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Energon cube

2022-06-02T05:04:43Z

Reboot5576: /* Transformers/Back to the Future */

[[File:Mtmte1 prepare the energon cubes.jpg|thumb|300px]]
The '''energon cube''' is the safest form of [[Energon]], used for transportation and storage.

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
[[File:EnergonCubesCartoon1.jpg|right|upright=1.4|thumb|[[N.R.G.|NRG]].]]
Energon cubes were created via an empty cube-shaped, framework generated by Decepticons, most notably [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]], {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}} {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1}} Energon cubes seemed to be Decepticon technology going as far back as Cybertron's [[Golden Age]], {{storylink|War Dawn (episode)|War Dawn}} as when the [[Autobot]]s awoke in [[1984]], they seemed unaware of them, most notably [[Hound (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hound]]. {{storylink|More than Meets the Eye, Part 1}}

As early as [[1985]], as the [[Decepticon Empire]] began to expand its influence, energon cubes became a viable trading commodity in the [[Milky Way]], with even [[alien]] lifeforms valuing their power. {{storylink|The Gambler}} That same year, [[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]]'s team stole a batch of energon cubes from [[Shockwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Shockwave]]'s [[Decepticon Headquarters (G1 Cybertron)|base]]. {{storylink|The Search for Alpha Trion}}

By the year [[2005]] the Autobots had begun to use energon cubes for power as well. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

Exactly how an energon cube operates is unclear, especially as their framework appears to be some sort of self-sustaining force field with no internal mechanisms. Most frequently, the empty cube is simply attached to or placed near the energy source from which it is to drain power, and the energy in question is automatically converted into liquid energon that fills the cube. Energon cubes have proven able to transform a vast array of resources into energon, including electricity, magma, oil and steam. Energon seems to have a much higher energy potential than carbon-based fuel sources: 1000 barrels of oil are needed to fill a single energon cube, {{storylink|Thief in the Night}} and the electrical energy within the synapses of the human brain are insufficient to generate even a few drops. {{storylink|The Ultimate Doom, Part 3}}

The liquid energon within energon cubes is a glowing pink color, although the cubes could also be compressed for easy storage and transport, causing them to take on an iridescent rainbow effect.

====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics====
[[File:Energoncubesrockandrollout.jpg|left|upright=0.85|thumb|Energon cubes come in Grande...]]
[[File:Marvel52 concentratedenergoncubes.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|...and Tall!]]
[[Shockwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Shockwave]] built an energy converter that was capable of converting both [[oil]] and the sonic energy from a [[Brick Springstern]] concert into large purple energon cubes. Unfortunately when these cubes were exposed to x-ray energy from Shockwave's weaponry, they detonated in a blinding flash of light. {{storylink|Rock and Roll-Out!}}

[[Wheeljack (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Wheeljack]] invented the [[Geothermal Generator]] which converted the [[Earth]]'s underground heat into energon cubes. {{storylink|Used Autobots}}

'''Concentrated energon cubes''' are a highly valuable form of universally accepted currency among alien cultures. These tiny green non-glowing cubes measure approximately 6 inches (15.2 cm) on a side and are easily transportable, as well as being less combustible than normal energon cubes. {{storylink|Guess Who the Mecannibals Are Having for Dinner?}}

====2005 IDW continuity====
After [[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] had been captured by the [[Galactic Council]] on [[Constancy]], [[Fulcrum]] launched a daring jailbreak but found his brilliant plan sidetracked by his friend grabbing some energon cubes to sate his appetite. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}}

====''Henkei! Henkei! Comic Bun Bun'' pack-in manga====
[[Image:Henkei chpt 03 energon-cube chase.jpg|thumb|right|Soooo... Can it [[AllSpark|shrink]]?]]
{{stub}}
{{storylink|Kingdom of Giants}}

====2019 IDW continuity====
A safe form that was ready for consumption, energon cubes were the preferred way of transporting energon. {{storylink|Wannabee, Part 1}} {{storylink|Constructicons Rising, Part 2}}

After [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] had devastated [[Mayalx]], the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]] devoured the scrap metal left behind and metabolized a large bounty of energon cubes for [[the Rise]]. {{storylink|Constructicons Rising, Part 4}}

====''Transformers vs. The Terminator''====
After taking over a [[Cyberdyne Systems]] facility, the Decepticons used the compound's energy production capabilities to make a bounty of energon cubes, though [[Reflector (G1)|Refraktor]] wasn't pleased with the pitiful amount of cubes that the Decepticons were able to fill. {{storylink|Enemy of My Enemy Part Three}}

====''Transformers/Back to the Future''====
After [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] had claimed the [[DeLorean time machine]], he travelled back to [[1974]] and enslaved [[Biff Tannen]], forcing the human to spend the next ten years making energon cubes, giving the Decepticons an advantage when he awoke them from the ''Ark''. After executing the Autobots, the Decepticons quickly conquered Earth, forcing the humans to produce energon cubes. {{storylink|Transformers/Back to the Future issue 2|Transformers/Back to the Future #2}} After [[Hill Valley]] fell behind on their quota, Megatron sent Starscream to see what was up. {{storylink|Transformers/Back to the Future issue 1|Transformers/Back to the Future #1}}

When [[Gigawatt]] and [[Marty McFly]] time travelled back to undo Rumble's scheme, they convinced Biff to turn on the Decepticon, Biff burying him under a dump truck's worth of energon cubes. {{storylink|Transformers/Back to the Future issue 4|Transformers/Back to the Future #4}}

===''Beast Wars'' cartoon===
The naturally-occurring energon on prehistoric [[Earth]] appeared only in an unstable, highly-explosive raw [[Energon crystal|crystalline form]]. However, after the [[Planet Buster]] baked Earth's surface, the crystals were all either incinerated or somehow "converted" into more stable cubes. These cubes no longer emitted the dangerous radiation which prompted the Beast Warriors to adopt their [[beast mode]]s in the first place. They were significantly smaller than the cubes used by Transformers from before the [[Great Upgrade]] and colored blue.

[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] threatened to detonate an energon cube near her head if [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] would not remove the mind-link he had with her. The explosion would have killed them both via the link, so Tarantulas did remove it. {{storylink|Tangled Web}}

===''Animated'' cartoon===
[[File:Ani07 sllsparkinfusedenergon.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]
Energon cubes are of a pink/purple colouration.

During the [[Great War (Animated)|Great War]], the Decepticons hoarded them in mass quantities on their battleships, among the [[Twilight (Animated)|''Twilight'']] which had crashed on [[Archa Seven]]. Despite the crash, the stockpile of cubes was unharmed but became unstable as the centuries rolled on. The [[Archa Seven arachnid|natives]] made usage of the cubes however, their eggs feeding off the warmth provided by them. Roughly a thousand stellar cycles before the 22nd century, three Autobot rookies, [[Optimus Prime (Animated)|Optimus]], [[Sentinel Prime (Animated)|Sentinel]], and [[Blackarachnia (Animated)|Elita-1]] travelled to the planet to try and salvage the cubes but ran afoul of the spiders, Optimus being forced to detonate the energon so he could escape, an escape that seemingly claimed Elita's life. {{storylink|Along Came a Spider}}

[[Space bridge]] maintenance ships were equipped with 'demolition-grade' energon, which were palm-sized cubes that readily exploited energon's explosive properties. When used properly, they are very useful in clearing away rubble from space bridges. But using them ''in''correctly could lead to a messy accident—say, like the destruction of a small spaceship. {{storylink|Endgame, Part I}}

Even standard cubes could become unstable if cut, which combined with an elevator could make for a handy bomb in tight quarters. It is suggested that one not stare down the shaft while attempting this. {{storylink|Decepticon Air}}

===Aligned continuity family===
====''Prime'' cartoon====
[[File:Masters&Students-EnergonCube.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|left]]
[[Starscream (WFC)|Starscream]] and [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] inserted Energon, kept inside a metal cube, into [[Skyquake (Prime)|Skyquake]]'s [[stasis pod]] to revive him. {{storylink|Masters & Students}}

Later, when [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] and his troops harvested [[Dark Energon]] from a volcano, they cut some of it into cubes. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 1}}

Some months after he'd abandoned the Decepticons, Starscream snuck on board the ''[[Trypticon (WFC)|Nemesis]]'' in an attempt to steal a number of energon cubes. Though he collected them in short order, he ducked into the archive room to avoid security coming face-to-face with [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]]. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 1}} The Seeker quickly realized that the Prime had amnesia but was confronted by the [[Vehicon (Prime)|Vehicons]] before he could take advantage of this, forcing him to fly away without his stolen cubes. {{storylink|Orion Pax, Part 2}}

While patrolling, [[Bulkhead (Prime)|Bulkhead]] discovered a stash of cubes ready for transport at the bottom of a mineshaft. When the ''Nemesis'' arrived overhead, however, its engine vibrations caused the [[Wrecker]] to fall down the shaft, being transported with the cubes into the energon storage vault. As he climbed through the ship's maintenance tubes, he found his way to the ship's power core, wherein robotic arms loaded energon cubes into the core, and slammed into it, causing the warship to crash. {{storylink|Armada (episode)|Armada}}

To quickly repair the vessel, Megatron inserted a Dark Energon cube into its power core, quickly repairing all the damage. Unfortunately though, the Dark Energon had performed too well and brought Trypticon back online until [[Jack Darby]] succeeded in extracting the Dark Energon cube from the core. {{storylink|Flying Mind}}

[[Knock Out (Prime)|Knock Out]] delivered cubes of [[Synthetic Energon]] to [[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]]'s offsite labratory when he was ordered to turn over his research to him. Their presence, combined with an explosion, Shockwave's reactor and [[Predacon (Prime)|Predacon]] [[CNA]], resulted in the creation of a large amount of [[cyber-matter]]. {{storylink|Evolution}}

====2015 ''Robots in Disguise'' cartoon====
The [[Alchemor (RID)|''Alchemor'']] had a stockpile of energon cubes aboard, a batch scattering when the ship broke in two. The [[Bee Team (RID)|Bee Team]] collected many of these cubes for their use while many others were seized by [[Ped (RID)|Ped]] who attempted to monopolize the precious resource. {{storylink|Can You Dig It?}}
{{-}}

===''Beast Wars: Uprising''===
On post-war Cybertron, the manufacture of Energon cubes was handled by corporations, such as Dynamic Energon Distillery.

