MediaWiki - User contributions [en]

User talk:RyRodrigo

2022-11-30T02:05:44Z

RyRodrigo:

Hey, uh, do you have a link to Garry Chalk's announcement of Campbell Lane's death? [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 15:55, 8 February 2014 (EST)
* I'll post a screencap. As an added bonus, there's a post made by [[David Kaye]] right above it. http://imageshack.com/a/img585/7003/fnwp.png [[User:RyRodrigo|RyRodrigo]] ([[User talk:RyRodrigo|talk]]) 07:33, 10 February 2014 (EST)

{{captionbastard}}
Exactly ONE of your edits during your time here has been unrelated to captions, and I'm quite frankly tempted to scrub them all as a result. Please contribute more content of actual substance. -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 09:08, 6 March 2020 (EST)

*Wow. Overreaction, much? All I did was suggest that Skywarp's stair-pushing thing isn't funny (in the TALK page, mind you), a sentiment shared by a couple of users in 2015. I haven't deleted anybody's content whatsoever to make room for my unfunny ribs, so as far as I'm concerned, I didn't do -anything- wrong to warrant that warning. Seriously, why am I being warned for removing content if I haven't done anything of the sort? [[User:RyRodrigo|RyRodrigo]] ([[User talk:RyRodrigo|talk]]) 19:12, 6 March 2020 (EST)
::You probably won't see this, but no one accused you of deleting anything. The notice above also covers adding captions without having done substantive work. Notice the part about "add[ing] new ones without adding actual content." --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] ([[User talk:Khajidha|talk]]) 19:57, 6 March 2020 (EST)

Back to say two things: Cyberlink420 scrubbed my posts anyway because I don't find the running gag of Skywarp falling down stairs funny. Petty is as petty does.
Also, Earthspark making robots identify with pronouns is the stupidest thing ever, and now that the show has decided to go down the path of preaching identity politics, I am done. Screw Transformers and this website. I am out. My hobby is not your damn soapbox. [[User:RyRodrigo|RyRodrigo]] ([[User talk:RyRodrigo|talk]]) 21:05, 29 November 2022 (EST)

User talk:ItsWalky

2020-03-07T00:37:49Z

RyRodrigo:

{{preview bastard}}

--I'm deeply sorry

[[User talk:ItsWalky/2006|2006 Archives]]

[[User talk:ItsWalky/2007|2007 Archives]]

[[User talk:ItsWalky/2008|2008 Archives]]

[[User talk:ItsWalky/2009|2009 Archives]]

==Paxs ship==

Can I ask what splash page you're on about? The one of him exiting the ship doesn't even show his feet? Also, the shadow clearly shows he's below the ship.
: The very next page. He's standing on top of the ship. Same reason everyone's having to look straight up in the air instead of, you know, directly in front of them. He's just standing on top of the dang ship. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] ([[User talk:ItsWalky|talk]]) 19:01, 6 January 2014 (EST)

==Things to say to you==
[[Image:Ttoc.GIF|right|thumb|We approve this message.]]

Just some thing I've been wanting to say to David...

First off, you're a monumental asshole. You have an ego the size of a small planet and it's irritating watching you act like an important SOB when you're basically just a nobody.

Second, your webcomics aren't funny. They're boring tripe that makes Penny Arcade look good(and believe me, Penny Arcade is garbage). Cyanide and Happiness is a funny webcomic, yours is not. Your "jokes" are painful, about like watching Michael Richards yell the n-word as a routine. You don't draw a comic, you draw an opinionated blog. I'm not sure which name suits your crap better, "ShitPacked" or "ShortDicked".

Your liberalism and your love of Indiana get on my nerves. You jab at Mallard Filmore? Yeah, one shitty comic making fun of another shitty comic. Or are you just pissed that his gets in newspapers while you're JUST a webcomic? As to Indiana, I live here, and if it were up to me, the state would be walled off and none of the freaks living there allowed to interact with the rest of the planet. The state is about 3 decades behind the times. But something tells me even you know this otherwise you'd still live here. I sure as hell do not live here by choice and as soon as I can, I'm moving far away from this joke of a state.

And your brand loyalty is typical fandom crap. You have Aaron Archer's rod so far down your throat it's unreal. And Aryan fucktard Michael Bay's rod has apparently joined it. I'd say soemthing abotu Don Murphy but he was born without one. Actually, I can say something- he's Kevin "unfunny asshole" Smith with more body fat. Hasbro didn't give the film to a competent director, just a cheap one. And neither Speilberg or ILM have done anything useful in years. Give WETA, or even Tom Savini a chance and we wouldn't be getting Bionicle bots. You're afraid to not like a Hasbro product. No wonder they don't have to go out of the way to please the "fans"- you'll accept it no matter what. But hey, you personally have been sucking off incompetent British bonehead Simon Furman and his shitty stories for years. There are no gods in Transformers. Unicron was built by a monkey, little man. Furman is dog shit.

And go figure this TF wiki is a joke full of misinformation, insults or outright lies- you're a mod here. You're never right. You're more of an incorrect pompous jerkoff than Defunct is. Right, ban me from editing, as if it would somehow matter, any info you don't agree with is pulled. You only have friends because people feel sorry for you. Me, I have no need. People are a commodity to be used and their wants only get in the way of what I'm out for. Use them and drop them.

Who am I? Go look who added a note about you on Encyclopedia Dramatica's Allspark page if you're not too lazy. As well as past AS, Kalidor, FIRRIB and Hooks entries(the hooks entry especially true). Oh, and just info on white people in general and that idiotic Nintendo Wii. I'm not making it that easy for you.
: Is it my birthday? This stuff ''feeds'' me. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 02:19, 9 January 2007 (UTC)
: Duuuuude. Walky may be a dick, but I still ''like'' him for some inexplicable reason. You, on the other hand, are just one sore drama queen.--[[User:Nevermore|Nevermore]] 17:14, 9 January 2007 (UTC)

: This is some of the most funny stuff I've seen in a while. Comedy PLATINUM. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] 02:30, 9 January 2007 (UTC)

: Bwa ha ha ha ha. Priceless. I think someone needs to get off the internets for a few minutes. [[User:Chip|Chip]] 02:49, 9 January 2007 (UTC)

: Wait, you mean I didn't get drunk and write this? [[User:Hooper X|-hx]] 05:47, 9 January 2007 (UTC)

: I wish lame puns happened to me. [[User:Interrobang|Interrobang]] 20:08, 9 January 2007 (UTC)

Why do I get the feeling that guy has been permanently banned?[[User:Florky Man|Mr. Florky]] 15:55, 28 January 2008 (UTC)

Wow, an Encyclopedia Dramatica troll. No need to be so harsh on Walky. I, too, like the Baybots, and, I happen to like Bionicle. Also, his Webcomic is one of my favorites. So, if you have nothing nice to say, never ever EVER come back here.--[[User:Dynamus Prime|Dynamus Prime]] 16:22, 30 March 2008 (UTC)

:Woah dude calm down. Don't cuss too much either. Don't get me wrong though, Itswalky can be quite a jerk at times. Itswalky is not a dick, though. He just becomes somewhat of a control freak at times. But he's still somewhat "likeable". --[[User:TheHappyTruckShunter|TheHappyTruckShunter]] ([[User talk:TheHappyTruckShunter|talk]]) 15:56, 25 August 2014 (EDT)

==BANNED==

What the hell did I do to warrant a ban, exactly? As far as I'm aware, I don't even think I broke any rules, and if I did, an official warning would be appropriate. I received no such warning. I was not here for trolling and you know that - you use that bullshit excuse to get people to ignore arguments you can't handle. But you, personally, who made this decision, know I'm not a troll.

This is fucking low. I had little enough respect for you down to your ranting against the fanbase, Willis, but this is a whole new level of buggery. If you're going to use your comic to rant against and discredit people you don't like, the least you can do is suck it up when people rant at you back, and not act like a control-freak child.

I really don't think you're aware of your own actions anymore.
*Do the words [[Wikipedia:WP:NPA|no personal attacks]] mean anything to you? -- [[User:SFH|SFH]] 00:18, 4 August 2007 (UTC)
:: Do the words "warning before ban" mean anything to you? Rulemongering doesn't justify a decision anyway, since Walky is one of the people making the rules. There were plenty of personal attacks leveled at me, but I did not report them officially.

::I really find it hard to believe that you think it's completely on a rational level of discourse to claim that the comic strip I draw is about child pornography. If I'm not mistaken about your identity, you've been banned from almost every single Transformers web board you've had an acquaintance with, and I'm only doing this place a favor by getting rid of you. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 00:22, 4 August 2007 (UTC)

::: That's not an excuse. I will openly admit I HAVE been banned from several forums, but only because I repeatedly opposed the staff on each and every one of them; and with good cause, they all have roughly the same problem. People bully others either into liking the movie or to agree with the kind of views you promote - and since nobody can directly attack or discredit anyone, these people(and you are) are left to their methods.
::: For your current decision to be validated, the admins of those boards, boards which are influenced in turn by your anti-fan attitude, would have to be near 100% correct in their decisions, and those decisions would have to occur within a context that would map exactly onto here. Any rational moderator does not base their decisions so much off performance on other boards, especially when it's not even a messageboard they're operating. Two different media. I have openly said I despise all active Transformers boards for their level of authoritarianism, yet level of tolerance towards the pushing of certain viewpoints.

::: Not to mention that you're still operating under the fallacy of Appeal to Majority - that alone means I shouldn't really even have to counter you.

::: And don't even use the "CHILD PORNOGRAPHY" thing as an excuse. Again, any rational moderator would warn several times before a ban, I personally reversed that edit even though it was obviously intended to be a joke as anyone reading this knows what pile'o'bile already is. You have no justification for what you did, but your ego is too big to realise you can actually do wrong with your power. You'll never admit it, but I wouldn't be surprised if some part of you is pissed that I defeated some of your ramblings, whether they were directly written by you or encouraged by you, it's still the kind of guff you normally blew, and I managed to defeat it. You, and the mods of the big sites will always have your ban buttons - but you will NEVER be able to justify your actions to me. That's how I know that I'm in the right, at least in situations like this - solidly backed justification is almost always absent.
:::: Personal attacks + deleting comments in response to you = banno --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 00:36, 4 August 2007 (UTC)
:::: P.S. Sign your posts. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 00:36, 4 August 2007 (UTC)

::::: I have never intentionally deleted comments in response to me. I just moved one recently as it was in the middle of a paragraph of text. Not to mention that happened after you banned my original IP. Personal attacks alone are not grounds enough for a ban, especially when you're doing an awful, awful lot to be mercilessly torn into.
Need I point out that once again, you are unable to defend yourself properly? When does the "You're insane?" come? Ganging up of all your little friends since a majority always means you're right?
Do you even realise what a fascist shithead you sound like? Just because you're an admin of a place doesn't give you a free pass to be a dick with it. There's a difference between what you can do and what you should do that you don't seem to have learned yet. [[User:67.159.44.88|67.159.44.88]]

: YOU BAN PEOPLE BECAUSE ****YOU CAN'T HANDLE THE

TRUTH****!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!111111111twelve FUCKING FASCIST PIGCOP NAZI WIKIPEDO '''ASSHOLE''' [[User:Hooper X|-hx]] 00:32, 4 August 2007 (UTC)

:: My gosh, now that I have seen someone mock the notion, it MUST be untrue. Please, where can I learn these 1337 debating skills?

:::Dude, I've been banned from twice as many forums as you, guaranfuckingteed, but they still let me post here because I'm not as goddamn retarded as you are. [[User:Hooper X|-hx]] 00:34, 4 August 2007 (UTC)

:::: And can you demonstrate exactly how I'm more retarded than you? Or are you just, Walky style, dropping weighted terms to discredit someone's point of view without even trying?

:::::1. Hoop doesn't delete other people's comments on talk pages. 2. He actually signs his posts, which you've been asked to do many times, but haven't caught on. --[[User:FortMax|FortMax]] 00:40, 4 August 2007 (UTC)

:::::: I didn't delete anything. If I did, it was an accident because someone posted right in the middle of text it wasn't meant to be in the middle of. Not signing my posts doesn't make me retarded since it's blatant when I'm saying something. --[[User:67.159.44.88]]

Actually - come to think of it, you make fun of the idea that anyone running a site can be Nazi, yet you still mention you got banned from many forums. Does that perhaps mean that you genuinely got banned for being an asshole and not opposing the staff/local clique like I did?

:''any rational moderator would warn several times before a ban''
:Not true, some things are auto-ban. I don't think you ''did'' any of them, but I'm just saying.
:Dude- you got an expedited ban because you showed no signs of contrition, argued every point, used personal insults, refused to sign your posts even when '''repeatedly asked to''' (I had to go back into history and dig out which incoherent chunks of text where yours, because the posts weren't hierarchied properly so the debate was really hard to follow. This is why signin posts is important dumbfuck.)
:And ultimately you got banned because you were making a major nuisance of yourself in ''without'' any correlating '''contribution''' to justify keeping you around. You're a negative. You edited 3 articles- Fandom, Shortpacking and Ruined Forever- and ''all' of those edits got reverted because they either flames or crappy jokes that make the articles ''worse''. Even if I were to (generously) believe you didn't intend to start a fight, you picked the 3 flamebaitiest articles you could find and masturbated across them. ''Allah forfend'' you should write an ''episode summary'' or something.
:Unrelated- Walky can Talk:Fandom be semi-protected instead of full? Loserbot isn't registered. -[[User:Derik|Derik]]01:06, 4 August 2007 (UTC)

==On an unrelated note: Thank you.==
I know this is an odd place to say it, but I figured if I only said it once, it wouldn't be a bother so here goes: Thank You. Shortpacked is hilarious, and when not laughing, I'm agreeing with alot of the statements the main character makes. (and feeling like I was the only one who noticed some of them, like the one about General Discussions.) I also noticed your a Hot Shot fan, which is also awesome. I also noticed its due to the efforts of you and other people here that the move was made from Wikia to Tfwiki, which was a good idea so I also want to say a long overdue thank you for doing that as well, and finally: thanks for doing what you can for this site, because without this site, I'd be out of the loops on Club Exclusive things, and other Misc. Transformers related content. I go here frequently for information (or lolz) and I'm quite sure not only me but many others are grateful to you and all others who help contribute to this place.--[[User:Chipmonk328|Chipmonk328]]
:Thanks, and we do our best! --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 14:08, 4 January 2010 (EST)
I love it too. Ive been going through the archives and im up to the part where amber gets a bit of a makeover and ive loved every second of it --[[User:Mrgalvaprime|Mrgalvaprime]] 17:25, 14 January 2012 (EST)
only webcomic I read daily.--
[[User:Mojotron|Mojotron]]

==Tulsa, Oklahoma==
Sorry to bother you (I tried to avoid saying something again sense I already did the 'Thank you' earlier, but I HAD to ask about this). Had nothing better to do so I've been reading shortpacked's full archive beginning to end today. (Well I'm currently on July 6 2009 to be fair) and I noticed something that I just HAD to ask about. I've noticed once you mentioned Oklahoma. I ignored it the first time but then later you said "Tulsa". Now you got me curious, because I live in Tulsa and thus wondered what made you decide to choose to mention here of all places, sense basically nothing ever happens here. (Aside from the occasional Convention and the recent BOK center. Granted I may be moving to Florida in a few years..I really hope so. Been here my whole life and its boring) Just thought I'd ask, before curiosity drove me nuts. Keep up the good work on the comic, peace.--[[User:Chipmonk328|Chipmonk328]]

EDIT: haha on second thought..maybe I should've said this at Walkypedia..or do you even go there? (I'd assume you do.) Oh well, my mistake I guess. Hope you'll still answer my question regardless. lol--[[User:Chipmonk328|Chipmonk328]]

== WfC Starscream ==

You said: "We revert that back to Starscream every time you change it for a reason."
:Well that's just great since that is my first contribution to that page. And the picture itself says Skywarp so I was just making both consistent. I'll change the pic to Starscream as well.--[[User:MistaTee|MistaTee]] 11:22, 14 January 2010 (EST)
:: Ah, sorry. Got you confused with Blackout, who was also changing it to Skywarp. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 11:28, 14 January 2010 (EST)
::: No prob. Just re-uploaded the image with starscream in the name rather than skywarp. The old one now has the delete tag. Thanks. --[[User:MistaTee|MistaTee]] 11:33, 14 January 2010 (EST)

== Quick Report ==

More vandalism, on Nekomimi A/B, section animated..I think? caption didn't seem right..
I heard you're supposed to report to an Admin, right?
-[[User:SlamBolt|Danny LeFox]] 23:37, 20 January 2010 (EST)
: The caption is okay. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 00:10, 21 January 2010 (EST)

== Independent Wikis ==
Hello Walky. This is Archaic, webmaster of Pokémon fansite Bulbagarden, and its associated wiki Bulbapedia. I sent you an email about 2 weeks ago (to the address linked on both your webcomics) regarding an idea I've recently been playing around with of a co-operative of independent wikis. I understand that you've been rather busy recently, so I just wanted to check if you had received that email or not, and if you might be interested in contributing your thoughts to the matter? --[[User:Archaic|Archaic]] 20:24, 25 January 2010 (EST)
: I did receive it! I'm sorry for not answering swiftly. Our answer depends on how much interaction you are looking for. Part of the appeal of leaving Wikia was breaking free of the mandatory link chain to "related wikis" that they put at the bottom of our frontpage. Our frontpage is now our own. That's not something I think we're interested in. We are, though, all in favor of people starting up their own wikis instead of depending on those lying Wikia assmongers. (to coin a phrase) But, I can't speak for the people here who help maintain this wiki and how much they would be willing to lend a hand. So, uh, the answer to your question at the moment is: "I don't know?" Um. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 20:47, 25 January 2010 (EST)
::Heh, no worries. We're all fairly busy at this time of year. For now, we're going full steam ahead with a limited version of this idea, focusing specifically on wikis linked to Nintendo franchises, which we're likely to launch within a couple of weeks. Perhaps it might be easiest if I'm able to show you what we're doing there? While we're doing quite a bit of integration between the partner wikis for this limited network, I'd imagine that any more general grouping of independent wikis would have to be a lot less so, if only for logistical reasons. As I mentioned in the email, it's all fairly up in the air right now. A lot of brainstorming, but not a lot of actual action at this point. --[[User:Archaic|Archaic]] 15:15, 26 January 2010 (EST)
:::If I may weigh in... basically, while I wager most (if not all) of us are individually supportive of any wikis that break free of Wikia, when it comes to linking on this wiki we generally only stick to links that add information to our articles, such as TFU.info, Marvel Universe TF profiles, Wookieepedia and GI Joe sites for Star Wars and GI Joe crossovers, etc. So unless there's some crossover connection between Pokemon and TF that we missed, I don't see that we can help, because we don't have anything that would need a link to your wiki. --[[User:Jeysie|Jeysie]] 15:35, 26 January 2010 (EST)
::::What, not even with that page you have on Pokéformers? ;) Seriously though, I think you might have misunderstood what I was suggesting. I'm not looking at a 2-way affiliation or link here. Instead, what I've been investigating is much closer to what Walky has in Blank Label Comics for his webcomics. An alliance of wikis united by a common purpose. Exactly how far one would take that is the real question. I certainly wouldn't expect a link to every wiki in such a network on the front page of any wiki in it. As you've rightly pointed out, you value the independence you've regained after breaking from Wikia, and any such network would have to be very careful to maintain that for all sites while still offering something meaningful. *shrugs* Like I said, all very much pie-in-the-sky kind of vague ideas right now, just exploring possibilities. --[[User:Archaic|Archaic]] 20:47, 26 January 2010 (EST)

:::::I don't know if you've heard, but wikia has decided to make a change (mandatorily!) that is 100 times worse than what drove you guys to a new server. I am interested in finding info on how you guys actually performed your move, and what would need to be done before, during, and after to make it work. If you could give me even a link (so that I can show others), that would be hugely helpful.
:::::If you could message me on my wikia talk page (yes, I know), that would be most appreciated. Thanks![[User:KrytenKoro|KrytenKoro]] 10:18, 28 September 2010 (EDT)

==Yeaaaaaaaah==
:: ''Hey, were you the [http://tfwiki.net/w2/index.php?title=Tales_of_the_Fallen_issue_5&diff=414380&oldid=413827 guy who called a dude a schmuck for no real reason], and so then he [http://shortpacked.livejournal.com/593224.html?thread=14980936#t14980936 quit this wiki] because he was treated like shit? You don't get a vote. Especially since you think Florida and Cuba are separated by a friggin' river. (Anyway, I vote against rhyming in the Headmasters section.) --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 14:07, 8 February 2010 (EST)''
Yes because he was considering the entry was as bare and snarky as possible (You're hardly the soul of discretion all the time yourself sir) . And remarkably, being from a good distance across the planet, I don't know where everything is situated on that side of the world so the assumption of he ran into a river instead of the atlantic ocean, while my own fault I'll admit, is fairly understandable. But if I'm not aloud to voice my opinion cause a guy you don't know told you something about another guy you don't know, then tell me now please, save me trying to vote on something again. (I'm being completely serious by the way, if that's the case, I want to know). All the best. [[User:Eire]] 01.33 Feb 09 2010 (UTC)
::: When your opinion is "the guy who created this page is a schmuck," then you're probably going to get some flak for said opinion. It's not like the page was horribly put together. It was just abbreviated and snarky. It wasn't called for. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 21:52, 8 February 2010 (EST)

== Guess who's back..... ==

[[User:Masterman666]]
--[[User:-Blackout-|-Blackout-]] 12:45, 11 February 2010 (EST)
: Remind me who he is, again? --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 12:54, 11 February 2010 (EST)
::[[User:Masterman555]]. Banned for flaming and using a sockpuppet. --[[User:-Blackout-|-Blackout-]] 13:01, 11 February 2010 (EST)
:::Then bye-bye, then! --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 13:15, 11 February 2010 (EST)

== Breakaway image caption ==

Isn't Topspin the one with no personality? (Or was it a ref to Breakaway being Mister Likes-Everyone-Nice-Guy?) --[[User:Jeysie|Jeysie]] 13:13, 11 February 2010 (EST)
: Topspin doesn't like being used, and ripped Kickback's spark out of him in angry fury. That's more than Breakaway ever emoted. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 13:16, 11 February 2010 (EST)
::Plus, his utter devotion to Alpha Trion was also more characterization than Breakaway got. --[[User:Detour|Detour]] 13:19, 11 February 2010 (EST)
:::Fair enough... it's just that since Topspin was always the one with the "No personality" cracks in his page (and the one who's profile specifically says he's had his personality and will crushed out) it seemed potentially out of place, so I figured I'd ask.
:::(Personally I admit I wouldn't claim Breakaway (who did a fair bit of pep-talking everyone) has no personality any more than Heatwave, who's equally easy-going, friendly, and optimistic, can be said to not have one, but I was more checking for possible mistakes than taste...) --[[User:Jeysie|Jeysie]] 13:47, 11 February 2010 (EST)

== RE: Divebomb ==
Hup, my bad. Thanks for catching that! [[User:Ayellowbirds|Ayellowbirds]] 11:06, 22 February 2010 (EST)

== Red Alert image ==
Thanks for color correcting it, looks much better. My desktop bit the dust last week, and my netbook chokes on photoshop. [[User:Kookaburra|Kookaburra]] 01:22, 30 March 2010 (EDT)

==Mainpage logos==
I'm shocked you haven't put up BC Breakdown yet. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] 16:34, 8 April 2010 (EDT)
:I just put up *a* Breakdown. Really, I'd prefer to stick to art rather than toy images. Spark was an adrenaline rush exception. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 16:34, 8 April 2010 (EDT)

== I can't think of a suitable title to put here right now..... ==

[[Special:Log/block&page=User:Jeysie|This seems rather uncalled for.]]

Thank you for your attention. --[[User:-Blackout-|-Blackout-]] 13:38, 9 April 2010 (EDT)
: Maybe you should have brought it up during the twenty-four hours in which she was banned, and not like a few minutes before it expired. And it was certainly called for, considering the disrespect she was showing other users. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 14:15, 9 April 2010 (EDT)
::You called her a bitch. Was that not disrespectful as well? - [[User:Semysane|Semysane]] 16:43, 9 April 2010 (EDT)
:::I think that was just me making an obvious point about her having talk page conversations ''entirely about other posters''. As usual, I make my points through sarcasm. Jeysie wasn't being sarcastic or trying to illustrate a greater point when she told me to stop "mouthing off." --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 17:21, 9 April 2010 (EDT)
:::I'm not upset about being banned. What I am upset about is that the reason it's so irritating trying to have a conversation with you is that you are constantly responding to people trying to make reasonable points with mocking rude responses, often ones that illustrate that the point was missed. So, I don't like ''your'' disrespectful attitude any more than you like mine.
:::Considering you actually make good points on the few occasions you turn off the mocking attitude and take the time to understand the points being made, it'd make dealing with you a whole lot less frustrating if you'd keep the attitude turned off all the time. --[[User:Jeysie|Jeysie]] 16:57, 9 April 2010 (EDT)
::::Ahahaha Jeysie is telling me to stop having a mocking attitude! I will mark that on my Jeysie-is-condescending calendar OH WAIT THERE IS NO ROOM --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 17:21, 9 April 2010 (EDT)
:::::Can we stop this? Both of you? You're both highly devoted editors to this wiki and we don't need a long lasting feud. Pretty Please? --[[User:Bluestreak7|Bluestreak7]] 17:28, 9 April 2010 (EDT)
::::::The kids don't like it when mommy and daddy fight.... --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] 17:36, 9 April 2010 (EDT)
::::::Seconded. This is time and energy better spent on working on articles, and I've seen enough from both of you to know that it would benefit the wiki greatly if you did that. -- [[User:Ayellowbirds|Ayellowbirds]] 17:40, 9 April 2010 (EDT)
:::::::If Walky drops the attitude problem, there won't ''be'' a feud, because I'll have nothing to comment on to him, which will make me very happy.
:::::::The only reason I say anything at all is because I'm tired of his attitude always making trying to discuss something on the wiki a stressful chore instead of something productive. --[[User:Jeysie|Jeysie]] 17:44, 9 April 2010 (EDT)
::::::::This is silly. --[[User:NCZ|NCZ]] 17:48, 9 April 2010 (EDT)
:::::::::Response to Walky: Maybe you're not aware, but I am on a different continent than you are. Different continent = different time zone = inability to respond at the same time as you Americans. And don't even TRY to shift the blame. --[[User:-Blackout-|-Blackout-]] 05:07, 10 April 2010 (EDT)

==New bot==
Can I get a bot tag for [[User:DNAVI]] please? abates said you were the man for the job. - [[User:Magnus Maximus|Magnus Maximus]] 02:25, 15 April 2010 (EDT)

== Regarding TG Studios and the guy you banned ==

[[Talk:TG Studios|You may want to check this out.]] --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 14:33, 29 April 2010 (EDT)

Can you make Timelines sharkticon on wirte and put on a image ?

== Squiggles! ==

If by "squiggles", you mean "Japanese", toss me a copy of that translation, eh, my fine fellow? For the annotations, don'tcha know! :) - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] 10:30, 5 July 2010 (EDT)
: In the filecard for Primal Major and Alpha Supreme, Maggie translated the two non-English characters at the end of it, which mean "Shanghai." That's all she's done (per my specific request), so I don't have anything else to tell you. :) --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 10:35, 5 July 2010 (EDT)
::Ahh, that's still cool! I wouldn't have figured it out on my own! I have spotted at least one or two other bits of Japanese in there and was going to pester Spengler about them anyway. - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] 10:40, 5 July 2010 (EDT)

== King Starscream's bounty ==

So, do I get it if I turn myself in? - [[User:King Starscream|King Starscream]] 12:55, 2 August 2010 (EDT)

== Look! ==

You suck! Along with most of the other administartors on this wiki. I can't believe you treat people the way you do. I've been watching for a while, and I will tell you, that you're just an asshole! Why don't you grow up, and quit being a dick to everyone! Banning people for ridiculous reasons! Telling people their work is shit! In fact, I created this account just to confront you! GROW UP AND QUIT BEING A DICK! YOU"RE AN ASSHOLE! {{unsigned|Generations123|17:32, 11 August 2010 (EDT)}}
:The irony is staggering. --[[User:NCZ|NCZ]] 17:40, 11 August 2010 (EDT)
:: I think this guy deserves a Shortpacked! comic in his honor.--[[Special:Contributions/65.11.250.113|65.11.250.113]] 19:26, 29 August 2010 (EDT)

== My sandboxes ==

Hiya David, I was wondering if you will take a look at my improved Primes sandbox (not that I'm suggesting to retitle the article or anything, it's just the whim of my user space). I hadn't realized Marvel never uses the number 13, as it's been years since I read "Legacy of Unicron" or "Primal Scream", one takes these things for granted now. Also, regarding Alpha Trion, I finally have a response again to yesterday's chat, I feel we can compromise on this: the only thing bugging people about him being a multiversal singularity is SG. As you suggested, we should wait: we should wait to see if Forest or Hasbro explain his actions in that continuity or if multiversal singularities don't apply to mirrorverses like SG and that Alpha is truely unique from the original Prime who's more likely than not the one from G1/RID/UT/TA/ROTF/WFC. [[User:Alientraveller|Alientraveller]] 14:08, 12 August 2010 (EDT)

== Scan request ==

Since I can't find my copy of it at the minute, and since I know you had it out recent to scan that image of Rodimus Prime that's on the main page at the moment, might I trouble you to scan the panel from the third issue of the Marvel movie adaptation that features Hot Rod with a handful of energon sticks? On Junkion, when he's trying the universal greeting. Thanks! - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] 04:59, 30 September 2010 (EDT)

== Ultra Magnus ==

I think we need to rewrite the Dreamwave section. It's kind of old TFwiki there with the super-condensed summary and lack of links to individual issues. --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 16:04, 30 September 2010 (EDT)

== Daleks ==

Listen, if you want behind the scenes proof, When the Daleks first appeared in Doctor Who, they were called Daleks, Davros calling the casing Mark 3 Travel Machine never happed until the time of the Forth Doctor. The information on the page is WRONG.
[[User:LordDalek|LordDalek]] 16:19, 16 October 2010 (EDT)

Oh, and by the way, Davros if a Doctor Who character. Detour is giving us information from fiction too. The comment is wrong.[[User:LordDalek|LordDalek]] 16:22, 16 October 2010 (EDT)

== Something that might be of interest to the TFWiki... ==

I think you'll find [http://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/original-g1-scripts-designs-other-items-on-heritage-auction/20162/ this] to be rather interesting, as it may contain certain materials that would be decent additions to this Wiki. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] 19:39, 8 November 2010 (EST)
: Thanks. I took some screencaps where I could. We should tell [[Jim Sorenson]] these exist and maybe he has a million dollars. (Or maybe just a hundred. Not many bids on these, and who the hell even knows this auction site exists?) --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 22:33, 8 November 2010 (EST)
::That site had some of the live-action movie props being auctioned either last year or earlier this year, IIRC. --[[User:Lonegamer78|Lonegamer78]] 22:45, 8 November 2010 (EST)
:Should I/we let him know in his [[User talk:Jimsorenson|User Talk page]] about this? --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] 14:09, 9 November 2010 (EST)

==Question & request==
How come we should keep "Junkion trader"? I wouldn't know of a source that makes it a canon designation and before the article even had the noname-nickname template. So, why keep a made-up name that's no longer needed?
: Also, if you have ''The Complet Ark'', could you add an image of adult Chip Chase to his article? [[User:Geewunling|Geewunling]] 13:15, 14 November 2010 (EST)
:: Isn't "Junkion trader" from a magazine or something? I don't think we made it up. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 13:43, 14 November 2010 (EST)
:::I can't say anything about magazines (though I'd wonder which magazine would bother to mention such an obscure "character"), but mostly, Derik, who made the article, had it marked as "nickname" from the start and left a reason for naming Junkion 1 "Junkion trader" on the Omniverse talk page. Altogether, I think it's not canon in any capacity. [[User:Geewunling|Geewunling]] 13:49, 14 November 2010 (EST)
::::*clenches fist* ''Derik''!! --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 13:50, 14 November 2010 (EST)

==Another request (Junkion related)==
I figure that before I completely lose my sight looking for Junkion models in a sea of red & random, I should ensure someone will move the Junkion articles (currently 3) I've been writing to their proper location. Would you be so kind? If the articles aren't clear enough on which model/character is described, there's a small extra description in the mainpic temapltes (that I just figured out don't show up on the actual page). Pretty please? [[User:Geewunling|Geewunling]] 12:40, 17 November 2010 (EST)
: I don't own the Complete Ark, so it will have to wait for someone to divulge that information. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 15:49, 17 November 2010 (EST)
:: :( Well, I guess I could try pestering Sorenson about it. Sorry for bothering you. [[User:Geewunling|Geewunling]] 15:55, 17 November 2010 (EST)
::: I have the Complete Ark, but I'm finding your descriptions a little vague. I think I'd need screen shots or comic panels or whatever to work out who you're talking about. - [[User:Cattleprod|Cattleprod]] 17:06, 17 November 2010 (EST)
::::As I said, the mainpic template contains a "screenshot description" that should make it possible to track who is who. Otherwise, [[:Image:TFTM Junkions.JPG|the three most in front in order are: kisser, double-eye and mouthplate]]. [[User:Geewunling|Geewunling]] 17:09, 17 November 2010 (EST)

== Talk:Bulkhead (Prime) ==

But every other kind of comment is allowed including swearing. The whole point of discussion pages is to discuss despite whether you think it's a waste. If it was in the wrong place then you should have said. -- [[User:Anythingspossibleforapossible|Anythingspossibleforapossible]] 09:46, 29 November 2010 (EST)
: "He looks kind of purple when he's under certain lighting" is not something that's worth discussing. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 11:43, 29 November 2010 (EST)
Or is it? [[User talk:Top Shots]]

== This might silence those who question the WFC/Exodus/Prime continuity ==

We finally have [http://www.unicron.com/news_item/2462/ official word] straight from the mouth of Hasbro itself that War for Cybertron, Exodus, and Prime are indeed in the same aligned continuity. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] 16:16, 8 December 2010 (EST)
:So... exactly what we had BEFORE. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] 16:24, 8 December 2010 (EST)
::Yeah, but, now we can point nonbelievers to the words directly, instead of them having to just take our word for it. --[[User:Sabrblade|Sabrblade]] 16:33, 8 December 2010 (EST)
:::So... exactly what we had BEFORE. --[[User:M Sipher|M Sipher]] 16:39, 8 December 2010 (EST)
:::On this very wiki: [[Hasbro_Q%26A/September_2010:_Answers]] --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 18:06, 8 December 2010 (EST)

== I Am Sorry ==

Hey look, I am here to apologize for the crap I have been saying. I was acting like a jerk for a while to you and It has really been haunting me recently. I know I need to work on my grammer, and I actually shouldn't posting anything since I am only in my second year in High School, and to be honest, I have only been a fan of TF for 9 years. I have really been a jerk recently and I just want to have a clean start now. I hope you understand. I am sorry, in other words, for all the crap I put you and this sight through.[[User:LordDalek|LordDalek]] 14:02, 22 December 2010 (EST)

== Walky..... ==
Care to tell me why you have blocked my IP? --[[User:-Blackout-|-Blackout-]] 06:11, 23 January 2011 (EST)
:ItsWalky blocked your IP because of that Goldbug (IDW) toy deal of a few days ago. He may not have realized you were a regular contributor, but regardless, you should've started a third/fourth debate rather than declare the first two void because their results don't strike with your view on "reality". [[User:Geewunling|Geewunling]] 06:20, 23 January 2011 (EST)
:: I blocked the anonymous IP who got into the edit war over removing Goldbug's toy info, which was just fucking obnoxious. If that was you, then whoops. Don't be a dickwad. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 09:16, 23 January 2011 (EST)

== You have Lugnut? ==

I've heard about you reviewing him, did you obtain him at a Brick & Mortar store like Walmart or Target? If so, which one (so the hunt may go on). Or was it through eBay/"specialty" store, or overseas? Moreso I'm wondering if the "not yet released" tag should still be applied to the Hasbro version on [[Lugnut (TF 2010)|his page]]. [[User:Karhukjnsi|Karhukjnsi]] 23:28, 11 February 2011 (EST)
: I got him from Big Bad Toy Store. He has been seen in stores, but like many other toys these days, he's having trouble hitting saturation. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 07:45, 12 February 2011 (EST)

==Aw look==

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Articles_for_deletion/David_Willis_(cartoonist)_(2nd_nomination) Your Wikipedia page is up for deletion].

-Blackout-
:Yeah, a nomination you started. Big effing whup. --[[User:Detour|Detour]] 04:04, 9 March 2011 (EST)
::Which is why it got a SpeedyKeep and the deletion tag is already gone. Nice try. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 11:52, 9 March 2011 (EST)

== Generations Scourge ==

Ohhh, yes, I see now. I didn't realise that his head could extend so far up. I thought it was just the normal extension for his robot mode. Bit of a pain to push back down, though...

Anyway, I apologise.

[[Special:Contributions/24.143.42.51|24.143.42.51]] 16:40, 26 March 2011 (EDT)

== Thanks! ==

Thank you for backing me up on the bolded-comma issue. I knew all those things people said about you couldn't be true! [[User:JW|JW]] 16:24, 21 April 2011 (EDT)

Thank for letting me know about the talk page deal. [[User:Top Shots]]

==A week?==
Don't you think that's a bit long for a regular editor to be banned? Far as I can tell, he didn't even get a warning. [[User:Geewunling|Geewunling]] 12:58, 29 April 2011 (EDT)
: It's not his first week-long ban. And he's been warned (and banned) about this behavior before. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 13:07, 29 April 2011 (EDT)
::Don't you think that's a bit short since that's about the only thing he does? --[[User:FortMax|FortMax]] 13:11, 29 April 2011 (EDT)

==Iacon Archives==
Looking through the history of "Laserbeak (Cybertron)" and "Revelations Part 3", I see you were the one who called the archives the 'Iacon Archives'. Where did you get this name from, as it is not in the comics? [[User:Geewunling|Geewunling]] 17:45, 20 May 2011 (EDT)
: The archives appeared to be in Iacon. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 18:17, 20 May 2011 (EDT)
:: Could you elaborate on "appeared"? [[User:Geewunling|Geewunling]] 03:02, 21 May 2011 (EDT)
::: Everything in the story happened in Iacon. Or under Iacon. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 10:43, 21 May 2011 (EDT)
:::: Not really, since Vector Prime and co. first hang out at Kalis and Kaon also gets namedropped at some point. So... I guess that means the Archives' location can't be pinpointend any better than "somewhere on Cybertron". Thanks for helping me! [[User:Geewunling|Geewunling]] 16:14, 21 May 2011 (EDT)

==New User==
There I did everything you said also I don't know how to use user pages so I hope i'm doing this right.[[User:Chubzhac|Chubzhac]] 23:35, 20 May 2011 (EDT)

==External Links==
Is it ok to use external links for titles such as ''Star Trek: Leonard McCoy, Frontier Doctor''? -- [[User:Anythingspossibleforapossible|Anythingspossibleforapossible]] 00:15, 31 May 2011 (EDT)
: In what context? I'd really rather prefer most external links remain in the External links section. I kinda hate when I click on a link in the body of an article, thinking there'll be something relevant on this site, only to be taken elsewhere. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 00:16, 31 May 2011 (EDT)
::That's a little contradictory since there are external links all over this site that isn't in the External Links section. So what specifically don't you like about it? Being misled into thinking you're going onto Lindsey Lohan's Wikipedia article, but instead go to Mandy Moore's? (or something like that) What I meant exactly was that in almost every issue's page there's an Advertisment section showing what else is from the same publisher (that's why I used ''Star Trek'' as an example). So could some of those advertisments have an external link to another wiki site that would specialise (or have more insight) in that particular title. I hope that was a little more straight foward and maybe a little easier to understand. -- [[User:Anythingspossibleforapossible|Anythingspossibleforapossible]] 13:16, 1 July 2011 (EDT)

== Probation appeal ==

So, the incident that led to my probation was proposing that [[Dead End (Animated)]] move to "Dead End (Timelines)" on the basis that that was his franchise-of-origin. I brought the issue up on the Allspark's "Major Wiki work" thread because I had no idea why it was reverted and I couldn't talk about it here (because of the probation thing). [http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=51208&view=findpost&p=1825571 The conclusion seemed to be] that I was ''technically'' correct, but the Wiki just didn't want to do it that way.
{{quote|The idea of moving the BotCon-exclusive Animated characters to a "Timelines" disambig is just one of those occasional instances where the instruction to "[[Help:Ignore all standards|ignore all standards]]" comes into play. Sometimes, it's just easier, more aesthetically pleasing, or just feels RIGHT to do things a certain way that may not be the way everything else is done.|[[Chris McFeely]]}}
I went about everything the right way, as far as I know. I put one move proposal tag on one page so it could be talked about. I gave a technically correct reason, "Franchise of origin. Like [[Cop-Tur (G1)|Cop-Tur (Timelines)]]". I do my best to remember to not do what I have been hollered at for doing in the past, but seriously, I had no way of knowing I was stepping into an instance of "ignore all standards". All you really had to do was revert my one move proposal with a big "We are ignoring all standards you moron!" in the change log. You would have felt better for hollering at me and I would have been clued in on what was going on and that would have been the end of it. So, can I please have my probation lifted? - [[User:Starfield|Starfield]] 18:59, 12 June 2011 (EDT)

==When the past comes to haunt you==
[[Vector Sigma Chamber]] - I have no clue how it could be written so that it's significantly different from the Vector Sigma page. You've stated you believe it could be an article with its own worth. If you have time, would you please give the page its long needed update? 
Meanwhile, I have never been able to track down the source that the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'' is Shockwave's underwater base in the Marvel comics. You and Derik talked about the source being one of the letters pages, but would you have any idea which issue's letters page? 
As an aside, [[TFWiki.net 2011 Transformers Hall of Fame Auditions/Entries|this page]] is locked, which would be all fine and stuff if not for the handful of article links that can not be fixed anymore. Could you please remove all of them? [[User:Geewunling|Geewunling]] 02:32, 15 June 2011 (EDT)

== New and ticked off ==

I'm new here. I have taken your suggestions into account, but there is one thing that still bothers me: no one else wants to help me. Can you lend a hand? --[[User:Ibreakthingz|The Breaker]] 19:24, 15 June 2011 (EDT)
:Nope - Random IP number
::What do you need help with? --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 12:54, 20 June 2011 (EDT)
Let me tell you, I am SUPER excited to help the guy who starts off by telling me he's ticked off. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 13:03, 20 June 2011 (EDT)

== Oh man, sorry ==
I don't see any comments, only some guy asking about how the info and description of Cybertron should be. Sorry about the confusion. I actually don't think that I ever reverted it back O.o I don't remember that, I must have clicked on some wrong place or something. Again, sorry fellow Transformer-fan :) [[User:Luka1184|Luka1184]] 11:15, 29 June 2011 (EDT)

== Dark of the Moon: Ship? ==

What exactly did they use to explore the moon then? Just wondering, thanks. [[User:Autow1ngz|Autow1ngz]] 02:22, 5 July 2011 (EDT)
: The novelization calls the ship Ratchet and Optimus Prime take to the moon the "Atlax X," a human-built craft. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 02:45, 5 July 2011 (EDT)
:Whoops, what I meant to say was what did Optimus and Ratchet use to recover the comatose (boy I love that word after seeing it on Tfwiki) body of Sentinel? [[User:Autow1ngz|Autow1ngz]] 03:00, 5 July 2011 (EDT)
::No, in the finished film, they ''do'' use the Xantium to go to the moon. Prime announces in a voiceover at the beginning of the scene, "Xantium approaching Tranquility base". - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] 05:42, 5 July 2011 (EDT)
:::It feels weird, then, that they only really introduce the ship much later in the movie.--[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 10:34, 5 July 2011 (EDT)
::::Quite agreed. Seems fairly obvious that it was originally going to be a human-built endeavour (it's the "Ares V" in the comic), but then someone said "Why do they need a human rocket if our script already features a pre-existing Autobot spaceship as a plot point?", and it got shoved in earlier without any real reworking of the later intro scene. - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] 11:38, 5 July 2011 (EDT)

== Evac (Prime) ==

At SDCC announced two new figures for a character called Evac, from the Prime franchise, should we wait until he makes an appearance in the show to create his own article? --[[User:Metroplex|Metroplex]] 20:58, 23 July 2011 (EDT)
:Remember, one doesn't have to appear in the show to get a toy. -- [[User:SFH|SFH]] 21:03, 23 July 2011 (EDT)
::I could have sworn that Evac was supposed to be a character for the new Transformers ride...[[Special:Contributions/98.209.73.178|98.209.73.178]] 21:28, 23 July 2011 (EDT)
:::He's not from Prime, correct. He's a new character created for the movie-based Transformers ride at Universal. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 22:23, 23 July 2011 (EDT)

== I need to tell you something. ==

Hi. There's something that I've been feeling a bit guilty about for a long time. You see, on a different account (which I will reveal the name of after you respond to make sure there are no hard feelings) I was quite rude. I was irrational, confused and upset. Afterwards, I left this site in guilt, and ashamed because I wasn't thinking rationally a few times while on my account. Do you think you can maybe accept my apology for my actions, because I feel like a horrible person for the silly things I brought up and got into. Would you please accept my apology? If you can't, well, that's okay too. If you don't get this, well, I just wanted to say I'm sorry for being such a horrible person on such a good website. :(
[[Special:Contributions/74.82.64.16|74.82.64.16]] 15:27, 28 July 2011 (EDT)

== Guilt ==

Sorry, I was thinking about my previous heading "I need to tell you something" and I reliezed that although I ment it in a kind way, I thought it's possible that you could believe that to mean that I had some cruel things to say, which I did not. The message is still the same though! If it means anything, I would like to say you can be sure nothing like that could happen again with me.
[[Special:Contributions/74.82.64.17|74.82.64.17]] 16:05, 28 July 2011 (EDT)
: I don't know who you are, but I guess we're all right. It's hard to refuse an apology from an anonymous dude. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 14:12, 29 July 2011 (EDT)

== Harrison Ford ==

Was it rude? Horrifying even? Why did you undo my edit? An external reference isn't to much to ask for. Is it? -- [[User:Anythingspossibleforapossible|Anythingspossibleforapossible]] 19:39, 13 October 2011 (EDT)
: I addressed this on the talk page. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 19:55, 13 October 2011 (EDT)

== Files on user pages ==

I removed the images from my user page because of fair use, but nobody had removed them in the meantime because of this. So did I do right by taking them off or can I put them back? -- [[User:Anythingspossibleforapossible|Anythingspossibleforapossible]] 19:46, 23 October 2011 (EDT)
: I don't really understand what you're asking. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 23:35, 23 October 2011 (EDT)
::Let's try this again. On another wiki I added a pic to [http://youngjustice.wikia.com/index.php?title=User:Anythingspossibleforapossible&oldid=39022 my user page] and it was [http://youngjustice.wikia.com/index.php?title=User:Anythingspossibleforapossible&action=history removed]. [http://youngjustice.wikia.com/wiki/User_talk:Thailog#Using files on your own user page This is the reply I got when I inquired further]. If you still don't understand I'll just put them back. -- [[User:Anythingspossibleforapossible|Anythingspossibleforapossible]] 18:11, 24 October 2011 (EDT)
:::Over here, you're allowed to upload one pic specifically for your userpage. On top of that, from what I gather, you can add other pics that already exist for article, but obviously don't go overboard. Hope that helps! --[[User:Detour|Detour]] 18:10, 24 October 2011 (EDT)
:::::Thank you. -- [[User:Anythingspossibleforapossible|Anythingspossibleforapossible]] 18:11, 24 October 2011 (EDT)

== I noticed the BotCon Europe 2002 talk page ==

[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Selective_deletion]

Just being helpful. :) --[[User:Krafty|K-K-Krafty!]] 10:22, 11 November 2011 (EST)

== About the caption bastard template... ==

I do not understand why you added that (mean-spirited) template. It's only two captions, and if you looked at my contributions, you would have noticed that I added a lot of information. I thought captions were supposed to be a reward for all that work. Adding a twist on an overused joke is at least an attempt to make it fresh, rather than stating some variation of "this joke sucks now", which is ''just'' as overused as plainly using an overused joke. [[User:Inkblot|Inkblot]] 19:41, 6 January 2012 (EST)
: I apologize for using the template. I was going to write a more personal note, but remembered we had the template, forgetting how sharply worded it was. You have not been a bad editor. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 20:42, 6 January 2012 (EST)

==A massive favour to ask==
Ive just started getting into your webcomics (im up to date on shortpacked and it wasnt until this morning i realised about you're earlier ones) but i have a huge favour to ask of you. I am currntly stuck with this stupid school laptop for a home computer which includes a school blocking system. While Shortpacked and Joyce and Walky sites are unaffected when i try to open dumbing of age it comes up with
[[Image:Examplepagetoshowwalky.jpg|left|500px|thumb|]]
Is there anyway you could perhaps email me copies of the files for each update + all the ones so far. I can understand if you say no but i though there was no harm in asking--[[User:Mrgalvaprime|Mrgalvaprime]] 06:15, 17 January 2012 (EST)
: I'm sorry, but I cannot email you all my comics. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 22:12, 1 March 2012 (EST)
Oh well, it was a long shot anyway--[[User:Mrgalvaprime|Mrgalvaprime]] 03:47, 30 May 2012 (EDT)
{{-}}

== Prime toys ==

You wouldn't happen to know when exactly the ''Transformers: Prime'' toys are scheduled to be released, would you?[[Special:Contributions/71.255.172.244|71.255.172.244]] 19:59, 1 March 2012 (EST)
: Transformers toys that aren't the first wave of product for a blockbuster movie don't tend to have release dates. Stores will receive them and put them out at some point after that. So I have no date for you. However, I've seen them out at some stores here for weeks, so the answer is "some time in the past, perhaps now, perhaps not until the future." --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 20:10, 1 March 2012 (EST)
I haven't seen any toys in the stores, but thanks anyway.[[Special:Contributions/71.255.172.244|71.255.172.244]] 21:44, 1 March 2012 (EST)

The other convention-exclusive pink Arcee figure, they are availible on the web. How would I be able to get it without getting lead into a scam. I was hoping you or someone on this wiki would know how I would be able to get that toy. I didn't go to the convention.[[Special:Contributions/71.162.106.122|71.162.106.122]] 19:24, 4 March 2012 (EST)
: http://www.hasbrotoyshop.com/transformers-prime-bumblebee-and-arcee-set?BR=496&ID=29273 --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 11:58, 5 March 2012 (EST)
::Wow! Only $29.99. Thanks.
:::On Ebay, it costs $80.00.

== what you said to me ==

i will make sure i learn more english when i go to school today
: Mostly I hope they teach you about capital letters and punctuation. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 02:02, 19 March 2012 (EDT)

It's kind of hard to do that all when you're using a wii like I am [[User:Jacktransformerdude|Jacktransformerdude]] 02:08, 19 March 2012 (EDT)
: If you're editing the wiki with something that makes it nigh-impossible to edit the wiki, you probably shouldn't edit the wiki. I've tried it on my cellphone before, and it's extremely difficult to get all of the various coding right, but if I can't edit the wiki correctly, I just don't edit the wiki. Leaving a bunch of stuff that has to be deleted or completely overhauled is worse than not contributing at all. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 13:54, 19 March 2012 (EDT)

== The Fallen/Megatronus Prime artwork ==

I wanted to have someone verify this before I uploaded it, but is [http://t4ak.roblox.com/daaf9f4eb9b33f115661eb4a7c849007 this] the concept art for the ''Aligned'' pre-Fallen version of Megatronus Prime, and if so is is usable? --[[User:King Starscream|King Starscream]] 15:23, 10 April 2012 (EDT)
: That's not exactly what we saw at Hasbro's panels. It's not in the same style. (It'd look more like the Aligned Prima art, which is way more painterly.) This looks like an artist's recreation from memory to me. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 17:07, 10 April 2012 (EDT)
::Thanks, just what I needed to know. Off to search again. --[[User:King Starscream|King Starscream]] 16:53, 11 April 2012 (EDT)
:::Pictures were not allowed of those guys. If you somehow manage to find one, we wouldn't be able to use it. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 21:15, 11 April 2012 (EDT)
::::Gotcha. Thanks anyway. --[[User:King Starscream|King Starscream]] 21:37, 17 April 2012 (EDT)

== Prime Hot Shot toy image ==

Not really sure why you replaced the photos that I already took for the toy with your own, (which are kind of faded, especially with the red) but whatever. Just kind of wondering why, though. Well, there go my efforts... :/ [[User:Inkblot|Inkblot]] 23:19, 7 May 2012 (EDT)
: M Sipher overwrote my Kick-Over photos. It happens. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 23:33, 7 May 2012 (EDT)

== Reno Wilson ==

If I sound impatient, I'm sorry, but I've explained the reasoning behind my edit to the Mudflap controversy several times over, and nobody has disagreed with me. A couple users explained what it's supposed to mean, but it turns out that it's based on an incorrect assumption to begin with. Both times that I've I changed it, though, the edit has been reverted without an explanation. If this is about my spate of edits to my own comments, then I'm sorry, but I'm just editing a minor note to be more factually accurate and less obtusely "snarky". How can I get it to stick? - [[User:Caswin|Caswin]] 17:00, 13 May 2012 (EDT)
: "Nobody has disagreed with me" is a pretty bold complaint, considering everyone on that talk page disagrees with you. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 18:08, 13 May 2012 (EDT)
::In my defense, that's a recent development. Nobody ''had'' disagreed with me when I wrote that. If anyone can prove me wrong or show that this is a special case, I'll shut up right now. However, while I understand if it became personal at some point, I have to admit I don't see the point in defending the wording of one note so closely to begin with, at least not unless it's funnier than I thought. - [[User:Caswin|Caswin]] 18:12, 13 May 2012 (EDT)
:::"Prove me wrong" is a red herring. The entire discussion is a "Yeah-huh"/"Nuh-uh" dynamic. You didn't understand the joke. Everyone else did. There's nothing left to prove or discuss. Please, please, please move on to something else. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 20:31, 13 May 2012 (EDT)

==IDW==
Ok. Fine but can you edit Ratchet then if I do my edits too long because I've been on it for quite awhile. Ed

==IDW Whirl==
Hi there, I'm not sure how else to get in touch with you.
Please don't include speculative conclusions to the Wiki. All that was written in MTMTE #6 regarding Whirl is that he was at one point an instructor, and that he changed his names a few times. Until it has been confirmed that Whirl IS or is not Jetstream, please don't state as such. (apple pie)
: I don't think you grasp the difference between speculative conclusions and the Whirl/Jetstream deal. Don't mess with those pages again. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 16:03, 27 June 2012 (EDT)

===Nightracer Changes===
I got a note from you and am not sure the proper method for messaging or response to you, so I'll just say it here? You needn't have so drastically changed both entries for Nightracer. I deliberately created a new page for the cloned Nightracer so once more was known about both, they could both be altered accordingly. You seemed to edit both pages until they were to YOUR liking, rather than letting them evolve as needs be. Really, you created a lot of work for yourself, so please don't get upset and send me condescending messages when you could have simply fixed the new entry, and let me know how they work. It's not exactly easy to find instructions on how to "discuss" things, so assuming you know EXACTLY how everything should work and then talking down to a newer user doesn't really make you look very good.
: YOU needn't have so drastically changed Nightracer's entries. That is my problem. I am trying to revert. As a new user, when you make many many changes to a page, to the point of moving the page itself, without asking about it first, I don't think you have a lot of room to get mad at someone else changing it a whole bunch to put it mostly back the way it was. Next time, ask. Certainly, at least, until you have a better grasp of how the wiki organizes information. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 10:08, 7 September 2012 (EDT)

==Reverting All My Edits==
Okay, so maybe I should quit adding captions. But why do you keep undoing my major edits to character bio pages too? Okay, it shouldn't be an essay. But this is a Wikipedia, and it's the Transformers Wikipedia to boot; people come here for specific information. On Transformers.
[[User:Harley Quinn hyenaholic|Harley Quinn hyenaholic]] 10:49, 21 September 2012 (EDT)
: You are not adding specific information. You are saying in fifteen paragraphs what the page is already saying in three paragraphs. It is not only unnecessary, but makes the page worse. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 10:52, 21 September 2012 (EDT)

==Secretary joke==
:I have no problem with acknowledging Arcee's less intense role in HM (note: I have yet to see about half of HM, so as for HM context I hardly have anything to say), but I question what is the joke's target: The Headmasters's writing... or secretaries and Japanese people? It's not just that joke, it's that this wiki has a small web of jokes and remarks relating to Arcee's job change that go beyond fair critique and into, well, bigotry. I'm trying to imagine how the way the wiki trashes on Arcee's job change must read to someone who is a secretary. As the child of a (once) secretary, I do see it as an attack on the job itself. You can't really deny that - just look at the image description I've changed that felt the need to specify the job warrior with "brave" as if being a secretary means you can't be brave (if this is HM context, it fails to specify that). Airazor's page used to have the same problem in her writeup about her gender in Japan. This also makes the joke gendered, given the usual associations of who does which job contrasted with the idea which job deserves more appreciation. For the other element of the joke that bugs me, I invite a look at BW Blackarachnia's note section. There's one at best humorous, at worst neutral treatment of an absolutely disgusting post on Blackarachnia's design process. The next note about Blackarachnia in Japan is written with much more condemnation while failing to convince me I'm reading about something worse than the previous note. And then there's that eternal remark about Arcee in HM again that again fails to offer a proper and coherent story rather than inside-crowd cover-aggression. I could also talk about the 'joke' showing up on TFA Arcee's page, which is kinda bull considering TFA had a bad-to-horrendous treatment of most of its female cast, Arcee included, but that's not commented on. No, what is commented on is a lesser worse treatment of G1 Arcee decennia ago in that awful country known as Japan.
:That's why I want the joke changed. Not because the wiki shouldn't talk about the job change and sexist/gender stereotypical script motivations, but because I don't think a small cover-aggressive caption will be enough to do that without being sexist itself. And in the context of the entire wiki, because I feel critique on Japanese writing is handled considerably bolder than critique on American writing.
:All that said, I'm taking a step aside from the above to thank you for the Arcee captions you've added. They're a great addition to her article. [[User:Geewunling|Geewunling]] 07:09, 26 September 2012 (EDT)
::I've yet to be convinced that you can tell the difference between making fun of bigotry and bigotry itself. You seem to constantly believe one is the other, and suggest that just dealing with the subject directly is embracing it. To that I say bullshit, and that's stupid. You're not going to win that argument. Making fun of stupid Transformers crap is what this wiki does, and "historically bad treatment of female characters" is not magically exempt from that.
:: The way to fix this is not to dial back on the criticism of stupid crap. If there are things you think we should lampshade but we are not, by all means, fix that. Animated Arcee already has a caption on her page talking about how she's just a prop. I added one to G1 Arcee's page last night about her less-than-stellar introduction into IDW continuity. (Both those are English fictions, btw.)
:: The "In Japan, I'm a secretary!" is a caption that is as old as her page, and originally belonged to a screencap from her then-only appearance in which her leg had gotten blown off in the line of duty. I don't think it's appropriate for the stock image for which it has substituted and could stand to be changed to match the image better. But if you're going to level the pretty incendiary charge of "bigotry," I think you could at least meet that serious charge with the footwork to determine the source and context of the content you're leveling the claim at. Again, this is part of my concern that you assume the worst of others' intentions without first attempting to understand them. Is a caption "bigotry" when it merely survived an earlier version of the page from a time when Animated Arcee didn't have the history she does now? Or do you just like throwing that damn word around because it's easy? --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 11:34, 26 September 2012 (EDT)
:::You know what I don't get? That I can't simply say "this caption makes me uncomfortable" and that that is enough reason to change it (I could also add to that "these captions have ''always'' made me uncomfortable but I've been too scared and confused to do something about most of them earlier"). Also I don't get why you keep making this as if I am attacking individuals. The only reason I contacted you and M Sipher is because you both returned something that makes me uncomfortable and rather than start an edit war with an admin or two because I'd like to get a few things done before ever getting banned, I'm trying to talk this over. Yes, I'm using words as "bigotry" and "sexism", because I don't think they're big words that should be reserved for the most extreme, clearly visible of cases. The moment it plays into a system (that makes the extreme cases possible), it qualifies. But I don't call ''anyone'' any of those words, because I don't believe these jokes/critiques are bad on their own, but bad in a system, and I don't hold anyone of this wiki responsible for that system. Why I don't look up histories of page jokes/remarks - I'm not interested in who put it there and the reasons for it aren't really important either. All I'm concerned about is what is there now and how it connects with other such comments all over the wiki. Individual excuses are just going to cloud the systematic problem's presence.
:::And believe me, it's ''not'' easy using those words, because they're words that are likely to cause unwarranted defensiveness that blocks out the entire function of those words of pointing out systematic problems. If I'd go for easy, I'd be ass-kissing my way into your good graces right now.
:::I hope you'll excuse me that I'll give a specific reply to "I've yet to be convinced that you can tell the difference between making fun of bigotry and bigotry itself. You seem to constantly believe one is the other, and suggest that just dealing with the subject directly is embracing it." (only). There's two things I know of that are important in this, and those are all needed: that ironic sexism ís a form of sexism and that femmephobia is a terrible way of 'battling' sexism. That indeed puts a number of jokes and remarks around here in the same vein of bad as what they try to criticize. Call it a 'belief' if you want to, I'll keep calling it 'What is Sexism 101'. And lastly, it's nonsense that a caption can 'deal with a subject directly'. Nearly all captions rely on background knowledge, but do not provide it themselves. That's why a number of them criticizing content fail. Notes and elaborate sections tend to provide better 'deal with a subject directly'-stuff, but they're rare.
:::The thing is that I'd love to rewrite/write about some of the problematic content and 'deal with the subject directly' but I sincerely doubt that it would be appreciated. There was, for example, the matter of Override Prime's Primehood about a year ago that did not go down well. [[User:Geewunling|Geewunling]] 17:36, 26 September 2012 (EDT)
::::The problem is that you have a definition of "femmephobia" that others do not share, and so your claims of it aren't getting any traction. I still can't comprehend how pointing out that Arcee's function in America is "Warrior" but her function in Japan is "Go-fer" is in any way being hateful of ladies. Hear me out: I in no way want to diminish your feelings on a topic that you have a inside take on. As a female, you will always have a better understanding of the experience, and as dudes the best we can do is listen and understand. However, the problem is ''you are just one female.'' You don't represent all of them. I've been doing webcomics about ladies and gay folks for forever, and if there's anything I've learned over and over again it's that nobody agrees on what's offensive or sexist or bigoted. I've gotten yelled for jokes being construed as insensitive by a minority, while simultaneously a bunch of other folks from that same minority saying that other guy or gal is wrong and it was fine. If commentary could be vetoed by one person who didn't like it, there wouldn't be any commentary ever. And so while your word carries more weight on this topic due to circumstance of birth, your word will not always be Final. It can't work that way.
::::You can make a plea for why that caption is dumb, and if others agree we can certainly yank it out, but other people can outvote you. This wiki is a collaborative project and no one person can veto the decisions of the community, lest I remind you that we don't have an all-encompassing Sideways page. Your best course of action is to find others who agree with you and get them involved here. I bet you that on this topic the wiki would be willing to listen to a vocal minority (that is, consisting of more than one person). --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 19:37, 26 September 2012 (EDT)
::::At any rate, I've asked around: http://itswalky.tumblr.com/post/32361010306/a-question-to-the-ladies-who-follow-me-so (I want to emphasize through this exercise that while I may not agree with your take, I do take it seriously.) --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 20:17, 26 September 2012 (EDT)
:::::Oh, I am familiar with your work and the controversies it causes. If I recall correctly, it was one of your comics that introduced me to the term "ableism". Came in handy when the D-drama in the MLP: Friendship is Magic fandom started.
:::::I am also well-aware I am not the chosen representative of all of womanhood, nor did I present myself as such. I very much appreciate you asking others for their opinions, even though I didn't have to look to know what the general attitude would be. It's commendable you took the time to do this for me. Thank you.
:::::That said, you unintentionally brought up another possible 'both be happy'-solution for this matter that doesn't require too much change I think. I don't know much about Arcee's role in HM, as said already, but if her role is so small that her job can be described as "gofer", then all I request is that word to be used on the wiki instead of "secretary" for me to be, well, a lot more okay with the situation, and definitely the caption. Would that be possible (I accept 'no')? [[User:Geewunling|Geewunling]] 14:05, 27 September 2012 (EDT)
::::::"Go-fer" is fine. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 14:43, 27 September 2012 (EDT)

== Question ==
Alright, I probably seem like a little kid for asking this, but how do you think I did on the ''[[Transformers: Prime - The Game|Prime - The Game]]'' page? -- [[User:Spydersix|spyder]][[User Talk:Spydersix|Use this!]] 08:19, 31 October 2012 (EDT)

== "Home in" ==

I don't understand how the merriam link disagrees with jalaguy; it specifically gives "a missile honing in on its target — Bob Greene" as an example.[[User:KrytenKoro|KrytenKoro]] 16:01, 27 November 2012 (EST)
: Yes, it gives examples of usage, but then spends a whole paragraph belaboring how it shouldn't be used. The page defines it, but then tells you not to use it. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 22:34, 27 November 2012 (EST)
:: I hadn't expected to start a mini-edit war with that note. Thanks for the support! [[User:JW|JW]] 10:35, 28 November 2012 (EST)

== Predacon bird ==

I Looked it up and can't find anything on the Predacon bird from Car Robots. Can you please tell me where I can find the picture of the Predacon bird?[[User:Transfan 1992|Transfan 1992]] 19:50, 9 December 2012 (EST)
: I seriously have no idea what the hell you are talking about. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 20:25, 10 December 2012 (EST)
::He seems to be talking about some random shot cut from an [[The Decepticons|RID episode]]... [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] 20:29, 10 December 2012 (EST)
:::Then I am of no help. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 01:21, 11 December 2012 (EST)

== NOOOOO.jpg ==

: [[User:SanityOrMadness|SanityOrMadness]] has had [tfwiki.net/wiki/File:NOOOOO.jpg this] marked to be moved since May. No one's done so, so I'd like to see if I you'd approve of the move?--[[User:Spin-Out|Spin-Out]] 18:29, 27 July 2013 (EDT)

== Question. ==

EDIT-Thank you.[[User:Escargon|Escargon]] 17:06, 19 August 2013 (EDT)

== Apologies ==

Hey ItsWalky,

Just saw your message. Just got rid of the link. Sorry about that.

I didn't mean to break any rules, I just wanted to know what to do with the info.

--[[User:Dean3|Dean3]] 01:00, 17 September 2013 (EDT)

Wait until it airs? Which is why the Predacons Rising page is LOCKED? --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 01:02, 17 September 2013 (EDT)

Will do. Thanks again for the info. Also, as a side note, that's an ''awesome'' profile image you've got on your page. Plus your art is awesome too; just checked your blog page. --[[User:Dean3|Dean3]] 02:48, 17 September 2013 (EDT)

== Possible Second Alt Mode.... ==

Does perceptor in fall of cybertron transform into a microscope?
[[User:Hyruk]]
: I dunno, maybe read [[Perceptor (Prime)|Perceptor]]'s page to find out. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] 17:40, 1 November 2013 (EDT)

== Recordicons 16 ==

Are the guys in the background besides Injector meant to be anybody? [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 16:23, 26 February 2014 (EST)
: The only other real background guy is Ravage. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] ([[User talk:ItsWalky|talk]]) 16:50, 26 February 2014 (EST)
: Though the robot in the extreme foreground is [[:File:Maccadams bartender marvel uk 82.jpg|this person]] --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] ([[User talk:ItsWalky|talk]]) 16:52, 26 February 2014 (EST)

== Dark Cybertron ==

Hi Walky,
Can I ask why exactly my edits to DC #11 are just NO? They're perfectly valid points;
1) Prowl did remove the head from Powlistator in RID, and seeing though he hated it, had no reason to fix it back onto himself. So the combined mode SHOULD have no head in that issue.
2) Brainstorm HAS been dead all this time, and as it was established all the way back in the -Ations, anybody who has can't die again. He should not have been affected by the kill switch.
Looking forward to finding out just WHY I am incorrect,
-Drift
:The Brainstorm thing will OBVIOUSLY be explained later. Like, super-obviously. It is not an error. It's what Roberts DOES. It's been planned for YEARS. And if the Prowl head actually belongs to Prowl, he sure doesn't seem to be missing any mass. I mean, that head must be made out of some parts of him, right? So it either belongs to one of the other Constructicons or the creation of the altmode kibble is magical -- in either case, it's not an error. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] ([[User talk:ItsWalky|talk]]) 15:12, 24 March 2014 (EDT)
:: I tweeted Roberts about it as soon as it came out. Normally when it's going to be explained in a few issues he sort of gives a sly wink nod tweet back, and he didn't say anything, making me think that for once he didn't think about that. Also, if you look, Prowl HAS lost mass between the first time Griffith drew him and the times he has in DC. Even if he hasn't that would be an artist error, which doesn't change to fact it HAS happened. Even if it did come from a Constructicon, they too haven't had the time to fix that either as they left Iacon, meaning they wouldn't have had time to have it re-attached and I doubt it would have been high up their priorities. I'd possibly give you Brainstorm, but I think you're wrong about Devastator.{{unsigned|Drift1998}}
::: If the Devastator head thing must be mentioned, I would put it in notes. I don't think it's an outright error in the way we classify errors. There's too many ways to explain it. And, yes, Prowl is drawn smaller now... by other artists, particularly Rojo, who draws EVERYONE kind of tiny and skinny. That isn't really what I meant by missing mass -- I meant missing parts of himself. I didn't mean he, y'know, lost weight.
::: And there's way too many conspicuous things going on with Brainstorm to call that an error. He's the only one who's shot before the Killswitch is flipped, and this same shot (again) conspicuously unlinks his briefcase from his arm. There is stuff afoot here. If it is mentioned on the page, it should not be as an error, but as... speculation? But we don't really do that, so no. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] ([[User talk:ItsWalky|talk]]) 16:06, 24 March 2014 (EDT)

==AOE Screencaps==
they are from the digital version, which is an official release of the movie which was released yesterday, not a pirated version. would never post pics from a pirated version. or does the digital version count as pirated? --[[User:Eagc7|Eagc7]] ([[User talk:Eagc7|Eagc7]]) 17 September 2014
:Yeah, Walky, the film came out on iTunes yesterday. The screenshots people are uploading are legit. [[User:Jalaguy|Jalaguy]] ([[User talk:Jalaguy|talk]]) 14:45, 17 September 2014 (EDT)
::Durr, I am stupid sorry. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] ([[User talk:ItsWalky|talk]]) 15:05, 17 September 2014 (EDT)

== Character appearance stubs ==

Yo, here's my deal with removing those stubs to the IDW Megatron page (and others). Take for example adding a Megatron appearance for RID # 7 "Dinobot Hunt". Megatron shows up in that montage that accompanies Prowl's analysis of the war. Does that really count as part of MEGATRON's history? "Prowl mentioned Megatron to Bumblebee" or some such would have to be the write-up. It doesn't show us any new information about Megatron- it is just a visual aid for the reader.

And does that mean that every time someone shows up in a montage and not some actual image in-fiction that it belongs in that section? Like the montage of events spanning the entire IDW continuity in Chaos Theory, Part 1? Does that count as a Verity Carlo appearance that needs to be recorded on her page? Seems to me that stuff like that is best left referenced on the actual issue's page, or at best...in the history of the character actually making the recall.

I removed those stubs because I don't think the person who added them looked at those issues to see what the appearance listed actually WAS. If you've got some better reasoning that they should stay, I would, with respect, like to hear it. --[[User:Nu-Priest|Nu-Priest]] ([[User talk:Nu-Priest|talk]]) 15:02, 10 February 2015 (EST)
: Yes, every time a character appears in a story, it should have a mention in the fiction area, even in flashbacks and recounted information. If "Prowl mentioned Megatron once in a conversation with whoever" doesn't work, merely move that storylink to where that original occurrence happened, right behind the storylink of what's being referenced. A fiction section's goal should include a storylink to every appearance. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] ([[User talk:ItsWalky|talk]]) 18:29, 10 February 2015 (EST)
::That seems a little TOO meticulous to me, even for this wiki, but I won't argue the point any further. --[[User:Nu-Priest|Nu-Priest]] ([[User talk:Nu-Priest|talk]]) 19:48, 10 February 2015 (EST)

== PNGs ==

Yes, for filesize reasons. But that only applies to screencaps/comic scans/etc, since there's no benefit to saving them as PNGs rather than JPGs.

On the other hand, it's the only practical way to get a transparent-backed logo and in the case of the Angry Birds Megatron pic, I took the file directly from the Angry Birds Transformers website, and it was only something like 40kb and not worth the quality reduction. - [[User:SanityOrMadness|SanityOrMadness]] ([[User talk:SanityOrMadness|talk]]) 17:39, 4 April 2015 (EDT)
: PNGs are good for transparently-backed logos, yes. That's one of the few allowed reasons we have them on this site -- also for stuff that needs to be crisper for readability. But a simple artwork off a website should be JPG. That is our policy. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] ([[User talk:ItsWalky|talk]]) 18:22, 4 April 2015 (EDT)

== Question ==

I guess you would be the one to talk to. Could you please answer the question I put on The Gathering #1's talk page? Also, I'm a big fan of Shortpacked. [[User:Avalanche|Avalanche]] ([[User talk:Avalanche|talk]]) 18:57, 8 April 2015 (EDT)

Never mind, apparently Ascendron took notice and fixed it. [[User:Avalanche|Avalanche]] ([[User talk:Avalanche|talk]]) 22:36, 8 April 2015 (EDT)
: No probs. Though I'm not even sure I have the Gathering to check, so I wouldn't have been the best to ask anyway! --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] ([[User talk:ItsWalky|talk]]) 23:19, 8 April 2015 (EDT)

== MTMTE 39 ==

I think we all know who wrote this issue. (psst it's buckets of blood guy) [[User:Avalanche|Avalanche]] ([[User talk:Avalanche|talk]]) 11:34, 14 April 2015 (EDT)

==Things that don't exist==
Sorry. I was going by how the category seemed to be used. I think I've eliminated every instance where there is some Ask Vector Prime fiction. --[[User:Giggidy|Giggidy]] ([[User talk:Giggidy|talk]]) 16:06, 10 September 2015 (EDT)

== Battle Masters ==

I created pages for Battle Masters characters simply because I thought [[User:Giggidy|Giggidy]] was an admin, I mean to me he speak so admin-ish here: http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Talk:Battle_Masters. (I'm not saying it's Giggidys fault.) You see I don't know who's admin or not in this site. Sorry for creating those Battle Masters pages.--[[User:Primestar3|Primestar3]] ([[User talk:Primestar3|talk]]) 12:10, 13 September 2015 (EDT)

==Blocking Dr. Vadam==
Awwwww...You blocked Dr. Vadam. That guy was friggin' comedy gold. I mean... did you see [[User talk:Dr. Vadam#Daddy to the rescue!|the part where he was pretending to be his dad]]? That was ''hilariously'' pathetic.

In all seriousness though, I'd like it if you could leave up his contributions page so I can look through it and maybe undo some more of that micro-editing crap he did on some of the live-action film series pages. -[[User:Foffy the Sheep|Foffy the Sheep]] ([[User talk:Foffy the Sheep|talk]]) 08:12, 13 December 2015 (EST)
: 1) I mentioned the dad thing in the banning message.
: 2) I did not delete his contributions. You ''can't'' delete somebody's contributions. Just, like, find the last time he edited something on the Recent Changes page and click the (contribs) link next to his name.
:--[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] ([[User talk:ItsWalky|talk]]) 12:42, 13 December 2015 (EST)

== Request to delete user page ==

I would like to request you to delete my User Page,
I do not feel like using the Wiki much,I would he grateful if you carry out this little request of mine.
[[User:Hyruk|Hyruk]] ([[User talk:Hyruk|talk]]) 06:16, 27 December 2015 (EST)

== Spammers ==

There's more of 'em -[[User:Foffy the Sheep|Foffy the Sheep]] ([[User talk:Foffy the Sheep|talk]]) 12:25, 4 February 2016 (EST)

== Article Creation Question ==

Hey there! Was looking at the broken links in [[Sins of the Wreckers issue 3]] and was curious about what to do with Nome. For a real-world location with very, very little Transformers-related fiction set in it, might it be more fitting for me to simply link it to Alaska's page (with appropriate mention added to that article)? [[User:RevTibe|RevTibe]] ([[User talk:RevTibe|talk]]) 16:47, 16 February 2016 (EST)
: [[Fallon|Cities get their own page.]] --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] ([[User talk:ItsWalky|talk]]) 19:16, 16 February 2016 (EST)
:: Okey-doke. [[User:RevTibe|RevTibe]] ([[User talk:RevTibe|talk]]) 19:19, 16 February 2016 (EST)

== Two Things ==

1. When looking at a pages history, what do the green plus' and red minus' mean? 2. When I edited a caption on Under-3 to change the reference from Arby's to a Happy Meal (the logic being that Under-3s original toy was sold with a Happy Meal, so it made more sense to reference that), you edited it back and said "no that's not the godbeep joke." So, what ''is'' the joke? I was under the impression that the joke was that he goes on this dark depressing rant, and then immediately follows it up with a standard cheery cashier catchphrase. [[User:Legotron123|Legotron123]] ([[User talk:Legotron123|talk]]) 20:04, 19 June 2016 (EDT)
:The + and - indicate how many letters were added or removed. The joke on Under-3 is specifically a reference to the [https://twitter.com/nihilist_arbys Nihilist Arbys Twitter]. --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 21:19, 19 June 2016 (EDT)

== Apology ==

This is Jtarvin. Did you see my usertalk page? I apologized. [[User:jtarvin|jtarvin]] ([[User talk:jtarvin|talk]]) 13:24, 19 September 2016 (EDT)

== Titan Returns Leader Optimus ==

I just wanted to do a little research into the situation with the Leader class Optimus Prime base mode. I'm thinking that the issue you mentioned with the gun might be a hit-or-miss situation and it might be helpful to note if there's something there.

You originally mentioned that the gun can't plug into the chest plate. I was able to, but it's a tight fit. Do you think maybe a molding defect or even just the paint on the peg make some copies impossible to connect while others don't? Or could it just be a case of QA missing a one-off defect? I got a TR Ravage not too long ago, and one of its wings is missing some plastic. I thought a similar case might be a possibility. --[[User:King Starscream|King Starscream]] ([[User talk:King Starscream|talk]]) 15:25, 30 September 2016 (EDT)

== I require some assistance. ==

So you may not remember me, but a loooooong time ago you told me about some of the rules in regards to what I was doing. The thing I need help with is how those rules apply when I am creating my personal user page. So if you could just help me out with this that would be great. Thanks. --[[User:Maximus Prime Toa of Earth| Maximus Prime Toa of Earth ]] ([[User talk:Maximus Prime Toa of Earth|talk]]) 15:09, 2 March 2017 (EST)

== Transformers Tribute page ==

Hey man! How are you? Hope your good. Anywho, I created the Transformers Tribute page. You took it down and you asked me if there was anything part of that page that wasn't leaked are stolen information. Here is my answer.

The Orion Pax and Optimus Prime appeared in the Taiwan Tf Expo. And the Leader Optimus Prime was found and bought by some people, so.... no?
Proof:
2 Pack- https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/videos-and-pictures-from-taiwan-tf-expo-2017-transformers-the-last-knight-generations-and-more/38785/
Leader Optimus- https://www.seibertron.com/transformers/news/transformers-tribute-2007-leader-class-optimus-prime/38791/

And if this information ever becomes official for sure, or you think the proof I presented is good, please put it back up.

Thank you very much. [[User:Notirishman]] 16:24, 4 July 2017 (EDT)

:Thanks for putting it back up! -[[User:Notirishman|notirishman]] ([[User talk:Notirishman|talk]]) 10:48, 3 October 2017 (EDT)

=="Hurricane Autobot" and Ravenspar the same guy?==
Does anyone else think that the identity of the "[[Lieutenant|Hurricane Autobot]]" from ''[[Transformers: The Last Knight (film)|Transformers: The Last Knight]]'' might be [[Ravenspar]]? Ravenspar is the only non-Dinobot/Knight in the toyline with a flying alternate mode, so there's that. [[User:DDelgado|DDelgado]] 10:52, 1 September 2017 (EST)

== Moving From Wikia ==

Hi ItsWalky,

I'm Agent_C from Nukapedia, the Fallout wiki that didn't move from Wikia. I don't know if you've heard about our [https://kotaku.com/fallout-fans-resist-wikias-attempt-to-pivot-to-video-1804145954 little problems with Wikia], but we're looking at all available options.

I see from your history pages you were active around the time that this happened and involved in the split, I was wondering if you or anyone else might be able to consult with the guys we have looking at independence options, as we are considering every option on the table.

If you have discord you can reach us though [https://discord.gg/MYgS75y here], or our wiki's email address is Nukapedia@gmail.com.

Thanks for any help you can offer. [[User:Agent c|Agent c]] ([[User talk:Agent c|talk]]) 17:57, 12 September 2017 (EDT)

== Modulus photo ==

Hey, could you upload your [[Modulus]] photo from [https://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/137861-tfss-50-spoiler-thread-final-figures-arriving-17th-may/page-32#entry3509882 this Allspark post] here and add it to Modulus' page? [[User:ShootingStar7X|ShootingStar7X]] ([[User talk:ShootingStar7X|talk]]) 13:45, 6 December 2017 (EST)
:Oh, just notice there's an external link to your photo on Modulus' page. Still, considering the "this article is in need of images" template, it would be nice to add your photo there rather than just linking it. [[User:ShootingStar7X|ShootingStar7X]] ([[User talk:ShootingStar7X|talk]]) 13:49, 6 December 2017 (EST)

== SG Enemy deco ==

i understand you chose the deco by swapping the voice changer's red and silver around? but, in the same way that we mention [[Blitzwing_(SG)#Notes|Blitzwing's unintentional resemblance to Broadside]], would you approve mentioning SG Enemy having a head colored like G1 Rewind's?

--[[User:Rhymus|Rhymus]] ([[User talk:Rhymus|talk]]) 03:47, 14 January 2018 (EST)
: I mean, mentioning it seems like we're stating that it was the intent, and it really wasn't. I feel like that's a pointless bit of non-trivia to add just for the sake of adding it. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] ([[User talk:ItsWalky|talk]]) 04:02, 14 January 2018 (EST)
::''[[Glit|Because we're a bunch of nerds who'd rather have a bit of fun with it,]]'' but i see your point. Leaving it out. --[[User:Rhymus|Rhymus]] ([[User talk:Rhymus|talk]]) 04:43, 14 January 2018 (EST)

== Caption for your upcoming POTP Tailgate photo ==

Can you help me add the "And I'm the one that hates the Purple Oni." caption for your potential upload of the PotP Tailgate figure? [[User:FigureGunplaFan|FigureGunplaFan]] ([[User talk:FigureGunplaFan|talk]]) 04:44, 14 February 2018 (EST)

== New Picture for Brian Goldner ==

Think you can update [[Brian Goldner]]'s picture on his page with this from when Hasbro congratulated on the Opening Weekend of Avengers: Infinity War?
https://twitter.com/HasbroNews/status/991430521686298625

Bar none, it's an amazing thing. [[User:Energizer|Energizer]] ([[User talk:Energizer|talk]]) 00:41, 7 May 2018 (EDT)

== A serial deleter ==

Sorry to bother you but can you please do something about [[User:Saix|Saix]]? He keeps undoing my edits, most of the time without giving a reason. Not to mention telling me I can't write captions even though I've contributed a lot to the wiki. I don't know what to do about him. I've tried asking him not to but he just keeps doing it. Also by the look of his talk page I'm not the only one he does it to. Help?
: Your contributions are not helpful and I am on Saix's side. Please stop. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] ([[User talk:ItsWalky|talk]]) 21:52, 31 July 2018 (EDT)
: Sorry but what's wrong with my edits? I don't see what it is that I'm doing that's different from what the other users are doing. I thought they were pretty similar. (Sorry if I'm not formatting this right, I've never talked on someone's page like this). --[[User:PurrElise|PurrElise]]
:: Not everything you see on this site is something to be emulated everywhere. Sometimes a particular tone is generally inappropriate but works for one particular context. ([[B.O.T. (episode)]], for instance, gets a somewhat tonally different treatment than most other cartoon episodes since it's legendarily awful.) And sometimes there's stuff that really shouldn't be there, but nobody has noticed it or because it hails from the lawless Wikia days and nobody's gotten around to replacing it with something up to code.
::More to the point, I'm not going to blanket-agree with Saix's edits, but I'm spot-checking your edit history, and you seem to make a ''lot'' of edits that are just adding not-very-funny image captions or inserting Your Thoughts without any actual content to go with it. And most of your edits that are more constructive are adding quotes, which isn't ''bad'' but it's not necessarily something we ''need''. Now, most regular editors have added their share of dumb jokes (I certainly have), but we tolerate that kind of crap from each other because we know we're also out there doing relatively ''useful'' things like summarizing stories, writing up toys, making new pages for various concepts, and fixing errors. (Speaking of which, you also seem to have a bad habit of not proofreading before you edit.) You don't have the benefit of a reputation for doing helpful things, so when you do ''un''helpful things people are more likely to lose their patience with you. --[[User:Andrusi|Andrusi]] ([[User talk:Andrusi|talk]]) 00:37, 1 August 2018 (EDT)

== Page Deletion Help ==
I would like to inform anyone from Administration that the page currently titled "Shadow Raider" is ready for deletion. All the necessary information from that page has been moved to the one formally titled "Mercenary". Even though I created that page, I do have the power to delete it personally. Thus, I am asking Administration for help. --[[User:NexusShard17|NexusShard17]] ([[User talk:NexusShard17|talk]]) 10:41, 20 August 2018 (EDT)

The page currently titled "Jetfire (Movie)" is ready for deletion. All the necessary information from that page has been moved to the one titled "Jetfire (ROTF)". I am asking for help with deleting "Jetfire (Movie)" so "Jetfire (ROTF)" can be renamed as such. [[User:NexusShard17|NexusShard17]] ([[User talk:NexusShard17|talk]]) 11:19, 27 September 2018 (EDT)

== Shortpacked Photos ==

Walky, sire, you have taken many photos for your website ''Shortpacked.'' I just wonder if you will upload these photos to replace the stock photography on the website. Because you've taken a pictures for a lot of toys on Shortpacked that still have stock photos on this wiki.

<s>and when will there be another archive for your talk page this thing is huge</s> [[User:Notirishman|--notirishman]] ([[User talk:Notirishman|talk]]) 16:21, 13 September 2018 (EDT)

== Redirect Icon Help ==
I would like to inform Administration that the pages with the Elite Guard logo still have the redirection to when the page was called "Cybertron Elite Guard". Can anyone fix these loose ends please?--[[User:NexusShard17|NexusShard17]] ([[User talk:NexusShard17|talk]]) 11:42, 02 October 2018 (EDT)
:I'm not an admin, but I seem to have straightened it out. --[[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] ([[User talk:Khajidha|talk]]) 15:11, 2 October 2018 (EDT)
::Thank you.--[[User:NexusShard17|NexusShard17]] ([[User talk:NexusShard17|talk]]) 17:43, 02 October 2018 (EDT)

== Punch of Kill Everything & Gravity Generator: The Same Thing? ==
Does anyone else think that the pages titled "Punch of Kill Everything" and "Gravity Generator" mean the same thing? I believe that the Gravity Generator is merely the name of the button switch which activates the P.O.K.E.'s power. It looks like something most Lugnuts all have in common with each other.--[[User:NexusShard17|NexusShard17]] ([[User talk:NexusShard17|talk]]) 17:43, 02 October 2018 (EDT)

== POTP Jazz ==

[[:File:PowerOfThePrimestoy-Jazz.jpg]] I a have hi-res zoom of the wave MAGA Jazz vs. wave 3 non-MAGA Jazz graphics:
[https://i.imgur.com/IwwgJ3s.jpg MAGA] [https://i.imgur.com/bHpKcWR.jpg No MAGA]
Both are taken from my own copies.

Since you hopefully still have the original file for the image, you might just add them if you want.

And my wave 1 version will now go into the spare parts box while the wave 3 version takes his place on the shelf.--[[User:Nevermore|Nevermore]] ([[User talk:Nevermore|talk]]) 08:42, 10 November 2018 (EST)

==Wiki hosting related question==
So in case you haven't heard, Gamepedia - the wiki platform hosting most of the wikis that left Wikia - was recently purchased... by Wikia. I was wondering if I could talk to you privately about hosting-related stuff, as the wiki I'm an admin for is exploring our non-Wikia options and floated the possibility of self-hosting, like TFWiki does. -- [[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 13:36, 14 December 2018 (EST)
: You might do better to ask [[User:Abates]] on some of your questions, as he manages the server itself, and I am a technological ignoramus who is not competent to answer most server-based questions. (I know where the reboot server button is!) Everything here was initially built by McFly and Christine Love, who no longer contribute. ...I wish I could still recommend Project Wonderful as a source for income, but that sadly disappeared this year. We were lucky to have a pair of loyal advertisers who were just using its infrastructure. But if you still wanna pick my brain, my email is wiigii@gmail.com. Nobody should be owned by Wikia. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] ([[User talk:ItsWalky|talk]]) 22:39, 14 December 2018 (EST)

:Please feel free to email me and I'll do my best to answer any questions you have. My gmail is "aldenbates", or you can use the "E-mail this user" link on my user page. --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 00:28, 15 December 2018 (EST)
::On second thought, if you don't mind it's probably easier to have our lead admin contact you directly (since he knows what questions to ask) rather than me passing messages back and forth. --[[User:Dark T Zeratul|Dark T Zeratul]] ([[User talk:Dark T Zeratul|talk]]) 03:48, 16 December 2018 (EST)

== Wheeljack ==

Are you kidding me? Wheeljack's Marvel section has the same image, why can't I upload it? RoboWarriorPrime 09.02.2019
: It's not the content, it's the source. You're uploading a fan colorization of Wheeljack's character model; we discourage the use of fanmade images in articles except in VERY specific instances. (Also, please sign your posts using four tildes instead of writing it out manually, like this: <nowiki>~~~~</nowiki>. It's faster and more accurate.) -- [[User:Cyberlink420|Cyberlink420]] ([[User talk:Cyberlink420|talk]]) 12:57, 9 February 2019 (EST)
:: It's not just a fan colorization, the linework isn't official, either. Someone traced the official linework and then colored it. It is fan art. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] ([[User talk:ItsWalky|talk]]) 13:07, 9 February 2019 (EST)

==Request to Delete my Account==

I felt totally disrespected by one of your admins, so I quit. I want nothing to do with this Wiki anymore.
I got sent a warning for 'deleting and removing content', complete with a neat little picture of Nightbeat with a gun held to his head, simply for suggesting on Skywarp (G1)'s Talk Page that I find the stair-pushing gag insufferable. I have done nothing to warrant that or the threat to have all of my contributions, as miniscule as they may be, nuked for something I did not do.

I don't want to hang around a site with such a hostile admin (Cyberlink420, by the way), so please, delete my account. Not going to engage this site, or contribute anymore. Thank you. [[User:RyRodrigo|RyRodrigo]] ([[User talk:RyRodrigo|talk]]) 19:37, 6 March 2020 (EST)

User:RyRodrigo

2020-03-07T00:33:08Z

RyRodrigo: Blanked the page

User:RyRodrigo

2020-03-07T00:32:32Z

RyRodrigo: Created page with "Not going to contribute here anymore. I got accused of something I did not do, and to be honest, I don't have time to deal with that crap. If you're going to talk down to me ..."

Not going to contribute here anymore.

I got accused of something I did not do, and to be honest, I don't have time to deal with that crap.
If you're going to talk down to me with that level of disrespect and blatantly lie, then screw it.
Keep your wiki.

Cheers, Cyberlink420.

User talk:RyRodrigo

2020-03-07T00:27:16Z

RyRodrigo:

User talk:RyRodrigo

2020-03-07T00:22:14Z

RyRodrigo:

User talk:RyRodrigo

2020-03-07T00:18:45Z

RyRodrigo:

User talk:RyRodrigo

2020-03-07T00:16:17Z

RyRodrigo:

User talk:RyRodrigo

2020-03-07T00:14:20Z

RyRodrigo:

User talk:RyRodrigo

2020-03-07T00:12:31Z

RyRodrigo:

MediaWiki talk:Captions

2020-03-06T08:38:38Z

RyRodrigo: /* Captions we're tired of */

==Blank captions==
It seems there is a subgroup of anons and others whose primary or only contribution is adding captions to images that don't have any. This might seem harmless enough, but it bugs me nonetheless. If humorous captions are a reward of sorts for hard-working editors, then anons who add nothing else shouldn't be taking away the fodder for that reward.

To that end, I'd propose to all image-adding editors that if you have nothing "funny" to say, then say something informative. An informative caption doesn't have to be "this picture is a picture that is of Megatron"; it can state that this is "The box art painting of Megatron from his original 1984 Generation 1 toy". Maybe it's a little vengeful of me, but I'd rather see that as a placeholder till a regular contributor adds something genuinely worthwhile, instead of whatever some random anon thinks up in five seconds because they're convinced that this gaping void must be filled. -- [[User:Repowers|Repowers]] 18:55, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

:I'm down with that. --[[User:M_Sipher|M_Sipher]] 20:03, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

==Captions without images==
In line with captions being a "reward" of sorts, I think whoever went to the trouble to upload an image get first crack at the caption. There are a couple of [[Transformers Animated (Titan)|captions]] despite not having [[Animated Comic issue 1|images]] yet, which in my opinion is just not cricket. Thoughts? -- [[User:Magnus Maximus|Magnus Maximus]] 02:35, 4 November 2008 (EST)

::I think that goes without saying, whomever uploads the image gets first go to caption it (unless their caption is deemed to be stupid or offensive or some other reason). --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 15:33, 14 March 2009 (EDT)

==I don't get this==
This "rule" seems pretty pointless to me. It's fun to add amusing captions - so what if you haven't anything "serious" already? Can anyone explain this rule better than on this project page? To be honest, it seems petty - but I'm willing to be proved wrong. --[[User:Grimlockius Prime|Grimlockius Prime]] 05:20, 14 March 2009 (EDT)

:It is petty - if you're not part of the Very Special Group, you're not funny.[[Special:Contributions/24.151.189.19|24.151.189.19]] 21:29, 17 December 2009 (EST)
::You don't like the rules, don't play in the sandbox. [[User:Khajidha|Khajidha]] 21:46, 17 December 2009 (EST)

:Because the main point of this wiki isn't to crack jokes, the main point of this wiki is to provide information about Transformers. People who are contributing useful information use the image captions and similar methods as a ''perk/bonus'' to make their work fun to edit and read, not as an end in and of itself.
:So if you change a caption, you're ruining someone else's "reward" for adding information, and if you're doing nothing but adding jokes, than you're not contributing anything worthwhile that furthers the wiki's actual purpose. Humor is secondary. --[[User:Jeysie|Jeysie]] 05:57, 14 March 2009 (EDT)
::Thanks for the reply. I appreciate that someone changing another's caption is infringing on a "perk", but I don't think this is a perk. The perk is getting your text on the wiki and providing quality information. And secondly, if you can provide a funnier joke (and so far I can't), then why not? Everyone benefits. --[[User:Grimlockius Prime|Grimlockius Prime]] 14:22, 14 March 2009 (EDT)
:::Since theoretically anybody can get their writing on the wiki (and assuming it's quality, it stays there), that's not really a perk. I see it as work. --[[User:FFN|FFN]] 15:32, 14 March 2009 (EDT)

==Captions we're tired of==
I'd like to add the "And then all the other toys on this page were thrown away" captions to the list of captions we're sick of. It was funny the first few times, but now it's getting thrown on whenever anyone gets a new toy. It's stale. [[User:Awsm57|Awsm57]] ([[User talk:Awsm57|talk]]) 20:35, 17 Feb 2019 (CT)

Could we add "Give me your face" to captions we're tired of, it's way overused? One we start adding pictures of TF4 Optimus, I don't want to see every caption wasted by this. - [[User:SoundWave|SoundWave]] 16:12, 19 October 2013 (EDT)

Is it just Galvatron in specific, or is linking the word "crazy" to anyone's article considered poor form? There's plenty of other [[Blitzwing (Animated)|lunatics]] to go around, but it depends on how dead the horse is.[[User:Nemesis Primal|Nemesis Primal]] ([[User talk:Nemesis Primal|talk]]) 16:50, 3 July 2014 (EDT)
:I think articles should only be linked to if they're relevant to what's being written about. Writing "the Decepticons come up with a plan which is [[Blitzwing (Animated)|crazy]]" gives the impression that ''Animated'' Blitzwing came up with the plan, which may or may not be true. --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 17:04, 3 July 2014 (EDT)

Can we honestly add "stair-pushing" on Skywarp's article to the list? A ton of captions are some variation of "I push somebody down stairs, hurr hurr hurr." [[User:RyRodrigo|RyRodrigo]] ([[User talk:RyRodrigo|talk]]) 03:38, 6 March 2020 (EST)

Talk:Skywarp (G1)

2020-03-06T08:32:42Z

RyRodrigo: /* Stairs */

In all seriousness, I'd support a 'Seeker' category. -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 02:05, 10 August 2006 (UTC)

==Not Intelligent?==

Skywarp's (GEN 1) tech-specs did indeed describe himi as being not terribly bright. HOWEVER: On the graph thingy, Skywapr's intelligence weighed in at '''9'''. Anyone understand this?[[User:71.34.68.213|71.34.68.213]] 20:34, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

:From the page itself, conveniently located at "article" above-

:(Note: For some reason, the stats on Skywarp's, Starscream's and Thundercracker's tech specs were switched around. Skywarp was given Starscream's numbers, which explains his high intelligence and rank.)

:-[[User:LV|LV]] 22:06, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

==Speed?==

Skywarp's (GEN 1) speed was 7, the same as most of the Autobot cars, and actually ''slower'' than Optimus Prime. Prime is a tractor-trailer, Skywarp is a fighter jet! WTF?[[User:71.34.68.213|71.34.68.213]] 20:34, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

:First: Actually, Skywarp's speed was 10, though that was intended for Starscream; Thundercracker's speed, meant for Skywarp, was 9. It was Machine Wars Skywarp that had speed 7.
:Second: Tech spec numbers are often really weird, and Prime's in particular are consistently very high. --[[User:Andrusi|Andrusi]] 23:10, 12 April 2007 (UTC)

::Actually, it was just Skywarp's and Starscream's stats that were switched. Thundercracker's stats are correct. Bob Budanski's stat grid for the 1984 line confirms this. --[[User:FortMax|FortMax]] 00:43, 13 April 2007 (UTC)

== Subtitle error ==

I kinda feel tempted to add how dutch subtitles for G1 embaressingly call him stanwell in the key to vector sigma,but i also feel it's not worth adding. So i'm gonna need the opinion of a few other people here. [[Special:Contributions/86.87.28.191|86.87.28.191]] 20:35, 11 June 2008 (UTC)
:I don't recall Skywarp being in either part of The Key to Vector Sigma. -- [[User:SFH|SFH]] 20:40, 11 June 2008 (UTC)
::I'll check my dvd's to make sure which ep it was. there's many embaressing mistakes in the subtitles,Huffer interestingly becomes hauler,Prowl becomes "POW!",Motormaster becomes Movefastor,etc etc etc. Also there was either Autobods or Ottobots,I'd Have to check which one it is.[[Special:Contributions/86.87.28.191|86.87.28.191]] 21:06, 11 June 2008 (UTC)
::That's not a subtle subtitle error! -[[User:Derik|Derik]] 21:42, 11 June 2008 (UTC)
:::How is it not one? -- [[Special:Contributions/86.87.28.191|86.87.28.191]] 19:34, 12 June 2008 (UTC)
::::Look up the word 'subtle', then you'll know why it's not subtle. [[User:Jeep!|Jeep!]] 02:08, 13 June 2008 (UTC)
:::::Oops i missed the word "subtle" there. [[User:Rhinox555|Decepticon Rhinox]] 18:41, 13 June 2008 (UTC)

== Universe Toy - Forward-Swept Wings? ==

Same problem as Jhiaxus: Skywarp's Universe toy is a redeco of Jetstorm. Jetstorm normally has forward-swept wings in vehicle mode. The pic of his toy on this page has them swept back. Is this correct for the character? When he appeard in the Wreckers comic in this body, in vehicle mode, which way did his wings point? Or did he never appear in vehicle mode in this body? [[User:JW|JW]] 16:14, 7 April 2009 (EDT)

== Stairs ==

Maybe I'm just missing something, but where did the whole "pushing down the stairs" gag start? [[User:Thanos6|Thanos6]] 05:17, 28 April 2009 (EDT)
:I'm confused about that too. --[[User:-Blackout-|-Blackout-]] 14:21, 19 September 2009 (EDT)
:: Seriously, where DOES that joke come from? [[User:Skyshock Thunderblast|Skyshock Thunderblast]] 23:01, 3 November 2009 (EST)
:::[http://members.fortunecity.com/msipher/transform/painted/hoc/skywarpking/skywarpking.html M Sipher sums it up nicely in the intro blurb of this custom.]
{{bigquote|There's a piece of Skywarp artwork in the Genesis art book by Guido Guidi, [...] It's great. He's got this wonderful evil smirk, and he's pumping his fist in the air. Liquid Velcro! described the picture as if "Skywarp had just watched Ramjet slip on the roller skate he put in front of the stairs"... which then struck most of us in the chat room as a very, very, very Skywarp thing to do. The vision so easily popped into my head. He puts the skate down, Ramjet slips on it and tumbles face-first down a flight of stairs... and Skywarp just goes "Heheheheheh. AWESOME." and pumps his fist in the air.

Skywarp pushing people down stairs and laughing about it basically became, to us, the Official Skywarp Thing, despite his having never done that in any offical fiction.}}
:::There you have it, folks. --[[User:Detour|Detour]] 23:07, 3 November 2009 (EST)
::::Wasn't this actually mentioned in the trivia section when it was brought up last, before being wiped out by Bookworm? Should we put it in there now? It is a particularly obscure in-joke to be referenced so many times without any explanation. - [[User:Magnus Maximus|Magnus Maximus]] 03:39, 4 November 2009 (EST)
Permission to cut the number of "Stairs"-related captions by say...75%? Initial joke aside, any sentence with the word "stairs" in it is not automatically funny, but that seems like what the captions were going for here.

(Stairs.)--[[User:Xaaron|Xaaron]] ([[User talk:Xaaron|talk]]) 11:37, 4 December 2015 (EST)
:I condone it with extreme prejudice. - [[User:Chris McFeely|Chris McFeely]] ([[User talk:Chris McFeely|talk]]) 12:43, 4 December 2015 (EST)
::I honestly think there are still way too many stairs jokes here. It's practically insufferable. [[User:RyRodrigo|RyRodrigo]] ([[User talk:RyRodrigo|talk]]) 03:32, 6 March 2020 (EST)

The 'Stairs' explanation should be put in Trivia, right?[[User:Breech Loader|Breech Loader]] ([[User talk:Breech Loader|talk]]) 18:28, 14 December 2015 (EST)

:Probably not. We don't usually do that unless it influences canon somehow. Besides, Xaaron just cut most of the stair jokes, so its not even that prominent on the page anymore. -[[User:Foffy the Sheep|Foffy the Sheep]] ([[User talk:Foffy the Sheep|talk]]) 19:09, 14 December 2015 (EST)

Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity

2020-02-29T02:51:34Z

RyRodrigo: /* There at the beginning */

{{factions|senator|decepticon}}
{{suite}}
[[File:StarscreamIDWF22-Infiltration4cvrA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|"BANZAAAAI KICK!"]]

Ever the opportunist, '''Starscream''''s boundless ambition drew him into the nascent Decepticon movement and catapulted him through the ranks as Cybertron collapsed into endless war. Though an intelligent, capable leader in his own right, Starscream struggled to distinguish himself from the shadow of [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]]–a relationship that ended with Megatron invariably reminding Starscream of his place after several failed coups and bungled stints at leadership.

Following the end of the war and the revitalization of Cybertron, Starscream found the burden of leadership placed on his shoulders once more after a wayward [[Titan (group)|Titan]] declared him Cybertron's "Chosen One", destined to reunite and rebuild their ruined world. A subsequent series of crises saw Starscream leaving the Decepticons forever, establishing himself as the "High Chancellor" of Cybertron's growing [[NAIL|neutral population]] and carving out a new anti-factionalist government in the ruins of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]]. But even after finally achieving his dream, Starscream still seems to be the same person he's always been: self-serving, prideful, treacherous, and perfectly willing to cheat, lie, and step on other 'bots to get his own way. His stubborn refusal to change his ways for the greater good is a constant thorn in the side of his reluctant allies.

Beneath it all, though, Starscream struggles with the ramifications of his morally dubious actions and the growing shadow of his future legacy–a struggle that, in the end, he may not win.

{{First|[[Infiltration issue 0|''Infiltration'' #0]]}}

{{quote|What kind of monster '''are''' you?|quote2=A '''goal-oriented''' one.|[[Stardrive]] and Starscream|[[Shining Armor issue 1|''Shining Armor'' #1]]}}

__TOC__
==Fiction==
===There at the beginning===
[[File:OP19-YoungStarscream.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.2|Oh. Hi there.]]
Starscream was [[Reproduction|constructed cold]]. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}} As with all constructed cold Transformers, Starscream's [[spark]] carried genetic instructions for a "natural" shape, but the circumstances of his birth meant that his Spark was simply implanted into one of many identical, pre-constructed bodies. Over the course of his life, Starscream developed a predilection for periodically changing bodies; [[Windblade (G1)|some]] would interpret this as a sign that his spark was still trying to find its "true form," {{storylink|Your First Mistake}} while [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|others]] would simply write it off as a sign of his vanity. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 2: Another Mine|Another Mine}}

In his early life, Starscream studied at the prestigious [[Nova Point Academy]], but eventually moved to the city of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], where he became a street hustler running scams for his personal gain and ran afoul of a young police officer named [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Orion Pax]]. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|The Hallowing}} Unlike most members of Cybertron's [[flight class]], Starscream took pride in his [[alternate mode]], and, eventually, his silver tongue landed him a handsomely-paying job as a precinct [[Senate|senator]] in [[Vos (polity)|Vos]]. {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}} Disappointed by the lack of fame or respect this job offered, he spent most of his time drinking and reluctantly attending political rallies when he could be dragged away from the bar. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|The Hallowing}} Eventually, Starscream grew tired of politics and used his political connections to embezzle a vast sum of money from his constituents before deserting his post. He used his new fortune to recruit a pair of [[Outlier (group)|outliers]] named [[Skywarp (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Skywarp]] and [[Thundercracker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Thundercracker]] from the [[Jhiaxian Academy of Advanced Technology]]. After arranging their release from the school, he convinced the duo to undergo extensive rebuilds so that they'd look like him, a way to confuse any taxpayers who tried to pursue him. {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}}

[[File:MegOrigin3 seekers.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|It was YOU who left the toilet seat up, wasn't it?!]]
Some four million years ago, he became a fan of the [[Gladiatorial combat|gladiatorial games]] that existed in Cybertron's underworld, {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 2|Megatron Origin #2}} and came to idolize the rhetorician-turned-gladiator [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]] for his teachings that Transformers didn't ''have'' to [[Functionism|accept their lot]] in life. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}} The trio were eventually approached by [[Soundwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Soundwave]]; {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}} seeing Megatron's nascent uprising as good a place as any to lose himself, {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}} Starscream and his two lackeys believed that they were joining Megatron's team in the arena, but, after pledging allegiance to the Decepticon leader, learned that their leader had other plans for them: his [[Decepticon]] movement required air support as they made the move from activists to insurgents and beyond. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}}

Early on, the charismatic and cunning Starscream was tasked with recruitment of others to the Decepticon cause; significantly, he was the one assigned to approach the disenfranchised [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Senator Shockwave]] and bring him into the fold. {{storylink|Shockwaves}} Starscream was also given another key Senate-related task when he and his fellow Seekers were ordered to capture Senator [[Decimus]], who would then supposedly be executed at Megatron's next recruitment rally. When security forces intervened in the rally and arrested the Decepticons, Starscream bargained for his freedom by offering to reveal all of Megatron's plans. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}} However, this turned out to have ''been'' Megatron's plan—brought before an emergency assembly of the Senate for questioning, Starscream, together with Soundwave, executed the Senators with Starscream personally executing [[Proteus]] himself. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}} The two then freed every prisoner in the building, with Starscream arming the prisoner and even presenting Megatron with his the [[fusion cannon]] that would become his signature weapon. He then joined in their attack on [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]], during which he bested [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]]. The battle culminated in Megatron's defeat of [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]], whose body Starscream dumped in front of Sentinel's men in a fly-by. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 4|Megatron Origin #4}}

Following the ascension of [[Zeta Prime (G1)|Zeta Prime]], the Decepticons were forced back underground for a time but continued their militarization: arming sympathizers with weapons—ostensibly in the name of "self-defense"—Starscream coordinated several illegal arms shipments from off-world suppliers, showing off his handiwork to a shocked [[Soundwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Soundwave]]. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 3: Behind My Bleeding Back|Behind My Bleeding Back}} When it became clear that Orion's Autobots would crack down on this gunrunning, Starscream rigged the latest arms shipments to detonate if the Autobots ever found it, {{storylink|New Cybertron End: Feel Safe Without Regrets|Feel Safe Without Regrets}} assuring Soundwave that the Decepticons caught in the crossfire were making the ultimate sacrifice for the cause. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost|Future Glories Lost}}

When gunrunners [[Horri-Bull]] and [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] had their latest transaction revealed as an Autobot-coordinated sting operation, Starscream destroyed the weapons cache, leaving Soundwave to lie to the two that the Autobots had booby-trapped the shipment. Though Soundwave was appalled, Starscream felt Megatron would have approved. {{storylink|New Cybertron End: Feel Safe Without Regrets|Feel Safe Without Regrets}}

[[File:SLBlurr starscream recruits blurr.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"Damn, Starscream, how come they let you have two theme songs?" "Because I'm the bad guy! ...but you can trust me!"]]

