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Roller (IDW)

2017-11-20T14:39:03Z

HailMegatron: /* Unite Warriors */

{{factions|autobot}}
{{factions|decepticon}}
{{disambig3.5|the pre-war policeman Autobot|G1 Optimus Prime's drone unit|Roller (G1)|Roller}}
:''Roller is a [[Transformer]] from the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW portion]] of the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:MTMTE36cover-Roller.jpg|upright=1.6|thumb|Juice Box Hero.]]
'''Roller''' was a good friend to [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] and [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] in the pre-war days. He served alongside Pax in the police force until... ''something'' happened to him.

He's known for being one chatty chappy! Despite his friendly nature and his incredible strength (he's one of the mighty [[Point One Percenter]]s), he's not that confident in his abilities. He'll focus on what others can do that he ''can't'', rather than what he can.

==Fiction==
===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
{{ongoing}}
[[File:Shadowplay Roller feet up.jpg|upright=1.95|thumb|left|Ehhh, I'll do it later.]]
Roller was one of Orion Pax's fellow officers at [[Rodion]], a gifted investigator and a trusted ally with a fondness for TV. Following Orion's defeat of [[Sonic (G1)|Sonic]] and [[Boom]] in the [[Dead End (place)|Dead End]], he had Roller send in a containment trailer to arrest them. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|Post Hoc}} Roller later helped Orion by locating the [[Relinquishment Clinic]] closest to his location and bringing [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Senator Shockwave]] into protective custody. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}}

He was a bit worried about Orion's attachment to Shockwave, having investigated the Senator and found that he had befriended and modified other people besides him, but only got Orion angry at him by sharing this information. Roller remained at the police station to protect Shockwave while Orion was breaking into the [[Primal Basilica]], but was defeated by [[Kroma]]'s cronies when they broke into the place in search for the Senator. Orion tried to save them both, but Kroma convinced Shockwave to surrender himself by holding Roller hostage.

Ratchet recalled these events as "the last time the three of us [himself, Pax and Roller] were together" {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}} as Pax, Roller, and the Outliers had to go on the run after that and Ratchet remained behind to look after his patients. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|All Our Parlous Yesterdays}} The last conversation the two would have would be Roller mentioning they'd find it hard to stay in touch and Ratchet, unable to bring himself to say goodbye, making noncommittal noises. {{storylink|Our Steps Will Always Rhyme}}

The fugitives would find themselves constantly fighting [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime's]] [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]]. The incredible abilities of the outliers made Roller feel useless, despite his considerable power: he knew Orion Pax kept him on the team because they were friends and didn't think that was enough. To give himself an edge, he began taking the [[circuit speeder]] C32.

[[File:AllOurParlousYesterdays-Roller.jpg|upright=1.8|thumb]]
In 1st cycle 502, Roller and the gang were fighting to protect a [[reproduction|spark hot spot]] in [[Alyon]] from being taken or exterminated by Sentinel. They were joined by members of the ''[[Lost Light]]'' crew [[time travel|of four million years later]], who claimed that [[Zeta Prime|Zeta]] had sent them to help. From this group, [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] tested Roller's carton of [[Kremzeek]] and realised it contained C32, questioning about his habit. Roller admitted to his insecurity, saying "not everyone is born special"—even though, as Rung noted, he ''had'' been. In the final battle to save the sparks, as the Elite Guard bombarded them, Roller refused to let Orion Pax risk his life to harvest sparks and did it himself, saying he needed this. Roller was badly wounded in the process, driving Pax to a rage.

[[File:DoNotGoGentle CenseresavesRoller.jpg|upright=1.0|thumb|left|]]
Roller was missing in the aftermath of the battle, and Pax ordered his crew to look for him. Unfortunately, after the visitors [[Mnemosurgery|altered the short term memories]] of Pax's crew, everyone forgot he was missing... {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|All Our Parlous Yesterdays}}

...so it was handy for him a different time traveler, [[Censere]], had brought him to the future as part of his mission to save Cybertronians on his list of the disappeared! As travel using a single [[time case]] was hazardous, Roller was placed in stasis within the [[Necroworld]], millions of years later, and disguised with holograms to appear as an organic being. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}} Unaware of this, Optimus would name his [[Roller (G1)|drone module]] after his old friend.

Many years later, ''a'' Roller was considered for an exploring mission that went to [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]]. Better hope they didn't think a presumed dead guy was better than you, Wheelie! {{storylink|Spotlight: Wheelie}}

During [[Team Rodimus]]'s battle with the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] on the Necroworld, a groggy Roller woke up with his fellow rescuees to find himself in a weird place with a [[Velocity (G1)|green stranger]] and an emotional Ratchet hugging him. He'd also found the time case, and watched quietly as a long-running drama involving Megatron played out in front of him. Afterwards one such stranger, Velocity, introduced herself to him {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}} and Rewind began to introduce him to others the next day. One other, [[Tailgate (G1)|titchy tiny Tailgate]], amused him by picking him up and carrying him around.

[[File:Anomie Roller and Rewind chat.jpg|upright=1.0|thumb|right|]]

Poor Roller got drafted into "[[Team Rodimus]]" and brought on an experimental quantum <strike>leap</strike> warp back to Cybertron. He proudly confirmed with GPS they were in Central [[Iacon]], only for them to learn they'd accidentally crossed to the Cybertron of [[Functionist Universe|a parallel universe]]! {{storylink|Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron|Some Other Cybertron}} To his confusion, everyone ''but'' him seemed to know what was up with this universe and Rewind's answer was no help. A team of rebels, the [[Anti-Vocationist League]], showed up to free them but, as a dismayed Roller said, they were ''rubbish''. When Rodimus decided they should break free and help, Roller took commands from Megatron on the best way to take out [[functionary|functionaries]]. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 2: Anomie|Anomie}} Along with everyone else, he witnessed [[Kalis|the sanctuary of Adaptica]], the fake-out of Rung's alternate mode, {{storylink|Dissolution Part 3: A World Misplaced|A World Misplaced}} and the arrival of a battle-prepped [[Luna 2]] come to devour said sanctuary. (Embarrassingly, the last one after he congratulated the locals for getting their moon back) {{storylink|Dissolution Part 4: Bad Moon Rising|Bad Moon Rising}}

While defending Adaptica alongside Megatron, Roller told him he reminded him of his good friend Orion Pax, hey, I think you met him once. The two of them discussed where Pax must be in this world and Roller, dismayed, had to admit that all signs pointed to dead or missing; certainly, he wasn't picking up when Roller called his personal frequency. As Luna 2 began to erase the city, Roller was sent to order an evacuation of the defence force. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 5: Modes of Production|Modes of Production}}

===''Unite Warriors''===
[[File:RollerNewBody-GrandGalvatronChapter.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6|[[Unicron|He]] saw me wanderin', hatin'.]]
{{main|Roller (G1)#Japanese cartoon continuity}}
{{note|In [[Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Japanese Generation 1 continuity]], Roller the full-size Transformer and Roller the buggy drone are one and the same individual. For full details of Roller's exploits in that continuity, see the above-linked article.}}
Roller was [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]'s long-time partner until the Autobot leader's death in the [[Battle of Autobot City]], which left an unfortunate Roller stranded between dimensions. Over time, his memories faded, until all that remained was an implacable desire to visit revenge upon Optimus Prime. Eventually, Roller was plucked back into his home dimension, in a new body, by [[Unicron]], who sought vengeful warriors to serve as components of the "[[Grand Galvatron]]" combiner.

Grand Galvatron proceeded to attack Cybertron, and after the combiner was forcibly separated, Roller was nearly able to prevent the resurrection of Optimus Prime. However, in the battle against Unicron that followed, Roller decided to put aside his anger and fight alongside his old partner. After helping form Grand Galvatron for an all-out assault on Unicron, Roller then served as an arm with which [[Optimus Maximus (G1)|Optimus Maximus]] landed the final blow against the Chaos Bringer.

In the battle's aftermath, Roller's memories returned and his anger disappeared, but he soon learned that Optimus's new lease on life would last just seven days. When his old partner passed away again, Roller volunteered to watch over his remains until Prime could be revived once more, so that they would never again have to part ways.
{{--}}

==Toys==
===''Generations''===
[[File:TTGenerationsTG24OptimusRoller.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Optimus Prime & Bumblebee''' (Multi-pack, 2013-[[September 28|09-28]])
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TG24'''
**''Accessories'': Ion Blaster

: The Japanese release of ''Generations'' Legends Class [[Roller (G1)#Generations|Roller]] redecoes him in metallic blue. He comes in a [[TakaraTomy]] four-pack with [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#OPandBee|Optimus Prime]], as well as [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#OPandBee|Bumblebee]] and [[Blaze Master#OPandBee|Blazemaster]]. Though he isn't designed to look like IDW Roller, his bio describes him as a partner of Orion Pax in the Cybertron police force, so...

{{--}}

===''Unite Warriors''===
[[File:TF-Unite-Warriors-UW06-Roller.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|"Today I have become something I have always wanted to be... an only child!"]]
*'''Grand Galvatron''' ([[2016]]-[[April 30|04-30]])
**''ID number:'' '''UW-06'''

:A [[redeco]] of ''[[Combiner Wars (toyline)|Combiner Wars]]'' [[Rook (Generations)#Generations|Rook]] (the first release of this mold in Japan), "Wandering Roller" features a color scheme based on his appearance in IDW comics. His vehicle mode, meanwhile, homages the original [[Roller (G1)|Roller]].

:As a Deluxe Class ''Combiner Wars'' mold, he can combine to form the leg or arm of any combiner from ''Combiner Wars'' or ''Unite Warriors'' combiner, but is usually associated with Grand Galvatron, as mentioned above.

:He was released as part of a Grand Galvatron giftset along with [[Cyclonus (G1)/toys#Unite Warriors|Tactician Cyclonus]], [[Starscream (G1)/toys#Unite Warriors|Ghost Starscream]], [[Thrust (Armada)#Unite Warriors 2|Curse Armada Thrust]], and [[Breakdown (WFC)#Unite Warriors 2|Zombie War Breakdown]].
{{CWRookMold}}
{{--}}

==Notes==
[[File:IDW Roller CharacterModel.jpg|upright=1.6|thumb|]]

*[[James Roberts]] confirmed that Roller ''was'' a separate person from the other Roller in an interview. This was partly to mess with us by having someone so different from the Roller we knew, partly to suggest that Optimus named his drone after someone, and partly to give Orion Pax a friend who's no longer around so we'll wonder "whatever happened to Roller?!". (Ratchet's mention of "the last time" was to make us think Roller was going to die, to build tension; Roberts laments he now can't have Roller, Ratchet, and Pax hang out post-"Shadowplay".)<ref>[http://theunderbase.libsyn.com/the-underbase-deconstructs-shadowplay "The Underbase Podcast Deconstructs Shadowplay", 39:43 - 41:54]</ref>
*In the same interview, Roberts and Milne say Roller was drawn so big because he transforms into a Cybertronian paddy wagon.
*For some time, a popular speculation among the readership of ''More than Meets the Eye'' was that Roller was the secret identity of [[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]]. [[Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays#Other trivia|Issue #36]] subsequently dropped an absurd number of teases in support of this theory, which were revealed as nothing more than cheeky red herrings when Tarn was unmasked in [[The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|issue #55]]. Furthering the joke, the reveal of Roller as alive and intact, also in that issue, came on the page immediately after Velocity asks about the DJD leader's identity (and immediately before Tarn's ''real'' unmasking).

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Transformers]]
[[Category:Law enforcement]]
[[Category:Point One Percenters]]

Our Heroes Respond

2017-11-16T01:37:38Z

HailMegatron: /* Continuity notes */

{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Titans Return (cartoon)|Transformers: Titans Return]]'' ep 2
|prev=Aftermath and Rebirth
|image=TF-TR-Cartoon-Ep2-Commune.jpg
|caption=Penance Stare!
|title="Our Heroes Respond"
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]], [[Machinima]]
|written by=[[F.J. DeSanto]]
|airdate=[[November 14]], 2017
|animation studio=[[Tatsunoko Production]]}}

'''With Trypticon on a rampage, the people of Cybertron begin weighing their options.'''

==Synopsis==
As the resurrected [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] begins rampaging through Metroplex City, [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] communes with [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]], discovering that he was planning to leave [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Metroplex explains that [[Titan (IDW)|Titans]] were meant to bring Cybertronian life to other habitable planets, helping to colonize them and propogate life, then sleeping in city form until they reawaken and repeat the process. Metroplex vows to try and stop Trypticon, but Windblade protests, claiming he is too badly damaged and won't survive. Metroplex forcibly ends their commune, telling her he promised [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] that he would defend their species to the end, and begins preparing as much as he can for the inevitable battle.

Windblade begins looking for fighters to aid them, but she only finds [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], who is preoccupied with studying a unique atom he discovered in [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream's]] molecular structure, the properties of which suggest the [[Enigma of Combination]] may predate the [[Prime (rank)|Primes]] themselves. Before he can continue, a sudden explosion heralds the approach of Trypticon, and the two head to the [[Primal Basilica]], where the [[Mistress of Flame]] is waiting. As they explain the situation, the Mistress of Flame concludes the only way to defeat Trypticon is with the aid of a second Titan, but Windblade asserts that Metroplex alone won't be enough. The Mistress of Flame decides to call on the Elite Air Resistance Squadron for aid, but worries for what may happen should both they and Metroplex fail. Metroplex begins slowly moving towards Trypticon and orders the citizens to evacuate, prompting Windblade to return to his side. Perceptor tells the Mistress of Flame there might be another way to stop Trypticon, telling her of another Titan, [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]], who was built during the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]] and decommissioned after its end. While Perceptor doesn't know where to find the Titan, he suggests [[Computron (G1)|Computron]] may be able to access historical battle records to determine the answer. The Mistress of Flame sends the [[Combiner]]s to seek out and awaken Fortress Maximus, but recognizes she may need the help of a military strategist.

As [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] continues to cruise the streets of Cybertron enjoying his newfound freedom, he receives a call from the Mistress of Flame. When she discovers he has given up the [[Matrix of Leadership]], she is enraged, asserting that they need the Matrix's wisdom to stop Trypticon. Hot Rod notes that Metroplex won't be enough to stop Trypticon and decides to rush to the battlefield, figuring he'll come up with a plan as he goes. As the Mistress of Flame laments his impetuousness, the Elites take to the skies and begin firing upon Metroplex, but the Titan effortlessly wipes them all out. Down to their last line of defense, the Mistress of Flame can only pray as Metroplex and Windblade approach Trypticon.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] (3)
*[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] (4)
*[[Computron (G1)|Computron]] (8)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] (10)

|c2=
*[[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] (1)
*[[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] (7)
*[[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] (9)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (11)
*[[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (12)
*[[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]] (13)
*[[Hotlink (G1)|Hotlink]] (14)

|h4=[[Caminus|Camiens]]
|c4=
*[[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] (2)
*[[Mistress of Flame]] (5)
*[[Victorion]] (6)
}}

==Quotes==

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* Immediately after being informed that Computron may know where Fortress Maximus is.. Windblade sends him to battle with the other combiners, to his potential doom. Great going there.

===Transformers references===
* Metroplex's tale of the Titans is almost entirely drawn off of the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity]], where it was first alluded to in [[A 'Bot and Her City|the first issue]] of the original ''[[The Transformers: Windblade|Windblade]]'' miniseries and further expounded on in the second volume to explain the origin of various Transformer colony worlds. In that universe, however, it was made clear that the colonization expeditions were the final voyages that each Titan would undertake, either dying or being cannibalized for parts by the civilizations they birthed; here, it's established that Titans could seed many worlds with life.

===Animation and technical errors===

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://www.go90.com/videos/8Ebc1KREnea "Our Heroes Respond" on Go90] (US only)

[[Category:Titans Return episodes]]

Plus One (Prime)

2017-11-14T13:01:17Z

HailMegatron: /* Quotes */

{{disambig2|the ''Prime'' episode|the ''Rescue Bots'' episode|Plus One (RB)}}
{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 59
|prev=Chain of Command (Prime)
|next=Thirst
|image=PlusOne-notdating.jpg
|caption=So, you come here often? ''I'm getting so damn tired of that joke''!
|title="Plus One"
|airdate=[[May 31]], [[2013]]
|written by=[[Greg Weisman]]
|directed by=[[Todd Waterman]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''While on a mission to gather a Predacon bone, Agent Fowler finds himself in a tight squeeze with June.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:PlusOne-surrounded.jpg|left|thumb|300px|You must be new here if you thought those guys would actually pose a threat.]]
[[Raf Esquivel|Raf]] picks up a signal from [[Scotland]] and [[GroundBridge]]s [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] back to the [[Hangar E|Autobot base]]. [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]] asks why he's returned alone, and Wheeljack disdainfully notes that the mission was a failure, and that the rest of his team will be returning via [[Iron Will|Ultra Magnus's ship]]. [[William Fowler|Fowler]] emerges from his office with reports of [[Decepticon]] activity in [[New Mexico]]. With [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime's]] team still in [[Texas]] and the rest of the [[Wrecker]]s still en route, that leaves Arcee and Wheeljack to continue the hunt for [[Predacon (Prime)|Predacon]] remains. They bridge to Fowler's coordinates and end up right in the middle of a squadron of [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]]s. The two Autobots take them out quickly, impressing one another with their skills.

[[June Darby|June]] arrives at the [[Hangar E|Autobot base]] to pick up medical supplies being donated by Fowler, who asks her to call him "William". Raf announces that he's discovered a Predacon talon in a museum, kept in storage because scientists didn't know how to classify it. Fowler volunteers to retrieve the fossil, and invites June to accompany him. She's reluctant at first, but is angered by the hypocrisy in [[Jack Darby|Jack]] forbidding her from endangering herself, and agrees to go.

On the outer hull of the ''[[Trypticon (WFC)|Nemesis]]'', [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] praises his [[Predaking (Prime)|new pet]] for successfully retrieving the fossil from Scotland. [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] reports the discovery of another Predacon energy signature, and Megatron orders him to acquire it. [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] arrives to mock Knock Out, but Megatron halts their bickering by telling Starscream to take Knock Out's place on monitor duty. As Megatron and Knock Out return inside the ship, a frustrated Starscream kicks the Predacon's tail. The beast responds with a vicious tail swipe that narrowly misses Starscream and wrecks the ship's communications array.

In a cave in New Mexico, Arcee inquires as to Wheeljack's foul mood. Wheeljack tries to brush off her questions, but Arcee persists, claiming that she knows Wheeljack only pretends to prefer working solo.

Fowler and June emerge from the museum with the Predacon talon in tow, joking about the experience and comparing past relationships. Their bonding is interrupted by the arrival of Knock Out, who renders them unconscious with a beam of light. They awake in the [[Decepticon]]'s trunk moments before he speeds off into the desert, leaving June's cell phone crushed on the ground. Knock Out attempts to request a GroundBridge, but is unable to make contact with the base.

On the ''Nemesis'', Starscream rants about the Predacon disabling their communications network while a couple of Vehicons attempt to repair it. Starscream enters an override code into a nearby computer console to reboot the system, but this only produces a shower of sparks.

Jack is worrying about how long his mother is taking when he receives a call from [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]]. She says that [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] is worried about Wheeljack, and Jack explains that he's on a mission with Arcee. Miko is annoyed that Wheeljack would replace Bulkhead so quickly, but also admits that she expected the two lone wolves to hook up.

June and Fowler bicker within Knock Out's trunk until the Decepticon tells them to stifle themselves. He continues to attempt communication with the ''Nemesis'', and June and Fowler begin devising an escape plan.

While digging in the cave walls, Wheeljack reveals to Arcee that Bulkhead, not [[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]], is the source of his current frustration. He feels his onetime partner has gone soft. Arcee tells him that people change and he has to either adapt or rust. She knows [[Tailgate (Prime)|from]] [[Cliffjumper (WFC)|experience]] the pain of losing a partner.

[[File:PlusOne-snatched.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Now kiss!]]

Fowler emerges from Knock Out's trunk and into his vehicle interior, forcing the startled Decepticon to stop at a railroad yard by twisting his steering wheel and slamming on the break. June races from the car with the Predacon talon and Fowler flees in the opposite direction. Knock Out transforms and quickly finds Fowler hiding amongst the freight cars. He grabs Fowler and threatens to kill him if June doesn't reveal herself and the talon.

Jack tries calling his mother and Fowler, but both of their phones go straight to voicemail. Raf innocently suggests they went to a movie.

As he lugs a Predacon spine out of the cave, Wheeljack admits that he was wrong to abandon Bulkhead like he did. Arcee receives a distress call from Jack, who is now in the museum parking lot holding his mother's crushed phone and watching a set of tire tracks lead into the desert.

At the train yard, Knock Out notices a railcar pull away, revealing a defiant June. She tells Knock Out that she hid the fossil in one of the cars, and will only tell him which after he's let Fowler go. Knock Out realizes the fossil is most likely on the departing train car, grabs June, and heads after it.

On the ''Nemesis'', a furious Megatron discovers that communications have been down for hours. No sooner does [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] get the network back online than Knock Out calls again, reporting that he has the Predacon bone in his sights and Wheeljack and Arcee on his tail.

A squad of [[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticons]] are GroundBridged to Knock Out's location and open fire on the pursuing Autobots. Wheeljack and Arcee fight back but continue to move forward. Knock Out reaches the freight car where the bone is hidden and launches himself into the air, transforming to robot mode as he does and letting June and Fowler drop. Below, Wheeljack transforms into robot mode, catches them, and transforms back into vehicle mode with the humans inside. Knock Out snatches the fossil and makes it through the Decepticon GroundBridge before Arcee can catch him.

At the Autobot base, Jack is relieved to see his mother, but less excited that she's taken to calling Fowler "Bill". Miko teases that Jack has also lost his Autobot partner to Wheeljack. But Wheeljack and Bulkhead quickly make up, much to Miko and Jack's delight.

Back at the ''Nemesis'', Megatron congratulates Knock Out and chastises Starscream. While Starscream again blames the Predacon's bestial stupidity, the so-called beast is busy entering Starscream's access code into the computer console from earlier, calling up the ship's information on Predacons.

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]] (3)
*[[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] (4)
*[[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] (5)
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (14)
*[[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]] (15)

|c2=
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]]s (7)
*[[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] (9)
*[[Predaking (Prime)|Predaking]] (10)
*[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] (11)
*[[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] (12)
*[[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] (16)
*[[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticons]] (17)

|c3=
*[[Raf Esquivel]] (1)
*[[Jack Darby]] (2)
*[[William Fowler]] (6)
*[[June Darby]] (8)
*[[Miko Nakadai]] (13)

}}

==Quotes==
"I didn't choose 'emergency' as my vehicle mode for laughs."
:—'''Ratchet'''

'''Wheeljack''': Know what I love most about Vehicon troopers? 
'''Arcee''': They're easily distracted.

"I'll have you know, Nurse Darby, I was an [[United States Army|Army Ranger]] and federal agent for [[Unit:E]] three decades before I ever heard the ''name'' 'Optimus Prime'."
:—'''Agent Fowler'''

'''Megatron''': Knock Out, do not return empty-handed. 
'''Knock Out''': Moi? Don't know the meaning of the word. 
'''Starscream''': Isn't "empty-handed" two words? 
'''Knock Out''': You would know. Or did your [[Apex Armor (Prime)|missing armor]] turn up?
:-'''Starcream's''' gonna need some ice after that burn.

"I wondered how long it would take for our two lone wolves to hook up."
:-'''Miko''', playing cupid with Arcee and Wheeljack

"Knock Out to Lord Megatron. I have secured one vintage Predacon talon. Plus, two of the Autobots' pets, for you to employ as hostages, lab experiments... well, any way you see fit. So go on, Big M, tell me you love me more than Starscream." 
''[Comm static]'' 
"My liege? Hello?" 
''[More static]'' 
"Too familiar?"
:—'''Knock Out'''

"Frankly, I find it ''repulsive''. The whole ''idea'' of you fleshies...''[[Reproduction|interfacing]]''." ''[Shudders]''
:—'''Knock Out'''

"*sigh* Okay, running from Bulk, shutting down like that, pretty spineless of me." 
"On the bright side, you have plenty of backbone now."
:—Guess what kind of fossil '''Wheeljack''' and '''Arcee''' found

"Bromance trumps romance."
:— '''Jack''' has it figured out

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* Optimus Prime's unit went to "[[Texas|oil country]]" in "[[Project Predacon]]".
* Wheeljack ditched his unit, the Decepticons recovered the Predacon fossil, and Starscream lost the Apex Armor in "[[Chain of Command (Prime)|Chain of Command]]".
* Jack traveled to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], much to his mother's discomfort, in "[[Orion Pax, Part 2]]".
* The complex equation Ratchet refers to is more than likely the [[Synthetic Energon|synthetic energon]] formula, which he's been trying to recreate since "Project Predacon".
* Arcee still has the laser weapon she took from Ultra Magnus's arsenal in "[[Rebellion (Prime)|Rebellion]]".
* The files accessed by Predaking are the same primitive renditions of Predacons that Ratchet showed to the others in "Project Predacon".
* While bickering, Starscream calls Knock Out a "wheel-bound" something (before Megatron cuts him off). He showed disdain for Knock Out's choice of alt-mode back in "[[Deus ex Machina]]".
* The museum in which Fowler and June find the Predacon talon appears to be the same one in which the Autobots found the Energon Harvester in "[[Deus ex Machina]]".

===Transformers references===
* Megatron refers to his upcoming Predacon army as "[[Beast Machines: Transformers (franchise)|beast machine]] super-soldiers".

===Real-world references===
* Fowler refers to Warren Gamaliel Harding, who was [[President of the United States]] when the Predacon talon was excavated in 1922.
* The video game Jack is playing appears to be a knock-off of ''[[wikipedia:Galaga|Galaga]]''. Certainly a step-up from the [[generic racing game]] the kids played before.
**The game also features sounds from the original arcade game, though somewhat confusingly, mostly consists of sounds from [[wikipedia:Pac-Man (Atari 2600)|the Atari 2600 port of ''Pac-Man'']], which was inexplicably ''the'' go-to for game sound effects for a few decades.

===Errors===
* Wheeljack's mouthplate silently opens and retracts when he fights the Vehicons.
* June Darby's car has only one lit headlight when she arrives at the base.
* The communication dish on the flight deck of the ''Nemesis'' didn't exist prior to this episode. In addition, it is initially shown to be on the port side of the vessel, but is on the starboard side (and facing the opposite direction) when Soundwave is working on it.
* Predaking copies Starscream's override code to access the communication array, but he was on the wrong side of the dish to see it when Starscream first used it.

===Trivia===
* Vehicons are named for the first time within the series.
* Pepper spray apparently works on [[Sensors#Optical sensors|optic sensors]], just not nearly as long as it does on humans.
* Wheeljack's and Arcee's claim that the Vehicons are easily distracted is more obvious than it first appears, since they have Arcee and Wheeljack trapped yet just stand there while the former slowly tosses the latter into the air. Even after this they seem to pay no attention to the fight, and appear to barely wish to engage in combat, with extremely sluggish attacks and little, if any, return fire.
* Knock Out seems to be extremely adept with human catchphrases and terms, even with those he finds "repulsive". He's also picked up some French.

===Foreign localization===
'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Plus Eins'''" ("Plus One")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 8|8 October]] [[2013]]

'''Hungarian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Három már tömeg'''" ("Three's a Crowd")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[September 10|10 September]] [[2013]]

'''Brazilian Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Mais Um'''" ("Plus One")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 15|15 November]] [[2013]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Uno in più'''" ("One More")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[September 6|6 September]] [[2013]]

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2013 — ''Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters'' — Season Three ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters'' — Season 3 Volume 2: Race for Salvation ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of France.png|20px|France]] 2015 — ''Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters'' — Saison 3 Volume 1: Le règne de Mégatron ([[Primal Screen]]) 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2015 — ''Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters'' — Season 3 Volume 1: Battle for Darkmount (Primal Screen) 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2015 — ''Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters'' — Staffel 3 Teil 1: Schlacht um Darkmount (Primal Screen) — English, German, Dutch and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2015 — ''Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters'' — Season Three Collection (Madman Entertainment) 
[[File:Flag of France.png|20px|France]] 2015 — ''Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters'' — Intégrale Saison 3 (Primal Screen) 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2015 — ''Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters'' — The Complete Season 3 (Primal Screen) 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2015 — ''Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters'' — Die komplette Staffel 3 (Primal Screen) — English, German, Dutch and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Italy.png|20px|Italy]] 2015 — ''Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters'' — The Complete Season 3 (Primal Screen) — English, Italian, Swedish, Finnish, Danish and Norwegian audio. 
;Blu-ray
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2013 — ''Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters'' — Season Three (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2016 — ''Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters'' — Season Three Collection (Madman Entertainment) 

[[Category:Prime episodes]]

Plus One (Prime)

2017-11-14T13:00:22Z

HailMegatron: /* Quotes */

Rebellion (Prime)

2017-11-14T12:53:50Z

HailMegatron: /* Transformers references */

{{disambig2|the ''Prime'' episode|the ''Armada'' episode|Rebellion (Armada)}}
{{episode|
|otherseries=''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' ep 56
|prev=Prey (episode)
|next=Project Predacon
|image=Rebellion-eyes.jpg
|caption=[[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|It happens...]] [[Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)|but miracles happen, too.]]
|title="Rebellion"
|airdate=[[April 12]], [[2013]]
|written by=[[Steven Melching]]
|directed by=[[Scooter Tidwell]]
|animation studio=[[Polygon Pictures]]
|production company=[[Hasbro Studios]]
}}

'''Team Prime wages war against the Decepticon citadel.'''

==Synopsis==
As the [[Autobot]]s prepare for battle, [[William Fowler|Fowler]] points out that the military has the weapons necessary to take down the fortress, but can't attack while [[Darkmount (Earth)|Darkmount]]'s [[fusion cannon]]s are pointed at major cities. [[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]] resolves to disable the cannons. As Darkmount has [[GroundBridge]] jamming capabilities, they will have to attack in a more roundabout way.

In an underground cavern, [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] expresses his doubt that he's ready to be a [[Prime (rank)|Prime]], but [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus]] points out that the decision will be made by the [[Matrix of Leadership]].

[[File:Rebellion-Shockwave.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|Move out, Predacons. We've waited a long time for this, yesss. Let us be close enough to enjoy it.]]

[[Jack Darby|Jack]] uses his cellphone at a gas station, and his signal is promptly picked up by the [[Decepticon]]s. [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] dispatches his seekers to investigate, but [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] GroundBridges Jack back to the ''[[Harbinger]]'' before they can reach him. [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] likewise calls for pizza from a [[New York City|New York]] alley to lure Decepticons there. Ratchet has Jack make a fake transmission from an [[Energon]] Mine, forcing Starscream to send [[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticon]]s to check the location. With the Decepticon forces thus scattered, the Autobots bridge to the fortress while Fowler stands ready at a nearby air base with a squadron of jets.

[[File:Rebellion-UltraMagnus.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.67|They have deduced our strategy, such as it was.]]

As the report comes in that the Energon Mine is safe and not under attack, [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] demands to know why the Decepticons have been spread so thin. [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] solves the mystery of where the Autobots are by pointing out the existence of the ''Harbinger'', however before Starscream can dispatch his armada to attack it, Darkmount itself comes under attack. Down below, [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] and [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] toss grenades at the base of the fortress and use their new weapons to stave off the [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]]s that attack them. Meanwhile [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] and [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]] take a more subtle route.

[[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] humbly suggests releasing [[Predaking (Prime)|the Predacon]] to repel the attackers. The beast enters the fray, but is quickly distracted by the ''[[Iron Will]]''. As it attempts to chase Magnus, Ratchet opens a GroundBridge, sending the creature to the Arctic, where it quickly freezes. Shockwave leaves the ''[[Trypticon (WFC)|Nemesis]]'' and starts jumping down the side of the fortress.

The dying Optimus begins to have a vision of the [[Allspark]] and [[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]]. Though Prime worries about the fate of the Matrix, his old teacher assures him it will pick a new leader.

Arcee reports to Magnus that she and Bumblebee have run into some trouble and are pinned down. Ultra Magnus decides to take matters into his own hands, entering the fortress and attacking the fusion cannon control room directly. He swiftly takes care of the Decepticons at the controls, only for Megatron himself to arrive. Meanwhile Shockwave reaches the bottom of the tower and incapacitates Bulkhead and Wheeljack with a single tank cannon blast, and Arcee and Bumblebee are surrounded by Decepticon troops. Ultra Magnus fights bravely against Megatron, but ultimately loses and is dragged up to the throne room.

Alpha Trion invites Optimus to join with the Allspark. In the cavern, the Optimus's optics flicker out and his chestplate opens up to reveal the Matrix. Smokescreen has other ideas, and drags the [[Forge of Solus Prime]] over in order to place it in Optimus's hand. A surge of energy emanates from the hammer.

[[File:Rebellion-prepunch.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67|My turn.]]

As Ultra Magnus won't tell Megatron anything, the Decepticon leader orders the prisoners executed and the fusion cannons fired, however Starscream points out that there's something incoming. In the ''Harbinger'', Ratchet also detects the inbound object, and it has an Autobot signature. It reaches visual range of the Decepticons, revealing itself to be Optimus himself, in a new upgraded form. Landing in the throne room, Optimus deals Megatron a series of concussions before smashing the Decepticon leader all the way into the throne. Once the other Decepticons have been dealt with, Magnus deals Starscream a shattering uppercut before briefing Optimus, who sets out to destroy the fusion cannons. The Autobots at the base of the tower, on hearing the news, overthrow their captors.

Enraged, Megatron takes to the air and attempts to shoot down Prime. The news that there are incoming human forces has Starscream order the fusion cannons to fire, but while they're still powering up, Optimus Prime punches Megatron and flings the Decepticon leader directly into the fusion cannon power core, disabling the cannons. The Autobots make a hasty withdrawal as Fowler's squadron of [[Skystriker (vehicle)|Skystrikers]] unleashes missiles on Darkmount. The Decepticons likewise retreat to their warship. Smokescreen drives up the highway in time to see the fortress come crashing to the ground.

Later, at [[Hangar E|a military base]], Fowler gives the Autobots a speech of thanks. The Autobots note that the Forge's power has been completely drained, but Ratchet assures Smokescreen he made the right choice.

[[File:Rebellion-Autobotgroupshot.jpg|700px|center|thumb|In the meantime, I've got a lot of catching up to do. People to meet, things to do... specifically to have Rattrap clear all of his junk out of my quarters!]]

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]] (1)
*[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] (2)
*[[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] (3)
*[[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] (4)
*[[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]] (5)
*[[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] (6)
*[[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] (12)
*[[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] (13)
*[[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]] (22)

|c2=
*[[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] (14)
*[[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] (15)
*[[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicon]]s (16)
*[[Decepticon Miner]]s (17)
*[[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticons]] (18)
*[[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] (19)
*[[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] (20)
*[[Predaking (Prime)|Predaking]] (21)

|c3=
*[[William Fowler]] (7)
*[[Jack Darby]] (8)
*[[June Darby]] (9)
*[[Miko Nakadai]] (10)
*[[Raf Esquivel]] (11)

}}

==Quotes==
"Guess we'll have to sneak past enemy lines, Wrecker-style." 
"I couldn't deal with 'Wrecker-style' back on Cybertron, and I refuse to deal with it here."
:—'''Wheeljack''' and '''Ultra Magnus'''

"I knew the humans couldn't resist using their telecommunications... That is all they seem to do."
:—'''Starscream''' does have a point there...

"Ultra Magnus, you are no Optimus Prime."
:—'''Megatron'''

"This isn't how the story's supposed to end."
:—'''Smokescreen'''

'''Optimus Prime''': Commander? 
'''Ultra Magnus''': Sir, you are looking... robust.

"Is it true the Forge has been drained of its power? Then any hope of rebuilding the Omega Lock has truly been lost." 
"I... did what I felt was right." 
"And your instincts once have again proven to be quite sound."
:—'''Ratchet''' and '''Smokescreen''' on the Forge of Solus Prime.

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* The Autobots dispose of Predaking in the same manner as they did the [[Scraplet]]s in "[[Scrapheap (episode)|Scrapheap]]". [[Chain of Command (Prime)|It doesn't work as well as they hoped]].
* The Forge of Solus Prime was established to be low on energy in "[[Prey (episode)|Prey]]". Optimus' upgrade drains it completely.
* Optimus repeats the line "Megatron, begone" from "[[Orion Pax, Part 3]]", in much the same context.
* Wheeljack retains the scars inflicted by Starscream in "[[Scattered]]".
* With Darkmount destroyed and the Autobots getting a new base courtesy of the U.S. military, both sides are pretty close to where they started off. Just like old times.
* Despite her last encounter with Shockwave, Arcee does not seem at all surprised to see him. Nor is she even given any interaction with him.

===Transformers references===
* Optimus Prime (and [[Ginrai (human)|Optimus expies]]) gaining a flight-capable backpack is something of an Optimus tradition by this point.
* Ultra Magnus 's "couldn't deal with" remark seems a nod to his [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Generation 1 counterpart's]] oft-referenced line from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.

===Animation and technical errors===
* Wheeljack doesn't have a grenade on his hip when he and Bulkhead engage the Seekers, but it appears there immediately after he uses his energy whip to destroy a few of them.
* When Wheeljack unsheathes his katanas to attack the Decepticons, the handles remain part of his character model as he draws them. The error is fixed by the next shot.
* When Optimus flies to the scene and quickly starts pounding Megatron, the latter's leg wobbling doesn't really match with background movement.
* Ratchet's "Pfft, well..." reaction to Miko suggesting the Forge might do him some good is completely out of sync with his mouth movements. The line itself is lifted from "[[Scattered]]".
* When Megatron drops to the ground about to fight Ultra Magnus, the sound from his landing seems to stop too abruptly. Normally there is a slight echo after a crashing sound effect. Maybe the room did not create an echo?
* When Megatron shoots Ultra Magnus's rifle out of his hand, the laser is red instead of purple.
* When the Autobots sent the Scraplets to the Arctic in "[[Scrapheap (episode)|Scrapheap]]", Ratchet reasoned that the smaller body mass of the Scraplets would render them much more vulnerable to the extreme cold. By comparison, both Optimus and Arcee remained functional, if somewhat impaired, for a significant period. Despite this, Predaking, who is even larger than Optimus (not counting the wings), is frozen solid in under a minute.
* Wheeljack is seen in Ultra Magnus' ship holding the energy whip ''and'' a blaster. However in the battle that follows said blaster is nowhere to be seen.
* Darkmount was located right next to the ruins of the Autobot base. Smokescreen retrieved Optimus from the rubble and presumably hid him in a cavern somewhere close by. Yet when Smokescreen tries to join the battle, he's seen arriving by the highway, having apparently driven a considerable distance.

===Trivia===
* This episode has a different map of the United States, this time with Louisiana in the right place.
* Shockwave runs for no man. Even his ''[[alternate mode|vehicle mode]]'' is slow!
* This is the first time in this series that anyone has [[flight|flown]] in [[robot mode]].
* Fowler refers to the jet fighters as [[Skystriker (vehicle)|Skystrikers]], like the fighters from ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]''; this was one of the set-ups for the eventually-canned ''[[Unit:E]]'' crossover project that ''Prime'' was intended to lead into.
* The "[[Transformers: Prime Beast Hunters the Autobits edition|Autobits]]" edition of the episode mistakenly describes ''Shockwave's'' face as receiving "over 300 cable channels", rather than Soundwave's as intended.
* Bulkhead is silent throughout the whole episode, unless you count his grunts during the various battles or his laughs heard at the tail end of the episode. [[Kevin Michael Richardson]] is still credited in the episode's credits.

===Foreign localization===
'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Rebellion'''" ("Rebellion")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 22|22 October]] [[2013]]

'''Hungarian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Ostrom'''" ("Assault")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[September 5|5 September]] [[2013]]

'''Brazilian Portuguese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Insurreição'''" ("Insurrection")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[October 4|4 October]] [[2013]]

'''Italian'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Ribellione'''" ("Rebellion")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[September 6|6 September]] [[2013]]

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2013 — ''Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters'' — Dawn of the Beast ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2013 — ''Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters'' — Season Three (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2014 — ''Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters'' — Season 3 Volume 1: Battle for Darkmount ([[Madman Entertainment]]) 
[[File:Flag of France.png|20px|France]] 2015 — ''Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters'' — Saison 3 Volume 1: Le règne de Mégatron ([[Primal Screen]]) 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2015 — ''Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters'' — Season 3 Volume 1: Battle for Darkmount (Primal Screen) 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2015 — ''Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters'' — Staffel 3 Teil 1: Schlacht um Darkmount (Primal Screen) — English, German, Dutch and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2015 — ''Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters'' — Season Three Collection (Madman Entertainment) 
[[File:Flag of France.png|20px|France]] 2015 — ''Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters'' — Intégrale Saison 3 (Primal Screen) 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2015 — ''Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters'' — The Complete Season 3 (Primal Screen) 
[[File:Flag of Germany.png|20px|Germany]] 2015 — ''Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters'' — Die komplette Staffel 3 (Primal Screen) — English, German, Dutch and French audio. 
[[File:Flag of Italy.png|20px|Italy]] 2015 — ''Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters'' — The Complete Season 3 (Primal Screen) — English, Italian, Swedish, Finnish, Danish and Norwegian audio. 
;Blu-ray
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2013 — ''Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters'' — Season Three (Shout! Factory) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2016 — ''Transformers Prime: Beast Hunters'' — Season Three Collection (Madman Entertainment) 

[[Category:Prime episodes]]

To sell toys

2017-11-12T17:34:28Z

HailMegatron: /* Random casting */

[[File:MarvelUS-19.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Hasbro wasn't quite sure whether to advertise this expensive toy until the fans forced their hand.]]
To understand ''Transformers'' fiction, it is important to understand that it exists '''to sell toys.''' [[Hasbro]] and [[TakaraTomy]] are toy companies, and they are primarily interested in continuing to sell [[toy]]s to children and adults. The cartoons, comic books, etc., mostly exist to make this happen. To be sure, they normally [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)#Reception|make a profit in their own right]], but this is regarded as mere gravy.

The "to sell toys" effect often distorts the fiction in interesting ways. Primarily, since you can't ([[Army-building|usually]]) sell someone the same toy twice,<ref>Although the toy lines from the [[live-action film series]] have given us multiple ''different'' toys of the ''same characters''.</ref> Hasbro and Takara constantly introduce new toys, and often require the creators of the fiction to introduce the new characters into ongoing storylines. Older characters (whose toys are no longer being sold) are shoved aside to make room.

Another effect of "to sell toys" is when the toys have gimmicks which must be explained in the fiction. Sometimes ([[Mini-Con]]s) this is relatively easy, while other times it requires a lot of imagination on the part of the writers (the in-comic explanations for the [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] and [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmasters]] are kinda wonky).

The UK [[Transformers (Titan Magazine)|movie-based ''Transformers'' comic]] took this to more blatant heights. For its first year, it had a specific four-page feature every week called ''Top Gear'', which existed solely to promote the newest Transformers merchandise. ''Any'' merchandise. This led to readers being told how great [[Optimash Prime]] was. For ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)|Transformers: War for Cybertron]]'', [[Ironhide (Movie)|''Ironhide himself'']] opened letters pages by telling readers how ''awesome'' the game was and how [[you]] should buy it.

{{bigquote|Truly, I'm speechless. Your species characterizes the infinite wonders of the churning, whorling, chaotic cosmos through the lens of... merchandising?

I can see why Swindle loves you idiots.|[[Sideways (disambiguation)|Sideways]] on the concept, [[Ask Vector Prime]].}}

==Casting==
===Huge casts===
[[File:CosmicRust-BigGroup.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|[[Pokeformers|Gotta catch 'em all!]]]]
Hasbro makes a lot of toys at once, and they generally want all of them to appear in their fiction. This can force writers to bring in vast numbers of characters all at once, sometimes with awkward results. Examples include:

*The first issue of the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Generation 1 comics]], "[[The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers]]", in which ''twenty-eight'' different robots appeared and introduced themselves, even though only a handful are important to the plot.
*"[[The Special Teams Have Arrived]]", a free mini-comic given away with issue [[Rock and Roll-Out!|#54]] of the [[Marvel Comics|Marvel UK]] [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|comic]], notoriously introduces the reader to ''twenty-four'' new Transformers in just three pages. Granted, four of those are the [[Combiner|combined forms]] of the other twenty, but that's still a lot of new names to remember.
*The 1987 ''[[The Transformers: Headmasters|Headmasters]]'' Limited Series, which introduced over ''sixty'' characters in the course of four issues, including all the first waves of [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] and [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmasters]], all their [[Nebulan]] partners, the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]], [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]], and [[Monsterbot]]s.
*The cartoon episode trilogy "[[The Rebirth]]" likewise abruptly introduced well over ''forty'' of the 1987 toyline characters, mostly the same ones seen in ''Headmasters''.
*In the first four episodes of [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 cartoon)|the 2001 ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon]], eighteen characters are introduced in quick succession.
*From #9 onwards, [[Transformers (Titan Magazine)|Titan's movie-based ''Transformers'']] heavily bumped up the cast with new toys. In one example, #17 brought in nine new toys in eleven pages; only one of the five Decepticons got any real focus or dialogue.

===Random casting===
The Hasbro-induced need to show all the toys can also cause stories to suddenly focus on a new character, sometimes dropping ongoing plot threads about older ones. Examples include:

*Season 2 of the cartoon introduced many new characters/buyable toys with no explanation; despite never having been seen before, the story treats them as though they have [[Beachcomber (G1)|been there]] [[Perceptor (G1)|the whole]] [[Tracks (G1)|time]].
[[File:Decepticonpretenders-behold.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|After seven issues, it's finally time for these six dudes to do something!]]
[[File:FlamesofBoltax-Triggerbots.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Apparently, the Triggerbots didn't make much of an impression on Prime.]]
*The comic issue "[[Pretender to the Throne!]]" suddenly introduces a dozen Autobots and Decepticons that we've never met before, and follows their adventures. The story adds nothing to the long-range plot that couldn't have been accomplished by using existing characters; these teams were added to the mix to promote their new toys.
*Many issues of the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel comic]] had cover blurbs in the form "Introducing the _______!", where the blank was whatever the latest line of toys was. The following issues specifically introduce new toys on the cover: [[Repeat Performance!|#8]], [[The Next Best Thing to Being There!|#10]], [[Brainstorm!|#11]], [[Command Performances!|#19]], [[Aerialbots over America!|#21]], [[Crater Critters|#29]], [[The Cure!|#30]], [[Pretender to the Throne!|#40]], [[People Power!|#42]], [[Ca$h and Car-nage!|#46]], [[Club Con!|#47]], and [[Yesterday's Heroes!|#60]]. Throw in a few covers where new characters were pictured but not named, and that's 1/5th of the series.
*In [[Spacehikers!|issue #36]] of the Marvel comics, when [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] decides that he needs help in dealing with [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]]'s inept leadership, he doesn't turn to any of the ''dozens'' of Autobots aboard the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], which include two combiner teams and Omega Supreme. No, he has to call in his "old buddy"/new toy, [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]].
*In the prelude to the [[Underbase Saga]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] were the lead characters in a story set before the Transformers came to [[Earth]]. But rather than palling around with the likes of Jazz or Soundwave, they are instead shown alongside the newest "gimmick" characters, the [[Triggercon]]s and the [[Triggerbot]]s.
*[[Mainframe Entertainment]] planned to use [[Wolfang (Maximal)|Wolfang]] in ''Beast Wars'', but [[Tigatron]] appeared instead because he had an upcoming toy, and to save money as his CGI model was only a slight tweak of [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]]'s.<ref>[http://groups.google.com/group/alt.toys.transformers/browse_frm/thread/9c79c4226fc6dd28/30c3cdf158ea6e52?lnk=st&q=bob+forward+beast+wars+tigatron+wolfang&rnum=1#30c3cdf158ea6e52 Ben Yee relays some info from Bob Forward in regards to Wolfang being replaced by Tigatron in the Beast Wars cartoon]</ref>
*Rather than revealing stuff about the [[Vok]] and [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]], a long-running subplot, "[[Other Victories]]" spends much of its time telling us how great [[Tigerhawk]] is and how we should buy his toy.
*Material released by both [[3H]] and [[Fun Publications]] tends to release characters from various series and continuities and then write stories featuring every character (usually with a particular focus on that year's box set), which often leads to some bizarre casting choices. [[Sky-Byte (G2)|Sky-Byte]], [[Strika (BM)|Strika]], and [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] were all retroactively added to [[Generation 2]] and [[Machine Wars]] because they wanted to do toys of them that year. The [[Shattered Glass]] version of [[Tracks (SG)|Tracks]] is introduced from nowhere, has minimal characterization, and doesn't do anything, because they wanted to do [[Tracks (G1)#Transformers_.282010.29|Tracks's 2010 toy]] in [[Diaclone]]/[[Road Rage (G1)|Road Rage]] colors. And pretty much every story taking place in the [[Classicsverse]], ostensibly a [[Marvel Comics continuity|Marvel G1]]-based series, will introduce or reintroduce characters who were dead (the various [[Underbase Saga]] casualties), not even implied in the original stories ([[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]], [[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|Metalhawk]]), or [[Female Transformer#Marvel Comics continuity|don't make sense in that universe to begin with]] ([[Elita One]]). Sometimes this gets a token justification, other times not.
*The [[First (and Second) in Flight|sixth issue]] of ''[[Transformers Animated: The Arrival|The Arrival]]'' stops following the regular cast so it can flag the awesome cool out-now-in-shops [[Safeguard (Animated)|Safeguard]] toy.
*Prominent generals in [[Transformers (Titan Magazine)|Titan's movieverse]] Decepticon army change frequently and without any acknowledgment as new toys jostle for (and gain) space.
*[[Dark Cybertron (IDW)|Dark Cybertron]] and its lead-ins were packed with ''[[Thrilling 30]]'' toys, so suddenly ''Beast Wars'' characters [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] and [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] are in G1. Things got worse in later issues when [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] and [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] needed a comic; Tankor berates Starscream for a few panels in [[No Exit: Dark Cybertron Chapter 6|''Dark Cybertron'' #6]], while Crosscut and [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] briefly halt the plot in [[The Dead Are Not Enough: Dark Cybertron Chapter 7|''Dark Cybertron'' #7]] to tell you who Crosscut ''is''. Then he vanishes. They've started getting an increased role in IDW fiction ever since, though.
*For "[[Combiner Wars (comic)|Combiner Wars]]", several Autobots had to abruptly depart the ''[[Lost Light]]'' for Cybertron so they could appear in their combiner teams. In the case of [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]], this was despite him having just become the Chief Medical Officer: a long-running plot!

===Limited casting===
On the opposite side of things, Hasbro doesn't want to pay to depict characters that aren't selling toys. This can force a story, particularly an animated cartoon, to have a smaller cast than it otherwise might.

[[File:Metamorphdeceps2.JPG|upright=1.1|thumb|The full might of the Decepticon army.]]
*The early episodes of ''[[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|Armada]]'' featured only the toys available on the shelves. This resulted in two ridiculously small teams going to [[Earth]] for the all-important mission of gathering Mini-Cons, rather inexplicable in story terms.
*[[Transformers: Armada (Dreamwave)|Both the Dreamwave]] and [[Transformers: Armada (Panini)|Panini comics]] suffered exactly the same problem, but it gets worse: [[First Encounter|The first ''Armada'' episode]] reused models of older Transformers as [[generic]] background guys to bump numbers up. The comics ''didn't''. So Megatron apparently conquers all of planet Cybertron with an army of three guys, whereas the city/planet defending Autobots are just five blokes.
*Dreamwave would also [[Dreamwave Armada issue 10|feature a scene on Cybertron]], where the ''only'' Autobot who seemed to exist was [[Jetfire (Armada)|Jetfire]].
*For [[Transformers: Movie Prequel|the movie prequels]], IDW got around this by deciding that [[Dreadwing (Movie)|Dreadwing]] was going to be a [[Class Alpha drone unit|series of drones]] instead of one guy, allowing for really big battle scenes despite a then-limited number of toys. (It would later turn out there was ''also'' a Dreadwing who was one guy.) Titan Magazines would borrow this, and turn other Decepticons into drone series too.
*It seems unlikely that four bots and their human partners would be sufficient to handle every emergency on [[Griffin Rock]], but those four bots [[Transformers: Rescue Bots (toyline)|were the only ones on shelves at the time]] (other than [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus]] and [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]], who were needed [[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|elsewhere]]), so they were the ones who went into [[Transformers: Rescue Bots (cartoon)|the show]]. As the toyline expanded, toy characters Blurr, Salvage, High Tide and Quickshadow were introduced into the cast.
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==Plot==
===Forced explication===
{{main|Introdump}}

Rather than simply showing up in the background, new toy/characters often overtly introduce themselves, often with a ridiculous description of their special abilities. The Marvel comic is rife with examples, but it shows up across numerous fictions.

[[File:Introdump decepticons marvelus01.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Reflector is actually here, he's just buried underneath a pile of speech bubbles.]]
*Again, [[The Transformers (issue)|''Transformers'' #1]] has two huge splash pages in which 28 characters do nothing but stand around and tell each other who they are and what they can do.
*The two-part Generation 1 cartoon episode "[[Dinobot Island, Part 1|Dinobot Island]]" features many new 1985 characters getting their own short little introductory scene, often with a characteristic bit of self-description ([[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]]: "I'd rather stay in my stunning auto mode!" [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]]: "I'm ''always'' ready for action!" [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]]: "Wow, like, I hope we don't destroy this place before we can study it!")
*"[[The Rebirth]]" has ''three different sequences'' in which large new groups of characters form a lineup and introduce themselves to viewers one after another. Strangely enough, much of this screen- and dialogue-time is given over to Nebulan partners; the "main" Transformer characters get no such introductions, even though they are the items kids would have to purchase to acquire the Nebulan accessories. For instance, [[Spasma]], [[Monzo]], and [[Peacemaker]] (all speaking characters) are introduced by name as part of various lineups, but their in-store hosts [[Apeface]], [[Weirdwolf (G1)|Weirdwolf]], and [[Pointblank]] are never named (and Weirdwolf never even speaks).
*"[[Beast Wars (Part 1)]]" has the Maximals walk on one-by-one admiring their [[beast mode]]s, loudly explaining their names and showing character traits. This also gives the impression they deliberately changed their names to fit these new beast modes for no apparent reason.
*Crosscut and Swerve fill in Crosscut's backstory and job during a fight. That's all Crosscut does in [[The Dead Are Not Enough: Dark Cybertron Chapter 7|''Dark Cybertron'' #7]].

===Gimmicks===
When the toys can do something special, fiction writers must often go out of their way to show the gimmick in action.

*The Headmaster gimmick got [[The Transformers: Headmasters|an entire Limited Series comic book]] devoted to it.
*The comic issue "[[Pretender to the Throne!]]" features [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] proudly creating the [[Pretender]]s, gloating that they will hide the Decepticons' identities from the Autobots "until it is too late". Not only does the plan not actually work, it's also a plot point with absolutely zero lead-in or build-up—at no point has Scorponok ever expressed concern about his troops being detected by the Autobots, and we've never even met the Pretender characters before. It was brought about solely because the new toys had to be jammed into the story. (The, uh, story of returning Optimus Prime's character to the comic book because he had [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#PMOP|a new toy]].)
*[[Rotor Force]] made their debut in "[[New Dawn]]", and both here and in subsequent ''Generation 2'' issues would primarily fight enemies not with guns like everyone else, but by firing their giant rotors at them. Page 3 of ''New Dawn'' actually shows them having to ''stop and reattach their rotors'' before they can carry on fighting.
[[File:Mistaken Identity Galvatronscourge.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|[[Johnny Yong Bosch|It's Morphin Time! MASTODON!]]]]
*The [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 franchise)|2001 ''Robots in Disguise'' franchise]] [[Megatron (RID)|Megatron]] had six alternate modes and [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 cartoon)|the cartoon]] really wanted you to see them, which is why [[Battle Protocol!|his first appearance]] is as ''a giant hand for no reason''. It gets sillier when he turns into Galvatron and gains four more modes. In "[[Mistaken Identity]]", he turns into his "Iron Mammoth" form when facing off against [[Fortress Maximus (RID)|a hostile Fortress Maximus]] even though he doesn't ''do'' anything in his form except stand there ''as he was already doing''.
*[[Jetstorm (Animated)|Jetstorm]] and [[Jetfire (Animated)|Jetfire]] are the only Autobot jets in the ''Animated'' line. (Not counting the toyless [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]].) To fully big this up, their origin story has it that there have ''never been'' any flying Autobots before, despite them having been in (and won) a long and bitter war with enemies who ''often fly''.
* The second season of the 2015 ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 cartoon)|Robots in Disguise]]'' cartoon coincided with the release of the [[Deployer]] toys, which fire smaller [[Mini-Con]] figures. Suddenly, every Decepticon in the cartoon was partnered with a Mini-Con or two, even Decepticons who'd appeared in the past as solo operatives.

The [[Unicron Trilogy]], noted for its gimmicks in all three toylines, was particularly notorious in this regard:

*The quest for power-enhancing [[Mini-Con]]s practically defined the plot of the ''[[Transformers: Armada (cartoon)|Armada]]'' cartoon, with both factions out to recruit or capture all the Mini-Cons.
*[[Powerlinx]]ing is shown again and again and again in ''[[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|Energon]]'', despite having comparatively little relevance to most episode plotlines. In fact, due to the fact much of Energon's action was firefights, Powerlinxing seemed to be a disadvantage, since it resulted in a single larger Autobot shooting instead of two smaller ones.
*[[Cyber Key]] powerups are likewise shown repeatedly in ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|Cybertron]].'' In this case, while most characters had basic weapons, the Cyber Keys were necessary to unlock hidden weaponry or special techniques. So, for example, Optimus might be able to shoot at the Decepticons with a smaller firearm, but to fire his larger cannons he would need to summon his Cyber Key. Some characters, however, needed their Cyber Keys to activate what one would expect to be their main weapons (e.g. Starscream activating his Null Ray Cannon).
*All three series were also marked by lengthy transformation sequences which highlighted the gimmicks in very toy-accurate animation (and also made production cheaper, thanks to [[Stock footage|recycled footage]]).

===Strange developments===
Shoehorning loads of new characters with new powers can compel the writers to do things with the plot that, in all probability, they otherwise wouldn't.

*Marvel UK had to promote the [[Special Teams]] toys ''before'' they knew how they'd be appearing in the US reprints. To get around this, [[Simon Furman]] wrote a story arc titled "[[Second Generation!]]", where [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]], Optimus and [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] <s>watched an advert</s> saw a Matrix-induced vision of the Special Teams in action. These events were previewed in "The Special Teams Have Arrived", nine issues earlier, with no indication that they were part of a vision, making their place in continuity uncertain.
*In the US Marvel comics, the simultaneous introduction of the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] and [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] and the introduction of the Pretenders both saw a lot of rigamarole involved in explaining why both the Autobots and the Decepticons had new members with identical numbers/gimmicks at the same time.
*Season 3 of the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original ''The Transformers'' cartoon]] almost completely ignored the characters of the previous two seasons that were no longer on toy shelves. The 1985 Autobot cars, for example, are not seen at all. [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] and the 1985 Mini-Vehicles, by contrast, show up now and again, as their toys were still shipping. Even Starscream, who was ''dead'', managed to get a couple of Season 3 episodes all to himself; again, his toy sold through 1986.
*''[[Transformers: The Headmasters (cartoon)|The Headmasters]]'' was absolutely crazy about this. [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus]] (whose toy was long gone) kicks the bucket only three episodes in for the sake of a sacrifice that would be nullified only a few episodes later, putting new(er) toy [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Rodimus Prime]] back in the command chair for a short while. In the tenth episode, Rodimus departs the series and hands the title of Supreme Commander to brand-spanking-new toy [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress]], who's had a few months, tops, of combat experience. Much like Season 3, ''Headmasters'' also ignored most of the Season 3 regulars ([[Springer (G1)|Springer]], [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]]s, the [[Quintesson]]s) or removed them altogether, sometimes fairly dubiously ([[Blurr (G1)|Blurr]] and [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]] leave with Rodimus, [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] gets shot a bit and dies, [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] is buried in ice and nobody digs him up until ''[[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: The Battlestars (story page)|Battlestars]]''). By the end of the series, the only remaining Autobots from the first three seasons were the [[Special Teams]], [[Blaster (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Twincast]] and his cassettes, [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]], [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]], and [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]].
*[[Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 2|''Transformers Comic-Magazin'' #2]] wrote an entire story devoted to Optimus sternly explaining which Autobots and Decepticons were on sale in [[Germany]] in 1989. The reason he had to? [[Quickmix (G1)|Quickmix]] had ''shot an Autobot''!
*The first thirteen issues of the ''[[Transformers: Armada (Dreamwave)|Armada]]'' comic were focused around the Mini-Cons, with plots often revolving around their desire to be seen as equals and not be enslaved. Then without ''any'' prior set-up, the last five issues turn into a dimension-spanning battle against [[Unicron]]—who had just had a new and expensive toy.
*[[Tigerhawk]] debuts in "[[Other Victories]]", where he's the reason the Predacons lose their base and [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] is killed. This disrupts any ending for the Tarantulas/[[Vok]] storyline, as the episode is left with little time to properly explain the mysteries of either character and the plot of last episode, Tarantulas trying to destroy the whole ''Ark'', is reduced to two lines about the [[Tripredacus Council]].
[[File:Samprowl.jpg|100px|thumb|<s>Upgrades are bad.</s> Upgrades are GOOD. We have always been at war with <s>Eurasia</s> Eastasia.]]
*"[[A Fistful of Energon]]" has [[Prowl (Animated)|Prowl]] learn not to use upgrades, and he gives up using powerful samurai armour. But whoops, Hasbro thought "hey, we could make a toy out of that armour"! And so in [[Five Servos of Doom|a later episode]], Prowl ''regains'' it and the show hurriedly claims that the upgrade is fine ''now'' because Prowl realizes now that it's the Autobot, not the upgrade.
*The [[France|French]] decided to be good sports and start using propeller-driven nuclear bombers again in [[All Hail Megatron issue 11|''All Hail Megatron'' #11]], just so [[Octane|Tankor]] could be used.
*[[Ransack (ROTF)|Ransack]] has been on Earth for a while, in hiding from other Decepticons while he waits for orders from [[the Fallen]] in "[[Transformers Comic issue 2.7|Turnabout]]". Ransack is a member of a race that can scan any object and take its form as a disguise. Ransack moves around in the cunning disguise of ''a 100-year-old plane''. (At least, unlike the previous example, the oldness of the alt mode was pointed out.)
*In Titan's ''Revenge of the Fallen'' comic, [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]] go from being [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee's]] responsibility to bugging [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] to being [[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe's]] responsibility in the space of three issues, all to allow each issue to focus on a specific toy-bearing movie star. Similarly, only one or two Decepticons per issue are sent on a mission, when presumably the Fallen might want to send loads of guys to silence the twins.
*In ''Dark of the Moon'', nearly all of the Transformers switch from built-in weaponry to handheld weaponry. It just so happens that the gimmick of the ''Dark of the Moon'' toys was that they had "MechTech" weapons that could be held by any other figure.
*Also in ''Dark of the Moon'', most Autobots have a strange tendency to transform into a weaponized vehicle mode that allows them to access various weapons in their otherwise defenseless disguises, an incredibly useful combat mode that's never used in any prior or later films. On an unrelated note, there was an accompanying sub-series of figures and videogames called [[Stealth Force]] which revolved around the characters being able to transform into a weaponized vehicle mode that allows them to access various weapons in their otherwise defenseless disguises.
*The [[subline imprint]] of the ''[[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|Prime]]'' [[Transformers: Prime (toyline)|toyline]] was the ''[[Beast Hunters (toyline)|Beast Hunters]]'' line, which took hold at about the time of the [[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|show]]'s third season, which was given the subtitle of the imprint. In the episode "[[Project Predacon]]", [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] awkwardly redubs [[Team Prime]] as the "Beast Hunters", when they begin looking for Predacon fossils. The Autobots must've felt the same way as we did about the sudden name change, since really only the protocol-obsessed [[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]] begins using the term. Thanks to behind the scene troubles and the whole concept being a late addition to the series, the team never actually ''hunts any beasts'', as only three Predacons ever take a central role in the story.
*The [[subline imprint]] for the ''Generations'' line from 2015 to 2016 was ''[[Combiner Wars (franchise)|Combiner Wars]]'', hence IDW's tie-in comic had to introduce a heapload of combiners in a universe that regarded combination as a lost art with unpredictable side-effects. (Devastator, Menasor, Superion, and Monstructor were around, but they had each been introduced separately, and each with their own unique explanations, over the course of ''ten years''.) Enter the [[Enigma of Combination]], an artifact of Nexus Prime with the power to merge any Transformers into a combiner. Not only is this artifact used on Superion, Menasor, and Defensor, it is also used on Optimus Prime and other selected Autobots to create [[Optimus Maximus (G1)|Optimus Maximus]]. The fact that Optimus had two Combiner Wars toys (one released, one upcoming at the time of the story's publication) might have influenced this decision.
*Also, the big toy of 2015 was a Titan Class Devastator... in his classic configuration instead of IDW's newly introduced 'Prowlastator' form. Unfortunately, Scrapper had been long dead and hence was unable to take his spot as the combiner's leg. However, IDW had another bulldozer-bot conveniently lying around - [[Scoop (G1)|Scoop]]. Naturally, he was merged with the other Constructicons by the aforementioned Enigma, restoring Devastator's classic silhouette.
*Prior to ''Combiner Wars'', the comic had dropped hints that forming Devastator was taking a heavy toll on Prowl's mind and body, and his unconscious references to "Scrapper" seemed to hint at something greater going on in his psyche. Come ''Combiner Wars'', "Prowlastator" was quickly written out, leaving this plot thread dangling.
*In a follow-up story, Galvatron creates two combiners out of random soldiers and foes. To plug the new merch, these are called [[Galvatronus (Generations)|Galvatronus]] and [[Sky Reign]] but most of the characters that made them up in toy form were either on Cybertron, the ''[[Lost Light]]'', or dead at the time. Unusually for this page, Hasbro allowed IDW to use random limbs as long as the names were right but this leads to the comic pimping a toy you can't buy (though you could make it with others), and in Galvatronus' case a toy that doesn't even have the same face as in the comic.
*The first wave of ''Titans Return'' Voyagers had Sentinel Prime. Lo and behold, the last two issues of ''Robots in Disguise'' and ''More Than Meets The Eye'' revolve around Sentinel Prime suddenly coming back from the dead after four million years, with absolutely no buildup beforehand, menacing everyone a little, then getting dropped down a very big hole, never to be spoken of again.
*A ''Titans Return'' Orion Pax toy was announced as an exclusive two-pack. The accompanying IDW fiction, however, has only Optimus Prime... until Team Rodimus takes an unexpected visit to the [[Functionist Universe]] and (accidentally) leaves Megatron there. As Megatron completes a speaking tour, a voice comes through his communicator... the voice of Orion Pax!
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===Awkward continuity===
[[File:Earthforce.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|This happened... er.... look just buy the toys, ok?!]]
Sometimes the requirement to feature new toys can be so strong that continuity takes a major backseat and stories are produced that feature combinations of characters that make the story very difficult to slot into the main continuity. The Marvel UK comic was especially prone to this as it could not always foresee where, when and how characters would be introduced:

*The ''[[Transformers Annual 1986]]'' contains many stories featuring toys from the 1985 release long before they were formally introduced in the regular comic, often interacting with other characters who would be out of action by then. As a result, few of the stories easily fit the continuity of the weekly comic.
*The demands of Hasbro UK for the [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] and [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmasters]] to be featured heavily even before the US ''[[The Transformers: Headmasters|Headmasters]]'' mini-series was available meant that both the ''[[Transformers Annual 1988]]'' and the regular strip "[[Worlds Apart!]]" contain a slightly different set of events that are at odds with the mini-series.
*The requirement to give prominence to the rereleased toys in the [[Classics (Europe)|Classics]] range resulted in one of the biggest continuity trainwrecks of all, [[Earthforce]]. Over two decades later fans are still uncertain where it fits in continuity, and even [[Simon Furman]] admits to being unsure.<ref>"Looking back, as I try my hardest not to do, it's very hard to tie the Earthforce stories into a specific time frame (in terms of the US continuity), because (if I'm brutally honest) I didn't try too hard to make it work in the first place. By that point, I was just trying to tell a bunch of fun UK stories that didn't necessarily impact on the larger (US) storyline. How was I to know 15 or so years later people would be trying to reconcile it all?" [http://transfans.co.uk/interviews_furman.php TransFans.net - Interviews: Simon Furman - Part 1 'The Past'].</ref>
*Germany's ''[[Transformers Comic-Magazin]]'' started in 1989 and reprinted older Marvel US and UK strips. Since, of course, these would rarely show the current toys, Comic-Magazin ran text stories from #2 that showcased ''completely different'' Transformers that were on Earth at the same time, and just happened not to be seen in the strips.
*Trapped between the need to pimp toys and the problem of not knowing what the plot of ''Revenge of the Fallen'' would be, Titan just threw up their hands and unambiguously set their lead strip in [[Transformers (Titan Magazine)#Alternate universe|an alternate universe]].
*Based on evidence from various sources, it's been speculated that the episode "[[Starscream's Ghost]]" was originally meant to star [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]], who at the time had been exiled from the Decepticons and was on somewhat friendly terms with the Autobots. Instead, his role was taken over by new toy [[Octane]]. The only other episode to prominently feature Octane, "[[Thief in the Night]]", which was aired ''after'' "Starscream's Ghost", kinda sorta explains his falling out with the Decepticons—except it doesn't: While said episode ''does'' have him go rogue, not only is he ''still'' a bad guy—by the end of that episode, ''Galvatron is no longer on bad terms with Octane''! Likewise, the episode "[[The God Gambit]]" starred [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], Starscream and Thrust, with Astrotrain (a new toy at the time) taking on a leadership role more akin to Megatron rather than the bus he's reduced to in almost every other episode.
*The Japanese broadcast of ''Animated'' outright skipped "[[Rise of the Constructicons]]" and "[[Sari, No One's Home]]", as they largely revolve around the toy-less [[Mixmaster (Animated)|Mixmaster]] and [[Scrapper (Animated)|Scrapper]]. Meanwhile, "[[Sound and Fury]]" was moved up to be the first episode to air after the pilot to promote Soundwave's toys, which is at odds with continuity since Megatron only came back online during "[[Home Is Where the Spark Is]]", which was pushed to air ''after'' "Sound and Fury."
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===Power levels===
In order to make new characters seem more ''totally awesome'', they're often depicted as ultra-powerful in their initial appearances. Once they become old news, they frequently seem to lose their super-charged abilities.

*The Generation 1 cartoon introduced [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] as the ultimate threat. Once newer combiner teams came along, however, he was less of a threat, easily defeated at various times by [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]], [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] and even [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]].
[[File:Buzzsawyikes4.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Buzzsaw reminds Omega Supreme he's not a new toy any more.]]
*The Marvel comics feature [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] as nigh-invulnerable and ultimately powerful in [[Command Performances!|his debut issue]], slaughtering all but two of the Decepticon forces sent to attack him. Just [[Dark Star|two years later]], he's getting his butt handed to him by the likes of [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], one of his original victims.
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] was, amazingly, something of a threat in early episodes; he holds his own against [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] in his debut. He only became significantly weaker than the other Predacons during the second season.
*In her first appearance on the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon, [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] effortlessly blasts [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] to pieces. She never displays such a level of power again.
*Similarly, [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]] was presented as a huge threat when he first appeared, but just a few episodes later, he seems just slightly tougher than the average Predacon (save for a few notable occasions).
*[[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]] was actually a credible threat for his first couple of episodes.
*The [[Commando (RID)|Commandos]] were far more powerful and competent than the Predacons, who were made even ''less'' powerful and competent as episodes went on. Remarkably, this was actually used in the plot, with Megatron focusing on the new toys while the Predacons became underdogs trying to get their old status back and one-up the new guys.
[[File:ArmTVTidalWave.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Before he shrank in the wash.]]
*''Any'' new toy character in the Unicron Trilogy cartoons is almost guaranteed to win the day's battle.
*[[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Tidal Wave]] was a staggering behemoth as big as the sky in his introduction, and his ability to combine with Megatron gave the battle advantage to the Decepticons until his equally powerful counterpart [[Overload (Armada)|Overload]] was introduced. By the time of the ''Energon'' cartoon, Tidal Wave is just this tall guy (but not as tall as he used to be) and is treated as just another Decepticon, even after he gets a body upgrade in the form of "Mirage".
*When the newly redecoed Jetfire and [[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus]] combine in Dreamwave's Armada comic, they are so powerful ''they can hurt Unicron himself''.
*[[Animatron|Jungle Planet]] ruler [[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] was incredibly powerful when he was first introduced, but later on, he's getting slaps on the wrist by [[Lori Jiménez|Lori]] and [[Thunderblast (Decepticon)|Thunderblast]], and schooled by [[Bud Hansen|Bud]], ultimately becoming more of a sympathetic comedic bumbler than a credible threat.
*The Decepticons in ''Animated'' started off as being so horrifically powerful that the entire Autobot team had to take on a ''single'' one. By Season 3, this no longer happens. Uniquely, this was ''deliberate'' by the writers: they wanted to show the Decepticons as supreme threats, and have the Autobots gradually being better at dealing with them.
*The [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] in ''Prime'' started off pretty tough; easily wearing down [[Cliffjumper (WFC)|Cliffjumper]] in a group, then just two giving [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]] and [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] a tough time. In the next episode, they've got Stormtrooper aim, and basically exist to give the Autobots someone to kill while saving the named Decepticons from the scrapheap. It gets to the point where in the third season, [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] actually ''counts'' on the Vehicons failing to execute [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]], and Wheeljack makes several amusing comments about the Vehicons' incompetence.
*Additionally, the [[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticons]] started off as nightmarishly strong monsters. One wears ''[[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]]'' to the point of exhaustion before dying (admittedly, Megs was deprived of his main asset when Airachnid webbed his fusion cannon). However, for the remainder of the series, the Insecticons are just as weak as the Vehicons, being blasted down in one shot, despite a return to form in [[Tunnel Vision]] and [[Toxicity]] (the latter of which saw the debut of notorious Autobot killer [[Hardshell (Prime)|Hardshell]]).
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===New bodies===
There's rarely a compelling reason for a Transformer to get a brand-new body in fiction; it's simply to promote a new toy. It has become a default way to keep a popular character on shelves, rather than having to kill them off and introduce a new character to keep moving toys. Sometimes fiction writers are able to work these alterations in elegantly... sometimes not.

[[File:Bumblebeeskindeep.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Ratchet pulls a Kitty Pryde on Bumblebee.]]
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Bumblebee]] was rebuilt into Goldbug following his near-destruction... and was later re-rebuilt back into Bumblebee to sell the [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Pretender|new Classic Pretender toy]]. The reason given in [[Skin Deep|the comic storyline]] was that [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] reverted him without his consent because Ratchet liked his old form better, something Bumblebee is strangely fine with.
*Season 2 of ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' introduced the new [[Transmetal]] toys in short order, requiring some strange sci-fi waffling to explain why members of both teams suddenly got special new bodies. The writers had originally planned to introduce these changes gradually, across the length of Season 2, but Hasbro ordered them to be brought in immediately. (The slow-and-gradual notion would eventually appear during Season 3.)
*The [[Unicron Trilogy]] cartoons feature [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]] getting recolored and renamed "Galvatron" ''three times''; at the start of each subsequent series, he's given a different body but called Megatron ''again'', because the name "Megatron" just sells more toys. (This also means Hasbro gets to keep the [[trademark]] "Galvatron".) The Japanese versions handled this differently (with Megatron known as Megatron throughout Armada even after his upgrade, and being known as Galvatron throughout all of Energon) due to different trademark laws. Galaxy Force (the Japanese version of Cybertron) played it straight with Master Megatron being upgraded into Master Galvatron.
*Several times during the Unicron Trilogy, characters get new paint jobs as part of some magical power-up enhancement. These new color schemes exist solely to promote redecorated toys like "[[Ironhide (Energon)|Energon Ironhide]]" or "[[Hot Shot (Armada)/toys|Powerlinx Hot Shot]]". Even the comics got in on the action, introducing the redecorated versions of Jetfire and Optimus during the Unicron arc.
*The three future members of the [[Cybertron Defense Team]] get shot up by Megatron, then transmogrify through the power of [[Burning justice|BLAZING HEART OF JUSTICE]] into new forms. These new forms, of course, were just hitting shelves at a toy store near you.
*In the course of the [[Transformers (film)|live-action movie]], [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] gets irritated at a slight against his alternate mode, and scans a new form. Voila, suddenly he's got ''two'' toys on the shelf! He later pulls the ''exact same thing'' in ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction]]'', but by now, he's been established as having a fragile ego, explaining the constant desire to switch alternate modes.
*When [[IDW Publishing|IDW]]'s ''Transformers'' comic originally came out, there were no Generation 1-themed toys to flog, and many characters were given altered designs for the series. Then along came ''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]'', featuring new toys of Generation 1 characters, and suddenly multiple characters get new, toy-accurate bodies in ''[[The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron]]'', for no apparent in-story reason. Later, [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] even gets a namechange to ''Silver''streak to fit his toy.
*Sometimes, IDW's comics don't even bother with a reason: you just get the latest issue and a character suddenly resembles the latest toy. This can sometimes be explained as artist interpretation, but at other times...
*[[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] was originally grey, but when he was reunited with the ''Animated'' Decepticons, he changed his colours to purple while referring to it as his proper look. Why he changed colouration to go undercover was not explained, but it may have something to do with a purple-coloured Shockwave toy being out when that episode aired.
*In ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'', [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]] start out as an old ice cream truck combiner but after a disastrous mission [[NEST]] decides to upgrade them to new individual [[General Motors]] vehicles. New toys ''and'' product placement!
*[[Starscream (Armada)#Generations|''Armada'' Starscream]] got a new toy in 2014. There wasn't an ''Armada'' comic but there ''was'' a Generation 1 comic with a Starscream, which was then [[pack-in material|packed in]] with the toy series including Armada Starscream. And lo and behold, for ''[[Dark Cybertron (IDW)|Dark Cybertron]]'' Starscream got a new body! A year later, he swapped to ''another'' body for "[[Combiner Wars (comic)|Combiner Wars]]", which was his then-new Leader Class toy, and several issues were devoted to him choosing it and then flaunting it. Then again, this ''is'' Starscream we're talking about...
*[[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] finally got a new toy as well. Problem is, his comic body didn't look much like the toy. Then, in ''[[Black Planet: Dark Cybertron Chapter 11|Dark Cybertron Chapter 11]]'', he revealed his new invention: reactive armor that changed his body to look like his opponent's. Who did he use this armor to battle? Why, it's Starscream, the guy his toy was retooled from!
*2015's "[[Combiner Wars (comic)|Combiner Wars]]" comic series brought back almost all of the combiner characters that have appeared in the IDW continuity thus far. However, [[Slingshot (G1)|Slingshot]] was apparently killed by [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] and [[Wildrider (G1)|Wildrider]] quit the Stunticons... so that [[Alpha Bravo]] and [[Offroad]] can replace them! Meanwhile, Starscream rebuilds Devastator; not only does Devastator suddenly resemble his toy counterpart, but [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] is no longer a required member of the combiner team, leaving him free to combine with Optimus Prime and company to become the brand-new combiner [[Optimus Maximus (G1)|Optimus Maximus]]. Superion and Menasor, who had made previous appearances in IDW fiction, are both rebuilt by the [[Enigma of Combination]], causing their bodies to more closely resemble their toy counterparts.

===Character pimping===
Characters with toys may get more attention than those without:

*"[[Matrix Quest]]" has four separate teams on a mission. You could use any three Transformers in one of these teams, right? Nope, Furman has toys to promote: out go nine new Autobot characters and three existing ones with new toys.
*[[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge's]] presence in all three of his first three ''Beast Wars'' episodes: one for his origin, another for him joining the Maximals after all, and then an abrupt appearance at the very end of "[[Cutting Edge]]" where he turns up and single-handedly drives off a Predacon force.
*When ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)#Japanese release|Animated]]'' was released in Japan, episodes focusing on the [[Constructicon (Animated)|Constructicon]]s were never broadcast on television (instead being reduced to bonus content on the DVDs), as the Constructicons did not have toys. The episode order was also rearranged (and thus the internal narrative of the series, as well) so that episodes introducing new toys could air earlier than those that didn't.
*IDW's ''[[The Transformers: Spotlight|Spotlight]]'' came back in 2013 in order to promote six of the upcoming ''Generations'' toys. Even [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], a little-used character who would never have been given a ''Spotlight'' otherwise! (Initially published through Diamond and Comixology as per IDW's usual practice, these comics were subsequently packed-in with the toys they were based on, aiming to use the higher sales of the toys to boost comic sales in a "I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine" scenario.) Likewise, Waspinator, having a new toy out in late 2013, began making appearances and took on increased importance in the IDW universe. An upcoming [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] toy brought forth a Tankor appearance in Dark Cybertron. The opening arcs of the second seasons of ''More Than Meets The Eye'' and ''Robots in Disguise'' (as well as ''Windblade'' vol. 1) in 2014 also heavily feature casts of characters with new toys, such as Nightbeat, Rattrap, Arcee, and Jetfire.
* When [[Steeljaw (RID)|Steeljaw]] frees some Decepticons in the second season of ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 cartoon)|Robots in Disguise]]'', the freed 'Cons include his former minions [[Clampdown (RID)|Clampdown]] and [[Thunderhoof (RID)|Thunderhoof]], yet not the other two members of the Pack, [[Fracture (RID)|Fracture]] and [[Underbite]]. He instead frees [[Bisk (RID)|Bisk]], [[Groundpounder (RID)|Groundpounder]], [[Overload (RID)|Overload]], [[Quillfire (RID)|Quillfire]] and [[Springload (RID)|Springload]]. There's no reason to neglect those who have already proven to be able to work together in the Pack (and thus Steeljaw should know would help in his eventual coup), except for the fact that the toys of both Fracture and Underbite had already sold, and the newly freed Decepticons have new figures on the shelves.

===Abrupt conclusions===
[[File:MarvelUSG2-12.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|It's the end of the road for Transformers Generation 2! That can't bode well for the toyline.]]
Just as ''Transformers'' fiction lives at Hasbro's pleasure, so too does it die. Falling sales, a change of plans, and standard [[rebranding]] can all cause a storyline to come to a sudden end when Hasbro decides to pull the plug.

*The American Generation 1 cartoon got a somewhat rushed conclusion in the form of "[[The Rebirth]]", rather than a full fourth season.
*The Generation 1 comics were nearly canceled at [[On the Edge of Extinction!|issue #75]], but granted a reprieve. The stay of execution was only temporary, however; with the Generation 1 toyline ending, the comic was terminated a mere five issues later, resulting in a rather hasty concluding plotline.
*Hasbro was only willing to support the [[Transformers: Generation 2 (Marvel)|''Generation 2'' comic]] for twelve issues, unless it proved an unqualified (perhaps phenomenal) success. Aware of this from the start, writer Simon Furman was able to plot a story arc that reached its finale as the series ended (and poked fun at it with a character whose name is a pun on "[[Jhiaxus (G2)|Gee, axe us]]".)
*The writers of the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon reportedly never had any idea if they'd be back for another season. When the axe fell with Season 3, they had only three episodes left to wrap up the whole series.
*Hasbro nearly killed off the just-begun comic series ''The Wreckers'' in 2001, wishing instead for [[3H Productions|3H]] to focus on a ''[[Transformers: Universe (comic)|Universe]]'' comic advertising its current toyline.
*Even though ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (cartoon)|Cybertron]]'' wasn't abruptly canceled, Kids WB ended the series on the [[cliffhanger]] of the episode "[[Revelation (episode)|Revelation]]", leaving millions of kids tuning in next time only to get a re-run of ''Xiaolin Showdown''. The reason? The Cybertron Defense Team toys hadn't hit stores yet.
*With ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' coming out in June, Titan had to end their alternate universe storyline in May so they could tie in early—an issue earlier than planned. The main strip handled this, with the notable exception of [[Jazz (Movie)#Titan Magazines Transformers movie comics|the Jazz plot arc]] going completely unresolved, but it played havoc with working out the IDW reprints!
*According to [[Rik Alvarez]], IDW was asked to drop their G1 continuity and move to the brand-spanking new [[Aligned]] one. (They said "nah".)
{{-}}

==Death==
===Killing off old product===
[[File:Tftm1986a.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|Guess who's no longer in the Mini Vehicles case assortment?]]
[[File:Newyorkunderbase.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|Publisher's clearing house.]]
[[File:BW Scorponok Terrorsaur deaths.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|Scorponok, Terrorsaur, we're condemning you to a fiery death 'cause Waspinator has a bigger fan club.]]
The most obvious To Sell Toys effect comes from the temporary nature of retail sales. Even in the 1980s, toys rarely stayed on the shelves past two years; today that timespan is much smaller. Once a toy is no longer selling, Hasbro has no interest in supporting fiction about that character—especially when there's newer toys to promote. Therefore, writers are often compelled to remove characters from the story by killing them off. Sometimes this happens through carefully developed story arcs, but it's easier to do it with huge, apocalyptic battles with massive numbers of casualties.

*In ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'', numerous main characters are killed or changed in the movie's first 30 minutes, including [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]], [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]], and [[Ironhide (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ironhide]]. They are replaced by a slew of new characters; in fact, the poster for the movie shows ''only'' new characters.
*Numerous characters are killed in the Marvel UK comics saga "[[Time Wars]]". The Grim Reaper seemed to spare either popular characters (Megatron and [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]]) or newer characters ([[Carnivac (G1)|Carnivac]], [[Catilla (G1)|Catilla]] and [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], for example.)
*The [[Underbase Saga]] features a super-powerful [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]] killing literally ''dozens'' of characters; some place the count over fifty. The survivors were mostly from the [[Pretender]], [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]], and [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmaster]] ranks, those being the then-current toy lines. However, the explanation ([[Underbase]] power didn't affect those TFs with organic components) meant that even the [[Seacon (G1)|Seacons]], new toys at the time and introduced three issues before, met their end.
*The climactic [[On the Edge of Extinction!|battle with Unicron]] 25 issues later killed off many of the Underbase survivors, whose shelf run had ended.
*With its enormously expensive CGI animation, ''Beast Wars'' was particularly vulnerable to toy-based interference. The expense of creating and animating a CGI body model meant that the character roster had to remain fairly constant; the introduction of all-new characters usually required the removal of an equal number of pre-existing characters. And so, [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] and [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] die just in time for the arrival of [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] and [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]]. (Frustrated with the situation, the writers carefully planned out<ref>http://www.builtstlouis.net/tf/manic/m-botcon.html</ref> the demise of [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]], anticipating that someone would have to be removed to make way for [[Rampage (BW)|newer characters]].) [[Tigerhawk]] was introduced and then killed off within three episodes, due to corporate uncertainty about whether the toy would actually be produced.
*''[[Transformers: The Reign of Starscream|The Reign of Starscream]]'' would end up killing a large number of Autobots in [[The Reign of Starscream issue 5|issue #5]], after their toys had been around for a while; as they'd not made an appearance in the comics until this mini, this is both an example of Huge Cast ''and'' Product Clearing. It would then go on to bump off some Decepticons, while its sequel ''[[Transformers: Alliance|Alliance]]'' slaughtered ''hordes'' of Decepticons with old toys. Mowry is the new Furman...
*An odd case of this is in the [[live-action film]]s, which, as well as advertising toys, also serve as advertising for [[General Motors]] vehicles. Hence, Autobots whose cars are no longer in demand have an uncanny tendency to either lose prominence or perish. The most prominent example would be [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] - the GMC Topkick had been discontinued for two years by ''[[Dark of the Moon]]'', and so, despite a fifty-dollar toy on the shelves, Ironhide dies halfway in.
*IDW's [[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|''Robots in Disguise'']] ongoing has to promote a [[Superion (G1)|Superion]]... with a new helicopter instead of [[Slingshot (G1)|Slingshot]]. Hence, Slingshot is the one to suffer most and die from the injuries caused when [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] conveniently tore him in half several issues ago. This becomes horrifically redundant when one considers that Devastator tore through Superion from the ''right'', and Slingshot was Superion's ''left'' arm at the time. Not to mention that Silverbolt, the torso, was explicitly ripped in half... The series would go on to have [[Wildrider (G1)|Wildrider]] leave the Stunticons over a humiliating defeat... one he suffered years ago, in [[The Question|Spotlight: Bumblebee]]. Naturally, the empty position was filled by new toy [[Offroad]]. Then Hasbro decided to release Quickslinger and Brake-Neck (Slingshot and Wildrider renamed for trademark issues) ''much'' later after the others' release, part of a strategy that effectively forced fans to buy toys ''both'' of "replacement" characters ''and'' the original characters.

This has become less common in recent years, as Hasbro has come to realize that their target audiences can actually get attached to certain [[character]]s, and might not enjoy seeing them die random, brutal, meaningless [[death]]s.
{{-}}

===Hi-and-die===
[[File:Chuffer cof.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|Likely dialog: "SHEEEAAGH!!"]]
Kids don't want to buy a toy of a character who's dead. So if the plot calls for someone to die, smart money bets on the character who has a toy as the survivor. The guy without a toy, who you've never heard of before? Toast. This is the ''Transformers'' version of ''[[Star Trek]]'''s infamous [[wikipedia:redshirt syndrome|redshirt syndrome]]. The stereotypical hi-and-die character is killed off in the same episode/issue that introduces him, if not the very same scene.

*This approach was particularly common in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#UK comics|UK comics]]. Characters created specifically so they could be killed off include Wrecker leader [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]], Autobot/zombie food [[Chuffer]], Tailgate's Autobot trainee buddies/mutant fodder [[Subsea]] and [[Flattop (Autobot)|Flattop]], and the sixth member of the "Magnificent Six", [[Stampede]].
*The U.S. comics also used this approach on occasion, as with [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]'s poignantly adorable buddy [[Scrounge (G1)|Scrounge]].
*[[Transmutate_(character)|Transmutate]] showed up and died in [[Transmutate_(episode)|that episode]], of course Hasbro doesn't make [[Transmutate_(character)#Beast_Wars_10th_Anniversary|a toy]] [[Action_Master|that don't transform]], right?
*The ''Energon'' cartoon introduced [[Padlock (Energon)|Padlock]], whose purpose was to die at [[Shockblast]]'s hands, providing motivation for toy-character [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Saber]].
*''Animated'' chucked in [[Arcee (Animated)|Arcee]] so Ratchet could have a tragic past where he failed to save someone. (And ''then'' she got a toy!)
*The [[Transformers Animated (Titan)|''Animated'' comic]] wants to do a story arc about an Autobot who's really a spy and then have him killed. Quick, [[Afterburn|make someone up]]!
*''[[Transformers: Exodus|Exodus]]'' invents hordes of characters solely to populate the story with casualties while preserving the classic characters: [[Chromatron]], [[Gauntlet]], [[Halogen (WFC)|Halogen]], [[Drixco]], [[Revo]], [[Catalycon]], and dozens of other unnamed Autobots, Decepticons and [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]].
*[[James Roberts]] elevated hi-and-die to an artform; though his run on ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' is crammed with minor non-toy characters who wind up dead, many still received some backstory, history, or distinctive characterization before - or even after - being killed off. Examples from ''MtMtE'''s first "season" include [[Polaris]], [[Hyperion (G1)|Hyperion]], [[Shock (G1)|Shock]], [[Ore]], [[Animus]], [[Dent]], [[Sonic (G1)|Sonic]], [[Boom]], [[Piston (Wrecker)|Piston]], [[Crest]], [[Torque (G1)|Torque]], [[Sherma]], [[Momus]], "[[Fallout (G1)|Fallout]]", "[[Streaker]]", [[Heavies|Hammer and Anvil]], [[Trepan]], [[Frak]], [[Rushcut]], [[Rossum]], [[Tripodeca]], [[Pivot]], [[Scattergun]], [[Blockus]], [[Datum]], [[Ramp]], and [[Suture]]. Similarly, ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]'' introduced us to [[Squadron X]], comprising just about every Decepticon hi-and-die character from the Marvel continuity, who were then all slaughtered by Impactor.
{{-}}

===Resurrection===
Killing off a character isn't always toy-motivated; sometimes it's a dramatic plot development. But it can also be a problem if Hasbro decides to make a new toy of that character.

[[File:Inferno dies agenda2.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|Only a flesh wound!]]
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] has been resurrected [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|so many times]] that it's practically a defining character trait. His original revival in the cartoon didn't correspond to any actual toy release, but the Marvel comic brought him back specifically to advertise his [[Powermaster]] form. A second death-and-revival introduced his [[Action Master]] body. And a ''third'' death-and-revival in ''Generation 2'' brought him into his [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#G2Hero|Hero]] toy form.
*The Japanese killed off Optimus (or "Convoy" as they called him) in [[Transformers: The Headmasters (cartoon)|''The Headmasters'']]. A few years later, they not only brought him back with a new toy, the ''entire franchise'' for that year was called ''[[Transformers: Return of Convoy (franchise)|Return of Convoy]]''.
*Numerous "dead" characters were brought back into the Marvel comic series when their Classics and/or Action Master versions were released. Many were "deactivated" rather than outright dead; however, very few ''non'' Action Master characters showed up alongside them.
*The series writers for ''Beast Wars'' considered [[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] dead and gone at the end of Season 1. Hasbro, however, had a [[Transmetal]] Optimus Primal toy to promote, and so he was returned to life in Season 2. Hasbro wanted him brought back in the first minutes of the season premiere, but the writers managed to convince them that it would be better to do so at the ''end'' of the two-episode story.
*At the end of Season 2 of ''Beast Wars'', [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] was pretty clearly shown being killed—being ''disintegrated''—but in the next season appeared to have just been bruised and cracked, because Hasbro was not ready to have a Mega-scaled toy removed from the series.
*Pretty much ''nobody'' could successfully die in the [[Transformers: Energon (cartoon)|''Energon'' cartoon]]. [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Megatron]], [[Starscream (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Starscream]], [[Demolishor (Armada)|Demolishor]], [[Tidal Wave (Armada)|Tidal Wave]], [[Wing Saber (Energon)|Wing Dagger]], and [[Inferno (Energon)|Inferno]] all die and/or are resurrected from the dead during the course of the show.
*[[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]] still had toys out in 2008. The [[bio]] for AllSpark-Enhanced Autobot Jazz states he was brought back from near-death by the AllSpark and is "more powerful than ever". Voila, Jazz comes back from the dead thanks to the AllSpark in [[Transformers Comic issue 16|Titan's tie-in comic]]! Optimus even uses the ''term'' "Autobot Jazz" in [[Transformers Comic issue 21|a later issue]]...
*[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] was shot in the head and abandoned on [[Gorlam Prime]] back in "[[Spotlight: Hardhead]]". Six years later, Hasbro were releasing a new Nightbeat toy and back he comes into ''Dark Cybertron'', a chatty undead from the [[Dead Universe]]. He proceeds to survive the destruction of the Dead Universe and is currently on the ''Lost Light''.
*[[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] was killed by an empowered [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] in ''[[Black Planet: Dark Cybertron Chapter 11|Black Planet]]'', his death motivating [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] to [[Autobot|wear the Autobrand]], and had his body sucked into an unstable singularity. He was thereafter seen as a 'hallucination' of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], thought to represent the [[Seeker]]'s doubts and insecurities. However, he was revealed to be alive ''inside'' said singularity in ''[[Ghost Stories]]''... just as the new ''[[Titans Return (toyline)|Titans Return]]'' Legends class Bumblebee hit shelves.
{{-}}

===Untouchables===
[[File:Armorhide drawhisfire.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Really, they could just stand there making rude noises at Starscream.]]
Obviously, if a character ''does'' have a current toy (or soon will), they're ([[Cliffjumper (WFC)|usually]]) not going to die, even if the plot or common sense indicates they should. This is sometimes because Hasbro itself declares a character unkillable, and so comics and TV writers must follow suit.
*In "[[Optimal Situation]]", [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] had betrayed [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] to the Maximals, ruining his greatest shot at victory. As he declared, "There will be no more betrayals!", she would pay the price: being knocked into stasis lock so the Maximals could fix her and she could stay on their team.
*Megatron himself was in a prime position to be terminated, as were the Maximals later on, in "[[The Weak Component]]". Since this was only episode 6 and everyone had toys out, the cast politely agreed not to take this opportunity to end a brutal war for the planet.
*Titan's Movie strip was moved to an alternate universe, where you'd [[Rhythms of Darkness!|expect nobody to be safe from death]]. However, most of the cast had toys out, so whether it was a desperate guerrilla fight against Decepticon occupation, the rise of [[Unicron]], a [[Decepticon Civil War]], or the final battle, very few characters bought it. The big exception was [[Divebomb (Movie)|Divebomb]], dying in his first battle.
*In ''Last Stand of the Wreckers'' (mentioned earlier), James Roberts observed that Impactor was the only character who was guaranteed not be killed. However, Hasbro shot down the idea of Perceptor or Springer dying, and so most of the fatalities were less well-known characters like Pyro, Ironfist, and eternally unlucky Wreckers Twin Twist and Topspin.
*Similar to his Beast Era counterpart, ''[[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|Prime]]'' [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] was worn down to the point of exhaustion, and was at [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]]'s mercy. Optimus, now [[One Shall Fall|sworn to outright kill Megatron when he gets the chance]], is about to pull the trigger, but ends up backing down when he's threatened by Decepticon reinforcements... in this case, the laughing stock redshirt Vehicons. It doesn't help that the ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)|Prime]]'' toyline had ''just'' gotten on shelves, but seriously? Optimus felt threatened by ''Vehicons''?
*If a Decepticon with a current toy is about to be captured in ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 cartoon)|Robots in Disguise]]'', they can pull off the most miraculous of escapes, sometimes [[Bee Cool|disappearing under our heroes' noses]].
*Starscream, the end.

==Notable exceptions==
There are, however, a few notable exception to the To Sell Toys effect, such as fictional characters without a toy counterpart, and other anomalies:

===Toys not released in the relevant market===
[[File:Swoopg1marvelukfirst.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|YOU CAN'T HAVE ME.]]
Occasionally the ''Transformers'' fiction released in a particular country features characters whose toys were not released in that country. The Marvel UK comic featured two variations of this phenomenon:

*Characters inherited from the U.S. strips. Some, such as [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]], [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]] and the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]], were given fairly prominent roles in the U.S. stories reprinted in the UK comic and so it was hard to ignore them completely in the UK originated material despite their toys not being around to need advertising. However the decision to develop the Predacons (even before their US appearances were reprinted), to have entire storylines focusing on Swoop, and also to keep Shockwave in continuity even after he'd been (supposedly) killed off in the US comic goes beyond this.
*Characters not featured in the U.S. strips. Bizarrely the UK comic also made use of some characters such as [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]], [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]], [[Chop Shop (G1)|Chop Shop]], and [[Venom (G1)|Venom]], despite their toys not being available on UK toy shelves. None of these characters were inherited from the US material.

Writer [[Simon Furman]] has since stated that when writing the stories he was generally unaware of which toys were unavailable in the UK: "We largely took our cue from what characters were being introduced into the US storyline. If there was a release schedule for the toys in the UK, we rarely saw it... But in the case of Swoop and the Predacons, I don't think I was consciously aware (at the time) that we were dealing with toys not generally available in the UK. They were just extant characters, and therefore fair game." <ref>[http://transfans.co.uk/interviews_furman.php TransFans.net - Interviews: Simon Furman - Part 1 'The Past'].</ref>

This would happen again with Titan, as foreign exclusives such as [[Bludgeon (ROTF)|Bludgeon]] and [[Slap Dash]] palled around with UK-available toys.

Another example would be the original text stores published by [[Condor Verlag]] in their ''[[Transformers Comic-Magazin]]'': The text story from [[Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 11|issue 11]] features the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]], even though catalogs from the era, backed up by German fans' recollections, suggest that the German release of the ''[[Classics (Europe)|Classics]]'' line-up omitted the Classic Combaticons, possibly due to their "war" theme.
{{-}}

===Post-Marvel, pre-2013 G1 comics===
[[File:Infiltration 1b.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|"Hey, Runamuck, it's our first appearance on a comic book cover in twenty years!" "Heh heh, now if only we could appear on toy store shelves..."]]
Both [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]] and [[IDW Publishing|IDW]] comics, the two recent holders of the license to publish ''Transformers'' comic books, sometimes produce comics using whichever toy line is current (e.g., Dreamwave's ''[[Transformers: Armada (Dreamwave)|Armada]]'' comic or IDW's [[Transformers (film)|2007 movie]] tie-ins), and sometimes publish comics using whatever characters they please (e.g., ''[[Transformers: The War Within|The War Within]]'' and ''[[The Transformers: Escalation|Escalation]]''). The characters in their "discretionary" comics are often not currently available in toy form ([[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]], a character appearing in numerous stories from IDW's G1 continuity during their early years, only had [[Hardhead (G1)#Universe (2008)|another toy]] on shelves at around 2009, a good twenty-two years since [[Hardhead (G1)#Generation 1|his last toy]]), sometimes are drawn with bodies that have ''never'' been toys (most of the ''War Within'' characters), and sometimes are toys that were never available outside of specific countries ([[Lio Convoy]] in IDW's ''Beast Wars'').

[[Chris Ryall]], IDW Editor-in-Chief and writer of the miniseries adapting the 2007 movie to comics, had stated on IDW's forums that Hasbro does not dictate what comics IDW must make ("Nope, no dictates at all from Hasbro. We put the plan together, send to them for approval.").<ref>http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?p=69377</ref> By the time of ''All Hail Megatron'', however, the ''Universe'' line came out and Hasbro asked IDW to start using some of those designs.<ref>[http://forum.idwpublishing.com/viewtopic.php?p=102461#102461 Guido reveals the Hasbro request]</ref> Though this practice did not influence the subsequent [[The Transformers (IDW)|ongoing series]], it did raise its head again in 2013, as Hasbro and IDW began working together to create new toys based on character designs from the comics, to promote upcoming toys with New Bodies and to include the [[Dark Cybertron (IDW)|Dark Cybertron]] event (including various preludes) with the toys.

===New toys, same basic design===
In more recent times (mostly in the case of the [[live-action film series]]), Hasbro has used a combination of minor [[redeco]]s, [[retool]]s and sculpts based on the same basic designs to create new toys, instead of giving recurring characters a major design overhaul for the next installment. The fiction then rarely, if ever, acknowledges any of those minor design changes. According to screenwriter [[Roberto Orci]], some people at Hasbro even argued against changing the designs of some returning characters in ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen]]'', so that parents would '''not''' have to buy the same toy twice for their children just because of a minor change or modification to the characters' designs.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/showpost.php?p=2186879&postcount=171 Roberto Orci posting at TFW2005.com]</ref> (Hasbro still released new, or modified, toys of those characters, prompting [[completist]]s to buy them as well, and the film gave some of the characters slight tweaks in their [[alternate mode]]s, based on changes in the real-life vehicle designs, which the toys had to incorporate.)

===Killing off characters with new toys===
Even characters with new or expensive toys can get the axe early on if the plot calls for it… or when poor timing caused by unplanned executive decisions resulted in bad coordination between in-fiction developments and toy release schedules.
*Despite being killed off in the middle of ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon]]'', [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] got a lot of new toys, including a Leader Class figure, a Voyager Class figure, and a Halloween costume for children!
*''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Prime]]'' [[Cliffjumper (WFC)|Cliffjumper]] was hyped up as a major character in the lead-up to the show's premiere, and got several toys like the other members of the main cast. He dies within the first five minutes of the [[Darkness Rising, Part 1|premiere episode]]. However, later he gets his fair share of screentime by [[Out of the Past|flashbacks]] and the like.
*Due to behind the scenes budget issues and the ''Prime'' [[Transformers: Prime (toyline)|toyline]] getting pushed back thanks to the ''Dark of the Moon'' [[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (toyline)|toyline]], [[Airachnid]] is quickly shut away inside a stasis pod in "[[Armada (episode)|Armada]]" for much of the remainder of the series at the ''same time'' as the mass release of her toy; [[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]] also suffered a grimmer fate as he was killed off just a few episodes earlier (by Airachnid herself, no less). On a similar beat, poor [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]] died in "[[Masters & Students]]", but his toys weren't released until well over a year later, making them posthumous toy releases.
*IDW [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]] gets a new ''Titans Return'' toy in mid late 2016, but was killed off at about the same time his toy was hitting shelves in the [[All Hail Optimus Part 6: No Fair Fights|final issue]] of the second season of ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|The Transformers]]''.

===New toys with minimal fictional appearances===
Sometimes, characters that have a new or expensive toy barely see use in fiction.
*Generation 1 Whirl and Roadbuster were larger and more expensive than many of the other Autobots, but never appeared in the original cartoon. They were featured in the comics as members of the Wreckers.
*Sixshot's only appearance in the original cartoon is a quick sequence where he transforms into each of his alt modes to defeat the Aerialbots. He is never seen again.
*In ''Transformers Armada'', Optimus Prime is the only character to not receive an upgrade after being defeated by Nemesis Prime, despite having an expensive $40 redeco on store shelves. Optimus does receive the redeco colors in the final episode of the series, but he returns to his old colors by the episode's conclusion.
*[[Optimus Prime (Movie)|"Silver Knight" Optimus Prime]] had an entire thematic segment of the [[Transformers: Age of Extinction (toyline)|''Age of Extinction'' toyline]] dedicated to him that was exclusive to [[Target]] stores. However, the planned upgrade of Optimus Prime was cut from the theatrical release of ''Age of Extinction''.
*''[[Combiner Wars (toyline)|Combiner Wars]]'' Quickslinger and Brake-Neck, meant to be [[Slingshot (G1)|Slingshot]] and [[Wildrider (G1)|Wildrider]], will not get any focus in the accompanying IDW fiction: Slingshot is dead and Wildrider's whereabouts are unknown after his leaving the Stunticons. Instead, their selling point is giving fans the chance to complete G1-accurate [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] and [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] toys. Meanwhile, the Autobot [[Rook (Generations)|Rook]] has yet to make anything but a background appearance, and was so overlooked he had to be digitally added ''to'' those backgrounds; [[Alpha Bravo]], his [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] counterpart, gets a bit more but nothing you'd miss.
*''[[Titans Return (toyline)|Titans Return]]'' introduced a massive amount of new toys and a ''massive'' amount of Headmasters, includng many familiar G1 characters redone as Headmasters. However, very few of these new toys were given focus in IDW's [[Titans Return (comic)|tie-in comic arc]], including prominent characters such as [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]], and [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]. ([[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] is a notable exception, returning after a long absence.) Also, despite the heavy emphasis on [[Titan Master]]s in the toyline, only one character, [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]], displayed actual Headmaster ability. [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] is briefly decapitated and turned into a lifeless body for [[Infinitus]] to take control of, for no real reason other than to show off the head-swapping gimmick inherent in all ''Titans Return'' figures. And, with a colossal new [[Fortress_Maximus_(G1)/toys#Generations|Titan-class]] toy for [[Fortress Maximus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Fortress Maximus]] as the centerpiece of the line, you'd expect some significant toy-shilling action. Instead, Fortress Maximus's brand-new Titan body gets smacked around a bit before utterly failing in its one job of defending [[Luna 1]]'s [[space bridge]] from the [[zombie]] Titans.
*Most likely caused by the complaints from fans about the small amount of Decepticons in the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 toyline)|RID 2015 Toyline]], [[Steeljaw (RID)|Steeljaw]] breaks out many monsters of the week from the first season. Each one gets a figure, yet they all get one or two episodes to shine. [[Bisk (RID)|Bisk]] is the greatest example, appearing very briefly in Episode 4 of Season 1, getting captured, going free, and getting captured again in the next Episode.
**Every major Con from or affiliated with Decepticon Island, gets Mini-Cons, who do very little but appear anyway only because they had toys. Ratchet gets one as well.
* After having a Deluxe-sized figure despite being the largest [[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobot]] in ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction]]'', [[Scorn]] got a larger, more movie-accurate Voyager class figure for the toyline of ''[[Transformers: The Last Knight (toyline)|The Last Knight]]''. Unfortunately, Scorn didn't even appear in the [[Transformers: The Last Knight (film)|actual film]]!
* A more egregious ''The Last Knight'' example occurs in the case of [[Berserker]]. Despite being on-screen for about 15 seconds, tops (in which he's a prisoner of war and not even released from incarceration), and having only one line, Berserker got several toys to himself, one of which was an entirely new Deluxe class figure. This is in stark contrast to more prominent Decepticons [[Onslaught (ROTF)|Onslaught]], [[Dreadbot]], and [[Mohawk]], none of whom received toys.

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Toys]]

Primeless, Part 2

2017-11-10T00:57:08Z

HailMegatron: /* Transformers references */

{{Comicstory
|series=op|issueno=12
|prev=Primeless, Part 1
|next=
|caption=
|image=OP12 cvrA.jpg
|title="Primeless" Part 2
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[November 1]], 2017
|coverdate=October 2017
|written by=[[John Barber]]
|art by=[[Andrew Griffith]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[Carlos Guzman]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}

'''Aileron and the colonists join forces with Jazz to track the black market Cybertronian weapons to their source.'''

==Synopsis==
Following [[Aileron]]'s instructions, [[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] and [[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] head out to [[Sanctuary Station]] to check that all its [[Decepticon]] inhabitants are accounted for, to eliminate them as potential suspects in the attack on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. The pair are welcomed by [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]], [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]], [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], and Cosmos is quick to provide the necessary info: [[Liberty One|one shuttle]] is unaccounted for. Cosmos asks [[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]] if he knows who took it, but Slugslinger says he has no idea...

''In a series of ongoing solo interviews looking back on recent events, Slugslinger reveals he knew full well who took the shuttle, but kept it to himself, not wanting to get involved with the ongoing back-and-forth between Cybertron and [[Earth]]. Cosmos is of the opposite opinion, believing they should all work together. [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] has no desire to see a new war erupt, but worries about his [[Tracks (G1)|brother]], while Sky-Byte composes a poem about what he thinks is the start of a new conflict. [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] cares nothing for Cybertron, having suffered under [[Functionism]], and is glad to have left; [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], on the other hand, despite his better judgement, still feels homesick for the planet sometimes and fears for its safety.''

Down on Earth, in [[Mexico]], [[Aileron]] orders the colonists into action to disarm the humans currently attacking [[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] with Cybertronian weaponry. With emotions already running high among them, the young soldiers prove overly vicious in their efforts, with [[Slide]] even opening fire, but they manage to send the humans fleeing without actually harming anyone. Aileron informs Jazz of the recent events on Cybertron, and the fact that they are here to bring him home—something that comes as a surprise to Jazz, since he figured they, like him, were searching for the origin point of the humans' alien weapons. Finding one of their attackers—an aerospace manufacturuer named [[Mateo Chavez]]—hiding nearby, Jazz coerces the man into taking them to the suppliers, and Aileron and the colonists go with him.

''Several of the armed humans give their own video testimonials. Retired soldier [[Russell Hathaway]] believes humans need to work together across all borders to defend themselves against Cybertronians, while civil milita member [[Patricia Heaton]] doesn't trust governments to handle the issue and thinks it's up to the individual to arm themselves. College professor [[Leon Weaver]] can scarcely comprehend what the world has turned into, but believes in personal preparedness. Chavez doesn't ''want'' to fight, but will to protect his family. Ex-[[Skywatch]] soldier [[Lori Ha]] doesn't like arming civilians, but is willing to put her personal professional training to use, as she doubts the government will handle things correctly. And retiree [[Earl Howard]] is all set to go to war and kill him some robots.''

Jazz, Aileron and the colonists are led north by Chavez, openly crashing their way through the US/Mexico border as they go, with Jazz assuring them that they're making the right call regardless of how bad it looks. In a little ghost town, they find the weapon suppliers: two "real Ninties guys" in black suits. Aileron is horrified by Jazz when he appears to stomp one of the men dead... only to watch in shock as the human de-rezzes and fades away upon contact with Jazz's foot, revealed to be a [[holomatter]] avatar. Emotions are at war inside Aileron as he watches Jazz rip through the town, uncovering first the cache of weapons, and then the perpetrators: [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]], whose attempted getaway an angry Aileron blocks. It turns out the two punks have been running guns for ''months'', selling off the excess weaponry from Galvatron's army—not trying to agitate anything, just looking to make a buck. [[Gimlet]] threatens the pair with "Autobot justice," but that causes an argument that unravels the whole situation: the pair are Decepticons, and the stolen property belongs to the Decepticons, so [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] should have jurisdiction over them, and Autobots passing judgement on Decepticons, well... four-million-year-long wars have been fought over less, and if humanity finds out that sort of conflict is going on between Cybertronian factions, it's not going to look good. Aileron's heart sinks as she realizes they're going to have to cover it all up in the name of the greater good. A furious Slide tells Aileron that she won't be making any such decision, and that they will leave it up to Optimus... only for to Jazz to chime in and note that they ''all'' know that Optimus will make the same call. Jazz has already felt the sting of Optimus's dedication to the "greater good" after the Prime refused to stand by his side when he came under human scrutiny, and knowing that the colonists came to look for on their ''own'', not on Optimus's orders, is the last straw. Aileron's offer of trying to secure a pardon for him from the [[President of the United States|president]] in reparation for the recent human attack on Cybertron doesn't interest Jazz; he informs Aileron he's going to be on his own for a while, and transforms and heads off into the sunrise. Slide takes the time to toss one last insult in Aileron's direction, and Aileron snaps, screaming at the [[Devisiun|Devisen]] to shut up, lest she ''shut her up.'' Slide scoffs and stalks off, knowing Aileron can't deliver on any threats.

''In their interviews, the colonists share their feelings. A cheery-faced Slide talks about how "inspiring" Optimus Prime was for her and [[Oiler]]. Gimlet believes in Optimus Prime and loves him, but can't help but wonder why he doesn't love the colonists back. [[Bump]] has begun to wonder if the tales of the [[Thirteen|Primes]]' divinity are true. [[Roulette (Universe)|Roulette]] explains that she believes in Optimus because he lived his life as a normal 'bot, as "Orion Pax," before taking on the mantle of Primehood. [[Midnight Express (RID)|Midnight Express]] is indifferent to Cybertron's fate, and thinks the colonies can survive on their own. And Aileron... Aileron just wants to build a better future.''

Aileron's team return to [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]] with the captured weapons. They find that [[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] is in charge now, with Soundwave having left on a mission to [[Castle Destro]], and all Aileron can tell him is that they found the source of the weapons, without naming names. Exhausted, Aileron retires to her recharge slab, but, haunted by everything she has seen and done, finds herself unable to sleep.

==Featured characters==
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] (11)
*[[Gimlet]] (12)
*[[Aileron]] (13)
*[[Midnight Express (RID)|Midnight Express]] (15)
*[[Bump]] (16)
*[[Roulette (Universe)|Roulette]] (17)
*[[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]] (26)
*[[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] (27)

|c2=
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (3)
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] (4)
*[[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]] (6)
*[[Squawkbox]] (7)
*? (8)
*[[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] (9)
*[[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]] (10)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (24)
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (25)

|c3=
*[[Mateo Chavez]] (18)
*[[Russell Hathaway]] (19)
*[[Patricia Heaton]] (20)
*[[Leon Weaver]] (21)
*[[Lori Ha]] (22)
*[[Earl Howard]] (23)

|h4=Other [[Transformer|Cybertronians]]|c4=
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] (1)
*[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] (5)
*[[Slide]] (14)

|h6=Others|c6=
*[[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] (2)
}}

==Quotes==
"Oh, wow, is that Sky-Byte? You made any good '''poems''' lately, S.B.?" 
"Have I—why of '''course''' I—I am always composing—why would you '''ask''' that? Did someone say I '''didn't?'''"
:—'''Thundercracker''' and '''Sky-Byte'''

"'''Squawk!''' Now we've got '''two''' Decepticons who think they're '''writers.'''" 
"Quick! Somebody find an '''editor!'''"
:—'''Laserbeak''' and '''Buzzsaw''', on the above

'''Slide:''' "This is a '''bad idea.'''" 
'''Gimlet:''' "Transgressing '''national borders''' with impunity, or '''listening''' to Aileron?" 
'''Aileron:''' "I can '''hear''' you guys."

"You can't just go off on your '''own''' again." 
"Here's the '''thing'''—you make a mistake when you're playing '''jazz,''' you do that mistake again, then '''again.''' You make it part of the '''tune'''... until it's not a '''mistake''' anymore." 
:—'''Aileron''' and '''Jazz'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Cosmos is labelled only as an "Autobot ally," and says he only "feels" like an Autobot, indicating that he has formally resigned from the Autobot ranks to live on Sanctuary Station, where he has been staying since the events of [[All Hail Optimus Part 6: No Fair Fights|''The Transformers'' #55]].
*Sky-Byte and Slugslinger were some of the first Decepticons to arrive on Sanctuary Station, back in [[Conquerors Part 1: Aphelion|''The Transformers'' #46]], and have been hanging around in crowd scenes and group shots ever since. By contrast, the two characters name-checked as being absent, [[Acid Storm]] and [[Squeezeplay (G1)|Squeezeplay]], were formerly on the side of [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]]'s evil Decepticons; Squeezeplay was revealed to have defected in [[All Hail Optimus Part 4: It's Beginning To And Back Again|''The Transformers'' #53]], but this is the first time we're hearing of Acid Storm's change of heart. He was, in fact, last seen being taken into custody by the [[Earth Defense Command]] in [[White Light|''The Transformers'' #56]].
*Aileron catches herself before saying the name "[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]" out loud; she obviously knows Jazz won't want to hear it after they tried to ambush him in [[What It's Really Like|issue #8]].
*Jazz recalls the time he discovered Spike was stealing Cybertronian technology and went on a similar "rampage," in [[Police Action Part 3: A Second Chance at Eden|issue #29]] of the [[The Transformers (IDW)|2009-2011 ''Transformers'' comic]].
*Rumble and Frenzy are using the motorcycle alternate modes they previously employed in [[Onyx Interface Part Two: Vs.|''The Transformers'' #36]]. In fact, it doesn't appear the pair ever formatted ''out'' of those bodies after that issue, they just haven't transformed since then.
*Aileron specifically recalls the riot in Mexico City from [[New Cybertron Part 1: To Walk Among the Chosen|issue #1]] as she realizes Rumble and Frenzy were responsible for selling humans the weapons involved in it. Midnight Express remains angry about being shot during the events of that issue.
*Aileron recounts the time she told Optimus Prime "foundations must be strong," which happened in [[All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message|''The Transformers'' #52]].
*Slide's description of Optimus — "a charismatic ideologue with a cause" — mirrors Soundwave's description of [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] as "a charismatic ideologue who believed in himself more than the cause", from [[Earthfall Part 2: Detonation Boulevard|''Robots in Disguise'' #29]].
*Just as last issue ran roughly concurrently with [[First Strike issue 1|''First Strike'' #1]], this one runs parallel to [[First Strike issue 2|''First Strike'' #2]] and on into [[First Strike issue 3|''First Strike'' #3]]. By the time Aileron returns to Autobot City, Soundwave has departed for Castle Destro with G.I. Joe, which happened at the end of issue #2, and Jetfire notes he has lost contact with him, indicating this scene is occurring some time after Soundwave and the Joes used the [[M.A.S.S. Device]] to teleport to Cybertron in issue #3.

===Transformers references===
* Bump admits to having a personal crisis of faith regarding his colony's belief in the divinity of the Primes, which seems like a nod to the character's original depiction in the ''[[Beast Wars Neo]]'' series, where he was portrayed as an empirically-minded — and decidedly atheistic — academic.
* Slugslinger is labelled as a "Master of Targets," an unsubtle reference to his original designation as a [[Targetmaster|Targetmaster.]]

===Real-life references===
*The screen Cosmos reads is written in the [[Cybertronian language|"Ancient Autobot"]] font, and mostly consists of words like "shuttle bay" and "Liberty One" (the shuttle Rumble and Frenzy took), and portions of those words and phrases, repeating over and over again. But the last line translates as "[[Quinjet]]," the personal aircraft of [[Marvel Comics]] superheroes, the [[Avengers]].
*Rumble and Frenzy's "real Nineties guys" holomatter disguises are Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield, the characters played by {{w|John Travolta}} and {{w|Samuel L. Jackson}} in the 1994 movie ''{{w|Pulp Fiction}}''.

===Errors===
*On page 19, Slide refers to her colony as "Divisen", rather than "[[Devisiun]]".

===Other trivia===
*Originally solicited for release in October this issue arrives just a little late, on the first of November.
*Midnight Express thinks the colonies will be fine on their own, without Cybertron? That's pretty rich coming from a [[Caminus|Camien]], given that his world was in the throes of energy deprivation and needed Cybertron to help it, to the point that [[Windblade (G1)|a Camien representative]] was sent out to ''get'' that help. Stow that attitude, Midnight!

===Covers (4)===
*'''Cover A:''' Aileron, Pyra Magna, and Optimus Prime through a mirror crack'd, by [[Kei Zama]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Cover B:''' Jazz at gunpoint, by [[Casey Coller]] and [[John-Paul Bove]]
*'''Cover C:''' Thundercracker and Buster iiiinnn spaaaace! by [[Andrew Griffith]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' Wheeljack, Rodimus, Ironhide, Windblade, Optimus Prime, and Bumblebee versus Megatron, Starscream, and Soundwave, with everyone in their [[Evergreen]] character designs, by [[Joana Lafuente]]; part of a matching pair with Lafuente's retailer incentive cover for [[The Plotters' Club (Part 2)|''Lost Light'' #11]], which shows the scene from the opposite angle

<gallery>
File:OP12 cvrA.jpg|
File:OP12 cvrB.jpg|
File:OP12 cvrC.jpg|
File:OP12 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''Optimus Prime'' #13
*''[[First Strike]]: [[M.A.S.K.: First Strike|M.A.S.K.]], {{i|ROM: First Strike|Rom}},'' and ''[[Unification Day: Dusk|Transformers]]'' one-shots
*''[[The Transformers: Lost Light|Lost Light]]'' Vol. 1 TPB
*''[[Aw Yeah Revolution!|Aw Yeah: A Hasbro Action Figure Jam]]'' hardcover
*''[[My Little Pony]]: The Movie'' graphic novel adaptation
*''Sword of Ages''
*''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' #75

==External links==
*[http://www.multiversitycomics.com/previews/optimus-prime-12/ Preview]

[[Category:Optimus Prime issues]]

Primeless, Part 2

2017-11-10T00:56:31Z

HailMegatron: /* Transformers references */

{{Comicstory
|series=op|issueno=12
|prev=Primeless, Part 1
|next=
|caption=
|image=OP12 cvrA.jpg
|title="Primeless" Part 2
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[November 1]], 2017
|coverdate=October 2017
|written by=[[John Barber]]
|art by=[[Andrew Griffith]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[Carlos Guzman]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}

'''Aileron and the colonists join forces with Jazz to track the black market Cybertronian weapons to their source.'''

==Synopsis==
Following [[Aileron]]'s instructions, [[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] and [[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] head out to [[Sanctuary Station]] to check that all its [[Decepticon]] inhabitants are accounted for, to eliminate them as potential suspects in the attack on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. The pair are welcomed by [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]], [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]], [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], and Cosmos is quick to provide the necessary info: [[Liberty One|one shuttle]] is unaccounted for. Cosmos asks [[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]] if he knows who took it, but Slugslinger says he has no idea...

''In a series of ongoing solo interviews looking back on recent events, Slugslinger reveals he knew full well who took the shuttle, but kept it to himself, not wanting to get involved with the ongoing back-and-forth between Cybertron and [[Earth]]. Cosmos is of the opposite opinion, believing they should all work together. [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] has no desire to see a new war erupt, but worries about his [[Tracks (G1)|brother]], while Sky-Byte composes a poem about what he thinks is the start of a new conflict. [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] cares nothing for Cybertron, having suffered under [[Functionism]], and is glad to have left; [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], on the other hand, despite his better judgement, still feels homesick for the planet sometimes and fears for its safety.''

Down on Earth, in [[Mexico]], [[Aileron]] orders the colonists into action to disarm the humans currently attacking [[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] with Cybertronian weaponry. With emotions already running high among them, the young soldiers prove overly vicious in their efforts, with [[Slide]] even opening fire, but they manage to send the humans fleeing without actually harming anyone. Aileron informs Jazz of the recent events on Cybertron, and the fact that they are here to bring him home—something that comes as a surprise to Jazz, since he figured they, like him, were searching for the origin point of the humans' alien weapons. Finding one of their attackers—an aerospace manufacturuer named [[Mateo Chavez]]—hiding nearby, Jazz coerces the man into taking them to the suppliers, and Aileron and the colonists go with him.

''Several of the armed humans give their own video testimonials. Retired soldier [[Russell Hathaway]] believes humans need to work together across all borders to defend themselves against Cybertronians, while civil milita member [[Patricia Heaton]] doesn't trust governments to handle the issue and thinks it's up to the individual to arm themselves. College professor [[Leon Weaver]] can scarcely comprehend what the world has turned into, but believes in personal preparedness. Chavez doesn't ''want'' to fight, but will to protect his family. Ex-[[Skywatch]] soldier [[Lori Ha]] doesn't like arming civilians, but is willing to put her personal professional training to use, as she doubts the government will handle things correctly. And retiree [[Earl Howard]] is all set to go to war and kill him some robots.''

Jazz, Aileron and the colonists are led north by Chavez, openly crashing their way through the US/Mexico border as they go, with Jazz assuring them that they're making the right call regardless of how bad it looks. In a little ghost town, they find the weapon suppliers: two "real Ninties guys" in black suits. Aileron is horrified by Jazz when he appears to stomp one of the men dead... only to watch in shock as the human de-rezzes and fades away upon contact with Jazz's foot, revealed to be a [[holomatter]] avatar. Emotions are at war inside Aileron as he watches Jazz rip through the town, uncovering first the cache of weapons, and then the perpetrators: [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]], whose attempted getaway an angry Aileron blocks. It turns out the two punks have been running guns for ''months'', selling off the excess weaponry from Galvatron's army—not trying to agitate anything, just looking to make a buck. [[Gimlet]] threatens the pair with "Autobot justice," but that causes an argument that unravels the whole situation: the pair are Decepticons, and the stolen property belongs to the Decepticons, so [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] should have jurisdiction over them, and Autobots passing judgement on Decepticons, well... four-million-year-long wars have been fought over less, and if humanity finds out that sort of conflict is going on between Cybertronian factions, it's not going to look good. Aileron's heart sinks as she realizes they're going to have to cover it all up in the name of the greater good. A furious Slide tells Aileron that she won't be making any such decision, and that they will leave it up to Optimus... only for to Jazz to chime in and note that they ''all'' know that Optimus will make the same call. Jazz has already felt the sting of Optimus's dedication to the "greater good" after the Prime refused to stand by his side when he came under human scrutiny, and knowing that the colonists came to look for on their ''own'', not on Optimus's orders, is the last straw. Aileron's offer of trying to secure a pardon for him from the [[President of the United States|president]] in reparation for the recent human attack on Cybertron doesn't interest Jazz; he informs Aileron he's going to be on his own for a while, and transforms and heads off into the sunrise. Slide takes the time to toss one last insult in Aileron's direction, and Aileron snaps, screaming at the [[Devisiun|Devisen]] to shut up, lest she ''shut her up.'' Slide scoffs and stalks off, knowing Aileron can't deliver on any threats.

''In their interviews, the colonists share their feelings. A cheery-faced Slide talks about how "inspiring" Optimus Prime was for her and [[Oiler]]. Gimlet believes in Optimus Prime and loves him, but can't help but wonder why he doesn't love the colonists back. [[Bump]] has begun to wonder if the tales of the [[Thirteen|Primes]]' divinity are true. [[Roulette (Universe)|Roulette]] explains that she believes in Optimus because he lived his life as a normal 'bot, as "Orion Pax," before taking on the mantle of Primehood. [[Midnight Express (RID)|Midnight Express]] is indifferent to Cybertron's fate, and thinks the colonies can survive on their own. And Aileron... Aileron just wants to build a better future.''

Aileron's team return to [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]] with the captured weapons. They find that [[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] is in charge now, with Soundwave having left on a mission to [[Castle Destro]], and all Aileron can tell him is that they found the source of the weapons, without naming names. Exhausted, Aileron retires to her recharge slab, but, haunted by everything she has seen and done, finds herself unable to sleep.

==Featured characters==
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] (11)
*[[Gimlet]] (12)
*[[Aileron]] (13)
*[[Midnight Express (RID)|Midnight Express]] (15)
*[[Bump]] (16)
*[[Roulette (Universe)|Roulette]] (17)
*[[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]] (26)
*[[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] (27)

|c2=
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (3)
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] (4)
*[[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]] (6)
*[[Squawkbox]] (7)
*? (8)
*[[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] (9)
*[[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]] (10)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (24)
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (25)

|c3=
*[[Mateo Chavez]] (18)
*[[Russell Hathaway]] (19)
*[[Patricia Heaton]] (20)
*[[Leon Weaver]] (21)
*[[Lori Ha]] (22)
*[[Earl Howard]] (23)

|h4=Other [[Transformer|Cybertronians]]|c4=
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] (1)
*[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] (5)
*[[Slide]] (14)

|h6=Others|c6=
*[[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] (2)
}}

==Quotes==
"Oh, wow, is that Sky-Byte? You made any good '''poems''' lately, S.B.?" 
"Have I—why of '''course''' I—I am always composing—why would you '''ask''' that? Did someone say I '''didn't?'''"
:—'''Thundercracker''' and '''Sky-Byte'''

"'''Squawk!''' Now we've got '''two''' Decepticons who think they're '''writers.'''" 
"Quick! Somebody find an '''editor!'''"
:—'''Laserbeak''' and '''Buzzsaw''', on the above

'''Slide:''' "This is a '''bad idea.'''" 
'''Gimlet:''' "Transgressing '''national borders''' with impunity, or '''listening''' to Aileron?" 
'''Aileron:''' "I can '''hear''' you guys."

"You can't just go off on your '''own''' again." 
"Here's the '''thing'''—you make a mistake when you're playing '''jazz,''' you do that mistake again, then '''again.''' You make it part of the '''tune'''... until it's not a '''mistake''' anymore." 
:—'''Aileron''' and '''Jazz'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Cosmos is labelled only as an "Autobot ally," and says he only "feels" like an Autobot, indicating that he has formally resigned from the Autobot ranks to live on Sanctuary Station, where he has been staying since the events of [[All Hail Optimus Part 6: No Fair Fights|''The Transformers'' #55]].
*Sky-Byte and Slugslinger were some of the first Decepticons to arrive on Sanctuary Station, back in [[Conquerors Part 1: Aphelion|''The Transformers'' #46]], and have been hanging around in crowd scenes and group shots ever since. By contrast, the two characters name-checked as being absent, [[Acid Storm]] and [[Squeezeplay (G1)|Squeezeplay]], were formerly on the side of [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]]'s evil Decepticons; Squeezeplay was revealed to have defected in [[All Hail Optimus Part 4: It's Beginning To And Back Again|''The Transformers'' #53]], but this is the first time we're hearing of Acid Storm's change of heart. He was, in fact, last seen being taken into custody by the [[Earth Defense Command]] in [[White Light|''The Transformers'' #56]].
*Aileron catches herself before saying the name "[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]" out loud; she obviously knows Jazz won't want to hear it after they tried to ambush him in [[What It's Really Like|issue #8]].
*Jazz recalls the time he discovered Spike was stealing Cybertronian technology and went on a similar "rampage," in [[Police Action Part 3: A Second Chance at Eden|issue #29]] of the [[The Transformers (IDW)|2009-2011 ''Transformers'' comic]].
*Rumble and Frenzy are using the motorcycle alternate modes they previously employed in [[Onyx Interface Part Two: Vs.|''The Transformers'' #36]]. In fact, it doesn't appear the pair ever formatted ''out'' of those bodies after that issue, they just haven't transformed since then.
*Aileron specifically recalls the riot in Mexico City from [[New Cybertron Part 1: To Walk Among the Chosen|issue #1]] as she realizes Rumble and Frenzy were responsible for selling humans the weapons involved in it. Midnight Express remains angry about being shot during the events of that issue.
*Aileron recounts the time she told Optimus Prime "foundations must be strong," which happened in [[All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message|''The Transformers'' #52]].
*Slide's description of Optimus — "a charismatic ideologue with a cause" — mirrors Soundwave's description of [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] as "a charismatic ideologue who believed in himself more than the cause", from [[Earthfall Part 2: Detonation Boulevard|''Robots in Disguise'' #29]].
*Just as last issue ran roughly concurrently with [[First Strike issue 1|''First Strike'' #1]], this one runs parallel to [[First Strike issue 2|''First Strike'' #2]] and on into [[First Strike issue 3|''First Strike'' #3]]. By the time Aileron returns to Autobot City, Soundwave has departed for Castle Destro with G.I. Joe, which happened at the end of issue #2, and Jetfire notes he has lost contact with him, indicating this scene is occurring some time after Soundwave and the Joes used the [[M.A.S.S. Device]] to teleport to Cybertron in issue #3.

===Transformers references===
* Bump admits to having a personal crisis of faith regarding his colony's belief in the divinity of the Primes, which seems like a nod to the character's original depiction in the ''[[Beast Wars Neo]]'' series, where he was portrayed as an empirically-minded — and decidedly atheistic — academic.
* Slugslinger is labelled as a "Master of Targets," an unsubtle reference to his original designation as a [[Targetmaster
|Targetmaster.]]

===Real-life references===
*The screen Cosmos reads is written in the [[Cybertronian language|"Ancient Autobot"]] font, and mostly consists of words like "shuttle bay" and "Liberty One" (the shuttle Rumble and Frenzy took), and portions of those words and phrases, repeating over and over again. But the last line translates as "[[Quinjet]]," the personal aircraft of [[Marvel Comics]] superheroes, the [[Avengers]].
*Rumble and Frenzy's "real Nineties guys" holomatter disguises are Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield, the characters played by {{w|John Travolta}} and {{w|Samuel L. Jackson}} in the 1994 movie ''{{w|Pulp Fiction}}''.

===Errors===
*On page 19, Slide refers to her colony as "Divisen", rather than "[[Devisiun]]".

===Other trivia===
*Originally solicited for release in October this issue arrives just a little late, on the first of November.
*Midnight Express thinks the colonies will be fine on their own, without Cybertron? That's pretty rich coming from a [[Caminus|Camien]], given that his world was in the throes of energy deprivation and needed Cybertron to help it, to the point that [[Windblade (G1)|a Camien representative]] was sent out to ''get'' that help. Stow that attitude, Midnight!

===Covers (4)===
*'''Cover A:''' Aileron, Pyra Magna, and Optimus Prime through a mirror crack'd, by [[Kei Zama]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Cover B:''' Jazz at gunpoint, by [[Casey Coller]] and [[John-Paul Bove]]
*'''Cover C:''' Thundercracker and Buster iiiinnn spaaaace! by [[Andrew Griffith]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' Wheeljack, Rodimus, Ironhide, Windblade, Optimus Prime, and Bumblebee versus Megatron, Starscream, and Soundwave, with everyone in their [[Evergreen]] character designs, by [[Joana Lafuente]]; part of a matching pair with Lafuente's retailer incentive cover for [[The Plotters' Club (Part 2)|''Lost Light'' #11]], which shows the scene from the opposite angle

<gallery>
File:OP12 cvrA.jpg|
File:OP12 cvrB.jpg|
File:OP12 cvrC.jpg|
File:OP12 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''Optimus Prime'' #13
*''[[First Strike]]: [[M.A.S.K.: First Strike|M.A.S.K.]], {{i|ROM: First Strike|Rom}},'' and ''[[Unification Day: Dusk|Transformers]]'' one-shots
*''[[The Transformers: Lost Light|Lost Light]]'' Vol. 1 TPB
*''[[Aw Yeah Revolution!|Aw Yeah: A Hasbro Action Figure Jam]]'' hardcover
*''[[My Little Pony]]: The Movie'' graphic novel adaptation
*''Sword of Ages''
*''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' #75

==External links==
*[http://www.multiversitycomics.com/previews/optimus-prime-12/ Preview]

[[Category:Optimus Prime issues]]

Primeless, Part 2

2017-11-10T00:56:08Z

HailMegatron: /* Transformers references */

{{Comicstory
|series=op|issueno=12
|prev=Primeless, Part 1
|next=
|caption=
|image=OP12 cvrA.jpg
|title="Primeless" Part 2
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[November 1]], 2017
|coverdate=October 2017
|written by=[[John Barber]]
|art by=[[Andrew Griffith]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[Carlos Guzman]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}

'''Aileron and the colonists join forces with Jazz to track the black market Cybertronian weapons to their source.'''

==Synopsis==
Following [[Aileron]]'s instructions, [[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] and [[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] head out to [[Sanctuary Station]] to check that all its [[Decepticon]] inhabitants are accounted for, to eliminate them as potential suspects in the attack on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. The pair are welcomed by [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]], [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]], [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], and Cosmos is quick to provide the necessary info: [[Liberty One|one shuttle]] is unaccounted for. Cosmos asks [[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]] if he knows who took it, but Slugslinger says he has no idea...

''In a series of ongoing solo interviews looking back on recent events, Slugslinger reveals he knew full well who took the shuttle, but kept it to himself, not wanting to get involved with the ongoing back-and-forth between Cybertron and [[Earth]]. Cosmos is of the opposite opinion, believing they should all work together. [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] has no desire to see a new war erupt, but worries about his [[Tracks (G1)|brother]], while Sky-Byte composes a poem about what he thinks is the start of a new conflict. [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] cares nothing for Cybertron, having suffered under [[Functionism]], and is glad to have left; [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], on the other hand, despite his better judgement, still feels homesick for the planet sometimes and fears for its safety.''

Down on Earth, in [[Mexico]], [[Aileron]] orders the colonists into action to disarm the humans currently attacking [[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] with Cybertronian weaponry. With emotions already running high among them, the young soldiers prove overly vicious in their efforts, with [[Slide]] even opening fire, but they manage to send the humans fleeing without actually harming anyone. Aileron informs Jazz of the recent events on Cybertron, and the fact that they are here to bring him home—something that comes as a surprise to Jazz, since he figured they, like him, were searching for the origin point of the humans' alien weapons. Finding one of their attackers—an aerospace manufacturuer named [[Mateo Chavez]]—hiding nearby, Jazz coerces the man into taking them to the suppliers, and Aileron and the colonists go with him.

''Several of the armed humans give their own video testimonials. Retired soldier [[Russell Hathaway]] believes humans need to work together across all borders to defend themselves against Cybertronians, while civil milita member [[Patricia Heaton]] doesn't trust governments to handle the issue and thinks it's up to the individual to arm themselves. College professor [[Leon Weaver]] can scarcely comprehend what the world has turned into, but believes in personal preparedness. Chavez doesn't ''want'' to fight, but will to protect his family. Ex-[[Skywatch]] soldier [[Lori Ha]] doesn't like arming civilians, but is willing to put her personal professional training to use, as she doubts the government will handle things correctly. And retiree [[Earl Howard]] is all set to go to war and kill him some robots.''

Jazz, Aileron and the colonists are led north by Chavez, openly crashing their way through the US/Mexico border as they go, with Jazz assuring them that they're making the right call regardless of how bad it looks. In a little ghost town, they find the weapon suppliers: two "real Ninties guys" in black suits. Aileron is horrified by Jazz when he appears to stomp one of the men dead... only to watch in shock as the human de-rezzes and fades away upon contact with Jazz's foot, revealed to be a [[holomatter]] avatar. Emotions are at war inside Aileron as he watches Jazz rip through the town, uncovering first the cache of weapons, and then the perpetrators: [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]], whose attempted getaway an angry Aileron blocks. It turns out the two punks have been running guns for ''months'', selling off the excess weaponry from Galvatron's army—not trying to agitate anything, just looking to make a buck. [[Gimlet]] threatens the pair with "Autobot justice," but that causes an argument that unravels the whole situation: the pair are Decepticons, and the stolen property belongs to the Decepticons, so [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] should have jurisdiction over them, and Autobots passing judgement on Decepticons, well... four-million-year-long wars have been fought over less, and if humanity finds out that sort of conflict is going on between Cybertronian factions, it's not going to look good. Aileron's heart sinks as she realizes they're going to have to cover it all up in the name of the greater good. A furious Slide tells Aileron that she won't be making any such decision, and that they will leave it up to Optimus... only for to Jazz to chime in and note that they ''all'' know that Optimus will make the same call. Jazz has already felt the sting of Optimus's dedication to the "greater good" after the Prime refused to stand by his side when he came under human scrutiny, and knowing that the colonists came to look for on their ''own'', not on Optimus's orders, is the last straw. Aileron's offer of trying to secure a pardon for him from the [[President of the United States|president]] in reparation for the recent human attack on Cybertron doesn't interest Jazz; he informs Aileron he's going to be on his own for a while, and transforms and heads off into the sunrise. Slide takes the time to toss one last insult in Aileron's direction, and Aileron snaps, screaming at the [[Devisiun|Devisen]] to shut up, lest she ''shut her up.'' Slide scoffs and stalks off, knowing Aileron can't deliver on any threats.

''In their interviews, the colonists share their feelings. A cheery-faced Slide talks about how "inspiring" Optimus Prime was for her and [[Oiler]]. Gimlet believes in Optimus Prime and loves him, but can't help but wonder why he doesn't love the colonists back. [[Bump]] has begun to wonder if the tales of the [[Thirteen|Primes]]' divinity are true. [[Roulette (Universe)|Roulette]] explains that she believes in Optimus because he lived his life as a normal 'bot, as "Orion Pax," before taking on the mantle of Primehood. [[Midnight Express (RID)|Midnight Express]] is indifferent to Cybertron's fate, and thinks the colonies can survive on their own. And Aileron... Aileron just wants to build a better future.''

Aileron's team return to [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]] with the captured weapons. They find that [[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] is in charge now, with Soundwave having left on a mission to [[Castle Destro]], and all Aileron can tell him is that they found the source of the weapons, without naming names. Exhausted, Aileron retires to her recharge slab, but, haunted by everything she has seen and done, finds herself unable to sleep.

==Featured characters==
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] (11)
*[[Gimlet]] (12)
*[[Aileron]] (13)
*[[Midnight Express (RID)|Midnight Express]] (15)
*[[Bump]] (16)
*[[Roulette (Universe)|Roulette]] (17)
*[[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]] (26)
*[[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] (27)

|c2=
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (3)
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] (4)
*[[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]] (6)
*[[Squawkbox]] (7)
*? (8)
*[[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] (9)
*[[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]] (10)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (24)
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (25)

|c3=
*[[Mateo Chavez]] (18)
*[[Russell Hathaway]] (19)
*[[Patricia Heaton]] (20)
*[[Leon Weaver]] (21)
*[[Lori Ha]] (22)
*[[Earl Howard]] (23)

|h4=Other [[Transformer|Cybertronians]]|c4=
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] (1)
*[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] (5)
*[[Slide]] (14)

|h6=Others|c6=
*[[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] (2)
}}

==Quotes==
"Oh, wow, is that Sky-Byte? You made any good '''poems''' lately, S.B.?" 
"Have I—why of '''course''' I—I am always composing—why would you '''ask''' that? Did someone say I '''didn't?'''"
:—'''Thundercracker''' and '''Sky-Byte'''

"'''Squawk!''' Now we've got '''two''' Decepticons who think they're '''writers.'''" 
"Quick! Somebody find an '''editor!'''"
:—'''Laserbeak''' and '''Buzzsaw''', on the above

'''Slide:''' "This is a '''bad idea.'''" 
'''Gimlet:''' "Transgressing '''national borders''' with impunity, or '''listening''' to Aileron?" 
'''Aileron:''' "I can '''hear''' you guys."

"You can't just go off on your '''own''' again." 
"Here's the '''thing'''—you make a mistake when you're playing '''jazz,''' you do that mistake again, then '''again.''' You make it part of the '''tune'''... until it's not a '''mistake''' anymore." 
:—'''Aileron''' and '''Jazz'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Cosmos is labelled only as an "Autobot ally," and says he only "feels" like an Autobot, indicating that he has formally resigned from the Autobot ranks to live on Sanctuary Station, where he has been staying since the events of [[All Hail Optimus Part 6: No Fair Fights|''The Transformers'' #55]].
*Sky-Byte and Slugslinger were some of the first Decepticons to arrive on Sanctuary Station, back in [[Conquerors Part 1: Aphelion|''The Transformers'' #46]], and have been hanging around in crowd scenes and group shots ever since. By contrast, the two characters name-checked as being absent, [[Acid Storm]] and [[Squeezeplay (G1)|Squeezeplay]], were formerly on the side of [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]]'s evil Decepticons; Squeezeplay was revealed to have defected in [[All Hail Optimus Part 4: It's Beginning To And Back Again|''The Transformers'' #53]], but this is the first time we're hearing of Acid Storm's change of heart. He was, in fact, last seen being taken into custody by the [[Earth Defense Command]] in [[White Light|''The Transformers'' #56]].
*Aileron catches herself before saying the name "[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]" out loud; she obviously knows Jazz won't want to hear it after they tried to ambush him in [[What It's Really Like|issue #8]].
*Jazz recalls the time he discovered Spike was stealing Cybertronian technology and went on a similar "rampage," in [[Police Action Part 3: A Second Chance at Eden|issue #29]] of the [[The Transformers (IDW)|2009-2011 ''Transformers'' comic]].
*Rumble and Frenzy are using the motorcycle alternate modes they previously employed in [[Onyx Interface Part Two: Vs.|''The Transformers'' #36]]. In fact, it doesn't appear the pair ever formatted ''out'' of those bodies after that issue, they just haven't transformed since then.
*Aileron specifically recalls the riot in Mexico City from [[New Cybertron Part 1: To Walk Among the Chosen|issue #1]] as she realizes Rumble and Frenzy were responsible for selling humans the weapons involved in it. Midnight Express remains angry about being shot during the events of that issue.
*Aileron recounts the time she told Optimus Prime "foundations must be strong," which happened in [[All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message|''The Transformers'' #52]].
*Slide's description of Optimus — "a charismatic ideologue with a cause" — mirrors Soundwave's description of [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] as "a charismatic ideologue who believed in himself more than the cause", from [[Earthfall Part 2: Detonation Boulevard|''Robots in Disguise'' #29]].
*Just as last issue ran roughly concurrently with [[First Strike issue 1|''First Strike'' #1]], this one runs parallel to [[First Strike issue 2|''First Strike'' #2]] and on into [[First Strike issue 3|''First Strike'' #3]]. By the time Aileron returns to Autobot City, Soundwave has departed for Castle Destro with G.I. Joe, which happened at the end of issue #2, and Jetfire notes he has lost contact with him, indicating this scene is occurring some time after Soundwave and the Joes used the [[M.A.S.S. Device]] to teleport to Cybertron in issue #3.

===Transformers references===
* Bump admits to having a personal crisis of faith regarding his colony's belief in the divinity of the Primes, which seems like a nod to the character's original depiction in the ''[[Beast Wars Neo]]'' series, where he was portrayed as an empirically-minded — and decidedly atheistic — academic.
* Slugslinger is labelled as a "Master of Targets," an unsubtle reference to his original designation as a [[Targetmaster (Technology)|Targetmaster.]]

===Real-life references===
*The screen Cosmos reads is written in the [[Cybertronian language|"Ancient Autobot"]] font, and mostly consists of words like "shuttle bay" and "Liberty One" (the shuttle Rumble and Frenzy took), and portions of those words and phrases, repeating over and over again. But the last line translates as "[[Quinjet]]," the personal aircraft of [[Marvel Comics]] superheroes, the [[Avengers]].
*Rumble and Frenzy's "real Nineties guys" holomatter disguises are Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield, the characters played by {{w|John Travolta}} and {{w|Samuel L. Jackson}} in the 1994 movie ''{{w|Pulp Fiction}}''.

===Errors===
*On page 19, Slide refers to her colony as "Divisen", rather than "[[Devisiun]]".

===Other trivia===
*Originally solicited for release in October this issue arrives just a little late, on the first of November.
*Midnight Express thinks the colonies will be fine on their own, without Cybertron? That's pretty rich coming from a [[Caminus|Camien]], given that his world was in the throes of energy deprivation and needed Cybertron to help it, to the point that [[Windblade (G1)|a Camien representative]] was sent out to ''get'' that help. Stow that attitude, Midnight!

===Covers (4)===
*'''Cover A:''' Aileron, Pyra Magna, and Optimus Prime through a mirror crack'd, by [[Kei Zama]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Cover B:''' Jazz at gunpoint, by [[Casey Coller]] and [[John-Paul Bove]]
*'''Cover C:''' Thundercracker and Buster iiiinnn spaaaace! by [[Andrew Griffith]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' Wheeljack, Rodimus, Ironhide, Windblade, Optimus Prime, and Bumblebee versus Megatron, Starscream, and Soundwave, with everyone in their [[Evergreen]] character designs, by [[Joana Lafuente]]; part of a matching pair with Lafuente's retailer incentive cover for [[The Plotters' Club (Part 2)|''Lost Light'' #11]], which shows the scene from the opposite angle

<gallery>
File:OP12 cvrA.jpg|
File:OP12 cvrB.jpg|
File:OP12 cvrC.jpg|
File:OP12 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''Optimus Prime'' #13
*''[[First Strike]]: [[M.A.S.K.: First Strike|M.A.S.K.]], {{i|ROM: First Strike|Rom}},'' and ''[[Unification Day: Dusk|Transformers]]'' one-shots
*''[[The Transformers: Lost Light|Lost Light]]'' Vol. 1 TPB
*''[[Aw Yeah Revolution!|Aw Yeah: A Hasbro Action Figure Jam]]'' hardcover
*''[[My Little Pony]]: The Movie'' graphic novel adaptation
*''Sword of Ages''
*''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' #75

==External links==
*[http://www.multiversitycomics.com/previews/optimus-prime-12/ Preview]

[[Category:Optimus Prime issues]]

Primeless, Part 2

2017-11-10T00:55:36Z

HailMegatron: /* Transformers references */

Primeless, Part 2

2017-11-10T00:55:11Z

HailMegatron: /* Transformers references */

{{Comicstory
|series=op|issueno=12
|prev=Primeless, Part 1
|next=
|caption=
|image=OP12 cvrA.jpg
|title="Primeless" Part 2
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[November 1]], 2017
|coverdate=October 2017
|written by=[[John Barber]]
|art by=[[Andrew Griffith]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[Carlos Guzman]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}

'''Aileron and the colonists join forces with Jazz to track the black market Cybertronian weapons to their source.'''

==Synopsis==
Following [[Aileron]]'s instructions, [[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] and [[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] head out to [[Sanctuary Station]] to check that all its [[Decepticon]] inhabitants are accounted for, to eliminate them as potential suspects in the attack on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. The pair are welcomed by [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]], [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]], [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], and Cosmos is quick to provide the necessary info: [[Liberty One|one shuttle]] is unaccounted for. Cosmos asks [[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]] if he knows who took it, but Slugslinger says he has no idea...

''In a series of ongoing solo interviews looking back on recent events, Slugslinger reveals he knew full well who took the shuttle, but kept it to himself, not wanting to get involved with the ongoing back-and-forth between Cybertron and [[Earth]]. Cosmos is of the opposite opinion, believing they should all work together. [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] has no desire to see a new war erupt, but worries about his [[Tracks (G1)|brother]], while Sky-Byte composes a poem about what he thinks is the start of a new conflict. [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] cares nothing for Cybertron, having suffered under [[Functionism]], and is glad to have left; [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], on the other hand, despite his better judgement, still feels homesick for the planet sometimes and fears for its safety.''

Down on Earth, in [[Mexico]], [[Aileron]] orders the colonists into action to disarm the humans currently attacking [[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] with Cybertronian weaponry. With emotions already running high among them, the young soldiers prove overly vicious in their efforts, with [[Slide]] even opening fire, but they manage to send the humans fleeing without actually harming anyone. Aileron informs Jazz of the recent events on Cybertron, and the fact that they are here to bring him home—something that comes as a surprise to Jazz, since he figured they, like him, were searching for the origin point of the humans' alien weapons. Finding one of their attackers—an aerospace manufacturuer named [[Mateo Chavez]]—hiding nearby, Jazz coerces the man into taking them to the suppliers, and Aileron and the colonists go with him.

''Several of the armed humans give their own video testimonials. Retired soldier [[Russell Hathaway]] believes humans need to work together across all borders to defend themselves against Cybertronians, while civil milita member [[Patricia Heaton]] doesn't trust governments to handle the issue and thinks it's up to the individual to arm themselves. College professor [[Leon Weaver]] can scarcely comprehend what the world has turned into, but believes in personal preparedness. Chavez doesn't ''want'' to fight, but will to protect his family. Ex-[[Skywatch]] soldier [[Lori Ha]] doesn't like arming civilians, but is willing to put her personal professional training to use, as she doubts the government will handle things correctly. And retiree [[Earl Howard]] is all set to go to war and kill him some robots.''

Jazz, Aileron and the colonists are led north by Chavez, openly crashing their way through the US/Mexico border as they go, with Jazz assuring them that they're making the right call regardless of how bad it looks. In a little ghost town, they find the weapon suppliers: two "real Ninties guys" in black suits. Aileron is horrified by Jazz when he appears to stomp one of the men dead... only to watch in shock as the human de-rezzes and fades away upon contact with Jazz's foot, revealed to be a [[holomatter]] avatar. Emotions are at war inside Aileron as he watches Jazz rip through the town, uncovering first the cache of weapons, and then the perpetrators: [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]], whose attempted getaway an angry Aileron blocks. It turns out the two punks have been running guns for ''months'', selling off the excess weaponry from Galvatron's army—not trying to agitate anything, just looking to make a buck. [[Gimlet]] threatens the pair with "Autobot justice," but that causes an argument that unravels the whole situation: the pair are Decepticons, and the stolen property belongs to the Decepticons, so [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] should have jurisdiction over them, and Autobots passing judgement on Decepticons, well... four-million-year-long wars have been fought over less, and if humanity finds out that sort of conflict is going on between Cybertronian factions, it's not going to look good. Aileron's heart sinks as she realizes they're going to have to cover it all up in the name of the greater good. A furious Slide tells Aileron that she won't be making any such decision, and that they will leave it up to Optimus... only for to Jazz to chime in and note that they ''all'' know that Optimus will make the same call. Jazz has already felt the sting of Optimus's dedication to the "greater good" after the Prime refused to stand by his side when he came under human scrutiny, and knowing that the colonists came to look for on their ''own'', not on Optimus's orders, is the last straw. Aileron's offer of trying to secure a pardon for him from the [[President of the United States|president]] in reparation for the recent human attack on Cybertron doesn't interest Jazz; he informs Aileron he's going to be on his own for a while, and transforms and heads off into the sunrise. Slide takes the time to toss one last insult in Aileron's direction, and Aileron snaps, screaming at the [[Devisiun|Devisen]] to shut up, lest she ''shut her up.'' Slide scoffs and stalks off, knowing Aileron can't deliver on any threats.

''In their interviews, the colonists share their feelings. A cheery-faced Slide talks about how "inspiring" Optimus Prime was for her and [[Oiler]]. Gimlet believes in Optimus Prime and loves him, but can't help but wonder why he doesn't love the colonists back. [[Bump]] has begun to wonder if the tales of the [[Thirteen|Primes]]' divinity are true. [[Roulette (Universe)|Roulette]] explains that she believes in Optimus because he lived his life as a normal 'bot, as "Orion Pax," before taking on the mantle of Primehood. [[Midnight Express (RID)|Midnight Express]] is indifferent to Cybertron's fate, and thinks the colonies can survive on their own. And Aileron... Aileron just wants to build a better future.''

Aileron's team return to [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]] with the captured weapons. They find that [[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] is in charge now, with Soundwave having left on a mission to [[Castle Destro]], and all Aileron can tell him is that they found the source of the weapons, without naming names. Exhausted, Aileron retires to her recharge slab, but, haunted by everything she has seen and done, finds herself unable to sleep.

==Featured characters==
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] (11)
*[[Gimlet]] (12)
*[[Aileron]] (13)
*[[Midnight Express (RID)|Midnight Express]] (15)
*[[Bump]] (16)
*[[Roulette (Universe)|Roulette]] (17)
*[[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]] (26)
*[[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] (27)

|c2=
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (3)
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] (4)
*[[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]] (6)
*[[Squawkbox]] (7)
*? (8)
*[[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] (9)
*[[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]] (10)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (24)
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (25)

|c3=
*[[Mateo Chavez]] (18)
*[[Russell Hathaway]] (19)
*[[Patricia Heaton]] (20)
*[[Leon Weaver]] (21)
*[[Lori Ha]] (22)
*[[Earl Howard]] (23)

|h4=Other [[Transformer|Cybertronians]]|c4=
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] (1)
*[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] (5)
*[[Slide]] (14)

|h6=Others|c6=
*[[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] (2)
}}

==Quotes==
"Oh, wow, is that Sky-Byte? You made any good '''poems''' lately, S.B.?" 
"Have I—why of '''course''' I—I am always composing—why would you '''ask''' that? Did someone say I '''didn't?'''"
:—'''Thundercracker''' and '''Sky-Byte'''

"'''Squawk!''' Now we've got '''two''' Decepticons who think they're '''writers.'''" 
"Quick! Somebody find an '''editor!'''"
:—'''Laserbeak''' and '''Buzzsaw''', on the above

'''Slide:''' "This is a '''bad idea.'''" 
'''Gimlet:''' "Transgressing '''national borders''' with impunity, or '''listening''' to Aileron?" 
'''Aileron:''' "I can '''hear''' you guys."

"You can't just go off on your '''own''' again." 
"Here's the '''thing'''—you make a mistake when you're playing '''jazz,''' you do that mistake again, then '''again.''' You make it part of the '''tune'''... until it's not a '''mistake''' anymore." 
:—'''Aileron''' and '''Jazz'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Cosmos is labelled only as an "Autobot ally," and says he only "feels" like an Autobot, indicating that he has formally resigned from the Autobot ranks to live on Sanctuary Station, where he has been staying since the events of [[All Hail Optimus Part 6: No Fair Fights|''The Transformers'' #55]].
*Sky-Byte and Slugslinger were some of the first Decepticons to arrive on Sanctuary Station, back in [[Conquerors Part 1: Aphelion|''The Transformers'' #46]], and have been hanging around in crowd scenes and group shots ever since. By contrast, the two characters name-checked as being absent, [[Acid Storm]] and [[Squeezeplay (G1)|Squeezeplay]], were formerly on the side of [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]]'s evil Decepticons; Squeezeplay was revealed to have defected in [[All Hail Optimus Part 4: It's Beginning To And Back Again|''The Transformers'' #53]], but this is the first time we're hearing of Acid Storm's change of heart. He was, in fact, last seen being taken into custody by the [[Earth Defense Command]] in [[White Light|''The Transformers'' #56]].
*Aileron catches herself before saying the name "[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]" out loud; she obviously knows Jazz won't want to hear it after they tried to ambush him in [[What It's Really Like|issue #8]].
*Jazz recalls the time he discovered Spike was stealing Cybertronian technology and went on a similar "rampage," in [[Police Action Part 3: A Second Chance at Eden|issue #29]] of the [[The Transformers (IDW)|2009-2011 ''Transformers'' comic]].
*Rumble and Frenzy are using the motorcycle alternate modes they previously employed in [[Onyx Interface Part Two: Vs.|''The Transformers'' #36]]. In fact, it doesn't appear the pair ever formatted ''out'' of those bodies after that issue, they just haven't transformed since then.
*Aileron specifically recalls the riot in Mexico City from [[New Cybertron Part 1: To Walk Among the Chosen|issue #1]] as she realizes Rumble and Frenzy were responsible for selling humans the weapons involved in it. Midnight Express remains angry about being shot during the events of that issue.
*Aileron recounts the time she told Optimus Prime "foundations must be strong," which happened in [[All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message|''The Transformers'' #52]].
*Slide's description of Optimus — "a charismatic ideologue with a cause" — mirrors Soundwave's description of [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] as "a charismatic ideologue who believed in himself more than the cause", from [[Earthfall Part 2: Detonation Boulevard|''Robots in Disguise'' #29]].
*Just as last issue ran roughly concurrently with [[First Strike issue 1|''First Strike'' #1]], this one runs parallel to [[First Strike issue 2|''First Strike'' #2]] and on into [[First Strike issue 3|''First Strike'' #3]]. By the time Aileron returns to Autobot City, Soundwave has departed for Castle Destro with G.I. Joe, which happened at the end of issue #2, and Jetfire notes he has lost contact with him, indicating this scene is occurring some time after Soundwave and the Joes used the [[M.A.S.S. Device]] to teleport to Cybertron in issue #3.

===Transformers references===
* Bump admits to having a personal crisis of faith regarding his colony's belief in the divinity of the Primes, which seems like a nod to the character's original depiction in the ''[[Beast Wars Neo]]'' series, where he was portrayed as an empirically-minded — and decidedly atheistic — academic.
* Slugslinger is labelled as a "Master of Targets," an unsubtle reference to his original designation as a [[Targetmaster|Targetmaster(G1)]]

===Real-life references===
*The screen Cosmos reads is written in the [[Cybertronian language|"Ancient Autobot"]] font, and mostly consists of words like "shuttle bay" and "Liberty One" (the shuttle Rumble and Frenzy took), and portions of those words and phrases, repeating over and over again. But the last line translates as "[[Quinjet]]," the personal aircraft of [[Marvel Comics]] superheroes, the [[Avengers]].
*Rumble and Frenzy's "real Nineties guys" holomatter disguises are Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield, the characters played by {{w|John Travolta}} and {{w|Samuel L. Jackson}} in the 1994 movie ''{{w|Pulp Fiction}}''.

===Errors===
*On page 19, Slide refers to her colony as "Divisen", rather than "[[Devisiun]]".

===Other trivia===
*Originally solicited for release in October this issue arrives just a little late, on the first of November.
*Midnight Express thinks the colonies will be fine on their own, without Cybertron? That's pretty rich coming from a [[Caminus|Camien]], given that his world was in the throes of energy deprivation and needed Cybertron to help it, to the point that [[Windblade (G1)|a Camien representative]] was sent out to ''get'' that help. Stow that attitude, Midnight!

===Covers (4)===
*'''Cover A:''' Aileron, Pyra Magna, and Optimus Prime through a mirror crack'd, by [[Kei Zama]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Cover B:''' Jazz at gunpoint, by [[Casey Coller]] and [[John-Paul Bove]]
*'''Cover C:''' Thundercracker and Buster iiiinnn spaaaace! by [[Andrew Griffith]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' Wheeljack, Rodimus, Ironhide, Windblade, Optimus Prime, and Bumblebee versus Megatron, Starscream, and Soundwave, with everyone in their [[Evergreen]] character designs, by [[Joana Lafuente]]; part of a matching pair with Lafuente's retailer incentive cover for [[The Plotters' Club (Part 2)|''Lost Light'' #11]], which shows the scene from the opposite angle

<gallery>
File:OP12 cvrA.jpg|
File:OP12 cvrB.jpg|
File:OP12 cvrC.jpg|
File:OP12 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''Optimus Prime'' #13
*''[[First Strike]]: [[M.A.S.K.: First Strike|M.A.S.K.]], {{i|ROM: First Strike|Rom}},'' and ''[[Unification Day: Dusk|Transformers]]'' one-shots
*''[[The Transformers: Lost Light|Lost Light]]'' Vol. 1 TPB
*''[[Aw Yeah Revolution!|Aw Yeah: A Hasbro Action Figure Jam]]'' hardcover
*''[[My Little Pony]]: The Movie'' graphic novel adaptation
*''Sword of Ages''
*''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' #75

==External links==
*[http://www.multiversitycomics.com/previews/optimus-prime-12/ Preview]

[[Category:Optimus Prime issues]]

Primeless, Part 2

2017-11-10T00:54:33Z

HailMegatron: /* Transformers references */

{{Comicstory
|series=op|issueno=12
|prev=Primeless, Part 1
|next=
|caption=
|image=OP12 cvrA.jpg
|title="Primeless" Part 2
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[November 1]], 2017
|coverdate=October 2017
|written by=[[John Barber]]
|art by=[[Andrew Griffith]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[Carlos Guzman]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}

'''Aileron and the colonists join forces with Jazz to track the black market Cybertronian weapons to their source.'''

==Synopsis==
Following [[Aileron]]'s instructions, [[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] and [[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] head out to [[Sanctuary Station]] to check that all its [[Decepticon]] inhabitants are accounted for, to eliminate them as potential suspects in the attack on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. The pair are welcomed by [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]], [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]], [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], and Cosmos is quick to provide the necessary info: [[Liberty One|one shuttle]] is unaccounted for. Cosmos asks [[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]] if he knows who took it, but Slugslinger says he has no idea...

''In a series of ongoing solo interviews looking back on recent events, Slugslinger reveals he knew full well who took the shuttle, but kept it to himself, not wanting to get involved with the ongoing back-and-forth between Cybertron and [[Earth]]. Cosmos is of the opposite opinion, believing they should all work together. [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] has no desire to see a new war erupt, but worries about his [[Tracks (G1)|brother]], while Sky-Byte composes a poem about what he thinks is the start of a new conflict. [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] cares nothing for Cybertron, having suffered under [[Functionism]], and is glad to have left; [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], on the other hand, despite his better judgement, still feels homesick for the planet sometimes and fears for its safety.''

Down on Earth, in [[Mexico]], [[Aileron]] orders the colonists into action to disarm the humans currently attacking [[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] with Cybertronian weaponry. With emotions already running high among them, the young soldiers prove overly vicious in their efforts, with [[Slide]] even opening fire, but they manage to send the humans fleeing without actually harming anyone. Aileron informs Jazz of the recent events on Cybertron, and the fact that they are here to bring him home—something that comes as a surprise to Jazz, since he figured they, like him, were searching for the origin point of the humans' alien weapons. Finding one of their attackers—an aerospace manufacturuer named [[Mateo Chavez]]—hiding nearby, Jazz coerces the man into taking them to the suppliers, and Aileron and the colonists go with him.

''Several of the armed humans give their own video testimonials. Retired soldier [[Russell Hathaway]] believes humans need to work together across all borders to defend themselves against Cybertronians, while civil milita member [[Patricia Heaton]] doesn't trust governments to handle the issue and thinks it's up to the individual to arm themselves. College professor [[Leon Weaver]] can scarcely comprehend what the world has turned into, but believes in personal preparedness. Chavez doesn't ''want'' to fight, but will to protect his family. Ex-[[Skywatch]] soldier [[Lori Ha]] doesn't like arming civilians, but is willing to put her personal professional training to use, as she doubts the government will handle things correctly. And retiree [[Earl Howard]] is all set to go to war and kill him some robots.''

Jazz, Aileron and the colonists are led north by Chavez, openly crashing their way through the US/Mexico border as they go, with Jazz assuring them that they're making the right call regardless of how bad it looks. In a little ghost town, they find the weapon suppliers: two "real Ninties guys" in black suits. Aileron is horrified by Jazz when he appears to stomp one of the men dead... only to watch in shock as the human de-rezzes and fades away upon contact with Jazz's foot, revealed to be a [[holomatter]] avatar. Emotions are at war inside Aileron as he watches Jazz rip through the town, uncovering first the cache of weapons, and then the perpetrators: [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]], whose attempted getaway an angry Aileron blocks. It turns out the two punks have been running guns for ''months'', selling off the excess weaponry from Galvatron's army—not trying to agitate anything, just looking to make a buck. [[Gimlet]] threatens the pair with "Autobot justice," but that causes an argument that unravels the whole situation: the pair are Decepticons, and the stolen property belongs to the Decepticons, so [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] should have jurisdiction over them, and Autobots passing judgement on Decepticons, well... four-million-year-long wars have been fought over less, and if humanity finds out that sort of conflict is going on between Cybertronian factions, it's not going to look good. Aileron's heart sinks as she realizes they're going to have to cover it all up in the name of the greater good. A furious Slide tells Aileron that she won't be making any such decision, and that they will leave it up to Optimus... only for to Jazz to chime in and note that they ''all'' know that Optimus will make the same call. Jazz has already felt the sting of Optimus's dedication to the "greater good" after the Prime refused to stand by his side when he came under human scrutiny, and knowing that the colonists came to look for on their ''own'', not on Optimus's orders, is the last straw. Aileron's offer of trying to secure a pardon for him from the [[President of the United States|president]] in reparation for the recent human attack on Cybertron doesn't interest Jazz; he informs Aileron he's going to be on his own for a while, and transforms and heads off into the sunrise. Slide takes the time to toss one last insult in Aileron's direction, and Aileron snaps, screaming at the [[Devisiun|Devisen]] to shut up, lest she ''shut her up.'' Slide scoffs and stalks off, knowing Aileron can't deliver on any threats.

''In their interviews, the colonists share their feelings. A cheery-faced Slide talks about how "inspiring" Optimus Prime was for her and [[Oiler]]. Gimlet believes in Optimus Prime and loves him, but can't help but wonder why he doesn't love the colonists back. [[Bump]] has begun to wonder if the tales of the [[Thirteen|Primes]]' divinity are true. [[Roulette (Universe)|Roulette]] explains that she believes in Optimus because he lived his life as a normal 'bot, as "Orion Pax," before taking on the mantle of Primehood. [[Midnight Express (RID)|Midnight Express]] is indifferent to Cybertron's fate, and thinks the colonies can survive on their own. And Aileron... Aileron just wants to build a better future.''

Aileron's team return to [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]] with the captured weapons. They find that [[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] is in charge now, with Soundwave having left on a mission to [[Castle Destro]], and all Aileron can tell him is that they found the source of the weapons, without naming names. Exhausted, Aileron retires to her recharge slab, but, haunted by everything she has seen and done, finds herself unable to sleep.

==Featured characters==
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] (11)
*[[Gimlet]] (12)
*[[Aileron]] (13)
*[[Midnight Express (RID)|Midnight Express]] (15)
*[[Bump]] (16)
*[[Roulette (Universe)|Roulette]] (17)
*[[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]] (26)
*[[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] (27)

|c2=
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (3)
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] (4)
*[[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]] (6)
*[[Squawkbox]] (7)
*? (8)
*[[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] (9)
*[[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]] (10)
*[[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (24)
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] (25)

|c3=
*[[Mateo Chavez]] (18)
*[[Russell Hathaway]] (19)
*[[Patricia Heaton]] (20)
*[[Leon Weaver]] (21)
*[[Lori Ha]] (22)
*[[Earl Howard]] (23)

|h4=Other [[Transformer|Cybertronians]]|c4=
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] (1)
*[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] (5)
*[[Slide]] (14)

|h6=Others|c6=
*[[Buster (IDW)|Buster]] (2)
}}

==Quotes==
"Oh, wow, is that Sky-Byte? You made any good '''poems''' lately, S.B.?" 
"Have I—why of '''course''' I—I am always composing—why would you '''ask''' that? Did someone say I '''didn't?'''"
:—'''Thundercracker''' and '''Sky-Byte'''

"'''Squawk!''' Now we've got '''two''' Decepticons who think they're '''writers.'''" 
"Quick! Somebody find an '''editor!'''"
:—'''Laserbeak''' and '''Buzzsaw''', on the above

'''Slide:''' "This is a '''bad idea.'''" 
'''Gimlet:''' "Transgressing '''national borders''' with impunity, or '''listening''' to Aileron?" 
'''Aileron:''' "I can '''hear''' you guys."

"You can't just go off on your '''own''' again." 
"Here's the '''thing'''—you make a mistake when you're playing '''jazz,''' you do that mistake again, then '''again.''' You make it part of the '''tune'''... until it's not a '''mistake''' anymore." 
:—'''Aileron''' and '''Jazz'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Cosmos is labelled only as an "Autobot ally," and says he only "feels" like an Autobot, indicating that he has formally resigned from the Autobot ranks to live on Sanctuary Station, where he has been staying since the events of [[All Hail Optimus Part 6: No Fair Fights|''The Transformers'' #55]].
*Sky-Byte and Slugslinger were some of the first Decepticons to arrive on Sanctuary Station, back in [[Conquerors Part 1: Aphelion|''The Transformers'' #46]], and have been hanging around in crowd scenes and group shots ever since. By contrast, the two characters name-checked as being absent, [[Acid Storm]] and [[Squeezeplay (G1)|Squeezeplay]], were formerly on the side of [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]]'s evil Decepticons; Squeezeplay was revealed to have defected in [[All Hail Optimus Part 4: It's Beginning To And Back Again|''The Transformers'' #53]], but this is the first time we're hearing of Acid Storm's change of heart. He was, in fact, last seen being taken into custody by the [[Earth Defense Command]] in [[White Light|''The Transformers'' #56]].
*Aileron catches herself before saying the name "[[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]]" out loud; she obviously knows Jazz won't want to hear it after they tried to ambush him in [[What It's Really Like|issue #8]].
*Jazz recalls the time he discovered Spike was stealing Cybertronian technology and went on a similar "rampage," in [[Police Action Part 3: A Second Chance at Eden|issue #29]] of the [[The Transformers (IDW)|2009-2011 ''Transformers'' comic]].
*Rumble and Frenzy are using the motorcycle alternate modes they previously employed in [[Onyx Interface Part Two: Vs.|''The Transformers'' #36]]. In fact, it doesn't appear the pair ever formatted ''out'' of those bodies after that issue, they just haven't transformed since then.
*Aileron specifically recalls the riot in Mexico City from [[New Cybertron Part 1: To Walk Among the Chosen|issue #1]] as she realizes Rumble and Frenzy were responsible for selling humans the weapons involved in it. Midnight Express remains angry about being shot during the events of that issue.
*Aileron recounts the time she told Optimus Prime "foundations must be strong," which happened in [[All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message|''The Transformers'' #52]].
*Slide's description of Optimus — "a charismatic ideologue with a cause" — mirrors Soundwave's description of [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] as "a charismatic ideologue who believed in himself more than the cause", from [[Earthfall Part 2: Detonation Boulevard|''Robots in Disguise'' #29]].
*Just as last issue ran roughly concurrently with [[First Strike issue 1|''First Strike'' #1]], this one runs parallel to [[First Strike issue 2|''First Strike'' #2]] and on into [[First Strike issue 3|''First Strike'' #3]]. By the time Aileron returns to Autobot City, Soundwave has departed for Castle Destro with G.I. Joe, which happened at the end of issue #2, and Jetfire notes he has lost contact with him, indicating this scene is occurring some time after Soundwave and the Joes used the [[M.A.S.S. Device]] to teleport to Cybertron in issue #3.

===Transformers references===
* Bump admits to having a personal crisis of faith regarding his colony's belief in the divinity of the Primes, which seems like a nod to the character's original depiction in the ''[[Beast Wars Neo]]'' series, where he was portrayed as an empirically-minded — and decidedly atheistic — academic.
* Slugslinger is labelled as a "Master of Targets," an unsubtle reference to his original designation as a [Targetmaster|Targetmaster(G1)]

===Real-life references===
*The screen Cosmos reads is written in the [[Cybertronian language|"Ancient Autobot"]] font, and mostly consists of words like "shuttle bay" and "Liberty One" (the shuttle Rumble and Frenzy took), and portions of those words and phrases, repeating over and over again. But the last line translates as "[[Quinjet]]," the personal aircraft of [[Marvel Comics]] superheroes, the [[Avengers]].
*Rumble and Frenzy's "real Nineties guys" holomatter disguises are Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield, the characters played by {{w|John Travolta}} and {{w|Samuel L. Jackson}} in the 1994 movie ''{{w|Pulp Fiction}}''.

===Errors===
*On page 19, Slide refers to her colony as "Divisen", rather than "[[Devisiun]]".

===Other trivia===
*Originally solicited for release in October this issue arrives just a little late, on the first of November.
*Midnight Express thinks the colonies will be fine on their own, without Cybertron? That's pretty rich coming from a [[Caminus|Camien]], given that his world was in the throes of energy deprivation and needed Cybertron to help it, to the point that [[Windblade (G1)|a Camien representative]] was sent out to ''get'' that help. Stow that attitude, Midnight!

===Covers (4)===
*'''Cover A:''' Aileron, Pyra Magna, and Optimus Prime through a mirror crack'd, by [[Kei Zama]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Cover B:''' Jazz at gunpoint, by [[Casey Coller]] and [[John-Paul Bove]]
*'''Cover C:''' Thundercracker and Buster iiiinnn spaaaace! by [[Andrew Griffith]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' Wheeljack, Rodimus, Ironhide, Windblade, Optimus Prime, and Bumblebee versus Megatron, Starscream, and Soundwave, with everyone in their [[Evergreen]] character designs, by [[Joana Lafuente]]; part of a matching pair with Lafuente's retailer incentive cover for [[The Plotters' Club (Part 2)|''Lost Light'' #11]], which shows the scene from the opposite angle

<gallery>
File:OP12 cvrA.jpg|
File:OP12 cvrB.jpg|
File:OP12 cvrC.jpg|
File:OP12 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''Optimus Prime'' #13
*''[[First Strike]]: [[M.A.S.K.: First Strike|M.A.S.K.]], {{i|ROM: First Strike|Rom}},'' and ''[[Unification Day: Dusk|Transformers]]'' one-shots
*''[[The Transformers: Lost Light|Lost Light]]'' Vol. 1 TPB
*''[[Aw Yeah Revolution!|Aw Yeah: A Hasbro Action Figure Jam]]'' hardcover
*''[[My Little Pony]]: The Movie'' graphic novel adaptation
*''Sword of Ages''
*''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' #75

==External links==
*[http://www.multiversitycomics.com/previews/optimus-prime-12/ Preview]

[[Category:Optimus Prime issues]]

Insecticon swarm

2017-10-22T14:49:09Z

HailMegatron:

{{disambigm|Insecticon (disambiguation)|Swarm (disambiguation)}}
:''The Insecticon swarm is a [[Decepticon]] abomination of science from the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW portion]] of the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[File:AHM7 Swarm.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|[[Hasbro]], will we get these as
----
[[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]]? Pleeeeease?]]
The '''Insecticon swarm''' is a horde of horribly mutated [[Insecticon clone|insect-like]] robots created by the Decepticons, stalking about the surface of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] looking for victims to devour.

==Fiction==
===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
The Insecticons were a Cybertronian sub-species that lived deep underground. {{storylink|Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook issue 1|Buster, Bob, and D.0.c profiles}} They existed near Cybertron's core and defended it from threats. {{storylink|First Strike issue 5|First Strike #5}}

The Insecticon swarm was a side-effect of the Decepticons' attempts to create the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]], and their existence was seen as horrific torture by [[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]]. The process created one successful Insecticon for every ''thousand'' swarm clones, with the swarm growing to be three thousand strong {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}} before being dumped to scamper around on Cybertron.

[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hot Rod]] stated he and his crashed crew were lucky to avoid the swarm. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 5|All Hail Megatron #5}} Bowing to narrative effect, two of the swarm chose that very day to walk over to the Autobots' temporary base, allowing [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] and [[Perceptor (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Perceptor]] to show how cool and violent they were. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 6|All Hail Megatron #6}}

The Autobots retreated to a fallback position, {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}} needing only to destroy a bridge to keep the swarm at bay. The swarm took out Perceptor, forcing [[Sunstreaker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sunstreaker]] to sacrifice himself manually blowing the bridge. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 8|All Hail Megatron #8}} {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 14|Replay}}

During the time the Autobots managed to revive [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]], {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 9|All Hail Megatron #9}} the swarm managed to locate another bridge and besiege the Autobots. Although emboldened by the return of their [[Prime (rank)|leader]], the swarm's sheer numbers began to whittle the Autobot defenses down. Surrounded, outnumbered, and out-gunned, the Autobots were facing imminent death at the hands of the swarm.

And then this happened:
[[File:Omega Arrives in AHM.jpg|thumb|center|upright=1.67|We were important to the plot, honest!]]
{{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}}

With Cybertron still overrun by the swarm three years later, it was posited by [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] that they had to be exterminated before the planet could be restored. {{storylink|Ironing Out the Details}}

[[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] made it his mission to exterminate the swarm, though eventually he was overwhelmed by sheer numbers and requested Alpha Trion's assistance. The mysterious bot ordered Ironhide to retreat. As the swarm followed close behind Ironhide, both camps ran into [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]], who proceeded to stomp on the buggers. Alpha Trion later reported there were still rogue colonies of the swarm across Cybertron and charged Ironhide to exterminate them as well. {{storylink|Iron in the Blood}} {{storylink|Any Old Iron}}

Together with a repaired Sunstreaker, Ironhide found that if you separate a member from the swarm, they could be easily domesticated. This is how they got their new pet, [[Bob (IDW)|Bob]]. By the time the two got off Cybertron, most of the swarm was gone and replaced with a [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|new menace]]. {{storylink|Space Opera Act 2: Out of the Silent Planet|Out of the Silent Planet}}

When [[Joe Colton]]'s alliance neared Cybertron's core, the Insecticons swarmed to the defense of their homeworld but the villains were ultimately able to push past them and reach the core chamber. {{storylink|First Strike issue 5|First Strike #5}}

==Games==
===''Transformers Legends''===
As the Autobots prepared a ship so that they could return to Earth, the Insecticon swarm attacked, but was driven off by [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] and his team. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron (Legends)|All Hail Megatron}}

==Notes==
===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''swarm''' (スワーム ''suwāmu'')

[[Category:Decepticon subgroups]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 subgroups]]
[[Category:Insecticons]]

Decepticon leader

2017-10-17T00:36:24Z

HailMegatron: /* Marvel The Transformers comics */

{{factions|decepticon}}
[[File:WorldsCollide3 MegatronVsGalvatron.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Whoever wins, we lose.]]
Among the [[Decepticon]]s, there is one guiding principle: {{w|Kratocracy|rule of the strong}}. Whereas the [[Prime (rank)|leader]] of the [[Autobot]]s consults his subordinates, the strongest and the most powerful Decepticon leads, and everyone else is expected to follow without question. But strength of body is not enough. One must also have the brains to lead, the intelligence to outwit their rivals and plan their victories. Thus, the '''Decepticon leader''' is the strongest and smartest of their ranks.

Guess [[Ratbat (G1)|how]] [[Scourge (RID)|many]] [[Octane|Decepticons]] [[Megatron (disambiguation)|think]] [[Starscream (disambiguation)|they]] [[Shockwave (G1)|qualify]].

{{bigquote|Only a select few ever lead, [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]].|[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] on the nature of power|"[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]"}}

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics====
{{noteukonly}}
[[File:Megatrong1earlymarvel.jpg|left|thumb|100px|First...]]
[[File:Straxusholdscourt.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|...and the worst.]]
[[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] served as commander over all of the Decepticons for over one thousand years until he and other Decepticons and Autobots were lost buried in a [[Mount St. Hilary|volcano]] on [[Earth]]. {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers}} ''In his absence, the War-Lord [[Trannis]] took control of the Decepticon army. Trannis conquered most of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and destroyed [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], forcing the Autobots underground. In time Trannis grew complacent and some Decepticons had the opinion that he was insufficiently aggressive. The [[Decepticon High Command|Decepticon high command]] made plans to oust him, but the [[Wrecker]]s beat them to it when they assassinated him. He was succeeded by the more relentless [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]].'' {{storylink|Cybertron: The Middle Years!}} Straxus became "Lord High Governor of [[Polyhex]]". {{storylink|The Smelting Pool!}}

Meanwhile, four million years had passed and the Decepticons on Earth awoke isolated from Cybertron and unaware of current events. Megatron continued his role as commander, effectively making him leader of the Earth-bound Decepticons. {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers}} ''[[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]] would briefly try to nick his job and failed miserably.'' {{storylink|The Enemy Within!}}

[[File:Megatrong1marvelhumiliation.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|"Now, ''I'' am the le-"]]
[[File:Laserbeakdeterminescommand.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|"...never mind."]]
When Megatron was defeated shortly after the Decepticons reactivated, Military Operations Commander [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] defeated the Autobots {{storylink|The Last Stand}} and usurped Megatron, reducing Megatron to [[second-in-command]]. {{storylink|The New Order}} Megatron was soon defeated by the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] and went missing for a time. {{storylink|Repeat Performance!}} Shockwave was then, himself, beaten and briefly stuck in a swamp. {{storylink|Prime Time!}} ''[[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] took command in their absence'' {{storylink|Crisis of Command!}} ''and scored a major victory.'' {{storylink|Dinobot Hunt!}} Megatron returned {{storylink|Shooting Star!}} to command some of the Earth Decepticons while Shockwave led a group of others. ''Soundwave played for both teams, until, for the good of the Decepticons, he demanded they work together;'' {{storylink|Second Generation!}} the two agreed to joint leadership, {{storylink|The Bridge to Nowhere!}} until Megatron was able to use logic to convince Shockwave to give him full leadership. {{storylink|Command Performances!}}

Meanwhile, after receiving a mayday from the Earth bound Decepticons, Straxus contacted the Earth-bound Decepticons, and the two groups agreed to cooperate. Straxus built a [[space bridge]] to transport resources back and forth. Straxus went boom {{storylink|The Bridge to Nowhere!}} ''and was reduced to a floating head.'' {{storylink|...The Harder They Die!}} ''On Earth, Megatron's growing paranoia caused Shockwave and Soundwave to try removing him;'' {{storylink|Prey!}} ''instead, Megatron ended up on Cybertron, where his presence and madness undermined Straxus. Lord Straxus attempted to possess Megatron in an attempt to end this threat and gain a body, but this ended with Straxus dead ([[Two Megatrons!|sort of]]).'' {{storylink|Resurrection!}} With Straxus dead, fuel auditor [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] ascended to ''de facto'' command of Cybertron. {{storylink|King of the Hill!}} Still, an unseen [[Decepticon Imperial Headquarters]] would give him marching orders. {{storylink|Club Con!}}

[[File:Ratbatcratercritters.jpg|left|thumb|upright=0.85| Now I am the true lead-]]
After seemingly killing [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]], Megatron went mad and apparently killed himself, allowing Shockwave to assume full leadership of the Earth-bound Decepticons again. {{storylink|Gone but Not Forgotten!}} The Earth-bound Decepticons coordinated with [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]]. {{storylink|King of the Hill!}} Ratbat himself eventually came to Earth, and had a very uneasy alliance with Shockwave; in contrast to his clashes with Megatron, Shockwave was left trying to justify his strategies and ''impress'' the fuel auditor. {{storylink|Buster Witwicky and the Car Wash of Doom}} ''Following a massive cock-up by Shockwave that undermined his authority,'' {{storylink|Enemy Action!}} Ratbat oversaw several Earth operations directly. {{storylink|Toy Soldiers!}}

While this was going on, the Decepticon [[Scorponok (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Scorponok]] took his unit to follow [[Fortress Maximus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Fortress Maximus]] to [[Nebulos]], where he underwent [[binary bonding]] with [[Zarak (G1)|Zarak]]. Following Fortress Maximus to Earth, Scorponok operated independently from Shockwave and Ratbat, leading his own troops. {{storylink|The Transformers: Headmasters|Headmasters}}

Shockwave went missing in action and Ratbat, happily letting this happen to Shockers, became commander of Earth's Decepticons. {{storylink|The Desert Island of Space!}} Scorponok, meanwhile, was operating his ''own'' faction on Earth. {{storylink|Trial by Fire!}} ''Shockwave set up shop with a small third faction in [[Fortress Sinister]],'' {{storylink|Salvage!}} ''but he'd eventually lose his men as he went mad.'' {{storylink|Time Wars}} Eventually, Scorponok and Ratbat met up... and had [[Decepticon Civil War|a big punch-up]], thanks to manipulation by Starscream {{storylink|Cold War!}} By the end of this and some fun with the [[Underbase]], Ratbat was shot dead by Scorponok and Starscream killed by the Underbase's power. Without any rivals, Scorponok easily settled into power as Earth's sole Decepticon leader. {{storylink|Dark Star}}

[[File:FallAndRiseTriumvirateHeads.jpg|left|upright=0.85|thumb| WE ARE THE LEADERS! ]]
[[File:Thunderwingwhereisthecreationmatrix.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb| No, '''We are.''']]
''On Cybertron, [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] petitioned the [[Decepticon High Council]] to be appointed the new leader (even though someone else appears to have been leader.'' {{storylink|The Big Shutdown!}} {{storylink|Assault on the Ark!}} ''Straxus/Megatron (don't ask) arrived in [[Helex (polity)|Helex]] to find the [[Decepticon Empire]] had become lax under the ruling Decepticon [[Triumvirate]]. Straxus/Megatron inspired a crowd of Decepticons to take action. The Triumverate were killed and Straxus/Megatron took control of the empire.'' {{storylink|The Fall and Rise of the Decepticon Empire.}} ''Megatron arrived and confronted Straxus/Megatron leading the latter to take his own life,'' {{storylink|Two Megatrons!}} but kept his return secret. The confusing situation was made simpler when Megatron became lost in a portal {{storylink|Skin Deep}} and Thunderwing was killed due to his Matrix obsession. {{storylink|All Fall Down}}

[[File:Allthisandcivilwar-arethey.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.85| '''FINISH HIM!''']]
With [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] fast approaching Cybertron, Optimus Prime made the decision to surrender to Scorponok, in return for allying with the Autobots against Unicron. {{storylink|Surrender!}} Scorponok planned to betray Prime, but Zarak later agreed to the alliance. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}} However, Scorponok's troops were growing disgruntled, especially by his recruitment of (the newly not dead) Starscream. Taking advantage of this, Shockwave managed to get several disgruntled Decepticons to ally with him and attack Scorponok's group. {{storylink|...All This and Civil War 2}} Ultimately, they were all transported to Cybertron by [[Primus]], who named Optimus Prime as the commander of Cybertron's united army. {{storylink|Out of Time!}}

{{note|After the battle with Unicron, the scope of Cybertron society is drastically reduced for storytelling reasons. References to existing Cybertron-based Decepticon forces and the underground Autobot resistance is dropped, leaving primarily the core Earth-based cast. Presumably, Unicron killed everyone else.}}

[[File:Bludgeon-youlie1.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85]]
During the battle with Unicron, Optimus Prime and Scorponok were both killed. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}} As Shockwave and Starscream fled the dying Cybertron, {{storylink|A Savage Circle}} [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] was acclaimed Decepticon leader by the surviving Decepticons. {{storylink|Exodus!}} He led the Decepticons in the conquest of [[Klo]], {{storylink|The Last Autobot?}} then massacred the Autobots who arrived to stop them. He was stopped by the return of Optimus Prime, who had been revived by the [[Last Autobot]], whom Bludgeon had worshiped as the Ultimate Warrior. The Last Autobot revived the fallen Autobots, and Bludgeon agreed to lead the Decepticons into exile... planning to bide their time. {{storylink|End of the Road! (US)|End of the Road!}}

Shockwave, meanwhile, had hijacked the Ark alongside Starscream with the intention of using it to conquer Earth. {{storylink|Still Life!}} He didn't count on [[Galvatron II|an alternate timeline Galvatron]] to have attempted the same thing. He also didn't count on Ratchet and Megatron (yep, he's back again) to be on board the Ark in stasis, though, nor did he expect the pair to awaken during the journey. {{storylink|Exodus!}} While Megatron kept Shockwave and Starscream occupied, Ratchet forced the Ark to crash violently into the ground. Galvatron was the only one to emerge from the crash, and he appeared to be the only survivor. {{storylink|A Savage Circle}}

''In an alternate timeline, Scorponok, Shockwave, and Megatron were having a three-way Decepticon civil war over Decepticon leadership during the late 80s/early 90s.'' {{storylink|Trigger-Happy!}}

=====Marvel UK future timelines=====
[[File:SpacePiratesSoundwaveLeader.JPG|left|thumb|''Everyone'' would follow a bore like him!]]
Scorponok, Shockwave, and Megatron had a three-way civil war for Decepticon leadership; Megatron won. {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}} In [[2006]], Megatron was transformed into Galvatron (ending an attempt by Starscream to seize leadership) {{storylink|Target: 2006}} and would later escape by [[time travel]]. {{storylink|Fallen Angel|Fallen Angel!}} This led to a ''very'' messy leadership situation, as Shockwave, Cyclonus, and Scourge (working as Unicron's proxies), and Soundwave would all take command sequentially over the next few years. Shockwave succeeded in re-conquering half of Cybertron, and Soundwave pulled off the nifty trick of conning the ''Autobots'' into saving his army from [[Quintesson]] attack.

Eventually, a post-[[Time Wars]] clean-up of the timeline happened, and Galvatron had now [[retcon|always been commander since 2006]].