When Gnashteeth was betrayed by the D.E.D. administrator Double Punch, he and the programmer Scorponok hit upon the idea of taking surplus cubes manufactured by the plant and selling them on the side, starting their own criminal enterprise. After a vicious beating from rival "businessmech" Thunderhoof's goons, Gnashteeth had Scorponok overload the D.E.D.'s Iacon plant while they made off with a small hoard of cubes, which Gnashteeth used to buy off Thunderhoof's minions. {{storylink|Identity Politics}}

Mechanimals were able to process energon without the need of cubes, and it was thinking of this, via the example of the humble ant-droid, that inspired Gnashteeth, now renamed Megatron, to implement the Beast Upgrade, freeing the Proto-races from the need for Energon cubes, and by extension the control of the Builders. {{storylink|Not All Megatrons}}

==Games==
===''War for Cybertron''===
Both the Autobots and Decepticons used energon cubes to regain energy they had lost in the heat of battle. [[Soundwave (WFC)|Soundwave]] was capable of producing energon cubes on the fly to heal his Decepticon brethren. {{storylink|Transformers: War for Cybertron (360/PS3/PC)|Transformers: War for Cybertron}}

===''Battle for the Matrix''===
{{Note|Battle for the Matrix is a simplified retelling of the events of [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]. It can be played from the perspective of either Bumblebee or Optimus Prime.}}
[[File:Energon battleforthematrix.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|right]]
[[Bumblebee (Movie)|Bumblebee]] and/or [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus]] can collect Energon cubes in order to repair themselves. {{storylink|Transformers: Battle for the Matrix}}
{{-}}

==Things that look like energon cubes but aren't==
*[[Personality component]]s for some reason look like small energon cubes. {{storylink|Starscream's Brigade}}
*Refined [[Cybertonium]] looks like a green colored energon cube. {{storylink|Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2}}
*The refined heat resistant alloy developed by [[Jessica Morgan]]'s father resembles yellow colored energon cubes. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2}}

The reason why all share the shape of energon cubes is a mystery that plagues us to this day....

==Toys==
===''The Transformers Collection''===
[[File:EnergonCubeToy1.jpg|100px|thumb|Rubik, the Amazing Cube!]]
*'''Insectrons''' (Multi-pack, [[2004]])
**''Japanese ID number'': '''16''' (full set)

*'''Insectron Clone Army''' (Multi-pack, 2004)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''75''' (individual), '''76''' (clones set)

:Energon Cubes were available with Takara's "TF Collection" reissue of the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]], and the set's [[redeco]], the Collector's Edition [[Insecticon (G1)|Insectron Clone Army]] ([[Shothole]], [[Salvo (G1)|Salvo]] and [[Zaptrap]]) box set released in Japan in 2004.
{{-}}

===European ''Energon'' McDonald's promotion===
[[File:Energontoy-McUnicron.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb]]
*'''Ironhide''' (Happy Meal, 2004)
*'''Megatron''' (Happy Meal, 2004)
*'''Optimus Prime''' (Happy Meal, 2004)
*'''Unicron''' (Happy Meal, 2004)
:In 2004, McDonald's locations in various parts of Europe released four ''[[Transformers: Energon (toyline)|Energon]]''-based Happy Meal toys of [[Ironhide (Energon)|Ironhide]], [[Megatron (Armada)/toys|Megatron]], [[Optimus Prime (Armada)/toys|Optimus Prime]], and [[Unicron/toys|Unicron]]. These toys were united by a common feature of interchangeable light-up "energon cube" accessories.

:These cubes were little more than a cheap, battery powered [[gimmick]] (the battery couldn't be replaced; the triangle-headed screws used by McDonald's are notoriously impossible to remove) that would make sound or light the toy up. The cubes were interchangeable, but not all of them were "compatible", so to speak—Unicron's light-up feature didn't work on the more opaque plastic of the other toys.
{{-}}

===''Masterpiece''===
[[File:Masterpiece Soundwave.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb]]
*'''Soundwave''' ([[2013]])
**''ID number'': '''MP-13'''

*'''Soundwave''' (2013)
**''ID number: '''MP-02'''
:Both the Takara and Hasbro releases of ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Soundwave (G1)/toys##Masterpiece|Soundwave]] included an Energon Cube accessory. A clear plastic box, one side could be removed so that the cube could be plugged into Soundwave's cassette door chest to simulate the cube production he performed on the [[Sunbow Productions|Sunbow]] animated series. At least on the Hasbro release, the cube didn't attach so well, though it did connect firmly to the grid attachment for Soundwave's chest.

:The edition purchased via [[Amazon (website)|Amazon.com]] in Japan came with two additional energon cubes.
{{-}}

[[File:MP-Soundblasterwithratbat.jpg|upright=1.67|thumb]]
*'''Soundblaster''' ([[Calendar|March]] [[2014]])
**''Japanese ID number'': '''MP-13B'''

:The Soundblaster retool includes the Energon Cube accessory, now cast in red plastic.
{{-}}

===''Generations''===
====''Masterpiece''====
* '''Soundwave''' (2013)
**''ID number:'' '''MP-02'''
:The Hasbro release of ''Masterpiece'' Soundwave was rereleased as part of ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|Generations]]''.
{{-}}

====''Platinum Edition''====
*'''Insecticons''' (Platinum Edition 3-pack, [[2015]])
:The Energon cube accessories were available again for the ''[[Transformers: Platinum Edition|Platinum Edition]]'' [[Insecticon (G1)#Platinum Edition|Insecticons]].
{{-}}

====''War for Cybertron Trilogy''====
[[File:War_for_Cybertron_Trilogy_Energon_cubes.JPG|upright=1.67|thumb|Left: Ultra Magnus' weak energon spritzer. Middle: Centurion's [[EnerGULP]]. Right: The blood of Nemesis Prime's victims.]]
*'''Spoiler Pack''' (Leader Unboxing, [[2020]])
:As part of the "surprise unboxing" gimmick that runs throughout the ''[[War for Cybertron Trilogy (toyline)|War for Cybertron Trilogy]]'' Spoiler Pack assortment, [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/toys#War for Cybertron Trilogy|Ultra Magnus]] is packaged with, among other things, a small pot of [[Play-Doh|modelling compound]] into which a buyer can dig to uncover a packet of three small energon cubes. The cubes are made of the same sort of soft plastic as the concurrent [[Fire Blast effect]]s, and each edge measures 11 mm.

{{anchor|Centurion}}
*'''Deluxe Centurion Drone Weaponizer Pack''' (Deluxe Class with accessories pack, 2020)
:Two energon cubes are included as part of the [[Centurion droid#Toys|Deluxe Centurion Drone Weaponizer Pack]], alongside a plethora of other accessories. The cubes are hollow plastic and have only five faces; bubbles are sculpted into the cubes to represent liquid, and one of them is designed with a seam bisecting it to give it the appearance of being only half-filled. Artwork of all the accessories printed inside the box suggests the cubes were intended to come with [[5 mm post#Multiple posts and double posting|5 mm/3 mm double post]] handles, but the final release features 3 mm holes.

*'''Spoiler Pack''' (Leader Unboxing, 2020)
:The second Spoiler Pack, containing [[Nemesis Prime (G1)#War for Cybertron Trilogy|Nemesis Prime]], once again includes a pot of modelling compound, and three unchanged energon cubes. Stock images for this set erroneously show the cubes as being red.

{{-}}

==Merchandise==
===Live-Action Movies===
: Released along side the Movie Preview protoform figures, Energon now takes on the delicious form of candy! Held inside clear, plastic containers, the "energon" inside is more or less flavorless balls of condensed sugar with articial colors. The cubes are held together by stickers, depicting scenes from Generation 1. The larger cube, made of 8 smaller ones, can be open and folded, in one direction, until it returns to its original position.

:Out of the eight cubes, only two have candy in them. Most of the art on the cube is taken from Dreamwave art by [[Pat Lee|Superstar Funana]], with the exception of two parts that feature art by [[Don Figueroa]].

===G.I. Joe and the Transformers===
*'''Shockwave H.I.S.S. Tank with two figures & Energon''' (2012)

: An [[exclusive]] release for [[San Diego Comic-Con]] 2012. Included in the set were three energon cubes inspired by the Generation 1 cartoon. They are clear pink plastic with inserts to make them appear to be partially filled with liquid. Also included was a trolly for the included [[Battle Android Trooper]] to transport the cubes.

==Notes==
*Thanks to [[Abdul Fakkadi (G1)|the exalted leader]] of [[Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Carbombya|Carbombya]] in "[[Thief in the Night]]", we know 1000 barrels of oil makes a single energon cube. This means each cube contains the equivalent power of 42,000 U.S. gallons of crude oil. If refined into gasoline (with a conservative 30% yield ratio) that much oil would keep [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee's]] Volkswagen [[alternate mode|alt mode]] (with a rough value of 40 miles/gallon) going for approximately half a million miles without needing to refuel! That's enough to circumnavigate the [[Earth]] over seventeen times without stopping! No wonder a few cubes of the stuff got [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|ol' Megsy]] [[Microbots|drunk off his rocker!]]
*Meanwhile, "[[Identity Politics]]" has a moment where [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] muses that a supply of fifty-four energon cubes would fuel him, an average sized Predacon, for anywhere between three orbital cycles (roughly a month in ''Uprising'' continuity) to a full stellar cycle (about a year), giving us a glimpse of the fuel economy for the Proto-races in that setting.
*Early drafts of the [[Transformers (film)|first live-action film]] originally referred to the [[AllSpark]] as the "Energon Cube."

===Foreign names===
*''English:'' '''Power pack''' ([[Omni Productions]] dub)
*''Japanese'' '''Energon cube''' (エネルゴンキューブ ''Enerugon Kyūbu'')

[[Category:Animated technology]]
[[Category:Beast Wars technology]]
[[Category:Energon|Cube]]
[[Category:Generation 1 technology]]
[[Category:Henkei! Henkei!]]
[[Category:Power sources]]
[[Category:Prime technology]]
[[Category:Substances]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron technology]]

Sigma

2022-04-08T19:39:44Z

Reboot5576: /* Rescue Bots cartoon */

:''The ''Sigma'' is a spacecraft from the [[Transformers: Rescue Bots (franchise)|''Rescue Bots'' portion]] of the [[Aligned continuity family]].''
[[File:ReignOfMorocco Rescue Bot ship.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
The '''''Sigma''''' is a small interstellar ship used by the [[Rescue Bot]] team [[Rescue Force Sigma-17]]. Its max velocity drive provides faster-than-light travel, and it has [[stasis pod]]s so that the crew can travel while in stasis. The ship's capabilities also include a cloaking shield, which can render it invisible.