With war now definitively declared, Starscream continued in his recruitment duties; he was unable to convince the youthful [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hot Rod]] to join the Decepticons {{storylink|Ruins}}, and had similarly bad luck with racing champion [[Blurr (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Blurr]] despite a very pointed effort. Not long after, Starscream was part of a unit that tried to stop Blurr from couriering a message to new planet leader Zeta Prime. {{storylink|Spotlight: Blurr}} At some point after Zeta Prime's ascent to leadership, Starscream participated alongside [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] and Thundercracker in a mission to rescue Soundwave from the [[Institute|New Institute]]. {{storylink|Remembrance Day}} His identity evidently unknown to most, Starscream was also positioned as a delegate to the new Senate that was formed by Zeta Prime, though exactly who or where he was masquerading as the delegate ''of'' is unclear. While attending one of Zeta's security sessions, he brought a disguised Soundwave with him to record the Senate's newest plans for how to stop the growing Decepticon menace. When Zeta expressed surprise at how easily Starscream accepted his idea of draining energy from civilians to power [[vamparc ribbon|weapons]], he almost let slip that he'd done worse things in Megatron's name. To cover up his blunder, he drew attention to the spy in their midst, giving Soundwave a cue to reveal himself and stage an escape, distracting Zeta. {{storylink|Parasites}}

Since turning down Starscream's offer to join the Decepticons, Hot Rod had carried out some insurgent activities of his own, and Megatron and Starscream monitored the situation through [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] with some degree of pleasure as [[Autobot]] leader [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Orion Pax]] hunted him down. {{storylink|Ruins}} In Orion's absence, Zeta Prime then attacked [[Nyon]]'s population with his vamparc ribbons and [[Guardian robot|Omega Destructors]]—an action Starscream compared to Megatron's own tactics, though, Megatron assured him he was capable of much more. {{storylink|Purge}} In spite of Starscream's opinion that Megatron was a "stubborn wreck" for his repeated attempts to sway Orion Pax to his cause, they were successful, and the Decepticons joined forces with Orion's Autobots against Zeta Prime. {{storylink|Choices}} Together, they attacked Zeta Prime and his Omega Destructors, with Starscream personally leading the Seekers as air support. {{storylink|Overthrown}}
[[File:Autocracy9 take them away.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.95|Consider yourself lucky, Ironhide. It could have been [[The Transformers: The Movie|''far'' worse.]]]]
After Zeta Prime was defeated, Megatron betrayed Orion and installed himself as ruler of Cybertron, then had the Decepticons hunt down all remaining Autobots. Starscream led a force to raid an Autobot hiding place in [[Ultrix]] and took special interest in Hot Rod, once again offering him the chance to join the Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformation (issue)|Transformation}} Starscream also tortured and interrogated Bumblebee, but learned little for his efforts. {{storylink|Rise}} Orion soon returned, however, having become [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]], and with new warriors at his side, he led the Autobots in an attack on Megatron's citadel. Starscream and the Seekers were ordered to take them out but were intercepted by the Aerialbots. {{storylink|Broadcast}}

[[File:Devastation5-StarscreamAchinglyNaive.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|"Look, Megatron, all I'm saying is that it's probably not a good idea to blow half of our budget on Fortnite lootboxes!"]]
Megatron was subsequently defeated by Optimus Prime, and Starscream conspired with [[Scorponok (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Scorponok]] to overthrow him and have him exiled to [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]]. {{storylink|Derelicts}} While Scorponok became the new Decepticon leader, Starscream seemingly preferred to stay in the background and showed no signs of being his second-in-command in public. {{storylink|Wreckage (issue)|Wreckage}} He annoyed Scorponok by urging him to take action rather than just hold grandiose speeches, causing Scorponok to let him in on his plan to capture the [[Toraxxis mega-refinery]] for the Decepticons. Starscream participated in this attack by leading his Seekers to the refinery. {{storylink|Faces of Darkness}} Scorponok ordered him to keep the Autobot defenders busy while he left to deal with [[Grimlock (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Grimlock]] personally. {{storylink|Rage (IDW)|Rage}} The plan ended disastrously when the refinery exploded, killing thousands and leaving the planet cripplingly low on [[energon]]; Starscream berated Scorponok for his actions, unable to see any point in staying on the dying planet himself. {{storylink|Massacre}} Fortuntely, Megatron soon returned from his exile and retook Decepticon command. Starscream attempted to welcome him back, but was quickly silenced. {{storylink|The Illusion of Control}}

There was a brief lull in the war, {{storylink|Primacy issue 1|Primacy #1}} before Megatron regrouped the scattered Decepticons for an all-out attack on Iacon. Starscream went to [[Canis Tor]] to inform the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]] that Megatron was back and after that, bribed the Combaticons into coming home. {{storylink|Primacy issue 2|Primacy #2}} He fought during the siege of Iacon but it led in a Decepticon rout. {{storylink|Primacy issue 3|Primacy #3}} {{storylink|Primacy issue 4|Primacy #4}}

As the war bore on, Starscream was present when Megatron faced Optimus Prime in open battle on [[Sherma Bridge]], {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1|Chaos Theory #1}} witnessed [[Hot Shot (Henkei!)|a yellow Autobot]] get destroyed in an Decepticon-Autobot crossfire in another of the war's countless battles, {{storylink|Drift issue 2|Drift #2}} and stood side-by-side with the Decepticon Deadlock in many other combat scenarios. {{storylink|Drift issue 3|Drift #3}} He would later admit that at one point, he had genuinely looked up to Megatron, but that changed when he realized that he ''feared'' the Decepticon leader, rather than ''respected'' him {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}} and was disgruntled that Megatron was leading them into a seemingly endless war. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10}} That epiphany evidently led to further attempts to take leadership from Megatron, but in time, these power plays ceased, and Megatron hoped that it meant he had moved beyond such things. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}} Starscream would even eventually end up as Megatron's bodyguard, and developed a mutual hatred with [[Sixshot]], professing that he would not be able to defend Megatron against such a powerhouse. {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}} But Starscream's appointment to this position was largely for show—Megatron could, of course, protect himself, and would later reveal that he kept Starscream close by despite his predilection for treachery as a reminder to himself to always watch his back. {{storylink|Spotlight: Megatron}}

At one point, Starscream's treachery reached the attention of the [[Decepticon Justice Division]], who had him added to their dreaded [[The List|list]] of targets. He was later removed from this list, perhaps due to Megatron's insistence on keeping him close by. {{storylink|An Axe to Break the Ice}}

===Earth and Ore-13===
[[File:Infiltration6 starscream on ultraenergon.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]]
Millions of years later, after the war had resulted in Cybertron becoming uninhabitable and the Autobots and Decepticons had spread out across the galaxy, Starscream came to be in command of one the small Decepticon units that secretly infiltrated planets across the galaxy. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 0|Infiltration #0}} In the mid-19th century, the group had conquered the [[Huni System]] and were approached by the [[Dire Wraith]] [[Vekktral]], who wanted to propose an alliance. Though Starscream initially wanted to kill the organic, Vekktral made him interested by showing him the [[Space Knight]] [[Stardrive]]. Though [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] had his doubts, Starscream realized the [[Solstar Order]] must have an Energon source to keep Stardrive alive and agreed to Vekktral's alliance. The group slew a [[Galactic Council]] force due to meet with the Solstar Order, and Starscream left behind a [[Vehicon (G1)|Vehicon]] and a bloke who turned into a bulldozer to destroy their ship while Astrotrain assumed its form. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 2|Shining Armor #2}}

Upon arriving at ''[[Orchid Crossing]]'', Starscream swatted [[Rom|some pest]] out of the sky before he tried to recruit Stardrive. Failing to do so, he instead used her as a battering ram to reach her [[energon synthesizer]] only for [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]] and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]] to show up with a standoff ensuing. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 1|Shining Armor #1}} As Stardrive expressed confusion over who the Autobots were, Starscream again offered her a spot in the Decepticons, only to be shot through a wall by Ultra Magnus. No sooner had the Seeker regained his bearings did Magnus ram Starscream in truck mode. After a Wraith merged with [[Sky Blast (G1)|Sky Blast]] and turned into an ungodly abomination, Starscream opted for the better part of valour and decided the Wraiths could serve as canon fodder. Grabbing [[Doomwings (G1)|Doomwings]] (after getting his name wrong), Starscream made his way to the energon synthesizer only for the Wraith/Cybertronian hybrid to tear Doomwings apart. Starscream told Vekktral to get the beast under control, only to learn neither the Wraith or Sky Blast was in control. Starscream then took Astrotrain and made another run for their prize, only for the station to begin tumbling. He emerged to find Magnus had disabled its power, and he quickly destroyed the Autobot shuttle before giving the evacuation order, deciding to dig the energon synthesizer out of the rubble. In the skies of [[Xetaxxis]], Starscream questioned if the synthesizer was durable enough to survive reentry and how long it took for space stations to fall, before being informed the hybrid had survived. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 2|Shining Armor #2}}

Starscream and Vekktral tracked the hybrid to a [[Xetaxxan|Xetaxxian]] village where the situation neatly resolved itself. After the two performed a quick check on whether or not the Xetaxxians were mechanical (they weren't), Starscream bluntly told Vekktral he had no interest in furthering the Wraiths' agenda and merely wanted the synthesizer before mobilizing their forces. When the Seekers arrived at the crash site however, the [[Space Knight]]s had beaten them there. When Stardrive tried to evacuate some Xetaxxians past the Seeker blockade, Starscream expertly manoeuvred around her and shot the organics before turning his attention to the Space Knights, landing foot first ''on Rom''. Rom and Livia managed to use their speed to outmaneuver him with the former socking the Seeker square in the jaw. Sneaking away from the battle, Starscream made his way to the Energon synthesizer in Stardrive's room. The Camien soon realized he was there however and threatened to destroy the synthesizer with her [[Neutralizer]] before she offered to trade it in exchange for him leaving Xetaxxis. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 3|Shining Armor #3}} After expressing his supreme annoyance at Rom's melodramatic speech pattern, Starscream tried to recruit Stardrive once again by extolling Cybertronian superiority and claiming to need her knowledge of the Wraiths to protect their kind from the Dire Wraiths. He might have succeeded had Rom and Livia not thrown Dirge into him forcing him to retreat. The Seekers then watched Stardrive suffer a mental breakdown and attack her allies before they annoyingly worked everything out. The promised Dire Wraith backup however soon arrived in the form of Vekktral having possessed Ultra Magnus. As Starscream gloated about a mutual Dire Wraith/Decepticon victory however, Vekktral turned on him. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 4|Shining Armor #4}}

After being saved by [[Sata]] and Stardrive, Starscream blasted the Wraiths off his troops and made a run for the synthesizer. As he fished it out of the rubble, Stardrive confronted him again where, after making one last half-hearted effort to recruit her, Starscream downed her with his null-ray and prepared to execute her only to be shot in the chest by [[Livia]]. In his daze, he was assaulted by Stardrive who brutally beat him down and tore off his wings. Though grounded, Starscream's Seekers came to his rescue while he detonated the energon synthesizer and hitched a ride on Astrotrain. Reporting to Megatron on the Dire Wraiths' unfeasibility as allies, Starscream was congratulated...for finding yet another way to disappoint his master. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 5|Shining Armor #5}}

Roughly a century later, learning through undisclosed means of at least some of the secrets behind Shockwave's [[Regenesis]] program and the super-powerful [[energon]] [[Ore-13]] that the scientist had seeded on [[Earth]], {{storylink|Shockpoint}} and seeing in it the potential to challenge Megatron for Decepticon leadership once again, Starscream took his unit to that planet. There, they set about destabilizing Earth's governing organizations and create global anarchy in accordance with the strict [[infiltration protocol]] the Decepticons now operated to, all the while searching for Ore-13. After around four years, their search bore fruit when a seam of Ore-13 was uncovered in [[Nebraska]], but later, the discovery of an even purer source of the ore in [[Oregon]] prompted Starscream to step outside traditional infiltration protocols and move the Decepticons' base of operations to the new site, establishing a fortified "siege mode" bunker well in advance of the standard timeline. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 3|Infiltration #3}} Unfortunately for Starscream, the abandoned Nebraska bunker was then infiltrated by [[Stoker]], an agent of the human organization known as the [[Machination]], necessitating that both he and the data he gathered—including images of Starscream himself—be eliminated by the Decepticons. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 1|Infiltration #1}} Starscream sent Thundercracker, [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] and [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] after Stoker, and although they were successful in slaying the human, Starscream failed to count on [[Verity Carlo|another human]] obtaining Stoker's [[SM-40]] computer and falling in with the Autobot counter-insurgency unit also operating on the planet. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 0|Infiltration #0}}

[[File:Infiltration6 takeyourpunishment.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Starscream, seen here actually getting off easy!]]
{{bigquote|Thanks to Ore-13, Megatron, I have evolved... beyond you! I am the ''future!''|Starscream|[[Infiltration issue 6]]}}
Concurrently with the search for Stoker, Starscream and [[Astrotrain (G1)/toys|Astrotrain]] successfully mined the first batch of Ore-13 from the Oregon seam. Starscream urged speed, aware that breaking protocol the way they had was sure to elicit a response from Megatron. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 2|Infiltration #2}} As he waited for the ore to process, Starscream ordered [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] and Skywarp to cover the Decepticons' tracks by destroying all evidence of Stoker's travels, including what remained of the Nebraska bunker. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 3|Infiltration #3}} Unfortunately for them, Megatron himself had arrived on Earth and was ''in'' the bunker, catching up on what Starscream had been up to, when they attacked. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 5|Infiltration #5}} Starscream emerged from the infusion capsule brimming with the incredible power of Ore-13 just as a furious Megatron arrived at the Oregon bunker and offered the Decepticons a choice: stand down, or be destroyed. Every one of his men surrendered, but the super-powered Starscream roared into battle and unleashed his full fury against Megatron. Alas, the power conveyed by Ore-13 proved insufficient to destroy the Decepticon leader, and Megatron blasted Starscream with his fusion cannon at point-blank range, virtually obliterating him. Megatron left Starscream's remains to be tended to by the Decepticons, unconcerned if he lived or died. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}}

[[File:Starcasm idw dev6.jpg|left|upright=1.95|thumb|Sarcasm from Starscream?? NO!]]
Starscream was placed in a [[CR chamber]] for extensive repairs but even with him out of the picture, the power of Ore-13 convinced Megatron to continue Starscream's subversion of infiltration protocol. The last straw for the other Decepticons came when Megatron called Sixshot in early, leading Astrotrain to propose reactivating Starscream so that he could challenge Megatron's actions. {{storylink|Devastation issue 1|Devastation #1}} Blitzwing and Astrotrain proceeded to bring Starscream back online, but no sooner was he back on his feet than the alien [[Reaper]]s attacked the Decepticon base. {{storylink|Devastation issue 4|Devastation #4}} With Megatron unaware he had been reactivated, Starscream initially decided to hold back and allow the Reapers to cause trouble first, but when Sixshot arrived, Starscream emerged from base and called the hated Six-Changer out. Starscream's appearance caused the living weapon to decide to accept the Reapers' offer to join their ranks... at which point Starscream promptly activated Sixshot's shutdown command, sending him crashing to the ground. Starscream then turned his weapons on the Reapers, causing Megatron to agree to take the fight to the aliens. {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}} {{storylink|Spotlight: Grimlock}} Starscream once again accepted Megatron as his liege, and together they teamed up to destroy the alien invaders, with Starscream wielding Megatron in his Ore-13 empowered pistol mode to devastating effect. As the battle came to an end, Starscream stopped Megatron from punishing Blitzwing for going behind his back with the observation that a fleet of human jet fighters had arrived, and that the Decepticons' existence was now known to humanity. {{storylink|Devastation issue 6|Devastation #6}}

===The Decepticon ideal===
[[File:AHM8 starscream and sunstreaker.jpg|thumb|"Well, see, when you put it like ''that''..."|upright=1.95]]
While the Decepticons were occupied battling the Reapers, the Autobots had left Earth to deal with an incursion by the [[Dead Universe]]. Exploiting their enemies' absence, Starscream and the Decepticons went into hiding; when Autobots returned, they could find no trace of the villains, who kept one step ahead of them for months. They secretly returned to Cybertron, where Starscream stood by his leader's side as he received updates from scientist [[Deluge (G2)|Deluge]] on his experiments to create a monstrous [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]] [[Insecticon swarm|swarm]]. Upon returning to Earth, the Decepticons then 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}} To complete their plot, Starscream approached the disenfranchised Autobot [[Sunstreaker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sunstreaker]] with the proposition that the Autobots join with his fictitious forces against Megatron. Sunstreaker accepted, {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 8|All Hail Megatron #8}} but when he led the Autobots to the designated time and place, they were instead confronted by the united Decepticon army and promptly defeated. Starscream stood by Megatron's side and watched as the bested Autobots were exiled back to Cybertron through a [[space bridge]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}}

[[File:AHM3Starscream.JPG|left|upright=1.4|thumb|Hey, I just spotted the janitor from ''Futurama''!]]
With a year now passed since their battle with the Reapers, and with their enemies disposed of, the Decepticons began to lay waste to the Earth with the intention of taking it for their new homeworld. Starscream headed up the attack on [[New York City]] with glee, though he objected to Skywarp's insinuation that he could not sow destruction and terror on the same level as Megatron; Megatron soon arrived to prove him wrong. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 1|All Hail Megatron #1}} After joining in the efforts to beat back military attacks and bomb the city's bridges, {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 2|All Hail Megatron #2}} Starscream headed for [[Washington, D.C.]], where he personally shot down the fleeing [[Air Force One]]. That task done, he returned to New York, to join Megatron in savoring their victory. Megatron mused that it was fitting to have a long-serving a Decepticon at Starscream beside him; Starscream believed he was being sarcastic, but Megatron's praise was genuine, going so far as to describe Starscream as the living embodiment of the Decepticon ideal, but a step short of full embracing it due to his own blindness to that fact. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 3|All Hail Megatron #3}}

With the conquest completed, Starscream stood at Megatron's side as he addressed the gathered Decepticons. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 4|All Hail Megatron #4}} However, as time passed and Megatron made no further new moves, content to allow his troops to wreak havoc around the world, Starscream began to suspect that Megatron ''had'' no further plan, and was merely giving his troops free reign as a distraction to keep them from turning on them. He confronted Megatron with this knowledge, and taunted him with the fact it was essentially his own fault for assembling an army of sociopaths and monsters in the first place. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 6|All Hail Megatron #6}} Legitimately disheartened to see the leader he had once looked up to go so far astray, having led them through an endless war with no vision for what lay beyond, Starscream began secretly meeting with the other Decepticons, recruiting those who shared his feelings in preparation for a coup. After winning over the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], he approached the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]], and also successfully convinced them to join him. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 8|All Hail Megatron #8}}

[[File:AHM11 all hail megatron.jpg|thumb|Roll credits!|upright=1.4]]
Starscream made his move a short while later, sending the Insecticons to attack Megatron, but the Decepticon leader summarily defeated them and revealed that he had known about Starscream's plans all along; he had, in fact, been doing nothing in order to allow the dissenting element of his army to weed themselves out. He had, however, failed to predict that the Constructicons would take Starscream's side. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}} As fate would have it, Starscream's uprising was suddenly cut short when the Decepticons came under attack, first from human jets arrived from [[Europe]], and then the returning Autobots. Starscream was forced to team up with Megatron, who assured him that someday he would get be in charge, someday after the Decepticons won, after he successfully crushed Megatron in the way that the taking of leadership required... but not today. After giving this some thought, Starscream organized his troops to fight back, hailing Megatron's name. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 11|All Hail Megatron #11}}

Megatron was subsequently defeated by Optimus Prime, but as the Autobot leader moved to inspect his fallen body, Starscream stepped in and picked up his injured leader, refusing to let the Autobots finish him off. For the moment, Megatron's words had struck home: Starscream told Prime that he now knew leadership had to taken by force, not gained through chance. Starscream led the Decepticons in withdrawing from the planet, though as he left, he reminded Prime that though the Autobots had won a battle, the Decepticons still reigned throughout the galaxy. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 12|All Hail Megatron #12}}

===Leadership of the Decepticons===
[[File:AHM13 starscream and matrix.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67|Starscream: "Now light our darkest hour!" Decepticons: "You ARE our darkest hour, you putz!"]]
Along with a few other Decepticons, Starscream took off into space aboard Astrotrain. Despite what he had told Prime, he was not pleased that Soundwave was keeping Megatron on life support, but his attempts to dissuade the loyalist were met with failure. Afraid of the uncertainty that simply tossing Megatron out and airlock would result in, Starscream was ready to give up, knowing that the Decepticons had no real reason to follow him, and that the faction would fall to infighting as soon as others challenged his rule. All he had was the Autobot [[Matrix of Leadership]], which Megatron had seized from Optimus Prime earlier, but he had failed to find any supposed "ultimate power" within it, and prepared to throw it away. Caught in the act by [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]], Starscream was reminded of the talisman's significance to the Autobots by the Insecticon, and had the idea to use its reputation for his own ends. Gathering the Decepticons, he professed that the Matrix had chosen him to light their [[darkest hour]], but as they began hailing his name in the face of this alleged holy appointment, he stepped from the room already regretting his decision. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 13|Uneasy Lies the Head}}

[[File:Ongoing13 sad starscream is sad.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Real Decepticon leaders chill on the [[Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln Memorial.]]]]
Starscream took the Decepticons to a barren asteroid that they could use as a staging base to regroup, but as more and more soldiers began arriving, circumstances quickly spiraled out of his control. With most of their limited resources tied up by Shockwave, who he had assigned the task of building a space bridge, Starscream charged [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] with finding a way to fabricate energon to feed his starving troops. When no breakthrough ensued, and the energy-deprived Decepticons turned to cannibalizing each other's bodies to survive, Starscream stormed into Insecticon's lab to discover he had been spending his time working on mind-controlling [[cerebro-shell]]s. Though initially angry, Starscream conceded that he could use these devices after he employed one to take out a rebellious [[Quake (G1)|Quake]]. {{storylink|All His Engines}} Later, visiting Shockwave for an update on his progress, Starscream discovered the scientist working with Soundwave to cut open Megatron's body and make weapons from his remains. Just as Starscream began to express fake outrage about this presumed "coup", Megatron himself appeared, revealing that the two had built him a new body with a built-in space bridge. He grudgingly admitted he knew Megatron would be back sooner or later, though Megatron neglected to take back leadership as long as Starscream had the Matrix, which he considered a possible threat. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon|Altered Carbon}}

[[File:SLMegs just do it.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67|"At the very least [[Fire in the Sky|bean me with an energon cube!]] I got one right here! It'll be like old times!"]]
His leadership a complete failure, Starscream became sullen and withdrawn, lost in distant contemplation of the unknowable mysteries within the Matrix that hung around his neck and lashing out at any Decepticons who attempted to touch the talisman. After Starscream ignored his warning that an Autobot ship had crashed on the asteroid, Bombshell tried to remove the Matrix in hopes of snapping him out of his stupor, but was violently struck for his trouble. As it turned out, the wrecked ship had contained [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]], on a quest to take back the Matrix. After first using a cerebro-shell on [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] to make him attack Starscream, he confronted the Decepticon leader on his own. Starscream was unimpressed, having used his rank to give himself nigh-impenetrable armor, only to be taken by surprise when Rodimus shot the Matrix around his neck instead, causing it to release a burst of energy and incapacitate Starscream. Rodimus snagged the Matrix, but both he and it were then blasted out into space by Megatron. {{storylink|Heart Like a Wheel}} With the threat of the Matrix now removed, Megatron re-established himself as leader of the Decepticons, and decided to inaugurate his return by beating the living daylights out of Starscream. The Seeker, however, had lost the will to continue: he would not rise to Megatron's mockery, and when the Decepticon leader aimed his fusion cannon at him, Starscream simply held it to his chest and demanded he fire. But Megatron kept pushing, eventually causing Starscream to snap and open fire with his own weapons, only to immediately regret the decision and attempt to flee in [[alternate mode|jet mode]]. A vicious dogfight above the asteroid ensued, culminating in a pained Starscream questioning how Megatron could understand what it felt like to have his dream crumble so completely. This inquiry only enraged Megatron further—his dream was the Decepticon faction itself, and Starscream had utterly destroyed it in his absence. But Megatron was not without mercy, and after pummeling Starscream to within an inch of his life, he offered him the chance to return to the fold as his subordinate. Meekly, Starscream accepted. {{storylink|Spotlight: Megatron}}

[[File:Ongoing16 brawn vs starscream.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Well, since Ironhide's not here to punch him...]]
As Megatron put his new plans into action and had the Decepticons return to Earth, Starscream went off on his own to meet with Thundercracker, who had abandoned the Decepticon cause following their previous defeat. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon|Altered Carbon}} He tried to convince his fellow Seeker to join with him and overthrow Megatron again, seeing him as obsessed with petty revenge on humanity and lacking long-term goals. When Thundercracker refused, Starscream lost patience and gunned him down, but before he could finish the job he was attacked by [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]]. Starscream denied Brawn's accusation that he had been responsible for shooting down a plane carrying Optimus Prime, pleading for his life by suggesting he would be more valuable as a hostage. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 3: Woken Furies|Woken Furies}} Fortunately for him, Brawn chose to carry Thundercracker to safety rather than capture him. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 4: Burning Chrome|Burning Chrome}} Starscream returned to the other Decepticons and watched Optimus Prime confront Megatron in a one-on-one battle. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 5: Enemy Mine|Enemy Mine}}

Megatron subsequently surrendered to the Autobots and had himself transported back to Cybertron, in order to use his built-in space bridge to teleport the Decepticons back to their homeworld. Starscream and the other Decepticons gathered at a Native American settlement to await the bridge's opening, but were found by Bumblebee at the last minute. Starscream ordered the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] to dispose of the Autobot, while he led the other Decepticons through the bridge. {{storylink|The Question}} Emerging on Cybertron in the midst of the Autobots' battle with [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Galvatron]]'s army of [[Sweep (G1)|Sweeps]], Starscream and the Decepticons soon found themselves entranced by Galvatron's unseen puppetmaster, the [[D-Void]], who merged their bodies and minds together with the Sweeps to form a huge monster. {{storylink|Chaos Part Three: Kings|Kings}} Once this "[[Deceptigod]]" was defeated, the weakened component Decepticons were captured by the Autobots and outfitted with [[Inhibitor/deterrence chip|I/D chips]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime}}

===The Chosen One===
[[File:RID2 starscream must join you.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]]
Two weeks after the Deceptigod's defeat, the Decepticons were still imprisoned, and Starscream was growing increasingly tired of [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]]'s attempts to control the situation. Realizing that it was better to go along with the Autobots' orders for now rather than push back against them, Starscream joined most of his fellow Decepticons in serving as an enforcer, helping to put down a riot by [[NAIL]]s—unaffiliated Cybertronians who had recently returned to Cybertron and objected to Autobot governance. {{storylink|Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime}} He lurked in the background when [[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]] visited the Decepticon camp to lecture Ratbat, {{storylink|The Autonomy Lesson (issue)|The Autonomy Lesson}} then finally elected to depart the Decepticon camp after an argument with the new self-appointed Decepticon leader. Considering Ratbat's methods and goals regressive and seeking a new approach to power, Starscream paid a visit to Autobot high command with a legitimate desire to talk with Bumblebee about the future, only to be shocked by the distrusting Autobot's taser-cane and taken into custody for his troubles. Interrogated by Prowl, Starscream explained that Ratbat was planning to assassinate Bumblebee during the memorial ceremony for the ''Lost Light''. While the Autobots dealt with that threat, Starscream proceeded to gate-crash the ceremony himself and announced to the gathered masses his desire to be part of the planet's new government. {{storylink|The World & Everything in It}}

Naturally, all the Autobots were suspicious, but Starscream did his best to prove his good faith: he helped Prowl to cover up [[Arcee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Arcee]]'s assassination of Ratbat, then worked with [[Wheeljack (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Wheeljack]] to rescue some NAILs from a series of mysterious explosions. Wheeljack spoke up in his favor, convincing Bumblebee to let him join the government; the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] were so disgusted that they ceded from Bumblebee's leadership, and while Starscream expressed his regret to 'Bee in private later, he assured him the Autobot he would not regret his choice. {{storylink|Stick Together}} That proved untrue almost immediately, as Bumblebee, Starscream, and NAIL representative [[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|Metalhawk]] soon held a public assembly to introduce their joint governance, and Starscream talked rings around both of them. {{storylink|Devisive}} Soon afterwards, Starscream approached [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]] to buy his services as he made his play for Iacon's leadership. In exchange for protecting him from those like the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] or unruly bots, Starscream would allow Onslaught a position of power when the time came. {{storylink|Applicable Skills}}

[[File:RID8 starscream and metalhawk.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5]]
Starscream joined Metalhawk in greeting ex-Decepticon [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]] when he returned to Cybertron, but the new arrival's obvious distaste for his former faction prompted Starscream to step back and leave the welcoming to his fellow leaders. {{storylink|A Better Tomorrow}} Given his genuine desire to see the new government work out, Starscream was just as suspicious of the next returnee as his fellow leaders—noted Decepticon warmonger [[Turmoil]], claiming altruism, no less. Turmoil immediately began to foment distrust among the government by planting more doubts about the Autobots in Metalhawk's mind, so Starscream took the NAIL to [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]] to talk the matter out, calling upon bar owner Blurr to recount his own experiences with Turmoil as evidence for the prosecution. {{storylink|Interference Patterns}}

Not long after the Turmoil incident, Starscream and Metalhawk paid a visit to Autobot High Command to pester Bumblebee about setting up elections. {{storylink|Dinobot Hunt (IDW)|Dinobot Hunt}} That night, the pair returned to High Command, this time to check on the recently injured Wheeljack and to offer their assistance in locating [[Ironhide (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ironhide]] and the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], who had gone missing in the wilderness earlier that evening. Fearing that Starscream could leverage a successful rescue to his advantage during the elections, Bumblebee refused their offer. {{storylink|Night and the City}}

[[File:RIDannual the chosen one.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67]]
That, however, didn't stop the pair from setting out regardless at dawn the next day. They watched as Blurr, also out searching, was caught in an explosion which revealed a subterranean cavern, but were prevented from entering the cave by the quick arrival of Prowl's security team. To put pressure on the Autobots, Starscream rounded up a crowd of NAILs and Decepticons and demanded that Prowl explain the situation to them. The Autobot was forced to admit that the cavern was home to the abandoned [[Crystal City]], and that [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]] had teleported into the abandoned city, injuring itself in the process such that the surrounding area would shortly be destroyed. As Prowl returned to Wheeljack, at work in the cavern, Starscream snuck in after him, and a brief chase with the security officer led them to the Titan's face. Suddenly, it awoke, and lauded Starscream as a conqueror who would unite Cybertron, something witnessed by the entire crowd, who had followed them down into the city. The group fled to escape the Titan's detonation, and on the way back to Iacon, the divinely blessed Starscream was held aloft by NAILs and Decepticons. {{storylink|Primus: All Good Things|All Good Things}}

[[File:RID11 trying on crowns.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5]]
Being a 'bot of little faith, Starscream didn't actually ''believe'' Metrotitan's words, but he knew how to exploit ''everyone else's'' belief to virtually guarantee himself victory in the upcoming elections. He attempted to get an endorsement from [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] live on television, but Omega had greater matters to ponder; however, that night, Omega was the victim of a bombing that Starscream presumed to be the actions of the other Decepticons attempting to ruin his aspirations for political power. Finding that public opinion was already turning against him by association, Starscream confronted Shockwave over the attack, but received only an ambiguous warning to keep out of the one-eyed Decepticon's way. As he was leaving the Decepticon pen, Starscream was approached by [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] and [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]], who sought to trade information on Prowl's recent shady dealings in exchange for sanctuary from the coming storm. Starscream accepted, and used the info to blackmail Prowl into disposing of Shockwave's Decepticons for him. He was feeling quite pleased with himself, until a one-two punch of bad news took him down a peg: first, Arcee revealed she knew exactly where he had secreted Dirge away, meaning his bargaining chip was essentially useless... and second, Megatron returned. {{storylink|The End of the Beginning of the World}}

[[File:RID12 dont have to do this.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67]]
Starscream alerted the Autobot to Megatron's approach on the city, and watched as Bumblebee and the Autobots gunned him down and took him into custody. Starscream tried to dissuade the other Decepticons from marching on high command to call for Megatron's release with a stirring speech about discarding the old ways, but it failed rather spectacularly, so Starscream decided to visit the medical center and appeal to Megatron directly. {{storylink|City on Fire}} This "chat" was very one-sided as Megatron offered no response to Starscream's word save a smile—though that alone was enough to terrify the Seeker. The Decepticons' march subsequently turned into a riot, during which the prison was stormed and Megatron was liberated. The Decepticon leader dragged Starscream along to the [[Black Room]], where it was revealed that Prowl, mind-controlled by Bombshell, had been working for Megatron all along. {{storylink|The Verge}} Bumblebee and Metalhawk were soon brought to the Black Room as well, and Starscream tried to explain to them that he had had no part in Megatron's scheme; Megatron verified that, save to note that Starscream's political machinations had provided a useful distraction. {{storylink|Before the Dawn}}

[[File:RID16 heavyisthehead.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Oh no, nothing's worse than <s>Cartman</s> Starscream with ''authoritah''!]]Megatron then began his endgame, unleashing a perfected Devastator upon Iacon, and forcing Starscream to watch, professing that any political victory he had won would have been one of compromise, rather than a true Decepticon triumph. {{storylink|Plan for Everything}} Rendered near-paralytic with the seeming totality of his defeat, Starscream was dragged through the streets by Megatron, until the Autobots and Metalhawk surprised him by coming to his rescue. Separated from the main fight, Starscream and Metalhawk were confronted by Turmoil, and the re-energized Starscream killed him using Metalhawk's severed arm as a blade. The Autobots then foiled Megatron's scheme, and Starscream saw his moment to strike: though he admitted to Metalhawk that he genuinely was his friend, he used Turmoil's cannon to kill him, and presented his body to the crowd as a victim of the fighting. He called for the abandonment of factions, and the majority of the population rallied behind him, appointing him their leader {{storylink|Heavy Is the Head}} and cheering for the banishment of all those who didn't renounce their faction.

The Autobots attempted to fight this, first pointing to their wounded needing care, but Starscream promised they'd be fixed up. And hey, you didn't ''have'' to leave. All you had to was just... stop being an Autobot or Decepticon.

You're almost all leaving? Such a shame. {{storylink|Second Exodus}}

===Starscream the First===
[[File:ThreeMonologues-religiousnut.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|Scoop using his [[Light-piping|fright-piping]] on Starscream.]]
Starscream's first night of leadership was a troubled one as the city of Iacon struggled to deal with the aftermath of Megatron's attack. One of the many problems he had to deal with was the blackouts that the city was suffering from. This was only made worse for Starscream by [[Scoop (G1)|Scoop]] and his construction patrol vowing to repair the city. He then visited the Medical Center to check on Dirge's condition but he was rebuffed by the former seeker. During an interview with Circuit on how he was planning to deal with the city's problems the power was restored by Scoop, it was at this moment that [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] approached him with the revelation that the power grid had been sabotaged with phosphex. As Scoop repaired the communication array he attempted to open his toolbox and instead found out that Scoop was a "religious nut" who believed Metrotitan's prophecy. When Rattrap tripped over Scoop, Starscream soon took the opportunity to accuse him of sabotaging the power grid, however Starscream later revealed that he was fully aware that Rattrap had planted the phosphex in Scoop's toolbox. {{storylink|Three Monologues}}

Soon afterwards, [[Solomus|Tyrest]]'s [[universal killswitch]] was activated, and Starscream was among those affected, and Starscream wondered if Megatron was causing it. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}} However Starscream was saved thanks to Rodimus and Perceptor's {{storylink|Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|This Calamitous Life}} He later succeeded in getting a "pep" talk from Wheeljack's headless body - who had survived being shot by Prowl earlier. {{storylink|Three Monologues}} Starscream was the one who answered when the ''Lost Light'' when they called Cybertron with Tyrest's communication system; by this point, he'd started calling the place the [[Republic of Cybertron]]. {{storylink|The Sound of Breaking Glass}} Having successfully risen to power, Starscream reneged on his deal with Onslaught. {{storylink|Applicable Skills}}

[[File:DarkCybertron1-Starscream.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Even the Mini-Cons have abandoned me.]]
After being rebuilt into a new body, Starscream's secluded admiration of his new form was interrupted by Rattrap's worries about an unidentified glow just over the horizon. A scan of the phenomenon revealed a classified-but-familiar reading, that of the [[Dead Universe]], causing Starscream to seek out the crew of the ''[[Lost Light]]'' for expertise, particularly that of [[Cyclonus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Cyclonus]]. {{storylink|Dark Dawn: Dark Cybertron Chapter 1|Dark Dawn}} Subsequently, an [[Quintessa (IDW)|undead Titan]] suddenly burst free from the ground, and so Starscream rounded up some weaponry in order to take out the behemoth, but Rattrap instead suggested caution. Starscream decided to visit Scoop in his cell, and the zealot pronounced Starscream as the dark answer to a prophesy hidden in the [[Covenant of Primes]]. {{storylink|Black Metal: Dark Cybertron Chapter 2|Black Metal}} Next Starscream visited the dead body of Metalhawk, succeeding in getting a "pep talk" out of his "old friend" as Rattrap eavesdropped. On his way out of the building, Starscream reassured his citizens that he could handle the ongoing situation—after all, he handled Megatron—and flew out towards the Necrotitan. Meanwhile, Scoop confided in Rattrap that while Starscream was the Chosen One, he may have been chosen to destroy everything. Starscream landed on the Necrotitan's shoulder and tried to start a conversation, but suddenly its eyes flashed and a deadly, chaotic wave of energy burst forth from its body. Starscream desperately tried to beat the wavefront home, but arrived just before it lay waste to the city. The wavefront had a strange and inconsistent effect on everyone, to the point that it reanimated the dead body of Metalhawk. Metalhawk beat down his murderer and abducted the captured body of Megatron, leaving with it for elsewhere. In the chaos that followed the city's destruction, Starscream soon found himself the subject of everyone's ire. {{storylink|Winners & Losers: Dark Cybertron Chapter 3|Winners & Losers}} The wave also left a strange black mark on Starscream's chest that Scoop believed was a message from [[Primus]]—Starscream was the cause of Iacon's problems. {{storylink|Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|Into the Abyss}}

He later had the mark checked out at the Iacon Medical Center by Flatline and used this as an opportunity to check on the casualties of the Necrotitan's wave. This merely led to him being berated by [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] on how he was letting the population down—only for the Necrotitan to then smash its way into the medical center. {{storylink|No Exit: Dark Cybertron Chapter 6|No Exit}} Starscream then received another berating, this time from Scoop, on how the fact he was the "Chosen One" was a responsibility to the people of Cybertron. {{storylink|The Dead Are Not Enough: Dark Cybertron Chapter 7|The Dead Are Not Enough}} He was later approached by Rattrap and the remaining Autobots and Decepticons and merely lamented that all hope of defeating Shockwave was lost while Prowl explained his plan. He did however inform Prowl of the situation at the medical center as Flatline and Fixit "teamed up", he was then present when Megatron explained his alternative plan for defeating Shockwave. {{storylink|Burning Bright: Dark Cybertron Chapter 8|Burning Bright}}

[[File:DarkCybertronFinale-StarscreamVsJhiaxus.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"Is that what I look like? My god, I'm GORGEOUS!"]]
Later, Starscream was further lamenting about the hopelessness of the situation when the Lost Light arrived with Metroplex. He was observing the battle between the Necrotitan and Metroplex when Scoop started to recite the "Dark Cybertron" prophecy and was later cured when Metroplex released the [[Ore-7]] stored within his thumb. {{storylink|Finis Temporis: Dark Cybertron Chapter 9|Finis Temporis}} Starscream was later gloating to Scoop about how the prophecy was not fulfilled when he learnt its true origin—Shockwave. It was just at this moment when Metalhawk appeared with Skywarp and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] and shot him. It was at this moment that Shockwave started to reveal his endgame to Galvatron and ''70 billion'' Ammonites appeared in the sky above Cybertron. {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}} Starscream then provided Bumblebee's group with a way of reaching Shockwave's base by revealing that Skywarp was still alive. He elected to take Waspinator along (much to Waspinator's objections) as the group required someone who knew the layout of the base, however he was nearly driven catatonic by the fact that Scoop willingly volunteered to remain behind instead of helping to defeat Shockwave with rest of the group. When he recovered he attacked Jhiaxus but the reactive armor Jhiaxus was wearing provided him with all of Starscream's new body's abilities. {{storylink|Black Planet: Dark Cybertron Chapter 11|Black Planet}} Starscream was not impressed by the reactive armor however (even going so far as accusing Jhiaxus of [[Fandom|cosplaying]] as him) and continued to fight Jhiaxus, even though Jhiaxus had the advantage due to him knowing everything that his new body contained and could do. He beat Jhiaxus by using the swords that were integrated into his body. He was later unfazed by Rattrap's claim that he would have difficulty maintaining control due to Metalhawk sacrificing himself to defeat the Ammonites by claiming that by killing them Metalhawk was a "genocidal despot" {{storylink|...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|...And the Damage Done}}

[[File:Words Hang in the Air - Honorable Starscream.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|It's good to be king, if just for a while. To be there in velvet, yeah, to give them a smile.]]

Starscream attended a meeting on the subject of what was to be done with Megatron to represent the People of Cybertron—who wanted a trial. Rodimus was not impressed with Starscream's rule of Cybertron. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} He was later called to provide a statement where he claimed to be "High Chancellor of the Refulgent Cybertronian Dynasty, Emperor Perpetua and Defender of the Realm". His statement on Megatron claimed that the former Decepticon leader was addled and impotent with a lack of control over his forces and that he deserved pity. Starscream was pleased with his statement as it increased his approval ratings with only one downside—the ratings of the Autobots increased as well. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}} Starscream's testimony had also convinced Megatron that he needed to leave behind a better legacy, and changed his plea to not guilty while invoking one of the forgotten laws of Luna-2. Starscream, fearing that Megatron wouldn't be executed as he hoped, protested, however Optimus would allow Megatron freedom of movement and shared command of the ''Lost Light''. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}}

Some time after Megatron's trial, Starscream approached Prowl and [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] to gloat about his control of Cybertron, only to be reminded by Optimus Prime that [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] was an Autobot and that Ironhide and [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] were keeping a close eye on him as well; upon being asked if he had any further comments on the situation by Circuit, he merely claimed that he couldn't feel better. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 1: Hello Cruel World|Hello Cruel World}} Some time after Metroplex started acting as a city for Cybertrons population, Starscream began mining operations on the Titan's filtration systems in an attempt to retrieve one of Shockwave's ores from the Titan, and hired some of the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]] as guards. {{storylink|A Long Way Down}}

[[File:ABotAndHerCity-importantmatters.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|It's good to be king and have your own way, get a feeling of peace at the end of the day.]]

Six months after the events of Dark Cybertron, Starscream maintained a less than healthy relationship with Windblade due to Metroplex's constant systems failures. He confronted Windblade on the constant blackouts Metroplex was suffering with the claim that the population was blaming him for the system failures, he then threatened Windblade with serious consequences if she didn't solve the problem and left with Rattrap to discuss the rebuilding Iacon again. Starscream later claimed the blast that damaged Windblade was caused by poor maintenance and later entered her recovery room uttering the phrase "Well. Look who isn't dead". {{storylink|A 'Bot and Her City}} The ruler of Cybertron then went on to insist on how the explosion was a fortunate accident as Windblade had survived it with only minor injuries. He then threatened the cityspeaker again by claiming that she would probably not be able to cheat death twice before being kicked out of the room. Starscream then asked Rattrap to ensure that he was in the clear before Windblade made a move... {{storylink|A Long Way Down}}

Starscream later oversaw the capture of Windblade and the group she had taken into Metroplex to expose his mining operations. With the group in his custody, Starscream attempted to obtain confessions to prove that Windblade was trying to undermine his regime as well as revealing the [[Badgeless]]- his new anonymous enforcers. He then tried to find out Windblade's try purpose on Cybertron as he believed that she was deliberately trying to sabotage Metroplex to gain further power. Starscream was last seen confronting Blurr and Slug as Windblade and Chromia escaped from his prison. {{storylink|Windblade issue 3|Windblade vol. 1 #3}} As Chromia and Windblade rushed towards Metroplex's brain, Starscream fought Slug and Blurr, he easily defeated them thanks to his handy shoulder cannons and then left to pursue the Camiens. Catching up to them at Metroplex's brain, Starscream was then attacked by Chromia as the fembot tried to buy more time for Windblade to merge with Metroplex. Starscream, however, managed to quickly dispatch Chromia and wound Windblade, before the Cityspeaker managed to successfully merge with the Titan. Despite this, Windblade still managed to merge with Metroplex and activate the Titan's defenses while she made one last attempt to find out who the mystery bomber was.

While Chromia attempted to convince Windblade to use Metroplex's space bridge to jump to [[Caminus (planet)|Caminus]], a desperate Starscream cried out that jumping while Metroplex still served as a city would kill all those who were not completely within the Titan's borders. Deciding to not make the jump, Windblade revealed to Starscream that there were other colonies formed by the ancient Titans and offered the use of Metroplex's space bridge to the leader of Cybertron to unite the colonies in return for not revealing any of the events surrounding the bombing to anyone else. Agreeing to the deal, Starscream left Windblade to deal with the aftermath. {{storylink|Windblade issue 4|Windblade vol. 1 #4}}

[[File:TheWorldOfTomorrow-StarscreamAltMode.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.66]]

With Monstructor still on the loose and Devastator causing trouble on Earth, Starscream became aware of his own military shortcomings. To this end, he reactivated Wheeljack, in the hopes of bringing Megatron's failed experiment [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] back into fighting shape for the sake of his regime. Still struggling to come to terms with the vastly changed Cybertron, Wheeljack reluctantly agreed and began repairing the gestalt. A Decepticon ghetto had also grown up outside Metroplex, made up of 'Cons who were disgruntled with the status quo and loathed Starscream as a sellout. {{storylink|The World of Tomorrow}}

A series of murders took place in the Decepticon ghetto, which Starscream was willing to dismiss as just one of them things but allowed his passionate officer [[Barricade (IDW)|Barricade]] to investigate. Starscream then left to welcome Optimus back to Cybertron after a six-month absence and, with Windblade, talk him through the new status quo. The Prime's social conscience saw them both walking the ghetto {{storylink|City of Steel (issue)|City of Steel}} and sparking a riot. Mid-riot, they watched the murderer kill [[Heavy Barrel (G1)|Heavy Barrel]]. {{storylink|Fight or Flee (issue)|Fight or Flee}} Eventually, Starscream settled on the [[Firecon]]s as the obvious scapegoats culprits and joined Optimus in capturing them: a mission that went disastrously wrong thanks to brutality by [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] and [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]]. {{storylink|Quest for Fire}} Optimus went on to suspect the Dinobots.

[[File:TheSumAndItsParts-StarscreamAndScoop.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

When the murderer followed up by killing ''Autobots'', Starscream told Optimus he'd been dumb and decided to raze the ghetto: the public would accept Decepticon murders but would want harsh action for Autobot ones. Barricade refused the order and went on to find a crucial clue {{storylink|The Killing Jar (issue)|The Killing Jar}} and Optimus talked Starscream into helping him with a plan: faking a fight with the Dinobots to draw out the real killer, who turned out to be Sandstorm all along. {{storylink|Forever Is a Long Time Coming (issue)|Forever Is a Long Time Coming}}

After Windblade repaired Metroplex's space bridge, Starscream hatched a plan to turn Caminus back into a protectorate of Cybertron- a plan that involved the recently purloined [[Enigma of Combination]]. Starscream recruited Swindle and the Stunticons for the job. While he bided his time, Starscream decided to pick out a new body for himself, although he was interrupted by Optimus Prime. The two bickered for a while about using Superion as a weapon (it's part of planetary security, honest) drawing up a truly representative government for Cybertron (as if!). Starscream finally shot down Optimus by pointing out that the people of Cybertron had chosen him as leader, although Optimus insisted that if Cybertron contacted its colonies, the governing body needed a council, not an empire.

On his orders, Swindle used the Enigma on the Stunticons and Starscream's mole [[Blackjack]], combining them together and re-creating [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]]. Now, however, Blackjack's short temper amplified Menasor's already prominent anger problems, creating a completely uncontrollable monster. Starscream sicced Menasor and Swindle on Caminus, intending to use the similarly revived Superion to swoop in, save the day, and win the permanent adoration of the Camiens. {{storylink|First Contact (IDW)|First Contact}} Unfortunately word got out to Optimus Prime and Windblade, forcing him to deploy Superion early on. Starscream just couldn't win, especially after Optimus- a holy figure to the people of Caminus- upstaged Starscream in front of the [[Mistress of Flame]]. {{storylink|The Sum and Its Parts}}

[[File:ThePossibleLight-StarscreamsNewBody.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]

In the lull, Starscream took the opportunity to upgrade into his new body before overseeing the first contact ceremony between Caminus and Cybertron. While he was there, he bragged about Superion and how the combiner would keep them all safe. With that done, Starscream let Swindle take the fall for his actions by throwing him in his secret prison. But then, at the Space Bridge, Optimus Prime announced on live TV that Starscream intended to build a democratic [[Council of Worlds]], throwing a wrench in Starscream's imperialistic plans and forcing him to go through. Starscream ''really'' just couldn't win. {{storylink|The Possible Light}} Starscream, Prime, and some Camiens set about hammering out a legislation, although things didn't go particularly well - mostly because Starscream knew that the Camiens would always follow Optimus Prime's vote. The meeting was quickly adjourned after Mirage brought word of an attack on the space bridge. It turned out that Prowl wasn't happy about the situation, and had decided to form Devastator and just smash the Space Bridge. Not even Superion managed to defeat him, so Starscream used the Enigma to resuscitate the defeated Aerialbots. Realizing that Superion couldn't do the job alone, Starscream zapped a recently arrived group of representatives from the ''Lost Light'', fusing them together into [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]]. The two combiners trounced Devastator, and in the aftermath Starscream had Prowl dragged off to a public jail. Not the Constructicons, though; he had plans for them... {{storylink|Mistakes and Mayhem}}

[[File:CombinerWars5-disappointed.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|'''YOU!''' Where the '''SLAG''' is your '''CHIN?''']]

Starscream stationed both of his combiners on Caminus to keep the peace and guard the space bridge before heading back to his secret prison, where he had stashed the Constructicons. Hoping to turn Devastator back to his side, Starscream used the Enigma on Scoop and the Constructicons. This new version of Devastator, while still temperamental, was willing to go along with the commands of his "Chosen One" thanks to Scoop's mental influence. After an escaped Menasor sparked a Decepticon riot, Starscream deployed Devastator to calm things down. Defensor wound up attacking Devastator, who in turn went postal and started wrecking up Caminus. Oops. {{storylink|You, Me, and the Universe}} With no other recourse, Starscream and his Badgeless troops put in a personal appearance at the space bridge, helping to keep down the non-combined Decepticons while Devastator and the newly born [[Optimus Maximus (G1)|Optimus Maximus]] tumbled from colony to colony. With Devastator defeated, Starscream's snide remarks convinced Optimus Maximus to separate so that Prowl could be arrested. {{storylink|All That Remains}} Starscream later permitted Devastator to reform so that the Constructicons could be safely removed from Caminus. {{storylink|Now and On Earth}}

{{-}}

===A weakening grip===
{{quote|''Look'' at this place. I spent ''how long'' on dank battlefields, or huddled inside ''Astrotrain'' gathering troops for ''somebody else's'' cause? I ''made'' it, goldenrod.|Starscream, "[[The Transgressors]]"}}

[[File:Windblade DS 4 Velocitronian Ambassadors.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"And I hate him already."]]

Despite finally starting to bring the colonies together, Starscream was bitter and frustrated that nobody believed he could do it and that people were talking about him behind his back... so he said to ''a hallucinated ghost Bumblebee'', who he demanded recognise that he'd finally ''made it''. Arcee, unaware of what was going on, arrived with a captured Badgeless and executed him in front of Starscream to make a point. She informed him of a growing problem with the Decepticons, who Starscream needed to keep happy on Cybertron to avoid an uprising and invasion of other planets, and that he was the only one keeping the planet together so he better try harder. {{storylink|The Transgressors}}

With Caminus in the Council, Starscream turned his attention to the next Titan colony: [[Velocitron]]. To this end he met with delegates [[Knock Out (G1)|Knock Out]] and [[Moonracer (G1)|Moonracer]], although Knock Out wasn't particularly impressed with Cybertronian culture. Starscream was disturbed by the extremely hostile planet he'd glimpsed through the Space Bridge, and mentioned to Rattrap that he wouldn't set foot on the planet if he was paid. This might be why negotiations broke down. {{storylink|Windblade vol. 2 issue 4|Windblade vol. 2 #4}}

[[File:WindbladeVol2Issue6-deadlygame.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"This game sucks. Let's play Hungry Hungry Hippos instead."]]

After Windblade decided to sneak off to Velocitron to convince them to join the Council, Starscream recruited Superion for a secret jaunt of his own: a trip to the planet [[Devisiun (planet)|Devisiun]]. The tiny modular colonists were very impressed by Superion's combiner technology, and sent [[Fireshot (G1)|Fireshot]] and [[Vanquish (G1)|Vanquish]] as delegates. Windblade had had enough of the secret power plays, though, so after a heated debate the two agreed to travel to the next colony together. That planet turned out to be [[Eukaris]], a planet colonized by xenophobic [[beast mode]] Transformers, who were less than thrilled to have vehicle-based Transformers set foot on their planet. Their Titan, [[Chela]], was even ''less'' thrilled than they were, so unhappy that he decided to just blow them up and be done with it. Starscream thought otherwise, and flew into his brain module, where he shot the Titan dead in spite of Windblade's protests. At least Eukaris decided to join the council. {{storylink|Race Against the Light}} {{storylink|Windblade vol. 2 issue 6|Windblade vol. 2 #6}}

Windblade and Starscream bickered some more after returning from Eukaris, although Starscream maintained that he had done the right thing- even saved Windblade from certain death. The next day, the two headed out to the final colony Metroplex had discovered, a spaceborne Titan he identified as [[Tempo]], crewed by philosophers. As it turned out, the ship was actually staffed by a well-armed military dictatorship. Captain [[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]] claimed that their Titan was actually named [[Vigilem|Carcer]]. Starscream tried to convince them to join the council, but his remarks just made Elita angry, and she threatened to kill him. Windblade managed to salvage the situation at the last minute, convincing them to join the council so as to counter Starscream's growing influence. {{storylink|The Will of the Few}}

[[File:ChooseMe_starscreamiest_grin.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.1|''The three words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote: Stink, stank, stunk!'']]

In a conversation with dead Bumblebee, a bitter and lonely Starscream decided to get some of the goodwill felt by the colonies' return and declared a new holiday, "[[Chosen One Day]]". While he intended for everyone to remember they owed their goodwill to ''him'' and show him some, it was misread as a holiday to show your loved ones goodwill instead. This worked in his favour as everyone assumed he'd done that deliberately. Wheeljack, Windblade, and the Council members showed up to toast him and honour him with a night of friendship. {{storylink|Choose Me}}

During a broodfest, [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] showed up with his fellow Decepticons to ''oh so politely'' ask for a 'favour': they wanted Starscream to look the other way while they used the spacebridge later. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 1: Aphelion|Aphelion}} Rather than cause trouble, Starscream allowed it and when [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] at the space port noticed the Decepticon movement, Starscream told him not to "overreact" to "a stroll". Later, unsure and talking it through with 'Bumblebee', he let an actual moment of ''conscience'' decide his actions and informed Windblade of the Decepticon movement. But a bit too late! {{storylink|Conquerors Part 2: Lagrange|Lagrange}} Starscream headed in with reinforcements to help in the form of Badgeless and Superion and was pissed to find Optimus there already with [[Victorion|his ''own'' combiner]], pulling rank again. He ordered all the defeated Decepticons rounded up for later and agreed to get the spacebridge up and running to allow Optimus to stop Galvatron on Earth. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 4: Perihelion|Perihelion}} The situation swiftly went terrible again as the Decepticons started fighting again as soon as Victorion was gone and when Starscream called in Devastator, he only trashed the place and let fugitives escape. Man, how could this get worse—Optimus declaring Earth a protectorate? Yeah, that'd do it. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 1: Once Upon a Time on Earth|Once Upon a Time on Earth}}

[[File:NewWorldsOrder-StarscreamAndBumblebee.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"And I didn't even get the lousiest of T-shirts."]]
After Windblade, Optimus et al. had kept hinting he was a dodgy neo-imperialist, Starscream was ''utterly livid'' when Optimus ''actually'' annexed a planet and part of the Council of Worlds, all without talking to anyone else. He said they couldn't give Prime a seat and justify conquest, and was left distraught when Windblade agreed but said they should give Prime the ''benefit of the doubt''. In a conversation with dead Bumblebee, Starscream compared Prime's actions to Megatron's and [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]'s and warned that this would go the same way. {{storylink|New Worlds Order}} Shortly after, Starscream witnessed a broadcast from the ''Lost Light'' of crew members about to be executed. He watched with fear as he knew they were victims of the [[Decepticon Justice Division]]. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}} Roughly around this time, Starscream came into contact with [[Airachnid (G1)|Airachnid]], a [[Eukaris|Eukarian]] [[Mnemosurgery|mnemosurgeon]] whom he tasked with finding [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle's]] body. {{storylink|The Price of You}}

Airachnid's methods however were less than subtle and following a series of mnemosurgical attacks on Decepticons around Iacon, Starscream oversaw a meeting of councillor [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]]'s Justice Committee. The Carcer delegate proposed Ironhide be appointed to investigate possible Badgeless involvement in the crimes, and Starscream reluctantly agreed to consider the proposal while feigning ignorance about the murders. After Badgeless officers shot a drunk Decepticon under suspicious circumstances later that day, Windblade accused Starscream of orchestrating the murders in an attempt to locate the seemingly missing corpse of Swindle, but the sovereign of Cybertron threatened her in return with his knowledge of Chromia's bomb plot. Immediately afterwards, Starscream was aghast to discover that video footage of the murder had surfaced and was being broadcast on the city news. {{storylink|07:00:00}}

[[File:ApplicableSkills-ourfearlessleader.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"It's out of control. It's out of control and we'll be lucky to live through it."]]

A mob of angry citizens quickly formed outside Starscream's residence. After being needled by dead Bumblebee, the ruler of Cybertron was dragged to an emergency meeting of the Council of Worlds, where he immediately proposed that the Decepticon ghetto be locked down by the Badgeless. The other councillors quickly shot down the idea, and Starscream in return refused Rattrap's proposal to summons Victorion from Earth. He went on to explain his fear that events were being manipulated by his former ally [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]], out for revenge, before eventually agreeing to a plan for the situation: appoint Ironhide the new head of the Badgeless, to carry out a full investigation of recent events. As they watched Ironhide, Starscream confided in Windblade that he didn't possess Swindle's body, before blackmailing the Cityspeaker into taking responsibility for dealing with Onslaught and his [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]]. {{storylink|Applicable Skills}}

Several weeks later, Starscream caught Windblade on the way out of a council session to demanded a report, and was told that Onslaught was, by all appearances, not carrying out any scheme or plan. They were interrupted by an incoming message for the Cityspeaker, but Starscream refused to let her answer it until he was certain she was carrying out his bidding, again dangling his knowledge of Chromia's misdeeds in front of Windblade. {{storylink|Things We Said We'd Never Do}} As it happened, the call had been from Chromia, who had now witnessed the Combaticons use the Enigma of Combination to merge with the brain-dead Swindle into [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]]. As security forces evacuated the councillors, Starscream attempted to blackmail Windblade into helping kill the rampaging combiner. Ultimately, however, Ironhide took down Bruticus, whilst Chromia admitted to her crimes on a live news broadcast, as an unhappy Starscream looked on. {{storylink|The Line Between Us}}

[[File:ItsBeginningToAndBackAgain-StarscreamAndRattrap.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"Yeah well, I'm gonna go raise my own Titan. With blackjack! And hookers! In fact, forget the Titan!"]]

Optimus (who'd been haunted by dreams of Starscream accusing him of hypocrisy) finally contacted Starscream, along with the Mistress of Flame and Soundwave, proposing to meet with each of them to discuss recent events. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 2: Edge of the Earth|Edge of the Earth}} When Prime arrived on Cybertron for his meeting with Starscream and the Council of Worlds, the ex-Decepticon took a moment to revel in the Autobot leader's newfound bad reputation before arriving fashionably late. Accusing Optimus of starting an interstellar war, Starscream dismissed Optimus as another tyrannical [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] who ''took'' power rather than being ''chosen'' like he was. Citing the general populace's loss of faith in Optimus, Cybertron's leader announced that the council would not stand with Optimus, before striding away. The next morning, Starscream summoned the news team of [[Circuit (G1)|Circuit]] and [[Longtooth]] for a special task – travelling to Earth to show everybody firsthand what Optimus Prime's actions had wrought. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message|The Medium and the Message}}

This plan worked out rather nicely for Starscream, who watched with joy as live footage of human military forces attacking Optimus Prime's troops was beamed back to Cybertron. Dead Bumblebee insisted Prime's refusal to retaliate would show his heroism, but Cybertron's leader was confident he could spin any outcome to his advantage. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 4: It's Beginning To And Back Again|It's Beginning To And Back Again}} When the humans finally surrounded Prime, Starscream was ecstatic, but moments later, was taken aback when the Autobot raised Metrotitan, thought dead, from the ground! {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 5: As Above...So Below|As Above...So Below}} The ex-Decepticon was quickly called to an emergency council meeting by Windblade. Prime's holy act changed the group's tune, and they soon decided to declare Earth a colony world. Looking out over his planet, Starscream sulked about the decision whilst Bumblebee said "I told you so" – Optimus Prime had come out on top. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 6: No Fair Fights|No Fair Fights}}

When a massive energy discharge was detected at the former site of Kaon, Starscream was roped into investigating personally by Windblade. Shockingly, they found the city intact within a crater, but this matter was quickly forgotten when the pair were called back to Iacon, where none other than the long-dead Sentinel Prime was on a rampage! Starscream fired on the false Prime, but got a [[spark disruptor]] thrown onto his chest for his troubles. Luckily for the ex-Decepticon, Windblade was able to jump the disruptor onto her own spark, where its detonation was non-fatal thanks to the differing frequency of Camien sparks. The pair quickly flew to regroup with the forces fighting Sentinel Prime at the space bridge. {{storylink|The Last Autobot}}

Discussing recent events, General [[Joe Colton]], [[Scarlett]] and [[Miles Mayhem|Miles Manheim]] recalled Starscream's part in the [[Transformer]]s' early battles over Ore-13 on Earth. {{storylink|Secret Raiders: A Revolution Prelude|Secret Raiders}} When Windblade merged with Metrotitan's mind, she saw glimpses of all her possibles pasts and futures, many of which included Starscream. {{storylink|Informed}}

[[File:Ping-Starscream.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.4|"I ''am'' the Senate."]]

Starscream and Rattrap were soon summoned to Ironhide's office to discuss turning over the [[Enigma of Combination]] to Ironhide which Starscream (shockingly) refused to do. Ironhide them gave him a stirring speech telling him it was time for Starscream to actually start leading instead of playing political games. Before anything else could be said all three of their communicators pinged at exactly the same time. Regrouping at the [[Spire]], Starscream was shocked to hear Windblade and Obsidian's report of a fleet of undead [[Titan (group)|Titans]] bearing down on Cybertron. Taking Ironhide's speech to spark, Starscream told everyone to rally for war and drafted every ship into service. After transmitting a rousing speech (and saying any ship who fled would be either shot down or declared an enemy of the state), the fighting began. While things began promisingly enough, [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] soon fell and Starscream saw fit to contact [[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]] to request [[Vigilem|Carcer]] be transformed and brought to the surface. She refused. {{storylink|Ping}} After another failed try, Starscream gathered the [[Council of Worlds]] and told them to begin evacuating Cybertron. Windblade refused to do so however believing that either she or [[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]] could access Carcer's brain and convince the Titan to aid Cybertron on their own. Agreeing, Starscream sent a contingent of Cybertronian ships and Devastator to attack Carcer as a distraction informing Elita to never underestimate the depths of his pettiness. {{storylink|Desperate Times}} While waiting for news, Bumblebee commented that Windblade and Starscream would get so much more accomplished if they were actually friends. Starscream reminded Bumblebee what [[Death|happened]] to the [[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|last person]] Starscream had considered a friend prompting a confused look from [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] at Starscream for talking to himself. {{storylink|Desperate Measures (Till All Are One)|Desperate Measures}} When Windblade had succeeded in awakening Carcer who himself had been successful in destroying the invaders Starscream cheered! {{storylink| Rubicon}}

Which was short lived because not only was Starscream informed "Carcer" was Vigilem and he'd freed [[Liege Maximo]], he soon had to preside over a court case regarding a [[Badgeless]] killing [[Drunkatron|some pleb]]. Though the Badgeless was clearly innocent, Starscream wondered if declaring him guilty would help things. He called a recess when he learned Elita was taking credit for "Carcer's" victory and called her to his office flanked by [[Fireshot (G1)|Fireshot]], [[Tigatron]], [[Moonracer (G1)|Moonracer]] and the [[Mistress of Flame]]. When Elita arrived, she recapped the history of Maximo and his Titan before explaining she'd thought to keep their existence a secret in case someone might have proven foolish, arrogant or desperate enough to free the ancient Prime before telling the Council to ready themselves for war against the member of the [[Thirteen]] and walked off. Starscream agreed that, for the moment, Maximo's freedom should be kept a secret before the Mistress of Flame requested Chromia be turned over to her. Starscream refused so the Mistress instead requested [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] and the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]]. Bumblebee soon appeared to Starscream and told him what to do: Rule the Badgeless innocent, hand over Chromia and stand against Elita. When Starscream pointed out doing all three would make him an easy target, Bumblebee said Starscream was choosing to fight and he could be better. Too bad Starscream didn't believe that himself as he convicted the innocent 'bot. He then freed Chromia into the Mistress's custody on the condition that she hunt down and slay Liege Maximo. {{storylink|Heavy}}

[[File:ThePriceOfYou-StarscreamBumblebee.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|"The way is open."]]
With Elita soon ready to return to orbit, Starscream was summoned by Airachnid to give her report on the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]]. Airachnid revealed that while it was normally impractical to try and alter the minds of so many, she could do so after the five had combined but needed a willing lynchpin to make sure the other four didn't pick up on the lie. Starscream had Airachnid patch him into [[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off's]] mind where Starscream offered to make his dream of "domestic bliss" with Onslaught a reality. Blast Off agreed and Starscream later spoke with Ironhide that the now loyal Combaticons would not be prosecuted since Airachnid had discovered (through genuine medical examination of course) that the Combaticons could not be held culpable for their actions. {{storylink|The Price of You}} Starscream was soon approached by [[Windblade's doctor|a doctor]] who brought him to [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] revealing her to not be brain dead but to have shut down due to ''too much'' data in her brain. Deducing it was Vigilem, Starscream nonetheless refused to delegate a mnemosurgeon. This was the final straw for Bumblebee who demanded to know why Starscream always pushed good people away. Starscream responded that every time he opened himself up, life (usually wearing Megatron's face) would beat the tar out of him. Seeing the odd looks he was getting, Starscream pretended to turn on his comm. and told Bumblebee to leave if he was so disgusted by him. And leave Bumblebee did. Starscream then allowed Blast Off to see Swindle while consulting Airachnid about how to help Windblade. The answer was simple: A third bot would enter her head and help her destroy Vigilem assuming the strain of three minds didn't kill all three. Reluctantly Starscream realized he had no choice but to help her. {{storylink|If I Know You}}

Starscream arrived and made a heroic entrance by shooting Vigilem in the back. Alas, Windblade was not grateful as Starscream had failed to consider a risk in the plan. By linking his mind to hers, Vigilem was able to access it and escape through Starscream. The evil Titan smirked and adopted the form of Starscream's worst fear: [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]].

[[File:Your First Mistake - Screamys True Form.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.4|"Oh, no forged body for Starscream huh? Fine. I'll go build my own Vector Sigma. With blackjack! And hookers! In fact, forget the Vector Sigma and the blackjack! Aw screw the whole thing."]]
Now in Starscream's mind, Vigilem began beating Starscream through all his bodies wearing down his confidence before he prepared to execute him and take his body. Windblade saved him by scooping up Starscream's spark before she witnessed his birth. Horrified by cold construction, Windblade summoned a mental copy of the [[Forge of Solus Prime]] and began forging Starscream's true self, each strike bringing up a mental projection of someone who had an impact on Starscream's life, the ghosts holding off Vigilem. When she was done, Starscream stood as a towering version of what he would like were his spark allowed to shape its own body. Stomping down Vigilem, the two jets were able to defeat the Titan and returned to the real world though Starscream insisted nothing had changed. Windblade cheekily bounced away telling Starscream not to be so foolish or close minded and that she'd now be her own bot and not just a mouthpiece for others. {{storylink|Your First Mistake}}

Optimus Prime later showed up to try and petition the [[Council of Worlds]] to grant [[Earth]] a spot on the Council and trade with the [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]]. Starscream refused both citing the [[Tyrest Accord]] saying Cybertron needed its resources to rebuild and that aliens were likely to use Cybertronian technology to ''attack'' Cybertron. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 3: Behind My Bleeding Back|Behind My Bleeding Back}} When [[Jazz (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jazz]] was interviewed by humans, he remembered Starscream's presence in the invasion of Earth as well as mentioning that Starscream now ruled Cybertron. {{storylink|What It's Really Like}} When [[Sideswipe (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sideswipe]] was given a mental projection to die peacefully, he remembered Starscream's deal with Sunstreaker. {{storylink|The Life of Sideswipe}}

When Optimus and [[Pyra Magna]] returned to Cybertron to the [[Rust Sea|Sea of Rust]], Starscream spied on them from afar with Bumblebee. Starscream scoffed at how saccharine Bumblebee's origins were before the conversation turned to [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Onyx Prime]]. Starscream then flew off while commenting to Bumblebee that the yellow 'bot was just a figment of the Seeker's imagination. {{storylink|Ghost Stories}}

While a new [[hot spot]] had lit up in [[Alyon]] a few months earlier, Starscream was in no rush to harvest the sparks and instead kept its existence a secret, explaining to an outraged [[Swift (G1)|Swift]] that what with all the recent attacks, Cybertron was currently too dangerous to introduce a new generation to. He also sought to take care of the Dinobots, who'd gone rogue, killed many Badgeless and supposedly kidnapped [[Strafe (IDW)|Strafe]], but since they were still Autobots and he didn't want conflict with Optimus Prime, he acted off the record by offering Sandstorm freedom in exchange for their deaths. Unfortunately the Alyon sparks were stolen by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] and used to revive [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]. prompting Starscream to deploy Devastator in Iacon's defense. After Trypticon was freed from Bludgeon's control and made off with the sparks, Starscream recovered the defeated Bludgeon, one of his mutated sparks and the remains of Slug, and began making plans. {{storylink|The Transformers: Salvation|Salvation}} The experiments eventually bore fruit, succeeding in bringing Slug back to life. {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 1}}

[[File:OriginMyths-Starscream.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|Pay no attention to me being the ''Combiner Wars'' body again for just this issue]]

Soon before Earth announced its chosen ambassador, ''Lord'' Starscream (best to get in the habit now) was called to Alpha Trion's apartment (and was bemused by the books) where the old sage recounted the origins of the Autobot insignia. Starscream, failing to grasp the story's meaning, questioned whether he was supposed to be [[The Fallen|Megatronus]] or Arcee, expressed disbelief that Arcee and Galvatron were twins, found "Megatronus" to be a made-up name and asked that since Alpha Trion said all stories were lies, why should be believe any of it? Earth then called to announce its representative to the [[Council of Worlds]], [[Marissa Faireborn]]. Starscream grumbled and said he'd prepare the plaza. {{storylink|Origin Myths}}

As the ceremony started, Starscream began a speech only for an explosion to cut him off. Demanding a status report from Ironhide and Windblade, he learnt that [[Red Shadows|tiny red robots]] were waiting to strike inside false Cybertronians. Starscream suspected human involvement and ordered the Space Bridge closed. {{storylink|First Strike issue 1|First Strike #1}} Heroically cowering in the [[Spire]], Starscream accused Elita One of treachery only for the femme to say humans were responsible and prepared to execute Marissa. Marissa however soon humbled Elita into calling for reinforcements from Carcer...only for the [[Solstar Order]] to transmit to Cybertron that they'd detected Dire Wraith energy signatures emanating from Cybertron and had quarantined the planet. Starscream called foul on this, familiar with the tactics of the Dire Wraiths and suspected Elita was up to another trick but the Carcerian informed him that Cybertron was on its own. {{storylink|First Strike issue 2|First Strike #2}} The debate of what to do continued until [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] and [[M.A.S.K.]] were brought before the Council where Elita ordered them executed. {{storylink|First Strike issue 3|First Strike #3}}

As the Council debated over that, Starscream advised Elita not to mention her past before he shut everyone up and reminded them of the fact that he was in charge of Cybertron and thus the final decision was his. Conceding that tricking Soundwave was nigh-impossible, Starscream asked [[Scarlett]] what Colton's plan was and she revealed to knowing nothing save a gut feeling that it involved some sort of bomb. Scoffing at the threat of humans bringing any harm to Cybertron, he threw G.I. Joe and M.A.S.K. in jail under suspicion charges before informing Optimus that not everyone shared Elita's feeling about him, some hated him even more than she did. Despite his posturing however, he sent Ironhide and [[Sunstreaker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sunstreaker]] after Colton so as to not look weak with approval to use lethal force. {{storylink|First Strike issue 4|First Strike #4}}

[[File:FirstStrike5-satisfying.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.9|Perhaps... a quiet chuckle.]]

[[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] soon brought the news that Optimus had broken the humans out of jail with Windblade arriving soon after to deliver the same news. Before doing anything, Starscream took a moment to enjoy the fact that everyone had come to him for help in stopping Optimus Prime.

Starscream then called in Ironhide and directed everyone to follow Optimus's trail, with orders to bring the humans in alive. Elita surprisingly offered herself and Obsidian as backup, though Starscream reminded her that he was in charge. {{storylink|First Strike issue 5|First Strike #5}}

The group caught up with the hostiles outside the core chamber, where Starscream placed everyone under arrest and fired a missile at Optimus, before engaging him in melee combat. The fighting was interrupted by [[Merklynn|Garrison Kreiger]] activating the alien [[Talisman (G1)|Talisman]] and revealing himself as an alien sorcerer known as Merklynn, creating [[New Prysmos]] and teleporting all combatants back to Iacon. On the surface, Starscream took Colton's rueful mumblings as his "witnessed confession" but was prevented from executing the human by Scarlett. {{storylink|First Strike issue 6|First Strike #6}}

With Cybertron's own energon now unpalatable to its people, Starscream sampled the human-made substitute. It was terrible. At a Council meeting to debate the energy crisis, Starscream opined that the [[Solstar Order]] was indebted to Cybertron for their obstructive blockade before he was called away by Optimus Prime and [[G.B. Blackrock|Garrison Blackrock]]. Scoffing at Prime's accusations regarding the Seeker concealing the existence of the newborn [[protoform]]s, Starscream loaned them [[Slag (G1)|Slug]] and sent them on their way, {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 1}} hoping that the protoforms would then be turned over to him. {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 2 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 2}} When [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] used the [[Void Scepter]] to make Slug attack the Dinobots, Bumblebee noted he was not acting according to Starscream's plan. {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 1}} After being informed of this, the Seeker came running and shattered the Void Scepter before going on a rant about his plan falling apart. {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 2 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 2}}

Soon afterwards, Starscream repaired Bludgeon and the Void Scepter, sending the mad scientist out into the galaxy to rally all the lost Decepticon cells and bring them back into the fold. {{storylink|Unstopped and Unstoppable}} {{storylink|Stranger Eons}}

From atop his tower, Starscream watched the unwashed masses lavish praises onto Optimus with ''[[The Birth of Cybertron]]'' playing in the background. The old film gave Starscream an idea to consolidate his power and win over [[Earth]]. To that end, he sought out [[Thundercracker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Thundercracker]] and hired him to produce [[Starscream: The Movie (film)|a biographical film]] about Starscream's life. {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}}

[[File:TheChosenOne-imsorry.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|''I guess I gotta give part two of my confessions'' ''If I'm gonna tell it, then I gotta tell it all'']]

To mark Windblade's return to the Council of Worlds, Starscream called in [[Circuit (G1)|Circuit]] and [[Longtooth]] for a photo-op but promptly kicked them out when Windblade nearly revealed [[Liege Maximo]]'s freedom. When Windblade stormed off to inform Circuit and Longtooth of this news, Starscream promised to look the other way if the [[Mistress of Flame]] wanted to tackle Windblade down. On [[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]]'s "advisement", Starscream called for free elections and confessed to Bumblebee that after seeing his "true self", he only had the best intentions for Cybertron, before organizing the debate schedule. Later on, he outlined his power infrastructure plans to Bumblebee before Windblade arrived with a briefcase containing all of his very dirty laundry. Unable to manipulate Windblade anymore, Starscream aggressively began looking for holes in the evidence, only to learn Bumblebee would not help him, saying the Seeker had to decide how much his future expansion meant to him. {{storylink|The Chosen One}}

Thundercracker then visited Starscream to find out what the Decepticons had meant to the chancellor. Starscream claimed it had been his job to point the Decepticons on the path of righteousness. A task that had failed due to the Decepticons ignoring Starscream's advice. But now they weren't. Now everyone listened to Starscream. {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}}

At the electoral debate, Starscream listened to Windblade's speech before he had a moment of conscience and, before all of Cybertron, confessed each and every one of his crimes (which took over an hour), costing him everything and landing him a life sentence.

Visiting him in his cell, Windblade gifted Starscream with a holo-projector of his forged body, signifying that he had finally fulfilled the ancient prophecy of the "Chosen One". By getting Cybertron to turn against him, he had succeeded in uniting the planet. {{storylink|The Chosen One}}

Incorporating this latest development into his film, Thundercracker visited Starscream in his cell and showed him the finished product. Displaying uncharasteric concern for others' feelings, Starscream claimed the film was "delightful but irrelevant" given his imprisonment. Despite his attempts to bury the film, Thundercracker was insistent on it getting out prompting Starscream to request [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] pass along a message to a friend. On Starscream's orders, two [[Badgeless]] then diverted Thundercracker to [[Prion (planet)|Prion]] where they tried to kill him. {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}}

===Decepticon once again===
[[File:AnotherMine-TrueSelfHologram.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.66|''So, yes, I still do bad things But are they actually bad? No!'']]
Starscream took his life sentence in stride, happy to let others carry the burden of planetary leadership and convinced his reign would be viewed, at worst, as a step in the right direction. When [[Scoop (G1)|Scoop]] arrived to vent his disappointment, the discussion was interrupted when Bumblebee told Starscream that [[Nemesis (BWII)|a gigantic optic]] had appeared in the sky. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 1: Surfeit of Primes|Surfeit of Primes}} The confusion passed quickly as the Seeker was more content to stare at the holo-image of his "true" self and languish what he could have been if he'd been allowed to live as he was meant to. Bumblebee disputed that believing everyone was defined by the sum of their own experiences and that, at least in part, Starscream's imprisonment was on him. Starscream disagreed. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 2: Another Mine|Another Mine}} Soon enough, [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] broke Starscream out of prison, hailing him as the Chose One once again, before Metrotitan space bridged in to do the same. As Metrotitan began an attack on Nemesis, the evil Titan simply fired a crippling shot through his brother's torso, downing him. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 3: The Ground|The Ground}}

After witnessing Onyx Prime, throw Optimus into the [[Crystal City]] [[black hole]], Devastator revealed to Starscream his theory that the Seeker was the reincarnation of [[the Fallen]]. Deciding to spin this to his advantage, Starscream had Devastator carry him to Metrotitan whereupon he set the combiner on the Autobots while Bumblebee vanished. Conversing with the Titan, Starscream was elated to find out he really was divine... whereupon Shockwave, who had been sent back in time and posed as Onyx Prime, arrived to reveal he had masterminded the "Chosen One" prophecy as a means of keeping a vain fool in charge of Cybertron and leaving the planet unprotected for his machinations. To punctuate his statement, Shockwave slew Metrotitan leaving Starscream to mutter where Bumblebee had gone. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|The Hallowing}} His will to fight completely gone, Starscream despondently made his way back to his cell only to be noticed by the rioting Decepticons. After he explained himself to them, they hesitatingly suggested that he become the [[Decepticon leader]] once again. Though initially dismissive of such a prospect, Starscream soon realized he was the best choice for such a job. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 5: Endless Forever|Endless Forever}} Once Shockwave had been captured and the [[Maximal]]s had retreated, Starscream resumed leadership of the Decepticons, leading his army away to draw up plans of conquest. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 6: Unforgivable|Unforgivable}} Camping out in Metrotitan's corpse, Starscream outlined his plans to the Decepticons, and defended his choice of a hideout, before [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] entered seeking to bring Starscream to Shockwave. {{storylink|Unstopped and Unstoppable}}

[[File:Unicron6 Starscream's Sacrifice.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|left|"Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong."]]

When he arrived, Shockwave told Starscream of his plans to create a new [[Decepticon Empire]], with Starscream in charge, but said Cybertron would have to be sacrificed to [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]. Scoffing at the offer, Starscream instead went to meet with the Camien refugees and announced he would be saving Cybertron. {{storylink|Last Stand (Unicron)|Last Stand}} When brought to the Council war room, Starscream revealed the existence of the [[Decepticon Vengeance Division]], a fleet of capital ships, all capable of destroying whole planets, that he'd ordered to corner and destroy Unicron at [[G Nebula 89]]. As debates flew over what course of action to take, [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] revealed the DVD was already facing Unicron to no effect. Soon enough, the monster had freed itself from the DVD and teleported to Cybertron, now having attained a [[robot mode]]. {{storylink|Stranger Eons}} In light of this, Starscream proposed space bridging away, even more so when it was revealed the [[Talisman (G1)|Talisman]] could kill Unicron if left behind. Unwilling to allow to sacrifice so many, Soundwave telepathically informed every Decepticon that their leader was willing to abandon them causing them to swarm into Metroplex. When Windblade began working on an alternate strategy, Starscream voted to stay, claiming he owed Windblade for the faith she'd put in him. {{storylink|Our Finest}} Metroplex did indeed space bridge to Earth soon after though all Starscream did was grumble about the humidity in the [[Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park]], an attitude which earned him a sock to the jaw from Arcee. {{storylink|Road's End}}

After waving off some employee complaints about his leadership, Starscream attended the briefing on Unicron where he told Jetfire to cut to the chase. As part of the final plan to save the universe, Starscream reunited with Skywarp and Thundercracker, ferrying Optimus Prime to Unicron so the Prime could use the Talisman to destroy the Chaos Bringer. {{storylink|Assembly (Unicron)|Assembly}} Though the fliers initially managed to slip past the mutated DVD, Skywarp and Thundercracker were soon forced to fall back, the latter tossing Starscream the Talisman. Unable to reach Unicron's core without Skywarp, Starscream realized there was only one way to complete the mission. After requesting that they give his best to Windblade, Starscream activated the Talisman, its magical energies consuming him completely but allowing the device to burrow its way to Unicron's core, ultimately allowing the monster to be felled. {{storylink|Ceremony}}

In the new era, Bumblebee became Cybertron's ambassador to the [[Galactic Council]]. Before the scout left Earth, he conversed with the ghostly Starscream on a beach. Though Bumblebee openly invited his friend to join him, the Seeker knew he wouldn't be welcome. When the scout thought Starscream was annoyed that Optimus would receive all the credit for saving the universe, Starscream laughed it off, content that people would simply remember him. {{storylink|Post}}

==Spotlight: Mirage==
At the war's end, Starscream and a small team of Decepticons accompanied the mercenary [[Mirage (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Mirage]] to the [[Pegasus Star Cluster]]. He led the Decepticons into the Autobot bunker after Mirage destroyed the Autobot security system, but stood back during the ensuing fight. After Megatron ordered the Autobot prisoners executed, Starscream held [[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]] back as Mirage prepared to kill [[Hound (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hound]].

But it was all Mirage's dream... or was it? {{storylink|Spotlight: Mirage}}

==Notes==
[[File:Wfc-starscream-0.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb]]
*Starscream's appearance in the first half of ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' seems to be based more on this concept drawing of him for the ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (games)|War for Cybertron]]'' game, rather than his actual appearance in either of the two games. This is most noticeable when looking at his pelvic region and thighs.
*Also, the crown he occasionally wears in later issues of the comic is based on the crown he sports in ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]'', which in itself is based on the crown he wears in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
*As the issues go by, Starscream takes to a habit of changing into a new body whenever the toyline at the time releases a new toy rendition of him, which is eventually explained in-universe as a subconscious rejection of his bodies. Or maybe he's just a vain git.
*[[James Roberts]] clarified on Twitter that any members of the [[Functionist Council]] who survived into the Great War era were assassinated by Starscream at Megatron's behest.<ref>[https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/1055107548318220288 Twitter conversation with James Roberts (@jroberts332), 24 October 2018]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{i|Starscream}} at the IDW Hasbro Wiki

[[Category:Council members]]
[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Seekers]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) Transformers]]
[[Category:Matrix bearers]]
[[Category:Neutrals]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Rulers of Cybertron]]

Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity

2020-02-29T02:51:06Z

RyRodrigo: /* There at the beginning */

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[[File:StarscreamIDWF22-Infiltration4cvrA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|"BANZAAAAI KICK!"]]

Ever the opportunist, '''Starscream''''s boundless ambition drew him into the nascent Decepticon movement and catapulted him through the ranks as Cybertron collapsed into endless war. Though an intelligent, capable leader in his own right, Starscream struggled to distinguish himself from the shadow of [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]]–a relationship that ended with Megatron invariably reminding Starscream of his place after several failed coups and bungled stints at leadership.

Following the end of the war and the revitalization of Cybertron, Starscream found the burden of leadership placed on his shoulders once more after a wayward [[Titan (group)|Titan]] declared him Cybertron's "Chosen One", destined to reunite and rebuild their ruined world. A subsequent series of crises saw Starscream leaving the Decepticons forever, establishing himself as the "High Chancellor" of Cybertron's growing [[NAIL|neutral population]] and carving out a new anti-factionalist government in the ruins of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]]. But even after finally achieving his dream, Starscream still seems to be the same person he's always been: self-serving, prideful, treacherous, and perfectly willing to cheat, lie, and step on other 'bots to get his own way. His stubborn refusal to change his ways for the greater good is a constant thorn in the side of his reluctant allies.

Beneath it all, though, Starscream struggles with the ramifications of his morally dubious actions and the growing shadow of his future legacy–a struggle that, in the end, he may not win.

{{First|[[Infiltration issue 0|''Infiltration'' #0]]}}

{{quote|What kind of monster '''are''' you?|quote2=A '''goal-oriented''' one.|[[Stardrive]] and Starscream|[[Shining Armor issue 1|''Shining Armor'' #1]]}}

__TOC__
==Fiction==
===There at the beginning===
[[File:OP19-YoungStarscream.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.2|Oh. Hi there.]]
Starscream was [[Reproduction|constructed cold]]. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}} As with all constructed cold Transformers, Starscream's [[spark]] carried genetic instructions for a "natural" shape, but the circumstances of his birth meant that his Spark was simply implanted into one of many identical, pre-constructed bodies. Over the course of his life, Starscream developed a predilection for periodically changing bodies; [[Windblade (G1)|some]] would interpret this as a sign that his spark was still trying to find its "true form," {{storylink|Your First Mistake}} while [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|others]] would simply write it off as a sign of his vanity. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 2: Another Mine|Another Mine}}

In his early life, Starscream studied at the prestigious [[Nova Point Academy]], but eventually moved to the city of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], where he became a street hustler running scams for his personal gain and ran afoul of a young police officer named [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Orion Pax]]. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|The Hallowing}} Unlike most members of Cybertron's [[flight class]], Starscream took pride in his [[alternate mode]], and, eventually, his silver tongue landed him a handsomely-paying job as a precinct [[Senate|senator]] in [[Vos (polity)|Vos]]. {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}} Disappointed by the lack of fame or respect this job offered, he spent most of his time drinking and reluctantly attending political rallies when he could be dragged away from the bar. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|The Hallowing}} Eventually, Starscream grew tired of politics and used his political connections to embezzle a vast sum of money from his constituents before deserting his post. He used his new fortune to recruit a pair of [[Outlier (group)|outliers]] named [[Skywarp (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Skywarp]] and [[Thundercracker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Thundercracker]] from the [[Jhiaxian Academy of Advanced Technology]]. After arranging their release from the school, he convinced the duo to undergo extensive rebuilds so that they'd look like him, a way to confuse any taxpayers who tried to pursue him. {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}}

[[File:MegOrigin3 seekers.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|It was YOU who left the toilet seat it, wasn't it?!]]
Some four million years ago, he became a fan of the [[Gladiatorial combat|gladiatorial games]] that existed in Cybertron's underworld, {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 2|Megatron Origin #2}} and came to idolize the rhetorician-turned-gladiator [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]] for his teachings that Transformers didn't ''have'' to [[Functionism|accept their lot]] in life. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}} The trio were eventually approached by [[Soundwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Soundwave]]; {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}} seeing Megatron's nascent uprising as good a place as any to lose himself, {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}} Starscream and his two lackeys believed that they were joining Megatron's team in the arena, but, after pledging allegiance to the Decepticon leader, learned that their leader had other plans for them: his [[Decepticon]] movement required air support as they made the move from activists to insurgents and beyond. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}}

Early on, the charismatic and cunning Starscream was tasked with recruitment of others to the Decepticon cause; significantly, he was the one assigned to approach the disenfranchised [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Senator Shockwave]] and bring him into the fold. {{storylink|Shockwaves}} Starscream was also given another key Senate-related task when he and his fellow Seekers were ordered to capture Senator [[Decimus]], who would then supposedly be executed at Megatron's next recruitment rally. When security forces intervened in the rally and arrested the Decepticons, Starscream bargained for his freedom by offering to reveal all of Megatron's plans. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}} However, this turned out to have ''been'' Megatron's plan—brought before an emergency assembly of the Senate for questioning, Starscream, together with Soundwave, executed the Senators with Starscream personally executing [[Proteus]] himself. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}} The two then freed every prisoner in the building, with Starscream arming the prisoner and even presenting Megatron with his the [[fusion cannon]] that would become his signature weapon. He then joined in their attack on [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]], during which he bested [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]]. The battle culminated in Megatron's defeat of [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]], whose body Starscream dumped in front of Sentinel's men in a fly-by. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 4|Megatron Origin #4}}

Following the ascension of [[Zeta Prime (G1)|Zeta Prime]], the Decepticons were forced back underground for a time but continued their militarization: arming sympathizers with weapons—ostensibly in the name of "self-defense"—Starscream coordinated several illegal arms shipments from off-world suppliers, showing off his handiwork to a shocked [[Soundwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Soundwave]]. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 3: Behind My Bleeding Back|Behind My Bleeding Back}} When it became clear that Orion's Autobots would crack down on this gunrunning, Starscream rigged the latest arms shipments to detonate if the Autobots ever found it, {{storylink|New Cybertron End: Feel Safe Without Regrets|Feel Safe Without Regrets}} assuring Soundwave that the Decepticons caught in the crossfire were making the ultimate sacrifice for the cause. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost|Future Glories Lost}}

When gunrunners [[Horri-Bull]] and [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] had their latest transaction revealed as an Autobot-coordinated sting operation, Starscream destroyed the weapons cache, leaving Soundwave to lie to the two that the Autobots had booby-trapped the shipment. Though Soundwave was appalled, Starscream felt Megatron would have approved. {{storylink|New Cybertron End: Feel Safe Without Regrets|Feel Safe Without Regrets}}

[[File:SLBlurr starscream recruits blurr.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"Damn, Starscream, how come they let you have two theme songs?" "Because I'm the bad guy! ...but you can trust me!"]]

With war now definitively declared, Starscream continued in his recruitment duties; he was unable to convince the youthful [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hot Rod]] to join the Decepticons {{storylink|Ruins}}, and had similarly bad luck with racing champion [[Blurr (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Blurr]] despite a very pointed effort. Not long after, Starscream was part of a unit that tried to stop Blurr from couriering a message to new planet leader Zeta Prime. {{storylink|Spotlight: Blurr}} At some point after Zeta Prime's ascent to leadership, Starscream participated alongside [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] and Thundercracker in a mission to rescue Soundwave from the [[Institute|New Institute]]. {{storylink|Remembrance Day}} His identity evidently unknown to most, Starscream was also positioned as a delegate to the new Senate that was formed by Zeta Prime, though exactly who or where he was masquerading as the delegate ''of'' is unclear. While attending one of Zeta's security sessions, he brought a disguised Soundwave with him to record the Senate's newest plans for how to stop the growing Decepticon menace. When Zeta expressed surprise at how easily Starscream accepted his idea of draining energy from civilians to power [[vamparc ribbon|weapons]], he almost let slip that he'd done worse things in Megatron's name. To cover up his blunder, he drew attention to the spy in their midst, giving Soundwave a cue to reveal himself and stage an escape, distracting Zeta. {{storylink|Parasites}}

Since turning down Starscream's offer to join the Decepticons, Hot Rod had carried out some insurgent activities of his own, and Megatron and Starscream monitored the situation through [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] with some degree of pleasure as [[Autobot]] leader [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Orion Pax]] hunted him down. {{storylink|Ruins}} In Orion's absence, Zeta Prime then attacked [[Nyon]]'s population with his vamparc ribbons and [[Guardian robot|Omega Destructors]]—an action Starscream compared to Megatron's own tactics, though, Megatron assured him he was capable of much more. {{storylink|Purge}} In spite of Starscream's opinion that Megatron was a "stubborn wreck" for his repeated attempts to sway Orion Pax to his cause, they were successful, and the Decepticons joined forces with Orion's Autobots against Zeta Prime. {{storylink|Choices}} Together, they attacked Zeta Prime and his Omega Destructors, with Starscream personally leading the Seekers as air support. {{storylink|Overthrown}}
[[File:Autocracy9 take them away.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.95|Consider yourself lucky, Ironhide. It could have been [[The Transformers: The Movie|''far'' worse.]]]]
After Zeta Prime was defeated, Megatron betrayed Orion and installed himself as ruler of Cybertron, then had the Decepticons hunt down all remaining Autobots. Starscream led a force to raid an Autobot hiding place in [[Ultrix]] and took special interest in Hot Rod, once again offering him the chance to join the Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformation (issue)|Transformation}} Starscream also tortured and interrogated Bumblebee, but learned little for his efforts. {{storylink|Rise}} Orion soon returned, however, having become [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]], and with new warriors at his side, he led the Autobots in an attack on Megatron's citadel. Starscream and the Seekers were ordered to take them out but were intercepted by the Aerialbots. {{storylink|Broadcast}}

[[File:Devastation5-StarscreamAchinglyNaive.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|"Look, Megatron, all I'm saying is that it's probably not a good idea to blow half of our budget on Fortnite lootboxes!"]]
Megatron was subsequently defeated by Optimus Prime, and Starscream conspired with [[Scorponok (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Scorponok]] to overthrow him and have him exiled to [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]]. {{storylink|Derelicts}} While Scorponok became the new Decepticon leader, Starscream seemingly preferred to stay in the background and showed no signs of being his second-in-command in public. {{storylink|Wreckage (issue)|Wreckage}} He annoyed Scorponok by urging him to take action rather than just hold grandiose speeches, causing Scorponok to let him in on his plan to capture the [[Toraxxis mega-refinery]] for the Decepticons. Starscream participated in this attack by leading his Seekers to the refinery. {{storylink|Faces of Darkness}} Scorponok ordered him to keep the Autobot defenders busy while he left to deal with [[Grimlock (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Grimlock]] personally. {{storylink|Rage (IDW)|Rage}} The plan ended disastrously when the refinery exploded, killing thousands and leaving the planet cripplingly low on [[energon]]; Starscream berated Scorponok for his actions, unable to see any point in staying on the dying planet himself. {{storylink|Massacre}} Fortuntely, Megatron soon returned from his exile and retook Decepticon command. Starscream attempted to welcome him back, but was quickly silenced. {{storylink|The Illusion of Control}}

There was a brief lull in the war, {{storylink|Primacy issue 1|Primacy #1}} before Megatron regrouped the scattered Decepticons for an all-out attack on Iacon. Starscream went to [[Canis Tor]] to inform the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]] that Megatron was back and after that, bribed the Combaticons into coming home. {{storylink|Primacy issue 2|Primacy #2}} He fought during the siege of Iacon but it led in a Decepticon rout. {{storylink|Primacy issue 3|Primacy #3}} {{storylink|Primacy issue 4|Primacy #4}}

As the war bore on, Starscream was present when Megatron faced Optimus Prime in open battle on [[Sherma Bridge]], {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1|Chaos Theory #1}} witnessed [[Hot Shot (Henkei!)|a yellow Autobot]] get destroyed in an Decepticon-Autobot crossfire in another of the war's countless battles, {{storylink|Drift issue 2|Drift #2}} and stood side-by-side with the Decepticon Deadlock in many other combat scenarios. {{storylink|Drift issue 3|Drift #3}} He would later admit that at one point, he had genuinely looked up to Megatron, but that changed when he realized that he ''feared'' the Decepticon leader, rather than ''respected'' him {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}} and was disgruntled that Megatron was leading them into a seemingly endless war. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10}} That epiphany evidently led to further attempts to take leadership from Megatron, but in time, these power plays ceased, and Megatron hoped that it meant he had moved beyond such things. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}} Starscream would even eventually end up as Megatron's bodyguard, and developed a mutual hatred with [[Sixshot]], professing that he would not be able to defend Megatron against such a powerhouse. {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}} But Starscream's appointment to this position was largely for show—Megatron could, of course, protect himself, and would later reveal that he kept Starscream close by despite his predilection for treachery as a reminder to himself to always watch his back. {{storylink|Spotlight: Megatron}}

At one point, Starscream's treachery reached the attention of the [[Decepticon Justice Division]], who had him added to their dreaded [[The List|list]] of targets. He was later removed from this list, perhaps due to Megatron's insistence on keeping him close by. {{storylink|An Axe to Break the Ice}}

===Earth and Ore-13===
[[File:Infiltration6 starscream on ultraenergon.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]]
Millions of years later, after the war had resulted in Cybertron becoming uninhabitable and the Autobots and Decepticons had spread out across the galaxy, Starscream came to be in command of one the small Decepticon units that secretly infiltrated planets across the galaxy. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 0|Infiltration #0}} In the mid-19th century, the group had conquered the [[Huni System]] and were approached by the [[Dire Wraith]] [[Vekktral]], who wanted to propose an alliance. Though Starscream initially wanted to kill the organic, Vekktral made him interested by showing him the [[Space Knight]] [[Stardrive]]. Though [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] had his doubts, Starscream realized the [[Solstar Order]] must have an Energon source to keep Stardrive alive and agreed to Vekktral's alliance. The group slew a [[Galactic Council]] force due to meet with the Solstar Order, and Starscream left behind a [[Vehicon (G1)|Vehicon]] and a bloke who turned into a bulldozer to destroy their ship while Astrotrain assumed its form. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 2|Shining Armor #2}}

Upon arriving at ''[[Orchid Crossing]]'', Starscream swatted [[Rom|some pest]] out of the sky before he tried to recruit Stardrive. Failing to do so, he instead used her as a battering ram to reach her [[energon synthesizer]] only for [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]] and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]] to show up with a standoff ensuing. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 1|Shining Armor #1}} As Stardrive expressed confusion over who the Autobots were, Starscream again offered her a spot in the Decepticons, only to be shot through a wall by Ultra Magnus. No sooner had the Seeker regained his bearings did Magnus ram Starscream in truck mode. After a Wraith merged with [[Sky Blast (G1)|Sky Blast]] and turned into an ungodly abomination, Starscream opted for the better part of valour and decided the Wraiths could serve as canon fodder. Grabbing [[Doomwings (G1)|Doomwings]] (after getting his name wrong), Starscream made his way to the energon synthesizer only for the Wraith/Cybertronian hybrid to tear Doomwings apart. Starscream told Vekktral to get the beast under control, only to learn neither the Wraith or Sky Blast was in control. Starscream then took Astrotrain and made another run for their prize, only for the station to begin tumbling. He emerged to find Magnus had disabled its power, and he quickly destroyed the Autobot shuttle before giving the evacuation order, deciding to dig the energon synthesizer out of the rubble. In the skies of [[Xetaxxis]], Starscream questioned if the synthesizer was durable enough to survive reentry and how long it took for space stations to fall, before being informed the hybrid had survived. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 2|Shining Armor #2}}

Starscream and Vekktral tracked the hybrid to a [[Xetaxxan|Xetaxxian]] village where the situation neatly resolved itself. After the two performed a quick check on whether or not the Xetaxxians were mechanical (they weren't), Starscream bluntly told Vekktral he had no interest in furthering the Wraiths' agenda and merely wanted the synthesizer before mobilizing their forces. When the Seekers arrived at the crash site however, the [[Space Knight]]s had beaten them there. When Stardrive tried to evacuate some Xetaxxians past the Seeker blockade, Starscream expertly manoeuvred around her and shot the organics before turning his attention to the Space Knights, landing foot first ''on Rom''. Rom and Livia managed to use their speed to outmaneuver him with the former socking the Seeker square in the jaw. Sneaking away from the battle, Starscream made his way to the Energon synthesizer in Stardrive's room. The Camien soon realized he was there however and threatened to destroy the synthesizer with her [[Neutralizer]] before she offered to trade it in exchange for him leaving Xetaxxis. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 3|Shining Armor #3}} After expressing his supreme annoyance at Rom's melodramatic speech pattern, Starscream tried to recruit Stardrive once again by extolling Cybertronian superiority and claiming to need her knowledge of the Wraiths to protect their kind from the Dire Wraiths. He might have succeeded had Rom and Livia not thrown Dirge into him forcing him to retreat. The Seekers then watched Stardrive suffer a mental breakdown and attack her allies before they annoyingly worked everything out. The promised Dire Wraith backup however soon arrived in the form of Vekktral having possessed Ultra Magnus. As Starscream gloated about a mutual Dire Wraith/Decepticon victory however, Vekktral turned on him. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 4|Shining Armor #4}}

After being saved by [[Sata]] and Stardrive, Starscream blasted the Wraiths off his troops and made a run for the synthesizer. As he fished it out of the rubble, Stardrive confronted him again where, after making one last half-hearted effort to recruit her, Starscream downed her with his null-ray and prepared to execute her only to be shot in the chest by [[Livia]]. In his daze, he was assaulted by Stardrive who brutally beat him down and tore off his wings. Though grounded, Starscream's Seekers came to his rescue while he detonated the energon synthesizer and hitched a ride on Astrotrain. Reporting to Megatron on the Dire Wraiths' unfeasibility as allies, Starscream was congratulated...for finding yet another way to disappoint his master. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 5|Shining Armor #5}}

Roughly a century later, learning through undisclosed means of at least some of the secrets behind Shockwave's [[Regenesis]] program and the super-powerful [[energon]] [[Ore-13]] that the scientist had seeded on [[Earth]], {{storylink|Shockpoint}} and seeing in it the potential to challenge Megatron for Decepticon leadership once again, Starscream took his unit to that planet. There, they set about destabilizing Earth's governing organizations and create global anarchy in accordance with the strict [[infiltration protocol]] the Decepticons now operated to, all the while searching for Ore-13. After around four years, their search bore fruit when a seam of Ore-13 was uncovered in [[Nebraska]], but later, the discovery of an even purer source of the ore in [[Oregon]] prompted Starscream to step outside traditional infiltration protocols and move the Decepticons' base of operations to the new site, establishing a fortified "siege mode" bunker well in advance of the standard timeline. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 3|Infiltration #3}} Unfortunately for Starscream, the abandoned Nebraska bunker was then infiltrated by [[Stoker]], an agent of the human organization known as the [[Machination]], necessitating that both he and the data he gathered—including images of Starscream himself—be eliminated by the Decepticons. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 1|Infiltration #1}} Starscream sent Thundercracker, [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] and [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] after Stoker, and although they were successful in slaying the human, Starscream failed to count on [[Verity Carlo|another human]] obtaining Stoker's [[SM-40]] computer and falling in with the Autobot counter-insurgency unit also operating on the planet. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 0|Infiltration #0}}

[[File:Infiltration6 takeyourpunishment.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Starscream, seen here actually getting off easy!]]
{{bigquote|Thanks to Ore-13, Megatron, I have evolved... beyond you! I am the ''future!''|Starscream|[[Infiltration issue 6]]}}
Concurrently with the search for Stoker, Starscream and [[Astrotrain (G1)/toys|Astrotrain]] successfully mined the first batch of Ore-13 from the Oregon seam. Starscream urged speed, aware that breaking protocol the way they had was sure to elicit a response from Megatron. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 2|Infiltration #2}} As he waited for the ore to process, Starscream ordered [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] and Skywarp to cover the Decepticons' tracks by destroying all evidence of Stoker's travels, including what remained of the Nebraska bunker. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 3|Infiltration #3}} Unfortunately for them, Megatron himself had arrived on Earth and was ''in'' the bunker, catching up on what Starscream had been up to, when they attacked. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 5|Infiltration #5}} Starscream emerged from the infusion capsule brimming with the incredible power of Ore-13 just as a furious Megatron arrived at the Oregon bunker and offered the Decepticons a choice: stand down, or be destroyed. Every one of his men surrendered, but the super-powered Starscream roared into battle and unleashed his full fury against Megatron. Alas, the power conveyed by Ore-13 proved insufficient to destroy the Decepticon leader, and Megatron blasted Starscream with his fusion cannon at point-blank range, virtually obliterating him. Megatron left Starscream's remains to be tended to by the Decepticons, unconcerned if he lived or died. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}}

[[File:Starcasm idw dev6.jpg|left|upright=1.95|thumb|Sarcasm from Starscream?? NO!]]
Starscream was placed in a [[CR chamber]] for extensive repairs but even with him out of the picture, the power of Ore-13 convinced Megatron to continue Starscream's subversion of infiltration protocol. The last straw for the other Decepticons came when Megatron called Sixshot in early, leading Astrotrain to propose reactivating Starscream so that he could challenge Megatron's actions. {{storylink|Devastation issue 1|Devastation #1}} Blitzwing and Astrotrain proceeded to bring Starscream back online, but no sooner was he back on his feet than the alien [[Reaper]]s attacked the Decepticon base. {{storylink|Devastation issue 4|Devastation #4}} With Megatron unaware he had been reactivated, Starscream initially decided to hold back and allow the Reapers to cause trouble first, but when Sixshot arrived, Starscream emerged from base and called the hated Six-Changer out. Starscream's appearance caused the living weapon to decide to accept the Reapers' offer to join their ranks... at which point Starscream promptly activated Sixshot's shutdown command, sending him crashing to the ground. Starscream then turned his weapons on the Reapers, causing Megatron to agree to take the fight to the aliens. {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}} {{storylink|Spotlight: Grimlock}} Starscream once again accepted Megatron as his liege, and together they teamed up to destroy the alien invaders, with Starscream wielding Megatron in his Ore-13 empowered pistol mode to devastating effect. As the battle came to an end, Starscream stopped Megatron from punishing Blitzwing for going behind his back with the observation that a fleet of human jet fighters had arrived, and that the Decepticons' existence was now known to humanity. {{storylink|Devastation issue 6|Devastation #6}}

===The Decepticon ideal===
[[File:AHM8 starscream and sunstreaker.jpg|thumb|"Well, see, when you put it like ''that''..."|upright=1.95]]
While the Decepticons were occupied battling the Reapers, the Autobots had left Earth to deal with an incursion by the [[Dead Universe]]. Exploiting their enemies' absence, Starscream and the Decepticons went into hiding; when Autobots returned, they could find no trace of the villains, who kept one step ahead of them for months. They secretly returned to Cybertron, where Starscream stood by his leader's side as he received updates from scientist [[Deluge (G2)|Deluge]] on his experiments to create a monstrous [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]] [[Insecticon swarm|swarm]]. Upon returning to Earth, the Decepticons then 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}} To complete their plot, Starscream approached the disenfranchised Autobot [[Sunstreaker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sunstreaker]] with the proposition that the Autobots join with his fictitious forces against Megatron. Sunstreaker accepted, {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 8|All Hail Megatron #8}} but when he led the Autobots to the designated time and place, they were instead confronted by the united Decepticon army and promptly defeated. Starscream stood by Megatron's side and watched as the bested Autobots were exiled back to Cybertron through a [[space bridge]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}}

[[File:AHM3Starscream.JPG|left|upright=1.4|thumb|Hey, I just spotted the janitor from ''Futurama''!]]
With a year now passed since their battle with the Reapers, and with their enemies disposed of, the Decepticons began to lay waste to the Earth with the intention of taking it for their new homeworld. Starscream headed up the attack on [[New York City]] with glee, though he objected to Skywarp's insinuation that he could not sow destruction and terror on the same level as Megatron; Megatron soon arrived to prove him wrong. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 1|All Hail Megatron #1}} After joining in the efforts to beat back military attacks and bomb the city's bridges, {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 2|All Hail Megatron #2}} Starscream headed for [[Washington, D.C.]], where he personally shot down the fleeing [[Air Force One]]. That task done, he returned to New York, to join Megatron in savoring their victory. Megatron mused that it was fitting to have a long-serving a Decepticon at Starscream beside him; Starscream believed he was being sarcastic, but Megatron's praise was genuine, going so far as to describe Starscream as the living embodiment of the Decepticon ideal, but a step short of full embracing it due to his own blindness to that fact. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 3|All Hail Megatron #3}}

With the conquest completed, Starscream stood at Megatron's side as he addressed the gathered Decepticons. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 4|All Hail Megatron #4}} However, as time passed and Megatron made no further new moves, content to allow his troops to wreak havoc around the world, Starscream began to suspect that Megatron ''had'' no further plan, and was merely giving his troops free reign as a distraction to keep them from turning on them. He confronted Megatron with this knowledge, and taunted him with the fact it was essentially his own fault for assembling an army of sociopaths and monsters in the first place. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 6|All Hail Megatron #6}} Legitimately disheartened to see the leader he had once looked up to go so far astray, having led them through an endless war with no vision for what lay beyond, Starscream began secretly meeting with the other Decepticons, recruiting those who shared his feelings in preparation for a coup. After winning over the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], he approached the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]], and also successfully convinced them to join him. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 8|All Hail Megatron #8}}

[[File:AHM11 all hail megatron.jpg|thumb|Roll credits!|upright=1.4]]
Starscream made his move a short while later, sending the Insecticons to attack Megatron, but the Decepticon leader summarily defeated them and revealed that he had known about Starscream's plans all along; he had, in fact, been doing nothing in order to allow the dissenting element of his army to weed themselves out. He had, however, failed to predict that the Constructicons would take Starscream's side. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}} As fate would have it, Starscream's uprising was suddenly cut short when the Decepticons came under attack, first from human jets arrived from [[Europe]], and then the returning Autobots. Starscream was forced to team up with Megatron, who assured him that someday he would get be in charge, someday after the Decepticons won, after he successfully crushed Megatron in the way that the taking of leadership required... but not today. After giving this some thought, Starscream organized his troops to fight back, hailing Megatron's name. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 11|All Hail Megatron #11}}

Megatron was subsequently defeated by Optimus Prime, but as the Autobot leader moved to inspect his fallen body, Starscream stepped in and picked up his injured leader, refusing to let the Autobots finish him off. For the moment, Megatron's words had struck home: Starscream told Prime that he now knew leadership had to taken by force, not gained through chance. Starscream led the Decepticons in withdrawing from the planet, though as he left, he reminded Prime that though the Autobots had won a battle, the Decepticons still reigned throughout the galaxy. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 12|All Hail Megatron #12}}

===Leadership of the Decepticons===
[[File:AHM13 starscream and matrix.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67|Starscream: "Now light our darkest hour!" Decepticons: "You ARE our darkest hour, you putz!"]]
Along with a few other Decepticons, Starscream took off into space aboard Astrotrain. Despite what he had told Prime, he was not pleased that Soundwave was keeping Megatron on life support, but his attempts to dissuade the loyalist were met with failure. Afraid of the uncertainty that simply tossing Megatron out and airlock would result in, Starscream was ready to give up, knowing that the Decepticons had no real reason to follow him, and that the faction would fall to infighting as soon as others challenged his rule. All he had was the Autobot [[Matrix of Leadership]], which Megatron had seized from Optimus Prime earlier, but he had failed to find any supposed "ultimate power" within it, and prepared to throw it away. Caught in the act by [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]], Starscream was reminded of the talisman's significance to the Autobots by the Insecticon, and had the idea to use its reputation for his own ends. Gathering the Decepticons, he professed that the Matrix had chosen him to light their [[darkest hour]], but as they began hailing his name in the face of this alleged holy appointment, he stepped from the room already regretting his decision. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 13|Uneasy Lies the Head}}

[[File:Ongoing13 sad starscream is sad.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Real Decepticon leaders chill on the [[Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln Memorial.]]]]
Starscream took the Decepticons to a barren asteroid that they could use as a staging base to regroup, but as more and more soldiers began arriving, circumstances quickly spiraled out of his control. With most of their limited resources tied up by Shockwave, who he had assigned the task of building a space bridge, Starscream charged [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] with finding a way to fabricate energon to feed his starving troops. When no breakthrough ensued, and the energy-deprived Decepticons turned to cannibalizing each other's bodies to survive, Starscream stormed into Insecticon's lab to discover he had been spending his time working on mind-controlling [[cerebro-shell]]s. Though initially angry, Starscream conceded that he could use these devices after he employed one to take out a rebellious [[Quake (G1)|Quake]]. {{storylink|All His Engines}} Later, visiting Shockwave for an update on his progress, Starscream discovered the scientist working with Soundwave to cut open Megatron's body and make weapons from his remains. Just as Starscream began to express fake outrage about this presumed "coup", Megatron himself appeared, revealing that the two had built him a new body with a built-in space bridge. He grudgingly admitted he knew Megatron would be back sooner or later, though Megatron neglected to take back leadership as long as Starscream had the Matrix, which he considered a possible threat. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon|Altered Carbon}}

[[File:SLMegs just do it.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67|"At the very least [[Fire in the Sky|bean me with an energon cube!]] I got one right here! It'll be like old times!"]]
His leadership a complete failure, Starscream became sullen and withdrawn, lost in distant contemplation of the unknowable mysteries within the Matrix that hung around his neck and lashing out at any Decepticons who attempted to touch the talisman. After Starscream ignored his warning that an Autobot ship had crashed on the asteroid, Bombshell tried to remove the Matrix in hopes of snapping him out of his stupor, but was violently struck for his trouble. As it turned out, the wrecked ship had contained [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]], on a quest to take back the Matrix. After first using a cerebro-shell on [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] to make him attack Starscream, he confronted the Decepticon leader on his own. Starscream was unimpressed, having used his rank to give himself nigh-impenetrable armor, only to be taken by surprise when Rodimus shot the Matrix around his neck instead, causing it to release a burst of energy and incapacitate Starscream. Rodimus snagged the Matrix, but both he and it were then blasted out into space by Megatron. {{storylink|Heart Like a Wheel}} With the threat of the Matrix now removed, Megatron re-established himself as leader of the Decepticons, and decided to inaugurate his return by beating the living daylights out of Starscream. The Seeker, however, had lost the will to continue: he would not rise to Megatron's mockery, and when the Decepticon leader aimed his fusion cannon at him, Starscream simply held it to his chest and demanded he fire. But Megatron kept pushing, eventually causing Starscream to snap and open fire with his own weapons, only to immediately regret the decision and attempt to flee in [[alternate mode|jet mode]]. A vicious dogfight above the asteroid ensued, culminating in a pained Starscream questioning how Megatron could understand what it felt like to have his dream crumble so completely. This inquiry only enraged Megatron further—his dream was the Decepticon faction itself, and Starscream had utterly destroyed it in his absence. But Megatron was not without mercy, and after pummeling Starscream to within an inch of his life, he offered him the chance to return to the fold as his subordinate. Meekly, Starscream accepted. {{storylink|Spotlight: Megatron}}

[[File:Ongoing16 brawn vs starscream.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Well, since Ironhide's not here to punch him...]]
As Megatron put his new plans into action and had the Decepticons return to Earth, Starscream went off on his own to meet with Thundercracker, who had abandoned the Decepticon cause following their previous defeat. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon|Altered Carbon}} He tried to convince his fellow Seeker to join with him and overthrow Megatron again, seeing him as obsessed with petty revenge on humanity and lacking long-term goals. When Thundercracker refused, Starscream lost patience and gunned him down, but before he could finish the job he was attacked by [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]]. Starscream denied Brawn's accusation that he had been responsible for shooting down a plane carrying Optimus Prime, pleading for his life by suggesting he would be more valuable as a hostage. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 3: Woken Furies|Woken Furies}} Fortunately for him, Brawn chose to carry Thundercracker to safety rather than capture him. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 4: Burning Chrome|Burning Chrome}} Starscream returned to the other Decepticons and watched Optimus Prime confront Megatron in a one-on-one battle. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 5: Enemy Mine|Enemy Mine}}

Megatron subsequently surrendered to the Autobots and had himself transported back to Cybertron, in order to use his built-in space bridge to teleport the Decepticons back to their homeworld. Starscream and the other Decepticons gathered at a Native American settlement to await the bridge's opening, but were found by Bumblebee at the last minute. Starscream ordered the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] to dispose of the Autobot, while he led the other Decepticons through the bridge. {{storylink|The Question}} Emerging on Cybertron in the midst of the Autobots' battle with [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Galvatron]]'s army of [[Sweep (G1)|Sweeps]], Starscream and the Decepticons soon found themselves entranced by Galvatron's unseen puppetmaster, the [[D-Void]], who merged their bodies and minds together with the Sweeps to form a huge monster. {{storylink|Chaos Part Three: Kings|Kings}} Once this "[[Deceptigod]]" was defeated, the weakened component Decepticons were captured by the Autobots and outfitted with [[Inhibitor/deterrence chip|I/D chips]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime}}

===The Chosen One===
[[File:RID2 starscream must join you.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]]
Two weeks after the Deceptigod's defeat, the Decepticons were still imprisoned, and Starscream was growing increasingly tired of [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]]'s attempts to control the situation. Realizing that it was better to go along with the Autobots' orders for now rather than push back against them, Starscream joined most of his fellow Decepticons in serving as an enforcer, helping to put down a riot by [[NAIL]]s—unaffiliated Cybertronians who had recently returned to Cybertron and objected to Autobot governance. {{storylink|Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime}} He lurked in the background when [[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]] visited the Decepticon camp to lecture Ratbat, {{storylink|The Autonomy Lesson (issue)|The Autonomy Lesson}} then finally elected to depart the Decepticon camp after an argument with the new self-appointed Decepticon leader. Considering Ratbat's methods and goals regressive and seeking a new approach to power, Starscream paid a visit to Autobot high command with a legitimate desire to talk with Bumblebee about the future, only to be shocked by the distrusting Autobot's taser-cane and taken into custody for his troubles. Interrogated by Prowl, Starscream explained that Ratbat was planning to assassinate Bumblebee during the memorial ceremony for the ''Lost Light''. While the Autobots dealt with that threat, Starscream proceeded to gate-crash the ceremony himself and announced to the gathered masses his desire to be part of the planet's new government. {{storylink|The World & Everything in It}}

Naturally, all the Autobots were suspicious, but Starscream did his best to prove his good faith: he helped Prowl to cover up [[Arcee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Arcee]]'s assassination of Ratbat, then worked with [[Wheeljack (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Wheeljack]] to rescue some NAILs from a series of mysterious explosions. Wheeljack spoke up in his favor, convincing Bumblebee to let him join the government; the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] were so disgusted that they ceded from Bumblebee's leadership, and while Starscream expressed his regret to 'Bee in private later, he assured him the Autobot he would not regret his choice. {{storylink|Stick Together}} That proved untrue almost immediately, as Bumblebee, Starscream, and NAIL representative [[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|Metalhawk]] soon held a public assembly to introduce their joint governance, and Starscream talked rings around both of them. {{storylink|Devisive}} Soon afterwards, Starscream approached [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]] to buy his services as he made his play for Iacon's leadership. In exchange for protecting him from those like the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] or unruly bots, Starscream would allow Onslaught a position of power when the time came. {{storylink|Applicable Skills}}

[[File:RID8 starscream and metalhawk.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5]]
Starscream joined Metalhawk in greeting ex-Decepticon [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]] when he returned to Cybertron, but the new arrival's obvious distaste for his former faction prompted Starscream to step back and leave the welcoming to his fellow leaders. {{storylink|A Better Tomorrow}} Given his genuine desire to see the new government work out, Starscream was just as suspicious of the next returnee as his fellow leaders—noted Decepticon warmonger [[Turmoil]], claiming altruism, no less. Turmoil immediately began to foment distrust among the government by planting more doubts about the Autobots in Metalhawk's mind, so Starscream took the NAIL to [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]] to talk the matter out, calling upon bar owner Blurr to recount his own experiences with Turmoil as evidence for the prosecution. {{storylink|Interference Patterns}}

Not long after the Turmoil incident, Starscream and Metalhawk paid a visit to Autobot High Command to pester Bumblebee about setting up elections. {{storylink|Dinobot Hunt (IDW)|Dinobot Hunt}} That night, the pair returned to High Command, this time to check on the recently injured Wheeljack and to offer their assistance in locating [[Ironhide (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ironhide]] and the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], who had gone missing in the wilderness earlier that evening. Fearing that Starscream could leverage a successful rescue to his advantage during the elections, Bumblebee refused their offer. {{storylink|Night and the City}}

[[File:RIDannual the chosen one.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67]]
That, however, didn't stop the pair from setting out regardless at dawn the next day. They watched as Blurr, also out searching, was caught in an explosion which revealed a subterranean cavern, but were prevented from entering the cave by the quick arrival of Prowl's security team. To put pressure on the Autobots, Starscream rounded up a crowd of NAILs and Decepticons and demanded that Prowl explain the situation to them. The Autobot was forced to admit that the cavern was home to the abandoned [[Crystal City]], and that [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]] had teleported into the abandoned city, injuring itself in the process such that the surrounding area would shortly be destroyed. As Prowl returned to Wheeljack, at work in the cavern, Starscream snuck in after him, and a brief chase with the security officer led them to the Titan's face. Suddenly, it awoke, and lauded Starscream as a conqueror who would unite Cybertron, something witnessed by the entire crowd, who had followed them down into the city. The group fled to escape the Titan's detonation, and on the way back to Iacon, the divinely blessed Starscream was held aloft by NAILs and Decepticons. {{storylink|Primus: All Good Things|All Good Things}}

[[File:RID11 trying on crowns.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5]]
Being a 'bot of little faith, Starscream didn't actually ''believe'' Metrotitan's words, but he knew how to exploit ''everyone else's'' belief to virtually guarantee himself victory in the upcoming elections. He attempted to get an endorsement from [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] live on television, but Omega had greater matters to ponder; however, that night, Omega was the victim of a bombing that Starscream presumed to be the actions of the other Decepticons attempting to ruin his aspirations for political power. Finding that public opinion was already turning against him by association, Starscream confronted Shockwave over the attack, but received only an ambiguous warning to keep out of the one-eyed Decepticon's way. As he was leaving the Decepticon pen, Starscream was approached by [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] and [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]], who sought to trade information on Prowl's recent shady dealings in exchange for sanctuary from the coming storm. Starscream accepted, and used the info to blackmail Prowl into disposing of Shockwave's Decepticons for him. He was feeling quite pleased with himself, until a one-two punch of bad news took him down a peg: first, Arcee revealed she knew exactly where he had secreted Dirge away, meaning his bargaining chip was essentially useless... and second, Megatron returned. {{storylink|The End of the Beginning of the World}}

[[File:RID12 dont have to do this.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67]]
Starscream alerted the Autobot to Megatron's approach on the city, and watched as Bumblebee and the Autobots gunned him down and took him into custody. Starscream tried to dissuade the other Decepticons from marching on high command to call for Megatron's release with a stirring speech about discarding the old ways, but it failed rather spectacularly, so Starscream decided to visit the medical center and appeal to Megatron directly. {{storylink|City on Fire}} This "chat" was very one-sided as Megatron offered no response to Starscream's word save a smile—though that alone was enough to terrify the Seeker. The Decepticons' march subsequently turned into a riot, during which the prison was stormed and Megatron was liberated. The Decepticon leader dragged Starscream along to the [[Black Room]], where it was revealed that Prowl, mind-controlled by Bombshell, had been working for Megatron all along. {{storylink|The Verge}} Bumblebee and Metalhawk were soon brought to the Black Room as well, and Starscream tried to explain to them that he had had no part in Megatron's scheme; Megatron verified that, save to note that Starscream's political machinations had provided a useful distraction. {{storylink|Before the Dawn}}

[[File:RID16 heavyisthehead.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Oh no, nothing's worse than <s>Cartman</s> Starscream with ''authoritah''!]]Megatron then began his endgame, unleashing a perfected Devastator upon Iacon, and forcing Starscream to watch, professing that any political victory he had won would have been one of compromise, rather than a true Decepticon triumph. {{storylink|Plan for Everything}} Rendered near-paralytic with the seeming totality of his defeat, Starscream was dragged through the streets by Megatron, until the Autobots and Metalhawk surprised him by coming to his rescue. Separated from the main fight, Starscream and Metalhawk were confronted by Turmoil, and the re-energized Starscream killed him using Metalhawk's severed arm as a blade. The Autobots then foiled Megatron's scheme, and Starscream saw his moment to strike: though he admitted to Metalhawk that he genuinely was his friend, he used Turmoil's cannon to kill him, and presented his body to the crowd as a victim of the fighting. He called for the abandonment of factions, and the majority of the population rallied behind him, appointing him their leader {{storylink|Heavy Is the Head}} and cheering for the banishment of all those who didn't renounce their faction.

