimus and [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]]. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II}} During their studies, Elita and Sentinel observed Optimus battle [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] in a virtual training program. Sentinel sneered when Optimus ultimately failed, but Ultra Magnus noted that Optimus had scored better than any Autobot thus far. {{storylink|The Arrival issue 5#"Survival Skills"|Survival Skills}}''

[[File:Animated sentinel1.JPG|left|upright=1.1|thumb|"You're gonna need tickets to—THE GUN SHOW!"]]
Sentinel took Optimus and Elita-1 on a mission to [[Archa Seven]] looking for an old Decepticon [[Twilight (Animated)|warship]], hoping to get all the [[energon]] stored within. However, they ran into a pack of massive arachnids. Sentinel tried to hold them off long enough for Optimus and Elita to escape. When he came across a ship that Optimus and Elita had found, Optimus had to drag him away from the exploding energon, forcing them to leave Elita-1 behind. Optimus's radar couldn't find Elita's energy signature, and he assumed that she was dead. A furious Sentinel blamed Optimus for what happened, even though this whole disaster had been ''his'' idea. Jerk. {{storylink|Along Came a Spider}} When Ultra Magnus brought the two up on a military tribunal, Optimus gallantly took the fall — while Sentinel just stood there smirking. {{storylink|Endgame, Part I}}

After graduation from the Academy, he received an official rank as Sentinel ''[[Minor (rank)|Minor]]'', the drill officer for an Autobot training camp. Obviously compensating for being a jerk, he took out his frustrations on recruits like [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]], [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]], [[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]], [[Shockwave (Animated)|Longarm]] and [[Wasp]]. Busting their transistors at every turn, he liked to conduct surprise inspections and force the recruits to chant that they were worthless grease stains. Of course, in Bumblebee's case, the extra attention was not exactly unmerited, as the little glitch-head managed to get Sentinel's feelings on whether Ultra Magnus should retire from command broadcast across the camp. In the end, he commended Bumblebee for his role in discovering a seeming Decepticon traitor. Then Bumblebee admitted to accidentally knocking a tower on him (actually covering for Bulkhead), and Sentinel gave him the boot. {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}}

[[File:The Arrival 1 Memorial Plaza Sentinel speech.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb]]
Years later, he was still a jerk, but a jerk with prestige, having been promoted to Sentinel ''Prime''. When Optimus Prime rang up the Cybertron Elite Guard to tell them of the Decepticons in pursuit, he sneered that a screw-up like Optimus wasn't worth the attention of Ultra Magnus. Seeing a piped-through visual of the [[AllSpark]] from the cargo hold of [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|their ship]] shut him up quickly enough. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}

''After the ship was lost, Sentinel found himself the only one who knew Optimus well enough to give him a eulogy. However, while his words were reasonably civil, his thoughts were not. Later, when Longarm pressed him to continue the search, Sentinel acted like an old man and told him some things are best left buried.'' {{storylink|Dispatches}}

[[File:Sentl prime alt.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|When the snow starts a-falling, There's a man you should be calling...]]

Later, the Elite Guard visited Earth to reclaim the AllSpark. When [[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] decided to take a closer look at the humans, Sentinel warned that organics could spew out slime that melts through armor plating, deliberately goading Optimus Prime with memories of Elita-1's fate. He decontaminated Optimus Prime's crew after setting a force field around the ship. When he heard that they'd defeated [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] and the Decepticons, he didn't believe Optimus, almost causing a fight between him and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]]. Sentinel boasted to Ultra Magnus that he had taken the initiative and scanned some "typical" Earth vehicles so they would not draw undue attention. He had, in fact, scanned massive, destructive vehicles for them both.

En route to [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], Sentinel further evidenced how subtlety obviously isn't his strong point by driving through a blockade and off an overpass still under construction. When he, Optimus and Magnus arrived, they encountered the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]], and Sentinel began to attack, believing their technology was primitive. [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]]'s subsequent [[transformation]] caught him off guard. They then went back to the city to take care of malfunctioning [[police drone]]s. Sentinel started to act like a jerk again, more worried about organic contamination, and vowed to see Optimus arraigned on charges of high treason, but Optimus had got enough of Sentinel's mouth and finally told him off, asserting that his former friend was on his turf now and should respect Optimus's decisions. Unsurprisingly, Sentinel was unmoved. Even when shown proof of the AllSpark not being destroyed, Sentinel's attitude did not change. He was thus rather surprised when Ultra Magnus said that Optimus had characteristics that Sentinel himself could stand to learn. {{storylink|The Elite Guard}}

[[File:Sentinelprimeanimatedbattlemask.jpg|left|upright=0.85|thumb|Come one, come all! Join the merriment at the Cybertronian Renaissance Faire!]]

[[File:Sentinelprimeanimatedknightmode.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|He's here to eat giant turkey legs and kick butt...and he's all out of giant turkey legs.]]

Not taking the criticism to heart at all, he continued to be a general jerk to Optimus, the local police, humans, and pretty much everyone. His comeuppance would soon come in the form of a humiliating body-jacking by the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]]. Putting his reputation (and his noggin) in Optimus Prime's hands, he trusted his comrade to help him get his body back without letting anybody else find out. In this state, he was slightly less condescending to Optimus, but it was hard to talk down to someone when reduced to a tenth his size. He still had choice words about Optimus's actions in the process of saving his body, however, such as ripping its arm off, using his head as a soccer ball, and taking the opportunity for some stress relief. Deep down, Optimus was enjoying himself.

After recovering his body, Sentinel had to face the embarrassing prospect of reporting to Ultra Magnus, but surprisingly enough, Optimus covered for him. It took every ounce of effort for the big guy to utter a "thank you" to his comrade later.

While in the Headmaster's possession, Sentinel's body's weapons were upgraded into more powerful forms. At the moment, it's not clear whether Sentinel got to keep the upgrades when the Headmaster Unit was separated. {{storylink|The Return of the Headmaster}}

Unfortunately, the whole Headmaster debacle ''still'' failed to purge Sentinel of even a dram of his jerk quotient. When Optimus protested Ultra Magnus's decision to have his crew join the rest of the Autobots off-Earth, Sentinel was quick to jump on Optimus, saying that ''no'' sign of Decepticon activity had been detected (failing to consider that the Decepticons had been dampening their signals). He even went so far as to bribe Optimus with an offer of reinstatement in the Elite Guard if he went along with the official story. Through all this, he was more than slightly keen to slap [[stasis cuffs]] on Optimus in order to get him to comply with Magnus's orders.

[[File:Sentinel Prime shocked.jpg|thumb|Will get owned again...]]

When the Elite Guard's ship detected an AllSpark fragment in a runaway passenger train (actually a trap set by [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]]), Sentinel was irritated to find that he had to stay behind and nursemaid "Maintenance Prime" while Ultra Magnus and Jazz set off to investigate. The situation got worse when, discovering Decepticon presence, Optimus goaded Sentinel into a blind attack and took the opportunity to slap the stasis cuffs on ''him.'' Poor sap... (snicker)

Sentinel eventually worked his way out of the cuffs and pursued Optimus to where the AllSparked train had stopped, threatening to have him tried and blacklisted for assaulting an Elite Guard, dismissing out of hand Optimus's justification of Decepticon involvement. Fortunately for Optimus, Megatron and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] chose that moment to blast Starscream to the ground in front of the Autobots.

[[File:Sentinel vs Optimus, with Jazz in the middle.jpg|left|thumb|"You're a jerk!" "No, you!" "No, YOU!" Ummm... bad guy?"]]

Sentinel had to take more time than the other Elite Guards to rally; unlike Magnus and Optimus, he had never seen a Decepticon before. Initial dismay aside, Sentinel did manage to last longer than the other Autobots against Starscream's onslaught, but the only reason he didn't fall was that Optimus took the stasis cuffs Sentinel had brought with him (anticipating Optimus's formal arrest as he was) and slapped them onto Starscream. Sentinel still thought Optimus drew out that battle on purpose.

Afterwards, Magnus expressed admiration over Optimus's willingness to disregard what were clearly ill-informed orders—praise to which Sentinel, predictably, objected. This just earned him another chastisement from Magnus about how sometimes the right thing ''was'' to trust one's gut over the book. Shortly afterward, the Elite Guard departed for Cybertron. Sentinel could probably sigh in relief—no more looking worse than the "washout". {{storylink|Mission Accomplished}} ''As soon as they left Earth, Sentinel Prime was quick to ditch his snowplow alternate mode in favour of his original Cybertronian body.'' {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac}}

Unfortunately, while the Elite Guard was in deep space, Starscream managed to escape his stasis cuffs and get out of their ship. Being the jerk he is, Sentinel probably thinks Optimus is responsible for that happening. {{storylink|A Fistful of Energon}} ''Upon returning to Cybertron, Sentinel got saddled with training the twins [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] and [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] (though he wanted to simply call them both "Jetfire"). Their new flying altmodes proved difficult to work into Sentinel's usual drill sergeant routine, since the twins could use them to easily bypass most training obstacles. Thankfully, their training was taken over by Jazz after their first battle exercise.'' {{storylink|First (and Second) in Flight}}
Things only got worse for Sentinel, as his former trainee and convicted "traitor" Wasp escaped from prison. Pursuing the former Autobot across an asteroid field, Sentinel had a standoff with Wasp at a space bridge relay point. The escapee activated the space bridge, and, blinded by its energies, Sentinel assumed Wasp had gone through it to parts unknown. In reality, Wasp had mustered what little cunning his shattered mind had left and faked out the Elite Guard member by hiding behind the archway. As usual, Sentinel's deductive skills left something to be desired, so he returned to base. {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}} ''When Ultra Magnus announced that he planned on keeping his versatile Earth vehicle mode, Sentinel decided to reformat back into his Earth form too.'' {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac}}

Later, Sentinel, Magnus and Jazz took the Elite Guard's flagship to back up [[Rodimus Prime (Animated)|Rodimus Prime]]'s team, who were defending [[space bridge 687-030]] from [[Team Chaar|a Decepticon raiding party]]. As the Elite Guard arrived, however, Megatron ordered all of his troops to withdraw, having changed his plans thanks to a [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|recent acquisition]]. After returning to Cybertron, Sentinel and Jazz were ordered ''back'' into space to hunt down the "traitor" Wasp. {{storylink|TransWarped}}

Upon arriving in Earth orbit, Sentinel was contacted by an agitated Longarm Prime. Now head of Autobot Intel, Longarm was upset that Sentinel's ship had entered Earth Sector when Longarm had ordered that all contact with Earth be filtered through him first. Sentinel was annoyed, since Longarm had sent them to intercept Wasp in the first place. After Ultra Magnus cut in to explain, Sentinel confirmed for Longarm that no one had heard from Optimus Prime's crew in at least a [[units of time|decacycle]].

Upon touchdown near [[Detroit]], Sentinel was disgusted with yet another aspect of Earth: rain. He quickly proved he had no ability to handle rain-soaked pavement in vehicle mode, further bruising his ego. With their other crew members already dispatched to hunt for Wasp, he and Jazz arrived at the Earth Autobots' base just after Wasp (actually Bumblebee in a forced disguise) had departed from there. Sentinel was all for chewing out Optimus for not answering his comlink, and he didn't care about Optimus's "excuses", as he had a fugitive spy to catch. It didn't help that Optimus pointed out said spy had just slipped past Sentinel, then claimed that Longarm was the real spy. Disgusted with such a brazen, baseless accusation, Sentinel ordered Prime's group to stay out of his way, then he and Jazz departed. Jerk.

Eventually, he found Prime and Ratchet battling his new recruits, [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] and [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]], whom they'd mistaken for Decepticons since the new pair could fly. Sure, he hadn't told Prime about them before, but that was Prime's fault for butting in on Elite Guard business. Prime still insisted Wasp wasn't a double agent, but Sentinel would hear none of it and ordered the jet twins to find Wasp again. While he struggled to avoid skidding on the pavement and keep pace with Jazz, Optimus and Ratchet, he got word from Jetstorm that he and Jetfire had found Wasp, but that Bulkhead and Prowl were apparently his cohorts. Prime continued attempting to persuade him that he was on the wrong track, but Sentinel was all for arresting everyone and letting Ultra Magnus sort it out.

Back at the Earth Autobots' base, "Bumblebee" tried to prove his identity by recounting the various ways he'd inconvenienced Sentinel during 'Bee's stint in boot camp—most of which Sentinel didn't remember. Sentinel quickly got fed up and ordered "Wasp" wheeled out, but then Bulkhead hit upon a sure-fire way to tell who was who: a versus round of Bumblebee's latest video game passion, ''[[Ninja Gladiator]]''. Despite Sentinel's doubts, the real Wasp quickly revealed himself, taking 'Bee hostage and escaping. Jazz realized the full import of this revelation: The true Decepticon double agent was the head of Autobot Intel. Sentinel protested that Prime should have told him this in the first place. {{storylink|Where Is Thy Sting?}}

[[File:5servos sentinel kicked.jpg|left|thumb|If only he had been kicked [[Gearbox|a little lower]]...]]

Remaining on Earth, Sentinel made contact with the bounty hunter [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] for a mutually beneficial arrangement: if Sentinel supplied him with parts from the Elite Guard ship, Lockdown would turn over Decepticons to Sentinel and let him take the credit. His ego overriding his sense of superiority, Sentinel agreed, bringing the captured Decepticons and taking all the credit. Only the twins believed that Sentinel was really making the captures alone, especially as Sentinel was both vague and defensive about how he captured the Decepticons. Finally, Lockdown needed a gyrostabilizer from the ship, in exchange for the [[Ramjet (Animated)|Liar Starscream]]. Prowl followed Sentinel, and discovered the arrangement, but was betrayed by Lockdown and the clone, and placed in stasis cuffs. Despite using Sentinel as a hostage, the Autobots showed little restraint in attacking, even though they only succeeded in hurting Sentinel. The battle ended with Sentinel being driven into the ground head first. After establishing contact with Cybertron, the Autobots learned that Ultra Magnus had been attacked by Shockwave, but was recovering. Optimus decided not to inform Cybertron Command of Sentinel's misconduct, but instead gave sole credit for the captures to Prowl. Even though he wasn't going to be court-martialled, Sentinel was still displeased that he didn't get a single ounce of credit. Annoyed, Optimus reminded him that there were more important things than his ego, but gave Sentinel fair warning: when smoke clears, there will be a reckoning. {{storylink|Five Servos of Doom}}

[[File:TFA-PredaconsRising-OhSentinel.jpg|thumb|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bender_Bending_Rodr%C3%ADguez Jimmy cracked corn and I don't care!]]]
Even knowing Wasp was innocent, Sentinel continued to pursue the 'bot, leading to a chase through the streets of Detroit as Optimus and Bumblebee attempted to reach him first. When they did, a jurisdictional argument between Optimus and Sentinel allowed Wasp to slip away... only for him to be flown away by [[Swoop (Animated)|a Dinobot]]. Despite Optimus warning Sentinel off, Sentinel pursued them to Dinobot Island under [[Safeguard (Animated)|Safeguard]] in his own... unique... manner.

[[File:TFA-PredaconsRising-SentinelBlackArachnia.jpg|thumb|left|This is ''not'' the kind of [[Blackarachnia (BW)|romantic]] [[Silverbolt (BW)|couple]] you were expecting.]]
Bulling past the Dinobots, Sentinel entered the laboratory inside... to be confronted by what Elita-1 had become, and the experiment she was undertaking on Wasp. Blackarachnia's existence as a [[technorganic]] disgusted him to the deepest core of his spark, and he wished she had gone offline on Archa Seven. In return, after the emergence of the technorganic "Waspinator", she attempted to drain him dry. He was saved by a pursuing Optimus, and shortly afterward Blackarachnia was transwarped to apparent oblivion by the exploding Waspinator. Sentinel walked off without a word.

As he was set for departure to Cybertron to take his place as acting [[Magnus (rank)|Magnus]], he discussed what had happened with Optimus, and admitted that they should never have gone to the spider-planet in the first place. {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Animated)|Predacons Rising}}

[[File:TFA-DecepticonAir-SentinelJazz.jpg|thumb|"Jazz old friend, I don't know which disgusts me more: Your cowardice or your stupidity! We'll simply set a new course for that empty region over there. Near that blackish, holish thing."]]
On the trip back to Cybertron, after a failed interrogation of the Decepticon prisoners, he was contacted by [[Perceptor (Animated)|Perceptor]], [[Alpha Trion (Animated)|Alpha Trion]] and [[Cliffjumper (Animated)|Cliffjumper]], to inform him that the [[Autobot High Council]] intended to make the news of the attack on Ultra Magnus public. Sentinel was unhappy about this, but they reminded him that the decision was for the full Council to make, and that his "taking control" as acting [[Magnus (rank)|Magnus]] was premature, since Ultra Magnus was still online, albeit on [[spark support]]; and Cliffjumper wound him up further by reminding him that Prowl, not SP, had been given credit for the capture of the Decepticon prisoners. As a result, he took his frustrations out on Jazz, ordering him to take the ''[[Sigma Supreme|Steelhaven]]'' to full power—even after Jazz reminded him it would use up all their energon—and to steer through a stormy nebula. Jerk.

The effect of the electrical storms on the ship then caused [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] to be freed of his transformation lock, and in turn he freed the other prisoners. They then attacked the bridge, and with Sentinel refusing to contact Cybertron and let them know what his mistake had wrought, he sent [[Broken Lance|a coded message]] to Optimus Prime, asking for help shortly before they were all captured. Optimus then [[transwarp]]ed in through Swindle's personal storage dimension, refused to obey a single order from Sentinel, thought up a plan to defeat the Decepticons and set Jazz to it, used Sentinel as a bludgeon to knock [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] away, and saved the day. Chastened, even Sentinel had to admit Optimus had done a good job, and offered him the position on the Elite Guard he would have to vacate to become Magnus, although Optimus declined. He then dropped Optimus back on Earth, and they mutually saluted in goodbye.

Finally arriving at Cybertron, Sentinel proceeded to lead a parade across Cybertron in his own honour, urging the cheering throngs to accept him as their Magnus. {{storylink|Decepticon Air}}

[[File:TFA ThisIsWhyIHateMachines Sentinel Propaganda.jpg|left|thumb|He's the Decider!]]
Sentinel Prime immediately began putting out propaganda warning Autobots that anyone they knew could be a Decepticon spy, began shutting down facilities like [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]] as a security measure, and started viewing any challenge to him as treason. When the Decepticon-occupied [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] appeared in the skies above Cybertron, Sentinel immediately advocated firing on it, ignoring a displaced [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]]'s warnings that Omega was so transwarp-saturated that this would ''take out the planet''.

Ratchet's opposition led to Sentinel having him hunted down for treason. Jerkier still, Sentinel prepared to fire on Omega while the Council were still discussing the matter, and he lied to them about his intentions. Luckily, when he did have the Elite Guard's [[Fortress Maximus (Animated)|Fortress Maximus]] fire on the titan, the Decepticons transwarped away. Sentinel brushed off the Council's ire and tried to take [[Magnus Hammer|Ultra Magnus' salvaged hammer]] from Ratchet, attempting to pursue and arrest the medic when Ratchet simply took the hammer with him back to Earth. Jazz volunteered to go instead, taking the opportunity to get out from under Sentinel's command. {{storylink|This Is Why I Hate Machines}}

[[File:EndgamePart2-Sentinel.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|The end of an error.]]

Soon, Sentinel would have to swallow his pride when Optimus Prime returned to Cybertron with his crew, with captured Megatron, Shockwave, and Lugnut, and with three reclaimed stasis pods—in Omega Supreme, no less! He stood glowering as the <s>cheering throngs</s> unwashed masses surrounded his rival. {{storylink|Endgame, Part II}}

''When [[Kremzeek|an ancient Decepticon weapon]] made its way to Fortress Maximus, Sentinel was more concerned about Sari Sumdac and [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]] slipping past security than the fact that the photon pulse cannon was self-activating and aiming at [[Iacon (polity)#Animated cartoon|Iacon]]. Fortunately for him, Sari's quick thinking was able to contain the menace.{{storylink|The Return of Blurr}}''

''With Optimus Prime being hailed as "Cybertron's greatest hero", Sentinel tried to borrow some credit for the Decepticons' capture by arranging for them to be held in [[Trypticon Prison]], Megatron's old fortress in [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]]. He also agreed to have a stunt show set up in view of the prison, with Autobot actors openly mocking the Decepticon leaders with their act. Of course, Sentinel Magnus's "actors" turned out to be Decepticons in disguise, orchestrating an elaborate plot to free Megatron from Trypticon Prison right out from under Sentinel's olfactory receptors.

History would vindicate his actions!'' {{storylink|The Stunti-Con Job}}

Jerk.
{{-}}

===''The Cool'' comic===
[[File:TheCoolEliteGuard01.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|left]]

Years ago, after losing their friend [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] on a distant planet, Sentinel and Optimus immediately formed a rescue party to save her. Despite all their searching, however, they were unable to find her and were forced to give up. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 4}}

Sentinel Prime was later present when Optimus Prime was discharged from the Elite Guard by Ultra Magnus. {{storylink|The Cool Extra issue 1}}

Sentinel later traveled with the Elite Guard to Earth in order to extract an explanation from Optimus Prime regarding why he had yet to return to Cybertron with his crew. Sentinel looked obnoxiously smug, of course. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 5}}

On Cybertron, Sentinel joined a throng of Autobot citizens in welcoming the victorious Optimus Prime and his Autobots back home. Sentinel remarked to himself that Optimus and his crew had finally returned... as ''heroes''. {{storylink|The Cool Episode Final}}
{{--}}

===Sentinel Shouting===
[[File:Ask Vector Prime Sentinel Prime.jpg|thumb|right|I was elected to lead, not to read!]]
After [[Swindle (G1)#TransTech|Swindle]] was fired, [[Rook (TransTech)|Rook]]- searching for someone "earnest" and "straightforward"- hired Sentinel Minor as the third ad-hoc replacement for the missing [[Vector Prime]].

This worked out about as well as you'd expect.

As a columnist, Sentinel spent most of his time lecturing his readers about the values of Autobot boot camp and what ''he'd'' do if he became Magnus. Anyway, he walked out the minute he learned he was communicating with organics. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Sentinel Shouting|Sentinel Shouting}}
{{--}}

===''Transformers Legends'' comic===
Sometime following his rise to Magnus, Sentinel issued an alert that the dangerous fugitive [[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]] was loose on Cybertron and demanded she be captured. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 16|Bonus Edition Vol. 16}}

==Toys==
===Animated===
[[File:Deluxeanimatedsentinel.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|The jerk store called, they're running out of him.]]
*'''Sentinel Prime''' (Deluxe, 2008)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TA-28'''
**''Accessories:'' [[Lance]], shield

: Sentinel Prime transforms into a metallic blue monster-truck snowplow, and is armed in robot mode with his trademark Skyboom shield and lance. Either item can fit in either of his hands, and the shield has a ring mount to allow the lance to attach to it for transporting on the back of the vehicle mode. Surprisingly for an otherwise pointy object, the lance is actually cast in hard plastic. The weapons are also painted blue rather than cast in translucent plastic, an unusual choice for modern "energy" weapons. The toy also has an abandoned light-piping gimmick: not only are the eyes painted over, but the eye-piece is cast in black plastic, making it useless.

: Unfortunately, due to being released in the Deluxe size class, the Sentinel toy is ''technically'' incompatible with the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] accessory, which is only designed to work with Leader-class toys. You actually can wedge it on to him quite snugly, though.

: Due to a quirk of the transformation process, the plow on the front of the truck can be angled left or right, just as on real-world snowplows. Also, if you're the type that ''really'' goes for [[show-accuracy]], the antenna on the left side of Sentinel Prime's robot mode head can be tilted back and forth, just like he did in the episode "[[Predacons Rising (Animated)|Predacons Rising]]". That's some mighty fine scannin', Sentinel!

: In a surprising reversal from the norm, the TakaraTomy release uses softer, rubbery plastic on the lance rather than the harder plastic of the Hasbro release.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/SentinelPrime/sentinelprime.htm More information on Sentinel Prime at TFU.info]''

===Kre-O===
*'''Earth's Most Wanted''' (Souvenir set, 2015)

{{charstubtoys}}

==Notes==
[[File:TFASentinel-OriginalHead.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|Spooooon!!]]

*Sentinel Prime's blue coloration and ''especially'' pronounced [[chin]] (even by normal ''Animated'' standards!) really make him look like [[wikipedia:Tick (comics)|the Tick]]. He's even voiced by Townsend Coleman, who provided the voice of the Tick in his 1990s animated series. At the Cartoon Network panel at BotCon 2008, it was confirmed that Sentinel's design was created after Coleman was cast for the role. It's pretty evident that the writers ran with it, having him utter silly, Tick-esque lines like "Energon-y goodness!"

*As for personality, [[Marty Isenberg]] said during an interview in the [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 22|Transformers Collector's Club magazine]] that his love of ''[[wikipedia:M*A*S*H|M*A*S*H]]'' was the big reason Sentinel Prime is a jerk. He believes that the Transformers universe "needed a [[wikipedia:Frank Burns|Major Frank Burns]]."

*At [[BotCon 2008]]'s [[Cartoon Network]] panel, [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] confirmed that originally the character of Sentinel Prime was going to be named Rodimus Prime, but the idea of casting Rodimus as a big jerk didn't sit well with [[Hasbro|some people]]. But they'd eventually find some use for [[Rodimus Prime (Animated)|Rodimus]] somewhere, to be sure!

*Wyatt also related some previously unknown design trivia at BotCon 2008: At the time "Transform and Roll Out" went into production, the only part of Sentinel Prime that had been fully designed was his head. However, this turned out to be a non-final design; in his subsequent appearances, Sentinel's head is shorter and squatter, with a more bulbous chin and dark grey instead of white. Also, in "Transform and Roll Out", he has a set of extra smoke stacks/antennae on his shoulders, which would vanish during his first full-body appearance.

*Sentinel Prime is the first incarnation of [[Sentinel Prime (disambiguation)|the character]] to possess an Earth-mode. He is also the first to have a toy of him released, as well as the only incarnation of the character to not die at all during his appearances.

