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Prowl (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity

2021-08-05T02:36:42Z

FourthFloor: /* Notes */ updated link to Wayback Machine capture

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'''Prowl'''. The prick on TV who little children in the 1980s learned manners from.

==''The Transformers'' cartoon==
{{voiceactor|[[Michael Bell]] (English), [[Toshio Ishii]] (Japanese), [[Keiichi Nanba]] (Japanese, "Autobot Spike")|[[Xu Weihong]] (Chinese), [[Juan Carralero]] (American Spanish), [[Ulf Jürgen Söhmisch]] (German), [[Thomas Albus]] (German, ''Generation 2'' Season 1), [[Christoph Jablonka]] (German, ''Generation 2'', "Triple Takeover", "The Revenge of Bruticus", and "Transport to Oblivion"), [[Willy Schäfer]] (German, ''Generation 2'', "Roll For It"), [[Dario de Castro]] (Portuguese), [[Ayrton Cardoso]] (Portuguese, "Enter the Nightbird"), [[Garcia Neto]] (Portuguese, "The Core"), [[Júlio César]] (Portuguese, "Triple Takeover"), [[Márcio Araújo]] (Portuguese, DVD dub), [[Gunnar Ernblad]] (Swedish), [[Henry Djanik]] (European French), [[Francis Lax]] (European French, "Autobot Spike"), [[Georges Atlas]] (European French, "The Revenge of Bruticus")}}

[[File:MTMTE1-JazzProwlPrimeTrailbreaker.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Prowl was part of the crew of the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'', the Autobot starship that left Cybertron looking for alternate sources of energy. While enroute he monitored the [[Viewtrex]] and detected the Decepticons pursuing them. The Decepticons boarded and the ensuing conflict caused the Ark to crashland on [[Earth]]. Four million years later, the Transformers were reawakened by the eruption of the volcano the Ark had crashed in and reformatted by [[Teletraan I]]. Prowl was reformatted as a Datsun 280Z police car. When the Autobots first fought the Decepticons on Earth, aboard an oceanic oil refinery, Prowl teamed with [[Jazz (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Jazz]] in shooting up the Decepticons' supply of [[energon cube]]s. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}}

The two Autobots worked together again when [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] invaded the Ark for information. The crafty Decepticon got away, but Prowl and Jazz managed to capture his pet, [[Ravage (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ravage]], in a solid energy net. Prowl joined the Autobots for their subsequent battles at [[Sherman Dam]] and the [[ruby crystal mines of Burma]]. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 2}} During the final fight at the Decepticon space cruiser, Prowl ran over [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]]'s [[null-ray]] before he could "activate" it. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 3}}

Prowl and the Autobots next battled the Decepticons at a solar power station. Prowl and [[Ratchet (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ratchet]] attempted to stop Starscream and [[Skywarp (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Skywarp]] from escaping with the energon cubes, but Starscream started launching concussive blasts, knocking aside their lasers and driving them back. Later that day, Prowl zapped [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] during a cave fight, but was then clubbed from behind by Skywarp. That's snow fair. {{storylink|Transport to Oblivion (episode)|Transport to Oblivion}}

[[File:G1 Prowl Bluestreak Rollforit.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|It's like looking into a mirror... well, not really.]]
While Prowl and [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] battled the Decepticons, Prowl's [[battle computer]] was knocked offline by a particularly fierce blow. Crippled, Prowl extended his antenna to seek out an online computer that he could patch into. He found [[Chip Chase]]'s desktop terminal, and the young human ally momentarily took control of Prowl, animating the Autobot warrior with his computer. Chip and Prowl handily defeated the Decepticons, and the Autobot remarked that Chip was a human after his own central processor. {{storylink|Roll for It}} After [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] suffered some brief but severe injuries, Prowl was present with the other Autobots in defending the Ark, as the Decepticons attempted to press their advantage. {{storylink|Divide and Conquer}}

Prowl was also among the Autobots who took an unpleasant number of hits trying to calm down the rampaging [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]. {{storylink|S.O.S. Dinobots}} He held no grudges, though, and participated in the construction of two new Dinobots a few months later, using laser bursts to cut up raw materials for the design. Still, he showed a bit more caution than his fellow Autobots during the "play fighting" tests of [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] and [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]]. While [[Ironhide (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ironhide]], Bluestreak and [[Sideswipe (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Sideswipe]] went in for close quarters combat with the Dinos (and subsequently got bashed around quite a bit), Prowl stuck to long-range laser fire, and managed to avoid getting his head handed to him. {{storylink|War of the Dinobots}}

After [[Sparkplug Witwicky]] was kidnapped, Prowl was shown acting as a strategist for once, constructing battle-plans using [[Hound (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hound]]'s holographic maps for reference. He coordinated a two-pronged rescue mission on the Decepticon's sunken space cruiser, from above and below. While he and the main Autobot force dropped in on the Decepticons from above and drew their fire, [[Cliffjumper (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Cliffjumper]], [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]], and [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] used their special abilities to tunnel right underneath the base, breaking in and freeing Sparkplug before the Decepticons got wind of it. {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 1}} He remained active with the Autobot forces as they dealt with Cybertron's newfound proximity to Earth. {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 2}} Prowl later surfed into battle against the Decepticons, but the resulting tidal wave allowed Megatron to escape before the fight even started. A small contingent of Autobots eventually tracked the Decepticon energon shuttle to a tropical coast, and engaged them in battle. The fully charged Decepticons soon began to overpower the Autobots, however, driving them back to the safety of some convenient trenches. Prowl attempted to suggest a strategic regrouping, but Prime wouldn't hear of it. Luckily, [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]] arrived with reinforcements from Cybertron to even the odds. As Megatron retreated, the Autobots were left to deal with a tidal wave large enough to wipe out all life on Earth. Prowl calculated they would need an explosion equivalent to 10 billion astro-liters of energy to knock Cybertron out of Earth's orbit and reverse the tidal wave. At [[Spike Witwicky (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Spike]]'s suggestion, the Autobots took aim at Megatron's fleeing starship, igniting the energon cubes inside to expel Cybertron from orbit and save the Earth. {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 3}} After the devastation, Prowl was seen helping repair human civilization, and hunting down the loose ends left by the Decepticons' schemes. {{storylink|Countdown to Extinction (episode)|Countdown to Extinction}} Prowl also bore witness to the gladiatorial combat between Megatron and Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Heavy Metal War}}

[[File:AttackoftheAutobots-Prowlcar.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.66]]
After Sparkplug Witwicky created a metallic Frankenstein called [[Autobot X (G1)|Autobot X]], to the abject surprise of no one it suddenly ran amok. Prowl, Ironhide and [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] stood up to the crazed creation, and Prowl used his [[acid pellet]]s to incapacitate Autobot X. Later that day, Spike Witwicky was injured during a battle with the Decepticons at a rocket base. Prowl provided a "police escort" for Ratchet to get Spike to a hospital as quickly as possible. {{storylink|Autobot Spike}} As the Decepticons staged a daring raid at the Ark's front door, Prowl drove out to meet them in combat. He had to dodge and transform in mid-air to avoid [[Thundercracker (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Thundercracker]]'s missiles, and ended up being divebombed by [[Laserbeak (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Laserbeak]] anyhow. Prowl got back at the tinfoil turkey by strapping a wire-guided bola onto his rifle, and lassoing the Decepticon bird as he swooped by for another pass. Despite the laser blasts hurled his way, Prowl held tight to his catch until Laserbeak severed the rope and fled. When he went back to recharge at headquarters, a ploy by Megatron altered his personality components and he went on an angry red-eyed rampage with the rest of the altered Autobots until their circumstances were overturned. {{storylink|Attack of the Autobots (episode)|Attack of the Autobots}}

Prowl overheard Cliffjumper's infamous accusations about [[Mirage (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Mirage]]'s loyalty, but neglected to participate in the retrieval of the missing [[electro-cell]]s. {{storylink|Traitor (episode)|Traitor}} He also played a minor role in recovering the [[Wheeljack Instant Immobilizer|Immobilizer]], {{storylink|The Immobilizer}} and joined his fellow Autobots in a race for charity, which Spike and Chip had arranged for them. {{storylink|The Autobot Run}} Prowl was part of the Autobot strike unit dispatched to [[Washington, D.C.]] when it came under attack by the Decepticons and [[Sub-Atlantica]]ns. He, Hound and Brawn engaged the Decepticons near the Washington Monument, until King [[Nergill]] zapped them with his paralyzing ray. Prowl remained inactive until the Dinobots joined the party, and [[Grimlock (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Grimlock]] destroyed the ray, freeing the incapacitated Autobots. {{storylink|Atlantis, Arise!}}

[[File:EntertheNightbird-JazzProwl.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
Next, the Autobots responded to an SOS when the super-computer called [[TORQ III]] ran amok. Unfortunately, they discovered TORQ was capable of controlling other simple machines in the area, and so Prowl and the others found themselves facing a horde of angry droids. Prowl was nearly swallowed whole by a mechanical scoop, until he fired an acid pellet down its gullet and corroded its inner workings. {{storylink|Day of the Machines}} Prowl was among the Autobots who failed to prevent the Decepticons from stealing the female ninja robot called [[Nightbird (G1)|Nightbird]]. While discussing the Decepticons' possible plans for Nightbird with Spike, Prowl was unaware the ninja herself was right above them on the Ark's elevator. {{storylink|Enter the Nightbird}}

Prowl charged the Decepticon flank when the Transformers were fighting over [[korlonium crystal]]s. {{storylink|A Prime Problem}} Prowl and [[Sunstreaker (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Sunstreaker]] were part of a group of Autobots patrolling a riverbed...until they discovered the riverbed wasn't there anymore. Tracing the diverted water, they came across the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] and a Decepticon scheme to drill down to [[Earth's core]]. Megatron sicced Devastator on Prowl's team, forcing them to retreat for reinforcements. Back at the Ark, the Autobots cooked up a plot to use [[dominator disk]]s and gain control over the Constructicons whenever they formed Devastator. As part of a commando raiding party, Prowl and the others lured the Constructicons out into the open. Under the cover of night, Prowl slipped a disk on [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]], and soon all the Constructicons had disks planted on them. Although the Autobots temporarily gained control of Devastator, Megatron soon negated their control and retrieved his giant warrior. {{storylink|The Core}}

[[File:DinobotIsland Pt2 Prowlacidpellets.jpg|left|thumb|Prowl demonstrates his revolutionary "wee-wee gun".]]
Prowl was present in the Ark during yet another display of the Dinobots' talent for chaos. {{storylink|Dinobot Island, Part 1}} After the Dinobots moved to a mysterious prehistoric island, time portals began opening all over North America. Prowl led [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]], [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] and Jazz to deal with a portal from the wild west. Prowl defeated the cattle rustlers by melting their guns with his acid pellets. {{storylink|Dinobot Island, Part 2}} Like all the Autobots, Prowl was temporarily banished into space by the citizens of [[Central City (Earth)|Central City]], thanks to Megatron's carefully orchestrated smear campaign. {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1}} He eventually returned with the others for an all-out assault on the Decepticons and re-established the Autobots' good name. {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2}} Prowl was also subject to [[cybertonium]] depletion, although he was ultimately revived when Spike and [[Carly]] brought a fresh supply back from Cybertron. {{storylink|Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2}}

When Megatron used the [[Voltronic Galaxer]] to scramble Earth's communications, the humans were left in a state of confusion. Prowl took a team of Autobots on the road to help motorists who missed the message about an incoming blizzard. Unfortunately, Thundercracker and [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] got involved and nearly turned the rescue mission into a catastrophe. Prowl and the Autobots were buried in snow for a time until they could dig themselves and the humans out. {{storylink|Blaster Blues}} He was among the Autobots temporarily rendered invulnerable by [[electrum]], and fought the Decepticons for control of the golden lagoon. {{storylink|The Golden Lagoon (episode)|The Golden Lagoon}} He also helped stop Megatron from taking over New York City with an army of robot car drones. {{storylink|Make Tracks}} Prowl was on hand as [[Perceptor (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Perceptor]] analyzed the robotic plant life Bumblebee and [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] brought back to Earth. They determined the plants were [[Morphobot]]s, and extremely hazardous to all robot lifeforms. {{storylink|Quest for Survival}}

[[File:Tripletakeoverautobotthrone.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"...artistic."]]
When the [[Triple Changer]]s overthrew Megatron and began vying for Decepticon command themselves, [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] took over a football stadium and began launching "long bombs" into the city beyond. Optimus Prime sent Prowl to investigate, alongside Bluestreak, [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] and [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]], but they were stymied by Blitzwing's "zone defense". At his command, the Constructicons had created an elaborate and confusing maze of passages outside the stadium, leaving the Autobots racing around blindly inside its tight corridors. Using his flight and tank modes for maneuverability and power, Blitzwing easily overwhelmed the Autobot invaders. Prowl and Skids plowed into each other on a blind junction, and were then mowed over by the Decepticon's massive treads. The crazed Scrapper had them rebuilt into a throne for him inside the zone, until [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] and [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] rescued their comrades. {{storylink|Triple Takeover}} Although he did absolutely nothing to save the missing Autobots or stop [[Chumley|Lord Chumley]]'s antics, Prowl was allowed a heroic drive into the sunset along with Optimus Prime and the rest of the Autobots. {{storylink|Prime Target (episode)|Prime Target}}

After the government concocted a new super-fuel, they decided to offer it to the Autobots for testing. Fearing a Decepticon attack, Prowl arranged a series of security measures to protect the cargo, and keep the Decepticons from learning about the fuel. Unfortunately, those measures failed, and Megatron attacked the tanker convoy with his Seekers. Despite the breach, the Autobots' superior driving abilities enabled them to outmaneuver the Decepticons. {{storylink|The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 1}}

Prowl stood gawking mutely when Prime explained his plan to infiltrate the Decepticons disguised as [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]] and the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]]. It's possible he didn't think the plan was strategically sound. {{storylink|Masquerade}} Prowl was also seen applying [[Corrostop]] to the [[Statue of Liberty]], and later helped rescue Perceptor from [[Fox Creek Canyon]]. {{storylink|Cosmic Rust (episode)|Cosmic Rust}}

[[File:TFTM Prowl dies.jpg|thumb|Scavenger can always be proud of this.]]
[[File:RevengeOfBruticus TracksSideswipeProwl.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|The vanity-king, the jock, and the prick.]]
When Jazz and Cliffjumper were kidnapped by Starscream's [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]], Prowl traveled to the Amalgamated Water & Power Plant with the other Autobots to rescue them. Wisely, the Autobots completely avoided the war between the Decepticons and Combaticons taking place immediately to their left — they just grabbed their pals and split. {{storylink|Starscream's Brigade}} Prowl, Tracks, and Sideswipe went with Optimus Prime to clear the Insecticons out of a human settlement. They were aided in evacuating the neighborhood by the [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]], leaving the Autobots clear to fire at will at the Insecticon clones. This relatively routine mission turned sour, however, when Spike and Perceptor reported that Earth's orbit had been altered, sending it towards the sun. Learning the effect originated from Cybertron, Prowl and the others attempted to hijack the space bridge, but [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] stole the bridge's control panel before they could board the transporter. The Autobots searched the area for signs of the control panel with sensor beams from their chests, but all Prowl managed to turn up was an old wrecked television. The panel was later recovered and repaired, and Prowl joined both Autobots and Decepticons alike in traveling to Cybertron to stop the Combaticons' plot. {{storylink|The Revenge of Bruticus}} Prowl also helped defend the Ark when it was later attacked by [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]] and the Decepticons. {{storylink|B.O.T. (episode)|B.O.T.}}