The Autobots attempted to fight this, first pointing to their wounded needing care, but Starscream promised they'd be fixed up. And hey, you didn't ''have'' to leave. All you had to was just... stop being an Autobot or Decepticon.

You're almost all leaving? Such a shame. {{storylink|Second Exodus}}

===Starscream the First===
[[File:ThreeMonologues-religiousnut.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|Scoop using his [[Light-piping|fright-piping]] on Starscream.]]
Starscream's first night of leadership was a troubled one as the city of Iacon struggled to deal with the aftermath of Megatron's attack. One of the many problems he had to deal with was the blackouts that the city was suffering from. This was only made worse for Starscream by [[Scoop (G1)|Scoop]] and his construction patrol vowing to repair the city. He then visited the Medical Center to check on Dirge's condition but he was rebuffed by the former seeker. During an interview with Circuit on how he was planning to deal with the city's problems the power was restored by Scoop, it was at this moment that [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] approached him with the revelation that the power grid had been sabotaged with phosphex. As Scoop repaired the communication array he attempted to open his toolbox and instead found out that Scoop was a "religious nut" who believed Metrotitan's prophecy. When Rattrap tripped over Scoop, Starscream soon took the opportunity to accuse him of sabotaging the power grid, however Starscream later revealed that he was fully aware that Rattrap had planted the phosphex in Scoop's toolbox. {{storylink|Three Monologues}}

Soon afterwards, [[Solomus|Tyrest]]'s [[universal killswitch]] was activated, and Starscream was among those affected, and Starscream wondered if Megatron was causing it. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}} However Starscream was saved thanks to Rodimus and Perceptor's {{storylink|Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|This Calamitous Life}} He later succeeded in getting a "pep" talk from Wheeljack's headless body - who had survived being shot by Prowl earlier. {{storylink|Three Monologues}} Starscream was the one who answered when the ''Lost Light'' when they called Cybertron with Tyrest's communication system; by this point, he'd started calling the place the [[Republic of Cybertron]]. {{storylink|The Sound of Breaking Glass}} Having successfully risen to power, Starscream reneged on his deal with Onslaught. {{storylink|Applicable Skills}}

[[File:DarkCybertron1-Starscream.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Even the Mini-Cons have abandoned me.]]
After being rebuilt into a new body, Starscream's secluded admiration of his new form was interrupted by Rattrap's worries about an unidentified glow just over the horizon. A scan of the phenomenon revealed a classified-but-familiar reading, that of the [[Dead Universe]], causing Starscream to seek out the crew of the ''[[Lost Light]]'' for expertise, particularly that of [[Cyclonus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Cyclonus]]. {{storylink|Dark Dawn: Dark Cybertron Chapter 1|Dark Dawn}} Subsequently, an [[Quintessa (IDW)|undead Titan]] suddenly burst free from the ground, and so Starscream rounded up some weaponry in order to take out the behemoth, but Rattrap instead suggested caution. Starscream decided to visit Scoop in his cell, and the zealot pronounced Starscream as the dark answer to a prophesy hidden in the [[Covenant of Primes]]. {{storylink|Black Metal: Dark Cybertron Chapter 2|Black Metal}} Next Starscream visited the dead body of Metalhawk, succeeding in getting a "pep talk" out of his "old friend" as Rattrap eavesdropped. On his way out of the building, Starscream reassured his citizens that he could handle the ongoing situation—after all, he handled Megatron—and flew out towards the Necrotitan. Meanwhile, Scoop confided in Rattrap that while Starscream was the Chosen One, he may have been chosen to destroy everything. Starscream landed on the Necrotitan's shoulder and tried to start a conversation, but suddenly its eyes flashed and a deadly, chaotic wave of energy burst forth from its body. Starscream desperately tried to beat the wavefront home, but arrived just before it lay waste to the city. The wavefront had a strange and inconsistent effect on everyone, to the point that it reanimated the dead body of Metalhawk. Metalhawk beat down his murderer and abducted the captured body of Megatron, leaving with it for elsewhere. In the chaos that followed the city's destruction, Starscream soon found himself the subject of everyone's ire. {{storylink|Winners & Losers: Dark Cybertron Chapter 3|Winners & Losers}} The wave also left a strange black mark on Starscream's chest that Scoop believed was a message from [[Primus]]—Starscream was the cause of Iacon's problems. {{storylink|Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|Into the Abyss}}

He later had the mark checked out at the Iacon Medical Center by Flatline and used this as an opportunity to check on the casualties of the Necrotitan's wave. This merely led to him being berated by [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] on how he was letting the population down—only for the Necrotitan to then smash its way into the medical center. {{storylink|No Exit: Dark Cybertron Chapter 6|No Exit}} Starscream then received another berating, this time from Scoop, on how the fact he was the "Chosen One" was a responsibility to the people of Cybertron. {{storylink|The Dead Are Not Enough: Dark Cybertron Chapter 7|The Dead Are Not Enough}} He was later approached by Rattrap and the remaining Autobots and Decepticons and merely lamented that all hope of defeating Shockwave was lost while Prowl explained his plan. He did however inform Prowl of the situation at the medical center as Flatline and Fixit "teamed up", he was then present when Megatron explained his alternative plan for defeating Shockwave. {{storylink|Burning Bright: Dark Cybertron Chapter 8|Burning Bright}}

[[File:DarkCybertronFinale-StarscreamVsJhiaxus.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"Is that what I look like? My god, I'm GORGEOUS!"]]
Later, Starscream was further lamenting about the hopelessness of the situation when the Lost Light arrived with Metroplex. He was observing the battle between the Necrotitan and Metroplex when Scoop started to recite the "Dark Cybertron" prophecy and was later cured when Metroplex released the [[Ore-7]] stored within his thumb. {{storylink|Finis Temporis: Dark Cybertron Chapter 9|Finis Temporis}} Starscream was later gloating to Scoop about how the prophecy was not fulfilled when he learnt its true origin—Shockwave. It was just at this moment when Metalhawk appeared with Skywarp and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] and shot him. It was at this moment that Shockwave started to reveal his endgame to Galvatron and ''70 billion'' Ammonites appeared in the sky above Cybertron. {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}} Starscream then provided Bumblebee's group with a way of reaching Shockwave's base by revealing that Skywarp was still alive. He elected to take Waspinator along (much to Waspinator's objections) as the group required someone who knew the layout of the base, however he was nearly driven catatonic by the fact that Scoop willingly volunteered to remain behind instead of helping to defeat Shockwave with rest of the group. When he recovered he attacked Jhiaxus but the reactive armor Jhiaxus was wearing provided him with all of Starscream's new body's abilities. {{storylink|Black Planet: Dark Cybertron Chapter 11|Black Planet}} Starscream was not impressed by the reactive armor however (even going so far as accusing Jhiaxus of [[Fandom|cosplaying]] as him) and continued to fight Jhiaxus, even though Jhiaxus had the advantage due to him knowing everything that his new body contained and could do. He beat Jhiaxus by using the swords that were integrated into his body. He was later unfazed by Rattrap's claim that he would have difficulty maintaining control due to Metalhawk sacrificing himself to defeat the Ammonites by claiming that by killing them Metalhawk was a "genocidal despot" {{storylink|...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|...And the Damage Done}}

[[File:Words Hang in the Air - Honorable Starscream.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|It's good to be king, if just for a while. To be there in velvet, yeah, to give them a smile.]]

Starscream attended a meeting on the subject of what was to be done with Megatron to represent the People of Cybertron—who wanted a trial. Rodimus was not impressed with Starscream's rule of Cybertron. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} He was later called to provide a statement where he claimed to be "High Chancellor of the Refulgent Cybertronian Dynasty, Emperor Perpetua and Defender of the Realm". His statement on Megatron claimed that the former Decepticon leader was addled and impotent with a lack of control over his forces and that he deserved pity. Starscream was pleased with his statement as it increased his approval ratings with only one downside—the ratings of the Autobots increased as well. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}} Starscream's testimony had also convinced Megatron that he needed to leave behind a better legacy, and changed his plea to not guilty while invoking one of the forgotten laws of Luna-2. Starscream, fearing that Megatron wouldn't be executed as he hoped, protested, however Optimus would allow Megatron freedom of movement and shared command of the ''Lost Light''. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}}

Some time after Megatron's trial, Starscream approached Prowl and [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] to gloat about his control of Cybertron, only to be reminded by Optimus Prime that [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] was an Autobot and that Ironhide and [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] were keeping a close eye on him as well; upon being asked if he had any further comments on the situation by Circuit, he merely claimed that he couldn't feel better. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 1: Hello Cruel World|Hello Cruel World}} Some time after Metroplex started acting as a city for Cybertrons population, Starscream began mining operations on the Titan's filtration systems in an attempt to retrieve one of Shockwave's ores from the Titan, and hired some of the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]] as guards. {{storylink|A Long Way Down}}

[[File:ABotAndHerCity-importantmatters.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|It's good to be king and have your own way, get a feeling of peace at the end of the day.]]

Six months after the events of Dark Cybertron, Starscream maintained a less than healthy relationship with Windblade due to Metroplex's constant systems failures. He confronted Windblade on the constant blackouts Metroplex was suffering with the claim that the population was blaming him for the system failures, he then threatened Windblade with serious consequences if she didn't solve the problem and left with Rattrap to discuss the rebuilding Iacon again. Starscream later claimed the blast that damaged Windblade was caused by poor maintenance and later entered her recovery room uttering the phrase "Well. Look who isn't dead". {{storylink|A 'Bot and Her City}} The ruler of Cybertron then went on to insist on how the explosion was a fortunate accident as Windblade had survived it with only minor injuries. He then threatened the cityspeaker again by claiming that she would probably not be able to cheat death twice before being kicked out of the room. Starscream then asked Rattrap to ensure that he was in the clear before Windblade made a move... {{storylink|A Long Way Down}}

Starscream later oversaw the capture of Windblade and the group she had taken into Metroplex to expose his mining operations. With the group in his custody, Starscream attempted to obtain confessions to prove that Windblade was trying to undermine his regime as well as revealing the [[Badgeless]]- his new anonymous enforcers. He then tried to find out Windblade's try purpose on Cybertron as he believed that she was deliberately trying to sabotage Metroplex to gain further power. Starscream was last seen confronting Blurr and Slug as Windblade and Chromia escaped from his prison. {{storylink|Windblade issue 3|Windblade vol. 1 #3}} As Chromia and Windblade rushed towards Metroplex's brain, Starscream fought Slug and Blurr, he easily defeated them thanks to his handy shoulder cannons and then left to pursue the Camiens. Catching up to them at Metroplex's brain, Starscream was then attacked by Chromia as the fembot tried to buy more time for Windblade to merge with Metroplex. Starscream, however, managed to quickly dispatch Chromia and wound Windblade, before the Cityspeaker managed to successfully merge with the Titan. Despite this, Windblade still managed to merge with Metroplex and activate the Titan's defenses while she made one last attempt to find out who the mystery bomber was.

While Chromia attempted to convince Windblade to use Metroplex's space bridge to jump to [[Caminus (planet)|Caminus]], a desperate Starscream cried out that jumping while Metroplex still served as a city would kill all those who were not completely within the Titan's borders. Deciding to not make the jump, Windblade revealed to Starscream that there were other colonies formed by the ancient Titans and offered the use of Metroplex's space bridge to the leader of Cybertron to unite the colonies in return for not revealing any of the events surrounding the bombing to anyone else. Agreeing to the deal, Starscream left Windblade to deal with the aftermath. {{storylink|Windblade issue 4|Windblade vol. 1 #4}}

[[File:TheWorldOfTomorrow-StarscreamAltMode.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.66]]

With Monstructor still on the loose and Devastator causing trouble on Earth, Starscream became aware of his own military shortcomings. To this end, he reactivated Wheeljack, in the hopes of bringing Megatron's failed experiment [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] back into fighting shape for the sake of his regime. Still struggling to come to terms with the vastly changed Cybertron, Wheeljack reluctantly agreed and began repairing the gestalt. A Decepticon ghetto had also grown up outside Metroplex, made up of 'Cons who were disgruntled with the status quo and loathed Starscream as a sellout. {{storylink|The World of Tomorrow}}

A series of murders took place in the Decepticon ghetto, which Starscream was willing to dismiss as just one of them things but allowed his passionate officer [[Barricade (IDW)|Barricade]] to investigate. Starscream then left to welcome Optimus back to Cybertron after a six-month absence and, with Windblade, talk him through the new status quo. The Prime's social conscience saw them both walking the ghetto {{storylink|City of Steel (issue)|City of Steel}} and sparking a riot. Mid-riot, they watched the murderer kill [[Heavy Barrel (G1)|Heavy Barrel]]. {{storylink|Fight or Flee (issue)|Fight or Flee}} Eventually, Starscream settled on the [[Firecon]]s as the obvious scapegoats culprits and joined Optimus in capturing them: a mission that went disastrously wrong thanks to brutality by [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] and [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]]. {{storylink|Quest for Fire}} Optimus went on to suspect the Dinobots.

[[File:TheSumAndItsParts-StarscreamAndScoop.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

When the murderer followed up by killing ''Autobots'', Starscream told Optimus he'd been dumb and decided to raze the ghetto: the public would accept Decepticon murders but would want harsh action for Autobot ones. Barricade refused the order and went on to find a crucial clue {{storylink|The Killing Jar (issue)|The Killing Jar}} and Optimus talked Starscream into helping him with a plan: faking a fight with the Dinobots to draw out the real killer, who turned out to be Sandstorm all along. {{storylink|Forever Is a Long Time Coming (issue)|Forever Is a Long Time Coming}}

After Windblade repaired Metroplex's space bridge, Starscream hatched a plan to turn Caminus back into a protectorate of Cybertron- a plan that involved the recently purloined [[Enigma of Combination]]. Starscream recruited Swindle and the Stunticons for the job. While he bided his time, Starscream decided to pick out a new body for himself, although he was interrupted by Optimus Prime. The two bickered for a while about using Superion as a weapon (it's part of planetary security, honest) drawing up a truly representative government for Cybertron (as if!). Starscream finally shot down Optimus by pointing out that the people of Cybertron had chosen him as leader, although Optimus insisted that if Cybertron contacted its colonies, the governing body needed a council, not an empire.

On his orders, Swindle used the Enigma on the Stunticons and Starscream's mole [[Blackjack]], combining them together and re-creating [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]]. Now, however, Blackjack's short temper amplified Menasor's already prominent anger problems, creating a completely uncontrollable monster. Starscream sicced Menasor and Swindle on Caminus, intending to use the similarly revived Superion to swoop in, save the day, and win the permanent adoration of the Camiens. {{storylink|First Contact (IDW)|First Contact}} Unfortunately word got out to Optimus Prime and Windblade, forcing him to deploy Superion early on. Starscream just couldn't win, especially after Optimus- a holy figure to the people of Caminus- upstaged Starscream in front of the [[Mistress of Flame]]. {{storylink|The Sum and Its Parts}}

[[File:ThePossibleLight-StarscreamsNewBody.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]

In the lull, Starscream took the opportunity to upgrade into his new body before overseeing the first contact ceremony between Caminus and Cybertron. While he was there, he bragged about Superion and how the combiner would keep them all safe. With that done, Starscream let Swindle take the fall for his actions by throwing him in his secret prison. But then, at the Space Bridge, Optimus Prime announced on live TV that Starscream intended to build a democratic [[Council of Worlds]], throwing a wrench in Starscream's imperialistic plans and forcing him to go through. Starscream ''really'' just couldn't win. {{storylink|The Possible Light}} Starscream, Prime, and some Camiens set about hammering out a legislation, although things didn't go particularly well - mostly because Starscream knew that the Camiens would always follow Optimus Prime's vote. The meeting was quickly adjourned after Mirage brought word of an attack on the space bridge. It turned out that Prowl wasn't happy about the situation, and had decided to form Devastator and just smash the Space Bridge. Not even Superion managed to defeat him, so Starscream used the Enigma to resuscitate the defeated Aerialbots. Realizing that Superion couldn't do the job alone, Starscream zapped a recently arrived group of representatives from the ''Lost Light'', fusing them together into [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]]. The two combiners trounced Devastator, and in the aftermath Starscream had Prowl dragged off to a public jail. Not the Constructicons, though; he had plans for them... {{storylink|Mistakes and Mayhem}}

[[File:CombinerWars5-disappointed.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|'''YOU!''' Where the '''SLAG''' is your '''CHIN?''']]

Starscream stationed both of his combiners on Caminus to keep the peace and guard the space bridge before heading back to his secret prison, where he had stashed the Constructicons. Hoping to turn Devastator back to his side, Starscream used the Enigma on Scoop and the Constructicons. This new version of Devastator, while still temperamental, was willing to go along with the commands of his "Chosen One" thanks to Scoop's mental influence. After an escaped Menasor sparked a Decepticon riot, Starscream deployed Devastator to calm things down. Defensor wound up attacking Devastator, who in turn went postal and started wrecking up Caminus. Oops. {{storylink|You, Me, and the Universe}} With no other recourse, Starscream and his Badgeless troops put in a personal appearance at the space bridge, helping to keep down the non-combined Decepticons while Devastator and the newly born [[Optimus Maximus (G1)|Optimus Maximus]] tumbled from colony to colony. With Devastator defeated, Starscream's snide remarks convinced Optimus Maximus to separate so that Prowl could be arrested. {{storylink|All That Remains}} Starscream later permitted Devastator to reform so that the Constructicons could be safely removed from Caminus. {{storylink|Now and On Earth}}

{{-}}

===A weakening grip===
{{quote|''Look'' at this place. I spent ''how long'' on dank battlefields, or huddled inside ''Astrotrain'' gathering troops for ''somebody else's'' cause? I ''made'' it, goldenrod.|Starscream, "[[The Transgressors]]"}}

[[File:Windblade DS 4 Velocitronian Ambassadors.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"And I hate him already."]]

Despite finally starting to bring the colonies together, Starscream was bitter and frustrated that nobody believed he could do it and that people were talking about him behind his back... so he said to ''a hallucinated ghost Bumblebee'', who he demanded recognise that he'd finally ''made it''. Arcee, unaware of what was going on, arrived with a captured Badgeless and executed him in front of Starscream to make a point. She informed him of a growing problem with the Decepticons, who Starscream needed to keep happy on Cybertron to avoid an uprising and invasion of other planets, and that he was the only one keeping the planet together so he better try harder. {{storylink|The Transgressors}}

With Caminus in the Council, Starscream turned his attention to the next Titan colony: [[Velocitron]]. To this end he met with delegates [[Knock Out (G1)|Knock Out]] and [[Moonracer (G1)|Moonracer]], although Knock Out wasn't particularly impressed with Cybertronian culture. Starscream was disturbed by the extremely hostile planet he'd glimpsed through the Space Bridge, and mentioned to Rattrap that he wouldn't set foot on the planet if he was paid. This might be why negotiations broke down. {{storylink|Windblade vol. 2 issue 4|Windblade vol. 2 #4}}

[[File:WindbladeVol2Issue6-deadlygame.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"This game sucks. Let's play Hungry Hungry Hippos instead."]]

After Windblade decided to sneak off to Velocitron to convince them to join the Council, Starscream recruited Superion for a secret jaunt of his own: a trip to the planet [[Devisiun (planet)|Devisiun]]. The tiny modular colonists were very impressed by Superion's combiner technology, and sent [[Fireshot (G1)|Fireshot]] and [[Vanquish (G1)|Vanquish]] as delegates. Windblade had had enough of the secret power plays, though, so after a heated debate the two agreed to travel to the next colony together. That planet turned out to be [[Eukaris]], a planet colonized by xenophobic [[beast mode]] Transformers, who were less than thrilled to have vehicle-based Transformers set foot on their planet. Their Titan, [[Chela]], was even ''less'' thrilled than they were, so unhappy that he decided to just blow them up and be done with it. Starscream thought otherwise, and flew into his brain module, where he shot the Titan dead in spite of Windblade's protests. At least Eukaris decided to join the council. {{storylink|Race Against the Light}} {{storylink|Windblade vol. 2 issue 6|Windblade vol. 2 #6}}

Windblade and Starscream bickered some more after returning from Eukaris, although Starscream maintained that he had done the right thing- even saved Windblade from certain death. The next day, the two headed out to the final colony Metroplex had discovered, a spaceborne Titan he identified as [[Tempo]], crewed by philosophers. As it turned out, the ship was actually staffed by a well-armed military dictatorship. Captain [[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]] claimed that their Titan was actually named [[Vigilem|Carcer]]. Starscream tried to convince them to join the council, but his remarks just made Elita angry, and she threatened to kill him. Windblade managed to salvage the situation at the last minute, convincing them to join the council so as to counter Starscream's growing influence. {{storylink|The Will of the Few}}

[[File:ChooseMe_starscreamiest_grin.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.1|''The three words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote: Stink, stank, stunk!'']]

In a conversation with dead Bumblebee, a bitter and lonely Starscream decided to get some of the goodwill felt by the colonies' return and declared a new holiday, "[[Chosen One Day]]". While he intended for everyone to remember they owed their goodwill to ''him'' and show him some, it was misread as a holiday to show your loved ones goodwill instead. This worked in his favour as everyone assumed he'd done that deliberately. Wheeljack, Windblade, and the Council members showed up to toast him and honour him with a night of friendship. {{storylink|Choose Me}}

During a broodfest, [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] showed up with his fellow Decepticons to ''oh so politely'' ask for a 'favour': they wanted Starscream to look the other way while they used the spacebridge later. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 1: Aphelion|Aphelion}} Rather than cause trouble, Starscream allowed it and when [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] at the space port noticed the Decepticon movement, Starscream told him not to "overreact" to "a stroll". Later, unsure and talking it through with 'Bumblebee', he let an actual moment of ''conscience'' decide his actions and informed Windblade of the Decepticon movement. But a bit too late! {{storylink|Conquerors Part 2: Lagrange|Lagrange}} Starscream headed in with reinforcements to help in the form of Badgeless and Superion and was pissed to find Optimus there already with [[Victorion|his ''own'' combiner]], pulling rank again. He ordered all the defeated Decepticons rounded up for later and agreed to get the spacebridge up and running to allow Optimus to stop Galvatron on Earth. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 4: Perihelion|Perihelion}} The situation swiftly went terrible again as the Decepticons started fighting again as soon as Victorion was gone and when Starscream called in Devastator, he only trashed the place and let fugitives escape. Man, how could this get worse—Optimus declaring Earth a protectorate? Yeah, that'd do it. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 1: Once Upon a Time on Earth|Once Upon a Time on Earth}}

[[File:NewWorldsOrder-StarscreamAndBumblebee.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"And I didn't even get the lousiest of T-shirts."]]
After Windblade, Optimus et al. had kept hinting he was a dodgy neo-imperialist, Starscream was ''utterly livid'' when Optimus ''actually'' annexed a planet and part of the Council of Worlds, all without talking to anyone else. He said they couldn't give Prime a seat and justify conquest, and was left distraught when Windblade agreed but said they should give Prime the ''benefit of the doubt''. In a conversation with dead Bumblebee, Starscream compared Prime's actions to Megatron's and [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]'s and warned that this would go the same way. {{storylink|New Worlds Order}} Shortly after, Starscream witnessed a broadcast from the ''Lost Light'' of crew members about to be executed. He watched with fear as he knew they were victims of the [[Decepticon Justice Division]]. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}} Roughly around this time, Starscream came into contact with [[Airachnid (G1)|Airachnid]], a [[Eukaris|Eukarian]] [[Mnemosurgery|mnemosurgeon]] whom he tasked with finding [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle's]] body. {{storylink|The Price of You}}

Airachnid's methods however were less than subtle and following a series of mnemosurgical attacks on Decepticons around Iacon, Starscream oversaw a meeting of councillor [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]]'s Justice Committee. The Carcer delegate proposed Ironhide be appointed to investigate possible Badgeless involvement in the crimes, and Starscream reluctantly agreed to consider the proposal while feigning ignorance about the murders. After Badgeless officers shot a drunk Decepticon under suspicious circumstances later that day, Windblade accused Starscream of orchestrating the murders in an attempt to locate the seemingly missing corpse of Swindle, but the sovereign of Cybertron threatened her in return with his knowledge of Chromia's bomb plot. Immediately afterwards, Starscream was aghast to discover that video footage of the murder had surfaced and was being broadcast on the city news. {{storylink|07:00:00}}

[[File:ApplicableSkills-ourfearlessleader.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"It's out of control. It's out of control and we'll be lucky to live through it."]]

A mob of angry citizens quickly formed outside Starscream's residence. After being needled by dead Bumblebee, the ruler of Cybertron was dragged to an emergency meeting of the Council of Worlds, where he immediately proposed that the Decepticon ghetto be locked down by the Badgeless. The other councillors quickly shot down the idea, and Starscream in return refused Rattrap's proposal to summons Victorion from Earth. He went on to explain his fear that events were being manipulated by his former ally [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]], out for revenge, before eventually agreeing to a plan for the situation: appoint Ironhide the new head of the Badgeless, to carry out a full investigation of recent events. As they watched Ironhide, Starscream confided in Windblade that he didn't possess Swindle's body, before blackmailing the Cityspeaker into taking responsibility for dealing with Onslaught and his [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]]. {{storylink|Applicable Skills}}

Several weeks later, Starscream caught Windblade on the way out of a council session to demanded a report, and was told that Onslaught was, by all appearances, not carrying out any scheme or plan. They were interrupted by an incoming message for the Cityspeaker, but Starscream refused to let her answer it until he was certain she was carrying out his bidding, again dangling his knowledge of Chromia's misdeeds in front of Windblade. {{storylink|Things We Said We'd Never Do}} As it happened, the call had been from Chromia, who had now witnessed the Combaticons use the Enigma of Combination to merge with the brain-dead Swindle into [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]]. As security forces evacuated the councillors, Starscream attempted to blackmail Windblade into helping kill the rampaging combiner. Ultimately, however, Ironhide took down Bruticus, whilst Chromia admitted to her crimes on a live news broadcast, as an unhappy Starscream looked on. {{storylink|The Line Between Us}}

[[File:ItsBeginningToAndBackAgain-StarscreamAndRattrap.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"Yeah well, I'm gonna go raise my own Titan. With blackjack! And hookers! In fact, forget the Titan!"]]

Optimus (who'd been haunted by dreams of Starscream accusing him of hypocrisy) finally contacted Starscream, along with the Mistress of Flame and Soundwave, proposing to meet with each of them to discuss recent events. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 2: Edge of the Earth|Edge of the Earth}} When Prime arrived on Cybertron for his meeting with Starscream and the Council of Worlds, the ex-Decepticon took a moment to revel in the Autobot leader's newfound bad reputation before arriving fashionably late. Accusing Optimus of starting an interstellar war, Starscream dismissed Optimus as another tyrannical [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] who ''took'' power rather than being ''chosen'' like he was. Citing the general populace's loss of faith in Optimus, Cybertron's leader announced that the council would not stand with Optimus, before striding away. The next morning, Starscream summoned the news team of [[Circuit (G1)|Circuit]] and [[Longtooth]] for a special task – travelling to Earth to show everybody firsthand what Optimus Prime's actions had wrought. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message|The Medium and the Message}}

This plan worked out rather nicely for Starscream, who watched with joy as live footage of human military forces attacking Optimus Prime's troops was beamed back to Cybertron. Dead Bumblebee insisted Prime's refusal to retaliate would show his heroism, but Cybertron's leader was confident he could spin any outcome to his advantage. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 4: It's Beginning To And Back Again|It's Beginning To And Back Again}} When the humans finally surrounded Prime, Starscream was ecstatic, but moments later, was taken aback when the Autobot raised Metrotitan, thought dead, from the ground! {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 5: As Above...So Below|As Above...So Below}} The ex-Decepticon was quickly called to an emergency council meeting by Windblade. Prime's holy act changed the group's tune, and they soon decided to declare Earth a colony world. Looking out over his planet, Starscream sulked about the decision whilst Bumblebee said "I told you so" – Optimus Prime had come out on top. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 6: No Fair Fights|No Fair Fights}}

When a massive energy discharge was detected at the former site of Kaon, Starscream was roped into investigating personally by Windblade. Shockingly, they found the city intact within a crater, but this matter was quickly forgotten when the pair were called back to Iacon, where none other than the long-dead Sentinel Prime was on a rampage! Starscream fired on the false Prime, but got a [[spark disruptor]] thrown onto his chest for his troubles. Luckily for the ex-Decepticon, Windblade was able to jump the disruptor onto her own spark, where its detonation was non-fatal thanks to the differing frequency of Camien sparks. The pair quickly flew to regroup with the forces fighting Sentinel Prime at the space bridge. {{storylink|The Last Autobot}}

Discussing recent events, General [[Joe Colton]], [[Scarlett]] and [[Miles Mayhem|Miles Manheim]] recalled Starscream's part in the [[Transformer]]s' early battles over Ore-13 on Earth. {{storylink|Secret Raiders: A Revolution Prelude|Secret Raiders}} When Windblade merged with Metrotitan's mind, she saw glimpses of all her possibles pasts and futures, many of which included Starscream. {{storylink|Informed}}

[[File:Ping-Starscream.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.4|"I ''am'' the Senate."]]

Starscream and Rattrap were soon summoned to Ironhide's office to discuss turning over the [[Enigma of Combination]] to Ironhide which Starscream (shockingly) refused to do. Ironhide them gave him a stirring speech telling him it was time for Starscream to actually start leading instead of playing political games. Before anything else could be said all three of their communicators pinged at exactly the same time. Regrouping at the [[Spire]], Starscream was shocked to hear Windblade and Obsidian's report of a fleet of undead [[Titan (group)|Titans]] bearing down on Cybertron. Taking Ironhide's speech to spark, Starscream told everyone to rally for war and drafted every ship into service. After transmitting a rousing speech (and saying any ship who fled would be either shot down or declared an enemy of the state), the fighting began. While things began promisingly enough, [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] soon fell and Starscream saw fit to contact [[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]] to request [[Vigilem|Carcer]] be transformed and brought to the surface. She refused. {{storylink|Ping}} After another failed try, Starscream gathered the [[Council of Worlds]] and told them to begin evacuating Cybertron. Windblade refused to do so however believing that either she or [[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]] could access Carcer's brain and convince the Titan to aid Cybertron on their own. Agreeing, Starscream sent a contingent of Cybertronian ships and Devastator to attack Carcer as a distraction informing Elita to never underestimate the depths of his pettiness. {{storylink|Desperate Times}} While waiting for news, Bumblebee commented that Windblade and Starscream would get so much more accomplished if they were actually friends. Starscream reminded Bumblebee what [[Death|happened]] to the [[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|last person]] Starscream had considered a friend prompting a confused look from [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] at Starscream for talking to himself. {{storylink|Desperate Measures (Till All Are One)|Desperate Measures}} When Windblade had succeeded in awakening Carcer who himself had been successful in destroying the invaders Starscream cheered! {{storylink| Rubicon}}

Which was short lived because not only was Starscream informed "Carcer" was Vigilem and he'd freed [[Liege Maximo]], he soon had to preside over a court case regarding a [[Badgeless]] killing [[Drunkatron|some pleb]]. Though the Badgeless was clearly innocent, Starscream wondered if declaring him guilty would help things. He called a recess when he learned Elita was taking credit for "Carcer's" victory and called her to his office flanked by [[Fireshot (G1)|Fireshot]], [[Tigatron]], [[Moonracer (G1)|Moonracer]] and the [[Mistress of Flame]]. When Elita arrived, she recapped the history of Maximo and his Titan before explaining she'd thought to keep their existence a secret in case someone might have proven foolish, arrogant or desperate enough to free the ancient Prime before telling the Council to ready themselves for war against the member of the [[Thirteen]] and walked off. Starscream agreed that, for the moment, Maximo's freedom should be kept a secret before the Mistress of Flame requested Chromia be turned over to her. Starscream refused so the Mistress instead requested [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] and the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]]. Bumblebee soon appeared to Starscream and told him what to do: Rule the Badgeless innocent, hand over Chromia and stand against Elita. When Starscream pointed out doing all three would make him an easy target, Bumblebee said Starscream was choosing to fight and he could be better. Too bad Starscream didn't believe that himself as he convicted the innocent 'bot. He then freed Chromia into the Mistress's custody on the condition that she hunt down and slay Liege Maximo. {{storylink|Heavy}}

[[File:ThePriceOfYou-StarscreamBumblebee.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|"The way is open."]]
With Elita soon ready to return to orbit, Starscream was summoned by Airachnid to give her report on the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]]. Airachnid revealed that while it was normally impractical to try and alter the minds of so many, she could do so after the five had combined but needed a willing lynchpin to make sure the other four didn't pick up on the lie. Starscream had Airachnid patch him into [[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off's]] mind where Starscream offered to make his dream of "domestic bliss" with Onslaught a reality. Blast Off agreed and Starscream later spoke with Ironhide that the now loyal Combaticons would not be prosecuted since Airachnid had discovered (through genuine medical examination of course) that the Combaticons could not be held culpable for their actions. {{storylink|The Price of You}} Starscream was soon approached by [[Windblade's doctor|a doctor]] who brought him to [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] revealing her to not be brain dead but to have shut down due to ''too much'' data in her brain. Deducing it was Vigilem, Starscream nonetheless refused to delegate a mnemosurgeon. This was the final straw for Bumblebee who demanded to know why Starscream always pushed good people away. Starscream responded that every time he opened himself up, life (usually wearing Megatron's face) would beat the tar out of him. Seeing the odd looks he was getting, Starscream pretended to turn on his comm. and told Bumblebee to leave if he was so disgusted by him. And leave Bumblebee did. Starscream then allowed Blast Off to see Swindle while consulting Airachnid about how to help Windblade. The answer was simple: A third bot would enter her head and help her destroy Vigilem assuming the strain of three minds didn't kill all three. Reluctantly Starscream realized he had no choice but to help her. {{storylink|If I Know You}}

Starscream arrived and made a heroic entrance by shooting Vigilem in the back. Alas, Windblade was not grateful as Starscream had failed to consider a risk in the plan. By linking his mind to hers, Vigilem was able to access it and escape through Starscream. The evil Titan smirked and adopted the form of Starscream's worst fear: [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]].

[[File:Your First Mistake - Screamys True Form.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.4|"Oh, no forged body for Starscream huh? Fine. I'll go build my own Vector Sigma. With blackjack! And hookers! In fact, forget the Vector Sigma and the blackjack! Aw screw the whole thing."]]
Now in Starscream's mind, Vigilem began beating Starscream through all his bodies wearing down his confidence before he prepared to execute him and take his body. Windblade saved him by scooping up Starscream's spark before she witnessed his birth. Horrified by cold construction, Windblade summoned a mental copy of the [[Forge of Solus Prime]] and began forging Starscream's true self, each strike bringing up a mental projection of someone who had an impact on Starscream's life, the ghosts holding off Vigilem. When she was done, Starscream stood as a towering version of what he would like were his spark allowed to shape its own body. Stomping down Vigilem, the two jets were able to defeat the Titan and returned to the real world though Starscream insisted nothing had changed. Windblade cheekily bounced away telling Starscream not to be so foolish or close minded and that she'd now be her own bot and not just a mouthpiece for others. {{storylink|Your First Mistake}}

Optimus Prime later showed up to try and petition the [[Council of Worlds]] to grant [[Earth]] a spot on the Council and trade with the [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]]. Starscream refused both citing the [[Tyrest Accord]] saying Cybertron needed its resources to rebuild and that aliens were likely to use Cybertronian technology to ''attack'' Cybertron. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 3: Behind My Bleeding Back|Behind My Bleeding Back}} When [[Jazz (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jazz]] was interviewed by humans, he remembered Starscream's presence in the invasion of Earth as well as mentioning that Starscream now ruled Cybertron. {{storylink|What It's Really Like}} When [[Sideswipe (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sideswipe]] was given a mental projection to die peacefully, he remembered Starscream's deal with Sunstreaker. {{storylink|The Life of Sideswipe}}

When Optimus and [[Pyra Magna]] returned to Cybertron to the [[Rust Sea|Sea of Rust]], Starscream spied on them from afar with Bumblebee. Starscream scoffed at how saccharine Bumblebee's origins were before the conversation turned to [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Onyx Prime]]. Starscream then flew off while commenting to Bumblebee that the yellow 'bot was just a figment of the Seeker's imagination. {{storylink|Ghost Stories}}

While a new [[hot spot]] had lit up in [[Alyon]] a few months earlier, Starscream was in no rush to harvest the sparks and instead kept its existence a secret, explaining to an outraged [[Swift (G1)|Swift]] that what with all the recent attacks, Cybertron was currently too dangerous to introduce a new generation to. He also sought to take care of the Dinobots, who'd gone rogue, killed many Badgeless and supposedly kidnapped [[Strafe (IDW)|Strafe]], but since they were still Autobots and he didn't want conflict with Optimus Prime, he acted off the record by offering Sandstorm freedom in exchange for their deaths. Unfortunately the Alyon sparks were stolen by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] and used to revive [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]. prompting Starscream to deploy Devastator in Iacon's defense. After Trypticon was freed from Bludgeon's control and made off with the sparks, Starscream recovered the defeated Bludgeon, one of his mutated sparks and the remains of Slug, and began making plans. {{storylink|The Transformers: Salvation|Salvation}} The experiments eventually bore fruit, succeeding in bringing Slug back to life. {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 1}}

[[File:OriginMyths-Starscream.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|Pay no attention to me being the ''Combiner Wars'' body again for just this issue]]

Soon before Earth announced its chosen ambassador, ''Lord'' Starscream (best to get in the habit now) was called to Alpha Trion's apartment (and was bemused by the books) where the old sage recounted the origins of the Autobot insignia. Starscream, failing to grasp the story's meaning, questioned whether he was supposed to be [[The Fallen|Megatronus]] or Arcee, expressed disbelief that Arcee and Galvatron were twins, found "Megatronus" to be a made-up name and asked that since Alpha Trion said all stories were lies, why should be believe any of it? Earth then called to announce its representative to the [[Council of Worlds]], [[Marissa Faireborn]]. Starscream grumbled and said he'd prepare the plaza. {{storylink|Origin Myths}}

As the ceremony started, Starscream began a speech only for an explosion to cut him off. Demanding a status report from Ironhide and Windblade, he learnt that [[Red Shadows|tiny red robots]] were waiting to strike inside false Cybertronians. Starscream suspected human involvement and ordered the Space Bridge closed. {{storylink|First Strike issue 1|First Strike #1}} Heroically cowering in the [[Spire]], Starscream accused Elita One of treachery only for the femme to say humans were responsible and prepared to execute Marissa. Marissa however soon humbled Elita into calling for reinforcements from Carcer...only for the [[Solstar Order]] to transmit to Cybertron that they'd detected Dire Wraith energy signatures emanating from Cybertron and had quarantined the planet. Starscream called foul on this, familiar with the tactics of the Dire Wraiths and suspected Elita was up to another trick but the Carcerian informed him that Cybertron was on its own. {{storylink|First Strike issue 2|First Strike #2}} The debate of what to do continued until [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] and [[M.A.S.K.]] were brought before the Council where Elita ordered them executed. {{storylink|First Strike issue 3|First Strike #3}}

As the Council debated over that, Starscream advised Elita not to mention her past before he shut everyone up and reminded them of the fact that he was in charge of Cybertron and thus the final decision was his. Conceding that tricking Soundwave was nigh-impossible, Starscream asked [[Scarlett]] what Colton's plan was and she revealed to knowing nothing save a gut feeling that it involved some sort of bomb. Scoffing at the threat of humans bringing any harm to Cybertron, he threw G.I. Joe and M.A.S.K. in jail under suspicion charges before informing Optimus that not everyone shared Elita's feeling about him, some hated him even more than she did. Despite his posturing however, he sent Ironhide and [[Sunstreaker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sunstreaker]] after Colton so as to not look weak with approval to use lethal force. {{storylink|First Strike issue 4|First Strike #4}}

[[File:FirstStrike5-satisfying.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.9|Perhaps... a quiet chuckle.]]

[[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] soon brought the news that Optimus had broken the humans out of jail with Windblade arriving soon after to deliver the same news. Before doing anything, Starscream took a moment to enjoy the fact that everyone had come to him for help in stopping Optimus Prime.

Starscream then called in Ironhide and directed everyone to follow Optimus's trail, with orders to bring the humans in alive. Elita surprisingly offered herself and Obsidian as backup, though Starscream reminded her that he was in charge. {{storylink|First Strike issue 5|First Strike #5}}

The group caught up with the hostiles outside the core chamber, where Starscream placed everyone under arrest and fired a missile at Optimus, before engaging him in melee combat. The fighting was interrupted by [[Merklynn|Garrison Kreiger]] activating the alien [[Talisman (G1)|Talisman]] and revealing himself as an alien sorcerer known as Merklynn, creating [[New Prysmos]] and teleporting all combatants back to Iacon. On the surface, Starscream took Colton's rueful mumblings as his "witnessed confession" but was prevented from executing the human by Scarlett. {{storylink|First Strike issue 6|First Strike #6}}

With Cybertron's own energon now unpalatable to its people, Starscream sampled the human-made substitute. It was terrible. At a Council meeting to debate the energy crisis, Starscream opined that the [[Solstar Order]] was indebted to Cybertron for their obstructive blockade before he was called away by Optimus Prime and [[G.B. Blackrock|Garrison Blackrock]]. Scoffing at Prime's accusations regarding the Seeker concealing the existence of the newborn [[protoform]]s, Starscream loaned them [[Slag (G1)|Slug]] and sent them on their way, {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 1}} hoping that the protoforms would then be turned over to him. {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 2 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 2}} When [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] used the [[Void Scepter]] to make Slug attack the Dinobots, Bumblebee noted he was not acting according to Starscream's plan. {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 1}} After being informed of this, the Seeker came running and shattered the Void Scepter before going on a rant about his plan falling apart. {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 2 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 2}}

Soon afterwards, Starscream repaired Bludgeon and the Void Scepter, sending the mad scientist out into the galaxy to rally all the lost Decepticon cells and bring them back into the fold. {{storylink|Unstopped and Unstoppable}} {{storylink|Stranger Eons}}

From atop his tower, Starscream watched the unwashed masses lavish praises onto Optimus with ''[[The Birth of Cybertron]]'' playing in the background. The old film gave Starscream an idea to consolidate his power and win over [[Earth]]. To that end, he sought out [[Thundercracker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Thundercracker]] and hired him to produce [[Starscream: The Movie (film)|a biographical film]] about Starscream's life. {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}}

[[File:TheChosenOne-imsorry.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|''I guess I gotta give part two of my confessions'' ''If I'm gonna tell it, then I gotta tell it all'']]

To mark Windblade's return to the Council of Worlds, Starscream called in [[Circuit (G1)|Circuit]] and [[Longtooth]] for a photo-op but promptly kicked them out when Windblade nearly revealed [[Liege Maximo]]'s freedom. When Windblade stormed off to inform Circuit and Longtooth of this news, Starscream promised to look the other way if the [[Mistress of Flame]] wanted to tackle Windblade down. On [[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]]'s "advisement", Starscream called for free elections and confessed to Bumblebee that after seeing his "true self", he only had the best intentions for Cybertron, before organizing the debate schedule. Later on, he outlined his power infrastructure plans to Bumblebee before Windblade arrived with a briefcase containing all of his very dirty laundry. Unable to manipulate Windblade anymore, Starscream aggressively began looking for holes in the evidence, only to learn Bumblebee would not help him, saying the Seeker had to decide how much his future expansion meant to him. {{storylink|The Chosen One}}

Thundercracker then visited Starscream to find out what the Decepticons had meant to the chancellor. Starscream claimed it had been his job to point the Decepticons on the path of righteousness. A task that had failed due to the Decepticons ignoring Starscream's advice. But now they weren't. Now everyone listened to Starscream. {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}}

At the electoral debate, Starscream listened to Windblade's speech before he had a moment of conscience and, before all of Cybertron, confessed each and every one of his crimes (which took over an hour), costing him everything and landing him a life sentence.

Visiting him in his cell, Windblade gifted Starscream with a holo-projector of his forged body, signifying that he had finally fulfilled the ancient prophecy of the "Chosen One". By getting Cybertron to turn against him, he had succeeded in uniting the planet. {{storylink|The Chosen One}}

Incorporating this latest development into his film, Thundercracker visited Starscream in his cell and showed him the finished product. Displaying uncharasteric concern for others' feelings, Starscream claimed the film was "delightful but irrelevant" given his imprisonment. Despite his attempts to bury the film, Thundercracker was insistent on it getting out prompting Starscream to request [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] pass along a message to a friend. On Starscream's orders, two [[Badgeless]] then diverted Thundercracker to [[Prion (planet)|Prion]] where they tried to kill him. {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}}

===Decepticon once again===
[[File:AnotherMine-TrueSelfHologram.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.66|''So, yes, I still do bad things But are they actually bad? No!'']]
Starscream took his life sentence in stride, happy to let others carry the burden of planetary leadership and convinced his reign would be viewed, at worst, as a step in the right direction. When [[Scoop (G1)|Scoop]] arrived to vent his disappointment, the discussion was interrupted when Bumblebee told Starscream that [[Nemesis (BWII)|a gigantic optic]] had appeared in the sky. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 1: Surfeit of Primes|Surfeit of Primes}} The confusion passed quickly as the Seeker was more content to stare at the holo-image of his "true" self and languish what he could have been if he'd been allowed to live as he was meant to. Bumblebee disputed that believing everyone was defined by the sum of their own experiences and that, at least in part, Starscream's imprisonment was on him. Starscream disagreed. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 2: Another Mine|Another Mine}} Soon enough, [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] broke Starscream out of prison, hailing him as the Chose One once again, before Metrotitan space bridged in to do the same. As Metrotitan began an attack on Nemesis, the evil Titan simply fired a crippling shot through his brother's torso, downing him. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 3: The Ground|The Ground}}

After witnessing Onyx Prime, throw Optimus into the [[Crystal City]] [[black hole]], Devastator revealed to Starscream his theory that the Seeker was the reincarnation of [[the Fallen]]. Deciding to spin this to his advantage, Starscream had Devastator carry him to Metrotitan whereupon he set the combiner on the Autobots while Bumblebee vanished. Conversing with the Titan, Starscream was elated to find out he really was divine... whereupon Shockwave, who had been sent back in time and posed as Onyx Prime, arrived to reveal he had masterminded the "Chosen One" prophecy as a means of keeping a vain fool in charge of Cybertron and leaving the planet unprotected for his machinations. To punctuate his statement, Shockwave slew Metrotitan leaving Starscream to mutter where Bumblebee had gone. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|The Hallowing}} His will to fight completely gone, Starscream despondently made his way back to his cell only to be noticed by the rioting Decepticons. After he explained himself to them, they hesitatingly suggested that he become the [[Decepticon leader]] once again. Though initially dismissive of such a prospect, Starscream soon realized he was the best choice for such a job. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 5: Endless Forever|Endless Forever}} Once Shockwave had been captured and the [[Maximal]]s had retreated, Starscream resumed leadership of the Decepticons, leading his army away to draw up plans of conquest. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 6: Unforgivable|Unforgivable}} Camping out in Metrotitan's corpse, Starscream outlined his plans to the Decepticons, and defended his choice of a hideout, before [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] entered seeking to bring Starscream to Shockwave. {{storylink|Unstopped and Unstoppable}}

[[File:Unicron6 Starscream's Sacrifice.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|left|"Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong."]]

When he arrived, Shockwave told Starscream of his plans to create a new [[Decepticon Empire]], with Starscream in charge, but said Cybertron would have to be sacrificed to [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]. Scoffing at the offer, Starscream instead went to meet with the Camien refugees and announced he would be saving Cybertron. {{storylink|Last Stand (Unicron)|Last Stand}} When brought to the Council war room, Starscream revealed the existence of the [[Decepticon Vengeance Division]], a fleet of capital ships, all capable of destroying whole planets, that he'd ordered to corner and destroy Unicron at [[G Nebula 89]]. As debates flew over what course of action to take, [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] revealed the DVD was already facing Unicron to no effect. Soon enough, the monster had freed itself from the DVD and teleported to Cybertron, now having attained a [[robot mode]]. {{storylink|Stranger Eons}} In light of this, Starscream proposed space bridging away, even more so when it was revealed the [[Talisman (G1)|Talisman]] could kill Unicron if left behind. Unwilling to allow to sacrifice so many, Soundwave telepathically informed every Decepticon that their leader was willing to abandon them causing them to swarm into Metroplex. When Windblade began working on an alternate strategy, Starscream voted to stay, claiming he owed Windblade for the faith she'd put in him. {{storylink|Our Finest}} Metroplex did indeed space bridge to Earth soon after though all Starscream did was grumble about the humidity in the [[Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park]], an attitude which earned him a sock to the jaw from Arcee. {{storylink|Road's End}}

After waving off some employee complaints about his leadership, Starscream attended the briefing on Unicron where he told Jetfire to cut to the chase. As part of the final plan to save the universe, Starscream reunited with Skywarp and Thundercracker, ferrying Optimus Prime to Unicron so the Prime could use the Talisman to destroy the Chaos Bringer. {{storylink|Assembly (Unicron)|Assembly}} Though the fliers initially managed to slip past the mutated DVD, Skywarp and Thundercracker were soon forced to fall back, the latter tossing Starscream the Talisman. Unable to reach Unicron's core without Skywarp, Starscream realized there was only one way to complete the mission. After requesting that they give his best to Windblade, Starscream activated the Talisman, its magical energies consuming him completely but allowing the device to burrow its way to Unicron's core, ultimately allowing the monster to be felled. {{storylink|Ceremony}}

In the new era, Bumblebee became Cybertron's ambassador to the [[Galactic Council]]. Before the scout left Earth, he conversed with the ghostly Starscream on a beach. Though Bumblebee openly invited his friend to join him, the Seeker knew he wouldn't be welcome. When the scout thought Starscream was annoyed that Optimus would receive all the credit for saving the universe, Starscream laughed it off, content that people would simply remember him. {{storylink|Post}}

==Spotlight: Mirage==
At the war's end, Starscream and a small team of Decepticons accompanied the mercenary [[Mirage (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Mirage]] to the [[Pegasus Star Cluster]]. He led the Decepticons into the Autobot bunker after Mirage destroyed the Autobot security system, but stood back during the ensuing fight. After Megatron ordered the Autobot prisoners executed, Starscream held [[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]] back as Mirage prepared to kill [[Hound (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hound]].

But it was all Mirage's dream... or was it? {{storylink|Spotlight: Mirage}}

==Notes==
[[File:Wfc-starscream-0.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb]]
*Starscream's appearance in the first half of ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' seems to be based more on this concept drawing of him for the ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (games)|War for Cybertron]]'' game, rather than his actual appearance in either of the two games. This is most noticeable when looking at his pelvic region and thighs.
*Also, the crown he occasionally wears in later issues of the comic is based on the crown he sports in ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]'', which in itself is based on the crown he wears in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
*As the issues go by, Starscream takes to a habit of changing into a new body whenever the toyline at the time releases a new toy rendition of him, which is eventually explained in-universe as a subconscious rejection of his bodies. Or maybe he's just a vain git.
*[[James Roberts]] clarified on Twitter that any members of the [[Functionist Council]] who survived into the Great War era were assassinated by Starscream at Megatron's behest.<ref>[https://twitter.com/jroberts332/status/1055107548318220288 Twitter conversation with James Roberts (@jroberts332), 24 October 2018]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{i|Starscream}} at the IDW Hasbro Wiki

[[Category:Council members]]
[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Seekers]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) Transformers]]
[[Category:Matrix bearers]]
[[Category:Neutrals]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Rulers of Cybertron]]

Talk:Lug (IDW)

2020-02-29T02:47:30Z

RyRodrigo: /* Kiss pic */

SOMEONE PLEASE DELETE THIS! [[User: Jcbynum1|Jcbynum1]]
:Fixed it [[User: Jcbynum1|Jcbynum1]]

== G1 Lug ==

Isn't this guy just the IDW version of G1 Lug? Why is this a separate page?

- [[User:Awsm57|Awsm57]] 11:35, 15 December 2016 (Central Time)
:One's a Headmaster, one isn't. [[User:Jcbynum1|Jcbynum1]] 10:13, 16 December 2016 (EST)

::So? Titans Return Brawn is a headmaster, but he's not on a separate page. - [[User:Awsm57|Awsm57]] 4:01 PM, 16 December 2016 (Central Time)
:::This Lug has zero similarity to Headmaster Lug. Don't badly move pages around. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 17:15, 16 December 2016 (EST)
::::Their color schemes are identical, and unless one of the writers says that they're different characters, there's no reason to assume that they are. - [[User:Awsm57|Awsm57]] 4:28 PM, 16 December 2016 (Central Time)
:::::Their color schemes are not identical. They just both use red, and not even in the same spots. [[User:Saix|Saix]] ([[User talk:Saix|talk]]) 20:27, 16 December 2016 (EST)
::::::They also both use grey for the torso. And since when was color scheme enough to say that they're different characters? G2 Jhiaxus has a different color scheme then IDW Jhiaxus, but they're not considered different characters. - [[User:Awsm57|Awsm57]] 9:34 PM, 16 December 2016 (Central Time)
:::::::Jhiaxus (G2) and Jhiaxus (IDW) have similar personalities (maniacal); Lug (Headmaster) and Lug (Treasure-Hunter/Rewind retool) do not. [[User:Jcbynum1|Jcbynum1]] 22:40, 16 December 2016 (EST)
::::::::Cerebros hasn't ever had a consistent personality, should we split his page into 10 separate pages? - [[User:Awsm57|Awsm57]] 9:44 PM, 16 December 2016 (Central Time)
Fangry in the same issue is pretty much straight up his G1 toy. I think if he was meant to be Headmaster Lug, he would actually look like him. Also, no, Cerebros doesn't have a consistent personality, but he at least has the same basic body design. [[User:Escargon|Escargon]] ([[User talk:Escargon|talk]]) 23:01, 16 December 2016 (EST)
:Fair point, but things like personality and design can vary across universes, so I think it's best to assume that he is G1 Lug unless we're told otherwise

:And I think he has at the very least a passing resemblance to G1 Lug, but that's just me apparently - [[User:Awsm57|Awsm57]] 10:10 PM, 16 December 2016 (Central Time)
::We split [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundblaster (Headmasters)]] and [[Soundblaster (G1)|Soundblaster (Dreamwave)]] based on origin and personality, same thing here [[User:Jcbynum1|Jcbynum1]] 00:58, 17 December 2016 (EST)
::: There was already a Soundwave in Dreamwave, so he and Soundblaster had to be separate entities, but there was not a Lug in IDW prior to this one, so he is most likely just the IDW universe's version of Lug - [[User:Awsm57|Awsm57]] 12:05 AM, 17 December 2016 (Central Time)
::::At the Orbital Comics James Roberts and Jack Lawrence signing on the 16th, James just said he liked the name, and Jack said the colours were a coincidence. Case closed, probably. This is impossible to use as a source, but you can just ask them to corraberate the info. [[User:Sky Shadow|Sky Shadow]] ([[User talk:Sky Shadow|talk]]) 07:30, 18 December 2016 (EST)
:::::Ah okay, I didn't know it was officially confirmed - [[User:Awsm57|Awsm57]] 04:18 PM, 20 December 2016 (Central Time)
::::::So, why don't mention the reason for splitting on the notes section? Other people may question it as well.--[[User:Fritz|Fritz]] ([[User talk:Fritz|talk]]) 22:43, 16 January 2017 (EST)
:::::::Folks are probably going to be questioning it less now that it's confirmed she's a lady. --[[User:ItsWalky|ItsWalky]] ([[User talk:ItsWalky|talk]]) 22:57, 16 January 2017 (EST)

== To Lug or not to Lug ==

Is it clear that Lug never existed in the first place, or that Anode was saved and Lug died on the planet the Necrobot snatched "them" from? - [[User:TBR|TBR]] ([[User talk:TBR|talk]]) 19:45, 10 May 2017 (EDT)
:I interpreted it as meaning Lug was real up until Anode got snatched out of time. --[[User:Abates|abates]] ([[User talk:Abates|talk]]) 20:11, 10 May 2017 (EDT)
::Re-reading the first issue, Lug definitely shows up and interacts with the world prior to the Necrobot showing up. All indications are that she existed, but wasn't brought along. However, it hasn't been confirmed whether she is currently alive or dead - only that Lug is not one of the Disappeared. [[User:Wheelbug|Wheelbug]] ([[User talk:Wheelbug|talk]]) 10:08, 30 May 2017 (EDT)
:::That was how I saw it too; my question was because the original format of the article at the time was as if Lug had ''always'' been a figment of Anode's imagination, which made me go "waitaminnit-". - [[User:TBR|TBR]] ([[User talk:TBR|talk]]) 21:46, 30 May 2017 (EDT)

== Kiss pic ==

Can we change the caption on this? It seems like flamebait. I don't think there are a tremendous number of people in the fandom, much less on this wiki, who are going to be angry that it's there. --[[User:King Starscream|King Starscream]] ([[User talk:King Starscream|talk]]) 10:53, 23 August 2019 (EDT)
:: I agree. That caption just seems plain rude to me. [[User:RyRodrigo|RyRodrigo]] ([[User talk:RyRodrigo|talk]]) 21:47, 28 February 2020 (EST)

Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity

2019-12-22T02:47:35Z

RyRodrigo: /* The Transformers cartoon */

{{factions|unicron|decepticon}}
{{suite}}
[[File:GalvatronOhiraOX.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|He has a weird tendency to aim at his own troops.]]
Sometimes crazy doesn't work... but try telling that to '''Galvatron'''!

==''The Transformers'' cartoon==
{{voiceactor|[[Leonard Nimoy]] (English, ''The Movie''), [[Frank Welker]] (English, television series), [[Seizō Katō]] (Japanese)|[[Yang Wenyuan]] (Chinese), [[Carl Béchard]] (French Canadian, television series), [[Mikhail Chernyak]] (Russian), [[Gerd Wiedenhofen]] (German, television series), [[Manfred Erdmann]] (German, ''The Movie''), [[Thomas Rauscher]] (German, ''Generation 2''), [[Jean Claudio]] (French, television series), [[Alejandro Abdalah]] (Latin American Spanish)}}

[[File:Tftm1986c.jpg|left|upright=1.4|thumb|"[[Doctor|Legs! I've still got legs!]]"]]
In [[2005]], after being mortally wounded by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] during the [[Battle of Autobot City]], [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] was left to float aimlessly through space after being punted out of the overloaded [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] by [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]], who decided to take advantage of his master's near-death state to finally take command. Megatron was then summoned by [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]], who offered him a new body, a warship and new troops to command, so long as he destroyed the [[Autobot]] [[Matrix of Leadership]]. Megatron reluctantly accepted and was upgraded into '''Galvatron''', a more fearsome and powerful warrior, while his former troops were similarly [[Reformatting|reformatted]].

[[File:TFTM Decepticonshipbridge.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Commanded by his new master to destroy the Matrix, Galvatron, eager to take revenge on the one who had cast him into the void, first took his new troops to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]; upon arrival, they crashed Starscream’s coronation as the Decepticon leader. Galvatron dismissed the ceremony as “bad comedy” before taking swift vengeance on the traitorous Air Commander, transforming to his new cannon mode and reducing Starscream to ash with a single blast. This dark spectacle enabled Galvatron to quickly reassert his authority over the [[Decepticon|Decepticons]], but it was not long after that he witnessed Unicron devour one of Cyberton’s moons. Infuriated by this affront, Galvatron’s rage was met with agony induced by Unicron. Reminded of his new place, Galvatron was forced to quell his fury for the time being. Galvatron then led the Decepticons to Earth in a second attack on [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]], hitting the few remaining Autobots in full-force. [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] led him away from Earth, and Galvatron chased him to the [[Junkion (planet)|Planet of Junk]], where he defeated Magnus and took the Matrix, intending to use it against Unicron.

[[File:TFTM-strangle.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|Nothing can save you, Autobot, except maybe the powerful artifact around my neck! But that'll never happen.]]
Galvatron could not open the Matrix, and as punishment for his treachery, Unicron transformed and began tearing Cybertron apart. Horrified, Galvatron transformed to cannon emplacement mode and opened fire on Unicron, but his shots had no effect and the dark god swallowed him whole. Inside Unicron's belly, he met up with [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]]. Though he initially suggested an alliance with the young Autobot against the mutual threat of his master, the Chaos Bringer again mentally tortured Galvatron for his attempted treachery and then forced him to attack Hot Rod. Hot Rod eventually managed to wrest the Matrix away from Galvatron and open it, leading to his transformation into Rodimus Prime. Flush with new power, Rodimus hurled Galvatron from inside Unicron and into deep space. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
{{note|Galvatron’s involvement in these events, or events mostly similar, were also chronicled in the comic mini-series "[[Transformers: The Animated Movie]]," the storybook "[[Transformers the Movie (Ladybird adaptation)|Transformers the Movie]]" and the "Special Edition The Transformers: The Movie extra page" of "[[Transformers: The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe]]."}}

But this would not be the end of Galvatron.

[[File:FFOD2 Scourge rescuing Galvatron.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|He'll never be let back into this country club ever again.]]
The weakened Decepticons were subsequently routed by the Autobots and forced off Cybertron, relocating to the burned-out world of [[Chaar]]. After eking out a living there in energy-deprived squalor for some time, they were visited by [[Cyclonus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Cyclonus]] and [[Scourge (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Scourge]], who'd finally decided to return the Decepticons to glory by seeking out the lost Galvatron.{{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1}}

They found him sunk in a lava pit on the distant planet [[Thrull]] and managed to free him. However, the effects of the "plasma bath" irrevocably altered Galvatron's sanity chips, rendering him omnicidally insane. Upon regaining his freedom, he thrashed Cyclonus and Scourge and sundered Thrull. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 2}} Told that the [[human]]s and Autobots had collaborated to build a space station as Earth's first line of defense, he was highly amused, and headed for the nearest [[warp gate]]. On reaching [[Outpost One]], he and his men attacked the station, quickly destroying it and coincidentally damaging the shuttle piloted by [[Blurr (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blurr]] and [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]]. Galvatron spotted the shuttle making a break for [[Jupiter]], and demanded the heads of the Autobots as souvenirs. With one blast, he destroyed the ship, but the two occupants had escaped and began plummeting into the planet's atmosphere. One [[Sweep (G1)|Sweep]], blasted by Wheelie, cried out to Galvatron to save him, but was only told to meet his end with dignity. Galvatron then blasted a nearby storm cell, causing an implosion.

[[File:FFOD2 Galvatron sparks.JPG|thumb|left|upright=1.66|Plasma is the Sniffling, Sneezing, Coughing, Aching, Stuffy-head, Fever, So-You-Can-Bwaah! medicine.]]
{{bigquote|It's music! The symphony of destruction and the anthem of agony!|Galvatron loves an atmospheric implosion|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3}}
Believing the Autobots to be destroyed, Galvatron ordered Cyclonus to take him to [[Chaar]]. He was shocked at the conditions that the Decepticon army were forced to live under, and was even more surprised to be told by [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] that the bulk of the Decepticon forces had left under new leadership. Incensed, he announced that he was the leader of the Decepticons, and the usurpers would pay. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 3}} He and his loyal men swiftly found the rest of the Decepticons fighting the Autobots on [[Goo 8739B]], and Galvatron swiftly ordered an attack. When Cyclonus inquired who they were attacking, Galvatron simply replied "everyone". After making [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]] beg for his life, Galvatron succeeded in regaining the loyalty of his troops, and turned his attention on those who had usurped him in the first place—the [[Quintesson]]s. The Quintessons attempted to negotiate, successfully bluffing Galvatron with stories of a [[Decepticon Matrix|Decepticon Matrix of Leadership]] which they would give him if he destroyed the Autobots down on Goo. Although he tried, the Autobots were snatched from danger by the [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]]. Still, he got to destroy Goo, and the Quintessons were subsequently able to persuade him to join forces with them to destroy both the Autobots and the humans.

[[File:FFOD5 Galvatron lever.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Oooooh, what does this bu-tton dooo?]]
Plans were swiftly drawn to attack simultaneously on Earth and Cybertron. On Earth, the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]]s constructed [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] from a human city, while a decoy human shuttle was crashed into the central power facility on Cybertron, knocking out the planet's defences. Galvatron himself led the attack on Cybertron, unaware that the Quintessons plotted against him. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4}} The battle going well, Galvatron sent Blitzwing to give a status report to their allies, but was angered when the triple-changer returned a short time later to say that not only had he not given the status report, but there was no Decepticon Matrix. Blitzwing was soon sent hurtling towards the Autobots. Galvatron soon followed the Autobots and the now-traitorous Blitzwing to a chamber deep inside Cybertron, where a [[Sharkticon (G1)|Sharkticon]] had been about to pull a [[large switch|lever]]. Convinced that the switch had something to do with the Decepticon Matrix, Galvatron pulled it himself—and every [[Transformer]] in the [[galaxy]] shut down. Fortunately the human [[Spike Witwicky (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Spike Witwicky]] destroyed the switch, returning the Transformers to life. Though Galvatron chased the Quintessons, they swiftly escaped in a pod. He was then prevented from blasting Rodimus by Blitzwing, and angrily told the [[Triple Changer]] that he was no longer welcome in the ranks of the Decepticons before ordering a retreat. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 5}}

[[File:Chaos Galvatron cannon.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|left|The Decepticon palette was out of everything but purple.]]
Informed by [[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off]] of a new type of ammunition, [[death crystal]]s, Galvatron went to planet [[Dread (planet)|Dread]], where the crystals originated, intending to carry out a new plan—build a [[Death crystal cannon|cannon]] which would fire death crystals at Cybertron. He found a ready-made work force in [[Dread slaves|the slaves]] left behind by the [[Orb]]s, and soon had a giant cannon constructed. Just as all was ready, a group of Autobots, led to the planet by [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]], attacked the installation. [[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]] was able to keep them busy while he lined up for a shot at Cybertron, however Kup was also keeping busy, freeing the slaves and waking the monster [[Chaos (alien)|Chaos]]. During the confusion of the slave revolt, Kup used the death crystal cannon to destroy Chaos and causing the volcano to erupt. Galvatron was last seen fleeing the swiftly moving lava. {{storylink|Chaos (episode)|Chaos}}

While hunting an Autobot shuttle through space, Galvatron and his lieutenants managed to utterly destroy the ship. Not one to fall for the [[The Transformers: The Movie|same trick]] twice, Galvatron continued searching the area until the Decepticons detected the shuttle's lifepod flying towards an enormous structure. This "funeral barge" carried in it the deactivated bodies of the Autobots who died during the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]]. Galvatron and his lieutenants pursued Rodimus Prime's crew into the barge, but were driven off by the sudden arrival of Optimus Prime, seemingly back from the dead. {{storylink|Dark Awakening (episode)|Dark Awakening}}

[[File:FightOrFlee Galvatron orders.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Galvatron strangles the Invisible Swordsman.]]
When Scourge and Cyclonus alerted him to the location of a pacifistic and energon-rich world known as [[Paradron]], Galvatron saw a perfect opportunity for conquest. The Decepticon invasion of Paradron was brief but brutal, and the populace was converted into slave labor. One Paradronian Transformer named [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]] escaped and brought the Autobots back to free his people. Eventually the Autobots detonated the planet's primary energon core, destroying the planet itself and driving off Galvatron's troops. {{storylink|Fight or Flee (episode)|Fight or Flee}}

Following his defeat by [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]], Trypticon had been sent to [[Dinobot Island (G1)|Dinobot Island]] for recuperation. When the Decepticon fueler [[Octane]] removed him, Galvatron went looking for the missing duo and found them consorting with humans in [[Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Carbombya|Carbombya]]. He was ready to annihilate the "traitor" Octane for defying his orders, but Octane quickly explained that the purefied Carbombyan oil made for a super-energon mixture, powerful enough to recharge Trypticon (and, hopefully, make him larger than a small Combiner again). Galvatron took control of the nation by removing [[Abdul Fakkadi (G1)|Abdul Fakkadi]] (Supreme Military Commander, President-for-Life, and King of Kings of the Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Carbombya) from office and locked him and his troops up in a cage. Despite being more powerful from the Energon created from Carbombya the Decepticons were still defeated and forced to retreat. {{storylink|Thief in the Night}}

[[File:StarscreamsGhost Galvatron smoking.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|left|Spontaneous combustion? What the hell is th—]]
Galvatron apparently reverted to his original assessment of Octane after this debacle, and drove him out of the Decepticons. When Octane began running cargo for the Autobots, he even sent the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]] and a [[Skuxxoid|freelance thug]] out to assassinate the traitor. Eventually, Cyclonus and the Sweeps seemingly plucked Octane from the Autobots' grasp on Cybertron itself, and brought him to Chaar for Galvatron to interrogate. Using the information he "coerced" from Octane, Galvatron caught Rodimus Prime alone and engaged him in single combat. Unfortunately, the whole thing was a ruse set up by Octane and Starscream's ghost, who was possessing Cyclonus at the time. Galvatron was abandoned in the presence of Rodimus, Ultra Magnus and a full Autobot battle group. In what was surely an epic battle (that we sadly didn't see a minute of), Galvatron ultimately escaped and made his way back to Chaar, deposing the usurpers and seemingly driving off the ghost of Starscream. {{storylink|Starscream's Ghost}}

Upon learning that the Autobots intended to host a first annual peace conference on Cybertron, Galvatron was dead set against letting their plans succeed. Despite several sabotage attempts by the Combaticons, Cyclonus and the Sweeps, though, the conference went through as planned. {{storylink|Surprise Party}}

[[File:Dirge AlmostDeath.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|...and that was the last time Dirge complained that he had a headache in front of Galvatron.]]
Despite Galvatron's earlier attempts to be rid of him, Starscream's ghost returned to plague the Decepticons again. He partnered with Scourge against the Decepticons, kidnapped [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]], and even stole one of Trypticon's eyes, leaving Galvatron even more infuriated than usual at this constant undermining of his operations. When Starscream returned once more and possessed Trypticon himself, it was the last straw, and Galvatron led a full Decepticon battle group after "Trypticon" to Cybertron. The fighting was fruitless, and eventually the Decepticons limped away, having exhausted all their weaponry. Not long thereafter, Galvatron's [[particle cannon]] had apparently recharged, because he took several parting shots at Starscream while his "ghost" tumbled uncontrollably through space. {{storylink|Ghost in the Machine (G1)|Ghost in the Machine}}

[[File:GalvatronWebworld.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Well, that's all wrapped up...]]
Although Galvatron led the Decepticons on many wacky adventures against the Autobots throughout [[2006]], his insanity would usually lead to each mission ending in failure. (He loved shooting his own troops, for instance.) At one point, his derangement became so severe, the Decepticon "union officials" [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]], Motormaster and [[Laserbeak (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Laserbeak]] threatened to strike. The perpetually loyal Cyclonus was left little choice but to dupe Galvatron into taking therapy sessions (albeit by force) on [[Torkulon]], the therapy planet. After nearly murdering an attendant during a word-association session and somehow building a gun in an arts and crafts class, Galvatron was deemed incurable by conventional methods. The doctors attempted to use living extensions of the planet to give him a lobotomy (much to Cyclonus's disapproval), but Galvatron broke free and murdered the sentient organic core of Torkulon. While the planet's core was connected to Galvatron's mind the planet began to go mad, with several of the organic planets functions going out of control. After that, he razed the entire planet's civilization, leaving them so broken it would take centuries to rebuild. After his connection to the planet he appeared to have regained some of his sanity. {{storylink|Webworld}}

[[File:Carnage CMinor Galvatron Soundwave Allegra.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb]]
A new plan saw the Constructicons building engines into the side of a comet, with the intention to crash it into Metroplex on Earth. Unsurprisingly the engines were destroyed by the Autobots before they could even be fired up, however the comet was set on course to a nearby world. The comet was shortly obliterated by [[Harmony|sound waves]] emanating from the planet, also causing the Transformers present to plummet to its surface. Galvatron took [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]], intending to find the source of the sonic weapon and use it against the Autobots. Although the Autobots reached the city first, meeting with the leader of [[Eurythma]], the two Decepticons eavesdropped and were able to establish that they needed to talk to [[Allegra]]. After dropping a bridge on the Autobots, Galvatron and Soundwave were able to talk Allegra into giving them her part of the harmony, and then obtained the other two parts of the harmony in quick succession. The Decepticons headed for Earth to attack Metroplex. Unfortunately Soundwave's attempt to use the destructive harmony were thwarted by the [[Eurythman]]s' use of [[anti-sound]]. The Decepticons retreated, though Galvatron raged that he hadn't ordered it. {{storylink|Carnage in C-Minor}}

[[File:BigBroadcast Galvatron with static.jpg|upright=1.1|left|thumb||I'm sure this can only be a good thing.]]
Galvatron was in one of his more obstinate moods when Astrotrain came to Chaar reporting on how the Junkions had apparently turned against the Autobots. Even when Cyclonus began advocating for intervention on the matter, Galvatron still couldn't bring himself to care. Eventually the hypnotic [[television]] signals being beamed to the Junkions to alter their behavior made their way to Galvatron, along with the rest of the galaxy. He was subliminally drawn into a massive conflict in the skies over the planet of Junk, all part of a Quintesson ploy to create a massive diversion and recover one of their lost journals from Junk. Only after [[Blaster (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blaster]] jammed the signal did the television stop "bewitching" Galvatron. {{storylink|The Big Broadcast of 2006 (episode)|The Big Broadcast of 2006}} When [[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]] later happened across that same Quintesson journal, Galvatron joined Cyclonus and the Sweeps in an effort to steal the journal away from both the Autobots and the Quintessons. It played like a game of hot potato for a while, but ultimately the Autobots got the journal and the Decepticons just gave up. {{storylink|The Quintesson Journal}}

[[File:Dweller-in-the-depths-decepticons-aiming.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb]]
One day, Galvatron was in the middle of a morale speech for his troops (re: right about to blast the closest Sweeps into stray particles for sheer pique), when he was interrupted by Quintesson visitors. After his last few dealings with the creatures, Galvatron was ready to blast these Quintessons all the same, but they gave him a gentle lecture about the unfairness of stereotyping which somehow convinced Galvatron to listen to the tentacled freaks. Galvatron brought Cyclonus and the five Sweeps with him to Cybertron, following the Quintessons' directions to the Autobots' new [[power core]] beneath the planet's surface. Searching for the power core, the Decepticons inadvertently let loose the monstrous [[Trans-Organic]]s and the massive energy-draining [[Dweller]]. The Dweller began leeching the life from Galvatron's troops one by one as they tried to flee from the creature. Galvatron showed his heart-felt respect for Cyclonus by throwing all the Sweeps into the creature's path ''first''. He even paused for a moment to look back when the Dweller finally caught Cyclonus as well. Galvatron didn't actually try to ''help'' or anything, but I'm sure Cyclonus would have appreciated the thought alone. {{storylink|The Dweller in the Depths}}

[[File:G1 UltimateWeapon UltimateWeapon!.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Decepticons, I have found the remote control!]]
Thanks to his plasma damage, Galvatron's sanity really had its ups and down. He was arguably on an upswing during a series of assaults on human and Autobot positions in [[Europe]]. Using the attacks as a diversion, Galvatron sent Swindle to infiltrate Metroplex and steal his [[Transformation cog|transforming cog]], leaving the city-bot helpless for a rematch with Trypticon. In addition, he began taunting the insecure leader Rodimus Prime with his so-called "[[Ultimate Weapon]]", a doomsday device just waiting to be unleashed. As well thought-out and cunning as this scheme may have been, it ultimately fell apart. The Autobots stole Galvatron's idea by taking Trypticon's transforming cog just as Swindle had stolen Metroplex's. Rodimus Prime eventually wised up about the "Ultimate Weapon" as well: he called Galvatron's bluff and forced the Decepticon leader to admit he was holding nothing more than a 7-2 off-suit. {{storylink|The Ultimate Weapon}}

[[File:FaceOfNijika Galvatron lock.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb]]
Deep in space, Galvatron was attempting to surpass a Quintesson [[quadrant lock]] when the Quintessons and several Autobots interrupted his efforts. In one of his more manic phases at the time, Galvatron chose to stake his claim by hurling Cyclonus face-first through the lock once the Quintessons began to open it. {{storylink|The Face of the Nijika}}

Galvatron once attempted to destroy the Autobots by feeding [[anti-electron]]s into their new power generator. The initial attempt failed, so the Decepticons tried to raid Unicron's head for a new source of anti-electrons inside the planet-eater's brain. The Autobots arrived shortly after Galvatron's team, so he sent his new [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcon]] beasts to occupy the heroes. Galvatron was undone by his own scheming, as the anti-electrons had temporarily turned the Dinobot [[Grimlock (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Grimlock]] into a super-intelligent genius. Grimlock built a new team of Autobot warriors called [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]] from scratch, right inside Unicron's head. The Technobots were skilled enough to destroy Galvatron's new source of anti-electrons, and drive off the Terrorcons' combined form of [[Abominus (G1)|Abominus]]. {{storylink| Grimlock's New Brain}}

[[File:CallPrimitives Galvatron and Cyclonus in space.jpg|upright=1.1|left|thumb|"Okay, how the hell did I fit in you?!" "I don't know mighty Galvatron, but I wish you'd try more often."]]
In a major fight with the Autobots, a large number of Galvatron's troops began staring off into space in the middle of the battle. He lost some of his best soldiers to this effect, like Trypticon, the Predacons, the Terrorcons, Soundwave's [[Mini-Cassette]]s...okay, maybe not the Cassettes, but the rest were important. Galvatron ended the fight to go chasing after the deserters, only to be caught by the power of [[Tornedron]] and drained of all his energy. It was only thanks to the fleeing [[Primitive]]s that Tornedron's effect was eventually reversed. {{storylink|Call of the Primitives}}

[[File:Matrix burden 1.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Who are YOU gonna call?]]
Galvatron was very pleased when [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] and [[Wildrider (G1)|Wildrider]] returned from a scouting mission on Earth, having beaten Rodimus Prime and claimed the Matrix of Leadership itself. Galvatron tried to load the Matrix into his particle cannon as a power source, but instead of energy blasts, it summoned the [[Ancient Autobots|ghosts of departed Autobot leaders]]. They spooked Galvatron into getting rid of the Matrix, but his underling Scourge claimed the Matrix for himself and managed to magnify his powers a thousandfold. Scourge used his newfound might to overthrow Galvatron and the loyal Cyclonus, temporarily claiming control of the Decepticons. Galvatron and Cyclonus eventually recovered and came to Earth just after Scourge lost the Matrix back to Rodimus Prime. After a few quick particle blasts for emphasis, though, Galvatron soon accepted Scourge back into the Decepticons. {{storylink|The Burden Hardest to Bear}}

[[File:ReturnOptimusPrime2 Prime Galvatron.JPG|upright=1.1|left|thumb|"Just like the good old times, isn't it Prime?" "There were no good times, ya creep."]]
Galvatron and the Decepticons had arrived early to reserve their seats at a football stadium, when [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] flew in with news that Optimus Prime's body had been preserved at a nearby laboratory. Unfortunately, the Decepticons arrived just in time to be infected by the outbreak of the [[Hate Plague]]. Galvatron fled when his warriors turned crazed. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 1}} Half-mad to begin with at the best of times, Galvatron soon learned that even the one-eyed man cannot always rule the kingdom of the blind, and found himself on the run from half the galaxy. However, despite his insanity, he teamed up with the resurrected Optimus Prime to stop the [[Hate Plague]]. Galvatron wound up becoming infected by the plague and attempted to kill an unconscious Optimus Prime with an axe. Optimus woke up in the nick of time and opened the Matrix directly in Galvatron's face. The wisdom of the Matrix not only cured the universe of the Hate Plague, it cured Galvatron's madness as well. Well, kinda. Grateful, Galvatron sanely declared, "There will be no war today, Optimus. You have earned Galvatron's respect," and called a brief truce. {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2}}

In [[2007]], Galvatron called off the truce and led an assault on Autobot City, searching for the Key to the [[Plasma energy|Plasma Energy Chamber]]. The Decepticons succeeded in stealing the key and promptly headed to Cybertron. As Galvatron lead the attack directly, Scourge was ordered to activate the chamber but the Plasma Energy overloaded his circuitry, leaving a group of Autobots to recover the key and promptly be spirited halfway across the galaxy as a result of the plasma energy. Coming across Scourge's inactive form, an infuriated Galvatron was inclined to kill the deactivated Decepticon but [[Slugslinger (G1)|Slugslinger]] and Cyclonus convinced their leader to stay his hand, if only to learn what happened to the key. After Scourge recounted what had occurred, Galvatron ignored his minion's warnings about the danger of the Plasma Energy and ordered him to rectify his mistake by recovering the key. Galvatron then commanded Cyclonus and about a dozen other Decepticons accompany Scourge to ensure the mission's success. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 1}}

[[File:Rebirth 3 Decepticons Hive.JPG|thumb|upright=1.3]]
Although seemingly lucid during this period, he had formulated what was perhaps his most genocidal and unbalanced scheme ever: having converted Cybertron into a galactic dreadnought, Galvatron maneuvered it into Earth's orbit, planning to release the Plasma Energy Chamber's payload into Earth's [[sun]]. The resulting supernova would wipe both Earth and Cybertron off the face of the galaxy, presumably leaving Galvatron to gain mastery over everything left. Grudgingly teamed with the Transformer-[[Nebulan]] hybrid [[Scorponok (G1)|Lord Zarak]], Galvatron was eventually defeated and sent tumbling through space, ushering Cybertron into a new [[Golden Age]]. After regaining control, Galvatron vowed to collect energy from disparate corners of the galaxy and return to Cybertron: "We will attack other planets, we will suck them dry! We will build a planet a hundred times more powerful than Cybertron, and I will rule the galaxy!" Zarak made it clear he intended it to be a "we" leadership. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 3}}
{{--}}

==''Cybertron'' comic==
[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] opening the [[Matrix of Leadership]] on a [[Hate Plague]]-infected [[Cyclonus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Cyclonus]], Galvatron, and [[Scourge (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Scourge]] was one of the highlights of [[Vector Prime]]'s career as the guardian of spacetime. {{storylink|Vector Prime: In the Beginning}}

==Madman ''The Transformers'' comic==
After briefly touching the Matrix of Leadership, the youthful Autobot [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] was given a vision. In it, he saw an older version of himself doing battle with a mysterious, powerful Decepticon (Galvatron). {{storylink|The Transformers (Madman)|The Transformers}}
{{--}}

==Rodimus vs. Cyclonus==
After terminating [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] on the [[Junkion (planet)|Planet of Junk]], Galvatron ordered [[Cyclonus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Cyclonus]] and [[Scourge (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Scourge]] to wipe out the rest of the Autobots. He suggested they make a game of it and whoever returned to him with the most heads won. Alas, this competition undermined his goal and Cyclonus and Scourge spent more time trying to sabotage each other than actually killing anybody.{{storylink|Rodimus vs. Cyclonus}}
{{--}}

==Japanese cartoon continuity==
{{note|The events of the Generation 1 cartoon occur in this timeline as above, except that the events following ''The Transformers: The Movie'' are pushed back to [[2010]] (creating a five-year gap between Galvatron's creation and his return), and the events of "The Rebirth" do not occur. The Japanese animated continuity subsequently adds several new adventures into the timeline, both during the Generation 1 cartoon and after it, as detailed below.}}

===''Beast Wars'' cartoon===
{{Main|Galvatron (G1)#Beast Wars cartoon}}

===''Kiss Players''===
After being hurled out of [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] and into space by [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Rodimus Prime]], Galvatron's flight path was disrupted by the [[Sparkbot]]s, a trio of Unicron's servants who were already working to resurrect their master. {{Storylink|Transformers: Kiss Players (radio drama)|Kiss Players radio drama #51}} The Decepticon leader crash-landed on the planet [[Earth]], obliterating the city of [[Tokyo]]. This catastrophic loss of life destroyed [[Human]]-[[Transformer]] relations and led to the formation of the [[Earth Defense Command]], a governmental organization which drove Transformers from the face of the planet. Appropriating Galvatron's remains, the EDC reverse-engineered a fleet of human-operated "[[Autorooper]]" Transformers to perform this task.

As 2006 settled in, Galvatron's impact was revealed to have had an even greater effect than anyone had expected: The blast caused by his impact had scattered his Unicron-empowered cells throughout the planet's atmosphere. When his cells came into contact with other objects and animals, they fused with them, creating an army of monstrous creatures referred to as "[[Legion]]". This disastrous event also created the means to defend the world against Legion, however: When Galvatron's cells came into contact with human beings, these humans gained the ability to fuse with other entities containing his cells. With their Autoroopers being the perfect candidates for this "[[ParasiTech]]" fusion process, the EDC began recruiting and training these "[[Kiss Player]]s" as combat squads to battle the Legion.

Seeking to uncover the ulterior motives of EDC Commander [[Hitoshizuku Amaō]], Kiss Players [[Marissa Faireborn]], [[Shaoshao Li]] and [[Atari Hitotonari]] discovered the remains of Galvatron beneath the EDC headquarters. Amaō's plan to use the Legions to resurrect her daughter, who had died in Galvatron's impact, was foiled when all the Legions and Autoroopers fused with Galvatron's corpse, restoring his cells and reconstituting his body. Galvatron's body was shot back into space, where it went on to crash on Thrull. {{storylink|Transformers: Kiss Players (radio drama)|You, I and the Spinning Earth}}

===''The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers'' manga===
[[File:2010manga05-title.jpg|thumb|upright=1.95|Maybe your attack on the Prime Energy Tower would be more successful if at least ''one'' of your soldiers was actually ''facing'' it.]]
Galvatron had plenty of devious schemes up his sleeve throughout 2010, opening with the nutty idea of a spaceship that ate other spaceships, which Rodimus Prime promptly blew up. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 1|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers #1}}

Galvatron went back to his roots for his next scheme, creating a clone army of Megatrons that he dubbed the "[[Megatron Corps]]". Galvatron disguised himself as one of the Megatrons and controlled them remotely, making them an effective fighting force that the Autobots had trouble dealing with, until his disguise was penetrated and his control over the robots broken. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 2|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers #2}}

He later attacked Autobot City with [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], but was forced to retreat when [[Six-Gun]] destroyed Trypticon's controls with a blast from [[Brunt (G1)|Brunt]]. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 3|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers #3}}

On one notable occasion, Galvatron challenged Rodimus Prime to a one-on-one duel in order to lure him into a trap set up in partnership with the Quintessons. In the middle of the fight, the Quintessons' newest creation, an Optimus Prime/Megatron hybrid robot known as [[Gilthor]], arrived to attack Rodimus, but Galvatron was shocked when Gilthor turned on him as well. Rodimus and Galvatron called a truce long enough for them to team up and destroy Gilthor, who, it was revealed, had been possessed by Starscream's ghost. With that threat dealt with, they called off the truce. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 4|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers #4}}

Next, Galvatron attempted to steal the [[Prime Energy Tower]] of the planet [[Feminia]] with an all-out assault. The Autobots defended the tower, but were overwhelmed by Galvatron's unit of [[Combiner]]s; the scales tilted in his favor thanks to the presence of [[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]]. Galvatron's victory was assued until the [[Omnibot (G1)|Omnibots]] arrived and toppled the Combiners. {{storylink|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers issue 5|The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers #5}}
{{-}}

===e-HOBBY comics===
Starscream reminisced about the time Galvatron blew him into oblivion. He remarked that Galvatron was particularly bad-mannered. Oh, and insane. {{storylink|MP-3G Destron Air Commander / Starscream Ghost Ver.}}
{{-}}

===''The Battle of the Star Gate''===
The ghost of Starscream recounted to his younger, aliver self the events that led to his death at Galvatron's hands. {{storylink|The Battle of the Star Gate}}
{{-}}

===''Macrocosmic Seekers''===
[[File:United Expanded Story 8.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1]]
Galvatron and the Decepticons intercepted a transmission about the Autobots picking up a rare treasure on [[Junkion (planet)|Junk]]. Unaware that the "treasure" was merely a lost piece of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]'s armor, and held only sentimental value, Galvatron launched an attack to retrieve it. {{storylink|Unending Battle}}

As the battle raged, an exiled [[Quintesson]] known as the [[Seeker (United)|Seeker]] arrived on Junk, and captured Galvatron and the other Transformers for his private collection. They were teleported aboard a massive transparent treasure ship for storage and viewing. {{Storylink|A Treasure Lost}} The Seeker wished to study the unique reformatting process undergone by Galvatron and his minions. They were placed inside stasis chamber and time itself rewound around them to the very moment that [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] transformed them into what they had become. {{storylink|Eternal Moment}}

A Junkion named [[Scrapheap (G1)|Scrapheap]] freed the captives, and Galvatron discovered his body transformed by the Seeker's manipulations, giving a new tank mode and dramatically increased power. The Transformers began their escape before their "host" could place them back in stasis. {{Storylink|Time to Move}} The Seeker himself had evolved into a state of pure information, and the more of his treasure ship was destroyed, the more information that made up his being was lost. Eventually, the Seeker winked out of existence as his ship sustained more damage than it could hold. {{storylink|Those Who Resist}}

As the Autobots and Decepticons prepared to return to their respective armies, the last of the Seeker's extra energy faded from Galvatron and the others. Although the two groups had worked side-by-side during the crisis, the old arguments quickly rose anew and the factions parted with only a momentary truce. {{Storylink|A Treasure's True Worth}}
{{-}}

===''The Great Transformer War'' manga===
[[File:GreatTransformerWar01cover.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
Later in 2010, Galvatron kidnapped Doctor [[Dalton]], a brilliant scientist from the planet [[Eran]], but Dalton refused to work with the Decepticons and lent his aid to the Autobots instead, upgrading the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobots]] so they could defeat the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]]. {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 1|The Great Transformer War #1}}

One of the Terrorcons' upgrades included a sticky goo that forced the Technobots into working for the Decepticons. Through the intervention of [[Spike Witwicky (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Spike Witwicky]] the Technobots were freed and the Terrorcons defeated. Galvatron cursed the human for interfering, but declared that his next evil scheme would be one the Autobots would never forget. {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 2|The Great Transformer War #2}}

After the resurrection of Optimus Prime and the curing of the Hate Plague, Galvatron hastily broke his vow that there would be no war, and he, Cyclonus and Scourge battled Prime, Hot Rod and [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]] in space, only to be defeated. Galvatron immediately returned to [[Chaar]] and dispatched [[Sixshot]] to retrieve the Decepticon Headmasters, as he had need of them for his assault on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 3|The Great Transformer War #3}}
{{-}}

===''Generations Selects'' manga===
{{charstubfiction|[[Star Convoy comic]]}}

{{--}}

===''The Headmasters'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Seizō Katō]] (Japanese)|[[Rik Thomas]] (English, Omni Productions dub), [[Yu Deyuan]] (Chinese), [[Víctor Mares]] (Latin-American Spanish)}}
[[File:FourWarriors Galvatron abuses Skullcruncher.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|BEG FOR MERCY!]]
In [[2011]], a side effect of releasing the Matrix's energy to cure the Hate Plague was revealed when the mega-computer [[Vector Sigma]] began to destabilize. Seeking to exploit this imbalance, Galvatron attacked Cybertron, his forces now bolstered by the addition of new [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] warriors from the planet [[Master (planet)|Master]]. When encountering the Dinobots, Galvatron ordered Mindwipe to use his hypno powers to put them to sleep. However Skullcruncher got in the way and fell asleep. Galvatron was peeved at Skullcruncher and abused him. Galvatron engaged Optimus Prime and Jazz in battle but was forced to run. Soon after Galvatron ordered Mindwipe to use his hypnotic powers to stop the Dinobots (again) and the Throttlebots but a [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|giant spaceship]] appeared and four Autobot Headmaster warriors came from the ship and stopped them from going any further. They introduced themselves as the Autobots Headmaster warriors [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]], [[Brainstorm (G1)|Brainstorm]], [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]], and [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]]. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}}

While the arrival of the team of Autobot Headmasters repelled the invasion, Galvatron attempted to stop Fortress Maximus after he beat four of the best Decepticon combiners but was beaten and forced to temporarily retreat. It was then revealed that the Matrix was hidden somewhere on Earth, recharging, and the race began to acquire it and use it to gain control over Vector Sigma. Soon after the race began, [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundwave]] and [[Blaster (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blaster]] fought and killed each other. Galvatron was not happy. {{storylink|The Mystery of Planet Master}}

Galvatron later visited the Decepticon base on Earth to find out what Hot Rod was after. [[Cyclonus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Cyclonus]] asked Galvatron if [[Sixshot]] was suitable to lead to troops at the base, leading Galvatron to suspect Cyclonus had a treacherous plan until Cyclonus reaffirmed his loyalty. After finding out that Hot Rod was after the Matrix, Galvatron, the Decepticon Headmasters and the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]] went to stop him. Galvatron got the Matrix but Chromedome knocked it out of his hand a second later. Galvatron was also attacked by [[Computron (G1)|Computron]]. Hot Rod ultimately succeeded in obtaining the Matrix and becoming Rodimus Prime again, and he and Optimus Prime joined forces to defeat Galvatron. Though beaten in battle, Galvatron did at least take solace in the fact that Optimus Prime once again met his end. Only the Autobots that were there seemed to care that he was dead. {{storylink|Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime}}

Later Galvatron decided to have another crack at taking control of Vector Sigma by creating the [[Madmachine]]. To aid him in this plan he revived Soundwave as Soundblaster using [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]'s Transtector technology. Galvatron then ordered Sixshot to test the Madmachine on Metroplex. Following the test's successful completion, he ordered Sixshot to retreat. Galvatron had the Madmachine and the Decepticon Headmasters sent to Cybertron to take control of Vector Sigma. He gave control of it to Soundblaster, however Galvatron's base on Charr was invaded by Blaster who had been revived as Twincast. The Autobot destroyed the Control in Soundblaster's chest. This allowed the Autobot Headmasters to destroy the Madmachine. {{storylink|The Great Cassette Operation}}.

[[File:HM7 Galvatron meets Scorponok.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Galvatron occupied planet [[Beast (planet)|Beast]] and took most of the civilians (known as [[Beastformer]]s) prisoner, except for those who would follow him. Galvatron was informed by [[Alligatron]] of Fortress Maximus's arrival on Beast. Galvatron ordered the Beastformers and Decepticons to destroy the Autobots. When Rodimus arrived Galvatron showed up and battled Rodimus. Cyclonus and Scourge tried to help but damaged Galvatron instead. Galvatron continued to fight Rodimus but was forced into retreat after Fortress Maximus came and attacked him. {{storylink|Rebellion on Planet Beast}}.

After the failure of losing Beast, Galvatron created a meteorite nicknamed [[Metamorphose]], intended to destroy Athenia. No Transformer could approach it, as it knocked them out with electrical overload. Its first victims were the Aerialbots, who were temporarily deactivated when they approached it. Then the Throttlebots became victims. However, the Autobots had [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]], a human who was not affected by it. While Fortress and the other Autobot Headmasters distracted the Decepticons, Daniel sneaked into Metamorphose and disabled it, saving Athenia and once again foiling Galvatron's plans. {{storylink|Approach of the Demon Meteorite}}

[[File:Cybertonuronsword.jpg|left|thumb|Excalibur, BE MY STRENGTH!]]
Galvatron was getting unhappy about his troops' failures and was starting to lose his composure. Cyclonus tried to calm his leader down by reaffirming his loyalty how the mighty Galvatron never fails. However, this did not calm Galvatron down. When Scourge informed Galvatron that Decepticon Headmaster leader [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] had arrived, Galvatron started blaming the Decepticon Headmasters for his failures as well. Then, from the shadows, Scorponok explained that he had a plan to stop the Autobot Headmasters. Galvatron approved, but only after blaming him for the loss of Planet Beast. When the plan failed, Galvatron himself arrived. He and the Decepticon Headmasters almost defeated the Autobots, but Rodimus Prime, [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] and the [[Trainbot]]s arrived and outnumbered them, forcing Galvatron to retreat. {{storylink|The Four-Million-Year-Old Veil of Mystery}}

Later a [[Sixshot|shadowy figure]] appeared on TV and demanded Earth's energy. Cyclonus and Scourge suggested that when the shadowy figure would get the energy, they should take it from him. After an argument between them Galvatron approved the plan. Galvatron later found out that their plan failed and that they stole Trypticon, who had been damaged in a fight with the Autobot Headmasters and [[Raiden]]. He was far from happy. {{storylink|Terror! The Six Shadows}}

[[File:Sosfromsandra magnus pwns galvy.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Sanctuary!!! Sanctuary!!! Sanctuary!!!]]
After many failed attempts to control Cybertron, Galvatron set his sights on [[Cybertonuron]], a powerful new alloy being developed by Vector Sigma. The Decepticon Headmaster leader, Scorponok, advocated the destruction of the alloy to prevent the Autobots from obtaining it, but when Galvatron refused to consider the notion, Scorponok took matters into his own hands and had powerful bombs planted in Vector Sigma's chamber. {{storylink|Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 1}} Scorponok told Galvatron what he had done, and the enraged Decepticon leader ran into the chamber to try and stop the explosion, only to be caught in the blast. Cybertron was reduced to a burnt-out husk, and Galvatron was left missing in action. {{storylink|Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 2}}

Galvatron was thought dead for some time, and during his absence, Scorponok proclaimed himself the new Decepticon leader, only for Galvatron to turn up alive and well during his coronation. {{storylink|Return of the Immortal Emperor}} Under his leadership, the Decepticons attempted to stop the Autobots from assisting [[Sandra (planet)|Sandra]], but failed. {{Storylink|SOS from Planet Sandra}} Needing copious amounts of energy for his [[Grand Galvatron|endgame]], Galvatron first distracted the Autobots, then set off with his troops in MegaZarak, Scorponok's gigantic transtector. {{storylink|Daniel Faces His Biggest Crisis Ever!!}} They attempted to plunder [[Hive (planet)|Hive]], but the planet's natives and the Autobots were able to repel them. {{storylink|Fight to the Death on Planet Hive!!}} They then went to [[Twin Star|Sperity]], but were fooled into thinking it was a desolate planet. {{storylink|Battle for Defense of the False Planet}} At [[Daros]], they formed an alliance with the planet's corrupt upper class, allowing them to gather much energy despite being chased away by the arriving Autobots. {{storylink|Find MegaZarak's Weak Spot!!}} They also tried to target [[Paradise]] {{storylink|Head Formation of Friendship}} and the [[proton energy]] of the [[Pirate Planet]], but were foiled by the Autobots both times. {{storylink|Mystery of the Space Pirate Ship}}

[[File:HM25 Galvatron disappears.jpg|left|upright=1.4|thumb|"Ice! My only weakness!"]]
After Galvatron returned to Earth, [[Sixshot]] came up with an idea to set [[Grand Galvatron|Galvatron's plan]] into action: wipe out the Autobots. Galvatron approved and had the Combaticons, the Terrorcons, the Stunticons and the Horrorcons sent with him to Earth. This plan resulted in the death of [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]]. {{storylink|Ultra Magnus Dies!!}} Soon, Galvatron confided to Sixshot that he intended to use the energy he gathered as part of a process that would transform Earth into a new, all-powerful, Unicron-like body for him, dubbed "[[Grand Galvatron]]". Additionally, he explained that this process would require only the best components from his most powerful warriors, making it quite clear that he intended to sacrifice Sixshot and the other Decepticons for this insane ambition. Aghast, Sixshot betrayed Galvatron to Scorponok as quickly as possible, leaving the Decepticon leader alone to battle the Autobot Headmasters in Alaska. Thankfully for the Autobots, their double-agent [[Punch (G1)|Punch]] had eavesdropped on Galvatron and Sixshot's conversation, during which Galvatron had revealed that his head was his weakest point. With this information to aid them, the Headmasters entered [[Head Formation]] and laid Galvatron low, collapsing an iceberg on top of him and entombing him in ice. {{storylink|The Emperor of Destruction Vanishes on an Iceberg}}

After this, Scorponok took control of the Decepticons again. In a meeting with the other Decepticons, he vowed to defeat the Autobots and control Earth in Galvatron's memory. {{storylink|I Risk My Life for Earth}}
{{-}}

===''The Headmasters'' manga===
{{note|The events of ''The Headmasters'' comic occur concurrently with ''The Headmasters'' cartoon series.}}
[[File:Galvatron abandons Alligatron.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|"FOILED AGAIN!"]]
On planet [[Chaar]], Galvatron ordered the [[Headmasters of Evil]] to head for planet [[Athenia]] and show the Autobots their "true power". Their "true power" involved trying to blow up the Battleship Maximus with a goofy explosive and failing. Galvatron was displeased. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 1|The Headmasters #1}}

Later, while [[White Leo]] was abset from [[Beast (planet)|Beast]], Galvatron made a second attempt to conquer it with the united forces of his Decepticons and the Decepticon [[Beastformer]]s. With the aid of [[Kane]], the Autobots and the Autobot Beastformers were able to hold the Decepticons off long enough for White Leo to return and send them into a retreat. Galvatron callously left [[Alligatron]] and the Decepticon Beastformers behind to face justice as he and his troops escaped into space. {{storylink|Great Decisive Battle of Planet Beast!}}
{{-}}

===''Super-God Masterforce'' manga===
Galvatron, believed to be buried alive in an iceberg, would return to menace the [[Headmaster Junior]]s with an army of legendary Decepticon warriors. "Galvatron" and all his troops were eventually revealed to be nothing more than holograms created by the Decepticon [[Godmaster (lifeform)|Godmasters]] to fool the Autobots. {{storylink|Burn, Super Soul! The New Commander Super Ginrai!}}

===''Unite Warriors''===
[[File:GalvatronsGhost-GrandGalvatronChapter.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|The ghost of [[Galvatron II]] impersonates the ghost of Galvatron I.]]
Ten years after Galvatron's defeat and icy entombment at the hands of the [[Autobot]]s, [[Cyclonus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Cyclonus]] came to visit the site of his leader's downfall. There, the specter of [[Galvatron II|another Galvatron]] was able to make contact with Cyclonus. Using an illusion of Cyclonus's fallen master, this other Galvatron was able to trick Cyclonus into believing his master's ghost was alive, and the ghost of this other Galvatron forced itself upon Cyclonus, possessing his body as its new vessel. {{storylink|Grand Galvatron Chapter}} Eventually, the truth came to light that this ghost was not that of Cyclonus's Galvatron. {{storylink|Baldigus Chapter, Part One}}
{{-}}

===''The Battlestars''===
[[File:Battlestars super megatron born.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Galvatron would remain buried in the ice for over fifteen years, until he was resurrected by [[Dark Nova]] as the new and improved [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity#The Battlestars manga and story pages|Super Megatron]]. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: The Battlestars (story page)|The Battlestars Part 6}}
{{-}}

===''15 Go! Go!''===
[[File:TGGGalvatron.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Crazy AND toy-accurate.]]
At some point after 2025, when Optimus Prime had been restored to life once more as Star Convoy, the mobile computer [[Teletraan 15]] traveled forward in time from 2005 to this era as part of a mission gather data to rebuild [[Teletraan I]]'s damaged databanks. During her visit, as Star Convoy and Hot Rod prepared to battle Ultra Megatron, a [[transwarp]] wormhole suddenly opened above the combatants, and a massive blast shot emerged from it and struck Hot Rod. Badly damaged, Hot Rod could barely warn his commander as Galvatron, appearing from some unknown spot in space and time, descended through the portal. Tearing Teletraan 15's arm off, {{storylink|Galvatron Volume}} Galvatron gripped the limb in his [[teeth]] as he maniacally throttled Hot Rod. Teletraan 15 passed out {{storylink|Galvatron Volume 2}} and woke up some time later with the outcome of the battle unknown, though she remained haunted by images of the crazed Decepticon clutching her limp and helpless friend. {{storylink|Galvatron Volume 3}}
{{-}}

===''Henkei! Henkei!'' Generations manga===
When the ghost of Starscream began making trouble in an alternate universe by possessing that reality's [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]], the Mirage of that universe figured the only way to get Starscream to leave was to scare him off. So Mirage projected a hologram of Galvatron, the one who killed Starscream in the first place. Terrified, Starscream left Onslaught's body and fled back to his home universe. {{storylink|Starscream's New Body}}

===''Legends'' comic===
When [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] visited the [[Legends World]], [[Megatron (BW)|the resident Megatron]] had never heard of him. [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], however, was well-versed in the outsider-Megatron's history and recounted the time he was turned into Galvatron. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 13|Bonus Edition Vol. 13}} Galvatron's role in the battles on [[Beast (planet)|Beast]] was recounted in a rundown of the planet's history, {{storylink|LG51 Doublecross Prologue}} and the Decepticon [[Clone (subgroup)|Clones]] recalled both how Galvatron had recruited them with promises of power and how he had been defeated. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 61|Bonus Edition Vol. 61}}

[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] later tricked Megatron into forming the head of a body that amplified his inherent evil, causing him to revert to his Galvatron personality. He thus claimed to be Galvatron once more while under the body's influence, but quickly proved able to resist it and remove his head, returning to being Megatron. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 23|Bonus Edition Vol. 23}} While Megatron refused to use the Galvatron body again, Tarantulas and [[Weirdwolf (G1)|Weirdwolf]] had [[Mindwipe (G1)|Mindwipe]] hypnotize him into it. Galvatron attacked [[Tokyo]] and defeated [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]] before [[Blurr (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blurr]] knocked his head off again. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 25|Bonus Edition Vol. 25}} Galvatron was also present for the introduction of the Sweeps, and was curious about [[Sweep No. 4]]'s absence. It turned out he had let No. 4 die years earlier, and the Sweep literally came back to haunt him. {{storylink|LG-26 Scourge Prologue}}

The Galvatron body later resurfaced without a head, claiming it no longer needed Megatron. After it was defeated by [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] and [[Shūta Gō]], however, it was revealed that Tarantulas had merely been piloting it from within. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 29|Bonus Edition Vol. 29}} After developing resistance to his mind being manipulated, {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 34|Bonus Edition Vol. 34}} Megatron began using the transtector without becoming Galvatron. It was ultimately destroyed in a battle with [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 43|Bonus Edition Vol. 43}}

==''Wings Universe''==
{{Wingsnote}}
[[File:G2Redux-GalvatronCyclonusScourgeZarak.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|left]]
Following the rebirth of Cybertron's [[Golden Age]], Galvatron and Lord [[Zarak (G1)|Zarak]] led their Decepticon forces away from Earth and Cybertron. They attacked Zarak's homeworld of [[Nebulos]] and many other planets in deep space, with [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] and his Autobots in hot pursuit of them through the cosmos. By 2010, Galvatron had become aware of a new generation of 'Cons having arisen on Earth, and sent a small group of followers back to make contact with this [[Decepticon Syndicate]]. {{storylink|Generation 2: Redux}}

In [[2012]], the Autobot [[Sizzle (G1)|Sizzle]] experienced a [[forestonite]]-based vision of [[Megaplex|three]] [[Soundwave (MW)|shadowy]] [[Starscream (MW)|figures]] standing over the broken bodies of Optimus Prime and Galvatron. {{storylink|A Flash Forward, Part 6}} Sizzle's prophetic vision soon came to pass with the dawn of the [[Machine Wars: Transformers|Machine Wars]] the next year. The [[Cybertronian (faction)|clone armies]] of [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]] attacked [[Sigma Seven]] and left Optimus and Galvatron comatose as they advanced toward Cybertron. {{storylink|Termination}}

A week later, the Machine Wars concluded on Cybertron, and a week after that, the Autobots, Decepticons, and Jhiaxus's clones signed the [[Pax Cybertronia]] at [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]] on Earth. [[Scourge (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Scourge]] doubted that the comatose Galvatron would be pleased to hear of the peace treaty if and when he woke up and remarked that he would make sure that [[Cyclonus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Cyclonus]] was the one to deliver the news to Galvatron. {{storylink|A Common Foe}}

[[Tornado]] considered [[Squadron X]] leader [[Macabre]] to possess [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]]'s strength, [[Shockwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Shockwave]]'s firepower, and Galvatron's crazy. {{storylink|Tornado - Decepticon Saboteur}}

==Ask Vector Prime==
[[File:StarscreamMW Genesis.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|left]]
In [[Primax 903.0-M Lambda]], the ghost of [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] possessed the corpse of [[Skyquake (G1)|Skyquake]] and sought his vengeance against Galvatron during [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s New [[Golden Age]], resulting in the [[Machine Wars (event)|Machine Wars]]. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/08/27}}

In a wacky hybrid universe created by [[gbwiki:Gong|Gong]] and [[Sideways (RID)|Sideways]], Unicron created Galvatron from a dying Megatron's body as usual. In ''this'' timeline, however, his minions were [[Deadlift]] and [[Fracture (Movie)|Fracture]]. He dealt with the treacherous [[Zero]] and later launched an attack on Guardian City. At Unicron's bidding, he tracked the Guardians and Autobots to the planet [[Quartex (planet)|Quartex]], where he stole the Matrix of Leadership from [[gbwiki:Major Mo|Major Mo]].