*''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II]]'' detailed in general how Season 4 might have played out would it have been produced. After Megatron's escape from prison and the death of Ultra Magnus, Sentinel would try to secure his position as Sentinel Magnus, first by commissioning a [[Project Powermaster|Powermaster]] upgrade for himself from the [[Project Omega]] team, then by invading Earth with the intent of using the collected AllSpark fragments to defeat Megatron. Optimus would steal Sentinel's Powermaster upgrade and travel to Earth to stop Sentinel from making a huge mistake. If "Powermaster Optimus Prime" toy would have been completed, designers vaguely planned, if at all possible, for it to also be compatible with the Sentinel Prime toy.

*Sentinel Prime's animation model and toy served as raw material for informal mockups of how [[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]]'s Earth form would look in Season 4. Ironhide's actual appearance and toy, would they have been completed, would have resulted in an entirely new look and action figure.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Sentinel''' (センチネル ''Sen'''chin'''eru'')

==External links==
*[http://www.formspring.me/SentinelPrime Sentinel Prime at FormSpring]
*[https://twitter.com/SentinelPrime?lang=tr "Sentinel Magnus" at Twitter]

[[Category:Animated Autobots]]
[[Category:Autobot leaders]]
[[Category:Council members]]
[[Category:Elite Guard]]
[[Category:Legends Autobots]]
[[Category:Primes]]
[[Category:TransTech Autobots]]

Captain Fanzone's car

2016-12-03T07:23:46Z

DoctorFluffy: /* Notes */

{{disambig2|the normal car belonging to Captain Fanzone|the Autobot who looks just like it, but cleaner|Bumblebee (Animated)}}

:''Captain Fanzone's car is a hapless vehicle from the [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] [[continuity]].''

[[Image:TFA Fanzone Car Scan.jpg|thumb|right|300px|"This is why I hate apricot Jell-O!"]]
'''[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]]'s car''' is a rusty yellow sports car of undetermined model. It gets destroyed a lot, but always seems to be back in time for its next mauling. It was also the basis for [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]]'s Earth vehicle [[alternate mode|altmode]].

{{quote|How come [[Bumblebee (Animated)|your]] interior's so much cleaner than mine?}}{{quote|Maybe because it's not on fire?|[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] and [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari]]|"[[Velocity (episode)|Velocity]]"}}

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon===
[[Image:TFA Fanzone Car Wreck BftP.jpg|left|thumb|"''This'' is why I ''hate'' bumper cars!"]]
[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] was seated in his car, about to eat a burger, when he received a radio call summoning all units to a [[Sumdac Systems]] building because a humongous nanobug was absorbing everything in its path. His car was thus present among the collected emergency vehicles when [[Teletran-1]] scanned them for new altmodes for [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] and his crew of [[Autobot]]s. Scrappy speedster [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] adopted the look of the yellow hatchback, sans rust. When the Autobots made their debut to confront the nanobug, Fanzone briefly mistook 'Bee for his car, exclaiming, "How is my car driving itself?!" {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}

Fanzone's car was present for many of his encounters with Autobots and [[Decepticon]]s, often in the role of "collateral damage". For example, in the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobot]]s' debut appearance, [[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] knocked a car into the air with his tail, causing it to bounce amusingly off of Fanzone's vehicle. {{storylink|Blast from the Past}} Afterwards, he briefly used a normal police cruiser. {{storylink|Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found}}

The resemblance between Fanzone's car and Bumblebee was occasionally useful, as when Fanzone drove Bumblebee to a ransom meeting with the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]], thus sneaking the Autobot into the building under the guise of a normal car. {{storylink|Headmaster (episode)|Headmaster}} [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] side-swiped Fanzone's car while leaving the Elite Guard ship. {{storylink|The Elite Guard}}

[[Image:TFA Fanzone Car Wreck Velocity.jpg|thumb|right|"And '''this''' is why I '''hate''' bananas in the tailpipe!"]]
Fanzone pulled up to investigate a Decepticon sighting, Sentinel poked the car's roof and suggested Fanzone leave it to the Autobots. {{storylink|The Return of the Headmaster}} When the Autobots went to try and help the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]], Fanzone and Sari followed in Fanzone's car, and managed to get there without the car exploding. {{storylink|Mission Accomplished}}

The car's most energetic death yet came when Fanzone was investigating [[Master Disaster (Animated)|Master Disaster]]'s underground races. He and Bumblebee ended up pursued by the crazy Decepticon [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]]. Bumblebee and [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] urged Fanzone to jump into 'Bee, and moments later Blitzwing destroyed Fanzone's car with a missile. {{storylink|Velocity (episode)|Velocity}} But, it was back yet again by the time of Optimus's duel with the Headmaster at [[Burger Bot]]. {{storylink|TransWarped}} A perfect virtual copy of it later appeared in [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]]'s virtual reality, where it was commandeered by the (virtually human) Bumblebee. {{storylink|Human Error, Part II}}
{{--}}

==Toys==
* Most of Bumblebee's [[Bumblebee (Animated)#Toys|toys]] will serve, so long as you don't transform them. You might want to [[customizing|paint on some rust]], and scatter a few [[Burger Slime|burger]] wrappers around the interior.

==Notes==
* No explanation has been explicitly offered for how Fanzone's car keeps coming back from being totaled. Either he's repeatedly buying identical cars, or he's getting them fixed at great expense (but ''not'' getting the rust fixed). Bumblebee idly wonders if it's the former, asking "What does he do, buy them by the dozen?" {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}}
* On the other hand, dialog in "Velocity" implies that the car is the property of the [[Detroit]] Police Department. Given how large bureaucracies work, it's possible they bought a fleet of identical unmarked cars several years ago, and they're all rusting at about the same rate.
* Or, it's just a [[Waspinator (BW)|running gag]].
* Whoever owns the car is clearly opting for the no-frills model, as Sari's candid comments on Bumblebee's alt-mode in "[[Nature Calls]]" suggest that it does not feature such basic mod-cons as a heater! Despite this, in "Velocity" it's established to possess a GPS navigation system.

[[Category:Animated vehicles]]

Shelfwarmer

2016-12-03T01:34:00Z

DoctorFluffy: I'm sorry. I couldn't resist the reference to Doctor Bees.

{{disambig2|toys from a long time ago that still haven't been sold|toys that have lots of kibble|Shellformer}}
[[Image:ShelfwarmersTRUGermany.jpg|right|upright=1.5|thumb|You ''know'' something is wrong when you see toys from no fewer than ''four'' different lines, released several years apart, all side by side on the same store shelf.]]
'''Shelfwarmer''' is the colloquial term for a toy or product that either fails to sell well or is over-produced, leaving residual quantities on store shelves for months or even years after its original release, generally far in excess of other toys from the same [[wave]]s. Just like a "benchwarmer" in sports, one who contributes nothing to the game except sitting on a bench and keeping it warm with his butt, a "shelfwarmer" does the same thing to a toy store shelf by sitting on it for prolonged periods of time.

A related term is '''pegwarmer''', used to refer to toys packaged on cards which thereby hang on pegs, rather than in boxes.

==Shelfwarmers and ''you''==
[[Image:ShelfwarmersGermanyNovember2015.jpg|left|upright=0.7|thumb|Sometimes shelfwarmers are a localized phenomenon, occasionally even limited to one particular store.]]
The inherent problem with just coming up with a list of shelfwarmers is that it varies drastically from locality to locality. Some toys will sell like gangbusters in one state or country, yet warm shelves forever in other places. On occasion, a toy that's considered rare and hard to find in the United States can very well end up as a shelfwarmer in other countries (''Energon'' [[Ultra Magnus (Energon)|Ultra Magnus]] is a rather infamous example of this.) Usually this is due to the toy being only shipped to US stores in limited quantities, often even getting [[Shortpacking|shortpacked]] while European stores get those toys in solid [[case]]s, with nothing but multiples of the same one or two toys.

Toys might even shelfwarm based on the chain to which they're distributed, disappearing instantly at [[Target]] but sitting for months at [[Walmart]]. Sometimes it's even just one particular store that has still leftover stock of certain toys that all other stores in the area (including other stores belonging to the same chain) got rid of ages ago. Maybe the chain put the remainders on clearance but that one store never got the memo.

This all has led to some heated (or at least obstinate) debates online over which toys are/were vicious shelfwarmers. But even then, nearly everyone agrees that [[Injector]] just wouldn't go away until he was marked down to only a buck.
{{-}}

==Supply vs. demand==
As was touched upon earlier, there are some toys which were very hard to get in some regions but available so freely in others that they warmed some very cold shelves. Certain toys were in desperate demand in the fandom when they were difficult to get, but didn't do so well when released more widely. One online example of this phenomenon is [[Battle Unicorn]]. This ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (toyline)|Beast Machines]]'' toy was part of the very last wave of that series' product and was thus barely shipped to retailers. As such, it was ''very'' hard to get. It was so rare, in fact, that the online store [[BigBadToyStore]] made a large special order for them from Hasbro — but despite the [[fandom]]'s previous clamouring for the toy, they were stuck sitting on a lot of that stock for quite a long time.

The original releases of ''[[Transformers: Alternators| Alternators]]'' [[Tracks (G1)|Autobot Tracks]] and [[Jazz (G1)/toys|Meister]], which only shipped in two [[wave]]s each, also demanded a high rise in aftermarket prices... until Hasbro decided to re-release them as part of a semi-relaunch of the ''Alternators'' line. Now, Tracks and Meister suddenly became major shelfwarmers.

A similar thing happened with ''Alternators'' [[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]]: In North America, he was released only at the [[San Diego Comic-Con]] and via the [[Hasbro Toy Shop]] website for the few people who were able to get him from there, and so was very difficult to get. Fans of the ''Alternators'' line who desperately wanted the toy were furious about its release only at a non-Transformers [[convention]] and complained at length about it not being easily available. Then suddenly the toy turned up in Australia. It hit the retail store Toyworld in massive numbers, and at half the price of usual Alternators. But... no one there wanted it. The American fans had gotten over it by that point, and no one in Australia gave a damn.

Boy, did that thing sit around for ''ages''. It was still available in some stores as of September 2009!

Another example is the [[Unicron/toys#Transformers_.282010.29|25th Anniversary Unicron]] figure. When it was released as an Amazon.com exclusive in the US, it sold out quickly and was subject to much [[toy scalping|scalping]], but when it was released to mass retail stores in Canada and South-East Asia, the demand wasn't as high, and there he warmed shelves.

==Shelfwarmers in Generation 1==
[[File:G1toy frenzy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Cartoon-accurate or not, you sure weren't buying the two-pack for this guy.]]
The toy industry and the [[fandom]] were very different things during the original toy line's run. Due to the much much slower turnaround time on retail toy shelves in the '80s, any given toy could stay on the shelves for two, three, or even four years and this would be a sign not of shelfwarming, but of the toy's longevity and success. Toys like Optimus Prime and Starscream stayed on the toy shelves for many years because they '''were''' popular, not because they weren't, with chains getting new shipments of older product on a regular basis. This makes it hard to gauge if there were shelfwarmers compared to the toys in modern lines, which are only meant to have a shelf life of a few months.

That said, there certainly were some Transformers which stayed on toy shelves during Generation 1 for way longer than should have been expected. The most prominent example would be the [[Jumpstarter]]s, over-produced in such numbers that even today they are legion in the aftermarket. The smaller [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]] were also seen to hang around on shelves long after they had ceased to ship. During the 1986 and 1987 Christmas shopping seasons, animal-based Transformers such as [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]], the Decepticon [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]]s, and the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]]s, were known to linger on shelves longer than their more popular vehicular counterparts.

==Shelfwarmers in ''Beast Wars''==
It was ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (toyline)|Beast Wars]]'' that stuck the concept of shelfwarmers in the fandom's head. The fandom was maturing, communicating thanks to the internet, and starting to notice these sorts of patterns. At the same time, the attitude of retailers (and the distribution system as well as a consequence) was changing and toys no longer had the multi-year shelf lives they had in the 1980s. Toys now shipped in multiple [[wave]]s per [[size class]] and toys that were on the shelves an entire year were suddenly unsuccessful.

Toys that were noted for their abnormally high shelfwarming capacity in ''Beast Wars'' included [[Injector]], [[Scavenger (BW)|Scavenger]], [[Transquito]], and even show character [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]]. Some reports even had Transquitos holding six or seven years after their initial release. Now ''that's'' a shelfwarmer.

==Shelfwarmers in later series==
[[Image:ShelwarmerTRUWheelie.jpg|thumb|150px|left|The same German TRU store as in the photo above, two years later. Generations? Hunt for the Decepticons? Why, buy ROTF Wheelie instead! Still plenty left!]]
As fandom became more aware of the concept of shelfwarmers, [[Hasbro]] changed its production strategies to avoid both the reality of toys sitting around for months, and the ''perception'' of certain toys as 'warmers. (Because any toy which clogs shelves must suck, right?) Toys had progressively shorter shelf lives, so Hasbro leveraged their [[mold]]s by adding [[redeco]]s and [[retool]]s, and by revamping lines and packaging on a much swifter basis to sell more of the same toy. ''[[Transformers: Armada (toyline)|Armada]]'' had "[[The Unicron Battles]]" as a [[subline imprint]] with a new packaging style roughly halfway through its lifespan, and then the entire line became ''[[Transformers: Energon (toyline)|Energon]]'' six months after that. Turnover times have become swifter and swifter.

Due to fans' impatience, the term "shelfwarmer" has started to become more specialized to mean "toys that stay on the shelves longer than their casemates," regardless of whether they've really been there a long time. That said, there are still some toys that just don't sell, even in the more recent Transformers franchises. In addition, as we said before, distribution is slightly different in other countries than it is in the USA so some toys don't necessarily ''have'' any casemates to be judged against. For example, ''Armada'' [[Scavenger (Armada)|Scavenger]], ''[[Movie (toyline)|Movie]]'' [[Swindle (Movie)|Swindle]] and [[Bonecrusher (Movie)|Bonecrusher]] ended up as royal shelfwarmers in many European stores because they were the ''only'' toys from their respective [[Size class|size classes]] those stores would ever get from Hasbro. It didn't help that the latter two shipped after the movie line nominally ended.

Each series has had its own quintessential shelfwarmers. In North America, ''Armada'' clogged shelves with flocks of [[Laserbeak (Armada)|Laserbeaks]] and fleets of [[Smokescreen (Armada)|Smokescreens]]. ''Energon'' made sure there was no shortage of [[Ironhide (Energon)|Ironhide]]. ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' gave us unmoving armies of [[Mudflap (Cybertron)|Mudflaps]], who often stayed on the shelf long enough to sit beside their [[redeco]], the first movie [[Mudflap (Movie)|Mudflap]] (''itself'' a shelfwarmer). In the [[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)| Universe toy line]], any of the ''Cybertron'' redecos stayed on shelves for years on end, and you could still find [[Dropshot (G1)#Universe (2008)|Dropshots]] on the shelf at some Walmarts years after its release.

With the [[Transformers (film)|2007 ''Transformers'' movie]], the playing field was changed slightly. Suddenly, Transformers were '''big''' again. Toys were in short supply and any toys that stayed on the shelves for very long did so very conspicuously. During the Christmas shopping period following the 2007 movie, [[Payload (Movie)|Payload]]s could be found in hordes, even as ''everything'' else Transformers (including leftover ''Cybertron'' and ''Classics'' stock) was disappearing from shelves.

[[Image:ShelfwarmerSupremeGrimlock.jpg|thumb|200px|right|And yet another German TRU store, where Stomp & Chomp RID Grimlock follows his predecessor Stomp & Chomp AoE Grimlock as supreme shelfwarmer!]]
Then the fickle movie hype ended. Toys which were incredibly popular months before suddenly were out of the public consciousness. This meant, depending on your region and availability, that some of the later 2007 movie toys might as well have been glued to the shelf, and in some cases shared it with their new 2009 counterparts, likely dooming the originals from ever leaving the store. After all, would you rather have the original Leader Class [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] or the super duper shiny ''new'' one from ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]?'' Further, despite his starring role in ROTF, Deluxe Class [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]] and his "Tuner" redeco have been known to warm every peg in the Transformers section, like both Mudflaps before it. It got worse when retailers ended up overstocking on Wave 1 of the ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (toyline)|Dark of the Moon]]'' toyline, leading to figures from the line shelfwarming well into the Summer of 2013, ''two entire years'' since the release of [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|the film]]. This also had the rather nasty side-effect of leading to figures of [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] and [[Wheeljack (Movie)|Wheeljack]] being cancelled in most markets, only being released in the Asian market. The mediocre reception of the ''Dark of the Moon'' toyline may also have led to the severely reduced [[Transformers: Age of Extinction (toyline)|toyline]] for the ''Age of Extinction'' franchise three years later, with a comparatively low number of new releases in each wave. Despite this however, many unsold ''Age of Extinction'' toys still clogged various toy shelves years after the release of the film, especially the oversized Stomp & Chomp Grimlock. Said Grimlock's RID redeco started clogging the same shelves while his predecessor was still there, too.

==Names commonly associated with shelfwarmers==
[[File:ShelfwarmersBumblebeeTRUGermany.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Low sales? A LARGE INFLUX OF '''BEES''' OUGHTTA PUT A STOP TO THAT! (Or not)]]
For whatever reason, toys named "[[Mudflap (disambiguation)|Mudflap]]" tend to end up as shelfwarmers regardless of the sculpt: ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' Voyager Class [[Mudflap (Cybertron)|Mudflap]], the first toy using the name, started the trend, which was continued by his [[redeco]], ''[[Movie (toyline)|Movie]]'' [[Mudflap (Movie)|Mudflap]] (thus accompanying his ''Cybertron'' predecessor on many a store shelf). ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' gave us a [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]] [[character]] with multiple toy incarnations: Deluxe Class Mudflap generally moved more slowly than his [[The Twins|twin]] brother, [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]], from the same assortment. Likewise, [[Fast Action Battlers]] Grapple Grip Mudflap was easier to find than Missile Blast Skids, and things got even worse with the Deluxe Class Mudflap redeco, Tuner Mudflap, a ''colossal'' shelfwarmer. Presumably, the only reason [[Human Alliance]] Mudflap didn't share the same fate was the fact that the toy was stocked in low numbers by stores in the first place, thus ironically making this particular toy hard to find.

In recent times, Hasbro has had a tendency to pack more [[Kid-appeal character|kid-appealing]] Bumblebees into a case relative to his wavemates, and to pad later waves with same-character redecoes of him. This has led to the character's [[Live-action film series|movie]] and ''[[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|Prime]]'' incarnations becoming notorious in the fandom for pegwarming. During 2012, it was not an uncommon sight to see ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (toyline)|Dark of the Moon]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)|Prime: Robots in Disguise]]'' Bumblebees pegwarming side by side. In addition, ''First Edition'' Bumblebee was often the ''only'' First Edition figure that could be found in American [[Toys"R"Us]] stores due to Wave 1 being packed with four 'Bee's per case (which is ''half of the goddamn case'') while [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]] and [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] were both [[Shortpacking|shortpacked]] at two per case.
{{-}}

[[Category:Fan terminology]]
[[Category:Fandom]]
[[Category:Toys]]

Trypticon Prison

2016-12-02T01:13:08Z

DoctorFluffy:

{{disambig3|Trypticon}}
:''Trypticon Prison is a correctional facility from the [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:StuntiConJob Trypticon Prison.jpg|thumb|upright=2.2|The happiest place on Cybertron!]]
'''Trypticon Prison''' is the premiere [[Autobot]] detention facility on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Located in the former [[Decepticon]] [[Polities of Cybertron|city-state]] of [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]], it is where the worst of the worst spend the rest of their days thanks to the swift hand of Autobot justice.

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon continuity===
Known inmates in cell block D-63 of Trypticon Prison include [[Cryotek (Animated)|Cryotek]], [[Rampage (Animated)|Rampage]], [[Beta (Animated)|Beta]], [[Zero]] and the mysterious [[ManBearPig]].<ref>Pretty much everything in this sentence is a hidden [[Easter egg]], written in [[Cybertronian language|Ancient Autobot]] on a floor plan of the prison across pages 144-145.</ref> {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II}}

{{storylink|The Stunti-Con Job}}
{{locationstub}}

==Notes==
*Trypticon Prison would've appeared in the unproduced fourth season of the ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Animated]]'' cartoon, where it would have been teleported to [[Earth]] by Megatron as part of a huge prison break.<ref>The "Season Four" section of ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II|The AllSpark Almanac II]]''.</ref> It wouldn't be the last time that the concept of [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 franchise)|Decepticon prisoners unleashed on Earth]] would surface.

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Animated locations]]
[[Category:Cybertron]]
[[Category:Penal institutions]]

Sentinel Prime (Animated)

2016-11-29T03:42:30Z

DoctorFluffy:

{{disambig3|Sentinel Prime}}
{{factions|autobot|eliteguard}}
:''Sentinel Prime is <s>a jerk</s> an [[Autobot]] from the [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]] [[continuity family]].''

[[File:SentinelPrimeAnimated-model.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|"Where's the jerk who calls himself Sentinel Prime?" "I am that jerk!"]]

Many times, brash, leap-before-you-think types learn a lesson from their misadventures, and use that knowledge to grow into more mature, well-rounded fighters, even into leadership roles.

And sometimes, they learn the wrong lesson (or the right lesson the wrong way), and turn out like '''Sentinel Prime'''.

Sentinel was once the impulsive type, until a disastrous "unsanctioned" mission he'd suggested with his best friends [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] ended in the loss of Elita. Though both bots carried the grief, Sentinel blamed Optimus for abandoning her. When Optimus officially took the blame for the mission (and Sentinel failed to speak up for his part of it), Sentinel placed all his anger on his former friend, and drove himself to climb the Autobot ranks into the [[Cybertron Elite Guard]] through strict adherence to military protocol.

The end result is an Autobot who could be one of the Autobots' greatest assets, but he's such a jerk that it's hard to see ''how''. His expandable [[Skyboom (Animated)|Skyboom Shield]] is virtually impenetrable, and he's a strong combatant and utterly tenacious hunter. And he seems to have Cybertron's best interests at heart... but his perception of "best interests" is definitely skewed.

To his core, he's still the same smug, act-first-think-later-maybe bot he was before, only far more focused. Despite the "stickler for the rules" aspect of his personality that has come from the loss of Elita, he seems to use the rules largely to bully his way of doing things on others. He really can't handle the unexpected, thanks to a distinct lack of genuine field experience and inability to improvise like [[Jazz (Animated)|others in the Guard]]. Thanks to that one fateful trip to [[Archa Seven]], he has a severe phobia of organics, and a burning desire to further humiliate Optimus. To his credit, he would never actively sabotage another Autobot... but he sure will make their lives a living hell if he thinks he can get away with it.

Don't mention his [[chin]]. He's a little touchy about it.

{{bigquote|[Sentinel] is a glitch-head. All due respect.|[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] sums up Sentinel Prime|"[[The Elite Guard]]"}}

==Fiction==
===''Animated'' cartoon===
{{Idw-tfa}}
{{voiceactor|[[Townsend Coleman]] (English), [[Marty Isenberg]] ([[BotCon 2011]]), [[Jim Sorenson]] ([[BotCon 2015]]), [[Junichi Suwabe]] (Japanese)|[[Peter Reinhardt]] (German), [[César Marchetti]] (Portuguese Seasons 1 and 2), [[Ricardo Teles]] (Portuguese Season 3), [[Ricardo Soto]] (Latin American Spanish, seasons 1 and 2), [[Jari Salo]] (Finnish, episode one), [[Juha Paananen]] (Finnish, regular voice)}}

[[File:SurvivalSkills-simulatedcombat.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|right]]
''Sentinel was named and trained in [[Autobot boot camp]] by the drill sergeant [[Kup (Animated)|Kup]], which is also where he met Optimus and [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]]. {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II}} During their studies, Elita and Sentinel observed Optimus battle [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] in a virtual training program. Sentinel sneered when Optimus ultimately failed, but Ultra Magnus noted that Optimus had scored better than any Autobot thus far. {{storylink|The Arrival issue 5#"Survival Skills"|Survival Skills}}''

[[File:Animated sentinel1.JPG|left|upright=1.1|thumb|"You're gonna need tickets to—THE GUN SHOW!"]]
Sentinel took Optimus and Elita-1 on a mission to [[Archa Seven]] looking for an old Decepticon [[Twilight (Animated)|warship]], hoping to get all the [[energon]] stored within. However, they ran into a pack of massive arachnids. Sentinel tried to hold them off long enough for Optimus and Elita to escape. When he came across a ship that Optimus and Elita had found, Optimus had to drag him away from the exploding energon, forcing them to leave Elita-1 behind. Optimus's radar couldn't find Elita's energy signature, and he assumed that she was dead. A furious Sentinel blamed Optimus for what happened, even though this whole disaster had been ''his'' idea. Jerk. {{storylink|Along Came a Spider}} When Ultra Magnus brought the two up on a military tribunal, Optimus gallantly took the fall — while Sentinel just stood there smirking. {{storylink|Endgame, Part I}}

After graduation from the Academy, he received an official rank as Sentinel ''[[Minor (rank)|Minor]]'', the drill officer for an Autobot training camp. Obviously compensating for being a jerk, he took out his frustrations on recruits like [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]], [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]], [[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]], [[Shockwave (Animated)|Longarm]] and [[Wasp]]. Busting their transistors at every turn, he liked to conduct surprise inspections and force the recruits to chant that they were worthless grease stains. Of course, in Bumblebee's case, the extra attention was not exactly unmerited, as the little glitch-head managed to get Sentinel's feelings on whether Ultra Magnus should retire from command broadcast across the camp. In the end, he commended Bumblebee for his role in discovering a seeming Decepticon traitor. Then Bumblebee admitted to accidentally knocking a tower on him (actually covering for Bulkhead), and Sentinel gave him the boot. {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}}

[[File:The Arrival 1 Memorial Plaza Sentinel speech.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb]]
Years later, he was still a jerk, but a jerk with prestige, having been promoted to Sentinel ''Prime''. When Optimus Prime rang up the Cybertron Elite Guard to tell them of the Decepticons in pursuit, he sneered that a screw-up like Optimus wasn't worth the attention of Ultra Magnus. Seeing a piped-through visual of the [[AllSpark]] from the cargo hold of [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|their ship]] shut him up quickly enough. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}

''After the ship was lost, Sentinel found himself the only one who knew Optimus well enough to give him a eulogy. However, while his words were reasonably civil, his thoughts were not. Later, when Longarm pressed him to continue the search, Sentinel acted like an old man and told him some things are best left buried.'' {{storylink|Dispatches}}

[[File:Sentl prime alt.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|When the snow starts a-falling, There's a man you should be calling...]]