=====Earthforce=====
{{earthforcefiction}}
Megatron and Shockwave were both stuck on Earth with small platoons, and waged a constant civil war over leadership and the planet. {{storylink|Life in the Slow Lane}} Scorponok is referred to as also existing, and presumably commands the Decepticons that ''aren't'' on Earth. [[Mindwipe (G1)|Mindwipe]] of all people ''tried'' to become Decepticon leader by usurping Scorponok's command; it went ''poorly''. {{storylink|The Living Nightlights!}}

The Autobots sabotaged any attempt to stop the leadership conflict. {{storylink|The Bad Guy's Ball!}} Eventually, Starscream and Soundwave deposed Megatron and Shockwave, uniting the two factions as ''joint'' Decepticon leaders. {{storylink|Internal Affairs!}} Unsurprisingly, they both planned to backstab the other and take sole control at some point. Megatron and Shockwave also teamed up, attempting to regain control. {{storylink|External Forces!}}

=====Another Time & Place=====
[[File:MarvelUSG2-05.jpg|upright=0.6|thumb|''That'll'' teach you to be a ''late'' 80s character and want scenes!]]
Following the defeat on [[Klo]], Bludgeon attempted to bring back Megatron to lead ''instead'' of him. {{storylink|Another Time & Place}}

====Marvel ''Generation 2'' comic====
Bludgeon led his forces back into battle, arming his army in preparation for a major strike. {{storylink|Primal Fear!|Old Evils}} {{storylink|Ghosts}} Upon his return, Megatron challenged Bludgeon for leadership of the Decepticons and after a fierce battle, Megatron emerged victorious. {{storylink|The Power and the Glory|Tales of Earth Part Two}}

====''Classics''====
{{noteclassics}}
Megatron's status as the Decepticon leader is all but unchallenged... on Earth. Bludgeon and his loyal troops remain, scattered across the universe.

And then Megatron killed him and took command. {{storylink|At Fight's End}}
{{-}}

====''Regeneration One''====
{{noterg1}}
[[File:Neo-decepticons counterpoint.jpg|thumb|left|Not bad for an uncharismatic bore.]]
Soundwave led a faction of "Neo-Decepticons" on Cybertron. As their first strike against the ruling Autobots, they hacked into the planet's orbital defence satellite network and used one to destroy the [[Last Autobot]]. {{storylink|Counterpoint}}

[[File:Megatron loose ends.jpg|thumb|Well Megatron, most people try not to bother you when you're on the toilet.]]
Despite the Neo-Decepticons' repeated attempts to disrupt the peace on Cybertron, [[Kup (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Kup]] and the [[Wrecker]]s considered the extant Decepticon leaders Bludgeon, Galvatron and Megatron to be the greater threat and—against Optimus Prime's explicit orders—departed for Earth to track down Megatron. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 1}} Left alone on Earth for twenty-one years, Megatron had recovered the dead bodies of those Decepticons (and a few [[Monsterbot|Autobots]]) who had fallen in the [[Underbase Saga]] and reanimated them as lobotomised [[zombie]]s, including his former [[second-in-command]], the treacherous Starscream, and former Decepticon leader Ratbat. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 2}} When Optimus Prime left Cybertron to deal with Megatron, Soundwave established contact with Bludgeon, leader of his own band of Decepticons, informing him that the planet was vulnerable. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 3}} The two planned to recover the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]]-infused body of Thunderwing, yet another former Decepticon leader, from the [[Hall of Silence]]. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 4}} Meanwhile, on Earth, Optimus Prime put an end to Megatron once and for all but at the same time still yet another former Decepticon leader, the resurrected Scorponok, surfaced on [[Nebulos]]. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 5}}

While Soundwave was offplanet delivering Thunderwing's remains to Bludgeon, Scorponok arrived on Cybertron with his [[Gene Key]], a device capable of turning Autobots into Decepticons. At [[Fort Scyk]], he took control of Soundwave's troops and pressed them into service to carry out his grand plan for complete control of Cybertron. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part Three}} However, he underestimated his forced accomplice Grimlock and was ultimately undone, plunging to his doom in the [[Sonic Canyons]]. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part Five}}

Taking advantage of the chaos of Scorponok's attempted takeover, Soundwave began a campaign of low-level terror, keeping the planet's population agitated while he and Bludgeon used Thunderwing's Matrix energy to give life to Bludgeon's latest warriors, the fearsome [[Blitz Engine]]s. {{storylink|Destiny, Part Two}} From the ''[[Warworld]]'' above Cybertron, Bludgeon unleashed a devastating attack on the Autobots while Soundwave co-ordinated efforts on the ground. However, after setting [[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]] on [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]], Soundwave found his path blocked by [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]. {{storylink|Destiny, Part Four}} As Soundwave was beaten in sonic combat by his rival audiosmith, Bludgeon was bested by the newly minted [[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Rodimus Prime]] and thrown from the ''Warworld'' to the planet's surface below. {{storylink|Destiny, Part Five}}

Bludgeon survived the fall, and both he and Soundwave were incarcerated by the Autobots, leaving any Decepticons still at large seemingly leaderless. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 1}}

===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
[[File:EarlyDecepticonLeader01.jpg|left|100px|thumb]]
At first, the Decepticons were led by an [[Trannis|old Decepticon]] who could not [[Transformation|transform]]. When he lost the [[Cybertronian Civil Wars|Second Cybertronian War]] against the Autobots, he was replaced with [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]], who led the Decepticons to conquer much of Cybertron. Upon Megatron's and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]'s disappearances, the war on Cybertron entered a stalemate. [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] had been appointed [[Cybertron Guard|Guardian of Cybertron]] in Megatron's absence, and became de facto Decepticon leader. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}} Once Megatron resumed contact with Cybertron, Shockwave resubmitted to his authority. {{storylink|Transport to Oblivion (episode)|Transport to Oblivion}} At one point, Megatron introduced himself to [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]], addressing himself as '''Supreme Leader'''. {{storylink|Fire in the Sky}}

[[Air Commander]] [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]], long contemptuous of Megatron's leadership, made several attempts to supplant Megatron. They all ended with failure, usually due to his own impatience or the other Decepticons' loyalty to Megatron.

[[File:TripleTakeover Mount Deceptimore.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Visit Majestic Mount Deceptimore]]
Starscream eventually decided to get some help. He made plans with [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] and [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] to trap Megatron in a tunnel and freeze him. However, the [[Triple Changer]]s betrayed Starscream, leaving them both to freeze, and proceeded to wreak havoc. Megatron and Starscream were freed due to an accident on Astrotrain's part, and after defeating Astrotrain, Blitzwing, [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] and Starscream, Megatron resumed leadership of the Decepticons. {{storylink|Triple Takeover}}

By [[2005]], the Decepticons had conquered most of Cybertron. The Autobots retained control of two moons and held a reserve force at [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]]. Megatron launched an [[Battle of Autobot City|assault on Autobot City]], where he and Optimus Prime mortally wounded each other. During the trip back to Cybertron, Astrotrain required the Decepticons to jettison excess weight or he would be unable to make it back. The wounded Decepticons were thrown overboard to allow the survivors to return, with Starscream personally ejecting Megatron. After a mild scuffle aboard Astrotrain, Starscream emerged as the new Decepticon leader. Meanwhile, Megatron was discovered by [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] and [[reformatting|reformatted]] into [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]. With a new body and troops, Galvatron returned to Cybertron and killed Starscream with a single blast, ending Starscream's glorious reign of about twenty minutes (or twenty seconds depending on how you look at it). Galvatron was hailed as the new leader of the Decepticons. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

After Unicron's attack on Cybertron and the disappearance of Galvatron, the Decepticons fled to [[Chaar]]. Without strong leaders like Galvatron, Starscream, or Shockwave (who had been killed defending Cybertron), the Decepticons fell into a period of disunity, where they fought each other for scraps of [[energon]]. [[Cyclonus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Cyclonus]], Galvatron's second in command, took a leadership role but was unable to command anywhere near the same unquestioned obedience previous leaders had enjoyed. When he located Galvatron, he was forced to appeal to the other Decepticons rather than simply ordering them. The successful recovery of Galvatron galvanised the Decepticons, who were able to rebuild Chaar into something resembling a functional home despite their new leader being ''completely off his rocker''. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness}}

=====''Robotmasters''=====
After the disappearance of Megatron, the Decepticons were helmed by Starscream. However, a [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] from another time challenged Starscream for leadership and won. {{storylink|The Usurper Decepticon Takes Control}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
[[File:Ratbatwarwithin.jpg|left|100px|thumb|Screw Megatron, let's see more of the ''real'' Decepticon leader!]]
At first, [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] was the sole leader of the Decepticons, with his chief lieutenants being Air Commander [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], Military Operations Commander [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], and Intelligence and Communications Officer [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The War Within|The War Within}} After Megatron was believed to have been destroyed along with Optimus Prime in a space bridge explosion, Shockwave became Decepticon leader, but Starscream and High Auditor [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] broke off from the Decepticon army, forming the [[Predacon (War Within)|Predacons]] and [[Ultracon]]s, respectively. {{storylink|Transformers: War Within: The Dark Ages|War Within: The Dark Ages}} Megatron's return to Cybertron saw him resume command of the fragmented Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformers: War Within: The Age of Wrath|War Within: The Age of Wrath}}

After Megatron, Starscream, and Soundwave disappeared chasing Optimus Prime's crew aboard the Ark, Shockwave emerged as Decepticon leader, this time as part of a triumvirate that included Scorponok and Ratbat. He was briefly overthrown by [[Skystalker (G1)|Skystalker]], who used his head to issue commands to Shockwave's troops, but Skystalker was defeated and Shockwave resumed command. {{storylink|Transformers: Micromasters}}

[[File:Shockwavedwwarandpeace.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb]]
With the [[Great Shutdown]], all Transformers entered a period of enforced [[stasis lock]]. Shockwave was reactivated by Unicron's herald [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]], but Shockwave defeated Scourge, studying him. Learning secrets about Cybertron that Megatron had previously discovered, Shockwave made peace with the Autobots, installing himself as Head of State with an [[Autobot High Council]] as a legislature. On Earth, Megatron retained command of the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'' crew, but he was defeated when Shockwave arrived, intent on gaining the Matrix from Optimus Prime. Starscream ejected Megatron from the ship transporting them back to Cybertron, then recruited the ''Nemesis'' crew and the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]] to conquer Earth. When Optimus Prime was brought to Cybertron, he united the Autobot resistance groups and overthrew Shockwave. Shockwave was able to retain command of a small number of loyal Decepticons still on planet, while Starscream led the ''Nemesis'' crew back to Earth. {{storylink|Prime Directive}} {{storylink|War and Peace}}

Meanwhile, Megatron was repaired by [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]], and managed to locate a trio of [[Air Warrior]]s he used to recruit the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]]. Heading for Cybertron, he took command of Shockwave's forces, forcing Shockwave into a subordinate state. On Earth, Starscream's failures against the Autobots and [[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]] made Soundwave, his cassettes, and the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]] all too willing to mutiny against Starscream in favor of Megatron. {{storylink|Transformers: Generation 1 (Dreamwave)|Generation One}}

{{note|Dreamwave's ''[[Transformers: More than Meets the Eye#Issue #8|More than Meets the Eye]]'' makes a passing reference to the "reign of the mighty Scorponok" occurring sometime after the (second) disappearance of Megatron and before the Great Shutdown. It is unknown if this preceded or succeeded the events of ''Micromasters''.}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
[[File:Apexthrone.JPG|left|upright=1.1|thumb]]
[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] was the founder of the Decepticon political movement, first directing it with his samizdat writings {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|Post Hoc}} before gradually turning it into an organised force led by him. {{storylink|The Transformers: Megatron Origin|Megatron Origin}} He was overthrown and banished by [[Scorponok (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Scorponok]] early in the war after having lost his first duel with [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]]. {{storylink|Derelicts}} Scorponok was an unpopular leader who showed no care for his troops and made poor use of Decepticon resources, but he was also powerful enough to rule by fear... until Megatron returned and beat him to a pulp, leaving him alive only because dead people can't feel pain. {{storylink|The Illusion of Control}}

After this, Megatron continued to reign without problem as most potential challengers, such as [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]], were too piss-scared of him {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}} and even the idea of ''questioning'' him was a worry. {{storylink|Devastation issue 1|Devastation #1}} The [[Decepticon Justice Division]], particularly [[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]], revered him as an almost divine figure. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} While Megatron wanted Starscream to take over from him at some point, he would only allow it if Starscream was able to ''take'' command; {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 11|All Hail Megatron #11}} when Starscream attempted a rebellion, Megatron took his best shots and then crippled him, but left him alive. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}} In contrast, when [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] attempted rebellion, Megatron beat him to death. {{storylink|Spotlight: Ramjet}} One exception to this was [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]], who grew disgusted with Megatron's seeming apathy towards the well-being of his troops, but rather than challenge Megatron directly he upped sticks and took his regiment out on their own. {{storylink|The Permanent Revolution}}

[[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] has noted with envy and annoyance that the Decepticons are far more unified than the Autobots. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 15|All Hail Megatron #15}} For example, the Wreckers effectively went AWOL during their pursuit of [[Squadron X]] {{storylink|Bullets}} while in comparison, semi-independent Decepticon warlord [[Skyquake (G1)|Skyquake]] immediately responded to Megatron's command to seize the Autobot prison [[Garrus-9]]. {{storylink|The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers}}

This all went to pot when Megatron achieved near-victory, and the Decepticon advance stagnated. The troops were disgruntled, and Starscream warned that coup attempts were going to come. Unsurprisingly, Starscream himself led one with most of the Earth-based Decepticons... a coup Megatron anticipated and appeared to have wanted, as he had a convoluted plan to reshape his troops into a less nasty form now he'd won. Unfortunately for him, he was viciously damaged by a surprise Autobot attack. {{storylink|The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron}} Immediately, leadership fragmented: Soundwave and his crew kept Megatron alive, providing a barrier to any attempt at legitimacy; Starscream had temporary command but knew [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] or someone would challenge him for it. In desperation, he waved the stolen Autobot Matrix around and declared it had chosen him, gaining legitimate command that way. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 13|All Hail Megatron #13}}. Megatron was then rebuilt {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon|Altered Carbon}}, but Starscream kept his leadership (despite being so poor at it the Decepticons were forced to turn to cannibalism to survive) until he lost the Matrix to [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hot Rod]]. {{storylink|Heart Like a Wheel}}

Megatron retained leadership until he went missing following the confrontation with the [[D-Void]] and the reformatting of Cybertron. {{storylink|Chaos Part Four: Genesis|Genesis}} Ratbat tried to claim control of the Decepticons in the post war era, but when he attempted to assassinate [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]], Starscream tipped off the Autobots. [[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]] killed Ratbat and captured the assassin, and Starscream stepped up to fill the role of representative of the Decepticons in Cybertron's leadership. {{storylink|The Autonomy Lesson (issue)|The Autonomy Lesson}} {{storylink|The World & Everything in It}} Other Decepticons elsewhere in space would form small gangs under differing commanders {{storylink|Before & After}} while the Decepticon Justice Division refused to acknowledge that Megatron was MIA at all. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}}

[[File:PermanentRevolution-Deathsaurus.jpg|thumb]]
After Starscream renounced membership in the Decepticons and with Megatron imprisoned, [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] claimed leadership of the remaining Decepticon forces. {{storylink|Shockpoint}} He remained in command until Megatron returned but, upon Megatron's defection to the hated Autobots, he reacted with outrage. [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]] overheard Soundwave's words, and, impressed, joined the Decepticons, the warlord taking the role of Decepticon leader with Soundwave's support. {{storylink|...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|...And the Damage Done}} Meanwhile, out in deep space, Deathsaurus and Tarn had joined forces as joint leaders of their own, larger Decepticon army. {{storylink|The Permanent Revolution}}

Galvatron was eventually killed in battle by Optimus Prime, leaving Soundwave in command of the Decepticons on Earth. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 6: No Fair Fights|No Fair Fights}} After Megatron had slain the Decepticon Justice Division, Deathsaurus took command of the Decepticons in space. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}}
{{-}}

===Live-action film series===
[[File:TheFallen-ROTFNemesis.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"It's funny how 'leading' looks a lot like ''sitting on your arse''."]]
Originally styled [[Lord High Protector|High Protector]] of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] amended his title to ''Lord'' High Protector upon forming the Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformers: Defiance|Defiance}} {{storylink|Transformers: Movie Prequel|Movie Prequel}} Notably in this continuity family, while Megatron leads the Decepticons, his loyalty to [[The Fallen]], known as the first Decepticon, means supreme command lies with him. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen (film)}} He was the one who told Megatron what strategies to take in the early days, though he left Megatron to command by himself as he left [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to find a [[Star Harvester]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Defiance|Defiance}} During his absence while searching for the [[AllSpark]], [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] assumed command as Decepticon leader, though he grew quite comfortable with the position and would prefer Megatron remained absent, something [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] sought to frustrate. {{storylink|Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday}}

Upon his revival, Megatron resumed command, just long enough to kill [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]], beat [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] half to death, and be killed by [[Sam Witwicky]]. He was then dropped into the [[Laurentian Abyss]] almost immediately afterwards. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}} Starscream then assumed leadership of the Decepticons and began styling himself '''Lord''' Starscream. Although [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] and [[Thundercracker (Movie)|Thundercracker]] accepted Starscream without objection, Starscream was betrayed by [[Dreadwing (Movie)|Dreadwing]] and [[Ramjet (Movie)|Ramjet]], shattering his faith in his leadership. {{storylink|Transformers: The Reign of Starscream|The Reign of Starscream}} When [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] and the ''[[Nemesis (ROTF)|Nemesis]]'' reached Earth, Soundwave recognized Starscream as Decepticon commander, and Starscream's ambitions were renewed. {{storylink|Transformers: Alliance|Alliance}} However, a number of Decepticons were unsatisfied with Starscream, feeling he had not earned the right. As such, they began efforts to revive Megatron {{storylink|Transformers: The Veiled Threat|The Veiled Threat}} Starscream, meanwhile, discovered another obstacle to his role as true leader on Soundwave's ship... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.1|Training Day}}

[[File:Titan7 Soundwave GO!.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.66]]
While Starscream was tending to the [[hatchling]]s on the ''Nemesis'' per the Fallen's decree, Soundwave commanded the Decepticons on Earth. First, he tried to track down lost Seekers to gain information and keep the Autobots from knowing about the Fallen's plans. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.6|Outlaw Blues}} {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.7|Turnabout}} Later, he had Megatron resurrected, which transferred command back to the big Meg.

When he returned to the ''Nemesis'', Megatron struck Starscream for his presumption of assuming command, saying that even in death, there was no command but Megatron's. This statement was slightly undermined by his next course of action, which to bow before the Fallen. Megatron was left in sole command following The Fallen's death at the hands of Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

We know that other Decepticons have ''tried'' to become leaders of the main Decepticon faction, including [[Mainframe (Movie)|Mainframe]] {{storylink|Transformers: Rise of the Chevy Autobots}} and Dreadwing, {{storylink|Transformers: The Reign of Starscream|The Reign of Starscream}} but it rarely goes well. Following that mess with the Fallen, [[Bludgeon (ROTF)|Bludgeon]] decided to form his ''own'' group of Decepticons on Earth and lead that. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.13|Inside Out!}} In one timeline, [[Stockade (Movie)|Stockade]] did the same thing. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 17|Return to Cybertron: Part 1}}

After the battle in Egypt, Megatron continued to lead the Decepticons. The former Autobot [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]] would later defect to the Decepticons. Sentinel and Megatron agreed to a joint leadership until Sentinel Prime took complete control during the Battle of Chicago. Megatron later reclaimed his leadership, but his reign was short lived as Optimus Prime took both Sentinel and Megatron's lives. Starscream, Soundwave, and Shockwave also perished during the battle of Chicago, leaving the surviving Deceptions completely leaderless. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon}}

Megatron had secretly survived his injuries and manipulated a human corporation called KSI into creating a new body for him. Megatron transferred his consciousness into the new body and was reincarnated as [[Galvatron (AOE)|Galvatron]]. Galvatron took control of KSI's drones and enacted a plan to destroy Hong Kong and use it as raw materials to build more drones. Ultimately, the plan failed and most, if not all of the drones were destroyed. Galvatron escaped the carnage and departed to parts unknown. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction}}

Galvatron went missing for years. No leader emerged to take his place, so the Decepticons fell into disarray. At some point, Galvatron reverted back to his Megatron identity and reclaimed leadership of the Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformers: The Last Knight}}

===''Animated'' cartoon===
[[File:AniMegsHead-TransformAndRollout.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|Head master.]]
Styled '''Supreme Leader''', the title was held by [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] for over four million solar cycles, since the days of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]. When Megatron was believed killed trying to secure the [[AllSpark]], [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] immediately nominated himself the new Supreme leader...no one took him seriously. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}

He finally ''did'' manage to get the Decepticons [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] to swear allegiance to him in exchange for repairs. {{storylink|Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found}} This was also short-lived, as Lugnut was really taking orders from the disembodied head of Megatron. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 1}} After his restoration, the Decepticons repledged their loyalty to Megatron, who decided to reinforce it by seriously damaging Starscream. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 2}}

When Megatron was absent yet again, [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] was seen giving orders to [[Strika (Animated)|group commander Strika]]. However, rather than taking full command, his orders were to wait until Megatron came back (much to Strika's frustration). {{storylink|TransWarped}}

===''Shattered Glass''===
[[File:Shatteredglassmegatrondecepticons.jpg|left|upright=1.4|thumb]]
Unlike previous incarnations, the leader of the Decepticons is a heroic resistance leader, intending to free Cybertron from the Autobots and save the galaxy from their evil ways. [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]] stands as their current leader, and it seems that [[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]] will be a successor rather than a usurper.
{{-}}

===Aligned===
====Aligned novels====
In an act of keeping his enemies closer than his friends, [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] appointed his surgeon [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] to be his lieutenant despite his belief the scientist would eventually betray him. Megatron's movement was fairly disparate in the beginning, consisting of his [[Gladiatorial combat|gladiators]] in his employ and followers across Cybertron who listened to his teachings on the [[Communication Grid]]. Megatron was aware his followers were going to resort to terrorism, but did nothing to improve his reputation by distancing himself from their extremism. In fact, he accepted the gift of a kidnapped [[Sentinel Zeta Prime|Sentinel Prime]] by the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]]. Already plotting to usurp Megatron's position as Cybertron's would-be savior, but patient enough to recognize how the revolution could turn sour, Starscream allied himself with Megatron but remained officially [[neutral]], occupying [[Moonbase One|Moon Base One]] and [[Trypticon (WFC)|Trypticon]] for himself.

During the civil war, Starscream's Seekers only aided the Decepticons in some battles. Shockwave engaged in some power politics with the Seekers by taking control of [[Tarn (polity)|Tarn]] and [[Vos (polity)|Vos]] and secretly assassinating the neutral Air Commanders there. When [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] discovered Trypticon was a hoard of [[Dark Energon]], Megatron's gladiators brutally took control of the station, even forcing Starscream to subject two of his scientists to experimentation with the chaotic substance. Soon, Starscream, tired of Megatron's tactics and ashamed of their use of Dark Energon, released Sentinel from his [[Kaon (polity)|Kaonian]] dungeon to kill Megatron, having been informed by [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] that all he sought was a just peace should something "happen" to Megatron. Sentinel failed, and Starscream fought Megatron and [[Blackout (WFC)|Blackout]] for the [[Code Key]]s to [[Teletraan-1]], but was beaten and only spared as Megatron found him too useful to die. Megatron certainly considered Starscream elite enough to take him aboard the ''Nemesis'', leaving Shockwave behind to lead the Cybertronian Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus}}

====High Moon Studios games====
Starscream attempted to claim leadership of the Decepticons when Megatron was believed to be killed by [[Omega Supreme (WFC)|Omega Supreme]]. Somehow alive, Megatron lambasted him through a communications line, and threatened to kill him and any other cowards trying to flee from Omega. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron}}

Years later during the Autobots' final days on Cybertron, an assault on Autobot City quickly ended when the massive [[Metroplex (FOC)|Metroplex]] killed Megatron, and naturally, Starscream took control of the Decepticons and quickly retreated at Optimus' suggestion. This turned out to be the start of the Decepticons' worst days: Starscream was an absolute failure at leadership, wasting their plentiful Energon reserves on statues and other ways of pimping his own image, to the point that after three days, they were left with no Energon and no way to get off of the dying planet. However, Soundwave revived Megatron, who quickly decimated Starscream's loyalists and publicly humiliated Starscream, sending him running and swearing vengeance. {{storylink|Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron}}

====''Prime'' cartoon====
Starscream generally leads the Decepticons in the present because Megatron is too busy being absent while searching for Dark Energon or being comatose. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 1}} When Megatron was presumed killed in the [[space bridge]] explosion, Starscream immediately named himself the new leader. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 5}} Regardless, the [[Vehicon (Prime)|troops]] won't take him seriously as a full-time [[Emperor of Destruction]]. When Starscream attempted to hide Megatron's survival of the explosion, Soundwave's [[Deployer (WFC)|Deployer]] ensured he would bring his body back to sickbay. {{storylink|Masters & Students}} Starscream and [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] conspired to keep Megatron offline, but an unforeseen chain of events led to his return, and Megatron pummeled Starscream nearly to death for trying to kill him. {{storylink|Sick Mind}} {{storylink|Out of His Head}} During Megatron's absence from the ''Nemesis'' in order to deal with Unicron's awakening, [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] advocated that the Decepticons abandon Megatron and nominated herself for leader. [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] challenged these assertions in combat, handily winning the fight. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 2}} {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 3}}

Though made aware of the attempted coup in his absence {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 1}}, Megatron decided to allow Airachnid to continue serving him until he felt like dealing with it some time later. Megatron sent [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] to terminate her for her treachery, but to his dismay, Dreadwing returned having failed to execute her and minus [[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]]. Airachnid challenged him to a duel for control of the Decepticons, but even her subservient [[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticon]] ended up falling against Megatron. However, upon discovering an entire army of them in stasis {{storylink|Crossfire}}, she later launched a massive assault on the ''[[Trypticon (WFC)|Nemesis]]'' to bring down Megatron, while Starscream also sent some [[Starscream clone (Prime)|clones]] after Megatron as well. Megatron killed the clones, and Airachnid's defeat at the hands of [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]] freed the Insecticons from her control, and they quickly joined Megatron's command. {{storylink|Armada (episode)}}

Airachnid would return to plague Megatron's command one more time when she was freed from stasis lock by vampiric [[Terrorcon (Prime)|Terrorcon]] [[Silas|Cylas]], and she quickly turned the Insecticons on the Decepticons once again. Soundwave's intervention banished them to a dead moon of Cybertron's. {{storylink|Thirst}} A much greater threat to Megatron's command presented itself when [[Predaking (Prime)|Predaking]] revealed his sentience, making known his desire to lead an army of cloned [[Predacon (Prime)|Predacons]] for Megatron. This ambition coupled with the Predacons' might far exceeding the struggling Decepticon movement convinced Megatron of Predaking's potential to become a renegade; a very dangerous one at that. Megatron quickly had the Predacon clones destroyed by the Autobots. {{storylink|Evolution}}

When Megatron fell in battle and the Autobots captured the ''Nemesis'', {{storylink|Deadlock}} leadership (and membership) fell to Starscream and [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]], who worked to clone a new army of Predacons to destroy the Autobots. However, [[Unicron]]'s return resulted in Shockwave going missing, and upon his defeat, a revived Megatron declared the Decepticon movement dead. Starscream took this as an opportunity to start a new Decepticon empire under his command, but presumably failed to do so, considering he was faced with three very angry Predacons. {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Prime)|Predacons Rising}}

====2015 ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon====
With Megatron gone and Starscream presumed (but not actually) dead {{storylink|Mighty Big Trouble}}, leadership of the remaining Decepticons fragmented, with no clear leader being apparent until [[Steeljaw (RID)|Steeljaw]] announced his intent to found a "new Decepticon Empire" centered on Earth—with himself as leader, of course. {{storylink|Decepticon Island (Part 1)}}

Starscream however had his own plans for galactic conquest {{storylink|Mighty Big Trouble}} hoping to rebuild the Decepticon Empire in his image. {{storylink|Mini-Con Madness (RID)|Mini-Con Madness}}

==Notes==
*Unlike the [[Prime (rank)|Autobot leader]], for whom a number of titles are available depending on continuity, the Decepticon leader has no "official name".

==See also==
*[[Emperor of Destruction]]
*[[Lord High Protector]]
*[[Air Commander]]
*[[Liege Maximo]]

[[Category:Decepticon leaders| ]]
[[Category:Ranks]]

Decepticon leader

2017-10-17T00:34:41Z

HailMegatron: /* Marvel The Transformers comics */

{{factions|decepticon}}
[[File:WorldsCollide3 MegatronVsGalvatron.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Whoever wins, we lose.]]
Among the [[Decepticon]]s, there is one guiding principle: {{w|Kratocracy|rule of the strong}}. Whereas the [[Prime (rank)|leader]] of the [[Autobot]]s consults his subordinates, the strongest and the most powerful Decepticon leads, and everyone else is expected to follow without question. But strength of body is not enough. One must also have the brains to lead, the intelligence to outwit their rivals and plan their victories. Thus, the '''Decepticon leader''' is the strongest and smartest of their ranks.

Guess [[Ratbat (G1)|how]] [[Scourge (RID)|many]] [[Octane|Decepticons]] [[Megatron (disambiguation)|think]] [[Starscream (disambiguation)|they]] [[Shockwave (G1)|qualify]].

{{bigquote|Only a select few ever lead, [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]].|[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] on the nature of power|"[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]"}}

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics====
{{noteukonly}}
[[File:Megatrong1earlymarvel.jpg|left|thumb|100px|First...]]
[[File:Straxusholdscourt.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|...and the worst.]]
[[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] served as commander over all of the Decepticons for over one thousand years until he and other Decepticons and Autobots were lost buried in a [[Mount St. Hilary|volcano]] on [[Earth]]. {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers}} ''In his absence, the War-Lord [[Trannis]] took control of the Decepticon army. Trannis conquered most of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and destroyed [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], forcing the Autobots underground. In time Trannis grew complacent and some Decepticons had the opinion that he was insufficiently aggressive. The [[Decepticon High Command|Decepticon high command]] made plans to oust him, but the [[Wrecker]]s beat them to it when they assassinated him. He was succeeded by the more relentless [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]].'' {{storylink|Cybertron: The Middle Years!}} Straxus became "Lord High Governor of [[Polyhex]]". {{storylink|The Smelting Pool!}}

Meanwhile, four million years had passed and the Decepticons on Earth awoke isolated from Cybertron and unaware of current events. Megatron continued his role as commander, effectively making him leader of the Earth-bound Decepticons. {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers}} ''[[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]] would briefly try to nick his job and failed miserably.'' {{storylink|The Enemy Within!}}

[[File:Megatrong1marvelhumiliation.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|"Now, ''I'' am the le-"]]
[[File:Laserbeakdeterminescommand.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|"...never mind."]]
When Megatron was defeated shortly after the Decepticons reactivated, Military Operations Commander [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] defeated the Autobots {{storylink|The Last Stand}} and usurped Megatron, reducing Megatron to [[second-in-command]]. {{storylink|The New Order}} Megatron was soon defeated by the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] and went missing for a time. {{storylink|Repeat Performance!}} Shockwave was then, himself, beaten and briefly stuck in a swamp. {{storylink|Prime Time!}} ''[[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] took command in their absence'' {{storylink|Crisis of Command!}} ''and scored a major victory.'' {{storylink|Dinobot Hunt!}} Megatron returned {{storylink|Shooting Star!}} to command some of the Earth Decepticons while Shockwave led a group of others. ''Soundwave played for both teams, until, for the good of the Decepticons, he demanded they work together;'' {{storylink|Second Generation!}} the two agreed to joint leadership, {{storylink|The Bridge to Nowhere!}} until Megatron was able to use logic to convince Shockwave to give him full leadership. {{storylink|Command Performances!}}

Meanwhile, after receiving a mayday from the Earth bound Decepticons, Straxus contacted the Earth-bound Decepticons, and the two groups agreed to cooperate. Straxus built a [[space bridge]] to transport resources back and forth. Straxus went boom {{storylink|The Bridge to Nowhere!}} ''and was reduced to a floating head.'' {{storylink|...The Harder They Die!}} ''On Earth, Megatron's growing paranoia caused Shockwave and Soundwave to try removing him;'' {{storylink|Prey!}} ''instead, Megatron ended up on Cybertron, where his presence and madness undermined Straxus. Lord Straxus attempted to possess Megatron in an attempt to end this threat and gain a body, but this ended with Straxus dead ([[Two Megatrons!|sort of]]).'' {{storylink|Resurrection!}} With Straxus dead, fuel auditor [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] ascended to ''de facto'' command of Cybertron. {{storylink|King of the Hill!}} Still, an unseen [[Decepticon Imperial Headquarters]] would give him marching orders. {{storylink|Club Con!}}

[[File:Ratbatcratercritters.jpg|left|thumb|upright=0.85| Now I am the true lead-]]
After seemingly killing [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]], Megatron went mad and apparently killed himself, allowing Shockwave to assume full leadership of the Earth-bound Decepticons again. {{storylink|Gone but Not Forgotten!}} The Earth-bound Decepticons coordinated with [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]]. {{storylink|King of the Hill!}} Ratbat himself eventually came to Earth, and had a very uneasy alliance with Shockwave; in contrast to his clashes with Megatron, Shockwave was left trying to justify his strategies and ''impress'' the fuel auditor. {{storylink|Buster Witwicky and the Car Wash of Doom}} ''Following a massive cock-up by Shockwave that undermined his authority,'' {{storylink|Enemy Action!}} Ratbat oversaw several Earth operations directly. {{storylink|Toy Soldiers!}}

While this was going on, the Decepticon [[Scorponok (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Scorponok]] took his unit to follow [[Fortress Maximus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Fortress Maximus]] to [[Nebulos]], where he underwent [[binary bonding]] with [[Zarak (G1)|Zarak]]. Following Fortress Maximus to Earth, Scorponok operated independently from Shockwave and Ratbat, leading his own troops. {{storylink|The Transformers: Headmasters|Headmasters}}

Shockwave went missing in action and Ratbat, happily letting this happen to Shockers, became commander of Earth's Decepticons. {{storylink|The Desert Island of Space!}} Scorponok, meanwhile, was operating his ''own'' faction on Earth. {{storylink|Trial by Fire!}} ''Shockwave set up shop with a small third faction in [[Fortress Sinister]],'' {{storylink|Salvage!}} ''but he'd eventually lose his men as he went mad.'' {{storylink|Time Wars}} Eventually, Scorponok and Ratbat met up... and had [[Decepticon Civil War|a big punch-up]], thanks to manipulation by Starscream {{storylink|Cold War!}} By the end of this and some fun with the [[Underbase]], Ratbat was shot dead by Scorponok and Starscream killed by the Underbase's power. Without any rivals, Scorponok easily settled into power as Earth's sole Decepticon leader. {{storylink|Dark Star}}

[[File:FallAndRiseTriumvirateHeads.jpg|left|upright=0.85|thumb| WE ARE THE LEADERS! ]]
[[File:Thunderwingwhereisthecreationmatrix.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb| No, '''We are.''']]
''On Cybertron, [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] petitioned the [[Decepticon High Council]] to be appointed the new leader (even though someone else appears to have been leader.'' {{storylink|The Big Shutdown!}} {{storylink|Assault on the Ark!}} ''Straxus/Megatron (don't ask) arrived in [[Helex (polity)|Helex]] to find the [[Decepticon Empire]] had become lax under the ruling Decepticon [[Triumvirate]]. Straxus/Megatron inspired a crowd of Decepticons to take action. The Triumverate were killed and Straxus/Megatron took control of the empire.'' {{storylink|The Fall and Rise of the Decepticon Empire.}} ''Megatron arrived and confronted Straxus/Megatron leading the latter to take his own life,'' {{storylink|Two Megatrons!}} but kept his return secret. The confusing situation was made simpler when Megatron became lost in a portal {{storylink|Skin Deep}} and Thunderwing was killed due to his Matrix obsession. {{storylink|All Fall Down}}

[[File:Allthisandcivilwar-arethey.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.85]]
With [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] fast approaching Cybertron, Optimus Prime made the decision to surrender to Scorponok, in return for allying with the Autobots against Unicron. {{storylink|Surrender!}} Scorponok planned to betray Prime, but Zarak later agreed to the alliance. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}} However, Scorponok's troops were growing disgruntled, especially by his recruitment of (the newly not dead) Starscream. Taking advantage of this, Shockwave managed to get several disgruntled Decepticons to ally with him and attack Scorponok's group. {{storylink|...All This and Civil War 2}} Ultimately, they were all transported to Cybertron by [[Primus]], who named Optimus Prime as the commander of Cybertron's united army. {{storylink|Out of Time!}}

{{note|After the battle with Unicron, the scope of Cybertron society is drastically reduced for storytelling reasons. References to existing Cybertron-based Decepticon forces and the underground Autobot resistance is dropped, leaving primarily the core Earth-based cast. Presumably, Unicron killed everyone else.}}

[[File:Bludgeon-youlie1.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85]]
During the battle with Unicron, Optimus Prime and Scorponok were both killed. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}} As Shockwave and Starscream fled the dying Cybertron, {{storylink|A Savage Circle}} [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] was acclaimed Decepticon leader by the surviving Decepticons. {{storylink|Exodus!}} He led the Decepticons in the conquest of [[Klo]], {{storylink|The Last Autobot?}} then massacred the Autobots who arrived to stop them. He was stopped by the return of Optimus Prime, who had been revived by the [[Last Autobot]], whom Bludgeon had worshiped as the Ultimate Warrior. The Last Autobot revived the fallen Autobots, and Bludgeon agreed to lead the Decepticons into exile... planning to bide their time. {{storylink|End of the Road! (US)|End of the Road!}}

Shockwave, meanwhile, had hijacked the Ark alongside Starscream with the intention of using it to conquer Earth. {{storylink|Still Life!}} He didn't count on [[Galvatron II|an alternate timeline Galvatron]] to have attempted the same thing. He also didn't count on Ratchet and Megatron (yep, he's back again) to be on board the Ark in stasis, though, nor did he expect the pair to awaken during the journey. {{storylink|Exodus!}} While Megatron kept Shockwave and Starscream occupied, Ratchet forced the Ark to crash violently into the ground. Galvatron was the only one to emerge from the crash, and he appeared to be the only survivor. {{storylink|A Savage Circle}}

''In an alternate timeline, Scorponok, Shockwave, and Megatron were having a three-way Decepticon civil war over Decepticon leadership during the late 80s/early 90s.'' {{storylink|Trigger-Happy!}}

=====Marvel UK future timelines=====
[[File:SpacePiratesSoundwaveLeader.JPG|left|thumb|''Everyone'' would follow a bore like him!]]
Scorponok, Shockwave, and Megatron had a three-way civil war for Decepticon leadership; Megatron won. {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}} In [[2006]], Megatron was transformed into Galvatron (ending an attempt by Starscream to seize leadership) {{storylink|Target: 2006}} and would later escape by [[time travel]]. {{storylink|Fallen Angel|Fallen Angel!}} This led to a ''very'' messy leadership situation, as Shockwave, Cyclonus, and Scourge (working as Unicron's proxies), and Soundwave would all take command sequentially over the next few years. Shockwave succeeded in re-conquering half of Cybertron, and Soundwave pulled off the nifty trick of conning the ''Autobots'' into saving his army from [[Quintesson]] attack.

Eventually, a post-[[Time Wars]] clean-up of the timeline happened, and Galvatron had now [[retcon|always been commander since 2006]].

=====Earthforce=====
{{earthforcefiction}}
Megatron and Shockwave were both stuck on Earth with small platoons, and waged a constant civil war over leadership and the planet. {{storylink|Life in the Slow Lane}} Scorponok is referred to as also existing, and presumably commands the Decepticons that ''aren't'' on Earth. [[Mindwipe (G1)|Mindwipe]] of all people ''tried'' to become Decepticon leader by usurping Scorponok's command; it went ''poorly''. {{storylink|The Living Nightlights!}}

The Autobots sabotaged any attempt to stop the leadership conflict. {{storylink|The Bad Guy's Ball!}} Eventually, Starscream and Soundwave deposed Megatron and Shockwave, uniting the two factions as ''joint'' Decepticon leaders. {{storylink|Internal Affairs!}} Unsurprisingly, they both planned to backstab the other and take sole control at some point. Megatron and Shockwave also teamed up, attempting to regain control. {{storylink|External Forces!}}

=====Another Time & Place=====
[[File:MarvelUSG2-05.jpg|upright=0.6|thumb|''That'll'' teach you to be a ''late'' 80s character and want scenes!]]
Following the defeat on [[Klo]], Bludgeon attempted to bring back Megatron to lead ''instead'' of him. {{storylink|Another Time & Place}}

====Marvel ''Generation 2'' comic====
Bludgeon led his forces back into battle, arming his army in preparation for a major strike. {{storylink|Primal Fear!|Old Evils}} {{storylink|Ghosts}} Upon his return, Megatron challenged Bludgeon for leadership of the Decepticons and after a fierce battle, Megatron emerged victorious. {{storylink|The Power and the Glory|Tales of Earth Part Two}}

====''Classics''====
{{noteclassics}}
Megatron's status as the Decepticon leader is all but unchallenged... on Earth. Bludgeon and his loyal troops remain, scattered across the universe.

And then Megatron killed him and took command. {{storylink|At Fight's End}}
{{-}}

====''Regeneration One''====
{{noterg1}}
[[File:Neo-decepticons counterpoint.jpg|thumb|left|Not bad for an uncharismatic bore.]]
Soundwave led a faction of "Neo-Decepticons" on Cybertron. As their first strike against the ruling Autobots, they hacked into the planet's orbital defence satellite network and used one to destroy the [[Last Autobot]]. {{storylink|Counterpoint}}

[[File:Megatron loose ends.jpg|thumb|Well Megatron, most people try not to bother you when you're on the toilet.]]
Despite the Neo-Decepticons' repeated attempts to disrupt the peace on Cybertron, [[Kup (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Kup]] and the [[Wrecker]]s considered the extant Decepticon leaders Bludgeon, Galvatron and Megatron to be the greater threat and—against Optimus Prime's explicit orders—departed for Earth to track down Megatron. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 1}} Left alone on Earth for twenty-one years, Megatron had recovered the dead bodies of those Decepticons (and a few [[Monsterbot|Autobots]]) who had fallen in the [[Underbase Saga]] and reanimated them as lobotomised [[zombie]]s, including his former [[second-in-command]], the treacherous Starscream, and former Decepticon leader Ratbat. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 2}} When Optimus Prime left Cybertron to deal with Megatron, Soundwave established contact with Bludgeon, leader of his own band of Decepticons, informing him that the planet was vulnerable. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 3}} The two planned to recover the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]]-infused body of Thunderwing, yet another former Decepticon leader, from the [[Hall of Silence]]. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 4}} Meanwhile, on Earth, Optimus Prime put an end to Megatron once and for all but at the same time still yet another former Decepticon leader, the resurrected Scorponok, surfaced on [[Nebulos]]. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 5}}

While Soundwave was offplanet delivering Thunderwing's remains to Bludgeon, Scorponok arrived on Cybertron with his [[Gene Key]], a device capable of turning Autobots into Decepticons. At [[Fort Scyk]], he took control of Soundwave's troops and pressed them into service to carry out his grand plan for complete control of Cybertron. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part Three}} However, he underestimated his forced accomplice Grimlock and was ultimately undone, plunging to his doom in the [[Sonic Canyons]]. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part Five}}

Taking advantage of the chaos of Scorponok's attempted takeover, Soundwave began a campaign of low-level terror, keeping the planet's population agitated while he and Bludgeon used Thunderwing's Matrix energy to give life to Bludgeon's latest warriors, the fearsome [[Blitz Engine]]s. {{storylink|Destiny, Part Two}} From the ''[[Warworld]]'' above Cybertron, Bludgeon unleashed a devastating attack on the Autobots while Soundwave co-ordinated efforts on the ground. However, after setting [[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]] on [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]], Soundwave found his path blocked by [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]. {{storylink|Destiny, Part Four}} As Soundwave was beaten in sonic combat by his rival audiosmith, Bludgeon was bested by the newly minted [[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Rodimus Prime]] and thrown from the ''Warworld'' to the planet's surface below. {{storylink|Destiny, Part Five}}

Bludgeon survived the fall, and both he and Soundwave were incarcerated by the Autobots, leaving any Decepticons still at large seemingly leaderless. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 1}}

===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
[[File:EarlyDecepticonLeader01.jpg|left|100px|thumb]]
At first, the Decepticons were led by an [[Trannis|old Decepticon]] who could not [[Transformation|transform]]. When he lost the [[Cybertronian Civil Wars|Second Cybertronian War]] against the Autobots, he was replaced with [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]], who led the Decepticons to conquer much of Cybertron. Upon Megatron's and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]'s disappearances, the war on Cybertron entered a stalemate. [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] had been appointed [[Cybertron Guard|Guardian of Cybertron]] in Megatron's absence, and became de facto Decepticon leader. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}} Once Megatron resumed contact with Cybertron, Shockwave resubmitted to his authority. {{storylink|Transport to Oblivion (episode)|Transport to Oblivion}} At one point, Megatron introduced himself to [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]], addressing himself as '''Supreme Leader'''. {{storylink|Fire in the Sky}}

[[Air Commander]] [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]], long contemptuous of Megatron's leadership, made several attempts to supplant Megatron. They all ended with failure, usually due to his own impatience or the other Decepticons' loyalty to Megatron.

[[File:TripleTakeover Mount Deceptimore.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Visit Majestic Mount Deceptimore]]
Starscream eventually decided to get some help. He made plans with [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] and [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] to trap Megatron in a tunnel and freeze him. However, the [[Triple Changer]]s betrayed Starscream, leaving them both to freeze, and proceeded to wreak havoc. Megatron and Starscream were freed due to an accident on Astrotrain's part, and after defeating Astrotrain, Blitzwing, [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] and Starscream, Megatron resumed leadership of the Decepticons. {{storylink|Triple Takeover}}

By [[2005]], the Decepticons had conquered most of Cybertron. The Autobots retained control of two moons and held a reserve force at [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]]. Megatron launched an [[Battle of Autobot City|assault on Autobot City]], where he and Optimus Prime mortally wounded each other. During the trip back to Cybertron, Astrotrain required the Decepticons to jettison excess weight or he would be unable to make it back. The wounded Decepticons were thrown overboard to allow the survivors to return, with Starscream personally ejecting Megatron. After a mild scuffle aboard Astrotrain, Starscream emerged as the new Decepticon leader. Meanwhile, Megatron was discovered by [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] and [[reformatting|reformatted]] into [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]. With a new body and troops, Galvatron returned to Cybertron and killed Starscream with a single blast, ending Starscream's glorious reign of about twenty minutes (or twenty seconds depending on how you look at it). Galvatron was hailed as the new leader of the Decepticons. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

After Unicron's attack on Cybertron and the disappearance of Galvatron, the Decepticons fled to [[Chaar]]. Without strong leaders like Galvatron, Starscream, or Shockwave (who had been killed defending Cybertron), the Decepticons fell into a period of disunity, where they fought each other for scraps of [[energon]]. [[Cyclonus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Cyclonus]], Galvatron's second in command, took a leadership role but was unable to command anywhere near the same unquestioned obedience previous leaders had enjoyed. When he located Galvatron, he was forced to appeal to the other Decepticons rather than simply ordering them. The successful recovery of Galvatron galvanised the Decepticons, who were able to rebuild Chaar into something resembling a functional home despite their new leader being ''completely off his rocker''. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness}}

=====''Robotmasters''=====
After the disappearance of Megatron, the Decepticons were helmed by Starscream. However, a [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] from another time challenged Starscream for leadership and won. {{storylink|The Usurper Decepticon Takes Control}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
[[File:Ratbatwarwithin.jpg|left|100px|thumb|Screw Megatron, let's see more of the ''real'' Decepticon leader!]]
At first, [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] was the sole leader of the Decepticons, with his chief lieutenants being Air Commander [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], Military Operations Commander [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], and Intelligence and Communications Officer [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The War Within|The War Within}} After Megatron was believed to have been destroyed along with Optimus Prime in a space bridge explosion, Shockwave became Decepticon leader, but Starscream and High Auditor [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] broke off from the Decepticon army, forming the [[Predacon (War Within)|Predacons]] and [[Ultracon]]s, respectively. {{storylink|Transformers: War Within: The Dark Ages|War Within: The Dark Ages}} Megatron's return to Cybertron saw him resume command of the fragmented Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformers: War Within: The Age of Wrath|War Within: The Age of Wrath}}

After Megatron, Starscream, and Soundwave disappeared chasing Optimus Prime's crew aboard the Ark, Shockwave emerged as Decepticon leader, this time as part of a triumvirate that included Scorponok and Ratbat. He was briefly overthrown by [[Skystalker (G1)|Skystalker]], who used his head to issue commands to Shockwave's troops, but Skystalker was defeated and Shockwave resumed command. {{storylink|Transformers: Micromasters}}

[[File:Shockwavedwwarandpeace.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb]]
With the [[Great Shutdown]], all Transformers entered a period of enforced [[stasis lock]]. Shockwave was reactivated by Unicron's herald [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]], but Shockwave defeated Scourge, studying him. Learning secrets about Cybertron that Megatron had previously discovered, Shockwave made peace with the Autobots, installing himself as Head of State with an [[Autobot High Council]] as a legislature. On Earth, Megatron retained command of the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'' crew, but he was defeated when Shockwave arrived, intent on gaining the Matrix from Optimus Prime. Starscream ejected Megatron from the ship transporting them back to Cybertron, then recruited the ''Nemesis'' crew and the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]] to conquer Earth. When Optimus Prime was brought to Cybertron, he united the Autobot resistance groups and overthrew Shockwave. Shockwave was able to retain command of a small number of loyal Decepticons still on planet, while Starscream led the ''Nemesis'' crew back to Earth. {{storylink|Prime Directive}} {{storylink|War and Peace}}

Meanwhile, Megatron was repaired by [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]], and managed to locate a trio of [[Air Warrior]]s he used to recruit the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]]. Heading for Cybertron, he took command of Shockwave's forces, forcing Shockwave into a subordinate state. On Earth, Starscream's failures against the Autobots and [[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]] made Soundwave, his cassettes, and the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]] all too willing to mutiny against Starscream in favor of Megatron. {{storylink|Transformers: Generation 1 (Dreamwave)|Generation One}}

{{note|Dreamwave's ''[[Transformers: More than Meets the Eye#Issue #8|More than Meets the Eye]]'' makes a passing reference to the "reign of the mighty Scorponok" occurring sometime after the (second) disappearance of Megatron and before the Great Shutdown. It is unknown if this preceded or succeeded the events of ''Micromasters''.}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
[[File:Apexthrone.JPG|left|upright=1.1|thumb]]
[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] was the founder of the Decepticon political movement, first directing it with his samizdat writings {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|Post Hoc}} before gradually turning it into an organised force led by him. {{storylink|The Transformers: Megatron Origin|Megatron Origin}} He was overthrown and banished by [[Scorponok (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Scorponok]] early in the war after having lost his first duel with [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]]. {{storylink|Derelicts}} Scorponok was an unpopular leader who showed no care for his troops and made poor use of Decepticon resources, but he was also powerful enough to rule by fear... until Megatron returned and beat him to a pulp, leaving him alive only because dead people can't feel pain. {{storylink|The Illusion of Control}}

After this, Megatron continued to reign without problem as most potential challengers, such as [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]], were too piss-scared of him {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}} and even the idea of ''questioning'' him was a worry. {{storylink|Devastation issue 1|Devastation #1}} The [[Decepticon Justice Division]], particularly [[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]], revered him as an almost divine figure. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} While Megatron wanted Starscream to take over from him at some point, he would only allow it if Starscream was able to ''take'' command; {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 11|All Hail Megatron #11}} when Starscream attempted a rebellion, Megatron took his best shots and then crippled him, but left him alive. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}} In contrast, when [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] attempted rebellion, Megatron beat him to death. {{storylink|Spotlight: Ramjet}} One exception to this was [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]], who grew disgusted with Megatron's seeming apathy towards the well-being of his troops, but rather than challenge Megatron directly he upped sticks and took his regiment out on their own. {{storylink|The Permanent Revolution}}

[[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] has noted with envy and annoyance that the Decepticons are far more unified than the Autobots. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 15|All Hail Megatron #15}} For example, the Wreckers effectively went AWOL during their pursuit of [[Squadron X]] {{storylink|Bullets}} while in comparison, semi-independent Decepticon warlord [[Skyquake (G1)|Skyquake]] immediately responded to Megatron's command to seize the Autobot prison [[Garrus-9]]. {{storylink|The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers}}

This all went to pot when Megatron achieved near-victory, and the Decepticon advance stagnated. The troops were disgruntled, and Starscream warned that coup attempts were going to come. Unsurprisingly, Starscream himself led one with most of the Earth-based Decepticons... a coup Megatron anticipated and appeared to have wanted, as he had a convoluted plan to reshape his troops into a less nasty form now he'd won. Unfortunately for him, he was viciously damaged by a surprise Autobot attack. {{storylink|The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron}} Immediately, leadership fragmented: Soundwave and his crew kept Megatron alive, providing a barrier to any attempt at legitimacy; Starscream had temporary command but knew [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] or someone would challenge him for it. In desperation, he waved the stolen Autobot Matrix around and declared it had chosen him, gaining legitimate command that way. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 13|All Hail Megatron #13}}. Megatron was then rebuilt {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon|Altered Carbon}}, but Starscream kept his leadership (despite being so poor at it the Decepticons were forced to turn to cannibalism to survive) until he lost the Matrix to [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hot Rod]]. {{storylink|Heart Like a Wheel}}

Megatron retained leadership until he went missing following the confrontation with the [[D-Void]] and the reformatting of Cybertron. {{storylink|Chaos Part Four: Genesis|Genesis}} Ratbat tried to claim control of the Decepticons in the post war era, but when he attempted to assassinate [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]], Starscream tipped off the Autobots. [[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]] killed Ratbat and captured the assassin, and Starscream stepped up to fill the role of representative of the Decepticons in Cybertron's leadership. {{storylink|The Autonomy Lesson (issue)|The Autonomy Lesson}} {{storylink|The World & Everything in It}} Other Decepticons elsewhere in space would form small gangs under differing commanders {{storylink|Before & After}} while the Decepticon Justice Division refused to acknowledge that Megatron was MIA at all. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}}

[[File:PermanentRevolution-Deathsaurus.jpg|thumb]]
After Starscream renounced membership in the Decepticons and with Megatron imprisoned, [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] claimed leadership of the remaining Decepticon forces. {{storylink|Shockpoint}} He remained in command until Megatron returned but, upon Megatron's defection to the hated Autobots, he reacted with outrage. [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]] overheard Soundwave's words, and, impressed, joined the Decepticons, the warlord taking the role of Decepticon leader with Soundwave's support. {{storylink|...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|...And the Damage Done}} Meanwhile, out in deep space, Deathsaurus and Tarn had joined forces as joint leaders of their own, larger Decepticon army. {{storylink|The Permanent Revolution}}

Galvatron was eventually killed in battle by Optimus Prime, leaving Soundwave in command of the Decepticons on Earth. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 6: No Fair Fights|No Fair Fights}} After Megatron had slain the Decepticon Justice Division, Deathsaurus took command of the Decepticons in space. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}}
{{-}}

===Live-action film series===
[[File:TheFallen-ROTFNemesis.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"It's funny how 'leading' looks a lot like ''sitting on your arse''."]]
Originally styled [[Lord High Protector|High Protector]] of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] amended his title to ''Lord'' High Protector upon forming the Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformers: Defiance|Defiance}} {{storylink|Transformers: Movie Prequel|Movie Prequel}} Notably in this continuity family, while Megatron leads the Decepticons, his loyalty to [[The Fallen]], known as the first Decepticon, means supreme command lies with him. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen (film)}} He was the one who told Megatron what strategies to take in the early days, though he left Megatron to command by himself as he left [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to find a [[Star Harvester]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Defiance|Defiance}} During his absence while searching for the [[AllSpark]], [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] assumed command as Decepticon leader, though he grew quite comfortable with the position and would prefer Megatron remained absent, something [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] sought to frustrate. {{storylink|Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday}}

Upon his revival, Megatron resumed command, just long enough to kill [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]], beat [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] half to death, and be killed by [[Sam Witwicky]]. He was then dropped into the [[Laurentian Abyss]] almost immediately afterwards. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}} Starscream then assumed leadership of the Decepticons and began styling himself '''Lord''' Starscream. Although [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] and [[Thundercracker (Movie)|Thundercracker]] accepted Starscream without objection, Starscream was betrayed by [[Dreadwing (Movie)|Dreadwing]] and [[Ramjet (Movie)|Ramjet]], shattering his faith in his leadership. {{storylink|Transformers: The Reign of Starscream|The Reign of Starscream}} When [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] and the ''[[Nemesis (ROTF)|Nemesis]]'' reached Earth, Soundwave recognized Starscream as Decepticon commander, and Starscream's ambitions were renewed. {{storylink|Transformers: Alliance|Alliance}} However, a number of Decepticons were unsatisfied with Starscream, feeling he had not earned the right. As such, they began efforts to revive Megatron {{storylink|Transformers: The Veiled Threat|The Veiled Threat}} Starscream, meanwhile, discovered another obstacle to his role as true leader on Soundwave's ship... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.1|Training Day}}

[[File:Titan7 Soundwave GO!.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.66]]
While Starscream was tending to the [[hatchling]]s on the ''Nemesis'' per the Fallen's decree, Soundwave commanded the Decepticons on Earth. First, he tried to track down lost Seekers to gain information and keep the Autobots from knowing about the Fallen's plans. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.6|Outlaw Blues}} {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.7|Turnabout}} Later, he had Megatron resurrected, which transferred command back to the big Meg.

When he returned to the ''Nemesis'', Megatron struck Starscream for his presumption of assuming command, saying that even in death, there was no command but Megatron's. This statement was slightly undermined by his next course of action, which to bow before the Fallen. Megatron was left in sole command following The Fallen's death at the hands of Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

We know that other Decepticons have ''tried'' to become leaders of the main Decepticon faction, including [[Mainframe (Movie)|Mainframe]] {{storylink|Transformers: Rise of the Chevy Autobots}} and Dreadwing, {{storylink|Transformers: The Reign of Starscream|The Reign of Starscream}} but it rarely goes well. Following that mess with the Fallen, [[Bludgeon (ROTF)|Bludgeon]] decided to form his ''own'' group of Decepticons on Earth and lead that. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.13|Inside Out!}} In one timeline, [[Stockade (Movie)|Stockade]] did the same thing. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 17|Return to Cybertron: Part 1}}

After the battle in Egypt, Megatron continued to lead the Decepticons. The former Autobot [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]] would later defect to the Decepticons. Sentinel and Megatron agreed to a joint leadership until Sentinel Prime took complete control during the Battle of Chicago. Megatron later reclaimed his leadership, but his reign was short lived as Optimus Prime took both Sentinel and Megatron's lives. Starscream, Soundwave, and Shockwave also perished during the battle of Chicago, leaving the surviving Deceptions completely leaderless. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon}}

Megatron had secretly survived his injuries and manipulated a human corporation called KSI into creating a new body for him. Megatron transferred his consciousness into the new body and was reincarnated as [[Galvatron (AOE)|Galvatron]]. Galvatron took control of KSI's drones and enacted a plan to destroy Hong Kong and use it as raw materials to build more drones. Ultimately, the plan failed and most, if not all of the drones were destroyed. Galvatron escaped the carnage and departed to parts unknown. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction}}

Galvatron went missing for years. No leader emerged to take his place, so the Decepticons fell into disarray. At some point, Galvatron reverted back to his Megatron identity and reclaimed leadership of the Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformers: The Last Knight}}

===''Animated'' cartoon===
[[File:AniMegsHead-TransformAndRollout.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|Head master.]]
Styled '''Supreme Leader''', the title was held by [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] for over four million solar cycles, since the days of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]. When Megatron was believed killed trying to secure the [[AllSpark]], [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] immediately nominated himself the new Supreme leader...no one took him seriously. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}

He finally ''did'' manage to get the Decepticons [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] to swear allegiance to him in exchange for repairs. {{storylink|Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found}} This was also short-lived, as Lugnut was really taking orders from the disembodied head of Megatron. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 1}} After his restoration, the Decepticons repledged their loyalty to Megatron, who decided to reinforce it by seriously damaging Starscream. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 2}}

When Megatron was absent yet again, [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] was seen giving orders to [[Strika (Animated)|group commander Strika]]. However, rather than taking full command, his orders were to wait until Megatron came back (much to Strika's frustration). {{storylink|TransWarped}}

===''Shattered Glass''===
[[File:Shatteredglassmegatrondecepticons.jpg|left|upright=1.4|thumb]]
Unlike previous incarnations, the leader of the Decepticons is a heroic resistance leader, intending to free Cybertron from the Autobots and save the galaxy from their evil ways. [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]] stands as their current leader, and it seems that [[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]] will be a successor rather than a usurper.
{{-}}

===Aligned===
====Aligned novels====
In an act of keeping his enemies closer than his friends, [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] appointed his surgeon [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] to be his lieutenant despite his belief the scientist would eventually betray him. Megatron's movement was fairly disparate in the beginning, consisting of his [[Gladiatorial combat|gladiators]] in his employ and followers across Cybertron who listened to his teachings on the [[Communication Grid]]. Megatron was aware his followers were going to resort to terrorism, but did nothing to improve his reputation by distancing himself from their extremism. In fact, he accepted the gift of a kidnapped [[Sentinel Zeta Prime|Sentinel Prime]] by the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]]. Already plotting to usurp Megatron's position as Cybertron's would-be savior, but patient enough to recognize how the revolution could turn sour, Starscream allied himself with Megatron but remained officially [[neutral]], occupying [[Moonbase One|Moon Base One]] and [[Trypticon (WFC)|Trypticon]] for himself.

During the civil war, Starscream's Seekers only aided the Decepticons in some battles. Shockwave engaged in some power politics with the Seekers by taking control of [[Tarn (polity)|Tarn]] and [[Vos (polity)|Vos]] and secretly assassinating the neutral Air Commanders there. When [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] discovered Trypticon was a hoard of [[Dark Energon]], Megatron's gladiators brutally took control of the station, even forcing Starscream to subject two of his scientists to experimentation with the chaotic substance. Soon, Starscream, tired of Megatron's tactics and ashamed of their use of Dark Energon, released Sentinel from his [[Kaon (polity)|Kaonian]] dungeon to kill Megatron, having been informed by [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] that all he sought was a just peace should something "happen" to Megatron. Sentinel failed, and Starscream fought Megatron and [[Blackout (WFC)|Blackout]] for the [[Code Key]]s to [[Teletraan-1]], but was beaten and only spared as Megatron found him too useful to die. Megatron certainly considered Starscream elite enough to take him aboard the ''Nemesis'', leaving Shockwave behind to lead the Cybertronian Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus}}

====High Moon Studios games====
Starscream attempted to claim leadership of the Decepticons when Megatron was believed to be killed by [[Omega Supreme (WFC)|Omega Supreme]]. Somehow alive, Megatron lambasted him through a communications line, and threatened to kill him and any other cowards trying to flee from Omega. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron}}

Years later during the Autobots' final days on Cybertron, an assault on Autobot City quickly ended when the massive [[Metroplex (FOC)|Metroplex]] killed Megatron, and naturally, Starscream took control of the Decepticons and quickly retreated at Optimus' suggestion. This turned out to be the start of the Decepticons' worst days: Starscream was an absolute failure at leadership, wasting their plentiful Energon reserves on statues and other ways of pimping his own image, to the point that after three days, they were left with no Energon and no way to get off of the dying planet. However, Soundwave revived Megatron, who quickly decimated Starscream's loyalists and publicly humiliated Starscream, sending him running and swearing vengeance. {{storylink|Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron}}

====''Prime'' cartoon====
Starscream generally leads the Decepticons in the present because Megatron is too busy being absent while searching for Dark Energon or being comatose. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 1}} When Megatron was presumed killed in the [[space bridge]] explosion, Starscream immediately named himself the new leader. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 5}} Regardless, the [[Vehicon (Prime)|troops]] won't take him seriously as a full-time [[Emperor of Destruction]]. When Starscream attempted to hide Megatron's survival of the explosion, Soundwave's [[Deployer (WFC)|Deployer]] ensured he would bring his body back to sickbay. {{storylink|Masters & Students}} Starscream and [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] conspired to keep Megatron offline, but an unforeseen chain of events led to his return, and Megatron pummeled Starscream nearly to death for trying to kill him. {{storylink|Sick Mind}} {{storylink|Out of His Head}} During Megatron's absence from the ''Nemesis'' in order to deal with Unicron's awakening, [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] advocated that the Decepticons abandon Megatron and nominated herself for leader. [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] challenged these assertions in combat, handily winning the fight. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 2}} {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 3}}

Though made aware of the attempted coup in his absence {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 1}}, Megatron decided to allow Airachnid to continue serving him until he felt like dealing with it some time later. Megatron sent [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] to terminate her for her treachery, but to his dismay, Dreadwing returned having failed to execute her and minus [[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]]. Airachnid challenged him to a duel for control of the Decepticons, but even her subservient [[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticon]] ended up falling against Megatron. However, upon discovering an entire army of them in stasis {{storylink|Crossfire}}, she later launched a massive assault on the ''[[Trypticon (WFC)|Nemesis]]'' to bring down Megatron, while Starscream also sent some [[Starscream clone (Prime)|clones]] after Megatron as well. Megatron killed the clones, and Airachnid's defeat at the hands of [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]] freed the Insecticons from her control, and they quickly joined Megatron's command. {{storylink|Armada (episode)}}

Airachnid would return to plague Megatron's command one more time when she was freed from stasis lock by vampiric [[Terrorcon (Prime)|Terrorcon]] [[Silas|Cylas]], and she quickly turned the Insecticons on the Decepticons once again. Soundwave's intervention banished them to a dead moon of Cybertron's. {{storylink|Thirst}} A much greater threat to Megatron's command presented itself when [[Predaking (Prime)|Predaking]] revealed his sentience, making known his desire to lead an army of cloned [[Predacon (Prime)|Predacons]] for Megatron. This ambition coupled with the Predacons' might far exceeding the struggling Decepticon movement convinced Megatron of Predaking's potential to become a renegade; a very dangerous one at that. Megatron quickly had the Predacon clones destroyed by the Autobots. {{storylink|Evolution}}

When Megatron fell in battle and the Autobots captured the ''Nemesis'', {{storylink|Deadlock}} leadership (and membership) fell to Starscream and [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]], who worked to clone a new army of Predacons to destroy the Autobots. However, [[Unicron]]'s return resulted in Shockwave going missing, and upon his defeat, a revived Megatron declared the Decepticon movement dead. Starscream took this as an opportunity to start a new Decepticon empire under his command, but presumably failed to do so, considering he was faced with three very angry Predacons. {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Prime)|Predacons Rising}}

====2015 ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon====
With Megatron gone and Starscream presumed (but not actually) dead {{storylink|Mighty Big Trouble}}, leadership of the remaining Decepticons fragmented, with no clear leader being apparent until [[Steeljaw (RID)|Steeljaw]] announced his intent to found a "new Decepticon Empire" centered on Earth—with himself as leader, of course. {{storylink|Decepticon Island (Part 1)}}

Starscream however had his own plans for galactic conquest {{storylink|Mighty Big Trouble}} hoping to rebuild the Decepticon Empire in his image. {{storylink|Mini-Con Madness (RID)|Mini-Con Madness}}

==Notes==
*Unlike the [[Prime (rank)|Autobot leader]], for whom a number of titles are available depending on continuity, the Decepticon leader has no "official name".

==See also==
*[[Emperor of Destruction]]
*[[Lord High Protector]]
*[[Air Commander]]
*[[Liege Maximo]]

[[Category:Decepticon leaders| ]]
[[Category:Ranks]]

Decepticon leader

2017-10-17T00:31:32Z

HailMegatron: /* Marvel The Transformers comics */

{{factions|decepticon}}
[[File:WorldsCollide3 MegatronVsGalvatron.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Whoever wins, we lose.]]
Among the [[Decepticon]]s, there is one guiding principle: {{w|Kratocracy|rule of the strong}}. Whereas the [[Prime (rank)|leader]] of the [[Autobot]]s consults his subordinates, the strongest and the most powerful Decepticon leads, and everyone else is expected to follow without question. But strength of body is not enough. One must also have the brains to lead, the intelligence to outwit their rivals and plan their victories. Thus, the '''Decepticon leader''' is the strongest and smartest of their ranks.

Guess [[Ratbat (G1)|how]] [[Scourge (RID)|many]] [[Octane|Decepticons]] [[Megatron (disambiguation)|think]] [[Starscream (disambiguation)|they]] [[Shockwave (G1)|qualify]].

{{bigquote|Only a select few ever lead, [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]].|[[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] on the nature of power|"[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]"}}

==Fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics====
{{noteukonly}}
[[File:Megatrong1earlymarvel.jpg|left|thumb|100px|First...]]
[[File:Straxusholdscourt.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|...and the worst.]]
[[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] served as commander over all of the Decepticons for over one thousand years until he and other Decepticons and Autobots were lost buried in a [[Mount St. Hilary|volcano]] on [[Earth]]. {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers}} ''In his absence, the War-Lord [[Trannis]] took control of the Decepticon army. Trannis conquered most of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] and destroyed [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], forcing the Autobots underground. In time Trannis grew complacent and some Decepticons had the opinion that he was insufficiently aggressive. The [[Decepticon High Command|Decepticon high command]] made plans to oust him, but the [[Wrecker]]s beat them to it when they assassinated him. He was succeeded by the more relentless [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]].'' {{storylink|Cybertron: The Middle Years!}} Straxus became "Lord High Governor of [[Polyhex]]". {{storylink|The Smelting Pool!}}

Meanwhile, four million years had passed and the Decepticons on Earth awoke isolated from Cybertron and unaware of current events. Megatron continued his role as commander, effectively making him leader of the Earth-bound Decepticons. {{storylink|The Transformers (issue)|The Transformers}} ''[[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]] would briefly try to nick his job and failed miserably.'' {{storylink|The Enemy Within!}}

[[File:Megatrong1marvelhumiliation.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|"Now, ''I'' am the le-"]]
[[File:Laserbeakdeterminescommand.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|"...never mind."]]
When Megatron was defeated shortly after the Decepticons reactivated, Military Operations Commander [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] defeated the Autobots {{storylink|The Last Stand}} and usurped Megatron, reducing Megatron to [[second-in-command]]. {{storylink|The New Order}} Megatron was soon defeated by the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] and went missing for a time. {{storylink|Repeat Performance!}} Shockwave was then, himself, beaten and briefly stuck in a swamp. {{storylink|Prime Time!}} ''[[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] took command in their absence'' {{storylink|Crisis of Command!}} ''and scored a major victory.'' {{storylink|Dinobot Hunt!}} Megatron returned {{storylink|Shooting Star!}} to command some of the Earth Decepticons while Shockwave led a group of others. ''Soundwave played for both teams, until, for the good of the Decepticons, he demanded they work together;'' {{storylink|Second Generation!}} the two agreed to joint leadership, {{storylink|The Bridge to Nowhere!}} until Megatron was able to use logic to convince Shockwave to give him full leadership. {{storylink|Command Performances!}}

Meanwhile, after receiving a mayday from the Earth bound Decepticons, Straxus contacted the Earth-bound Decepticons, and the two groups agreed to cooperate. Straxus built a [[space bridge]] to transport resources back and forth. Straxus went boom {{storylink|The Bridge to Nowhere!}} ''and was reduced to a floating head.'' {{storylink|...The Harder They Die!}} ''On Earth, Megatron's growing paranoia caused Shockwave and Soundwave to try removing him;'' {{storylink|Prey!}} ''instead, Megatron ended up on Cybertron, where his presence and madness undermined Straxus. Lord Straxus attempted to possess Megatron in an attempt to end this threat and gain a body, but this ended with Straxus dead ([[Two Megatrons!|sort of]]).'' {{storylink|Resurrection!}} With Straxus dead, fuel auditor [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] ascended to ''de facto'' command of Cybertron. {{storylink|King of the Hill!}} Still, an unseen [[Decepticon Imperial Headquarters]] would give him marching orders. {{storylink|Club Con!}}

[[File:Ratbatcratercritters.jpg|left|thumb|upright=0.85| Now I am the true lead-]]
After seemingly killing [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]], Megatron went mad and apparently killed himself, allowing Shockwave to assume full leadership of the Earth-bound Decepticons again. {{storylink|Gone but Not Forgotten!}} The Earth-bound Decepticons coordinated with [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]]. {{storylink|King of the Hill!}} Ratbat himself eventually came to Earth, and had a very uneasy alliance with Shockwave; in contrast to his clashes with Megatron, Shockwave was left trying to justify his strategies and ''impress'' the fuel auditor. {{storylink|Buster Witwicky and the Car Wash of Doom}} ''Following a massive cock-up by Shockwave that undermined his authority,'' {{storylink|Enemy Action!}} Ratbat oversaw several Earth operations directly. {{storylink|Toy Soldiers!}}

While this was going on, the Decepticon [[Scorponok (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Scorponok]] took his unit to follow [[Fortress Maximus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Fortress Maximus]] to [[Nebulos]], where he underwent [[binary bonding]] with [[Zarak (G1)|Zarak]]. Following Fortress Maximus to Earth, Scorponok operated independently from Shockwave and Ratbat, leading his own troops. {{storylink|The Transformers: Headmasters|Headmasters}}

Shockwave went missing in action and Ratbat, happily letting this happen to Shockers, became commander of Earth's Decepticons. {{storylink|The Desert Island of Space!}} Scorponok, meanwhile, was operating his ''own'' faction on Earth. {{storylink|Trial by Fire!}} ''Shockwave set up shop with a small third faction in [[Fortress Sinister]],'' {{storylink|Salvage!}} ''but he'd eventually lose his men as he went mad.'' {{storylink|Time Wars}} Eventually, Scorponok and Ratbat met up... and had [[Decepticon Civil War|a big punch-up]], thanks to manipulation by Starscream {{storylink|Cold War!}} By the end of this and some fun with the [[Underbase]], Ratbat was shot dead by Scorponok and Starscream killed by the Underbase's power. Without any rivals, Scorponok easily settled into power as Earth's sole Decepticon leader. {{storylink|Dark Star}}

[[File:FallAndRiseTriumvirateHeads.jpg|left|upright=0.85|thumb| But I have the matrix!!!]]
[[File:Thunderwingwhereisthecreationmatrix.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb| No, '''We are.''']]
''On Cybertron, [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] petitioned the [[Decepticon High Council]] to be appointed the new leader (even though someone else appears to have been leader.'' {{storylink|The Big Shutdown!}} {{storylink|Assault on the Ark!}} ''Straxus/Megatron (don't ask) arrived in [[Helex (polity)|Helex]] to find the [[Decepticon Empire]] had become lax under the ruling Decepticon [[Triumvirate]]. Straxus/Megatron inspired a crowd of Decepticons to take action. The Triumverate were killed and Straxus/Megatron took control of the empire.'' {{storylink|The Fall and Rise of the Decepticon Empire.}} ''Megatron arrived and confronted Straxus/Megatron leading the latter to take his own life,'' {{storylink|Two Megatrons!}} but kept his return secret. The confusing situation was made simpler when Megatron became lost in a portal {{storylink|Skin Deep}} and Thunderwing was killed due to his Matrix obsession. {{storylink|All Fall Down}}

[[File:Allthisandcivilwar-arethey.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.85]]
With [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] fast approaching Cybertron, Optimus Prime made the decision to surrender to Scorponok, in return for allying with the Autobots against Unicron. {{storylink|Surrender!}} Scorponok planned to betray Prime, but Zarak later agreed to the alliance. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}} However, Scorponok's troops were growing disgruntled, especially by his recruitment of (the newly not dead) Starscream. Taking advantage of this, Shockwave managed to get several disgruntled Decepticons to ally with him and attack Scorponok's group. {{storylink|...All This and Civil War 2}} Ultimately, they were all transported to Cybertron by [[Primus]], who named Optimus Prime as the commander of Cybertron's united army. {{storylink|Out of Time!}}

{{note|After the battle with Unicron, the scope of Cybertron society is drastically reduced for storytelling reasons. References to existing Cybertron-based Decepticon forces and the underground Autobot resistance is dropped, leaving primarily the core Earth-based cast. Presumably, Unicron killed everyone else.}}

[[File:Bludgeon-youlie1.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85]]
During the battle with Unicron, Optimus Prime and Scorponok were both killed. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}} As Shockwave and Starscream fled the dying Cybertron, {{storylink|A Savage Circle}} [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] was acclaimed Decepticon leader by the surviving Decepticons. {{storylink|Exodus!}} He led the Decepticons in the conquest of [[Klo]], {{storylink|The Last Autobot?}} then massacred the Autobots who arrived to stop them. He was stopped by the return of Optimus Prime, who had been revived by the [[Last Autobot]], whom Bludgeon had worshiped as the Ultimate Warrior. The Last Autobot revived the fallen Autobots, and Bludgeon agreed to lead the Decepticons into exile... planning to bide their time. {{storylink|End of the Road! (US)|End of the Road!}}

Shockwave, meanwhile, had hijacked the Ark alongside Starscream with the intention of using it to conquer Earth. {{storylink|Still Life!}} He didn't count on [[Galvatron II|an alternate timeline Galvatron]] to have attempted the same thing. He also didn't count on Ratchet and Megatron (yep, he's back again) to be on board the Ark in stasis, though, nor did he expect the pair to awaken during the journey. {{storylink|Exodus!}} While Megatron kept Shockwave and Starscream occupied, Ratchet forced the Ark to crash violently into the ground. Galvatron was the only one to emerge from the crash, and he appeared to be the only survivor. {{storylink|A Savage Circle}}

''In an alternate timeline, Scorponok, Shockwave, and Megatron were having a three-way Decepticon civil war over Decepticon leadership during the late 80s/early 90s.'' {{storylink|Trigger-Happy!}}

=====Marvel UK future timelines=====
[[File:SpacePiratesSoundwaveLeader.JPG|left|thumb|''Everyone'' would follow a bore like him!]]
Scorponok, Shockwave, and Megatron had a three-way civil war for Decepticon leadership; Megatron won. {{storylink|Aspects of Evil!}} In [[2006]], Megatron was transformed into Galvatron (ending an attempt by Starscream to seize leadership) {{storylink|Target: 2006}} and would later escape by [[time travel]]. {{storylink|Fallen Angel|Fallen Angel!}} This led to a ''very'' messy leadership situation, as Shockwave, Cyclonus, and Scourge (working as Unicron's proxies), and Soundwave would all take command sequentially over the next few years. Shockwave succeeded in re-conquering half of Cybertron, and Soundwave pulled off the nifty trick of conning the ''Autobots'' into saving his army from [[Quintesson]] attack.

Eventually, a post-[[Time Wars]] clean-up of the timeline happened, and Galvatron had now [[retcon|always been commander since 2006]].

=====Earthforce=====
{{earthforcefiction}}
Megatron and Shockwave were both stuck on Earth with small platoons, and waged a constant civil war over leadership and the planet. {{storylink|Life in the Slow Lane}} Scorponok is referred to as also existing, and presumably commands the Decepticons that ''aren't'' on Earth. [[Mindwipe (G1)|Mindwipe]] of all people ''tried'' to become Decepticon leader by usurping Scorponok's command; it went ''poorly''. {{storylink|The Living Nightlights!}}

The Autobots sabotaged any attempt to stop the leadership conflict. {{storylink|The Bad Guy's Ball!}} Eventually, Starscream and Soundwave deposed Megatron and Shockwave, uniting the two factions as ''joint'' Decepticon leaders. {{storylink|Internal Affairs!}} Unsurprisingly, they both planned to backstab the other and take sole control at some point. Megatron and Shockwave also teamed up, attempting to regain control. {{storylink|External Forces!}}

=====Another Time & Place=====
[[File:MarvelUSG2-05.jpg|upright=0.6|thumb|''That'll'' teach you to be a ''late'' 80s character and want scenes!]]
Following the defeat on [[Klo]], Bludgeon attempted to bring back Megatron to lead ''instead'' of him. {{storylink|Another Time & Place}}

====Marvel ''Generation 2'' comic====
Bludgeon led his forces back into battle, arming his army in preparation for a major strike. {{storylink|Primal Fear!|Old Evils}} {{storylink|Ghosts}} Upon his return, Megatron challenged Bludgeon for leadership of the Decepticons and after a fierce battle, Megatron emerged victorious. {{storylink|The Power and the Glory|Tales of Earth Part Two}}

====''Classics''====
{{noteclassics}}
Megatron's status as the Decepticon leader is all but unchallenged... on Earth. Bludgeon and his loyal troops remain, scattered across the universe.

And then Megatron killed him and took command. {{storylink|At Fight's End}}
{{-}}

====''Regeneration One''====
{{noterg1}}
[[File:Neo-decepticons counterpoint.jpg|thumb|left|Not bad for an uncharismatic bore.]]
Soundwave led a faction of "Neo-Decepticons" on Cybertron. As their first strike against the ruling Autobots, they hacked into the planet's orbital defence satellite network and used one to destroy the [[Last Autobot]]. {{storylink|Counterpoint}}

[[File:Megatron loose ends.jpg|thumb|Well Megatron, most people try not to bother you when you're on the toilet.]]
Despite the Neo-Decepticons' repeated attempts to disrupt the peace on Cybertron, [[Kup (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Kup]] and the [[Wrecker]]s considered the extant Decepticon leaders Bludgeon, Galvatron and Megatron to be the greater threat and—against Optimus Prime's explicit orders—departed for Earth to track down Megatron. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 1}} Left alone on Earth for twenty-one years, Megatron had recovered the dead bodies of those Decepticons (and a few [[Monsterbot|Autobots]]) who had fallen in the [[Underbase Saga]] and reanimated them as lobotomised [[zombie]]s, including his former [[second-in-command]], the treacherous Starscream, and former Decepticon leader Ratbat. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 2}} When Optimus Prime left Cybertron to deal with Megatron, Soundwave established contact with Bludgeon, leader of his own band of Decepticons, informing him that the planet was vulnerable. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 3}} The two planned to recover the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]]-infused body of Thunderwing, yet another former Decepticon leader, from the [[Hall of Silence]]. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 4}} Meanwhile, on Earth, Optimus Prime put an end to Megatron once and for all but at the same time still yet another former Decepticon leader, the resurrected Scorponok, surfaced on [[Nebulos]]. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 5}}

While Soundwave was offplanet delivering Thunderwing's remains to Bludgeon, Scorponok arrived on Cybertron with his [[Gene Key]], a device capable of turning Autobots into Decepticons. At [[Fort Scyk]], he took control of Soundwave's troops and pressed them into service to carry out his grand plan for complete control of Cybertron. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part Three}} However, he underestimated his forced accomplice Grimlock and was ultimately undone, plunging to his doom in the [[Sonic Canyons]]. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part Five}}

Taking advantage of the chaos of Scorponok's attempted takeover, Soundwave began a campaign of low-level terror, keeping the planet's population agitated while he and Bludgeon used Thunderwing's Matrix energy to give life to Bludgeon's latest warriors, the fearsome [[Blitz Engine]]s. {{storylink|Destiny, Part Two}} From the ''[[Warworld]]'' above Cybertron, Bludgeon unleashed a devastating attack on the Autobots while Soundwave co-ordinated efforts on the ground. However, after setting [[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]] on [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]], Soundwave found his path blocked by [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]. {{storylink|Destiny, Part Four}} As Soundwave was beaten in sonic combat by his rival audiosmith, Bludgeon was bested by the newly minted [[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Rodimus Prime]] and thrown from the ''Warworld'' to the planet's surface below. {{storylink|Destiny, Part Five}}

Bludgeon survived the fall, and both he and Soundwave were incarcerated by the Autobots, leaving any Decepticons still at large seemingly leaderless. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 1}}

===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
[[File:EarlyDecepticonLeader01.jpg|left|100px|thumb]]
At first, the Decepticons were led by an [[Trannis|old Decepticon]] who could not [[Transformation|transform]]. When he lost the [[Cybertronian Civil Wars|Second Cybertronian War]] against the Autobots, he was replaced with [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]], who led the Decepticons to conquer much of Cybertron. Upon Megatron's and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]'s disappearances, the war on Cybertron entered a stalemate. [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] had been appointed [[Cybertron Guard|Guardian of Cybertron]] in Megatron's absence, and became de facto Decepticon leader. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}} Once Megatron resumed contact with Cybertron, Shockwave resubmitted to his authority. {{storylink|Transport to Oblivion (episode)|Transport to Oblivion}} At one point, Megatron introduced himself to [[Jetfire (G1)|Skyfire]], addressing himself as '''Supreme Leader'''. {{storylink|Fire in the Sky}}

[[Air Commander]] [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]], long contemptuous of Megatron's leadership, made several attempts to supplant Megatron. They all ended with failure, usually due to his own impatience or the other Decepticons' loyalty to Megatron.

[[File:TripleTakeover Mount Deceptimore.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Visit Majestic Mount Deceptimore]]
Starscream eventually decided to get some help. He made plans with [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] and [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] to trap Megatron in a tunnel and freeze him. However, the [[Triple Changer]]s betrayed Starscream, leaving them both to freeze, and proceeded to wreak havoc. Megatron and Starscream were freed due to an accident on Astrotrain's part, and after defeating Astrotrain, Blitzwing, [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] and Starscream, Megatron resumed leadership of the Decepticons. {{storylink|Triple Takeover}}

By [[2005]], the Decepticons had conquered most of Cybertron. The Autobots retained control of two moons and held a reserve force at [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]]. Megatron launched an [[Battle of Autobot City|assault on Autobot City]], where he and Optimus Prime mortally wounded each other. During the trip back to Cybertron, Astrotrain required the Decepticons to jettison excess weight or he would be unable to make it back. The wounded Decepticons were thrown overboard to allow the survivors to return, with Starscream personally ejecting Megatron. After a mild scuffle aboard Astrotrain, Starscream emerged as the new Decepticon leader. Meanwhile, Megatron was discovered by [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] and [[reformatting|reformatted]] into [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]. With a new body and troops, Galvatron returned to Cybertron and killed Starscream with a single blast, ending Starscream's glorious reign of about twenty minutes (or twenty seconds depending on how you look at it). Galvatron was hailed as the new leader of the Decepticons. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

After Unicron's attack on Cybertron and the disappearance of Galvatron, the Decepticons fled to [[Chaar]]. Without strong leaders like Galvatron, Starscream, or Shockwave (who had been killed defending Cybertron), the Decepticons fell into a period of disunity, where they fought each other for scraps of [[energon]]. [[Cyclonus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Cyclonus]], Galvatron's second in command, took a leadership role but was unable to command anywhere near the same unquestioned obedience previous leaders had enjoyed. When he located Galvatron, he was forced to appeal to the other Decepticons rather than simply ordering them. The successful recovery of Galvatron galvanised the Decepticons, who were able to rebuild Chaar into something resembling a functional home despite their new leader being ''completely off his rocker''. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness}}

=====''Robotmasters''=====
After the disappearance of Megatron, the Decepticons were helmed by Starscream. However, a [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] from another time challenged Starscream for leadership and won. {{storylink|The Usurper Decepticon Takes Control}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
[[File:Ratbatwarwithin.jpg|left|100px|thumb|Screw Megatron, let's see more of the ''real'' Decepticon leader!]]
At first, [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] was the sole leader of the Decepticons, with his chief lieutenants being Air Commander [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], Military Operations Commander [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]], and Intelligence and Communications Officer [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The War Within|The War Within}} After Megatron was believed to have been destroyed along with Optimus Prime in a space bridge explosion, Shockwave became Decepticon leader, but Starscream and High Auditor [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] broke off from the Decepticon army, forming the [[Predacon (War Within)|Predacons]] and [[Ultracon]]s, respectively. {{storylink|Transformers: War Within: The Dark Ages|War Within: The Dark Ages}} Megatron's return to Cybertron saw him resume command of the fragmented Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformers: War Within: The Age of Wrath|War Within: The Age of Wrath}}

After Megatron, Starscream, and Soundwave disappeared chasing Optimus Prime's crew aboard the Ark, Shockwave emerged as Decepticon leader, this time as part of a triumvirate that included Scorponok and Ratbat. He was briefly overthrown by [[Skystalker (G1)|Skystalker]], who used his head to issue commands to Shockwave's troops, but Skystalker was defeated and Shockwave resumed command. {{storylink|Transformers: Micromasters}}

[[File:Shockwavedwwarandpeace.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb]]
With the [[Great Shutdown]], all Transformers entered a period of enforced [[stasis lock]]. Shockwave was reactivated by Unicron's herald [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]], but Shockwave defeated Scourge, studying him. Learning secrets about Cybertron that Megatron had previously discovered, Shockwave made peace with the Autobots, installing himself as Head of State with an [[Autobot High Council]] as a legislature. On Earth, Megatron retained command of the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'' crew, but he was defeated when Shockwave arrived, intent on gaining the Matrix from Optimus Prime. Starscream ejected Megatron from the ship transporting them back to Cybertron, then recruited the ''Nemesis'' crew and the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]] to conquer Earth. When Optimus Prime was brought to Cybertron, he united the Autobot resistance groups and overthrew Shockwave. Shockwave was able to retain command of a small number of loyal Decepticons still on planet, while Starscream led the ''Nemesis'' crew back to Earth. {{storylink|Prime Directive}} {{storylink|War and Peace}}

Meanwhile, Megatron was repaired by [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]], and managed to locate a trio of [[Air Warrior]]s he used to recruit the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]]. Heading for Cybertron, he took command of Shockwave's forces, forcing Shockwave into a subordinate state. On Earth, Starscream's failures against the Autobots and [[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]] made Soundwave, his cassettes, and the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]] all too willing to mutiny against Starscream in favor of Megatron. {{storylink|Transformers: Generation 1 (Dreamwave)|Generation One}}

{{note|Dreamwave's ''[[Transformers: More than Meets the Eye#Issue #8|More than Meets the Eye]]'' makes a passing reference to the "reign of the mighty Scorponok" occurring sometime after the (second) disappearance of Megatron and before the Great Shutdown. It is unknown if this preceded or succeeded the events of ''Micromasters''.}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
[[File:Apexthrone.JPG|left|upright=1.1|thumb]]
[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] was the founder of the Decepticon political movement, first directing it with his samizdat writings {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|Post Hoc}} before gradually turning it into an organised force led by him. {{storylink|The Transformers: Megatron Origin|Megatron Origin}} He was overthrown and banished by [[Scorponok (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Scorponok]] early in the war after having lost his first duel with [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]]. {{storylink|Derelicts}} Scorponok was an unpopular leader who showed no care for his troops and made poor use of Decepticon resources, but he was also powerful enough to rule by fear... until Megatron returned and beat him to a pulp, leaving him alive only because dead people can't feel pain. {{storylink|The Illusion of Control}}

After this, Megatron continued to reign without problem as most potential challengers, such as [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]], were too piss-scared of him {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}} and even the idea of ''questioning'' him was a worry. {{storylink|Devastation issue 1|Devastation #1}} The [[Decepticon Justice Division]], particularly [[Tarn (DJD)|Tarn]], revered him as an almost divine figure. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} While Megatron wanted Starscream to take over from him at some point, he would only allow it if Starscream was able to ''take'' command; {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 11|All Hail Megatron #11}} when Starscream attempted a rebellion, Megatron took his best shots and then crippled him, but left him alive. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}} In contrast, when [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] attempted rebellion, Megatron beat him to death. {{storylink|Spotlight: Ramjet}} One exception to this was [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]], who grew disgusted with Megatron's seeming apathy towards the well-being of his troops, but rather than challenge Megatron directly he upped sticks and took his regiment out on their own. {{storylink|The Permanent Revolution}}

[[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] has noted with envy and annoyance that the Decepticons are far more unified than the Autobots. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 15|All Hail Megatron #15}} For example, the Wreckers effectively went AWOL during their pursuit of [[Squadron X]] {{storylink|Bullets}} while in comparison, semi-independent Decepticon warlord [[Skyquake (G1)|Skyquake]] immediately responded to Megatron's command to seize the Autobot prison [[Garrus-9]]. {{storylink|The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers}}

This all went to pot when Megatron achieved near-victory, and the Decepticon advance stagnated. The troops were disgruntled, and Starscream warned that coup attempts were going to come. Unsurprisingly, Starscream himself led one with most of the Earth-based Decepticons... a coup Megatron anticipated and appeared to have wanted, as he had a convoluted plan to reshape his troops into a less nasty form now he'd won. Unfortunately for him, he was viciously damaged by a surprise Autobot attack. {{storylink|The Transformers: All Hail Megatron|All Hail Megatron}} Immediately, leadership fragmented: Soundwave and his crew kept Megatron alive, providing a barrier to any attempt at legitimacy; Starscream had temporary command but knew [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] or someone would challenge him for it. In desperation, he waved the stolen Autobot Matrix around and declared it had chosen him, gaining legitimate command that way. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 13|All Hail Megatron #13}}. Megatron was then rebuilt {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon|Altered Carbon}}, but Starscream kept his leadership (despite being so poor at it the Decepticons were forced to turn to cannibalism to survive) until he lost the Matrix to [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hot Rod]]. {{storylink|Heart Like a Wheel}}

Megatron retained leadership until he went missing following the confrontation with the [[D-Void]] and the reformatting of Cybertron. {{storylink|Chaos Part Four: Genesis|Genesis}} Ratbat tried to claim control of the Decepticons in the post war era, but when he attempted to assassinate [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]], Starscream tipped off the Autobots. [[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]] killed Ratbat and captured the assassin, and Starscream stepped up to fill the role of representative of the Decepticons in Cybertron's leadership. {{storylink|The Autonomy Lesson (issue)|The Autonomy Lesson}} {{storylink|The World & Everything in It}} Other Decepticons elsewhere in space would form small gangs under differing commanders {{storylink|Before & After}} while the Decepticon Justice Division refused to acknowledge that Megatron was MIA at all. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}}

[[File:PermanentRevolution-Deathsaurus.jpg|thumb]]
After Starscream renounced membership in the Decepticons and with Megatron imprisoned, [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] claimed leadership of the remaining Decepticon forces. {{storylink|Shockpoint}} He remained in command until Megatron returned but, upon Megatron's defection to the hated Autobots, he reacted with outrage. [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]] overheard Soundwave's words, and, impressed, joined the Decepticons, the warlord taking the role of Decepticon leader with Soundwave's support. {{storylink|...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|...And the Damage Done}} Meanwhile, out in deep space, Deathsaurus and Tarn had joined forces as joint leaders of their own, larger Decepticon army. {{storylink|The Permanent Revolution}}

Galvatron was eventually killed in battle by Optimus Prime, leaving Soundwave in command of the Decepticons on Earth. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 6: No Fair Fights|No Fair Fights}} After Megatron had slain the Decepticon Justice Division, Deathsaurus took command of the Decepticons in space. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}}
{{-}}

===Live-action film series===
[[File:TheFallen-ROTFNemesis.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"It's funny how 'leading' looks a lot like ''sitting on your arse''."]]
Originally styled [[Lord High Protector|High Protector]] of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] amended his title to ''Lord'' High Protector upon forming the Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformers: Defiance|Defiance}} {{storylink|Transformers: Movie Prequel|Movie Prequel}} Notably in this continuity family, while Megatron leads the Decepticons, his loyalty to [[The Fallen]], known as the first Decepticon, means supreme command lies with him. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen (film)}} He was the one who told Megatron what strategies to take in the early days, though he left Megatron to command by himself as he left [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to find a [[Star Harvester]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Defiance|Defiance}} During his absence while searching for the [[AllSpark]], [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] assumed command as Decepticon leader, though he grew quite comfortable with the position and would prefer Megatron remained absent, something [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]] sought to frustrate. {{storylink|Transformers: Ghosts of Yesterday}}

Upon his revival, Megatron resumed command, just long enough to kill [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]], beat [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] half to death, and be killed by [[Sam Witwicky]]. He was then dropped into the [[Laurentian Abyss]] almost immediately afterwards. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}} Starscream then assumed leadership of the Decepticons and began styling himself '''Lord''' Starscream. Although [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] and [[Thundercracker (Movie)|Thundercracker]] accepted Starscream without objection, Starscream was betrayed by [[Dreadwing (Movie)|Dreadwing]] and [[Ramjet (Movie)|Ramjet]], shattering his faith in his leadership. {{storylink|Transformers: The Reign of Starscream|The Reign of Starscream}} When [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]] and the ''[[Nemesis (ROTF)|Nemesis]]'' reached Earth, Soundwave recognized Starscream as Decepticon commander, and Starscream's ambitions were renewed. {{storylink|Transformers: Alliance|Alliance}} However, a number of Decepticons were unsatisfied with Starscream, feeling he had not earned the right. As such, they began efforts to revive Megatron {{storylink|Transformers: The Veiled Threat|The Veiled Threat}} Starscream, meanwhile, discovered another obstacle to his role as true leader on Soundwave's ship... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.1|Training Day}}

[[File:Titan7 Soundwave GO!.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.66]]
While Starscream was tending to the [[hatchling]]s on the ''Nemesis'' per the Fallen's decree, Soundwave commanded the Decepticons on Earth. First, he tried to track down lost Seekers to gain information and keep the Autobots from knowing about the Fallen's plans. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.6|Outlaw Blues}} {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.7|Turnabout}} Later, he had Megatron resurrected, which transferred command back to the big Meg.

When he returned to the ''Nemesis'', Megatron struck Starscream for his presumption of assuming command, saying that even in death, there was no command but Megatron's. This statement was slightly undermined by his next course of action, which to bow before the Fallen. Megatron was left in sole command following The Fallen's death at the hands of Optimus Prime. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

We know that other Decepticons have ''tried'' to become leaders of the main Decepticon faction, including [[Mainframe (Movie)|Mainframe]] {{storylink|Transformers: Rise of the Chevy Autobots}} and Dreadwing, {{storylink|Transformers: The Reign of Starscream|The Reign of Starscream}} but it rarely goes well. Following that mess with the Fallen, [[Bludgeon (ROTF)|Bludgeon]] decided to form his ''own'' group of Decepticons on Earth and lead that. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.13|Inside Out!}} In one timeline, [[Stockade (Movie)|Stockade]] did the same thing. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 17|Return to Cybertron: Part 1}}

After the battle in Egypt, Megatron continued to lead the Decepticons. The former Autobot [[Sentinel Prime (ROTF)|Sentinel Prime]] would later defect to the Decepticons. Sentinel and Megatron agreed to a joint leadership until Sentinel Prime took complete control during the Battle of Chicago. Megatron later reclaimed his leadership, but his reign was short lived as Optimus Prime took both Sentinel and Megatron's lives. Starscream, Soundwave, and Shockwave also perished during the battle of Chicago, leaving the surviving Deceptions completely leaderless. {{storylink|Transformers: Dark of the Moon}}

Megatron had secretly survived his injuries and manipulated a human corporation called KSI into creating a new body for him. Megatron transferred his consciousness into the new body and was reincarnated as [[Galvatron (AOE)|Galvatron]]. Galvatron took control of KSI's drones and enacted a plan to destroy Hong Kong and use it as raw materials to build more drones. Ultimately, the plan failed and most, if not all of the drones were destroyed. Galvatron escaped the carnage and departed to parts unknown. {{storylink|Transformers: Age of Extinction}}

Galvatron went missing for years. No leader emerged to take his place, so the Decepticons fell into disarray. At some point, Galvatron reverted back to his Megatron identity and reclaimed leadership of the Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformers: The Last Knight}}

===''Animated'' cartoon===
[[File:AniMegsHead-TransformAndRollout.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|Head master.]]
Styled '''Supreme Leader''', the title was held by [[Megatron (Animated)|Megatron]] for over four million solar cycles, since the days of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]. When Megatron was believed killed trying to secure the [[AllSpark]], [[Starscream (Animated)|Starscream]] immediately nominated himself the new Supreme leader...no one took him seriously. {{storylink|Transform and Roll Out}}

He finally ''did'' manage to get the Decepticons [[Lugnut (Animated)|Lugnut]] and [[Blitzwing (Animated)|Blitzwing]] to swear allegiance to him in exchange for repairs. {{storylink|Lost and Found (episode)|Lost and Found}} This was also short-lived, as Lugnut was really taking orders from the disembodied head of Megatron. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 1}} After his restoration, the Decepticons repledged their loyalty to Megatron, who decided to reinforce it by seriously damaging Starscream. {{storylink|Megatron Rising - Part 2}}

When Megatron was absent yet again, [[Shockwave (Animated)|Shockwave]] was seen giving orders to [[Strika (Animated)|group commander Strika]]. However, rather than taking full command, his orders were to wait until Megatron came back (much to Strika's frustration). {{storylink|TransWarped}}

===''Shattered Glass''===
[[File:Shatteredglassmegatrondecepticons.jpg|left|upright=1.4|thumb]]
Unlike previous incarnations, the leader of the Decepticons is a heroic resistance leader, intending to free Cybertron from the Autobots and save the galaxy from their evil ways. [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]] stands as their current leader, and it seems that [[Starscream (SG)|Starscream]] will be a successor rather than a usurper.
{{-}}

===Aligned===
====Aligned novels====
In an act of keeping his enemies closer than his friends, [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] appointed his surgeon [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] to be his lieutenant despite his belief the scientist would eventually betray him. Megatron's movement was fairly disparate in the beginning, consisting of his [[Gladiatorial combat|gladiators]] in his employ and followers across Cybertron who listened to his teachings on the [[Communication Grid]]. Megatron was aware his followers were going to resort to terrorism, but did nothing to improve his reputation by distancing himself from their extremism. In fact, he accepted the gift of a kidnapped [[Sentinel Zeta Prime|Sentinel Prime]] by the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]]. Already plotting to usurp Megatron's position as Cybertron's would-be savior, but patient enough to recognize how the revolution could turn sour, Starscream allied himself with Megatron but remained officially [[neutral]], occupying [[Moonbase One|Moon Base One]] and [[Trypticon (WFC)|Trypticon]] for himself.

During the civil war, Starscream's Seekers only aided the Decepticons in some battles. Shockwave engaged in some power politics with the Seekers by taking control of [[Tarn (polity)|Tarn]] and [[Vos (polity)|Vos]] and secretly assassinating the neutral Air Commanders there. When [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] discovered Trypticon was a hoard of [[Dark Energon]], Megatron's gladiators brutally took control of the station, even forcing Starscream to subject two of his scientists to experimentation with the chaotic substance. Soon, Starscream, tired of Megatron's tactics and ashamed of their use of Dark Energon, released Sentinel from his [[Kaon (polity)|Kaonian]] dungeon to kill Megatron, having been informed by [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] that all he sought was a just peace should something "happen" to Megatron. Sentinel failed, and Starscream fought Megatron and [[Blackout (WFC)|Blackout]] for the [[Code Key]]s to [[Teletraan-1]], but was beaten and only spared as Megatron found him too useful to die. Megatron certainly considered Starscream elite enough to take him aboard the ''Nemesis'', leaving Shockwave behind to lead the Cybertronian Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus}}

====High Moon Studios games====
Starscream attempted to claim leadership of the Decepticons when Megatron was believed to be killed by [[Omega Supreme (WFC)|Omega Supreme]]. Somehow alive, Megatron lambasted him through a communications line, and threatened to kill him and any other cowards trying to flee from Omega. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron}}

Years later during the Autobots' final days on Cybertron, an assault on Autobot City quickly ended when the massive [[Metroplex (FOC)|Metroplex]] killed Megatron, and naturally, Starscream took control of the Decepticons and quickly retreated at Optimus' suggestion. This turned out to be the start of the Decepticons' worst days: Starscream was an absolute failure at leadership, wasting their plentiful Energon reserves on statues and other ways of pimping his own image, to the point that after three days, they were left with no Energon and no way to get off of the dying planet. However, Soundwave revived Megatron, who quickly decimated Starscream's loyalists and publicly humiliated Starscream, sending him running and swearing vengeance. {{storylink|Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron}}

====''Prime'' cartoon====
Starscream generally leads the Decepticons in the present because Megatron is too busy being absent while searching for Dark Energon or being comatose. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 1}} When Megatron was presumed killed in the [[space bridge]] explosion, Starscream immediately named himself the new leader. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 5}} Regardless, the [[Vehicon (Prime)|troops]] won't take him seriously as a full-time [[Emperor of Destruction]]. When Starscream attempted to hide Megatron's survival of the explosion, Soundwave's [[Deployer (WFC)|Deployer]] ensured he would bring his body back to sickbay. {{storylink|Masters & Students}} Starscream and [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] conspired to keep Megatron offline, but an unforeseen chain of events led to his return, and Megatron pummeled Starscream nearly to death for trying to kill him. {{storylink|Sick Mind}} {{storylink|Out of His Head}} During Megatron's absence from the ''Nemesis'' in order to deal with Unicron's awakening, [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]] advocated that the Decepticons abandon Megatron and nominated herself for leader. [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] challenged these assertions in combat, handily winning the fight. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 2}} {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 3}}

Though made aware of the attempted coup in his absence {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 1}}, Megatron decided to allow Airachnid to continue serving him until he felt like dealing with it some time later. Megatron sent [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] to terminate her for her treachery, but to his dismay, Dreadwing returned having failed to execute her and minus [[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]]. Airachnid challenged him to a duel for control of the Decepticons, but even her subservient [[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticon]] ended up falling against Megatron. However, upon discovering an entire army of them in stasis {{storylink|Crossfire}}, she later launched a massive assault on the ''[[Trypticon (WFC)|Nemesis]]'' to bring down Megatron, while Starscream also sent some [[Starscream clone (Prime)|clones]] after Megatron as well. Megatron killed the clones, and Airachnid's defeat at the hands of [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]] freed the Insecticons from her control, and they quickly joined Megatron's command. {{storylink|Armada (episode)}}

Airachnid would return to plague Megatron's command one more time when she was freed from stasis lock by vampiric [[Terrorcon (Prime)|Terrorcon]] [[Silas|Cylas]], and she quickly turned the Insecticons on the Decepticons once again. Soundwave's intervention banished them to a dead moon of Cybertron's. {{storylink|Thirst}} A much greater threat to Megatron's command presented itself when [[Predaking (Prime)|Predaking]] revealed his sentience, making known his desire to lead an army of cloned [[Predacon (Prime)|Predacons]] for Megatron. This ambition coupled with the Predacons' might far exceeding the struggling Decepticon movement convinced Megatron of Predaking's potential to become a renegade; a very dangerous one at that. Megatron quickly had the Predacon clones destroyed by the Autobots. {{storylink|Evolution}}

When Megatron fell in battle and the Autobots captured the ''Nemesis'', {{storylink|Deadlock}} leadership (and membership) fell to Starscream and [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]], who worked to clone a new army of Predacons to destroy the Autobots. However, [[Unicron]]'s return resulted in Shockwave going missing, and upon his defeat, a revived Megatron declared the Decepticon movement dead. Starscream took this as an opportunity to start a new Decepticon empire under his command, but presumably failed to do so, considering he was faced with three very angry Predacons. {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Prime)|Predacons Rising}}

====2015 ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon====
With Megatron gone and Starscream presumed (but not actually) dead {{storylink|Mighty Big Trouble}}, leadership of the remaining Decepticons fragmented, with no clear leader being apparent until [[Steeljaw (RID)|Steeljaw]] announced his intent to found a "new Decepticon Empire" centered on Earth—with himself as leader, of course. {{storylink|Decepticon Island (Part 1)}}

Starscream however had his own plans for galactic conquest {{storylink|Mighty Big Trouble}} hoping to rebuild the Decepticon Empire in his image. {{storylink|Mini-Con Madness (RID)|Mini-Con Madness}}

==Notes==
*Unlike the [[Prime (rank)|Autobot leader]], for whom a number of titles are available depending on continuity, the Decepticon leader has no "official name".

==See also==
*[[Emperor of Destruction]]
*[[Lord High Protector]]
*[[Air Commander]]
*[[Liege Maximo]]

[[Category:Decepticon leaders| ]]
[[Category:Ranks]]

Derrick J. Wyatt

2017-10-16T22:54:37Z

HailMegatron: /* Mini Mayhem! */

[[Image:DerrickWyatt.jpg|thumb|300px|That's right. He's living the dream!]]
'''Derrick James Wyatt''' ([[August 10]], [[1972]]) is an American artist and character designer from [[Paw Paw]], Michigan. He attended the [[wikipedia:Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Art|Joe Kubert school]] of art in [[New Jersey (Earth)|New Jersey]], where one of his teachers was [[José Delbo]]. Another was [[Kim DeMulder]]! Later on, he received an internship at Spumco in California, which would graduate to full-time employment with the company. Derrick eventually left Spumco, subsequently getting a job at Warner Bros. Animation, where he worked on the comedy/wrestling series ''Mucha Lucha'' as a designer. Other opportunities opened up for him while at Warners, where he would join the staff of ''Teen Titans'' and ''Legion of Super Heroes'' as a full-time character designer. He has since also worked as a character designer on ''Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated'' and ''Ben 10: Omniverse''.

He was the art director, lead character designer, and a color stylist on the [[Cartoon Network]]-produced ''[[Transformers Animated (cartoon)|Transformers Animated]]''. As a longtime Transformers fan, this was a dream come true for him.

==Fiction==
===''Mini Mayhem!''===

[[Eric Siebenaler]] enlisted Derrick to cook Thanksgiving day dinner, but Derrick got too distracted while making new designs for ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'', and wound up burning the turkey. He opted to order a pizza instead (and hoped that the delivery guy would be late so it would be free!)

Derrick and Eric were later seen eating a pie together, but [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus]] had something much more exciting to show off... [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] and [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] eating a pie! {{storylink|Mini Mayhem!}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
At [[Auto Assembly 2010]] attendees could buy a [[toy]] of Derrick in a boxed set alongside similar likenesses of [[Scott McNeil]] and [[Garry Chalk]] at [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]]'s charity auction and tombola. {{storylink|International Incident Part 1: "The Land Ironclads"|''The Transformers'' #9 cover}}

==Writer==
*[[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club (magazine)|Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club]] issues [[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 24|24]]–[[Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 28|28]]: ''Animated'' [[Tech Spec]]s.

==Convention appearances==
*[[BotCon 2008]]
*[[BotCon 2009]]
*[[BotCon 2012]]
*[[BotCon 2014]]
*[[BotCon 2015]]
*[[BotCon 2016]]
*[[Unofficial conventions|TFcon 2009]]
*[[Unofficial conventions|TFcon 2010]]
*[[Unofficial conventions|Auto Assembly 2010]]

==Merchandise==
===Mighty Muggs===
*'''Derrick J. Wyatt''' (2009)
:This [[super deformed]] vinyl Derrick J. Wyatt figure uses the standard [[Mighty Muggs]] body template, with swivel joints in his neck and limbs. It was released by Hasbro in an ''extremely'' limited edition of... one. That one figure is now in the possession of its namesake. Sorry, collectors!

==Notes==
[[File:WyattToys.jpg|thumb|REALLY living the dream.]]
*According to an interview, Derrick's favorite Transformers have always been "[[Swindle (Animated)|Swindle]], [[Ratbat (Animated)|Ratbat]], [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], and [[Wasp|Waspinator]]". Well, three out of four ain't bad...
*On the ''Transformers Animated'' season 2 DVD set, Derrick provides episode commentary on "[[Mission Accomplished]]" and "[[Garbage In, Garbage Out]]" alongside [[Marty Isenberg]], [[Eric Siebenaler]], and [[Matt Youngberg]].
*Derrick [[Cliffjumper (Animated)|occasionally]] [[Hot Shot (Animated)|influences]] this very wiki.
*Derrick prefers the characterizations of the original cartoon over the Marvel comics. Well, nobody's perfect.
*He would really like you all to know that he only did, like, ''one'' character design for ''Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends'', which he thinks was an old woman in a rocking chair. Seriously, he didn't do anything else! You can stop bringing up the fact he worked on it! Please? Pretty please?
** He would '''also''' like you to know that he has no input on ''Teen Titans Go!'' aside from doing a handful of character designs, so '''please''' stop blaming him for it.
*Derrick's ''Animated'' [[character model]] —essentially [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]] with a new head— was scheduled to appear in "[[Human Error, Part I]]", in the scene with ''Animated'' versions of [[Hydra (Masterforce)|Hydra]], [[Cancer (Masterforce)|Cancer]] and [[Marty Isenberg]]. Unfortunately, it didn't make it in to the final scene. Boo!
*He recently grew a mustache.
**It has now evolved into a beard.
*He was briefly brought in early on in the ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' design process.
*At Botcon 2012, when asked by a young fan why he couldn't watch ''Animated'' anymore, Wyatt allowed the child to pick one of the ''Animated'' toys he had with him for free. A well-deserved standing ovation took place.

==External links==
*[http://derrickjwyatt.blogspot.com/ Derrick J. Wyatt's blog]
*[http://twitter.com/DerrickJWyatt Derrick J. Wyatt's Twitter feed]
*[http://www.formspring.me/DerrickJWyatt Derrick J. Wyatt's Formspring page]
*[http://derrickjwyatt.deviantart.com/ Derrick J. Wyatt's DeviantArt gallery]
*[http://us.imdb.com/name/nm1356967/ Derrick Wyatt] at the Internet Movie Database
*[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/interviews-27/derrick-wyatt-interview-166415/ Interview with Derrick Wyatt at TFW2005.com]
*Derrick Wyatt Unicron.com Interview:
**[http://unicron-events-interviews.blogspot.com/2009/04/derrick-wyatt-interview.html Part 1]
**[http://unicron-events-interviews.blogspot.com/2008/04/derrick-wyatt-interview-part-2.html Part 2]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wyatt, Derrick J.}}
[[Category:Convention guests]]
[[Category:Designers]]
[[Category:Illustrators]]

Aligned timeline

2017-10-15T16:34:21Z

HailMegatron: /* In the beginning */

{{ongoing}}

The '''timeline of the [[Aligned continuity family]]''' has its roots in the so-called "[[Binder of Revelation]]", a brand bible assembled by [[Hasbro]] with the aim of drawing from the very best of previous ''Transformers'' fiction. This document lays out much of the backstory and important concepts for this new "Aligned" universe, and as such, the fiction derived from the Binder can in theory be assembled to paint a broader picture of the history of this world.

In actuality, the leeway with the source material afforded to licensees by Hasbro, in the name of good storytelling, means that certain details fail to match up between separate pieces of fiction. Indeed, Hasbro has stated that they merely expect fiction to match up under a "squint test"<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/transformers-news/conventions-15/botcon-2011-hasbro-story-building-panel-172316/ BotCon 2011 Hasbro story building panel]</ref> – so long as the main bullet-points pass inspection, some contradiction in specific details is not a concern. Consequently, this timeline follows the same approach: when a discrepancy arises, the relevant events are related in terms general enough that the inconsistencies can be ignored.

{{bigquote|Cybertron, our home. For generations, it has been a peaceful world. Until pride and a lust for power divided us. Now we fight - enemies who were once our brothers.|Optimus Prime|''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron]]''}}

==In the beginning==
[[File:OneShallRise1-TheThirteen.jpg|thumb|upright=2.8|Solus, Unicron has escaped! Recruit a team of Cybertronians with attitude!]]

A single omnipotent being of unknown origin travels the galaxy, discovering life along the way. With no other creatures equaling its power, the being begins to converse with itself, and in time two unique personas form. The first is [[Primus]], a reassuring presence that accepts the universe at is; the second is [[Unicron]], who discovers and seeks to correct perceived flaws in the order of the universe. The two personas grow increasingly divergent from one another, and begin to argue. In time, the being splits physically, creating two separate bodies for each half of its warring psyche. Unicron grows increasingly rapacious and destructive, while Primus grows increasingly withdrawn. Eventually, Primus takes up arms to stop Unicron from devouring the galaxy. This struggle lasts for eons, with neither side able to gain an advantage over the other. {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus}}

==The Age of the Thirteen==

To try and turn the tide, Primus creates the [[Thirteen]], each given a unique role, nature, and artifact of power to aid the struggle. In order of their creation, they are [[Prima]], [[Vector Prime]], [[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]], [[Solus Prime]], [[Micronus Prime]], [[Alchemist Prime]], [[Nexus Prime]], [[Onyx Prime]], [[Amalgamous Prime]], [[Liege Maximo]], [[The Fallen|Megatronus]], and [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|the Thirteenth Prime]]. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 1}} {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus}}

===The Expulsion of Unicron===
The newly created Primes begin training and strategizing for the upcoming conflict. Solus Prime, the artificer of the Thirteen, creates many [[Artifacts of the Primes|weapons and icons of power]] for them to use. At the urging of Megatronus, she creates a [[Requiem Blaster (Prime)|great weapon]] to fight Unicron, although Solus herself worries that this power could corrupt them. The Thirteen vote seven to six to keep the Requiem Blaster and not destroy it. {{storylink|Transformers: Exiles|Exiles}} Ultimately, the Primes defeat Unicron, and the Chaos Bringer's inert form drifts off into space, where it later forms the core of [[Earth]]. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 1}} His fossilized blood, spilled in this conflict, becomes known as [[Dark Energon]]. Following the defeat of Unicron, Primus becomes one with the [[Core]] of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], where he gives life to future [[Transformer]]s through the [[AllSpark]], within the [[Well of All Sparks]]. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 1}} Although the Primes stand triumphant, Unicron's influences has tainted all of them with a touch of darkness. {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus}}

===The War of the Primes===
After a period of peaceful building and construction, tensions between the Primes slowly grow. Secretly manipulated by Liege Maximo, Megatronus kills Solus Prime, causing the first schism in the Primes. After Megatronus is defeated, the Liege Maximo makes his own play for power, but is defeated in the process. After this great battle, Nexus Prime fragments himself into five robots, each one carrying and guarding a fragment of the [[Cyber Caliber]]. His components are dubbed [[Clocker (Prime)|Clocker]], [[Mainspring]], [[Chaindrive]], [[Cannonspring]], and [[Pinion]]. The fight has lasting repercussions for the Thirteen—Megatronus, now "The Fallen", and the Liege have left the Primes for good, the once idealistic Vector Prime despairs and seals himself away in a pocket dimension, and Solus Prime is dead. Onyx Prime, Micronus Prime, and the Thirteenth Prime willingly enter the Well of All Sparks and sacrifice their lives in order to jump-start its creative processes, with the intent of creating a new race to inhabit the world.

[[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]] and [[Alchemist Prime]] vow to remain on Cybertron and nurture this new civilization. {{storylink|Transformers: Exiles|Exiles}} [[Quintus Prime]] travels into deep space with his [[Emberstone]], with the intention of creating new races that will ally with future Cybertronian civilizations. Meanwhile, far out in space, the forgotten Requiem Blaster gradually accrues a collection of space junk around it. As its gravitational pull increases, more and more drifting shipwrecks and space junk gather around it, eventually forming an artificial planetoid. This artificial planet will later become known as [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Exiles|Exiles}}

==The Age of Evolution==
The three Primes that entered the Well activate the Allspark, which in turns emits a great burst of energy. From this beam of energy comes a wide variety of mechanical life, including precursors to modern Cybertronians. Among them is a robot named Orion Pax; in reality, he is the Thirteenth Prime reborn in a humbler shape, unaware of his origins or true heritage.
On the last stellar cycle, the Allspark's largest and most powerful creations of all, the [[Predacon (Prime)|Predacon]]s emerge. [[Predaking (COP)|Predaking]], their leader, is the first of their kind, followed by [[Lazerback (COP)|Lazerback]] and [[Twinstrike (COP)|Twinstrike]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus}} Many more follow, and some of them come into conflict with humanoid Cybertronians.

Cybertron's fledgling ecosystems continue to grow and prosper for many thousands of years. Eventually, however, a passing [[Wikipedia: red giant|red giant]] star interferes with Cybertron's own sun, causing meteor strikes and solar flares. While many humanoid Transformers take shelter underground in [[stasis lock]], the Predacons remain unshielded on the surface. They do not survive, though they leave behind a multitude of fossils containing extractable [[CNA]]. {{storylink|Prey (episode)|Prey}} {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus}}

==The Age of Origins==
The surviving Cybertronians are quick to rebuild their wounded world. In the era that follows, many small settlements and villages form as protection from marauding warlords and barbarian armies. One such settlement, known as [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], becomes home to an influential group known as the [[Patterner]]s. Composed of survivors from the Great Cataclysm, this group of rationalists and philosophers rallies under the leadership of [[Azimuth]]. Their quest for knowledge leads them to study the movements and patterns of the stars, and eventually carve great geometric symbols into the face of Cybertron. Their movement eventually spawns many splinter groups and counter-cults, such as the cult of [[Random]] led by [[Galvatron (COP)|Galvatron]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus}}

At some point during this time, the [[Dark Spark]] is discovered and studied by the Patterners and [[Disciples of the Thirteen]], with some debate as to its origins. After witnessing its dark power, the [[Crystal Guardians]] decided that it was too powerful for study to be allowed to continue, and locked it away in vaults deep beneath [[Crystal City|their city]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (console)|Rise of the Dark Spark}}

Eventually, the [[Quintesson]]s - creations of Quintus Prime - discover the world of Cybertron. Remotely observing the world by a system of probes secretly inserted into Cybertronians, the aliens begin preparing to invade the world, secretly intending to turn Cybertronians into mindless workers and selling them into slavery.

==The [[Age of Wrath]]==
A young [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] discovers a Quintesson probe inside the worker [[Coldweld]]. Not long afterwards, the first Quintesson ships descend from the sky in a grand arrival, setting themselves up as benevolent emissaries sent to "uplift" Cybertron into the galactic community. They win the public support of Cybertronians by "teaching" them how to transform - in reality, they are simply activating the dormant [[transformation cog]]s in the bodies of all Transformers.

Buoyed by popular opinion, the Quintessons soon establish a globalized puppet government ruled by [[Sentinel Zeta Prime]] and a [[High Council]] of thirteen Transformers. Under Quintesson guidance, Cybertronians rapidly develop both public and private infrastructure, and eventually master spaceflight and dimensional travel. Before long, however, cracks begin to show in their benign façade. The Quintessons establish a new [[Supreme Court]] in line with their twisted ideals of justice, while other Quintessons siphon off the fruit of Cybertron's labour for their own ends. Some Transformers are even modified to serve as transportation for their rulers, such as installing cockpits on the bodies of the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]]. The Quintesson occupation has a negative effect on the Well itself; Cybertronians begin emerging from the Allspark without names or personalities. One such Transformer is the newly born [[Megatron (WFC)|D-16]], who is assigned a position in Cybertron's mines.

When a resistance movement finally exposes the many lies of the Quintessons, they are overthrown and routed from the system in a war effort headed by Sentinel Prime himself, the [[Cybertron Elite Guard|Elite Guard]], and the aforementioned resistance. D-16 is one of the many working-class Cybertronians called to arms. {{storylink|Transformers: Retribution|Retribution}} With new [[space bridge]]s engineered from the Quintesson's half-completed projects, Cybertron enters its [[Golden Age]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}} {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus}}

==The Golden Age==
The [[Golden Age]] brings sweeping changes to Cybertronian social structure and hierarchy. Sentinel Prime takes full control over the ex-Quintesson bureauccracy with the support of the High Council. The Well of All Sparks brings forth many new sparks, many of which are eventually harnessed as part of Cybertron's colonization efforts. Under Sentinel's rule, the new [[space bridge]] network allows trailblazing Cybertronians to colonize more than two hundred faraway planets, including [[Archon]], [[Neutronia]], [[Gigantion]], [[Velocitron]], [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]], [[Aquatron]], and the [[Hub (G2)|Hub]]. Concerted construction and cyberforming efforts turn many of these worlds into miniature Cybertrons. While these new colony worlds are initially supported by Cybertronian energon, many of them harness "torches" to create miniature Wells, rendering them completely independent from Cybertron. {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus}} {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}}

The construction of the spaceport on the [[Hydrax Plateau]] begins, and [[Moonbase One|Moonbases One]] and [[Moonbase Two|Two]] are constructed on the [[Mini-Con]] inhabited moons of Cybertron. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}}

[[Trypticon (WFC)|Trypticon]] Station is put into orbit as well, and a crew of Seekers are tasked with defending the Dark Energon stored within, remnants of Unicron's attack on the planet. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}} The High Council encouraged the gathering and storage of Dark Energon aboard the vessel. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}} The first [[Cybertronian data cylinder]]s are created, which store and preserve the accumulated knowledge of Cybertronian civilization. {{storylink|T.M.I.}}

At some point during the Golden Age, a civilization known only as the [[Ancient]]s arises. A civilization of explorers and astronomers, they travel the galaxy using Space Bridge technology, gather treasures from many worlds, and chart the known universe in their [[Ancient map room|stellar cartography chamber]]. Among the planets visited by the Ancients is Earth.<ref>In its brief appearance in ''Fall of Cybertron'', an intact [[Wikipedia: Pangaea|Pangaea]] is present on Earth's surface, indicating that the Ancients arrived on Earth between the [[Wikipedia: Late Permian|Late Permian]] and [[Wikipedia: Early Jurassic|Early Jurassic]] periods, approximately 250-175 million years ago. The ''Fall of Cybertron'' comic, and its assertion that Space Bridges can warp time as well as space, make it impossible to tell whether or not Cybertron's Golden Age occurred concurrently during this time period.</ref> The Ancients are undone by a mysterious cataclysm that also devastates the nearby region, creating the lifeless, inhospitable region known as the [[Rust Sea]]. Many of their structures survive intact- albeit forgotten- including the large tomb that also houses their maps. {{storylink|Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron}}

After 8,000 years of prosperity and exploration, the Golden Age draws to a close. The Well of All Sparks begins slowing down its production of new life, and other cracks begin to show in Cybertronian civilization. Meanwhile, among the colonies, the dreaded [[Rust Plague]] sweeps from star system to star system via the space bridge network, devastating some worlds and completely sterilizing others. In desperation, Sentinel orders the destruction of the space bridge network entirely to prevent the spread of the contagion. Cybertron is spared from destruction, at the cost of its many colony worlds. Millions of Transformers stranded across the galaxy continue adapting to their homeworlds, and many forget their origins entirely. {{storylink|Transformers: Exiles|Exiles}} {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus}}

As time goes by, various crises on the ex-colony worlds lead to drastic changes among their inhabitants. Velocitron's inhabitants, plagued by resource shortages, slip deeper and deeper into their racing obsession as a form of cultural diversion. The Junkions begin building cities and structures entirely out of their planetoid's bountiful supplies of garbage and trash, forming a stable and productive society. {{storylink|Transformers: Exiles|Exiles}} The Neutronians discover Amalgamous Prime's mythical transformation cog, changing the entire population into omnicombinational [[shifter]]s. {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus}} Aquatron is re-colonized by Quintessons, who forcefully incorporate the planet into their Imperium while simultaneously tampering with the planet's inhabitants to create the [[Sharkticon (Prime)|Sharkticon]]s. {{storylink|Transformers: Retribution|Retribution}}

==The Age of Rust==
[[File:WFCcomicD16.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|[[Gold Plastic Syndrome]] strikes again.]]

In the waning years of the Golden Age, the [[caste system]] is implemented, where civilian guilds oversee and assign newly created Transformers to jobs, and it eventually becomes a major social institution under the urging of Sentinel. Alpha Trion grows troubled with the increasingly oppressive social system, and consults the supercomputer [[Vector Sigma]] for guidance, hoping to use the Matrix to revitalize Cybertron's culture. Vector Sigma declines his request, but reassures him that the time will soon be right for the Matrix's reactivation. Instead, Vector Sigma gives him the [[Badge of Vector Prime]], a gift for Sentinel Prime. While Alpha Trion waits for the Matrix, he retreats further and further into the [[Hall of Records]], eventually becoming a recluse.

Cybertron abandons many ancient traditions, such as travelling through the Underworld. These controversial reorganizations do not go unnoticed, though, and many newly born Transformers become dissatisfied with their lot in life, some seeking change. Cybertron's culture and society stagnates greatly as a result; the dynamic architecture and artwork that characterize older eras of society are replaced by dull, drab buildings. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}}

The city-states of [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]] and [[Slaughter City]], populated mostly by low-caste miners and workers, soon turn to gladiatorial combat as a way to escape from the drudgery of their lives. The High Council, aware of why the games began, does nothing to stop them. D-16 begins a prosperous career of pit fighting, and eventually takes on the name Megatronus in honor of the Prime of the same name. He later shortens it to [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]]. Megatron uses his newfound publicity to denounce the stifling caste system. His rhetoric inspires a group of followers that includes fellow gladiator and spymaster [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] and the sadistic scientist [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}} {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 3}} Realizing the threat that this upstart poses, Sentinel Prime sends his agents [[Bumper (WFC)|Bumper]] and [[Fastback (WFC)|Fastback]] to infiltrate his organization. Megatron soon discovers the duo and has them executed.

At the same time, a young data clerk named [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Orion Pax]], monitoring transmissions from across Cybertron, befriends Megatron, and the two of them begin a secret correspondence. Alpha Trion encourages his protégé, in the hopes that Orion's ideals will temper Megatronus's extremism. They have intense but friendly debates over the nature of free will and the dangerousness of their ideals, and soon Orion begins training with [[Jazz (WFC)|Jazz]], learning to fire an ion-cannon and to fashion his arms into an axe and a sword. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}}

[[File:OneShallRise3-corresponding.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|And so the fangirls leapt to their computers, and produced horrible things.]]

Before long, Orion visits Megatron in person in Kaon. Terrorists, calling themselves "[[Decepticon]]s", begin bombings in Megatron's name, attacking such popular spots as [[Six Lasers Over Cybertron]]. Megatron himself makes his first public announcement on the Grid, stating he is not responsible for the attacks and will bring the perpetrators to justice. In reality, however, Megatron had heard rumors about the bombings and terrorist attacks but did nothing to prevent them. Megatron and Orion are eventually granted a meeting with the High Council. In his speech, Megatron demands that he be named the next Prime, and threatens to violently overthrow the Council if they do not comply. Orion, does not believe in violence, and follows him up with a speech of his own. He argues that the members of Cybertron should be autonomous robots, or "[[Autobot]]s", and that everyone should be able to make their own choices in life. Orion's speech moves the Council and inspires them to appoint Orion a Prime. They give him the new name of "Optimus". Megatron is incensed by the fact that his speech went unnoticed. In a fit of anger, he kills the Council member [[Halogen (WFC)|Halogen]] and spitefully severs all ties with his former friend. At Optimus's urging, the two sides retreat for now to avoid further bloodshed in the Council halls. However, the Council itself has fragmented; [[Contrail]], [[Ratbat (WFC)|Ratbat]], and [[Drivetrain (WFC)|Drivetrain]] now support the Decepticon cause. Megatron officially declares war on Optimus Prime and his followers, sparking the [[Great War (Prime)|Great War]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}} {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 3}}

==Great War==
[[File:WarforCybertron-OptimusPrime.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|Yeah, why don't ya come over and say that to my face, tough guy? Bonk!]]

The war quickly spreads beyond the High Council, and before long battle lines are drawn as various city-states declare their allegiances. Autobots and their allies control the most important locations on Cybertron, including [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] and [[Kalis]]. Shortly after the declaration of war, the Allspark stops producing new Cybertronians; some interpret this as an act of divine rebellion. Undeterred, the Decepticons launch their first strike by seizing [[Fort Scyk]]. [[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]] and his Council Guardians manage to hold the line long enough for the Autobots to send reinforcements. The Decepticons then attack and occupy the [[Hydrax Plateau]]. With this crucial region under Decepticon control, Megatron quickly takes over the majority of Cybertron's eastern hemisphere, which remains in Decepticon hands for the majority of the war. Decepticons then capture the [[Satellite Command Center]] at [[Polyhex]]. The battle of [[Crystal City]] sees the [[Constructicon (WFC)|Constructicons]] deploy their combined [[Devastator (WFC)|Devastator]] against the Autobots, razing the city. Many of its scientific treasures survive the destruction. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}} Many dangerous weapons, such as the [[Cybonic plague]], are developed by the [[Decepticon Biological Warfare Program]]. {{storylink|Sick Mind}}

The Autobots win their first major victory at [[Kalis]], where Optimus Prime, Sideswipe, and Jazz topple the Decepticon [[combiner]] [[Bruticus (WFC)|Bruticus]]. Kalis remains in Autobot hands and the Autobots begin using long-range combat against Decepticons. Shockwave's armies occupy the cities of [[Tarn (polity)|Tarn]] and [[Vos (polity)|Vos]]. Shockwave manipulates the two cities and turns them against one another, destroying them both. The Decepticon campaign reaches [[Praxus]], where they encounter stiff Autobot resistance. The city-state is ultimately leveled by the fighting, and to this day the outcome is unclear. [[Prowl (WFC)|Prowl]] and [[Ironhide (WFC)|Ironhide]], citizens of Praxus, join the Autobot cause and become part of Optimus Prime's inner circle of confidants. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}}

Megatron, still stinging from the loss of Praxus, orders Bruticus Maximus to spearhead a massacre at [[Nova Cronum]]. In the meantime, Minicon saboteurs manage to steal and reverse-engineer Shockwave's secrets, and before long the Autobots create their own combiners. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}} Optimus Prime assigns Ultra Magnus to lead the unruly squadron known as the [[Wrecker]]s in the hopes of instilling discipline into their ranks {{storylink|Project Predacon}}, and with the aid of the newly created [[Defensor (WFC)|Defensor]] the team defends the Tagan Heights against the Constructicons, although the fighting between Defensor and Devastator demolishes the area. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}}

At some point during the war, Optimus Prime survives an assassination attempt by [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]] at the [[Battle of Technahar]]. {{storylink|Masters & Students}}

After centuries of stasis, the [[Allspark]] creates a final generation of Transformers, most of whom side with the Autobots. Among them is the Autobot [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]], who distinguishes himself on the battlefield and becomes one of Optimus Prime's closest compatriots. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}} Another young Autobot named [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] enters the boot camp of the Elite Guard with hopes of becoming a full-fledged soldier. {{storylink|New Recruit}}

[[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]] and her combat partner [[Tailgate (Prime)|Tailgate]] serve in [[Delta Team]] for most of the war. After a raid on a Decepticon munitions depot, both of them are captured and interrogated by the Decepticon [[Airachnid (Prime)|Airachnid]]. Although Arcee is rescued by Bumblebee and [[Cliffjumper (WFC)|Cliffjumper]], they are too late to save Tailgate. {{storylink|Predatory}}

As the war continues, the Autobots are gradually outnumbered and outgunned. Optimus Prime makes the painful decision to eject the AllSpark from Cybertron, so that Megatron cannot create more Transformers. In the ensuing battle, the Allspark is fired into deep space from [[Tyger Pax]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}} The Autobots also decide to eject the data cylinders from Cybertron to prevent Decepticons from using the vital knowledge within. {{storylink|T.M.I.}} With the Allspark gone, the Decepticons focus their attention on Iacon, one of the last regions still under Autobot control.

Seeking a new edge in the war, Megatron storms Trypticon Station and wrests control of it from [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]], empowering himself and other Decepticons with the Dark Energon stored there. As part of their next strike, the Decepticon-allied Seekers travel deep underneath Cybertron in search of the long-abandoned [[Geosynchronous Energon Bridge]] beneath the ruins of Crystal City, which will allow the manufacture of new Dark Energon for the Decepticons' use.

Megatron leads a group of Decepticons into Iacon, to find a means of travelling to the very core of Cybertron to spread the Dark Energon. Though Sentinel Prime attempts to stand in his way, he is soon defeated by the vengeful Decepticon—but unbeknownst to Megatron, [[Omega Supreme (WFC)|Omega Supreme]] is reactivated due to these events, and is intent on stopping the Decepticons. The Decepticon forces manage to cripple the Guardian's alternate mode, and Megatron and his troops soon defeat him on ground level. Because of this, the Decepticon leader manages to reach Cybertron's core and corrupt it with Dark Energon—a critical blow against the Autobots. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}} {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|War For Cybertron}}

The Autobots, however, are not yet defeated, and muster a counter-attack to rout the remaining Decepticons from Iacon. Sentinel, now imprisoned in Kaon, is able to send a transmission, and a small group of Autobots, lead by Optimus, soon launch an incursion into the prison to recover him. However, the former Prime perishes just as he has been rescued. The Autobots return the body to Iacon, and Optimus officially comes to accept that he is a Prime and must take up his role as leader. From then on, he fully becomes known as Optimus Prime, the last of the Primes. Optimus's first task as true Prime is to cleanse the infected core. Heading down through Cybertron's inner layers, Optimus finds much of the planet is thoroughly infected by Dark Energon. The core tells Prime that Cybertron is so greatly corrupted that it will take millions of years of shutdown in order to undo the grievous damage done by Megatron's Dark Energon. Optimus is given the [[Matrix of Leadership]] by the Core, a fragment of [[Prima]]'s powerful sword that contains a portion of Cybertron's spark. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}} {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|War For Cybertron}}

==Great Exodus ("A few thousand years ago"<ref name="greatexodustime" />)==

[[File:WFCgalactic transports.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Just a little while back<ref name="greatexodustime">Assorted promotional material for the ''Fall of Cybertron'' video game dates this period to 70 million years ago. This seems ''particularly'' excessive, even for a race that normally measures its history in millions of years, and is clearly only employed to justify the presence of dinosaurs on Earth, so Shockwave can create the Dinobots by studying them. IDW's ''Fall of Cybertron'' comic addressed this by making it clear that Shockwave was looking through ''time'' as well as space, as he makes mention of the dinosaurs' extinction by meteorite, establishing that this era is ''after'' the dinosaurs died out. This is also reinforced (perhaps unintentionally) by the fact that Snarl and Sludge transform into a ''Stegosaurus'' and an ''Apatosaurus''- dinosaur species that lived almost a hundred million years before ''T. rex'', ''Pteranodon'', and ''Triceratops''. Later, solicitations for IDW's first ''Beast Hunters'' comic issue would establish that series's setting as "a few thousand years" after this era, and that comic's exact point in time would be spelled out in the final two ''Beast Hunters'' issues, placing it towards the end of the ''Prime'' cartoon in the present day era.</ref>]]

As soon as Prime reaches the surface, he orders that an exodus from Cybertron will take place immediately. Preparations are made to flee the planet, but many of the escaping [[galactic transport]]s are shot down by Trypticon Station before they can leave Cybertron's orbit. Trypticon itself comes to life, thanks to multiple sparks implanted by Shockwave, and Optimus Prime leads his forces in a battle to knock it out of orbit. The ensuing battle results in Trypticon hurtling towards Cybertron's surface. However, Trypticon is not killed, and it transforms into its robot form. After another battle with it, Optimus and his forces regroup at the site of the ''[[Ark (WFC)|Ark]]'', a deep-space interceptor and the flagship of the makeshift Autobot fleet. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}} {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|War For Cybertron}}

With the Decepticons in control of most of Cybertron, the remaining Autobots begin fuelling the ship with scavenged Energon. Both factions develop an interest in the ancient, powerful artifact known as the [[Dark Spark]], and the Decepticons manage to locate and open the vault below Crystal City that contains it. Shockwave makes contact with the [[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticon]]s, subterranean creatures that have been driven to the surface after Cybertron's core shut down. The Decepticon scientist manages to form an alliance with these creatures, and their sentient representatives- [[Kickback (FOC)|Kickback]], [[Hardshell (Prime)|Hardshell]], and [[Sharpshot]]- join the Decepticons, pledging the support of their numerous feral brethren.

However, the Decepticons and Insecticons are tailed by the Autobots, and a running battle ensues, with both groups trying to return the artifact to their respective strongholds. Eventually, the Decepticons succeed in bringing the Dark Spark to Megatron at [[Kolkular]], where he places the artifact in his chest in imitation of the Matrix of Leadership. Optimus Prime arrives to confront the Decepticon leader, but is set upon by a horde of undead Autobots reanimated by the Dark Spark's power. The Autobot leader overcomes these corrupted foes and engages Megatron, and the two combatants unleash the powers of the artifacts in their chests. The power of the Matrix of Leadership wins out, violently ejecting the Dark Spark from the Decepticon leader and into space. With the artifact no longer a threat, Optimus orders the Autobots to fall back to Iacon and the Ark. {{storylink|Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (console)|Rise of the Dark Spark}}

While most of the Autobots ready the ''Ark'' for liftoff, the [[Lightning Strike Coalition]] warrior [[Swoop (WFC)|Swoop]] discovers a massive reserve of untainted Energon in the [[Rust Sea|Sea of Rust]]. He tries to contact [[Grimlock (WFC)|Grimlock]] and the other Autobots, but is captured by Shockwave before he can reveal the nature of his discovery. Grimlock and the rest of his squadron disobey Prime's orders and hijack an Autobot dropship to rescue him. Grimlock, [[Snarl (FOC)|Snarl]], [[Slug (FOC)|Slug]], and [[Sludge (FOC)|Sludge]] reach the outskirts of Shockwave's tower, but are overwhelmed by Shockwave's [[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticon]]s and taken captive by Shockwave, who has plans for the quintet of warriors. Inspired by [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|alien lifeforms]] he has viewed with ancient Space Bridge technology, he begins experimenting on them. {{storylink|Transformers Hall of Fame}} {{storylink|Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron}} {{storylink|Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (comic)|Fall of Cybertron}}

Shockwave uses the critically injured Sludge as a test run, successfully rebuilding his alternate mode into a sauropod dinosaur, before ordering [[Kickback (FOC)|Kickback]] to dump his body in the tunnels underneath the Rust Sea. {{storylink|Beast Hunters #2}} Shockwave rebuilds the rest into powerful berserkers with saurian alternate modes and imprisons them in his tower, intending to use them as his own personal warriors. {{storylink|Transformers Hall of Fame}} {{storylink|Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron}} {{storylink|Transformers: Fall of Cybertron (comic)|Fall of Cybertron}}

With Grimlock missing in action, Optimus leads his warriors to buy time for the Autobots to shut down Iacon and launch the Ark. Optimus discovers the existence of [[Metroplex (FOC)|Metroplex]], an enormous Autobot incorporated into Iacon's structure who has lain dormant for millions of years. Optimus and Metroplex team up to help fight the Decepticons, and despite suffering numerous injuries Metroplex manages to deal a lethal blow to Megatron, grievously injuring him. However, the attack depletes all of the Autobot's remaining supplies of energon. With Megatron out of commission, Starscream takes advantage of the situation and declares himself the new leader of the Decepticons.

Jazz and Cliffjumper go searching for Grimlock and his forces in the Sea of Rust, where they find Shockwave's tower, Sludge's body in [[stasis lock]] and the uncorrupted Energon Swoop had discovered earlier. However, on Starscream's orders, the [[Combaticon (WFC)|Combaticons]] attack the Autobot convoy, then combine into Bruticus and crash the transport, recovering half of the Energon. Starscream is unimpressed with their performance and orders their imprisonment.

Meanwhile, Soundwave has recovered Megatron's remains and rebuilds his body, using an infusion of [[Dark Energon]] to revive him. Megatron confronts Starscream and resumes control of the Decepticons. Seeking use of Trypticon, Megatron heads for his location in Iacon and successfully scavenges many of his components.

In Shockwave's lab, a disgraced Starscream discovers Grimlock, who he attempts to recruit to his cause. Grimlock throws Starscream into the wall and escapes. As he fights his way through Shockwave's cadre of Decepticons and Insecticons, Grimlock reunites with the surviving members of the Lightning Strike Coalition, although he believes Sludge is dead. Now operating as the "[[Dinobot (FOC)|Dinobot]]s", Grimlock confronts Shockwave and destroys his space bridge. Both are caught in the ensuing explosion.

Metroplex sacrifices his life to ensure that the ''Ark'' can launch. Optimus and many of the Autobots escape aboard the Ark. They are pursued, however, by Megatron aboard Trypticon, now a [[Trypticon (WFC)|spacecraft]] dubbed the ''Nemesis''. The two vehicles and their respective crews battle as they race for the space bridge above the planet, which explodes, scattering the two vessels across the galaxy. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}} {{storylink|Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron}}

==After the Great Exodus==
Grimlock, having fallen to the ground from the collapsing space bridge tower, is found by his Dinobot comrades. {{storylink|Rage of the Dinobots issue 4|Rage of the Dinobots #4}} Four cycles after the launch of the Ark, an Autobot cleanup crew discovers Sludge's abandoned body and manage to bring him back online. {{storylink|Beast Hunters issue 2|Beast Hunters #2}}

Sludge, Grimlock, and the other Dinobots all join up with Ultra Magnus's Wreckers, and together they continue to fight against Shockwave's forces for control of Cybertron, even as the planet commences its shutdown sequence.

The Space Bridge detonation takes the ''Ark'' and ''Nemesis'' to the outskirts of the [[Milky Way]] galaxy, where Optimus detects a faint signal left behind by the Allspark's passage. Prime and his crew are guided by the Matrix to nearby Velocitron, teetering on the brink of civil war. However, [[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]], having infiltrated the crew, manages to provoke enough civil unrest among the Velocitronians that [[Ransack (Prime)|Ransack]] and his group of political malcontents attack Override, sparking a civil war. The Autobots manage to escape through a space bridge, Optimus having recovered two pieces of the Blades of Time on Velocitron's surface, though he mistakenly believes they are pieces of the Star Saber. The Autobots next travel to Junkion, where they befriend the native Junkions and begin repairs on the ''Ark''. However, Makeshift once again sabotages the repair effort, but is caught. {{storylink|Transformers: Exiles|Exiles}}

Meanwhile, Alpha Trion is put under house arrest by Shockwave, but manages to send the Autobot Chaindrive to Optimus with another piece of the Blades of Time. {{storylink|Transformers: Exiles|Exiles}} Armed with a hazy knowledge of the future from the [[Covenant of Primus]] that [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] would eventually end up on Earth, [[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]] launches Cybertronian relics located within the [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] [[Hall of Records]] to Earth, not to keep them from the Decepticons, but to ensure that Optimus would eventually find them. {{storylink|Alpha/Omega}} Smokescreen, having ended up on security detail for Alpha Trion, is taken by Decepticon forces during their attacking the Hall of Records, {{storylink|New Recruit}} but not before Alpha Trion secretly manages to hide [[Omega Key|one of the relics]] within the young Autobot. {{storylink|Hard Knocks}}

The ''Nemesis'', following the trail of the ''Ark'', lands on Velocitron and later Junkion. Axer, an ex-Decepticon, recovers the Requiem Blaster from the core of Junkion, causing the demi-planet to tear apart. Prime, meanwhile, manages to contact Vector Prime in his pocket dimension, who also helps to reunite five bots the Autobots have met (Chaindrive among them) into Nexus Prime. A climatic battle takes place on Junkion, with the Autobots triumphant and the Blaster destroyed. However, the Junkions themselves are enslaved by space-pirate expatriate Transformers called the [[Star Seeker]]s and taken to places unknown. {{storylink|Transformers: Exiles|Exiles}}

With Autobot control over the planet steadily weakening, Shockwave and the remaining Decepticons take control of Iacon, forcing the Wreckers to retreat to Cybertron's comparatively barren polar regions to launch hit-and-run attacks on Decepticon convoys. Shockwave builds his newest tower in the center of Iacon and continues his experiments, studying the effects of Dark Energon on the city's beleaguered inhabitants. He eventually kidnaps Alpha Trion and tries to use him to access [[Vector Sigma]] to forge a [[Decepticon Matrix]] that will further enhance his control over Cybertron. The Wreckers team up with Omega Supreme to launch a rescue mission.

Simultaneously, out in space, Optimus Prime and company discover the seemingly utopic world of [[Aquatron]], inhabited by friendly amphibious robots. In reality, the Aquatronians are subjugated servants of the Quintessons, and their leader [[Inquirata (Prime)|Inquirata]] manipulates both Optimus Prime and Shockwave to further his own ends. The ''Nemesis'' arrives not long afterwards, following a skirmish with Thundertron, but the two sides are forced into a temporary truce by the Quintessons. When the Quintessons reveal their true colours, Optimus Prime and Megatron are forced to work together to escape from the Quintesson's twisted courtrooms Thanks to Shockwave's experiments with Dark Energon on Vector Sigma, the Quintessons are able to launch a second invasion of Cybertron using their [[Sharkticon (Prime)|Sharkticon]] shock troops. Although the Wreckers manage to save Alpha Trion, they are too late to stop the invasion. General [[Tyrannicon]] storms Iacon, takes down both Omega Supreme and Devastator, and allies with Senator Ratbat to gain access to the Hall of Records. The invasion is only stopped when Megatron, still on Aquatron, discovers the [[Sharkticon Matrix of Leadership]] and uses it to override Tyrannicon's command over his troops. The Wreckers manage to keep the Hall of Records in Cybertronian hands while [[Rack n' Ruin]] splits off from the group and rigs Shockwave's tower to explode. In the ensuing fight underneath Aquatron, Tyrannicon and Inquirata are killed, while Optimus and Megatron barely manage to escape the detonation of the Space Bridge. The two factions depart the now-freed Aquatron while Optimus continues his search for the Allspark. {{storylink|Transformers: Retribution|Retribution}}

Cybertron's conditions continue to deteriorate, and eventually Ultra Magnus puts out the call for the final Autobot evacuation of the planet. A convoy of ships escapes, but Magnus's personal craft is shot down, and the Wrecker leader is captured by the [[Forged]], a faction of ex-Decepticons serving under Shockwave. {{storylink|Rage of the Dinobots issue 1|Rage of the Dinobots #1}} The Dinobots mount a rescue mission to a Forged prison in the Sea of Rust, where they find not only Magnus, but scores of other Autobot prisoners. They stage a prison break, but are confronted by the leader of the group, [[Ser-Ket (Prime)|Ser-Ket]], who has been altered with [[Predacon (Prime)|Predacon]] [[CNA]] in much the same way that they were altered with [[Dinosaur (dinosaur)|dinosaur]] DNA. {{storylink|Rage of the Dinobots issue 2|Rage of the Dinobots #2}} Grimlock is able to defeat her in battle, but Shockwave arrives soon afterwards, {{storylink|Rage of the Dinobots issue 3|Rage of the Dinobots #3}} and Magnus and the Dinobots are recaptured.

The Decepticon scientist attempts to complete his work on Grimlock and erase the Dinobot's free will, but his teammates and Ultra Magnus are able to escape their cell in time to intervene, violently decapitating Shockwave. However, a hologram message reveals that Shockwave is in fact alive and well, and what the Dinobots just killed was merely a remote avatar. With the immediate threat passed, Magnus sets off to join the leaving fleet, whilst the Dinobots resolve to remain on Cybertron, seeking to hunt down their nemesis Shockwave and help the few Autobots that remain. {{storylink|Rage of the Dinobots issue 4|Rage of the Dinobots #4}}

Eventually, energon shortages force Cybertron's remaining population into the tunnels under the surface, where they scavenge fuel from underground deposits and by hunting the planet's subterranean fauna. Survivors group together to establish underground cities, one of which is led by "king" Grimlock, and the surface is left desolate and ruined. {{storylink|Beast Hunters issue 1|Beast Hunters #1}}

The war continues to rage on other worlds across the galaxy. One of them is [[Earth]], which is seeded with energon by Cybertronians. During Earth's Stone Age, a group of Autobots rescues a tribe of primitive humans from a meteor shower. {{storylink|Did You See What I Thaw?}}. Among the Decepticon combatants are a group of genetically engineered Predacons created by Shockwave. Their presence inspires the human legends of [[dragon]]s, although they eventually die, leaving behind remains. {{storylink|Project Predacon}} Other Decepticons include Skyquake, dispatched to Earth to guard its energon resources. {{storylink|Masters & Students}} At some point, a group of Autobots visits ancient [[Greece]], where they leave behind an [[Energon Harvester]]. {{storylink|Deus ex Machina}} The Cybertronians on Earth eventually leave, die, or enter stasis lock, leaving Earth abandoned... for the time being.

==Modern Era==
===1649===
[[File:ReignOfMorocco Horace Burns statue.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85]]
A North American island off the coast of Maine is founded by a group of settlers, led by [[Horace Burns]], from the mainland. The island becomes the town of [[Griffin Rock]], and a lighthouse with a [[Settlers' Bell|bell]] is erected in the town's port.{{storylink|The Reign of Morocco}}{{storylink|The Lost Bell}}

===1800s===
In 1812, Griffin Rock is raided and looted by the pirates of the ''[[Oaken Crow]]''. The pirates set the town ablaze and make off with their booty, including the Settlers' Bell. Their ship gets caught in a storm and becomes trapped within a cave on an unknown island.{{storylink|The Lost Bell}}

At some point, [[Thaddeus Morocco]] is born, who would go on to make a career in science by stealing the works of others, including a [[Chamber of Youth|rejuvenation chamber]] that would extend his life artificially with each use. {{storylink|It's a Bot Time}}

===1939===
The [[World's Fair]] takes place, which features the artificial volcano [[Mount Magma]]. Afterward, the volcano is relocated to Griffin Rock.{{storylink|Under Pressure}}

The [[Griffin Rock Technology Expo]] also occurs, during which Griffin Rock scientists attempt to create a [[Temporal Station|time machine]], but are incapable of powering it up.{{storylink|It's a Bot Time}}

On [[August 17]], the day after the Temporal Station's decommissioning, a group of time-displaced individuals consisting of four Rescue Bot Autobots, the human children [[Cody Burns]] and [[Frankie Greene]], and the Helper Bot [[Dither]], accidentally travels through the time machine from the future. They are discovered by Dr. Thaddeus Morocco, who takes interest in the robots and begins to study them. The two kids are sent away, but escape and, along with Dither, recover the Autobots in Morocco's captivity. A surprise intervention by Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, who subsequently followed the Rescue Bots through the time machine to help them, along with some assistance from [[Elma Hendrickson]], gives all of the time-travelers the chance to escape back to the future. However, a damaged Dither is accidentally left behind, and comes into Morocco's possession. {{storylink|It's a Bot Time}}

{{Note|It is from here that the timeline is split in two, as the time travel incident creates an alternate timeline (see below), but then erases it and has history put back on its corrected course.}}

Morocco starts to open up Dither to begin studying him, but the previous group of time travelers returns once again to retrieve their forgotten robot before returning to their own time, leaving Morocco unable to study the future technology. {{storylink|Bot to the Future}}

===1940s===
Around the late 1940s, the [[Cold War (history)|Cold War]] likely begins, in which a [[Autobot Outpost Omega One|missile silo]] is constructed inside a mountain in [[Jasper]], [[Nevada]], and a bunker is built under Griffin Rock. Both locations would eventually become occupied by the Autobots in the present day. {{storylink|Darkness Rising}} {{storylink|Family of Heroes}}

In 1949, Griffin Rock celebrates its tricentennial, which features holograms of some of its most prominent citizens, including its first female scientist Elma Hendrickson, on display in historical exhibits. {{storylink|The Haunting of Griffin Rock}}

===1950s===
Griffin Rock scientists experiment with [[subspace]] technology as part of the [[Sanctuary Plan]], in which the insect-like [[Tracer (RB)|tracers]] would transport the island's entire populace to a safe haven during the condition of a crisis. The plan is abandoned due to instability of the shelter, with the tracers being locked away in storage.{{storylink|Countdown (RB)|Countdown}}

===1960s===
The scientists of Griffin Rock install a magnetic pulse generator to disable all circuitry at [[Griffin Crest]], setting it as a safe zone in case an experimental machine ever went haywire on the island.{{storylink|Rules and Regulations}}

In [[1966]], the ''[[S.S. Isolde]]'' transports experimental technology to Griffin Rock from the mainland. During one of its voyages to the island, however, a piece of its cargo, the [[Sub-Zero Expander]], is accidentally damaged and activated. After contacting the island for advice, the ship's captain, [[Zachary Burns]], and crew are ordered to abandon the vessel and all of its cargo, leaving it to be encased completely within an iceberg. {{storylink|Tip of the Iceberg}}

===1980s===
A small group of Cybertronians return to Earth, unaware of its true nature. Bumblebee is the first Autobot to land on Earth, sent ahead of the others to scout out the planet.<ref>Bumblebee's [http://www.hubworld.com/hubworld/specials/transformers-prime-downloadables/printables/tprime-bumblebee-coloring-page.pdf online coloring page] at hubworld.com</ref> He is later joined by Optimus Prime, Bulkhead, and Ratchet, who set up a base inside the dormant volcano [[Mount St. Hilary]].

===28 years ago===
Professor [[Anna Baranova]] begins an investigation of the [[Griffin Rock Triangle]] with [[Midgard|Project Midgard]]. Her mobile undersea laboratory, the ''Midgard'', fails in its mission and is rendered permanently submerged. {{storylink|The Griffin Rock Triangle}}

===Present day===
At some earlier point, Dr. Morocco, who had become Griffin Rock's lead scientist, is dismissed from his position due to his technology proving dangerous and inferior. He is replaced by [[Ezra Greene|Doc Greene]].{{storylink|The Other Doctor}}{{storylink|The Reign of Morocco}}

[[File:CliffArcee ognpreview.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1]]
The Decepticons begin mining the energon deposits left on earth with the intention of using it to restore Cybertron. Starscream is tasked by Megatron with recreating space bridge technology, so that the energon can be quickly transferred between planets. After scouring the galaxy on this mission, the Air Commander returns to their home planet with a number of troops to construct a space bridge. {{storylink|Transformers: Prime (graphic novel)|''Prime'' comic}}

The earthbound Autobots obtain terrestrial alternate modes and secretly ally themselves with the United States government. They are assigned [[William Fowler]] as a government liaison, and provided with an abandoned missile silo to use as a [[Autobot Outpost Omega One|base]] in exchange for keeping the Decepticon threat contained. A great deal of Cybertronian technology is installed there, including a [[GroundBridge]] of Ratchet's design. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 1}}

Optimus Prime sends a message into space, calling all Autobots to the new battleground. Arcee and Cliffjumper are both investigating the Decepticon activity on the desolate Cybertron when they receive the message. They hijack a Decepticon space bridge to travel to Earth. {{storylink|Out of the Past}} {{storylink|Transformers: Prime (graphic novel)|''Prime'' comic}} The Air Commander follows them through, but, after a brief confrontation, the two Autobots are able to join up with [[Team Prime]] and [[scanning|scan]] new terrestrial alternate modes. {{storylink|Transformers: Prime (graphic novel)|''Prime'' comic}} Subsequently, Megatron leaves Earth with the intention of gathering a new army. The Decepticons under Starscream avoid conflict with the Autobots, and continue to secretly mine the planet's energon, along with constructing a new space bridge in orbit. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 1}} During his three-year journey, meanwhile, Megatron finds a far greater prize than new troops: solidified crystals of Dark Energon. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 2}}

At some unspecified time, Optimus Prime sets up a [[Rescue Force Sigma-17|team]] of [[Rescue Bot]]s on Griffin Rock, in which they live with a local family to better understand humanity and serve as their protectors. {{storylink|Family of Heroes}}

On Earth, hostilities between the Autobots and Decepticons resurface when Cliffjumper is executed by Starscream; later, he is reanimated by Megatron with the power of Dark Energon. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 1}} {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 2}} A series of accidents draws three [[human]]s—[[Jack Darby]], [[Raf Esquivel]], and [[Miko Nakadai]]—into the mayhem. Megatron's plan is to reanimate the thousands of dead Transformers on Cybertron and transport them to Earth via the orbital space bridge, but this is ultimately foiled by the Autobots. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 5}} Megatron himself is caught in the explosion of the bridge as it is destroyed, but survives thanks to the Dark Energon in his body. {{storylink|Masters & Students}} Megatron's wounded form is discovered by Starscream after a failed attempt to bring Skyquake under his control. Starscream attempts to kill him, but Soundwave's presence compels him to put the Decepticon leader in stasis in the ''Nemesis''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s sick bay instead. {{storylink|Masters & Students}} Wheeljack, now an interstellar nomad, briefly arrives on Earth, but after a run-in with [[Makeshift (Prime)|Makeshift]], he leaves. {{storylink|Con Job}}

An encounter with the mysterious human terrorist organization [[MECH]] introduces a second antagonistic party for the Autobots. {{storylink|Convoy (episode)|Convoy}} [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] and his partner [[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]] arrive on Earth to aid with Megatron's repairs. {{storylink|Deus ex Machina}} Airachnid, too, lands on Earth to rekindle her standing grudge against Arcee and collect some "specimens", but she is stranded on Earth when her ship is destroyed by Jack and Arcee. {{storylink|Predatory}}

Events come to a head when Optimus Prime and Ratchet detect an ancient Autobot distress signal, and come across an abandoned Autobot ship infected with cybonic plague. Optimus is contaminated, and so to find a cure for the sickness Bumblebee and Arcee are forced to infiltrate the ''Nemesis'' and enter Megatron's mind. {{storylink|Sick Mind}} However, Megatron manages to download himself into Bumblebee's consciousness, and by taking control of the Autobot's body he restores his original body with Dark Energon and uploads his mind into it, restoring himself to life. {{storylink|Out of His Head}} Megatron grievously wounds Starscream sometime after this as punishment, but Starscream makes another play for power by reanimating Skyquake's corpse, which ends in failure. {{storylink|Shadowzone (episode)|Shadowzone}}

MECH enters the picture again, first capturing and mutilating Breakdown {{storylink|Operation: Breakdown}} and later teaming up with Airachnid to lure Arcee into a trap. {{storylink|Crisscross}} Both of these end in failure for MECH.

After Megatron and Starscream are trapped in the energon mine due to the actions of the Autobots {{storylink|Rock Bottom}}, Starscream renounces Megatron's command and tries to join the Autobots, but this ends in failure when Starscream lets slip that he killed Cliffjumper. {{storylink|Partners}}. Starscream becomes an independent faction in the war. Ratchet manages to devise a formula for synthetic energon from a retrieved data cylinder, but it proves to be incomplete and unsafe. {{storylink|T.M.I.}} {{storylink|Stronger, Faster}}.

[[File:OneShallRise2-bigdude.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]

Megatron seeks more power from the Dark Energon, and refers to an ancient prophecy in the [[Covenant of Primus]] that a "rising darkness" will come when the planets in the Solar System align. In reality, the "rising darkness" is Unicron's slumbering form, and the alignment of the planets will create the correct gravitational pull sufficient to awaken him. {{storylink|One Shall Fall}}. As Unicron gradually awakens, the Dark Energon rising from his body causes several natural disasters to occur across the world. Optimus Prime confronts an avatar of Unicron head on, but diplomacy ends in failure when the chaos bringer decides to wipe out the many [[Human|"parasites"]] on his surface. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 1}} After another battle with Unicron, Megatron and the Autobots make a truce, as the Dark Energon in Megatron's system allows him to locate Unicron's spark core and provide the Autobots with a way to destroy him. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 2}} After the five Transformers bridge their way into Unicron, Megatron and Prime attempt to destroy Unicron's spark core with the Matrix of Leadership. The plan works- but Optimus loses many of his memories, believing that he is Orion Pax once again and that Megatron is his friend. Megatron takes him on board the ''Nemesis''. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 3}}

Megatron decides to use the fact that Orion Pax lost his memory to the Decepticon's advantage, and lies to Orion Pax about certain facts. He tells Orion that he was taken captive by the Autobots and kept in stasis long enough for the war to have moved to [[Earth|another planet]]. He then shows Orion a picture of a lifeless Cybertron, and informs him that [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] is responsible for the damage. Orion Pax vows to do his part to help the Decepticons, by completing [[Project Iacon]]. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 1}} Soon however, Orion Pax starts to see through Megatron's lies. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 2}}

Eventually, with the help of [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]], Orion Pax rebels against Megatron before completing Project Iacon. Using [[Vector Sigma]], [[Jack Darby]] is able to restore Prime's memory. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 3}}
[[File:OperationBumblebee1 Bumblebee's operation.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]

Soon, [[Team Prime]] is back to business. When [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] is investigating an ancient Autobot signal, [[MECH]] stuns him into temporary stasis, and removes his [[Transformation cog|T-cog]]. They use it to try to craft their own transformer, and seem to be making progress with [[Starscream (WFC)|help]]. Bumblebee starts to question his usefulness, as he has lost his speed, which is his primary attribute. {{storylink|Operation Bumblebee, Part 1}}

Megatron, still working with the information from Project Iacon, manages to find the [[Forge of Solus Prime]]. He sends Knockout to recover it, and with a fight, manages to accomplish his mission. However, Ratchet is able to restore Bumblebee's T-cog. {{storylink|Operation Bumblebee, Part 2}}

[[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] returns to Earth, in pursuit of [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake's]] twin, [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]]. After an intense fight between [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]], [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]], Wheeljack, and Dreadwing, Wheeljack finally gets an [[Earth]] mode, and Dreadwing pledges his allegiance to [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]]. {{storylink|Loose Cannons}}

Airachnid's [[One Shall Rise, Part 3|earlier]] remarks about leaving Megatron finally catch up to her, and she goes rogue. Megatron sends Dreadwing to exterminate her, something that Megatron would normally do himself. Dreadwing meets up with Airachnid and [[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]] to investigate a suspected energon deposit. Airachnid succeeds in making Breakdown very angry, and the two go at it. Airachnid cuts up Breakdown, and leaves his remains for [[MECH]].

Airachnid finally goes for Megatron, and issues him a challenge. He accepts, and forbids Dreadwing to follow him. However, Dreadwing disobeys, and gets caught in the middle of the fight, and suddenly the Autobots appear. Prime, as always, does the honorable thing and lets Dreadwing go in return for his word that he would not kill any of the Autobots. Megatron, however, disagreed, and fires at the Autobots. Later, Megatron remarks that Dreadwing will make a fine first lieutenant. {{storylink|Crossfire}}
[[File:NemesisPrime-NemesisPrime.jpg|left|thumb|upright=0.85|Punk ass Decepticon! Oh, wait...]]

After [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] seemingly tries to run [[William Fowler|Agent Fowler]] off the road and attacks a military base, the U.S. military gives orders to fire at any bot on sight. However, [[Team Prime]] finds out that [[MECH]] has succeeded with [[Project Chimera]], and that the bot that attacked the base was actually designed and built by MECH. [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] dubs this drone "Nemesis Prime". Optimus Prime and Nemesis Prime have a climatic battle on top of MECH's base of operations, and Nemesis falls on top of Silas, seemingly killing him. However, in an undisclosed location, Silas lays on an operating table, with Breakdown's corpse seemingly ready to transplant. {{storylink|Nemesis Prime (episode)|Nemesis Prime}}

Agent Fowler is called into [[Bryce|General Bryce's]] office to explain [[Nemesis Prime (episode)|recent events]]. Bryce tells Fowler that people higher up on the chain of command are questioning [[Team Prime|Team Prime's]] loyalty. Some are suggesting Team Prime's termination and a military tribunal for Fowler, who assures General Bryce that Prime, and the rest of the Autobots, are completely and totally loyal to the [[United States of America|United States]], and to humanity. {{storylink|Grill}}

Dual plots against Megatron's life, one orchestrated by Airachnid and her Insecticons and the other by Starscream and an army of clones, are hatched while Bulkhead found himself aboard the ''Nemesis''. The clones are destroyed, Arachnid is apprehended by the Autobots, the surviving Insecticons are integrated into Megatron's forces, and Bulkhead busts the ship's power core on his way out. {{storylink|Armada (episode)|Armada}} After [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] infuses the ''[[Trypticon (WFC)|Nemesis]]'' with dark energon in an attempt to repair it, the ship becomes sentient and puts all the Decepticons on board into stasis. The ship starts to head toward the first set of new Iacon coordinates that it has decoded. Jack, Miko, Raf, and Fowler bridge aboard the ship and download the coordinates. In the process, Jack undoes the dark energon infusion, returning the ship to its normal state. {{storylink|Flying Mind}}

[[Team Prime]] splits up, and [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]], [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]], [[Jack Darby|Jack]], and [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] travel to [[New York City]] to search for the first of the new Iacon relics. The new relic turns out to be a [[phase shifter]]. The Autobots are successful in recovering the device. {{storylink|Tunnel Vision}} Meanwhile, in the Antarctic, [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] goes hunting for the second relic. It turns out to be the [[Apex Armor (Prime)|Apex Armor]] built by [[Solus Prime]]. After [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] takes the relic for his own, Optimus and [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] form a brief alliance, and force Starscream below the ice. {{storylink|Triangulation}}
[[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] and [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] travel to search for the third relic, which turns out to be a [[Resonance Blaster|resonance blaster]]. [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] manages to recover the relic, Ratchet returns to base, and Wheeljack sets about repairing the ''[[Jackhammer (Prime)|Jackhammer]]''. {{storylink|Triage (episode)|Triage}}
[[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] sets out to locate and retrieve the final relic. It turns out to be [[Tox-En]], a toxic form of energon. Bulkhead fights with the Insecticon named [[Hardshell (Prime)|Hardshell]]. Though Bulkhead is initially victorious, Hardshell shoots him in the back just as he heads through the [[GroundBridge]]. {{storylink|Toxicity}}

As [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] tries to stabilize [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]], [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] arrives to base, having been alerted by [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]] to what had transpired. In the ''[[Jackhammer (Prime)|Jackhammer]]'', he goes looking for whoever injured Bulkhead. As normal, [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] secretly tags along. After reaching an understanding, Miko and Wheeljack go looking for Hardshell, destroying an energon mine in the process. After an intense fight with Hardshell, Wheeljack emerges victorious. However, the rest of the [[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticon]] hive pursues him and Miko as they take off in the ''Jackhammer''. Wheeljack uses a portion of his stash of grenades to dispatch them. However, the happiness doesn't last, as Ratchet reports that Bulkhead will survive, but will not likely be fully functional again. Wheeljack leaves again, stating that he is unable to see Bulkhead like this. {{storylink|Hurt}} Arcee comforts Miko by telling her the story of how she and [[Cliffjumper (WFC)|Cliffjumper]] became partners and joined [[Team Prime]]. {{storylink|Out of the Past}}

A [[Decepticon]] escape pod is discovered on [[Earth]] at the same time as [[Red Energon]], a rare and volatile type of energon that gives the user hyperspeed. The escape pod turns out to belong to [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]], a former member of the [[Cybertron Elite Guard]]. Although he appears to be [[Wheeljack (Prime)|another hotshot]], he proves himself by retrieving the [[Apex Armor (Prime)|Apex Armor]] from [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]], who manages to make off with the Red Energon. {{storylink|New Recruit}}

[[MECH]] reawakens their leader, [[Silas]], by integrating his body into Breakdown's corpse. Renaming himself "Cylas", he dispatches the MECH technical team and goes to [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] with a new weapon: the [[Project Damocles]] satellite. Megatron tries to utilize the Damocles satellite, but is foiled by the hacking efforts of [[Raf Esquivel|Raf]]. Angered with the satellite's failure, Megatron allows [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] to dissect Cylas. {{storylink|The Human Factor}}

[[File:Legacy-PrimeStarSaber.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Voldemort is ''evil'', [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Prime]]. Stop trying to be him. [[Optimus Prime (SG)|Unless...]]]]

The [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s both find the location of the [[Star Saber (Prima)|Star Saber]]. [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] is forced to try and retrieve it for the Autobots, while Megatron has an entire army of workers trying to get at it. However it takes the power of a [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Prime]] for the sword to finally come free from the rock that encases it. After almost crashing the ''[[Trypticon (WFC)|Nemesis]]'' with the sword, Optimus and the Autobots emerge victorious. {{storylink|Legacy (episode)|Legacy}}

[[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] receives a prerecorded message from [[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]] telling him to locate the four [[Omega Key]]s. [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] uses a [[space bridge]] to travel to Cybertron to retrieve the arm of a [[Prime (rank)|Prime]]. He attaches it to his body and uses his new limb to craft the [[Dark Star Saber]] from the [[Forge of Solus Prime]]. The Dark Star Saber breaks the [[Star Saber (Prima)|Star Saber]] in half, but the Autobots come away with the first Omega Key. {{storylink|Alpha/Omega}}

Optimus dispatches [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]] and [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] to go after the second relic, and [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] and [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] to go after the third. [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] wins over the second relic for the [[Decepticon]]s, while [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] beats out Bulkhead, Smokescreen, and [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] to get the third. Smokescreen is captured by the Decepticons when he is revealed to be the fourth and final key. {{storylink|Hard Knocks}}

Knock Out uses Smokescreen's phase shifter to remove the final Omega Key from within his body. However, Smokescreen manages to escape with the two Omega Keys that were in Megatron's possession, leaving the fourth one with Starscream. Starscream manages to invade the Autobot base and steal all three of theirs, acquiring all four. He then goes to Megatron on the ''Nemesis'' with the Omega Keys as bargaining chips. {{storylink|Inside Job}}

[[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] uses a [[cortical psychic patch]] on [[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] in order to find out his ''true'' motives for coming back to Megatron. However, he decides that Starscream is of more value fighting ''with'' Megatron, not against him, and welcomes him back to the [[Decepticon]]s. While viewing the results of the patch, [[Dreadwing (Prime)|Dreadwing]] learns of his [[Skyquake (Prime)|twin's]] fate in the [[Shadowzone (episode)|Shadowzone]]. {{storylink|Patch (episode)|Patch}}

Knock Out operates on Starscream and repairs him, giving him a new T-cog. Infuriated by Starscream's treatment of Skyquake and Megatron's nonchalance, Dreadwing presents the [[Forge of Solus Prime]] to the [[Autobot]]s so that they can avenge his twin's death. After traveling back to the ''Nemesis'', he attempts to kill Starscream, but Megatron strikes him down before he gets the chance. Megatron and Starscream travel to Cybertron with a detachment of Vehicons to reactivate the planet. Using the Forge, Optimus modifies the Ground Bridge into a Space Bridge, and the Autobots launch an attack on the Vehicons using the gathered Iacon relics. They manage to retrieve the Omega Keys and reach the [[Omega Lock]]. However, Megatron reveals that the three kids have been captured by the Decepticons. {{storylink|Regeneration (Prime)|Regeneration}}

[[File:DarkestHour-Basedestroyed.JPG|thumb|left|upright=1.4|We didn't even pay off the rent for this place!]]
The Autobots are forced to turn over the Omega Keys in exchange for the kids, and Megatron reveals his master plan includes [[cyberforming]] Earth as well. Optimus uses the Star Saber to destroy the Omega Lock, and the Autobots return to Earth, only for the Decepticons to attack their base. The Autobots abandon base, scattering across country, except for Optimus who is still in the base when the Decepticons destroy it. {{storylink|Darkest Hour (episode)|Darkest Hour}}

[[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] spirits the badly damaged Optimus Prime away from the wreckage of [[Autobot Outpost Omega One]] using the [[phase shifter]]. Megatron sends [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] to search for the rest of the relics. He returns with the [[Apex Armor (Prime)|Apex Armor]], and something even better...[[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] and his latest creation, a Predacon cloned from recovered CNA. {{storylink|Darkmount, NV}} {{storylink|Scattered}}

[[File:Rebellion-Autobotgroupshot.jpg|upright=1.95|thumb]]

Concurrently, [[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]] lands on Earth and begins to reunite the disparate Autobot forces, who have gone into hiding. Among them are Raf and Bumblebee, who have turned the ''Harbinger'' into a new temporary base of operations with Ratchet's aid {{storylink|Scattered}}. Smokescreen, still in hiding, breaks into the ''Nemesis'' and recovers the Forge of Solus Prime. {{storylink|Prey (episode)|Prey}} The Autobots launch a final assault on the Decepticon fortress. With the help of Optimus Prime, given a new lease on life thanks to the Forge, their combined efforts bring down Darkmount for good, forcing the Decepticons into a retreat. {{storylink|Rebellion (Prime)|Rebellion}}

[[File:PlusOne-snatched.jpg|upright=1.4|left|thumb]]

Agent Fowler brings Optimus a new, beefed up truck to scan for his alternate mode, couresty of [[M.A.S.K.]] He also brings news of Decepticon activity in Texas and Scotland. He sends the Wreckers to Scotland, and brings Bumblebee and Smokescreen to Texas with him. Both parties discover the Decepticons transporting ancient Predacon fossils. Although the Autobots try to recover the fossils, both missions fail. Wheeljack drives off alone alone, fed up with Ultra Magnus and worried Bulkhead has gone soft. {{storylink|Project Predacon}} {{storylink|Chain of Command (Prime)|Chain of Command}}

Wheeljack bridges back to base without Ultra Magnus and Bulkhead. He and Arcee track down Decepticon activity in New Mexico, but end up having to rescue Fowler and [[June Darby|June]] after the latter two get themselves kidnapped by Knock Out. After returning to base, Wheeljack and Bulkhead make up. {{storylink|Plus One (Prime)|Plus One}}

Wanting Megatron's favor back, Starscream orders Knock Out to inject the imprisoned Cylas with a mix of Dark and Synthetic Energon, turning him into a vampiric Terrorcon who brings his plague upon the ''Nemesis''. Cylas ends up freeing Airachnid before being killed by her, and she retakes control of the Insecticons, but their attempt at a coup is halted when Soundwave bridges them to a desolate moon of Cybertron. Starscream ends up facing Megatron's wrath for losing them the Insecticons and more than half of the Vehicons while Shockwave speeds up progress on Project Predacon to make up for the extensive loss of manpower. {{storylink|Thirst}}

[[File:Evolution Predaking Stand.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Anyone wanna make a ''Dragonball Z'' joke?]]
On the verge of the project's completion, the Predacon reveals his newfound ability to transform as well as his sentience, and though he pledges loyalty to Megatron, his ambition does not go unnoticed, and the Decepticons decide to let the Autobots wipe out the Predacons for them. Ultra Magnus and Wheeljack end up facing off against Predaking, putting aside their past grievances with each other and forging a mutual respect, but are ultimately bested by the Predacon, who also destroys the Forge of Solus Prime and Magnus's hand. Optimus is able to save his men in the nick of time, while Shockwave finds the destruction of his lab and the presence of synthetic Energon has produced [[cyber-matter]]. {{storylink|Evolution}} Megatron decides to use this newfound discovery to rebuild the Omega Lock to Cyberform Earth and restore Cybertron, believing the two planets to be two halves of one. While Starscream procures Earth technology for the project, the recently captured Soundwave brings Ratchet to Megatron to perfect the synthetic Energon formula. {{storylink|Minus One}} Raf and Wheeljack build a probe using Laserbeak's transponder that was broken off while capturing Ratchet, which will lead them to the ''Nemesis'. Megatron is able to persuade Ratchet to help produce the formula, having played to Ratchet's love for his home planet to override his justified reservations. {{storylink|Persuasion}} While the probe is destroyed by Starscream, it does not take long for Ratchet, Knock Out, and Shockwave to produce the formula, but Ratchet tries to make a run for it, only to be stopped by Megatron and tossed to Predaking for execution. Having caught Knock Out's slip of the tongue, Ratchet reveals Megatron's plot to exterminate the Predacons to Predaking, who goes on a rampage. Ratchet disables the ''Nemesis' '' shield, allowing the Autobots to storm the ship, just as Megatron is able to scrape a victory against Predaking by knocking him out of an airlock. {{storylink|Synthesis}}

[[File:Deadlock-Megatron-Decepticons-extinguished.jpg|upright=1.4|left|thumb|Soundwave, what's happening to my glow in the dark tattoo?!?]]
The Autobots wage their final battle to defeat the forces of the Decepticons, with Megatron facing Optimus with his Dark Star Saber, Ratchet fighting Shockwave, the Wreckers aiming to secure the bridge, and Arcee's Stealth Team bringing the Star Saber to Optimus. When the Wreckers are bridged away by Soundwave, Jack and an Apex Armor-clad Miko banish him to the Shadowzone. As the Omega Lock is activated, Bumblebee tries to get the Saber to Optimus, but is blasted to death by Megatron and falls into the pool of Cybermatter created by the Omega Lock. Though enraged by his scout's death, Optimus is beaten and is soon hanging off the edge of the Lock by Megatron... who is then run through with the Star Saber by the revived Bumblebee, whose voices has been restored as well. Megatron dies and his corpse falls to Earth, while Starscream, Shockwave, and the surviving Vehicons abandon ship. After a failed attempt at abandoning ship as well, Knock Out receives little welcome from the Autobots when he tries to switch sides as well. Now in command of the ''Nemesis'', Optimus has it journey to Cybertron, where the Omega Lock is fired into the core, reviving the planet at last. The Autobots bid farewell to their human family, with Ratchet staying on Earth to support Unit:E, and depart to rebuild their home. Meanwhile, Predaking, having clung to the warship's hull, flies off into the distance of this new world with intentions unknown... {{storylink|Deadlock}}

Sensing Primus's reawakening, Unicron returns and possesses Megatron's corpse as a new vessel to destroy his eternal nemesis. Optimus and Wheeljack set off to retrieve the [[AllSpark]], whilst Starscream and Shockwave brought online two new Predacons, [[Darksteel (Prime)|Darksteel]] and [[Skylynx]] in an effort to defeat the Autobots with a new army of beasts. The two are successful in heavily damaging Ultra Magnus, prompting Ratchet to return to Cybertron to treat him and leadership falling upon Bumblebee's shoulders. Unicron makes his presence known, and following a battle with Predaking, learns of an ancient burial ground of Predacons. Predaking takes command over Darksteel and Skylynx, while Knock Out defects to the Autobots after tiring of Starscream's abuse. At the burial ground, the Chaos Bringer raises a new army of the undead to destroy Primus, prompting a desperate last stand from the united Autobots, Decepticons, and Predacons. Their efforts buy enough time for Optimus to return and take on Unicron, but after being defeated, takes the drastic measure of taking the AllSpark into the Matrix of Leadership. Unicron is tricked into having his ethereal form sealed into the AllSpark's container, finally ridding Megatron of his torturous possession. Now knowing what oppression truly is, Megatron officially disbands the Decepticons and departs, leaving Starscream as the last active Decepticon. His reign is short-lived, as the Predacons trap him to enact revenge for all the trouble he's caused them. The Autobots gather at the Well of All Sparks, where Optimus announces that merging the AllSpark with the Matrix means he must sacrifice his life to restore Cybertron's ability to create new life, assuring his saddened comrades that this is not an end, but only a new beginning - another transformation. {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Prime)}} With Cybertron rejuvenated, the remainder of Team Prime meet up with the Dinobots and work together to subdue a rogue Predacon. {{storylink|Beast Hunters issue 8|Beast Hunters #8}}

Years later, a rebuilt Cybertron is once again the homeworld of the Transformers. At some point, the prison ship ''[[Alchemor]]'' is launched, housing some of the most dangerous Decepticon criminals, as well as Grimlock. The ship eventually crashes on Earth, deactivating its [[stasis cell]]s and unleashing hundreds of rogue Decepticons on the unsuspecting planet. {{storylink|Pilot (Part 1)}}

====Post-''Alchemor'' crash====
Three years later, {{storylink|Uninvited Guest}} Bumblebee, now a lieutenant, was working as a beat cop while mentoring the Elite Guard cadet [[Strongarm (RID)|Strongarm]]. While chasing down the hoodlum [[Sideswipe (RID)|Sideswipe]], Bumblebee receives a vision from Optimus Prime urging him to travel back to Earth. Bumblebee hijacks a space bridge, but finds himself burdened by the two young Autobots. The trio encounters the wreckage of the Alchemor and the Minicon [[Fixit (RID)|Fixit]], who informs them about the dire circumstances. They eventually befriend the humans Denny and Russell Clay and, with the aid of [[Grimlock (RID 2015)|Grimlock]], successfully recapture the Decepticon [[Underbite]]. {{storylink|Pilot (Part 1)}} {{storylink|Pilot (Part 2)}}

{{stub}}

==Future==
{{stub}}
{{storylink|The Last of Morocco}}

==Alternate timeline==
{{Note|The events of this timeline diverge from the main timeline at 1939 of the Modern Era, in which a great time travel incident both created and subsequently erased this new timeline. As the exact extent of all that was changed beyond the borders of Griffin Rock is not known, this section will only cover the known divergences.}}

===1939===
The [[Griffin Rock Technology Expo]] occurs, during which Griffin Rock scientists attempt to create a [[Temporal Station|time machine]], but are incapable of powering it up.{{storylink|It's a Bot Time}}

On [[August 17]], the day after the Temporal Station's decommissioning, a group of time-displaced individuals consisting of four Rescue Bot Autobots, the human children [[Cody Burns]] and [[Frankie Greene]], and the Helper Bot [[Dither]], accidentally travels through the time machine from the future. They are discovered by Dr. Morocco, who takes interest in the robots and begins to study them. The two kids are sent away, but escape and, along with Dither, recover the Autobots in Morocco's captivity. A surprise intervention by Optimus Prime and Bumblebee, who subsequently followed the Rescue Bots through the time machine to help them, along with some assistance from [[Elma Hendrickson]], gives all of the time-travelers the chance to escape back to the future. However, a damaged Dither is accidentally left behind, and comes into Morocco's possession. {{storylink|It's a Bot Time}}

Studying Dither's future technology, Morocco falsely takes credit as the robot's inventor, redubbing it the MorBot 1.1. From this robot, Morocco gains great fame and power with the promise of technological prosperity for Griffin Rock. {{storylink|Bot to the Future}}

===Present day===
Morocco, having come to gain power over Griffin Rock, rules the now-dystopian island of "Moropolis" with an army of transformable MorBot mechanoids.{{storylink|It's a Bot Time}} {{storylink|Bot to the Future}} The Burns family are a family of mechanics, with Charlie Burns being a janitor at the [[Hall of Inspiration]], while all secretly heading a resistance movement against Morocco. Huxley Prescott is a taxi driver, Mr. Luskey owns a restaurant, no Cody Burns exists in this timeline, and no "Doc Greene" lives on the island. {{storylink|Bot to the Future}}

When the group of time-traveling Autobots and humans return from 1939 to the present, they find themselves in this timeline. The team splits up as Optimus and Bumblebee fend off the MorBots while the others seek answers. Learning of the altered history from the Hall of Inspiration, the group meets this timeline's Charlie Burns, who is suspicious of them at first, but eventually comes to aid them. The team accompanies Charlie back to his home, but Morocco has caught wind of their arrival. The Burns siblings are also initially skeptical of the newcomers, but agree to help once their home is attacked. As Morocco is about to destroy the fire house, the Burns family unveil its new secret weapon: The [[Mobile Headquarters]]. After a great battle, all six Autobots and the Burns family arrive at the Temporal Station. The departing time travelers are given the MHQ as a parting gift and vanish through the portal back to 1939, just as Morocco arrives and crashes his MorBot.{{storylink|Bot to the Future}}

{{Note|From here, the team retrieves Dither from 1939 and returns to the present in their corrected timeline, thus erasing this timeline from existence.}}

==Footnotes==
<references/>

[[Category:Aligned history]]
[[Category:Chronologies]]

Sunstreaker (G1)/toys

2017-10-15T14:23:14Z

HailMegatron: /* Unite Warriors */

{{suite}}
[[File:G1boxart-Sunstreaker.jpg|upright=1.8|thumb]]
'''Sunstreaker''' is pretty in plastic!

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
[[File:G1-toy Sunstreaker.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Yellow, I love me, let me jump in your game.]]
*'''Sunstreaker''' (Autobot, 1984/1985/1986)
**''Accessories'': Left & right fists, 2 "rocket boosters", 3 rockets

:Sunstreaker was released as part of the first year of the Transformers line in the US. He transforms into a "Super Tuning" customized Lamborghini Countach LP500S with an exposed rear-mounted engine. Each robot mode arm has a spring-launching mechanism to fire his fists, his chrome missiles, or his "rocket boosters" (once the boosters' main body was pushed forward to lengthen the connection peg), but the springs were severely neutered or removed outright in the US [[for safety reasons]]. The boosters fit very ''very'' loosely in the holes in his rear bumper/robot shoulders, making them pretty dubious additions to either mode.

:As with all his 1984 brethren, a heat-activated [[rubsign]] was added to Sunstreaker in 1985, appearing on his left door. Removed from toystore shelves in 1986, he was then made available as a mail-away item in several different promotions, among them a "[[Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction (G1)|Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction]]" flier packed with most boxed ''Transformers'' toys. He cost $8 and two [[Robot Point|robot points]].

:Sunstreaker is generally considered to be one of the harder early [[The Transformers (toyline)|generation toys]] to find complete and unbroken. Following its later [[Generation 1 reissues|reissue]] in the European [[Classics (Europe)|Classics]] sub-line (see below), the toy's mold has been stated by [[Hasbro]] and [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] representatives to be one of several whose original molding is either lost or in a state of disrepair too extensive to justify the cost of re-casting, meaning that chances of any future reissues are slim.

:When Hasbro released the original Generation 1 toys in continental Europe through its then recently acquired subsidiary [[Milton Bradley]] in 1985, several toys, such as the Autobot Cars, were actually pre-existing stock originally intended for [[Joustra]]'s version of the ''[[Diaclone]]'' line that was acquired by Hasbro as part of an agreement with Joustra and put into MB-branded ''Transformers'' packaging. For some reason, the Sunstreaker toy (sporting its yellow Hasbro ''Transformers'' colors due to being produced during the ''Diaclone''/''Transformers'' transitional period) was released in packaging intended for his brother Sideswipe, an entirely different sculpt. The packaging even included Sideswipe's instructions and sticker sheet, neither of which were of much use for the toy.<ref name="mbsunswipe">[http://20thcenturytoycollector.com/mb-transformers-part-6/ "MB Transformers: Part 6"] at 20th Century Toy Collector.</ref>

::*''[http://www.transformerland.com/wiki/toy-info/transformers-g1-autobot-cars-sunstreaker/219/ Patent info, price guide, and further reading on Sunstreaker at Transformerland.com]''
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1984/Autobot/Sunstreaker/sunstreaker.htm More information on Sunstreaker at TFU.info]''
{{-}}
{{anchor|VsZ}}
[[File:G1toy vsz set.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Sunstreaker & Skids vs Buzzsaw''' (Multi-pack, 1985)
**''ID number:'' '''VSZ'''
**''Accessories'': Left & right fists, 2 "rocket boosters", 3 rockets

:Sunstreaker's only [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] release was in this giftset, which was also the only way to get [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] and [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] in Japan. This sounds unfair, but then one must remember [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw is an unstoppable killing machine]].
{{-}}
{{anchor|ClassicSunny}}
[[File:G1toy classic heroes sunstreaker.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Classic Sunstreaker''' (1990)
**''Accessories'': Left & right fists, 2 "rocket boosters", 3 rockets

:Sunstreaker was made available again in European markets in 1990, coming in nice new golden packaging as part of the "Classic Heroes" range of reissues. He featured no notable changes from his original release.
{{-}}

===Transform Block===
{{anchor|Block}}[[File:G1toy TFBlock sunstreaker.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Sunstreaker''' (1985)
: Only available in Japan, this small, monochrome representation of Sunstreaker transformed by disassembling and reassembling his vinyl component parts. Hence, the name "Transform Block". The toy was first released as part of the Diaclone line alongside another toy representing the Diaclone version of Skids. The toy was simply put in new packaging for its Transformers release, which resembles that of [[Transform Jr]] toys.
::*''[http://homepage3.nifty.com/redalert/toybox/tf/g1/TFGM04/TFGM04.html More information on Transform Block Sunstreaker at a Japanese fan site]''
{{-}}

===Universe (2003)===
[[File:UniverseSunstreaker toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Sideswipe in yellow? Dear Primus, I've become Tigertrack!]]
*'''Sunstreaker''' (Deluxe, 2003)
**''Accessories'': Left & right rocket boosters, 2 flame-missiles

:A [[retool]] of the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 toyline)|2001 ''Robots in Disguise'']] [[Prowl (RID)|Prowl]] sculpt, Sunstreaker transforms into a Lamborghini Diablo. Unusually for non-vintage Transformers at the time, he has rubber tires. In either mode, he is armed with two pressure-launch missile launchers with two flame-shaped projectiles. These launchers are mounted upon his right arm in robot mode. In vehicle mode, they can be mounted on two pegs located on his spoiler as "rocket boosters". It is notable that the part that connects the toy's windshield to the main body uses a yellow decal rather than paint, as that part is made out of [[unpaintable plastic]]. The police lights from the original mold were removed, leaving this area bare.

:Sunstreaker was the "hotel [[exclusive]]" toy from [[OTFCC 2003]], available only to those who booked their room at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare at the convention rate, the official hotel for the convention.

:This mold is also used by the ''Universe'' incarnation of [[Sideswipe (G1)/toys#Universe (2003)|Sideswipe]] and ''Universe'' [[Inferno (Universe)|Inferno]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2003/Autobot/Sunstreaker/sunstreaker.htm More information on BotCon Sunstreaker at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Binaltech Asterisk===

[[File:Btasunstreaker toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Lemony fresh new-car scent.]]
*'''Sunstreaker meets Junko''' (Autobot, 2005)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''BTA-02'''
**''Accessories'': "Junko" driver/figurine, engine-block rifle

:In 2005, Takara and Hasbro released near-simultaneous and significantly different takes on Sunstreaker as a [[redeco]] of the ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators/Binaltech]]'' [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] ''Binaltech/Alternators'' toy (itself a [[retool]] of [[Sideswipe (G1)/toys#Alternators|''Binaltech'' Lambor/''Alternators'' Side Swipe]]). The first to the market was the ''[[The Transformers: Binaltech Asterisk|Binaltech Asterisk]]'' version of the toy, including a PVC driver figurine, a girl named [[Kelly (RID)|Junko]]. Sunstreaker transforms into a 1:24-scale licensed "street performance" Dodge Viper with opening doors and hood, and an open passengers' compartment. His engine block becomes a rifle for his robot mode. Like the rest of the ''Binaltech Asterisk'' line, he was packaged in robot mode instead of vehicle.