When Unicron launched his final assault on Cybertron, Galvatron attempted to open the Guardian Matrix but was unable. He wound up battling Hot Rod within the cavernous body of Unicron. He managed to get the upper hand... when, unbeknownst to all, [[Vector Prime]] set history back on its right course, banishing the [[GoBot]]s from the timeline. Hot Rod opened the ''Autobot'' Matrix, transformed into Rodimus Prime, and cast Galvatron into deep space. {{storylink|Echoes and Fragments}}
{{--}}

==Notes==
*In all [[AKOM]]-animated episodes, Galvatron is rendered with a subtly different, oudated [[character model|color model]], which makes his feet black instead of grey, and gives him a pale purple pelvis, instead of it being the same shade of purple as the rest of him.
*According to [[Teletraan II]]'s [[Secret Files of Teletraan II|secret files]], Galvatron was reformed from Megatron by Unicron in an attempt to bolster the Decepticon's strength and to lead the Decepticons into a new era. The fact that this information conflicts with the events as depicted in the movie may say something about the quality of the Autobots' intelligence regarding the Decepticon cause.
*In the [[Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers (manga)|''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' manga]], [[Makoto (FSRL)|Makoto]] has a transforming Galvatron [[Wrist-communicator|wristwatch]] that was first available in Japan during the 1980s. However, at the time of the story, Galvatron did not yet exist in-continuity. The circumstances behind this are best not thought about.
* An unrealized ''[[Transformers: Wings Universe|Wings Universe]]'' story would have featured [[Scourge (RID)#Timelines|Scourge]], based on his TFSS toy, as one of [[Jhiaxus (G2)#Wings Universe|Jhiaxus]]'s clones, leading the takedown of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity#Wings Universe|Optimus Prime]] and Galvatron.<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/128200-new-tcc-prose-counterpunch-story-the-truth-we-make/?p=3229535 Post on the Allspark Forums by Pete@BotCon (Pete Sinclair), 2016/05/12]</ref><ref>[https://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/135573-wings-universecannonball-loose-ends/?p=3406634 Post on the Allspark Forums by NightViper (Jesse Wittenrich), 2016/12/23]</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:Emperors of Destruction]]
[[Category:Generation 1 cartoon Decepticons]]
[[Category:Kiss Players Decepticons]]
[[Category:Legends Decepticons]]
[[Category:Return of Convoy Decepticons]]
[[Category:Rulers of Cybertron]]
[[Category:Super-God Masterforce Decepticons]]
[[Category:The Headmasters Decepticons]]
[[Category:Unicron-related characters]]
[[Category:Unite Warriors Decepticons]]
[[Category:United Decepticons]]
[[Category:Wings Universe Decepticons]]

Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity

2019-12-22T02:45:10Z

RyRodrigo: /* There at the beginning */

{{factions|senator|decepticon}}
{{suite}}
[[File:StarscreamIDWF22-Infiltration4cvrA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|"BANZAAAAI KICK!"]]

Ever the opportunist, '''Starscream''''s boundless ambition drew him into the nascent Decepticon movement and catapulted him through the ranks as Cybertron collapsed into endless war. Though an intelligent, capable leader in his own right, Starscream struggled to distinguish himself from the shadow of [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]]–a relationship that ended with Megatron invariably reminding Starscream of his place after several failed coups and bungled stints at leadership.

Following the end of the war and the revitalization of Cybertron, Starscream found the burden of leadership placed on his shoulders once more after a wayward [[Titan (group)|Titan]] declared him Cybertron's "Chosen One", destined to reunite and rebuild their ruined world. A subsequent series of crises saw Starscream leaving the Decepticons forever, establishing himself as the "High Chancellor" of Cybertron's growing [[NAIL|neutral population]] and carving out a new anti-factionalist government in the ruins of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]]. But even after finally achieving his dream, Starscream still seems to be the same person he's always been: self-serving, prideful, treacherous, and perfectly willing to cheat, lie, and step on other 'bots to get his own way. His stubborn refusal to change his ways for the greater good is a constant thorn in the side of his reluctant allies.

Beneath it all, though, Starscream struggles with the ramifications of his morally dubious actions and the growing shadow of his future legacy–a struggle that, in the end, he may not win.

{{First|[[Infiltration issue 0|''Infiltration'' #0]]}}

{{quote|What kind of monster '''are''' you?|quote2=A '''goal-oriented''' one.|[[Stardrive]] and Starscream|[[Shining Armor issue 1|''Shining Armor'' #1]]}}

__TOC__
==Fiction==
===There at the beginning===
[[File:OP19-YoungStarscream.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.2]]
Starscream was [[Reproduction|constructed cold]]. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}} As with all constructed cold Transformers, Starscream's [[spark]] carried genetic instructions for a "natural" shape, but the circumstances of his birth meant that his Spark was simply implanted into one of many identical, pre-constructed bodies. Over the course of his life, Starscream developed a predilection for periodically changing bodies; [[Windblade (G1)|some]] would interpret this as a sign that his spark was still trying to find its "true form," {{storylink|Your First Mistake}} while [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|others]] would simply write it off as a sign of his vanity. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 2: Another Mine|Another Mine}}

In his early life, Starscream studied at the prestigious [[Nova Point Academy]], but eventually moved to the city of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], where he became a street hustler running scams for his personal gain and ran afoul of a young police officer named [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Orion Pax]]. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|The Hallowing}} Unlike most members of Cybertron's [[flight class]], Starscream took pride in his [[alternate mode]], and, eventually, his silver tongue landed him a handsomely-paying job as a precinct [[Senate|senator]] in [[Vos (polity)|Vos]]. {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}} Disappointed by the lack of fame or respect this job offered, he spent most of his time drinking and reluctantly attending political rallies when he could be dragged away from the bar. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|The Hallowing}} Eventually, Starscream grew tired of politics and used his political connections to embezzle a vast sum of money from his constituents before deserting his post. He used his new fortune to recruit a pair of [[Outlier (group)|outliers]] named [[Skywarp (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Skywarp]] and [[Thundercracker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Thundercracker]] from the [[Jhiaxian Academy of Advanced Technology]]. After arranging their release from the school, he convinced the duo to undergo extensive rebuilds so that they'd look like him, a way to confuse any taxpayers who tried to pursue him. {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}}

[[File:MegOrigin3 seekers.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Some four million years ago, he became a fan of the [[Gladiatorial combat|gladiatorial games]] that existed in Cybertron's underworld, {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 2|Megatron Origin #2}} and came to idolize the rhetorician-turned-gladiator [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]] for his teachings that Transformers didn't ''have'' to [[Functionism|accept their lot]] in life. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}} The trio were eventually approached by [[Soundwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Soundwave]]; {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}} seeing Megatron's nascent uprising as good a place as any to lose himself, {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}} Starscream and his two lackeys believed that they were joining Megatron's team in the arena, but, after pledging allegiance to the Decepticon leader, learned that their leader had other plans for them: his [[Decepticon]] movement required air support as they made the move from activists to insurgents and beyond. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}}

Early on, the charismatic and cunning Starscream was tasked with recruitment of others to the Decepticon cause; significantly, he was the one assigned to approach the disenfranchised [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Senator Shockwave]] and bring him into the fold. {{storylink|Shockwaves}} Starscream was also given another key Senate-related task when he and his fellow Seekers were ordered to capture Senator [[Decimus]], who would then supposedly be executed at Megatron's next recruitment rally. When security forces intervened in the rally and arrested the Decepticons, Starscream bargained for his freedom by offering to reveal all of Megatron's plans. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}} However, this turned out to have ''been'' Megatron's plan—brought before an emergency assembly of the Senate for questioning, Starscream, together with Soundwave, executed the Senators with Starscream personally executing [[Proteus]] himself. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}} The two then freed every prisoner in the building, with Starscream arming the prisoner and even presenting Megatron with his the [[fusion cannon]] that would become his signature weapon. He then joined in their attack on [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]], during which he bested [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]]. The battle culminated in Megatron's defeat of [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]], whose body Starscream dumped in front of Sentinel's men in a fly-by. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 4|Megatron Origin #4}}

Following the ascension of [[Zeta Prime (G1)|Zeta Prime]], the Decepticons were forced back underground for a time but continued their militarization: arming sympathizers with weapons—ostensibly in the name of "self-defense"—Starscream coordinated several illegal arms shipments from off-world suppliers, showing off his handiwork to a shocked [[Soundwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Soundwave]]. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 3: Behind My Bleeding Back|Behind My Bleeding Back}} When it became clear that Orion's Autobots would crack down on this gunrunning, Starscream rigged the latest arms shipments to detonate if the Autobots ever found it, {{storylink|New Cybertron End: Feel Safe Without Regrets|Feel Safe Without Regrets}} assuring Soundwave that the Decepticons caught in the crossfire were making the ultimate sacrifice for the cause. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost|Future Glories Lost}}

When gunrunners [[Horri-Bull]] and [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] had their latest transaction revealed as an Autobot-coordinated sting operation, Starscream destroyed the weapons cache, leaving Soundwave to lie to the two that the Autobots had booby-trapped the shipment. Though Soundwave was appalled, Starscream felt Megatron would have approved. {{storylink|New Cybertron End: Feel Safe Without Regrets|Feel Safe Without Regrets}}

[[File:SLBlurr starscream recruits blurr.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"Damn, Starscream, how come they let you have two theme songs?" "Because I'm the bad guy! ...but you can trust me!"]]

With war now definitively declared, Starscream continued in his recruitment duties; he was unable to convince the youthful [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hot Rod]] to join the Decepticons {{storylink|Ruins}}, and had similarly bad luck with racing champion [[Blurr (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Blurr]] despite a very pointed effort. Not long after, Starscream was part of a unit that tried to stop Blurr from couriering a message to new planet leader Zeta Prime. {{storylink|Spotlight: Blurr}} At some point after Zeta Prime's ascent to leadership, Starscream participated alongside [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] and Thundercracker in a mission to rescue Soundwave from the [[Institute|New Institute]]. {{storylink|Remembrance Day}} His identity evidently unknown to most, Starscream was also positioned as a delegate to the new Senate that was formed by Zeta Prime, though exactly who or where he was masquerading as the delegate ''of'' is unclear. While attending one of Zeta's security sessions, he brought a disguised Soundwave with him to record the Senate's newest plans for how to stop the growing Decepticon menace. When Zeta expressed surprise at how easily Starscream accepted his idea of draining energy from civilians to power [[vamparc ribbon|weapons]], he almost let slip that he'd done worse things in Megatron's name. To cover up his blunder, he drew attention to the spy in their midst, giving Soundwave a cue to reveal himself and stage an escape, distracting Zeta. {{storylink|Parasites}}

Since turning down Starscream's offer to join the Decepticons, Hot Rod had carried out some insurgent activities of his own, and Megatron and Starscream monitored the situation through [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] with some degree of pleasure as [[Autobot]] leader [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Orion Pax]] hunted him down. {{storylink|Ruins}} In Orion's absence, Zeta Prime then attacked [[Nyon]]'s population with his vamparc ribbons and [[Guardian robot|Omega Destructors]]—an action Starscream compared to Megatron's own tactics, though, Megatron assured him he was capable of much more. {{storylink|Purge}} In spite of Starscream's opinion that Megatron was a "stubborn wreck" for his repeated attempts to sway Orion Pax to his cause, they were successful, and the Decepticons joined forces with Orion's Autobots against Zeta Prime. {{storylink|Choices}} Together, they attacked Zeta Prime and his Omega Destructors, with Starscream personally leading the Seekers as air support. {{storylink|Overthrown}}
[[File:Autocracy9 take them away.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.95|Consider yourself lucky, Ironhide. It could have been [[The Transformers: The Movie|''far'' worse.]]]]
After Zeta Prime was defeated, Megatron betrayed Orion and installed himself as ruler of Cybertron, then had the Decepticons hunt down all remaining Autobots. Starscream led a force to raid an Autobot hiding place in [[Ultrix]] and took special interest in Hot Rod, once again offering him the chance to join the Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformation (issue)|Transformation}} Starscream also tortured and interrogated Bumblebee, but learned little for his efforts. {{storylink|Rise}} Orion soon returned, however, having become [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]], and with new warriors at his side, he led the Autobots in an attack on Megatron's citadel. Starscream and the Seekers were ordered to take them out but were intercepted by the Aerialbots. {{storylink|Broadcast}}

[[File:Devastation5-StarscreamAchinglyNaive.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|"Look, Megatron, all I'm saying is that it's probably not a good idea to blow half of our budget on Fortnite lootboxes!"]]
Megatron was subsequently defeated by Optimus Prime, and Starscream conspired with [[Scorponok (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Scorponok]] to overthrow him and have him exiled to [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]]. {{storylink|Derelicts}} While Scorponok became the new Decepticon leader, Starscream seemingly preferred to stay in the background and showed no signs of being his second-in-command in public. {{storylink|Wreckage (issue)|Wreckage}} He annoyed Scorponok by urging him to take action rather than just hold grandiose speeches, causing Scorponok to let him in on his plan to capture the [[Toraxxis mega-refinery]] for the Decepticons. Starscream participated in this attack by leading his Seekers to the refinery. {{storylink|Faces of Darkness}} Scorponok ordered him to keep the Autobot defenders busy while he left to deal with [[Grimlock (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Grimlock]] personally. {{storylink|Rage (IDW)|Rage}} The plan ended disastrously when the refinery exploded, killing thousands and leaving the planet cripplingly low on [[energon]]; Starscream berated Scorponok for his actions, unable to see any point in staying on the dying planet himself. {{storylink|Massacre}} Fortuntely, Megatron soon returned from his exile and retook Decepticon command. Starscream attempted to welcome him back, but was quickly silenced. {{storylink|The Illusion of Control}}

There was a brief lull in the war, {{storylink|Primacy issue 1|Primacy #1}} before Megatron regrouped the scattered Decepticons for an all-out attack on Iacon. Starscream went to [[Canis Tor]] to inform the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]] that Megatron was back and after that, bribed the Combaticons into coming home. {{storylink|Primacy issue 2|Primacy #2}} He fought during the siege of Iacon but it led in a Decepticon rout. {{storylink|Primacy issue 3|Primacy #3}} {{storylink|Primacy issue 4|Primacy #4}}

As the war bore on, Starscream was present when Megatron faced Optimus Prime in open battle on [[Sherma Bridge]], {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1|Chaos Theory #1}} witnessed [[Hot Shot (Henkei!)|a yellow Autobot]] get destroyed in an Decepticon-Autobot crossfire in another of the war's countless battles, {{storylink|Drift issue 2|Drift #2}} and stood side-by-side with the Decepticon Deadlock in many other combat scenarios. {{storylink|Drift issue 3|Drift #3}} He would later admit that at one point, he had genuinely looked up to Megatron, but that changed when he realized that he ''feared'' the Decepticon leader, rather than ''respected'' him {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}} and was disgruntled that Megatron was leading them into a seemingly endless war. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10}} That epiphany evidently led to further attempts to take leadership from Megatron, but in time, these power plays ceased, and Megatron hoped that it meant he had moved beyond such things. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}} Starscream would even eventually end up as Megatron's bodyguard, and developed a mutual hatred with [[Sixshot]], professing that he would not be able to defend Megatron against such a powerhouse. {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}} But Starscream's appointment to this position was largely for show—Megatron could, of course, protect himself, and would later reveal that he kept Starscream close by despite his predilection for treachery as a reminder to himself to always watch his back. {{storylink|Spotlight: Megatron}}

At one point, Starscream's treachery reached the attention of the [[Decepticon Justice Division]], who had him added to their dreaded [[The List|list]] of targets. He was later removed from this list, perhaps due to Megatron's insistence on keeping him close by. {{storylink|An Axe to Break the Ice}}

===Earth and Ore-13===
[[File:Infiltration6 starscream on ultraenergon.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]]
Millions of years later, after the war had resulted in Cybertron becoming uninhabitable and the Autobots and Decepticons had spread out across the galaxy, Starscream came to be in command of one the small Decepticon units that secretly infiltrated planets across the galaxy. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 0|Infiltration #0}} In the mid-19th century, the group had conquered the [[Huni System]] and were approached by the [[Dire Wraith]] [[Vekktral]], who wanted to propose an alliance. Though Starscream initially wanted to kill the organic, Vekktral made him interested by showing him the [[Space Knight]] [[Stardrive]]. Though [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] had his doubts, Starscream realized the [[Solstar Order]] must have an Energon source to keep Stardrive alive and agreed to Vekktral's alliance. The group slew a [[Galactic Council]] force due to meet with the Solstar Order, and Starscream left behind a [[Vehicon (G1)|Vehicon]] and a bloke who turned into a bulldozer to destroy their ship while Astrotrain assumed its form. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 2|Shining Armor #2}}

Upon arriving at ''[[Orchid Crossing]]'', Starscream swatted [[Rom|some pest]] out of the sky before he tried to recruit Stardrive. Failing to do so, he instead used her as a battering ram to reach her [[energon synthesizer]] only for [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]] and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]] to show up with a standoff ensuing. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 1|Shining Armor #1}} As Stardrive expressed confusion over who the Autobots were, Starscream again offered her a spot in the Decepticons, only to be shot through a wall by Ultra Magnus. No sooner had the Seeker regained his bearings did Magnus ram Starscream in truck mode. After a Wraith merged with [[Sky Blast (G1)|Sky Blast]] and turned into an ungodly abomination, Starscream opted for the better part of valour and decided the Wraiths could serve as canon fodder. Grabbing [[Doomwings (G1)|Doomwings]] (after getting his name wrong), Starscream made his way to the energon synthesizer only for the Wraith/Cybertronian hybrid to tear Doomwings apart. Starscream told Vekktral to get the beast under control, only to learn neither the Wraith or Sky Blast was in control. Starscream then took Astrotrain and made another run for their prize, only for the station to begin tumbling. He emerged to find Magnus had disabled its power, and he quickly destroyed the Autobot shuttle before giving the evacuation order, deciding to dig the energon synthesizer out of the rubble. In the skies of [[Xetaxxis]], Starscream questioned if the synthesizer was durable enough to survive reentry and how long it took for space stations to fall, before being informed the hybrid had survived. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 2|Shining Armor #2}}

Starscream and Vekktral tracked the hybrid to a [[Xetaxxan|Xetaxxian]] village where the situation neatly resolved itself. After the two performed a quick check on whether or not the Xetaxxians were mechanical (they weren't), Starscream bluntly told Vekktral he had no interest in furthering the Wraiths' agenda and merely wanted the synthesizer before mobilizing their forces. When the Seekers arrived at the crash site however, the [[Space Knight]]s had beaten them there. When Stardrive tried to evacuate some Xetaxxians past the Seeker blockade, Starscream expertly manoeuvred around her and shot the organics before turning his attention to the Space Knights, landing foot first ''on Rom''. Rom and Livia managed to use their speed to outmaneuver him with the former socking the Seeker square in the jaw. Sneaking away from the battle, Starscream made his way to the Energon synthesizer in Stardrive's room. The Camien soon realized he was there however and threatened to destroy the synthesizer with her [[Neutralizer]] before she offered to trade it in exchange for him leaving Xetaxxis. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 3|Shining Armor #3}} After expressing his supreme annoyance at Rom's melodramatic speech pattern, Starscream tried to recruit Stardrive once again by extolling Cybertronian superiority and claiming to need her knowledge of the Wraiths to protect their kind from the Dire Wraiths. He might have succeeded had Rom and Livia not thrown Dirge into him forcing him to retreat. The Seekers then watched Stardrive suffer a mental breakdown and attack her allies before they annoyingly worked everything out. The promised Dire Wraith backup however soon arrived in the form of Vekktral having possessed Ultra Magnus. As Starscream gloated about a mutual Dire Wraith/Decepticon victory however, Vekktral turned on him. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 4|Shining Armor #4}}

After being saved by [[Sata]] and Stardrive, Starscream blasted the Wraiths off his troops and made a run for the synthesizer. As he fished it out of the rubble, Stardrive confronted him again where, after making one last half-hearted effort to recruit her, Starscream downed her with his null-ray and prepared to execute her only to be shot in the chest by [[Livia]]. In his daze, he was assaulted by Stardrive who brutally beat him down and tore off his wings. Though grounded, Starscream's Seekers came to his rescue while he detonated the energon synthesizer and hitched a ride on Astrotrain. Reporting to Megatron on the Dire Wraiths' unfeasibility as allies, Starscream was congratulated...for finding yet another way to disappoint his master. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 5|Shining Armor #5}}

Roughly a century later, learning through undisclosed means of at least some of the secrets behind Shockwave's [[Regenesis]] program and the super-powerful [[energon]] [[Ore-13]] that the scientist had seeded on [[Earth]], {{storylink|Shockpoint}} and seeing in it the potential to challenge Megatron for Decepticon leadership once again, Starscream took his unit to that planet. There, they set about destabilizing Earth's governing organizations and create global anarchy in accordance with the strict [[infiltration protocol]] the Decepticons now operated to, all the while searching for Ore-13. After around four years, their search bore fruit when a seam of Ore-13 was uncovered in [[Nebraska]], but later, the discovery of an even purer source of the ore in [[Oregon]] prompted Starscream to step outside traditional infiltration protocols and move the Decepticons' base of operations to the new site, establishing a fortified "siege mode" bunker well in advance of the standard timeline. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 3|Infiltration #3}} Unfortunately for Starscream, the abandoned Nebraska bunker was then infiltrated by [[Stoker]], an agent of the human organization known as the [[Machination]], necessitating that both he and the data he gathered—including images of Starscream himself—be eliminated by the Decepticons. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 1|Infiltration #1}} Starscream sent Thundercracker, [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] and [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] after Stoker, and although they were successful in slaying the human, Starscream failed to count on [[Verity Carlo|another human]] obtaining Stoker's [[SM-40]] computer and falling in with the Autobot counter-insurgency unit also operating on the planet. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 0|Infiltration #0}}

[[File:Infiltration6 takeyourpunishment.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Starscream, seen here actually getting off easy!]]
{{bigquote|Thanks to Ore-13, Megatron, I have evolved... beyond you! I am the ''future!''|Starscream|[[Infiltration issue 6]]}}
Concurrently with the search for Stoker, Starscream and [[Astrotrain (G1)/toys|Astrotrain]] successfully mined the first batch of Ore-13 from the Oregon seam. Starscream urged speed, aware that breaking protocol the way they had was sure to elicit a response from Megatron. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 2|Infiltration #2}} As he waited for the ore to process, Starscream ordered [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] and Skywarp to cover the Decepticons' tracks by destroying all evidence of Stoker's travels, including what remained of the Nebraska bunker. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 3|Infiltration #3}} Unfortunately for them, Megatron himself had arrived on Earth and was ''in'' the bunker, catching up on what Starscream had been up to, when they attacked. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 5|Infiltration #5}} Starscream emerged from the infusion capsule brimming with the incredible power of Ore-13 just as a furious Megatron arrived at the Oregon bunker and offered the Decepticons a choice: stand down, or be destroyed. Every one of his men surrendered, but the super-powered Starscream roared into battle and unleashed his full fury against Megatron. Alas, the power conveyed by Ore-13 proved insufficient to destroy the Decepticon leader, and Megatron blasted Starscream with his fusion cannon at point-blank range, virtually obliterating him. Megatron left Starscream's remains to be tended to by the Decepticons, unconcerned if he lived or died. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}}

[[File:Starcasm idw dev6.jpg|left|upright=1.95|thumb|Sarcasm from Starscream?? NO!]]
Starscream was placed in a [[CR chamber]] for extensive repairs but even with him out of the picture, the power of Ore-13 convinced Megatron to continue Starscream's subversion of infiltration protocol. The last straw for the other Decepticons came when Megatron called Sixshot in early, leading Astrotrain to propose reactivating Starscream so that he could challenge Megatron's actions. {{storylink|Devastation issue 1|Devastation #1}} Blitzwing and Astrotrain proceeded to bring Starscream back online, but no sooner was he back on his feet than the alien [[Reaper]]s attacked the Decepticon base. {{storylink|Devastation issue 4|Devastation #4}} With Megatron unaware he had been reactivated, Starscream initially decided to hold back and allow the Reapers to cause trouble first, but when Sixshot arrived, Starscream emerged from base and called the hated Six-Changer out. Starscream's appearance caused the living weapon to decide to accept the Reapers' offer to join their ranks... at which point Starscream promptly activated Sixshot's shutdown command, sending him crashing to the ground. Starscream then turned his weapons on the Reapers, causing Megatron to agree to take the fight to the aliens. {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}} {{storylink|Spotlight: Grimlock}} Starscream once again accepted Megatron as his liege, and together they teamed up to destroy the alien invaders, with Starscream wielding Megatron in his Ore-13 empowered pistol mode to devastating effect. As the battle came to an end, Starscream stopped Megatron from punishing Blitzwing for going behind his back with the observation that a fleet of human jet fighters had arrived, and that the Decepticons' existence was now known to humanity. {{storylink|Devastation issue 6|Devastation #6}}

===The Decepticon ideal===
[[File:AHM8 starscream and sunstreaker.jpg|thumb|"Well, see, when you put it like ''that''..."|upright=1.95]]
While the Decepticons were occupied battling the Reapers, the Autobots had left Earth to deal with an incursion by the [[Dead Universe]]. Exploiting their enemies' absence, Starscream and the Decepticons went into hiding; when Autobots returned, they could find no trace of the villains, who kept one step ahead of them for months. They secretly returned to Cybertron, where Starscream stood by his leader's side as he received updates from scientist [[Deluge (G2)|Deluge]] on his experiments to create a monstrous [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]] [[Insecticon swarm|swarm]]. Upon returning to Earth, the Decepticons then 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}} To complete their plot, Starscream approached the disenfranchised Autobot [[Sunstreaker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sunstreaker]] with the proposition that the Autobots join with his fictitious forces against Megatron. Sunstreaker accepted, {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 8|All Hail Megatron #8}} but when he led the Autobots to the designated time and place, they were instead confronted by the united Decepticon army and promptly defeated. Starscream stood by Megatron's side and watched as the bested Autobots were exiled back to Cybertron through a [[space bridge]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}}

[[File:AHM3Starscream.JPG|left|upright=1.4|thumb|Hey, I just spotted the janitor from ''Futurama''!]]
With a year now passed since their battle with the Reapers, and with their enemies disposed of, the Decepticons began to lay waste to the Earth with the intention of taking it for their new homeworld. Starscream headed up the attack on [[New York City]] with glee, though he objected to Skywarp's insinuation that he could not sow destruction and terror on the same level as Megatron; Megatron soon arrived to prove him wrong. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 1|All Hail Megatron #1}} After joining in the efforts to beat back military attacks and bomb the city's bridges, {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 2|All Hail Megatron #2}} Starscream headed for [[Washington, D.C.]], where he personally shot down the fleeing [[Air Force One]]. That task done, he returned to New York, to join Megatron in savoring their victory. Megatron mused that it was fitting to have a long-serving a Decepticon at Starscream beside him; Starscream believed he was being sarcastic, but Megatron's praise was genuine, going so far as to describe Starscream as the living embodiment of the Decepticon ideal, but a step short of full embracing it due to his own blindness to that fact. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 3|All Hail Megatron #3}}

With the conquest completed, Starscream stood at Megatron's side as he addressed the gathered Decepticons. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 4|All Hail Megatron #4}} However, as time passed and Megatron made no further new moves, content to allow his troops to wreak havoc around the world, Starscream began to suspect that Megatron ''had'' no further plan, and was merely giving his troops free reign as a distraction to keep them from turning on them. He confronted Megatron with this knowledge, and taunted him with the fact it was essentially his own fault for assembling an army of sociopaths and monsters in the first place. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 6|All Hail Megatron #6}} Legitimately disheartened to see the leader he had once looked up to go so far astray, having led them through an endless war with no vision for what lay beyond, Starscream began secretly meeting with the other Decepticons, recruiting those who shared his feelings in preparation for a coup. After winning over the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], he approached the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]], and also successfully convinced them to join him. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 8|All Hail Megatron #8}}

[[File:AHM11 all hail megatron.jpg|thumb|Roll credits!|upright=1.4]]
Starscream made his move a short while later, sending the Insecticons to attack Megatron, but the Decepticon leader summarily defeated them and revealed that he had known about Starscream's plans all along; he had, in fact, been doing nothing in order to allow the dissenting element of his army to weed themselves out. He had, however, failed to predict that the Constructicons would take Starscream's side. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}} As fate would have it, Starscream's uprising was suddenly cut short when the Decepticons came under attack, first from human jets arrived from [[Europe]], and then the returning Autobots. Starscream was forced to team up with Megatron, who assured him that someday he would get be in charge, someday after the Decepticons won, after he successfully crushed Megatron in the way that the taking of leadership required... but not today. After giving this some thought, Starscream organized his troops to fight back, hailing Megatron's name. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 11|All Hail Megatron #11}}

Megatron was subsequently defeated by Optimus Prime, but as the Autobot leader moved to inspect his fallen body, Starscream stepped in and picked up his injured leader, refusing to let the Autobots finish him off. For the moment, Megatron's words had struck home: Starscream told Prime that he now knew leadership had to taken by force, not gained through chance. Starscream led the Decepticons in withdrawing from the planet, though as he left, he reminded Prime that though the Autobots had won a battle, the Decepticons still reigned throughout the galaxy. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 12|All Hail Megatron #12}}

===Leadership of the Decepticons===
[[File:AHM13 starscream and matrix.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67|Starscream: "Now light our darkest hour!" Decepticons: "You ARE our darkest hour, you putz!"]]
Along with a few other Decepticons, Starscream took off into space aboard Astrotrain. Despite what he had told Prime, he was not pleased that Soundwave was keeping Megatron on life support, but his attempts to dissuade the loyalist were met with failure. Afraid of the uncertainty that simply tossing Megatron out and airlock would result in, Starscream was ready to give up, knowing that the Decepticons had no real reason to follow him, and that the faction would fall to infighting as soon as others challenged his rule. All he had was the Autobot [[Matrix of Leadership]], which Megatron had seized from Optimus Prime earlier, but he had failed to find any supposed "ultimate power" within it, and prepared to throw it away. Caught in the act by [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]], Starscream was reminded of the talisman's significance to the Autobots by the Insecticon, and had the idea to use its reputation for his own ends. Gathering the Decepticons, he professed that the Matrix had chosen him to light their [[darkest hour]], but as they began hailing his name in the face of this alleged holy appointment, he stepped from the room already regretting his decision. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 13|Uneasy Lies the Head}}

[[File:Ongoing13 sad starscream is sad.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Real Decepticon leaders chill on the [[Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln Memorial.]]]]
Starscream took the Decepticons to a barren asteroid that they could use as a staging base to regroup, but as more and more soldiers began arriving, circumstances quickly spiraled out of his control. With most of their limited resources tied up by Shockwave, who he had assigned the task of building a space bridge, Starscream charged [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] with finding a way to fabricate energon to feed his starving troops. When no breakthrough ensued, and the energy-deprived Decepticons turned to cannibalizing each other's bodies to survive, Starscream stormed into Insecticon's lab to discover he had been spending his time working on mind-controlling [[cerebro-shell]]s. Though initially angry, Starscream conceded that he could use these devices after he employed one to take out a rebellious [[Quake (G1)|Quake]]. {{storylink|All His Engines}} Later, visiting Shockwave for an update on his progress, Starscream discovered the scientist working with Soundwave to cut open Megatron's body and make weapons from his remains. Just as Starscream began to express fake outrage about this presumed "coup", Megatron himself appeared, revealing that the two had built him a new body with a built-in space bridge. He grudgingly admitted he knew Megatron would be back sooner or later, though Megatron neglected to take back leadership as long as Starscream had the Matrix, which he considered a possible threat. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon|Altered Carbon}}

[[File:SLMegs just do it.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67|"At the very least [[Fire in the Sky|bean me with an energon cube!]] I got one right here! It'll be like old times!"]]
His leadership a complete failure, Starscream became sullen and withdrawn, lost in distant contemplation of the unknowable mysteries within the Matrix that hung around his neck and lashing out at any Decepticons who attempted to touch the talisman. After Starscream ignored his warning that an Autobot ship had crashed on the asteroid, Bombshell tried to remove the Matrix in hopes of snapping him out of his stupor, but was violently struck for his trouble. As it turned out, the wrecked ship had contained [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]], on a quest to take back the Matrix. After first using a cerebro-shell on [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] to make him attack Starscream, he confronted the Decepticon leader on his own. Starscream was unimpressed, having used his rank to give himself nigh-impenetrable armor, only to be taken by surprise when Rodimus shot the Matrix around his neck instead, causing it to release a burst of energy and incapacitate Starscream. Rodimus snagged the Matrix, but both he and it were then blasted out into space by Megatron. {{storylink|Heart Like a Wheel}} With the threat of the Matrix now removed, Megatron re-established himself as leader of the Decepticons, and decided to inaugurate his return by beating the living daylights out of Starscream. The Seeker, however, had lost the will to continue: he would not rise to Megatron's mockery, and when the Decepticon leader aimed his fusion cannon at him, Starscream simply held it to his chest and demanded he fire. But Megatron kept pushing, eventually causing Starscream to snap and open fire with his own weapons, only to immediately regret the decision and attempt to flee in [[alternate mode|jet mode]]. A vicious dogfight above the asteroid ensued, culminating in a pained Starscream questioning how Megatron could understand what it felt like to have his dream crumble so completely. This inquiry only enraged Megatron further—his dream was the Decepticon faction itself, and Starscream had utterly destroyed it in his absence. But Megatron was not without mercy, and after pummeling Starscream to within an inch of his life, he offered him the chance to return to the fold as his subordinate. Meekly, Starscream accepted. {{storylink|Spotlight: Megatron}}

[[File:Ongoing16 brawn vs starscream.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Well, since Ironhide's not here to punch him...]]
As Megatron put his new plans into action and had the Decepticons return to Earth, Starscream went off on his own to meet with Thundercracker, who had abandoned the Decepticon cause following their previous defeat. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon|Altered Carbon}} He tried to convince his fellow Seeker to join with him and overthrow Megatron again, seeing him as obsessed with petty revenge on humanity and lacking long-term goals. When Thundercracker refused, Starscream lost patience and gunned him down, but before he could finish the job he was attacked by [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]]. Starscream denied Brawn's accusation that he had been responsible for shooting down a plane carrying Optimus Prime, pleading for his life by suggesting he would be more valuable as a hostage. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 3: Woken Furies|Woken Furies}} Fortunately for him, Brawn chose to carry Thundercracker to safety rather than capture him. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 4: Burning Chrome|Burning Chrome}} Starscream returned to the other Decepticons and watched Optimus Prime confront Megatron in a one-on-one battle. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 5: Enemy Mine|Enemy Mine}}

Megatron subsequently surrendered to the Autobots and had himself transported back to Cybertron, in order to use his built-in space bridge to teleport the Decepticons back to their homeworld. Starscream and the other Decepticons gathered at a Native American settlement to await the bridge's opening, but were found by Bumblebee at the last minute. Starscream ordered the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] to dispose of the Autobot, while he led the other Decepticons through the bridge. {{storylink|The Question}} Emerging on Cybertron in the midst of the Autobots' battle with [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Galvatron]]'s army of [[Sweep (G1)|Sweeps]], Starscream and the Decepticons soon found themselves entranced by Galvatron's unseen puppetmaster, the [[D-Void]], who merged their bodies and minds together with the Sweeps to form a huge monster. {{storylink|Chaos Part Three: Kings|Kings}} Once this "[[Deceptigod]]" was defeated, the weakened component Decepticons were captured by the Autobots and outfitted with [[Inhibitor/deterrence chip|I/D chips]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime}}

===The Chosen One===
[[File:RID2 starscream must join you.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]]
Two weeks after the Deceptigod's defeat, the Decepticons were still imprisoned, and Starscream was growing increasingly tired of [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]]'s attempts to control the situation. Realizing that it was better to go along with the Autobots' orders for now rather than push back against them, Starscream joined most of his fellow Decepticons in serving as an enforcer, helping to put down a riot by [[NAIL]]s—unaffiliated Cybertronians who had recently returned to Cybertron and objected to Autobot governance. {{storylink|Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime}} He lurked in the background when [[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]] visited the Decepticon camp to lecture Ratbat, {{storylink|The Autonomy Lesson (issue)|The Autonomy Lesson}} then finally elected to depart the Decepticon camp after an argument with the new self-appointed Decepticon leader. Considering Ratbat's methods and goals regressive and seeking a new approach to power, Starscream paid a visit to Autobot high command with a legitimate desire to talk with Bumblebee about the future, only to be shocked by the distrusting Autobot's taser-cane and taken into custody for his troubles. Interrogated by Prowl, Starscream explained that Ratbat was planning to assassinate Bumblebee during the memorial ceremony for the ''Lost Light''. While the Autobots dealt with that threat, Starscream proceeded to gate-crash the ceremony himself and announced to the gathered masses his desire to be part of the planet's new government. {{storylink|The World & Everything in It}}

Naturally, all the Autobots were suspicious, but Starscream did his best to prove his good faith: he helped Prowl to cover up [[Arcee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Arcee]]'s assassination of Ratbat, then worked with [[Wheeljack (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Wheeljack]] to rescue some NAILs from a series of mysterious explosions. Wheeljack spoke up in his favor, convincing Bumblebee to let him join the government; the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] were so disgusted that they ceded from Bumblebee's leadership, and while Starscream expressed his regret to 'Bee in private later, he assured him the Autobot he would not regret his choice. {{storylink|Stick Together}} That proved untrue almost immediately, as Bumblebee, Starscream, and NAIL representative [[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|Metalhawk]] soon held a public assembly to introduce their joint governance, and Starscream talked rings around both of them. {{storylink|Devisive}} Soon afterwards, Starscream approached [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]] to buy his services as he made his play for Iacon's leadership. In exchange for protecting him from those like the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] or unruly bots, Starscream would allow Onslaught a position of power when the time came. {{storylink|Applicable Skills}}

[[File:RID8 starscream and metalhawk.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5]]
Starscream joined Metalhawk in greeting ex-Decepticon [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]] when he returned to Cybertron, but the new arrival's obvious distaste for his former faction prompted Starscream to step back and leave the welcoming to his fellow leaders. {{storylink|A Better Tomorrow}} Given his genuine desire to see the new government work out, Starscream was just as suspicious of the next returnee as his fellow leaders—noted Decepticon warmonger [[Turmoil]], claiming altruism, no less. Turmoil immediately began to foment distrust among the government by planting more doubts about the Autobots in Metalhawk's mind, so Starscream took the NAIL to [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]] to talk the matter out, calling upon bar owner Blurr to recount his own experiences with Turmoil as evidence for the prosecution. {{storylink|Interference Patterns}}

Not long after the Turmoil incident, Starscream and Metalhawk paid a visit to Autobot High Command to pester Bumblebee about setting up elections. {{storylink|Dinobot Hunt (IDW)|Dinobot Hunt}} That night, the pair returned to High Command, this time to check on the recently injured Wheeljack and to offer their assistance in locating [[Ironhide (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ironhide]] and the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], who had gone missing in the wilderness earlier that evening. Fearing that Starscream could leverage a successful rescue to his advantage during the elections, Bumblebee refused their offer. {{storylink|Night and the City}}

[[File:RIDannual the chosen one.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67]]
That, however, didn't stop the pair from setting out regardless at dawn the next day. They watched as Blurr, also out searching, was caught in an explosion which revealed a subterranean cavern, but were prevented from entering the cave by the quick arrival of Prowl's security team. To put pressure on the Autobots, Starscream rounded up a crowd of NAILs and Decepticons and demanded that Prowl explain the situation to them. The Autobot was forced to admit that the cavern was home to the abandoned [[Crystal City]], and that [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]] had teleported into the abandoned city, injuring itself in the process such that the surrounding area would shortly be destroyed. As Prowl returned to Wheeljack, at work in the cavern, Starscream snuck in after him, and a brief chase with the security officer led them to the Titan's face. Suddenly, it awoke, and lauded Starscream as a conqueror who would unite Cybertron, something witnessed by the entire crowd, who had followed them down into the city. The group fled to escape the Titan's detonation, and on the way back to Iacon, the divinely blessed Starscream was held aloft by NAILs and Decepticons. {{storylink|Primus: All Good Things|All Good Things}}

[[File:RID11 trying on crowns.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5]]
Being a 'bot of little faith, Starscream didn't actually ''believe'' Metrotitan's words, but he knew how to exploit ''everyone else's'' belief to virtually guarantee himself victory in the upcoming elections. He attempted to get an endorsement from [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] live on television, but Omega had greater matters to ponder; however, that night, Omega was the victim of a bombing that Starscream presumed to be the actions of the other Decepticons attempting to ruin his aspirations for political power. Finding that public opinion was already turning against him by association, Starscream confronted Shockwave over the attack, but received only an ambiguous warning to keep out of the one-eyed Decepticon's way. As he was leaving the Decepticon pen, Starscream was approached by [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] and [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]], who sought to trade information on Prowl's recent shady dealings in exchange for sanctuary from the coming storm. Starscream accepted, and used the info to blackmail Prowl into disposing of Shockwave's Decepticons for him. He was feeling quite pleased with himself, until a one-two punch of bad news took him down a peg: first, Arcee revealed she knew exactly where he had secreted Dirge away, meaning his bargaining chip was essentially useless... and second, Megatron returned. {{storylink|The End of the Beginning of the World}}

[[File:RID12 dont have to do this.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67]]
Starscream alerted the Autobot to Megatron's approach on the city, and watched as Bumblebee and the Autobots gunned him down and took him into custody. Starscream tried to dissuade the other Decepticons from marching on high command to call for Megatron's release with a stirring speech about discarding the old ways, but it failed rather spectacularly, so Starscream decided to visit the medical center and appeal to Megatron directly. {{storylink|City on Fire}} This "chat" was very one-sided as Megatron offered no response to Starscream's word save a smile—though that alone was enough to terrify the Seeker. The Decepticons' march subsequently turned into a riot, during which the prison was stormed and Megatron was liberated. The Decepticon leader dragged Starscream along to the [[Black Room]], where it was revealed that Prowl, mind-controlled by Bombshell, had been working for Megatron all along. {{storylink|The Verge}} Bumblebee and Metalhawk were soon brought to the Black Room as well, and Starscream tried to explain to them that he had had no part in Megatron's scheme; Megatron verified that, save to note that Starscream's political machinations had provided a useful distraction. {{storylink|Before the Dawn}}

[[File:RID16 heavyisthehead.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Oh no, nothing's worse than <s>Cartman</s> Starscream with ''authoritah''!]]Megatron then began his endgame, unleashing a perfected Devastator upon Iacon, and forcing Starscream to watch, professing that any political victory he had won would have been one of compromise, rather than a true Decepticon triumph. {{storylink|Plan for Everything}} Rendered near-paralytic with the seeming totality of his defeat, Starscream was dragged through the streets by Megatron, until the Autobots and Metalhawk surprised him by coming to his rescue. Separated from the main fight, Starscream and Metalhawk were confronted by Turmoil, and the re-energized Starscream killed him using Metalhawk's severed arm as a blade. The Autobots then foiled Megatron's scheme, and Starscream saw his moment to strike: though he admitted to Metalhawk that he genuinely was his friend, he used Turmoil's cannon to kill him, and presented his body to the crowd as a victim of the fighting. He called for the abandonment of factions, and the majority of the population rallied behind him, appointing him their leader {{storylink|Heavy Is the Head}} and cheering for the banishment of all those who didn't renounce their faction.

The Autobots attempted to fight this, first pointing to their wounded needing care, but Starscream promised they'd be fixed up. And hey, you didn't ''have'' to leave. All you had to was just... stop being an Autobot or Decepticon.

You're almost all leaving? Such a shame. {{storylink|Second Exodus}}

===Starscream the First===
[[File:ThreeMonologues-religiousnut.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|Scoop using his [[Light-piping|fright-piping]] on Starscream.]]
Starscream's first night of leadership was a troubled one as the city of Iacon struggled to deal with the aftermath of Megatron's attack. One of the many problems he had to deal with was the blackouts that the city was suffering from. This was only made worse for Starscream by [[Scoop (G1)|Scoop]] and his construction patrol vowing to repair the city. He then visited the Medical Center to check on Dirge's condition but he was rebuffed by the former seeker. During an interview with Circuit on how he was planning to deal with the city's problems the power was restored by Scoop, it was at this moment that [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] approached him with the revelation that the power grid had been sabotaged with phosphex. As Scoop repaired the communication array he attempted to open his toolbox and instead found out that Scoop was a "religious nut" who believed Metrotitan's prophecy. When Rattrap tripped over Scoop, Starscream soon took the opportunity to accuse him of sabotaging the power grid, however Starscream later revealed that he was fully aware that Rattrap had planted the phosphex in Scoop's toolbox. {{storylink|Three Monologues}}

Soon afterwards, [[Solomus|Tyrest]]'s [[universal killswitch]] was activated, and Starscream was among those affected, and Starscream wondered if Megatron was causing it. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}} However Starscream was saved thanks to Rodimus and Perceptor's {{storylink|Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|This Calamitous Life}} He later succeeded in getting a "pep" talk from Wheeljack's headless body - who had survived being shot by Prowl earlier. {{storylink|Three Monologues}} Starscream was the one who answered when the ''Lost Light'' when they called Cybertron with Tyrest's communication system; by this point, he'd started calling the place the [[Republic of Cybertron]]. {{storylink|The Sound of Breaking Glass}} Having successfully risen to power, Starscream reneged on his deal with Onslaught. {{storylink|Applicable Skills}}

[[File:DarkCybertron1-Starscream.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Even the Mini-Cons have abandoned me.]]
After being rebuilt into a new body, Starscream's secluded admiration of his new form was interrupted by Rattrap's worries about an unidentified glow just over the horizon. A scan of the phenomenon revealed a classified-but-familiar reading, that of the [[Dead Universe]], causing Starscream to seek out the crew of the ''[[Lost Light]]'' for expertise, particularly that of [[Cyclonus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Cyclonus]]. {{storylink|Dark Dawn: Dark Cybertron Chapter 1|Dark Dawn}} Subsequently, an [[Quintessa (IDW)|undead Titan]] suddenly burst free from the ground, and so Starscream rounded up some weaponry in order to take out the behemoth, but Rattrap instead suggested caution. Starscream decided to visit Scoop in his cell, and the zealot pronounced Starscream as the dark answer to a prophesy hidden in the [[Covenant of Primes]]. {{storylink|Black Metal: Dark Cybertron Chapter 2|Black Metal}} Next Starscream visited the dead body of Metalhawk, succeeding in getting a "pep talk" out of his "old friend" as Rattrap eavesdropped. On his way out of the building, Starscream reassured his citizens that he could handle the ongoing situation—after all, he handled Megatron—and flew out towards the Necrotitan. Meanwhile, Scoop confided in Rattrap that while Starscream was the Chosen One, he may have been chosen to destroy everything. Starscream landed on the Necrotitan's shoulder and tried to start a conversation, but suddenly its eyes flashed and a deadly, chaotic wave of energy burst forth from its body. Starscream desperately tried to beat the wavefront home, but arrived just before it lay waste to the city. The wavefront had a strange and inconsistent effect on everyone, to the point that it reanimated the dead body of Metalhawk. Metalhawk beat down his murderer and abducted the captured body of Megatron, leaving with it for elsewhere. In the chaos that followed the city's destruction, Starscream soon found himself the subject of everyone's ire. {{storylink|Winners & Losers: Dark Cybertron Chapter 3|Winners & Losers}} The wave also left a strange black mark on Starscream's chest that Scoop believed was a message from [[Primus]]—Starscream was the cause of Iacon's problems. {{storylink|Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|Into the Abyss}}

He later had the mark checked out at the Iacon Medical Center by Flatline and used this as an opportunity to check on the casualties of the Necrotitan's wave. This merely led to him being berated by [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] on how he was letting the population down—only for the Necrotitan to then smash its way into the medical center. {{storylink|No Exit: Dark Cybertron Chapter 6|No Exit}} Starscream then received another berating, this time from Scoop, on how the fact he was the "Chosen One" was a responsibility to the people of Cybertron. {{storylink|The Dead Are Not Enough: Dark Cybertron Chapter 7|The Dead Are Not Enough}} He was later approached by Rattrap and the remaining Autobots and Decepticons and merely lamented that all hope of defeating Shockwave was lost while Prowl explained his plan. He did however inform Prowl of the situation at the medical center as Flatline and Fixit "teamed up", he was then present when Megatron explained his alternative plan for defeating Shockwave. {{storylink|Burning Bright: Dark Cybertron Chapter 8|Burning Bright}}

[[File:DarkCybertronFinale-StarscreamVsJhiaxus.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"Is that what I look like? My god, I'm GORGEOUS!"]]
Later, Starscream was further lamenting about the hopelessness of the situation when the Lost Light arrived with Metroplex. He was observing the battle between the Necrotitan and Metroplex when Scoop started to recite the "Dark Cybertron" prophecy and was later cured when Metroplex released the [[Ore-7]] stored within his thumb. {{storylink|Finis Temporis: Dark Cybertron Chapter 9|Finis Temporis}} Starscream was later gloating to Scoop about how the prophecy was not fulfilled when he learnt its true origin—Shockwave. It was just at this moment when Metalhawk appeared with Skywarp and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] and shot him. It was at this moment that Shockwave started to reveal his endgame to Galvatron and ''70 billion'' Ammonites appeared in the sky above Cybertron. {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}} Starscream then provided Bumblebee's group with a way of reaching Shockwave's base by revealing that Skywarp was still alive. He elected to take Waspinator along (much to Waspinator's objections) as the group required someone who knew the layout of the base, however he was nearly driven catatonic by the fact that Scoop willingly volunteered to remain behind instead of helping to defeat Shockwave with rest of the group. When he recovered he attacked Jhiaxus but the reactive armor Jhiaxus was wearing provided him with all of Starscream's new body's abilities. {{storylink|Black Planet: Dark Cybertron Chapter 11|Black Planet}} Starscream was not impressed by the reactive armor however (even going so far as accusing Jhiaxus of [[Fandom|cosplaying]] as him) and continued to fight Jhiaxus, even though Jhiaxus had the advantage due to him knowing everything that his new body contained and could do. He beat Jhiaxus by using the swords that were integrated into his body. He was later unfazed by Rattrap's claim that he would have difficulty maintaining control due to Metalhawk sacrificing himself to defeat the Ammonites by claiming that by killing them Metalhawk was a "genocidal despot" {{storylink|...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|...And the Damage Done}}

[[File:Words Hang in the Air - Honorable Starscream.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|It's good to be king, if just for a while. To be there in velvet, yeah, to give them a smile.]]

Starscream attended a meeting on the subject of what was to be done with Megatron to represent the People of Cybertron—who wanted a trial. Rodimus was not impressed with Starscream's rule of Cybertron. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} He was later called to provide a statement where he claimed to be "High Chancellor of the Refulgent Cybertronian Dynasty, Emperor Perpetua and Defender of the Realm". His statement on Megatron claimed that the former Decepticon leader was addled and impotent with a lack of control over his forces and that he deserved pity. Starscream was pleased with his statement as it increased his approval ratings with only one downside—the ratings of the Autobots increased as well. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}} Starscream's testimony had also convinced Megatron that he needed to leave behind a better legacy, and changed his plea to not guilty while invoking one of the forgotten laws of Luna-2. Starscream, fearing that Megatron wouldn't be executed as he hoped, protested, however Optimus would allow Megatron freedom of movement and shared command of the ''Lost Light''. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}}

Some time after Megatron's trial, Starscream approached Prowl and [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] to gloat about his control of Cybertron, only to be reminded by Optimus Prime that [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] was an Autobot and that Ironhide and [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] were keeping a close eye on him as well; upon being asked if he had any further comments on the situation by Circuit, he merely claimed that he couldn't feel better. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 1: Hello Cruel World|Hello Cruel World}} Some time after Metroplex started acting as a city for Cybertrons population, Starscream began mining operations on the Titan's filtration systems in an attempt to retrieve one of Shockwave's ores from the Titan, and hired some of the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]] as guards. {{storylink|A Long Way Down}}

[[File:ABotAndHerCity-importantmatters.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|It's good to be king and have your own way, get a feeling of peace at the end of the day.]]

Six months after the events of Dark Cybertron, Starscream maintained a less than healthy relationship with Windblade due to Metroplex's constant systems failures. He confronted Windblade on the constant blackouts Metroplex was suffering with the claim that the population was blaming him for the system failures, he then threatened Windblade with serious consequences if she didn't solve the problem and left with Rattrap to discuss the rebuilding Iacon again. Starscream later claimed the blast that damaged Windblade was caused by poor maintenance and later entered her recovery room uttering the phrase "Well. Look who isn't dead". {{storylink|A 'Bot and Her City}} The ruler of Cybertron then went on to insist on how the explosion was a fortunate accident as Windblade had survived it with only minor injuries. He then threatened the cityspeaker again by claiming that she would probably not be able to cheat death twice before being kicked out of the room. Starscream then asked Rattrap to ensure that he was in the clear before Windblade made a move... {{storylink|A Long Way Down}}

Starscream later oversaw the capture of Windblade and the group she had taken into Metroplex to expose his mining operations. With the group in his custody, Starscream attempted to obtain confessions to prove that Windblade was trying to undermine his regime as well as revealing the [[Badgeless]]- his new anonymous enforcers. He then tried to find out Windblade's try purpose on Cybertron as he believed that she was deliberately trying to sabotage Metroplex to gain further power. Starscream was last seen confronting Blurr and Slug as Windblade and Chromia escaped from his prison. {{storylink|Windblade issue 3|Windblade vol. 1 #3}} As Chromia and Windblade rushed towards Metroplex's brain, Starscream fought Slug and Blurr, he easily defeated them thanks to his handy shoulder cannons and then left to pursue the Camiens. Catching up to them at Metroplex's brain, Starscream was then attacked by Chromia as the fembot tried to buy more time for Windblade to merge with Metroplex. Starscream, however, managed to quickly dispatch Chromia and wound Windblade, before the Cityspeaker managed to successfully merge with the Titan. Despite this, Windblade still managed to merge with Metroplex and activate the Titan's defenses while she made one last attempt to find out who the mystery bomber was.

While Chromia attempted to convince Windblade to use Metroplex's space bridge to jump to [[Caminus (planet)|Caminus]], a desperate Starscream cried out that jumping while Metroplex still served as a city would kill all those who were not completely within the Titan's borders. Deciding to not make the jump, Windblade revealed to Starscream that there were other colonies formed by the ancient Titans and offered the use of Metroplex's space bridge to the leader of Cybertron to unite the colonies in return for not revealing any of the events surrounding the bombing to anyone else. Agreeing to the deal, Starscream left Windblade to deal with the aftermath. {{storylink|Windblade issue 4|Windblade vol. 1 #4}}

[[File:TheWorldOfTomorrow-StarscreamAltMode.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.66]]

With Monstructor still on the loose and Devastator causing trouble on Earth, Starscream became aware of his own military shortcomings. To this end, he reactivated Wheeljack, in the hopes of bringing Megatron's failed experiment [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] back into fighting shape for the sake of his regime. Still struggling to come to terms with the vastly changed Cybertron, Wheeljack reluctantly agreed and began repairing the gestalt. A Decepticon ghetto had also grown up outside Metroplex, made up of 'Cons who were disgruntled with the status quo and loathed Starscream as a sellout. {{storylink|The World of Tomorrow}}

A series of murders took place in the Decepticon ghetto, which Starscream was willing to dismiss as just one of them things but allowed his passionate officer [[Barricade (IDW)|Barricade]] to investigate. Starscream then left to welcome Optimus back to Cybertron after a six-month absence and, with Windblade, talk him through the new status quo. The Prime's social conscience saw them both walking the ghetto {{storylink|City of Steel (issue)|City of Steel}} and sparking a riot. Mid-riot, they watched the murderer kill [[Heavy Barrel (G1)|Heavy Barrel]]. {{storylink|Fight or Flee (issue)|Fight or Flee}} Eventually, Starscream settled on the [[Firecon]]s as the obvious scapegoats culprits and joined Optimus in capturing them: a mission that went disastrously wrong thanks to brutality by [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] and [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]]. {{storylink|Quest for Fire}} Optimus went on to suspect the Dinobots.

[[File:TheSumAndItsParts-StarscreamAndScoop.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

When the murderer followed up by killing ''Autobots'', Starscream told Optimus he'd been dumb and decided to raze the ghetto: the public would accept Decepticon murders but would want harsh action for Autobot ones. Barricade refused the order and went on to find a crucial clue {{storylink|The Killing Jar (issue)|The Killing Jar}} and Optimus talked Starscream into helping him with a plan: faking a fight with the Dinobots to draw out the real killer, who turned out to be Sandstorm all along. {{storylink|Forever Is a Long Time Coming (issue)|Forever Is a Long Time Coming}}

After Windblade repaired Metroplex's space bridge, Starscream hatched a plan to turn Caminus back into a protectorate of Cybertron- a plan that involved the recently purloined [[Enigma of Combination]]. Starscream recruited Swindle and the Stunticons for the job. While he bided his time, Starscream decided to pick out a new body for himself, although he was interrupted by Optimus Prime. The two bickered for a while about using Superion as a weapon (it's part of planetary security, honest) drawing up a truly representative government for Cybertron (as if!). Starscream finally shot down Optimus by pointing out that the people of Cybertron had chosen him as leader, although Optimus insisted that if Cybertron contacted its colonies, the governing body needed a council, not an empire.

On his orders, Swindle used the Enigma on the Stunticons and Starscream's mole [[Blackjack]], combining them together and re-creating [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]]. Now, however, Blackjack's short temper amplified Menasor's already prominent anger problems, creating a completely uncontrollable monster. Starscream sicced Menasor and Swindle on Caminus, intending to use the similarly revived Superion to swoop in, save the day, and win the permanent adoration of the Camiens. {{storylink|First Contact (IDW)|First Contact}} Unfortunately word got out to Optimus Prime and Windblade, forcing him to deploy Superion early on. Starscream just couldn't win, especially after Optimus- a holy figure to the people of Caminus- upstaged Starscream in front of the [[Mistress of Flame]]. {{storylink|The Sum and Its Parts}}

[[File:ThePossibleLight-StarscreamsNewBody.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]

In the lull, Starscream took the opportunity to upgrade into his new body before overseeing the first contact ceremony between Caminus and Cybertron. While he was there, he bragged about Superion and how the combiner would keep them all safe. With that done, Starscream let Swindle take the fall for his actions by throwing him in his secret prison. But then, at the Space Bridge, Optimus Prime announced on live TV that Starscream intended to build a democratic [[Council of Worlds]], throwing a wrench in Starscream's imperialistic plans and forcing him to go through. Starscream ''really'' just couldn't win. {{storylink|The Possible Light}} Starscream, Prime, and some Camiens set about hammering out a legislation, although things didn't go particularly well - mostly because Starscream knew that the Camiens would always follow Optimus Prime's vote. The meeting was quickly adjourned after Mirage brought word of an attack on the space bridge. It turned out that Prowl wasn't happy about the situation, and had decided to form Devastator and just smash the Space Bridge. Not even Superion managed to defeat him, so Starscream used the Enigma to resuscitate the defeated Aerialbots. Realizing that Superion couldn't do the job alone, Starscream zapped a recently arrived group of representatives from the ''Lost Light'', fusing them together into [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]]. The two combiners trounced Devastator, and in the aftermath Starscream had Prowl dragged off to a public jail. Not the Constructicons, though; he had plans for them... {{storylink|Mistakes and Mayhem}}

[[File:CombinerWars5-disappointed.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|'''YOU!''' Where the '''SLAG''' is your '''CHIN?''']]

Starscream stationed both of his combiners on Caminus to keep the peace and guard the space bridge before heading back to his secret prison, where he had stashed the Constructicons. Hoping to turn Devastator back to his side, Starscream used the Enigma on Scoop and the Constructicons. This new version of Devastator, while still temperamental, was willing to go along with the commands of his "Chosen One" thanks to Scoop's mental influence. After an escaped Menasor sparked a Decepticon riot, Starscream deployed Devastator to calm things down. Defensor wound up attacking Devastator, who in turn went postal and started wrecking up Caminus. Oops. {{storylink|You, Me, and the Universe}} With no other recourse, Starscream and his Badgeless troops put in a personal appearance at the space bridge, helping to keep down the non-combined Decepticons while Devastator and the newly born [[Optimus Maximus (G1)|Optimus Maximus]] tumbled from colony to colony. With Devastator defeated, Starscream's snide remarks convinced Optimus Maximus to separate so that Prowl could be arrested. {{storylink|All That Remains}} Starscream later permitted Devastator to reform so that the Constructicons could be safely removed from Caminus. {{storylink|Now and On Earth}}

{{-}}

===A weakening grip===
{{quote|''Look'' at this place. I spent ''how long'' on dank battlefields, or huddled inside ''Astrotrain'' gathering troops for ''somebody else's'' cause? I ''made'' it, goldenrod.|Starscream, "[[The Transgressors]]"}}

[[File:Windblade DS 4 Velocitronian Ambassadors.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"And I hate him already."]]

Despite finally starting to bring the colonies together, Starscream was bitter and frustrated that nobody believed he could do it and that people were talking about him behind his back... so he said to ''a hallucinated ghost Bumblebee'', who he demanded recognise that he'd finally ''made it''. Arcee, unaware of what was going on, arrived with a captured Badgeless and executed him in front of Starscream to make a point. She informed him of a growing problem with the Decepticons, who Starscream needed to keep happy on Cybertron to avoid an uprising and invasion of other planets, and that he was the only one keeping the planet together so he better try harder. {{storylink|The Transgressors}}

With Caminus in the Council, Starscream turned his attention to the next Titan colony: [[Velocitron]]. To this end he met with delegates [[Knock Out (G1)|Knock Out]] and [[Moonracer (G1)|Moonracer]], although Knock Out wasn't particularly impressed with Cybertronian culture. Starscream was disturbed by the extremely hostile planet he'd glimpsed through the Space Bridge, and mentioned to Rattrap that he wouldn't set foot on the planet if he was paid. This might be why negotiations broke down. {{storylink|Windblade vol. 2 issue 4|Windblade vol. 2 #4}}

[[File:WindbladeVol2Issue6-deadlygame.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"This game sucks. Let's play Hungry Hungry Hippos instead."]]

After Windblade decided to sneak off to Velocitron to convince them to join the Council, Starscream recruited Superion for a secret jaunt of his own: a trip to the planet [[Devisiun (planet)|Devisiun]]. The tiny modular colonists were very impressed by Superion's combiner technology, and sent [[Fireshot (G1)|Fireshot]] and [[Vanquish (G1)|Vanquish]] as delegates. Windblade had had enough of the secret power plays, though, so after a heated debate the two agreed to travel to the next colony together. That planet turned out to be [[Eukaris]], a planet colonized by xenophobic [[beast mode]] Transformers, who were less than thrilled to have vehicle-based Transformers set foot on their planet. Their Titan, [[Chela]], was even ''less'' thrilled than they were, so unhappy that he decided to just blow them up and be done with it. Starscream thought otherwise, and flew into his brain module, where he shot the Titan dead in spite of Windblade's protests. At least Eukaris decided to join the council. {{storylink|Race Against the Light}} {{storylink|Windblade vol. 2 issue 6|Windblade vol. 2 #6}}

Windblade and Starscream bickered some more after returning from Eukaris, although Starscream maintained that he had done the right thing- even saved Windblade from certain death. The next day, the two headed out to the final colony Metroplex had discovered, a spaceborne Titan he identified as [[Tempo]], crewed by philosophers. As it turned out, the ship was actually staffed by a well-armed military dictatorship. Captain [[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]] claimed that their Titan was actually named [[Vigilem|Carcer]]. Starscream tried to convince them to join the council, but his remarks just made Elita angry, and she threatened to kill him. Windblade managed to salvage the situation at the last minute, convincing them to join the council so as to counter Starscream's growing influence. {{storylink|The Will of the Few}}

[[File:ChooseMe_starscreamiest_grin.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.1|''The three words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote: Stink, stank, stunk!'']]

In a conversation with dead Bumblebee, a bitter and lonely Starscream decided to get some of the goodwill felt by the colonies' return and declared a new holiday, "[[Chosen One Day]]". While he intended for everyone to remember they owed their goodwill to ''him'' and show him some, it was misread as a holiday to show your loved ones goodwill instead. This worked in his favour as everyone assumed he'd done that deliberately. Wheeljack, Windblade, and the Council members showed up to toast him and honour him with a night of friendship. {{storylink|Choose Me}}

During a broodfest, [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] showed up with his fellow Decepticons to ''oh so politely'' ask for a 'favour': they wanted Starscream to look the other way while they used the spacebridge later. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 1: Aphelion|Aphelion}} Rather than cause trouble, Starscream allowed it and when [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] at the space port noticed the Decepticon movement, Starscream told him not to "overreact" to "a stroll". Later, unsure and talking it through with 'Bumblebee', he let an actual moment of ''conscience'' decide his actions and informed Windblade of the Decepticon movement. But a bit too late! {{storylink|Conquerors Part 2: Lagrange|Lagrange}} Starscream headed in with reinforcements to help in the form of Badgeless and Superion and was pissed to find Optimus there already with [[Victorion|his ''own'' combiner]], pulling rank again. He ordered all the defeated Decepticons rounded up for later and agreed to get the spacebridge up and running to allow Optimus to stop Galvatron on Earth. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 4: Perihelion|Perihelion}} The situation swiftly went terrible again as the Decepticons started fighting again as soon as Victorion was gone and when Starscream called in Devastator, he only trashed the place and let fugitives escape. Man, how could this get worse—Optimus declaring Earth a protectorate? Yeah, that'd do it. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 1: Once Upon a Time on Earth|Once Upon a Time on Earth}}

[[File:NewWorldsOrder-StarscreamAndBumblebee.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"And I didn't even get the lousiest of T-shirts."]]
After Windblade, Optimus et al. had kept hinting he was a dodgy neo-imperialist, Starscream was ''utterly livid'' when Optimus ''actually'' annexed a planet and part of the Council of Worlds, all without talking to anyone else. He said they couldn't give Prime a seat and justify conquest, and was left distraught when Windblade agreed but said they should give Prime the ''benefit of the doubt''. In a conversation with dead Bumblebee, Starscream compared Prime's actions to Megatron's and [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]'s and warned that this would go the same way. {{storylink|New Worlds Order}} Shortly after, Starscream witnessed a broadcast from the ''Lost Light'' of crew members about to be executed. He watched with fear as he knew they were victims of the [[Decepticon Justice Division]]. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}} Roughly around this time, Starscream came into contact with [[Airachnid (G1)|Airachnid]], a [[Eukaris|Eukarian]] [[Mnemosurgery|mnemosurgeon]] whom he tasked with finding [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle's]] body. {{storylink|The Price of You}}

Airachnid's methods however were less than subtle and following a series of mnemosurgical attacks on Decepticons around Iacon, Starscream oversaw a meeting of councillor [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]]'s Justice Committee. The Carcer delegate proposed Ironhide be appointed to investigate possible Badgeless involvement in the crimes, and Starscream reluctantly agreed to consider the proposal while feigning ignorance about the murders. After Badgeless officers shot a drunk Decepticon under suspicious circumstances later that day, Windblade accused Starscream of orchestrating the murders in an attempt to locate the seemingly missing corpse of Swindle, but the sovereign of Cybertron threatened her in return with his knowledge of Chromia's bomb plot. Immediately afterwards, Starscream was aghast to discover that video footage of the murder had surfaced and was being broadcast on the city news. {{storylink|07:00:00}}

[[File:ApplicableSkills-ourfearlessleader.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"It's out of control. It's out of control and we'll be lucky to live through it."]]

A mob of angry citizens quickly formed outside Starscream's residence. After being needled by dead Bumblebee, the ruler of Cybertron was dragged to an emergency meeting of the Council of Worlds, where he immediately proposed that the Decepticon ghetto be locked down by the Badgeless. The other councillors quickly shot down the idea, and Starscream in return refused Rattrap's proposal to summons Victorion from Earth. He went on to explain his fear that events were being manipulated by his former ally [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]], out for revenge, before eventually agreeing to a plan for the situation: appoint Ironhide the new head of the Badgeless, to carry out a full investigation of recent events. As they watched Ironhide, Starscream confided in Windblade that he didn't possess Swindle's body, before blackmailing the Cityspeaker into taking responsibility for dealing with Onslaught and his [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]]. {{storylink|Applicable Skills}}

Several weeks later, Starscream caught Windblade on the way out of a council session to demanded a report, and was told that Onslaught was, by all appearances, not carrying out any scheme or plan. They were interrupted by an incoming message for the Cityspeaker, but Starscream refused to let her answer it until he was certain she was carrying out his bidding, again dangling his knowledge of Chromia's misdeeds in front of Windblade. {{storylink|Things We Said We'd Never Do}} As it happened, the call had been from Chromia, who had now witnessed the Combaticons use the Enigma of Combination to merge with the brain-dead Swindle into [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]]. As security forces evacuated the councillors, Starscream attempted to blackmail Windblade into helping kill the rampaging combiner. Ultimately, however, Ironhide took down Bruticus, whilst Chromia admitted to her crimes on a live news broadcast, as an unhappy Starscream looked on. {{storylink|The Line Between Us}}

[[File:ItsBeginningToAndBackAgain-StarscreamAndRattrap.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"Yeah well, I'm gonna go raise my own Titan. With blackjack! And hookers! In fact, forget the Titan!"]]

Optimus (who'd been haunted by dreams of Starscream accusing him of hypocrisy) finally contacted Starscream, along with the Mistress of Flame and Soundwave, proposing to meet with each of them to discuss recent events. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 2: Edge of the Earth|Edge of the Earth}} When Prime arrived on Cybertron for his meeting with Starscream and the Council of Worlds, the ex-Decepticon took a moment to revel in the Autobot leader's newfound bad reputation before arriving fashionably late. Accusing Optimus of starting an interstellar war, Starscream dismissed Optimus as another tyrannical [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] who ''took'' power rather than being ''chosen'' like he was. Citing the general populace's loss of faith in Optimus, Cybertron's leader announced that the council would not stand with Optimus, before striding away. The next morning, Starscream summoned the news team of [[Circuit (G1)|Circuit]] and [[Longtooth]] for a special task – travelling to Earth to show everybody firsthand what Optimus Prime's actions had wrought. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message|The Medium and the Message}}

This plan worked out rather nicely for Starscream, who watched with joy as live footage of human military forces attacking Optimus Prime's troops was beamed back to Cybertron. Dead Bumblebee insisted Prime's refusal to retaliate would show his heroism, but Cybertron's leader was confident he could spin any outcome to his advantage. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 4: It's Beginning To And Back Again|It's Beginning To And Back Again}} When the humans finally surrounded Prime, Starscream was ecstatic, but moments later, was taken aback when the Autobot raised Metrotitan, thought dead, from the ground! {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 5: As Above...So Below|As Above...So Below}} The ex-Decepticon was quickly called to an emergency council meeting by Windblade. Prime's holy act changed the group's tune, and they soon decided to declare Earth a colony world. Looking out over his planet, Starscream sulked about the decision whilst Bumblebee said "I told you so" – Optimus Prime had come out on top. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 6: No Fair Fights|No Fair Fights}}

When a massive energy discharge was detected at the former site of Kaon, Starscream was roped into investigating personally by Windblade. Shockingly, they found the city intact within a crater, but this matter was quickly forgotten when the pair were called back to Iacon, where none other than the long-dead Sentinel Prime was on a rampage! Starscream fired on the false Prime, but got a [[spark disruptor]] thrown onto his chest for his troubles. Luckily for the ex-Decepticon, Windblade was able to jump the disruptor onto her own spark, where its detonation was non-fatal thanks to the differing frequency of Camien sparks. The pair quickly flew to regroup with the forces fighting Sentinel Prime at the space bridge. {{storylink|The Last Autobot}}

Discussing recent events, General [[Joe Colton]], [[Scarlett]] and [[Miles Mayhem|Miles Manheim]] recalled Starscream's part in the [[Transformer]]s' early battles over Ore-13 on Earth. {{storylink|Secret Raiders: A Revolution Prelude|Secret Raiders}} When Windblade merged with Metrotitan's mind, she saw glimpses of all her possibles pasts and futures, many of which included Starscream. {{storylink|Informed}}

[[File:Ping-Starscream.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.4|"I ''am'' the Senate."]]

Starscream and Rattrap were soon summoned to Ironhide's office to discuss turning over the [[Enigma of Combination]] to Ironhide which Starscream (shockingly) refused to do. Ironhide them gave him a stirring speech telling him it was time for Starscream to actually start leading instead of playing political games. Before anything else could be said all three of their communicators pinged at exactly the same time. Regrouping at the [[Spire]], Starscream was shocked to hear Windblade and Obsidian's report of a fleet of undead [[Titan (group)|Titans]] bearing down on Cybertron. Taking Ironhide's speech to spark, Starscream told everyone to rally for war and drafted every ship into service. After transmitting a rousing speech (and saying any ship who fled would be either shot down or declared an enemy of the state), the fighting began. While things began promisingly enough, [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] soon fell and Starscream saw fit to contact [[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]] to request [[Vigilem|Carcer]] be transformed and brought to the surface. She refused. {{storylink|Ping}} After another failed try, Starscream gathered the [[Council of Worlds]] and told them to begin evacuating Cybertron. Windblade refused to do so however believing that either she or [[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]] could access Carcer's brain and convince the Titan to aid Cybertron on their own. Agreeing, Starscream sent a contingent of Cybertronian ships and Devastator to attack Carcer as a distraction informing Elita to never underestimate the depths of his pettiness. {{storylink|Desperate Times}} While waiting for news, Bumblebee commented that Windblade and Starscream would get so much more accomplished if they were actually friends. Starscream reminded Bumblebee what [[Death|happened]] to the [[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|last person]] Starscream had considered a friend prompting a confused look from [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] at Starscream for talking to himself. {{storylink|Desperate Measures (Till All Are One)|Desperate Measures}} When Windblade had succeeded in awakening Carcer who himself had been successful in destroying the invaders Starscream cheered! {{storylink| Rubicon}}

Which was short lived because not only was Starscream informed "Carcer" was Vigilem and he'd freed [[Liege Maximo]], he soon had to preside over a court case regarding a [[Badgeless]] killing [[Drunkatron|some pleb]]. Though the Badgeless was clearly innocent, Starscream wondered if declaring him guilty would help things. He called a recess when he learned Elita was taking credit for "Carcer's" victory and called her to his office flanked by [[Fireshot (G1)|Fireshot]], [[Tigatron]], [[Moonracer (G1)|Moonracer]] and the [[Mistress of Flame]]. When Elita arrived, she recapped the history of Maximo and his Titan before explaining she'd thought to keep their existence a secret in case someone might have proven foolish, arrogant or desperate enough to free the ancient Prime before telling the Council to ready themselves for war against the member of the [[Thirteen]] and walked off. Starscream agreed that, for the moment, Maximo's freedom should be kept a secret before the Mistress of Flame requested Chromia be turned over to her. Starscream refused so the Mistress instead requested [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] and the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]]. Bumblebee soon appeared to Starscream and told him what to do: Rule the Badgeless innocent, hand over Chromia and stand against Elita. When Starscream pointed out doing all three would make him an easy target, Bumblebee said Starscream was choosing to fight and he could be better. Too bad Starscream didn't believe that himself as he convicted the innocent 'bot. He then freed Chromia into the Mistress's custody on the condition that she hunt down and slay Liege Maximo. {{storylink|Heavy}}

[[File:ThePriceOfYou-StarscreamBumblebee.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|"The way is open."]]
With Elita soon ready to return to orbit, Starscream was summoned by Airachnid to give her report on the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]]. Airachnid revealed that while it was normally impractical to try and alter the minds of so many, she could do so after the five had combined but needed a willing lynchpin to make sure the other four didn't pick up on the lie. Starscream had Airachnid patch him into [[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off's]] mind where Starscream offered to make his dream of "domestic bliss" with Onslaught a reality. Blast Off agreed and Starscream later spoke with Ironhide that the now loyal Combaticons would not be prosecuted since Airachnid had discovered (through genuine medical examination of course) that the Combaticons could not be held culpable for their actions. {{storylink|The Price of You}} Starscream was soon approached by [[Windblade's doctor|a doctor]] who brought him to [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] revealing her to not be brain dead but to have shut down due to ''too much'' data in her brain. Deducing it was Vigilem, Starscream nonetheless refused to delegate a mnemosurgeon. This was the final straw for Bumblebee who demanded to know why Starscream always pushed good people away. Starscream responded that every time he opened himself up, life (usually wearing Megatron's face) would beat the tar out of him. Seeing the odd looks he was getting, Starscream pretended to turn on his comm. and told Bumblebee to leave if he was so disgusted by him. And leave Bumblebee did. Starscream then allowed Blast Off to see Swindle while consulting Airachnid about how to help Windblade. The answer was simple: A third bot would enter her head and help her destroy Vigilem assuming the strain of three minds didn't kill all three. Reluctantly Starscream realized he had no choice but to help her. {{storylink|If I Know You}}

Starscream arrived and made a heroic entrance by shooting Vigilem in the back. Alas, Windblade was not grateful as Starscream had failed to consider a risk in the plan. By linking his mind to hers, Vigilem was able to access it and escape through Starscream. The evil Titan smirked and adopted the form of Starscream's worst fear: [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]].

[[File:Your First Mistake - Screamys True Form.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.4|"Oh, no forged body for Starscream huh? Fine. I'll go build my own Vector Sigma. With blackjack! And hookers! In fact, forget the Vector Sigma and the blackjack! Aw screw the whole thing."]]
Now in Starscream's mind, Vigilem began beating Starscream through all his bodies wearing down his confidence before he prepared to execute him and take his body. Windblade saved him by scooping up Starscream's spark before she witnessed his birth. Horrified by cold construction, Windblade summoned a mental copy of the [[Forge of Solus Prime]] and began forging Starscream's true self, each strike bringing up a mental projection of someone who had an impact on Starscream's life, the ghosts holding off Vigilem. When she was done, Starscream stood as a towering version of what he would like were his spark allowed to shape its own body. Stomping down Vigilem, the two jets were able to defeat the Titan and returned to the real world though Starscream insisted nothing had changed. Windblade cheekily bounced away telling Starscream not to be so foolish or close minded and that she'd now be her own bot and not just a mouthpiece for others. {{storylink|Your First Mistake}}

Optimus Prime later showed up to try and petition the [[Council of Worlds]] to grant [[Earth]] a spot on the Council and trade with the [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]]. Starscream refused both citing the [[Tyrest Accord]] saying Cybertron needed its resources to rebuild and that aliens were likely to use Cybertronian technology to ''attack'' Cybertron. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 3: Behind My Bleeding Back|Behind My Bleeding Back}} When [[Jazz (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jazz]] was interviewed by humans, he remembered Starscream's presence in the invasion of Earth as well as mentioning that Starscream now ruled Cybertron. {{storylink|What It's Really Like}} When [[Sideswipe (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sideswipe]] was given a mental projection to die peacefully, he remembered Starscream's deal with Sunstreaker. {{storylink|The Life of Sideswipe}}

When Optimus and [[Pyra Magna]] returned to Cybertron to the [[Rust Sea|Sea of Rust]], Starscream spied on them from afar with Bumblebee. Starscream scoffed at how saccharine Bumblebee's origins were before the conversation turned to [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Onyx Prime]]. Starscream then flew off while commenting to Bumblebee that the yellow 'bot was just a figment of the Seeker's imagination. {{storylink|Ghost Stories}}

While a new [[hot spot]] had lit up in [[Alyon]] a few months earlier, Starscream was in no rush to harvest the sparks and instead kept its existence a secret, explaining to an outraged [[Swift (G1)|Swift]] that what with all the recent attacks, Cybertron was currently too dangerous to introduce a new generation to. He also sought to take care of the Dinobots, who'd gone rogue, killed many Badgeless and supposedly kidnapped [[Strafe (IDW)|Strafe]], but since they were still Autobots and he didn't want conflict with Optimus Prime, he acted off the record by offering Sandstorm freedom in exchange for their deaths. Unfortunately the Alyon sparks were stolen by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] and used to revive [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]. prompting Starscream to deploy Devastator in Iacon's defense. After Trypticon was freed from Bludgeon's control and made off with the sparks, Starscream recovered the defeated Bludgeon, one of his mutated sparks and the remains of Slug, and began making plans. {{storylink|The Transformers: Salvation|Salvation}} The experiments eventually bore fruit, succeeding in bringing Slug back to life. {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 1}}

[[File:OriginMyths-Starscream.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|Pay no attention to me being the ''Combiner Wars'' body again for just this issue]]

Soon before Earth announced its chosen ambassador, ''Lord'' Starscream (best to get in the habit now) was called to Alpha Trion's apartment (and was bemused by the books) where the old sage recounted the origins of the Autobot insignia. Starscream, failing to grasp the story's meaning, questioned whether he was supposed to be [[The Fallen|Megatronus]] or Arcee, expressed disbelief that Arcee and Galvatron were twins, found "Megatronus" to be a made-up name and asked that since Alpha Trion said all stories were lies, why should be believe any of it? Earth then called to announce its representative to the [[Council of Worlds]], [[Marissa Faireborn]]. Starscream grumbled and said he'd prepare the plaza. {{storylink|Origin Myths}}

As the ceremony started, Starscream began a speech only for an explosion to cut him off. Demanding a status report from Ironhide and Windblade, he learnt that [[Red Shadows|tiny red robots]] were waiting to strike inside false Cybertronians. Starscream suspected human involvement and ordered the Space Bridge closed. {{storylink|First Strike issue 1|First Strike #1}} Heroically cowering in the [[Spire]], Starscream accused Elita One of treachery only for the femme to say humans were responsible and prepared to execute Marissa. Marissa however soon humbled Elita into calling for reinforcements from Carcer...only for the [[Solstar Order]] to transmit to Cybertron that they'd detected Dire Wraith energy signatures emanating from Cybertron and had quarantined the planet. Starscream called foul on this, familiar with the tactics of the Dire Wraiths and suspected Elita was up to another trick but the Carcerian informed him that Cybertron was on its own. {{storylink|First Strike issue 2|First Strike #2}} The debate of what to do continued until [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] and [[M.A.S.K.]] were brought before the Council where Elita ordered them executed. {{storylink|First Strike issue 3|First Strike #3}}

As the Council debated over that, Starscream advised Elita not to mention her past before he shut everyone up and reminded them of the fact that he was in charge of Cybertron and thus the final decision was his. Conceding that tricking Soundwave was nigh-impossible, Starscream asked [[Scarlett]] what Colton's plan was and she revealed to knowing nothing save a gut feeling that it involved some sort of bomb. Scoffing at the threat of humans bringing any harm to Cybertron, he threw G.I. Joe and M.A.S.K. in jail under suspicion charges before informing Optimus that not everyone shared Elita's feeling about him, some hated him even more than she did. Despite his posturing however, he sent Ironhide and [[Sunstreaker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sunstreaker]] after Colton so as to not look weak with approval to use lethal force. {{storylink|First Strike issue 4|First Strike #4}}

[[File:FirstStrike5-satisfying.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.9|Perhaps... a quiet chuckle.]]

[[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] soon brought the news that Optimus had broken the humans out of jail with Windblade arriving soon after to deliver the same news. Before doing anything, Starscream took a moment to enjoy the fact that everyone had come to him for help in stopping Optimus Prime.

Starscream then called in Ironhide and directed everyone to follow Optimus's trail, with orders to bring the humans in alive. Elita surprisingly offered herself and Obsidian as backup, though Starscream reminded her that he was in charge. {{storylink|First Strike issue 5|First Strike #5}}

The group caught up with the hostiles outside the core chamber, where Starscream placed everyone under arrest and fired a missile at Optimus, before engaging him in melee combat. The fighting was interrupted by [[Merklynn|Garrison Kreiger]] activating the alien [[Talisman (G1)|Talisman]] and revealing himself as an alien sorcerer known as Merklynn, creating [[New Prysmos]] and teleporting all combatants back to Iacon. On the surface, Starscream took Colton's rueful mumblings as his "witnessed confession" but was prevented from executing the human by Scarlett. {{storylink|First Strike issue 6|First Strike #6}}

With Cybertron's own energon now unpalatable to its people, Starscream sampled the human-made substitute. It was terrible. At a Council meeting to debate the energy crisis, Starscream opined that the [[Solstar Order]] was indebted to Cybertron for their obstructive blockade before he was called away by Optimus Prime and [[G.B. Blackrock|Garrison Blackrock]]. Scoffing at Prime's accusations regarding the Seeker concealing the existence of the newborn [[protoform]]s, Starscream loaned them [[Slag (G1)|Slug]] and sent them on their way, {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 1}} hoping that the protoforms would then be turned over to him. {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 2 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 2}} When [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] used the [[Void Scepter]] to make Slug attack the Dinobots, Bumblebee noted he was not acting according to Starscream's plan. {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 1}} After being informed of this, the Seeker came running and shattered the Void Scepter before going on a rant about his plan falling apart. {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 2 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 2}}

Soon afterwards, Starscream repaired Bludgeon and the Void Scepter, sending the mad scientist out into the galaxy to rally all the lost Decepticon cells and bring them back into the fold. {{storylink|Unstopped and Unstoppable}} {{storylink|Stranger Eons}}

From atop his tower, Starscream watched the unwashed masses lavish praises onto Optimus with ''[[The Birth of Cybertron]]'' playing in the background. The old film gave Starscream an idea to consolidate his power and win over [[Earth]]. To that end, he sought out [[Thundercracker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Thundercracker]] and hired him to produce [[Starscream: The Movie (film)|a biographical film]] about Starscream's life. {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}}

[[File:TheChosenOne-imsorry.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|''I guess I gotta give part two of my confessions'' ''If I'm gonna tell it, then I gotta tell it all'']]

To mark Windblade's return to the Council of Worlds, Starscream called in [[Circuit (G1)|Circuit]] and [[Longtooth]] for a photo-op but promptly kicked them out when Windblade nearly revealed [[Liege Maximo]]'s freedom. When Windblade stormed off to inform Circuit and Longtooth of this news, Starscream promised to look the other way if the [[Mistress of Flame]] wanted to tackle Windblade down. On [[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]]'s "advisement", Starscream called for free elections and confessed to Bumblebee that after seeing his "true self", he only had the best intentions for Cybertron, before organizing the debate schedule. Later on, he outlined his power infrastructure plans to Bumblebee before Windblade arrived with a briefcase containing all of his very dirty laundry. Unable to manipulate Windblade anymore, Starscream aggressively began looking for holes in the evidence, only to learn Bumblebee would not help him, saying the Seeker had to decide how much his future expansion meant to him. {{storylink|The Chosen One}}

Thundercracker then visited Starscream to find out what the Decepticons had meant to the chancellor. Starscream claimed it had been his job to point the Decepticons on the path of righteousness. A task that had failed due to the Decepticons ignoring Starscream's advice. But now they weren't. Now everyone listened to Starscream. {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}}

At the electoral debate, Starscream listened to Windblade's speech before he had a moment of conscience and, before all of Cybertron, confessed each and every one of his crimes (which took over an hour), costing him everything and landing him a life sentence.

Visiting him in his cell, Windblade gifted Starscream with a holo-projector of his forged body, signifying that he had finally fulfilled the ancient prophecy of the "Chosen One". By getting Cybertron to turn against him, he had succeeded in uniting the planet. {{storylink|The Chosen One}}

Incorporating this latest development into his film, Thundercracker visited Starscream in his cell and showed him the finished product. Displaying uncharasteric concern for others' feelings, Starscream claimed the film was "delightful but irrelevant" given his imprisonment. Despite his attempts to bury the film, Thundercracker was insistent on it getting out prompting Starscream to request [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] pass along a message to a friend. On Starscream's orders, two [[Badgeless]] then diverted Thundercracker to [[Prion (planet)|Prion]] where they tried to kill him. {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}}

===Decepticon once again===
[[File:AnotherMine-TrueSelfHologram.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.66|''So, yes, I still do bad things But are they actually bad? No!'']]
Starscream took his life sentence in stride, happy to let others carry the burden of planetary leadership and convinced his reign would be viewed, at worst, as a step in the right direction. When [[Scoop (G1)|Scoop]] arrived to vent his disappointment, the discussion was interrupted when Bumblebee told Starscream that [[Nemesis (BWII)|a gigantic optic]] had appeared in the sky. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 1: Surfeit of Primes|Surfeit of Primes}} The confusion passed quickly as the Seeker was more content to stare at the holo-image of his "true" self and languish what he could have been if he'd been allowed to live as he was meant to. Bumblebee disputed that believing everyone was defined by the sum of their own experiences and that, at least in part, Starscream's imprisonment was on him. Starscream disagreed. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 2: Another Mine|Another Mine}} Soon enough, [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] broke Starscream out of prison, hailing him as the Chose One once again, before Metrotitan space bridged in to do the same. As Metrotitan began an attack on Nemesis, the evil Titan simply fired a crippling shot through his brother's torso, downing him. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 3: The Ground|The Ground}}

After witnessing Onyx Prime, throw Optimus into the [[Crystal City]] [[black hole]], Devastator revealed to Starscream his theory that the Seeker was the reincarnation of [[the Fallen]]. Deciding to spin this to his advantage, Starscream had Devastator carry him to Metrotitan whereupon he set the combiner on the Autobots while Bumblebee vanished. Conversing with the Titan, Starscream was elated to find out he really was divine... whereupon Shockwave, who had been sent back in time and posed as Onyx Prime, arrived to reveal he had masterminded the "Chosen One" prophecy as a means of keeping a vain fool in charge of Cybertron and leaving the planet unprotected for his machinations. To punctuate his statement, Shockwave slew Metrotitan leaving Starscream to mutter where Bumblebee had gone. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|The Hallowing}} His will to fight completely gone, Starscream despondently made his way back to his cell only to be noticed by the rioting Decepticons. After he explained himself to them, they hesitatingly suggested that he become the [[Decepticon leader]] once again. Though initially dismissive of such a prospect, Starscream soon realized he was the best choice for such a job. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 5: Endless Forever|Endless Forever}} Once Shockwave had been captured and the [[Maximal]]s had retreated, Starscream resumed leadership of the Decepticons, leading his army away to draw up plans of conquest. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 6: Unforgivable|Unforgivable}} Camping out in Metrotitan's corpse, Starscream outlined his plans to the Decepticons, and defended his choice of a hideout, before [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] entered seeking to bring Starscream to Shockwave. {{storylink|Unstopped and Unstoppable}}

[[File:Unicron6 Starscream's Sacrifice.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|left|"Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong."]]

When he arrived, Shockwave told Starscream of his plans to create a new [[Decepticon Empire]], with Starscream in charge, but said Cybertron would have to be sacrificed to [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]. Scoffing at the offer, Starscream instead went to meet with the Camien refugees and announced he would be saving Cybertron. {{storylink|Last Stand (Unicron)|Last Stand}} When brought to the Council war room, Starscream revealed the existence of the [[Decepticon Vengeance Division]], a fleet of capital ships, all capable of destroying whole planets, that he'd ordered to corner and destroy Unicron at [[G Nebula 89]]. As debates flew over what course of action to take, [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] revealed the DVD was already facing Unicron to no effect. Soon enough, the monster had freed itself from the DVD and teleported to Cybertron, now having attained a [[robot mode]]. {{storylink|Stranger Eons}} In light of this, Starscream proposed space bridging away, even more so when it was revealed the [[Talisman (G1)|Talisman]] could kill Unicron if left behind. Unwilling to allow to sacrifice so many, Soundwave telepathically informed every Decepticon that their leader was willing to abandon them causing them to swarm into Metroplex. When Windblade began working on an alternate strategy, Starscream voted to stay, claiming he owed Windblade for the faith she'd put in him. {{storylink|Our Finest}} Metroplex did indeed space bridge to Earth soon after though all Starscream did was grumble about the humidity in the [[Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park]], an attitude which earned him a sock to the jaw from Arcee. {{storylink|Road's End}}

After waving off some employee complaints about his leadership, Starscream attended the briefing on Unicron where he told Jetfire to cut to the chase. As part of the final plan to save the universe, Starscream reunited with Skywarp and Thundercracker, ferrying Optimus Prime to Unicron so the Prime could use the Talisman to destroy the Chaos Bringer. {{storylink|Assembly (Unicron)|Assembly}} Though the fliers initially managed to slip past the mutated DVD, Skywarp and Thundercracker were soon forced to fall back, the latter tossing Starscream the Talisman. Unable to reach Unicron's core without Skywarp, Starscream realized there was only one way to complete the mission. After requesting that they give his best to Windblade, Starscream activated the Talisman, its magical energies consuming him completely but allowing the device to burrow its way to Unicron's core, ultimately allowing the monster to be felled. {{storylink|Ceremony}}

In the new era, Bumblebee became Cybertron's ambassador to the [[Galactic Council]]. Before the scout left Earth, he conversed with the ghostly Starscream on a beach. Though Bumblebee openly invited his friend to join him, the Seeker knew he wouldn't be welcome. When the scout thought Starscream was annoyed that Optimus would receive all the credit for saving the universe, Starscream laughed it off, content that people would simply remember him. {{storylink|Post}}

==Spotlight: Mirage==
At the war's end, Starscream and a small team of Decepticons accompanied the mercenary [[Mirage (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Mirage]] to the [[Pegasus Star Cluster]]. He led the Decepticons into the Autobot bunker after Mirage destroyed the Autobot security system, but stood back during the ensuing fight. After Megatron ordered the Autobot prisoners executed, Starscream held [[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]] back as Mirage prepared to kill [[Hound (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hound]].

But it was all Mirage's dream... or was it? {{storylink|Spotlight: Mirage}}

==Notes==
[[File:Wfc-starscream-0.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb]]
*Starscream's appearance in the first half of ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' seems to be based more on this concept drawing of him for the ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (games)|War for Cybertron]]'' game, rather than his actual appearance in either of the two games. This is most noticeable when looking at his pelvic region and thighs.
*Also, the crown he occasionally wears in later issues of the comic is based on the crown he sports in ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]'', which in itself is based on the crown he wears in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
*As the issues go by, Starscream takes to a habit of changing into a new body whenever the toyline at the time releases a new toy rendition of him, which is eventually explained in-universe as a subconscious rejection of his bodies. Or maybe he's just a vain git.

==External links==
*{{i|Starscream}} at the IDW Hasbro Wiki

[[Category:Council members]]
[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Seekers]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) Transformers]]
[[Category:Matrix bearers]]
[[Category:Neutrals]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Rulers of Cybertron]]

Mercenary Pursuits

2019-10-19T01:04:34Z

RyRodrigo: /* Synopsis */

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=4
|image=Mercenary Pursuits Rattrap 2heads.jpg
|caption=So which one is Rosie Greer?
|title="Mercenary Pursuits"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=[[October 9]], [[1999]]
|written by=[[Michael Reaves]]
|directed by=[[Raul Sanchez Inglis]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''The Maximals have a second run-in with the Vehicon generals, and sense the presence of a familiar spark.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] rebukes his [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]] generals for failing to destroy the [[Maximal]]s, refusing to accept failure; he sends them forth with promises of rewards to whichever one captures the Maximals.

[[File:Mercenary Pursuits Optimus Primal holograms.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb]]
[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] contemplates the images of [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] and [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] and vows to find them. His meditation is interrupted when he senses the presence of a [[spark]]; the team goes out to find it. During the search, [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] beaks into a secure laboratory and discovers the transformation inhibitor virus which Megatron used... and a counter-virus as well, a transformation enhancer. Rattrap swipes the enhancer while [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]]'s back is turned.

[[File:Mercenary Pursuits Tankor search.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|"For the last time, Cheetor, I am ''not'' going to fling my poop at the Tank Drones as a distraction."]]
While [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] and [[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] squabble, [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] manages to find the Maximals, who elude him by reverting to [[beast mode]]... until Rattrap shows up, able to transform at last thanks to the enhancer. This alerts Tankor, of course, who attacks the team. Rattrap finds he's unable to control his transformations, as he continually changes between [[robot mode|robot]] and beast mode, passing through strange intermediate forms.

Tankor manages to trap the Maximals under a metal dome. Thrust and Jetstorm arrive and fight Tankor for the right to bring in the captive Maximals; the distraction allows the Maximals escape from the dome, but an explosion knocks out all the Transformers present, leaving only the durable Tankor standing.

[[File:Mercenary Pursuits Megatron Optimus bound.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Now tell me, Maximal... how did you like my poem?]]
At the Citadel, Megatron gloats to the captured Maximals, while Tankor demands his reward: "freedom" via the removal of his spark. Rattrap's continual transformations strain his bonds to the breaking point, freeing him; he quickly releases the others. During the ensuing fight, Megatron loses control and breaks free of his control harness; Primal talks directly to Tankor's spark, compelling him to do what is right. After a moment of confusion, Tankor blasts open the door so the Maximals can escape, and leaves with them.

[[File:Mercenary Pursuits Tankor maximals.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|One of these things is not like the other]]
Restored to his harness, Megatron interfaces directly with Tankor's CPU, deleting the last 20 cycles of his memory. Thus Tankor suddenly attacks the Maximals again as they travel underground; Megatron blocks Primal's attempts to speak to Tankor's Spark again. The Maximals trip up Tankor as he's preparing to fire; the cannon backblast sends him flying upwards through Cybertron's sublevels, only to crash back down to the surface atop a startled Thrust and Jetstorm.

Optimus Primal explains to the other Maximals that he sensed something familiar about Tankor's spark... but then it was gone.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (5)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (6)
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (7)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (8)

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]]
|c2=
*[[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] (1)
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (2)
*[[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] (3)
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (4)
}}

==Quotes==
"An interesting tale. Now here are some meaningful words. I am your creator. Please me and I shall reward you. Disappoint me and you shall suffer. A difficult choice?"
:—'''Megatron''' attempts to raise his troops' morale.

'''Cheetor:''' Use me for target practice?! THAT'S IT!! I Am Trans... 
'''Optimus Primal:''' Negative. These storage bins may contain explosives. 
'''Blackarachnia:''' [''scoffs''] Aren't you being just a ''little'' overcautious? 
[''Tankor blows up a storage bin, triggering the explosion of other storage bins in the vicinity.''] 
'''Optimus Primal:''' Next question?
:—'''Optimus Primal''', showing the other Maximals why he's the big banana.

"Transform back before Tankor locks in on you." 
"But..but...I am ''transformed!''"
:—'''Optimus Primal''' talks sense to '''Rattrap''' who appears to be having an off-day.

"Now, if there are no further interruptions." 
"I'm afraid there will be."
:—'''Megatron''' is clued in by '''Optimus'''.

"Tankor! Tankor!" 
"I'm sorry, Tankor is not available at the present time. Would you like to leave a message?"
:—'''Optimus Primal''' tries to contact Tankor's spark again and gets '''Megatron''' instead.

[''After escaping Tankor, parts of Rattrap's body changes uncontrollably from beast to robot mode''] 
'''Blackarachnia:''' Rattrap, what are you doing? 
'''Rattrap:''' The hokey-pokey! What's it look like? I can't...stop! 
'''Cheetor:''' The transformation enhancers. Tell me you didn't! 
'''Rattrap:''' Can we.. [''twitches once, robot mode head pops out and speaks simultaneously with his beast mode head''] discuss this...later? 
:—Two heads are ''not'' better than one with '''Rattrap'''.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
*As Optimus says "I'm closing in on the spark," the colored bands on his beast mode arms are turned sideways.
* When Jetstorm throws Thrust at the building, Thrust looks exactly the same as the Cycle Drones, but then at the just before he transforms, he is back to normal.
* When Blackarachnia tells Rattrap to transform back into beast mode, one of her legs clips through her abdomen.
* As Rattrap comes to a halt while he and his team are fleeing from the generals, his tails keeps clipping into the ground.
* When Optimus confronts Tankor, and then as the latter drops the dome the Maximals, Optimus' hand is clipping through his forearm-guards – not an uncommon error, due to his design.
*When Jetstorm and Thrust stand off against Tankor, in the shot from underneath Thrust as he rolls backward towards the camera, Tankor in the distance has a solid blue Tank Drone chestplate instead of his red-banded chestplate.
* When Megatron glares at the Maximals after they simultaneously transform, his scar is over his left eye instead of his right.
* As the Maximals react to Megatron closing the gate, Cheetor's legs clip through each other.
* The sparks shooting out of Tankor when Megatron electrocutes him cast shadows – another common error in the show.
* When Optimus calls out to Tankor to follow them, and he twists around, a piece in the middle of Tankor's back doesn't turn with him.

===Continuity errors===
* At the end of the previous episode, Rattrap was excited to inform Optimus about the missing Rhinox and Silverbolt. But in this episode, he is instead annoyed about Optimus having been told about them.
* If the Maximals are immune to the debilitating effects of the transformation virus, shouldn't the counter-virus have no effect on them either?

===Continuity notes===
* Optimus is mourning the missing-in-action [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] and [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] at the start of the episode. Clearly, Blackarachnia opted to tell her leader about her discoveries in "[[Fires of the Past]]".
* Blackarachnia mentions to her trip to [[Central Spaceport]] and Megatron almost hacking into her memories, which occurred in the same episode.
* Rattrap's inability to transform has been an issue since "[[Master of the House]]".
* Some more hints about the state of Cybertron: the transformation virus that prevented the Maximals from transforming in "[[The Reformatting]]" is finally identified.
* Gadgets and powers:
** Optimus Primal displays his burgeoning spiritual side as he telepathically contacts Tankor.

===Real-world references===
* As Rattrap finds the transformation enhancer, he exclaims "Good-bye fur coat; hello full metal jacket!" A ''full metal jacket'' is a copper bullet casing commonly used by infantrymen, as well as the {{w|Full Metal Jacket|title of a Stanley Kubrick film}}.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Poursuite'''" ("Pursuit")

:*''Title:'' "'''Le Mercenaire'''" (Canada, "The Mercenary")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die Jagd'''" ("The Hunt")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 6]], [[2000]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Higan no Henshin'''" (悲願の変身, "The Dearly Wished Transformation")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[November 14]], [[2004]]

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Persecuciones Mercenarias'''" ("Mercenary Pursuits")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Shúxī de Huǒzhǒng '''" (熟悉的火种, "Familliar Sparks")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2004 — ''Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Returns'' — Volume 1 ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Geneon Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2006 — ''Beast Machines: Transformers'' — The Complete Series ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Season One: Volume One ([[Sony]]) 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Season One: Volume One — Reformatting (Sony) 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Complete Season One (Sony) 
[[File:Flag of France.png|20px|France]] 2009 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Intégrale Saison 1 (Sony) — French audio only.

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity

2019-09-16T16:27:20Z

RyRodrigo: /* The Decepticon ideal */

{{factions|senator|decepticon}}
{{suite}}
[[File:StarscreamIDWF22-Infiltration4cvrA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|"BANZAAAAI KICK!"]]

Ever the opportunist, '''Starscream''''s boundless ambition drew him into the nascent Decepticon movement and catapulted him through the ranks as Cybertron collapsed into endless war. Though an intelligent, capable leader in his own right, Starscream struggled to distinguish himself from the shadow of [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]]–a relationship that ended with Megatron invariably reminding Starscream of his place after several failed coups and bungled stints at leadership.

Following the end of the war and the revitalization of Cybertron, Starscream found the burden of leadership placed on his shoulders once more after a wayward [[Titan (group)|Titan]] declared him Cybertron's "Chosen One", destined to reunite and rebuild their ruined world. A subsequent series of crises saw Starscream leaving the Decepticons forever, establishing himself as the "High Chancellor" of Cybertron's growing [[NAIL|neutral population]] and carving out a new anti-factionalist government in the ruins of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]]. But even after finally achieving his dream, Starscream still seems to be the same person he's always been: self-serving, prideful, treacherous, and perfectly willing to cheat, lie, and step on other 'bots to get his own way. His stubborn refusal to change his ways for the greater good is a constant thorn in the side of his reluctant allies.

Beneath it all, though, Starscream struggles with the ramifications of his morally dubious actions and the growing shadow of his future legacy–a struggle that, in the end, he may not win.

{{First|[[Infiltration issue 0|''Infiltration'' #0]]}}

{{quote|What kind of monster '''are''' you?|quote2=A '''goal-oriented''' one.|[[Stardrive]] and Starscream|[[Shining Armor issue 1|''Shining Armor'' #1]]}}

__TOC__
==Fiction==
===There at the beginning===
[[File:OP19-YoungStarscream.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.2]]
Starscream was [[Reproduction|constructed cold]]. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}} As with all constructed cold Transformers, Starscream's [[spark]] carried genetic instructions for a "natural" shape, but the circumstances of his birth meant that his Spark was simply implanted into one of many identical, pre-constructed bodies. Over the course of his life, Starscream developed a predilection for periodically changing bodies; [[Windblade (G1)|some]] would interpret this as a sign that his spark was still trying to find its "true form," {{storylink|Your First Mistake}} while [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|others]] would simply write it off as a sign of his vanity. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 2: Another Mine|Another Mine}}

In his early life, Starscream studied at the prestigious [[Nova Point Academy]], but eventually moved to the city of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], where he became a street hustler running scams for his personal gain and ran afoul of a young police officer named [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Orion Pax]]. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|The Hallowing}} Unlike most members of Cybertron's [[flight class]], Starscream took pride in his [[alternate mode]], and, eventually, his silver tongue landed him a handsomely-paying job as a precinct [[Senate|senator]] in [[Vos (polity)|Vos]]. {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}} Disappointed by the lack of fame or respect this job offered, he spent most of his time drinking and reluctantly attending political rallies when he could be dragged away from the bar. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|The Hallowing}} Eventually, Starscream grew tired of politics and used his political connections to embezzle a vast sum of money from his constituents before deserting his post. He used his new fortune to recruit a pair of [[Outlier (group)|outliers]] named [[Skywarp (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Skywarp]] and [[Thundercracker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Thundercracker]] from the [[Jhiaxian Academy of Advanced Technology]]. After arranging their release from the school, he convinced the duo to undergo extensive rebuilds so that they'd look like him, a way to confuse any taxpayers who tried to pursue him. {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}}

[[File:MegOrigin3 seekers.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Some four million years ago, he became a fan of the [[Gladiatorial combat|gladiatorial games]] that existed in Cybertron's underworld, {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 2|Megatron Origin #2}} and came to idolize the rhetorician-turned-gladiator [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]] for his teachings that Transformers didn't ''have'' to [[Functionism|accept their lot]] in life. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}} The trio were eventually approached by [[Soundwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Soundwave]]; {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}} seeing Megatron's nascent uprising as good a place as any to lose himself, {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}} Starscream and his two lackeys believed that they were joining Megatron's team in the arena, but, after pledging allegiance to the Decepticon leader, learned that their leader had other plans for them: his [[Decepticon]] movement required air support as they made the move from activists to insurgents and beyond. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}}

Early on, the charismatic and cunning Starscream was tasked with recruitment of others to the Decepticon cause; significantly, he was the one assigned to approach the disenfranchised [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Senator Shockwave]] and bring him into the fold. {{storylink|Shockwaves}} Starscream was also given another key Senate-related task when he and his fellow Seekers were ordered to capture Senator [[Decimus]], who would then supposedly be executed at Megatron's next recruitment rally. When security forces intervened in the rally and arrested the Decepticons, Starscream bargained for his freedom by offering to reveal all of Megatron's plans. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}} However, this turned out to have ''been'' Megatron's plan—brought before an emergency assembly of the Senate for questioning, Starscream, together with Soundwave, executed the Senators with Starscream personally executing [[Proteus]] himself. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}} The two then freed every prisoner in the building, with Starscream arming the prisoner and even presenting Megatron with his the [[fusion cannon]] that would become his signature weapon. He then joined in their attack on [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]], during which he bested [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]]. The battle culminated in Megatron's defeat of [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]], whose body Starscream dumped in front of Sentinel's men in a fly-by. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 4|Megatron Origin #4}}

Following the ascension of [[Zeta Prime]], the Decepticons were forced back underground for a time but continued their militarization: arming sympathizers with weapons—ostensibly in the name of "self-defense"—Starscream coordinated several illegal arms shipments from off-world suppliers, showing off his handiwork to a shocked [[Soundwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Soundwave]]. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 3: Behind My Bleeding Back|Behind My Bleeding Back}} When it became clear that Orion's Autobots would crack down on this gunrunning, Starscream rigged the latest arms shipments to detonate if the Autobots ever found it, {{storylink|New Cybertron End: Feel Safe Without Regrets|Feel Safe Without Regrets}} assuring Soundwave that the Decepticons caught in the crossfire were making the ultimate sacrifice for the cause. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost|Future Glories Lost}}

When gunrunners [[Horri-Bull]] and [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] had their latest transaction revealed as an Autobot-coordinated sting operation, Starscream destroyed the weapons cache, leaving Soundwave to lie to the two that the Autobots had booby-trapped the shipment. Though Soundwave was appalled, Starscream felt Megatron would have approved. {{storylink|New Cybertron End: Feel Safe Without Regrets|Feel Safe Without Regrets}}

[[File:SLBlurr starscream recruits blurr.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"Damn, Starscream, how come they let you have two theme songs?" "Because I'm the bad guy! ...but you can trust me!"]]