In the year [[2005]], Prowl was piloting a shuttle run to Earth, to collect and bring fresh energon and supplies to [[Moonbase One]] from [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]], in preparation for a planned assault to retake Cybertron. The Autobot shuttle was hijacked en route by Megatron, Starscream and the Constructicons, who sought to use the vessel to sneak the Decepticon armada past Autobot City's early warning systems. After Brawn was struck down, Prowl fired back at his attackers, very nearly shooting Starscream's head off in the process, but was felled by a single blast from [[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]], which penetrated his armor, burned his innards horribly, and left him belching fiery smoke as he fell to the floor. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
{{note|Prowl’s involvement in these events, or events mostly similar, were also chronicled in the comic mini-series "[[Transformers: The Animated Movie]]" and the storybook "[[Transformers the Movie (Ladybird adaptation)|Transformers the Movie]]."}}
Prowl's body was evidently recovered for interment, as his grave was housed in the interstellar [[Autobot Mausoleum]]. Along with the mausoleum itself, Prowl's remains were later plunged into a red sun as a side-effect of a [[Quintesson]] plot. {{storylink|Dark Awakening (episode)|Dark Awakening}}
{{-}}

==Japanese cartoon continuity==
{{note|The events of the Generation 1 cartoon occur in Japanese continuity as described above. The Japanese timeline adds many new stories and events into the chronology; in Prowl's case, some of them centre around an unexplained apparent resurrection.}}

===''Generations Selects Special Comic'' (1)===
Four million years ago, Prowl was one of the Autobots on the bridge of the ''Ark'' before it was attacked by the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]''. {{storylink|Super Megatron comic 2}}

===''Beast Wars Metals'' cartoon===
{{see|Prowl (G1)#Beast Wars cartoon}}

===''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' manga===
[[File:Fullthrottle prowl.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85]]
When the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] and [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]] tried to besmirch the Autobots' good names by wearing their [[insignia]] while committing acts of evil, Prowl was among the Autobots who mobilized to stop them. Prowl carried [[Eject (G1)|Eject]] and [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] into the battle in car mode, opening his doors to let the two cassette-bots loose on [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]]. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 7|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #7}}

===''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' story pages===
Prowl was a participant in a battle in New York City, early in the Autobot/Decepticon war taking place on Earth. The Autobots were victorious that day. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (story page)|Broadcasting on TV! Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers}}

===Full Throttle Scramble Power!===
Prowl was among the Autobots seen reacting with panic to the news that [[Hound (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hound]] and their human allies [[Tōru]] and [[Jenny (G1)|Jenny]] had been captured by the Decepticons while investigating their deadly new [[Omega Wave Cannon]]. He joined Optimus Prime and a team of Autobots in going to their rescue, and the battle was won when [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] arrived to join the fight with the rest of the Autobot army. {{storylink|Full Throttle Scramble Power!}}

===''Legends'' comic===
In the late 1980s, Prowl had his [[transformation cog]] modified to let him form a limb for the experimental [[combiner]] [[Optimus Maximus (G1)|Optimus Maximus]], who the Autobots formed to defeat [[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]] during the battle for the [[Transform Super Cog]]. {{storylink|Slugslinger's Ambition}} He later fell in a hole dug by the overly enthusiastic [[Twin Twist]]. {{storylink|Jumpstarter Chapter#Operation: Destroy the Decepticons|Operation: Destroy the Decepticons}}

===''The Battle of the Star Gate''===
Prowl was among the Autobots who accompanied Optimus into Earth orbit to stop Megatron's take-over of the ''[[Trigger]]''. They were able to repel the Decepticons from the space station in short order. {{storylink|First Contact (Star Gate)|First Contact}}

===''Story of Binaltech''===
In [[2003]], a plague of [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]] unleashed upon the Autobots by the Decepticons necessitated that the infected warriors upgrade to new "[[Binaltech]]" bodies created through co-operation with the [[Earth Defense Command]]. {{storylink|Story of Binaltech, Chapter 1}} Prowl was lucky enough to avoid infection, and so refrained from upgrade. Regardless, the combined might of the new Binaltech Autobots was enough to force the Decepticons off of Earth, and into hiding in the far reaches of the [[Solar System]]. {{storylink|Arise! Evil Binaltechs}}

{{note|At this point, history is altered by Ravage, creating a parallel timeline in which the continued storyline of ''Binaltech'' takes place. To continue reading about the original timeline, skip to ''[[#Controverse|Controverse]]'', below. Exactly how many events from the ''Binaltech'' story occur in the original timeline, even from ''before'' the timeline divergence, is unclear.}}

[[File:Binaltech prowl cardart.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2|This ruby-quartz baton allows me to safely contain and administer focused bursts of prickery!]]
Granted a vision of the future by the time-tossed Decepticon [[Ravage (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ravage]], [[Wheeljack (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Wheeljack]] saw Prowl's looming death in the year 2005, and resolved to save his life. {{storylink|Project Bodyshop}} Prowl was equipped with the [[Genetronic Translink System]], which would allow him to relocate his [[spark]] to [[unspace|subspace]], and from there, control multiple Binaltech bodies; therefore, the vision Wheeljack saw of his friend's dead body could still come to pass, while his spark would live on. Before the first of his secondary bodies were completed, however, Prowl was sent on a mission to investigate some potential Decepticon activity in the vicinity of [[Saturn]], and came under heavy attack from the villains. He contacted Wheeljack on Earth, who was in the process of transferring memory data into Prowl's secondary Binaltech body, and Wheeljack prepared the GT System for a risky manoeuvre—the transplantation of Prowl's spark from his body, through subspace, into the Binaltech unit in Wheeljack's workshop. The transfer was initiated, but unfortunately, the unstable link collapsed midway through the process, and Prowl's spark was lost to the depths of subspace. Believing that the world still required the skills of Prowl, Prowl's longtime friend Chip Chase transferred his life essence into the Binaltech body, merging with the memory data already installed in it to become "[[Prowl II]]". {{storylink|Prowl & Chase}}

A few years later, Prowl's spark found its way through the infinite vastness of subspace and materialized in a different universe: the original timeline from which the Binaltech world had branched off. Prowl's spark was found by the Autobots of that world, but unfortunately, it was soon discovered that even in another universe, he was not beyond the reach of his home dimension's Decepticons. [[Doctor Arkeville]] and [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] used a neuro-net frame combined with a subspace node to locate his spark across the multiverse, and drain energy from it to power a giant monster they had made from synthetic [[electrum]]. {{storylink|Unfinished Business, Part 2}} Prowl's spark began to destabilize as a consequence, and so the Bluestreak from the original timeline voyaged across the dimensions to the Binaltech world to alert Prowl's fellow Autobots to his dire situation. {{storylink|Unfinished Business, Part 1}} With Bluestreak's aid, the Autobots tracked down the Decepticon operation and destroyed the monster, severing its connection to Prowl's spark. Though stable now, Prowl's spark was still too weak to make an interdimensional journey unguarded, requiring a body for protection. Chip Chase separated his consciousness from the "Prowl II" body so that it could be taken back to Bluestreak's timeline to finally serve as the body of the Autobot for whom it was always intended. {{storylink|Unfinished Business, Part 2}}

{{charstubfiction|{{Storylink|Unfinished Business, Part 4}}}}

===Controverse===
Prowl and Wheeljack traveled from [[BT World]] to [[G1 World|OG World]] to witness the trial of [[Primacron]], only to find themselves unable to return to their home universe upon arrival. They transferred their sparks into new, non-Binaltech bodies, {{storylink|Controverse}} leaving the old bodies in storage. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/10}} The duo was present to witness the Trial of [[Primacron]], and were instrumental in catching the [[Quintesson]] judge's deception. Primacron was to be sentenced to the asylum planet of [[Doruka III]], where BT-Prowl suspected they would try to harvest his brain.

But Primacron freed himself under his own power by taking control of all nearby "[[Primitive]]" Transformers. But Primacron showed restraint against the Quintesson who would have sent him to his doom, and Prowl took the scientist back into custody peacefully. {{storylink|Controverse}}

===''Generations Selects Special Comic'' (2)===
In [[2011]], Prowl was present when Unicron temporarily reformed before being exiled to the [[Triple Z Point]]. {{storylink|Generations Selects Special Comic Finale Part 2|Finale Part 2}}

===''The Headmasters'' cartoon===
[[File:Prowlwubsmagnus headmasters.jpg|thumb|G-G-Ghost Prowl!]]
Prowl was stationed at [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]] on Earth in 2011 when he and many other troops were summoned to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to help repel a [[Decepticon]] invasion. On the way to the [[space bridge]], the Autobots were attacked by a Decepticon attack force led by [[Sixshot (G1)|Sixshot]], but the arrival of the [[Trainbot]]s allowed them to break away and continue their progress. The Decepticons pursued them, and Prowl joined with [[Sideswipe (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Sideswipe]] in lending [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] supporting fire until the Decepticon offensive broke. Prowl commented that they had showed their foes, and the team headed on to Cybertron. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}}

Later, Prowl attended a briefing at [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]], where Ultra Magnus assigned several Autobot units to run interference with the Decepticons for [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]], as the young Autobot searched for the missing [[Matrix of Leadership]]. Prowl accompanied Ultra Magnus's unit, but did not appear again. {{storylink|Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime}}

===''15 Go! Go!''===
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Information Administration Teletraan 15 Go! Go! Volume 1}}}}

===''Unite Warriors''===
In [[2021]], Prowl, having gained a combiner body, was present on Cybertron when [[Megaempress]] and her [[4 Guards]] intervened in the battle between [[Sky Reign]] and [[Grand Galvatron]]. Subsequently, Prowl combined with Ironhide, Mirage, Sunstreaker, and a temporarily-resurrected Optimus Prime into [[Optimus Maximus (G1)|Optimus Maximus]] to fight [[Megatronia]]. {{storylink|Megatronia Chapter}} They separated when Unicron attacked the planet with new troops that Prowl recognized as the [[Commando (RID)|Combatrons]], villains that showed up on Earth after the ''Trigger'' incident. He and his teammates fared poorly against [[Armorhide (RID)|Dangar]]'s armor. {{storylink|Ruination Chapter, Part One}} Once the Commandos turned on Unicron, the Autobots formed Optimus Maximus again and helped defeat Unicron. {{storylink|Ruination Chapter, Part Two}}

Prowl and his combining teammates went to [[Hawaii]] for "special surfing training". Prowl turned out to be less than proficient at the sport and was sent flying off his board by a wave. {{storylink|Unite Warriors Offshot#Crossing the Pacific Ocean!?|Crossing the Pacific Ocean!?}}

===''Cloud''===
In a [[OGSS World|divergent timeline]], Prowl was at [[Space Bridge T.R.2]] when an incursion of Decepticons from [[Cloud World]] occurred. Prowl and his comrades tried to fend off the invaders, but ultimately, Autobots from Cloud World saved the day. {{storylink|Transformers Cloud (issue)|Transformers Cloud}}

===''Generations Selects Special Comic'' (3)===
In [[2050]], Prowl and the Autobots initially opposed the [[Selector]]s' revolution before agreeing these robots deserved freedom too. {{storylink|Volcanicus comic 1}}

==''Wings Universe''==
{{Wingsnote}}
[[File:BattleLinesPrimeandCo.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67]]
Prowl and [[Side Burn (RID)|Side Burn]] came off the same production line, and despite having radically different world views, the two became friends. Prowl often tried to teach Side Burn to slow down and appreciate the world around him, but his words most often fell on deaf ears. {{storylink|Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 39|Side Burn's ''Wings of Honor'' profile}} Despite his efforts having yielded little results with his friend, Prowl continued to try and reform Side Burn, believing that their shared origins meant that Side Burn would inevitably come around. {{storylink|Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 39|Prowl's ''Wings of Honor'' profile}}

Soon after joining up himself, Prowl vouched for Side Burn's membership in the new Autobot military. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 2}} He found Side Burn in a seedy bar, trying to pick up fembots with a sob story of how he was the last remaining [[Elite Guard]]sman. After a stern lecture, Prowl took Side Burn to the [[Autobot High Council Citadel]] for the ceremony in which [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] accepted leadership of the new military. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 1}} When Side Burn went missing after the ceremony, the other Autobots all looked at Prowl, who protested that he wasn't Side Burn's keeper, but he did have an idea where Side Burn might be... {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 2}} A week later, he was part of the Autobot forces at [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]]'s city walls as the Decepticons broke through with [[Devastator (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Devastator]]. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 5}} Though the battle wasn't without casualties, the Autobots eventually saw off Megatron's forces. As the war continued and Cybertron's energy levels dropped dangerously low, Prowl asked Optimus when they were going to start the search for more energy. {{storylink|Battle Lines, Part 6}}

Circa [[2013]], [[Cybertronian (faction)|Cybertronian]] leader [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] cloned Prowl to create [[Prowl (MW)|a clone commander]] and [[Prowl drone|clone drone]]s of him. {{storylink|Termination}}
{{-}}

==''Mars Attacks: The Transformers''==
[[File:Mars Attacks The Transformers - Prowl and Astrotrain.jpg|right|upright=1.4|thumb]]
Prowl took part in a battle which resulted in the Decepticons being defeated and captured. When the city was attacked by [[Martian]]s, he and the other Autobots were forced to make a temporary alliance with the Decepticons. Prowl found himself saving [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] from a Martian war robot. The alliance lasted roughly as long as it took to repel the Martians. {{storylink|Mars Attacks: The Transformers}}

==Ask Vector Prime==
In a [[Primax]] reality which was synchronized with a [[Gargent]] reality on the eve of [[The Transformers: The Movie|events of cosmic significance]], Prowl was killed by [[gbwiki:Twin Spin|Twin Spin]], and his compatriots killed or captured by other [[Renegade]]s while piloting a [[Command Center (GoBots)|Command Center]] to Earth. {{storylink|Echoes and Fragments}}

==''Deviations''==
In an alternate timeline where [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] survived the [[Battle of Autobot City]], Prowl's body was lined up with other victims of the battle to be honored. {{storylink|Transformers: Deviations|Deviations}}

==Notes==
[[File:Tftm prowl blowsmoke.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Turns out he ''didn't'' know his vocalizer from his exhaust port.]]
*Instead of having a normal gunshot death in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', Prowl is shown having orange smoke coming from his mouth as he dies. ''Hardcore.''
*Prowl's apparent revival in ''The Headmasters'' is one of those errors that happened in the Japanese series as a result of the Japanese production staff not being aware of his death in the movie, as it did not reach Japan for several more years. However, that's really not an excuse, because he was listed among the deceased in both the English and Japanese versions of "[[Dark Awakening (episode)|Dark Awakening]]". [[Hirofumi Ichikawa]] would patch this up in his stories, starting with the [[Transformers: Alternators|''Binaltech'' fiction]] and continuing through [[Ask Vector Prime]], spinning an elaborate tale that resulted in Prowl dying and another version of himself and Wheeljack traveling from an [[BT World|alternate timeline]] to the [[G1 World|original timeline]] take their places.
*Production material that surfaced long after the movie released reveals that Prowl's colors were originally going to change for his appearance in the film. However, this never happened, and his character model remained unchanged in the final product.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20200801043237/https://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/163868-the-most-accurately-coloured-g1-animation-models-online/ A fan-recreation of Prowl's unused movie character model based on unsurfaced color guide sheets – Allspark.com]</ref>
{{--}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

[[Category:Alternators Autobots]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Autobots]]
[[Category:Cloud Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 1 cartoon Autobots]]
[[Cateogry:Generations Selects 2050 Autobots]]
[[Category:Legends Autobots]]
[[Category:The Headmasters Autobots]]
[[Category:Unite Warriors Autobots]]
[[Category:Wings Universe Autobots]]

Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity

2020-08-31T06:40:16Z

FourthFloor: /* Adventures on Earth */ replaced outdated term

{{factions|autobot}}
{{suite}}
[[File:Infiltration3 Ratchet gets poked.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|You're going home as an ambulance!]]