==Fiction==
===Storybooks===
[[File:RescueBotsRollOut spaceship.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb]]
The [[Rescue Bot]]s on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] received a message from [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] inviting them to join him. With [[Chase (RB)|Chase]] as pilot, they headed to [[Earth]] and set down in a forested area, where they were met by Optimus. {{storylink|Rescue Bots Roll Out}}
{{--}}

===''Rescue Bots'' cartoon===
[[File:SpaceBots Sigma bridge.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|We defy matching color coordination!]]
The ''Sigma'' was dispatched from Cybertron to conduct a routine patrols of the [[Quintessa (planet)|Quintessa]] quadrant. {{storylink|Changes}} On their way back to Cybertron, the crew picked up a distress call, leading them to a derelict vessel. There they were attacked by an [[Energon eater]], and when even the cloaking shield failed to dissuade it, the crew went into stasis and shut the ship down so that the creature would not be able to smell their [[energon]]. {{storylink|Unfinished Business}} Drifting, the ''Sigma'' came back online when it received a message from Optimus Prime calling all [[Autobot]]s to go to Earth. It automatically switched course and eventually touched down at a military base somewhere in the [[United States of America]], where the revived crew met with Optimus and received a new assignment on [[Griffin Rock]]. {{storylink|Family of Heroes}} It was stored in a hidden hanger under the fire station's [[basketball]] court. {{storylink|Space Bots}} When their assignment as a rescue force was usurped by [[Doctor Morocco]], Heatwave worked on getting the ship back into service, just in case. {{storylink|The Reign of Morocco}}

When the ''[[Asgard]]'' became stuck in orbit, the Rescue Bots launched their ship again, with [[Blades (RB) |Blades]] navigating, and Chase and [[Boulder]] as co-pilots. They also had an unintended stowaway in the form of [[Cody Burns]]. The ''Sigma'' reached the stranded ship, but [[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]] found that the tether cable was jammed, so he had to jump to the ''Asgard'' without it. Once he'd rescued [[Graham Burns|Graham]] and [[Ezra Greene|Doc Greene]], they used the ''Sigma'' to tow the ''Asgard'' back to Earth. {{storylink|Space Bots}}

Chase and Boulder took the ''Sigma'' into space again to make another attempt to rescue the crew of the derelict ship, only to find that it was a trap set by the Energon eater. The creature drained the ''Sigma'''s power core, leaving it disabled, however the two Rescue Bots were able to trap the creature and use its stored energon to repower the ship, enabling them to return to Earth. {{storylink|Unfinished Business}}

The ship and its crew were shrunk down to microscopic size so they could enter [[Kade Burns|Kade]] and retrieve some [[scrubmite]]s he'd accidentally ingested. When the mites turned out to be slightly too large to fit into the ship, the Rescue Bots instead strapped them to the roof, where the mites were able to chew on the hull and caused damage to the ignition panel. As a result, the ship required a jump start from Kade's nervous system to get going again. {{storylink|Bot-Tastic Voyage}}

Boulder, Graham and [[Salvage (RB)|Salvage]] installed a new interface named [[ERVIS]] into the ship, shortly before it was stolen by [[Blurr (Prime)|Blurr]]. {{storylink|Rescue Bots Academy (episode)|Rescue Bots Academy}}

Though Blurr intended to take the ship to [[Hydrus Four]] so he could race, its power was knocked out by a solar flare. By the time he got the ship back online, Griffin Rock was threatened by a rogue satellite, though he had to have help from the ground to get the ship's laser cannon working. The ship's cloaking device activated in the resulting satellite explosion, but he was otherwise able to safely land the ship afterwards. {{storylink|A New Hero}}

Graham and Boulder dismantled the ''Sigma'' for maintenance purposes, and it was hence unavailable for use when Griffin Rock was teleported to the [[Arctic]]. The ship's engine was used for propulsion after they made the island float by filling the [[Mayor Luskey Dome|forcefield dome]] with [[floatium]]. {{storylink|Today and Forever}}

The ship was again deployed when Dani's test flight aboard the ''[[Echinoderm One]]'' hit trouble. Though the ship was not fast enough to catch up with her vessel, the team was able to use the onboard jetpacks to get Blades to her ship so he could steer it onto a slingshot course around the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]]. {{storylink|To Infinity... And Back}}
{{--}}

===''Rescue Bots Academy'' cartoon===
[[File:FiveIntoFour Sigma in space.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"The universe is magnificent, isn't it?"]]
Heatwave took the recruits on a flight in the ''Sigma'', however [[Wedge (RBA)|Wedge]] noticed that there were only four chairs on the bridge, leading him to believe that one of the five recruits wouldn't be able to graduate. Heatwave later explained that ''Sigma'' class ships could be outfitted with as many chairs as needed. {{storylink|Five into Four}} Heatwave and Boulder used the ''Sigma'' to retrieve rock samples from an asteroid. Heatwave later had to make a repeat trip when it turned out one of the rocks was actually a small alien. {{storylink|About a Rock}}

During another mission, when the Rescue Bots got into trouble, Heatwave was able to command the ''Sigma'' to fly back to Earth. The recruits successfully figured out how to fly the ship so they could come to their teachers' rescue. {{storylink|Space Case (episode)|Space Case}} The ''Sigma'' was used to rescue some endangered penguins from an island. {{storylink|Escape from Penguin Island}} [[Bumblebee (WFC)|Bumblebee]] arrived at the academy in the ''Sigma'', {{storylink|Bee Prepared}} and the ship was later used for a mission to repair a satellite. {{storylink|Flying Hunk-A-Junk}}

Heatwave assigned Hot Shot the task of cleaning the ship. {{storylink|In Training}} Wedge and Bumblebee rescued some rock creatures using the ''Sigma'', with the help of [[Perceptor (Prime)|Perceptor]]. {{storylink|Need to Know}} Boulder and the recruits used the ''Sigma'' to visit dwarf planets in Earth's solar system and retrieve soil samples. {{Storylink|Little Plot of Horrors}} The recruits were carrying out an exercise in the ''Sigma'' when they happened on a stricken Cybertronian ship and rescued [[Laserbeak (WFC)|Laserbeak]]. {{storylink|More Than Meets The Eye (RBA)|More Than Meets The Eye}} While Heatwave was prepping the ship for a mission to the ''Asgard'', [[Medix (RB)|Medix]] took it so he could complete the mission himself and impress Perceptor. It did not go to plan, but everyone got safely back to Earth. {{storylink|Medix Gets Schooled}}
{{--}}

==Notes==
*Art released by storybook artists [[Bull-Pen Studio]] showed the ship to have a design extremely similar to ''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'' [[Omega Supreme (Animated)|Omega Supreme]], and labeled images of the interior as "Teletran 1 bridge". The ship remained unnamed in any published fiction until "Space Bots".

[[Category:Autobot starships]]
[[Category:Rescue Bots locations]]

Twilight Sparkle

2021-08-12T02:28:26Z

Reboot5576: /* My Little Pony/Transformers */

:''Twilight Sparkle is a pony from [[My Little Pony]].''
[[File:MLP Twilight Sparkle.jpg|thumb|200px|I only meant to stay a while]]

'''Twilight Sparkle''' is a (usually winged) [[unicorn]] and Princess of Friendship from the land of [[Equestria]]. With her friends at her side, she wields her immensely powerful [[magic]] to protect Equestria from those who would do it harm.

==Fiction==
===Commercial appearances===
In response to a piece of fan mail, [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]] admitted to crying when he witnessed Twilight become a princess. {{storylink|Commercial/Prime#Ask Megatron|Ask Megatron part 3}}

===''Transformers vs. G.I. Joe''===
[[File:Pony Megatron Taste Test.jpg|thumb|400px|(Twilight Sparkle is second from left.)]]
In a world of magic and rainbows, Twilight Sparkle and her friends discovered the smoldering remains of the dimensionally-displaced [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. {{storylink|The War Never Ends}}

===When Worlds Collide===
When trying to retrieve the stolen [[Matrix of Leadership]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] joined forces with Twilight Sparkle, along with several other heroes. {{storylink|When Worlds Collide}}

===IDW crossover artwork===
[[Cyclonus (G1)|Cyclonus]] once cosplayed as Twilight Sparkle. {{storylink|Arcee/Greenlight: Run#Covers (5)|Transformers #18 WonderCon 2020 variant cover}}

===''My Little Pony/Transformers''===
Twilight Sparkle responded to the bad weather caused by [[Queen Chrysalis]], who was attempting to summon more [[changeling]]s. Chrysalsis' spell however connected to a malfunctioning [[space bridge|spacebridge]] on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], bringing through several Cybertronians. Realizing that the flightless entities were sentient, Twilight abandoned the villain to use her magic to save Optimus Prime and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] from falling to their deaths. After witnessing their [[transformation]] abilities, Twilight thought, given the [[Autobot]]s' peaceful nature, that her land was in no danger from Chrysalis' spell until Optimus revealed the existence of the [[Decepticon]]s. {{storylink|Transformation Is Magic}}

The accident had also sent Twilight's assistant [[Spike (MLP)|Spike]] to the Autobots' reality, Spike winding up at the [[Ark (G1)|''Ark'']]. He wrote Twilight a parchment about his experiences but it is unknown if she ever received it. {{storylink|Inspiring}} Along with her friends, Twilight later attended a race between ponies and Autobots, donning a foam finger to support her friend [[Rainbow Dash]]. {{storylink|The Flyin' Fox Trot}}

Knowing that Megatron would eventually rally his forces, Twilight used her magic to transport Optimus across Equestria so he could do the same, the two arriving to defend the [[Crystal Empire]] from the Decepticon/changeling alliance. During the battle, Twilight managed to use her magic to block Megatron's [[fusion cannon]] before a spacebridge to the Autobots' reality opened, through which came Spike and [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]. Realizing that changeling magic was not needed to return to Cybertron, Twilight combined her magic with the power of the [[Matrix of Leadership]], sending the Decepticons home. After a delightful tea and energon party, the Autobots followed suit. {{storylink|Finale (Friendship in Disguise!)|Finale}}

Some time later, Twilight and her friends were enjoying a concert in [[Las Pegasus]] only for the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]] to crash the party. Leading her friends into battle, Twilight chased the Seekers back through their spacebridge and onto Cybertron. When she fired a magical blast at [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], the Seeker managed to dodge, the attack striking a black crystal that absorbed her arcane energies and released [[King Sombra]]. As Twilight gaped, the evil [[unicorn]] took the chance to cast a mind-control spell that slaved her to his will. {{storylink|The Magic of Cybertron}} Sombra then had his minions, including Twilight, unearth [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]. Once the Cybertronian/pony alliance arrived, Sombra, now "King Sombranok", ordered his minions to hold them off. Twilight promptly attacked [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] and [[Rarity]], who proceeded to free her. She was then beckoned over to [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] and [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]], who had developed [[exo-suits]] for her, [[Fluttershy]], and [[Pinkie Pie]]. Her alternate-mode was a sword, which Optimus used to slash "Sombranok", overloading him and causing him to explode. Once the Decepticons had agreed to a ceasefire with the Autobots, they gathered at the space bridge so the ponies could bring Sombra back to Equestria, with Megatron promising not to attack them again due to the Decepticons' view for order clashing with magic's unpredictability. Twilight suggests that they should establish an alliance between their worlds and Megatron grudgingly agrees. {{storylink|Finale (The Magic of Cybertron)|Finale}}