Later, the Elite Guard visited Earth to reclaim the AllSpark. When [[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] decided to take a closer look at the humans, Sentinel warned that organics could spew out slime that melts through armor plating, deliberately goading Optimus Prime with memories of Elita-1's fate. He decontaminated Optimus Prime's crew after setting a force field around the ship. When he heard that they'd defeated [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] and the Decepticons, he didn't believe Optimus, almost causing a fight between him and [[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]]. Sentinel boasted to Ultra Magnus that he had taken the initiative and scanned some "typical" Earth vehicles so they would not draw undue attention. He had, in fact, scanned massive, destructive vehicles for them both.

En route to [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], Sentinel further evidenced how subtlety obviously isn't his strong point by driving through a blockade and off an overpass still under construction. When he, Optimus and Magnus arrived, they encountered the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]], and Sentinel began to attack, believing their technology was primitive. [[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]]'s subsequent [[transformation]] caught him off guard. They then went back to the city to take care of malfunctioning [[police drone]]s. Sentinel started to act like a jerk again, more worried about organic contamination, and vowed to see Optimus arraigned on charges of high treason, but Optimus had got enough of Sentinel's mouth and finally told him off, asserting that his former friend was on his turf now and should respect Optimus's decisions. Unsurprisingly, Sentinel was unmoved. Even when shown proof of the AllSpark not being destroyed, Sentinel's attitude did not change. He was thus rather surprised when Ultra Magnus said that Optimus had characteristics that Sentinel himself could stand to learn. {{storylink|The Elite Guard}}

[[File:Sentinelprimeanimatedbattlemask.jpg|left|upright=0.85|thumb|Come one, come all! Join the merriment at the Cybertronian Renaissance Faire!]]

[[File:Sentinelprimeanimatedknightmode.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|He's here to eat giant turkey legs and kick butt...and he's all out of giant turkey legs.]]

Not taking the criticism to heart at all, he continued to be a general jerk to Optimus, the local police, humans, and pretty much everyone. His comeuppance would soon come in the form of a humiliating body-jacking by the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]]. Putting his reputation (and his noggin) in Optimus Prime's hands, he trusted his comrade to help him get his body back without letting anybody else find out. In this state, he was slightly less condescending to Optimus, but it was hard to talk down to someone when reduced to a tenth his size. He still had choice words about Optimus's actions in the process of saving his body, however, such as ripping its arm off, using his head as a soccer ball, and taking the opportunity for some stress relief. Deep down, Optimus was enjoying himself.

After recovering his body, Sentinel had to face the embarrassing prospect of reporting to Ultra Magnus, but surprisingly enough, Optimus covered for him. It took every ounce of effort for the big guy to utter a "thank you" to his comrade later.

While in the Headmaster's possession, Sentinel's body's weapons were upgraded into more powerful forms. At the moment, it's not clear whether Sentinel got to keep the upgrades when the Headmaster Unit was separated. {{storylink|The Return of the Headmaster}}

Unfortunately, the whole Headmaster debacle ''still'' failed to purge Sentinel of even a dram of his jerk quotient. When Optimus protested Ultra Magnus's decision to have his crew join the rest of the Autobots off-Earth, Sentinel was quick to jump on Optimus, saying that ''no'' sign of Decepticon activity had been detected (failing to consider that the Decepticons had been dampening their signals). He even went so far as to bribe Optimus with an offer of reinstatement in the Elite Guard if he went along with the official story. Through all this, he was more than slightly keen to slap [[stasis cuffs]] on Optimus in order to get him to comply with Magnus's orders.

[[File:Sentinel Prime shocked.jpg|thumb|Will get owned again...]]

When the Elite Guard's ship detected an AllSpark fragment in a runaway passenger train (actually a trap set by [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]]), Sentinel was irritated to find that he had to stay behind and nursemaid "Maintenance Prime" while Ultra Magnus and Jazz set off to investigate. The situation got worse when, discovering Decepticon presence, Optimus goaded Sentinel into a blind attack and took the opportunity to slap the stasis cuffs on ''him.'' Poor sap... (snicker)

Sentinel eventually worked his way out of the cuffs and pursued Optimus to where the AllSparked train had stopped, threatening to have him tried and blacklisted for assaulting an Elite Guard, dismissing out of hand Optimus's justification of Decepticon involvement. Fortunately for Optimus, Megatron and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] chose that moment to blast Starscream to the ground in front of the Autobots.

[[File:Sentinel vs Optimus, with Jazz in the middle.jpg|left|thumb|"You're a jerk!" "No, you!" "No, YOU!" Ummm... bad guy?"]]

Sentinel had to take more time than the other Elite Guards to rally; unlike Magnus and Optimus, he had never seen a Decepticon before. Initial dismay aside, Sentinel did manage to last longer than the other Autobots against Starscream's onslaught, but the only reason he didn't fall was that Optimus took the stasis cuffs Sentinel had brought with him (anticipating Optimus's formal arrest as he was) and slapped them onto Starscream. Sentinel still thought Optimus drew out that battle on purpose.

Afterwards, Magnus expressed admiration over Optimus's willingness to disregard what were clearly ill-informed orders—praise to which Sentinel, predictably, objected. This just earned him another chastisement from Magnus about how sometimes the right thing ''was'' to trust one's gut over the book. Shortly afterward, the Elite Guard departed for Cybertron. Sentinel could probably sigh in relief—no more looking worse than the "washout". {{storylink|Mission Accomplished}} ''As soon as they left Earth, Sentinel Prime was quick to ditch his snowplow alternate mode in favour of his original Cybertronian body.'' {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac}}

Unfortunately, while the Elite Guard was in deep space, Starscream managed to escape his stasis cuffs and get out of their ship. Being the jerk he is, Sentinel probably thinks Optimus is responsible for that happening. {{storylink|A Fistful of Energon}} ''Upon returning to Cybertron, Sentinel got saddled with training the twins [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] and [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] (though he wanted to simply call them both "Jetfire"). Their new flying altmodes proved difficult to work into Sentinel's usual drill sergeant routine, since the twins could use them to easily bypass most training obstacles. Thankfully, their training was taken over by Jazz after their first battle exercise.'' {{storylink|First (and Second) in Flight}}
Things only got worse for Sentinel, as his former trainee and convicted "traitor" Wasp escaped from prison. Pursuing the former Autobot across an asteroid field, Sentinel had a standoff with Wasp at a space bridge relay point. The escapee activated the space bridge, and, blinded by its energies, Sentinel assumed Wasp had gone through it to parts unknown. In reality, Wasp had mustered what little cunning his shattered mind had left and faked out the Elite Guard member by hiding behind the archway. As usual, Sentinel's deductive skills left something to be desired, so he returned to base. {{storylink|Autoboot Camp}} ''When Ultra Magnus announced that he planned on keeping his versatile Earth vehicle mode, Sentinel decided to reformat back into his Earth form too.'' {{storylink|Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac}}

Later, Sentinel, Magnus and Jazz took the Elite Guard's flagship to back up [[Rodimus Prime (Animated)|Rodimus Prime]]'s team, who were defending [[space bridge 687-030]] from [[Team Chaar|a Decepticon raiding party]]. As the Elite Guard arrived, however, Megatron ordered all of his troops to withdraw, having changed his plans thanks to a [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|recent acquisition]]. After returning to Cybertron, Sentinel and Jazz were ordered ''back'' into space to hunt down the "traitor" Wasp. {{storylink|TransWarped}}

Upon arriving in Earth orbit, Sentinel was contacted by an agitated Longarm Prime. Now head of Autobot Intel, Longarm was upset that Sentinel's ship had entered Earth Sector when Longarm had ordered that all contact with Earth be filtered through him first. Sentinel was annoyed, since Longarm had sent them to intercept Wasp in the first place. After Ultra Magnus cut in to explain, Sentinel confirmed for Longarm that no one had heard from Optimus Prime's crew in at least a [[units of time|decacycle]].

Upon touchdown near [[Detroit]], Sentinel was disgusted with yet another aspect of Earth: rain. He quickly proved he had no ability to handle rain-soaked pavement in vehicle mode, further bruising his ego. With their other crew members already dispatched to hunt for Wasp, he and Jazz arrived at the Earth Autobots' base just after Wasp (actually Bumblebee in a forced disguise) had departed from there. Sentinel was all for chewing out Optimus for not answering his comlink, and he didn't care about Optimus's "excuses", as he had a fugitive spy to catch. It didn't help that Optimus pointed out said spy had just slipped past Sentinel, then claimed that Longarm was the real spy. Disgusted with such a brazen, baseless accusation, Sentinel ordered Prime's group to stay out of his way, then he and Jazz departed. Jerk.

Eventually, he found Prime and Ratchet battling his new recruits, [[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] and [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]], whom they'd mistaken for Decepticons since the new pair could fly. Sure, he hadn't told Prime about them before, but that was Prime's fault for butting in on Elite Guard business. Prime still insisted Wasp wasn't a double agent, but Sentinel would hear none of it and ordered the jet twins to find Wasp again. While he struggled to avoid skidding on the pavement and keep pace with Jazz, Optimus and Ratchet, he got word from Jetstorm that he and Jetfire had found Wasp, but that Bulkhead and Prowl were apparently his cohorts. Prime continued attempting to persuade him that he was on the wrong track, but Sentinel was all for arresting everyone and letting Ultra Magnus sort it out.

Back at the Earth Autobots' base, "Bumblebee" tried to prove his identity by recounting the various ways he'd inconvenienced Sentinel during 'Bee's stint in boot camp—most of which Sentinel didn't remember. Sentinel quickly got fed up and ordered "Wasp" wheeled out, but then Bulkhead hit upon a sure-fire way to tell who was who: a versus round of Bumblebee's latest video game passion, ''[[Ninja Gladiator]]''. Despite Sentinel's doubts, the real Wasp quickly revealed himself, taking 'Bee hostage and escaping. Jazz realized the full import of this revelation: The true Decepticon double agent was the head of Autobot Intel. Sentinel protested that Prime should have told him this in the first place. {{storylink|Where Is Thy Sting?}}

[[File:5servos sentinel kicked.jpg|left|thumb|If only he had been kicked [[Gearbox|a little lower]]...]]

Remaining on Earth, Sentinel made contact with the bounty hunter [[Lockdown (Animated)|Lockdown]] for a mutually beneficial arrangement: if Sentinel supplied him with parts from the Elite Guard ship, Lockdown would turn over Decepticons to Sentinel and let him take the credit. His ego overriding his sense of superiority, Sentinel agreed, bringing the captured Decepticons and taking all the credit. Only the twins believed that Sentinel was really making the captures alone, especially as Sentinel was both vague and defensive about how he captured the Decepticons. Finally, Lockdown needed a gyrostabilizer from the ship, in exchange for the [[Ramjet (Animated)|Liar Starscream]]. Prowl followed Sentinel, and discovered the arrangement, but was betrayed by Lockdown and the clone, and placed in stasis cuffs. Despite using Sentinel as a hostage, the Autobots showed little restraint in attacking, even though they only succeeded in hurting Sentinel. The battle ended with Sentinel being driven into the ground head first. After establishing contact with Cybertron, the Autobots learned that Ultra Magnus had been attacked by Shockwave, but was recovering. Optimus decided not to inform Cybertron Command of Sentinel's misconduct, but instead gave sole credit for the captures to Prowl. Even though he wasn't going to be court-martialled, Sentinel was still displeased that he didn't get a single ounce of credit. Annoyed, Optimus reminded him that there were more important things than his ego, but gave Sentinel fair warning: when smoke clears, there will be a reckoning. {{storylink|Five Servos of Doom}}

[[File:TFA-PredaconsRising-OhSentinel.jpg|thumb|[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bender_Bending_Rodr%C3%ADguez Jimmy cracked corn and I don't care!]]]
Even knowing Wasp was innocent, Sentinel continued to pursue the 'bot, leading to a chase through the streets of Detroit as Optimus and Bumblebee attempted to reach him first. When they did, a jurisdictional argument between Optimus and Sentinel allowed Wasp to slip away... only for him to be flown away by [[Swoop (Animated)|a Dinobot]]. Despite Optimus warning Sentinel off, Sentinel pursued them to Dinobot Island under [[Safeguard (Animated)|Safeguard]] in his own... unique... manner.

[[File:TFA-PredaconsRising-SentinelBlackArachnia.jpg|thumb|left|This is ''not'' the kind of [[Blackarachnia (BW)|romantic]] [[Silverbolt (BW)|couple]] you were expecting.]]
Bulling past the Dinobots, Sentinel entered the laboratory inside... to be confronted by what Elita-1 had become, and the experiment she was undertaking on Wasp. Blackarachnia's existence as a [[technorganic]] disgusted him to the deepest core of his spark, and he wished she had gone offline on Archa Seven. In return, after the emergence of the technorganic "Waspinator", she attempted to drain him dry. He was saved by a pursuing Optimus, and shortly afterward Blackarachnia was transwarped to apparent oblivion by the exploding Waspinator. Sentinel walked off without a word.

As he was set for departure to Cybertron to take his place as acting [[Magnus (rank)|Magnus]], he discussed what had happened with Optimus, and admitted that they should never have gone to the spider-planet in the first place. {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Animated)|Predacons Rising}}

[[File:TFA-DecepticonAir-SentinelJazz.jpg|thumb|"Jazz old friend, I don't know which disgusts me more: Your cowardice or your stupidity! We'll simply set a new course for that empty region over there. Near that blackish, holish thing."]]
On the trip back to Cybertron, after a failed interrogation of the Decepticon prisoners, he was contacted by [[Perceptor (Animated)|Perceptor]], [[Alpha Trion (Animated)|Alpha Trion]] and [[Cliffjumper (Animated)|Cliffjumper]], to inform him that the [[Autobot High Council]] intended to make the news of the attack on Ultra Magnus public. Sentinel was unhappy about this, but they reminded him that the decision was for the full Council to make, and that his "taking control" as acting [[Magnus (rank)|Magnus]] was premature, since Ultra Magnus was still online, albeit on [[spark support]]; and Cliffjumper wound him up further by reminding him that Prowl, not SP, had been given credit for the capture of the Decepticon prisoners. As a result, he took his frustrations out on Jazz, ordering him to take the ''[[Sigma Supreme|Steelhaven]]'' to full power—even after Jazz reminded him it would use up all their energon—and to steer through a stormy nebula. Jerk.

The effect of the electrical storms on the ship then caused [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]] to be freed of his transformation lock, and in turn he freed the other prisoners. They then attacked the bridge, and with Sentinel refusing to contact Cybertron and let them know what his mistake had wrought, he sent [[Broken Lance|a coded message]] to Optimus Prime, asking for help shortly before they were all captured. Optimus then [[transwarp]]ed in through Swindle's personal storage dimension, refused to obey a single order from Sentinel, thought up a plan to defeat the Decepticons and set Jazz to it, used Sentinel as a bludgeon to knock [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] away, and saved the day. Chastened, even Sentinel had to admit Optimus had done a good job, and offered him the position on the Elite Guard he would have to vacate to become Magnus, although Optimus declined. He then dropped Optimus back on Earth, and they mutually saluted in goodbye.

Finally arriving at Cybertron, Sentinel proceeded to lead a parade across Cybertron in his own honour, urging the cheering throngs to accept him as their Magnus. {{storylink|Decepticon Air}}

[[File:TFA ThisIsWhyIHateMachines Sentinel Propaganda.jpg|left|thumb|He's the Decider!]]
Sentinel Prime immediately began putting out propaganda warning Autobots that anyone they knew could be a Decepticon spy, began shutting down facilities like [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]] as a security measure, and started viewing any challenge to him as treason. When the Decepticon-occupied [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]] appeared in the skies above Cybertron, Sentinel immediately advocated firing on it, ignoring a displaced [[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]]'s warnings that Omega was so transwarp-saturated that this would ''take out the planet''.

Ratchet's opposition led to Sentinel having him hunted down for treason. Jerkier still, Sentinel prepared to fire on Omega while the Council were still discussing the matter, and he lied to them about his intentions. Luckily, when he did have the Elite Guard's [[Fortress Maximus (Animated)|Fortress Maximus]] fire on the titan, the Decepticons transwarped away. Sentinel brushed off the Council's ire and tried to take [[Magnus Hammer|Ultra Magnus' salvaged hammer]] from Ratchet, attempting to pursue and arrest the medic when Ratchet simply took the hammer with him back to Earth. Jazz volunteered to go instead, taking the opportunity to get out from under Sentinel's command. {{storylink|This Is Why I Hate Machines}}

[[File:EndgamePart2-Sentinel.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|The end of an error.]]

Soon, Sentinel would have to swallow his pride when Optimus Prime returned to Cybertron with his crew, with captured Megatron, Shockwave, and Lugnut, and with three reclaimed stasis pods—in Omega Supreme, no less! He stood glowering as the <s>cheering throngs</s> unwashed masses surrounded his rival. {{storylink|Endgame, Part II}}

''When [[Kremzeek|an ancient Decepticon weapon]] made its way to Fortress Maximus, Sentinel was more concerned about Sari Sumdac and [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]] slipping past security than the fact that the photon pulse cannon was self-activating and aiming at [[Iacon (polity)#Animated cartoon|Iacon]]. Fortunately for him, Sari's quick thinking was able to contain the menace.{{storylink|The Return of Blurr}}''

''With Optimus Prime being hailed as "Cybertron's greatest hero", Sentinel tried to borrow some credit for the Decepticons' capture by arranging for them to be held in [[Trypticon Prison]], Megatron's old fortress in [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]]. He also agreed to have a stunt show set up in view of the prison, with Autobot actors openly mocking the Decepticon leaders with their act. Of course, Sentinel Magnus's "actors" turned out to be Decepticons in disguise, orchestrating an elaborate plot to free Megatron from Trypticon Prison right out from under Sentinel's olfactory receptors.

History would vindicate his actions!'' {{storylink|The Stunti-Con Job}}

Jerk.
{{-}}

===''The Cool'' comic===
[[File:TheCoolEliteGuard01.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|left]]

Years ago, after losing their friend [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] on a distant planet, Sentinel and Optimus immediately formed a rescue party to save her. Despite all their searching, however, they were unable to find her and were forced to give up. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 4}}

Sentinel Prime was later present when Optimus Prime was discharged from the Elite Guard by Ultra Magnus. {{storylink|The Cool Extra issue 1}}

Sentinel later traveled with the Elite Guard to Earth in order to extract an explanation from Optimus Prime regarding why he had yet to return to Cybertron with his crew. Sentinel looked obnoxiously smug, of course. {{storylink|The Cool Episode 5}}

On Cybertron, Sentinel joined a throng of Autobot citizens in welcoming the victorious Optimus Prime and his Autobots back home. Sentinel remarked to himself that Optimus and his crew had finally returned... as ''heroes''. {{storylink|The Cool Episode Final}}
{{--}}

===Sentinel Shouting===
[[File:Ask Vector Prime Sentinel Prime.jpg|thumb|right|I was elected to lead, not to read!]]
After [[Swindle (G1)#TransTech|Swindle]] was fired, [[Rook (TransTech)|Rook]]- searching for someone "earnest" and "straightforward"- hired Sentinel Minor as the third ad-hoc replacement for the missing [[Vector Prime]].

This worked out about as well as you'd expect.

As a columnist, Sentinel spent most of his time lecturing his readers about the values of Autobot boot camp and what ''he'd'' do if he became Magnus. Anyway, he walked out the minute he learned he was communicating with organics. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Sentinel Shouting|Sentinel Shouting}}
{{--}}

===''Transformers Legends'' comic===
Sometime following his rise to Magnus, Sentinel issued an alert that the dangerous fugitive [[Slipstream (Animated)|Slipstream]] was loose on Cybertron and demanded she be captured. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 16|Bonus Edition Vol. 16}}

==Toys==
===Animated===
[[File:Deluxeanimatedsentinel.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|The jerk store called, they're running out of him.]]
*'''Sentinel Prime''' (Deluxe, 2008)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TA-28'''
**''Accessories:'' [[Lance]], shield

: Sentinel Prime transforms into a metallic blue monster-truck snowplow, and is armed in robot mode with his trademark Skyboom shield and lance. Either item can fit in either of his hands, and the shield has a ring mount to allow the lance to attach to it for transporting on the back of the vehicle mode. Surprisingly for an otherwise pointy object, the lance is actually cast in hard plastic. The weapons are also painted blue rather than cast in translucent plastic, an unusual choice for modern "energy" weapons. The toy also has an abandoned light-piping gimmick: not only are the eyes painted over, but the eye-piece is cast in black plastic, making it useless.

: Unfortunately, due to being released in the Deluxe size class, the Sentinel toy is ''technically'' incompatible with the [[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] accessory, which is only designed to work with Leader-class toys. You actually can wedge it on to him quite snugly, though.

: Due to a quirk of the transformation process, the plow on the front of the truck can be angled left or right, just as on real-world snowplows. Also, if you're the type that ''really'' goes for [[show-accuracy]], the antenna on the left side of Sentinel Prime's robot mode head can be tilted back and forth, just like he did in the episode "[[Predacons Rising (Animated)|Predacons Rising]]". That's some mighty fine scannin', Sentinel!

: In a surprising reversal from the norm, the TakaraTomy release uses softer, rubbery plastic on the lance rather than the harder plastic of the Hasbro release.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/SentinelPrime/sentinelprime.htm More information on Sentinel Prime at TFU.info]''

===Kre-O===
*'''Earth's Most Wanted''' (Souvenir set, 2015)

{{charstubtoys}}

==Notes==
[[File:TFASentinel-OriginalHead.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|Spooooon!!]]

*Sentinel Prime's blue coloration and ''especially'' pronounced [[chin]] (even by normal ''Animated'' standards!) really make him look like [[wikipedia:Tick (comics)|the Tick]]. He's even voiced by Townsend Coleman, who provided the voice of the Tick in his 1990s animated series. At the Cartoon Network panel at BotCon 2008, it was confirmed that Sentinel's design was created after Coleman was cast for the role. It's pretty evident that the writers ran with it, having him utter silly, Tick-esque lines like "Energon-y goodness!"

*As for personality, [[Marty Isenberg]] said during an interview in the [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 22|Transformers Collector's Club magazine]] that his love of ''[[wikipedia:M*A*S*H|M*A*S*H]]'' was the big reason Sentinel Prime is a jerk. He believes that the Transformers universe "needed a [[wikipedia:Frank Burns|Major Frank Burns]]."

*At [[BotCon 2008]]'s [[Cartoon Network]] panel, [[Derrick J. Wyatt]] confirmed that originally the character of Sentinel Prime was going to be named Rodimus Prime, but the idea of casting Rodimus as a big jerk didn't sit well with [[Hasbro|some people]]. But they'd eventually find some use for [[Rodimus Prime (Animated)|Rodimus]] somewhere, to be sure!

*Wyatt also related some previously unknown design trivia at BotCon 2008: At the time "Transform and Roll Out" went into production, the only part of Sentinel Prime that had been fully designed was his head. However, this turned out to be a non-final design; in his subsequent appearances, Sentinel's head is shorter and squatter, with a more bulbous chin and dark grey instead of white. Also, in "Transform and Roll Out", he has a set of extra smoke stacks/antennae on his shoulders, which would vanish during his first full-body appearance.

*Sentinel Prime is the first incarnation of [[Sentinel Prime (disambiguation)|the character]] to possess an Earth-mode. He is also the first to have a toy of him released, as well as the only incarnation of the character to not die at all during his appearances.

*''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II]]'' detailed in general how Season 4 might have played out would it have been produced. After Megatron's escape from prison and the death of Ultra Magnus, Sentinel would try to secure his position as Sentinel Magnus, first by commissioning a [[Project Powermaster|Powermaster]] upgrade for himself from the [[Project Omega]] team, then by invading Earth with the intent of using the collected AllSpark fragments to defeat Megatron. Optimus would steal Sentinel's Powermaster upgrade and travel to Earth to stop Sentinel from making a huge mistake. If "Powermaster Optimus Prime" toy would have been completed, designers vaguely planned, if at all possible, for it to also be compatible with the Sentinel Prime toy.

*Sentinel Prime's animation model and toy served as raw material for informal mockups of how [[Ironhide (Animated)|Ironhide]]'s Earth form would look in Season 4. Ironhide's actual appearance and toy, would they have been completed, would have resulted in an entirely new look and action figure.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Sentinel''' (センチネル ''Sen'''chin'''eru'')

==External links==
*[http://www.formspring.me/SentinelPrime Sentinel Prime at FormSpring]
*[https://twitter.com/SentinelPrime?lang=tr "Sentinel Magnus" at Twitter]

[[Category:Animated Autobots]]
[[Category:Autobot leaders]]
[[Category:Council members]]
[[Category:Elite Guard]]
[[Category:Legends Autobots]]
[[Category:Primes]]
[[Category:TransTech Autobots]]

The Elite Guard

2016-11-26T07:09:37Z

DoctorFluffy: /* Trivia */

{{disambig2|the '''Transformers Animated''' episode|the Autobot military team featured in this episode|Cybertron Elite Guard}}
{{episode|
|series=Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image=Eliteguardleaveshuttle.jpg
|caption=The cool kids always arrive fashionably late.
|ep=17
|ep2=16
|prev2=Megatron Rising - Part 2
|next2=The Return of the Headmaster
|title="The Elite Guard"
|airdate=[[April 12]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Rich Fogel]]
|directed by=[[Matt Youngberg]] [[Irineo Maramba]] [[Yutaka Kagawa]]
|animation studio= [[Mook]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''The Cybertron Elite Guard arrives on Earth to retrieve the AllSpark and relieve Prime and his crew of their post, but they prove less than adept at blending in with the human world.'''