With war now definitively declared, Starscream continued in his recruitment duties; he was unable to convince the youthful [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hot Rod]] to join the Decepticons {{storylink|Ruins}}, and had similarly bad luck with racing champion [[Blurr (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Blurr]] despite a very pointed effort. Not long after, Starscream was part of a unit that tried to stop Blurr from couriering a message to new planet leader [[Zeta Prime]]. {{storylink|Spotlight: Blurr}} At some point after Zeta Prime's ascent to leadership, Starscream participated alongside [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] and Thundercracker in a mission to rescue Soundwave from the [[Institute|New Institute]]. {{storylink|Remembrance Day}} His identity evidently unknown to most, Starscream was also positioned as a delegate to the new Senate that was formed by Zeta Prime, though exactly who or where he was masquerading as the delegate ''of'' is unclear. While attending one of Zeta's security sessions, he brought a disguised Soundwave with him to record the Senate's newest plans for how to stop the growing Decepticon menace. When Zeta expressed surprise at how easily Starscream accepted his idea of draining energy from civilians to power [[vamparc ribbon|weapons]], he almost let slip that he'd done worse things in Megatron's name. To cover up his blunder, he drew attention to the spy in their midst, giving Soundwave a cue to reveal himself and stage an escape, distracting Zeta. {{storylink|Parasites}}

Since turning down Starscream's offer to join the Decepticons, Hot Rod had carried out some insurgent activities of his own, and Megatron and Starscream monitored the situation through [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] with some degree of pleasure as [[Autobot]] leader [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Orion Pax]] hunted him down. {{storylink|Ruins}} In Orion's absence, Zeta Prime then attacked [[Nyon]]'s population with his vamparc ribbons and [[Guardian robot|Omega Destructors]]—an action Starscream compared to Megatron's own tactics, though, Megatron assured him he was capable of much more. {{storylink|Purge}} In spite of Starscream's opinion that Megatron was a "stubborn wreck" for his repeated attempts to sway Orion Pax to his cause, they were successful, and the Decepticons joined forces with Orion's Autobots against Zeta Prime. {{storylink|Choices}} Together, they attacked Zeta Prime and his Omega Destructors, with Starscream personally leading the Seekers as air support. {{storylink|Overthrown}}
[[File:Autocracy9 take them away.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.95]]
After Zeta Prime was defeated, Megatron betrayed Orion and installed himself as ruler of Cybertron, then had the Decepticons hunt down all remaining Autobots. Starscream led a force to raid an Autobot hiding place in [[Ultrix]] and took special interest in Hot Rod, once again offering him the chance to join the Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformation (issue)|Transformation}} Starscream also tortured and interrogated Bumblebee, but learned little for his efforts. {{storylink|Rise}} Orion soon returned, however, having become [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]], and with new warriors at his side, he led the Autobots in an attack on Megatron's citadel. Starscream and the Seekers were ordered to take them out but were intercepted by the Aerialbots. {{storylink|Broadcast}}

[[File:Devastation5-StarscreamAchinglyNaive.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|"Look, Megatron, all I'm saying is that it's probably not a good idea to blow half of our budget on Fortnite lootboxes!"]]
Megatron was subsequently defeated by Optimus Prime, and Starscream conspired with [[Scorponok (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Scorponok]] to overthrow him and have him exiled to [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]]. {{storylink|Derelicts}} While Scorponok became the new Decepticon leader, Starscream seemingly preferred to stay in the background and showed no signs of being his second-in-command in public. {{storylink|Wreckage (issue)|Wreckage}} He annoyed Scorponok by urging him to take action rather than just hold grandiose speeches, causing Scorponok to let him in on his plan to capture the [[Toraxxis mega-refinery]] for the Decepticons. Starscream participated in this attack by leading his Seekers to the refinery. {{storylink|Faces of Darkness}} Scorponok ordered him to keep the Autobot defenders busy while he left to deal with [[Grimlock (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Grimlock]] personally. {{storylink|Rage (IDW)|Rage}} The plan ended disastrously when the refinery exploded, killing thousands and leaving the planet cripplingly low on [[energon]]; Starscream berated Scorponok for his actions, unable to see any point in staying on the dying planet himself. {{storylink|Massacre}} Fortuntely, Megatron soon returned from his exile and retook Decepticon command. Starscream attempted to welcome him back, but was quickly silenced. {{storylink|The Illusion of Control}}

There was a brief lull in the war, {{storylink|Primacy issue 1|Primacy #1}} before Megatron regrouped the scattered Decepticons for an all-out attack on Iacon. Starscream went to [[Canis Tor]] to inform the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]] that Megatron was back and after that, bribed the Combaticons into coming home. {{storylink|Primacy issue 2|Primacy #2}} He fought during the siege of Iacon but it led in a Decepticon rout. {{storylink|Primacy issue 3|Primacy #3}} {{storylink|Primacy issue 4|Primacy #4}}

As the war bore on, Starscream was present when Megatron faced Optimus Prime in open battle on [[Sherma Bridge]], {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1|Chaos Theory #1}} witnessed [[Hot Shot (Henkei!)|a yellow Autobot]] get destroyed in an Decepticon-Autobot crossfire in another of the war's countless battles, {{storylink|Drift issue 2|Drift #2}} and stood side-by-side with the Decepticon Deadlock in many other combat scenarios. {{storylink|Drift issue 3|Drift #3}} He would later admit that at one point, he had genuinely looked up to Megatron, but that changed when he realized that he ''feared'' the Decepticon leader, rather than ''respected'' him {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}} and was disgruntled that Megatron was leading them into a seemingly endless war. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10}} That epiphany evidently led to further attempts to take leadership from Megatron, but in time, these power plays ceased, and Megatron hoped that it meant he had moved beyond such things. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}} Starscream would even eventually end up as Megatron's bodyguard, and developed a mutual hatred with [[Sixshot]], professing that he would not be able to defend Megatron against such a powerhouse. {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}} But Starscream's appointment to this position was largely for show—Megatron could, of course, protect himself, and would later reveal that he kept Starscream close by despite his predilection for treachery as a reminder to himself to always watch his back. {{storylink|Spotlight: Megatron}}

At one point, Starscream's treachery reached the attention of the [[Decepticon Justice Division]], who had him added to their dreaded [[The List|list]] of targets. He was later removed from this list, perhaps due to Megatron's insistence on keeping him close by. {{storylink|An Axe to Break the Ice}}

===Earth and Ore-13===
[[File:Infiltration6 starscream on ultraenergon.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]]
Millions of years later, after the war had resulted in Cybertron becoming uninhabitable and the Autobots and Decepticons had spread out across the galaxy, Starscream came to be in command of one the small Decepticon units that secretly infiltrated planets across the galaxy. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 0|Infiltration #0}} In the mid-19th century, the group had conquered the [[Huni System]] and were approached by the [[Dire Wraith]] [[Vekktral]], who wanted to propose an alliance. Though Starscream initially wanted to kill the organic, Vekktral made him interested by showing him the [[Space Knight]] [[Stardrive]]. Though [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] had his doubts, Starscream realized the [[Solstar Order]] must have an Energon source to keep Stardrive alive and agreed to Vekktral's alliance. The group slew a [[Galactic Council]] force due to meet with the Solstar Order, and Starscream left behind a [[Vehicon (G1)|Vehicon]] and a bloke who turned into a bulldozer to destroy their ship while Astrotrain assumed its form. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 2|Shining Armor #2}}

Upon arriving at ''[[Orchid Crossing]]'', Starscream swatted [[Rom|some pest]] out of the sky before he tried to recruit Stardrive. Failing to do so, he instead used her as a battering ram to reach her [[energon synthesizer]] only for [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]] and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]] to show up with a standoff ensuing. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 1|Shining Armor #1}} As Stardrive expressed confusion over who the Autobots were, Starscream again offered her a spot in the Decepticons, only to be shot through a wall by Ultra Magnus. No sooner had the Seeker regained his bearings did Magnus ram Starscream in truck mode. After a Wraith merged with [[Sky Blast (G1)|Sky Blast]] and turned into an ungodly abomination, Starscream opted for the better part of valour and decided the Wraiths could serve as canon fodder. Grabbing [[Doomwings (G1)|Doomwings]] (after getting his name wrong), Starscream made his way to the energon synthesizer only for the Wraith/Cybertronian hybrid to tear Doomwings apart. Starscream told Vekktral to get the beast under control, only to learn neither the Wraith or Sky Blast was in control. Starscream then took Astrotrain and made another run for their prize, only for the station to begin tumbling. He emerged to find Magnus had disabled its power, and he quickly destroyed the Autobot shuttle before giving the evacuation order, deciding to dig the energon synthesizer out of the rubble. In the skies of [[Xetaxxis]], Starscream questioned if the synthesizer was durable enough to survive reentry and how long it took for space stations to fall, before being informed the hybrid had survived. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 2|Shining Armor #2}}

Starscream and Vekktral tracked the hybrid to a [[Xetaxxan|Xetaxxian]] village where the situation neatly resolved itself. After the two performed a quick check on whether or not the Xetaxxians were mechanical (they weren't), Starscream bluntly told Vekktral he had no interest in furthering the Wraiths' agenda and merely wanted the synthesizer before mobilizing their forces. When the Seekers arrived at the crash site however, the [[Space Knight]]s had beaten them there. When Stardrive tried to evacuate some Xetaxxians past the Seeker blockade, Starscream expertly manoeuvred around her and shot the organics before turning his attention to the Space Knights, landing foot first ''on Rom''. Rom and Livia managed to use their speed to outmaneuver him with the former socking the Seeker square in the jaw. Sneaking away from the battle, Starscream made his way to the Energon synthesizer in Stardrive's room. The Camien soon realized he was there however and threatened to destroy the synthesizer with her [[Neutralizer]] before she offered to trade it in exchange for him leaving Xetaxxis. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 3|Shining Armor #3}} After expressing his supreme annoyance at Rom's melodramatic speech pattern, Starscream tried to recruit Stardrive once again by extolling Cybertronian superiority and claiming to need her knowledge of the Wraiths to protect their kind from the Dire Wraiths. He might have succeeded had Rom and Livia not thrown Dirge into him forcing him to retreat. The Seekers then watched Stardrive suffer a mental breakdown and attack her allies before they annoyingly worked everything out. The promised Dire Wraith backup however soon arrived in the form of Vekktral having possessed Ultra Magnus. As Starscream gloated about a mutual Dire Wraith/Decepticon victory however, Vekktral turned on him. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 4|Shining Armor #4}}

After being saved by [[Sata]] and Stardrive, Starscream blasted the Wraiths off his troops and made a run for the synthesizer. As he fished it out of the rubble, Stardrive confronted him again where, after making one last half-hearted effort to recruit her, Starscream downed her with his null-ray and prepared to execute her only to be shot in the chest by [[Livia]]. In his daze, he was assaulted by Stardrive who brutally beat him down and tore off his wings. Though grounded, Starscream's Seekers came to his rescue while he detonated the energon synthesizer and hitched a ride on Astrotrain. Reporting to Megatron on the Dire Wraiths' unfeasibility as allies, Starscream was congratulated...for finding yet another way to disappoint his master. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 5|Shining Armor #5}}

Roughly a century later, learning through undisclosed means of at least some of the secrets behind Shockwave's [[Regenesis]] program and the super-powerful [[energon]] [[Ore-13]] that the scientist had seeded on [[Earth]], {{storylink|Shockpoint}} and seeing in it the potential to challenge Megatron for Decepticon leadership once again, Starscream took his unit to that planet. There, they set about destabilizing Earth's governing organizations and create global anarchy in accordance with the strict [[infiltration protocol]] the Decepticons now operated to, all the while searching for Ore-13. After around four years, their search bore fruit when a seam of Ore-13 was uncovered in [[Nebraska]], but later, the discovery of an even purer source of the ore in [[Oregon]] prompted Starscream to step outside traditional infiltration protocols and move the Decepticons' base of operations to the new site, establishing a fortified "siege mode" bunker well in advance of the standard timeline. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 3|Infiltration #3}} Unfortunately for Starscream, the abandoned Nebraska bunker was then infiltrated by [[Stoker]], an agent of the human organization known as the [[Machination]], necessitating that both he and the data he gathered—including images of Starscream himself—be eliminated by the Decepticons. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 1|Infiltration #1}} Starscream sent Thundercracker, [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] and [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] after Stoker, and although they were successful in slaying the human, Starscream failed to count on [[Verity Carlo|another human]] obtaining Stoker's [[SM-40]] computer and falling in with the Autobot counter-insurgency unit also operating on the planet. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 0|Infiltration #0}}

[[File:Infiltration6 takeyourpunishment.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Starscream, seen here actually getting off easy!]]
{{bigquote|Thanks to Ore-13, Megatron, I have evolved... beyond you! I am the ''future!''|Starscream|[[Infiltration issue 6]]}}
Concurrently with the search for Stoker, Starscream and [[Astrotrain (G1)/toys|Astrotrain]] successfully mined the first batch of Ore-13 from the Oregon seam. Starscream urged speed, aware that breaking protocol the way they had was sure to elicit a response from Megatron. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 2|Infiltration #2}} As he waited for the ore to process, Starscream ordered [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] and Skywarp to cover the Decepticons' tracks by destroying all evidence of Stoker's travels, including what remained of the Nebraska bunker. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 3|Infiltration #3}} Unfortunately for them, Megatron himself had arrived on Earth and was ''in'' the bunker, catching up on what Starscream had been up to, when they attacked. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 5|Infiltration #5}} Starscream emerged from the infusion capsule brimming with the incredible power of Ore-13 just as a furious Megatron arrived at the Oregon bunker and offered the Decepticons a choice: stand down, or be destroyed. Every one of his men surrendered, but the super-powered Starscream roared into battle and unleashed his full fury against Megatron. Alas, the power conveyed by Ore-13 proved insufficient to destroy the Decepticon leader, and Megatron blasted Starscream with his fusion cannon at point-blank range, virtually obliterating him. Megatron left Starscream's remains to be tended to by the Decepticons, unconcerned if he lived or died. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}}

[[File:Starcasm idw dev6.jpg|left|upright=1.95|thumb|Sarcasm from Starscream?? NO!]]
Starscream was placed in a [[CR chamber]] for extensive repairs but even with him out of the picture, the power of Ore-13 convinced Megatron to continue Starscream's subversion of infiltration protocol. The last straw for the other Decepticons came when Megatron called Sixshot in early, leading Astrotrain to propose reactivating Starscream so that he could challenge Megatron's actions. {{storylink|Devastation issue 1|Devastation #1}} Blitzwing and Astrotrain proceeded to bring Starscream back online, but no sooner was he back on his feet than the alien [[Reaper]]s attacked the Decepticon base. {{storylink|Devastation issue 4|Devastation #4}} With Megatron unaware he had been reactivated, Starscream initially decided to hold back and allow the Reapers to cause trouble first, but when Sixshot arrived, Starscream emerged from base and called the hated Six-Changer out. Starscream's appearance caused the living weapon to decide to accept the Reapers' offer to join their ranks... at which point Starscream promptly activated Sixshot's shutdown command, sending him crashing to the ground. Starscream then turned his weapons on the Reapers, causing Megatron to agree to take the fight to the aliens. {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}} {{storylink|Spotlight: Grimlock}} Starscream once again accepted Megatron as his liege, and together they teamed up to destroy the alien invaders, with Starscream wielding Megatron in his Ore-13 empowered pistol mode to devastating effect. As the battle came to an end, Starscream stopped Megatron from punishing Blitzwing for going behind his back with the observation that a fleet of human jet fighters had arrived, and that the Decepticons' existence was now known to humanity. {{storylink|Devastation issue 6|Devastation #6}}

===The Decepticon ideal===
[[File:AHM8 starscream and sunstreaker.jpg|thumb|"Well, see, when you put it like ''that''..."|upright=1.95]]
While the Decepticons were occupied battling the Reapers, the Autobots had left Earth to deal with an incursion by the [[Dead Universe]]. Exploiting their enemies' absence, Starscream and the Decepticons went into hiding; when Autobots returned, they could find no trace of the villains, who kept one step ahead of them for months. They secretly returned to Cybertron, where Starscream stood by his leader's side as he received updates from scientist [[Deluge (G2)|Deluge]] on his experiments to create a monstrous [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]] [[Insecticon swarm|swarm]]. Upon returning to Earth, the Decepticons then 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}} To complete their plot, Starscream approached the disenfranchised Autobot [[Sunstreaker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sunstreaker]] with the proposition that the Autobots join with his fictitious forces against Megatron. Sunstreaker accepted, {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 8|All Hail Megatron #8}} but when he led the Autobots to the designated time and place, they were instead confronted by the united Decepticon army and promptly defeated. Starscream stood by Megatron's side and watched as the bested Autobots were exiled back to Cybertron through a [[space bridge]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}}

[[File:AHM3Starscream.JPG|left|upright=1.4|thumb|Hey, I just spotted the janitor from ''Futurama''!]]
With a year now passed since their battle with the Reapers, and with their enemies disposed of, the Decepticons began to lay waste to the Earth with the intention of taking it for their new homeworld. Starscream headed up the attack on [[New York City]] with glee, though he objected to Skywarp's insinuation that he could not sow destruction and terror on the same level as Megatron; Megatron soon arrived to prove him wrong. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 1|All Hail Megatron #1}} After joining in the efforts to beat back military attacks and bomb the city's bridges, {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 2|All Hail Megatron #2}} Starscream headed for [[Washington, D.C.]], where he personally shot down the fleeing [[Air Force One]]. That task done, he returned to New York, to join Megatron in savoring their victory. Megatron mused that it was fitting to have a long-serving a Decepticon at Starscream beside him; Starscream believed he was being sarcastic, but Megatron's praise was genuine, going so far as to describe Starscream as the living embodiment of the Decepticon ideal, but a step short of full embracing it due to his own blindness to that fact. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 3|All Hail Megatron #3}}

With the conquest completed, Starscream stood at Megatron's side as he addressed the gathered Decepticons. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 4|All Hail Megatron #4}} However, as time passed and Megatron made no further new moves, content to allow his troops to wreak havoc around the world, Starscream began to suspect that Megatron ''had'' no further plan, and was merely giving his troops free reign as a distraction to keep them from turning on them. He confronted Megatron with this knowledge, and taunted him with the fact it was essentially his own fault for assembling an army of sociopaths and monsters in the first place. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 6|All Hail Megatron #6}} Legitimately disheartened to see the leader he had once looked up to go so far astray, having led them through an endless war with no vision for what lay beyond, Starscream began secretly meeting with the other Decepticons, recruiting those who shared his feelings in preparation for a coup. After winning over the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], he approached the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]], and also successfully convinced them to join him. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 8|All Hail Megatron #8}}

[[File:AHM11 all hail megatron.jpg|thumb|Roll credits!|upright=1.4]]
Starscream made his move a short while later, sending the Insecticons to attack Megatron, but the Decepticon leader summarily defeated them and revealed that he had known about Starscream's plans all along; he had, in fact, been doing nothing in order to allow the dissenting element of his army to weed themselves out. He had, however, failed to predict that the Constructicons would take Starscream's side. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}} As fate would have it, Starscream's uprising was suddenly cut short when the Decepticons came under attack, first from human jets arrived from [[Europe]], and then the returning Autobots. Starscream was forced to team up with Megatron, who assured him that someday he would get be in charge, someday after the Decepticons won, after he successfully crushed Megatron in the way that the taking of leadership required... but not today. After giving this some thought, Starscream organized his troops to fight back, hailing Megatron's name. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 11|All Hail Megatron #11}}

Megatron was subsequently defeated by Optimus Prime, but as the Autobot leader moved to inspect his fallen body, Starscream stepped in and picked up his injured leader, refusing to let the Autobots finish him off. For the moment, Megatron's words had struck home: Starscream told Prime that he now knew leadership had to taken by force, not gained through chance. Starscream led the Decepticons in withdrawing from the planet, though as he left, he reminded Prime that though the Autobots had won a battle, the Decepticons still reigned throughout the galaxy. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 12|All Hail Megatron #12}}

===Leadership of the Decepticons===
[[File:AHM13 starscream and matrix.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67|Starscream: "Now light our darkest hour!" Decepticons: "You ARE our darkest hour, you putz!"]]
Along with a few other Decepticons, Starscream took off into space aboard Astrotrain. Despite what he had told Prime, he was not pleased that Soundwave was keeping Megatron on life support, but his attempts to dissuade the loyalist were met with failure. Afraid of the uncertainty that simply tossing Megatron out and airlock would result in, Starscream was ready to give up, knowing that the Decepticons had no real reason to follow him, and that the faction would fall to infighting as soon as others challenged his rule. All he had was the Autobot [[Matrix of Leadership]], which Megatron had seized from Optimus Prime earlier, but he had failed to find any supposed "ultimate power" within it, and prepared to throw it away. Caught in the act by [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]], Starscream was reminded of the talisman's significance to the Autobots by the Insecticon, and had the idea to use its reputation for his own ends. Gathering the Decepticons, he professed that the Matrix had chosen him to light their [[darkest hour]], but as they began hailing his name in the face of this alleged holy appointment, he stepped from the room already regretting his decision. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 13|Uneasy Lies the Head}}

[[File:Ongoing13 sad starscream is sad.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Real Decepticon leaders chill on the [[Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln Memorial.]]]]
Starscream took the Decepticons to a barren asteroid that they could use as a staging base to regroup, but as more and more soldiers began arriving, circumstances quickly spiraled out of his control. With most of their limited resources tied up by Shockwave, who he had assigned the task of building a space bridge, Starscream charged [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] with finding a way to fabricate energon to feed his starving troops. When no breakthrough ensued, and the energy-deprived Decepticons turned to cannibalizing each other's bodies to survive, Starscream stormed into Insecticon's lab to discover he had been spending his time working on mind-controlling [[cerebro-shell]]s. Though initially angry, Starscream conceded that he could use these devices after he employed one to take out a rebellious [[Quake (G1)|Quake]]. {{storylink|All His Engines}} Later, visiting Shockwave for an update on his progress, Starscream discovered the scientist working with Soundwave to cut open Megatron's body and make weapons from his remains. Just as Starscream began to express fake outrage about this presumed "coup", Megatron himself appeared, revealing that the two had built him a new body with a built-in space bridge. He grudgingly admitted he knew Megatron would be back sooner or later, though Megatron neglected to take back leadership as long as Starscream had the Matrix, which he considered a possible threat. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon|Altered Carbon}}

[[File:SLMegs just do it.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67|"At the very least [[Fire in the Sky|bean me with an energon cube!]] I got one right here! It'll be like old times!"]]
His leadership a complete failure, Starscream became sullen and withdrawn, lost in distant contemplation of the unknowable mysteries within the Matrix that hung around his neck and lashing out at any Decepticons who attempted to touch the talisman. After Starscream ignored his warning that an Autobot ship had crashed on the asteroid, Bombshell tried to remove the Matrix in hopes of snapping him out of his stupor, but was violently struck for his trouble. As it turned out, the wrecked ship had contained [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rodimus]], on a quest to take back the Matrix. After first using a cerebro-shell on [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] to make him attack Starscream, he confronted the Decepticon leader on his own. Starscream was unimpressed, having used his rank to give himself nigh-impenetrable armor, only to be taken by surprise when Rodimus shot the Matrix around his neck instead, causing it to release a burst of energy and incapacitate Starscream. Rodimus snagged the Matrix, but both he and it were then blasted out into space by Megatron. {{storylink|Heart Like a Wheel}} With the threat of the Matrix now removed, Megatron re-established himself as leader of the Decepticons, and decided to inaugurate his return by beating the living daylights out of Starscream. The Seeker, however, had lost the will to continue: he would not rise to Megatron's mockery, and when the Decepticon leader aimed his fusion cannon at him, Starscream simply held it to his chest and demanded he fire. But Megatron kept pushing, eventually causing Starscream to snap and open fire with his own weapons, only to immediately regret the decision and attempt to flee in [[alternate mode|jet mode]]. A vicious dogfight above the asteroid ensued, culminating in a pained Starscream questioning how Megatron could understand what it felt like to have his dream crumble so completely. This inquiry only enraged Megatron further—his dream was the Decepticon faction itself, and Starscream had utterly destroyed it in his absence. But Megatron was not without mercy, and after pummeling Starscream to within an inch of his life, he offered him the chance to return to the fold as his subordinate. Meekly, Starscream accepted. {{storylink|Spotlight: Megatron}}

[[File:Ongoing16 brawn vs starscream.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Well, since Ironhide's not here to punch him...]]
As Megatron put his new plans into action and had the Decepticons return to Earth, Starscream went off on his own to meet with Thundercracker, who had abandoned the Decepticon cause following their previous defeat. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon|Altered Carbon}} He tried to convince his fellow Seeker to join with him and overthrow Megatron again, seeing him as obsessed with petty revenge on humanity and lacking long-term goals. When Thundercracker refused, Starscream lost patience and gunned him down, but before he could finish the job he was attacked by [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]]. Starscream denied Brawn's accusation that he had been responsible for shooting down a plane carrying Optimus Prime, pleading for his life by suggesting he would be more valuable as a hostage. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 3: Woken Furies|Woken Furies}} Fortunately for him, Brawn chose to carry Thundercracker to safety rather than capture him. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 4: Burning Chrome|Burning Chrome}} Starscream returned to the other Decepticons and watched Optimus Prime confront Megatron in a one-on-one battle. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 5: Enemy Mine|Enemy Mine}}

Megatron subsequently surrendered to the Autobots and had himself transported back to Cybertron, in order to use his built-in space bridge to teleport the Decepticons back to their homeworld. Starscream and the other Decepticons gathered at a Native American settlement to await the bridge's opening, but were found by Bumblebee at the last minute. Starscream ordered the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] to dispose of the Autobot, while he led the other Decepticons through the bridge. {{storylink|The Question}} Emerging on Cybertron in the midst of the Autobots' battle with [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Galvatron]]'s army of [[Sweep (G1)|Sweeps]], Starscream and the Decepticons soon found themselves entranced by Galvatron's unseen puppetmaster, the [[D-Void]], who merged their bodies and minds together with the Sweeps to form a huge monster. {{storylink|Chaos Part Three: Kings|Kings}} Once this "[[Deceptigod]]" was defeated, the weakened component Decepticons were captured by the Autobots and outfitted with [[Inhibitor/deterrence chip|I/D chips]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime}}

===The Chosen One===
[[File:RID2 starscream must join you.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.2]]
Two weeks after the Deceptigod's defeat, the Decepticons were still imprisoned, and Starscream was growing increasingly tired of [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]]'s attempts to control the situation. Realizing that it was better to go along with the Autobots' orders for now rather than push back against them, Starscream joined most of his fellow Decepticons in serving as an enforcer, helping to put down a riot by [[NAIL]]s—unaffiliated Cybertronians who had recently returned to Cybertron and objected to Autobot governance. {{storylink|Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime}} He lurked in the background when [[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]] visited the Decepticon camp to lecture Ratbat, {{storylink|The Autonomy Lesson (issue)|The Autonomy Lesson}} then finally elected to depart the Decepticon camp after an argument with the new self-appointed Decepticon leader. Considering Ratbat's methods and goals regressive and seeking a new approach to power, Starscream paid a visit to Autobot high command with a legitimate desire to talk with Bumblebee about the future, only to be shocked by the distrusting Autobot's taser-cane and taken into custody for his troubles. Interrogated by Prowl, Starscream explained that Ratbat was planning to assassinate Bumblebee during the memorial ceremony for the ''Lost Light''. While the Autobots dealt with that threat, Starscream proceeded to gate-crash the ceremony himself and announced to the gathered masses his desire to be part of the planet's new government. {{storylink|The World & Everything in It}}

Naturally, all the Autobots were suspicious, but Starscream did his best to prove his good faith: he helped Prowl to cover up [[Arcee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Arcee]]'s assassination of Ratbat, then worked with [[Wheeljack (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Wheeljack]] to rescue some NAILs from a series of mysterious explosions. Wheeljack spoke up in his favor, convincing Bumblebee to let him join the government; the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] were so disgusted that they ceded from Bumblebee's leadership, and while Starscream expressed his regret to 'Bee in private later, he assured him the Autobot he would not regret his choice. {{storylink|Stick Together}} That proved untrue almost immediately, as Bumblebee, Starscream, and NAIL representative [[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|Metalhawk]] soon held a public assembly to introduce their joint governance, and Starscream talked rings around both of them. {{storylink|Devisive}} Soon afterwards, Starscream approached [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]] to buy his services as he made his play for Iacon's leadership. In exchange for protecting him from those like the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] or unruly bots, Starscream would allow Onslaught a position of power when the time came. {{storylink|Applicable Skills}}

[[File:RID8 starscream and metalhawk.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5]]
Starscream joined Metalhawk in greeting ex-Decepticon [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]] when he returned to Cybertron, but the new arrival's obvious distaste for his former faction prompted Starscream to step back and leave the welcoming to his fellow leaders. {{storylink|A Better Tomorrow}} Given his genuine desire to see the new government work out, Starscream was just as suspicious of the next returnee as his fellow leaders—noted Decepticon warmonger [[Turmoil]], claiming altruism, no less. Turmoil immediately began to foment distrust among the government by planting more doubts about the Autobots in Metalhawk's mind, so Starscream took the NAIL to [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]] to talk the matter out, calling upon bar owner Blurr to recount his own experiences with Turmoil as evidence for the prosecution. {{storylink|Interference Patterns}}

Not long after the Turmoil incident, Starscream and Metalhawk paid a visit to Autobot High Command to pester Bumblebee about setting up elections. {{storylink|Dinobot Hunt (IDW)|Dinobot Hunt}} That night, the pair returned to High Command, this time to check on the recently injured Wheeljack and to offer their assistance in locating [[Ironhide (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ironhide]] and the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], who had gone missing in the wilderness earlier that evening. Fearing that Starscream could leverage a successful rescue to his advantage during the elections, Bumblebee refused their offer. {{storylink|Night and the City}}

[[File:RIDannual the chosen one.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67]]
That, however, didn't stop the pair from setting out regardless at dawn the next day. They watched as Blurr, also out searching, was caught in an explosion which revealed a subterranean cavern, but were prevented from entering the cave by the quick arrival of Prowl's security team. To put pressure on the Autobots, Starscream rounded up a crowd of NAILs and Decepticons and demanded that Prowl explain the situation to them. The Autobot was forced to admit that the cavern was home to the abandoned [[Crystal City]], and that [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]] had teleported into the abandoned city, injuring itself in the process such that the surrounding area would shortly be destroyed. As Prowl returned to Wheeljack, at work in the cavern, Starscream snuck in after him, and a brief chase with the security officer led them to the Titan's face. Suddenly, it awoke, and lauded Starscream as a conqueror who would unite Cybertron, something witnessed by the entire crowd, who had followed them down into the city. The group fled to escape the Titan's detonation, and on the way back to Iacon, the divinely blessed Starscream was held aloft by NAILs and Decepticons. {{storylink|Primus: All Good Things|All Good Things}}

[[File:RID11 trying on crowns.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5]]
Being a 'bot of little faith, Starscream didn't actually ''believe'' Metrotitan's words, but he knew how to exploit ''everyone else's'' belief to virtually guarantee himself victory in the upcoming elections. He attempted to get an endorsement from [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] live on television, but Omega had greater matters to ponder; however, that night, Omega was the victim of a bombing that Starscream presumed to be the actions of the other Decepticons attempting to ruin his aspirations for political power. Finding that public opinion was already turning against him by association, Starscream confronted Shockwave over the attack, but received only an ambiguous warning to keep out of the one-eyed Decepticon's way. As he was leaving the Decepticon pen, Starscream was approached by [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] and [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]], who sought to trade information on Prowl's recent shady dealings in exchange for sanctuary from the coming storm. Starscream accepted, and used the info to blackmail Prowl into disposing of Shockwave's Decepticons for him. He was feeling quite pleased with himself, until a one-two punch of bad news took him down a peg: first, Arcee revealed she knew exactly where he had secreted Dirge away, meaning his bargaining chip was essentially useless... and second, Megatron returned. {{storylink|The End of the Beginning of the World}}

[[File:RID12 dont have to do this.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67]]
Starscream alerted the Autobot to Megatron's approach on the city, and watched as Bumblebee and the Autobots gunned him down and took him into custody. Starscream tried to dissuade the other Decepticons from marching on high command to call for Megatron's release with a stirring speech about discarding the old ways, but it failed rather spectacularly, so Starscream decided to visit the medical center and appeal to Megatron directly. {{storylink|City on Fire}} This "chat" was very one-sided as Megatron offered no response to Starscream's word save a smile—though that alone was enough to terrify the Seeker. The Decepticons' march subsequently turned into a riot, during which the prison was stormed and Megatron was liberated. The Decepticon leader dragged Starscream along to the [[Black Room]], where it was revealed that Prowl, mind-controlled by Bombshell, had been working for Megatron all along. {{storylink|The Verge}} Bumblebee and Metalhawk were soon brought to the Black Room as well, and Starscream tried to explain to them that he had had no part in Megatron's scheme; Megatron verified that, save to note that Starscream's political machinations had provided a useful distraction. {{storylink|Before the Dawn}}

[[File:RID16 heavyisthehead.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Oh no, nothing's worse than <s>Cartman</s> Starscream with ''authoritah''!]]Megatron then began his endgame, unleashing a perfected Devastator upon Iacon, and forcing Starscream to watch, professing that any political victory he had won would have been one of compromise, rather than a true Decepticon triumph. {{storylink|Plan for Everything}} Rendered near-paralytic with the seeming totality of his defeat, Starscream was dragged through the streets by Megatron, until the Autobots and Metalhawk surprised him by coming to his rescue. Separated from the main fight, Starscream and Metalhawk were confronted by Turmoil, and the re-energized Starscream killed him using Metalhawk's severed arm as a blade. The Autobots then foiled Megatron's scheme, and Starscream saw his moment to strike: though he admitted to Metalhawk that he genuinely was his friend, he used Turmoil's cannon to kill him, and presented his body to the crowd as a victim of the fighting. He called for the abandonment of factions, and the majority of the population rallied behind him, appointing him their leader {{storylink|Heavy Is the Head}} and cheering for the banishment of all those who didn't renounce their faction.

The Autobots attempted to fight this, first pointing to their wounded needing care, but Starscream promised they'd be fixed up. And hey, you didn't ''have'' to leave. All you had to was just... stop being an Autobot or Decepticon.

You're almost all leaving? Such a shame. {{storylink|Second Exodus}}

===Starscream the First===
[[File:ThreeMonologues-religiousnut.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|Scoop using his [[Light-piping|fright-piping]] on Starscream.]]
Starscream's first night of leadership was a troubled one as the city of Iacon struggled to deal with the aftermath of Megatron's attack. One of the many problems he had to deal with was the blackouts that the city was suffering from. This was only made worse for Starscream by [[Scoop (G1)|Scoop]] and his construction patrol vowing to repair the city. He then visited the Medical Center to check on Dirge's condition but he was rebuffed by the former seeker. During an interview with Circuit on how he was planning to deal with the city's problems the power was restored by Scoop, it was at this moment that [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] approached him with the revelation that the power grid had been sabotaged with phosphex. As Scoop repaired the communication array he attempted to open his toolbox and instead found out that Scoop was a "religious nut" who believed Metrotitan's prophecy. When Rattrap tripped over Scoop, Starscream soon took the opportunity to accuse him of sabotaging the power grid, however Starscream later revealed that he was fully aware that Rattrap had planted the phosphex in Scoop's toolbox. {{storylink|Three Monologues}}

Soon afterwards, [[Solomus|Tyrest]]'s [[universal killswitch]] was activated, and Starscream was among those affected, and Starscream wondered if Megatron was causing it. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}} However Starscream was saved thanks to Rodimus and Perceptor's {{storylink|Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|This Calamitous Life}} He later succeeded in getting a "pep" talk from Wheeljack's headless body - who had survived being shot by Prowl earlier. {{storylink|Three Monologues}} Starscream was the one who answered when the ''Lost Light'' when they called Cybertron with Tyrest's communication system; by this point, he'd started calling the place the [[Republic of Cybertron]]. {{storylink|The Sound of Breaking Glass}} Having successfully risen to power, Starscream reneged on his deal with Onslaught. {{storylink|Applicable Skills}}

[[File:DarkCybertron1-Starscream.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Even the Mini-Cons have abandoned me.]]
After being rebuilt into a new body, Starscream's secluded admiration of his new form was interrupted by Rattrap's worries about an unidentified glow just over the horizon. A scan of the phenomenon revealed a classified-but-familiar reading, that of the [[Dead Universe]], causing Starscream to seek out the crew of the ''[[Lost Light]]'' for expertise, particularly that of [[Cyclonus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Cyclonus]]. {{storylink|Dark Dawn: Dark Cybertron Chapter 1|Dark Dawn}} Subsequently, an [[Quintessa (IDW)|undead Titan]] suddenly burst free from the ground, and so Starscream rounded up some weaponry in order to take out the behemoth, but Rattrap instead suggested caution. Starscream decided to visit Scoop in his cell, and the zealot pronounced Starscream as the dark answer to a prophesy hidden in the [[Covenant of Primes]]. {{storylink|Black Metal: Dark Cybertron Chapter 2|Black Metal}} Next Starscream visited the dead body of Metalhawk, succeeding in getting a "pep talk" out of his "old friend" as Rattrap eavesdropped. On his way out of the building, Starscream reassured his citizens that he could handle the ongoing situation—after all, he handled Megatron—and flew out towards the Necrotitan. Meanwhile, Scoop confided in Rattrap that while Starscream was the Chosen One, he may have been chosen to destroy everything. Starscream landed on the Necrotitan's shoulder and tried to start a conversation, but suddenly its eyes flashed and a deadly, chaotic wave of energy burst forth from its body. Starscream desperately tried to beat the wavefront home, but arrived just before it lay waste to the city. The wavefront had a strange and inconsistent effect on everyone, to the point that it reanimated the dead body of Metalhawk. Metalhawk beat down his murderer and abducted the captured body of Megatron, leaving with it for elsewhere. In the chaos that followed the city's destruction, Starscream soon found himself the subject of everyone's ire. {{storylink|Winners & Losers: Dark Cybertron Chapter 3|Winners & Losers}} The wave also left a strange black mark on Starscream's chest that Scoop believed was a message from [[Primus]]—Starscream was the cause of Iacon's problems. {{storylink|Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|Into the Abyss}}

He later had the mark checked out at the Iacon Medical Center by Flatline and used this as an opportunity to check on the casualties of the Necrotitan's wave. This merely led to him being berated by [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] on how he was letting the population down—only for the Necrotitan to then smash its way into the medical center. {{storylink|No Exit: Dark Cybertron Chapter 6|No Exit}} Starscream then received another berating, this time from Scoop, on how the fact he was the "Chosen One" was a responsibility to the people of Cybertron. {{storylink|The Dead Are Not Enough: Dark Cybertron Chapter 7|The Dead Are Not Enough}} He was later approached by Rattrap and the remaining Autobots and Decepticons and merely lamented that all hope of defeating Shockwave was lost while Prowl explained his plan. He did however inform Prowl of the situation at the medical center as Flatline and Fixit "teamed up", he was then present when Megatron explained his alternative plan for defeating Shockwave. {{storylink|Burning Bright: Dark Cybertron Chapter 8|Burning Bright}}

[[File:DarkCybertronFinale-StarscreamVsJhiaxus.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"Is that what I look like? My god, I'm GORGEOUS!"]]
Later, Starscream was further lamenting about the hopelessness of the situation when the Lost Light arrived with Metroplex. He was observing the battle between the Necrotitan and Metroplex when Scoop started to recite the "Dark Cybertron" prophecy and was later cured when Metroplex released the [[Ore-7]] stored within his thumb. {{storylink|Finis Temporis: Dark Cybertron Chapter 9|Finis Temporis}} Starscream was later gloating to Scoop about how the prophecy was not fulfilled when he learnt its true origin—Shockwave. It was just at this moment when Metalhawk appeared with Skywarp and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] and shot him. It was at this moment that Shockwave started to reveal his endgame to Galvatron and ''70 billion'' Ammonites appeared in the sky above Cybertron. {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}} Starscream then provided Bumblebee's group with a way of reaching Shockwave's base by revealing that Skywarp was still alive. He elected to take Waspinator along (much to Waspinator's objections) as the group required someone who knew the layout of the base, however he was nearly driven catatonic by the fact that Scoop willingly volunteered to remain behind instead of helping to defeat Shockwave with rest of the group. When he recovered he attacked Jhiaxus but the reactive armor Jhiaxus was wearing provided him with all of Starscream's new body's abilities. {{storylink|Black Planet: Dark Cybertron Chapter 11|Black Planet}} Starscream was not impressed by the reactive armor however (even going so far as accusing Jhiaxus of [[Fandom|cosplaying]] as him) and continued to fight Jhiaxus, even though Jhiaxus had the advantage due to him knowing everything that his new body contained and could do. He beat Jhiaxus by using the swords that were integrated into his body. He was later unfazed by Rattrap's claim that he would have difficulty maintaining control due to Metalhawk sacrificing himself to defeat the Ammonites by claiming that by killing them Metalhawk was a "genocidal despot" {{storylink|...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|...And the Damage Done}}

[[File:Words Hang in the Air - Honorable Starscream.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|It's good to be king, if just for a while. To be there in velvet, yeah, to give them a smile.]]

Starscream attended a meeting on the subject of what was to be done with Megatron to represent the People of Cybertron—who wanted a trial. Rodimus was not impressed with Starscream's rule of Cybertron. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} He was later called to provide a statement where he claimed to be "High Chancellor of the Refulgent Cybertronian Dynasty, Emperor Perpetua and Defender of the Realm". His statement on Megatron claimed that the former Decepticon leader was addled and impotent with a lack of control over his forces and that he deserved pity. Starscream was pleased with his statement as it increased his approval ratings with only one downside—the ratings of the Autobots increased as well. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}} Starscream's testimony had also convinced Megatron that he needed to leave behind a better legacy, and changed his plea to not guilty while invoking one of the forgotten laws of Luna-2. Starscream, fearing that Megatron wouldn't be executed as he hoped, protested, however Optimus would allow Megatron freedom of movement and shared command of the ''Lost Light''. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}}

Some time after Megatron's trial, Starscream approached Prowl and [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] to gloat about his control of Cybertron, only to be reminded by Optimus Prime that [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] was an Autobot and that Ironhide and [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] were keeping a close eye on him as well; upon being asked if he had any further comments on the situation by Circuit, he merely claimed that he couldn't feel better. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 1: Hello Cruel World|Hello Cruel World}} Some time after Metroplex started acting as a city for Cybertrons population, Starscream began mining operations on the Titan's filtration systems in an attempt to retrieve one of Shockwave's ores from the Titan, and hired some of the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]] as guards. {{storylink|A Long Way Down}}

[[File:ABotAndHerCity-importantmatters.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|It's good to be king and have your own way, get a feeling of peace at the end of the day.]]

Six months after the events of Dark Cybertron, Starscream maintained a less than healthy relationship with Windblade due to Metroplex's constant systems failures. He confronted Windblade on the constant blackouts Metroplex was suffering with the claim that the population was blaming him for the system failures, he then threatened Windblade with serious consequences if she didn't solve the problem and left with Rattrap to discuss the rebuilding Iacon again. Starscream later claimed the blast that damaged Windblade was caused by poor maintenance and later entered her recovery room uttering the phrase "Well. Look who isn't dead". {{storylink|A 'Bot and Her City}} The ruler of Cybertron then went on to insist on how the explosion was a fortunate accident as Windblade had survived it with only minor injuries. He then threatened the cityspeaker again by claiming that she would probably not be able to cheat death twice before being kicked out of the room. Starscream then asked Rattrap to ensure that he was in the clear before Windblade made a move... {{storylink|A Long Way Down}}

Starscream later oversaw the capture of Windblade and the group she had taken into Metroplex to expose his mining operations. With the group in his custody, Starscream attempted to obtain confessions to prove that Windblade was trying to undermine his regime as well as revealing the [[Badgeless]]- his new anonymous enforcers. He then tried to find out Windblade's try purpose on Cybertron as he believed that she was deliberately trying to sabotage Metroplex to gain further power. Starscream was last seen confronting Blurr and Slug as Windblade and Chromia escaped from his prison. {{storylink|Windblade issue 3|Windblade vol. 1 #3}} As Chromia and Windblade rushed towards Metroplex's brain, Starscream fought Slug and Blurr, he easily defeated them thanks to his handy shoulder cannons and then left to pursue the Camiens. Catching up to them at Metroplex's brain, Starscream was then attacked by Chromia as the fembot tried to buy more time for Windblade to merge with Metroplex. Starscream, however, managed to quickly dispatch Chromia and wound Windblade, before the Cityspeaker managed to successfully merge with the Titan. Despite this, Windblade still managed to merge with Metroplex and activate the Titan's defenses while she made one last attempt to find out who the mystery bomber was.

While Chromia attempted to convince Windblade to use Metroplex's space bridge to jump to [[Caminus (planet)|Caminus]], a desperate Starscream cried out that jumping while Metroplex still served as a city would kill all those who were not completely within the Titan's borders. Deciding to not make the jump, Windblade revealed to Starscream that there were other colonies formed by the ancient Titans and offered the use of Metroplex's space bridge to the leader of Cybertron to unite the colonies in return for not revealing any of the events surrounding the bombing to anyone else. Agreeing to the deal, Starscream left Windblade to deal with the aftermath. {{storylink|Windblade issue 4|Windblade vol. 1 #4}}

[[File:TheWorldOfTomorrow-StarscreamAltMode.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.66]]

With Monstructor still on the loose and Devastator causing trouble on Earth, Starscream became aware of his own military shortcomings. To this end, he reactivated Wheeljack, in the hopes of bringing Megatron's failed experiment [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] back into fighting shape for the sake of his regime. Still struggling to come to terms with the vastly changed Cybertron, Wheeljack reluctantly agreed and began repairing the gestalt. A Decepticon ghetto had also grown up outside Metroplex, made up of 'Cons who were disgruntled with the status quo and loathed Starscream as a sellout. {{storylink|The World of Tomorrow}}

A series of murders took place in the Decepticon ghetto, which Starscream was willing to dismiss as just one of them things but allowed his passionate officer [[Barricade (IDW)|Barricade]] to investigate. Starscream then left to welcome Optimus back to Cybertron after a six-month absence and, with Windblade, talk him through the new status quo. The Prime's social conscience saw them both walking the ghetto {{storylink|City of Steel (issue)|City of Steel}} and sparking a riot. Mid-riot, they watched the murderer kill [[Heavy Barrel (G1)|Heavy Barrel]]. {{storylink|Fight or Flee (issue)|Fight or Flee}} Eventually, Starscream settled on the [[Firecon]]s as the obvious scapegoats culprits and joined Optimus in capturing them: a mission that went disastrously wrong thanks to brutality by [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] and [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]]. {{storylink|Quest for Fire}} Optimus went on to suspect the Dinobots.

[[File:TheSumAndItsParts-StarscreamAndScoop.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4]]

When the murderer followed up by killing ''Autobots'', Starscream told Optimus he'd been dumb and decided to raze the ghetto: the public would accept Decepticon murders but would want harsh action for Autobot ones. Barricade refused the order and went on to find a crucial clue {{storylink|The Killing Jar (issue)|The Killing Jar}} and Optimus talked Starscream into helping him with a plan: faking a fight with the Dinobots to draw out the real killer, who turned out to be Sandstorm all along. {{storylink|Forever Is a Long Time Coming (issue)|Forever Is a Long Time Coming}}

After Windblade repaired Metroplex's space bridge, Starscream hatched a plan to turn Caminus back into a protectorate of Cybertron- a plan that involved the recently purloined [[Enigma of Combination]]. Starscream recruited Swindle and the Stunticons for the job. While he bided his time, Starscream decided to pick out a new body for himself, although he was interrupted by Optimus Prime. The two bickered for a while about using Superion as a weapon (it's part of planetary security, honest) drawing up a truly representative government for Cybertron (as if!). Starscream finally shot down Optimus by pointing out that the people of Cybertron had chosen him as leader, although Optimus insisted that if Cybertron contacted its colonies, the governing body needed a council, not an empire.

On his orders, Swindle used the Enigma on the Stunticons and Starscream's mole [[Blackjack]], combining them together and re-creating [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]]. Now, however, Blackjack's short temper amplified Menasor's already prominent anger problems, creating a completely uncontrollable monster. Starscream sicced Menasor and Swindle on Caminus, intending to use the similarly revived Superion to swoop in, save the day, and win the permanent adoration of the Camiens. {{storylink|First Contact (IDW)|First Contact}} Unfortunately word got out to Optimus Prime and Windblade, forcing him to deploy Superion early on. Starscream just couldn't win, especially after Optimus- a holy figure to the people of Caminus- upstaged Starscream in front of the [[Mistress of Flame]]. {{storylink|The Sum and Its Parts}}

[[File:ThePossibleLight-StarscreamsNewBody.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]

In the lull, Starscream took the opportunity to upgrade into his new body before overseeing the first contact ceremony between Caminus and Cybertron. While he was there, he bragged about Superion and how the combiner would keep them all safe. With that done, Starscream let Swindle take the fall for his actions by throwing him in his secret prison. But then, at the Space Bridge, Optimus Prime announced on live TV that Starscream intended to build a democratic [[Council of Worlds]], throwing a wrench in Starscream's imperialistic plans and forcing him to go through. Starscream ''really'' just couldn't win. {{storylink|The Possible Light}} Starscream, Prime, and some Camiens set about hammering out a legislation, although things didn't go particularly well - mostly because Starscream knew that the Camiens would always follow Optimus Prime's vote. The meeting was quickly adjourned after Mirage brought word of an attack on the space bridge. It turned out that Prowl wasn't happy about the situation, and had decided to form Devastator and just smash the Space Bridge. Not even Superion managed to defeat him, so Starscream used the Enigma to resuscitate the defeated Aerialbots. Realizing that Superion couldn't do the job alone, Starscream zapped a recently arrived group of representatives from the ''Lost Light'', fusing them together into [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]]. The two combiners trounced Devastator, and in the aftermath Starscream had Prowl dragged off to a public jail. Not the Constructicons, though; he had plans for them... {{storylink|Mistakes and Mayhem}}

[[File:CombinerWars5-disappointed.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|'''YOU!''' Where the '''SLAG''' is your '''CHIN?''']]

Starscream stationed both of his combiners on Caminus to keep the peace and guard the space bridge before heading back to his secret prison, where he had stashed the Constructicons. Hoping to turn Devastator back to his side, Starscream used the Enigma on Scoop and the Constructicons. This new version of Devastator, while still temperamental, was willing to go along with the commands of his "Chosen One" thanks to Scoop's mental influence. After an escaped Menasor sparked a Decepticon riot, Starscream deployed Devastator to calm things down. Defensor wound up attacking Devastator, who in turn went postal and started wrecking up Caminus. Oops. {{storylink|You, Me, and the Universe}} With no other recourse, Starscream and his Badgeless troops put in a personal appearance at the space bridge, helping to keep down the non-combined Decepticons while Devastator and the newly born [[Optimus Maximus (G1)|Optimus Maximus]] tumbled from colony to colony. With Devastator defeated, Starscream's snide remarks convinced Optimus Maximus to separate so that Prowl could be arrested. {{storylink|All That Remains}} Starscream later permitted Devastator to reform so that the Constructicons could be safely removed from Caminus. {{storylink|Now and On Earth}}

{{-}}

===A weakening grip===
{{quote|''Look'' at this place. I spent ''how long'' on dank battlefields, or huddled inside ''Astrotrain'' gathering troops for ''somebody else's'' cause? I ''made'' it, goldenrod.|Starscream, "[[The Transgressors]]"}}

[[File:Windblade DS 4 Velocitronian Ambassadors.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"And I hate him already."]]

Despite finally starting to bring the colonies together, Starscream was bitter and frustrated that nobody believed he could do it and that people were talking about him behind his back... so he said to ''a hallucinated ghost Bumblebee'', who he demanded recognise that he'd finally ''made it''. Arcee, unaware of what was going on, arrived with a captured Badgeless and executed him in front of Starscream to make a point. She informed him of a growing problem with the Decepticons, who Starscream needed to keep happy on Cybertron to avoid an uprising and invasion of other planets, and that he was the only one keeping the planet together so he better try harder. {{storylink|The Transgressors}}

With Caminus in the Council, Starscream turned his attention to the next Titan colony: [[Velocitron]]. To this end he met with delegates [[Knock Out (G1)|Knock Out]] and [[Moonracer (G1)|Moonracer]], although Knock Out wasn't particularly impressed with Cybertronian culture. Starscream was disturbed by the extremely hostile planet he'd glimpsed through the Space Bridge, and mentioned to Rattrap that he wouldn't set foot on the planet if he was paid. This might be why negotiations broke down. {{storylink|Windblade vol. 2 issue 4|Windblade vol. 2 #4}}

[[File:WindbladeVol2Issue6-deadlygame.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"This game sucks. Let's play Hungry Hungry Hippos instead."]]

After Windblade decided to sneak off to Velocitron to convince them to join the Council, Starscream recruited Superion for a secret jaunt of his own: a trip to the planet [[Devisiun (planet)|Devisiun]]. The tiny modular colonists were very impressed by Superion's combiner technology, and sent [[Fireshot (G1)|Fireshot]] and [[Vanquish (G1)|Vanquish]] as delegates. Windblade had had enough of the secret power plays, though, so after a heated debate the two agreed to travel to the next colony together. That planet turned out to be [[Eukaris]], a planet colonized by xenophobic [[beast mode]] Transformers, who were less than thrilled to have vehicle-based Transformers set foot on their planet. Their Titan, [[Chela]], was even ''less'' thrilled than they were, so unhappy that he decided to just blow them up and be done with it. Starscream thought otherwise, and flew into his brain module, where he shot the Titan dead in spite of Windblade's protests. At least Eukaris decided to join the council. {{storylink|Race Against the Light}} {{storylink|Windblade vol. 2 issue 6|Windblade vol. 2 #6}}

Windblade and Starscream bickered some more after returning from Eukaris, although Starscream maintained that he had done the right thing- even saved Windblade from certain death. The next day, the two headed out to the final colony Metroplex had discovered, a spaceborne Titan he identified as [[Tempo]], crewed by philosophers. As it turned out, the ship was actually staffed by a well-armed military dictatorship. Captain [[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]] claimed that their Titan was actually named [[Vigilem|Carcer]]. Starscream tried to convince them to join the council, but his remarks just made Elita angry, and she threatened to kill him. Windblade managed to salvage the situation at the last minute, convincing them to join the council so as to counter Starscream's growing influence. {{storylink|The Will of the Few}}

[[File:ChooseMe_starscreamiest_grin.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.1|''The three words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote: Stink, stank, stunk!'']]

In a conversation with dead Bumblebee, a bitter and lonely Starscream decided to get some of the goodwill felt by the colonies' return and declared a new holiday, "[[Chosen One Day]]". While he intended for everyone to remember they owed their goodwill to ''him'' and show him some, it was misread as a holiday to show your loved ones goodwill instead. This worked in his favour as everyone assumed he'd done that deliberately. Wheeljack, Windblade, and the Council members showed up to toast him and honour him with a night of friendship. {{storylink|Choose Me}}

During a broodfest, [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] showed up with his fellow Decepticons to ''oh so politely'' ask for a 'favour': they wanted Starscream to look the other way while they used the spacebridge later. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 1: Aphelion|Aphelion}} Rather than cause trouble, Starscream allowed it and when [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] at the space port noticed the Decepticon movement, Starscream told him not to "overreact" to "a stroll". Later, unsure and talking it through with 'Bumblebee', he let an actual moment of ''conscience'' decide his actions and informed Windblade of the Decepticon movement. But a bit too late! {{storylink|Conquerors Part 2: Lagrange|Lagrange}} Starscream headed in with reinforcements to help in the form of Badgeless and Superion and was pissed to find Optimus there already with [[Victorion|his ''own'' combiner]], pulling rank again. He ordered all the defeated Decepticons rounded up for later and agreed to get the spacebridge up and running to allow Optimus to stop Galvatron on Earth. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 4: Perihelion|Perihelion}} The situation swiftly went terrible again as the Decepticons started fighting again as soon as Victorion was gone and when Starscream called in Devastator, he only trashed the place and let fugitives escape. Man, how could this get worse—Optimus declaring Earth a protectorate? Yeah, that'd do it. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 1: Once Upon a Time on Earth|Once Upon a Time on Earth}}

[[File:NewWorldsOrder-StarscreamAndBumblebee.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"And I didn't even get the lousiest of T-shirts."]]
After Windblade, Optimus et al. had kept hinting he was a dodgy neo-imperialist, Starscream was ''utterly livid'' when Optimus ''actually'' annexed a planet and part of the Council of Worlds, all without talking to anyone else. He said they couldn't give Prime a seat and justify conquest, and was left distraught when Windblade agreed but said they should give Prime the ''benefit of the doubt''. In a conversation with dead Bumblebee, Starscream compared Prime's actions to Megatron's and [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]'s and warned that this would go the same way. {{storylink|New Worlds Order}} Shortly after, Starscream witnessed a broadcast from the ''Lost Light'' of crew members about to be executed. He watched with fear as he knew they were victims of the [[Decepticon Justice Division]]. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}} Roughly around this time, Starscream came into contact with [[Airachnid (G1)|Airachnid]], a [[Eukaris|Eukarian]] [[Mnemosurgery|mnemosurgeon]] whom he tasked with finding [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle's]] body. {{storylink|The Price of You}}

Airachnid's methods however were less than subtle and following a series of mnemosurgical attacks on Decepticons around Iacon, Starscream oversaw a meeting of councillor [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]]'s Justice Committee. The Carcer delegate proposed Ironhide be appointed to investigate possible Badgeless involvement in the crimes, and Starscream reluctantly agreed to consider the proposal while feigning ignorance about the murders. After Badgeless officers shot a drunk Decepticon under suspicious circumstances later that day, Windblade accused Starscream of orchestrating the murders in an attempt to locate the seemingly missing corpse of Swindle, but the sovereign of Cybertron threatened her in return with his knowledge of Chromia's bomb plot. Immediately afterwards, Starscream was aghast to discover that video footage of the murder had surfaced and was being broadcast on the city news. {{storylink|07:00:00}}

[[File:ApplicableSkills-ourfearlessleader.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"It's out of control. It's out of control and we'll be lucky to live through it."]]

A mob of angry citizens quickly formed outside Starscream's residence. After being needled by dead Bumblebee, the ruler of Cybertron was dragged to an emergency meeting of the Council of Worlds, where he immediately proposed that the Decepticon ghetto be locked down by the Badgeless. The other councillors quickly shot down the idea, and Starscream in return refused Rattrap's proposal to summons Victorion from Earth. He went on to explain his fear that events were being manipulated by his former ally [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]], out for revenge, before eventually agreeing to a plan for the situation: appoint Ironhide the new head of the Badgeless, to carry out a full investigation of recent events. As they watched Ironhide, Starscream confided in Windblade that he didn't possess Swindle's body, before blackmailing the Cityspeaker into taking responsibility for dealing with Onslaught and his [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]]. {{storylink|Applicable Skills}}

Several weeks later, Starscream caught Windblade on the way out of a council session to demanded a report, and was told that Onslaught was, by all appearances, not carrying out any scheme or plan. They were interrupted by an incoming message for the Cityspeaker, but Starscream refused to let her answer it until he was certain she was carrying out his bidding, again dangling his knowledge of Chromia's misdeeds in front of Windblade. {{storylink|Things We Said We'd Never Do}} As it happened, the call had been from Chromia, who had now witnessed the Combaticons use the Enigma of Combination to merge with the brain-dead Swindle into [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]]. As security forces evacuated the councillors, Starscream attempted to blackmail Windblade into helping kill the rampaging combiner. Ultimately, however, Ironhide took down Bruticus, whilst Chromia admitted to her crimes on a live news broadcast, as an unhappy Starscream looked on. {{storylink|The Line Between Us}}

[[File:ItsBeginningToAndBackAgain-StarscreamAndRattrap.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"Yeah well, I'm gonna go raise my own Titan. With blackjack! And hookers! In fact, forget the Titan!"]]

Optimus (who'd been haunted by dreams of Starscream accusing him of hypocrisy) finally contacted Starscream, along with the Mistress of Flame and Soundwave, proposing to meet with each of them to discuss recent events. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 2: Edge of the Earth|Edge of the Earth}} When Prime arrived on Cybertron for his meeting with Starscream and the Council of Worlds, the ex-Decepticon took a moment to revel in the Autobot leader's newfound bad reputation before arriving fashionably late. Accusing Optimus of starting an interstellar war, Starscream dismissed Optimus as another tyrannical [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] who ''took'' power rather than being ''chosen'' like he was. Citing the general populace's loss of faith in Optimus, Cybertron's leader announced that the council would not stand with Optimus, before striding away. The next morning, Starscream summoned the news team of [[Circuit (G1)|Circuit]] and [[Longtooth]] for a special task – travelling to Earth to show everybody firsthand what Optimus Prime's actions had wrought. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message|The Medium and the Message}}

This plan worked out rather nicely for Starscream, who watched with joy as live footage of human military forces attacking Optimus Prime's troops was beamed back to Cybertron. Dead Bumblebee insisted Prime's refusal to retaliate would show his heroism, but Cybertron's leader was confident he could spin any outcome to his advantage. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 4: It's Beginning To And Back Again|It's Beginning To And Back Again}} When the humans finally surrounded Prime, Starscream was ecstatic, but moments later, was taken aback when the Autobot raised Metrotitan, thought dead, from the ground! {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 5: As Above...So Below|As Above...So Below}} The ex-Decepticon was quickly called to an emergency council meeting by Windblade. Prime's holy act changed the group's tune, and they soon decided to declare Earth a colony world. Looking out over his planet, Starscream sulked about the decision whilst Bumblebee said "I told you so" – Optimus Prime had come out on top. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 6: No Fair Fights|No Fair Fights}}

When a massive energy discharge was detected at the former site of Kaon, Starscream was roped into investigating personally by Windblade. Shockingly, they found the city intact within a crater, but this matter was quickly forgotten when the pair were called back to Iacon, where none other than the long-dead Sentinel Prime was on a rampage! Starscream fired on the false Prime, but got a [[spark disruptor]] thrown onto his chest for his troubles. Luckily for the ex-Decepticon, Windblade was able to jump the disruptor onto her own spark, where its detonation was non-fatal thanks to the differing frequency of Camien sparks. The pair quickly flew to regroup with the forces fighting Sentinel Prime at the space bridge. {{storylink|The Last Autobot}}

Discussing recent events, General [[Joe Colton]], [[Scarlett]] and [[Miles Mayhem|Miles Manheim]] recalled Starscream's part in the [[Transformer]]s' early battles over Ore-13 on Earth. {{storylink|Secret Raiders: A Revolution Prelude|Secret Raiders}} When Windblade merged with Metrotitan's mind, she saw glimpses of all her possibles pasts and futures, many of which included Starscream. {{storylink|Informed}}

[[File:Ping-Starscream.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.4|"I ''am'' the Senate."]]

Starscream and Rattrap were soon summoned to Ironhide's office to discuss turning over the [[Enigma of Combination]] to Ironhide which Starscream (shockingly) refused to do. Ironhide them gave him a stirring speech telling him it was time for Starscream to actually start leading instead of playing political games. Before anything else could be said all three of their communicators pinged at exactly the same time. Regrouping at the [[Spire]], Starscream was shocked to hear Windblade and Obsidian's report of a fleet of undead [[Titan (group)|Titans]] bearing down on Cybertron. Taking Ironhide's speech to spark, Starscream told everyone to rally for war and drafted every ship into service. After transmitting a rousing speech (and saying any ship who fled would be either shot down or declared an enemy of the state), the fighting began. While things began promisingly enough, [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] soon fell and Starscream saw fit to contact [[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]] to request [[Vigilem|Carcer]] be transformed and brought to the surface. She refused. {{storylink|Ping}} After another failed try, Starscream gathered the [[Council of Worlds]] and told them to begin evacuating Cybertron. Windblade refused to do so however believing that either she or [[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]] could access Carcer's brain and convince the Titan to aid Cybertron on their own. Agreeing, Starscream sent a contingent of Cybertronian ships and Devastator to attack Carcer as a distraction informing Elita to never underestimate the depths of his pettiness. {{storylink|Desperate Times}} While waiting for news, Bumblebee commented that Windblade and Starscream would get so much more accomplished if they were actually friends. Starscream reminded Bumblebee what [[Death|happened]] to the [[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|last person]] Starscream had considered a friend prompting a confused look from [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] at Starscream for talking to himself. {{storylink|Desperate Measures (Till All Are One)|Desperate Measures}} When Windblade had succeeded in awakening Carcer who himself had been successful in destroying the invaders Starscream cheered! {{storylink| Rubicon}}

Which was short lived because not only was Starscream informed "Carcer" was Vigilem and he'd freed [[Liege Maximo]], he soon had to preside over a court case regarding a [[Badgeless]] killing [[Drunkatron|some pleb]]. Though the Badgeless was clearly innocent, Starscream wondered if declaring him guilty would help things. He called a recess when he learned Elita was taking credit for "Carcer's" victory and called her to his office flanked by [[Fireshot (G1)|Fireshot]], [[Tigatron]], [[Moonracer (G1)|Moonracer]] and the [[Mistress of Flame]]. When Elita arrived, she recapped the history of Maximo and his Titan before explaining she'd thought to keep their existence a secret in case someone might have proven foolish, arrogant or desperate enough to free the ancient Prime before telling the Council to ready themselves for war against the member of the [[Thirteen]] and walked off. Starscream agreed that, for the moment, Maximo's freedom should be kept a secret before the Mistress of Flame requested Chromia be turned over to her. Starscream refused so the Mistress instead requested [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] and the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]]. Bumblebee soon appeared to Starscream and told him what to do: Rule the Badgeless innocent, hand over Chromia and stand against Elita. When Starscream pointed out doing all three would make him an easy target, Bumblebee said Starscream was choosing to fight and he could be better. Too bad Starscream didn't believe that himself as he convicted the innocent 'bot. He then freed Chromia into the Mistress's custody on the condition that she hunt down and slay Liege Maximo. {{storylink|Heavy}}

[[File:ThePriceOfYou-StarscreamBumblebee.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|"The way is open."]]
With Elita soon ready to return to orbit, Starscream was summoned by Airachnid to give her report on the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]]. Airachnid revealed that while it was normally impractical to try and alter the minds of so many, she could do so after the five had combined but needed a willing lynchpin to make sure the other four didn't pick up on the lie. Starscream had Airachnid patch him into [[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off's]] mind where Starscream offered to make his dream of "domestic bliss" with Onslaught a reality. Blast Off agreed and Starscream later spoke with Ironhide that the now loyal Combaticons would not be prosecuted since Airachnid had discovered (through genuine medical examination of course) that the Combaticons could not be held culpable for their actions. {{storylink|The Price of You}} Starscream was soon approached by [[Windblade's doctor|a doctor]] who brought him to [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] revealing her to not be brain dead but to have shut down due to ''too much'' data in her brain. Deducing it was Vigilem, Starscream nonetheless refused to delegate a mnemosurgeon. This was the final straw for Bumblebee who demanded to know why Starscream always pushed good people away. Starscream responded that every time he opened himself up, life (usually wearing Megatron's face) would beat the tar out of him. Seeing the odd looks he was getting, Starscream pretended to turn on his comm. and told Bumblebee to leave if he was so disgusted by him. And leave Bumblebee did. Starscream then allowed Blast Off to see Swindle while consulting Airachnid about how to help Windblade. The answer was simple: A third bot would enter her head and help her destroy Vigilem assuming the strain of three minds didn't kill all three. Reluctantly Starscream realized he had no choice but to help her. {{storylink|If I Know You}}

Starscream arrived and made a heroic entrance by shooting Vigilem in the back. Alas, Windblade was not grateful as Starscream had failed to consider a risk in the plan. By linking his mind to hers, Vigilem was able to access it and escape through Starscream. The evil Titan smirked and adopted the form of Starscream's worst fear: [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]].

[[File:Your First Mistake - Screamys True Form.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.4|"Oh, no forged body for Starscream huh? Fine. I'll go build my own Vector Sigma. With blackjack! And hookers! In fact, forget the Vector Sigma and the blackjack! Aw screw the whole thing."]]
Now in Starscream's mind, Vigilem began beating Starscream through all his bodies wearing down his confidence before he prepared to execute him and take his body. Windblade saved him by scooping up Starscream's spark before she witnessed his birth. Horrified by cold construction, Windblade summoned a mental copy of the [[Forge of Solus Prime]] and began forging Starscream's true self, each strike bringing up a mental projection of someone who had an impact on Starscream's life, the ghosts holding off Vigilem. When she was done, Starscream stood as a towering version of what he would like were his spark allowed to shape its own body. Stomping down Vigilem, the two jets were able to defeat the Titan and returned to the real world though Starscream insisted nothing had changed. Windblade cheekily bounced away telling Starscream not to be so foolish or close minded and that she'd now be her own bot and not just a mouthpiece for others. {{storylink|Your First Mistake}}

Optimus Prime later showed up to try and petition the [[Council of Worlds]] to grant [[Earth]] a spot on the Council and trade with the [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]]. Starscream refused both citing the [[Tyrest Accord]] saying Cybertron needed its resources to rebuild and that aliens were likely to use Cybertronian technology to ''attack'' Cybertron. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 3: Behind My Bleeding Back|Behind My Bleeding Back}} When [[Jazz (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jazz]] was interviewed by humans, he remembered Starscream's presence in the invasion of Earth as well as mentioning that Starscream now ruled Cybertron. {{storylink|What It's Really Like}} When [[Sideswipe (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sideswipe]] was given a mental projection to die peacefully, he remembered Starscream's deal with Sunstreaker. {{storylink|The Life of Sideswipe}}

When Optimus and [[Pyra Magna]] returned to Cybertron to the [[Rust Sea|Sea of Rust]], Starscream spied on them from afar with Bumblebee. Starscream scoffed at how saccharine Bumblebee's origins were before the conversation turned to [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Onyx Prime]]. Starscream then flew off while commenting to Bumblebee that the yellow 'bot was just a figment of the Seeker's imagination. {{storylink|Ghost Stories}}

While a new [[hot spot]] had lit up in [[Alyon]] a few months earlier, Starscream was in no rush to harvest the sparks and instead kept its existence a secret, explaining to an outraged [[Swift (G1)|Swift]] that what with all the recent attacks, Cybertron was currently too dangerous to introduce a new generation to. He also sought to take care of the Dinobots, who'd gone rogue, killed many Badgeless and supposedly kidnapped [[Strafe (IDW)|Strafe]], but since they were still Autobots and he didn't want conflict with Optimus Prime, he acted off the record by offering Sandstorm freedom in exchange for their deaths. Unfortunately the Alyon sparks were stolen by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] and used to revive [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]. prompting Starscream to deploy Devastator in Iacon's defense. After Trypticon was freed from Bludgeon's control and made off with the sparks, Starscream recovered the defeated Bludgeon, one of his mutated sparks and the remains of Slug, and began making plans. {{storylink|The Transformers: Salvation|Salvation}} The experiments eventually bore fruit, succeeding in bringing Slug back to life. {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 1}}

[[File:OriginMyths-Starscream.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|Pay no attention to me being the ''Combiner Wars'' body again for just this issue]]

Soon before Earth announced its chosen ambassador, ''Lord'' Starscream (best to get in the habit now) was called to Alpha Trion's apartment (and was bemused by the books) where the old sage recounted the origins of the Autobot insignia. Starscream, failing to grasp the story's meaning, questioned whether he was supposed to be [[The Fallen|Megatronus]] or Arcee, expressed disbelief that Arcee and Galvatron were twins, found "Megatronus" to be a made-up name and asked that since Alpha Trion said all stories were lies, why should be believe any of it? Earth then called to announce its representative to the [[Council of Worlds]], [[Marissa Faireborn]]. Starscream grumbled and said he'd prepare the plaza. {{storylink|Origin Myths}}

As the ceremony started, Starscream began a speech only for an explosion to cut him off. Demanding a status report from Ironhide and Windblade, he learnt that [[Red Shadows|tiny red robots]] were waiting to strike inside false Cybertronians. Starscream suspected human involvement and ordered the Space Bridge closed. {{storylink|First Strike issue 1|First Strike #1}} Heroically cowering in the [[Spire]], Starscream accused Elita One of treachery only for the femme to say humans were responsible and prepared to execute Marissa. Marissa however soon humbled Elita into calling for reinforcements from Carcer...only for the [[Solstar Order]] to transmit to Cybertron that they'd detected Dire Wraith energy signatures emanating from Cybertron and had quarantined the planet. Starscream called foul on this, familiar with the tactics of the Dire Wraiths and suspected Elita was up to another trick but the Carcerian informed him that Cybertron was on its own. {{storylink|First Strike issue 2|First Strike #2}} The debate of what to do continued until [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] and [[M.A.S.K.]] were brought before the Council where Elita ordered them executed. {{storylink|First Strike issue 3|First Strike #3}}

As the Council debated over that, Starscream advised Elita not to mention her past before he shut everyone up and reminded them of the fact that he was in charge of Cybertron and thus the final decision was his. Conceding that tricking Soundwave was nigh-impossible, Starscream asked [[Scarlett]] what Colton's plan was and she revealed to knowing nothing save a gut feeling that it involved some sort of bomb. Scoffing at the threat of humans bringing any harm to Cybertron, he threw G.I. Joe and M.A.S.K. in jail under suspicion charges before informing Optimus that not everyone shared Elita's feeling about him, some hated him even more than she did. Despite his posturing however, he sent Ironhide and [[Sunstreaker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sunstreaker]] after Colton so as to not look weak with approval to use lethal force. {{storylink|First Strike issue 4|First Strike #4}}

[[File:FirstStrike5-satisfying.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.9|Perhaps... a quiet chuckle.]]

[[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] soon brought the news that Optimus had broken the humans out of jail with Windblade arriving soon after to deliver the same news. Before doing anything, Starscream took a moment to enjoy the fact that everyone had come to him for help in stopping Optimus Prime.

Starscream then called in Ironhide and directed everyone to follow Optimus's trail, with orders to bring the humans in alive. Elita surprisingly offered herself and Obsidian as backup, though Starscream reminded her that he was in charge. {{storylink|First Strike issue 5|First Strike #5}}

The group caught up with the hostiles outside the core chamber, where Starscream placed everyone under arrest and fired a missile at Optimus, before engaging him in melee combat. The fighting was interrupted by [[Merklynn|Garrison Kreiger]] activating the alien [[Talisman (G1)|Talisman]] and revealing himself as an alien sorcerer known as Merklynn, creating [[New Prysmos]] and teleporting all combatants back to Iacon. On the surface, Starscream took Colton's rueful mumblings as his "witnessed confession" but was prevented from executing the human by Scarlett. {{storylink|First Strike issue 6|First Strike #6}}

With Cybertron's own energon now unpalatable to its people, Starscream sampled the human-made substitute. It was terrible. At a Council meeting to debate the energy crisis, Starscream opined that the [[Solstar Order]] was indebted to Cybertron for their obstructive blockade before he was called away by Optimus Prime and [[G.B. Blackrock|Garrison Blackrock]]. Scoffing at Prime's accusations regarding the Seeker concealing the existence of the newborn [[protoform]]s, Starscream loaned them [[Slag (G1)|Slug]] and sent them on their way, {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 1}} hoping that the protoforms would then be turned over to him. {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 2 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 2}} When [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] used the [[Void Scepter]] to make Slug attack the Dinobots, Bumblebee noted he was not acting according to Starscream's plan. {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 1}} After being informed of this, the Seeker came running and shattered the Void Scepter before going on a rant about his plan falling apart. {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 2 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 2}}

Soon afterwards, Starscream repaired Bludgeon and the Void Scepter, sending the mad scientist out into the galaxy to rally all the lost Decepticon cells and bring them back into the fold. {{storylink|Unstopped and Unstoppable}} {{storylink|Stranger Eons}}

From atop his tower, Starscream watched the unwashed masses lavish praises onto Optimus with ''[[The Birth of Cybertron]]'' playing in the background. The old film gave Starscream an idea to consolidate his power and win over [[Earth]]. To that end, he sought out [[Thundercracker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Thundercracker]] and hired him to produce [[Starscream: The Movie (film)|a biographical film]] about Starscream's life. {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}}

[[File:TheChosenOne-imsorry.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|''I guess I gotta give part two of my confessions'' ''If I'm gonna tell it, then I gotta tell it all'']]

To mark Windblade's return to the Council of Worlds, Starscream called in [[Circuit (G1)|Circuit]] and [[Longtooth]] for a photo-op but promptly kicked them out when Windblade nearly revealed [[Liege Maximo]]'s freedom. When Windblade stormed off to inform Circuit and Longtooth of this news, Starscream promised to look the other way if the [[Mistress of Flame]] wanted to tackle Windblade down. On [[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]]'s "advisement", Starscream called for free elections and confessed to Bumblebee that after seeing his "true self", he only had the best intentions for Cybertron, before organizing the debate schedule. Later on, he outlined his power infrastructure plans to Bumblebee before Windblade arrived with a briefcase containing all of his very dirty laundry. Unable to manipulate Windblade anymore, Starscream aggressively began looking for holes in the evidence, only to learn Bumblebee would not help him, saying the Seeker had to decide how much his future expansion meant to him. {{storylink|The Chosen One}}

Thundercracker then visited Starscream to find out what the Decepticons had meant to the chancellor. Starscream claimed it had been his job to point the Decepticons on the path of righteousness. A task that had failed due to the Decepticons ignoring Starscream's advice. But now they weren't. Now everyone listened to Starscream. {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}}

At the electoral debate, Starscream listened to Windblade's speech before he had a moment of conscience and, before all of Cybertron, confessed each and every one of his crimes (which took over an hour), costing him everything and landing him a life sentence.

[[File:AnotherMine-TrueSelfHologram.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.66|''So, yes, I still do bad things But are they actually bad? No!'']]
Visiting him in his cell, Windblade gifted Starscream with a holo-projector of his forged body, signifying that he had finally fulfilled the ancient prophecy of the "Chosen One". By getting Cybertron to turn against him, he had succeeded in uniting the planet. {{storylink|The Chosen One}}

Incorporating this latest development into his film, Thundercracker visited Starscream in his cell and showed him the finished product. Displaying uncharasteric concern for others' feelings, Starscream claimed the film was "delightful but irrelevant" given his imprisonment. Despite his attempts to bury the film, Thundercracker was insistent on it getting out prompting Starscream to request [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] pass along a message to a friend. On Starscream's orders, two [[Badgeless]] then diverted Thundercracker to [[Prion (planet)|Prion]] where they tried to kill him. {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}}

===Decepticon once again===
Starscream took his life sentence in stride, happy to let others carry the burden of planetary leadership and convinced his reign would be viewed, at worst, as a step in the right direction. When [[Scoop (G1)|Scoop]] arrived to vent his disappointment, the discussion was interrupted when Bumblebee told Starscream that [[Nemesis (BWII)|a gigantic optic]] had appeared in the sky. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 1: Surfeit of Primes|Surfeit of Primes}} The confusion passed quickly as the Seeker was more content to stare at the holo-image of his "true" self and languish what he could have been if he'd been allowed to live as he was meant to. Bumblebee disputed that believing everyone was defined by the sum of their own experiences and that, at least in part, Starscream's imprisonment was on him. Starscream disagreed. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 2: Another Mine|Another Mine}} Soon enough, [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] broke Starscream out of prison, hailing him as the Chose One once again, before Metrotitan space bridged in to do the same. As Metrotitan began an attack on Nemesis, the evil Titan simply fired a crippling shot through his brother's torso, downing him. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 3: The Ground|The Ground}}

After witnessing Onyx Prime, throw Optimus into the [[Crystal City]] [[black hole]], Devastator revealed to Starscream his theory that the Seeker was the reincarnation of [[the Fallen]]. Deciding to spin this to his advantage, Starscream had Devastator carry him to Metrotitan whereupon he set the combiner on the Autobots while Bumblebee vanished. Conversing with the Titan, Starscream was elated to find out he really was divine... whereupon Shockwave, who had been sent back in time and posed as Onyx Prime, arrived to reveal he had masterminded the "Chosen One" prophecy as a means of keeping a vain fool in charge of Cybertron and leaving the planet unprotected for his machinations. To punctuate his statement, Shockwave slew Metrotitan leaving Starscream to mutter where Bumblebee had gone. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|The Hallowing}} His will to fight completely gone, Starscream despondently made his way back to his cell only to be noticed by the rioting Decepticons. After he explained himself to them, they hesitatingly suggested that he become the [[Decepticon leader]] once again. Though initially dismissive of such a prospect, Starscream soon realized he was the best choice for such a job. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 5: Endless Forever|Endless Forever}} Once Shockwave had been captured and the [[Maximal]]s had retreated, Starscream resumed leadership of the Decepticons, leading his army away to draw up plans of conquest. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 6: Unforgivable|Unforgivable}} Camping out in Metrotitan's corpse, Starscream outlined his plans to the Decepticons, and defended his choice of a hideout, before [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] entered seeking to bring Starscream to Shockwave. {{storylink|Unstopped and Unstoppable}}

[[File:Unicron6 Starscream's Sacrifice.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|left|"Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong."]]

When he arrived, Shockwave told Starscream of his plans to create a new [[Decepticon Empire]], with Starscream in charge, but said Cybertron would have to be sacrificed to [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]. Scoffing at the offer, Starscream instead went to meet with the Camien refugees and announced he would be saving Cybertron. {{storylink|Last Stand (Unicron)|Last Stand}} When brought to the Council war room, Starscream revealed the existence of the [[Decepticon Vengeance Division]], a fleet of capital ships, all capable of destroying whole planets, that he'd ordered to corner and destroy Unicron at [[G Nebula 89]]. As debates flew over what course of action to take, [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] revealed the DVD was already facing Unicron to no effect. Soon enough, the monster had freed itself from the DVD and teleported to Cybertron, now having attained a [[robot mode]]. {{storylink|Stranger Eons}} In light of this, Starscream proposed space bridging away, even more so when it was revealed the [[Talisman (G1)|Talisman]] could kill Unicron if left behind. Unwilling to allow to sacrifice so many, Soundwave telepathically informed every Decepticon that their leader was willing to abandon them causing them to swarm into Metroplex. When Windblade began working on an alternate strategy, Starscream voted to stay, claiming he owed Windblade for the faith she'd put in him. {{storylink|Our Finest}} Metroplex did indeed space bridge to Earth soon after though all Starscream did was grumble about the humidity in the [[Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park]], an attitude which earned him a sock to the jaw from Arcee. {{storylink|Road's End}}

After waving off some employee complaints about his leadership, Starscream attended the briefing on Unicron where he told Jetfire to cut to the chase. As part of the final plan to save the universe, Starscream reunited with Skywarp and Thundercracker, ferrying Optimus Prime to Unicron so the Prime could use the Talisman to destroy the Chaos Bringer. {{storylink|Assembly (Unicron)|Assembly}} Though the fliers initially managed to slip past the mutated DVD, Skywarp and Thundercracker were soon forced to fall back, the latter tossing Starscream the Talisman. Unable to reach Unicron's core without Skywarp, Starscream realized there was only one way to complete the mission. After requesting that they give his best to Windblade, Starscream activated the Talisman, its magical energies consuming him completely but allowing the device to burrow its way to Unicron's core, ultimately allowing the monster to be felled. {{storylink|Ceremony}}

In the new era, Bumblebee became Cybertron's ambassador to the [[Galactic Council]]. Before the scout left Earth, he conversed with the ghostly Starscream on a beach. Though Bumblebee openly invited his friend to join him, the Seeker knew he wouldn't be welcome. When the scout thought Starscream was annoyed that Optimus would receive all the credit for saving the universe, Starscream laughed it off, content that people would simply remember him. {{storylink|Post}}

==Spotlight: Mirage==
At the war's end, Starscream and a small team of Decepticons accompanied the mercenary [[Mirage (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Mirage]] to the [[Pegasus Star Cluster]]. He led the Decepticons into the Autobot bunker after Mirage destroyed the Autobot security system, but stood back during the ensuing fight. After Megatron ordered the Autobot prisoners executed, Starscream held [[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]] back as Mirage prepared to kill [[Hound (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hound]].

But it was all Mirage's dream... or was it? {{storylink|Spotlight: Mirage}}

==Notes==
[[File:Wfc-starscream-0.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb]]
*Starscream's appearance in the first half of ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' seems to be based more on this concept drawing of him for the ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (games)|War for Cybertron]]'' game, rather than his actual appearance in either of the two games. This is most noticeable when looking at his pelvic region and thighs.
*Also, the crown he occasionally wears in later issues of the comic is based on the crown he sports in ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]'', which in itself is based on the crown he wears in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
*As the issues go by, Starscream takes to a habit of changing into a new body whenever the toyline at the time releases a new toy rendition of him, which is eventually explained in-universe as a subconscious rejection of his bodies. Or maybe he's just a vain git.

==External links==
*{{i|Starscream}} at the IDW Hasbro Wiki

[[Category:Council members]]
[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Seekers]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) Transformers]]
[[Category:Matrix bearers]]
[[Category:Neutrals]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Rulers of Cybertron]]

End of the Line

2019-09-16T16:23:50Z

RyRodrigo:

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=13
|image=End of Line Optimus Megatron fight.jpg
|caption=Monkey hate technology. Robot hate the monkey. They will fight eternally.
|title="End of the Line"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=December 18, 1999
|written by=[[Steven Melching]]
|directed by=[[Mark Sawers]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''Megatron and Optimus are set to go head to head with dueling doomsday weapons, and both seem willing to destroy Cybertron to gain victory.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:End of Line Tankor key holograms.jpg|left|It's like Wizard Chess, but with munkies.|thumb|upright=1.1]]
[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] and [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] hack into [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]]'s central computer, looking for clues to who has tampered with the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]], but turn up nothing. Finally, just as Rattrap is about to find something, they're chased off by [[Tank Drone]]s and soon find themselves surrounded. Rattrap throws some bombs which cover the tanks in vines, disabling them, and the two [[Maximal]]s scarper.

Meanwhile, the [[Diagnostic Drone]] reports the [[Key to Vector Sigma]] has been downloaded to all of the tank drones. [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] is pleased, until he tries to command the drones and discovers he no longer has control of them. He realises instead he will need to get Megatron to deploy them.

[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] has another vision from the Oracle, which tells him he must undertake his final journey. As he's telling [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] and [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] that he knows how to defeat Megatron, the other two Maximals arrive to report that Megatron has loaded the Key program into the tank drones.

[[File:End of Line Optimus Cheetor Plasma Chamber.jpg|right|thumb|"See? It's meant for me to use. It's got a big 'M' for Munky."|upright=1.1]]
The Diagnostic Drone disengages from the Oracle, reporting that he just created a counterfeit vision. Tankor monitors the Maximals, who are strolling through the city in [[robot mode]]. They reach a dead end, and turn back, but Optimus' eyes glow and a pair of huge doors open. They ride an elevator downwards to the [[Plasma Energy Chamber]], which Optimus believes he can control. As he speaks, a [[Mole Drone]] appears, and he orders the Maximals into [[beast mode]], before unleashing a bolt of energy from the chamber which vaporises the drone. He explains to the amazed Maximals that plasma energy will overload any electrical-mechanical systems. He plans to shut down everything technological on the entire planet. Cheetor tries to talk Optimus out of global Armageddon. Optimus shuts down the chamber and listens to Cheetor's alternate plan—use the seed grenades to keep the tank drones busy while Rattrap searches for a way to disable the Keys.

[[File:End of Line Tank drone vine bomb.jpg|left|thumb|This is what happens when you piss off Swamp Thing.|upright=1.1]]
Tankor is pleased that Optimus has found the Plasma Energy Chamber, knowing that Optimus would never use it, but knowing that Megatron could never take that chance. Indeed Megatron is very annoyed when told about the discovery by the Diagnostic Drone, who suggests that the Key weapon be deployed before Optimus has a chance to use the chamber. The tank drones are deployed around a huge structure which rises from the surface of Cybertron and are promptly attacked by the Maximals, throwing them into disarray. Megatron orders the Maximals' destruction.

Rattrap hacks into Megatron's computer again, only to find Tankor waiting to blast him. With Rattrap disabled, Tankor uses his link with the Diagnostic Drone to try to get Megatron to fire the Key weapon. Megatron doesn't believe that Optimus would ever use the Plasma Energy Chamber, and becomes more suspicious of the Drone, disabling it. Tankor rages that he will not be denied and leaves Rattrap's twitching [[Living metal|technomatter]] self calling out to Optimus for help.

[[File:End of Line Optimus Megatron energies.jpg|right|thumb|''What's the use of feeling blue?''|upright=1.1]]
Optimus rushes into the [[Council Citadel]] to confront Megatron. The pair fight, and Megatron shows on monitors the other Maximals being transformed into technomatter. Optimus argues that it is the will of the Matrix that the organic prevail, and Megatron transforms into beast mode in rage. As they wrestle, Optimus attempts to reformat his opponent, but Tankor arrives in time to zap Optimus into technomatter. Before Tankor can zap Megatron as well, he's restrained in energy bonds. Megatron transforms and thanks Tankor for his help in handing him victory.

As Megatron gloats over Optimus, the Maximal sends a mental command to open the Plasma Energy Chamber. The unleashed plasma energy begins ripping through Cybertron, and Megatron command his tank drones to fire the Key weapon. The conflicting energies create a maelstrom, swirling across the planet. Optimus Primal's hand disintegrates before his eyes.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (1)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (2)
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (6)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (7)
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] (8)

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s
|c2=
*[[Tank Drone]]s (3)
*[[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] (4)
*[[Diagnostic Drone]] (5)
*[[Mole Drone]] (10)
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (11)
*[[Aero Drone]]s (12)
*[[Cycle Drone]]s (13)
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (14)
*[[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] (15)

|c4=
*[[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] (9)

}}
==Quotes==
"You must make one final journey. Complete your destiny. Tip the balance, Optimus. Transform your world or suffer extinction."
:—Optimus' fake Oracle vision.

"Shut down Megatron for good, along with everything technological on the entire planet, right down to the last diode."
:—'''Optimus''' on what he plans to do with the plasma energy.

"He found WHAT?! The plasma energy chamber is only a legend." 
"As was the Key to Vector Sigma. Do you detect a pattern forming here?"
:—'''Megatron''' and the increasingly sarcastic '''Diagnostic Drone'''.

"Hmmm, do I detect a personal stake in this contest?" 
"Why, only that of my master." 
"And which 'master' would that be?"
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Diagnostic Drone''', moments before the latter's destruction

"No planet is alive, Optimus, merely infested, and I intend to restore it to its natural condition." 
"Over my sparkless body." 
"My sentiments exactly."
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Optimus'''.

"You can't destroy me — it's hardwired into your programming! Did you think I would grant you a spark and not protect myself from your treachery? You've been the perfect pawn all along, your independent mind weaving webs of deceit that I would never have conceived. I must thank you! If I had never let you roam free, I never would have obtained the key to my victory!"
:—'''Megatron''' calls Tankor stupid.

"I... still... control... the... Plasma... Energy... Chamber." 
"HAHAHAHAHA! An empty threat, my dear Optimus! You've always lacked the machine-like clarity to do what is logical — and necessary — to win!" 
"Not... this... time!" 
"LET THE FATES FALL WHERE THEY MAY!" 
:—'''Optimus''' and '''Megatron''' shoot their apocalyptic doomsday weapons at each other ''(and at everything else too)''.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
*For the first half of the episode, Tankor is consistently portrayed using a plain tank drone body, rather than his known appearance.
*After Cheetor throws the bombs on the Tank drones, but just before his feet reach the ground, his left foot makes a 360° rotation.
*While grabbing the tail of Megatron's dragon form, one of its prongs passes through Optimus' hand.
*Megatron's transformation back into his robot mode again recycles animation of his shiny ''Beast Wars'' texturing.

===Continuity notes===
*It appears that Megatron remembered what happened the last time he [[Dark Designs|reprogrammed]] [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] as evil (he came closer than most to usurping Megatron), and apparently knew since "[[Revelations Part III: Apocalypse]]" that Tankor has gone rogue. You didn't think Megatron would neglect to include a fail-safe this time.

===Transformers references===
*The Plasma Energy Chamber first appeared in "[[The Rebirth, Part 1]]".

===Real-world references===
*Rattrap refers to "{{w|Control-Alt-Delete}}".
*Megatron's line as he activates his doomsday weapon is a quote of antagonist Tyler Durden from the movie ''{{w|Fight Club}}''.

===Trivia===
* This episode contains one of [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|the many deaths of Optimus Primal]].
* In a rarity for ''Beast Machines'', the episode features a sunset.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Guerre Techno-Organique, Partie III'''" ("Techno-Organic War, Part III")

:*''Title:'' "'''La Fin de la Route'''" (Canada, "The End of the Road")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die Vision'''" ("The Vision")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 14]], [[2000]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kecchaku no Toki'''" (決着の時, "The Moment of Truth")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 18]], [[2004]]

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Guerra Tecno-Orgánica, Parte Tres: El Final de la Línea'''" ("Techno-Organic War, Part Three: The End of the Line")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Qióng Tú Mò Lù '''" (穷途末路, "In Dead End")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2005 — ''Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Returns'' — Volume 4 ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Geneon Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2006 — ''Beast Machines: Transformers'' — The Complete Series ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Season One: Volume Two ([[Sony]]) 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Season One: Volume Two — Revelations (Sony) 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Complete Season One (Sony) 
[[File:Flag of France.png|20px|France]] 2009 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Intégrale Saison 1 (Sony) — French audio only.

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

End of the Line

2019-09-16T16:21:38Z

RyRodrigo:

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=13
|image=End of Line Optimus Megatron fight.jpg
|caption=Monkey hate technology. Robot hate the monkey. They will fight eternally.
|title="End of the Line"
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|airdate=December 18, 1999
|written by=[[Steven Melching]]
|directed by=[[Mark Sawers]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuity=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''Megatron and Optimus are set to go head to head with dueling doomsday weapons, and both seem willing to destroy Cybertron to gain victory.'''

==Synopsis==
[[File:End of Line Tankor key holograms.jpg|left|It's like Wizard Chess, but with munkies.|thumb|upright=1.1]]
[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] and [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] hack into [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]]'s central computer, looking for clues to who has tampered with the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]], but turn up nothing. Finally, just as Rattrap is about to find something, they're chased off by [[Tank Drone]]s and soon find themselves surrounded. Rattrap throws some bombs which cover the tanks in vines, disabling them, and the two [[Maximal]]s scarper.

Meanwhile, the [[Diagnostic Drone]] reports the [[Key to Vector Sigma]] has been downloaded to all of the tank drones. [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] is pleased, until he tries to command the drones and discovers he no longer has control of them. He realises instead he will need to get Megatron to deploy them.

[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] has another vision from the Oracle, which tells him he must undertake his final journey. As he's telling [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] and [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] that he knows how to defeat Megatron, the other two Maximals arrive to report that Megatron has loaded the Key program into the tank drones.

[[File:End of Line Optimus Cheetor Plasma Chamber.jpg|right|thumb|"See? It's meant for me to use. It's got a big 'M' for Munky."|upright=1.1]]
The Diagnostic Drone disengages from the Oracle, reporting that he just created a counterfeit vision. Tankor monitors the Maximals, who are strolling through the city in [[robot mode]]. They reach a dead end, and turn back, but Optimus' eyes glow and a pair of huge doors open. They ride an elevator downwards to the [[Plasma Energy Chamber]], which Optimus believes he can control. As he speaks, a [[Mole Drone]] appears, and he orders the Maximals into [[beast mode]], before unleashing a bolt of energy from the chamber which vaporises the drone. He explains to the amazed Maximals that plasma energy will overload any electrical-mechanical systems. He plans to shut down everything technological on the entire planet. Cheetor tries to talk Optimus out of global Armageddon. Optimus shuts down the chamber and listens to Cheetor's alternate plan—use the seed grenades to keep the tank drones busy while Rattrap searches for a way to disable the Keys.

[[File:End of Line Tank drone vine bomb.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1]]
Tankor is pleased that Optimus has found the Plasma Energy Chamber, knowing that Optimus would never use it, but knowing that Megatron could never take that chance. Indeed Megatron is very annoyed when told about the discovery by the Diagnostic Drone, who suggests that the Key weapon be deployed before Optimus has a chance to use the chamber. The tank drones are deployed around a huge structure which rises from the surface of Cybertron and are promptly attacked by the Maximals, throwing them into disarray. Megatron orders the Maximals' destruction.

Rattrap hacks into Megatron's computer again, only to find Tankor waiting to blast him. With Rattrap disabled, Tankor uses his link with the Diagnostic Drone to try to get Megatron to fire the Key weapon. Megatron doesn't believe that Optimus would ever use the Plasma Energy Chamber, and becomes more suspicious of the Drone, disabling it. Tankor rages that he will not be denied and leaves Rattrap's twitching [[Living metal|technomatter]] self calling out to Optimus for help.

[[File:End of Line Optimus Megatron energies.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.1]]
Optimus rushes into the [[Council Citadel]] to confront Megatron. The pair fight, and Megatron shows on monitors the other Maximals being transformed into technomatter. Optimus argues that it is the will of the Matrix that the organic prevail, and Megatron transforms into beast mode in rage. As they wrestle, Optimus attempts to reformat his opponent, but Tankor arrives in time to zap Optimus into technomatter. Before Tankor can zap Megatron as well, he's restrained in energy bonds. Megatron transforms and thanks Tankor for his help in handing him victory.

As Megatron gloats over Optimus, the Maximal sends a mental command to open the Plasma Energy Chamber. The unleashed plasma energy begins ripping through Cybertron, and Megatron command his tank drones to fire the Key weapon. The conflicting energies create a maelstrom, swirling across the planet. Optimus Primal's hand disintegrates before his eyes.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s
|c1=
*[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (1)
*[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (2)
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (6)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (7)
*[[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] (8)

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s
|c2=
*[[Tank Drone]]s (3)
*[[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] (4)
*[[Diagnostic Drone]] (5)
*[[Mole Drone]] (10)
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (11)
*[[Aero Drone]]s (12)
*[[Cycle Drone]]s (13)
*[[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (14)
*[[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] (15)

|c4=
*[[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] (9)

}}
==Quotes==
"You must make one final journey. Complete your destiny. Tip the balance, Optimus. Transform your world or suffer extinction."
:—Optimus' fake Oracle vision.

"Shut down Megatron for good, along with everything technological on the entire planet, right down to the last diode."
:—'''Optimus''' on what he plans to do with the plasma energy.

"He found WHAT?! The plasma energy chamber is only a legend." 
"As was the Key to Vector Sigma. Do you detect a pattern forming here?"
:—'''Megatron''' and the increasingly sarcastic '''Diagnostic Drone'''.

"Hmmm, do I detect a personal stake in this contest?" 
"Why, only that of my master." 
"And which 'master' would that be?"
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Diagnostic Drone''', moments before the latter's destruction

"No planet is alive, Optimus, merely infested, and I intend to restore it to its natural condition." 
"Over my sparkless body." 
"My sentiments exactly."
:—'''Megatron''' and '''Optimus'''.

"You can't destroy me — it's hardwired into your programming! Did you think I would grant you a spark and not protect myself from your treachery? You've been the perfect pawn all along, your independent mind weaving webs of deceit that I would never have conceived. I must thank you! If I had never let you roam free, I never would have obtained the key to my victory!"
:—'''Megatron''' calls Tankor stupid.

"I... still... control... the... Plasma... Energy... Chamber." 
"HAHAHAHAHA! An empty threat, my dear Optimus! You've always lacked the machine-like clarity to do what is logical — and necessary — to win!" 
"Not... this... time!" 
"LET THE FATES FALL WHERE THEY MAY!" 
:—'''Optimus''' and '''Megatron''' shoot their apocalyptic doomsday weapons at each other ''(and at everything else too)''.

==Notes==
===Animation and technical errors===
*For the first half of the episode, Tankor is consistently portrayed using a plain tank drone body, rather than his known appearance.
*After Cheetor throws the bombs on the Tank drones, but just before his feet reach the ground, his left foot makes a 360° rotation.
*While grabbing the tail of Megatron's dragon form, one of its prongs passes through Optimus' hand.
*Megatron's transformation back into his robot mode again recycles animation of his shiny ''Beast Wars'' texturing.

===Continuity notes===
*It appears that Megatron remembered what happened the last time he [[Dark Designs|reprogrammed]] [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] as evil (he came closer than most to usurping Megatron), and apparently knew since "[[Revelations Part III: Apocalypse]]" that Tankor has gone rogue. You didn't think Megatron would neglect to include a fail-safe this time.

===Transformers references===
*The Plasma Energy Chamber first appeared in "[[The Rebirth, Part 1]]".

===Real-world references===
*Rattrap refers to "{{w|Control-Alt-Delete}}".
*Megatron's line as he activates his doomsday weapon is a quote of antagonist Tyler Durden from the movie ''{{w|Fight Club}}''.

===Trivia===
* This episode contains one of [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|the many deaths of Optimus Primal]].
* In a rarity for ''Beast Machines'', the episode features a sunset.

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Guerre Techno-Organique, Partie III'''" ("Techno-Organic War, Part III")

:*''Title:'' "'''La Fin de la Route'''" (Canada, "The End of the Road")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Die Vision'''" ("The Vision")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 14]], [[2000]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Kecchaku no Toki'''" (決着の時, "The Moment of Truth")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 18]], [[2004]]

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Guerra Tecno-Orgánica, Parte Tres: El Final de la Línea'''" ("Techno-Organic War, Part Three: The End of the Line")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Qióng Tú Mò Lù '''" (穷途末路, "In Dead End")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[File:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2005 — ''Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Returns'' — Volume 4 ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Geneon Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2006 — ''Beast Machines: Transformers'' — The Complete Series ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[File:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[File:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Season One: Volume Two ([[Sony]]) 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Season One: Volume Two — Revelations (Sony) 
[[File:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Complete Season One (Sony) 
[[File:Flag of France.png|20px|France]] 2009 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Intégrale Saison 1 (Sony) — French audio only.

[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Revelations Part III: Apocalypse

2019-09-16T16:20:06Z

RyRodrigo:

{{episode
|series=BMtoon
|ep=9
|title="Revelations Part III: Apocalypse"
|image=Revelations3 Rhinox vision.jpg
|caption="OH GOD I'M IN WALES"
|airdate=[[November 13]], 1999
|written by=[[Steven Melching]]
|directed by=[[George Samilski]]
|production company=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|animation studio=[[Mainframe Entertainment]]
|continuty=[[Beast Wars continuity]]
}}
'''Nightscream pursues Jetstorm, who has captured Blackarachnia's spark; meanwhile, Optimus and Rhinox have a heart to heart.'''

==Synopsis==
[[Image:Jetstorm with extractor.jpg|left|200px|thumb|He's a spark-breaker, he's a spark-taker...]]
[[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] stands over [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]]'s body, holding her [[spark]], as [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] looks on in anguish. Gloating, the [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]] transforms and flies off with the spark, and Nightscream sets off in pursuit. Watching them go, [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] then eyes Blackarachnia's body.

Meanwhile, [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] is skeptical of [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]]'s theory that [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] is [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]], due to the vast difference in intellect. The pair resolve to try to reach Rhinox's consciousness.

Below ground, [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] tells the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] that he doesn't understand the visions he's had... and is promptly granted another vision. Walking in a field, he sees plants with his fellow [[Maximal]]s' faces on them, and is attacked by metal tentacles. The tentacles turn the plants to metal, and Optimus Primal's friends cry that he has failed them.

[[Image:Revelations3 Tankor cutting.jpg|right|200px|thumb|He may not have liked it, but when it came to slicing up pizzas, Tankor was simply the best there was.]]
Tankor regains consciousness and Cheetor cautiously inquires whether Rhinox is in control. Although for a moment it seems as though Tankor's Maximal side is reasserting itself, he writhes in pain and reverts to his "TANKOR DESTROY!" persona. Cheetor is tossed aside, and Tankor advances on Rattrap, firing. After a brief attempt to reason with the [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]], Rattrap jumps on some large pipes, releasing them from their bonds so that they fall on Tankor. He recovers quickly, and the two Maximals turn to flee. Unfortunately they're cut off by oncoming tank drones, and race down a narrow gap between the stacked containers. Tankor begins smashing the containers aside, so the pair run up one of the arched structures they've found. On reaching the arch, Tankor merely begins cutting into the side of it, and the Maximals look at each other in alarm. It doesn't take long for Tankor to cut through enough to push the arch over, and Rattrap and Cheetor are forced to jump to the next arch which comes under attack from tank drones.

Nightscream snatches Blackarachnia's spark back from Jetstorm (who seems to have stopped to have a chat with it). The enraged Vehicon chases him but clips a freeway and slams into the side of a building. Recovering quickly, Jetstorm continues the pursuit and follows Nightscream until the Maximal drops an elevator on him.

[[Image:Revelations3 Nightscream spark.jpg|left|200px|thumb|Bad touch: pending.]]
Thrust carries Blackarachnia's lifeless body through the city until he's intercepted by Nightscream. The pair fight until Nightscream is able to disable Thrust by draining his Energon. Floating in a white void, Blackarachnia encounters Optimus and he tells her that her spark must have left her body. Elsewhere, Nightscream liberates Blackarachnia's spark from its container and tries to force it back into her body. In the void, she panics and flees from Optimus, just as her spark does from Nightscream. Optimus is able to calm her, and her spark returns to her body. Nightscream suggests they find the others, as he has a feeling they'll need help.

Indeed, Tankor has just knocked over one of the arches in the row, and the rest of them begin to fall like dominoes. Rattrap and Cheetor fall from the final arch, and Cheetor finds himself trapped under some containers with Tankor towering over him. He pleads with the Vehicon to remember who he is and, after a great mental struggle, Tankor unleashes a cry which Optimus hears on his higher plane. Optimus marches through the field of his vision, pushing through the plants until he comes face-to-face with... Rhinox. Optimus talks with his old friend, who it seems sides with [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]], favoring technology over organic nature. Optimus is jerked back to reality with a cry of "NO!"

[[Image:Revelations3 Tankor maximals.jpg|right|200px|thumb|"''Damn it'' Tankor, ''The Phantom Menace'' was ''over a decade ago!''" "It still ''hurts'', Cheetor, ''alright''?!"]]
Blackarachnia pulls Cheetor out of the way of Tankor's descending fist, and Nightscream takes out a row of tank drones. Cheetor warns Blackarachnia not to harm Tankor, surprising her with the information that he's Rhinox. She's tossed aside by the Vehicon, disturbing a pile of containers and revealing Rattrap's hiding place. The four Maximals offer Tankor their help, but he replies in Rhinox's voice that he doesn't ''need'' their help. He reveals that he's been conscious but unable to do anything, suppressed by the Tankor personality the whole time. To their alarm, he also announces that Megatron is Cybertron's only hope for technological perfection. The Maximals wonder if Rhinox's spark has been corrupted, and attack their friend, pinning him to the ground. Cheetor tells Rattrap to use his tail interface to reprogram Rhinox, but they're interrupted by Optimus who says Rhinox has made his choice and they have to respect that. The Maximals sadly watch Rhinox leave.

Back at base, the Maximals mourn over their lost friend, and Optimus gives a speech about how the Matrix sent them to prehistoric Earth for a reason—to restore nature to Cybertron.
{{--}}

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Maximal]]s|c1=
* [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]] (1)
* [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] (2)
* [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] (5)
* [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] (7)
* [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (9)

|h2=[[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicons]]|c2=
* [[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] (3)
* [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] (4)
* [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]]/[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] (6)
* [[Tank Drone]]s (8)
}}

==Quotes==
"Lookee here, ma! I caught me a lightning bug! Yeeha!"
:—Are we sure '''Jetstorm''' isn't [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]]?

"Gee, good thing Tankor turned out to be a friend. Imagine if he was recycled from a ''Predacon''."
:—'''Rattrap''' getting tetchy at how the plan's going.

"C sharp... or B flat, music to my ears."
:—'''Nightscream''', as Jetstorm is flattened.

"Rattrap! Use your tail interface...if Rhinox won't change his mind, we'll change it for him!"
:—'''Cheetor''', ironically issuing a command that Megatron would have given.

"Megatron wants this planet to run harmoniously, but harmony without free will isn't harmony at all."
:—'''Optimus''' about to break out into a speech.

"Goodbye, Optimus. When we meet again, it will not be as allies."
:—'''Rhinox''''s parting words to Optimus.

"Was this planet ever natural to begin with?"
:—A humble question from '''Cheetor'''. To this day, the fandom [[Primus|is still]] [[Cybertron (planet)|divided]] over the answer.

==Notes==

===Animation and technical errors===

===Continuity errors===
* Optimus mentions that the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] on prehistoric Earth were, in fact, the Oracle's way of bringing the organic matter incorporated in [[beast mode]]s back to Cybertron. Of course, the Beast Wars were started by ''Megatron'', who stole a ship in an attempt to change history. We could be generous and assume that Primal's newfound religious zeal is blinding him to the truth, or maybe the Oracle was also manipulating Megatron, who knows? In any event, time travelling to the past to visit a planet extremely important to the history of the Transformers race seems a ''really'' roundabout way of getting organic matter. There's no indication whatsoever in Beast Wars that organic beast forms are in any way unusual. The only way any of this makes sense is if there are no planets with organic races still talking to Cybertron in the present day (something that [[Botanica (BM)|later episodes]] seem to disprove).

===Continuity notes===
* Cheetor's line "I am seriously missing my old turbo-jets right now," is a reference to his old [[Transmetal]] capability in ''Beast Wars''.
* Rattrap sardonically remarks that it's a good thing that Tankor doesn't have a [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] spark. This is the only time that Predacons are mentioned in the series, although the producers did confirm that Maximals ''and'' Predacons were both targeted by Megatron's attack.
* Optimus refers to the tree in Nightscream's cavern, seen in "[[Forbidden Fruit]]", as an example of Cybertron's organic past.
* Gadgets and powers:
** Thrust's hand can detatch as part of a grappling hook-like setup.

===Transformers references===

===Real-world references===
* After destroying several Tank Drones, Nightscream refers to them as "[[Tonka]] toys".

===Trivia===
*Skir's original intention was that Rhinox had "seen all sides of the argument, and chose to go more in Megatron's direction", so after a quiet chat he and Optimus would part company. As Richard Newman played that scene with growling and shouting, Rhinox instead sounded not quite in his right mind after his experiences. (That said, animating Rhinox growing into a towering and menacing Tankor while backlit by storm clouds and lightning didn't quite say "quiet chat", either, although the scene may have been altered to fit Newman's unhinged performance). [http://web.archive.org/web/20071202095033/http://bigbot.com/beast-machines-transformers-bob-skir/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Fri_03_Dec_1999.html]

===Foreign localization===
'''French'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Révélation, Partie III'''" ("Revelation, Part III")

:*''Title:'' '''Révélations 3''' (Canada, "Revelations 3")

'''German'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Apokalypse'''" ("Apocalypse")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 10]], [[2000]]

'''Japanese'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Hoshi no Shimei'''" (星の使命, "Message from the Stars")
:*''Original airdate:'' [[December 4]], [[2004]]

'''Spanish'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Revelaciones, Tercera Parte: Apocalipsis'''" ("Revelations, Third Part: Apocalypse")

'''Mandarin'''
:*''Title:'' "'''Qǐshìlù '''" (启示录, "The Revelation")

==Home video releases==
{{homevidnote}}
;DVD
[[Image:Flag of Japan.png|20px|Japan]] 2005 — ''Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Returns'' — Volume 3 ([[Geneon Universal Entertainment|Geneon Entertainment]]) — Japanese audio only. 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2006 — ''Beast Machines: Transformers'' — The Complete Series ([[Rhino Entertainment|Rhinomation]]) 
[[Image:Flag of USA.png|20px|United States of America]] 2014 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — The Complete Series ([[Shout! Factory]]) 
[[Image:Flag of Australia.png|20px|Australia]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Season One: Volume Two ([[Sony]]) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Season One: Volume Two — Revelations (Sony) 
[[Image:Flag of UK.png|20px|United Kingdom]] 2007 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Complete Season One (Sony) 
[[Image:Flag of France.png|20px|France]] 2009 — ''Transformers: Beast Machines'' — Intégrale Saison 1 (Sony) — French audio only.

{{DEFAULTSORT:Revelations part 3}}
[[Category:Beast Machines episodes]]

Sideswipe (G1)/2005 IDW continuity

2019-07-16T15:47:05Z

RyRodrigo:

{{factions|autobot}}
{{suite}}
[[File:Spotlight Sideswipe cvrA virgin art.jpg|thumb|upright=1.25|''"If there's two things he loves, it's fighting and FIGHTIN' ROUND THE WORLD."'']]
'''Sideswipe''' is hot-headed, eager for battle, and even more eager to get out from the shadow of his brother [[Sunstreaker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sunstreaker]]. He's forever got a chip on his shoulder, and isn't shy about taking it out on any Decepticons within head-bashing range. His insubordinate attitude and battle-lust can lead to tensions with the more peaceful-minded Autobots, but there's no discounting his courage: Sideswipe will happily wade into battle against any foe, no matter how powerful or numerous, and won't let up no matter how hopeless the odds. This combative temperament of his is probably why he gets along fairly well with the fearsome [[Arcee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Arcee]].