==Notes==
[[File:TCC-concept-Twilight Sparkle Prime.jpg|thumb|250px|right|It's either real or it's a dream / There's nothing that is in between]]
*Twilight Sparkle was voiced by [[Tara Strong]] throughout the ''Friendship Is Magic'' era.
*At the [[BotCon 2014]] retrospective panel, it was revealed that a redeco of ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (toyline)|Beast Machines]]'' Basic Class [[Battle Unicorn#Toys|Battle Unicorn]] based on Twilight Sparkle, aptly designated "Twilight Sparkle Prime", was among the proposed but unused concepts.<ref>[https://twitter.com/BWTF_Ben/status/480568121011351552 Tweet by Benson Yee, 22 June 2014]</ref><ref>[http://www.toycollectors.com.au/bc14/bc14br.html BotCon 2014 attendee report by griffin]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[[fandom:mlp:Twilight Sparkle|Twilight Sparkle]] at the My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic Wiki

[[Category:My Little Pony characters]]
[[Category:Ponies]]
[[Category:Princesses]]

The Beauty of Cybertron

2021-07-01T22:46:31Z

Reboot5576: /* Synopsis */

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[My Little Pony/Transformers: The Magic of Cybertron]]'' #3
|prev=Sick Beats
|next=The Magic of Cybertron issue 4
|image=MLPTFII 3 cvrB.jpg
|title="The Beauty of Cybertron"
|caption=
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|published in=[[The Magic of Cybertron issue 3|''The Magic of Cybertron'' #3]]
|date=[[June 30]], [[2021]]
|coverdate=June 2021
|written by=[[James Asmus]]
|art by=[[Priscilla Tramontano]]
|colors by=[[Luis Antonio Delgado]]
|letters by=[[Jake M. Wood]]
|editor=[[Megan Brown]] and [[David Mariotte]]
}}

'''Rarity and Ratchet search for a way to reverse King Sombra’s evil spell and receive some unexpected Decepticon assistance.'''

==Synopsis==
[[King Sombra]]'s [[Transformer]] slaves rampage across [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], stealing resources for their new master and pursued by [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] and [[Rarity]]. Although the Autobot medic admits he's far out of his depth, Rarity urges him to do what he can—after all, as a result of her adventures with [[Twilight Sparkle]], she has ''some'' experience with magic, and together they just might be able to find a way to find a cure for the afflicted Cybertronians and break the spell for good. As the brainwashed mob strips a broken-down transport vehicle for parts, the two launch an ambush to capture a potential test subject: riding on top of Ratchet's ambulance mode, Rarity uses a high-tech net to bring down one of the Cybertronians. When the pair recovers their captive, however, Ratchet recognizes the struggling Decepticon and quickly realized that they haven't caught one of Sombra's slaves at all—they've captured [[Knock Out (G1)|Knock Out]]! Opportunistic and vain as ever, the Decepticon medic has taken advantage of the [[Equestria]]n invasion to steal some accoutrements for himself amidst the chaos. As Rarity helps him free from the net, however, Ratchet slaps a device on his shoulder and tells Knock Out that he's just been drafted into their rescue mission—one wrong move and he'll remotely detonate the bomb he's just planted on the Decepticon.

As the trio head out into the badlands, Ratchet asks if Knock Out overheard anything about where Sombra's slaves might strike next. Unfortunately, Knock Out has no clear leads for them, beyond briefly overhearing them mumble something about power supplies... and points out that he was far more interested in finding a set of suitable racing tires. Exasperated, Ratchet snaps that Knock Out is the most selfish medic he's ever met, but the Decepticon snaps that he didn't ''want'' to become a battlefield medic or some kind of martyr for the cause—he went into the business to bring beauty and refinement to Cybertronians with taste. But when Rarity innocently compliments Knock Out on his finish, pointing out that he is one of the only beautiful things she's seen on Cybertron, this provokes an unexpected reaction from the Decepticon. He'll help them track down the brainwashed Transformers... but informs them that if they want his assistance, they'll be doing things ''his'' way.

As they pursue the brainwashed Transformers across the planet, Knock Out takes time to show Rarity that Cybertron has a beauty all its own—the yearly migration of the [[radiant shrall]]s, slumbering [[Titan (group)|Titan]]s, and the natural [[energon spring]]s, a "waterfall" of pure liquid [[energon]]. That's where they catch up with Sombra's victims, who are working to tap the flow and process it into [[energon cube]]s... and Ratchet advises Knock Out to keep his head and remember who he's working for, because Knock Out's partner [[Breakdown (IDW)|Breakdown]] is part of the group! Knock Out and Rarity cause a distraction while Ratchet whips up a neural disruptor that will hopefully disrupt Sombra's mental control—but Knock Out grabs the controls before they're ready and unleashes a paralyzing electrical. While the blast successfully incapacitates Breakdown, the other 'bots take advantage of the distraction to retreat with their energon cubes, and Rarity gently tells Knock Out that it will take more than a simple electric shock to break the spell. Ratchet, fighting off more Sombra slaves, snaps that they can't just use friendship to override Sombra's spell... but Rarity points out that friendship ''was'' how they bested Sombra the last time they crossed paths. Her words give Ratchet an idea: could she do it again?

Ratchet plants his device on Rarity's head, who then channels her natural unicorn magic through the device's Cybertronian circuitry to keep Breakdown and others pinned in place. ''Her'' friendship won't free the Decepticons, however—she needs ''Knock Out'' to do that. Knock Out reaches out from his heart to try and break the spell; his impassioned speech that he couldn't bear to live in a world without his better half by his side is channelled through Rarity's magic and amplified by Ratchet's neural disruptor. After a moment, the spell is lifted as Breakdown's eyes return to normal—their plan has succeeded! Rarity suggests that Ratchet could release Knock Out as thanks, but the Autobot medic just laughs—the "detonator" was a harmless tracking device that could have been removed at any time. Now that they've discovered a way to free Sombra's victims by intensifying [[unicorn]] magic with Cybertronian technology, Ratchet wonders if [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] could somehow find a way to innovate on the principle, but hopes that Sombra won't figure out the same trick—unaware that Sombra has eyes everywhere and has already learned their secret...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters

|c1=
* [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (1)

|c2=
* [[Knock Out (G1)|Knock Out]] (3)
* [[Breakdown (IDW)|Breakdown]] (4)

|c4=
* [[Rarity]] (2)
* [[King Sombra]] (5)
}}

==Quotes==
"'''Please'''—you want to talk about theft? You should see how '''egregiously overpriced''' these designer racing tires are!" 
"Ugh! '''Tell''' me about it! I think a few couture shops in Equestria would '''literally''' charge a horn and a leg if they could."
:—'''Knock Out''' and '''Rarity'''

"I confess, Ratchet darling, this plan feels an awful lot like '''not''' having a plan." 
"'''Medical breakthroughs are trial and error!''' The plan is to '''try''' things—and '''hope''' we survive long enough to '''learn''' from the errors."
:—'''Rarity''' and '''Ratchet'''

"'''Listen''' to me, you big hunk of metal—I need you to '''snap out of it'''. Right now. Not just because I don't want to '''hurt''' you—but because you're the strongest bot I know. And if '''you''' can't break free of that spell—no one will. But also because... because you're my '''better half'''. And frankly, if I have to fight to keep this world from falling into a '''grim, unicorn dystopia'''—and we lose—I'd hate to spend eternity on a scrap heap next to anyone else."
:—'''Knock Out'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* Breakdown appeared in [[The Magic of Cybertron|the first story of issue #1]] as one of the many Decepticon victims of King Sombra's opening attack.
* Rarity uses the same glowing net that [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] and the other Seekers deployed against a group of brainwashed Cybertronians in [[Stunt Flying|Rainbow Dash's spotlight story]].
* Rarity remembers the last time she and her friends went up against King Sombra in "[[wikia:MLP:The Beginning of the End - Part 2|The Beginning of the End - Part 2]]"—as she notes here, they were able to trounce the evil king by using the [[wikia:MLP:Elements of Harmony|Elements of Harmony]] against him.

===Transformers references===
* [[Knock Out (G1)|Knock Out]] is, of course, based directly on the [[Knock Out (Prime)|fan-favorite Decepticon sportscar]] who debuted in the ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' cartoon. In terms of characterization, however, this version of Knock Out hews closer to the version that appeared in IDW's own''[[The Transformers: Windblade|Windblade]]'' and ''[[The Transformers: Till All Are One|Till All Are One]]'' comics, a cosmetic surgeon in an explicitly romantic relationship with Breakdown.
* This continuity's version of Cybertron takes a few cues from [[Brian Ruckley]]'s unique interpretation of the planet from IDW's [[Transformers (2019 comic)|ongoing ''Transformers'' comic]]—notable points of commonality include the presence of organic alien lifeforms like the [[radiant shrall]]s, multiple dormant [[Titan (group)|Titan]]s, and luminescent rivers of [[energon]].
* After Knock Out snatches the neural disruptor, a frustrated Ratchet cries "I needed that!" in reference to the running gag from the ''Prime'' cartoon.

===Errors===
* The "bomb" on Knock Out's right shoulder comes and goes: it's missing during his argument with Ratchet, the subsequent travel montage, and the battle against Sombra's slaves from on pages four to six, reappears when he paralyzes Breakdown, then vanishes again.
* On page five, Knock Out's right headlight is missing.

[[Category:My Little Pony/Transformers: The Magic of Cybertron issues]]

Transformers/Back to the Future issue 4

2021-06-29T04:36:18Z

Reboot5576: /* Synopsis */

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers/Back to the Future]]'' #4
|prev=Transformers/Back to the Future issue 3
|next=
|image=BTTF TF 4 cvrA.jpg
|title=
|caption=So take me away, I don't mind.
But you better promise me, I'll be back in time!
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[June 23]], [[2021]]
|coverdate=January 2021
|written by=[[Cavan Scott]]
|art by=[[Juan Samu]]
|colors by=[[Candice Han]]
|letters by=[[Neil Uyetake]]
|editor=[[David Marriotte]] and [[Chase Marotz]]
}}

'''Can Marty and Gigawatt beat the clock and get back in time to change history?'''