:As a matter of fact, Sunstreaker was originally intended as the ''first'' retool/redeco of Lambor/Side Swipe: Early [[prototype]]s that were leaked to the public sported a sculpted Autobot logo, and development concept art and color maps detailed in ''[[The Transformers: Binaltech & TF Collection Complete Guide]]'' show a black-decoed figure. A store listing from March 2004 stated the figure's name as "'''Blackstreaker'''",<ref name="alternatorstfa">[http://www.tfarchive.com/community/showthread.php?t=22083 TFArchive news thread about Alternators store listing from March 2004.]</ref> suggesting that he was still intended to be Sunstreaker despite sporting different colors, possibly at the request of the car manufacturer. For reasons unknown, however, the toy was ultimately released as the [[Decepticon]] [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] instead, possibly to satisfy fan demands for Decepticons in the line, but this is mere supposition. It took more than a year until Sunstreaker would see shelves as originally intended.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Autobot/AltSunstreaker/sunstreaker.htm More information on ''Binaltech Asterisk'' Sunstreaker at TFU.info]''
{{AlternatorsSideswipeMold}}
{{-}}

===Alternators===

[[File:AlternatorsSunstreaker toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|When girls disappear, their cars gain racing stripes. This is SCIENTIFIC FACT.]]
*'''Sunstreaker''' (Autobot, 2005)
**''Alternator ID number:'' '''18'''
**''Accessories'': Engine-block rifle

:A few months later, the Hasbro ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]]'' version was released as part of the standard ''Alternators'' line, in the redesigned "bubble" packaging (the third version of ''Alternators'' packaging). Though both are yellow redecos of the mold, the detailing between the two is very different, with the Hasbro version being a direct color-swap of the paint mask previously used for Dead End, adding red to the robot mode parts as well as a pair of black racing stripes in car mode. Drastically put, the only two details virtually identical on both versions at first sight are the [[paint operation|paint mask]] for the head and the [[tampograph]]ed license plate. (This is particularly remarkable since a stolen [[prototype|pre-production sample]] of Hasbro Sunstreaker actually sported a license plate tampograph more in style with previous ''Alternators'' license plates, whereas the final version is dead on identical to the ''Binaltech Asterisk'' toy's tampo.)

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Autobot/AltSunstreaker/sunstreaker.htm More information on ''Alternators'' Sunstreaker at TFU.info]''
{{AlternatorsSideswipeMold}}
{{-}}

===Universe (2008)===
[[File:Sunstreakeruniverse2008toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|He's got Mirage's legs, and he knows how to use 'em better than Mirage does.]]
[[File:SunstreakerSideswipeSDCC2007.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|One of the cases where the end result turned out even ''better'' than the original idea. Well, except maybe for the weapon.]]
*'''Sunstreaker''' (Deluxe, 2008)
**''Series:'' Classics Series
**''Accessories:'' "Electron Pulse Blaster", engine supercharger intakes

:Part of the first wave of [[Transformers: Universe (2008 toyline)|2008 ''Universe'']] Deluxe Class toys, Sunstreaker transforms into a modified [[wikipedia:Lamborghini Gallardo|Lamborghini Gallardo]] (featuring a rear end that is basically a cross between a [[wikipedia:Lamborghini Murciélago|Murciélago]] and a [[wikipedia:Lamborghini Diablo|Diablo]], split side windows and door vents from the [[wikipedia:McLaren F1|McLaren F1]]). Like the original Sunstreaker's Lamborghini Countach form, the 2008 ''Universe'' vehicle mode features customized engine supercharger intakes mounted just behind the roof of the car. Sunstreaker's license plate is [[tampograph]]ed "WE R 84", referring to the year the ''Transformers'' franchise was launched. (Early Hasbro [[prototype]]s of ''Universe'' Sunstreaker had the [[license plate]] say "WE R 8'''2'''" instead.<ref name="unisunstreaker1">[http://www.tfw2005.com/resources/universe-classics-20-autobots-262/sunstreaker-1596/ Various Hasbro stock photos for ''Universe'' Sunstreaker], all featuring a "WE R 82" license plate.</ref><ref name="uniprowl2">[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-toy-discussion/185434-classics-henkei-sunstreaker-prowl-comparison-pictures.html Scans from ''Dengeki Hobby Magazine''], also depicting ''Universe'' Sunstreaker with a "WE R 82" license plate.</ref>)

:Like many other new-sculpt ''Universe'' toys, Sunstreaker has a "dramatic head reveal" when transforming him to robot mode: when his chest is rotated into place, his head rises into position and his ears spring out. In robot mode, his supercharger engine accessory can be attached to his back, but it can also be attached to the "Electron Pulse Blaster" to create a larger weapon by wrapping the intakes around it, and the gun can be mounted in either of the holes on his shoulders, though Sunstreaker's "ears" get in the way. Most of this is not shown in the [[instructions]], which only instruct the owner of the toy to put the gun in his hand and attach the supercharger to his back.

:Though not specifically a [[quality control]] issue, the yellow paint used for Sunstreaker's roof does not precisely match the bright yellow plastic used for his car body panel parts. The dark tinted windows cause the yellow paint to take on a greenish tinge.

:Sunstreaker uses the same base mold as ''Universe'' [[Sideswipe (G1)/toys#Universe (2008)|Sideswipe]], but with his robot mode turned 180 degrees at the waist, and factory-swapped fists. Hasbro's early plans for Sunstreaker and Sideswipe had the two as straight [[redeco]]/retools of each other using the hood-chest configuration. [[TakaraTomy]] designer [[Hisashi Yuki]] suggested turning the upper body 180 degrees, making Sunstreaker's robot mode resemble his [[The Transformers (toyline)|Generation 1]] design more.<ref name="generations2009">Interview with Hisashi Yuki in [[Transformers Generations 2009|''Transformers Generations 2009'' vol. 1]], [http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-news-rumors/223379-takaratomy-staff-interview-generations-2009-vol-1-translation.html English translation] at TFW2005.</ref> Based on the release order, Sunstreaker is considered the original iteration of the sculpt and Sideswipe the [[retool]], even though the two were designed concurrently. In addition, Hasbro originally intended the [[alternate mode]]'s supercharger to split into two halves which would then become the handgun and a spring-loaded shoulder launcher for the robot mode.

:The Sunstreaker/Sideswipe sculpt was also retooled into ''[[Transformers Timelines (toyline)|Timelines]]'' [[Punch (G1)#Timelines|Punch]], [[Breakdown (G1)#Timelines|''Generation 2'' Breakdown]], and [[Breakdown (G1)#G1TimelinesBreakdown|Generation 1 Breakdown]], as well as ''[[Henkei! Henkei! Transformers (toyline)|Henkei! Henkei!]]'' [[Red Alert (G1)/toys#Henkei! Henkei!|Alert]] and ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' [[Red Alert (G1)/toys#Generations|Red Alert]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/TFUSunstreaker/sunstreaker.htm More information on Universe Sunstreaker at TFU.info]''
{{UniverseSunstreakerMold}}

===Henkei! Henkei!===
[[File:Henkei Sunstreaker toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Gape at my awesome bling!]]
*'''Sunstreaker''' (Deluxe, [[2008]]-[[September 19|09-19]])
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-07'''
**''Accessories:'' "Electron Pulse Blaster", engine supercharger intakes

:TakaraTomy's ''[[Henkei! Henkei! Transformers (toyline)|Henkei! Henkei!]]'' version of ''Universe'' Sunstreaker is a redeco of Hasbro's release, featuring a deeper shade of yellow with a much greater consistency between the painted yellow roof and the yellow plastic than seen on ''Universe'' Sunstreaker. He also replaces some of the Universe figure's gray paint with black. The orange paint is replaced with red, and the maroon Autobot symbol is now the more standard red. Like all ''Henkei! Henkei!'' toys, he features [[vacuum metallizing|vacuum metallized]] plastic, including his Electron Pulse Blaster, his supercharger and his spoiler.
{{UniverseSunstreakerMold}}
{{-}}

===Kre-O===
[[File:KreO-Toy Sunstreaker.jpg|thumb|right|300px|]]
*'''Sunstreaker''' (Kreon Micro-Changer, 2014)
**''Collection'': '''''Age of Extinction'' Collection 2'''
**''Accessories'': Logo brick, scoped pistol

: Part of the sixth regular assortment of [[blindpacking|blind-bagged]] ''[[Kre-O]]'' [[Micro-Changer]]s, Sunstreaker is a [[Kreon]] minifigure that can be rebuilt into a race car with back-mounted "engine". While clearly based on the Generation 1 character, the details of his deco are much more based on the [[live-action film series|live-action movie]] style of bot. He sports [[Wheeljack (G1)/toys#Kre-O|Wheeljack]]'s helmet.

:Unlike prior Micro-Changer assortments, this series does not have any sort identification code for the bags' actual contents, meaning you'd best be good at the feel-though-the-bag method.

:This assortment was originally slated to be a [[Toys"R"Us|ToysЯUs]] [[exclusive]], but US stores dropped the line before its release. It was still available in Canada, Australia and Chinese/Asian markets. In 2015, the Collection appeared in US Dollar Tree stores, with a price tag of a whopping $1 a pop. They didn't last long.

{{-}}{{anchor|SDCC2014}}
*'''Kreon Class of 1984''' (Kreon figure set, 2014)
**''Accessories'': Wrist-blaster, 2 clip-on blasters

: This version of Sunstreaker, voted "Best Looking" by the [[Kreon Class of 1984]], has [[tampograph]] based heavily on the original toy. He even has a wrist-blaster to replicate the wrist-rocket of the original box art. He uses the [[Knock Out (Prime)#Kre-O|Knock Out]]-style helmet, with the sides painted yellow to replicate the original toy's side-vanes.

:He was only available in a pack of 30 Kreons dubbed "Class of 1984", a [[San Diego Comic-Con]] 2014 [[exclusive]]. Remaining stock was to be sold at [[Hasbro Toy Shop]] online, but there wasn't any leftover stock to sell after the show.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2014/Autobot/SDCCKre-OSunstreaker/sunstreaker.htm More information on Class of 1984 Sunstreaker at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

===Q-Transformers===
[[File:QTransformers Sunstreaker.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Hi. I'm fatter than you.]]
*'''Sunstreaker''' ([[2015]]-[[February 21|02-21]])
**''ID number:'' '''QT-12'''

:''[[Q-Transformers]]'' Sunstreaker transforms from a [[super deformed]] Mazda RX-7 FD3S to a cute little robot (though his legs, molded to resemble his usual footsies, still evoke a Lamborghini Countach hood). He comes with a code for unlocking Sunstreaker as a playable character in the ''[[Q-Transformers: Mystery of Convoy Returns (mobile game)|Q-Transformers: Mystery of Convoy Returns]]'' game.

:This mold was retooled into ''Q-Transformers'' [[Drift (G1)#Q-Transformers|Drift]].
{{-}}

===Generations===
[[File:CWDlxSunstreaker.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Insecticon companion sadly not included.]]
*'''Sunstreaker''' (Deluxe class, 2015)
**''Accessories:'' "highly polished cyber machete", double-barreled "high-yield electron pulse" cannon/fist/foot

: Part of the fourth wave of ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]] [[Combiner Wars (toyline)|Combiner Wars]]'' Deluxe class toys, Sunstreaker is a [[retool]] of ''Combiner Wars'' [[Breakdown (G1)#Generations|Breakdown]] sporting a brand new headsculpt. The hand/foot/gun can peg on top of the car mode to form an engine block, and can be either held in his hand or mounted on his back in robot mode via [[5mm post]]s. His other weapon can be held as either a sword or a gun in robot mode, and can peg into a slot in the side of his [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]]. Being a ''Combiner Wars'' figure, Sunstreaker can combine to form an arm or leg for any [[combiner]] from the ''Combiner Wars'' subline or any ''Unite Warriors'' Voyager class figure or into one of [[Godbomber#Legends|''Legends'' Godbomber's]] legs, but would usually be associated with [[Optimus Maximus (G1)#Generations|Optimus Maximus]]. He is also officially associated with [[Betatron]].

: Sunstreaker's original mold was also retooled as [[Jumpstream]] and [[Ravage (G1)/toys#BotCon2016|Ravage]].

: Sunstreaker comes with the comic book "[[The Onyx Interface Conclusion: The Obliterati]]". In Canada, Latin America, and Europe, he was available in different types of [[multilingual packaging]] including a character card featuring his comic book cover/[[package art]] instead. He and the last three waves of ''Combiner Wars'' Deluxe and Voyager figures later started showing up at TJ Maxx at reduced prices with the collector card.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2015/Autobot/CWSunstreaker/sunstreaker.htm More information on Combiner Wars Sunstreaker at TFU.info]''
{{CWBreakdownMold}}

{{--}}

===Unite Warriors===
[[File:TF-UW05-Sunstreaker.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Hi, I'm painted better than you.]]
*'''Convoy Grand Prime''' (Multi-pack, [[2016]]-[[February 27|02-27]])
**''Japanese ID number'': '''UW-05'''
**''Accessories'': Weapons, 4 Gun/Fist/Foots

:Takara's iteration of ''Combiner Wars'' Optimus Maximus is sold in a gift set including all five Autobots (minus the Rodimus mold). He has numerous changes in deco to better match his look in the Generation 1 cartoon.
{{CWBreakdownMold}}
{{-}}

===Masterpiece===
[[File:TF-MP-39-Sunstreaker.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]
* '''Sunstreaker''' (2017-12)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''MP-39'''
**''Accessories:'' Laser gun, flare gun, [[Chip Chase#Masterpiece|Chip Chase]] (with wheelchair), shouting alternate face, smiling alternative face, [[Attack of the Alien Robots|Alien Robot mask]], spare side mirrors

:''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' Sunstreaker transforms from robot to a licensed Lamborghini Countach LP500S mode, just like his brother [[Sideswipe_(G1)/toys#Masterpiece|Sideswipe]], but is a completely different mold.

:The rear electronic propulsion engine cover can be removed for a more realistic alt mode, and can either be kept on or removed during transformation. The rear combination taillights can be switched between realistic and toon modes. The doors and hood open. The front headlights can flip open too.

:Early magazine adverts showed him with a yellow spoiler, but this was later changed to a chrome spoiler.

:To preserve cartoon accuracy, the windows on the chest are "fake", however the main panel of the chest is formed by turning the roof of the car mode inside out, with the extra windows folding out from inside.<ref>[http://news.tfw2005.com/2017/05/23/takara-mp-39-masterpiece-clear-pictures-designer-team-interview-translation-339374 TFW2005.com: Takara MP-39 Masterpiece Clear Pictures, Designer Team Interview Translation]</ref>

:For accessories, he includes his two electron pulse guns, the larger of which can be stored on his backpack, the smaller can be stored inside an opening compartment on his leg (underneath the engine bay in car mode). In addition to the standard face, he comes with an additional smiling face and shouting face, and an alien mask from the episode "[[Hoist Goes Hollywood (episode)|Hoist Goes Hollywood]]"—for an additional homage to the episode he can stand on one leg too.

:Also included is a Chip Chase minifigure that can be removed from his wheelchair and placed on Sunstreaker's shoulders to recreate the episode "[[Roll for It]]".

{{--}}

{{Comingsoontoy}}

==Merchandise==

*'''Cybertron Hero Collection 22''' (Decoy multi-pack, 1985)

:In Japan, a red rubber mini-figure of Sunstreaker was available in part of a [[Decoy|massive multi-pack of similar mini-figurines]]. The number etched into his back is the sum total of his [[Tech Spec|tech spec]] ratings, as these figurines were used as game pieces for a variety of ''Transformers'' board games in which this number had some meaning to how the game was played or something. Sunstreaker mixes the [[Character model|cartoon model]] with elements from the original toy.


*'''Sunstreaker''' (Decoy, 1987)
**''Decoy number'': '''11'''

:The [[Hasbro]] [[Decoy]] release of the Sunstreaker game piece is almost identical to the Japanese version, except the number on his back is a simple "checklist" number. Like all Autobot Decoys, he was a randomly-chosen pack-in available with the carded [[Throttlebot]]s, [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]], and [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1986/Autobot/Decoys/Sunstreaker/sunstreaker.htm More information on Decoy Sunstreaker at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Titanium Series===
[[File:Titanium-toy RMSunstreaker.JPG|upright=1.1|thumb|Too good to be released, apparently.]]
*'''Sunstreaker''' (Robot Master, unreleased)
**''Accessories'': Engine-blaster, display stand

:A planned redeco of ''[[Titanium Series]]'' Side Swipe, which was based on Sideswipe's ''Alternators'' toy. Sunstreaker would have been partially constructed of die cast metal with limited articulation located in his shoulders and neck. His accessories would have been a removable engine blaster and an Autobot symbol display stand.

{{canceledtoy}}
{{-}}

===Robot Heroes===
[[File:RobotHeroes Galvatron Sunstreaker.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Hi, I'm cuter than you.]]
*'''Sunstreaker vs. Galvatron''' (2-pack, 2008)

:Part of the first wave of ''Universe'' [[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]] toys, Sunstreaker is an adorably sociopathic non-transforming figure articulated at the neck and shoulders. He was available only in a two-pack with [[Galvatron (G1)/toys|Galvatron]], making this the most mentally-unbalanced Robot Heroes set ''ever''.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Autobot/RHSunstreaker/sunstreaker.htm More information on ''Robot Heroes'' Sunstreaker at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===The Loyal Subjects===
[[File:Sunstreakertls.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Sadly, I'm too hard to find for everyone to know I'm better than them.]]
:[[The Loyal Subjects]] Sunstreaker is a Wave 3 chase figure with standard articulation. He is based on his original toy design, and has no special gimmicks. For every 24 figures, there is 1 Sunstreaker.
{{-}}

==Notes==
[[File:Sunstreaker-diaclone.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Before he was a Transformer.]]
*According to Hasbro, the pre-''Transformers'' ''[[Diaclone]]'' version of Sunstreaker was the first transforming car-to-robot toy ever designed, namely by [[Kōjin Ōno]].<ref name="hof2010">[http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/movie-news/TRANSFORMERS-HALL-OF-FAME-INAUGURAL-MEMBERS.cfm Hasbro press release for the 2010 Transformers Hall of Fame inductees]</ref> His alternate mode, a modified Lamborghini Countach with a rear-mounted supercharger engine, is actually based on an older [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] toy from their ''[[Microman]]'' line, the "Cosmo Countach" from 1978, which could also transform, albeit only into a weird half-robot, half-car hybrid.<ref name="cosmo">[http://www5e.biglobe.ne.jp/~mikuro/sub1-6.htm The Cosmo Countach, Sunstreaker's ancestor]</ref><ref name="spencer">[http://www.spencer1984.com/serendipity/index.php?/archives/49-Sunstreaker-The-Missing-Link.html Spencer 1984 discovers the connection between the Cosmo Countach and Diaclone Sunstreaker]</ref> The ''Diaclone'' version of Sunstreaker, officially called Lamborghini Countach LP500S "Super Tuning", was originally only available in red and black/white police decos. This is one of several items that have led to the fan speculation that Sunstreaker and Sideswipe's colorations and [[bio]] texts were swapped around before their final release. Another fctor being that, according to his ''[[The Transformers Universe|Transformers Universe]]'' profile, Sunstreaker feels that Sideswipe's design is "spoiled by the rear-mounted engine in his automobile mode", when in fact Sunstreaker is the one with said engine. The fact that the engine ends up on his back in robot mode could be the inspiration for the "rocket backpack" from Sideswipe's bio. Finally, Sunstreaker's spring-loaded missile-launching forearms are more reminiscent of "powerful pile drivers" as mentioned in Sideswipe's bio. This would also explain the why the shoulder mounted "rocket boosters" had a collapsible connector peg to allow them to attach to the arm: they would have been the pile driver heads. The [[Tech Spec|statistics]], however, are correct. This change would also explain Sunstreaker's otherwise inexplicable red shoulders/car panel decals, which were originally used to cover up the black plastic on the red Diaclone version.
**Unlike the red and police versions of Diaclone Sunstreaker, there is little evidence of yellow Sunstreakers packaged as Transformers wearing the factory decals representing his park lights (assumed to be headlights by most).
*The red ''[[Diaclone]]'' version of Sunstreaker was sold by [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] in North America as the ''[[Diakron]]'' "DK-1" Car/Robot in 1983, seemingly just a few months before he would be rebranded as a Transformer.
*In 2003, an entry for a ''[[The Transformers: Generation One Commemorative Series|Commemorative Series]]'' "Sunstreaker" [[Generation 1 reissues|reissue]] was found in Canadian and Australian [[Toys"R"Us]] computers. The public Canadian Toys"R"Us website later even illustrated their listing with a non-[[stock photography|official photo]] of the Generation 1 Sunstreaker toy lifted straight off a [http://www.ggaub.com/tf/toy.html fan's website], complete with watermark. Ultimately, however, the listings for "Sunstreaker" transformed into listings for ''Commemorative Series'' [[Ricochet (Headmasters)|Ricochet]], leading to some confusion among fans.
* A mock-up of a "Sunstreaker Police Type" redeco of the 2008 ''Universe'' Sunstreaker mold, an homage to the ''Diaclone'' toy pictured above, was shown in ''[[Transformers Generations 2014]]'' Vol. 1 as one of ten potential exclusives for Vol. 2. The mock-up promised that the final product would feature a lightbar, presumably the one from the [[Red Alert (G1)#Henkei! Henkei!|''Henkei!'' Alert]] version of the mold. In the end it didn't win the poll to determine which of the ten would be produced, receiving only 3.8% of the fan votes.<ref>[http://millionhero.sblo.jp/article/101898683.html Poll results at Hero-X]</ref>

==References==
<references/>

[[Category:Alternators Autobots]]
[[Category:Binaltech Asterisk characters]]
[[Category:Classics Autobots]]
[[Category:Combiner Wars]]
[[Category:Combiners]]
[[Category:Convention exclusives]]
[[Category:Decoys]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Henkei! Henkei! Autobots]]
[[Category:Kre-O Autobots]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Mail order items]]
[[Category:Masterpiece]]
[[Category:Q-Transformers characters]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Titanium Series]]
[[Category:Unite Warriors Autobots]]
[[Category:United Autobots]]
[[Category:Universe (2008)]]

Raf Esquivel

2017-10-09T00:51:46Z

HailMegatron: /* Notes */

:''Raf Esquivel is an [[Autobot]]-allied [[human]] from the [[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|Prime]] portion of the [[Aligned continuity family]].''
[[File:Raf stockimage.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|{{w|Esquivel!}}]]
He's the quiet, forgotten child of large family, and he goes into "the zone" whenever he sees technology. You'd think he'd be constantly getting wedgies from nearby punks and biker kids, but no! '''Rafael "Raf" Jorge Gonzales Esquivel''' is, in fact, best mates with [[Miko Nakadai]] and [[Jack Darby]]! Even more incredible, he's best mates with [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]], a [[Autobot|robot car from outer space]], and since other Autobots like [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] are unfamiliar with human technology, he's called on at [[Autobot Outpost Omega One]] to use his know-how to save the world!

When you were twelve years old, you ''wished'' you were Raf.

(Okay, he's twelve and a ''quarter''. A very big quarter! He's very specific about that.)

==Fiction==
===''Prime'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Andy Pessoa]] (English), [[Motoko Kumai]] (Japanese)|[[Diana Torres]] (Spain-Spanish), [[Do-hyeong Nam]] (Korean), [[Davide Garbolino]] (Italian), [[Christian Zeiger]] (German), [[Alan García]] (Latin American Spanish), [[Alex Minei]] (Brazilian Portuguese), [[Aarni Hyökki]] (Finnish)}}
[[File:OutHead-Very large family.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"That's a Foe-Glass. Lets me keep an eye on my enemies."]]
Born into a large family, Raf has often felt like the smallest member and been ignored by older family members even if he were shouting for attention. {{storylink|Out of His Head}} He has been able to understand digital code since he was three. {{storylink|Raf's Notes}}

[[File:DarknessRising1-RafRC.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|Who needs parental supervision?]]
Raf was playing with his radio-controlled car in a dry drainage canal when he got a call from his mother, and he promised he'd come home after another five minutes. Playtime was interrupted shortly when Jark Darby executed a motorcycle leap into the canal. Raf was impressed by that, but more so when the motorcycle turned out to be an alien robot in disguise. [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]] fought against two [[Decepticon]]s and was soon joined by [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]], who accidentally crushed Raf's toy underfoot. Raf wasn't too upset by the loss, and when Bumblebee was subsequently pinned down by the Decepticons, Raf courageously yelled at them to leave Bumblebee alone. He and Jack then fled up a storm drain as the Decepticons came after them, but his distraction helped the Autobots eventually win the battle.

After [[Memorial High School|school]] the next day, Jack approached Raf and suggested they keep the whole thing to themselves. It wasn't that easy, as Bumblebee picked that moment to drive up to take Raf back to base. Raf was able to understand Bumblebee's buzzing, and he pointed out the nearby Arcee, who had come for Jack. At base, he, Jack and their friend [[Miko Nakadai|Miko]] marveled at [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] and [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] before [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] briefed them on the ongoing Autobot/Decepticon war. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 1}} When an alarm went off, Raf translated Bumblebee's statement that it was a proximity alert. He, Jack and Miko hid to avoid being seen by Agent [[William Fowler|Fowler]], who was paying a visit to complain to Prime about recent Autobot activities.

A signal sent most of the Autobots rushing off on a mission, leaving the three kids with Ratchet. Raf made himself useful by helping the medical bot get the silo's aging computer system to work. Once the mission was over, Raf realised it was getting late and he was going to be grounded for a month if he didn't get home, so Optimus assigned Bumblebee to take him back and watch over him. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 2}}

Bumblebee and Raf were delayed getting back to the base because they stopped off to play a video game (which Raf lost). When they finally got there, Optimus promptly left on a mission with Ratchet, and Arcee and Bumblebee further abandoned the kids, leaving them with Bulkhead. Raf attempted to join in Miko's attempt to form a band by offering to play samples on his laptop. Another visit by Fowler resulted in the federal agent being captured by the Decepticons, and Raf used his hacking skills to locate Fowler. After Bulkhead departed to try and deal with it, Jack and Raf realized that Miko had sneaked after the Autobot. They used the [[GroundBridge]] to join the pair, arriving near the [[Trypticon (WFC)|Decepticon ship]], where they were spotted by sentries. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 3}}

[[File:DarknessRising4-Rafconsoled.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"Come on, Raf, you knew Stargate had to end some day."]]
Bulkhead rescued the pair while they were under fire and dropped them off behind some cover before heading into the ship. Unfortunately, the pair were spotted by the Decepticons a short time later and found themselves being carried to the brig. Arcee and Bumblebee rescued them both, and the combined group found Bulkhead and Miko. The kids soon discovered that the middle of a battle—especially between giant robots—is not the healthiest place to be. The Autobots cleared out a room for them to hide in, but Jack and Miko began arguing as soon as the 'bots left. Raf became upset, and the other two had to console him, but his fears were soon forgotten when Jack pointed out an important-looking computer display. Raf's flash drive proved useless when he couldn't find a USB port, and they were interrupted by a Decepticon anyway. While Raf was fetching his backpack, the Decepticon spotted him and opened fire. He was only saved by Jack tackling him behind a Decepticon corpse. The kids legged it, and Bulkhead handily picked that moment to turn up and deal with the Decepticon. Back at the Autobot base, Jack decided to opt out of the exciting new life they'd found, and he suggested Raf do likewise, but Raf was content to stay put. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 4}}

[[File:DarknessRising5-RafSoundwave.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|Allow me to be the Peter Parker to your Doctor Octopus.]]
After the Autobots went to try and prevent Megatron from using his space bridge, they discovered that the Decepticon ship no longer had the ability to target the space bridge on Cybertron. Raf suggested that the Decepticons must be using the [[Giant Sized Array]] radio telescope in [[Texas]] for targeting. He attempted to hack into the installation's computer, but found that the computers there were too secure. At Jack's suggestion, he, Jack and Miko bridged to the array and accessed it via a computer in a spare room. Raf found he was able to download the space bridge plans, and when the Decepticons diverted the dishes, he could redirect them again. Unfortunately, [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] was in the next room, and he sent a tentacle to attack them. Though Raf was determined to keep working, he was knocked aside. Soundwave set the dishes to target Cybertron and disabled the computer. The three kids ran into the room in time to see Soundwave leaving and discover his handiwork. Back at base, Raf supplied Ratchet with the space bridge plans so he could instruct the other Autobots on how to sabotage the bridge. Raf was later present to welcome the Autobots back from their space battle. {{storylink|Darkness Rising, Part 5}}

To cover for his visits to the Autobot base, Raf told his mom that he'd joined the Computer Club. {{storylink|Raf's Notes}} Raf decided on building a model volcano as a science project for school, though initial tests resulted in an explosion that rocked the Autobot base. He and Bumblebee continued work on it until Bumblebee had to leave on a mission, and Ratchet decided to "assist". Ratchet ended up building a large metal volcano, which blew a hole in the roof when Raf presented it at school. {{storylink|Masters & Students}} He had to stay behind to help repair the damage, which took more than a little explaining. {{storylink|Raf's Notes}}

[[File:Scrapheap-adorableScraplet.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|It's not dangerous enough to go alone. Take this.]]
The kids arrived at base one Saturday just as Optimus and Arcee were heading off to the [[Arctic]] on a mission. Raf was keen to go as well, having never seen snow, but Optimus told him it would be too dangerous. Disappointed, Raf went to play "being in the Arctic" in a base corridor, where he stumbled on a [[Scraplet]]. Raf was enchanted by the little creature and took it back to the control room, where it attacked Bumblebee and Raf had to smash it to death with a crowbar. The Autobots realised the base was infected, and Raf teamed up with Bumblebee as they hunted for more Scraplets. They found some, only for Bumblebee to be attacked. Returning to the control room, they were set upon by ''more'' Scraplets, and Raf helped Jack and Miko get them off the 'bots. With time running out, the three kids repaired an [[energon]] fuel line so Ratchet could get the GroundBridge working again and send the Scraplets to the Arctic. Afterwards, the kids helped repair the damaged Autobots. {{storylink|Scrapheap (episode)|Scrapheap}}

With the arrival of [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]], the Autobots decided to party. Miko brought out her electric guitar and encouraged Raf to try some moves. He responded by reluctantly breaking into The Robot, which Bumblebee proceeded to copy. When Wheeljack was found out as a Decepticon impostor, Raf and Jack watching in alarm as he took Miko hostage. Following the return of the real Wheeljack and the impostor's ejection, the Autobots had another party, during which Raf busted out his disco moves. He, Miko and Jack later saw Wheeljack off when the Autobot returned to space. {{storylink|Con Job}}

When the Autobots helped Fowler move a hi-tech device, the kids observed their progress from base with Ratchet. The [[Dynamic Nuclear Generation System]] was in danger of being captured by [[MECH]], and Raf was able to pinpoint the exact position of the train it was on so Ratchet could GroundBridge Jack and Miko on board. He followed that up by hacking into the rail system and changing some points to send the train down a different track, however the MECH guys responded by overloading his laptop. {{storylink|Convoy (episode)|Convoy}} Ratchet later helped him fix it. {{storylink|Raf's Notes|Raf's Notes #5}}

When the Autobots discovered that an [[Energon Harvester]] was possibly on Earth, Raf used his [[Internet]] search skills to trace it to a museum. Miko roped Jack and Raf into helping to steal it. The three of them GroundBridged into the museum on a scissor lift and set about dislodging the device from the statue holding it. However, during their getaway, Miko was grabbed by a [[museum security guard|security guard]] and Raf and Jack ran into Soundwave. Back at base, Raf continued their attempts to contact Fowler so they could retrieve Miko. {{storylink|Deus ex Machina}}

[[File:SpeedMetal-RafMikolying.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|It would seem that the Autobots aren't the only ones who go into '[[robot mode]]' under pressure.]]
Miko and Raf heard all about Jack's race with [[Vince]] at school, and congratulated him when he reached the Autobot base. He swore them both to secrecy. After Vince challenged Jack to another race but Arcee refused to take part, Jack tried to convince Raf to let him take Bumblebee instead. Raf was uncertain it was a good idea, but Miko managed to convince him. He and Miko were later playing a computer game when Arcee wondered where Jack was, and they failed to cover for their friend. When Optimus asked where everyone else was, they completely failed to keep that secret too. {{storylink|Speed Metal}}

[[File:OutHead-Notonlyones.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Raf finally got to see snow!]]
After Optimus was struck down with a [[Cybonic plague]] and Arcee and Bumblebee infiltrated the Decepticon ship, the three kids watched Ratchet monitor the pair's progress. Raf was particularly concerned when Arcee patched Bumblebee into the comatose Megatron's mind in an attempt to find a cure for the plague. {{storylink|Sick Mind}} Raf was a spectator for the subsequent basketball game between Bulkhead and Bumblebee, but was surprised at some of Bumblebee's behavior during the game. When Bumblebee failed to pick Raf up for school, Raf rang Jack. Back at base, it turned out that Bumblebee was having visions of Megatron, and Ratchet had to induce a power-down mode. Raf stayed to keep his friend company, chatting about how he was saving up for a new laptop and showing off a picture of his family to Ratchet. Raf followed Bumblebee to the control room after the Autobot spontaneously reactivated and disappeared into the GroundBridge. It transpired that Bumblebee had been possessed by Megatron, though Megatron's control was not great enough that Bumblebee couldn't prevent him from injuring Raf. Raf insisted on accompanying Ratchet, and they followed Bumblebee through the GroundBridge to the Decepticon ship, where they found Bumblebee in the process of transferring Megatron's mind back to his comatose body. Though the pair tried their best, and Raf even managed to get Bumblebee to break free from Megatron's control, ultimately, Megatron returned to his body, and the trio were forced to retreat. Back at base, Bumblebee thanked Raf for helping him. {{storylink|Out of His Head}}

[[File:Shadowzone-shadow.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|left]]
When Miko seemed totally disinterested in a mission the Autobots were going on, Jack and Raf suspected she was up to something, and sure enough, she made a break for the GroundBridge. Jack and Raf were forced to follow her through and ended up on the battlefield. Once the Autobots spotted the trio, Ratchet ordered them to return through the bridge, however interference from a Decepticon GroundBridge caused a disruption. When they came to, the children found that the Autobots couldn't see or hear them, and Raf theorized that the three kids were sent to an alternate dimension he dubbed the [[shadowzone (dimension)|shadowzone]] (Miko's response was basically NERD!). Unable to be seen or heard by the Autobots, they were pursued by [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]] who had been resurrected as a zombie by Starscream. Raf tripped while fleeing and almost lost his glasses, without which he was blind as a bat, but Miko retrieved them for him. The kids were eventually able to take advantage of the fact that Miko had dropped her phone at the base, and sent a text message to it. They also attempted to use Starscream's severed arm to fend off Skyquake, but only succeeded in dislodging the zombie's arm, which began chasing them. They escaped back to the real world through a portal created by Ratchet. {{storylink|Shadowzone (episode)|Shadowzone}}

Raf was at the Autobot base when Jack and Arcee brought [[June Darby|Jack's mom]] in to introduce her to everyone. {{storylink|Crisscross}} He and Miko had a wild ride to the base in Bulkhead, but after they realized that Jack's mom was there, Raf assured her that he and Miko had been wearing their seat belts. He hung out at base while Bulkhead and Arcee went on a mission to retrieve a [[polarity gauntlet]], and later admired Bulkhead's new battle scars. {{storylink|Metal Attraction}}

Ratchet tested out some new synthetic energon while Raf watched. It was such a success that Raf was ready to try it on Bumblebee, but Ratchet warned that it needed further testing before they could try it on an Autobot. A short time after the other Autobots went out on a mission, Raf found Ratchet unconscious on the floor, having tried the synthetic energon on himself, and managed to wake the Autobot. When Arcee got into trouble, Ratchet left Raf in charge of the GroundBridge and went out to help. The Autobots soon returned to base, and Ratchet fondly picked up Raf for a moment. {{storylink|Stronger, Faster}}

In their spare time, the kids would track down pictures of the Autobots on conspiracy web sites, so Raf could hack in and replace them with pictures of lolcats. Raf rode in Bumblebee to play with his remote-controlled car, but first Bumblebee was called to a battle, and then they were attacked by Megatron. A burst of energon from Megatron's cannon struck Bumblebee, infecting Raf with Dark Energon and leaving him in a dire state. The Autobots took him back to base, where Ratchet and June Darby fought to save his life. After Ratchet discovered the nature of the energon infecting Raf, he gave the boy an infusion of real energon, and Raf finally began to recover. {{storylink|One Shall Fall}}

Raf was looking somewhat more perkier by the time they rescued Optimus from Megatron, however June still felt it necessary to take Raf to a real hospital, and she didn't intend on letting Raf return to the Autobots afterwards. Raf sadly watched Bumblebee from June's car as they left. The car didn't get very far before they were almost struck by lightning, and then the car was sucked towards a nearby tornado. Bumblebee came to the pair's rescue, pulling them out of the car before it was pulled into the tornado, and returning them to base where the Autobots worked out that [[Unicron]] was behind all the strange natural disasters now plaguing Earth. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 1}}

The humans listened as the Autobots battled giant stone Unicrons, and as Megatron arrived to offer to help the Autobots defeat Unicron. When Miko and Jack wondered about extracting Unicron's from the [[Earth's core]], Raf pointed out that Unicron ''was'' the Earth's core. The humans concealed themselves as Megatron arrived, but Raf was unable to stop himself running out to confront the Decepticon leader, and had to be restrained by the others. The humans all watched the Autobots and Megatron step through the GroundBridge into Earth's core. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 2}}

Ratchet told the kids about Optimus back when he was Orion Pax, and how he got the Matrix. Miko and Raf were both concerned when they lost the Autobots' signals. The kids all took shelter underneath Ratchet when the ground started shaking, but were overjoyed when it turned out Prime's team had succeeded. They welcomed the Autobots back, but were shocked by the loss of Optimus, who had become amnesiac. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 3}}

When it was determined that they would need to somehow get to Cybertron, Miko suggested using the GroundBridge, but Raf pointed out that it could barely reach orbit, so unless Ratchet somehow souped it up, it wouldn't work. He later saw Ratchet working on it, though Ratchet claimed to merely be tinkering. Raf was also at base after the Autobots failed to stop the Decepticons from stealing a power supply for a space bridge. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 1}} Raf assisted Ratchet in testing the modified GroundBridge, and when the test failed, he tried to cheer up the despondent Autobot with an inspiring tale of overcoming adversity. As Jack prepared to leave for Cybertron, Raf asked him to pick up a souvenir. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 2}} Raf and the others monitored Jack's progress from base, until he returned with the Autobots and a restored Optimus Prime. During the reunion, Raf gave Bumblebee a hug. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 3}}

Raf was impressed by Bumblebee's recounted adventures. After his Autobot partner lost his [[transformation cog|T-cog]], Raf tried to cheer him up, but as all the entertainment he had revolved around cars, it made things worse. Ratchet later had to pick Raf up from school, and Raf asked the medic about how Bumblebee lost his voice. {{storylink|Operation Bumblebee, Part 1}} Raf stayed by Bumblebee's bedside until he recovered from a fall. He and the other kids hung around for an attempted transplant, and subsequently covered for Bumblebee when he went to get his cog back. {{Storylink|Operation Bumblebee, Part 2}}

The kids were racing toy cars when Fowler reported being attacked by Optimus. They stuck around as Optimus returned and it turned out he was being impersonated by a [[Nemesis Prime (Prime)|MECH creation]]. {{storylink|Nemesis Prime (episode)|Nemesis Prime}} After the ''Nemesis'' became sentient, the kids GroundBridged aboard with Fowler to try and download the Iacon database. When they learned the ship was heading for [[New York City]] and Fowler was rendered unconscious, they headed for the power core. Miko and Raf ended up playing hide and seek with one of the ship's manipulator arms while Jack worked on reversing the energon flow. After succeeding, they high-tailed it back to the GroundBridge. {{storylink|Flying Mind}}

Raf was present as the Autobots started out on their missions to find the four relics. {{storylink|Tunnel Vision}} {{storylink|Toxicity}} He operated the GroundBridge so the Autobots could head out. {{storylink|Triangulation}} While he was waiting at base, Ratchet contacted him to prepare a virus to be implanted in Laserbeak. Raf quickly created one and uploaded it to Ratchet, and as a result, once Soundwave returned to the ''Nemesis'', the Iacon database was transmitted back to the mainframe in the Autobot base. Raf gave Ratchet the good news once the Autobot reached the base, but their mood was spoiled when Bulkhead was flung back through the GroundBridge. {{storylink|Triage (episode)|Triage}} {{storylink|Toxicity}} He watched as Ratchet tried to revive the Wrecker. {{storylink|Hurt}}

While surfing the Internet replacing pictures of Bumblebee with a tap-dancing monkey, Raf found an image of a crashing Cybertronian escape pod. While the Autobots brought back [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]] from that mission, Raf later found a picture of [[Red Energon]], sending them off yet again. {{storylink|New Recruit}} His falling grades resulted in [[Raf's mom|his mom]] grounding him, and he rang Jack to let the Autobots know. When they inevitably required his help, the Autobots GroundBridged Fowler, Jack and Miko into his bedroom to get him to hack into a [[Project Damocles]] satellite. Though the Decepticons attempted to target his house with the satellite, he succeeded in using its thrusters to bring it out of orbit before having to convince his mom that he and his friends were a study group. {{storylink|The Human Factor}} As the Decepticons had discovered the location of his house, Raf's family was forced to move. {{storylink|Legacy (episode)|Legacy}}

Soon after the three kids learned that the Autobots were preparing to return to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], they were kidnapped from outside their school by the Decepticons, and taken to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] for use as hostages. {{storylink|Regeneration (Prime)|Regeneration}} Bumblebee exchanged an [[Omega Key]] for Raf, and they later returned to Earth after the destruction of the [[Omega Lock]]. With the Autobot base under threat from the Decepticons, Bumblebee and Raf left through the GroundBridge together for elsewhere in the United States. {{storylink|Darkest Hour (episode)|Darkest Hour}}

While on the run, Raf and Bumblebee have the Autobot's paint job redone to fool the searching Decepticons. They headed for Jasper to meet up with the others. {{storylink|Darkmount, NV}} Raf's websurfing hit paydirt when he found a photo of Ratchet, leading the pair to the medic hiding in a junkyard. They tried to convince him to help them get the ''[[Harbinger]]''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> systems working, but in the end left him there. They tried working on the derelict themselves only for Ratchet to arrive, having had a change of heart. {{storylink|Scattered}} They were eventually joined by most of the rest of the team, who had been rounded up by the newly arrived [[Ultra Magnus (WFC)|Ultra Magnus]]. {{storylink|Prey (episode)|Prey}} Raf stayed behind at the ''Harbinger'' while the Autobots executed their attack on the Decepticons' fortress. He cheered upon learning that Optimus Prime returned at the battle's zenith. After the destruction Darkmount, Raf was thanked on behalf of the United States government for his involvement in saving the world by agent Fowler. {{storylink|Rebellion (Prime)|Rebellion}}

The kids were surprised to learn that the creatures of myth were actually [[Predacon (Prime)|Predacon]]s sent to Earth by the Decepticons. {{storylink|Project Predacon}} Raf seemed amused by the fact that Fowler was blatantly trying to pick up Jack's mom, and while the pair were away trying to obtain a Predacon bone, Raf mostly played video games and slyly hinted to Jack that June Darby and Fowler were maybe having dinner together or enjoying a movie. {{storylink|Plus One (Prime)|Plus One}}

While Raf, Miko and Jack watched Ratchet repair Ultra Magnus's hand, the topic of Bumblebee's voice box came up. Raf explained to Miko that Bumblebee still missed the sound of his own, original voice, and longed for it to be restored. Later, all three children watched the Autobots interrogate Soundwave from a distance, and were deafened by the captured Decepticon's sonic assault. Thankfully, they were out of harm's way by the time Laserbeak broke in to free its master. {{storylink|Minus One}}

Following Ratchet's capture by the Decepticons, Raf and Wheeljack used a piece of Laserbeak to construct a [[Chip|flying drone]] in the hope it would lead them to the Decepticon warship. {{storylink|Persuasion}} Though the plan to find the warship didn't pan out due to the probe's destruction, Ratchet was able to contact them and provide them with coordinates. Raf operated the GroundBridge, allowing the Autobots to head through to storm the ''Nemesis''. {{storylink|Synthesis}} After Jack came up with a plan to help the Autobots, Raf gamely bridge him and Miko aboard the ''Nemesis'' before engineering a GroundBridge interaction that trapped Soundwave in the shadowzone. Following the capture of the ship, Raf was surprised to hear Bumblebee's restored voice. He, Miko and Jack accompanied the Autobots to Cybertron where they used the Omega Lock to restore the planet. Back on Earth, the kids received the news that they were going to be part of Unit:E, and Raf bid farewell to Bumblebee before the Autobots departed for their home world. {{storylink|Deadlock}}

===Eaglemoss ''Prime'' Comics===
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|On Thin Ice}} {{storylink|King of the Road}} {{storylink|Friend or Foe?}} {{storylink|Horrible TV}} {{storylink|Cell}}}}

===Titan ''Prime'' comic===
[[File:Titan4.1 Raf checks out Safe.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|OMG, SQUEE! Are there death rays?!]]
Raf was particularly impressed with the [[Safe]], a training room Ratchet set up in a lower-level of the base. When the Autobots accidentally uncovered a live nuke in the process of testing the room, Raf was left with Ratchet to work out how to defuse it and as Raf was the expert on Earth technology, Ratchet deferred the problem to him. After a moment's panic, Raf correctly identified the type of timer mechanism and reprogrammed it to count upwards, giving them vastly more time to do something about the bomb itself. After Fowler and a team of scientists arrived to deal with the missile, Ratchet suggested that Raf and Bulkhead design a new Safe, and Raf's first idea was a popup Megatron target range. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.1|The Safe and the Failsafe}}

When the Autobots took the kids to [[Valley of Fire State Park]], Raf read up on the area from the park guidebook and impressed the others with his knowledge, though he thought it made him sound geeky. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.2|War Story}} While the Autobots decorated their base for [[Christmas]], Raf and Bumblebee played video games together. Optimus had to take Bumblebee and Ratchet with him, leaving Arcee and Bulkhead at base with the kids, and Raf suggested they try to find something they had in common. When this didn't go well, Jack asked what plan B was, and Raf suggested [[Jenga]]. Eventually the two Autobots settled on ice skating, and they turned the base into an ice rink. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.3|Ice Breaker}}

[[File:Titan4.4 Raf opens GroundBridge.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|Also, braaaaaaaains.]]
Raf got hold of the latest video game ''[[Invasionauts II]]''. He played it for three hours with Bulkhead before the Decepticon coding implanted in it hypnotised him and got him to open the [[GroundBridge]] to a location near the [[Grand Canyon]] so that hordes of [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] could flood through. Once Jack and Miko managed to snap him out of his trance, he turned the GroundBridge into a loopback, sucking the Decepticons back through, and resolved to avoid playing video games for a while. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.4|Tinker, Tailor, Gamer, Spy!}}

Upon hearing that several schools in Jasper County had been destroyed, Raf was left unimpressed by one of Miko's jokes; she though it was too bad that their school wasn't among those which had mysteriously blown up. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.5|School Is... Out!}}

After Bulkhead went missing, Raf, Jack and Miko accompanied the Autobots on a trip to the Decepticon warship to find their friend. Raf was able to override the [[Ultra Prison]] that Bulkhead was being held in. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.11|The Battle for Bulkhead}}

After Bumblebee was injured during a battle in [[The Wave]], Raf accompanied him back to base. Raf figured that cartoons would be best, and the pair fell asleep while watching ''[[Mummies Have Feelings II]]''. [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]]'s remote-controlled hand climbed out of Bumblebee's chest and, despite Raf's initial assumption that he was hallucinating, proved real enough to try to kill the scout. Raf taped a firework from [[Miko's Party Kit]] to the disembodied hand and launched it into the sky, leaving his next task to explain to the newly arrived Miko why he was setting off her fireworks. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.12|The Evil Shred}}

Following a mission where the Autobots rescued some hostages from the Decepticons, who had taken over the studio for the game show ''[[Down and Out]]'', Raf, Jack and Miko enjoyed watching footage of Optimus and Bulkhead's bumbling attempts to stop [[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] and [[Breakdown (WFC)|Breakdown]]. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.14|It's a Knock-Out}}

{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.16|Fury from the Deep}} {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.17|Collider Scope}} {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.18|Power Outage}}}}
{{-}}

==Commercial appearances==
*Raf was weirded out by [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]], [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]], [[My Little Pony|ponies]], and an [[wikipedia:Strawberry Shortcake|underage baker]] singing Christmas carols. {{storylink|Commercial/Prime#Carolers1|The Hub Carolers}}
*Raf declared that [[wikipedia:Time Warner Cable|Time Warner Cable]]'s ability to transmit ''Transformers: Prime'' on [[Raf's media device|home computer, tablet, and smartphone platforms]] was superior to Megatron. {{storylink|Commercial/Prime#Time Warner|Time Warner Cable: Competition}}
{{--}}

== Games ==
=== ''Transformers: Prime - The Game'' ===
{{voiceactor|[[Andy Pessoa]] (English)}}
{{charstubgame|{{storylink|Transformers: Prime - The Game}}}}

===''Transformers Prime: Pulsar Defense''===
When the Decepticons constructed an [[Energon Drain]] in an asteroid field, Jack, Raf, Miko, and the Autobots countered it by building a [[Pulsar Dish]] from debris. While the dish was under construction, Bumblebee and Raf could help out by causing more power-ups to drift towards the dish. {{storylink|Transformers Prime: Pulsar Defense}}
{{-}}

==Toys==
===Prime===
{{anchor|NewYork}}
[[File:Primetoy-JackRafNYCC.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|Raf had to hunt far and wide for a New York-themed sweater vest.]]
*'''Bumblebee and Arcee, Includes Raf Esquivel and Jack Darby''' (NYCC 2011 exclusive)
**''Accessories:'' Stand

:The [[Jack Darby]] and Raf Esquivel figurines were [[redeco]]ed in New York-themed shirts and came with redecoed figures of [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] and [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]]. They were sold exclusively at [[New York Comic Con|New York Comic Con 2011]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2011/Autobot/NYCCRafEsquivel/rafesquivel.htm More information on NYCC Raf at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

{{anchor|EntertainmentPack}}
[[File:Primetoy-JackMikoRaf.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|Where's my mouth?]]
*'''Optimus Prime vs Megatron: A Rivalry Reborn''' (Entertainment Pack, 2011)
**''Accessories:'' Stand

:A PVC figurine of Raf comes with figurines of [[Jack Darby]] and [[Miko Nakadai]], as well as Deluxe-Class toys of [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]]. As with the other two figures, Raf's head can turn and he can be removed from his stand.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2011/Autobot/RafEsquivel/rafesquivel.htm More information on Raf at TFU.info]''
{{--}}

==Notes==
*Raf told [[Raf's mom|his mother]] that he joined the Computer Club to explain where he goes after school all the time.<ref name="notes1">[[Raf's Notes]] #1</ref>
*Even Raf doesn't know why he understands Bumblebee. He just makes perfect sense.<ref name="notes1" /> The series never explained it in its three-year run.
*He probably was named after [[Rafael Ruthchild]], one of the show's producers.
*Raf is the least seen and heard of the main three human allies of the Autobots.
*Although Bumblebee would later [[Pilot (Part 1)|return to Earth]] and spend several months there, hunting escaped Decepticon prisoners, he appears to have made no effort to contact Raf in any way, despite the bond they once shared. Talk about gratitude...
*That backpack is actually part of his CG model and meant he could ''never take it off'' because that would mean making a new model!<ref>[http://www.transmissionspodcast.com/2016/06/episode-177-mairghread-scott-talks-till-all-are-one/ Episode 177 – Mairghread Scott Talks Till All Are One], 57:20 to 57:45</ref>
*Optimus owes him a snowball.
===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Rafael Esquivel''' (ラファイエル・エスキベル ''Rafaieru Esukiberu'')

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Esquivel, Raf}}
[[Category:Convention exclusives]]
[[Category:Prime humans]]

Optimus Primal (BW)/toys

2017-10-09T00:48:11Z

HailMegatron: /* Legend Commander Collection */

{{suite}}
[[File:Optimus Primal toys.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Monkey see, Monkey screw you up!]]
'''[[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]]''' has had a barrel full of toys. None of them [[Optimus Minor|monkeys]]!

==Toys==
===Beast Wars===
[[File:BWtoy-Primalbat.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Cheetor. ''Cheetor.'' I'm Batman.]]
* '''Optimus Primal vs Megatron!''' (Basic versus two-pack, 1996)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-6'''
**''Accessories:'' Two swords

:The first Optimus Primal was a Basic size class blue bat which could autotransform into a robot by pulling the tail. Two swords were removable from under its wings for use as weaponry in [[robot mode]]. It was packaged along with an [[Megatron (BW)/toys#Beast Wars|alligator version of Megatron]] and a [[Optimus Primal vs Megatron!|''Beast Wars'' mini-comic]].

:Whether this toy can be considered the Optimus Primal character is a matter of debate. Released before the animated series began, which established Optimus Primal as a separate entity from Optimus Prime, the accompanying profiles and mini-comic seem to assume that the Beast Wars are a progression of the same characters from the Autobot/Decepticon war. Whether the animated series's [[retcon]] affected this set of toys is probably a matter of personal preference. It can be interpreted as representing one of the more interesting micro-continuities.

:The ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook]]'' has asserted that, in [[Beast Wars timeline (IDW)|IDW's version of the ''Beast Wars'' continuity]], Primal's bat form was suggested by the ''Axalon''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s computer as a potential alt mode, but he rejected it in favour of the more powerful gorilla without ever actually reformatting into it. Thus, this [[micro-continuity]] posits bat mode Primal as an essentially theoretical alt-form that never actually came to be.

:This mold was also used to make the [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#AmazonConvobat|Optimus Prime-recolored Convobat]] (who may or may not be a separate character from either Prime or Primal), and [[Onyx Primal]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1996/Maximal/OptimusPrimalBat/optimusprimal.htm More information on Optimus Primal (bat) at TFU.info]''
{{-}}{{anchor|FirstUltra}}
[[File:Optimusprimaltoyultraape.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Yes, missiles come out of his butt.]]
* '''Optimus Primal''' (Ultra, 1996/1997/1998)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-1'''
**''Accessories:'' Two swords, four missiles, flail

: The second Optimus Primal toy was an ape in the Ultra size class. Though the transformation from primate to humanoid was a relatively simplistic one, the toy compensated with more than a fair share of weaponry and action features. A compartment on his right forearm opened to reveal a skull-shaped mace he could hold in his fist. His left forearm could open into a double-barreled missile launcher. On his back were two spring-loaded missile launchers which auto-flipped over each shoulder. By pulling a lever in the center of his back, both arms would either spin at the bicep or bend in and out at the elbow, depending on the placement of notch-buttons located on either bicep. This gimmick was shown to be an effort to simulate a gorilla beating its chest while Optimus was in [[beast mode]], but could also be used in robot mode, making him swing his weapons wildly before himself. And finally, like many first-year ''Beast Wars'' toys, a battle mask/"[[mutant head]]" could be deployed over his robot head.

:The European version released in English/Spanish/Italian ''Beast Wars/Biocombat'' packaging featured the additional alternate name "Black Jack" for the Italian market, whereas the ''other'' European version released in French/Dutch/German ''Beast Wars/Ani Mutants'' packaging was simply named "Optimus Primal" just like the United States version.

[[File:Prizeprimals.jpg|left|upright=1.66|thumb|Brass monkeys.]]
:Takara released the toy under the name of "Convoy" as part of their ''Beast Wars'' line in July of 1997, nearly identical to the Hasbro version. The missiles for the Takara version are thinner and simpler than the original Hasbro version, and would be used in all subsequent releases of the sculpt.

:This sculpt was [[redeco]]ed into ''[[Transformers: Universe (2003 toyline)|Universe]]'' Optimus Primal and [[Transformers: Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Beast Wars Telemocha Series]] DX Convoy, and [[retool]]ed into ''Beast Wars Reborn''/''Beast Wars Tenth Anniversary'' versus pack Optimus Primal. Takara also created multiple special variants, including all-gold (from ''Tele-V Magazine'', only ten awarded), red and gray (''Tele-V'' again, but only twenty pieces for lucky draw), and blue-fur (a ''[[Comic Bom Bom]]'' design-contest prize, only thirty awarded).

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1996/Maximal/OptimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on Optimus Primal (gorilla) at TFU.info]''
{{-}}{{anchor|Gray}}
* '''Special Convoy Real Gray Type''' (Ultra, 1998)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-1'''
**''Accessories:'' Two swords, four missiles, flail

:In January of 1998{{fact}}, Takara released a redeco of the Ultra Optimus Primal toy as '''Special Convoy Real Gray Type''' (スペシャルコンボイ — リアルグレータイプ), changing the black to dark gray and the blue to metallic blue, although the packaging was the same as the original release save for a sticker on the front of the box. According to the sticker, this limited figure was meant to celebrate the "20,000,000 Unit Breakthrough Commemoration"—apparently commemorating ''20 million'' units of Beast Wars toys sold. Whether this was supposed to represent 20 million worldwide or just in Japan is unclear.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1996/Maximal/OptimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on Special Convoy Real Gray Type at TFU.info (scroll down)]''
{{-}}{{anchor|Clear}}
* '''Special Convoy Skeleton Type''' (Ultra, 1998?)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-1'''
**''Accessories:'' Two swords, four missiles, flail

: A [[Toys"R"Us|ToysЯUs]]-[[exclusive]] redeco of the Ultra figure, '''Special Convoy Skeleton Type''' (スペシャルコンボイ — スケルトンタイプ) was colorless-clear and black with silver paint detailing. The packaging was the same as the general release except for a sticker on the front of the box.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1997/Cybertron/ClearConvoy/clearconvoy.htm More information on Special Convoy Skeleton Type at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|Burning}}
[[File:BW-toy OptimusPrimalBurning.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Grape Ape's lesser-known cousin Cherry Ape. Currently an insurance broker in Oak Park, Illinois.]]
* '''Burning Convoy''' (Ultra, 1998)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-1'''
**''Accessories:'' Two swords, four missiles, flail

: A Takara redeco of the Ultra-class Primal toy in almost entirely semitransparent red plastic with with metallic gold "flame" markings on his fists and gorilla-mode chest.

: He was released as a limited-edition figure to promote the [[Beast Wars Special Super Lifeform Transformers|''Beast Wars Special'' movie]], alongside the [[Lio Convoy#Flash|Flash Lio Convoy]] toy. As with the above "Skeleton Type" toy, his packaging and paperwork is identical to the regular retail release, only a new sticker on the box window was added to mark the special release.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Cybertron/BurningConvoy/burningconvoy.htm More information on Burning Convoy at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|MicroVerse}}
[[File:BWMicroversetoy-Primal.jpg|100px|thumb|Seamunky?]]
*'''Orcanoch''' (MicroVerse, 1997)

: Part of the short-lived ''[[MicroVerse]]'' toyline (from before [[Hasbro|Hasbro's]] acquisition of rival Galoob and their micro-toy empire), [[Orcanoch]] transforms into a Maximal base. It came with tiny, non-transforming versions of Optimus Primal and [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]]. These figures were designed to sit in the various mini-vehicles and control modules of the MicroVerse playsets.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1997/Maximal/Orcanoch/orcanoch.htm More information on Orcanoch (including Optimus Primal figure) at TFU.info]''
{{-}}{{anchor|MegaTransmetal}}
[[File:BWtoy-PrimalTM.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Check out those abs!]]
* '''Optimus Primal''' (Mega Transmetal, 1998)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-40'''
**''Accessories:'' Gun, two clubs/missiles

: [[Transmetal]] Optimus Primal is a mechanical gorilla that transforms into a partially organic robot. Like all Transmetals, it featured chromed plastic and a third vehicle-inspired mode. In Primal's case, his gorilla mode could transform into a gorilla on a [[hoverboard]]. Two maces were stored on his back and could double as missiles for his hip-holstered blaster.

:Continuing a trend from ''Generation 1'' where Italian releases of toys representing the same characters as previous toys released under the same name were sometimes given new names that didn't reflect the Italian market names of those previous releases, the European version released in English/Spanish/Italian ''Beast Wars/Biocombat'' packaging featured the additional alternate name "Metal Gorilla" for the Italian market. Like with the Ultra figure, the ''other'' European version released in French/Dutch/German ''Beast Wars/Ani Mutants'' packaging was simply named "Optimus Primal" just like the United States version.

: Some units feature a chromed purple variant for the Beast Mode chest.

: [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s version of the toy exchanged the brown plastic for translucent maroon; other changes included additional paint on the waist and a different eye color. The figure was also available in a set with Transmetal Megatron.

: This mold was used to make [[Apelinq (BM)|Apelinq]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Maximal/OptimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on Transmetal Optimus Primal at TFU.info]''
{{-}}{{anchor|OptimalOptimus}}
[[File:BWtoy-OpOp.jpg|upright=2.2|thumb|It's really about two modes, not four, if you're honest.]]
* '''Optimal Optimus''' (Super Transmetal, 1998)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''C-47'''
**''Accessories:'' One gun, four missiles, six break-away armor plates

: Transmetal Optimal Optimus was the first toy in the Super size class, featuring electronics and four transformations: robot, ape, jet, and armored transport. When a back section of the cannon module was pulled, the eyes and shoulder-mounted missile launchers lit up and the launchers fired. It came with four missiles, two of which stored on its legs. Its forearms featured blast-away armor plates that could also be pegged to its upper arms. His cockpit perfectly fits a [[MicroVerse]] figure in the seat.

: Optimal Optimus's on-package [[bio]] states that he has Cybertronian "air guardian" technology and twin scramjet modules. [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]]'s function was Air Guardian, and his Tech Specs said he had these same scramjet modules.

: The European version released in English/Spanish/Italian ''Beast Wars/Biocombat'' packaging featured the most bizarre choice for the additional alternate name for the Italian market yet, naming ''this'' figure "Optimus Primal" (!). Once again, the ''other'' European version released in French/Dutch/German ''Beast Wars/Ani Mutants'' packaging was simply named "Optimal Optimus" just like the United States version.

: This toy was [[Repurposing|repurposed]] as the ''[[Beast Wars: Uprising]]'' character [[Optimal]]. This sculpt was also used to make [[Primal Prime]], and was the model for [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]]'s (non-toy) "Optimal" body, seen in "[[Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future]]".

: The Japanese version features a more yellow shade of orange, different painted details, and notably black tires instead of purple.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1998/Maximal/OptimalOptimus/optimaloptimus.htm More information on Optimal Optimus at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Beast Machines===
[[File:BM-toy OpPrimalDx.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|I am the exact opposite of show-accurate.]]
*'''Optimus Primal''' (Deluxe, 2000)
**''Accessories'': Energy [[shuriken]]

: The first ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (toyline)|Beast Machines]]'' Optimus Primal is a dark bronze and translucent blue technorganic gorilla that transforms into a technorganic robot. His right robot mode arm is spring-loaded to throw the shuriken that stores in his left leg (the ape mode's left shoulder). Like all ''Beast Machines'' toys, he has a hidden "[[spark crystal]]" that displays his faction allegiance; Primal's is in his chest, revealed with the spring-loaded "flexing" motion that also moves his beast mode face up for snarling while posing. His robot mode head also features a changing expression via sliding brow/skullcap.

: Official [[Hasbro]] stock photography of this toy shows a differently-molded shuriken, lacking the "energy flame" effect.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2000/Maximal/OptimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on Beast Machines Optimus Primal (Deluxe) at TFU.info]''
{{-}}{{anchor|McDonaldsBM}}
[[File:BMtoy-PrimalMcD.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Robot hate the monkey.]]
*'''Optimus Primal''' (Happy Meal toy, 2000)

: McDonald's ''Beast Machines'' Optimus Primal is an incredibly simple toy that transforms from a technorganic robot to technorganic ape. Its sculpted detail is based directly that of the television show's model for Primal. It uses translucent plastic for the body, and, like the other McDonald's ''Beast Machines'' toys, there's a sculpted spark crystal on the toy's surface; on Optimus Primal, it is placed on the stomach. Additionally, there are two organic flaps on the toy's back, and in robot mode, nobody's entirely sure exactly what to do with them. Are they rotated all the way down to make his booster jets? Are they rotated out to the sides to make the backs of his shoulder pads? Are they rotated back to where they go in gorilla mode, once you get his heads swapped? We may never know.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2000/Maximal/McOptimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on Beast Machines Optimus Primal (McDonald's) at TFU.info]''
{{-}}{{anchor|BlastPunch}}
[[File:BMtoy-PrimalMega.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|They will fight eternally!]]
*'''Blast Punch Optimus Primal''' (Mega, 2001)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''BR-01'''
**''Japanese release date:'' '''[[2004]]-[[November 18|11-18]]'''
**''Accessories'': Missile

:One of the last toys released in the ''Beast Machines'' line (under the "Battle for the Spark" rebranding), "Blast Punch" Optimus Primal transforms into a technorganic gorilla more like the show model, though with a considerably brighter color scheme. His main [[gimmick]] is his left arm, which contains a hidden missile launcher.Pushing down on his shoulder armor "winds" the mechanism in his gauntlet. Pushing the spark crystal on his bicep spins his gauntlet around, simultaneously triggering the spring-loaded missile launcher and activating his spring-loaded ramming "blast punch" action, extending his fist forward nearly a full inch. He also has hidden jet thrusters under a panel on his back. In beast mode, a small button on the top of his head pushes his upper face up in a "snarling" action.

:Due to the small size of the two gears used to rotate the forearm, manually transforming Optimus's left arm can damage the gimmick to the point of no longer working. The soft plastic used in the gears prevents them from crumbling apart and allowing them to be glued to the pin, but damage can be prevented by using the wind-up mechanism exclusively to transform the arm. If it must be moved by hand, turning the forearm in the same direction as the motor allow the larger gears to safely ratchet to minimize damage.

:Blast Punch Optimus Primal was released in Japan in 2004 as "Convoy" as part of the ''Beast Wars Returns'' line, exclusive to [[Toys"R"Us]] stores.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2001/Maximal/BlastPunchOptimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on Blast Punch Optimus Primal at TFU.info]''
{{-}}{{anchor|Jollibee}}
*'''Optimus Primal''' (Jollibee Kids Meal, 2009)
**''Accessories:'' Pen Keeper

: Optimus Primal was available as one of three figures in a Jollibee promotion. The toy is a greatly simplified version of his ''Beast Machines'' Deluxe toy.

===Robots in Disguise (2001)===
[[File:RIDtoy-Suprimal.jpg|upright=2.2|thumb|Monkey versus robot!]]
* '''Air Attack Optimus Primal''' (Supreme, 2002)
**''Accessories'': Disc

:Intended for release in the ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (toyline)|Beast Machines]]'' toyline, Air Attack Optimus Primal was eventually released as a [[Toys"R"Us|ToysЯUs]] [[exclusive]] as part of the ''Robots in Disguise'' toyline. Positively oozing light-and-sound gimmicks in both modes, Optimus Primal does ''all'' sorts'a crazy crap, all of which is first activated by pressing his chest plate. Doing so "turns on" his electronics with a metallic shrieking noise, and the toy proceeds to hum constantly while the chest glows with a red LED. The electronics will eventually "turn off" if the toy is left idle, but you don't want to do that! You want to push his head (in either mode), which activates glowing lights in his eyes and actual speech samples of [[Garry Chalk]] from the ''Beast Machines'' cartoon (making Primal the first English-speaking ''Transformers'' toy to have speech clips performed by his actual cartoon voice actor). On top of that, the toy also features a pressure-launching disc-shooter in its robot mode stomach (accompanied by blasting sound effect), and a geared right arm with a spring-loaded punch action (and suitably pained electronic grunt). The ''big'' feature—the one that gives the toy its name—is his jetpack, which pops out (with translucent blue jet flames trailing behind) at the push of a button. This puts the toy into "flight mode", and it constantly produces the sound of whooshing jets, which then rises and falls depending on how the figure is held. Tilt him upwards, and the pitch rises as he ascends! Tilt him down, and ''zoom!''

:Also, he has a butt on his head.

:The toy's packaging features both an Autobot and Maximal insignia. The Maximal symbol used, however, is the one used during the "Beast Wars" rather than the one from "Beast Machines" this toy was meant to be part of.

: This toy was released in Japan on [[August 8]], 2002 as a ToysЯUs-exclusive "[[USA Edition]]".

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2002/Maximal/SupremeOptimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on Air Attack Optimus Primal at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Universe (2003)===
[[File:Universe2003toy-Primal.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Kinda looks like Don Rickles, don't you think?]]
*'''Optimus Primal''' (Ultra, 2003)
**''Accessories:'' Two swords, four missiles, flail

:A redeco of the original Ultra Class Optimus Primal mold, with a color scheme that reflects the "infected" look several other toys were sporting in this line, reflecting the events taking place in-fiction. He retains all weapons and gimmicks of the previous releases of this mold, but with a reworked system for his arm mechanism, making his crazy arm swinging much more controlled.

:This deco was [[Repurposing|repurpsoed]] as the ''[[Transformers: Shattered Glass (franchise)|Shattered Glass]]'' incarnation of [[Optimus Primal (BWSG)|Optimus Primal]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2003/Autobot/OptimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on Universe Optimus Primal at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Robotmasters===
[[File:RMtoy-Primal.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|There he is, my littler guy.]]
*'''Beast Convoy''' (2004)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RM-11'''
**''Accessories:'' Two "Cyber Blades", sword connector, missile launcher, missile

:Part of the second wave of ''[[Robotmasters (franchise)#Toys|Robotmasters]]'' toys, Beast Convoy is a new, more [[Show-accuracy|show-accurate]] mold primarily based upon the original Ultra Class Optimus Primal figure, and using the original Ultra Class toy's color scheme. The mouthplate features an engraved mouth, although it is painted silver like the rest of the face, and lacks the Mutant Head from the original figure.

:Both forearms contain small, non-firing cannons in them (and thus a skull mace is not included), which can be revealed by flipping up the panels on his arms. Similarly, the missile launchers from the Ultra-class version of the toy have been replaced by non-firing cannons based more closely on the ones from the TV show.

:Beast Convoy features new, open-palmed hands, thus preventing him from holding both of his swords in the same hand, but a small connector-piece is included to connect the swords together, allowing Beast Convoy to hold the lower sword with the upper sword connected.

:Like [[Megatron (BW)/toys#Robotmasters|Beast Megatron]] and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Robotmasters|G1 Convoy]], Beast Convoy comes with a generic blue missile launcher which can fit in his palm.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2004/Cybertron/BeastConvoy/beastconvoy.htm More information on Beast Convoy at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|RMBURN}}
* '''Burning Beast Convoy''' (2004)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RM-21'''
**''Accessories:'' Two "Cyber Blades", missile launcher, missile
:A recolor of ''Beast Convoy'', this toy uses the "Burning Convoy" color scheme from the ''Beast Wars II'' movie from where he partnered with Lio Convoy, turning them into Burning Convoy and Flash Lio Convoy respectively. This release did ''not'' include the tiny sword connector part.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2004/Cybertron/BurningConvoy/burningconvoy.htm More information on Burning Beast Convoy at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|RMBLACK}}
*'''Beast Convoy Limited Black Version''' (2005)
**''Accessories:'' Two "Cyber Blades", sword connector, missile launcher, missile, "Boost Hammer"

: Available only via mail order through ''Hobby Japan'' magazine, the "Limited Black Version" of Beast Convoy is just that: a straight [[black repaint]] of the Beast Convoy toy. He comes with all his original accessories, appropriately redecoed, as well as a gold-chromed version of the "[[Boost Hammer]]" [[Solitarium]] weapon that came with [[Wrecker Hook]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2005/Cybertron/HHBeastConvoy/beastconvoy.htm More information on Beast Convoy Limited Black Version at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Beast Wars 10th Anniversary===
[[File:Optimusprimalbwx.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|''Surf monkey / That funky monkey'']]
* '''Optimus Primal''' (2006)
**''Accessories:'' Surfboard, assault blade, missile, Jungle Planet Key

[[File:PrimalXsword.jpg|left|100px|thumb|Opposable thumbs!]]
: ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars 10th Anniversary|Beast Wars 10th Anniversary]]'' (BWX) Optimus Primal is a new toy design based loosely on his original ultra ape action figure while pulling some elements from other figures, including a transformation very similar to the Playskool Go-Bot [[Beast-Bot|Gorillabot]], which itself was a nod to Optimus Primal's ''Beast Machines'' form.

:Similar to his Transmetal form, BWX Optimus Primal also comes with a hoverboard with two [[5mm post]]s at the base, allowing him to ride it in his gorilla mode, or hold it in robot mode via the 5mm posts on his robot palms/gorilla feet. When a [[Cyber Key]] is inserted at the rear of the board, a spring-loaded extending "assault blade" (or "ass lt blade" as the instructions call it) deploys, and a trigger is revealed to allow one to use the spring-loaded missile launcher at the tip. Though it is not intended to be removed, the blade can be popped off and held in Primal's hand thanks to his posable thumbs.

: He is also packaged with a mini-comic-sized reprinting of [[IDW Publishing]]'s ''[[Transformers, Beast Wars: The Gathering|The Gathering]]'' #1, a small [[Axalon (BW)#Toys|''Axalon'']] ship figurine, and a [[Animatron|Jungle Planet]]-style Cyber Key.

:This mold was [[redeco]]ed into ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/toys#Gorilla|Optimus Prime]] and [[BotCon 2014]] [[Apelinq (BM)|Apelinq]] & [[Primal Prime]]. The sculpt for both BWX leader toys was intentionally designed to blend in with the Jungle Planet aesthetic, "in case" they didn't get a Beast Wars Anniversary release (according to [[Aaron Archer]]'s statements at [[BotCon 2005]]).

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Maximal/OptimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on 10th Anniversary Optimus Primal at TFU.info]''
{{-}}{{anchor|BWXVSMegatron}}
* '''Optimus Primal vs Megatron''' (Multi-pack, 2006)
**''Accessories:'' Two swords, four missiles, flail

: This ToysЯUs-exclusive set is the Hasbro release of the ''Beast Wars Reborn'' set (see below), but in new packaging with a DVD of the ''Beast Wars'' episode "[[Possession]]". As such, this version of Optimus Primal is identical.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Maximal/TRUOptimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on Optimus Primal (Toys "R" Us Exclusive) at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Beast Wars Reborn===
[[File:BWReborntoy-Primal.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|The eighth Optimus of the world... PRIMAL!]]
* '''Convoy vs Megatron''' (Multi-pack, 2006)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''BWR-01'''
**''Accessories:'' Two swords, four missiles, flail

:[[File:Optimusprimaltoybwrebornheads.jpg|left|100px|thumb|Staring contest—go!]]

: This release is a [[retool]] of the original 1996 Ultra toy, with new beast and robot heads, plus a new robot chest piece sculpted to match the television series's portrayal. The color scheme was also altered to be show-accurate, changing the black to dark gray, much of the light gray to medium gray with hints of bronze, primary red to crimson, and blue to a more dull steel blue. All of the toy's previous [[gimmick]]s are retained with the sole exception of the "mutant head."

:This figure came packaged with a similarly-remolded [[Megatron (BW)/toys#Beast Wars Reborn|Megatron]] and a [[Golden Disk (disambiguation)|Golden Disk]] CD-ROM that contains control art for a number of ''Beast Wars'' toys.

{{-}}

===Generation 2===
{{anchor|LaserOptimusPrime}}
[[File:LaserPrime reissue.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Argh TFwiki headache.]]
* '''Battle Convoy''' (Reissue, 2006)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TRF-13'''
**''Accessories:'' Laser rifle, sword, 5 discs, 3 air power missiles, ripple rocket launcher, 10 rockets

{{repurposed|Optimus Primal}}

: In 1995, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys|Laser Optimus Prime]] was a new-mold [[Transformers: Generation 2 (toyline)|''Generation 2'' toy]] that transformed into mid-1990s Western Star 4964EX, pulling a grey and black fuel tank trailer. On the sides of the trailer is a humourous sticker depicting Laser Optimus Prime using a flamethrower to burn down a forest, with the words "Optimus Prime Octane" over the image.

:In robot mode, like Hero Optimus Prime, the bottom of the truck became his familiar windowed chest based upon the original Optimus Prime toy. His main gimmick was light up LED headlights, and a [[light-piping|lightpipe]] in the bottom of his right fist, illuminated by an LED in his right forearm, that would illuminate his clear sword or his double-barreled rifle if they were used in that hand. All three LEDs were activated simultaneously by pressing the sunroof-like depression on the roof of the truck.

:The trailer unfolds to form a battle station bristling with many firing weapons. Primarily, it can fire an air-powered missile launcher, a ripple rocket launcher with 5 missiles that can be launched individually (this turret can also be mounted in Laser Prime's hand) and a 'disc launcher', that fired several blue plastic discs adorned with the ''Generation 2'' Autobot sigil. This disc launcher is the only weapon that can be used in [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]].

:This mold was redecoed in 2000 as ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 toyline)|Car Robots]]'' [[Scourge (RID)|Black Convoy]], and slightly retooled as Scourge. After Scourge, the next use of this mold was planned to be ''[[Transformers: Universe (2003 toyline)|Universe]]'' [[Toxitron (Universe)|Toxitron]], which ended up being canceled. The slightly retooled version of this mold was released in 2006 in Japan as reissue Battle Convoy, which was the name of this toy during the Japanese ''Generation 2''. The reissue used the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 toyline)|2001 ''Robots in Disguise'']] modified tooling, with a slightly modified deco using silver vacuum-metalized plastic on his chest and trailer sides along with additional paint applications and G2 symbols. The mold was also redecoed to create a new G2 version of Ultra Magnus as an [[e-HOBBY]] exclusive (unusual in that the character was killed in the course of Japan's G1 fiction).

:Within the ''[[Beast Wars Reborn]]'' text story, the reissued Laser Prime toy was [[repurposing|repurposed]] as a temporary form for Optimus Primal.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1995/Autobot/OptimusPrime/optimusprime.htm More information on Laser Optimus Prime at TFU.info]''
{{G2LaserOptimusPrimeMold}}
{{-}}

===Timelines===
[[File:Timelinestoy-PrimalDoFP.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Trukk munky?]]
* '''Dawn of Future's Past''' (Boxset, [[BotCon 2006]])
**''Accessories:'' Two missiles, Maximal [[Golden Disk (disambiguation)|Golden Disk]] key

:A [[redeco]] and [[retool]] of ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' Voyager Class [[Crumplezone (Cybertron)#Toys|Crumplezone]], ''[[Transformers Timelines (toyline)|Timelines]]'' "''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'' Optimus Primal" transforms into a three-wheeled Cybertronic race car with huge turbine thrusters. These thrusters each contain a spring-loaded missile launcher,and can be swung forward in both vehicle and robot mode by plugging a [[Cyber Planet Key]] into his key-jack. This also activates electronic sound effects. He has a new head that replicates Optimus Primal's first [[character model]].

:Available only in a multi pack with the ''Axalon'' versions of [[Cheetor (BW)/toys#Timelines|Cheetor]], [[Rhinox (BW)#Timelines|Rhinox]], and [[Rattrap (BW)/toys#Timelines|Rattrap]], as well as the ''[[Darksyde (BW)|Darksyde]]'' version of [[Dinobot (BW)#Timelines|Dinobot]].
:Some consider this toy somewhat of an in-joke, because when fans initially saw pics of Crumplezone, they criticised it for looking like a monkey.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Maximal/BCOptimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on Axalon Optimus Primal at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Titanium Series===
[[File:Titanium Optimal Optimus.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Ready? And... Faceplant!]]
* '''Optimal Optimus''' (6" Transformable figure, 2006)
**''Accessories'': Stand with nameplate

:''Titanium Series'' Optimal Optimus transforms from robot into an armored transport. For undetermined reasons, this incarnation of Optimal Optimus does not include the beast mode. This does have precedent in the fiction: When [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] built a copy of that body for himself at the end of ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]'', his version didn't have a beast mode either. Oddly enough, the two chest cannons can rotate back over his shoulder, while the original Beast Wars figure's cannons were in a fixed position. Amusingly, this toy is denoted as an [[Autobot]] both on his stand and on his shoulder, even though Optimal is a [[Maximal]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Maximal/TitOptimalOptimus/optimusprimal.htm More information on Titanium Series Optimal Optimus at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Binaltech===
[[File:BTBlackConvoy toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|There! He's a trukk! Ya happy now?]]
* '''Black Convoy''' (2007)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''BT-17'''
**''Accessories:'' Engine/blaster

{{Repurposed|Optimus Primal}}

: Black Convoy is the first ''Binaltech'' release since [[Skids (G1)#Alternators/Binaltech|Skids]] in early 2006, and was available exclusively in Japan at the winter Wonder Festival in 2007. His plastic colours are different from Nemesis Prime's, with grey plastic replacing the black on his shins, waist, shoulders, and forearms. In addition, Nemesis Prime's windows are tinted red, but Black Convoy's windows are completely clear. His paint deco is based upon ''Kiss Players'' Convoy's, arranged in the same patterns but using teal, and he has vacuum-metallized wheels and front grill. The paint deco on his head is meant to evoke that of ''Car Robots'' [[Scourge (RID)|Black Convoy]]. Perhaps the most important differences are that he has die-cast metal parts, and most of his truck body panels are coated in gloss black paint.

: Perhaps due to cost-cutting, this toy was released in the large bubble-on-a-tray packaging also used in the ''Alternators'' line. However, he came with no character or packaging art.

: The ''[[Transformers: Alternity|Alternity]]'' fiction [[Repurposing|repurposes]] this figure as a new body for Optimus Primal, based on how Primal's disembodied spark had previously taken possession of Nemesis's body earlier in the ''[[Story of Binaltech|Binaltech]]'' story.
{{AlternatorsOptimusPrimeMold}}
{{-}}

===Beast Wars Telemocha Series===
[[File:BWTelemocha Convoy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Anyone else feel like we're going in circles?]]
*'''Convoy''' (2007)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TM-01'''
**''Accessories:'' Two swords
:''[[Transformers: Beast Wars Telemocha Series|Beast Wars Telemocha Series]]'' Convoy is an extensive redeco of the ''Robotmasters'' Beast Convoy figure in a similar style to the ''Beast Wars Reborn'' retool of the Ultra-class figure.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2007/Cybertron/Convoy/convoy.htm More information on Telemocha Convoy at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|TelemochaUltra}}
[[File:BWTelemochaDXPrimal.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Seriously, we're getting dizzy!]]
*'''DX Convoy''' (2007)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''TM-SP'''
**''Accessories:'' Two swords, four missiles, flail
:An extensive show-accurate redeco of the original Ultra-class Optimus Primal mold ''without'' the recently remolded head and chestplate. Oh [[TakaraTomy]], you so crazy.

{{-}}

===United===
[[File:Unitedtoy-OptimusPrimal.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Chicks dig hoverboards that turn into giant blasters - right?]]
*'''Optimus Primal''' (Voyager, [[2012]]-[[February 25|02-25]])
**''ID number:'' '''UN-30'''
**''Accessories:'' Surfboard, assault blade, missile, Jungle Planet Key

: Part of the sixth wave of ''[[Transformers United|United]]'' toys, Optimus Primal is a [[repaint]] of the Deluxe-sized ''Beast Wars 10th Anniversary'' Optimus Primal toy, and is the first release of the mold in Japan. He features warmer, more yellowish paint for the gorilla chest and face, and relocates the [[Maximal]] [[insignia]] to the ''underside'' of his gorilla backside [[kibble]] panel. His hoverboard, meanwhile, uses a darker shade of blue paint for the Cyber Key jack, and the front of the hoverboard features both the "stripes" from [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/toys#Gorilla|the ''Cybertron'' redeco]] of this toy, and the fully-painted vents from the "10th Anniversary" version.

:He is [[Packaging|packaged]] in a Voyager Class box with "LIMITED QUANTITY" [[sticker]]ed on the window. Both his [[instructions]] and packaging brand him as an [[Autobot]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2012/Autobot/UnitedOptimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on ''United'' Optimus Primal at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

===Legend Commander Collection===
[[File:Legend-Commander-Collection-LC-02-Optimus-Primal.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb| The old man's back again.]]
*'''Convoy (Beast Wars)''' (2014)
**''ID number'': '''LC-02'''
**''Accessories'': Two swords
: Part of the ''[[Legend Commander Collection]]'' sold at [[Transformers Expo]], Convoy (Beast Wars) is a redeco of ''Robotmasters'' Beast Convoy. The toy also features several deco differences: While the paint applications were similar to the first ''Robotmasters'' Beast Convoy toy, the mouth was painted blue like the ''Telemocha'' Convoy, the white paint uses on this toy are brighter white compared to the first toy, some of the Robot Mode's chest detailing features lavender white paint details, and the gunmetal paint were used for the Beast Mode face.

:Remaining stock of the toy was sold through [[TakaraTomy Mall]].

{{-}}

===Legends===
[[File:TakaraLegends Lg02 Convoy.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|No guys. Guys....guys. This is ''way'' better than a new Generations mold. No guys. Guys. Trust me.]]
* '''Convoy/Optimus Primal<ref>LG02 Convoy's packaging</ref>''' (Ultra, 2014-[[October 25|10-25]])
**''ID number:'' '''LG02'''
**''Accessories:'' Two swords, four missiles, flail

:''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' Convoy is a redeco of the ''Beast Wars Reborn'' retool of the original Optimus Primal toy. While he shares the same paint mask to the ''Reborn'' figure, some of his parts featured a different paint applications; His gunmetal gray chest, face, fingers & chest paint details are now replaced with dark grey. He comes with a leaflet featuring a character profile, tech specs, and [[Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 2|volume 2]] of the ''[[Transformers Legends (comic)|Transformers Legends]] Comic: Bonus Edition'' mini-comic.

{{-}}

===Generations===
====Platinum Edition====
[[File:Transformers-Platinum-Edition-BM-Optimus-Primal.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Probably not as fun as a barrel of munkies.]]
* '''Optimus Primal''' (Year of the Monkey exclusive, 2016)
** ''Accessories'': Disc
:Sold at a rather expensive price of $140.00, ''[[Transformers: Platinum Edition|Platinum Edition]]'' "Year of the [[Trukk not munky|Monkey]]" Optimus Primal is a redeco of [[#Robots in Disguise (2001)|''Robots in Disguise'' Air Attack Optimus Primal]], with his coloration inspired by an amalgamation of [[Optimus Prime (disambiguation)|Optimus Primes]] and/or [[Primal Prime]]. He retains all the electronic gimmicks from the previous toy, with an exception of the voice clips (unfortunately, only the lines "Optimus Primal (repeated ''twice'')" and "Transformers" was played.) and sound effects/music, which was newly recorded.

:His current stock photos were mistransformed: both of his robot and beast mode's chests were inverted, and his beast mode's thumbs were not rotated.

{{-}}

====Power of the Primes====
* '''Optimus Primal''' (Leader Class Evolution, 2018)

:In accordance with his victory in a fan poll to choose the next [[Prime (rank)|Prime]], Optimus Primal is to receive a new toy in the ''[[Power of the Primes (toyline)|Power of the Primes]]'' subline of ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]''.
{{comingsoontoy}}
{{-}}

===Masterpiece===
[[File:BW-Masterpiece-MP32-Optimus-Primal.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Best munky ever.]]
*'''Convoy (Beast Wars)''' (2016-[[October 29|10-29]])
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''MP-32'''
**''Accessories'': Three ape faces, four 'bot faces, two swords, skull flail (Asia exclusive)
:Released to celebrate ''Beast Wars''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s 20th anniversary, ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' Convoy is a faithful recreation of the character as he appeared in the Mainframe animated series.
[[File:TF-Masterpiece-MP32-Asia-exclusive-skull-flail.jpg|left|100px|thumb|It's a lost art of weaponry.]]
:Matching his original figure, Convoy has two "cyber blade" swords, which can now be stored on his back in robot mode. Each wrist has cartoon-accurate flip-out "plasma cannons", while his "mega blaster" shoulder cannons have also been recreated. In robot mode, a panel can rotate in his posterior to reveal his "convoy jet".

:Convoy has the new gimmick of light-up eyes. These are powered by two computer batteries stored in the beast mode head and activated by pressing down the robot mode head. They stay lit for about ten seconds. Convoy comes with three different gorilla faces: neutral; smiling and angry, and four different robot mode faces: open-mouthed; close-mouthed; smirking and original style mouthless faceplate.

:''Masterpiece'' Optimus Primal is an inch or two smaller than his original Ultra Class toy, comparable to Beast Wars Neo [[Big Convoy]]. Not shown in the instructions is a peghole in the waist, designed to allow Convoy to be mounted on a flying stand. Another undocumented feature is a peg on his back, that allows ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' [[Rattrap (BW)/toys#Generations|Rattrap]] to ride on his back by plugging the aforementioned peg in the hole that is normally used for weapon storage in beast mode.

:If bought in Asian countries outside of Japan, he also comes with a die-cast skull flail based on the one that came with the original toy. It comes packaged in a cardboard box designed to look like a crate of [[banana]]s.

::*''[http://www.transformers-universe.com/i.php?ID=6541 More information on Optimus Primal (Masterpiece) at Transformers-Universe.com]''

{{-}}{{anchor|MasterpieceSupremeCommander}}
[[File:TF-BW-MP32-Optimus-Primal-Legendary-Commander-Version.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]
*'''Convoy (Beast Wars) Legendary Leader Ver.''' (2017-[[June 24|06-24]])
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''MP-38'''
**''Accessories'': Ape face, masked bot faces, two swords, combined sword, weapon rack, skull flail, battle mask/mutant head, backpack, [[Banana|bananas]] (Asia exclusive)

:This Optimus Primal is a redeco of the first ''Masterpiece'' figure above, with the deco greatly resembling his original toy colors and his appearance in the ''[[Beast Wars Special Super Lifeform Transformers|Beast Wars Special]]'' "[[Lio Convoy in Imminent Danger!]]". He also comes with a combined sword (representing putting both swords in the hand of the original toy), a "weapon rack" to mount said combined sword, an additional skull flail (a new mold from the Asia exclusive accessory that came from the first release), a new mask which is based on his original toy's mutant head, and a new backpack piece that mounts on the back peg to mount the combined swords, the skull mace and the mutant head mask on Primal's back.

:If bought in Asian countries outside of Japan, he also comes with a bunch of bananas in a cardboard crate. Each banana is a separate piece that can be removed from the stalk piece.

{{-}}

==Merchandise==
*'''Beast Wars Transformers Slide Puzzle''' (1996)
:Released to advertise Beast War's airing in Japan, a small, hand-held slide-puzzle depicting Optimus Primal in robot mode, brandishing a sword, one arm cannon deployed, and looking very dynamic.
{{-}}
[[File:Optimusprimalmutatingcard.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
* '''Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game''' (1997)
:Optimus Primal was one of the 24 beast warriors to receive a battle card representation for the Beast Wars [[Beast Wars Transformers Mutating Card Game|card game]].
{{-}}
* '''Beast Wars Transformers Sneakers''' (1997)
: A pair of red, black and white sneakers, with the ''Beast Wars'' logo printed on the sole, a photo of Primal's beast mode head on the toe, and the name "OPTIMUS PRIMAL" repeated around the shoe's lateral.

===Beast Wars Choco===
[[File:BWchoco primal.jpg|thumb]]
*'''Convoy vs Megatron''' (candy toy, 1997)
**''ID number:'' '''1'''

:Part of [[Kabaya]]'s ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars Choco|Beast Wars Choco]]'' line of [[candy toy]]s, this small soft-rubber figurine of Optimus Primal—known in Japan as a ''keshigomu''—came in a set with a similar figure of Megatron, along with a bio card and candy-covered chocolates. The figures were available in either translucent purple or smoky grey rubber.

{{-}}
===Beast Wars Gum===
[[File:Bwgum primal.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Little Apetimus Prime]]
*'''Convoy''' (candy toy, 1997)
**''ID number:'' '''1'''
**''Accessories:'' Mace, two swords
:A snap together model kit of Optimus Primal was available as part of [[Kabaya]]'s ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars Gum|Beast Wars Gum]]'' line of [[candy toy]]s. Based on his original Ultra-class gorilla toy, the kit was sculpted from purple and black plastic with some sparse stickers for details, and could transform from robot to beast mode by being broken down into its component parts, then rebuilt into a new mode. It came with a stick of gum.
{{-}}

===Beast Wars Ramune===
* '''Convoy''' (1997)
: A nontransformable figurine of bat-body Primal, sculpted in a sword-wielding action pose across a blue base. Figure is painted.

* '''Convoy''' (candy toy, 1997)

: A tiny plastic Convoy figurine in his gorilla body and molded onto an irregularly-shaped stand was released by Kabaya. Labeled toy 1 of 6, the other characters in his wave were Dinobot, Rattrap, Megatron, Cheetor, and Rhinox. As always, terrible candy is included.

===Hyper Beast Wars Choco===
* '''Transmetal Convoy''' (1999, Standard Kit)
: Another small transformable figure was based on his first Transmetal body. It was multicolored and also came with gum.

===Metallic Beast Ramune===
* '''Transmetal Convoy''' (1999, Standard Kit)
: A second, but non-transformable figure of Transmetal Optimus Primal was made in clear plastic, blue, and gray. Gum!
{{-}}

===Crystal Figure===
*'''Convoy & Arthur''' (Summer Toei Anime Fair present, 1999)

:Released along with Arthur from the [[Microman|''Chiisana Kyoujin Microman]] anime, this Optimus Primal Crystal Figure is a small transparent light blue figurine based on his Transmetal form. He and Arthur is available for the boy's section of the pre-screening purchase.

{{-}}

===Metal Monument===
[[File:Metalmonumentconvoy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Hungh!]]
* '''Metal Monument Convoy''' (TAKARA, 1999)

: As the name suggests, the product is a [[die-cast]] statue of Optimus Primal. The head is convertible/removable in order to change the normal one with the battle mask/mutant head. The [[box art]] and the design of the product are both done by [[Hirofumi Ichikawa]].

{{-}}

===Titanium Series===
[[File:TitaniumSeries-Primal3inch.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|This Primal wasn't built—it was ''poured!'']]
* '''Optimus Primal''' (3" Robot Master figurine, 2006)
**''Accessories'': Stand
:This 3-inch die-cast and plastic figurine of Optimus Primal features him in his ''Beast Wars'' season 1 appearance, with swords drawn in an action pose. He came with an [[Autobot]] figure stand, weirdly enough.
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Maximal/TitOptimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on Titanium Series Optimus Primal at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===3D Battle-Card Game===
*'''Optimus Primal''' (2007)
[[File:3DBattleCard-OptimusPrimal.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|All your favorite 3D action!]]
: A 52-point "rare" character in the [[3D Battle-Card Game|3D Battle-Card Game's]] "Energon Wars" expansion, Optimus Primal "transforms" into a black ape. He uses the same parts layout as [[Cheetor (BW)/toys|Cheetor]], [[Ravage (G1)/toys|Ravage]], and [[Rampage (G1)|Rampage]], although the figure's beast mode is assembled differently. Optimus Primal is nominally the leader of the Autobots in the set. The surface of the figure uses images of the original Ultra ape toy.

{{-}}

===Robot Heroes===
====Beast Wars Series====
[[File:Robotheroestarantulasprimal.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Primal mocks Tarantulas's inability to display jazz hands.]]
*'''Optimus Primal''' / '''Predacon Tarantulas''' (2008)
: Part of the second wave of ''[[Transformers: Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]'' [[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]], this PVC figurine of Optimus Primal's original gorilla body has articulation in the shoulders and neck. He was available only in a "Beast Wars Series" two-pack with [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (amusingly enough, the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] he also came with in the ''[[MicroVerse]]'' [[Orcanoch]] playset).
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2008/Maximal/RHOprimusPrimal/optimusprimal.htm More information on Robot Heroes Optimus Primal at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

====Beast Machines Series====
[[File:Robot heroes primal jetstorm.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|The next Bio-Force Ape? Only time will tell.]]
*'''Optimus Primal vs. Jetstorm''' (2009)
:*''Series:'' Beast Machines Series

:Optimus Primal would have come with [[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] in this set. Like the other later [[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]] waves, this toy was cancelled because retailers only wanted ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' toys. Some managed to trickle out into the wild - the picture seen here comes from an eBay auction. He looks... Unhinged, to say the least.
{{canceledtoy}}

==Notes==
* The design of Optimus Primal's bat form is an [[homage]] to [[Batman]], an action figure license also held at the time by [[Kenner]].<ref>Page 78, Toy database section in ''[[Beast Wars Universe]]''</ref>
* According to Bob Forward at a BotCon panel, the "Flight Mode" Primal has in first season of the ''Beast Wars'' animation is a vestigial reference to the bat-form, the concept being that Primal and Megatron would each have had 4(!) modes, able to transform freely between them. This was ultimately considered too difficult to animate, and the concept was dropped, Primal's "Prime Jets" being a way to prevent re-writing the flight-related parts of the scripts.
* Primal's gorilla mode, paired against [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s ''T.rex'' mode, was inspired by the showdown in the film ''[[King Kong]]''.<ref>[http://obscuretf.com/hhk/BC04interviews.html Botcon 2004 Interview with Vinnie D'Alleva], p2</ref>
* According to the control art of Optimus Primal's toy, his chest originally seemed to be a kind of launcher instead of being an homage to the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]].<ref>Page 50, Toy database section in ''[[Beast Wars Universe]]''</ref>

==References==
<references/>

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Aileron

2017-10-09T00:27:44Z

HailMegatron: /* IDW Generation 1 continuity */

{{faction|autobot}}
:''Aileron is a [[Caminus|Camien]] [[Autobot]] from the [[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW portion]] of the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:AileronC.jpg|upright=1.7|thumb|A lot of wrongs trying to make a right.]]

On the surface, it seems like '''Aileron''' is the perfect candidate for the Autobot ranks–idealistic, loyal, and always wiling to see the best in everyone. Her spaceplane [[alternate mode]] gives her air and space superiority, allowing her to cross continents in a matter of minutes. Aileron's enduring spirituality led her into what she thought would be an adventure of a lifetime; her [[Way of Flame|religion]] taught her to deify the [[Prime (rank)|Prime]]s, so it's no surprise that she jumped at the chance to work alongside her idol [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] in a glorious quest to spread the wisdom of the Primes across the galaxy!

As it turned out, however, things on [[Earth]] weren't quite as simple as Aileron hoped they might have been. Not only has she discovered that her leader isn't quite the divine, infalliable figure she was taught to worship, but she's also learned that keeping the peace on a troubled planet isn't quite as easy as Prime made it look. She's not quite the optimist that she once was, but Aileron perseveres – even if she can't always rely on Optimus, she's learning to rely on herself. Ironically, Aileron now serves as a grounding force for Optimus. His near constant companion, she's not slow to remind him that for all the import of his status as Prime he's also still just Optimus and far from infallible. This makes Aileron, not long ago just a normal camien civilian, arguably the most vital member of Optimus' crew.

{{quote|Some things never change... you try to go '''out''', do some '''good'''... and everybody starts '''trolling''' you.|Aileron|"[[New Cybertron Part 1: To Walk Among the Chosen|To Walk Among the Chosen]]"}}

{{TOC}}

==Fiction==
===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
[[File:ExRID 44 swift sterling and aileron.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.0]|This can't go wrong!]]

Aileron was born from a [[hot spot]] within the [[Titan (IDW)|Titan]] [[Caminus]]. {{storylink|A 'Bot and Her City}} Aileron originally lived in a small village, where she once encountered [[Pyra Magna]]: a [[Torchbearer]] who upheld the legacy of [[Solus Prime]]. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 1: Aphelion|Aphelion}} This chance encounter increased Aileron's interest in the mythology of the [[Thirteen]] and as her ailing homeworld slowly ran out of resources, Aileron's hope lay with the Primes. {{storylink|Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook issue 1|Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook #1}}

Not long after [[Caminus]] had joined the [[Council of Worlds]], Aileron, [[Swift]], and [[Sterling]] emigrated to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. {{storylink|The Transgressors}} Shortly after arriving, Aileron upgraded herself with a pair of cannons. {{storylink|Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook issue 1|Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook #1}} Driven by their faith in the Prime, the Camiens took to handing out religious pamphlets about [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] in the Decepticon ghetto. This prompted a mixed reaction from passerby Decepticons: [[Acid Storm]] looked at their materials out of curiosity, and [[Sparkstalker]] defended the rights of the Camiens to do what they wanted as the Camiens treated Decepticons fairly. Needlenose snatched one of Aileron's pamphlet's straight out of her hands; Aileron protested that Prime was a good 'bot, but Needlenose decried him as a false prophet. {{storylink|The Transgressors}}

Aileron continued to face resistance to preaching about the Primes on Cybertron, even from Autobots less than enthusiastic about Optimus Prime, like the Dinobot, Slag. {{storylink|The Transformers: Redemption|Redemption}} Seeking to better understand the Camien viewpoint of him, Optimus Prime approached Aileron and asked her assistance in discovering what it meant to be a Prime. She offered the [[Torchbearer]]s as a good source of information. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 1: Aphelion|Aphelion}} Aileron and Optimus journeyed out into the [[Rust Sea|Rust Spot]], where the remains of [[Crystal City]] were collapsed into a singularity. There they encountered the [[Victorion]] Torchbearers who had been living in the Rust Spot. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 2: Lagrange|Lagrange}}

[[File:ExRID 50 sterling dies.jpg|upright=1.5|thumb|right|IT ABSOLUTELY CAN'T GO WRONG]]

When Decepticons raided the spacebridge facility, Aileron and Optimus returned with Victorion to secure the site. Aileron reunited with Sterling at the spacebridge nexus, and together they stood alongside Optimus Prime as he annexed the planet Earth into Cybertron's Council of Worlds to prevent another Decepticon invasion. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 4: Perihelion|Perihelion}} Aileron was awe-struck as the Autobots and Victorion tore into the 'Cons, risking their lives for an alien race.

But it turns out those ungrateful aliens didn't ''like'' the great Prime annexing their planet for the greater good. The [[China|Chinese]] [[People's Liberation Army Mecha Force]] attacked and Sterling was killed before Aileron's horrified eyes; she switched to rage at these "monsters" killing her friend, before Optimus ordered her into her first battle to take out orbital lasers. Swiftly after, and after Prime had told her she was doing a good job holding it together, she saved the day by using the spacebridge to return to Cybertron and then come back to Beijing with the ''[[Skyroller]]''. Optimus was left asking what he'd just started, with Aileron telling him he'd done what he had to. At their rendezvous, Aileron further went and bawled out [[Pyra Magna]] and [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] for ''questioning the Prime'' when things were so rough!

Optimus had a vision that included her as the [[Mistress of Flame]] while Earth burned and people bowed to him, but that's probably all fine! {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 1: Once Upon a Time on Earth|Once Upon a Time on Earth}}

[[File:EdgeOfTheEarth-takemetoyourleader.jpg|left|upright=1.5|thumb|NOTHING WRONG HERE!]]

Things ''stopped'' being fine shortly after Optimus apologized for Sterling's death and again talked about ''not'' being divine. Aileron said he hadn't lied and ending war was worth dying for anyway, as long as those stupid fleshbags would just ''get it''. She grew frustrated over her fellow Autobots arguing about whether it was worth talking to Decepticons; as far as she was concerned, it was the ''humans'' murdering the Autobots, who were only trying to make things better! And when Prime just referred to Sterling's death as "grievances", Aileron made the ''entirely sensible'' decision to storm down to the [[White House]] and demand terms of surrender. The humans responded by shooting at her, prompting Optimus Prime and Victorion to intervene and bail her out. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 2: Edge of the Earth|Edge of the Earth}}

Following a disastrous meeting with the Council, Optimus brought Aileron with him when they returned to Caminus, where Optimus met with the Mistress of Flame. Prime explained that he had forgiven Aileron for her rash actions in Washington, and she listened as the Mistress outlined her theory—that Earth was one of the thirteen lost [[Titan (IDW)|Titan]] colonies—and Optimus was the thirteenth Prime of legend! With that done, Aileron returned to [[Monument Valley]] while Optimus met with [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] aboard [[Sanctuary Station]]. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message|The Medium and the Message}} With Soundwave's Decepticons now under Optimus's command, the united Cybertronian force prepared to storm Galvatron's underwater base. Aileron was eager to fight—and incensed that Optimus was being told to sit out the fight—but [[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]] ordered the Camien to stay behind. Aileron was therefore present when [[Circuit (G1)|Circuit]] and [[Longtooth]] bridged to Earth as part of [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]]'s propaganda venture, just as the [[Earth Defense Command]] moved in to take down the Transformers. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 4: It's Beginning To And Back Again|It's Beginning To And Back Again}}

[[File:AsAboveSoBelow-ailerontransforms.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Ok, so it went pretty wrong.]]

Optimus ordered his troops not to fire on the encroaching humans, but Aileron, still stinging from the death of Sterling, followed Soundwave's call to action and engaged the humans in a dogfight. This was short-lived, however, as Soundwave had an epiphany, realizing that humans and Cybertronians were more alike than different and prompting him to abandon his attack. Seconds later, Optimus reached out and raised a [[Titan (IDW)|Titan]] from beneath the ground, driving the humans into a temporary retreat. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 5: As Above...So Below|As Above...So Below}} Aileron later watched as [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]] assumed his city mode, becoming an embassy Optimus dubbed "[[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]]". {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 6: No Fair Fights|No Fair Fights}}

Aileron was subsequently guarding the spacebridge to Cybertron when it was shanghaied by the recently-revived [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]], who blasted Aileron before she could warn any other Autobots. {{storylink|The Last Autobot}} While Sentinel ran amok in the base, Aileron was unconscious and consigned to the city's sick bay. {{storylink|White Light}} Aileron recovered later and was present when Optimus and Soundwave returned to Autobot City. {{storylink|White Heat}}

[[File:TheDivineSourceOfLiberty-jerks.jpg|thumb|left|275px|Battle of the wrongdoers!]]

Some months later, at the beginning of Earth's [[Ore-13]] crisis, Aileron travelled from Sanctuary Station to meet with [[Kup (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Kup]] in [[Germany]]. {{storylink|Concorde Hymn}} From there, the duo travelled to [[Mount Olympus]] to investigate the recent Ore-13 explosion there. Kup soon realized that the "explosion" wasn't what it seemed—the missing Ore-13 had been transported to [[Microspace|another dimension]], detonating the remaining crystals. On their way back through the city streets, they were suddenly accosted by the forces of [[M.A.S.K.]], a disguised strike team wielding reverse-engineered Cybertronian technology. Aileron clashed with [[Brad Turner]] before [[Matt Trakker]] and the [[Thunderhawk]] took out her long-range communications. With Kup incapacitated and taken prisoner by [[Miles Mayhem]], the elderly Autobot instructed Aileron to retreat and warn Optimus Prime. Aileron managed to evade the airborne M.A.S.K. vehicles and escape. {{storylink|The Divine Source of Liberty}}

A damaged Aileron limped back to the Autobot base to warn the other Autobots about what she and Kup had learned during their time in Greece. Soundwave correctly identified the other dimension as Microspace, sparking a debate about their next course of action... a debate that only intensified when alien knight templar [[Rom]] opted to take matters into his own hands. {{storylink|O Ship of State}} When the evil [[Baron Karza]] revealed himself as the true mastermind behind the crisis, Aileron took part in the massive pan-factional battle that saw the Autobots, Rom, [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] and M.A.S.K. team up against the Baron's monstrous fused form, incorporating Cybertronian technology and the supernatural powers of the [[Dire Wraith]]s. {{storylink|Valley Forge}}

[[File:ToWalkAmongTheChosen-AileronandJetfire.jpg|thumb|right|300px| Did YOU do something wrong?]]

While she stuck with Optimus in the aftermath, she was souring on him and had stopped believing he was anything too grand. As if to mock her, that's when a whole ''new'' group of Prime-worshipping volunteers arrived from other colonies and would constantly, ''CONSTANTLY'', discuss Optimus and leave her worrying that's how she used to sound. [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] would somberly tell her that all this One True Prime talk Optimus was getting was causing him to act differently to how he used to.

After leading the new recruits on a raid to recover Transformer tech in [[Mexico City]], Aileron was part of Optimus' big group that met a massive [[Junkion (species)|alien]] spacecraft in the [[Alps]]. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 1: To Walk Among the Chosen|To Walk Among the Chosen}} She watched as Prime met with Junkion leaders [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] and [[Rum-Maj]], only to be interrupted by [[G.I. Joe]]. Back at Autobot City, she provided security as Prime took the two aliens on a tour of their Earth embassy. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 2: A Lonely Pillar on the Plain|A Lonely Pillar on the Plain}}

Aileron accompanied Prime to Cybertron when the Autobot leader met with the Council of Worlds; {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 3: Behind My Bleeding Back|Behind My Bleeding Back}} though she snapped at the pious colonists on returning to Earth, she nevertheless stood by them when Pyra Magna finally confronted Optimus and his cynical manipulation of their faith. At a summit between Earthlings, Cybertronians, and Junkions, she provided security, which came in handy when the Junkions betrayed the fragile peace with a school of deadly [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticon]]s. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 4: Dance Among the Shadows|Dance Among the Shadows}} Aileron helped evacuate several human leaders, including the [[United States]] [[President of the United States|President]]. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost|Future Glories Lost}} Ultimately, Optimus Prime managed to reach a truce with the defeated Junkions as Aileron and Jetfire watched on. The Cybertronians and Junkions relocated to the [[Marshall Islands|Bikini Atoll]] to begin the construction of "[[Little Cybertron]]": a new city for Transformers, Junkions, and Sharkticons alike. Aileron and Jetfire watched as the united races set about building the city; though Aileron was still skeptical about Prime's recent actions, Jetfire was heartened by his leader's ability to show that he had changed for the better. {{storylink|New Cybertron End: Feel Safe Without Regrets|Feel Safe Without Regrets}}

Aileron later visited Autobot City's medical bay to check up on [[Sideswipe (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sideswipe]], who had shown no signs of recovering from his increasingly worsening coma. Remembering the loss of her friend Sterling, Aileron tried to comfort a visiting Arcee... only for the pink Autobot to snap at her that she didn't ''have'' any friends, because everyone thought she was crazy. Aileron quietly replied that she didn't think so. {{storylink|The Next Day, and the Next}}

As tensions continued to mount among the Autobots and their allies, Aileron, feeling increasingly alone, turned to Jetfire for solace. Jetfire told her about a time when he felt the same way. {{storylink|What It's Really Like}}

When Sideswipe finally passed away, Aileron joined a mourning Arcee on the deck of Metrotitan. Aileron offered her condolences and mentioned her belief in the Way of Flame, which believed in reincarnation. Arcee wasn't quite taken by the idea, wondering what it would be like if everyone she and Sideswipe had killed came back to life... but nevertheless, asked Aileron to stay with her as she looked to the stars and said a final farewell to Sideswipe. {{storylink|The Life of Sideswipe}}

{{--}}

==Notes==
* Aileron is colored to resemble the [[Renegade]] [[GoBot]] [[Crasher (GoBots)|Crasher]].
* An {{w|aileron}} is a hinged surface on the trailing edge of an aircraft wing, used to control an aircraft's balance.

[[Category:Caminus]]
[[Category:Comic-only Autobots]]
[[Category:Female Transformers]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Autobots]]

Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity

2017-09-22T16:23:07Z

HailMegatron: /* A New World */

{{factions|decepticon|autobot}}
{{featured}}
{{suite}}
[[File:IDWMegatron.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Megatron A, Megatron B, Megatron Retailer's Incentive, Megatron Dynamic Forces Exclusive variant, and Megatron (Second Printing).]]
'''Megatron''' waged a battle to destroy the evil forces of the [[Senate]]! Then he ''continued'' to wage a war against the evil forces of freedom, organic life, and the very idea of an Autobot living. After [[Dark Cybertron (IDW)|some life-changing events]], he is currently waging a war against the evil forces of his own past [[Decepticon Justice Division|legacy]].

Megatron is a master planner, constantly a step ahead of any opponent and even ahead of what he wants ''now'', preparing for anything he may want in the future. He has the physical might to overpower most foes but it's his mind who has one-upped three Primes and rival Decepticons. But his cold clinical nature is a front he has to struggle to keep up, as he's quick to anger and quicker to use excessive violence as his answer to any problem. Megatron's trying to change but he's spent such a long time revelling in violence, it may have been a lost cause from the start.

{{quote|Because in the final analysis, I would happily wade across a river of corpses, chest-deep in rust and grease and engine oil, just to crush the spark of the last Autobot standing. And I would not do so simply as a means to an end. No. I'd do it, Prime, because it would give me '''pleasure'''.|Megatron to Optimus Prime|"[[Chaos Theory Part 1]]"}}

{{quote|And the thing is, when those words were in my head I didn't think I meant them; but when they left my mouth, I realized that I '''did'''. If the world thinks you're a monster, what does it matter? The world is '''wrong'''. But when you start to think of '''yourself''' as a monster...|Megatron on the previous quote|"[[slaughterhouse]]"}}

__TOC__
==IDW Generation 1 comics==
===Birth of a tyrant===
[[File:MTMTE37 megatron under construction.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.0|Megatron (Work in progress)]]
'''Megatron of [[Tarn (polity)|Tarn]]''' was built in the 1st Cycle 012, one of the many Transformers [[reproduction|constructed cold]] during the [[Silver Harvest]]. The [[spark]] intended for this body was one generated from the [[Matrix of Leadership]] by [[Tyrest (G1)|Tyrest]]... but this spark was destroyed while his body was still in the process of being built, by time-travelling [[Autobot]]s from the future attempting to prevent the destruction they knew Megatron would come to wreak upon the universe. But the non-existence of Megatron meant that the [[Functionist Council]] would eventually plunge [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] into [[Functionist Universe|a dystopian hell]], and the Autobot [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]], who loathed the Functionists, refused to permit this to happen. Whirl replaced the deceased body's spark with a forged [[Point One Percenter]] spark that had been harvested by [[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]] from [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]] millions of years in the future—and so Megatron was ''truly'' born: the first "hybrid" Transformer, a powerful forged superspark in a constructed cold body. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|Predestination: An Expert's Guide}}

Megatron desired to be a medic, {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}} but alas, he lived in a time of functionism, where one's [[alternate mode]] denoted one's role in society, and one's role determined one's rights. As such, the true nature of his exceptionally rare spark apparently unknown, Megatron was assigned the task for which he had been built: that of [[energon]] miner, a member of the lower class, toiling in a mine under [[Nova Point]]. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}}

[[File:ChaosTheory1 megatron symbol creation.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|... And thus the "Silica Fracturism" art movement was born.]]
An idealist, intellectual and poet, Megatron was sickened by the caste-ridden social apartheid of [[Nominus Prime]]'s Cybertron, and so he wrote [[After the Ark: Nominus Prime and the Illusion of Progress|a treatise]] on how pacifist dissent and the exchange of ideas could change things. It was while he was sharing this work with his miner friend [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] over a drink in [[Maccadam's Old Oil House|Maccadam's New Oil House]] that the event occurred which would change the course of his life, as Impactor wound up being drawn into a bar brawl with some of the city's upper classes and Megatron was among those arrested after the fracas. Megatron's writings had been growing in popularity and inspiring some dissent against the current regime, so in order to silence him, the [[Senate]] arranged for a police officer on their payroll, [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]], to kill him. Before Whirl could finish the job, however, police captain [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]], having discovered Megatron's innocence, arranged for his release. Despite Pax expressing support for the message of his writings, Megatron now found himself filled with rage and hate, disillusioned with his former ideology and realizing the power of applied violence. Angrily hurling the datapad on which he had written his treatise through a public info-screen, Megatron observed the jagged shape of the shattered glass, and later turned it into a [[insignia|symbol]] for his cause. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1|Chaos Theory #1}}

[[File:MTMTE34 what you might call a thinker.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|When considering the Grand Cybertronian Taxonomy, one question remains unanswered. Why am I always pictured with phallic-shaped items in awkward positions?]]
Megatron's samizdat writings began to circulate in Cybertron's underground, spawning the "[[Decepticon]]" movement, its name derived from its own slogan, "You are being deceived", warning the common 'bot of the Senate's true nature. Knowing that, at this stage, assassinating Megatron would merely make him a martyr, the Senate instead elected to relocate him off-planet, reassigning him to a mining facility on the world of [[Messatine]] while they tried their own schemes to defuse the growing Decepticon movement. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|Post Hoc}} It was there that Megatron met [[Terminus (G1)|Terminus]], an elderly fellow miner who encouraged him to keep writing, and who, in addition to proofreading his works for him, smuggled each new tract back to Cybertron, helping to continue the spread of the Decepticon movement. When Terminus was maimed in a mining accident and had his fuel rations cut off, Megatron kept him alive by sharing his own [[energon]] with the old 'bot. Eventually, Senate agents [[Froid]] and [[Trepan]] were dispatched to Messatine to perform mind-altering [[Shadowplay]] upon Megatron, in order to cut his writings off at the source. Tased into submission and strapped to Trepan's operating table, Megatron was helpless to stop the [[mnemosurgery|mnemosurgeon]] from beginning his vile work. Though the arrival of Froid's rival psychopathologist [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] fortunately forced Trepan to stop before Megatron's personality was altered, the experience left the miner with a lifelong fear of mnemosurgery. Subsequently, a mysterious surge of energy deep within the mine forced an evacuation of the facility; Megatron raced back to his quarters to carry Terminus to safety, but found his friend was not there. With time running out and no sign of Terminus anywhere, Megatron instead chose to save the stack of datapads containing his unpublished works—a decision that would haunt him. {{storylink|Births, Deaths, and Interventions}}

[[File:MegatronOrigin1 first kill.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|"You know, sometimes I think I was born with a leak, and any goodness I started with just slowly spilled out of me and now its all gone. And I'll never get it back in me. It's too late."]]
Megatron was relocated to [[Mining Outpost C-12]], and continued to seethe with hate and frustration in his new workplace. His discontent reached a peak when, some time later, [[Decimus|Senator Decimus]] arrived to announce that the mine was being automated and the workers would be relocated. When one of the Senator's guards killed a worker for insubordination and claims of Senate corruption, Megatron's fury boiled over and he hurled his pickaxe at Decimus. In turn, he was attacked by the Senator's guard, whom he killed by smashing his head to fragments—the first time he had ever taken a life. A riot erupted around him, but Megatron himself could only sit amongst the chaos, staring at his fuel-stained hands in abject horror, which allowed him to be easily pacified and rounded up with the other miners as the mayhem was quickly suppressed. En route to [[Penal Facility H-3|imprisonment]] back on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], however, [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] broke free and started a riot aboard [[Longshot (G1)|their ship]]. Megatron joined in their effort, and together, they overpowered their guards, took control of the ship, and disappeared into the [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]] underground. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 1|Megatron Origin #1}}

[[File:MegsOrigin2 Cykill.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|Battle of the Awesome Voices!]]
After evading law enforcement, Megatron joined a team of underworld gladiators under the tutelage of [[Clench (G1)|Clench]]. Initially repulsed by killing his opponents, the games eventually turned him more brutal and excessive, and he took control of the entire operation from Clench. The opportunistic Senator [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]], after seeing how much money there was in the underworld matches, covertly sent his agent [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] to offer Megatron weaponry and technology to upgrade himself and his comrades. Their meeting was spied upon by [[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]] and [[Fastback (G1)|Fastback]], agents from the Senate's forces, who Megatron slew. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 2|Megatron Origin #2}} Subsequently, impressed by how he treated his animal-form [[Decepticon Mini-Cassette|cassette partners]] as equals (in contradiction to the teachings of his Senate masters), Megatron invited Soundwave back to the gladiator pits and gave him permission to use his mind-reading abilities on him. Within Megatron's mind, Soundwave saw his honest desire for all Cybertronians to be true equals, and was so moved by it that he joined Megatron's cause. {{storylink|Soundwaves (issue)|Soundwaves}}

Gradually, Megatron used the gladiatorial games to drum up an army of violent malcontents, sending Soundwave to recruit more and more warriors to his cause. Such recruits included [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]], [[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] and [[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]], who he was presented with while having an arm he lost in a brawl replaced with a new limb that incorporated an [[energon mace]], {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}} and the disenfranchised warrior [[Drift (G1)|Drift]], who was personally asked by Megatron to fight at his side when he attended a Decepticon rally, and whom Megatron rechristened "Deadlock," {{storylink|Drift issue 2|Drift #2}} and transformed into a capable Decepticon warrior. {{Storylink|Drift issue 3|Drift #3}} A wave of terrorism and sabotage spread across Cybertron at his command: bombings, wrecking factories and fuel plants, shutting down transport links, a mass poisoning to tank a corporation, and a very public kidnapping of Senator Decimus. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}}

Seeking to enhance his army even further, Megatron reached out to [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Senator Shockwave]], offering to supply him the resources he required to carry out his own mysterious experiments in exchange for his using the teachings of his lost mentor [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] to create a [[combiner]] that would serve the Decepticons. Shockwave cautioned that it could take some time, but Megatron was content to wait. {{storylink|Shockwaves}}

[[File:Apexthrone.JPG|upright=1.4|thumb|You should have gone to IKEA.]]
Despite all his efforts, Megatron believed that the Senate was still not taking the Decepticons seriously, so Soundwave formulated a plan for a declaration of intent that could be not denied: lure the Senate to Kaon and murder them. {{storylink|Soundwaves (issue)|Soundwaves}} In preparation for this scheme, Megatron offered to restore Shockwave's lost hands—a victim of [[empurata]]—believing that doing so might speed his work. {{storylink|Shockwaves}} The following day, in accordance with Soundwave's plan, Megatron and the Decepticons allowed themselves to be arrested by Sentinel Prime's men, after which Soundwave was freed on Ratbat's orders, while Starscream would ensure his own release by pretending to defect. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}} Together, Soundwave and Starscream exterminated the entire Senate, then liberated Megatron and the rest of their comrades, in the process granting their leader the gift of a [[fusion cannon]] liberated from the Senate forces' armory. Megatron led his army against Sentinel Prime's men, killed Sentinel himself, and took control of Kaon, now ready to turn his insurgency into a full-blown war. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 4|Megatron Origin #4}}

When Sentinel's head went missing, Megatron (unaware) was blamed for it. {{storylink|The Last Autobot}}

===Early days of war===
Megatron formally declared war on "[[Declaration Day]]" when he delivered a stirring speech from [[Nova Point|Nova Peak]]. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} The self-described "second order" he ever gave was that under no circumstances was any Decepticon to kill Whirl—Megatron wanted his old tormentor for himself. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} The growing Decepticon forces swiftly spread across six [[Polities of Cybertron|Torus-States]], {{storylink|Parasites}} and to combat them, Cybertron's new leader [[Zeta Prime]] assembled a new military force, the "[[Autobot]]s", led by Megatron's old acquaintance [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]]. Researching his new opposite number, Megatron was intrigued to discover that his now-abandoned treatise had been a source of inspiration for Pax, who had even quoted from it when he confronted the Senate and openly accused them of corruption. {{storylink|Cause and Effect}} Early into the war, [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] would admit to Pax that Megatron talked about him sometimes, when he was tired. When Pax asked what was said, Bludgeon told him that it would make "both of us feel ''uncomfortable''". {{storylink|Omega's Conundrum}}

[[File:Autocracy4 backroom meeting.jpg|upright=1.66|left|thumb|Megatron Delightful Destuction Exclusive Variant]]
When Orion Pax came close to Kaon during a mission, Megatron saw it as a chance to speak to him and had his Decepticons bring him in. {{storylink|The Hunt for Soundwave}} Megatron attempted to convince him that Zeta Prime was even worse than he appeared—that he had planned to let Orion die in [[Nyon]] so that he could use his death as pretext to invade the rebel-infested city and drain the citizens of their energon—and proposed they work together against him, but Orion refused to hear him and then escaped. Knowing the doubts he'd placed in his head would only serve to damage the Autobot cause, Megatron let him go. {{storylink|Cause and Effect}}

[[File:Autocracy8 megs and pax together.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|"Megatron, let's roll." "What you thinking?" "...Pub?"]]
Megatron continued to keep an eye on Orion Pax's activities, spying on his encounter with the Nyon insurgent [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hot Rod]]. {{storylink|Ruins}} When Zeta Prime's [[Guardian robot|Omega Destructor]]s suddenly attacked Nyon, Megatron was surprised by how zealously the new Prime fought against the city's rebels, but his real interest still lay on how Orion would handle the crisis. {{storylink|Purge}} Orion turned on Zeta, who in turn attempted to kill him, prompting Megatron to intervene and force the Prime to retreat. Taking Orion back to Kaon, he again offered that they work together against Zeta's corruption, and this time the Autobot officer accepted. {{storylink|Choices}} As their combined forces invaded the [[Citadel]] in Iacon, Megatron and Orion Pax made their way inside and fought Zeta Prime in person. The battle ended with Megatron killing the Prime with a head shot, and with his objective complete, he then betrayed the injured Orion by shooting him in the back. {{storylink|Overthrown}} This moment lived in infamy as the point at which Megatron revealed his true colors, no longer couched in ideology; {{storylink|Dinobot Hunt (IDW)|Dinobot Hunt}} though curiously, an alternate report incorrectly implied he had assassinated Zeta from afar, sniping him with the rifle alternate mode of [[Vos (DJD)|Vos]]. {{storylink|Bullets}} {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}}

[[File:Autocracy12 no you dont megatron.jpg|upright=1.4|left|thumb|I can't be the only one with deja vu here.]]
With Zeta dead, Megatron conquered Iacon and declared himself ruler of Cybertron. His soldiers patrolled the planet's streets to "keep the peace", mostly by hunting down and capturing any remaining Autobots who opposed him. {{storylink|Transformation (issue)|Transformation}} During his rule, Megatron attempted to sway the neutral Hot Rod into joining the Decepticons, but he decided otherwise upon witnessing Megatron ordering the execution of several Autobot prisoners. {{storylink|Rise}} Megatron was shocked to learn that Orion Pax had survived the betrayal and was organizing a rebellion against him under the name "Optimus Prime", and even more shocked that people actually had the courage to listen to him. He wasted no time in striking back against the rebels approaching the Citadel with the full force of his army. {{storylink|Broadcast}} During the battle, Megatron unleashed Zeta Prime's energy-draining [[vamparc ribbon|vamparc annihilator]], but when the gigantic [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] took out the cannon, Megatron fell to the streets and was confronted by Optimus Prime himself. He lost the ensuing [[The Transformers: The Movie|familiar-looking duel]] and was badly wounded after a failed attempt to defeat Prime by holding Hot Rod hostage, forcing him to escape aboard Astrotrain. As he fled, he warned Optimus that he hadn't won, he had only started a war unlike any Cybertron had ever seen. {{storylink|Endgame}}

[[File:Monstrosity3 Megatron and Pentius.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Megatron insists on wearing his Darksiders cosplay when he's walking his pet Quintesson.]]
Before Megatron could recover from his injuries, he was betrayed by [[Scorponok (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Scorponok]], who was gunning for the position of Decepticon leader (with aid from Starscream). As punishment for his failure to hold Iacon, Scorponok banished the wounded Megatron to the hell-world of [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]]. {{storylink|Derelicts}} Further injured in battle with some [[Junkion (species)|cannibalistic natives]], he stubbornly refused to give up and used the trash littering the world to patch himself up, leaving him with a mismatched, monstrous appearance. {{storylink|Wreckage (issue)|Wreckage}} While searching for a way off Junkion, Megatron entered the wreckage of a starship and found a trapped [[Quintesson]] named [[Pentius]], who had mapped the planet and knew of an area known as the [[Pillar of Rust]] where starships may land and take off. Megatron freed the alien to guide him there, while also putting him in chains to serve as his slave. {{storylink|Faces of Darkness}}

[[File:Monstrosity7 megatron takes pentius spark.jpg|upright=1.4|left|thumb|"Thanks for turning me into the psychopath I've been the whole time!"]]
While crossing the [[Acid Sea]] on the way to the Pillar, Megatron was attacked by [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]] who pulled him into the depths. {{storylink|Rage (IDW)|Rage}} For reasons unknown he was then released, the creatures having allowed him to live. As he emerged, Pentius was waiting with a history lesson, telling him that Junkion was once a prosperous world until its inhabitants drained it of resources, leaving it the broken husk it is today: a fate that may also await Cybertron. Megatron rejected this possibility, declaring that under his rule, Cybertron—and his legacy—would last forever. {{storylink|Fallout (issue)|Fallout}} On arrival at the Pillar of Rust, Megatron was met by the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]], who had come to Junkion to finish what Scorponok had started by killing him. He was able to fight off several of his attackers, but [[Hun-Gurrr (G1)|Hun-Gar]] was too much for him to handle in his injured state. Egged on and taunted by Pentius, Megatron realized he had one last resource left to use: the Quintesson himself. Telling Pentius that his legacy would live on within him, he tore out the alien's [[spark]] and used it to fuel himself, granting him enough power to defeat Hun-Gar. He spared the Terrorcons in exchange for their loyalty, then returned to Cybertron on their ship to take revenge on Scorponok and take back control of the Decepticons. {{storylink|Prey (issue)|Prey}}

[[File:Monstrosity12 strange turns.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]
Megatron returned to a Cybertron in chaos, as the ancient reptilian [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] had been unleashed by Scorponok and was in the midst of razing Iacon. After reasserting his leadership of the Decepticons by beating Scorponok nearly to death, he had Shockwave restore his body to its original shape and condition, {{storylink|The Illusion of Control}} and set out to investigate the Trypticon situation alone, unwilling to risk his soldiers in the face of the beast's uncontrolled fury. Finding an injured Optimus Prime on the battlefield, Megatron lectured him, but opted to leave him alive so that he could watch as the Decepticon leader defeated the enemy that Prime could not. Megatron was attacked by [[Grimlock (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Grimlock]], but as they grappled, they were swallowed by Trypticon. {{storylink|Annihilation}} Within the giant, the pair set their differences aside to fend off the [[cyber-morphic predator]]s that populated his interior, and together, they destroyed Trypticon's internal power cell, taking him offline. A tense standoff between the Autobots and Decepticons followed as the two warriors emerged from within Trypticon, but both sides agreed to go their separate ways for the time being. Not long after the battle, however, Megatron removed Pentius's spark from within himself and installed it within Trypticon. {{storylink|Belly of the Beast (issue)|Belly of the Beast}}

[[File:Primacy4 megatron imprisoned.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]
After being fully repaired following his ordeals, Megatron roused Trypticon by exploiting the connection they now shared thanks to both having borne Pentius's spark. Discovering that Trypticon now possessed the consciousness of Pentius, Megatron was immediately suspicious of the Quintesson's potential treachery and was staggered by the visions of undiluted evil he saw in the aliens' past via their spark-link, but Trypticon assured him that he was dedicated to their shared goal of breaking a world. {{storylink|Primacy issue 1|Primacy #1}} Using Trypticon's city-ship alternate mode, Megatron took to the stars, rounding up the scattered Decepticon army and even recruiting Junkions and Sharkticons. {{storylink|Primacy issue 2|Primacy #2}} Returning to Cybertron in force, Megatron was content to wait and watch from the sidelines while his troops viciously tore into Iacon. Trypticon was defeated in battle by Metroplex, at which point Megatron's folly was revealed: through their link, Pentius mockingly revealed his intention to use Trypticon consume Cybertron once the Autobots and Decepticons had weakened each other. {{storylink|Primacy issue 3|Primacy #3}} Leaving his men with orders to burn Iacon to the ground if he failed in order to spare it such a fate, Megatron set off for Trypticon's fallen body in hopes that he would be able to remove Pentius's spark before the giant revived. Confronted atop Trypticon by Optimus Prime, Megatron tried to goad the Autobot leader into destroying him, believing that Pentius would be destroyed with him thanks to their link. Refusing to accept death as the answer, Optimus instead used the [[Matrix of Leadership]] to purify Megatron, burning Pentius's spark away; Megatron, however, vowed that he would never stop hating Optimus in spite of what he had done for him. Sadly resigned to the fact that the once-noble revolutionary he had admired was now lost, Optimus knocked out the weakened Megatron and took him into custody. {{storylink|Primacy issue 4|Primacy #4}}
{{-}}

===The spreading conflict===
[[File:MTMTE14 megatron vs overlord.jpg|upright=1.4|left|thumb]]
Escaping Autobot custody under as-yet-unrevealed circumstances, Megatron continued to wage the war. Early in the continuing conflict, he wrote ''[[Towards Peace]]'', a new treatise to replace ''After the Ark'', in which he described continuing to fight the war until the very notion of conflict was literally inconceivable. Then and only then would he finally give up his fusion cannon. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} The earliest edition of the work featured a dedication to Terminus, which Megatron would later remove to reflect the lesson his friendship with Terminus had taught him: not to get attached. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} Friendships were a weakness, and Megatron exploited this in the cruelest way possible: by corrupting Optimus Prime's old friend [[Tarn (DJD)|Damus]], turning him into one of the most vicious, dedicated Decepticons of all, a devoted worshiper at the altar of Megatron, purely to hurt Prime. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 3: Your Fierce Tears|Your Fierce Tears}}

Megatron oversaw the creation of a class of super-warriors known as the [[Warriors Elite]], selecting only his most powerful troops to undergo the torturous upgrade, including [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]], a brilliant sadist and frequent opponent of his from his pit-fighting days who had developed an obsession with Megatron after the Decepticon leader dealt him his first ever defeat. {{storylink|Remembrance Day}} At some point, he also created the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] to deal with traitors, and appointed Damus—now code-named "Tarn"—as its leader, {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} though he elected not to send them after Deadlock when he defected, valuing the warrior enough to instead dispatch [[Lockdown (G1)|Lockdown]] to bring him in. {{storylink|Drift issue 2|Drift #2}} He would reportedly spend "half the war" searching for a way to remotely access a [[black hole]], in order to use [[antimatter]] for power, but never succeeded. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}}

[[File:ChaosTheory prime vs megatron montage.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Good times, bad times.]]
Megatron would personally clash with Optimus Prime many times; Optimus grew to respect and fear Megatron as a calm, calculating and measured opponent, while Megatron himself respected Prime's sheer power and his skill as a tactician and as a leader. {{storylink|Escalation issue 5|Escalation #5}} Megatron would later incorrectly recall their battle on [[Sherma Bridge]] during the [[Rorsha Campaign]] as the first time they met. Said battle was certainly momentous—every Autobot and Decepticon stopped fighting to witness their duel, during which Megatron's cannon arm was sliced off by Prime's [[energon-axe]], and he claimed revenge by throwing the Autobot leader off the bridge. As the war spread to other planets, they would meet again and again: during the [[Siege of Massunstrad]], Megatron sealed Prime in an anti-matter chamber; on [[Rada Mor]], Prime reduced Megatron to ashes with sentient explosives; and in the midst of the [[Vorsk Offensive]], Megatron was nearly sliced in half by Prime. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1|Chaos Theory #1}} Though he resisted [[Tyrest (G1)|Tyrest]]'s attempts to find a "Two City-State Solution" to the war, he did agree to abide by the [[Tyrest Accord]]. {{storylink|Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|House of Ambus}}

Megatron took on a new pistol alternate mode for the [[Battle for Hell's Point]], during which he was used by [[Heretech]] to blast [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]]. {{storylink|The Gloaming}} During the same skirmish, Megatron took off half of Prime's face with his energon mace, but had a city block dropped on him by Prime in retribution, which shattered his [[transformation cog]] and trapped him in gun mode for two years. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1|Chaos Theory #1}} Prime was not the only old face that Megatron would see again during the war: during a battle on an aerial drilling platform over the [[Manganese Mountains]], Megatron came face-to-face with his old friend Impactor, and stood poised to execute him until Impactor gave him a moment's pause by recalling his old fondness for poetry. In this moment, Megatron was knocked from the platform by [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] and sent plummeting to the mountains below. {{storylink|Zero Point}}

[[File:LastStandoftheWreckers2-teleconference.jpg|upright=1.66|left|thumb|"We attack the Rice Krispies guys at dawn! Assuming Judd Hirsch delivers the goods."]]
At the war's zenith, Megatron sealed himself in an [[Omniglobe]] to absorb the relentless flood of data coming in from countless fronts. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} With total war going nowhere, he would go on to develop a six-stage [[infiltration protocol]] to be used for conquering targeted planets. The sixth phase called for outright planetary razing, and Megatron selected three of his Warriors Elite for this task: [[Sixshot]], {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}}, Overlord and [[Black Shadow (Victory)|Black Shadow]]. He informed this trio of his decision via teleconference, but Overlord, tired of being used as someone else's weapon, refused. Megatron threatened to hunt Overlord down for his disobedience, {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 2|Last Stand of the Wreckers #2}} but while the powerful warrior spent the rest of his life preparing for this conflict, Megatron never followed up and left him to stew in his own obsession. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|Last Stand of the Wreckers #5}}

[[File:Stormbringer1 get up and fight.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|You don't gotta go home Prime but you can't stay here.]]
Deducing that the Autobot/Decepticon war would culminate in an energy crisis that would threatened the stability of Cybertron itself, Shockwave left Cybertron to secretly pursue alternate energy sources. Around 10,000 years ago, when Shockwave did not return, Megatron ordered Bludgeon to investigate his files, {{storylink|Spotlight: Shockwave}} secretly assigning Soundwave to investigate Bludgeon {{storylink|Spotlight: Soundwave}} and probe deeper into whatever it was Shockwave had created. {{storylink|Shockpoint}}

Shockwave's prediction soon proved accurate, and Cybertron found itself in the throes of an energy shortage. Decepticon scientist [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] came to Megatron with a revolutionary, controversial plan to stave off this energy death by [[Pretender|polydermal grafting]], a process where they encased themselves in "symbiotic carapaces", or shells created from living tissue. When Megatron dismissed him angrily and cut him down, Thunderwing did not abandon his research; instead, he experimented on himself. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 3|Stormbringer #3}} {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 4|Stormbringer #4}} The process gave him immense power, but drove him insane. He became so dangerous that Megatron had to join forces with Optimus Prime to stop him. This battle at [[Thunderhead Pass]] accelerated the apocalypse destined to befall Cybertron, leaving it an uninhabitable, radioactive husk and forcing both armies to continue their war on other worlds. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 1|Stormbringer #1}} Megatron advocated that they simply destroy Cybertron to ensure that Thunderwing was destroyed, but Prime refused, and threatened to stop Megatron if he tried. Megatron agreed not to destroy the planet, but warned Prime that whatever happened was on his head. Shortly after the last big push by the Decepticons, Cybertron was abandoned by both factions. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 1|Stormbringer #2}}

===Breaking protocol===
[[File:Infiltration4 enter megatron.jpg|upright=1.3|left|thumb|Megatron (Second Printing Preview)]]
In the present day, when word reached Megatron that the infiltration unit led by [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]], stationed on the planet [[Earth]], had broken protocol, he headed for the planet to investigate. Examining the unit's abandoned bunker in [[Nebraska]] for information, he discovered that Starscream had stumbled across [[Ore-13]]—an incredible energy source that (unbeknownst to Megatron) was the end result of Shockwave's experiments—and was planning to use it to usurp Megatron's command. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 4|Infiltration #4}} While studying the bunker's files, he was contacted by [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] with some distressing news: Bludgeon's investigations of Shockwave's files had led him to revive Thunderwing. Megatron ordered the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]] to Cybertron, authorizing them to do whatever was necessary to destroy Thunderwing, including the destruction of their homeworld itself. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 3|Stormbringer #3}} Just as he was handing down this order, Megatron was happened upon by [[Verity Carlo]], a human ally of the Autobot unit active on the planet, {{storylink|Infiltration issue 4|Infiltration #4}} but he utterly ignored her. The bunker was then leveled by an airstrike courtesy of [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] and [[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]], who were merely covering their unit's tracks and unaware of Megatron's presence; when their leader furiously emerged from the wreckage, Skywarp attempted to explain their ignorance, but Megatron simply responded by blasting him out of the sky. Blitzwing favored opening fire rather than attempting explanations, so Megatron beat the stuffing out of him too, then set off for Starscream's new bunker in [[Oregon]]. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 5|Infiltration #5}}

[[File:Infiltration6 takeyourpunishment.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Those librarians are getting really strict on late returns.]]

{{quote|You will stand down. If you fight, you ''die''. There is no room anymore for mercy. In the end, you are ''all'' expendable. Choose.|Megatron's ultimatum to Starscream's renegade troops|[[Infiltration issue 6|''Infiltration'' #6]]}}

[[Orbital jump]]ing to Oregon, Megatron called Starscream out and ordered the team to stand down, disgusted to see such power games being played amongst his troops. His brief, chilling speech was enough to take the fight out of all but Starscream, who, powered-up on Ore-13, took Megatron on himself. Though the new power source made Starscream a formidable adversary, Megatron was still more deadly than he, and Starscream was taken out by a point-blank fusion cannon blast through his torso. Megatron ordered the Decepticons to ensure that Starscream survived, and then, observing the Autobots who had been watching the battle, announced that it was time to begin phase two. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}}

In light of the discovery of Ore-13, Megatron took stock of Starscream's progress on Earth and elected to get the infiltration protocol back on track himself, calling a meeting to make Starscream's former troops and making them aware, in no uncertain terms, that any further insurrections would be met with deadly force. {{storylink|Escalation issue 1|Escalation #1}} He continued to order his troops on Earth directly, {{storylink|Escalation issue 2|Escalation #2}} and was even able to revisit his past gun alternate mode, once again able to achieve the [[size changing|mass displacement]] the mode required thanks to the extra energy Ore-13 provided. {{storylink|Escalation issue 3|Escalation #3}}

[[File:Megsandspidy.jpg|left|upright=1.4|thumb|Megatron/Spiderman #1 Retailer's Incentive]]
With his forces joined by [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]], a new arrival who Megatron suspected of having ulterior motives, {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Two}} the Decepticon leader initiated phase two of infiltration protocol by destabilizing relations between the European nations of [[Latveria]] and [[Symkaria]] through use of an aggression-inducing [[Psycho-Prism]], stolen from Latverian dictator [[Doctor Doom]]. When the superhero team known as the [[Avengers]] investigated the array the Decepticons' were using to broadcast the prism's signal, Megatron abducted the arachnid-powered [[Spider-Man]] to use as a subject for their [[mirror response mode]], {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part One}} draining the hero's powers and infusing himself and the other Decepticons with them. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Two}} He proceeded to forge a brief alliance with Doctor Doom, who helped him defeat and capture the allied Autobot/Avenger team who snuck inside the Decepticons' array, but when Doom's suggestion to threaten the captives in order to force the other heroes to lay down their arms failed, Megatron violently dissolved the partnership. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Three}} Emerging from the confines of the array to take on the Autobots and Avengers himself, Megatron refrained from engaging Prime, foreseeing a more intimate confrontation between the two of them in the near future, and instead turned his attention to destroying [[Iron Man]]'s Transformer-sized armor. The tables soon turned, however, when Doctor Doom freed the captive Autobots and used the Decepticon's mirror response technology to empower them. Defeated by these enhanced Autobots and with the Psycho-Prism destroyed by [[Wolverine (superhero)|Wolverine]], Megatron used the last of his extra power to teleport the Decepticons out with an [[emergency warp-out]]. He refrained from departing alongside his warriors, intending to slaughter the Avengers for their interference, but when he was immobilized by Spider-Man's webbing, knocked to the ground by [[Luke Cage]], and rattled by a hail of Autobot fire, he finally warped-out with a final taunt to Optimus Prime of the battle yet to come between them. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Four}}
[[File:Escalation3-Massdisplacement.jpg|upright=2.2|thumb]]
With phase two of [[infiltration protocol]] properly underway, Megatron recognized that he ''should'' rightly withdraw and install a new unit commander on Earth, but could not resist the chance to try out his new Ore-13 empowered body, selecting the nation of [[Brasnya]], where Decepticon subterfuge was already underway, as his testing ground. {{storylink|Escalation issue 2|Escalation #2}} Allowing the Decepticon's [[facsimile construct]] [[Georgi Koska]] to wield him in pistol mode, Megatron had Koska use him to first sever a [[Russia]]n oil pipeline, and then to fire upon the soldiers who came to investigate, furthering the political and military tensions already brewing in the region. When word came through from Blitzwing that Optimus Prime and the Autobots had arrived, {{storylink|Escalation issue 3|Escalation #3}} Megatron at last engaged Optimus directly, {{storylink|Escalation issue 4|Escalation #4}} and although Prime was able to destroy his fusion cannon, the extra strength afforded Megatron by Ore-13 allowed him to physically beat Prime into submission, punching directly into his chest and crushing his [[spark]]. {{storylink|Escalation issue 5|Escalation #5}} {{storylink|Spotlight: Optimus Prime}} [[File:Escalation5 prime vs megs.jpg|upright=1.4|left|thumb|''I got me a shovel I'm digging a ditch...'']] The horrified Autobots moved into a full but ineffective counterattack, their only edge being that Megatron had no long-range guns left. It turned out that Prime's apparent death was a desperate ruse when the Autobot leader countered with a surprise attack on Megatron, able to exploit Ore-13's weakness—the more it's used, the faster it burns itself out. Megatron almost collapsed from power loss and was forced to have Skywarp take him to safety before the Autobots could kill him. {{storylink|Escalation issue 6|Escalation #6}}

Furious over the embarrassing defeat, Megatron threw protocol out the window and ordered that Sixshot be summoned to the planet. {{storylink|Escalation issue 6|Escalation #6}} He took out some of his anger on Ramjet, who he discovered had been busy cooking up a plot to overthrow him; without saying a word, he beat the attempted traitor to death before tearing him apart and keeping his head as a trophy. {{storylink|Spotlight: Ramjet}}
[[File:Devastation5 decepticons attack.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|''And I'm gonna fight for this four square feet of land Like a mean old son of a bitch'']]
Upon Sixshot's arrival, Megatron ordered him to utterly destroy the Autobots, and although the [[Phase Sixer]] questioned his early deployment, he was happy to go along with the abandonment of the phase structure. The other Decepticons, on the other hand, were worried that Megatron was losing his grip—and since they were too scared to tell him that, they decided to revive Starscream to do it for them. {{storylink|Devastation issue 1|Devastation #1}} {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 1|Maximum Dinobots #1}} Megatron monitored Sixshot's attack on the Autobots' [[Ark-19]], ordering him to pursue the escape pod that broke away from the crashing craft, {{storylink|Devastation issue 2|Devastation #2}} but before he could obliterate the Autobots, Megatron was forced to recall him to deal with a new threat assaulting the Decepticon base—the alien [[Reaper]]s. {{storylink|Devastation issue 4|Devastation #4}} Unfortunately, the Reapers convinced Sixshot to side with them, and when an Ore-13 powered Starscream entered the fray to take Sixshot down, Megatron realized his troops had been conspiring against him. He decided not to punish them '''yet''', due to greater threat posed by the Reapers, {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}} and entered battle alongside them all, even allowing Starscream to wield him in pistol mode against the aliens. After the invaders were dead, however, he turned on his men, starting with Blitzwing—but was forced to realize that they needed to remain united when it became apparent that their battle with the Reapers had made humanity inescapably aware of their existence {{storylink|Devastation issue 6|Devastation #6}} {{storylink|Spotlight: Grimlock}}
{{-}}

===All Hail Megatron===
[[File:AHM7 megs rips out matrix.jpg|upright=1.1|left|thumb|[[The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|"I don't think I'd have made a good medic. No patience."]]]]
While the Decepticons were occupied fighting the Reapers, the Autobots had left Earth to deal with the greater threat of an incursion by the [[Dead Universe]]. Exploiting their enemies' absence, Megatron and his men went to ground; when Autobots returned, they could find no trace of the Decepticons, who kept one step ahead of them for months. Secretly abducting [[Hunter O'Nion]], former [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] partner to the Autobot [[Sunstreaker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sunstreaker]], Megatron and his men returned to Cybertron, where Megatron had [[Deluge (G2)|Deluge]] conduct experiments that bred a [[Insecticon swarm|swarm]] of monstrous [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]]. The experiments culminated in the creation of [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]], who Megatron employed in a series of key tasks in his plan: the Insecticon obtained from Hunter's mind various Autobot secrets and codes, completed Shockwave's long-gestating combiner process, granting the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] the ability to combine into [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]], and created a working [[space bridge]] {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}} based on designs sold to them by Sixshot in exchange for his freedom. {{storylink|Spotlight: Metroplex}}

Returning to Earth, the Decepticons staged a phony schism within their ranks, allowing the Autobots to believe that they had "disappeared" as a result of a power struggle that had split their ranks into two camps, one led by Megatron and one by Starscream. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}} Starscream then approached Sunstreaker, whose experience as a Headmaster had left him bitter and jaded, with the proposition that the Autobots join with his forces against Megatron, {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 8|All Hail Megatron #8}} but when the Autobots arrived at the designated time and place, they were instead confronted by the united Decepticon army and quickly defeated by Devastator. After personally tearing [[Matrix of Leadership]] from Optimus Prime's chest, Megatron marched the captive Autobots through the space bridge back to Cybertron, where the Insecticon swarm waited for them. Prime, however, was able to damage the bridge, causing it to deposit the Autobots a safe distance from the swarm, but in the process, fried his own circuits and left himself comatose. Though the Autobots had escaped the fate he had intended for them, Megatron had successfully exiled his enemies to their dead homeworld; moreover, using information and codes gained from Sunstreaker and Hunter, he concurrently orchestrated the event that would later be known as [[Surge (event)|The Surge]], as Decepticons stormed Autobot installations all across the galaxy, achieving total victory. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}}

[[File:AHM1 decepticons attack.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Megatron's urban renewal program was off to a flying start.]]
With galaxy-wide domination accomplished, one year after the Decepticons' battle with the Reapers, Megatron chose Earth to become the new Decepticon homeworld. Together with his men, Megatron stormed [[New York City]], humiliating Starscream with a display of his greater capacity for destruction. When the US Air Force retaliated, Megatron shrugged off their fire and ordered the other Decepticons to engage them; when one damaged jet threw itself toward him in a suicide run, Megatron, outraged at the [[DJ (G1)|pilot]]'s temerity, destroyed it and its occupant with a furious swipe of his hand. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 1|All Hail Megatron #1}} When US Army forces arrived, Megatron ordered [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] dispatched to deal with them, then sent Devastator to destroy the subway tunnels leading out of the city. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 2|All Hail Megatron #2}} With New York secured, Megatron directed the Constructicons to begin building a new space bridge in the city's heart, and had a candid talk with Starscream, revealing his belief that the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]]'s attitude and actions marked him as the embodiment of the Decepticon cause, even if he was blind to seeing it himself. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 3|All Hail Megatron #3}} After a series of further attacks on major American cities saw the country firmly crushed under the Decepticons' collective heel, Megatron made a propaganda speech to his men in the ruins of New York. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 4|All Hail Megatron #4}} As night fell upon the city, Megatron withdrew to privately gloat over the Matrix. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 5|All Hail Megatron #5}}

[[File:AHM6MegatronVsIsrael.jpg|left|upright=1.66|thumb|Starscream just told Megatron that AHM is going to go on for another six issues. He's taking it pretty well, all things considered.]]
As the Decepticons began attacking other countries around the globe, Megatron was questioned by Starscream on what the next step in his plan was. A recalcitrant Megatron merely informed him that it was merely time to savor their victory, but Starscream accused him of not ''having'' any plans post-victory, and was merely allowing his men to run wild to distract them from any notion of taking power for themselves. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 6|All Hail Megatron #6}} What Starscream did not realize was that Megatron did indeed have a plan: to defeat the Autobots, he had created an army of killers and monsters, but in order to create his perfect rule, that army would have to be destroyed, the dissenting, distasteful elements obliterated before Megatron's peace could dawn. Megatron was not distracting his warriors... he was ''waiting'' to see which of them would question and turn on him. Silently sorrowful to already know that such dissent would begin with Starscream, an otherwise-model Decepticon, {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}} Megatron withdrew to [[Israel]] for some silent reflection amid wholesale devastation. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 6|All Hail Megatron #6}}

[[File:AHM10 megs vs devastator.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb]]
Some time later, Megatron surveyed the space bridge Bombshell and the Constructicons had built in New York. He congratulated Bombshell on his work, but revealed that he had always foreseen Bombshell's intellect as a danger—had always known he and his fellow Insecticons would side with Starscream when the time came. His gambit exposed, Starscream made his move and attacked, but the Insecticons proved no match for Megatron's might. The Decepticon leader had failed to anticipate one thing, however: he did not foresee the Constructicons siding with Starscream, and found himself having to fight the mighty Devastator. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}} The in-fighting was halted by a last-ditch attack by the mustered might of what remained of the human resistance, forcing Megatron and Starscream to put their differences aside momentarily and organize a defense. This attack came as no surprise to Megatron, but the same could not be said for the next entrants onto the battlefield: the Autobots had returned.

After assuring Starscream that he would be leader in the future, when his time was done, Megatron confronted Optimus Prime, surprised not so much that his old foe had survived, but that he had bothered to return to Earth. Both leaders had always maintained a policy of acceptable losses through their millennia-long war, so Megatron assumed Prime had come back for selfish reasons, to reclaim the Matrix, but Prime insisted that he had changed, and would no longer allow their cold war to endanger innocent lives on this scale. [[File:AHM12 prime vs megs.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.66|Like Homer Simpson putting on his pants, the struggle between Optimus Prime and Megatron remains eternal. [[...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|Almost.]]]] Megatron scoffed at the notion, reavling that Prime's supposedly "innocent" humans were planning to nuke New York, killing millions of their own just to get rid of the Decepticons, {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 11|All Hail Megatron #11}} but Prime retorted that it wasn't ''just'' about the humans, but also about the difference between Autobots and Decepticons. The two came to blows, but Megatron triumphed in short order and commanded the Decepticons to depart, leaving the Autobots to be killed by the humans' nuke... but just before they withdrew, he was shot in the face by human soldier [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]], wielding a powerful weapon reverse-engineered from Cybertronian technology. Injured and disoriented by the blast, Megatron was finished off when Prime smashed his face in with his own fusion cannon. As he wanted to ''take'' leadership rather than just have it fall in his hands, Starscream picked up his damaged leader and ordered the Decepticons to retreat. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 12|All Hail Megatron #12}}

[[File:AllHisEngines-Megatron.jpg|thumb|Pretty sure when you float in a bacta tank you're supposed to be wearing a diaper.]]
The Decepticons departed Earth aboard Astrotrain, where the gravely wounded Megatron was put on life support and tended to by Soundwave and his cassettes. With Megatron's life signs only at ten percent capacity, Starscream attempted to appeal to Soundwave's sense of logic and have him shut down so that leadership could be his, but Soundwave refused. Starscream was soon able to take command, however, when he recovered the Matrix of Leadership and professed to have been chosen by it. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 13|Uneasy Lies the Head}}

===New body, new powers===
The Decepticons eventually settled on a desolate asteroid, where Megatron was installed in a [[CR chamber|CR tank]]. Retaining some level of awareness of the events occurring around him during his convalescence, he was forced to watch as his army languished in inactivity, their energy slowly ebbing away until they were reduced to cannibalism. {{storylink|All His Engines}} After a year of trying to free his leader from this living death, Soundwave was finally forced to conclude that Megatron's body was beyond repair, and recruited the recently returned Shockwave, whom Starscream had provided with the majority of the Decepticons' resources to create a space bridge, to help build a new body for Megatron's consciousness to inhabit. The operation succeeded and Megatron was reborn in a deadly new body, powered by Ore-13, armed with a devastatingly powerful rail gun, and even equipped with space bridge nodes stolen from Metroplex, which gave him the ability to open space bridge portals on his own. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon|Altered Carbon}} {{storylink|Spotlight: Megatron}}

[[File:IDWongoing15 megatrons new body.jpg|left|thumb|275px|"Uh, it's like...did anyone ever see the movie ''Tron''?"]]
Back in action, Megatron devised a plan to destabilize the relationship between the humans and Autobots on Earth. Together with Soundwave and Shockwave, he chopped up his old body and used it to create human-scaled replicas of his former gun mode, containing small pieces of his own consciousness. When Starscream caught them in the act, Megatron elected to table his plan for the moment, as he considered it folly to go against Starscream's wishes for the moment since the Seeker was still in possession of the Matrix of Leadership. Megatron had never truly understood what the talisman ''did'', but it served as a threat merely by being an unknown variable. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon|Altered Carbon}} Fortunately, for Megatron this variable was soon removed from the equation when Hot Rod, estranged from the Earthbound Autobots, infiltrated the Decepticons' asteroid base and recovered the Matrix from Starscream. Megatron seized his chance, intercepting the Autobot and blasting him and the Matrix out into the void of space. {{storylink|Heart Like a Wheel}}

[[File:SLMegatron stealth bomber mode.jpg|thumb|275px|Behold... the ''Bomberang!'']]
With Starscream's trump card now gone, Megatron had the Decepticons gathered so he could address them. Distrustful of Shockwave's motives for preparing his new body, wary of Soundwave's constant surveillance, and repulsed by the state of his once fearsome Decepticon war machine, Megatron decided that he needed to unequivocally reestablish dominance over the now Matrix-less Starscream. He intended to beat Starscream near to death as a means of letting them both work out their frustrations with Starscream's inability to lead effectively during Megatron's absence, but Starscream did not want to fight—spiritually broken by his failures, he simply wanted Megatron to kill him. Rather than accept this, Megatron instead goaded Starscream into opening fire upon him. This began a running battle between the two, with Megatron pursuing the fleeing Seeker in his new stealth bomber alternate mode, continuing to bait Starscream every time he appeared willing to give up the fight. Incensed by Starscream's accusation that he did not know what it felt like to see everything he had worked for fall apart, when that was exactly what Starscream's pitiful leadership had done to the empire he had created, Megatron pummeled him to within an inch of his life, then paused to explain why he kept a schemer like Starscream around: as a constant reminder to watch his back. The brutal display galvanized the languid Decepticons, and Megatron was ready to begin his scheme. {{storylink|Spotlight: Megatron}}

[[File:IDWongoing14 megatron guns.jpg|upright=1.66|left|thumb|Megatron doesn't support the NRA. He IS the NRA.]]
Roughly two years after the Decepticons' defeat on Earth, Megatron used his space bridge powers to dispatch a container full of the guns made from his old body to Earth, where they were found by South American gun-runners and illegally disseminated amongst an increasingly paranoid public seeking ways to protect themselves against Transformers. This allowed Megatron's consciousness to spread across North America, until it was focused enough to contact one particular owner of a Megatron gun: [[Joe Gladki]]. He deceived and manipulated the paranoid human, and eventually convinced him to perform an assassination attempt on [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]], the new Autobot leader. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon|Altered Carbon}} In their ignorance, the Autobots then mistook Gladki's gun for Megatron himself and held it captive. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 1: The Demolished Man|The Demolished Man}}

[[File:IDWongoing16 megatron vs autobots.jpg|upright=1.2|thumb|Not the [[Realignments|first time]] he's traded his [[fusion cannon]] for a [[rail gun]].]]
With the Autobots in chaos, Megatron started the next phase of his plan and returned to Earth personally, where he used his new stealth bomber mode to shoot down a plane carrying Optimus Prime and several other Autobots. He then hunted down the remaining Autobots, effortlessly defeating them and their new temporary leader Ultra Magnus with his powerful new body, and killing some of their [[Skywatch]] allies. Magnus tried to draw Megatron's attention from the humans, claiming the Autobots were the ones he really wanted, but Megatron assured him that humanity was his real target. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 3: Woken Furies|Woken Furies}} Taking the defeated Autobots captive, Megatron dumped them in a city and directed three of his mind-controlled human puppets to kill them. Contacting Prime directly, Megatron summoned him to the city's outskirts and revealed his plan: crush Prime's spirit and destroy the Autobots' alliance with humanity by forcing them to choose between fighting the humans or allowing them to kill them. Prime found the hole in Megatron's plan, however, when he realized that Soundwave was maintaining the connection between Megatron and his guns, and shot him in the head. His connection to his pawns severed, Megatron scooped up Soundwave and withdrew. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 4: Burning Chrome|Burning Chrome}} Thanks to a tracker Ultra Magnus had slipped on Soundwave, though, Prime was able to follow the Decepticons to their bolthole and called Megatron out for a full and proper confrontation. In actuality, Prime had lured Megatron outside so Skywatch could drop a [[kinetic harpoon]] on him, but even a weapon dropped from orbit barely proved able to put a scratch in Megatron's mighty new exostructure. Megatron proceeded to beat Prime senseless, but then returned him to the Autobots, and to their great shock, surrendered to their custody. After recovering, Optimus demanded to know why he had surrendered, but Megatron merely taunted him by revealing that Spike Witwicky had murdered a Decepticon in cold blood. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 5: Enemy Mine|Enemy Mine}} Prime immediately had Prowl begin investigating Spike and Skywatch, and Prowl interrogated the Decepticon leader for information, which he provided after a little verbal sparring. {{storylink|Police Action: Prologue}}

[[File:ChaosTheory1 megatron imprisoned.jpg|upright=1.5|left|thumb|Megatron and Optimus Prime can't agree on a safe word.]]
When Rodimus returned to Earth and warned the Autobots that [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]] had taken control of Cybertron, Optimus decided to lead the Autobots in reclaiming their homeworld. In the name of Earth's safety, he elected to bring Megatron and the confiscated guns made from his old body with them. {{storylink|Space Opera—Final Tableaux: Orphans of the Helix|Orphans of the Helix}} On the way to Cybertron aboard [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]], Prime again attempted to discern why Megatron had surrendered, even releasing his old foe from his bonds and having a civil conversation with him about their past together and their dueling ideologies. Optimus tried to reach out to Megatron, offering him the chance to end the war once and for all with a handshake; Megatron appeared to consider it for a moment but ultimately remained silent. With Megatron returned to the confines of the [[variable voltage harness]], the other Autobots pressured Optimus for a decision on his fate: execution or imprisonment. Trying to come to a conclusion, Prime asked Megatron if he regretted any of his actions, but the Decepticon leader remarked that he only regretted not killing ''more'' Autobots. He taunted Prime with the notion that even he was thankful for the war, as it had raised him from a nobody to the greatest Autobot in history, and a furious Prime activated the harness, electrocuting Megatron. The jolt would have killed Megatron if Omega Supreme had not cut the power in time and Megatron, struggling to stay conscious, offered Prime his thanks for saving his life all those years ago in Rodion. Shocked by his actions, Prime realized that Megatron wanted to die and wanted Prime to be the one to kill him. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1|Chaos Theory #1}} Eventually, Prime decided to let Megatron choose his own fate, and Megatron calmly replied that he chose death. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 2|Chaos Theory #2}}

[[File:Chaos2 armored megatron.jpg|upright=1.3|thumb|...Again...?]]
As Omega drew close to Cybertron, Megatron demanded to know who or what was threatening their homeworld, but Optimus Prime refused to provde him with any information. {{storylink| Chaos Part One: Lamentations|Lamentations}} The Autobots subsequently engaged Galvatron's forces in battle, and while they were occupied, Megatron put into motion the ace he had up his sleeve: taking remote control of the numerous "Megatron guns" aboard Omega, Megatron summoned them to him and combined with them into a new armored mode. Breaking free from his restraints, he headed out to confront Galvatron, intent that nobody would take his world from him. {{storylink|Chaos Part Two: Numbers|Numbers}} As he tore through the Sweeps, Megatron also revealed the reason for his surrender: now that he was back on Cybertron, he could open a space bridge that would allow the massed forces of the Decepticons on Earth to return to their home planet as well. Unfortunately, not long after the Decepticons arrived on the battlefield, Galvatron's secret puppet master, the Dead Universe entity known as the [[D-Void]], seized control of their minds and those of the Sweeps, merging them into a gigantic, monstrous avatar. With Prime occupied pursuing Galvatron into Cybertron's depths, Megatron was left to face this "[[Deceptigod]]" alone. {{storylink|Chaos Part Three: Kings|Kings}} Fighting against the D-Void's attempts to ensnare his own mind and make him part of the collective, Megatron was gravely wounded and even lost an arm to the beast, but succeeded into destroying it, blasting it apart with one massive beam from his weapons. {{storylink|Chaos Part Four: Genesis|Genesis}}

===The long game===
Even as the Deceptigod disintegrated back into its component Decepticons, Megatron could see the potential the creature embodied—the D-Void had, in essence, created the perfect combiner by means of utterly obliterating free will. With Cybertron reverting into a primordial wasteland around him—a result of Optimus Prime purifying [[Vector Sigma]] with the Matrix to stop Galvatron and the D-Void—Megatron chose to withdraw to experiment with the possibilities this presented. He informed Shockwave, the sole Decepticon who had not been made part of the Deceptigod, of his plans, and Shockwave in turn revealed them to Soundwave and Bombshell. {{storylink|Shockpoint}} While Megatron hid in the wilderness, his Decepticons were left to live as second-class citizens in the new [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] that the Autobots built; Optimus Prime left Cybertron two weeks after the D-Void's defeat to calm tensions with "NAILs"—other unaffiliated Cybertronians—who had returned to their homeworld, but even as he did so, he mused that Megatron must still be out there somewhere. {{storylink|Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime}}

[[File:RID11 megatron in wilderness.jpg|left|thumb|225px|Megatron can't find anyone who wants to join his nudist colony to save his skin.]]
In the months of study and experimentation that followed, Megatron discerned that the combination of Ore-13 and space bridge technology in his body somehow gave him the ability to manipulate the natural energy of Cybertron that the D-Void had used to merge the Decepticons into the Deceptigod. After experiments on [[turbofox]]es created larger, more ferocious beasts, Megatron stepped up trials when the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] seceded from the shaky government Bumblebee, [[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|Metalhawk]] and Starscream were building in Iacon and ventured into the wilderness. The signal Megatron had created from the combination energy first drove the Aerialbots mad, before uniting them in body and mind, spontaneously merging them into the gestalt [[Superion (G1)|Superion]], but this newborn Autobot combiner was considered hopelessly insane by Megatron and left to die in the wilderness. The madness aspect of the signal afforded him the chance to revive some of the principles of the infiltration protocol, however, as he blanketed the wastelands in it, forcing the Autobots, Decepticons and NAILs to stay in Iacon, causing natural conflict among them to snowball, providing a useful cover for his actions. To gain a pawn within Autobot high command, Megatron even provided Bombshell with the energy to use in conjunction with his own mind-controlling [[cerebro-shell]]s, ensnaring the mind of Prowl. With the resources and cover control of Prowl provided, Shockwave, Soundwave and Bombshell were able to use Megatron's findings to perfect the combination process, rebuilding the Constructicons with new modular designs that would allow them to merge into a perfect Devastator. The endgame was for Megatron himself to form the head of the combiner, but before risking his own mind and body, Megatron decided that Prowl would be used first as a test subject. {{storylink|Before the Dawn}}

[[File:RID12 kill him.jpg|upright=1.95|thumb]]
The appearance of [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]] on Cybertron who declared that Starscream was the "Chosen One" threatened Megatron's ability to easily re-take leadership of his Decepticons, forcing him to step up his schedule. Through Prowl, he had his inner circle gathered together in the secret "[[Black Room]]", then boldly strode into Iacon for all to see. {{storylink|The End of the Beginning of the World}} His body shattered and skeletal, he professed to come in peace, but Bumblebee did not accept his surrender and ordered his Autobots to kill him. Indeed, Megatron could possibly have died there and then had Iacon's Decepticons not stepped in, insisting that Megatron's defense of Cybertron during the D-Void's attack marked him a hero and that he be taken into custody instead. {{storylink|City on Fire}} After [[Wheeljack (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Wheeljack]] got through examining him to prove his body concealed no weapons, Starscream approached the imprisoned Megatron and attempted to explain that he was not far away from taking complete power in the government, ensuring a Decepticon victory of a different kind. Megatron merely smiled silently at the notion, terrifying his ex-lieutenant with his grin. Presently, the Decepticons rose up in an angry mob and marched on Autobot high command to insist on Megatron's release; the situation quickly devolved into a riot, during which a squad led by [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] stormed the prison and freed Megatron. {{storylink|The Verge}}

[[File:RID14 new body redux.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.55|New body or not, Megatron may want to think twice about standing [[:File:Devastator-ROTFenemyscrotum.jpg|underneath Devastator's legs.]]]]
Megatron brought Starscream and the captured Bumblebee and Metalhawk to the Black Room, where he explained his plans and had himself transferred into a pre-prepared new body that could combine with the Constructicons' new forms. At his command, the Constructicons and Prowl combined into the new Devastator, who immediately set about razing Iacon. {{storylink|Before the Dawn}} Even the return of Superion seemed unable to stop the powerful new combiner, until help came from an unexpected quarter—Prowl's secret assassin [[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]] killed Bombshell, taking out Prowl's controller and causing Devastator to shut down. This was no real impediment to Megatron, however, as the successful function of the new combiner process had been proven, and he set out to take ''his'' place as Devastator's head. Before Megatron could reach the fallen gestalt, though, Devastator awoke, possessed of his own unique, united consciousness for the first time, and resumed tearing into Iacon. {{storylink|Plan for Everything}}

[[File:RID20 megatron in forcefield.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|You know you can't catch a break when you find yourself trapped inside a novelty plasma lamp from Spencer's.]]
Still Megatron remained unfazed, calmly fending off Autobot attacks and waiting for the inevitable moment when the heroes would take Devastator down. When [[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] succeeded in doing so by managing to reach Prowl, Devastator separated, and Megatron immediately stepped in, re-initiating the combination with himself in control. Seconds before uniting with the Constructicons, though, his plan was foiled by Bumblebee, Ironhide and Prowl's activation of a secret failsafe: Wheeljack had integrated a forcefield generator into Megatron's spark casing during his examination of him, and when it was triggered, he was completely paralyzed in mid-transformation. {{storylink|Heavy Is the Head}}

In the fallout of the battle, Starscream killed Metalhawk, took control of Iacon and banished the Autobots and Decepticons from the city. He took custody of the immobilized Megatron, and silently gloated over the victory he had accomplished by using guile and politics, rather than Megatron's ways of brute force and firepower. {{storylink|Three Monologues}}

===A new approach===
Megatron would not remain incapacitated for long. That night, as the end result of millennia-long secret machinations by Shockwave, an [[Necrotitan|undead Metrotitan]] appeared on Cybertron and opened a portal to the Dead Universe in the planet's skies. Through the portal, Shockwave made contact with Galvatron and his master, the exiled Cybertron despot [[Nova Prime]], but was unable to bring them through to Cybertron thanks to the unexpected disappearance of the Titan's space bridge system. Intending to use the space bridge within Megatron as a replacement, {{storylink|Black Metal: Dark Cybertron Chapter 2|Black Metal}} Shockwave reanimated the deceased Metalhawk with a wave of necrotic energy from the Titan and had him liberate Megatron and bring him to his secret lab in [[Crystal City]]. {{storylink|Winners & Losers: Dark Cybertron Chapter 3|Winners & Losers}}

[[File:RID24 i remember you.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|Somewhere in the multiverse, [[Override (G1)|Override]] and [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]] are smiling.]]
Shockwave hoped that Megatron would comply with his plans willingly, but the Decepticon leader refused and Shockwave forcibly activated the space bridge technology in Megatron's body. {{storylink|Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|Into the Abyss}} The opening of the bridge in his chest caused Megatron agony, but his screams were heard by Soundwave, who led the united forces of the exiled Autobots and Decepticons to Shockwave's lab to free his leader. Nova Prime and Galvatron attempted to squeeze their way through the space bridge despite this interference, but Ironhide was able to punch Nova back through into the Dead Universe. Just then, Shockwave's "Necrotitan" came crashing into the subterranean city, and in the chaos, Megatron was freed from the restraints holding him. No sooner had Megatron carried Ironhide to the safe hands of the other Autobots, however, than he was ripped in half from behind by Galvatron, who had successfully emerged through the portal {{storylink|Finest Hour: Dark Cybertron Chapter 5|Finest Hour}} — a briefer battle, no doubt, than the one Shockwave had foreseen between the pair in a vision at the outset of his scheme. {{storylink|Dark Dawn: Dark Cybertron Chapter 1|Dark Dawn}}

[[File:MTMTE26 megs and bee.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|I smell a sitcom!]]
After the battle was over, Galvatron and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] lugged Megatron's bisected remains back into Crystal City, only to find their way barred by the unlikely form of Bumblebee, who demanded they hand Megatron over. Galvatron attacked the Autobot, at which point Megatron revealed that he was fine, as he took down Waspinator and knocked Galvatron out with a barrage of fusion cannon fire. {{storylink|The Dead Are Not Enough: Dark Cybertron Chapter 7|The Dead Are Not Enough}} Bumblebee lugged Megatron back to Iacon, currently being razed by the Necrotitan, where the Decepticon leader announced to the assembled Autobots, Decepticons and NAILs his plan to withdraw to [[Moonbase Two|Luna 2]], summon the Decepticon Justice Division and other scattered troops, and strike back. Bumblebee rejected Megatron's notion of retreating, and struck a nerve within him by questioning his entire philosophy: Megatron had ''long'' ago abandoned any notion of fighting for freedom and equality, Bumblebee attested, and merely used the claim to ideology as an excuse for his actions. {{storylink|Burning Bright: Dark Cybertron Chapter 8|Burning Bright}} Fortunately, fighting back suddenly got a lot easier when Metroplex and the ''[[Lost Light]]'' space-bridged to Cybertron. During the battle between the Titans, Megatron observed Metroplex reaching for the ''Lost Light''; when the ship's crew explained that they had Metroplex's severed thumb aboard, Megatron had Bumblebee carry him to it, whereupon he realized that the thumb contained one of Shockwave's [[Regenesis]] ores. Megatron used his internal space bridge to teleport the thumb back to Metroplex, and the ore provided the giant with the power boost to defeat the Necrotitan. {{storylink|Finis Temporis: Dark Cybertron Chapter 9|Finis Temporis}}

[[File:DCFinale megatron the autobot.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.95|ಠ_ಠ]]
At Bumblebee's order and under protest, [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] repaired Megatron's injuries and reattached his legs, reminding Megatron of his desire in youth to be a medic. His recent string of failures, the success of ''Starscream'', of all 'bots, and Bumblebee's stinging words had turned the Decepticon leader introspective, and he realized he had forgotten something very important that had driven his writings in his early years: winning meant turning people to your way of thinking, not dominating them. {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}} Subsequently, when Shockwave initiated his millennia-long plan to collapse all reality into a universal black hole, Megatron placed himself and the Decepticons under Bumblebee's command to co-ordinate a counter-strike, and journeyed with his uneasy new "friend" into Shockwave's [[Crystal City]] base to confront their shared enemy. There, they found the weakened Galvatron, who Megatron prepared to destroy for past indignities, until Bumblebee talked him down, convincing him that blood did not have to be repaid with blood. At that moment, Shockwave struck, slaying Bumblebee with a blast, and driving Megatron into a rage. {{storylink|Black Planet: Dark Cybertron Chapter 11|Black Planet}} Empowered by his various ores and the energy of the Dead Universe, Shockwave was a formidable opponent and it was all Megatron could do to hold his own against him until Optimus Prime arrived to join the fight. Prime attempted to reason with Shockwave and remind him of the kindly senator he had once been, but his words had little effect, so Megatron opted for a more object lesson: removing the fallen Bumblebee's insignia, he placed it upon his chest and declared himself an Autobot. The stunned Shockwave lost control of the time machine powering his plot, causing his old pre-[[Shadowplay]] memories to emerge. Horrified at what he had become, he allowed Megatron and Prime to kill him, which caused the time machine to collapse into a singularity. Megatron and Prime made what seemed to be a futile dash for freedom, but were saved from the singularity's pull at the last moment by the timely arrival of the ''Lost Light''. {{storylink|...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|...And the Damage Done}}

===Crimes against the Species===
{{quote|I don't want to be acquitted. I want to '''make amends'''|Megatron on his new goal in life|"[[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide]]"}}
[[File:DCFinale this is not a trick.jpg|thumb|upright=1.95|Optimus apparently decided a sincere Megatron was a cue for mood lighting.]]
In a private meeting between Optimus Prime and Megatron a short time after Shockwave's defeat, Megatron affirmed that his change of heart was genuine, and Optimus assured him that he could see past his wartime deeds and remember the well-intentioned 'bot he had started out as. {{storylink|...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|...And the Damage Done}} The rest of Cybertron, however, demanded a trial; Autobot High Command agreed, realizing that the Decepticon leader's fate had to be decided in public. Before the trial, Megatron was approached by Optimus, [[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]] and Rodimus in an attempt to extract some of the Decepticon's memories as evidence in hopes of expediting the proceedings, but a horrified Megatron refused, considering the sanctity of his mind all he had left. After Optimus departed, Rodimus remained to taunt Megatron with the certainty of his execution; in return, the impassive Decepticon simply asked Rodimus to deliver a [[communicube]] to Optimus, {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} containing a request to have the trial moved to the [[Raskol Arena]] on Luna 2, in order, he alleged, to accommodate the huge number of spectators that would inevitably attend. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}}
[[File:MTMTE28 megatron pleads guilty.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.95|I agreed to this trial on the condition of meeting Matlock.]]
Megatron's trial lasted five months. At the outset of the proceedings, Megatron pled guilty to "Crimes against the Species", {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} but things changed when Starscream took the stand and gave a testimony that presented Megatron as an incapable leader who was unable to control the Decepticon forces under his command, a powerful brute lacking in the qualities of true leadership who led his followers down an ultimately self-destructive path. His treacherous lieutenant's words struck home, and Megatron stunned the assembled crowd by changing his plea to "not guilty". {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}} Just as his defender, Ultra Magnus, was reading a statement declaring this, the trial was dramatically interrupted by a small army of Decepticons led by [[Snaptrap (G1)|Snap Trap]] and [[Hun-Gurrr (G1)|Hun-Grr]], who had escaped from the brig on the ''Lost Light''. The invading force attempted to teleport Megatron away to safety, but he refused to escape and the uprising was quickly quelled. During the recess that followed, Optimus confronted Megatron over his true motives: he had requested that the trial be held on Luna 2 in order to exploit the moon's different legal system in the event that he felt the trial was unjust. Caused by Starscream's speech to realize that, were he to submit to execution now, his legacy would be one only of pain and death, Megatron invoked one of the moon's forgotten laws: an individual who had committed sufficiently heinous crimes could request he be judged by the long-lost [[Knights of Cybertron]]. Megatron requested that he be allowed to join the ''Lost Light'' in their search for the Knights and their homeworld of [[Cyberutopia]], thus ensuring that ''that'' would be his legacy, after which he would submit to whatever punishment was deemed necessary. Optimus agreed on the condition that Megatron read a prepared speech denouncing the Decepticon cause and asking all active Decepticons to stand down. Megatron did so, at great personal pain. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}} Hurt and angry over this perceived abandonment, Soundwave used Megatron's change of faction as evidence to forge a new allegiance of his own, decamping to Earth and working with the [[Earth Defense Command]] to create a new home for Decepticons there. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 2: Detonation Boulevard|Detonation Boulevard}}
[[File:MTMTE30 cocaptains.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|O captain, my co-captain.]]
Megatron was assigned co-captaincy of the ''Lost Light'' alongside Rodimus, who immediately hated the idea and everything about it, leading to a particularly antagonistic relationship between the two. Megatron was permitted only to fuel himself with "[[Fool's Energon]]", which left him substantially weakened. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}} Shockwave's machinations had left his internal organs a tortured Gordian knot of space bridge wormholes from which it was impossible to extract his spark; his outward appearance changed between the end of his trial and his co-captaincy, suggesting that his armor was rebuilt around him, or his entire internal structure was transplanted into a new body. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} Megatron would later lament that his body did not graft to his spark like past chassis, which he considered a sign of his waning age. {{storylink|Slaughterhouse|Slaughterhouse}} Optimus would see Megatron off on his voyage before he himself headed off to Earth, a meeting Prowl found deeply disturbing. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 1: Hello Cruel World|Hello Cruel World}}

===Towards Peace===
[[File:MTMTE28 megatron head examined.jpg|left|thumb|275px|"So Megatron, tell me about your mother." "She was hot."]]
The ''Lost Light'' warped back out to the Galactic Rim and set off on the trail of [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]], who they considered their best lead on the location of the Knights. A month into the journey, Megatron agreed to a therapy session with ship's psychoanalyst Rung, during which he espoused his current thinking on personal history, and one's ability to selectively edit or abandon entirely previously-held truths. Following the session, Megatron discovered that the door to his quarters had been graffitied, was almost immediately attacked by the culprit, Whirl. During the fight—which Whirl deemed "inevitable"—the ex-Wrecker punched Megatron in the stomach, only to find his hand teleported away by the space bridge tangle inside his body. This took the fight out of Whirl, and Megatron offered to forget the incident if the graffiti was removed from his wall. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} Through his internal space bridge, Megatron could sense that Whirl's arm had been teleported into the vicinity of a black hole, and—ever the forward planner, preparing even for the unlikely eventuality that he might change his mind about what he wanted—Megatron was inspired to revive his wartime plan to remotely channel antimatter.{{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}}

Megatron subsequently oversaw the bringing onboard of a mysterious coffin the ''Lost Light'' found floating in space. A short time later, a drunken dare gone awry resulted in [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]] accidentally cracking the coffin open with his forcefield. Megatron reprimanded him by permanently engaging his fuel intake moderation chip, and assigned him the role of Security Director in order to focus his mind. The pair then turned their attention to the opened coffin, which was revealed to contain the body of another Rodimus! {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}} A brief analysis suggested that the body was of Rodimus from the future, but before the matter could be settled, the crew of the ''Lost Light'' were forced to abandon the ship as it suddenly began disappearing around them. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}}

[[File:MTMTE32 i came to hate the person id become.jpg|thumb|275px|Lolcat is watching you deprecate.]]

Megatron found himself on the [[Rodpod]] with a score of other 'bots, but when ''they'' then began to vanish too, [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] accused Megatron of being responsible. A tense standoff ensued, which was brought to a surprising end when [[Ravage (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ravage]] was discovered to have been hiding on the pod, having secreted himself on the ''Lost Light'' in order to spy on Megatron for Soundwave. {{storylink|Twenty Plus One}} The weirdness continued as the remaining crew of the Rodpod—Megatron, Ravage, Nightbeat, [[Skids (G1)|Skids]], [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]], [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]], and [[Getaway]]—discovered the wreckage of a second ''Lost Light'', point of origin for the mystery second Rodimus, orbiting the planet [[Ofsted XVII]]. Still believing that the duplicate ship hailed from the future, Skids accused Megatron of being responsible for the devastation, and, realizing that the recent huge changes he had made in his life left him devoid of any surety in his future actions, Megatron allowed himself and Ravage to be imprisoned until the truth could be determined. Locked in a supply closet with Ravage, Megatron had a heart-to-heart with his angry ex-subordinate, justifying his decisions and unable to offer Ravage any consolation. When power returned to the ship, the pair discovered the dead bodies of Ratchet, [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] and [[Hound (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hound]] in the closet with them, sporting injuries that allowed Megatron realize the Decepticon Justice Division were responsible for the slaughter. The team prepared to immedaitely withdraw until an even stranger discovery was made: Autobot archivist [[Rewind (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rewind]], who had died months beforehand... still alive, the only survivor of the D.J.D.'s attack! {{storylink|slaughterhouse}}

[[File:MTMTE33 megatron skids right there.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|"...But you're not the [[Skyfall (G1)|worst]] [[Zeta Prime|guy]] to wear the badge. So keep trying."]]
Nautica and Nightbeat were able to deduce that the duplicate ''Lost Light'' and its crew, including the second Rodimus, were actually quantum duplicates created in the explosion of the [[quantum generator|quantum engines]] during the ship's original launch two years prior. To make matters worse, the [[quantum foam]] leaking from the engines was threatening to destroy Ofsted XVII, but Megatron had no compunctions about getting to safety and leaving the planet to its fate until Skids called him out, forcing him to face up to the fact that choosing to be an Autobot meant reflecting it in one's actions. Megatron used his old mass-displacement ability to shrink his robot form down, enabling him to safely make it through the foam and deactivate the engines, saving Ofsted XVII, "cancelling out" the duplicate ''Lost Light'', and reinstating their own. As they made their way back to the returned ''Lost Light'', Megatron invited Ravage to remain at his side. {{storylink|slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken|The Road Not Taken}}

[[File:MTMTE38 send me back.jpg|thumb|upright=1.75|"AND I WANT YOUR LUNCH MONEY TOO NERD!"]]
Back aboard "their" ''Lost Light'', Megatron discovered the DJD had killed Trailcutter. {{storylink|The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue|The Custom-Made Now}} Though depressed by his death, Megatron was not above removing Trailcutter's forcefield generators from his body in another instance of forward planning. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}} Subsequently, the realization that Brainstorm had used his mysterious [[Time case|briefcase]] to travel back in time caused Megatron to have a mini-breakdown over how ''ridiculous'' the whole situation was, but he soon got ahold of himself, and theorized that Brainstorm was attempting to change history by killing Orion Pax. {{storylink|The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue|The Custom-Made Now}} Rodimus led a squad back in time in pursuit, which led to Megatron having a cross-time conversation with the young Orion Pax via Rodimus's "[[time phone]]" communicator. Pretending to be his own younger self during the call, Megatron found the young 'bot's optimism for the future a mixed source of both affirmation and tragic amusement. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|All Our Parlous Yesterdays}} After Rodimus's team made several further jumps, Megatron deduced that the dates they were travelling to were not important moments in Pax's life, but Megatron's own. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 2: Stet|Stet}} Realizing that Brainstorm intended to kill ''him'' at the moment of his creation, he flew into a panicked rage, attacking [[Perceptor (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Perceptor]] and demanding the scientist send him back in time to save himself, until Ultra Magnus restrained him and the pair talked him down. As events in the past played out, Megatron was visibly shaken to hear that Rewind had been the one to pull the trigger that destroyed the original spark in his body, and that the universe would truly be a better place had he never existed. Although Whirl subsequently set the timeline to rights, Megatron did not join in the celebrations when everyone returned from the past, retiring to his quarters. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|Predestination: An Expert's Guide}}

[[File:MTMTE43 the old man.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|"Oh my Primus! WHAT IS THAT?! SOME ONE GET RATC-?!?! ... Oh, wait. Nevermind. False alarm. It's my hand. Almost had me there guys." *tries to look relaxed, and nails it*]]

In silent isolation, Megatron reached out with his mind, trying to make contact with Whirl's arm through his space bridge. If he could teleport the arm ''back'', it would mean he would finally having a working two-way connection to a black hole. After days of trying, however, he still failed to succeed, {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}} and established another contingency plan by having Ravage recover one of Brainstorm's time-machine briefcases for him before they were all destroyed, thinking he might use it to escape his fate by travelling back in time. Megatron also dedicated some of his spare time to writing poetry, but his works remained largely unappreciated- a single poetry reading at [[Mirage (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Mirage]]'s bar, [["Visages"]], was enough to empty the bar of its patrons. {{storylink|Our Steps Will Always Rhyme}} He, Rodimus, and Magnus answered a call from Optimus Prime inviting the ''Lost Light'' back to Cybertron for first contact with the colony world of [[Caminus]], but they declined. {{storylink|First Contact (IDW)|First Contact}}

While the rest of the crew attended a party aboard the ''[[Vis Vitalis]]'', Rodimus and Megatron refrained from going. {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} The pair soon received an S.O.S. alerting them to an infestation of emotion-eating [[personality tick]]s on the ship; they headed over to help, and their combined charisma proved strong enough to "overdose" and kill the ticks as soon as they stepped into the room. {{storylink|The Frail Gaze}} Soon after, when [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]]'s dying mind created a holomatter duplicate of Earth, Megatron took part in the voyage to the artificial plant to help save the metallurgist. The journey required him to project a holomatter avatar for the first time, which led him to note the fragility—but not weakness—of humans when his avatar was cut by broken glass. {{storylink|The One Where They Go to Earth}}

[[File:MTMTE44-MegatronLookAtTheFlowers.jpg|upright=2|right|thumb|"I see a great hand reaching out of the stars. The hand is your hand. And I hear sound; the sound of billions of people calling your name." 
"My followers?" 
"Your victims."]]

When it was discovered that Swerve's life-threatening injuries had been caused by a bullet lodged in his body by the Autobot deep-cover spy [[Dominus Ambus|Agent 113]], Megatron and Magnus studied the bullet together, and discovered that it contained a map to [[Necroworld]], base of operations of the supposedly-mythical [[Censere|Necrobot]]. Rodimus proceeded to barge into the room to announce that he had unconsciously drawn a complete map to Cyberuptopia on his desk, and Megatron, unsettled to realize that this mean his day of judgement was now actually on the horizon, announced that, before following said map, they would first detour to investigate Necroworld. Megatron privately confided in Ravage that he wished to stave off his day of reckoning as long as possible... but found that such thoughts rudely pushed from his mind when he bore witness to the massive field of flowers the Necrobot had planted in his honor, representing the countless lives he had taken. {{storylink|The Not Knowing}} With the weight of his history laid out before him so beautifully and terribly, Megatron realized that the future could not be avoided, and that any attempt to hide in the past was pointless. He buried the time-case Ravage had stolen for him amid the flowers. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}}

Megatron's fear of mnemosurgery would once again plague him when he awoke to find little Tailgate trying to perform mnemosurgery on him—part of a plot from [[Getaway]] to provoke Megatron into killing the little guy, in order to have Megatron either executed or imprisoned. The panicked Megatron almost fulfilled Getaway's plan for him, until [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] interceded by running Megatron through with his [[Great Sword]]. {{storylink|The Lopsided Triangle}} Once Getaway's plot had been foiled, Megatron was patched up and made amends with Cyclonus. {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} The whole experience proved to be the last straw; determined to break from his old ways, Megatron renounced all violence and became a pacifist. He chose a poor time to do it, unfortunately, as the halls of the ''Lost Light'' were soon stalked by the serial killer [[Sunder (G1)|Sunder]]. Megatron's attempts to talk the murderer into surrendering met with failure, and he had to be saved by Tailgate, whose recent traumatic experiences had induced a mutation in his spark that gave him super strength. {{storylink|Speak, Memory! (Part 2)}} Intrigued, Megatron wondered if ''pain'' was the factor that would give his spark the power to complete his black hole quest. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}}

When the ''Lost Light'' was preparing to sneak through Mauler-inhabited space, Megatron and Ultra Magnus set about preparing the ship and the crew for the crossing. When a [[Scraplet]]-controlled [[Magnus Armor]] came shambling towards him, Megatron panicked, believing Magnus had come for a hug, before Swerve, Nautica and Whirl arrived to save him. {{storylink|Silent Light}} Not long after, Megatron joined the crew in a brief excursion into the past via "time windows" left over from Brainstorm's time-trip, which they used to honor the fallen crew members of the ''Lost Light''. {{storylink|No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases}} In the days that followed, unable to think of a reason ''not'' to go, Megatron reluctantly accepted Whirl's invitation to "movie night," which turned out to be a screening of a documentary about his defeat of Sentinel Prime. Megatron disliked the whole production, especially the allegation that he had desecrated Senntinel's remains by ordering the theft of his head. {{storylink|The Last Autobot}}

===Do Not Go Gentle===
[[File:MTMTE50 megatron class dismissed.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.5|This is why we don't let you stay up all night listening to "''Instruments of Destruction''", Megs.]]
Megatron oversaw the ''Lost Light'''s campaign to liberate [[Miliarium]] from [[Rust Giant]]s, though he refrained from setting foot on the planet itself in order to maintain his vow of non-violence. He was irked to learn that that the crew had withheld the information the inhabitants of the planet were organic, but he softened when he was given the chance to finally use the "[[roll out]]" command. Subsequently, during one of a series of classes Megatron had begun holding on the subject of the Knights of Cybertron, the ''Lost Light'' was attacked by a kind of "psychic weapon" that made multiple crew members experience terrible visions. Megatron heard the sound of every organic he had ever killed screaming, and momentarily driven mad, he lashed out at Minimus Ambus, who had come to his aid, and was horrified a moment later when he realized he'd reflexively forgotten his pacifism. Megatron and Rodimus led a team aboard the Rodpod to track the signal back to its source; it turned out to have actually been bait in a trap luring them back to Necroworld, where they were attacked by the Decepticon Justice Division, out to claim revenge on Megatron for renouncing Decepticonism. The Autobots took refuge in the Necrobot's fortress and re-established contact with the ''Lost Light'', only to learn that Getaway had staged a mutiny and taken control of the ship in their absence, and had alerted the [[Galactic Council]] to their location. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}}

[[File:RageRage-Megatronappears.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.67|You can practically hear "Instruments of Destruction" playing.]]