Once a bright and idealistic doctor, '''Ratchet''' found this youthful optimism tempered as [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] descended into millions of years of civil war, giving rise to a brand of world-weary cynicism all his own. This cantankerous and sometimes gruff attitude is something of a façade he's deliberately cultivated to hide his natural compassion for his fellow Autobots and innocent organics, a personality trait that's come in handy more than once during his adventures on [[Earth]].

Following the end of the war, Ratchet's war-weariness led him to leave Cybertron aboard the ''[[Lost Light]],'' embarking on a series of adventures across the galaxy that saw him come to terms with his advancing age while battling [[Pharma (G1)|demons from his past]]. Despite captain [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]]'s objective to find the mythical [[Knights of Cybertron]], Ratchet remains a staunch atheist and a firm believer in empirical science—something that irritates his friend and frequent verbal sparring partner [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] to no end.

{{first|[[Infiltration issue 0|''The Transformers: Infiltration'' #0]]}}

{{quote|Why are we '''''here''''', on this planet? We're here to '''''save lives'''''. Now okay, maybe we're talking mass numbers, a global scale of species saved, but me, I take it '''''one life at a time'''''.|Ratchet earns his permanent place on [[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]]'s crap list|[[Infiltration issue 3|''Infiltration'' #3]]}}

==Fiction==
===Joining the Autobots===
[[File:PostHoc-RatchetAndDrift.jpg|thumb||left|upright=1.4|"Or you could become a Decepticon. Up to you, kid."]]

'''Ratchet of [[Vaporex]]''' {{storylink|How To Say Goodbye And Mean It: Part 2}} was [[Reproduction#2005 IDW continuity|forged]],{{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}} and due to the circumstances of his birth, he was gifted with a set of incredibly dexterous hands, possessing a naturally unique skill which made them almost hypnotic while in motion. Ratchet studied medicine at the [[Iacon (polity)|Iaconian]] [[Academy of Science and Technology]] {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|Post Hoc}} alongside [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]], {{storylink|Little Victories}}, and befriended [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Orion Pax]]. Though Ratchet eventually became the [[Senate]]'s Chief Medical Officer, he felt unsatisfied with his work; Orion encouraged him to open a free clinic without the Senate's knowledge in [[Rodion]]'s [[Dead End (place)|Dead End]], where he assisted the impoverished "[[Empty|Empties]]" who lived there.

When [[Nominus Prime]] was badly wounded in a terrorist attack, Ratchet was responsible for saving his life but was unable bring the [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] back online, leaving him to languish in a coma. Some time later, Ratchet treated a destitute junkie named [[Drift (G1)|Drift]], who had overdosed on [[circuit booster]]s. Ratchet told the homeless 'bot that he saw something special in him, a remark that both would remember. When a nearby news broadcast revealed that Nominus had recently perished, Orion—now a police officer and the 'bot responsible for bringing Drift to the clinic – trusted the medic enough to reveal that he had a [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|friend]] in the Senate who knew members of ''the Senate itself'' had done the deed; Ratchet was skeptical until the broadcast claimed that Nominus had died from a "long-standing [[rust]] infection" that he knew for a fact the Prime didn't have. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|Post Hoc}}

[[File:AnIntimateBeheading-missionimpossible.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1|Matrix Impossible]]

Investigating further, Orion uncovered a Senate plot to plant a bomb in Nominus's body and blame it on the new [[Decepticon]] movement, and so Ratchet joined him in putting a stop to it. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} Ratchet joined Orion, [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]], and a crew of [[Outlier (group)|outliers]] on a mission to the [[Primal Basilica]], using his precise fingers to pick the locks holding the bomb in place. Though one close call nearly led to Ratchet dropping the bomb, the team was successful in their mission. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}} Pax and his allies were now fugitives for crossing the Senate and they were forced to go on the run, leaving Ratchet behind to look after his patients. Ratchet's inability to say goodbye to his friends meant that he never properly bid Roller farewell; when Roller seemingly vanished from history some time later, Ratchet's failure would haunt him for many years. {{storylink|Our Steps Will Always Rhyme}} Ratchet would go on to work for Nominus's successor, [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|How to Say Goodbye and Mean It}}

As the Decepticon movement evolved from a political philosophy into a full-blown insurgency, Ratchet served with the Security Forces stationed in [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]] and was present at the funeral of [[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]] and [[Fastback (G1)|Fastback]]. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}} When [[Zeta Prime (G1)|Zeta Prime]] took command following Sentinel's defeat at the hands of [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]], Ratchet became his Chief Medical Officer {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|Post Hoc}} and left Rodion, taking a staff position at [[Ultirex]]'s prestigious [[technoversity]]. There, he befriended [[Jetfire (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jetfire]], a brilliant graduate student whose airborne [[alternate mode]] made it difficult for him to find scientific work under the tenets of [[Functionism]]. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 1: To Walk Among the Chosen|To Walk Among the Chosen}}

Shortly after Zeta Prime ascended to Primehood, Ratchet was kidnapped by the Decepticons and held at the [[Rust Sea#2005 IDW continuity|Rust Spot]] as a ploy to capture [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] during a hostage exchange. Fortunately the hostage exchanger was Orion Pax, who managed to save both Ratchet and Trion. {{storylink|Omega's Conundrum}}

[[File:ToWalkAmongTheChosen-Ratchet.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"Pax...are *we* the baddies?"]]

Following the death of a [[Hefter|Decepticon sympathizer]] in police custody, Orion took Hefter's body to Ultirex for Ratchet to examine; Ratchet correctly deduced that Hefter's injuries didn't match the official report of his death. The news that an ''Autobot'' cop was investigating the murder prompted Jetfire—a believer in the Decepticon cause—to attack Prime, much to Ratchet's horror. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 1: To Walk Among the Chosen|To Walk Among the Chosen}}

Ratchet participated in Orion Pax's uprising against an increasingly corrupt Zeta Prime, and would have repaired Orion after the battle if not for a sudden betrayal by their Decepticon allies. {{storylink|Overthrown}} He was still working in Ultirex when Orion Pax, now Optimus Prime, broadcast a rallying call for support against [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]]'s dictatorship. {{storylink|Broadcast}}

As the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]] between the Autobots and Decepticons began in earnest, Ratchet would distinguish himself as the only Autobot who had personally saved the life of every [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] since Nominus. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|Post Hoc}} Early in the war, Ratchet repaired Optimus Prime after his first confrontation with Megatron at [[Sherma Bridge]], a duel which left Prime in so many pieces it took Ratchet over two months to find and put them all back together. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1|Chaos Theory #1}}

[[File:Underworld-Ratchetvehiclemode.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1|Sippin' KRUNK.]]

Optimus Prime sent a team of scientists including Ratchet to the remains of the [[Toraxxis mega-refinery]] to search for traces of energon. {{storylink|Fallout (issue)|Fallout}} Indeed, they did find some in the form of a pool in the caverns beneath the crater, but when an earthquake sent Ratchet falling into the liquid, he went berserk and started attacking his comrades. He quickly regained his composure, but before they could study why the energon had turned him into a mindless beast, the scientists were attacked by monsters living in the caves. As they fled, Ratchet used his [[alternate mode]] to bust into another cavern, where the team found a [[Trypticon (G1)|gigantic sleeping dragon]]. {{storylink|Underworld (IDW)|Underworld}} They reported their findings to Optimus Prime, who told them to find a way to neutralize the creature so the Autobots could make use of the energon, {{storylink|Prey (issue)|Prey}} Ratchet then fought against Trypticon's minions during the monster's rampage across Cybertron. {{storylink|Annihilation}}

Ratchet played a role in curing the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dynobots]] of the effects of the same corrupted energon, {{storylink|Primacy issue 1|Primacy #1}} and shortly afterwards patched [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]] up during a Decepticon assault on Iacon. {{storylink|Primacy issue 4|Primacy #4}}

Ratchet was later transferred to the [[Deltaran Medical Facility]] and became friends with fellow Autobot medic [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]]. {{storylink|Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|House of Ambus}} The two of them accompanied the team who apprehended [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]] for brutalizing the cadets under his command to the point of death. Of those cadets, he and Pharma were only able to save [[Hubcap (G1)|Hubcap]]. {{storylink|Sins of the Wreckers issue 4}} As the war went on, the young Drift, whom he'd once helped, went on to become "Deadlock", one of the most brutal Decepticon warriors. This long rankled the medic. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1|Chaos Theory #1}}

[[File:Pharma ratchet steps shall always rhyme.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|He's [[Ratbat (SG)|Batbot]].]]

When [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]] died under unspecified circumstances, Ratchet became one of the few Autobots who was privy to [[Solomus|Chief Justice Tyrest]]'s project to keep the legend of the "immortal lawman" alive using the [[Magnus Armor]]. Indeed, Ratchet was the only Autobot who knew ''every'' wearer of the Magnus Armor, right back to the original. {{storylink|The Sound of Breaking Glass}} In the 19th century, Ratchet was stationed aboard the Autobot command vessel, and helped repair the armor after the passing of [[Convoy (G1)|its most recent bearer]]. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 5|Shining Armor #5}}

In the early 2000s, [[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]] ordered Ratchet to join his covert team on [[Earth]]. Rather than properly say goodbye to Pharma, Ratchet just left when his back was turned. {{storylink|Our Steps Will Always Rhyme}}
{{-}}

===Adventures on Earth===
[[File:Infiltration3 Ratchet.jpg|thumb|right|upright=2.2|Watch, my headgear will flip colours as you scroll down.]]

Now a part of Prowl's unit, Ratchet and the other Autobots under his command arrived aboard the ''[[Ark-19]]'' and spent the next few years fighting the Decepticon [[infiltration protocol|infiltration unit]] that had landed on Earth. Although loyal to the Autobot cause, Ratchet's conscience frequently got the better of him; in [[2006]], he intercepted a Decepticon pulsewave ordering the elimination of [[Stoker|a human being]]. While he was too late to save that human, Ratchet was able to outmaneuver the [[Battlecharger]]s {{storylink|Infiltration issue 3|Infiltration #3}} and encountered two other humans—[[Verity Carlo]] and [[Hunter O'Nion]]—who had stumbled upon the Decepticon plot. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 0|Infiltration #0}} Evading [[Thundercracker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Thundercracker]], Ratchet took shelter in a nearby garage owned by Verity's friend [[Jimmy Pink]]; when [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] and [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] attacked, Ratchet was able to outthink the pair in a high-speed chase and ferried the humans to safety... while also earning the ire of Prowl when Autobot reinforcements arrived to bail him out. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 2|Infiltration #2}}

[[File:Ratchet vs Battlechargers.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Sorry guys, but hey, [[Reaper|it could be worse]]...]]

Though Ratchet attempted to explain his side of the story, having learned that the Decepticons had prematurely engaged siege mode in a new, above-ground fortress, he was seemingly alone in his convictions until [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]] agreed to help him and the humans investigate the abandoned Decepticon base in [[Nebraska]]. [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] and [[Skywarp (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Skywarp]] arrived while the humans were reconnoitering and began an aerial bombardment of the bunker, intending to destroy it. Bumblebee and Ratchet engaged the Decepticons in order to buy the humans time to escape the collapsing bunker. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 4|Infiltration #4}}

[[File:Infiltration3 VeritySURPRISE.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4|Ratchet's holo-matter avatar has no mouth, and he must snark.]]

The Autobots and humans were leaving the Decepticons to finish their work when an enraged Megatron burst from the buried ruins of the bunker. Thankfully for them, Megatron was more concerned with the treachery brewing within his own ranks, allowing Ratchet and the others to escape with their lives. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 5|Infiltration #5}} Unwilling to risk their safety further, Ratchet subsequently returned the humans to the ''Ark-19'', where they met the newly arrived Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}} With Prime hoping to get the humans out of the line of fire when the war for Earth inevitably escalated, Ratchet said his farewells to the humans and let [[Sunstreaker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sunstreaker]] and [[Ironhide (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ironhide]] take them home, unaware that the Autobots on Earth had been found out by the villainous human organization known as the [[Machination]]. {{storylink|Escalation issue 1|Escalation #1}}

[[File:RatchetandMarvel-ManandMachine2.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"Ratchet, watch out [[Ms. Marvel]] is about to attack you, Oh no! He has AirPods on! He can't hear us! ]]

With the humans out of harm's way for the time being, Ratchet went with the other Autobots to investigate Decepticon activity in the country of [[Latveria]], where they discovered a heavily shielded "array" that the Decepticons were using as a base. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part One}} They wound up skirmishing with the [[Avengers]], who were under the influence of the Decepticons' mind-altering [[Psycho-Prism]], and Ratchet wound up subduing [[Ms. Marvel]] with his driver-side airbag. After throwing off Ms. Marvel, Ratchet was able to attach an inhibitor device to [[Captain America]], which nullified the effects of the Psycho-Prism, and gave Captain America enough devices for everyone on his team. Now calmed down, the two groups teamed up to destroy the Psycho-Prism, attacking the array's defenses and provoking a Decepticon retaliation. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Two}}

During the fight, [[Luke Cage]] and Ratchet discovered a weak spot in the array's defenses and went in. Prowl followed to make sure Ratchet didn't put human interests ahead of Autobot interests; learning that [[Spider-Man]] was held captive inside, so Prowl gave in and let Ratchet and Luke Cage attempt a rescue. The two were surprised by a powered-up Megatron, who blasted Ratchet and took Luke Cage hostage. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Three}} Ratchet awoke next to Prowl to find Spider-Man had been freed by [[Doctor Doom]]. Prowl and Ratchet decided to use the Decepticons' [[mirror response mode]] equipment to boost their power with Spider-Man's superhuman abilities before [[Wolverine (superhero)|Wolverine]] arrived with Jazz and Bumblebee and suggested they use his abilities instead. They did, then [[orbital jump|orbital bounced]] with Spider-Man back to the battle outside, where their added strength helped defeat Megatron. Wolverine, Jazz, and Bumblebee stayed to destroy the Psycho-Prism. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Four}}

[[File:Escalation2-autopsy.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4|Ratchet's foray into the world of [[IP theft|third-party Transformers]] was short-lived.]]

When Sunstreaker was apparently destroyed, {{storylink|Escalation issue 1|Escalation #1}} Ratchet inspected the wreckage and concluded that the body was a fake—Hunter and Sunstreaker had been kidnapped, with their abductors leaving a decoy in their place. {{storylink|Escalation issue 2|Escalation #2}} Realizing that Prowl would likely ignore him, Ratchet and the humans set out to solve the mystery themselves. {{storylink|Escalation issue 3|Escalation #3}} While Optimus and the other Autobots went to [[Brasnya]], Ratchet briefly took a call from [[Sideswipe (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sideswipe]], who was stuck guarding [[Thunderhead Pass]] on Cybertron. The resentful Autobot prompted Ratchet to realize that he may have already doomed Hunter and Sunstreaker through his inaction; {{storylink|Spotlight: Galvatron}} Joined by Ironhide, the group went against orders and left the base to find more clues about the kidnappers. {{storylink|Escalation issue 4|Escalation #4}}

Their search brought them to [[Indiana]], where they discovered a Machination outpost disguised as an [[Idea & Design Works Custom Wheels|automobile shop]]. When the humans inadvertently triggered a trap, {{storylink|Escalation issue 5|Escalation #5}} When the humans set off a trap, the Autobots saved them, though Ironhide was critically injured and Ratchet was forced to abandon him to bring the humans to safety. {{storylink|Escalation issue 6|Escalation #6}}

[[File:Sixshot-devastation3a.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|I have no idea where that pot came from! I SWEAR!]]