==Synopsis==
On the extensive highway system of [[Detroit]], the [[Autobot]]s are aiding in the repair efforts after their titanic battle with the [[Decepticon]]s. Unfortunately the residents of the city don't seem to ''understand'' that the road system was blown to rubble by the battle, and are upset that the Autobots are holding up traffic. Optimus Prime heads over to address their concerns, and they flee in fear. Bulkhead comments that he liked it better when they were heroes, to which Optimus retorts that they still are. All of them wonder what the heck has happened that Bumblebee isn't there helping them.

[[Image:Super secretary.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Sure thing, dollface!]]

There's no reason for them to be jealous though, as the little yellow bot has been pressed into service as Sari's secretary at [[Sumdac Tower]]. The little girl realizes that there's a lot of pressure in running a business, and feels sorry for her father's having had to deal with this. Porter C. Powell is less patient, and expresses a fairly cold attitude towards her "wasting" company funds on locating the genius who designs all the company's myriad robotic technologies. Sari yells at him that as long as the company's name is Sumdac she's in charge, cuts him off, and tells Bumblebee to hold her calls. Bumblebee tells the "Boss Lady" sure, but points to the TV, showing an unidentified flying object headed for Detroit, saying she might want to look at that.

[[Image:Elite ship.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Those Elite guys always got ships that could actually land.]]

Spotting it, the Autobots speed to the scene, only to be met with some justified resentment by Captain Fanzone. However they are allowed to pass once the [[Steelhaven (Animated)|ship]] is revealed to be crewed by Autobots. Sentinel Prime, Jazz, and Ultra Magnus step out of the ship, while Optimus Prime and company walk up the gangplank, giving Magnus a salute. The [[Supreme Commander]] orders a force field thrown up to quarantine the entire area from organics. Jazz is interested in interacting with the locals, but quickly loses his interest when Sentinel Prime warns that they'll spit slime that will melt him down.

Sentinel is assigned to decontaminate the long-lost Autobot crew, a task he takes to with relish until he is interrupted by Jazz for overdoing it. Released, the Autobots are informed that the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]] have come to retrieve the [[AllSpark#Animated continuity family|AllSpark]]. Optimus explains that it was dispersed in the battle with the Decepticons, a fact that Sentinel accuses him of lying about, saying there is no evidence of the Decepticons being on the planet. Ratchet says that Optimus is a hero for keeping the AllSpark out of Megatron's hands, while Bulkhead nearly comes to blows with Sentinel after the out-of-line guardsman says that Optimus is anything but a hero. Ultra Magnus orders the Autobots to calm down and tells Optimus to take him and Sentinel to where the AllSpark was dispersed, though he insists that Optimus Prime's crew remain with Jazz until they return. The two Elite Guardsmen have some very unsubtle [[alternate mode]]s, chosen by Sentinel (Magnus is a military transport and Sentinel is a monster truck with a snow plow), and damage some cars near the ship as they [[roll out]]. Optimus tries to instruct them on the finer points of traffic laws, but Sentinel rams him aside without any regards for driver safety. He pays for this by driving off a damaged bridge and crashing into the ground below.

[[Image:Lair.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Meanwhile, in the evil lair...]]

Elsewhere, the Decepticons have holed themselves up in an underground mine with carbon deposits to hide them from the Autobots' sensors. Lugnut wants to go topside and fight, but his arm falls off mid-rant. Besides, Megatron has other priorities: the conquest of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Although Blitzwing thinks that the three of them conquering Cybertron is crazy, Lugnut [[Apeface|strikes him with his own severed arm]], telling him to never doubt Megatron, though he does admit that he'd like to know Megatron' plan. According to Megatron, the reasons the Decepticons lost the [[Great War (Animated)|Great Wars]] were due to the Autobots' possession of the AllSpark and [[space bridge]] technology. However, Megatron was able to download a partial schematic from the [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Autobot ship]] before his defeat. A completed space bridge would allow the Decepticons to teleport into Cybertron and conquer the planet from the inside. The rest of the space bridge's schematics, however, would have to be reverse-engineered by Isaac Sumdac, who is still the Decepticons' prisoner. Sumdac says that he doesn't know anything about teleportation, but a malfunctioning service drone gets him to shut up. Megatron blasts the drone and discovers that a piece of the AllSpark is embedded in its circuitry. This gives Megatron hope that the AllSpark was not entirely destroyed and could still be salvaged...

[[Image:Freaked jazz-1.jpg|right|200px|thumb|Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!]]

At a Sumdac Systems manufacturing plant, an assembly line building [[police drone]]s has been embedded with a piece of the AllSpark, and the drones begin to go haywire. Powell tells Sari what is happening, but refuses to do anything about it. Sari decides to free the Autobots, using the [[AllSpark Key]] to move through the shield and get onto the ship. Tripping an alarm, Sari is soon confronted by Jazz, who tries to coax her off the ship without provoking her. Realizing Jazz is afraid of her, Sari scares the [[Slag (slang)|slag]] out of the poor bot. Optimus's crew arrive and explain that Sari is harmless. Sari tells them what's going on at the plant, but Jazz says they need to stay with him. Bumblebee says that Magnus didn't specify where, and Jazz, wanting to try out his stylish alternate mode, goes with them to the plant.

On [[Dinobot Island (Animated)|Dinobot Island]], Optimus warns Sentinel and Magnus about the [[Dinobot (Animated)|Dinobots]], who take that moment to jump out, but Sentinel is unworried. Grimlock's [[transformation]] and flaming sword are a little more impressive, especially as they manage to force back Sentinel Prime, even through his shield. Ultra Magnus uses his hammer to call down lightning and scare away the Dinobots, while Sentinel appears to have learned nothing.

[[Image:TFA Elite Guard Optimus console slice.JPG|left|200px|thumb|Optimus Prime Tech Support, at your service!]]

Arriving at the plant, the police drones attack the Autobots. Jazz shows off his [[Metallikato]] skills, and Bulkhead smashes and smashes, but there is just no end to the drones. Magnus and the Primes arrive to provide backup, but Sentinel thinks that they should abort rather than risk organic contamination. Optimus, Prowl, and Jazz force their way into the plant and get Sari to a control console, into which she places the AllSpark Key, shutting down the assembly line, and Magnus uses his hammer to destroy the rest of the drones. Unfortunately, the Key is stuck. Sentinel Prime says that he'll see Optimus tried for insubordination and high treason for destroying the AllSpark, but Optimus finally tells Sentinel to shove it in his hard drive, reminding him they are of equal [[Prime (rank)|rank]]. Using his axe, Prime destroys the console and discovers that the Key was attached to a piece of the AllSpark. Examining it, Ultra Magnus accepts Optimus Prime's story. Sentinel still tries to badmouth Optimus, saying he's a liar, but Ultra Magnus finally puts Sentinel in his place, saying Optimus has demonstrated strategic thinking, determination, and loyalty towards his comrades—all qualities that Sentinel Prime could use.

[[Image:Dramatic change in plot.jpg|right|180px|thumb|See that, Pat Lee? It's called an expression!]]

Heading home, Sari and Bumblebee find that she has been locked out of her office. Powell says that he's been elected CEO and Chairman of the Board, and is now head of Sumdac Systems. Sari still insists that it's her family's company, but Powell reveals that there is no will or adoption papers from Isaac Sumdac, nor does Sari have a birth certificate or social security number. As Sari realizes that she has no way to prove that she is Sumdac's daughter, Powell puts it even more bluntly—there's no evidence to prove that she legally exists...
{{-}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (1)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (2)
*[[Ratchet (Animated)|Ratchet]] (4)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (5)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (6)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (10)
*[[Jazz (Animated)|Jazz]] (11)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (12)
*[[Grimlock (Animated)|Grimlock]] (18)
*[[Swoop (Animated)|Swoop]] (19)
*[[Snarl (Animated)|Snarl]] (20)

|c2=
*[[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] (13)
*[[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] (14)
*[[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] (15)

|c3=
*[[Gary's mother]] (3)
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (7)
*[[Porter C. Powell]] (8)
*[[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]] (9)
*[[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] (16)

|c4=
*[[Police drone]]s (17)
}}

==Quotes==
"This is completely unnecessary, Sentinel!" 
"Can't risk an infestation, 'old buddy'. Take it like a real bot."
:—Undergoing "decontamination", '''Optimus''' rediscovers that '''Sentinel''' is a jerk.

"Man, that was some funky blinkin' colored light show! What'd you call those things again?" 
"Traffic lights?" 
"Traffic lights. Solid."
:—'''Jazz''' discovers the wonderful world of commuting with the help of '''Bulkhead'''.

"What kind of screwloose planet IS this?!"
:—Between broken bridges and now Dinobots, '''Sentinel Prime''' isn't having a good day.

'''Bulkhead''': It's no good! These things are rolling off the assembly line faster than I can smash 'em! 
'''Jazz''': Is it always like this on this crazy planet? 
'''Prowl''': Pretty much.
:—Jazz learns that Prime's crew has anything but a quiet life.

'''Sentinel Prime''': I think you've done enough, Optimus! I'll make sure you're tried for high treason for destroying the AllSpark! Now come with me! 
'''Optimus Prime''': No! 
''[Shoves Sentinel aside]'' 
'''Sentinel Prime''': That wasn't a request. That's a direct order, Optimus! 
'''Optimus Prime''': It's Optimus ''Prime''. I may be an Elite Guard washout and a glitch-detail flunky, but the last time I checked, you and I still had equal rank. So, Sentinel Prime, take your order ''and'' your condescending attitude, and stick it in your hard drive! You're on ''my'' turf now! 
:— Optimus says what we've all wanted to say to Sentinel.

"Definitely appears to be a fragment of the AllSpark. Apparently, your story about dispersing it may not be so far-fetched after all." 
"But sir, you can't honestly believe that. He's a lying, insubordinate crankshaft." 
"He may be a little rough around the edges, but in the heat of battle, Optimus Prime exhibited the qualities of a true leader: strategic thinking, determination, and above all, loyalty. Something ''you'' could stand to learn a thing or two about, Sentinel Prime."
:— '''Ultra Magnus''' lets '''Sentinel Prime''' know how much of an Auto-Ass he is.

[[Image:No Sari Sumdac.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"And you—YOU no longer EXIST!"]]

"Hey, why is my office locked?" 
"Miss Sumdac, I regret to inform you that your services will no longer be required. The board has unanimously elected me to take over as CEO of [[Sumdac Systems]]." 
"You can't do that! It's still my family's company!" 
"Is it? I took the liberty of doing some research into your claim. It might interest you to know that there is no will, no birth certificate, no adoption papers, social security number, or any kind of record whatsoever for a 'Sari Sumdac'." 
"Are you saying I can't prove I'm Isaac Sumdac's daughter?" 
"I'm saying you can't even prove you exist."
:—'''Sari''' and '''Porter C. Powell''' create a drastic change in plot.

==Notes==
===Animation or technical errors===
* When the Elite Guard first appear on the ramp of their ship, Jazz is missing the arrow decal on his crotch.
* When Sentinel Prime is asking for proof that the Allspark was not completely destroyed, in the next shot, Bumblebee is seen missing the plate on top of his head. It comes back in the next scene.
* When Optimus is walking down the ramp reassuring the humans that the other Autobots are friendly, Sentinel Prime can be seen in vehicle mode coming down behind him. Yet in the next shot after Optimus has transformed, Ultra Magnus is the first to follow suit.
* When the Autobots go to check out the drones, they take shelter behind a bunch of wooden crates as the police drones fire on them. ''How are they not being blasted to bits?''

===Continuity errors===
* Captain Fanzone is ''still'' driving [[Captain Fanzone's car|the car]] that was crushed! He must know [[Sparkplug Witwicky|one hell of a mechanic]]. Or he's obsessive enough to buy an identical car.
* Jazz says he has orders to "stick with you" [Optimus's crew], to which Bumblebee is delighted to inform him about the loophole. But really, the order was to stay "here" [on the ship]. So either Jazz forgot his orders, or [[Tracks (G1)|cared more about his vehicle mode]].

===Continuity notes===
*Sumdac Tower is still damaged from "[[Megatron Rising - Part 1]]" and "[[Megatron Rising - Part 2]]".
*When they're being "decontaminated", Bulkhead remarks that Sentinel doesn't remember them, to which Bumblebee replies that he wants it that way. The meaning of this exchange is revealed in "[[Autoboot Camp]]".

===Transformers references===
* This episode reveals that both Prowl and Jazz are practitioners of the Cybertronian martial art of [[Metallikato]], originally used by the Generation 1 character [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]].
* In voicing Ultra Magnus, Jeff Bennett is doing a ''rather'' good impression of [[Robert Stack]], who originally voiced the character in [[The Transformers: The Movie|the 1986 movie]], as well as a bit of a take on [[wikipedia:Alec Guinness|Alec Guinness]]'s portayal of [[Obi-Wan Kenobi]] from the original ''[[Star Wars (franchise)|Star Wars]]'' trilogy. Very cool.
* Likewise, [[Phil LaMarr]]'s Jazz also seems to be heavily inspired by [[Scatman Crothers]]' take on the character, though lower in tone and slightly less jivey.
* The giant ship in which the Elite Guard arrives on Earth bears a strong resemblance to the shuttles used by the Autobots in the 1986 movie, only in blue, and a whole lot bigger.
* After dismembering a bunch of drones with his energon axe, Optimus asks, [[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1|"Mind if I cut in?"]]
* That shot of Optimus reaching down and picking up a tiny fragment of the AllSpark [[Transformers (film)|does look familiar, doesn't it?]]

===Real-world references===
* Ultra Magnus' Hammer appears to have been modeled after [[Thor]]'s hammer [[wikipedia:Mjolnir|Mjolnir]].
* Captain Fanzone homages the ''[[wikipedia:Indiana_Jones|Indiana Jones]]'' line, "Snakes, why did it have to be snakes?" replacing "snakes" with "robots".

===Trivia===
* Jazz doesn't react at all to Bumblebee's summation that Sentinel's a glitch-head (all due respect). Maybe he's not getting much in the way of job satisfaction...
*[[News Bot]] and [[Tutor Bot]] are listed as appearing in the episode credits, but do not actually appear. There ''is'' a televised news bulletin regarding the object that would be revealed as the Elite Guard's ship, but the unseen reporter is voiced by [[Jeff Glen Bennett|Jeff Bennett]] instead of [[Townsend Coleman]].
*The Autobots have trouble proving to the Guard that there is Decepticon activity on Earth. There were dozens of human witnesses to the recent battle. Even if the Guard does not trust organic testimony, did ''none'' of the humans have cameras?
*Come to think of it, what happened to the news footage of Starscream Megatron watched when he reactivated?
*Megatron is evidently fully repaired now, while his subordinates are having trouble keeping their arms from falling off. Guy's got priorities, certainly.
*In the ''Animated'' universe, "Prime" is a military rank, as Optimus forcefully reminds Sentinel.
*It was unclear if either part of Ultra Magnus's name was a rank, particularly since he's commonly addressed as "Commander". Later, in "[[First (and Second) in Flight]]", it was revealed that "Magnus" is a rank.
*This episode was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as half of "[[Transformers Animated Volume 8]]", with "[[The Return of the Headmaster]]" making up the other half.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''La garde d'élite'''" ("The Elite Guard")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die Elitegarde'''" ("The Elite Guard")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 15|15 July]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Elite Guard'''" (エリートガード)
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 17|17 July]] [[2010]]
::* Ultra Magnus uses the "Magnus Hammer Thunder Attack" when he wipes out the police drones.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Gwardzista Elitarny'''" ("The Elite Guardsman")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''A Guarda De Elite'''" ("The Elite Guard")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Vier: Mission Erfüllt (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 5 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

{{DEFAULTSORT:Elite Guard}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]

The Return of the Headmaster

2016-11-25T04:46:48Z

DoctorFluffy: /* Quotes */ Minor formatting issues.

{{episode|
|series= Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image= Sentinelprimeanimatedhumiliated.jpg
|caption= Schadenfreude.
|ep=18
|ep2=17
|prev2=The Elite Guard
|next2=Mission Accomplished
|title="The Return of the Headmaster"
|airdate=[[April 19]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Michael Ryan]]
|directed by= [[Ben Jones]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio= [[The Answer Studio]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''Optimus Prime is forced to team up with his rival Sentinel Prime after Sentinel has a humiliating encounter with the Headmaster.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Returnofheadmaster sarisroom.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|im in ur room, shackin in ur cribs]]
In Sari's room at [[Sumdac Tower]], Sari bitterly packs her things while grumbling about [[Porter C. Powell]] taking over her home and throwing her to the curb. She doesn't notice Powell enter as she badmouths him, but rather than get upset, the man smugly proves many of her points right and adds insult to injury by introducing her bedroom's new tenant, the freshly re-hired [[Headmaster (Animated)|Henry Masterson]]. As the Headmaster makes himself at home, Sari protests, pointing out the man's lack of sanity, but Powell merely rushes her out the door. Then, just as Sari's day can't get any worse, Powell claims [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] and [[Tutor Bot]] as company property. Harsh.

[[File:Returnofheadmaster sentinelspeaks.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|I am destined to be a superhero. To right wrongs and to pound two-fisted justice into the hearts of evildoers everywhere.]]

Meanwhile, the Primes [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]] and [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel]] stand at a press conference along with the mayor and [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]]. Sentinel is his usual charming self, boasting the significance of the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard's]] presence, condescending to the [[Human|icky organics]], showing complete ignorance of the planet's customs, and insulting his comrade's lowly position at every opportunity. Optimus tries his best to ignore all this and put the humans' minds at ease about the current situation, but finds it difficult to get a word in edgewise as Sentinel cuts him off, determined to do all the talking, refusing to let Optimus speak for him.

Powell and Masterson watch the press conference with intent. Powell says he expects great things from Masterson, intending to tap the lucrative military hardware market that Sumdac so foolishly ignored. Masterson is itching to get to work, but wants new robots on which to test his Headmaster units. The old Autobot crew won't cut it, however; he wants the new models, and he eagerly eyes Sentinel Prime's image on the screen.

Masterson calls up Fanzone with a false Decepticon sighting in Old Detroit. Fanzone relays the information to the Primes, and the heroes transform and roll out. Sentinel still hasn't gotten the hang of the city's traffic customs, however, and spends more time driving over other cars than on the road.

[[File:AnimatedBumbleeBulkheadProfessor.jpg|left|upright=0.85|thumb|We tackle any topic, immense or microscopic!]]

Meanwhile, Sari is moving in with the Autobots at the [[Autobot Earth Base|old factory]]. Bulkhead and Bumblebee are eager to cheer up the sullen girl with loud TV, music, and a misguided tutoring session in which they end up throwing around theories about her mysterious origins. Predictably, everything they try only seems to make her more miserable.

Sentinel soon arrives at the scene of the supposed Decepticon sighting, prying a stop sign from his shoulder, and is quickly joined by Optimus and the police. Optimus starts making suggestions, but Sentinel shuts him up, opting to split up and search on his own, as he doesn't need help from a scrub.

The search drags on into the night, and Sentinel is jumping at shadows, turning the advanced weaponry of the Cybertron Elite Guard on such dire threats as [[Skippy|stray cats]]. This distracts him, and Masterson gets the jump on him with the Headmaster unit. Shortly afterwards, Sentinel contacts Optimus, telling him it was a false alarm and to send the police away. He then demands Optimus come to his position alone and promise not to laugh. Soon after, Optimus finds Sentinel's decapitated head and breaks out in laughter. Bitter and humiliated, Sentinel pleads with Optimus to help him get his body back without [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] finding out. Optimus guesses that the reason Sentinel is trusting him with the task is that he's just not important enough for his opinion to matter, but Sentinel is careful not to say something so insulting in his position. How about that.

[[File:Returnofheadmaster optimuslaughs.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Haw-haw!]]

Optimus learns of Masterson's re-hiring thanks to a conveniently timed message from Bumblebee, reporting what he's heard from Sari. The next day, Optimus pays a visit to Sumdac Tower, hiding Sentinel's head under a tree trunk while he chats with Powell. The new manager makes it clear that the Autobots aren't free to waltz into his building as they please any more, but assures their leader that Masterson isn't there. However as soon as Optimus leaves, he phones the Headmaster with information on the new development, warning his employee not to jeopardize the company's image. Lucky for the Primes, Optimus thought ahead enough to intercept the phone call with his ear transceiver as soon as he was out of sight. He traces the call to a cargo ship at the docks.

It's night again when the 1.5 Primes arrive at the docks and start searching for Sentinel's body. They don't get far before a nearby crate bursts open, revealing a sinister Sparkplug and Tutor Bot outfitted with miniature Headmaster Units. Sentinel isn't too worried by the puny automatons until they reveal some powerful laser-shooting upgrades. They send Optimus scrambling for cover while Sentinel's head bounces around impotently on the ground. When the ship Masterson is supposedly on starts casting off, they can't play around any longer, and Optimus rushes through the laser fire, ramps off the deck, transforms in mid-air and rides a powerful burst from his rocket axe to hook into the side of the ship's hull. Awesome. His grappling hooks probably would have worked equally well, but dude, flying rocket axe!

[[File:Returnofheadmaster headmastersvictim.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Oh, beware the other head of science, Arthur. It bites.]]

On the ship, Optimus and Sentinel try to find Sentinel's body...until it finds them. The Headmaster pushes Optimus down with Sentinel's shield. Sentinel is surprised that it's so powerful, to which Masterson gloats he upgraded his equipment. Pulling out Sentinel's beam [[lance]] and expanding the shield into a spikier version, the Headmaster clashes with Optimus while Sentinel bounces around impotently on the ground some more.

Masterson manages to knock Optimus's axe off the ship, leaving him unarmed. After being pinned to the ground with shield spikes inches from his face, Optimus returns the favor by ripping off Sentinel's arm, shield and all. Sentinel is mortified by the dismemberment, but Optimus feels it was justified. He then uses Sentinel's arm as a makeshift axe and fights back the body, eventually severing the Headmaster unit. The head quickly converts to robot mode and starts to run off, but this time Optimus stops him by kicking Sentinel's head into the fleeing villain like a soccer ball. Again, Sentinel is appalled. Optimus has less of an excuse this time.

[[File:Headm anim.JPG|upright=1.1|thumb|Salut!]]

Back on land, Fanzone has Masterson in cuffs, and it looks like a happy ending until Powell shows up, pointing out that the ship was Sumdac Systems property, the assaulted robots don't have rights protected by the law, and the whole incident occurred over international waters between the [[United States of America|United States]] and [[Canada]]. Masterson is free to go, much to the chagrin of everybody else.

Meanwhile, at the factory, Bumblebee and Bulkhead are about to try another zany scheme to cheer up Sari, but Prowl stops them and tells them just to listen to her instead. When they try this last resort, Sari opens up about all her worries regarding her [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|missing father]], her lost home and company, and her questioned existence. Bumblebee and Bulkhead aren't sure what to do, but they assure her they are there for her.

Finally, aboard the Elite Guard's ship the next day, Sentinel and Optimus report to Ultra Magnus, who has heard something about Sentinel "losing his head". Sentinel trembles uncomfortably in silence, but Optimus reports that they worked together to solve the crisis, effectively covering for his comrade, who really doesn't deserve it. Ultra Magnus congratulates both of them and takes his leave to contact [[Cybertron Command]] on an issue of great importance. As the Primes walk down the hallway, Sentinel struggles out a "thank you" to his compatriot. Optimus notes that it must have hurt to say that, and Sentinel acknowledges the fact and reaches out his hand.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (6)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (7)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (12)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (13)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (16)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (17)

|c3=
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (1)
*[[Porter C. Powell]] (4)
*[[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] (5)
*[[Carmine Fanzone]] (8)
*[[Augustus Edsel]] (9)
*[[Adrias]] (10)

|c4=
* [[Tutor Bot]] (2)
* [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] (3)
* [[News Bot]] (11)
* [[Trash Bot]] (14)
* [[Skippy]] (15)
}}

==Quotes==
"Whoa, hey! Check it! Major cribbage! And it's mine. It's all mine!"
:—'''Masterson''', who is surprisingly okay with the fact that his new "facilities" are frilly, lacy, and painted pink.

'''Sentinel''': Organics of Earth! Mr. Mayor! Captain Fanzone! I, ''Sentinel'' Prime, speak to you at the behest of our great commander Ultra Magnus, who could not be here because he has more important matters to attend to than to worry about this small, underdeveloped planet! Which is not to say that we of Cybertron ''mind'' helping you eh, ''[Fanzone looks at Optimus, who simply shrugs]'' simple organics, especially in light of the fact that, so far, our scanners have yet to detect any cyber-contaminants on your ... ''[clears throat]'' your, eh ''[to Optimus]'' what is it called again? 
'''Optimus''': Skin. 
'''Adrias''': ''[To the mayor]'' Sorry, Mr. Mayor. I thought this was supposed to be a friendly photo-op!
:—'''Sentinel Prime''' clearly representing Cybertron's best interests. ''Scary!''

'''Sentinel''': Don't ever presume you can speak for me, Optimus! The last thing we need is some over-glorified repairbot shooting his audio-processor off about things he doesn't understand! ''[Turns to crowd and smiles and wave. Then goes back to Optimus]'' A scrub like you should just smile and wave and stay out of the way! ''[To the crowd]'' Now, let's get this over with! ''[To Optimus]'' Eh, what am I supposed to do, now? 
'''Optimus''': Well, eh, according to human custom [smiles] you shake hands with the Mayor! 
''[Sentinel takes one look at the Mayor's hand]'' 
'''Sentinel''':''[looking disgusted at this idea]'' TOUCH AN ORGANIC?! 
'''Optimus''':Unless you want to pass such a great, diplomatic responsibility to a ''lowly'' repairbot. 
''[Sentinel clenches his teeth, then shakes hands with the mayor via his finger. The, wrenching his finger away, he cleans it with some spray!]'' 
'''Optimus''':''[To himself]'' Same old Sentinel!
:— Yet another example of '''Sentinel Prime''''s diplomatic tact!

"This is why I hate machines...especially arrogant, full-of-themselves machines!"
:—'''Captain Fanzone''', also saying what we're all thinking.