Searching for weapons to fight the D.J.D., the Autobots found a teleport chamber and a room full of helpless organics in stasis pods. Brainstorm advocated using the chamber to escape, but Megatron—now truly realizing how alike organic and mechanical life was thanks to the trauma of the psychic attack—delivered a stirring speech that convinced everyone to stay to defend the pods. At Ravage's suggestion, Megatron went out to meet with Tarn one-on-one, and offered to surrender to surrender on the condition none of the others would be harmed. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 2: The Sun in Flight|The Sun in Flight}} As the two talked, Megatron expressed regret for "corrupting" who Tarn had been, and even for the fact Brainstorm's attempt to kill him hadn't succeeded. Disgusted to see his hero having "fallen" thus, Tarn began viciously beating Megatron, but Megatron refused to fight back; he even laughed at the irony of how Fool's Energon might have been changing his nature, and he didn't even care. Before Tarn could finish Megatron off, however, Overlord arrived, allied with the Galactic Council in pursuit of his own chance to kill Megatron. Tarn and Overlord fought, giving Megatron a chance to escape. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 3: Your Fierce Tears|Your Fierce Tears}}

Though patched up, Megatron still refused to take part in the Autobots' battle with the D.J.D, rejecting the gift of a new fusion cannon Brainstorm had built from the teleport chapter for him, and urging the group to cherish what time they had left rather than waste it in battle. Megatron declared himself too weak and afraid to fight, {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 4: At Close of Day|At Close of Day}} fearful that if he gave into violence, he would lose control and be unable to stop himself from once again becoming the monster he had been in the past. As the others went out to fight, Ratchet attempted to allay Megatron's fears by disclosing that Fool's Energon was only ever a placebo—Megatron had, in fact, been in control of himself all along. [[File:mtmte 55 antimatter.jpg|thumb|upright=1.7|left|"I'll light our [[Darkest hour]] the only way I know how! With more darkness!"]] This revelation, coupled with the sight of Ravage being torn in half by Tarn out on the battlefield, spurred Megatron to action. Pain was, indeed, the trigger he had sought; in that moment, he successfully managed to draw Whirl's arm back through his space bridge, forging a functioning link with the black hole. Donning his new fusion cannon, he stormed out onto the battlefield and took on the D.J.D. single-handed while the other Autobots took Ravage back to the safety of the fortress. The fire in Megatron's belly seemed short lived, however, when a well-placed shot from Tarn destroyed his cannon, and he dropped to his knees in the middle of the battlefield, {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 5: Rage, Rage|Rage, Rage}} but this quickly proved to be nothing more than a feint to draw the D.J.D. in, to trap them within a forcefield created by the generators Megatron had taken from Trailbreaker's body. Dropping his charade, Megatron unleashed the full power of the black hole's antimatter on the D.J.D., slaughtering each and every one of them. Before ending Tarn, he snatched his Decepticon-insignia facemask and slapped it onto his own chest; he would allow the antimatter to destroy him, and he would die as a Decepticon. Fate had a different path planned for Megatron, however; using the time-case Megatron had buried on the planet, which had been recovered by the Necrobot, Rodimus teleported into the forcefield and whisked Megatron away to safety before the antimatter detonated.

Reappearing in the fortress, Megatron was able to be by Ravage's bedside as he died from his injuries, with a final entreaty to Megatron that he "not change back." Megatron flew into a rage and almost turned his cannon on the Autobots before regaining control of himself. Realizing what he had done, Megatron tried to leave, only for [[Terminus (G1)|Terminus]] to suddenly appear to bar his way—one of the occupants of the pods, who were ''not'' organics, but causalities of conflict rescued from throughout time by the Necrobot using the case. Pulled back from the brink at the last moment, Megatron dropped his cannon and embraced his old friend. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}}

When [[Scarlett]] and [[Joe Colton]] discussed the Cybertronian influence on [[Earth]], Megatron's infiltration unit as well as his devastating invasion of Earth were key points. In light of Optimus Prime's recent actions, Colton seemed to have his doubts on whether or not Megatron had truly been the 'evil' one. {{storylink|Secret Raiders: A Revolution Prelude|Secret Raiders}}
{{-}}

===A New World===

Terminus' reappearance was down to the Necrobot time-travelling to rescue 'missing in action' robots, and the "organics" in the basement had in fact been those robots in disguise.{{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}} Megatron tried to fill in his old friend about the war, much as he doubted his objectivity. This was a disrupted by a minor quake which shook the whole planet. Deciding to finish his story later, Megatron paid his last respects to Ravage before [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] and [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] burst free from the ground. The two explained the quake as a [[Geobomb|geobomb]] sent by the [[Galactic Council]] but had seemingly burnt itself out. Megatron joined the group to return to Cybertron and collect a new ship, mainly to see Starscream's face when he revealed he was still alive. When Terminus said that Iacon was beautiful, Megatron began to correct him before he saw a bustling metropolis. Before the crew could process what happened, [[Twelve-of-Twelve]] showed up to arrest them. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron|Some Other Cybertron}}

[[File:anomie jabbing megs.jpeg|right|thumb|upright=1.4|Hey. Put it away before I take it away.]]

Rewind quickly managed to deduce that the crew had been sent into [[Functionist Universe|another universe]], one where Megatron had never come online and the Functionists still ruled. After trading wits with the councillor, Megatron ordered the crew to surrender in the hope of reasoning with the Council. As the crew was marched through Iacon, the rebel [[Anti-Vocationist League]] tried to save them and got their arses kicked by [[Functionary|Functionaries]] in short order. Rodimus talked Megatron into action who, with a weary sigh, casually broke out of his stasis cuffs and directed the battle without even lifting a finger, much to Terminus' pride and amazement. The moment was ruined when [[Six-of-Twelve]] appeared on every TV on Cybertron, telling everyone they would see what the "Useless One", Rung, was actually ''for''. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 2: Anomie|Anomie}} The crew was brought to [[Kalis|Adaptica]] where [[Clicker]] explained why the Council had to grant the refugees safe haven before they were greeted by the sympathetic [[Nine-of-Twelve]]. Megatron abstained from the following meeting to meet with those who had removed their optics in protest of the Council using them as spies. Megatron approved. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 3: A World Misplaced|A World Misplaced}}

Even when [[Moonbase Two|Luna 2]] suddenly returned, Megatron continued to watch Six-of-Twelve's broadcast and began fearing for the future when it was announced the Council was going to try and get to [[Vector Sigma]]. Megatron went to collect everyone so as to rescue both Rung and Vector Sigma. Before that discussion could continue, Luna 2 grew new craters and began sucking up people with its tractor beams. Megatron quickly demanded details from Nine-of-Twelve (lest they decide he was complicit in this) who quickly offered them. Rodimus however was more interested in the moon's teleporter which Megatron called him out on for being more interested in chasing down the ''[[Lost Light]]'' than saving people. Rodimus in turn accused Megatron of wanting to stay in the Functionist timeline so as to not be judged by the [[Knights of Cybertron]] and laughing that Megatron wanted to do good after killing so many. Minimus Ambus halted their argument and Rodimus agreed to Megatron's plan to rescue Rung but on the condition that they would leave once they'd saved the day. Megatron told Nine-of-Twelve to rally the troops only for the councillor to inform him they had no troops. When he asked about offensive capabilities, Megatron learnt that most of the more powerful weapons hadn't been invented in the current timeline. He made due with putting what few weapons he had in the best positions before ordering Nine-of-Twelve to lead the evacuations. Megatron managed a small smile when he learnt that Ambus didn't share Rodimus' belief that Megatron was running from his trial. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 4: Bad Moon Rising|Bad Moon Rising}}

With Megatron's tactics, the beleagured defenders were able to distract Luna 2 long enough for the refugees to escape. As the city was ripped out of the ground, Terminus raised the question: the Functionist Council would just come back unless ''someone'' overthrew it, why didn't Megatron stay here and be a liberator instead of return home for trial? What amends could he truly make dead or in jail? Didn't people here ''need'' him? Megatron was tempted but, despairing, said Rodimus and Minimus would not understand, and ''they'' were his conscience. The conversation was halted when Luna 2 began to suck them in. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 5: Modes of Production|Modes of Production}}

When Luna 2's tractor beam attempted to suck Megatron up, Terminus opened fire on Luna 2, succeeding in freeing him, but at the cost of shooting down the Cog. They met up with Rodimus and the others, only for Terminus to reveal he was staying in the Functionist Universe. Megatron asked for an opportunity to say goodbye to his old friend, to which Rodimus reluctantly capitulated. However, after saying his goodbyes, Megatron headed to the wrong matter transporter, meaning that he was stranded in the Functionist Universe when Luna 2 teleported away. Megatron's shock was not shared by Terminus, who stated that they had given him a second chance. Megatron, making the most of his new situation, went on a "speaking tour", visiting the [[Anti-Vocationist League]]'s scattered cells, all over the planet, in order to unite them. Megatron gave a speech, saying that, under his tutelage, the League would spread truth, and reach out to help those blinded to the evils of Functionism see it for what it is. One day, together, they will all achieve peace—peace through empathy. After the speech, Megatron went outside, and stared into the night sky, before being interrupted by the chime of his communicator... having been contacted by Orion Pax. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 6: This Machine Kills Fascists|This Machine Kills Fascists}}

Among [[Agonizer]]'s rare knick-knacks was an unfinished poem by Megatron. {{storylink|An Axe to Break the Ice}}When questioned by Bumblebee on why he insisted on remaining alone in the world, Starscream brought up the many beatings he'd received at Megatron's hand as a life lesson to remain alone and constantly on guard. {{storylink|The Price of You}} Such was Starscream's fear of his former leader that the Seeker seized up with fear when [[Vigilem]] assumed Megatron's form as he was when leading the Decepticons. Using the image of Megatron, Vigilem came within a hair's breath of destroying Starscream's mind, all the while the Seeker being too terrified to fight back. {{storylink|Your First Mistake}} Despite Megatron's defection, [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] still considered Megatron a wise man and quoted his writings to cause a [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticon]] rebellion. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost|Future Glories Lost}}

When [[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] was interviewed by the human news, he remembered Megatron's invasion of Earth. {{storylink|What It's Really Like}} [[Sideswipe (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sideswipe]] also remembered Megatron making a deal with Sunstreaker that preceded the invasion. {{storylink|The Life of Sideswipe}} When Earth was properly inducted into the [[Council of Worlds]], [[Scarlett]] remembered the devastation Megatron had brought to Earth and wondered whether or not Earth was out of its weight class against Cybertronians as well as if Earth was truly ready to join the Council. {{storylink|First Strike issue 1|First Strike #1}}

===Pax Cybertronia===
In a vision of the future seen by Ironhide and Alpha Trion during the reformatting of Cybertron, fifteen million years hence, Ironhide still believed Megatron to be alive and promised a young Autobot they would defeat him again if he ever returned. {{storylink|Pax Cybertronia (issue)|Pax Cybertronia}} {{storylink|A Better Tomorrow}}
{{-}}

==''Spotlight: Mirage''==
[[File:SLMirage all in good time.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5]]
Somewhere, in an unknown time or place, the self-serving mercenary Mirage dreamed of Megatron and his Decepticons launching a massive attack on the Autobots. But Mirage knew that to only be a dream; in reality, the Autobots were almost eradicated, and Megatron had hired him to hunt down the last of their number. Megatron was outraged by the mercenary's demand for a majority share in all energon mining operations as payment, but it proved to be fuel well spent, as he soon succeeded in locating Optimus Prime and forcing him to surrender. Megatron demanded the prisoners be executed despite Mirage's promise to spare Autobot lives. Seeing Mirage's hesitation, Megatron appealed to his greed. {{storylink|Spotlight: Mirage}}
{{--}}

==Ask Vector Prime==
[[File:Megatron cam.jpg|left|150px|thumb|I think this is a killing joke!]]
In [[Primax 708.10-R Lambda]], Megatron cracked the codes to an Autobot forward listening outpost. He walked in, shot [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]], and then laughed and took a photo of what he had done. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/08/06}}
{{-}}

==Notes==
[[File:MegatronOrigin2 Megs hair.jpg|thumb|100px]]
*In [[Megatron Origin issue 2|''Megatron Origin'' #2]], we see that Megatron's helmet is, in fact, a helmet and not part of his head (at least in his original body). Upon removing his helmet, Megatron then briefly unfurls a crest. The significance of this moment is not explained, but it is briefly revisited in [[Remembrance Day|''More than Meets the Eye'' #14]] when a helmetless Megatron spars with [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]].
*Apparently, the stealth bomber Megatron design used in IDW for a while was created by artist [[Don Figueroa]]. However, he created the design as part of a story pitch to editor [[Andy Schmidt]]; a pitch the editor rejected. Schmidt proceeded to use the design for this comic, but without compensation or credit to Figueroa; something the artist was highly displeased about.<ref>[http://www.seibertron.com/energonpub/don-figueroa-designed-idw-s-stealth-bomber-megatron-but-wasn-t-compensated--t96022s0.php archive of Figueroa's post on the subject at Seibertron forum]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Combiners]]
[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Gladiators]]
[[Category:Lost Light crew]]
[[Category:Point One Percenters]]
[[Category:Rulers of Cybertron]]
[[Category:Turncoats]]

Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity

2017-09-22T16:22:04Z

HailMegatron: /* IDW Generation 1 comics */

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[[File:IDWMegatron.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Megatron A, Megatron B, Megatron Retailer's Incentive, Megatron Dynamic Forces Exclusive variant, and Megatron (Second Printing).]]
'''Megatron''' waged a battle to destroy the evil forces of the [[Senate]]! Then he ''continued'' to wage a war against the evil forces of freedom, organic life, and the very idea of an Autobot living. After [[Dark Cybertron (IDW)|some life-changing events]], he is currently waging a war against the evil forces of his own past [[Decepticon Justice Division|legacy]].

Megatron is a master planner, constantly a step ahead of any opponent and even ahead of what he wants ''now'', preparing for anything he may want in the future. He has the physical might to overpower most foes but it's his mind who has one-upped three Primes and rival Decepticons. But his cold clinical nature is a front he has to struggle to keep up, as he's quick to anger and quicker to use excessive violence as his answer to any problem. Megatron's trying to change but he's spent such a long time revelling in violence, it may have been a lost cause from the start.

{{quote|Because in the final analysis, I would happily wade across a river of corpses, chest-deep in rust and grease and engine oil, just to crush the spark of the last Autobot standing. And I would not do so simply as a means to an end. No. I'd do it, Prime, because it would give me '''pleasure'''.|Megatron to Optimus Prime|"[[Chaos Theory Part 1]]"}}

{{quote|And the thing is, when those words were in my head I didn't think I meant them; but when they left my mouth, I realized that I '''did'''. If the world thinks you're a monster, what does it matter? The world is '''wrong'''. But when you start to think of '''yourself''' as a monster...|Megatron on the previous quote|"[[slaughterhouse]]"}}

__TOC__
==IDW Generation 1 comics==
===Birth of a tyrant===
[[File:MTMTE37 megatron under construction.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.0|Megatron (Work in progress)]]
'''Megatron of [[Tarn (polity)|Tarn]]''' was built in the 1st Cycle 012, one of the many Transformers [[reproduction|constructed cold]] during the [[Silver Harvest]]. The [[spark]] intended for this body was one generated from the [[Matrix of Leadership]] by [[Tyrest (G1)|Tyrest]]... but this spark was destroyed while his body was still in the process of being built, by time-travelling [[Autobot]]s from the future attempting to prevent the destruction they knew Megatron would come to wreak upon the universe. But the non-existence of Megatron meant that the [[Functionist Council]] would eventually plunge [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] into [[Functionist Universe|a dystopian hell]], and the Autobot [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]], who loathed the Functionists, refused to permit this to happen. Whirl replaced the deceased body's spark with a forged [[Point One Percenter]] spark that had been harvested by [[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]] from [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]] millions of years in the future—and so Megatron was ''truly'' born: the first "hybrid" Transformer, a powerful forged superspark in a constructed cold body. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|Predestination: An Expert's Guide}}

Megatron desired to be a medic, {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}} but alas, he lived in a time of functionism, where one's [[alternate mode]] denoted one's role in society, and one's role determined one's rights. As such, the true nature of his exceptionally rare spark apparently unknown, Megatron was assigned the task for which he had been built: that of [[energon]] miner, a member of the lower class, toiling in a mine under [[Nova Point]]. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}}

[[File:ChaosTheory1 megatron symbol creation.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|... And thus the "Silica Fracturism" art movement was born.]]
An idealist, intellectual and poet, Megatron was sickened by the caste-ridden social apartheid of [[Nominus Prime]]'s Cybertron, and so he wrote [[After the Ark: Nominus Prime and the Illusion of Progress|a treatise]] on how pacifist dissent and the exchange of ideas could change things. It was while he was sharing this work with his miner friend [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]] over a drink in [[Maccadam's Old Oil House|Maccadam's New Oil House]] that the event occurred which would change the course of his life, as Impactor wound up being drawn into a bar brawl with some of the city's upper classes and Megatron was among those arrested after the fracas. Megatron's writings had been growing in popularity and inspiring some dissent against the current regime, so in order to silence him, the [[Senate]] arranged for a police officer on their payroll, [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]], to kill him. Before Whirl could finish the job, however, police captain [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]], having discovered Megatron's innocence, arranged for his release. Despite Pax expressing support for the message of his writings, Megatron now found himself filled with rage and hate, disillusioned with his former ideology and realizing the power of applied violence. Angrily hurling the datapad on which he had written his treatise through a public info-screen, Megatron observed the jagged shape of the shattered glass, and later turned it into a [[insignia|symbol]] for his cause. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1|Chaos Theory #1}}

[[File:MTMTE34 what you might call a thinker.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|When considering the Grand Cybertronian Taxonomy, one question remains unanswered. Why am I always pictured with phallic-shaped items in awkward positions?]]
Megatron's samizdat writings began to circulate in Cybertron's underground, spawning the "[[Decepticon]]" movement, its name derived from its own slogan, "You are being deceived", warning the common 'bot of the Senate's true nature. Knowing that, at this stage, assassinating Megatron would merely make him a martyr, the Senate instead elected to relocate him off-planet, reassigning him to a mining facility on the world of [[Messatine]] while they tried their own schemes to defuse the growing Decepticon movement. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|Post Hoc}} It was there that Megatron met [[Terminus (G1)|Terminus]], an elderly fellow miner who encouraged him to keep writing, and who, in addition to proofreading his works for him, smuggled each new tract back to Cybertron, helping to continue the spread of the Decepticon movement. When Terminus was maimed in a mining accident and had his fuel rations cut off, Megatron kept him alive by sharing his own [[energon]] with the old 'bot. Eventually, Senate agents [[Froid]] and [[Trepan]] were dispatched to Messatine to perform mind-altering [[Shadowplay]] upon Megatron, in order to cut his writings off at the source. Tased into submission and strapped to Trepan's operating table, Megatron was helpless to stop the [[mnemosurgery|mnemosurgeon]] from beginning his vile work. Though the arrival of Froid's rival psychopathologist [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] fortunately forced Trepan to stop before Megatron's personality was altered, the experience left the miner with a lifelong fear of mnemosurgery. Subsequently, a mysterious surge of energy deep within the mine forced an evacuation of the facility; Megatron raced back to his quarters to carry Terminus to safety, but found his friend was not there. With time running out and no sign of Terminus anywhere, Megatron instead chose to save the stack of datapads containing his unpublished works—a decision that would haunt him. {{storylink|Births, Deaths, and Interventions}}

[[File:MegatronOrigin1 first kill.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|"You know, sometimes I think I was born with a leak, and any goodness I started with just slowly spilled out of me and now its all gone. And I'll never get it back in me. It's too late."]]
Megatron was relocated to [[Mining Outpost C-12]], and continued to seethe with hate and frustration in his new workplace. His discontent reached a peak when, some time later, [[Decimus|Senator Decimus]] arrived to announce that the mine was being automated and the workers would be relocated. When one of the Senator's guards killed a worker for insubordination and claims of Senate corruption, Megatron's fury boiled over and he hurled his pickaxe at Decimus. In turn, he was attacked by the Senator's guard, whom he killed by smashing his head to fragments—the first time he had ever taken a life. A riot erupted around him, but Megatron himself could only sit amongst the chaos, staring at his fuel-stained hands in abject horror, which allowed him to be easily pacified and rounded up with the other miners as the mayhem was quickly suppressed. En route to [[Penal Facility H-3|imprisonment]] back on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], however, [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] broke free and started a riot aboard [[Longshot (G1)|their ship]]. Megatron joined in their effort, and together, they overpowered their guards, took control of the ship, and disappeared into the [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]] underground. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 1|Megatron Origin #1}}

[[File:MegsOrigin2 Cykill.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|Battle of the Awesome Voices!]]
After evading law enforcement, Megatron joined a team of underworld gladiators under the tutelage of [[Clench (G1)|Clench]]. Initially repulsed by killing his opponents, the games eventually turned him more brutal and excessive, and he took control of the entire operation from Clench. The opportunistic Senator [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]], after seeing how much money there was in the underworld matches, covertly sent his agent [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] to offer Megatron weaponry and technology to upgrade himself and his comrades. Their meeting was spied upon by [[Bumper (G1)|Bumper]] and [[Fastback (G1)|Fastback]], agents from the Senate's forces, who Megatron slew. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 2|Megatron Origin #2}} Subsequently, impressed by how he treated his animal-form [[Decepticon Mini-Cassette|cassette partners]] as equals (in contradiction to the teachings of his Senate masters), Megatron invited Soundwave back to the gladiator pits and gave him permission to use his mind-reading abilities on him. Within Megatron's mind, Soundwave saw his honest desire for all Cybertronians to be true equals, and was so moved by it that he joined Megatron's cause. {{storylink|Soundwaves (issue)|Soundwaves}}

Gradually, Megatron used the gladiatorial games to drum up an army of violent malcontents, sending Soundwave to recruit more and more warriors to his cause. Such recruits included [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]], [[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] and [[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]], who he was presented with while having an arm he lost in a brawl replaced with a new limb that incorporated an [[energon mace]], {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}} and the disenfranchised warrior [[Drift (G1)|Drift]], who was personally asked by Megatron to fight at his side when he attended a Decepticon rally, and whom Megatron rechristened "Deadlock," {{storylink|Drift issue 2|Drift #2}} and transformed into a capable Decepticon warrior. {{Storylink|Drift issue 3|Drift #3}} A wave of terrorism and sabotage spread across Cybertron at his command: bombings, wrecking factories and fuel plants, shutting down transport links, a mass poisoning to tank a corporation, and a very public kidnapping of Senator Decimus. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}}

Seeking to enhance his army even further, Megatron reached out to [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Senator Shockwave]], offering to supply him the resources he required to carry out his own mysterious experiments in exchange for his using the teachings of his lost mentor [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] to create a [[combiner]] that would serve the Decepticons. Shockwave cautioned that it could take some time, but Megatron was content to wait. {{storylink|Shockwaves}}

[[File:Apexthrone.JPG|upright=1.4|thumb|You should have gone to IKEA.]]
Despite all his efforts, Megatron believed that the Senate was still not taking the Decepticons seriously, so Soundwave formulated a plan for a declaration of intent that could be not denied: lure the Senate to Kaon and murder them. {{storylink|Soundwaves (issue)|Soundwaves}} In preparation for this scheme, Megatron offered to restore Shockwave's lost hands—a victim of [[empurata]]—believing that doing so might speed his work. {{storylink|Shockwaves}} The following day, in accordance with Soundwave's plan, Megatron and the Decepticons allowed themselves to be arrested by Sentinel Prime's men, after which Soundwave was freed on Ratbat's orders, while Starscream would ensure his own release by pretending to defect. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}} Together, Soundwave and Starscream exterminated the entire Senate, then liberated Megatron and the rest of their comrades, in the process granting their leader the gift of a [[fusion cannon]] liberated from the Senate forces' armory. Megatron led his army against Sentinel Prime's men, killed Sentinel himself, and took control of Kaon, now ready to turn his insurgency into a full-blown war. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 4|Megatron Origin #4}}

When Sentinel's head went missing, Megatron (unaware) was blamed for it. {{storylink|The Last Autobot}}

===Early days of war===
Megatron formally declared war on "[[Declaration Day]]" when he delivered a stirring speech from [[Nova Point|Nova Peak]]. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} The self-described "second order" he ever gave was that under no circumstances was any Decepticon to kill Whirl—Megatron wanted his old tormentor for himself. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} The growing Decepticon forces swiftly spread across six [[Polities of Cybertron|Torus-States]], {{storylink|Parasites}} and to combat them, Cybertron's new leader [[Zeta Prime]] assembled a new military force, the "[[Autobot]]s", led by Megatron's old acquaintance [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]]. Researching his new opposite number, Megatron was intrigued to discover that his now-abandoned treatise had been a source of inspiration for Pax, who had even quoted from it when he confronted the Senate and openly accused them of corruption. {{storylink|Cause and Effect}} Early into the war, [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] would admit to Pax that Megatron talked about him sometimes, when he was tired. When Pax asked what was said, Bludgeon told him that it would make "both of us feel ''uncomfortable''". {{storylink|Omega's Conundrum}}

[[File:Autocracy4 backroom meeting.jpg|upright=1.66|left|thumb|Megatron Delightful Destuction Exclusive Variant]]
When Orion Pax came close to Kaon during a mission, Megatron saw it as a chance to speak to him and had his Decepticons bring him in. {{storylink|The Hunt for Soundwave}} Megatron attempted to convince him that Zeta Prime was even worse than he appeared—that he had planned to let Orion die in [[Nyon]] so that he could use his death as pretext to invade the rebel-infested city and drain the citizens of their energon—and proposed they work together against him, but Orion refused to hear him and then escaped. Knowing the doubts he'd placed in his head would only serve to damage the Autobot cause, Megatron let him go. {{storylink|Cause and Effect}}

[[File:Autocracy8 megs and pax together.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|"Megatron, let's roll." "What you thinking?" "...Pub?"]]
Megatron continued to keep an eye on Orion Pax's activities, spying on his encounter with the Nyon insurgent [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hot Rod]]. {{storylink|Ruins}} When Zeta Prime's [[Guardian robot|Omega Destructor]]s suddenly attacked Nyon, Megatron was surprised by how zealously the new Prime fought against the city's rebels, but his real interest still lay on how Orion would handle the crisis. {{storylink|Purge}} Orion turned on Zeta, who in turn attempted to kill him, prompting Megatron to intervene and force the Prime to retreat. Taking Orion back to Kaon, he again offered that they work together against Zeta's corruption, and this time the Autobot officer accepted. {{storylink|Choices}} As their combined forces invaded the [[Citadel]] in Iacon, Megatron and Orion Pax made their way inside and fought Zeta Prime in person. The battle ended with Megatron killing the Prime with a head shot, and with his objective complete, he then betrayed the injured Orion by shooting him in the back. {{storylink|Overthrown}} This moment lived in infamy as the point at which Megatron revealed his true colors, no longer couched in ideology; {{storylink|Dinobot Hunt (IDW)|Dinobot Hunt}} though curiously, an alternate report incorrectly implied he had assassinated Zeta from afar, sniping him with the rifle alternate mode of [[Vos (DJD)|Vos]]. {{storylink|Bullets}} {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}}

[[File:Autocracy12 no you dont megatron.jpg|upright=1.4|left|thumb|I can't be the only one with deja vu here.]]
With Zeta dead, Megatron conquered Iacon and declared himself ruler of Cybertron. His soldiers patrolled the planet's streets to "keep the peace", mostly by hunting down and capturing any remaining Autobots who opposed him. {{storylink|Transformation (issue)|Transformation}} During his rule, Megatron attempted to sway the neutral Hot Rod into joining the Decepticons, but he decided otherwise upon witnessing Megatron ordering the execution of several Autobot prisoners. {{storylink|Rise}} Megatron was shocked to learn that Orion Pax had survived the betrayal and was organizing a rebellion against him under the name "Optimus Prime", and even more shocked that people actually had the courage to listen to him. He wasted no time in striking back against the rebels approaching the Citadel with the full force of his army. {{storylink|Broadcast}} During the battle, Megatron unleashed Zeta Prime's energy-draining [[vamparc ribbon|vamparc annihilator]], but when the gigantic [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] took out the cannon, Megatron fell to the streets and was confronted by Optimus Prime himself. He lost the ensuing [[The Transformers: The Movie|familiar-looking duel]] and was badly wounded after a failed attempt to defeat Prime by holding Hot Rod hostage, forcing him to escape aboard Astrotrain. As he fled, he warned Optimus that he hadn't won, he had only started a war unlike any Cybertron had ever seen. {{storylink|Endgame}}

[[File:Monstrosity3 Megatron and Pentius.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Megatron insists on wearing his Darksiders cosplay when he's walking his pet Quintesson.]]
Before Megatron could recover from his injuries, he was betrayed by [[Scorponok (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Scorponok]], who was gunning for the position of Decepticon leader (with aid from Starscream). As punishment for his failure to hold Iacon, Scorponok banished the wounded Megatron to the hell-world of [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]]. {{storylink|Derelicts}} Further injured in battle with some [[Junkion (species)|cannibalistic natives]], he stubbornly refused to give up and used the trash littering the world to patch himself up, leaving him with a mismatched, monstrous appearance. {{storylink|Wreckage (issue)|Wreckage}} While searching for a way off Junkion, Megatron entered the wreckage of a starship and found a trapped [[Quintesson]] named [[Pentius]], who had mapped the planet and knew of an area known as the [[Pillar of Rust]] where starships may land and take off. Megatron freed the alien to guide him there, while also putting him in chains to serve as his slave. {{storylink|Faces of Darkness}}

[[File:Monstrosity7 megatron takes pentius spark.jpg|upright=1.4|left|thumb|"Thanks for turning me into the psychopath I've been the whole time!"]]
While crossing the [[Acid Sea]] on the way to the Pillar, Megatron was attacked by [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticons]] who pulled him into the depths. {{storylink|Rage (IDW)|Rage}} For reasons unknown he was then released, the creatures having allowed him to live. As he emerged, Pentius was waiting with a history lesson, telling him that Junkion was once a prosperous world until its inhabitants drained it of resources, leaving it the broken husk it is today: a fate that may also await Cybertron. Megatron rejected this possibility, declaring that under his rule, Cybertron—and his legacy—would last forever. {{storylink|Fallout (issue)|Fallout}} On arrival at the Pillar of Rust, Megatron was met by the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]], who had come to Junkion to finish what Scorponok had started by killing him. He was able to fight off several of his attackers, but [[Hun-Gurrr (G1)|Hun-Gar]] was too much for him to handle in his injured state. Egged on and taunted by Pentius, Megatron realized he had one last resource left to use: the Quintesson himself. Telling Pentius that his legacy would live on within him, he tore out the alien's [[spark]] and used it to fuel himself, granting him enough power to defeat Hun-Gar. He spared the Terrorcons in exchange for their loyalty, then returned to Cybertron on their ship to take revenge on Scorponok and take back control of the Decepticons. {{storylink|Prey (issue)|Prey}}

[[File:Monstrosity12 strange turns.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]
Megatron returned to a Cybertron in chaos, as the ancient reptilian [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] had been unleashed by Scorponok and was in the midst of razing Iacon. After reasserting his leadership of the Decepticons by beating Scorponok nearly to death, he had Shockwave restore his body to its original shape and condition, {{storylink|The Illusion of Control}} and set out to investigate the Trypticon situation alone, unwilling to risk his soldiers in the face of the beast's uncontrolled fury. Finding an injured Optimus Prime on the battlefield, Megatron lectured him, but opted to leave him alive so that he could watch as the Decepticon leader defeated the enemy that Prime could not. Megatron was attacked by [[Grimlock (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Grimlock]], but as they grappled, they were swallowed by Trypticon. {{storylink|Annihilation}} Within the giant, the pair set their differences aside to fend off the [[cyber-morphic predator]]s that populated his interior, and together, they destroyed Trypticon's internal power cell, taking him offline. A tense standoff between the Autobots and Decepticons followed as the two warriors emerged from within Trypticon, but both sides agreed to go their separate ways for the time being. Not long after the battle, however, Megatron removed Pentius's spark from within himself and installed it within Trypticon. {{storylink|Belly of the Beast (issue)|Belly of the Beast}}

[[File:Primacy4 megatron imprisoned.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]
After being fully repaired following his ordeals, Megatron roused Trypticon by exploiting the connection they now shared thanks to both having borne Pentius's spark. Discovering that Trypticon now possessed the consciousness of Pentius, Megatron was immediately suspicious of the Quintesson's potential treachery and was staggered by the visions of undiluted evil he saw in the aliens' past via their spark-link, but Trypticon assured him that he was dedicated to their shared goal of breaking a world. {{storylink|Primacy issue 1|Primacy #1}} Using Trypticon's city-ship alternate mode, Megatron took to the stars, rounding up the scattered Decepticon army and even recruiting Junkions and Sharkticons. {{storylink|Primacy issue 2|Primacy #2}} Returning to Cybertron in force, Megatron was content to wait and watch from the sidelines while his troops viciously tore into Iacon. Trypticon was defeated in battle by Metroplex, at which point Megatron's folly was revealed: through their link, Pentius mockingly revealed his intention to use Trypticon consume Cybertron once the Autobots and Decepticons had weakened each other. {{storylink|Primacy issue 3|Primacy #3}} Leaving his men with orders to burn Iacon to the ground if he failed in order to spare it such a fate, Megatron set off for Trypticon's fallen body in hopes that he would be able to remove Pentius's spark before the giant revived. Confronted atop Trypticon by Optimus Prime, Megatron tried to goad the Autobot leader into destroying him, believing that Pentius would be destroyed with him thanks to their link. Refusing to accept death as the answer, Optimus instead used the [[Matrix of Leadership]] to purify Megatron, burning Pentius's spark away; Megatron, however, vowed that he would never stop hating Optimus in spite of what he had done for him. Sadly resigned to the fact that the once-noble revolutionary he had admired was now lost, Optimus knocked out the weakened Megatron and took him into custody. {{storylink|Primacy issue 4|Primacy #4}}
{{-}}

===The spreading conflict===
[[File:MTMTE14 megatron vs overlord.jpg|upright=1.4|left|thumb]]
Escaping Autobot custody under as-yet-unrevealed circumstances, Megatron continued to wage the war. Early in the continuing conflict, he wrote ''[[Towards Peace]]'', a new treatise to replace ''After the Ark'', in which he described continuing to fight the war until the very notion of conflict was literally inconceivable. Then and only then would he finally give up his fusion cannon. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} The earliest edition of the work featured a dedication to Terminus, which Megatron would later remove to reflect the lesson his friendship with Terminus had taught him: not to get attached. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} Friendships were a weakness, and Megatron exploited this in the cruelest way possible: by corrupting Optimus Prime's old friend [[Tarn (DJD)|Damus]], turning him into one of the most vicious, dedicated Decepticons of all, a devoted worshiper at the altar of Megatron, purely to hurt Prime. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 3: Your Fierce Tears|Your Fierce Tears}}

Megatron oversaw the creation of a class of super-warriors known as the [[Warriors Elite]], selecting only his most powerful troops to undergo the torturous upgrade, including [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]], a brilliant sadist and frequent opponent of his from his pit-fighting days who had developed an obsession with Megatron after the Decepticon leader dealt him his first ever defeat. {{storylink|Remembrance Day}} At some point, he also created the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] to deal with traitors, and appointed Damus—now code-named "Tarn"—as its leader, {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} though he elected not to send them after Deadlock when he defected, valuing the warrior enough to instead dispatch [[Lockdown (G1)|Lockdown]] to bring him in. {{storylink|Drift issue 2|Drift #2}} He would reportedly spend "half the war" searching for a way to remotely access a [[black hole]], in order to use [[antimatter]] for power, but never succeeded. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}}

[[File:ChaosTheory prime vs megatron montage.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Good times, bad times.]]
Megatron would personally clash with Optimus Prime many times; Optimus grew to respect and fear Megatron as a calm, calculating and measured opponent, while Megatron himself respected Prime's sheer power and his skill as a tactician and as a leader. {{storylink|Escalation issue 5|Escalation #5}} Megatron would later incorrectly recall their battle on [[Sherma Bridge]] during the [[Rorsha Campaign]] as the first time they met. Said battle was certainly momentous—every Autobot and Decepticon stopped fighting to witness their duel, during which Megatron's cannon arm was sliced off by Prime's [[energon-axe]], and he claimed revenge by throwing the Autobot leader off the bridge. As the war spread to other planets, they would meet again and again: during the [[Siege of Massunstrad]], Megatron sealed Prime in an anti-matter chamber; on [[Rada Mor]], Prime reduced Megatron to ashes with sentient explosives; and in the midst of the [[Vorsk Offensive]], Megatron was nearly sliced in half by Prime. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1|Chaos Theory #1}} Though he resisted [[Tyrest (G1)|Tyrest]]'s attempts to find a "Two City-State Solution" to the war, he did agree to abide by the [[Tyrest Accord]]. {{storylink|Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|House of Ambus}}

Megatron took on a new pistol alternate mode for the [[Battle for Hell's Point]], during which he was used by [[Heretech]] to blast [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]]. {{storylink|The Gloaming}} During the same skirmish, Megatron took off half of Prime's face with his energon mace, but had a city block dropped on him by Prime in retribution, which shattered his [[transformation cog]] and trapped him in gun mode for two years. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1|Chaos Theory #1}} Prime was not the only old face that Megatron would see again during the war: during a battle on an aerial drilling platform over the [[Manganese Mountains]], Megatron came face-to-face with his old friend Impactor, and stood poised to execute him until Impactor gave him a moment's pause by recalling his old fondness for poetry. In this moment, Megatron was knocked from the platform by [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] and sent plummeting to the mountains below. {{storylink|Zero Point}}

[[File:LastStandoftheWreckers2-teleconference.jpg|upright=1.66|left|thumb|"We attack the Rice Krispies guys at dawn! Assuming Judd Hirsch delivers the goods."]]
At the war's zenith, Megatron sealed himself in an [[Omniglobe]] to absorb the relentless flood of data coming in from countless fronts. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} With total war going nowhere, he would go on to develop a six-stage [[infiltration protocol]] to be used for conquering targeted planets. The sixth phase called for outright planetary razing, and Megatron selected three of his Warriors Elite for this task: [[Sixshot]], {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}}, Overlord and [[Black Shadow (Victory)|Black Shadow]]. He informed this trio of his decision via teleconference, but Overlord, tired of being used as someone else's weapon, refused. Megatron threatened to hunt Overlord down for his disobedience, {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 2|Last Stand of the Wreckers #2}} but while the powerful warrior spent the rest of his life preparing for this conflict, Megatron never followed up and left him to stew in his own obsession. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|Last Stand of the Wreckers #5}}

[[File:Stormbringer1 get up and fight.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|You don't gotta go home Prime but you can't stay here.]]
Deducing that the Autobot/Decepticon war would culminate in an energy crisis that would threatened the stability of Cybertron itself, Shockwave left Cybertron to secretly pursue alternate energy sources. Around 10,000 years ago, when Shockwave did not return, Megatron ordered Bludgeon to investigate his files, {{storylink|Spotlight: Shockwave}} secretly assigning Soundwave to investigate Bludgeon {{storylink|Spotlight: Soundwave}} and probe deeper into whatever it was Shockwave had created. {{storylink|Shockpoint}}

Shockwave's prediction soon proved accurate, and Cybertron found itself in the throes of an energy shortage. Decepticon scientist [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]] came to Megatron with a revolutionary, controversial plan to stave off this energy death by [[Pretender|polydermal grafting]], a process where they encased themselves in "symbiotic carapaces", or shells created from living tissue. When Megatron dismissed him angrily and cut him down, Thunderwing did not abandon his research; instead, he experimented on himself. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 3|Stormbringer #3}} {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 4|Stormbringer #4}} The process gave him immense power, but drove him insane. He became so dangerous that Megatron had to join forces with Optimus Prime to stop him. This battle at [[Thunderhead Pass]] accelerated the apocalypse destined to befall Cybertron, leaving it an uninhabitable, radioactive husk and forcing both armies to continue their war on other worlds. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 1|Stormbringer #1}} Megatron advocated that they simply destroy Cybertron to ensure that Thunderwing was destroyed, but Prime refused, and threatened to stop Megatron if he tried. Megatron agreed not to destroy the planet, but warned Prime that whatever happened was on his head. Shortly after the last big push by the Decepticons, Cybertron was abandoned by both factions. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 1|Stormbringer #2}}

===Breaking protocol===
[[File:Infiltration4 enter megatron.jpg|upright=1.3|left|thumb|Megatron (Second Printing Preview)]]
In the present day, when word reached Megatron that the infiltration unit led by [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]], stationed on the planet [[Earth]], had broken protocol, he headed for the planet to investigate. Examining the unit's abandoned bunker in [[Nebraska]] for information, he discovered that Starscream had stumbled across [[Ore-13]]—an incredible energy source that (unbeknownst to Megatron) was the end result of Shockwave's experiments—and was planning to use it to usurp Megatron's command. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 4|Infiltration #4}} While studying the bunker's files, he was contacted by [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] with some distressing news: Bludgeon's investigations of Shockwave's files had led him to revive Thunderwing. Megatron ordered the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]] to Cybertron, authorizing them to do whatever was necessary to destroy Thunderwing, including the destruction of their homeworld itself. {{storylink|Stormbringer issue 3|Stormbringer #3}} Just as he was handing down this order, Megatron was happened upon by [[Verity Carlo]], a human ally of the Autobot unit active on the planet, {{storylink|Infiltration issue 4|Infiltration #4}} but he utterly ignored her. The bunker was then leveled by an airstrike courtesy of [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] and [[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]], who were merely covering their unit's tracks and unaware of Megatron's presence; when their leader furiously emerged from the wreckage, Skywarp attempted to explain their ignorance, but Megatron simply responded by blasting him out of the sky. Blitzwing favored opening fire rather than attempting explanations, so Megatron beat the stuffing out of him too, then set off for Starscream's new bunker in [[Oregon]]. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 5|Infiltration #5}}

[[File:Infiltration6 takeyourpunishment.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Those librarians are getting really strict on late returns.]]

{{quote|You will stand down. If you fight, you ''die''. There is no room anymore for mercy. In the end, you are ''all'' expendable. Choose.|Megatron's ultimatum to Starscream's renegade troops|[[Infiltration issue 6|''Infiltration'' #6]]}}

[[Orbital jump]]ing to Oregon, Megatron called Starscream out and ordered the team to stand down, disgusted to see such power games being played amongst his troops. His brief, chilling speech was enough to take the fight out of all but Starscream, who, powered-up on Ore-13, took Megatron on himself. Though the new power source made Starscream a formidable adversary, Megatron was still more deadly than he, and Starscream was taken out by a point-blank fusion cannon blast through his torso. Megatron ordered the Decepticons to ensure that Starscream survived, and then, observing the Autobots who had been watching the battle, announced that it was time to begin phase two. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}}

In light of the discovery of Ore-13, Megatron took stock of Starscream's progress on Earth and elected to get the infiltration protocol back on track himself, calling a meeting to make Starscream's former troops and making them aware, in no uncertain terms, that any further insurrections would be met with deadly force. {{storylink|Escalation issue 1|Escalation #1}} He continued to order his troops on Earth directly, {{storylink|Escalation issue 2|Escalation #2}} and was even able to revisit his past gun alternate mode, once again able to achieve the [[size changing|mass displacement]] the mode required thanks to the extra energy Ore-13 provided. {{storylink|Escalation issue 3|Escalation #3}}

[[File:Megsandspidy.jpg|left|upright=1.4|thumb|Megatron/Spiderman #1 Retailer's Incentive]]
With his forces joined by [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]], a new arrival who Megatron suspected of having ulterior motives, {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Two}} the Decepticon leader initiated phase two of infiltration protocol by destabilizing relations between the European nations of [[Latveria]] and [[Symkaria]] through use of an aggression-inducing [[Psycho-Prism]], stolen from Latverian dictator [[Doctor Doom]]. When the superhero team known as the [[Avengers]] investigated the array the Decepticons' were using to broadcast the prism's signal, Megatron abducted the arachnid-powered [[Spider-Man]] to use as a subject for their [[mirror response mode]], {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part One}} draining the hero's powers and infusing himself and the other Decepticons with them. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Two}} He proceeded to forge a brief alliance with Doctor Doom, who helped him defeat and capture the allied Autobot/Avenger team who snuck inside the Decepticons' array, but when Doom's suggestion to threaten the captives in order to force the other heroes to lay down their arms failed, Megatron violently dissolved the partnership. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Three}} Emerging from the confines of the array to take on the Autobots and Avengers himself, Megatron refrained from engaging Prime, foreseeing a more intimate confrontation between the two of them in the near future, and instead turned his attention to destroying [[Iron Man]]'s Transformer-sized armor. The tables soon turned, however, when Doctor Doom freed the captive Autobots and used the Decepticon's mirror response technology to empower them. Defeated by these enhanced Autobots and with the Psycho-Prism destroyed by [[Wolverine (superhero)|Wolverine]], Megatron used the last of his extra power to teleport the Decepticons out with an [[emergency warp-out]]. He refrained from departing alongside his warriors, intending to slaughter the Avengers for their interference, but when he was immobilized by Spider-Man's webbing, knocked to the ground by [[Luke Cage]], and rattled by a hail of Autobot fire, he finally warped-out with a final taunt to Optimus Prime of the battle yet to come between them. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Four}}
[[File:Escalation3-Massdisplacement.jpg|upright=2.2|thumb]]
With phase two of [[infiltration protocol]] properly underway, Megatron recognized that he ''should'' rightly withdraw and install a new unit commander on Earth, but could not resist the chance to try out his new Ore-13 empowered body, selecting the nation of [[Brasnya]], where Decepticon subterfuge was already underway, as his testing ground. {{storylink|Escalation issue 2|Escalation #2}} Allowing the Decepticon's [[facsimile construct]] [[Georgi Koska]] to wield him in pistol mode, Megatron had Koska use him to first sever a [[Russia]]n oil pipeline, and then to fire upon the soldiers who came to investigate, furthering the political and military tensions already brewing in the region. When word came through from Blitzwing that Optimus Prime and the Autobots had arrived, {{storylink|Escalation issue 3|Escalation #3}} Megatron at last engaged Optimus directly, {{storylink|Escalation issue 4|Escalation #4}} and although Prime was able to destroy his fusion cannon, the extra strength afforded Megatron by Ore-13 allowed him to physically beat Prime into submission, punching directly into his chest and crushing his [[spark]]. {{storylink|Escalation issue 5|Escalation #5}} {{storylink|Spotlight: Optimus Prime}} [[File:Escalation5 prime vs megs.jpg|upright=1.4|left|thumb|''I got me a shovel I'm digging a ditch...'']] The horrified Autobots moved into a full but ineffective counterattack, their only edge being that Megatron had no long-range guns left. It turned out that Prime's apparent death was a desperate ruse when the Autobot leader countered with a surprise attack on Megatron, able to exploit Ore-13's weakness—the more it's used, the faster it burns itself out. Megatron almost collapsed from power loss and was forced to have Skywarp take him to safety before the Autobots could kill him. {{storylink|Escalation issue 6|Escalation #6}}

Furious over the embarrassing defeat, Megatron threw protocol out the window and ordered that Sixshot be summoned to the planet. {{storylink|Escalation issue 6|Escalation #6}} He took out some of his anger on Ramjet, who he discovered had been busy cooking up a plot to overthrow him; without saying a word, he beat the attempted traitor to death before tearing him apart and keeping his head as a trophy. {{storylink|Spotlight: Ramjet}}
[[File:Devastation5 decepticons attack.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|''And I'm gonna fight for this four square feet of land Like a mean old son of a bitch'']]
Upon Sixshot's arrival, Megatron ordered him to utterly destroy the Autobots, and although the [[Phase Sixer]] questioned his early deployment, he was happy to go along with the abandonment of the phase structure. The other Decepticons, on the other hand, were worried that Megatron was losing his grip—and since they were too scared to tell him that, they decided to revive Starscream to do it for them. {{storylink|Devastation issue 1|Devastation #1}} {{storylink|Maximum Dinobots issue 1|Maximum Dinobots #1}} Megatron monitored Sixshot's attack on the Autobots' [[Ark-19]], ordering him to pursue the escape pod that broke away from the crashing craft, {{storylink|Devastation issue 2|Devastation #2}} but before he could obliterate the Autobots, Megatron was forced to recall him to deal with a new threat assaulting the Decepticon base—the alien [[Reaper]]s. {{storylink|Devastation issue 4|Devastation #4}} Unfortunately, the Reapers convinced Sixshot to side with them, and when an Ore-13 powered Starscream entered the fray to take Sixshot down, Megatron realized his troops had been conspiring against him. He decided not to punish them '''yet''', due to greater threat posed by the Reapers, {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}} and entered battle alongside them all, even allowing Starscream to wield him in pistol mode against the aliens. After the invaders were dead, however, he turned on his men, starting with Blitzwing—but was forced to realize that they needed to remain united when it became apparent that their battle with the Reapers had made humanity inescapably aware of their existence {{storylink|Devastation issue 6|Devastation #6}} {{storylink|Spotlight: Grimlock}}
{{-}}

===All Hail Megatron===
[[File:AHM7 megs rips out matrix.jpg|upright=1.1|left|thumb|[[The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|"I don't think I'd have made a good medic. No patience."]]]]
While the Decepticons were occupied fighting the Reapers, the Autobots had left Earth to deal with the greater threat of an incursion by the [[Dead Universe]]. Exploiting their enemies' absence, Megatron and his men went to ground; when Autobots returned, they could find no trace of the Decepticons, who kept one step ahead of them for months. Secretly abducting [[Hunter O'Nion]], former [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] partner to the Autobot [[Sunstreaker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sunstreaker]], Megatron and his men returned to Cybertron, where Megatron had [[Deluge (G2)|Deluge]] conduct experiments that bred a [[Insecticon swarm|swarm]] of monstrous [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]]. The experiments culminated in the creation of [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]], who Megatron employed in a series of key tasks in his plan: the Insecticon obtained from Hunter's mind various Autobot secrets and codes, completed Shockwave's long-gestating combiner process, granting the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] the ability to combine into [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]], and created a working [[space bridge]] {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}} based on designs sold to them by Sixshot in exchange for his freedom. {{storylink|Spotlight: Metroplex}}

Returning to Earth, the Decepticons staged a phony schism within their ranks, allowing the Autobots to believe that they had "disappeared" as a result of a power struggle that had split their ranks into two camps, one led by Megatron and one by Starscream. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}} Starscream then approached Sunstreaker, whose experience as a Headmaster had left him bitter and jaded, with the proposition that the Autobots join with his forces against Megatron, {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 8|All Hail Megatron #8}} but when the Autobots arrived at the designated time and place, they were instead confronted by the united Decepticon army and quickly defeated by Devastator. After personally tearing [[Matrix of Leadership]] from Optimus Prime's chest, Megatron marched the captive Autobots through the space bridge back to Cybertron, where the Insecticon swarm waited for them. Prime, however, was able to damage the bridge, causing it to deposit the Autobots a safe distance from the swarm, but in the process, fried his own circuits and left himself comatose. Though the Autobots had escaped the fate he had intended for them, Megatron had successfully exiled his enemies to their dead homeworld; moreover, using information and codes gained from Sunstreaker and Hunter, he concurrently orchestrated the event that would later be known as [[Surge (event)|The Surge]], as Decepticons stormed Autobot installations all across the galaxy, achieving total victory. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}}

[[File:AHM1 decepticons attack.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Megatron's urban renewal program was off to a flying start.]]
With galaxy-wide domination accomplished, one year after the Decepticons' battle with the Reapers, Megatron chose Earth to become the new Decepticon homeworld. Together with his men, Megatron stormed [[New York City]], humiliating Starscream with a display of his greater capacity for destruction. When the US Air Force retaliated, Megatron shrugged off their fire and ordered the other Decepticons to engage them; when one damaged jet threw itself toward him in a suicide run, Megatron, outraged at the [[DJ (G1)|pilot]]'s temerity, destroyed it and its occupant with a furious swipe of his hand. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 1|All Hail Megatron #1}} When US Army forces arrived, Megatron ordered [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] dispatched to deal with them, then sent Devastator to destroy the subway tunnels leading out of the city. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 2|All Hail Megatron #2}} With New York secured, Megatron directed the Constructicons to begin building a new space bridge in the city's heart, and had a candid talk with Starscream, revealing his belief that the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]]'s attitude and actions marked him as the embodiment of the Decepticon cause, even if he was blind to seeing it himself. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 3|All Hail Megatron #3}} After a series of further attacks on major American cities saw the country firmly crushed under the Decepticons' collective heel, Megatron made a propaganda speech to his men in the ruins of New York. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 4|All Hail Megatron #4}} As night fell upon the city, Megatron withdrew to privately gloat over the Matrix. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 5|All Hail Megatron #5}}

[[File:AHM6MegatronVsIsrael.jpg|left|upright=1.66|thumb|Starscream just told Megatron that AHM is going to go on for another six issues. He's taking it pretty well, all things considered.]]
As the Decepticons began attacking other countries around the globe, Megatron was questioned by Starscream on what the next step in his plan was. A recalcitrant Megatron merely informed him that it was merely time to savor their victory, but Starscream accused him of not ''having'' any plans post-victory, and was merely allowing his men to run wild to distract them from any notion of taking power for themselves. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 6|All Hail Megatron #6}} What Starscream did not realize was that Megatron did indeed have a plan: to defeat the Autobots, he had created an army of killers and monsters, but in order to create his perfect rule, that army would have to be destroyed, the dissenting, distasteful elements obliterated before Megatron's peace could dawn. Megatron was not distracting his warriors... he was ''waiting'' to see which of them would question and turn on him. Silently sorrowful to already know that such dissent would begin with Starscream, an otherwise-model Decepticon, {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}} Megatron withdrew to [[Israel]] for some silent reflection amid wholesale devastation. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 6|All Hail Megatron #6}}

[[File:AHM10 megs vs devastator.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb]]
Some time later, Megatron surveyed the space bridge Bombshell and the Constructicons had built in New York. He congratulated Bombshell on his work, but revealed that he had always foreseen Bombshell's intellect as a danger—had always known he and his fellow Insecticons would side with Starscream when the time came. His gambit exposed, Starscream made his move and attacked, but the Insecticons proved no match for Megatron's might. The Decepticon leader had failed to anticipate one thing, however: he did not foresee the Constructicons siding with Starscream, and found himself having to fight the mighty Devastator. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}} The in-fighting was halted by a last-ditch attack by the mustered might of what remained of the human resistance, forcing Megatron and Starscream to put their differences aside momentarily and organize a defense. This attack came as no surprise to Megatron, but the same could not be said for the next entrants onto the battlefield: the Autobots had returned.

After assuring Starscream that he would be leader in the future, when his time was done, Megatron confronted Optimus Prime, surprised not so much that his old foe had survived, but that he had bothered to return to Earth. Both leaders had always maintained a policy of acceptable losses through their millennia-long war, so Megatron assumed Prime had come back for selfish reasons, to reclaim the Matrix, but Prime insisted that he had changed, and would no longer allow their cold war to endanger innocent lives on this scale. [[File:AHM12 prime vs megs.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.66|Like Homer Simpson putting on his pants, the struggle between Optimus Prime and Megatron remains eternal. [[...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|Almost.]]]] Megatron scoffed at the notion, reavling that Prime's supposedly "innocent" humans were planning to nuke New York, killing millions of their own just to get rid of the Decepticons, {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 11|All Hail Megatron #11}} but Prime retorted that it wasn't ''just'' about the humans, but also about the difference between Autobots and Decepticons. The two came to blows, but Megatron triumphed in short order and commanded the Decepticons to depart, leaving the Autobots to be killed by the humans' nuke... but just before they withdrew, he was shot in the face by human soldier [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]], wielding a powerful weapon reverse-engineered from Cybertronian technology. Injured and disoriented by the blast, Megatron was finished off when Prime smashed his face in with his own fusion cannon. As he wanted to ''take'' leadership rather than just have it fall in his hands, Starscream picked up his damaged leader and ordered the Decepticons to retreat. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 12|All Hail Megatron #12}}

[[File:AllHisEngines-Megatron.jpg|thumb|Pretty sure when you float in a bacta tank you're supposed to be wearing a diaper.]]
The Decepticons departed Earth aboard Astrotrain, where the gravely wounded Megatron was put on life support and tended to by Soundwave and his cassettes. With Megatron's life signs only at ten percent capacity, Starscream attempted to appeal to Soundwave's sense of logic and have him shut down so that leadership could be his, but Soundwave refused. Starscream was soon able to take command, however, when he recovered the Matrix of Leadership and professed to have been chosen by it. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 13|Uneasy Lies the Head}}

===New body, new powers===
The Decepticons eventually settled on a desolate asteroid, where Megatron was installed in a [[CR chamber|CR tank]]. Retaining some level of awareness of the events occurring around him during his convalescence, he was forced to watch as his army languished in inactivity, their energy slowly ebbing away until they were reduced to cannibalism. {{storylink|All His Engines}} After a year of trying to free his leader from this living death, Soundwave was finally forced to conclude that Megatron's body was beyond repair, and recruited the recently returned Shockwave, whom Starscream had provided with the majority of the Decepticons' resources to create a space bridge, to help build a new body for Megatron's consciousness to inhabit. The operation succeeded and Megatron was reborn in a deadly new body, powered by Ore-13, armed with a devastatingly powerful rail gun, and even equipped with space bridge nodes stolen from Metroplex, which gave him the ability to open space bridge portals on his own. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon|Altered Carbon}} {{storylink|Spotlight: Megatron}}

[[File:IDWongoing15 megatrons new body.jpg|left|thumb|275px|"Uh, it's like...did anyone ever see the movie ''Tron''?"]]
Back in action, Megatron devised a plan to destabilize the relationship between the humans and Autobots on Earth. Together with Soundwave and Shockwave, he chopped up his old body and used it to create human-scaled replicas of his former gun mode, containing small pieces of his own consciousness. When Starscream caught them in the act, Megatron elected to table his plan for the moment, as he considered it folly to go against Starscream's wishes for the moment since the Seeker was still in possession of the Matrix of Leadership. Megatron had never truly understood what the talisman ''did'', but it served as a threat merely by being an unknown variable. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon|Altered Carbon}} Fortunately, for Megatron this variable was soon removed from the equation when Hot Rod, estranged from the Earthbound Autobots, infiltrated the Decepticons' asteroid base and recovered the Matrix from Starscream. Megatron seized his chance, intercepting the Autobot and blasting him and the Matrix out into the void of space. {{storylink|Heart Like a Wheel}}

[[File:SLMegatron stealth bomber mode.jpg|thumb|275px|Behold... the ''Bomberang!'']]
With Starscream's trump card now gone, Megatron had the Decepticons gathered so he could address them. Distrustful of Shockwave's motives for preparing his new body, wary of Soundwave's constant surveillance, and repulsed by the state of his once fearsome Decepticon war machine, Megatron decided that he needed to unequivocally reestablish dominance over the now Matrix-less Starscream. He intended to beat Starscream near to death as a means of letting them both work out their frustrations with Starscream's inability to lead effectively during Megatron's absence, but Starscream did not want to fight—spiritually broken by his failures, he simply wanted Megatron to kill him. Rather than accept this, Megatron instead goaded Starscream into opening fire upon him. This began a running battle between the two, with Megatron pursuing the fleeing Seeker in his new stealth bomber alternate mode, continuing to bait Starscream every time he appeared willing to give up the fight. Incensed by Starscream's accusation that he did not know what it felt like to see everything he had worked for fall apart, when that was exactly what Starscream's pitiful leadership had done to the empire he had created, Megatron pummeled him to within an inch of his life, then paused to explain why he kept a schemer like Starscream around: as a constant reminder to watch his back. The brutal display galvanized the languid Decepticons, and Megatron was ready to begin his scheme. {{storylink|Spotlight: Megatron}}

[[File:IDWongoing14 megatron guns.jpg|upright=1.66|left|thumb|Megatron doesn't support the NRA. He IS the NRA.]]
Roughly two years after the Decepticons' defeat on Earth, Megatron used his space bridge powers to dispatch a container full of the guns made from his old body to Earth, where they were found by South American gun-runners and illegally disseminated amongst an increasingly paranoid public seeking ways to protect themselves against Transformers. This allowed Megatron's consciousness to spread across North America, until it was focused enough to contact one particular owner of a Megatron gun: [[Joe Gladki]]. He deceived and manipulated the paranoid human, and eventually convinced him to perform an assassination attempt on [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]], the new Autobot leader. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon|Altered Carbon}} In their ignorance, the Autobots then mistook Gladki's gun for Megatron himself and held it captive. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 1: The Demolished Man|The Demolished Man}}

[[File:IDWongoing16 megatron vs autobots.jpg|upright=1.2|thumb|Not the [[Realignments|first time]] he's traded his [[fusion cannon]] for a [[rail gun]].]]
With the Autobots in chaos, Megatron started the next phase of his plan and returned to Earth personally, where he used his new stealth bomber mode to shoot down a plane carrying Optimus Prime and several other Autobots. He then hunted down the remaining Autobots, effortlessly defeating them and their new temporary leader Ultra Magnus with his powerful new body, and killing some of their [[Skywatch]] allies. Magnus tried to draw Megatron's attention from the humans, claiming the Autobots were the ones he really wanted, but Megatron assured him that humanity was his real target. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 3: Woken Furies|Woken Furies}} Taking the defeated Autobots captive, Megatron dumped them in a city and directed three of his mind-controlled human puppets to kill them. Contacting Prime directly, Megatron summoned him to the city's outskirts and revealed his plan: crush Prime's spirit and destroy the Autobots' alliance with humanity by forcing them to choose between fighting the humans or allowing them to kill them. Prime found the hole in Megatron's plan, however, when he realized that Soundwave was maintaining the connection between Megatron and his guns, and shot him in the head. His connection to his pawns severed, Megatron scooped up Soundwave and withdrew. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 4: Burning Chrome|Burning Chrome}} Thanks to a tracker Ultra Magnus had slipped on Soundwave, though, Prime was able to follow the Decepticons to their bolthole and called Megatron out for a full and proper confrontation. In actuality, Prime had lured Megatron outside so Skywatch could drop a [[kinetic harpoon]] on him, but even a weapon dropped from orbit barely proved able to put a scratch in Megatron's mighty new exostructure. Megatron proceeded to beat Prime senseless, but then returned him to the Autobots, and to their great shock, surrendered to their custody. After recovering, Optimus demanded to know why he had surrendered, but Megatron merely taunted him by revealing that Spike Witwicky had murdered a Decepticon in cold blood. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 5: Enemy Mine|Enemy Mine}} Prime immediately had Prowl begin investigating Spike and Skywatch, and Prowl interrogated the Decepticon leader for information, which he provided after a little verbal sparring. {{storylink|Police Action: Prologue}}

[[File:ChaosTheory1 megatron imprisoned.jpg|upright=1.5|left|thumb|Megatron and Optimus Prime can't agree on a safe word.]]
When Rodimus returned to Earth and warned the Autobots that [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]] had taken control of Cybertron, Optimus decided to lead the Autobots in reclaiming their homeworld. In the name of Earth's safety, he elected to bring Megatron and the confiscated guns made from his old body with them. {{storylink|Space Opera—Final Tableaux: Orphans of the Helix|Orphans of the Helix}} On the way to Cybertron aboard [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]], Prime again attempted to discern why Megatron had surrendered, even releasing his old foe from his bonds and having a civil conversation with him about their past together and their dueling ideologies. Optimus tried to reach out to Megatron, offering him the chance to end the war once and for all with a handshake; Megatron appeared to consider it for a moment but ultimately remained silent. With Megatron returned to the confines of the [[variable voltage harness]], the other Autobots pressured Optimus for a decision on his fate: execution or imprisonment. Trying to come to a conclusion, Prime asked Megatron if he regretted any of his actions, but the Decepticon leader remarked that he only regretted not killing ''more'' Autobots. He taunted Prime with the notion that even he was thankful for the war, as it had raised him from a nobody to the greatest Autobot in history, and a furious Prime activated the harness, electrocuting Megatron. The jolt would have killed Megatron if Omega Supreme had not cut the power in time and Megatron, struggling to stay conscious, offered Prime his thanks for saving his life all those years ago in Rodion. Shocked by his actions, Prime realized that Megatron wanted to die and wanted Prime to be the one to kill him. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1|Chaos Theory #1}} Eventually, Prime decided to let Megatron choose his own fate, and Megatron calmly replied that he chose death. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 2|Chaos Theory #2}}

[[File:Chaos2 armored megatron.jpg|upright=1.3|thumb|...Again...?]]
As Omega drew close to Cybertron, Megatron demanded to know who or what was threatening their homeworld, but Optimus Prime refused to provde him with any information. {{storylink| Chaos Part One: Lamentations|Lamentations}} The Autobots subsequently engaged Galvatron's forces in battle, and while they were occupied, Megatron put into motion the ace he had up his sleeve: taking remote control of the numerous "Megatron guns" aboard Omega, Megatron summoned them to him and combined with them into a new armored mode. Breaking free from his restraints, he headed out to confront Galvatron, intent that nobody would take his world from him. {{storylink|Chaos Part Two: Numbers|Numbers}} As he tore through the Sweeps, Megatron also revealed the reason for his surrender: now that he was back on Cybertron, he could open a space bridge that would allow the massed forces of the Decepticons on Earth to return to their home planet as well. Unfortunately, not long after the Decepticons arrived on the battlefield, Galvatron's secret puppet master, the Dead Universe entity known as the [[D-Void]], seized control of their minds and those of the Sweeps, merging them into a gigantic, monstrous avatar. With Prime occupied pursuing Galvatron into Cybertron's depths, Megatron was left to face this "[[Deceptigod]]" alone. {{storylink|Chaos Part Three: Kings|Kings}} Fighting against the D-Void's attempts to ensnare his own mind and make him part of the collective, Megatron was gravely wounded and even lost an arm to the beast, but succeeded into destroying it, blasting it apart with one massive beam from his weapons. {{storylink|Chaos Part Four: Genesis|Genesis}}

===The long game===
Even as the Deceptigod disintegrated back into its component Decepticons, Megatron could see the potential the creature embodied—the D-Void had, in essence, created the perfect combiner by means of utterly obliterating free will. With Cybertron reverting into a primordial wasteland around him—a result of Optimus Prime purifying [[Vector Sigma]] with the Matrix to stop Galvatron and the D-Void—Megatron chose to withdraw to experiment with the possibilities this presented. He informed Shockwave, the sole Decepticon who had not been made part of the Deceptigod, of his plans, and Shockwave in turn revealed them to Soundwave and Bombshell. {{storylink|Shockpoint}} While Megatron hid in the wilderness, his Decepticons were left to live as second-class citizens in the new [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] that the Autobots built; Optimus Prime left Cybertron two weeks after the D-Void's defeat to calm tensions with "NAILs"—other unaffiliated Cybertronians—who had returned to their homeworld, but even as he did so, he mused that Megatron must still be out there somewhere. {{storylink|Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime}}

[[File:RID11 megatron in wilderness.jpg|left|thumb|225px|Megatron can't find anyone who wants to join his nudist colony to save his skin.]]
In the months of study and experimentation that followed, Megatron discerned that the combination of Ore-13 and space bridge technology in his body somehow gave him the ability to manipulate the natural energy of Cybertron that the D-Void had used to merge the Decepticons into the Deceptigod. After experiments on [[turbofox]]es created larger, more ferocious beasts, Megatron stepped up trials when the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] seceded from the shaky government Bumblebee, [[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|Metalhawk]] and Starscream were building in Iacon and ventured into the wilderness. The signal Megatron had created from the combination energy first drove the Aerialbots mad, before uniting them in body and mind, spontaneously merging them into the gestalt [[Superion (G1)|Superion]], but this newborn Autobot combiner was considered hopelessly insane by Megatron and left to die in the wilderness. The madness aspect of the signal afforded him the chance to revive some of the principles of the infiltration protocol, however, as he blanketed the wastelands in it, forcing the Autobots, Decepticons and NAILs to stay in Iacon, causing natural conflict among them to snowball, providing a useful cover for his actions. To gain a pawn within Autobot high command, Megatron even provided Bombshell with the energy to use in conjunction with his own mind-controlling [[cerebro-shell]]s, ensnaring the mind of Prowl. With the resources and cover control of Prowl provided, Shockwave, Soundwave and Bombshell were able to use Megatron's findings to perfect the combination process, rebuilding the Constructicons with new modular designs that would allow them to merge into a perfect Devastator. The endgame was for Megatron himself to form the head of the combiner, but before risking his own mind and body, Megatron decided that Prowl would be used first as a test subject. {{storylink|Before the Dawn}}

[[File:RID12 kill him.jpg|upright=1.95|thumb]]
The appearance of [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]] on Cybertron who declared that Starscream was the "Chosen One" threatened Megatron's ability to easily re-take leadership of his Decepticons, forcing him to step up his schedule. Through Prowl, he had his inner circle gathered together in the secret "[[Black Room]]", then boldly strode into Iacon for all to see. {{storylink|The End of the Beginning of the World}} His body shattered and skeletal, he professed to come in peace, but Bumblebee did not accept his surrender and ordered his Autobots to kill him. Indeed, Megatron could possibly have died there and then had Iacon's Decepticons not stepped in, insisting that Megatron's defense of Cybertron during the D-Void's attack marked him a hero and that he be taken into custody instead. {{storylink|City on Fire}} After [[Wheeljack (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Wheeljack]] got through examining him to prove his body concealed no weapons, Starscream approached the imprisoned Megatron and attempted to explain that he was not far away from taking complete power in the government, ensuring a Decepticon victory of a different kind. Megatron merely smiled silently at the notion, terrifying his ex-lieutenant with his grin. Presently, the Decepticons rose up in an angry mob and marched on Autobot high command to insist on Megatron's release; the situation quickly devolved into a riot, during which a squad led by [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] stormed the prison and freed Megatron. {{storylink|The Verge}}

[[File:RID14 new body redux.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.55|New body or not, Megatron may want to think twice about standing [[:File:Devastator-ROTFenemyscrotum.jpg|underneath Devastator's legs.]]]]
Megatron brought Starscream and the captured Bumblebee and Metalhawk to the Black Room, where he explained his plans and had himself transferred into a pre-prepared new body that could combine with the Constructicons' new forms. At his command, the Constructicons and Prowl combined into the new Devastator, who immediately set about razing Iacon. {{storylink|Before the Dawn}} Even the return of Superion seemed unable to stop the powerful new combiner, until help came from an unexpected quarter—Prowl's secret assassin [[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]] killed Bombshell, taking out Prowl's controller and causing Devastator to shut down. This was no real impediment to Megatron, however, as the successful function of the new combiner process had been proven, and he set out to take ''his'' place as Devastator's head. Before Megatron could reach the fallen gestalt, though, Devastator awoke, possessed of his own unique, united consciousness for the first time, and resumed tearing into Iacon. {{storylink|Plan for Everything}}

[[File:RID20 megatron in forcefield.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|You know you can't catch a break when you find yourself trapped inside a novelty plasma lamp from Spencer's.]]
Still Megatron remained unfazed, calmly fending off Autobot attacks and waiting for the inevitable moment when the heroes would take Devastator down. When [[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] succeeded in doing so by managing to reach Prowl, Devastator separated, and Megatron immediately stepped in, re-initiating the combination with himself in control. Seconds before uniting with the Constructicons, though, his plan was foiled by Bumblebee, Ironhide and Prowl's activation of a secret failsafe: Wheeljack had integrated a forcefield generator into Megatron's spark casing during his examination of him, and when it was triggered, he was completely paralyzed in mid-transformation. {{storylink|Heavy Is the Head}}

In the fallout of the battle, Starscream killed Metalhawk, took control of Iacon and banished the Autobots and Decepticons from the city. He took custody of the immobilized Megatron, and silently gloated over the victory he had accomplished by using guile and politics, rather than Megatron's ways of brute force and firepower. {{storylink|Three Monologues}}

===A new approach===
Megatron would not remain incapacitated for long. That night, as the end result of millennia-long secret machinations by Shockwave, an [[Necrotitan|undead Metrotitan]] appeared on Cybertron and opened a portal to the Dead Universe in the planet's skies. Through the portal, Shockwave made contact with Galvatron and his master, the exiled Cybertron despot [[Nova Prime]], but was unable to bring them through to Cybertron thanks to the unexpected disappearance of the Titan's space bridge system. Intending to use the space bridge within Megatron as a replacement, {{storylink|Black Metal: Dark Cybertron Chapter 2|Black Metal}} Shockwave reanimated the deceased Metalhawk with a wave of necrotic energy from the Titan and had him liberate Megatron and bring him to his secret lab in [[Crystal City]]. {{storylink|Winners & Losers: Dark Cybertron Chapter 3|Winners & Losers}}

[[File:RID24 i remember you.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|Somewhere in the multiverse, [[Override (G1)|Override]] and [[Jazz (Movie)|Jazz]] are smiling.]]
Shockwave hoped that Megatron would comply with his plans willingly, but the Decepticon leader refused and Shockwave forcibly activated the space bridge technology in Megatron's body. {{storylink|Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|Into the Abyss}} The opening of the bridge in his chest caused Megatron agony, but his screams were heard by Soundwave, who led the united forces of the exiled Autobots and Decepticons to Shockwave's lab to free his leader. Nova Prime and Galvatron attempted to squeeze their way through the space bridge despite this interference, but Ironhide was able to punch Nova back through into the Dead Universe. Just then, Shockwave's "Necrotitan" came crashing into the subterranean city, and in the chaos, Megatron was freed from the restraints holding him. No sooner had Megatron carried Ironhide to the safe hands of the other Autobots, however, than he was ripped in half from behind by Galvatron, who had successfully emerged through the portal {{storylink|Finest Hour: Dark Cybertron Chapter 5|Finest Hour}} — a briefer battle, no doubt, than the one Shockwave had foreseen between the pair in a vision at the outset of his scheme. {{storylink|Dark Dawn: Dark Cybertron Chapter 1|Dark Dawn}}

[[File:MTMTE26 megs and bee.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|I smell a sitcom!]]
After the battle was over, Galvatron and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] lugged Megatron's bisected remains back into Crystal City, only to find their way barred by the unlikely form of Bumblebee, who demanded they hand Megatron over. Galvatron attacked the Autobot, at which point Megatron revealed that he was fine, as he took down Waspinator and knocked Galvatron out with a barrage of fusion cannon fire. {{storylink|The Dead Are Not Enough: Dark Cybertron Chapter 7|The Dead Are Not Enough}} Bumblebee lugged Megatron back to Iacon, currently being razed by the Necrotitan, where the Decepticon leader announced to the assembled Autobots, Decepticons and NAILs his plan to withdraw to [[Moonbase Two|Luna 2]], summon the Decepticon Justice Division and other scattered troops, and strike back. Bumblebee rejected Megatron's notion of retreating, and struck a nerve within him by questioning his entire philosophy: Megatron had ''long'' ago abandoned any notion of fighting for freedom and equality, Bumblebee attested, and merely used the claim to ideology as an excuse for his actions. {{storylink|Burning Bright: Dark Cybertron Chapter 8|Burning Bright}} Fortunately, fighting back suddenly got a lot easier when Metroplex and the ''[[Lost Light]]'' space-bridged to Cybertron. During the battle between the Titans, Megatron observed Metroplex reaching for the ''Lost Light''; when the ship's crew explained that they had Metroplex's severed thumb aboard, Megatron had Bumblebee carry him to it, whereupon he realized that the thumb contained one of Shockwave's [[Regenesis]] ores. Megatron used his internal space bridge to teleport the thumb back to Metroplex, and the ore provided the giant with the power boost to defeat the Necrotitan. {{storylink|Finis Temporis: Dark Cybertron Chapter 9|Finis Temporis}}

[[File:DCFinale megatron the autobot.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.95|ಠ_ಠ]]
At Bumblebee's order and under protest, [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] repaired Megatron's injuries and reattached his legs, reminding Megatron of his desire in youth to be a medic. His recent string of failures, the success of ''Starscream'', of all 'bots, and Bumblebee's stinging words had turned the Decepticon leader introspective, and he realized he had forgotten something very important that had driven his writings in his early years: winning meant turning people to your way of thinking, not dominating them. {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}} Subsequently, when Shockwave initiated his millennia-long plan to collapse all reality into a universal black hole, Megatron placed himself and the Decepticons under Bumblebee's command to co-ordinate a counter-strike, and journeyed with his uneasy new "friend" into Shockwave's [[Crystal City]] base to confront their shared enemy. There, they found the weakened Galvatron, who Megatron prepared to destroy for past indignities, until Bumblebee talked him down, convincing him that blood did not have to be repaid with blood. At that moment, Shockwave struck, slaying Bumblebee with a blast, and driving Megatron into a rage. {{storylink|Black Planet: Dark Cybertron Chapter 11|Black Planet}} Empowered by his various ores and the energy of the Dead Universe, Shockwave was a formidable opponent and it was all Megatron could do to hold his own against him until Optimus Prime arrived to join the fight. Prime attempted to reason with Shockwave and remind him of the kindly senator he had once been, but his words had little effect, so Megatron opted for a more object lesson: removing the fallen Bumblebee's insignia, he placed it upon his chest and declared himself an Autobot. The stunned Shockwave lost control of the time machine powering his plot, causing his old pre-[[Shadowplay]] memories to emerge. Horrified at what he had become, he allowed Megatron and Prime to kill him, which caused the time machine to collapse into a singularity. Megatron and Prime made what seemed to be a futile dash for freedom, but were saved from the singularity's pull at the last moment by the timely arrival of the ''Lost Light''. {{storylink|...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|...And the Damage Done}}

===Crimes against the Species===
{{quote|I don't want to be acquitted. I want to '''make amends'''|Megatron on his new goal in life|"[[World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide]]"}}
[[File:DCFinale this is not a trick.jpg|thumb|upright=1.95|Optimus apparently decided a sincere Megatron was a cue for mood lighting.]]
In a private meeting between Optimus Prime and Megatron a short time after Shockwave's defeat, Megatron affirmed that his change of heart was genuine, and Optimus assured him that he could see past his wartime deeds and remember the well-intentioned 'bot he had started out as. {{storylink|...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|...And the Damage Done}} The rest of Cybertron, however, demanded a trial; Autobot High Command agreed, realizing that the Decepticon leader's fate had to be decided in public. Before the trial, Megatron was approached by Optimus, [[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]] and Rodimus in an attempt to extract some of the Decepticon's memories as evidence in hopes of expediting the proceedings, but a horrified Megatron refused, considering the sanctity of his mind all he had left. After Optimus departed, Rodimus remained to taunt Megatron with the certainty of his execution; in return, the impassive Decepticon simply asked Rodimus to deliver a [[communicube]] to Optimus, {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} containing a request to have the trial moved to the [[Raskol Arena]] on Luna 2, in order, he alleged, to accommodate the huge number of spectators that would inevitably attend. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}}
[[File:MTMTE28 megatron pleads guilty.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.95|I agreed to this trial on the condition of meeting Matlock.]]
Megatron's trial lasted five months. At the outset of the proceedings, Megatron pled guilty to "Crimes against the Species", {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} but things changed when Starscream took the stand and gave a testimony that presented Megatron as an incapable leader who was unable to control the Decepticon forces under his command, a powerful brute lacking in the qualities of true leadership who led his followers down an ultimately self-destructive path. His treacherous lieutenant's words struck home, and Megatron stunned the assembled crowd by changing his plea to "not guilty". {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}} Just as his defender, Ultra Magnus, was reading a statement declaring this, the trial was dramatically interrupted by a small army of Decepticons led by [[Snaptrap (G1)|Snap Trap]] and [[Hun-Gurrr (G1)|Hun-Grr]], who had escaped from the brig on the ''Lost Light''. The invading force attempted to teleport Megatron away to safety, but he refused to escape and the uprising was quickly quelled. During the recess that followed, Optimus confronted Megatron over his true motives: he had requested that the trial be held on Luna 2 in order to exploit the moon's different legal system in the event that he felt the trial was unjust. Caused by Starscream's speech to realize that, were he to submit to execution now, his legacy would be one only of pain and death, Megatron invoked one of the moon's forgotten laws: an individual who had committed sufficiently heinous crimes could request he be judged by the long-lost [[Knights of Cybertron]]. Megatron requested that he be allowed to join the ''Lost Light'' in their search for the Knights and their homeworld of [[Cyberutopia]], thus ensuring that ''that'' would be his legacy, after which he would submit to whatever punishment was deemed necessary. Optimus agreed on the condition that Megatron read a prepared speech denouncing the Decepticon cause and asking all active Decepticons to stand down. Megatron did so, at great personal pain. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}} Hurt and angry over this perceived abandonment, Soundwave used Megatron's change of faction as evidence to forge a new allegiance of his own, decamping to Earth and working with the [[Earth Defense Command]] to create a new home for Decepticons there. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 2: Detonation Boulevard|Detonation Boulevard}}
[[File:MTMTE30 cocaptains.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|O captain, my co-captain.]]
Megatron was assigned co-captaincy of the ''Lost Light'' alongside Rodimus, who immediately hated the idea and everything about it, leading to a particularly antagonistic relationship between the two. Megatron was permitted only to fuel himself with "[[Fool's Energon]]", which left him substantially weakened. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}} Shockwave's machinations had left his internal organs a tortured Gordian knot of space bridge wormholes from which it was impossible to extract his spark; his outward appearance changed between the end of his trial and his co-captaincy, suggesting that his armor was rebuilt around him, or his entire internal structure was transplanted into a new body. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} Megatron would later lament that his body did not graft to his spark like past chassis, which he considered a sign of his waning age. {{storylink|Slaughterhouse|Slaughterhouse}} Optimus would see Megatron off on his voyage before he himself headed off to Earth, a meeting Prowl found deeply disturbing. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 1: Hello Cruel World|Hello Cruel World}}

===Towards Peace===
[[File:MTMTE28 megatron head examined.jpg|left|thumb|275px|"So Megatron, tell me about your mother." "She was hot."]]
The ''Lost Light'' warped back out to the Galactic Rim and set off on the trail of [[Thunder Clash|Thunderclash]], who they considered their best lead on the location of the Knights. A month into the journey, Megatron agreed to a therapy session with ship's psychoanalyst Rung, during which he espoused his current thinking on personal history, and one's ability to selectively edit or abandon entirely previously-held truths. Following the session, Megatron discovered that the door to his quarters had been graffitied, was almost immediately attacked by the culprit, Whirl. During the fight—which Whirl deemed "inevitable"—the ex-Wrecker punched Megatron in the stomach, only to find his hand teleported away by the space bridge tangle inside his body. This took the fight out of Whirl, and Megatron offered to forget the incident if the graffiti was removed from his wall. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} Through his internal space bridge, Megatron could sense that Whirl's arm had been teleported into the vicinity of a black hole, and—ever the forward planner, preparing even for the unlikely eventuality that he might change his mind about what he wanted—Megatron was inspired to revive his wartime plan to remotely channel antimatter.{{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}}

Megatron subsequently oversaw the bringing onboard of a mysterious coffin the ''Lost Light'' found floating in space. A short time later, a drunken dare gone awry resulted in [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]] accidentally cracking the coffin open with his forcefield. Megatron reprimanded him by permanently engaging his fuel intake moderation chip, and assigned him the role of Security Director in order to focus his mind. The pair then turned their attention to the opened coffin, which was revealed to contain the body of another Rodimus! {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}} A brief analysis suggested that the body was of Rodimus from the future, but before the matter could be settled, the crew of the ''Lost Light'' were forced to abandon the ship as it suddenly began disappearing around them. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}}

[[File:MTMTE32 i came to hate the person id become.jpg|thumb|275px|Lolcat is watching you deprecate.]]

Megatron found himself on the [[Rodpod]] with a score of other 'bots, but when ''they'' then began to vanish too, [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] accused Megatron of being responsible. A tense standoff ensued, which was brought to a surprising end when [[Ravage (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ravage]] was discovered to have been hiding on the pod, having secreted himself on the ''Lost Light'' in order to spy on Megatron for Soundwave. {{storylink|Twenty Plus One}} The weirdness continued as the remaining crew of the Rodpod—Megatron, Ravage, Nightbeat, [[Skids (G1)|Skids]], [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]], [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]], and [[Getaway]]—discovered the wreckage of a second ''Lost Light'', point of origin for the mystery second Rodimus, orbiting the planet [[Ofsted XVII]]. Still believing that the duplicate ship hailed from the future, Skids accused Megatron of being responsible for the devastation, and, realizing that the recent huge changes he had made in his life left him devoid of any surety in his future actions, Megatron allowed himself and Ravage to be imprisoned until the truth could be determined. Locked in a supply closet with Ravage, Megatron had a heart-to-heart with his angry ex-subordinate, justifying his decisions and unable to offer Ravage any consolation. When power returned to the ship, the pair discovered the dead bodies of Ratchet, [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] and [[Hound (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hound]] in the closet with them, sporting injuries that allowed Megatron realize the Decepticon Justice Division were responsible for the slaughter. The team prepared to immedaitely withdraw until an even stranger discovery was made: Autobot archivist [[Rewind (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rewind]], who had died months beforehand... still alive, the only survivor of the D.J.D.'s attack! {{storylink|slaughterhouse}}

[[File:MTMTE33 megatron skids right there.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|"...But you're not the [[Skyfall (G1)|worst]] [[Zeta Prime|guy]] to wear the badge. So keep trying."]]
Nautica and Nightbeat were able to deduce that the duplicate ''Lost Light'' and its crew, including the second Rodimus, were actually quantum duplicates created in the explosion of the [[quantum generator|quantum engines]] during the ship's original launch two years prior. To make matters worse, the [[quantum foam]] leaking from the engines was threatening to destroy Ofsted XVII, but Megatron had no compunctions about getting to safety and leaving the planet to its fate until Skids called him out, forcing him to face up to the fact that choosing to be an Autobot meant reflecting it in one's actions. Megatron used his old mass-displacement ability to shrink his robot form down, enabling him to safely make it through the foam and deactivate the engines, saving Ofsted XVII, "cancelling out" the duplicate ''Lost Light'', and reinstating their own. As they made their way back to the returned ''Lost Light'', Megatron invited Ravage to remain at his side. {{storylink|slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken|The Road Not Taken}}

[[File:MTMTE38 send me back.jpg|thumb|upright=1.75|"AND I WANT YOUR LUNCH MONEY TOO NERD!"]]
Back aboard "their" ''Lost Light'', Megatron discovered the DJD had killed Trailcutter. {{storylink|The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue|The Custom-Made Now}} Though depressed by his death, Megatron was not above removing Trailcutter's forcefield generators from his body in another instance of forward planning. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}} Subsequently, the realization that Brainstorm had used his mysterious [[Time case|briefcase]] to travel back in time caused Megatron to have a mini-breakdown over how ''ridiculous'' the whole situation was, but he soon got ahold of himself, and theorized that Brainstorm was attempting to change history by killing Orion Pax. {{storylink|The Custom-Made Now - An Elegant Chaos Prologue|The Custom-Made Now}} Rodimus led a squad back in time in pursuit, which led to Megatron having a cross-time conversation with the young Orion Pax via Rodimus's "[[time phone]]" communicator. Pretending to be his own younger self during the call, Megatron found the young 'bot's optimism for the future a mixed source of both affirmation and tragic amusement. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|All Our Parlous Yesterdays}} After Rodimus's team made several further jumps, Megatron deduced that the dates they were travelling to were not important moments in Pax's life, but Megatron's own. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 2: Stet|Stet}} Realizing that Brainstorm intended to kill ''him'' at the moment of his creation, he flew into a panicked rage, attacking [[Perceptor (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Perceptor]] and demanding the scientist send him back in time to save himself, until Ultra Magnus restrained him and the pair talked him down. As events in the past played out, Megatron was visibly shaken to hear that Rewind had been the one to pull the trigger that destroyed the original spark in his body, and that the universe would truly be a better place had he never existed. Although Whirl subsequently set the timeline to rights, Megatron did not join in the celebrations when everyone returned from the past, retiring to his quarters. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|Predestination: An Expert's Guide}}

[[File:MTMTE43 the old man.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|"Oh my Primus! WHAT IS THAT?! SOME ONE GET RATC-?!?! ... Oh, wait. Nevermind. False alarm. It's my hand. Almost had me there guys." *tries to look relaxed, and nails it*]]

In silent isolation, Megatron reached out with his mind, trying to make contact with Whirl's arm through his space bridge. If he could teleport the arm ''back'', it would mean he would finally having a working two-way connection to a black hole. After days of trying, however, he still failed to succeed, {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}} and established another contingency plan by having Ravage recover one of Brainstorm's time-machine briefcases for him before they were all destroyed, thinking he might use it to escape his fate by travelling back in time. Megatron also dedicated some of his spare time to writing poetry, but his works remained largely unappreciated- a single poetry reading at [[Mirage (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Mirage]]'s bar, [["Visages"]], was enough to empty the bar of its patrons. {{storylink|Our Steps Will Always Rhyme}} He, Rodimus, and Magnus answered a call from Optimus Prime inviting the ''Lost Light'' back to Cybertron for first contact with the colony world of [[Caminus]], but they declined. {{storylink|First Contact (IDW)|First Contact}}

While the rest of the crew attended a party aboard the ''[[Vis Vitalis]]'', Rodimus and Megatron refrained from going. {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} The pair soon received an S.O.S. alerting them to an infestation of emotion-eating [[personality tick]]s on the ship; they headed over to help, and their combined charisma proved strong enough to "overdose" and kill the ticks as soon as they stepped into the room. {{storylink|The Frail Gaze}} Soon after, when [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]]'s dying mind created a holomatter duplicate of Earth, Megatron took part in the voyage to the artificial plant to help save the metallurgist. The journey required him to project a holomatter avatar for the first time, which led him to note the fragility—but not weakness—of humans when his avatar was cut by broken glass. {{storylink|The One Where They Go to Earth}}

[[File:MTMTE44-MegatronLookAtTheFlowers.jpg|upright=2|right|thumb|"I see a great hand reaching out of the stars. The hand is your hand. And I hear sound; the sound of billions of people calling your name." 
"My followers?" 
"Your victims."]]

When it was discovered that Swerve's life-threatening injuries had been caused by a bullet lodged in his body by the Autobot deep-cover spy [[Dominus Ambus|Agent 113]], Megatron and Magnus studied the bullet together, and discovered that it contained a map to [[Necroworld]], base of operations of the supposedly-mythical [[Censere|Necrobot]]. Rodimus proceeded to barge into the room to announce that he had unconsciously drawn a complete map to Cyberuptopia on his desk, and Megatron, unsettled to realize that this mean his day of judgement was now actually on the horizon, announced that, before following said map, they would first detour to investigate Necroworld. Megatron privately confided in Ravage that he wished to stave off his day of reckoning as long as possible... but found that such thoughts rudely pushed from his mind when he bore witness to the massive field of flowers the Necrobot had planted in his honor, representing the countless lives he had taken. {{storylink|The Not Knowing}} With the weight of his history laid out before him so beautifully and terribly, Megatron realized that the future could not be avoided, and that any attempt to hide in the past was pointless. He buried the time-case Ravage had stolen for him amid the flowers. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}}

Megatron's fear of mnemosurgery would once again plague him when he awoke to find little Tailgate trying to perform mnemosurgery on him—part of a plot from [[Getaway]] to provoke Megatron into killing the little guy, in order to have Megatron either executed or imprisoned. The panicked Megatron almost fulfilled Getaway's plan for him, until [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] interceded by running Megatron through with his [[Great Sword]]. {{storylink|The Lopsided Triangle}} Once Getaway's plot had been foiled, Megatron was patched up and made amends with Cyclonus. {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} The whole experience proved to be the last straw; determined to break from his old ways, Megatron renounced all violence and became a pacifist. He chose a poor time to do it, unfortunately, as the halls of the ''Lost Light'' were soon stalked by the serial killer [[Sunder (G1)|Sunder]]. Megatron's attempts to talk the murderer into surrendering met with failure, and he had to be saved by Tailgate, whose recent traumatic experiences had induced a mutation in his spark that gave him super strength. {{storylink|Speak, Memory! (Part 2)}} Intrigued, Megatron wondered if ''pain'' was the factor that would give his spark the power to complete his black hole quest. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}}

When the ''Lost Light'' was preparing to sneak through Mauler-inhabited space, Megatron and Ultra Magnus set about preparing the ship and the crew for the crossing. When a [[Scraplet]]-controlled [[Magnus Armor]] came shambling towards him, Megatron panicked, believing Magnus had come for a hug, before Swerve, Nautica and Whirl arrived to save him. {{storylink|Silent Light}} Not long after, Megatron joined the crew in a brief excursion into the past via "time windows" left over from Brainstorm's time-trip, which they used to honor the fallen crew members of the ''Lost Light''. {{storylink|No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases}} In the days that followed, unable to think of a reason ''not'' to go, Megatron reluctantly accepted Whirl's invitation to "movie night," which turned out to be a screening of a documentary about his defeat of Sentinel Prime. Megatron disliked the whole production, especially the allegation that he had desecrated Senntinel's remains by ordering the theft of his head. {{storylink|The Last Autobot}}

===Do Not Go Gentle===
[[File:MTMTE50 megatron class dismissed.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.5|This is why we don't let you stay up all night listening to "''Instruments of Destruction''", Megs.]]
Megatron oversaw the ''Lost Light'''s campaign to liberate [[Miliarium]] from [[Rust Giant]]s, though he refrained from setting foot on the planet itself in order to maintain his vow of non-violence. He was irked to learn that that the crew had withheld the information the inhabitants of the planet were organic, but he softened when he was given the chance to finally use the "[[roll out]]" command. Subsequently, during one of a series of classes Megatron had begun holding on the subject of the Knights of Cybertron, the ''Lost Light'' was attacked by a kind of "psychic weapon" that made multiple crew members experience terrible visions. Megatron heard the sound of every organic he had ever killed screaming, and momentarily driven mad, he lashed out at Minimus Ambus, who had come to his aid, and was horrified a moment later when he realized he'd reflexively forgotten his pacifism. Megatron and Rodimus led a team aboard the Rodpod to track the signal back to its source; it turned out to have actually been bait in a trap luring them back to Necroworld, where they were attacked by the Decepticon Justice Division, out to claim revenge on Megatron for renouncing Decepticonism. The Autobots took refuge in the Necrobot's fortress and re-established contact with the ''Lost Light'', only to learn that Getaway had staged a mutiny and taken control of the ship in their absence, and had alerted the [[Galactic Council]] to their location. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}}

[[File:RageRage-Megatronappears.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.67|You can practically hear "Instruments of Destruction" playing.]]

Searching for weapons to fight the D.J.D., the Autobots found a teleport chamber and a room full of helpless organics in stasis pods. Brainstorm advocated using the chamber to escape, but Megatron—now truly realizing how alike organic and mechanical life was thanks to the trauma of the psychic attack—delivered a stirring speech that convinced everyone to stay to defend the pods. At Ravage's suggestion, Megatron went out to meet with Tarn one-on-one, and offered to surrender to surrender on the condition none of the others would be harmed. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 2: The Sun in Flight|The Sun in Flight}} As the two talked, Megatron expressed regret for "corrupting" who Tarn had been, and even for the fact Brainstorm's attempt to kill him hadn't succeeded. Disgusted to see his hero having "fallen" thus, Tarn began viciously beating Megatron, but Megatron refused to fight back; he even laughed at the irony of how Fool's Energon might have been changing his nature, and he didn't even care. Before Tarn could finish Megatron off, however, Overlord arrived, allied with the Galactic Council in pursuit of his own chance to kill Megatron. Tarn and Overlord fought, giving Megatron a chance to escape. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 3: Your Fierce Tears|Your Fierce Tears}}

Though patched up, Megatron still refused to take part in the Autobots' battle with the D.J.D, rejecting the gift of a new fusion cannon Brainstorm had built from the teleport chapter for him, and urging the group to cherish what time they had left rather than waste it in battle. Megatron declared himself too weak and afraid to fight, {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 4: At Close of Day|At Close of Day}} fearful that if he gave into violence, he would lose control and be unable to stop himself from once again becoming the monster he had been in the past. As the others went out to fight, Ratchet attempted to allay Megatron's fears by disclosing that Fool's Energon was only ever a placebo—Megatron had, in fact, been in control of himself all along. [[File:mtmte 55 antimatter.jpg|thumb|upright=1.7|left|"I'll light our [[Darkest hour]] the only way I know how! With more darkness!"]] This revelation, coupled with the sight of Ravage being torn in half by Tarn out on the battlefield, spurred Megatron to action. Pain was, indeed, the trigger he had sought; in that moment, he successfully managed to draw Whirl's arm back through his space bridge, forging a functioning link with the black hole. Donning his new fusion cannon, he stormed out onto the battlefield and took on the D.J.D. single-handed while the other Autobots took Ravage back to the safety of the fortress. The fire in Megatron's belly seemed short lived, however, when a well-placed shot from Tarn destroyed his cannon, and he dropped to his knees in the middle of the battlefield, {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 5: Rage, Rage|Rage, Rage}} but this quickly proved to be nothing more than a feint to draw the D.J.D. in, to trap them within a forcefield created by the generators Megatron had taken from Trailbreaker's body. Dropping his charade, Megatron unleashed the full power of the black hole's antimatter on the D.J.D., slaughtering each and every one of them. Before ending Tarn, he snatched his Decepticon-insignia facemask and slapped it onto his own chest; he would allow the antimatter to destroy him, and he would die as a Decepticon. Fate had a different path planned for Megatron, however; using the time-case Megatron had buried on the planet, which had been recovered by the Necrobot, Rodimus teleported into the forcefield and whisked Megatron away to safety before the antimatter detonated.

Reappearing in the fortress, Megatron was able to be by Ravage's bedside as he died from his injuries, with a final entreaty to Megatron that he "not change back." Megatron flew into a rage and almost turned his cannon on the Autobots before regaining control of himself. Realizing what he had done, Megatron tried to leave, only for [[Terminus (G1)|Terminus]] to suddenly appear to bar his way—one of the occupants of the pods, who were ''not'' organics, but causalities of conflict rescued from throughout time by the Necrobot using the case. Pulled back from the brink at the last moment, Megatron dropped his cannon and embraced his old friend. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}}

When [[Scarlett]] and [[Joe Colton]] discussed the Cybertronian influence on [[Earth]], Megatron's infiltration unit as well as his devastating invasion of Earth were key points. In light of Optimus Prime's recent actions, Colton seemed to have his doubts on whether or not Megatron had truly been the 'evil' one. {{storylink|Secret Raiders: A Revolution Prelude|Secret Raiders}}
{{-}}

===A New World===
{{ongoing}}
Terminus' reappearance was down to the Necrobot time-travelling to rescue 'missing in action' robots, and the "organics" in the basement had in fact been those robots in disguise.{{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}} Megatron tried to fill in his old friend about the war, much as he doubted his objectivity. This was a disrupted by a minor quake which shook the whole planet. Deciding to finish his story later, Megatron paid his last respects to Ravage before [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]] and [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] burst free from the ground. The two explained the quake as a [[Geobomb|geobomb]] sent by the [[Galactic Council]] but had seemingly burnt itself out. Megatron joined the group to return to Cybertron and collect a new ship, mainly to see Starscream's face when he revealed he was still alive. When Terminus said that Iacon was beautiful, Megatron began to correct him before he saw a bustling metropolis. Before the crew could process what happened, [[Twelve-of-Twelve]] showed up to arrest them. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron|Some Other Cybertron}}

[[File:anomie jabbing megs.jpeg|right|thumb|upright=1.4|Hey. Put it away before I take it away.]]

Rewind quickly managed to deduce that the crew had been sent into [[Functionist Universe|another universe]], one where Megatron had never come online and the Functionists still ruled. After trading wits with the councillor, Megatron ordered the crew to surrender in the hope of reasoning with the Council. As the crew was marched through Iacon, the rebel [[Anti-Vocationist League]] tried to save them and got their arses kicked by [[Functionary|Functionaries]] in short order. Rodimus talked Megatron into action who, with a weary sigh, casually broke out of his stasis cuffs and directed the battle without even lifting a finger, much to Terminus' pride and amazement. The moment was ruined when [[Six-of-Twelve]] appeared on every TV on Cybertron, telling everyone they would see what the "Useless One", Rung, was actually ''for''. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 2: Anomie|Anomie}} The crew was brought to [[Kalis|Adaptica]] where [[Clicker]] explained why the Council had to grant the refugees safe haven before they were greeted by the sympathetic [[Nine-of-Twelve]]. Megatron abstained from the following meeting to meet with those who had removed their optics in protest of the Council using them as spies. Megatron approved. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 3: A World Misplaced|A World Misplaced}}

Even when [[Moonbase Two|Luna 2]] suddenly returned, Megatron continued to watch Six-of-Twelve's broadcast and began fearing for the future when it was announced the Council was going to try and get to [[Vector Sigma]]. Megatron went to collect everyone so as to rescue both Rung and Vector Sigma. Before that discussion could continue, Luna 2 grew new craters and began sucking up people with its tractor beams. Megatron quickly demanded details from Nine-of-Twelve (lest they decide he was complicit in this) who quickly offered them. Rodimus however was more interested in the moon's teleporter which Megatron called him out on for being more interested in chasing down the ''[[Lost Light]]'' than saving people. Rodimus in turn accused Megatron of wanting to stay in the Functionist timeline so as to not be judged by the [[Knights of Cybertron]] and laughing that Megatron wanted to do good after killing so many. Minimus Ambus halted their argument and Rodimus agreed to Megatron's plan to rescue Rung but on the condition that they would leave once they'd saved the day. Megatron told Nine-of-Twelve to rally the troops only for the councillor to inform him they had no troops. When he asked about offensive capabilities, Megatron learnt that most of the more powerful weapons hadn't been invented in the current timeline. He made due with putting what few weapons he had in the best positions before ordering Nine-of-Twelve to lead the evacuations. Megatron managed a small smile when he learnt that Ambus didn't share Rodimus' belief that Megatron was running from his trial. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 4: Bad Moon Rising|Bad Moon Rising}}

With Megatron's tactics, the beleagured defenders were able to distract Luna 2 long enough for the refugees to escape. As the city was ripped out of the ground, Terminus raised the question: the Functionist Council would just come back unless ''someone'' overthrew it, why didn't Megatron stay here and be a liberator instead of return home for trial? What amends could he truly make dead or in jail? Didn't people here ''need'' him? Megatron was tempted but, despairing, said Rodimus and Minimus would not understand, and ''they'' were his conscience. The conversation was halted when Luna 2 began to suck them in. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 5: Modes of Production|Modes of Production}}

When Luna 2's tractor beam attempted to suck Megatron up, Terminus opened fire on Luna 2, succeeding in freeing him, but at the cost of shooting down the Cog. They met up with Rodimus and the others, only for Terminus to reveal he was staying in the Functionist Universe. Megatron asked for an opportunity to say goodbye to his old friend, to which Rodimus reluctantly capitulated. However, after saying his goodbyes, Megatron headed to the wrong matter transporter, meaning that he was stranded in the Functionist Universe when Luna 2 teleported away. Megatron's shock was not shared by Terminus, who stated that they had given him a second chance. Megatron, making the most of his new situation, went on a "speaking tour", visiting the [[Anti-Vocationist League]]'s scattered cells, all over the planet, in order to unite them. Megatron gave a speech, saying that, under his tutelage, the League would spread truth, and reach out to help those blinded to the evils of Functionism see it for what it is. One day, together, they will all achieve peace—peace through empathy. After the speech, Megatron went outside, and stared into the night sky, before being interrupted by the chime of his communicator... having been contacted by Orion Pax. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 6: This Machine Kills Fascists|This Machine Kills Fascists}}

Among [[Agonizer]]'s rare knick-knacks was an unfinished poem by Megatron. {{storylink|An Axe to Break the Ice}}When questioned by Bumblebee on why he insisted on remaining alone in the world, Starscream brought up the many beatings he'd received at Megatron's hand as a life lesson to remain alone and constantly on guard. {{storylink|The Price of You}} Such was Starscream's fear of his former leader that the Seeker seized up with fear when [[Vigilem]] assumed Megatron's form as he was when leading the Decepticons. Using the image of Megatron, Vigilem came within a hair's breath of destroying Starscream's mind, all the while the Seeker being too terrified to fight back. {{storylink|Your First Mistake}} Despite Megatron's defection, [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] still considered Megatron a wise man and quoted his writings to cause a [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticon]] rebellion. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost|Future Glories Lost}}

When [[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] was interviewed by the human news, he remembered Megatron's invasion of Earth. {{storylink|What It's Really Like}} [[Sideswipe (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sideswipe]] also remembered Megatron making a deal with Sunstreaker that preceded the invasion. {{storylink|The Life of Sideswipe}} When Earth was properly inducted into the [[Council of Worlds]], [[Scarlett]] remembered the devastation Megatron had brought to Earth and wondered whether or not Earth was out of its weight class against Cybertronians as well as if Earth was truly ready to join the Council. {{storylink|First Strike issue 1|First Strike #1}}

===Pax Cybertronia===
In a vision of the future seen by Ironhide and Alpha Trion during the reformatting of Cybertron, fifteen million years hence, Ironhide still believed Megatron to be alive and promised a young Autobot they would defeat him again if he ever returned. {{storylink|Pax Cybertronia (issue)|Pax Cybertronia}} {{storylink|A Better Tomorrow}}
{{-}}

==''Spotlight: Mirage''==
[[File:SLMirage all in good time.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5]]
Somewhere, in an unknown time or place, the self-serving mercenary Mirage dreamed of Megatron and his Decepticons launching a massive attack on the Autobots. But Mirage knew that to only be a dream; in reality, the Autobots were almost eradicated, and Megatron had hired him to hunt down the last of their number. Megatron was outraged by the mercenary's demand for a majority share in all energon mining operations as payment, but it proved to be fuel well spent, as he soon succeeded in locating Optimus Prime and forcing him to surrender. Megatron demanded the prisoners be executed despite Mirage's promise to spare Autobot lives. Seeing Mirage's hesitation, Megatron appealed to his greed. {{storylink|Spotlight: Mirage}}
{{--}}

==Ask Vector Prime==
[[File:Megatron cam.jpg|left|150px|thumb|I think this is a killing joke!]]
In [[Primax 708.10-R Lambda]], Megatron cracked the codes to an Autobot forward listening outpost. He walked in, shot [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]], and then laughed and took a photo of what he had done. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/08/06}}
{{-}}

==Notes==
[[File:MegatronOrigin2 Megs hair.jpg|thumb|100px]]
*In [[Megatron Origin issue 2|''Megatron Origin'' #2]], we see that Megatron's helmet is, in fact, a helmet and not part of his head (at least in his original body). Upon removing his helmet, Megatron then briefly unfurls a crest. The significance of this moment is not explained, but it is briefly revisited in [[Remembrance Day|''More than Meets the Eye'' #14]] when a helmetless Megatron spars with [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]].
*Apparently, the stealth bomber Megatron design used in IDW for a while was created by artist [[Don Figueroa]]. However, he created the design as part of a story pitch to editor [[Andy Schmidt]]; a pitch the editor rejected. Schmidt proceeded to use the design for this comic, but without compensation or credit to Figueroa; something the artist was highly displeased about.<ref>[http://www.seibertron.com/energonpub/don-figueroa-designed-idw-s-stealth-bomber-megatron-but-wasn-t-compensated--t96022s0.php archive of Figueroa's post on the subject at Seibertron forum]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Combiners]]
[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Gladiators]]
[[Category:Lost Light crew]]
[[Category:Point One Percenters]]
[[Category:Rulers of Cybertron]]
[[Category:Turncoats]]

All Hail Optimus Part 6: No Fair Fights

2017-09-22T16:04:48Z

HailMegatron: /* Soundtrack */

{{Comicstory
|series=exrid|issueno=55
|prev=All Hail Optimus Part 5: As Above...So Below
|next=White Light
|seriesissue2=''[[Titans Return (comic)|Titans Return]]''
|next2=The Last Autobot
|caption=
|image=TF55 cvrRI.jpg
|title="All Hail Optimus Part 6: No Fair Fights"
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[July 27]], [[2016]] (digital)
|coverdate=July 2016
|written by=[[John Barber]]
|art by=[[Andrew Griffith]]
|colors=[[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editor=[[Carlos Guzman]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era]]
}}

'''Galvatron faces down Optimus, Soundwave, and Arcee in final battle.'''

==Synopsis==
On [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]] is horrified to recognize the [[Titan (IDW)|Titan]] which [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] has raised from beneath the [[Earth]] as [[Metrotitan (Zone)|the same one]] which dubbed him the "Chosen One." [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] bursts into the room to summon Starscream to an emergency meeting of the [[Council of Worlds]]; thanks to the reporters Starscream sent to Earth, all of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] has just seen a live broadcast of the Titan's emergence, and the tide of public opinion is quickly turning.

On Earth, [[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]] teleports himself, [[G.B. Blackrock|Blackrock]], [[Marissa Faireborn|Faireborn]], and [[Ayana Jones|Jones]] to the [[White House]], much to the consternation of the [[President of the United States|President]]. Blackrock puts on his game face, boastfully assuring the President that with his help, they will be able to prevent war from breaking out with the Cybertronians. When the President inquires about the Titan, Skywarp tries to explain their holiness in Cybertronian culture, but the President isn't interested in philosophy; rather, she wants tangible assets, including whatever they can recover from the [[Autobot]]s' and [[Decepticon]]s' recent battle beneath the [[Indian Ocean]].

After surveying the underwater battlefield, [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] responds to [[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]]'s order to surface. Cosmos assumes she wants him to go on yet another observation mission, so he is surprised when she grabs onto him and orders him to take off after [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], revealing that Prime has ordered them to take out [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]] once and for all. The four Transformers brave the rigors of superluminal spaceflight as they engage in a dogfight that leads them to the vicinity of [[Jupiter]], whereupon Galvatron is able to cripple Cosmos with a cannon blast. Realizing that Galvatron is heading for [[Sanctuary Station]], Cosmos uses the last of his energy to blast Astrotrain's engine, sending him and Galvatron plummeting towards Jupiter. Cosmos urges Arcee to leave him behind and finish Galvatron in order to save [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]]'s dream of peace; Arcee is a little reluctant at first but does as he says when [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] show up to take Cosmos to Sanctuary Station for repairs.

Badly damaged and falling through Jupiter's atmosphere, Astrotrain suggests to Galvatron that they separate, but Galvatron has other plans: he takes hold of the shuttle-mode Astrotrain and hurls him at the pursuing Arcee, who remorselessly hacks him to pieces to clear her path. She and Galvatron engage in close-quarters combat once more, as Galvatron mocks her faith in Prime, believing he will eventually betray all who follow him. But as Arcee points out, Galvatron has ''already'' betrayed everyone on ''his'' side, which is why he now stands alone... while Arcee stands with Optimus Prime and Soundwave, who now emerge from Jupiter's gas clouds to join the fight. Outraged at their temerity, Galvatron engages all three of his opponents, holding his own until Soundwave shoots him in the back. Galvatron is surprised by the "dishonorable" move; Prime tells him that this fight is not about "honor," but about ensuring Galvatron will never threaten anyone again. Prime and Galvatron grapple, with Galvatron wrenching Prime's [[mouthplate]] off, until Arcee swoops in and sinks her swords into Galvatron's cannon. The cannon explodes, taking Galvatron's arm and most of the right side of his body with it, and finally knocking the fight out of him. Soundwave entreats Galvatron to see things as he has come to, to realize that the Decepticon ideal of equality extends to all races, but Galvatron laughs in his face. Far worse things are coming, Galvatron warns: their battles on Earth have proven that his ancient enemies, [[Thirteen|the Primes]], still exist somewhere in the galaxy, and that [[Onyx Prime]] will soon arrive. For ''that'' reason, he will ally with them, not in the name of equality, but to fight a greater threat. Optimus somberly corrects Galvatron—nobody said anything about an alliance. Unlike Soundwave and himself, Galvatron has always put himself above everything else, including even his own ideals. Galvatron sees little difference between himself and what Prime has done on Earth; snatching his faceplate back and reattaching it, Prime tells Galvatron that if he was ''truly'' the same as him, if he thought only of himself, he would never be able to act in the greater good, or to do what he is about to do. Terrifying realization suddenly strikes Galvatron, and he declares that he unconditionally surrenders... at which point Prime blasts him point blank through what's left of his torso. Galvatron's body disintegrates, and Optimus grimly plucks the ancient Decepticon's lifeless head from his crumbling remains.

Back in the White House, the President prepares to depart for a [[United Nations]] meeting, warning Faireborn that, as soon-to-be-former director of the [[Earth Defense Command]], the failures of the last few days are likely to fall on her head. Jones tries to point out the positives, but the President won't hear it and storms out the door... straight into the shadow of the waiting Optimus Prime. Prime places Galvatron's severed head on the lawn, announcing that the Decepticon threat is over and reiterating that he comes in the name of peace. The raising of the Titan has inextricably linked Cybertron and Earth in a way that cannot be ignored, and Prime stands ready to commence diplomatic relations with the rest of the world, using the city-mode Titan as an embassy—an [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]].

On Cybertron, Starscream endures the council meeting, frustrated and impotent, his "holy appointment" as the Chosen One all but forgotten now that the presence of a Titan on Earth seems to prove it as a colony planet, and Optimus's ability to raise it apparently authenticates the divine rightness of his actions as a "true" Prime. The hallucinatory [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] appears to him once again to gloat, reminding him that he always warned him that Optimus Prime would triumph.

==Featured characters==
{{Featuredcharacters
|c1=
*[[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] (4)
*[[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] (11)
*[[Kup (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Kup]] (12)
*[[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] (13)
*? (14)
*[[Pyra Magna]] (16)
*[[Jumpstream]] (17)*
*[[Dust Up]] (18)*
*[[Jetfire (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jetfire]] (19)
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sunstreaker]] (20)
*[[Stormclash]] or [[Skyburst (G1)|Skyburst]] (21)
*[[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]] (22)
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] (28)
*[[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] (31)
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] hallucination (41)

|c2=
*[[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]] (6)
*[[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] (23)
*[[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]] (24)
*[[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] (25)
*[[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] (26)
*[[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]] (27)

|c3=
*[[Zilong Qian]] (8)
*[[President of the United States]] (9)
*[[Marissa Faireborn]] (10)
*[[Ayana Jones]] (29)
*[[Spike Witwicky (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Spike Witwicky]] (40)

|c4=
*[[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]] (1)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (2)
*[[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]] (3)
*[[Seeker clone]]s (5)
*[[G.B. Blackrock|Garrison Blackrock]] (7)
*[[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] (15)
*[[Aileron]] (30)
*[[Vanquish (G1)|Vanquish]] (32)
*[[Fireshot (G1)|Fireshot]] (33)
*[[Tigatron]] (34)
*[[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] (35)
*[[Knock Out (G1)|Knock Out]] (36)
*[[Moonracer (G1)|Moonracer]] (37)
*[[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] (38)
*[[Strika (BM)|Strika]] (39)
}}

<nowiki>*</nowiki>Tough to tell which is which.

==Quotes==
"Lookee here. The big green '''cookie's''' got a '''hole''' in him." 
"'''Squak!''' Guess that makes him a '''doughnut.'''" 
"He actually reminds me of a '''combiner'''." 
"Why is '''that'''?" 
"Because the '''hole's''' better than the '''parts.'''"
:—'''Laserbeak''' and '''Buzzsaw'''

"'''HELP ME!''' I can't '''stop!'''" 
"You could have stopped '''years''' ago." 
''(SHUNK)''
:—'''Astrotrain's''' last words, and '''Arcee's''' riposte

"Today—'''one''' shall stand, and '''two''' shall fall!" 
''(WRUNK)'' 
"No cliches, Galvatron."
:—'''Galvatron''' trots out an old line, but '''Optimus''' isn't having it

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*Starscream identifies the Titan found on Earth last issue as the same one who dubbed him the Chosen One in the [[Primus: All Good Things|2012 ''Robots in Disguise'' annual]], and confirms last issue's implied retcon that the species name has been reduced from "Metrotitan" to just "Titan," and that ''this'' Titan is actually ''named'' [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]]. In actuality, though, this "retcon" was suggested as early as [[The End of the Beginning of the World|issue #11]], in which "Metrotitan" was used as a proper noun for the character—it's just that nobody noticed!
*Bumblebee notes that Starscream never believed Metrotitan's claim that he was Chosen One. We saw Starscream expressing this disbelief right away, in issue #11.

===Transformers references===
*You don't need us to point out the overused line from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' that Galvatron quotes, above, 'cause Optimus is as sick of it as we are.
*The President mistakenly called Skywarp "[[Spacewarp]]."

===Real-life references===
*The title of this issue comes from the {{w|Prick (band)|Prick}} song of the same name.

===Errors===
*Optimus's left arm is in full-color again; it should still be unpainted grey, as seen in the last couple of issues, as the next two issues also show it unpainted.
*The Torchbearer copter-twin who appears on page 3, panel 1, looks to have her helicopter rotors hanging ''down'' her back, from her shoulder blades, rather than sticking ''up'' from her lower back. [[Swift]], who was present at the scene last issue, has blades like this, but it doesn't look like it's supposed to be her.

===Other trivia===
*Originally intended for release on July 27, physical copies of this issue were delayed at the last minute. The issue was released on multiple digital platforms as normal, though not all, and was even later removed from some... so, uh, maybe don't read this article for a week?
*This issue also contains the first part of the "[[Secret Raiders: A Revolution Prelude|Revolution Prelude]]", a four-page back-up strip laying the groundwork for September's ''[[Revolution]]'' crossover which appears in several of IDW's July titles.
*You might think that Galvatron's death by decapitation, with his head surviving the destruction of his body, might be a tie-in to his ''[[Titans Return (toyline)|Titans Return]]'' toy with its [[Titan Master|removable head]]... but apparently it was a coincidence, with John Barber forgetting that he was getting a ''Titans Return'' toy until it was too late to change it.<ref>[https://www.reddit.com/r/comics/comments/540ch7/we_are_john_barber_cullen_bunn_fico_ossio_chris/d7xwgzo Q&A reply from John Barber on Reddit]</ref> At least the option's there if you need it, John!

===Soundtrack===
Writer John Barber followed in [[James Roberts]]'s footsteps by tweeting the book's "first ever playlist," "in honor of the end of All Hail Optimus."

*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZNjKskk4mI Chimes Broken]" by {{w|Holy Fuck|Holy F**k}} (''Language'', John!)
*"Stomach It" by {{w|Olga Bell}}
*"[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_4ItfeIE80 No Fair Fights]" by {{w|Prick (band)|Prowl}}

===Covers (3)===
*'''Regular cover:''' Optimus Prime, Arcee, Soundwave, and Cosmos rocket through space, by [[Andrew Griffith]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
*'''Subscription cover:''' The Autobots and [[Rom|Rom the Space Knight]], by [[Casey Coller]] and [[John-Paul Bove]] (miscredited as [[Joana Lafuente]]); part of a series of Rom-themed covers featured on numerous IDW titles in July, in celebration of the launch of the character's new ongoing series.
*'''Retailer incentive cover:''' Optimus versus Galvatron, by [[Carlos Valenzuela]]
<gallery>
File:TF55 regcvr.jpg|
File:TF55 subcvr.jpg|
File:TF55 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''The Transformers'' #56
*''[[Revolution]]'' checklist
*''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shadows of the Past'' game (back cover)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.nerdspan.com/july-27th-idw-previews-rom-1-x-files-annual-2016-micronauts-4/ Preview]

Skids (G1)

2017-09-17T02:24:58Z

HailMegatron: /* IDW Generation 1 continuity */

{{factions|autobot}}
{{disambig3|Skids}}
{{suite}}
:''Skids is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:Skidsg1.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Everyone forgets me, [[Nudge gun|even me]].]]
'''Skids''' is a theoretician. This is appropriate, as some would say his existence is merely theoretical; everyone forgets who he is or that he was there. But if they got to know him, they'd learn that he likes to daydream, get built into furniture, and pick up cowboy chicks.

Skids is also a fast learner, voraciously absorbing and compartmentalizing new information he receives. This allows him to adapt to new environments and unexpected situations very quickly. His calm, observant nature and tendency to fade into the background sometimes causes some to question his ability to fight, but make no mistake; Skids can handle himself in battle.

He'd just rather...listen to some music, y'know?

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Michael Chain]] (English, "[[Quest for Survival]]"), [[Dan Gilvezan]] (English, "[[Triple Takeover]]"), [[Keiichi Nanba]] (Japanese, "Quest for Survival"), [[Ken Shiroyama]] (Japanese, "Triple Takeover")|[[Roberto Alexander]] (Latin American)}}

[[File:Skidsanimated.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Hoist, Prime, and Skids ogle Bumblebee's animation model.]]
Like many of the Autobots who first appeared in 1985, the exact circumstances behind Skids joining the original group of Earth-based Autobots remain unknown. Skids first appeared as part of a strike force that was sent to stop the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]] from ravaging a human farm, only to meet with failure. Apparently injured in the battle, Skids underwent some repairs by [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] upon return to Autobot Headquarters, where he responded incredulously to [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]]'s report that he had retrieved [[robotic insecticide]] from the planet [[Floron III]] to deal with the Insecticon threat. {{storylink|Quest for Survival}}

[[File:TripleTakeover Skids.jpg|thumb|Racing into obscurity.]]
Later, Skids was part of a team sent to investigate bombs that were raining down on a city from a football stadium (the work of the [[Triple Changer]] [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]]). Blitzwing, however, had the stadium surrounded by a massive "Zone Defense" maze built by the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], and while attempting to traverse it, Skids crashed into [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and was driven over by tank mode Blitzwing. Skids and the other Autobots' remains were then gathered by [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]], who built a throne for himself out of them. These Autobots were soon rescued and quickly rebuilt, and participated in the crises that ensued as Blitzwing, [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] vied for Decepticon leadership. Following that skirmish, Prowl opined that [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] was the greatest leader in the universe, which prompted himself, Skids, [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] and [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] to form themselves into a throne for Prime; Prime refused to sit, saying that thrones were for Decepticons—he'd rather roll. {{storylink|Triple Takeover}}
{{-}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
=====''Henkei! Henkei! Generations'' manga=====
[[File:Skids and screech.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|left]]
When Skids successfully proved the existence of particles able to cross over between dimensions, he put his discovery to work for the forces of good, coating his armor in these "Dimension Slide" particles and endowing himself with the power to move between realities, as well as a snazzy new green paintjob. In this quest to examine anomalies within the multiverse, Skids found he could summon other versions of himself from different dimensions to aid him, but for unknown reasons, one of these alternate versions wound up trapped in Skids's home dimension, unable to return to his own world. Renamed "[[Screech (Generations)|Screech]]" (presumably to save all the Autobots a headache), this alternate Skids teamed up with his counterpart, and together, the pair worked as "Quantum Operatives" policing the multiverse while searching for a way to get Screech home. {{storylink|#Toys|Skids's toy bio}} {{storylink|Screech (Generations)|Screech's toy bio}}

Hot on the trail of one such multiversal anomaly, Skids and Screech pursued [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]]'s ghost across the multiverse to a [[Primax 209.20 Gamma|parallel dimension]] where he was causing trouble. While the two dimension-hoppers kept the ghost busy with wordplay and pop culture references, the [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] of that world used his illusion casting powers to scare Starscream into fleeing the dimension by projecting an illusion of his greatest fear: [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]! {{storylink|Starscream's New Body}}

=====Ask Vector Prime=====
[[File:LegendsComic DimensionalInvestigatorSkids.jpg|upright=1.2|right|thumb]]
[[Vector Prime]] claimed Skids was from [[Primax 308.0 Zeta]] while Screech was from [[Primax 1008.15 Gamma]]. The two worked with him in [[Primax 308.13 Beta]]. {{Storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/23}}

=====''Transformers Legends'' comic=====
Skids would later take on a new body, blue as usual but more heavily armed, styling himself as a "dimensional investigator" (次元捜査官 ''jigen sōsakan''). When [[Drift (G1)#Cloud|Deadlock]] caused trouble in the [[Legends Universe]] by bringing [[SARA]] there, Skids showed up to teach him how to use SARA's powers to return to [[Cloud World]], and also warned the Decepticon against causing any more interdimensional chaos. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Deadlock)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}}

Finding there to be many more Transformers from other dimensions in the Legends Universe, Skids regarded this as problematic and decided to send them all back by force and seal off the dimension. Met with resistance from [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and his cohorts, he summoned the [[Skids Squadron]] to fight the Decepticon leader while he personally dealt with the others. When Megatron came to their rescue, Skids entered "Full Burst Mode" and seemingly killed the Decepticon with a mighty barrage, only to realize the villain just sacrificed himself for his comrades. Following protests by the natives of the Legends Universe, Skids caught on to the fact that their world was a peaceful one without factions or war and that ''he'' was the one causing chaos and violence, prompting the investigator to abandon his plans and undo the seal. He continued to keep the dimension under surveillance, and even stuck around to look up its fictional representations of himself. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 20|Bonus Edition Vol. 20}}

Skids would come to join the [[Dimensional Patrol]], an organization dedicated to battling multiversal threats. He was guarding [[Megatron (RID)|Devil Gigatron]] at [[Neo Brave Maximus|their base]] when [[Scourge (RID)|Black Convoy]]'s group came to break him out. {{storylink|LGEX Black Convoy Prologue}}
{{-}}

====''Story of Binaltech''====
[[File:Binaltech skids cardart.jpg|left|upright=1.2|thumb|After using up all of his vacation and sick days, Skids returned to work to find that the Transformers cartoon had been cancelled.]]
Skids was the first of the Binaltech Autobots created simply with the intent of upgrading an existing, healthy Transformer, rather than in the name of repairing one that had been injured. Outfitted with self-repairing nanomechanical antibodies, Skids's body can, barring heavy damage in battle, theoretically function for thousands of years without maintenance. In both his original and new body, Skids dedicated time to studying the chronal warp on [[Dinobot Island (G1)|Dinobot Island]], which gave rise to the Autobot strategy known as "[[Operation: Distant Thunder]]", a last-ditch scheme should the Decepticons tamper with the fabric of space-time. That horror occurred in [[2004]] when Ravage used the [[Kronosphere]] to alter the timeline, and Skids prepared to initiate the plan and send [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]'s memory data back in time to avert the catastrophe. {{storylink|Darkest Hour (prose)|Darkest Hour}}

The data probe was launched, but as the timeline was righting itself a [[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]] arrived, and manipulated the temporal wave to preserve the Binaltech timeline separate from the original continuity. Possessed by the Spark of the [[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Protector]], hailing from some future point in time, Nemesis Prime informed Skids and the others that their timeline was destined to produce great warriors capable of safeguarding the entire multiverse, and therefore must continue on its new course. {{storylink|Binal Time}}

=====''Transformers Legends'' comic=====
Binaltech Skids was a member of the [[Skids Squadron]], a group of dimension-hopping versions of Skids led by [[#Transformers Legends comic|dimensional investigator Skids]], who summoned them to help force [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] out of the [[Legends Universe]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 20|Bonus Edition Vol. 20}}
{{-}}

===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics====
{{noteukonly}}
[[File:Marvel22-heavy-traffic-skids-tracker.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|Skids exists! Really!]]
In the event that the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'s mission would require more manpower, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] had several Autobots encode copies of their personalities as light patterns within [[crystalline containment vessel]]s, including Skids. When a large number of Prime's troops were then injured during the opening volleys of the war on [[Earth]], Prime arranged for the construction of new bodies, which the personalities were then programmed into, bringing Skids and the others to life "for a second time".

[[File:Skidsnatives.jpg|upright=0.6|thumb|We bet you can't.]]
Now in a new body that transformed into a blue van equipped with a bandana-wearing driver, Skids went with Bumblebee and the other new Autobots to learn about their new home. Along the way he learned about an upcoming [[Brick Springhorn]] concert, and immediately took a liking to the music of Earth and the possibilities of what could be learned from interacting with mankind. When the concert turned out to be the target of a Decepticon attack, Skids and the others were forced into action, engaging Shockwave and three Decepticon jets in battle. They quickly retreated after routing their foes, so that the show could go on. {{storylink|Rock and Roll-Out!}}

When [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] ran out of fuel in the middle of the [[Powder River Basin]] in [[Wyoming]], Optimus Prime took Skids and a few other Autobots to prevent harm to the humans who had discovered him. Unfortunately, these humans (and their [[United States military|military]]) forced the Autobots into a retreat. {{storylink|I, Robot-Master!}}

Skids voiced some concerns about Optimus's plans to raid the heavily fortified [[Wyoming base|Decepticon base]] for information on the combining process, but Prime vetoed them. En route, distracted by a human radio station, Skids nearly forgot to activate his facsimile driver; a moment later he accidentally clipped the car of hot-tempered [[Jake Dalrymple]], who pursued the Autobots on their mission. Despite the wall of weaponry facing them, Skids made it through the battle unscathed; but as the Autobots retreated with the information, they encountered Jake Dalrymple again, who distracted Skids just long enough for [[Ravage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ravage]] to blast him off a cliff. Although Optimus Prime mourned the loss of Skids, neither the Autobot leader nor any other Autobot thought to recover the believed deactivated body of Skids later after their mission had been completed. {{storylink|Command Performances!}}

[[File:Marvelus-21-showdown-skids-beyourcar.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.]]
Lying crippled and unable to transform, Skids was shortly discovered by register girl [[Charlene (cowgirl)|Charlene]], who, thinking he was an ordinary van, had him fixed up with the intent of keeping him for herself. Skids was open to the idea at first, preferring a peaceful life to that of a warrior, but after another bout of road rage with Dalrymple, the unearthly stunts he performed left him no option but to reveal his true nature of Charlene.

[[File:Charleneskids.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|''Baby you can be my car And maybe I'll wash you'']]
A somewhat unusual [[Transformer romance|relationship]] ensued between the two, but more trouble soon came Skids's way in the form of [[Donny Finkleberg]], who was being hunted down by Ravage. Fleeing from the Decepticon with Charlene and Donny, Skids hid out at an abandoned mining town, but yet again, the raging Dalrymple tracked him down and shattered his windshield, knocking him unconscious and into a dream where he died through his refusal to attack Megatron and save Charlene. Reawakening, he engaged Ravage in battle again, finally finding the strength to act, and causing his foe to tumble down a mineshaft. Skids then parted ways with Charlene, having come to the realisation that their two roles in life were too different for their relationship to work out. {{storylink|Showdown!}}

[[File:Marvel22-heavy-traffic-skids-reason.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|Oh god my arms, my arms!]]
Skids returned to the Ark with Finkleberg, with Optimus pleased to find him alive. Jetfire was sent to verify Finkleberg's claim about a [[Cybertron Seven|group of missing Autobots]], uncovering a trail of spilled Transformer fuel. {{storylink|Aerialbots over America!}} Skids was outfitted with a chemical tracker to follow the fuel trail; taking Finkelberg with him, he began tracing the fuel back to its source. En route, he broke cover to save a trapped driver from some downed power lines, a move that caught the Decepticons' attention. The newly created Stunticons were dispatched to "ambush" Skids - by acting as though they were his allies. The humans' [[Rapid Anti-robot Assault Team]] and the Aerialbots soon arrived and engaged in a three-way battle. When it was over, the Aerialbots were defeated, the Autobots' reputation was smeared, and the Stunticons were triumphant; Skids could do little but clear out to continue his mission with Finkleberg. Unfortunately, money still governed Finkleberg's actions, and that evening he sold out Skids to RAAT's leader [[Walter Barnett]] while Skids was deactivated for the night. {{storylink|Heavy Traffic!}}

[[File:DecepticonGraffiti-CBDonnySkids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Shoulda stuck with the nice cowboy lady.]]
Skids was disassembled for study, but when the Decepticons [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] and [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] appeared on Earth and began defacing landmarks, RAAT operative [[Circuit Breaker (G1)|Circuit Breaker]] was forced to enter into a deal with the Autobots to stop them. Skids and the other Autobots' components were combined to form a [[Circuit Breaker's Autobot suit|jury-rigged robot]] that Circuit Breaker used to stop the [[Battlecharger]]s, but in return for their co-operation, Skids and the Autobots were allowed to go free. {{storylink|Decepticon Graffiti!}}

''On the return trip to the Ark, however, Skids was abruptly torn from reality when the future Decepticon [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] [[time travel|traveled back in time]] from [[2006]], shunting Skids into [[Limbo]] to maintain temporal balance.'' {{storylink|Fallen Angel}}

{{note|While Skids was lost to Limbo in the UK comics, no such fate befell him in the American stories. Luckily enough for continuity's sake, he never did anything important in the US comics again, only showing up in crowd scenes. To maintain consistency, the UK printings of these stories either redrew Skids into a different, [[generic]] robot, or erased him from the art entirely.}}

Skids attended Optimus Prime's funeral, {{storylink|Funeral for a Friend!}} witnessed the arrival of a group of [[Spacehikers|children]] within the space-borne Ark, {{storylink|Spacehikers!}} and watched [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] and [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] fight for Autobot leadership on Earth's [[Moon (moon)|moon]]. He was presumably either off-lined during the subsequent Decepticon ambush, {{storylink|Totaled!}} or during [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream's]] [[Underbase]] powered rampage. {{storylink|Dark Star}}

[[File:Skidslimbo.jpg|upright=0.6|thumb|left|Oh, hey, remember Skids?]]
[[File:Skidssurvivors.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|And then he stole [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]]'s head.]]
''Skids remained in Limbo for two years while Galvatron ran amok on Earth, his mind steadily succumbing to the dream-illusions created by the [[Limbo parasite|parasites]] native to the realm.'' {{storylink|Time Wars}} ''In his dreams, a brutish Skids led monsters in orgies of destruction.With Galvatron's eventual destruction during the [[Time Wars]], Skids was finally returned to Earth, but he had spent too long in Limbo—the Limbo parasites had succeeded in shaping a reality from his dreams, and the nightmarish monsters that he had imagined materialised on Earth with him. Fleeing from the beasts, horrified at the "weakness" that had led to him making them, Skids was convinced by the creatures that they would exist so long as he was alive. Their goal was to break him into joining them in their bloody rampages (and also to just mess with him). Skids lured them into a [[Hudden Nuclear Power Plant|nuclear power plant]] which he had planned to detonate, wiping out the monsters and himself. However, he struggled to find the courage to end his own life in order to spare the Earth from the horrors he had birthed.''

''Thankfully, it didn't come to that, as the remnants of the Autobot [[Wrecker]]s—joined by [[Catilla (G1)|Catilla]] and [[Carnivac (G1)|Carnivac]] of the Decepticon [[Mayhem Attack Squad]]—arrived to aid him, defeating the monsters even as the creature's leader admitted they'd made up that whole 'die to stop us' thing. Skids joined with this group of Transformers, forming the [[Survivors]].'' {{storylink|Survivors!}}

''Carnivac soon tired of Autobot life and Skids and the others could only watch as he fell out with [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] and struck out on his own.'' {{storylink|Way of the Warrior}} ''When a human called in the rest of the Survivors to help Carnivac against the new Mayhem Attack Squad, Springer was adamant that they shouldn't help the renegade Decepticon, but Skids, [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] and [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] were swayed by Catilla's pleas to get involved.'' {{storylink|Survival Run}} ''They arrived just in time to save Carnivac from the Decepticons, but Catilla was killed by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] and Carnivac swore vengeance''. {{storylink|A Savage Place!}}

{{note|Due to the somewhat convoluted nature of the Marvel UK continuity, the "Survivors" plotline was continued in the Earthforce timeline, detailed below.}}

[[File:Grimlockwasthatwise.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Hey, who here remembers when I was damaged and shoved into the medbay? No? Well, that makes all of us.]]
Grimlock traveled to [[Hydrus Four]] to use [[Nucleon (substance)|Nucleon]] to revive the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]. Returning to the Ark, he also pumped Nucleon into the med bays, reviving Skids and several others, and headed towards [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Grimlock used the Ark as a blunt instrument across [[Unicron]]'s head, forcing Skids and the others to evacuate and join the battle against the Chaos Bringer. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
{{-}}

=====Earthforce=====
{{earthforcefiction}}
[[File:Survivors wolf in the fold.jpg|thumb|left]]
When Carnivac ran off on his own to avenge Catilla's death, Skids and the other Survivors insisted Springer contact Grimlock and the Earthforce for back-up. {{storylink|Wolf in the Fold!}} Though Grimlock was hesitant to lend any warriors in order to save a Decepticon, he was swayed into doing so in exchange of the Survivors' word that they would permanently join up with his unit afterwards. Hooked up with these Autobot reinforcements, Skids and the others stormed the Mayhem Attack Squad's tropical island base. Skids personally confronted [[Octopunch (G1)|Octopunch]] in single combat, holding his own against the murderous [[Pretender]]. {{storylink|Where Wolf?}}

On a later mission for Earthforce, Skids and the Survivors protected an [[oil tanker]] from [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]], while the rest of the Decepticons were trying to distract the Autobots with an all-out assault on their base. Undeterred by the sleight-of-hand, the Survivors caught up with Starscream in the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. Skids used a flying leap by Carnivac as a distraction to catch Starscream with his liquid nitrogen cannon, and then [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] knocked the Decepticon commander into the drink. {{storylink|Divide and Conquer!}}
{{-}}

====Transformers Comic-Magazin====
Skids was part of the Autobot team when they battled the Decepticons in defense of Earth's precious energy resources. {{storylink|Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 9|The Transformers' Grand Hour: Headmaster of the Dimensions}}

Goldbug later recalled the events of the previous battle. {{storylink|Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 15|The Cosmic Adventure: Memories of Bumblebee}}

====''Regeneration One''====
{{noterg1}}
[[File:Lancer two crew war to end all wars.jpg|thumb|Remember when I was a main character back in our [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel]] days? Let's do that again.]]
In [[2012]], when Optimus Prime discovered Megatron was still active on Earth, he took an armed assault squad of Autobots, including Skids, to put an end to the tyrant's menace once and for all. Battling Megatron's reanimated Decepticon [[zombie]]s as the two leaders clashed, Skids called dibs on taking out [[Overbite (G1)|Overbite]]. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 5}}

After the battle, Skids and [[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]] attended to [[Kup (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Kup]] as he recovered from a [[Scraplet]] infection. He then departed Earth with the other Autobots. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part One}} As they arrived back at Cybertron, the ''[[Valiant (G1)|Valiant]]'' was targeted by missiles from the [[Civil Defense Hub]], though they were called off at the last second. Nonetheless, Skids and the rest of the armed assault squad prepared for immediate deployment upon landing. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part Five}}

Skids would later respond when Jhiaxus's ''[[Primum Fugae]]'' began attacking the [[Demon]]s and Dinobots indiscriminately and upon [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]'s orders, he and [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] began prepping the Dinobots for medevac. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 2}} During the invasion of the [[Hub (G2)|Hub Network]], Skids and a team of Autobots comprising [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]], [[Sky High (Pretender)|Sky High]], [[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]], and [[Getaway]] aboard the ''[[Lancer Two]]'' were shot down by [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]'s forces when they revealed their full defensive power. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 3}}
{{-}}

===Dinobots Strike Back===
{{notemultipath}}
{{note|In the first book in this series, Skids transforms into a red compact, matching the description of his toy's Honda City Turbo [[Alternate mode|alt-mode]] in one of its [[Diaclone]] color schemes. He is apparently even smaller than Bumblebee}}
[[File:DinobotsStrikeBackBumbleandSkidsinSub.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Seen here pouting because he gets no screen time.]]
Although Skids had reported the strange electromagnetic readings he'd been getting from [[Dolphin's Bay]] even before [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] sent [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] to [[Bandit's Bluff]] to remove the [[cerebro-shell]]s from the rampaging [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], it took [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock's]] report that evening to prompt Optimus to have Skids investigate it for possible Decepticon activity. Prime chose [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] to accompany him in [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack's]] [[Star mini-submarine|new mini-submarine]], but wasn't sure whether to assign [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] to the mission as well, since Skids clearly didn't want him along.

If Prime left Sludge out, Skids celebrated by absentmindedly crashing into [[Mount Lomas]], crumpling his hood and causing Bumblebee to notice a suspicious trail in the woods. If the pair followed it instead of continuing to the bay, they walked into a trap set by [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] and [[Gravedigger]], who disassembled Bumblebee and Skids to serve as the first components of the [[Autobot Memorial Power Plant]].

If they continued to Dolphin's Bay and the sub, Skids traced electromagnetic waves back to some [[black coral]], then hacked into a Decepticon computer and learned of a plot to convert the coral into superfuel. Bumblebee then exited the hatch to break a piece off, triggering an explosion which trapped him in a canyon beneath broken columns of crimson coral. Without underwater gear, Skids had only two options: If he went back to the channel for help, Seaspray used his laser to free Bumblebee, then tried to sail back to the Ark, only to have Starscream blow all three of them up with a cluster bomb. If Skids tried translating some nearby [[dolphin]]s' language, he succeeded in five minutes, talking the three largest dolphins into moving the broken coral. Skids and Bumblebee brought the black coral and his report back to Optimus Prime, ensuring an Autobot victory.

If Prime ''did'' include Sludge, Skids, and Bumblebee made it to the bay first, then used the sub to track the readings to an underwater cave. Bumblebee entered it, radioed Skids about Operation Black Coral, then failed to reemerge. If Skids chose to return to the Ark for help, two possible endings saw an Autobot assault save Bumblebee and destroy the Decepticons' base. If Skids tried to radio Bumblebee, the sub was promptly hit by a sonic attack from Frenzy, making it go haywire and tear through the bay. Whether Skids tried to stop it by activating the backup systems or shorting the controls out with his electron blaster, he was saved by Sludge, ensuring an Autobot victory in two more endings. {{storylink|Dinobots Strike Back}}

===3H comics===
[[File:Skidswreckers2.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|In the context of science, "theory" does not mean "guess" or "hunch", Rodimus. You should probably pay attention.]]
Several months after the defeat of [[Unicron]] in 2005, Skids was among the senior scientists (including [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Quickmix (G1)|Quickmix]], and [[Rad (G1)|Rad]]) who questioned [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]]'s plan to send out the best of the remaining Autobot science and research members to establish deep-space reconnaissance posts. {{storylink|Betrayal}}
{{-}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
8.2 million years ago, Skids was in the [[Chamber of the Ancients]], observing the ceremony in which [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optronix]] was given the [[Matrix of Leadership]] and transformed into [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. Immediately, three Decepticon assassins attacked, and though Skids acted to protect the new Prime, his arm was cut off by [[Umbra]]. {{storylink|The War Within issue 1|The War Within #1}}

Skids was repaired and he returned to his post at the [[Decagon]]. While Prime was absent, Skids picked up radar of incoming Decepticon invaders and a transmission from the force's field commander, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. {{storylink|The War Within issue 2|The War Within #2}} Skids helped man auto-defenses from inside the Decagon and coordinated troops in the field. {{storylink|The War Within issue 3|The War Within #3}} Eventually, the Autobots' [[Omega Sentinel (G1)|Omega Sentinel]] units were destroyed. Picking up their personal weaponry, Skids and the other Autobots were all that was left to defend [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], and made a desperate last stand against Shockwave and his forces. {{storylink|The War Within issue 5|The War Within #5}} The Autobots were only spared from annihilation because Starscream at that point activated one of Cybertron's planetary engines. This caused a chain reaction, which crumbled Iacon into a crater, driving away the Decepticon forces. {{storylink|The War Within issue 6|The War Within #6}}

During the Dark Ages, when Optimus Prime and Megatron both disappeared into a prototype spacebridge, both factions splintered into several sub-groups. Skids served under [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]'s faction of Autobots. {{storylink|Fragmentation (G1)|Fragmentation}} Together, they investigated reports that the Decepticons were in the process of building a mobile fortress, only to find [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] already completed and battle-ready in the [[Praetorus Wharf]]. {{storylink|Devastation}} Finding that nothing they threw at the giant Decepticon had any effect, the Autobots tried to outrun it instead. Skids hid in a nearby building, onto which Trypticon jumped to crush him. {{storylink|Revelation (The Dark Ages)|Revelation}} Though battered by the incident, Skids managed to survive it, and was brought back to [[Autobase]] for repairs. As [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] was tending to his wounds, The Fallen broke into the Autobots' headquarters, reappropriated [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] from one of their holding cells, and took off. {{storylink|Confrontation (issue)|Confrontation}} Once The Fallen's base of operations was uncovered, Skids joined a cross-faction army in rushing it to put an end to the ancient Transformer's scheme. Ultimately, The Fallen was defeated by the power of [[Primus]] himself, and all factions agreed to keep the chamber The Fallen had tried to breach sealed to prevent anyone from further abusing the power held within it. {{storylink|Conflagration}}

At some point, Ultra Magnus took command of the Autobots, and reunited them into a single faction. Under his leadership, the Autobots gained a significant hold over Cybertron's resources and territories. This eventually forced the [[Ultracon]]s and Shockwave's Decepticons to sign a peace treaty with the Autobots. Skids was in attendance at the signing of the truce, which was interrupted by a bombing, engineered by Starscream and his Predacons. This act of aggression only served to unite the Autobots, Ultracons, and Decepticons however, who struck back against Starscream's troops. A united Cybertron finally seemed within reach... that is, until Megatron made a dramatic return, accompanied by an army of [[Air Warrior]]s. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath}} Megatron quickly took over the planet, and enslaved the majority of Autobots. Skids was among the many unfortunates captured, and put to work in [[Internment Camp Pi]]. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath Pt.2}}

{{note|Due to [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s closure, the end of its''War Within'' series was never published. Years later, [[Simon Furman]] released the unpublished scripts to the final three issues. Within said issues, Optimus would return to Cybertron, and the Autobots would be freed from slavery.}}

Skids was not among the Autobots who traveled to Earth aboard the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], remaining behind on Cybertron as the planet slipped into the deactivated state known as the [[Great Shutdown]]. When Shockwave began reactivating the planet and successfully unified the Autobot and Decepticon factions, Skids was a member of the council of Autobots who served to represent their faction in the alliance. Few of the council members were actually suited for leadership, however, and slowly found themselves giving more and more control to Shockwave. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}} Even when Perceptor presented the council with evidence that Shockwave was performing immoral experiments on fellow Cybertronians, the High Council was unwilling to take any constitutional action against Shockwave.{{storylink|Cold War (issue)|Cold War}} Eventually, the example shown by the Ark's returning crew and several homegrown Autobot insurgency cells tore the blinders from the council's optics, and Skids gathered his fellow councilmen in taking to the streets and ousting the Decepticons from power. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}}

===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''===
[[File:Skids BlackHorizon1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3]]
During an Autobot peace ceremony on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Skids reported to [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] that [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], and [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] had yet to find the Autobots and [[G.I. Joe (team)|Joes]] that had gone missing while chasing [[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]] Their conversation was then interrupted due to a Decepticon attack. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 3|The Art of War #3}}

Skids was later stationed on the ''[[Arc II]]'' on Earth, where he helped his comrades in the field by warning them about incoming G.I. Joe [[S.H.A.R.C.]]s. When the ship came under attack by the [[Pretender Monster]]s, Skids was knocked out by [[Icepick (G1)|Icepick]] while alerting the others on board. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 1 of 2}} He was sent to [[Pit (G.I. Joe)|the Pit]] for repairs and was expected to quickly recover from his injuries. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 2 of 2}}
{{-}}

===''TransTech''===
In an Offworld Zone of [[Axiom Nexus]], a Skids was yet another victim of [[Bulletbike (TransTech)|Bulletbike]], murdered for a cred-key. {{storylink|I, Lowtech}}

===''The Beast Within''===
During a particularly violent brawl between the Autobots and Decepticons, Skids could do nothing but avert his eyes as [[Beast (G1)|The Beast]] began distributing wanton carnage onto the battlefield. {{storylink|The Beast Within}}

Later, Skids was amongst the few Autobot survivors still intact despite the brutality of the battle. He and a small number of surviving Autobots rode in Optimus Prime’s trailer in a desperate effort to outrun The Beast. He was then killed when the Beast took a swipe at Optimus’s trailer, crushed utterly in The Beast’s monstrous paw. {{storylink|The Beast Within Part 2, Consequences}}
{{-}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
[[File:Skidsbacksoff.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.66|-gulp-]]
Before the [[Great War (G1)|war]], '''Skids of [[Nova Cronum]]''' trained as a theoretician at [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Senator Shockwave]]'s [[Jhiaxian Academy of Advanced Technology|Academy of Advanced Technology]], {{storylink| Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} secretly recruited to the school because of his status as an "[[outlier]]" with special powers—in Skids's case, a "super-learning" ability that allowed him to master many skills. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}} He was present at the academy on the day that [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] and [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] arrived to take Shockwave into protective custody, and his attempt to stop them was quickly quashed when the towering Roller intimidated him into silence. {{storylink| Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} It was not long, however, before Skids's teacher returned and recruited him and classmates "[[Tarn (DJD)|Glitch]]" and [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] for a plan formulated by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] to steal a bomb disguised as the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] from [[Nominus Prime]]'s body as it lay in the [[Primal Basilica]]. Skids was somewhat disappointed that his sole contribution to the plan was not one of his many skills, but merely the fact he had a grappling hook in his arm that they could use to lower Pax into the Basilica. Despite a minor snag when the technology-disrupting Glitch accidentally jammed his hook's winch, the mission was a success. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}}

Unfortunately, the aftermath of the mission meant the outliers and Pax had to go on the run. Out in the [[Alyon]] region, they discovered a new "hot spot" for infant sparks which looked like the Hand of Primus (or, for Skids, ''was definitely'' the Hand of Primus). [[Zeta Prime|Zeta]], their man in Iacon, warned them the Senate wanted to destroy the spot to stop the [[Functionist Council]] exploiting it and so the fugitives had to fight off the [[Elite Guard]] repeatedly. Time-travellers under [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]] popped up and, when Skids mistook them for reinforcements from Zeta, rapidly claimed that. They saved the day but the time travellers wiped everyone's memories after... unfortunately including memories that Roller was missing in action. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|All Our Parlous Yesterdays}}

[[File:mtmte 48 grindcore.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|What did I do last night?]]
After graduating to full-fledged theoretician status, Skids went on to join the Autobot army. Shortly after the [[Simanzi Massacre]], when the planet still was cooling, he became a bomb negotiator: disabling the [[anti-personal mine]]s made out of Autobot prisoners so they could die without going off. This ended when he made the mistake of mentioning Primus to the unfortunate [[Heavy Tread]], who detonated himself in a rage that anyone could believe in a god that did this to him. When Skids came to, he was a Decepticon prisoner and off to the notorious [[Grindcore (prison)|Grindcore gulag]] with a "[[Inhibitor spike|mouth flower]]" inside his mouth that would destroy his [[Brain module|brain]] if if he dared transform.

Skids used his outlier learning skills to disable the "flower", having seen how the guards put it in, and began pumping his cellmate [[Quark]] for info. This brought him to the attention of the camp commandant, {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} who turned out to be his old friend Glitch in an upgraded body. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}} Glitch, in an act of basic sadism, decided to make a project out of the religious 'bot. He asked Skids to repair Grindcore's teleporter, promising it would mean fifty prisoners would be sent to Decepticon colony world [[Ambervalia]] to work as slaves. Skids told Quark that this was collaboration that would help and the fifty would be better as slave workers than at the prison; and while he didn't say outright, Skids was relaxed around the Commandant and felt he could try and make demands for more prisoners sent to the colonies, assuming he could half-trust his old friend even if he had switched side. What he did not realise until it was too late was that Glitch had been making him rebuild the camp ''smelting chamber''... something he learned only after demanding Quark get to be 'teleported'. Skids' faith died as he was forced to watch fifty Autobots die horrific deaths because of him. The memory was so traumatic that he overwrote it {{storylink|Speak, Memory! (Part 2)}} and the only thing he remembered of it in his missing months was "[[The Empyrean Suite]]", unable to remember the name or that this was the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] leader's favourite music to play during a massacre. {{storylink|Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|Who's Afraid of the DJD?}} That leader, of course, was Glitch under the ''nomme de guerre'' of Tarn.

Skids used to have an [[Amica Endura]] called [[Chopper (G1)|Chopper]]. They broke up because Chopper was "an absolute arse". {{storylink|The Frail Gaze}}

[[File:Getaway Skids ArmTheLonely.jpg|thumb|left|He's been trained to kick your ass. Theoretically, of course.]]
Long into the war he joined the [[Diplomatic Corps]], working to persuade other races to support the Autobot cause. {{storylink|Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|Who's Afraid of the DJD?}} At some point, he disappeared and was believed dead, {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}} but had, in fact, become part of [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]]'s covert [[Special Operations]]. Partnered with [[Getaway]], he was sent to attempt an "assassination" on [[Tyrest (G1)|Tyrest]], using a [[nudge gun]] to implant the impulse to resign in the Chief Justice's mind. The plan failed, and Skids was only able to escape using a shuttle made from [[mode lock]]ed [[Legislator]]s. Using the nudge gun's other charge, Skids erased his own memory after setting the shuttle to home in on the nearest of his handlers, the [[Duobot]]s. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}}

[[File:LiarsAtoD2-Skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|How do you like me now?]]
It was in this amnesiac state that he arrived on the planet where the ''[[Lost Light]]'' had crashed. Abruptly, the mode lock deactivated and the ship began transforming, so Skids made an impulsive decision: he reactivated the lock, sent the ship crashing into the surface, and bailed out. Making it to the ground safely, Skids found himself under attack from the Legislators that had made up his ship — though one of them had been killed in the crash, the other two were coming after him with giant swords and fire breath. Skids came upon the deceased bodies of two Autobots who had failed to survive the ''Lost Light'' crash—[[Hyperion (G1)|Hyperion]] and [[Polaris]]—and used their weapons and abilities to eliminate another of the pursuing robots. Running from the lone survivor, Skids came upon a small party of Autobots from the ''Lost Light'', who deactivated the inhibitor claw for him, allowing him to access his weapons and destroy last Legislator. Skids was invited to join the crew of the ''Lost Light'', though he was less than enthusiastic about [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]]'s proposition that the pair of them should team up. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}}

[[File:LiarsAtoD3-RungSkids.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|MEANWHILE IN A 20 MILE RADIUS OF THIS EVENT]]
When a [[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeater]] got loose aboard the ''Lost Light'', requiring the crew to be sealed in their quarters, Skids, decided to exploit his missing memories to entirely reinvent himself. Deciding he disliked confinement, he left through the ventilation system. Drawn by [[Rung (G1)|Rung]]'s cries, he saved the psychiatrist from a close call with the Sparkeater, and at [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]]'s request, led the creature through the vents to the engine room where Rodimus disposed of it. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}} As a celebration of the death of the Sparkeater, Swerve opened a [[Swerve's|bar]] where Skids got drunk together with [[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]]. He failed to notice that Chromedome stole his gun while he was messing around with his grappling hook and a server-robot. {{storylink|Life After the Big Bang}} {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} After attending a ceremony to commend Chromedome, [[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]] and [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] on recent heroics, {{storylink|The Reluctant Specialist}} Skids was next spotted still hanging out at the bar with some other Autobots as [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] put Chromedome's ability to identify an Autobot based on their transformation sound to the test. {{storylink|Interiors}} He later tried to comfort Swerve following his accidental shooting of Rung. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}}

When a swarm of [[Nanocon]]s that had lain dormant inside [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]]'s body were mysteriously reactivated, Skids and a few others were shrunk by Brainstorm's mass-displacement gun and sent inside Magnus to eliminate them. Once that was dealt with, Skids attended [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]]'s Autobot Initiation Ceremony, during which he relayed Swerve's report from the engine room that dead crewmember [[Ore]] had come back to life. The chaos only continued when Skids and a team of Autobots were abruptly teleported by [[Galactic Council]] to the planet [[Theophany]], there to investigate the razing of [[Crystal City]]. Beneath the city, they found a slumbering [[Titan (IDW)|Titan]], leading to discussions on the Transformers' creation myths and the meaning of life; Skids and Chromedome shared a belief that life was shaped not by destiny or gods, but by interactions with others. Skids theorized that both the Nanocons and Ore had come back to life thanks to the psychic emanations of the Metrotitan, then helped [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] fend off the Galactic Council's forces until the Autobots could free the Metrotitan, which teleported them all back to the ''Lost Light'' and quantum-jumped the ship to safety. {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}}

[[File:CybertronianHomesickBlues-SkidsRung.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|"Legs: Yes. Bow-tie: Cool...I can buy a fez."]]
Inspired by their talk, Skids requested that Chromedome use his [[mnemosurgery]] to unlock his lost memories; Chromedome discovered that only Skids's last year of memories had been erased, while the others had been repressed by a trauma so horrific he did not dare restore them. Chromedome was, however, able to identify the music in his head as the "The Empyrean Suite", and hoped Skids would never learn its significance. {{storylink|Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|Who's Afraid of the DJD?}}

Skids was among the group of Autobots gathered by [[Rewind (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rewind]] in Swerve's bar to help tell a story to aid in Rung's mental recovery. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|Post Hoc}} When his old altercation with Roller came up, Whirl called him a wuss, and he countered that his skills as a theoretician wouldn't have been useful in a fight. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} At the culmination of the story Rung still showed no signs of recovery...until Skids deliberately mispronounced his name a couple of times, prompting the psychiatrist to speak and correct him. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}} The storytelling session was brought to an end by the sounding of alarm to ready the crew for a battle with Decepticons on the planet [[Temptoria]]; during the fight, Skids, Chromedome and [[Steeljaw (G1)|Steeljaw]] battled [[Overkill (G1)|Overkill]]. {{storylink|Before & After}} Later, to unwind, Skids joined the crew of the ''Lost Light'' on some "shore leave" on the planet [[Hedonia]], where he tried out his new personality-generated [[holomatter]] avatar, only to find his amnesia kept it from creating a fake identity for him. As the group played the "Nemesis Game", Skids identified [[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] as his worst enemy, and then wound up getting into a drunken brawl with [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]]. {{storylink|Cybertronian Homesick Blues}} Skids bought Rodimus a [[Galactic Council]] captain's hat as a souvenir of the trip. {{storylink|Signal to Noise}}

[[File:TheFecundMoon-Skids.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|Skids kind of lost it a bit after Charlene left.]]
When the mass-murdering Decepticon [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] ran wild on the ship, Skids joined in the futile effort to hold back his rampage. {{storylink|Under Cold Blue Stars}} Overlord was ejected from the ship thanks to the sacrifice of Rewind, and Skids tried to console Chromedome over the loss of his lover, only to find that the mnemosurgeon was eerily calm about the whole thing. {{storylink|The Gloaming}} When the ''Lost Light'' encountered the long lost satellite [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]], Skids got Chromedome to accompany the band of Autobots heading to the surface to see if the satellite had a way to return Skids's memories. He went to the ship's oil reservoir for some alone time, where he was attacked by a number of [[Legislator]]s. {{storylink|Remain in Light 1 of 5: The Fecund Moon|The Fecund Moon}} While he managed to hold them off long enough for Swerve to arrive to help, a [[Star Saber (Victory)|mysterious and enigmatic robot]] appeared behind him, and impaled him with a large sword. {{storylink|Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|House of Ambus}}

Fortunately for Skids, he survived this, and was later teleported by Star Saber into a cell which contained Rodimus' crew. Perceptor examined his wound, while Swerve explained what happened to them. After Skids said that he would apologize for whatever he had done to Tyrest, Star Saber returned to the cell, carrying his [[Getaway|"Partner in crime"]] with him. Chromedome then explained that when he read Skids' mind, he had done it wrong, and misinterpreted the remnant memory as an "Imperative to escape". In actuality though, it was a name, Getaway. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} Getaway was able to fill Skids in on his lost memories of their ill-fated mission to change Tyrest's mind, and explained Tyrest's mad plan to reach [[Cyberutopia]]. With the newcomer's help, Skids and the others were freed from the cell and confronted Tyrest, only to be incapacitated by the lawmaker's suggestion weapon. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}}

Thanks to Tailgate, the suggestion weapon was disabled, and Skids cuffed [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]], only for the medic to promptly escape when his back was turned. The Autobots caught up with him at Tyrest's gate to Cyberutopia, but only Skids, finally at peace with himself, was able to step through the guilt-detecting force field. He found himself standing on a strange landscape being talked to by a multi-colored [[spark]]. On hearing cries for help from Rung, he dashed back through the portal to help fight the Legislators until Tailgate was able to shut them down with some amendments to the law. {{storylink|Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|This Calamitous Life}}

Once everything was over, he tried telling Rodimus what he saw, but he couldn't make sense of all it. {{storylink|The Sound of Breaking Glass}} Not helping was the fact that whatever he saw proved difficult to remember for any length of time. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}}

Before the ''Lost Light'' left Luna 1, Skids played a film compiled by Rewind to detail the ship's voyage. Unfortunately the film failed to impress the members of the [[Circle of Light]] who rejected any notion of joining the crew. {{storylink|Little Victories}}

Skids was among the Autobots who welcomed Orion Pax and his team aboard the ''Lost Light''. Swerve remarked to him how weird [[Garnak|some]] of Pax's crew were. {{storylink|Dark Dawn: Dark Cybertron Chapter 1|Dark Dawn}} Skids was later seen having a drink at Swerve's {{storylink|Black Metal: Dark Cybertron Chapter 2|Black Metal}} When the ''Lost Light'' was assaulted by [[Ammonite]]s, Skids met up with Getaway and Ultra Magnus to help organize a counterattack. Skids hesitantly suggested that they use the [[Rodpod]] to fight back. Despite the other's and his own concerns about damaging it and making Rodimus angry, they ended up boarding and using the vessel. Skids piloted the craft, and used it to defend the ship's fuel quills, while blasting Ammonites that attempted to combine. Skids was forced to pilot the Rodpod away from the battle when a group of Ammonites combined and gave chase to them. In an attempt to lose them, he piloted the vessel into what appeared to be an abyss, but was really the optical cavity of [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] {{storylink|Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|Into the Abyss}}

As everyone else tried to figure out where Metroplex's eye had gotten to, Getaway had a minor breakdown over the fact that A: they were inside someone's eye canal, and B: they were in a spaceship shaped like someone's head. Skids consoled him and said it was best to just roll with it. The group took Ratchet's suggestion to find Metroplex's brain, only on arrival in his brain chamber found it was surprisingly absent. In light of that, they decided to go find his spark instead. As they approached, Whirl noticed the flooding had been sealed off, which surprised Skids.

On setting down, Getaway quickly found an arrow pointing toward the spark chamber, which everyone decided to follow. Skids was the one to ask whether they would lock the Rodpod, which no-one else was concerned about. The arrows took everyone on a strange course through Metroplex's interior, until they came upon... the Rodpod again. Before Whirl could properly blame the ship, an Ammonite appeared, and blew it up. {{storylink|No Exit: Dark Cybertron Chapter 6|No Exit}} Fortunately, they were saved by a wall appearing to block the explosion, at which point Skids realized the purpose of the arrows: Metroplex was moving his interior about, and the odd journey the arrows had taken them on was because the direction they were meant to be pointed had change too. Then, they received a call from Swerve informing them to avoid the water, or they'd contract an alchemical virus and die horribly, and worse than that, two thousand Ammonites were heading their way. As Magnus gave orders to barricade the room, Whirl turned out an Ammonite, having beaten an explanation out of him. However, when the little guy told them who he was working for, he promptly self-destructed. Before everyone present could dwell on that, [[Chromia (G1)|two]] [[Nautica (G1)|newcomers]] appeared and told them to surrender. {{storylink|The Dead Are Not Enough: Dark Cybertron Chapter 7|The Dead Are Not Enough}}

Before Getaway could charm the two fellow Autobots, several Ammonites burst through the walls. While Ultra Magnus,Ratchet and Brainstorm went off with their new friends, Skids stayed behind to fight off the attackers (that he was being mobbed by several of them anyway probably helped). As Skids fought, Metroplex was recharged by the ''Lost Light's'' engines, and transported himself back to Cybertron. {{storylink|Burning Bright: Dark Cybertron Chapter 8|Burning Bright}} This didn't get rid of the Ammonites, though. That took Megatron giving the titan his missing thumb, containing the Regenesis Ore-7, which healed him and reactivated his immune system, killing the Ammonites dead. {{storylink|Finis Temporis: Dark Cybertron Chapter 9|Finis Temporis}}

In the apparent aftermath of Shockwave's scheme, Skids and Getaway relaxed in Swerve's, and were witness to Swerve suffering a bad bout of hero worship when Blurr walked in. The celebrations were rudely interrupted when Shockwave made his move, summoning all the Ammonites to attack Cybertron. {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}} Fortunately, Bumblebee had a plan of taking the fight to Shockwave. Skids was included in the team to be sent, thanks to his secret-agent-know-how. Getting to Shockwave's base of operations in the Crystal City seemed impossible, until Starscream showed up with [[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]], who managed to get them there. On arrival, the group was attacked by Bludgeon. Ultra Magnus offered to hold him off, and Skids decided to volunteer his skills as well, along with a suddenly poorly Brainstorm. However, Skids's outlier abilities weren't able to match Bludgeon's mastery of metallikato, and he quickly wound up stabbed. Fortunately, Brainstorm's unease turned out to be Optimus Prime, Rodimus, Cyclonus, Kup, and Nightbeat using the Dead Universe portal in his chest to escape that dying realm.{{storylink|Black Planet: Dark Cybertron Chapter 11|Black Planet}} They quickly mopped up Bludgeon, but Cyclonus' injuries meant someone had to help Brainstorm haul him back to his lab. While this meant Skids had to miss the climactic showdown, he did get to see time itself falling to pieces in the sky above Cybertron. That, and Rodimus managing to play on Brainstorm's insecurities. {{storylink|...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|...And the Damage Done}}

Once the crisis was truly over, Skids decamped to [[Moonbase Two|Luna 2]] to watch [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]]'s trial. Evidently, he was not dissuaded from rejoining the ''Lost Light'' on its quest once the former Decepticon Leader was added to the ranks, and he set off again, this time coming along of his own volition. Six months into the quest, he was sufficiently worried to pay a visit to the widowed Chromedome with Nightbeat, though their friend remained secluded in his hab suite and Nightbeat's interest was quickly derailed, to Skids' dismay. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} Shortly thereafter, he, [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]], and [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] all shot the bull about the ship's new gossip mag, the ''Lost Light Insider''. Though Nautica decided to exit before any rules were broken, she and Skids exchanged a bit of friendly banter before he and Riptide convinced the massively intoxicated Trailcutter to steal Megatron's "superfuel" out of the medibay. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}}.

When a pod containing the corpse of another Rodimus showed up, 'our' Rodimus called in Skids as part of his investigation team. Using all the facts, Skids and Chromedome worked out (wrongly as they'd soon learn!) that this was a near-future Roddy who'd die and be sent back in time, and Skids was left aghast by his leader's desperate attempts to 'change history' like lopping an arm off. Everything was then interrupted when the ship started to ''vanish'' around them {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}} and he was left stuck on a spaceship with Megatron (and Skids, who kept making snide asides when he was trying to listen). Soon, the Autobots on board began to disappear one by one and everyone had to reveal personal secrets in an attempt to figure out what was the common denominator. (In the process, Skids helped fill in Nautica on [[M.T.O.]]s and expressed his distaste for High Command's lack of interest in educating the "warborn".)

After realising only the launch crew were disappearing, the newbies like Skids found the ''Lost Light'' returned but in ruins! {{storylink|Twenty Plus One}} He agreed with Riptide that this must be the future ''Light'' that dead-Rodimus had come from and worried that the evidence they found meant they bring back the crew, only for the ship to be ripped apart. In an investigation, they came across a dead Ultra Magnus, one killed by a [[fusion cannon]], and Skids turned on Megatron, believing this showed he was going to inevitably turn on them! To his disquiet, when Megatron immediately requested to be locked up until all the facts were gone, he felt ''bad''' about doing it. As he admitted to Getaway during their search, he worried he was going to stop hating the killer.

[[File:MTMTE33 megatron skids right there.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|Look at you! You gotta look inside yourself and say, 'what am I willing to put up with today?' NOT SLAGGIN' THIS!!”]
The search found yet more corpses and to Skids horror, they had all been executed and their transformation cogs removed: acts that revealed the ship had been butchered by the [[Decepticon Justice Division]]. Luckily for all concerned, the discovery of a still-alive Rewind {{storylink|slaughterhouse}} proved this ''wasn't'' the future ''Lost Light'' but a duplicate of the 'real' one. Skids rushed to Rewind as he came through, making sure the guy was okay and filled in on things like Megatron-the-Autobot, and was pissed when Nightbeat pushed Rewind too soon to explain what had happened to the ship. That was how they learned the copy was created when the ship launched, thanks to an issue with the quantum engines, and ''exactly'' what hell Rewind had gone through. Said quantum engines were also leaking, endangering a nearby organic planet, and Skids knew they ahd to act. When Megatron refused to, bothered at the idea of risking his life for a handful of fleshy strangers, Skids tore into him for violating what the Autobrand stood for and that if being an Autobot ''didn't'' force him to modify his behaviour instead of getting what he wanted, then none of his 'rehab' meant a damn.

A brief aside from Getaway gave Skids an idea of how to save the planet: using a mass displacement gun he knew Brainstorm had been making to shrink down someone to help already-tiny Rewind fix the engines. That was a bust. Nothing was found except proof that ''Brainstorm was secretly a Decepticon spy'' but no time for that now, Skids! To Skids' amazement and joy though, his bollocking had worked and a guilty Megatron admitted he could be rigged to downsize and thus he could help Rewind. Skids thanked him. Once the damage was fixed, the duplicate ''Lost Light'' vanished and the 'real' one started to come back, and a happy Skids told a returning Chromedome to head up to the roof where Rewind was waiting. {{storylink|slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken|The Road Not Taken}}

Oh yeah, that Brainstorm thing. Turned out he was going back in time to change history, which was going to result in [[Functionist Universe|a hideous dystopia]], and the time travellers sent to bring him back ended up running into an early Skids.{{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|All Our Parlous Yesterdays}} Things turned out fine in the end! While time-travelling, Rodimus tried to warn the past "don't let them [the Legislators] take Skids" but nobody heard it, which was good as Cyclonus pointed out that Skids being captured turned out to be necessary for saving half the Cybertronian race. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|How to Say Goodbye and Mean It}} {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|Predestination: An Expert's Guide}}

Skids' friendly nature struck a chord with [[Ten]], the former [[Legislator]] turned into a bartender. In a mural of Ten's favourite crewmembers, Skids was in the front. A further friendship was struck up when Ratchet asked Skids to chat with Rung some time, as the guy would truly appreciate being visited by someone who didn't want help from him; when Skids bought Rung a drink, the therapist was surprised and delighted. {{storylink|Our Steps Will Always Rhyme}}

[[File:MTMTE42 dance dance skidsvolution.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|''What a feeling'' ''Being's believing'']]
Skids, Getaway, and Brainstorm all hung out at Nautica's, showing off their cool skillz and generally hanging. When Rung came up, Skids was bothered by Getaway dissing the guy, but they didn't have time to discuss Getaway's passive aggressive whiny defence of it as news came in that Thunderclash was dying and everyone was invited to the pre-wake on the ''Vis Vitalis''. {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} During the party, Getaway asked him if he wanted to mutiny against Megatron. Skids declined... and had his mind wiped with the nudge gun. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}} Believing his splitting headache to be too much partying, he decided to flump out at the ''Vitalis'' and get picked up tomorrow. {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} That made him a target for the parasitical [[personality tick]]s, secretly feeding off his energy! Not knowing why he was so tired {{storylink|The Frail Gaze}} he reached out to Nautica, sensing something was up with her, and she asked him {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} to teach her to dance. While busting a move, he coaxed out her issues with her old college friend [[Firestar (G1)|Firestar]] before the ticks begun a public rampage. After they were repulsed, Skids got better and everyone went back to the ''Light'' for a ''biiiig party at Sweeerve's!!!''

[[File:MTMTE43 skids swerve humans.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.0| Anything could be a Transformer!]]
Until Swerve suddenly vanished {{storylink|The Frail Gaze}} and a horrified Skids checked his room to find the bartender facedown, rusted, and half-dead from an infected wound. He rushed him to the medical bay for aid (inadvertently making him worse) and learned from [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] that Swerve had been holed up in his room for months, neglecting himself, and using a holomatter avatar to seem 'fine'. To Skids' great shame, he'd never visited Swerve—hadn't even known his ''room number'' until he remembered it was Red Alert's old one—and completely missed any chance to see one of his best friends needed help. He joined a rescue team sent to "[[Swearth]]", a vast hologram Earth operating on sitcom rules that Swerve was projecting, to find the guy's consciousness and fix him. In his new, brooding holomatter avatar, Skids and his friends did track down Swerve and tried to convince him to focus on the physical pain he was feeling, so they could realise where he was hurting. Skids, an expert in suppression, knew Swerve was pushing it down. Once they identified that Swerve was cripplingly lonely and depressed, they were able to convince him that he truly was loved and valued by them. {{storylink|The One Where They Go to Earth}}

Soon after, Skids went with a crew to check out the legendary [[Necrobot]]. He needled Nightbeat for having the 'debunking' itch and said that, while he no longer believed, he understood why other people were attracted to the idea that there was something after death. {{storylink|The Not Knowing}}

[[File:MTMTE48 skids and rung.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7| Tell me where Skywalker is.]]
Under incremental recollection sessions with Rung, where he also helped fix model ships as a focusing tool, Skids had finally managed to remember ''entering'' Grindcore if nothing else; while frustrated with the slow process, Rung admonished him that learning all of it in one go would re-traumatise him. While chatting, Skids was surprised to see the long-lost [[Froid]] appear. An old friend of yours, Rung? Well, I'll leave you to get caught up! (Off he went to brood at the oil pools, trying to remember more.) Within minutes Rung sent him a coded radio message to meet him at Froid's ship as something ''dodgy'' was going on but by the time Skids arrived, Rung had learned Froid had the infamous [[Sunder (G1)|Tetrahax Ripper, Sunder]], on board and that guy ''fed'' on bad memories. The very first sight of Skids woke Sunder up and caused him to attack, starting to rip up Skids' traumatic memories to the surface {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} before Rung could get him to safety. During the running battle against the serial killer, Rung kept trying to get Skids to Chromedome for memory suppression and Sunder duly followed them, constantly bringing up memories. Luckily Sunder was killed by the point Skids remembered repairing Grindcore's teleport chambers for Tarn and ''not'' by the point he'd remember how he'd killed five hundred souls.{{storylink|Speak, Memory! (Part 2)}}

When a small time window opened up in Swerve's, Skids used it to look back at the day the new crew members joined the ''Light'', a day that Trailcutter was still alive and openly happy. {{storylink|No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases}}

Skids had been part of Megatron's classes on the Knights of Cybertron and in one, to his surprise, Megatron showed the symbol that the strange spark being had 'said' to him back at possibly-Cyberutopia. Nautica advised him to write it out phoenetically to try and retain the knowledge of what it was, but everything was interrupted when Megatron and several others received bizarre messages coming from a distant planet. Rodimus assembled Skids with the rest of 'Team Rodimus' and they headed out to discover it was coming from the Necrobot's planet...

...where the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] and [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] were waiting. The Necrobot had been killed and the Autobots were forced to take refuge in his temple, now their makeshift fortress. And a message came in from ''Getaway'', telling them that the crew had mutinied against Megatron and all those considered loyal to him, so sick they were of having the killer around. Skids was enraged to discover his former friend had actually mindwiped him, an act he ''knew'' was a violation, to keep this a secret. When the message ended and the sheer horror sunk in, Skids embraced Nautica to console her. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}}

The DJD made their presence known by attacking the Necrobot's fortress before retreating... promising to return at sunset as part of their intimidation tactics. Skids weighed up their options with the other stranded crew members, suggesting that they dig in and devise an escape route. The Necrobot's body had revealed a key that unlocked a room filled with at least sixty organic creatures inside strange pods. Discussion arose whether to flee, or stay and defend the people inside the pods, but the Autobots ultimately decided to stand their ground. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 2: The Sun in Flight|The Sun in Flight}} Their forces were bolstered by the returning Drift and Ratchet, who had caught wind of their predicament through [[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]]. Skids had the awkward task of introducing Ratchet to his replacement. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 3: Your Fierce Tears|Your Fierce Tears}}

With death staring them in the face, Skids was one of the Autobots who Nautica assembled for the rite of [[Amica Endura]]. She opened her spark to them, recited the ritual, and told them all how they were valued. When Rung departed with Nightbeat to investigate the mystery of the Necroworld, Skids bade him a terse and awkward farewell. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 4: At Close of Day|At Close of Day}}

Shortly afterwards, Velocity hit on a potential way out: Tailgate's spark 'explosion', triggered by extreme trauma, had supercharged two security guards ala [[Ore-13]] and that could be done now! All it required was, er, someone willing to be traumatised. Skids offered himself up and pleaded with Chromedome to finally let him know about his deep, hidden trauma. His sad friend brought back all the memories of Grindcore and Skids' spark erupted. As his supercharged friends fought through the Decepticons, Ratchet worked to keep him stable as his spark shrank.

[[File:sleep tight, soldier.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|He's dead, Jim.]]
Unfortunately, Skids came to and crawled off his slab, desperate to find Brainstorm and apologise for Quark's death, feebly crying that he was "scum" for what he'd done. Ratchet was desperate to get him back on the slab before he died but Megatron, the only other person in the fort, had left to join the battle and there was nobody to help. Skids died in Ratchet's arms, only Brainstorm noticing as his friend's 'statue' winked out. After the Autobots retreated back to the Necrobot's fortress, a distraught Nautica embraced the corpse. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 5: Rage, Rage|Rage, Rage}} She stayed with it until at least the morning as events unfolded outside, {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}} and at some point removed its [[brain module]] for safe-keeping. {{storylink|An Axe to Break the Ice}}

In honor of Skids, the crew of the ''Lost Light'' painted their [[insignia|Autobot Insignias]] grey. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron|Some Other Cybertron}}

During a visit to [[Troja Major]], Nautica revealed that she was seeking a [[Resus Cradle]], a device that was said to be capable of reviving dead Cybertronians provided there were some form of remains for it to work with - the reason she had removed Skids' brain module from his corpse. {{storylink|An Axe to Break the Ice}}
{{-}}

===''Cloud''===
As an Autobot from [[Cloud World]], Skids was part of an inter-dimensional police force that kept the peace throughout the multiverse, while collecting excess energy to ensure the welfare of [[SARA]], the super-robotic being that allowed them access to other dimensions. When the Autobots' city of [[Metropolis]] came under attack from the Decepticons of the [[Underground (Cloud)|Underground]], Skids was stationed at the Autobots' Directorate of Operations to safeguard it as part of a garrison. But the Decepticons' rampage across multiple city districts had turned out to be nothing more than a distraction from their real scheme. [[Shockwave (G1)#Cloud|Shockwave]] and others forced their way into the Autobots' headquarters, catching the guards by surprise, and managed to make their escape with SARA in tow. After the Decepticons' retreat to the Underground, Optimus Prime called a meeting. Skids personally apologized for failing in his responsibility of protecting SARA. Optimus, however, took the blame onto himself for not having formulated a better strategy against the Decepticons. Optimus decided to head into the Underground himself to retrieve SARA. The other Autobots, unwilling to let their beloved leader go alone in this venture, all volunteered to join him. {{storylink|Resolve}}
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Fury (Cloud)|Fury}}}}

===''Q-Transformers'' cartoon===
[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] named Skids, [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]], and [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] as three characters who had been produced as toys for the popular ''[[Q-Transformers]]'' line. {{storylink|The Road to Winning a New Fanbase}}

====''Transformers Legends'' comic====
Skids was a member of the [[Skids Squadron]], a group of dimension-hopping versions of Skids led by [[#Transformers Legends comic|dimensional investigator Skids]], who summoned them to help force [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] out of the [[Legends Universe]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 20|Bonus Edition Vol. 20}}

==Games==
===3D Battle-Card Game===
Skids was one of [[Optimus Primal]]'s many Autobot allies in a fight against [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s Decepticon forces, in what might possibly have been an inter-universe battle. {{storylink|3D Battle-Card Game#Energon Wars expansion|Energon Wars Expansion Set}}

===''Transformers Legends''===
During the war on Cybertron, Skids was among a group of Autobots led by [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]], who went to [[Tyrest (polity)|Tyrest]] in an attempt to reason with [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. They were ambushed by the Decepticons, and Sentinel Prime was killed. {{storylink|The War Within}}

===''Transformers: Battle Tactics''===
[[File:BattleTacticsSkids.jpg|thumb|400px]]
Skids participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was an Rare character that could be recruited by collecting 130 units of Cybermetal, 75 units of Transmetal, and 45 hunter cores. {{storylink|Transformers: Battle Tactics}}

===''Transformers Operation Omega''===
{{charstubgames|{{storylink|Transformers Operation Omega}}}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
{{anchor|G1v1}}
[[File:G1 Skids toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Introducing the new Nikahimi Deathtrap. With its poly-cotton body shell, it's the fastest car in the world... to open with the jaws of life. The Nikahimi Deathtrap—the last car you'll ever drive.]]
*'''Skids''' (Autobot Car, 1985)
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets
:Skids began life as part of [[TakaraTomy]]'s ''[[Diaclone]]'' toyline, where he was known simply by the name of his [[alternate mode]], the [[wikipedia:Honda City Turbo|Honda City Turbo]], and was available in blue, red, or black color schemes (see [[#Notes|Notes]], below). The blue version of the figure was used by [[Hasbro]] as part of the ''Transformers'' toyline, sans [[Wikipedia:Honda_Motocompo|a small scooter accessory]] that the ''Diaclone'' figure had come with which stored inside his trunk. Despite sharing this common point of origin with many of his fellow Autobot cars, he features a few unusual touches: his rear wheels fold into his feet for added [[robot mode]] stability, and his weapons attach by clipping over his forearms, rather than plugging into his fists. Among his armament is a "rocket pod", the spring-loaded missile-firing mechanism of which was neutered for Hasbro's release of the figure.

:Because Skids was not one of the original eleven [[Autobot Cars]] released at the line's inception, he is commonly grouped in with the later 1985 Autobot Cars both fictionally and in the minds of [[fandom|fans]]. However, Skids was actually added to the 1984 assortment some time before the 1985 wave was released (December 1984 is the current earliest confirmed availability of the figure), during which time he came in 1984 packaging including a "TM" mark by the "Transformers" logo, rather than a "(R)" mark. Like the other 1984 cars, at least some of these early Skids releases lacked the [[rubsign]] on the roof that would later be added to all Transformers toys in 1985. He was also one of the ''rarest'' mass-release G1 figures, with just one Skids included per every ''two'' [[Case|shipping cases]].

:Skids has been reissued several times; this article lists each reissue separately where appropriate. This mold itself is a [[retool]] of an earlier ''Diaclone'' toy, the Honda City R; this earlier tooling was used to make [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] and the ''[[Transformers Generations 2009]]'' exclusive [[Screech (Generations)|Screech]].

::*''[http://www.transformerland.com/wiki/toy-info/transformers-g1-autobot-cars-skids/519/ Patent info, price guide, and further reading on Skids at Transformerland.com]''
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1985/Autobot/Skids/skids.htm More information on Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers''===
{{anchor|VSZ}}
[[File:G1toy vsz set.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"Maybe the kids will notice me now that I'm bundled together with two other guys?"]]
*'''Skids & Sunstreaker vs Buzzsaw''' (multi-pack, 1985)
**''ID number'': '''VSZ'''
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets
: Skids was not released on his own in the Japanese Generation 1 toyline, and was instead available only in a multi-pack with [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], which was also the only way to get the other two on the Japanese market at the time. This box set remains a considerable rarity on the secondary market.
{{-}}

{{anchor|QuantumOperativeToy}}
[[File:G1toy quantum operative skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|You sure you can call this an homage?]]
*'''Skids & Screech Quantum Operative Ver.''' (exclusive multi-pack, 2009)
**''Accessories:'' "Material acceleration pistol", dual-barreled gun, "quantum shield" launcher, 3 rockets, scooter

:"Quantum Operative" Skids is a green redeco of the original Generation 1 toy, available in conjunction with his [[#Encore|''Encore'' release (below)]], and including for the first time the scooter accessory that was eliminated from the ''Diaclone'' toy for his original Transformers release. He was sold in a set with [[Screech (Generations)|Screech]] that was a mail-away [[exclusive]] available only with volume 3 of [[Hero-X|Million Publishing]]'s ''[[Transformers Generations 2009]]''. While Skids's colors are an homage to ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (franchise)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]], Screech is likewise a match for Skids's twin [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]].

:Amusingly, the color scheme for this exclusive was accidentally revealed early by TakaraTomy when they [[:File:Encore Skids Tokyo Toy Show 2009.jpg|mistakenly included its missile launcher]], denoted by its bright green launching tab, with the normal ''Encore'' version that was on display at Tokyo Toy Show 2009.<ref name="internat">[http://www.allspark.com/content/view/5790/20/ TakaraTomy Accidentally Gives Clue to TF Generations Vol. 3 Mail Away Figure?!]</ref>
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Cybertron/Skids/skids.htm More information on Quantum Operative Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===The Transformers Collection===
[[File:TF Collection 3 Skids.jpg|thumb|"Oh boy, a reissue! Now people are ''actually'' going to notice me!"]]
*'''Skids''' (reissue, [[2002]]-[[September 27|09-27]])
**''ID number'': '''3'''
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets

:Skids received his first reissue in 2002, when [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] made him available as part of their "book-box" ''[[The Transformers Collection|Transformers Collection]]'' series, surprising many with the inclusion of such an overlooked character so early in the line. He features no significant differences from the original (save for a working missile launcher, as with the original Japanese release), though the figure suffered from a common, if not universal, problem: an excess of plastic on the underside of Skids's right foot means that his rear wheel can not fold down flat beneath it, resulting in a slightly unstable robot mode. Since the original Japanese figure was released only in a giftset, Skids did not get a [[List of Japanese ID numbers|Japanese ID number]] at the time, a situation this reissue rectifies by retroactively giving him the ID number '''96''' on the included [[Tech Spec]] and [[bio]] card.

:The aforementioned Crosscut was released exclusively through [[e-HOBBY]] in conjunction with this reissue.

::*''[http://www.tf-1.com/articles/reissue/Skids_template.html More information on Transformers Collection Skids at TF-1.com]
{{-}}

===Commemorative Series===
[[File:G1toy commemorative skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"Whoa, two reissues! Good old Skids is moving up in life!"]]
*'''Skids''' (reissue, 2004)
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets

:Skids got his first Hasbro reissue as part of the eighth wave of their ''[[The Transformers: Generation One Commemorative Series|Commemorative Series]]'' line, [[exclusive]] to [[Toys"R"Us]] stores. He features no notable differences from the earlier Takara ''Transformers Collection'' release, except for the fact that his launcher's spring has been removed.
{{-}}

===Alternators/Binaltech===
[[File:Alt Skids toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Heavily clearanced so fanboys could customize him into Ironhide.]]
{{anchor|Alt}}
*'''Autobot Skids''' (2005)
**''Alternator ID number'': '''17'''
**''Japanese ID number'': '''BT-16'''
**''Accessories'': Engine-rifle

:Skids transforms into a 1:24-scale blue Scion xB. All four doors open, revealing a fully-detailed realistic interior with seats for a driver and passengers, plus his hood pops open to reveal his engine. His robot mode is very reminiscent of his original toy, with his head sculpt based off his animation model with toy details. His engine pops out and unfolds to become his hand-held pistol.

:The Hasbro ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]]'' release (part of the first wave of new "bubble packaging" toys) differs from the [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] ''Binaltech'' release in that it has a much darker shade of blue, tinted windows, and various Scion-type tampographed flame decals. The Japanese release naturally has die cast metal parts, is painted a lighter shade of blue, and has different paint decos. It also includes a sheet of stickers, including flames resembling the ones printed on the ''Alternators'' version, as well as some Generation-1-style red stripes, and most humorously, a Japanese "New Driver" badge.

:This mold was also used to make ''[[The Transformers: Binaltech Asterisk|Binaltech Asterisk]]'' [[Blaster (G1)/toys#Binaltech Asterisk|Broadblast]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Autobot/AltSkids/skids.htm More information on ''Alternators'' Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Encore===
[[File:G1toy encore skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"Three reissues?! Wow, I must be really popular by this point, r-right?"]]
*'''Skids''' (reissue, 2009)
**''ID number:'' '''18'''
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets

:TakaraTomy reissued Skids again in October 2009 as part of their ''[[Transformers Encore]]'' series. This version of the figure shifted its colors a little, changing him from tomato-red and blue to cherry-red and blueish-purple, as well as noticeably lightening the translucent blue plastic used for his windows. His Autobot symbol and tail light stickers were replaced with [[tampograph]]s, while some of his other stickers were updated slightly, including his factory-applied front grill sticker. Like past reissues, this figure too suffered with an unstable robot mode, and ''both'' feet had wheels that would not fold away flat.
{{-}}

===Generations===
[[File:Generations Skids.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|The theoretician the world deserves, not the one it needs right now.]]
*'''Autobot Skids''' (Deluxe, 2013)
**''Series / Number'': '''02 / #009'''
**''Accessories:'' Nudge gun & nitrogen gun (combine to form rifle)

:Part of the seventh wave of 2012-onwards ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' Deluxe Class toys, ''[[Thrilling 30]]'' "Autobot Skids" transforms from a contemporary-looking hatchback into a robot mode largely based on [[Alex Milne]]'s design for [[IDW Publishing|IDW]]'s ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' comic, most notably featuring that body's numerous integrated weapons. He also includes the [[nudge gun]] carried by Skids in said comic and a new version of the liquid nitrogen rifle from his original toy, the two of which can combine into a larger rifle. Both weapons can peg onto his hands or vehicle sides via [[5mm post]].

:There are numerous reports of the figure's hips being assembled the [[Misassembly|wrong way round]], thus affecting the car mode as well as hampering the leg articulation (and it could even result in the ball joints at the waist snapping off), this can simply be fixed by popping them out and swapping them to the right place (just as long as you are careful with the aforementioned ball joints). At least some later releases fixed this issue.

:He comes packaged with the [[Little Victories|twenty-second issue]] of IDW's aforementioned ''More than Meets the Eye'' comic series, featuring a cropped version of its retailer incentive cover, which is called out as a 'Hasbro Exclusive Cover' on its front.

:Skids was [[redeco]]ed into ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (toyline)|Age of Extinction]]'' [[Rollbar (AOE)#Toys|Rollbar]] and ''[[Transformers Timelines (toyline)|Timelines]]''/''[[Diaclone]]'' [[Burn Out (Diaclone)|Burn Out]], which was later [[Repurposing|repurposed]] as [[Skids (SG)|''Shattered Glass'' Skids]]. This mold was also [[retool]]ed into ''Generations'' [[Crosscut (Autobot)#Generations|Crosscut]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2014/Autobot/GenSkids/skids.htm More information on ''Generations'' Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Q-Transformers===
[[File:QTransformers Skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|As a last ditch effort to be relevant, Skids tried appealing to the "kawaii culture" crowd. It didn't work.]]
*'''Skids''' ([[2015]]-[[June 27|06-27]])
**''ID number:'' '''QT-21'''

:''[[Q-Transformers]]'' Skids is a redeco and retool of [[Hound (G1)/toys#Q-Transformers|QT-15 Hound]], transforming into a [[super deformed]] Suzuki Hustler.

{{-}}

===Kre-O===
{{anchor|SDCC2015}}
*'''Kreon Class of '85''' (Kreon figure set, 2015)
**''Set number'' '''B5152'''
**''Voted'': Most Thoughtful
**''Accessories'': 2 clip-on rifles

: ''[[Kre-O]]'' "Autobot Skids" is a small brick-built [[Kreon]] figure, using the 2015-style construction with raised hands and the sturdier "peg-in-peg" torso/waist connection. His body [[tampograph]]s are heavily toy-based, with a ton of intricate design.

: He was only available as part of the [[San Diego Comic-Con]]-[[exclusive]] "[[Kreon Class of '85]]" 30-Kreon set. This set was also sold online through [[Hasbro Toy Shop]] after the show.

{{-}}

===Legends===
[[File:Legendstoy-Skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|He might be a forgotten character but at the very least he can now be ignored by fans while sporting a relatively cool deco.]]
*'''Skids''' ([[2016]]-[[May 28|05-28]])
**''ID number:'' '''LG-20'''
**''Accessories:'' Nudge gun & nitrogen gun (combine to form rifle)

:''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' Skids is an extensive redeco of the ''Generations'' Skids toy. It features a color scheme faithful to the character's appearance in the ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' comic, with a darker shade of blue, black front grill with red details under the grill, silver and black detailing on the feet, painted front lights and pink striping on the front hood and on the back's sculpted detail.

{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Decoy===
[[File:Decoy skids.jpg|thumb]]
*'''Cybertron Hero Collection 22''' (multi-pack, 1986)

:Skids was among the many characters rendered by [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] as part of their series of 1.5" soft rubber ''keshigomu'' figurines. Like all the figures in the series, Skids featured a number sculpted into his back that was the sum total of his [[Tech Spec]]s, for use in the various games that could be played with the figurines. He was available in red as part of a 22-piece box set of Autobot figures, in peach as part of various other randomly-packed box sets released by Takara subsidiary [[Seven]], and in a wide variety of different colors in "gachapon" capsule machines.

*'''Skids''' (1987)
**''Decoy number:'' '''12'''

:The Skids figurine was later brought over to [[Hasbro]] markets as part of the [[Decoy]] promotion, largely identical to the Japanese release except for the fact that the number on his back was replaced with a simple "checklist" number. Like all Autobot Decoys, he was a randomly-chosen pack-in available with the carded [[Throttlebot]]s, [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]] and [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1986/Autobot/Decoys/Skids/skids.htm More information on Decoy Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

'''3d Battle-Card Game'''

{{anchor|3DBC}}[[File:EnergonWarsSkids.jpg|thumb|Are, uh, you sure you're a G1 character?]]
*'''Skids''' (3D Battle-Card, 2007)
:A 26-point "common" character in the [[3D Battle-Card Game]]'s "Energon Wars" expansion, Skids "transforms" into a grey pickup truck of indeterminate make. He uses the same parts layout as [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] and [[Dropkick (Movie)|Dropkick]].