When the Autobots decided to relocate the ''Ark-19'' to avoid the Machination, they were attacked by [[Sixshot (G1)|Sixshot]], who downed the ship in mid-flight. {{storylink|Devastation issue 1|Devastation #1}} Ratchet was ordered to take Verity and Jimmy into an escape pod while the rest of the crew piloted the ship into the ocean. {{storylink|Devastation issue 2|Devastation #2}}

Sixshot soon found Ratchet and pursued him relentlessly. Ratchet used the distraction provided by some human jet fighters to escape, hiding among an ambulance pool in [[Pensacola]], Florida. Sixshot soon flushed him out, however, and pursued him out of town, forcing Ratchet to abandon Verity and Jimmy for their own safety. When cornered at the water's edge, Ratchet prepared to make a last stand, but was saved by the timely arrival of the other Autobots. {{storylink|Devastation issue 3|Devastation #3}} The humans made their way back to the Autobots to warn them about an air attack by the military, and Ratchet took them with him on an orbital bounce to the ''[[Ark-32]]''. Unfortunately, this killed Verity and Jimmy. {{storylink|Devastation issue 4|Devastation #4}}

[[File:Devastation5 Ratchet Jazz.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4|thumb|CLEAR!]]

A guilt-stricken Ratchet managed to restart their hearts after more than five minutes, and contrary to his fears that they might have suffered brain damage, the two humans survived with no immediate effects. {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}} Ultimately, the humans were able to reunite with Hunter, who in the interim had been experimented on by the Machination, turning him into a [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] [[Binary bonding|binary-bonded]] to Sunstreaker. Ratchet took charge of the two guinea pigs and was able to undo some of the Machination's handiwork; though Ratchet was able to minimize the mental link between Sunstreaker and Hunter and rebuild the Autobot into a new body, he was afraid to remove Hunter's cybernetic implants as he claimed that Sunstreaker's spark still sustained him. {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 5|Maximum Dinobots #5}}

Ratchet was eventually able to successfully sever this mental link entirely, but the process left deep wounds in Sunstreaker's psyche. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}} {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 14|Replay}} Returning to Earth, Ratchet dropped Hunter back at his sister's house; still unable to say goodbye, he brusquely told Hunter that he wouldn't keep him and drove off. Unknown to Ratchet, Hunter would be abducted by [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] minutes later to access the cyborg technology that Ratchet had been unable to remove, a kidnapping that would ultimately prove fatal for the human. {{storylink|Our Steps Will Always Rhyme}}

[[File:AllHailMegatron7-wefell.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

A year later, Ratchet and a number of other Autobots were led by Optimus Prime in an attempt to rid Earth of the Decepticons once and for all. Unfortunately, they fell right into a trap, and Ratchet was injured by a shot to the chest. The Autobots were then thrown into a [[space bridge]] leading to the ruins of Cybertron, where the Decepticons hoped the "[[Insecticon swarm|swarm]]" would eat them. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}} Whilst hiding from the swarm, Ratchet tended to the critically-damaged Optimus Prime. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 1|All Hail Megatron #1}} After listening to [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hot Rod]]'s tale about how the ''[[Trion]]'' and its crew had crashed on the planet as well, {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 5|All Hail Megatron #5}} Ratchet mingled with him and [[Blurr (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Blurr]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 6|All Hail Megatron #6}}

Ratchet later checked up on Sunstreaker, telling him that his separation from Hunter had been a complete success, although the human would never be "fully human" again. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 14|Replay}} Their base soon came under attack from the swarm, however, so the other Autobots formed a perimeter around Ratchet and [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]] as they fled elsewhere. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 8|All Hail Megatron #8}}

[[File:Ratchetclownwithagun-All Hail Megatron 9.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

At their new base, Ratchet managed to use a [[CR chamber]] to heal his damaged comrades, although he reported to [[Kup (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Kup]] that the chamber could do nothing to improve their declining morale. In addition, he and Wheeljack were still having trouble repairing Optimus Prime, and Ratchet cursed that [[Perceptor (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Perceptor]] had turned into just another "clown with a gun". Thankfully, they eventually came through and brought Prime back from the brink of death. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 9|All Hail Megatron #9}}

Ratchet and the others finally managed to get off Cybertron thanks to [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]], and returned to Earth to continue their fight against the Decepticons. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 11|All Hail Megatron #11}} He survived the battle in [[New York City]], and cheered with his comrades as the Decepticons fled the planet. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 12|All Hail Megatron #12}} Earth was left in a devastated state due to the Decepticon invasion, with Transformer stragglers hunted by militaries across the globe. Ratchet was part of the rescue party that saved Bumblebee from a military attack after the yellow guy abandoned his cover to save some refugees. After repairing Bumblebee, Ratchet told the mini-bot that they found him by monitoring human radio signals. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 16|Hidden}}

At some point, Ratchet had become a fan of "[[Fisitron (G1)|Fisitron]]'s" ''[[Wreckers: Declassified]]'' datalogues, following the adventures of the [[Wrecker]]s. Several years after Megatron's defeat, "Fisitron" (real name Ironfist) died from a severe gunshot. Ratchet would often think afterwards that he could have saved Ironfist's life. {{storylink|How Ratchet Got His Hands Back}}

[[File:RatchetFigueroadesign-For all Mankind.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|left]]

With Transformers now a known threat to humanity, both Autobots and Decepticons were targeted by the anti-Transformer organization [[Skywatch]], forcing the Autobots underground as humanity rebuilt; with Prime's contingent of Autobots stranded on Earth, the planet became the ''de facto'' meeting point for all the Autobots who had survived the [[Surge (event)|Surge]] across the galaxy. {{storylink|Ride-Along}} Not all Autobots were content with the virtually directionless existence Optimus Prime had led them into; Ratchet was present when [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hot Rod]] demanded Prime allow him to stage a rescue operation to recover Prowl after he was captured... and afterwards, when Ironhide came back from the mission as a corpse. He witnessed Optimus Prime abdicate his role as leader, and leave the Autobots to surrender to Skywatch. {{storylink|...For All Mankind}}

In the aftermath of Prime's decision, and the subsequent departure of a splinter faction under Hot Rod's command, Ratchet and the others were left in a state of shock. With the war effectively over and the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] missing, the line of succession was no longer clear. The Autobots decided to hold an election to see who their new leader would be. No one was more surprised than Bumblebee when ''he'' turned out to be the new chosen leader; Ratchet quickly stepped up as Bumblebee's second-in-comnmand, helping shepherd him into his new role. {{storylink|Things Fall Apart, Part 1: "New Arrivals, Old Encounters"|New Arrivals, Old Encounters}} Bumblebee's authority was challenged almost immediately by the arrival of [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]], but Ratchet did his best to support 'Bee before Magnus took off on a mission of his own. {{storylink|Things Fall Apart, Part 2: "A Rude Awakening"|A Rude Awakening}}

[[File:RatchetHoundBlasterbadges-Hanging Sword.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.9]]
Ratchet had his work cut out for him, though. Not only was [[Wheeljack (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Wheeljack]] undermining Bumblebee's authority from the start, Bumblebee himself just couldn't adjust to the role quickly enough. Still, he supported Bumblebee's decision to form a clandestine alliance with Skywatch through Colonel [[Gordon Horiuchi]], who was acting outside his mandate in the hopes of using the Autobots to stop [[Skywarp (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Skywarp]] and the other Decepticons who were still running loose on Earth.

Working in secret with Horiuchi, the Autobots hoped to prove their value and good intentions to Skywatch's higher ups by racking up an impressive number of Decepticon captures. They even began wearing specially-designed Skywatch insignia badges for communication and to mask their activities from Skywatch operatives who weren't "in the loop". After five successful bag-and-tags, however, Horiuchi threw them the first curveball. The Autobots' next target was Blurr, one of their own who had left after Ultra Magnus's arrival. As Ratchet and the others refused to hunt one of their own, Horiuchi demonstrated a hidden feature of the badges—the ability to forcibly revert the Autobots to [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]] at his command. {{storylink|The Hanging Sword}}

Left with no choice, Ratchet and Bumblebee led the Autobots in capturing Blurr. The whole situation was a fiasco, however, and Blurr even fired on Bumblebee during the encounter, damaging his badge. Bumblebee found the courage to defy Horiuchi and refused to turn over Blurr to Skywatch later that day. The colonel tried to mode-lock Bumblebee for his insubordination, but the shot to Bumblebee's badge had rendered it useless. Quick on the uptake, Ratchet whispered to Bumblebee to fake it so Horiuchi didn't realize he'd lost his edge over the Autobot leader.

[[File:Ratchetdontknowaboutbadges-Gift Horse.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|left]]

At Ratchet's prompting, the Autobots pretended the damaged badge had left Bumblebee trapped in vehicle mode permanently, despite Horiuchi's attempts to reverse the mode-lock. With Blurr's help, they recovered another Volkswagen Beetle to use as a ringer, allowing Bumblebee to leave the base and seek a solution for their predicament. Because Skywatch was constantly monitoring their vocal output using the badges, Ratchet and the others couldn't even speak a word of encouragement to 'Bee as he set off on his mission. {{storylink|The Impossible Knot}}

With Bumblebee on the loose, Ratchet continued the ruse of pretending to cooperate with Colonel Horiuchi and his staff, showing them the malfunctioning "Bumblebee" for examination. Meanwhile, he and Wheeljack kept in touch with the real Bumblebee using a text-only comm signal that wouldn't show up on Skywatch's monitoring. Ratchet was named acting leader of the Autobots while "Bumblebee" was off-line, as he and Wheeljack secretly led the real Bumblebee to [[Sanjay Bharwaney]], creator of the badges' control board. Bumblebee needed access to the board's schematics in order to free his friends, but had to manipulate [[Serena Bharwaney|Bharwaney's young daughter]] into helping him. Ratchet had to comfort Bumblebee through "using" the girl for his own purposes. {{storylink|The Gift Horse}}

Unfortunately, the rogue Decepticon Skywarp had also learned of the board, and was coming to Bharwaney's to steal it. Ratchet and the other Autobots were forced to blow their cover to rush to Bumblebee's aid. They were too late, however, and Bumblebee was forced to set off an EMP, knocking him and Skywarp off-line while disabling the control board and the badges as well. As Ratchet brought Bumblebee in for repairs, he reluctantly agreed to upgrade his new commander into a more powerful, combat-ready body to suit his new duties and role as a leader. {{storylink|Wings of Wax}}

Soon, Ultra Magnus returned from his scouting mission to challenge Bumblebee's authority again, gathering Ratchet and several other Autobots in the name of the [[Tyrest Accord]] to arrest Hot Rod for colluding with the enemy. Hot Rod's mistake became clear when his "ally", [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]], activated a new Decepticon [[combiner]] and unleashed it on the Autobots. {{storylink|Things Fall Apart, Part 4: "Enemies of the System"|Enemies of the System}} After several Autobots were damaged fighting [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]], Ratchet began patching them up as best he could, with the help of Skywatch personnel. He barely finished working on Ultra Magnus before the enforcer stomped off to search for [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]]. {{storylink|Things Fall Apart, Part 5: "Earthworks"|Earthworks}} Following this, the Autobots entered a formal alliance with Skywatch. {{storylink|All His Engines}}

[[File:Ratchet fixes Cliffjumper-The Land Ironclads.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.7|"Vhen ze patient woke up, his skeleton was missing, and ze doctor vas never heard from again!"]]

Ratchet was part of an Autobot-Skywatch team sent to [[Las Vegas]] once [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Galvatron]] showed up with an army of [[zombie]]s in tow. They fought with him until he managed to calm them down and explain that they needed to combine their strength in order to destroy the zombie plague. {{storylink|The Transformers: Infestation issue 1|The Transformers: Infestation #1}} Together with Galvatron and his minions, the Autobots banished the undead hordes and their leader, [[Britt]], to the [[Dead Universe]]. {{storylink|The Transformers: Infestation issue 2|The Transformers: Infestation #2}}

[[File:Ratchet clips wings-Hawk Among the Sparrows.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9|left]]
Ratchet was helping a human technician repair [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] when [[Spike Witwicky (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Spike Witwicky]] showed up and asked for the Autobots' help with defeating the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]] in [[North Korea]]. They accepted, but due to pressure from the [[President of the United States]], they were going to have to do it in disguise. {{storylink|International Incident Part 1: "The Land Ironclads"|The Land Ironclads}} Their initial clash with the Combaticons ended in failure, and Ratchet ended up having to repair [[Jetfire (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jetfire]] and [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]]. {{storylink|International Incident Part 2: "Ranks of Bronze"|Ranks of Bronze}}

He took to the front lines in their next attack, during which he attempted to saw off [[Vortex (G1)|Vortex]]'s rotor blades. {{storylink|International Incident Part 3: "Hawk Among the Sparrows"|Hawk Among the Sparrows}} The Combaticons were ultimately defeated, but the Autobots' cover had been blown in the process. Sitting over an unconscious Vortex, Ratchet wondered aloud what would happen to the Autobots now that their alliance with Skywatch was public knowledge. {{storylink|International Incident Part 4: "All My Sins Remembered"|All My Sins Remembered}}

On the way back from Korea, the plane carrying the Autobots was shot down over the ocean by a returning Megatron. The occupants survived, however, and made it ashore. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 3: Woken Furies|Woken Furies}} They rolled out to confront the Decepticon leader near [[Albuquerque]], but Optimus Prime ordered Ratchet and the others to stay back while he went ahead alone to confirm what was going on. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 4: Burning Chrome|Burning Chrome}} Most of the Autobots remaining in America had been injured by Megatron, or in Bumblebee's case, rioting humans who still mistrusted the Transformers, and so Ratchet had his hands full repairing them all. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 5: Enemy Mine|Enemy Mine}}

After some six weeks of repairs, Ratchet managed to get Bumblebee back on his feet, though owing to the scarcity of spare parts the yellow Autobot was left weakened and relying on a cane. That same day, the Autobots learned that Cybertron had been restored to a habitable state, only to have fallen under Galvatron's control. They wasted no time in boarding Omega Supreme's rocket mode, leaving Earth to liberate their home. {{storylink|Space Opera—Final Tableaux: Orphans of the Helix|Orphans of the Helix}}

[[File:ChaosTheory1 AntiMatterEyes.jpg|thumb|upright=1.85|right|Ratchet read [[United Kingdom|332 issues]] while Perceptor only read [[United States of America|80]].]]