''First Appearance:'' [[Spotlight: Galvatron]]

{{quote|Find a Decepticon, blast a Decepticon...|Sideswipe's mantra|"[[Earthfall Chapter 3: The Mind Bomb|The Mind Bomb]]"}}

{{TOCclear}}

==Fiction==
===The Great War===
[[File:MegsOrigin3 Sunstreak Sideswipe glory.jpg|left|upright=2|thumb|Sideswipe's feeling small standing under [[Nova Prime]]'s crotch.]]
[[Sunstreaker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sunstreaker]] was Sideswipe's [[Relatives|brother]], {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 1: Once Upon a Time on Earth|Once Upon a Time on Earth}} P-3 Training Officer, and strike partner, and constantly looked down on him as the rookie. Nothing Sideswipe did was seen as good enough, and he was left under Sunstreaker's shadow, something that left a deep mark on him. He was forever been resentful and wanting to be seen by others as a skilled, notable warrior. {{storylink|Spotlight: Sideswipe}}

Before the war, the two of them were employed as [[Senate]] law enforcers, and at one point arrested [[Impactor (G1)|Impactor]]. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}} They simultaneously attended illegal underground arena [[Gladiatorial combat|deathmatches]] and witnessed [[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]]'s 54th victory. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 2|Megatron Origin #2}} When Sunstreaker wanted to join Megatron's underground fighting team, Sideswipe went along to try and talk him out of it. Whether they stuck around and were caught up in the Autobot security raid is unknown. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}}

Later, as war engulfed [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Sideswipe was one of the many Autobots trained by [[Kup (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Kup]]. {{storylink|Spotlight: Kup}} Early in the war, Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were present during the battle for [[Sherma Bridge]], where they witnessed the first duel between [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]] and Megatron. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1|Chaos Theory #1}}

[[File:SpotlightGalvatron Sideswipe rocketfist.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|This hand of mine glows with an awesome power!]]
Much to his dismay, Sideswipe was later stationed at [[Thunderhead Pass]] on Cybertron to guard [[Thunderwing (G1)|Thunderwing]]'s remains. Sideswipe wanted action, something he wasn't going to get standing guard over comatose Decepticons. His desire to "bust some heads" became even stronger after Sunstreaker was apparently kidnapped during his duties on [[Earth]], and Sideswipe began actively disregarding his squadron leader, [[Hound (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hound]], to routinely contact High Command and demand a transfer; unknown to everyone else, this wasn't down to brothers-in-arms loyalty, this was down to him wanting to save Sunstreaker so his former strike partner would have to recognise his skills. {{storylink|Spotlight: Sideswipe}}

His need for action was alleviated, however, when [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|a mysterious and powerful Transformer]] attacked Cybertron. Sideswipe blew off part of the being's head, but he recovered almost immediately and knocked Sideswipe and the rest of the Autobots offline, then stole Thunderwing away. {{storylink|Spotlight: Galvatron}}

[[File:Devastation 1 Sideswipe Hound.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|left]]
Soon after, [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]] apparently caved in to Sideswipe's pleading and put [[Jetfire (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jetfire]] in charge of Thunderhead Pass, transferring Hound's entire team, including Sideswipe, to Earth once Megatron began breaking [[Infiltration protocol]]. {{storylink|Devastation issue 1|Devastation #1}} However, once word of the break-in at [[Garrus-9]] reached his audio sensors, Prime directed his team and Hound's to head there instead of Earth. {{storylink|Devastation issue 6|Devastation #6}}

Sideswipe took the reassignment pretty harshly, and had pushed Hound well to the edge of his tolerance. He got a minor diversion from worrying about Sunstreaker when another mysterious and powerful Transformer, [[Cyclonus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Cyclonus]] attacked their ship. Surprisingly, he wanted to find out who Cyclonus was, but Hound felt that time was a factor and hit Cyclonus with a full volley. It was enough to slow him down, but not enough to stop him. [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]]' arrival forced a retreat, and the two Autobot ships followed. When they caught up to Cyclonus, Sideswipe goaded him into battle, and made no apologies for it. {{storylink|Spotlight: Cyclonus}} {{storylink|Spotlight: Hardhead}}

[[File:SpotlightSideswipe Sideswipe.jpg|right|upright=1.0|thumb|He can punch ''and'' angst at the same time!]]
When his unit finally reached Earth, he personally took on both [[Grindcore (G1)|Grindcore]] ''and'' [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]] so the others could reach the Space Bridge. This earned him recognition and an apology from Hound, and the battle against superior foes gave Sideswipe the chance to prove to ''himself'' that he was better than Sunstreaker thought. This exorcised, he realised he didn't actually care if Sunstreaker was alive or dead, and turned away from his obsession without looking back. {{storylink|Spotlight: Sideswipe}}

One year later, the Decepticons ambushed the Autobots in a crippling assault, during which Skywarp ripped off Sideswipe's arm. The Autobots were subsequently tossed through a [[space bridge]] to the lifeless shell of Cybertron, where they would be finished off by the [[Insecticon swarm]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}} Along with the others, Sideswipe stood around brooding about the situation, {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 1|All Hail Megatron #1}} occasionally staring at the similarly one-armed [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 4|All Hail Megatron #4}}

Frustrated at being stranded on Cybertron, he listened to [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]]' story about how awesome and cool Jazz is to pass the time. {{storylink|Spotlight: Jazz}}

When the crew of the ''[[Trion]]'' ended up on Cybertron, Sideswipe listened to [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hot Rod]] explain what had happened. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 5|All Hail Megatron #5}}

[[File:Sideswipe AHM09 wedeservetodie.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|left|And he can angst and angst ''more'' at the same time too!]]
Later, Sideswipe tried to talk to Sunstreaker and tell him to stop picking on [[Mirage (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Mirage]], who was blamed for leading the Autobots into the Decepticons' trap. Sunstreaker responded by telling his brother all about the horrible things the [[Machination]] had done to him, leaving Sideswipe speechless. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}} Later, after Sunstreaker revealed himself to be the true traitor and sacrificed himself, Sideswipe had enough and declared that all the Autobots deserved to die for carrying on such a senseless war. His speech was interrupted by the return of Optimus Prime. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 9|All Hail Megatron #9}} Sideswipe later defended the Autobot base against a massive swarm attack, but the Autobots were overrun and only saved by the arrival of [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]], who took them all back to Earth. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}}

[[File:AHM12 SideswipeandBombshell.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
As the Autobots confronted the Decepticons in [[New York City]], Sideswipe beat up [[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] with a street light and was jumped by [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]], who gleefully told the Autobot how he had dissected [[Hunter O'Nion]], Sunstreaker's [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster partner]], and used his knowledge to toy with Sunstreaker's mind. Following the defeat of the Decepticons, Sideswipe found Hunter, strung up and mutilated in Bombshell's lab. Horrified at the sight, he decided to end the human's tortured existence by shutting off the machines keeping him alive. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 12|All Hail Megatron #12}}

[[File:A Rude Awakening Sideswipe and Magnus.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|left]]
Three years later, Sideswipe was still serving with the Autobots on Earth under Optimus Prime's command. He was present when Prime abdicated leadership of the Autobots and surrendered to [[Skywatch]]. {{storylink|...For All Mankind}} When [[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hot Rod]] left the Autobots to form a splinter faction, Sideswipe chose to remain in the desert caverns with the majority of Autobots under [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]]'s new leadership. {{storylink|Things Fall Apart, Part 1: "New Arrivals, Old Encounters"|New Arrivals, Old Encounters}} He was seen standing at strict attention when [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]] arrived to address the Earth troops, although he was confused by Magnus's over-use of Earth idioms and "lingo". {{storylink|Things Fall Apart, Part 2: "A Rude Awakening"|A Rude Awakening}} He was later seen helping setting the Autobot's communications network on Earth. {{storylink|Ride-Along}}

Under Bumblebee, Sideswipe was part of the Transformer hunters clandestinely employed by [[Gordon Horiuchi]] of Skywatch. He was present when Bumblebee announced the Autobots' intention to break free from Horiuchi's unyielding directives. {{storylink|The Impossible Knot}}

Months later, the Autobots on Earth were joined by several long-lost comrades from space, including Sunstreaker, who had survived his earlier sacrifice. From them, they learned that Cybertron was restored to a habitable planet, but to reclaim their home they had to challenge Galvatron, who had recently occupied it. The majority of the Autobots, including Sideswipe, boarded Omega Supreme and left Earth the next day. {{storylink|Space Opera—Final Tableaux: Orphans of the Helix|Orphans of the Helix}} He was among the Autobots who tried to listen in on Optimus Prime's questioning of a captive Megatron. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1}}

[[File:Kings Sideswipe fights.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3]]
After arriving on Cybertron, the Autobots fought against Galvatron's [[Sweep (G1)|Sweep]] army. During the battle, Sideswipe bore witness to an escaped and upgraded Megatron completely massacring the Sweeps, then was himself attacked by [[Ravage (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ravage]] when Megatron summoned the Decepticons to his side. He and the others fought the Decepticons until [[D-Void]] took control of them via Galvatron. {{storylink|Chaos Part Three: Kings|Kings}} Sideswipe watched part of the battle between Megatron and the [[Deceptigod|monstrous Sweep-Decepticon combiner]] before making himself scarce. {{storylink|Chaos Part Four: Genesis|Genesis}} Once the combiner was broken apart, [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]] negotiated a Decepticon surrender with Sideswipe in exchange for his own safety. {{storylink|Shockpoint}}
{{-}}

===Post-war===
[[File:09 Autonomy Lesson Sideswipe.jpg|thumb|left|upright=2.0]]
In the wake of Galvatron and D-Void's defeat, Cybertron was "reset" into a primordial state and the Decepticons were put behind bars. Sporting a new paintjob, a bandolier and a [[sword]], Sideswipe kept the peace alongside [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] when unaffiliated Transformers began returning to the planet. He greeted Optimus Prime when he returned three weeks after the battle, then was caught up in a riot as the "[[NAIL]]s" protested against the Autobots being in charge. When he reported to [[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]] that the Autobots were outnumbered, he was ordered to let the Decepticons out and have them lend a hand. {{storylink|Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime}} Of course the Decepticons didn't know how to hold back, and so Sideswipe and Prowl later ended up having to admonish [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] and [[Horri-Bull]] for beating up [[Tappet]]. {{storylink|The Autonomy Lesson (issue)|The Autonomy Lesson}}

When [[Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Starscream]] approached the Autobot headquarters, Sideswipe spotted him and joked about killing him. {{storylink|The World & Everything in It}} Sideswipe later provided crowd control again while Prowl had the deceased body of Ratbat removed from the Decepticon encampment. {{storylink|Stick Together}} While standing guard at crime scene of [[Skydive (Predator)|Skydive]]'s murder, he was instructed by Prowl to deactivate the waste chutes and replied with sarcasm, though Wheeljack quickly did it for him. {{storylink|Devisive}}

[[File:Sideswipe Prowl and Wheeljack vehicle Primus All Good Things.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.9]]
When [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]] arrived on Cybertron, Sideswipe kept an eye on him and discovered him collaborating with the Decepticons. He, Prowl, and Streetwise raided their hiding area and caught Needlenose and Sky-Byte, only to be overwhelmed by a mob of NAILs who were looking to lynch Sky-Byte. They were stopped by [[Ironhide (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ironhide]], who wanted a better future for both Autobot and Decepticon. {{storylink|A Better Tomorrow}} Sideswipe stood guard as others investigated and discussed the disappearance of [[Turmoil]]'s starship. {{storylink|Night and the City}} With the discovery of a large underground cave near Iacon, Prowl took Sideswipe with him to keep anyone else from entering while he and Wheeljack went in to investigate. He got confused when a large crowd of Decepticons and NAILs appeared and peacefully asked to be let in, and ultimately ended up following them into the cave and witnessing a [[Titan (group)|Titan]] declare that Starscream was the one who would unite all Cybertronians. {{storylink|Primus: All Good Things|All Good Things}}

[[File:CityOnFire SideswipeBigGun.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.5|]]
As part of Prowl's security team, Sideswipe was supposed to participate in a raid on the Decepticon pen, but it exploded before they could enter. {{storylink|The End of the Beginning of the World}} Shortly thereafter, Megatron arrived in the city, appearing for the first time since Cybertron's rebirth. On Bumblebee's orders, Sideswipe gleefully prepared to gun down the Decepticon leader, but was interrupted by Needlenose and the other Decepticons who demanded that they let him live. {{storylink|City on Fire}} He later escorted Bumblebee to Prowl's quarters to investigate claims that Prowl was working with the Decepticons, which turned out to be very true when they were captured by Decepticons on the way there. After Megatron was done telling them about his villainous plan, he had [[Arcee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Arcee]] kill Sideswipe by impaling him, pinning him to a wall. {{storylink|Before the Dawn}} However, the attack missed any of his vitals, which Sideswipe recognized as a sign that Arcee wasn't really on the Decepticons' side. He waited until Arcee made her move and turned on the 'Cons, at which point he joined in and started blasting people left and right. He went on to help chase after Megatron in an attempt to save Starscream, albeit mostly because it was a chance to shoot more Decepticons. {{storylink|Plan for Everything}}

[[File:TheMindBomb SideswipeSimplerTimes.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.3|Quit while you're behind, Sideswipe.]]
Sideswipe was briefly beaten down by [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]] during the ensuing battle for Cybertron, but it ended with a victory for the Autobots. Or rather, it ended with a victory for ''Starscream'', who became leader of the NAILs and had both Autobots and Decepticons exiled into the wilderness. {{storylink|Heavy Is the Head}} As the Autobots set up camp, Sideswipe was approached by Arcee while guarding the medical trailer where Bumblebee was being repaired. While Arcee was expecting him to let her in since they'd fought well together, Sideswipe turned her away, making it clear he was just as unnerved by her as the others. {{storylink|Second Exodus}}

When the ''Lost Light'' resurfaced during the rampage of the [[Quintessa (IDW)|Necrotitan]], Sideswipe warmly reunited with Sunstreaker after their long period apart. {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}} He stood with the other defenders of Cybertron against the oncoming horde of [[Ammonite]]s. {{storylink|Black Planet: Dark Cybertron Chapter 11|Black Planet}} In the aftermath, Sideswipe watched with Prowl and Arcee as Optimus conversed with newcomer [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]]. As Prowl talked to Arcee about how different the [[Caminus (planet)|Camiens]] were from her or any other Cybertronian, Sideswipe interjected with a rant about how he missed the good old days of Autobots just fighting Decepticons, without neutrals or any other groups of bots making everything more complicated. Sideswipe was then left confused when Arcee stormed off after he had remarked how impossible it had been to trust anybody when they first worked together. {{storylink|Earthfall Chapter 3: The Mind Bomb|The Mind Bomb}}
{{-}}
===Return to Earth===
[[File:DetonationBoulevard SideswipeVehicleMode.jpg|upright=1.5|thumb|left|[[Stealth Force]] Sideswipe. No, not [[Sideswipe (Movie)|that one]].]]
Sideswipe was later among those selected by Optimus to join the crew of the ''[[Ark-7]]'' as part of a mission to go to Earth and find [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]]. When the ship reached Earth orbit and found itself under attack by missiles despite its deflectors and [[ghost shield]]s, Sideswipe eagerly volunteered to grab his jetpack and fly outside to blast the missiles. Optimus instead ordered him to come along on-board [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] as part of a team headed down to Earth. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 1: Hello Cruel World|Hello Cruel World}} When Optimus, Jazz, and Kup came under attack by Decepticons and the [[Earth Defense Command]] while investigating a signal, Sideswipe and Arcee covered their retreat and led the Decepticons into the town of [[Poverty Flat]] under orders from Prowl. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 2: Detonation Boulevard|Detonation Boulevard}} Sideswipe watched as [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] tore into the Decepticons, but was left baffled when the 'Cons all suddenly vanished. Sideswipe then returned with the others via Sky Lynx to the ''Ark-7'', where Arcee told him to shut up as he chanted a motto to himself about blasting Decepticons. {{storylink|Earthfall Chapter 3: The Mind Bomb|The Mind Bomb}} After the Autobots learned that Alpha Trion was being held in the EDC's [[Marshall Islands|Bikini Atoll]] base, Sideswipe participated in an attack on the facility, being all too happy to shoot up its automated defenses. {{storylink|Earthfall Chapter 4: Full Fathom Five|Full Fathom Five}} Sideswipe was not too fazed when the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'' showed up and opened fire on the ship (although he had some troubles figuring out what it's "planet-razing" capabilities meant). When Alpha Trion was successfully rescued, Sideswipe helped cover the others as they all retreated aboard Sky Lynx. {{storylink|Earthfall Chapter 5: I Dream of Wires|I Dream of Wires}}

[[File:Vs SideswipeArceeJetpack.jpg|upright=1.3|thumb|right|[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|At least she didn't yell at you...]]]]
Sideswipe and Sky Lynx were both sent out to help [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] when he came under attack while investigating the EDC's base in the aftermath of the Autobots' attack on it, with Sideswipe very much enjoying himself as he finally got to use his [[jet pack|jetpack]] and blow up some missiles; the missiles coming back around even if he missed them just added to the experience. When the trio returned to the ''Ark-7'', Sideswipe questioned Cosmos as to what he had said to make Prowl so angry, and also what precisely a "Google alert" actually was. {{storylink|Onyx Interface Part One: Signals, Calls, and Marches|Signals, Calls, and Marches}} While watching Sky Lynx take Prowl and the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] to Earth with Arcee, Sideswipe asked her if she was still mad at him for his earlier comments to her. Arcee simply told him to hand over his jetpack, and as she flew after Sky Lynx, Sideswipe was left utterly befuddled. {{storylink|Onyx Interface Part Two: Vs.|Vs.}} As Kup chewed him out for just letting Arcee go to Earth, Sideswipe was quick to point the finger at Sky Lynx instead for taking Prowl and the Constructicons to Earth in the first place. {{storylink|Onyx Interface Part Three: ONoffON|ONoffON}} Sideswipe then went with Kup and Sky Lynx to help stop a rampaging Devastator at [[Onyx]]'s [[Wanmu]] facility. {{storylink|The Onyx Interface Conclusion: The Obliterati}}

[[File:TheNothingMan WeaponsHellaOnline.jpg|upright=1.2|thumb|left|]]
After a team investigating the [[Onyx Interface]] on Earth was trounced by [[G.B. Blackrock#2005 IDW continuity|Garrison Blackrock]]'s [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]]/[[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] [[Seeker clone|clone-combiner]]s, Sideswipe had some reservations about Arcee's plan of Sky Lynx luring the combiners to the ''Ark-7'', but got the weapons primed regardless. However, things took a turn for the worse when the Onyx tablet that had infiltrated the ship's systems raised its shields just as Sideswipe fired, causing the ''Ark-7'' to be heavily damaged by the close impact of its own weapons. Sideswipe began to panic as he found that he was locked out of the ship's systems and the shields were angled both inside and out, preventing anyone from entering or exiting, but Arcee tried to get him to stay focused. It was then that the still-recovering Alpha Trion came in and revealed that the Onyx tablets' source code was that of the [[Enigma of Combination]]. {{storylink|The Nothing Man}} Sideswipe thought that Arcee's subsequent plan to escape to Cybertron for reinforcements through the ''Ark-7''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s space bridge and set the ship to blow was a terrible one, but went along with it anyway, helping to support Alpha Trion as they fought through the craft's Onyx-infected automated defenses. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 1: Aphelion|Aphelion}} Bantering with Arcee and Trion all the way, when the three 'bots finally reached the door to the space bridge's chamber, Sideswipe noted that his blaster was almost empty and was a bit concerned about what might be behind the door. His fears proved well-founded, as a mob of Decepticons came storming out of the space bridge and opened fire on the Autobots! {{storylink|Conquerors Part 2: Lagrange|Lagrange}}

[[File:Perihelion SideswipeGrenaded.jpg|upright=2.1|thumb|right|]]
Retreating from the Decepticon onslaught under heavy fire, he managed to hide Alpha Trion before getting disabled by several grenades. Despite Needlenose's attempts to keep unnecessary carnage to a minimum, [[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]] shot the defenseless Sideswipe in cold blood. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 4: Perihelion|Perihelion}} Amazingly, Sideswipe survived, but not without extremely serious injuries. He was pulled out of the wreckage of the ''Ark-7'' by Arcee after the ship had crashed in [[Shanghai]] and later helped into the ''[[Skyroller]]'' by Sunstreaker. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 1: Once Upon a Time on Earth|Once Upon a Time on Earth}} His injuries proved drastic enough that he slipped into a coma and was put on life support, being kept inside a tube on board the ''Skyroller''. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 2: Edge of the Earth|Edge of the Earth}} Concerned for his life, Arcee began visiting and sitting with the unconscious Sideswipe. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message|The Medium and the Message}} On one such occasion, before Optimus' Autobots and Soundwave's Decepticons began their attack on the ''Nemesis'', Arcee wished that Sideswipe could join them, remembering that he lived for battles like these. While she spoke to him, they were joined by Sunstreaker, who told Arcee that Sideswipe often spoke fondly of her in the video messages they exchanged. Thinking his brother would want her to have it, Sunstreaker gave Arcee Sideswipe's jetpack. Though she accepted it, she took offense at Sunstreaker acting like Sideswipe was already dead. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 4: It's Beginning To And Back Again|It's Beginning To And Back Again}}

Sideswipe's tube was at some point moved from the ''Skyroller'' to a medbay inside [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]], the new [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]]. {{storylink|White Light}} Still feeling responsible for his current condition, Arcee visited him once again and complained to him about Optimus' new colonist recruits, confiding in him that he was one of the only people she knew that she felt "knew the score". She was interrupted by Jetfire's sudden arrival, checking to see if any of the treatments he had been trying to stop Sideswipe's spark corrosion had worked. They hadn't. Later, as [[Junkion (species)|Junkion]] leaders [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] and [[Rum-Maj]] were given a tour of Autobot City, the nosy Wreck-Gar forced himself into the medbay and took notice of Sideswipe's slowly worsening condition. With that in mind, Wreck-Gar claimed that his people had access to the long-lost technology of a [[positron core]], something that could save Sideswipe's life. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 2: A Lonely Pillar on the Plain|A Lonely Pillar on the Plain}}

[[File:OptimusPrime4 NewCybertron Arcee spars.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.9|]]
Arcee continued to visit Sideswipe's comatose body, periodically sparring with [[D.0.C.]] to "keep him company."
{{storylink|New Cybertron Part 4: Dance Among the Shadows|Dance Among the Shadows}} When the Junkions turned on the Autobots by unleashing a horde of Sharkticons on Metrotitan, D.0.C. helped evacuate Sideswipe's body aboard Sky Lynx for safekeeping. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost|Future Glories Lost}} Though the Junkions were eventually convinced to stand down, the positron core that could have resurrected Sidewsipe was destroyed in the hostilities, permanently negating any chance of bringing the Autobot online again. {{storylink|New Cybertron End: Feel Safe Without Regrets|Feel Safe Without Regrets}}

Over the next few days, Sideswipe's condition steadily deteriorated, much to Arcee's dismay. She and Aileron debated what to do with Sideswipe in his medical bay, though Arcee maintained that Sideswipe wasn't her friend. {{storylink|The Next Day, and the Next}} Eventually, with no hope of recovery in sight, the Autobots decided to humanely put Sideswipe out of his suffering with the help of the Junkion's [[mnemopathis projector]].

Sunstreaker, having traveled to Earth to lay his brother to rest, worked with Arcee to construct an elaborate simulation inside Sideswipe's mind. In his dream, Sideswipe awoke from his coma thanks to the ingenuity of "Wreck-Gar". After debating his next course of action with Arcee, Sideswipe returned to Cybertron, only to find that the planet had greatly changed during his absence—Autobots, Decepticons, neutrals, and colonists all mingled together in the slums of Iacon.

[[File:SidesSwipeIsOkay.jpg|thumb|right|upright=2.0|"I love you three thousand."]]
Bewildered by this imperfect new Cybertron, Sideswipe initially tried to track down Sunstreaker, which led him to encounter Soundwave performing humanitarian work for victims of a recent fire. A brief misunderstanding led him to attack the Decepticon, but Sunstreaker arrived to set the record straight. Over the next few days, Sideswipe would go on to learn more about this new Transformer civilization and help out where he could. Eventually, he met up with Arcee and Sunstreaker again to discuss how Cybertron had changed—and how Sideswipe realized that all he had fought for wasn't in vain after all. Slowly working out the truth behind recent events, Sideswipe thanked the two Autobots for showing him that it would all be okay as the dream ended. Filled with the knowledge that he had ultimately done good in the universe, Sideswipe died peacefully. {{storylink|The Life of Sideswipe}}

After the [[Iron Ring]]'s invasion of Cybertron, Optimus presided over Sideswipe's funeral. {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 1}} Shortly afterwards, Arcee and Optimus discovered Cybertron's first [[protoform]]s since the planet's reboot. After [[Sideswipe (IDW)|one of them]] tried to kill her, Arcee named him after Sideswipe. {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 2 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 2}} After [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] had been defeated, Sunstreaker took a moment to fondly remember his brother and wished he had lived to see the day. {{storylink|Ceremony}}

==Notes==
[[File:Sideswipe-Andrew Griffith-RiDS2.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0]]
* Sideswipe received an original Cybertronian design from [[Guido Guidi]] for the "-ations" phase of IDW before receiving his [[Sideswipe (G1)/toys#Universe (2008)|2008 ''Universe'' toy body]] for ''All Hail Megatron''.
* For [[The Transformers (IDW)|''The Transformers'' vol. 1]], [[Don Figueroa]] gave Sideswipe a [[Live-action film series|movie]]-fied redesign.
* In ''[[Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime]]'', [[Nick Roche]] briefly gave Sideswipe his [[Sideswipe (G1)/toys#Timelines|''Generation 2''-styled BotCon body]], but subsequently for "Season 1" of ''Robots in Disguise'', Sideswipe had a body from [[Andrew Griffith]] based on his [[Sideswipe (WFC)|Aligned counterpart]]'s [[:File:WFC Sideswipe.jpg|''War for Cybertron'' game model]].
* Finally, from ''Robots in Disguise'' "Season 2" until the end, Sideswipe had an original Generation 1-esque design, again from Griffith.

[[Category:IDW (2005) Autobots]]

Tracks (G1)

2019-04-03T01:59:52Z

RyRodrigo: /* IDW Generation 1 continuity */

{{factions|autobot|autobotg2}}
{{disambig3|Tracks}}
{{suite}}
:''Tracks is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:Tracksg1.jpg|upright=1.95|thumb|If God had wanted Tracks to multiply, he would have given him the Creation Matrix and luscious lips. But he only gave him the luscious lips.]]
'''Tracks''' is a total narcissist, according to his Autobot buddies. But surely they're just jealous, since no one else turns into a sports car as stunningly stylish as he does. Not to mention his flight mode, which lets everybody ooh and aah over his elegant curves and paintjob as he glides about looking down on them all.

Whether defending [[San Francisco]] or displaying his trademark moves in [[Dancitron]], Tracks always makes sure to be the center of attention. His blinding [[black beam gun]] casts everything around him into darkness. Since nothing besides himself is worth looking at, you're welcome!

He should be a dangerous opponent, but his concern with preserving his stylish appearance and poor ability to work with fellow Autobots hampers him. Often he simply cruises the metro area, looking for a good scene that he can make even better.

His [[Action Master partner]] is [[Basher]].

{{bigquote|Tracks--PAH! Had enough of him before. Crawler, vain, pain in...|[[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] isn't much of a fan|"[[Makin' Tracks!]]"}}

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Michael McConnohie]] (English), [[Show Hayami]] (Japanese), [[Masashi Ebara]] (Japanese, "Dinobot Island, Part 2" thru "Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1", "Triple Takeover", "Hoist Goes Hollywood"), [[Kōki Kataoka]] (Japanese, "The Secret of Omega Supreme")|[[Xia Zhiqing]] (Chinese), [[Carlos Nieto]] (Latin American Spanish), [[Federico Di Pofi]] (Italian, second dub), [[Dario de Castro]] (Brazilian Portuguese)}}

[[File:DinobotIsland2 Tracks robotmode.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|How this show lasted this far without me, I'll never know.]]
Tracks was one of several Autobots who appeared out of nowhere one day. He listened in as [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] and [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] reported the discovery of [[Dinobot Island (G1)|an island full of dinosaurs]]. Following another [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]] mishap at base, Tracks helped with repairs. {{storylink|Dinobot Island, Part 1}} He, [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] and [[Seaspray (G1)|Seaspray]] were sent out to intercept and drive back a pirate ship that had appeared through a temporal anomaly due to Megatron's interference on the temporally displaced [[Dinobot Island (G1)|Dinobot Island]]. {{storylink|Dinobot Island, Part 2}} Tracks took part in a game of [[basketball]] with the Dinobots, and failed to stop [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] from making a slam dunk. As Prime observed that Tracks was in need of maintenance, and he admitted that he'd had a deuce of a time trying to get an appointment with [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]]. As it turned out, Hoist and [[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]] had somehow fallen in with the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] to build Grapple's [[Solar Power Tower]]. Tracks was part of the mission to see what was going on, and ended up fighting [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. Following the Autobot victory, he helped dig through the ruins of the tower to find Grapple and Hoist. {{storylink|The Master Builders (episode)|The Master Builders}}

[[File:MMP1 Tracks fires black beam gun.jpg|thumb|upright=1.34|And I said "let there be dark!"]]
When the Decepticons attacked a new solar power plant in [[Central City (Earth)|Central City]], Tracks took to the air and blasted [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] with his black beam gun. In retaliation, [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] rammed Tracks, knocking the Autobot out of the sky. The Decepticons retreated, much to the delight of the [[human]]s present. Tracks complained about the annoying cheering noise they were making. He was happy enough to take part in [[Autobot Day]], until an incriminating video (faked by [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] of course) was shown and the crowds turned against the Autobots. They retreated to Headquarters, but a short time later, the authorities turned up to arrest them and put them on trial. The verdict was swiftly delivered, and the Autobots forced to leave the planet on a spaceship provided by [[Shawn Berger]]. {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1}} Locked on course to the [[Sun]], the Autobots abandoned ship and used [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] to return to [[Earth]], where the Decepticon plot had already been revealed. The Autobots freed the enslaved humans and chased off the Decepticons. {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2}} After the theft of the [[Voltronic Galaxer]], [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] and Tracks reported from the field that they hadn't detected any Decepticon activity. {{storylink|Blaster Blues}}

[[File:G1MakeTracks TracksRaoul.jpg|left|upright=1.34|thumb|It's not what it looks like, honestly!]]
Tracks and [[Blaster (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blaster]] assisted the [[New York City|New York]] Police Department's Crime Buster program by parking themselves in a seedy, run-down neighborhood to entice car thieves to steal them, then capturing the thieves and their buyer. Back at [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]]'s garage, Tracks opined that New York City was exhilarating and that they could remain there forever as far as he was concerned, to the amusement of the other Autobots. Annoyed at their attitude, Tracks took off for a joyride, but almost immediately fell prey to a gang of would-be car thieves who shot out Tracks' tires as he tried to run them off the road. Crashing into a streetlight, Tracks was badly damaged and unable to transform. Fortunately, the car thief with a heart of gold, [[Raoul]], happened by and decided to take possession of Tracks, who quickly revealed he was no ordinary badly damaged dark blue Corvette Stingray with a giant flaming logo on his hood.

Together, the pair tailed the [[Geddis brothers]] to a Decepticon installation in the [[Pine Barrens]], where the Constructicons were converting stolen cars. When an electrical fault disabled Tracks during the course of the investigation, Raoul came to his rescue, and they both fled through the woods, eventually running into some more Autobots. Tracks joined Bumblebee, [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] and [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] in defending downtown from the stolen vehicles, converted into drones by the Decepticons, and was appalled when they damaged the [[Chrysler Building]]. Tracks and Raoul took part in the assault on the Decepticon base, however Megatron grabbed the young human. Tracks announced that if Raoul was harmed, there'd be trouble, but the threat proved unnecessary, as Raoul made use of a can of spray paint to escape. At Prime's invitation, Tracks demolished the base with a few well-placed shots. Later, he volunteered Raoul to help [[Sparkplug Witwicky]] fix all the cars that the Decepticons had messed with. {{storylink|Make Tracks}}

[[File:QuestForSurvival Inferno puts out Tracks.jpg|thumb|upright=1.45|But this is!]]
Tracks was part of a disastrous attempt to stop the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]] from eating Earth crops. [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] set him on fire, forcing Inferno to put him out. Tracks bravely fought on until [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] called a retreat and they returned to Headquarters for repairs. Some time later, after Cosmos had become trapped by an infestation of [[Morphobot]]s, Tracks took part in rescue efforts. As [[Blaster (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blaster]] used his music to repel the creatures, Tracks and [[Ironhide (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ironhide]] helped hook Cosmos up to Hoist. Unfortunately during the subsequent fight with the Decepticons, the [[robotic insecticide]] was destroyed, leaving them with no weapon against the Insecticon army. It all turned out okay, as said army was eaten by the Morphobots anyway. Tracks watched as the Morphobots were launched into space to wreck some other planet's ecology. {{storylink|Quest for Survival}}

[[File:SecretOmegaSupreme Tracks is alarmed.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.3|Tracks Threatens his Hand: Part 1]]
When [[San Francisco]] was threatened by an [[Asteroid bird alien|alien bird creature]], Tracks risked his life in battle to defend the city until [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] arrived to drive it off. {{storylink|The Secret of Omega Supreme (episode)|The Secret of Omega Supreme}} Following Megatron's disappearance, [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] took over a sports stadium and had the Constructicons build a maze leading to it. Tracks, [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]], and [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] attempted to traverse the maze, only to get totaled by Blitzwing and built into a throne. Fortunately Hoist came to the rescue and fixed them all up in time to witness Megatron's return and the downfall of Blitzwing and [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]]. The four repaired Autobots jokingly arranged themselves into a throne for Optimus afterwards. Optimus declined their kind offer. {{storylink|Triple Takeover}}

Whilst out on a supply run with Bumblebee, Tracks opined that Optimus Prime had sent him out on this task to show the humans that Autobots didn't just have strength, but refinement as well. When Bumblebee sharply pointed out his comrade's lack of humility, Tracks replied that he feared ''some'' Autobots had much to be humble about. Together, they watched a storefront television report by [[Hector Ramirez]] on the disappearance of a [[Daina|top secret Soviet jet]], for which blame was placed on the [[United States of America]]. Bumblebee suspected Decepticon involvement, which was convenient, as Tracks saw Astrotrain and Blitzwing lurking about nearby. The Autobots gave chase, only to discover the 'Cons were holographs projected by the big game hunter [[Chumley|Lord Chumley]], and the pair were quickly subdued. After several more Autobots were captured, the imprisoned hostages were forced to run through several cruel and unusual torture devices. Tracks in particular was forced to race around a small, spiked track while laser cannons fired at him. {{storylink|Prime Target (episode)|Prime Target}}

[[File:G1Auto-Bop Tracks girl.jpg|upright=1.3|thumb|"Eeek, Mr. Tracks, can I have your autograph?" "Sure thing, baby."]]
Tracks and Blaster were reunited with Raoul when the human and [[Bop Crew]] were being chased by [[Furg]]'s gang outside of the [[Dancitron]] night club. Tracks stylishly defeated the thugs by arcing his laser fire horizontally, simultaneously destroying several of the weapons wielded by Furg's men. As he did so, he noticed that one of the gang members was a man dressed in a business suit. The Autobots decided to investigate further.

Inside the club, Tracks declined to dance with some girls, and [[Stylish man|another patron]] asked him where he could "get those threads" (meaning Tracks's robot body). As Tracks left, remarking that Dancitron wasn't ''his'' kind of club, he noted that there were more out-of-place humans, including a housewife in a bathrobe and a garbage man. Tracks and Blaster came to Raoul's aid again when the driver of a train in which the humans were traveling was "activated' by [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] and accelerated the train to unsafe speeds. Later, Tracks and Raoul were attacked by brainwashed "workers" at a construction site for something large and mysterious. Bravely risking his paint job, Tracks protected Raoul from red-hot rivets fired by a brainwashed construction worker.

[[File:Trackscruc2.jpg|left|upright=1.45|thumb|Tracks forgot his safeword.]]
Returning to the club, Tracks was lured into a trap by the mind-controlled [[Poplock]] and [[Rocksteady]]. Barely evading Starscream's attack, Tracks was assaulted by the rest of the club's patrons and chained up to the sound system, where the Decepticons hoped the music would eventually shake him apart. After Raoul de-hypnotised the club patrons by getting them slightly wet, the humans freed Tracks, who proceeded to take off after the fleeing Starscream. Crazy like a fox, Tracks seeded the clouds above the mysterious construction site, causing rain to fall down on the hypnotised workers, totally ruining Starscream's plan forever. Knowing that despite his good looks, he was outgunned and outpowered, Tracks used his superior agility to trick Starscream into flying into the half-constructed building and damaging himself when the Decepticon failed to avoid obstructions. With the Decepticons defeated, Tracks and Blaster destroyed the mysterious building. Grateful to the Bop Crew for saving his life, Tracks had Blaster help them out by acting as the boom box for their curbside breakdance sessions, to the latter's horror. {{storylink|Auto-Bop}}

[[File:HoistGoesHollywood Sunstreaker Tracks masks.jpg|upright=1.34|thumb|"What are the chances? The only two Autobots marching and we turned up wearing the same outfit."]]
After Hoist was hired to be in a film, a number of other Autobots got wind of it and decided to volunteer their services as well. Tracks and the others impressed the [[Attack of the Alien Robots director|director]] enough that he cast them, and Tracks ended up as a stunt vehicle, flying into a fake brick wall. The Autobots were dissatisfied with their assigned roles and told Hoist to try and pull some strings. The director decided to rethink the movie, and had Tracks and the others dressed as "evil alien robots". Tracks confessed he felt like a fool, but refused to quit. While shooting another scene, the pyrotechnics turned out to be bigger than expected, and the Autobots were nearly blown up. The shoot had been sabotaged by the Decepticons, who were after film of Dirge, who had crashed while carrying a device stolen from [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]'s [[Wheeljack's workshop|workshop]] on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. After the affair was resolved, Tracks and the other Autobots decided not to be a part of the movie business after all. {{storylink|Hoist Goes Hollywood (episode)|Hoist Goes Hollywood}}

Later, Tracks was one of several Autobots facing off against the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] near the [[Seattle|Seattle-Tacoma area]] when Megatron was using the [[Key to Vector Sigma]] to transform the land into metal. He was rammed by [[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]] into a boulder and flipped over. {{storylink|The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2}}

Tracks was one of several Autobots who participated in the [[Europa 2000]], a charity race from Paris to Istanbul which, if the Autobots won, would have netted them a million dollars, which they would give to charity. Tracks was disdainful of the arrogant American driver [[Auggie Cahnay (G1)|Auggie Cahnay]] and his suped-up [[Symultech Industries]] car. During the race, Tracks tried to contact the other Autobots, only to find out they had been disabled by the Stunticons in Megatron's quest to stop the Autobots from interfering with his plans for the [[Pearl of Bahoudin]]. Teamed up with Cahnay and [[Teranova|a scientist who mysteriously disappeared]] during the course of the battle, the Autobots defeated [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] and destroyed the Pearl. {{storylink|Trans-Europe Express}}

[[File:Masquerade Tracks firing.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.3|... And Part 2]]
After [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] was abducted by the Decepticons, Tracks was one of the Autobots who volunteered to go on the rescue mission, and was subsequently struck down with [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]]. Fortunately a cure was soon forthcoming. {{storylink|Cosmic Rust (episode)|Cosmic Rust}} He also took part in the defense of Headquarters during a Decepticon attack. Megatron soon retreated, not because of anything the Autobots did, but because he had realised that Starscream was behind everything. {{storylink|Starscream's Brigade}} Tracks helped defend a human city from the Insecticons, however a [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticon]] plan saw the Autobots searching for a component to get the [[space bridge]] working so they could reach Cybertron. They eventually tracked the component down, only to find the Insecticons had chewed it up. {{storylink|The Revenge of Bruticus}}

Tracks was part of a responsive strike against a series of Stunticon raids on human compounds. He took to the air at one point, prompting [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] to remark that his flying car mode was "droll". In retaliation for this unwarranted remark, Tracks blinded Dead End with his black light gun, which caused the Decepticon to drive into the car-crushing fists of [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]]. {{storylink|Masquerade}}
{{-}}

====''The Transformers'' public service announcements====
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Public service announcement#Transformers public service announcements|Transformers Public service announcement}}}}
====Japanese cartoon continuity====
=====''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' manga=====
Tracks was stationed in the Autobots' Japanese subdivision when [[Kenji]] came by for a visit. Kenji was excited to meet the new Autobot City Commander [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]], whom Prime was fawning over while giving the tour. Tracks slyly whispered to Kenji that Prime thinks of Magnus as his "kid brother". Tracks' jest was interrupted by a sudden attack on Yokohama by Megatron, Starscream and Blitzwing. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 4|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #4}}
{{-}}

=====''Scramble City: Mobilization''=====
Tracks assisted in the construction of [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]] and helped defend it when the Decepticons tried to interfere. {{storylink|Scramble City: Mobilization}}

=====''Full Throttle Scramble Power!''=====
Tracks accompanied the massive Autobot reinforcements called in to counter Megatron's nefarious [[Omega Whip]]. {{storylink|Full Throttle Scramble Power!}}

=====''Legends'' comic=====
Tracks defended the Autobot base when the Decepticons attacked to steal the [[Transform Super Cog]]. {{storylink|Slugslinger's Ambition}}

=====''The Battle of the Star Gate''=====
Tracks was led to Japan by Optimus Prime, along with a small team of other Autobots, to stop the Decepticons’ latest Energon-gathering scheme. Optimus ordered him to pursue Astrotrain to prevent the Decepticons from escaping with their loot. {{storylink|Activation}}

Tracks was amongst the Autobots who once more confronted Megatron and his Decepticons at the ''[[Trigger]]'' in Earth orbit. When Starscream combined himself with the ''Trigger'' to create a powerful new body for himself, Tracks had to contend with the volley of asteroids thrown towards both Autobots and Decepticons from Starscream’s star gate. He was then almost sucked into a portal to a black hole when Starscream neared defeat, but was instead sent plummeting down to Earth when Optimus and Megatron worked together to defeat Starscream. {{storylink|The Battle of the Star Gate}}

=====''Story of Binaltech''=====
When the Decepticons unleashed Cosmic Rust on Earth, Tracks was one of the many Autobots infested with the virus. As [[Earth Defense Command]] created the Binaltech Project in order to help the Autobots, Tracks was one of the first patients to undergo transference into an [[electro-cell]] powered new body. With the help of his fellow Binaltech Autobots (Smokescreen, [[Hound (G1)|Hound]], [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]], and [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]]), Tracks and his new powers were used to drive the Decepticons off the planet. He remained part of the soldiers based at Autobot City on Earth.

Tracks apparently now had the power to change and update his paint job at will. Thrilling. Simply thrilling. {{storylink|Binaltech Is...}}

{{Note|At this point, the timeline was split in two and the events of the ''[[Story of Binaltech]]'' diverged into a parallel universe. Skip to the next section to continue reading about the original timeline. Exactly how many of the preceding events related in this section, even prior to the divergence, occurred in the original unaltered timeline are unknown.}}

Tracks was stationed on a spaceship alongside a human crew and four BT Smokescreens when Mirage pulled [[Large switch|a switch]] on Cybertron that was meant to immobilize all transformers. As Tracks and the Smokescreens continued to function even after the switch had been pulled, the Autobots came to the realization that all those in Binaltech bodies were unaffected by the device. With most of the Decepticons incapacitated, the Autobots secured an easy victory over their enemies. {{storylink|Kill Switch}}

=====''The Headmasters'' cartoon=====
[[File:JHeadmasters09Tracks.jpg|thumb|"Look, I'll stop asking you to fix my every little nick and scratch, '''I swear!'''" "KIYAAAAAAAA!"]]
Some time before the Transformers' war left Cybertron, Tracks briefly engaged the Decepticons with his comrades. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}} Years onward, Tracks was seen on Earth working with [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]]. Alongside [[Prowl (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Prowl]], [[Jazz (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Jazz]], and [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]], he was dispatched to intercept invading Decepticons and prevent them from interfering with [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]]'s search for the Matrix. The group was not actually seen to confront anyone. {{storylink|Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime}} Later, while defending Cybertron, Tracks got kicked in the face ''really hard''... by [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]]. Uh, heat of the moment? {{storylink|Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 1}}
{{-}}

====Rodimus vs. Cyclonus====
Tracks was present during the battle for [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]], where he was grabbed by Devastator and lifted off the ground. Afterwards, he escaped with [[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]] in a science vessel and hid out in the [[Rayzor Nebula]]. They were contacted by [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]] when the old Autobot's vessel had come under fire, and at his request came out of hiding. This drew the attention of [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] and his [[Sweep (G1)|Sweeps]]. When Scourge saw Cyclonus engaged with Kup's ship, Scourge attacked Cyclonus to ensure that ''he'' would get to destroy the Autobots... this only served to allow all the Autobots to escape. {{storylink|Rodimus vs. Cyclonus}}

====''Wings Universe''====
{{Wingsnote}}
During the [[Battle of Autobot City]], Tracks was part of a team which took down [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] after the Decepticon breached [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]]. They had to retreat when the Constructicons fought back. {{storylink|A Flash Forward}}

===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics====
{{noteukonly}}
[[File:Skidsgrapplesmokescreenhoisttracks.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|I was rebuilt out of better spare parts than the rest of you!]]
Tracks was (re?)constructed on Earth by the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] when the Autobots' forces were depleted using the [[mind bank]], his mind downloaded into a new body from a memory crystal. He attended [[Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Bumblebee]]'s field training exercise on human culture—rock and roll wasn't quite Tracks's taste, but when the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]] tried to steal and convert sonic energy from the concert, surface-to-air combat with the enemy seemed quite a bit more enjoyable for him. {{storylink|Rock and Roll-Out!}} On a later mission, he attempted to help [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] prevent [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] from being reawakened by the Decepticons, but the mistrustful human armed forces kept them at bay long enough for [[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] to revive his leader. {{storylink|I, Robot-Master!}}

[[File:RockNRollOut-Tracksdriver.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.85|Oh, well that just makes too much sense.]]
''Upon discovering that the human [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]] had gone to take on the Decepticons alone in his [[battlesuit]], Optimus Prime assembled a team of Autobots including Tracks, [[Ratchet (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ratchet]], Bumblebee, [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] and [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] to rescue him.'' {{storylink|Robot Buster!}} ''Shortly thereafter, Tracks joined [[Ironhide (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ironhide]], [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]], and [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] in guarding Buster as he attended a demolition derby. Tracks found the spectacle to be unsavory, as it resulted in scuffs and dents on the vehicles. The show was interrupted by Soundwave and the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], intent on abducting the boy. Tracks and Smokescreen actually managed to hold their own against [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] for a short period of time. But victory came unexpectedly, as Soundwave called for a retreat despite having the advantage.'' {{storylink|Devastation Derby!}}

''Tracks was on a reconnaissance mission in [[Greater Portland]] when he ran into [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]], who grievously wounded him. Tracks transformed into vehicle mode and was discovered by [[Mark Brookes]] and [[J.D.]], two hoodlums who used him as a getaway vehicle for a series of robberies heading east to [[New York City]]. Meanwhile, when Tracks didn't report in back at the Ark, Optimus Prime had [[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]] search for him in Greater Portland while he plugged himself into the Ark's [[Aunty|computer]] to try and locate him. Ultimately it was [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] that found Tracks by listening in on human law enforcement communications. Prime dispatched [[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]], [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]], and Hoist to retrieve Tracks but they got caught up in J.D. and Mark's latest robbery before they were able to return him to the Ark for repairs.'' {{storylink|Missing in Action}}

Tracks also was part of the Autobot strike on [[Wyoming base|Decepticon headquarters]] which allowed Bumblebee to record Devastator's transformation and combination sequence, giving the Autobots a chance to replicate the unique gestalt technology. {{storylink|Command Performances!}}

''The Autobots experienced a major setback when Optimus Prime, Prowl, and Ratchet dematerialized before their eyes at a meeting, seemingly atomized in seconds. Matters only became more pressing when [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], Decepticon commander of [[2006]], arrived in the present, kidnapped Jazz, and co-opted the Constructicons for his own purposes. Goaded into rash action by their friend's distress, the Autobots rushed into battle with the new warriors. Tracks stood shoulder to shoulder with [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]], Ironhide, and Smokescreen against Galvatron, but the future Decepticon just laughed and voluntarily allowed them to unload their firepower on him. Staser bolts, high-density lasers, thermal charges, fracture rockets... all hit Galvatron dead center, and all did absolutely nothing. To add injury to insult, he then beat the helpless Tracks and his comrades into a pulp for good measure.''

[[File:Brawn trailbreaker tracks target 2006.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"Phew, that acid could have really ruined my finish...... I mean ''ohnoTrailbreaker!''"]]
''Beyond desperate, the Autobots actually stooped to reviving Megatron from where Galvatron had left him to rust earlier, and working with him to concoct a strategy against their common foe. Their gambit was somewhat successful, as Tracks and the Autobots managed to capture Galvatron's lieutenant, [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]], with Megatron's aid. When Tracks and the others went for a prisoner exchange to get Jazz back, however, they found that Galvatron had lobotomized their friend and turned him into a rampaging zombie. Jazz disabled Tracks and the others for a time, and they only woke up into time to wander into the climax, when [[Kup (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Kup]] and the future ''Autobots'' destroyed Galvatron's new space cannon in a massive explosion, convincing him to return the future empty-handed. Needless to say, the Autobots were glad when Optimus Prime and the others miraculously returned after Galvatron and his men returned to the future, reversing the [[mass substitution]] effect.'' {{storylink|Target: 2006}}

[[File:Hoist prowl tracks night the transformers saved christmas.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9]]
While spying for the Autobots on [[Christmas]] Eve, Bumblebee spotted Soundwave and [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] using an [[Power siphon|energy siphon]] to drain all the electricity from the town of [[Midville]]. He called in Tracks, Prowl, and [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] and in the face of superior numbers, the Decepticons fled. Tracks and Bumblebee went after them but Laserbeak brought a tree down across their path, endangering the lives of [[Megan Perry]] and her family. Bumblebee stayed to look after the humans while Tracks pursued the Decepticons but he lost them and after meeting up with Prowl and Hoist again, he realised he had lost Bumblebee as well. They eventually found him in Midville, using his engine to provide electricity to power the town's Christmas tree. {{storylink|The Night the Transformers Saved Christmas}}'' Later, Tracks was present at the Ark to hear Prime announce that he was going on a lone reconnaissance mission into Decepticon territory.'' {{storylink|Prey!}}

[[File:DarkStar-BlotTracks.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"''Aiggh'', acid!! Now I know how Trailbreaker felt! Oh cruel karma!"]]
Following Optimus Prime's death, Tracks and the other Earthbound Autobots looked on as Ratchet tried and failed to repair his body. {{storylink|Funeral for a Friend!}} They became much less involved in Earth affairs when [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] assumed control of the army afterwards and took the Ark back out into space, where Tracks formed part of a security detail to apprehend the captured [[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off]], though they were stood down when it was discovered that the Decepticon was [[mode lock]]ed and only contained some [[Spacehikers|human children]]. {{storylink|Spacehikers!}} Tracks disembarked with the rest of the Earth-bound Autobots from the Ark onto Earth's [[Moon (moon)|moon]], where they witnessed a battle for leadership between Grimlock and [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]. This was a moment of opportunity for [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]]'s Decepticons, who attacked Tracks and the others on the moon's surface. Tracks was hit in the enemy's first volley. Subsequently, he was left trapped on the [[Moon (moon)|moon]] for some time with the combined crews of the Ark and ''[[Steelhaven (G1)|Steelhaven]]'', as the attack had damaged their transport. {{storylink|Totaled!}} He was later deactivated while battling the combined Decepticon armies in the Arctic, when he received an unexpected acid bath from [[Blot (G1)|Blot]]. {{storylink|Dark Star}}
{{-}}

=====Earthforce=====
{{earthforcefiction}}
[[File:MakinTracks-Tracks.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|We have the same reaction to ''Glee.'']]
In his [[Body Shop]] at Autobot [[Earthbase]], Wheeljack was attempting to revive Tracks, but Grimlock kept sabotaging his efforts, hoping to move efforts towards Autobots he thought were more deserving. Not only did he fail to stop the reconstruction, Optimus Prime ended up assigning Tracks to Earthforce, to Grimlock's eternal regret. {{storylink|Makin' Tracks!}}

Later on, he joined the other Autobots in hunting [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]], who had kidnapped their human ally, [[Irwin Spoon]]. The other [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] tried to stop them, and did manage to derail several others, but Tracks and Bumblebee got Motormaster to separate from his trailer (apparently he can do that..?) and then led [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] and [[Drag Strip (G1)|Drag Strip]] into knocking their own leader off the road. {{storylink|End of the Road! (UK)|End of the Road!}}
{{-}}

====Marvel ''Generation 2'' comic====
[[File:Cybertronian tracks total war.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
Tracks was operating out of [[Autobase]] on Earth after the Autobots began confronting the threat of the [[Cybertronian (faction)|Cybertronians]]. When [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] agreed to join forces with [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prime]], Tracks began working closely with the Decepticon [[Rotor Force]] members [[Leadfoot (G2)|Leadfoot]] and [[Manta Ray (G2)|Manta Ray]]. It's possible his friendship and influence had something to do with their interest in switching sides. {{storylink|Total War!}}
{{-}}

====''Classics''====
{{noteclassics}}
[[File:Invasion-cannotwillnot.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.6]]
Tracks was stationed at the [[Construction station|Ironworks]] base when it was invaded by [[Ultra Magnus (SG)|Ultra Magnus]] and the evil Autobots of the [[Primax -408.24 Epsilon|negative polarity universe]]. Tracks tried to defend the Autobot station from attack, but he was cut down by Magnus's [[Terminus Blade]]. {{storylink|Invasion (issue)|Invasion}}

After the heroic Autobots' Earth passed through into the negative universe, however, Tracks was eventually rebuilt with a new body. {{storylink|Solar Requiem}}
{{-}}

====''Regeneration One''====
[[File:Jhiaxus rodimus tracks war to end all wars.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3]]
{{NoteRG1}}
Tracks travelled to a devastated planet Earth in [[2012]] with Optimus Prime in order to confront Megatron one last time. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 5}} After returning to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Tracks and [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] provided security at [[Eugenesis Plaza]] for [[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Rodimus Prime]]'s meeting with [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 2}}
{{-}}

===''Big Looker'' storybooks===
When the Decepticons invaded a car show at the Coliseum, Tracks was one of the robots in disguise who infiltrated the show to thwart the Decepticon plot. {{storylink|Car Show Blow Up}}
{{-}}

===''Find Your Fate Junior''===
{{notemultipath}}
====Dinobots Strike Back====
If Optimus Prime decided to stop the [[cerebro-shell]]-controlled [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] with an immediate all-out attack to make sure they didn't reach a human city, Tracks shot [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] in the eyes with his black-beam gun, provoking a harmless blind charge. He apparently did nothing else of note in that fight, even when Optimus ordered his troops to, "Bring them down fast and hard."

In an alternate path, Tracks was aerial back-up for [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] in a battle with Megatron's warrior jets. He cheered, "Got him!" as Powerglide's thermal beam laid waste to the Decepticons, "him" most likely being [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]], who had just dropped a missile on [[Topspin (G1)|Topspin]]. {{storylink|Dinobots Strike Back}}
{{-}}

====Desert Flight====
[[File:DesertFlightRipInSpaceTime.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1]]
Tracks was part of a group of the Autobots’ best scouts, led by Optimus on a fuel-finding mission. When the convoy heard a large explosion in the distance, Optimus sent Cosmos to investigate the noise.

If Cosmos radioed his findings to Optimus immediately, Optimus’s convoy moved in to investigate a nearby Decepticon base. En route, the Autobots passed near a human town, but began floating in mid-air before being able to reach it. Evidently, the phenomenon was caused by a Decepticon anti-gravity weapon. Helpless in their current position, the Autobots were quickly eradicated by the Decepticons.

If Optimus ordered his troops to attack the Decepticon base, they soon reached an area free of the anti-gravity beam’s influence. They were then attacked by a small fleet of Decepticons. The Decepticons were quickly forced to break off their attack and retreated. But with the battle over, the Autobots noticed a small human boy at their feet. The Autobots then headed for the Decepticon base, with their stowaway. Megatron delivered an ultimatum; if the Autobots did not surrender Optimus Prime to the Decepticons immediately, he would use his gravity beam to have the nearby humans float off into space.

If the Autobots decided to continue with their initial plan to simply attack the Decepticon base, their advance was halted by a force field. Megatron then fired his beam in all directions, causing a ripple effect that sent everything not fastened down to the Earth’s surface to float helplessly out into space.

Alternatively, the Autobots could concoct a plan where Optimus would pretend to allow himself to be taken prisoner, per Buddy’s suggestion. In actuality, Tracks and the rest of the Autobots were hidden away inside Optimus’s trailer. The Autobots then led a surprise attack on their unsuspecting foes.

In the event that Buddy tampered with the gravity gun in the ensuing battle, the Autobots would emerge victorious.

If Buddy instead ran towards Beachcomber and Tracks over the course of the battle, Laserbeak would fire at the group at the same time as the gravity beam reached them, creating a tear in space-time above the group.

If Tracks and Buddy dived into the time anomaly, the pair were flung three hours into the future. They emerged to find all of the Autobots either dead, injured, or prisoners of Megatron. Tracks was forced to surrender, the situation now hopeless.

If Tracks decided that Beachcomber could wait, he helped Optimus overload the anti-gravity gun, starting a chain-reaction that would cause the weapon to explode in a tremendous explosion.

If Optimus destroyed the duplicate Cosmos, the real one would inform the Autobots of the Decepticons’ schemes, and the convoy would roll out to take on their adversaries. They were soon met by a squad of flying Decepticons, but were at a strict disadvantage against their adversaries as their vehicle modes possessed no weapons. Smokescreen hatched a plan where the Autobots would use their exhaust fumes to provide themselves with cover.

If Optimus went along with Smokescreen’s plan, the Autobots gained the time they needed to transform and engage the Decepticons. A fierce battle ensued, though the Autobots began to lose ground when Dirge put to good use his fear-inducing engines. Tracks proved to be especially vulnerable to Dirge’s engines.

The Autobots nonetheless managed to fight their way to the Decepticons’ base, one way or another, and defeated the Decepticons by using their own gravity weapon against them. {{storylink|Desert Flight}}
{{-}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
Tracks was an active member of the Autobot forces as far back as the days of [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]. He attended the ceremony that turned Optronix into Optimus Prime, and witnessed their new leader deal with three Decepticon assassins. {{storylink|The War Within issue 1|The War Within #1}} Tracks was present in [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] when the Decepticons launched an all-out assault on the Autobot stronghold. He alerted Jazz to a squad of incoming Decepticons, allowing the Autobots to detonate mines to defend themselves. {{storylink|The War Within issue 3|The War Within #3}} But the Decepticons' offensive pressed on, and Tracks found himself a part of the Autobots' last desperate stand against Shockwave and his forces. {{storylink|The War Within issue 5|The War Within #5}} Afterwards, Tracks went on to serve with the Autobots for several million years until the time of the [[Great Shutdown]]. He worked with Prowl's faction during the Dark Ages, when Optimus and Megatron both disappeared into a prototype space-bridge, leading to the splintering of both their factions. {{storylink|Fragmentation (G1)|Fragmentation}}

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. Tracks 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. Tracks was among the many unfortunates captured, and put to work in [[Internment Camp Pi]]. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath Pt.2}}

{{unreleased WW comic}}
Optimus returned to Cybertron, and the Autobots were freed from slavery. {{Storylink|The Age of Wrath Pt.6}}

Afterwards, Tracks seemed to lapse into semi-retirement while other Autobots worked towards establishing a new unified Cybertronian government with the Decepticons. He was seen among the general populace observing the Anti-Prime propaganda [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] was pumping out through the cortex. {{storylink|Cold War (issue)|Cold War}} He eventually recognized the rotten core of their alliance with Shockwave, though. When Optimus sent out a call to arms to all Autobots, Tracks openly rebelled again the totalitarian leader alongside [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]]. {{storylink|Countdown to Extinction (issue)|Countdown to Extinction}} They and their [[Mini Vehicle|Minibot]] allies joined the major offensive alongside Optimus Prime, [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] and the other cells, which ultimately overthrew Shockwave's control. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}}

===''Universe'' comic===
{{voiceactor|[[Michael McConnohie]] (English)}}
In some incarnation of the past, [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] and [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] were stuck with a mopey Tracks on the Autobot stellar freighter ''[[OTFCC (ship)|OTFCC]]''. Tracks was disgruntled about the low-importance mission and considered himself increasingly marginalised as a [[Classics (Europe)|classic Autobot]] in a world of binary-bonding and Pretenders. Meanwhile, in another time and place, [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] had built a device to counteract [[Unicron]]'s attempts to abduct Transformers from across the multiverse and that accidentally sucked the <s>''3H''</s> ''OTFCC'' into the [[Universe War]].

While the others investigated a distress signal, Tracks was left behind and picked up a space battle. He teleported the Maximals off their ship to the safety of the ''OTFCC'' (who deliberately tried to avoid telling him he was in the wrong time zone). After a brief and victorious battle, Tracks was happy to hear the future Transformers were going to do "whatever it is" that brought them here to send them back. {{storylink|Voice Actor Drama}}

===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''===
Tracks was among the ranks of a team of Autobots led by [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], waiting for [[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]]'s hostages to escape so that they could assault the Decepticon base. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 4|The Art of War #4}} When the opportunity arose, they headed into the fray alongside human reinforcements from [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]], eventually defeating the Decepticon army. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 5|The Art of War #5}}

===''Universe'' cartoon===
Tracks was one of the many oppressed Cybertronians who sought freedom when their planet’s halls of power grew dark with corruption, greed and malice. He was one of the first Autobots to travel to Earth, and took on an alternate mode to disguise himself amongst the populace. {{storylink|Action Blast 1}}
{{note|Near the end of Action Blast 1, as the Autobots are taking on their Earth modes, Sideswipe is shown in robot mode amongst the other Autobots, but not Tracks. When the cartoon cuts back to the Autobots, now in their vehicle modes, Tracks has inexplicably taken Sideswipe's place in the line-up.}}
{{-}}

===''TransTech''===
Tracks (in his [[Binaltech]] body) is one of countless "offworlders" residing in [[Axiom Nexus]]. {{storylink|Gone Too Far}}

===''Hearts of Steel''===
[[File:Tracksdinobody-HOS2.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.0]]
Tracks was among the Autobots who battled the Decepticons on Earth millions of years ago, until an ice age forced them to hide underground, powered down. He was reactivated in the mid-19th century when the Autobots learned that the Decepticons had woken up. {{storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 2|Hearts of Steel #2}}

{{IDW HOS}}
{{-}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
:*''First Appearance:'' [[All Hail Megatron issue 1|Transformers: All Hail Megatron #1]]

[[File:Transgressors patronising Tracks.jpg|left|upright=0.6|thumb]]
Tracks was the brother of [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] and an overbearing one at that. The two went into business together to make [[Chic Chips]] but Tracks decided, against his brother's wishes, to market them as a high-end flashy product rather than something for the masses. Things came to a head when he obliviously mocked his brother's new [[Decepticon|political beliefs]] and his new friend [[Horri-Bull]] (Tracks joking called him Needlenose's [[Conjunx Endura]], not realising his brother did really have feelings for the Con); Needlenose stormed out, telling Tracks to be careful he wasn't on the wrong side of history. Chic Chips died a death under Tracks alone (how much of that was ''because'' of him, he ain't sayin') and he viewed this as Needlenose wrecking their chance to become somebody. {{storylink|The Transgressors}}

In the early days of the war, Tracks was among the new Autobot soldiers lined up to be inspected by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]]. [[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] believed he'd never hack it in the war! {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 13|Old Ways}}

[[File:SpotlightJazz-promise.jpg|right|upright=1.66|thumb|He's too pretty (and too 1985) to die!]]
On his very first combat mission, Tracks' unit was attacked and he was the only survivor. He was rescued by [[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]], who was being tracked by the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]]. The Predacons pinned the two down, but thanks to bravery and trickery by Jazz, three of the 'cons were disabled. When Jazz faced off alone against the remaining two, Tracks overcame his doubts and cowardice and attacked [[Divebomb (G1)|Divebomb]], knocking them both unconscious. Jazz battled [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] alone and was saved by a shuttle crew of [[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]], [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]], and [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]], who repaired the two Autobots and took them back to base. Tracks didn't know Jazz's identity until later, but he knew what it meant to be an Autobot. {{storylink|Spotlight: Jazz}} (Suck it, Ironhide!)

During the battle for [[Sherma Bridge]] early in the war, Tracks and all other combatants dropped what they were doing to watch the first duel between Optimus Prime and [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]]. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1}}

Four million years ago, Tracks was present at a victory celebration after the Autobots halted a major Decepticon energon convoy. {{storylink|The Iron Age}}

[[File:Tracks AHM6.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|left]]
In the modern day, both Tracks and Jazz ended up as part of Optimus Prime's forces on [[Earth]], only to be defeated in battle with [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] and unceremoniously dropped on the ruins of Cybertron. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}} There, they had to fend against the [[Insecticon swarm]] while [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] tried to repair Optimus Prime. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 1|All Hail Megatron #1}} At one point during their stay on the planet, Tracks boosted his comrades' spirits by telling them the story about how Jazz had heroically saved him. {{storylink|Spotlight: Jazz}} Unfortunately, the positive emotions didn't seem to last, and everyone was back to brooding before long. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 4|All Hail Megatron #4}} When the crew of the ''[[Trion]]'' crashlanded on Cybertron, Tracks listened to [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hot Rod]]'s tale about how it happened. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 5|All Hail Megatron #5}} He wanted to know when [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] got scary. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 6|All Hail Megatron #6}}

Tracks later defended the Autobot base against a massive swarm attack. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 9|All Hail Megatron #9}} The battle didn't go in their favor, but thankfully they were saved by [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}} Omega ferried Tracks and the rest back to Earth, where they battled the Decepticons in [[New York City]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 11|All Hail Megatron #11}}

[[File:Tracks cant shoot A Rude Awakening.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|"-also, watch your language, man, there are kids reading this!"]]
Two years later, Tracks defected alongside [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], [[Blurr (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Blurr]], and [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]], as they were afraid that [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] might arrest the Autobots on Earth due to various recent events. The four left to join [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hot Rod]]'s team instead, only to come under attack from [[Skywatch]]. Upon seeing [[Campolongo]] take out Beachcomber, Tracks raised his gun at the human in panic and anger, but Hoist stopped him from firing. He tried to run for it, but didn't make it far before being stuck in vehicle mode and captured. {{storylink|Things Fall Apart, Part 2: "A Rude Awakening"|A Rude Awakening}}

Eventually, Skywatch realized that the Autobots were good guys and formed an alliance with them, freeing Tracks in the process. He and the other Autobots fled the Skywatch base after a Decepticon attack, were chased by angry humans for a while, then were soundly defeated in battle with a newly upgraded Megatron. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 3: Woken Furies|Woken Furies}}

Tracks was present at the Autobot base when Hot Rod (now calling himself Rodimus) showed up to warn everyone that Cybertron, which was habitable again, had been conquered by [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]]. The Autobots quickly left Earth to reclaim their home planet. {{storylink|Space Opera—Final Tableaux: Orphans of the Helix|Orphans of the Helix}} Once they arrived, it turned out Galvatron was using [[Kimia Facility]] to attack the planet. Led by [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]], Tracks and the other Autobot fliers attacked Kimia and fought with the many [[Sweep (G1)|Sweeps]] defending it. {{storylink|Chaos Part Two: Numbers|Numbers}}

Following the defeat of Galvatron and the end of the war, Tracks remained on Cybertron and never once visited his brother in the Decepticon's makeshift prison. {{storylink|The Transgressors}} He later fought back against the Decepticons when they inevitably rejected the peace and tried to conquer the planet. {{storylink|Plan for Everything}} The [[NAIL|neutral]] population, led by [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]], didn't appreciate their continuing the war and banished both Autobots and Decepticons from [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]]. As they set up camp out in the wilderness, Tracks witnessed a fight break out between the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] and [[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]]. {{storylink|Second Exodus}}

[[File:TheTransgressors-familycomesfirst.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.3|"...and that's why I'm punching you hard enough to draw blood! BECAUSE I LOVE YOU, BROTHER!"]]

Years later, when they were let out of the wilderness, a very bored Tracks had to run the spaceport. He learned that his brother Needlenose was involved in Decepticon revivalism and stormed off to the nearest 'Con bar to 'talk some sense into him'. Tracks being Tracks, that went as well as you expect. Unable to find common ground with his brother, he ended up ''decking him'' when Needlenose said Horri-Bull was the ''only'' one he'd ever loved. Tracks was aghast to hear that his brother felt he'd only ever taken and never asked what he thought; he only got out without a physical beating to go with the emotional one because of an intervention by Arcee, who he'd previously insulted by claiming she'd never lost anyone (i.e. actually cared about anyone). His brother told him to tell Prime that the Decepticons didn't want to fight but would if they 'had' to. {{storylink|The Transgressors}}

When [[Slag (G1)|Slug]] went berserk in [[Maccadam's Old Oil House|Maccadam's]], Tracks was one of those who tried to get him to calm down, but this was to little avail. {{storylink|The Transformers: Redemption|Redemption}} During another day on the job at the spaceport, Tracks paid little heed at first when [[Zetca]] reported a mob of Decepticons marching outside, but soon changed his tune when he learned they were heading for the [[space bridge]]—with none other than his brother leading them! Frustrated by Starscream's not taking any action about this, Tracks went outside to confront Needlenose and his compatriots himself. Despite Needlenose's refusal to leave, and even inviting his brother to join them, Tracks continued to insist that he abandon the other Decepticons and threatened to call Optimus. This turned out to be a mistake, however, as [[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]] then blasted Tracks in the chest to keep him from saying anything. With his last moments of consciousness, Tracks reached out for his brother, only to be kicked aside by him. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 2: Lagrange|Lagrange}} Luckily, this wound wasn't fatal and Tracks survived. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 4: Perihelion|Perihelion}}

Tracks ended up joining Optimus's Autobots on Earth, and was asked by Prime to make contact with his brother on [[Sanctuary Station]]. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 2: Edge of the Earth|Edge of the Earth}} While Arcee was checking on the comatose [[Sideswipe (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sideswipe]], Tracks had a conversation with her about how Needlenose hated the Autobots because of their killing the love of his life, Horri-Bull; this reminded Arcee of the true circumstances of Horri-Bull's death. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message|The Medium and the Message}} Tracks was part of the small army formed by the new alliance of Optimus's Autobots and [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]]'s Decepticons and sent to attack the undersea ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'' in an attempt to stop Galvatron's dreams of conquest once and for all. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 4: It's Beginning To And Back Again|It's Beginning To And Back Again}} Tracks was one of those Needlenose led into the ''Nemesis'', arguing with his brother all the way. However, when the team found [[G.B. Blackrock|Garrison Blackrock]], both brothers stopped each other from getting hit by [[Marissa Faireborn]]'s gunfire. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 5: As Above...So Below|As Above...So Below}}

While rounding up the prisoners, [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] managed to break free prompting Tracks to ask Needlenose about any weaknesses the Triple Changer had. {{storylink|White Light}} When the [[Earth Defense Command]] began attacking, Blitzwing took the opportunity to sock Tracks in the jaw. Unconscious, Tracks was then loaded aboard [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] by his brother. {{storylink|White Heat}}

When the time came for Earth to properly join the [[Council of Worlds]], Tracks was interviewed for his opinion on the subject. While understanding that Prime liked the [[human]]s (or felt guilty about the Earth war or whatever), Tracks felt the safety of Cybertron should come first. That and the humans once locked him in his [[alternate mode]]. {{storylink|Primeless, Part 1}}

After the [[Iron Ring]]'s invasion and [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Onyx Prime]]'s return to Cybertron, Tracks was being visited by Needlenose in time for Soundwave to gather a posse with which to interrogate [[Liege Maximo]]. When expanding his thoughts to try and read the traitorous Prime's mind, Soundwave read that Tracks wished him to be an Autobot. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 2: Another Mine|Another Mine}} After an explosion erupted through the [[Spire]], Tracks tried to help the mortally-injured [[Dreadwing (G2)|Dreadwing]], but was unable to do anything to save him. When Needlenose discovered that it was actually Soundwave who had murdered Horri-Bull, Tracks reminded his shocked brother that he had tried to warn him about the Decepticons since falling in with them all those years ago. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 3: The Ground|The Ground}} As the remaining Decepticons fell back in with Starscream, Needlenose was too disgusted with the Decepticon movement to join Starscream or help Soundwave regain power. Instead, he welcomed reconnecting with his brother Tracks, intent on spending time with someone who truly cared about him. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 6: Unforgivable|Unforgivable}}

===''United''===
Tracks was amongst the victims of a deadly nano-virus. Thankfully, a team of Autobots were successfully in retrieving a cure for the disease from the planet [[Nebulos]]. Fully recovered, Tracks attended the ceremony that commended the Autobots responsible for saving his life. {{storylink|The Fierce Fighting on Planet Nebulos}}

===''Timelines''===
After a [[Ultra Magnus (SG)|negative polarity Ultra Magnus]] instigated [[Invasion (issue)|multiversal chaos]] by destroying [[Primax 207.0 Epsilon]], two iterations of Tracks of unspecified universal streams were caught in the chaos as their dimensions were suddenly merged into one. {{storylink|Invasion: Epilogue}}

===''Q-Transformers'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Sōichirō Hoshi]] (Japanese)}}
{{Charstubfiction|{{storylink|Mystery of the Lowest Possible Standards}} {{storylink|Mystery of Game Balance}} {{storylink|Mystery of Return of Convoy}}}}

===''Transformers: The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe''===
Pursuing the AllSpark after it had been launched into space, Tracks 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}}

===''Transformers vs. G.I Joe''===
{{note|It is currently unknown if Tracks actually appears in this story; the panel he seems to be in depicts a flying, Tracks-esque Corvette entering Trypticon with the rest of the party; as the entire panel is tinted red, the identity of this Corvette is currently unknown. For the sake of our sanity until further clarification, the Corvette's appearance will be considered as being both Tracks and Road Rage for the moment.}}
Tracks was seemingly among the Autobots that penetrated [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], alongside [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] and [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]]. {{storylink|Transformers vs. G.I. Joe issue 12|Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #12}}

==Commercial appearances==
* During a battle against Megatron, Optimus summoned [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]], Tracks, [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]], [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]], and [[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]] to his side. Megatron responded by calling down [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] and [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]]. {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Thrust and Dirge|Autobot cars plus Thrust and Dirge commercial}}
* When [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] led an attack on the Autobots' launch site, Tracks followed [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] into battle to repel the Decepticons. {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Ultra Magnus|Ultra Magnus commercial}}
* Tracks was being carried down a highway by Ultra Magnus when Galvatron and his troops came upon them. He, Jazz, Red Alert, and Smokescreen dealt with Starscream and Skywarp while their commander faced off against Galvatron. {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Ultra Magnus and Galvatron|Ultra Magnus and Galvatron commercial}}
* Tracks was part of a troop of Autobots who interrupted a Decepticon Energon-gathering mission. Megatron ordered [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] and [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] to deal with the meddlers. {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Battlechargers|Battlechargers commercial}}
*Tracks was one of four 'bots guarding the entrance to an Autobot base. When some humans approached, Jazz and Cosmos shined their headlights on them, revealing their allegiance. The humans were cleared for entry, since they were wearing Transformers [[Iron-on patch|reflective patches]]! {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Reflective patches|Prizes in Disguise contest/reflective patches commercial}}

==Games==
===''Transformers Legends''===
Tracks took some time out from polishing himself to help [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] track down the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]], so they could stop the Decepticon team from committing crimes in back alleys. {{storylink|The Thin Blue Line}} When [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] accidentally released a space beast from an asteroid, Tracks joined in defending [[San Diego]] from it. {{storylink|The Secret of Omega Supreme (Legends)|The Secret of Omega Supreme}}

===''Transformers: Battle Tactics''===
[[File:Battle-Tactics-Tracks-(G1).jpg|thumb|400px|I'm so more strong and stylish than any of those other Epic bots.]]
Tracks (G1) participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was an Epic character who first appeared in the "Disaster: Code Blue" event, and could be recruited by collecting 650 units of Cybermetal, 350 units of Transmetal, 150 exclusive cores, and 50 cores of this character. {{storylink|Transformers: Battle Tactics}}
{{--}}

===''Transformers: Earth Wars''===
[[File:TracksEarthWars.jpg|thumb|upright=1.75|]]

*'''Class''': Air
*'''Lowest Star Rating:''' 2 star
*'''Ability: '''Smoke Bomb: Cover an area in smoke, hiding your allies and blocking damage to them for a set amount of seconds.
[http://wiki.transformersearthwars.com/character:tracks| Tracks at Transformers: Earth Wars Wiki]
{{-}}

==Toys==
{{main|Tracks (G1)/toys}}

==Merchandise==
{{main|Tracks (G1)/toys#Merchandise}}

==Notes==
[[File:1985MuralRedTracks.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way.]]
*As mentioned above, the red ''[[Diaclone]]'' version of Tracks appears on Hasbro's 1985 packaging mural (along with several other toys in early or unused color schemes). What makes this particular appearance stranger than the rest is the red Tracks' depiction – apparently confronting [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] and shooting at [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] – which implies the artist thought proto-Tracks was a [[Decepticon]].
*In both the original [[Commercial/Generation 1|commercial]] advertising the new 1985 Autobot cars, and any episodes animated by the [[unknown Generation 1 animation studios]] (including his first ''spotlight'' episode, "[[Make Tracks]]"), Tracks appears with an outdated color model. This model colors his head, wings, upper arms and launchers a stark, bright white instead of greyish off-white; his wheels the same grey as his arms and legs, instead of their normal darker, near-black shade; and his windows in robot mode (but not vehicle mode) solid black, instead of their usual clear/off-white.
*It is frequently joked amongst Transformers fans that Tracks is homosexual, although the character has not actually demonstrated any romantic interest in other male characters. All his romantic interest was focused squarely on himself. An ''Auto-sexual'', if you will.
**(Not that there's anything wrong with that, Jerry.)
*Voice actor [[Michael McConnohie]] claims Tracks is not meant to be interpreted as a gay stereotype. He chose the voice of Thurston J. Howell III from ''Gilligan's Island'', played by {{w|Jim Backus}}, as the basis for Tracks' snooty voice and mannerisms. McConnohie refers to Tracks's [[Accent|manner of dialect as a "Harvard Lockjaw"]].
*Tracks appeared in one of five original Generation 1 [[public service announcement]]s, warning kids not to steal cars, even if it's just for joy-riding. He seems to have a ''thing'' for carjackers, that Tracks.
*In later years, toys sporting the name "Tracks" require an additional prefix for [[trademark]] reasons, hence making the official name "'''Autobot Tracks'''" or "'''Turbo Tracks'''".

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Tracks''' (トラックス ''Torakkusu'')
*''French:'' '''Le Sillage''' (Canada, "The Trail")
*''Hungarian:'' '''Vagány''' ("Tough guy")
*''Italian:'' '''Puma'''
*''Mandarin:'' '''Lúntāi''' (China, 轮胎, "Tire")
*''Portuguese:'' '''Rasto''' (Portugal comic, "Track"), '''Trilho''' (Brazil comic, "Track")
*''Russian:'' '''Krakh''' (Крах, "Failure")

[[Category:Action Masters]]
[[Category:Alternators Autobots]]
[[Category:Classics Autobots]]
[[Category:Dreamwave Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Legends Autobots]]
[[Category:Q-Transformers characters]]
[[Category:Regeneration One Autobots]]
[[Category:Transformers (2010) Autobots]]
[[Category:Transformers with three modes]]
[[Category:United Autobots]]
[[Category:Wings Universe Autobots]]

Tracks (G1)

2019-04-03T01:58:46Z

RyRodrigo: /* IDW Generation 1 continuity */

{{factions|autobot|autobotg2}}
{{disambig3|Tracks}}
{{suite}}
:''Tracks is an [[Autobot]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:Tracksg1.jpg|upright=1.95|thumb|If God had wanted Tracks to multiply, he would have given him the Creation Matrix and luscious lips. But he only gave him the luscious lips.]]
'''Tracks''' is a total narcissist, according to his Autobot buddies. But surely they're just jealous, since no one else turns into a sports car as stunningly stylish as he does. Not to mention his flight mode, which lets everybody ooh and aah over his elegant curves and paintjob as he glides about looking down on them all.

Whether defending [[San Francisco]] or displaying his trademark moves in [[Dancitron]], Tracks always makes sure to be the center of attention. His blinding [[black beam gun]] casts everything around him into darkness. Since nothing besides himself is worth looking at, you're welcome!

He should be a dangerous opponent, but his concern with preserving his stylish appearance and poor ability to work with fellow Autobots hampers him. Often he simply cruises the metro area, looking for a good scene that he can make even better.

His [[Action Master partner]] is [[Basher]].

{{bigquote|Tracks--PAH! Had enough of him before. Crawler, vain, pain in...|[[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] isn't much of a fan|"[[Makin' Tracks!]]"}}

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Michael McConnohie]] (English), [[Show Hayami]] (Japanese), [[Masashi Ebara]] (Japanese, "Dinobot Island, Part 2" thru "Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1", "Triple Takeover", "Hoist Goes Hollywood"), [[Kōki Kataoka]] (Japanese, "The Secret of Omega Supreme")|[[Xia Zhiqing]] (Chinese), [[Carlos Nieto]] (Latin American Spanish), [[Federico Di Pofi]] (Italian, second dub), [[Dario de Castro]] (Brazilian Portuguese)}}

[[File:DinobotIsland2 Tracks robotmode.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|How this show lasted this far without me, I'll never know.]]
Tracks was one of several Autobots who appeared out of nowhere one day. He listened in as [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] and [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]] reported the discovery of [[Dinobot Island (G1)|an island full of dinosaurs]]. Following another [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]] mishap at base, Tracks helped with repairs. {{storylink|Dinobot Island, Part 1}} He, [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] and [[Seaspray (G1)|Seaspray]] were sent out to intercept and drive back a pirate ship that had appeared through a temporal anomaly due to Megatron's interference on the temporally displaced [[Dinobot Island (G1)|Dinobot Island]]. {{storylink|Dinobot Island, Part 2}} Tracks took part in a game of [[basketball]] with the Dinobots, and failed to stop [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] from making a slam dunk. As Prime observed that Tracks was in need of maintenance, and he admitted that he'd had a deuce of a time trying to get an appointment with [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]]. As it turned out, Hoist and [[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]] had somehow fallen in with the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] to build Grapple's [[Solar Power Tower]]. Tracks was part of the mission to see what was going on, and ended up fighting [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]]. Following the Autobot victory, he helped dig through the ruins of the tower to find Grapple and Hoist. {{storylink|The Master Builders (episode)|The Master Builders}}

[[File:MMP1 Tracks fires black beam gun.jpg|thumb|upright=1.34|And I said "let there be dark!"]]
When the Decepticons attacked a new solar power plant in [[Central City (Earth)|Central City]], Tracks took to the air and blasted [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] with his black beam gun. In retaliation, [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]] rammed Tracks, knocking the Autobot out of the sky. The Decepticons retreated, much to the delight of the [[human]]s present. Tracks complained about the annoying cheering noise they were making. He was happy enough to take part in [[Autobot Day]], until an incriminating video (faked by [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] of course) was shown and the crowds turned against the Autobots. They retreated to Headquarters, but a short time later, the authorities turned up to arrest them and put them on trial. The verdict was swiftly delivered, and the Autobots forced to leave the planet on a spaceship provided by [[Shawn Berger]]. {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 1}} Locked on course to the [[Sun]], the Autobots abandoned ship and used [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] to return to [[Earth]], where the Decepticon plot had already been revealed. The Autobots freed the enslaved humans and chased off the Decepticons. {{storylink|Megatron's Master Plan, Part 2}} After the theft of the [[Voltronic Galaxer]], [[Huffer (G1)|Huffer]] and Tracks reported from the field that they hadn't detected any Decepticon activity. {{storylink|Blaster Blues}}

[[File:G1MakeTracks TracksRaoul.jpg|left|upright=1.34|thumb|It's not what it looks like, honestly!]]
Tracks and [[Blaster (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blaster]] assisted the [[New York City|New York]] Police Department's Crime Buster program by parking themselves in a seedy, run-down neighborhood to entice car thieves to steal them, then capturing the thieves and their buyer. Back at [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]]'s garage, Tracks opined that New York City was exhilarating and that they could remain there forever as far as he was concerned, to the amusement of the other Autobots. Annoyed at their attitude, Tracks took off for a joyride, but almost immediately fell prey to a gang of would-be car thieves who shot out Tracks' tires as he tried to run them off the road. Crashing into a streetlight, Tracks was badly damaged and unable to transform. Fortunately, the car thief with a heart of gold, [[Raoul]], happened by and decided to take possession of Tracks, who quickly revealed he was no ordinary badly damaged dark blue Corvette Stingray with a giant flaming logo on his hood.

Together, the pair tailed the [[Geddis brothers]] to a Decepticon installation in the [[Pine Barrens]], where the Constructicons were converting stolen cars. When an electrical fault disabled Tracks during the course of the investigation, Raoul came to his rescue, and they both fled through the woods, eventually running into some more Autobots. Tracks joined Bumblebee, [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] and [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] in defending downtown from the stolen vehicles, converted into drones by the Decepticons, and was appalled when they damaged the [[Chrysler Building]]. Tracks and Raoul took part in the assault on the Decepticon base, however Megatron grabbed the young human. Tracks announced that if Raoul was harmed, there'd be trouble, but the threat proved unnecessary, as Raoul made use of a can of spray paint to escape. At Prime's invitation, Tracks demolished the base with a few well-placed shots. Later, he volunteered Raoul to help [[Sparkplug Witwicky]] fix all the cars that the Decepticons had messed with. {{storylink|Make Tracks}}

[[File:QuestForSurvival Inferno puts out Tracks.jpg|thumb|upright=1.45|But this is!]]
Tracks was part of a disastrous attempt to stop the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]] from eating Earth crops. [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] set him on fire, forcing Inferno to put him out. Tracks bravely fought on until [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] called a retreat and they returned to Headquarters for repairs. Some time later, after Cosmos had become trapped by an infestation of [[Morphobot]]s, Tracks took part in rescue efforts. As [[Blaster (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blaster]] used his music to repel the creatures, Tracks and [[Ironhide (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ironhide]] helped hook Cosmos up to Hoist. Unfortunately during the subsequent fight with the Decepticons, the [[robotic insecticide]] was destroyed, leaving them with no weapon against the Insecticon army. It all turned out okay, as said army was eaten by the Morphobots anyway. Tracks watched as the Morphobots were launched into space to wreck some other planet's ecology. {{storylink|Quest for Survival}}

[[File:SecretOmegaSupreme Tracks is alarmed.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.3|Tracks Threatens his Hand: Part 1]]
When [[San Francisco]] was threatened by an [[Asteroid bird alien|alien bird creature]], Tracks risked his life in battle to defend the city until [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] arrived to drive it off. {{storylink|The Secret of Omega Supreme (episode)|The Secret of Omega Supreme}} Following Megatron's disappearance, [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] took over a sports stadium and had the Constructicons build a maze leading to it. Tracks, [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]], and [[Skids (G1)|Skids]] attempted to traverse the maze, only to get totaled by Blitzwing and built into a throne. Fortunately Hoist came to the rescue and fixed them all up in time to witness Megatron's return and the downfall of Blitzwing and [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]]. The four repaired Autobots jokingly arranged themselves into a throne for Optimus afterwards. Optimus declined their kind offer. {{storylink|Triple Takeover}}

Whilst out on a supply run with Bumblebee, Tracks opined that Optimus Prime had sent him out on this task to show the humans that Autobots didn't just have strength, but refinement as well. When Bumblebee sharply pointed out his comrade's lack of humility, Tracks replied that he feared ''some'' Autobots had much to be humble about. Together, they watched a storefront television report by [[Hector Ramirez]] on the disappearance of a [[Daina|top secret Soviet jet]], for which blame was placed on the [[United States of America]]. Bumblebee suspected Decepticon involvement, which was convenient, as Tracks saw Astrotrain and Blitzwing lurking about nearby. The Autobots gave chase, only to discover the 'Cons were holographs projected by the big game hunter [[Chumley|Lord Chumley]], and the pair were quickly subdued. After several more Autobots were captured, the imprisoned hostages were forced to run through several cruel and unusual torture devices. Tracks in particular was forced to race around a small, spiked track while laser cannons fired at him. {{storylink|Prime Target (episode)|Prime Target}}

[[File:G1Auto-Bop Tracks girl.jpg|upright=1.3|thumb|"Eeek, Mr. Tracks, can I have your autograph?" "Sure thing, baby."]]
Tracks and Blaster were reunited with Raoul when the human and [[Bop Crew]] were being chased by [[Furg]]'s gang outside of the [[Dancitron]] night club. Tracks stylishly defeated the thugs by arcing his laser fire horizontally, simultaneously destroying several of the weapons wielded by Furg's men. As he did so, he noticed that one of the gang members was a man dressed in a business suit. The Autobots decided to investigate further.

Inside the club, Tracks declined to dance with some girls, and [[Stylish man|another patron]] asked him where he could "get those threads" (meaning Tracks's robot body). As Tracks left, remarking that Dancitron wasn't ''his'' kind of club, he noted that there were more out-of-place humans, including a housewife in a bathrobe and a garbage man. Tracks and Blaster came to Raoul's aid again when the driver of a train in which the humans were traveling was "activated' by [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] and accelerated the train to unsafe speeds. Later, Tracks and Raoul were attacked by brainwashed "workers" at a construction site for something large and mysterious. Bravely risking his paint job, Tracks protected Raoul from red-hot rivets fired by a brainwashed construction worker.

[[File:Trackscruc2.jpg|left|upright=1.45|thumb|Tracks forgot his safeword.]]
Returning to the club, Tracks was lured into a trap by the mind-controlled [[Poplock]] and [[Rocksteady]]. Barely evading Starscream's attack, Tracks was assaulted by the rest of the club's patrons and chained up to the sound system, where the Decepticons hoped the music would eventually shake him apart. After Raoul de-hypnotised the club patrons by getting them slightly wet, the humans freed Tracks, who proceeded to take off after the fleeing Starscream. Crazy like a fox, Tracks seeded the clouds above the mysterious construction site, causing rain to fall down on the hypnotised workers, totally ruining Starscream's plan forever. Knowing that despite his good looks, he was outgunned and outpowered, Tracks used his superior agility to trick Starscream into flying into the half-constructed building and damaging himself when the Decepticon failed to avoid obstructions. With the Decepticons defeated, Tracks and Blaster destroyed the mysterious building. Grateful to the Bop Crew for saving his life, Tracks had Blaster help them out by acting as the boom box for their curbside breakdance sessions, to the latter's horror. {{storylink|Auto-Bop}}

[[File:HoistGoesHollywood Sunstreaker Tracks masks.jpg|upright=1.34|thumb|"What are the chances? The only two Autobots marching and we turned up wearing the same outfit."]]
After Hoist was hired to be in a film, a number of other Autobots got wind of it and decided to volunteer their services as well. Tracks and the others impressed the [[Attack of the Alien Robots director|director]] enough that he cast them, and Tracks ended up as a stunt vehicle, flying into a fake brick wall. The Autobots were dissatisfied with their assigned roles and told Hoist to try and pull some strings. The director decided to rethink the movie, and had Tracks and the others dressed as "evil alien robots". Tracks confessed he felt like a fool, but refused to quit. While shooting another scene, the pyrotechnics turned out to be bigger than expected, and the Autobots were nearly blown up. The shoot had been sabotaged by the Decepticons, who were after film of Dirge, who had crashed while carrying a device stolen from [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]]'s [[Wheeljack's workshop|workshop]] on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. After the affair was resolved, Tracks and the other Autobots decided not to be a part of the movie business after all. {{storylink|Hoist Goes Hollywood (episode)|Hoist Goes Hollywood}}

Later, Tracks was one of several Autobots facing off against the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] near the [[Seattle|Seattle-Tacoma area]] when Megatron was using the [[Key to Vector Sigma]] to transform the land into metal. He was rammed by [[Breakdown (G1)|Breakdown]] into a boulder and flipped over. {{storylink|The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2}}

Tracks was one of several Autobots who participated in the [[Europa 2000]], a charity race from Paris to Istanbul which, if the Autobots won, would have netted them a million dollars, which they would give to charity. Tracks was disdainful of the arrogant American driver [[Auggie Cahnay (G1)|Auggie Cahnay]] and his suped-up [[Symultech Industries]] car. During the race, Tracks tried to contact the other Autobots, only to find out they had been disabled by the Stunticons in Megatron's quest to stop the Autobots from interfering with his plans for the [[Pearl of Bahoudin]]. Teamed up with Cahnay and [[Teranova|a scientist who mysteriously disappeared]] during the course of the battle, the Autobots defeated [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] and destroyed the Pearl. {{storylink|Trans-Europe Express}}

[[File:Masquerade Tracks firing.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.3|... And Part 2]]
After [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] was abducted by the Decepticons, Tracks was one of the Autobots who volunteered to go on the rescue mission, and was subsequently struck down with [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]]. Fortunately a cure was soon forthcoming. {{storylink|Cosmic Rust (episode)|Cosmic Rust}} He also took part in the defense of Headquarters during a Decepticon attack. Megatron soon retreated, not because of anything the Autobots did, but because he had realised that Starscream was behind everything. {{storylink|Starscream's Brigade}} Tracks helped defend a human city from the Insecticons, however a [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticon]] plan saw the Autobots searching for a component to get the [[space bridge]] working so they could reach Cybertron. They eventually tracked the component down, only to find the Insecticons had chewed it up. {{storylink|The Revenge of Bruticus}}

Tracks was part of a responsive strike against a series of Stunticon raids on human compounds. He took to the air at one point, prompting [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] to remark that his flying car mode was "droll". In retaliation for this unwarranted remark, Tracks blinded Dead End with his black light gun, which caused the Decepticon to drive into the car-crushing fists of [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]]. {{storylink|Masquerade}}
{{-}}

====''The Transformers'' public service announcements====
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Public service announcement#Transformers public service announcements|Transformers Public service announcement}}}}
====Japanese cartoon continuity====
=====''Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers'' manga=====
Tracks was stationed in the Autobots' Japanese subdivision when [[Kenji]] came by for a visit. Kenji was excited to meet the new Autobot City Commander [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]], whom Prime was fawning over while giving the tour. Tracks slyly whispered to Kenji that Prime thinks of Magnus as his "kid brother". Tracks' jest was interrupted by a sudden attack on Yokohama by Megatron, Starscream and Blitzwing. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers issue 4|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers #4}}
{{-}}

=====''Scramble City: Mobilization''=====
Tracks assisted in the construction of [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]] and helped defend it when the Decepticons tried to interfere. {{storylink|Scramble City: Mobilization}}

=====''Full Throttle Scramble Power!''=====
Tracks accompanied the massive Autobot reinforcements called in to counter Megatron's nefarious [[Omega Whip]]. {{storylink|Full Throttle Scramble Power!}}

=====''Legends'' comic=====
Tracks defended the Autobot base when the Decepticons attacked to steal the [[Transform Super Cog]]. {{storylink|Slugslinger's Ambition}}

=====''The Battle of the Star Gate''=====
Tracks was led to Japan by Optimus Prime, along with a small team of other Autobots, to stop the Decepticons’ latest Energon-gathering scheme. Optimus ordered him to pursue Astrotrain to prevent the Decepticons from escaping with their loot. {{storylink|Activation}}

Tracks was amongst the Autobots who once more confronted Megatron and his Decepticons at the ''[[Trigger]]'' in Earth orbit. When Starscream combined himself with the ''Trigger'' to create a powerful new body for himself, Tracks had to contend with the volley of asteroids thrown towards both Autobots and Decepticons from Starscream’s star gate. He was then almost sucked into a portal to a black hole when Starscream neared defeat, but was instead sent plummeting down to Earth when Optimus and Megatron worked together to defeat Starscream. {{storylink|The Battle of the Star Gate}}

=====''Story of Binaltech''=====
When the Decepticons unleashed Cosmic Rust on Earth, Tracks was one of the many Autobots infested with the virus. As [[Earth Defense Command]] created the Binaltech Project in order to help the Autobots, Tracks was one of the first patients to undergo transference into an [[electro-cell]] powered new body. With the help of his fellow Binaltech Autobots (Smokescreen, [[Hound (G1)|Hound]], [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]], and [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]]), Tracks and his new powers were used to drive the Decepticons off the planet. He remained part of the soldiers based at Autobot City on Earth.

Tracks apparently now had the power to change and update his paint job at will. Thrilling. Simply thrilling. {{storylink|Binaltech Is...}}

{{Note|At this point, the timeline was split in two and the events of the ''[[Story of Binaltech]]'' diverged into a parallel universe. Skip to the next section to continue reading about the original timeline. Exactly how many of the preceding events related in this section, even prior to the divergence, occurred in the original unaltered timeline are unknown.}}

Tracks was stationed on a spaceship alongside a human crew and four BT Smokescreens when Mirage pulled [[Large switch|a switch]] on Cybertron that was meant to immobilize all transformers. As Tracks and the Smokescreens continued to function even after the switch had been pulled, the Autobots came to the realization that all those in Binaltech bodies were unaffected by the device. With most of the Decepticons incapacitated, the Autobots secured an easy victory over their enemies. {{storylink|Kill Switch}}

=====''The Headmasters'' cartoon=====
[[File:JHeadmasters09Tracks.jpg|thumb|"Look, I'll stop asking you to fix my every little nick and scratch, '''I swear!'''" "KIYAAAAAAAA!"]]
Some time before the Transformers' war left Cybertron, Tracks briefly engaged the Decepticons with his comrades. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}} Years onward, Tracks was seen on Earth working with [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]]. Alongside [[Prowl (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Prowl]], [[Jazz (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Jazz]], and [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]], he was dispatched to intercept invading Decepticons and prevent them from interfering with [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]]'s search for the Matrix. The group was not actually seen to confront anyone. {{storylink|Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime}} Later, while defending Cybertron, Tracks got kicked in the face ''really hard''... by [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]]. Uh, heat of the moment? {{storylink|Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 1}}
{{-}}

====Rodimus vs. Cyclonus====
Tracks was present during the battle for [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]], where he was grabbed by Devastator and lifted off the ground. Afterwards, he escaped with [[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]] in a science vessel and hid out in the [[Rayzor Nebula]]. They were contacted by [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]] when the old Autobot's vessel had come under fire, and at his request came out of hiding. This drew the attention of [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]] and his [[Sweep (G1)|Sweeps]]. When Scourge saw Cyclonus engaged with Kup's ship, Scourge attacked Cyclonus to ensure that ''he'' would get to destroy the Autobots... this only served to allow all the Autobots to escape. {{storylink|Rodimus vs. Cyclonus}}

====''Wings Universe''====
{{Wingsnote}}
During the [[Battle of Autobot City]], Tracks was part of a team which took down [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] after the Decepticon breached [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]]. They had to retreat when the Constructicons fought back. {{storylink|A Flash Forward}}

===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics====
{{noteukonly}}
[[File:Skidsgrapplesmokescreenhoisttracks.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|I was rebuilt out of better spare parts than the rest of you!]]
Tracks was (re?)constructed on Earth by the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] when the Autobots' forces were depleted using the [[mind bank]], his mind downloaded into a new body from a memory crystal. He attended [[Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Bumblebee]]'s field training exercise on human culture—rock and roll wasn't quite Tracks's taste, but when the [[Seeker (body-type)|Seekers]] tried to steal and convert sonic energy from the concert, surface-to-air combat with the enemy seemed quite a bit more enjoyable for him. {{storylink|Rock and Roll-Out!}} On a later mission, he attempted to help [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus Prime]] prevent [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] from being reawakened by the Decepticons, but the mistrustful human armed forces kept them at bay long enough for [[Soundwave (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Soundwave]] to revive his leader. {{storylink|I, Robot-Master!}}

[[File:RockNRollOut-Tracksdriver.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.85|Oh, well that just makes too much sense.]]
''Upon discovering that the human [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster Witwicky]] had gone to take on the Decepticons alone in his [[battlesuit]], Optimus Prime assembled a team of Autobots including Tracks, [[Ratchet (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ratchet]], Bumblebee, [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]] and [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]] to rescue him.'' {{storylink|Robot Buster!}} ''Shortly thereafter, Tracks joined [[Ironhide (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ironhide]], [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]], and [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]] in guarding Buster as he attended a demolition derby. Tracks found the spectacle to be unsavory, as it resulted in scuffs and dents on the vehicles. The show was interrupted by Soundwave and the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], intent on abducting the boy. Tracks and Smokescreen actually managed to hold their own against [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] for a short period of time. But victory came unexpectedly, as Soundwave called for a retreat despite having the advantage.'' {{storylink|Devastation Derby!}}

''Tracks was on a reconnaissance mission in [[Greater Portland]] when he ran into [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]], who grievously wounded him. Tracks transformed into vehicle mode and was discovered by [[Mark Brookes]] and [[J.D.]], two hoodlums who used him as a getaway vehicle for a series of robberies heading east to [[New York City]]. Meanwhile, when Tracks didn't report in back at the Ark, Optimus Prime had [[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]] search for him in Greater Portland while he plugged himself into the Ark's [[Aunty|computer]] to try and locate him. Ultimately it was [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] that found Tracks by listening in on human law enforcement communications. Prime dispatched [[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]], [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]], and Hoist to retrieve Tracks but they got caught up in J.D. and Mark's latest robbery before they were able to return him to the Ark for repairs.'' {{storylink|Missing in Action}}

Tracks also was part of the Autobot strike on [[Wyoming base|Decepticon headquarters]] which allowed Bumblebee to record Devastator's transformation and combination sequence, giving the Autobots a chance to replicate the unique gestalt technology. {{storylink|Command Performances!}}

''The Autobots experienced a major setback when Optimus Prime, Prowl, and Ratchet dematerialized before their eyes at a meeting, seemingly atomized in seconds. Matters only became more pressing when [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], Decepticon commander of [[2006]], arrived in the present, kidnapped Jazz, and co-opted the Constructicons for his own purposes. Goaded into rash action by their friend's distress, the Autobots rushed into battle with the new warriors. Tracks stood shoulder to shoulder with [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]], Ironhide, and Smokescreen against Galvatron, but the future Decepticon just laughed and voluntarily allowed them to unload their firepower on him. Staser bolts, high-density lasers, thermal charges, fracture rockets... all hit Galvatron dead center, and all did absolutely nothing. To add injury to insult, he then beat the helpless Tracks and his comrades into a pulp for good measure.''

[[File:Brawn trailbreaker tracks target 2006.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"Phew, that acid could have really ruined my finish...... I mean ''ohnoTrailbreaker!''"]]
''Beyond desperate, the Autobots actually stooped to reviving Megatron from where Galvatron had left him to rust earlier, and working with him to concoct a strategy against their common foe. Their gambit was somewhat successful, as Tracks and the Autobots managed to capture Galvatron's lieutenant, [[Scourge (G1)|Scourge]], with Megatron's aid. When Tracks and the others went for a prisoner exchange to get Jazz back, however, they found that Galvatron had lobotomized their friend and turned him into a rampaging zombie. Jazz disabled Tracks and the others for a time, and they only woke up into time to wander into the climax, when [[Kup (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Kup]] and the future ''Autobots'' destroyed Galvatron's new space cannon in a massive explosion, convincing him to return the future empty-handed. Needless to say, the Autobots were glad when Optimus Prime and the others miraculously returned after Galvatron and his men returned to the future, reversing the [[mass substitution]] effect.'' {{storylink|Target: 2006}}

[[File:Hoist prowl tracks night the transformers saved christmas.jpg|thumb|upright=0.9]]
While spying for the Autobots on [[Christmas]] Eve, Bumblebee spotted Soundwave and [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] using an [[Power siphon|energy siphon]] to drain all the electricity from the town of [[Midville]]. He called in Tracks, Prowl, and [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]] and in the face of superior numbers, the Decepticons fled. Tracks and Bumblebee went after them but Laserbeak brought a tree down across their path, endangering the lives of [[Megan Perry]] and her family. Bumblebee stayed to look after the humans while Tracks pursued the Decepticons but he lost them and after meeting up with Prowl and Hoist again, he realised he had lost Bumblebee as well. They eventually found him in Midville, using his engine to provide electricity to power the town's Christmas tree. {{storylink|The Night the Transformers Saved Christmas}}'' Later, Tracks was present at the Ark to hear Prime announce that he was going on a lone reconnaissance mission into Decepticon territory.'' {{storylink|Prey!}}

[[File:DarkStar-BlotTracks.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"''Aiggh'', acid!! Now I know how Trailbreaker felt! Oh cruel karma!"]]
Following Optimus Prime's death, Tracks and the other Earthbound Autobots looked on as Ratchet tried and failed to repair his body. {{storylink|Funeral for a Friend!}} They became much less involved in Earth affairs when [[Grimlock (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Grimlock]] assumed control of the army afterwards and took the Ark back out into space, where Tracks formed part of a security detail to apprehend the captured [[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off]], though they were stood down when it was discovered that the Decepticon was [[mode lock]]ed and only contained some [[Spacehikers|human children]]. {{storylink|Spacehikers!}} Tracks disembarked with the rest of the Earth-bound Autobots from the Ark onto Earth's [[Moon (moon)|moon]], where they witnessed a battle for leadership between Grimlock and [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]. This was a moment of opportunity for [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]]'s Decepticons, who attacked Tracks and the others on the moon's surface. Tracks was hit in the enemy's first volley. Subsequently, he was left trapped on the [[Moon (moon)|moon]] for some time with the combined crews of the Ark and ''[[Steelhaven (G1)|Steelhaven]]'', as the attack had damaged their transport. {{storylink|Totaled!}} He was later deactivated while battling the combined Decepticon armies in the Arctic, when he received an unexpected acid bath from [[Blot (G1)|Blot]]. {{storylink|Dark Star}}
{{-}}

=====Earthforce=====
{{earthforcefiction}}
[[File:MakinTracks-Tracks.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|We have the same reaction to ''Glee.'']]
In his [[Body Shop]] at Autobot [[Earthbase]], Wheeljack was attempting to revive Tracks, but Grimlock kept sabotaging his efforts, hoping to move efforts towards Autobots he thought were more deserving. Not only did he fail to stop the reconstruction, Optimus Prime ended up assigning Tracks to Earthforce, to Grimlock's eternal regret. {{storylink|Makin' Tracks!}}

Later on, he joined the other Autobots in hunting [[Motormaster (G1)|Motormaster]], who had kidnapped their human ally, [[Irwin Spoon]]. The other [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] tried to stop them, and did manage to derail several others, but Tracks and Bumblebee got Motormaster to separate from his trailer (apparently he can do that..?) and then led [[Dead End (G1)|Dead End]] and [[Drag Strip (G1)|Drag Strip]] into knocking their own leader off the road. {{storylink|End of the Road! (UK)|End of the Road!}}
{{-}}

====Marvel ''Generation 2'' comic====
[[File:Cybertronian tracks total war.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
Tracks was operating out of [[Autobase]] on Earth after the Autobots began confronting the threat of the [[Cybertronian (faction)|Cybertronians]]. When [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] agreed to join forces with [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Prime]], Tracks began working closely with the Decepticon [[Rotor Force]] members [[Leadfoot (G2)|Leadfoot]] and [[Manta Ray (G2)|Manta Ray]]. It's possible his friendship and influence had something to do with their interest in switching sides. {{storylink|Total War!}}
{{-}}

====''Classics''====
{{noteclassics}}
[[File:Invasion-cannotwillnot.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.6]]
Tracks was stationed at the [[Construction station|Ironworks]] base when it was invaded by [[Ultra Magnus (SG)|Ultra Magnus]] and the evil Autobots of the [[Primax -408.24 Epsilon|negative polarity universe]]. Tracks tried to defend the Autobot station from attack, but he was cut down by Magnus's [[Terminus Blade]]. {{storylink|Invasion (issue)|Invasion}}

After the heroic Autobots' Earth passed through into the negative universe, however, Tracks was eventually rebuilt with a new body. {{storylink|Solar Requiem}}
{{-}}

====''Regeneration One''====
[[File:Jhiaxus rodimus tracks war to end all wars.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3]]
{{NoteRG1}}
Tracks travelled to a devastated planet Earth in [[2012]] with Optimus Prime in order to confront Megatron one last time. {{storylink|Loose Ends, Part 5}} After returning to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Tracks and [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]] provided security at [[Eugenesis Plaza]] for [[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Rodimus Prime]]'s meeting with [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]. {{storylink|The War to End All Wars, Part 2}}
{{-}}

===''Big Looker'' storybooks===
When the Decepticons invaded a car show at the Coliseum, Tracks was one of the robots in disguise who infiltrated the show to thwart the Decepticon plot. {{storylink|Car Show Blow Up}}
{{-}}

===''Find Your Fate Junior''===
{{notemultipath}}
====Dinobots Strike Back====
If Optimus Prime decided to stop the [[cerebro-shell]]-controlled [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]] with an immediate all-out attack to make sure they didn't reach a human city, Tracks shot [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] in the eyes with his black-beam gun, provoking a harmless blind charge. He apparently did nothing else of note in that fight, even when Optimus ordered his troops to, "Bring them down fast and hard."

In an alternate path, Tracks was aerial back-up for [[Powerglide (G1)|Powerglide]] in a battle with Megatron's warrior jets. He cheered, "Got him!" as Powerglide's thermal beam laid waste to the Decepticons, "him" most likely being [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]], who had just dropped a missile on [[Topspin (G1)|Topspin]]. {{storylink|Dinobots Strike Back}}
{{-}}

====Desert Flight====
[[File:DesertFlightRipInSpaceTime.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1]]
Tracks was part of a group of the Autobots’ best scouts, led by Optimus on a fuel-finding mission. When the convoy heard a large explosion in the distance, Optimus sent Cosmos to investigate the noise.

If Cosmos radioed his findings to Optimus immediately, Optimus’s convoy moved in to investigate a nearby Decepticon base. En route, the Autobots passed near a human town, but began floating in mid-air before being able to reach it. Evidently, the phenomenon was caused by a Decepticon anti-gravity weapon. Helpless in their current position, the Autobots were quickly eradicated by the Decepticons.

If Optimus ordered his troops to attack the Decepticon base, they soon reached an area free of the anti-gravity beam’s influence. They were then attacked by a small fleet of Decepticons. The Decepticons were quickly forced to break off their attack and retreated. But with the battle over, the Autobots noticed a small human boy at their feet. The Autobots then headed for the Decepticon base, with their stowaway. Megatron delivered an ultimatum; if the Autobots did not surrender Optimus Prime to the Decepticons immediately, he would use his gravity beam to have the nearby humans float off into space.

If the Autobots decided to continue with their initial plan to simply attack the Decepticon base, their advance was halted by a force field. Megatron then fired his beam in all directions, causing a ripple effect that sent everything not fastened down to the Earth’s surface to float helplessly out into space.

Alternatively, the Autobots could concoct a plan where Optimus would pretend to allow himself to be taken prisoner, per Buddy’s suggestion. In actuality, Tracks and the rest of the Autobots were hidden away inside Optimus’s trailer. The Autobots then led a surprise attack on their unsuspecting foes.

In the event that Buddy tampered with the gravity gun in the ensuing battle, the Autobots would emerge victorious.

If Buddy instead ran towards Beachcomber and Tracks over the course of the battle, Laserbeak would fire at the group at the same time as the gravity beam reached them, creating a tear in space-time above the group.

If Tracks and Buddy dived into the time anomaly, the pair were flung three hours into the future. They emerged to find all of the Autobots either dead, injured, or prisoners of Megatron. Tracks was forced to surrender, the situation now hopeless.

If Tracks decided that Beachcomber could wait, he helped Optimus overload the anti-gravity gun, starting a chain-reaction that would cause the weapon to explode in a tremendous explosion.

If Optimus destroyed the duplicate Cosmos, the real one would inform the Autobots of the Decepticons’ schemes, and the convoy would roll out to take on their adversaries. They were soon met by a squad of flying Decepticons, but were at a strict disadvantage against their adversaries as their vehicle modes possessed no weapons. Smokescreen hatched a plan where the Autobots would use their exhaust fumes to provide themselves with cover.

If Optimus went along with Smokescreen’s plan, the Autobots gained the time they needed to transform and engage the Decepticons. A fierce battle ensued, though the Autobots began to lose ground when Dirge put to good use his fear-inducing engines. Tracks proved to be especially vulnerable to Dirge’s engines.

The Autobots nonetheless managed to fight their way to the Decepticons’ base, one way or another, and defeated the Decepticons by using their own gravity weapon against them. {{storylink|Desert Flight}}
{{-}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
Tracks was an active member of the Autobot forces as far back as the days of [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]. He attended the ceremony that turned Optronix into Optimus Prime, and witnessed their new leader deal with three Decepticon assassins. {{storylink|The War Within issue 1|The War Within #1}} Tracks was present in [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]] when the Decepticons launched an all-out assault on the Autobot stronghold. He alerted Jazz to a squad of incoming Decepticons, allowing the Autobots to detonate mines to defend themselves. {{storylink|The War Within issue 3|The War Within #3}} But the Decepticons' offensive pressed on, and Tracks found himself a part of the Autobots' last desperate stand against Shockwave and his forces. {{storylink|The War Within issue 5|The War Within #5}} Afterwards, Tracks went on to serve with the Autobots for several million years until the time of the [[Great Shutdown]]. He worked with Prowl's faction during the Dark Ages, when Optimus and Megatron both disappeared into a prototype space-bridge, leading to the splintering of both their factions. {{storylink|Fragmentation (G1)|Fragmentation}}

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. Tracks 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. Tracks was among the many unfortunates captured, and put to work in [[Internment Camp Pi]]. {{storylink|The Age of Wrath Pt.2}}

{{unreleased WW comic}}
Optimus returned to Cybertron, and the Autobots were freed from slavery. {{Storylink|The Age of Wrath Pt.6}}

Afterwards, Tracks seemed to lapse into semi-retirement while other Autobots worked towards establishing a new unified Cybertronian government with the Decepticons. He was seen among the general populace observing the Anti-Prime propaganda [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] was pumping out through the cortex. {{storylink|Cold War (issue)|Cold War}} He eventually recognized the rotten core of their alliance with Shockwave, though. When Optimus sent out a call to arms to all Autobots, Tracks openly rebelled again the totalitarian leader alongside [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]]. {{storylink|Countdown to Extinction (issue)|Countdown to Extinction}} They and their [[Mini Vehicle|Minibot]] allies joined the major offensive alongside Optimus Prime, [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] and the other cells, which ultimately overthrew Shockwave's control. {{storylink|Revelation (War and Peace)|Revelation}}

===''Universe'' comic===
{{voiceactor|[[Michael McConnohie]] (English)}}
In some incarnation of the past, [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] and [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] were stuck with a mopey Tracks on the Autobot stellar freighter ''[[OTFCC (ship)|OTFCC]]''. Tracks was disgruntled about the low-importance mission and considered himself increasingly marginalised as a [[Classics (Europe)|classic Autobot]] in a world of binary-bonding and Pretenders. Meanwhile, in another time and place, [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] had built a device to counteract [[Unicron]]'s attempts to abduct Transformers from across the multiverse and that accidentally sucked the <s>''3H''</s> ''OTFCC'' into the [[Universe War]].

While the others investigated a distress signal, Tracks was left behind and picked up a space battle. He teleported the Maximals off their ship to the safety of the ''OTFCC'' (who deliberately tried to avoid telling him he was in the wrong time zone). After a brief and victorious battle, Tracks was happy to hear the future Transformers were going to do "whatever it is" that brought them here to send them back. {{storylink|Voice Actor Drama}}

===''G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers''===
Tracks was among the ranks of a team of Autobots led by [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], waiting for [[Serpentor|Serpent O.R.]]'s hostages to escape so that they could assault the Decepticon base. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 4|The Art of War #4}} When the opportunity arose, they headed into the fray alongside human reinforcements from [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]], eventually defeating the Decepticon army. {{storylink|The Art of War issue 5|The Art of War #5}}

===''Universe'' cartoon===
Tracks was one of the many oppressed Cybertronians who sought freedom when their planet’s halls of power grew dark with corruption, greed and malice. He was one of the first Autobots to travel to Earth, and took on an alternate mode to disguise himself amongst the populace. {{storylink|Action Blast 1}}
{{note|Near the end of Action Blast 1, as the Autobots are taking on their Earth modes, Sideswipe is shown in robot mode amongst the other Autobots, but not Tracks. When the cartoon cuts back to the Autobots, now in their vehicle modes, Tracks has inexplicably taken Sideswipe's place in the line-up.}}
{{-}}

===''TransTech''===
Tracks (in his [[Binaltech]] body) is one of countless "offworlders" residing in [[Axiom Nexus]]. {{storylink|Gone Too Far}}

===''Hearts of Steel''===
[[File:Tracksdinobody-HOS2.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.0]]
Tracks was among the Autobots who battled the Decepticons on Earth millions of years ago, until an ice age forced them to hide underground, powered down. He was reactivated in the mid-19th century when the Autobots learned that the Decepticons had woken up. {{storylink|Hearts of Steel issue 2|Hearts of Steel #2}}

{{IDW HOS}}
{{-}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
:*''First Appearance:'' [[All Hail Megatron issue 1|Transformers: All Hail Megatron #1]]

[[File:Transgressors patronising Tracks.jpg|left|upright=0.6|thumb]]
Tracks was the brother of [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] and an overbearing one at that. The two went into business together to make [[Chic Chips]] but Tracks decided, against his brother's wishes, to market them as a high-end flashy product rather than something for the masses. Things came to a head when he obliviously mocked his brother's new [[Decepticon|political beliefs]] and his new friend [[Horri-Bull]] (Tracks joking called him Needlenose's [[Conjunx Endura]], not realising his brother did really have feelings for the Con); Needlenose stormed out, telling Tracks to be careful he wasn't on the wrong side of history. Chic Chips died a death under Tracks alone (how much of that was ''because'' of him, he ain't sayin') and he viewed this as Needlenose wrecking their chance to become somebody. {{storylink|The Transgressors}}

In the early days of the war, Tracks was among the new Autobot soldiers lined up to be inspected by [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]]. [[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] believed he'd never hack it in the war! {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 13|Old Ways}}

[[File:SpotlightJazz-promise.jpg|right|upright=1.66|thumb|He's too pretty (and too 1985) to die!]]
On his very first combat mission, Tracks' unit was attacked and he was the only survivor. He was rescued by [[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]], who was being tracked by the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]]. The Predacons pinned the two down, but thanks to bravery and trickery by Jazz, three of the 'cons were disabled. When Jazz faced off alone against the remaining two, Tracks overcame his doubts and cowardice and attacked [[Divebomb (G1)|Divebomb]], knocking them both unconscious. Jazz battled [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] alone and was saved by a shuttle crew of [[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]], [[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]], and [[First Aid (G1)|First Aid]], who repaired the two Autobots and took them back to base. Tracks didn't know Jazz's identity until later, but he knew what it meant to be an Autobot. {{storylink|Spotlight: Jazz}} (Suck it, Ironhide!)