:He is equipped with a LN2 Cryo Rifle, an Electron Blaster, and a Rocket Launcher, which are similar to his G1 weapons — but due to the interdimensional nature of the Energon Wars subset, the Battle-Card may or may not also represent the [[Skids (Movie)|live-action movie Skids]].
{{--}}

==Notes==
[[File:DiacloneSkids.jpg|thumb|A rainbow of theoretical flavors.]]
[[File:Skidsdiacloneconceptart.jpg|thumb|Suck it, Ironhide! This head was mine first!]]
*The ''[[Diaclone]]'' version of Skids was additionally available in black or red. The [[BotCon 2015]] toy and character [[Burn Out]], a non-Cybertronian ''Diaclone'' mech from within the ''Transformers'' [[multiverse]], is based on the black version.
*Skids' animation model head appears to be based on early ''Diaclone'' promotional concept art. The toy's head would be different... and ultimately different from the [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] head shown in his instructions, which also popped up a few times in the UK comics.
*Though Skids' toy turned into a Honda City Turbo, his car mode was often misinterpreted in Transformers fiction as one of the then-new minivans, despite the fact that a Honda City Turbo is a subcompact car, and as such, could theoretically be stowed in the back seat of an actual minivan. This is likely because most Americans in 1985 wouldn't know what a subcompact car is.
*As Skids was released in the interim between the original 1984 launch and the big push of new 1985 figures, the character consequently fell by the wayside in the Generation 1 fiction of the 1980s. He was not included in the commercial promoting the new 1985 range of Autobot Cars, as he wasn't technically part of it. Similarly, he was also left out of the list of new 1985 product in the Generation 1 cartoon's [[production bible]] intended for inclusion in the show's second season, and as such, only managed to appear in little more than cameo roles in just two episodes, speaking one line in each and voiced by a different actor each time. He fared a little better in the Marvel comics, debuting alongside (an incomplete roster of) the other 1985 cars, but after getting an issue dedicated to himself, he all but completely vanished from the book and was banished to [[limbo]] by the UK comic for upwards of 100 issues, abandoned and forgotten.
*In the "[[Survivors!]]" story, Skids was suddenly drawn with the original ''Diaclone'' toy's head (which years later would be used for the new character [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]]). "Survivors!"' artist, [[Dan Reed]], previously drew him with his real head, so it'd be interesting to learn why and how this change happened. (He would later mysteriously regain his own face.)
*In more recent years, toys sporting the name "Skids" have required an additional "Autobot" prefix for [[trademark]] reasons, hence making the official name "'''Autobot Skids'''".

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Skids''' (スキッズ ''Sukizzu'')
*''French:'' '''Platon''' ("Plato")
*''Hungarian:'' '''Szán'''
*''Italian:'' '''Furetto''' ("Ferret")
*''Mandarin:'' '''Shāchē''' (China, 刹车, "Brake")
*''Portuguese:'' '''Patins''' (Brazil comic, "Stakes"), '''Pé-de-cabra''' (Portugal comic, "Crowbar")
*''Russian:'' '''Tormoz''' (Тормоз, "Brake")

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:3D Battle-Cards]]
[[Category:Alternators Autobots]]
[[Category:Cloud Autobots]]
[[Category:Council members]]
[[Category:Decoys]]
[[Category:Dimension hoppers]]
[[Category:Dreamwave Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Exclusives]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Henkei! Henkei! Autobots]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Kre-O Autobots]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Legends Autobots]]
[[Category:Lost Light crew]]
[[Category:Q-Transformers characters]]
[[Category:Regeneration One Autobots]]
[[Category:Scientists]]
[[Category:SDCC exclusives]]
[[Category:Universe Autobots]]

Ultra Magnus (WFC)

2017-09-15T16:53:19Z

HailMegatron: /* Robots in Disguise mobile game */

{{faction|autobot|wreckers|hofsilver}}
{{disambig3|Ultra Magnus}}
[[File:PrimeBH-UltraMagnus-RotD2coverexcerpt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Duly Appointed Enforcer.]]
:''Ultra Magnus is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Aligned continuity family]].''

'''Ultra Magnus''' is the hammer-wielding commander of the [[Wrecker]]s, and one of [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]]'s closest lieutenants. He's more than capable of whipping even the worst disarray into military discipline, though he can get rather hung-up on protocol. Regardless, he's rightly feared among the [[Decepticon]] ranks.

{{quote|Daring, strategically ingenious, and courageous to the point of recklessness, Ultra Magnus hammers back the Decepticon forces — literally.|[[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]], writing in the [[Covenant of Primus]]|''[[Transformers: Exodus]]''}}

==Fiction==
===''The Covenant of Primus''===

Ultra Magnus emerged from the [[Well of All Sparks]] sometime during or before the [[Age of Origins]]. He became a member of the [[Wrecker]]s, a ferocious band of warriors who named themselves champions of the oppressed, protecting peaceful settlements from bandits like the Breakers, the Razers, and the Vandals.

When the [[Age of Wrath]] began, the [[Quintesson]]s arrived on Cybertron and introduced civilization (and class warfare) to the population. Ultra Magnus left the Wreckers behind to help form an organized police force out of [[Iacon]] under the auspices of the elected [[Sentinel Zeta Prime]]. Most of the Wreckers had no respect for authority, and refused to join the Prime's official enforcers. They continued to operate as illegal vigilantes for the common good on the fringes of civilized society. Ultra Magnus, however, accepted Sentinel's offer and became one of his intelligence agents. In fact, all was not copacetic between Sentinel's council of thirteen and their Quintesson masters. Magnus found himself secretly gathering intelligence data on the Quintessons themselves so that the Cybertronian might one day move against their overlords. He also assisted [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Orion Pax]] in recruiting [[Jazz (WFC)|Jazz]] to steal a Quintesson vehicle for study and reverse-engineering by the secret order.

Revolution eventually began, as Sentinel's secret order revealed many of the lies the Quintessons told the Cybertronians upon their arrival. The Wreckers achieved legitimacy during the war, as Ultra Magnus recruited his old comrades for the uprising. On one particular mission, Ultra Magnus served as personal guard to the archivist Orion Pax, charged with bringing top secret information to certain key figures in the war effort, info which couldn't be trusted to transmissions. During this expedition, Magnus helped forge the meek librarian into a true warrior as Quintesson shock troops repeatedly barred their way, and Pax and Magnus formed a bond on the battlefield.

During the Golden Age, the Wreckers remained official law enforcement officers, presumably under the overall command of Ultra Magnus.

As war broke out again on Cybertron, this time between Autobots and Decepticons, Ultra Magnus and the Wreckers stood by Orion Pax (now Optimus Prime) and the Autobots. When the Ark launched with Prime and many of his soldiers to seek the lost AllSpark, Magnus and the Wreckers remained behind to conduct guerrilla warfare tactics against the remaining Decepticon infrastructure. {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|Covenant of Primus}}

===Aligned novels===
Ultra Magnus was a sergeant of the [[Autobot High Council|Council]] Guardians who held back the Decepticons during the siege of the [[Hydrax Plateau]] spaceport despite overwhelming odds. Though the spaceport fell, Magnus and his main soldiers proved to be indispensable soldiers and were dubbed the "Wreckers". The Wreckers were crucial to holding [[Tagan Heights]], battling [[Devastator (WFC)|Devastator]] and buying time for the scientists there to build the [[Protectobot (WFC)|Protectobot]] [[combiner]] [[Defensor (WFC)|Defensor]].

When [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] corrupted the [[core]] of Cybertron with [[Dark Energon]], Ultra Magnus and his Wreckers had destroyed an armored convoy on the Iacon-Hydrax road. They guarded the entrance at the [[Well of All Sparks]] with [[Cliffjumper (WFC)|Cliffjumper]] while [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]], [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] and [[Jetfire (WFC)|Jetfire]] descended to purge the core. When the ''[[Ark (WFC)|Ark]]'' was completed, Ultra Magnus offered to stay behind and fight off [[Trypticon (WFC)|Trypticon]] when the gargantuan Decepticon emerged. Trypticon transformed into the ''Nemesis'' and pursued the ''Ark'' into space, but with his Wreckers and [[Omega Supreme (WFC)|Omega Supreme]] along with other remaining Autobots, Magnus was ready to battle [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]]'s new regime. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}}

Ultra Magnus, [[Springer (WFC)|Springer]], and [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] were present when Alpha Trion attempted to send the Autobot [[Chaindrive]] across the galaxy via a [[space bridge]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Exiles|Exiles}}

Shockwave finally made his move against Alpha Trion, arresting the sage from the [[Hall of Records]]. With Alpha Trion's neutrality no longer permitted, Ultra Magnus planned a rescue op. He assembled a team of Wreckers including Springer, Wheeljack, [[Jetfire (WFC)|Jetfire]], and [[Rack n' Ruin]] to infiltrate Iacon, access the [[Shockwave's Tower|Tower of Shockwave]], and retrieve Alpha Trion. They were provided support by the recently reactivated [[Omega Supreme (WFC)|Omega Supreme]], who would act as a suitable...distraction for their op.

Inside Iacon's walls, Ultra Magnus brought the Wreckers to [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]], who was secretly working with the Autobot resistance. [[Maccadam]] still shared the occasional oil with his Decepticon overlords, gathering intelligence. One of his patrons was an engineer who provided information on the Tower's mag-lev elevator, allowing the Wreckers to access it underground. The Wreckers were nearly accosted by [[Ratbat (WFC)|Ratbat]] and the Decepticon city garrison, but Magnus radioed Omega Supreme who began long-range bombardment of the city, drawing away the Deceptions.

The Wreckers infiltrated Shockwave's secret lair and recovered Alpha Trion, but the situation was more dire than they anticipated. Shockwave had been trying to access [[Vector Sigma]] using Alpha Trion's systems, but the [[Quintesson]]s had secretly tapped into that same circuitry to reactivate the long dormant Space bridge, beginning a [[Sharkticon (Prime)|Sharkticon]] invasion of Cybertron. The Wreckers raced to the Archives, where Alpha Trion intended to detonate the remaining articles of Cybertronian history that the Quintessons could claim. They were interrupted by General [[Tyrannicon]] of the Sharkticons, who jammed Alpha Trion's detonator. Fortunately, light-years away, Megatron had claimed the Sharkticon Matrix and therefore ended the Quintesson control over their slaves. Tyrannicon's troopers turned on him and each other, causing the all-but successful invasion to collapse in a matter of minutes. {{storylink|Transformers: Retribution|Retribution}}

===Ask Vector Prime===
In [[Uniend 610.23 Zeta]], {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime}} Ultra Magnus attended a meeting of Optimus's most trusted lieutenants, where the Autobot leader announced his plan to keep the AllSpark out of Megatron's reach by launching it into space. Ultra Magnus and his Wreckers were tasked with clearing the team's path to the Well of AllSparks of any Decepticon resistance.

When the Autobots neared the Well of AllSparks, they learned that Megatron was moving in much earlier than expected. Ultra Magnus and the Wreckers were posted on the Well's ridge as the Autobots' first line of defense. Ultra Magnus and his crew encountered Megatron soon enough, as well as a group of fliers that Jetfire had been unable to draw away from the battlefield. Ironhide left his own assigned post to assist Ultra Magnus in preventing Megatron from breaching the Well. After a prolonged effort, the Wreckers succeeded in keeping the Decepticons at bay long enough for the AllSpark to be safely launched. {{storylink|Bumblebee at Tyger Pax}}

===IDW Aligned comics===
[[File:RageOfTheDinobots2-UltraMagnus.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Of course I've heard of cows.]]
After [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] had left Cybertron, there was still a convoy of ships that was trying to escape what was left of the war. This convoy was escorted by Ultra Magnus and the [[Dinobot (FOC)|Dinobot]]s, who fended the escape crafts from Decepticon saboteurs. After saving [[Swoop (WFC)|Swoop]] from the Decepticons who had surrounded him, Ultra Magnus and his personal craft exploded and crashed. Ultra Magnus was pulled from the wreckage by surviving members of the long-lost [[Predacon (Prime)|Predacon]] faction and relocated to their hideout. Their commander, [[Ser-Ket (Prime)|Ser-Ket]], reported to her master, [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]], that Ultra Magnus was theirs and ready to be [[Forged|re-forged]]. {{storylink|Rage of the Dinobots issue 1|Rage of the Dinobots #1}}

Before Ser-Ket's Decepticons could get to him, Ultra Magnus was broken out of his cell by the Dinobots, who were searching for a captured Swoop. After letting them know that the lost Dinobot had also fallen into Ser-Ket's clutches, he accompanied his rescuers to the prison's roof where they were confronted by Ser-Ket and her new minion... and a re-forged Swoop. {{storylink|Rage of the Dinobots issue 2|Rage of the Dinobots #2}} Believing Swoop to be lost, Ultra Magnus suggested they leave him and focus on rescuing the other Autobots in the prison, but [[Grimlock (WFC)|Grimlock]] ignored him and challenged Ser-Ket to a duel for Swoop's freedom. {{storylink|Rage of the Dinobots issue 3|Rage of the Dinobots #3}} Ser-Ket was defeated, only for her master Shockwave to appear, defeat Ultra Magnus and the others with an [[electromagnetic pulse|EMP]], and bring them to his lab to finish his experiments on the Dinobots. Everyone but Grimlock was left in a cell, but broke out by having Magnus and [[Slug (FOC)|Slug]] fake an argument, tricking the guards into opening the cell to try to calm them down. After the Dinobots rescued Grimlock and defeated the avatar Shockwave was using to experiment on him, Ultra Magnus joined the rest of the Autobot fleet in space while the Dinobots elected to remain on Cybertron. {{storylink|Rage of the Dinobots issue 4|Rage of the Dinobots #4}}

===''Prime'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Michael Ironside]] (English)|[[Dieter Brian Gerlach]] (German), [[Dafnis Fernández]] (Latin American Spanish), [[Rauno Ahonen]] (Finnish)}}
[[File:Scattered-Ultra Magnus.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|My shoulder-pads may be huge, but they're regulation.]]
Ultra Magnus was Optimus Prime's second in command in the war for Cybertron {{storylink|Scattered}} and was a member of the Elite Guard. {{storylink|Evolution}} Ultra Magnus was assigned to head the Wreckers unit by [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]], in the hopes Magnus could instill some discipline into them. {{storylink|Project Predacon}} His appointment resulted in Wheeljack leaving the team. {{storylink|Chain of Command (Prime)|Chain of Command}} After the Great Exodus, Ultra Magnus wandered space in a [[Iron Will|ship]] searching for other survivors, reuniting with some but often only seeing them killed by Decepticons {{storylink|Scattered}}

[[File:UltraMagnusOrionPaxPart2.jpg|thumb|upright=1.77|[[Rebellion (Prime)#Quotes|You are looking... robust, SIR]]!]]
When an amnesiac Optimus, under his former name Orion Pax, was working for Megatron, [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] concealed any evidence of Optimus's current life, cloaking his image with a picture of Magnus. This did not stop Orion from decoding the image and revealing who Optimus Prime really was. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 2}}

Years later, after the fall of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Ultra Magnus detected a huge energy surge heading towards [[Earth]] and followed it there to search for Autobot energy traces. {{storylink|Prey (episode)|Prey}} He set down in front of the nearest signal to find [[Arcee (WFC)|Arcee]] and [[Jack Darby|a native life-form]]. {{storylink|Scattered}} After establishing proper chain of command, he took them aboard and proceeded to the next energy traces, only to find [[Wheeljack (Prime)|Wheeljack]] and [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] fighting a [[Predaking (Prime)|huge metal dragon]]. He picked the pair up along with [[Miko Nakadai|another native life-form]]. The beast gave chase but he eventually managed to knock it off the top of his [[Iron Will|spaceship]] by flying through a canyon. Magnus tracked the remaining Autobot traces to [[Harbinger|a wrecked Decepticon ship]] and found [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]] and [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]]. Assuming command in [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]]'s absence, Ultra Magnus introduced the Autobots to his weapons locker. {{storylink|Prey (episode)|Prey}}

[[File:Rebellion-UltraMagnus.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|[[Springer (G1)|"Wreck and Rule."]]]]
Magnus led an attack on [[Darkmount (Earth)|Darkmount]] with the goal of destroying Darkmount's fusion cannons so [[William Fowler|agent Fowler]] could destroy the fortress with a squad of jets. Using the kids as a means of dividing the Decepticon forces, Magnus flew his ship into battle and used it to lure the Predacon through a [[GroundBridge]]. When the Autobot forces got into trouble, he assaulted the [[fusion cannon]] control room himself, only to encounter [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] though he was out ranked and outclassed and was quickly defeated. Beaten and dragged to the throne room, Ultra Magnus was about to be executed after refusing to tell Megatron where Optimus was, even though he himself didn't know. His salvation came when Optimus Prime arrived in a more... robust form and trounced Megatron. Magnus knocked out Starscream and flew his ship to safety as Optimus destroyed the power core Following the destruction of Darkmount, Magnus joined the Autobots at a human military base, where he passed command back to Optimus. {{storylink|Rebellion (Prime)|Rebellion}}

[[File:ChainOfCommand Magnus forges a head.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|You mess with the bull...you get the HAMMER! ...that doesn't sound right.]]
Magnus went to the Autobots' [[Autobot Outpost Omega One|old base]] to scavenge what he could along with Wheeljack. Upon their return, Wheeljack tried lobbing his old lobbing ball at Bulkhead, but when the Wrecker failed to catch it, it almost crushed Miko. Ultra Magnus then angrily vilified Wheeljack, causing the Wrecker to storm off. Magnus was later instructed by Optimus Prime to lead Bulkhead and Wheeljack in a response team to a Decepticon sighting in [[Scotland]]. He took the [[Forge of Solus Prime]] with him, hoping to put it to some practical use. {{storylink|Project Predacon}} He remained unimpressed with Wheeljack's failure to follow orders, and even more so when it turned out the Wrecker had brought Miko along. Their infiltration of the Decepticon mining operation was interrupted by the arrival of the Predacon, which led to the three Wreckers' fighting the beast in a cavern while Miko went to contact base. The battle turned to disaster when one of Wheeljack's grenades brought the place down on them, and the Predacon got away with the fossil it was after. The resulting tension between Wheeljack and Ultra Magnus resulted in the former opting to leave the team. {{storylink|Chain of Command (Prime)|Chain of Command}} By the time Magnus and Bulkhead had flown back to base, Wheeljack had been talked into staying. {{storylink|Plus One (Prime)|Plus One}}

[[File:EvolutionMagnusWheeljacktogether.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66]]
Ultra Magnus continued to find himself having trouble fitting in with Team Prime, even being ditched when Optimus Prime would return to base. Optimus was talking to Magnus about his commanding issues when they detected raw energon being moved. Magnus joined the others in capturing it then exploring the mine with the Wreckers, and [[Smokescreen (Prime)|Smokescreen]]. He and Wheeljack explored one side of the mine and stumbled on [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]]'s laboratory full of Predacon clones. After engaging Shockwave they destroyed it, only to encounter [[Predaking (Prime)|Predaking]], now able to transform into a robot, on their way out. Despite acquitting themselves well against the Predacon, the pair were soundly defeated, with the Predacon breaking the Forge and crushing Magnus's right hand. Only the intervention of Optimus saved them. They returned to base for repairs, and as Ratchet did what he could for Magnus's hand, Optimus told him that on Earth, Team Prime had become a family. {{storylink|Evolution}}

[[File:MinusOne-UltraMagnus.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|The Claaaawwww...]]
With the technology available, Ratchet was only able to supply Magnus with a makeshift claw to replace his hand. To make things worse, Magnus was forced to stay at base, forbidden to go out into battle until he had recovered some dexterity in his new appendage. With some persuasion on Wheeljack's behalf, Magnus was allowed to go on a mission to the [[Solaris particle collider]] in [[Antarctica]]. He led the other Autobots into the base while Optimus faced Predaking outside, and the team ran into heavy Vehicon resistance. {{storylink|Minus One}} Magnus actually managed to get the better of Shockwave, only for Predaking to arrive and take both Shockwave and the generator. Returning to base, the Autobots found that Ratchet had been abducted by Soundwave, but Magnus was determined that they wouldn't give up. {{storylink|Persuasion}}

[[File:Deadlock-WheeljackMagnusSmokesalute.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|"See you at the party."]]
They launched [[Chip|a probe]] carrying [[Laserbeak (WFC)|Laserbeak]]'s transponder and monitored it and Optimus's progress from the base. Though the probe was destroyed, Ratchet was able to send them the coordinates to the Decepticon warship, and Ultra Magnus ordered everyone to gear up before leading them through the GroundBridge to assault the ''Nemesis''. {{storylink|Synthesis}} The three Wreckers were ordered to take the bridge, however no sooner did they reach their target than Soundwave bridged them to another part of the ship. Magnus informed the others that his team would be delayed, and in fact when they reached the bridge again, it had already been captured by Jack and Miko. With the warship until their control, the Autobots flew it to Cybertron and used the Omega Lock to restore their home world. After Optimus's obligatory speech, Magnus shared a mutual salute with Fowler before returning home. {{storylink|Deadlock}}

[[File:PredaconsRisingUltraMagnusDown.JPG|thumb|upright=1.66|I think I'll just take a nap now.]]
Following the ceremony promoting Bumblebee to warrior, Optimus Prime disembarked with Wheeljack to find the AllSpark and left Ultra Magnus in charge during his absence. Ultra Magnus took part in patrols to try and find the missing Starscream, Shockwave and Predaking. Instead he and Smokescreen ran into [[Darksteel (Prime)|Darksteel]] and [[Skylynx]], and despite Magnus's best attempts he was severely injured in the ensuing battle against Skylynx. Tended to by Ratchet, Magnus missed out on the battle to defeat [[Unicron]], leaving Bumblebee to take command of the team in his absence. He was present and conscious, albeit on a reclining medical table when Optimus Prime gave a final speech and sacrificed himself to restore the AllSpark to Cybertron. {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Prime)|Predacons Rising}}

===''Tales of the Beast Hunters''===
After being newly born out of [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]]'s evolution vats, [[Grimwing (Prime)|Grimwing]] came upon Ultra Magnus. {{storylink|Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 15}} The Autobot, out on patrol, spotted Grimwing as he descended towards him. He immediately attacked, striking the Predacon with the Forge of Solus Prime, only to find himself being disarmed and severely damaged in response. {{storylink|Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 16}}

===Titan ''Prime'' comic===
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 4.18|Power Outage}}}}

===''Transformers: The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe''===
[[File:The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe Ultra Magnus.jpg|thumb|150px]]
Pursuing the AllSpark after it had been launched into space, Ultra Magnus was one of the many Autobots that found their way to Earth. There, he participated in a great battle within a human settlement against the Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformers: The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe|The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe}}

===2015 ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon===
Some years after Cybertron's rebirth, a statue of Ultra Magnus was constructed in his honor. {{storylink|Pilot (Part 1)}}

===IDW ''Robots in Disguise'' comic===
Having taken command of [[Team Prime]] after the death of Optimus Prime, Ultra Magnus led Arcee and Bulkhead to Earth, where they spied on Bumblebee's team from their spaceship. {{storylink|Fire, When Ready!}} Magnus sent Arcee and Bulkhead to question [[Spinhead]], but they reported back that the Decepticon had already been captured by Bumblebee's team. {{storylink|Robots in Disguise issue 1|Robots in Disguise #1}}

The trio paid Bumblebee a visit to question some of the prisoners from the Alchemor over the whereabouts of [[Clipshade]]. With the help of Bumblebee's team they were able to capture the Decepticon in question, and Ultra Magnus promptly had Clipshade spirited away to his ship. {{storylink|Robots in Disguise issue 2|Robots in Disguise #2}}

Magnus paid Team Bee another visit to give them some answers after an operation resulted in [[Overhead]] escaping. {{storylink|Robots in Disguise issue 3|Robots in Disguise #3}} After Magnus apologized for keeping secret the fact that Clipshade was actually a secret Autobot operative tasked with trying to find the true leader of the Sect, he and Bumblebee worked together to attempt a new plan. Ultra Magnus used [[Sideswipe (RID)|Sideswipe]] as a spy and was able to get more information on their foe from [[Skullcruncher (RID)|Skullcruncher]], leading them to attack Overhead's hideout. Despite a last ditch attempt by Overhead to turn the [[space bridge]] she was building into a black hole, the Sect leader and her hench-[[Croctobot]]s were captured, and Magnus took them back to Cybertron on his ship. {{storylink|Robots in Disguise issue 4|Robots in Disguise #4}}

===''Adventure'' toy bios===
Ultra Magnus led an elite unit of Autobots, including [[Cosmos (Adventure)|Cosmos]] and [[Powerglide (Adventure)|Powerglide]], who supported [[Bee Team (RID)|Bumblebee's team]] from the shadows. {{storylink|#Adventure|''Adventure'' Ultra Magnus bio}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: War for Cybertron'' (DS)===
[[File:UltraMagnusWFCDSconcept.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|"I can't make this joke right now."]]
{{voiceactor|[[Jamieson Price]] (English)}}
Following Trypticon's crash-landing and subsequent rampage on Cybertron, Ultra Magnus took part in the Autobot counter-attack on the beast. At one point, he was pinned down by enemy fire, and asked Jetfire and Ironhide for assistance.

Somehow Ultra Magnus got corrupted by [[Dark Energon]] and left in the sewers, likely by the Decepticons [[Swoop (WFC)|who are known to do that sort of thing]]. There he ran around randomly breaking things until the Autobots, unaware of his presence, placed a bomb in the sewers, intending to prevent them from falling under Decepticon control. When the Autobots detected a strange signal coming from the collapsing sewers, they sent in a small team to investigate. The team was confronted with the sight of Magnus crashing through a wall, and realized he'd been corrupted. With time short, the Autobots fought Ultra Magnus until the Dark Energon was purged from his system and he regained his senses. Then they all high-tailed it out of the sewers before the final collapse. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (DS)|War for Cybertron - Autobots/Decepticons}}
{{Note|Ultra Magnus is an unlockable character for the [[Transformers: War for Cybertron (DS)|Nintendo DS version]] of ''War for Cybertron'', unlocked by defeating him in the "Sewer 6" arena mission.}}

{{-}}

===''Transformers: Fall of Cybertron''===
[[File:FOC-Magnusmodel.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Don't mind the badge.]]
{{Note|Ultra Magnus does not appear in the campaign of ''Fall of Cybertron''. However, he is available in multiplayer if the Havoc DLC pack is downloaded.}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron}}
{{-}}

===Top Trumps===
[[File:UltraMagnusPrime-TopTrumps.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|"This is for you new people: I only have one rule. Everyone fights. No one quits. You don't do your job, I'll shoot you. You get me?"]]
One of the most fearsome warriors the Autobots have, Ultra Magnus commands [[Wrecker|an elite special forces unit]]. {{storylink|Top_Trumps#Transformers:_Prime|Top Trumps: Transformers Prime}}
{{-}}
===''Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark''===
====Console====
{{Charstubgames}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Rise of the Dark Spark (console)|Rise of the Dark Spark (console)}}

===''Transformers Ultimate Allstars''===
{{Charstubgames}}{{storylink|Adventure Episode II}}
===''Transformers: Battle Tactics''===
[[File:Battle-Tactics-Ultra-Magnus-(FOC).jpg|thumb|400px]]
Ultra Magnus (FOC) participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was an Epic character who could be acquired as a reward in the "Cybertron: Episode 3" event. {{storylink|Transformers: Battle Tactics}}
{{-}}

===''Robots in Disguise'' mobile game===
[[File:TFRID-Game-Ultra-Magnus.jpg|190px|thumb|Please, remember: I'M NOT OPTIMUS PRIME!!!]]
*''Unlock'' — 1500 Energon Cubes
<gallery>
File:RID2015_game_Ultra_Magnus_vehicle.jpg| 
</gallery>

{{Note|Ultra Magnus appears in this game as a skin for Optimus Prime.}} {{storylink|Transformers: Robots in Disguise (mobile game)|Robots in Disguise}}

==Toys==
===Cyberverse===
[[File:Prime-toy CyberverseCommanderUltraMagnus.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Can't deal with lying down on the job.]]
*'''Ultra Magnus''' (Cyberverse Commander, 2012)
**''Series / Number'': '''02 / 007'''
**''Japanese release date'': '''2012-[[July 28|07-28]]'''
**''Japanese ID number'': '''EZ-16'''
**''Accessories:'' Battle hammer/Cannon

: Part of the third wave of ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)|Prime]]'' [[Cyberverse#Series 2|Series 2 ''Cyberverse'']] Commander Class toys, Ultra Magnus transforms into a truck and back! This version of Magnus is a new mold of a one-piece flat-bed truck, and he features a translucent chest and front windshield to interact with the light-up features of the various Cyberverse playsets. He comes with a translucent blue hammer which can also transform into an artillery cannon, and he can hold the weapon in either mode with his hands, or store it on a [[C joint|3mm post]] on his roof/back. Additionally, he has 3mm peg-holes on his toolboxes/forearms, his truck rear, and on either side of his hammerhead/cannon base. In order to accommodate holding the hammer by the haft, Magnus's hands are molded unusually open, likely in order to avoid stress marks and/or breakage.

: He also has [[kibble#"Faux-parts"|fake wheels]] on the insides of his legs, in order to emulate the look of his Voyager Class toy (see below), whose transformation he can't completely mimic.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2012/Autobot/CommUltraMagnus/ultramagnus.htm More information on Cyberverse Ultra Magnus at TFU.info]''

{{-}}{{anchor|BHCyberverse}}
[[File:Cyberverse-2014-beast-hunters-ultra-magnus.JPG|thumb|upright=1.95]]
*'''Ultra Magnus''' (Cyberverse Commander, 2014)
**''Series / Number:'' '''3 / 011'''
**''Accessories:'' Forge of Solus Battle Hammer

: Part of the last known wave of ''Prime: [[Beast Hunters]] Cyberverse'' Commander Class toys, Ultra Magnus is a [[retool]]/[[redeco]] of Series 2 ''Cyberverse'' Commander Class [[Optimus Prime (WFC)/toys#Cyberverse|Optimus Prime]], reflecting his depiction in the third season of the ''Prime'' cartoon. Transforming into a long-nosed truck, he comes with the [[Forge of Solus Prime#BHCyberverse|Forge of Solus Battle Hammer]], a hammer that can be held by his hands, or store/mount onto numerous 3mm ports on his person. Additionally, the Forge features a [[5mm post]] near its hammerhead, allowing it to store on his trailer hitch port.

:Due to being released after the Christmas season and before the launching of the [[Transformers: Age of Extinction (toyline)|''Age of Extinction'' toy line]], Ultra Magnus and the other figures of his [[wave]] were ultimately only available in Hong Kong, Canada and Europe.

: Multiple specimens have their smokestacks [[misassembly|swapped]] compared to both the original Optimus Prime release of the sculpt and its Nightwatch Optimus Prime redeco/retool. Fortunately, the smokestacks can be swapped back with ease. The official [[stock photography|stock photos]] depict the smokestacks assembled correctly.

::*[http://www.tfu.info/2014/Autobot/BHUltraMagnus/ultramagnus.htm More information on Beast Hunters Cyberverse Ultra Magnus at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

===Prime===
{{anchor|Voyager}}
[[File:Primetoy-UltraMagnusVoyager.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Probably hangs out with [[Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#DOTMVoyFireburst|Fireburst Optimus Prime]].]]
[[File:Primetoy-TakaraTomy-UltraMagnus.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Magnus in Pajamas.]]
*'''Ultra Magnus''' (Voyager, 2012)
**''Series / Number'': '''1 / 006'''
**''Japanese release date'': '''2012-[[December 15|12-15]]'''
**''Japanese ID number'': '''AM-27'''
**''Accessories'': Blaster cannon/Battle hammer & missile (Hasbro only), Arms Micron Ulma (TakaraTomy only)

: Part of the fourth wave of ''[[Transformers: Prime (toyline)#Robots in Disguise (2012)|Prime: Robots in Disguise]]'' Voyager Class toys, this larger-scale Magnus comes with a (non-firing) rocket, as well as massive artillery cannon that transforms into a "battle hammer", with its hammerhead illuminated by an LED. Unlike all the other Voyager Class light-up weapons in the line, the cannon is capable of locking into hammer mode. These weapons can peg onto any of his numerous 5mm mounting points. Nominally, the [[instructions]] tell you to peg the cannon's hammerhead posts onto both of the flip-out 5mm socket-mounts on his truck bed, but it can only securely peg onto one of them at a time thanks to slightly mis-aligned pegs/mounts.

: He is mis-transformed in his [[stock photography]], with the rear truck wheels left sticking out of his lower legs, rather than folding around his calves. It also depicts him having additional [[paint operation]]s which were omitted from the final product, such as the red paint on the upper half of his chest, and the silver paint on his abdomen, smokestacks, and truck bed sides. Additionally, the weapon's locking mechanism appears to have been [[retool]]ed for the final toy. These stock photo errors are present in the [[robot mode]] render seen in the [[Ultra Magnus (WFC)#Top Trumps|Top Trumps]] section of this page, with said render (from the waist up) being used as this toy's [[package art]].

: The [[TakaraTomy]] release, part of the ninth wave of Japanese ''Prime'' toys, features numerous differences from the Hasbro release. His blue plastic is [[Neon|brighter]] and non-metallic, his grille, toes, and sculpted shoulder rockets are a brighter gray, and his arms, thighs, and hands are a darker gray. Most of his paint operations have been replaced with customer-applied foil [[sticker]]s, and of what paint remains, his white has been replaced by yellow, his silver is brighter, and his red is more matte. Instead of the Hasbro accessories, he comes with his [[Arms Micron]] partner [[Ulma]], who transforms into his hammer. The hammer can still be wielded two-handed, but doesn't make a particularly convincing artillery cannon.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2012/Autobot/UltraMagnus/ultramagnus.htm More information on ''Robots in Disguise'' Ultra Magnus at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

===Generations===
[[File:Generations-toy FOCUltraMagnus.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|"Yeah, that was my sword phase. I... don't want to talk about it."]]
*'''Ultra Magnus''' (Deluxe, 2012)
**''Series / Number'': '''1 / 009'''
**''Japanese release date'': '''[[2013]]-[[February 23|02-23]]'''
**''Japanese ID number'': '''TG11'''
:*''Accessories:'' Three-piece sword, blaster

: Part of the third wave of 2012 ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations'']] Deluxe Class toys, [[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|''Fall of Cybertron]]'' Ultra Magnus is a blue, white, red, black, and silver retool/redeco of ''Fall of Cybertron'' [[Optimus Prime (WFC)/toys#FOCtoy|Optimus Prime]], retaining the blaster, and coming with a new head and sword. The blaster features two 5mm posts at the top and bottom, while the sword features 5mm posts for its handle and on its side, and is modeled after the blade used by Optimus at the end of ''Fall of Cybertron'' campaign. The sword is actually made up of three pieces, which can combine with the blaster to form an even ''bigger'' sword, with the two blade halves clipping onto slots present on the blaster's body, and the handle being pegged onto the blaster's handle. Ultra Magnus features numerous 5mm ports for storage and mounting, such as his hands, arms, robot back, smokestacks, the sides of his legs/truck rear, and the soles of his feet (which end up on top of the truck rear).

: Unusually, his stock photography depicts him with ''fewer'' [[paint operation]]s than the final product, with the final toy having black paint details on his lower legs that the toy in the stock photo lacks.

: The [[TakaraTomy]] version of Ultra Magnus is cast in a brighter shade of blue with a coast of metallic blue paint on his torso, and features gray plastic and paint rather than white. He also features numerous new paint details to highlight his sculpted details, as well as blue eyes.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2013/Autobot/FOCUltraMagnus/ultramagnus.htm More information on ''Generations'' Ultra Magnus at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Beast Hunters===
[[File:BHtoy Voyager Ultra Magnus.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Two can play at this game, Prime!]]
*'''Ultra Magnus''' (Voyager, 2013)
**''Series / Number'': '''2 / 005'''
**''Accessories'': [[Forge of Solus Prime#Beast Hunters|Forge of Solus battle hammer]], backpack, two missiles

: Part of the third wave of ''Prime: Beast Hunters'' Voyager Class toys, Ultra Magnus is now a retool/redeco of the "Robots in Disguise" Voyager Class [[Optimus Prime (WFC)/toys#Voyager|Optimus Prime]] toy. He lacks the smokestacks from previous versions of this mold, and his forearms sport the additional 5mm post holes from the [[TakaraTomy]] [[Arms Micron]] release of Optimus Prime. His shoulders can be flipped down to be used as built-in pressure-firing [[missile]] launchers, and the missiles can store on clips on said shoulders.

:He comes with a larger-scale "Forge of Solus battle hammer", which features a 5mm handle. He also comes with a winged backpack that is similar in appearance to the one used by "Beast Hunters" [[Optimus Prime (WFC)/toys#BHVoyager|Optimus Prime]]. Its wings each feature a clip for missile storage, and the backpack is stored in [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]] by mounting all three of its 5mm pegs onto the truck rear peg-holes. The backpack has a tab and peg-hole for storing the hammer in either mode.

:Most Ultra Magnus toys are [[Misassembly|mis-assembled]]: His leg panels have been swapped compared to his stock photography and to other uses of this mold. This is easily fixed by unscrewing the panels and swapping them. Additionally, his instructions and stock photography depict him with smokestacks that he doesn't have anymore. His instructions also include the [[Tales of the Beast Hunters Chapter 16|sixteenth chapter]] of the ''[[Tales of the Beast Hunters]]'' series. The original TakaraTomy version of this mold was redecoed to make ''Prime'' AM-25 [[Nemesis Prime (Prime)|Nemesis Prime]].

:This toy was [[Repurposing|repurposed]] as the ''[[Transformers Cloud|Cloud]]'' version of [[Ultra Magnus (G1)#Cloud|Generation 1 Ultra Magnus]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2013/Autobot/UltraMagnus/ultramagnus.htm More information on ''Beast Hunters'' Ultra Magnus at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

===Platinum Edition===
[[File:PlatinumEditiontoy-T30UltraMagnus.jpg|thumb|upright=1.95|... And then his side-view mirrors became a whole lot more useless.]]
*'''Ultra Magnus''' (Weaponizer, 2013)
**'''03 OF 30'''
**''Accessories'': [[Forge of Solus Prime#Platinum Edition|Forge of Solus Battle Hammer]], blaster cannon

: ''[[Transformers: Platinum Edition|Platinum Edition]]'' '[[Thrilling 30]]' Ultra Magnus is a retool/redeco of the "Robots in Disguise" Weaponizer Class [[Optimus Prime (WFC)/toys#Weaponizer|Optimus Prime]] toy. He retains the blaster cannon accessory, and additionally comes with a different and even larger version of the "Forge of Solus Battle Hammer", which can only be held via two smaller 5mm handles on either end of the haft. The Forge can mount onto the rear of his truck mode, or store in robot mode by clipping tightly onto the grille on his back. As the ''entire'' grille is painted, clipping the Forge onto it will inevitably result in paint chipping. He features additional 5mm ports on his shoulders and legs/truck rear.

: His ''main'' gimmicks, however, are the two large, blue-and-white mini-guns hidden in his back/hood, which can deploy and "weaponize" either mode. When deployed, the mini-guns swing out from his back/hood and spin, while a red LED inside his torso lights up briefly. The mini-guns swing down to the sides of his head in robot mode, and can also be deployed in vehicle mode when one manually opens the grille. Pushing down on the blue lever on the center his torso (in either mode) briefly lights up the LED again and swings the mini-guns back into their hiding places.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2013/Autobot/PlatinumUltraMagnus/ultramagnus.htm More information on ''Platinum Edition'' Ultra Magnus at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

===Adventure===
{{anchor|TransformersAdventure}}
[[File:Takaratomy-tav-14-TFP-BH-Ultra-Magnus.jpg|right|upright=1.67|thumb|I got a tan and dipped my hammer in gold. Buy me again.]]
*'''Ultra Magnus''' (Voyager, [[2015]]-[[April 25|04-25]])
**''Japanese ID number'': '''TAV14'''
**''Accessories'': Forge of Solus battle hammer, backpack, two missiles

:A show-accurate redeco of the [[#Beast Hunters|''Beast Hunters'' Voyager Class Ultra Magnus]], which is a retool/redeco of the "Robots in Disguise" Voyager Class Optimus Prime toy. As a redeco of the retooled Arms Micron Optimus Prime toy, his forearms sport the additional 5mm post holes. His shoulders can be flipped down to be used as built-in pressure-firing missile launchers, and the missiles can store on clips on said shoulders.

:His scannable Autobot insignia is on his robot mode left shoulder. Scanning this in the Transformers Adventure Mobile App unlocks the toy to the app's collection list. As he was released in a windowed package, his badge was covered by a dummy sticker, preventing it to be scanned during pre-purchase.

{{-}}

===Robots in Disguise (2015)===
{{anchor|Legion}}
[[File:RID2015-Legion-Class-Ultra-Magnus.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]
*'''Ultra Magnus''' (Legion, 2016)
:Part of the fifth wave of ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 toyline)|Robots in Disguise]]'' Legion-class product, Ultra Magnus is a redeco of the earlier Legion-class [[Optimus Prime (WFC)/toys#RIDLegion|Optimus Prime]]. Magnus features 3mm posts on his hands and elbows/"trailer" parts.

:His scannable Autobot insignia is on his robot mode left shoulder. Scanning this in the [[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (mobile game)|''Robots in Disguise'' mobile game]] temporarily unlocks the Legion-Class Ultra Magnus figure as a playable character if the player has not permanently unlocked it already. However, the badge is completely impossible to scan in vehicle mode.

:The toy initially sold in selected toy stores in Singapore before it hits the US markets.

{{-}}

==Notes==
*Magnus's [[Magnus Hammer|hammer]] is a reference to the [[Ultra Magnus (Animated)|''Animated'' Ultra Magnus]], while his role as leader of the Cybertronian resistance and the [[Wrecker]]s references his [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Generation 1 counterpart]] in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)#Marvel UK|Marvel UK comic series]] and the [[Dreamwave Productions]] comic series. His personality in ''Prime'' is based on [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|his IDW counterpart]]: a stiff bore obsessed with rules and regulations who travels from planet to planet in his own personal spacecraft.
*It is no surprise that Magnus wields exactly the same built-in gun type as Optimus, given that in the ''Prime'' cartoon, Magnus and Optimus share the same [[body-type]]. Magnus even shares Optimus' older alt-mode, albeit with the addition of a Dyson-esque cargo hold where the trailer coupling would be.
*A proposed [[Fun Publications]] [[BotCon]] [[exclusive]] was a redeco of [[#Prime|''Prime'' Ultra Magnus]] into the Generation 1 [[Turbomaster]] [[Thunder Clash]].<ref>[http://www.toycollectors.com.au/bc14/bc14br.html BotCon 2014 attendee report]</ref>

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Ultra Magnus''' (ウルトラマグナス ''Urutora Magunasu'')

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Cyberverse]]
[[Category:Fall of Cybertron Autobots]]
[[Category:Generations]]
[[Category:Hall of Fame characters]]
[[Category:Platinum Edition]]
[[Category:Prime Autobots]]
[[Category:Robots in Disguise (2015) Autobots]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron Autobots]]
[[Category:Wreckers]]

Jolt (ROTF)

2017-09-15T16:31:29Z

HailMegatron: /* The Last Knight film */

{{factions|autobotfilm|NEST}}
{{disambig3|Jolt}}
:''Jolt is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Live-action film series|live-action film]] [[continuity family]].''

[[File:Jolt uk2.9.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"Well screw you, [[Michael Bay|Michael]], I'm gonna go hang with [[Simon Furman|Simon]] instead! ''He'' lets me have a go on the Playstation!"]]

'''Jolt''' has a tendency towards mischief making. Like any prankster, he's pretty impulsive, and if trouble rears its head, you can bet Jolt is going to try to be in the middle of it. (Though he more often ends behind it, mostly out of focus, as luck would turn out.) Luckily, he's got the fighting ability to make sure his head stays on his shoulders, utilizing electric whips in battle.

He loves to act crazy in battle: it disorients and confuses the Decepticons, drawing them in close so he can whip 'em!

{{quote|"Why do you hardly see Jolt in the film, and why doesn't he talk?" "Jolt did get quite a bit of screen time for a new kid on the block."|[[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] lies to a young reader|[[Transformers Comic issue 2.11|''Transformers'' #11's letters page]]|noquote=true}}

==Fiction==
===''Revenge of the Fallen'' film===
[[File:Jolt-ROTFalltiedup.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"There I am! Behind those guys!"]]
Jolt was one of the Autobots who answered [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime's]] call to come to Earth in the two years since [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron's]] defeat.

When the Autobots mobilized in response to a sudden surge in [[Decepticon]] activity, Jolt rolled into action at the head of the pack, but he was not among the Autobot team who fended off Megatron and [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] after the two Decepticons killed Optimus in a forest brawl. Jolt reunited with the other Autobots before they headed back to the [[NEST]] base on [[Diego Garcia]], but the team was scarcely given any time to mourn Prime's passing; as soon as they returned, they were accosted by military forces under the command of [[Theodore Galloway]]. The emotionally brittle Autobots did not take this show of force well, and charged their weapons; Jolt began emitting bright sparks of electricity in anticipation of a fight, but things soon calmed down as Galloway announced that NEST was being disbanded by [[President of the United States|presidential]] order.

[[File:Jolt-ROTFcombiningPrimeandJetfire.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"By your powers combined, I am...well, I'm nobody, actually."]]

Jolt later accompanied the Autobots and their human allies to [[Egypt]], for a climactic [[Operation: Firestorm|battle]] against [[The Fallen]]'s [[Decepticon]]s. He can be seen shooting at Decepticons with Ratchet and Sideswipe and emitting electric blasts. During the course of the battle, [[Sam Witwicky]] used the [[Matrix of Leadership]] to bring Optimus Prime back to life, at which point the aged [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]] volunteered to sacrifice himself, so that Optimus could use his parts to give himself a power boost. Following Ratchet's directions, Jolt used his electric whips to link Prime up with Jetfire's remains, generating an electromagnetic field that levitated and bonded the necessary parts to Prime's body, giving him a powerful new flight-capable form which he then used to destroy The Fallen. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
{{-}}

===''The Last Knight'' film===
Jolt's head is seen in the [[Junkyard (TLK)|junkyard]], behind [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The Last Knight|The Last Knight}}
{{-}}

===Titan movie comics===
[[File:Titan2-9 Jolt bringiton.jpg‎|left|thumb|upright=1.67|"I will execute hostages ''every hour'' until I have guarantees of more screentime. Don't test me!"]]

Some time after the defeat of the Fallen, while the Autobots were still in the process of rounding up the Decepticons scattered across Earth, Jolt was part of a unit sent to Beverley Hills, Los Angeles, to apprehend [[Reverb (ROTF)|Reverb]]. The Autobots attempted to subtly divert Reverb away from human traffic to minimize collateral damage, but the rambunctious Jolt jumped the gun and began pursuing the motorcycle Decepticon through the City of Angels. Tearing across pavements and parks with no regard for the humans in his way, Jolt attempted to stop Reverb with his electro-whips, but instead wound up striking a power pole and blowing every electrical system in the immediate vicinity. Thankfully, Reverb was captured by [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]], but Jolt's carelessness landed the Autobots in a lot of trouble with [[Theodore Galloway]]. Optimus Prime stressed the importance of treading carefully to Jolt, who promised to be "the soul of discretion".

Unfortunately, two days later, discretion was nowhere to be seen when Jolt went hog-wild in the middle of [[Las Vegas]], battling the martial artist Decepticon [[Bludgeon (ROTF)|Bludgeon]]. With one of his electro-whips severed by the Bludgeon's sword, Jolt was sent crashing through a casino wall, but what stung more were the Decepticons' taunts that everything would have been fine if he had not been so overzealous and allowed him to leave the city before attacking. Bludgeon then turned his attention to the casino's patrons, but a repentant Jolt threw himself in the path of the blast meant for them. As Bludgeon loomed over him, preparing to strike with his sword, Jolt seized the blade and used his powers to channel the entire output of Las Vegas's electric grid straight into the skeletal samurai. Although Bludgeon was defeated by the monumental shock, the city was left blacked out by Jolt's stunt, and Optimus Prime was reluctantly forced to confine him to base. Jolt accepted his punishment, but as he walked back into headquarters, he overheard a transmission came through from a NEST squad in the field, announcing they were under Decepticon attack... and Jolt gritted his teeth for action... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.9|Culture Shock}}

[[File:Titan2-11 joltisarmless.jpg‎|thumb|No! I can't die! I have to audition for ''Dark of the Moon''!]]

He later underwent further training alongside [[Dune Runner (ROTF)|Dune Runner]] and [[Rollbar (ROTF)|Rollbar]], and undertook a survival exercise in [[Death Valley]], [[California]]. He noted to Dune Runner that Bumblebee had found a pretty horrible place to train. He followed Rollbar's lead to a deserted ghost town and happily used his powers to track down the recharge pack the Autobots had hidden there. However, he also found...[[Dead End (ROTF)|Dead End]]! His left arm was torn off, and though he ordered Rollbar to focus on Dead End and not him, the monster Decepticon still tore through the other cadets. Realising they were running on empty, a desperate Jolt used every bit of power in the recharge pack to charge up an electro-whip and knock Dead End out before he could kill the others.

At Rollbar's urging, the cadets took the Decepticon back to [[Diego Garcia]] for medical treatment. [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] told Jolt and the others that this act of mercy showed they had what it takes to be real Autobots. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.11|Spare Parts!}}

[[File:Titan2-12 joltwait.jpg‎|left|thumb|upright=1.2|Check out this acting! With all this practice, I'm ''bound'' to get a role in ''Dark of the Moon''! ...right?]]

Following this, they spent some time under [[Springer (ROTF)|Springer]], a famed veteran of whom they were in awe. He taught them ''always'' to do the unexpected. Jolt, to the shock of the other cadets, spoke up during training to say they'd done ''enough'' exercises and they'd like to have a go at real combat. Springer agreed, and Jolt blew off the other cadet's claims of Springer having a rep as a monster by noticing that he was just a true soldier. A few days later, in [[Texas]], they got that combat op: Springer distracted [[Tankor (ROTF)|Tankor]] while the cadets snuck round to free hostages. However, Jolt spotted [[Dirge (Movie)|Dirge]] coming in to get the drop on the commander and decided to leave his mission to get involved in the fight. Using his electro-whips, he redirected Tankor's fire into Dirge and saved the day! Springer was pissed that Jolt had disobeyed orders, but Jolt flippantly said that hey, he'd just been doing the unexpected, like he'd been taught. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.12|Rules of Engagement}}

Jolt and his crew would be called in to [[CFB Comox|NEST Ops Vancouver]] to search for the missing [[Stratosphere]]; they knew he may have died, but Jolt said they had to look anyway. It turned out he was doing fine on his own and had just saved the day before they arrived, which was a bit embarrassing for Jolt. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.14|Head in the Clouds}}
{{-}}

===IDW movie comics===
[[File:Rising-storm-03-jolt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.95|Jolt's audition for ''Dark of the Moon'']]
Jolt was part of an Autobot team sent to a ruined petrochemical plant in [[Florida]] to investigate the appearance of several unknown [[spark]] traces. However, before they could reach their goal, they were attacked by [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]]. The ensuing battle didn't take long, as the Decepticon soon retreated, but it was enough of a distraction for Jolt and the others for the owners of the spark traces to get away. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 1|Nefarious #1}}

Later, back at the [[NEST]] base, Jolt was cited by [[Theodore Galloway]] as an example of [[William Lennox|Lennox]] not following protocols and alerting him to new recruits. It seemed Galloway, like most everyone else, never noticed Jolt had been around since before the rise of the Fallen. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 2|Nefarious #2}}

Jolt and his fellow cadets, [[Knock Out (ROTF)|Knock Out]] and [[Dune Runner (ROTF)|Dune Runner]], joined Bumblebee on a mission to transport the captured Soundwave to a secure location. They were shot down en route by Soundwave's minions. Jolt was thrown for a loop by [[Beastbox (ROTF)|Beastbox]], and Bumblebee made the command decision to free Soundwave and let the Decepticons escape rather than risk further casualties after the recent death of [[Breakaway (ROTF)|Breakaway]]. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 3|Nefarious #3}}

Jolt was later part of the attack force sieging [[Carter Newell]]'s mobile base at Crater Lake. His team was assaulted by a group of Cybertronians Newell had assumed control over using an artificial [[Allspark]]. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 5|Nefarious #5}} During the fight, Jolt's team was joined by [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]] to rescue Bumblebee from the automatons. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 6|Nefarious #6}}

[[File:RisingStormJoltDies.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|Jolt: Wait! Wait! Don't shoot! I have to star in ''Dark of the Moon''! Shockwave: I don't know who you are, but I don't want you in the same movie as me!]]

Later, Jolt learned that Bumblebee was defending [[Sam Witwicky]] from a Decepticon attack all alone, and was eager to get out there to help him. To his disappointment, Optimus Prime instead ordered him, Knock Out and Dune Runner to remain on [[Diego Garcia]] and keep an eye on the captive [[Fearswoop (ROTF)|Fearswoop]] along with a number of confused Autobot refugees liberated from Carter Newell's control. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 2|Rising Storm #2}} Jolt took to guarding Fearswoop, but while he was making himself busy telling the prisoner off and reading comic books, the corpse of Knock Out suddenly crashed through a wall, courtesy of [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]]. He prepared to take the intruder on with his electric whips, but Shockwave was unimpressed and shot him down. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 3|Rising Storm #3}} Jolt desperately tried to contact Optimus Prime for help, but his message failed to get through and he was killed by Shockwave. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 4|Rising Storm #4}}

Shortly after his death, a grave was made for him. {{storylink|Dark of the Moon issue 1}}

===Toy bios===
When Jolt goes too long without expending his built-up electricity, he gains the ability to charge his body with static, shooting lightning everywhere. {{storylink|#Fast Action Battlers|Spark Blast Jolt}}

Jolt had trained more as a healer than as a warrior, and when he found himself entrenched against a horde of advancing Decepticons in a desert battle, he decided that, with caution and luck, he might be able to take down [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]]. {{storylink|#Legends Class toys 2|Desert Ruins Brawl}}

Later on, Jolt faced off [[Decepticon]] courier [[Payload (Movie)|Payload]]. He had no idea how he ended up having to deal with such a powerful hulk of a beast, but as long as he was there, he couldn't just back down. Heck, considering [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]'s by his side this time, the fight's almost even. His plan of confusion and distraction should mess with the reckless Payload's headlong charges long enough for him to tame the bullheaded Decepticon with his stunning electro-whips, after which he and Ratchet could go in and take him down. {{storylink|#Deluxe Class toys 2|Electrostatic Jolt}}

His commanding officers had spent years trying to teach him patience and discipline and it ''still'' hadn't caught on by 2011. {{storylink|#Deluxe_Class_toys_3|MechTech Jolt}}

==Toys==
===''Revenge of the Fallen''===
[[File:ROTFtoy-JoltLegends.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|A toy proportionate to my screentime!]]
*'''Jolt''' (Legends, 2009)

:Part of the sixth wave of ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Legends Class]] figures, Jolt transforms into a blue [[Wikipedia:Chevrolet Volt|Chevrolet Volt]]. Tiny whips are molded onto his arms, making him one of the few Legends toys to feature weaponry.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2010/Autobot/LegJolt/jolt.htm More information on Legends Jolt at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

[[File:ROTF Deluxe Jolt toy.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|[[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] would approve of this alt-mode.]]
*'''Jolt''' (Deluxe, 2009)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RA-19'''

:Deluxe class Jolt transforms into a blue Chevrolet Volt with translucent blue plastic windows. His alt-mode is very conspicuously split where his arms and legs separate during transformation. In robot mode, he has light blue "electro whips" in each arm which are deployed by turning a small knob on his wrist. His head features blue [[light-piping]] for his eyes, but there is a gray protrusion behind his head which completely prevents light passage. This protrusion also prevents his ball-jointed head from turning other than in the slightest of angles. Turning his waist activates his [[Mech Alive]] feature, which consists of moving gears inside his translucent upper chest (it is really hard to see). Jolt also has swiveling knees, but sadly, the kibble blocks it off just like the head.

:Sadly, out of the ''Revenge of the Fallen'' toys released as of late summer 2009, Jolt has lost the most paint applications of anyone, losing nearly all blue paint detailing on his chest and all red detailing present in the promotional photos. This leaves his robot mode looking rather plain.

:The picture to the right shows Jolt's feet mistransformed—at least according to the instructions, which show that the two halves of his alt mode's back bumper forming his toes should be turned inward 90 degrees. Which depiction is the actual mistransformation is debatable, as the "official" transformation makes the left toe piece stand a couple millimeters higher than the right one due to the presence of a joining peg. The large pieces of kibble on his back should also be rotated and fitted into his shoulders.

:In a twist of ''awesome'' irony, he is a Movie Autobot who has the classic Autobot [[insignia|faction symbol]] on his chest.

:During part of 2010, [http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/transformers-toy-giveaway.cfm Hasbro did a promotion] wherein US fans could receive three free Deluxes in exchange for receipts showing the purchase of $25 or more of select Transformers product. As noted in [http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=69645&st=0 this thread over at Allspark.com], and later confirmed by [http://web.archive.org/web/20110221171904/http://www.entertainmentearth.com/prodinfo.asp?number=HT83971G3 this listing here], Jolt was one of a pool of eight figures (all from the same wave) from which the free Deluxes were drawn, with several people having noted receiving him.

{{-}}

====Fast Action Battlers====
[[File:JoltFAB.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|A [[Volt]] named [[Electro]] Whip [[Jolt (G2)|Jolt]]—three [[Laser Rod]]s in one!]]
*'''Electro Whip Jolt''' (Fast Action Battler, 2009)

:Electro Whip Jolt transforms into a slightly squashed [[Wikipedia:Chevrolet Volt|Chevrolet Volt]] with an unfortunate transformation parts separation line going right across his windshield. Jolt's robot mode transformation is reminiscent of Transformers car toys from previous generations, where the sides of the car are his arms and the rear his feet. Jolt's arms each contain a spring loaded "electro whip" that shoots out of them when a blue tab is depressed. Moving either of his arms up, then releasing it will cause it to swing back down, simulating a whipping motion.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Autobot/FABJolt/jolt.htm More information on Electro Whip Jolt at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

{{anchor|Sparkblast}}
*'''Spark Blast Jolt''' (Fast Action Battler, 2010)
[[File:ROTFtoy-JoltSparkBlast.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Now with more toys than appearances in the film!]]
: Spark Blast Jolt is a [[redeco]] of Electro Whip Jolt in mostly white with blue electricity deco on his doors. This is supposed to represent Jolt when he is in battle for a long time and charges with electricity. The [[bio]] also says he is all about electricity. Weird.

:This toy did not see mass retail release in the United States, but is confirmed to have come out in Europe (or at least Germany).

{{-}}

===Transformers (2010)===
[[File:WMDesertRuinsBrawlAndJolt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|He'll put a shock to your <s>system</s> sense of fashion.]]
*'''Desert Ruins Brawl''' (Walmart exclusive multi-pack, 2010)

:This [[Walmart]] exclusive multi-pack includes a redeco of Legends Class Jolt in light gray and blue with bright green detailing, with some bright green flame decals on the sides and hood of the vehicle. He comes with a redeco of Deluxe Class [[Brawl (Movie)#Deluxe Class toys 3|Brawl]] in yellow, brown and gray. Taken together, they may be the least appealingly-colored set of toys in years. This set was later sold in the Family Dollar store chain, and spotted at Rossy stores in eastern [[Canada]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2010/Autobot/WMJolt/jolt.htm More information on Desert Ruins Brawl Jolt at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

[[File:TF2010toyline ElectrostaticJolt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Now more electric than ever!]]

*'''Electrostatic Jolt''' (Deluxe, 2010)

: Electrostatic Jolt is a redeco of ''Revenge of the Fallen'' Deluxe-class Jolt with a blue roof and gold parts in robot mode. He also has an electricity pattern decoed on his doors similar to Spark Blast Jolt.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2010/Autobot/Jolt/jolt.htm More information on Electrostatic Jolt at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Dark of the Moon===
[[File:DOTM MechTechDeluxe Jolt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|At long last, I can turn my head!]]
*'''Jolt''' (MechTech Deluxe, 2011)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''DA14'''
**''Accessories:'' [[MechTech]] Blaster/Hand Cannon

:Part of the second wave of ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (toyline)|Dark of the Moon]]'' Deluxe Class toys, this version of Jolt is a new mold, and transforms into a black and grayish-blue Chevy Volt, featuring "Allspark blue"-colored decals, and with the black on the roof and hood being textured to resemble carbon-fiber panels. While the specific details of his robot mode are actually ''less'' accurate to the movie model than the previous toy due to the limits of toy engineering, (the wings being made from the sides of the car instead of the front, and the front now being his feet, for example) he certainly ''looks'' more accurate, with his chest and feet being deformed and collapsed, more slender limbs, claw "hands" with three digits each, and his back kibble forming his distinctive "wings", all the while featuring a much less clumsy and far more articulated design to boot. Despite all of this however, his head is ''still'' based on his more common, shrimpy design instead of his CG model.

:Replacing his electro-whips, he comes with a MechTech blaster that turns into a hand cannon when the scope is pulled. This weapon can either be plugged via [[5mm post]] on two "concealed" holes on his roof in vehicle mode, underneath his forearms in robot mode, or onto the hole on his back in robot mode. As with all other MechTech Deluxe weapons, the converted weapon cannot lock into place.

:Additionally, flipping out a tab in each of his arms reveals some small [[C joint]]-compatible bars.

:The [[stock photography]] on his packaging depicts his black parts as smooth and untextured, instead of the carbon-fiber texture on the final toy.

:His Mechtech weapons was later reused for ''Chronicle'' [[Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#Chronicle2Pack|Movie Optimus Prime]] and ''Age of Extinction'' Evolution 2-pack [[Bumblebee_(G1)/toys#Age_of_Extinction|"Classic" Bumblebee]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2011/Autobot/Jolt/jolt.htm More information on ''Dark of the Moon'' Jolt at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

===Movie Advanced Series===
[[File:Lost Age AD-14 Jolt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|He's like a reverse [[Dread (DOTM)|Dread]]—vehicle pigtails instead of robot dreadlocks.]]
*'''Jolt''' (Deluxe, 2014)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''AD14'''
**''Accessories:'' 2 electro-whips

:Part of [[TakaraTomy]]'s ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (toyline)|Lost Age: Advanced Line]]'', this is a redeco of ''Dark of the Moon'' Jolt in his blue ''Revenge of the Fallen'' color scheme. Replacing his MechTech blaster, he comes with two electro-whips that plug via 5mm post.

{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Robot Heroes===
[[File:Robotheroesjoltravage.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Oh, like anybody bought this set for Jolt.]]
*'''Jolt and Ravage''' (2009)
:''[[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]]'' Jolt is part of the second ''Revenge of the Fallen'' wave. He has articulation at the shoulders and neck, and comes packaged versus [[Ravage (ROTF)#Robot Heroes|Ravage]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Autobot/RHJolt/jolt.htm More information on ''Robot Heroes'' Jolt at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===RPMs - Robot Powered Machines===
[[File:ROTF-toy RPM Jolt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|After being run over, Jolt now hates hybrids.]]
*'''Jolt''' (2009)
**''Series:'' '''Speed Series'''
**''Number:'' '''03 of 04'''

:As a [[Robot Powered Machines|Mini-Vehicle]], Jolt is a non-transformable, ''Hot Wheels''-scale Chevrolet Volt. His robot mode is sculpted surging with electricity on the car's underside, alongside his name and an Autobot insignia.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Autobot/RPMJolt/jolt.htm More information on RPMs Jolt at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

==Notes==
[[File:Joltconcept.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Jolt wants a CGI photo.]]
[[File:ROTF Jolt vehicle mode.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Kicking Decepticon skidplate and staying environmentally friendly!]]

*Jolt was a last-minute addition to the film during the four-month rush to get a script done after the Writers Guild strike. The writers had to convince Bay that Jolt would feel like a true member of the main Autobot roster.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-movie-discussion/180451-welcome-mr-roberto-orci-you-may-ask-him-questions-190.html#post3231606 Roberto Orci discusses Jolt's inclusion in the film].</ref> Ultimately, this wasn't what you could call a success: Jolt only appeared in robot mode in three scenes of the movie, and the character has no lines whatsoever. He even abruptly disappears from the Autobot vehicle mode group shot where he appears for the first time. Jolt ''does'' get a name shout-out, which is something, at least, but that doesn't change the fact that he was so disposable to the plot that he didn't appear in any of the tie-in comics, books, or video games until ''seven months'' after the film had come out.
*Furthermore, none of Jolt's toy and comic book appearances were accurate to his CG model. Closer inspection of his head reveals the final design was far less shrimpy than the concept art Hasbro used.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-movie-discussion/287152-jolt-cgi-2.html#post5212602 TFW2005 post of shots from the film, the special features and a fan retool of the Deluxe toy.]</ref>
*During production of ''Revenge of the Fallen'', [[TakaraTomy]] were informed that Jolt had been dropped from the movie, so product development on him was halted. However, when they saw a photo of Jolt on the set of ''Revenge'', they realised that contrary to what they had been told, he ''was'' still in the movie, and hurriedly went back to work on his toys!<ref>TakaraTomy designer interview in ''Transformers Generations 2009 Volume 3'' [http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-news-rumors/281700-takaratomy-staff-interview-rotf-human-alliance-gravity-bots-more.html Translated interview on ''Revenge of the Fallen'' work from ''Transformers Generations 2009 Volume 3'' on TFW2005.com]</ref>
*Concept art and an image of Jolt's [[Industrial Light & Magic]] CG model (seen from an awkward angle on a computer screen) were depicted on the [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)/home video|''Revenge of the Fallen'' 2-Disc DVD and Blu-ray]] special features.
*Although Jolt never speaks in the movie, Variety had reported, and it was believed for awhile, that [[Anthony Anderson]] was to voice the late-joining Autobot.<ref>http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117940483.html?categoryid=31&cs=1</ref>
*One of the Volt vehicles used as Jolt in the movie is on display at the [[wikipedia:Test Track|Test Track]] attraction at [[wikipedia:Epcot|Epcot]].
*Some scenes of Jolt in vehicle mode in Jordan were shot, but never appeared. Oh, come on!
*On August 2, 2010, Nelson Lauren, the webmaster of Michael Bay's official website, declared on the message boards of [http://www.tfw2005.com TFW2005] that there will be "no Jolt" for ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon]]''.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-news-rumors/316853-big-red-autobot-fire-truck-tf3-30.html#post5064356 Nelson's post on TFW2005.com]</ref> Hence, in IDW's ''Dark of the Moon'' prequel, Jolt goes bye-bye.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Jolt''' (ジョルト ''Joruto'')
*''Hungarian:'' '''Sokk''' ("Shock")

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Age of Extinction Autobots]]
[[Category:Dark of the Moon Autobots]]
[[Category:NEST]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen Autobots]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Transformers (2010) Autobots]]
[[Category:Wal-Mart exclusives]]

Jolt (ROTF)

2017-09-15T16:30:04Z

HailMegatron: /* The Last Knight film */

{{factions|autobotfilm|NEST}}
{{disambig3|Jolt}}
:''Jolt is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Live-action film series|live-action film]] [[continuity family]].''

[[File:Jolt uk2.9.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"Well screw you, [[Michael Bay|Michael]], I'm gonna go hang with [[Simon Furman|Simon]] instead! ''He'' lets me have a go on the Playstation!"]]

'''Jolt''' has a tendency towards mischief making. Like any prankster, he's pretty impulsive, and if trouble rears its head, you can bet Jolt is going to try to be in the middle of it. (Though he more often ends behind it, mostly out of focus, as luck would turn out.) Luckily, he's got the fighting ability to make sure his head stays on his shoulders, utilizing electric whips in battle.

He loves to act crazy in battle: it disorients and confuses the Decepticons, drawing them in close so he can whip 'em!

{{quote|"Why do you hardly see Jolt in the film, and why doesn't he talk?" "Jolt did get quite a bit of screen time for a new kid on the block."|[[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] lies to a young reader|[[Transformers Comic issue 2.11|''Transformers'' #11's letters page]]|noquote=true}}

==Fiction==
===''Revenge of the Fallen'' film===
[[File:Jolt-ROTFalltiedup.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"There I am! Behind those guys!"]]
Jolt was one of the Autobots who answered [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime's]] call to come to Earth in the two years since [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron's]] defeat.

When the Autobots mobilized in response to a sudden surge in [[Decepticon]] activity, Jolt rolled into action at the head of the pack, but he was not among the Autobot team who fended off Megatron and [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] after the two Decepticons killed Optimus in a forest brawl. Jolt reunited with the other Autobots before they headed back to the [[NEST]] base on [[Diego Garcia]], but the team was scarcely given any time to mourn Prime's passing; as soon as they returned, they were accosted by military forces under the command of [[Theodore Galloway]]. The emotionally brittle Autobots did not take this show of force well, and charged their weapons; Jolt began emitting bright sparks of electricity in anticipation of a fight, but things soon calmed down as Galloway announced that NEST was being disbanded by [[President of the United States|presidential]] order.

[[File:Jolt-ROTFcombiningPrimeandJetfire.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"By your powers combined, I am...well, I'm nobody, actually."]]

Jolt later accompanied the Autobots and their human allies to [[Egypt]], for a climactic [[Operation: Firestorm|battle]] against [[The Fallen]]'s [[Decepticon]]s. He can be seen shooting at Decepticons with Ratchet and Sideswipe and emitting electric blasts. During the course of the battle, [[Sam Witwicky]] used the [[Matrix of Leadership]] to bring Optimus Prime back to life, at which point the aged [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]] volunteered to sacrifice himself, so that Optimus could use his parts to give himself a power boost. Following Ratchet's directions, Jolt used his electric whips to link Prime up with Jetfire's remains, generating an electromagnetic field that levitated and bonded the necessary parts to Prime's body, giving him a powerful new flight-capable form which he then used to destroy The Fallen. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
{{-}}

===''The Last Knight'' film===
Jolt's head is seen in the [[Junkyard | junkyard, behind [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The Last Knight|The Last Knight}}
{{-}}

===Titan movie comics===
[[File:Titan2-9 Jolt bringiton.jpg‎|left|thumb|upright=1.67|"I will execute hostages ''every hour'' until I have guarantees of more screentime. Don't test me!"]]

Some time after the defeat of the Fallen, while the Autobots were still in the process of rounding up the Decepticons scattered across Earth, Jolt was part of a unit sent to Beverley Hills, Los Angeles, to apprehend [[Reverb (ROTF)|Reverb]]. The Autobots attempted to subtly divert Reverb away from human traffic to minimize collateral damage, but the rambunctious Jolt jumped the gun and began pursuing the motorcycle Decepticon through the City of Angels. Tearing across pavements and parks with no regard for the humans in his way, Jolt attempted to stop Reverb with his electro-whips, but instead wound up striking a power pole and blowing every electrical system in the immediate vicinity. Thankfully, Reverb was captured by [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]], but Jolt's carelessness landed the Autobots in a lot of trouble with [[Theodore Galloway]]. Optimus Prime stressed the importance of treading carefully to Jolt, who promised to be "the soul of discretion".

Unfortunately, two days later, discretion was nowhere to be seen when Jolt went hog-wild in the middle of [[Las Vegas]], battling the martial artist Decepticon [[Bludgeon (ROTF)|Bludgeon]]. With one of his electro-whips severed by the Bludgeon's sword, Jolt was sent crashing through a casino wall, but what stung more were the Decepticons' taunts that everything would have been fine if he had not been so overzealous and allowed him to leave the city before attacking. Bludgeon then turned his attention to the casino's patrons, but a repentant Jolt threw himself in the path of the blast meant for them. As Bludgeon loomed over him, preparing to strike with his sword, Jolt seized the blade and used his powers to channel the entire output of Las Vegas's electric grid straight into the skeletal samurai. Although Bludgeon was defeated by the monumental shock, the city was left blacked out by Jolt's stunt, and Optimus Prime was reluctantly forced to confine him to base. Jolt accepted his punishment, but as he walked back into headquarters, he overheard a transmission came through from a NEST squad in the field, announcing they were under Decepticon attack... and Jolt gritted his teeth for action... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.9|Culture Shock}}

[[File:Titan2-11 joltisarmless.jpg‎|thumb|No! I can't die! I have to audition for ''Dark of the Moon''!]]

He later underwent further training alongside [[Dune Runner (ROTF)|Dune Runner]] and [[Rollbar (ROTF)|Rollbar]], and undertook a survival exercise in [[Death Valley]], [[California]]. He noted to Dune Runner that Bumblebee had found a pretty horrible place to train. He followed Rollbar's lead to a deserted ghost town and happily used his powers to track down the recharge pack the Autobots had hidden there. However, he also found...[[Dead End (ROTF)|Dead End]]! His left arm was torn off, and though he ordered Rollbar to focus on Dead End and not him, the monster Decepticon still tore through the other cadets. Realising they were running on empty, a desperate Jolt used every bit of power in the recharge pack to charge up an electro-whip and knock Dead End out before he could kill the others.

At Rollbar's urging, the cadets took the Decepticon back to [[Diego Garcia]] for medical treatment. [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] told Jolt and the others that this act of mercy showed they had what it takes to be real Autobots. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.11|Spare Parts!}}

[[File:Titan2-12 joltwait.jpg‎|left|thumb|upright=1.2|Check out this acting! With all this practice, I'm ''bound'' to get a role in ''Dark of the Moon''! ...right?]]

Following this, they spent some time under [[Springer (ROTF)|Springer]], a famed veteran of whom they were in awe. He taught them ''always'' to do the unexpected. Jolt, to the shock of the other cadets, spoke up during training to say they'd done ''enough'' exercises and they'd like to have a go at real combat. Springer agreed, and Jolt blew off the other cadet's claims of Springer having a rep as a monster by noticing that he was just a true soldier. A few days later, in [[Texas]], they got that combat op: Springer distracted [[Tankor (ROTF)|Tankor]] while the cadets snuck round to free hostages. However, Jolt spotted [[Dirge (Movie)|Dirge]] coming in to get the drop on the commander and decided to leave his mission to get involved in the fight. Using his electro-whips, he redirected Tankor's fire into Dirge and saved the day! Springer was pissed that Jolt had disobeyed orders, but Jolt flippantly said that hey, he'd just been doing the unexpected, like he'd been taught. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.12|Rules of Engagement}}

Jolt and his crew would be called in to [[CFB Comox|NEST Ops Vancouver]] to search for the missing [[Stratosphere]]; they knew he may have died, but Jolt said they had to look anyway. It turned out he was doing fine on his own and had just saved the day before they arrived, which was a bit embarrassing for Jolt. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.14|Head in the Clouds}}
{{-}}

===IDW movie comics===
[[File:Rising-storm-03-jolt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.95|Jolt's audition for ''Dark of the Moon'']]
Jolt was part of an Autobot team sent to a ruined petrochemical plant in [[Florida]] to investigate the appearance of several unknown [[spark]] traces. However, before they could reach their goal, they were attacked by [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]]. The ensuing battle didn't take long, as the Decepticon soon retreated, but it was enough of a distraction for Jolt and the others for the owners of the spark traces to get away. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 1|Nefarious #1}}

Later, back at the [[NEST]] base, Jolt was cited by [[Theodore Galloway]] as an example of [[William Lennox|Lennox]] not following protocols and alerting him to new recruits. It seemed Galloway, like most everyone else, never noticed Jolt had been around since before the rise of the Fallen. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 2|Nefarious #2}}

Jolt and his fellow cadets, [[Knock Out (ROTF)|Knock Out]] and [[Dune Runner (ROTF)|Dune Runner]], joined Bumblebee on a mission to transport the captured Soundwave to a secure location. They were shot down en route by Soundwave's minions. Jolt was thrown for a loop by [[Beastbox (ROTF)|Beastbox]], and Bumblebee made the command decision to free Soundwave and let the Decepticons escape rather than risk further casualties after the recent death of [[Breakaway (ROTF)|Breakaway]]. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 3|Nefarious #3}}

Jolt was later part of the attack force sieging [[Carter Newell]]'s mobile base at Crater Lake. His team was assaulted by a group of Cybertronians Newell had assumed control over using an artificial [[Allspark]]. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 5|Nefarious #5}} During the fight, Jolt's team was joined by [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]] to rescue Bumblebee from the automatons. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 6|Nefarious #6}}

[[File:RisingStormJoltDies.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|Jolt: Wait! Wait! Don't shoot! I have to star in ''Dark of the Moon''! Shockwave: I don't know who you are, but I don't want you in the same movie as me!]]

Later, Jolt learned that Bumblebee was defending [[Sam Witwicky]] from a Decepticon attack all alone, and was eager to get out there to help him. To his disappointment, Optimus Prime instead ordered him, Knock Out and Dune Runner to remain on [[Diego Garcia]] and keep an eye on the captive [[Fearswoop (ROTF)|Fearswoop]] along with a number of confused Autobot refugees liberated from Carter Newell's control. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 2|Rising Storm #2}} Jolt took to guarding Fearswoop, but while he was making himself busy telling the prisoner off and reading comic books, the corpse of Knock Out suddenly crashed through a wall, courtesy of [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]]. He prepared to take the intruder on with his electric whips, but Shockwave was unimpressed and shot him down. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 3|Rising Storm #3}} Jolt desperately tried to contact Optimus Prime for help, but his message failed to get through and he was killed by Shockwave. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 4|Rising Storm #4}}

Shortly after his death, a grave was made for him. {{storylink|Dark of the Moon issue 1}}

===Toy bios===
When Jolt goes too long without expending his built-up electricity, he gains the ability to charge his body with static, shooting lightning everywhere. {{storylink|#Fast Action Battlers|Spark Blast Jolt}}

Jolt had trained more as a healer than as a warrior, and when he found himself entrenched against a horde of advancing Decepticons in a desert battle, he decided that, with caution and luck, he might be able to take down [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]]. {{storylink|#Legends Class toys 2|Desert Ruins Brawl}}

Later on, Jolt faced off [[Decepticon]] courier [[Payload (Movie)|Payload]]. He had no idea how he ended up having to deal with such a powerful hulk of a beast, but as long as he was there, he couldn't just back down. Heck, considering [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]'s by his side this time, the fight's almost even. His plan of confusion and distraction should mess with the reckless Payload's headlong charges long enough for him to tame the bullheaded Decepticon with his stunning electro-whips, after which he and Ratchet could go in and take him down. {{storylink|#Deluxe Class toys 2|Electrostatic Jolt}}

His commanding officers had spent years trying to teach him patience and discipline and it ''still'' hadn't caught on by 2011. {{storylink|#Deluxe_Class_toys_3|MechTech Jolt}}

==Toys==
===''Revenge of the Fallen''===
[[File:ROTFtoy-JoltLegends.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|A toy proportionate to my screentime!]]
*'''Jolt''' (Legends, 2009)

:Part of the sixth wave of ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Legends Class]] figures, Jolt transforms into a blue [[Wikipedia:Chevrolet Volt|Chevrolet Volt]]. Tiny whips are molded onto his arms, making him one of the few Legends toys to feature weaponry.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2010/Autobot/LegJolt/jolt.htm More information on Legends Jolt at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

[[File:ROTF Deluxe Jolt toy.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|[[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] would approve of this alt-mode.]]
*'''Jolt''' (Deluxe, 2009)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RA-19'''

:Deluxe class Jolt transforms into a blue Chevrolet Volt with translucent blue plastic windows. His alt-mode is very conspicuously split where his arms and legs separate during transformation. In robot mode, he has light blue "electro whips" in each arm which are deployed by turning a small knob on his wrist. His head features blue [[light-piping]] for his eyes, but there is a gray protrusion behind his head which completely prevents light passage. This protrusion also prevents his ball-jointed head from turning other than in the slightest of angles. Turning his waist activates his [[Mech Alive]] feature, which consists of moving gears inside his translucent upper chest (it is really hard to see). Jolt also has swiveling knees, but sadly, the kibble blocks it off just like the head.

:Sadly, out of the ''Revenge of the Fallen'' toys released as of late summer 2009, Jolt has lost the most paint applications of anyone, losing nearly all blue paint detailing on his chest and all red detailing present in the promotional photos. This leaves his robot mode looking rather plain.

:The picture to the right shows Jolt's feet mistransformed—at least according to the instructions, which show that the two halves of his alt mode's back bumper forming his toes should be turned inward 90 degrees. Which depiction is the actual mistransformation is debatable, as the "official" transformation makes the left toe piece stand a couple millimeters higher than the right one due to the presence of a joining peg. The large pieces of kibble on his back should also be rotated and fitted into his shoulders.

:In a twist of ''awesome'' irony, he is a Movie Autobot who has the classic Autobot [[insignia|faction symbol]] on his chest.

:During part of 2010, [http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/transformers-toy-giveaway.cfm Hasbro did a promotion] wherein US fans could receive three free Deluxes in exchange for receipts showing the purchase of $25 or more of select Transformers product. As noted in [http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=69645&st=0 this thread over at Allspark.com], and later confirmed by [http://web.archive.org/web/20110221171904/http://www.entertainmentearth.com/prodinfo.asp?number=HT83971G3 this listing here], Jolt was one of a pool of eight figures (all from the same wave) from which the free Deluxes were drawn, with several people having noted receiving him.

{{-}}

====Fast Action Battlers====
[[File:JoltFAB.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|A [[Volt]] named [[Electro]] Whip [[Jolt (G2)|Jolt]]—three [[Laser Rod]]s in one!]]
*'''Electro Whip Jolt''' (Fast Action Battler, 2009)

:Electro Whip Jolt transforms into a slightly squashed [[Wikipedia:Chevrolet Volt|Chevrolet Volt]] with an unfortunate transformation parts separation line going right across his windshield. Jolt's robot mode transformation is reminiscent of Transformers car toys from previous generations, where the sides of the car are his arms and the rear his feet. Jolt's arms each contain a spring loaded "electro whip" that shoots out of them when a blue tab is depressed. Moving either of his arms up, then releasing it will cause it to swing back down, simulating a whipping motion.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Autobot/FABJolt/jolt.htm More information on Electro Whip Jolt at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

{{anchor|Sparkblast}}
*'''Spark Blast Jolt''' (Fast Action Battler, 2010)
[[File:ROTFtoy-JoltSparkBlast.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Now with more toys than appearances in the film!]]
: Spark Blast Jolt is a [[redeco]] of Electro Whip Jolt in mostly white with blue electricity deco on his doors. This is supposed to represent Jolt when he is in battle for a long time and charges with electricity. The [[bio]] also says he is all about electricity. Weird.

:This toy did not see mass retail release in the United States, but is confirmed to have come out in Europe (or at least Germany).

{{-}}

===Transformers (2010)===
[[File:WMDesertRuinsBrawlAndJolt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|He'll put a shock to your <s>system</s> sense of fashion.]]
*'''Desert Ruins Brawl''' (Walmart exclusive multi-pack, 2010)

:This [[Walmart]] exclusive multi-pack includes a redeco of Legends Class Jolt in light gray and blue with bright green detailing, with some bright green flame decals on the sides and hood of the vehicle. He comes with a redeco of Deluxe Class [[Brawl (Movie)#Deluxe Class toys 3|Brawl]] in yellow, brown and gray. Taken together, they may be the least appealingly-colored set of toys in years. This set was later sold in the Family Dollar store chain, and spotted at Rossy stores in eastern [[Canada]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2010/Autobot/WMJolt/jolt.htm More information on Desert Ruins Brawl Jolt at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

[[File:TF2010toyline ElectrostaticJolt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Now more electric than ever!]]

*'''Electrostatic Jolt''' (Deluxe, 2010)

: Electrostatic Jolt is a redeco of ''Revenge of the Fallen'' Deluxe-class Jolt with a blue roof and gold parts in robot mode. He also has an electricity pattern decoed on his doors similar to Spark Blast Jolt.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2010/Autobot/Jolt/jolt.htm More information on Electrostatic Jolt at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Dark of the Moon===
[[File:DOTM MechTechDeluxe Jolt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|At long last, I can turn my head!]]
*'''Jolt''' (MechTech Deluxe, 2011)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''DA14'''
**''Accessories:'' [[MechTech]] Blaster/Hand Cannon

:Part of the second wave of ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (toyline)|Dark of the Moon]]'' Deluxe Class toys, this version of Jolt is a new mold, and transforms into a black and grayish-blue Chevy Volt, featuring "Allspark blue"-colored decals, and with the black on the roof and hood being textured to resemble carbon-fiber panels. While the specific details of his robot mode are actually ''less'' accurate to the movie model than the previous toy due to the limits of toy engineering, (the wings being made from the sides of the car instead of the front, and the front now being his feet, for example) he certainly ''looks'' more accurate, with his chest and feet being deformed and collapsed, more slender limbs, claw "hands" with three digits each, and his back kibble forming his distinctive "wings", all the while featuring a much less clumsy and far more articulated design to boot. Despite all of this however, his head is ''still'' based on his more common, shrimpy design instead of his CG model.

:Replacing his electro-whips, he comes with a MechTech blaster that turns into a hand cannon when the scope is pulled. This weapon can either be plugged via [[5mm post]] on two "concealed" holes on his roof in vehicle mode, underneath his forearms in robot mode, or onto the hole on his back in robot mode. As with all other MechTech Deluxe weapons, the converted weapon cannot lock into place.

:Additionally, flipping out a tab in each of his arms reveals some small [[C joint]]-compatible bars.

:The [[stock photography]] on his packaging depicts his black parts as smooth and untextured, instead of the carbon-fiber texture on the final toy.

:His Mechtech weapons was later reused for ''Chronicle'' [[Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#Chronicle2Pack|Movie Optimus Prime]] and ''Age of Extinction'' Evolution 2-pack [[Bumblebee_(G1)/toys#Age_of_Extinction|"Classic" Bumblebee]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2011/Autobot/Jolt/jolt.htm More information on ''Dark of the Moon'' Jolt at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

===Movie Advanced Series===
[[File:Lost Age AD-14 Jolt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|He's like a reverse [[Dread (DOTM)|Dread]]—vehicle pigtails instead of robot dreadlocks.]]
*'''Jolt''' (Deluxe, 2014)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''AD14'''
**''Accessories:'' 2 electro-whips

:Part of [[TakaraTomy]]'s ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (toyline)|Lost Age: Advanced Line]]'', this is a redeco of ''Dark of the Moon'' Jolt in his blue ''Revenge of the Fallen'' color scheme. Replacing his MechTech blaster, he comes with two electro-whips that plug via 5mm post.

{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Robot Heroes===
[[File:Robotheroesjoltravage.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Oh, like anybody bought this set for Jolt.]]
*'''Jolt and Ravage''' (2009)
:''[[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]]'' Jolt is part of the second ''Revenge of the Fallen'' wave. He has articulation at the shoulders and neck, and comes packaged versus [[Ravage (ROTF)#Robot Heroes|Ravage]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Autobot/RHJolt/jolt.htm More information on ''Robot Heroes'' Jolt at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===RPMs - Robot Powered Machines===
[[File:ROTF-toy RPM Jolt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|After being run over, Jolt now hates hybrids.]]
*'''Jolt''' (2009)
**''Series:'' '''Speed Series'''
**''Number:'' '''03 of 04'''

:As a [[Robot Powered Machines|Mini-Vehicle]], Jolt is a non-transformable, ''Hot Wheels''-scale Chevrolet Volt. His robot mode is sculpted surging with electricity on the car's underside, alongside his name and an Autobot insignia.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Autobot/RPMJolt/jolt.htm More information on RPMs Jolt at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

==Notes==
[[File:Joltconcept.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Jolt wants a CGI photo.]]
[[File:ROTF Jolt vehicle mode.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Kicking Decepticon skidplate and staying environmentally friendly!]]

*Jolt was a last-minute addition to the film during the four-month rush to get a script done after the Writers Guild strike. The writers had to convince Bay that Jolt would feel like a true member of the main Autobot roster.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-movie-discussion/180451-welcome-mr-roberto-orci-you-may-ask-him-questions-190.html#post3231606 Roberto Orci discusses Jolt's inclusion in the film].</ref> Ultimately, this wasn't what you could call a success: Jolt only appeared in robot mode in three scenes of the movie, and the character has no lines whatsoever. He even abruptly disappears from the Autobot vehicle mode group shot where he appears for the first time. Jolt ''does'' get a name shout-out, which is something, at least, but that doesn't change the fact that he was so disposable to the plot that he didn't appear in any of the tie-in comics, books, or video games until ''seven months'' after the film had come out.
*Furthermore, none of Jolt's toy and comic book appearances were accurate to his CG model. Closer inspection of his head reveals the final design was far less shrimpy than the concept art Hasbro used.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-movie-discussion/287152-jolt-cgi-2.html#post5212602 TFW2005 post of shots from the film, the special features and a fan retool of the Deluxe toy.]</ref>
*During production of ''Revenge of the Fallen'', [[TakaraTomy]] were informed that Jolt had been dropped from the movie, so product development on him was halted. However, when they saw a photo of Jolt on the set of ''Revenge'', they realised that contrary to what they had been told, he ''was'' still in the movie, and hurriedly went back to work on his toys!<ref>TakaraTomy designer interview in ''Transformers Generations 2009 Volume 3'' [http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-news-rumors/281700-takaratomy-staff-interview-rotf-human-alliance-gravity-bots-more.html Translated interview on ''Revenge of the Fallen'' work from ''Transformers Generations 2009 Volume 3'' on TFW2005.com]</ref>
*Concept art and an image of Jolt's [[Industrial Light & Magic]] CG model (seen from an awkward angle on a computer screen) were depicted on the [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)/home video|''Revenge of the Fallen'' 2-Disc DVD and Blu-ray]] special features.
*Although Jolt never speaks in the movie, Variety had reported, and it was believed for awhile, that [[Anthony Anderson]] was to voice the late-joining Autobot.<ref>http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117940483.html?categoryid=31&cs=1</ref>
*One of the Volt vehicles used as Jolt in the movie is on display at the [[wikipedia:Test Track|Test Track]] attraction at [[wikipedia:Epcot|Epcot]].
*Some scenes of Jolt in vehicle mode in Jordan were shot, but never appeared. Oh, come on!
*On August 2, 2010, Nelson Lauren, the webmaster of Michael Bay's official website, declared on the message boards of [http://www.tfw2005.com TFW2005] that there will be "no Jolt" for ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon]]''.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-news-rumors/316853-big-red-autobot-fire-truck-tf3-30.html#post5064356 Nelson's post on TFW2005.com]</ref> Hence, in IDW's ''Dark of the Moon'' prequel, Jolt goes bye-bye.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Jolt''' (ジョルト ''Joruto'')
*''Hungarian:'' '''Sokk''' ("Shock")

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Age of Extinction Autobots]]
[[Category:Dark of the Moon Autobots]]
[[Category:NEST]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen Autobots]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Transformers (2010) Autobots]]
[[Category:Wal-Mart exclusives]]

Jolt (ROTF)

2017-09-15T16:29:13Z

HailMegatron: /* The Last Knight film */

{{factions|autobotfilm|NEST}}
{{disambig3|Jolt}}
:''Jolt is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Live-action film series|live-action film]] [[continuity family]].''

[[File:Jolt uk2.9.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"Well screw you, [[Michael Bay|Michael]], I'm gonna go hang with [[Simon Furman|Simon]] instead! ''He'' lets me have a go on the Playstation!"]]

'''Jolt''' has a tendency towards mischief making. Like any prankster, he's pretty impulsive, and if trouble rears its head, you can bet Jolt is going to try to be in the middle of it. (Though he more often ends behind it, mostly out of focus, as luck would turn out.) Luckily, he's got the fighting ability to make sure his head stays on his shoulders, utilizing electric whips in battle.

He loves to act crazy in battle: it disorients and confuses the Decepticons, drawing them in close so he can whip 'em!

{{quote|"Why do you hardly see Jolt in the film, and why doesn't he talk?" "Jolt did get quite a bit of screen time for a new kid on the block."|[[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] lies to a young reader|[[Transformers Comic issue 2.11|''Transformers'' #11's letters page]]|noquote=true}}

==Fiction==
===''Revenge of the Fallen'' film===
[[File:Jolt-ROTFalltiedup.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"There I am! Behind those guys!"]]
Jolt was one of the Autobots who answered [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime's]] call to come to Earth in the two years since [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron's]] defeat.

When the Autobots mobilized in response to a sudden surge in [[Decepticon]] activity, Jolt rolled into action at the head of the pack, but he was not among the Autobot team who fended off Megatron and [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] after the two Decepticons killed Optimus in a forest brawl. Jolt reunited with the other Autobots before they headed back to the [[NEST]] base on [[Diego Garcia]], but the team was scarcely given any time to mourn Prime's passing; as soon as they returned, they were accosted by military forces under the command of [[Theodore Galloway]]. The emotionally brittle Autobots did not take this show of force well, and charged their weapons; Jolt began emitting bright sparks of electricity in anticipation of a fight, but things soon calmed down as Galloway announced that NEST was being disbanded by [[President of the United States|presidential]] order.

[[File:Jolt-ROTFcombiningPrimeandJetfire.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"By your powers combined, I am...well, I'm nobody, actually."]]

Jolt later accompanied the Autobots and their human allies to [[Egypt]], for a climactic [[Operation: Firestorm|battle]] against [[The Fallen]]'s [[Decepticon]]s. He can be seen shooting at Decepticons with Ratchet and Sideswipe and emitting electric blasts. During the course of the battle, [[Sam Witwicky]] used the [[Matrix of Leadership]] to bring Optimus Prime back to life, at which point the aged [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]] volunteered to sacrifice himself, so that Optimus could use his parts to give himself a power boost. Following Ratchet's directions, Jolt used his electric whips to link Prime up with Jetfire's remains, generating an electromagnetic field that levitated and bonded the necessary parts to Prime's body, giving him a powerful new flight-capable form which he then used to destroy The Fallen. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
{{-}}

===''The Last Knight'' film===
Jolt's head is seen in the [[Junkyard (TLK)| junkyard, behind [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The Last Knight|The Last Knight}}
{{-}}

===Titan movie comics===
[[File:Titan2-9 Jolt bringiton.jpg‎|left|thumb|upright=1.67|"I will execute hostages ''every hour'' until I have guarantees of more screentime. Don't test me!"]]

Some time after the defeat of the Fallen, while the Autobots were still in the process of rounding up the Decepticons scattered across Earth, Jolt was part of a unit sent to Beverley Hills, Los Angeles, to apprehend [[Reverb (ROTF)|Reverb]]. The Autobots attempted to subtly divert Reverb away from human traffic to minimize collateral damage, but the rambunctious Jolt jumped the gun and began pursuing the motorcycle Decepticon through the City of Angels. Tearing across pavements and parks with no regard for the humans in his way, Jolt attempted to stop Reverb with his electro-whips, but instead wound up striking a power pole and blowing every electrical system in the immediate vicinity. Thankfully, Reverb was captured by [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]], but Jolt's carelessness landed the Autobots in a lot of trouble with [[Theodore Galloway]]. Optimus Prime stressed the importance of treading carefully to Jolt, who promised to be "the soul of discretion".

Unfortunately, two days later, discretion was nowhere to be seen when Jolt went hog-wild in the middle of [[Las Vegas]], battling the martial artist Decepticon [[Bludgeon (ROTF)|Bludgeon]]. With one of his electro-whips severed by the Bludgeon's sword, Jolt was sent crashing through a casino wall, but what stung more were the Decepticons' taunts that everything would have been fine if he had not been so overzealous and allowed him to leave the city before attacking. Bludgeon then turned his attention to the casino's patrons, but a repentant Jolt threw himself in the path of the blast meant for them. As Bludgeon loomed over him, preparing to strike with his sword, Jolt seized the blade and used his powers to channel the entire output of Las Vegas's electric grid straight into the skeletal samurai. Although Bludgeon was defeated by the monumental shock, the city was left blacked out by Jolt's stunt, and Optimus Prime was reluctantly forced to confine him to base. Jolt accepted his punishment, but as he walked back into headquarters, he overheard a transmission came through from a NEST squad in the field, announcing they were under Decepticon attack... and Jolt gritted his teeth for action... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.9|Culture Shock}}

[[File:Titan2-11 joltisarmless.jpg‎|thumb|No! I can't die! I have to audition for ''Dark of the Moon''!]]

He later underwent further training alongside [[Dune Runner (ROTF)|Dune Runner]] and [[Rollbar (ROTF)|Rollbar]], and undertook a survival exercise in [[Death Valley]], [[California]]. He noted to Dune Runner that Bumblebee had found a pretty horrible place to train. He followed Rollbar's lead to a deserted ghost town and happily used his powers to track down the recharge pack the Autobots had hidden there. However, he also found...[[Dead End (ROTF)|Dead End]]! His left arm was torn off, and though he ordered Rollbar to focus on Dead End and not him, the monster Decepticon still tore through the other cadets. Realising they were running on empty, a desperate Jolt used every bit of power in the recharge pack to charge up an electro-whip and knock Dead End out before he could kill the others.

At Rollbar's urging, the cadets took the Decepticon back to [[Diego Garcia]] for medical treatment. [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] told Jolt and the others that this act of mercy showed they had what it takes to be real Autobots. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.11|Spare Parts!}}

[[File:Titan2-12 joltwait.jpg‎|left|thumb|upright=1.2|Check out this acting! With all this practice, I'm ''bound'' to get a role in ''Dark of the Moon''! ...right?]]

Following this, they spent some time under [[Springer (ROTF)|Springer]], a famed veteran of whom they were in awe. He taught them ''always'' to do the unexpected. Jolt, to the shock of the other cadets, spoke up during training to say they'd done ''enough'' exercises and they'd like to have a go at real combat. Springer agreed, and Jolt blew off the other cadet's claims of Springer having a rep as a monster by noticing that he was just a true soldier. A few days later, in [[Texas]], they got that combat op: Springer distracted [[Tankor (ROTF)|Tankor]] while the cadets snuck round to free hostages. However, Jolt spotted [[Dirge (Movie)|Dirge]] coming in to get the drop on the commander and decided to leave his mission to get involved in the fight. Using his electro-whips, he redirected Tankor's fire into Dirge and saved the day! Springer was pissed that Jolt had disobeyed orders, but Jolt flippantly said that hey, he'd just been doing the unexpected, like he'd been taught. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.12|Rules of Engagement}}

Jolt and his crew would be called in to [[CFB Comox|NEST Ops Vancouver]] to search for the missing [[Stratosphere]]; they knew he may have died, but Jolt said they had to look anyway. It turned out he was doing fine on his own and had just saved the day before they arrived, which was a bit embarrassing for Jolt. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.14|Head in the Clouds}}
{{-}}

===IDW movie comics===
[[File:Rising-storm-03-jolt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.95|Jolt's audition for ''Dark of the Moon'']]
Jolt was part of an Autobot team sent to a ruined petrochemical plant in [[Florida]] to investigate the appearance of several unknown [[spark]] traces. However, before they could reach their goal, they were attacked by [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]]. The ensuing battle didn't take long, as the Decepticon soon retreated, but it was enough of a distraction for Jolt and the others for the owners of the spark traces to get away. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 1|Nefarious #1}}

Later, back at the [[NEST]] base, Jolt was cited by [[Theodore Galloway]] as an example of [[William Lennox|Lennox]] not following protocols and alerting him to new recruits. It seemed Galloway, like most everyone else, never noticed Jolt had been around since before the rise of the Fallen. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 2|Nefarious #2}}

Jolt and his fellow cadets, [[Knock Out (ROTF)|Knock Out]] and [[Dune Runner (ROTF)|Dune Runner]], joined Bumblebee on a mission to transport the captured Soundwave to a secure location. They were shot down en route by Soundwave's minions. Jolt was thrown for a loop by [[Beastbox (ROTF)|Beastbox]], and Bumblebee made the command decision to free Soundwave and let the Decepticons escape rather than risk further casualties after the recent death of [[Breakaway (ROTF)|Breakaway]]. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 3|Nefarious #3}}

Jolt was later part of the attack force sieging [[Carter Newell]]'s mobile base at Crater Lake. His team was assaulted by a group of Cybertronians Newell had assumed control over using an artificial [[Allspark]]. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 5|Nefarious #5}} During the fight, Jolt's team was joined by [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]] to rescue Bumblebee from the automatons. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 6|Nefarious #6}}

[[File:RisingStormJoltDies.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|Jolt: Wait! Wait! Don't shoot! I have to star in ''Dark of the Moon''! Shockwave: I don't know who you are, but I don't want you in the same movie as me!]]

Later, Jolt learned that Bumblebee was defending [[Sam Witwicky]] from a Decepticon attack all alone, and was eager to get out there to help him. To his disappointment, Optimus Prime instead ordered him, Knock Out and Dune Runner to remain on [[Diego Garcia]] and keep an eye on the captive [[Fearswoop (ROTF)|Fearswoop]] along with a number of confused Autobot refugees liberated from Carter Newell's control. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 2|Rising Storm #2}} Jolt took to guarding Fearswoop, but while he was making himself busy telling the prisoner off and reading comic books, the corpse of Knock Out suddenly crashed through a wall, courtesy of [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]]. He prepared to take the intruder on with his electric whips, but Shockwave was unimpressed and shot him down. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 3|Rising Storm #3}} Jolt desperately tried to contact Optimus Prime for help, but his message failed to get through and he was killed by Shockwave. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 4|Rising Storm #4}}

Shortly after his death, a grave was made for him. {{storylink|Dark of the Moon issue 1}}

===Toy bios===
When Jolt goes too long without expending his built-up electricity, he gains the ability to charge his body with static, shooting lightning everywhere. {{storylink|#Fast Action Battlers|Spark Blast Jolt}}

Jolt had trained more as a healer than as a warrior, and when he found himself entrenched against a horde of advancing Decepticons in a desert battle, he decided that, with caution and luck, he might be able to take down [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]]. {{storylink|#Legends Class toys 2|Desert Ruins Brawl}}

Later on, Jolt faced off [[Decepticon]] courier [[Payload (Movie)|Payload]]. He had no idea how he ended up having to deal with such a powerful hulk of a beast, but as long as he was there, he couldn't just back down. Heck, considering [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]'s by his side this time, the fight's almost even. His plan of confusion and distraction should mess with the reckless Payload's headlong charges long enough for him to tame the bullheaded Decepticon with his stunning electro-whips, after which he and Ratchet could go in and take him down. {{storylink|#Deluxe Class toys 2|Electrostatic Jolt}}

His commanding officers had spent years trying to teach him patience and discipline and it ''still'' hadn't caught on by 2011. {{storylink|#Deluxe_Class_toys_3|MechTech Jolt}}

==Toys==
===''Revenge of the Fallen''===
[[File:ROTFtoy-JoltLegends.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|A toy proportionate to my screentime!]]
*'''Jolt''' (Legends, 2009)

:Part of the sixth wave of ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Legends Class]] figures, Jolt transforms into a blue [[Wikipedia:Chevrolet Volt|Chevrolet Volt]]. Tiny whips are molded onto his arms, making him one of the few Legends toys to feature weaponry.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2010/Autobot/LegJolt/jolt.htm More information on Legends Jolt at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

[[File:ROTF Deluxe Jolt toy.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|[[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] would approve of this alt-mode.]]
*'''Jolt''' (Deluxe, 2009)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RA-19'''

:Deluxe class Jolt transforms into a blue Chevrolet Volt with translucent blue plastic windows. His alt-mode is very conspicuously split where his arms and legs separate during transformation. In robot mode, he has light blue "electro whips" in each arm which are deployed by turning a small knob on his wrist. His head features blue [[light-piping]] for his eyes, but there is a gray protrusion behind his head which completely prevents light passage. This protrusion also prevents his ball-jointed head from turning other than in the slightest of angles. Turning his waist activates his [[Mech Alive]] feature, which consists of moving gears inside his translucent upper chest (it is really hard to see). Jolt also has swiveling knees, but sadly, the kibble blocks it off just like the head.

:Sadly, out of the ''Revenge of the Fallen'' toys released as of late summer 2009, Jolt has lost the most paint applications of anyone, losing nearly all blue paint detailing on his chest and all red detailing present in the promotional photos. This leaves his robot mode looking rather plain.

:The picture to the right shows Jolt's feet mistransformed—at least according to the instructions, which show that the two halves of his alt mode's back bumper forming his toes should be turned inward 90 degrees. Which depiction is the actual mistransformation is debatable, as the "official" transformation makes the left toe piece stand a couple millimeters higher than the right one due to the presence of a joining peg. The large pieces of kibble on his back should also be rotated and fitted into his shoulders.

:In a twist of ''awesome'' irony, he is a Movie Autobot who has the classic Autobot [[insignia|faction symbol]] on his chest.

:During part of 2010, [http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/transformers-toy-giveaway.cfm Hasbro did a promotion] wherein US fans could receive three free Deluxes in exchange for receipts showing the purchase of $25 or more of select Transformers product. As noted in [http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=69645&st=0 this thread over at Allspark.com], and later confirmed by [http://web.archive.org/web/20110221171904/http://www.entertainmentearth.com/prodinfo.asp?number=HT83971G3 this listing here], Jolt was one of a pool of eight figures (all from the same wave) from which the free Deluxes were drawn, with several people having noted receiving him.

{{-}}

====Fast Action Battlers====
[[File:JoltFAB.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|A [[Volt]] named [[Electro]] Whip [[Jolt (G2)|Jolt]]—three [[Laser Rod]]s in one!]]
*'''Electro Whip Jolt''' (Fast Action Battler, 2009)

:Electro Whip Jolt transforms into a slightly squashed [[Wikipedia:Chevrolet Volt|Chevrolet Volt]] with an unfortunate transformation parts separation line going right across his windshield. Jolt's robot mode transformation is reminiscent of Transformers car toys from previous generations, where the sides of the car are his arms and the rear his feet. Jolt's arms each contain a spring loaded "electro whip" that shoots out of them when a blue tab is depressed. Moving either of his arms up, then releasing it will cause it to swing back down, simulating a whipping motion.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Autobot/FABJolt/jolt.htm More information on Electro Whip Jolt at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

{{anchor|Sparkblast}}
*'''Spark Blast Jolt''' (Fast Action Battler, 2010)
[[File:ROTFtoy-JoltSparkBlast.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Now with more toys than appearances in the film!]]
: Spark Blast Jolt is a [[redeco]] of Electro Whip Jolt in mostly white with blue electricity deco on his doors. This is supposed to represent Jolt when he is in battle for a long time and charges with electricity. The [[bio]] also says he is all about electricity. Weird.

:This toy did not see mass retail release in the United States, but is confirmed to have come out in Europe (or at least Germany).

{{-}}

===Transformers (2010)===
[[File:WMDesertRuinsBrawlAndJolt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|He'll put a shock to your <s>system</s> sense of fashion.]]
*'''Desert Ruins Brawl''' (Walmart exclusive multi-pack, 2010)

:This [[Walmart]] exclusive multi-pack includes a redeco of Legends Class Jolt in light gray and blue with bright green detailing, with some bright green flame decals on the sides and hood of the vehicle. He comes with a redeco of Deluxe Class [[Brawl (Movie)#Deluxe Class toys 3|Brawl]] in yellow, brown and gray. Taken together, they may be the least appealingly-colored set of toys in years. This set was later sold in the Family Dollar store chain, and spotted at Rossy stores in eastern [[Canada]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2010/Autobot/WMJolt/jolt.htm More information on Desert Ruins Brawl Jolt at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

[[File:TF2010toyline ElectrostaticJolt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Now more electric than ever!]]

*'''Electrostatic Jolt''' (Deluxe, 2010)

: Electrostatic Jolt is a redeco of ''Revenge of the Fallen'' Deluxe-class Jolt with a blue roof and gold parts in robot mode. He also has an electricity pattern decoed on his doors similar to Spark Blast Jolt.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2010/Autobot/Jolt/jolt.htm More information on Electrostatic Jolt at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Dark of the Moon===
[[File:DOTM MechTechDeluxe Jolt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|At long last, I can turn my head!]]
*'''Jolt''' (MechTech Deluxe, 2011)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''DA14'''
**''Accessories:'' [[MechTech]] Blaster/Hand Cannon

:Part of the second wave of ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (toyline)|Dark of the Moon]]'' Deluxe Class toys, this version of Jolt is a new mold, and transforms into a black and grayish-blue Chevy Volt, featuring "Allspark blue"-colored decals, and with the black on the roof and hood being textured to resemble carbon-fiber panels. While the specific details of his robot mode are actually ''less'' accurate to the movie model than the previous toy due to the limits of toy engineering, (the wings being made from the sides of the car instead of the front, and the front now being his feet, for example) he certainly ''looks'' more accurate, with his chest and feet being deformed and collapsed, more slender limbs, claw "hands" with three digits each, and his back kibble forming his distinctive "wings", all the while featuring a much less clumsy and far more articulated design to boot. Despite all of this however, his head is ''still'' based on his more common, shrimpy design instead of his CG model.

:Replacing his electro-whips, he comes with a MechTech blaster that turns into a hand cannon when the scope is pulled. This weapon can either be plugged via [[5mm post]] on two "concealed" holes on his roof in vehicle mode, underneath his forearms in robot mode, or onto the hole on his back in robot mode. As with all other MechTech Deluxe weapons, the converted weapon cannot lock into place.

:Additionally, flipping out a tab in each of his arms reveals some small [[C joint]]-compatible bars.

:The [[stock photography]] on his packaging depicts his black parts as smooth and untextured, instead of the carbon-fiber texture on the final toy.

:His Mechtech weapons was later reused for ''Chronicle'' [[Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#Chronicle2Pack|Movie Optimus Prime]] and ''Age of Extinction'' Evolution 2-pack [[Bumblebee_(G1)/toys#Age_of_Extinction|"Classic" Bumblebee]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2011/Autobot/Jolt/jolt.htm More information on ''Dark of the Moon'' Jolt at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

===Movie Advanced Series===
[[File:Lost Age AD-14 Jolt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|He's like a reverse [[Dread (DOTM)|Dread]]—vehicle pigtails instead of robot dreadlocks.]]
*'''Jolt''' (Deluxe, 2014)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''AD14'''
**''Accessories:'' 2 electro-whips

:Part of [[TakaraTomy]]'s ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (toyline)|Lost Age: Advanced Line]]'', this is a redeco of ''Dark of the Moon'' Jolt in his blue ''Revenge of the Fallen'' color scheme. Replacing his MechTech blaster, he comes with two electro-whips that plug via 5mm post.

{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Robot Heroes===
[[File:Robotheroesjoltravage.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Oh, like anybody bought this set for Jolt.]]
*'''Jolt and Ravage''' (2009)
:''[[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]]'' Jolt is part of the second ''Revenge of the Fallen'' wave. He has articulation at the shoulders and neck, and comes packaged versus [[Ravage (ROTF)#Robot Heroes|Ravage]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Autobot/RHJolt/jolt.htm More information on ''Robot Heroes'' Jolt at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===RPMs - Robot Powered Machines===
[[File:ROTF-toy RPM Jolt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|After being run over, Jolt now hates hybrids.]]
*'''Jolt''' (2009)
**''Series:'' '''Speed Series'''
**''Number:'' '''03 of 04'''

:As a [[Robot Powered Machines|Mini-Vehicle]], Jolt is a non-transformable, ''Hot Wheels''-scale Chevrolet Volt. His robot mode is sculpted surging with electricity on the car's underside, alongside his name and an Autobot insignia.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Autobot/RPMJolt/jolt.htm More information on RPMs Jolt at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

==Notes==
[[File:Joltconcept.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Jolt wants a CGI photo.]]
[[File:ROTF Jolt vehicle mode.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Kicking Decepticon skidplate and staying environmentally friendly!]]

*Jolt was a last-minute addition to the film during the four-month rush to get a script done after the Writers Guild strike. The writers had to convince Bay that Jolt would feel like a true member of the main Autobot roster.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-movie-discussion/180451-welcome-mr-roberto-orci-you-may-ask-him-questions-190.html#post3231606 Roberto Orci discusses Jolt's inclusion in the film].</ref> Ultimately, this wasn't what you could call a success: Jolt only appeared in robot mode in three scenes of the movie, and the character has no lines whatsoever. He even abruptly disappears from the Autobot vehicle mode group shot where he appears for the first time. Jolt ''does'' get a name shout-out, which is something, at least, but that doesn't change the fact that he was so disposable to the plot that he didn't appear in any of the tie-in comics, books, or video games until ''seven months'' after the film had come out.
*Furthermore, none of Jolt's toy and comic book appearances were accurate to his CG model. Closer inspection of his head reveals the final design was far less shrimpy than the concept art Hasbro used.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-movie-discussion/287152-jolt-cgi-2.html#post5212602 TFW2005 post of shots from the film, the special features and a fan retool of the Deluxe toy.]</ref>
*During production of ''Revenge of the Fallen'', [[TakaraTomy]] were informed that Jolt had been dropped from the movie, so product development on him was halted. However, when they saw a photo of Jolt on the set of ''Revenge'', they realised that contrary to what they had been told, he ''was'' still in the movie, and hurriedly went back to work on his toys!<ref>TakaraTomy designer interview in ''Transformers Generations 2009 Volume 3'' [http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-news-rumors/281700-takaratomy-staff-interview-rotf-human-alliance-gravity-bots-more.html Translated interview on ''Revenge of the Fallen'' work from ''Transformers Generations 2009 Volume 3'' on TFW2005.com]</ref>
*Concept art and an image of Jolt's [[Industrial Light & Magic]] CG model (seen from an awkward angle on a computer screen) were depicted on the [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)/home video|''Revenge of the Fallen'' 2-Disc DVD and Blu-ray]] special features.
*Although Jolt never speaks in the movie, Variety had reported, and it was believed for awhile, that [[Anthony Anderson]] was to voice the late-joining Autobot.<ref>http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117940483.html?categoryid=31&cs=1</ref>
*One of the Volt vehicles used as Jolt in the movie is on display at the [[wikipedia:Test Track|Test Track]] attraction at [[wikipedia:Epcot|Epcot]].
*Some scenes of Jolt in vehicle mode in Jordan were shot, but never appeared. Oh, come on!
*On August 2, 2010, Nelson Lauren, the webmaster of Michael Bay's official website, declared on the message boards of [http://www.tfw2005.com TFW2005] that there will be "no Jolt" for ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon]]''.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-news-rumors/316853-big-red-autobot-fire-truck-tf3-30.html#post5064356 Nelson's post on TFW2005.com]</ref> Hence, in IDW's ''Dark of the Moon'' prequel, Jolt goes bye-bye.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Jolt''' (ジョルト ''Joruto'')
*''Hungarian:'' '''Sokk''' ("Shock")

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Age of Extinction Autobots]]
[[Category:Dark of the Moon Autobots]]
[[Category:NEST]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen Autobots]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Transformers (2010) Autobots]]
[[Category:Wal-Mart exclusives]]

Jolt (ROTF)

2017-09-15T16:28:40Z

HailMegatron: /* Revenge of the Fallen film */

{{factions|autobotfilm|NEST}}
{{disambig3|Jolt}}
:''Jolt is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Live-action film series|live-action film]] [[continuity family]].''

[[File:Jolt uk2.9.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"Well screw you, [[Michael Bay|Michael]], I'm gonna go hang with [[Simon Furman|Simon]] instead! ''He'' lets me have a go on the Playstation!"]]

'''Jolt''' has a tendency towards mischief making. Like any prankster, he's pretty impulsive, and if trouble rears its head, you can bet Jolt is going to try to be in the middle of it. (Though he more often ends behind it, mostly out of focus, as luck would turn out.) Luckily, he's got the fighting ability to make sure his head stays on his shoulders, utilizing electric whips in battle.

He loves to act crazy in battle: it disorients and confuses the Decepticons, drawing them in close so he can whip 'em!

{{quote|"Why do you hardly see Jolt in the film, and why doesn't he talk?" "Jolt did get quite a bit of screen time for a new kid on the block."|[[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] lies to a young reader|[[Transformers Comic issue 2.11|''Transformers'' #11's letters page]]|noquote=true}}

==Fiction==
===''Revenge of the Fallen'' film===
[[File:Jolt-ROTFalltiedup.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"There I am! Behind those guys!"]]
Jolt was one of the Autobots who answered [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime's]] call to come to Earth in the two years since [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron's]] defeat.

When the Autobots mobilized in response to a sudden surge in [[Decepticon]] activity, Jolt rolled into action at the head of the pack, but he was not among the Autobot team who fended off Megatron and [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] after the two Decepticons killed Optimus in a forest brawl. Jolt reunited with the other Autobots before they headed back to the [[NEST]] base on [[Diego Garcia]], but the team was scarcely given any time to mourn Prime's passing; as soon as they returned, they were accosted by military forces under the command of [[Theodore Galloway]]. The emotionally brittle Autobots did not take this show of force well, and charged their weapons; Jolt began emitting bright sparks of electricity in anticipation of a fight, but things soon calmed down as Galloway announced that NEST was being disbanded by [[President of the United States|presidential]] order.

[[File:Jolt-ROTFcombiningPrimeandJetfire.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"By your powers combined, I am...well, I'm nobody, actually."]]

Jolt later accompanied the Autobots and their human allies to [[Egypt]], for a climactic [[Operation: Firestorm|battle]] against [[The Fallen]]'s [[Decepticon]]s. He can be seen shooting at Decepticons with Ratchet and Sideswipe and emitting electric blasts. During the course of the battle, [[Sam Witwicky]] used the [[Matrix of Leadership]] to bring Optimus Prime back to life, at which point the aged [[Jetfire (ROTF)|Jetfire]] volunteered to sacrifice himself, so that Optimus could use his parts to give himself a power boost. Following Ratchet's directions, Jolt used his electric whips to link Prime up with Jetfire's remains, generating an electromagnetic field that levitated and bonded the necessary parts to Prime's body, giving him a powerful new flight-capable form which he then used to destroy The Fallen. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}
{{-}}

===''The Last Knight'' film===
Jolt's head is seen in the [[Junkyard (TLK)| junkyard, behind [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The Last Knight(film)|The Last Knight}}
{{-}}

===Titan movie comics===
[[File:Titan2-9 Jolt bringiton.jpg‎|left|thumb|upright=1.67|"I will execute hostages ''every hour'' until I have guarantees of more screentime. Don't test me!"]]

Some time after the defeat of the Fallen, while the Autobots were still in the process of rounding up the Decepticons scattered across Earth, Jolt was part of a unit sent to Beverley Hills, Los Angeles, to apprehend [[Reverb (ROTF)|Reverb]]. The Autobots attempted to subtly divert Reverb away from human traffic to minimize collateral damage, but the rambunctious Jolt jumped the gun and began pursuing the motorcycle Decepticon through the City of Angels. Tearing across pavements and parks with no regard for the humans in his way, Jolt attempted to stop Reverb with his electro-whips, but instead wound up striking a power pole and blowing every electrical system in the immediate vicinity. Thankfully, Reverb was captured by [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]], but Jolt's carelessness landed the Autobots in a lot of trouble with [[Theodore Galloway]]. Optimus Prime stressed the importance of treading carefully to Jolt, who promised to be "the soul of discretion".

Unfortunately, two days later, discretion was nowhere to be seen when Jolt went hog-wild in the middle of [[Las Vegas]], battling the martial artist Decepticon [[Bludgeon (ROTF)|Bludgeon]]. With one of his electro-whips severed by the Bludgeon's sword, Jolt was sent crashing through a casino wall, but what stung more were the Decepticons' taunts that everything would have been fine if he had not been so overzealous and allowed him to leave the city before attacking. Bludgeon then turned his attention to the casino's patrons, but a repentant Jolt threw himself in the path of the blast meant for them. As Bludgeon loomed over him, preparing to strike with his sword, Jolt seized the blade and used his powers to channel the entire output of Las Vegas's electric grid straight into the skeletal samurai. Although Bludgeon was defeated by the monumental shock, the city was left blacked out by Jolt's stunt, and Optimus Prime was reluctantly forced to confine him to base. Jolt accepted his punishment, but as he walked back into headquarters, he overheard a transmission came through from a NEST squad in the field, announcing they were under Decepticon attack... and Jolt gritted his teeth for action... {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.9|Culture Shock}}

[[File:Titan2-11 joltisarmless.jpg‎|thumb|No! I can't die! I have to audition for ''Dark of the Moon''!]]

He later underwent further training alongside [[Dune Runner (ROTF)|Dune Runner]] and [[Rollbar (ROTF)|Rollbar]], and undertook a survival exercise in [[Death Valley]], [[California]]. He noted to Dune Runner that Bumblebee had found a pretty horrible place to train. He followed Rollbar's lead to a deserted ghost town and happily used his powers to track down the recharge pack the Autobots had hidden there. However, he also found...[[Dead End (ROTF)|Dead End]]! His left arm was torn off, and though he ordered Rollbar to focus on Dead End and not him, the monster Decepticon still tore through the other cadets. Realising they were running on empty, a desperate Jolt used every bit of power in the recharge pack to charge up an electro-whip and knock Dead End out before he could kill the others.

At Rollbar's urging, the cadets took the Decepticon back to [[Diego Garcia]] for medical treatment. [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]] told Jolt and the others that this act of mercy showed they had what it takes to be real Autobots. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.11|Spare Parts!}}

[[File:Titan2-12 joltwait.jpg‎|left|thumb|upright=1.2|Check out this acting! With all this practice, I'm ''bound'' to get a role in ''Dark of the Moon''! ...right?]]

Following this, they spent some time under [[Springer (ROTF)|Springer]], a famed veteran of whom they were in awe. He taught them ''always'' to do the unexpected. Jolt, to the shock of the other cadets, spoke up during training to say they'd done ''enough'' exercises and they'd like to have a go at real combat. Springer agreed, and Jolt blew off the other cadet's claims of Springer having a rep as a monster by noticing that he was just a true soldier. A few days later, in [[Texas]], they got that combat op: Springer distracted [[Tankor (ROTF)|Tankor]] while the cadets snuck round to free hostages. However, Jolt spotted [[Dirge (Movie)|Dirge]] coming in to get the drop on the commander and decided to leave his mission to get involved in the fight. Using his electro-whips, he redirected Tankor's fire into Dirge and saved the day! Springer was pissed that Jolt had disobeyed orders, but Jolt flippantly said that hey, he'd just been doing the unexpected, like he'd been taught. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.12|Rules of Engagement}}

Jolt and his crew would be called in to [[CFB Comox|NEST Ops Vancouver]] to search for the missing [[Stratosphere]]; they knew he may have died, but Jolt said they had to look anyway. It turned out he was doing fine on his own and had just saved the day before they arrived, which was a bit embarrassing for Jolt. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 2.14|Head in the Clouds}}
{{-}}

===IDW movie comics===
[[File:Rising-storm-03-jolt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.95|Jolt's audition for ''Dark of the Moon'']]
Jolt was part of an Autobot team sent to a ruined petrochemical plant in [[Florida]] to investigate the appearance of several unknown [[spark]] traces. However, before they could reach their goal, they were attacked by [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]]. The ensuing battle didn't take long, as the Decepticon soon retreated, but it was enough of a distraction for Jolt and the others for the owners of the spark traces to get away. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 1|Nefarious #1}}

Later, back at the [[NEST]] base, Jolt was cited by [[Theodore Galloway]] as an example of [[William Lennox|Lennox]] not following protocols and alerting him to new recruits. It seemed Galloway, like most everyone else, never noticed Jolt had been around since before the rise of the Fallen. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 2|Nefarious #2}}

Jolt and his fellow cadets, [[Knock Out (ROTF)|Knock Out]] and [[Dune Runner (ROTF)|Dune Runner]], joined Bumblebee on a mission to transport the captured Soundwave to a secure location. They were shot down en route by Soundwave's minions. Jolt was thrown for a loop by [[Beastbox (ROTF)|Beastbox]], and Bumblebee made the command decision to free Soundwave and let the Decepticons escape rather than risk further casualties after the recent death of [[Breakaway (ROTF)|Breakaway]]. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 3|Nefarious #3}}

Jolt was later part of the attack force sieging [[Carter Newell]]'s mobile base at Crater Lake. His team was assaulted by a group of Cybertronians Newell had assumed control over using an artificial [[Allspark]]. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 5|Nefarious #5}} During the fight, Jolt's team was joined by [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]] and [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]] to rescue Bumblebee from the automatons. {{storylink|Nefarious issue 6|Nefarious #6}}

[[File:RisingStormJoltDies.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|Jolt: Wait! Wait! Don't shoot! I have to star in ''Dark of the Moon''! Shockwave: I don't know who you are, but I don't want you in the same movie as me!]]

Later, Jolt learned that Bumblebee was defending [[Sam Witwicky]] from a Decepticon attack all alone, and was eager to get out there to help him. To his disappointment, Optimus Prime instead ordered him, Knock Out and Dune Runner to remain on [[Diego Garcia]] and keep an eye on the captive [[Fearswoop (ROTF)|Fearswoop]] along with a number of confused Autobot refugees liberated from Carter Newell's control. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 2|Rising Storm #2}} Jolt took to guarding Fearswoop, but while he was making himself busy telling the prisoner off and reading comic books, the corpse of Knock Out suddenly crashed through a wall, courtesy of [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]]. He prepared to take the intruder on with his electric whips, but Shockwave was unimpressed and shot him down. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 3|Rising Storm #3}} Jolt desperately tried to contact Optimus Prime for help, but his message failed to get through and he was killed by Shockwave. {{storylink|Rising Storm issue 4|Rising Storm #4}}

Shortly after his death, a grave was made for him. {{storylink|Dark of the Moon issue 1}}

===Toy bios===
When Jolt goes too long without expending his built-up electricity, he gains the ability to charge his body with static, shooting lightning everywhere. {{storylink|#Fast Action Battlers|Spark Blast Jolt}}

Jolt had trained more as a healer than as a warrior, and when he found himself entrenched against a horde of advancing Decepticons in a desert battle, he decided that, with caution and luck, he might be able to take down [[Brawl (Movie)|Brawl]]. {{storylink|#Legends Class toys 2|Desert Ruins Brawl}}

Later on, Jolt faced off [[Decepticon]] courier [[Payload (Movie)|Payload]]. He had no idea how he ended up having to deal with such a powerful hulk of a beast, but as long as he was there, he couldn't just back down. Heck, considering [[Ratchet (Movie)|Ratchet]]'s by his side this time, the fight's almost even. His plan of confusion and distraction should mess with the reckless Payload's headlong charges long enough for him to tame the bullheaded Decepticon with his stunning electro-whips, after which he and Ratchet could go in and take him down. {{storylink|#Deluxe Class toys 2|Electrostatic Jolt}}

His commanding officers had spent years trying to teach him patience and discipline and it ''still'' hadn't caught on by 2011. {{storylink|#Deluxe_Class_toys_3|MechTech Jolt}}

==Toys==
===''Revenge of the Fallen''===
[[File:ROTFtoy-JoltLegends.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|A toy proportionate to my screentime!]]
*'''Jolt''' (Legends, 2009)

:Part of the sixth wave of ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (toyline)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Legends Class]] figures, Jolt transforms into a blue [[Wikipedia:Chevrolet Volt|Chevrolet Volt]]. Tiny whips are molded onto his arms, making him one of the few Legends toys to feature weaponry.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2010/Autobot/LegJolt/jolt.htm More information on Legends Jolt at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

[[File:ROTF Deluxe Jolt toy.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|[[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] would approve of this alt-mode.]]
*'''Jolt''' (Deluxe, 2009)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''RA-19'''

:Deluxe class Jolt transforms into a blue Chevrolet Volt with translucent blue plastic windows. His alt-mode is very conspicuously split where his arms and legs separate during transformation. In robot mode, he has light blue "electro whips" in each arm which are deployed by turning a small knob on his wrist. His head features blue [[light-piping]] for his eyes, but there is a gray protrusion behind his head which completely prevents light passage. This protrusion also prevents his ball-jointed head from turning other than in the slightest of angles. Turning his waist activates his [[Mech Alive]] feature, which consists of moving gears inside his translucent upper chest (it is really hard to see). Jolt also has swiveling knees, but sadly, the kibble blocks it off just like the head.

:Sadly, out of the ''Revenge of the Fallen'' toys released as of late summer 2009, Jolt has lost the most paint applications of anyone, losing nearly all blue paint detailing on his chest and all red detailing present in the promotional photos. This leaves his robot mode looking rather plain.

:The picture to the right shows Jolt's feet mistransformed—at least according to the instructions, which show that the two halves of his alt mode's back bumper forming his toes should be turned inward 90 degrees. Which depiction is the actual mistransformation is debatable, as the "official" transformation makes the left toe piece stand a couple millimeters higher than the right one due to the presence of a joining peg. The large pieces of kibble on his back should also be rotated and fitted into his shoulders.

:In a twist of ''awesome'' irony, he is a Movie Autobot who has the classic Autobot [[insignia|faction symbol]] on his chest.

:During part of 2010, [http://www.hasbro.com/transformers/en_US/discover/transformers-toy-giveaway.cfm Hasbro did a promotion] wherein US fans could receive three free Deluxes in exchange for receipts showing the purchase of $25 or more of select Transformers product. As noted in [http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=69645&st=0 this thread over at Allspark.com], and later confirmed by [http://web.archive.org/web/20110221171904/http://www.entertainmentearth.com/prodinfo.asp?number=HT83971G3 this listing here], Jolt was one of a pool of eight figures (all from the same wave) from which the free Deluxes were drawn, with several people having noted receiving him.

{{-}}

====Fast Action Battlers====
[[File:JoltFAB.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb|A [[Volt]] named [[Electro]] Whip [[Jolt (G2)|Jolt]]—three [[Laser Rod]]s in one!]]
*'''Electro Whip Jolt''' (Fast Action Battler, 2009)

:Electro Whip Jolt transforms into a slightly squashed [[Wikipedia:Chevrolet Volt|Chevrolet Volt]] with an unfortunate transformation parts separation line going right across his windshield. Jolt's robot mode transformation is reminiscent of Transformers car toys from previous generations, where the sides of the car are his arms and the rear his feet. Jolt's arms each contain a spring loaded "electro whip" that shoots out of them when a blue tab is depressed. Moving either of his arms up, then releasing it will cause it to swing back down, simulating a whipping motion.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Autobot/FABJolt/jolt.htm More information on Electro Whip Jolt at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

{{anchor|Sparkblast}}
*'''Spark Blast Jolt''' (Fast Action Battler, 2010)
[[File:ROTFtoy-JoltSparkBlast.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Now with more toys than appearances in the film!]]
: Spark Blast Jolt is a [[redeco]] of Electro Whip Jolt in mostly white with blue electricity deco on his doors. This is supposed to represent Jolt when he is in battle for a long time and charges with electricity. The [[bio]] also says he is all about electricity. Weird.

:This toy did not see mass retail release in the United States, but is confirmed to have come out in Europe (or at least Germany).

{{-}}

===Transformers (2010)===
[[File:WMDesertRuinsBrawlAndJolt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|He'll put a shock to your <s>system</s> sense of fashion.]]
*'''Desert Ruins Brawl''' (Walmart exclusive multi-pack, 2010)

:This [[Walmart]] exclusive multi-pack includes a redeco of Legends Class Jolt in light gray and blue with bright green detailing, with some bright green flame decals on the sides and hood of the vehicle. He comes with a redeco of Deluxe Class [[Brawl (Movie)#Deluxe Class toys 3|Brawl]] in yellow, brown and gray. Taken together, they may be the least appealingly-colored set of toys in years. This set was later sold in the Family Dollar store chain, and spotted at Rossy stores in eastern [[Canada]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2010/Autobot/WMJolt/jolt.htm More information on Desert Ruins Brawl Jolt at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

[[File:TF2010toyline ElectrostaticJolt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Now more electric than ever!]]

*'''Electrostatic Jolt''' (Deluxe, 2010)

: Electrostatic Jolt is a redeco of ''Revenge of the Fallen'' Deluxe-class Jolt with a blue roof and gold parts in robot mode. He also has an electricity pattern decoed on his doors similar to Spark Blast Jolt.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2010/Autobot/Jolt/jolt.htm More information on Electrostatic Jolt at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Dark of the Moon===
[[File:DOTM MechTechDeluxe Jolt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|At long last, I can turn my head!]]
*'''Jolt''' (MechTech Deluxe, 2011)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''DA14'''
**''Accessories:'' [[MechTech]] Blaster/Hand Cannon

:Part of the second wave of ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (toyline)|Dark of the Moon]]'' Deluxe Class toys, this version of Jolt is a new mold, and transforms into a black and grayish-blue Chevy Volt, featuring "Allspark blue"-colored decals, and with the black on the roof and hood being textured to resemble carbon-fiber panels. While the specific details of his robot mode are actually ''less'' accurate to the movie model than the previous toy due to the limits of toy engineering, (the wings being made from the sides of the car instead of the front, and the front now being his feet, for example) he certainly ''looks'' more accurate, with his chest and feet being deformed and collapsed, more slender limbs, claw "hands" with three digits each, and his back kibble forming his distinctive "wings", all the while featuring a much less clumsy and far more articulated design to boot. Despite all of this however, his head is ''still'' based on his more common, shrimpy design instead of his CG model.

:Replacing his electro-whips, he comes with a MechTech blaster that turns into a hand cannon when the scope is pulled. This weapon can either be plugged via [[5mm post]] on two "concealed" holes on his roof in vehicle mode, underneath his forearms in robot mode, or onto the hole on his back in robot mode. As with all other MechTech Deluxe weapons, the converted weapon cannot lock into place.

:Additionally, flipping out a tab in each of his arms reveals some small [[C joint]]-compatible bars.

:The [[stock photography]] on his packaging depicts his black parts as smooth and untextured, instead of the carbon-fiber texture on the final toy.

:His Mechtech weapons was later reused for ''Chronicle'' [[Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#Chronicle2Pack|Movie Optimus Prime]] and ''Age of Extinction'' Evolution 2-pack [[Bumblebee_(G1)/toys#Age_of_Extinction|"Classic" Bumblebee]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2011/Autobot/Jolt/jolt.htm More information on ''Dark of the Moon'' Jolt at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

===Movie Advanced Series===
[[File:Lost Age AD-14 Jolt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|He's like a reverse [[Dread (DOTM)|Dread]]—vehicle pigtails instead of robot dreadlocks.]]
*'''Jolt''' (Deluxe, 2014)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''AD14'''
**''Accessories:'' 2 electro-whips

:Part of [[TakaraTomy]]'s ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (toyline)|Lost Age: Advanced Line]]'', this is a redeco of ''Dark of the Moon'' Jolt in his blue ''Revenge of the Fallen'' color scheme. Replacing his MechTech blaster, he comes with two electro-whips that plug via 5mm post.

{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Robot Heroes===
[[File:Robotheroesjoltravage.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Oh, like anybody bought this set for Jolt.]]
*'''Jolt and Ravage''' (2009)
:''[[Robot Heroes (toyline)|Robot Heroes]]'' Jolt is part of the second ''Revenge of the Fallen'' wave. He has articulation at the shoulders and neck, and comes packaged versus [[Ravage (ROTF)#Robot Heroes|Ravage]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Autobot/RHJolt/jolt.htm More information on ''Robot Heroes'' Jolt at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===RPMs - Robot Powered Machines===
[[File:ROTF-toy RPM Jolt.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|After being run over, Jolt now hates hybrids.]]
*'''Jolt''' (2009)
**''Series:'' '''Speed Series'''
**''Number:'' '''03 of 04'''

:As a [[Robot Powered Machines|Mini-Vehicle]], Jolt is a non-transformable, ''Hot Wheels''-scale Chevrolet Volt. His robot mode is sculpted surging with electricity on the car's underside, alongside his name and an Autobot insignia.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Autobot/RPMJolt/jolt.htm More information on RPMs Jolt at TFU.info]''

{{-}}

==Notes==
[[File:Joltconcept.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Jolt wants a CGI photo.]]
[[File:ROTF Jolt vehicle mode.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Kicking Decepticon skidplate and staying environmentally friendly!]]

*Jolt was a last-minute addition to the film during the four-month rush to get a script done after the Writers Guild strike. The writers had to convince Bay that Jolt would feel like a true member of the main Autobot roster.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-movie-discussion/180451-welcome-mr-roberto-orci-you-may-ask-him-questions-190.html#post3231606 Roberto Orci discusses Jolt's inclusion in the film].</ref> Ultimately, this wasn't what you could call a success: Jolt only appeared in robot mode in three scenes of the movie, and the character has no lines whatsoever. He even abruptly disappears from the Autobot vehicle mode group shot where he appears for the first time. Jolt ''does'' get a name shout-out, which is something, at least, but that doesn't change the fact that he was so disposable to the plot that he didn't appear in any of the tie-in comics, books, or video games until ''seven months'' after the film had come out.
*Furthermore, none of Jolt's toy and comic book appearances were accurate to his CG model. Closer inspection of his head reveals the final design was far less shrimpy than the concept art Hasbro used.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-movie-discussion/287152-jolt-cgi-2.html#post5212602 TFW2005 post of shots from the film, the special features and a fan retool of the Deluxe toy.]</ref>
*During production of ''Revenge of the Fallen'', [[TakaraTomy]] were informed that Jolt had been dropped from the movie, so product development on him was halted. However, when they saw a photo of Jolt on the set of ''Revenge'', they realised that contrary to what they had been told, he ''was'' still in the movie, and hurriedly went back to work on his toys!<ref>TakaraTomy designer interview in ''Transformers Generations 2009 Volume 3'' [http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-news-rumors/281700-takaratomy-staff-interview-rotf-human-alliance-gravity-bots-more.html Translated interview on ''Revenge of the Fallen'' work from ''Transformers Generations 2009 Volume 3'' on TFW2005.com]</ref>
*Concept art and an image of Jolt's [[Industrial Light & Magic]] CG model (seen from an awkward angle on a computer screen) were depicted on the [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)/home video|''Revenge of the Fallen'' 2-Disc DVD and Blu-ray]] special features.
*Although Jolt never speaks in the movie, Variety had reported, and it was believed for awhile, that [[Anthony Anderson]] was to voice the late-joining Autobot.<ref>http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117940483.html?categoryid=31&cs=1</ref>
*One of the Volt vehicles used as Jolt in the movie is on display at the [[wikipedia:Test Track|Test Track]] attraction at [[wikipedia:Epcot|Epcot]].
*Some scenes of Jolt in vehicle mode in Jordan were shot, but never appeared. Oh, come on!
*On August 2, 2010, Nelson Lauren, the webmaster of Michael Bay's official website, declared on the message boards of [http://www.tfw2005.com TFW2005] that there will be "no Jolt" for ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon]]''.<ref>[http://www.tfw2005.com/boards/transformers-news-rumors/316853-big-red-autobot-fire-truck-tf3-30.html#post5064356 Nelson's post on TFW2005.com]</ref> Hence, in IDW's ''Dark of the Moon'' prequel, Jolt goes bye-bye.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Jolt''' (ジョルト ''Joruto'')
*''Hungarian:'' '''Sokk''' ("Shock")

==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Age of Extinction Autobots]]
[[Category:Dark of the Moon Autobots]]
[[Category:NEST]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen Autobots]]
[[Category:Robot Heroes]]
[[Category:Transformers (2010) Autobots]]
[[Category:Wal-Mart exclusives]]

Transformers: The Last Knight (film)

2017-09-15T16:25:35Z

HailMegatron: /* Continuity notes */

{{Nav-tlk}}
[[File:TLK Poster.JPG|thumb|upright=1.67|So forget any ideas you've got about lost cities, exotic travel, and digging up the world. We do not follow maps to buried treasure, and "X" never, ever marks the spot.]]
'''''Transformers: The Last Knight''''' is the fifth film in the [[live-action film series]], serving as a sequel to ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Transformers: Age of Extinction]]'', and was released on [[June 21]], [[2017]].

When he is gifted a [[Talisman (TLK)|Talisman]] by a dying [[Transformer]] knight, [[Cade Yeager]] finds himself pursued by both the [[Decepticon]]s and the [[Transformers Reaction Force]]. He is soon recruited along with [[Viviane Wembly]] by [[Edmund Burton|Sir Edmund Burton]], last of the [[Order of the Witwiccans]], to once again save the world from a new impending threat.

{{quote|One hundred billion trillion planets in the cosmos. You want to know, don't you? Why they keep coming ''here?''|[[Edmund Burton|Sir Edmund Burton]]|''Transformers: The Last Knight''}}

==Synopsis==
[[File:TLK Knight gives staff.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Eternal life, Doctor Jones! The gift of youth to whoever drinks from the Grail.]]
It is the year [[484]] in [[England]]. A medieval battle rages. [[King Arthur]] and his [[Knights of the Round Table|knight]]s are looking down the barrel of defeat at the hands of the [[Saxon]]s, and their only hope lies with the magician [[Merlin]]. Elsewhere Merlin, in reality merely a drunkard, rides up to a long-crashed alien ship and beseeches the occupants for help. He has kept their secret, but now needs their help. The other knights are losing hope, but Arthur believes Merlin will come through. Merlin manages to convince [[Stormreign|a giant metal red-armored knight]] at the ship to help, and it presents him with a [[Staff of Merlin|staff]], allowing him to return to the battle with a [[Dragonstorm|giant metal dragon]]. The battle is won in favor of Camelot.

Present day: [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] drifts apparently lifeless in space. Both he and [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] have vanished from [[Earth]], and Transformers have been declared illegal, with the [[Transformers Reaction Force]] set up to track them down, though they've found refuge in some places such as [[Cuba]], where [[Seymour Simmons]] is hanging out with the remaining [[Wrecker]]s. Transformers continue to arrive in waves and [[NASA]] scientists detect something large incoming.

[[File:TLK Canopy downed.jpg|thumb|right|300px|He speaks a dozen languages and knows every local custom. He'll blend in, disappear and you'll never see him again.]]

Four kids, craving adventure, breach a fence and enter a section of city ruined by a previous Transformer battle. They stumble on a crashed Transformer ship with a still-living occupant. TRF [[Sentinel (TLK)|Sentinels]] close in on them and warn them that they're trespassing; however [[Izabella]] appears out of nowhere to help, slinging bottles of green ooze which result in one Sentinels shooting another. Izabella's tiny robot [[Sqweeks]] wraps a cable around the legs of the remaining Sentinel and it topples over, allowing the kids time to get away. Pursued by another Sentinel, Izabella takes the kids to shelter — a Transformer named [[Canopy]] whose back is a hollow mound of rubble. They're joined by Sqweeks, who's lost his arm in the battle. Canopy and the kids start moving, unaware the TRF has spotted them. Unable to determine what faction Canopy is and with kids possibly in danger, TRF commander [[Santos]] orders an air strike. The missile takes out Canopy, who thanks a tearful Izabella before dying. The kids are soon rescued by [[Cade Yeager]] and [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] who destroy another Sentinel.

Cade drives the kids to the border of the no-go zone and drops them off before returning to the crashed ship. Despite his efforts, the pilot within dies, but not before attempting to present Cade with the [[Talisman (TLK)|Talisman]]. Cade does not take it. He reports the pilot's death to Bumblebee shortly before [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] appears and Cade is suddenly surrounded by TRF forces. Meanwhile, the Talisman sprouts legs and crawls away from the ship. Cade refuses to divulge where the other Transformers are. Bumblebee arrives, only to be blown to pieces by the TRF. Moments later, the parts start reconnecting as Bumblebee reassembles himself, sending the TRF forces into disarray as he does so. He and Cade take Santos hostage, but the standoff is interrupted by the arrival of [[William Lennox|Lennox]] who tries to talk Cade and Bee into standing down. [[Hound (Movie)|Hound]]'s appearance settles things however, and Cade, Bee and Hound leave, though the TRF manages to get a tracking device onto Bumblebee.

Lennox reports to [[Morshower|General Morshower]] who plays a recording of Barricade reporting back to Megatron. Megatron is disappointed Barricade failed to secure the Talisman as it is the object they need to lead them to the staff, but Barricade believes the TRF will lead them to it. Morshower orders Lennox to return to his covert infiltration of the TRF.

[[File:TLK Optimus chained.jpg|thumb|left|300px|My soul is prepared. How's yours?]]

Optimus's voyage through space comes to an end as he crashes on the ravaged surface of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], which has been mysteriously disassembled into many pieces. He encounters and attacks [[Quintessa (TLK)|Quintessa]], who claims to be his creator and the "Prime of Life," but she easily restrains him.

As he returns to the [[Junkyard (TLK)|junkyard]] he calls home, Cade realizes that the Talisman has somehow ended up in his vehicle. In England, [[Cogman]] alerts [[Edmund Burton|Sir Edmund Burton]] to the arrival of the Talisman. Elsewhere in England, [[Viviane Wembly]] wins a game of polo for her team before returning to the [[University of Oxford]]. She lectures her class on King Arthur, someone she believes to be a made-up legend, unaware she's being watched by Burton. Burton gives instructions to a nearby parked car.

Quintessa tells Optimus that he must retrieve her staff, stolen by her knight guardians and hidden on Earth.

[[Drift (AOE)|Drift]] and [[Crosshairs (AOE)|Crosshairs]] are hanging out in the junkyard. Cade, Hound, and Bumblebee stop off on their way back so Cade can banter with the local authority, Chief [[Sherman]], who complains that his cruiser has been stolen. The trio continue to the junkyard where [[Jimmy (TLK)|Jimmy]] and [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] are looking at online photos of custom cars. They are unaware Izabella and Sqweeks have stowed away on Hound. While Bumblebee and Crosshairs come to blows, Cade persuades [[Grimlock (AOE)|Grimlock]] to cough up Sherman's cruiser, or what's left of it. [[Daytrader]] arrives, bringing [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]'s head and a new voicebox for Bumblebee. He's interested in Cade's Talisman, and says it's a sign of the impending apocalypse. Izabella fronts up to Cade and attempts to pursuade him to let her stay. They return to Cade's trailer for antics with the [[Mini Dinobot]]s and trade stories of lost family members. Izabella manages to impress Cade with her knowledge of Cybertronian physiology and he's convinced to let her stay.

In [[Namibia]], scientists arrive at a location to find a giant metal horn poking out of the ground. News of the horn, and five more like it, get back to Simmons and Burton. Meanwhile the NASA scientists meet with [[President of the United States|presidential]] staff to report they have detected an approaching planet, which they say will arrive in three days.

Helped by Hound, Cade makes an untraceable satellite phone call to [[Tessa Yeager|his daughter]] at college, but is unable to speak to her for fear that his voice will be recognized by the [[CIA]], and can only listen as she tries to convince him to get a girlfriend.

Lennox meets Morshower at the [[Pentagon]] for a briefing on the horns — Megatron has been spotted visiting them and has snatched up two CIA operatives as hostages. Lennox and some lawyers meet with Megatron to negotiate the return of some of his men. They agree to release [[Mohawk]], [[Dreadbot]], and [[Nitro Zeus]]; [[Berserker]], however, turns out to be a step too far, and Megatron is forced to select [[Onslaught (ROTF)|Onslaught]] instead. Morshower believes they can use Megatron so they can get hold of Cade's Talisman themselves.

[[File:TLK Megatron fires.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The Grail is mine, and you're going to get it for me.]]

As morning breaks over the junkyard, the Decepticons prepare to move in, observed by the TRF. Izabella attaches a new arm to Sqweeks, before helping Cade fit Bumblebee's new voicebox. Bee is not happy with the result, which sounds like a GPS. Sherman gives the group advanced warning of the impending Decepticon assault, and the Autobots and humans scramble to get ready to escape. Megatron's group arrives to find the junkyard deserted, at least until Hound pops up and starts shooting. Megatron returns fire. The Autobot group heads into the nearby town, where Drift finds the tracking device on Bee. Grimlock and [[Slug (AOE)|Slug]] ambush the TRF forces en route to the town. Santos has a swarm of unmanned drones sent in. The Decepticons arrive in the middle of town and immediately spot Sqweeks, which draws Izabella out in an attempt to save the tiny Autobot. Cade detonates the explosives hidden around town and flees with Izabella, pursued by Barricade. The 'Con is knocked aside by Grimlock, who also devours Dreadbot. As the battle rapidly turns against the Decepticons, with Onslaught being killed by Drift and Crosshairs, Megatron calls a retreat. Mohawk, however, is left behind and is subsequently reduced to a head by Bumblebee. Cade, Izabella, and Jimmy take cover in a disused church as the TRF drones move in, however the drones continue to pursue them through the church. Cade and Izabella take two of them out, but Jimmy tries to bluff a third, banking on the idea it's using facial recognition. He gets shot anyway, but fortunately it was only a beanbag.

The trio head into another disused building and enter a lift where they encounter Cogman, who announces he's come to collect Cade. The discussion ends when a drone arrives, and Cade ends up clinging to it as it flies wildly around the street. Cogman phones Sir Burton to report the bad news, but fortunately Cade survives his impromptu flight, partly thanks to the Talisman protecting him from bullets. He manages to ride another drone to the ground and is met by Cogman who explains that he's important because of the Talisman. Crosshairs attempts to prevent Cogman from doing anything, only for the smaller robot to break his finger. Cogman convinces Cade to go with him and leave the others. Cade and Bee accompany Cogman on a plane to England.

Morshower and Lennox track the flight, and note that Megatron's group is giving pursuit. Lennox is ordered to take the TRF team to the UK as well.

Simmons calls Sir Burton to let him know a book has been tracked down. NASA continues tracking the incoming planet, now identified as Cybertron. Quintessa reveals to Optimus that Earth is actually [[Unicron]] and that they're going to kill him with the staff, an act which will destroy Earth and restore Cybertron. Optimus's optics turn purple as Quintessa addresses him as "Nemesis Prime". Optimus swears to fight anyone who interferes with his new mission.

Viviane and her family watch a news report on the giant horns. Conversation turns to her dead father, and her mother suggests she check her father's study in case there's anything useful for her work. Disinterested, she instead gets into her car where an invitation falls out of the glove compartment. The car takes off of its own accord and starts driving her through the streets of [[London]]. When she smashes a window, the car complains in a French accent and throws her into the trunk. She calls for help, having realized she's in a Transformer, and the car [[scanning|scans]] a passing Lamborghini, reconfiguring itself into a copy of the other vehicle.

Cade's plane lands at Sir Burton's castle, where he and Bumblebee are shot at by [[Bulldog (TLK)|a tank Transformer]]. Sir Burton apologizes and takes a look at the Talisman. [[Hot Rod (DOTM)|Hot Rod]] arrives carrying Viviane, who is unhappy at being kidnapped. Once things calm down, Sir Burton explains he's the last of the [[Order of the Witwiccans]]. Cade's boorish behavior towards Viviane results in him being assaulted by Cogman. Sir Burton shows off portraits of his family tree and the Witwiccans, and relates how the Transformers have been helping humans for centuries, such as when Bumblebee and Hot Rod took part in [[World War II]]. They head to another building which houses the original [[Round Table]] used by King Arthur and his knights when they teamed up with the twelve [[Knights of Iacon]]. Further there is a legend that a last knight would be found and thanks to possessing the Talisman, that's Cade. Only Merlin's DNA can unlock the power of the staff, which is where Viviane comes in as a direct descendant of Merlin. She has no idea where the staff might be though. Further discussion is halted as [[MI6]] and TRF forces arrive to assault the castle. Despite [[Hurricane Autobot|one of the elderly Autobots]] attempting to defend the castle only to power down as a result of his aging, Hot Rod's time stopper weapon gives the group enough time to escape.

Simmons makes an irate call to Sir Burton, who is currently being pursued through London and is late for the appointment at [[Trinity Library]]. Bumblebee arrives at Viviane's house with her and Cade, and the pair start rifling through her father's study in search of a clue. Sir Burton's dropped off at the library, but Simmons demands to be inducted into the Order of Witwiccans before he'll point Sir Burton to the book, which reveals Earth is Unicron and points them to [[Stonehenge]]. Cade and Viviane find a clue in an old popup book which points them to the [[HMS Alliance|HMS ''Alliance'']] at the navy museum. The TRF arrive at the house. Meanwhile, Sir Burton and Cogman switch cars and a high-speed chase through the streets of London ensues. Cade and Viviane, now also making a getaway in Bumblebee, let them know about the navy museum. Cogman manages to shake his pursuers while Bumblebee manages to shake Barricade by blasting the Decepticon.

Bumblebee reaches the naval museum at the same time as Cogman and Sir Burton, and they have the HMS ''Alliance'' evacuated. Sir Burton leaves the others to it, explaining that the submarine, in reality a Transformer, knows the way to the staff. The sub launches, with Bumblebee clinging to the exterior so he cam come along for the ride. The sub's departure is noted by TRF and they track it as it heads away from England. The TRF scramble their own submersibles to give chase. A nuclear sub fires missiles at the ''Alliance'' which responds by ramming the other sub and diving deeper into the ocean. Cogman fires himself out through a torpedo tube.

Sir Burton arrives at Number 10 to see the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]], but is turned away. Cogman returns to the sub with a couple of fish he's caught. Viviane and Cade share clumsy sexual chemistry until Cogman reveals he's made sushi as a "last meal". Sir Burton takes a secret back entrance into Number 10 to talk to the PM, holding off security by threatening to release the [[watch that killed Hitler]]. Sir Burton tells the PM to mobilize the military to Stonehenge. The ''Alliance'' zeros in on a vast undersea Transformer ship, which lights up as they approach. The pursuing TRF subs also spot the ship, but have to make their own way in after the airlock doors close behind the ''Alliance''. The ''Alliance'' surfaces beyond the airlock, and the group starts exploring.

Back at the junkyard, Izabella, Sqweeks, and Crosshairs look up at the approaching Cybertron. Elsewhere, NASA scientists give a briefing as the approaching planet scrapes the surface of the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]]. The doomsday news is broadcast on [[television]] around the world. The subs carrying the TRF teams led by Lennox and Santos emerge into an air pocket, and they move out. Daytrader arrives back at the junkyard with the [[Knight Ship|Autobots' ship]], and the group there prepares to head to England to help out. Cade and Viviane find a chamber holding motionless Knights of Iacon. Cybertron moves into Earth's atmosphere, passing the [[International Space Station]]. Viviane touches a Celtic engraving which reveals Merlin's sarcophagus, inside which they find a wooden staff. As the TRF moves through the same chamber, [[Skullitron|one of the knights]] springs to life. Cade keeps it distracted as the TRF attacks it, eventually bringing it down. Viviane grabs the wooden staff which transforms into metal in her hands. Lennox and Santos attempt to get her to hand it over, but she reveals only she can use it. More knights revive and attack, however a short time later, Optimus kills them and forces Viviane to turn the staff over to him. Sending the others back to the sub, Cade, Lennox, and Bumblebee go after Optimus.

Bumblebee fights with Optimus atop the vast ship as it comes to the surface. Bumblebee manages to get the better of his former leader, and Cade attempt to persuade Optimus to stop fighting. As the ship rises out of the water, Optimus is able to get the upper hand and is prepared to end Bumblebee when Bee manages to talk in his own voice. Shaking Quintessa's influence, Optimus drops his sword, just in time for Megatron to swoop in and claim the staff. After the Decepticons leave, the remaining Knights of Iacon emerge from the ship and are ready to execute Optimus for aiding Quintessa's cause. The Talisman transforms into a sword which Cade uses to block the killing strike, and the Knights recognize Cade as a knight. Though Prime is ready to die, Cade talks him out of sacrificing himself, and Optimus announces they have to destroy Quintessa with the other Autobots show up in their ship.

Cybertron makes touchdown on Earth, causing untold destruction. Megatron arrives at Stonehenge with the staff. Lennox contacts Morshower with the coordinates for the "end game", an [[ignition chamber]] which is part of one of the dangling pieces of Cybertron and military forces move in. Cade comes up with a plan to load Ospreys onto the Autobot ship so they can get close enough to the ignition chamber to land. NASA thinks this is a bad plan and works on an alternate idea. The massive ship continues towards Stonehenge where the Decepticons, along with Sir Burton and the military forces, are waiting. At Sir Burton's signal, the military opens fire on the Decepticons as the massive ship arrives directly overhead. The Autobots regroup with Cade and the TRF, and Optimus Prime gives a stirring speech before blasting off. Cogman manages to find Sir Burton, who had been blasted by Megatron sometime prior to the Autobots' arrival, shortly before he expires.

Megatron returns to the Ignition Chamber where Quintessa is waiting. She plugs the staff into the floor, and lightning starts arcing about. The pieces of Cybertron start moving about and joining together, causing those on the ground to run for their lives. Massive worldwide destruction ensues. As the Autobot ship carries Autobots, knights and humans up to their fates, Cade asks Viviane out on a date. Jets soften up the defenses around the ignition chamber while the humans all board the Ospreys, and Cade has it out with Santos. Shamed, the TRF troops all rip off their insignias. The Ospreys launch, and Izabella and Sqweeks reveal they've stowed away on the one carrying Cade and Viviane. Covered by the jets and the giant three-headed dragon, the Ospreys head to the ignition chamber, and crash-land on the surface. The landing site is immediately a war zone as Megatron and his Decepticons stand in their way. Lennox spots the entrance to the chamber, but the team is pinned down by a gun emplacement. Izabella instructs Sqweeks to go blow the gun emplacement up. [[Infernocus]] merges under Megatron's orders and knocks Bumblebee and company out of the air.

[[File:Transformers_5_Unicron.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Trust no one.]]

Meanwhile, the NASA scientists have come up with a plan to use nukes to cause a nearby chunk of Cybertron to destroy the ignition chamber. Morshower contacts Lennox to let him know the new plan, and the TRF forces start withdrawing. Sqweeks succeeds in blowing up the gun emplacement. Optimus arrives aboard the dragon and takes out Infernocus. As the TRF troops parachute off the platform, the jets nuke the neighbouring chunk of Cybertron. Viviane drops her parachute and heads back towards the chamber, followed by Cade. The chunk hits the platform containing the chamber, however despite the devastating impact, the chamber continues to function. The chamber tumbles down until it comes to rest on another part of Cybertron. Inside, chaos reigns as the Autobots and Decepticons fight and Viviane grabs the staff. Optimus kicks Megatron through a wall shortly before another impact sends the chamber tumbling out of the sky. Bumblebee kills Nitro Zeus and blasts Quintessa as Optimus manages to distract her. Quintessa vanishes in a flash of blue light. Viviane finally pulls the staff free, shutting down the Ignition Chamber just before it crashes to the ground. Optimus dramatically drives out of the cloud of debris raised by its impact, carrying Cade and Viviane. As everyone reunites, Optimus gives another stirring speech about how Earth and Cybertron are now joined as one before the Autobots depart for Cybertron alongside the guardian knights.

Meanwhile back in Namibia, Quintessa, now in a human form, walks up to one of the scientists studying the giant metal horn and offers to tell him how to kill Unicron.

==Quotes==
"All right, I am what they say. I'm a liar, a charlatan. I've deceived my whole life, but if I could, for one moment, change this world for the better, I would give up everything! Everything! I'd give up drink! Money! Wom- ...Drink and money!"
:—'''Merlin'''

"Get that out of my face."
:—'''Megatron''''s disdan on the welcome wagon.

"Your world is dying. I've been waiting for you, Optimus...Come meet your ''maker''."
:—'''Quintessa'''

"You dare to strike your ''God?!'' Your war ''doomed'' Cybertron!" 
"Megatron started the war-" 
"''You'' destroyed your world, you fool!"
:—'''Quintessa''' shows '''Optimus''' who's boss.

"There is a way to heal your world. My power of creation, the staff, was stolen from me by my twelve Guardian Knights. They betrayed me, and hid it on Earth. Gave it to your ''precious'' humans...the staff is the only way to bring life back to Cybertron. You are going to find it for me. Do you seek redemption, Prime? ''Do'' you?" 
"My maker, I ''do''." 
:—'''Quintessa''' coaxes a half-brainwashed '''Optimus''' to her side.

"The end is near, my old treacherous friend... what a shame you'll be unable to see it."
:—'''Megatron''' musing to the decapitated head of Starscream

"Go to hell!" 
"'This planet ''is'' hell!"
:—'''Izabella''' and '''Megatron''' exchange smack talk

"Don't kill the messenger... or the messenger will kill ''you''."
:—'''Cogman'''

"You are needed, sir. Urgently. My master is fond of saying that all the important decisions in life often come down to just one moment."
:—'''Cogman''' impresses on Cade the gravity of the situation.

"Optimus...it is time you knew the truth. The place you call Earth has another name: Unicron." 
"Earth...Unicron? Cybertron's ancient enemy?" 
"Yes. You are going to kill him. With my staff, we will drain the very life from Unicron. Earth ''will die''. 
"Yes..." 
"And your world will be reborn... ''Nemesis Prime''. 
"I will fight anyone who stands in my way."
:—'''Quintessa''' coaxes a completely brainwashed <s>'''Optimus'''</s> '''Nemesis Prime''' to her side.

"Introductions. Miss Viviane Wembly: Master of History, Oxford; Doctor of Philosophy, also Oxford; and Doctor of Letters, Oxford again, I think. Anything else? Anyway, meet Cade." 
"...''Yeager''. Cade Yeager. I'm an inventor."
:—'''Sir Edmund Burton''' and '''Cade Yeager'''

'''Hot Rod:''' "Bonjour, chérie! Je M'appelle Hot Rôd." 
'''Viviane:''' "Ut what?" 
'''Hot Rod:''' "Hot ''Rôd.''" 
'''Viviane''' "Hut Rud?" 
'''Hot Rod:''' "''Hot Rôd!''" 
'''Sir Edmund Burton:''' "Hot. Rod." 
'''Hot Rod:''' "Mhmm." 
'''Sir Edmund Burton:''' "It's his French accent." 
'''Viviane:''' "Is he French?" 
'''Sir Edmund Burton:''' "No, he just likes the accent." 
'''Hot Rod:''' "Non! No no no, I ''hate'' the accent! But I can't get rid of it! I'm ''stuck'' with the accent!"
:—Everybody loves '''Hot Rod'''.

"Bee?" 
"Yes." 
"But he's so nice." 
"Behind the lines during the war they called him many things... nice was never one of them." 
:—'''Cade''' and '''Sir Edmund''' on Bumblebee's past.

"I-I am Bumblebee... Your oldest friend! Optimus... I would lay down my life for you."
:—'''Bumblebee''' regains his voice, and Optimus regains his mind.

"I knew you couldn't do it! Your time is over, Prime. You ''failed''! You turned your back on Cybertron, now you will watch Earth ''DIE''!"
:—'''Megatron''' denounces Optimus after his redemption

"Knights, Autobots - this cannot and will not be the end. To save Earth and her people, we are going to steal Quintessa's staff. Only you, Viviane, can take it back. I will lead the way into her chamber, and when the account of the ages is etched into the cosmos, let those who exist long after us know that this was our finest hour!"
:—'''Optimus''' rallies his new and old allies before the final battle

"Did you forget who I am? ''I am Optimus Prime!''"
:—'''Optimus''' as he kills the Infernocons. They should've run for cover, or at least DUCKED.

"We were brothers once!" 
"''Once.''"
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Optimus Prime'''

"At the heart of every legend, there is truth: a few brave souls unite to save the world. We can be heroes in our own lives, every one of us, if we only have the courage to try. Our fates were always intertwined, but now our worlds are joined as one. We need to repair our planets, work together, if we wish to survive. A dangerous secret is buried deep inside the Earth. There is more to this planet than meets the eye. I am Optimus Prime, calling all Autobots... It is time to come ''home''."
:—'''Optimus Prime'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s closing narration.

==Characters==
{{featuredcharacters|
h1=[[Autobot]]s|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime/Nemesis Prime]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] ([[Erik Aadahl]])
*[[Hot Rod (DOTM)|Hot Rod]] ([[Omar Sy]])
*[[Hound (Movie)|Hound]] ([[John Goodman]])
*[[Drift (AOE)|Drift]] ([[Ken Watanabe]])
*[[Crosshairs (AOE)|Crosshairs]] ([[John DiMaggio]])
*[[Cogman]] ([[Jim Carter]])
*[[Sqweeks]] ([[Reno Wilson]])
*[[Grimlock (AOE)|Grimlock]]
*[[Slug (AOE)|Slug]]
*[[Mini Dinobot|Mini-Dinobots]]
**Mini Grimlock
**Mini Slug
**Mini Strafe
*[[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] ([[Tom Kenny]])
*[[Daytrader]] ([[Steve Buscemi]])
*[[Topspin (DOTM)|Topspin/"Volleybot"]] ([[Steven Barr]])
*[[Canopy]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*"[[Bulldog (TLK)|Bulldog]]" ([[Mark Ryan]])
*[[Trench]]
*[[Roadbuster (DOTM)|Roadbuster]] (Cameo)
*[[Hurricane Autobot]]
*[[Northrop Autobot]]
*[[HMS Alliance|HMS ''Alliance'']] Autobot

|h2=[[Decepticon]]s|c2=
*[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] (Frank Welker)
*[[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] ([[Jess Harnell]]/Frank Welker)*
*[[Nitro Zeus]] (John DiMaggio/Steven Barr)**
*[[Mohawk]] (Reno Wilson)
*[[Onslaught (ROTF)|Onslaught]] (John DiMaggio/Steven Barr)**
*[[Dreadbot]]
*[[Berserker]] (Steven Barr)
*[[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]'s head
*Decepticon [[protoform]]s

|h3=[[Human]]s|c3=
*[[Cade Yeager]] ([[Mark Wahlberg]])
*[[Viviane Wembly]] ([[Laura Haddock]])
*[[William Lennox]] ([[Josh Duhamel]])
*[[Izabella]] ([[Isabela Moner]])
*[[Edmund Burton|Sir Edmund Burton]] ([[Anthony Hopkins]])
*[[Seymour Simmons]] ([[John Turturro]])
*[[Santos]] ([[Santiago Cabrera]])
*[[Jimmy (TLK)|Jimmy]] ([[Jerrod Carmichael]])
*[[Morshower]] ([[Glenn Morshower]])
*[[Merlin]] ([[Stanley Tucci]])
*[[King Arthur|King Arthur]] ([[Liam Garrigan]])
*[[JPL Engineer]] ([[Tony Hale]])

|h4=[[Knights of Iacon]]|c4=
*[[Dragonstorm]]
**[[Stormreign]]
**[[Dragonicus]]
**[[Steelbane]]
*[[Skullitron]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Talisman Knight]]

|h5=Others|c5=
*[[Quintessa (TLK)|Quintessa]] ([[Gemma Chan]])
*[[Infernocus]]
**[[Infernocon]]s
*[[Unicron]]
*The [[watch that killed Hitler]]
*[[Vatti Transformer]]
|nonumbering=true
}}
* *The last few lines that Barricade has in the movie are dubbed by Frank Welker, while Jess Harnell voices Barricade for the rest of the movie.
* **Nitro Zeus' voice actor varies depending on the version of the film, with one having him played by John DiMaggio, and the other with him played by Steven Barr. Same thing applies with Onslaught's single line.

==Continuity notes==
*Optimus left Earth at the end of [[Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|the last movie]], to look for the mysterious [[Creator (AOE)|Creators]]. No sign or mention of that [[Seed]] he was carrying, though he announced at the time he was going to take it where "it can never be found."
*The Dinobots were "set free" by Optimus at the end of the last movie, though they have since joined up with the main Autobot team in hiding, presumably for pragmatic reasons.
*After going nameless in the previous film, Grimlock is called by name (by Cade) in this film, the only Dinobot so named.
*Cade's daughter Tessa was a soon to graduate high school student in ''Age of Extinction'', and she has since gone on to college.
*Izabella mentioned that her parents were killed during the Decepticon invasion in ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon]]''.
*Starscream was killed by a [[NEST]] boomstick at the climax of ''Dark of the Moon''. ''Age of Extinction'' established that scavengers had salvaged many objects from the Battle of Chicago.
*Megatron addresses Starscream's disembodied head as "my treacherous old friend". Back in ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'', Megatron accused Starscream of abandoning him to die in the [[Transformers (film)|first movie]]. We wouldn't call that a justified accusation, but what can we do? It's the word of a dead skull against that of the universe's greatest warlord.
*While [[Leadfoot (DOTM)|Leadfoot]] was killed by [[Cemetery Wind]] in a video recording in ''Age of Extinction'', the fate of his two fellow [[Wrecker]]s were unknown at that point. Similarly, only [[Brains]] reappeared in the last film whereas Wheelie was nowhere to be found. This film reveals that Wheelie, Topspin, and Roadbuster have all survived being hunted by Cemetery Wind. And given that [[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]] was also mentioned to have been killed by Cemetery Wind in ''Age of Extintion'' tie-in material, the only Autobot who survived the end of ''Dark of the Moon'' whose current status is unknown is [[Mirage (Movie)|Dino]].
*When Viviane is abducted by Hot Rod, she asks if her captor is a famous Transformer such as [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]] or [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]], unaware that they both died in ''Dark of the Moon''.
*Daytrader gives the Autobots [[Knight Ship|Lockdown's ship]], which was last seen being attacked by [[People's Liberation Army|Chinese military]] jets in Hong Kong.
*The T.R.F. uses the exact same tactic to take out one of the Knights as N.E.S.T. used to take out Shockwave and Barricade in ''Dark of the Moon''.
*The ''Ark'' is briefly seen on the Moon, where it was revealed to be back in ''Dark of the Moon'', having been left there untouched in the years since, along with the site of the [[Apollo 11]] moon landing.
*Among the landmarks trashed by the hanging chunks of Cybertron is the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]], where the climax of ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' took place, recognizable by the top missing to reveal the Star Harvester hidden underneath.
*The Decepticons are seen using several [[Orbital Assault Carrier]]s, as they were in ''Dark of the Moon'', though there's no word on if these Carriers are the same ones from the Chicago operation.
*Quintessa teleports herself away; she seems to have a bodily [[space bridge]] much as [[The Fallen]] did.
*It's never made clear whether or not [[Quintessa (TLK)|Quintessa]] is one of the [[Creator (AOE)|Creators]] alluded to in the previous film. She claims to be the "[[Prime (rank)|Prime]] of Life" and to have created the [[Transformer|Cybertronian]] species, but that is up for debate.
*Drift only has one of his swords, like the end of the previous film, showing that he never retrieved the other from the battle with the KSI drones.
*Sir Burton states that Viviane is the last living descendant of Merlin, along with stating that he is the last living member of the Witwiccans, indirectly stating that [[Sam Witwicky|Sam]], who has not been seen or heard from since ''Dark of the Moon'' (and [[Stephen Hawking]]) is dead at this point.
*[[Jolt (ROTF)|Jolt's]] head can be seen in the [[Junkyard (TLK)|junkyard]].

==Transformers references==
* As usual, many of the new characters have roots in older portions of the mythos:
** [[Hot Rod (DOTM)|Hot Rod]] is based on [[Hot Rod (G1)|a Generation 1 character]] introduced in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
** [[Onslaught (ROTF)|Onslaught]] is derived from [[Onslaught (G1)|the leader]] of the [[Combaticon (G1)|Generation 1 Combaticons]]. For his appearance in the film, he is an altered version of [[Long Haul (ROTF)|Long Haul]].
** Quintessa is a loose adaptation of the [[Quintesson]]s—the recurring race of antagonistic extraterrestrials who terrorized both the Autobots and Decepticons in season 3 of the original 1980's cartoon. In the cartoon continuity, the Quintessons were the creators of the Transformers, in the same way that Quintessa claims to be in the film. She seems to be physically based off of [[Quintus Prime]], a relatively new character introduced through 2013's ''[[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus]]''. The decision to make the character female is something wholly new, although it may speak to some influence from [[Solus Prime]].
** The [[Mini Dinobot]]s are baby-like scaled-down versions of Grimlock, Slug, and [[Strafe (AOE)|Strafe]], the latter of whom oddly does not appear in the film itself.
** [[Unicron]] is the ancient enemy of [[Primus]]/Cybertron, who was introduced in ''The Transformers: The Movie''. The idea of Unicron having a connection to Earth seems to be inspired by the ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' cartoon, where Unicron ''was'' the core of the Earth, with the rest of the planet having formed around his dormant body during his hibernation. Whether or not this corporeality holds true for this incarnation of Unicron remains to be seen.
* When Optimus Prime falls under Quintessa's control, he is dubbed "[[Nemesis Prime (disambiguation)|Nemesis Prime]]", an obvious reference to the evil clone of Optimus Prime that has appeared in many [[Nemesis Prime (Armada)|conti]][[Nemesis Prime (G1)|nui]][[Nemesis Prime (Prime)|ties]]. The ''Prime'' version was, believe it or not, used as a template for Galvatron's background in the last film, where he was supposed to be a copy of Optimus.
* Several Transformers introduced in this film have altered designs from past films, yet are entirely new characters nevertheless. [[Nitro Zeus]] employs the same body design as the [[KSI Boss]]s but has a head identical to [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]]'s, [[Dreadbot]] is an altered version of [[Crowbar]], [[Canopy]] is another altered version of Long Haul, [[Berserker]] is a homage to [[Crankcase (DOTM)|Crankcase]], and [[Trench]] is the same body-type as [[Scrapper (ROTF)|Scrapper]] and [[Scrapmetal (ROTF)|Scrapmetal]].
** The rest of the robot cast-[[Cogman]], [[Sqweeks]], the [[Knights of Iacon]], [[Mohawk]], [[Daytrader]], "[[Bulldog (TLK)|Bulldog]]", and the [[Infernocon]]s-are new characters with entirely new designs.
* Edmund Burton claims Cogman is a [[Headmaster (technology)|"headmaster"]], which is typically a human-sized bot that transforms into the head of a larger bot. While this reference ''is'' borne out by his [[Cogman#Toys|Deluxe Class toy]], which features a larger vehicle body and a detachable head, we don't actually see Cogman do anything like that in the movie itself.
* This is not the first time the Transformers have been associated with [[A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court (episode)|Arthurian times]], nor would be [[The Golden Knight|the last]].
* Galvatron eventually returns back to using his true name, something we've seen [[Megatron (Armada)| before]].

==Real-life references==
*The bogus voice box Bumblebee gets from Daytrader has the voice of {{w|Siri}}, the AI assistant found in most iPhones.
*Crosshairs calls Cogman a "[[Star_Wars_(film)|C-3PO]] ripoff".
*Sir Edmund Burton quotes the song ''[[w:It's a Long Way to Tipperary|It's a Long Way to Tipperary]]'' in reference to World War I.

==Other editions==
*Two versions of the film were released to theaters: one screened in English-speaking countries, which seems to be the "finished" version, and another shown internationally, with foreign language subtitles, which appears to be an earlier version. There are numerous differences in dialogue between the two versions, with some lines being dropped, added, or changed completely for the finished version, including ones that even help to make the film make more sense!
**When Hound shows up when TRF are talking to Bee and Cade, in the finished version he says, "Sorry I'm late! My invitation to this ass-kicking must have gotten lost in the mail." The alternate version has him say "Mornin', fellas! I like showing up to a gun fight! This round mound's gonna mow you down. Translation: Sayonara, suckers!"
**When Daytrader says "You always resort to violence, right off the bat!", in the finished version Hound replies "I love violence!". Hound does not reply in the alternate version.
**Hound has an extra line about wanting to "deep-six" Daytrader in the alternate cut right before the Vatti Transformers appears, whereas he remains silent in the final edition.
**Izabella laughs at Cade's attempts to make Grimlock spit out the cruiser in the alternate cut. She smiles, but remains silent in the final version.
**When Jimmy and Wheelie argue, the finished version has Wheelie back down a bit when Jimmy threatens and grabs him, with Wheelie adding that Jimmy is the worst "senior vice president ever". In the alternate cut, Wheelie continues to berate him , threatening "I'll have my Autobot brethren kick your ass!". Oddly, he still flails his hands around when he's not saying anything in the latter version, meaning his animation is meant to be paired with the "finished" audio.
**In the "earlier" version, all of Nitro Zeus's dialogue is provided by Steven Barr, and the actor receives an on-screen credit for the role. For the "finished" version, it was all re-recorded by John DiMaggio (with the credits altered to reflect the change), with some differences. During his introduction, for instance, the finished version has him say: "I know where you live, Enrique, say hello to your wife for me!" while the other, he says: "By the way, Enrique, Chad's sleeping with your wife!"
**In the final film, Onslaught's single line of dialogue was recorded by DiMaggio, while Barr re-recorded said line in the alternate version. Deja vu huh?
**When arriving at the Junkyard, DiMaggio-Nitro remarks "Aw man, I kicked more ass in prison!" upon learning that Cade and co. have left, while in the alternate version Barr-Nitro says "Unfortunate, because I was looking to knock some heads!".
**While Megatron is musing to the head of Starscream, as he says "The end is near", DiMaggio-Nitro cuts in with "Oh, she's coming!" while Barr-Nitro remains silent.
**When the Decepticons arrive in the abandoned town, Barr-Nitro says: "I know they're close!" while DiMaggio-Nitro says: "Oh, I feel a fight comin'!"
**In the final film, when the Autobots discover the tracker planted on Bumblebee, Crosshairs remarks "The tracker led 'em right to us! When are you gonna grow up?" but in the alternate version, he says "What's this? You brought 'em right to us!"
**In the final film, after Drift kills Onslaught ("and his fat head!"), Crosshairs remarks, "Don't get any deader than that!" In the alternate version, Crosshairs is silent, and Drift instead says "Fantastic!" after his quip about Onslaught's head. In the final film, Drift's lips are still visibly moving at the point when he says "Fantastic!" in the alternate cut.
**After the town battle, Crosshairs calls the TRF drones "gnats" as he shoots them down in the finished version. He remains silent in the alternate version.
**In the finished version, when Crosshairs is talking about Cogman he says, "Hey Cade, what's with the C-3PO ripoff?", but in the alternate version he says, "I'll swat this metal cockroach for you Cade."
**Crosshairs whines that his finger is broken in the background when Cogman is speaking to Cade in the finished version. He remains silent in the alternate version.
**When Megatron steals the staff from Optimus, the "finished" film features Nitro Zeus saying: "You blew your chance to kill Unicron!" followed by Megatron saying: "I knew you couldn't do it. Your time is over, Prime! You failed!" The other has no Nitro Zeus dialogue, and instead features Megatron saying: "Quintessa, the most ruthless of our Gods, knew you couldn't do it. She knows I'm strong and you're weak."
**When the Knights of Iacon attack Optimus, in the alternate version one of the Knights tells Prime "She put you under a spell!". In the finished version, that line was removed.
**Barricade has an extra line at Stonehenge in the alternate version, where he says "Yes! Drain Unicron! He will be powerless!"
**The finished version adds an extra line between Cade and Lennox on Cybertron about Optimus never having made it to the Ignition Chamber, while the alternate version never acknowledges his absence.
**When Optimus Prime attacks Quintessa, In the finished version she says, "You traitor!", and Optimus retracts his faceplate. In the alternate version she says, "Nemesis! You traitor!", and Optimus' faceplate does not retract.
**The final version has Quintessa scream as Bumblebee blasts her, while Bumblebee quips "Sting like a bee!"—but in the other version, Quintessa is silent, and Bumblebee's dialogue is very slightly different, with him saying "''I'' sting like a bee."
*The Chinese release adds roughly 2 minutes of content just for soft-advertising.
*Additionally, the digital version, while primarily the "finished" version, alters a few minor things.
**All of Hound's red cross symbols have been recolored blue.
**The scene of Wheelie checking the used car website has been removed.
**For some reason, Barr-Nitro's "Unfortunate, because I was looking to knock some heads!" line is in place of DiMaggio's "I kicked more ass in prison!", despite DiMaggio providing the voice for Nitro Zeus in every other scene.

==Errors==
===Continuity errors===
*[[Grimlock (AOE)|Grimlock]], [[Slug (AOE)|Slug]] and [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] randomly disappear from the story, although they were likely left at the junkyard during the final battle.
*Optimus forgets obvious things. He's astonished by the decrepit condition of Cybertron, despite knowing it was destroyed in the third film. In addition, he remarks that he has not heard Bumblebee's voice "since Cybertron fell". Bumblebee actually spoke with his real voice briefly at the end of the [[Transformers (film)|first film]], albeit with a different voice actor.
*Sir Edmund says the battle depicted at the start of the movie took place in 484 AD, while a caption over the first present day scene says it takes place 1600 years later, which would result in the rest of the film taking place in 2084.
*There's no explanation for why Cybertron is intact after it disintegrated in ''Dark of the Moon'', nor is it explained why Cybertron is smaller than Earth when it was previously much bigger. It's possible the planet reformed itself over the years into its smaller state.
*No explanation is offered for how Galvatron has become Megatron again. He even transforms normally now, as opposed to bursting into a cloud of [[Transformium]] and reforming the way he did in ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction]]''.
*When Cade and Izzy are fitting a new voice box into Bumblebee, it is clear that they are using a prop on set, with no sign of Bumblebee's body. It is possible that due to his reforming ability, Bee was able to remove his head for the procedure. His head being reattached to his body is not shown.
*Speaking of Bumblebee's reforming ability, no explanation is given as to how he received such an ability. Back in the 2007 film he lost both of his legs and was unable to reform, as well as being clearly in pain.
*How does Daytrader have [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]'s head if it was destroyed in the third film?
*Just before the Decepticons invade the junkyard, Drift is shown with both his swords.
*Sqweeks is missing his scavenged Decepticon arm when the Decepticons invade the junkyard, his original arm appearing back in its place. It returns in all subsequent scenes with the character.
*The abandoned town the Autobots and humans seek refuge in has buildings which are a few stories tall at most, then Jimmy, Cade and Izabella are abruptly in a multi-story building with janitorial staff and an external lift when they encounter Cogman. After Cade's ride on a drone, they're suddenly back in the area with no tall buildings in sight.
*Ironhide and Optimus Prime are depicted in historical paintings, but both were clearly seen arriving on Earth for explicitly the first time in the [[Transformers (film)|first film]].
*How does Hot Rod have the Lamborghini chest in an old war photo if he selected the new disguise merely seconds ago and Lamborghini didn't ''exist'' until 1963?
*Despite the Decepticons all following Cade and Bumblebee to England, only Barricade apparently bothers to try to track them down once there.
*Bumblebee tears out the "defective" voicebox yet is able to talk to Optimus later with no voicebox. Maybe he put the old one back in offscreen?
*Where does Optimus go between taking off after giving his speech, and later turning up on Dragonstorm? The "finished" version of the film briefly addresses this by adding an exchange between Cade and Lennox, where the latter says Optimus didn't make it.
*En-route to Cybertron, despite Bumblebee having regained his voice, he once again insists on speaking with an audio clip.

===Technical/animation errors===
*A promotional clip of the scene showing Hot Rod and Viviane's arrival at Burton's estate appears to feature an actor other than Omar Sy performing Hot Rod's voice. Presumably, it was just the "scratch track" that Sy then recorded over; Hot Rod's first line in the clip ("Leetle lady, non!") is replaced in the film (with "Non non non, leetle lady, why do you have to be zat way? Pour quoi?") but his second ("She's very difficult!") remains performed by the scratch track actor.
*When Optimus meets Quintessa and tosses his shield away, it reappears on his arm in the very next shot before disappearing again.
*When Cade, Viviane, and Cogman are aboard HMS ''Alliance'', there is a camera shot of Cade looking through the periscope with Cogman to the right of screen. The camera angle then changes and shows Viviane in another part of the chamber. The camera returns to Cade, Cogman has vanished. The camera pans back to Viviane again, then returns to Cade, with Cogman back in the shot.
*In a near-repeat of the bizarre editing gaffe of ''Dark of the Moon'', Barricade's dialogue at Stonehenge is provided by [[Frank Welker]], as opposed to [[Jess Harnell]] who had voiced him for the duration of the film up to this point.
*Despite transforming into a larger vehicle, Dreadbot is visibly shorter than Barricade.
*When the Autobots are commenting on the Knights of Iacon, Hound's mouth is animated to be saying something too soon before he actually begins speaking.

===Geographic discontinuities===
*A road trip from the outskirts of Chicago to the Badlands of South Dakota takes about twelve hours, but Cade, Bumblebee, and Hound make the commute all in the same afternoon.
*When the authorities arrive at Burton's mansion, it is noted that "TRF and MI6" are in pursuit. In real life, MI6 is the UK's ''external'' intelligence agency; it is more likely that {{w|MI5}}, the UK's domestic intelligence agency, would be the British central government's agency present.
*American street signs of the hanging green-coloured variety can be seen during the chase scene in London.
*Viviane leads her class from a large, expansive archaeological museum into the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. While there is an archaeological museum attached to the Natural History Museum, it looks nothing like the one featured in the film.
*The Royal Navy's submarine museum is nowhere near London as the movie depicts; it is actually in Gosport, Hampshire.
*Stonehenge is not as isolated in open countryside and from main roads as portrayed - the A303 among other roads runs past the monument. Also, the town of Amesbury is across said main road, less than two miles away.

==Adaptations==
Two comic adaptations are made for the film: [[A New Friend]] by IDW Publishing as the promotion for both the film and Schick's Hydro line of electric razors, and [[Mission to Cybertron]] released exclusively for the Toys"R"Us exclusive Transformers: The Last Knight Blu-Ray Combo Pack.

==Music==
==Score==
:''Main Article'': [[The Last Knight (Music From the Motion Picture)]]
Continuing the tradition of the previous films, the music is once again composed by [[Steve Jablonsky]]. The ending theme of the movie is Torches by [[X Ambassadors]].

==Home video releases==
==Theatrical posters==
<center><gallery>
File:TLK Poster wide Dragonstorm.jpg
File:TLK Poster Rethink Heroes.jpg
File:TLK Poster.JPG
File:TLK Poster Stonehenge.jpg
File:TLK Poster Legend Secret.jpg|Nazis. I hate those guys.
File:TLK Poster Here Forever.jpg
File:TLK Poster IMAX 3D.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Optimus Prime.jpg|Optimus "Barely Appearing in this Movie" Prime
File:TLK Poster char Megatron.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Bumblebee.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Hound.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Hot Rod.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Cogman.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Burton.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Lennox.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Yeager.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Izabella.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Jimmy.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Wembly.jpg
</gallery></center>

==Reception==

{{quote|[sighs] Here we go again.|BBC Radio 5 critic Mark Kermode on ''The Last Knight''<ref>[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ee6xh5AmQo Mark Kermode review]</ref>}}

After four films where critics hated it but the audience showered it with money, ''The Last Knight'' broke the trend by ''not'' being showered with money. It had been projected to make $70-75m in its first days in North America, itself the lowest opening<ref>[http://deadline.com/2017/06/spider-man-homecoming-hoping-to-catch-opening-in-the-100m-vicinity-1202114641/ Deadline, June 15th 20917: "‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Hoping To Catch Opening In The $100M Vicinit"]</ref>, but that was downgraded to $63m after the first few days were even lower than the lowest expected.<ref>[http://deadline.com/2017/06/transformers-the-last-knight-opening-weekend-box-office-1202118976/ "Deadline: ‘Transformers’ Still Rusty At $63M+"]</ref> In the end it made almost $70m over the first five days, better than the revised projection but lower than all of the previous films. <ref>[http://deadline.com/2017/06/transformers-the-last-knight-opening-weekend-box-office-1202118976/ Deadline: "Why ‘Transformers’ Is Screaming For Reboot After $69M Start; ‘Wonder Woman’ & ‘Cars 3’ Fight Over 2nd Place"], 25th June 2017</ref> By mid-July, after over three weeks, the film had grossed $122.1m in North America against a $217m budget (not counting marketing costs). This meant a lot of critics began to zero in on the sluggish profit, taking the view that American audiences were just getting bored of Bay's version of the franchise.

Internationally the film did $196.2m in the same first five days, of which $123.4m came from [[China]] alone<ref>[http://deadline.com/2017/06/transformers-the-last-knight-opening-weekend-box-office-1202118976/ Deadline: "Why ‘Transformers’ Is Screaming For Reboot After $69M Start; ‘Wonder Woman’ & ‘Cars 3’ Fight Over 2nd Place"], 25th June 2017</ref>(who love the franchise so much delaying ''The Last Knight'' reduced 2016 cinema growth to 3%, down from 48% in 2015!)<ref>[https://www.forbes.com/sites/robcain/2017/06/11/transformers-gears-up-for-another-1-billion-box-office-bounty/#659ff09e2325 Forbes: "'Transformers' Gears Up For Another $1 Billion Box Office Bounty"]</ref> The Chinese had been expected to spend up to $290m on the film's run. <ref>[http://variety.com/2017/film/asia/chinas-weying-boards-paramounts-transformers-the-last-knight-1202465635/ Variety:"China’s Weying Boards Paramount’s ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’"]</ref> However, in its second week in China takings dropped by a harsh 75% and after 10 days it had only grossed $198 million, which was seen as a disappointment—some pundits had expected $400m from China—and left it unlikely the film would perform as well as ''Age of Extinction'' had.<ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-box-office-transformers-5-crashes-back-earth-75-percent-slide-second-weekend-1018449]</ref> ''The Hollywood Reporter'' visited a [[Shanghai]] screening and reported "walkouts, general disinterest and plenty of snickering over a conspicuous abundance of [Chinese] product placement" despite a truly massive PR campaign and the fourth film's mega-popularity. Chinese social media made it clear the plot was too complicated and the product placement, all products the Chinese knew weren't in America, was too dumb; the audience found it ''very'' funny when Wheelie looked up a Chinese used car website.<ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/transformers-last-knight-has-pandering-chinese-audiences-hurt-transformers-5-1016926 The Hollywood Reporter: "Has Pandering to Chinese Audiences Hurt 'Transformers 5'?", July 2 2017]</ref>

In the end, the film finished a 65 day run in cinemas with a worldwide gross of only $604m. <ref>[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=transformers5.htm]</ref> It even did not exceed the gross of the first film, which concluded with a worldwide gross of $709m, with domestic numbers over double what ''The Last Knight'' was able to take home. <ref>[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=transformers06.htm]</ref>

==Production staff==
The film was directed by [[Michael Bay]], and was written by [[Art Marcum]], [[Matt Holloway]], and [[Ken Nolan]].