==Synopsis==
The [[Autobot]]s do their best to fight back against the [[Watchtower|towering Decepticon warrior]] disguised as [[Hill Valley]]'s venerable courthouse, and although [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime]] orders [[Marty McFly]] and [[Doc Brown]] to get Marty's parents to safety, Doc refuses to abandon his new allies and tells Marty to hand him the [[ionic nullifier]] weapon so that he can join the fight. Marty reminds him that they can't risk losing him again—not before he repairs [[Gigawatt]]'s [[flux capacitor]]. When Doc realizes that Gigawatt needs his help, the human scientist quickly gets to work; as the other Autobots do what they can to distract the giant Decepticon and buy time for the humans, Marty watches as [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] takes a direct hit from the giant and dies on the spot. As Doc announces that Gigawatt's good to go, the Decepticon spies the two humans, draws a bead on the pair and opens fire!

Thinking quickly, Gigawatt transforms, dives in front of the two humans, and shields them from the blast with his own body—although his flux capacitor is still intact, he's badly injured, and Doc wonders if he'll be able to reach the requisite eighty-eight miles per hour required for time travel. Damaged but determined, Gigawatt shifts into vehicle mode as Marty clambers in—he has to try. As he holds off their Decepticon foe, Rodimus shouts for [[Skilz]] to support them; the little Autobot promptly transforms into his new hoverboard mode and invites Doc to climb aboard. As Gigawatt struggles to accelerate, Marty shouts that Gigawatt can't make it—at that moment, however, a burst of acceleration flattens him against the seat, and Marty looks behind him to see Doc and Skilz giving them a much-needed speed boost! Despite Rodimus's boasts that the Decepticons can ''never'' defeat humans and Autobots working together, the Autobot leader is finally crushed underfoot and dies; the Decepticon opens fire as it lumbers after Marty and Gigawatt. Gigawatt inches ever closer to time-travel speed as Marty shouts for Doc to jump aboard, but his friend points out there's no time; he and Marty will have to save history by themselves. Heartbroken, Marty tells Gigawatt if there's ''anything'' they can do, and Gigawatt tells him that the only thing they can do now is travel back to [[1984]], stop the time-travelling [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and prevent this terrible timeline from ever coming to pass. As the two disappear in a final burst of fiery energy, Doc and Skilz briefly rejoice; as their Decepticon foe closes in on them, however, all they can do is hope that Marty and Gigawatt succeed in their mission...

In the year 1984, Marty and Gigawatt stake out [[Mount St. Hilary]] and spy two conspicuous vehicles making their way towards the mountain to reactivate [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] and the other Decepticons: Rumble inside the [[DeLorean time machine]], while [[Biff Tannen]] follows behind with a dump truck full of [[energon cube]]s. Thinking quickly, Gigawatt transforms and uses his alternate mode to run Rumble off the road and overturn the real DeLorean; Rumble is baffled by the sight of ''two'' time machines, until Gigawatt transforms and points Doc's ionic nullifier at the small Decepticon. The damaged Gigawatt is no match for Rumble, however, who promptly blasts him with his own weapons! Intent on avenging his friend, Marty charges at Rumble, but the Decepticon uses his pile-driver weapons to easily throw Marty off-balance. Before he can finish off the young human for good, however, a blast of electrical energy arcs across the battlefield and sends Rumble flying—a unlikely rescue courtesy of Biff, who's recovered the ionic nullifier from Gigawatt's body! Biff's had enough of Rumble pushing him around; if a "loser" like Marty can fight back against the aliens, then he can too... but when he lines up a second shot, he discovers that the weapon's out of power. Taking advantage of the confusion, Rumble sends the unlikely pair diving for cover with another shot from his blasters, then opens up a fissure in the Earth and leaps in.

Underground, Rumble kicks open one of the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s access hatches, storms onto the flight deck, and shouts for [[Teletraan I|Teletraan-1]] to reactivate the other Decepticons... before a familiar voice cuts him off, and multiple sets of headlights flare to life—[[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and the other Autobots! The Autobot leader explains that Marty and Gigawatt had ''already'' broken into the Autobot starship and reactivated their allies ahead of schedule. Realizing that he's been outmaneuevered, Rumble feigns surrender long enough to generate another earthquake and flee back up the fissure. At that moment, however, Marty orders Biff to dump his entire cargo, and the resulting avalanche of energon crushes Rumble under the weight. With the day saved, Marty reunites with Gigawatt; unfortunately, however, the time-travelling Autobot is too badly damaged and can only sputter a weak goodbye to Marty before he finally shuts down. Though Marty's devastated by the loss, Optimus reminds the human that there's still one loose end to tie of: to put history back on its proper course, he has to take the original DeLorean back to the future.

When Marty arrives in [[2015]], he discovers that Doc Brown's waiting for him; although he initially thinks that Doc won't believe his story, he's surprised to see a DeLorean time machine ''already'' parked inside Doc's workshop. At that moment, however, the DeLorean speaks up... then transforms into Gigawatt, fully repaired and better than ever! Doc and the Autobots explain that they worked together to repair Gigawatt. Optimus explains that the Autobots have successfully protected the Earth and its inhabitants for thirty years thanks to Marty's efforts... and Hot Rod cuts in to introduce Marty to their ''other'' human ally—Biff Tannen! With history back on its proper course, Gigawatt and Skilz take Marty back to 1985, and Doc explains that with his new energon-powered time machine he'll be able to visit the past whenever he wants. As a result of their multiple adventures across history, Marty discovers that his parents have become confident, successful, and wealthy enough to buy him the pickup truck he'd always wanted. Though Skilz wonders if Marty will be alright, Gigawatt points out that the Autobots will be keeping an eye on him—but even as they say this, neither of them notice the Decepticon insignia on the grille of Marty's new truck...

==Featured characters==
Characters in ''italic text'' appear only in flashback. 
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus Prime/Hot Rod]] (2)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (3)
* [[Gigawatt]] (4)
* [[Skilz]] (6)
* [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] (14)
* [[Jazz (G1)|Jazz]] (15)
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (16)
* [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] (17)

|c2=
* [[Watchtower]] (1)
* [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (11)
* [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (13)

|c3=
* [[Doc Brown|Doc Brown]] (5)
* [[Lorraine Baines-McFly]] (7)
* [[George McFly]] (8)
* [[Marty McFly]] (9)
* [[Biff Tannen]] (12)

|c4=
* [[Einstein (dog)|Einstein]] (10)

}}

==Quotes==
"Ha! This is why you'll never win, Decepticon. Autobots and humans, working side-by-side. Freedom for all!" 
"No—'''destruction for all!'''"
:—'''Rodimus Prime''' goes out fighting at the <s>hands</s> feet of '''Watchtower'''

"You've pushed me around long enough, metalhead. McFly may be a '''pathetic Earthlet'''—" 
 "It's Earthling, you idiot." 
 "Don't push it, McFly." 
:—'''Biff''' and '''Marty''' team up

"Wow! Talk about a '''crushing defeat'''!" 
"Heh! Couldn't happen to a nicer guy."
:—'''Bumblebee''' and '''Brawn''' on Rumble's demise

"You reckon he's gonna be okay, Gigs?" 
"With the Autobots watching out for him? Of course he is, Skilz--Marty McFly is going to have the time of his life!"
:—'''Skilz''' and '''Gigawatt''' close us out

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* Rumble recognizes Marty as "the human from the parking lot", referencing his very first encounter with Marty back in [[Transformers/Back to the Future issue 1|issue #1]] where he saw Marty travel to and return from the year 1955.
* The comic ends by copying Doc's preamble from issue #1, assuring readers that this is just an imaginary tale with no actual impact on the overall ''Back to the Future'' timeline.

===Transformers references===
* While discussing the Cybertronians, Marty reminds Biff that there's "[[More than Meets the Eye (disambiguation)|more to these guys than meets the eye]]", in reference to... look, do we really have to spell it out at this point?
* [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]] sports a white crest, red helmet, and a yellow-orange windshield on his chest—a palette based on how he appeared in IDW's ''[[The Transformers: Infiltration|Infiltration]]'' miniseries.

===Back to the Future references===
* As Gigawatt travels back in time, he leaves behind his license plate, which spins on its corner a few times; the same thing happened in the original ''Back to the Future'' film during Doc's first test of the DeLorean, and again in the ending of ''Part III'' when an oncoming train finally destroyed the time machine for good.
* In the new timeline, Biff has become a trusted human ally of the Autobots; likewise, the first film ended with Biff becoming a dopey, good-natured auto mechanic as a result of Marty changing history in 1955.
* The final page of the comic mirrors the ending of the original ''Back to the Future''—Marty returns to 1985 to find that his parents have become much happier and wealthier as a result of his time-travel adventures, and that they've bought him the truck he'd always wanted. ''Un''like the film, however, Marty's truck might just be a Decepticon in disguise....

===Errors===
* On page eight, Rumble's face is miscolored pink.
* Rumble immediately recognizes Gigawatt as an Autobot... except [[Transformers/Back to the Future issue 2|issue #2]] established that Gigawatt was a ''Decepticon'', whom Rumble reactivated along with Megatron and all the others in 1984. Shouldn't 1985 Rumble still think he's a Decepticon?
* As he poses with the other Autobots, Jazz's hood-stripe is black instead of blue.

===Other trivia===
* Whether as a result of IDW's ongoing scheduling problems or some kind of time-travel mishap, the grand finale arrives a whopping ''five months'' late, three months after it's already-delayed third issue; with an average of three months between each issue, this lands the series the inglorious reward of quite possibly the most delayed ''Transformers'' comic ever.
* Unusually, Gigawatt's [[license plate]] is not the same as the "OUTTATIME" plate that appears in the film and on his toy; it's instead a made-up plate that reads "GIGS".
* Brawn has been drawn based on the unlicensed FansToys "Hunk" figure. Whoops.