During the battle for [[Sherma Bridge]] early in the war, Tracks and all other combatants dropped what they were doing to watch the first duel between Optimus Prime and [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]]. {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1}}

Four million years ago, Tracks was present at a victory celebration after the Autobots halted a major Decepticon energon convoy. {{storylink|The Iron Age}}

[[File:Tracks AHM6.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|left]]
In the modern day, both Tracks and Jazz ended up as part of Optimus Prime's forces on [[Earth]], only to be defeated in battle with [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] and unceremoniously dropped on the ruins of Cybertron. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}} There, they had to fend against the [[Insecticon swarm]] while [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] tried to repair Optimus Prime. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 1|All Hail Megatron #1}} At one point during their stay on the planet, Tracks boosted his comrades' spirits by telling them the story about how Jazz had heroically saved him. {{storylink|Spotlight: Jazz}} Unfortunately, the positive emotions didn't seem to last, and everyone was back to brooding before long. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 4|All Hail Megatron #4}} When the crew of the ''[[Trion]]'' crashlanded on Cybertron, Tracks listened to [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hot Rod]]'s tale about how it happened. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 5|All Hail Megatron #5}} He wanted to know when [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]] got scary. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 6|All Hail Megatron #6}}

Tracks later defended the Autobot base against a massive swarm attack. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 9|All Hail Megatron #9}} The battle didn't go in their favor, but thankfully they were saved by [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}} Omega ferried Tracks and the rest back to Earth, where they battled the Decepticons in [[New York City]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 11|All Hail Megatron #11}}

[[File:Tracks cant shoot A Rude Awakening.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|"-also, watch your language, man, there are kids reading this!"]]
Two years later, Tracks defected alongside [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], [[Blurr (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Blurr]], and [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]], as they were afraid that [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] might arrest the Autobots on Earth due to various recent events. The four left to join [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hot Rod]]'s team instead, only to come under attack from [[Skywatch]]. Upon seeing [[Campolongo]] take out Beachcomber, Tracks raised his gun at the human in panic and anger, but Hoist stopped him from firing. He tried to run for it, but didn't make it far before being stuck in vehicle mode and captured. {{storylink|Things Fall Apart, Part 2: "A Rude Awakening"|A Rude Awakening}}

Eventually, Skywatch realized that the Autobots were good guys and formed an alliance with them, freeing Tracks in the process. He and the other Autobots fled the Skywatch base after a Decepticon attack, were chased by angry humans for a while, then were soundly defeated in battle with a newly upgraded Megatron. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 3: Woken Furies|Woken Furies}}

Tracks was present at the Autobot base when Hot Rod (now calling himself Rodimus) showed up to warn everyone that Cybertron, which was habitable again, had been conquered by [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]]. The Autobots quickly left Earth to reclaim their home planet. {{storylink|Space Opera—Final Tableaux: Orphans of the Helix|Orphans of the Helix}} Once they arrived, it turned out Galvatron was using [[Kimia Facility]] to attack the planet. Led by [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]], Tracks and the other Autobot fliers attacked Kimia and fought with the many [[Sweep (G1)|Sweeps]] defending it. {{storylink|Chaos Part Two: Numbers|Numbers}}

Following the defeat of Galvatron and the end of the war, Tracks remained on Cybertron and never once visited his brother in the Decepticon's makeshift prison. {{storylink|The Transgressors}} He later fought back against the Decepticons when they inevitably rejected the peace and tried to conquer the planet. {{storylink|Plan for Everything}} The [[NAIL|neutral]] population, led by [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]], didn't appreciate their continuing the war and banished both Autobots and Decepticons from [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]]. As they set up camp out in the wilderness, Tracks witnessed a fight break out between the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]] and [[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]]. {{storylink|Second Exodus}}

[[File:TheTransgressors-familycomesfirst.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.3]]

Years later, when they were let out of the wilderness, a very bored Tracks had to run the spaceport. He learned that his brother Needlenose was involved in Decepticon revivalism and stormed off to the nearest 'Con bar to 'talk some sense into him'. Tracks being Tracks, that went as well as you expect. Unable to find common ground with his brother, he ended up ''decking him'' when Needlenose said Horri-Bull was the ''only'' one he'd ever loved. Tracks was aghast to hear that his brother felt he'd only ever taken and never asked what he thought; he only got out without a physical beating to go with the emotional one because of an intervention by Arcee, who he'd previously insulted by claiming she'd never lost anyone (i.e. actually cared about anyone). His brother told him to tell Prime that the Decepticons didn't want to fight but would if they 'had' to. {{storylink|The Transgressors}}

When [[Slag (G1)|Slug]] went berserk in [[Maccadam's Old Oil House|Maccadam's]], Tracks was one of those who tried to get him to calm down, but this was to little avail. {{storylink|The Transformers: Redemption|Redemption}} During another day on the job at the spaceport, Tracks paid little heed at first when [[Zetca]] reported a mob of Decepticons marching outside, but soon changed his tune when he learned they were heading for the [[space bridge]]—with none other than his brother leading them! Frustrated by Starscream's not taking any action about this, Tracks went outside to confront Needlenose and his compatriots himself. Despite Needlenose's refusal to leave, and even inviting his brother to join them, Tracks continued to insist that he abandon the other Decepticons and threatened to call Optimus. This turned out to be a mistake, however, as [[Brawl (G1)|Brawl]] then blasted Tracks in the chest to keep him from saying anything. With his last moments of consciousness, Tracks reached out for his brother, only to be kicked aside by him. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 2: Lagrange|Lagrange}} Luckily, this wound wasn't fatal and Tracks survived. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 4: Perihelion|Perihelion}}

Tracks ended up joining Optimus's Autobots on Earth, and was asked by Prime to make contact with his brother on [[Sanctuary Station]]. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 2: Edge of the Earth|Edge of the Earth}} While Arcee was checking on the comatose [[Sideswipe (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sideswipe]], Tracks had a conversation with her about how Needlenose hated the Autobots because of their killing the love of his life, Horri-Bull; this reminded Arcee of the true circumstances of Horri-Bull's death. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message|The Medium and the Message}} Tracks was part of the small army formed by the new alliance of Optimus's Autobots and [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]]'s Decepticons and sent to attack the undersea ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'' in an attempt to stop Galvatron's dreams of conquest once and for all. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 4: It's Beginning To And Back Again|It's Beginning To And Back Again}} Tracks was one of those Needlenose led into the ''Nemesis'', arguing with his brother all the way. However, when the team found [[G.B. Blackrock|Garrison Blackrock]], both brothers stopped each other from getting hit by [[Marissa Faireborn]]'s gunfire. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 5: As Above...So Below|As Above...So Below}}

While rounding up the prisoners, [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] managed to break free prompting Tracks to ask Needlenose about any weaknesses the Triple Changer had. {{storylink|White Light}} When the [[Earth Defense Command]] began attacking, Blitzwing took the opportunity to sock Tracks in the jaw. Unconscious, Tracks was then loaded aboard [[Sky Lynx (G1)|Sky Lynx]] by his brother. {{storylink|White Heat}}

When the time came for Earth to properly join the [[Council of Worlds]], Tracks was interviewed for his opinion on the subject. While understanding that Prime liked the [[human]]s (or felt guilty about the Earth war or whatever), Tracks felt the safety of Cybertron should come first. That and the humans once locked him in his [[alternate mode]]. {{storylink|Primeless, Part 1}}

After the [[Iron Ring]]'s invasion and [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Onyx Prime]]'s return to Cybertron, Tracks was being visited by Needlenose in time for Soundwave to gather a posse with which to interrogate [[Liege Maximo]]. When expanding his thoughts to try and read the traitorous Prime's mind, Soundwave read that Tracks wished him to be an Autobot. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 2: Another Mine|Another Mine}} After an explosion erupted through the [[Spire]], Tracks tried to help the mortally-injured [[Dreadwing (G2)|Dreadwing]], but was unable to do anything to save him. When Needlenose discovered that it was actually Soundwave who had murdered Horri-Bull, Tracks reminded his shocked brother that he had tried to warn him about the Decepticons since falling in with them all those years ago. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 3: The Ground|The Ground}} As the remaining Decepticons fell back in with Starscream, Needlenose was too disgusted with the Decepticon movement to join Starscream or help Soundwave regain power. Instead, he welcomed reconnecting with his brother Tracks, intent on spending time with someone who truly cared about him. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 6: Unforgivable|Unforgivable}}

===''United''===
Tracks was amongst the victims of a deadly nano-virus. Thankfully, a team of Autobots were successfully in retrieving a cure for the disease from the planet [[Nebulos]]. Fully recovered, Tracks attended the ceremony that commended the Autobots responsible for saving his life. {{storylink|The Fierce Fighting on Planet Nebulos}}

===''Timelines''===
After a [[Ultra Magnus (SG)|negative polarity Ultra Magnus]] instigated [[Invasion (issue)|multiversal chaos]] by destroying [[Primax 207.0 Epsilon]], two iterations of Tracks of unspecified universal streams were caught in the chaos as their dimensions were suddenly merged into one. {{storylink|Invasion: Epilogue}}

===''Q-Transformers'' cartoon===
{{voiceactor|[[Sōichirō Hoshi]] (Japanese)}}
{{Charstubfiction|{{storylink|Mystery of the Lowest Possible Standards}} {{storylink|Mystery of Game Balance}} {{storylink|Mystery of Return of Convoy}}}}

===''Transformers: The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe''===
Pursuing the AllSpark after it had been launched into space, Tracks 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}}

===''Transformers vs. G.I Joe''===
{{note|It is currently unknown if Tracks actually appears in this story; the panel he seems to be in depicts a flying, Tracks-esque Corvette entering Trypticon with the rest of the party; as the entire panel is tinted red, the identity of this Corvette is currently unknown. For the sake of our sanity until further clarification, the Corvette's appearance will be considered as being both Tracks and Road Rage for the moment.}}
Tracks was seemingly among the Autobots that penetrated [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], alongside [[Gears (G1)|Gears]] and [[Warpath (G1)|Warpath]]. {{storylink|Transformers vs. G.I. Joe issue 12|Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #12}}

==Commercial appearances==
* During a battle against Megatron, Optimus summoned [[Smokescreen (G1)|Smokescreen]], Tracks, [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]], [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]], and [[Grapple (G1)|Grapple]] to his side. Megatron responded by calling down [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] and [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]]. {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Thrust and Dirge|Autobot cars plus Thrust and Dirge commercial}}
* When [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] led an attack on the Autobots' launch site, Tracks followed [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]] into battle to repel the Decepticons. {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Ultra Magnus|Ultra Magnus commercial}}
* Tracks was being carried down a highway by Ultra Magnus when Galvatron and his troops came upon them. He, Jazz, Red Alert, and Smokescreen dealt with Starscream and Skywarp while their commander faced off against Galvatron. {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Ultra Magnus and Galvatron|Ultra Magnus and Galvatron commercial}}
* Tracks was part of a troop of Autobots who interrupted a Decepticon Energon-gathering mission. Megatron ordered [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] and [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] to deal with the meddlers. {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Battlechargers|Battlechargers commercial}}
*Tracks was one of four 'bots guarding the entrance to an Autobot base. When some humans approached, Jazz and Cosmos shined their headlights on them, revealing their allegiance. The humans were cleared for entry, since they were wearing Transformers [[Iron-on patch|reflective patches]]! {{storylink|Commercial/Generation 1#Reflective patches|Prizes in Disguise contest/reflective patches commercial}}

==Games==
===''Transformers Legends''===
Tracks took some time out from polishing himself to help [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and [[Red Alert (G1)|Red Alert]] track down the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]], so they could stop the Decepticon team from committing crimes in back alleys. {{storylink|The Thin Blue Line}} When [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] accidentally released a space beast from an asteroid, Tracks joined in defending [[San Diego]] from it. {{storylink|The Secret of Omega Supreme (Legends)|The Secret of Omega Supreme}}

===''Transformers: Battle Tactics''===
[[File:Battle-Tactics-Tracks-(G1).jpg|thumb|400px|I'm so more strong and stylish than any of those other Epic bots.]]
Tracks (G1) participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was an Epic character who first appeared in the "Disaster: Code Blue" event, and could be recruited by collecting 650 units of Cybermetal, 350 units of Transmetal, 150 exclusive cores, and 50 cores of this character. {{storylink|Transformers: Battle Tactics}}
{{--}}

===''Transformers: Earth Wars''===
[[File:TracksEarthWars.jpg|thumb|upright=1.75|]]

*'''Class''': Air
*'''Lowest Star Rating:''' 2 star
*'''Ability: '''Smoke Bomb: Cover an area in smoke, hiding your allies and blocking damage to them for a set amount of seconds.
[http://wiki.transformersearthwars.com/character:tracks| Tracks at Transformers: Earth Wars Wiki]
{{-}}

==Toys==
{{main|Tracks (G1)/toys}}

==Merchandise==
{{main|Tracks (G1)/toys#Merchandise}}

==Notes==
[[File:1985MuralRedTracks.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|I'm not bad. I'm just drawn that way.]]
*As mentioned above, the red ''[[Diaclone]]'' version of Tracks appears on Hasbro's 1985 packaging mural (along with several other toys in early or unused color schemes). What makes this particular appearance stranger than the rest is the red Tracks' depiction – apparently confronting [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] and shooting at [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] – which implies the artist thought proto-Tracks was a [[Decepticon]].
*In both the original [[Commercial/Generation 1|commercial]] advertising the new 1985 Autobot cars, and any episodes animated by the [[unknown Generation 1 animation studios]] (including his first ''spotlight'' episode, "[[Make Tracks]]"), Tracks appears with an outdated color model. This model colors his head, wings, upper arms and launchers a stark, bright white instead of greyish off-white; his wheels the same grey as his arms and legs, instead of their normal darker, near-black shade; and his windows in robot mode (but not vehicle mode) solid black, instead of their usual clear/off-white.
*It is frequently joked amongst Transformers fans that Tracks is homosexual, although the character has not actually demonstrated any romantic interest in other male characters. All his romantic interest was focused squarely on himself. An ''Auto-sexual'', if you will.
**(Not that there's anything wrong with that, Jerry.)
*Voice actor [[Michael McConnohie]] claims Tracks is not meant to be interpreted as a gay stereotype. He chose the voice of Thurston J. Howell III from ''Gilligan's Island'', played by {{w|Jim Backus}}, as the basis for Tracks' snooty voice and mannerisms. McConnohie refers to Tracks's [[Accent|manner of dialect as a "Harvard Lockjaw"]].
*Tracks appeared in one of five original Generation 1 [[public service announcement]]s, warning kids not to steal cars, even if it's just for joy-riding. He seems to have a ''thing'' for carjackers, that Tracks.
*In later years, toys sporting the name "Tracks" require an additional prefix for [[trademark]] reasons, hence making the official name "'''Autobot Tracks'''" or "'''Turbo Tracks'''".

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Tracks''' (トラックス ''Torakkusu'')
*''French:'' '''Le Sillage''' (Canada, "The Trail")
*''Hungarian:'' '''Vagány''' ("Tough guy")
*''Italian:'' '''Puma'''
*''Mandarin:'' '''Lúntāi''' (China, 轮胎, "Tire")
*''Portuguese:'' '''Rasto''' (Portugal comic, "Track"), '''Trilho''' (Brazil comic, "Track")
*''Russian:'' '''Krakh''' (Крах, "Failure")

[[Category:Action Masters]]
[[Category:Alternators Autobots]]
[[Category:Classics Autobots]]
[[Category:Dreamwave Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Legends Autobots]]
[[Category:Q-Transformers characters]]
[[Category:Regeneration One Autobots]]
[[Category:Transformers (2010) Autobots]]
[[Category:Transformers with three modes]]
[[Category:United Autobots]]
[[Category:Wings Universe Autobots]]

Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity

2019-03-25T13:48:34Z

RyRodrigo: /* There at the beginning */

{{factions|senator|decepticon}}
{{suite}}
[[File:StarscreamIDWF22-Infiltration4cvrA.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|"BANZAAAAI KICK!"]]

Ever the opportunist, '''Starscream''''s boundless ambition drew him into the nascent Decepticon movement and catapulted him through the ranks as Cybertron collapsed into endless war. Though an intelligent, capable leader in his own right, Starscream struggled to distinguish himself from the shadow of [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]]–a relationship that ended with Megatron invariably reminding Starscream of his place after several failed coups and bungled stints at leadership.

Following the end of the war and the revitalization of Cybertron, Starscream found the burden of leadership placed on his shoulders once more after a wayward [[Titan (group)|Titan]] declared him Cybertron's "Chosen One", destined to reunite and rebuild their ruined world. A subsequent series of crises saw Starscream leaving the Decepticons forever, establishing himself as the "High Chancellor" of Cybertron's growing [[NAIL|neutral population]] and carving out a new anti-factionalist government in the ruins of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]]. But even after finally achieving his dream, Starscream still seems to be the same person he's always been: self-serving, prideful, treacherous, and perfectly willing to cheat, lie, and step on other 'bots to get his own way. His stubborn refusal to change his ways for the greater good is a constant thorn in the side of his reluctant allies.

Beneath it all, though, Starscream struggles with the ramifications of his morally dubious actions and the growing shadow of his future legacy–a struggle that, in the end, he may not win.

{{First|[[Infiltration issue 0|''Infiltration'' #0]]}}

{{quote|What kind of monster '''are''' you?|quote2=A '''goal-oriented''' one.|[[Stardrive]] and Starscream|[[Shining Armor issue 1|''Shining Armor'' #1]]}}

__TOC__
==IDW Generation 1 comics==
===There at the beginning===
[[File:OP19-YoungStarscream.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.2|]]
Starscream was [[Reproduction|constructed cold]]. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}} As with all constructed cold Transformers, Starscream's [[spark]] carried genetic instructions for a "natural" shape, but the circumstances of his birth meant that his Spark was simply implanted into one of many identical, pre-constructed bodies. Over the course of his life, Starscream developed a predilection for periodically changing bodies; [[Windblade (G1)|some]] would interpret this as a sign that his spark was still trying to find its "true form," {{storylink|Your First Mistake}} while [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|others]] would simply write it off as a sign of his vanity. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 2: Another Mine|Another Mine}}

In his early life, Starscream studied at the prestigious [[Nova Point Academy]], but eventually moved to the city of [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]], where he became a street hustler running scams for his personal gain and ran afoul of a young police officer named [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]]. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|The Hallowing}} Unlike most members of Cybertron's [[flight class]], Starscream took pride in his [[alternate mode]], and, eventually, his silver tongue landed him a handsomely-paying job as a precinct [[Senate|senator]] in [[Vos (polity)|Vos]]. {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}} Disappointed by the lack of fame or respect this job offered, he spent most of his time drinking and reluctantly attending political rallies when he could be dragged away from the bar. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|The Hallowing}} Eventually, Starscream grew tired of politics and used his political connections to embezzle a vast sum of money from his constituents before deserting his post. He used his new fortune to recruit a pair of [[Outlier (group)|outliers]] named [[Skywarp (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Skywarp]] and [[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] from the [[Jhiaxian Academy of Advanced Technology]]. After arranging their release from the school, he convinced the duo to undergo extensive rebuilds so that they'd look like him, a way to confuse any taxpayers who tried to pursue him. {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}}

[[File:MegOrigin3 seekers.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4]]
Some four million years ago, he became a fan of the [[Gladiatorial combat|gladiatorial games]] that existed in Cybertron's underworld, {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 2|Megatron Origin #2}} and came to idolize the rhetorician-turned-gladiator [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]] for his teachings that Transformers didn't ''have'' to [[Functionism|accept their lot]] in life. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}} The trio were eventually approached by [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]]; {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}} seeing Megatron's nascent uprising as good a place as any to lose himself, {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}} Starscream and his two lackeys believed that they were joining Megatron's team in the arena, but, after pledging allegiance to the Decepticon leader, learned that their leader had other plans for them: his [[Decepticon]] movement required air support as they made the move from activists to insurgents and beyond. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}}

Early on, the charismatic and cunning Starscream was tasked with recruitment of others to the Decepticon cause; significantly, he was the one assigned to approach the disenfranchised [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Senator Shockwave]] and bring him into the fold. {{storylink|Shockwaves}} Starscream was also given another key Senate-related task when he and his fellow Seekers were ordered to capture Senator [[Decimus]], who would then supposedly be executed at Megatron's next recruitment rally. When security forces intervened in the rally and arrested the Decepticons, Starscream bargained for his freedom by offering to reveal all of Megatron's plans. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 3|Megatron Origin #3}} However, this turned out to have ''been'' Megatron's plan—brought before an emergency assembly of the Senate for questioning, Starscream, together with Soundwave, executed the Senators with Starscream personally executing [[Proteus]] himself. {{storylink|Liars, A to D Part 3: The Chaos of Warm Things|The Chaos of Warm Things}} The two then freed every prisoner in the building, with Starscream arming the prisoner and even presenting Megatron with his the [[fusion cannon]] that would become his signature weapon. He then joined in their attack on [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]], during which he bested [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]]. The battle culminated in Megatron's defeat of [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]], whose body Starscream dumped in front of Sentinel's men in a fly-by. {{storylink|Megatron Origin issue 4|Megatron Origin #4}}

Following the ascension of [[Zeta Prime]], the Decepticons were forced back underground for a time but continued their militarization: arming sympathizers with weapons — ostensibly in the name of "self-defense" — Starscream coordinated several illegal arms shipments from off-world suppliers, showing off his handiwork to a shocked [[Soundwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Soundwave]]. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 3: Behind My Bleeding Back|Behind My Bleeding Back}} When it became clear that Orion's Autobots would crack down on this gunrunning, Starscream rigged the latest arms shipments to detonate if the Autobots ever found it, {{storylink|New Cybertron End: Feel Safe Without Regrets|Feel Safe Without Regrets}} assuring Soundwave that the Decepticons caught in the crossfire were making the ultimate sacrifice for the cause. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 5: Future Glories Lost|Future Glories Lost}}

When gunrunners [[Horri-Bull]] and [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] had their latest transaction revealed as an Autobot-coordianted sting operation, Starscream destroyed the weapons cache, leaving Soundwave to lie to the two that the Autobots had booby-trapped the shipment. Though Soundwave was appalled, Starscream felt Megatron would have approved. {{storylink|New Cybertron End: Feel Safe Without Regrets|Feel Safe Without Regrets}}

[[File:SLBlurr starscream recruits blurr.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|"Damn, Starscream, how come they let you have two theme songs?" "Because I'm the bad guy! ...but you can trust me!"]]

With war now definitively declared, Starscream continued in his recruitment duties; he was unable to convince the youthful [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hot Rod]] to join the Decepticons {{storylink|Ruins}}, and had similarly bad luck with racing champion [[Blurr (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Blurr]] despite a very pointed effort. Not long after, Starscream was part of a unit that tried to stop Blurr from couriering a message to new planet leader [[Zeta Prime]]. {{storylink|Spotlight: Blurr}} At some point after Zeta Prime's ascent to leadership, Starscream participated alongside [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] and Thundercracker in a mission to rescue Soundwave from the [[Institute|New Institute]]. {{storylink|Remembrance Day}} His identity evidently unknown to most, Starscream was also positioned as a delegate to the new Senate that was formed by Zeta Prime, though exactly who or where he was masquerading as the delegate ''of'' is unclear. While attending one of Zeta's security sessions, he brought a disguised Soundwave with him to record the Senate's newest plans for how to stop the growing Decepticon menace. When Zeta expressed surprise at how easily Starscream accepted his idea of draining energy from civilians to power [[vamparc ribbon|weapons]], he almost let slip that he'd done worse things in Megatron's name. To cover up his blunder, he drew attention to the spy in their midst, giving Soundwave a cue to reveal himself and stage an escape, distracting Zeta. {{storylink|Parasites}}

Since turning down Starscream's offer to join the Decepticons, Hot Rod had carried out some insurgent activities of his own, and Megatron and Starscream monitored the situation through [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] with some degree of pleasure as [[Autobot]] leader [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]] hunted him down. {{storylink|Ruins}} In Orion's absence, Zeta Prime then attacked [[Nyon]]'s population with his vamparc ribbons and [[Guardian robot|Omega Destructors]]—an action Starscream compared to Megatron's own tactics, though, Megatron assured him he was capable of much more. {{storylink|Purge}} In spite of Starscream's opinion that Megatron was a "stubborn wreck" for his repeated attempts to sway Orion Pax to his cause, they were successful, and the Decepticons joined forces with Orion's Autobots against Zeta Prime. {{storylink|Choices}} Together, they attacked Zeta Prime and his Omega Destructors, with Starscream personally leading the Seekers as air support. {{storylink|Overthrown}}
[[File:Autocracy9 take them away.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.95]]
After Zeta Prime was defeated, Megatron betrayed Orion and installed himself as ruler of Cybertron, then had the Decepticons hunt down all remaining Autobots. Starscream led a force to raid an Autobot hiding place in [[Ultrix]] and took special interest in Hot Rod, once again offering him the chance to join the Decepticons. {{storylink|Transformation (issue)|Transformation}} Starscream also tortured and interrogated Bumblebee, but learned little for his efforts. {{storylink|Rise}} Orion soon returned, however, having become [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Optimus Prime]], and with new warriors at his side, he led the Autobots in an attack on Megatron's citadel. Starscream and the Seekers were ordered to take them out but were intercepted by the Aerialbots. {{storylink|Broadcast}}

[[File:Devastation5-StarscreamAchinglyNaive.jpg|thumb|225px|"Look, Megatron, all I'm saying is that it's probably not a good idea to blow half of our budget on Fortnite lootboxes!"]]
Megatron was subsequently defeated by Optimus Prime, and Starscream conspired with [[Scorponok (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Scorponok]] to overthrow him and have him exiled to [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]]. {{storylink|Derelicts}} While Scorponok became the new Decepticon leader, Starscream seemingly preferred to stay in the background and showed no signs of being his second-in-command in public. {{storylink|Wreckage (issue)|Wreckage}} He annoyed Scorponok by urging him to take action rather than just hold grandiose speeches, causing Scorponok to let him in on his plan to capture the [[Toraxxis mega-refinery]] for the Decepticons. Starscream participated in this attack by leading his Seekers to the refinery. {{storylink|Faces of Darkness}} Scorponok ordered him to keep the Autobot defenders busy while he left to deal with [[Grimlock (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Grimlock]] personally. {{storylink|Rage (IDW)|Rage}} The plan ended disastrously when the refinery exploded, killing thousands and leaving the planet cripplingly low on [[energon]]; Starscream berated Scorponok for his actions, unable to see any point in staying on the dying planet himself. {{storylink|Massacre}} Fortuntely, Megatron soon returned from his exile and retook Decepticon command. Starscream attempted to welcome him back, but was quickly silenced. {{storylink|The Illusion of Control}}

There was a brief lull in the war, {{storylink|Primacy issue 1|Primacy #1}} before Megatron regrouped the scattered Decepticons for an all-out attack on Iacon. Starscream went to [[Canis Tor]] to inform the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacons]] that Megatron was back and after that, bribed the Combaticons into coming home. {{storylink|Primacy issue 2|Primacy #2}} He fought during the siege of Iacon but it led in a Decepticon rout. {{storylink|Primacy issue 3|Primacy #3}} {{storylink|Primacy issue 4|Primacy #4}}

As the war bore on, Starscream was present when Megatron faced Optimus Prime in open battle on [[Sherma Bridge]], {{storylink|Chaos Theory Part 1|Chaos Theory #1}} witnessed [[Hot Shot (Henkei!)|a yellow Autobot]] get destroyed in an Decepticon-Autobot crossfire in another of the war's countless battles, {{storylink|Drift issue 2|Drift #2}} and stood side-by-side with the Decepticon Deadlock in many other combat scenarios. {{storylink|Drift issue 3|Drift #3}} He would later admit that at one point, he had genuinely looked up to Megatron, but that changed when he realized that he ''feared'' the Decepticon leader, rather than ''respected'' him {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}} and was disgruntled that Megatron was leading them into a seemingly endless war. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10}} That epiphany evidently led to further attempts to take leadership from Megatron, but in time, these power plays ceased, and Megatron hoped that it meant he had moved beyond such things. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}} Starscream would even eventually end up as Megatron's bodyguard, and developed a mutual hatred with [[Sixshot]], professing that he would not be able to defend Megatron against such a powerhouse. {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}} But Starscream's appointment to this position was largely for show—Megatron could, of course, protect himself, and would later reveal that he kept Starscream close by despite his predilection for treachery as a reminder to himself to always watch his back. {{storylink|Spotlight: Megatron}}

At one point, Starscream's treachery reached the attention of the [[Decepticon Justice Division]], who had him added to their dreaded [[The List|list]] of targets. He was later removed from this list, perhaps due to Megatron's insistence on keeping him close by. {{storylink|An Axe to Break the Ice}}

===Earth and Ore-13===
[[File:Infiltration6 starscream on ultraenergon.jpg|left|thumb|225px]]
Millions of years later, after the war had resulted in Cybertron becoming uninhabitable and the Autobots and Decepticons had spread out across the galaxy, Starscream came to be in command of one the small Decepticon units that secretly infiltrated planets across the galaxy. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 0|Infiltration #0}} In the mid-19th century, the group had conquered the [[Huni System]] and were approached by the [[Dire Wraith]] [[Vekktral]], who wanted to propose an alliance. Though Starscream initially wanted to kill the organic, Vekktral made him interested by showing him the [[Space Knight]] [[Stardrive]]. Though [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] had his doubts, Starscream realized the [[Solstar Order]] must have an Energon source to keep Stardrive alive and agreed to Vekktral's alliance. The group slew a [[Galactic Council]] force due to meet with the Solstar Order, and Starscream left behind a [[Vehicon (G1)|Vehicon]] and a bloke who turned into a bulldozer to destroy their ship while Astrotrain assumed its form. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 2|Shining Armor #2}}

Upon arriving at ''[[Orchid Crossing]]'', Starscream swatted [[Rom|some pest]] out of the sky before he tried to recruit Stardrive. Failing to do so, he instead used her as a battering ram to reach her [[Energon synthesizer|energon synthesizer]] only for [[Bumblebee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Bumblebee]] and [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ultra Magnus]] to show up with a standoff ensuing. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 1|Shining Armor #1}} As Stardrive expressed confusion over who the Autobots were, Starscream again offerred her a spot in the Decepticons, only to be shot through a wall by Ultra Magnus. No sooner had the Seeker regained his bearings did Magnus ram Starscream in truck mode. After a Wraith merged with [[Sky Blast (G1)|Sky Blast]] and turned into an ungodly abomination, Starscream opted for the better part of valour and decided the Wraiths could serve as canon fodder. Grabbing [[Doomwings (G1)|Doomwings]] (after getting his name wrong), Starscream made his way to the energon synthesizer only for the Wraith/Cybertronian hybrid to tear Doomwings apart. Starscream told Vekktral to get the beast under control, only to learn neither the Wraith or Sky Blast was in control. Starscream then took Astrotrain and made another run for their prize, only for the station to begin tumbling. He emerged to find Magnus had disabled its power, and he quickly destroyed the Autobot shuttle before giving the evacuation order, deciding to dig the energon synthesizer out of the rubble. In the skies of [[Xetaxxis]], Starscream questioned if the synthesizer was durable enough to survive reentry and how long it took for space stations to fall, before being informed the hybrid had survived. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 2|Shining Armor #2}}

Starscream and Vekktral tracked the hybrid to a [[Xetaxxan|Xetaxxian]] village where the situation neatly resolved itself. After the two performed a quick check on whether or not the Xetaxxians were mechanical (they weren't), Starscream bluntly told Vekktral he had no interest in furthering the Wraiths' agenda and merely wanted the synthesizer before mobilizing their forces. When the Seekers arrived at the crash site however, the [[Space Knight]]s had beaten them there. When Stardrive tried to evacuate some Xetaxxians past the Seeker blockade, Starscream expertly manoeuvred around her and shot the organics before turning his attention to the Space Knights, landing foot first ''on Rom''. Rom and Livia managed to use their speed to outmaneuver him with the former socking the Seeker square in the jaw. Sneaking away from the battle, Starscream made his way to the Energon synthesizer in Stardrive's room. The Camien soon realized he was there however and threatened to destroy the synthesizer with her [[Neutralizer]] before she offerred to trade it in exchange for him leaving Xetaxxis. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 3|Shining Armor #3}} After expressing his supreme annoyance at Rom's melodramatic speech pattern, Starscream tried to recruit Stardrive once again by extolling Cybertronian superiority and claiming to need her knowledge of the Wraiths to protect their kind from the Dire Wraiths. He might have succeeded had Rom and Livia not thrown Dirge into him forcing him to retreat. The Seekers then watched Stardrive suffer a mental breakdown and attack her allies before they annoyingly worked everything out. The promised Dire Wraith backup however soon arrived in the form of Vekktral having possessed Ultra Magnus. As Starscream gloated about a mutual Dire Wraith/Decepticon victory however, Vekktral turned on him. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 4|Shining Armor #4}}

After being saved by [[Sata]] and Stardrive, Starscream blasted the Wraiths off his troops and made a run for the synthesizer. As he fished it out of the rubble, Stardrive confronted him again where, after making one last half-hearted effort to recruit her, Starscream downed her with his null-ray and prepared to execute her only to be shot in the chest by [[Livia]]. In his daze, he was assaulted by Stardrive who brutally beat him down and tore off his wings. Though grounded, Starscream's Seekers came to his rescue while he detonated the energon synthesizer and hitched a ride on Astrotrain. Reporting to Megatron on the Dire Wraiths' unfeasibility as allies, Starscream was congratulated...for finding yet another way to disappoint his master. {{storylink|Shining Armor issue 5|Shining Armor #5}}

Roughly a century later, learning through undisclosed means of at least some of the secrets behind Shockwave's [[Regenesis]] program and the super-powerful [[energon]] [[Ore-13]] that the scientist had seeded on [[Earth]], {{storylink|Shockpoint}} and seeing in it the potential to challenge Megatron for Decepticon leadership once again, Starscream took his unit to that planet. There, they set about destabilizing Earth's governing organizations and create global anarchy in accordance with the strict [[infiltration protocol]] the Decepticons now operated to, all the while searching for Ore-13. After around four years, their search bore fruit when a seam of Ore-13 was uncovered in [[Nebraska]], but later, the discovery of an even purer source of the ore in [[Oregon]] prompted Starscream to step outside traditional infiltration protocols and move the Decepticons' base of operations to the new site, establishing a fortified "siege mode" bunker well in advance of the standard timeline. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 3|Infiltration #3}} Unfortunately for Starscream, the abandoned Nebraska bunker was then infiltrated by [[Stoker]], an agent of the human organization known as the [[Machination]], necessitating that both he and the data he gathered—including images of Starscream himself—be eliminated by the Decepticons. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 1|Infiltration #1}} Starscream sent Thundercracker, [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]] and [[Runamuck (G1)|Runamuck]] after Stoker, and although they were successful in slaying the human, Starscream failed to count on [[Verity Carlo|another human]] obtaining Stoker's [[SM-40]] computer and falling in with the Autobot counter-insurgency unit also operating on the planet. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 0|Infiltration #0}}

[[File:Infiltration6 takeyourpunishment.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|Starscream, seen here actually getting off easy!]]
{{bigquote|Thanks to Ore-13, Megatron, I have evolved... beyond you! I am the ''future!''|Starscream|[[Infiltration issue 6]]}}
Concurrently with the search for Stoker, Starscream and [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]] successfully mined the first batch of Ore-13 from the Oregon seam. Starscream urged speed, aware that breaking protocol the way they had was sure to elicit a response from Megatron. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 2|Infiltration #2}} As he waited for the ore to process, Starscream ordered [[Blitzwing (G1)|Blitzwing]] and Skywarp to cover the Decepticons' tracks by destroying all evidence of Stoker's travels, including what remained of the Nebraska bunker. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 3|Infiltration #3}} Unfortunately for them, Megatron himself had arrived on Earth and was ''in'' the bunker, catching up on what Starscream had been up to, when they attacked. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 5|Infiltration #5}} Starscream emerged from the infusion capsule brimming with the incredible power of Ore-13 just as a furious Megatron arrived at the Oregon bunker and offered the Decepticons a choice: stand down, or be destroyed. Every one of his men surrendered, but the super-powered Starscream roared into battle and unleashed his full fury against Megatron. Alas, the power conveyed by Ore-13 proved insufficient to destroy the Decepticon leader, and Megatron blasted Starscream with his fusion cannon at point-blank range, virtually obliterating him. Megatron left Starscream's remains to be tended to by the Decepticons, unconcerned if he lived or died. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 6|Infiltration #6}}

[[File:Starcasm idw dev6.jpg|left|upright=1.95|thumb|Sarcasm from Starscream?? NO!]]
Starscream was placed in a [[CR chamber]] for extensive repairs but even with him out of the picture, the power of Ore-13 convinced Megatron to continue Starscream's subversion of infiltration protocol. The last straw for the other Decepticons came when Megatron called Sixshot in early, leading Astrotrain to propose reactivating Starscream so that he could challenge Megatron's actions. {{storylink|Devastation issue 1|Devastation #1}} Blitzwing and Astrotrain proceeded to bring Starscream back online, but no sooner was he back on his feet than the alien [[Reaper]]s attacked the Decepticon base. {{storylink|Devastation issue 4|Devastation #4}} With Megatron unaware he had been reactivated, Starscream initially decided to hold back and allow the Reapers to cause trouble first, but when Sixshot arrived, Starscream emerged from base and called the hated Six-Changer out. Starscream's appearance caused the living weapon to decide to accept the Reapers' offer to join their ranks... at which point Starscream promptly activated Sixshot's shutdown command, sending him crashing to the ground. Starscream then turned his weapons on the Reapers, causing Megatron to agree to take the fight to the aliens. {{storylink|Devastation issue 5|Devastation #5}} {{storylink|Spotlight: Grimlock}} Starscream once again accepted Megatron as his liege, and together they teamed up to destroy the alien invaders, with Starscream wielding Megatron in his Ore-13 empowered pistol mode to devastating effect. As the battle came to an end, Starscream stopped Megatron from punishing Blitzwing for going behind his back with the observation that a fleet of human jet fighters had arrived, and that the Decepticons' existence was now known to humanity. {{storylink|Devastation issue 6|Devastation #6}}

===The Decepticon ideal===
[[File:AHM8 starscream and sunstreaker.jpg|thumb|upright=1.95]]
While the Decepticons were occupied battling the Reapers, the Autobots had left Earth to deal with an incursion by the [[Dead Universe]]. Exploiting their enemies' absence, Starscream and the Decepticons went into hiding; when Autobots returned, they could find no trace of the villains, who kept one step ahead of them for months. They secretly returned to Cybertron, where Starscream stood by his leader's side as he received updates from scientist [[Deluge (G2)|Deluge]] on his experiments to create a monstrous [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]] [[Insecticon swarm|swarm]]. Upon returning to Earth, the Decepticons then 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}} To complete their plot, Starscream approached the disenfranchised Autobot [[Sunstreaker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sunstreaker]] with the proposition that the Autobots join with his fictitious forces against Megatron. Sunstreaker accepted, {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 8|All Hail Megatron #8}} but when he led the Autobots to the designated time and place, they were instead confronted by the united Decepticon army and promptly defeated. Starscream stood by Megatron's side and watched as the bested Autobots were exiled back to Cybertron through a [[space bridge]]. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 7|All Hail Megatron #7}}

[[File:AHM3Starscream.JPG|left|upright=1.4|thumb|Hey, I just spotted the janitor from ''Futurama''!]]
With a year now passed since their battle with the Reapers, and with their enemies disposed of, the Decepticons began to lay waste to the Earth with the intention of taking it for their new homeworld. Starscream headed up the attack on [[New York City]] with glee, though he objected to Skywarp's insinuation that he could not sow destruction and terror on the same level as Megatron; Megatron soon arrived to prove him wrong. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 1|All Hail Megatron #1}} After joining in the efforts to beat back military attacks and bomb the city's bridges, {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 2|All Hail Megatron #2}} Starscream headed for [[Washington, D.C.]], where he personally shot down the fleeing [[Air Force One]]. That task done, he returned to New York, to join Megatron in savoring their victory. Megatron mused that it was fitting to have a long-serving a Decepticon at Starscream beside him; Starscream believed he was being sarcastic, but Megatron's praise was genuine, going so far as to describe Starscream as the living embodiment of the Decepticon ideal, but a step short of full embracing it due to his own blindness to that fact. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 3|All Hail Megatron #3}}

With the conquest completed, Starscream stood at Megatron's side as he addressed the gathered Decepticons. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 4|All Hail Megatron #4}} However, as time passed and Megatron made no further new moves, content to allow his troops to wreak havoc around the world, Starscream began to suspect that Megatron ''had'' no further plan, and was merely giving his troops free reign as a distraction to keep them from turning on them. He confronted Megatron with this knowledge, and taunted him with the fact it was essentially his own fault for assembling an army of sociopaths and monsters in the first place. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 6|All Hail Megatron #6}} Legitimately disheartened to see the leader he had once looked up to go so far astray, having led them through an endless war with no vision for what lay beyond, Starscream began secretly meeting with the other Decepticons, recruiting those who shared his feelings in preparation for a coup. After winning over the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]], he approached the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticons]], and also successfully convinced them to join him. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 8|All Hail Megatron #8}}

[[File:AHM11 all hail megatron.jpg|thumb|Roll credits!|upright=1.4]]
Starscream made his move a short while later, sending the Insecticons to attack Megatron, but the Decepticon leader summarily defeated them and revealed that he had known about Starscream's plans all along; he had, in fact, been doing nothing in order to allow the dissenting element of his army to weed themselves out. He had, however, failed to predict that the Constructicons would take Starscream's side. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 10|All Hail Megatron #10}} As fate would have it, Starscream's uprising was suddenly cut short when the Decepticons came under attack, first from human jets arrived from [[Europe]], and then the returning Autobots. Starscream was forced to team up with Megatron, who assured him that someday he would get be in charge, someday after the Decepticons won, after he successfully crushed Megatron in the way that the taking of leadership required... but not today. After giving this some thought, Starscream organized his troops to fight back, hailing Megatron's name. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 11|All Hail Megatron #11}}

Megatron was subsequently defeated by Optimus Prime, but as the Autobot leader moved to inspect his fallen body, Starscream stepped in and picked up his injured leader, refusing to let the Autobots finish him off. For the moment, Megatron's words had struck home: Starscream told Prime that he now knew leadership had to taken by force, not gained through chance. Starscream led the Decepticons in withdrawing from the planet, though as he left, he reminded Prime that though the Autobots had won a battle, the Decepticons still reigned throughout the galaxy. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 12|All Hail Megatron #12}}

===Leadership of the Decepticons===
[[File:AHM13 starscream and matrix.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67|Starscream: "Now light our darkest hour!" Decepticons: "You ARE our darkest hour, you putz!"]]
Along with a few other Decepticons, Starscream took off into space aboard Astrotrain. Despite what he had told Prime, he was not pleased that Soundwave was keeping Megatron on life support, but his attempts to dissuade the loyalist were met with failure. Afraid of the uncertainty that simply tossing Megatron out and airlock would result in, Starscream was ready to give up, knowing that the Decepticons had no real reason to follow him, and that the faction would fall to infighting as soon as others challenged his rule. All he had was the Autobot [[Matrix of Leadership]], which Megatron had seized from Optimus Prime earlier, but he had failed to find any supposed "ultimate power" within it, and prepared to throw it away. Caught in the act by [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]], Starscream was reminded of the talisman's significance to the Autobots by the Insecticon, and had the idea to use its reputation for his own ends. Gathering the Decepticons, he professed that the Matrix had chosen him to light their [[darkest hour]], but as they began hailing his name in the face of this alleged holy appointment, he stepped from the room already regretting his decision. {{storylink|All Hail Megatron issue 13|Uneasy Lies the Head}}

[[File:Ongoing13 sad starscream is sad.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67|Real Decepticon leaders chill on the [[Abraham Lincoln|Lincoln Memorial.]]]]
Starscream took the Decepticons to a barren asteroid that they could use as a staging base to regroup, but as more and more soldiers began arriving, circumstances quickly spiraled out of his control. With most of their limited resources tied up by Shockwave, who he had assigned the task of building a space bridge, Starscream charged [[Bombshell (G1)|Bombshell]] with finding a way to fabricate energon to feed his starving troops. When no breakthrough ensued, and the energy-deprived Decepticons turned to cannibalizing each other's bodies to survive, Starscream stormed into Insecticon's lab to discover he had been spending his time working on mind-controlling [[cerebro-shell]]s. Though initially angry, Starscream conceded that he could use these devices after he employed one to take out a rebellious [[Quake (G1)|Quake]]. {{storylink|All His Engines}} Later, visiting Shockwave for an update on his progress, Starscream discovered the scientist working with Soundwave to cut open Megatron's body and make weapons from his remains. Just as Starscream began to express fake outrage about this presumed "coup", Megatron himself appeared, revealing that the two had built him a new body with a built-in space bridge. He grudgingly admitted he knew Megatron would be back sooner or later, though Megatron neglected to take back leadership as long as Starscream had the Matrix, which he considered a possible threat. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon|Altered Carbon}}

[[File:SLMegs just do it.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67|"At the very least [[Fire in the Sky|bean me with an energon cube!]] I got one right here! It'll be like old times!"]]
His leadership a complete failure, Starscream became sullen and withdrawn, lost in distant contemplation of the unknowable mysteries within the Matrix that hung around his neck and lashing out at any Decepticons who attempted to touch the talisman. After Starscream ignored his warning that an Autobot ship had crashed on the asteroid, Bombshell tried to remove the Matrix in hopes of snapping him out of his stupor, but was violently struck for his trouble. As it turned out, the wrecked ship had contained [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]], on a quest to take back the Matrix. After first using a cerebro-shell on [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]] to make him attack Starscream, he confronted the Decepticon leader on his own. Starscream was unimpressed, having used his rank to give himself nigh-impenetrable armor, only to be taken by surprise when Rodimus shot the Matrix around his neck instead, causing it to release a burst of energy and incapacitate Starscream. Rodimus snagged the Matrix, but both he and it were then blasted out into space by Megatron. {{storylink|Heart Like a Wheel}} With the threat of the Matrix now removed, Megatron re-established himself as leader of the Decepticons, and decided to inaugurate his return by beating the living daylights out of Starscream. The Seeker, however, had lost the will to continue: he would not rise to Megatron's mockery, and when the Decepticon leader aimed his fusion cannon at him, Starscream simply held it to his chest and demanded he fire. But Megatron kept pushing, eventually causing Starscream to snap and open fire with his own weapons, only to immediately regret the decision and attempt to flee in [[alternate mode|jet mode]]. A vicious dogfight above the asteroid ensued, culminating in a pained Starscream questioning how Megatron could understand what it felt like to have his dream crumble so completely. This inquiry only enraged Megatron further—his dream was the Decepticon faction itself, and Starscream had utterly destroyed it in his absence. But Megatron was not without mercy, and after pummeling Starscream to within an inch of his life, he offered him the chance to return to the fold as his subordinate. Meekly, Starscream accepted. {{storylink|Spotlight: Megatron}}

[[File:Ongoing16 brawn vs starscream.jpg|thumb|275px|Well, since Ironhide's not here to punch him...]]
As Megatron put his new plans into action and had the Decepticons return to Earth, Starscream went off on his own to meet with Thundercracker, who had abandoned the Decepticon cause following their previous defeat. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 2: Altered Carbon|Altered Carbon}} He tried to convince his fellow Seeker to join with him and overthrow Megatron again, seeing him as obsessed with petty revenge on humanity and lacking long-term goals. When Thundercracker refused, Starscream lost patience and gunned him down, but before he could finish the job he was attacked by [[Brawn (G1)|Brawn]]. Starscream denied Brawn's accusation that he had been responsible for shooting down a plane carrying Optimus Prime, pleading for his life by suggesting he would be more valuable as a hostage. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 3: Woken Furies|Woken Furies}} Fortunately for him, Brawn chose to carry Thundercracker to safety rather than capture him. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 4: Burning Chrome|Burning Chrome}} Starscream returned to the other Decepticons and watched Optimus Prime confront Megatron in a one-on-one battle. {{storylink|Revenge of the Decepticons Part 5: Enemy Mine|Enemy Mine}}

Megatron subsequently surrendered to the Autobots and had himself transported back to Cybertron, in order to use his built-in space bridge to teleport the Decepticons back to their homeworld. Starscream and the other Decepticons gathered at a Native American settlement to await the bridge's opening, but were found by Bumblebee at the last minute. Starscream ordered the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]] to dispose of the Autobot, while he led the other Decepticons through the bridge. {{storylink|The Question}} Emerging on Cybertron in the midst of the Autobots' battle with [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]]'s army of [[Sweep (G1)|Sweeps]], Starscream and the Decepticons soon found themselves entranced by Galvatron's unseen puppetmaster, the [[D-Void]], who merged their bodies and minds together with the Sweeps to form a huge monster. {{storylink|Chaos Part Three: Kings|Kings}} Once this "[[Deceptigod]]" was defeated, the weakened component Decepticons were captured by the Autobots and outfitted with [[Inhibitor/deterrence chip|I/D chips]]. {{storylink|Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime}}

===The Chosen One===
[[File:RID2 starscream must join you.jpg|left|thumb|225px]]
Two weeks after the Deceptigod's defeat, the Decepticons were still imprisoned, and Starscream was growing increasingly tired of [[Ratbat (G1)|Ratbat]]'s attempts to control the situation. Realizing that it was better to go along with the Autobots' orders for now rather than push back against them, Starscream joined most of his fellow Decepticons in serving as an enforcer, helping to put down a riot by [[NAIL]]s—unaffiliated Cybertronians who had recently returned to Cybertron and objected to Autobot governance. {{storylink|Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime}} He lurked in the background when [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] visited the Decepticon camp to lecture Ratbat, {{storylink|The Autonomy Lesson (issue)|The Autonomy Lesson}} then finally elected to depart the Decepticon camp after an argument with the new self-appointed Decepticon leader. Considering Ratbat's methods and goals regressive and seeking a new approach to power, Starscream paid a visit to Autobot high command with a legitimate desire to talk with Bumblebee about the future, only to be shocked by the distrusting Autobot's taser-cane and taken into custody for his troubles. Interrogated by Prowl, Starscream explained that Ratbat was planning to assassinate Bumblebee during the memorial ceremony for the ''Lost Light''. While the Autobots dealt with that threat, Starscream proceeded to gate-crash the ceremony himself and announced to the gathered masses his desire to be part of the planet's new government. {{storylink|The World & Everything in It}}

Naturally, all the Autobots were suspicious, but Starscream did his best to prove his good faith: he helped Prowl to cover up [[Arcee (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Arcee]]'s assassination of Ratbat, then worked with [[Wheeljack (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Wheeljack]] to rescue some NAILs from a series of mysterious explosions. Wheeljack spoke up in his favor, convincing Bumblebee to let him join the government; the [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] were so disgusted that they ceded from Bumblebee's leadership, and while Starscream expressed his regret to 'Bee in private later, he assured him the Autobot he would not regret his choice. {{storylink|Stick Together}} That proved untrue almost immediately, as Bumblebee, Starscream, and NAIL representative [[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|Metalhawk]] soon held a public assembly to introduce their joint governance, and Starscream talked rings around both of them. {{storylink|Devisive}} Soon afterwards, Starscream approached [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]] to buy his services as he made his play for Iacon's leadership. In exchange for protecting him from those like the [[Decepticon Justice Division]] or unruly bots, Starscream would allow Onslaught a position of power when the time came. {{storylink|Applicable Skills}}

[[File:RID8 starscream and metalhawk.jpg|thumb|275px]]
Starscream joined Metalhawk in greeting ex-Decepticon [[Sky-Byte (RID)|Sky-Byte]] when he returned to Cybertron, but the new arrival's obvious distaste for his former faction prompted Starscream to step back and leave the welcoming to his fellow leaders. {{storylink|A Better Tomorrow}} Given his genuine desire to see the new government work out, Starscream was just as suspicious of the next returnee as his fellow leaders—noted Decepticon warmonger [[Turmoil]], claiming altruism, no less. Turmoil immediately began to foment distrust among the government by planting more doubts about the Autobots in Metalhawk's mind, so Starscream took the NAIL to [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]] to talk the matter out, calling upon bar owner Blurr to recount his own experiences with Turmoil as evidence for the prosecution. {{storylink|Interference Patterns}}

Not long after the Turmoil incident, Starscream and Metalhawk paid a visit to Autobot High Command to pester Bumblebee about setting up elections. {{storylink|Dinobot Hunt (IDW)|Dinobot Hunt}} That night, the pair returned to High Command, this time to check on the recently injured Wheeljack and to offer their assistance in locating [[Ironhide (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ironhide]] and the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobots]], who had gone missing in the wilderness earlier that evening. Fearing that Starscream could leverage a successful rescue to his advantage during the elections, Bumblebee refused their offer. {{storylink|Night and the City}}

[[File:RIDannual the chosen one.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67]]
That, however, didn't stop the pair from setting out regardless at dawn the next day. They watched as Blurr, also out searching, was caught in an explosion which revealed a subterranean cavern, but were prevented from entering the cave by the quick arrival of Prowl's security team. To put pressure on the Autobots, Starscream rounded up a crowd of NAILs and Decepticons and demanded that Prowl explain the situation to them. The Autobot was forced to admit that the cavern was home to the abandoned [[Crystal City]], and that [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]] had teleported into the abandoned city, injuring itself in the process such that the surrounding area would shortly be destroyed. As Prowl returned to Wheeljack, at work in the cavern, Starscream snuck in after him, and a brief chase with the security officer led them to the Titan's face. Suddenly, it awoke, and lauded Starscream as a conqueror who would unite Cybertron, something witnessed by the entire crowd, who had followed them down into the city. The group fled to escape the Titan's detonation, and on the way back to Iacon, the divinely blessed Starscream was held aloft by NAILs and Decepticons. {{storylink|Primus: All Good Things|All Good Things}}

[[File:RID11 trying on crowns.jpg|thumb|275px]]
Being a 'bot of little faith, Starscream didn't actually ''believe'' Metrotitan's words, but he knew how to exploit ''everyone else's'' belief to virtually guarantee himself victory in the upcoming elections. He attempted to get an endorsement from [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]] live on television, but Omega had greater matters to ponder; however, that night, Omega was the victim of a bombing that Starscream presumed to be the actions of the other Decepticons attempting to ruin his aspirations for political power. Finding that public opinion was already turning against him by association, Starscream confronted Shockwave over the attack, but received only an ambiguous warning to keep out of the one-eyed Decepticon's way. As he was leaving the Decepticon pen, Starscream was approached by [[Dirge (G1)|Dirge]] and [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]], who sought to trade information on Prowl's recent shady dealings in exchange for sanctuary from the coming storm. Starscream accepted, and used the info to blackmail Prowl into disposing of Shockwave's Decepticons for him. He was feeling quite pleased with himself, until a one-two punch of bad news took him down a peg: first, Arcee revealed she knew exactly where he had secreted Dirge away, meaning his bargaining chip was essentially useless... and second, Megatron returned. {{storylink|The End of the Beginning of the World}}

[[File:RID12 dont have to do this.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.67]]
Starscream alerted the Autobot to Megatron's approach on the city, and watched as Bumblebee and the Autobots gunned him down and took him into custody. Starscream tried to dissuade the other Decepticons from marching on high command to call for Megatron's release with a stirring speech about discarding the old ways, but it failed rather spectacularly, so Starscream decided to visit the medical center and appeal to Megatron directly. {{storylink|City on Fire}} This "chat" was very one-sided as Megatron offered no response to Starscream's word save a smile—though that alone was enough to terrify the Seeker. The Decepticons' march subsequently turned into a riot, during which the prison was stormed and Megatron was liberated. The Decepticon leader dragged Starscream along to the [[Black Room]], where it was revealed that Prowl, mind-controlled by Bombshell, had been working for Megatron all along. {{storylink|The Verge}} Bumblebee and Metalhawk were soon brought to the Black Room as well, and Starscream tried to explain to them that he had had no part in Megatron's scheme; Megatron verified that, save to note that Starscream's political machinations had provided a useful distraction. {{storylink|Before the Dawn}}

[[File:RID16 heavyisthehead.jpg|thumb|225px|Oh no, nothing's worse than <s>Cartman</s> Starscream with ''authoritah''!]]Megatron then began his endgame, unleashing a perfected Devastator upon Iacon, and forcing Starscream to watch, professing that any political victory he had won would have been one of compromise, rather than a true Decepticon triumph. {{storylink|Plan for Everything}} Rendered near-paralytic with the seeming totality of his defeat, Starscream was dragged through the streets by Megatron, until the Autobots and Metalhawk surprised him by coming to his rescue. Separated from the main fight, Starscream and Metalhawk were confronted by Turmoil, and the re-energized Starscream killed him using Metalhawk's severed arm as a blade. The Autobots then foiled Megatron's scheme, and Starscream saw his moment to strike: though he admitted to Metalhawk that he genuinely was his friend, he used Turmoil's cannon to kill him, and presented his body to the crowd as a victim of the fighting. He called for the abandonment of factions, and the majority of the population rallied behind him, appointing him their leader {{storylink|Heavy Is the Head}} and cheering for the banishment of all those who didn't renounce their faction.

The Autobots attempted to fight this, first pointing to their wounded needing care, but Starscream promised they'd be fixed up. And hey, you didn't ''have'' to leave. All you had to was just... stop being an Autobot or Decepticon.

You're almost all leaving? Such a shame. {{storylink|Second Exodus}}

===Starscream the First===
[[File:ThreeMonologues-religiousnut.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|Scoop using his [[Light-piping|fright-piping]] on Starscream.]]
Starscream's first night of leadership was a troubled one as the city of Iacon struggled to deal with the aftermath of Megatron's attack. One of the many problems he had to deal with was the blackouts that the city was suffering from. This was only made worse for Starscream by [[Scoop (G1)|Scoop]] and his construction patrol vowing to repair the city. He then visited the Medical Center to check on Dirge's condition but he was rebuffed by the former seeker. During an interview with Circuit on how he was planning to deal with the city's problems the power was restored by Scoop, it was at this moment that [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] approached him with the revelation that the power grid had been sabotaged with phosphex. As Scoop repaired the communication array he attempted to open his toolbox and instead found out that Scoop was a "religious nut" who believed Metrotitan's prophecy. When Rattrap tripped over Scoop, Starscream soon took the opportunity to accuse him of sabotaging the power grid, however Starscream later revealed that he was fully aware that Rattrap had planted the phosphex in Scoop's toolbox. {{storylink|Three Monologues}}

Soon afterwards, [[Solomus|Tyrest]]'s [[universal killswitch]] was activated, and Starscream was among those affected, and Starscream wondered if Megatron was causing it. {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}} However Starscream was saved thanks to Rodimus and Perceptor's {{storylink|Remain in Light 5 of 5: This Calamitous Life|This Calamitous Life}} He later succeeded in getting a "pep" talk from Wheeljack's headless body - who had survived being shot by Prowl earlier. {{storylink|Three Monologues}} Starscream was the one who answered when the ''Lost Light'' when they called Cybertron with Tyrest's communication system; by this point, he'd started calling the place the [[Republic of Cybertron]]. {{storylink|The Sound of Breaking Glass}} Having successfully risen to power, Starscream reneged on his deal with Onslaught. {{storylink|Applicable Skills}}

[[File:DarkCybertron1-Starscream.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Even the Mini-Cons have abandoned me.]]
After being rebuilt into a new body, Starscream's secluded admiration of his new form was interrupted by Rattrap's worries about an unidentified glow just over the horizon. A scan of the phenomenon revealed a classified-but-familiar reading, that of the [[Dead Universe]], causing Starscream to seek out the crew of the ''[[Lost Light]]'' for expertise, particularly that of [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]]. {{storylink|Dark Dawn: Dark Cybertron Chapter 1|Dark Dawn}} Subsequently, an [[Quintessa (IDW)|undead Titan]] suddenly burst free from the ground, and so Starscream rounded up some weaponry in order to take out the behemoth, but Rattrap instead suggested caution. Starscream decided to visit Scoop in his cell, and the zealot pronounced Starscream as the dark answer to a prophesy hidden in the [[Covenant of Primes]]. {{storylink|Black Metal: Dark Cybertron Chapter 2|Black Metal}} Next Starscream visited the dead body of Metalhawk, succeeding in getting a "pep talk" out of his "old friend" as Rattrap eavesdropped. On his way out of the building, Starscream reassured his citizens that he could handle the ongoing situation—after all, he handled Megatron—and flew out towards the Necrotitan. Meanwhile, Scoop confided in Rattrap that while Starscream was the Chosen One, he may have been chosen to destroy everything. Starscream landed on the Necrotitan's shoulder and tried to start a conversation, but suddenly its eyes flashed and a deadly, chaotic wave of energy burst forth from its body. Starscream desperately tried to beat the wavefront home, but arrived just before it lay waste to the city. The wavefront had a strange and inconsistent effect on everyone, to the point that it reanimated the dead body of Metalhawk. Metalhawk beat down his murderer and abducted the captured body of Megatron, leaving with it for elsewhere. In the chaos that followed the city's destruction, Starscream soon found himself the subject of everyone's ire. {{storylink|Winners & Losers: Dark Cybertron Chapter 3|Winners & Losers}} The wave also left a strange black mark on Starscream's chest that Scoop believed was a message from [[Primus]]—Starscream was the cause of Iacon's problems. {{storylink|Into the Abyss: Dark Cybertron Chapter 4|Into the Abyss}}

He later had the mark checked out at the Iacon Medical Center by Flatline and used this as an opportunity to check on the casualties of the Necrotitan's wave. This merely led to him being berated by [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] on how he was letting the population down—only for the Necrotitan to then smash its way into the medical center. {{storylink|No Exit: Dark Cybertron Chapter 6|No Exit}} Starscream then received another berating, this time from Scoop, on how the fact he was the "Chosen One" was a responsibility to the people of Cybertron. {{storylink|The Dead Are Not Enough: Dark Cybertron Chapter 7|The Dead Are Not Enough}} He was later approached by Rattrap and the remaining Autobots and Decepticons and merely lamented that all hope of defeating Shockwave was lost while Prowl explained his plan. He did however inform Prowl of the situation at the medical center as Flatline and Fixit "teamed up", he was then present when Megatron explained his alternative plan for defeating Shockwave. {{storylink|Burning Bright: Dark Cybertron Chapter 8|Burning Bright}}

[[File:DarkCybertronFinale-StarscreamVsJhiaxus.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"Is that what I look like? My god, I'm GORGEOUS!"]]
Later, Starscream was further lamenting about the hopelessness of the situation when the Lost Light arrived with Metroplex. He was observing the battle between the Necrotitan and Metroplex when Scoop started to recite the "Dark Cybertron" prophecy and was later cured when Metroplex released the [[Ore-7]] stored within his thumb. {{storylink|Finis Temporis: Dark Cybertron Chapter 9|Finis Temporis}} Starscream was later gloating to Scoop about how the prophecy was not fulfilled when he learnt its true origin—Shockwave. It was just at this moment when Metalhawk appeared with Skywarp and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] and shot him. It was at this moment that Shockwave started to reveal his endgame to Galvatron and ''70 billion'' Ammonites appeared in the sky above Cybertron. {{storylink|The Becoming: Dark Cybertron Chapter 10|The Becoming}} Starscream then provided Bumblebee's group with a way of reaching Shockwave's base by revealing that Skywarp was still alive. He elected to take Waspinator along (much to Waspinator's objections) as the group required someone who knew the layout of the base, however he was nearly driven catatonic by the fact that Scoop willingly volunteered to remain behind instead of helping to defeat Shockwave with rest of the group. When he recovered he attacked Jhiaxus but the reactive armor Jhiaxus was wearing provided him with all of Starscream's new body's abilities. {{storylink|Black Planet: Dark Cybertron Chapter 11|Black Planet}} Starscream was not impressed by the reactive armor however (even going so far as accusing Jhiaxus of [[Fandom|cosplaying]] as him) and continued to fight Jhiaxus, even though Jhiaxus had the advantage due to him knowing everything that his new body contained and could do. He beat Jhiaxus by using the swords that were integrated into his body. He was later unfazed by Rattrap's claim that he would have difficulty maintaining control due to Metalhawk sacrificing himself to defeat the Ammonites by claiming that by killing them Metalhawk was a "genocidal despot" {{storylink|...And the Damage Done: Dark Cybertron Finale|...And the Damage Done}}

[[File:Words Hang in the Air - Honorable Starscream.jpg|thumb|right|250px|It's good to be king, if just for a while. To be there in velvet, yeah, to give them a smile.]]

Starscream attended a meeting on the subject of what was to be done with Megatron to represent the People of Cybertron—who wanted a trial. Rodimus was not impressed with Starscream's rule of Cybertron. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 1: Towards Peace|Towards Peace}} He was later called to provide a statement where he claimed to be "High Chancellor of the Refulgent Cybertronian Dynasty, Emperor Perpetua and Defender of the Realm". His statement on Megatron claimed that the former Decepticon leader was addled and impotent with a lack of control over his forces and that he deserved pity. Starscream was pleased with his statement as it increased his approval ratings with only one downside—the ratings of the Autobots increased as well. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 2: Words Hang in the Air|Words Hang in the Air}} Starscream's testimony had also convinced Megatron that he needed to leave behind a better legacy, and changed his plea to not guilty while invoking one of the forgotten laws of Luna-2. Starscream, fearing that Megatron wouldn't be executed as he hoped, protested, however Optimus would allow Megatron freedom of movement and shared command of the ''Lost Light''. {{storylink|World, Shut Your Mouth Part 3: Predestination: A Beginner's Guide|Predestination: A Beginner's Guide}}

Some time after Megatron's trial, Starscream approached Prowl and [[Cosmos (G1)|Cosmos]] to gloat about his control of Cybertron, only to be reminded by Optimus Prime that [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] was an Autobot and that Ironhide and [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] were keeping a close eye on him as well; upon being asked if he had any further comments on the situation by Circuit, he merely claimed that he couldn't feel better. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 1: Hello Cruel World|Hello Cruel World}} Some time after Metroplex started acting as a city for Cybertrons population, Starscream began mining operations on the Titan's filtration systems in an attempt to retrieve one of Shockwave's ores from the Titan, and hired some of the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]] as guards. {{storylink|A Long Way Down}}

[[File:ABotAndHerCity-importantmatters.jpg|thumb|left|250px|It's good to be king and have your own way, get a feeling of peace at the end of the day.]]

Six months after the events of Dark Cybertron, Starscream maintained a less than healthy relationship with Windblade due to Metroplex's constant systems failures. He confronted Windblade on the constant blackouts Metroplex was suffering with the claim that the population was blaming him for the system failures, he then threatened Windblade with serious consequences if she didn't solve the problem and left with Rattrap to discuss the rebuilding Iacon again. Starscream later claimed the blast that damaged Windblade was caused by poor maintenance and later entered her recovery room uttering the phrase "Well. Look who isn't dead". {{storylink|A 'Bot and Her City}} The ruler of Cybertron then went on to insist on how the explosion was a fortunate accident as Windblade had survived it with only minor injuries. He then threatened the cityspeaker again by claiming that she would probably not be able to cheat death twice before being kicked out of the room. Starscream then asked Rattrap to ensure that he was in the clear before Windblade made a move... {{storylink|A Long Way Down}}

Starscream later oversaw the capture of Windblade and the group she had taken into Metroplex to expose his mining operations. With the group in his custody, Starscream attempted to obtain confessions to prove that Windblade was trying to undermine his regime as well as revealing the [[Badgeless]]- his new anonymous enforcers. He then tried to find out Windblade's try purpose on Cybertron as he believed that she was deliberately trying to sabotage Metroplex to gain further power. Starscream was last seen confronting Blurr and Slug as Windblade and Chromia escaped from his prison. {{storylink|Windblade issue 3|Windblade vol. 1 #3}} As Chromia and Windblade rushed towards Metroplex's brain, Starscream fought Slug and Blurr, he easily defeated them thanks to his handy shoulder cannons and then left to pursue the Camiens. Catching up to them at Metroplex's brain, Starscream was then attacked by Chromia as the fembot tried to buy more time for Windblade to merge with Metroplex. Starscream, however, managed to quickly dispatch Chromia and wound Windblade, before the Cityspeaker managed to successfully merge with the Titan. Despite this, Windblade still managed to merge with Metroplex and activate the Titan's defenses while she made one last attempt to find out who the mystery bomber was.

While Chromia attempted to convince Windblade to use Metroplex's space bridge to jump to [[Caminus (planet)|Caminus]], a desperate Starscream cried out that jumping while Metroplex still served as a city would kill all those who were not completely within the Titan's borders. Deciding to not make the jump, Windblade revealed to Starscream that there were other colonies formed by the ancient Titans and offered the use of Metroplex's space bridge to the leader of Cybertron to unite the colonies in return for not revealing any of the events surrounding the bombing to anyone else. Agreeing to the deal, Starscream left Windblade to deal with the aftermath. {{storylink|Windblade issue 4|Windblade vol. 1 #4}}

[[File:TheWorldOfTomorrow-StarscreamAltMode.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.66]]

With Monstructor still on the loose and Devastator causing trouble on Earth, Starscream became aware of his own military shortcomings. To this end, he reactivated Wheeljack, in the hopes of bringing Megatron's failed experiment [[Superion (G1)|Superion]] back into fighting shape for the sake of his regime. Still struggling to come to terms with the vastly changed Cybertron, Wheeljack reluctantly agreed and began repairing the gestalt. A Decepticon ghetto had also grown up outside Metroplex, made up of 'Cons who were disgruntled with the status quo and loathed Starscream as a sellout. {{storylink|The World of Tomorrow}}

A series of murders took place in the Decepticon ghetto, which Starscream was willing to dismiss as just one of them things but allowed his passionate officer [[Barricade (IDW)|Barricade]] to investigate. Starscream then left to welcome Optimus back to Cybertron after a six-month absence and, with Windblade, talk him through the new status quo. The Prime's social conscience saw them both walking the ghetto {{storylink|City of Steel (issue)|City of Steel}} and sparking a riot. Mid-riot, they watched the murderer kill [[Heavy Barrel (G1)|Heavy Barrel]]. {{storylink|Fight or Flee (issue)|Fight or Flee}} Eventually, Starscream settled on the [[Firecon]]s as the obvious scapegoats culprits and joined Optimus in capturing them: a mission that went disastrously wrong thanks to brutality by [[Snarl (G1)|Snarl]] and [[Sandstorm (G1)|Sandstorm]]. {{storylink|Quest for Fire}} Optimus went on to suspect the Dinobots.

[[File:TheSumAndItsParts-StarscreamAndScoop.jpg|thumb|left|250px]]

When the murderer followed up by killing ''Autobots'', Starscream told Optimus he'd been dumb and decided to raze the ghetto: the public would accept Decepticon murders but would want harsh action for Autobot ones. Barricade refused the order and went on to find a crucial clue {{storylink|The Killing Jar (issue)|The Killing Jar}} and Optimus talked Starscream into helping him with a plan: faking a fight with the Dinobots to draw out the real killer, who turned out to be Sandstorm all along. {{storylink|Forever Is a Long Time Coming (issue)|Forever Is a Long Time Coming}}

After Windblade repaired Metroplex's space bridge, Starscream hatched a plan to turn Caminus back into a protectorate of Cybertron- a plan that involved the recently purloined [[Enigma of Combination]]. Starscream recruited Swindle and the Stunticons for the job. While he bided his time, Starscream decided to pick out a new body for himself, although he was interrupted by Optimus Prime. The two bickered for a while about using Superion as a weapon (it's part of planetary security, honest) drawing up a truly representative government for Cybertron (as if!). Starscream finally shot down Optimus by pointing out that the people of Cybertron had chosen him as leader, although Optimus insisted that if Cybertron contacted its colonies, the governing body needed a council, not an empire.

On his orders, Swindle used the Enigma on the Stunticons and Starscream's mole [[Blackjack]], combining them together and re-creating [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]]. Now, however, Blackjack's short temper amplified Menasor's already prominent anger problems, creating a completely uncontrollable monster. Starscream sicced Menasor and Swindle on Caminus, intending to use the similarly revived Superion to swoop in, save the day, and win the permanent adoration of the Camiens. {{storylink|First Contact (IDW)|First Contact}} Unfortunately word got out to Optimus Prime and Windblade, forcing him to deploy Superion early on. Starscream just couldn't win, especially after Optimus- a holy figure to the people of Caminus- upstaged Starscream in front of the [[Mistress of Flame]]. {{storylink|The Sum and Its Parts}}

[[File:ThePossibleLight-StarscreamsNewBody.jpg|thumb|right|250px]]

In the lull, Starscream took the opportunity to upgrade into his new body before overseeing the first contact ceremony between Caminus and Cybertron. While he was there, he bragged about Superion and how the combiner would keep them all safe. With that done, Starscream let Swindle take the fall for his actions by throwing him in his secret prison. But then, at the Space Bridge, Optimus Prime announced on live TV that Starscream intended to build a democratic [[Council of Worlds]], throwing a wrench in Starscream's imperialistic plans and forcing him to go through. Starscream ''really'' just couldn't win. {{storylink|The Possible Light}} Starscream, Prime, and some Camiens set about hammering out a legislation, although things didn't go particularly well - mostly because Starscream knew that the Camiens would always follow Optimus Prime's vote. The meeting was quickly adjourned after Mirage brought word of an attack on the space bridge. It turned out that Prowl wasn't happy about the situation, and had decided to form Devastator and just smash the Space Bridge. Not even Superion managed to defeat him, so Starscream used the Enigma to resuscitate the defeated Aerialbots. Realizing that Superion couldn't do the job alone, Starscream zapped a recently arrived group of representatives from the ''Lost Light'', fusing them together into [[Defensor (G1)|Defensor]]. The two combiners trounced Devastator, and in the aftermath Starscream had Prowl dragged off to a public jail. Not the Constructicons, though; he had plans for them... {{storylink|Mistakes and Mayhem}}

[[File:CombinerWars5-disappointed.jpg|left|thumb|250px|'''YOU!''' Where the '''SLAG''' is your '''CHIN?''']]

Starscream stationed both of his combiners on Caminus to keep the peace and guard the space bridge before heading back to his secret prison, where he had stashed the Constructicons. Hoping to turn Devastator back to his side, Starscream used the Enigma on Scoop and the Constructicons. This new version of Devastator, while still temperamental, was willing to go along with the commands of his "Chosen One" thanks to Scoop's mental influence. After an escaped Menasor sparked a Decepticon riot, Starscream deployed Devastator to calm things down. Defensor wound up attacking Devastator, who in turn went postal and started wrecking up Caminus. Oops. {{storylink|You, Me, and the Universe}} With no other recourse, Starscream and his Badgeless troops put in a personal appearance at the space bridge, helping to keep down the non-combined Decepticons while Devastator and the newly born [[Optimus Maximus (G1)|Optimus Maximus]] tumbled from colony to colony. With Devastator defeated, Starscream's snide remarks convinced Optimus Maximus to separate so that Prowl could be arrested. {{storylink|All That Remains}} Starscream later permitted Devastator to reform so that the Constructicons could be safely removed from Caminus. {{storylink|Now and On Earth}}

{{-}}

===A weakening grip===
{{quote|''Look'' at this place. I spent ''how long'' on dank battlefields, or huddled inside ''Astrotrain'' gathering troops for ''somebody else's'' cause? I ''made'' it, goldenrod.|Starscream, "[[The Transgressors]]"}}

[[File:Windblade DS 4 Velocitronian Ambassadors.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"And I hate him already."]]

Despite finally starting to bring the colonies together, Starscream was bitter and frustrated that nobody believed he could do it and that people were talking about him behind his back... so he said to ''a hallucinated ghost Bumblebee'', who he demanded recognise that he'd finally ''made it''. Arcee, unaware of what was going on, arrived with a captured Badgeless and executed him in front of Starscream to make a point. She informed him of a growing problem with the Decepticons, who Starscream needed to keep happy on Cybertron to avoid an uprising and invasion of other planets, and that he was the only one keeping the planet together so he better try harder. {{storylink|The Transgressors}}

With Caminus in the Council, Starscream turned his attention to the next Titan colony: [[Velocitron]]. To this end he met with delegates [[Knock Out (G1)|Knock Out]] and [[Moonracer (G1)|Moonracer]], although Knock Out wasn't particularly impressed with Cybertronian culture. Starscream was disturbed by the extremely hostile planet he'd glimpsed through the Space Bridge, and mentioned to Rattrap that he wouldn't set foot on the planet if he was paid. This might be why negotiations broke down. {{storylink|Windblade vol. 2 issue 4|Windblade vol. 2 #4}}

[[File:WindbladeVol2Issue6-deadlygame.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"This game sucks. Let's play Hungry Hungry Hippos instead."]]

After Windblade decided to sneak off to Velocitron to convince them to join the Council, Starscream recruited Superion for a secret jaunt of his own: a trip to the planet [[Devisiun (planet)|Devisiun]]. The tiny modular colonists were very impressed by Superion's combiner technology, and sent [[Fireshot (G1)|Fireshot]] and [[Vanquish (G1)|Vanquish]] as delegates. Windblade had had enough of the secret power plays, though, so after a heated debate the two agreed to travel to the next colony together. That planet turned out to be [[Eukaris]], a planet colonized by xenophobic [[beast mode]] Transformers, who were less than thrilled to have vehicle-based Transformers set foot on their planet. Their Titan, [[Chela]], was even ''less'' thrilled than they were, so unhappy that he decided to just blow them up and be done with it. Starscream thought otherwise, and flew into his brain module, where he shot the Titan dead in spite of Windblade's protests. At least Eukaris decided to join the council. {{storylink|Race Against the Light}} {{storylink|Windblade vol. 2 issue 6|Windblade vol. 2 #6}}

Windblade and Starscream bickered some more after returning from Eukaris, although Starscream maintained that he had done the right thing- even saved Windblade from certain death. The next day, the two headed out to the final colony Metroplex had discovered, a spaceborne Titan he identified as [[Tempo]], crewed by philosophers. As it turned out, the ship was actually staffed by a well-armed military dictatorship. Captain [[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]] claimed that their Titan was actually named [[Vigilem|Carcer]]. Starscream tried to convince them to join the council, but his remarks just made Elita angry, and she threatened to kill him. Windblade managed to salvage the situation at the last minute, convincing them to join the council so as to counter Starscream's growing influence. {{storylink|The Will of the Few}}

[[File:ChooseMe_starscreamiest_grin.jpg|right|thumb|200px|''The three words that best describe you are as follows, and I quote: Stink, stank, stunk!'']]

In a conversation with dead Bumblebee, a bitter and lonely Starscream decided to get some of the goodwill felt by the colonies' return and declared a new holiday, "[[Chosen One Day]]". While he intended for everyone to remember they owed their goodwill to ''him'' and show him some, it was misread as a holiday to show your loved ones goodwill instead. This worked in his favour as everyone assumed he'd done that deliberately. Wheeljack, Windblade, and the Council members showed up to toast him and honour him with a night of friendship. {{storylink|Choose Me}}

During a broodfest, [[Needlenose (G1)|Needlenose]] showed up with his fellow Decepticons to ''oh so politely'' ask for a 'favour': they wanted Starscream to look the other way while they used the spacebridge later. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 1: Aphelion|Aphelion}} Rather than cause trouble, Starscream allowed it and when [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]] at the space port noticed the Decepticon movement, Starscream told him not to "overreact" to "a stroll". Later, unsure and talking it through with 'Bumblebee', he let an actual moment of ''conscience'' decide his actions and informed Windblade of the Decepticon movement. But a bit too late! {{storylink|Conquerors Part 2: Lagrange|Lagrange}} Starscream headed in with reinforcements to help in the form of Badgeless and Superion and was pissed to find Optimus there already with [[Victorion|his ''own'' combiner]], pulling rank again. He ordered all the defeated Decepticons rounded up for later and agreed to get the spacebridge up and running to allow Optimus to stop Galvatron on Earth. {{storylink|Conquerors Part 4: Perihelion|Perihelion}} The situation swiftly went terrible again as the Decepticons started fighting again as soon as Victorion was gone and when Starscream called in Devastator, he only trashed the place and let fugitives escape. Man, how could this get worse—Optimus declaring Earth a protectorate? Yeah, that'd do it. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 1: Once Upon a Time on Earth|Once Upon a Time on Earth}}

[[File:NewWorldsOrder-StarscreamAndBumblebee.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"And I didn't even get the lousiest of T-shirts."]]
After Windblade, Optimus et al. had kept hinting he was a dodgy neo-imperialist, Starscream was ''utterly livid'' when Optimus ''actually'' annexed a planet and part of the Council of Worlds, all without talking to anyone else. He said they couldn't give Prime a seat and justify conquest, and was left distraught when Windblade agreed but said they should give Prime the ''benefit of the doubt''. In a conversation with dead Bumblebee, Starscream compared Prime's actions to Megatron's and [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]'s and warned that this would go the same way. {{storylink|New Worlds Order}} Shortly after, Starscream witnessed a broadcast from the ''Lost Light'' of crew members about to be executed. He watched with fear as he knew they were victims of the [[Decepticon Justice Division]]. {{storylink|The Dying of the Light: (1) How Bright Their Frail Deeds|How Bright Their Frail Deeds}} Roughly around this time, Starscream came into contact with [[Airachnid (G1)|Airachnid]], a [[Eukaris|Eukarian]] [[Mnemosurgery|mnemosurgeon]] whom he tasked with finding [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle's]] body. {{storylink|The Price of You}}

Airachnid's methods however were less than subtle and following a series of mnemosurgical attacks on Decepticons around Iacon, Starscream oversaw a meeting of councillor [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]]'s Justice Committee. The Carcer delegate proposed Ironhide be appointed to investigate possible Badgeless involvement in the crimes, and Starscream reluctantly agreed to consider the proposal while feigning ignorance about the murders. After Badgeless officers shot a drunk Decepticon under suspicious circumstances later that day, Windblade accused Starscream of orchestrating the murders in an attempt to locate the seemingly missing corpse of Swindle, but the sovereign of Cybertron threatened her in return with his knowledge of Chromia's bomb plot. Immediately afterwards, Starscream was aghast to discover that video footage of the murder had surfaced and was being broadcast on the city news. {{storylink|07:00:00}}

[[File:ApplicableSkills-ourfearlessleader.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"It's out of control. It's out of control and we'll be lucky to live through it."]]

A mob of angry citizens quickly formed outside Starscream's residence. After being needled by dead Bumblebee, the ruler of Cybertron was dragged to an emergency meeting of the Council of Worlds, where he immediately proposed that the Decepticon ghetto be locked down by the Badgeless. The other councillors quickly shot down the idea, and Starscream in return refused Rattrap's proposal to summons Victorion from Earth. He went on to explain his fear that events were being manipulated by his former ally [[Onslaught (G1)|Onslaught]], out for revenge, before eventually agreeing to a plan for the situation: appoint Ironhide the new head of the Badgeless, to carry out a full investigation of recent events. As they watched Ironhide, Starscream confided in Windblade that he didn't possess Swindle's body, before blackmailing the Cityspeaker into taking responsibility for dealing with Onslaught and his [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]]. {{storylink|Applicable Skills}}

Several weeks later, Starscream caught Windblade on the way out of a council session to demanded a report, and was told that Onslaught was, by all appearances, not carrying out any scheme or plan. They were interrupted by an incoming message for the Cityspeaker, but Starscream refused to let her answer it until he was certain she was carrying out his bidding, again dangling his knowledge of Chromia's misdeeds in front of Windblade. {{storylink|Things We Said We'd Never Do}} As it happened, the call had been from Chromia, who had now witnessed the Combaticons use the Enigma of Combination to merge with the brain-dead Swindle into [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]]. As security forces evacuated the councillors, Starscream attempted to blackmail Windblade into helping kill the rampaging combiner. Ultimately, however, Ironhide took down Bruticus, whilst Chromia admitted to her crimes on a live news broadcast, as an unhappy Starscream looked on. {{storylink|The Line Between Us}}

[[File:ItsBeginningToAndBackAgain-StarscreamAndRattrap.jpg|thumb|left|250px|"Yeah well, I'm gonna go raise my own Titan. With blackjack! And hookers! In fact, forget the Titan!"]]

Optimus (who'd been haunted by dreams of Starscream accusing him of hypocrisy) finally contacted Starscream, along with the Mistress of Flame and Soundwave, proposing to meet with each of them to discuss recent events. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 2: Edge of the Earth|Edge of the Earth}} When Prime arrived on Cybertron for his meeting with Starscream and the Council of Worlds, the ex-Decepticon took a moment to revel in the Autobot leader's newfound bad reputation before arriving fashionably late. Accusing Optimus of starting an interstellar war, Starscream dismissed Optimus as another tyrannical [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] who ''took'' power rather than being ''chosen'' like he was. Citing the general populace's loss of faith in Optimus, Cybertron's leader announced that the council would not stand with Optimus, before striding away. The next morning, Starscream summoned the news team of [[Circuit (G1)|Circuit]] and [[Longtooth]] for a special task – travelling to Earth to show everybody firsthand what Optimus Prime's actions had wrought. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message|The Medium and the Message}}

This plan worked out rather nicely for Starscream, who watched with joy as live footage of human military forces attacking Optimus Prime's troops was beamed back to Cybertron. Dead Bumblebee insisted Prime's refusal to retaliate would show his heroism, but Cybertron's leader was confident he could spin any outcome to his advantage. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 4: It's Beginning To And Back Again|It's Beginning To And Back Again}} When the humans finally surrounded Prime, Starscream was ecstatic, but moments later, was taken aback when the Autobot raised Metrotitan, thought dead, from the ground! {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 5: As Above...So Below|As Above...So Below}} The ex-Decepticon was quickly called to an emergency council meeting by Windblade. Prime's holy act changed the group's tune, and they soon decided to declare Earth a colony world. Looking out over his planet, Starscream sulked about the decision whilst Bumblebee said "I told you so" – Optimus Prime had come out on top. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 6: No Fair Fights|No Fair Fights}}

When a massive energy discharge was detected at the former site of Kaon, Starscream was roped into investigating personally by Windblade. Shockingly, they found the city intact within a crater, but this matter was quickly forgotten when the pair were called back to Iacon, where none other than the long-dead Sentinel Prime was on a rampage! Starscream fired on the false Prime, but got a [[spark disruptor]] thrown onto his chest for his troubles. Luckily for the ex-Decepticon, Windblade was able to jump the disruptor onto her own spark, where its detonation was non-fatal thanks to the differing frequency of Camien sparks. The pair quickly flew to regroup with the forces fighting Sentinel Prime at the space bridge. {{storylink|The Last Autobot}}

Discussing recent events, General [[Joe Colton]], [[Scarlett]] and [[Miles Mayhem|Miles Manheim]] recalled Starscream's part in the [[Transformer]]s' early battles over Ore-13 on Earth. {{storylink|Secret Raiders: A Revolution Prelude|Secret Raiders}} When Windblade merged with Metrotitan's mind, she saw glimpses of all her possibles pasts and futures, many of which included Starscream. {{storylink|Informed}}

[[File:Ping-Starscream.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"I ''am'' the Senate."]]

Starscream and Rattrap were soon summoned to Ironhide's office to discuss turning over the [[Enigma of Combination]] to Ironhide which Starscream (shockingly) refused to do. Ironhide them gave him a stirring speech telling him it was time for Starscream to actually start leading instead of playing political games. Before anything else could be said all three of their communicators pinged at the exact same time. Regrouping at the [[Spire]], Starscream was shocked to hear Windblade and Obsidian's report of a fleet of undead [[Titan (group)|Titans]] bearing down on Cybertron. Taking Ironhide's speech to spark, Starscream told everyone to rally for war and drafted every ship into service. After transmitting a rousing speech (and saying any ship who fled would be either shot down or declared an enemy of the state), the fighting began. While things began promisingly enough, [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] soon fell and Starscream saw fit to contact [[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]] to request [[Vigilem|Carcer]] be transformed and brought to the surface. She refused. {{storylink|Ping}} After another failed try, Starscream gathered the [[Council of Worlds]] and told them to begin evacuating Cybertron. Windblade refused to do so however believing that either she or [[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]] could access Carcer's brain and convince the Titan to aid Cybertron on their own. Agreeing, Starscream sent a contingent of Cybertronian ships and Devastator to attack Carcer as a distraction informing Elita to never underestimate the depths of his pettiness. {{storylink|Desperate Times}} While waiting for news, Bumblebee commented that Windblade and Starscream would get so much more accomplished if they were actually friends. Starscream reminded Bumblebee what [[Death|happened]] to the [[Metalhawk (Masterforce)|last person]] Starscream had considered a friend prompting a confused look from [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] at Starscream for talking to himself. {{storylink|Desperate Measures (Till All Are One)|Desperate Measures}} When Windblade had succeeded in awakening Carcer who himself had been successful in destroying the invaders Starscream cheered! {{storylink| Rubicon}}

Which was short lived because not only was Starscream informed "Carcer" was Vigilem and he'd freed [[Liege Maximo]], he soon had to preside over a court case regarding a [[Badgeless]] killing [[Drunkatron|some pleb]]. Though the Badgeless was clearly innocent, Starscream wondered if declaring him guilty would help things. He called a recess when he learned Elita was taking credit for "Carcer's" victory and called her to his office flanked by [[Fireshot (G1)|Fireshot]], [[Tigatron]], [[Moonracer (G1)|Moonracer]] and the [[Mistress of Flame]]. When Elita arrived, she recapped the history of Maximo and his Titan before explaining she'd thought to keep their existence a secret in case someone might have proven foolish, arrogant or desperate enough to free the ancient Prime before telling the Council to ready themselves for war against the member of the [[Thirteen]] and walked off. Starscream agreed that, for the moment, Maximo's freedom should be kept a secret before the Mistress of Flame requested Chromia be turned over to her. Starscream refused so the Mistress instead requested [[Swindle (G1)|Swindle]] and the [[Stunticon (G1)|Stunticons]]. Bumblebee soon appeared to Starscream and told him what to do: Rule the Badgeless innocent, hand over Chromia and stand against Elita. When Starscream pointed out doing all three would make him an easy target, Bumblebee said Starscream was choosing to fight and he could be better. Too bad Starscream didn't believe that himself as he convicted the innocent 'bot. He then freed Chromia into the Mistress's custody on the condition that she hunt down and slay Liege Maximo. {{storylink|Heavy}}

[[File:ThePriceOfYou-StarscreamBumblebee.jpg|left|thumb|250px|"The way is open."]]
With Elita soon ready to return to orbit, Starscream was summoned by Airachnid to give her report on the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticons]]. Airachnid revealed that while it was normally impractical to try and alter the minds of so many, she could do so after the five had combined but needed a willing lynchpin to make sure the other four didn't pick up on the lie. Starscream had Airachnid patch him into [[Blast Off (G1)|Blast Off's]] mind where Starscream offerred to make his dream of "domestic bliss" with Onslaught a reality. Blast Off agreed and Starscream later spoke with Ironhide that the now loyal Combaticons would not be prosecuted since Airachnid had discovered (through genuine medical examination of course) that the Combaticons could not be held culpable for their actions. {{storylink|The Price of You}} Starscream was soon approached by [[Windblade's doctor|a doctor]] who brought him to [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] revealing her to not be brain dead but to have shut down due to ''too much'' data in her brain. Deducing it was Vigilem, Starscream nonetheless refused to delegate a mnemosurgeon. This was the final straw for Bumblebee who demanded to know why Starscream always pushed good people away. Starscream responded that every time he opened himself up, life (usually wearing Megatron's face) would beat the tar out of him. Seeing the odd looks he was getting, Starscream pretended to turn on his comm. and told Bumblebee to leave if he was so disgusted by him. And leave Bumblebee did. Starscream then allowed Blast Off to see Swindle while consulting Airachnid about how to help Windblade. The answer was simple: A third bot would enter her head and help her destroy Vigilem assuming the strain of three minds didn't kill all three. Reluctantly Starscream realized he had no choice but to help her. {{storylink|If I Know You}}

Starscream arrived and made a heroic entrance by shooting Vigilem in the back. Alas, Windblade was not grateful as Starscream had failed to consider a risk in the plan. By linking his mind to hers, Vigilem was able to access it and escape through Starscream. The evil Titan smirked and adopted the form of Starscream's worst fear: [[Megatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Megatron]].

[[File:Your First Mistake - Screamys True Form.jpg|right|thumb|250px|"Oh, no forged body for Starscream huh? Fine. I'll go build my own Vector Sigma. With blackjack! And hookers! In fact, forget the Vector Sigma and the blackjack! Aw screw the whole thing."]]
Now in Starscream's mind, Vigilem began beating Starscream through all his bodies wearing down his confidence before he prepared to execute him and take his body. Windblade saved him by scooping up Starscream's spark before she witnessed his birth. Horrified by cold construction, Windblade summoned a mental copy of the [[Forge of Solus Prime]] and began forging Starscream's true self, each strike bringing up a mental projection of someone who had an impact on Starscream's life, the ghosts holding off Vigilem. When she was done, Starscream stood as a towering version of what he would like were his spark allowed to shape its own body. Stomping down Vigilem, the two jets were able to defeat the Titan and returned to the real world though Starscream insisted nothing had changed. Windblade cheekily bounced away telling Starscream not to be so foolish or close minded and that she'd now be her own bot and not just a mouthpiece for others. {{storylink|Your First Mistake}}

Optimus Prime later showed up to try and petition the [[Council of Worlds]] to grant [[Earth]] a spot on the Council and trade with the [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]]. Starscream refused both citing the [[Tyrest Accord]] saying Cybertron needed its resources to rebuild and that aliens were likely to use Cybertronian technology to ''attack'' Cybertron. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 3: Behind My Bleeding Back|Behind My Bleeding Back}} When [[Jazz (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Jazz]] was interviewed by humans, he remembered Starscream's presence in the invasion of Earth as well as mentioning that Starscream now ruled Cybertron. {{storylink|What It's Really Like}} When [[Sideswipe (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sideswipe]] was given a mental projection to die peacefully, he remembered Starscream's deal with Sunstreaker. {{storylink|The Life of Sideswipe}}

When Optimus and [[Pyra Magna]] returned to Cybertron to the [[Rust Sea|Sea of Rust]], Starscream spied on them from afar with Bumblebee. Starscream scoffed at how saccharine Bumblebee's origins were before the conversation turned to [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Onyx Prime]]. Starscream then flew off while commenting to Bumblebee that the yellow 'bot was just a figment of the Seeker's imagination. {{storylink|Ghost Stories}}

While a new [[hot spot]] had lit up in [[Alyon]] a few months earlier, Starscream was in no rush to harvest the sparks and instead kept its existence a secret, explaining to an outraged [[Swift (G1)|Swift]] that what with all the recent attacks, Cybertron was currently too dangerous to introduce a new generation to. He also sought to take care of the Dinobots, who'd gone rogue, killed many Badgeless and supposedly kidnapped [[Strafe (IDW)|Strafe]], but since they were still Autobots and he didn't want conflict with Optimus Prime, he acted off the record by offering Sandstorm freedom in exchange for their deaths. Unfortunately the Alyon sparks were stolen by [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] and used to revive [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]. prompting Starscream to deploy Devastator in Iacon's defense. After Trypticon was freed from Bludgeon's control and made off with the sparks, Starscream recovered the defeated Bludgeon, one of his mutated sparks and the remains of Slug, and began making plans. {{storylink|The Transformers: Salvation|Salvation}} The experiments eventually bore fruit, succeeding in bringing Slug back to life. {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 1}}

[[File:OriginMyths-Starscream.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Pay no attention to me being the ''Combiner Wars'' body again for just this issue]]

Soon before Earth announced its chosen ambassador, ''Lord'' Starscream (best to get in the habit now) was called to Alpha Trion's apartment (and was bemused by the books) where the old sage recounted the origins of the Autobot insignia. Starscream, failing to grasp the story's meaning, questioned whether he was supposed to be [[The Fallen|Megatronus]] or Arcee, expressed disbelief that Arcee and Galvatron were twins, found "Megatronus" to be a made-up name and asked that since Alpha Trion said all stories were lies, why should be believe any of it? Earth then called to announce its representative to the [[Council of Worlds]], [[Marissa Faireborn]]. Starscream grumbled and said he'd prepare the plaza. {{storylink|Origin Myths}}

As the ceremony started, Starscream began a speech only for an explosion to cut him off. Demanding a status report from Ironhide and Windblade, he learnt that [[Red Shadows|tiny red robots]] were waiting to strike inside false Cybertronians. Starscream suspected human involvement and ordered the Space Bridge closed. {{storylink|First Strike issue 1|First Strike #1}} Heroically cowering in the [[Spire]], Starscream accused Elita One of treachery only for the femme to say humans were responsible and prepared to execute Marissa. Marissa however soon humbled Elita into calling for reinforcements from Carcer...only for the [[Solstar Order]] to transmit to Cybertron that they'd detected Dire Wraith energy signatures emanating from Cybertron and had quarantined the planet. Starscream called foul on this, familiar with the tactics of the Dire Wraiths and suspected Elita was up to another trick but the Carcerian informed him that Cybertron was on its own. {{storylink|First Strike issue 2|First Strike #2}} The debate of what to do continued until [[G.I. Joe (team)|G.I. Joe]] and [[M.A.S.K.]] were brought before the Council where Elita ordered them executed. {{storylink|First Strike issue 3|First Strike #3}}

As the Council debated over that, Starscream advised Elita not to mention her past before he shut everyone up and reminded them of the fact that he was in charge of Cybertron and thus the final decision was his. Conceding that tricking Soundwave was nigh-impossible, Starscream asked [[Scarlett]] what Colton's plan was and she revealed to knowing nothing save a gut feeling that it involved some sort of bomb. Scoffing at the threat of humans bringing any harm to Cybertron, he threw G.I. Joe and M.A.S.K. in jail under suspicion charges before informing Optimus that not everyone shared Elita's feeling about him, some hated him even more than she did. Despite his posturing however, he sent Ironhide and [[Sunstreaker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Sunstreaker]] after Colton so as to not look weak with approval to use lethal force. {{storylink|First Strike issue 4|First Strike #4}}

[[File:FirstStrike5-satisfying.jpg|right|thumb|350px|Perhaps... a quiet chuckle.]]

[[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] soon brought the news that Optimus had broken the humans out of jail with Windblade arriving soon after to deliver the same news. Before doing anything, Starscream took a moment to enjoy the fact that everyone had come to him for help in stopping Optimus Prime.

Starscream then called in Ironhide and directed everyone to follow Optimus's trail, with orders to bring the humans in alive. Elita surprisingly offered herself and Obsidian as backup, though Starscream reminded her that he was in charge. {{storylink|First Strike issue 5|First Strike #5}}

The group caught up with the hostiles outside the core chamber, where Starscream placed everyone under arrest and fired a missile at Optimus, before engaging him in melee combat. The fighting was interrupted by [[Merklynn|Garrison Kreiger]] activating the alien [[Talisman (G1)|Talisman]] and revealing himself as an alien sorcerer known as Merklynn, creating [[New Prysmos]] and teleporting all combatants back to Iacon. On the surface, Starscream took Colton's rueful mumblings as his "witnessed confession" but was prevented from executing the human by Scarlett. {{storylink|First Strike issue 6|First Strike #6}}

With Cybertron's own energon now unpalatable to its people, Starscream sampled the human-made substitute. It was terrible. At a Council meeting to debate the energy crisis, Starscream opined that the [[Solstar Order]] was indebted to Cybertron for their obstructive blockade before he was called away by Optimus Prime and [[G.B. Blackrock|Garrison Blackrock]]. Scoffing at Prime's accusations regarding the Seeker concealing the existence of the newborn [[protoform]]s, Starscream loaned them [[Slag (G1)|Slug]] and sent them on their way, {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 1}} hoping that the protoforms would then be turned over to him. {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 2 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 2}} When [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] used the [[Void Scepter]] to make Slug attack the Dinobots, Bumblebee noted he was not acting according to Starscream's plan. {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 1 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 1}} After being informed of this, the Seeker came running and shattered the Void Scepter before going on a rant about his plan falling apart. {{storylink|The Dead Come Home, Part 2 (of 2)|The Dead Come Home, Part 2}}

Soon afterwards, Starscream repaired Bludgeon and the Void Scepter, sending the mad scientist out into the galaxy to rally all the lost Decepticon cells and bring them back into the fold. {{storylink|Unstopped and Unstoppable}} {{storylink|Stranger Eons}}

From atop his tower, Starscream watched the unwashed masses lavish praises onto Optimus with ''[[The Birth of Cybertron]]'' playing in the background. The old film gave Starscream an idea to consolidate his power and win over [[Earth]]. To that end, he sought out [[Thundercracker (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Thundercracker]] and hired him to produce [[Starscream: The Movie (film)|a biographical film]] about Starscream's life. {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}}

[[File:TheChosenOne-imsorry.jpg|left|thumb|250px|''I guess I gotta give part two of my confessions'' ''If I'm gonna tell it, then I gotta tell it all'']]

To mark Windblade's return to the Council of Worlds, Starscream called in [[Circuit (G1)|Circuit]] and [[Longtooth]] for a photo-op but promptly kicked them out when Windblade nearly revealed [[Liege Maximo]]'s freedom. When Windblade stormed off to inform Circuit and Longtooth of this news, Starscream promised to look the other way if the [[Mistress of Flame]] wanted to tackle Windblade down. On [[Elita One (G1)|Elita One]]'s "advisement", Starscream called for free elections and confessed to Bumblebee that after seeing his "true self", he only had the best intentions for Cybertron, before organizing the debate schedule. Later on, he outlined his power infrastructure plans to Bumblebee before Windblade arrived with a briefcase containing all of his very dirty laundry. Unable to manipulate Windblade anymore, Starscream aggressively began looking for holes in the evidence, only to learn Bumblebee would not help him, saying the Seeker had to decide how much his future expansion meant to him. {{storylink|The Chosen One}}

Thundercracker then visited Starscream to find out what the Decepticons had meant to the chancellor. Starscream claimed it had been his job to point the Decepticons on the path of righteousness. A task that had failed due to the Decepticons ignoring Starscream's advice. But now they weren't. Now everyone listened to Starscream. {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}}

At the electoral debate, Starscream listened to Windblade's speech before he had a moment of conscience and, before all of Cybertron, confessed each and every one of his crimes (which took over an hour), costing him everything and landing him a life sentence.

[[File:AnotherMine-TrueSelfHologram.jpg|right|thumb|300px|''So, yes, I still do bad things But are they actually bad? No!'']]
Visiting him in his cell, Windblade gifted Starscream with a holo-projector of his forged body, signifying that he had finally fulfilled the ancient prophecy of the "Chosen One". By getting Cybertron to turn against him, he had succeeded in uniting the planet. {{storylink|The Chosen One}}

Incorporating this latest development into his film, Thundercracker visited Starscream in his cell and showed him the finished product. Displaying uncharasteric concern for others' feelings, Starscream claimed the film was "delightful but irrelevant" given his imprisonment. Despite his attempts to bury the film, Thundercracker was insistent on it getting out prompting Starscream to request [[Beachcomber (G1)|Beachcomber]] pass along a message to a friend. On Starscream's orders, two [[Badgeless]] then diverted Thundercracker to [[Prion (planet)|Prion]] where they tried to kill him. {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}}

===Decepticon once again===
Starscream took his life sentence in stride, happy to let others carry the burden of planetary leadership and convinced his reign would be viewed, at worst, as a step in the right direction. When [[Scoop (G1)|Scoop]] arrived to vent his disappointment, the discussion was interrupted when Bumblebee told Starscream that [[Nemesis (BWII)|a gigantic optic]] had appeared in the sky. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 1: Surfeit of Primes|Surfeit of Primes}} The confusion passed quickly as the Seeker was more content to stare at the holo-image of his "true" self and languish what he could have been if he'd been allowed to live as he was meant to. Bumblebee disputed that believing everyone was defined by the sum of their own experiences and that, at least in part, Starscream's imprisonment was on him. Starscream disagreed. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 2: Another Mine|Another Mine}} Soon enough, [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] broke Starscream out of prison, hailing him as the Chose One once again, before Metrotitan space bridged in to do the same. As Metrotitan began an attack on Nemesis, the evil Titan simply fired a crippling shot through his brother's torso, downing him. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 3: The Ground|The Ground}}

After witnessing Onyx Prime, throw Optimus into the [[Crystal City]] [[black hole]], Devastator revealed to Starscream his theory that the Seeker was the reincarnation of [[the Fallen]]. Deciding to spin this to his advantage, Starscream had Devastator carry him to Metrotitan whereupon he set the combiner on the Autobots while Bumblebee vanished. Conversing with the Titan, Starscream was elated to find out he really was divine... whereupon Shockwave, who had been sent back in time and posed as Onyx Prime, arrived to reveal he had masterminded the "Chosen One" prophecy as a means of keeping a vain fool in charge of Cybertron and leaving the planet unprotected for his machinations. To punctuate his statement, Shockwave slew Metrotitan leaving Starscream to mutter where Bumblebee had gone. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|The Hallowing}} His will to fight completely gone, Starscream despondently made his way back to his cell only to be noticed by the rioting Decepticons. After he explained himself to them, they hesitatingly suggested that he become the [[Decepticon leader]] once again. Though initially dismissive of such a prospect, Starscream soon realized he was the best choice for such a job. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 5: Endless Forever|Endless Forever}} Once Shockwave had been captured and the [[Maximal]]s had retreated, Starscream resumed leadership of the Decepticons, leading his army away to draw up plans of conquest. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 6: Unforgivable|Unforgivable}} Camping out in Metrotitan's corpse, Starscream outlined his plans to the Decepticons, and defended his choice of a hideout, before [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] entered seeking to bring Starscream to Shockwave. {{storylink|Unstopped and Unstoppable}}

[[File:Unicron6 Starscream's Sacrifice.jpg|thumb|250px|left|"Had to be me. Someone else might have gotten it wrong."]]

When he arrived, Shockwave told Starscream of his plans to create a new [[Decepticon Empire]], with Starscream in charge, but said Cybertron would have to be sacrificed to [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]. Scoffing at the offer, Starscream instead went to meet with the Camien refugees and announced he would be saving Cybertron. {{storylink|Unicron issue 1|Unicron #1}} When brought to the Council war room, Starscream revealed the existence of the [[Decepticon Vengeance Division]], a fleet of capital ships, all capable of destroying whole planets, that he'd ordered to corner and destroy Unicron at [[G Nebula 89]]. As debates flew over what course of action to take, [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] revealed the DVD was already facing Unicron to no effect. Soon enough, the monster had freed itself from the DVD and teleported to Cybertron, now having attained a [[robot mode]]. {{storylink|Stranger Eons}} In light of this, Starscream proposed space bridging away, even more so when it was revealed the [[Talisman (G1)|Talisman]] could kill Unicron if left behind. Unwilling to allow to sacrifice so many, Soundwave telepathically informed every Decepticon that their leader was willing to abandon them causing them to swarm into Metroplex. When Windblade began working on an alternate strategy, Starscream voted to stay, claiming he owed Windblade for the faith she'd put in him. {{storylink|Our Finest}} Metroplex did indeed space bridge to Earth soon after though all Starscream did was grumble about the humidity in the [[Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park]], an attitude which earned him a sock to the jaw from Arcee. {{storylink|Road's End}}

After waving off some employee complaints about his leadership, Starscream attended the briefing on Unicron where he told Jetfire to cut to the chase. As part of the final plan to save the universe, Starscream reunited with Skywarp and Thundercracker, ferrying Optimus Prime to Unicron so the Prime could use the Talisman to destroy the Chaos Bringer. {{storylink|Unicron issue 5|Unicron #5}} Though the fliers initially managed to slip past the mutated DVD, Skywarp and Thundercracker were soon forced to fall back, the latter tossing Starscream the Talisman. Unable to reach Unicron's core without Skywarp, Starscream realized there was only one way to complete the mission. After requesting that they give his best to Windblade, Starscream activated the Talisman, its magical energies consuming him completely but allowing the device to burrow its way to Unicron's core, ultimately allowing the monster to be felled. {{storylink|Ceremony}}

In the new era, Bumblebee became Cybertron's ambassador to the [[Galactic Council]]. Before the scout left Earth, he conversed with the ghostly Starscream on a beach. Though Bumblebee openly invited his friend to join him, the Seeker knew he wouldn't be welcome. When the scout thought Starscream was annoyed that Optimus would receive all the credit for saving the universe, Starscream laughed it off, content that people would simply remember him. {{storylink|Post}}

==Spotlight: Mirage==
At the war's end, Starscream and a small team of Decepticons accompanied the mercenary [[Mirage (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Mirage]] to the [[Pegasus Star Cluster]]. He led the Decepticons into the Autobot bunker after Mirage destroyed the Autobot security system, but stood back during the ensuing fight. After Megatron ordered the Autobot prisoners executed, Starscream held [[Ratchet (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Ratchet]] back as Mirage prepared to kill [[Hound (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Hound]].

But it was all Mirage's dream... or was it? {{storylink|Spotlight: Mirage}}

==Notes==
[[File:Wfc-starscream-0.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb]]
*Starscream's appearance in the first half of ''[[The Transformers: Robots in Disguise|Robots in Disguise]]'' seems to be based more on this concept drawing of him for the ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (games)|War for Cybertron]]'' game, rather than his actual appearance in either of the two games. This is most noticeable when looking at his pelvic region and thighs.
*Also, the crown he occasionally wears in later issues of the comic is based on the crown he sports in ''[[Transformers: Fall of Cybertron|Fall of Cybertron]]'', which in itself is based on the crown he wears in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
*As the issues go by, Starscream takes to a habit of changing into a new body whenever the toyline at the time releases a new toy rendition of him, which is eventually explained in-universe as a subconscious rejection of his bodies. Or maybe he's just a vain git.

==External links==
*{{i|Starscream}} at the IDW Hasbro Wiki

[[Category:Council members]]
[[Category:Decepticon leaders]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Seekers]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Transformers]]
[[Category:Matrix bearers]]
[[Category:Neutrals]]
[[Category:Politicians]]
[[Category:Rulers of Cybertron]]

Exosuit

2019-01-11T02:01:51Z

RyRodrigo:

{{disambig2|the suits worn by humans in the Generation 1 cartoon|the Action Master UK vehicles|Action Master Exo-suit}}
:''Exosuits are technology from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon portion]] of the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''
[[File:TFTM Daniel in exosuit.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|It's all fun and games until you get an itch where the sun doesn't shine.]]
An '''exosuit''' is form of powered armor used by humans and other humanoids. They are typically used to protect the wearer from hostile environments such as the vacuum of space, deep underwater, or the middle of a battle between warring factions of [[Transformer|giant robots]]. Many models possess arm blasters, thrusters and the ability to transform into a vehicle mode, giving the user a leg up when dealing with [[Decepticon]]s.

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
[[File:TFTM Daniel rams Decepticons.jpg|left|upright=1.55|thumb|Daniel's first driving lesson.]]
[[Spike Witwicky (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Spike Witwicky]] wore an exosuit while on [[Moonbase Two]] with [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]]. Later, [[Arcee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Arcee]] gave [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] one of his father's exosuits that was stored aboard the forward section of the [[Autobot shuttle|shuttle]] they escaped [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]] in. This model was able to transform into an all-terrain vehicle. Daniel used this suit to escape [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] and [[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] on planet [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]], and later was able to save his father along with Bumblebee, [[Jazz (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Jazz]], and [[Cliffjumper (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Cliffjumper]] from [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

A similar suit was worn by [[Jessica Morgan]] when she accompanied [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] and the Autobots to planet [[Chaar]] to retrieve an experimental metal alloy from [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]. Despite the suits being equipped to allow humans to survive in space, it was not able to keep Jessica from being infected with the [[Hate Plague]] {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2}}

Later on the planet [[Nebulos]], both the Decepticons and Autobots converted their heads and weapons into new types of exosuits for the Nebulan [[Hive (G1)|Hivemembers]], and resistance fighters respectively, [[binary bonding]] to the Transformers to become [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] and [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmaster]]s. Although all the Nebulan suits were considered exosuits, only Daniel's, which bonded with Arcee, resembled the classical model seen earlier. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 1}} {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 2}} {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 3}}
{{-}}

====''The Great Transformer War''====
Spike used an exosuit when he had to enter the battlefield to clean [[Cohesive Control Liquid]] off [[Computron (G1)|Computron]]. {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 2|The Great Transformer War #2}}

====''The Headmasters'' cartoon====
[[File:HM23 Daniel with Challenge Blaster.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|He's ''Exo Squad''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s biggest fanboy.]]
Daniel put on an exosuit when he was going to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], because it was under Decepticon attack at the time. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}} Exosuits were also in use by the [[Beastformer]]s—[[Hedgehog]] and [[Rabbit Kid]] were found drifting in space in Exosuits by [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Battleship Maximus]]. {{storylink|Rebellion on Planet Beast}}

When preparing to sabotage [[Metamorphose]], the Decepticon meteorite-turned-weapon, Daniel was forced to wear an older, non-metallic, model of spacesuit for the mission. He asked for an exosuit, but was told that it would be destroyed by Metamorphose's metal-warping field. {{storylink|Approach of the Demon Meteorite}}

The exosuits were used by Daniel and Spike when they walked on [[Mars (planet)|Mars]] for a survey mission. The Autobot symbol on Daniel's exosuit was used to alert his father of his location in a Decepticon cell. {{storylink|Explosion on Mars!! Maximus Is in Danger}}

[[File:HM33 Daniel in exosuit vehicle.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Not one to call it quits, Daniel was determined to beat Wheelie's high score in Galaga.]]
Daniel again donned an exosuit when he accompanied [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] to a [[Space Pirate Ship|derelict ship]] in space. His exosuit sported a holster for his [[Challenge Blaster]], which he made good use of during the mission. {{storylink|Mystery of the Space Pirate Ship}}

When [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] headed off to fight [[Sixshot]], Daniel put on his exosuit so he could try to make them both stop, as he'd befriended the Decepticon. Using the suit's vehicle mode, he followed Chromedome to the asteroid [[Juno]] and interceded in the fight, only for the whole thing to be called off anyway when [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] decided to blow up the asteroid. {{storylink|Duel on the Asteroid}}

He wore his exosuit once again when the Autobots took him to the [[Arctic]] and he took part in the battle to save Earth from the Decepticons' [[Death Tower]]s. {{storylink|The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)}}
{{-}}

====''The Headmasters'' manga====
When the Headmasters faced a robot squid beneath the ocean, Daniel put on his exosuit so he could help them fight it. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 3|The Headmasters #3}} He used it again in a fight with [[Sixshot]], only to be inadvertently carried on the Decepticon's back to an alien planet. Whups! {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 4|The Headmasters #4}}

====''Legends'' comic====
In his research into technology that would allow [[human]]s to wield [[Masterforce]], [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress]] devised an exosuit that could transform into the head of a [[transtector]] and let Spike test pilot it. The technology was eventually refined into [[Master-Brace]]s. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 54|Bonus Edition Vol. 54}} Daniel wore an exosuit while helping Sixshot break [[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]] out of prison. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 50|Bonus Edition Vol. 50}} Spike kept his prototype Headmaster suit and used it to control Fortress's transtector during a trip to the [[Legends World]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 54|Bonus Edition Vol. 54}}

====Train Wars====
[[File:TrainWars DanielWitwicky.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1]]
Years later, Daniel acquired a new model of exosuit that let him disguise himself as a Transformer and transform into an electrical bow or pantograph for his partner, [[Shouki]]. {{storylink|Train Wars: Shouki & Daniel Chapter}} He used it to disguise himself as the pilot of the ''[[Thunder Arrow]]'', then let Shouki wield its bow mode against [[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]]. {{storylink|Train Wars}} Daniel used the exosuit's weapons in the battle with [[The Fallen]], though they only served to anger him, and Shouki used its bow mode again to free a restrained [[Shūta Gō]]. {{storylink|Train Wars 2}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
The production of exosuits, reverse-engineered from Transformer technology, was the goal of [[Earth Defense Command]]'s "[[Project Centurion]]". {{storylink|The Route of All Evil}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
[[Verity Carlo]] wore an exosuit. It was modular so she could wear just the arms {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 1|Last Stand of the Wreckers #1}} or legs without having to put the whole thing on. The lower legs could transform into wheels. She put the whole exosuit on when she stowed away for the mission to [[Garrus-9]]. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 2|Last Stand of the Wreckers #2}} It didn't stop her ride in [[Pyro (G1)|Pyro]]'s chest cavity from being distinctly uncomfortable though. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 3|Last Stand of the Wreckers #3}} Also the arms contained telescoping cannons. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|Last Stand of the Wreckers #5}}

{{stub}}

===''Transformers: All Spark''===
While fighting alongside the Autobots, Spike wore an exosuit that could transform into a [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] head. He wore it in a battle with [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] during which he formed the head of the [[Ginrai (human)|God Ginrai]] transtector. {{storylink|Looming Threat}}

==Toys==
===Brave-Goukin===
[[File:BraveGoukin exosuit.jpg|thumb|upright=2.33]]
*'''Excel Suit''' (<s>2014</s>)

:A poseable Exosuit toy was to be produced by [[CM's Corporation]] as part of their ''Brave-Goukin'' line, complete with vehicle mode and transforming arm blasters. It would have included static figures of [[Spike Witwicky (G1)#Brave-Goukin|Spike]] and [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)#Brave-Goukin|Daniel Witwicky]] who could be displayed separately or have their heads placed inside the suit, with alternate upward-looking heads included for the its vehicle mode. The Exosuit would also have come with a small figurine of [[Grand Galvatron]] and the [[Master Sword]] data disc from the ''[[Transformers: The Headmasters (cartoon)|Headmasters]]'' episode "[[The Master Sword Is in Danger!!]]".