During the trip, Ratchet aided Perceptor in searching the captured Megatron's body for hidden weapons. He was annoyed by those pesky "laws" that prevented them from just executing their prisoner and also feared his purported ability to syphon [[antimatter]] from [[black hole]]s, but Perceptor dismissed that myth. Later, Ratchet and Wheeljack bet over whether or not Optimus Prime would let them overhear his questioning of Megatron. He wouldn't, and Ratchet walked away 50 [[Shanix]] richer. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1|Chaos Theory #1}}

[[File:Ratchetcouldveanswered-chaos theory 2.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.9|So ends the brief reign of Ratchimus Prime.]]
Believing that the Matrix might cloud his judgement regarding how to punish Megatron, Optimus temporarily left Ratchet in charge of the relic. While carrying it, he tended to the disabled Sunstreaker and got him walking again, which Ratchet credited the Matrix for. After returning the Matrix to Optimus, he reassured the Autobot leader that his judgment was still as sound as ever. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 2|Chaos Theory #2}}

After arriving on Cybertron, Ratchet participated in the battle against Galvatron's [[Sweep (G1)|Sweep]] army. {{storylink|Chaos Part Two: Numbers|Numbers}} Then Megatron broke loose and summoned his Decepticons, and the Autobots had to fight ''them'' as well. {{storylink|Chaos Part Three: Kings|Kings}} The battle—and, by extension, the Great War itself—ended with Cybertron restored to a living, "primordial" state. All across the galaxy, thousands of [[NAIL|neutral Transformers]] began returning home, drawn to the planet by a signal emitted by Cybertron. With Optimus Prime missing in action after his defeat of Galvatron, the Autobots spent the next few weeks working with [[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|Metalhawk]], the spokesman of the "NAILs", and coordinating the resettlement of Autobots, Decepticons, and NAILs as Transformers continued returning to Cybertron. Ratchet repaired [[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|Metalhawk]], the spokesman of the "NAILs", when he was injured during a NAIL riot against the Autobots being in command, a conflict that ended only after Optimus Prime, having returned from the Cybertronian wilderness, agreed to go into voluntary exile. {{storylink|Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime}}
{{-}}

===The ''Lost Light''===

[[File:LiarsAtoD-RatchetAndBumblebee.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]

After millions of years of civil war, Ratchet began to feel his age after his famous hands began to fail, a medical condition known as "[[advanced form fatigue]]". {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}} {{storylink|Twenty Plus One}} After proving unable to save a [[NAIL protester]] from transforming himself to death, he confided in Bumblebee that he was worried about getting old and losing his touch as a doctor. In the hopes that he could help people and find himself a successor, he joined the crew of Rodimus's ''[[Lost Light]]'' which left Cybertron in search of the [[Knights of Cybertron]]. Unfortunately for him, ''Drift'' was on the crew too, having reformed and joined the Autobots. Ratchet almost immediately started to insult the ex-Decepticon to whoever would listen, {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|How to Say Goodbye and Mean It}} and imply he only had a third-in-command role because he told Rodimus what he wanted to hear. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}}

[[File:HangersOn-Ratchetloosensjoints.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

The ''Lost Light''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s prototype [[Quantum generator|quantum engine]]s were designed to allow the ship to make "quantum jumps" that would carry the ship quickly through the galaxy; on launch day, however, those engines malfunctioned, and the ship disappeared in a fiery explosion. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|How to Say Goodbye and Mean It}} In reality, the quantum explosion created ''two'' copies of the ''Lost Light'': one on-course, and one off-course, with quantum duplicates of every crew member. {{storylink|slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken|The Road Not Taken}}

The "off-course" version of Ratchet immediately had his hands full as the ship materialized on the outer rim of the galaxy: having to repair an ancient crippled [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]], an armless [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] (who was very impressed with Ratchet's dexterity until he saw the medic smash his own hand with a hammer to loosen some joints), [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] and all the Autobots who fell out of the ship during its unfortunate launch. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}}

When [[Shock (G1)|Shock]] was found dead, Ratchet analyzed his body, annoyed by the others blaming the death on a [[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeater]] until he concluded that they were right. Once Rodimus defeated the creature at the cost of his arms, Ratchet built him new ones. He was working on Tailgate again when the little guy suddenly revealed that he wanted to be a Decepticon. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}}

[[File:Ratchet life after the big bang.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|{{w|Father Ted|This drink is small, but the ones out there are far away...small, far away}}]]

Having received a datalog detailing an unusual death rate among patients at [[Delphi]], Ratchet brought Drift and [[Pipes (G1)|Pipes]] with him to investigate and found that the facility was infected with a deadly [[Red Rust|Red Rust virus]]. While he was trying to figure out what happened by talking to the local medics, [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]], [[Ambulon]], and his old friend [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]], Pipes and Drift were infected. The Autobots were then attacked by two [[Genericon]]s, but saved by [[Fortress Maximus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Fortress Maximus]]. {{storylink|Life After the Big Bang}}

[[File:Pharma ratchet how ratchet got his hands back.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|Don't worry, kids. He gets better.]]

Ratchet quickly figured out the properties of the virus, learning that it only activated when its host transformed; despite being infected himself, Ratchet was able to deduce that Pharma had engineered the outbreak to escape a deal he had made with the [[Decepticon Justice Division]]. Ratchet was able to infect Pharma with his own virus and chase him to the roof of the medical facility, whereupon Drift sliced his hands off and sent him plummeting out of sight. Ratchet used Pharma's vaccine to cure the infected Transformers and went back to the ''Lost Light'' with Drift, Pipes, the survivors of Delphi... and a new pair of hands, having replaced his worn out digits with Pharma's. {{storylink|How Ratchet Got His Hands Back}} Subsequently, he and Ambulon visited [[Swerve's]], and watched as the bar's proprietor learned the truth about Ambulon's embarrassing [[alternate mode]]. {{storylink|No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases}}

Ratchet was testing out equipment in the Lost Light's medical bay when he, along with nearly everyone on board of the ship were frozen in place due to one of [[Brainstorm (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Brainstorm]]'s experimental weapons accidentally going off. After he recovered, he was awarded a Rodimus Star "for exceptional endurance in the face of adversity". {{storylink|The Reluctant Specialist}}

After Fortress Maximus went on a shooting spree inside the Lost Light, Ratchet treated the victims with First Aid's help. He noticed a strange pattern between all five casualties: they shared the same colors as Overlord, which proved to be the key to deciphering Maximus's postwar trauma. {{storylink|Interiors}}

[[File:mtmte39 tarn sees drift.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"Do ''not'' touch my Ratchet!" "Your Ratchet???" "Not this again."]]

Around this time, the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] arrived at the other ''Lost Light'' to kill the quantum duplicate of [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] on board. When [[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]] saw Drift, he attempted to kill the turncoat as Drift tried to defend Ratchet. The DJD followed this up by butchering Ratchet and every other crewmember of the duplocate ship. {{storylink|The Permanent Revolution}} {{storylink|slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken|The Road Not Taken}} Ratchet's corpse would have its brain module put inside his mouth by [[Helex (DJD)|Helex]]. {{storylink|slaughterhouse}}

Aboard the surviving ''Lost Light,'' First Aid, Ambulon, and Ratchet were all instrumental in saving Rung's life after he was accidentally shot in the head by [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]]. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} Later, Ratchet helped Ultra Magnus rid some [[Nanocon]]s inside him and attended Tailgate's Autobot Initiation Ceremony afterwards. He was among the crew members that were teleported down to [[Theophany]] by the [[Galactic Council]] to investigate [[Crystal City]], where they came across [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]]. [[Galactic Council]] forces attacked them after the Titan shot an eye blast at their ship, and Ratchet joined a team to hold them off while Rodimus attempted to free the Titan. The ''Lost Light'' crew were able to free the Titan, who teleported the crew back to their ship and quantum-jumped ''Lost Light'' to safety. {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}}

[[File:PostHoc-metookid.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

In an attempt to jump-start Rung's brain, Ratchet agreed to tell a story about pre-war events that involved him and Orion Pax; this included the story of how he saved Drift and gave him a pep talk, something both he and Drift long thought about. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|Post Hoc}} Ratchet later narrated their revelation of the Senate's plans and stated to Whirl that a reason why Megatron went bad was probably due to the triggerhappy bot's past beating on Megatron. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} As the story was having no apparent effect on Rung, Ratchet rushed it along until it came to a close, at which point an alarm began ringing and everyone moved to battle stations. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}}

Following a battle with a group of Decepticons on [[Temptoria]], Ratchet operated on two of the injured, [[Spoke]] and [[Lockstock]]. {{storylink|Before & After}}

When [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]] and the ''Vis Vitalis'' paid the ''Lost Light'' a visit, Ratchet was eager to catch up with the Autobot hero; as Thunderclash's [[Vis Vitalis|ship]] was the massive life support machine responsible for keeping him alive, he had hoped to use the ''Lost Light'' to jumpstart his vessel... but was unprepared for when his second-in-command [[Paddox]] revealed himself to be a team of [[Ammonite]]s in disguise. {{storylink|Little Victories}}

[[File:TheGloaming-medibay.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]

When the ''Lost Light's'' alarm system went off, Ratchet was the first to fully engage the escaped [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] in combat. He and Drift held the line for the few moments necessary for Rodimus and the others to reach the battle. {{storylink|Under Cold Blue Stars}} While Overlord was eventually ejected from the ship, he killed at least five crew members before the end. Ratchet did his best to repair those he could, but even the mighty Ultra Magnus was on the verge of death, counting down the number of days until his spark shrank away to nothing. After Drift came forward and claimed responsibility for bringing Overlord on board, he was exiled from the ''Lost Light''. As he departed, grieving Autobots threw trash at the spiritualist, knocking him down, but Ratchet stepped up and helped his friend to his feet before he left. {{storylink|The Gloaming}} He would soon realise how much he'd liked Drift now the 'bot was gone. {{storylink|Our Steps Will Always Rhyme}}

After an accident with the "[[death clock]]" Ratchet ended up diagnosing Tailgate with old-age and [[cybercrosis]], laying the brutal truth out for the little 'bot. Tailgate fled his clinic in tears just as [[Chromedome (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Chromedome]] walked in, ostensibly to get his arm rebuilt. Later Ratchet was present in the observation deck when the Lost Light hurtled through the space-portal that would eventually lead to [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]]. He was invited by Rodimus to join the landing party on the "Miracle Moon". He became the first of the group to correctly identify their location as a reignited hot-spot, and explained to Tailgate what "constructed cold" meant in the scope of Cybertronian reproduction.

[[File:TheDividedSelf-RatchetAndPharma.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

The group was ambushed by [[Lockdown (G1)|Lockdown]] and a platoon of Depticons. Ratchet's transport sled was hit with gunfire, and as he picked himself out of the wreckage, he came face-to face with a rebuilt, chainsaw-handed [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]]! {{storylink|Remain in Light 1 of 5: The Fecund Moon|The Fecund Moon}}

He woke up to find Pharma gloating over him in a well-stocked medical room. Pharma explained with glee how he had been rescued from [[Delphi]] by a genius friend who had given Pharma new hands. He also seemed adamant that Ratchet guess what lay in a mysterious box. When Ratchet impatiently refused to guess, Pharma showed Ratchet his ''own body in the box''. All that remained of Ratchet was a head and a spark, bolted to a table. {{storylink|Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|House of Ambus}} Ratchet challenged Pharma to a duel, to see who was the best doctor, and the winner could have the hands. Unable to resist a decisive completion, Pharma reinstalled Ratchet in his body, initiating a race to see who could be faster in stitching together 'bots that had been ''cut in half''. But instead of a "worthless Decepticon", Pharma had [[Ambulon]] and [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] taken from the Lost Light. Ratchet pleaded to stop the race, but Pharma was committed to the game. Ratchet quickly told the two medibots to re-route their nerve circuits away from their waists to minimise their pain, however Pharma mocked Ratchet, and chain sawed Ambulon in half, ''lengthways''. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}}

[[File:ArmTheLonely-nowmove.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]

Oddly, Pharma quickly vacated the medibay to leave Ratchet crouched over Ambulon's two halves. Ratchet was haunted by Pharma's claims that ''he'' could save Ambulon, when it was clear Ratchet might not be able to. Watched over by the [[Legislator]]s guarding them, Ratchet quickly went to work, refusing First Aid's assistance. This did not go down well with the former nurse, who criticized Ratchet severely for not letting him help, and quickly upped the argument to blame Ambulon's predicament upon Ratchet, his obsessions with his "stupid hands" and being the "Chief Medical Officer in Perpetuity". Ratchet finally stopped First Aid with the revelation that Ambulon had died half an hour before, then shoved First Aid out of the way to blast the Legislators with a weapon made from the remains of Ambulon's body. Ratchet promised First Aid that if they survived, he would officially hand over the CMO title to First Aid.

They caught up with Rodimus and the others, who had escaped Tyrest's prison. Ratchet had a moment with Tailgate to confirm that Tailgate's increasing paralysis was a result of his cybercrosis, and that despite the nearby medibay, the cure only lay in Pharma's head. The 'Bots teamed up to storm Tyrest's control room, unfortunately to little effect. Ratchet narrowly missed being blasted by Pharma's gun, before being felled - along with the others - by Tyrest's "Weapon of Mass Suggestion". {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}} Thanks to a heroic action by Tailgate, Ratchet and the others survived to thwart the plot. Unfortunately, that still meant Ratchet had the grim task of looking through Tyrest's notes to find there ''was'' a cure for cybercrosis but Tailgate was too far gone for it to work. Cyclonus was able to use his [[Great Sword]] to keep Tailgate's spark going {{storylink|Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|This Calamitous Life}} and Ratchet was able to save him.

[[File:IntoTheAbyss-RodpodCrew.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66]]

He took time out to quietly inform Minimus Ambus that, as their medic, he had always known about the Magnus replacements and just never told anyone: he'd seen no point. As far as he was concerned though, Ambus was the 'true' Ultra Magnus. {{storylink|The Sound of Breaking Glass}} Eventually, Rodimus came clean and informed everyone that ''he'' was responsible for bringing Overlord on board, and held a vote on whether he should continue as captain. Ratchet was one of those who voted against him, though ultimately Rodimus remained in command. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}}

Some time after the vote, the ''Lost Light'' arrived over the remains of [[Gorlam Prime]], and wound up rescuing Orion Pax, [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]], [[Garnak]], and [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] from the collapsing planet's gravity well. Ratchet was pleased to be reunited with his old commander. {{storylink|Dark Dawn: Dark Cybertron Chapter 1|Dark Dawn}} Learning of Shockwave's plan to end the universe, Ultra Magnus took command of the vessel while Rodimus and Orion headed into the [[Dead Universe]]; though charged with tracking down Shockwave's old teacher [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]], a distress signal from [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] took precedence, and despite Ratchet's objections, the ship quantum jumped to the ocean world of [[Hydrophena]]. {{storylink|Winners & Losers: Dark Cybertron Chapter 3|Winners & Losers}} There, they encountered more [[Ammonite]]s—who had formed an alliance with Shockwave—and Ratchet was one of the Autobots who boarded the [[Rodpod]] to do battle with the swarm. Though they were able to blast their monstrous combined form apart, the Ammonites reformed and chased them through the ocean until they inadvertently stumbled across a gravely wounded Metroplex. {{storylink|Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|Into the Abyss}}

[[File:BurningBright-she.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]

Though Ratchet was unsure if Metroplex was still alive, a quick scan confirmed that the Titan had seemingly survived... but that his [[brain module]] had been surgically removed and his spark was dwindling. After disembarking at a dry dock, the team embarked on a search for the Titan's brain module, a search that led them right back to where they started before an Ammonite saboteur destroyed the Rodpod. {{storylink|No Exit: Dark Cybertron Chapter 6|No Exit}} Shortly afterwards, the group were approached by a pair of [[Caminus (planet)|Camien]] Transformers: [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]] and [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]]. {{storylink|The Dead Are Not Enough: Dark Cybertron Chapter 7|The Dead Are Not Enough}} As more Ammonites poured into Metroplex to attack, Ratchet, Brainstorm, and Magnus wound up fleeing with the Camiens into Metroplex's left shoulder, where [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] had relcoated Metroplex's brain module. Ratchet was confused by the concept of "[[female Transformer|gender]]" that the three Transformers embodied, and was irritated when Nautica mistook him for Pharma. The group was able to rouse Metroplex back to life by using the ''Lost Light'''s quantum engines to jump-start his systems, and both ship and Titan subsequently teleported back to Cybertron in time to make a stand against the [[Quintessa (IDW)|Necrotitan]]. {{storylink|Burning Bright: Dark Cybertron Chapter 8|Burning Bright}}

[[File:TheBecoming-MegatronAndRatchet.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|Don't be so grouchy, Ratchet. [[The Pri¢e of Life!|It could be worse.]]]]