'''Optimus''': Sentinel, we should scramble our comlink frequencies in case the Decepticons are listening in! 
'''Sentinel''': What you ''should'' do is stick within the scope of your programming. If I need a trash can emptied or a floor mopped, I'll call on my buddy Optimus Prime. Or should I say...''Maintenance'' Prime? Hahahaha! 
''[Sentinel turns and walks away; Optimus does the same]'' 
'''Optimus''': 'Maintenance Prime'...then I'll just call you 'Pompous Gas-Bag Prime'. Yeah...that's what I should have said.
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Sentinel Prime''' match wits. Somehow, Optimus loses.

'''Sentinel''': Uhhh, Optimus. Tell the organic Fanzone that he can send his police force home. It's a false alarm. 
'''Optimus''': How do you know? 
'''Sentinel''': I just know, okay?! Now I need you to come to my position. ''ALONE''. And promise me one more thing... 
'''Optimus''': What? 
'''Sentinel''': That you won't laugh! 
''[Optimus looks around the rubble for Sentinel]'' 
'''Optimus''': Sentinel? Where are you? 
'''Sentinel''': ''[quietly]'' Look down... 
''[Optimus looks down to see Sentinel's head severed from his body]'' 
'''Optimus''': ''[lets out a hearty laugh]'' 
'''Sentinel''': You promised you wouldn't laugh!
:—'''Optimus Prime''' gets a kick out of '''Sentinel Prime''''s misfortune

'''Sentinel''': "You kicked me! ''On purpose!''
:—'''Optimus Prime''' gets another, slightly more literal kick out of said misfortune.

'''Bumblebee''': Just because you don't have a tutor bot anymore doesn't mean you have to stop learning. 
'''Bulkhead''': Right. We can teach you. 
'''Bumblebee''': So, class, today's lesson is regarding...um...well, stuff, and how it works. Any questions? 
'''Sari''': Yeah. Why is there no record of my existence? 
'''Bumblebee''': Okay...a little bit outside the lesson plan. Professor Bulkhead, your thoughts? 
'''Bulkhead''': Maybe she came here from another planet in some kinda egg and crashed on Sumdac's doorstep. 
'''Bumblebee''': Or a portal could have opened and she fell through from another dimension. 
'''Bulkhead''': Or maybe she's really a robot. 
'''Bumblebee''': Or maybe Sumdac found her in a cabbage patch. 
'''Bulkhead''': Or that stork thing.
:—Professors '''Bumblebee''' and '''Bulkhead''' have obviously been visiting the fan forums...

"Yes! I am so 1337!" 
"Yeah? Well, I have no idea what that means!"
:—'''Headmaster''' boasts as '''Optimus Prime''' scores a blow against over-sized egos everywhere.

==Notes==
* This episode was first broadcast in Canada on [[April 19]], one week before its United States premiere.

===Animation or technical errors===
*When Optimus picks up Sentinel's head in Sumdac Tower, his [[Autobrand]] '''winks'''. It is ''quite'' disturbing.

===Continuity errors===
* As with Bulkhead previously, it is unknown how Sentinel's head survived being separated from his spark.
* When Optimus stops Masterson's escape, he asserts the villain is going "back to prison". However, the Headmaster does not serve time until "[[TransWarped]]".

===Continuity notes===
*When Sentinel asks for Optimus to cover for him, Optimus mentions how Sentinel "covered for him" all those years ago, presumably after the [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] [[Along Came a Spider|incident]]. Maybe this is the reason that Optimus washed out of the [[Autobot Academy]]? Answer: [[Endgame, Part I|Yes. It is.]]
*This is the only episode of Season Two where the Decepticons don't appear.
*How did Powell clear the Headmaster for his attempt to destroy Michigan in his previous appearance?
*Bulkhead's guesses about Sari's origin were quite accurate: [[TransWarped|She is part robot and she did come to earth in an egg-like thing that just happened to land near Sumdac]]. Foreshadowing there, Bulky?

===Real-world references===
* Bumblebee mentions Sari could have come from a cabbage patch, a reference to the popular explanation of where babies come from - or to the [[wikipedia:Cabbage Patch Kids|Cabbage Patch Kids]] said explanation inspired.
* Powell makes a passing reference to the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]], also known as "the Mounties".
* Bulkhead's "came here from another planet in some kind of egg" comment could be a reference to 1970s sitcom [[wikipedia:Mork and Mindy|''Mork and Mindy'']], or also a reference to the [[Superman|Superman origin]] story.
* The appearance of [[Detroit]]'s real-life Wayne County Building and the Renaissance Center in this episode gives a firm location for [[Sumdac Tower]]—it's on one of two blocks of Randolph Street, currently occupied by a parking garage and a surface parking lot.

===Trivia===
*Powell claims Optimus and Sentinel's clash with Masterson took place in "international waters". While the nation in which the incident occurred may be in question, there are no ''international'' waters in Lake St. Clair or Lake Erie, just American and Canadian waters. (But then, this is the future.) The "Mounties" remark is still relevant.
*Apparently, calling the police to report fabricated events (about Decepticons) doesn't constitute a crime in [[Detroit]]. Either that, or Fanzone didn't put two and two together as to Masterson being the caller of the faux incident.
*Either the events of this episode span at least two days and two nights, or the sun goes down roughly [[Transformers (film)|every couple of hours]].
*Given they presumably had very little time to prepare, the Autobots have whipped up a surprisingly comfortable room for Sari in their factory, doubly surprising given the lack of proper materials on hand. Who wouldn't want to sleep in a bed made from a giant radial tire!?
*On the other hand, their idea of proper human cuisine needs some work, since the meal they provide for Sari consists of a bunch of acorns, a fish skeleton (with flies buzzing around it), a live rabbit, and some miniature barrels of [[oil]].
*This episode was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as half of "[[Transformers Animated Volume 8]]", with "[[The Elite Guard]]" making up the other half.
===Foreign localization===
'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''O Retorno da Unidade Mestre'''" ("The Return of the Headmaster")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le retour du cérébro-pilote'''" ("The Return of the Cerebro-Pilot")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Headmasters Rückkehr'''" ("Headmaster's Return")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 16|16 July]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Headmaster, Futatabi!'''" (ヘッドマスター、ふたたび!, "Headmaster, Once Again!")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 24|24 July]] [[2010]]
[[File:ReturnHeadmaster Otoboto insignia.jpg|thumb|200px]]
::* An entirely new stock footage of Bumblebee transforming delivers the usual warning of watching in a bright room. This episode also debuts a slightly new [[title sequence#Animated|title sequence]], using the second half of "[[Transformers Evo.|TRANSFORMERS EVO.]]" and replacing the footage of the Starscream clones and Cybertronian-mode Megatron with Earth-mode Megatron, [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]], Soundblaster, [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]], and two [[Blackout (Animated)|Blackout]] lookalikes. However, it doesn't have the additional sound effects used in the previous four episodes.
::* '''Cut:''' Optimus laughing upon discovering Sentinel's detached head and Sentinel's dismay at Optimus breaking his promise not to laugh.
::* The [[Otoboto family]] reveals [[Sega]]'s arcade games ''[[Transformers Animated: The Chase]]'' and ''[[Transformers Animated: The Shooting]]''. It's preceded by the famous faction-swipe with a Decepticon-[[insignia|symbol]] modified to incorporate [[Hiroyuki Otoboto|Hiroyuki]]'s face in the bottom half. [[Megumi Otoboto|Megumi]] then shows off the [[Transformers Cards|cards]] that can be used to play the two games and reveals what A-021 looks like: a gold-foil Voyager Optimus with his axe. [[Hiroyuki Otoboto|Father]] and [[Tatsuya Otoboto|son]] proceed to hog the machines, to [[Yūka Otoboto|Yūka]]'s disappointment.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Powrót Headmastera'''" ("Headmaster's Return")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Vier: Mission Erfüllt (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 5 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

{{DEFAULTSORT:Return of the Headmaster}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]

The Return of the Headmaster

2016-11-25T04:45:55Z

DoctorFluffy: /* Quotes */

{{episode|
|series= Anitoon
|series2=AniJapan
|image= Sentinelprimeanimatedhumiliated.jpg
|caption= Schadenfreude.
|ep=18
|ep2=17
|prev2=The Elite Guard
|next2=Mission Accomplished
|title="The Return of the Headmaster"
|airdate=[[April 19]], [[2008]]
|written by=[[Michael Ryan]]
|directed by= [[Ben Jones]] [[Shunji Ōga|Shunji Oga]]
|animation studio= [[The Answer Studio]]
|continuity=[[Animated cartoon continuity]]}}

'''Optimus Prime is forced to team up with his rival Sentinel Prime after Sentinel has a humiliating encounter with the Headmaster.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:Returnofheadmaster sarisroom.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|im in ur room, shackin in ur cribs]]
In Sari's room at [[Sumdac Tower]], Sari bitterly packs her things while grumbling about [[Porter C. Powell]] taking over her home and throwing her to the curb. She doesn't notice Powell enter as she badmouths him, but rather than get upset, the man smugly proves many of her points right and adds insult to injury by introducing her bedroom's new tenant, the freshly re-hired [[Headmaster (Animated)|Henry Masterson]]. As the Headmaster makes himself at home, Sari protests, pointing out the man's lack of sanity, but Powell merely rushes her out the door. Then, just as Sari's day can't get any worse, Powell claims [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] and [[Tutor Bot]] as company property. Harsh.

[[File:Returnofheadmaster sentinelspeaks.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|I am destined to be a superhero. To right wrongs and to pound two-fisted justice into the hearts of evildoers everywhere.]]

Meanwhile, the Primes [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]] and [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel]] stand at a press conference along with the mayor and [[Carmine Fanzone|Captain Fanzone]]. Sentinel is his usual charming self, boasting the significance of the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard's]] presence, condescending to the [[Human|icky organics]], showing complete ignorance of the planet's customs, and insulting his comrade's lowly position at every opportunity. Optimus tries his best to ignore all this and put the humans' minds at ease about the current situation, but finds it difficult to get a word in edgewise as Sentinel cuts him off, determined to do all the talking, refusing to let Optimus speak for him.

Powell and Masterson watch the press conference with intent. Powell says he expects great things from Masterson, intending to tap the lucrative military hardware market that Sumdac so foolishly ignored. Masterson is itching to get to work, but wants new robots on which to test his Headmaster units. The old Autobot crew won't cut it, however; he wants the new models, and he eagerly eyes Sentinel Prime's image on the screen.

Masterson calls up Fanzone with a false Decepticon sighting in Old Detroit. Fanzone relays the information to the Primes, and the heroes transform and roll out. Sentinel still hasn't gotten the hang of the city's traffic customs, however, and spends more time driving over other cars than on the road.

[[File:AnimatedBumbleeBulkheadProfessor.jpg|left|upright=0.85|thumb|We tackle any topic, immense or microscopic!]]

Meanwhile, Sari is moving in with the Autobots at the [[Autobot Earth Base|old factory]]. Bulkhead and Bumblebee are eager to cheer up the sullen girl with loud TV, music, and a misguided tutoring session in which they end up throwing around theories about her mysterious origins. Predictably, everything they try only seems to make her more miserable.

Sentinel soon arrives at the scene of the supposed Decepticon sighting, prying a stop sign from his shoulder, and is quickly joined by Optimus and the police. Optimus starts making suggestions, but Sentinel shuts him up, opting to split up and search on his own, as he doesn't need help from a scrub.

The search drags on into the night, and Sentinel is jumping at shadows, turning the advanced weaponry of the Cybertron Elite Guard on such dire threats as [[Skippy|stray cats]]. This distracts him, and Masterson gets the jump on him with the Headmaster unit. Shortly afterwards, Sentinel contacts Optimus, telling him it was a false alarm and to send the police away. He then demands Optimus come to his position alone and promise not to laugh. Soon after, Optimus finds Sentinel's decapitated head and breaks out in laughter. Bitter and humiliated, Sentinel pleads with Optimus to help him get his body back without [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] finding out. Optimus guesses that the reason Sentinel is trusting him with the task is that he's just not important enough for his opinion to matter, but Sentinel is careful not to say something so insulting in his position. How about that.

[[File:Returnofheadmaster optimuslaughs.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Haw-haw!]]

Optimus learns of Masterson's re-hiring thanks to a conveniently timed message from Bumblebee, reporting what he's heard from Sari. The next day, Optimus pays a visit to Sumdac Tower, hiding Sentinel's head under a tree trunk while he chats with Powell. The new manager makes it clear that the Autobots aren't free to waltz into his building as they please any more, but assures their leader that Masterson isn't there. However as soon as Optimus leaves, he phones the Headmaster with information on the new development, warning his employee not to jeopardize the company's image. Lucky for the Primes, Optimus thought ahead enough to intercept the phone call with his ear transceiver as soon as he was out of sight. He traces the call to a cargo ship at the docks.

It's night again when the 1.5 Primes arrive at the docks and start searching for Sentinel's body. They don't get far before a nearby crate bursts open, revealing a sinister Sparkplug and Tutor Bot outfitted with miniature Headmaster Units. Sentinel isn't too worried by the puny automatons until they reveal some powerful laser-shooting upgrades. They send Optimus scrambling for cover while Sentinel's head bounces around impotently on the ground. When the ship Masterson is supposedly on starts casting off, they can't play around any longer, and Optimus rushes through the laser fire, ramps off the deck, transforms in mid-air and rides a powerful burst from his rocket axe to hook into the side of the ship's hull. Awesome. His grappling hooks probably would have worked equally well, but dude, flying rocket axe!

[[File:Returnofheadmaster headmastersvictim.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Oh, beware the other head of science, Arthur. It bites.]]

On the ship, Optimus and Sentinel try to find Sentinel's body...until it finds them. The Headmaster pushes Optimus down with Sentinel's shield. Sentinel is surprised that it's so powerful, to which Masterson gloats he upgraded his equipment. Pulling out Sentinel's beam [[lance]] and expanding the shield into a spikier version, the Headmaster clashes with Optimus while Sentinel bounces around impotently on the ground some more.

Masterson manages to knock Optimus's axe off the ship, leaving him unarmed. After being pinned to the ground with shield spikes inches from his face, Optimus returns the favor by ripping off Sentinel's arm, shield and all. Sentinel is mortified by the dismemberment, but Optimus feels it was justified. He then uses Sentinel's arm as a makeshift axe and fights back the body, eventually severing the Headmaster unit. The head quickly converts to robot mode and starts to run off, but this time Optimus stops him by kicking Sentinel's head into the fleeing villain like a soccer ball. Again, Sentinel is appalled. Optimus has less of an excuse this time.

[[File:Headm anim.JPG|upright=1.1|thumb|Salut!]]

Back on land, Fanzone has Masterson in cuffs, and it looks like a happy ending until Powell shows up, pointing out that the ship was Sumdac Systems property, the assaulted robots don't have rights protected by the law, and the whole incident occurred over international waters between the [[United States of America|United States]] and [[Canada]]. Masterson is free to go, much to the chagrin of everybody else.

Meanwhile, at the factory, Bumblebee and Bulkhead are about to try another zany scheme to cheer up Sari, but Prowl stops them and tells them just to listen to her instead. When they try this last resort, Sari opens up about all her worries regarding her [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|missing father]], her lost home and company, and her questioned existence. Bumblebee and Bulkhead aren't sure what to do, but they assure her they are there for her.

Finally, aboard the Elite Guard's ship the next day, Sentinel and Optimus report to Ultra Magnus, who has heard something about Sentinel "losing his head". Sentinel trembles uncomfortably in silence, but Optimus reports that they worked together to solve the crisis, effectively covering for his comrade, who really doesn't deserve it. Ultra Magnus congratulates both of them and takes his leave to contact [[Cybertron Command]] on an issue of great importance. As the Primes walk down the hallway, Sentinel struggles out a "thank you" to his compatriot. Optimus notes that it must have hurt to say that, and Sentinel acknowledges the fact and reaches out his hand.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus Prime]] (6)
*[[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]] (7)
*[[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] (12)
*[[Bulkhead (Animated)|Bulkhead]] (13)
*[[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] (16)
*[[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|Ultra Magnus]] (17)

|c3=
*[[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]] (1)
*[[Porter C. Powell]] (4)
*[[Headmaster (Animated)|Headmaster]] (5)
*[[Carmine Fanzone]] (8)
*[[Augustus Edsel]] (9)
*[[Adrias]] (10)

|c4=
* [[Tutor Bot]] (2)
* [[Sparkplug (robot dog)|Sparkplug]] (3)
* [[News Bot]] (11)
* [[Trash Bot]] (14)
* [[Skippy]] (15)
}}

==Quotes==
"Whoa, hey! Check it! Major cribbage! And it's mine. It's all mine!"
:—'''Masterson''', who is surprisingly okay with the fact that his new "facilities" are frilly, lacy, and painted pink.

'''Sentinel''': Organics of Earth! Mr. Mayor! Captain Fanzone! I, ''Sentinel'' Prime, speak to you at the behest of our great commander Ultra Magnus, who could not be here because he has more important matters to attend to than to worry about this small, underdeveloped planet! Which is not to say that we of Cybertron ''mind'' helping you eh, ''[Fanzone looks at Optimus, who simply shrugs]'' simple organics, especially in light of the fact that, so far, our scanners have yet to detect any cyber-contaminants on your ... ''[clears throat]'' your, eh ''[to Optimus]'' what is it called again? 
'''Optimus''': Skin. 
'''Adrias''': ''[To the mayor]'' Sorry, Mr. Mayor. I thought this was supposed to be a friendly photo-op!
:—'''Sentinel Prime''' clearly representing Cybertron's best interests. ''Scary!''

'''Sentinel''': Don't ever presume you can speak for me, Optimus! The last thing we need is some over-glorified repairbot shooting his audio-processor off about things he doesn't understand! ''[Turns to crowd and smiles and wave. Then goes back to Optimus]'' A scrub like you should just smile and wave and stay out of the way! ''[To the crowd]'' Now, let's get this over with! ''[To Optimus]'' Eh, what am I supposed to do, now? 
'''Optimus''': Well, eh, according to human custom [smiles] you shake hands with the Mayor! 
''[Sentinel takes one look at the Mayor's hand]'' 
'''Sentinel''':''[looking disgusted at this idea]'' TOUCH AN ORGANIC?! 
'''Optimus''':Unless you want to pass such a great, diplomatic responsibility to a ''lowly'' repairbot. 
''[Sentinel clenches his teeth, then shakes hands with the mayor via his finger. The, wrenching his finger away, he cleans it with some spray!]'' 
'''Optimus''':''[To himself]'' Same old Sentinel!
:— Yet another example of '''Sentinel Prime''''s diplomatic tact!

"This is why I hate machines...especially arrogant, full-of-themselves machines!"
:—'''Captain Fanzone''', also saying what we're all thinking.

'''Optimus''': Sentinel, we should scramble our comlink frequencies in case the Decepticons are listening in! 
'''Sentinel''': What you ''should'' do is stick within the scope of your programming. If I need a trash can emptied or a floor mopped, I'll call on my buddy Optimus Prime. Or should I say...''Maintenance'' Prime? Hahahaha! 
''[Sentinel turns and walks away; Optimus does the same]'' 
'''Optimus''': 'Maintenance Prime'...then I'll just call you 'Pompous Gas-Bag Prime'. Yeah...that's what I should have said.
:—'''Optimus Prime''' and '''Sentinel Prime''' match wits. Somehow, Optimus loses.

'''Sentinel''': Uhhh, Optimus. Tell the organic Fanzone that he can send his police force home. It's a false alarm. 
'''Optimus''': How do you know? 
'''Sentinel''': I just know, okay?! Now I need you to come to my position. ''ALONE''. And promise me one more thing... 
'''Optimus''': What? 
'''Sentinel''': That you won't laugh! 
''[Optimus looks around the rubble for Sentinel]'' 
'''Optimus''': Sentinel? Where are you? 
'''Sentinel''': ''[quietly]'' Look down... 
''[Optimus looks down to see Sentinel's head severed from his body]'' 
'''Optimus''': ''[lets out a hearty laugh]'' 
'''Sentinel''': You promised you wouldn't laugh!
:—'''Optimus Prime''' gets a kick out of '''Sentinel Prime''''s misfortune

'''Sentinel''': "You kicked me! ''On purpose!''
:—'''Optimus Prime''' gets another, more literal kick out of said misfortune.

'''Bumblebee''': Just because you don't have a tutor bot anymore doesn't mean you have to stop learning. 
'''Bulkhead''': Right. We can teach you. 
'''Bumblebee''': So, class, today's lesson is regarding...um...well, stuff, and how it works. Any questions? 
'''Sari''': Yeah. Why is there no record of my existence? 
'''Bumblebee''': Okay...a little bit outside the lesson plan. Professor Bulkhead, your thoughts? 
'''Bulkhead''': Maybe she came here from another planet in some kinda egg and crashed on Sumdac's doorstep. 
'''Bumblebee''': Or a portal could have opened and she fell through from another dimension. 
'''Bulkhead''': Or maybe she's really a robot. 
'''Bumblebee''': Or maybe Sumdac found her in a cabbage patch. 
'''Bulkhead''': Or that stork thing.
:—Professors '''Bumblebee''' and '''Bulkhead''' have obviously been visiting the fan forums...

"Yes! I am so 1337!" 
"Yeah? Well, I have no idea what that means!"
:—'''Headmaster''' boasts as '''Optimus Prime''' scores a blow against over-sized egos everywhere.

==Notes==
* This episode was first broadcast in Canada on [[April 19]], one week before its United States premiere.

===Animation or technical errors===
*When Optimus picks up Sentinel's head in Sumdac Tower, his [[Autobrand]] '''winks'''. It is ''quite'' disturbing.

===Continuity errors===
* As with Bulkhead previously, it is unknown how Sentinel's head survived being separated from his spark.
* When Optimus stops Masterson's escape, he asserts the villain is going "back to prison". However, the Headmaster does not serve time until "[[TransWarped]]".

===Continuity notes===
*When Sentinel asks for Optimus to cover for him, Optimus mentions how Sentinel "covered for him" all those years ago, presumably after the [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] [[Along Came a Spider|incident]]. Maybe this is the reason that Optimus washed out of the [[Autobot Academy]]? Answer: [[Endgame, Part I|Yes. It is.]]
*This is the only episode of Season Two where the Decepticons don't appear.
*How did Powell clear the Headmaster for his attempt to destroy Michigan in his previous appearance?
*Bulkhead's guesses about Sari's origin were quite accurate: [[TransWarped|She is part robot and she did come to earth in an egg-like thing that just happened to land near Sumdac]]. Foreshadowing there, Bulky?

===Real-world references===
* Bumblebee mentions Sari could have come from a cabbage patch, a reference to the popular explanation of where babies come from - or to the [[wikipedia:Cabbage Patch Kids|Cabbage Patch Kids]] said explanation inspired.
* Powell makes a passing reference to the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]], also known as "the Mounties".
* Bulkhead's "came here from another planet in some kind of egg" comment could be a reference to 1970s sitcom [[wikipedia:Mork and Mindy|''Mork and Mindy'']], or also a reference to the [[Superman|Superman origin]] story.
* The appearance of [[Detroit]]'s real-life Wayne County Building and the Renaissance Center in this episode gives a firm location for [[Sumdac Tower]]—it's on one of two blocks of Randolph Street, currently occupied by a parking garage and a surface parking lot.

===Trivia===
*Powell claims Optimus and Sentinel's clash with Masterson took place in "international waters". While the nation in which the incident occurred may be in question, there are no ''international'' waters in Lake St. Clair or Lake Erie, just American and Canadian waters. (But then, this is the future.) The "Mounties" remark is still relevant.
*Apparently, calling the police to report fabricated events (about Decepticons) doesn't constitute a crime in [[Detroit]]. Either that, or Fanzone didn't put two and two together as to Masterson being the caller of the faux incident.
*Either the events of this episode span at least two days and two nights, or the sun goes down roughly [[Transformers (film)|every couple of hours]].
*Given they presumably had very little time to prepare, the Autobots have whipped up a surprisingly comfortable room for Sari in their factory, doubly surprising given the lack of proper materials on hand. Who wouldn't want to sleep in a bed made from a giant radial tire!?
*On the other hand, their idea of proper human cuisine needs some work, since the meal they provide for Sari consists of a bunch of acorns, a fish skeleton (with flies buzzing around it), a live rabbit, and some miniature barrels of [[oil]].
*This episode was adapted in comic book format using screen captures as half of "[[Transformers Animated Volume 8]]", with "[[The Elite Guard]]" making up the other half.
===Foreign localization===
'''Brazilian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''O Retorno da Unidade Mestre'''" ("The Return of the Headmaster")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Le retour du cérébro-pilote'''" ("The Return of the Cerebro-Pilot")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Headmasters Rückkehr'''" ("Headmaster's Return")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 16|16 July]] [[2008]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Headmaster, Futatabi!'''" (ヘッドマスター、ふたたび!, "Headmaster, Once Again!")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[July 24|24 July]] [[2010]]
[[File:ReturnHeadmaster Otoboto insignia.jpg|thumb|200px]]
::* An entirely new stock footage of Bumblebee transforming delivers the usual warning of watching in a bright room. This episode also debuts a slightly new [[title sequence#Animated|title sequence]], using the second half of "[[Transformers Evo.|TRANSFORMERS EVO.]]" and replacing the footage of the Starscream clones and Cybertronian-mode Megatron with Earth-mode Megatron, [[Soundwave (Animated)|Soundwave]], Soundblaster, [[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]], and two [[Blackout (Animated)|Blackout]] lookalikes. However, it doesn't have the additional sound effects used in the previous four episodes.
::* '''Cut:''' Optimus laughing upon discovering Sentinel's detached head and Sentinel's dismay at Optimus breaking his promise not to laugh.
::* The [[Otoboto family]] reveals [[Sega]]'s arcade games ''[[Transformers Animated: The Chase]]'' and ''[[Transformers Animated: The Shooting]]''. It's preceded by the famous faction-swipe with a Decepticon-[[insignia|symbol]] modified to incorporate [[Hiroyuki Otoboto|Hiroyuki]]'s face in the bottom half. [[Megumi Otoboto|Megumi]] then shows off the [[Transformers Cards|cards]] that can be used to play the two games and reveals what A-021 looks like: a gold-foil Voyager Optimus with his axe. [[Hiroyuki Otoboto|Father]] and [[Tatsuya Otoboto|son]] proceed to hog the machines, to [[Yūka Otoboto|Yūka]]'s disappointment.