===Covers (3)===
* '''Cover A:''' Our heroes up against the Decepticons, by [[Juan Samu]] and [[Candice Han]]
* '''Cover B:''' Schematics for Gigawatt, by [[Chris Panda]]
* '''Retailer incentive cover:''' Marty rocks out, by [[Dan Schoening]] and [[Luis Antonio Delgado]]

<gallery>
File:BTTF TF 4 cvrA.jpg
File:BTTF TF 4 cvrB.jpg
File:BTTF TF 4 cvrRI.jpg
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
* ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' Annual 2021
* [[Symbiote Studios]] ''Transformers'' plushies
* [[Light/Star|''Transformers'' Annual 2021]]
* ''Locke & Key: Keyhouse Compendium''

==External links==
[https://www.flickeringmyth.com/2021/06/comic-book-preview-transformers-back-to-the-future-4/ Preview]

[[Category:Transformers/Back to the Future issues]]

Enemy of My Enemy Part Two

2021-05-02T14:47:28Z

Reboot5576: /* Synopsis */Slight rewording

{{disambig3|Enemy of My Enemy}}

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers vs. The Terminator]]'' #2
|prev=Enemy of My Enemy Part One
|next=Enemy of My Enemy Part Three
|image=TFTerminator 2 cvrB.jpg
|title="Enemy of My Enemy Part Two"
|caption=Part metal, part meat. Like a tin of spam.
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]] and [[Dark Horse Comics]]
|date=[[June 24]], [[2020]]
|coverdate=June 2020
|story by= [[David Mariotte]], [[Tom Waltz]] and [[John Barber]]
|written by=[[David Mariotte]] and [[John Barber]]
|art by=[[Alex Milne]]
|colors by=[[David García Cruz]]
|letters by=[[Jake M. Wood]]
|editor=[[Tom Waltz]], [[Riley Farmer]] and [[Megan Brown]]
}}

'''The Terminator battles Megatron's forces while Sarah Connor makes some unexpected allies, but can the T-800 cooperate with the very beings he's been sent to destroy?'''

==Synopsis==
With the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' having reawakened [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] and his [[Decepticon]]s, it seems as though nothing can spoil the Decepticon leader's moment of triumph as he levels his [[fusion cannon]] at the still-dormant [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]... but he didn't bargain on the [[T-800]]! Although his first shotgun blast simply bounces off his enemy's armor, Megatron's bemused overconfidence gives the Terminator—armed with superhuman aim and extensive knowledge of Cybertronian weak points—an opening to take out his left optic with one well-placed shot! Wounded and furious, Megatron orders [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] and [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] to destroy the intruder. The Terminator's unwilling companion [[Sarah Connor]] weighs her options and decides to make a run for it before the aliens notice her, but Soundwave detects her presence and dispatches [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] to eliminate her.

Soundwave and Starscream struggle to pin down the smaller and more maneuverable T-800, but Megatron's chief concern is getting his fellow Decepticons back online, using [[Teletraan I]]'s restorative beam to repair and reactivate the remaining Decepticons before eliminating the [[stasis lock]]ed-Autobots. In the meantime, the Terminator withstands Soundwave's sonic blasts and [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]]'s lasers, then returns fire by hefting a discarded Cybertronian weapon off the ground and using it to send the purple [[Seeker (body-type)|Seeker]] flying. Ravage pursues Sarah Connor as the [[human]] clambers up a nearby cable and the chase takes them onto Teletraan's console. Ravage's pounce knocks the computer's scanner so that the repair beam intended for [[Shrapnel (G1)|Skrapnel]] hits ''Optimus'' instead; as Starscream and Soundwave try to pin down the Terminator, they're caught off-guard when the revitalized Autobot leader promptly catches the two by surprise and sends them both sprawling! The Decepticons promptly break off their attack on the Terminator and turn their attention to Prime; correctly deducing that there might be ''two'' factions at play here, Sarah turns the ''Ark''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s repair systems on another robot who sports Optimus Prime's symbol... and, a few seconds later, [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] joins the fight!

A panicked Starscream assumes that ''all'' the Autobots are coming back to life and orders a retreat. Despite his low opinion of the air commander, Megatron sees wisdom in Starscream's words, and orders his Decepticons to fall back as he blasts a hole in the side of the ship and flies off. The explosion leaves Prime and Bumblebee shaken but unhurt... but Prime, dismayed, notes the collateral damage has killed many Autobots and left more badly injured. Optimus thanks his strange rescuer for intervening, but the Terminator, now reduced to his metal endoskeleton, informs the pair that they too must be terminated!

The Terminator lands a shot on Optimus before Bumblebee wrestles him to the ground, but all three of the robots stop in their tracks when Sarah intervenes, and points out that, as far as she can tell, the Terminator's aggression makes him the ''real'' menace. An intrigued Optimus helps her down from the console while mulling over the prospect of sentient organics. Sarah demands an explanation of the Terminator's mission and whether she should simply let the two bigger machines destroy him. The Terminator finally admits the course that history takes from this point: after the [[Mount St. Hilary]] eruption awakens the Cybertronians, Megatron's war against humanity will prompt the people of Earth to form [[Skywatch]], an anti-Transformer taskforce, and develop the [[Skynet]] supercomputer network to coordinate armies of man-made Terminator robots. But, despite Skynet's efforts, the war will end with total Cybertronian victory, the complete conquest of Earth... and mankind's extinction. Skynet only survives by feigning surrender and secretly constructing a time machine to retroactively win the war, but the Terminator's explanation deliberately omits the ''other'' part of his time-travelling mission—to ensure the creation of ''Skynet''.

Although Bumblebee's unmoved, Optimus mulls over the implications of this story. In the Terminator's future, he eventually concludes, he and the Autobots must have died today, or else they surely would've stood up against Megatron's tyranny. Thus, the Terminator's interference has ''already'' altered the timeline; if that's true, Prime concludes, then they still have a chance to work together, prevent this dire future from ever coming to pass, and ensure the freedom of ''all'' sentient beings on Earth—biological or mechanical. With Sarah's encouragement, the Terminator weighs his options and then, reluctantly, accepts Prime's truce. The strange alliance ratified, Optimus asks for Sarah's help with reviving more Autobots; Sarah accepts, if he'll take her home afterwards... but when the Autobot leader assumes his new [[alternate mode]], based on the truck that the Terminator hijacked to get them to [[Oregon]] in the first place, the reminder causes her to turn down the free ride.

On Oregon's west coast, the Decepticons regroup at a beach, where Starscream explains that their mysterious attacker was a cleverly-disguised machine, not one of the planet's native organic sentients. The fragile humans should give them no trouble, and Starscream illustrates this point by casually annihilating a nearby group of beachgoers. Pleased at the prospect of easy conquest, Megatron turns his attention to [[Reflector (G1)|Refraktor]] and the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]]s as they return from scouting the surrounding area for energy. [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] reports that they've found a suitable power source to fuel their invasion: a nearby robotics laboratory that he suspects might be connected to their mechanical foe. The Decepticons eagerly lay siege to the lab, unaware of the building's portentous position in history... the [[Cyberdyne Systems]] factory!

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (3)
* [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] (10)
* [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] (15)
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (16)
* [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] (17)
* [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] (18)
* [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] (19)
* [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (20)
* [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]] (21)

|c2=
* [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (1)
* [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (2)
* [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] (5)
* [[Reflector (G1)|Refraktor]] (6)
* [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (7)
* [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (9)
* [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] (11)
* [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] (12)
* [[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] (13)
* [[Shrapnel (G1)|Skrapnel]] (14)

|c3=
* [[Sarah Connor]] (8)
* Beachgoers (22)

|h4=[[Skynet]]|c4=
* [[T-800]] (4)

}}

==Quotes==
"Goodbye, Optimus Prime. You die as you lived... ignorant and useless."
:—'''Megatron'''

"Look, I get that you have your reasons, but right now, I only see '''one''' killer robot. I mean, the yellow one's called Bumblebee. That's ridiculous."
:—'''Sarah Connor''' chews out '''the Terminator'''

"Together, we shall ensure '''both''' your people's survival... for freedom is the right of '''all''' sentient beings."
:—'''Optimus Prime'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* Refraktor (or, well, ''a'' Refraktor)'s dead body appeared in [[Enemy of My Enemy Part One|the previous issue]]; the T-800's story in this issue shows an army of Terminators gunning him down in the post-apocalyptic [[Los Angeles]] battleground we glimpsed in the first splash panel of issue #1.
* Curiously, this series depicts the three [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]]s as stasis-locked Decepticons aboard the ''Ark''. This isn't true for the [[Generation 1 cartoon continuity]], which introduced the trio as having bailed from the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'' during its crash in the episode "[[A Plague of Insecticons]]," nor the [[Marvel Comics continuity]], where the three travelled to Earth from Cybertron by [[space bridge]].

===Transformers references===
* As he prepares to put down Optimus Prime, Megatron takes a moment to thank Skywarp for waking him first; this sequence of events is consistent with "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]", where Skywarp was the first Transformer aboard the ''Ark'' to be reformatted and reactivated by Teletraan I, and promptly interfered with the computer's scanning beams to bring Megatron and the other Decepticons back online.
* The Terminator's tactical overlay identifies Starscream as "MODEL 0022^15" in reference to both his traditional {{w|McDonnell Douglas F-15 Eagle|F-15}} alternate mode and his [[Starscream (Movie)|film counterpart]]'s {{w|Lockheed Martin F-22 Raptor|F-22}} form, Soundwave as "MODEL MC^10", a nod to the [[Micro Change|Micro Change "Cassette Man"]] toy and the "MC-10" molded on its door, and, finally, Megatron as "MODEL P38^UNC", an allusion to the [[Micro Change]] "MC-13 Gun Robo Walther P-38 U.N.C.L.E.", named for its {{w|Walther P38}} altmode and accessories inspired by the television show {{w|''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.}}''
* A cocky Skywarp sardonically compares his battle against the Terminator to "shooting [[Sharkticon (species)|Sharkticon]]s in a barrel."
* It's not clear if [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] is dead or simply injured after Megatron leaves, but he's shown leaking fire and smoke from a hole on his left side, evoking his death in the infamous opening battle of ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. Other Cybertronians, such as [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] and [[Mirage (G1)|Mirage]], are colored gray, evoking [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]'s fate from the film.
* In this universe, [[Skynet]] is revealed to have been created by [[Skywatch|Sky''watch'']]; first a clandestine US government agency, then a full-blown international taskforce, this anti-Transformer organization was an off-again, on-again antagonist during IDW Publishing's [[2005 IDW continuity|first ongoing ''Transformers'' continuity]], before the more famous [[Earth Defense Command]] replaced it during a [[2014]] storyline.
* The Terminator's story shows a victorious Megatron defacing the [[Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln Memorial]] by turning it into his personal throne, in reference to a similar moment from ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|The Transformers]]'' episode "[[Atlantis, Arise!]]". The scene recieved a prior shout-out during the second act of ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon]]'' and one of the endings of ''[[Transformers The Game (console)|Transformers The Game]].
* Bumblebee calls Prime "Big Bot," a nickname [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] used for [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] in the ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' and ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]'' cartoons.
* The dune buggy on the beach is drawn and colored to resemble [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]]'s [[alternate mode]].