With Shockwave's plan seemingly stymied, the ''Lost Lighter''s reunited with the Autobots they'd left behind on Cybertron; Ratchet grudgingly reattached Megatron's legs, the Decepticon leader having recently formed an alliance with Bumblebee to stop Shockwave. Ratchet later worked with [[Fixit (G1)|Fixit]] and [[Flatline (G1)|Flatline]] to help upgrade [[Arcee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Arcee]] into a new body. This downtime was cut short when Shockwave returned, supported by a billions-strong swarm of Ammonites, intent on fulfilling the [[Dark Cybertron (prophecy)|"Dark Cybertron" prophecy]] by collapsing the universe. {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}} Ratchet took part in the battle to slow down the Ammonites; {{storylink|Black Planet: Dark Cybertron Chapter 11|Black Planet}} Shockwave's plan was foiled, but not without Bumblebee seemingly perishing in the course of the battle and Megatron choosing to abandon the Decepticons and become an Autobot. {{storylink|...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|...And the Damage Done}}

As Cybertron struggled to rebuild from the catastrophe, Ratchet found himself part of the High Command cabal discussing Megatron's trial. He was uneasy about the idea of a military trial but it would go ahead. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} He advised that due to all the internal damage Megatron had recently suffered, it would be cruel and unusual punishment to make him take sedatives. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 5: Rage, Rage|Rage, Rage}} Shortly after Megatron's trial was adjourned on a legal technicality, Ratchet found Rodimus had been given a list of all the Autobots who'd voted against him staying as captain. A furious Ratchet reminded him that this was an illegal act but since ''Megatron'' was now getting to be an Autobot, the medic was willing to turn a blind eye to this far less minor transgression. When Rodimus asked how he knew, Ratchet snapped "because my name's not on it". {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}} {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 5: Rage, Rage|Rage, Rage}}

Ultimately, Ratchet returned to duty aboard the ''Lost Light;'' as part of Megatron's plea bargain, the ex-Decepticon joined the crew of the ship as its "co-captain", and Ratchet took the chance to quietly ask him if Megs could ''really'' make black holes come out of his eyes. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}} One of his tasks was to administer "Fool's Energon", a sedative designed to sap Megatron's strength. What only he, Rodimus, and Optimus knew was that there was no such thing as Fool's Energon: as Ratchet's own notes said it would be cruel punishment to deliver a real sedative, they were giving him a placebo. If Megatron ever stopped taking it, they'd know he was about to fall off the wagon. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 5: Rage, Rage|Rage, Rage}}

[[File:PredestinationABeginnersGuide-autopsy.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]

Shortly after the ''Lost Light'' departed Cybertron once more, Ratchet found himself examining a mysterious coffin that contained a duplicate of Rodimus - unaware that this was an artifact from the "other" ''Lost Light,'' coming into close contact with their ship. The coffin had [[Spectralism|spectralist]] markings on it, which Ratchet believed meant Drift might have made it. He didn't have time to work out what this meant as the ''Lost Light'' began disappearing around him {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}} and left him crammed in a Rodpod with other panicked Autobots, trying to stop Tailgate from shooting Megatron on general principle. When random Autobots began mysteriously disappearing, Ratchet and Nightbeat tried to gather data on the missing Autobots and figure out why they were being abducted, but Ratchet was unable to work out anything before he himself disappeared, leaving his hands behind. {{storylink|Twenty Plus One}} This was due to the quantum-duplicate ''Lost Light'' being so close; after its engines were turned off, the medic returned. {{storylink|slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken|The Road Not Taken}}

[[File:ten tentententen.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|"You should just tell Magnus-senpai how you feel"

"Wha! B- B- Baka! It's not like I like him or anything...I mean, Ten."]]

Following Brainstorm's attempts to use [[time travel]] to subvert the outcome of the Great War and his subsequent trial, Ratchet was reminded of Drift's own ignominious departure from the ''Lost Light'' and decided to step down and let First Aid have his job so he could leave the ''Lost Light'' and put things right. Rather than come out and just ''say'' goodbye to his friends, he invented a "super scraplet" outbreak that would allow him to talk to them. Under cover of medical work, he helped Nautica understand Brainstorm, got Rung to talk to [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], encouraged Skids to talk to ''Rung'', made it clear to Rodimus that Drift had been punished too harshly, and tried to help Magnus. He also discovered that Swerve's bouncer [[Ten]], a reprogrammed [[Legislator]], had developed a full-fledged personality, including an artistic persuasion that led him to carve small toys of his favorite crewmembers. Ratchet managed to arrange it so that he and Ultra Magnus—Ten's favorite Autobot—could be friends.

With all his work done, he quietly departed to search for Drift and left a communicator in case "the new Chief Medical Officer" First Aid wanted to talk to him. {{storylink|Our Steps Will Always Rhyme}} This communicator would eventually find its way into the hands of First Aid's own successor, [[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]]. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 3: Your Fierce Tears|Your Fierce Tears}}
{{-}}

===Drift and Ratchet===
{{quote|You know, you shouldn't live in the past. There is only the true moment in which we're currently living.}}
{{quote|You talk like that to deliberately annoy me, don't you?}}
{{quote|Pretty much.|Drift and Ratchet|[[Drift - Empire of Stone issue 1|Empire of Stone #1]]}}

[[File:EmpireOfStone1-savinglives.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"Look, come on back Drift. Rodimus has started talking to ''me'' now."]]

Ratchet finally found Drift at a [[Galactic Council]] outpost, handing over Decepticon prisoners: Drift had been fighting and capturing rogue 'cons across the outer rim, {{storylink|Drift - Empire of Stone issue 1|Empire of Stone #1}} and Ratchet was horrified to find he was letting himself stay damaged and run down. {{storylink|Drift - Empire of Stone issue 2|Empire of Stone #2}} Since Drift was determined to find the main Decepticon force, Ratchet inserted himself into the mission. They tracked the Decepticons to a desert plan only to find themselves shot down and their prisoner [[Grit (G1)|Grit]] escaping... only to be accused of treason for being on an Autobot ship. Ratchet was forced to back up Drift when he went to Grit's defence and all three ended up prisoners of [[Megatron (RID)|Gigatron]], Drift's old boss who'd co-opted an alien castle. {{storylink|Drift - Empire of Stone issue 1|Empire of Stone #1}}

Ratchet was used to blackmail Drift into finding a "stone army" that Gigatron wanted. After an aborted escape attempt, the Autobots and Grit got chucked in the dungeon (and groused about how it'd been handled) and Ratchet got the truth out of Drift: in his Deadlock days, he'd been to the planet before and seen a vast, slumbering stone army. The medic came up with a plan, the truly lame one of pretending Grit had "killed" Drift so the guard would open the door. An unimpressed [[Knockout (G1)|Knockout]] turned out to be Grit's friend and let them out anyway. The Autobots began to argue after escaping as Drift wanted Ratchet to escape and he was having none of it, asking pointblank why the swordsbot was running himself down. (He didn't answer.) Ratchet and Drift found the stone army, and that it had been hidden from Gigatron by [[Hellbat (Victory)|Hellbat]]. Unfortunately Hellbat found ''them'' {{storylink|Drift - Empire of Stone issue 2|Empire of Stone #2}} and, planning to kill them after, gleefully revealed that he'd been using cannibalised Transformers for spare parts that could activate the army. Ratchet learned that this was necessary because Drift had ''murdered'' all the local monks on his first visit and they couldn't wake the army.

[[File:EmpireOfStone3-battle.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|We can't hold out forever, Drift, but we can give them one humongous repair bill!]]

Thanks to an attack by Grit, the Autobots escaped captivity and Ratchet took up arms. He then dropped arms to try and save Grit and Drift with a grappling hook. This was successful (Ratchet rule!) but meant the stone army was activated. While Ratchet wanted to alert Cybertron of the threat, the imminent threat of Hellbat's genocidal campaigns meant the trio had to seek Gigatron's help to stop him. {{storylink|Drift - Empire of Stone issue 3|Empire of Stone #3}} This unlikely teamup did destroy the Stone Army but, as far as Drift and Ratchet knew, left the Autobots at the only survivors.

When the medic again tried to get Drift back to the Lost Light, the swordsman said he'd spent his whole life struggling to belong to ''something'' but only ever joined as a killer, and the Hellbat affair just reiterated that he didn't want to live a life where all he could offer was death. Ratchet rephrased the offer: instead of coming back as an Autobot, he should come back as his friend. {{storylink|Drift - Empire of Stone issue 4|Empire of Stone #4}}

[[File:YourFierceTears-RatchetDrift.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.66]]

After a series of adventures against minor Decepticons, Ratchet and Drift were alerted to a problem on [[Necroworld]] by [[Velocity (G1)|Velocity's]] call for help, using the space-time phone he'd left First Aid. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 3: Your Fierce Tears|Your Fierce Tears}} The two chums landed on Necroworld, just in time to save a brutalised Ten from the Decepticon Justice Division and Deathsaurus's goons. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 2: The Sun in Flight|The Sun in Flight}} The fight went quite badly but just as Ratchet said he wasn't relying on help from above, [[Ravage (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ravage]] arrived in a ship from above to lift them all to safety!

At an inpromptu base, they discovered that the Autobots stranded here with Megatron were victims of a mutiny on the ''Lost Light''. Ratchet also learned Velocity had been trying to contact ''First Aid'' and had heard, uh, not very nice things about him from First Aid, all of which she blurted by accident. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 3: Your Fierce Tears|Your Fierce Tears}} Relations were furthered soured when, after patching up a badly wounded Megatron, he started to read a list of what he'd missed while doing the final touches, much to her open dismay. However, they had to focus on patients together and it was Ratchet that identified an issue she'd missed: Tailgate, who'd become a super-strong [[Outlier (group)|outlier]] after a spark surge, had affected nearby Autobots on the ''Light'' in a way similar to Ultra-Energon, meaning Tailgate could crash badly.

[[File:AtCloseOfDay-Ratchet.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

Ratchet assisted with Chromedome's attempt to hack "the Pet", the Division's beast-former sidekick that he and Drift had taken hostage. Ratchet was horrified to realise "the Pet" had been "[[domestication|domesticated]]", and enraged when Rodimus, despite his angry protests, would not stop Chromedome carrying on despite the risk to him. He urged Chromedome to stand down, in case the process killed him. This gave him a front-row seat for the discovery that the poor unfortunate was the lost [[Dominus Ambus]] and [[Rewind (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rewind]] killing him to save Chromedome from suffering a similar fate.

At sundown, the Decepticons attacked {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 4: At Close of Day|At Close of Day}} but Velocity had hit on a plan: if someone ''else'' could get traumatised like Tailgate, they could get supercharged too! Ratchet thought little of this idea, knowing how ''badly'' they'd have to traumatise someone but Skids volunteered. As the battle raged, Ratchet fought to keep Skids stable before he could himself join the battle and leave Megatron in charge of the ward. Ratchet continued to needle the ex-Decepticon for not going out until he realised how much Megatron was genuinely afraid of how much he might cut loose. He came clean that Fool's Energon was a conjob and Megatron had ''always'' been at full strength, and had ''chosen'' not to lash out.

[[File:sleep tight, soldier.jpg|thumb||right|300px|Get up. You cannot sleep there, Skids.]]

Unfortunately, that caused Megatron to believe he could indeed go out to save a wounded Ravage and that meant when Skids came to and took himself off the slab, Ratchet was left alone, screaming for Megatron to help him get the Autobot back on the slab before he died. All Ratchet could do was be with Skids as his spark gave out. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 5: Rage, Rage|Rage, Rage}} As Megatron singlehandedly took on the DJD, Ratchet tried to save Ravage as the Decepticon explained Megatron's plan to channel [[antimatter]] as a weapon. Before Megatron took down Tarn, however, the Autobots were interrupted when Roller and the other "[[Disappeared]]" Transformers appeared; the Necrobot had used [[time travel]] to pluck them from history and bring them to the Necroworld, and Ratchet happily embraced his old friend. When Rodimus rescued Megatron from the antimatter explosion, Ratchet offered to patch up his wounds... only for Megatron to flip the table in a moment of silent fury as Ravage succumbed to his wounds and died, only for the appearance of [[Terminus (G1)|Terminus]] to convince him to stand down. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}}

[[File:Anomie-RatchetAndDrift.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

As the other Disappeared Transformers began readjusting to their new circumstances, Ratchet—after notifying Rung of Skids' sacrifice—was part of the group that Rodimus assembled to go back to Cybertron and obtain a ship, using a jury-rigged teleporter that Brainstorm was able to cobble together. When they used the teleporter, however, they discovered that the device ''did'' teleport them to Cybertron... but to the Cybertron of a ''[[Functionist Universe|parallel universe]],'' thanks to the [[Galactic Council]] firing a [[geobomb]] at the Necroworld that wound up shunting the planet into another timeline. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron|Some Other Cybertron}}

Trapped in this dystopian universe and taken hostage by [[Twelve-of-Twelve]] and his [[Functionary|Functionaries]], the captive Autobots were paraded through the streets of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]]; a nearby statue of [[Primus]] prompted Drift to confide in Ratchet that he'd recently seen a vision that incorporated, among other things, an army of [[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeaters]] and Pharma. The Functionaries were attacked by the [[Anti-Vocationist League]], who proved so incompetent that they required the assistance of the ''Lost Light''ers to rescue their rescuers. Once they'd seen off the Functionists, their leader [[Clicker]] invited the Autobots back to the city of [[Kalis|Adaptica]]. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 2: Anomie|Anomie}} While Rodimus and the other Autobots met with their leader, the rebellious [[Nine-of-Twelve]], Ratchet and Megatron got acquainted with the foot soldiers of the AVL. Their brief respite was interrupted when the rest of the Functionist Council announced that the "Day of Revelation" had come, revealing the native [[Rung (G1)|Rung]]'s alternate mode as a gigantic mining drill... and also the return of [[Moonbase Two|Luna Two]], thought lost in this universe following a prior conflict. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 3: A World Misplaced|A World Misplaced}}

[[File:BadMoonRising-Ratchet.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]

Ratchet was immediately skeptical of Rung's "alternate mode", pointing out that he was most likely a victim of "forced [[Size changing|mass displacement]]". As Luna Two, revealed as a massive re-engineered [[harvester unit]], began laying waste to Adaptica, Ratchet joined Rodimus and some other Autobots on a mission to the core of Cybertron to rescue Rung. Ratchet's suspicions were confirmed when Rung's drill tank was revealed as a ruse; the Autobot medic was able to deactivate the internal restraints keeping Rung trapped in his alternate mode and unable to talk. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 4: Bad Moon Rising|Bad Moon Rising}} Once Rung had been restored to normal, he revealed to Ratchet was his ''true'' function was: the manufacture of [[photonic crystal]]s. Ratchet thus pretended to take Rung hostage in order to bluff the Functionists into letting them go, and the group escaped by teleporting directly into the [[Cog (facility)|Cog]], flying the Functionist fortress over Adaptica to launch a last-ditch attack on Luna Two. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 5: Modes of Production|Modes of Production}}

[[File:ThisMachineKillsFascists-RatchetHugsRung.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.0]]
When the Cog was subsequently shot down, Rung overrode Ratchet's concerns and used the mass displacement generator in his body to grow to colossal size, fighting the moon head-on. Faced with condemning Functionist Cybertron to death or never being able to return to their native universe, the Autobots were able to come up with a third solution to the problem: teleporting the entire moon to the hollow Necroworld. As they raced to find a working teleporter that would take them up to the moon, Rung perished and Megatron was ultimately left behind with Terminus.