'''Polish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Powrót Headmastera'''" ("Headmaster's Return")
:*''Original airdate:'' ???

==Home video releases==
;DVD
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Transformers Animated (cartoon)/home video|Paramount]]) — English and Spanish audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Four: Mission Accomplished (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2009 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Volume Vier: Mission Erfüllt (Paramount) — English and German audio. 
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2010 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Vol. 5 (Paramount) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — Season Two ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers Animated'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]])

{{DEFAULTSORT:Return of the Headmaster}}
[[Category:Animated episodes]]

Overload (Armada)

2016-11-24T18:57:21Z

DoctorFluffy:

{{factions|autobot}}
{{disambig3|Overload}}
:''Overload is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Unicron Trilogy]] [[continuity family]].''

[[File:Overload-armada-cardart.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Hey guys, I'm totally in ''[[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|Armada]]'', seriously!]]
'''Overload''' is an Autobot powerhouse. On his own, he's strong, massive, and covered with guns and artillery. On top of this, he can combine with [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]], forming an enormously powerful set of cannons for the Autobot leader.

Just ''who'' or even what Overload is depends on which universe one is in, or whatever source you find. Sometimes "Overload" is simply the name used by the [[Mini-Con]] [[Rollout (Armada)|Rollout]] when he combines with his armored trailer. And sometimes the trailer itself is Overload, a separate living entity or weapons platform... who uses someone else to form his robot-mode chest and head.

==Fiction==
===Toy pack-in comics===
[[File:Armada V4 Rollout Overload.jpg|thumb|Stop talking to yourself!]]
When [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] defeated [[Megatron (Armada)|Galvatron]] on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Overload and Rollout accompanied Optimus in transporting Galvatron to prison. [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Tidal Wave]] attacked the duo, rescuing Galvatron. The two [[Decepticon]]s combined, and Overload in robot mode was set to battle him, but then transformed into a battle platform manned by Rollout. His firepower was of little concern to Galvatron, who swatted the two away. Overload transformed into robot mode just in time to see [[Unicron]] take over the sky. {{Storylink|Armada Volume 4}}
{{-}}

===Dreamwave ''Armada'' continuity===
====Dreamwave ''More Than Meets The Eye'' (Armada)====
According to the Armada ''More Than Meets The Eye'' bio, {{Storylink|More Than Meets The Eye (Armada)}} Overload was commissioned in the "Second year of the earthen conflict" by Optimus Prime to serve as a weapons platform, using [[Rollout (Armada)|Rollout]] as a Headmaster unit. This just muddles his past even more as the book's continuity is confusing and conflicting even by Unicron Trilogy standards.

====Dreamwave ''Armada'' comic====
[[File:Jetfireblurrsideswiperhinoxoverload.jpg|left|upright=1.66|thumb|I'm in the background a lot.]]

Overload was an Autobot under [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. When the Autobots detected multiple [[space bridge]]s opening at [[Decepticon Command Headquarters|Decepticon Command HQ]], causing disruptions in dimensional space, Jetfire led a team of Autobots to the Decepticon base to investigate. When they got there, they found carnage: All of the Decepticon inhabitants had been butchered and mutilated. As they wandered around the base, Overload questioned if they were going the right way, but they were soon attacked by [[Bludgeon (G1)|the mysterious killer]]. Overload pulled the injured Jetfire out of further harm's way before being ordered to transform into vehicle mode to light up the cavernous base (as well as their attacker). After Jetfire emptied his weapons bays, Overload asked Jetfire if they got him, but the situation was bad, as they'd only succeeded in destroying the creature's outer shell. {{storylink|Worlds Collide, Part 3 of 4}}

Once they were in the Master Space-Bridge Nexus of the Decepticon base, the Autobots began setting detonation charges, intending to stop the damage to the fabric of space-time by destroying the Nexus. However, they were attacked, and Overload reported that it might have been their previous assailant, though it was difficult to know what was inside of that shell. Overload was glad to pull out when ordered, as all of his firepower was having little effect their opponent. He was pleased when the Nexus blowed up real good, until they noticed Jetfire was missing. However, both Jetfire and [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]] returned in spiffy new colours with spiffy new powers. {{storylink|Worlds Collide, Part 4 of 4}}

Overload was in the command center of [[Autobase|Autobase: Cybertron]] as the Autobots readied their defenses against [[Unicron]]. {{storylink|The End}}

====''Energon'' comic====
[[File:Overloadmultiplicity.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]

Ten years later, during the worldwide [[Terrorcon (Energon)|Terrorcon]] assault on [[Earth]], Overload, [[Dropshot (Armada)|Dropshot]], and [[Ironhide (Energon)|Ironhide]] were stationed at [[Base Site One]] in [[Canada]]'s [[Yukon|Yukon Territory]], where their equipment included a planetary shield generator. Base Site 1 had lost contact with [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], which would put the Autobots' countermeasures in jeopardy. While Overload suspected the Terrorcons may have something to do with their problem, Dropshot noted it could just as easily be an equipment malfunction. {{storylink|Multiplicity, Pt. 3}}

The arrival of [[Scorponok (Energon)|Scorponok]] confirmed Overload's theory, and he was quickly taken out by a blast from the Terrorcon's tail-gun after having Dropshot thrown in his face. {{storylink|Multiplicity, Pt. 4}} Left alone to face not only Scorponok but also [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]], Ironhide tried desperately to rouse the unconscious Overload and Dropshot, to no avail. {{storylink|No Exit}}
{{-}}

===Cartoon continuity===
====''Armada'' cartoon====
[[File:ArmOverloadToon01.jpg|left|thumb|Hey! Over here! Behind the geek and the undead guy!]]
[[File:ArmOverloadToon02.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]
Overload's origin is unknown.

Overload suddenly appeared as a trailer attached to the rear of Optimus Prime's container as the Autobot leader launched himself from the ''[[Axalon (Armada)|Axalon]]''. Faced with the powerful [[Sideways (Armada)|Sideways]]-controlled clone [[Nemesis Prime (Armada)|Nemesis Prime]], Overload powerlinked with Optimus's super mode to form a pair of massive, shoulder-mounted cannons. Together, Optimus and [[Megatron (Armada)|Galvatron]] destroyed the monstrous marionette. {{storylink|Puppet}}

Upon their arrival on Cybertron, Optimus Prime used Overload's combination firepower once more. {{storylink|Uprising (Armada)|Uprising}}

Realizing the threat of Unicron, Optimus Prime attempted to reach out to Galvatron and forge an alliance against the Chaos Bringer. As expected, the Decepticon leader refused, forcing Optimus to powerlink with both Jetfire and Overload to form Jet Magna Convoy. However, in this form he did not engage in battle with the similarly powerlinked Galvatron, instead using his power to lead the Decepticon away from battle. {{storylink|Cramp}}

After the formation of an alliance between the Autobots and Decepticons, Overload, in robot mode, stood behind [[Side Swipe (Armada)|Side Swipe]] and [[Smokescreen (Armada)|Hoist]] during the mission briefing. {{storylink|Union}}

{{-}}

====''Linkage''====
Overload was an Autobot who developed an addiction to powerlinxing, to the point where he would forcibly merge with Mini-Cons who didn't want to join with him. Realizing that his addiction had turned self-destructive, he went into voluntary exile until he could overcome his problem. By the time that he sought refuge on [[Nebulos]], his Spark had begun a fatal diminishment as a result of withdrawal from the powerlinx process.

Fortunately, the Nebulan doctors [[Hi-Q]] and [[Arcana]] were treating another Cybertronian patient: Rollout, who had lost the ability to transform as a result of [[Nucleon (substance)|nucleon]]. The two doctors consulted the archives and discovered an ancient medical technique known as the [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] process, which could save both lives with a single operation. The new composite being would survive, but their mind and body could not accommodate two sparks simultaneously.

Seeking a Cybertronian physician, they found [[Rhinox (Armada)|Rhinox]], who brought them back to Cybertron and completely rebuilt them using the same techniques he had used when refitting Jetfire. The new Overload was deployed before he was completed to help Optimus Prime defeat an evil clone of himself. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/18}}

[[File:LinkageOverload.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Cheesebot Spam-a-lot.]]
Overload, flanked by [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Tidal Wave]] (who happens to form extra artillery for the [[Megatron (Armada)|Decepticon leader]]), engaged the forces of [[Unicron]] with some heavy [[Powerlinx]] artillery, using [[Prowl (Armada)|Prowl]] and [[Kingbolt]] in their pistol modes, plus [[Quench]] in his missile launcher mode. {{storylink|Linkage Part 13}}

Rhinox was killed in this fight, and thus could never complete his upgrade. For many years Overload never truly understood the mystery of his origins, until he discovered his original schematics. After upgrading himself again, he left Cybertron in search of clues. He eventually discovered Hi-Q, solving the mystery. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/18}}

{{--}}

====''Universe'' toy bio====
Overload used to be a partner to Optimus Prime himself. But those days are past: he left Cybertron years ago. With his origins and past a mystery, even to ''Overload'', he hunts for the answers to his past on the lost Cybertronian colony worlds.

===''Energon'' toy bio===
Overload was a traveling companion of Optimus Prime for thousands of years. Through time and battle, they developed the ability to combine into the mighty Mega Weapon mode of Optimus Prime. {{storylink|#Energon|Costco exclusive Optimus Prime & Overload toy bio}}

==Toys==
===Armada===
[[File:ArmadaOverload toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|"I'm not really sure ''what'' I transform into, but it's good... right?"]]
*'''Overload with Mini-Con Rollout''' (Max-Con, 2003)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''MC-14'''
**''Accessories:'' 2 missiles

: Overload is a red and black carrier truck capable of carrying [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]] in his vehicle mode. His robot mode, in which his [[Mini-Con]], [[Rollout (Armada)|Rollout]], acts as his [[Headmaster (technology)|head]], is a heavily armed robot with a vague resemblance to [[The Transformers (franchise)|Generation 1]]'s [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] (thus the Japanese name) such as the [[gimmick]] of his shoulders, though it actually (according to [[Joe Kyde|the designer]]) has more details from the [[Action Master]] [[Rollout (G1)|Rollout]].

:Overload can be pulled by Rollout in his altmode, [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/toys|Optimus Prime]]'s cab, or attached to Optimus's trailer to form a double trailer. Overload can also transform into a dual spring-loaded missile-firing cannon pack for Optimus Prime's Super Mode (forming '''Optimus Prime Megaweapon'''), and can also attach to Prime's trailer in its "base" mode. He can also attach to the trailer for an undocumented Super Mode, by detaching the lower half of Overload's legs and plugging the trailer-legs into the sockets on his thighs.

: Inserting Rollout into his chest cavity and pushing it into position to form his chest/head will press against a button, activating the ''Generation 1'' transformation sound effect.

: The Japanese version features slightly more intricate paint applications and a silver face. This version also replaced some of the red plastic with maroon plastic.

: The Overload mold was reused for ''Energon'' [[Ultra Magnus (Energon)|Ultra Magnus]], and was retooled for [[OTFCC 2004]]'s ''[[Transformers: Universe (2003 toyline)|Universe]]'' [[Sentinel Maximus]] with a new head mold.

::*''[http://www.transformers-universe.com/i.php?ID=574 More information on ''Armada'' Overload at Transformers-Universe.com]''

{{-}}{{anchor|MagnaConvoy}}
[[File:Armada MagnaConvoyDX1.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Some day I'll be more than an accessory!]]
*'''Magna Convoy DX Set''' (Multi-pack, [[November 11]] 2003)
**''Accessories:'' 2 missiles

: Overload and Rollout were cast in colored-clear plastics (dubbed "'''Ultra Magnus Special Clear Version'''"), and made available only in a Japanese [[Toys"R"Us|ToysЯUs]] [[exclusive]] multi-pack, coming with Optimus Prime in his "Final Battle Color Version" (aka [[Powerlinx]] colors), [[Sparkplug (Armada)|Corona Sparkplug]], and an [[X-Dimensions Micron|X-Dimension]] [[redeco]] of the [[Street Action Mini-Con Team]].

::*''[http://www.transformers-universe.com/i.php?ID=4460 More information on Ultra Magnus Clear Version at Transformers-Universe.com]''

{{-}}{{anchor|Blue}}
*'''Special Ultra Magnus''' (Max-Con, 2003)
**''Accessories:'' 2 missiles

: 100 samples of this "sky blue" redeco of Overload and Rollout were given away as prizes in a contest from the Japanese ''Tele-V Magazine'' in October 2003.

===Energon===
[[File:Energon Costco OptimusPrimeOverload.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Not yet, but someday! I swear it!]]
*'''Optimus Prime with Mini-Con Corona Sparkplug & Overload with Mini-Con Rollout''' (Multi-pack, 2004)

: For this [[Costco]]-[[exclusive]] set, Overload (and Rollout) was redecoed into a predominantly yellow scheme with burgundy accents. He came with a new-deco version of ''Armada'' Optimus Prime and [[Sparkplug (Armada)|Sparkplug]] (who, despite his larger partner's new duds, remained pretty much the same).

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2004/Autobot/CostcoOverload/overload.htm More information on ''Energon'' Overload at TFU.info]''
::*''[http://www.transformers-universe.com/i.php?ID=1761 More information on ''Energon'' Overload at Transformers-Universe.com]''
{{-}}

===Universe (2008)===
[[File:Overloaduniverse2009.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Autonomy at last!]]
*'''Overload''' (Voyager, 2009)
**''Series'': Cybertron Series
**''Accessories'': 2 missiles, rifle, clear green [[Earth]]-style [[Cyber Key]]

: Part of the fifth wave of ''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)|Universe]]'' Voyagers, Overload is a [[redeco]] of ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' [[Scattorshot (Cybertron)#CybDef|Cybertron Defense Scattorshot]], transforming into a mobile multiple-launch rocket system with a color scheme reminiscent of the Generation 1 Micromaster [[Flak (G1)|Flak]]. He has "'''[[File:Symbol autobot reg.png|15px]] MDL 823-75'''" on the right side of the launcher, the significance of which is not yet known.

: The halves of the (non-firing) launcher end up on his arms in robot mode. In either mode, inserting a Cyber Key in each half reveals a new weapon: the right side has a slide-out double spring-loaded missile launcher which ends up on his left robot arm, while the left has a flip-out non-firing cannon barrel which ends up on his right robot arm. Both key-activated weapons feature fake handles which end up being "held" by his hands in robot mode, although the missile launcher on his right arm needs to be slid forward for him to be able to reach the deployed blaster's handle. He also comes with an extra long green hand-held rifle that can be mounted in tank mode thanks to his [[Mini-Con]]-compatible [[Powerlinx]] plugs.

: This mold was also used to make ''Universe'' [[Dropshot (G1)#Universe (2008)|Dropshot]] and ''[[Transformers Timelines (toyline)|Timelines]]'' [[Flak (G1)#Timelines|Flak]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Autobot/TFUOverload/overload.htm More information on ''Universe'' Overload at TFU.info]''
::*''[http://www.transformers-universe.com/i.php?ID=1785 More information on ''Universe'' Overload at Transformers-Universe.com]''
{{--}}

==Notes==
* Overload's entry in Dreamwave's ''[[More than Meets the Eye: Transformers: Armada|Armada: More Than Meets The Eye]]'' profile series claims that his combination with [[Rollout (Armada)|Rollout]] uses "[[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster technology]]". The [[Armada Fleer card series|Fleer card]] for Rollout also makes mention of this.
* According to [[Hirofumi Ichikawa]], he intended to have a sub-plot explaining just where the hell Overload came from in the [[Linkage (comic)|''Linkage'' comic]], but didn't have the space to do so, so he dropped it in favor of focusing on the A-plot and cramming in what DVD-exclusive-character moments he could.
** Years later, he finally got to give Overload a proper origin via the Facebook edition of [[Ask Vector Prime]]!
* Overload's whole "appearing out of nowhere without explanation" deal from the cartoon got a slight ribbing in the [[bio]] for his 2008 ''Universe'' toy, which established that he was now on a quest to discover the mystery of his origins.
** This bit of info was also incorporated into Ask Vector Prime's explanation of ''Linkage'' Overload's origin!

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Ultra Magnus''' (ウルトラマグナス ''Urutora Magunasu'')
*''Hungarian:'' '''Túltöltés'''
*''Korean:'' '''Ultra Magnus''' (울트라매그너스 ''Ulteura Maegeuneoseu'')
*''Ukrainian:'' '''Peregriv''' (Перегрів, "Overload")

==External links==
* [http://www.tfu.info/2003/Autobot/Overload/overload.htm Overload at TFU.info]

[[Category:Armada Autobots]]
[[Category:Combiners]]
[[Category:Costco exclusives]]
[[Category:Cybertron Autobots]]
[[Category:Energon Autobots]]
[[Category:Headmasters]]
[[Category:Toys "R" Us exclusives]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]

Cybertron (planet)

2016-11-17T01:06:36Z

DoctorFluffy:

{{disambig3|Cybertron}}{{suite}}
[[File:Cybertronplanet.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|The planet Cybertron, as seen in the original series. Not pictured: Realistically sized buildings.]]

'''Cybertron''' is the home planet of the [[Transformer]]s and (usually) the body of their creator, [[Primus]]. Cybertron is ([[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|almost]] [[Transformers: Universe (comic)|always]]) a shining metal, technological world; a planet of towering future cities without end and vast metallic plains, spiraling metal mountains and bottomless neon-lit chasms. Battling over control of Cybertron and its resources is frequently the motivation for, or origin of, the Transformers' epic wars. Beyond these facts much about Cybertron can differ between continuities, see individual entries below.

{{bigquote|This world is older than you can imagine. It has sailed the starscape...tending budding galaxies...forever a buffer to [[Unicron|the approaching darkness]]. And now its fate...is in your hands.|A voice to [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]|[[The War Within issue 6|''The War Within'' #6]]}}

==Generation 1 / Beast Era==
{{picsneeded}}

===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics====
[[File:Marvel issue 1 Cybertron.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Just another Alpha Centauri sunrise.]]
Cybertron was the adopted form of the lord of the light gods [[Primus]], who trapped himself and [[Unicron]] in barren asteroids which they then shaped into their physical forms. While Unicron turned his prison into a transformable, humanoid body, Primus reformed himself into a vast Saturn-sized machine-world, home for a [[Transformer|robotic race]] he created to fight Unicron with similar [[transformation]] abilities. {{storylink|The Primal Scream}}

{{note|A Saturn-sized metal world like Cybertron is an impossibility under our current understanding of the laws of physics. Then again it was created by and infused with the power of a “space god” so, well, if anyone’s gonna bend those laws…}}

It has been suggested that the [[Demon]]s in the darkness were the world’s original inhabitants, locked away beneath the world by Primus, though this remains unconfirmed.
Aside from the Transformers, the world seems to possess the mechanical equivalent of plant and animal life, though the exact nature and origin of this lower "life" has never been examined in detail. This version of Cybertron has rough hewn [[Manganese Mountains|mountain ranges]] and great [[Rust Sea|seas]]. (Though of note these seas are not made of water. Liquid water is so rare on Cybertron as to be thought a mythical substance. Alternative substances these bodies are filled with are mercury {{storylink|The Smelting Pool!}} and liquid helium {{storylink|The Primal Scream}}/{{storylink|Letters page (Marvel UK)|Darn 'n' Blast #303}}) The atmosphere and temperature on most of the surface is such that human life can survive unaided.

In its earliest recorded era Cybertron orbited [[Alpha Centauri]], and the Transformers were at peace. But the avaricious [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] sought to rule the planet and turn it into a "cosmic dreadnought". This plan would find a kind of fruition, but not what Megatron intended: The cataclysmic forces of his [[Cybertronian Civil Wars|wars]] eventually sent the planet careening through deep space.

Its aimless journey brought it near [[Earth]] four million years ago. When our [[asteroid belt]] threatened it, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] led an expedition to clear the way. They were successful, but they were ambushed by [[Decepticon]]s led by Megatron, and their battle ended with a crash-landing on Earth that left all the combatants deactivated. Their compatriots on Cybertron mourned their loss but continued the wars. {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers}}

{{locationstub}}

[[File:Edgeofextinction-someonefight.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|Don't worry, if Unicron eats this Cybertron, Marvel can xerox another copy of the model sheet.]]

In the modern day, Prime and Megatron's troops were reactivated, and they eventually found their way back to Cybertron. The world had changed little in the intervening eons, but the return of the old legends helped bring about the fulfillment of the planet's destiny. Deep below the surface, a small group of the once-lost Autobots fought the [[Mayhem Attack Squad]] in a chamber containing the giant head of Primus. A stray shot hit the god's face, and he awoke with a scream that alerted Unicron to his location. When the Chaos Bringer arrived, the Autobots and Decepticons united against him, but the battle still wreaked havoc on the planet. Unicron was defeated by the opening of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]], which destroyed both deities. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}} In the aftermath, Cybertron suffered storms and earthquakes that many believed would tear the world apart. {{storylink|Exodus!}} The remaining Transformers evacuated, but Cybertron was ultimately saved by a [[Neo-Knights|band of humans]] who awakened the [[Last Autobot]]. {{storylink|The Last Autobot?}} He was, it turned out, a safeguard put in place by Primus to guide the planet's reconstruction after the god's “death.” Cybertron was healed and for a time there was peace.

====Significant locations====
*Cybertron has two moons. {{storylink|The Bridge to Nowhere!}}
*Cybertron was historically organized into city-states, the largest and most important being [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]]. Others have included [[Kalis]], [[Tarn (polity)|Tarn]], and [[Vos (polity)|Vos]]. Within the province of [[Polyhex]] was the Decepticon stronghold called [[Darkmount (Cybertron)|Darkmount]].
*Beneath the [[Mutant (G1)|Mutant]] filled sewers, the [[Demon|Demons in the Darkness]] were locked away.
*At the center of this Cybertron there was a room with a huge head of Primus on the wall where he slept and was watched over by the [[Keeper (Transformer)|Keeper]]. Somewhere within the depths of Cybertron could also be found a chamber containing the [[Last Autobot]].
{{-}}

===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
[[File:Cybertron-mtmte-actioncards1.jpg|left|thumb|And that, my friends, is when you say "Look out below!"]]
Cybertron appeared [[Scale|considerably smaller than the planet Earth]]. Entirely metallic on the surface, some of the [[Organic core|lowest levels]] of Cybertron consisted of rock and dirt, suggesting an organic beginning to the planet. Its gravity was light enough that [[human]]s were able to traverse the surface without any trouble, and it possessed a breathable atmosphere. {{storylink|Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2}} [[Water]], or at least a substance resembling it, was in evidence on the planet—lakes and rivers have been shown to exist, albeit sparingly. {{storylink|Grimlock's New Brain}} {{storylink|War Dawn (episode)|War Dawn}} Many levels below the surface was the energy-furnace, the [[Plasma Energy Chamber]], {{storylink|The Rebirth}} and at the heart of the planet was the spherical mega-computer, [[Vector Sigma]]. {{storylink|The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1}}

[[File:G1 Cybertron's galaxy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|LOOK HOW LOUD I HAVE TO YELL!]]
Cybertron was orbited by at least three unnamed moons, but its own place in the cosmos appears unfixed—in [[1984]], it was clearly shown to exist outside of the [[Milky Way]]; on the cusp of an entirely different galaxy, in fact. {{storylink|Roll for It}} Nine million years prior, however, [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] and [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]] had been able to fly from their home planet to Earth under their own power, {{storylink|Fire in the Sky}} suggesting that it may drift freely through space, and had been passing through the Sol System at that point, going on to drift out of the galaxy over the ensuing millennia.

If the assorted colourful exclamations made by numerous Transformers are anything to go by, Cybertron also played host to [[:Category:Cybertronic wildlife|a vast array of fauna]], including but not limited to: [[Antroid]]s, [[bolt-bat]]s, [[cyber-duck]]s, [[dynametal duck]]s, [[electro-toad]]s, [[glitch mouse|glitch mice]], [[guinea pigatron]]s, [[helio-hamster]]s, [[hydro-weasel]]s, [[photovoltaic pussycat]]s, [[pidgeonoid]]s, [[retrorat]]s, [[robo-rat]]s, [[sheepacron]]s, [[titanium moosebot]]s, [[turbofox]]es, [[zap-mouse|zap-mice]] and [[robotopossum]]s.