===Terminator references===
* As she reactivates Bumblebee, Sarah ruefully notes that it "seems like Judgement Day's coming anyway" in reference to both {{w|Terminator 2: Judgment Day|the second ''Terminator'' film}} and the [[fandom:terminator:Judgment Day|in-universe event]]—although the latter incident does not actually appear to have ''occurred'' in this particular timeline, with the devastated landscape from issue #1 apparently the result of a protracted Decepticon occupation, not a nuclear apocalypse.
* The [[fandom:terminator:Cyberdyne Systems|Cyberdyne Systems]] corporation plays a major role in ''Terminator'' lore; the factory that Megatron attacks is based on the location from {{w|The Terminator|the first ''Terminator'' film}}, where Sarah finally outsmarted the killer robot and fatally crushed him beneath a hydraulic press. {{w|Terminator 2: Judgment Day|The sequel}} then revealed that Cyberdyne had helped ''create'' Skynet's technology after salvaging and reverse-engineering the Terminator's remains in a classic {{w|bootstrap paradox|bootstrap paradox}}. As the Skynet of ''this'' universe, is, at least in part, a creation of Skywatch, it remains to be seen just how Megatron's attack on the facility might change the future...

===Errors===
* On page five, Sideswipe is colored gray instead of red before the fight breaks out—although, given the nature of the scene, it’s possible that he's already dead.

===Other trivia===
* Originally solicited for an April 22nd release, this issue was deliberately pushed back to late June due to [[IDW Publishing]] temporarily suspending operations due to the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}}.
* Backmatter for this issue is a four-page "How the Machines Are Made," feature, which feature a behind-the-scenes look at how the first two pages went from script, to layout, to inks, to color.

===Covers (3)===
* '''Cover A''': Optimus Prime and a time sphere, by [[Gavin Fullerton]]
* '''Cover B''': The T-800 triumphant, by [[Casey Coller]] and [[David García Cruz]]
* '''Retailer incentive cover''': Optimus Prime and an army of Terminators, by [[Freddie E. Williams II]] and [[Jeremy Colwell]]

<gallery>
File:TFTerminator 2 cvrA.jpg
File:TFTerminator 2 cvrB.jpg
File:TFTerminator 2 cvrRI.jpg
</gallery>

===Advertisements===
*IDW digital comics

==External links==
[http://majorspoilers.com/2020/06/23/preview-transformers-vs-the-terminator-2/ Preview]

[[Category:Transformers vs. The Terminator issues]]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Enemy of My Enemy Part 2}}

Twilight Sparkle

2021-05-02T14:36:00Z

Reboot5576: /* My Little Pony/Transformers */

:''Twilight Sparkle is a pony from the [[My Little Pony]] [[continuity family]]''.
[[File:MLP Twilight Sparkle.jpg|thumb|200px|I only meant to stay a while]]

'''Twilight Sparkle''' is a small, purple [[unicorn]] who sometimes has wings.

==Fiction==
===''Transformers vs. G.I. Joe''===
[[File:Pony Megatron Taste Test.jpg|thumb|400px|(Twilight Sparkle is second from left.)]]
In a world of magic and rainbows, Twilight Sparkle and her friends discovered the smoldering remains of the dimensionally-displaced [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]. {{storylink|The War Never Ends}}

===When Worlds Collide===
When trying to retrieve the stolen [[Matrix of Leadership]], [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] joined forces with Twilight Sparkle, along with several other heroes. {{storylink|When Worlds Collide}}

===''My Little Pony/Transformers''===
A princess in the other-dimensional realm of [[Equestria]], Twilight Sparkle responded to the bad weather caused by [[Queen Chrysalis]], who was attempting to summon more [[changeling]]s. Chrysalsis' spell however connected to a malfunctioning [[space bridge|spacebridge]] on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], bringing through several Cybertronians. Realizing that the flightless entities were sentient, Twilight abandoned the villain to use her [[magic]] to save [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] from falling to their deaths. After witnessing their [[transformation]] abilities, Twilight thought, given the [[Autobot]]s' peaceful nature, that her land was in no danger from Chrysalis' spell until Optimus revealed the existence of the [[Decepticon]]s. {{storylink|Transformation Is Magic}}

The accident had also sent Twilight's assistant [[Spike (MLP)|Spike]] to the Autobots' reality, Spike winding up at the [[Ark (G1)|''Ark'']]. He wrote Twilight a parchment about his experiences but it is unknown if she ever received it. {{storylink|Inspiring}} Along with her friends, Twilight later attended a race between ponies and Autobots, donning a foam finger to support her friend [[Rainbow Dash]]. {{storylink|The Flyin' Fox Trot}}

Knowing that Megatron would eventually rally his forces, Twilight used her magic to transport Optimus across Equestria so he could do the same, the two arriving to defend the [[Crystal Empire]] from the Decepticon/changeling alliance. During the battle, Twilight managed to use her magic to block Megatron's [[fusion cannon]] before a spacebridge to the Autobots' reality opened, through which came Spike and [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]. Realizing that changeling magic was not needed to return to Cybertron, Twilight combined her magic with the power of the [[Matrix of Leadership]], sending the Decepticons home. After a delightful tea and energon party, the Autobots followed suit. {{storylink|Finale (My Little Pony/Transformers)|Finale}}

==Notes==
[[File:TCC-concept-Twilight Sparkle Prime.jpg|thumb|250px|right|It's either real or it's a dream / There's nothing that is in between]]
*Twilight Sparkle has been voiced by [[Tara Strong]] throughout the ''Friendship Is Magic'' era.
*At the [[BotCon 2014]] retrospective panel, it was revealed that a redeco of ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (toyline)|Beast Machines]]'' Basic Class [[Battle Unicorn]] based on Twilight Sparkle, aptly designated "Twilight Sparkle Prime", was among the proposed but unused concepts.<ref>[https://twitter.com/BWTF_Ben/status/480568121011351552 Tweet by Benson Yee, 22 June 2014]</ref><ref>[http://www.toycollectors.com.au/bc14/bc14br.html BotCon 2014 attendee report by griffin]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[[fandom:mlp:Twilight Sparkle|Twilight Sparkle]] at the My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic Wiki

[[Category:My Little Pony characters]]
[[Category:Ponies]]

Transformers/Back to the Future issue 1

2021-05-02T14:27:09Z

Reboot5576:

{{Comicstory
|seriesissue=''[[Transformers/Back to the Future]]'' #1
|prev=
|next=Transformers/Back to the Future issue 2
|image=BTTF TF 1 cvrA.jpg
|title=
|caption=Tell me [[Doc Brown|doctor]], where are we going this time?
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[October 7]], [[2020]]
|coverdate=October 2020
|written by=[[Cavan Scott]]
|art by=[[Juan Samu]]
|colors by=[[David García Cruz]]
|letters by=[[Neil Uyetake]]
|editor=[[David Marriotte]] and [[Chase Marotz]]
}}

'''Marty McFly returns from his first adventure through time, certain that he's put things right—until a Decepticon plot turns Hill Valley upside-down!'''

==Synopsis==
It's a quiet night in the small [[California]]n town of [[Hill Valley]]—a quiet night for everyone, that is, except for [[Marty McFly]]. Just an average [[1985]] teenager on the run from some furious Libyan terrorists, Marty commandeers his friend [[Doc Brown]]'s [[DeLorean time machine|customized DeLorean]] and attempts to shake off his pursuers in the parking lot of the [[Twin Pines Mall]]. But none of the humans involved in this little drama realize that they're being watched by the [[Decepticon]]s [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] and [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]], who've infiltrated the town to find a new weapon to use against [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and the [[Autobot]]s. Unfortunately, Rumble reports, their reconnaissance mission has turned up nothing of the sort... nothing, that is, until Rumble sees Marty's car speed up, disappear, and leave a fiery trail in its wake! None of the Decepticons know what to make of this development until [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] orders Ravage to scan the area. Ravage detects the presence of trans-temporal particles, and Megatron deduces that the humans must have invented [[time travel]]. A befuddled Rumble corroborates this theory as he watches Marty return from the past and reunite with Doc; gleeful at the prospect of a new weapon to use against their Autobot foes, Megatron orders the two to steal the time machine.

Ravage tracks the two humans back to Marty's house in [[Lyon Estates]], and the pair watch from the shadows as Doc gets ready to make a time trip thirty years into the future. Realizing that this might be their ''only'' chance to steal the DeLorean, Rumble prepares one of his signature earthquakes and prepares to nab the car amidst the confusion... only for [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] to speed out of the darkness, transform, and order the two to surrender! Bumblebee has no clue what the villains are planning, but is bent on taking them down—although, as Optimus reminds him from the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'', they can't afford to let the nearby humans know about their existence. Indeed, when the two humans overhear the scuffle between Bumblebee and Ravage, they investigate, but only find an ordinary Volkswagen, and a cassette lying in the middle of the road. When Doc picks up Ravage, curious as to the contents of the tape, Bumblebee reverses towards the pair, scares Doc into dropping the cassette, then runs over the Decepticon as Marty yanks Doc to safety. Despite Marty's concerns over a potential assassin, Doc dismisses the incident as insignificant, more concerned with his impending time trip as he bids Marty goodbye and takes off into the future. Bumblebee watches the light show from the shadows, but when Prime orders him to return to base, the Autobot trundles off, while an exhausted Marty sneaks into his house and falls asleep...

Only a few hours later, however, Marty's father [[George McFly|George]] drags him out of bed at five in the morning and sternly reminds his son that they can't be late for their shift. Marty's confused by his father's words and the sight of his family wearing identical jumpsuits, and ''doubly'' confused when the looming figure of [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] herds the McFlys and their neighbors aboard a futuristic transport, which shuttles them downtown into the ruins of what was once Hill Valley's town square. In this timeline, however, Marty's home has become a slave camp where humans toil to produce [[energon cube]]s for the new rulers of Earth: the Decepticons! Marty ''knows'' that something's gone wrong with the timestream, but his words only put his family on edge, and supervisor [[Biff Tannen]] orders him to shut up and get to work. At that moment, however, [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] arrives, demanding an explanation for why the Hill Valley work camp is below its [[energon]] quota. As Starscream lays into Biff, Marty ignores his father's advice to keep his head down and makes a stand against the aliens by using a trash can lid as his improvised weapon against the Cybertronian. Unfortunately, Marty's attack only bounces off Starscream's armor, and the Decepticon flier promptly gives chase.

Luckily, Marty finds an abandoned skateboard amidst the rubble; he evades Starscream's energy blasts and hitches a ride on [[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]] as the Decepticon carries away a load of energon cubes to gain speed, but not even the expert skateboarder can dodge Starscream's blasts forever; when a glancing blow knocks Marty off his feet, Starscream closes in for the kill. It seems like the end... until a sonic boom and a blast of light heralds the arrival of a familiar DeLorean, which promptly knocks the Decepticon into an abandoned building. At first, Marty thinks that Doc's returned to help fix everything... up until the DeLorean [[Gigawatt|transforms]] and tells him that he needs Marty's help to save the future!