On returning to Necroworld and then teleporting back to their own universe, Ratchet took an opportunity to hug the Rung from ''his'' universe. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 6: This Machine Kills Fascists|This Machine Kills Fascists}}
{{-}}

===Beyond the afterlife===
[[File:Sardines-terrific.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|It's only a matter of time before [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] releases a toy with this deco...]]

Rodimus came up with a new plan: using mass displacement, they would enlarge the body of a [[Skip|dead Decepticon with a spaceship alternate mode]] and use it to reach the ''Lost Light'' so that Rodimus could get even with Getaway. Ratchet was one of the Autobots who accompanied him. {{storylink|After Megatron (A Dissolution Epilogue)|After Megatron}}

After briefly stopping off at [[Troja Major]], {{storylink|An Axe to Break the Ice}} {{storylink|Chasing the Infinite}} the Autobots quickly began getting on one another's nerves amidst the cramped confines of the vessel; with tempers rising, events quickly took a strange turn when Ratchet's body began suffering from [[aggressive depigmentation]] despite him still being alive, which quickly worsened to a strange form of intangibility that led him to begin sinking through the floor. {{storylink|Sardines}} Things got even stranger when Ten displayed the power of speech and took command, ordering them all to the nearest [[Mederi]] center... only for the ship's mass displacement to wear off at that moment. {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (1): Metastasis|Metastasis}} Badly exposed to the ravages of compressed space, their mangled bodies drifted to the nearest planet... which just so happened to be the original Mederi, a euthanasia clinic that sent its patients into idyllic dreams to ease their passing. {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (3): You Are Here|You Are Here}} To the Cybertronians, this dream took the appearance of the mythical "[[Transformer afterlife|Afterspark]]". Ratchet awoke, healed from his mysterious illness, and arrived where Rodimus had awoken to confirm that Ten had recently "ascended" to the full Afterspark—in reality, dying as the Mederi clinic worked its programming. Ratchet was skeptical of the reality of their situation; it took Whirl reminding him that he had been dying in the real world to temporarily shut him up. {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (1): Metastasis|Metastasis}}

[[File:YouAreHere-tampering.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

When Rodimus announced his intention to speak to the [[Guiding Hand]], who supposedly ruled the afterlife, his request was granted; Rodimus was granted an audience with the "Guiding Hand", and selected Ultra Magnus, Drift, and Ratchet to be his counsel, representing law, faith, and science. Still skeptical, Ratchet was unfazed when the Guiding Hand turned down Rodimus's request to return to the living world. Re-materializing outside a temple, the group investigated, with Ratchet discovering a disguised "Ward Zero" filled with alien telepaths and guarded by the [[Omega Guardian]]s. {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (2): The God War|The God War}} As Ultra Magnus dispatched the Omega Guardians, Ratchet quickly realized the truth behind Mederi; despite Drift's objections, he shattered the power system that kept the aliens alive and powering the [[holomatter]]-fuelled systems that shaped the illusions of the Afterspark. Ratchet informed the rest of the group that they had, indeed, reached the original Mederi, and, indeed, the planet where the legend of "Cyberutopia" began. The mundane truth behind their quest was soon cut short when a swarm of Sparkeaters appeared overhead - Sparkeaters that had once been the rest of the crew aboard the ''Lost Light''. {{storylink|The Everlasting Voices (3): You Are Here|You Are Here}}

Ratchet and the group would soon learn that Getaway had found "Cyberutopia" as well before meeting a mysterious figure called the [[Adaptus|Grand Architect]] with a [[Worldsweeper]] fleet. Bargaining for his life, Getaway allowed the Architect's ally Scorponok to turn his crew into Sparkeaters as a bulwark against Rodimus's forces when they arrived. Ratchet and the others tried to find a way to protect themselves from the Sparkeaters without hurting their infected friends. They retreated back inside the Mederi center at Ward Zero to barricade themselves while Rodimus led a small crew up to the ''Lost Light'' to confront Getaway. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 1): A Dance Before Dying|A Dance Before Dying}} Ratchet and the other doctors searched for a cure, and the newly returned First Aid discovered the means for emitting a kinetic program code that shut down the Sparkeater virus. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 2): Lūstrāre|Lūstrāre}}

The ''Lost Light'' was reclaimed and everyone assembled on board, just as space itself became threadbare, sucking them into a rift to the [[Benzene Cluster]]. The group were surrounded by the [[Black Block Consortia]], more agents of the Grand Architect. One of their recently encountered allies was [[Nickel]], a Decepticon carrying the [[Epistemus|Magnificence]], the font of infinite knowledge from [[Ki-Aleta]]. Curiously, when the Grand Architect asked for a meeting with their key officers, the Magnificence spoke up and named Ratchet along with Rodimus, Tailgate, and Rung. Rodimus refused to leave anyone behind, though, and so the entire crew came aboard the Architect's Worldsweeper.{{storylink|Crucible (Part 3): Farsickness|Farsickness}}

[[File:ReturnOfTheKing PharmaEmerges.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.2]]
A deeper game was being played, for the Grand Architect had cast five copies of Cybertron from an enormous mold, crafting a celestial [[God Gun]] to defend the universe from a monstrous avatar of "[[Primus]];" in reality, the Cybertron of the [[Functionist Universe]], refashioned into a colossal [[robot mode]] and crossing dimensions to continue its mission of religious genocide. Megatron arrived from that universe as well through a rift in space, and tried to rescue the team by blowing out the Worldsweeper's windows. Most of the group escaped this way, but Ratchet and a few others were trapped behind. The Grand Architect then revealed himself as [[Adaptus]], clad in the body of Pharma, whom he had recovered from Luna-1. The group soon learned that ''all'' of the members of the Guiding Hand had survived into the present day, and their adventures had brought them into contact with all of them: the Necrobot was [[Mortilus]], Epistemus the Magnificence, Solomus Tyrest, and Primus himself... none other than Rung. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 4): The Return of the King|The Return of the King}}

Ever the skeptic, Ratchet was quick to dismiss this claim, until Rung himself corroborated it, explaining to the group the circumstances behind his unlikely origins and the events that led to him recovering his memory of his old life. All of this, it transpired, had been a long game by Adaptus, but the Architect was killed by a furious Tyrest, and in the chaos Rodimus was able to use Tyrest's teleportation function to transport Ratchet and the others back to the ''Lost Light'' on the surface of the last Cybertron to discuss their next moves. The Magnificence itself began contributing ideas, ordering Rung to use his abilities to create several [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrices of Leadership]] that would annihilate the Primus-avatar from within; this was soon revealed to be the work of the malicious [[Omega Guardian]]s, who sought to return to the universe and consume everything... only to be silenced by Nickel, who crushed the artifact between her hands. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 5): The Unremembering|The Unremembering}}

[[File:ASparkAmongEmbers RatchetOpensMatrix.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.8|The Return of Ratchimus Prime]]
Instead, the alliance hit upon a new plan; using Rung, they would create ''twelve'' Matrices, then fly down to the surface of Cybertron—returned to planet-mode by the arrival of [[Moonbase One|Luna-1]]—to open them above the planet's [[hot spot]]s. Rung sacrificed himself to do so, and thanks to the [[Infinite]] air support Ratchet and Drift were deployed over [[Vespertine Blue]] with Drift. As the two prepared to open the Matrix and by activating the "[[morality lock]]" each one possessed, the pair confessed that they both felt the same way about one another, and this confession seemingly allowed a triumphant Ratchet to open his Matrix, the energies combining with the other eleven to overload Vector Sigma, killing the Functionist Council and saving the universe. {{storylink|Crucible (Part 6): A Spark Among Embers|A Spark Among Embers}}
[[File:LL25 - Ratchet's funeral.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.6|[[Infiltration issue 0|"If you want to live...come with me!"]]]]

Choosing to remain on this "New Cybertron", an agreement was eventually reached with Prowl that the ''Lost Light's'' engines would be stripped from the ship and repurposed to fuel the development of the new hot spot that the Matrices had ignited on Luna-1; in the meantime, however, the crew would be allowed one last, brief "victory lap" to say their goodbyes before Megatron went away to stand trial for his crimes. Ratchet and Drift settled in for a goodbye party at Swerve's, explaining their theory that Drift's frequent visions were premonitions sent to him by the staff of Mederi. Finally, Nautica, Brainstorm, and Perceptor announced that they could attempt to recreate the accident that began their voyage: this time shunting a duplicate of the ''Lost Light'' into a parallel universe so that a version of them could continue exploring the galaxy forever. Though the crew of the ship would never know if their plan had worked, it ''had'', with a new version of the ''Lost Light'' materializing in a new universe, ready for more adventures.

In the original universe, Ratchet and Drift became [[Conjunx Endura]]e, living and loving together on New Cybertron for many years until the day that Ratchet's age finally caught up with him, manifesting as a terminal case of "age-related burnout". Despite his gruff assessment of this diagnosis, Ratchet ultimately passed away shortly afterwards. His last wishes were to have his parts sent to medical centers across Cybertron, with the [[innermost energon]] that the mourners would offer at his funeral being donated to help [[Lunarian]] resettlement efforts.

At his funeral, many former members of the ''Lost Light'' visited to pay their respects, offering their innermost energon and other mementos of their voyage. Rodimus would be the last member of the old ship to visit, placing Megatron's old [[Rodimus Star]] on his memorial above his final epitaph: "WITHOUT LOVE THERE IS NO MEANING." {{storylink|How To Say Goodbye And Mean It: Part 2}}
{{--}}

==Spotlight: Mirage==
Ratchet was with the Autobots hiding out in the [[Pegasus Star Cluster]], with most of the Autobot forces having been defeated. He tended to the seriously wounded Jetfire injuries, and suggested surrender to the Decepticons to save their fellow Autobot's life. When [[Mirage (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Mirage]] (disguised as Bumblebee) and the Decepticons attacked, he attempted to reason with the Decepticon mercenary about Jetfire's condition, only to be attacked for his trouble. After the Autobots surrendered, he was furious when Mirage betrayed his word and prepared to carry out Megatron's order to execute the Autobots. {{storylink|Spotlight: Mirage}}

This was part of a vision Mirage was having in the main timeline. {{storylink|The Possible Light}}

==The Functionist Universe==
In the [[Functionist Universe]], where the war had never broken out, the "native" version of Ratchet had remained close friends with Pharma. The two could be seen having a friendly conversation on Cybertron. {{storylink|The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue|The Custom-Made Now}}

==Notes==
[[File:Ratchet-Alex Milne-MtMtE-LL.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]
*Ratchet was one of the characters who both [[James Roberts]] and [[John Barber]] wanted for their respective books.<ref>[http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?p=309188#309188 James Roberts:] As for the divvying up, we both started off with two or three characters that had been dictated – actually, that’s the wrong word – by IDW editorial, then came up with a core cast wish list. There were only a few clashes. I would have liked Prowl and Wheeljack and I think John would have liked Magnus and Ratchet. We compromised.</ref>
*Ratchet (and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Orion Pax]] and [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]]) shows up among many attendees of [[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]] and [[Fastback (G1)|Fastback]]'s funeral in [[Megatron Origin issue 3|''Megatron Origin'' #3]], but years later [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|''More than Meets the Eye'' #11]] established that Ratchet opposed [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] and the [[Senate]] not long beforehand. How this story works out, the TFWiki can only tell you to imagine on your own.
*James Roberts attributed Ratchet's new attitude in ''More than Meets the Eye'' almost entirely to the imminent failure of his hands.<ref>[http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?p=309422#309422 James Roberts:] I know that some people think I’ve made Ratchet too crotchety, for example—although in my defense I’d argue that a lot of his grumpiness was the result of watching his hands die before his eyes</ref>
*Ratchet shows no surprise when Overlord appears on the ''Lost Light'' and turns to blind the [[Phase Sixer]] ''without actually seeing him.'' It's possible (and probable) that he saw the Decepticon in the reflection of the datapad he was holding but still...great reflexes for an old timer with replaced hands...
*For the ''More than Meets the Eye'' finale arc "[[The Dying of the Light]]" (and the subsequent "Season 3" of ''Lost Light''), Alex Milne redesigned Ratchet with a hybridization of his "Season 1" design and [[Ratchet (WFC)|his "Aligned" counterpart]]'s [[:File:PrimeRatchet.jpg|''Prime'' design]]. Milne stated on Twitter that he personally "heard" IDW Ratchet's voice as that of [[Jeffrey Combs]] à la the ''Prime'' cartoon.<ref>[https://twitter.com/markerguru/status/716709830556299264 Alex Milne (@markerguru) on Twitter, 3 April 2016:] Agreed. I only hear Jeffrey Combs as Ratchet these days. He's the best Ratchet IMO</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:IDW (2005) Autobots]]
[[Category:Lost Light crew]]
[[Category:Medics]]

Joana Lafuente

2019-08-27T02:51:21Z

FourthFloor: /* Published color work */ updated Lost Light and IDW 2019 credits

[[Image:BotCon 2009 - Casey Coller and Joana Lafuente.jpg|300px|right|thumb|"It was HER idea!"]]

'''Joana Lafuente''' (born [[September 8]], [[1985]]) is a Portuguese ''[[Transformers brand|Transformers]]'' fan who has also worked as colorist for [[IDW Publishing]]. Lafuente is usually the defacto colorist for fellow artist [[Casey Coller]]'s work, but has also made a name for herself as the regular colorist of ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye]]'' following [[Josh Burcham]]'s departure. Her coloring style features ''extensive'' attention to detail regarding light sources and gradient shading.