Twelve million years ago, the [[Quintesson]]s used Cybertron as a factory to manufacture their robot creations. Notably, the origins of the planet are never explicitly stated—the Quintessons may have built it, terraformed an organic world, or colonized an existing metal planet. Whatever the case, after a million years, the Quintessons were forced to abandon Cybertron when their robots evolved true sentience and feelings, and knew they were being used as slaves, rebelling in the [[Cybertronian Civil Wars|First Cybertronian War]]. The second war was soon to come, however, when the robots splintered into two factions, the peace-loving [[Autobot]]s and the war-mongering [[Decepticon]]s—and began fighting amongst themselves. With the Autobots' innovation of transformation, they were able to win—or at least stalemate—the war, and a period of peace descended on Cybertron, which shone with a healthy golden glow, distinguishing the period as the "[[Golden Age]]". {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}}

Eventually, however, Decepticons adopted transformation as well, along with [[robot mode]] flight, and around nine million years ago, the creation of the Decepticon [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] re-ignited the war on Cybertron. Megatron rallied like-minded individuals to his cause, and brainwashed others into his service, quickly killing the current Autobot leader in a strike on one of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]]'s outer cities. With this act kept out of the public knowledge, rumors circulated as Autobot machinesmith [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] worked diligently on a new process to reconstruct Autobots into battle-hardy configurations for the war he knew was coming. That war finally erupted in full when Megatron fatally injured a naive young dock worker, Orion Pax, and Alpha Trion made him the first subject of his new process, reconstructing him into [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], who would lead the Autobots in the [[Great War (G1)|Third Cybertronian War]]. {{storylink|War Dawn (episode)|War Dawn}}

[[File:Cybertron-mtmte-actioncards2.jpg|thumb]]
After a further five million years of war, during which many Autobots fled the planet, the Decepticons had acquired a large hold on the planet, with the majority of it under their control. The main Autobot force continued to operate from the capital city-state of Iacon, but Cybertron's energy levels were depleted to a dangerous low, necessitating a space mission to locate a new planet with new sources of energy that the Transformers could harness. Optimus Prime led his best and brightest on the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], but they were pursued by Megatron's elite troops, and all were stranded in stasis on Earth for four million years. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}}

[[File:Cybertron-mtmte-actioncards3.jpg|left|thumb|The white zone is for blasting Autobots only.]]
In the ensuing four million years, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], who Megatron had left in charge as guardian of the planet, maintained the Decepticon hold on the planet, though he was unaware of the continued guerrilla efforts of [[Elita One]]'s [[Female Autobots]] to undermine him as they raided his energy supplies. {{storylink|The Search for Alpha Trion}} Eventually, Cybertron's energy level dipped so low as to put the planet in immediate, mortal danger. Reestablishing contact with Megatron, who had awoken with the other Transformers on Earth in the year 1984, Shockwave co-designed the [[space bridge]], an intergalactic transport system that could transport [[energon]] [[energon cube|cubes]] from Earth to Cybertron, abating the planet's impending doom. {{storylink|Transport to Oblivion (episode)|Transport to Oblivion}}

[[File:UltimateDoom2 Cybertron Earth.JPG|thumb|I see a Cybertron a-risin'. I see trouble on the way.]]
Cybertron's place in the universe was forcibly altered in 1984 when the Decepticons constructed a colossal space bridge that actually transported the entire planet into the [[Solar System|Sol system]], into Earth's orbit,{{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 1}} where its gravity wreaked havoc with the planet's natural balance, unleashing an unending torrent of energy created by natural disasters. {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 2}} The energy acquired re-energized Cybertron enough to put it out of the danger zone, but the planet was soon knocked out of orbit by a massive energon explosion, and set drifting off through the solar system. {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 3}} At this closer range, Cybertron remained easily accessed throughout 1985 at least, with the Autobots now able to reach it by conventional transportation ([[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]), rather than having to constantly hijack use of the spacebridge. {{storylink|The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1}}

By the Earth year 2005, Cybertron had exited the Sol system, but, remaining within the Milky Way, was still relatively easily accessible by shuttlecraft from Earth. By this time, the Decepticon forces had succeeded in conquering the entire planet, forcing all the Autobots off it, leading them to relocate to [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]] on Earth, and to two staging ground bases on two of [[Moonbase One|Cybertron]]'s [[Moonbase Two|moons]]. It was at this time that Cybertron came under attack from the world eater, [[Unicron]], who consumed the two moonbases and assaulted Cybertron itself, only to be destroyed by the power of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Autobot Matrix of Leadership]]. His deactivated, decapitated head fell into orbit around Cybertron, a grisly new satellite to replace those he had destroyed. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}} With the Decepticon forces in disarray after Unicron's attack, [[Hot Rod/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Rodimus Prime]] and his troops succeeded in driving their foes off Cybertron, reclaiming the planet for the Autobots, and restoring and re-energizing much of the planet by 2006, {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1}} when the world came under frequent attacks from the returning Quintessons, whose previously-secret history with the Transformers came to light. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5}}

In the year 2007, Cybertron was once again wrenched from its place in space when [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] and the Decepticons invaded the planet and constructed a massive [[planetary engine]] that propelled Cybertron back into Earth orbit once more. Once there, Galvatron opened the Plasma Energy Chamber, intending for the energy release to drive the Sun supernova, consuming Earth, Cybertron and everything else in one final destructive blow. [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]] and the Autobots' [[Nebulan]] allies were able to stop this plan by reversing the rocket engine, which drained off the excess solar energy and channeled it straight into Vector Sigma, which used it to fully re-energize Cybertron. Its rich golden hue restored, Cybertron entered a new Golden Age. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 3}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
{{note|The events of the Generation 1 cartoon occur in Japanese cartoon continuity as detailed above, except that the events of "The Rebirth" do not occur. Japanese continuity inserts several new stories into the timeline, including an extensive 2007 retcon that revealed the complicated origins of Cybertron in this continuity.}}

=====''Kiss Players''=====
[[File:OracleMatrix.jpg|left|thumb|"It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden; and it grew, and waxed a great tree."]]
12 billion years ago, the ancient genius [[Primacron]] and his assistant, the [[Oracle (G1)|Oracle]] were attacked by Primacron's renegade creation Unicron. The Oracle's body was destroyed, but his essence, encased within a protective shell, fled to a dead planet at the center of the universe, which he proceeded to transform into a verdant, living world.

In time, the Quintessons discovered the Oracle's world and invaded, taking control of the Oracle and his powers. The Oracle was transformed by the Quintessons into the mega-computer [[Vector Sigma]] and also obtained the shell that had held his essence, which went on to become the [[Matrix of Leadership]]. Using the power of the [[Key to Vector Sigma]], the Quintessons transformed the Oracle's green planet into the metallic Cybertron. {{storylink|Generation 1 cartoon timeline (Japan)|2007 TakaraTomy Transformers timeline}}
{{-}}

=====''The Headmasters'' cartoon=====
In 2011, it was discovered that the release of the energy of the Matrix by Optimus Prime to cure the [[Hate Plague]] had much more far-reaching consequences that anyone suspected. With the Matrix's energy depleted, Vector Sigma's balance—permanently tilted in favor of the Autobots by the existence of the Matrix—was reset to neutrality, allowing the Decepticons, bolstered by their new [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] troops, to freely invade Cybertron. Eventually, this forced Optimus Prime to sacrifice his life by merging with Vector Sigma in order to stabilize the computer before it destroyed Cybertron from within. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}} {{storylink|The Mystery of Planet Master}} {{storylink|Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime}}

Not long thereafter, Vector Sigma developed a new metal alloy dubbed [[Cybertonuron]], which enticed Galvatron into another raid on the planet. However, the Decepticon Headmaster leader, [[Scorponok (G1)|Zarak]], feared the power that Galvatron would gain from the alloy, and so, to prevent either him or the Autobots from obtaining it, arranged for his Headmasters to plant bombs at the core of the planet, within Vector Sigma's chamber. The Autobots were unable to stop the countdown and the bombs detonated, tearing Cybertron apart and leaving it a charred uninhabitable ruin drifting in space. {{Storylink|Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 1}} {{Storylink|Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 2}}

=====''G-2'' story pages=====
When the Autobots and Decepticons finally laid down their arms and forged the [[Cybertron Alliance]], they rebuilt and restored Cybertron, using the energy known as [[Nucleon (substance)|Nucleon]], which Optimus Prime recovered from the core of a [[black hole]].

=====''Beast Wars Neo'' cartoon=====
Tens of thousands of years into the future, in the era of the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]], Cybertron was reigned over by Vector Sigma itself, who handed down orders through the ruling body known as the [[Convoy Council]]. {{storylink|Big Convoy, Move Out}} When Unicron attempted to engineer his rebirth following his destruction eons beforehand, his [[Angolmois|lifeforce]] possessed Vector Sigma and briefly transformed Cybertron into his new body before he was defeated by [[Big Convoy]].

{{locationstub}}

====''Wings Universe''====
{{Wingsnote}}
The second [[Golden Age]] of Cybertron came to an end in [[2013]] when [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] initiated the [[Machine Wars]]. However, the Machine Wars ended in a matter of weeks and inadvertently brought about the signing of the [[Pax Cybertronia]]. {{storylink|Termination}} {{storylink|A Common Foe}}

In [[2984]], the [[Star Seeker]]s arrived from a temporal journey through [[transwarp]] to enact Captain [[Cannonball (G1)|Cannonball]]'s newest scheme: plunder Cybertron of all its energon using Unicron's head when Cybertron would be at peace and have high levels of energy. The pirates attracted the attention of Cybertron's elite defenders, the [[Cybertronian Knight]]s, but during the clash aboard Unicron's head, [[Cheetor (BW)|Alpha Trizer]] gave Cannonball a crushing revelation: his scheme was doomed to fail from the start because the Cybertron he was attacking was technorganic and ''no longer ran on energon'' (as a result of the [[Great Reformatting]]). {{storylink|Hoist the Flag}}

===''A Birth of Planet Saybertron''===
Cybertron was originally a mere satellite, built to ensure peace between a coalition of planets. But the powerful computer within the satellite proved too advanced for it to remain in its initial form; using electromagnetic forces to draw in other satellites, it used their materials to build itself up. This ultimately led to a malfunction of the computer, and the civilizations that had built it found themselves no longer able to access it. Though the united civilizations tried to stop the satellite, it kept on growing and becoming more sophisticated, eventually plundering all nearby resources and leaving its galactic neighborhood bare of resources. Ages passed and Cybertron became a planet proper, with metallic mountains and oceans of oil. From it sprung primitive machines, which evolved into Transformers over the millennia. {{storylink|A Birth of Planet Saybertron}}

===''Beast Wars'' cartoon continuity===
====''Beast Wars'' cartoon====
[[File:CybertronBW Transwarp.jpg|left|upright=0.85|thumb|Sunny with an 80% chance of lens flares. If you're traveling, watch out for transwarp waves.]]
[[File:CybertronBW SolarSystem.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|At least it's finally trying to keep an orbit.]]
Three hundred years after the end of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], the Autobots and Decepticons had faded into obscurity while their descendants, the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]], dominated Cybertron. The planet had found a star to orbit (eccentrically, but still), which reflected the relative stability that had come upon Cybertronian culture at last. The Maximals, inheriting the [[Pax Cybertronia]], ruled over the Predacons in a time of uneasy truce. Peacetime diversions had sprung up, such as the [[Six Lasers Over Cybertron]] amusement park. Or for more "mature" amusement, one could find joints where the servers went around without their torso plates on.

{{-}}

====''Beast Machines'' cartoon====
[[File:CybertronBM Season1.jpg|left|upright=0.85|thumb|Amidst Megatron's spark collection, a little pocket of validation blossomed.]]
The tranquility of that age would come to a rapid end when [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] returned from the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] and set a [[Transformation virus|virus]] loose on the world that incapacitated the population and paved the way for [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]] rule.

As [[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] and his Maximals fought back, several facts about the planet became apparent. It had at least two moons, one with big gashes in its surface. The Maximal city of [[Cybertropolis]] had been built over the ruins of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] and was home to billions of Transformers. And this was just the latest example of an eons-old trend of vertical expansion. In fleeing from the Vehicons, the Maximals found many layers of abandoned civilization, all the way down to the rocky crust of the world. There, fossils existed of bats, dinosaurs, and birds (which were well-preserved enough to harbor DNA). A few plants, such as trees and flowers, were seen growing underground or even occasionally breaking through to the surface. And stranger yet, drilling through the rock revealed the planet's green, oozing "organic core".

[[File:CybertronBM Season2.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|Times were so dark, the sun had a shadow.]]
Another previously-unseen feature of the planet—but one that went unremarked upon—was its heavy cloud cover. Across dimensions and timeframes, Cybertron has been conspicuously devoid of visible weather systems. But when the Maximals returned from the Beast Wars, their view from orbit showed extensive, unmistakable clouds (which were also seen from the ground). This wouldn't last forever, though: By the time [[Botanica (BM)|Botanica]] arrived, the clouds had vanished again. The only major planetary event in the meantime was the doomsday energy storm that occurred when Primal and Megatron pitted the [[Plasma energy|Plasma Energy Chamber]] against the [[Key to Vector Sigma]]. However, it is unclear whether this actually caused any meteorological effects.

Finding a chamber of fossils, [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] drew the conclusion that Cybertron's animals had been driven extinct by colonizing robots, a theory mildly supported by Primal's conviction that a balance between organic and mechanical needed to be "restored" to the planet. In the end, Primal's dream became a reality when he applied his "[[reformatting]]" power to the organic core and converted the entire world to a [[technorganic]] state.
{{-}}

====3H comics====
According to the [[Al-Badur]], the Quintessons had once served Unicron, and in so doing, they found the "dimensional landing" of Primus: Cybertron. Rather than alert their master, however, they decided to capitalize on their discovery for their own purposes. They attempted to subvert Primus's creations via the Plasma Energy Chamber, but the [[Trans-Organic|results]] were disastrous. Success came when they placed a shell program over [[Vector Sigma]] and channeled the divine power into creating a subservient race. That race would one day rebel and become the Transformers, but the Quintessons' influence remained in the form of the Vector Sigma shell program—otherwise known as the Oracle. Primus could nonetheless sometimes send messages from Vector Sigma through the Oracle, but it is difficult to tell the difference. {{storylink|Disclosure}}

A week after the [[Great Reformatting]], the Quintessons invaded Cybertron, hoping the sudden transition to technorganic would leave the Transformers disoriented. Instead, the population of Cybertron successfully repelled the invaders. {{storylink|The Wreckers: Finale Part 1}} {{storylink|Wreckers: Finale Part II}}

One year later, this reality's Cybertron later became became the home base of the [[Child of Primus|Children of Primus]] in the multiverse-spanning [[Universe War]] against Unicron. {{storylink|Abduction}} {{storylink|Escape (Universe)|Escape}} {{storylink|Homecoming (Universe)|Homecoming}} Unfortunately during the war, Cybertron fell victim to the "Culling", where Unicron's [[Minion of Unicron|Minion]]s cut a swath across the planet to feed the sparks of the victims to the Chaos-Bringer, though the invaders were ultimately repelled. {{storylink|Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 9|Beast Wars 10th Anniversary Optimus Primal's bio}} The Children continued the war, and eventually emerged victorious. {{storylink|Revelations Part 2}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
{{locationstub}}

{{note|The only continuity in which Cybertron has been mapped to some extent. A map of one hemisphere of the planet appears in the DK Transformers Ultimate Guide.}}

===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''===
The [[Quintesson]]s created both [[Trans-Organic|transorganics]] and the gladiator and slave races that would evolve into the Decepticons and Autobots. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 1|The Art of War #1}}

Following Optimus Prime and Megatron's crash on Earth, Cybertron was conquered by [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. The planet was also the location of [[Teletran 3]], which accidentally transported members of [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] and [[Cobra]] to the alien world. {{storylink|G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 1|G.I. Joe vs the Transformers #1}}

Shockwave was eventually defeated and the Decepticons were driven back to the [[Gladiator Zone]], allowing Cybertron to be at peace for the first time in millennia. A [[warp gate]] was set up between Cybertron and [[Area 52 (G1)|Area 52]] on Earth. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 1|The Art of War #1}} The peace was interrupted when [[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]] warped to Cybertron and took control of the Decepticons, but he was eventually defeated. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 5|The Art of War #5}} Notable locations on Cybertron included [[Capitol City]] and the large junkyards where the [[cannibalizer]]s would reside. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 3|The Art of War #3}}

After the death of Serpent O.R., Cybertron was peaceful yet again, and seemingly stayed that way. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 1 of 2}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
The Transformers' homeworld is located around [[wikipedia:Lambda Scorpii|Shaula]] which can be seen from Earth as the second brightest object in the constellation [[wikipedia:Scorpius|Scorpius]] located in its tail.<ref>[http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?t=705 Simon Furman Q&A]</ref>

Cybertron's origins are shrouded in mystery, and honestly somewhat conflicting. Rung and Nightbeat, traversing the inside of the hollow planet of [[Necroworld]], found it to be the mold inside which Cybertron was created.{{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle}} However, it is also suggested that Cybertron could have originally been an organic world with organic lifeforms, and that they deliberately made the evolutionary jump to cyborgs and, eventually, to fully mechanical lifeforms. {{storylink|Spotlight: Nightbeat}} In fact, the world of [[Gorlam Prime]], a massive experiment by [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] in evolutionary science, gradually changed into a metal world full of transforming robots. The inhabitants forgot its old name and existence, and renamed it... Cybertron. This raises interesting questions about the planet's origin... {{storylink|Spotlight: Sideswipe}}

According to Cybertronian legend, the first inhabitants of the planet were the [[Knights of Cybertron]], who left ten million years ago. {{storylink|Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime}}

Cybertron originally had two moons, [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]] and [[Moonbase Two|Luna 2]], but Luna 1 disappeared over six million years ago. {{storylink|How Ratchet Got His Hands Back}}

Cybertron is the only known world with naturally occurring [[energon]]. {{storylink|Escalation issue 1|Escalation #1}} This resource occurs deep beneath the surface and was initially mined by hand, before the mines became automated, and the labourers lost their livelihoods. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 1|Megatron Origin #1}}

Some 1500 years ago, the constant fighting and the stripping of Cybertron's natural resources by both Autobot and Decepticon to feed their age-long war led to a terrible [[Thunderwing (G1)|cataclysm]] that rendered Cybertron uninhabitable. With no atmosphere, Cybertron's surface was unprotected from cosmic radiation and was wracked by plasma storms. Transformers had to divert energy to their personal shielding in order to remain on the surface for short periods; the surface was presumably immediately lethal for humans. Gravity was also weaker than normal and Transformers needed [[magno-tread]]s to walk on the surface. The Transformer race abandoned the planet (save for occasional scientific surveys from orbit) and began conducting its conflict across the galaxy.

According to Autobot command directives, landing on Cybertron was forbidden. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 1|Stormbringer #1}} However, with the resurrection (and subsequent defeat) of Thunderwing, this directive was lifted due to the unusual circumstances. {{storylink|Spotlight: Galvatron}}

Around the year 1997, the wise [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] returned to Cybertron with a plan to revive the planet. Through years of work, he began to repair Cybertron's atmosphere and rid it of radiation, though the planet remained dead and resourceless. {{storylink|Any Old Iron}}

Many years later, the Decepticons created the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]] on Cybertron, which had the side effect of also creating thousands of mindless monsters dubbed the [[Insecticon swarm]] whom they left to their own devices on the planet. After the Decepticons defeated the Autobots on Earth, they sent their battered enemies through a portal to Cybertron, where the swarm would finish them off. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}} By this time, Alpha Trion's hard work had eliminated much of the radiation and electromagnetic storms, so the Autobots survived their stay on the planet with only minor pains. {{storylink|Any Old Iron}} Later, the Autobot starship ''[[Trion]]'' was shot down over Cybertron, and its crew joined the rest of the survivors on its surface. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 5|All Hail Megatron #5}} They were eventually rescued by [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}}

Most of the Insecticon swarm survived their brushes with the Autobots and stayed on Cybertron, which interfered with Alpha Trion's plans. In order to make Cybertron habitable again, he first needed to get rid of the swarm, and thus he revived [[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] to take care of them. {{storylink|Ironing Out the Details}} Trion then left again, with only Ironhide, [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] and a few hundred swarm members remaining on the planet. {{storylink|Any Old Iron}} Shortly thereafter, [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]] made Cybertron his first line of defense against [[D-Void]], a malevolent entity set on devouring all Transformers. {{storylink|Heart of Darkness issue 4|Heart of Darkness #4}} By the time his army arrived on the planet, the swarm had seemingly been exterminated. The arrival of Galvatron caused Ironhide and Sunstreaker to flee on [[Hot Rod/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]]'s newly arrived ship, after which they traveled to Earth to alert the rest of the Autobots to Galvatron's occupation of their swarm-free and (almost) habitable planet. {{storylink|Space Opera Act 2: Out of the Silent Planet|Out of the Silent Planet}}

Led by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]], the Autobots on Earth returned to Cybertron and confronted Galvatron. {{storylink|Chaos Part One: Lamentations|Lamentations}} During the battle, Galvatron inserted his [[Darkness (G1)|Heart of Darkness]] into the remains of Vector Sigma in the belief that this would stop D-Void from entering the universe. In reality, the Heart of Darkness was an aspect of D-Void, and doing so would allow the entity to turn the dead planet of Cybertron into a giant portal to the Dead Universe. To stop this from happening, Optimus Prime opened the [[Matrix of Leadership]] into Vector Sigma. {{storylink|Chaos Part Four: Genesis|Genesis}} By a process that nobody could explain with science, this restarted Vector Sigma and caused the entire planet to be "reset" into an primordial, alive state. Everything old on its surface was wiped out, geographical landmarks and Cybertronian cities alike, and the only Transformer-made structure remaining was the crashed remains of [[Kimia Facility]]. Simultaneously, Cybertron itself sent out a signal to all Cybertronians out in space, telling them to come home. {{storylink|Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime}}

With Cybertron restored, most Decepticons captured and thousands of neutrals returning to repopulate their planet, the war was considered over. When the planet came alive again, it began transmitting energy to its two moons, reviving Luna 2 as well. Since Luna 1 was missing, its share of the energy ended up in the atmosphere instead, supercharging it and causing "ball lighting" effects to strike the planet's surface until [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] got a temporary satellite in orbit. {{storylink|Stick Together}}

===''Beast Wars: Uprising''===
Following the [[Scouring of Nebulos]] in [[2031]] and the [[Great Push]] of [[2033]], the Transformers were forcibly pacified by the [[Human Confederacy]] and exiled back to Cybertron—a dying planet drained of energy from millennia of fighting. {{storylink|Micro-Aggressions}} The old Autobots and Decepticons, too fuel-inefficient to fight or even move under their own power, reorganized themselves into the [[Builder of Cybertron|Builder]]s, hard-wiring themselves into the architecture and landscape of their planet as a means of saving fuel. {{storylink|Broken Windshields}} [[Cerebros]] eventually constructed the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s as successors to the old factions; the Builders preferred to use them for sport in a series of violent [[Games]] that were fought in the ruined remains of the old Builder cities. {{storylink|Head Games}}

===''Combiner Wars'' toy bios===
Cybertron was drained of life by the war of conquest which [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] started. {{storylink|Megatron (G1)/toys#Combiner Wars|''Combiner Wars'' Megatron toy bio}}

===''Titans Return'' marketing material===
[[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] led a Decepticon attack on an Autobot base on Cybertron only to be routed when the base transformed into [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]]. {{storylink|Fortress Maximus (G1)#Generations|''Titans Return'' Fortress Maximus online bio}}

==''Robots in Disguise'' (2001)==
[[File:RID Cybertron.jpg|thumb|Well, it's... uh... it's green!]]
Cybertron was located near or orbiting a larger ringed world, {{storylink|Ultra Magnus (episode)|Ultra Magnus}} and had an [[asteroid prison colony]] in which dangerous Decepticon and Predacon prisoners were interred. {{storylink|The Final Battle (RID)|The Final Battle}} At one point there were a series of civil wars, in which [[Optimus Prime (RID)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Ultra Magnus (RID)|Ultra Magnus]], both creations of [[Alpha Trion (RID)|Alpha Trion]], fought side-by-side. Following the wars, Magnus was honored, but [[Vector Sigma]] selected Optimus as Autobot leader and bestowed on him the [[Matrix of Leadership]]. {{storylink|Ultra Magnus: Forced Fusion!}} The [[Predacon (RID)|Predacon]]s on Cybertron were ruled over by a [[Predacon Council|council]], of which [[Megatron (RID)|Megatron]] was a subordinate, {{storylink|Mystery of the Ultra Magnus}} though he once claimed to be "leader of the Predacons and future ruler of the galaxy" and that he was already "ruler of many worlds". {{storylink|Battle Protocol!}}
{{--}}

==Unicron Trilogy==
{{cleanup|December 2010|Written in the wrong format. Lacks storylinks and general content for three series worth of appearances.}}

[[Primus]], a "unique digital entity", came to exist eons ago. To search for other life in the universe, it sent out the Transformers as explorers. One of the first places the Transformers settled was on a planet that would eventually become known as Cybertron. {{storylink|First Encounter}}

[[File:PlanetCybertron Armada.jpg|left|165px|thumb|Flaky crust.]]
Cybertron is the body of Primus. Much like the versions of Cybertron before it, it is a metallic planet that is damaged by conflict. Cybertron existed in an unnamed system until the ''Energon'' series, where it was pulled from orbit and pushed into another part of space (or universe) that [[Alpha Quintesson]] had created.

In ''Energon'', Cybertron was equipped with a system of [[energon tower]]s that could surround the planet with a protective field, which has since been disabled due to Decepticon attack.

Cybertron had at least one known moon in the ''Armada'' series, but this moon turned out to be Unicron. It is unknown whether it was always Unicron's depowered body, or if the moon somehow became a new "host" body for him. Two additional moons were shown during ''Cybertron'' and were prompltly used by Primus in [[robot mode]] to thrash [[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]].

[[File:PlanetCybertron Energon.jpg|165px|thumb|I can see my house from here!]]
Through the ages, Cybertron has had many repairs, causing new "layers" to be added to the surface of the planet. Deep within the core is a pool of [[Super Energon]] that was once guarded by the four ancient combiners, [[Constructicon Maximus]], and [[Bruticus Maximus (Energon)|Bruticus Maximus]], [[Superion Maximus]], and the latter's unnamed brother.

At the end of the ''Energon'' series, Cybertron was granted a new sun when Primus trapped Unicron's spark within a ball of Super Energon, igniting it. This sun would eventually collapse, becoming the [[Unicron Singularity]].

[[File:PlanetCybertron GalaxyForce.jpg|left|165px|thumb|You DENTED it!]]
It is unknown how large Cybertron is in this continuity, but it is most likely [[Scale|the size of Earth or smaller]]. Cybertron has an atmosphere, but it was unbreathable by Earth life forms as when [[Rad White|Rad]], [[Carlos Lopez|Carlos]] and [[Alexis Thi Dang|Alexis]] visited the planet in 2010, they required spacesuits to operate on the surface; by 2020, however, humans were capable of surviving without specialised suits, indicating that an oxygen/nitrogen-based atmosphere may have somehow been generated by the planet or created by Transformers or humans artificially.

In the ''Cybertron'' series, much of the planet had been repaired, including the construction of a "[[Sky Dome]]" headquarters where important meetings are held. This structure housed the artifacts that were used to mount the [[Omega Lock]], which unlocks the robot form of Cybertron.

{{-}}

==Live-action film series==
[[File:DOTMCybertronopeningscene.jpg|thumb|upright=1.95|The Allspark clearly loves hexagons.]]