==Development details==
[[File:Transformers 5 provisional logo.png|thumb|right|143px|Transfivemers doesn't have the same ring to it.]]
*December 18, 2014 — [[Mark Wahlberg]] confirms to MTV that he is signed on for the next two Transformers films.<ref>[http://www.mtv.com/news/2030612/mark-wahlberg-transformers-5/ Mark Wahlberg Just Found A 'Transformers' Sequel] on MTV.com</ref>
*March 27, 2015 — [[Paramount Pictures]] negotiates with [[Akiva Goldsman]], hiring him to create a "writer's room" with the intention of building a cinematic universe.<ref name="goldsman">[http://deadline.com/2015/03/transformers-akiva-goldsman-paramount-sequels-spinoffs-1201400027/ Paramount Enlisting Akiva Goldsman To Ramp Up 'Transformers' Output] on deadline.com</ref> Goldsman goes on to hire a number of writers over the next few months: [[Steven DeKnight]] (''Daredevil''),<ref>[http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/transformers-cinematic-universe/35696/transformers-cinematic-details-more-writers-over-10-films Transformers cinematic details]</ref> [[Robert Kirkman]] (''The Walking Dead''),<ref name="deadlinewritersroom">[http://deadline.com/2015/05/transformers-writers-robert-kirkman-zak-penn-art-marcum-matt-holloway-jeff-pinkner-1201430601/ 'Transformers' Spinoff & Sequel Scribes Set] on Deadline.com</ref> [[Art Marcum]] and [[Matt Holloway]] (''Iron Man''),<ref name="deadlinewritersroom" /> [[Christina Hodson]] (''Shut In'', ''The Fugitive''),<ref name="hodsonbeer">[http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/446175-christina-hodson-and-lindsey-beer-join-transformers-writing-team Christina Hodson and Lindsey Beer Join the Transformers Writing Team]</ref> [[Lindsey Beer]] (''Dig''),<ref name="hodsonbeer" /> [[Zak Penn]] (''Pacific Rim 2''),<ref name="deadlinewritersroom" /> [[Jeff Pinkner]] (''The Amazing Spider-Man 2'', ''Lost''),<ref name="deadlinewritersroom" /> [[Andrew Barrer]] and [[Gabriel Ferrari]] (''Ant-Man''),<ref name="barrerferrari">[http://deadline.com/2015/05/transformers-ant-man-andrew-barrer-gabriel-ferrari-cybertron-1201433402/ 'Ant-Man' Scribes Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari Join 'Transformers' Writers Room] on Deadline</ref> [[Ken Nolan]] (''Black Hawk Down''), and [[Geneva Robertson-Dworet]].<ref name="nolandworet">[http://www.slashfilm.com/transformers-writers-room/ Akiva Goldsman Teases 'Transformers' Franchise Plans]</ref> Involved in the pitching process are [[Steven Spielberg]], [[Michael Bay]], [[Brian Goldner]], [[Lorenzo di Bonaventura]], [[Mark Vahradian]], and [[Don Murphy]].<ref name="deadlinereveal">[http://deadline.com/2015/09/transformers-writers-room-akiva-goldsman-transformers-5-1201531918/ 'Transformers' Writers Room Wraps] on Deadline</ref>
*May 27, 2015 — As part of the news surrounding Barrer and Ferrari joining the room, it's revealed that another pitch is an animated prequel movie set on Cybertron, with the working title of ''[[Transformers One]]''.<ref name="barrerferrari" />
*June 8, 2015 — The writers meet on the Paramount lot for the writer's room.<ref name="nolandworet" /> The writers work for the next three months to plot out the next ten years of ''Transformers'' films.<ref name="stephendaviskeynote">[https://youtu.be/F_P2fw_DlS4?t=812 Stephen Davis's keynote speech] at MIPJunior.</ref>
*July 28, 2015 — DeKnight reports that as a result of the gathering of writers, Goldsman and Pinkner will be co-writing Transformers 5.<ref name="deknightreveals">[http://au.ign.com/articles/2015/07/28/daredevils-steven-deknight-on-the-transformers-writers-room-and-planning-ahead Daredevil's Steven DeKnight on the Transformers Writers Room and Planning Ahead] on IGN</ref>
*September 17, 2015 — Deadline reveals more about the writer's room process and reports that Barrer and Ferrari will write the animated feature, with Pinkner and Beer writing later films.<ref name="deadlinereveal" /> Bay remains uncommitted to directing.<ref>[https://twitter.com/michaelbay/status/644622092110032896 Tweet by Michael Bay]</ref>
*October 3, 2015 — [[Hasbro Studios]]'s [[Stephen J. Davis]] relates more details of the writing process in a keynote speech at the MIP Junior Conference.<ref name="stephendaviskeynote" />
*November 20, 2015 — With Goldsman now enlisted to create a writer's room for ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' and ''[[Microman|Micronauts]]'', Paramount begins negotiating with Marcum, Holloway and Nolan to write the film.<ref>[http://deadline.com/2015/11/transformers-g-i-joe-micronauts-akiva-goldsman-paramount-hasbro-1201632388/ Akiva Goldsman 'Transformers' Writers Room Leads Paramount & Hasbro To Set One For 'G.I. Joe', 'Micronauts'] on Deadline</ref>
*December 14, 2015 — Wahlberg re-confirms in an interview with CinePop that he'll be back in Transformers 5.<ref>[http://cinepop.com.br/exclusivo-mark-wahlberg-confirma-ao-cinepop-que-estara-em-transformers-5-109295 Mark Wahlberg interview with CinePop]</ref>
*January 4, 2016 — Bay confirms he will be returning to direct.<ref name="rollingstone">[http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/features/13-hours-can-michael-bay-pull-off-a-gritty-movie-about-benghazi-20160104 '13 Hours': Can Michael Bay Pull Off a Gritty Movie About Benghazi?] on Rolling Stone</ref>
*January 12, 2016 — It's totally definitely the last ''Transformers'' film for him this time though.<ref>[https://youtu.be/Yn9bkPNV4JA?t=472 Michael Bay interview with Collider]</ref>
*February 12, 2016 — Transformers 5 is now being released on June 23, 2017. In addition, [[Transformers Universe: Bumblebee|Transformers 6]], acting as a [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] spin-off, and [[Transformers 7]] are set to be released respectively on [[June 8]], 2018 and [[June 28]], 2019.<ref name="toyfairreveal">[http://news.tfw2005.com/2016/02/12/transformers-5-transformers-6-bumblebee-spin-off-movie-revealed-309503 Transformers 5, Transformers 6 And Bumblebee Spin-Off Movie Revealed] ToyFair news at TFW2005</ref><ref>[http://news.tfw2005.com/2016/02/12/transformers-6-tentative-title-revealed-bumblebee-movie-309597 Transformers 6 Tentative Title Revealed – The Bumblebee Movie] at TFW2005</ref>
*February 18, 2016 — Casting calls go out for June filming in [[London]] and [[Detroit]], also confirming [[Peter Cullen]]'s return as [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]].<ref>[http://www.acting-auditions.org/2016/02/transformers-5-casting-calls-for-new-lead-roles.html Transformers 5 casting call for new lead roles] on acting-auditions.org</ref>
*February 26, 2016 — After negotiations, it's announced that Michigan will provide $21 million in incentives towards the film.<ref>[http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MIEDC/bulletins/138dd29 'Transformers 5' lands in Detroit] from the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office</ref>
[[File:TLK Optiface Prime.jpg|thumb|right|300px|5 movies in and [[Michael Bay]] is still finding ways to make my face even more ridiculously detailed. Pretty soon I'm going to look like [[Deceptigod]].]]
*April 6, 2016 — Cinematographer [[Jonathan Sela]] is reported as being booked to work on the film.<ref>[http://variety.com/2016/artisans/news/agencies-book-artisans-on-fast-8-transformers-5-to-the-bone-macgyver-and-altered-carbon-1201747892/ Agencies Book Artisans on 'Fast 8,' 'Transformers 5,' 'To the Bone,' 'MacGyver' and 'Altered Carbon'] on Variety</ref>
*April 13, 2016 — Filming dates are revealed via a casting call on acting-auditions.org.<ref>[http://www.acting-auditions.org/2016/04/transformers-5-casting-calls-auditions-information.html 'Transformers 5' Casting Calls and Auditions Information] on acting-auditions.org</ref>
*May 12, 2016 — [[Isabela Moner]] tweets that she's been cast in the movie.<ref>[https://twitter.com/isabelamoner/status/730835465163530241 Tweet by Isabela Moner]</ref>
*May 14, 2016 — Bay suggests [[Tyrese Gibson]] is under consideration to return.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BFXbTA2IWpr/]</ref>
*May 16, 2016 — The film's title is officially revealed to be ''Transformers: The Last Knight'' in [https://www.instagram.com/p/BFfCGhRoMmW/?taken-by=transformersmoviea teaser trailer] posted on a newly-launched Transformers Movie Instagram.
*May 17, 2016 — [[Josh Duhamel]] announced to be returning for ''Transformers: The Last Knight''.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BFg6ffIoMvx/]</ref>
*May 25, 2016 — Michael Bay posts a [https://www.instagram.com/p/BF1sPamoWtc/?taken-by=michaelbay photo] as production begins in Cuba.
*May 27, 2016 — A [https://twitter.com/transformers/status/736286302870605824 teaser] is posted containing morse code which translates to "I'm coming for you May 31st."
*May 31, 2016 — Michael Bay posts [https://www.instagram.com/p/BGFEZ9vIWv1/a video] of [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] and announces production is about to start.
*June 3, 2016 — [[Anthony Hopkins]] joins the cast.<ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/anthony-hopkins-joins-transformers-5-899343]</ref>
*June 4, 2016 — [https://www.instagram.com/p/BGPsjYZoMpq/?taken-by=transformersmovie&hl=en First look] at [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]'s vehicle mode, which is a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BGPsjYZoMpq/?taken-by=transformersmovie&hl=en Bumblebee vehicle mode reveal]</ref>
*June 4, 2016 — The [[Freya|World's Loneliest Dog]] is cast.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2016/06/04/freya/ MichaelBay.com - Freya]</ref>
*June 10, 2016 — [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] is confirmed to return as a 2016 Ford Mustang.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BGes1IfoMqf/?taken-by=transformersmovie&hl=en]</ref>
*June 18, 2016 — [[Mitch Pileggi]] reveals he has a role.<ref>[https://twitter.com/mitchpileggi1/status/743667068138979329 Tweet from Mitch Pileggi]</ref>
[[File:TLK Bumblebee profile.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Back to the basics.]]
*June 20, 2016 — [[Laura Haddock]] joins the cast.<ref>[https://twitter.com/laurajhaddock/status/744915023299026944 Tweet from Laura Haddock]</ref>
*June 22, 2016 — New robot character [[Sqweeks]] is revealed.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BG-IEBroWgA/ Michael Bay on Instagram]</ref>
*June 28, 2016 — Tyrese Gibson is confirmed to return.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BHLBipSDqcO/ Tyrese on Instagram]</ref>
*June 30, 2016 — [[Santiago Cabrera]] joins the cast.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BHSfP9EAIi_/ Official movie Instagram reveal of Santiago Cabrera]</ref>
*July 1, 2016 — [[Drift (AOE)|Drift]] is confirmed to return with a new Mercedes alt-mode.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2016/07/01/drift/ Drift - MichaelBay.com]</ref>
*July 27, 2016 — [[Onslaught (ROTF)|Onslaught]] is confirmed to appear in the film.<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1112021768833269/?type=3&theater Onslaught photo] on the official Transformers movie Facebook page.</ref>
*August 4–13, 2016 — A series of character profiles are released on the official movie Facebook. New character [[Hot Rod (DOTM)|Hot Rod]]<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1116775651691214/?type=3&theater Hot Rod Facebook reveal]</ref> is first to be revealed, and [[Crosshairs (AOE)|Crosshairs]]<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1119387291430050/?type=3&theater Crosshairs Facebook reveal]</ref> and [[Hound (Movie)|Hound]]<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1120161021352677/?type=3&theater Hound Facebook reveal]</ref> are confirmed to return. Also shown are profiles for Drift,<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1117988908236555/?type=3&theater Drift Facebook reveal]</ref> Sqweeks,<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1118574891511290/?type=3&theater Sqweeks Facebook reveal]</ref> Barricade,<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1120871694614943/?type=3&theater Barricade Facebook reveal]</ref> Megatron,<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1121491451219634/?type=3&theater Megatron Facebook reveal]</ref> and Bumblebee.<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1122785391090240/?type=3&theaterBumblebee Facebook reveal]</ref>
*August 9, 2016 — Members of a number of ''Transformers'' fan sites, including TFWiki, are treated to [[Transformers 5 set visit|a set visit]].
*September 4, 2016 — [[Stanley Tucci]] is back as [[Joshua Joyce]] (He later turned out to be playing Merlin, but it's unclear from the article where the confusion originated).<ref>[http://variety.com/2016/film/global/stanley-tucci-to-reprise-transformers-role-in-the-last-knight-1201852108/ Stanley Tucci to Reprise 'Transformers' Role in 'The Last Knight'] on Variety</ref>
[[File:TLK Izabella trailer speech.jpg|thumb|right|250px|True fact: Isabela had to beat Megatron in an arm wrestling contest to get this part.]]
*September 24, 2016 — Location shooting at Blenheim Palace in England proved controversial as [[Winston Churchill]]'s birthplace became draped in Nazi banners. Bay told BBC News that veterans shouldn't be too upset as Churchill is a "big hero" in the film.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-37453284 Transformers' Blenheim Palace 'Nazi' scenes defended] from the BBC</ref>
*October 14, 2016 — Bay announces via Facebook that [[John Turturro]] will be back as [[Seymour Simmons]] & [[John Goodman]] back to voice [[Hound (Movie)|Hound]]<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/videos/1174984035870375/ Michael Bay video on Facebook]</ref>
*December 5, 2016 — The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyVKK87hYYM teaser trailer] is released.
*February 3, 2017 — The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npaVgxxtKxQ "Big Game Spot"] is released on YouTube.
*March 12, 2017 — The [https://twitter.com/transformers/status/840751026693062656 Kid's Choice Award Clip] is revealed.
*March 17, 2017 — The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVYSyiL4iis "Izzy Stays and Fights" preview], a family-aimed trailer attached to ''{{w|Beauty and the Beast (2017 film)|Beauty and the Beast}}'', is released.
*March 22, 2017 — Eight [http://ew.com/movies/2017/03/22/transformers-last-knight-motion-posters/ "motion posters"] for the film's robot cast are released.
*April 12, 2017 — Another [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FIH1TeIS9Q trailer] is released.
*April 24, 2017 — As part of the "[[Reveal Your Shield]]" promotion, Hasbro releases [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWXj0JSZQjE a video] featuring [[Peter Cullen]] and [[Frank Welker]] credited as the voices of Optimus and Megatron.
*May 5, 2017 — Variety reports that the film's release is being moved forward two days to June 21.<ref name="datemove">[http://variety.com/2017/film/news/mark-wahlberg-transformers-the-last-knight-1202410380/ 'Transformers: The Last Knight' Moves Forward Two Days]</ref>
*May 7, 2017 — The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7toS4s_79ZA "Optimus Prime Dialog Coach" teaser] is released.
*May 9, 2017 — The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVZhsL3vV8M "Secret Past" TV spot] is released.
*May 15, 2017 — A preview of an Empire Magazine feature on the film includes the news that [[Jim Carter]] has been cast as Cogman.<ref>[http://www.empireonline.com/movies/transformers-last-knight/exclusive-explosive-new-look-bumblebee-transformers-last-knight/ Exclusive, Explosive New Look At Bumblebee In Transformers: The Last Knight] on Empire Online</ref>
*May 17, 2017 — The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue7cNNfjCyc International Trailer] is released.
{{--}}

=== Changes before, during and after production ===
*Tyrese Gibson was intended to return as [[Robert Epps]], but the logistics of filming in Europe and a scheduling conflict with ''[[Wikipedia:The Fate of the Furious|The Fate of the Furious]]'' resulted in him being unable to take part.<ref>[http://www.ok.co.uk/celebrity-news/1104536/tyrese-gibson-transformers-the-last-knight-robert-epps-josh-duhamel-mark-wahlberg-michael-bay Tyrese Gibson exclusively admits he was 'p****d' to miss out on filming Transformers: The Last Knight alongside original co-star Josh Josh Duhamel] on OK! Online</ref>
[[File:TLK Primal concept.jpg|upright=1.55|thumb|This would ''probably'' start another era of [[Trukk not munky]].]]
*Concept art was made for a movie incarnation of [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] and a Cybertronian snake that never made into the final film.<ref>[http://news.tfw2005.com/2017/07/26/optimus-primal-concept-art-last-knight-345543]</ref><ref>[http://news.tfw2005.com/2017/08/02/transformers-last-knight-new-unused-snake-concept-art-furio-tedeschi-346195]</ref>

{{-}}

==Notes==
===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''''Transformers Saigo no Kishiō''''' (トランスフォーマー最後の騎士王, "Transformers: The Last Knight King")
*''Finnish:'' '''''Transformers: Viimeinen Ritari''''' ("Transformers: The Last Knight")
*''Italian:'' '''''Transformers - L'ultimo cavaliere''''' ("Transformers: The Last Knight")
*''Korean:'' '''''Teulaenseupomeo: Choehuui Gisa''''' (트랜스포머: 최후의 기사, "Transformers: The Last Knight")
*''Mandarin:'' '''''Biànxíng Jīngāng 5: Zuìhòu de Qíshì''''' (Taiwan, 變形金剛5：最後的騎士, "Transformers 5: The Last Knight"), '''''Biànxíng Jīngāng 5: Zuìhòu de Qíshì''''' (China, 变形金刚5：最后的骑士, "Transformers 5: The Last Knight")
*''Portuguese:'' '''''Transformers: O Último Cavaleiro''''' (Brazil, "Transformers: The Last Knight"), '''''Transformers 5''''' (Portugal)
*''Russian:'' '''''Transformery: Posledniy rytsar' ''''' (Трансформеры: Последний рыцарь, "Transformers: The Last Knight")
*''Spanish:'' '''''Transformers: El último caballero''''' ("Transformers: The Last Knight")
*''Ukrainian:'' '''''Трансформери - Останній лицар''''' ("Transformers: The Last Knight")
*''Czech:'' '''''Transformers: Poslední Rytíř''''' ("Transformers: The Last Knight")

==External links==
* [http://www.transformersmovie.com/ Transformersmovie.com]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3371366/?ref_=nv_sr_1 ''The Last Knight'' at IMDB.com]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformers:_The_Last_Knight ''The Last Knight'' film on Wikipedia]
* [https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/transformers_the_last_knight/ ''The Last Knight'' on RottenTomatoes.com]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{stub}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Last Knight(film)}}
[[Category:Real world films]]
[[Category:The Last Knight| Last Knight (film)]]

Transformers: The Last Knight (film)

2017-09-15T16:21:51Z

HailMegatron: /* Continuity notes */

{{Nav-tlk}}
[[File:TLK Poster.JPG|thumb|upright=1.67|So forget any ideas you've got about lost cities, exotic travel, and digging up the world. We do not follow maps to buried treasure, and "X" never, ever marks the spot.]]
'''''Transformers: The Last Knight''''' is the fifth film in the [[live-action film series]], serving as a sequel to ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Transformers: Age of Extinction]]'', and was released on [[June 21]], [[2017]].

When he is gifted a [[Talisman (TLK)|Talisman]] by a dying [[Transformer]] knight, [[Cade Yeager]] finds himself pursued by both the [[Decepticon]]s and the [[Transformers Reaction Force]]. He is soon recruited along with [[Viviane Wembly]] by [[Edmund Burton|Sir Edmund Burton]], last of the [[Order of the Witwiccans]], to once again save the world from a new impending threat.

{{quote|One hundred billion trillion planets in the cosmos. You want to know, don't you? Why they keep coming ''here?''|[[Edmund Burton|Sir Edmund Burton]]|''Transformers: The Last Knight''}}

==Synopsis==
[[File:TLK Knight gives staff.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Eternal life, Doctor Jones! The gift of youth to whoever drinks from the Grail.]]
It is the year [[484]] in [[England]]. A medieval battle rages. [[King Arthur]] and his [[Knights of the Round Table|knight]]s are looking down the barrel of defeat at the hands of the [[Saxon]]s, and their only hope lies with the magician [[Merlin]]. Elsewhere Merlin, in reality merely a drunkard, rides up to a long-crashed alien ship and beseeches the occupants for help. He has kept their secret, but now needs their help. The other knights are losing hope, but Arthur believes Merlin will come through. Merlin manages to convince [[Stormreign|a giant metal red-armored knight]] at the ship to help, and it presents him with a [[Staff of Merlin|staff]], allowing him to return to the battle with a [[Dragonstorm|giant metal dragon]]. The battle is won in favor of Camelot.

Present day: [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] drifts apparently lifeless in space. Both he and [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] have vanished from [[Earth]], and Transformers have been declared illegal, with the [[Transformers Reaction Force]] set up to track them down, though they've found refuge in some places such as [[Cuba]], where [[Seymour Simmons]] is hanging out with the remaining [[Wrecker]]s. Transformers continue to arrive in waves and [[NASA]] scientists detect something large incoming.

[[File:TLK Canopy downed.jpg|thumb|right|300px|He speaks a dozen languages and knows every local custom. He'll blend in, disappear and you'll never see him again.]]

Four kids, craving adventure, breach a fence and enter a section of city ruined by a previous Transformer battle. They stumble on a crashed Transformer ship with a still-living occupant. TRF [[Sentinel (TLK)|Sentinels]] close in on them and warn them that they're trespassing; however [[Izabella]] appears out of nowhere to help, slinging bottles of green ooze which result in one Sentinels shooting another. Izabella's tiny robot [[Sqweeks]] wraps a cable around the legs of the remaining Sentinel and it topples over, allowing the kids time to get away. Pursued by another Sentinel, Izabella takes the kids to shelter — a Transformer named [[Canopy]] whose back is a hollow mound of rubble. They're joined by Sqweeks, who's lost his arm in the battle. Canopy and the kids start moving, unaware the TRF has spotted them. Unable to determine what faction Canopy is and with kids possibly in danger, TRF commander [[Santos]] orders an air strike. The missile takes out Canopy, who thanks a tearful Izabella before dying. The kids are soon rescued by [[Cade Yeager]] and [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] who destroy another Sentinel.

Cade drives the kids to the border of the no-go zone and drops them off before returning to the crashed ship. Despite his efforts, the pilot within dies, but not before attempting to present Cade with the [[Talisman (TLK)|Talisman]]. Cade does not take it. He reports the pilot's death to Bumblebee shortly before [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] appears and Cade is suddenly surrounded by TRF forces. Meanwhile, the Talisman sprouts legs and crawls away from the ship. Cade refuses to divulge where the other Transformers are. Bumblebee arrives, only to be blown to pieces by the TRF. Moments later, the parts start reconnecting as Bumblebee reassembles himself, sending the TRF forces into disarray as he does so. He and Cade take Santos hostage, but the standoff is interrupted by the arrival of [[William Lennox|Lennox]] who tries to talk Cade and Bee into standing down. [[Hound (Movie)|Hound]]'s appearance settles things however, and Cade, Bee and Hound leave, though the TRF manages to get a tracking device onto Bumblebee.

Lennox reports to [[Morshower|General Morshower]] who plays a recording of Barricade reporting back to Megatron. Megatron is disappointed Barricade failed to secure the Talisman as it is the object they need to lead them to the staff, but Barricade believes the TRF will lead them to it. Morshower orders Lennox to return to his covert infiltration of the TRF.

[[File:TLK Optimus chained.jpg|thumb|left|300px|My soul is prepared. How's yours?]]

Optimus's voyage through space comes to an end as he crashes on the ravaged surface of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], which has been mysteriously disassembled into many pieces. He encounters and attacks [[Quintessa (TLK)|Quintessa]], who claims to be his creator and the "Prime of Life," but she easily restrains him.

As he returns to the [[Junkyard (TLK)|junkyard]] he calls home, Cade realizes that the Talisman has somehow ended up in his vehicle. In England, [[Cogman]] alerts [[Edmund Burton|Sir Edmund Burton]] to the arrival of the Talisman. Elsewhere in England, [[Viviane Wembly]] wins a game of polo for her team before returning to the [[University of Oxford]]. She lectures her class on King Arthur, someone she believes to be a made-up legend, unaware she's being watched by Burton. Burton gives instructions to a nearby parked car.

Quintessa tells Optimus that he must retrieve her staff, stolen by her knight guardians and hidden on Earth.

[[Drift (AOE)|Drift]] and [[Crosshairs (AOE)|Crosshairs]] are hanging out in the junkyard. Cade, Hound, and Bumblebee stop off on their way back so Cade can banter with the local authority, Chief [[Sherman]], who complains that his cruiser has been stolen. The trio continue to the junkyard where [[Jimmy (TLK)|Jimmy]] and [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] are looking at online photos of custom cars. They are unaware Izabella and Sqweeks have stowed away on Hound. While Bumblebee and Crosshairs come to blows, Cade persuades [[Grimlock (AOE)|Grimlock]] to cough up Sherman's cruiser, or what's left of it. [[Daytrader]] arrives, bringing [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]'s head and a new voicebox for Bumblebee. He's interested in Cade's Talisman, and says it's a sign of the impending apocalypse. Izabella fronts up to Cade and attempts to pursuade him to let her stay. They return to Cade's trailer for antics with the [[Mini Dinobot]]s and trade stories of lost family members. Izabella manages to impress Cade with her knowledge of Cybertronian physiology and he's convinced to let her stay.

In [[Namibia]], scientists arrive at a location to find a giant metal horn poking out of the ground. News of the horn, and five more like it, get back to Simmons and Burton. Meanwhile the NASA scientists meet with [[President of the United States|presidential]] staff to report they have detected an approaching planet, which they say will arrive in three days.

Helped by Hound, Cade makes an untraceable satellite phone call to [[Tessa Yeager|his daughter]] at college, but is unable to speak to her for fear that his voice will be recognized by the [[CIA]], and can only listen as she tries to convince him to get a girlfriend.

Lennox meets Morshower at the [[Pentagon]] for a briefing on the horns — Megatron has been spotted visiting them and has snatched up two CIA operatives as hostages. Lennox and some lawyers meet with Megatron to negotiate the return of some of his men. They agree to release [[Mohawk]], [[Dreadbot]], and [[Nitro Zeus]]; [[Berserker]], however, turns out to be a step too far, and Megatron is forced to select [[Onslaught (ROTF)|Onslaught]] instead. Morshower believes they can use Megatron so they can get hold of Cade's Talisman themselves.

[[File:TLK Megatron fires.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The Grail is mine, and you're going to get it for me.]]

As morning breaks over the junkyard, the Decepticons prepare to move in, observed by the TRF. Izabella attaches a new arm to Sqweeks, before helping Cade fit Bumblebee's new voicebox. Bee is not happy with the result, which sounds like a GPS. Sherman gives the group advanced warning of the impending Decepticon assault, and the Autobots and humans scramble to get ready to escape. Megatron's group arrives to find the junkyard deserted, at least until Hound pops up and starts shooting. Megatron returns fire. The Autobot group heads into the nearby town, where Drift finds the tracking device on Bee. Grimlock and [[Slug (AOE)|Slug]] ambush the TRF forces en route to the town. Santos has a swarm of unmanned drones sent in. The Decepticons arrive in the middle of town and immediately spot Sqweeks, which draws Izabella out in an attempt to save the tiny Autobot. Cade detonates the explosives hidden around town and flees with Izabella, pursued by Barricade. The 'Con is knocked aside by Grimlock, who also devours Dreadbot. As the battle rapidly turns against the Decepticons, with Onslaught being killed by Drift and Crosshairs, Megatron calls a retreat. Mohawk, however, is left behind and is subsequently reduced to a head by Bumblebee. Cade, Izabella, and Jimmy take cover in a disused church as the TRF drones move in, however the drones continue to pursue them through the church. Cade and Izabella take two of them out, but Jimmy tries to bluff a third, banking on the idea it's using facial recognition. He gets shot anyway, but fortunately it was only a beanbag.

The trio head into another disused building and enter a lift where they encounter Cogman, who announces he's come to collect Cade. The discussion ends when a drone arrives, and Cade ends up clinging to it as it flies wildly around the street. Cogman phones Sir Burton to report the bad news, but fortunately Cade survives his impromptu flight, partly thanks to the Talisman protecting him from bullets. He manages to ride another drone to the ground and is met by Cogman who explains that he's important because of the Talisman. Crosshairs attempts to prevent Cogman from doing anything, only for the smaller robot to break his finger. Cogman convinces Cade to go with him and leave the others. Cade and Bee accompany Cogman on a plane to England.

Morshower and Lennox track the flight, and note that Megatron's group is giving pursuit. Lennox is ordered to take the TRF team to the UK as well.

Simmons calls Sir Burton to let him know a book has been tracked down. NASA continues tracking the incoming planet, now identified as Cybertron. Quintessa reveals to Optimus that Earth is actually [[Unicron]] and that they're going to kill him with the staff, an act which will destroy Earth and restore Cybertron. Optimus's optics turn purple as Quintessa addresses him as "Nemesis Prime". Optimus swears to fight anyone who interferes with his new mission.

Viviane and her family watch a news report on the giant horns. Conversation turns to her dead father, and her mother suggests she check her father's study in case there's anything useful for her work. Disinterested, she instead gets into her car where an invitation falls out of the glove compartment. The car takes off of its own accord and starts driving her through the streets of [[London]]. When she smashes a window, the car complains in a French accent and throws her into the trunk. She calls for help, having realized she's in a Transformer, and the car [[scanning|scans]] a passing Lamborghini, reconfiguring itself into a copy of the other vehicle.

Cade's plane lands at Sir Burton's castle, where he and Bumblebee are shot at by [[Bulldog (TLK)|a tank Transformer]]. Sir Burton apologizes and takes a look at the Talisman. [[Hot Rod (DOTM)|Hot Rod]] arrives carrying Viviane, who is unhappy at being kidnapped. Once things calm down, Sir Burton explains he's the last of the [[Order of the Witwiccans]]. Cade's boorish behavior towards Viviane results in him being assaulted by Cogman. Sir Burton shows off portraits of his family tree and the Witwiccans, and relates how the Transformers have been helping humans for centuries, such as when Bumblebee and Hot Rod took part in [[World War II]]. They head to another building which houses the original [[Round Table]] used by King Arthur and his knights when they teamed up with the twelve [[Knights of Iacon]]. Further there is a legend that a last knight would be found and thanks to possessing the Talisman, that's Cade. Only Merlin's DNA can unlock the power of the staff, which is where Viviane comes in as a direct descendant of Merlin. She has no idea where the staff might be though. Further discussion is halted as [[MI6]] and TRF forces arrive to assault the castle. Despite [[Hurricane Autobot|one of the elderly Autobots]] attempting to defend the castle only to power down as a result of his aging, Hot Rod's time stopper weapon gives the group enough time to escape.

Simmons makes an irate call to Sir Burton, who is currently being pursued through London and is late for the appointment at [[Trinity Library]]. Bumblebee arrives at Viviane's house with her and Cade, and the pair start rifling through her father's study in search of a clue. Sir Burton's dropped off at the library, but Simmons demands to be inducted into the Order of Witwiccans before he'll point Sir Burton to the book, which reveals Earth is Unicron and points them to [[Stonehenge]]. Cade and Viviane find a clue in an old popup book which points them to the [[HMS Alliance|HMS ''Alliance'']] at the navy museum. The TRF arrive at the house. Meanwhile, Sir Burton and Cogman switch cars and a high-speed chase through the streets of London ensues. Cade and Viviane, now also making a getaway in Bumblebee, let them know about the navy museum. Cogman manages to shake his pursuers while Bumblebee manages to shake Barricade by blasting the Decepticon.

Bumblebee reaches the naval museum at the same time as Cogman and Sir Burton, and they have the HMS ''Alliance'' evacuated. Sir Burton leaves the others to it, explaining that the submarine, in reality a Transformer, knows the way to the staff. The sub launches, with Bumblebee clinging to the exterior so he cam come along for the ride. The sub's departure is noted by TRF and they track it as it heads away from England. The TRF scramble their own submersibles to give chase. A nuclear sub fires missiles at the ''Alliance'' which responds by ramming the other sub and diving deeper into the ocean. Cogman fires himself out through a torpedo tube.

Sir Burton arrives at Number 10 to see the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]], but is turned away. Cogman returns to the sub with a couple of fish he's caught. Viviane and Cade share clumsy sexual chemistry until Cogman reveals he's made sushi as a "last meal". Sir Burton takes a secret back entrance into Number 10 to talk to the PM, holding off security by threatening to release the [[watch that killed Hitler]]. Sir Burton tells the PM to mobilize the military to Stonehenge. The ''Alliance'' zeros in on a vast undersea Transformer ship, which lights up as they approach. The pursuing TRF subs also spot the ship, but have to make their own way in after the airlock doors close behind the ''Alliance''. The ''Alliance'' surfaces beyond the airlock, and the group starts exploring.

Back at the junkyard, Izabella, Sqweeks, and Crosshairs look up at the approaching Cybertron. Elsewhere, NASA scientists give a briefing as the approaching planet scrapes the surface of the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]]. The doomsday news is broadcast on [[television]] around the world. The subs carrying the TRF teams led by Lennox and Santos emerge into an air pocket, and they move out. Daytrader arrives back at the junkyard with the [[Knight Ship|Autobots' ship]], and the group there prepares to head to England to help out. Cade and Viviane find a chamber holding motionless Knights of Iacon. Cybertron moves into Earth's atmosphere, passing the [[International Space Station]]. Viviane touches a Celtic engraving which reveals Merlin's sarcophagus, inside which they find a wooden staff. As the TRF moves through the same chamber, [[Skullitron|one of the knights]] springs to life. Cade keeps it distracted as the TRF attacks it, eventually bringing it down. Viviane grabs the wooden staff which transforms into metal in her hands. Lennox and Santos attempt to get her to hand it over, but she reveals only she can use it. More knights revive and attack, however a short time later, Optimus kills them and forces Viviane to turn the staff over to him. Sending the others back to the sub, Cade, Lennox, and Bumblebee go after Optimus.

Bumblebee fights with Optimus atop the vast ship as it comes to the surface. Bumblebee manages to get the better of his former leader, and Cade attempt to persuade Optimus to stop fighting. As the ship rises out of the water, Optimus is able to get the upper hand and is prepared to end Bumblebee when Bee manages to talk in his own voice. Shaking Quintessa's influence, Optimus drops his sword, just in time for Megatron to swoop in and claim the staff. After the Decepticons leave, the remaining Knights of Iacon emerge from the ship and are ready to execute Optimus for aiding Quintessa's cause. The Talisman transforms into a sword which Cade uses to block the killing strike, and the Knights recognize Cade as a knight. Though Prime is ready to die, Cade talks him out of sacrificing himself, and Optimus announces they have to destroy Quintessa with the other Autobots show up in their ship.

Cybertron makes touchdown on Earth, causing untold destruction. Megatron arrives at Stonehenge with the staff. Lennox contacts Morshower with the coordinates for the "end game", an [[ignition chamber]] which is part of one of the dangling pieces of Cybertron and military forces move in. Cade comes up with a plan to load Ospreys onto the Autobot ship so they can get close enough to the ignition chamber to land. NASA thinks this is a bad plan and works on an alternate idea. The massive ship continues towards Stonehenge where the Decepticons, along with Sir Burton and the military forces, are waiting. At Sir Burton's signal, the military opens fire on the Decepticons as the massive ship arrives directly overhead. The Autobots regroup with Cade and the TRF, and Optimus Prime gives a stirring speech before blasting off. Cogman manages to find Sir Burton, who had been blasted by Megatron sometime prior to the Autobots' arrival, shortly before he expires.

Megatron returns to the Ignition Chamber where Quintessa is waiting. She plugs the staff into the floor, and lightning starts arcing about. The pieces of Cybertron start moving about and joining together, causing those on the ground to run for their lives. Massive worldwide destruction ensues. As the Autobot ship carries Autobots, knights and humans up to their fates, Cade asks Viviane out on a date. Jets soften up the defenses around the ignition chamber while the humans all board the Ospreys, and Cade has it out with Santos. Shamed, the TRF troops all rip off their insignias. The Ospreys launch, and Izabella and Sqweeks reveal they've stowed away on the one carrying Cade and Viviane. Covered by the jets and the giant three-headed dragon, the Ospreys head to the ignition chamber, and crash-land on the surface. The landing site is immediately a war zone as Megatron and his Decepticons stand in their way. Lennox spots the entrance to the chamber, but the team is pinned down by a gun emplacement. Izabella instructs Sqweeks to go blow the gun emplacement up. [[Infernocus]] merges under Megatron's orders and knocks Bumblebee and company out of the air.

[[File:Transformers_5_Unicron.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Trust no one.]]

Meanwhile, the NASA scientists have come up with a plan to use nukes to cause a nearby chunk of Cybertron to destroy the ignition chamber. Morshower contacts Lennox to let him know the new plan, and the TRF forces start withdrawing. Sqweeks succeeds in blowing up the gun emplacement. Optimus arrives aboard the dragon and takes out Infernocus. As the TRF troops parachute off the platform, the jets nuke the neighbouring chunk of Cybertron. Viviane drops her parachute and heads back towards the chamber, followed by Cade. The chunk hits the platform containing the chamber, however despite the devastating impact, the chamber continues to function. The chamber tumbles down until it comes to rest on another part of Cybertron. Inside, chaos reigns as the Autobots and Decepticons fight and Viviane grabs the staff. Optimus kicks Megatron through a wall shortly before another impact sends the chamber tumbling out of the sky. Bumblebee kills Nitro Zeus and blasts Quintessa as Optimus manages to distract her. Quintessa vanishes in a flash of blue light. Viviane finally pulls the staff free, shutting down the Ignition Chamber just before it crashes to the ground. Optimus dramatically drives out of the cloud of debris raised by its impact, carrying Cade and Viviane. As everyone reunites, Optimus gives another stirring speech about how Earth and Cybertron are now joined as one before the Autobots depart for Cybertron alongside the guardian knights.

Meanwhile back in Namibia, Quintessa, now in a human form, walks up to one of the scientists studying the giant metal horn and offers to tell him how to kill Unicron.

==Quotes==
"All right, I am what they say. I'm a liar, a charlatan. I've deceived my whole life, but if I could, for one moment, change this world for the better, I would give up everything! Everything! I'd give up drink! Money! Wom- ...Drink and money!"
:—'''Merlin'''

"Get that out of my face."
:—'''Megatron''''s disdan on the welcome wagon.

"Your world is dying. I've been waiting for you, Optimus...Come meet your ''maker''."
:—'''Quintessa'''

"You dare to strike your ''God?!'' Your war ''doomed'' Cybertron!" 
"Megatron started the war-" 
"''You'' destroyed your world, you fool!"
:—'''Quintessa''' shows '''Optimus''' who's boss.

"There is a way to heal your world. My power of creation, the staff, was stolen from me by my twelve Guardian Knights. They betrayed me, and hid it on Earth. Gave it to your ''precious'' humans...the staff is the only way to bring life back to Cybertron. You are going to find it for me. Do you seek redemption, Prime? ''Do'' you?" 
"My maker, I ''do''." 
:—'''Quintessa''' coaxes a half-brainwashed '''Optimus''' to her side.

"The end is near, my old treacherous friend... what a shame you'll be unable to see it."
:—'''Megatron''' musing to the decapitated head of Starscream

"Go to hell!" 
"'This planet ''is'' hell!"
:—'''Izabella''' and '''Megatron''' exchange smack talk

"Don't kill the messenger... or the messenger will kill ''you''."
:—'''Cogman'''

"You are needed, sir. Urgently. My master is fond of saying that all the important decisions in life often come down to just one moment."
:—'''Cogman''' impresses on Cade the gravity of the situation.

"Optimus...it is time you knew the truth. The place you call Earth has another name: Unicron." 
"Earth...Unicron? Cybertron's ancient enemy?" 
"Yes. You are going to kill him. With my staff, we will drain the very life from Unicron. Earth ''will die''. 
"Yes..." 
"And your world will be reborn... ''Nemesis Prime''. 
"I will fight anyone who stands in my way."
:—'''Quintessa''' coaxes a completely brainwashed <s>'''Optimus'''</s> '''Nemesis Prime''' to her side.

"Introductions. Miss Viviane Wembly: Master of History, Oxford; Doctor of Philosophy, also Oxford; and Doctor of Letters, Oxford again, I think. Anything else? Anyway, meet Cade." 
"...''Yeager''. Cade Yeager. I'm an inventor."
:—'''Sir Edmund Burton''' and '''Cade Yeager'''

'''Hot Rod:''' "Bonjour, chérie! Je M'appelle Hot Rôd." 
'''Viviane:''' "Ut what?" 
'''Hot Rod:''' "Hot ''Rôd.''" 
'''Viviane''' "Hut Rud?" 
'''Hot Rod:''' "''Hot Rôd!''" 
'''Sir Edmund Burton:''' "Hot. Rod." 
'''Hot Rod:''' "Mhmm." 
'''Sir Edmund Burton:''' "It's his French accent." 
'''Viviane:''' "Is he French?" 
'''Sir Edmund Burton:''' "No, he just likes the accent." 
'''Hot Rod:''' "Non! No no no, I ''hate'' the accent! But I can't get rid of it! I'm ''stuck'' with the accent!"
:—Everybody loves '''Hot Rod'''.

"Bee?" 
"Yes." 
"But he's so nice." 
"Behind the lines during the war they called him many things... nice was never one of them." 
:—'''Cade''' and '''Sir Edmund''' on Bumblebee's past.

"I-I am Bumblebee... Your oldest friend! Optimus... I would lay down my life for you."
:—'''Bumblebee''' regains his voice, and Optimus regains his mind.

"I knew you couldn't do it! Your time is over, Prime. You ''failed''! You turned your back on Cybertron, now you will watch Earth ''DIE''!"
:—'''Megatron''' denounces Optimus after his redemption

"Knights, Autobots - this cannot and will not be the end. To save Earth and her people, we are going to steal Quintessa's staff. Only you, Viviane, can take it back. I will lead the way into her chamber, and when the account of the ages is etched into the cosmos, let those who exist long after us know that this was our finest hour!"
:—'''Optimus''' rallies his new and old allies before the final battle

"Did you forget who I am? ''I am Optimus Prime!''"
:—'''Optimus''' as he kills the Infernocons. They should've run for cover, or at least DUCKED.

"We were brothers once!" 
"''Once.''"
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Optimus Prime'''

"At the heart of every legend, there is truth: a few brave souls unite to save the world. We can be heroes in our own lives, every one of us, if we only have the courage to try. Our fates were always intertwined, but now our worlds are joined as one. We need to repair our planets, work together, if we wish to survive. A dangerous secret is buried deep inside the Earth. There is more to this planet than meets the eye. I am Optimus Prime, calling all Autobots... It is time to come ''home''."
:—'''Optimus Prime'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s closing narration.

==Characters==
{{featuredcharacters|
h1=[[Autobot]]s|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime/Nemesis Prime]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] ([[Erik Aadahl]])
*[[Hot Rod (DOTM)|Hot Rod]] ([[Omar Sy]])
*[[Hound (Movie)|Hound]] ([[John Goodman]])
*[[Drift (AOE)|Drift]] ([[Ken Watanabe]])
*[[Crosshairs (AOE)|Crosshairs]] ([[John DiMaggio]])
*[[Cogman]] ([[Jim Carter]])
*[[Sqweeks]] ([[Reno Wilson]])
*[[Grimlock (AOE)|Grimlock]]
*[[Slug (AOE)|Slug]]
*[[Mini Dinobot|Mini-Dinobots]]
**Mini Grimlock
**Mini Slug
**Mini Strafe
*[[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] ([[Tom Kenny]])
*[[Daytrader]] ([[Steve Buscemi]])
*[[Topspin (DOTM)|Topspin/"Volleybot"]] ([[Steven Barr]])
*[[Canopy]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*"[[Bulldog (TLK)|Bulldog]]" ([[Mark Ryan]])
*[[Trench]]
*[[Roadbuster (DOTM)|Roadbuster]] (Cameo)
*[[Hurricane Autobot]]
*[[Northrop Autobot]]
*[[HMS Alliance|HMS ''Alliance'']] Autobot

|h2=[[Decepticon]]s|c2=
*[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] (Frank Welker)
*[[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] ([[Jess Harnell]]/Frank Welker)*
*[[Nitro Zeus]] (John DiMaggio/Steven Barr)**
*[[Mohawk]] (Reno Wilson)
*[[Onslaught (ROTF)|Onslaught]] (John DiMaggio/Steven Barr)**
*[[Dreadbot]]
*[[Berserker]] (Steven Barr)
*[[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]'s head
*Decepticon [[protoform]]s

|h3=[[Human]]s|c3=
*[[Cade Yeager]] ([[Mark Wahlberg]])
*[[Viviane Wembly]] ([[Laura Haddock]])
*[[William Lennox]] ([[Josh Duhamel]])
*[[Izabella]] ([[Isabela Moner]])
*[[Edmund Burton|Sir Edmund Burton]] ([[Anthony Hopkins]])
*[[Seymour Simmons]] ([[John Turturro]])
*[[Santos]] ([[Santiago Cabrera]])
*[[Jimmy (TLK)|Jimmy]] ([[Jerrod Carmichael]])
*[[Morshower]] ([[Glenn Morshower]])
*[[Merlin]] ([[Stanley Tucci]])
*[[King Arthur|King Arthur]] ([[Liam Garrigan]])
*[[JPL Engineer]] ([[Tony Hale]])

|h4=[[Knights of Iacon]]|c4=
*[[Dragonstorm]]
**[[Stormreign]]
**[[Dragonicus]]
**[[Steelbane]]
*[[Skullitron]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Talisman Knight]]

|h5=Others|c5=
*[[Quintessa (TLK)|Quintessa]] ([[Gemma Chan]])
*[[Infernocus]]
**[[Infernocon]]s
*[[Unicron]]
*The [[watch that killed Hitler]]
*[[Vatti Transformer]]
|nonumbering=true
}}
* *The last few lines that Barricade has in the movie are dubbed by Frank Welker, while Jess Harnell voices Barricade for the rest of the movie.
* **Nitro Zeus' voice actor varies depending on the version of the film, with one having him played by John DiMaggio, and the other with him played by Steven Barr. Same thing applies with Onslaught's single line.

==Continuity notes==
*Optimus left Earth at the end of [[Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|the last movie]], to look for the mysterious [[Creator (AOE)|Creators]]. No sign or mention of that [[Seed]] he was carrying, though he announced at the time he was going to take it where "it can never be found."
*The Dinobots were "set free" by Optimus at the end of the last movie, though they have since joined up with the main Autobot team in hiding, presumably for pragmatic reasons.
*After going nameless in the previous film, Grimlock is called by name (by Cade) in this film, the only Dinobot so named.
*Cade's daughter Tessa was a soon to graduate high school student in ''Age of Extinction'', and she has since gone on to college.
*Izabella mentioned that her parents were killed during the Decepticon invasion in ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon]]''.
*Starscream was killed by a [[NEST]] boomstick at the climax of ''Dark of the Moon''. ''Age of Extinction'' established that scavengers had salvaged many objects from the Battle of Chicago.
*Megatron addresses Starscream's disembodied head as "my treacherous old friend". Back in ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'', Megatron accused Starscream of abandoning him to die in the [[Transformers (film)|first movie]]. We wouldn't call that a justified accusation, but what can we do? It's the word of a dead skull against that of the universe's greatest warlord.
*While [[Leadfoot (DOTM)|Leadfoot]] was killed by [[Cemetery Wind]] in a video recording in ''Age of Extinction'', the fate of his two fellow [[Wrecker]]s were unknown at that point. Similarly, only [[Brains]] reappeared in the last film whereas Wheelie was nowhere to be found. This film reveals that Wheelie, Topspin, and Roadbuster have all survived being hunted by Cemetery Wind. And given that [[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]] was also mentioned to have been killed by Cemetery Wind in ''Age of Extintion'' tie-in material, the only Autobot who survived the end of ''Dark of the Moon'' whose current status is unknown is [[Mirage (Movie)|Dino]].
*When Viviane is abducted by Hot Rod, she asks if her captor is a famous Transformer such as [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]] or [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]], unaware that they both died in ''Dark of the Moon''.
*Daytrader gives the Autobots [[Knight Ship|Lockdown's ship]], which was last seen being attacked by [[People's Liberation Army|Chinese military]] jets in Hong Kong.
*The T.R.F. uses the exact same tactic to take out one of the Knights as N.E.S.T. used to take out Shockwave and Barricade in ''Dark of the Moon''.
*The ''Ark'' is briefly seen on the Moon, where it was revealed to be back in ''Dark of the Moon'', having been left there untouched in the years since, along with the site of the [[Apollo 11]] moon landing.
*Among the landmarks trashed by the hanging chunks of Cybertron is the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]], where the climax of ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' took place, recognizable by the top missing to reveal the Star Harvester hidden underneath.
*The Decepticons are seen using several [[Orbital Assault Carrier]]s, as they were in ''Dark of the Moon'', though there's no word on if these Carriers are the same ones from the Chicago operation.
*Quintessa teleports herself away; she seems to have a bodily [[space bridge]] much as [[The Fallen]] did.
*It's never made clear whether or not [[Quintessa (TLK)|Quintessa]] is one of the [[Creator (AOE)|Creators]] alluded to in the previous film. She claims to be the "[[Prime (rank)|Prime]] of Life" and to have created the [[Transformer|Cybertronian]] species, but that is up for debate.
*Drift only has one of his swords, like the end of the previous film, showing that he never retrieved the other from the battle with the KSI drones.
*Sir Burton states that Viviane is the last living descendant of Merlin, along with stating that he is the last living member of the Witwiccans, indirectly stating that [[Sam Witwicky|Sam]], who has not been seen or heard from since ''Dark of the Moon'' (and [[Stephen Hawking]]) is dead at this point.
*[[Jolt (ROTF)|Jolt's]] head can be seen in the junkyard.

==Transformers references==
* As usual, many of the new characters have roots in older portions of the mythos:
** [[Hot Rod (DOTM)|Hot Rod]] is based on [[Hot Rod (G1)|a Generation 1 character]] introduced in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
** [[Onslaught (ROTF)|Onslaught]] is derived from [[Onslaught (G1)|the leader]] of the [[Combaticon (G1)|Generation 1 Combaticons]]. For his appearance in the film, he is an altered version of [[Long Haul (ROTF)|Long Haul]].
** Quintessa is a loose adaptation of the [[Quintesson]]s—the recurring race of antagonistic extraterrestrials who terrorized both the Autobots and Decepticons in season 3 of the original 1980's cartoon. In the cartoon continuity, the Quintessons were the creators of the Transformers, in the same way that Quintessa claims to be in the film. She seems to be physically based off of [[Quintus Prime]], a relatively new character introduced through 2013's ''[[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus]]''. The decision to make the character female is something wholly new, although it may speak to some influence from [[Solus Prime]].
** The [[Mini Dinobot]]s are baby-like scaled-down versions of Grimlock, Slug, and [[Strafe (AOE)|Strafe]], the latter of whom oddly does not appear in the film itself.
** [[Unicron]] is the ancient enemy of [[Primus]]/Cybertron, who was introduced in ''The Transformers: The Movie''. The idea of Unicron having a connection to Earth seems to be inspired by the ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' cartoon, where Unicron ''was'' the core of the Earth, with the rest of the planet having formed around his dormant body during his hibernation. Whether or not this corporeality holds true for this incarnation of Unicron remains to be seen.
* When Optimus Prime falls under Quintessa's control, he is dubbed "[[Nemesis Prime (disambiguation)|Nemesis Prime]]", an obvious reference to the evil clone of Optimus Prime that has appeared in many [[Nemesis Prime (Armada)|conti]][[Nemesis Prime (G1)|nui]][[Nemesis Prime (Prime)|ties]]. The ''Prime'' version was, believe it or not, used as a template for Galvatron's background in the last film, where he was supposed to be a copy of Optimus.
* Several Transformers introduced in this film have altered designs from past films, yet are entirely new characters nevertheless. [[Nitro Zeus]] employs the same body design as the [[KSI Boss]]s but has a head identical to [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]]'s, [[Dreadbot]] is an altered version of [[Crowbar]], [[Canopy]] is another altered version of Long Haul, [[Berserker]] is a homage to [[Crankcase (DOTM)|Crankcase]], and [[Trench]] is the same body-type as [[Scrapper (ROTF)|Scrapper]] and [[Scrapmetal (ROTF)|Scrapmetal]].
** The rest of the robot cast-[[Cogman]], [[Sqweeks]], the [[Knights of Iacon]], [[Mohawk]], [[Daytrader]], "[[Bulldog (TLK)|Bulldog]]", and the [[Infernocon]]s-are new characters with entirely new designs.
* Edmund Burton claims Cogman is a [[Headmaster (technology)|"headmaster"]], which is typically a human-sized bot that transforms into the head of a larger bot. While this reference ''is'' borne out by his [[Cogman#Toys|Deluxe Class toy]], which features a larger vehicle body and a detachable head, we don't actually see Cogman do anything like that in the movie itself.
* This is not the first time the Transformers have been associated with [[A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court (episode)|Arthurian times]], nor would be [[The Golden Knight|the last]].
* Galvatron eventually returns back to using his true name, something we've seen [[Megatron (Armada)| before]].

==Real-life references==
*The bogus voice box Bumblebee gets from Daytrader has the voice of {{w|Siri}}, the AI assistant found in most iPhones.
*Crosshairs calls Cogman a "[[Star_Wars_(film)|C-3PO]] ripoff".
*Sir Edmund Burton quotes the song ''[[w:It's a Long Way to Tipperary|It's a Long Way to Tipperary]]'' in reference to World War I.

==Other editions==
*Two versions of the film were released to theaters: one screened in English-speaking countries, which seems to be the "finished" version, and another shown internationally, with foreign language subtitles, which appears to be an earlier version. There are numerous differences in dialogue between the two versions, with some lines being dropped, added, or changed completely for the finished version, including ones that even help to make the film make more sense!
**When Hound shows up when TRF are talking to Bee and Cade, in the finished version he says, "Sorry I'm late! My invitation to this ass-kicking must have gotten lost in the mail." The alternate version has him say "Mornin', fellas! I like showing up to a gun fight! This round mound's gonna mow you down. Translation: Sayonara, suckers!"
**When Daytrader says "You always resort to violence, right off the bat!", in the finished version Hound replies "I love violence!". Hound does not reply in the alternate version.
**Hound has an extra line about wanting to "deep-six" Daytrader in the alternate cut right before the Vatti Transformers appears, whereas he remains silent in the final edition.
**Izabella laughs at Cade's attempts to make Grimlock spit out the cruiser in the alternate cut. She smiles, but remains silent in the final version.
**When Jimmy and Wheelie argue, the finished version has Wheelie back down a bit when Jimmy threatens and grabs him, with Wheelie adding that Jimmy is the worst "senior vice president ever". In the alternate cut, Wheelie continues to berate him , threatening "I'll have my Autobot brethren kick your ass!". Oddly, he still flails his hands around when he's not saying anything in the latter version, meaning his animation is meant to be paired with the "finished" audio.
**In the "earlier" version, all of Nitro Zeus's dialogue is provided by Steven Barr, and the actor receives an on-screen credit for the role. For the "finished" version, it was all re-recorded by John DiMaggio (with the credits altered to reflect the change), with some differences. During his introduction, for instance, the finished version has him say: "I know where you live, Enrique, say hello to your wife for me!" while the other, he says: "By the way, Enrique, Chad's sleeping with your wife!"
**In the final film, Onslaught's single line of dialogue was recorded by DiMaggio, while Barr re-recorded said line in the alternate version. Deja vu huh?
**When arriving at the Junkyard, DiMaggio-Nitro remarks "Aw man, I kicked more ass in prison!" upon learning that Cade and co. have left, while in the alternate version Barr-Nitro says "Unfortunate, because I was looking to knock some heads!".
**While Megatron is musing to the head of Starscream, as he says "The end is near", DiMaggio-Nitro cuts in with "Oh, she's coming!" while Barr-Nitro remains silent.
**When the Decepticons arrive in the abandoned town, Barr-Nitro says: "I know they're close!" while DiMaggio-Nitro says: "Oh, I feel a fight comin'!"
**In the final film, when the Autobots discover the tracker planted on Bumblebee, Crosshairs remarks "The tracker led 'em right to us! When are you gonna grow up?" but in the alternate version, he says "What's this? You brought 'em right to us!"
**In the final film, after Drift kills Onslaught ("and his fat head!"), Crosshairs remarks, "Don't get any deader than that!" In the alternate version, Crosshairs is silent, and Drift instead says "Fantastic!" after his quip about Onslaught's head. In the final film, Drift's lips are still visibly moving at the point when he says "Fantastic!" in the alternate cut.
**After the town battle, Crosshairs calls the TRF drones "gnats" as he shoots them down in the finished version. He remains silent in the alternate version.
**In the finished version, when Crosshairs is talking about Cogman he says, "Hey Cade, what's with the C-3PO ripoff?", but in the alternate version he says, "I'll swat this metal cockroach for you Cade."
**Crosshairs whines that his finger is broken in the background when Cogman is speaking to Cade in the finished version. He remains silent in the alternate version.
**When Megatron steals the staff from Optimus, the "finished" film features Nitro Zeus saying: "You blew your chance to kill Unicron!" followed by Megatron saying: "I knew you couldn't do it. Your time is over, Prime! You failed!" The other has no Nitro Zeus dialogue, and instead features Megatron saying: "Quintessa, the most ruthless of our Gods, knew you couldn't do it. She knows I'm strong and you're weak."
**When the Knights of Iacon attack Optimus, in the alternate version one of the Knights tells Prime "She put you under a spell!". In the finished version, that line was removed.
**Barricade has an extra line at Stonehenge in the alternate version, where he says "Yes! Drain Unicron! He will be powerless!"
**The finished version adds an extra line between Cade and Lennox on Cybertron about Optimus never having made it to the Ignition Chamber, while the alternate version never acknowledges his absence.
**When Optimus Prime attacks Quintessa, In the finished version she says, "You traitor!", and Optimus retracts his faceplate. In the alternate version she says, "Nemesis! You traitor!", and Optimus' faceplate does not retract.
**The final version has Quintessa scream as Bumblebee blasts her, while Bumblebee quips "Sting like a bee!"—but in the other version, Quintessa is silent, and Bumblebee's dialogue is very slightly different, with him saying "''I'' sting like a bee."
*The Chinese release adds roughly 2 minutes of content just for soft-advertising.
*Additionally, the digital version, while primarily the "finished" version, alters a few minor things.
**All of Hound's red cross symbols have been recolored blue.
**The scene of Wheelie checking the used car website has been removed.
**For some reason, Barr-Nitro's "Unfortunate, because I was looking to knock some heads!" line is in place of DiMaggio's "I kicked more ass in prison!", despite DiMaggio providing the voice for Nitro Zeus in every other scene.

==Errors==
===Continuity errors===
*[[Grimlock (AOE)|Grimlock]], [[Slug (AOE)|Slug]] and [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] randomly disappear from the story, although they were likely left at the junkyard during the final battle.
*Optimus forgets obvious things. He's astonished by the decrepit condition of Cybertron, despite knowing it was destroyed in the third film. In addition, he remarks that he has not heard Bumblebee's voice "since Cybertron fell". Bumblebee actually spoke with his real voice briefly at the end of the [[Transformers (film)|first film]], albeit with a different voice actor.
*Sir Edmund says the battle depicted at the start of the movie took place in 484 AD, while a caption over the first present day scene says it takes place 1600 years later, which would result in the rest of the film taking place in 2084.
*There's no explanation for why Cybertron is intact after it disintegrated in ''Dark of the Moon'', nor is it explained why Cybertron is smaller than Earth when it was previously much bigger. It's possible the planet reformed itself over the years into its smaller state.
*No explanation is offered for how Galvatron has become Megatron again. He even transforms normally now, as opposed to bursting into a cloud of [[Transformium]] and reforming the way he did in ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction]]''.
*When Cade and Izzy are fitting a new voice box into Bumblebee, it is clear that they are using a prop on set, with no sign of Bumblebee's body. It is possible that due to his reforming ability, Bee was able to remove his head for the procedure. His head being reattached to his body is not shown.
*Speaking of Bumblebee's reforming ability, no explanation is given as to how he received such an ability. Back in the 2007 film he lost both of his legs and was unable to reform, as well as being clearly in pain.
*How does Daytrader have [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]'s head if it was destroyed in the third film?
*Just before the Decepticons invade the junkyard, Drift is shown with both his swords.
*Sqweeks is missing his scavenged Decepticon arm when the Decepticons invade the junkyard, his original arm appearing back in its place. It returns in all subsequent scenes with the character.
*The abandoned town the Autobots and humans seek refuge in has buildings which are a few stories tall at most, then Jimmy, Cade and Izabella are abruptly in a multi-story building with janitorial staff and an external lift when they encounter Cogman. After Cade's ride on a drone, they're suddenly back in the area with no tall buildings in sight.
*Ironhide and Optimus Prime are depicted in historical paintings, but both were clearly seen arriving on Earth for explicitly the first time in the [[Transformers (film)|first film]].
*How does Hot Rod have the Lamborghini chest in an old war photo if he selected the new disguise merely seconds ago and Lamborghini didn't ''exist'' until 1963?
*Despite the Decepticons all following Cade and Bumblebee to England, only Barricade apparently bothers to try to track them down once there.
*Bumblebee tears out the "defective" voicebox yet is able to talk to Optimus later with no voicebox. Maybe he put the old one back in offscreen?
*Where does Optimus go between taking off after giving his speech, and later turning up on Dragonstorm? The "finished" version of the film briefly addresses this by adding an exchange between Cade and Lennox, where the latter says Optimus didn't make it.
*En-route to Cybertron, despite Bumblebee having regained his voice, he once again insists on speaking with an audio clip.

===Technical/animation errors===
*A promotional clip of the scene showing Hot Rod and Viviane's arrival at Burton's estate appears to feature an actor other than Omar Sy performing Hot Rod's voice. Presumably, it was just the "scratch track" that Sy then recorded over; Hot Rod's first line in the clip ("Leetle lady, non!") is replaced in the film (with "Non non non, leetle lady, why do you have to be zat way? Pour quoi?") but his second ("She's very difficult!") remains performed by the scratch track actor.
*When Optimus meets Quintessa and tosses his shield away, it reappears on his arm in the very next shot before disappearing again.
*When Cade, Viviane, and Cogman are aboard HMS ''Alliance'', there is a camera shot of Cade looking through the periscope with Cogman to the right of screen. The camera angle then changes and shows Viviane in another part of the chamber. The camera returns to Cade, Cogman has vanished. The camera pans back to Viviane again, then returns to Cade, with Cogman back in the shot.
*In a near-repeat of the bizarre editing gaffe of ''Dark of the Moon'', Barricade's dialogue at Stonehenge is provided by [[Frank Welker]], as opposed to [[Jess Harnell]] who had voiced him for the duration of the film up to this point.
*Despite transforming into a larger vehicle, Dreadbot is visibly shorter than Barricade.
*When the Autobots are commenting on the Knights of Iacon, Hound's mouth is animated to be saying something too soon before he actually begins speaking.

===Geographic discontinuities===
*A road trip from the outskirts of Chicago to the Badlands of South Dakota takes about twelve hours, but Cade, Bumblebee, and Hound make the commute all in the same afternoon.
*When the authorities arrive at Burton's mansion, it is noted that "TRF and MI6" are in pursuit. In real life, MI6 is the UK's ''external'' intelligence agency; it is more likely that {{w|MI5}}, the UK's domestic intelligence agency, would be the British central government's agency present.
*American street signs of the hanging green-coloured variety can be seen during the chase scene in London.
*Viviane leads her class from a large, expansive archaeological museum into the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. While there is an archaeological museum attached to the Natural History Museum, it looks nothing like the one featured in the film.
*The Royal Navy's submarine museum is nowhere near London as the movie depicts; it is actually in Gosport, Hampshire.
*Stonehenge is not as isolated in open countryside and from main roads as portrayed - the A303 among other roads runs past the monument. Also, the town of Amesbury is across said main road, less than two miles away.

==Adaptations==
Two comic adaptations are made for the film: [[A New Friend]] by IDW Publishing as the promotion for both the film and Schick's Hydro line of electric razors, and [[Mission to Cybertron]] released exclusively for the Toys"R"Us exclusive Transformers: The Last Knight Blu-Ray Combo Pack.

==Music==
==Score==
:''Main Article'': [[The Last Knight (Music From the Motion Picture)]]
Continuing the tradition of the previous films, the music is once again composed by [[Steve Jablonsky]]. The ending theme of the movie is Torches by [[X Ambassadors]].

==Home video releases==
==Theatrical posters==
<center><gallery>
File:TLK Poster wide Dragonstorm.jpg
File:TLK Poster Rethink Heroes.jpg
File:TLK Poster.JPG
File:TLK Poster Stonehenge.jpg
File:TLK Poster Legend Secret.jpg|Nazis. I hate those guys.
File:TLK Poster Here Forever.jpg
File:TLK Poster IMAX 3D.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Optimus Prime.jpg|Optimus "Barely Appearing in this Movie" Prime
File:TLK Poster char Megatron.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Bumblebee.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Hound.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Hot Rod.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Cogman.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Burton.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Lennox.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Yeager.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Izabella.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Jimmy.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Wembly.jpg
</gallery></center>

==Reception==

{{quote|[sighs] Here we go again.|BBC Radio 5 critic Mark Kermode on ''The Last Knight''<ref>[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ee6xh5AmQo Mark Kermode review]</ref>}}

After four films where critics hated it but the audience showered it with money, ''The Last Knight'' broke the trend by ''not'' being showered with money. It had been projected to make $70-75m in its first days in North America, itself the lowest opening<ref>[http://deadline.com/2017/06/spider-man-homecoming-hoping-to-catch-opening-in-the-100m-vicinity-1202114641/ Deadline, June 15th 20917: "‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Hoping To Catch Opening In The $100M Vicinit"]</ref>, but that was downgraded to $63m after the first few days were even lower than the lowest expected.<ref>[http://deadline.com/2017/06/transformers-the-last-knight-opening-weekend-box-office-1202118976/ "Deadline: ‘Transformers’ Still Rusty At $63M+"]</ref> In the end it made almost $70m over the first five days, better than the revised projection but lower than all of the previous films. <ref>[http://deadline.com/2017/06/transformers-the-last-knight-opening-weekend-box-office-1202118976/ Deadline: "Why ‘Transformers’ Is Screaming For Reboot After $69M Start; ‘Wonder Woman’ & ‘Cars 3’ Fight Over 2nd Place"], 25th June 2017</ref> By mid-July, after over three weeks, the film had grossed $122.1m in North America against a $217m budget (not counting marketing costs). This meant a lot of critics began to zero in on the sluggish profit, taking the view that American audiences were just getting bored of Bay's version of the franchise.

Internationally the film did $196.2m in the same first five days, of which $123.4m came from [[China]] alone<ref>[http://deadline.com/2017/06/transformers-the-last-knight-opening-weekend-box-office-1202118976/ Deadline: "Why ‘Transformers’ Is Screaming For Reboot After $69M Start; ‘Wonder Woman’ & ‘Cars 3’ Fight Over 2nd Place"], 25th June 2017</ref>(who love the franchise so much delaying ''The Last Knight'' reduced 2016 cinema growth to 3%, down from 48% in 2015!)<ref>[https://www.forbes.com/sites/robcain/2017/06/11/transformers-gears-up-for-another-1-billion-box-office-bounty/#659ff09e2325 Forbes: "'Transformers' Gears Up For Another $1 Billion Box Office Bounty"]</ref> The Chinese had been expected to spend up to $290m on the film's run. <ref>[http://variety.com/2017/film/asia/chinas-weying-boards-paramounts-transformers-the-last-knight-1202465635/ Variety:"China’s Weying Boards Paramount’s ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’"]</ref> However, in its second week in China takings dropped by a harsh 75% and after 10 days it had only grossed $198 million, which was seen as a disappointment—some pundits had expected $400m from China—and left it unlikely the film would perform as well as ''Age of Extinction'' had.<ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-box-office-transformers-5-crashes-back-earth-75-percent-slide-second-weekend-1018449]</ref> ''The Hollywood Reporter'' visited a [[Shanghai]] screening and reported "walkouts, general disinterest and plenty of snickering over a conspicuous abundance of [Chinese] product placement" despite a truly massive PR campaign and the fourth film's mega-popularity. Chinese social media made it clear the plot was too complicated and the product placement, all products the Chinese knew weren't in America, was too dumb; the audience found it ''very'' funny when Wheelie looked up a Chinese used car website.<ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/transformers-last-knight-has-pandering-chinese-audiences-hurt-transformers-5-1016926 The Hollywood Reporter: "Has Pandering to Chinese Audiences Hurt 'Transformers 5'?", July 2 2017]</ref>

In the end, the film finished a 65 day run in cinemas with a worldwide gross of only $604m. <ref>[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=transformers5.htm]</ref> It even did not exceed the gross of the first film, which concluded with a worldwide gross of $709m, with domestic numbers over double what ''The Last Knight'' was able to take home. <ref>[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=transformers06.htm]</ref>

==Production staff==
The film was directed by [[Michael Bay]], and was written by [[Art Marcum]], [[Matt Holloway]], and [[Ken Nolan]].

==Development details==
[[File:Transformers 5 provisional logo.png|thumb|right|143px|Transfivemers doesn't have the same ring to it.]]
*December 18, 2014 — [[Mark Wahlberg]] confirms to MTV that he is signed on for the next two Transformers films.<ref>[http://www.mtv.com/news/2030612/mark-wahlberg-transformers-5/ Mark Wahlberg Just Found A 'Transformers' Sequel] on MTV.com</ref>
*March 27, 2015 — [[Paramount Pictures]] negotiates with [[Akiva Goldsman]], hiring him to create a "writer's room" with the intention of building a cinematic universe.<ref name="goldsman">[http://deadline.com/2015/03/transformers-akiva-goldsman-paramount-sequels-spinoffs-1201400027/ Paramount Enlisting Akiva Goldsman To Ramp Up 'Transformers' Output] on deadline.com</ref> Goldsman goes on to hire a number of writers over the next few months: [[Steven DeKnight]] (''Daredevil''),<ref>[http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/transformers-cinematic-universe/35696/transformers-cinematic-details-more-writers-over-10-films Transformers cinematic details]</ref> [[Robert Kirkman]] (''The Walking Dead''),<ref name="deadlinewritersroom">[http://deadline.com/2015/05/transformers-writers-robert-kirkman-zak-penn-art-marcum-matt-holloway-jeff-pinkner-1201430601/ 'Transformers' Spinoff & Sequel Scribes Set] on Deadline.com</ref> [[Art Marcum]] and [[Matt Holloway]] (''Iron Man''),<ref name="deadlinewritersroom" /> [[Christina Hodson]] (''Shut In'', ''The Fugitive''),<ref name="hodsonbeer">[http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/446175-christina-hodson-and-lindsey-beer-join-transformers-writing-team Christina Hodson and Lindsey Beer Join the Transformers Writing Team]</ref> [[Lindsey Beer]] (''Dig''),<ref name="hodsonbeer" /> [[Zak Penn]] (''Pacific Rim 2''),<ref name="deadlinewritersroom" /> [[Jeff Pinkner]] (''The Amazing Spider-Man 2'', ''Lost''),<ref name="deadlinewritersroom" /> [[Andrew Barrer]] and [[Gabriel Ferrari]] (''Ant-Man''),<ref name="barrerferrari">[http://deadline.com/2015/05/transformers-ant-man-andrew-barrer-gabriel-ferrari-cybertron-1201433402/ 'Ant-Man' Scribes Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari Join 'Transformers' Writers Room] on Deadline</ref> [[Ken Nolan]] (''Black Hawk Down''), and [[Geneva Robertson-Dworet]].<ref name="nolandworet">[http://www.slashfilm.com/transformers-writers-room/ Akiva Goldsman Teases 'Transformers' Franchise Plans]</ref> Involved in the pitching process are [[Steven Spielberg]], [[Michael Bay]], [[Brian Goldner]], [[Lorenzo di Bonaventura]], [[Mark Vahradian]], and [[Don Murphy]].<ref name="deadlinereveal">[http://deadline.com/2015/09/transformers-writers-room-akiva-goldsman-transformers-5-1201531918/ 'Transformers' Writers Room Wraps] on Deadline</ref>
*May 27, 2015 — As part of the news surrounding Barrer and Ferrari joining the room, it's revealed that another pitch is an animated prequel movie set on Cybertron, with the working title of ''[[Transformers One]]''.<ref name="barrerferrari" />
*June 8, 2015 — The writers meet on the Paramount lot for the writer's room.<ref name="nolandworet" /> The writers work for the next three months to plot out the next ten years of ''Transformers'' films.<ref name="stephendaviskeynote">[https://youtu.be/F_P2fw_DlS4?t=812 Stephen Davis's keynote speech] at MIPJunior.</ref>
*July 28, 2015 — DeKnight reports that as a result of the gathering of writers, Goldsman and Pinkner will be co-writing Transformers 5.<ref name="deknightreveals">[http://au.ign.com/articles/2015/07/28/daredevils-steven-deknight-on-the-transformers-writers-room-and-planning-ahead Daredevil's Steven DeKnight on the Transformers Writers Room and Planning Ahead] on IGN</ref>
*September 17, 2015 — Deadline reveals more about the writer's room process and reports that Barrer and Ferrari will write the animated feature, with Pinkner and Beer writing later films.<ref name="deadlinereveal" /> Bay remains uncommitted to directing.<ref>[https://twitter.com/michaelbay/status/644622092110032896 Tweet by Michael Bay]</ref>
*October 3, 2015 — [[Hasbro Studios]]'s [[Stephen J. Davis]] relates more details of the writing process in a keynote speech at the MIP Junior Conference.<ref name="stephendaviskeynote" />
*November 20, 2015 — With Goldsman now enlisted to create a writer's room for ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' and ''[[Microman|Micronauts]]'', Paramount begins negotiating with Marcum, Holloway and Nolan to write the film.<ref>[http://deadline.com/2015/11/transformers-g-i-joe-micronauts-akiva-goldsman-paramount-hasbro-1201632388/ Akiva Goldsman 'Transformers' Writers Room Leads Paramount & Hasbro To Set One For 'G.I. Joe', 'Micronauts'] on Deadline</ref>
*December 14, 2015 — Wahlberg re-confirms in an interview with CinePop that he'll be back in Transformers 5.<ref>[http://cinepop.com.br/exclusivo-mark-wahlberg-confirma-ao-cinepop-que-estara-em-transformers-5-109295 Mark Wahlberg interview with CinePop]</ref>
*January 4, 2016 — Bay confirms he will be returning to direct.<ref name="rollingstone">[http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/features/13-hours-can-michael-bay-pull-off-a-gritty-movie-about-benghazi-20160104 '13 Hours': Can Michael Bay Pull Off a Gritty Movie About Benghazi?] on Rolling Stone</ref>
*January 12, 2016 — It's totally definitely the last ''Transformers'' film for him this time though.<ref>[https://youtu.be/Yn9bkPNV4JA?t=472 Michael Bay interview with Collider]</ref>
*February 12, 2016 — Transformers 5 is now being released on June 23, 2017. In addition, [[Transformers Universe: Bumblebee|Transformers 6]], acting as a [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] spin-off, and [[Transformers 7]] are set to be released respectively on [[June 8]], 2018 and [[June 28]], 2019.<ref name="toyfairreveal">[http://news.tfw2005.com/2016/02/12/transformers-5-transformers-6-bumblebee-spin-off-movie-revealed-309503 Transformers 5, Transformers 6 And Bumblebee Spin-Off Movie Revealed] ToyFair news at TFW2005</ref><ref>[http://news.tfw2005.com/2016/02/12/transformers-6-tentative-title-revealed-bumblebee-movie-309597 Transformers 6 Tentative Title Revealed – The Bumblebee Movie] at TFW2005</ref>
*February 18, 2016 — Casting calls go out for June filming in [[London]] and [[Detroit]], also confirming [[Peter Cullen]]'s return as [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]].<ref>[http://www.acting-auditions.org/2016/02/transformers-5-casting-calls-for-new-lead-roles.html Transformers 5 casting call for new lead roles] on acting-auditions.org</ref>
*February 26, 2016 — After negotiations, it's announced that Michigan will provide $21 million in incentives towards the film.<ref>[http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MIEDC/bulletins/138dd29 'Transformers 5' lands in Detroit] from the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office</ref>
[[File:TLK Optiface Prime.jpg|thumb|right|300px|5 movies in and [[Michael Bay]] is still finding ways to make my face even more ridiculously detailed. Pretty soon I'm going to look like [[Deceptigod]].]]
*April 6, 2016 — Cinematographer [[Jonathan Sela]] is reported as being booked to work on the film.<ref>[http://variety.com/2016/artisans/news/agencies-book-artisans-on-fast-8-transformers-5-to-the-bone-macgyver-and-altered-carbon-1201747892/ Agencies Book Artisans on 'Fast 8,' 'Transformers 5,' 'To the Bone,' 'MacGyver' and 'Altered Carbon'] on Variety</ref>
*April 13, 2016 — Filming dates are revealed via a casting call on acting-auditions.org.<ref>[http://www.acting-auditions.org/2016/04/transformers-5-casting-calls-auditions-information.html 'Transformers 5' Casting Calls and Auditions Information] on acting-auditions.org</ref>
*May 12, 2016 — [[Isabela Moner]] tweets that she's been cast in the movie.<ref>[https://twitter.com/isabelamoner/status/730835465163530241 Tweet by Isabela Moner]</ref>
*May 14, 2016 — Bay suggests [[Tyrese Gibson]] is under consideration to return.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BFXbTA2IWpr/]</ref>
*May 16, 2016 — The film's title is officially revealed to be ''Transformers: The Last Knight'' in [https://www.instagram.com/p/BFfCGhRoMmW/?taken-by=transformersmoviea teaser trailer] posted on a newly-launched Transformers Movie Instagram.
*May 17, 2016 — [[Josh Duhamel]] announced to be returning for ''Transformers: The Last Knight''.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BFg6ffIoMvx/]</ref>
*May 25, 2016 — Michael Bay posts a [https://www.instagram.com/p/BF1sPamoWtc/?taken-by=michaelbay photo] as production begins in Cuba.
*May 27, 2016 — A [https://twitter.com/transformers/status/736286302870605824 teaser] is posted containing morse code which translates to "I'm coming for you May 31st."
*May 31, 2016 — Michael Bay posts [https://www.instagram.com/p/BGFEZ9vIWv1/a video] of [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] and announces production is about to start.
*June 3, 2016 — [[Anthony Hopkins]] joins the cast.<ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/anthony-hopkins-joins-transformers-5-899343]</ref>
*June 4, 2016 — [https://www.instagram.com/p/BGPsjYZoMpq/?taken-by=transformersmovie&hl=en First look] at [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]'s vehicle mode, which is a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BGPsjYZoMpq/?taken-by=transformersmovie&hl=en Bumblebee vehicle mode reveal]</ref>
*June 4, 2016 — The [[Freya|World's Loneliest Dog]] is cast.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2016/06/04/freya/ MichaelBay.com - Freya]</ref>
*June 10, 2016 — [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] is confirmed to return as a 2016 Ford Mustang.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BGes1IfoMqf/?taken-by=transformersmovie&hl=en]</ref>
*June 18, 2016 — [[Mitch Pileggi]] reveals he has a role.<ref>[https://twitter.com/mitchpileggi1/status/743667068138979329 Tweet from Mitch Pileggi]</ref>
[[File:TLK Bumblebee profile.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Back to the basics.]]
*June 20, 2016 — [[Laura Haddock]] joins the cast.<ref>[https://twitter.com/laurajhaddock/status/744915023299026944 Tweet from Laura Haddock]</ref>
*June 22, 2016 — New robot character [[Sqweeks]] is revealed.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BG-IEBroWgA/ Michael Bay on Instagram]</ref>
*June 28, 2016 — Tyrese Gibson is confirmed to return.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BHLBipSDqcO/ Tyrese on Instagram]</ref>
*June 30, 2016 — [[Santiago Cabrera]] joins the cast.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BHSfP9EAIi_/ Official movie Instagram reveal of Santiago Cabrera]</ref>
*July 1, 2016 — [[Drift (AOE)|Drift]] is confirmed to return with a new Mercedes alt-mode.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2016/07/01/drift/ Drift - MichaelBay.com]</ref>
*July 27, 2016 — [[Onslaught (ROTF)|Onslaught]] is confirmed to appear in the film.<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1112021768833269/?type=3&theater Onslaught photo] on the official Transformers movie Facebook page.</ref>
*August 4–13, 2016 — A series of character profiles are released on the official movie Facebook. New character [[Hot Rod (DOTM)|Hot Rod]]<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1116775651691214/?type=3&theater Hot Rod Facebook reveal]</ref> is first to be revealed, and [[Crosshairs (AOE)|Crosshairs]]<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1119387291430050/?type=3&theater Crosshairs Facebook reveal]</ref> and [[Hound (Movie)|Hound]]<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1120161021352677/?type=3&theater Hound Facebook reveal]</ref> are confirmed to return. Also shown are profiles for Drift,<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1117988908236555/?type=3&theater Drift Facebook reveal]</ref> Sqweeks,<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1118574891511290/?type=3&theater Sqweeks Facebook reveal]</ref> Barricade,<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1120871694614943/?type=3&theater Barricade Facebook reveal]</ref> Megatron,<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1121491451219634/?type=3&theater Megatron Facebook reveal]</ref> and Bumblebee.<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1122785391090240/?type=3&theaterBumblebee Facebook reveal]</ref>
*August 9, 2016 — Members of a number of ''Transformers'' fan sites, including TFWiki, are treated to [[Transformers 5 set visit|a set visit]].
*September 4, 2016 — [[Stanley Tucci]] is back as [[Joshua Joyce]] (He later turned out to be playing Merlin, but it's unclear from the article where the confusion originated).<ref>[http://variety.com/2016/film/global/stanley-tucci-to-reprise-transformers-role-in-the-last-knight-1201852108/ Stanley Tucci to Reprise 'Transformers' Role in 'The Last Knight'] on Variety</ref>
[[File:TLK Izabella trailer speech.jpg|thumb|right|250px|True fact: Isabela had to beat Megatron in an arm wrestling contest to get this part.]]
*September 24, 2016 — Location shooting at Blenheim Palace in England proved controversial as [[Winston Churchill]]'s birthplace became draped in Nazi banners. Bay told BBC News that veterans shouldn't be too upset as Churchill is a "big hero" in the film.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-37453284 Transformers' Blenheim Palace 'Nazi' scenes defended] from the BBC</ref>
*October 14, 2016 — Bay announces via Facebook that [[John Turturro]] will be back as [[Seymour Simmons]] & [[John Goodman]] back to voice [[Hound (Movie)|Hound]]<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/videos/1174984035870375/ Michael Bay video on Facebook]</ref>
*December 5, 2016 — The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyVKK87hYYM teaser trailer] is released.
*February 3, 2017 — The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npaVgxxtKxQ "Big Game Spot"] is released on YouTube.
*March 12, 2017 — The [https://twitter.com/transformers/status/840751026693062656 Kid's Choice Award Clip] is revealed.
*March 17, 2017 — The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVYSyiL4iis "Izzy Stays and Fights" preview], a family-aimed trailer attached to ''{{w|Beauty and the Beast (2017 film)|Beauty and the Beast}}'', is released.
*March 22, 2017 — Eight [http://ew.com/movies/2017/03/22/transformers-last-knight-motion-posters/ "motion posters"] for the film's robot cast are released.
*April 12, 2017 — Another [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FIH1TeIS9Q trailer] is released.
*April 24, 2017 — As part of the "[[Reveal Your Shield]]" promotion, Hasbro releases [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWXj0JSZQjE a video] featuring [[Peter Cullen]] and [[Frank Welker]] credited as the voices of Optimus and Megatron.
*May 5, 2017 — Variety reports that the film's release is being moved forward two days to June 21.<ref name="datemove">[http://variety.com/2017/film/news/mark-wahlberg-transformers-the-last-knight-1202410380/ 'Transformers: The Last Knight' Moves Forward Two Days]</ref>
*May 7, 2017 — The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7toS4s_79ZA "Optimus Prime Dialog Coach" teaser] is released.
*May 9, 2017 — The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVZhsL3vV8M "Secret Past" TV spot] is released.
*May 15, 2017 — A preview of an Empire Magazine feature on the film includes the news that [[Jim Carter]] has been cast as Cogman.<ref>[http://www.empireonline.com/movies/transformers-last-knight/exclusive-explosive-new-look-bumblebee-transformers-last-knight/ Exclusive, Explosive New Look At Bumblebee In Transformers: The Last Knight] on Empire Online</ref>
*May 17, 2017 — The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue7cNNfjCyc International Trailer] is released.
{{--}}

=== Changes before, during and after production ===
*Tyrese Gibson was intended to return as [[Robert Epps]], but the logistics of filming in Europe and a scheduling conflict with ''[[Wikipedia:The Fate of the Furious|The Fate of the Furious]]'' resulted in him being unable to take part.<ref>[http://www.ok.co.uk/celebrity-news/1104536/tyrese-gibson-transformers-the-last-knight-robert-epps-josh-duhamel-mark-wahlberg-michael-bay Tyrese Gibson exclusively admits he was 'p****d' to miss out on filming Transformers: The Last Knight alongside original co-star Josh Josh Duhamel] on OK! Online</ref>
[[File:TLK Primal concept.jpg|upright=1.55|thumb|This would ''probably'' start another era of [[Trukk not munky]].]]
*Concept art was made for a movie incarnation of [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] and a Cybertronian snake that never made into the final film.<ref>[http://news.tfw2005.com/2017/07/26/optimus-primal-concept-art-last-knight-345543]</ref><ref>[http://news.tfw2005.com/2017/08/02/transformers-last-knight-new-unused-snake-concept-art-furio-tedeschi-346195]</ref>

{{-}}

==Notes==
===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''''Transformers Saigo no Kishiō''''' (トランスフォーマー最後の騎士王, "Transformers: The Last Knight King")
*''Finnish:'' '''''Transformers: Viimeinen Ritari''''' ("Transformers: The Last Knight")
*''Italian:'' '''''Transformers - L'ultimo cavaliere''''' ("Transformers: The Last Knight")
*''Korean:'' '''''Teulaenseupomeo: Choehuui Gisa''''' (트랜스포머: 최후의 기사, "Transformers: The Last Knight")
*''Mandarin:'' '''''Biànxíng Jīngāng 5: Zuìhòu de Qíshì''''' (Taiwan, 變形金剛5：最後的騎士, "Transformers 5: The Last Knight"), '''''Biànxíng Jīngāng 5: Zuìhòu de Qíshì''''' (China, 变形金刚5：最后的骑士, "Transformers 5: The Last Knight")
*''Portuguese:'' '''''Transformers: O Último Cavaleiro''''' (Brazil, "Transformers: The Last Knight"), '''''Transformers 5''''' (Portugal)
*''Russian:'' '''''Transformery: Posledniy rytsar' ''''' (Трансформеры: Последний рыцарь, "Transformers: The Last Knight")
*''Spanish:'' '''''Transformers: El último caballero''''' ("Transformers: The Last Knight")
*''Ukrainian:'' '''''Трансформери - Останній лицар''''' ("Transformers: The Last Knight")
*''Czech:'' '''''Transformers: Poslední Rytíř''''' ("Transformers: The Last Knight")

==External links==
* [http://www.transformersmovie.com/ Transformersmovie.com]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3371366/?ref_=nv_sr_1 ''The Last Knight'' at IMDB.com]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformers:_The_Last_Knight ''The Last Knight'' film on Wikipedia]
* [https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/transformers_the_last_knight/ ''The Last Knight'' on RottenTomatoes.com]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{stub}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Last Knight(film)}}
[[Category:Real world films]]
[[Category:The Last Knight| Last Knight (film)]]

Transformers: The Last Knight (film)

2017-09-15T16:20:39Z

HailMegatron: /* Continuity notes */

{{Nav-tlk}}
[[File:TLK Poster.JPG|thumb|upright=1.67|So forget any ideas you've got about lost cities, exotic travel, and digging up the world. We do not follow maps to buried treasure, and "X" never, ever marks the spot.]]
'''''Transformers: The Last Knight''''' is the fifth film in the [[live-action film series]], serving as a sequel to ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Transformers: Age of Extinction]]'', and was released on [[June 21]], [[2017]].

When he is gifted a [[Talisman (TLK)|Talisman]] by a dying [[Transformer]] knight, [[Cade Yeager]] finds himself pursued by both the [[Decepticon]]s and the [[Transformers Reaction Force]]. He is soon recruited along with [[Viviane Wembly]] by [[Edmund Burton|Sir Edmund Burton]], last of the [[Order of the Witwiccans]], to once again save the world from a new impending threat.

{{quote|One hundred billion trillion planets in the cosmos. You want to know, don't you? Why they keep coming ''here?''|[[Edmund Burton|Sir Edmund Burton]]|''Transformers: The Last Knight''}}

==Synopsis==
[[File:TLK Knight gives staff.jpg|thumb|left|300px|Eternal life, Doctor Jones! The gift of youth to whoever drinks from the Grail.]]
It is the year [[484]] in [[England]]. A medieval battle rages. [[King Arthur]] and his [[Knights of the Round Table|knight]]s are looking down the barrel of defeat at the hands of the [[Saxon]]s, and their only hope lies with the magician [[Merlin]]. Elsewhere Merlin, in reality merely a drunkard, rides up to a long-crashed alien ship and beseeches the occupants for help. He has kept their secret, but now needs their help. The other knights are losing hope, but Arthur believes Merlin will come through. Merlin manages to convince [[Stormreign|a giant metal red-armored knight]] at the ship to help, and it presents him with a [[Staff of Merlin|staff]], allowing him to return to the battle with a [[Dragonstorm|giant metal dragon]]. The battle is won in favor of Camelot.

Present day: [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] drifts apparently lifeless in space. Both he and [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] have vanished from [[Earth]], and Transformers have been declared illegal, with the [[Transformers Reaction Force]] set up to track them down, though they've found refuge in some places such as [[Cuba]], where [[Seymour Simmons]] is hanging out with the remaining [[Wrecker]]s. Transformers continue to arrive in waves and [[NASA]] scientists detect something large incoming.

[[File:TLK Canopy downed.jpg|thumb|right|300px|He speaks a dozen languages and knows every local custom. He'll blend in, disappear and you'll never see him again.]]

Four kids, craving adventure, breach a fence and enter a section of city ruined by a previous Transformer battle. They stumble on a crashed Transformer ship with a still-living occupant. TRF [[Sentinel (TLK)|Sentinels]] close in on them and warn them that they're trespassing; however [[Izabella]] appears out of nowhere to help, slinging bottles of green ooze which result in one Sentinels shooting another. Izabella's tiny robot [[Sqweeks]] wraps a cable around the legs of the remaining Sentinel and it topples over, allowing the kids time to get away. Pursued by another Sentinel, Izabella takes the kids to shelter — a Transformer named [[Canopy]] whose back is a hollow mound of rubble. They're joined by Sqweeks, who's lost his arm in the battle. Canopy and the kids start moving, unaware the TRF has spotted them. Unable to determine what faction Canopy is and with kids possibly in danger, TRF commander [[Santos]] orders an air strike. The missile takes out Canopy, who thanks a tearful Izabella before dying. The kids are soon rescued by [[Cade Yeager]] and [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] who destroy another Sentinel.

Cade drives the kids to the border of the no-go zone and drops them off before returning to the crashed ship. Despite his efforts, the pilot within dies, but not before attempting to present Cade with the [[Talisman (TLK)|Talisman]]. Cade does not take it. He reports the pilot's death to Bumblebee shortly before [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] appears and Cade is suddenly surrounded by TRF forces. Meanwhile, the Talisman sprouts legs and crawls away from the ship. Cade refuses to divulge where the other Transformers are. Bumblebee arrives, only to be blown to pieces by the TRF. Moments later, the parts start reconnecting as Bumblebee reassembles himself, sending the TRF forces into disarray as he does so. He and Cade take Santos hostage, but the standoff is interrupted by the arrival of [[William Lennox|Lennox]] who tries to talk Cade and Bee into standing down. [[Hound (Movie)|Hound]]'s appearance settles things however, and Cade, Bee and Hound leave, though the TRF manages to get a tracking device onto Bumblebee.

Lennox reports to [[Morshower|General Morshower]] who plays a recording of Barricade reporting back to Megatron. Megatron is disappointed Barricade failed to secure the Talisman as it is the object they need to lead them to the staff, but Barricade believes the TRF will lead them to it. Morshower orders Lennox to return to his covert infiltration of the TRF.

[[File:TLK Optimus chained.jpg|thumb|left|300px|My soul is prepared. How's yours?]]

Optimus's voyage through space comes to an end as he crashes on the ravaged surface of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], which has been mysteriously disassembled into many pieces. He encounters and attacks [[Quintessa (TLK)|Quintessa]], who claims to be his creator and the "Prime of Life," but she easily restrains him.

As he returns to the [[Junkyard (TLK)|junkyard]] he calls home, Cade realizes that the Talisman has somehow ended up in his vehicle. In England, [[Cogman]] alerts [[Edmund Burton|Sir Edmund Burton]] to the arrival of the Talisman. Elsewhere in England, [[Viviane Wembly]] wins a game of polo for her team before returning to the [[University of Oxford]]. She lectures her class on King Arthur, someone she believes to be a made-up legend, unaware she's being watched by Burton. Burton gives instructions to a nearby parked car.

Quintessa tells Optimus that he must retrieve her staff, stolen by her knight guardians and hidden on Earth.

[[Drift (AOE)|Drift]] and [[Crosshairs (AOE)|Crosshairs]] are hanging out in the junkyard. Cade, Hound, and Bumblebee stop off on their way back so Cade can banter with the local authority, Chief [[Sherman]], who complains that his cruiser has been stolen. The trio continue to the junkyard where [[Jimmy (TLK)|Jimmy]] and [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] are looking at online photos of custom cars. They are unaware Izabella and Sqweeks have stowed away on Hound. While Bumblebee and Crosshairs come to blows, Cade persuades [[Grimlock (AOE)|Grimlock]] to cough up Sherman's cruiser, or what's left of it. [[Daytrader]] arrives, bringing [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]'s head and a new voicebox for Bumblebee. He's interested in Cade's Talisman, and says it's a sign of the impending apocalypse. Izabella fronts up to Cade and attempts to pursuade him to let her stay. They return to Cade's trailer for antics with the [[Mini Dinobot]]s and trade stories of lost family members. Izabella manages to impress Cade with her knowledge of Cybertronian physiology and he's convinced to let her stay.

In [[Namibia]], scientists arrive at a location to find a giant metal horn poking out of the ground. News of the horn, and five more like it, get back to Simmons and Burton. Meanwhile the NASA scientists meet with [[President of the United States|presidential]] staff to report they have detected an approaching planet, which they say will arrive in three days.

Helped by Hound, Cade makes an untraceable satellite phone call to [[Tessa Yeager|his daughter]] at college, but is unable to speak to her for fear that his voice will be recognized by the [[CIA]], and can only listen as she tries to convince him to get a girlfriend.

Lennox meets Morshower at the [[Pentagon]] for a briefing on the horns — Megatron has been spotted visiting them and has snatched up two CIA operatives as hostages. Lennox and some lawyers meet with Megatron to negotiate the return of some of his men. They agree to release [[Mohawk]], [[Dreadbot]], and [[Nitro Zeus]]; [[Berserker]], however, turns out to be a step too far, and Megatron is forced to select [[Onslaught (ROTF)|Onslaught]] instead. Morshower believes they can use Megatron so they can get hold of Cade's Talisman themselves.

[[File:TLK Megatron fires.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The Grail is mine, and you're going to get it for me.]]

As morning breaks over the junkyard, the Decepticons prepare to move in, observed by the TRF. Izabella attaches a new arm to Sqweeks, before helping Cade fit Bumblebee's new voicebox. Bee is not happy with the result, which sounds like a GPS. Sherman gives the group advanced warning of the impending Decepticon assault, and the Autobots and humans scramble to get ready to escape. Megatron's group arrives to find the junkyard deserted, at least until Hound pops up and starts shooting. Megatron returns fire. The Autobot group heads into the nearby town, where Drift finds the tracking device on Bee. Grimlock and [[Slug (AOE)|Slug]] ambush the TRF forces en route to the town. Santos has a swarm of unmanned drones sent in. The Decepticons arrive in the middle of town and immediately spot Sqweeks, which draws Izabella out in an attempt to save the tiny Autobot. Cade detonates the explosives hidden around town and flees with Izabella, pursued by Barricade. The 'Con is knocked aside by Grimlock, who also devours Dreadbot. As the battle rapidly turns against the Decepticons, with Onslaught being killed by Drift and Crosshairs, Megatron calls a retreat. Mohawk, however, is left behind and is subsequently reduced to a head by Bumblebee. Cade, Izabella, and Jimmy take cover in a disused church as the TRF drones move in, however the drones continue to pursue them through the church. Cade and Izabella take two of them out, but Jimmy tries to bluff a third, banking on the idea it's using facial recognition. He gets shot anyway, but fortunately it was only a beanbag.

The trio head into another disused building and enter a lift where they encounter Cogman, who announces he's come to collect Cade. The discussion ends when a drone arrives, and Cade ends up clinging to it as it flies wildly around the street. Cogman phones Sir Burton to report the bad news, but fortunately Cade survives his impromptu flight, partly thanks to the Talisman protecting him from bullets. He manages to ride another drone to the ground and is met by Cogman who explains that he's important because of the Talisman. Crosshairs attempts to prevent Cogman from doing anything, only for the smaller robot to break his finger. Cogman convinces Cade to go with him and leave the others. Cade and Bee accompany Cogman on a plane to England.

Morshower and Lennox track the flight, and note that Megatron's group is giving pursuit. Lennox is ordered to take the TRF team to the UK as well.

Simmons calls Sir Burton to let him know a book has been tracked down. NASA continues tracking the incoming planet, now identified as Cybertron. Quintessa reveals to Optimus that Earth is actually [[Unicron]] and that they're going to kill him with the staff, an act which will destroy Earth and restore Cybertron. Optimus's optics turn purple as Quintessa addresses him as "Nemesis Prime". Optimus swears to fight anyone who interferes with his new mission.

Viviane and her family watch a news report on the giant horns. Conversation turns to her dead father, and her mother suggests she check her father's study in case there's anything useful for her work. Disinterested, she instead gets into her car where an invitation falls out of the glove compartment. The car takes off of its own accord and starts driving her through the streets of [[London]]. When she smashes a window, the car complains in a French accent and throws her into the trunk. She calls for help, having realized she's in a Transformer, and the car [[scanning|scans]] a passing Lamborghini, reconfiguring itself into a copy of the other vehicle.

Cade's plane lands at Sir Burton's castle, where he and Bumblebee are shot at by [[Bulldog (TLK)|a tank Transformer]]. Sir Burton apologizes and takes a look at the Talisman. [[Hot Rod (DOTM)|Hot Rod]] arrives carrying Viviane, who is unhappy at being kidnapped. Once things calm down, Sir Burton explains he's the last of the [[Order of the Witwiccans]]. Cade's boorish behavior towards Viviane results in him being assaulted by Cogman. Sir Burton shows off portraits of his family tree and the Witwiccans, and relates how the Transformers have been helping humans for centuries, such as when Bumblebee and Hot Rod took part in [[World War II]]. They head to another building which houses the original [[Round Table]] used by King Arthur and his knights when they teamed up with the twelve [[Knights of Iacon]]. Further there is a legend that a last knight would be found and thanks to possessing the Talisman, that's Cade. Only Merlin's DNA can unlock the power of the staff, which is where Viviane comes in as a direct descendant of Merlin. She has no idea where the staff might be though. Further discussion is halted as [[MI6]] and TRF forces arrive to assault the castle. Despite [[Hurricane Autobot|one of the elderly Autobots]] attempting to defend the castle only to power down as a result of his aging, Hot Rod's time stopper weapon gives the group enough time to escape.

Simmons makes an irate call to Sir Burton, who is currently being pursued through London and is late for the appointment at [[Trinity Library]]. Bumblebee arrives at Viviane's house with her and Cade, and the pair start rifling through her father's study in search of a clue. Sir Burton's dropped off at the library, but Simmons demands to be inducted into the Order of Witwiccans before he'll point Sir Burton to the book, which reveals Earth is Unicron and points them to [[Stonehenge]]. Cade and Viviane find a clue in an old popup book which points them to the [[HMS Alliance|HMS ''Alliance'']] at the navy museum. The TRF arrive at the house. Meanwhile, Sir Burton and Cogman switch cars and a high-speed chase through the streets of London ensues. Cade and Viviane, now also making a getaway in Bumblebee, let them know about the navy museum. Cogman manages to shake his pursuers while Bumblebee manages to shake Barricade by blasting the Decepticon.

Bumblebee reaches the naval museum at the same time as Cogman and Sir Burton, and they have the HMS ''Alliance'' evacuated. Sir Burton leaves the others to it, explaining that the submarine, in reality a Transformer, knows the way to the staff. The sub launches, with Bumblebee clinging to the exterior so he cam come along for the ride. The sub's departure is noted by TRF and they track it as it heads away from England. The TRF scramble their own submersibles to give chase. A nuclear sub fires missiles at the ''Alliance'' which responds by ramming the other sub and diving deeper into the ocean. Cogman fires himself out through a torpedo tube.

Sir Burton arrives at Number 10 to see the [[Prime Minister of the United Kingdom|Prime Minister]], but is turned away. Cogman returns to the sub with a couple of fish he's caught. Viviane and Cade share clumsy sexual chemistry until Cogman reveals he's made sushi as a "last meal". Sir Burton takes a secret back entrance into Number 10 to talk to the PM, holding off security by threatening to release the [[watch that killed Hitler]]. Sir Burton tells the PM to mobilize the military to Stonehenge. The ''Alliance'' zeros in on a vast undersea Transformer ship, which lights up as they approach. The pursuing TRF subs also spot the ship, but have to make their own way in after the airlock doors close behind the ''Alliance''. The ''Alliance'' surfaces beyond the airlock, and the group starts exploring.

Back at the junkyard, Izabella, Sqweeks, and Crosshairs look up at the approaching Cybertron. Elsewhere, NASA scientists give a briefing as the approaching planet scrapes the surface of the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]]. The doomsday news is broadcast on [[television]] around the world. The subs carrying the TRF teams led by Lennox and Santos emerge into an air pocket, and they move out. Daytrader arrives back at the junkyard with the [[Knight Ship|Autobots' ship]], and the group there prepares to head to England to help out. Cade and Viviane find a chamber holding motionless Knights of Iacon. Cybertron moves into Earth's atmosphere, passing the [[International Space Station]]. Viviane touches a Celtic engraving which reveals Merlin's sarcophagus, inside which they find a wooden staff. As the TRF moves through the same chamber, [[Skullitron|one of the knights]] springs to life. Cade keeps it distracted as the TRF attacks it, eventually bringing it down. Viviane grabs the wooden staff which transforms into metal in her hands. Lennox and Santos attempt to get her to hand it over, but she reveals only she can use it. More knights revive and attack, however a short time later, Optimus kills them and forces Viviane to turn the staff over to him. Sending the others back to the sub, Cade, Lennox, and Bumblebee go after Optimus.

Bumblebee fights with Optimus atop the vast ship as it comes to the surface. Bumblebee manages to get the better of his former leader, and Cade attempt to persuade Optimus to stop fighting. As the ship rises out of the water, Optimus is able to get the upper hand and is prepared to end Bumblebee when Bee manages to talk in his own voice. Shaking Quintessa's influence, Optimus drops his sword, just in time for Megatron to swoop in and claim the staff. After the Decepticons leave, the remaining Knights of Iacon emerge from the ship and are ready to execute Optimus for aiding Quintessa's cause. The Talisman transforms into a sword which Cade uses to block the killing strike, and the Knights recognize Cade as a knight. Though Prime is ready to die, Cade talks him out of sacrificing himself, and Optimus announces they have to destroy Quintessa with the other Autobots show up in their ship.

Cybertron makes touchdown on Earth, causing untold destruction. Megatron arrives at Stonehenge with the staff. Lennox contacts Morshower with the coordinates for the "end game", an [[ignition chamber]] which is part of one of the dangling pieces of Cybertron and military forces move in. Cade comes up with a plan to load Ospreys onto the Autobot ship so they can get close enough to the ignition chamber to land. NASA thinks this is a bad plan and works on an alternate idea. The massive ship continues towards Stonehenge where the Decepticons, along with Sir Burton and the military forces, are waiting. At Sir Burton's signal, the military opens fire on the Decepticons as the massive ship arrives directly overhead. The Autobots regroup with Cade and the TRF, and Optimus Prime gives a stirring speech before blasting off. Cogman manages to find Sir Burton, who had been blasted by Megatron sometime prior to the Autobots' arrival, shortly before he expires.

Megatron returns to the Ignition Chamber where Quintessa is waiting. She plugs the staff into the floor, and lightning starts arcing about. The pieces of Cybertron start moving about and joining together, causing those on the ground to run for their lives. Massive worldwide destruction ensues. As the Autobot ship carries Autobots, knights and humans up to their fates, Cade asks Viviane out on a date. Jets soften up the defenses around the ignition chamber while the humans all board the Ospreys, and Cade has it out with Santos. Shamed, the TRF troops all rip off their insignias. The Ospreys launch, and Izabella and Sqweeks reveal they've stowed away on the one carrying Cade and Viviane. Covered by the jets and the giant three-headed dragon, the Ospreys head to the ignition chamber, and crash-land on the surface. The landing site is immediately a war zone as Megatron and his Decepticons stand in their way. Lennox spots the entrance to the chamber, but the team is pinned down by a gun emplacement. Izabella instructs Sqweeks to go blow the gun emplacement up. [[Infernocus]] merges under Megatron's orders and knocks Bumblebee and company out of the air.

[[File:Transformers_5_Unicron.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Trust no one.]]

Meanwhile, the NASA scientists have come up with a plan to use nukes to cause a nearby chunk of Cybertron to destroy the ignition chamber. Morshower contacts Lennox to let him know the new plan, and the TRF forces start withdrawing. Sqweeks succeeds in blowing up the gun emplacement. Optimus arrives aboard the dragon and takes out Infernocus. As the TRF troops parachute off the platform, the jets nuke the neighbouring chunk of Cybertron. Viviane drops her parachute and heads back towards the chamber, followed by Cade. The chunk hits the platform containing the chamber, however despite the devastating impact, the chamber continues to function. The chamber tumbles down until it comes to rest on another part of Cybertron. Inside, chaos reigns as the Autobots and Decepticons fight and Viviane grabs the staff. Optimus kicks Megatron through a wall shortly before another impact sends the chamber tumbling out of the sky. Bumblebee kills Nitro Zeus and blasts Quintessa as Optimus manages to distract her. Quintessa vanishes in a flash of blue light. Viviane finally pulls the staff free, shutting down the Ignition Chamber just before it crashes to the ground. Optimus dramatically drives out of the cloud of debris raised by its impact, carrying Cade and Viviane. As everyone reunites, Optimus gives another stirring speech about how Earth and Cybertron are now joined as one before the Autobots depart for Cybertron alongside the guardian knights.

Meanwhile back in Namibia, Quintessa, now in a human form, walks up to one of the scientists studying the giant metal horn and offers to tell him how to kill Unicron.

==Quotes==
"All right, I am what they say. I'm a liar, a charlatan. I've deceived my whole life, but if I could, for one moment, change this world for the better, I would give up everything! Everything! I'd give up drink! Money! Wom- ...Drink and money!"
:—'''Merlin'''

"Get that out of my face."
:—'''Megatron''''s disdan on the welcome wagon.

"Your world is dying. I've been waiting for you, Optimus...Come meet your ''maker''."
:—'''Quintessa'''

"You dare to strike your ''God?!'' Your war ''doomed'' Cybertron!" 
"Megatron started the war-" 
"''You'' destroyed your world, you fool!"
:—'''Quintessa''' shows '''Optimus''' who's boss.

"There is a way to heal your world. My power of creation, the staff, was stolen from me by my twelve Guardian Knights. They betrayed me, and hid it on Earth. Gave it to your ''precious'' humans...the staff is the only way to bring life back to Cybertron. You are going to find it for me. Do you seek redemption, Prime? ''Do'' you?" 
"My maker, I ''do''." 
:—'''Quintessa''' coaxes a half-brainwashed '''Optimus''' to her side.

"The end is near, my old treacherous friend... what a shame you'll be unable to see it."
:—'''Megatron''' musing to the decapitated head of Starscream

"Go to hell!" 
"'This planet ''is'' hell!"
:—'''Izabella''' and '''Megatron''' exchange smack talk

"Don't kill the messenger... or the messenger will kill ''you''."
:—'''Cogman'''

"You are needed, sir. Urgently. My master is fond of saying that all the important decisions in life often come down to just one moment."
:—'''Cogman''' impresses on Cade the gravity of the situation.

"Optimus...it is time you knew the truth. The place you call Earth has another name: Unicron." 
"Earth...Unicron? Cybertron's ancient enemy?" 
"Yes. You are going to kill him. With my staff, we will drain the very life from Unicron. Earth ''will die''. 
"Yes..." 
"And your world will be reborn... ''Nemesis Prime''. 
"I will fight anyone who stands in my way."
:—'''Quintessa''' coaxes a completely brainwashed <s>'''Optimus'''</s> '''Nemesis Prime''' to her side.

"Introductions. Miss Viviane Wembly: Master of History, Oxford; Doctor of Philosophy, also Oxford; and Doctor of Letters, Oxford again, I think. Anything else? Anyway, meet Cade." 
"...''Yeager''. Cade Yeager. I'm an inventor."
:—'''Sir Edmund Burton''' and '''Cade Yeager'''

'''Hot Rod:''' "Bonjour, chérie! Je M'appelle Hot Rôd." 
'''Viviane:''' "Ut what?" 
'''Hot Rod:''' "Hot ''Rôd.''" 
'''Viviane''' "Hut Rud?" 
'''Hot Rod:''' "''Hot Rôd!''" 
'''Sir Edmund Burton:''' "Hot. Rod." 
'''Hot Rod:''' "Mhmm." 
'''Sir Edmund Burton:''' "It's his French accent." 
'''Viviane:''' "Is he French?" 
'''Sir Edmund Burton:''' "No, he just likes the accent." 
'''Hot Rod:''' "Non! No no no, I ''hate'' the accent! But I can't get rid of it! I'm ''stuck'' with the accent!"
:—Everybody loves '''Hot Rod'''.

"Bee?" 
"Yes." 
"But he's so nice." 
"Behind the lines during the war they called him many things... nice was never one of them." 
:—'''Cade''' and '''Sir Edmund''' on Bumblebee's past.

"I-I am Bumblebee... Your oldest friend! Optimus... I would lay down my life for you."
:—'''Bumblebee''' regains his voice, and Optimus regains his mind.

"I knew you couldn't do it! Your time is over, Prime. You ''failed''! You turned your back on Cybertron, now you will watch Earth ''DIE''!"
:—'''Megatron''' denounces Optimus after his redemption

"Knights, Autobots - this cannot and will not be the end. To save Earth and her people, we are going to steal Quintessa's staff. Only you, Viviane, can take it back. I will lead the way into her chamber, and when the account of the ages is etched into the cosmos, let those who exist long after us know that this was our finest hour!"
:—'''Optimus''' rallies his new and old allies before the final battle

"Did you forget who I am? ''I am Optimus Prime!''"
:—'''Optimus''' as he kills the Infernocons. They should've run for cover, or at least DUCKED.

"We were brothers once!" 
"''Once.''"
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Optimus Prime'''

"At the heart of every legend, there is truth: a few brave souls unite to save the world. We can be heroes in our own lives, every one of us, if we only have the courage to try. Our fates were always intertwined, but now our worlds are joined as one. We need to repair our planets, work together, if we wish to survive. A dangerous secret is buried deep inside the Earth. There is more to this planet than meets the eye. I am Optimus Prime, calling all Autobots... It is time to come ''home''."
:—'''Optimus Prime'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s closing narration.

==Characters==
{{featuredcharacters|
h1=[[Autobot]]s|c1=
*[[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime/Nemesis Prime]] ([[Peter Cullen]])
*[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] ([[Erik Aadahl]])
*[[Hot Rod (DOTM)|Hot Rod]] ([[Omar Sy]])
*[[Hound (Movie)|Hound]] ([[John Goodman]])
*[[Drift (AOE)|Drift]] ([[Ken Watanabe]])
*[[Crosshairs (AOE)|Crosshairs]] ([[John DiMaggio]])
*[[Cogman]] ([[Jim Carter]])
*[[Sqweeks]] ([[Reno Wilson]])
*[[Grimlock (AOE)|Grimlock]]
*[[Slug (AOE)|Slug]]
*[[Mini Dinobot|Mini-Dinobots]]
**Mini Grimlock
**Mini Slug
**Mini Strafe
*[[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] ([[Tom Kenny]])
*[[Daytrader]] ([[Steve Buscemi]])
*[[Topspin (DOTM)|Topspin/"Volleybot"]] ([[Steven Barr]])
*[[Canopy]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*"[[Bulldog (TLK)|Bulldog]]" ([[Mark Ryan]])
*[[Trench]]
*[[Roadbuster (DOTM)|Roadbuster]] (Cameo)
*[[Hurricane Autobot]]
*[[Northrop Autobot]]
*[[HMS Alliance|HMS ''Alliance'']] Autobot

|h2=[[Decepticon]]s|c2=
*[[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] (Frank Welker)
*[[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] ([[Jess Harnell]]/Frank Welker)*
*[[Nitro Zeus]] (John DiMaggio/Steven Barr)**
*[[Mohawk]] (Reno Wilson)
*[[Onslaught (ROTF)|Onslaught]] (John DiMaggio/Steven Barr)**
*[[Dreadbot]]
*[[Berserker]] (Steven Barr)
*[[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]'s head
*Decepticon [[protoform]]s

|h3=[[Human]]s|c3=
*[[Cade Yeager]] ([[Mark Wahlberg]])
*[[Viviane Wembly]] ([[Laura Haddock]])
*[[William Lennox]] ([[Josh Duhamel]])
*[[Izabella]] ([[Isabela Moner]])
*[[Edmund Burton|Sir Edmund Burton]] ([[Anthony Hopkins]])
*[[Seymour Simmons]] ([[John Turturro]])
*[[Santos]] ([[Santiago Cabrera]])
*[[Jimmy (TLK)|Jimmy]] ([[Jerrod Carmichael]])
*[[Morshower]] ([[Glenn Morshower]])
*[[Merlin]] ([[Stanley Tucci]])
*[[King Arthur|King Arthur]] ([[Liam Garrigan]])
*[[JPL Engineer]] ([[Tony Hale]])

|h4=[[Knights of Iacon]]|c4=
*[[Dragonstorm]]
**[[Stormreign]]
**[[Dragonicus]]
**[[Steelbane]]
*[[Skullitron]] ([[Frank Welker]])
*[[Talisman Knight]]

|h5=Others|c5=
*[[Quintessa (TLK)|Quintessa]] ([[Gemma Chan]])
*[[Infernocus]]
**[[Infernocon]]s
*[[Unicron]]
*The [[watch that killed Hitler]]
*[[Vatti Transformer]]
|nonumbering=true
}}
* *The last few lines that Barricade has in the movie are dubbed by Frank Welker, while Jess Harnell voices Barricade for the rest of the movie.
* **Nitro Zeus' voice actor varies depending on the version of the film, with one having him played by John DiMaggio, and the other with him played by Steven Barr. Same thing applies with Onslaught's single line.

==Continuity notes==
*Optimus left Earth at the end of [[Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|the last movie]], to look for the mysterious [[Creator (AOE)|Creators]]. No sign or mention of that [[Seed]] he was carrying, though he announced at the time he was going to take it where "it can never be found."
*The Dinobots were "set free" by Optimus at the end of the last movie, though they have since joined up with the main Autobot team in hiding, presumably for pragmatic reasons.
*After going nameless in the previous film, Grimlock is called by name (by Cade) in this film, the only Dinobot so named.
*Cade's daughter Tessa was a soon to graduate high school student in ''Age of Extinction'', and she has since gone on to college.
*Izabella mentioned that her parents were killed during the Decepticon invasion in ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon]]''.
*Starscream was killed by a [[NEST]] boomstick at the climax of ''Dark of the Moon''. ''Age of Extinction'' established that scavengers had salvaged many objects from the Battle of Chicago.
*Megatron addresses Starscream's disembodied head as "my treacherous old friend". Back in ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'', Megatron accused Starscream of abandoning him to die in the [[Transformers (film)|first movie]]. We wouldn't call that a justified accusation, but what can we do? It's the word of a dead skull against that of the universe's greatest warlord.
*While [[Leadfoot (DOTM)|Leadfoot]] was killed by [[Cemetery Wind]] in a video recording in ''Age of Extinction'', the fate of his two fellow [[Wrecker]]s were unknown at that point. Similarly, only [[Brains]] reappeared in the last film whereas Wheelie was nowhere to be found. This film reveals that Wheelie, Topspin, and Roadbuster have all survived being hunted by Cemetery Wind. And given that [[Sideswipe (Movie)|Sideswipe]] was also mentioned to have been killed by Cemetery Wind in ''Age of Extintion'' tie-in material, the only Autobot who survived the end of ''Dark of the Moon'' whose current status is unknown is [[Mirage (Movie)|Dino]].
*When Viviane is abducted by Hot Rod, she asks if her captor is a famous Transformer such as [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]] or [[Soundwave (ROTF)|Soundwave]], unaware that they both died in ''Dark of the Moon''.
*Daytrader gives the Autobots [[Knight Ship|Lockdown's ship]], which was last seen being attacked by [[People's Liberation Army|Chinese military]] jets in Hong Kong.
*The T.R.F. uses the exact same tactic to take out one of the Knights as N.E.S.T. used to take out Shockwave and Barricade in ''Dark of the Moon''.
*The ''Ark'' is briefly seen on the Moon, where it was revealed to be back in ''Dark of the Moon'', having been left there untouched in the years since, along with the site of the [[Apollo 11]] moon landing.
*Among the landmarks trashed by the hanging chunks of Cybertron is the [[Great Pyramid of Giza]], where the climax of ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' took place, recognizable by the top missing to reveal the Star Harvester hidden underneath.
*The Decepticons are seen using several [[Orbital Assault Carrier]]s, as they were in ''Dark of the Moon'', though there's no word on if these Carriers are the same ones from the Chicago operation.
*Quintessa teleports herself away; she seems to have a bodily [[space bridge]] much as [[The Fallen]] did.
*It's never made clear whether or not [[Quintessa (TLK)|Quintessa]] is one the [[Creator (AOE)|Creators]] alluded to in the previous film. She claims to be the "[[Prime (rank)|Prime]] of Life" and to have created the [[Transformer|Cybertronian]] species, but that is up for debate.
*Drift only has one of his swords, like the end of the previous film, showing that he never retrieved the other from the battle with the KSI drones.
*Sir Burton states that Viviane is the last living descendant of Merlin, along with stating that he is the last living member of the Witwiccans, indirectly stating that [[Sam Witwicky|Sam]], who has not been seen or heard from since ''Dark of the Moon'' (and [[Stephen Hawking]]) is dead at this point.
*Jolt's head can be seen in the junkyard.

==Transformers references==
* As usual, many of the new characters have roots in older portions of the mythos:
** [[Hot Rod (DOTM)|Hot Rod]] is based on [[Hot Rod (G1)|a Generation 1 character]] introduced in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
** [[Onslaught (ROTF)|Onslaught]] is derived from [[Onslaught (G1)|the leader]] of the [[Combaticon (G1)|Generation 1 Combaticons]]. For his appearance in the film, he is an altered version of [[Long Haul (ROTF)|Long Haul]].
** Quintessa is a loose adaptation of the [[Quintesson]]s—the recurring race of antagonistic extraterrestrials who terrorized both the Autobots and Decepticons in season 3 of the original 1980's cartoon. In the cartoon continuity, the Quintessons were the creators of the Transformers, in the same way that Quintessa claims to be in the film. She seems to be physically based off of [[Quintus Prime]], a relatively new character introduced through 2013's ''[[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus]]''. The decision to make the character female is something wholly new, although it may speak to some influence from [[Solus Prime]].
** The [[Mini Dinobot]]s are baby-like scaled-down versions of Grimlock, Slug, and [[Strafe (AOE)|Strafe]], the latter of whom oddly does not appear in the film itself.
** [[Unicron]] is the ancient enemy of [[Primus]]/Cybertron, who was introduced in ''The Transformers: The Movie''. The idea of Unicron having a connection to Earth seems to be inspired by the ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' cartoon, where Unicron ''was'' the core of the Earth, with the rest of the planet having formed around his dormant body during his hibernation. Whether or not this corporeality holds true for this incarnation of Unicron remains to be seen.
* When Optimus Prime falls under Quintessa's control, he is dubbed "[[Nemesis Prime (disambiguation)|Nemesis Prime]]", an obvious reference to the evil clone of Optimus Prime that has appeared in many [[Nemesis Prime (Armada)|conti]][[Nemesis Prime (G1)|nui]][[Nemesis Prime (Prime)|ties]]. The ''Prime'' version was, believe it or not, used as a template for Galvatron's background in the last film, where he was supposed to be a copy of Optimus.
* Several Transformers introduced in this film have altered designs from past films, yet are entirely new characters nevertheless. [[Nitro Zeus]] employs the same body design as the [[KSI Boss]]s but has a head identical to [[Shockwave (Movie)|Shockwave]]'s, [[Dreadbot]] is an altered version of [[Crowbar]], [[Canopy]] is another altered version of Long Haul, [[Berserker]] is a homage to [[Crankcase (DOTM)|Crankcase]], and [[Trench]] is the same body-type as [[Scrapper (ROTF)|Scrapper]] and [[Scrapmetal (ROTF)|Scrapmetal]].
** The rest of the robot cast-[[Cogman]], [[Sqweeks]], the [[Knights of Iacon]], [[Mohawk]], [[Daytrader]], "[[Bulldog (TLK)|Bulldog]]", and the [[Infernocon]]s-are new characters with entirely new designs.
* Edmund Burton claims Cogman is a [[Headmaster (technology)|"headmaster"]], which is typically a human-sized bot that transforms into the head of a larger bot. While this reference ''is'' borne out by his [[Cogman#Toys|Deluxe Class toy]], which features a larger vehicle body and a detachable head, we don't actually see Cogman do anything like that in the movie itself.
* This is not the first time the Transformers have been associated with [[A Decepticon Raider in King Arthur's Court (episode)|Arthurian times]], nor would be [[The Golden Knight|the last]].
* Galvatron eventually returns back to using his true name, something we've seen [[Megatron (Armada)| before]].

==Real-life references==
*The bogus voice box Bumblebee gets from Daytrader has the voice of {{w|Siri}}, the AI assistant found in most iPhones.
*Crosshairs calls Cogman a "[[Star_Wars_(film)|C-3PO]] ripoff".
*Sir Edmund Burton quotes the song ''[[w:It's a Long Way to Tipperary|It's a Long Way to Tipperary]]'' in reference to World War I.

==Other editions==
*Two versions of the film were released to theaters: one screened in English-speaking countries, which seems to be the "finished" version, and another shown internationally, with foreign language subtitles, which appears to be an earlier version. There are numerous differences in dialogue between the two versions, with some lines being dropped, added, or changed completely for the finished version, including ones that even help to make the film make more sense!
**When Hound shows up when TRF are talking to Bee and Cade, in the finished version he says, "Sorry I'm late! My invitation to this ass-kicking must have gotten lost in the mail." The alternate version has him say "Mornin', fellas! I like showing up to a gun fight! This round mound's gonna mow you down. Translation: Sayonara, suckers!"
**When Daytrader says "You always resort to violence, right off the bat!", in the finished version Hound replies "I love violence!". Hound does not reply in the alternate version.
**Hound has an extra line about wanting to "deep-six" Daytrader in the alternate cut right before the Vatti Transformers appears, whereas he remains silent in the final edition.
**Izabella laughs at Cade's attempts to make Grimlock spit out the cruiser in the alternate cut. She smiles, but remains silent in the final version.
**When Jimmy and Wheelie argue, the finished version has Wheelie back down a bit when Jimmy threatens and grabs him, with Wheelie adding that Jimmy is the worst "senior vice president ever". In the alternate cut, Wheelie continues to berate him , threatening "I'll have my Autobot brethren kick your ass!". Oddly, he still flails his hands around when he's not saying anything in the latter version, meaning his animation is meant to be paired with the "finished" audio.
**In the "earlier" version, all of Nitro Zeus's dialogue is provided by Steven Barr, and the actor receives an on-screen credit for the role. For the "finished" version, it was all re-recorded by John DiMaggio (with the credits altered to reflect the change), with some differences. During his introduction, for instance, the finished version has him say: "I know where you live, Enrique, say hello to your wife for me!" while the other, he says: "By the way, Enrique, Chad's sleeping with your wife!"
**In the final film, Onslaught's single line of dialogue was recorded by DiMaggio, while Barr re-recorded said line in the alternate version. Deja vu huh?
**When arriving at the Junkyard, DiMaggio-Nitro remarks "Aw man, I kicked more ass in prison!" upon learning that Cade and co. have left, while in the alternate version Barr-Nitro says "Unfortunate, because I was looking to knock some heads!".
**While Megatron is musing to the head of Starscream, as he says "The end is near", DiMaggio-Nitro cuts in with "Oh, she's coming!" while Barr-Nitro remains silent.
**When the Decepticons arrive in the abandoned town, Barr-Nitro says: "I know they're close!" while DiMaggio-Nitro says: "Oh, I feel a fight comin'!"
**In the final film, when the Autobots discover the tracker planted on Bumblebee, Crosshairs remarks "The tracker led 'em right to us! When are you gonna grow up?" but in the alternate version, he says "What's this? You brought 'em right to us!"
**In the final film, after Drift kills Onslaught ("and his fat head!"), Crosshairs remarks, "Don't get any deader than that!" In the alternate version, Crosshairs is silent, and Drift instead says "Fantastic!" after his quip about Onslaught's head. In the final film, Drift's lips are still visibly moving at the point when he says "Fantastic!" in the alternate cut.
**After the town battle, Crosshairs calls the TRF drones "gnats" as he shoots them down in the finished version. He remains silent in the alternate version.
**In the finished version, when Crosshairs is talking about Cogman he says, "Hey Cade, what's with the C-3PO ripoff?", but in the alternate version he says, "I'll swat this metal cockroach for you Cade."
**Crosshairs whines that his finger is broken in the background when Cogman is speaking to Cade in the finished version. He remains silent in the alternate version.
**When Megatron steals the staff from Optimus, the "finished" film features Nitro Zeus saying: "You blew your chance to kill Unicron!" followed by Megatron saying: "I knew you couldn't do it. Your time is over, Prime! You failed!" The other has no Nitro Zeus dialogue, and instead features Megatron saying: "Quintessa, the most ruthless of our Gods, knew you couldn't do it. She knows I'm strong and you're weak."
**When the Knights of Iacon attack Optimus, in the alternate version one of the Knights tells Prime "She put you under a spell!". In the finished version, that line was removed.
**Barricade has an extra line at Stonehenge in the alternate version, where he says "Yes! Drain Unicron! He will be powerless!"
**The finished version adds an extra line between Cade and Lennox on Cybertron about Optimus never having made it to the Ignition Chamber, while the alternate version never acknowledges his absence.
**When Optimus Prime attacks Quintessa, In the finished version she says, "You traitor!", and Optimus retracts his faceplate. In the alternate version she says, "Nemesis! You traitor!", and Optimus' faceplate does not retract.
**The final version has Quintessa scream as Bumblebee blasts her, while Bumblebee quips "Sting like a bee!"—but in the other version, Quintessa is silent, and Bumblebee's dialogue is very slightly different, with him saying "''I'' sting like a bee."
*The Chinese release adds roughly 2 minutes of content just for soft-advertising.
*Additionally, the digital version, while primarily the "finished" version, alters a few minor things.
**All of Hound's red cross symbols have been recolored blue.
**The scene of Wheelie checking the used car website has been removed.
**For some reason, Barr-Nitro's "Unfortunate, because I was looking to knock some heads!" line is in place of DiMaggio's "I kicked more ass in prison!", despite DiMaggio providing the voice for Nitro Zeus in every other scene.

==Errors==
===Continuity errors===
*[[Grimlock (AOE)|Grimlock]], [[Slug (AOE)|Slug]] and [[Wheelie (ROTF)|Wheelie]] randomly disappear from the story, although they were likely left at the junkyard during the final battle.
*Optimus forgets obvious things. He's astonished by the decrepit condition of Cybertron, despite knowing it was destroyed in the third film. In addition, he remarks that he has not heard Bumblebee's voice "since Cybertron fell". Bumblebee actually spoke with his real voice briefly at the end of the [[Transformers (film)|first film]], albeit with a different voice actor.
*Sir Edmund says the battle depicted at the start of the movie took place in 484 AD, while a caption over the first present day scene says it takes place 1600 years later, which would result in the rest of the film taking place in 2084.
*There's no explanation for why Cybertron is intact after it disintegrated in ''Dark of the Moon'', nor is it explained why Cybertron is smaller than Earth when it was previously much bigger. It's possible the planet reformed itself over the years into its smaller state.
*No explanation is offered for how Galvatron has become Megatron again. He even transforms normally now, as opposed to bursting into a cloud of [[Transformium]] and reforming the way he did in ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction]]''.
*When Cade and Izzy are fitting a new voice box into Bumblebee, it is clear that they are using a prop on set, with no sign of Bumblebee's body. It is possible that due to his reforming ability, Bee was able to remove his head for the procedure. His head being reattached to his body is not shown.
*Speaking of Bumblebee's reforming ability, no explanation is given as to how he received such an ability. Back in the 2007 film he lost both of his legs and was unable to reform, as well as being clearly in pain.
*How does Daytrader have [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]]'s head if it was destroyed in the third film?
*Just before the Decepticons invade the junkyard, Drift is shown with both his swords.
*Sqweeks is missing his scavenged Decepticon arm when the Decepticons invade the junkyard, his original arm appearing back in its place. It returns in all subsequent scenes with the character.
*The abandoned town the Autobots and humans seek refuge in has buildings which are a few stories tall at most, then Jimmy, Cade and Izabella are abruptly in a multi-story building with janitorial staff and an external lift when they encounter Cogman. After Cade's ride on a drone, they're suddenly back in the area with no tall buildings in sight.
*Ironhide and Optimus Prime are depicted in historical paintings, but both were clearly seen arriving on Earth for explicitly the first time in the [[Transformers (film)|first film]].
*How does Hot Rod have the Lamborghini chest in an old war photo if he selected the new disguise merely seconds ago and Lamborghini didn't ''exist'' until 1963?
*Despite the Decepticons all following Cade and Bumblebee to England, only Barricade apparently bothers to try to track them down once there.
*Bumblebee tears out the "defective" voicebox yet is able to talk to Optimus later with no voicebox. Maybe he put the old one back in offscreen?
*Where does Optimus go between taking off after giving his speech, and later turning up on Dragonstorm? The "finished" version of the film briefly addresses this by adding an exchange between Cade and Lennox, where the latter says Optimus didn't make it.
*En-route to Cybertron, despite Bumblebee having regained his voice, he once again insists on speaking with an audio clip.

===Technical/animation errors===
*A promotional clip of the scene showing Hot Rod and Viviane's arrival at Burton's estate appears to feature an actor other than Omar Sy performing Hot Rod's voice. Presumably, it was just the "scratch track" that Sy then recorded over; Hot Rod's first line in the clip ("Leetle lady, non!") is replaced in the film (with "Non non non, leetle lady, why do you have to be zat way? Pour quoi?") but his second ("She's very difficult!") remains performed by the scratch track actor.
*When Optimus meets Quintessa and tosses his shield away, it reappears on his arm in the very next shot before disappearing again.
*When Cade, Viviane, and Cogman are aboard HMS ''Alliance'', there is a camera shot of Cade looking through the periscope with Cogman to the right of screen. The camera angle then changes and shows Viviane in another part of the chamber. The camera returns to Cade, Cogman has vanished. The camera pans back to Viviane again, then returns to Cade, with Cogman back in the shot.
*In a near-repeat of the bizarre editing gaffe of ''Dark of the Moon'', Barricade's dialogue at Stonehenge is provided by [[Frank Welker]], as opposed to [[Jess Harnell]] who had voiced him for the duration of the film up to this point.
*Despite transforming into a larger vehicle, Dreadbot is visibly shorter than Barricade.
*When the Autobots are commenting on the Knights of Iacon, Hound's mouth is animated to be saying something too soon before he actually begins speaking.

===Geographic discontinuities===
*A road trip from the outskirts of Chicago to the Badlands of South Dakota takes about twelve hours, but Cade, Bumblebee, and Hound make the commute all in the same afternoon.
*When the authorities arrive at Burton's mansion, it is noted that "TRF and MI6" are in pursuit. In real life, MI6 is the UK's ''external'' intelligence agency; it is more likely that {{w|MI5}}, the UK's domestic intelligence agency, would be the British central government's agency present.
*American street signs of the hanging green-coloured variety can be seen during the chase scene in London.
*Viviane leads her class from a large, expansive archaeological museum into the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. While there is an archaeological museum attached to the Natural History Museum, it looks nothing like the one featured in the film.
*The Royal Navy's submarine museum is nowhere near London as the movie depicts; it is actually in Gosport, Hampshire.
*Stonehenge is not as isolated in open countryside and from main roads as portrayed - the A303 among other roads runs past the monument. Also, the town of Amesbury is across said main road, less than two miles away.

==Adaptations==
Two comic adaptations are made for the film: [[A New Friend]] by IDW Publishing as the promotion for both the film and Schick's Hydro line of electric razors, and [[Mission to Cybertron]] released exclusively for the Toys"R"Us exclusive Transformers: The Last Knight Blu-Ray Combo Pack.

==Music==
==Score==
:''Main Article'': [[The Last Knight (Music From the Motion Picture)]]
Continuing the tradition of the previous films, the music is once again composed by [[Steve Jablonsky]]. The ending theme of the movie is Torches by [[X Ambassadors]].

==Home video releases==
==Theatrical posters==
<center><gallery>
File:TLK Poster wide Dragonstorm.jpg
File:TLK Poster Rethink Heroes.jpg
File:TLK Poster.JPG
File:TLK Poster Stonehenge.jpg
File:TLK Poster Legend Secret.jpg|Nazis. I hate those guys.
File:TLK Poster Here Forever.jpg
File:TLK Poster IMAX 3D.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Optimus Prime.jpg|Optimus "Barely Appearing in this Movie" Prime
File:TLK Poster char Megatron.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Bumblebee.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Hound.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Hot Rod.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Cogman.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Burton.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Lennox.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Yeager.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Izabella.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Jimmy.jpg
File:TLK Poster char Wembly.jpg
</gallery></center>

==Reception==

{{quote|[sighs] Here we go again.|BBC Radio 5 critic Mark Kermode on ''The Last Knight''<ref>[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ee6xh5AmQo Mark Kermode review]</ref>}}

After four films where critics hated it but the audience showered it with money, ''The Last Knight'' broke the trend by ''not'' being showered with money. It had been projected to make $70-75m in its first days in North America, itself the lowest opening<ref>[http://deadline.com/2017/06/spider-man-homecoming-hoping-to-catch-opening-in-the-100m-vicinity-1202114641/ Deadline, June 15th 20917: "‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Hoping To Catch Opening In The $100M Vicinit"]</ref>, but that was downgraded to $63m after the first few days were even lower than the lowest expected.<ref>[http://deadline.com/2017/06/transformers-the-last-knight-opening-weekend-box-office-1202118976/ "Deadline: ‘Transformers’ Still Rusty At $63M+"]</ref> In the end it made almost $70m over the first five days, better than the revised projection but lower than all of the previous films. <ref>[http://deadline.com/2017/06/transformers-the-last-knight-opening-weekend-box-office-1202118976/ Deadline: "Why ‘Transformers’ Is Screaming For Reboot After $69M Start; ‘Wonder Woman’ & ‘Cars 3’ Fight Over 2nd Place"], 25th June 2017</ref> By mid-July, after over three weeks, the film had grossed $122.1m in North America against a $217m budget (not counting marketing costs). This meant a lot of critics began to zero in on the sluggish profit, taking the view that American audiences were just getting bored of Bay's version of the franchise.

Internationally the film did $196.2m in the same first five days, of which $123.4m came from [[China]] alone<ref>[http://deadline.com/2017/06/transformers-the-last-knight-opening-weekend-box-office-1202118976/ Deadline: "Why ‘Transformers’ Is Screaming For Reboot After $69M Start; ‘Wonder Woman’ & ‘Cars 3’ Fight Over 2nd Place"], 25th June 2017</ref>(who love the franchise so much delaying ''The Last Knight'' reduced 2016 cinema growth to 3%, down from 48% in 2015!)<ref>[https://www.forbes.com/sites/robcain/2017/06/11/transformers-gears-up-for-another-1-billion-box-office-bounty/#659ff09e2325 Forbes: "'Transformers' Gears Up For Another $1 Billion Box Office Bounty"]</ref> The Chinese had been expected to spend up to $290m on the film's run. <ref>[http://variety.com/2017/film/asia/chinas-weying-boards-paramounts-transformers-the-last-knight-1202465635/ Variety:"China’s Weying Boards Paramount’s ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’"]</ref> However, in its second week in China takings dropped by a harsh 75% and after 10 days it had only grossed $198 million, which was seen as a disappointment—some pundits had expected $400m from China—and left it unlikely the film would perform as well as ''Age of Extinction'' had.<ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/china-box-office-transformers-5-crashes-back-earth-75-percent-slide-second-weekend-1018449]</ref> ''The Hollywood Reporter'' visited a [[Shanghai]] screening and reported "walkouts, general disinterest and plenty of snickering over a conspicuous abundance of [Chinese] product placement" despite a truly massive PR campaign and the fourth film's mega-popularity. Chinese social media made it clear the plot was too complicated and the product placement, all products the Chinese knew weren't in America, was too dumb; the audience found it ''very'' funny when Wheelie looked up a Chinese used car website.<ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/transformers-last-knight-has-pandering-chinese-audiences-hurt-transformers-5-1016926 The Hollywood Reporter: "Has Pandering to Chinese Audiences Hurt 'Transformers 5'?", July 2 2017]</ref>

In the end, the film finished a 65 day run in cinemas with a worldwide gross of only $604m. <ref>[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=transformers5.htm]</ref> It even did not exceed the gross of the first film, which concluded with a worldwide gross of $709m, with domestic numbers over double what ''The Last Knight'' was able to take home. <ref>[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=transformers06.htm]</ref>

==Production staff==
The film was directed by [[Michael Bay]], and was written by [[Art Marcum]], [[Matt Holloway]], and [[Ken Nolan]].

==Development details==
[[File:Transformers 5 provisional logo.png|thumb|right|143px|Transfivemers doesn't have the same ring to it.]]
*December 18, 2014 — [[Mark Wahlberg]] confirms to MTV that he is signed on for the next two Transformers films.<ref>[http://www.mtv.com/news/2030612/mark-wahlberg-transformers-5/ Mark Wahlberg Just Found A 'Transformers' Sequel] on MTV.com</ref>
*March 27, 2015 — [[Paramount Pictures]] negotiates with [[Akiva Goldsman]], hiring him to create a "writer's room" with the intention of building a cinematic universe.<ref name="goldsman">[http://deadline.com/2015/03/transformers-akiva-goldsman-paramount-sequels-spinoffs-1201400027/ Paramount Enlisting Akiva Goldsman To Ramp Up 'Transformers' Output] on deadline.com</ref> Goldsman goes on to hire a number of writers over the next few months: [[Steven DeKnight]] (''Daredevil''),<ref>[http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/transformers-cinematic-universe/35696/transformers-cinematic-details-more-writers-over-10-films Transformers cinematic details]</ref> [[Robert Kirkman]] (''The Walking Dead''),<ref name="deadlinewritersroom">[http://deadline.com/2015/05/transformers-writers-robert-kirkman-zak-penn-art-marcum-matt-holloway-jeff-pinkner-1201430601/ 'Transformers' Spinoff & Sequel Scribes Set] on Deadline.com</ref> [[Art Marcum]] and [[Matt Holloway]] (''Iron Man''),<ref name="deadlinewritersroom" /> [[Christina Hodson]] (''Shut In'', ''The Fugitive''),<ref name="hodsonbeer">[http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/446175-christina-hodson-and-lindsey-beer-join-transformers-writing-team Christina Hodson and Lindsey Beer Join the Transformers Writing Team]</ref> [[Lindsey Beer]] (''Dig''),<ref name="hodsonbeer" /> [[Zak Penn]] (''Pacific Rim 2''),<ref name="deadlinewritersroom" /> [[Jeff Pinkner]] (''The Amazing Spider-Man 2'', ''Lost''),<ref name="deadlinewritersroom" /> [[Andrew Barrer]] and [[Gabriel Ferrari]] (''Ant-Man''),<ref name="barrerferrari">[http://deadline.com/2015/05/transformers-ant-man-andrew-barrer-gabriel-ferrari-cybertron-1201433402/ 'Ant-Man' Scribes Andrew Barrer & Gabriel Ferrari Join 'Transformers' Writers Room] on Deadline</ref> [[Ken Nolan]] (''Black Hawk Down''), and [[Geneva Robertson-Dworet]].<ref name="nolandworet">[http://www.slashfilm.com/transformers-writers-room/ Akiva Goldsman Teases 'Transformers' Franchise Plans]</ref> Involved in the pitching process are [[Steven Spielberg]], [[Michael Bay]], [[Brian Goldner]], [[Lorenzo di Bonaventura]], [[Mark Vahradian]], and [[Don Murphy]].<ref name="deadlinereveal">[http://deadline.com/2015/09/transformers-writers-room-akiva-goldsman-transformers-5-1201531918/ 'Transformers' Writers Room Wraps] on Deadline</ref>
*May 27, 2015 — As part of the news surrounding Barrer and Ferrari joining the room, it's revealed that another pitch is an animated prequel movie set on Cybertron, with the working title of ''[[Transformers One]]''.<ref name="barrerferrari" />
*June 8, 2015 — The writers meet on the Paramount lot for the writer's room.<ref name="nolandworet" /> The writers work for the next three months to plot out the next ten years of ''Transformers'' films.<ref name="stephendaviskeynote">[https://youtu.be/F_P2fw_DlS4?t=812 Stephen Davis's keynote speech] at MIPJunior.</ref>
*July 28, 2015 — DeKnight reports that as a result of the gathering of writers, Goldsman and Pinkner will be co-writing Transformers 5.<ref name="deknightreveals">[http://au.ign.com/articles/2015/07/28/daredevils-steven-deknight-on-the-transformers-writers-room-and-planning-ahead Daredevil's Steven DeKnight on the Transformers Writers Room and Planning Ahead] on IGN</ref>
*September 17, 2015 — Deadline reveals more about the writer's room process and reports that Barrer and Ferrari will write the animated feature, with Pinkner and Beer writing later films.<ref name="deadlinereveal" /> Bay remains uncommitted to directing.<ref>[https://twitter.com/michaelbay/status/644622092110032896 Tweet by Michael Bay]</ref>
*October 3, 2015 — [[Hasbro Studios]]'s [[Stephen J. Davis]] relates more details of the writing process in a keynote speech at the MIP Junior Conference.<ref name="stephendaviskeynote" />
*November 20, 2015 — With Goldsman now enlisted to create a writer's room for ''[[G.I. Joe (franchise)|G.I. Joe]]'' and ''[[Microman|Micronauts]]'', Paramount begins negotiating with Marcum, Holloway and Nolan to write the film.<ref>[http://deadline.com/2015/11/transformers-g-i-joe-micronauts-akiva-goldsman-paramount-hasbro-1201632388/ Akiva Goldsman 'Transformers' Writers Room Leads Paramount & Hasbro To Set One For 'G.I. Joe', 'Micronauts'] on Deadline</ref>
*December 14, 2015 — Wahlberg re-confirms in an interview with CinePop that he'll be back in Transformers 5.<ref>[http://cinepop.com.br/exclusivo-mark-wahlberg-confirma-ao-cinepop-que-estara-em-transformers-5-109295 Mark Wahlberg interview with CinePop]</ref>
*January 4, 2016 — Bay confirms he will be returning to direct.<ref name="rollingstone">[http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/features/13-hours-can-michael-bay-pull-off-a-gritty-movie-about-benghazi-20160104 '13 Hours': Can Michael Bay Pull Off a Gritty Movie About Benghazi?] on Rolling Stone</ref>
*January 12, 2016 — It's totally definitely the last ''Transformers'' film for him this time though.<ref>[https://youtu.be/Yn9bkPNV4JA?t=472 Michael Bay interview with Collider]</ref>
*February 12, 2016 — Transformers 5 is now being released on June 23, 2017. In addition, [[Transformers Universe: Bumblebee|Transformers 6]], acting as a [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] spin-off, and [[Transformers 7]] are set to be released respectively on [[June 8]], 2018 and [[June 28]], 2019.<ref name="toyfairreveal">[http://news.tfw2005.com/2016/02/12/transformers-5-transformers-6-bumblebee-spin-off-movie-revealed-309503 Transformers 5, Transformers 6 And Bumblebee Spin-Off Movie Revealed] ToyFair news at TFW2005</ref><ref>[http://news.tfw2005.com/2016/02/12/transformers-6-tentative-title-revealed-bumblebee-movie-309597 Transformers 6 Tentative Title Revealed – The Bumblebee Movie] at TFW2005</ref>
*February 18, 2016 — Casting calls go out for June filming in [[London]] and [[Detroit]], also confirming [[Peter Cullen]]'s return as [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]].<ref>[http://www.acting-auditions.org/2016/02/transformers-5-casting-calls-for-new-lead-roles.html Transformers 5 casting call for new lead roles] on acting-auditions.org</ref>
*February 26, 2016 — After negotiations, it's announced that Michigan will provide $21 million in incentives towards the film.<ref>[http://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/MIEDC/bulletins/138dd29 'Transformers 5' lands in Detroit] from the Michigan Film & Digital Media Office</ref>
[[File:TLK Optiface Prime.jpg|thumb|right|300px|5 movies in and [[Michael Bay]] is still finding ways to make my face even more ridiculously detailed. Pretty soon I'm going to look like [[Deceptigod]].]]
*April 6, 2016 — Cinematographer [[Jonathan Sela]] is reported as being booked to work on the film.<ref>[http://variety.com/2016/artisans/news/agencies-book-artisans-on-fast-8-transformers-5-to-the-bone-macgyver-and-altered-carbon-1201747892/ Agencies Book Artisans on 'Fast 8,' 'Transformers 5,' 'To the Bone,' 'MacGyver' and 'Altered Carbon'] on Variety</ref>
*April 13, 2016 — Filming dates are revealed via a casting call on acting-auditions.org.<ref>[http://www.acting-auditions.org/2016/04/transformers-5-casting-calls-auditions-information.html 'Transformers 5' Casting Calls and Auditions Information] on acting-auditions.org</ref>
*May 12, 2016 — [[Isabela Moner]] tweets that she's been cast in the movie.<ref>[https://twitter.com/isabelamoner/status/730835465163530241 Tweet by Isabela Moner]</ref>
*May 14, 2016 — Bay suggests [[Tyrese Gibson]] is under consideration to return.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BFXbTA2IWpr/]</ref>
*May 16, 2016 — The film's title is officially revealed to be ''Transformers: The Last Knight'' in [https://www.instagram.com/p/BFfCGhRoMmW/?taken-by=transformersmoviea teaser trailer] posted on a newly-launched Transformers Movie Instagram.
*May 17, 2016 — [[Josh Duhamel]] announced to be returning for ''Transformers: The Last Knight''.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BFg6ffIoMvx/]</ref>
*May 25, 2016 — Michael Bay posts a [https://www.instagram.com/p/BF1sPamoWtc/?taken-by=michaelbay photo] as production begins in Cuba.
*May 27, 2016 — A [https://twitter.com/transformers/status/736286302870605824 teaser] is posted containing morse code which translates to "I'm coming for you May 31st."
*May 31, 2016 — Michael Bay posts [https://www.instagram.com/p/BGFEZ9vIWv1/a video] of [[Megatron (Movie)|Megatron]] and announces production is about to start.
*June 3, 2016 — [[Anthony Hopkins]] joins the cast.<ref>[http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/anthony-hopkins-joins-transformers-5-899343]</ref>
*June 4, 2016 — [https://www.instagram.com/p/BGPsjYZoMpq/?taken-by=transformersmovie&hl=en First look] at [[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]]'s vehicle mode, which is a 2016 Chevrolet Camaro.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BGPsjYZoMpq/?taken-by=transformersmovie&hl=en Bumblebee vehicle mode reveal]</ref>
*June 4, 2016 — The [[Freya|World's Loneliest Dog]] is cast.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2016/06/04/freya/ MichaelBay.com - Freya]</ref>
*June 10, 2016 — [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]] is confirmed to return as a 2016 Ford Mustang.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BGes1IfoMqf/?taken-by=transformersmovie&hl=en]</ref>
*June 18, 2016 — [[Mitch Pileggi]] reveals he has a role.<ref>[https://twitter.com/mitchpileggi1/status/743667068138979329 Tweet from Mitch Pileggi]</ref>
[[File:TLK Bumblebee profile.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Back to the basics.]]
*June 20, 2016 — [[Laura Haddock]] joins the cast.<ref>[https://twitter.com/laurajhaddock/status/744915023299026944 Tweet from Laura Haddock]</ref>
*June 22, 2016 — New robot character [[Sqweeks]] is revealed.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BG-IEBroWgA/ Michael Bay on Instagram]</ref>
*June 28, 2016 — Tyrese Gibson is confirmed to return.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BHLBipSDqcO/ Tyrese on Instagram]</ref>
*June 30, 2016 — [[Santiago Cabrera]] joins the cast.<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/BHSfP9EAIi_/ Official movie Instagram reveal of Santiago Cabrera]</ref>
*July 1, 2016 — [[Drift (AOE)|Drift]] is confirmed to return with a new Mercedes alt-mode.<ref>[http://michaelbay.com/2016/07/01/drift/ Drift - MichaelBay.com]</ref>
*July 27, 2016 — [[Onslaught (ROTF)|Onslaught]] is confirmed to appear in the film.<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1112021768833269/?type=3&theater Onslaught photo] on the official Transformers movie Facebook page.</ref>
*August 4–13, 2016 — A series of character profiles are released on the official movie Facebook. New character [[Hot Rod (DOTM)|Hot Rod]]<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1116775651691214/?type=3&theater Hot Rod Facebook reveal]</ref> is first to be revealed, and [[Crosshairs (AOE)|Crosshairs]]<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1119387291430050/?type=3&theater Crosshairs Facebook reveal]</ref> and [[Hound (Movie)|Hound]]<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1120161021352677/?type=3&theater Hound Facebook reveal]</ref> are confirmed to return. Also shown are profiles for Drift,<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1117988908236555/?type=3&theater Drift Facebook reveal]</ref> Sqweeks,<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1118574891511290/?type=3&theater Sqweeks Facebook reveal]</ref> Barricade,<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1120871694614943/?type=3&theater Barricade Facebook reveal]</ref> Megatron,<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1121491451219634/?type=3&theater Megatron Facebook reveal]</ref> and Bumblebee.<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/photos/a.196236317078490.37515.180774635291325/1122785391090240/?type=3&theaterBumblebee Facebook reveal]</ref>
*August 9, 2016 — Members of a number of ''Transformers'' fan sites, including TFWiki, are treated to [[Transformers 5 set visit|a set visit]].
*September 4, 2016 — [[Stanley Tucci]] is back as [[Joshua Joyce]] (He later turned out to be playing Merlin, but it's unclear from the article where the confusion originated).<ref>[http://variety.com/2016/film/global/stanley-tucci-to-reprise-transformers-role-in-the-last-knight-1201852108/ Stanley Tucci to Reprise 'Transformers' Role in 'The Last Knight'] on Variety</ref>
[[File:TLK Izabella trailer speech.jpg|thumb|right|250px|True fact: Isabela had to beat Megatron in an arm wrestling contest to get this part.]]
*September 24, 2016 — Location shooting at Blenheim Palace in England proved controversial as [[Winston Churchill]]'s birthplace became draped in Nazi banners. Bay told BBC News that veterans shouldn't be too upset as Churchill is a "big hero" in the film.<ref>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-oxfordshire-37453284 Transformers' Blenheim Palace 'Nazi' scenes defended] from the BBC</ref>
*October 14, 2016 — Bay announces via Facebook that [[John Turturro]] will be back as [[Seymour Simmons]] & [[John Goodman]] back to voice [[Hound (Movie)|Hound]]<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/transformersmovie/videos/1174984035870375/ Michael Bay video on Facebook]</ref>
*December 5, 2016 — The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KyVKK87hYYM teaser trailer] is released.
*February 3, 2017 — The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npaVgxxtKxQ "Big Game Spot"] is released on YouTube.
*March 12, 2017 — The [https://twitter.com/transformers/status/840751026693062656 Kid's Choice Award Clip] is revealed.
*March 17, 2017 — The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVYSyiL4iis "Izzy Stays and Fights" preview], a family-aimed trailer attached to ''{{w|Beauty and the Beast (2017 film)|Beauty and the Beast}}'', is released.
*March 22, 2017 — Eight [http://ew.com/movies/2017/03/22/transformers-last-knight-motion-posters/ "motion posters"] for the film's robot cast are released.
*April 12, 2017 — Another [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FIH1TeIS9Q trailer] is released.
*April 24, 2017 — As part of the "[[Reveal Your Shield]]" promotion, Hasbro releases [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWXj0JSZQjE a video] featuring [[Peter Cullen]] and [[Frank Welker]] credited as the voices of Optimus and Megatron.
*May 5, 2017 — Variety reports that the film's release is being moved forward two days to June 21.<ref name="datemove">[http://variety.com/2017/film/news/mark-wahlberg-transformers-the-last-knight-1202410380/ 'Transformers: The Last Knight' Moves Forward Two Days]</ref>
*May 7, 2017 — The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7toS4s_79ZA "Optimus Prime Dialog Coach" teaser] is released.
*May 9, 2017 — The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVZhsL3vV8M "Secret Past" TV spot] is released.
*May 15, 2017 — A preview of an Empire Magazine feature on the film includes the news that [[Jim Carter]] has been cast as Cogman.<ref>[http://www.empireonline.com/movies/transformers-last-knight/exclusive-explosive-new-look-bumblebee-transformers-last-knight/ Exclusive, Explosive New Look At Bumblebee In Transformers: The Last Knight] on Empire Online</ref>
*May 17, 2017 — The [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ue7cNNfjCyc International Trailer] is released.
{{--}}

=== Changes before, during and after production ===
*Tyrese Gibson was intended to return as [[Robert Epps]], but the logistics of filming in Europe and a scheduling conflict with ''[[Wikipedia:The Fate of the Furious|The Fate of the Furious]]'' resulted in him being unable to take part.<ref>[http://www.ok.co.uk/celebrity-news/1104536/tyrese-gibson-transformers-the-last-knight-robert-epps-josh-duhamel-mark-wahlberg-michael-bay Tyrese Gibson exclusively admits he was 'p****d' to miss out on filming Transformers: The Last Knight alongside original co-star Josh Josh Duhamel] on OK! Online</ref>
[[File:TLK Primal concept.jpg|upright=1.55|thumb|This would ''probably'' start another era of [[Trukk not munky]].]]
*Concept art was made for a movie incarnation of [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] and a Cybertronian snake that never made into the final film.<ref>[http://news.tfw2005.com/2017/07/26/optimus-primal-concept-art-last-knight-345543]</ref><ref>[http://news.tfw2005.com/2017/08/02/transformers-last-knight-new-unused-snake-concept-art-furio-tedeschi-346195]</ref>

{{-}}

==Notes==
===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''''Transformers Saigo no Kishiō''''' (トランスフォーマー最後の騎士王, "Transformers: The Last Knight King")
*''Finnish:'' '''''Transformers: Viimeinen Ritari''''' ("Transformers: The Last Knight")
*''Italian:'' '''''Transformers - L'ultimo cavaliere''''' ("Transformers: The Last Knight")
*''Korean:'' '''''Teulaenseupomeo: Choehuui Gisa''''' (트랜스포머: 최후의 기사, "Transformers: The Last Knight")
*''Mandarin:'' '''''Biànxíng Jīngāng 5: Zuìhòu de Qíshì''''' (Taiwan, 變形金剛5：最後的騎士, "Transformers 5: The Last Knight"), '''''Biànxíng Jīngāng 5: Zuìhòu de Qíshì''''' (China, 变形金刚5：最后的骑士, "Transformers 5: The Last Knight")
*''Portuguese:'' '''''Transformers: O Último Cavaleiro''''' (Brazil, "Transformers: The Last Knight"), '''''Transformers 5''''' (Portugal)
*''Russian:'' '''''Transformery: Posledniy rytsar' ''''' (Трансформеры: Последний рыцарь, "Transformers: The Last Knight")
*''Spanish:'' '''''Transformers: El último caballero''''' ("Transformers: The Last Knight")
*''Ukrainian:'' '''''Трансформери - Останній лицар''''' ("Transformers: The Last Knight")
*''Czech:'' '''''Transformers: Poslední Rytíř''''' ("Transformers: The Last Knight")

==External links==
* [http://www.transformersmovie.com/ Transformersmovie.com]
* [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3371366/?ref_=nv_sr_1 ''The Last Knight'' at IMDB.com]
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transformers:_The_Last_Knight ''The Last Knight'' film on Wikipedia]
* [https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/transformers_the_last_knight/ ''The Last Knight'' on RottenTomatoes.com]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{stub}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Last Knight(film)}}
[[Category:Real world films]]
[[Category:The Last Knight| Last Knight (film)]]

Skids (G1)

2017-09-15T16:02:53Z

HailMegatron: /* IDW Generation 1 continuity */

{{factions|autobot}}
{{disambig3|Skids}}
{{suite}}
:''Skids is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:Skidsg1.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Everyone forgets me, [[Nudge gun|even me]].]]
'''Skids''' is a theoretician. This is appropriate, as some would say his existence is merely theoretical; everyone forgets who he is or that he was there. But if they got to know him, they'd learn that he likes to daydream, get built into furniture, and pick up cowboy chicks.

Skids is also a fast learner, voraciously absorbing and compartmentalizing new information he receives. This allows him to adapt to new environments and unexpected situations very quickly. His calm, observant nature and tendency to fade into the background sometimes causes some to question his ability to fight, but make no mistake; Skids can handle himself in battle.

He'd just rather...listen to some music, y'know?

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Michael Chain]] (English, "[[Quest for Survival]]"), [[Dan Gilvezan]] (English, "[[Triple Takeover]]"), [[Keiichi Nanba]] (Japanese, "Quest for Survival"), [[Ken Shiroyama]] (Japanese, "Triple Takeover")|[[Roberto Alexander]] (Latin American)}}

[[File:Skidsanimated.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Hoist, Prime, and Skids ogle Bumblebee's animation model.]]
Like many of the Autobots who first appeared in 1985, the exact circumstances behind Skids joining the original group of Earth-based Autobots remain unknown. Skids first appeared as part of a strike force that was sent to stop the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]] from ravaging a human farm, only to meet with failure. Apparently injured in the battle, Skids underwent some repairs by [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] upon return to Autobot Headquarters, where he responded incredulously to [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]]'s report that he had retrieved [[robotic insecticide]] from the planet [[Floron III]] to deal with the Insecticon threat. {{storylink|Quest for Survival}}

[[File:TripleTakeover Skids.jpg|thumb|Racing into obscurity.]]
Later, Skids was part of a team sent to investigate bombs that were raining down on a city from a football stadium (the work of the [[Triple Changer]] [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]]). Blitzwing, however, had the stadium surrounded by a massive "Zone Defense" maze built by the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], and while attempting to traverse it, Skids crashed into [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and was driven over by tank mode Blitzwing. Skids and the other Autobots' remains were then gathered by [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]], who built a throne for himself out of them. These Autobots were soon rescued and quickly rebuilt, and participated in the crises that ensued as Blitzwing, [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] vied for Decepticon leadership. Following that skirmish, Prowl opined that [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] was the greatest leader in the universe, which prompted himself, Skids, [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] and [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] to form themselves into a throne for Prime; Prime refused to sit, saying that thrones were for Decepticons—he'd rather roll. {{storylink|Triple Takeover}}
{{-}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
=====''Henkei! Henkei! Generations'' manga=====
[[File:Skids and screech.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|left]]
When Skids successfully proved the existence of particles able to cross over between dimensions, he put his discovery to work for the forces of good, coating his armor in these "Dimension Slide" particles and endowing himself with the power to move between realities, as well as a snazzy new green paintjob. In this quest to examine anomalies within the multiverse, Skids found he could summon other versions of himself from different dimensions to aid him, but for unknown reasons, one of these alternate versions wound up trapped in Skids's home dimension, unable to return to his own world. Renamed "[[Screech (Generations)|Screech]]" (presumably to save all the Autobots a headache), this alternate Skids teamed up with his counterpart, and together, the pair worked as "Quantum Operatives" policing the multiverse while searching for a way to get Screech home. {{storylink|#Toys|Skids's toy bio}} {{storylink|Screech (Generations)|Screech's toy bio}}

Hot on the trail of one such multiversal anomaly, Skids and Screech pursued [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]]'s ghost across the multiverse to a [[Primax 209.20 Gamma|parallel dimension]] where he was causing trouble. While the two dimension-hoppers kept the ghost busy with wordplay and pop culture references, the [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] of that world used his illusion casting powers to scare Starscream into fleeing the dimension by projecting an illusion of his greatest fear: [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]! {{storylink|Starscream's New Body}}

=====Ask Vector Prime=====
[[File:LegendsComic DimensionalInvestigatorSkids.jpg|upright=1.2|right|thumb]]
[[Vector Prime]] claimed Skids was from [[Primax 308.0 Zeta]] while Screech was from [[Primax 1008.15 Gamma]]. The two worked with him in [[Primax 308.13 Beta]]. {{Storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/23}}

=====''Transformers Legends'' comic=====
Skids would later take on a new body, blue as usual but more heavily armed, styling himself as a "dimensional investigator" (次元捜査官 ''jigen sōsakan''). When [[Drift (G1)#Cloud|Deadlock]] caused trouble in the [[Legends Universe]] by bringing [[SARA]] there, Skids showed up to teach him how to use SARA's powers to return to [[Cloud World]], and also warned the Decepticon against causing any more interdimensional chaos. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Deadlock)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}}

Finding there to be many more Transformers from other dimensions in the Legends Universe, Skids regarded this as problematic and decided to send them all back by force and seal off the dimension. Met with resistance from [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and his cohorts, he summoned the [[Skids Squadron]] to fight the Decepticon leader while he personally dealt with the others. When Megatron came to their rescue, Skids entered "Full Burst Mode" and seemingly killed the Decepticon with a mighty barrage, only to realize the villain just sacrificed himself for his comrades. Following protests by the natives of the Legends Universe, Skids caught on to the fact that their world was a peaceful one without factions or war and that ''he'' was the one causing chaos and violence, prompting the investigator to abandon his plans and undo the seal. He continued to keep the dimension under surveillance, and even stuck around to look up its fictional representations of himself. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 20|Bonus Edition Vol. 20}}

Skids would come to join the [[Dimensional Patrol]], an organization dedicated to battling multiversal threats. He was guarding [[Megatron (RID)|Devil Gigatron]] at [[Neo Brave Maximus|their base]] when [[Scourge (RID)|Black Convoy]]'s group came to break him out. {{storylink|LGEX Black Convoy Prologue}}
{{-}}

====''Story of Binaltech''====
[[File:Binaltech skids cardart.jpg|left|upright=1.2|thumb|After using up all of his vacation and sick days, Skids returned to work to find that the Transformers cartoon had been cancelled.]]
Skids was the first of the Binaltech Autobots created simply with the intent of upgrading an existing, healthy Transformer, rather than in the name of repairing one that had been injured. Outfitted with self-repairing nanomechanical antibodies, Skids's body can, barring heavy damage in battle, theoretically function for thousands of years without maintenance. In both his original and new body, Skids dedicated time to studying the chronal warp on [[Dinobot Island (G1)|Dinobot Island]], which gave rise to the Autobot strategy known as "[[Operation: Distant Thunder]]", a last-ditch scheme should the Decepticons tamper with the fabric of space-time. That horror occurred in [[2004]] when Ravage used the [[Kronosphere]] to alter the timeline, and Skids prepared to initiate the plan and send [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]'s memory data back in time to avert the catastrophe. {{storylink|Darkest Hour (prose)|Darkest Hour}}

The data probe was launched, but as the timeline was righting itself a [[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]] arrived, and manipulated the temporal wave to preserve the Binaltech timeline separate from the original continuity. Possessed by the Spark of the [[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Protector]], hailing from some future point in time, Nemesis Prime informed Skids and the others that their timeline was destined to produce great warriors capable of safeguarding the entire multiverse, and therefore must continue on its new course. {{storylink|Binal Time}}

=====''Transformers Legends'' comic=====
Binaltech Skids was a member of the [[Skids Squadron]], a group of dimension-hopping versions of Skids led by [[#Transformers Legends comic|dimensional investigator Skids]], who summoned them to help force [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] out of the [[Legends Universe]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 20|Bonus Edition Vol. 20}}
{{-}}

===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics====
{{noteukonly}}
[[File:Marvel22-heavy-traffic-skids-tracker.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|Skids exists! Really!]]
In the event that the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'s mission would require more manpower, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] had several Autobots encode copies of their personalities as light patterns within [[crystalline containment vessel]]s, including Skids. When a large number of Prime's troops were then injured during the opening volleys of the war on [[Earth]], Prime arranged for the construction of new bodies, which the personalities were then programmed into, bringing Skids and the others to life "for a second time".

[[File:Skidsnatives.jpg|upright=0.6|thumb|We bet you can't.]]
Now in a new body that transformed into a blue van equipped with a bandana-wearing driver, Skids went with Bumblebee and the other new Autobots to learn about their new home. Along the way he learned about an upcoming [[Brick Springhorn]] concert, and immediately took a liking to the music of Earth and the possibilities of what could be learned from interacting with mankind. When the concert turned out to be the target of a Decepticon attack, Skids and the others were forced into action, engaging Shockwave and three Decepticon jets in battle. They quickly retreated after routing their foes, so that the show could go on. {{storylink|Rock and Roll-Out!}}

When [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] ran out of fuel in the middle of the [[Powder River Basin]] in [[Wyoming]], Optimus Prime took Skids and a few other Autobots to prevent harm to the humans who had discovered him. Unfortunately, these humans (and their [[United States military|military]]) forced the Autobots into a retreat. {{storylink|I, Robot-Master!}}

Skids voiced some concerns about Optimus's plans to raid the heavily fortified [[Wyoming base|Decepticon base]] for information on the combining process, but Prime vetoed them. En route, distracted by a human radio station, Skids nearly forgot to activate his facsimile driver; a moment later he accidentally clipped the car of hot-tempered [[Jake Dalrymple]], who pursued the Autobots on their mission. Despite the wall of weaponry facing them, Skids made it through the battle unscathed; but as the Autobots retreated with the information, they encountered Jake Dalrymple again, who distracted Skids just long enough for [[Ravage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ravage]] to blast him off a cliff. Although Optimus Prime mourned the loss of Skids, neither the Autobot leader nor any other Autobot thought to recover the believed deactivated body of Skids later after their mission had been completed. {{storylink|Command Performances!}}

[[File:Marvelus-21-showdown-skids-beyourcar.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.]]
Lying crippled and unable to transform, Skids was shortly discovered by register girl [[Charlene (cowgirl)|Charlene]], who, thinking he was an ordinary van, had him fixed up with the intent of keeping him for herself. Skids was open to the idea at first, preferring a peaceful life to that of a warrior, but after another bout of road rage with Dalrymple, the unearthly stunts he performed left him no option but to reveal his true nature of Charlene.

[[File:Charleneskids.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|''Baby you can be my car And maybe I'll wash you'']]
A somewhat unusual [[Transformer romance|relationship]] ensued between the two, but more trouble soon came Skids's way in the form of [[Donny Finkleberg]], who was being hunted down by Ravage. Fleeing from the Decepticon with Charlene and Donny, Skids hid out at an abandoned mining town, but yet again, the raging Dalrymple tracked him down and shattered his windshield, knocking him unconscious and into a dream where he died through his refusal to attack Megatron and save Charlene. Reawakening, he engaged Ravage in battle again, finally finding the strength to act, and causing his foe to tumble down a mineshaft. Skids then parted ways with Charlene, having come to the realisation that their two roles in life were too different for their relationship to work out. {{storylink|Showdown!}}

[[File:Marvel22-heavy-traffic-skids-reason.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|Oh god my arms, my arms!]]
Skids returned to the Ark with Finkleberg, with Optimus pleased to find him alive. Jetfire was sent to verify Finkleberg's claim about a [[Cybertron Seven|group of missing Autobots]], uncovering a trail of spilled Transformer fuel. {{storylink|Aerialbots over America!}} Skids was outfitted with a chemical tracker to follow the fuel trail; taking Finkelberg with him, he began tracing the fuel back to its source. En route, he broke cover to save a trapped driver from some downed power lines, a move that caught the Decepticons' attention. The newly created Stunticons were dispatched to "ambush" Skids - by acting as though they were his allies. The humans' [[Rapid Anti-robot Assault Team]] and the Aerialbots soon arrived and engaged in a three-way battle. When it was over, the Aerialbots were defeated, the Autobots' reputation was smeared, and the Stunticons were triumphant; Skids could do little but clear out to continue his mission with Finkleberg. Unfortunately, money still governed Finkleberg's actions, and that evening he sold out Skids to RAAT's leader [[Walter Barnett]] while Skids was deactivated for the night. {{storylink|Heavy Traffic!}}

[[File:DecepticonGraffiti-CBDonnySkids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Shoulda stuck with the nice cowboy lady.]]
Skids was disassembled for study, but when the Decepticons [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] and [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] appeared on Earth and began defacing landmarks, RAAT operative [[Circuit Breaker (G1)|Circuit Breaker]] was forced to enter into a deal with the Autobots to stop them. Skids and the other Autobots' components were combined to form a [[Circuit Breaker's Autobot suit|jury-rigged robot]] that Circuit Breaker used to stop the [[Battlecharger]]s, but in return for their co-operation, Skids and the Autobots were allowed to go free. {{storylink|Decepticon Graffiti!}}

''On the return trip to the Ark, however, Skids was abruptly torn from reality when the future Decepticon [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] [[time travel|traveled back in time]] from [[2006]], shunting Skids into [[Limbo]] to maintain temporal balance.'' {{storylink|Fallen Angel}}

{{note|While Skids was lost to Limbo in the UK comics, no such fate befell him in the American stories. Luckily enough for continuity's sake, he never did anything important in the US comics again, only showing up in crowd scenes. To maintain consistency, the UK printings of these stories either redrew Skids into a different, [[generic]] robot, or erased him from the art entirely.}}

Skids attended Optimus Prime's funeral, {{storylink|Funeral for a Friend!}} witnessed the arrival of a group of [[Spacehikers|children]] within the space-borne Ark, {{storylink|Spacehikers!}} and watched [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] and [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] fight for Autobot leadership on Earth's [[Moon (moon)|moon]]. He was presumably either off-lined during the subsequent Decepticon ambush, {{storylink|Totaled!}} or during [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream's]] [[Underbase]] powered rampage. {{storylink|Dark Star}}

[[File:Skidslimbo.jpg|upright=0.6|thumb|left|Oh, hey, remember Skids?]]
[[File:Skidssurvivors.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|And then he stole [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]]'s head.]]
''Skids remained in Limbo for two years while Galvatron ran amok on Earth, his mind steadily succumbing to the dream-illusions created by the [[Limbo parasite|parasites]] native to the realm.'' {{storylink|Time Wars}} ''In his dreams, a brutish Skids led monsters in orgies of destruction.With Galvatron's eventual destruction during the [[Time Wars]], Skids was finally returned to Earth, but he had spent too long in Limbo—the Limbo parasites had succeeded in shaping a reality from his dreams, and the nightmarish monsters that he had imagined materialised on Earth with him. Fleeing from the beasts, horrified at the "weakness" that had led to him making them, Skids was convinced by the creatures that they would exist so long as he was alive. Their goal was to break him into joining them in their bloody rampages (and also to just mess with him). Skids lured them into a [[Hudden Nuclear Power Plant|nuclear power plant]] which he had planned to detonate, wiping out the monsters and himself. However, he struggled to find the courage to end his own life in order to spare the Earth from the horrors he had birthed.''

''Thankfully, it didn't come to that, as the remnants of the Autobot [[Wrecker]]s—joined by [[Catilla (G1)|Catilla]] and [[Carnivac (G1)|Carnivac]] of the Decepticon [[Mayhem Attack Squad]]—arrived to aid him, defeating the monsters even as the creature's leader admitted they'd made up that whole 'die to stop us' thing. Skids joined with this group of Transformers, forming the [[Survivors]].'' {{storylink|Survivors!}}

''Carnivac soon tired of Autobot life and Skids and the others could only watch as he fell out with [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] and struck out on his own.'' {{storylink|Way of the Warrior}} ''When a human called in the rest of the Survivors to help Carnivac against the new Mayhem Attack Squad, Springer was adamant that they shouldn't help the renegade Decepticon, but Skids, [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] and [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] were swayed by Catilla's pleas to get involved.'' {{storylink|Survival Run}} ''They arrived just in time to save Carnivac from the Decepticons, but Catilla was killed by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] and Carnivac swore vengeance''. {{storylink|A Savage Place!}}

{{note|Due to the somewhat convoluted nature of the Marvel UK continuity, the "Survivors" plotline was continued in the Earthforce timeline, detailed below.}}

[[File:Grimlockwasthatwise.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Hey, who here remembers when I was damaged and shoved into the medbay? No? Well, that makes all of us.]]
Grimlock traveled to [[Hydrus Four]] to use [[Nucleon (substance)|Nucleon]] to revive the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]. Returning to the Ark, he also pumped Nucleon into the med bays, reviving Skids and several others, and headed towards [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Grimlock used the Ark as a blunt instrument across [[Unicron]]'s head, forcing Skids and the others to evacuate and join the battle against the Chaos Bringer. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
{{-}}

=====Earthforce=====
{{earthforcefiction}}
[[File:Survivors wolf in the fold.jpg|thumb|left]]
When Carnivac ran off on his own to avenge Catilla's death, Skids and the other Survivors insisted Springer contact Grimlock and the Earthforce for back-up. {{storylink|Wolf in the Fold!}} Though Grimlock was hesitant to lend any warriors in order to save a Decepticon, he was swayed into doing so in exchange of the Survivors' word that they would permanently join up with his unit afterwards. Hooked up with these Autobot reinforcements, Skids and the others stormed the Mayhem Attack Squad's tropical island base. Skids personally confronted [[Octopunch (G1)|Octopunch]] in single combat, holding his own against the murderous [[Pretender]]. {{storylink|Where Wolf?}}

On a later mission for Earthforce, Skids and the Survivors protected an [[oil tanker]] from [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]], while the rest of the Decepticons were trying to distract the Autobots with an all-out assault on their base. Undeterred by the sleight-of-hand, the Survivors caught up with Starscream in the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. Skids used a flying leap by Carnivac as a distraction to catch Starscream with his liquid nitrogen cannon, and then [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] knocked the Decepticon commander into the drink. {{storylink|Divide and Conquer!}}
{{-}}

====Transformers Comic-Magazin====
Skids was part of the Autobot team when they battled the Decepticons in defense of Earth's precious energy resources. {{storylink|Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 9|The Transformers' Grand Hour: Headmaster of the Dimensions}}

Goldbug later recalled the events of the previous battle. {{storylink|Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 15|The Cosmic Adventure: Memories of Bumblebee}}

====''Regeneration One''====
{{noterg1}}
[[File:Lancer two crew war to end all wars.jpg|thumb|Remember when I was a main character back in our [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel]] days? Let's do that again.]]
In [[2012]], when Optimus Prime discovered Megatron was still active on Earth, he took an armed assault squad of Autobots, including Skids, to put an end to the tyrant's menace once and for all. Battling Megatron's reanimated Decepticon [[zombie]]s as the two leaders clashed, Skids called dibs on taking out [[Overbite (G1)|Overbite]]. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 5}}

After the battle, Skids and [[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]] attended to [[Kup (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Kup]] as he recovered from a [[Scraplet]] infection. He then departed Earth with the other Autobots. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part One}} As they arrived back at Cybertron, the ''[[Valiant (G1)|Valiant]]'' was targeted by missiles from the [[Civil Defense Hub]], though they were called off at the last second. Nonetheless, Skids and the rest of the armed assault squad prepared for immediate deployment upon landing. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part Five}}

Skids would later respond when Jhiaxus's ''[[Primum Fugae]]'' began attacking the [[Demon]]s and Dinobots indiscriminately and upon [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]'s orders, he and [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] began prepping the Dinobots for medevac. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 2}} During the invasion of the [[Hub (G2)|Hub Network]], Skids and a team of Autobots comprising [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]], [[Sky High (Pretender)|Sky High]], [[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]], and [[Getaway]] aboard the ''[[Lancer Two]]'' were shot down by [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]'s forces when they revealed their full defensive power. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 3}}
{{-}}

===Dinobots Strike Back===
{{notemultipath}}
{{note|In the first book in this series, Skids transforms into a red compact, matching the description of his toy's Honda City Turbo [[Alternate mode|alt-mode]] in one of its [[Diaclone]] color schemes. He is apparently even smaller than Bumblebee}}
[[File:DinobotsStrikeBackBumbleandSkidsinSub.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Seen here pouting because he gets no screen time.]]
Although Skids had reported the strange electromagnetic readings he'd been getting from [[Dolphin's Bay]] even before [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] sent [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] to [[Bandit's Bluff]] to remove the [[cerebro-shell]]s from the rampaging [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], it took [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock's]] report that evening to prompt Optimus to have Skids investigate it for possible Decepticon activity. Prime chose [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] to accompany him in [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack's]] [[Star mini-submarine|new mini-submarine]], but wasn't sure whether to assign [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] to the mission as well, since Skids clearly didn't want him along.

If Prime left Sludge out, Skids celebrated by absentmindedly crashing into [[Mount Lomas]], crumpling his hood and causing Bumblebee to notice a suspicious trail in the woods. If the pair followed it instead of continuing to the bay, they walked into a trap set by [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] and [[Gravedigger]], who disassembled Bumblebee and Skids to serve as the first components of the [[Autobot Memorial Power Plant]].

If they continued to Dolphin's Bay and the sub, Skids traced electromagnetic waves back to some [[black coral]], then hacked into a Decepticon computer and learned of a plot to convert the coral into superfuel. Bumblebee then exited the hatch to break a piece off, triggering an explosion which trapped him in a canyon beneath broken columns of crimson coral. Without underwater gear, Skids had only two options: If he went back to the channel for help, Seaspray used his laser to free Bumblebee, then tried to sail back to the Ark, only to have Starscream blow all three of them up with a cluster bomb. If Skids tried translating some nearby [[dolphin]]s' language, he succeeded in five minutes, talking the three largest dolphins into moving the broken coral. Skids and Bumblebee brought the black coral and his report back to Optimus Prime, ensuring an Autobot victory.

If Prime ''did'' include Sludge, Skids, and Bumblebee made it to the bay first, then used the sub to track the readings to an underwater cave. Bumblebee entered it, radioed Skids about Operation Black Coral, then failed to reemerge. If Skids chose to return to the Ark for help, two possible endings saw an Autobot assault save Bumblebee and destroy the Decepticons' base. If Skids tried to radio Bumblebee, the sub was promptly hit by a sonic attack from Frenzy, making it go haywire and tear through the bay. Whether Skids tried to stop it by activating the backup systems or shorting the controls out with his electron blaster, he was saved by Sludge, ensuring an Autobot victory in two more endings. {{storylink|Dinobots Strike Back}}

===3H comics===
[[File:Skidswreckers2.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|In the context of science, "theory" does not mean "guess" or "hunch", Rodimus. You should probably pay attention.]]
Several months after the defeat of [[Unicron]] in 2005, Skids was among the senior scientists (including [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Quickmix (G1)|Quickmix]], and [[Rad (G1)|Rad]]) who questioned [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]]'s plan to send out the best of the remaining Autobot science and research members to establish deep-space reconnaissance posts. {{storylink|Betrayal}}
{{-}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
8.2 million years ago, Skids was in the [[Chamber of the Ancients]], observing the ceremony in which [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optronix]] was given the [[Matrix of Leadership]] and transformed into [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. Immediately, three Decepticon assassins attacked, and though Skids acted to protect the new Prime, his arm was cut off by [[Umbra]]. {{storylink|The War Within issue 1|The War Within #1}}

Skids was repaired and he returned to his post at the [[Decagon]]. While Prime was absent, Skids picked up radar of incoming Decepticon invaders and a transmission from the force's field commander, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. {{storylink|The War Within issue 2|The War Within #2}} Skids helped man auto-defenses from inside the Decagon and coordinated troops in the field. {{storylink|The War Within issue 3|The War Within #3}} Eventually, the Autobots' [[Omega Sentinel (G1)|Omega Sentinel]] units were destroyed. Picking up their personal weaponry, Skids and the other Autobots were all that was left to defend [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], and made a desperate last stand against Shockwave and his forces. {{storylink|The War Within issue 5|The War Within #5}} The Autobots were only spared from annihilation because Starscream at that point activated one of Cybertron's planetary engines. This caused a chain reaction, which crumbled Iacon into a crater, driving away the Decepticon forces. {{storylink|The War Within issue 6|The War Within #6}}

During the Dark Ages, when Optimus Prime and Megatron both disappeared into a prototype spacebridge, both factions splintered into several sub-groups. Skids served under [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]'s faction of Autobots. {{storylink|Fragmentation (G1)|Fragmentation}} Together, they investigated reports that the Decepticons were in the process of building a mobile fortress, only to find [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] already completed and battle-ready in the [[Praetorus Wharf]]. {{storylink|Devastation}} Finding that nothing they threw at the giant Decepticon had any effect, the Autobots tried to outrun it instead. Skids hid in a nearby building, onto which Trypticon jumped to crush him. {{storylink|Revelation (The Dark Ages)|Revelation}} Though battered by the incident, Skids managed to survive it, and was brought back to [[Autobase]] for repairs. As [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] was tending to his wounds, The Fallen broke into the Autobots' headquarters, reappropriated [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] from one of their holding cells, and took off. {{storylink|Confrontation (issue)|Confrontation}} Once The Fallen's base of operations was uncovered, Skids joined a cross-faction army in rushing it to put an end to the ancient Transformer's scheme. Ultimately, The Fallen was defeated by the power of [[Primus]] himself, and all factions agreed to keep the chamber The Fallen had tried to breach sealed to prevent anyone from further abusing the power held within it. {{storylink|Conflagration}}

At some point, Ultra Magnus took command of the Autobots, and reunited them into a single faction. Under his leadership, the Autobots gained a significant hold over Cybertron's resources and territories. This eventually forced the [[Ultracon]]s and Shockwave's Decepticons to sign a peace treaty with the Autobots. Skids was in attendance at the signing of the truce, which was interrupted by a bombing, engineered by Starscream and his Predacons. This act of aggression only served to unite the Autobots, Ultracons, and Decepticons however, who struck back against Starscream's troops. A united Cybertron finally seemed within reach... that is, until Megatron made a dramatic return, accompanied by an army of [[Air Warrior]]s. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath}} Megatron quickly took over the planet, and enslaved the majority of Autobots. Skids was among the many unfortunates captured, and put to work in [[Internment Camp Pi]]. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath Pt.2}}

{{note|Due to [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s closure, the end of its''War Within'' series was never published. Years later, [[Simon Furman]] released the unpublished scripts to the final three issues. Within said issues, Optimus would return to Cybertron, and the Autobots would be freed from slavery.}}

Skids was not among the Autobots who traveled to Earth aboard the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], remaining behind on Cybertron as the planet slipped into the deactivated state known as the [[Great Shutdown]]. When Shockwave began reactivating the planet and successfully unified the Autobot and Decepticon factions, Skids was a member of the council of Autobots who served to represent their faction in the alliance. Few of the council members were actually suited for leadership, however, and slowly found themselves giving more and more control to Shockwave. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}} Even when Perceptor presented the council with evidence that Shockwave was performing immoral experiments on fellow Cybertronians, the High Council was unwilling to take any constitutional action against Shockwave.{{storylink|Cold War (issue)|Cold War}} Eventually, the example shown by the Ark's returning crew and several homegrown Autobot insurgency cells tore the blinders from the council's optics, and Skids gathered his fellow councilmen in taking to the streets and ousting the Decepticons from power. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}}

===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''===
[[File:Skids BlackHorizon1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3]]
During an Autobot peace ceremony on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Skids reported to [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] that [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], and [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] had yet to find the Autobots and [[G.I. Joe (team)|Joes]] that had gone missing while chasing [[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]] Their conversation was then interrupted due to a Decepticon attack. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 3|The Art of War #3}}

Skids was later stationed on the ''[[Arc II]]'' on Earth, where he helped his comrades in the field by warning them about incoming G.I. Joe [[S.H.A.R.C.]]s. When the ship came under attack by the [[Pretender Monster]]s, Skids was knocked out by [[Icepick (G1)|Icepick]] while alerting the others on board. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 1 of 2}} He was sent to [[Pit (G.I. Joe)|the Pit]] for repairs and was expected to quickly recover from his injuries. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 2 of 2}}
{{-}}

===''TransTech''===
In an Offworld Zone of [[Axiom Nexus]], a Skids was yet another victim of [[Bulletbike (TransTech)|Bulletbike]], murdered for a cred-key. {{storylink|I, Lowtech}}

===''The Beast Within''===
During a particularly violent brawl between the Autobots and Decepticons, Skids could do nothing but avert his eyes as [[Beast (G1)|The Beast]] began distributing wanton carnage onto the battlefield. {{storylink|The Beast Within}}

Later, Skids was amongst the few Autobot survivors still intact despite the brutality of the battle. He and a small number of surviving Autobots rode in Optimus Prime’s trailer in a desperate effort to outrun The Beast. He was then killed when the Beast took a swipe at Optimus’s trailer, crushed utterly in The Beast’s monstrous paw. {{storylink|The Beast Within Part 2, Consequences}}
{{-}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
[[File:Skidsbacksoff.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.66|-gulp-]]
Before the [[Great War (G1)|war]], '''Skids of [[Nova Cronum]]''' trained as a theoretician at [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Senator Shockwave]]'s [[Jhiaxian Academy of Advanced Technology|Academy of Advanced Technology]], {{storylink| Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} secretly recruited to the school because of his status as an "[[outlier]]" with special powers—in Skids's case, a "super-learning" ability that allowed him to master many skills. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}} He was present at the academy on the day that [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] and [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] arrived to take Shockwave into protective custody, and his attempt to stop them was quickly quashed when the towering Roller intimidated him into silence. {{storylink| Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} It was not long, however, before Skids's teacher returned and recruited him and classmates "[[Tarn (DJD)|Glitch]]" and [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] for a plan formulated by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] to steal a bomb disguised as the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] from [[Nominus Prime]]'s body as it lay in the [[Primal Basilica]]. Skids was somewhat disappointed that his sole contribution to the plan was not one of his many skills, but merely the fact he had a grappling hook in his arm that they could use to lower Pax into the Basilica. Despite a minor snag when the technology-disrupting Glitch accidentally jammed his hook's winch, the mission was a success. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}}

Unfortunately, the aftermath of the mission meant the outliers and Pax had to go on the run. Out in the [[Alyon]] region, they discovered a new "hot spot" for infant sparks which looked like the Hand of Primus (or, for Skids, ''was definitely'' the Hand of Primus). [[Zeta Prime|Zeta]], their man in Iacon, warned them the Senate wanted to destroy the spot to stop the [[Functionist Council]] exploiting it and so the fugitives had to fight off the [[Elite Guard]] repeatedly. Time-travellers under [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]] popped up and, when Skids mistook them for reinforcements from Zeta, rapidly claimed that. They saved the day but the time travellers wiped everyone's memories after... unfortunately including memories that Roller was missing in action. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|All Our Parlous Yesterdays}}

[[File:mtmte 48 grindcore.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|What did I do last night?]]
After graduating to full-fledged theoretician status, Skids went on to join the Autobot army. Shortly after the [[Simanzi Massacre]], when the planet still was cooling, he became a bomb negotiator: disabling the [[anti-personal mine]]s made out of Autobot prisoners so they could die without going off. This ended when he made the mistake of mentioning Primus to the unfortunate [[Heavy Tread]], who detonated himself in a rage that anyone could believe in a god that did this to him. When Skids came to, he was a Decepticon prisoner and off to the notorious [[Grindcore (prison)|Grindcore gulag]] with a "[[Inhibitor spike|mouth flower]]" inside his mouth that would destroy his [[Brain module|brain]] if if he dared transform.

Skids used his outlier learning skills to disable the "flower", having seen how the guards put it in, and began pumping his cellmate [[Quark]] for info. This brought him to the attention of the camp commandant, {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} who turned out to be his old friend Glitch in an upgraded body. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}} Glitch, in an act of basic sadism, decided to make a project out of the religious 'bot. He asked Skids to repair Grindcore's teleporter, promising it would mean fifty prisoners would be sent to Decepticon colony world [[Ambervalia]] to work as slaves. Skids told Quark that this was collaboration that would help and the fifty would be better as slave workers than at the prison; and while he didn't say outright, Skids was relaxed around the Commandant and felt he could try and make demands for more prisoners sent to the colonies, assuming he could half-trust his old friend even if he had switched side. What he did not realise until it was too late was that Glitch had been making him rebuild the camp ''smelting chamber''... something he learned only after demanding Quark get to be 'teleported'. Skids' faith died as he was forced to watch fifty Autobots die horrific deaths because of him. The memory was so traumatic that he overwrote it {{storylink|Speak, Memory! (Part 2)}} and the only thing he remembered of it in his missing months was "[[The Empyrean Suite]]", unable to remember the name or that this was the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] leader's favourite music to play during a massacre. {{storylink|Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|Who's Afraid of the DJD?}} That leader, of course, was Glitch under the ''nomme de guerre'' of Tarn.

Skids used to have an [[Amica Endura]] called [[Chopper (G1)|Chopper]]. They broke up because Chopper was "an absolute arse". {{storylink|The Frail Gaze}}

[[File:Getaway Skids ArmTheLonely.jpg|thumb|left|He's been trained to kick your ass. Theoretically, of course.]]
Long into the war he joined the [[Diplomatic Corps]], working to persuade other races to support the Autobot cause. {{storylink|Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|Who's Afraid of the DJD?}} At some point, he disappeared and was believed dead, {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}} but had, in fact, become part of [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]]'s covert [[Special Operations]]. Partnered with [[Getaway]], he was sent to attempt an "assassination" on [[Tyrest (G1)|Tyrest]], using a [[nudge gun]] to implant the impulse to resign in the Chief Justice's mind. The plan failed, and Skids was only able to escape using a shuttle made from [[mode lock]]ed [[Legislator]]s. Using the nudge gun's other charge, Skids erased his own memory after setting the shuttle to home in on the nearest of his handlers, the [[Duobot]]s. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}}

[[File:LiarsAtoD2-Skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|How do you like me now?]]
It was in this amnesiac state that he arrived on the planet where the ''[[Lost Light]]'' had crashed. Abruptly, the mode lock deactivated and the ship began transforming, so Skids made an impulsive decision: he reactivated the lock, sent the ship crashing into the surface, and bailed out. Making it to the ground safely, Skids found himself under attack from the Legislators that had made up his ship — though one of them had been killed in the crash, the other two were coming after him with giant swords and fire breath. Skids came upon the deceased bodies of two Autobots who had failed to survive the ''Lost Light'' crash—[[Hyperion (G1)|Hyperion]] and [[Polaris]]—and used their weapons and abilities to eliminate another of the pursuing robots. Running from the lone survivor, Skids came upon a small party of Autobots from the ''Lost Light'', who deactivated the inhibitor claw for him, allowing him to access his weapons and destroy last Legislator. Skids was invited to join the crew of the ''Lost Light'', though he was less than enthusiastic about [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]]'s proposition that the pair of them should team up. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}}

[[File:LiarsAtoD3-RungSkids.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|MEANWHILE IN A 20 MILE RADIUS OF THIS EVENT]]
When a [[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeater]] got loose aboard the ''Lost Light'', requiring the crew to be sealed in their quarters, Skids, decided to exploit his missing memories to entirely reinvent himself. Deciding he disliked confinement, he left through the ventilation system. Drawn by [[Rung (G1)|Rung]]'s cries, he saved the psychiatrist from a close call with the Sparkeater, and at [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]]'s request, led the creature through the vents to the engine room where Rodimus disposed of it. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}} As a celebration of the death of the Sparkeater, Swerve opened a [[Swerve's|bar]] where Skids got drunk together with [[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]]. He failed to notice that Chromedome stole his gun while he was messing around with his grappling hook and a server-robot. {{storylink|Life After the Big Bang}} {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} After attending a ceremony to commend Chromedome, [[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]] and [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] on recent heroics, {{storylink|The Reluctant Specialist}} Skids was next spotted still hanging out at the bar with some other Autobots as [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] put Chromedome's ability to identify an Autobot based on their transformation sound to the test. {{storylink|Interiors}} He later tried to comfort Swerve following his accidental shooting of Rung. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}}

When a swarm of [[Nanocon]]s that had lain dormant inside [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]]'s body were mysteriously reactivated, Skids and a few others were shrunk by Brainstorm's mass-displacement gun and sent inside Magnus to eliminate them. Once that was dealt with, Skids attended [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]]'s Autobot Initiation Ceremony, during which he relayed Swerve's report from the engine room that dead crewmember [[Ore]] had come back to life. The chaos only continued when Skids and a team of Autobots were abruptly teleported by [[Galactic Council]] to the planet [[Theophany]], there to investigate the razing of [[Crystal City]]. Beneath the city, they found a slumbering [[Titan (IDW)|Titan]], leading to discussions on the Transformers' creation myths and the meaning of life; Skids and Chromedome shared a belief that life was shaped not by destiny or gods, but by interactions with others. Skids theorized that both the Nanocons and Ore had come back to life thanks to the psychic emanations of the Metrotitan, then helped [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] fend off the Galactic Council's forces until the Autobots could free the Metrotitan, which teleported them all back to the ''Lost Light'' and quantum-jumped the ship to safety. {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}}

[[File:CybertronianHomesickBlues-SkidsRung.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|"Legs: Yes. Bow-tie: Cool...I can buy a fez."]]
Inspired by their talk, Skids requested that Chromedome use his [[mnemosurgery]] to unlock his lost memories; Chromedome discovered that only Skids's last year of memories had been erased, while the others had been repressed by a trauma so horrific he did not dare restore them. Chromedome was, however, able to identify the music in his head as the "The Empyrean Suite", and hoped Skids would never learn its significance. {{storylink|Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|Who's Afraid of the DJD?}}

Skids was among the group of Autobots gathered by [[Rewind (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rewind]] in Swerve's bar to help tell a story to aid in Rung's mental recovery. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|Post Hoc}} When his old altercation with Roller came up, Whirl called him a wuss, and he countered that his skills as a theoretician wouldn't have been useful in a fight. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} At the culmination of the story Rung still showed no signs of recovery...until Skids deliberately mispronounced his name a couple of times, prompting the psychiatrist to speak and correct him. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}} The storytelling session was brought to an end by the sounding of alarm to ready the crew for a battle with Decepticons on the planet [[Temptoria]]; during the fight, Skids, Chromedome and [[Steeljaw (G1)|Steeljaw]] battled [[Overkill (G1)|Overkill]]. {{storylink|Before & After}} Later, to unwind, Skids joined the crew of the ''Lost Light'' on some "shore leave" on the planet [[Hedonia]], where he tried out his new personality-generated [[holomatter]] avatar, only to find his amnesia kept it from creating a fake identity for him. As the group played the "Nemesis Game", Skids identified [[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] as his worst enemy, and then wound up getting into a drunken brawl with [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]]. {{storylink|Cybertronian Homesick Blues}} Skids bought Rodimus a [[Galactic Council]] captain's hat as a souvenir of the trip. {{storylink|Signal to Noise}}

[[File:TheFecundMoon-Skids.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|Skids kind of lost it a bit after Charlene left.]]
When the mass-murdering Decepticon [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] ran wild on the ship, Skids joined in the futile effort to hold back his rampage. {{storylink|Under Cold Blue Stars}} Overlord was ejected from the ship thanks to the sacrifice of Rewind, and Skids tried to console Chromedome over the loss of his lover, only to find that the mnemosurgeon was eerily calm about the whole thing. {{storylink|The Gloaming}} When the ''Lost Light'' encountered the long lost satellite [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]], Skids got Chromedome to accompany the band of Autobots heading to the surface to see if the satellite had a way to return Skids's memories. He went to the ship's oil reservoir for some alone time, where he was attacked by a number of [[Legislator]]s. {{storylink|Remain in Light 1 of 5: The Fecund Moon|The Fecund Moon}} While he managed to hold them off long enough for Swerve to arrive to help, a [[Star Saber (Victory)|mysterious and enigmatic robot]] appeared behind him, and impaled him with a large sword. {{storylink|Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|House of Ambus}}

Fortunately for Skids, he survived this, and was later teleported by Star Saber into a cell which contained Rodimus' crew. Perceptor examined his wound, while Swerve explained what happened to them. After Skids said that he would apologize for whatever he had done to Tyrest, Star Saber returned to the cell, carrying his [[Getaway|"Partner in crime"]] with him. Chromedome then explained that when he read Skids' mind, he had done it wrong, and misinterpreted the remnant memory as an "Imperative to escape". In actuality though, it was a name, Getaway. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} Getaway was able to fill Skids in on his lost memories of their ill-fated mission to change Tyrest's mind, and explained Tyrest's mad plan to reach [[Cyberutopia]]. With the newcomer's help, Skids and the others were freed from the cell and confronted Tyrest, only to be incapacitated by the lawmaker's suggestion weapon. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}}

Thanks to Tailgate, the suggestion weapon was disabled, and Skids cuffed [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]], only for the medic to promptly escape when his back was turned. The Autobots caught up with him at Tyrest's gate to Cyberutopia, but only Skids, finally at peace with himself, was able to step through the guilt-detecting force field. He found himself standing on a strange landscape being talked to by a multi-colored [[spark]]. On hearing cries for help from Rung, he dashed back through the portal to help fight the Legislators until Tailgate was able to shut them down with some amendments to the law. {{storylink|Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|This Calamitous Life}}

Once everything was over, he tried telling Rodimus what he saw, but he couldn't make sense of all it. {{storylink|The Sound of Breaking Glass}} Not helping was the fact that whatever he saw proved difficult to remember for any length of time. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}}

Before the ''Lost Light'' left Luna 1, Skids played a film compiled by Rewind to detail the ship's voyage. Unfortunately the film failed to impress the members of the [[Circle of Light]] who rejected any notion of joining the crew. {{storylink|Little Victories}}

Skids was among the Autobots who welcomed Orion Pax and his team aboard the ''Lost Light''. Swerve remarked to him how weird [[Garnak|some]] of Pax's crew were. {{storylink|Dark Dawn: Dark Cybertron Chapter 1|Dark Dawn}} Skids was later seen having a drink at Swerve's {{storylink|Black Metal: Dark Cybertron Chapter 2|Black Metal}} When the ''Lost Light'' was assaulted by [[Ammonite]]s, Skids met up with Getaway and Ultra Magnus to help organize a counterattack. Skids hesitantly suggested that they use the [[Rodpod]] to fight back. Despite the other's and his own concerns about damaging it and making Rodimus angry, they ended up boarding and using the vessel. Skids piloted the craft, and used it to defend the ship's fuel quills, while blasting Ammonites that attempted to combine. Skids was forced to pilot the Rodpod away from the battle when a group of Ammonites combined and gave chase to them. In an attempt to lose them, he piloted the vessel into what appeared to be an abyss, but was really the optical cavity of [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] {{storylink|Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|Into the Abyss}}

As everyone else tried to figure out where Metroplex's eye had gotten to, Getaway had a minor breakdown over the fact that A: they were inside someone's eye canal, and B: they were in a spaceship shaped like someone's head. Skids consoled him and said it was best to just roll with it. The group took Ratchet's suggestion to find Metroplex's brain, only on arrival in his brain chamber found it was surprisingly absent. In light of that, they decided to go find his spark instead. As they approached, Whirl noticed the flooding had been sealed off, which surprised Skids.