== Published color work ==
*''[[The Transformers: Spotlight|Transformers: Spotlight]]'': [[Spotlight: Blurr|Blurr]], [[Spotlight: Drift|Drift]], [[Spotlight: Cliffjumper|Cliffjumper]], [[The Waiting Game|Hoist]]
*''[[The Transformers: Maximum Dinobots|Maximum Dinobots]]'': [[Maximum Dinobots issue 3|#3]], [[Maximum Dinobots issue 4|#4]], [[Maximum Dinobots issue 5|#5]]
*''[[The Transformers: Ironhide]]'' (all issues)
*''[[The Transformers (IDW)|The Transformers (2009)]]'': [[Space Opera Part 1: The Stars My Destination|#19]], [[Space Opera Act 2: Out of the Silent Planet|#20]], [[The Transformers issue 21|#21]], [[Chaos Theory Part 1|#22]], [[Chaos Theory Part 2|#23]], [[Police Action: Part 1|#25]], [[Police Action Part 2: Only Forward|#27]], [[Police Action Part 3: A Second Chance at Eden|#29]], [[Pax Cybertronia (issue)|#31]]
*''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'': [[Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 3|#3]] (with [[Josh Burcham]])
*''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'': [[Rules of Disengagement (issue)|#7]] (with Josh Burcham), [[Cybertronian Homesick Blues|#13]] (with Burcham), [[Under Cold Blue Stars|#15]] (with Burcham and [[Josh Perez]]), [[Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|#21]] (with Burcham), [[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|#29]]–[[Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|#36]], [[Elegant Chaos Part 2: Stet|#37]] with (Burcham), [[Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|#38]]–[[Speak, Memory! (Part 2)|#49]], [[More than Meets the Eye issue 50|#50]] with [[Priscilla Tramontano]] and [[John-Paul Bove]], [[The Dying of the Light Part 2: The Sun in Flight|#51]]–[[Last Light (issue)|#57]], [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|Annual 2012]] (with [[Juan Fernandez]]), [[Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again!|Revolution]]
*''[[Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots]]'': [[Rage of the Dinobots issue 2|#2]] (with [[Thomas Deer]])
*''[[The X-Files: Conspiracy: The Transformers]]'' one-shot
* ''[[A New Friend|Schick Hydrobot & the Transformers]]'' (with others)
* ''[[Transformers Prime: Rage of the Dinobots]]'': [[Rage of the Dinobots issue 2|#2]] (with [[Thomas Deer]])
* ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 comic)|Transformers: Robots in Disguise]]'': [[Robots in Disguise issue 5|#5]] (with others)
* [[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|''Robots in Disguise''/''The Transformers'' (2014)]]: [[Interference Patterns|#7]], [[Dinobot Hunt (IDW)|#8]] (w. Josh Perez), [[Night and the City|#9]], [[Homecoming (IDW)|#19]], [[#28]]–[[#32]] (flashback scenes), [[Onyx Interface Part Two: Vs.|#36]] (w. Josh Perez), [[New Worlds Order|#50]] ("New Worlds Order")
* ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron]]'': [[All Hail Megatron issue 15|#15]] ("Lost and Found")
* [[The Transformers Holiday Special]]: ("[[Silent Light]]")
* ''[[The Transformers: Lost Light]]'': [[Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron|#1]] (w. [[John-Paul Bove]]), [[Dissolution Part 2: Anomie|#2]]–[[The Plotters' Club (Part 2): Filling in the Blanks|#11]], [[The Plotters' Club (Part 3): Journey's End|#12]] (w. John-Paul Bove and [[Priscilla Tramontano]]), [[Sardines|#13]]–[[How To Say Goodbye And Mean It: Part 2|#25]]
* ''[[The Transformers: Sins of the Wreckers]]'': [[Sins of the Wreckers issue 4|#4]] (w. Josh Burcham)
* ''[[The Transformers: Till All Are One|Till All Are One]]'': [[Things We Said We'd Never Do|#3]], [[The Line Between Us|#4]], [[Ping|#5]] (w. Priscilla Tramontano), [[Desperate Times|#6]]–[[Your First Mistake|#12]], [[The Chosen One|Annual]]
* ''[[Infestation (IDW)|The Transformers: Infestation]]'': [[The Transformers: Infestation issue 1|#1]], [[The Transformers: Infestation issue 1|#2]]
* ''[[Infestation 2|Infestation 2: The Transformers]]'': [[Infestation 2: The Transformers issue 1|#1]], [[Infestation 2: The Transformers issue 1|#2]]
* ''[[Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook]]'' (various profiles)
* ''[[Transformers (2019 comic)|Transformers]]'': [[The World In Your Eyes Part One|#1]], [[The World In Your Eyes Part Two|#2]] (w. Josh Burcham), [[The World In Your Eyes Part Three|#3]], [[The World In Your Eyes Part Four|#4]]–[[The World In Your Eyes Part Five|#5]] (w. Burcham), [[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part One|#7]]–[[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Two|#8]] (w. Burcham), [[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Three|#9]], [[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Four|#10]] (w. Burcham)
{{-}}

==Gallery==
<center><gallery>
Image:Spotlight Blurr cvrA.jpg|And the ladies that love [[Spotlight: Blurr|speed]] go wild!
Image:Spotlight Drift cvrA.jpg|[[Spotlight: Drift|He slices and dices]]! Now where are those smokebombs?
Image:Spotlight Cliffjumper cvrRI.jpg|He has [[Spotlight: Cliffjumper|more guns]] than he [[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1|originally did]]!
File:LLvol1_TPBcvr.jpg|Lost Light indeed!
</gallery>

*''[[:Category:Images by Joana Lafuente|Extended Joana Lafuente gallery]]''</center>

==External links==
*[http://khaamar.deviantart.com/ Joana's Deviant Art page]
*[http://lolilovesvenom.livejournal.com/ Loli Loves Venom, Joana's webcomic]

{{creatorstub}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lafuente, Joana}}
[[Category:Colorists]]
[[Category:IDW Publishing]]
[[Category:Fandom]]

Sensor

2019-08-14T17:06:49Z

FourthFloor: /* Olfactory sensors */

[[File:ROTF Optimus revives.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.95|Optical sensors: help them see you, and help you see which side they're on.]]
'''Sensors''' are essential components of mechanical beings, especially [[Transformer]]s, serving a wide variety of functions and feeding a mechanoid information about the environment around it. Most Transformers are built with a set of standard senses—optic, audio, olfactory, tactile, short-range radio-wave transmission, electrical sensitivity, and magnetic sensitivity are common in some universes <ref name="TFU">[[Streetwise (G1)|Streetwise]]'s ''[[The Transformers Universe]]'' profile, also restated in [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]]'s [http://web.archive.org/web/20050207014538/http://www.bwtf.com/binaltech/lambor/book/index.shtml Binaltech System Description]</ref>—but many have specialized sensor packages that are unique or rare, giving them special abilities that make them stand out.

==Sensor types==
===Audio sensors===
Audio Sensors are a component of [[Transformer]] anatomy that allows them to hear sounds in their environment. Some are more acute than others, allowing recording of normally inaudible frequencies.

As part of a demonstration of the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], [[Blaster (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blaster]] transformed into his alternate form allowing [[Grimlock (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Grimlock]] to practice his fine tuned laser breath to start up Blaster's music. [[Ironhide (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ironhide]] told Blaster to stop the music as it was so loud that it was fusing his audio sensors. {{storylink|Dinobot Island, Part 1}} Later, Blaster sent the Autobots the music from the rock concert that he, [[Spike Witwicky (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Spike Witwicky]], and [[Carly]] were attending. [[Jazz (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Jazz]] was the only one who seemed to enjoy it, whereas [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus]] and the others were nearly overcome in pain. {{storylink|Blaster Blues}}

[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]] noted he possesses enhanced audio sensors, presumably in regard to his fellow Transformers. It is not explained how they were enhanced. {{storylink|Burning Sky!}}

===Photocells===
Photocells are either a component of, or a synonym for optical sensors. They can be shattered in battle, though this appear to be more of an annoyance than a serious injury. {{storylink|Attack of the Insecticons}}

===Back shoulder sensors===
[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (in his [[Transformers: Generation 2 (franchise)|G2]] body) has "back shoulder senses" that allowed him to detect the approaching [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]. It's unknown how common these sensors are amongst other Transformers. {{storylink|Day of the Decepticons}}

===Equilibrium sensors===
Equilibrium sensors help a Transformer keep their sense of balance. [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] used this weakness to damage [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]], calling it his Achilles Heel. Megatron responded by trying to crush Sumdac under his heel. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 2}}

===Olfactory sensors===
Olfactory sensors are a sensor unit used to detect the scents of others. It is very common in animal based [[Transformer]]s. [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] possessed one of the most powerful olfactory sensors. {{storylink|Transformers: The Ultimate Guide}} The [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]] leader [[Grimlock (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Grimlock]] possessed olfactory sensors which were powerful enough to smell [[Dinosaur transform static]]. {{storylink|Thief in the Night}}

After the [[Great Upgrade]] from [[Autobot]] to [[Maximal]], olfactory sensors were included among sensor units. [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] had impressive olfactory sensors. When Ravage entered the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'', he was able to smell Ravage, but was unable to pinpoint exactly where he was. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 1)}}

While searching for [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] detected him, saying he caught the stink of an "unnatural"...[[Dinobot II|present company]] excluded, of course. Later, [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] was able to smell [[Dinobot II]] coming. {{storylink|Feral Scream Part 2}}

[[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]] had the unique ability to smell the [[spark]] of [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]]. He commented that the newly born Dinobot II "stank of Rampage". {{storylink|Feral Scream Part 1}}

[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] had a distinctive odor about him. [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] said that it smelled like "vile corruption, a whiff of festering putrefication". Interestingly, it smelled just like the {{w|limburger cheese|limburger}} sandwich that [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] had just eaten. {{storylink|The Low Road}}

Some Cybertronians from the [[Movie (franchise)|2007 film continuity]] appear to have olfactory sensors. [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]'s were powerful enough to detect variation in the pheromone levels of [[Sam Witwicky|some]]. [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] also noted that he could smell the same fleshling. Whether it was the pheromone levels or something else that Megatron detected is currently unknown. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}} When hunting [[Demolishor (ROTF)|Demolishor]] in [[Shanghai]], [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] commented that he could smell the Decepticon close by whilst seemingly sniffing the air. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

Cybertronians in the [[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]] universe have been shown to possess olfactory sensors, much to [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl's]] dismay when he was on trash cleanup duty. {{storylink|Garbage In, Garbage Out}}

[[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]]'s olfactory sensors are capable of smelling a full diaper from great distance. {{storylink|Four Bots and a Baby}}

[[Minimus Ambus]] tapped the side of his nose to recalibrate his olfactory sensors, apparently to dampen the smell of the long-distance [[space bridge]]. {{storylink|The Sound of Breaking Glass}}

===Optical sensors===
[[File:Skyquake.jpg|left|100px|thumb|Through Skyquake's optics, his colour scheme actually looks really really cool.]]
The optics on a Transformer mostly seem to perform in an identical way to human eyes, including all the flaws, such as the ability to be dazzled by bright light sources pointed directly at them. Atmospheres with a high particle content [[Kup (G1)|may require]] windshield wipers to keep optic sensors clear.

While all Transformers can usually be assumed to see in the same visual spectrum of colours than humans see in, there are obviously [[Skyquake (G1)|exceptions who are completely colour-blind]], and some Transformers demonstrate different perceptions (usually wherever the plot calls for it). [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]], for instance, has 'magnetic vision,' probably quite useful given the uniform reddish hue of his home planet of Junkion!

Optical sensors typically came in visored and non-visored varieties. Sometimes on the same [[Devastator (G1)|character]].

Some bots ([[Axer (Prime)|Axer]] at least) in the [[Aligned continuity family]] can see from infrared to ultraviolet. (Meaning he can see [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4G6bQ-Foq7E this.]) {{storylink|Transformers: Exiles}}

There are also some Transformers which possess [[optic weaponry]], which allows them to emit beams from the optics. How this affects their vision, if at all, is unknown.

[[File:Rotf-megatron-tank0..JPG|thumb|right|upright=1.1|Megatron forgoes basic safety to see his enemies quake.]]
How Transformers "see" in their alternate forms has only been briefly touched on, however. In one story, it is explained that Transformers have some form of a linked visual network throughout their alternate form, whereas in other cases everyone is just drawn with big googly eyes inside their [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]] headlights. {{storylink|Career Day}} {{storylink|The Great Car Rally}} [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] has his head exposed in his tank mode, which allows him to see his opponents and decreases his reaction time.<ref>[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen: The Movie Universe]]</ref> Though since headshots are fatal in the movie universe, one must question the tactical viability of this.

===Targeting sensors===
Targeting sensors are sensors which help a Transformer locate and identify a hostile entity. While hunting Autobots through a haze of dirt underwater, [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]]'s targeting sensors managed to locate a body within the haze. Pleased his sensors had succeeded, he threw a punch with full force... hitting [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]]. Apparently, his targeting sensors had failed him. {{storylink|Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found}}

===Surveillance packages===
[[File:Scroungespecialhand.jpg|right|upright=0.85|thumb|Scrounge's surveillance package in action.]]
Many Transformers possess sensor packages that allow them to record surveillance data for later review. [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] in particular often serves in this function for the Decepticons.

Also of note are the surveillance sensors contained within the arm assembly of the Autobot [[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]]. He has boasted on numerous occasions that they are unique. {{storylink|The Smelting Pool!}}

[[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]] later displayed a similar device. Sorry, Scrounge. {{storylink|Games of Deception}}

[[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] has also proven to mount a comparable package in his left arm. {{storylink|Spotlight: Jazz}}
{{-}}

==Notes==
* In the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original ''The Transformers'' cartoon]], Transformer optical sensors were conventionally colored blue for the Autobots and red for the Decepticons, regardless of the toy's coloring. This practice was revived for ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Transformers Animated]]''. There [[Thrust (G1)|were]] [[Shockwave (G1)|some]] [[Swindle (Animated)|exceptions]].

* In an incredible coincidence, Transformer vision as depicted in the [[live-action film series]] exactly corresponds to the {{w|CinemaScope}} aspect ratio used in the films.

{{-}}

==See also==
* [[Circuit (circuit)]]
* [[Processor]]
* [[Program]]
* [[System]]

==Notes==
===Foreign names===
*''Mandarin:'' '''Chuán Gǎn Qì''' (China，传感器, "Transfer Feeling Unit ")

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Transformer anatomy]]

Saren Stone

2019-07-24T16:10:51Z

FourthFloor: /* External links */

'''Sarah Stone''' is a comic book illustrator. She has previously been a storyboard intern on ''The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius'', and art director at video game developer Barking Lizards Technologies. She is currently a Senior Art Director at Gaia Interactive, for whom she develops clothing and items for ''Gaia Online'', and also works as a freelance illustrator.

==Comic art==
*''[[The Transformers: Windblade]]'' - Vol. 1 #1-4, Vol. 2 #1
*''[[The_Transformers: The IDW Collection|The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two]]'' - volumes [[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume_1|1]], [[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume_2|2]] & [[The Transformers: The IDW Collection Phase Two: Volume_3|3]] (covers)
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise]]'' [[The World of Tomorrow|#33]]

==External links==
*[http://monsterboysandrobots.com/ Monster Boys & Robots]
*[http://fayrenpickpocket.deviantart.com/ Fayren Pickpocket] on DeviantArt
*[https://twitter.com/fayren/ Fayren] on Twitter

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stone, Sarah}}
[[Category:IDW Publishing]]
[[Category:Illustrators]]

Timeline (disambiguation)

2019-06-24T20:30:21Z

FourthFloor:

Franchise:
*''[[Transformers Timelines (franchise)|Timelines]]'' including:
**[[Transformers Timelines (fiction)|Fiction]]
**[[Transformers Timelines (toyline)|A toyline]]

Terms:
*[[Splinter timeline]]

Real-world events timeline:
*[[Transformers timeline]]

In-universe timelines of various stories:
*[[Marvel Comics timeline]]
*[[Generation 1 cartoon timeline]]
**[[Generation 1 cartoon timeline (Japan)]]
*[[Beast Era timeline]]
**[[Beast Wars timeline (IDW)]]
*[[Dreamwave timeline]]
*[[Unicron Trilogy cartoon timeline]]
*[[2005 IDW timeline]]
*[[Movie timeline]]
**[[Titan Magazines movie timeline]]
**[[Sector Seven ARG timeline]]
*[[Transformers Animated timeline]]
*[[Aligned timeline]]
*[[Shattered Glass timeline]]

{{disambig}}