Cybertron was a world created by a device known as the [[AllSpark]]. With its power, it created a race of dimensional travelers, the [[Thirteen|Thirteen Primes]], and made Cybertron suitable for their habitation. The Primes soon discovered that while the AllSpark's power was vast, it was also finite, needing to be recharged. The universe soon provided the answer, for a nearby star went nova, recharging the AllSpark. Though the Primes could travel dimensions, they needed help locating stars and harvesting their energy. The AllSpark responded by creating two things to help the Primes. The first gift was the second race of Cybertronians, the [[Transformer]]s, who could change their forms. The Thirteen Primes ruled over the Transformers with their descendants, forming the [[Dynasty of Primes]], to protect the AllSpark and Cybertron, while seeking out stars to harvest. The Dynasty even shared their dimensional traveling abilities with the [[Seeker (ROTF)|Seeker]]s, those tasked with finding stars. Once they found a star, the Dynasty would follow with [[Constructicon (ROTF)|builders]] to forge a [[Star Harvester|harvester]] to drain a star of its energy and send it to the AllSpark to form [[energon]]. The second gift the AllSpark gave the Dynasty was the [[Matrix of Leadership]], a key which contained the essence of the AllSpark and powered the harvesters. The Dynasty of Primes recognized the potential for destruction the harvesters presented, so they decreed that any star system which supported life was to be spared.

One day, the Dynasty of Primes and their attendants came to [[Earth|a world]] to harvest its [[sun|star]]. Just as the harvester was completed, the Primes discovered [[human|primitive but sentient creatures]]. Twelve of the Primes upheld the sanctity of life, but the thirteenth despised the creatures as insects and sought to steal the AllSpark's power for himself. What followed was the very first battle of Transformer against Transformer, as the rogue Prime and his loyalists waged war against the Dynasty of Primes and their loyalists. The rogue Prime murdered eleven of his brothers, but the twelfth stole the Matrix and hid it a [[Tomb of the Primes|tomb]] forged from the bodies of his brothers, sacrificing his own spark to seal the Tomb. The rogue Prime, now known as [[The Fallen]], dispatched the Seekers to find the Matrix. When he returned to Cybertron, he brought his war there as well, killing the rest of the Primes and destroying his brothers' [[Sarcophagus|sarcophagi]] to prevent them from returning. However, he expended much of his power in this process and withdrew to his own sarcophagus to heal. It was there that he learned that he'd made two mistakes: First, the spirits of his brothers were able to seal him in the sarcophagus, preventing him taking over Cybertron. Second, the warriors of the Dynasty had managed to save a single orphan, hiding him from the Fallen. The Dynasty of Primes passed into the realm of legend. {{storylink|Defiance issue 3|Defiance #3}} {{storylink|Defiance issue 4|Defiance #4}} {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen issue 3|Revenge of the Fallen #3}}

[[File:Movie Cybertron surfaceconcept.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Hell on Cybertron. Image taken from New York skyline.]]
Eventually, what little the Transformers knew of their origins would be lost to time. A new society arose, known as the [[Autobot]]s. The Autobots were a peaceful people, led by [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus]], head of the [[Science Division]], and [[Megatron (Movie)|Protector Megatron]], head of the [[Defense Force]]. The two leaders created a balance; Optimus was fair while Megatron was firm. {{storylink|Movie Prequel issue 1|Movie Prequel #1}} Their world's main cities included [[Tyger Pax]], [[Metrotitan (ROTF)|Metrotitan]], [[Simfur]], and the capital city of [[Trypticon (Movie)|Trypticon]]. Another area of importance was [[Burthov]], where the Science Division had many facilities. In time, the Autobots began work on a dig near the [[Simfur Temple]], discovering the remains of the Twelve's sarcophagi and the intact sarcophagus of The Fallen. At the same time, unknown [[Ejoornian|alien hostiles]] attacked Cybertron. Megatron had Optimus remove the intact artifact to his quarters to better protect it, allowing him to come under the influence of The Fallen. {{storylink|Defiance issue 1|Defiance #1}} {{storylink|Defiance issue 2|Defiance #2}}

[[File:DOTMCybertrontransit.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Honeycomb's big, yeah yeah yeah.]]
As Megatron began to grow more aggressive, Optimus discovered that he was the orphaned Prime hidden away when the Dynasty fell. Megatron raised an army, the Decepticons, and sought to take the AllSpark to conquer the universe. However, most of the early Decepticon forces left on the [[Nemesis (ROTF)|''Nemesis'']] with The Fallen and [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] to seek out the harvester. With the number of Megatron's Decepticons now diminished, Optimus assumed his proper [[Prime (rank)|title]] and raised his own army of Autobots. In the war that followed, Cybertron was decimated. Prime eventually sent the AllSpark through a wormhole into deep space, and Megatron pursued it. Both were lost. Without the AllSpark's power, Cybertron became a dead world. The Autobots and the Decepticons scattered across the galaxy, hoping either to create a new world or locate the AllSpark and restore Cybertron. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}} A number of Transformers remained, with the Decepticons centered in Trypticon (now a ''Decepticon'' capital), but this didn't last long. {{storylink|Transformers: The Reign of Starscream|The Reign of Starscream}}

[[File:DOTM space bridge collapse.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|Attempts to replicate the giant gash from Generation 1 have gone horribly wrong.]]
Cybertron's upper layers seem to have a lot of interlocking hexagonal shapes, and several battles near the end of the war took place there. [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]] used these geographical features to his advantage when he attempted to escape Cybertron aboard the ''Ark''. Later on, Sentinel Prime attempted to teleport Cybertron via the space bridge-forming pillars from his ship, the [[Ark (DOTM)|Ark]] in order to acquire Earth's resources to re-energize Cybertron. However, Bumblebee destroyed the master pillar and Cybertron collapsed as it was going through, presumably destroying Cybertron forever. Although, you never know, it could have just put a huge crater in it. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon}}

Geography-wise, the surface of Cybertron is a mystery. Large rivers of liquid criss-cross the planet, though whether this is lava, molten metal, or possibly [[energon]] is anyone's guess. In more urbanized areas, such as the city of [[Tyger Pax]], the stone and lava seem to be covered over with steel or other refined metal. However, these incidents took place during the war, so it may have been the result of the devastation Cybertron saw. This liquid is even on the tops of ''buildings''! {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.1|Training Day}}

Internally, Cybertron has similar features to the inside of a ''Transformer'', including gyroscopic joints. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 20|Return to Cybertron, Part: 4}}

===Titan movie comics===
While everyone had abandoned Cybertron, the twin Autobot [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]] hung out there for a while, and Starscream began organising [[Purple generic drones|an army]] there in secret. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.1|Training Day}}

{{notetitantlg}}
Cybertron's status was unknown, with everyone abandoning it as it began to die. However, [[Stockade (Movie)|Stockade]] and a group of Decepticons remained, staying alive by using [[Nucleon (substance)|Nucleon]]. Stockade believed they could renew Cybertron by summoning a new power source, one related to the AllSpark. They succeeded in summoning such an energy being, {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 17|Return to Cybertron: Part 1}} which did enter Cybertron to renew it...

[[File:Unicron Titan19.JPG|upright=1.1|thumb|The Beast Planet!]]
...and to everyone's horror, announced itself as [[Unicron|Unicron, the Anti-Life]]! {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 18|Return to Cybertron: Part 2}}

The possessed Cybertron was swiftly altered into a scarier-looking form with a large mouth and grasping prongs, turned hostile to those on it, and warped to the Sol system. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 19|Return to Cybertron: Part 3}} The Autobots and Decepticons were able to destroy Unicron, but Cybertron was left in its transformed state and seemingly in the Sol system, as well as continuing to be dead and powerless. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 20|Return to Cybertron: Part 4}}

When the Autobots were ordered off American soil, they regrouped ''under'' Cybertron and began working on the teleportation engines that Unicron had left there when he transformed the planet. Using these, they were able to make a decisive strike by teleporting the entire Decepticon army to Cybertron, then teleporting ''Cybertron'' to the far reaches of space. With the engines now burnt out and no energy on the planet, the Decepticons were marooned there, at the cost of the Autobots never being able to go home. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 24|Revolution Part 2}} {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 25|Revolution Part 3}}
{{-}}

==''Shattered Glass''==
Cybertron was a peaceful planet whose inhabitants pursued only science and social harmony until the obsessive researcher [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Optimus Prime]] rose from the ranks of civilization and began a civil war. This Cybertron never broke free of its orbit and continues to revolve around a sun. True to its backwards universe, Cybertron can be a frightening and arbitrary place whose natives are born from [[Omega Terminus]] and possess [[ember]]s instead of sparks. {{storylink|Shattered Glass (issue)|Shattered Glass}}

This Cybertron received a new satellite when the Earth of [[Primax 207.0 Epsilon]] entered its orbit as a result of the destruction of its home reality by [[Ultra Magnus (SG)|Ultra Magnus]]'s multiversal villainy. {{storylink|Invasion (issue)|Invasion}}

==''Animated''==
[[File:Animated Cybertron.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Pointier than most.]]
In an interesting turn of events, the Decepticons have been driven entirely from the planet. Autobot mastery of [[space bridge]] technology, and their strategic relocation of the [[AllSpark]] led to ultimate victory, and a Cybertron where an entire generation has seen neither [[armor-plating]] nor transistor of a Decepticon.
{{-}}

{{locationstub}}

Eventually, the Decepticons started an uprising and fought the Autobots once more in an attempt to return to Cybertron. {{storylink|Mission Accomplished}}

According to [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel Prime]], it doesn't rain liquid on Cybertron. {{storylink|Where Is Thy Sting?}}

The Decepticons never made it, as Megatron called off the attacks to wait for him. {{storylink|TransWarped}} As Megatron himself was captured, the future of the Decepticons was uncertain. {{storylink|Endgame, Part II}}

After Megatron's defeat, a group of Decepticons attempted to free him by disguising themselves as Autobot performers. However, they were discovered by Sideswipe and Cheetor, who imprisoned them in Trypticon with their leader. Following this defeat, a group of Decepticons launched an assault on the Energon Farms... {{storylink|The Stunti-Con Job}}

==Aligned continuity family==
[[File:WFCCybertron.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb]]
[[File:DarknessRising4-Cybertron.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Well, at least there's ''one'' consistency.]]
Cybertron is orbited by three "near-Cybertron" objects: [[Moonbase One|Moon Bases One]] and [[Moonbase Two|Two]] and the [[Trypticon (WFC)|Trypticon Asteroid Belt Station]], each on opposite hemispheres of the planet (presumably the [[Iacon (polity)|Iaconian]] and [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]]ian sides). Beyond the moons and asteroid belt floats the last of the great [[space bridge]]s, the long-abandoned interstellar transportation system that once connected Cybertron to its colonies [[Velocitron]], [[Gigantion]], and the [[Hub (G2)|Hub]] elsewhere in the galaxy.

[[Unicron]] attacked this Cybertron early on in its history, but was defeated by the [[Thirteen]]. After their squabbles escalated into murder, the [[Covenant of Primus]] decreed only one [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] could rule at a time, with the thirteen members of the [[Autobot High Council|High Council]]. The Quintessons seized control but an [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]] named [[Sentinel Zeta Prime|Sentinel]] led the revolution, and with the High Council and the [[Guilds of Cybertron|Guilds]], he led the Transformers to a [[Golden Age]] of expansion. As the space bridges became less reliable and contact with the colonies was lost, Sentinel and the Guilds instituted the [[caste system]] to slow their civilization's decline. The High Council and their Guards were in charge of law and order, but each state controlled its own militia.

But as the nameless miners resorted to [[gladiatorial combat]] as an outlet for their misery, a champion named [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] rose to seize the title of Prime for himself. Unwittingly, his Iaconian ally was appointed [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] instead, and their anti-caste movement became a civil war for Cybertron's future. The [[AllSpark]] was lost to space, whole regions of the planet were laid waste, and the [[core]] of Cybertron was poisoned by [[Dark Energon]], the remnants of Unicron's attack, prompting the Autobots to evacuate on the ''[[Ark (WFC)|Ark]]''. Megatron and his elite forces left on Trypticon too, now modified into the ''Nemesis'', leaving [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] to deal with the [[Wrecker]]s. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}}

In the present, Megatron raised a [[zombie]] [[Terrorcon (Prime)|Terrorcon]] army from Cybertron's dead by hurling solidified Dark Energon at it through a space bridge. His plan to have them sack Earth was foiled, when the Autobots turned the Energon pump on the space bridge and caused it to implode. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 5}}

When Optimus lost his memories, [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] sent [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]] and [[Jack Darby|Jack]] to Cybertron to find [[Vector Sigma]]. Arcee told Jack to watch out for vermin. {{Storylink|Orion Pax, Part 2}} They were attacked by an [[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticon]], left behind as a sentry, and a swarm of [[scraplet]]s, but managed to get the information they needed from Vector Sigma, deep under [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]]. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 3}}

Seeking to gain an advantage over Optimus Prime and his newly acquired [[Star Saber (Prima)|Star Saber]], Megatron and Dreadwing used a space bridge to travel to Cybertron to acquire the hand of an unnamed [[Liege Maximo|dead Prime]]. {{storylink|Alpha/Omega}}

After acquiring the four [[Omega Key]]s, the Autobots returned to Cybertron to activate the [[Omega Lock]] and restore the planet. However, as they were about to activate the lock, Megatron and his subordinates arrived with the Autobots' human allies, threatening to expose them to Cybertron's atmosphere if they did not give him the Omega Keys. {{storylink|Regeneration (Prime)|Regeneration}} Prime and the Autobots surrendered, handing over the Omega Keys in exchange for the humans. However, before Megatron could use the Omega Lock to [[Eco-structuring|cyberform]] [[Earth]], Optimus Prime used the Star Saber to destroy it and save the human planet. {{Storylink|Darkest Hour (episode)|Darkest Hour}}

Eventually, the Decepticons, with help from Ratchet, built a second functioning Omega Lock on the exterior of the ''Nemesis''. {{storylink|Synthesis}} Following their defeat of Megatron, the Autobots commandeered the ship and flew to Cybertron, where they fired the Omega Lock into the [[Well of All Sparks]], restoring the planet at last. {{storylink|Deadlock}}

During the process of rebuilding the planet for returning refugees, Optimus Prime and Wheeljack flew off to retrieve the AllSpark, which had been removed from the planet during the war. During this time, however, Unicron revived and took control of Megatron's body, and returned to Cybertron to destroy Primus. The chaos god led an army of Predacon Terrorcons to the Well of All Sparks, and the Autobots and Predacons joined forces to oppose them. Their efforts failed, but Optimus Prime arrived with the AllSpark and was able to use its container to trap Unicron, returning his undead army to dust in the process.

Afterwards, Optimus Prime revealed that, in order to use the container, he had transferred the AllSpark into the Matrix of Leadership, rendering his own spark inseparable from multitude within the AllSpark in the process. Consequently, the only way to return the AllSpark to the core would be to give his own life. With his farewells complete, the Prime flew into the Well of All Sparks, returning the AllSpark to Cybertron's core and causing numerous sparks to soar into the sky. {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Prime)|Predacons Rising}}

After the restoration of the Well of All Sparks, Cybertron once again returned to a period of peace and prosperity. Statues commemorating various figures in the war were constructed. Lieutenant Bumblebee settled into a new life on the planet as a street patrol officer, but eventually returned to Earth via space bridge on the orders of a ghostly Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Pilot (Part 1)}} Cybertron is also ruled by a new Autobot High Council, {{storylink|Can You Dig It?}} who placed a bounty on Bumblebee's head for his illegal use of a space bridge {{storylink|Hunting Season}} and sent Jazz to Earth to respond to the distress signal from the ''[[Alchemor]]''. After capturing [[Ped]], Jazz promised he'd smooth things over with the council, {{storylink|Can You Dig It?}} but later Drift and Fracture (and their Mini-Cons) arrived on Earth to capture Bumblebee. {{storylink|Hunting Season}}

In one timeline, Cybertron is still a living planet and apparently never had a civil war or perhaps the war was already long over. [[Rescue Force Sigma-17]] was stationed on Cybertron when [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] called them for a rescue mission on Earth. While it is unclear what happened in this timeline, it is apparent that the [[Decepticon]]s either do not exist in this universe or are not malevolent. {{storylink|Rescue Bots Roll Out}}
{{-}}

==''Knights of Unicron''==
[[Maccadam's Old Oil House]], the [[Toxic Sludge Swamps]], [[Smelting pool|The Smelting Pool]], and [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] [[Great Dome|Stadium]], all located on Planet Cybertron, were the final venues for the [[Knights of Unicron (band)|Knights of Unicron]] on their 2014 "Till All Are One" tour. {{storylink|Knights of Unicron}}

==Toys==
===Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers===
{{anchor|CybG1}}
[[File:Cybertron Primus toy.jpg|upright=2.2|thumb|Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven imag— You know what, just forget it. It's not like we have rules for a reason.]]
*'''Primus''' (Supreme, 2006)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''00'''
**''Accessories:'' [[Omega Lock#Generation 1|Omega Lock]], two [[missile]]s, silver Cybertron planet-type [[Cyber Key]]

:[[Primus#CybG1|Primus]] was developed by Hasbro and Takara as a toy for their joint [[Transformers: Cybertron (toyline)|''Cybertron/Galaxy Force'' toylines]], but was released in Japan as a Generation 1 ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (toyline)|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers]]'' toy a few months after ''Galaxy Force'' had ended its run. This release can be considered a pre-release of the ''Cybertron'' toy because it features Hasbro's [[Cyber Key Codes]] that the ''Galaxy Force'' line lacked.

:Primus is the first toy representation of the Transformers' creator as their home planet of Cybertron. In planet mode, he is considerably more detailed than [[Transformers: Armada (toyline)|''Armada'']] [[Unicron/toys#Armada|Unicron]], with visible cities, including [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], based upon its appearance in the [[DK Publishing]] book, ''[[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide]]'', and [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]], specifically [[Kolkular]], as seen in ''[[Transformers: The War Within|The War Within]]''. On the "bottom" of the planet mode, there are four hard rubber legs, molded to be shaped like towers, allowing Primus to be displayed in planet mode, yet not require a flat base as Unicron did.

:Primus's transformation is unusual, in many ways similar to a [[Powermaster]], in that he requires the owner to insert his accompanying Omega Lock accessory into several special ports around the planet, then manipulate it to unlock his parts and transform him. When the Omega Lock is inserted into the "top" of his planet mode and pulled back, a transforming sound is heard, and two spring-loaded missile-firing "Stellar Converter Cannons" swing out. When it is inserted into his chest and pushed up, his head is revealed, his shoulder-pads pop-up, his eyes glow red, and a laser-type sound effect is played. The Lock itself lights up red when it is inserted into any of the ports.

: In [[robot mode]], Primus resembles both the ''[[Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Neo (franchise)|Beast Wars Neo]]'' Unicron prototype as well as [[Don Figueroa]]'s Primus concept, created for ''The War Within'' and used in ''The Ultimate Guide''. He is bristling with weaponry in this mode, with the Stellar Converter Cannons ending up on his shoulders, and the Omega Lock revealing several banks of Gatling guns, lasers, and missiles in his shins and legs. Each of his legs also contains extendable [[Articulation|articulated]] "manipulator arms".

:Primus also has what might charitably be called a third mode—a "battle station" mode, which is basically formed by transforming the figure halfway and leaving the head down and the legs backward. It features no dedicated parts or transformation steps, making it very obvious that it was created after the fact. It looks kinda like The Starship Enterprise... backwards.

:In any mode, he is armed with two double-barreled cannons which pop-up and extend when a Cyber Key is inserted. He has a special silver Cybertron-type Cyber Key, with the key code '''sp8u''' [[tampograph]]ed onto the back. His Omega Lock also features four slots at its base, which are meant to accommodate the four [[Cyber Planet Key]]s, although inserting them does not activate any features. There are also nine inactive Mini-Con [[5mm post|5mm]] [[powerlinx]] posts on his person, including two on the claw arms on his legs.

{{-}}{{anchor|2010}}
[[File:Primus 2010.jpg|upright=2.2|thumb|Oh. Your. God.]]
*'''Creator Primus''' (2010)
**''Accessories:'' [[Omega Lock#2010|Omega Lock]], two missiles, clear Cybertron planet-type Cyber Key

:To celebrate the year 2010, Takara [[redeco]]ed the Supreme Class Primus toy and released him in the [[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers 2010 (toyline)|''Transformers 2010'' toyline]], being packaged in a special box that is meant to go with the [[Unicron/toys#2010Takara|Unicron]] toy released the same year. "[[Primus#2010|Creator Primus]]" is primarily metallic gunmetal in planet mode, with metallic blue robot parts, and a large number of black paint washes here and there. His Omega Lock is now blue.

:Primus comes with a [[retool]]ed Cybertron-style Cyber Key which was originally available with both [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/toys#CybDx|Cybertron Planet Deluxe Class Optimus Prime]] and [[Demolishor (Armada)#Cybertron 2|Cybertron Planet Deluxe Class Demolisher]]. This Cyber Key features a "smooth" central area with no molded [[insignia]], and a Mini-Con-style Powerlinx socket on the back. The Cyber Key included with this figure is entirely unpainted, aside from the [[tampograph]]ed Autobot symbol at the center.

{{-}}

===Cybertron===
[[File:CybertronPrimusPackagingComparison.jpg|upright=2.2|thumb|This was an expensive time for completists.]]
*'''Cybertron Primus''' (Supreme, 2006)
**''Accessories:'' [[Omega Lock#Cybertron|Omega Lock]], two missiles, silver Cybertron planet-type Cyber Key, [[Unicron/toys#PrimusUnicronHead|Unicron head]] (second wave only)

:''Cybertron'' "[[Primus#Cybertron|Cybertron Primus]]" is the North American version of Supreme Class Primus, released a few months after the Japanese version. The toys are identical.

:In North America, Cybertron Primus was initially released in the second wave of ''Cybertron'' Supreme Class toys. This version came packaged with a very creepy "battle damaged" Unicron head based upon his Armada appearance, whereas the following wave did not come with the Unicron head. Unusually, both waves ended up shipping simultaneously.

{{anchor|Walmart}}
*'''Cybertron Primus''' (Supreme, 2006)
**''Accessories:'' [[Omega Lock#Walmart|Omega Lock]], two missiles, silver Cybertron planet-type Cyber Key

:A later version of Supreme Class [[Primus#Walmart|Cybertron Primus]] was [[exclusive]] to [[Walmart]] as a [[Black Friday (event)|Black Friday]] 2006 special, and included four Mini-Cons: [[Strongarm (Cybertron)|Strongarm]], [[Knockdown (Cybertron)|Knockdown]], [[Nightscream (Cybertron)|Nightscream]], and [[Offshoot (Cybertron)|Offshoot]].
{{-}}

==Notes==
*The name "Cybertron" was used by Marvel Comics long before the Transformers series came about. In issue 48 of the original ''X-Men'' title (released in September 1968), a computer named Computo created a race of robots named the "Cybertrons".<ref>[http://www.marvunapp.com/Appendix4/computoxm.htm Computo and the "Cybertrons" at the Appendix to the Handbook of the Marvel Universe]</ref>
*Cybertron's "gashed" moon, often glimpsed during the course of ''Beast Machines'', is heavily based on one side of a modern sculpture by Arnaldo Pomodoro, "Sphere with Sphere" ("Sfera con Sfera"), that can be found in the Vatican City's Courtyard of the Pinecone.<ref>[http://www.bluffton.edu/~sullivanm/italy/rome/pomodoro/0003.jpg Photo of ''Sfera con Sfera'']</ref> See, kids? Transformers IS educational.
*The size of the planet Cybertron varies between different continuities. In one, the diameter of the planet is smaller than Earth's while the Marvel comics describe it as "Saturn-sized," placing its diameter at around 120,000 km.<ref>[http://www.takaratomy.co.jp/products/TF/bible/wottf.html World of TRANSFORMERS]</ref> We can probably lay these at the feet of Primus, who is a god after all, and can decide to be whatever size he wants.
[[File:Planet scale.jpe]]
*Towards the end of the original comic run, Blaster was asked in the [[Letters page (Marvel UK)|UK Letters Page]] whether Cybertron would be turned into a Transformer. His response was "No. More likely it will turn into a rapidly expanding ball of component molecules, the way things are going at the moment". [[Primus|Oh, what fools time makes of us all]].<ref>[http://transfans.co.uk/popup.php?id=2242 Letters page for Marvel UK Issue #323]</ref>

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Cybertron''' (セイバートロン ''Seibātoron'';<ref>For decades, Western fans have typically opted to render the Japanese pronunciation of the planet's name as "Seibertron" (pronounced "Say-ber-tron") in order to distinguish it from the Japanese name of the Autobots, the "Cybertrons" (pronounced "Sigh-ber-tron"). However, several Japanese sources actually spell it as "Cybertron" in English, including the [[Transformers: The Headmasters (video game)|''Headmasters'' video game]], the covers of the ''"Planet of Cybertron Guide"'' books included with Takara's mid-90s [[Wikipedia:LaserDisc|LaserDisc]] sets of the original cartoon, a ''Beast Wars'' [http://www18.tok2.com/home/jackhama/transformers/bwtcard_2/img/043.jpg trading card], and the packaging for ''Galaxy Force'' toys. Sources beyond these are surprisingly scarce, although [[A Birth of Planet Saybertron|an article]] in the December 1985 issue of ''[[Comic Bom Bom]]'' did render the planet's name in English as, of all things, "Saybertron".</ref> サイバトロン ''Saibatoron'')
*''Armenian:'' '''Cybertron''' (Կիբերտրոն ''Kibertron'')
*''English:'' '''Cyberton''' ([[Omni Productions]] dub)
*''Hungarian:'' '''Kibertron''', '''Kájbertron''' (first ''The Movie'' dub), '''Mesterséges bolygó''' (''Energon'', "Artificial planet")
*''Indonesian:'' '''Saibertron'''
*''Mandarin:'' '''Cybertron''' (赛博坦/塞伯坦 ''Sài Bó Tǎn''; 賽博創 ''Sài Bó Truàng''; 賽博宙 ''Sàibózhòu'')
*''Serbian:'' '''Kibortron''' (Generation 1 dub and first dub of ''Generation 2''), '''Sajbertron''' (Second ''G2'' dub, ''Armada'', ''Cybertron'', ''Animated'', ''Prime'')

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://transfans.co.uk/comics_guide_detail.php?id=447 Transformers #303 Letters Page on Transfans.co.uk]

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