On setting down, Getaway quickly found an arrow pointing toward the spark chamber, which everyone decided to follow. Skids was the one to ask whether they would lock the Rodpod, which no-one else was concerned about. The arrows took everyone on a strange course through Metroplex's interior, until they came upon... the Rodpod again. Before Whirl could properly blame the ship, an Ammonite appeared, and blew it up. {{storylink|No Exit: Dark Cybertron Chapter 6|No Exit}} Fortunately, they were saved by a wall appearing to block the explosion, at which point Skids realized the purpose of the arrows: Metroplex was moving his interior about, and the odd journey the arrows had taken them on was because the direction they were meant to be pointed had change too. Then, they received a call from Swerve informing them to avoid the water, or they'd contract an alchemical virus and die horribly, and worse than that, two thousand Ammonites were heading their way. As Magnus gave orders to barricade the room, Whirl turned out an Ammonite, having beaten an explanation out of him. However, when the little guy told them who he was working for, he promptly self-destructed. Before everyone present could dwell on that, [[Chromia (G1)|two]] [[Nautica (G1)|newcomers]] appeared and told them to surrender. {{storylink|The Dead Are Not Enough: Dark Cybertron Chapter 7|The Dead Are Not Enough}}

Before Getaway could charm the two fellow Autobots, several Ammonites burst through the walls. While Ultra Magnus,Ratchet and Brainstorm went off with their new friends, Skids stayed behind to fight off the attackers (that he was being mobbed by several of them anyway probably helped). As Skids fought, Metroplex was recharged by the ''Lost Light's'' engines, and transported himself back to Cybertron. {{storylink|Burning Bright: Dark Cybertron Chapter 8|Burning Bright}} This didn't get rid of the Ammonites, though. That took Megatron giving the titan his missing thumb, containing the Regenesis Ore-7, which healed him and reactivated his immune system, killing the Ammonites dead. {{storylink|Finis Temporis: Dark Cybertron Chapter 9|Finis Temporis}}

In the apparent aftermath of Shockwave's scheme, Skids and Getaway relaxed in Swerve's, and were witness to Swerve suffering a bad bout of hero worship when Blurr walked in. The celebrations were rudely interrupted when Shockwave made his move, summoning all the Ammonites to attack Cybertron. {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}} Fortunately, Bumblebee had a plan of taking the fight to Shockwave. Skids was included in the team to be sent, thanks to his secret-agent-know-how. Getting to Shockwave's base of operations in the Crystal City seemed impossible, until Starscream showed up with [[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]], who managed to get them there. On arrival, the group was attacked by Bludgeon. Ultra Magnus offered to hold him off, and Skids decided to volunteer his skills as well, along with a suddenly poorly Brainstorm. However, Skids's outlier abilities weren't able to match Bludgeon's mastery of metallikato, and he quickly wound up stabbed. Fortunately, Brainstorm's unease turned out to be Optimus Prime, Rodimus, Cyclonus, Kup, and Nightbeat using the Dead Universe portal in his chest to escape that dying realm.{{storylink|Black Planet: Dark Cybertron Chapter 11|Black Planet}} They quickly mopped up Bludgeon, but Cyclonus' injuries meant someone had to help Brainstorm haul him back to his lab. While this meant Skids had to miss the climactic showdown, he did get to see time itself falling to pieces in the sky above Cybertron. That, and Rodimus managing to play on Brainstorm's insecurities. {{storylink|...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|...And the Damage Done}}

Once the crisis was truly over, Skids decamped to [[Moonbase Two|Luna 2]] to watch [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]]'s trial. Evidently, he was not dissuaded from rejoining the ''Lost Light'' on its quest once the former Decepticon Leader was added to the ranks, and he set off again, this time coming along of his own volition. Six months into the quest, he was sufficiently worried to pay a visit to the widowed Chromedome with Nightbeat, though their friend remained secluded in his hab suite and Nightbeat's interest was quickly derailed, to Skids' dismay. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} Shortly thereafter, he, [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]], and [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] all shot the bull about the ship's new gossip mag, the ''Lost Light Insider''. Though Nautica decided to exit before any rules were broken, she and Skids exchanged a bit of friendly banter before he and Riptide convinced the massively intoxicated Trailcutter to steal Megatron's "superfuel" out of the medibay. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}}.

When a pod containing the corpse of another Rodimus showed up, 'our' Rodimus called in Skids as part of his investigation team. Using all the facts, Skids and Chromedome worked out (wrongly as they'd soon learn!) that this was a near-future Roddy who'd die and be sent back in time, and Skids was left aghast by his leader's desperate attempts to 'change history' like lopping an arm off. Everything was then interrupted when the ship started to ''vanish'' around them {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}} and he was left stuck on a spaceship with Megatron (and Skids, who kept making snide asides when he was trying to listen). Soon, the Autobots on board began to disappear one by one and everyone had to reveal personal secrets in an attempt to figure out what was the common denominator. (In the process, Skids helped fill in Nautica on [[M.T.O.]]s and expressed his distaste for High Command's lack of interest in educating the "warborn".)

After realising only the launch crew were disappearing, the newbies like Skids found the ''Lost Light'' returned but in ruins! {{storylink|Twenty Plus One}} He agreed with Riptide that this must be the future ''Light'' that dead-Rodimus had come from and worried that the evidence they found meant they bring back the crew, only for the ship to be ripped apart. In an investigation, they came across a dead Ultra Magnus, one killed by a [[fusion cannon]], and Skids turned on Megatron, believing this showed he was going to inevitably turn on them! To his disquiet, when Megatron immediately requested to be locked up until all the facts were gone, he felt ''bad''' about doing it. As he admitted to Getaway during their search, he worried he was going to stop hating the killer.

[[File:MTMTE33 megatron skids right there.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|Look at you! ]You gotta look inside yourself and say, 'what am I willing to put up with today?' NOT SLAGGIN' THIS!!”]
The search found yet more corpses and to Skids horror, they had all been executed and their transformation cogs removed: acts that revealed the ship had been butchered by the [[Decepticon Justice Division]]. Luckily for all concerned, the discovery of a still-alive Rewind {{storylink|slaughterhouse}} proved this ''wasn't'' the future ''Lost Light'' but a duplicate of the 'real' one. Skids rushed to Rewind as he came through, making sure the guy was okay and filled in on things like Megatron-the-Autobot, and was pissed when Nightbeat pushed Rewind too soon to explain what had happened to the ship. That was how they learned the copy was created when the ship launched, thanks to an issue with the quantum engines, and ''exactly'' what hell Rewind had gone through. Said quantum engines were also leaking, endangering a nearby organic planet, and Skids knew they ahd to act. When Megatron refused to, bothered at the idea of risking his life for a handful of fleshy strangers, Skids tore into him for violating what the Autobrand stood for and that if being an Autobot ''didn't'' force him to modify his behaviour instead of getting what he wanted, then none of his 'rehab' meant a damn.

A brief aside from Getaway gave Skids an idea of how to save the planet: using a mass displacement gun he knew Brainstorm had been making to shrink down someone to help already-tiny Rewind fix the engines. That was a bust. Nothing was found except proof that ''Brainstorm was secretly a Decepticon spy'' but no time for that now, Skids! To Skids' amazement and joy though, his bollocking had worked and a guilty Megatron admitted he could be rigged to downsize and thus he could help Rewind. Skids thanked him. Once the damage was fixed, the duplicate ''Lost Light'' vanished and the 'real' one started to come back, and a happy Skids told a returning Chromedome to head up to the roof where Rewind was waiting. {{storylink|slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken|The Road Not Taken}}

Oh yeah, that Brainstorm thing. Turned out he was going back in time to change history, which was going to result in [[Functionist Universe|a hideous dystopia]], and the time travellers sent to bring him back ended up running into an early Skids.{{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|All Our Parlous Yesterdays}} Things turned out fine in the end! While time-travelling, Rodimus tried to warn the past "don't let them [the Legislators] take Skids" but nobody heard it, which was good as Cyclonus pointed out that Skids being captured turned out to be necessary for saving half the Cybertronian race. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|How to Say Goodbye and Mean It}} {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|Predestination: An Expert's Guide}}

Skids' friendly nature struck a chord with [[Ten]], the former [[Legislator]] turned into a bartender. In a mural of Ten's favourite crewmembers, Skids was in the front. A further friendship was struck up when Ratchet asked Skids to chat with Rung some time, as the guy would truly appreciate being visited by someone who didn't want help from him; when Skids bought Rung a drink, the therapist was surprised and delighted. {{storylink|Our Steps Will Always Rhyme}}

[[File:MTMTE42 dance dance skidsvolution.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|''What a feeling'' ''Being's believing'']]
Skids, Getaway, and Brainstorm all hung out at Nautica's, showing off their cool skillz and generally hanging. When Rung came up, Skids was bothered by Getaway dissing the guy, but they didn't have time to discuss Getaway's passive aggressive whiny defence of it as news came in that Thunderclash was dying and everyone was invited to the pre-wake on the ''Vis Vitalis''. {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} During the party, Getaway asked him if he wanted to mutiny against Megatron. Skids declined... and had his mind wiped with the nudge gun. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}} Believing his splitting headache to be too much partying, he decided to flump out at the ''Vitalis'' and get picked up tomorrow. {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} That made him a target for the parasitical [[personality tick]]s, secretly feeding off his energy! Not knowing why he was so tired {{storylink|The Frail Gaze}} he reached out to Nautica, sensing something was up with her, and she asked him {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} to teach her to dance. While busting a move, he coaxed out her issues with her old college friend [[Firestar (G1)|Firestar]] before the ticks begun a public rampage. After they were repulsed, Skids got better and everyone went back to the ''Light'' for a ''biiiig party at Sweeerve's!!!''

[[File:MTMTE43 skids swerve humans.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.0| Anything could be a Transformer!]]
Until Swerve suddenly vanished {{storylink|The Frail Gaze}} and a horrified Skids checked his room to find the bartender facedown, rusted, and half-dead from an infected wound. He rushed him to the medical bay for aid (inadvertently making him worse) and learned from [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] that Swerve had been holed up in his room for months, neglecting himself, and using a holomatter avatar to seem 'fine'. To Skids' great shame, he'd never visited Swerve—hadn't even known his ''room number'' until he remembered it was Red Alert's old one—and completely missed any chance to see one of his best friends needed help. He joined a rescue team sent to "[[Swearth]]", a vast hologram Earth operating on sitcom rules that Swerve was projecting, to find the guy's consciousness and fix him. In his new, brooding holomatter avatar, Skids and his friends did track down Swerve and tried to convince him to focus on the physical pain he was feeling, so they could realise where he was hurting. Skids, an expert in suppression, knew Swerve was pushing it down. Once they identified that Swerve was cripplingly lonely and depressed, they were able to convince him that he truly was loved and valued by them. {{storylink|The One Where They Go to Earth}}

Soon after, Skids went with a crew to check out the legendary [[Necrobot]]. He needled Nightbeat for having the 'debunking' itch and said that, while he no longer believed, he understood why other people were attracted to the idea that there was something after death. {{storylink|The Not Knowing}}

[[File:MTMTE48 skids and rung.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7| Tell me where Skywalker is.]]
Under incremental recollection sessions with Rung, where he also helped fix model ships as a focusing tool, Skids had finally managed to remember ''entering'' Grindcore if nothing else; while frustrated with the slow process, Rung admonished him that learning all of it in one go would re-traumatise him. While chatting, Skids was surprised to see the long-lost [[Froid]] appear. An old friend of yours, Rung? Well, I'll leave you to get caught up! (Off he went to brood at the oil pools, trying to remember more.) Within minutes Rung sent him a coded radio message to meet him at Froid's ship as something ''dodgy'' was going on but by the time Skids arrived, Rung had learned Froid had the infamous [[Sunder (G1)|Tetrahax Ripper, Sunder]], on board and that guy ''fed'' on bad memories. The very first sight of Skids woke Sunder up and caused him to attack, starting to rip up Skids' traumatic memories to the surface {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} before Rung could get him to safety. During the running battle against the serial killer, Rung kept trying to get Skids to Chromedome for memory suppression and Sunder duly followed them, constantly bringing up memories. Luckily Sunder was killed by the point Skids remembered repairing Grindcore's teleport chambers for Tarn and ''not'' by the point he'd remember how he'd killed five hundred souls.{{storylink|Speak, Memory! (Part 2)}}

When a small time window opened up in Swerve's, Skids used it to look back at the day the new crew members joined the ''Light'', a day that Trailcutter was still alive and openly happy. {{storylink|No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases}}

Skids had been part of Megatron's classes on the Knights of Cybertron and in one, to his surprise, Megatron showed the symbol that the strange spark being had 'said' to him back at possibly-Cyberutopia. Nautica advised him to write it out phoenetically to try and retain the knowledge of what it was, but everything was interrupted when Megatron and several others received bizarre messages coming from a distant planet. Rodimus assembled Skids with the rest of 'Team Rodimus' and they headed out to discover it was coming from the Necrobot's planet...

...where the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] and [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] were waiting. The Necrobot had been killed and the Autobots were forced to take refuge in his temple, now their makeshift fortress. And a message came in from ''Getaway'', telling them that the crew had mutinied against Megatron and all those considered loyal to him, so sick they were of having the killer around. Skids was enraged to discover his former friend had actually mindwiped him, an act he ''knew'' was a violation, to keep this a secret. When the message ended and the sheer horror sunk in, Skids embraced Nautica to console her. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}}

The DJD made their presence known by attacking the Necrobot's fortress before retreating... promising to return at sunset as part of their intimidation tactics. Skids weighed up their options with the other stranded crew members, suggesting that they dig in and devise an escape route. The Necrobot's body had revealed a key that unlocked a room filled with at least sixty organic creatures inside strange pods. Discussion arose whether to flee, or stay and defend the people inside the pods, but the Autobots ultimately decided to stand their ground. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 2: The Sun in Flight|The Sun in Flight}} Their forces were bolstered by the returning Drift and Ratchet, who had caught wind of their predicament through [[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]]. Skids had the awkward task of introducing Ratchet to his replacement. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 3: Your Fierce Tears|Your Fierce Tears}}

With death staring them in the face, Skids was one of the Autobots who Nautica assembled for the rite of [[Amica Endura]]. She opened her spark to them, recited the ritual, and told them all how they were valued. When Rung departed with Nightbeat to investigate the mystery of the Necroworld, Skids bade him a terse and awkward farewell. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 4: At Close of Day|At Close of Day}}

Shortly afterwards, Velocity hit on a potential way out: Tailgate's spark 'explosion', triggered by extreme trauma, had supercharged two security guards ala [[Ore-13]] and that could be done now! All it required was, er, someone willing to be traumatised. Skids offered himself up and pleaded with Chromedome to finally let him know about his deep, hidden trauma. His sad friend brought back all the memories of Grindcore and Skids' spark erupted. As his supercharged friends fought through the Decepticons, Ratchet worked to keep him stable as his spark shrank.

[[File:sleep tight, soldier.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|He's dead, Jim.]]
Unfortunately, Skids came to and crawled off his slab, desperate to find Brainstorm and apologise for Quark's death, feebly crying that he was "scum" for what he'd done. Ratchet was desperate to get him back on the slab before he died but Megatron, the only other person in the fort, had left to join the battle and there was nobody to help. Skids died in Ratchet's arms, only Brainstorm noticing as his friend's 'statue' winked out. After the Autobots retreated back to the Necrobot's fortress, a distraught Nautica embraced the corpse. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 5: Rage, Rage|Rage, Rage}} She stayed with it until at least the morning as events unfolded outside, {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}} and at some point removed its [[brain module]] for safe-keeping. {{storylink|An Axe to Break the Ice}}

In honor of Skids, the crew of the ''Lost Light'' painted their [[insignia|Autobot Insignias]] grey. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron|Some Other Cybertron}}

During a visit to [[Troja Major]], Nautica revealed that she was seeking a [[Resus Cradle]], a device that was said to be capable of reviving dead Cybertronians provided there were some form of remains for it to work with - the reason she had removed Skids' brain module from his corpse. {{storylink|An Axe to Break the Ice}}
{{-}}

===''Cloud''===
As an Autobot from [[Cloud World]], Skids was part of an inter-dimensional police force that kept the peace throughout the multiverse, while collecting excess energy to ensure the welfare of [[SARA]], the super-robotic being that allowed them access to other dimensions. When the Autobots' city of [[Metropolis]] came under attack from the Decepticons of the [[Underground (Cloud)|Underground]], Skids was stationed at the Autobots' Directorate of Operations to safeguard it as part of a garrison. But the Decepticons' rampage across multiple city districts had turned out to be nothing more than a distraction from their real scheme. [[Shockwave (G1)#Cloud|Shockwave]] and others forced their way into the Autobots' headquarters, catching the guards by surprise, and managed to make their escape with SARA in tow. After the Decepticons' retreat to the Underground, Optimus Prime called a meeting. Skids personally apologized for failing in his responsibility of protecting SARA. Optimus, however, took the blame onto himself for not having formulated a better strategy against the Decepticons. Optimus decided to head into the Underground himself to retrieve SARA. The other Autobots, unwilling to let their beloved leader go alone in this venture, all volunteered to join him. {{storylink|Resolve}}
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Fury (Cloud)|Fury}}}}

===''Q-Transformers'' cartoon===
[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] named Skids, [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]], and [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] as three characters who had been produced as toys for the popular ''[[Q-Transformers]]'' line. {{storylink|The Road to Winning a New Fanbase}}

====''Transformers Legends'' comic====
Skids was a member of the [[Skids Squadron]], a group of dimension-hopping versions of Skids led by [[#Transformers Legends comic|dimensional investigator Skids]], who summoned them to help force [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] out of the [[Legends Universe]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 20|Bonus Edition Vol. 20}}

==Games==
===3D Battle-Card Game===
Skids was one of [[Optimus Primal]]'s many Autobot allies in a fight against [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s Decepticon forces, in what might possibly have been an inter-universe battle. {{storylink|3D Battle-Card Game#Energon Wars expansion|Energon Wars Expansion Set}}

===''Transformers Legends''===
During the war on Cybertron, Skids was among a group of Autobots led by [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]], who went to [[Tyrest (polity)|Tyrest]] in an attempt to reason with [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. They were ambushed by the Decepticons, and Sentinel Prime was killed. {{storylink|The War Within}}

===''Transformers: Battle Tactics''===
[[File:BattleTacticsSkids.jpg|thumb|400px]]
Skids participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was an Rare character that could be recruited by collecting 130 units of Cybermetal, 75 units of Transmetal, and 45 hunter cores. {{storylink|Transformers: Battle Tactics}}

===''Transformers Operation Omega''===
{{charstubgames|{{storylink|Transformers Operation Omega}}}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
{{anchor|G1v1}}
[[File:G1 Skids toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Introducing the new Nikahimi Deathtrap. With its poly-cotton body shell, it's the fastest car in the world... to open with the jaws of life. The Nikahimi Deathtrap—the last car you'll ever drive.]]
*'''Skids''' (Autobot Car, 1985)
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets
:Skids began life as part of [[TakaraTomy]]'s ''[[Diaclone]]'' toyline, where he was known simply by the name of his [[alternate mode]], the [[wikipedia:Honda City Turbo|Honda City Turbo]], and was available in blue, red, or black color schemes (see [[#Notes|Notes]], below). The blue version of the figure was used by [[Hasbro]] as part of the ''Transformers'' toyline, sans [[Wikipedia:Honda_Motocompo|a small scooter accessory]] that the ''Diaclone'' figure had come with which stored inside his trunk. Despite sharing this common point of origin with many of his fellow Autobot cars, he features a few unusual touches: his rear wheels fold into his feet for added [[robot mode]] stability, and his weapons attach by clipping over his forearms, rather than plugging into his fists. Among his armament is a "rocket pod", the spring-loaded missile-firing mechanism of which was neutered for Hasbro's release of the figure.

:Because Skids was not one of the original eleven [[Autobot Cars]] released at the line's inception, he is commonly grouped in with the later 1985 Autobot Cars both fictionally and in the minds of [[fandom|fans]]. However, Skids was actually added to the 1984 assortment some time before the 1985 wave was released (December 1984 is the current earliest confirmed availability of the figure), during which time he came in 1984 packaging including a "TM" mark by the "Transformers" logo, rather than a "(R)" mark. Like the other 1984 cars, at least some of these early Skids releases lacked the [[rubsign]] on the roof that would later be added to all Transformers toys in 1985. He was also one of the ''rarest'' mass-release G1 figures, with just one Skids included per every ''two'' [[Case|shipping cases]].

:Skids has been reissued several times; this article lists each reissue separately where appropriate. This mold itself is a [[retool]] of an earlier ''Diaclone'' toy, the Honda City R; this earlier tooling was used to make [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] and the ''[[Transformers Generations 2009]]'' exclusive [[Screech (Generations)|Screech]].

::*''[http://www.transformerland.com/wiki/toy-info/transformers-g1-autobot-cars-skids/519/ Patent info, price guide, and further reading on Skids at Transformerland.com]''
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1985/Autobot/Skids/skids.htm More information on Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers''===
{{anchor|VSZ}}
[[File:G1toy vsz set.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"Maybe the kids will notice me now that I'm bundled together with two other guys?"]]
*'''Skids & Sunstreaker vs Buzzsaw''' (multi-pack, 1985)
**''ID number'': '''VSZ'''
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets
: Skids was not released on his own in the Japanese Generation 1 toyline, and was instead available only in a multi-pack with [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], which was also the only way to get the other two on the Japanese market at the time. This box set remains a considerable rarity on the secondary market.
{{-}}

{{anchor|QuantumOperativeToy}}
[[File:G1toy quantum operative skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|You sure you can call this an homage?]]
*'''Skids & Screech Quantum Operative Ver.''' (exclusive multi-pack, 2009)
**''Accessories:'' "Material acceleration pistol", dual-barreled gun, "quantum shield" launcher, 3 rockets, scooter

:"Quantum Operative" Skids is a green redeco of the original Generation 1 toy, available in conjunction with his [[#Encore|''Encore'' release (below)]], and including for the first time the scooter accessory that was eliminated from the ''Diaclone'' toy for his original Transformers release. He was sold in a set with [[Screech (Generations)|Screech]] that was a mail-away [[exclusive]] available only with volume 3 of [[Hero-X|Million Publishing]]'s ''[[Transformers Generations 2009]]''. While Skids's colors are an homage to ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (franchise)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]], Screech is likewise a match for Skids's twin [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]].

:Amusingly, the color scheme for this exclusive was accidentally revealed early by TakaraTomy when they [[:File:Encore Skids Tokyo Toy Show 2009.jpg|mistakenly included its missile launcher]], denoted by its bright green launching tab, with the normal ''Encore'' version that was on display at Tokyo Toy Show 2009.<ref name="internat">[http://www.allspark.com/content/view/5790/20/ TakaraTomy Accidentally Gives Clue to TF Generations Vol. 3 Mail Away Figure?!]</ref>
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Cybertron/Skids/skids.htm More information on Quantum Operative Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===The Transformers Collection===
[[File:TF Collection 3 Skids.jpg|thumb|"Oh boy, a reissue! Now people are ''actually'' going to notice me!"]]
*'''Skids''' (reissue, [[2002]]-[[September 27|09-27]])
**''ID number'': '''3'''
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets

:Skids received his first reissue in 2002, when [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] made him available as part of their "book-box" ''[[The Transformers Collection|Transformers Collection]]'' series, surprising many with the inclusion of such an overlooked character so early in the line. He features no significant differences from the original (save for a working missile launcher, as with the original Japanese release), though the figure suffered from a common, if not universal, problem: an excess of plastic on the underside of Skids's right foot means that his rear wheel can not fold down flat beneath it, resulting in a slightly unstable robot mode. Since the original Japanese figure was released only in a giftset, Skids did not get a [[List of Japanese ID numbers|Japanese ID number]] at the time, a situation this reissue rectifies by retroactively giving him the ID number '''96''' on the included [[Tech Spec]] and [[bio]] card.

:The aforementioned Crosscut was released exclusively through [[e-HOBBY]] in conjunction with this reissue.

::*''[http://www.tf-1.com/articles/reissue/Skids_template.html More information on Transformers Collection Skids at TF-1.com]
{{-}}

===Commemorative Series===
[[File:G1toy commemorative skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"Whoa, two reissues! Good old Skids is moving up in life!"]]
*'''Skids''' (reissue, 2004)
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets

:Skids got his first Hasbro reissue as part of the eighth wave of their ''[[The Transformers: Generation One Commemorative Series|Commemorative Series]]'' line, [[exclusive]] to [[Toys"R"Us]] stores. He features no notable differences from the earlier Takara ''Transformers Collection'' release, except for the fact that his launcher's spring has been removed.
{{-}}

===Alternators/Binaltech===
[[File:Alt Skids toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Heavily clearanced so fanboys could customize him into Ironhide.]]
{{anchor|Alt}}
*'''Autobot Skids''' (2005)
**''Alternator ID number'': '''17'''
**''Japanese ID number'': '''BT-16'''
**''Accessories'': Engine-rifle

:Skids transforms into a 1:24-scale blue Scion xB. All four doors open, revealing a fully-detailed realistic interior with seats for a driver and passengers, plus his hood pops open to reveal his engine. His robot mode is very reminiscent of his original toy, with his head sculpt based off his animation model with toy details. His engine pops out and unfolds to become his hand-held pistol.

:The Hasbro ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]]'' release (part of the first wave of new "bubble packaging" toys) differs from the [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] ''Binaltech'' release in that it has a much darker shade of blue, tinted windows, and various Scion-type tampographed flame decals. The Japanese release naturally has die cast metal parts, is painted a lighter shade of blue, and has different paint decos. It also includes a sheet of stickers, including flames resembling the ones printed on the ''Alternators'' version, as well as some Generation-1-style red stripes, and most humorously, a Japanese "New Driver" badge.

:This mold was also used to make ''[[The Transformers: Binaltech Asterisk|Binaltech Asterisk]]'' [[Blaster (G1)/toys#Binaltech Asterisk|Broadblast]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Autobot/AltSkids/skids.htm More information on ''Alternators'' Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Encore===
[[File:G1toy encore skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"Three reissues?! Wow, I must be really popular by this point, r-right?"]]
*'''Skids''' (reissue, 2009)
**''ID number:'' '''18'''
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets

:TakaraTomy reissued Skids again in October 2009 as part of their ''[[Transformers Encore]]'' series. This version of the figure shifted its colors a little, changing him from tomato-red and blue to cherry-red and blueish-purple, as well as noticeably lightening the translucent blue plastic used for his windows. His Autobot symbol and tail light stickers were replaced with [[tampograph]]s, while some of his other stickers were updated slightly, including his factory-applied front grill sticker. Like past reissues, this figure too suffered with an unstable robot mode, and ''both'' feet had wheels that would not fold away flat.
{{-}}

===Generations===
[[File:Generations Skids.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|The theoretician the world deserves, not the one it needs right now.]]
*'''Autobot Skids''' (Deluxe, 2013)
**''Series / Number'': '''02 / #009'''
**''Accessories:'' Nudge gun & nitrogen gun (combine to form rifle)

:Part of the seventh wave of 2012-onwards ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' Deluxe Class toys, ''[[Thrilling 30]]'' "Autobot Skids" transforms from a contemporary-looking hatchback into a robot mode largely based on [[Alex Milne]]'s design for [[IDW Publishing|IDW]]'s ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' comic, most notably featuring that body's numerous integrated weapons. He also includes the [[nudge gun]] carried by Skids in said comic and a new version of the liquid nitrogen rifle from his original toy, the two of which can combine into a larger rifle. Both weapons can peg onto his hands or vehicle sides via [[5mm post]].

:There are numerous reports of the figure's hips being assembled the [[Misassembly|wrong way round]], thus affecting the car mode as well as hampering the leg articulation (and it could even result in the ball joints at the waist snapping off), this can simply be fixed by popping them out and swapping them to the right place (just as long as you are careful with the aforementioned ball joints). At least some later releases fixed this issue.

:He comes packaged with the [[Little Victories|twenty-second issue]] of IDW's aforementioned ''More than Meets the Eye'' comic series, featuring a cropped version of its retailer incentive cover, which is called out as a 'Hasbro Exclusive Cover' on its front.

:Skids was [[redeco]]ed into ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (toyline)|Age of Extinction]]'' [[Rollbar (AOE)#Toys|Rollbar]] and ''[[Transformers Timelines (toyline)|Timelines]]''/''[[Diaclone]]'' [[Burn Out (Diaclone)|Burn Out]], which was later [[Repurposing|repurposed]] as [[Skids (SG)|''Shattered Glass'' Skids]]. This mold was also [[retool]]ed into ''Generations'' [[Crosscut (Autobot)#Generations|Crosscut]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2014/Autobot/GenSkids/skids.htm More information on ''Generations'' Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Q-Transformers===
[[File:QTransformers Skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|As a last ditch effort to be relevant, Skids tried appealing to the "kawaii culture" crowd. It didn't work.]]
*'''Skids''' ([[2015]]-[[June 27|06-27]])
**''ID number:'' '''QT-21'''

:''[[Q-Transformers]]'' Skids is a redeco and retool of [[Hound (G1)/toys#Q-Transformers|QT-15 Hound]], transforming into a [[super deformed]] Suzuki Hustler.

{{-}}

===Kre-O===
{{anchor|SDCC2015}}
*'''Kreon Class of '85''' (Kreon figure set, 2015)
**''Set number'' '''B5152'''
**''Voted'': Most Thoughtful
**''Accessories'': 2 clip-on rifles

: ''[[Kre-O]]'' "Autobot Skids" is a small brick-built [[Kreon]] figure, using the 2015-style construction with raised hands and the sturdier "peg-in-peg" torso/waist connection. His body [[tampograph]]s are heavily toy-based, with a ton of intricate design.

: He was only available as part of the [[San Diego Comic-Con]]-[[exclusive]] "[[Kreon Class of '85]]" 30-Kreon set. This set was also sold online through [[Hasbro Toy Shop]] after the show.

{{-}}

===Legends===
[[File:Legendstoy-Skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|He might be a forgotten character but at the very least he can now be ignored by fans while sporting a relatively cool deco.]]
*'''Skids''' ([[2016]]-[[May 28|05-28]])
**''ID number:'' '''LG-20'''
**''Accessories:'' Nudge gun & nitrogen gun (combine to form rifle)

:''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' Skids is an extensive redeco of the ''Generations'' Skids toy. It features a color scheme faithful to the character's appearance in the ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' comic, with a darker shade of blue, black front grill with red details under the grill, silver and black detailing on the feet, painted front lights and pink striping on the front hood and on the back's sculpted detail.

{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Decoy===
[[File:Decoy skids.jpg|thumb]]
*'''Cybertron Hero Collection 22''' (multi-pack, 1986)

:Skids was among the many characters rendered by [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] as part of their series of 1.5" soft rubber ''keshigomu'' figurines. Like all the figures in the series, Skids featured a number sculpted into his back that was the sum total of his [[Tech Spec]]s, for use in the various games that could be played with the figurines. He was available in red as part of a 22-piece box set of Autobot figures, in peach as part of various other randomly-packed box sets released by Takara subsidiary [[Seven]], and in a wide variety of different colors in "gachapon" capsule machines.

*'''Skids''' (1987)
**''Decoy number:'' '''12'''

:The Skids figurine was later brought over to [[Hasbro]] markets as part of the [[Decoy]] promotion, largely identical to the Japanese release except for the fact that the number on his back was replaced with a simple "checklist" number. Like all Autobot Decoys, he was a randomly-chosen pack-in available with the carded [[Throttlebot]]s, [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]] and [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1986/Autobot/Decoys/Skids/skids.htm More information on Decoy Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

'''3d Battle-Card Game'''

{{anchor|3DBC}}[[File:EnergonWarsSkids.jpg|thumb|Are, uh, you sure you're a G1 character?]]
*'''Skids''' (3D Battle-Card, 2007)
:A 26-point "common" character in the [[3D Battle-Card Game]]'s "Energon Wars" expansion, Skids "transforms" into a grey pickup truck of indeterminate make. He uses the same parts layout as [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] and [[Dropkick (Movie)|Dropkick]].

:He is equipped with a LN2 Cryo Rifle, an Electron Blaster, and a Rocket Launcher, which are similar to his G1 weapons — but due to the interdimensional nature of the Energon Wars subset, the Battle-Card may or may not also represent the [[Skids (Movie)|live-action movie Skids]].
{{--}}

==Notes==
[[File:DiacloneSkids.jpg|thumb|A rainbow of theoretical flavors.]]
[[File:Skidsdiacloneconceptart.jpg|thumb|Suck it, Ironhide! This head was mine first!]]
*The ''[[Diaclone]]'' version of Skids was additionally available in black or red. The [[BotCon 2015]] toy and character [[Burn Out]], a non-Cybertronian ''Diaclone'' mech from within the ''Transformers'' [[multiverse]], is based on the black version.
*Skids' animation model head appears to be based on early ''Diaclone'' promotional concept art. The toy's head would be different... and ultimately different from the [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] head shown in his instructions, which also popped up a few times in the UK comics.
*Though Skids' toy turned into a Honda City Turbo, his car mode was often misinterpreted in Transformers fiction as one of the then-new minivans, despite the fact that a Honda City Turbo is a subcompact car, and as such, could theoretically be stowed in the back seat of an actual minivan. This is likely because most Americans in 1985 wouldn't know what a subcompact car is.
*As Skids was released in the interim between the original 1984 launch and the big push of new 1985 figures, the character consequently fell by the wayside in the Generation 1 fiction of the 1980s. He was not included in the commercial promoting the new 1985 range of Autobot Cars, as he wasn't technically part of it. Similarly, he was also left out of the list of new 1985 product in the Generation 1 cartoon's [[production bible]] intended for inclusion in the show's second season, and as such, only managed to appear in little more than cameo roles in just two episodes, speaking one line in each and voiced by a different actor each time. He fared a little better in the Marvel comics, debuting alongside (an incomplete roster of) the other 1985 cars, but after getting an issue dedicated to himself, he all but completely vanished from the book and was banished to [[limbo]] by the UK comic for upwards of 100 issues, abandoned and forgotten.
*In the "[[Survivors!]]" story, Skids was suddenly drawn with the original ''Diaclone'' toy's head (which years later would be used for the new character [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]]). "Survivors!"' artist, [[Dan Reed]], previously drew him with his real head, so it'd be interesting to learn why and how this change happened. (He would later mysteriously regain his own face.)
*In more recent years, toys sporting the name "Skids" have required an additional "Autobot" prefix for [[trademark]] reasons, hence making the official name "'''Autobot Skids'''".

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Skids''' (スキッズ ''Sukizzu'')
*''French:'' '''Platon''' ("Plato")
*''Hungarian:'' '''Szán'''
*''Italian:'' '''Furetto''' ("Ferret")
*''Mandarin:'' '''Shāchē''' (China, 刹车, "Brake")
*''Portuguese:'' '''Patins''' (Brazil comic, "Skate"), '''Pe-de-cabra''' (Portugal comic, "Crowbar")
*''Russian:'' '''Tormoz''' (Тормоз, "Brake")

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:3D Battle-Cards]]
[[Category:Alternators Autobots]]
[[Category:Cloud Autobots]]
[[Category:Council members]]
[[Category:Decoys]]
[[Category:Dimension hoppers]]
[[Category:Dreamwave Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Exclusives]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Henkei! Henkei! Autobots]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Kre-O Autobots]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Legends Autobots]]
[[Category:Lost Light crew]]
[[Category:Q-Transformers characters]]
[[Category:Regeneration One Autobots]]
[[Category:Scientists]]
[[Category:SDCC exclusives]]
[[Category:Universe Autobots]]

Skids (G1)

2017-09-15T15:47:16Z

HailMegatron: /* IDW Generation 1 continuity */

{{factions|autobot}}
{{disambig3|Skids}}
{{suite}}
:''Skids is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:Skidsg1.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Everyone forgets me, [[Nudge gun|even me]].]]
'''Skids''' is a theoretician. This is appropriate, as some would say his existence is merely theoretical; everyone forgets who he is or that he was there. But if they got to know him, they'd learn that he likes to daydream, get built into furniture, and pick up cowboy chicks.

Skids is also a fast learner, voraciously absorbing and compartmentalizing new information he receives. This allows him to adapt to new environments and unexpected situations very quickly. His calm, observant nature and tendency to fade into the background sometimes causes some to question his ability to fight, but make no mistake; Skids can handle himself in battle.

He'd just rather...listen to some music, y'know?

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Michael Chain]] (English, "[[Quest for Survival]]"), [[Dan Gilvezan]] (English, "[[Triple Takeover]]"), [[Keiichi Nanba]] (Japanese, "Quest for Survival"), [[Ken Shiroyama]] (Japanese, "Triple Takeover")|[[Roberto Alexander]] (Latin American)}}

[[File:Skidsanimated.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Hoist, Prime, and Skids ogle Bumblebee's animation model.]]
Like many of the Autobots who first appeared in 1985, the exact circumstances behind Skids joining the original group of Earth-based Autobots remain unknown. Skids first appeared as part of a strike force that was sent to stop the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]] from ravaging a human farm, only to meet with failure. Apparently injured in the battle, Skids underwent some repairs by [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] upon return to Autobot Headquarters, where he responded incredulously to [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]]'s report that he had retrieved [[robotic insecticide]] from the planet [[Floron III]] to deal with the Insecticon threat. {{storylink|Quest for Survival}}

[[File:TripleTakeover Skids.jpg|thumb|Racing into obscurity.]]
Later, Skids was part of a team sent to investigate bombs that were raining down on a city from a football stadium (the work of the [[Triple Changer]] [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]]). Blitzwing, however, had the stadium surrounded by a massive "Zone Defense" maze built by the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], and while attempting to traverse it, Skids crashed into [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and was driven over by tank mode Blitzwing. Skids and the other Autobots' remains were then gathered by [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]], who built a throne for himself out of them. These Autobots were soon rescued and quickly rebuilt, and participated in the crises that ensued as Blitzwing, [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] vied for Decepticon leadership. Following that skirmish, Prowl opined that [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] was the greatest leader in the universe, which prompted himself, Skids, [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] and [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] to form themselves into a throne for Prime; Prime refused to sit, saying that thrones were for Decepticons—he'd rather roll. {{storylink|Triple Takeover}}
{{-}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
=====''Henkei! Henkei! Generations'' manga=====
[[File:Skids and screech.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|left]]
When Skids successfully proved the existence of particles able to cross over between dimensions, he put his discovery to work for the forces of good, coating his armor in these "Dimension Slide" particles and endowing himself with the power to move between realities, as well as a snazzy new green paintjob. In this quest to examine anomalies within the multiverse, Skids found he could summon other versions of himself from different dimensions to aid him, but for unknown reasons, one of these alternate versions wound up trapped in Skids's home dimension, unable to return to his own world. Renamed "[[Screech (Generations)|Screech]]" (presumably to save all the Autobots a headache), this alternate Skids teamed up with his counterpart, and together, the pair worked as "Quantum Operatives" policing the multiverse while searching for a way to get Screech home. {{storylink|#Toys|Skids's toy bio}} {{storylink|Screech (Generations)|Screech's toy bio}}

Hot on the trail of one such multiversal anomaly, Skids and Screech pursued [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]]'s ghost across the multiverse to a [[Primax 209.20 Gamma|parallel dimension]] where he was causing trouble. While the two dimension-hoppers kept the ghost busy with wordplay and pop culture references, the [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] of that world used his illusion casting powers to scare Starscream into fleeing the dimension by projecting an illusion of his greatest fear: [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]! {{storylink|Starscream's New Body}}

=====Ask Vector Prime=====
[[File:LegendsComic DimensionalInvestigatorSkids.jpg|upright=1.2|right|thumb]]
[[Vector Prime]] claimed Skids was from [[Primax 308.0 Zeta]] while Screech was from [[Primax 1008.15 Gamma]]. The two worked with him in [[Primax 308.13 Beta]]. {{Storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/23}}

=====''Transformers Legends'' comic=====
Skids would later take on a new body, blue as usual but more heavily armed, styling himself as a "dimensional investigator" (次元捜査官 ''jigen sōsakan''). When [[Drift (G1)#Cloud|Deadlock]] caused trouble in the [[Legends Universe]] by bringing [[SARA]] there, Skids showed up to teach him how to use SARA's powers to return to [[Cloud World]], and also warned the Decepticon against causing any more interdimensional chaos. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Deadlock)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}}

Finding there to be many more Transformers from other dimensions in the Legends Universe, Skids regarded this as problematic and decided to send them all back by force and seal off the dimension. Met with resistance from [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and his cohorts, he summoned the [[Skids Squadron]] to fight the Decepticon leader while he personally dealt with the others. When Megatron came to their rescue, Skids entered "Full Burst Mode" and seemingly killed the Decepticon with a mighty barrage, only to realize the villain just sacrificed himself for his comrades. Following protests by the natives of the Legends Universe, Skids caught on to the fact that their world was a peaceful one without factions or war and that ''he'' was the one causing chaos and violence, prompting the investigator to abandon his plans and undo the seal. He continued to keep the dimension under surveillance, and even stuck around to look up its fictional representations of himself. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 20|Bonus Edition Vol. 20}}

Skids would come to join the [[Dimensional Patrol]], an organization dedicated to battling multiversal threats. He was guarding [[Megatron (RID)|Devil Gigatron]] at [[Neo Brave Maximus|their base]] when [[Scourge (RID)|Black Convoy]]'s group came to break him out. {{storylink|LGEX Black Convoy Prologue}}
{{-}}

====''Story of Binaltech''====
[[File:Binaltech skids cardart.jpg|left|upright=1.2|thumb|After using up all of his vacation and sick days, Skids returned to work to find that the Transformers cartoon had been cancelled.]]
Skids was the first of the Binaltech Autobots created simply with the intent of upgrading an existing, healthy Transformer, rather than in the name of repairing one that had been injured. Outfitted with self-repairing nanomechanical antibodies, Skids's body can, barring heavy damage in battle, theoretically function for thousands of years without maintenance. In both his original and new body, Skids dedicated time to studying the chronal warp on [[Dinobot Island (G1)|Dinobot Island]], which gave rise to the Autobot strategy known as "[[Operation: Distant Thunder]]", a last-ditch scheme should the Decepticons tamper with the fabric of space-time. That horror occurred in [[2004]] when Ravage used the [[Kronosphere]] to alter the timeline, and Skids prepared to initiate the plan and send [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]'s memory data back in time to avert the catastrophe. {{storylink|Darkest Hour (prose)|Darkest Hour}}

The data probe was launched, but as the timeline was righting itself a [[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]] arrived, and manipulated the temporal wave to preserve the Binaltech timeline separate from the original continuity. Possessed by the Spark of the [[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Protector]], hailing from some future point in time, Nemesis Prime informed Skids and the others that their timeline was destined to produce great warriors capable of safeguarding the entire multiverse, and therefore must continue on its new course. {{storylink|Binal Time}}

=====''Transformers Legends'' comic=====
Binaltech Skids was a member of the [[Skids Squadron]], a group of dimension-hopping versions of Skids led by [[#Transformers Legends comic|dimensional investigator Skids]], who summoned them to help force [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] out of the [[Legends Universe]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 20|Bonus Edition Vol. 20}}
{{-}}

===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics====
{{noteukonly}}
[[File:Marvel22-heavy-traffic-skids-tracker.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|Skids exists! Really!]]
In the event that the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'s mission would require more manpower, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] had several Autobots encode copies of their personalities as light patterns within [[crystalline containment vessel]]s, including Skids. When a large number of Prime's troops were then injured during the opening volleys of the war on [[Earth]], Prime arranged for the construction of new bodies, which the personalities were then programmed into, bringing Skids and the others to life "for a second time".

[[File:Skidsnatives.jpg|upright=0.6|thumb|We bet you can't.]]
Now in a new body that transformed into a blue van equipped with a bandana-wearing driver, Skids went with Bumblebee and the other new Autobots to learn about their new home. Along the way he learned about an upcoming [[Brick Springhorn]] concert, and immediately took a liking to the music of Earth and the possibilities of what could be learned from interacting with mankind. When the concert turned out to be the target of a Decepticon attack, Skids and the others were forced into action, engaging Shockwave and three Decepticon jets in battle. They quickly retreated after routing their foes, so that the show could go on. {{storylink|Rock and Roll-Out!}}

When [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] ran out of fuel in the middle of the [[Powder River Basin]] in [[Wyoming]], Optimus Prime took Skids and a few other Autobots to prevent harm to the humans who had discovered him. Unfortunately, these humans (and their [[United States military|military]]) forced the Autobots into a retreat. {{storylink|I, Robot-Master!}}

Skids voiced some concerns about Optimus's plans to raid the heavily fortified [[Wyoming base|Decepticon base]] for information on the combining process, but Prime vetoed them. En route, distracted by a human radio station, Skids nearly forgot to activate his facsimile driver; a moment later he accidentally clipped the car of hot-tempered [[Jake Dalrymple]], who pursued the Autobots on their mission. Despite the wall of weaponry facing them, Skids made it through the battle unscathed; but as the Autobots retreated with the information, they encountered Jake Dalrymple again, who distracted Skids just long enough for [[Ravage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ravage]] to blast him off a cliff. Although Optimus Prime mourned the loss of Skids, neither the Autobot leader nor any other Autobot thought to recover the believed deactivated body of Skids later after their mission had been completed. {{storylink|Command Performances!}}

[[File:Marvelus-21-showdown-skids-beyourcar.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.]]
Lying crippled and unable to transform, Skids was shortly discovered by register girl [[Charlene (cowgirl)|Charlene]], who, thinking he was an ordinary van, had him fixed up with the intent of keeping him for herself. Skids was open to the idea at first, preferring a peaceful life to that of a warrior, but after another bout of road rage with Dalrymple, the unearthly stunts he performed left him no option but to reveal his true nature of Charlene.

[[File:Charleneskids.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|''Baby you can be my car And maybe I'll wash you'']]
A somewhat unusual [[Transformer romance|relationship]] ensued between the two, but more trouble soon came Skids's way in the form of [[Donny Finkleberg]], who was being hunted down by Ravage. Fleeing from the Decepticon with Charlene and Donny, Skids hid out at an abandoned mining town, but yet again, the raging Dalrymple tracked him down and shattered his windshield, knocking him unconscious and into a dream where he died through his refusal to attack Megatron and save Charlene. Reawakening, he engaged Ravage in battle again, finally finding the strength to act, and causing his foe to tumble down a mineshaft. Skids then parted ways with Charlene, having come to the realisation that their two roles in life were too different for their relationship to work out. {{storylink|Showdown!}}

[[File:Marvel22-heavy-traffic-skids-reason.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|Oh god my arms, my arms!]]
Skids returned to the Ark with Finkleberg, with Optimus pleased to find him alive. Jetfire was sent to verify Finkleberg's claim about a [[Cybertron Seven|group of missing Autobots]], uncovering a trail of spilled Transformer fuel. {{storylink|Aerialbots over America!}} Skids was outfitted with a chemical tracker to follow the fuel trail; taking Finkelberg with him, he began tracing the fuel back to its source. En route, he broke cover to save a trapped driver from some downed power lines, a move that caught the Decepticons' attention. The newly created Stunticons were dispatched to "ambush" Skids - by acting as though they were his allies. The humans' [[Rapid Anti-robot Assault Team]] and the Aerialbots soon arrived and engaged in a three-way battle. When it was over, the Aerialbots were defeated, the Autobots' reputation was smeared, and the Stunticons were triumphant; Skids could do little but clear out to continue his mission with Finkleberg. Unfortunately, money still governed Finkleberg's actions, and that evening he sold out Skids to RAAT's leader [[Walter Barnett]] while Skids was deactivated for the night. {{storylink|Heavy Traffic!}}

[[File:DecepticonGraffiti-CBDonnySkids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Shoulda stuck with the nice cowboy lady.]]
Skids was disassembled for study, but when the Decepticons [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] and [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] appeared on Earth and began defacing landmarks, RAAT operative [[Circuit Breaker (G1)|Circuit Breaker]] was forced to enter into a deal with the Autobots to stop them. Skids and the other Autobots' components were combined to form a [[Circuit Breaker's Autobot suit|jury-rigged robot]] that Circuit Breaker used to stop the [[Battlecharger]]s, but in return for their co-operation, Skids and the Autobots were allowed to go free. {{storylink|Decepticon Graffiti!}}

''On the return trip to the Ark, however, Skids was abruptly torn from reality when the future Decepticon [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] [[time travel|traveled back in time]] from [[2006]], shunting Skids into [[Limbo]] to maintain temporal balance.'' {{storylink|Fallen Angel}}

{{note|While Skids was lost to Limbo in the UK comics, no such fate befell him in the American stories. Luckily enough for continuity's sake, he never did anything important in the US comics again, only showing up in crowd scenes. To maintain consistency, the UK printings of these stories either redrew Skids into a different, [[generic]] robot, or erased him from the art entirely.}}

Skids attended Optimus Prime's funeral, {{storylink|Funeral for a Friend!}} witnessed the arrival of a group of [[Spacehikers|children]] within the space-borne Ark, {{storylink|Spacehikers!}} and watched [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] and [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] fight for Autobot leadership on Earth's [[Moon (moon)|moon]]. He was presumably either off-lined during the subsequent Decepticon ambush, {{storylink|Totaled!}} or during [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream's]] [[Underbase]] powered rampage. {{storylink|Dark Star}}

[[File:Skidslimbo.jpg|upright=0.6|thumb|left|Oh, hey, remember Skids?]]
[[File:Skidssurvivors.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|And then he stole [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]]'s head.]]
''Skids remained in Limbo for two years while Galvatron ran amok on Earth, his mind steadily succumbing to the dream-illusions created by the [[Limbo parasite|parasites]] native to the realm.'' {{storylink|Time Wars}} ''In his dreams, a brutish Skids led monsters in orgies of destruction.With Galvatron's eventual destruction during the [[Time Wars]], Skids was finally returned to Earth, but he had spent too long in Limbo—the Limbo parasites had succeeded in shaping a reality from his dreams, and the nightmarish monsters that he had imagined materialised on Earth with him. Fleeing from the beasts, horrified at the "weakness" that had led to him making them, Skids was convinced by the creatures that they would exist so long as he was alive. Their goal was to break him into joining them in their bloody rampages (and also to just mess with him). Skids lured them into a [[Hudden Nuclear Power Plant|nuclear power plant]] which he had planned to detonate, wiping out the monsters and himself. However, he struggled to find the courage to end his own life in order to spare the Earth from the horrors he had birthed.''

''Thankfully, it didn't come to that, as the remnants of the Autobot [[Wrecker]]s—joined by [[Catilla (G1)|Catilla]] and [[Carnivac (G1)|Carnivac]] of the Decepticon [[Mayhem Attack Squad]]—arrived to aid him, defeating the monsters even as the creature's leader admitted they'd made up that whole 'die to stop us' thing. Skids joined with this group of Transformers, forming the [[Survivors]].'' {{storylink|Survivors!}}

''Carnivac soon tired of Autobot life and Skids and the others could only watch as he fell out with [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] and struck out on his own.'' {{storylink|Way of the Warrior}} ''When a human called in the rest of the Survivors to help Carnivac against the new Mayhem Attack Squad, Springer was adamant that they shouldn't help the renegade Decepticon, but Skids, [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] and [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] were swayed by Catilla's pleas to get involved.'' {{storylink|Survival Run}} ''They arrived just in time to save Carnivac from the Decepticons, but Catilla was killed by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] and Carnivac swore vengeance''. {{storylink|A Savage Place!}}

{{note|Due to the somewhat convoluted nature of the Marvel UK continuity, the "Survivors" plotline was continued in the Earthforce timeline, detailed below.}}

[[File:Grimlockwasthatwise.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Hey, who here remembers when I was damaged and shoved into the medbay? No? Well, that makes all of us.]]
Grimlock traveled to [[Hydrus Four]] to use [[Nucleon (substance)|Nucleon]] to revive the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]. Returning to the Ark, he also pumped Nucleon into the med bays, reviving Skids and several others, and headed towards [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Grimlock used the Ark as a blunt instrument across [[Unicron]]'s head, forcing Skids and the others to evacuate and join the battle against the Chaos Bringer. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
{{-}}

=====Earthforce=====
{{earthforcefiction}}
[[File:Survivors wolf in the fold.jpg|thumb|left]]
When Carnivac ran off on his own to avenge Catilla's death, Skids and the other Survivors insisted Springer contact Grimlock and the Earthforce for back-up. {{storylink|Wolf in the Fold!}} Though Grimlock was hesitant to lend any warriors in order to save a Decepticon, he was swayed into doing so in exchange of the Survivors' word that they would permanently join up with his unit afterwards. Hooked up with these Autobot reinforcements, Skids and the others stormed the Mayhem Attack Squad's tropical island base. Skids personally confronted [[Octopunch (G1)|Octopunch]] in single combat, holding his own against the murderous [[Pretender]]. {{storylink|Where Wolf?}}

On a later mission for Earthforce, Skids and the Survivors protected an [[oil tanker]] from [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]], while the rest of the Decepticons were trying to distract the Autobots with an all-out assault on their base. Undeterred by the sleight-of-hand, the Survivors caught up with Starscream in the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. Skids used a flying leap by Carnivac as a distraction to catch Starscream with his liquid nitrogen cannon, and then [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] knocked the Decepticon commander into the drink. {{storylink|Divide and Conquer!}}
{{-}}

====Transformers Comic-Magazin====
Skids was part of the Autobot team when they battled the Decepticons in defense of Earth's precious energy resources. {{storylink|Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 9|The Transformers' Grand Hour: Headmaster of the Dimensions}}

Goldbug later recalled the events of the previous battle. {{storylink|Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 15|The Cosmic Adventure: Memories of Bumblebee}}

====''Regeneration One''====
{{noterg1}}
[[File:Lancer two crew war to end all wars.jpg|thumb|Remember when I was a main character back in our [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel]] days? Let's do that again.]]
In [[2012]], when Optimus Prime discovered Megatron was still active on Earth, he took an armed assault squad of Autobots, including Skids, to put an end to the tyrant's menace once and for all. Battling Megatron's reanimated Decepticon [[zombie]]s as the two leaders clashed, Skids called dibs on taking out [[Overbite (G1)|Overbite]]. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 5}}

After the battle, Skids and [[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]] attended to [[Kup (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Kup]] as he recovered from a [[Scraplet]] infection. He then departed Earth with the other Autobots. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part One}} As they arrived back at Cybertron, the ''[[Valiant (G1)|Valiant]]'' was targeted by missiles from the [[Civil Defense Hub]], though they were called off at the last second. Nonetheless, Skids and the rest of the armed assault squad prepared for immediate deployment upon landing. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part Five}}

Skids would later respond when Jhiaxus's ''[[Primum Fugae]]'' began attacking the [[Demon]]s and Dinobots indiscriminately and upon [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]'s orders, he and [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] began prepping the Dinobots for medevac. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 2}} During the invasion of the [[Hub (G2)|Hub Network]], Skids and a team of Autobots comprising [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]], [[Sky High (Pretender)|Sky High]], [[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]], and [[Getaway]] aboard the ''[[Lancer Two]]'' were shot down by [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]'s forces when they revealed their full defensive power. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 3}}
{{-}}

===Dinobots Strike Back===
{{notemultipath}}
{{note|In the first book in this series, Skids transforms into a red compact, matching the description of his toy's Honda City Turbo [[Alternate mode|alt-mode]] in one of its [[Diaclone]] color schemes. He is apparently even smaller than Bumblebee}}
[[File:DinobotsStrikeBackBumbleandSkidsinSub.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Seen here pouting because he gets no screen time.]]
Although Skids had reported the strange electromagnetic readings he'd been getting from [[Dolphin's Bay]] even before [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] sent [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] to [[Bandit's Bluff]] to remove the [[cerebro-shell]]s from the rampaging [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], it took [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock's]] report that evening to prompt Optimus to have Skids investigate it for possible Decepticon activity. Prime chose [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] to accompany him in [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack's]] [[Star mini-submarine|new mini-submarine]], but wasn't sure whether to assign [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] to the mission as well, since Skids clearly didn't want him along.

If Prime left Sludge out, Skids celebrated by absentmindedly crashing into [[Mount Lomas]], crumpling his hood and causing Bumblebee to notice a suspicious trail in the woods. If the pair followed it instead of continuing to the bay, they walked into a trap set by [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] and [[Gravedigger]], who disassembled Bumblebee and Skids to serve as the first components of the [[Autobot Memorial Power Plant]].

If they continued to Dolphin's Bay and the sub, Skids traced electromagnetic waves back to some [[black coral]], then hacked into a Decepticon computer and learned of a plot to convert the coral into superfuel. Bumblebee then exited the hatch to break a piece off, triggering an explosion which trapped him in a canyon beneath broken columns of crimson coral. Without underwater gear, Skids had only two options: If he went back to the channel for help, Seaspray used his laser to free Bumblebee, then tried to sail back to the Ark, only to have Starscream blow all three of them up with a cluster bomb. If Skids tried translating some nearby [[dolphin]]s' language, he succeeded in five minutes, talking the three largest dolphins into moving the broken coral. Skids and Bumblebee brought the black coral and his report back to Optimus Prime, ensuring an Autobot victory.

If Prime ''did'' include Sludge, Skids, and Bumblebee made it to the bay first, then used the sub to track the readings to an underwater cave. Bumblebee entered it, radioed Skids about Operation Black Coral, then failed to reemerge. If Skids chose to return to the Ark for help, two possible endings saw an Autobot assault save Bumblebee and destroy the Decepticons' base. If Skids tried to radio Bumblebee, the sub was promptly hit by a sonic attack from Frenzy, making it go haywire and tear through the bay. Whether Skids tried to stop it by activating the backup systems or shorting the controls out with his electron blaster, he was saved by Sludge, ensuring an Autobot victory in two more endings. {{storylink|Dinobots Strike Back}}

===3H comics===
[[File:Skidswreckers2.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|In the context of science, "theory" does not mean "guess" or "hunch", Rodimus. You should probably pay attention.]]
Several months after the defeat of [[Unicron]] in 2005, Skids was among the senior scientists (including [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Quickmix (G1)|Quickmix]], and [[Rad (G1)|Rad]]) who questioned [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]]'s plan to send out the best of the remaining Autobot science and research members to establish deep-space reconnaissance posts. {{storylink|Betrayal}}
{{-}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
8.2 million years ago, Skids was in the [[Chamber of the Ancients]], observing the ceremony in which [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optronix]] was given the [[Matrix of Leadership]] and transformed into [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. Immediately, three Decepticon assassins attacked, and though Skids acted to protect the new Prime, his arm was cut off by [[Umbra]]. {{storylink|The War Within issue 1|The War Within #1}}

Skids was repaired and he returned to his post at the [[Decagon]]. While Prime was absent, Skids picked up radar of incoming Decepticon invaders and a transmission from the force's field commander, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. {{storylink|The War Within issue 2|The War Within #2}} Skids helped man auto-defenses from inside the Decagon and coordinated troops in the field. {{storylink|The War Within issue 3|The War Within #3}} Eventually, the Autobots' [[Omega Sentinel (G1)|Omega Sentinel]] units were destroyed. Picking up their personal weaponry, Skids and the other Autobots were all that was left to defend [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], and made a desperate last stand against Shockwave and his forces. {{storylink|The War Within issue 5|The War Within #5}} The Autobots were only spared from annihilation because Starscream at that point activated one of Cybertron's planetary engines. This caused a chain reaction, which crumbled Iacon into a crater, driving away the Decepticon forces. {{storylink|The War Within issue 6|The War Within #6}}

During the Dark Ages, when Optimus Prime and Megatron both disappeared into a prototype spacebridge, both factions splintered into several sub-groups. Skids served under [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]'s faction of Autobots. {{storylink|Fragmentation (G1)|Fragmentation}} Together, they investigated reports that the Decepticons were in the process of building a mobile fortress, only to find [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] already completed and battle-ready in the [[Praetorus Wharf]]. {{storylink|Devastation}} Finding that nothing they threw at the giant Decepticon had any effect, the Autobots tried to outrun it instead. Skids hid in a nearby building, onto which Trypticon jumped to crush him. {{storylink|Revelation (The Dark Ages)|Revelation}} Though battered by the incident, Skids managed to survive it, and was brought back to [[Autobase]] for repairs. As [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] was tending to his wounds, The Fallen broke into the Autobots' headquarters, reappropriated [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] from one of their holding cells, and took off. {{storylink|Confrontation (issue)|Confrontation}} Once The Fallen's base of operations was uncovered, Skids joined a cross-faction army in rushing it to put an end to the ancient Transformer's scheme. Ultimately, The Fallen was defeated by the power of [[Primus]] himself, and all factions agreed to keep the chamber The Fallen had tried to breach sealed to prevent anyone from further abusing the power held within it. {{storylink|Conflagration}}

At some point, Ultra Magnus took command of the Autobots, and reunited them into a single faction. Under his leadership, the Autobots gained a significant hold over Cybertron's resources and territories. This eventually forced the [[Ultracon]]s and Shockwave's Decepticons to sign a peace treaty with the Autobots. Skids was in attendance at the signing of the truce, which was interrupted by a bombing, engineered by Starscream and his Predacons. This act of aggression only served to unite the Autobots, Ultracons, and Decepticons however, who struck back against Starscream's troops. A united Cybertron finally seemed within reach... that is, until Megatron made a dramatic return, accompanied by an army of [[Air Warrior]]s. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath}} Megatron quickly took over the planet, and enslaved the majority of Autobots. Skids was among the many unfortunates captured, and put to work in [[Internment Camp Pi]]. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath Pt.2}}

{{note|Due to [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s closure, the end of its''War Within'' series was never published. Years later, [[Simon Furman]] released the unpublished scripts to the final three issues. Within said issues, Optimus would return to Cybertron, and the Autobots would be freed from slavery.}}

Skids was not among the Autobots who traveled to Earth aboard the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], remaining behind on Cybertron as the planet slipped into the deactivated state known as the [[Great Shutdown]]. When Shockwave began reactivating the planet and successfully unified the Autobot and Decepticon factions, Skids was a member of the council of Autobots who served to represent their faction in the alliance. Few of the council members were actually suited for leadership, however, and slowly found themselves giving more and more control to Shockwave. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}} Even when Perceptor presented the council with evidence that Shockwave was performing immoral experiments on fellow Cybertronians, the High Council was unwilling to take any constitutional action against Shockwave.{{storylink|Cold War (issue)|Cold War}} Eventually, the example shown by the Ark's returning crew and several homegrown Autobot insurgency cells tore the blinders from the council's optics, and Skids gathered his fellow councilmen in taking to the streets and ousting the Decepticons from power. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}}

===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''===
[[File:Skids BlackHorizon1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3]]
During an Autobot peace ceremony on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Skids reported to [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] that [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], and [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] had yet to find the Autobots and [[G.I. Joe (team)|Joes]] that had gone missing while chasing [[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]] Their conversation was then interrupted due to a Decepticon attack. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 3|The Art of War #3}}

Skids was later stationed on the ''[[Arc II]]'' on Earth, where he helped his comrades in the field by warning them about incoming G.I. Joe [[S.H.A.R.C.]]s. When the ship came under attack by the [[Pretender Monster]]s, Skids was knocked out by [[Icepick (G1)|Icepick]] while alerting the others on board. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 1 of 2}} He was sent to [[Pit (G.I. Joe)|the Pit]] for repairs and was expected to quickly recover from his injuries. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 2 of 2}}
{{-}}

===''TransTech''===
In an Offworld Zone of [[Axiom Nexus]], a Skids was yet another victim of [[Bulletbike (TransTech)|Bulletbike]], murdered for a cred-key. {{storylink|I, Lowtech}}

===''The Beast Within''===
During a particularly violent brawl between the Autobots and Decepticons, Skids could do nothing but avert his eyes as [[Beast (G1)|The Beast]] began distributing wanton carnage onto the battlefield. {{storylink|The Beast Within}}

Later, Skids was amongst the few Autobot survivors still intact despite the brutality of the battle. He and a small number of surviving Autobots rode in Optimus Prime’s trailer in a desperate effort to outrun The Beast. He was then killed when the Beast took a swipe at Optimus’s trailer, crushed utterly in The Beast’s monstrous paw. {{storylink|The Beast Within Part 2, Consequences}}
{{-}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
[[File:Skidsbacksoff.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.66|-gulp-]]
Before the [[Great War (G1)|war]], '''Skids of [[Nova Cronum]]''' trained as a theoretician at [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Senator Shockwave]]'s [[Jhiaxian Academy of Advanced Technology|Academy of Advanced Technology]], {{storylink| Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} secretly recruited to the school because of his status as an "[[outlier]]" with special powers—in Skids's case, a "super-learning" ability that allowed him to master many skills. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}} He was present at the academy on the day that [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] and [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] arrived to take Shockwave into protective custody, and his attempt to stop them was quickly quashed when the towering Roller intimidated him into silence. {{storylink| Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} It was not long, however, before Skids's teacher returned and recruited him and classmates "[[Tarn (DJD)|Glitch]]" and [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] for a plan formulated by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] to steal a bomb disguised as the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] from [[Nominus Prime]]'s body as it lay in the [[Primal Basilica]]. Skids was somewhat disappointed that his sole contribution to the plan was not one of his many skills, but merely the fact he had a grappling hook in his arm that they could use to lower Pax into the Basilica. Despite a minor snag when the technology-disrupting Glitch accidentally jammed his hook's winch, the mission was a success. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}}

Unfortunately, the aftermath of the mission meant the outliers and Pax had to go on the run. Out in the [[Alyon]] region, they discovered a new "hot spot" for infant sparks which looked like the Hand of Primus (or, for Skids, ''was definitely'' the Hand of Primus). [[Zeta Prime|Zeta]], their man in Iacon, warned them the Senate wanted to destroy the spot to stop the [[Functionist Council]] exploiting it and so the fugitives had to fight off the [[Elite Guard]] repeatedly. Time-travellers under [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]] popped up and, when Skids mistook them for reinforcements from Zeta, rapidly claimed that. They saved the day but the time travellers wiped everyone's memories after... unfortunately including memories that Roller was missing in action. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|All Our Parlous Yesterdays}}

[[File:mtmte 48 grindcore.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|What did I do last night?]]
After graduating to full-fledged theoretician status, Skids went on to join the Autobot army. Shortly after the [[Simanzi Massacre]], when the planet still was cooling, he became a bomb negotiator: disabling the [[anti-personal mine]]s made out of Autobot prisoners so they could die without going off. This ended when he made the mistake of mentioning Primus to the unfortunate [[Heavy Tread]], who detonated himself in a rage that anyone could believe in a god that did this to him. When Skids came to, he was a Decepticon prisoner and off to the notorious [[Grindcore (prison)|Grindcore gulag]] with a "[[Inhibitor spike|mouth flower]]" inside his mouth that would destroy his [[Brain module|brain]] if if he dared transform.

Skids used his outlier learning skills to disable the "flower", having seen how the guards put it in, and began pumping his cellmate [[Quark]] for info. This brought him to the attention of the camp commandant, {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} who turned out to be his old friend Glitch in an upgraded body. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}} Glitch, in an act of basic sadism, decided to make a project out of the religious 'bot. He asked Skids to repair Grindcore's teleporter, promising it would mean fifty prisoners would be sent to Decepticon colony world [[Ambervalia]] to work as slaves. Skids told Quark that this was collaboration that would help and the fifty would be better as slave workers than at the prison; and while he didn't say outright, Skids was relaxed around the Commandant and felt he could try and make demands for more prisoners sent to the colonies, assuming he could half-trust his old friend even if he had switched side. What he did not realise until it was too late was that Glitch had been making him rebuild the camp ''smelting chamber''... something he learned only after demanding Quark get to be 'teleported'. Skids' faith died as he was forced to watch fifty Autobots die horrific deaths because of him. The memory was so traumatic that he overwrote it {{storylink|Speak, Memory! (Part 2)}} and the only thing he remembered of it in his missing months was "[[The Empyrean Suite]]", unable to remember the name or that this was the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] leader's favourite music to play during a massacre. {{storylink|Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|Who's Afraid of the DJD?}} That leader, of course, was Glitch under the ''nomme de guerre'' of Tarn.

Skids used to have an [[Amica Endura]] called [[Chopper (G1)|Chopper]]. They broke up because Chopper was "an absolute arse". {{storylink|The Frail Gaze}}

[[File:Getaway Skids ArmTheLonely.jpg|thumb|left|He's been trained to kick your ass. Theoretically, of course.]]
Long into the war he joined the [[Diplomatic Corps]], working to persuade other races to support the Autobot cause. {{storylink|Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|Who's Afraid of the DJD?}} At some point, he disappeared and was believed dead, {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}} but had, in fact, become part of [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]]'s covert [[Special Operations]]. Partnered with [[Getaway]], he was sent to attempt an "assassination" on [[Tyrest (G1)|Tyrest]], using a [[nudge gun]] to implant the impulse to resign in the Chief Justice's mind. The plan failed, and Skids was only able to escape using a shuttle made from [[mode lock]]ed [[Legislator]]s. Using the nudge gun's other charge, Skids erased his own memory after setting the shuttle to home in on the nearest of his handlers, the [[Duobot]]s. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}}

[[File:LiarsAtoD2-Skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|How do you like me now?]]
It was in this amnesiac state that he arrived on the planet where the ''[[Lost Light]]'' had crashed. Abruptly, the mode lock deactivated and the ship began transforming, so Skids made an impulsive decision: he reactivated the lock, sent the ship crashing into the surface, and bailed out. Making it to the ground safely, Skids found himself under attack from the Legislators that had made up his ship — though one of them had been killed in the crash, the other two were coming after him with giant swords and fire breath. Skids came upon the deceased bodies of two Autobots who had failed to survive the ''Lost Light'' crash—[[Hyperion (G1)|Hyperion]] and [[Polaris]]—and used their weapons and abilities to eliminate another of the pursuing robots. Running from the lone survivor, Skids came upon a small party of Autobots from the ''Lost Light'', who deactivated the inhibitor claw for him, allowing him to access his weapons and destroy last Legislator. Skids was invited to join the crew of the ''Lost Light'', though he was less than enthusiastic about [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]]'s proposition that the pair of them should team up. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}}

[[File:LiarsAtoD3-RungSkids.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|MEANWHILE IN A 20 MILE RADIUS OF THIS EVENT]]
When a [[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeater]] got loose aboard the ''Lost Light'', requiring the crew to be sealed in their quarters, Skids, decided to exploit his missing memories to entirely reinvent himself. Deciding he disliked confinement, he left through the ventilation system. Drawn by [[Rung (G1)|Rung]]'s cries, he saved the psychiatrist from a close call with the Sparkeater, and at [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]]'s request, led the creature through the vents to the engine room where Rodimus disposed of it. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}} As a celebration of the death of the Sparkeater, Swerve opened a [[Swerve's|bar]] where Skids got drunk together with [[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]]. He failed to notice that Chromedome stole his gun while he was messing around with his grappling hook and a server-robot. {{storylink|Life After the Big Bang}} {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} After attending a ceremony to commend Chromedome, [[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]] and [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] on recent heroics, {{storylink|The Reluctant Specialist}} Skids was next spotted still hanging out at the bar with some other Autobots as [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] put Chromedome's ability to identify an Autobot based on their transformation sound to the test. {{storylink|Interiors}} He later tried to comfort Swerve following his accidental shooting of Rung. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}}

When a swarm of [[Nanocon]]s that had lain dormant inside [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]]'s body were mysteriously reactivated, Skids and a few others were shrunk by Brainstorm's mass-displacement gun and sent inside Magnus to eliminate them. Once that was dealt with, Skids attended [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]]'s Autobot Initiation Ceremony, during which he relayed Swerve's report from the engine room that dead crewmember [[Ore]] had come back to life. The chaos only continued when Skids and a team of Autobots were abruptly teleported by [[Galactic Council]] to the planet [[Theophany]], there to investigate the razing of [[Crystal City]]. Beneath the city, they found a slumbering [[Titan (IDW)|Titan]], leading to discussions on the Transformers' creation myths and the meaning of life; Skids and Chromedome shared a belief that life was shaped not by destiny or gods, but by interactions with others. Skids theorized that both the Nanocons and Ore had come back to life thanks to the psychic emanations of the Metrotitan, then helped [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] fend off the Galactic Council's forces until the Autobots could free the Metrotitan, which teleported them all back to the ''Lost Light'' and quantum-jumped the ship to safety. {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}}

[[File:CybertronianHomesickBlues-SkidsRung.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|"Legs: Yes. Bow-tie: Cool...I can buy a fez."]]
Inspired by their talk, Skids requested that Chromedome use his [[mnemosurgery]] to unlock his lost memories; Chromedome discovered that only Skids's last year of memories had been erased, while the others had been repressed by a trauma so horrific he did not dare restore them. Chromedome was, however, able to identify the music in his head as the "The Empyrean Suite", and hoped Skids would never learn its significance. {{storylink|Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|Who's Afraid of the DJD?}}

Skids was among the group of Autobots gathered by [[Rewind (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rewind]] in Swerve's bar to help tell a story to aid in Rung's mental recovery. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|Post Hoc}} When his old altercation with Roller came up, Whirl called him a wuss, and he countered that his skills as a theoretician wouldn't have been useful in a fight. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} At the culmination of the story Rung still showed no signs of recovery...until Skids deliberately mispronounced his name a couple of times, prompting the psychiatrist to speak and correct him. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}} The storytelling session was brought to an end by the sounding of alarm to ready the crew for a battle with Decepticons on the planet [[Temptoria]]; during the fight, Skids, Chromedome and [[Steeljaw (G1)|Steeljaw]] battled [[Overkill (G1)|Overkill]]. {{storylink|Before & After}} Later, to unwind, Skids joined the crew of the ''Lost Light'' on some "shore leave" on the planet [[Hedonia]], where he tried out his new personality-generated [[holomatter]] avatar, only to find his amnesia kept it from creating a fake identity for him. As the group played the "Nemesis Game", Skids identified [[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] as his worst enemy, and then wound up getting into a drunken brawl with [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]]. {{storylink|Cybertronian Homesick Blues}} Skids bought Rodimus a [[Galactic Council]] captain's hat as a souvenir of the trip. {{storylink|Signal to Noise}}

[[File:TheFecundMoon-Skids.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|Skids kind of lost it a bit after Charlene left.]]
When the mass-murdering Decepticon [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] ran wild on the ship, Skids joined in the futile effort to hold back his rampage. {{storylink|Under Cold Blue Stars}} Overlord was ejected from the ship thanks to the sacrifice of Rewind, and Skids tried to console Chromedome over the loss of his lover, only to find that the mnemosurgeon was eerily calm about the whole thing. {{storylink|The Gloaming}} When the ''Lost Light'' encountered the long lost satellite [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]], Skids got Chromedome to accompany the band of Autobots heading to the surface to see if the satellite had a way to return Skids's memories. He went to the ship's oil reservoir for some alone time, where he was attacked by a number of [[Legislator]]s. {{storylink|Remain in Light 1 of 5: The Fecund Moon|The Fecund Moon}} While he managed to hold them off long enough for Swerve to arrive to help, a [[Star Saber (Victory)|mysterious and enigmatic robot]] appeared behind him, and impaled him with a large sword. {{storylink|Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|House of Ambus}}

Fortunately for Skids, he survived this, and was later teleported by Star Saber into a cell which contained Rodimus' crew. Perceptor examined his wound, while Swerve explained what happened to them. After Skids said that he would apologize for whatever he had done to Tyrest, Star Saber returned to the cell, carrying his [[Getaway|"Partner in crime"]] with him. Chromedome then explained that when he read Skids' mind, he had done it wrong, and misinterpreted the remnant memory as an "Imperative to escape". In actuality though, it was a name, Getaway. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} Getaway was able to fill Skids in on his lost memories of their ill-fated mission to change Tyrest's mind, and explained Tyrest's mad plan to reach [[Cyberutopia]]. With the newcomer's help, Skids and the others were freed from the cell and confronted Tyrest, only to be incapacitated by the lawmaker's suggestion weapon. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}}

Thanks to Tailgate, the suggestion weapon was disabled, and Skids cuffed [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]], only for the medic to promptly escape when his back was turned. The Autobots caught up with him at Tyrest's gate to Cyberutopia, but only Skids, finally at peace with himself, was able to step through the guilt-detecting force field. He found himself standing on a strange landscape being talked to by a multi-colored [[spark]]. On hearing cries for help from Rung, he dashed back through the portal to help fight the Legislators until Tailgate was able to shut them down with some amendments to the law. {{storylink|Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|This Calamitous Life}}

Once everything was over, he tried telling Rodimus what he saw, but he couldn't make sense of all it. {{storylink|The Sound of Breaking Glass}} Not helping was the fact that whatever he saw proved difficult to remember for any length of time. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}}

Before the ''Lost Light'' left Luna 1, Skids played a film compiled by Rewind to detail the ship's voyage. Unfortunately the film failed to impress the members of the [[Circle of Light]] who rejected any notion of joining the crew. {{storylink|Little Victories}}

Skids was among the Autobots who welcomed Orion Pax and his team aboard the ''Lost Light''. Swerve remarked to him how weird [[Garnak|some]] of Pax's crew were. {{storylink|Dark Dawn: Dark Cybertron Chapter 1|Dark Dawn}} Skids was later seen having a drink at Swerve's {{storylink|Black Metal: Dark Cybertron Chapter 2|Black Metal}} When the ''Lost Light'' was assaulted by [[Ammonite]]s, Skids met up with Getaway and Ultra Magnus to help organize a counterattack. Skids hesitantly suggested that they use the [[Rodpod]] to fight back. Despite the other's and his own concerns about damaging it and making Rodimus angry, they ended up boarding and using the vessel. Skids piloted the craft, and used it to defend the ship's fuel quills, while blasting Ammonites that attempted to combine. Skids was forced to pilot the Rodpod away from the battle when a group of Ammonites combined and gave chase to them. In an attempt to lose them, he piloted the vessel into what appeared to be an abyss, but was really the optical cavity of [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] {{storylink|Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|Into the Abyss}}

As everyone else tried to figure out where Metroplex's eye had gotten to, Getaway had a minor breakdown over the fact that A: they were inside someone's eye canal, and B: they were in a spaceship shaped like someone's head. Skids consoled him and said it was best to just roll with it. The group took Ratchet's suggestion to find Metroplex's brain, only on arrival in his brain chamber found it was surprisingly absent. In light of that, they decided to go find his spark instead. As they approached, Whirl noticed the flooding had been sealed off, which surprised Skids.

On setting down, Getaway quickly found an arrow pointing toward the spark chamber, which everyone decided to follow. Skids was the one to ask whether they would lock the Rodpod, which no-one else was concerned about. The arrows took everyone on a strange course through Metroplex's interior, until they came upon... the Rodpod again. Before Whirl could properly blame the ship, an Ammonite appeared, and blew it up. {{storylink|No Exit: Dark Cybertron Chapter 6|No Exit}} Fortunately, they were saved by a wall appearing to block the explosion, at which point Skids realized the purpose of the arrows: Metroplex was moving his interior about, and the odd journey the arrows had taken them on was because the direction they were meant to be pointed had change too. Then, they received a call from Swerve informing them to avoid the water, or they'd contract an alchemical virus and die horribly, and worse than that, two thousand Ammonites were heading their way. As Magnus gave orders to barricade the room, Whirl turned out an Ammonite, having beaten an explanation out of him. However, when the little guy told them who he was working for, he promptly self-destructed. Before everyone present could dwell on that, [[Chromia (G1)|two]] [[Nautica (G1)|newcomers]] appeared and told them to surrender. {{storylink|The Dead Are Not Enough: Dark Cybertron Chapter 7|The Dead Are Not Enough}}

Before Getaway could charm the two fellow Autobots, several Ammonites burst through the walls. While Ultra Magnus,Ratchet and Brainstorm went off with their new friends, Skids stayed behind to fight off the attackers (that he was being mobbed by several of them anyway probably helped). As Skids fought, Metroplex was recharged by the ''Lost Light's'' engines, and transported himself back to Cybertron. {{storylink|Burning Bright: Dark Cybertron Chapter 8|Burning Bright}} This didn't get rid of the Ammonites, though. That took Megatron giving the titan his missing thumb, containing the Regenesis Ore-7, which healed him and reactivated his immune system, killing the Ammonites dead. {{storylink|Finis Temporis: Dark Cybertron Chapter 9|Finis Temporis}}

In the apparent aftermath of Shockwave's scheme, Skids and Getaway relaxed in Swerve's, and were witness to Swerve suffering a bad bout of hero worship when Blurr walked in. The celebrations were rudely interrupted when Shockwave made his move, summoning all the Ammonites to attack Cybertron. {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}} Fortunately, Bumblebee had a plan of taking the fight to Shockwave. Skids was included in the team to be sent, thanks to his secret-agent-know-how. Getting to Shockwave's base of operations in the Crystal City seemed impossible, until Starscream showed up with [[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]], who managed to get them there. On arrival, the group was attacked by Bludgeon. Ultra Magnus offered to hold him off, and Skids decided to volunteer his skills as well, along with a suddenly poorly Brainstorm. However, Skids's outlier abilities weren't able to match Bludgeon's mastery of metallikato, and he quickly wound up stabbed. Fortunately, Brainstorm's unease turned out to be Optimus Prime, Rodimus, Cyclonus, Kup, and Nightbeat using the Dead Universe portal in his chest to escape that dying realm.{{storylink|Black Planet: Dark Cybertron Chapter 11|Black Planet}} They quickly mopped up Bludgeon, but Cyclonus' injuries meant someone had to help Brainstorm haul him back to his lab. While this meant Skids had to miss the climactic showdown, he did get to see time itself falling to pieces in the sky above Cybertron. That, and Rodimus managing to play on Brainstorm's insecurities. {{storylink|...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|...And the Damage Done}}

Once the crisis was truly over, Skids decamped to [[Moonbase Two|Luna 2]] to watch [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]]'s trial. Evidently, he was not dissuaded from rejoining the ''Lost Light'' on its quest once the former Decepticon Leader was added to the ranks, and he set off again, this time coming along of his own volition. Six months into the quest, he was sufficiently worried to pay a visit to the widowed Chromedome with Nightbeat, though their friend remained secluded in his hab suite and Nightbeat's interest was quickly derailed, to Skids' dismay. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} Shortly thereafter, he, [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]], and [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] all shot the bull about the ship's new gossip mag, the ''Lost Light Insider''. Though Nautica decided to exit before any rules were broken, she and Skids exchanged a bit of friendly banter before he and Riptide convinced the massively intoxicated Trailcutter to steal Megatron's "superfuel" out of the medibay. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}}.

When a pod containing the corpse of another Rodimus showed up, 'our' Rodimus called in Skids as part of his investigation team. Using all the facts, Skids and Chromedome worked out (wrongly as they'd soon learn!) that this was a near-future Roddy who'd die and be sent back in time, and Skids was left aghast by his leader's desperate attempts to 'change history' like lopping an arm off. Everything was then interrupted when the ship started to ''vanish'' around them {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}} and he was left stuck on a spaceship with Megatron (and Skids, who kept making snide asides when he was trying to listen). Soon, the Autobots on board began to disappear one by one and everyone had to reveal personal secrets in an attempt to figure out what was the common denominator. (In the process, Skids helped fill in Nautica on [[M.T.O.]]s and expressed his distaste for High Command's lack of interest in educating the "warborn".)

After realising only the launch crew were disappearing, the newbies like Skids found the ''Lost Light'' returned but in ruins! {{storylink|Twenty Plus One}} He agreed with Riptide that this must be the future ''Light'' that dead-Rodimus had come from and worried that the evidence they found meant they bring back the crew, only for the ship to be ripped apart. In an investigation, they came across a dead Ultra Magnus, one killed by a [[fusion cannon]], and Skids turned on Megatron, believing this showed he was going to inevitably turn on them! To his disquiet, when Megatron immediately requested to be locked up until all the facts were gone, he felt ''bad''' about doing it. As he admitted to Getaway during their search, he worried he was going to stop hating the killer.

[[File:MTMTE33 megatron skids right there.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|Look at you! Is this what you signed up for!?!]]
The search found yet more corpses and to Skids horror, they had all been executed and their transformation cogs removed: acts that revealed the ship had been butchered by the [[Decepticon Justice Division]]. Luckily for all concerned, the discovery of a still-alive Rewind {{storylink|slaughterhouse}} proved this ''wasn't'' the future ''Lost Light'' but a duplicate of the 'real' one. Skids rushed to Rewind as he came through, making sure the guy was okay and filled in on things like Megatron-the-Autobot, and was pissed when Nightbeat pushed Rewind too soon to explain what had happened to the ship. That was how they learned the copy was created when the ship launched, thanks to an issue with the quantum engines, and ''exactly'' what hell Rewind had gone through. Said quantum engines were also leaking, endangering a nearby organic planet, and Skids knew they ahd to act. When Megatron refused to, bothered at the idea of risking his life for a handful of fleshy strangers, Skids tore into him for violating what the Autobrand stood for and that if being an Autobot ''didn't'' force him to modify his behaviour instead of getting what he wanted, then none of his 'rehab' meant a damn.

A brief aside from Getaway gave Skids an idea of how to save the planet: using a mass displacement gun he knew Brainstorm had been making to shrink down someone to help already-tiny Rewind fix the engines. That was a bust. Nothing was found except proof that ''Brainstorm was secretly a Decepticon spy'' but no time for that now, Skids! To Skids' amazement and joy though, his bollocking had worked and a guilty Megatron admitted he could be rigged to downsize and thus he could help Rewind. Skids thanked him. Once the damage was fixed, the duplicate ''Lost Light'' vanished and the 'real' one started to come back, and a happy Skids told a returning Chromedome to head up to the roof where Rewind was waiting. {{storylink|slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken|The Road Not Taken}}

Oh yeah, that Brainstorm thing. Turned out he was going back in time to change history, which was going to result in [[Functionist Universe|a hideous dystopia]], and the time travellers sent to bring him back ended up running into an early Skids.{{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|All Our Parlous Yesterdays}} Things turned out fine in the end! While time-travelling, Rodimus tried to warn the past "don't let them [the Legislators] take Skids" but nobody heard it, which was good as Cyclonus pointed out that Skids being captured turned out to be necessary for saving half the Cybertronian race. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|How to Say Goodbye and Mean It}} {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|Predestination: An Expert's Guide}}

Skids' friendly nature struck a chord with [[Ten]], the former [[Legislator]] turned into a bartender. In a mural of Ten's favourite crewmembers, Skids was in the front. A further friendship was struck up when Ratchet asked Skids to chat with Rung some time, as the guy would truly appreciate being visited by someone who didn't want help from him; when Skids bought Rung a drink, the therapist was surprised and delighted. {{storylink|Our Steps Will Always Rhyme}}

[[File:MTMTE42 dance dance skidsvolution.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|''What a feeling'' ''Being's believing'']]
Skids, Getaway, and Brainstorm all hung out at Nautica's, showing off their cool skillz and generally hanging. When Rung came up, Skids was bothered by Getaway dissing the guy, but they didn't have time to discuss Getaway's passive aggressive whiny defence of it as news came in that Thunderclash was dying and everyone was invited to the pre-wake on the ''Vis Vitalis''. {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} During the party, Getaway asked him if he wanted to mutiny against Megatron. Skids declined... and had his mind wiped with the nudge gun. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}} Believing his splitting headache to be too much partying, he decided to flump out at the ''Vitalis'' and get picked up tomorrow. {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} That made him a target for the parasitical [[personality tick]]s, secretly feeding off his energy! Not knowing why he was so tired {{storylink|The Frail Gaze}} he reached out to Nautica, sensing something was up with her, and she asked him {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} to teach her to dance. While busting a move, he coaxed out her issues with her old college friend [[Firestar (G1)|Firestar]] before the ticks begun a public rampage. After they were repulsed, Skids got better and everyone went back to the ''Light'' for a ''biiiig party at Sweeerve's!!!''

[[File:MTMTE43 skids swerve humans.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.0| Anything could be a Transformer!]]
Until Swerve suddenly vanished {{storylink|The Frail Gaze}} and a horrified Skids checked his room to find the bartender facedown, rusted, and half-dead from an infected wound. He rushed him to the medical bay for aid (inadvertently making him worse) and learned from [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] that Swerve had been holed up in his room for months, neglecting himself, and using a holomatter avatar to seem 'fine'. To Skids' great shame, he'd never visited Swerve—hadn't even known his ''room number'' until he remembered it was Red Alert's old one—and completely missed any chance to see one of his best friends needed help. He joined a rescue team sent to "[[Swearth]]", a vast hologram Earth operating on sitcom rules that Swerve was projecting, to find the guy's consciousness and fix him. In his new, brooding holomatter avatar, Skids and his friends did track down Swerve and tried to convince him to focus on the physical pain he was feeling, so they could realise where he was hurting. Skids, an expert in suppression, knew Swerve was pushing it down. Once they identified that Swerve was cripplingly lonely and depressed, they were able to convince him that he truly was loved and valued by them. {{storylink|The One Where They Go to Earth}}

Soon after, Skids went with a crew to check out the legendary [[Necrobot]]. He needled Nightbeat for having the 'debunking' itch and said that, while he no longer believed, he understood why other people were attracted to the idea that there was something after death. {{storylink|The Not Knowing}}

[[File:MTMTE48 skids and rung.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7| Tell me where Skywalker is.]]
Under incremental recollection sessions with Rung, where he also helped fix model ships as a focusing tool, Skids had finally managed to remember ''entering'' Grindcore if nothing else; while frustrated with the slow process, Rung admonished him that learning all of it in one go would re-traumatise him. While chatting, Skids was surprised to see the long-lost [[Froid]] appear. An old friend of yours, Rung? Well, I'll leave you to get caught up! (Off he went to brood at the oil pools, trying to remember more.) Within minutes Rung sent him a coded radio message to meet him at Froid's ship as something ''dodgy'' was going on but by the time Skids arrived, Rung had learned Froid had the infamous [[Sunder (G1)|Tetrahax Ripper, Sunder]], on board and that guy ''fed'' on bad memories. The very first sight of Skids woke Sunder up and caused him to attack, starting to rip up Skids' traumatic memories to the surface {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} before Rung could get him to safety. During the running battle against the serial killer, Rung kept trying to get Skids to Chromedome for memory suppression and Sunder duly followed them, constantly bringing up memories. Luckily Sunder was killed by the point Skids remembered repairing Grindcore's teleport chambers for Tarn and ''not'' by the point he'd remember how he'd killed five hundred souls.{{storylink|Speak, Memory! (Part 2)}}

When a small time window opened up in Swerve's, Skids used it to look back at the day the new crew members joined the ''Light'', a day that Trailcutter was still alive and openly happy. {{storylink|No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases}}

Skids had been part of Megatron's classes on the Knights of Cybertron and in one, to his surprise, Megatron showed the symbol that the strange spark being had 'said' to him back at possibly-Cyberutopia. Nautica advised him to write it out phoenetically to try and retain the knowledge of what it was, but everything was interrupted when Megatron and several others received bizarre messages coming from a distant planet. Rodimus assembled Skids with the rest of 'Team Rodimus' and they headed out to discover it was coming from the Necrobot's planet...

...where the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] and [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] were waiting. The Necrobot had been killed and the Autobots were forced to take refuge in his temple, now their makeshift fortress. And a message came in from ''Getaway'', telling them that the crew had mutinied against Megatron and all those considered loyal to him, so sick they were of having the killer around. Skids was enraged to discover his former friend had actually mindwiped him, an act he ''knew'' was a violation, to keep this a secret. When the message ended and the sheer horror sunk in, Skids embraced Nautica to console her. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}}

The DJD made their presence known by attacking the Necrobot's fortress before retreating... promising to return at sunset as part of their intimidation tactics. Skids weighed up their options with the other stranded crew members, suggesting that they dig in and devise an escape route. The Necrobot's body had revealed a key that unlocked a room filled with at least sixty organic creatures inside strange pods. Discussion arose whether to flee, or stay and defend the people inside the pods, but the Autobots ultimately decided to stand their ground. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 2: The Sun in Flight|The Sun in Flight}} Their forces were bolstered by the returning Drift and Ratchet, who had caught wind of their predicament through [[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]]. Skids had the awkward task of introducing Ratchet to his replacement. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 3: Your Fierce Tears|Your Fierce Tears}}

With death staring them in the face, Skids was one of the Autobots who Nautica assembled for the rite of [[Amica Endura]]. She opened her spark to them, recited the ritual, and told them all how they were valued. When Rung departed with Nightbeat to investigate the mystery of the Necroworld, Skids bade him a terse and awkward farewell. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 4: At Close of Day|At Close of Day}}

Shortly afterwards, Velocity hit on a potential way out: Tailgate's spark 'explosion', triggered by extreme trauma, had supercharged two security guards ala [[Ore-13]] and that could be done now! All it required was, er, someone willing to be traumatised. Skids offered himself up and pleaded with Chromedome to finally let him know about his deep, hidden trauma. His sad friend brought back all the memories of Grindcore and Skids' spark erupted. As his supercharged friends fought through the Decepticons, Ratchet worked to keep him stable as his spark shrank.

[[File:sleep tight, soldier.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|He's dead, Jim.]]
Unfortunately, Skids came to and crawled off his slab, desperate to find Brainstorm and apologise for Quark's death, feebly crying that he was "scum" for what he'd done. Ratchet was desperate to get him back on the slab before he died but Megatron, the only other person in the fort, had left to join the battle and there was nobody to help. Skids died in Ratchet's arms, only Brainstorm noticing as his friend's 'statue' winked out. After the Autobots retreated back to the Necrobot's fortress, a distraught Nautica embraced the corpse. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 5: Rage, Rage|Rage, Rage}} She stayed with it until at least the morning as events unfolded outside, {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}} and at some point removed its [[brain module]] for safe-keeping. {{storylink|An Axe to Break the Ice}}

In honor of Skids, the crew of the ''Lost Light'' painted their [[insignia|Autobot Insignias]] grey. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron|Some Other Cybertron}}

During a visit to [[Troja Major]], Nautica revealed that she was seeking a [[Resus Cradle]], a device that was said to be capable of reviving dead Cybertronians provided there were some form of remains for it to work with - the reason she had removed Skids' brain module from his corpse. {{storylink|An Axe to Break the Ice}}
{{-}}

===''Cloud''===
As an Autobot from [[Cloud World]], Skids was part of an inter-dimensional police force that kept the peace throughout the multiverse, while collecting excess energy to ensure the welfare of [[SARA]], the super-robotic being that allowed them access to other dimensions. When the Autobots' city of [[Metropolis]] came under attack from the Decepticons of the [[Underground (Cloud)|Underground]], Skids was stationed at the Autobots' Directorate of Operations to safeguard it as part of a garrison. But the Decepticons' rampage across multiple city districts had turned out to be nothing more than a distraction from their real scheme. [[Shockwave (G1)#Cloud|Shockwave]] and others forced their way into the Autobots' headquarters, catching the guards by surprise, and managed to make their escape with SARA in tow. After the Decepticons' retreat to the Underground, Optimus Prime called a meeting. Skids personally apologized for failing in his responsibility of protecting SARA. Optimus, however, took the blame onto himself for not having formulated a better strategy against the Decepticons. Optimus decided to head into the Underground himself to retrieve SARA. The other Autobots, unwilling to let their beloved leader go alone in this venture, all volunteered to join him. {{storylink|Resolve}}
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Fury (Cloud)|Fury}}}}

===''Q-Transformers'' cartoon===
[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] named Skids, [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]], and [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] as three characters who had been produced as toys for the popular ''[[Q-Transformers]]'' line. {{storylink|The Road to Winning a New Fanbase}}

====''Transformers Legends'' comic====
Skids was a member of the [[Skids Squadron]], a group of dimension-hopping versions of Skids led by [[#Transformers Legends comic|dimensional investigator Skids]], who summoned them to help force [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] out of the [[Legends Universe]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 20|Bonus Edition Vol. 20}}

==Games==
===3D Battle-Card Game===
Skids was one of [[Optimus Primal]]'s many Autobot allies in a fight against [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s Decepticon forces, in what might possibly have been an inter-universe battle. {{storylink|3D Battle-Card Game#Energon Wars expansion|Energon Wars Expansion Set}}

===''Transformers Legends''===
During the war on Cybertron, Skids was among a group of Autobots led by [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]], who went to [[Tyrest (polity)|Tyrest]] in an attempt to reason with [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. They were ambushed by the Decepticons, and Sentinel Prime was killed. {{storylink|The War Within}}

===''Transformers: Battle Tactics''===
[[File:BattleTacticsSkids.jpg|thumb|400px]]
Skids participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was an Rare character that could be recruited by collecting 130 units of Cybermetal, 75 units of Transmetal, and 45 hunter cores. {{storylink|Transformers: Battle Tactics}}

===''Transformers Operation Omega''===
{{charstubgames|{{storylink|Transformers Operation Omega}}}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
{{anchor|G1v1}}
[[File:G1 Skids toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Introducing the new Nikahimi Deathtrap. With its poly-cotton body shell, it's the fastest car in the world... to open with the jaws of life. The Nikahimi Deathtrap—the last car you'll ever drive.]]
*'''Skids''' (Autobot Car, 1985)
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets
:Skids began life as part of [[TakaraTomy]]'s ''[[Diaclone]]'' toyline, where he was known simply by the name of his [[alternate mode]], the [[wikipedia:Honda City Turbo|Honda City Turbo]], and was available in blue, red, or black color schemes (see [[#Notes|Notes]], below). The blue version of the figure was used by [[Hasbro]] as part of the ''Transformers'' toyline, sans [[Wikipedia:Honda_Motocompo|a small scooter accessory]] that the ''Diaclone'' figure had come with which stored inside his trunk. Despite sharing this common point of origin with many of his fellow Autobot cars, he features a few unusual touches: his rear wheels fold into his feet for added [[robot mode]] stability, and his weapons attach by clipping over his forearms, rather than plugging into his fists. Among his armament is a "rocket pod", the spring-loaded missile-firing mechanism of which was neutered for Hasbro's release of the figure.

:Because Skids was not one of the original eleven [[Autobot Cars]] released at the line's inception, he is commonly grouped in with the later 1985 Autobot Cars both fictionally and in the minds of [[fandom|fans]]. However, Skids was actually added to the 1984 assortment some time before the 1985 wave was released (December 1984 is the current earliest confirmed availability of the figure), during which time he came in 1984 packaging including a "TM" mark by the "Transformers" logo, rather than a "(R)" mark. Like the other 1984 cars, at least some of these early Skids releases lacked the [[rubsign]] on the roof that would later be added to all Transformers toys in 1985. He was also one of the ''rarest'' mass-release G1 figures, with just one Skids included per every ''two'' [[Case|shipping cases]].

:Skids has been reissued several times; this article lists each reissue separately where appropriate. This mold itself is a [[retool]] of an earlier ''Diaclone'' toy, the Honda City R; this earlier tooling was used to make [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] and the ''[[Transformers Generations 2009]]'' exclusive [[Screech (Generations)|Screech]].

::*''[http://www.transformerland.com/wiki/toy-info/transformers-g1-autobot-cars-skids/519/ Patent info, price guide, and further reading on Skids at Transformerland.com]''
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1985/Autobot/Skids/skids.htm More information on Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers''===
{{anchor|VSZ}}
[[File:G1toy vsz set.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"Maybe the kids will notice me now that I'm bundled together with two other guys?"]]
*'''Skids & Sunstreaker vs Buzzsaw''' (multi-pack, 1985)
**''ID number'': '''VSZ'''
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets
: Skids was not released on his own in the Japanese Generation 1 toyline, and was instead available only in a multi-pack with [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], which was also the only way to get the other two on the Japanese market at the time. This box set remains a considerable rarity on the secondary market.
{{-}}

{{anchor|QuantumOperativeToy}}
[[File:G1toy quantum operative skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|You sure you can call this an homage?]]
*'''Skids & Screech Quantum Operative Ver.''' (exclusive multi-pack, 2009)
**''Accessories:'' "Material acceleration pistol", dual-barreled gun, "quantum shield" launcher, 3 rockets, scooter

:"Quantum Operative" Skids is a green redeco of the original Generation 1 toy, available in conjunction with his [[#Encore|''Encore'' release (below)]], and including for the first time the scooter accessory that was eliminated from the ''Diaclone'' toy for his original Transformers release. He was sold in a set with [[Screech (Generations)|Screech]] that was a mail-away [[exclusive]] available only with volume 3 of [[Hero-X|Million Publishing]]'s ''[[Transformers Generations 2009]]''. While Skids's colors are an homage to ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (franchise)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]], Screech is likewise a match for Skids's twin [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]].

:Amusingly, the color scheme for this exclusive was accidentally revealed early by TakaraTomy when they [[:File:Encore Skids Tokyo Toy Show 2009.jpg|mistakenly included its missile launcher]], denoted by its bright green launching tab, with the normal ''Encore'' version that was on display at Tokyo Toy Show 2009.<ref name="internat">[http://www.allspark.com/content/view/5790/20/ TakaraTomy Accidentally Gives Clue to TF Generations Vol. 3 Mail Away Figure?!]</ref>
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Cybertron/Skids/skids.htm More information on Quantum Operative Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===The Transformers Collection===
[[File:TF Collection 3 Skids.jpg|thumb|"Oh boy, a reissue! Now people are ''actually'' going to notice me!"]]
*'''Skids''' (reissue, [[2002]]-[[September 27|09-27]])
**''ID number'': '''3'''
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets

:Skids received his first reissue in 2002, when [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] made him available as part of their "book-box" ''[[The Transformers Collection|Transformers Collection]]'' series, surprising many with the inclusion of such an overlooked character so early in the line. He features no significant differences from the original (save for a working missile launcher, as with the original Japanese release), though the figure suffered from a common, if not universal, problem: an excess of plastic on the underside of Skids's right foot means that his rear wheel can not fold down flat beneath it, resulting in a slightly unstable robot mode. Since the original Japanese figure was released only in a giftset, Skids did not get a [[List of Japanese ID numbers|Japanese ID number]] at the time, a situation this reissue rectifies by retroactively giving him the ID number '''96''' on the included [[Tech Spec]] and [[bio]] card.

:The aforementioned Crosscut was released exclusively through [[e-HOBBY]] in conjunction with this reissue.

::*''[http://www.tf-1.com/articles/reissue/Skids_template.html More information on Transformers Collection Skids at TF-1.com]
{{-}}

===Commemorative Series===
[[File:G1toy commemorative skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"Whoa, two reissues! Good old Skids is moving up in life!"]]
*'''Skids''' (reissue, 2004)
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets

:Skids got his first Hasbro reissue as part of the eighth wave of their ''[[The Transformers: Generation One Commemorative Series|Commemorative Series]]'' line, [[exclusive]] to [[Toys"R"Us]] stores. He features no notable differences from the earlier Takara ''Transformers Collection'' release, except for the fact that his launcher's spring has been removed.
{{-}}

===Alternators/Binaltech===
[[File:Alt Skids toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Heavily clearanced so fanboys could customize him into Ironhide.]]
{{anchor|Alt}}
*'''Autobot Skids''' (2005)
**''Alternator ID number'': '''17'''
**''Japanese ID number'': '''BT-16'''
**''Accessories'': Engine-rifle

:Skids transforms into a 1:24-scale blue Scion xB. All four doors open, revealing a fully-detailed realistic interior with seats for a driver and passengers, plus his hood pops open to reveal his engine. His robot mode is very reminiscent of his original toy, with his head sculpt based off his animation model with toy details. His engine pops out and unfolds to become his hand-held pistol.

:The Hasbro ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]]'' release (part of the first wave of new "bubble packaging" toys) differs from the [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] ''Binaltech'' release in that it has a much darker shade of blue, tinted windows, and various Scion-type tampographed flame decals. The Japanese release naturally has die cast metal parts, is painted a lighter shade of blue, and has different paint decos. It also includes a sheet of stickers, including flames resembling the ones printed on the ''Alternators'' version, as well as some Generation-1-style red stripes, and most humorously, a Japanese "New Driver" badge.

:This mold was also used to make ''[[The Transformers: Binaltech Asterisk|Binaltech Asterisk]]'' [[Blaster (G1)/toys#Binaltech Asterisk|Broadblast]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Autobot/AltSkids/skids.htm More information on ''Alternators'' Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Encore===
[[File:G1toy encore skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"Three reissues?! Wow, I must be really popular by this point, r-right?"]]
*'''Skids''' (reissue, 2009)
**''ID number:'' '''18'''
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets

:TakaraTomy reissued Skids again in October 2009 as part of their ''[[Transformers Encore]]'' series. This version of the figure shifted its colors a little, changing him from tomato-red and blue to cherry-red and blueish-purple, as well as noticeably lightening the translucent blue plastic used for his windows. His Autobot symbol and tail light stickers were replaced with [[tampograph]]s, while some of his other stickers were updated slightly, including his factory-applied front grill sticker. Like past reissues, this figure too suffered with an unstable robot mode, and ''both'' feet had wheels that would not fold away flat.
{{-}}

===Generations===
[[File:Generations Skids.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|The theoretician the world deserves, not the one it needs right now.]]
*'''Autobot Skids''' (Deluxe, 2013)
**''Series / Number'': '''02 / #009'''
**''Accessories:'' Nudge gun & nitrogen gun (combine to form rifle)

:Part of the seventh wave of 2012-onwards ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' Deluxe Class toys, ''[[Thrilling 30]]'' "Autobot Skids" transforms from a contemporary-looking hatchback into a robot mode largely based on [[Alex Milne]]'s design for [[IDW Publishing|IDW]]'s ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' comic, most notably featuring that body's numerous integrated weapons. He also includes the [[nudge gun]] carried by Skids in said comic and a new version of the liquid nitrogen rifle from his original toy, the two of which can combine into a larger rifle. Both weapons can peg onto his hands or vehicle sides via [[5mm post]].

:There are numerous reports of the figure's hips being assembled the [[Misassembly|wrong way round]], thus affecting the car mode as well as hampering the leg articulation (and it could even result in the ball joints at the waist snapping off), this can simply be fixed by popping them out and swapping them to the right place (just as long as you are careful with the aforementioned ball joints). At least some later releases fixed this issue.

:He comes packaged with the [[Little Victories|twenty-second issue]] of IDW's aforementioned ''More than Meets the Eye'' comic series, featuring a cropped version of its retailer incentive cover, which is called out as a 'Hasbro Exclusive Cover' on its front.

:Skids was [[redeco]]ed into ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (toyline)|Age of Extinction]]'' [[Rollbar (AOE)#Toys|Rollbar]] and ''[[Transformers Timelines (toyline)|Timelines]]''/''[[Diaclone]]'' [[Burn Out (Diaclone)|Burn Out]], which was later [[Repurposing|repurposed]] as [[Skids (SG)|''Shattered Glass'' Skids]]. This mold was also [[retool]]ed into ''Generations'' [[Crosscut (Autobot)#Generations|Crosscut]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2014/Autobot/GenSkids/skids.htm More information on ''Generations'' Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Q-Transformers===
[[File:QTransformers Skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|As a last ditch effort to be relevant, Skids tried appealing to the "kawaii culture" crowd. It didn't work.]]
*'''Skids''' ([[2015]]-[[June 27|06-27]])
**''ID number:'' '''QT-21'''

:''[[Q-Transformers]]'' Skids is a redeco and retool of [[Hound (G1)/toys#Q-Transformers|QT-15 Hound]], transforming into a [[super deformed]] Suzuki Hustler.

{{-}}

===Kre-O===
{{anchor|SDCC2015}}
*'''Kreon Class of '85''' (Kreon figure set, 2015)
**''Set number'' '''B5152'''
**''Voted'': Most Thoughtful
**''Accessories'': 2 clip-on rifles

: ''[[Kre-O]]'' "Autobot Skids" is a small brick-built [[Kreon]] figure, using the 2015-style construction with raised hands and the sturdier "peg-in-peg" torso/waist connection. His body [[tampograph]]s are heavily toy-based, with a ton of intricate design.

: He was only available as part of the [[San Diego Comic-Con]]-[[exclusive]] "[[Kreon Class of '85]]" 30-Kreon set. This set was also sold online through [[Hasbro Toy Shop]] after the show.

{{-}}

===Legends===
[[File:Legendstoy-Skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|He might be a forgotten character but at the very least he can now be ignored by fans while sporting a relatively cool deco.]]
*'''Skids''' ([[2016]]-[[May 28|05-28]])
**''ID number:'' '''LG-20'''
**''Accessories:'' Nudge gun & nitrogen gun (combine to form rifle)

:''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' Skids is an extensive redeco of the ''Generations'' Skids toy. It features a color scheme faithful to the character's appearance in the ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' comic, with a darker shade of blue, black front grill with red details under the grill, silver and black detailing on the feet, painted front lights and pink striping on the front hood and on the back's sculpted detail.

{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Decoy===
[[File:Decoy skids.jpg|thumb]]
*'''Cybertron Hero Collection 22''' (multi-pack, 1986)

:Skids was among the many characters rendered by [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] as part of their series of 1.5" soft rubber ''keshigomu'' figurines. Like all the figures in the series, Skids featured a number sculpted into his back that was the sum total of his [[Tech Spec]]s, for use in the various games that could be played with the figurines. He was available in red as part of a 22-piece box set of Autobot figures, in peach as part of various other randomly-packed box sets released by Takara subsidiary [[Seven]], and in a wide variety of different colors in "gachapon" capsule machines.

*'''Skids''' (1987)
**''Decoy number:'' '''12'''

:The Skids figurine was later brought over to [[Hasbro]] markets as part of the [[Decoy]] promotion, largely identical to the Japanese release except for the fact that the number on his back was replaced with a simple "checklist" number. Like all Autobot Decoys, he was a randomly-chosen pack-in available with the carded [[Throttlebot]]s, [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]] and [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1986/Autobot/Decoys/Skids/skids.htm More information on Decoy Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

'''3d Battle-Card Game'''

{{anchor|3DBC}}[[File:EnergonWarsSkids.jpg|thumb|Are, uh, you sure you're a G1 character?]]
*'''Skids''' (3D Battle-Card, 2007)
:A 26-point "common" character in the [[3D Battle-Card Game]]'s "Energon Wars" expansion, Skids "transforms" into a grey pickup truck of indeterminate make. He uses the same parts layout as [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] and [[Dropkick (Movie)|Dropkick]].

:He is equipped with a LN2 Cryo Rifle, an Electron Blaster, and a Rocket Launcher, which are similar to his G1 weapons — but due to the interdimensional nature of the Energon Wars subset, the Battle-Card may or may not also represent the [[Skids (Movie)|live-action movie Skids]].
{{--}}

==Notes==
[[File:DiacloneSkids.jpg|thumb|A rainbow of theoretical flavors.]]
[[File:Skidsdiacloneconceptart.jpg|thumb|Suck it, Ironhide! This head was mine first!]]
*The ''[[Diaclone]]'' version of Skids was additionally available in black or red. The [[BotCon 2015]] toy and character [[Burn Out]], a non-Cybertronian ''Diaclone'' mech from within the ''Transformers'' [[multiverse]], is based on the black version.
*Skids' animation model head appears to be based on early ''Diaclone'' promotional concept art. The toy's head would be different... and ultimately different from the [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] head shown in his instructions, which also popped up a few times in the UK comics.
*Though Skids' toy turned into a Honda City Turbo, his car mode was often misinterpreted in Transformers fiction as one of the then-new minivans, despite the fact that a Honda City Turbo is a subcompact car, and as such, could theoretically be stowed in the back seat of an actual minivan. This is likely because most Americans in 1985 wouldn't know what a subcompact car is.
*As Skids was released in the interim between the original 1984 launch and the big push of new 1985 figures, the character consequently fell by the wayside in the Generation 1 fiction of the 1980s. He was not included in the commercial promoting the new 1985 range of Autobot Cars, as he wasn't technically part of it. Similarly, he was also left out of the list of new 1985 product in the Generation 1 cartoon's [[production bible]] intended for inclusion in the show's second season, and as such, only managed to appear in little more than cameo roles in just two episodes, speaking one line in each and voiced by a different actor each time. He fared a little better in the Marvel comics, debuting alongside (an incomplete roster of) the other 1985 cars, but after getting an issue dedicated to himself, he all but completely vanished from the book and was banished to [[limbo]] by the UK comic for upwards of 100 issues, abandoned and forgotten.
*In the "[[Survivors!]]" story, Skids was suddenly drawn with the original ''Diaclone'' toy's head (which years later would be used for the new character [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]]). "Survivors!"' artist, [[Dan Reed]], previously drew him with his real head, so it'd be interesting to learn why and how this change happened. (He would later mysteriously regain his own face.)
*In more recent years, toys sporting the name "Skids" have required an additional "Autobot" prefix for [[trademark]] reasons, hence making the official name "'''Autobot Skids'''".

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Skids''' (スキッズ ''Sukizzu'')
*''French:'' '''Platon''' ("Plato")
*''Hungarian:'' '''Szán'''
*''Italian:'' '''Furetto''' ("Ferret")
*''Mandarin:'' '''Shāchē''' (China, 刹车, "Brake")
*''Portuguese:'' '''Patins''' (Brazil comic, "Skate"), '''Pe-de-cabra''' (Portugal comic, "Crowbar")
*''Russian:'' '''Tormoz''' (Тормоз, "Brake")

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:3D Battle-Cards]]
[[Category:Alternators Autobots]]
[[Category:Cloud Autobots]]
[[Category:Council members]]
[[Category:Decoys]]
[[Category:Dimension hoppers]]
[[Category:Dreamwave Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Exclusives]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Henkei! Henkei! Autobots]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Kre-O Autobots]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Legends Autobots]]
[[Category:Lost Light crew]]
[[Category:Q-Transformers characters]]
[[Category:Regeneration One Autobots]]
[[Category:Scientists]]
[[Category:SDCC exclusives]]
[[Category:Universe Autobots]]

Skids (G1)

2017-09-15T15:38:55Z

HailMegatron: /* IDW Generation 1 continuity */

{{factions|autobot}}
{{disambig3|Skids}}
{{suite}}
:''Skids is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:Skidsg1.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Everyone forgets me, [[Nudge gun|even me]].]]
'''Skids''' is a theoretician. This is appropriate, as some would say his existence is merely theoretical; everyone forgets who he is or that he was there. But if they got to know him, they'd learn that he likes to daydream, get built into furniture, and pick up cowboy chicks.

Skids is also a fast learner, voraciously absorbing and compartmentalizing new information he receives. This allows him to adapt to new environments and unexpected situations very quickly. His calm, observant nature and tendency to fade into the background sometimes causes some to question his ability to fight, but make no mistake; Skids can handle himself in battle.

He'd just rather...listen to some music, y'know?

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Michael Chain]] (English, "[[Quest for Survival]]"), [[Dan Gilvezan]] (English, "[[Triple Takeover]]"), [[Keiichi Nanba]] (Japanese, "Quest for Survival"), [[Ken Shiroyama]] (Japanese, "Triple Takeover")|[[Roberto Alexander]] (Latin American)}}

[[File:Skidsanimated.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Hoist, Prime, and Skids ogle Bumblebee's animation model.]]
Like many of the Autobots who first appeared in 1985, the exact circumstances behind Skids joining the original group of Earth-based Autobots remain unknown. Skids first appeared as part of a strike force that was sent to stop the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]] from ravaging a human farm, only to meet with failure. Apparently injured in the battle, Skids underwent some repairs by [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] upon return to Autobot Headquarters, where he responded incredulously to [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]]'s report that he had retrieved [[robotic insecticide]] from the planet [[Floron III]] to deal with the Insecticon threat. {{storylink|Quest for Survival}}

[[File:TripleTakeover Skids.jpg|thumb|Racing into obscurity.]]
Later, Skids was part of a team sent to investigate bombs that were raining down on a city from a football stadium (the work of the [[Triple Changer]] [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]]). Blitzwing, however, had the stadium surrounded by a massive "Zone Defense" maze built by the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], and while attempting to traverse it, Skids crashed into [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and was driven over by tank mode Blitzwing. Skids and the other Autobots' remains were then gathered by [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]], who built a throne for himself out of them. These Autobots were soon rescued and quickly rebuilt, and participated in the crises that ensued as Blitzwing, [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] vied for Decepticon leadership. Following that skirmish, Prowl opined that [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] was the greatest leader in the universe, which prompted himself, Skids, [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] and [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] to form themselves into a throne for Prime; Prime refused to sit, saying that thrones were for Decepticons—he'd rather roll. {{storylink|Triple Takeover}}
{{-}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
=====''Henkei! Henkei! Generations'' manga=====
[[File:Skids and screech.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|left]]
When Skids successfully proved the existence of particles able to cross over between dimensions, he put his discovery to work for the forces of good, coating his armor in these "Dimension Slide" particles and endowing himself with the power to move between realities, as well as a snazzy new green paintjob. In this quest to examine anomalies within the multiverse, Skids found he could summon other versions of himself from different dimensions to aid him, but for unknown reasons, one of these alternate versions wound up trapped in Skids's home dimension, unable to return to his own world. Renamed "[[Screech (Generations)|Screech]]" (presumably to save all the Autobots a headache), this alternate Skids teamed up with his counterpart, and together, the pair worked as "Quantum Operatives" policing the multiverse while searching for a way to get Screech home. {{storylink|#Toys|Skids's toy bio}} {{storylink|Screech (Generations)|Screech's toy bio}}

Hot on the trail of one such multiversal anomaly, Skids and Screech pursued [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]]'s ghost across the multiverse to a [[Primax 209.20 Gamma|parallel dimension]] where he was causing trouble. While the two dimension-hoppers kept the ghost busy with wordplay and pop culture references, the [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] of that world used his illusion casting powers to scare Starscream into fleeing the dimension by projecting an illusion of his greatest fear: [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]! {{storylink|Starscream's New Body}}

=====Ask Vector Prime=====
[[File:LegendsComic DimensionalInvestigatorSkids.jpg|upright=1.2|right|thumb]]
[[Vector Prime]] claimed Skids was from [[Primax 308.0 Zeta]] while Screech was from [[Primax 1008.15 Gamma]]. The two worked with him in [[Primax 308.13 Beta]]. {{Storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/23}}

=====''Transformers Legends'' comic=====
Skids would later take on a new body, blue as usual but more heavily armed, styling himself as a "dimensional investigator" (次元捜査官 ''jigen sōsakan''). When [[Drift (G1)#Cloud|Deadlock]] caused trouble in the [[Legends Universe]] by bringing [[SARA]] there, Skids showed up to teach him how to use SARA's powers to return to [[Cloud World]], and also warned the Decepticon against causing any more interdimensional chaos. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Deadlock)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}}

Finding there to be many more Transformers from other dimensions in the Legends Universe, Skids regarded this as problematic and decided to send them all back by force and seal off the dimension. Met with resistance from [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and his cohorts, he summoned the [[Skids Squadron]] to fight the Decepticon leader while he personally dealt with the others. When Megatron came to their rescue, Skids entered "Full Burst Mode" and seemingly killed the Decepticon with a mighty barrage, only to realize the villain just sacrificed himself for his comrades. Following protests by the natives of the Legends Universe, Skids caught on to the fact that their world was a peaceful one without factions or war and that ''he'' was the one causing chaos and violence, prompting the investigator to abandon his plans and undo the seal. He continued to keep the dimension under surveillance, and even stuck around to look up its fictional representations of himself. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 20|Bonus Edition Vol. 20}}

Skids would come to join the [[Dimensional Patrol]], an organization dedicated to battling multiversal threats. He was guarding [[Megatron (RID)|Devil Gigatron]] at [[Neo Brave Maximus|their base]] when [[Scourge (RID)|Black Convoy]]'s group came to break him out. {{storylink|LGEX Black Convoy Prologue}}
{{-}}

====''Story of Binaltech''====
[[File:Binaltech skids cardart.jpg|left|upright=1.2|thumb|After using up all of his vacation and sick days, Skids returned to work to find that the Transformers cartoon had been cancelled.]]
Skids was the first of the Binaltech Autobots created simply with the intent of upgrading an existing, healthy Transformer, rather than in the name of repairing one that had been injured. Outfitted with self-repairing nanomechanical antibodies, Skids's body can, barring heavy damage in battle, theoretically function for thousands of years without maintenance. In both his original and new body, Skids dedicated time to studying the chronal warp on [[Dinobot Island (G1)|Dinobot Island]], which gave rise to the Autobot strategy known as "[[Operation: Distant Thunder]]", a last-ditch scheme should the Decepticons tamper with the fabric of space-time. That horror occurred in [[2004]] when Ravage used the [[Kronosphere]] to alter the timeline, and Skids prepared to initiate the plan and send [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]'s memory data back in time to avert the catastrophe. {{storylink|Darkest Hour (prose)|Darkest Hour}}

The data probe was launched, but as the timeline was righting itself a [[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]] arrived, and manipulated the temporal wave to preserve the Binaltech timeline separate from the original continuity. Possessed by the Spark of the [[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Protector]], hailing from some future point in time, Nemesis Prime informed Skids and the others that their timeline was destined to produce great warriors capable of safeguarding the entire multiverse, and therefore must continue on its new course. {{storylink|Binal Time}}

=====''Transformers Legends'' comic=====
Binaltech Skids was a member of the [[Skids Squadron]], a group of dimension-hopping versions of Skids led by [[#Transformers Legends comic|dimensional investigator Skids]], who summoned them to help force [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] out of the [[Legends Universe]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 20|Bonus Edition Vol. 20}}
{{-}}

===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics====
{{noteukonly}}
[[File:Marvel22-heavy-traffic-skids-tracker.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|Skids exists! Really!]]
In the event that the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'s mission would require more manpower, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] had several Autobots encode copies of their personalities as light patterns within [[crystalline containment vessel]]s, including Skids. When a large number of Prime's troops were then injured during the opening volleys of the war on [[Earth]], Prime arranged for the construction of new bodies, which the personalities were then programmed into, bringing Skids and the others to life "for a second time".

[[File:Skidsnatives.jpg|upright=0.6|thumb|We bet you can't.]]
Now in a new body that transformed into a blue van equipped with a bandana-wearing driver, Skids went with Bumblebee and the other new Autobots to learn about their new home. Along the way he learned about an upcoming [[Brick Springhorn]] concert, and immediately took a liking to the music of Earth and the possibilities of what could be learned from interacting with mankind. When the concert turned out to be the target of a Decepticon attack, Skids and the others were forced into action, engaging Shockwave and three Decepticon jets in battle. They quickly retreated after routing their foes, so that the show could go on. {{storylink|Rock and Roll-Out!}}

When [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] ran out of fuel in the middle of the [[Powder River Basin]] in [[Wyoming]], Optimus Prime took Skids and a few other Autobots to prevent harm to the humans who had discovered him. Unfortunately, these humans (and their [[United States military|military]]) forced the Autobots into a retreat. {{storylink|I, Robot-Master!}}

Skids voiced some concerns about Optimus's plans to raid the heavily fortified [[Wyoming base|Decepticon base]] for information on the combining process, but Prime vetoed them. En route, distracted by a human radio station, Skids nearly forgot to activate his facsimile driver; a moment later he accidentally clipped the car of hot-tempered [[Jake Dalrymple]], who pursued the Autobots on their mission. Despite the wall of weaponry facing them, Skids made it through the battle unscathed; but as the Autobots retreated with the information, they encountered Jake Dalrymple again, who distracted Skids just long enough for [[Ravage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ravage]] to blast him off a cliff. Although Optimus Prime mourned the loss of Skids, neither the Autobot leader nor any other Autobot thought to recover the believed deactivated body of Skids later after their mission had been completed. {{storylink|Command Performances!}}

[[File:Marvelus-21-showdown-skids-beyourcar.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.]]
Lying crippled and unable to transform, Skids was shortly discovered by register girl [[Charlene (cowgirl)|Charlene]], who, thinking he was an ordinary van, had him fixed up with the intent of keeping him for herself. Skids was open to the idea at first, preferring a peaceful life to that of a warrior, but after another bout of road rage with Dalrymple, the unearthly stunts he performed left him no option but to reveal his true nature of Charlene.

[[File:Charleneskids.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|''Baby you can be my car And maybe I'll wash you'']]
A somewhat unusual [[Transformer romance|relationship]] ensued between the two, but more trouble soon came Skids's way in the form of [[Donny Finkleberg]], who was being hunted down by Ravage. Fleeing from the Decepticon with Charlene and Donny, Skids hid out at an abandoned mining town, but yet again, the raging Dalrymple tracked him down and shattered his windshield, knocking him unconscious and into a dream where he died through his refusal to attack Megatron and save Charlene. Reawakening, he engaged Ravage in battle again, finally finding the strength to act, and causing his foe to tumble down a mineshaft. Skids then parted ways with Charlene, having come to the realisation that their two roles in life were too different for their relationship to work out. {{storylink|Showdown!}}

[[File:Marvel22-heavy-traffic-skids-reason.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|Oh god my arms, my arms!]]
Skids returned to the Ark with Finkleberg, with Optimus pleased to find him alive. Jetfire was sent to verify Finkleberg's claim about a [[Cybertron Seven|group of missing Autobots]], uncovering a trail of spilled Transformer fuel. {{storylink|Aerialbots over America!}} Skids was outfitted with a chemical tracker to follow the fuel trail; taking Finkelberg with him, he began tracing the fuel back to its source. En route, he broke cover to save a trapped driver from some downed power lines, a move that caught the Decepticons' attention. The newly created Stunticons were dispatched to "ambush" Skids - by acting as though they were his allies. The humans' [[Rapid Anti-robot Assault Team]] and the Aerialbots soon arrived and engaged in a three-way battle. When it was over, the Aerialbots were defeated, the Autobots' reputation was smeared, and the Stunticons were triumphant; Skids could do little but clear out to continue his mission with Finkleberg. Unfortunately, money still governed Finkleberg's actions, and that evening he sold out Skids to RAAT's leader [[Walter Barnett]] while Skids was deactivated for the night. {{storylink|Heavy Traffic!}}

[[File:DecepticonGraffiti-CBDonnySkids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Shoulda stuck with the nice cowboy lady.]]
Skids was disassembled for study, but when the Decepticons [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] and [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] appeared on Earth and began defacing landmarks, RAAT operative [[Circuit Breaker (G1)|Circuit Breaker]] was forced to enter into a deal with the Autobots to stop them. Skids and the other Autobots' components were combined to form a [[Circuit Breaker's Autobot suit|jury-rigged robot]] that Circuit Breaker used to stop the [[Battlecharger]]s, but in return for their co-operation, Skids and the Autobots were allowed to go free. {{storylink|Decepticon Graffiti!}}

''On the return trip to the Ark, however, Skids was abruptly torn from reality when the future Decepticon [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] [[time travel|traveled back in time]] from [[2006]], shunting Skids into [[Limbo]] to maintain temporal balance.'' {{storylink|Fallen Angel}}

{{note|While Skids was lost to Limbo in the UK comics, no such fate befell him in the American stories. Luckily enough for continuity's sake, he never did anything important in the US comics again, only showing up in crowd scenes. To maintain consistency, the UK printings of these stories either redrew Skids into a different, [[generic]] robot, or erased him from the art entirely.}}

Skids attended Optimus Prime's funeral, {{storylink|Funeral for a Friend!}} witnessed the arrival of a group of [[Spacehikers|children]] within the space-borne Ark, {{storylink|Spacehikers!}} and watched [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] and [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] fight for Autobot leadership on Earth's [[Moon (moon)|moon]]. He was presumably either off-lined during the subsequent Decepticon ambush, {{storylink|Totaled!}} or during [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream's]] [[Underbase]] powered rampage. {{storylink|Dark Star}}

[[File:Skidslimbo.jpg|upright=0.6|thumb|left|Oh, hey, remember Skids?]]
[[File:Skidssurvivors.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|And then he stole [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]]'s head.]]
''Skids remained in Limbo for two years while Galvatron ran amok on Earth, his mind steadily succumbing to the dream-illusions created by the [[Limbo parasite|parasites]] native to the realm.'' {{storylink|Time Wars}} ''In his dreams, a brutish Skids led monsters in orgies of destruction.With Galvatron's eventual destruction during the [[Time Wars]], Skids was finally returned to Earth, but he had spent too long in Limbo—the Limbo parasites had succeeded in shaping a reality from his dreams, and the nightmarish monsters that he had imagined materialised on Earth with him. Fleeing from the beasts, horrified at the "weakness" that had led to him making them, Skids was convinced by the creatures that they would exist so long as he was alive. Their goal was to break him into joining them in their bloody rampages (and also to just mess with him). Skids lured them into a [[Hudden Nuclear Power Plant|nuclear power plant]] which he had planned to detonate, wiping out the monsters and himself. However, he struggled to find the courage to end his own life in order to spare the Earth from the horrors he had birthed.''

''Thankfully, it didn't come to that, as the remnants of the Autobot [[Wrecker]]s—joined by [[Catilla (G1)|Catilla]] and [[Carnivac (G1)|Carnivac]] of the Decepticon [[Mayhem Attack Squad]]—arrived to aid him, defeating the monsters even as the creature's leader admitted they'd made up that whole 'die to stop us' thing. Skids joined with this group of Transformers, forming the [[Survivors]].'' {{storylink|Survivors!}}

''Carnivac soon tired of Autobot life and Skids and the others could only watch as he fell out with [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] and struck out on his own.'' {{storylink|Way of the Warrior}} ''When a human called in the rest of the Survivors to help Carnivac against the new Mayhem Attack Squad, Springer was adamant that they shouldn't help the renegade Decepticon, but Skids, [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] and [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] were swayed by Catilla's pleas to get involved.'' {{storylink|Survival Run}} ''They arrived just in time to save Carnivac from the Decepticons, but Catilla was killed by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] and Carnivac swore vengeance''. {{storylink|A Savage Place!}}

{{note|Due to the somewhat convoluted nature of the Marvel UK continuity, the "Survivors" plotline was continued in the Earthforce timeline, detailed below.}}

[[File:Grimlockwasthatwise.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Hey, who here remembers when I was damaged and shoved into the medbay? No? Well, that makes all of us.]]
Grimlock traveled to [[Hydrus Four]] to use [[Nucleon (substance)|Nucleon]] to revive the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]. Returning to the Ark, he also pumped Nucleon into the med bays, reviving Skids and several others, and headed towards [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Grimlock used the Ark as a blunt instrument across [[Unicron]]'s head, forcing Skids and the others to evacuate and join the battle against the Chaos Bringer. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
{{-}}

=====Earthforce=====
{{earthforcefiction}}
[[File:Survivors wolf in the fold.jpg|thumb|left]]
When Carnivac ran off on his own to avenge Catilla's death, Skids and the other Survivors insisted Springer contact Grimlock and the Earthforce for back-up. {{storylink|Wolf in the Fold!}} Though Grimlock was hesitant to lend any warriors in order to save a Decepticon, he was swayed into doing so in exchange of the Survivors' word that they would permanently join up with his unit afterwards. Hooked up with these Autobot reinforcements, Skids and the others stormed the Mayhem Attack Squad's tropical island base. Skids personally confronted [[Octopunch (G1)|Octopunch]] in single combat, holding his own against the murderous [[Pretender]]. {{storylink|Where Wolf?}}

On a later mission for Earthforce, Skids and the Survivors protected an [[oil tanker]] from [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]], while the rest of the Decepticons were trying to distract the Autobots with an all-out assault on their base. Undeterred by the sleight-of-hand, the Survivors caught up with Starscream in the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. Skids used a flying leap by Carnivac as a distraction to catch Starscream with his liquid nitrogen cannon, and then [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] knocked the Decepticon commander into the drink. {{storylink|Divide and Conquer!}}
{{-}}

====Transformers Comic-Magazin====
Skids was part of the Autobot team when they battled the Decepticons in defense of Earth's precious energy resources. {{storylink|Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 9|The Transformers' Grand Hour: Headmaster of the Dimensions}}

Goldbug later recalled the events of the previous battle. {{storylink|Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 15|The Cosmic Adventure: Memories of Bumblebee}}

====''Regeneration One''====
{{noterg1}}
[[File:Lancer two crew war to end all wars.jpg|thumb|Remember when I was a main character back in our [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel]] days? Let's do that again.]]
In [[2012]], when Optimus Prime discovered Megatron was still active on Earth, he took an armed assault squad of Autobots, including Skids, to put an end to the tyrant's menace once and for all. Battling Megatron's reanimated Decepticon [[zombie]]s as the two leaders clashed, Skids called dibs on taking out [[Overbite (G1)|Overbite]]. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 5}}

After the battle, Skids and [[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]] attended to [[Kup (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Kup]] as he recovered from a [[Scraplet]] infection. He then departed Earth with the other Autobots. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part One}} As they arrived back at Cybertron, the ''[[Valiant (G1)|Valiant]]'' was targeted by missiles from the [[Civil Defense Hub]], though they were called off at the last second. Nonetheless, Skids and the rest of the armed assault squad prepared for immediate deployment upon landing. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part Five}}

Skids would later respond when Jhiaxus's ''[[Primum Fugae]]'' began attacking the [[Demon]]s and Dinobots indiscriminately and upon [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]'s orders, he and [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] began prepping the Dinobots for medevac. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 2}} During the invasion of the [[Hub (G2)|Hub Network]], Skids and a team of Autobots comprising [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]], [[Sky High (Pretender)|Sky High]], [[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]], and [[Getaway]] aboard the ''[[Lancer Two]]'' were shot down by [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]'s forces when they revealed their full defensive power. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 3}}
{{-}}

===Dinobots Strike Back===
{{notemultipath}}
{{note|In the first book in this series, Skids transforms into a red compact, matching the description of his toy's Honda City Turbo [[Alternate mode|alt-mode]] in one of its [[Diaclone]] color schemes. He is apparently even smaller than Bumblebee}}
[[File:DinobotsStrikeBackBumbleandSkidsinSub.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Seen here pouting because he gets no screen time.]]
Although Skids had reported the strange electromagnetic readings he'd been getting from [[Dolphin's Bay]] even before [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] sent [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] to [[Bandit's Bluff]] to remove the [[cerebro-shell]]s from the rampaging [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], it took [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock's]] report that evening to prompt Optimus to have Skids investigate it for possible Decepticon activity. Prime chose [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] to accompany him in [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack's]] [[Star mini-submarine|new mini-submarine]], but wasn't sure whether to assign [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] to the mission as well, since Skids clearly didn't want him along.

If Prime left Sludge out, Skids celebrated by absentmindedly crashing into [[Mount Lomas]], crumpling his hood and causing Bumblebee to notice a suspicious trail in the woods. If the pair followed it instead of continuing to the bay, they walked into a trap set by [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] and [[Gravedigger]], who disassembled Bumblebee and Skids to serve as the first components of the [[Autobot Memorial Power Plant]].

If they continued to Dolphin's Bay and the sub, Skids traced electromagnetic waves back to some [[black coral]], then hacked into a Decepticon computer and learned of a plot to convert the coral into superfuel. Bumblebee then exited the hatch to break a piece off, triggering an explosion which trapped him in a canyon beneath broken columns of crimson coral. Without underwater gear, Skids had only two options: If he went back to the channel for help, Seaspray used his laser to free Bumblebee, then tried to sail back to the Ark, only to have Starscream blow all three of them up with a cluster bomb. If Skids tried translating some nearby [[dolphin]]s' language, he succeeded in five minutes, talking the three largest dolphins into moving the broken coral. Skids and Bumblebee brought the black coral and his report back to Optimus Prime, ensuring an Autobot victory.

If Prime ''did'' include Sludge, Skids, and Bumblebee made it to the bay first, then used the sub to track the readings to an underwater cave. Bumblebee entered it, radioed Skids about Operation Black Coral, then failed to reemerge. If Skids chose to return to the Ark for help, two possible endings saw an Autobot assault save Bumblebee and destroy the Decepticons' base. If Skids tried to radio Bumblebee, the sub was promptly hit by a sonic attack from Frenzy, making it go haywire and tear through the bay. Whether Skids tried to stop it by activating the backup systems or shorting the controls out with his electron blaster, he was saved by Sludge, ensuring an Autobot victory in two more endings. {{storylink|Dinobots Strike Back}}

===3H comics===
[[File:Skidswreckers2.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|In the context of science, "theory" does not mean "guess" or "hunch", Rodimus. You should probably pay attention.]]
Several months after the defeat of [[Unicron]] in 2005, Skids was among the senior scientists (including [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Quickmix (G1)|Quickmix]], and [[Rad (G1)|Rad]]) who questioned [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]]'s plan to send out the best of the remaining Autobot science and research members to establish deep-space reconnaissance posts. {{storylink|Betrayal}}
{{-}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
8.2 million years ago, Skids was in the [[Chamber of the Ancients]], observing the ceremony in which [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optronix]] was given the [[Matrix of Leadership]] and transformed into [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. Immediately, three Decepticon assassins attacked, and though Skids acted to protect the new Prime, his arm was cut off by [[Umbra]]. {{storylink|The War Within issue 1|The War Within #1}}

Skids was repaired and he returned to his post at the [[Decagon]]. While Prime was absent, Skids picked up radar of incoming Decepticon invaders and a transmission from the force's field commander, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. {{storylink|The War Within issue 2|The War Within #2}} Skids helped man auto-defenses from inside the Decagon and coordinated troops in the field. {{storylink|The War Within issue 3|The War Within #3}} Eventually, the Autobots' [[Omega Sentinel (G1)|Omega Sentinel]] units were destroyed. Picking up their personal weaponry, Skids and the other Autobots were all that was left to defend [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], and made a desperate last stand against Shockwave and his forces. {{storylink|The War Within issue 5|The War Within #5}} The Autobots were only spared from annihilation because Starscream at that point activated one of Cybertron's planetary engines. This caused a chain reaction, which crumbled Iacon into a crater, driving away the Decepticon forces. {{storylink|The War Within issue 6|The War Within #6}}

During the Dark Ages, when Optimus Prime and Megatron both disappeared into a prototype spacebridge, both factions splintered into several sub-groups. Skids served under [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]'s faction of Autobots. {{storylink|Fragmentation (G1)|Fragmentation}} Together, they investigated reports that the Decepticons were in the process of building a mobile fortress, only to find [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] already completed and battle-ready in the [[Praetorus Wharf]]. {{storylink|Devastation}} Finding that nothing they threw at the giant Decepticon had any effect, the Autobots tried to outrun it instead. Skids hid in a nearby building, onto which Trypticon jumped to crush him. {{storylink|Revelation (The Dark Ages)|Revelation}} Though battered by the incident, Skids managed to survive it, and was brought back to [[Autobase]] for repairs. As [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] was tending to his wounds, The Fallen broke into the Autobots' headquarters, reappropriated [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] from one of their holding cells, and took off. {{storylink|Confrontation (issue)|Confrontation}} Once The Fallen's base of operations was uncovered, Skids joined a cross-faction army in rushing it to put an end to the ancient Transformer's scheme. Ultimately, The Fallen was defeated by the power of [[Primus]] himself, and all factions agreed to keep the chamber The Fallen had tried to breach sealed to prevent anyone from further abusing the power held within it. {{storylink|Conflagration}}

At some point, Ultra Magnus took command of the Autobots, and reunited them into a single faction. Under his leadership, the Autobots gained a significant hold over Cybertron's resources and territories. This eventually forced the [[Ultracon]]s and Shockwave's Decepticons to sign a peace treaty with the Autobots. Skids was in attendance at the signing of the truce, which was interrupted by a bombing, engineered by Starscream and his Predacons. This act of aggression only served to unite the Autobots, Ultracons, and Decepticons however, who struck back against Starscream's troops. A united Cybertron finally seemed within reach... that is, until Megatron made a dramatic return, accompanied by an army of [[Air Warrior]]s. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath}} Megatron quickly took over the planet, and enslaved the majority of Autobots. Skids was among the many unfortunates captured, and put to work in [[Internment Camp Pi]]. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath Pt.2}}

{{note|Due to [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s closure, the end of its''War Within'' series was never published. Years later, [[Simon Furman]] released the unpublished scripts to the final three issues. Within said issues, Optimus would return to Cybertron, and the Autobots would be freed from slavery.}}

Skids was not among the Autobots who traveled to Earth aboard the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], remaining behind on Cybertron as the planet slipped into the deactivated state known as the [[Great Shutdown]]. When Shockwave began reactivating the planet and successfully unified the Autobot and Decepticon factions, Skids was a member of the council of Autobots who served to represent their faction in the alliance. Few of the council members were actually suited for leadership, however, and slowly found themselves giving more and more control to Shockwave. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}} Even when Perceptor presented the council with evidence that Shockwave was performing immoral experiments on fellow Cybertronians, the High Council was unwilling to take any constitutional action against Shockwave.{{storylink|Cold War (issue)|Cold War}} Eventually, the example shown by the Ark's returning crew and several homegrown Autobot insurgency cells tore the blinders from the council's optics, and Skids gathered his fellow councilmen in taking to the streets and ousting the Decepticons from power. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}}

===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''===
[[File:Skids BlackHorizon1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3]]
During an Autobot peace ceremony on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Skids reported to [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] that [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], and [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] had yet to find the Autobots and [[G.I. Joe (team)|Joes]] that had gone missing while chasing [[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]] Their conversation was then interrupted due to a Decepticon attack. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 3|The Art of War #3}}

Skids was later stationed on the ''[[Arc II]]'' on Earth, where he helped his comrades in the field by warning them about incoming G.I. Joe [[S.H.A.R.C.]]s. When the ship came under attack by the [[Pretender Monster]]s, Skids was knocked out by [[Icepick (G1)|Icepick]] while alerting the others on board. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 1 of 2}} He was sent to [[Pit (G.I. Joe)|the Pit]] for repairs and was expected to quickly recover from his injuries. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 2 of 2}}
{{-}}

===''TransTech''===
In an Offworld Zone of [[Axiom Nexus]], a Skids was yet another victim of [[Bulletbike (TransTech)|Bulletbike]], murdered for a cred-key. {{storylink|I, Lowtech}}

===''The Beast Within''===
During a particularly violent brawl between the Autobots and Decepticons, Skids could do nothing but avert his eyes as [[Beast (G1)|The Beast]] began distributing wanton carnage onto the battlefield. {{storylink|The Beast Within}}

Later, Skids was amongst the few Autobot survivors still intact despite the brutality of the battle. He and a small number of surviving Autobots rode in Optimus Prime’s trailer in a desperate effort to outrun The Beast. He was then killed when the Beast took a swipe at Optimus’s trailer, crushed utterly in The Beast’s monstrous paw. {{storylink|The Beast Within Part 2, Consequences}}
{{-}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
[[File:Skidsbacksoff.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.66|-gulp-]]
Before the [[Great War (G1)|war]], '''Skids of [[Nova Cronum]]''' trained as a theoretician at [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Senator Shockwave]]'s [[Jhiaxian Academy of Advanced Technology|Academy of Advanced Technology]], {{storylink| Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} secretly recruited to the school because of his status as an "[[outlier]]" with special powers—in Skids's case, a "super-learning" ability that allowed him to master many skills. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}} He was present at the academy on the day that [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] and [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] arrived to take Shockwave into protective custody, and his attempt to stop them was quickly quashed when the towering Roller intimidated him into silence. {{storylink| Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} It was not long, however, before Skids's teacher returned and recruited him and classmates "[[Tarn (DJD)|Glitch]]" and [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] for a plan formulated by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] to steal a bomb disguised as the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] from [[Nominus Prime]]'s body as it lay in the [[Primal Basilica]]. Skids was somewhat disappointed that his sole contribution to the plan was not one of his many skills, but merely the fact he had a grappling hook in his arm that they could use to lower Pax into the Basilica. Despite a minor snag when the technology-disrupting Glitch accidentally jammed his hook's winch, the mission was a success. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}}

Unfortunately, the aftermath of the mission meant the outliers and Pax had to go on the run. Out in the [[Alyon]] region, they discovered a new "hot spot" for infant sparks which looked like the Hand of Primus (or, for Skids, ''was definitely'' the Hand of Primus). [[Zeta Prime|Zeta]], their man in Iacon, warned them the Senate wanted to destroy the spot to stop the [[Functionist Council]] exploiting it and so the fugitives had to fight off the [[Elite Guard]] repeatedly. Time-travellers under [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]] popped up and, when Skids mistook them for reinforcements from Zeta, rapidly claimed that. They saved the day but the time travellers wiped everyone's memories after... unfortunately including memories that Roller was missing in action. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|All Our Parlous Yesterdays}}

[[File:mtmte 48 grindcore.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|What did I do last night?]]
After graduating to full-fledged theoretician status, Skids went on to join the Autobot army. Shortly after the [[Simanzi Massacre]], when the planet still was cooling, he became a bomb negotiator: disabling the [[anti-personal mine]]s made out of Autobot prisoners so they could die without going off. This ended when he made the mistake of mentioning Primus to the unfortunate [[Heavy Tread]], who detonated himself in a rage that anyone could believe in a god that did this to him. When Skids came to, he was a Decepticon prisoner and off to the notorious [[Grindcore (prison)|Grindcore gulag]] with a "[[Inhibitor spike|mouth flower]]" inside his mouth that would destroy his [[Brain module|brain]] if if he dared transform.

Skids used his outlier learning skills to disable the "flower", having seen how the guards put it in, and began pumping his cellmate [[Quark]] for info. This brought him to the attention of the camp commandant, {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} who turned out to be his old friend Glitch in an upgraded body. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}} Glitch, in an act of basic sadism, decided to make a project out of the religious 'bot. He asked Skids to repair Grindcore's teleporter, promising it would mean fifty prisoners would be sent to Decepticon colony world [[Ambervalia]] to work as slaves. Skids told Quark that this was collaboration that would help and the fifty would be better as slave workers than at the prison; and while he didn't say outright, Skids was relaxed around the Commandant and felt he could try and make demands for more prisoners sent to the colonies, assuming he could half-trust his old friend even if he had switched side. What he did not realise until it was too late was that Glitch had been making him rebuild the camp ''smelting chamber''... something he learned only after demanding Quark get to be 'teleported'. Skids' faith died as he was forced to watch fifty Autobots die horrific deaths because of him. The memory was so traumatic that he overwrote it {{storylink|Speak, Memory! (Part 2)}} and the only thing he remembered of it in his missing months was "[[The Empyrean Suite]]", unable to remember the name or that this was the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] leader's favourite music to play during a massacre. {{storylink|Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|Who's Afraid of the DJD?}} That leader, of course, was Glitch under the ''nomme de guerre'' of Tarn.

Skids used to have an [[Amica Endura]] called [[Chopper (G1)|Chopper]]. They broke up because Chopper was "an absolute arse". {{storylink|The Frail Gaze}}

[[File:Getaway Skids ArmTheLonely.jpg|thumb|left|He's been trained to kick your ass. Theoretically, of course.]]
Long into the war he joined the [[Diplomatic Corps]], working to persuade other races to support the Autobot cause. {{storylink|Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|Who's Afraid of the DJD?}} At some point, he disappeared and was believed dead, {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}} but had, in fact, become part of [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]]'s covert [[Special Operations]]. Partnered with [[Getaway]], he was sent to attempt an "assassination" on [[Tyrest (G1)|Tyrest]], using a [[nudge gun]] to implant the impulse to resign in the Chief Justice's mind. The plan failed, and Skids was only able to escape using a shuttle made from [[mode lock]]ed [[Legislator]]s. Using the nudge gun's other charge, Skids erased his own memory after setting the shuttle to home in on the nearest of his handlers, the [[Duobot]]s. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}}

[[File:LiarsAtoD2-Skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|How do you like me now?]]
It was in this amnesiac state that he arrived on the planet where the ''[[Lost Light]]'' had crashed. Abruptly, the mode lock deactivated and the ship began transforming, so Skids made an impulsive decision: he reactivated the lock, sent the ship crashing into the surface, and bailed out. Making it to the ground safely, Skids found himself under attack from the Legislators that had made up his ship — though one of them had been killed in the crash, the other two were coming after him with giant swords and fire breath. Skids came upon the deceased bodies of two Autobots who had failed to survive the ''Lost Light'' crash—[[Hyperion (G1)|Hyperion]] and [[Polaris]]—and used their weapons and abilities to eliminate another of the pursuing robots. Running from the lone survivor, Skids came upon a small party of Autobots from the ''Lost Light'', who deactivated the inhibitor claw for him, allowing him to access his weapons and destroy last Legislator. Skids was invited to join the crew of the ''Lost Light'', though he was less than enthusiastic about [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]]'s proposition that the pair of them should team up. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}}

[[File:LiarsAtoD3-RungSkids.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|MEANWHILE IN A 20 MILE RADIUS OF THIS EVENT]]
When a [[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeater]] got loose aboard the ''Lost Light'', requiring the crew to be sealed in their quarters, Skids, decided to exploit his missing memories to entirely reinvent himself. Deciding he disliked confinement, he left through the ventilation system. Drawn by [[Rung (G1)|Rung]]'s cries, he saved the psychiatrist from a close call with the Sparkeater, and at [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]]'s request, led the creature through the vents to the engine room where Rodimus disposed of it. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}} As a celebration of the death of the Sparkeater, Swerve opened a [[Swerve's|bar]] where Skids got drunk together with [[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]]. He failed to notice that Chromedome stole his gun while he was messing around with his grappling hook and a server-robot. {{storylink|Life After the Big Bang}} {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} After attending a ceremony to commend Chromedome, [[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]] and [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] on recent heroics, {{storylink|The Reluctant Specialist}} Skids was next spotted still hanging out at the bar with some other Autobots as [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] put Chromedome's ability to identify an Autobot based on their transformation sound to the test. {{storylink|Interiors}} He later tried to comfort Swerve following his accidental shooting of Rung. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}}

When a swarm of [[Nanocon]]s that had lain dormant inside [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]]'s body were mysteriously reactivated, Skids and a few others were shrunk by Brainstorm's mass-displacement gun and sent inside Magnus to eliminate them. Once that was dealt with, Skids attended [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]]'s Autobot Initiation Ceremony, during which he relayed Swerve's report from the engine room that dead crewmember [[Ore]] had come back to life. The chaos only continued when Skids and a team of Autobots were abruptly teleported by [[Galactic Council]] to the planet [[Theophany]], there to investigate the razing of [[Crystal City]]. Beneath the city, they found a slumbering [[Titan (IDW)|Titan]], leading to discussions on the Transformers' creation myths and the meaning of life; Skids and Chromedome shared a belief that life was shaped not by destiny or gods, but by interactions with others. Skids theorized that both the Nanocons and Ore had come back to life thanks to the psychic emanations of the Metrotitan, then helped [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] fend off the Galactic Council's forces until the Autobots could free the Metrotitan, which teleported them all back to the ''Lost Light'' and quantum-jumped the ship to safety. {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}}

[[File:CybertronianHomesickBlues-SkidsRung.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|"Legs: Yes. Bow-tie: Cool...I can buy a fez."]]
Inspired by their talk, Skids requested that Chromedome use his [[mnemosurgery]] to unlock his lost memories; Chromedome discovered that only Skids's last year of memories had been erased, while the others had been repressed by a trauma so horrific he did not dare restore them. Chromedome was, however, able to identify the music in his head as the "The Empyrean Suite", and hoped Skids would never learn its significance. {{storylink|Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|Who's Afraid of the DJD?}}

Skids was among the group of Autobots gathered by [[Rewind (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rewind]] in Swerve's bar to help tell a story to aid in Rung's mental recovery. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|Post Hoc}} When his old altercation with Roller came up, Whirl called him a wuss, and he countered that his skills as a theoretician wouldn't have been useful in a fight. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} At the culmination of the story Rung still showed no signs of recovery...until Skids deliberately mispronounced his name a couple of times, prompting the psychiatrist to speak and correct him. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}} The storytelling session was brought to an end by the sounding of alarm to ready the crew for a battle with Decepticons on the planet [[Temptoria]]; during the fight, Skids, Chromedome and [[Steeljaw (G1)|Steeljaw]] battled [[Overkill (G1)|Overkill]]. {{storylink|Before & After}} Later, to unwind, Skids joined the crew of the ''Lost Light'' on some "shore leave" on the planet [[Hedonia]], where he tried out his new personality-generated [[holomatter]] avatar, only to find his amnesia kept it from creating a fake identity for him. As the group played the "Nemesis Game", Skids identified [[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] as his worst enemy, and then wound up getting into a drunken brawl with [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]]. {{storylink|Cybertronian Homesick Blues}} Skids bought Rodimus a [[Galactic Council]] captain's hat as a souvenir of the trip. {{storylink|Signal to Noise}}

[[File:TheFecundMoon-Skids.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|Skids kind of lost it a bit after Charlene left.]]
When the mass-murdering Decepticon [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] ran wild on the ship, Skids joined in the futile effort to hold back his rampage. {{storylink|Under Cold Blue Stars}} Overlord was ejected from the ship thanks to the sacrifice of Rewind, and Skids tried to console Chromedome over the loss of his lover, only to find that the mnemosurgeon was eerily calm about the whole thing. {{storylink|The Gloaming}} When the ''Lost Light'' encountered the long lost satellite [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]], Skids got Chromedome to accompany the band of Autobots heading to the surface to see if the satellite had a way to return Skids's memories. He went to the ship's oil reservoir for some alone time, where he was attacked by a number of [[Legislator]]s. {{storylink|Remain in Light 1 of 5: The Fecund Moon|The Fecund Moon}} While he managed to hold them off long enough for Swerve to arrive to help, a [[Star Saber (Victory)|mysterious and enigmatic robot]] appeared behind him, and impaled him with a large sword. {{storylink|Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|House of Ambus}}

Fortunately for Skids, he survived this, and was later teleported by Star Saber into a cell which contained Rodimus' crew. Perceptor examined his wound, while Swerve explained what happened to them. After Skids said that he would apologize for whatever he had done to Tyrest, Star Saber returned to the cell, carrying his [[Getaway|"Partner in crime"]] with him. Chromedome then explained that when he read Skids' mind, he had done it wrong, and misinterpreted the remnant memory as an "Imperative to escape". In actuality though, it was a name, Getaway. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} Getaway was able to fill Skids in on his lost memories of their ill-fated mission to change Tyrest's mind, and explained Tyrest's mad plan to reach [[Cyberutopia]]. With the newcomer's help, Skids and the others were freed from the cell and confronted Tyrest, only to be incapacitated by the lawmaker's suggestion weapon. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}}

Thanks to Tailgate, the suggestion weapon was disabled, and Skids cuffed [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]], only for the medic to promptly escape when his back was turned. The Autobots caught up with him at Tyrest's gate to Cyberutopia, but only Skids, finally at peace with himself, was able to step through the guilt-detecting force field. He found himself standing on a strange landscape being talked to by a multi-colored [[spark]]. On hearing cries for help from Rung, he dashed back through the portal to help fight the Legislators until Tailgate was able to shut them down with some amendments to the law. {{storylink|Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|This Calamitous Life}}

Once everything was over, he tried telling Rodimus what he saw, but he couldn't make sense of all it. {{storylink|The Sound of Breaking Glass}} Not helping was the fact that whatever he saw proved difficult to remember for any length of time. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}}

Before the ''Lost Light'' left Luna 1, Skids played a film compiled by Rewind to detail the ship's voyage. Unfortunately the film failed to impress the members of the [[Circle of Light]] who rejected any notion of joining the crew. {{storylink|Little Victories}}

Skids was among the Autobots who welcomed Orion Pax and his team aboard the ''Lost Light''. Swerve remarked to him how weird [[Garnak|some]] of Pax's crew were. {{storylink|Dark Dawn: Dark Cybertron Chapter 1|Dark Dawn}} Skids was later seen having a drink at Swerve's {{storylink|Black Metal: Dark Cybertron Chapter 2|Black Metal}} When the ''Lost Light'' was assaulted by [[Ammonite]]s, Skids met up with Getaway and Ultra Magnus to help organize a counterattack. Skids hesitantly suggested that they use the [[Rodpod]] to fight back. Despite the other's and his own concerns about damaging it and making Rodimus angry, they ended up boarding and using the vessel. Skids piloted the craft, and used it to defend the ship's fuel quills, while blasting Ammonites that attempted to combine. Skids was forced to pilot the Rodpod away from the battle when a group of Ammonites combined and gave chase to them. In an attempt to lose them, he piloted the vessel into what appeared to be an abyss, but was really the optical cavity of [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] {{storylink|Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|Into the Abyss}}

As everyone else tried to figure out where Metroplex's eye had gotten to, Getaway had a minor breakdown over the fact that A: they were inside someone's eye canal, and B: they were in a spaceship shaped like someone's head. Skids consoled him and said it was best to just roll with it. The group took Ratchet's suggestion to find Metroplex's brain, only on arrival in his brain chamber found it was surprisingly absent. In light of that, they decided to go find his spark instead. As they approached, Whirl noticed the flooding had been sealed off, which surprised Skids.

On setting down, Getaway quickly found an arrow pointing toward the spark chamber, which everyone decided to follow. Skids was the one to ask whether they would lock the Rodpod, which no-one else was concerned about. The arrows took everyone on a strange course through Metroplex's interior, until they came upon... the Rodpod again. Before Whirl could properly blame the ship, an Ammonite appeared, and blew it up. {{storylink|No Exit: Dark Cybertron Chapter 6|No Exit}} Fortunately, they were saved by a wall appearing to block the explosion, at which point Skids realized the purpose of the arrows: Metroplex was moving his interior about, and the odd journey the arrows had taken them on was because the direction they were meant to be pointed had change too. Then, they received a call from Swerve informing them to avoid the water, or they'd contract an alchemical virus and die horribly, and worse than that, two thousand Ammonites were heading their way. As Magnus gave orders to barricade the room, Whirl turned out an Ammonite, having beaten an explanation out of him. However, when the little guy told them who he was working for, he promptly self-destructed. Before everyone present could dwell on that, [[Chromia (G1)|two]] [[Nautica (G1)|newcomers]] appeared and told them to surrender. {{storylink|The Dead Are Not Enough: Dark Cybertron Chapter 7|The Dead Are Not Enough}}

Before Getaway could charm the two fellow Autobots, several Ammonites burst through the walls. While Ultra Magnus,Ratchet and Brainstorm went off with their new friends, Skids stayed behind to fight off the attackers (that he was being mobbed by several of them anyway probably helped). As Skids fought, Metroplex was recharged by the ''Lost Light's'' engines, and transported himself back to Cybertron. {{storylink|Burning Bright: Dark Cybertron Chapter 8|Burning Bright}} This didn't get rid of the Ammonites, though. That took Megatron giving the titan his missing thumb, containing the Regenesis Ore-7, which healed him and reactivated his immune system, killing the Ammonites dead. {{storylink|Finis Temporis: Dark Cybertron Chapter 9|Finis Temporis}}

In the apparent aftermath of Shockwave's scheme, Skids and Getaway relaxed in Swerve's, and were witness to Swerve suffering a bad bout of hero worship when Blurr walked in. The celebrations were rudely interrupted when Shockwave made his move, summoning all the Ammonites to attack Cybertron. {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}} Fortunately, Bumblebee had a plan of taking the fight to Shockwave. Skids was included in the team to be sent, thanks to his secret-agent-know-how. Getting to Shockwave's base of operations in the Crystal City seemed impossible, until Starscream showed up with [[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]], who managed to get them there. On arrival, the group was attacked by Bludgeon. Ultra Magnus offered to hold him off, and Skids decided to volunteer his skills as well, along with a suddenly poorly Brainstorm. However, Skids's outlier abilities weren't able to match Bludgeon's mastery of metallikato, and he quickly wound up stabbed. Fortunately, Brainstorm's unease turned out to be Optimus Prime, Rodimus, Cyclonus, Kup, and Nightbeat using the Dead Universe portal in his chest to escape that dying realm.{{storylink|Black Planet: Dark Cybertron Chapter 11|Black Planet}} They quickly mopped up Bludgeon, but Cyclonus' injuries meant someone had to help Brainstorm haul him back to his lab. While this meant Skids had to miss the climactic showdown, he did get to see time itself falling to pieces in the sky above Cybertron. That, and Rodimus managing to play on Brainstorm's insecurities. {{storylink|...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|...And the Damage Done}}

Once the crisis was truly over, Skids decamped to [[Moonbase Two|Luna 2]] to watch [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]]'s trial. Evidently, he was not dissuaded from rejoining the ''Lost Light'' on its quest once the former Decepticon Leader was added to the ranks, and he set off again, this time coming along of his own volition. Six months into the quest, he was sufficiently worried to pay a visit to the widowed Chromedome with Nightbeat, though their friend remained secluded in his hab suite and Nightbeat's interest was quickly derailed, to Skids' dismay. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} Shortly thereafter, he, [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]], and [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] all shot the bull about the ship's new gossip mag, the ''Lost Light Insider''. Though Nautica decided to exit before any rules were broken, she and Skids exchanged a bit of friendly banter before he and Riptide convinced the massively intoxicated Trailcutter to steal Megatron's "superfuel" out of the medibay. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}}.

When a pod containing the corpse of another Rodimus showed up, 'our' Rodimus called in Skids as part of his investigation team. Using all the facts, Skids and Chromedome worked out (wrongly as they'd soon learn!) that this was a near-future Roddy who'd die and be sent back in time, and Skids was left aghast by his leader's desperate attempts to 'change history' like lopping an arm off. Everything was then interrupted when the ship started to ''vanish'' around them {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}} and he was left stuck on a spaceship with Megatron (and Skids, who kept making snide asides when he was trying to listen). Soon, the Autobots on board began to disappear one by one and everyone had to reveal personal secrets in an attempt to figure out what was the common denominator. (In the process, Skids helped fill in Nautica on [[M.T.O.]]s and expressed his distaste for High Command's lack of interest in educating the "warborn".)

After realising only the launch crew were disappearing, the newbies like Skids found the ''Lost Light'' returned but in ruins! {{storylink|Twenty Plus One}} He agreed with Riptide that this must be the future ''Light'' that dead-Rodimus had come from and worried that the evidence they found meant they bring back the crew, only for the ship to be ripped apart. In an investigation, they came across a dead Ultra Magnus, one killed by a [[fusion cannon]], and Skids turned on Megatron, believing this showed he was going to inevitably turn on them! To his disquiet, when Megatron immediately requested to be locked up until all the facts were gone, he felt ''bad''' about doing it. As he admitted to Getaway during their search, he worried he was going to stop hating the killer.

[[File:MTMTE33 megatron skids right there.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|]]
The search found yet more corpses and to Skids horror, they had all been executed and their transformation cogs removed: acts that revealed the ship had been butchered by the [[Decepticon Justice Division]]. Luckily for all concerned, the discovery of a still-alive Rewind {{storylink|slaughterhouse}} proved this ''wasn't'' the future ''Lost Light'' but a duplicate of the 'real' one. Skids rushed to Rewind as he came through, making sure the guy was okay and filled in on things like Megatron-the-Autobot, and was pissed when Nightbeat pushed Rewind too soon to explain what had happened to the ship. That was how they learned the copy was created when the ship launched, thanks to an issue with the quantum engines, and ''exactly'' what hell Rewind had gone through. Said quantum engines were also leaking, endangering a nearby organic planet, and Skids knew they ahd to act. When Megatron refused to, bothered at the idea of risking his life for a handful of fleshy strangers, Skids tore into him for violating what the Autobrand stood for and that if being an Autobot ''didn't'' force him to modify his behaviour instead of getting what he wanted, then none of his 'rehab' meant a damn.

A brief aside from Getaway gave Skids an idea of how to save the planet: using a mass displacement gun he knew Brainstorm had been making to shrink down someone to help already-tiny Rewind fix the engines. That was a bust. Nothing was found except proof that ''Brainstorm was secretly a Decepticon spy'' but no time for that now, Skids! To Skids' amazement and joy though, his bollocking had worked and a guilty Megatron admitted he could be rigged to downsize and thus he could help Rewind. Skids thanked him. Once the damage was fixed, the duplicate ''Lost Light'' vanished and the 'real' one started to come back, and a happy Skids told a returning Chromedome to head up to the roof where Rewind was waiting. {{storylink|slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken|The Road Not Taken}}

Oh yeah, that Brainstorm thing. Turned out he was going back in time to change history, which was going to result in [[Functionist Universe|a hideous dystopia]], and the time travellers sent to bring him back ended up running into an early Skids.{{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|All Our Parlous Yesterdays}} Things turned out fine in the end! While time-travelling, Rodimus tried to warn the past "don't let them [the Legislators] take Skids" but nobody heard it, which was good as Cyclonus pointed out that Skids being captured turned out to be necessary for saving half the Cybertronian race. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|How to Say Goodbye and Mean It}} {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|Predestination: An Expert's Guide}}

Skids' friendly nature struck a chord with [[Ten]], the former [[Legislator]] turned into a bartender. In a mural of Ten's favourite crewmembers, Skids was in the front. A further friendship was struck up when Ratchet asked Skids to chat with Rung some time, as the guy would truly appreciate being visited by someone who didn't want help from him; when Skids bought Rung a drink, the therapist was surprised and delighted. {{storylink|Our Steps Will Always Rhyme}}

[[File:MTMTE42 dance dance skidsvolution.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|''What a feeling'' ''Being's believing'']]
Skids, Getaway, and Brainstorm all hung out at Nautica's, showing off their cool skillz and generally hanging. When Rung came up, Skids was bothered by Getaway dissing the guy, but they didn't have time to discuss Getaway's passive aggressive whiny defence of it as news came in that Thunderclash was dying and everyone was invited to the pre-wake on the ''Vis Vitalis''. {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} During the party, Getaway asked him if he wanted to mutiny against Megatron. Skids declined... and had his mind wiped with the nudge gun. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}} Believing his splitting headache to be too much partying, he decided to flump out at the ''Vitalis'' and get picked up tomorrow. {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} That made him a target for the parasitical [[personality tick]]s, secretly feeding off his energy! Not knowing why he was so tired {{storylink|The Frail Gaze}} he reached out to Nautica, sensing something was up with her, and she asked him {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} to teach her to dance. While busting a move, he coaxed out her issues with her old college friend [[Firestar (G1)|Firestar]] before the ticks begun a public rampage. After they were repulsed, Skids got better and everyone went back to the ''Light'' for a ''biiiig party at Sweeerve's!!!''

[[File:MTMTE43 skids swerve humans.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.0| Anything could be a Transformer!]]
Until Swerve suddenly vanished {{storylink|The Frail Gaze}} and a horrified Skids checked his room to find the bartender facedown, rusted, and half-dead from an infected wound. He rushed him to the medical bay for aid (inadvertently making him worse) and learned from [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] that Swerve had been holed up in his room for months, neglecting himself, and using a holomatter avatar to seem 'fine'. To Skids' great shame, he'd never visited Swerve—hadn't even known his ''room number'' until he remembered it was Red Alert's old one—and completely missed any chance to see one of his best friends needed help. He joined a rescue team sent to "[[Swearth]]", a vast hologram Earth operating on sitcom rules that Swerve was projecting, to find the guy's consciousness and fix him. In his new, brooding holomatter avatar, Skids and his friends did track down Swerve and tried to convince him to focus on the physical pain he was feeling, so they could realise where he was hurting. Skids, an expert in suppression, knew Swerve was pushing it down. Once they identified that Swerve was cripplingly lonely and depressed, they were able to convince him that he truly was loved and valued by them. {{storylink|The One Where They Go to Earth}}

Soon after, Skids went with a crew to check out the legendary [[Necrobot]]. He needled Nightbeat for having the 'debunking' itch and said that, while he no longer believed, he understood why other people were attracted to the idea that there was something after death. {{storylink|The Not Knowing}}

[[File:MTMTE48 skids and rung.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7| Tell me where Skywalker is.]]
Under incremental recollection sessions with Rung, where he also helped fix model ships as a focusing tool, Skids had finally managed to remember ''entering'' Grindcore if nothing else; while frustrated with the slow process, Rung admonished him that learning all of it in one go would re-traumatise him. While chatting, Skids was surprised to see the long-lost [[Froid]] appear. An old friend of yours, Rung? Well, I'll leave you to get caught up! (Off he went to brood at the oil pools, trying to remember more.) Within minutes Rung sent him a coded radio message to meet him at Froid's ship as something ''dodgy'' was going on but by the time Skids arrived, Rung had learned Froid had the infamous [[Sunder (G1)|Tetrahax Ripper, Sunder]], on board and that guy ''fed'' on bad memories. The very first sight of Skids woke Sunder up and caused him to attack, starting to rip up Skids' traumatic memories to the surface {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} before Rung could get him to safety. During the running battle against the serial killer, Rung kept trying to get Skids to Chromedome for memory suppression and Sunder duly followed them, constantly bringing up memories. Luckily Sunder was killed by the point Skids remembered repairing Grindcore's teleport chambers for Tarn and ''not'' by the point he'd remember how he'd killed five hundred souls.{{storylink|Speak, Memory! (Part 2)}}

When a small time window opened up in Swerve's, Skids used it to look back at the day the new crew members joined the ''Light'', a day that Trailcutter was still alive and openly happy. {{storylink|No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases}}

Skids had been part of Megatron's classes on the Knights of Cybertron and in one, to his surprise, Megatron showed the symbol that the strange spark being had 'said' to him back at possibly-Cyberutopia. Nautica advised him to write it out phoenetically to try and retain the knowledge of what it was, but everything was interrupted when Megatron and several others received bizarre messages coming from a distant planet. Rodimus assembled Skids with the rest of 'Team Rodimus' and they headed out to discover it was coming from the Necrobot's planet...

...where the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] and [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] were waiting. The Necrobot had been killed and the Autobots were forced to take refuge in his temple, now their makeshift fortress. And a message came in from ''Getaway'', telling them that the crew had mutinied against Megatron and all those considered loyal to him, so sick they were of having the killer around. Skids was enraged to discover his former friend had actually mindwiped him, an act he ''knew'' was a violation, to keep this a secret. When the message ended and the sheer horror sunk in, Skids embraced Nautica to console her. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}}

The DJD made their presence known by attacking the Necrobot's fortress before retreating... promising to return at sunset as part of their intimidation tactics. Skids weighed up their options with the other stranded crew members, suggesting that they dig in and devise an escape route. The Necrobot's body had revealed a key that unlocked a room filled with at least sixty organic creatures inside strange pods. Discussion arose whether to flee, or stay and defend the people inside the pods, but the Autobots ultimately decided to stand their ground. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 2: The Sun in Flight|The Sun in Flight}} Their forces were bolstered by the returning Drift and Ratchet, who had caught wind of their predicament through [[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]]. Skids had the awkward task of introducing Ratchet to his replacement. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 3: Your Fierce Tears|Your Fierce Tears}}

With death staring them in the face, Skids was one of the Autobots who Nautica assembled for the rite of [[Amica Endura]]. She opened her spark to them, recited the ritual, and told them all how they were valued. When Rung departed with Nightbeat to investigate the mystery of the Necroworld, Skids bade him a terse and awkward farewell. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 4: At Close of Day|At Close of Day}}

Shortly afterwards, Velocity hit on a potential way out: Tailgate's spark 'explosion', triggered by extreme trauma, had supercharged two security guards ala [[Ore-13]] and that could be done now! All it required was, er, someone willing to be traumatised. Skids offered himself up and pleaded with Chromedome to finally let him know about his deep, hidden trauma. His sad friend brought back all the memories of Grindcore and Skids' spark erupted. As his supercharged friends fought through the Decepticons, Ratchet worked to keep him stable as his spark shrank.

[[File:sleep tight, soldier.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|He's dead, Jim.]]
Unfortunately, Skids came to and crawled off his slab, desperate to find Brainstorm and apologise for Quark's death, feebly crying that he was "scum" for what he'd done. Ratchet was desperate to get him back on the slab before he died but Megatron, the only other person in the fort, had left to join the battle and there was nobody to help. Skids died in Ratchet's arms, only Brainstorm noticing as his friend's 'statue' winked out. After the Autobots retreated back to the Necrobot's fortress, a distraught Nautica embraced the corpse. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 5: Rage, Rage|Rage, Rage}} She stayed with it until at least the morning as events unfolded outside, {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}} and at some point removed its [[brain module]] for safe-keeping. {{storylink|An Axe to Break the Ice}}

In honor of Skids, the crew of the ''Lost Light'' painted their [[insignia|Autobot Insignias]] grey. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron|Some Other Cybertron}}

During a visit to [[Troja Major]], Nautica revealed that she was seeking a [[Resus Cradle]], a device that was said to be capable of reviving dead Cybertronians provided there were some form of remains for it to work with - the reason she had removed Skids' brain module from his corpse. {{storylink|An Axe to Break the Ice}}
{{-}}

===''Cloud''===
As an Autobot from [[Cloud World]], Skids was part of an inter-dimensional police force that kept the peace throughout the multiverse, while collecting excess energy to ensure the welfare of [[SARA]], the super-robotic being that allowed them access to other dimensions. When the Autobots' city of [[Metropolis]] came under attack from the Decepticons of the [[Underground (Cloud)|Underground]], Skids was stationed at the Autobots' Directorate of Operations to safeguard it as part of a garrison. But the Decepticons' rampage across multiple city districts had turned out to be nothing more than a distraction from their real scheme. [[Shockwave (G1)#Cloud|Shockwave]] and others forced their way into the Autobots' headquarters, catching the guards by surprise, and managed to make their escape with SARA in tow. After the Decepticons' retreat to the Underground, Optimus Prime called a meeting. Skids personally apologized for failing in his responsibility of protecting SARA. Optimus, however, took the blame onto himself for not having formulated a better strategy against the Decepticons. Optimus decided to head into the Underground himself to retrieve SARA. The other Autobots, unwilling to let their beloved leader go alone in this venture, all volunteered to join him. {{storylink|Resolve}}
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Fury (Cloud)|Fury}}}}

===''Q-Transformers'' cartoon===
[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] named Skids, [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]], and [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] as three characters who had been produced as toys for the popular ''[[Q-Transformers]]'' line. {{storylink|The Road to Winning a New Fanbase}}

====''Transformers Legends'' comic====
Skids was a member of the [[Skids Squadron]], a group of dimension-hopping versions of Skids led by [[#Transformers Legends comic|dimensional investigator Skids]], who summoned them to help force [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] out of the [[Legends Universe]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 20|Bonus Edition Vol. 20}}

==Games==
===3D Battle-Card Game===
Skids was one of [[Optimus Primal]]'s many Autobot allies in a fight against [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s Decepticon forces, in what might possibly have been an inter-universe battle. {{storylink|3D Battle-Card Game#Energon Wars expansion|Energon Wars Expansion Set}}

===''Transformers Legends''===
During the war on Cybertron, Skids was among a group of Autobots led by [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]], who went to [[Tyrest (polity)|Tyrest]] in an attempt to reason with [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. They were ambushed by the Decepticons, and Sentinel Prime was killed. {{storylink|The War Within}}

===''Transformers: Battle Tactics''===
[[File:BattleTacticsSkids.jpg|thumb|400px]]
Skids participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was an Rare character that could be recruited by collecting 130 units of Cybermetal, 75 units of Transmetal, and 45 hunter cores. {{storylink|Transformers: Battle Tactics}}

===''Transformers Operation Omega''===
{{charstubgames|{{storylink|Transformers Operation Omega}}}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
{{anchor|G1v1}}
[[File:G1 Skids toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Introducing the new Nikahimi Deathtrap. With its poly-cotton body shell, it's the fastest car in the world... to open with the jaws of life. The Nikahimi Deathtrap—the last car you'll ever drive.]]
*'''Skids''' (Autobot Car, 1985)
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets
:Skids began life as part of [[TakaraTomy]]'s ''[[Diaclone]]'' toyline, where he was known simply by the name of his [[alternate mode]], the [[wikipedia:Honda City Turbo|Honda City Turbo]], and was available in blue, red, or black color schemes (see [[#Notes|Notes]], below). The blue version of the figure was used by [[Hasbro]] as part of the ''Transformers'' toyline, sans [[Wikipedia:Honda_Motocompo|a small scooter accessory]] that the ''Diaclone'' figure had come with which stored inside his trunk. Despite sharing this common point of origin with many of his fellow Autobot cars, he features a few unusual touches: his rear wheels fold into his feet for added [[robot mode]] stability, and his weapons attach by clipping over his forearms, rather than plugging into his fists. Among his armament is a "rocket pod", the spring-loaded missile-firing mechanism of which was neutered for Hasbro's release of the figure.

:Because Skids was not one of the original eleven [[Autobot Cars]] released at the line's inception, he is commonly grouped in with the later 1985 Autobot Cars both fictionally and in the minds of [[fandom|fans]]. However, Skids was actually added to the 1984 assortment some time before the 1985 wave was released (December 1984 is the current earliest confirmed availability of the figure), during which time he came in 1984 packaging including a "TM" mark by the "Transformers" logo, rather than a "(R)" mark. Like the other 1984 cars, at least some of these early Skids releases lacked the [[rubsign]] on the roof that would later be added to all Transformers toys in 1985. He was also one of the ''rarest'' mass-release G1 figures, with just one Skids included per every ''two'' [[Case|shipping cases]].

:Skids has been reissued several times; this article lists each reissue separately where appropriate. This mold itself is a [[retool]] of an earlier ''Diaclone'' toy, the Honda City R; this earlier tooling was used to make [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] and the ''[[Transformers Generations 2009]]'' exclusive [[Screech (Generations)|Screech]].

::*''[http://www.transformerland.com/wiki/toy-info/transformers-g1-autobot-cars-skids/519/ Patent info, price guide, and further reading on Skids at Transformerland.com]''
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1985/Autobot/Skids/skids.htm More information on Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers''===
{{anchor|VSZ}}
[[File:G1toy vsz set.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"Maybe the kids will notice me now that I'm bundled together with two other guys?"]]
*'''Skids & Sunstreaker vs Buzzsaw''' (multi-pack, 1985)
**''ID number'': '''VSZ'''
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets
: Skids was not released on his own in the Japanese Generation 1 toyline, and was instead available only in a multi-pack with [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], which was also the only way to get the other two on the Japanese market at the time. This box set remains a considerable rarity on the secondary market.
{{-}}

{{anchor|QuantumOperativeToy}}
[[File:G1toy quantum operative skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|You sure you can call this an homage?]]
*'''Skids & Screech Quantum Operative Ver.''' (exclusive multi-pack, 2009)
**''Accessories:'' "Material acceleration pistol", dual-barreled gun, "quantum shield" launcher, 3 rockets, scooter

:"Quantum Operative" Skids is a green redeco of the original Generation 1 toy, available in conjunction with his [[#Encore|''Encore'' release (below)]], and including for the first time the scooter accessory that was eliminated from the ''Diaclone'' toy for his original Transformers release. He was sold in a set with [[Screech (Generations)|Screech]] that was a mail-away [[exclusive]] available only with volume 3 of [[Hero-X|Million Publishing]]'s ''[[Transformers Generations 2009]]''. While Skids's colors are an homage to ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (franchise)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]], Screech is likewise a match for Skids's twin [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]].

:Amusingly, the color scheme for this exclusive was accidentally revealed early by TakaraTomy when they [[:File:Encore Skids Tokyo Toy Show 2009.jpg|mistakenly included its missile launcher]], denoted by its bright green launching tab, with the normal ''Encore'' version that was on display at Tokyo Toy Show 2009.<ref name="internat">[http://www.allspark.com/content/view/5790/20/ TakaraTomy Accidentally Gives Clue to TF Generations Vol. 3 Mail Away Figure?!]</ref>
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Cybertron/Skids/skids.htm More information on Quantum Operative Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===The Transformers Collection===
[[File:TF Collection 3 Skids.jpg|thumb|"Oh boy, a reissue! Now people are ''actually'' going to notice me!"]]
*'''Skids''' (reissue, [[2002]]-[[September 27|09-27]])
**''ID number'': '''3'''
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets

:Skids received his first reissue in 2002, when [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] made him available as part of their "book-box" ''[[The Transformers Collection|Transformers Collection]]'' series, surprising many with the inclusion of such an overlooked character so early in the line. He features no significant differences from the original (save for a working missile launcher, as with the original Japanese release), though the figure suffered from a common, if not universal, problem: an excess of plastic on the underside of Skids's right foot means that his rear wheel can not fold down flat beneath it, resulting in a slightly unstable robot mode. Since the original Japanese figure was released only in a giftset, Skids did not get a [[List of Japanese ID numbers|Japanese ID number]] at the time, a situation this reissue rectifies by retroactively giving him the ID number '''96''' on the included [[Tech Spec]] and [[bio]] card.

:The aforementioned Crosscut was released exclusively through [[e-HOBBY]] in conjunction with this reissue.

::*''[http://www.tf-1.com/articles/reissue/Skids_template.html More information on Transformers Collection Skids at TF-1.com]
{{-}}

===Commemorative Series===
[[File:G1toy commemorative skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"Whoa, two reissues! Good old Skids is moving up in life!"]]
*'''Skids''' (reissue, 2004)
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets

:Skids got his first Hasbro reissue as part of the eighth wave of their ''[[The Transformers: Generation One Commemorative Series|Commemorative Series]]'' line, [[exclusive]] to [[Toys"R"Us]] stores. He features no notable differences from the earlier Takara ''Transformers Collection'' release, except for the fact that his launcher's spring has been removed.
{{-}}

===Alternators/Binaltech===
[[File:Alt Skids toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Heavily clearanced so fanboys could customize him into Ironhide.]]
{{anchor|Alt}}
*'''Autobot Skids''' (2005)
**''Alternator ID number'': '''17'''
**''Japanese ID number'': '''BT-16'''
**''Accessories'': Engine-rifle

:Skids transforms into a 1:24-scale blue Scion xB. All four doors open, revealing a fully-detailed realistic interior with seats for a driver and passengers, plus his hood pops open to reveal his engine. His robot mode is very reminiscent of his original toy, with his head sculpt based off his animation model with toy details. His engine pops out and unfolds to become his hand-held pistol.

:The Hasbro ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]]'' release (part of the first wave of new "bubble packaging" toys) differs from the [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] ''Binaltech'' release in that it has a much darker shade of blue, tinted windows, and various Scion-type tampographed flame decals. The Japanese release naturally has die cast metal parts, is painted a lighter shade of blue, and has different paint decos. It also includes a sheet of stickers, including flames resembling the ones printed on the ''Alternators'' version, as well as some Generation-1-style red stripes, and most humorously, a Japanese "New Driver" badge.

:This mold was also used to make ''[[The Transformers: Binaltech Asterisk|Binaltech Asterisk]]'' [[Blaster (G1)/toys#Binaltech Asterisk|Broadblast]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Autobot/AltSkids/skids.htm More information on ''Alternators'' Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Encore===
[[File:G1toy encore skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"Three reissues?! Wow, I must be really popular by this point, r-right?"]]
*'''Skids''' (reissue, 2009)
**''ID number:'' '''18'''
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets

:TakaraTomy reissued Skids again in October 2009 as part of their ''[[Transformers Encore]]'' series. This version of the figure shifted its colors a little, changing him from tomato-red and blue to cherry-red and blueish-purple, as well as noticeably lightening the translucent blue plastic used for his windows. His Autobot symbol and tail light stickers were replaced with [[tampograph]]s, while some of his other stickers were updated slightly, including his factory-applied front grill sticker. Like past reissues, this figure too suffered with an unstable robot mode, and ''both'' feet had wheels that would not fold away flat.
{{-}}

===Generations===
[[File:Generations Skids.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|The theoretician the world deserves, not the one it needs right now.]]
*'''Autobot Skids''' (Deluxe, 2013)
**''Series / Number'': '''02 / #009'''
**''Accessories:'' Nudge gun & nitrogen gun (combine to form rifle)

:Part of the seventh wave of 2012-onwards ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' Deluxe Class toys, ''[[Thrilling 30]]'' "Autobot Skids" transforms from a contemporary-looking hatchback into a robot mode largely based on [[Alex Milne]]'s design for [[IDW Publishing|IDW]]'s ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' comic, most notably featuring that body's numerous integrated weapons. He also includes the [[nudge gun]] carried by Skids in said comic and a new version of the liquid nitrogen rifle from his original toy, the two of which can combine into a larger rifle. Both weapons can peg onto his hands or vehicle sides via [[5mm post]].

:There are numerous reports of the figure's hips being assembled the [[Misassembly|wrong way round]], thus affecting the car mode as well as hampering the leg articulation (and it could even result in the ball joints at the waist snapping off), this can simply be fixed by popping them out and swapping them to the right place (just as long as you are careful with the aforementioned ball joints). At least some later releases fixed this issue.

:He comes packaged with the [[Little Victories|twenty-second issue]] of IDW's aforementioned ''More than Meets the Eye'' comic series, featuring a cropped version of its retailer incentive cover, which is called out as a 'Hasbro Exclusive Cover' on its front.

:Skids was [[redeco]]ed into ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (toyline)|Age of Extinction]]'' [[Rollbar (AOE)#Toys|Rollbar]] and ''[[Transformers Timelines (toyline)|Timelines]]''/''[[Diaclone]]'' [[Burn Out (Diaclone)|Burn Out]], which was later [[Repurposing|repurposed]] as [[Skids (SG)|''Shattered Glass'' Skids]]. This mold was also [[retool]]ed into ''Generations'' [[Crosscut (Autobot)#Generations|Crosscut]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2014/Autobot/GenSkids/skids.htm More information on ''Generations'' Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Q-Transformers===
[[File:QTransformers Skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|As a last ditch effort to be relevant, Skids tried appealing to the "kawaii culture" crowd. It didn't work.]]
*'''Skids''' ([[2015]]-[[June 27|06-27]])
**''ID number:'' '''QT-21'''

:''[[Q-Transformers]]'' Skids is a redeco and retool of [[Hound (G1)/toys#Q-Transformers|QT-15 Hound]], transforming into a [[super deformed]] Suzuki Hustler.

{{-}}

===Kre-O===
{{anchor|SDCC2015}}
*'''Kreon Class of '85''' (Kreon figure set, 2015)
**''Set number'' '''B5152'''
**''Voted'': Most Thoughtful
**''Accessories'': 2 clip-on rifles

: ''[[Kre-O]]'' "Autobot Skids" is a small brick-built [[Kreon]] figure, using the 2015-style construction with raised hands and the sturdier "peg-in-peg" torso/waist connection. His body [[tampograph]]s are heavily toy-based, with a ton of intricate design.

: He was only available as part of the [[San Diego Comic-Con]]-[[exclusive]] "[[Kreon Class of '85]]" 30-Kreon set. This set was also sold online through [[Hasbro Toy Shop]] after the show.

{{-}}

===Legends===
[[File:Legendstoy-Skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|He might be a forgotten character but at the very least he can now be ignored by fans while sporting a relatively cool deco.]]
*'''Skids''' ([[2016]]-[[May 28|05-28]])
**''ID number:'' '''LG-20'''
**''Accessories:'' Nudge gun & nitrogen gun (combine to form rifle)

:''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' Skids is an extensive redeco of the ''Generations'' Skids toy. It features a color scheme faithful to the character's appearance in the ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' comic, with a darker shade of blue, black front grill with red details under the grill, silver and black detailing on the feet, painted front lights and pink striping on the front hood and on the back's sculpted detail.

{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Decoy===
[[File:Decoy skids.jpg|thumb]]
*'''Cybertron Hero Collection 22''' (multi-pack, 1986)

:Skids was among the many characters rendered by [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] as part of their series of 1.5" soft rubber ''keshigomu'' figurines. Like all the figures in the series, Skids featured a number sculpted into his back that was the sum total of his [[Tech Spec]]s, for use in the various games that could be played with the figurines. He was available in red as part of a 22-piece box set of Autobot figures, in peach as part of various other randomly-packed box sets released by Takara subsidiary [[Seven]], and in a wide variety of different colors in "gachapon" capsule machines.

*'''Skids''' (1987)
**''Decoy number:'' '''12'''

:The Skids figurine was later brought over to [[Hasbro]] markets as part of the [[Decoy]] promotion, largely identical to the Japanese release except for the fact that the number on his back was replaced with a simple "checklist" number. Like all Autobot Decoys, he was a randomly-chosen pack-in available with the carded [[Throttlebot]]s, [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]] and [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1986/Autobot/Decoys/Skids/skids.htm More information on Decoy Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

'''3d Battle-Card Game'''

{{anchor|3DBC}}[[File:EnergonWarsSkids.jpg|thumb|Are, uh, you sure you're a G1 character?]]
*'''Skids''' (3D Battle-Card, 2007)
:A 26-point "common" character in the [[3D Battle-Card Game]]'s "Energon Wars" expansion, Skids "transforms" into a grey pickup truck of indeterminate make. He uses the same parts layout as [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] and [[Dropkick (Movie)|Dropkick]].