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|c1=
* [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] (9)
* [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] (10)
* [[Hound (G1)|Hound]] (11)
* [[Gigawatt]] (22)

|c2=
* [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (3)
* [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] (4)
* [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (5)
* [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] (6)
* [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] (16)
* [[Scrapper (G1)|Scrapper]] (17)
* [[Thundercracker (G1)|Thundercracker]] (18)
* [[Long Haul (G1)|Long Haul]] (20)
* [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] (21)

|c3=
* Libyan terrorists (1)
* [[Marty McFly]] (2)
* [[Doc Brown]] (7)
* [[George McFly]] (12)
* [[Linda McFly]] (13)
* [[Dave McFly]] (14)
* [[Lorraine Baines-McFly]] (15)
* [[Biff Tannen]] (19)

|c4=
* [[Einstein (dog)|Einstein]] (8)
}}

==Quotes==
"The space-time continuum is full of infinite possibilities and alternate timelines in its unending nooks and crannies. These include events and histories that could have happen, have happened, may never happen, have been erased from existance or exist entirely as conjecture. How then do we classify this tale? For now, suffice to call it entertainment. As a physicist, I can speculate no further."
:—'''Doc Brown's''' prologue

"An audio cassette?" 
"Hey—does the time machine have a tape player? It might be Van Halen!"
:—'''Doc''' and '''Marty'''

"Hello? Hello? Anybody home? Think, human, think. Hill Valley is behind on its quota. Maybe Megatron was wrong to trust you."
:—The bully becomes the bullied as '''Starscream''' yells at Biff

"Marty—wait! What are you doing?" 
"Oh, you know me, Mom—just goofing around!"
:—'''Lorraine''' objects to '''Marty''' taking on Starscream

"Marty McFly, I need you to come with me. To save the future! To save '''everything!'''"
:—'''Gigawatt'''

==Notes==
===Continuity notes===
* [[IDW Publishing]] has held the ''[[Back to the Future]]'' license since 2015, and, much like the company's other licensed properties, used the films to springboard an expanded universe that picks up where ''{{w|Back to the Future Part III}}'' left off: a 25-issue ongoing, two miniseries, and a comic adaptation of the {{w|Back to the Future: The Game|2010 video game}}. In a cute touch, this comic opens with a note from Doc Brown himself, who points out that, although this comic isn't [[canon]] with regards to IDW's main ''Back to the Future'' universe, the space-time continuum ''is'' infinite...
* This story spins out of the ending of the {{w|Back to the Future|first film}}, and the comic opens with a condensed retelling of that movie. Rumble and Ravage watch Marty escape the angry Libyans whom Doc had swindled to build his DeLorean time machine and accidentally travel back in time to 1955, then watch him return and reunite with Doc Brown, revealed to have survived his seemingly-fatal death by wearing a bulletproof vest after Marty warned his younger self, thirty years in the past, of his death in 1985. This is, therefore, the "second" iteration of the ''Back to the Future'' timeline, but see "Errors", below...
* The next scene sees Marty return to his house in [[Lyon Estates]] while Doc prepares for a trip to the year 2015. Just like in the movie, Doc describes the 30-year trip through time as a "nice round number", and, after their encounter with Bumblebee, Marty tells Doc to find his 47-year old self in 2015 and warns him about the DeLorean's bumpy re-entry.
* ''Back to the Future'' ended with Marty returning home to find his family had drastically changed as a result of his adventure in 1955: his father had become confident and assertive, his mother more comfortable with herself, and his two siblings led successful lives. In this Decepticon-ruled timeline, however, that transformation hasn't happened, and the McFlys remain dowdy and meek.
* [[Biff Tannen]], on the other hand, has enjoyed quite the leg up in this new timeline. No longer just George's jerkish boss, the longtime bully has risen to become coordinator of the [[energon]]-processing slave camp that was once Hill Valley. In an ironic reversal, however, it's ''[[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]'' who delights in pushing the human around; at one point, he raps on Biff's skull with his finger and sarcastically demands to know if anyone's home, which was Tannen's preferred method of belittling his victims in the movies.
* As Marty contemplates rebellion, George warns his son to remember "what happened to Needles." Though [[wikia:BTTF:Douglas J. Needles|Douglas J. Needles]] was a very minor character in the films, he became a recurring antagonist in IDW's ''Back to the Future'' comics and even scored a spotlight issue of his own... although it seems unlikely that we'll run into him in this timeline!

===Transformers references===
* Rumble compares the parking lot battle to the "gladiator pits back home", referencing the [[gladiatorial combat|gladiatorial bloodsports]] that have become a key part of [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s backstory in the last decade. Indeed, Rumble and [[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] took part in these underground fights in IDW Publishing's ''[[The Transformers: Megatron Origin|Megatron Origin]]'' comics.
* While most of the other characters are drawn to resemble stylized versions of their cartoon character models, [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]] stands out—the buttons on his waist immediately mark him as being based off his [[Soundwave (G1)/toys#Music Label|2007 "Music Label" toy]]. Just like IDW's concurrent ''[[Transformers (2019 comic)|Transformers]]'' comic, ''[[Transformers vs. The Terminator]]'', and ''[[My Little Pony/Transformers]]'', he speaks using the rectangular, blue-tinted speech bubbles that originated in IDW's rebooted ''Transformers'' universe.

===Back to the Future references===
* Catchphrases abound: Marty describes the new Hill Valley as "heavy"; Biff Tannen calls Marty a "butthead" while his own "Hello? Think McFly, think!" routine gets turned back on him by Starscream, and it's Gigawatt who gets to sling Doc's famous exclamation: "Great Scott!"
* The second half of the comic begins with a new spin on a running gag from the ''Back to the Future'' film series: Marty falls asleep in an alternate time period, then one of his family members wakes him up. In the first film, this was his teenage mother in the year 1955; in the {{w|Back to the Future Part II|second}}, it was an alternate version of his mom in a dystopian 1985; in ''Part III'', it was his great-great-grandmother in the year 1885. In this comic, his father [[George McFly|George]] gets the honor.
* The post-apocalyptic Hill Valley includes the famous [[wikia:BTTF:Hill Valley Courthouse|courthouse]] that was central to the plot of the first movie. Though the rest of the town is in ruins, the courthouse still sports its famous clock, frozen at 10:04 PM after lightning struck the building in 1955.
* Marty's escape from Starscream homages the chase scene in the first ''Back to the Future'' film, where he escaped from the teenage Biff and his gang. Just like in that movie, Marty makes his getaway on a skateboard and hitches a ride on a passing truck. The chase ends when Gigawatt's arrival sends Starscream flying into an abandoned fertilizer building, continuing a running gag from the movies where the film's antagonist (Biff Tannen in the first two, his great-grandfather [[wikia:BTTF:Buford Tannen|Buford]] in the third) gets covered in manure.

===Real-life references===
* When Doc and Marty find Ravage in his alternate mode, Marty wonders if the cassette might have {{w|Van Halen|Van Halen}} on it. In a rather unfortunate coincidence, this comic was released only a day after the passing of the band's lead guitarist and namesake, {{w|Eddie Van Halen|Eddie Van Halen}}.

===Errors===
* The first act of ''Back to the Future'' features a car chase in the parking lot of [[Twin Pines Mall]] that leads to Marty accidentally travelling back to November 1955. While in the past, he runs over one of the pine trees growing on the farmland that existed before the mall was built; as a result, Twin Pines Mall is now "Lone Pine Mall" when Marty returns to 1985. Doc is wearing his bulletproof vest, clearly establishing this as the "second timeline" created as a result of Marty's interference, but the sign on page one still shows the "Twin Pines" logo.
* On page two, Soundwave sports white shoulders and forearms with red stripes. When he next appears on page three, however, he's colored with solid blue shoulders, and the red stripes on his forearms are positioned to match his ''Music Label'' toy.
* In the first ''Back to the Future'' film, the DeLorean uses plutonium to generate the (say it with us now) 1.21 gigawatts necessary to power the onboard [[flux capacitor]]. At the end of the first film, Doc Brown goes to the year 2015; he returns in the cliffhanger ending, having installed a futuristic "Mr. Fusion" generator from that era to power the time circuits in lieu of the plutonium chamber. In this comic, however, the DeLorean ''already'' has the Mr. Fusion generator on page one, perhaps due to the comic's artist using Gigawatt's toy as a reference point.
*On page seven, Optimus is missing his horns.
* When Marty returns home, the clock by his bed reads "12:20". In the original ''Back to the Future'' film, however, he went to Twin Pines Mall and had his time-travel adventure at 1:21 AM. Marty did set the DeLorean to return to 1985 a few minutes before he left, but not ''that'' early!

===Other trivia===
* In a curious bit of toy-accuracy, the DeLorean is missing the "DMC" logo on its front grill throughout the comic—an omission that probably owes something to Gigawatt's real-world toy not being licensed by the {{w|DeLorean Motor Company}}.

===Covers (9)===
* '''Cover A:''' Doc and Marty encounter Gigawatt, by [[Juan Samu]] and [[David García Cruz]]
* '''Cover B:''' Slaves of the Decepticons, by [[Philip Murphy]]
* '''Retailer incentive cover A:''' Bumblebee, Marty, and Doc, by [[Dan Schoening]] and [[Luis Antonio Delgado]]
* '''Retailer incentive cover B:''' Live-action photo of Gigawatt's toy
* '''Jolzar Collectibles exclusive cover:''' Marty runs from the Autobots, by [[Diego Galindo]]
* '''Scorpion Comics exclusive cover A:''' Marty and Doc Brown encounter Optimus Prime, by [[Livio Ramondelli]]
* '''Scorpion Comics exclusive cover B:''' Megatron menaces Marty, by [[Livio Ramondelli]]
* '''New York Comic-Con exclusive cover:''' Gigawatt joins [[wikia:BTTF:The Pinheads|The Pinheads]], by [[Andrew Griffith]] and [[David García Cruz]]
* '''Big Country Comics exclusive cover:''' Doc, Marty, and Gigawatt take a trip through time, by [[Hugh Rookwood]]

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File:BTTF TF 1 cvrRE2.jpg
File:BTTF TF 1 cvrRE3.jpg
File:BTTF TF 1 cvrRE4.jpg
File:BTTF TF 1 cvrRE5.jpg

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==External links==
[https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/idws-new-transformers-back-to-the-future-miniseries Preview]

[[Category:Transformers/Back to the Future issues]]