:He is equipped with a LN2 Cryo Rifle, an Electron Blaster, and a Rocket Launcher, which are similar to his G1 weapons — but due to the interdimensional nature of the Energon Wars subset, the Battle-Card may or may not also represent the [[Skids (Movie)|live-action movie Skids]].
{{--}}

==Notes==
[[File:DiacloneSkids.jpg|thumb|A rainbow of theoretical flavors.]]
[[File:Skidsdiacloneconceptart.jpg|thumb|Suck it, Ironhide! This head was mine first!]]
*The ''[[Diaclone]]'' version of Skids was additionally available in black or red. The [[BotCon 2015]] toy and character [[Burn Out]], a non-Cybertronian ''Diaclone'' mech from within the ''Transformers'' [[multiverse]], is based on the black version.
*Skids' animation model head appears to be based on early ''Diaclone'' promotional concept art. The toy's head would be different... and ultimately different from the [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] head shown in his instructions, which also popped up a few times in the UK comics.
*Though Skids' toy turned into a Honda City Turbo, his car mode was often misinterpreted in Transformers fiction as one of the then-new minivans, despite the fact that a Honda City Turbo is a subcompact car, and as such, could theoretically be stowed in the back seat of an actual minivan. This is likely because most Americans in 1985 wouldn't know what a subcompact car is.
*As Skids was released in the interim between the original 1984 launch and the big push of new 1985 figures, the character consequently fell by the wayside in the Generation 1 fiction of the 1980s. He was not included in the commercial promoting the new 1985 range of Autobot Cars, as he wasn't technically part of it. Similarly, he was also left out of the list of new 1985 product in the Generation 1 cartoon's [[production bible]] intended for inclusion in the show's second season, and as such, only managed to appear in little more than cameo roles in just two episodes, speaking one line in each and voiced by a different actor each time. He fared a little better in the Marvel comics, debuting alongside (an incomplete roster of) the other 1985 cars, but after getting an issue dedicated to himself, he all but completely vanished from the book and was banished to [[limbo]] by the UK comic for upwards of 100 issues, abandoned and forgotten.
*In the "[[Survivors!]]" story, Skids was suddenly drawn with the original ''Diaclone'' toy's head (which years later would be used for the new character [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]]). "Survivors!"' artist, [[Dan Reed]], previously drew him with his real head, so it'd be interesting to learn why and how this change happened. (He would later mysteriously regain his own face.)
*In more recent years, toys sporting the name "Skids" have required an additional "Autobot" prefix for [[trademark]] reasons, hence making the official name "'''Autobot Skids'''".

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Skids''' (スキッズ ''Sukizzu'')
*''French:'' '''Platon''' ("Plato")
*''Hungarian:'' '''Szán'''
*''Italian:'' '''Furetto''' ("Ferret")
*''Mandarin:'' '''Shāchē''' (China, 刹车, "Brake")
*''Portuguese:'' '''Patins''' (Brazil comic, "Skate"), '''Pe-de-cabra''' (Portugal comic, "Crowbar")
*''Russian:'' '''Tormoz''' (Тормоз, "Brake")

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:3D Battle-Cards]]
[[Category:Alternators Autobots]]
[[Category:Cloud Autobots]]
[[Category:Council members]]
[[Category:Decoys]]
[[Category:Dimension hoppers]]
[[Category:Dreamwave Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Exclusives]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Henkei! Henkei! Autobots]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Kre-O Autobots]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Legends Autobots]]
[[Category:Lost Light crew]]
[[Category:Q-Transformers characters]]
[[Category:Regeneration One Autobots]]
[[Category:Scientists]]
[[Category:SDCC exclusives]]
[[Category:Universe Autobots]]

Wingthing (G1)

2017-09-06T23:09:42Z

HailMegatron: /* Encore */

{{factions|decepticon}}
{{disambig2|Soundwave's Action Master partner from Generation 1|Soundwave's keytar buddy from ''Animated''|Wingthing (Animated)}}
:''Wingthing is a [[Decepticon]] [[Action Master partner]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[File:Wingthing Soundwave DestinyPt3.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|Soundwave and his bat partner. No, the other bat partner.]]
'''Wingthing''' is one of the [[Decepticon Mini-Cassette|many, many animal-friends]] of [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]. Via a high-precision personality emulator, Wingthing is programmed to share his master's penchant for cruelty, and gleefully follows his every command, indulging Soundwave's manipulative desires. And much like his master, Wingthing is hated by pretty much every other Decepticon for it.

==Fiction==
===''Regeneration One''===
[[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] dispatched Wingthing to alert the other Decepticon cells on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] that the time to begin the next phase of their plan had come. {{storylink|Destiny, Part Three}} He and Soundwave watched as the Autobots deployed [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] against [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon's]] [[Blitz Engine]]s with satisfaction, knowing that they had [[Monstructor (G1)|a counter]] ready to be deployed. {{storylink|Destiny, Part Four}}

Following Soundwave's defeat and the [[Dark Matrix (G1)|Dark Matrix]] creature's rise, Wingthing was converted into a [[shadow-leech]] alongside Soundwave, [[Howlback (G1)|Howlback]], [[Slugfest (G1)|Slugfest]], [[Squawktalk (G1)|Squawktalk]], [[Beastbox (G1)|Beastbox]], and [[Overkill (G1)|Overkill]]. Their combined form menaced [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] before he was rescued by [[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] and [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]]. {{storylink|King of Shadows}} The shadow-leeches ceased to be a threat once [[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Rodimus Prime]] defeated the Dark Matrix creature. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 5}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
[[File:mtmte48 hygiene team.jpg|upright=1.3|thumb|]]

After the [[Simanzi Massacre]], Wingthing was part of a [[Decepticon]] [[hygiene team]] that picked up prisoners for [[Grindcore (prison)|Grindcore]]. He perched on [[Skyquake (G1)|Skyquake]]'s forearm. {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}}

{{--}}

==Games==
===''Angry Birds Transformers''===
{{note|Wingthing appears as a wearable accessory in the game.}}
{{storylink|Angry Birds Transformers (mobile game)|Angry Birds Transformers}}
{{charstubgame|Does he do anything, game-play wise? How about adding to the note how much it costs?}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
[[File:G1toy-Wingthing.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|Someday he hopes he can trade in that dumb cannon mode for a sweet rectangle mode!]]
*'''Soundwave with Wingthing''' (Action Master, [[1990]])
:Wingthing is a robotic bat. Pushing down on his tail flips his head and a chunk of his inner body around via a spring-loaded mechanism, revealing a (non-firing) blaster. Folding his wings up forms his "concussion cannon" mode, which can be used by any regular Action Master figure. His gun barrel can be extended by attaching the handgun from any carded Action Master. (Thanks to Soundwave's inaccurate instructions, the photo at right uses [[Treadshot (G1)|Treadshot]]'s handgun.)

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1990/Decepticon/Soundwave/soundwave.htm More information on Wingthing (and Soundwave) at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===''Encore''===
[[File:Encoretoy-Wingthing.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|His dream has come true.]]
*'''Soundblaster''' ([[2012]])
**''ID number:'' '''21'''
**''Accessories:'' 2 concussion cannons, clear cassette case
:''[[Transformers Encore|Encore]]'' Wingthing is an orange, yellow, and black redeco of [[Ratbat (G1)#Generation 1|Ratbat]], included with ''Encore'' [[Soundwave (G1)/toys#Encore|Soundblaster]] and [[Enemy (G1)#Encore|Enemy]]. Wingthing, unlike the majority of Decepticon Mini-Cassettes, doesn't feature silver or gold weapons. Instead, his are a metallic charcoal color. As was the case with the other cassettes previously released with Soundblaster, Wingthing sports a different sticker in place of his cassette spool image; an image of [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] which reveals the city-bot's weak spots when viewed through Soundblaster's clear-red chest door (in the same way [[Tech Spec]] decoders work).
{{--}}

===Masterpiece===
[[File:TF-MP-Wingthing.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Still does not convert into a weapon.]]
*'''Cassettebots VS Cassettetrons''' ([[December|12]]-[[2017]])
**''Japanese ID number'': '''MP-15/16E'''
**''Accessories:'' unknown

:Issued in a limited edition "Encore" set available from [[TakaraTomy Mall]], along with [[Stripes#Masterpiece|Stripes]], [[Nightstalker (G1)#Masterpiece|Nightstalker]], and [[Enemy (G1)#Masterpiece|Enemy]], Wingthing is a redeco of Masterpiece [[Ratbat (G1)/toys#Masterpiece|Ratbat]].

{{comingsoontoy}}
{{--}}

==Notes==
[[File:Encoretoy-Wingthingblackhead.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Should probably see a dermatologist.]]
*In [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s ''[[Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More Than Meets The Eye]]'' profile series, every [[Action Master]] partner robot profiled was [[Retcon|retroactively]] given the "[[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmaster]]" classification, though the partners to characters who had previous, non-Action Master toys (like Soundwave) were omitted from the books' lineup. However, the across-the-board application of the Targetmaster term for those that ''did'' appear makes a pretty clear inference that ''all'' of the Action Master partner-bots are Targetmasters... at least, as far as the Dreamwave universe is concerned.
*An early photo as well as the packaging art of ''[[Transformers Encore|Encore]]'' Wingthing was more brown in color and had an entirely black head (with gold eyes in the art) and ears.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Wingthing''' (ウィングシング ''Wingushingu'')

[[Category:Action Master partners]]
[[Category:Drones]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Decepticons]]
[[Category:Masterpiece]]
[[Category:Mini-Cassettes]]
[[Category:Regeneration One Decepticons]]
[[Category:Targetmasters]]

Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus

2017-09-05T21:35:58Z

HailMegatron:

{{Comicstory
|series=mtmte|issueno=18
|prev=Remain in Light 1 of 5: The Fecund Moon
|next=Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self
|image=MTMTE18 cvrA.jpg
|title="Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus"
|caption=Don't let them take Skids, or he might do this to you.
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[June 19]], [[2013]]
|coverdate=June 2013
|story by=[[James Roberts]]
|pencils by=[[Alex Milne]]
|inks by=[[Brian Shearer]]
|colors by=[[Josh Burcham]]
|letters by=[[Tom B. Long]]
|editorial assistant=[[Toni Korde]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|continuity=[[IDW Generation 1 continuity|IDW continuity]]
|chronology=[[IDW timeline|Current era (2013)]]
}}
'''While the Legislators lay siege to the ''Lost Light'', Rodimus's team are imprisoned on Luna 1 with a mysterious cell-mate and are confronted by the mastermind behind their plight.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:MyFirstBlaster DirectHit.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.5]]
A seemingly-unending army of [[Legislator]]s has invaded the ''[[Lost Light]]'', teleporting aboard and striking at the [[Autobot]]s all throughout the ship simultaneously. Both [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] and [[Skids (G1)|Skids]], battling on separate fronts, recognize the robots from their last encounter with them, and while Swerve is able to use the impressive armament built into his [[Swerve's|bar]] by [[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]]—as well as the comical but effective ''[[My First Blaster]]''™ the scientist made specially for him—to dispatch his lone attacker, Skids finds his super-learning abilities pushed to the limit by the much larger force he faces...

Down on the surface of [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]], while [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]] takes the incapacitated [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] prisoner, the rest of [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]]'s team retreat from [[Lockdown (G1)|Lockdown]]'s forces, save for [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] and [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]], who disobey orders and counterattack. In fleeing, the others discover the awesome sight of a [[Titan (IDW)|Titan]] graveyard, and Rodimus orders them to fly inside their giant bodies in hopes of losing their pursuers. Weaving through a Titan's cavernous interior, Rodimus is able to dispatch the [[Decepticon]]s on his tail... but unfortunately, his comrades are not so lucky and are taken captive by Lockdown's men, forcing Rodimus to surrender.

Rodimus and company are escorted to a prison on the moon's surface, where they discover a silent [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] who pays them no attention, a mysterious ancient [[space bridge]], and meet face-to-face with Lockdown's true master: [[Tyrest (G1)|Chief Justice Tyrest]], primary lawmaker of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], failed arbiter of peace, broker of the [[Tyrest Accord]], and creator of the [[Aequitas]] computer, who vanished from public view years ago. Tyrest charges them all with "crimes against creation" (prompting a tirade of verbal abuse from Rodimus) and confines them to a cell with another Autobot named [[Minimus Ambus|Ambus]]. After Rodimus relates their plight, [[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]] inquires of their cell-mate if he is [[Dominus Ambus|''Dominus'' Ambus]], [[Rewind (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rewind]]'s old partner, but the moustachoied 'bot explains that he is Dominus's [[spark]]-brother ''Minimus'' Ambus, a trader imprisoned for selling enriched [[nucleon (substance)|nucleon]]. Rodimus notes Ambus's lack of an Autobot [[Insignia|badge]], prompting [[Rung (G1)|Rung]] to offer him his, but Ambus politely refuses. [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]], meanwhile, is especially eager to find a way to escape, given his impending death by [[cybercrosis]], and hopes Brainstorm or Chromedome can use their special abilities to bust them loose, but Ambus warns that escape attempts will be seen as admissions of guilt, and Rodimus agrees, noting they need to figure out the bigger picture first.

Back aboard the ''Lost Light'', Skids tears into wave after wave of Legislators, fighting with a righteous fury sparked by the blame he assigns himself: there's no question that the Legislators are here for him, and the rest of the ship's crew, who took him in without question, are suffering as a result. Swerve races to the [[oil]] reservoir to aid his friend, arriving just as the doors open and a torrent of fuel spills out... followed presently by a battered, weakened, but victorious Skids. Just as Skids steps through the doors, however, another [[Star Saber (Victory)|large red, white, and blue robot]] materializes behind him and stabs him through the torso with a gigantic sword. Swerve opens fire, but fails to land a single shot, and is promptly knocked out by the newcomer.

Elsewhere, Ratchet awakens to see Pharma leering down at him. After showing off his new hands, which can "turn into anything", the deranged doctor gestures to a large yellow box in the middle of the room, and challenges Ratchet to guess what is inside it. Intent on not humoring Pharma, Ratchet claims he does not care and refuses to play the twisted game, so Pharma simply opens it to reveal... Ratchet's body! With great horror, the medic realizes he is nothing but a decapitated head and spark hanging from a med-slab!

[[File:Rung gives up minimus.jpg|thumb|thumb|upright=1.4| I know what you did last night.]]
Back in the prison, Rung hands out [[Energon goodie|energon sticks]] to calm everyone's nerves, and tells Tailgate—who remembers Tyrest from [[Nova Prime]]'s days—about the history of their jailor. Rodimus takes over to recap Tyrest's role in the Aequitas trials, even as both Rung and Ambus try to quiet him, knowing that the trials are top secret and not to be talked about. Ambus conspicuously tries to change the subject, asking questions about Skids, and Rung offers him an energon stick, only to deliberately drop the box as he hands him one. Ambus becomes angry, quickly picking up the scattered sticks... which serves as the last piece of evidence Rung needs. Ignoring Ambus's plaintive requests to stop, Rung explains that he has observed many familiar characteristics in Ambus: a certain way of speaking, an intolerance for mess, and a fixation on the psychiatrist's Autobot badge, which he deliberately positioned at an angle when he reattached it after Ambus turned it down. Rung gives Ambus the chance to tell the others the truth for himself, and he reluctantly agrees. Minimus Ambus ''is'' his true name, he explains, but the crew of the ''Lost Light'' have always known him as... Ultra Magnus!
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
(Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashback.) 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] (1)
*[[Fortress Maximus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Fortress Maximus]] (3)
*[[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] (4)
*[[Ambulon]] (5)
*[[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] (6)
*[[Hound (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hound]] (7)
*[[Gears (G1)|Gears]] (8)
*[[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (9)
*[[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] (10)
*[[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] (11)
*[[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] (12)
*[[Dipstick]] (13)
*[[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailcutter]] (14)
{{!}}style="background:transparent;border:0px" valign="top"{{!}}
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]] (15)
*[[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]] (16)
*[[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] (17)
*[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] (20)
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] (23)
*[[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]] (24)
*[[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]] (25)
*[[Rung (G1)|Rung]] (26)
*[[Minimus Ambus]] (28)
*[[Perceptor (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Perceptor]] (32)
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] (35)
*[[Deftwing]] (37)
{{!}}}
|c2=
*[[Lockdown (G1)|Lockdown]] (18)
*"[[Vehicon (G1)|Vehicons]]" (19)
*[[Chop Shop (G1)|Chop Shop]] (29)
*[[Venom (G1)|Venom]] (30)
*[[Ransack (G1)|Ransack]] (31)
*[[Barrage (Insecticon)|Barrage]] (33)
*"[[Titan Hunter|Insecticon-like Titan Hunter]]" (34)
*''[[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]]'' (39)
*''[[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]]'' (40)
|c4=
*[[Legislator]]s (2)
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]] (21)
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]] (22)
*[[Titan (IDW)|Titans]] (27)
*[[Tyrest (G1)|Tyrest]] (36)
*[[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]] (38)
}}

==Quotes==
"Now, I didn't say it to '''Fort Max'''—and I didn't say it to '''Whirl'''—and I didn't even say it to '''Cyclonus''' when he had his '''Dead Universe flashback'''. But you, my friend—to you I say:" 
''(CH-CHUK)'' 
"'''Get the hell out of my bar.'''" 
''(Swerve blasts the Legislator.)'' 
<big>'''"♪ HOORAY! ♩ YOU SCORED A DIRECT ♫ HIT! ♪"'''</big>
:—'''Swerve'''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s badass speech is a little deflated by his '''''[[My First Blaster]]''™'''

"The last time I danced this dance some piece of scum had just '''destroyed my memories'''. I woke up with a blowtorch in my hand and nothing in my head, and your friends were all over me. So you'll forgive me if I put '''two and two together'''—and make '''fist!'''" 
''(THWOK)'' 
"Okay, that didn't really work, did it, the whole 'two and two' thing. It should be 'four'—you're expecting me to say 'four,' but I said... 'cos it coincided with me '''punching you''', yeah? Forget it."
:—'''Skids'''

"Pharma, we really must sit down some time so I can explain to you why we all hate you. We'll start with your '''personality''' and go from there."
:—Even '''Lockdown''' hates Pharma

"If I still kept a journal of all my moves, '''that''' would be on the front cover." 
"'''Excellent, excellent''' effort. It's just a shame none of your friends are as much of a show-off as you are." 
"Yeah, well, none of my friends have flames on their chest. It's a lot to live up to."
:—'''Rodimus''' and '''Lockdown'''

"Ah, enriched nucleon...! The magic ingredient! Two drops turns '''hand gun''' into a '''banned gun'''." 
"You should really stop and listen to yourself sometimes."
:—'''Brainstorm''' and '''Perceptor'''

"'''Brainstorm!''' How about cobbling together some kinda superweapon out of—out of the '''ceiling''' or something? You're always telling us what a genius you are..." 
"I don't respond well to pressure." 
"Well, why not open your '''magic briefcase''' and make all the naughty people in the universe disappear?" 
"Don't. Mock. The briefcase."
:—'''Tailgate''' appealing to '''Brainstorm''', to no avail

"What about you, Domey? The Legislators round the corner—could you extend the needles in your fingers far enough to reach their necks and '''brainwash''' them into letting us go?" 
"Short answer: No. Long answer: No, don't be an idiot." 
:—'''Tailgate''' and '''Chromedome'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
*In addition to being hilarious, Swerve's need for ''My First Blaster''™ reminds us of his poor marksmanship and weapons-handling, established in past instances such as when he accidentally shot Rung in [[Interiors|issue #6]] and blew his own face off in [[Before & After|issue #12]].
*Fortress Maximus's oft-mentioned "guns on his legs" finally see some action.
*The Titans were introduced in [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|the ''More than Meets the Eye'' 2012 annual]] (in which Rodimus's crew also went on a voyage through the innards of one). That they should turn up in the same place as Lockdown's group is no surprise, since the Decepticon squad were established to be hunters of Titans when they debuted in ''[[The Reluctant Specialist|Spotlight: Trailcutter]]''.
[[File:RemainInLight2-ChromedomeAltMode.jpg|thumb|Two motorbikes welded together with a cockpit.]]
*After commenting last issue on the oddness of using M.A.R.B.s to get around when they have perfectly good alt modes, Chromedome joins thought to deed this issue, ditching his M.A.R.B. to transform and roll out when being chased. In doing so, he also gives readers their first ''good'' look at his alt mode, previously only seen in the distance—miscolored, no less—in the [[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|2012 annual]].
*Chief Justice Tyrest was introduced by Roberts in [[Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|''Last Stand of the Wreckers'' #5]], named after the [[Tyrest Accord]] first established in ''[[Spotlight: Ultra Magnus]]'', though in-story it's the other way around.
*Chromedome takes umbrage at Tailgate calling him "Domey"; that was [[Rewind (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rewind]]'s nickname for him.
*Pharma is revealed to have worked with Ratchet at the [[Deltaran Medical Facility]]; the facility was first mentioned in [[Chaos Theory Part 1|"Chaos Theory," Part 1]], and the fact that Ratchet worked there was revealed in [[Omega's Conundrum|''Spotlight: Orion Pax'']].
*Tailgate gets very sarcastic about Tyrest's aspirations as Rung relates his backstory; he did the same thing about Dominus Ambus when Chromedome told his story in issue #12.
*Tyrest's "judging machine", [[Aequitas]], was the central macguffin of ''[[The Transformers: Last Stand of the Wreckers|Last Stand of the Wreckers]]''.
*It's fitting that Rung should recognize Ambus as Magnus through observation of traits in his speech; issue #13's "[[Signal to Noise]]" featured an exchange between the two characters in which Rung commented on the observations he'd made on Magnus's way of talking over time.

===Transformers references===
*It might be nothing more than coincidence, but with Roberts, we'll hedge our bets—[[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] and [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] appear in a single-panel scene together in the midst of the Legislators' attack, recalling their brief but memorable bromantic partnership in Marvel UK's "[[The Legacy of Unicron!]]".
*In-keeping with the Titan Hunters' established trait of having members based on characters from other continuity families (specifically ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Animated]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[Lugnut (TF 2010)|Lugnut]] and "Blitzving" in ''[[The Reluctant Specialist|Spotlight: Trailcutter]]''), their ranks in this issue include warriors based on ''[[Transformers: Prime (franchise)|Transformers: Prime]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] (both car and jet versions) and at least one [[Insecticon (WFC)|Insecticon]].
*The Legislators are noted to be "copycats" of the [[Guardian (Marvel)|Guardian]] droids, Autobot battle drones that originated in the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel UK Generation 1 series]], who put in a brief appearance in IDW continuity in a flashback in [[Remembrance Day|issue #14]].

===Real-life references===
[[File:MyFirstBlaster.jpg|thumb|Ribbed for reasons]]
*''My First Blaster''™ sports a bright orange barrel, a trait required on real-life toy guns [[for safety reasons]], and notorious in Transformers [[fandom]] for plaguing [[Megatron (G1)/toys|Megatron toys]] with gun [[alternate mode]]s.
*Following on from [[Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|issue #11]]'s [[Nightmare Fuel]] and [[Cybertronian Homesick Blues|issue #13]]'s [[Mood Whiplash]], this issue gives us another drink that takes its name from a [http://www.tvtropes.com TVTropes] page: the [[Berzerker Button]] (though the trope is just called "[http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/BerserkButton Berzerk Button]", no "er").
*Tyrest's failed "two-city state solution" is a reference to the fabled "{{w|two-state solution}}" in Israel and Palestine's eternally moribund peace process.
*Brainstorm's briefcase has a built-in "[[attention deflector]]" that prevents people from noticing it, likely based on the {{w|List of Doctor Who items#Perception filter|perception filter}} from ''[[Doctor|Doctor Who]]'' (of which Roberts is a noted fan).
*Tyrest's base of operations is designed after the Hall of Justice from the 2012 movie, ''{{w|Dredd}}''.<ref name="milne moonbase">http://traffic.libsyn.com/moonbase2/interview_alex.mp3 Moonbase2 interviews Alex Milne</ref>
*The shot of the crew of the ''Lost Light'' dodging the [[Titan Hunter]]s in the Titan graveyard is inspired by the aesthetics of seminal sci-fi anime, ''{{w|Akira}}''.<ref name="milne moonbase" />

===Errors===
*Page 14, panel 2: "Identifier" is misspelled "identifer", this was corrected for the TPB.

===Crew manifest===
*[[Deftwing]]'s corpse appears, having become a victim of the Legislators off-panel.
*Rodimus gives the crew count as "three hundred, give or take", which seems on the generous side, given that it was 200-ish at outset.
*Ultra Magnus is ''who what now??''
*12 deaths, one in terminal condition, Ultra Magnus is... ''what???'' ...5 new arrivals (plus 20 or so Faders), one boxed, and one banishment since the launch.

===Soundtrack===
For all of "Remain in Light":
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MjmGZfHHC80 "A Dazzling End"] from the ''[[Doctor|Doctor Who]]'' {{w|Doctor Who: Series 4 (soundtrack)|Series 4 soundtrack}}, by {{w|Murray Gold}}
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPJAX7Cu-4k "The Universal"] by {{w|Blur (band)|Blur}}

For this issue alone:
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QB5gDqFau8 "Winterlight"] by {{w|Clearlake (band)|Clearlake}}
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UqmEXdkU5hg "El Presidente"] by {{w|Drugstore (band)|Drugstore}}
*[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysJijpSPOGY "Afterglow"] by Holm

===Covers (3)===
*'''Cover A:''' Skids battles a throng of Legislators, by [[Alex Milne]] and [[Josh Perez]]
*'''Cover B:''' Gears, Hound, and Huffer defending themselves, by [[Sean Chen]] and [[Tom Chu]]. In what's probably a slightly embarrassing snafu for Hasbro, Chen has drawn Huffer and Gears based on the [[IP infringing item#"Third party" toys|unofficial "third party" toys]] based on the characters, "Rager" and "Cogz". Hound, meanwhile, is largely based on his ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]]'' toy, with the shoulder launcher and the winch on the front bumper taken from his ''Generation 1'' toy.
*'''Cover RI:''' A Legislator looms over the fallen Ambulon and First Aid, by [[Nick Roche]] and Josh Perez.

<gallery>
File:MTMTE18 cvrA.jpg|
File:MTMTE18 cvrB.jpg|
File:MTMTE18 cvrRI.jpg|
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' [[Second Exodus|#18]]
*''[[The Transformers: Regeneration One|Regeneration One]]'' [[Destiny, Part Two|#92]]
*''Falling Skies''
*''The X-Files: Season 10'' #1 (back cover)

==External links==
*[http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=preview&id=16950 Preview]
*[http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/transformers-more-than-meets-the-eye-18-creator-commentary/27617/ Creator Commentary, with James Roberts]

==References==
{{reflist}}

Skids (G1)

2017-09-05T11:22:08Z

HailMegatron: /* IDW Generation 1 continuity */

{{factions|autobot}}
{{disambig3|Skids}}
{{suite}}
:''Skids is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:Skidsg1.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Everyone forgets me, [[Nudge gun|even me]].]]
'''Skids''' is a theoretician. This is appropriate, as some would say his existence is merely theoretical; everyone forgets who he is or that he was there. But if they got to know him, they'd learn that he likes to daydream, get built into furniture, and pick up cowboy chicks.

Skids is also a fast learner, voraciously absorbing and compartmentalizing new information he receives. This allows him to adapt to new environments and unexpected situations very quickly. His calm, observant nature and tendency to fade into the background sometimes causes some to question his ability to fight, but make no mistake; Skids can handle himself in battle.

He'd just rather...listen to some music, y'know?

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Michael Chain]] (English, "[[Quest for Survival]]"), [[Dan Gilvezan]] (English, "[[Triple Takeover]]"), [[Keiichi Nanba]] (Japanese, "Quest for Survival"), [[Ken Shiroyama]] (Japanese, "Triple Takeover")|[[Roberto Alexander]] (Latin American)}}

[[File:Skidsanimated.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Hoist, Prime, and Skids ogle Bumblebee's animation model.]]
Like many of the Autobots who first appeared in 1985, the exact circumstances behind Skids joining the original group of Earth-based Autobots remain unknown. Skids first appeared as part of a strike force that was sent to stop the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]] from ravaging a human farm, only to meet with failure. Apparently injured in the battle, Skids underwent some repairs by [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] upon return to Autobot Headquarters, where he responded incredulously to [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]]'s report that he had retrieved [[robotic insecticide]] from the planet [[Floron III]] to deal with the Insecticon threat. {{storylink|Quest for Survival}}

[[File:TripleTakeover Skids.jpg|thumb|Racing into obscurity.]]
Later, Skids was part of a team sent to investigate bombs that were raining down on a city from a football stadium (the work of the [[Triple Changer]] [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]]). Blitzwing, however, had the stadium surrounded by a massive "Zone Defense" maze built by the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], and while attempting to traverse it, Skids crashed into [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and was driven over by tank mode Blitzwing. Skids and the other Autobots' remains were then gathered by [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]], who built a throne for himself out of them. These Autobots were soon rescued and quickly rebuilt, and participated in the crises that ensued as Blitzwing, [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] vied for Decepticon leadership. Following that skirmish, Prowl opined that [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] was the greatest leader in the universe, which prompted himself, Skids, [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] and [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] to form themselves into a throne for Prime; Prime refused to sit, saying that thrones were for Decepticons—he'd rather roll. {{storylink|Triple Takeover}}
{{-}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
=====''Henkei! Henkei! Generations'' manga=====
[[File:Skids and screech.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|left]]
When Skids successfully proved the existence of particles able to cross over between dimensions, he put his discovery to work for the forces of good, coating his armor in these "Dimension Slide" particles and endowing himself with the power to move between realities, as well as a snazzy new green paintjob. In this quest to examine anomalies within the multiverse, Skids found he could summon other versions of himself from different dimensions to aid him, but for unknown reasons, one of these alternate versions wound up trapped in Skids's home dimension, unable to return to his own world. Renamed "[[Screech (Generations)|Screech]]" (presumably to save all the Autobots a headache), this alternate Skids teamed up with his counterpart, and together, the pair worked as "Quantum Operatives" policing the multiverse while searching for a way to get Screech home. {{storylink|#Toys|Skids's toy bio}} {{storylink|Screech (Generations)|Screech's toy bio}}

Hot on the trail of one such multiversal anomaly, Skids and Screech pursued [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]]'s ghost across the multiverse to a [[Primax 209.20 Gamma|parallel dimension]] where he was causing trouble. While the two dimension-hoppers kept the ghost busy with wordplay and pop culture references, the [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] of that world used his illusion casting powers to scare Starscream into fleeing the dimension by projecting an illusion of his greatest fear: [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]! {{storylink|Starscream's New Body}}

=====Ask Vector Prime=====
[[File:LegendsComic DimensionalInvestigatorSkids.jpg|upright=1.2|right|thumb]]
[[Vector Prime]] claimed Skids was from [[Primax 308.0 Zeta]] while Screech was from [[Primax 1008.15 Gamma]]. The two worked with him in [[Primax 308.13 Beta]]. {{Storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/23}}

=====''Transformers Legends'' comic=====
Skids would later take on a new body, blue as usual but more heavily armed, styling himself as a "dimensional investigator" (次元捜査官 ''jigen sōsakan''). When [[Drift (G1)#Cloud|Deadlock]] caused trouble in the [[Legends Universe]] by bringing [[SARA]] there, Skids showed up to teach him how to use SARA's powers to return to [[Cloud World]], and also warned the Decepticon against causing any more interdimensional chaos. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Deadlock)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}}

Finding there to be many more Transformers from other dimensions in the Legends Universe, Skids regarded this as problematic and decided to send them all back by force and seal off the dimension. Met with resistance from [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and his cohorts, he summoned the [[Skids Squadron]] to fight the Decepticon leader while he personally dealt with the others. When Megatron came to their rescue, Skids entered "Full Burst Mode" and seemingly killed the Decepticon with a mighty barrage, only to realize the villain just sacrificed himself for his comrades. Following protests by the natives of the Legends Universe, Skids caught on to the fact that their world was a peaceful one without factions or war and that ''he'' was the one causing chaos and violence, prompting the investigator to abandon his plans and undo the seal. He continued to keep the dimension under surveillance, and even stuck around to look up its fictional representations of himself. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 20|Bonus Edition Vol. 20}}

Skids would come to join the [[Dimensional Patrol]], an organization dedicated to battling multiversal threats. He was guarding [[Megatron (RID)|Devil Gigatron]] at [[Neo Brave Maximus|their base]] when [[Scourge (RID)|Black Convoy]]'s group came to break him out. {{storylink|LGEX Black Convoy Prologue}}
{{-}}

====''Story of Binaltech''====
[[File:Binaltech skids cardart.jpg|left|upright=1.2|thumb|After using up all of his vacation and sick days, Skids returned to work to find that the Transformers cartoon had been cancelled.]]
Skids was the first of the Binaltech Autobots created simply with the intent of upgrading an existing, healthy Transformer, rather than in the name of repairing one that had been injured. Outfitted with self-repairing nanomechanical antibodies, Skids's body can, barring heavy damage in battle, theoretically function for thousands of years without maintenance. In both his original and new body, Skids dedicated time to studying the chronal warp on [[Dinobot Island (G1)|Dinobot Island]], which gave rise to the Autobot strategy known as "[[Operation: Distant Thunder]]", a last-ditch scheme should the Decepticons tamper with the fabric of space-time. That horror occurred in [[2004]] when Ravage used the [[Kronosphere]] to alter the timeline, and Skids prepared to initiate the plan and send [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]'s memory data back in time to avert the catastrophe. {{storylink|Darkest Hour (prose)|Darkest Hour}}

The data probe was launched, but as the timeline was righting itself a [[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]] arrived, and manipulated the temporal wave to preserve the Binaltech timeline separate from the original continuity. Possessed by the Spark of the [[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Protector]], hailing from some future point in time, Nemesis Prime informed Skids and the others that their timeline was destined to produce great warriors capable of safeguarding the entire multiverse, and therefore must continue on its new course. {{storylink|Binal Time}}

=====''Transformers Legends'' comic=====
Binaltech Skids was a member of the [[Skids Squadron]], a group of dimension-hopping versions of Skids led by [[#Transformers Legends comic|dimensional investigator Skids]], who summoned them to help force [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] out of the [[Legends Universe]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 20|Bonus Edition Vol. 20}}
{{-}}

===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics====
{{noteukonly}}
[[File:Marvel22-heavy-traffic-skids-tracker.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|Skids exists! Really!]]
In the event that the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'s mission would require more manpower, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] had several Autobots encode copies of their personalities as light patterns within [[crystalline containment vessel]]s, including Skids. When a large number of Prime's troops were then injured during the opening volleys of the war on [[Earth]], Prime arranged for the construction of new bodies, which the personalities were then programmed into, bringing Skids and the others to life "for a second time".

[[File:Skidsnatives.jpg|upright=0.6|thumb|We bet you can't.]]
Now in a new body that transformed into a blue van equipped with a bandana-wearing driver, Skids went with Bumblebee and the other new Autobots to learn about their new home. Along the way he learned about an upcoming [[Brick Springhorn]] concert, and immediately took a liking to the music of Earth and the possibilities of what could be learned from interacting with mankind. When the concert turned out to be the target of a Decepticon attack, Skids and the others were forced into action, engaging Shockwave and three Decepticon jets in battle. They quickly retreated after routing their foes, so that the show could go on. {{storylink|Rock and Roll-Out!}}

When [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] ran out of fuel in the middle of the [[Powder River Basin]] in [[Wyoming]], Optimus Prime took Skids and a few other Autobots to prevent harm to the humans who had discovered him. Unfortunately, these humans (and their [[United States military|military]]) forced the Autobots into a retreat. {{storylink|I, Robot-Master!}}

Skids voiced some concerns about Optimus's plans to raid the heavily fortified [[Wyoming base|Decepticon base]] for information on the combining process, but Prime vetoed them. En route, distracted by a human radio station, Skids nearly forgot to activate his facsimile driver; a moment later he accidentally clipped the car of hot-tempered [[Jake Dalrymple]], who pursued the Autobots on their mission. Despite the wall of weaponry facing them, Skids made it through the battle unscathed; but as the Autobots retreated with the information, they encountered Jake Dalrymple again, who distracted Skids just long enough for [[Ravage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ravage]] to blast him off a cliff. Although Optimus Prime mourned the loss of Skids, neither the Autobot leader nor any other Autobot thought to recover the believed deactivated body of Skids later after their mission had been completed. {{storylink|Command Performances!}}

[[File:Marvelus-21-showdown-skids-beyourcar.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.]]
Lying crippled and unable to transform, Skids was shortly discovered by register girl [[Charlene (cowgirl)|Charlene]], who, thinking he was an ordinary van, had him fixed up with the intent of keeping him for herself. Skids was open to the idea at first, preferring a peaceful life to that of a warrior, but after another bout of road rage with Dalrymple, the unearthly stunts he performed left him no option but to reveal his true nature of Charlene.

[[File:Charleneskids.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|''Baby you can be my car And maybe I'll wash you'']]
A somewhat unusual [[Transformer romance|relationship]] ensued between the two, but more trouble soon came Skids's way in the form of [[Donny Finkleberg]], who was being hunted down by Ravage. Fleeing from the Decepticon with Charlene and Donny, Skids hid out at an abandoned mining town, but yet again, the raging Dalrymple tracked him down and shattered his windshield, knocking him unconscious and into a dream where he died through his refusal to attack Megatron and save Charlene. Reawakening, he engaged Ravage in battle again, finally finding the strength to act, and causing his foe to tumble down a mineshaft. Skids then parted ways with Charlene, having come to the realisation that their two roles in life were too different for their relationship to work out. {{storylink|Showdown!}}

[[File:Marvel22-heavy-traffic-skids-reason.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|Oh god my arms, my arms!]]
Skids returned to the Ark with Finkleberg, with Optimus pleased to find him alive. Jetfire was sent to verify Finkleberg's claim about a [[Cybertron Seven|group of missing Autobots]], uncovering a trail of spilled Transformer fuel. {{storylink|Aerialbots over America!}} Skids was outfitted with a chemical tracker to follow the fuel trail; taking Finkelberg with him, he began tracing the fuel back to its source. En route, he broke cover to save a trapped driver from some downed power lines, a move that caught the Decepticons' attention. The newly created Stunticons were dispatched to "ambush" Skids - by acting as though they were his allies. The humans' [[Rapid Anti-robot Assault Team]] and the Aerialbots soon arrived and engaged in a three-way battle. When it was over, the Aerialbots were defeated, the Autobots' reputation was smeared, and the Stunticons were triumphant; Skids could do little but clear out to continue his mission with Finkleberg. Unfortunately, money still governed Finkleberg's actions, and that evening he sold out Skids to RAAT's leader [[Walter Barnett]] while Skids was deactivated for the night. {{storylink|Heavy Traffic!}}

[[File:DecepticonGraffiti-CBDonnySkids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Shoulda stuck with the nice cowboy lady.]]
Skids was disassembled for study, but when the Decepticons [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] and [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] appeared on Earth and began defacing landmarks, RAAT operative [[Circuit Breaker (G1)|Circuit Breaker]] was forced to enter into a deal with the Autobots to stop them. Skids and the other Autobots' components were combined to form a [[Circuit Breaker's Autobot suit|jury-rigged robot]] that Circuit Breaker used to stop the [[Battlecharger]]s, but in return for their co-operation, Skids and the Autobots were allowed to go free. {{storylink|Decepticon Graffiti!}}

''On the return trip to the Ark, however, Skids was abruptly torn from reality when the future Decepticon [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] [[time travel|traveled back in time]] from [[2006]], shunting Skids into [[Limbo]] to maintain temporal balance.'' {{storylink|Fallen Angel}}

{{note|While Skids was lost to Limbo in the UK comics, no such fate befell him in the American stories. Luckily enough for continuity's sake, he never did anything important in the US comics again, only showing up in crowd scenes. To maintain consistency, the UK printings of these stories either redrew Skids into a different, [[generic]] robot, or erased him from the art entirely.}}

Skids attended Optimus Prime's funeral, {{storylink|Funeral for a Friend!}} witnessed the arrival of a group of [[Spacehikers|children]] within the space-borne Ark, {{storylink|Spacehikers!}} and watched [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] and [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] fight for Autobot leadership on Earth's [[Moon (moon)|moon]]. He was presumably either off-lined during the subsequent Decepticon ambush, {{storylink|Totaled!}} or during [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream's]] [[Underbase]] powered rampage. {{storylink|Dark Star}}

[[File:Skidslimbo.jpg|upright=0.6|thumb|left|Oh, hey, remember Skids?]]
[[File:Skidssurvivors.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|And then he stole [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]]'s head.]]
''Skids remained in Limbo for two years while Galvatron ran amok on Earth, his mind steadily succumbing to the dream-illusions created by the [[Limbo parasite|parasites]] native to the realm.'' {{storylink|Time Wars}} ''In his dreams, a brutish Skids led monsters in orgies of destruction.With Galvatron's eventual destruction during the [[Time Wars]], Skids was finally returned to Earth, but he had spent too long in Limbo—the Limbo parasites had succeeded in shaping a reality from his dreams, and the nightmarish monsters that he had imagined materialised on Earth with him. Fleeing from the beasts, horrified at the "weakness" that had led to him making them, Skids was convinced by the creatures that they would exist so long as he was alive. Their goal was to break him into joining them in their bloody rampages (and also to just mess with him). Skids lured them into a [[Hudden Nuclear Power Plant|nuclear power plant]] which he had planned to detonate, wiping out the monsters and himself. However, he struggled to find the courage to end his own life in order to spare the Earth from the horrors he had birthed.''

''Thankfully, it didn't come to that, as the remnants of the Autobot [[Wrecker]]s—joined by [[Catilla (G1)|Catilla]] and [[Carnivac (G1)|Carnivac]] of the Decepticon [[Mayhem Attack Squad]]—arrived to aid him, defeating the monsters even as the creature's leader admitted they'd made up that whole 'die to stop us' thing. Skids joined with this group of Transformers, forming the [[Survivors]].'' {{storylink|Survivors!}}

''Carnivac soon tired of Autobot life and Skids and the others could only watch as he fell out with [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] and struck out on his own.'' {{storylink|Way of the Warrior}} ''When a human called in the rest of the Survivors to help Carnivac against the new Mayhem Attack Squad, Springer was adamant that they shouldn't help the renegade Decepticon, but Skids, [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] and [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] were swayed by Catilla's pleas to get involved.'' {{storylink|Survival Run}} ''They arrived just in time to save Carnivac from the Decepticons, but Catilla was killed by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] and Carnivac swore vengeance''. {{storylink|A Savage Place!}}

{{note|Due to the somewhat convoluted nature of the Marvel UK continuity, the "Survivors" plotline was continued in the Earthforce timeline, detailed below.}}

[[File:Grimlockwasthatwise.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Hey, who here remembers when I was damaged and shoved into the medbay? No? Well, that makes all of us.]]
Grimlock traveled to [[Hydrus Four]] to use [[Nucleon (substance)|Nucleon]] to revive the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]. Returning to the Ark, he also pumped Nucleon into the med bays, reviving Skids and several others, and headed towards [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Grimlock used the Ark as a blunt instrument across [[Unicron]]'s head, forcing Skids and the others to evacuate and join the battle against the Chaos Bringer. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
{{-}}

=====Earthforce=====
{{earthforcefiction}}
[[File:Survivors wolf in the fold.jpg|thumb|left]]
When Carnivac ran off on his own to avenge Catilla's death, Skids and the other Survivors insisted Springer contact Grimlock and the Earthforce for back-up. {{storylink|Wolf in the Fold!}} Though Grimlock was hesitant to lend any warriors in order to save a Decepticon, he was swayed into doing so in exchange of the Survivors' word that they would permanently join up with his unit afterwards. Hooked up with these Autobot reinforcements, Skids and the others stormed the Mayhem Attack Squad's tropical island base. Skids personally confronted [[Octopunch (G1)|Octopunch]] in single combat, holding his own against the murderous [[Pretender]]. {{storylink|Where Wolf?}}

On a later mission for Earthforce, Skids and the Survivors protected an [[oil tanker]] from [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]], while the rest of the Decepticons were trying to distract the Autobots with an all-out assault on their base. Undeterred by the sleight-of-hand, the Survivors caught up with Starscream in the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. Skids used a flying leap by Carnivac as a distraction to catch Starscream with his liquid nitrogen cannon, and then [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] knocked the Decepticon commander into the drink. {{storylink|Divide and Conquer!}}
{{-}}

====Transformers Comic-Magazin====
Skids was part of the Autobot team when they battled the Decepticons in defense of Earth's precious energy resources. {{storylink|Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 9|The Transformers' Grand Hour: Headmaster of the Dimensions}}

Goldbug later recalled the events of the previous battle. {{storylink|Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 15|The Cosmic Adventure: Memories of Bumblebee}}

====''Regeneration One''====
{{noterg1}}
[[File:Lancer two crew war to end all wars.jpg|thumb|Remember when I was a main character back in our [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel]] days? Let's do that again.]]
In [[2012]], when Optimus Prime discovered Megatron was still active on Earth, he took an armed assault squad of Autobots, including Skids, to put an end to the tyrant's menace once and for all. Battling Megatron's reanimated Decepticon [[zombie]]s as the two leaders clashed, Skids called dibs on taking out [[Overbite (G1)|Overbite]]. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 5}}

After the battle, Skids and [[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]] attended to [[Kup (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Kup]] as he recovered from a [[Scraplet]] infection. He then departed Earth with the other Autobots. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part One}} As they arrived back at Cybertron, the ''[[Valiant (G1)|Valiant]]'' was targeted by missiles from the [[Civil Defense Hub]], though they were called off at the last second. Nonetheless, Skids and the rest of the armed assault squad prepared for immediate deployment upon landing. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part Five}}

Skids would later respond when Jhiaxus's ''[[Primum Fugae]]'' began attacking the [[Demon]]s and Dinobots indiscriminately and upon [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]'s orders, he and [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] began prepping the Dinobots for medevac. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 2}} During the invasion of the [[Hub (G2)|Hub Network]], Skids and a team of Autobots comprising [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]], [[Sky High (Pretender)|Sky High]], [[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]], and [[Getaway]] aboard the ''[[Lancer Two]]'' were shot down by [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]'s forces when they revealed their full defensive power. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 3}}
{{-}}

===Dinobots Strike Back===
{{notemultipath}}
{{note|In the first book in this series, Skids transforms into a red compact, matching the description of his toy's Honda City Turbo [[Alternate mode|alt-mode]] in one of its [[Diaclone]] color schemes. He is apparently even smaller than Bumblebee}}
[[File:DinobotsStrikeBackBumbleandSkidsinSub.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Seen here pouting because he gets no screen time.]]
Although Skids had reported the strange electromagnetic readings he'd been getting from [[Dolphin's Bay]] even before [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] sent [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] to [[Bandit's Bluff]] to remove the [[cerebro-shell]]s from the rampaging [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], it took [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock's]] report that evening to prompt Optimus to have Skids investigate it for possible Decepticon activity. Prime chose [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] to accompany him in [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack's]] [[Star mini-submarine|new mini-submarine]], but wasn't sure whether to assign [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] to the mission as well, since Skids clearly didn't want him along.

If Prime left Sludge out, Skids celebrated by absentmindedly crashing into [[Mount Lomas]], crumpling his hood and causing Bumblebee to notice a suspicious trail in the woods. If the pair followed it instead of continuing to the bay, they walked into a trap set by [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] and [[Gravedigger]], who disassembled Bumblebee and Skids to serve as the first components of the [[Autobot Memorial Power Plant]].

If they continued to Dolphin's Bay and the sub, Skids traced electromagnetic waves back to some [[black coral]], then hacked into a Decepticon computer and learned of a plot to convert the coral into superfuel. Bumblebee then exited the hatch to break a piece off, triggering an explosion which trapped him in a canyon beneath broken columns of crimson coral. Without underwater gear, Skids had only two options: If he went back to the channel for help, Seaspray used his laser to free Bumblebee, then tried to sail back to the Ark, only to have Starscream blow all three of them up with a cluster bomb. If Skids tried translating some nearby [[dolphin]]s' language, he succeeded in five minutes, talking the three largest dolphins into moving the broken coral. Skids and Bumblebee brought the black coral and his report back to Optimus Prime, ensuring an Autobot victory.

If Prime ''did'' include Sludge, Skids, and Bumblebee made it to the bay first, then used the sub to track the readings to an underwater cave. Bumblebee entered it, radioed Skids about Operation Black Coral, then failed to reemerge. If Skids chose to return to the Ark for help, two possible endings saw an Autobot assault save Bumblebee and destroy the Decepticons' base. If Skids tried to radio Bumblebee, the sub was promptly hit by a sonic attack from Frenzy, making it go haywire and tear through the bay. Whether Skids tried to stop it by activating the backup systems or shorting the controls out with his electron blaster, he was saved by Sludge, ensuring an Autobot victory in two more endings. {{storylink|Dinobots Strike Back}}

===3H comics===
[[File:Skidswreckers2.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|In the context of science, "theory" does not mean "guess" or "hunch", Rodimus. You should probably pay attention.]]
Several months after the defeat of [[Unicron]] in 2005, Skids was among the senior scientists (including [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Quickmix (G1)|Quickmix]], and [[Rad (G1)|Rad]]) who questioned [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]]'s plan to send out the best of the remaining Autobot science and research members to establish deep-space reconnaissance posts. {{storylink|Betrayal}}
{{-}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
8.2 million years ago, Skids was in the [[Chamber of the Ancients]], observing the ceremony in which [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optronix]] was given the [[Matrix of Leadership]] and transformed into [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. Immediately, three Decepticon assassins attacked, and though Skids acted to protect the new Prime, his arm was cut off by [[Umbra]]. {{storylink|The War Within issue 1|The War Within #1}}

Skids was repaired and he returned to his post at the [[Decagon]]. While Prime was absent, Skids picked up radar of incoming Decepticon invaders and a transmission from the force's field commander, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. {{storylink|The War Within issue 2|The War Within #2}} Skids helped man auto-defenses from inside the Decagon and coordinated troops in the field. {{storylink|The War Within issue 3|The War Within #3}} Eventually, the Autobots' [[Omega Sentinel (G1)|Omega Sentinel]] units were destroyed. Picking up their personal weaponry, Skids and the other Autobots were all that was left to defend [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], and made a desperate last stand against Shockwave and his forces. {{storylink|The War Within issue 5|The War Within #5}} The Autobots were only spared from annihilation because Starscream at that point activated one of Cybertron's planetary engines. This caused a chain reaction, which crumbled Iacon into a crater, driving away the Decepticon forces. {{storylink|The War Within issue 6|The War Within #6}}

During the Dark Ages, when Optimus Prime and Megatron both disappeared into a prototype spacebridge, both factions splintered into several sub-groups. Skids served under [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]'s faction of Autobots. {{storylink|Fragmentation (G1)|Fragmentation}} Together, they investigated reports that the Decepticons were in the process of building a mobile fortress, only to find [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] already completed and battle-ready in the [[Praetorus Wharf]]. {{storylink|Devastation}} Finding that nothing they threw at the giant Decepticon had any effect, the Autobots tried to outrun it instead. Skids hid in a nearby building, onto which Trypticon jumped to crush him. {{storylink|Revelation (The Dark Ages)|Revelation}} Though battered by the incident, Skids managed to survive it, and was brought back to [[Autobase]] for repairs. As [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] was tending to his wounds, The Fallen broke into the Autobots' headquarters, reappropriated [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] from one of their holding cells, and took off. {{storylink|Confrontation (issue)|Confrontation}} Once The Fallen's base of operations was uncovered, Skids joined a cross-faction army in rushing it to put an end to the ancient Transformer's scheme. Ultimately, The Fallen was defeated by the power of [[Primus]] himself, and all factions agreed to keep the chamber The Fallen had tried to breach sealed to prevent anyone from further abusing the power held within it. {{storylink|Conflagration}}

At some point, Ultra Magnus took command of the Autobots, and reunited them into a single faction. Under his leadership, the Autobots gained a significant hold over Cybertron's resources and territories. This eventually forced the [[Ultracon]]s and Shockwave's Decepticons to sign a peace treaty with the Autobots. Skids was in attendance at the signing of the truce, which was interrupted by a bombing, engineered by Starscream and his Predacons. This act of aggression only served to unite the Autobots, Ultracons, and Decepticons however, who struck back against Starscream's troops. A united Cybertron finally seemed within reach... that is, until Megatron made a dramatic return, accompanied by an army of [[Air Warrior]]s. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath}} Megatron quickly took over the planet, and enslaved the majority of Autobots. Skids was among the many unfortunates captured, and put to work in [[Internment Camp Pi]]. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath Pt.2}}

{{note|Due to [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s closure, the end of its''War Within'' series was never published. Years later, [[Simon Furman]] released the unpublished scripts to the final three issues. Within said issues, Optimus would return to Cybertron, and the Autobots would be freed from slavery.}}

Skids was not among the Autobots who traveled to Earth aboard the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], remaining behind on Cybertron as the planet slipped into the deactivated state known as the [[Great Shutdown]]. When Shockwave began reactivating the planet and successfully unified the Autobot and Decepticon factions, Skids was a member of the council of Autobots who served to represent their faction in the alliance. Few of the council members were actually suited for leadership, however, and slowly found themselves giving more and more control to Shockwave. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}} Even when Perceptor presented the council with evidence that Shockwave was performing immoral experiments on fellow Cybertronians, the High Council was unwilling to take any constitutional action against Shockwave.{{storylink|Cold War (issue)|Cold War}} Eventually, the example shown by the Ark's returning crew and several homegrown Autobot insurgency cells tore the blinders from the council's optics, and Skids gathered his fellow councilmen in taking to the streets and ousting the Decepticons from power. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}}

===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''===
[[File:Skids BlackHorizon1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3]]
During an Autobot peace ceremony on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Skids reported to [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] that [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], and [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] had yet to find the Autobots and [[G.I. Joe (team)|Joes]] that had gone missing while chasing [[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]] Their conversation was then interrupted due to a Decepticon attack. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 3|The Art of War #3}}

Skids was later stationed on the ''[[Arc II]]'' on Earth, where he helped his comrades in the field by warning them about incoming G.I. Joe [[S.H.A.R.C.]]s. When the ship came under attack by the [[Pretender Monster]]s, Skids was knocked out by [[Icepick (G1)|Icepick]] while alerting the others on board. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 1 of 2}} He was sent to [[Pit (G.I. Joe)|the Pit]] for repairs and was expected to quickly recover from his injuries. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 2 of 2}}
{{-}}

===''TransTech''===
In an Offworld Zone of [[Axiom Nexus]], a Skids was yet another victim of [[Bulletbike (TransTech)|Bulletbike]], murdered for a cred-key. {{storylink|I, Lowtech}}

===''The Beast Within''===
During a particularly violent brawl between the Autobots and Decepticons, Skids could do nothing but avert his eyes as [[Beast (G1)|The Beast]] began distributing wanton carnage onto the battlefield. {{storylink|The Beast Within}}

Later, Skids was amongst the few Autobot survivors still intact despite the brutality of the battle. He and a small number of surviving Autobots rode in Optimus Prime’s trailer in a desperate effort to outrun The Beast. He was then killed when the Beast took a swipe at Optimus’s trailer, crushed utterly in The Beast’s monstrous paw. {{storylink|The Beast Within Part 2, Consequences}}
{{-}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
[[File:Skidsbacksoff.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.66|-gulp-]]
Before the [[Great War (G1)|war]], '''Skids of [[Nova Cronum]]''' trained as a theoretician at [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Senator Shockwave]]'s [[Jhiaxian Academy of Advanced Technology|Academy of Advanced Technology]], {{storylink| Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} secretly recruited to the school because of his status as an "[[outlier]]" with special powers—in Skids's case, a "super-learning" ability that allowed him to master many skills. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}} He was present at the academy on the day that [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] and [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] arrived to take Shockwave into protective custody, and his attempt to stop them was quickly quashed when the towering Roller intimidated him into silence. {{storylink| Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} It was not long, however, before Skids's teacher returned and recruited him and classmates "[[Tarn (DJD)|Glitch]]" and [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] for a plan formulated by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] to steal a bomb disguised as the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] from [[Nominus Prime]]'s body as it lay in the [[Primal Basilica]]. Skids was somewhat disappointed that his sole contribution to the plan was not one of his many skills, but merely the fact he had a grappling hook in his arm that they could use to lower Pax into the Basilica. Despite a minor snag when the technology-disrupting Glitch accidentally jammed his hook's winch, the mission was a success. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}}

Unfortunately, the aftermath of the mission meant the outliers and Pax had to go on the run. Out in the [[Alyon]] region, they discovered a new "hot spot" for infant sparks which looked like the Hand of Primus (or, for Skids, ''was definitely'' the Hand of Primus). [[Zeta Prime|Zeta]], their man in Iacon, warned them the Senate wanted to destroy the spot to stop the [[Functionist Council]] exploiting it and so the fugitives had to fight off the [[Elite Guard]] repeatedly. Time-travellers under [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]] popped up and, when Skids mistook them for reinforcements from Zeta, rapidly claimed that. They saved the day but the time travellers wiped everyone's memories after... unfortunately including memories that Roller was missing in action. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|All Our Parlous Yesterdays}}

[[File:mtmte 48 grindcore.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|What did I do last night?]]
After graduating to full-fledged theoretician status, Skids went on to join the Autobot army. Shortly after the [[Simanzi Massacre]], when the planet still was cooling, he became a bomb negotiator: disabling the [[anti-personal mine]]s made out of Autobot prisoners so they could die without going off. This ended when he made the mistake of mentioning Primus to the unfortunate [[Heavy Tread]], who detonated himself in a rage that anyone could believe in a god that did this to him. When Skids came to, he was a Decepticon prisoner and off to the notorious [[Grindcore (prison)|Grindcore gulag]] with a "mouth flower" bomb inside his mouth that would go off if he dared transform.

Skids used his outlier learning skills to disable the "flower", having seen how the guards put it in, and began pumping his cellmate [[Quark]] for info. This brought him to the attention of the camp commandant, {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} who turned out to be his old friend Glitch in an upgraded body. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}} Glitch, in an act of basic sadism, decided to make a project out of the religious 'bot. He asked Skids to repair Grindcore's teleporter, promising it would mean fifty prisoners would be sent to Decepticon colony world [[Ambervalia]] to work as slaves. Skids told Quark that this was collaboration that would help and the fifty would be better as slave workers than at the prison; and while he didn't say outright, Skids was relaxed around the Commandant and felt he could try and make demands for more prisoners sent to the colonies, assuming he could half-trust his old friend even if he had switched side. What he did not realise until it was too late was that Glitch had been making him rebuild the camp ''smelting chamber''... something he learned only after demanding Quark get to be 'teleported'. Skids' faith died as he was forced to watch fifty Autobots die horrific deaths because of him. The memory was so traumatic that he overwrote it {{storylink|Speak, Memory! (Part 2)}} and the only thing he remembered of it in his missing months was "[[The Empyrean Suite]]", unable to remember the name or that this was the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] leader's favourite music to play during a massacre. {{storylink|Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|Who's Afraid of the DJD?}} That leader, of course, was Glitch under the ''nomme de guerre'' of Tarn.

Skids used to have an [[Amica Endura]] called [[Chopper (G1)|Chopper]]. They broke up because Chopper was "an absolute arse". {{storylink|The Frail Gaze}}

[[File:Getaway Skids ArmTheLonely.jpg|thumb|left|He's been trained to kick your ass. Theoretically, of course.]]
Long into the war he joined the [[Diplomatic Corps]], working to persuade other races to support the Autobot cause. {{storylink|Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|Who's Afraid of the DJD?}} At some point, he disappeared and was believed dead, {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}} but had, in fact, become part of [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]]'s covert [[Special Operations]]. Partnered with [[Getaway]], he was sent to attempt an "assassination" on [[Tyrest (G1)|Tyrest]], using a [[nudge gun]] to implant the impulse to resign in the Chief Justice's mind. The plan failed, and Skids was only able to escape using a shuttle made from [[mode lock]]ed [[Legislator]]s. Using the nudge gun's other charge, Skids erased his own memory after setting the shuttle to home in on the nearest of his handlers, the [[Duobot]]s. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}}

[[File:LiarsAtoD2-Skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|How do you like me now?]]
It was in this amnesiac state that he arrived on the planet where the ''[[Lost Light]]'' had crashed. Abruptly, the mode lock deactivated and the ship began transforming, so Skids made an impulsive decision: he reactivated the lock, sent the ship crashing into the surface, and bailed out. Making it to the ground safely, Skids found himself under attack from the Legislators that had made up his ship — though one of them had been killed in the crash, the other two were coming after him with giant swords and fire breath. Skids came upon the deceased bodies of two Autobots who had failed to survive the ''Lost Light'' crash—[[Hyperion (G1)|Hyperion]] and [[Polaris]]—and used their weapons and abilities to eliminate another of the pursuing robots. Running from the lone survivor, Skids came upon a small party of Autobots from the ''Lost Light'', who deactivated the inhibitor claw for him, allowing him to access his weapons and destroy last Legislator. Skids was invited to join the crew of the ''Lost Light'', though he was less than enthusiastic about [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]]'s proposition that the pair of them should team up. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}}

[[File:LiarsAtoD3-RungSkids.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|MEANWHILE IN A 20 MILE RADIUS OF THIS EVENT]]
When a [[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeater]] got loose aboard the ''Lost Light'', requiring the crew to be sealed in their quarters, Skids, decided to exploit his missing memories to entirely reinvent himself. Deciding he disliked confinement, he left through the ventilation system. Drawn by [[Rung (G1)|Rung]]'s cries, he saved the psychiatrist from a close call with the Sparkeater, and at [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]]'s request, led the creature through the vents to the engine room where Rodimus disposed of it. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}} As a celebration of the death of the Sparkeater, Swerve opened a [[Swerve's|bar]] where Skids got drunk together with [[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]]. He failed to notice that Chromedome stole his gun while he was messing around with his grappling hook and a server-robot. {{storylink|Life After the Big Bang}} {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} After attending a ceremony to commend Chromedome, [[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]] and [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] on recent heroics, {{storylink|The Reluctant Specialist}} Skids was next spotted still hanging out at the bar with some other Autobots as [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] put Chromedome's ability to identify an Autobot based on their transformation sound to the test. {{storylink|Interiors}} He later tried to comfort Swerve following his accidental shooting of Rung. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}}

When a swarm of [[Nanocon]]s that had lain dormant inside [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]]'s body were mysteriously reactivated, Skids and a few others were shrunk by Brainstorm's mass-displacement gun and sent inside Magnus to eliminate them. Once that was dealt with, Skids attended [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]]'s Autobot Initiation Ceremony, during which he relayed Swerve's report from the engine room that dead crewmember [[Ore]] had come back to life. The chaos only continued when Skids and a team of Autobots were abruptly teleported by [[Galactic Council]] to the planet [[Theophany]], there to investigate the razing of [[Crystal City]]. Beneath the city, they found a slumbering [[Titan (IDW)|Titan]], leading to discussions on the Transformers' creation myths and the meaning of life; Skids and Chromedome shared a belief that life was shaped not by destiny or gods, but by interactions with others. Skids theorized that both the Nanocons and Ore had come back to life thanks to the psychic emanations of the Metrotitan, then helped [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] fend off the Galactic Council's forces until the Autobots could free the Metrotitan, which teleported them all back to the ''Lost Light'' and quantum-jumped the ship to safety. {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}}

[[File:CybertronianHomesickBlues-SkidsRung.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|"Legs: Yes. Bow-tie: Cool...I can buy a fez."]]
Inspired by their talk, Skids requested that Chromedome use his [[mnemosurgery]] to unlock his lost memories; Chromedome discovered that only Skids's last year of memories had been erased, while the others had been repressed by a trauma so horrific he did not dare restore them. Chromedome was, however, able to identify the music in his head as the "The Empyrean Suite", and hoped Skids would never learn its significance. {{storylink|Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|Who's Afraid of the DJD?}}

Skids was among the group of Autobots gathered by [[Rewind (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rewind]] in Swerve's bar to help tell a story to aid in Rung's mental recovery. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|Post Hoc}} When his old altercation with Roller came up, Whirl called him a wuss, and he countered that his skills as a theoretician wouldn't have been useful in a fight. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} At the culmination of the story Rung still showed no signs of recovery...until Skids deliberately mispronounced his name a couple of times, prompting the psychiatrist to speak and correct him. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}} The storytelling session was brought to an end by the sounding of alarm to ready the crew for a battle with Decepticons on the planet [[Temptoria]]; during the fight, Skids, Chromedome and [[Steeljaw (G1)|Steeljaw]] battled [[Overkill (G1)|Overkill]]. {{storylink|Before & After}} Later, to unwind, Skids joined the crew of the ''Lost Light'' on some "shore leave" on the planet [[Hedonia]], where he tried out his new personality-generated [[holomatter]] avatar, only to find his amnesia kept it from creating a fake identity for him. As the group played the "Nemesis Game", Skids identified [[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] as his worst enemy, and then wound up getting into a drunken brawl with [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]]. {{storylink|Cybertronian Homesick Blues}} Skids bought Rodimus a [[Galactic Council]] captain's hat as a souvenir of the trip. {{storylink|Signal to Noise}}

[[File:TheFecundMoon-Skids.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|Skids kind of lost it a bit after Charlene left.]]
When the mass-murdering Decepticon [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] ran wild on the ship, Skids joined in the futile effort to hold back his rampage. {{storylink|Under Cold Blue Stars}} Overlord was ejected from the ship thanks to the sacrifice of Rewind, and Skids tried to console Chromedome over the loss of his lover, only to find that the mnemosurgeon was eerily calm about the whole thing. {{storylink|The Gloaming}} When the ''Lost Light'' encountered the long lost satellite [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]], Skids got Chromedome to accompany the band of Autobots heading to the surface to see if the satellite had a way to return Skids's memories. He went to the ship's oil reservoir for some alone time, where he was attacked by a number of [[Legislator]]s. {{storylink|Remain in Light 1 of 5: The Fecund Moon|The Fecund Moon}} While he managed to hold them off long enough for Swerve to arrive to help, a [[Star Saber (Victory)|mysterious and enigmatic robot]] appeared behind him, and impaled him with a large sword. {{storylink|Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|House of Ambus}}

Fortunately for Skids, he survived this, and was later teleported by Star Saber into a cell which contained Rodimus' crew. Perceptor examined his wound, while Swerve explained what happened to them. After Skids said that he would apologize for whatever he had done to Tyrest, Star Saber returned to the cell, carrying his [[Getaway|"Partner in crime"]] with him. Chromedome then explained that when he read Skids' mind, he had done it wrong, and misinterpreted the remnant memory as an "Imperative to escape". In actuality though, it was a name, Getaway. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} Getaway was able to fill Skids in on his lost memories of their ill-fated mission to change Tyrest's mind, and explained Tyrest's mad plan to reach [[Cyberutopia]]. With the newcomer's help, Skids and the others were freed from the cell and confronted Tyrest, only to be incapacitated by the lawmaker's suggestion weapon. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}}

Thanks to Tailgate, the suggestion weapon was disabled, and Skids cuffed [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]], only for the medic to promptly escape when his back was turned. The Autobots caught up with him at Tyrest's gate to Cyberutopia, but only Skids, finally at peace with himself, was able to step through the guilt-detecting force field. He found himself standing on a strange landscape being talked to by a multi-colored [[spark]]. On hearing cries for help from Rung, he dashed back through the portal to help fight the Legislators until Tailgate was able to shut them down with some amendments to the law. {{storylink|Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|This Calamitous Life}}

Once everything was over, he tried telling Rodimus what he saw, but he couldn't make sense of all it. {{storylink|The Sound of Breaking Glass}} Not helping was the fact that whatever he saw proved difficult to remember for any length of time. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}}

Before the ''Lost Light'' left Luna 1, Skids played a film compiled by Rewind to detail the ship's voyage. Unfortunately the film failed to impress the members of the [[Circle of Light]] who rejected any notion of joining the crew. {{storylink|Little Victories}}

Skids was among the Autobots who welcomed Orion Pax and his team aboard the ''Lost Light''. Swerve remarked to him how weird [[Garnak|some]] of Pax's crew were. {{storylink|Dark Dawn: Dark Cybertron Chapter 1|Dark Dawn}} Skids was later seen having a drink at Swerve's {{storylink|Black Metal: Dark Cybertron Chapter 2|Black Metal}} When the ''Lost Light'' was assaulted by [[Ammonite]]s, Skids met up with Getaway and Ultra Magnus to help organize a counterattack. Skids hesitantly suggested that they use the [[Rodpod]] to fight back. Despite the other's and his own concerns about damaging it and making Rodimus angry, they ended up boarding and using the vessel. Skids piloted the craft, and used it to defend the ship's fuel quills, while blasting Ammonites that attempted to combine. Skids was forced to pilot the Rodpod away from the battle when a group of Ammonites combined and gave chase to them. In an attempt to lose them, he piloted the vessel into what appeared to be an abyss, but was really the optical cavity of [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] {{storylink|Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|Into the Abyss}}

As everyone else tried to figure out where Metroplex's eye had gotten to, Getaway had a minor breakdown over the fact that A: they were inside someone's eye canal, and B: they were in a spaceship shaped like someone's head. Skids consoled him and said it was best to just roll with it. The group took Ratchet's suggestion to find Metroplex's brain, only on arrival in his brain chamber found it was surprisingly absent. In light of that, they decided to go find his spark instead. As they approached, Whirl noticed the flooding had been sealed off, which surprised Skids.

On setting down, Getaway quickly found an arrow pointing toward the spark chamber, which everyone decided to follow. Skids was the one to ask whether they would lock the Rodpod, which no-one else was concerned about. The arrows took everyone on a strange course through Metroplex's interior, until they came upon... the Rodpod again. Before Whirl could properly blame the ship, an Ammonite appeared, and blew it up. {{storylink|No Exit: Dark Cybertron Chapter 6|No Exit}} Fortunately, they were saved by a wall appearing to block the explosion, at which point Skids realized the purpose of the arrows: Metroplex was moving his interior about, and the odd journey the arrows had taken them on was because the direction they were meant to be pointed had change too. Then, they received a call from Swerve informing them to avoid the water, or they'd contract an alchemical virus and die horribly, and worse than that, two thousand Ammonites were heading their way. As Magnus gave orders to barricade the room, Whirl turned out an Ammonite, having beaten an explanation out of him. However, when the little guy told them who he was working for, he promptly self-destructed. Before everyone present could dwell on that, [[Chromia (G1)|two]] [[Nautica (G1)|newcomers]] appeared and told them to surrender. {{storylink|The Dead Are Not Enough: Dark Cybertron Chapter 7|The Dead Are Not Enough}}

Before Getaway could charm the two fellow Autobots, several Ammonites burst through the walls. While Ultra Magnus,Ratchet and Brainstorm went off with their new friends, Skids stayed behind to fight off the attackers (that he was being mobbed by several of them anyway probably helped). As Skids fought, Metroplex was recharged by the ''Lost Light's'' engines, and transported himself back to Cybertron. {{storylink|Burning Bright: Dark Cybertron Chapter 8|Burning Bright}} This didn't get rid of the Ammonites, though. That took Megatron giving the titan his missing thumb, containing the Regenesis Ore-7, which healed him and reactivated his immune system, killing the Ammonites dead. {{storylink|Finis Temporis: Dark Cybertron Chapter 9|Finis Temporis}}

In the apparent aftermath of Shockwave's scheme, Skids and Getaway relaxed in Swerve's, and were witness to Swerve suffering a bad bout of hero worship when Blurr walked in. The celebrations were rudely interrupted when Shockwave made his move, summoning all the Ammonites to attack Cybertron. {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}} Fortunately, Bumblebee had a plan of taking the fight to Shockwave. Skids was included in the team to be sent, thanks to his secret-agent-know-how. Getting to Shockwave's base of operations in the Crystal City seemed impossible, until Starscream showed up with [[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]], who managed to get them there. On arrival, the group was attacked by Bludgeon. Ultra Magnus offered to hold him off, and Skids decided to volunteer his skills as well, along with a suddenly poorly Brainstorm. However, Skids's outlier abilities weren't able to match Bludgeon's mastery of metallikato, and he quickly wound up stabbed. Fortunately, Brainstorm's unease turned out to be Optimus Prime, Rodimus, Cyclonus, Kup, and Nightbeat using the Dead Universe portal in his chest to escape that dying realm.{{storylink|Black Planet: Dark Cybertron Chapter 11|Black Planet}} They quickly mopped up Bludgeon, but Cyclonus' injuries meant someone had to help Brainstorm haul him back to his lab. While this meant Skids had to miss the climactic showdown, he did get to see time itself falling to pieces in the sky above Cybertron. That, and Rodimus managing to play on Brainstorm's insecurities. {{storylink|...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|...And the Damage Done}}

Once the crisis was truly over, Skids decamped to [[Luna 2]] to watch [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]]'s trial. Evidently, he was not dissuaded from rejoining the ''Lost Light'' on its quest once the former Decepticon Leader was added to the ranks, and he set off again, this time coming along of his own volition. Six months into the quest, he was sufficiently worried to pay a visit to the widowed Chromedome with Nightbeat, though their friend remained secluded in his hab suite and Nightbeat's interest was quickly derailed, to Skids' dismay. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} Shortly thereafter, he, [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]], and [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] all shot the bull about the ship's new gossip mag, the ''Lost Light Insider''. Though Nautica decided to exit before any rules were broken, she and Skids exchanged a bit of friendly banter before he and Riptide convinced the massively intoxicated Trailcutter to steal Megatron's "superfuel" out of the medibay. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}}.

When a pod containing the corpse of another Rodimus showed up, 'our' Rodimus called in Skids as part of his investigation team. Using all the facts, Skids and Chromedome worked out (wrongly as they'd soon learn!) that this was a near-future Roddy who'd die and be sent back in time, and Skids was left aghast by his leader's desperate attempts to 'change history' like lopping an arm off. Everything was then interrupted when the ship started to ''vanish'' around them {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}} and he was left stuck on a spaceship with Megatron (and Skids, who kept making snide asides when he was trying to listen). Soon, the Autobots on board began to disappear one by one and everyone had to reveal personal secrets in an attempt to figure out what was the common denominator. (In the process, Skids helped fill in Nautica on [[M.T.O.]]s and expressed his distaste for High Command's lack of interest in educating the "warborn".)

After realising only the launch crew were disappearing, the newbies like Skids found the ''Lost Light'' returned but in ruins! {{storylink|Twenty Plus One}} He agreed with Riptide that this must be the future ''Light'' that dead-Rodimus had come from and worried that the evidence they found meant they bring back the crew, only for the ship to be ripped apart. In an investigation, they came across a dead Ultra Magnus, one killed by a [[fusion cannon]], and Skids turned on Megatron, believing this showed he was going to inevitably turn on them! To his disquiet, when Megatron immediately requested to be locked up until all the facts were gone, he felt ''bad''' about doing it. As he admitted to Getaway during their search, he worried he was going to stop hating the killer.

[[File:MTMTE33 megatron skids right there.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|]]
The search found yet more corpses and to Skids horror, they had all been executed and their transformation cogs removed: acts that revealed the ship had been butchered by the [[Decepticon Justice Division]]. Luckily for all concerned, the discovery of a still-alive Rewind {{storylink|slaughterhouse}} proved this ''wasn't'' the future ''Lost Light'' but a duplicate of the 'real' one. Skids rushed to Rewind as he came through, making sure the guy was okay and filled in on things like Megatron-the-Autobot, and was pissed when Nightbeat pushed Rewind too soon to explain what had happened to the ship. That was how they learned the copy was created when the ship launched, thanks to an issue with the quantum engines, and ''exactly'' what hell Rewind had gone through. Said quantum engines were also leaking, endangering a nearby organic planet, and Skids knew they ahd to act. When Megatron refused to, bothered at the idea of risking his life for a handful of fleshy strangers, Skids tore into him for violating what the Autobrand stood for and that if being an Autobot ''didn't'' force him to modify his behaviour instead of getting what he wanted, then none of his 'rehab' meant a damn.

A brief aside from Getaway gave Skids an idea of how to save the planet: using a mass displacement gun he knew Brainstorm had been making to shrink down someone to help already-tiny Rewind fix the engines. That was a bust. Nothing was found except proof that ''Brainstorm was secretly a Decepticon spy'' but no time for that now, Skids! To Skids' amazement and joy though, his bollocking had worked and a guilty Megatron admitted he could be rigged to downsize and thus he could help Rewind. Skids thanked him. Once the damage was fixed, the duplicate ''Lost Light'' vanished and the 'real' one started to come back, and a happy Skids told a returning Chromedome to head up to the roof where Rewind was waiting. {{storylink|slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken|The Road Not Taken}}

Oh yeah, that Brainstorm thing. Turned out he was going back in time to change history, which was going to result in [[Functionist Universe|a hideous dystopia]], and the time travellers sent to bring him back ended up running into an early Skids.{{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|All Our Parlous Yesterdays}} Things turned out fine in the end! While time-travelling, Rodimus tried to warn the past "don't let them [the Legislators] take Skids" but nobody heard it, which was good as Cyclonus pointed out that Skids being captured turned out to be necessary for saving half the Cybertronian race. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|How to Say Goodbye and Mean It}} {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|Predestination: An Expert's Guide}}

Skids' friendly nature struck a chord with [[Ten]], the former [[Legislator]] turned into a bartender. In a mural of Ten's favourite crewmembers, Skids was in the front. A further friendship was struck up when Ratchet asked Skids to chat with Rung some time, as the guy would truly appreciate being visited by someone who didn't want help from him; when Skids bought Rung a drink, the therapist was surprised and delighted. {{storylink|Our Steps Will Always Rhyme}}

[[File:MTMTE42 dance dance skidsvolution.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|''What a feeling'' ''Being's believing'']]
Skids, Getaway, and Brainstorm all hung out at Nautica's, showing off their cool skillz and generally hanging. When Rung came up, Skids was bothered by Getaway dissing the guy, but they didn't have time to discuss Getaway's passive aggressive whiny defence of it as news came in that Thunderclash was dying and everyone was invited to the pre-wake on the ''Vis Vitalis''. {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} During the party, Getaway asked him if he wanted to mutiny against Megatron. Skids declined... and had his mind wiped with the nudge gun. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}} Believing his splitting headache to be too much partying, he decided to flump out at the ''Vitalis'' and get picked up tomorrow. {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} That made him a target for the parasitical [[personality tick]]s, secretly feeding off his energy! Not knowing why he was so tired {{storylink|The Frail Gaze}} he reached out to Nautica, sensing something was up with her, and she asked him {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} to teach her to dance. While busting a move, he coaxed out her issues with her old college friend [[Firestar (G1)|Firestar]] before the ticks begun a public rampage. After they were repulsed, Skids got better and everyone went back to the ''Light'' for a ''biiiig party at Sweeerve's!!!''

[[File:MTMTE43 skids swerve humans.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.0]]
Until Swerve suddenly vanished {{storylink|The Frail Gaze}} and a horrified Skids checked his room to find the bartender facedown, rusted, and half-dead from an infected wound. He rushed him to the medical bay for aid (inadvertently making him worse) and learned from [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] that Swerve had been holed up in his room for months, neglecting himself, and using a holomatter avatar to seem 'fine'. To Skids' great shame, he'd never visited Swerve—hadn't even known his ''room number'' until he remembered it was Red Alert's old one—and completely missed any chance to see one of his best friends needed help. He joined a rescue team sent to "[[Swearth]]", a vast hologram Earth operating on sitcom rules that Swerve was projecting, to find the guy's consciousness and fix him. In his new, brooding holomatter avatar, Skids and his friends did track down Swerve and tried to convince him to focus on the physical pain he was feeling, so they could realise where he was hurting. Skids, an expert in suppression, knew Swerve was pushing it down. Once they identified that Swerve was cripplingly lonely and depressed, they were able to convince him that he truly was loved and valued by them. {{storylink|The One Where They Go to Earth}}

Soon after, Skids went with a crew to check out the legendary [[Necrobot]]. He needled Nightbeat for having the 'debunking' itch and said that, while he no longer believed, he understood why other people were attracted to the idea that there was something after death. {{storylink|The Not Knowing}}

[[File:MTMTE48 skids and rung.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7]]
Under incremental recollection sessions with Rung, where he also helped fix model ships as a focusing tool, Skids had finally managed to remember ''entering'' Grindcore if nothing else; while frustrated with the slow process, Rung admonished him that learning all of it in one go would re-traumatise him. While chatting, Skids was surprised to see the long-lost [[Froid]] appear. An old friend of yours, Rung? Well, I'll leave you to get caught up! (Off he went to brood at the oil pools, trying to remember more.) Within minutes Rung sent him a coded radio message to meet him at Froid's ship as something ''dodgy'' was going on but by the time Skids arrived, Rung had learned Froid had the infamous [[Sunder (G1)|Tetrahax Ripper, Sunder]], on board and that guy ''fed'' on bad memories. The very first sight of Skids woke Sunder up and caused him to attack, starting to rip up Skids' traumatic memories to the surface {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} before Rung could get him to safety. During the running battle against the serial killer, Rung kept trying to get Skids to Chromedome for memory suppression and Sunder duly followed them, constantly bringing up memories. Luckily Sunder was killed by the point Skids remembered repairing Grindcore's teleport chambers for Tarn and ''not'' by the point he'd remember how he'd killed five hundred souls.{{storylink|Speak, Memory! (Part 2)}}

When a small time window opened up in Swerve's, Skids used it to look back at the day the new crew members joined the ''Light'', a day that Trailcutter was still alive and openly happy. {{storylink|No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases}}

Skids had been part of Megatron's classes on the Knights of Cybertron and in one, to his surprise, Megatron showed the symbol that the strange spark being had 'said' to him back at possibly-Cyberutopia. Nautica advised him to write it out phoenetically to try and retain the knowledge of what it was, but everything was interrupted when Megatron and several others received bizarre messages coming from a distant planet. Rodimus assembled Skids with the rest of 'Team Rodimus' and they headed out to discover it was coming from the Necrobot's planet...

...where the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] and [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] were waiting. The Necrobot had been killed and the Autobots were forced to take refuge in his temple, now their makeshift fortress. And a message came in from ''Getaway'', telling them that the crew had mutinied against Megatron and all those considered loyal to him, so sick they were of having the killer around. Skids was enraged to discover his former friend had actually mindwiped him, an act he ''knew'' was a violation, to keep this a secret. When the message ended and the sheer horror sunk in, Skids embraced Nautica to console her. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}}

The DJD made their presence known by attacking the Necrobot's fortress before retreating... promising to return at sunset as part of their intimidation tactics. Skids weighed up their options with the other stranded crew members, suggesting that they dig in and devise an escape route. The Necrobot's body had revealed a key that unlocked a room filled with at least sixty organic creatures inside strange pods. Discussion arose whether to flee, or stay and defend the people inside the pods, but the Autobots ultimately decided to stand their ground. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 2: The Sun in Flight|The Sun in Flight}} Their forces were bolstered by the returning Drift and Ratchet, who had caught wind of their predicament through [[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]]. Skids had the awkward task of introducing Ratchet to his replacement. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 3: Your Fierce Tears|Your Fierce Tears}}

With death staring them in the face, Skids was one of the Autobots who Nautica assembled for the rite of [[Amica Endura]]. She opened her spark to them, recited the ritual, and told them all how they were valued. When Rung departed with Nightbeat to investigate the mystery of the Necroworld, Skids bade him a terse and awkward farewell. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 4: At Close of Day|At Close of Day}}

Shortly afterwards, Velocity hit on a potential way out: Tailgate's spark 'explosion', triggered by extreme trauma, had supercharged two security guards ala [[Ore-13]] and that could be done now! All it required was, er, someone willing to be traumatised. Skids offered himself up and pleaded with Chromedome to finally let him know about his deep, hidden trauma. His sad friend brought back all the memories of Grindcore and Skids' spark erupted. As his supercharged friends fought through the Decepticons, Ratchet worked to keep him stable as his spark shrank.

[[File:sleep tight, soldier.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|He's dead, Jim.]]
Unfortunately, Skids came to and crawled off his slab, desperate to find Brainstorm and apologise for Quark's death, feebly crying that he was "scum" for what he'd done. Ratchet was desperate to get him back on the slab before he died but Megatron, the only other person in the fort, had left to join the battle and there was nobody to help. Skids died in Ratchet's arms, only Brainstorm noticing as his friend's 'statue' winked out. After the Autobots retreated back to the Necrobot's fortress, a distraught Nautica embraced the corpse. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 5: Rage, Rage|Rage, Rage}} She stayed with it until at least the morning as events unfolded outside, {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}} and at some point removed its [[brain module]] for safe-keeping. {{storylink|An Axe to Break the Ice}}

In honor of Skids, the crew of the ''Lost Light'' painted their [[insignia|Autobot Insignias]] grey. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron|Some Other Cybertron}}

During a visit to [[Troja Major]], Nautica revealed that she was seeking a [[Resus Cradle]], a device that was said to be capable of reviving dead Cybertronians provided there were some form of remains for it to work with - the reason she had removed Skids' brain module from his corpse. {{storylink|An Axe to Break the Ice}}
{{-}}

===''Cloud''===
As an Autobot from [[Cloud World]], Skids was part of an inter-dimensional police force that kept the peace throughout the multiverse, while collecting excess energy to ensure the welfare of [[SARA]], the super-robotic being that allowed them access to other dimensions. When the Autobots' city of [[Metropolis]] came under attack from the Decepticons of the [[Underground (Cloud)|Underground]], Skids was stationed at the Autobots' Directorate of Operations to safeguard it as part of a garrison. But the Decepticons' rampage across multiple city districts had turned out to be nothing more than a distraction from their real scheme. [[Shockwave (G1)#Cloud|Shockwave]] and others forced their way into the Autobots' headquarters, catching the guards by surprise, and managed to make their escape with SARA in tow. After the Decepticons' retreat to the Underground, Optimus Prime called a meeting. Skids personally apologized for failing in his responsibility of protecting SARA. Optimus, however, took the blame onto himself for not having formulated a better strategy against the Decepticons. Optimus decided to head into the Underground himself to retrieve SARA. The other Autobots, unwilling to let their beloved leader go alone in this venture, all volunteered to join him. {{storylink|Resolve}}
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Fury (Cloud)|Fury}}}}

===''Q-Transformers'' cartoon===
[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] named Skids, [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]], and [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] as three characters who had been produced as toys for the popular ''[[Q-Transformers]]'' line. {{storylink|The Road to Winning a New Fanbase}}

====''Transformers Legends'' comic====
Skids was a member of the [[Skids Squadron]], a group of dimension-hopping versions of Skids led by [[#Transformers Legends comic|dimensional investigator Skids]], who summoned them to help force [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] out of the [[Legends Universe]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 20|Bonus Edition Vol. 20}}

==Games==
===3D Battle-Card Game===
Skids was one of [[Optimus Primal]]'s many Autobot allies in a fight against [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s Decepticon forces, in what might possibly have been an inter-universe battle. {{storylink|3D Battle-Card Game#Energon Wars expansion|Energon Wars Expansion Set}}

===''Transformers Legends''===
During the war on Cybertron, Skids was among a group of Autobots led by [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]], who went to [[Tyrest (polity)|Tyrest]] in an attempt to reason with [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. They were ambushed by the Decepticons, and Sentinel Prime was killed. {{storylink|The War Within}}

===''Transformers: Battle Tactics''===
[[File:BattleTacticsSkids.jpg|thumb|400px]]
Skids participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was an Rare character that could be recruited by collecting 130 units of Cybermetal, 75 units of Transmetal, and 45 hunter cores. {{storylink|Transformers: Battle Tactics}}

===''Transformers Operation Omega''===
{{charstubgames|{{storylink|Transformers Operation Omega}}}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
{{anchor|G1v1}}
[[File:G1 Skids toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Introducing the new Nikahimi Deathtrap. With its poly-cotton body shell, it's the fastest car in the world... to open with the jaws of life. The Nikahimi Deathtrap—the last car you'll ever drive.]]
*'''Skids''' (Autobot Car, 1985)
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets
:Skids began life as part of [[TakaraTomy]]'s ''[[Diaclone]]'' toyline, where he was known simply by the name of his [[alternate mode]], the [[wikipedia:Honda City Turbo|Honda City Turbo]], and was available in blue, red, or black color schemes (see [[#Notes|Notes]], below). The blue version of the figure was used by [[Hasbro]] as part of the ''Transformers'' toyline, sans [[Wikipedia:Honda_Motocompo|a small scooter accessory]] that the ''Diaclone'' figure had come with which stored inside his trunk. Despite sharing this common point of origin with many of his fellow Autobot cars, he features a few unusual touches: his rear wheels fold into his feet for added [[robot mode]] stability, and his weapons attach by clipping over his forearms, rather than plugging into his fists. Among his armament is a "rocket pod", the spring-loaded missile-firing mechanism of which was neutered for Hasbro's release of the figure.

:Because Skids was not one of the original eleven [[Autobot Cars]] released at the line's inception, he is commonly grouped in with the later 1985 Autobot Cars both fictionally and in the minds of [[fandom|fans]]. However, Skids was actually added to the 1984 assortment some time before the 1985 wave was released (December 1984 is the current earliest confirmed availability of the figure), during which time he came in 1984 packaging including a "TM" mark by the "Transformers" logo, rather than a "(R)" mark. Like the other 1984 cars, at least some of these early Skids releases lacked the [[rubsign]] on the roof that would later be added to all Transformers toys in 1985. He was also one of the ''rarest'' mass-release G1 figures, with just one Skids included per every ''two'' [[Case|shipping cases]].

:Skids has been reissued several times; this article lists each reissue separately where appropriate. This mold itself is a [[retool]] of an earlier ''Diaclone'' toy, the Honda City R; this earlier tooling was used to make [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] and the ''[[Transformers Generations 2009]]'' exclusive [[Screech (Generations)|Screech]].

::*''[http://www.transformerland.com/wiki/toy-info/transformers-g1-autobot-cars-skids/519/ Patent info, price guide, and further reading on Skids at Transformerland.com]''
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1985/Autobot/Skids/skids.htm More information on Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers''===
{{anchor|VSZ}}
[[File:G1toy vsz set.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"Maybe the kids will notice me now that I'm bundled together with two other guys?"]]
*'''Skids & Sunstreaker vs Buzzsaw''' (multi-pack, 1985)
**''ID number'': '''VSZ'''
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets
: Skids was not released on his own in the Japanese Generation 1 toyline, and was instead available only in a multi-pack with [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], which was also the only way to get the other two on the Japanese market at the time. This box set remains a considerable rarity on the secondary market.
{{-}}

{{anchor|QuantumOperativeToy}}
[[File:G1toy quantum operative skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|You sure you can call this an homage?]]
*'''Skids & Screech Quantum Operative Ver.''' (exclusive multi-pack, 2009)
**''Accessories:'' "Material acceleration pistol", dual-barreled gun, "quantum shield" launcher, 3 rockets, scooter

:"Quantum Operative" Skids is a green redeco of the original Generation 1 toy, available in conjunction with his [[#Encore|''Encore'' release (below)]], and including for the first time the scooter accessory that was eliminated from the ''Diaclone'' toy for his original Transformers release. He was sold in a set with [[Screech (Generations)|Screech]] that was a mail-away [[exclusive]] available only with volume 3 of [[Hero-X|Million Publishing]]'s ''[[Transformers Generations 2009]]''. While Skids's colors are an homage to ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (franchise)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]], Screech is likewise a match for Skids's twin [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]].

:Amusingly, the color scheme for this exclusive was accidentally revealed early by TakaraTomy when they [[:File:Encore Skids Tokyo Toy Show 2009.jpg|mistakenly included its missile launcher]], denoted by its bright green launching tab, with the normal ''Encore'' version that was on display at Tokyo Toy Show 2009.<ref name="internat">[http://www.allspark.com/content/view/5790/20/ TakaraTomy Accidentally Gives Clue to TF Generations Vol. 3 Mail Away Figure?!]</ref>
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Cybertron/Skids/skids.htm More information on Quantum Operative Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===The Transformers Collection===
[[File:TF Collection 3 Skids.jpg|thumb|"Oh boy, a reissue! Now people are ''actually'' going to notice me!"]]
*'''Skids''' (reissue, [[2002]]-[[September 27|09-27]])
**''ID number'': '''3'''
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets

:Skids received his first reissue in 2002, when [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] made him available as part of their "book-box" ''[[The Transformers Collection|Transformers Collection]]'' series, surprising many with the inclusion of such an overlooked character so early in the line. He features no significant differences from the original (save for a working missile launcher, as with the original Japanese release), though the figure suffered from a common, if not universal, problem: an excess of plastic on the underside of Skids's right foot means that his rear wheel can not fold down flat beneath it, resulting in a slightly unstable robot mode. Since the original Japanese figure was released only in a giftset, Skids did not get a [[List of Japanese ID numbers|Japanese ID number]] at the time, a situation this reissue rectifies by retroactively giving him the ID number '''96''' on the included [[Tech Spec]] and [[bio]] card.

:The aforementioned Crosscut was released exclusively through [[e-HOBBY]] in conjunction with this reissue.

::*''[http://www.tf-1.com/articles/reissue/Skids_template.html More information on Transformers Collection Skids at TF-1.com]
{{-}}

===Commemorative Series===
[[File:G1toy commemorative skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"Whoa, two reissues! Good old Skids is moving up in life!"]]
*'''Skids''' (reissue, 2004)
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets

:Skids got his first Hasbro reissue as part of the eighth wave of their ''[[The Transformers: Generation One Commemorative Series|Commemorative Series]]'' line, [[exclusive]] to [[Toys"R"Us]] stores. He features no notable differences from the earlier Takara ''Transformers Collection'' release, except for the fact that his launcher's spring has been removed.
{{-}}

===Alternators/Binaltech===
[[File:Alt Skids toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Heavily clearanced so fanboys could customize him into Ironhide.]]
{{anchor|Alt}}
*'''Autobot Skids''' (2005)
**''Alternator ID number'': '''17'''
**''Japanese ID number'': '''BT-16'''
**''Accessories'': Engine-rifle

:Skids transforms into a 1:24-scale blue Scion xB. All four doors open, revealing a fully-detailed realistic interior with seats for a driver and passengers, plus his hood pops open to reveal his engine. His robot mode is very reminiscent of his original toy, with his head sculpt based off his animation model with toy details. His engine pops out and unfolds to become his hand-held pistol.

:The Hasbro ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]]'' release (part of the first wave of new "bubble packaging" toys) differs from the [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] ''Binaltech'' release in that it has a much darker shade of blue, tinted windows, and various Scion-type tampographed flame decals. The Japanese release naturally has die cast metal parts, is painted a lighter shade of blue, and has different paint decos. It also includes a sheet of stickers, including flames resembling the ones printed on the ''Alternators'' version, as well as some Generation-1-style red stripes, and most humorously, a Japanese "New Driver" badge.

:This mold was also used to make ''[[The Transformers: Binaltech Asterisk|Binaltech Asterisk]]'' [[Blaster (G1)/toys#Binaltech Asterisk|Broadblast]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Autobot/AltSkids/skids.htm More information on ''Alternators'' Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Encore===
[[File:G1toy encore skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"Three reissues?! Wow, I must be really popular by this point, r-right?"]]
*'''Skids''' (reissue, 2009)
**''ID number:'' '''18'''
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets

:TakaraTomy reissued Skids again in October 2009 as part of their ''[[Transformers Encore]]'' series. This version of the figure shifted its colors a little, changing him from tomato-red and blue to cherry-red and blueish-purple, as well as noticeably lightening the translucent blue plastic used for his windows. His Autobot symbol and tail light stickers were replaced with [[tampograph]]s, while some of his other stickers were updated slightly, including his factory-applied front grill sticker. Like past reissues, this figure too suffered with an unstable robot mode, and ''both'' feet had wheels that would not fold away flat.
{{-}}

===Generations===
[[File:Generations Skids.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|The theoretician the world deserves, not the one it needs right now.]]
*'''Autobot Skids''' (Deluxe, 2013)
**''Series / Number'': '''02 / #009'''
**''Accessories:'' Nudge gun & nitrogen gun (combine to form rifle)

:Part of the seventh wave of 2012-onwards ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' Deluxe Class toys, ''[[Thrilling 30]]'' "Autobot Skids" transforms from a contemporary-looking hatchback into a robot mode largely based on [[Alex Milne]]'s design for [[IDW Publishing|IDW]]'s ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' comic, most notably featuring that body's numerous integrated weapons. He also includes the [[nudge gun]] carried by Skids in said comic and a new version of the liquid nitrogen rifle from his original toy, the two of which can combine into a larger rifle. Both weapons can peg onto his hands or vehicle sides via [[5mm post]].

:There are numerous reports of the figure's hips being assembled the [[Misassembly|wrong way round]], thus affecting the car mode as well as hampering the leg articulation (and it could even result in the ball joints at the waist snapping off), this can simply be fixed by popping them out and swapping them to the right place (just as long as you are careful with the aforementioned ball joints). At least some later releases fixed this issue.

:He comes packaged with the [[Little Victories|twenty-second issue]] of IDW's aforementioned ''More than Meets the Eye'' comic series, featuring a cropped version of its retailer incentive cover, which is called out as a 'Hasbro Exclusive Cover' on its front.

:Skids was [[redeco]]ed into ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (toyline)|Age of Extinction]]'' [[Rollbar (AOE)#Toys|Rollbar]] and ''[[Transformers Timelines (toyline)|Timelines]]''/''[[Diaclone]]'' [[Burn Out (Diaclone)|Burn Out]], which was later [[Repurposing|repurposed]] as [[Skids (SG)|''Shattered Glass'' Skids]]. This mold was also [[retool]]ed into ''Generations'' [[Crosscut (Autobot)#Generations|Crosscut]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2014/Autobot/GenSkids/skids.htm More information on ''Generations'' Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Q-Transformers===
[[File:QTransformers Skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6]]
*'''Skids''' ([[2015]]-[[June 27|06-27]])
**''ID number:'' '''QT-21'''

:''[[Q-Transformers]]'' Skids is a redeco and retool of [[Hound (G1)/toys#Q-Transformers|QT-15 Hound]], transforming into a [[super deformed]] Suzuki Hustler.

{{-}}

===Kre-O===
{{anchor|SDCC2015}}
*'''Kreon Class of '85''' (Kreon figure set, 2015)
**''Set number'' '''B5152'''
**''Voted'': Most Thoughtful
**''Accessories'': 2 clip-on rifles

: ''[[Kre-O]]'' "Autobot Skids" is a small brick-built [[Kreon]] figure, using the 2015-style construction with raised hands and the sturdier "peg-in-peg" torso/waist connection. His body [[tampograph]]s are heavily toy-based, with a ton of intricate design.

: He was only available as part of the [[San Diego Comic-Con]]-[[exclusive]] "[[Kreon Class of '85]]" 30-Kreon set. This set was also sold online through [[Hasbro Toy Shop]] after the show.

{{-}}

===Legends===
[[File:Legendstoy-Skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|He might be a forgotten character but at the very least he can now be ignored by fans while sporting a relatively cool deco.]]
*'''Skids''' ([[2016]]-[[May 28|05-28]])
**''ID number:'' '''LG-20'''
**''Accessories:'' Nudge gun & nitrogen gun (combine to form rifle)

:''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' Skids is an extensive redeco of the ''Generations'' Skids toy. It features a color scheme faithful to the character's appearance in the ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' comic, with a darker shade of blue, black front grill with red details under the grill, silver and black detailing on the feet, painted front lights and pink striping on the front hood and on the back's sculpted detail.

{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Decoy===
[[File:Decoy skids.jpg|thumb]]
*'''Cybertron Hero Collection 22''' (multi-pack, 1986)

:Skids was among the many characters rendered by [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] as part of their series of 1.5" soft rubber ''keshigomu'' figurines. Like all the figures in the series, Skids featured a number sculpted into his back that was the sum total of his [[Tech Spec]]s, for use in the various games that could be played with the figurines. He was available in red as part of a 22-piece box set of Autobot figures, in peach as part of various other randomly-packed box sets released by Takara subsidiary [[Seven]], and in a wide variety of different colors in "gachapon" capsule machines.

*'''Skids''' (1987)
**''Decoy number:'' '''12'''

:The Skids figurine was later brought over to [[Hasbro]] markets as part of the [[Decoy]] promotion, largely identical to the Japanese release except for the fact that the number on his back was replaced with a simple "checklist" number. Like all Autobot Decoys, he was a randomly-chosen pack-in available with the carded [[Throttlebot]]s, [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]] and [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1986/Autobot/Decoys/Skids/skids.htm More information on Decoy Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

'''3d Battle-Card Game'''

{{anchor|3DBC}}[[File:EnergonWarsSkids.jpg|thumb|Are, uh, you sure you're a G1 character?]]
*'''Skids''' (3D Battle-Card, 2007)
:A 26-point "common" character in the [[3D Battle-Card Game]]'s "Energon Wars" expansion, Skids "transforms" into a grey pickup truck of indeterminate make. He uses the same parts layout as [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] and [[Dropkick (Movie)|Dropkick]].

:He is equipped with a LN2 Cryo Rifle, an Electron Blaster, and a Rocket Launcher, which are similar to his G1 weapons — but due to the interdimensional nature of the Energon Wars subset, the Battle-Card may or may not also represent the [[Skids (Movie)|live-action movie Skids]].
{{--}}

==Notes==
[[File:DiacloneSkids.jpg|thumb|A rainbow of theoretical flavors.]]
[[File:Skidsdiacloneconceptart.jpg|thumb|Suck it, Ironhide! This head was mine first!]]
*The ''[[Diaclone]]'' version of Skids was additionally available in black or red. The [[BotCon 2015]] toy and character [[Burn Out]], a non-Cybertronian ''Diaclone'' mech from within the ''Transformers'' [[multiverse]], is based on the black version.
*Skids' animation model head appears to be based on early ''Diaclone'' promotional concept art. The toy's head would be different... and ultimately different from the [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] head shown in his instructions, which also popped up a few times in the UK comics.
*Though Skids' toy turned into a Honda City Turbo, his car mode was often misinterpreted in Transformers fiction as one of the then-new minivans, despite the fact that a Honda City Turbo is a subcompact car, and as such, could theoretically be stowed in the back seat of an actual minivan. This is likely because most Americans in 1985 wouldn't know what a subcompact car is.
*As Skids was released in the interim between the original 1984 launch and the big push of new 1985 figures, the character consequently fell by the wayside in the Generation 1 fiction of the 1980s. He was not included in the commercial promoting the new 1985 range of Autobot Cars, as he wasn't technically part of it. Similarly, he was also left out of the list of new 1985 product in the Generation 1 cartoon's [[production bible]] intended for inclusion in the show's second season, and as such, only managed to appear in little more than cameo roles in just two episodes, speaking one line in each and voiced by a different actor each time. He fared a little better in the Marvel comics, debuting alongside (an incomplete roster of) the other 1985 cars, but after getting an issue dedicated to himself, he all but completely vanished from the book and was banished to [[limbo]] by the UK comic for upwards of 100 issues, abandoned and forgotten.
*In the "[[Survivors!]]" story, Skids was suddenly drawn with the original ''Diaclone'' toy's head (which years later would be used for the new character [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]]). "Survivors!"' artist, [[Dan Reed]], previously drew him with his real head, so it'd be interesting to learn why and how this change happened. (He would later mysteriously regain his own face.)
*In more recent years, toys sporting the name "Skids" have required an additional "Autobot" prefix for [[trademark]] reasons, hence making the official name "'''Autobot Skids'''".

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Skids''' (スキッズ ''Sukizzu'')
*''French:'' '''Platon''' ("Plato")
*''Hungarian:'' '''Szán'''
*''Italian:'' '''Furetto''' ("Ferret")
*''Mandarin:'' '''Shāchē''' (China, 刹车, "Brake")
*''Portuguese:'' '''Patins''' (Brazil comic, "Skate"), '''Pe-de-cabra''' (Portugal comic, "Crowbar")
*''Russian:'' '''Tormoz''' (Тормоз, "Brake")

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:3D Battle-Cards]]
[[Category:Alternators Autobots]]
[[Category:Cloud Autobots]]
[[Category:Council members]]
[[Category:Decoys]]
[[Category:Dimension hoppers]]
[[Category:Dreamwave Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Exclusives]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Henkei! Henkei! Autobots]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Kre-O Autobots]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Legends Autobots]]
[[Category:Lost Light crew]]
[[Category:Q-Transformers characters]]
[[Category:Regeneration One Autobots]]
[[Category:Scientists]]
[[Category:SDCC exclusives]]
[[Category:Universe Autobots]]

Little Victories

2017-09-04T19:20:09Z

HailMegatron: /* Transformers references */

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Democracy

2017-09-01T20:45:31Z

HailMegatron: /* Humans */

{{bigquote|"A true leader doesn't '''seize''' power. He's '''given''' it by his followers."|[[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]]|"[[King of the Hill!]]"}}

[[File:MarvelUK-111.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|New Dinobots, New Danger!]]

'''Democracy''' is a form of government in which all participants have equal vote on decisions that affect the group. Democracy does not appear to have a prominent place in Transformers society, as the vast majority of their leaders and policy appear to be decided on either by the departing previous leader, the interpreted will of the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]], or a [[High Council (disambiguation)|High Council]]. (It is unknown whether any High Council is elected into office, and most known members seem to serve for millions of years, until assassination.) The specter of perpetual war looms large, lending itself to a state of global martial law on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]].

==Examples of democracy in Transformers fiction==
===Marvel Comics continuity===
*The earliest mention of a vote came from, of all places, ''[[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]]''. When criticising Megatron's strategy in "[[The Enemy Within!]]", he suggests they put it to a vote. Even though Megatron ignores this, [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] darkly matters that they should have been allowed to vote: this never comes up again and seems a sign of how discontented they are with Megatron's plans at the time.

*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] explains to [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] the terms of his leadership of the [[Autobot]]s. He states that if the Autobots wish him to step down, he will. It is also their right to leave individually. Though Optimus Prime was appointed to Autobot Commander by [[Xaaron|Emirate Xaaron]], {{storylink|And There Shall Come...a Leader!}} he suggests that it is the will of the people that keeps him there, and he would step down if asked. It's not discussed here if this is a real, enforceable policy or just Prime being a nice guy, {{storylink|Rock and Roll-Out!}} but later on we discover that a badly-performing Autobot leader can be stripped of command under the [[Crisis Act]]. As [[Kup (G1)|Kup]], not that high-ranking a figure, was the one threatening to invoke it, it would seem the Act is open to anyone. {{storylink|The Pri¢e of Life!}}

[[File:Democracykingofthehill.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|So the council of peers is made up of three dudes born on Earth, two guys fresh off the [[space bridge]] from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], and... Ratchet. Well, okay, it's not like anyone actually cares about [[Gears (G1)|Gears]]'s opinions.]]

*When Optimus Prime dies in battle, the Autobots must select a new leader. The seven Autobots who held a "position of authority" (Perceptor, Jetfire, [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]], [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]], [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]], [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]], and [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]]) hold a private conference to nominate a replacement. This practice is not strictly democratic, as not every Autobot present was eligible to participate. If the "positions of authority" were electable positions themselves, the conference could be categorized as republican. [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] was also eligible to participate, as leader of the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], but he showed up late only to tell everyone they were stupid and weak, that Optimus Prime was a loser, and to nominate himself. The conference eventually decided on Grimlock, of course. {{storylink|King of the Hill!}}

[[File:Blasterbeourleaderplease.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Less like election, more like mob rule.]]

*During the disastrous rule of Grimlock, the entirety of the Earthbound Autobots (save the Dinobots, of course), rallied together to show their support for Blaster as his replacement. This enthusiasm for regime change disappeared once Blaster turned himself in to Grimlock to guarantee the safe release of the [[Spacehikers|Spacehiker children]]. It is perhaps telling that the Autobots will do nothing to better themselves in the absence of a strong leader. {{storylink|Spacehikers!}} They didn't use the Crisis Act <s>because Furman made it up later</s> for unknown reasons, possibly due to a lack of a rallying figure or possibly for fear of Grimlock's loyal Dinobots.

*When [[Scorponok (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Scorponok]] was losing control of the Decepticons, one bellowed "who elected you ''anyway?''". So at least some Decepticons like the concept of democracy. {{storylink|The Primal Scream}}

{{-}}

===''The Transformers'' cartoon===
{{bigquote|"I say we '''vote!'''"|[[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]]|"[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3]]"}}

[[File:G1 Movie Decepticon brawl.JPG|upright=1.1|thumb|If U.S. elections were like this, it would be a lot more interesting!]]

*After suffering heavy losses in the battle for [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]], the [[Decepticon]]s take a vote on whether or not to jettison their damaged comrades in order to make it back to Cybertron. The results of the vote are split entirely along the boundaries of who would be personally affected by this decision, but the damaged are outnumbered and tossed into space. (Unsurprisingly, the Decepticons do not appear to have any mechanism to protect the rights of the minority). After this, the Decepticons hold a debate as to who should succeed the ejected [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] as leader of the Decepticons. This is handled by a more traditional Decepticon process: beat the slag out of each other. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

*Later, the Decepticons take a vote as to whether or not they should ally themselves with the [[Quintesson]]s. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness}}

*When the Decepticons invaded [[Paradron]], one native claimed that, since their society was a democracy, they didn't have to obey the Decepticons' commands. As it turns out, [[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] and [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] didn't particularly care how Paradron's government worked. {{storylink|Fight or Flee (episode)|Fight or Flee}}

===''Beast Wars'' cartoon continuity===
{{bigquote|"Oh, great system, your "democracy"! No mechanism to break a tie!"|[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]|"[[Chain of Command (BW)|Chain of Command]]"}}

[[File:Coc getshorty.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Every political discussion during an election, ''ever''.]]
* When [[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] goes missing, a secret ballot is cast among the four remaining [[Maximal]]s. According to [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], voting in this manner is a Maximal tradition. The vote results in a tie; whether Maximals in general can't break a tie or if this is just this one incident (there were only four of them on the whole planet) is unknown. [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] laughs at the process' revealed faults and calls it "your democracy", indicating that the Predacons have no democratic system (what a shock!). Optimus Primal was able to contact them soon after, and he declared [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] the leader in his absence. {{storylink|Chain of Command (BW)|Chain of Command}}

{{-}}

===''Armada'' cartoon===
{{bigquote|I think I'm going to leave it up to you to decide your own stations. And, uh, if any of you decide to join us and defeat the Decepticons once and for all, that's up to you. Oh, and if any of you decide to stay back here on Earth, that's okay, too."|[[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]]|"[[Depart]]"}}

[[File:Remorse democracy.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Slow reflexes? You too can be Autobot leader.]]

* After [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] dies in battle, [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] is given Autobot leadership because the other Autobots think that is what Optimus Prime would have wanted. The deal is sealed when he doesn't flinch when [[Scavenger (Armada)|Scavenger]] throws a punch at him. {{storylink|Remorse}}

* No, seriously.

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
* The [[Senate|New Senate]] was replaced by the [[Grand Convocation]], in which the leaders of influential groups like the [[Circle of Light]] and the [[Engineering Guild]] worked with [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]] to run the planet. If these leaders were themselves elected, this would be a form of republican government. {{storylink|Derelicts}} After it fell, the planet was governed by the [[Conclave of Representatives]] which at least sounds like it's elected. {{storylink|Primacy issue 1|Primacy #1}}

* The [[Wrecker]]s had a low-level form of democracy: they had to vote unanimously for any new member. This could be overridden by High Command. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 3|Last Stand of the Wreckers #3}}

* When Optimus Prime surrendered himself to [[Skywatch]], the Earth-stranded Autobots decided to vote on their new commanding officer rather than following the chain of command. This had not been a normal policy before, and appears to be something they had recently adopted. In the end, [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] won. {{storylink|Things Fall Apart, Part 1: "New Arrivals, Old Encounters"|New Arrivals, Old Encounters}} He was then rarely, if ''ever'', respected as leader even though he had a mandate.

* Once the war had ended, [[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|Metalhawk]] and Starscream, both unelected faction leaders ([[NAIL|civilian]] and Decepticon), began pushing for a free election to determine a new Cybertronian government. {{storylink|Dinobot Hunt (IDW)|Dinobot Hunt}} The formal vote was never held but Starscream came to power on the back of ''in''formal democracy, when most of the Transformers agreed with his call to cast out all factions and appointed him as their leader. {{storylink|Heavy Is the Head}} He would repeatedly use this mandate as a reason for why everyone should listen to him.

* [[Caminus]] is ruled by the elected [[Forgefire Parliament]] but view this as a messy compromise as they can't be ruled by the infallible, divine authority of a Prime. They find it hard to understand why others find it disturbing they'd automatically do whatever Optimus wanted and their church leader, the [[Mistress of Flame]], was herself disturbed that Optimus would follow an elected government. {{storylink|The Sum and Its Parts}} {{storylink|The Possible Light}}

* The [[Council of Worlds]] has a collective vote on matters relating to the interaction and integration of the Transformer colonies.

===''Prime'' cartoon===
* The Decepticon troops on the ''[[Trypticon (WFC)|Nemesis]]'' held a vote on whether or not [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] should get specialist treatment, overruling the wishes of [[Starscream (WFC)|the acting-commander]]. {{storylink|Deus ex Machina}}

==Humans==
[[File:Fakkadi.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|"Thank you, citizens, for giving me 95% of the vote!"]]

Humans are also known for having systems of democracy:

*The [[United States of America]] elect a [[President of the United States|President]].
*[[Japan]] has a [[Prime Minister of Japan|Prime Minister]].
* The [[United Kingdom]] also has a Prime Minister, one of whom has spoken of a desire to consult with Optimus Prime. This has made him a Decepticon target. {{storylink|Transformers Comic issue 24|#24's Star Screams}}
*The [[Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Carbombya]] makes ''claim'' to being democratic, but [[Abdul Fakkadi (G1)|''really'' isn't]].
*[[Canada]] has a Prime Minister.
[[Category:Transformer culture]]

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

2017-09-01T20:00:24Z

HailMegatron: /* Quotes */

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

===Advertisements===
*''More than Meets the Eye'' #31
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World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide

2017-09-01T19:59:44Z

HailMegatron: /* Quotes */

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Skids (G1)

2017-08-31T17:49:37Z

HailMegatron: /* IDW Generation 1 continuity */

{{factions|autobot}}
{{disambig3|Skids}}
{{suite}}
:''Skids is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:Skidsg1.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Everyone forgets me, [[Nudge gun|even me]].]]
'''Skids''' is a theoretician. This is appropriate, as some would say his existence is merely theoretical; everyone forgets who he is or that he was there. But if they got to know him, they'd learn that he likes to daydream, get built into furniture, and pick up cowboy chicks.

Skids is also a fast learner, voraciously absorbing and compartmentalizing new information he receives. This allows him to adapt to new environments and unexpected situations very quickly. His calm, observant nature and tendency to fade into the background sometimes causes some to question his ability to fight, but make no mistake; Skids can handle himself in battle.

He'd just rather...listen to some music, y'know?

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Michael Chain]] (English, "[[Quest for Survival]]"), [[Dan Gilvezan]] (English, "[[Triple Takeover]]"), [[Keiichi Nanba]] (Japanese, "Quest for Survival"), [[Ken Shiroyama]] (Japanese, "Triple Takeover")|[[Roberto Alexander]] (Latin American)}}

[[File:Skidsanimated.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Hoist, Prime, and Skids ogle Bumblebee's animation model.]]
Like many of the Autobots who first appeared in 1985, the exact circumstances behind Skids joining the original group of Earth-based Autobots remain unknown. Skids first appeared as part of a strike force that was sent to stop the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]] from ravaging a human farm, only to meet with failure. Apparently injured in the battle, Skids underwent some repairs by [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] upon return to Autobot Headquarters, where he responded incredulously to [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]]'s report that he had retrieved [[robotic insecticide]] from the planet [[Floron III]] to deal with the Insecticon threat. {{storylink|Quest for Survival}}

[[File:TripleTakeover Skids.jpg|thumb|Racing into obscurity.]]
Later, Skids was part of a team sent to investigate bombs that were raining down on a city from a football stadium (the work of the [[Triple Changer]] [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]]). Blitzwing, however, had the stadium surrounded by a massive "Zone Defense" maze built by the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], and while attempting to traverse it, Skids crashed into [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and was driven over by tank mode Blitzwing. Skids and the other Autobots' remains were then gathered by [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]], who built a throne for himself out of them. These Autobots were soon rescued and quickly rebuilt, and participated in the crises that ensued as Blitzwing, [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] vied for Decepticon leadership. Following that skirmish, Prowl opined that [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] was the greatest leader in the universe, which prompted himself, Skids, [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]] and [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] to form themselves into a throne for Prime; Prime refused to sit, saying that thrones were for Decepticons—he'd rather roll. {{storylink|Triple Takeover}}
{{-}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
=====''Henkei! Henkei! Generations'' manga=====
[[File:Skids and screech.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|left]]
When Skids successfully proved the existence of particles able to cross over between dimensions, he put his discovery to work for the forces of good, coating his armor in these "Dimension Slide" particles and endowing himself with the power to move between realities, as well as a snazzy new green paintjob. In this quest to examine anomalies within the multiverse, Skids found he could summon other versions of himself from different dimensions to aid him, but for unknown reasons, one of these alternate versions wound up trapped in Skids's home dimension, unable to return to his own world. Renamed "[[Screech (Generations)|Screech]]" (presumably to save all the Autobots a headache), this alternate Skids teamed up with his counterpart, and together, the pair worked as "Quantum Operatives" policing the multiverse while searching for a way to get Screech home. {{storylink|#Toys|Skids's toy bio}} {{storylink|Screech (Generations)|Screech's toy bio}}

Hot on the trail of one such multiversal anomaly, Skids and Screech pursued [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]]'s ghost across the multiverse to a [[Primax 209.20 Gamma|parallel dimension]] where he was causing trouble. While the two dimension-hoppers kept the ghost busy with wordplay and pop culture references, the [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] of that world used his illusion casting powers to scare Starscream into fleeing the dimension by projecting an illusion of his greatest fear: [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]! {{storylink|Starscream's New Body}}

=====Ask Vector Prime=====
[[File:LegendsComic DimensionalInvestigatorSkids.jpg|upright=1.2|right|thumb]]
[[Vector Prime]] claimed Skids was from [[Primax 308.0 Zeta]] while Screech was from [[Primax 1008.15 Gamma]]. The two worked with him in [[Primax 308.13 Beta]]. {{Storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/23}}

=====''Transformers Legends'' comic=====
Skids would later take on a new body, blue as usual but more heavily armed, styling himself as a "dimensional investigator" (次元捜査官 ''jigen sōsakan''). When [[Drift (G1)#Cloud|Deadlock]] caused trouble in the [[Legends Universe]] by bringing [[SARA]] there, Skids showed up to teach him how to use SARA's powers to return to [[Cloud World]], and also warned the Decepticon against causing any more interdimensional chaos. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Deadlock)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}}

Finding there to be many more Transformers from other dimensions in the Legends Universe, Skids regarded this as problematic and decided to send them all back by force and seal off the dimension. Met with resistance from [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] and his cohorts, he summoned the [[Skids Squadron]] to fight the Decepticon leader while he personally dealt with the others. When Megatron came to their rescue, Skids entered "Full Burst Mode" and seemingly killed the Decepticon with a mighty barrage, only to realize the villain just sacrificed himself for his comrades. Following protests by the natives of the Legends Universe, Skids caught on to the fact that their world was a peaceful one without factions or war and that ''he'' was the one causing chaos and violence, prompting the investigator to abandon his plans and undo the seal. He continued to keep the dimension under surveillance, and even stuck around to look up its fictional representations of himself. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 20|Bonus Edition Vol. 20}}

Skids would come to join the [[Dimensional Patrol]], an organization dedicated to battling multiversal threats. He was guarding [[Megatron (RID)|Devil Gigatron]] at [[Neo Brave Maximus|their base]] when [[Scourge (RID)|Black Convoy]]'s group came to break him out. {{storylink|LGEX Black Convoy Prologue}}
{{-}}

====''Story of Binaltech''====
[[File:Binaltech skids cardart.jpg|left|upright=1.2|thumb|After using up all of his vacation and sick days, Skids returned to work to find that the Transformers cartoon had been cancelled.]]
Skids was the first of the Binaltech Autobots created simply with the intent of upgrading an existing, healthy Transformer, rather than in the name of repairing one that had been injured. Outfitted with self-repairing nanomechanical antibodies, Skids's body can, barring heavy damage in battle, theoretically function for thousands of years without maintenance. In both his original and new body, Skids dedicated time to studying the chronal warp on [[Dinobot Island (G1)|Dinobot Island]], which gave rise to the Autobot strategy known as "[[Operation: Distant Thunder]]", a last-ditch scheme should the Decepticons tamper with the fabric of space-time. That horror occurred in [[2004]] when Ravage used the [[Kronosphere]] to alter the timeline, and Skids prepared to initiate the plan and send [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]'s memory data back in time to avert the catastrophe. {{storylink|Darkest Hour (prose)|Darkest Hour}}

The data probe was launched, but as the timeline was righting itself a [[Nemesis Prime (G1)|Nemesis Prime]] arrived, and manipulated the temporal wave to preserve the Binaltech timeline separate from the original continuity. Possessed by the Spark of the [[Optimus Primal/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Protector]], hailing from some future point in time, Nemesis Prime informed Skids and the others that their timeline was destined to produce great warriors capable of safeguarding the entire multiverse, and therefore must continue on its new course. {{storylink|Binal Time}}

=====''Transformers Legends'' comic=====
Binaltech Skids was a member of the [[Skids Squadron]], a group of dimension-hopping versions of Skids led by [[#Transformers Legends comic|dimensional investigator Skids]], who summoned them to help force [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] out of the [[Legends Universe]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 20|Bonus Edition Vol. 20}}
{{-}}

===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics====
{{noteukonly}}
[[File:Marvel22-heavy-traffic-skids-tracker.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|Skids exists! Really!]]
In the event that the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'s mission would require more manpower, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] had several Autobots encode copies of their personalities as light patterns within [[crystalline containment vessel]]s, including Skids. When a large number of Prime's troops were then injured during the opening volleys of the war on [[Earth]], Prime arranged for the construction of new bodies, which the personalities were then programmed into, bringing Skids and the others to life "for a second time".

[[File:Skidsnatives.jpg|upright=0.6|thumb|We bet you can't.]]
Now in a new body that transformed into a blue van equipped with a bandana-wearing driver, Skids went with Bumblebee and the other new Autobots to learn about their new home. Along the way he learned about an upcoming [[Brick Springhorn]] concert, and immediately took a liking to the music of Earth and the possibilities of what could be learned from interacting with mankind. When the concert turned out to be the target of a Decepticon attack, Skids and the others were forced into action, engaging Shockwave and three Decepticon jets in battle. They quickly retreated after routing their foes, so that the show could go on. {{storylink|Rock and Roll-Out!}}

When [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] ran out of fuel in the middle of the [[Powder River Basin]] in [[Wyoming]], Optimus Prime took Skids and a few other Autobots to prevent harm to the humans who had discovered him. Unfortunately, these humans (and their [[United States military|military]]) forced the Autobots into a retreat. {{storylink|I, Robot-Master!}}

Skids voiced some concerns about Optimus's plans to raid the heavily fortified [[Wyoming base|Decepticon base]] for information on the combining process, but Prime vetoed them. En route, distracted by a human radio station, Skids nearly forgot to activate his facsimile driver; a moment later he accidentally clipped the car of hot-tempered [[Jake Dalrymple]], who pursued the Autobots on their mission. Despite the wall of weaponry facing them, Skids made it through the battle unscathed; but as the Autobots retreated with the information, they encountered Jake Dalrymple again, who distracted Skids just long enough for [[Ravage (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ravage]] to blast him off a cliff. Although Optimus Prime mourned the loss of Skids, neither the Autobot leader nor any other Autobot thought to recover the believed deactivated body of Skids later after their mission had been completed. {{storylink|Command Performances!}}

[[File:Marvelus-21-showdown-skids-beyourcar.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.]]
Lying crippled and unable to transform, Skids was shortly discovered by register girl [[Charlene (cowgirl)|Charlene]], who, thinking he was an ordinary van, had him fixed up with the intent of keeping him for herself. Skids was open to the idea at first, preferring a peaceful life to that of a warrior, but after another bout of road rage with Dalrymple, the unearthly stunts he performed left him no option but to reveal his true nature of Charlene.

[[File:Charleneskids.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|''Baby you can be my car And maybe I'll wash you'']]
A somewhat unusual [[Transformer romance|relationship]] ensued between the two, but more trouble soon came Skids's way in the form of [[Donny Finkleberg]], who was being hunted down by Ravage. Fleeing from the Decepticon with Charlene and Donny, Skids hid out at an abandoned mining town, but yet again, the raging Dalrymple tracked him down and shattered his windshield, knocking him unconscious and into a dream where he died through his refusal to attack Megatron and save Charlene. Reawakening, he engaged Ravage in battle again, finally finding the strength to act, and causing his foe to tumble down a mineshaft. Skids then parted ways with Charlene, having come to the realisation that their two roles in life were too different for their relationship to work out. {{storylink|Showdown!}}

[[File:Marvel22-heavy-traffic-skids-reason.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|Oh god my arms, my arms!]]
Skids returned to the Ark with Finkleberg, with Optimus pleased to find him alive. Jetfire was sent to verify Finkleberg's claim about a [[Cybertron Seven|group of missing Autobots]], uncovering a trail of spilled Transformer fuel. {{storylink|Aerialbots over America!}} Skids was outfitted with a chemical tracker to follow the fuel trail; taking Finkelberg with him, he began tracing the fuel back to its source. En route, he broke cover to save a trapped driver from some downed power lines, a move that caught the Decepticons' attention. The newly created Stunticons were dispatched to "ambush" Skids - by acting as though they were his allies. The humans' [[Rapid Anti-robot Assault Team]] and the Aerialbots soon arrived and engaged in a three-way battle. When it was over, the Aerialbots were defeated, the Autobots' reputation was smeared, and the Stunticons were triumphant; Skids could do little but clear out to continue his mission with Finkleberg. Unfortunately, money still governed Finkleberg's actions, and that evening he sold out Skids to RAAT's leader [[Walter Barnett]] while Skids was deactivated for the night. {{storylink|Heavy Traffic!}}

[[File:DecepticonGraffiti-CBDonnySkids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Shoulda stuck with the nice cowboy lady.]]
Skids was disassembled for study, but when the Decepticons [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] and [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] appeared on Earth and began defacing landmarks, RAAT operative [[Circuit Breaker (G1)|Circuit Breaker]] was forced to enter into a deal with the Autobots to stop them. Skids and the other Autobots' components were combined to form a [[Circuit Breaker's Autobot suit|jury-rigged robot]] that Circuit Breaker used to stop the [[Battlecharger]]s, but in return for their co-operation, Skids and the Autobots were allowed to go free. {{storylink|Decepticon Graffiti!}}

''On the return trip to the Ark, however, Skids was abruptly torn from reality when the future Decepticon [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] [[time travel|traveled back in time]] from [[2006]], shunting Skids into [[Limbo]] to maintain temporal balance.'' {{storylink|Fallen Angel}}

{{note|While Skids was lost to Limbo in the UK comics, no such fate befell him in the American stories. Luckily enough for continuity's sake, he never did anything important in the US comics again, only showing up in crowd scenes. To maintain consistency, the UK printings of these stories either redrew Skids into a different, [[generic]] robot, or erased him from the art entirely.}}

Skids attended Optimus Prime's funeral, {{storylink|Funeral for a Friend!}} witnessed the arrival of a group of [[Spacehikers|children]] within the space-borne Ark, {{storylink|Spacehikers!}} and watched [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] and [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] fight for Autobot leadership on Earth's [[Moon (moon)|moon]]. He was presumably either off-lined during the subsequent Decepticon ambush, {{storylink|Totaled!}} or during [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream's]] [[Underbase]] powered rampage. {{storylink|Dark Star}}

[[File:Skidslimbo.jpg|upright=0.6|thumb|left|Oh, hey, remember Skids?]]
[[File:Skidssurvivors.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|And then he stole [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]]'s head.]]
''Skids remained in Limbo for two years while Galvatron ran amok on Earth, his mind steadily succumbing to the dream-illusions created by the [[Limbo parasite|parasites]] native to the realm.'' {{storylink|Time Wars}} ''In his dreams, a brutish Skids led monsters in orgies of destruction.With Galvatron's eventual destruction during the [[Time Wars]], Skids was finally returned to Earth, but he had spent too long in Limbo—the Limbo parasites had succeeded in shaping a reality from his dreams, and the nightmarish monsters that he had imagined materialised on Earth with him. Fleeing from the beasts, horrified at the "weakness" that had led to him making them, Skids was convinced by the creatures that they would exist so long as he was alive. Their goal was to break him into joining them in their bloody rampages (and also to just mess with him). Skids lured them into a [[Hudden Nuclear Power Plant|nuclear power plant]] which he had planned to detonate, wiping out the monsters and himself. However, he struggled to find the courage to end his own life in order to spare the Earth from the horrors he had birthed.''

''Thankfully, it didn't come to that, as the remnants of the Autobot [[Wrecker]]s—joined by [[Catilla (G1)|Catilla]] and [[Carnivac (G1)|Carnivac]] of the Decepticon [[Mayhem Attack Squad]]—arrived to aid him, defeating the monsters even as the creature's leader admitted they'd made up that whole 'die to stop us' thing. Skids joined with this group of Transformers, forming the [[Survivors]].'' {{storylink|Survivors!}}

''Carnivac soon tired of Autobot life and Skids and the others could only watch as he fell out with [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] and struck out on his own.'' {{storylink|Way of the Warrior}} ''When a human called in the rest of the Survivors to help Carnivac against the new Mayhem Attack Squad, Springer was adamant that they shouldn't help the renegade Decepticon, but Skids, [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] and [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] were swayed by Catilla's pleas to get involved.'' {{storylink|Survival Run}} ''They arrived just in time to save Carnivac from the Decepticons, but Catilla was killed by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] and Carnivac swore vengeance''. {{storylink|A Savage Place!}}

{{note|Due to the somewhat convoluted nature of the Marvel UK continuity, the "Survivors" plotline was continued in the Earthforce timeline, detailed below.}}

[[File:Grimlockwasthatwise.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Hey, who here remembers when I was damaged and shoved into the medbay? No? Well, that makes all of us.]]
Grimlock traveled to [[Hydrus Four]] to use [[Nucleon (substance)|Nucleon]] to revive the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]]. Returning to the Ark, he also pumped Nucleon into the med bays, reviving Skids and several others, and headed towards [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. Grimlock used the Ark as a blunt instrument across [[Unicron]]'s head, forcing Skids and the others to evacuate and join the battle against the Chaos Bringer. {{storylink|On the Edge of Extinction!}}
{{-}}

=====Earthforce=====
{{earthforcefiction}}
[[File:Survivors wolf in the fold.jpg|thumb|left]]
When Carnivac ran off on his own to avenge Catilla's death, Skids and the other Survivors insisted Springer contact Grimlock and the Earthforce for back-up. {{storylink|Wolf in the Fold!}} Though Grimlock was hesitant to lend any warriors in order to save a Decepticon, he was swayed into doing so in exchange of the Survivors' word that they would permanently join up with his unit afterwards. Hooked up with these Autobot reinforcements, Skids and the others stormed the Mayhem Attack Squad's tropical island base. Skids personally confronted [[Octopunch (G1)|Octopunch]] in single combat, holding his own against the murderous [[Pretender]]. {{storylink|Where Wolf?}}

On a later mission for Earthforce, Skids and the Survivors protected an [[oil tanker]] from [[Starscream (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Starscream]], while the rest of the Decepticons were trying to distract the Autobots with an all-out assault on their base. Undeterred by the sleight-of-hand, the Survivors caught up with Starscream in the [[Gulf of Mexico]]. Skids used a flying leap by Carnivac as a distraction to catch Starscream with his liquid nitrogen cannon, and then [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] knocked the Decepticon commander into the drink. {{storylink|Divide and Conquer!}}
{{-}}

====Transformers Comic-Magazin====
Skids was part of the Autobot team when they battled the Decepticons in defense of Earth's precious energy resources. {{storylink|Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 9|The Transformers' Grand Hour: Headmaster of the Dimensions}}

Goldbug later recalled the events of the previous battle. {{storylink|Transformers Comic-Magazin issue 15|The Cosmic Adventure: Memories of Bumblebee}}

====''Regeneration One''====
{{noterg1}}
[[File:Lancer two crew war to end all wars.jpg|thumb|Remember when I was a main character back in our [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel]] days? Let's do that again.]]
In [[2012]], when Optimus Prime discovered Megatron was still active on Earth, he took an armed assault squad of Autobots, including Skids, to put an end to the tyrant's menace once and for all. Battling Megatron's reanimated Decepticon [[zombie]]s as the two leaders clashed, Skids called dibs on taking out [[Overbite (G1)|Overbite]]. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 5}}

After the battle, Skids and [[Prowl (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prowl]] attended to [[Kup (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Kup]] as he recovered from a [[Scraplet]] infection. He then departed Earth with the other Autobots. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part One}} As they arrived back at Cybertron, the ''[[Valiant (G1)|Valiant]]'' was targeted by missiles from the [[Civil Defense Hub]], though they were called off at the last second. Nonetheless, Skids and the rest of the armed assault squad prepared for immediate deployment upon landing. {{storylink|Natural Selection, Part Five}}

Skids would later respond when Jhiaxus's ''[[Primum Fugae]]'' began attacking the [[Demon]]s and Dinobots indiscriminately and upon [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]]'s orders, he and [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] began prepping the Dinobots for medevac. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 2}} During the invasion of the [[Hub (G2)|Hub Network]], Skids and a team of Autobots comprising [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]], [[Sky High (Pretender)|Sky High]], [[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]], and [[Getaway]] aboard the ''[[Lancer Two]]'' were shot down by [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]'s forces when they revealed their full defensive power. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 3}}
{{-}}

===Dinobots Strike Back===
{{notemultipath}}
{{note|In the first book in this series, Skids transforms into a red compact, matching the description of his toy's Honda City Turbo [[Alternate mode|alt-mode]] in one of its [[Diaclone]] color schemes. He is apparently even smaller than Bumblebee}}
[[File:DinobotsStrikeBackBumbleandSkidsinSub.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Seen here pouting because he gets no screen time.]]
Although Skids had reported the strange electromagnetic readings he'd been getting from [[Dolphin's Bay]] even before [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] sent [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] to [[Bandit's Bluff]] to remove the [[cerebro-shell]]s from the rampaging [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], it took [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock's]] report that evening to prompt Optimus to have Skids investigate it for possible Decepticon activity. Prime chose [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] to accompany him in [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack's]] [[Star mini-submarine|new mini-submarine]], but wasn't sure whether to assign [[Sludge (G1)|Sludge]] to the mission as well, since Skids clearly didn't want him along.

If Prime left Sludge out, Skids celebrated by absentmindedly crashing into [[Mount Lomas]], crumpling his hood and causing Bumblebee to notice a suspicious trail in the woods. If the pair followed it instead of continuing to the bay, they walked into a trap set by [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] and [[Gravedigger]], who disassembled Bumblebee and Skids to serve as the first components of the [[Autobot Memorial Power Plant]].

If they continued to Dolphin's Bay and the sub, Skids traced electromagnetic waves back to some [[black coral]], then hacked into a Decepticon computer and learned of a plot to convert the coral into superfuel. Bumblebee then exited the hatch to break a piece off, triggering an explosion which trapped him in a canyon beneath broken columns of crimson coral. Without underwater gear, Skids had only two options: If he went back to the channel for help, Seaspray used his laser to free Bumblebee, then tried to sail back to the Ark, only to have Starscream blow all three of them up with a cluster bomb. If Skids tried translating some nearby [[dolphin]]s' language, he succeeded in five minutes, talking the three largest dolphins into moving the broken coral. Skids and Bumblebee brought the black coral and his report back to Optimus Prime, ensuring an Autobot victory.

If Prime ''did'' include Sludge, Skids, and Bumblebee made it to the bay first, then used the sub to track the readings to an underwater cave. Bumblebee entered it, radioed Skids about Operation Black Coral, then failed to reemerge. If Skids chose to return to the Ark for help, two possible endings saw an Autobot assault save Bumblebee and destroy the Decepticons' base. If Skids tried to radio Bumblebee, the sub was promptly hit by a sonic attack from Frenzy, making it go haywire and tear through the bay. Whether Skids tried to stop it by activating the backup systems or shorting the controls out with his electron blaster, he was saved by Sludge, ensuring an Autobot victory in two more endings. {{storylink|Dinobots Strike Back}}

===3H comics===
[[File:Skidswreckers2.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|In the context of science, "theory" does not mean "guess" or "hunch", Rodimus. You should probably pay attention.]]
Several months after the defeat of [[Unicron]] in 2005, Skids was among the senior scientists (including [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Quickmix (G1)|Quickmix]], and [[Rad (G1)|Rad]]) who questioned [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]]'s plan to send out the best of the remaining Autobot science and research members to establish deep-space reconnaissance posts. {{storylink|Betrayal}}
{{-}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
8.2 million years ago, Skids was in the [[Chamber of the Ancients]], observing the ceremony in which [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optronix]] was given the [[Matrix of Leadership]] and transformed into [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. Immediately, three Decepticon assassins attacked, and though Skids acted to protect the new Prime, his arm was cut off by [[Umbra]]. {{storylink|The War Within issue 1|The War Within #1}}

Skids was repaired and he returned to his post at the [[Decagon]]. While Prime was absent, Skids picked up radar of incoming Decepticon invaders and a transmission from the force's field commander, [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]]. {{storylink|The War Within issue 2|The War Within #2}} Skids helped man auto-defenses from inside the Decagon and coordinated troops in the field. {{storylink|The War Within issue 3|The War Within #3}} Eventually, the Autobots' [[Omega Sentinel (G1)|Omega Sentinel]] units were destroyed. Picking up their personal weaponry, Skids and the other Autobots were all that was left to defend [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], and made a desperate last stand against Shockwave and his forces. {{storylink|The War Within issue 5|The War Within #5}} The Autobots were only spared from annihilation because Starscream at that point activated one of Cybertron's planetary engines. This caused a chain reaction, which crumbled Iacon into a crater, driving away the Decepticon forces. {{storylink|The War Within issue 6|The War Within #6}}

During the Dark Ages, when Optimus Prime and Megatron both disappeared into a prototype spacebridge, both factions splintered into several sub-groups. Skids served under [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]]'s faction of Autobots. {{storylink|Fragmentation (G1)|Fragmentation}} Together, they investigated reports that the Decepticons were in the process of building a mobile fortress, only to find [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] already completed and battle-ready in the [[Praetorus Wharf]]. {{storylink|Devastation}} Finding that nothing they threw at the giant Decepticon had any effect, the Autobots tried to outrun it instead. Skids hid in a nearby building, onto which Trypticon jumped to crush him. {{storylink|Revelation (The Dark Ages)|Revelation}} Though battered by the incident, Skids managed to survive it, and was brought back to [[Autobase]] for repairs. As [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] was tending to his wounds, The Fallen broke into the Autobots' headquarters, reappropriated [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] from one of their holding cells, and took off. {{storylink|Confrontation (issue)|Confrontation}} Once The Fallen's base of operations was uncovered, Skids joined a cross-faction army in rushing it to put an end to the ancient Transformer's scheme. Ultimately, The Fallen was defeated by the power of [[Primus]] himself, and all factions agreed to keep the chamber The Fallen had tried to breach sealed to prevent anyone from further abusing the power held within it. {{storylink|Conflagration}}

At some point, Ultra Magnus took command of the Autobots, and reunited them into a single faction. Under his leadership, the Autobots gained a significant hold over Cybertron's resources and territories. This eventually forced the [[Ultracon]]s and Shockwave's Decepticons to sign a peace treaty with the Autobots. Skids was in attendance at the signing of the truce, which was interrupted by a bombing, engineered by Starscream and his Predacons. This act of aggression only served to unite the Autobots, Ultracons, and Decepticons however, who struck back against Starscream's troops. A united Cybertron finally seemed within reach... that is, until Megatron made a dramatic return, accompanied by an army of [[Air Warrior]]s. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath}} Megatron quickly took over the planet, and enslaved the majority of Autobots. Skids was among the many unfortunates captured, and put to work in [[Internment Camp Pi]]. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath Pt.2}}

{{note|Due to [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]]'s closure, the end of its''War Within'' series was never published. Years later, [[Simon Furman]] released the unpublished scripts to the final three issues. Within said issues, Optimus would return to Cybertron, and the Autobots would be freed from slavery.}}

Skids was not among the Autobots who traveled to Earth aboard the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]], remaining behind on Cybertron as the planet slipped into the deactivated state known as the [[Great Shutdown]]. When Shockwave began reactivating the planet and successfully unified the Autobot and Decepticon factions, Skids was a member of the council of Autobots who served to represent their faction in the alliance. Few of the council members were actually suited for leadership, however, and slowly found themselves giving more and more control to Shockwave. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}} Even when Perceptor presented the council with evidence that Shockwave was performing immoral experiments on fellow Cybertronians, the High Council was unwilling to take any constitutional action against Shockwave.{{storylink|Cold War (issue)|Cold War}} Eventually, the example shown by the Ark's returning crew and several homegrown Autobot insurgency cells tore the blinders from the council's optics, and Skids gathered his fellow councilmen in taking to the streets and ousting the Decepticons from power. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}}

===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''===
[[File:Skids BlackHorizon1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3]]
During an Autobot peace ceremony on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Skids reported to [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] that [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], and [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] had yet to find the Autobots and [[G.I. Joe (team)|Joes]] that had gone missing while chasing [[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]] Their conversation was then interrupted due to a Decepticon attack. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 3|The Art of War #3}}

Skids was later stationed on the ''[[Arc II]]'' on Earth, where he helped his comrades in the field by warning them about incoming G.I. Joe [[S.H.A.R.C.]]s. When the ship came under attack by the [[Pretender Monster]]s, Skids was knocked out by [[Icepick (G1)|Icepick]] while alerting the others on board. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 1 of 2}} He was sent to [[Pit (G.I. Joe)|the Pit]] for repairs and was expected to quickly recover from his injuries. {{storylink|Black Horizon, Part 2 of 2}}
{{-}}

===''TransTech''===
In an Offworld Zone of [[Axiom Nexus]], a Skids was yet another victim of [[Bulletbike (TransTech)|Bulletbike]], murdered for a cred-key. {{storylink|I, Lowtech}}

===''The Beast Within''===
During a particularly violent brawl between the Autobots and Decepticons, Skids could do nothing but avert his eyes as [[Beast (G1)|The Beast]] began distributing wanton carnage onto the battlefield. {{storylink|The Beast Within}}

Later, Skids was amongst the few Autobot survivors still intact despite the brutality of the battle. He and a small number of surviving Autobots rode in Optimus Prime’s trailer in a desperate effort to outrun The Beast. He was then killed when the Beast took a swipe at Optimus’s trailer, crushed utterly in The Beast’s monstrous paw. {{storylink|The Beast Within Part 2, Consequences}}
{{-}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
[[File:Skidsbacksoff.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.66|-gulp-]]
Before the [[Great War (G1)|war]], '''Skids of [[Nova Cronum]]''' trained as a theoretician at [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Senator Shockwave]]'s [[Jhiaxian Academy of Advanced Technology|Academy of Advanced Technology]], {{storylink| Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} secretly recruited to the school because of his status as an "[[outlier]]" with special powers—in Skids's case, a "super-learning" ability that allowed him to master many skills. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}} He was present at the academy on the day that [[Roller (IDW)|Roller]] and [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] arrived to take Shockwave into protective custody, and his attempt to stop them was quickly quashed when the towering Roller intimidated him into silence. {{storylink| Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} It was not long, however, before Skids's teacher returned and recruited him and classmates "[[Tarn (DJD)|Glitch]]" and [[Windcharger (G1)|Windcharger]] for a plan formulated by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] to steal a bomb disguised as the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] from [[Nominus Prime]]'s body as it lay in the [[Primal Basilica]]. Skids was somewhat disappointed that his sole contribution to the plan was not one of his many skills, but merely the fact he had a grappling hook in his arm that they could use to lower Pax into the Basilica. Despite a minor snag when the technology-disrupting Glitch accidentally jammed his hook's winch, the mission was a success. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}}

Unfortunately, the aftermath of the mission meant the outliers and Pax had to go on the run. Out in the [[Alyon]] region, they discovered a new "hot spot" for infant sparks which looked like the Hand of Primus (or, for Skids, ''was definitely'' the Hand of Primus). [[Zeta Prime|Zeta]], their man in Iacon, warned them the Senate wanted to destroy the spot to stop the [[Functionist Council]] exploiting it and so the fugitives had to fight off the [[Elite Guard]] repeatedly. Time-travellers under [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]] popped up and, when Skids mistook them for reinforcements from Zeta, rapidly claimed that. They saved the day but the time travellers wiped everyone's memories after... unfortunately including memories that Roller was missing in action. {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|All Our Parlous Yesterdays}}

[[File:mtmte 48 grindcore.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|-What did I do last night?-]]
After graduating to full-fledged theoretician status, Skids went on to join the Autobot army. Shortly after the [[Simanzi Massacre]], when the planet still was cooling, he became a bomb negotiator: disabling the [[anti-personal mine]]s made out of Autobot prisoners so they could die without going off. This ended when he made the mistake of mentioning Primus to the unfortunate [[Heavy Tread]], who detonated himself in a rage that anyone could believe in a god that did this to him. When Skids came to, he was a Decepticon prisoner and off to the notorious [[Grindcore (prison)|Grindcore gulag]] with a "mouth flower" bomb inside his mouth that would go off if he dared transform.

Skids used his outlier learning skills to disable the "flower", having seen how the guards put it in, and began pumping his cellmate [[Quark]] for info. This brought him to the attention of the camp commandant, {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} who turned out to be his old friend Glitch in an upgraded body. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}} Glitch, in an act of basic sadism, decided to make a project out of the religious 'bot. He asked Skids to repair Grindcore's teleporter, promising it would mean fifty prisoners would be sent to Decepticon colony world [[Ambervalia]] to work as slaves. Skids told Quark that this was collaboration that would help and the fifty would be better as slave workers than at the prison; and while he didn't say outright, Skids was relaxed around the Commandant and felt he could try and make demands for more prisoners sent to the colonies, assuming he could half-trust his old friend even if he had switched side. What he did not realise until it was too late was that Glitch had been making him rebuild the camp ''smelting chamber''... something he learned only after demanding Quark get to be 'teleported'. Skids' faith died as he was forced to watch fifty Autobots die horrific deaths because of him. The memory was so traumatic that he overwrote it {{storylink|Speak, Memory! (Part 2)}} and the only thing he remembered of it in his missing months was "[[The Empyrean Suite]]", unable to remember the name or that this was the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] leader's favourite music to play during a massacre. {{storylink|Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|Who's Afraid of the DJD?}} That leader, of course, was Glitch under the ''nomme de guerre'' of Tarn.

Skids used to have an [[Amica Endura]] called [[Chopper (G1)|Chopper]]. They broke up because Chopper was "an absolute arse". {{storylink|The Frail Gaze}}

[[File:Getaway Skids ArmTheLonely.jpg|thumb|left|He's been trained to kick your ass. Theoretically, of course.]]
Long into the war he joined the [[Diplomatic Corps]], working to persuade other races to support the Autobot cause. {{storylink|Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|Who's Afraid of the DJD?}} At some point, he disappeared and was believed dead, {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}} but had, in fact, become part of [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]]'s covert [[Special Operations]]. Partnered with [[Getaway]], he was sent to attempt an "assassination" on [[Tyrest (G1)|Tyrest]], using a [[nudge gun]] to implant the impulse to resign in the Chief Justice's mind. The plan failed, and Skids was only able to escape using a shuttle made from [[mode lock]]ed [[Legislator]]s. Using the nudge gun's other charge, Skids erased his own memory after setting the shuttle to home in on the nearest of his handlers, the [[Duobot]]s. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}}

[[File:LiarsAtoD2-Skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|How do you like me now?]]
It was in this amnesiac state that he arrived on the planet where the ''[[Lost Light]]'' had crashed. Abruptly, the mode lock deactivated and the ship began transforming, so Skids made an impulsive decision: he reactivated the lock, sent the ship crashing into the surface, and bailed out. Making it to the ground safely, Skids found himself under attack from the Legislators that had made up his ship — though one of them had been killed in the crash, the other two were coming after him with giant swords and fire breath. Skids came upon the deceased bodies of two Autobots who had failed to survive the ''Lost Light'' crash—[[Hyperion (G1)|Hyperion]] and [[Polaris]]—and used their weapons and abilities to eliminate another of the pursuing robots. Running from the lone survivor, Skids came upon a small party of Autobots from the ''Lost Light'', who deactivated the inhibitor claw for him, allowing him to access his weapons and destroy last Legislator. Skids was invited to join the crew of the ''Lost Light'', though he was less than enthusiastic about [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]]'s proposition that the pair of them should team up. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 2: Hangers On|Hangers On}}

[[File:LiarsAtoD3-RungSkids.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|MEANWHILE IN A 20 MILE RADIUS OF THIS EVENT]]
When a [[Sparkeater (creature)|Sparkeater]] got loose aboard the ''Lost Light'', requiring the crew to be sealed in their quarters, Skids, decided to exploit his missing memories to entirely reinvent himself. Deciding he disliked confinement, he left through the ventilation system. Drawn by [[Rung (G1)|Rung]]'s cries, he saved the psychiatrist from a close call with the Sparkeater, and at [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]]'s request, led the creature through the vents to the engine room where Rodimus disposed of it. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}} As a celebration of the death of the Sparkeater, Swerve opened a [[Swerve's|bar]] where Skids got drunk together with [[Chromedome (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chromedome]]. He failed to notice that Chromedome stole his gun while he was messing around with his grappling hook and a server-robot. {{storylink|Life After the Big Bang}} {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}} After attending a ceremony to commend Chromedome, [[Brainstorm (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Brainstorm]] and [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] on recent heroics, {{storylink|The Reluctant Specialist}} Skids was next spotted still hanging out at the bar with some other Autobots as [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] put Chromedome's ability to identify an Autobot based on their transformation sound to the test. {{storylink|Interiors}} He later tried to comfort Swerve following his accidental shooting of Rung. {{storylink|Rules of Disengagement (issue)|Rules of Disengagement}}

When a swarm of [[Nanocon]]s that had lain dormant inside [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]]'s body were mysteriously reactivated, Skids and a few others were shrunk by Brainstorm's mass-displacement gun and sent inside Magnus to eliminate them. Once that was dealt with, Skids attended [[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]]'s Autobot Initiation Ceremony, during which he relayed Swerve's report from the engine room that dead crewmember [[Ore]] had come back to life. The chaos only continued when Skids and a team of Autobots were abruptly teleported by [[Galactic Council]] to the planet [[Theophany]], there to investigate the razing of [[Crystal City]]. Beneath the city, they found a slumbering [[Titan (IDW)|Titan]], leading to discussions on the Transformers' creation myths and the meaning of life; Skids and Chromedome shared a belief that life was shaped not by destiny or gods, but by interactions with others. Skids theorized that both the Nanocons and Ore had come back to life thanks to the psychic emanations of the Metrotitan, then helped [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] fend off the Galactic Council's forces until the Autobots could free the Metrotitan, which teleported them all back to the ''Lost Light'' and quantum-jumped the ship to safety. {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}}

[[File:CybertronianHomesickBlues-SkidsRung.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|"Legs: Yes. Bow-tie: Cool...I can buy a fez."]]
Inspired by their talk, Skids requested that Chromedome use his [[mnemosurgery]] to unlock his lost memories; Chromedome discovered that only Skids's last year of memories had been erased, while the others had been repressed by a trauma so horrific he did not dare restore them. Chromedome was, however, able to identify the music in his head as the "The Empyrean Suite", and hoped Skids would never learn its significance. {{storylink|Scavengers (Part 2): Who's Afraid of the DJD?|Who's Afraid of the DJD?}}

Skids was among the group of Autobots gathered by [[Rewind (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rewind]] in Swerve's bar to help tell a story to aid in Rung's mental recovery. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 1: Post Hoc|Post Hoc}} When his old altercation with Roller came up, Whirl called him a wuss, and he countered that his skills as a theoretician wouldn't have been useful in a fight. {{storylink|Shadowplay, Part 2: Patternism|Patternism}} At the culmination of the story Rung still showed no signs of recovery...until Skids deliberately mispronounced his name a couple of times, prompting the psychiatrist to speak and correct him. {{storylink|Shadowplay (Conclusion): An Intimate Beheading|An Intimate Beheading}} The storytelling session was brought to an end by the sounding of alarm to ready the crew for a battle with Decepticons on the planet [[Temptoria]]; during the fight, Skids, Chromedome and [[Steeljaw (G1)|Steeljaw]] battled [[Overkill (G1)|Overkill]]. {{storylink|Before & After}} Later, to unwind, Skids joined the crew of the ''Lost Light'' on some "shore leave" on the planet [[Hedonia]], where he tried out his new personality-generated [[holomatter]] avatar, only to find his amnesia kept it from creating a fake identity for him. As the group played the "Nemesis Game", Skids identified [[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] as his worst enemy, and then wound up getting into a drunken brawl with [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]]. {{storylink|Cybertronian Homesick Blues}} Skids bought Rodimus a [[Galactic Council]] captain's hat as a souvenir of the trip. {{storylink|Signal to Noise}}

[[File:TheFecundMoon-Skids.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|Skids kind of lost it a bit after Charlene left.]]
When the mass-murdering Decepticon [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] ran wild on the ship, Skids joined in the futile effort to hold back his rampage. {{storylink|Under Cold Blue Stars}} Overlord was ejected from the ship thanks to the sacrifice of Rewind, and Skids tried to console Chromedome over the loss of his lover, only to find that the mnemosurgeon was eerily calm about the whole thing. {{storylink|The Gloaming}} When the ''Lost Light'' encountered the long lost satellite [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]], Skids got Chromedome to accompany the band of Autobots heading to the surface to see if the satellite had a way to return Skids's memories. He went to the ship's oil reservoir for some alone time, where he was attacked by a number of [[Legislator]]s. {{storylink|Remain in Light 1 of 5: The Fecund Moon|The Fecund Moon}} While he managed to hold them off long enough for Swerve to arrive to help, a [[Star Saber (Victory)|mysterious and enigmatic robot]] appeared behind him, and impaled him with a large sword. {{storylink|Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|House of Ambus}}

Fortunately for Skids, he survived this, and was later teleported by Star Saber into a cell which contained Rodimus' crew. Perceptor examined his wound, while Swerve explained what happened to them. After Skids said that he would apologize for whatever he had done to Tyrest, Star Saber returned to the cell, carrying his [[Getaway|"Partner in crime"]] with him. Chromedome then explained that when he read Skids' mind, he had done it wrong, and misinterpreted the remnant memory as an "Imperative to escape". In actuality though, it was a name, Getaway. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}} Getaway was able to fill Skids in on his lost memories of their ill-fated mission to change Tyrest's mind, and explained Tyrest's mad plan to reach [[Cyberutopia]]. With the newcomer's help, Skids and the others were freed from the cell and confronted Tyrest, only to be incapacitated by the lawmaker's suggestion weapon. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}}

Thanks to Tailgate, the suggestion weapon was disabled, and Skids cuffed [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]], only for the medic to promptly escape when his back was turned. The Autobots caught up with him at Tyrest's gate to Cyberutopia, but only Skids, finally at peace with himself, was able to step through the guilt-detecting force field. He found himself standing on a strange landscape being talked to by a multi-colored [[spark]]. On hearing cries for help from Rung, he dashed back through the portal to help fight the Legislators until Tailgate was able to shut them down with some amendments to the law. {{storylink|Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|This Calamitous Life}}

Once everything was over, he tried telling Rodimus what he saw, but he couldn't make sense of all it. {{storylink|The Sound of Breaking Glass}} Not helping was the fact that whatever he saw proved difficult to remember for any length of time. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}}

Before the ''Lost Light'' left Luna 1, Skids played a film compiled by Rewind to detail the ship's voyage. Unfortunately the film failed to impress the members of the [[Circle of Light]] who rejected any notion of joining the crew. {{storylink|Little Victories}}

Skids was among the Autobots who welcomed Orion Pax and his team aboard the ''Lost Light''. Swerve remarked to him how weird [[Garnak|some]] of Pax's crew were. {{storylink|Dark Dawn: Dark Cybertron Chapter 1|Dark Dawn}} Skids was later seen having a drink at Swerve's {{storylink|Black Metal: Dark Cybertron Chapter 2|Black Metal}} When the ''Lost Light'' was assaulted by [[Ammonite]]s, Skids met up with Getaway and Ultra Magnus to help organize a counterattack. Skids hesitantly suggested that they use the [[Rodpod]] to fight back. Despite the other's and his own concerns about damaging it and making Rodimus angry, they ended up boarding and using the vessel. Skids piloted the craft, and used it to defend the ship's fuel quills, while blasting Ammonites that attempted to combine. Skids was forced to pilot the Rodpod away from the battle when a group of Ammonites combined and gave chase to them. In an attempt to lose them, he piloted the vessel into what appeared to be an abyss, but was really the optical cavity of [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] {{storylink|Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|Into the Abyss}}

As everyone else tried to figure out where Metroplex's eye had gotten to, Getaway had a minor breakdown over the fact that A: they were inside someone's eye canal, and B: they were in a spaceship shaped like someone's head. Skids consoled him and said it was best to just roll with it. The group took Ratchet's suggestion to find Metroplex's brain, only on arrival in his brain chamber found it was surprisingly absent. In light of that, they decided to go find his spark instead. As they approached, Whirl noticed the flooding had been sealed off, which surprised Skids.

On setting down, Getaway quickly found an arrow pointing toward the spark chamber, which everyone decided to follow. Skids was the one to ask whether they would lock the Rodpod, which no-one else was concerned about. The arrows took everyone on a strange course through Metroplex's interior, until they came upon... the Rodpod again. Before Whirl could properly blame the ship, an Ammonite appeared, and blew it up. {{storylink|No Exit: Dark Cybertron Chapter 6|No Exit}} Fortunately, they were saved by a wall appearing to block the explosion, at which point Skids realized the purpose of the arrows: Metroplex was moving his interior about, and the odd journey the arrows had taken them on was because the direction they were meant to be pointed had change too. Then, they received a call from Swerve informing them to avoid the water, or they'd contract an alchemical virus and die horribly, and worse than that, two thousand Ammonites were heading their way. As Magnus gave orders to barricade the room, Whirl turned out an Ammonite, having beaten an explanation out of him. However, when the little guy told them who he was working for, he promptly self-destructed. Before everyone present could dwell on that, [[Chromia (G1)|two]] [[Nautica (G1)|newcomers]] appeared and told them to surrender. {{storylink|The Dead Are Not Enough: Dark Cybertron Chapter 7|The Dead Are Not Enough}}

Before Getaway could charm the two fellow Autobots, several Ammonites burst through the walls. While Ultra Magnus,Ratchet and Brainstorm went off with their new friends, Skids stayed behind to fight off the attackers (that he was being mobbed by several of them anyway probably helped). As Skids fought, Metroplex was recharged by the ''Lost Light's'' engines, and transported himself back to Cybertron. {{storylink|Burning Bright: Dark Cybertron Chapter 8|Burning Bright}} This didn't get rid of the Ammonites, though. That took Megatron giving the titan his missing thumb, containing the Regenesis Ore-7, which healed him and reactivated his immune system, killing the Ammonites dead. {{storylink|Finis Temporis: Dark Cybertron Chapter 9|Finis Temporis}}

In the apparent aftermath of Shockwave's scheme, Skids and Getaway relaxed in Swerve's, and were witness to Swerve suffering a bad bout of hero worship when Blurr walked in. The celebrations were rudely interrupted when Shockwave made his move, summoning all the Ammonites to attack Cybertron. {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}} Fortunately, Bumblebee had a plan of taking the fight to Shockwave. Skids was included in the team to be sent, thanks to his secret-agent-know-how. Getting to Shockwave's base of operations in the Crystal City seemed impossible, until Starscream showed up with [[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]], who managed to get them there. On arrival, the group was attacked by Bludgeon. Ultra Magnus offered to hold him off, and Skids decided to volunteer his skills as well, along with a suddenly poorly Brainstorm. However, Skids's outlier abilities weren't able to match Bludgeon's mastery of metallikato, and he quickly wound up stabbed. Fortunately, Brainstorm's unease turned out to be Optimus Prime, Rodimus, Cyclonus, Kup, and Nightbeat using the Dead Universe portal in his chest to escape that dying realm.{{storylink|Black Planet: Dark Cybertron Chapter 11|Black Planet}} They quickly mopped up Bludgeon, but Cyclonus' injuries meant someone had to help Brainstorm haul him back to his lab. While this meant Skids had to miss the climactic showdown, he did get to see time itself falling to pieces in the sky above Cybertron. That, and Rodimus managing to play on Brainstorm's insecurities. {{storylink|...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|...And the Damage Done}}

Once the crisis was truly over, Skids decamped to [[Luna 2]] to watch [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]]'s trial. Evidently, he was not dissuaded from rejoining the ''Lost Light'' on its quest once the former Decepticon Leader was added to the ranks, and he set off again, this time coming along of his own volition. Six months into the quest, he was sufficiently worried to pay a visit to the widowed Chromedome with Nightbeat, though their friend remained secluded in his hab suite and Nightbeat's interest was quickly derailed, to Skids' dismay. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} Shortly thereafter, he, [[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]], and [[Riptide (G1)|Riptide]] all shot the bull about the ship's new gossip mag, the ''Lost Light Insider''. Though Nautica decided to exit before any rules were broken, she and Skids exchanged a bit of friendly banter before he and Riptide convinced the massively intoxicated Trailcutter to steal Megatron's "superfuel" out of the medibay. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}}.

When a pod containing the corpse of another Rodimus showed up, 'our' Rodimus called in Skids as part of his investigation team. Using all the facts, Skids and Chromedome worked out (wrongly as they'd soon learn!) that this was a near-future Roddy who'd die and be sent back in time, and Skids was left aghast by his leader's desperate attempts to 'change history' like lopping an arm off. Everything was then interrupted when the ship started to ''vanish'' around them {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}} and he was left stuck on a spaceship with Megatron (and Skids, who kept making snide asides when he was trying to listen). Soon, the Autobots on board began to disappear one by one and everyone had to reveal personal secrets in an attempt to figure out what was the common denominator. (In the process, Skids helped fill in Nautica on [[M.T.O.]]s and expressed his distaste for High Command's lack of interest in educating the "warborn".)

After realising only the launch crew were disappearing, the newbies like Skids found the ''Lost Light'' returned but in ruins! {{storylink|Twenty Plus One}} He agreed with Riptide that this must be the future ''Light'' that dead-Rodimus had come from and worried that the evidence they found meant they bring back the crew, only for the ship to be ripped apart. In an investigation, they came across a dead Ultra Magnus, one killed by a [[fusion cannon]], and Skids turned on Megatron, believing this showed he was going to inevitably turn on them! To his disquiet, when Megatron immediately requested to be locked up until all the facts were gone, he felt ''bad''' about doing it. As he admitted to Getaway during their search, he worried he was going to stop hating the killer.

[[File:MTMTE33 megatron skids right there.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|]]
The search found yet more corpses and to Skids horror, they had all been executed and their transformation cogs removed: acts that revealed the ship had been butchered by the [[Decepticon Justice Division]]. Luckily for all concerned, the discovery of a still-alive Rewind {{storylink|slaughterhouse}} proved this ''wasn't'' the future ''Lost Light'' but a duplicate of the 'real' one. Skids rushed to Rewind as he came through, making sure the guy was okay and filled in on things like Megatron-the-Autobot, and was pissed when Nightbeat pushed Rewind too soon to explain what had happened to the ship. That was how they learned the copy was created when the ship launched, thanks to an issue with the quantum engines, and ''exactly'' what hell Rewind had gone through. Said quantum engines were also leaking, endangering a nearby organic planet, and Skids knew they ahd to act. When Megatron refused to, bothered at the idea of risking his life for a handful of fleshy strangers, Skids tore into him for violating what the Autobrand stood for and that if being an Autobot ''didn't'' force him to modify his behaviour instead of getting what he wanted, then none of his 'rehab' meant a damn.

A brief aside from Getaway gave Skids an idea of how to save the planet: using a mass displacement gun he knew Brainstorm had been making to shrink down someone to help already-tiny Rewind fix the engines. That was a bust. Nothing was found except proof that ''Brainstorm was secretly a Decepticon spy'' but no time for that now, Skids! To Skids' amazement and joy though, his bollocking had worked and a guilty Megatron admitted he could be rigged to downsize and thus he could help Rewind. Skids thanked him. Once the damage was fixed, the duplicate ''Lost Light'' vanished and the 'real' one started to come back, and a happy Skids told a returning Chromedome to head up to the roof where Rewind was waiting. {{storylink|slaughterhouse Part 2: The Road Not Taken|The Road Not Taken}}

Oh yeah, that Brainstorm thing. Turned out he was going back in time to change history, which was going to result in [[Functionist Universe|a hideous dystopia]], and the time travellers sent to bring him back ended up running into an early Skids.{{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 1: All Our Parlous Yesterdays|All Our Parlous Yesterdays}} Things turned out fine in the end! While time-travelling, Rodimus tried to warn the past "don't let them [the Legislators] take Skids" but nobody heard it, which was good as Cyclonus pointed out that Skids being captured turned out to be necessary for saving half the Cybertronian race. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 1: How to Say Goodbye and Mean It|How to Say Goodbye and Mean It}} {{storylink|Elegant Chaos Part 3: Predestination: An Expert's Guide|Predestination: An Expert's Guide}}

Skids' friendly nature struck a chord with [[Ten]], the former [[Legislator]] turned into a bartender. In a mural of Ten's favourite crewmembers, Skids was in the front. A further friendship was struck up when Ratchet asked Skids to chat with Rung some time, as the guy would truly appreciate being visited by someone who didn't want help from him; when Skids bought Rung a drink, the therapist was surprised and delighted. {{storylink|Our Steps Will Always Rhyme}}

[[File:MTMTE42 dance dance skidsvolution.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|''What a feeling'' ''Being's believing'']]
Skids, Getaway, and Brainstorm all hung out at Nautica's, showing off their cool skillz and generally hanging. When Rung came up, Skids was bothered by Getaway dissing the guy, but they didn't have time to discuss Getaway's passive aggressive whiny defence of it as news came in that Thunderclash was dying and everyone was invited to the pre-wake on the ''Vis Vitalis''. {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} During the party, Getaway asked him if he wanted to mutiny against Megatron. Skids declined... and had his mind wiped with the nudge gun. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}} Believing his splitting headache to be too much partying, he decided to flump out at the ''Vitalis'' and get picked up tomorrow. {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} That made him a target for the parasitical [[personality tick]]s, secretly feeding off his energy! Not knowing why he was so tired {{storylink|The Frail Gaze}} he reached out to Nautica, sensing something was up with her, and she asked him {{storylink|The Sensuous Frame}} to teach her to dance. While busting a move, he coaxed out her issues with her old college friend [[Firestar (G1)|Firestar]] before the ticks begun a public rampage. After they were repulsed, Skids got better and everyone went back to the ''Light'' for a ''biiiig party at Sweeerve's!!!''

[[File:MTMTE43 skids swerve humans.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.0]]
Until Swerve suddenly vanished {{storylink|The Frail Gaze}} and a horrified Skids checked his room to find the bartender facedown, rusted, and half-dead from an infected wound. He rushed him to the medical bay for aid (inadvertently making him worse) and learned from [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]] that Swerve had been holed up in his room for months, neglecting himself, and using a holomatter avatar to seem 'fine'. To Skids' great shame, he'd never visited Swerve—hadn't even known his ''room number'' until he remembered it was Red Alert's old one—and completely missed any chance to see one of his best friends needed help. He joined a rescue team sent to "[[Swearth]]", a vast hologram Earth operating on sitcom rules that Swerve was projecting, to find the guy's consciousness and fix him. In his new, brooding holomatter avatar, Skids and his friends did track down Swerve and tried to convince him to focus on the physical pain he was feeling, so they could realise where he was hurting. Skids, an expert in suppression, knew Swerve was pushing it down. Once they identified that Swerve was cripplingly lonely and depressed, they were able to convince him that he truly was loved and valued by them. {{storylink|The One Where They Go to Earth}}

Soon after, Skids went with a crew to check out the legendary [[Necrobot]]. He needled Nightbeat for having the 'debunking' itch and said that, while he no longer believed, he understood why other people were attracted to the idea that there was something after death. {{storylink|The Not Knowing}}

[[File:MTMTE48 skids and rung.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7]]
Under incremental recollection sessions with Rung, where he also helped fix model ships as a focusing tool, Skids had finally managed to remember ''entering'' Grindcore if nothing else; while frustrated with the slow process, Rung admonished him that learning all of it in one go would re-traumatise him. While chatting, Skids was surprised to see the long-lost [[Froid]] appear. An old friend of yours, Rung? Well, I'll leave you to get caught up! (Off he went to brood at the oil pools, trying to remember more.) Within minutes Rung sent him a coded radio message to meet him at Froid's ship as something ''dodgy'' was going on but by the time Skids arrived, Rung had learned Froid had the infamous [[Sunder (G1)|Tetrahax Ripper, Sunder]], on board and that guy ''fed'' on bad memories. The very first sight of Skids woke Sunder up and caused him to attack, starting to rip up Skids' traumatic memories to the surface {{storylink|Speak, Memory: Part 1}} before Rung could get him to safety. During the running battle against the serial killer, Rung kept trying to get Skids to Chromedome for memory suppression and Sunder duly followed them, constantly bringing up memories. Luckily Sunder was killed by the point Skids remembered repairing Grindcore's teleport chambers for Tarn and ''not'' by the point he'd remember how he'd killed five hundred souls.{{storylink|Speak, Memory! (Part 2)}}

When a small time window opened up in Swerve's, Skids used it to look back at the day the new crew members joined the ''Light'', a day that Trailcutter was still alive and openly happy. {{storylink|No Guns, No Swords, No Briefcases}}

Skids had been part of Megatron's classes on the Knights of Cybertron and in one, to his surprise, Megatron showed the symbol that the strange spark being had 'said' to him back at possibly-Cyberutopia. Nautica advised him to write it out phoenetically to try and retain the knowledge of what it was, but everything was interrupted when Megatron and several others received bizarre messages coming from a distant planet. Rodimus assembled Skids with the rest of 'Team Rodimus' and they headed out to discover it was coming from the Necrobot's planet...

...where the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] and [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] were waiting. The Necrobot had been killed and the Autobots were forced to take refuge in his temple, now their makeshift fortress. And a message came in from ''Getaway'', telling them that the crew had mutinied against Megatron and all those considered loyal to him, so sick they were of having the killer around. Skids was enraged to discover his former friend had actually mindwiped him, an act he ''knew'' was a violation, to keep this a secret. When the message ended and the sheer horror sunk in, Skids embraced Nautica to console her. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}}

The DJD made their presence known by attacking the Necrobot's fortress before retreating... promising to return at sunset as part of their intimidation tactics. Skids weighed up their options with the other stranded crew members, suggesting that they dig in and devise an escape route. The Necrobot's body had revealed a key that unlocked a room filled with at least sixty organic creatures inside strange pods. Discussion arose whether to flee, or stay and defend the people inside the pods, but the Autobots ultimately decided to stand their ground. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 2: The Sun in Flight|The Sun in Flight}} Their forces were bolstered by the returning Drift and Ratchet, who had caught wind of their predicament through [[Velocity (G1)|Velocity]]. Skids had the awkward task of introducing Ratchet to his replacement. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 3: Your Fierce Tears|Your Fierce Tears}}

With death staring them in the face, Skids was one of the Autobots who Nautica assembled for the rite of [[Amica Endura]]. She opened her spark to them, recited the ritual, and told them all how they were valued. When Rung departed with Nightbeat to investigate the mystery of the Necroworld, Skids bade him a terse and awkward farewell. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 4: At Close of Day|At Close of Day}}

Shortly afterwards, Velocity hit on a potential way out: Tailgate's spark 'explosion', triggered by extreme trauma, had supercharged two security guards ala [[Ore-13]] and that could be done now! All it required was, er, someone willing to be traumatised. Skids offered himself up and pleaded with Chromedome to finally let him know about his deep, hidden trauma. His sad friend brought back all the memories of Grindcore and Skids' spark erupted. As his supercharged friends fought through the Decepticons, Ratchet worked to keep him stable as his spark shrank.

[[File:sleep tight, soldier.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|He's dead, Jim.]]
Unfortunately, Skids came to and crawled off his slab, desperate to find Brainstorm and apologise for Quark's death, feebly crying that he was "scum" for what he'd done. Ratchet was desperate to get him back on the slab before he died but Megatron, the only other person in the fort, had left to join the battle and there was nobody to help. Skids died in Ratchet's arms, only Brainstorm noticing as his friend's 'statue' winked out. After the Autobots retreated back to the Necrobot's fortress, a distraught Nautica embraced the corpse. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 5: Rage, Rage|Rage, Rage}} She stayed with it until at least the morning as events unfolded outside, {{storylink|The Dying of the Light Part 6: Do Not Go Gentle|Do Not Go Gentle}} and at some point removed its [[brain module]] for safe-keeping. {{storylink|An Axe to Break the Ice}}

In honor of Skids, the crew of the ''Lost Light'' painted their [[insignia|Autobot Insignias]] grey. {{storylink|Dissolution Part 1: Some Other Cybertron|Some Other Cybertron}}

During a visit to [[Troja Major]], Nautica revealed that she was seeking a [[Resus Cradle]], a device that was said to be capable of reviving dead Cybertronians provided there were some form of remains for it to work with - the reason she had removed Skids' brain module from his corpse. {{storylink|An Axe to Break the Ice}}
{{-}}

===''Cloud''===
As an Autobot from [[Cloud World]], Skids was part of an inter-dimensional police force that kept the peace throughout the multiverse, while collecting excess energy to ensure the welfare of [[SARA]], the super-robotic being that allowed them access to other dimensions. When the Autobots' city of [[Metropolis]] came under attack from the Decepticons of the [[Underground (Cloud)|Underground]], Skids was stationed at the Autobots' Directorate of Operations to safeguard it as part of a garrison. But the Decepticons' rampage across multiple city districts had turned out to be nothing more than a distraction from their real scheme. [[Shockwave (G1)#Cloud|Shockwave]] and others forced their way into the Autobots' headquarters, catching the guards by surprise, and managed to make their escape with SARA in tow. After the Decepticons' retreat to the Underground, Optimus Prime called a meeting. Skids personally apologized for failing in his responsibility of protecting SARA. Optimus, however, took the blame onto himself for not having formulated a better strategy against the Decepticons. Optimus decided to head into the Underground himself to retrieve SARA. The other Autobots, unwilling to let their beloved leader go alone in this venture, all volunteered to join him. {{storylink|Resolve}}
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Fury (Cloud)|Fury}}}}

===''Q-Transformers'' cartoon===
[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] named Skids, [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]], and [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] as three characters who had been produced as toys for the popular ''[[Q-Transformers]]'' line. {{storylink|The Road to Winning a New Fanbase}}

====''Transformers Legends'' comic====
Skids was a member of the [[Skids Squadron]], a group of dimension-hopping versions of Skids led by [[#Transformers Legends comic|dimensional investigator Skids]], who summoned them to help force [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] out of the [[Legends Universe]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 20|Bonus Edition Vol. 20}}

==Games==
===3D Battle-Card Game===
Skids was one of [[Optimus Primal]]'s many Autobot allies in a fight against [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s Decepticon forces, in what might possibly have been an inter-universe battle. {{storylink|3D Battle-Card Game#Energon Wars expansion|Energon Wars Expansion Set}}

===''Transformers Legends''===
During the war on Cybertron, Skids was among a group of Autobots led by [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]], who went to [[Tyrest (polity)|Tyrest]] in an attempt to reason with [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. They were ambushed by the Decepticons, and Sentinel Prime was killed. {{storylink|The War Within}}

===''Transformers: Battle Tactics''===
[[File:BattleTacticsSkids.jpg|thumb|400px]]
Skids participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was an Rare character that could be recruited by collecting 130 units of Cybermetal, 75 units of Transmetal, and 45 hunter cores. {{storylink|Transformers: Battle Tactics}}

===''Transformers Operation Omega''===
{{charstubgames|{{storylink|Transformers Operation Omega}}}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
{{anchor|G1v1}}
[[File:G1 Skids toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Introducing the new Nikahimi Deathtrap. With its poly-cotton body shell, it's the fastest car in the world... to open with the jaws of life. The Nikahimi Deathtrap—the last car you'll ever drive.]]
*'''Skids''' (Autobot Car, 1985)
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets
:Skids began life as part of [[TakaraTomy]]'s ''[[Diaclone]]'' toyline, where he was known simply by the name of his [[alternate mode]], the [[wikipedia:Honda City Turbo|Honda City Turbo]], and was available in blue, red, or black color schemes (see [[#Notes|Notes]], below). The blue version of the figure was used by [[Hasbro]] as part of the ''Transformers'' toyline, sans [[Wikipedia:Honda_Motocompo|a small scooter accessory]] that the ''Diaclone'' figure had come with which stored inside his trunk. Despite sharing this common point of origin with many of his fellow Autobot cars, he features a few unusual touches: his rear wheels fold into his feet for added [[robot mode]] stability, and his weapons attach by clipping over his forearms, rather than plugging into his fists. Among his armament is a "rocket pod", the spring-loaded missile-firing mechanism of which was neutered for Hasbro's release of the figure.

:Because Skids was not one of the original eleven [[Autobot Cars]] released at the line's inception, he is commonly grouped in with the later 1985 Autobot Cars both fictionally and in the minds of [[fandom|fans]]. However, Skids was actually added to the 1984 assortment some time before the 1985 wave was released (December 1984 is the current earliest confirmed availability of the figure), during which time he came in 1984 packaging including a "TM" mark by the "Transformers" logo, rather than a "(R)" mark. Like the other 1984 cars, at least some of these early Skids releases lacked the [[rubsign]] on the roof that would later be added to all Transformers toys in 1985. He was also one of the ''rarest'' mass-release G1 figures, with just one Skids included per every ''two'' [[Case|shipping cases]].

:Skids has been reissued several times; this article lists each reissue separately where appropriate. This mold itself is a [[retool]] of an earlier ''Diaclone'' toy, the Honda City R; this earlier tooling was used to make [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] and the ''[[Transformers Generations 2009]]'' exclusive [[Screech (Generations)|Screech]].

::*''[http://www.transformerland.com/wiki/toy-info/transformers-g1-autobot-cars-skids/519/ Patent info, price guide, and further reading on Skids at Transformerland.com]''
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1985/Autobot/Skids/skids.htm More information on Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers''===
{{anchor|VSZ}}
[[File:G1toy vsz set.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"Maybe the kids will notice me now that I'm bundled together with two other guys?"]]
*'''Skids & Sunstreaker vs Buzzsaw''' (multi-pack, 1985)
**''ID number'': '''VSZ'''
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets
: Skids was not released on his own in the Japanese Generation 1 toyline, and was instead available only in a multi-pack with [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]], which was also the only way to get the other two on the Japanese market at the time. This box set remains a considerable rarity on the secondary market.
{{-}}

{{anchor|QuantumOperativeToy}}
[[File:G1toy quantum operative skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|You sure you can call this an homage?]]
*'''Skids & Screech Quantum Operative Ver.''' (exclusive multi-pack, 2009)
**''Accessories:'' "Material acceleration pistol", dual-barreled gun, "quantum shield" launcher, 3 rockets, scooter

:"Quantum Operative" Skids is a green redeco of the original Generation 1 toy, available in conjunction with his [[#Encore|''Encore'' release (below)]], and including for the first time the scooter accessory that was eliminated from the ''Diaclone'' toy for his original Transformers release. He was sold in a set with [[Screech (Generations)|Screech]] that was a mail-away [[exclusive]] available only with volume 3 of [[Hero-X|Million Publishing]]'s ''[[Transformers Generations 2009]]''. While Skids's colors are an homage to ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (franchise)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Skids (ROTF)|Skids]], Screech is likewise a match for Skids's twin [[Mudflap (ROTF)|Mudflap]].

:Amusingly, the color scheme for this exclusive was accidentally revealed early by TakaraTomy when they [[:File:Encore Skids Tokyo Toy Show 2009.jpg|mistakenly included its missile launcher]], denoted by its bright green launching tab, with the normal ''Encore'' version that was on display at Tokyo Toy Show 2009.<ref name="internat">[http://www.allspark.com/content/view/5790/20/ TakaraTomy Accidentally Gives Clue to TF Generations Vol. 3 Mail Away Figure?!]</ref>
::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2009/Cybertron/Skids/skids.htm More information on Quantum Operative Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===The Transformers Collection===
[[File:TF Collection 3 Skids.jpg|thumb|"Oh boy, a reissue! Now people are ''actually'' going to notice me!"]]
*'''Skids''' (reissue, [[2002]]-[[September 27|09-27]])
**''ID number'': '''3'''
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets

:Skids received his first reissue in 2002, when [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] made him available as part of their "book-box" ''[[The Transformers Collection|Transformers Collection]]'' series, surprising many with the inclusion of such an overlooked character so early in the line. He features no significant differences from the original (save for a working missile launcher, as with the original Japanese release), though the figure suffered from a common, if not universal, problem: an excess of plastic on the underside of Skids's right foot means that his rear wheel can not fold down flat beneath it, resulting in a slightly unstable robot mode. Since the original Japanese figure was released only in a giftset, Skids did not get a [[List of Japanese ID numbers|Japanese ID number]] at the time, a situation this reissue rectifies by retroactively giving him the ID number '''96''' on the included [[Tech Spec]] and [[bio]] card.

:The aforementioned Crosscut was released exclusively through [[e-HOBBY]] in conjunction with this reissue.

::*''[http://www.tf-1.com/articles/reissue/Skids_template.html More information on Transformers Collection Skids at TF-1.com]
{{-}}

===Commemorative Series===
[[File:G1toy commemorative skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"Whoa, two reissues! Good old Skids is moving up in life!"]]
*'''Skids''' (reissue, 2004)
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets

:Skids got his first Hasbro reissue as part of the eighth wave of their ''[[The Transformers: Generation One Commemorative Series|Commemorative Series]]'' line, [[exclusive]] to [[Toys"R"Us]] stores. He features no notable differences from the earlier Takara ''Transformers Collection'' release, except for the fact that his launcher's spring has been removed.
{{-}}

===Alternators/Binaltech===
[[File:Alt Skids toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Heavily clearanced so fanboys could customize him into Ironhide.]]
{{anchor|Alt}}
*'''Autobot Skids''' (2005)
**''Alternator ID number'': '''17'''
**''Japanese ID number'': '''BT-16'''
**''Accessories'': Engine-rifle

:Skids transforms into a 1:24-scale blue Scion xB. All four doors open, revealing a fully-detailed realistic interior with seats for a driver and passengers, plus his hood pops open to reveal his engine. His robot mode is very reminiscent of his original toy, with his head sculpt based off his animation model with toy details. His engine pops out and unfolds to become his hand-held pistol.

:The Hasbro ''[[Transformers: Alternators|Alternators]]'' release (part of the first wave of new "bubble packaging" toys) differs from the [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] ''Binaltech'' release in that it has a much darker shade of blue, tinted windows, and various Scion-type tampographed flame decals. The Japanese release naturally has die cast metal parts, is painted a lighter shade of blue, and has different paint decos. It also includes a sheet of stickers, including flames resembling the ones printed on the ''Alternators'' version, as well as some Generation-1-style red stripes, and most humorously, a Japanese "New Driver" badge.

:This mold was also used to make ''[[The Transformers: Binaltech Asterisk|Binaltech Asterisk]]'' [[Blaster (G1)/toys#Binaltech Asterisk|Broadblast]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2006/Autobot/AltSkids/skids.htm More information on ''Alternators'' Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Encore===
[[File:G1toy encore skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"Three reissues?! Wow, I must be really popular by this point, r-right?"]]
*'''Skids''' (reissue, 2009)
**''ID number:'' '''18'''
**''Accessories'': "Liquid nitrogen rifle", "twin electron blaster", "rocket pod" launcher, 3 rockets

:TakaraTomy reissued Skids again in October 2009 as part of their ''[[Transformers Encore]]'' series. This version of the figure shifted its colors a little, changing him from tomato-red and blue to cherry-red and blueish-purple, as well as noticeably lightening the translucent blue plastic used for his windows. His Autobot symbol and tail light stickers were replaced with [[tampograph]]s, while some of his other stickers were updated slightly, including his factory-applied front grill sticker. Like past reissues, this figure too suffered with an unstable robot mode, and ''both'' feet had wheels that would not fold away flat.
{{-}}

===Generations===
[[File:Generations Skids.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|The theoretician the world deserves, not the one it needs right now.]]
*'''Autobot Skids''' (Deluxe, 2013)
**''Series / Number'': '''02 / #009'''
**''Accessories:'' Nudge gun & nitrogen gun (combine to form rifle)

:Part of the seventh wave of 2012-onwards ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' Deluxe Class toys, ''[[Thrilling 30]]'' "Autobot Skids" transforms from a contemporary-looking hatchback into a robot mode largely based on [[Alex Milne]]'s design for [[IDW Publishing|IDW]]'s ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' comic, most notably featuring that body's numerous integrated weapons. He also includes the [[nudge gun]] carried by Skids in said comic and a new version of the liquid nitrogen rifle from his original toy, the two of which can combine into a larger rifle. Both weapons can peg onto his hands or vehicle sides via [[5mm post]].

:There are numerous reports of the figure's hips being assembled the [[Misassembly|wrong way round]], thus affecting the car mode as well as hampering the leg articulation (and it could even result in the ball joints at the waist snapping off), this can simply be fixed by popping them out and swapping them to the right place (just as long as you are careful with the aforementioned ball joints). At least some later releases fixed this issue.

:He comes packaged with the [[Little Victories|twenty-second issue]] of IDW's aforementioned ''More than Meets the Eye'' comic series, featuring a cropped version of its retailer incentive cover, which is called out as a 'Hasbro Exclusive Cover' on its front.

:Skids was [[redeco]]ed into ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (toyline)|Age of Extinction]]'' [[Rollbar (AOE)#Toys|Rollbar]] and ''[[Transformers Timelines (toyline)|Timelines]]''/''[[Diaclone]]'' [[Burn Out (Diaclone)|Burn Out]], which was later [[Repurposing|repurposed]] as [[Skids (SG)|''Shattered Glass'' Skids]]. This mold was also [[retool]]ed into ''Generations'' [[Crosscut (Autobot)#Generations|Crosscut]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2014/Autobot/GenSkids/skids.htm More information on ''Generations'' Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

===Q-Transformers===
[[File:QTransformers Skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6]]
*'''Skids''' ([[2015]]-[[June 27|06-27]])
**''ID number:'' '''QT-21'''

:''[[Q-Transformers]]'' Skids is a redeco and retool of [[Hound (G1)/toys#Q-Transformers|QT-15 Hound]], transforming into a [[super deformed]] Suzuki Hustler.

{{-}}

===Kre-O===
{{anchor|SDCC2015}}
*'''Kreon Class of '85''' (Kreon figure set, 2015)
**''Set number'' '''B5152'''
**''Voted'': Most Thoughtful
**''Accessories'': 2 clip-on rifles

: ''[[Kre-O]]'' "Autobot Skids" is a small brick-built [[Kreon]] figure, using the 2015-style construction with raised hands and the sturdier "peg-in-peg" torso/waist connection. His body [[tampograph]]s are heavily toy-based, with a ton of intricate design.

: He was only available as part of the [[San Diego Comic-Con]]-[[exclusive]] "[[Kreon Class of '85]]" 30-Kreon set. This set was also sold online through [[Hasbro Toy Shop]] after the show.

{{-}}

===Legends===
[[File:Legendstoy-Skids.jpg|thumb|upright=1.6|He might be a forgotten character but at the very least he can now be ignored by fans while sporting a relatively cool deco.]]
*'''Skids''' ([[2016]]-[[May 28|05-28]])
**''ID number:'' '''LG-20'''
**''Accessories:'' Nudge gun & nitrogen gun (combine to form rifle)

:''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' Skids is an extensive redeco of the ''Generations'' Skids toy. It features a color scheme faithful to the character's appearance in the ''[[The Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' comic, with a darker shade of blue, black front grill with red details under the grill, silver and black detailing on the feet, painted front lights and pink striping on the front hood and on the back's sculpted detail.

{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Decoy===
[[File:Decoy skids.jpg|thumb]]
*'''Cybertron Hero Collection 22''' (multi-pack, 1986)

:Skids was among the many characters rendered by [[TakaraTomy|Takara]] as part of their series of 1.5" soft rubber ''keshigomu'' figurines. Like all the figures in the series, Skids featured a number sculpted into his back that was the sum total of his [[Tech Spec]]s, for use in the various games that could be played with the figurines. He was available in red as part of a 22-piece box set of Autobot figures, in peach as part of various other randomly-packed box sets released by Takara subsidiary [[Seven]], and in a wide variety of different colors in "gachapon" capsule machines.

*'''Skids''' (1987)
**''Decoy number:'' '''12'''

:The Skids figurine was later brought over to [[Hasbro]] markets as part of the [[Decoy]] promotion, largely identical to the Japanese release except for the fact that the number on his back was replaced with a simple "checklist" number. Like all Autobot Decoys, he was a randomly-chosen pack-in available with the carded [[Throttlebot]]s, [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]], [[Protectobot (G1)|Protectobots]] and [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]].

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1986/Autobot/Decoys/Skids/skids.htm More information on Decoy Skids at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

'''3d Battle-Card Game'''

{{anchor|3DBC}}[[File:EnergonWarsSkids.jpg|thumb|Are, uh, you sure you're a G1 character?]]
*'''Skids''' (3D Battle-Card, 2007)
:A 26-point "common" character in the [[3D Battle-Card Game]]'s "Energon Wars" expansion, Skids "transforms" into a grey pickup truck of indeterminate make. He uses the same parts layout as [[Ironhide (Movie)|Ironhide]] and [[Dropkick (Movie)|Dropkick]].

:He is equipped with a LN2 Cryo Rifle, an Electron Blaster, and a Rocket Launcher, which are similar to his G1 weapons — but due to the interdimensional nature of the Energon Wars subset, the Battle-Card may or may not also represent the [[Skids (Movie)|live-action movie Skids]].
{{--}}

==Notes==
[[File:DiacloneSkids.jpg|thumb|A rainbow of theoretical flavors.]]
[[File:Skidsdiacloneconceptart.jpg|thumb|Suck it, Ironhide! This head was mine first!]]
*The ''[[Diaclone]]'' version of Skids was additionally available in black or red. The [[BotCon 2015]] toy and character [[Burn Out]], a non-Cybertronian ''Diaclone'' mech from within the ''Transformers'' [[multiverse]], is based on the black version.
*Skids' animation model head appears to be based on early ''Diaclone'' promotional concept art. The toy's head would be different... and ultimately different from the [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]] head shown in his instructions, which also popped up a few times in the UK comics.
*Though Skids' toy turned into a Honda City Turbo, his car mode was often misinterpreted in Transformers fiction as one of the then-new minivans, despite the fact that a Honda City Turbo is a subcompact car, and as such, could theoretically be stowed in the back seat of an actual minivan. This is likely because most Americans in 1985 wouldn't know what a subcompact car is.
*As Skids was released in the interim between the original 1984 launch and the big push of new 1985 figures, the character consequently fell by the wayside in the Generation 1 fiction of the 1980s. He was not included in the commercial promoting the new 1985 range of Autobot Cars, as he wasn't technically part of it. Similarly, he was also left out of the list of new 1985 product in the Generation 1 cartoon's [[production bible]] intended for inclusion in the show's second season, and as such, only managed to appear in little more than cameo roles in just two episodes, speaking one line in each and voiced by a different actor each time. He fared a little better in the Marvel comics, debuting alongside (an incomplete roster of) the other 1985 cars, but after getting an issue dedicated to himself, he all but completely vanished from the book and was banished to [[limbo]] by the UK comic for upwards of 100 issues, abandoned and forgotten.
*In the "[[Survivors!]]" story, Skids was suddenly drawn with the original ''Diaclone'' toy's head (which years later would be used for the new character [[Crosscut (Autobot)|Crosscut]]). "Survivors!"' artist, [[Dan Reed]], previously drew him with his real head, so it'd be interesting to learn why and how this change happened. (He would later mysteriously regain his own face.)
*In more recent years, toys sporting the name "Skids" have required an additional "Autobot" prefix for [[trademark]] reasons, hence making the official name "'''Autobot Skids'''".

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Skids''' (スキッズ ''Sukizzu'')
*''French:'' '''Platon''' ("Plato")
*''Hungarian:'' '''Szán'''
*''Italian:'' '''Furetto''' ("Ferret")
*''Mandarin:'' '''Shāchē''' (China, 刹车, "Brake")
*''Portuguese:'' '''Patins''' (Brazil comic, "Skate"), '''Pe-de-cabra''' (Portugal comic, "Crowbar")
*''Russian:'' '''Tormoz''' (Тормоз, "Brake")

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:3D Battle-Cards]]
[[Category:Alternators Autobots]]
[[Category:Cloud Autobots]]
[[Category:Council members]]
[[Category:Decoys]]
[[Category:Dimension hoppers]]
[[Category:Dreamwave Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Exclusives]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Henkei! Henkei! Autobots]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Kre-O Autobots]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Legends Autobots]]
[[Category:Lost Light crew]]
[[Category:Q-Transformers characters]]
[[Category:Regeneration One Autobots]]
[[Category:Scientists]]
[[Category:SDCC exclusives]]
[[Category:Universe Autobots]]