:This toy only made as far as the painted [[prototype]] stage before CM's Corporation was forced to file for bankruptcy, leaving it unreleased.

{{canceledtoy}}
{{-}}

===Masterpiece===
[[File:Masterpiece Bumble Daniel.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Bumble''' ([[2014]]-[[November 29|11-29]])
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''MP-21'''

:''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Masterpiece|Bumble]] includes a toy of [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)#Masterpiece|Daniel Witwicky]] in a transformable exosuit.

:While mostly referred to as just "Excelsuit" on the packaging and instructions, the figure is both identified as Spike in one instance of the box back and as Daniel in the lineart included in ''[[The Transformers Masterpiece Official Guide]]''.
{{-}}

===Generations===
[[File:Generationstoy shouki.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Shouki & Daniel''' ([[2014]])
:''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' Daniel is a [[redeco]] of the [[Mini-Con]] [[Groundspike]] in [[Skystalker (G1)|Skystalker]]'s colors, meant to represent an exosuited Daniel disguised as the [[Skystalker (G1)|pilot]] of the ''[[Thunder Arrow]]'' during a secret mission with [[Shouki]]. Available only with Shouki through [[Hero-X|Million Publishing]]'s ''[[Transformers Generations 2014]]'' Vol. 1 book, Daniel triple-changes into a bow weapon for Shouki and a pantograph for his train mode.
{{-}}

====Masterpiece====
[[File:Hasbro-MP-Exosuit-Spike-Witwicky.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]
*'''Bumblebee & Exosuit Spike Witwicky''' ([[2016]])
**''ID Number'': '''MP-08'''

:The Hasbro ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' release of ''Masterpiece'' [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#HasbroMP|Bumblebee]] comes with a repaint of the Exosuit figure, which is Spike Witwicky rather than Daniel.
{{-}}

====Titans Return====
[[File:TitansReturntoy-Leinad.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.66|]]
*'''Arcee''' (Deluxe Class, [[2017]])
: ''[[Titans Return (toyline)|Titans Return]]'' [[Arcee (G1)/toys#Titans Return|Arcee]] is a retool of [[Blurr (G1)/toys#Titans Return|Blurr]], and includes [[Titan Master]] Leinad–''pssst'', that's "Daniel" backwards! A retool of [[Haywire#Generations|Hyperfire]], Leinad turns into Arcee's G1 head; his own robot mode is based on an the exosuit. Leinad and Arcee debuted at [[HasCon 2017]] ahead of a later release at [[New York Comic Con]] 2017 and a standard release<ref>[http://io9.gizmodo.com/hasbros-own-convention-will-sell-you-a-giant-transforme-1797331311 Hasbro's Own Convention Will Sell You a Giant Transformer That Actually Charges Your Phone]</ref> at [[Toys"R"Us]].

{{TRHyperfireMold}}
{{-}}

===Legends===
[[File:TF-Legends-Bumble-and-Excel-Suit-Spike.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.66|]]
*'''Bumblebee & Excelsuit Spike''' ([[2017]]-[[December 30|12-30]])
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''LG-54'''

:''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Spike Witwicky (G1)#Legends|Excelsuit Spike]], despite possible appearances, is an all new sculpt transforming from a small robot based on Spike's Excelsuit into [[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]]'s head which is compatible to any Deluxe-to-Larger ''Legends'' Headmaster/''Titans Return'' figures, although he is meant to form Fortress's head. Excelsuit Spike comes with [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Legends|Bumble]], a redeco of the ''Titans Return'' Legends Class Bumblebee figure.
{{--}}

==Notes==
===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Excelsuits''' (エクセルスーツ ''Ekuserusūtsu'')
*''Italian:'' '''Exo-Vestito''' (''The Movie'' first dub), '''Exorobot''' (''The Movie'' second dub)

[[Category:Generation 1 technology]]
[[Category:Masterpiece]]
[[Category:Mechanical suits]]
[[Category:Legends technology]]
[[Category:The Headmasters technology]]

Cheetor (BW)

2018-12-29T02:14:43Z

RyRodrigo: /* Beast Machines cartoon */

{{disambig3|Cheetor}}
{{featured}}{{suite}}
{{factions|maximal|maximalbm|autobot|knight}}
:''Cheetor is a [[Maximal]] from the [[Beast Era]] portion of the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[File:Cheetorbw.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|There he is, your little guy.]]
'''Cheetor''' is full of youthful overconfidence. He's also the fastest Maximal on four legs which, combined with his impulsive nature, often gets him into more trouble than he can handle. It's needless to say that Cheetor's overbearing enthusiasm gets on the nerves of some of his teammates, [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] in particular. He's in those awkward formative years. Thankfully, [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] keeps a steady eye on the young Maximal. In return, Cheetor has grown to idolize Primal, whom he calls "Big Bot." Optimus Primal knows the inexperienced Cheetor needs a good role model, so he doesn't mind too much. And, hey, at [[spark]] he's a good kid. Just... keep him away from [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]], okay? Impressionable minds, and all. And [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] help us when Cheetor gets past his "cooties" stage and notices [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]].

Cheetor also appears to have vague precognitive skills, sensing important events before they actually happen — usually in the form of ominous dreams. With such power and potential, who knows — maybe the lad is destined for [[Oracle (BM)|great things]] [[Matrix Templar|someday]].

In one universe he succeeded Alpha Trion as Cybertron's spiritual leader, becoming known as '''[[Cheetor_(BW)#Wings_Universe|Alpha Trizer]]'''.

{{quote|I'm not lookin' forward to the day they chronicle ''my'' early bonehead adventures onto a [[Data-Con|datacon]] for all the world to see.|Cheetor, about [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]], in "[[Wreckers: Finale Part II]]."}}

==Fiction==
===Toy bios===
[[File:CheetorBW-2packcomic.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Whose tusks gleam in the night? Not his!]]

{{quote|Eyes of a '''stalker''' hunting its prey... The super-swift '''cheetah''' springs! But '''food''' is not on '''this''' hunter's mind...|[[Optimus Primal vs Megatron!]]}}

Cheetor was a quiet and confident warrior, who constantly stalked jungles in his search for Predacons. He was efficient, striking hard and fast with incredible reflexes in either mode. He was known to openly dare Predacons to challenge him and his laser-powered [[Quasar rifle|quasar cannon]]. {{storylink|Cheetor (BW)/toys#Beast Wars|Cheetor Bio}}

In a swamp outside the [[Fusion Building]] genetics lab, a fleet of ferocious animals has gathered. Suddenly, the cheetah and his wild comrades are under attack by a massive alligator! Surprise! This is a battle between [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] and his [[Maximal]]s and [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]]! Cheetor quickly transforms to attack [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], and the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] have begun! {{storylink|Optimus Primal vs Megatron!}}

{{note|Collect them all!}}

After the [[quantum surge]], Cheetor acquired a [[Transmetal]] form that gave his robot mode the organic attributes that his beast mode once possessed. The upgrade gave Cheetor more power and agility than ever before, and this new body had flip-out cyber-thrust wings that gave him additional speed and limited flight. {{Storylink|Cheetor (BW)/toys#TM1|Transmetals Cheetor bio}}

Cheetor would later receive another upgrade from [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s cloning experiments, becoming a [[Transmetal 2]]. With this, he gained even more power and speed, but at the cost of bestial urges that he had to learn to control. With his new missile launcher and leap-thruster, Cheetor stirred fear in the Predacons he fought against. {{storylink|Cheetor (BW)/toys#TM2|Transmetals 2 Cheetor bio}}

At some point, Cheetor acquired a highly advanced stealth armor and dubbed himself Night Slash Cheetor. This new armor granted Cheetor all sort of new abilities, including being undetectable to every known Vehicon radar and tracking systems and creating a negative psychological effects on Vehicon generals, rendering their drones useless in combat. Considering the armor was never mentioned elsewhere, it would seem to have been a short-lived upgrade. {{storylink|Cheetor (BW)/toys#Beast Machines|Night Slash Cheetor bio}}
{{-}}

===''Beast Wars'' cartoon continuity===
====''Beast Wars'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Ian James Corlett]] (English), [[Wataru Takagi]] (Japanese)|[[Yao Jude]] (Chinese), [[Mikhail Tihonov]] (Russian, 2nd dub), [[Cássius Romero]] (Portuguese, Season 1), [[Tatá Guarnieri]] (Portuguese, Season 2 onwards), [[Bernard Métraux]] (French), [[Eberhardt Haar]] (German), [[Mario Scarabelli]] (Italian), [[Alejandro Illescas]] (Latin American Spanish), [[Eduardo Jover]] (Casilian Spanish)}}

[[File:Cheetorbeast1.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|What? Is it my breath?]]
After the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'' crash-landed on a mysterious planet, the most youthful crew member of the disabled ship chose a cheetah as his new beast form. After admiring his new appearance, he renamed himself Cheetor. While the other Maximals were unpacking, Cheetor decided to show off, racing after some cheetahs. He soon encountered Waspinator, and opened fire, but found himself outclassed(!). The rest of the Maximals and Predacons turned up, and Cheetor cut off [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]]'s speech with a "treacherous underhanded sneak attack". A full battle ensued, during which Cheetor's foot became caught in some rocks, and he had to be rescued by [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus]]. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}}

When Dinobot challenged Optimus to a duel, Cheetor was keen to take out the Predacon himself, and had to be restrained from joining the fight. After the battle was interrupted by the other Predacons, a huge [[Energon|energon crystal]] was revealed in a nearby mountain, and the Maximals rushed there to try to prevent the Predacons claiming it for themselves. With the massive amount of energy there, they were forced to fight in their [[beast mode]]s, though it did give Cheetor the opportunity to try to settle the score with Waspinator. Ultimately, the energon was all destroyed. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 2)}}

[[File:Cheetor-precog.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Cheetor should stop eating cheese before he goes to bed.]]
Cheetor enthusiastically volunteered to check out a new experimental comlink. Despite being under orders not to get into any combat situations, he unsuccessfully attempted to attack [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] and was left heavily damaged. After a strange precognitive dream, he awoke back on the ''Axalon'', whether the other Maximals expressed their disappointment in his actions. Given a hard time by Rattrap, Cheetor rushed out to make another attempt to capture the cannon that Scorponok was recovering, and was captured by [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]]. Luckily for him, he was soon rescued by Rattrap, who also lied to Optimus to cover the young bot's hide. {{storylink|The Web}}

[[File:EqualMeasures Cheetor with gutgun.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Boy's got guts.]]
Though Cheetor was looking forward to another mission to install energon monitoring devices, Optimus delayed the mission due to the heavy storm raging. Dinobot managed to goad Cheetor into going out anyway, and, while placing one of the devices, a lightning bolt hit it, resulting in a bizarre two-way teleportation effect between the Maximal and Predacon bases. Cheetor himself found himself in the ''[[Darksyde (BW)|Darksyde]]'', where he was able to hack the Predacon data files and discover that the two crashed ships lay on a common energon vein, meaning that an explosion at one base would destroy both. He managed to get the information back to Optimus, but Dinobot had already sent through a bomb — Cheetor was able to detach it from the console it was fixed to in time. He returned to the ''Axalon'', where he promised Optimus that he would pay more attention to orders... until the next time. {{storylink|Equal Measures}}

After a decisive Maximal victory at the [[Standing Stones]], an [[Vok probe|alien probe]] swallowed Optimus Primal. The argument over who would lead turned into a secret ballot, during which, from Rhinox's reaction, Cheetor voted for Dinobot, suggesting he trusted the Predacon's leadership skills over those of Rattrap. As it turned out, the exercise was rendered pointless by the revelation that Optimus wasn't dead after all. {{storylink|Chain of Command (BW)|Chain of Command}}

[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] discovered a [[flying mountain]] with a cache of super-powerful energon at the top, but he was spotted by Cheetor, who immediately dashed back to the ''Axalon'' to inform the other Maximals. {{storylink|Power Surge (episode)|Power Surge}} When one of the [[stasis pod]]s crashed to the ground and Optimus was damaged by a Predacon sneak attack, Cheetor, Rhinox and Rattrap set out to try to get to the pod, but were delayed by Waspinator and Terrorsaur. They were beaten to the pod by the Predacons, but a last-minute gambit by Dinobot and Optimus meant that the [[protoform]] inside had already been reformatted into [[Tigatron]]. {{storylink|Fallen Comrades}} Like the other Maximals, Cheetor couldn't believe that Rattrap had defected to the Predacons. Of course, it turned out to be simply a ploy to determine how the Predacons had been spying on the Maximals. {{storylink|Double Jeopardy}}

[[File:Cheetor&badoptimus.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|Now I've got your power!]]
Cheetor, Rattrap, Dinobot and Rhinox were forced to evacuate the ''Axalon'' when a fight caused Rhinox's new [[Sentinel (BW)|defense system]] to go out of control. {{storylink|A Better Mousetrap}} Infected by a Predacon virus which caused uncontrollable rage, Optimus managed to persuade Cheetor to release him from his confinement, only for the Maximal leader to head off on a one-bot mission against the Predacons. After Primal had slagged most of the Predacons, Cheetor managed to get hold of the antivirus and administer it to Optimus. {{storylink|Gorilla Warfare}}

When a [[temporal probe]] sent from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] came into range of the planet, the Maximals tried to set up a signal array to contact it. The Predacons had other idea though, and Tarantulas's [[Transformation Lock Lens|transformation lock lens]] locked both Cheetor and Tigatron in their beast modes. The pair were captured and put in cages in the ''Darksyde'', but soon escaped and used the Predacon repair pools to fix themselves. They rejoined the fight in time to save Optimus and Rhinox from Megatron, but the Predacons had prevented the signal from being sent. {{storylink|The Probe}}

After the apparent destruction of the Predacons, Cheetor and Rattrap mocked Dinobot's sorrow at the passing of his ex-comrades. It was, of course, a ruse, and the Predacons revealed themselves once the Maximals had repaired their ship. Cheetor accompanied Optimus into battle to retrieve the injured Dinobot, providing cover fire for his leader. When Terrorsaur hit a retreating Optimus from behind, Cheetor flew into a rage, firing wildly (and downing the flier) before getting shot by Megatron. He managed to drag himself to the ''Axalon'' as it took off, and would've pulled Optimus onboard if not for Scorponok's parting shot. As he broke the sad news to his allies, he was ambushed by their stowaway—Megatron himself—and awoke to find the Axalon grounded...permanently this time. {{storylink|Victory (episode)|Victory}}

When Rhinox was twisted into a Predacon by Megatron's [[Transmuter (BW)|Transmuter]], Cheetor was keen to rescue their friend, Optimus ordered everyone to hold back, while the evil Rhinox wreaked havoc in the Predacon base. {{storylink|Dark Designs}} On another occasion when Rattrap went missing, Cheetor and Optimus looked for the ratbot, only to discover that the Dinobot who had sent them on the hunt was a [[Clone One|clone]] controlled by Megatron. By the time they got back to base, the clone had already been defeated—and devoured—by the real Dinobot. {{storylink|Double Dinobot}}

[[File:The Spark Cheetor Waspinator.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|"No!! Waspinator's come to steal the fanbase's affection!"]]
Rhinox and Cheetor got to another crashed stasis pod before anyone else, however the ambient energon was endangering the protoform inside. Cheetor shut himself down to allow Rhinox to extract his [[locking chip]] to use in place of the damaged pod's one, and dreamed that Rhinox was telling him about [[spark]]s. After reawakening, Cheetor was forced to try to defend the pod against Blackarachnia, Waspinator and Terrorsaur, while only having limited use of his [[robot mode]]. Though he managed to defeat the first two, Terrorsaur prevailed... only to be defeated by the newly online [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]]. {{storylink|The Spark}}

During Tigatron's disappearance, Cheetor spotted Blackarachnia and Scorponok leaving the Predacon base on a mission. As it turned out, they were heading towards a [[Brigadoon|flying island]] which Tigatron had crashed on. Tigatron sent a [[Cyberbee]] containing footage of the island, which the Maximals were able to recover, despite Cheetor firing on it. {{storylink|The Trigger, Part 1}} Cheetor and Rhinox were forced to evacuate the ''Axalon'' after Blackarachnia took control of the island, intending to destroy the Maximal base with it. The spider's scheme was thwarted, but Cheetor bore witness to the island's final action: a beacon sent to its creators, who would most likely be very displeased with the island's demise. {{storylink|The Trigger, Part 2}}

[[File:Dark Voyage Cheetor snake.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|Featuring a scene from several fanfics.]]
Another Predacon gambit saw them stealing the [[rectifier coil]] from the Maximal base, effectively trapping the Maximals in their beast modes. Overcome by bestial instincts, the Maximals wandered off into the jungle, and it was only through Tigatron's intervention that they were able to delete the blocks separating their robot and beast psyches. {{storylink|Call of the Wild}} During a routine energy-harvesting run, an energon explosion caused a group of Maximals, of which Cheetor was a part, to be blinded far from base. As they attempted to journey home, Cheetor was attacked and severely damaged by a huge snake. He spent most of the rest of the journey on Rhinox's back, until they came under attack by Terrorsaur and Waspinator. Rhinox was able to guide everyone in fending off the attack without the use of their sight, and they were soon found by Optimus. {{storylink|Dark Voyage}}

After a violent storm damaged the Maximal base, making it vulnerable, Cheetor shot down a cyberbee which was spying on them. Unfortunately the Predacons had gained enough information and the help of [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], who had possessed Waspinator's body, enabling them to easily take over the ''Axalon''. The Predacon occupation didn't last long, as internal conflict in their ranks allowed the Maximals to retake their base. {{storylink|Possession}} After Rattrap and Dinobot's bickering caused Rhinox to beome infected by a Predacon [[energon discharge virus]], Optimus insisted the pair go out alone to find the cure. Cheetor was part of the party which went to back them up when they located [[Tarantulas's lair]]. {{storylink|The Low Road}}

[[File:LawoftheJungle unhappy Tigatron and Cheetor.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|"Are we there yet?" "No." "Are we there yet?" "NO!" "Are we there yet?"]]
After [[Snowstalker]] was killed by incidental fire during a battle, Cheetor tried unsuccessfully to comfort Tigatron, but the other Maximal announced he would no longer be a part of the Beast Wars. {{storylink|Law of the Jungle}} After Megatron called a truce and the Maximals needed to find out what he was up to, Cheetor suggested that Rattrap infiltrate the Predacon base unarmed, so as to not violate the truce. Rattrap was less than impressed with the suggestion. In the end, Tigatron did the infiltrating, and the other Maximals covered his escape. Rhinox and Cheetor "intercepted" Terrorsaur with a sheet of metal. {{storylink|Before the Storm}}

Tigatron and Cheetor observed the [[Planet Buster|moon splitting open]], but were called back to base by Optimus. They got back as the alien weapon began super-heating the planet's surface, and helped the damaged Dinobot and Rhinox into [[CR chamber]]s. Optimus intended to use a stasis pod Tarantulas had been working on to attack the Planet Buster, despite Cheetor, Tigatron and Airazor all volunteering to go in his stead. As the pod lifted off, Cheetor managed to tune the sensors in to follow its path until it destroyed the Planet Buster—and thanks to Megatron's meddling, Optimus Primal as well. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}

[[File:Aftermath Rattrap Cheetor.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|INVISIBEL KEYBORD]]
When the [[quantum surge]] from the explosion engulfed the planet, Cheetor's exostructure was mutated into a shiny new [[Transmetal]] body. Along with a tougher metal hide and built-in weaponry, his beast mode gained the ability to fly via two powerful thrusters in his torso. Unfortunately, his first attempt at flying led him on a one-way trip into a bulkhead. His new flight mode allowed him to be particularly effective against Waspinator in a subsequent battle, however he was then blasted off a cliff by Megatron, and crashed into Rattrap while trying to fly to safety. Rhinox fortunately interceded before the pair could be slagged. {{storylink|Aftermath}}

[[File:TM2Cheetorfly.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|NEEEEOOOOWWWWWNNNNN]]
While Rhinox set up some equipment to send his [[core consciousness]] on a jaunt, Cheetor left the ''Axalon'' to look for Dinobot. Instead he found the Predacons and was attacked by a new addition to their forces, [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]]. He radio'd base to warn Rattrap. Rattrap and Dinobot soon joined him and prepared for a showdown with the Predacons. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)}} Though outnumbered, the trio persisted in defending the ''Axalon'', eventually capturing Silverbolt and taking him back to the ship for repairs. As the Predacons pressed on with their attack, the Maximals found themselves out of ammo, but were saved at the eleventh hour by the resurrection of Optimus Primal in a new Transmetal body. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}}

[[File:OtherVisits2 Cheetor closeup.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|Captain Blueface]]
Despite his new form, Cheetor was still assigned to monitor the sensor grid, reporting on strange signals. {{storylink|Tangled Web}} When Rhinox worked out that there was an alien site in [[Grid Zeiram]], the area Tigatron and Airazor were patrolling, Cheetor was sent to warn them. He was moments too late to prevent them from being shot into space by the alien plants there, much to his anguish. Though Cheetor wanted to rescue Tigatron and Airazor, the priority was on stopping Megatron, and the Maximals returned to Grid Zeiram, where a [[Metal Hunter|spaceship]] grew from the plant life and released an energy surge which blasted everyone present. {{storylink|Other Visits (Part 1)}} As the Transmetals and [[Fuzor]]s recovered quickly from the blast, Cheetor and Silverbolt took Dinobot and Rhinox back to base for repairs. After Megatron took control of the alien craft, the Maximals launched an attack on it, distracting Megatron long enough for Rattrap to undertake some sabotage. {{storylink|Other Visits (Part 2)}}

Out flying on patrol, Cheetor spotted a crashed stasis pod marked with an X, which Optimus explained contained [[Rampage (BW)|Protoform X]], a Maximal experiment. Of course, the Predacons arrived to try to take control of the pod, and weapons fire caused energon beneath the pod to explode. Damaged, Optimus and Cheetor returned to base, but were repaired in time to help Silverbolt and Blackarachnia defeat Protoform X. The Maximals left to consult Rhinox on the abomination, but that gave Megatron time to conscript X into the Predacons as Rampage. {{storylink|Bad Spark}} On another patrol, Cheetor encountered the Predacon forces, again, and communicated their position to Dinobot. After Dinobot died defending a valley of [[Protohuman|early humans]] from the Predacons, Cheetor extinguished the flames in the valley and joined the other Maximals in mourning his loss. {{storylink|Code of Hero}}

[[File:Transmutate Cheetor in flight.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Check out my undercarriage!]]
While out hunting for yet another Predacon jamming tower, Rattrap and Cheetor stumbled on a stasis pod containing a strangely mutated [[Transformer]], which became known as [[Transmutate (character)|Transmutate]]. Unfortunately the first thing it did was break up their fight with the Predacons using its sonic attack. As Rattrap later joked about the creature's appearance, Cheetor pointed out Transmutate was standing right behind him. {{storylink|Transmutate (episode)|Transmutate}}

[[File:Agenda1 Cheetor with tail club.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66| Kitten with a whip.]]
The Maximals were overjoyed when Rhinox revealed that the transwarp wavefront from the Planet Buster explosion would soon be detected by Cybertron and a rescue mission sent. Cheetor was looking forward to going to [[Six Lasers Over Cybertron]], much to Rattrap's embarrassment. Instead of the expected rescue mission, they got [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]], a Predacon operative sent to apprehend Megatron. Joining forces, they mounted an attack on the ''Darksyde''. Cheetor was blasted by the defense systems. Twice. Unsurprisingly, he wasn't present when Megatron was finally captured. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 1)}} With the Maximals in control, Optimus order Cheetor to go out and look for Blackarachnia, whom Silverbolt had allowed to escape. Cheetor assured Silverbolt, who had developed feelings for the Predacon, that he would bring her in in one piece, only for Silverbolt to punch him out, leaving to find Blackarachnia himself. Cheetor wasn't happy.

[[File:Agenda3 Cheetor handblasters.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|KA-ME-HA-MEEEEEE...]]
He and Optimus instead went to fetch some energon crystals stashed by Tarantulas, only to run into [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] and were forced to retreat when the crazed Predacon blew up the energon. The pair headed back for the ''Axalon'', only to be informed by Rattrap over the commlink that Ravage had switched sides — a fact made obvious by the [[transwarp cruiser]] bearing down on them with Megatron riding atop. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}} Pinned down on the battlefield, Optimus and Cheetor were blasted flat by Megatron (although Cheetor managed to deal with Quickstrike first), but fortunately survived without too much damage. After Rattrap took out the transwarp cruiser, the Maximals set out in pursuit of the retreating Megatron.

As it turned out, the Predacon leader had found the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] buried in [[Mount St. Hilary]]. The Maximals worked frantically to dig out the cave in he'd created to block their passage, and then to evade the Ark's defenses, but were too late to prevent Megatron from shooting a stasis-locked [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] in the head. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)}}

The [[timestorm]] abated once the Maximals stabilized Optimus Prime's condition. Cheetor and the newly "optimised" Optimus Primal attempted to stop the Predacons from attacking the ''Axalon'', with Cheetor taking out both Waspinator and Inferno, but the pair were helpless to stop the ship plunging off the cliff and being lost. The Maximals subsequently took up residence in the cavern housing the Ark. {{storylink|Optimal Situation}} Some time later, Cheetor was out on patrol when he saw a [[Starhopper|spaceship]] entering Earth's atmosphere. He was in the middle of a radio report when Rampage shot him down, and he was rescued by new arrival [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]], who left him on a small rock. Without his flight capability, Cheetor had to wait to be rescued by Optimus. The pair picked up Depth Charge, who'd lost his fight with Rampage, and took him back to base for repairs. Cheetor's attempt to thank the new Maximal resulted in Depth Charge insulting him and swatting him aside. {{storylink|Deep Metal}}

[[File:CuttingEdge Optimus sings to Cheetor.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|There he is, my little guyyyyy! There he is; my little guy. Isn’t he cute?]]
When Rattrap was assigned to recover Sentinel from the underwater remains of the ''Axalon'', Cheetor was highly amused at the [[Subaquatic stealth vessel|wee ship]] that would be used, imagining it would make a swell kitty toy. {{storylink|Changing of the Guard}} While looking after [[Chak]] and [[Una]], after the pair had become separated from their tribe, Cheetor displayed the first hints of a crush on Blackarachnia, much to Silverbolt's displeasure. He volunteered to accompany her on a mission to return the children to their people. And gave Chak rides. As soon as they were attacked by a [[Cyber raptor]], he was blasted off a cliff and his jets damaged. Then during another battle with Tarantulas and a pack of Cyber raptors, he was blasted from behind by Waspinator. Primal and Silverbolt soon joined the battle, but Optimus was quickly incapacitated by a new [[cyber venom]]. They were all saved by [[Blix|the protohuman leader]], who attacked the raptors with his club. Afterwards, Blackarachnia rebuffed his thanks, walking off with Silverbolt. Cheetor muttered that he was "not a kid... and maybe I'm not so nice either." {{storylink|Cutting Edge}}

[[File:FeralScream1 Cheetor gets zapped.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|"Sizzling circuits!"]]
Optimus and Cheetor were unsuccessful in preventing the Predacons stealing another stasis pod — in fact Cheetor's missile accidentally took out Optimus, much to his dismay and embarrassment. After scolding Cheetor, Optimus told him to get some backup and assist Depth Charge, however Cheetor opted to go on alone. As he assisted Depth Charge in battling the Predacons, Cheetor was able to steal the [[Transmetal driver]] which Megatron was using in an experiment to create a [[Transmetal 2]] [[Dinobot II|clone of Dinobot]]. No sooner had he thrown the artifact to Depth Charge, than Cheetor was knocked into the cloning machine's electrical arc and apparently destroyed. Depth Charge returned to Maximal HQ with a piece of Cheetor's exo-shell as proof.

Cheetor, however, was alive, though badly damaged. After Depth Charge was captured by the Predacons, who were after the Transmetal driver, the group was attacked by a {{w|Werecat|strange feline creature}}. A short time later, Cheetor himself collapsed on the Maximals' doorstep. {{storylink|Feral Scream Part 1}} Refusing use of the CR chamber, Cheetor had troubled dreams as he slept in his own quarters. On waking up, he was enveloped by a strange green glow from his spark. Rattrap, investigating the noise, was knocked down by the strange feline creature bursting out of Cheetor's quarters. Cheetor awoke in a cave, back in his Transmetal form and totally repaired, but with confused memories of what had happened. He returned to base, claiming to have taken care of the "cyber creature", but naturally Optimus insisted on seeing the remains in an attempt to get the young bot to tell him the truth.

[[File:Cheetort2.JPG|left|upright=1.66|thumb|Rawr.]]
Finally, during a fight with Dinobot and Waspinator, Cheetor mutated permanently into his new Transmetal 2 form. He made short work of the two Predacons, however as Optimus observed, his beast mode was "still feral", and he had to be coaxed into returning to robot mode. As Optimus picked him up joyfully, Cheetor asked to be put down, as Optimus was embarrassing him. "Oh, joy," Rattrap remarked on this. "Cyber-puberty." He did seem happier when Blackarachnia admired his new form. {{storylink|Feral Scream Part 2}}

Cheetor returned the favor by drooling over scans of Blackarachnia's internal structure. She later pulled her gun on him and told him to back off, being sick of his stupid crush. Optimus broke up the conflict, sending Cheetor out on patrol. {{storylink|Proving Grounds}} He spent some time with Chak and Una, attempting to teach the pair about defending themselves against Predacons and basic engineering principles, such as levers. The class was interrupted when the Predacons abducted Una, however the girl was able to put Cheetor's teachings to the test, with favorable results. {{storylink|Go with the Flow}}

[[File:CrossingtheRubicon Cheetor beast mode.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|"U-G-L-Y - I ain't got no alibi!"]]
After Blackarachnia made an aborted attempt to upgrade herself with the Transmetal driver, Cheetor was concerned for her safety. He assisted in defending the base against a Predacon attack while Rhinox worked on removing the Predcaon shell program from Blackarachnia. As the Predacons retreated, their jubilation was cut short by the news that Blackarachnia didn't make it. As the Maximals eulogized her, Cheetor said she was "something special". Fortunately, she wasn't that dead. {{storylink|Crossing the Rubicon}} Megatron's new plan saw [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] taking control of Optimus Primal. The first thing he did was punch out Cheetor and lock the young Maximal in a cage. All of the Maximals were released in time to fight off a newly upgraded Megatron. {{storylink|Master Blaster}}

[[File:Nemesis2-Maximals.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.66|See ya in the next show!]]

Cheetor was sent to stop [[Tigerhawk]] from destroying Megatron, an act which would also destroy the original [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s spark, but he was quickly incapacitated by Tarantulas, who had plans of his own. Cheetor dreamed of Tigatron, Airazor and the [[Vok]], before waking and breaking free of his bonds. The fused spark from his dream guided him to Tarantulas's lair, where he was able to pull Tigerhawk clear before the lair exploded. {{storylink|Other Victories}} Depth Charge soon spotted the fugitive Predacons, and Cheetor was part of the group that went after them, though he just ended up escorting Blackarachnia and a badly damaged Silverbolt back to base. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

With Megatron on the way in the [[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]], the Maximals hurried to try to get the Ark ready to be moved, but were unable to get the ship moving. Fortunately a last minute schematic download pointed them to a shuttle stored in the Ark, and, after Rhinox used it to assault the Nemesis, the Maximals watched the warship crash in the distance. The Beast Wars over, the Maximals headed back for Cybertron in the shuttle. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}
{{-}}

====''Beast Machines'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Ian James Corlett|Ian Corlett]] (English), [[Wataru Takagi]] (Japanese)|[[Yao Jude]] (Chinese), [[Hercules Fernando]] (Portuguese), [[Victor Covarrubias]] (Latin American Spanish), [[Julio Lorenzo]] (Castilian Spanish), [[Björn Schalla]] (German), [[Massimo De Ambrosis]] (Italian)}}
[[File:Reformatting Cheetor beast mode.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|HEY. Stop staring at my butt.]]
During the journey back to Cybertron, Megatron broke free from the Autobot shuttle and somehow reached the planet before the Maximals. By the time the Maximals got there, Megatron had taken control of the planet with an army of [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]] drones. They were hit with a [[transformation virus]] which reverted them to their original beast forms. {{storylink|Revelations Part II: Descent|Descent}} Unable to transform, Cheetor searched for a [[CR chamber]] with which to repair himself, and ended up saving Primal and Rattrap from a [[Tank Drone]]. The trio were unable to remember what had happened to them since arriving on Cybertron. They located Blackarachnia and descended into the planet to find the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]]. Primal communed with the Oracle, which reformatted the four Maximals into new [[Technorganic]] bodies. Faced with more Vehicons in the form of [[Cycle Drone]]s, the Maximals found themselves unable to transform out of [[beast mode]], and were forced to deal with the drones as is. When Optimus finally worked out how to transform, Cheetor admired his new [[robot mode]]. {{storylink|The Reformatting}}

[[File:MasteroftheHouse Cheetor deflects shots.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Trust us, in ''context'' this scene is really cool.]]
With Optimus's guidance, Cheetor and Blackarachnia were able to remaster the art of transformation, regaining their robot modes. However, on the first attack by a [[Mole Drone]], they spontaneously reverted to their beast modes through lack of focus. Despite the pair believing that they should find more survivors, Primal insisted that they concentrate on their training, and the group split up to find a new base. Blackarachnia persuaded Cheetor to accompany her to the surface to find more information, only to find the city deserted and the [[Cybertron InfoCore]] erased. Attacked by [[Aero Drone]]s, the pair were helped by Primal, and the Maximals proceeded to the [[Council Citadel]], where Optimus went in and encountered Megatron. As the Maximals battled against the Vehicon drones, Cheetor discovered that, though he no longer possessed a flight mode, he could glide by holding his [[sword]]s together. {{storylink|Master of the House}}

[[File:MercenaryPursuits Cheetor poses with swords.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1|"...and I just got them stuck in the floor."]]
An attempt to access the [[Cybertron Archives]] didn't go much better, ending with Cheetor carrying Blackarachnia on his shoulders. Later on, he and Optimus had to save Rattrap and Blackarachnia ''again'' after the pair accessed the computer on the Autobot shuttle and alerted the Vehicons to their position. {{storylink|Fires of the Past}} After being captured by Megatron, the Maximals were able to turn [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]], one of the [[Vehicon general]]s to their side for a brief period. {{storylink|Mercenary Pursuits}}

Cheetor and Blackarachnia sparred with encouragement from Optimus, though Cheetor he preferred to rely on instinct not "blind faith". Realizing they were being watched, the Maximals chased down the spy with Cheetor finally catching [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]], a young Maximal who survived Megatron's planetwide purging. Though Nightscream led the Maximals to a fruit tree which he had been living off, Cheetor refused Optimus's suggestion that the other Maximals do the same, stating bluntly that they processed energon, not fruit. As it turned out, the fruit caused the Maximals' beast sides to take over, endangering their lives when [[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]] attacked with a squad of Aero drones, until Cheetor felled the tree. Optimus was left weakened after reformatting Nightscream, and put Cheetor in command. {{storylink|Forbidden Fruit}}

[[File:WeakComponent Cheetor yells at Rattrap.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
On a recon mission in a tank drone factory, Cheetor's orders went unheeded by Rattrap, who ended up wrecking the whole plan. Understandably angry at his comrade, Cheetor would subsequently brush off Rattrap's suggestions that they should attack Megatron while the Vehicon leader was weak. He did stick up for Rattrap when Blackarachnia and Nightscream suggested getting rid of the rat, however his suggestion that they cover for Rattrap until Optimus recovered did not go down well when it was overheard by Rattrap himself. In fact, it drove Rattrap to Megatron's side. After the situation was resolved, Optimus reminded the others not to underestimate their fellow Maximal. {{storylink|The Weak Component}}

Cheetor was glad for Optimus to be back in command, bluntly rebuking Nightscream's suggestion that Primal was still too weak to lead. Nonetheless, when Cheetor had to save Optimus's life during a battle in a factory, and Optimus became lost in his own regrets at what Megatron had done, Cheetor was forced to take command to force a Maximal withdrawal. {{storylink|Revelations Part I: Discovery|Discovery}} With the revelation that the Vehicon generals housed the sparks of their friends, Cheetor's plan was for Nightscream and Blackarachnia to distract [[Thrust (BM)|Thrust]] and Jetstorm while he and Rattrap attempted to convert Tankor back into a Maximal. Cheetor was able to distract the Tank Drones while Rattrap hacked into Tankor, discovering that the Vehicon was their old friend Rhinox. {{storylink|Revelations Part II: Descent|Descent}}

[[File:Revelations2 Cheetor looks wary.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.67]]
Though Cheetor primarily disbelieved Rattrap, the pair decided to try to reawaken their friend, but ended up fleeing from the enraged Vehicon. Optimus, via directly contacting Rhinox's spark, was able to restore his personality, but Rhinox announced he was siding with Megatron's plan for a technological Cybertron. Optimus confided to the other Maximals that he believed the Oracle's plan was to restore the organic element to Cybertron, something that Cheetor wasn't convinced the planet ever had. {{storylink|Revelations Part III: Apocalypse|Apocalypse}} While trying to find Nightscream's tree again, the Maximals were ambushed by Vehicons, who abducted Nightscream. The Maximals were able to rescue him, leading them to discover a cavern full of the remains of organic life. {{storylink|Survivor}}

The Maximals set about trying to find water, though Cheetor thought they should instead be attacking Megatron. They soon struck gold, or at least an [[organic goo]] which sprouted plants. Their victory was interrupted by an attack by Tankor, who used the [[Key to Vector Sigma]] to turn Nightscream into [[Living metal|technomatter]]. Despite Cheetor's attempts to save it, the drill was damaged by the drones extracting Tankor. Cheetor and Optimus disagreed over their next course of action, but Cheetor finally came up with a plan to use a Mole Drone to drill to the organic core, to get more goo to cure Nightscream. During the battle to get control of a factory, Rattrap again found himself in the middle of a leadership tug-of-war between Optimus and Cheetor. The Maximals succeeded in getting control of a Mole Drone, only for Megatron to take control of it back as soon as they reached the orchid, and Cheetor reluctantly followed Optimus's lead and fortunately the plan succeeded. Cheetor, however, told Optimus he demanded more respect, and wasn't a kid anymore. {{storylink|The Key}}

[[File:TheCatalyst irritated Cheetor.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
The Maximals held a memorial service for Rhinox, before concentrating on trying to make their orchid succeed. A catalyst Rattrap found caused the plants to grow ''too'' well, forcing the other Maximals to rescue him from the rapidly growing vines. Cheetor was keep to use the fast-growing vines as a weapon against Megatron, but Optimus claimed the Oracle had other plans. When it turned out that Blackarachnia had gone trying to turn Thrust back into Silverbolt, Cheetor took the opportunity to prove that his plan would work, by rescuing her with a giant vine. Unfortunately it backfired, as the Vehicons zapped it into technomatter, and only swift work by Optimus saved the rest of the orchid. Optimus was not pleased, but he knew that the Maximals had much bigger concerns. {{storylink|The Catalyst}}

In search of information on who had tampered with the Oracle, Cheetor and Rattrap hacked into the central computer, but were forced to retreat before learning anything. They returned to the other Maximals, and Optimus led them to the [[Plasma energy|Plasma Energy Chamber]] which, if opened, would destroy technological life on the planet, leaving only the organic. Shocked, Cheetor talked him out of opening the chamber and came up with an alternate plan to get Rattrap to find a way to disable the duplicate Keys. The operation was curtailed when Rattrap was zapped into technomatter by Tankor, leading Optimus to confront Megatron in person. Cheetor and the other Maximals continued fighting, but were overcome by Vehicons and turned into technomatter. {{storylink|End of the Line}}

[[File:Fallout Cheetor's hopeful face.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"Optimus is dead?! [[The many deaths of Optimus Prime|''AGAIN?'']]"]]
Restored to health by Optimus Primal's sacrifice, the Maximals were shocked to find their leader dead. Cheetor reacted violently to Nightscream's assertion that Cheetor wanted Optimus gone, but took a leadership position anyway. When the surviving Vehicon generals attacked, Cheetor called timeout, and unsuccessfully attempted to get them to join the Maximals. He believed they should continue with Optimus's mission, and led the other Maximals down to the Oracle chamber, where they discovered Primal was floating within the Oracle. Cheetor gave an impassioned speech to Big Bot, which helped him realize what his real mission for Cybertron was, and to choose life over joining the Matrix.

Together again, Cheetor suggested the next step should be to find the missing sparks, but when they approached the Council Citadel, a [[Grand Mal|giant floating head]] hovered into view. {{storylink|Fallout (episode)|Fallout}} While Optimus tried to contact Megatron's spark, Cheetor led the other Maximals in attempting to find Jetstorm and Thrust, and they encountered [[Noble (BM)|Noble]], a completely organic [[Transformer]], whose transformation into Savage was uncontrollable. {{storylink|Savage Noble}} Cheetor favored leniency in dealing with Noble, but the creature was soon revealed to be Megatron, who transferred himself into the Grand Mal and reactivated the Vehicon drones, forcing the Maximals to flee underground once again. {{storylink|Prometheus Unbound}}

[[File:WolfintheFold raging Cheetor.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|Low down scammers got me seein' red!]]
While trying to save Nightscream from a pack of drones, Optimus and Cheetor were drawn aboard the Grand Mal via a tractor beam and interrogated for information. They were soon rescued by Silverbolt, who Blackarachnia had resurrected from Jetstorm. {{storylink|In Darkest Knight}} A [[Hate Plague]] virus created by Megatron infected the Maximal ranks, giving Cheetor a rather more forceful leadership style and causing the Maximals to fight among themselves. Though Cheetor seemed to fight it for a short period, he soon succumbed again, even taking his frustrations out on Optimus physically. Finally, they realized what was happening and managed to work together. {{storylink|A Wolf in the Fold}}

With the technorganic crops failing, Cheetor tried to console Optimus. The news of a crashing ship led the Maximals to encounter [[Botanica (BM)|Botanica]], a Maximal formatted as a plant-based life form, who was able to lend a hand with the crops. {{storylink|Home Soil}} They would later encounter two new Vehicon generals created by Megatron — [[Obsidian (BM)|Obsidian]] and [[Strika (BM)|Strika]]. {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. I: The Strike|The Strike}} The Maximals split up in their search for the missing sparks. Silverbolt revealed he still regarded Cheetor as a child, calling him "kid", much to Cheetor's annoyance, though Cheetor's inability to come up with a plan to shake the drones pursuing them doubtless didn't help. Once Cheetor saved their lives by getting rid of the drones, Silverbolt developed a smidgen more respect for him. {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search|The Search}}

[[File:Sparkwar3 Cheetor actionlines.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.1]]
The reappearance of Noble caused problems for the Maximals, leading Cheetor to suggest that Nightscream get rid of the creature before it got them all killed. Noble, however, did help them as Cheetor, Silverbolt and Nightscream distracted the drones so that Optimus could sneak into the Grand Mal. The action cost Noble his life, and all of the Maximals mourned him. {{storylink|Sparkwar Pt. III: The Siege|The Siege}} With the Grand Mal down, the Maximals celebrated. However, Megatron's spark lived on, albeit in a disembodied state, and Cheetor tangled with it when it possessed the corpse of an Aero drone. Eventually Rattrap trapped it in a [[Diagnostic Drone]]. {{storylink|Spark of Darkness}}

[[File:Endgame2 sparkpower Cheetor.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Vegeta! What does the scouter say about his power level?]]
The Maximals were under siege within the Grand Mal, trapped with the sparks they had searched for. Cheetor worked unsuccessfully to bring the weapons systems online. Rattrap's act of saving Botanica accidentally left them wide open to attack, and Optimus had to stop Cheetor telling off the rodent. Fortunately the three of them survived the Grand Mal crashing. {{storylink|Endgame Pt. I: The Downward Spiral|The Downward Spiral}} Down, but not out, the Maximals began preparing their defenses for the impending Vehicon assault. The shields did not hold long, and the Maximals found themselves fighting against hordes of drones. Outnumbered, the Maximals used spark power bestowed on them by the Oracle to decimate the drones, until Megatron took the Oracle from them.

[[File:Maximals endofBMac.JPG|left|thumb|upright=1.4|Primal's dream comes true: the universe's largest cannabis garden.]]
Cheetor found himself facing the three Vehicon Generals on his own, but was able to use the anti-gravity generators to fire Obsidian and Strika into orbit. Cheetor struggled with Thrust, finally using a [[spark extractor]] to rip out the Vehicon's spark. He was unprepared to face his next foe — Megatron, newly installed into a duplicate of Primal's old "optimal" body — and had his own spark torn out by a Cycle Drone. {{storylink|Endgame Pt. II: When Legends Fall|When Legends Fall}}

After a city-spanning battle, Optimus sacrificed himself to destroy Megatron and reformat Cybertron into a technorganic paradise. Cheetor and the other Maximals were restored to their bodies and, as the sparks were reborn into new bodies, Cheetor had a final vision from the Oracle and told the other Maximals that Optimus would always be with them. {{storylink|Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future|Seeds of the Future}}
{{-}}

====Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity====
=====''Cloud''=====
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Wild (Cloud)|Wild}}}}

=====''Beast Wars Diorama Story''=====
[[File:BWDS 3.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.4]]

At some point after Starscream left the Beast Wars, the Maximals and Predacons fought. During a battle against Waspinator, Cheetor used his speed to avoid the bug's Beebee Shot attack and nailed him in the face with his own Laser Shot. {{storylink|Cheetor Chapter}} The Laser Shot wasn't enough, though, and Waspinator countered with another round of his Beebee Shot. {{storylink|Waspinator Chapter}}

Later, after several [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s from [[Transformers (film)|another dimension]] showed up, {{storylink|Tigatron Chapter}} the appropriate factions teamed up and charged one another in a massive clash of warriors. {{storylink|Motorarm Chapter}}
{{-}}

=====''Transformers Legends'' comic=====
Following the [[Great Reformatting]], Cheetor recalled learning from Optimus Primal that Rhinox was not gone for good, as his spark had gone adrift and ended up in an alternate world known as the [[Legends World|Legends Universe]]. When he shared this information with his friends, Rattrap and the wayward Waspinator volunteered to find Rhinox, prompting Cheetor to reformat them into their original Earth modes and send them through a portal to the Legends world. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Rattrap)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}} He was elated to see the two return with Rhinox accompanying. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Rhinox)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}}

====3H comics====
[[File:CheetorBW-GroundZero.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|In which Cheetor has a rugged, dimpled chin.]]
On a particularly beautiful day, Airazor and Rhinox were basking in the glow of a quiet Predacon-less day. In contrast, Cheetor was bored. Fortunately for Cheetor, he got his wish, and the sound of explosions alerted the three to a battle over the horizon. Unfortunately for Cheetor, he was quickly blasted into inaction by [[Packrat]], who had become unstable after an encounter with [[Furmanite]]. Later, he was okay, and he accompanied his fellow Maximals home. {{storylink|Ground Zero}}

[[File:Terminus-CheetorandRhinox.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|right]]
Later, at a point after Cheetor had acquired his [[Transmetal 2]] form, he and the other Maximals set out to investigate a temporal anomaly detected by Rhinox. They encountered the Predacons en route. The two factions were locked in a firefight, though the advantage lay with the Predacons. After Megatron took off to reach the time-traveler that both teams had previously detected, Optimus was forced to pursue him, leaving his troops against insurmountable odds. The Predacons eventually began to push the Maximals back towards a cliffside. As they encroached, an explosion hit Rhinox, knocking him offline. Then, suddenly, Predacon fire ceased entirely. Cheetor was the first to check over their cover, his concern for Rhinox overriding his sense of self-preservation. Cheetor looked on to see [[Windrazor (BW)|Windrazor]], the aforementioned time-traveler, flying above the disabled Predacons, and encircled with Unicron's dark essence. The possessed 'bot swooped down and seized Cheetor in his talons, causing excruciating pain to shoot through the young Maximal. Just as Cheetor began to wish for oblivion to escape the torture, Windrazor was able to expunge Unicron's essence from himself, and set Cheetor down. Then, Shokaract appeared... {{storylink|Paradox}}

Cheetor and the other Maximals faced the time-traveling warlord. Unfortunately, they were no match for the [[Unicron]]-powered juggernaut and Cheetor was crushed in Shokaract's claws. This battle, as well as Shokaract's existence itself, would soon be retroactively erased from Cheetor's timeline with the efforts of the legendary [[Covenant (group)|Covenant]]. {{storylink|Terminus (issue)|Terminus}}

[[File:Sentinelcryotekwreckersfinale.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|So they ''have'' been seen in the same room together!]]
Shortly after Cybertron underwent the [[Great Reformatting]], the [[Quintesson]]s seized the opportunity to attack, believing that the revolutionary change would have rendered the planets' inhabitants confused and docile. Suffice to say, the Transformers were greatly underestimated. Cheetor was revealed as a [[Matrix Templar]], as he and [[Hot Rod (G1)|Rodimus]] (another templar) along with the [[Wrecker]]s battled [[Cryotek (Universe)|Cryotek]] deep underground. It also seemed that Cheetor was one of Rodimus's biggest fans, so much so that Cheetor based his first changeform on Rodimus's design.

Unfortunately, though Cheetor and Rodimus were able to use their powers to help defeat Cryotek, Rodimus perished in the incident. {{storylink|Wreckers: Finale Part II}}

A year later, Cheetor and the rest of Cybertron eagerly awaited at [[Memorial Spaceport]] for the return of five Autobot heroes from the Great War: [[Trailbreaker (G1)|Trailbreaker]], [[Sideswipe (G1)|Sideswipe]], [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]], [[Roulette (Universe)|Roulette]], and [[Shadow Striker (Universe)|Shadow Striker]]. The event was covered by the famous journalist [[Rook (Universe)|Rook]], and when Cheetor had trouble communicating in front of a camera, Rattrap happily took over for him. Quickly thereafter, the Autobots' ship arrived, and its occupants were shocked at the changes Cybertron had gone through. Cheetor demonstrated to the older warriors that the planet's inhabitants had also gone through a metamorphosis by transforming into his technorganic cheetah mode.

[[File:Optimusprimaluniverseend.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Had to get a new body without the flying ability, huh?]]

Unfortunately, the event's pleasantries were interrupted when the five Autobots and Blackarachnia and Silverbolt were abducted by [[Unicron]] right before the gathered crowd's optics. {{storylink|Abduction}} A short time later, however, Cheetor bore witness as the resurrected Optimus Primal returned with ten abducted Autobots and Maximals (though not Blackarachnia and Shadow Striker) plus a handful of other Transformers stranded in their universe. {{storylink|Escape (Universe)|Escape}} Cybertron had become engulfed in the [[Universe War]], in which the [[Minion of Unicron (Universe)|Minions of Unicron]] battled the [[Child of Primus|Children of Primus]], the latter led by Optimus Primal, chosen by Primus himself. Cheetor accompanied the returnees to the [[Oasis Research and Development Facility]]. As [[Ratchet (Universe)|Ratchet]] and [[Striker]] began research on Sideswipe to see if they could cure the [[Unicron virus|Unicron contamination]] they had all suffered while in the [[Pit]], Cheetor expressed his doubts about Optimus Primal's return. Cheetor reasoned that being dead may have changed Primal, and Silverbolt added that it could all be a Unicron trick. Rattrap, surprisingly, was the one who reminded the two that this was Optimus-friggin'-Primal they were talking about. {{storylink|Homecoming (Universe)|Homecoming}}

The war continued, and Optimus Primal led Cheetor and several other Children of Primus against the forces of Unicron on countless occasions across several universes, but eventually, these interactions took a toll on Cheetor and the others. Contaminated by constant exposure to Unicron, Cheetor was afflicted with the nanotech "[[Unicron virus]]", which worsened with time. To keep from descending into madness or deactivation, Cheetor was rebuilt and purified by Primal's [[Matrix of Purification]]. {{storylink|Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 9|''Beast Wars 10th Anniversary'' Optimus Primal profile}}

This conflict with Unicron went on for an unspecified amount of time, until one raid on the Chaos Bringer, which included Primal, Cheetor, and several others, when Unicron suddenly began to [[Unicron Singularity|dissolve]] beneath them. The Universe conflict finally resolved, Cheetor, [[Ramulus|Longhorn]], and [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] were carried away by Optimus Primal through a portal to (presumably) their home. {{storylink|Revelations Part 2}}

====Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity====
Cheetor was snoozing on the floor of the shuttle back to Cybertron when Rattrap fell asleep and dreamed about encountering other Maximals on Earth. {{storylink|Ain't No Rat}}

{{BW Shell Game}}
He awoke, affected by a Transwarp agitator planted on the shuttle by a new team of Predacons hiding on Earth. This device caused Cheetor and the other Maximals aboard to act aggressively towards one-another, and they tried to force Rattrap into the ship's C.R. Chamber due to its influence. Rattrap resisted, managed to get away, and deactivated the ship's Transwarp drive. Though this restored the Maximals to their senses, it also returned them to prehistoric Earth. {{storylink|Shell Game issue 1|Shell Game #1}}

====''Transformers Legends'' anthology (1)====
Near the end of the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]], shortly after Megatron [[Master Blaster|combined his spark with that of the original Megatron's]], the newly reconfigured Predacon leader hatched a new plan. Quickstrike was ordered to sneak into the Maximal base and place a transmitter which would increase the aggression of Cheetor and the other Maximals. Quickstrike was successful, and soon Cheetor was fighting that annoying little jerk, Rattrap. Fortunately, Optimus Primal was able to detect something was wrong, despite the transmitter's effects on himself, and the Maximals deactivated the transmitter and defeated Quickstrike. Cheetor and the others raced into the Ark, where they found Megatron, confused after a mental battle with his namesake, attempting to control the lifeless body of Starscream. Megatron fled. {{storylink|A Meeting of Minds}}

Later on Cybertron, just before the [[Battle for the Spark]] was over, [[Spark of Darkness|Megatron's spark polarity had been inverted, and his tortured life force traveled all over Cybertropolis]]. As Megatron's spark approached Cheetor and Nightscream, he was consumed with hatred for the both of them: for Nightscream because his actions recently had put him in this very predicament, and for Cheetor "because... well, because he's Cheetor." {{storylink|Singularity Ablyss}}
{{-}}

====IDW ''Beast Wars'' comics====
[[File:BWGatherCheetor.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4]]
As Magmatron observed the timeline wherein the Beast Wars were taking place, he witnessed Cheetor being blown away by Terrorsaur's projectiles. {{storylink|The Gathering issue 1|The Gathering #1}}

Cheetor appeared outside the ''Ark'' alongside Optimus Primal and Rhinox. Showing concern for Optimus, as the big monkey seemed to sense a presence that Cheetor pointed out to be seemingly non-existent. Somewhat freaked-out by Optimus's odd behavior, both Cheetor and Rhinox convinced Optimus that he was simply "chasing ghosts." {{storylink|The Gathering issue 3|The Gathering #3}}
{{-}}

====''Timelines''====
[[File:CheetorBW-DawnofFuturesPast.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|left|Fur is murder!]]
A former cadet of the [[Maximal Command Security Force]], a Maximal who would later call himself Cheetor left the organization young after being recruited by Optimus Primal based on his leadership potential. "Cheetor" enthusiastically joined the crew of the ''Axalon'', hoping to see the furthest reaches of space. His [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]] could reach 550 mph, making him the fastest Maximal aboard the ''Axalon'' even before landing on prehistoric Earth. Cheetor served as the ship's communications officer.

Cheetor and the rest of the Axalon crew were waylaid on a Maximal space station for weeks, waiting for their exploration mission to begin. Finally, after leaving the space station, Optimus Primal explained the reason for their delay: they were ordered by the [[Maximal High Council]] to deposit a [[Rampage (BW)|precious cargo]] on a barren moon. But before this could be achieved, the ''Axalon'' was contacted by the Maximal High Council again. The [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]], a treasured Maximal artifact, was stolen by the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]], and he and a band of Predacon criminals left [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] in a stolen ship. Since the ''Axalon'' was the closest ship, they were ordered to intercept.

But there were other ships en route. An [[Buzzsaw and Laserbeak's ship|unknown Predacon ship]] appeared and attacked them. Their mysterious attacker was countered by another strange ship, the ''[[Chromia 10]]''. Ultimately, the ''Axalon'' was able to destroy the Predacon ship but not before serious damage was dealt the ''Chromia 10''. The [[spark]]s of the two Maximals on board were beamed aboard the ''Axalon'' and [[Spark core transfer|placed]] inside [[blank]] [[protoform]]s to save their lives.

Just as the battle seemed to be over, Cheetor received an incoming transmission from Megatron's stolen ship. Megatron introduced himself and disappeared through a [[transwarp]] portal. Cheetor and the rest of the ''Axalon'' crew followed blindly. {{storylink|Dawn of Future's Past}}

After [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] was reborn on [[Earth]], Cheetor fought the Predacons during a plot to launch an orbital weapon. The launching pad was destroyed by Airazor. {{storylink|The Razor's Edge}}
{{-}}

====''Wings Universe''====
[[File:HtF-AlphaTrizer-notsuccessful.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|right]]
His impetuous streak tamed by his time under Optimus Primal's leadership, Cheetor was able to use his departed teacher's lessons to interface with the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]], and this act allowed him to become the living embodiment of the ancient wisdom it contained. {{storylink|Hoist the Flag|Alpha Trizer's profile}} He would subsequently take the name of "Alpha Trizer", becoming the spiritual leader of Cybertron. With his political power, he reinstated the [[Wrecker]]s to defend Cybertron's interests in the galaxy and appointed [[Primal Prime]] as leader, in part to separate him from [[Ginrai (robot)|Ginrai]]. To this end, Trizer recruited troublesome Cybertronians unable to deal with a peaceful Cybertron, especially from those who frequented the [[Cybertropolis Detention Center]]. Trizer also reinstated the [[Knights of Cybertron]] as the new [[Cybertronian Knight]]s and placed Ginrai as Knight Commander. {{storylink|Tornado - Decepticon Saboteur|Apelinq's personal logs}}

[[File:HtF-AlphaTrizer-Beastmode.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|left]]
When the Knights lost contact with the space bridge outpost [[Galadria]] in the [[Delta Prysmos]] sector and received a scrambled warning from [[Devcon (G1)|Devcon]], Ginrai insisted that the Knights take action, but Knight Grand Master Alpha Trizer countered with waiting for further word from Devcon, doubting that Cybertron was in danger after being at peace for so long. Soon after, Devcon called for help against the [[Star Seeker]]s: the pirates were inside [[Unicron]]'s head, trying to reactivate it in order to drain all of Cybertron's energon. Ginrai's team, including Alpha Trizer, space bridged straight there and promptly engaged the Star Seekers. The [[Dread Pirate Crew]]men tried to fight Trizer, but the ancient Maximal finally lost his cool and transformed into beast mode to deal with his attackers. Star Seeker Captain [[Cannonball (G1)|Cannonball]] then fought Alpha Trizer to buy time for [[Ferak]] to activate Unicron's energon draining systems, but the sage easily overpowered Cannonball and gave him a crushing a revelation: his scheme was doomed to fail from the start because Cybertron in 2984 C.E. was [[technorganic|techno-organic]] and ''no longer ran on energon''. Trizer simply grinned at the pirate captain's misfortune while Ginrai grumbled about being left out of the loop. Thereafter, the Knights arrested the pirates and led them away. {{storylink|Hoist the Flag}}
{{-}}

====Razorclaw continuity====
In one splinter timeline of [[Primax 496.22 Alpha]], minor atmospheric perturbations caused [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]]'s stasis pod to crash on the far side of Earth, and absent his presence, Megatron slaughtered all the remaining Maximals except [[Tigatron]] and [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]]. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/08/07}}

====Ask Vector Prime====
Due to the temporal machinations of [[Ravage (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ravage]] in [[OG World|Primax 785.06 Alpha]], a quantum duplicate of the Autobot shuttle carrying the victorious Maximals home from the end of the Beast Wars in [[Primax 496.22 Alpha]] was spawned. The shuttle was shunted to [[BT World|Primax 903.0 Beta]], where [[Unicron]] destroyed it, scattering its crew into [[transwarp]] space. While most of the crew ended up in [[Viron 102.0 Beta]], Cheetor's fate was unknown. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/30}}

====A Change to the Agenda====
After [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] attacked [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and was thrown out of the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] when [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] activated the ship's defense systems, Cheetor and the other Maximals attempted to heal the wounded Autobot. However, Megatron was not thrown far enough and the Predacon managed to reenter the Ark and blast the Autobot leader, decisively erasing the Maximals from the timeline. {{storylink|A Change to the Agenda}} In [[Primax 209.0 Gamma|the wildly different timeline]] that followed, Cheetor's life would take [[#Beast Wars: Uprising|a very different track]].

===''Beast Wars Metals'' manga===
[[File:CheetasManga1.jpg|right|upright=1.1|thumb|Off to go train with Piccolo or something, I'm sure.]]
Following the [[Quantum surge]], Cheetor was upgraded into a [[Transmetal]] but left stranded on [[Earth|Energoa]] far, far away from the other [[Maximal]]s and believed dead by [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]]. Following [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]]'s return to life, Cheetor could be seen staring poetically at the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]] from his distant location. {{storylink|Beast Wars Metals issue 1|Beast Wars Metals #1}}

After Megatron blasted [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] in an attempt to kill the slumbering Autobot, {{storylink|Beast Wars Metals issue 5|Beast Wars Metals #5}} Cheetor would eventually find his way back to his comrades. There, he saved Optimus Prime's spark and fed it to Optimus Primal, turning him into Optimal Optimus. {{storylink|Beast Wars Metals issue 6|Beast Wars Metals #6}}

{{-}}

===''Transformers Legends'' anthology (2)===
Cheetor was involved in a conflict against the Predacons that affected the [[Natiltec]] tribe, who later immortalized him in cave inscriptions. The inscriptions were found several thousand years later by an archaeological team. {{storylink|Fire in the Dark}}

===''Henkei! Henkei!'' pack-in manga===
[[File:HenkeiCheetorLionKing.jpg|thumb|The Cirrrcle of Liiiife...]]
After [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]] and [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] stole [[energon cube]]s from [[Hound (G1)|Hound]], Cheetor appeared on the scene, defeated both of them and got the cubes back, getting the adoration of Hound and random fauna. Cheetor then went to live in a safari park. {{storylink|Henkei! Henkei! volume 8}}
{{-}}
===''Henkei! Henkei! Transformers -Visualize-''===
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Visualize Shot 10}}}}

===''Device Label''===
Under the command of [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]], Cheetor's mission was to search the network he was plugged into, and destroy the Decepticons' viral programs. {{storylink|Cheetor (BW)/toys#Device Label|Cheetor's Device Label Bio}}

===''Classics''===
[[File:Recordicons12-everyone.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.66]]
Cheetor was among [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]]'s minions when they teamed up with negative polarity [[Ravage (SG)|Ravage]]. {{storylink|Recordicons#Recordicons #12|Recordicons #12}}
{{-}}

===''Beast Wars: Uprising''===
As one of the Maximals forced to continue the war which the Autobots were no longer able to fight, Cheetor was part of a small team under the command of [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] that went up against the [[Darksyder]]s. Following the deaths of Rhinox and Silverbolt, and the apparent death of Rattrap after an explosion, Cheetor teamed up with Blackarachnia and Nightscream and some Predacons to take out the boss monkey. {{storylink|Alone Together: Prologue|Prologue}} As like-minded Predacon dissidents joined with his comrades, Cheetor became the leader of the rebels and took part in a costly uprising against their oppressors, one that eventually rendered him badly damaged and close to stasis lock. With few other options, four of Cheetor's allies—[[Blackarachnia (BW)#Beast Wars: Uprising|Blackarachnia]], [[Nightscream (BM)#Beast Wars: Uprising|Nightscream]], [[Scavenger (BW)|Scavenger]], and [[Immorticon (BW)|Immorticon]]—fled for their lives via [[transwarp]] to [[Nexus 208.0 Epsilon|another world]], leaving Cheetor behind. {{storylink|Hasbro Transformers Collectors' Club issue 25|"TransTech" Blackarachnia's profile in Club magazine #25}}

He was believed dead, but was truly taken prisoner and interred within [[Fortress Maximus (G1)#Beast Wars: Uprising|Fortress Maximus]]. [[Lio Convoy#Beast Wars: Uprising|Lio Convoy]]'s [[Resistance|forces]] eventually freed him and he was more than welcomed into their ranks as the "first resistor". {{storylink|Head Games}}

{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Safe Spaces}} {{storylink|Derailment}}}}

===''Transformers Legends'' comic===
Cheetor was a salaryman at [[Axalon Trading Company]], where he greeted the newbie [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]]. While Rattrap introduced himself in an unorthodox way by naming his favorite cartoon, ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'', Cheetor responded that he didn't watch cartoons. {{storylink|The Generation Gap#Part 1|The Generation Gap Part 1}} He later happily informed President [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] that he was leaving on time and not working overtime. {{storylink|Legends Vol. 9#The Bathroom Gap|The Bathroom Gap}} When Primal went out for a bit, warning his employees not to touch his [[banana]]s, Cheetor and the others were so tempted by the forbidden fruit that they immediately began eating them. {{storylink|Legends Vol. 10#Even Though I Told You Not To...|Even Though I Told You Not To...}}

Cheetor loved to party and have fun all night, and as a result was often exhausted at work in the morning. Though the Axalon employees were expected to work in robot mode, he at one point was so tired that he forgot how to transform, turning into a mess of cheetah parts. {{storylink|Legends Vol. 10#Head of Partying, Cheetor|Head of Partying, Cheetor}} Another time, he got so drunk he fell asleep on the train and ended up on the [[w:Takao Station (Tokyo)|final station]] of the line in the middle of night. On returning to work, he joked to Primal about paying for his travel expenses and room charges, to his boss's annoyance. {{storylink|Legends Vol. 10#Cheetor at Night|Cheetor at Night}} One day, having overslept, Cheetor decided that since he was already late to begin with, he might as well take his time and have a long shower and breakfast before heading to work. Optimus Primal didn't agree with his thinking. {{storylink|Legends Vol. 10#Cheetor in the Morning|Cheetor in the Morning}}

Cheetor listened to Rattrap deliver a report while stuck in the mouth of [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]], {{storylink|Legends Vol. 11#The Two's Recent Encounter|The Two's Recent Encounter}} was confused when he arrived at work in the form of a real Transformer after being inflicted with [[Transformers sickness]], {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 1|Bonus Edition Vol. 1}} and hung around when Optimus Primal was thinking about said sickness. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 2|Bonus Edition Vol. 2}} Transformers sickness later turned Cheetor into a tall and slender version of himself, which he didn't enjoy, {{storylink|Legends Vol. 15#LG03 Tankor Prologue|LG03 Tankor Prologue}} and he was present when [[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]] was getting jealous of everyone turning into Transformers. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 3|Bonus Edition Vol. 3}} During Rhinox-turned-[[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]]'s rampage, Cheetor was hit by his '80s Transformation Beam and turned into a classic delinquent. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 5|Bonus Edition Vol. 5}}

During [[Christmas]], the Axalon employees threw a party during Cheetor he got drunk and sang karaoke. {{storylink|Merry X'mas!!}} The height of Cheetor and everyone else at the company bothered Rattrap, who wanted to be big too. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 8|Bonus Edition Vol. 8}} While returning home one morning after a night of partying, he ran into Rattrap, who was jogging in order to grow stronger. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 9|Bonus Edition Vol. 9}} Another morning, after yet another party, he found [[Tigatron]] praying at a shrine. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 11|Bonus Edition Vol. 11}} Cheetor was present when [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] attempted to destroy [[Legends World|their world]] and was defeated by [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]], and afterwards told Rattrap that Metroplex had transformed into city mode on top of the Axalon office building, destroying it. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 12|Bonus Edition Vol. 12}}

Cheetor was around when [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] decided not to fight her Transformers sickness but remain a giant robot. {{storylink|Transformers Legends: Arcee Chapter|Arcee Chapter}} After the Axalon employees accepted that Metroplex was their new office, Cheetor had some fun with the gun turrets on the city-bot's head. He was freaked out when their [[Alpha Trion (G1)|mysterious janitor]] claimed to know about Metroplex because he was from "the other world", thinking he'd meant the world of the dead. {{storylink|LG14 Ultra Magnus Prologue#The Mysterious Knowledgeable Grandpa Chapter|The Mysterious Knowledgeable Grandpa Chapter}} Cheetor was caught up in a [[Nightbird (G1)|Nightbird]] clone rampage, {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 15|Bonus Edition Vol. 15}} and was around the office when Rattrap and Tigatron tried to justify their lateness to Optimus Primal. {{storylink|Go! Adventure}} When [[Drift (G1)|Deadlock]] appeared in their universe, Cheetor didn't recognize him and had to have his identity explained to him by Waspinator. He and the others were then temporarily sent to Deadlock's home dimension, [[Cloud World]], when [[SARA]] messed up. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Deadlock)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}}

[[Grand Maximus|Grand]] showed the Decepticon [[Headmaster Junior]]s an image of Cheetor and his friends as an example of what to expect from the Legends Universe. {{storylink|LG24 Shockwave & Cancer Prologue}} During a partnership between Axalon and the Autobot [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]], Cheetor was annoyed by [[Blaster (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blaster]]'s music, {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 27|Bonus Edition Vol. 27}} briefly became a [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]]-type Headmaster himself using mass-produced [[Master-Brace]]s, {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 28|Bonus Edition Vol. 28}} went to work with a hangover together with [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]], {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 30|Bonus Edition Vol. 30}} and applauded the completion of their new headquarters, [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Maximus]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 31|Bonus Edition Vol. 31}} He then fled from an attacking [[Mindwipe (G1)|Mindwipe]], {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 34|Bonus Edition Vol. 34}} played [[Straxus (G1)|Straxus]] in the ''[[Transformers: Convobat Amazon Showdown]]'' movie but got the line "Transform!" wrong, {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Convobat)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}} fled again from Mindwipe, [[Weirdwolf (G1)|Weirdwolf]] and [[Skullcruncher (G1)|Skullcruncher]], {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 35|Bonus Edition Vol. 35}} and took up riding [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]]'s commuter train to work. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 40|Bonus Edition Vol. 40}}

Cheetor was among the victims gobbled up by [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] during his rampage, {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 43|Bonus Edition Vol. 43}} but was fine and continued to inhabit the rebuilt [[Akihabara|Neo Akihabara City]]. {{storylink|Targetmaster Chapter Prologue}} He then went on to witness [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] battle [[Scourge (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Scourge]], {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 45|Bonus Edition Vol. 45}} get turned into a [[Beastformer]] by [[White Leo]], {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 51|Bonus Edition Vol. 51}} and watch as [[Broadside (G1)|Broadside]] arrived in the Legends World. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 53|Bonus Edition Vol. 53}} Cheetor had fallen asleep on the train again when he was awoken by the smell of silvervine. {{storylink|TF Legends Late Xmas Present Chapter|Late Xmas Present Chapter}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
:*''First Appearance:'' [[Windblade vol. 2 issue 6|Transformers: Windblade vol. 2 #6]]

[[File:Windblade6-allofus.jpg|left|thumb|300px]]
Cheetor of the [[Fur Walkers]] was forged on the colony world of [[Eukaris]], emerging from the [[hot spot]] of his world's [[Titan (IDW)|Titan]], [[Chela]]. As the "Talon of [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Onyx Prime]]", Chela championed his Prime's love of beast-formers over standard-formers, likely influencing the beast modes of his people. By modern times, the people of Eukaris had divided into four major tribes. Cheetor was representative of the Fur Walkers on the rare occasion the tribes met under a white flag for talks.

The arrival of "standard-formers" from Cybertron was a major development on Eukaris, and the Four Tribes met with both outsiders and the [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Fateweaver]] to understand the ramifications. Cheetor and the tribes met with [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Chancellor Starscream]] of Cybertron and [[Windblade (G1)|Windblade]] of [[Caminus]] when they exited from the spacebridge. Initially reluctant to form relations with Cybertron, whose people persecuted the children of Onyx Prime, Cheetor opened to the idea when he learned that other colony worlds were involved as well. {{storylink|Windblade vol. 2 issue 6|Windblade vol. 2 #6}}

Despite their differences, Cheetor and [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]] grudgingly exchanged gifts on Chosen One Day. {{storylink|Choose Me}}

When [[Unicron]] arrived to consume Eukaris, [[Manta Ray (BW)|Manta Ray]] and Cheetor watched in horror as the planet-eater began devouring their homeworld, and were themselves presumably destroyed shortly thereafter. {{storylink|Our Darkest}}
{{-}}

==Games==
===''Beast Wars: Transformers'' video game continuity===
====''Beast Wars: Transformers'' video game comic====
[[File:Cheetor-beastmodescan.jpg‎|thumb|upright=1.1|My eyes are up here!]]
Upon arriving on prehistoric Earth, the dangers of Energon radiation forced the Maximals and Predacons to take on beast alternate forms. "Cheetor" promptly grabbed a cheetah by its underbelly, hoisted it up to his optics, and scanned the creature's molecular structure. The indignant cheetah could do nothing but silently ask the robot "Do you mind?" Cheetor transformed into his new organic cheetah mode and darted into Predacon territory. Unfortunately, Cheetor was spotted by [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]], and the two battled until they were forced to return to their beast modes to avoid Energon radiation damage. {{storylink|Beast Wars: Transformers video game advertising comic}}

====''Beast Wars:Transformers'' video game====
Many Beast Wars combatants had managed to construct personal bases, customized to their personal tastes, due to the extended duration of the war. Cheetor's own base was an Energon mining operation, located in a desert area. It featured sphinx-like statues bearing Cheetor's likeness and colour scheme. Cheetor joined his fellow Maximals in battling not only an entrenched Predacon threat, but the interdimensional monsters known as the [[Skriix]].

=====Maximal Campaign=====
[[File:Beastwarspsx-Cheetorstats.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|I lost weight! Can you tell?]]

Upon having eliminated the Predacon threat, Cheetor was part of Optimus Primal's roll call when he announced that the galaxy was now at peace.

=====Predacon Campaign=====
Cheetor's mining operation was deemed a threat to the Predacon agenda, and a Predacon was dispatched to eliminate him. In order to systematically dismantle Cheetor's mining operation, the Predacons first targeted his "[[Rock Blaster]]" drone unit for destruction. Subsequently, they planted a bomb within [[Cheetor's mining plant]], and annexed the territory. In order to ensure that their new conquest would be firmly under their control, the Predacons killed Cheetor himself, sending a lone Predacon agent to neutralize him in a firefight.
{{storylink|Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)|Beast Wars: Transformers}}

{{Note|Due to the nature of this game, a player may select various individual characters to perform the feats required in every level, and complete the game's narrative. Thus, any playable Maximal can fill the role of protagonist in Maximal Mode, and any playable Predacon can fill the role of protagonist in Predacon Mode. To view the various feats Cheetor can accomplish throughout gameplay in Maximal Mode, it is told on the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)|''Beast Wars'' video game]] page, wherein Cheetor fills the role of the nameless Maximal.}}

===''Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals'' (N64)===
[[File:Beastwarstransmetalsgame-cheetorstats.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|Glitch, game stats!]]
{{voiceactor|[[Ian James Corlett]] (English), ??? (Japanese)}}

During a decisive battle, Cheetor witnessed Optimus being badly injured. Cheetor’s reaction was to charge into battle with unmatched fury, turning the tide of the war in favor of the Maximals. Thanks to this victory, the Maximals eventually overpowered the Predacons, and established peace on the planet. Following the battle, Optimus and Cheetor had this heartwarming exchange;

[[File:N64Cheetors.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|SECRET COLORS CHEETOR and also Cheetor's Tigatron cosplay.]]

Optimus: "You showed a lot of potential out there. Someday you might make one prime leader."
Cheetor replied: "Sorry Bigbot, but that's your department... But who knows? Maybe in another universe!" {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals (N64)}}

He liked to pelvic thrust, arms around the back of his neck, after each victory. ''Hello,'' pussycat.

{{note|Each character possessed an alternate ending, displayed if the game was beaten with said character. Each character has only their own ending listed on their pages, see the other characters' pages for Cheetor's fate in those outcomes.}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals'' (PS)===
{{voiceactor|[[Ian James Corlett]] (English), ??? (Japanese)}}
{{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals (PS)}}
{{charstubgame}}

===''Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars''===
[[File:DuelFight-Cheetor.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Adolescence is so unstable.]]
Cheetor became involved in a series of one-on-one battles when the discovery of a super-powerful [[energon crystal]] on [[Earth]] led several Maximals and Predacons to attempt obtaining the crystal's powers for their own gain.

Cheetor could also partake in various other tasks, such as a mission to break a boulder to reveal an energon crystal hidden within before sundown, using a block in a mission to defend himself against various incoming projectiles, and missions to run across a pit-riddled field, sometimes involving hideously large bacteria he had to fend off.

Cheetor eventually defeated [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], the last bot standing between the crystal and himself. Once the crystal was in his possession, Cheetor absorbed its power, becoming the most powerful of the Maximal. This allowed him to soar through the ranks and become [[Supreme Commander]]. This position was more than he could handle, however, and he abandoned his post after only three days. {{storylink|Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle|Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars}}

{{note|Each character possessed an alternate ending, displayed if the game was beaten with said character. Each character has only their own ending listed on their pages, see the other characters' pages for Cheetor's fate in those outcomes.}}

===3D Battle-Card Game===
Cheetor, in his Transmetal 2 body, was one of Optimus's many allies in a fight against [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]]'s own army, 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 a tectonic upshift, a huge amount of [[Energon]] was exposed. Cheetor and the other Maximals found themselves the victims of a Predacon ambush as they tried to secure the Energon themselves, and the cache ultimately fell into Predacon hands. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Legends)|Beast Wars}} On their return to Cybertron, the Maximals discovered that Megatron had conquered the planet, and they were forced to face his Vehicon generals. {{storylink|Beast Machines (Legends)|Beast Machines}}

===''Transformers: Battle Tactics''===
[[File:Battle-Tactics-Cheetor.jpg|thumb|400px|That was a mercy kill and ya live in a...camper van!]]
Cheetor participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He appeared in three different bodies:
*''Cheetor'' — This Rare character was available as a reward in the "Beast Wars: Episode 1" event.
*''Cheetor Transmetal II'' — This Super Rare character was first available as a reward to 2500 players in the "Transmetals: Episode 3" mini events.
*''Cheetor Transmetal'' — This Epic character was first available as a reward to 2500 players in the third "Transmetals 2: Episode 1" mini event, and could be recruited by collecting 650 units of Cybermetal, 350 units of Transmetal, 150 exclusive cores, and 50 cores of this character.
{{storylink|Transformers: Battle Tactics}}
{{{!}}border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="background:transparent"
{{!}}-
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
[[File:Battle-Tactics-Cheetor-Transmetal-II.jpg|thumb|400px|right|Transmetal II as in Cheetor #2!]]
{{!}}style="background:transparent; border-right: 0px" valign="top"{{!}}
[[File:Battle-Tactics-Cheetor-Transmetal.jpg|thumb|400px|right|Three modes, third Cheetor!]]
{{!}}}
{{--}}

===''Transformers: Earth Wars''===
[[File:CheetorEarthWars.jpg|thumb|upright=1.75|]]

*'''Class''': Special
*'''Lowest Star Rating:''' 2 star
*'''Ability: Bestial Fury - For 15 seconds, use melee attacks dealing 37.8 damage. Destroy buildings to increase your attack and movement speeds by 25% - the buff lasts 90 seconds and can stack 5 times.
**'''Cost:''' 4 ability points +2 for reuses.
[http://http://wiki.transformersearthwars.com/character:cheetor| Cheetor at Transformers: Earth Wars Wiki]
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Forged to Fight''===
[[File:ForgedToFight-Cheetor.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
{{storylink|Transformers: Forged to Fight}}
{{-}}

==Toys==
{{main|Cheetor (BW)/toys}}

==Merchandise==
{{main|Cheetor (BW)/toys#Merchandise}}

==Notes==
*Cheetor has the first line in the show ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]''; he also has the last line in the show ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]'', closing the arc of the two shows in a coherent development of Cheetor as a young rookie to Cheetor as commander.
*Cheetor and [[Tigatron]] are the only characters in ''Beast Wars'' who are definitely [[Scale|in the correct scale]] to the life form they have adopted as a [[beast mode]], since Cheetor specifically was seen near a real cheetah in the pilot episode. As a result, Cheetor and Tigatron have the odd distinction of being the yardstick by which other ''Beast Wars'' characters' scale inconsistencies can be measured.
*The animation model for Cheetor's original body (and thus [[Tigatron]]'s as well) is one of the comparatively more [[Show-accuracy|toy-accurate]] of the Season One cast. His [[Transformation|transformation scheme]], however, is simplified by having his arms and crotch-piece unfold from his beast mode's belly instead of its back, possibly in order to eliminate the need for a mid-transformation change in the direction he is facing; a rarity in ''Beast Wars'' design and something only [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] does in the actual show.
*[[Mainframe Entertainment]]'s original plan for [[Transmetal]] Cheetor was to have his face mature over the course of the season, from a big-eared, wide-eyed, rounded face into one close to the toy. Also, he would have had a "Hero's Heart" which glowed after completing brave or heroic feats, somewhat akin to the classic anime character Astro Boy. Due to time and financial restrictions, none of these concepts panned out. Thankfully. His toy, however, DOES have a molded heart on the abdomen.
[[File:CheetorGameBoyColor1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|I wonder what ''Beast Machines'' Cheetor thinks of this artwork?]]
*''[[Comic Bom Bom]]'' advertisements for the Game Boy Color's ''[[Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle|Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars]]'' feature Cheetor with a slightly different (and much happier) head than the version which appeared in the game's instruction manual. Both are sickeningly cute, though.
[[File:CheetorBMconcept.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66|Things usually do look more badass in concept art.]]
*Though most early artwork for ''Beast Machines'' character designs were very different from the final product, Cheetor's design seems to have changed very little, with only the green being downplayed in his color scheme.
*In "[[Bee in the City]]", ''Beast Wars'' Megatron accidentally calls [[Bumblebee (Animated)|Bumblebee]] "Cheetor", the first instance of a running gag where the plucky young yellow kid-appeal bot is called by another kid-appeal bot's name.
*In the Japanese dub of the ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars]]'' cartoon and in the ''[[Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Metals (manga)|Beast Wars Metals]]'' manga, Cheetor had the quirk of ending sentences in a long, stressed "Jā-n", which is supposed to sound like a cute kitty growl. He maintains it in the [[Henkei! Henkei! Transformers (pack-in manga)|''Henkei'' pack-in comic]] that was packaged with him and [[Hound (G1)#Henkei! Henkei!|Hound]]. Cheetor also had the tendency to say "Woooow!" and speak English language phrases (such as "beast mode") in a pronounced American accent to emphasis his cool, carefree attitude. In addition to all that, whenever firing his weapon, he would shout "utsumashi!" ("fire!"). Every. Single. Time.
*A series of unusual decisions was made regarding Cheetor and Tigatron in the ''Beast Wars: Transmetals'' game's localization. In the Japanese version of the game, Cheetor had a red-tinged set of "Player 2" colors and an unlockable "Player 3" color scheme obviously based on Tigatron. The North American version of the game added Tigatron as a playable character... but instead of reassigning the pre-existing "Player 3" colors to him, a new color scheme that ''[[:File:N64Tigatron.jpg|looked less like Tigatron]]'' was created for him. Furthermore, Cheetor's Japanese "Player 2" colors were eliminated entirely and his original Tigatron-themed colors were '''kept'''... resulting not only in two primarily white Transmetal Cheetor models in one game, but a Tigatron who looked less like himself than Cheetor did.
*According to ''[[Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II]]'', Cheetor likes pie.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Cheetus''' (チータス ''Chītasu'')<ref>The "Cheetus" [[Romanization]] is used on the Device Label packaging and is consistently used in most other Japanese media. An exception would be the ''[[Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle Complete Manual]]'', the official strategy guide for ''[[Duel Fight Transformers Beast Wars: Beast Warriors' Strongest Decisive Battle]]'' video game, which used "Cheetas".</ref>
*''French:'' '''Vélocitor''' (cartoon)<ref>Derived from "vélocité," which means "speed".</ref>
*''Indonesian:'' '''Sidor'''
*''Italian:'' '''Ghepard''', '''Metal Ghepard''' (Transmetal toy)
*''Korean:'' '''Cheeto''' (치토 ''Chito'')
*''Mandarin:'' '''Bàu-tz''' (Taiwan, 豹子, "Leopard"), '''Hūa Bàu''' (Taiwan ''Beast Machines'', 花豹, "Leopard"), '''Huáng Bào''' (China ''Beast Wars'', 黄豹, "Yellow Leopard"), '''Bào Sīlìng''' (China ''Beast Machines'', 豹司令, "Commander Lepoard")
*''Polish:'' '''Gepardon''' ("Cheetodon")
*''Russian:'' '''Geptor'''
*''Spanish:'' '''Chitor''', '''Chitah''' (America, "Cheetah")

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:3D Battle-Cards]]
[[Category:Beast Machines Maximals]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Maximals]]
[[Category:Beast Wars: Uprising Maximals]]
[[Category:Children of Primus]]
[[Category:Cloud characters]]
[[Category:Eukaris]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:Henkei! Henkei! Autobots]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Transformers]]
[[Category:Knights]]
[[Category:Legends Maximals]]
[[Category:Maximal Command Security Force]]
[[Category:Maximal leaders]]
[[Category:Resistance]]
[[Category:Scouts]]
[[Category:Transformers with three modes]]
[[Category:Transmetals]]
[[Category:Transmetals 2]]
[[Category:Universe Autobots]]
[[Category:Wings Universe Autobots]]

Rhinox (BW)

2018-12-29T02:07:51Z

RyRodrigo: /* Beast Machines cartoon */

{{factions|maximal|predacon|vehicon|autobot|onyxprime|liegemaximo|unicron}}
{{disambig3|Rhinox}}
{{suite}}
:''Rhinox is a [[Maximal]] from the [[Beast Era]] portion of the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[File:Rhinoxbw.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|"I will usher in a new age of technological perfecti — er, I mean, yay, pretty flowers."]]
[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] was on the mark when he said that '''Rhinox''' was the best of them. He's a Renaissance Bot. Intelligent, massive, strong, and stalwart, there are few Maximals one could depend on more. Rhinox is of a rare breed — he's incredibly tech savvy, but mystically-inclined... without coming off as a burnt-out technohippie. He's quick and decisive in a crisis, with spectacular results, but is slow and steady. He loves to sniff the flowers. A behind-the-scenes charismatic and an on-his-feet strategist, he could lead the Maximals if he wanted to, but he doesn't.

If he sounds too good to be true, it's because he just might be. At times he can be borderline obsessive and single-minded, but his strong moral center keeps it from getting out of hand. The Maximals are glad for that, because if he ever lost his ethical restraint, woe be to them. No, woe be to the ''galaxy''.

Still, you can't help but love a bot who can fight Megatron to a standstill without breaking a sweat yet would rather take a nap in a patch of daisies. Rhinox considers [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] to be his best friend, though he also has a close friendship with [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]]. He appears to have some "older sibling/parental" emotions toward [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] due to his role in bringing her online.

Rhinox's only weapons—besides his intimidating strength and brilliant mind—are his twin chainguns, affectionately named "[[Machine gun|Chainguns of Doom]]" by the fans.

Rhinox's core was an integral part of the evil [[Vehicon general]] [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]].

{{bigquote|Make a device to extract molecular structure from an alien probe... man, I gotta be a miracle worker!|Rhinox|"[[Chain of Command (BW)|Chain of Command]]"}}

==Fiction==
===Toy bios===
Rhinox was a territorial warrior who stampeded his way through the jungle whenever Predacons drew near, crushing everything in his path. Although he was known to be courageous and cunning, what mades him stand out from other warriors was that he had never been injured. EVER. Even though he had never backed down from a fight, his triple-thick, steel-plated skin protected him from all harm, even double-barreled laser cannons (which were presumably very powerful weapons). {{storylink|Rhinox (BW)#Toys|Rhinox bio}}

Following the [[quantum surge]], Rhinox found himself in a new Transmetal body, and couldn't be happier; thanks to his new [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]], his new body is a lot faster then his previous one. One of his new battle moves involves pulling off wheelies on the battlefield. Furthermore, the semi-organic nature of his [[robot mode]] granted him additional fluidity and skill in combat.{{storylink|Rhinox (BW)#TM1|Transmetal Rhinox Bio}}

While collecting the exploded spark of [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]], Rhinox became a [[Transmetal|Metals]] as well. His knowledge and inner serenity were still intact. {{storylink|#TM1|Metals Rhinox bio}}

===''Beast Wars'' cartoon continuity===
====''Beast Wars'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Richard Newman]] (English), [[Daiki Nakamura]] (Japanese)|[[Yang Guang]] (Chinese), [[Alexandr Novikov]] (Russian, 2nd dub), [[Felipe di Nardo]] (Portuguese), [[Hervé Joly]] (French), [[Maurizio Trombini]] (Italian), [[Gerhard Marcel]] (German), [[Miguel Ángel Ghigliazza]] (Latin American Spanish), [[Vicente Gisbert]] (Castilian Spanish), [[Byeong-sig Lee]] (Korean)}}
[[File:BeastWarsPt1 Primal and Rattrap ride Rhinox.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"Right, I've changed my mind: Optimus, become a damn truck."]]

Rhinox was a crewmember of the exploration ship ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'' when captain [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] got word that the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] criminal [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] had stolen the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]] and a [[Darksyde (BW)|ship]] with [[transwarp]] capabilities. The ''Axalon'' was the closest vessel that also possessed a transwarp drive, so Rhinox's ship was sent to engage them. After following the Predacons through a transwarp portal and appearing above a mysterious planet, both ships were damaged in the ensuing space battle, and before both ships crashed into the planet's surface below, the [[stasis pod]]s carrying the rest of Rhinox's crew were ejected into orbit.

The planet was rich with [[energon]]—so much so that prolonged exposure would short out their bodies, so the Maximals and Predacons were forced to take organic forms from the local creatures. Rhinox took the form of a rhinoceros. He soon took part in a rescue mission to retrieve [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] after the young Maximal ran into the Predacons, and forced [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] to give Primal cover. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}}

During Optimus's battle with [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]], Rhinox pulled the pair to safety after they almost plunged off a ledge. The Maximals subsequently were forced to tail the Predacons, and when Dinobot almost accidentally slagged Rhinox, it caused the ex-Predacon and Rattrap to come to blows. The two factions eventually reached the mountain topped with energon and fought over it while in their [[beast mode]]s, until Megatron ended up destroying it. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 2)}}

[[File:TheWeb Rhinox closeup.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|"Bah, stuck in the base ''again''! To get more scenes, I need some sort of ''weapon''... a really ''impressive'' one...]]
Being the handyman of the crew, Rhinox quickly developed a new comlink to overcome the problems with energon interference. After Cheetor got into trouble while testing it, Rattrap gave the cat a hard time, causing him to race off, and Rhinox pointed out that Cheetor was about to do something stupid. He ordered Rattrap to go after Cheetor. {{storylink|The Web}} Rhinox's next developments were some energon monitoring devices, though Optimus initially scrubbed the mission to install them. After Cheetor went anyway, and a series of events almost destroyed the Maximal base, Rhinox and the other Maximals thanked Cheetor for preventing the explosion. {{storylink|Equal Measures}}

[[File:ChainofCommand Rhinox with chaingun.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.34|"-OF DOOM."]]
Rhinox had to dive for safety during a battle at the [[Standing Stones]], after [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] blew up the energon cache at its center. After Primal went missing, Rhinox had to break up a fight between Dinobot and Rattrap over who would lead, insisting on a secret ballot. The ballot ended in a deadlock, but they were then contacted by Primal, who'd become trapped in an [[Vok probe|alien probe]] at the Standing Stones. Rattrap was placed in charge during the bossmonkey's absence, and his command to Rhinox was to build a device to extract Optimus from the probe. Whether or not this device would actually have worked is unknown, as shortly before he had a chance to use it, Rhinox was ambushed by [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], but turned the tables by blasting the Predacon with his chaingun. Waspinator stumbled into a stone, and Rhinox realized the whole structure was a mechanism as it caused the probe to disgorge Optimus Primal. {{storylink|Chain of Command (BW)|Chain of Command}}

When Cheetor reported that [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] had found a [[flying mountain]], Rhinox theorized that the high concentration of energon on the top of it might be responsible for the strange gravity-warping effect. {{storylink|Power Surge (episode)|Power Surge}} After Primal was taken out by a Predacon sneak attack, Rhinox, Cheetor and Rattrap headed for a crashed stasis pod. The trio were delayed further, and beaten to the pod, however the [[protoform]] had already been awakened as [[Tigatron]]. {{storylink|Fallen Comrades}} Like the other Maximals, Rhinox was shocked by Rattrap's apparent defection to the Predacons, but as it turned out, it was a ploy to discover how the Predacons had been spying on the Maximals, and they were soon rescuing their comrade. {{storylink|Double Jeopardy}}

Rhinox later developed [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]], a hi-tech security system for the Axalon, which unfortunately went berserk when its control panel was damaged in a struggle between Dinobot and Rattrap, forcing the Maximals from their own base. Rattrap however, was able to infiltrate the now-heavily guarded ship and deactivate Sentinel, which was then repaired and made fully-functional by Rhinox. {{storylink|A Better Mousetrap}} The Maximals were forced to restrain Optimus after he was infected by a rage virus in a [[cyberbee]] developed by [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] and Rhinox was unable to work out how to remove it. After Primal undertook a one-bot assault on the Predacon base, Rhinox took part in the mission to rescue their leader, laying down suppressing fire to allow Cheetor to slip inside the base. {{storylink|Gorilla Warfare}}

[[File:Victory Rhinox sit down.jpg|thumb|260px|"I'm telling you, Optimus...this planet's core is made of creamy chocolate and I'm going to drill to the center of it whether you like it or not!"]]
He was unsuccessful in contacting a Maximal [[temporal probe]] which flew past the planet. Though he blamed himself, he and the other Maximals rallied themselves to build a communications array on Predacon soil. Unfortunately while they were doing so, [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]]'s latest invention the [[Transformation Lock Lens]], prevented them from sending the signal before Megatron destroyed the array. {{storylink|The Probe}} When a Predacon plan to fake a Maximal victory was exposed, Rhinox was dismayed when Optimus and Cheetor insisted on leaving the ''Axalon'' with liftoff imminent in order to rescue Dinobot. Tigatron attempted to go as well, leading Rhinox to order him to sit down. Liftoff eventually occurred without Primal, however Megatron got on board and damaged the controls. Rhinox attempted to control the ship and, with some assistance from Optimus, managed to get it down at least in one piece, though it would never fly again. {{storylink|Victory (episode)|Victory}}

[[File:DarkDesigns Rhinox monologues.jpg|left|upright=1.4|thumb|Evil has silver detailing. Who knew?]]
Some time later, when the Maximals found themselves cornered by a Predacon ambush, Rhinox was able to take out their attackers with a carefully aimed spray of chaingun fire. Megatron was so impressed that he decided to make Rhinox a member of his merry band of thieves, by force. Rhinox was captured by Tarantulas and then reprogrammed into a Predacon by a device designed by Megatron called a "[[Transmuter (BW)|Transmuter]]". However, the newly malevolent Rhinox proved to be too much for Megatron to handle, as Optimus Primal had correctly predicted. He quickly dispatched most of the Predacons, working his way up to Megatron himself in an attempted coup. Rhinox very nearly succeeded, but fortunately, Megatron was able to revert him back into a Maximal using the Transmuter, and Rhinox escaped to rejoin his Maximal comrades and smell some flowers. {{storylink|Dark Designs}}

The Maximals arrived back at base after being sent on wild goose chases by Megatron's [[Clone One|clone of Dinobot]], only to find that the clone had already been dealt with by the real Dinobot. {{storylink|Double Dinobot}} Later, a stasis pod crash landed in a barren wasteland. Rhinox intercepted it and, with the help of [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]]'s [[locking chip]], managed to save the protoform Maximal's [[spark]]. The protoform then became [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]], who repaid the favor by saving the weakened Rhinox from Terrorsaur. {{storylink|The Spark}}

While Rhinox was communicating long distance with Tigatron, his fellow Maximal was attacked by Waspinator and Terrorsaur, leading the Maximals to discover the existence of a [[Brigadoon|flying island]]. {{storylink|The Trigger, Part 1}} [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] took control of the island and piloted it towards the ''Axalon'', forcing Rhinox, Cheetor and Dinobot to evacuate the base. The only thing Rhinox took with him was a potted plant. When the island's destruction sent a beam into space, the Maximals wondered who received the signal and what they'd do next. {{storylink|The Trigger, Part 2}}

At one point, a [[magna pulse]] triggered by Tarantulas knocked out the power in the Maximal base, and Optimus Primal left Rhinox struggling to get things working again. {{storylink|Spider's Game}} The loss of the ''Axalon''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> [[rectifier coil]] forced the Maximals to stay in their beast forms at all times, which resulted in their beast instincts taking over and sending them off to wander the jungle. It was only with Tigatron's help that they deleted the programming blocks separating their core programming, and they were able to fight the Predacons who were hunting them. {{storylink|Call of the Wild}}

[[File:Dark Voyage Rhinox listening.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Rhinox's Yoga phase]]
When Scorponok detonated a pile of energon near a group of Maximals, rendering them blind, it was Rhinox who led the group on the dangerous trek back to the Axalon, teaching them how to use their other senses. They were able to overcome the obstacles both nature and the Predacons could throw at them, and succeeded in reaching safety. Afterwards, Rhinox again went off to smell some flowers. {{storylink|Dark Voyage}} After the Maximals were ousted from their base by the Predacons assisted by a [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]-possessed Waspinator, they attempted a ruse to get the ''Axalon'' back, resulting in Rhinox and the others mounting an assault on the Predacon base. {{storylink|Possession}}

[[File:LowRoad fart.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.5|Thunder Crack Blast]]
Later, Tarantulas infected Rhinox with an [[energon discharge virus]], which made him expel his energon reserves via his nasal passages in bursts powerful enough to tear through the hull of the Axalon, threatening both to destroy the Maximals' base and completely drain Rhinox of energy. Rattrap and Dinobot were dispatched to acquire a countervirus, while Rhinox ate some wild bean vines to keep his strength up. When the bickering duo nearly failed in their mission, the other Maximals, including Rhinox, showed up, and the rhinoceros blew away the Predacons with a massive energon... *ahem*"derriere-based"... discharge which was caused by his ingestion of wild beans; Megatron would remember this moment as the most humiliating defeat in his entire career. Rhinox was later cured by the countervirus via a Cybertronic beer hat. {{storylink|The Low Road}}

After Megatron called a truce, Rhinox assisted "non-violently" in helping Tigatron escape after infiltrating the Predacon base to find out more information. He non-violently held up a sheet of metal for Terrorsaur to crash into, and then non-violently sat on him. Tigatron reported that the aliens were coming. {{storylink|Before the Storm}} Indeed, an alien construct appeared and, while the other Maximals were investigating it, Rhinox and Dinobot were bushwhacked in the Maximal base by Tarantulas and Blackarachnia. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 1}} The rest of the Maximals found their two comrades webbed to the ceiling, and placed them in [[CR chamber]]s. Rhinox stirred in his chamber as he sensed Primal's impending destruction. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}

[[File:ComingFuzors2 Rhinox searches for Primal.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.34|They warned us to not to take the brown acid!]]
Protected by the CR chamber, Rhinox avoided being upgraded into a [[Transmetal]] by the [[quantum surge]]. After recovering, he took leadership of the Maximals to forestall any bickering and sent Rattrap and Cheetor out to protect the base against Megatron. Unfortunately Inferno was already loose in the base, and managed to blast Rhinox before fighting Dinobot. Rhinox quickly recovered, throwing a badly-battered Inferno out and forcing Megatron to retreat. {{storylink|Aftermath}} Rhinox later initiated a dangerous plan to bring the recently deceased Optimus Primal back to life by using the hole in space-time caused by the destruction of the Planet Buster to astrally project his spark into the [[Transformer afterlife|Matrix]]. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)}} Rhinox followed the transition left by Primal's spark and led it back to the land of the living, where it was reborn as Transmetal Optimus Primal. Primal was able to come to the aid of the Maximals right when they were on the verge of defeat. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}}

[[File:OtherVisits2 Rhinox emerges from chamber.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|"Ohhhhhh... What ''had'' I been taking in that last screencap?"]]
Rhinox conducted tests on Optimus Primal to attempt to determine what the new Transmetal forms were capable of, with limited results. {{storylink|Tangled Web}} His research into the alien sites predicted that there would be one located in an area Tigatron and Airazor were patrolling, however a Predacon jamming tower prevented the Maximals from warning the pair, who were shot into space by some sort of alien planet device. While the others were off the base, Rhinox was attacked by Megatron, Blackarachnia and [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]], who made off with the [[Golden Disk (Vok)|Golden Disk]]. After repairs, Rhinox and the other Maximals went to the alien site, only to be blasted by the alien construct that appeared. {{storylink|Other Visits (Part 1)}} The Transmetaled Maximals recovered quickly, and [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] and Cheetor took Rhinox and Dinobot back to base for repairs. Rhinox was barely recovered when he was again pressed into action, attacking the [[Metal Hunter|alien construct]] which Megatron had taken over, to allow Rattrap and Tarantulas to slip inside. {{storylink|Other Visits (Part 2)}}

When [[Rampage (BW)|Protoform X]]'s stasis pod was discovered, Rhinox worried that its contents had survived the crash. {{storylink|Bad Spark}} Rhinox calculated that the [[transwarp wavefront]] from the Planet Buster explosion would soon be reaching [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], though the good news was tempered a short time later when Dinobot perished saving a group of [[protohuman]]s from the Predacons. {{storylink|Code of Hero}} Rhinox's tests on [[Transmutate (character)|Transmutate]] were not promising, and he suggested putting the creature in stasis. Silverbolt wasn't happy with the suggestion. {{storylink|Transmutate (episode)|Transmutate}}

[[File:Agenda3 Rhinox forcing door.jpg|right|upright=1.3|thumb|"Hey Rhinox, we just found the garage door opener after all... never mind."]]
Continuing to track the transwarp wavefront, Rhinox and the other Maximals celebrated their impending rescue, however instead they got Predacon agent [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]]. After fighting off the Predacons, Ravage helped the Maximals storm the ''Darksyde'' and arrest Megatron. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 1)}} With Ravage's defection, Rhinox and Rattrap found themselves under heavy assault in the ''Axalon''. Some daring-do on Rattrap's part saved the day, but the Maximals had to chase Megatron. Rhinox was forced to ride on Primal's surfboard, much to his visible discomfort at the height. They tracked Megatron to [[Mount St. Hilary]], where the Predacon leader had located the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] and attempted to reach the ship first. Though Rhinox physically forced the ship's doors open, they were too late — Megatron had blasted [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], causing a [[timestorm]] as history began to change. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)}}

With Blackarachnia's help, the Maximals stabilized Prime ad Rhinox stayed to supervise the repairs while the others went to defend the ''Axalon''. His work was interrupted by Silverbolt's "situation" — Blackarachnia had been shot by Megatron during the conflict, but as Rhinox pointed out, she just needed repairs. The ''Axalon'', on the other hand, was lost, and the Maximals were forced to set up base in the cavern housing the Ark. {{storylink|Optimal Situation}}

Rhinox had difficulties interfacing Maximal and [[Autobot]] technology, and expressed doubts that help was still on the way, though it did turn up in the form of [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]], who'd come looking for [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]]. {{storylink|Deep Metal}} An attempt by Rhinox to rig up [[Teletraan I]]'s force field to protect the base failed, forcing the Maximals to attempt to salvage Sentinel. He later had to restrain Rattrap from trying to attack Depth Charge, who had caused the mission to fail. {{storylink|Changing of the Guard}}

[[File:CuttingEdge Rhinox chainguns.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.3|You wouldn't like him when he's angry.]]
Analysing the [[cyber raptor]] which Primal had encountered, Rhinox reported that it was fused with Transmetal technology. Once the others had all left the base, he and Rattrap found themselves under siege from Megatron and a group of Predacons. Rhinox finally made a desperate attempt to see them off with a barrage of chaingun fire, only to be blasted backwards. Depth Charge fortunately came to the rescue and saved them both. {{storylink|Cutting Edge}}

When the Maximals thought that Cheetor had been killed, Rhinox told Primal not to give up hope, and went to get the long-range sensors online. As it turned out, his optimism was correct, as Cheetor later turned up outside the base. {{storylink|Feral Scream Part 1}} After Cheetor was apparently spirited away overnight by a strange creature, Silverbolt and Blackarachnia went out looking, but to Rhinox's surprise, didn't find anything. {{storylink|Feral Scream Part 2}}

[[File:CrossingtheRubicon Rhinox operating.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.34|"Everyone, shut up! I'm finally gonna beat the first level of ''[[Transformers: Mystery of Convoy|Mystery of Convoy]]!''"]]
Rhinox scanned Blackarachnia's internals, with a view to extracting her Predacon [[shell program]] and restoring her to a Maximal state. Some time later, he and Primal discovered that she had overheard their conversation about the concept, and fled in the belief they'd force her to go through with it. {{storylink|Proving Grounds}} A huge buildup of energy on a mountain top caused alarm for the Maximals, who braced for a possible attack, but all that happened was that the top of the mountain exploded. How odd. {{storylink|Go with the Flow}}

When Blackarachnia's attempts to become a Transmetal caused her shell program to deteriorate, threatening to erase her [[core consciousness]], Rhinox carried out a very delicate procedure to surgically remove the shell program directly. Unfortunately, certain failsafes installed by Tarantulas, combined with a Predacon attack, caused the operation to fail. Fortunately, Blackarachnia was mysteriously resurrected anyway by the [[Transmetal driver]]. {{storylink|Crossing the Rubicon}} Megatron's next gambit involved [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] remote controlling Optimus Primal. Once this was achieved, the subverted Primal's first order was for Rhinox to order everyone back to base, where Quickstrike was able to knock them out and stick them in a cage. Fortunately Blackarachnia was able to free Primal and the others and they fought off Megatron, who had upgraded himself using the original [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s spark. {{storylink|Master Blaster}}

[[File:Nemesis2 Rhinox yelling in shuttle.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|'''I AM NOT GETTING AGGRESSIVE!!!!''']]
Detecting an alien signature inbound to Earth, Rhinox realised that it meant that Tigatron and Airazor were coming back. Indeed, the Predacon base was soon destroyed by [[Tigerhawk]], the emissary the [[Vok]] had created using the two Maximal sparks, though Rhinox wasn't in the mood for celebrating. {{storylink|Other Victories}} Once the situation was sorted out, the Maximals began searching for Megatron and his scattered forces. Rhinox monitored the situation from base, as the others discovered that Megatron was attempting to raise the [[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]. He and Rattrap were overjoyed when Primal reported that Depth Charge had taken out the warship, but it turned out the news was a little too premature. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

Rhinox was ordered by Optimus Primal to execute [[Operation Eternity]], which apparently only Primal and he knew about. The purpose of the operation was to "move the Ark" by activating its engines and taking off; little is know beyond that, because the Maximals failed when the Ark's engines proved beyond repair. However, [[Dinobot II]] downloaded emergency data to the Ark about an [[Autobot Shuttle Omega Delta|Autobot shuttle]] hidden within the Ark. Rhinox piloted the shuttle and flew it directly into the bridge of the Nemesis, taking down Megatron and causing the warship to spiral out of control and crash somewhere beyond the horizon. Thus, the Beast Wars were won. Rhinox and the other Maximals left prehistoric Earth aboard the aforementioned Autobot shuttle and began the voyage home to Cybertron. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}
{{-}}

====''Beast Machines'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Richard Newman]] (English), [[Daiki Nakamura]] (Japanese)|[[Yang Guang]] (Chinese), [[Gerald Paradies]] (German)}}

{{see|Tankor (BM)}}
[[File:Revelations3 Rhinox vision.jpg|upright=1.2|thumb|Rhinox suffers the horrors of symbolism.]]

Rhinox returned to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] with the surviving Maximals to discover the entire population had been replaced by mindless [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon drones]] created by Megatron. {{storylink|The Reformatting}}

Rhinox, like the other Maximals, was exposed to Megatron's [[Transformation virus|virus]] at this point. Although the [[Transmetal]] Maximals merely reverted to their original shapes, the Maximals who were still ''in'' their original shapes were instantly paralyzed. As a result, Rhinox and [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] were captured, stripped of their organic bodies and placed in the new bodies of [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] and [[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]]. {{storylink|Revelations Part II: Descent|Descent}} Much later on, Rhinox's mind was freed by Optimus' spark connection with him, and he watched and observed, eventually turning his back on his Maximals to go along with Megatron's cause of a purely technological, one-mind Cybertron. {{storylink|Revelations Part III: Apocalypse|Apocalypse}}

Rhinox pretended to still be Tankor and sneaked around Megatron's ranks, reprogramming the [[Diagnostic Drone]] as his agent. He'd decided Megatron's ''cause'' was right, but it needed a different, more efficient person at the helm... someone like ''him''. He went off to fulfill this new mission, in a highly malevolent and sadistic manner. {{storylink|Survivor}}

[[File:BeastMachinesRhinoxFuneral.JPG|left|thumb|Optimus struggles with the "make-your-own Transformer" toy.]]

Rhinox went looking for the legendary [[Key to Vector Sigma]] that was supposed to turn organic life into technomatter. He found it, took control of it, and then faked his death. {{storylink|The Key}} Now on the underground and spying on both sides, he used the Diagnostic Drone to reveal the Key had been discovered, intending for Megatron to use it on himself (to eradicate his [[beast mode]]) and go insane in the process. When this didn't work, he set it up so Rattrap would find and use a catalyst program that would cause mutant plant life to erupt in [[Cybertropolis]], scaring Megatron into arming the [[Tank Drone]]s with copies of the Key... {{storylink|The Catalyst}}

[[File:TankorRhinox Spark.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|A mutual case of blue balls is something not even Tankor would wish on his worst enemy.]]

...only to find he no longer had remote control of the drones, and would need to trick Megatron into using them instead. By this point, he'd already been tampering with the Oracle (an interface for Vector Sigma) and used it to trick Optimus into finding the [[Plasma Energy Chamber]] that could destroy all technology. While he (wrongly) thought Primal would never use it, he knew Megatron would never take the chance! Unfortunately for him, he overplayed his hand: Megatron thought Optimus wouldn't use it either, grew suspicious with the Diagnostic Drone pushing him to strike first, and disabled it. Rhinox decided to launch an ambush assault and take out both enemy leaders while they were fighting... only to find, whoops, Megatron had programmed his generals to be ''incapable'' of shooting him. Rhinox was swiftly offlined, his plan stolen by Megatron, and then killed by plasma energy: a humiliating demise. {{storylink|End of the Line|End of the Line}}

Rhinox's spiritual form appeared once more with Optimus in the Matrix, bidding his friend farewell and to telling him to embrace his Spark. For his sins, he told Optimus, he himself would be remaining in the Matrix; he expressed regret for his actions. {{storylink|Fallout (episode)|Fallout}}
{{-}}

====Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity====
=====''Cloud''=====
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Shock (Cloud)|Shock}} {{storylink|Wild (Cloud)|Wild}} {{storylink|TFC-A03}}}}

=====''Beast Wars Diorama Story''=====
After Starscream's leave from the Beast Wars, a battle broke out between the Maximals and Predacons. {{Storylink|Optimus Primal Chapter}} Rhinox found himself challenged by the mysterious new Predacon [[Wolfang (Predacon)|Wolfang]]. {{storylink|Rhinox Chapter}} {{storylink|Wolfang Chapter}} Eventually, [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s from another dimension joined the battle, with [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] and his troops joining the Maximals. {{storylink|Tigatron Chapter}} The combined Maximal-Autobot and Predacon-Decepticon forces eventually faced off against one other, with the Maximals and Autobots unleashing their fused energies on their foes first. {{storylink|Motorarm Chapter}}

=====''Legends'' comic=====
Following his death as Tankor, the remorseful Rhinox's spark traveled to the [[Legends World]], sensing that there was an alternate Rhinox there who had similar regrets and could use some counseling. Thanks to this universe's unique wish-granting "spirit power", he manifested as a ghost identical to his form on Earth. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Rhinox)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}} He proceeded to go find his counterpart, introducing himself as another Rhinox. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Waspinator)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}}

The two talked about their regrets as their respective Tankors, and Rhinox explained that though he'd accepted death as his penance, his alternate self was still alive and had a future during which he could change for the better. They were interrupted by the ghost of [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] attacking the [[Axalon Trading Company]] using the body of Waspinator, prompting Rhinox to use his own ghostly form to exorcise and defeat the Decepticon in defense of Legends Rhinox's friends. He was then reunited with Rattrap, who had been sent to find him and bring him back to their own world, but said that he'd done what he came for and that his fate was to was move on to the afterlife. To his surprise, however, Legends Rhinox was a skilled roboticist and whipped up a new body for his spark to inhabit, granting him a future as well. Thus alive once more, Rhinox returned with Rattrap to post-[[Great Reformatting]] Cybertron, where he was reunited with his friends. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Rhinox)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}}

====3H comics====
[[File:Groundzero-rhinoxandfractyl.jpg|thumb|upright=0.55|left]]
Rhinox was trying to teach Cheetor the value of peace and quiet when a firefight broke out in the Badlands. Finding the normally skittish [[Packrat]] trading heavy firepower with Inferno, Rhinox realized something was up. Although cautious at first, he listened to the Predacon geologist [[Fractyl]]'s explanation that Packrat had stolen some experimental energon armor, which was slowly degenerating into the unstable anti-energon. Rhinox convinced Packrat that the respect he craved would not come from power, but from giving up power when it was necessary. After Fractyl neutralized the armor, Rhinox threw the geeky Predacon scientist a bone and pretened to run in terror from the "might of Fractyl" so that the arriving Megatron would give his underling some respect. {{storylink|Ground Zero}}

[[File:Terminus-CheetorandRhinox.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|right|Good thing he's wearing that cushy parka.]]
By the time the Maximals were operating out of the Ark, Rhinox had taken it upon himself to make regular planetary sweeps with the base's scanners. After one such scan, he detected a Transwarp disruption, and a trail of chronal particles left behind by a newly arrived time-traveler. He informed Optimus Primal of his find, hoping that it was finally a means to return to their place in space-time. Rhinox and the rest of the Maximals set out to investigate the temporal trail, encountering the Predacons en route. The two factions were locked in a firefight, though the advantage lay with the Predacons. Megatron then took off to reach the time-traveller, and Rhinox insisted that Optimus go after him, while he and the other Maximals held back Megatron's troops. Though hesitant to do so, Optimus followed Rhinox's advice, and the Maximals were left behind against overwhelming odds. The Predacons eventually began to push the Maximals back towards a cliffside. As they encroached, an explosion hit Rhinox, and he was knocked offline. {{storylink|Paradox}}

Rhinox recovered just in time to watch as the newly arrived Shokaract attempted to rip Optimus's spark from his body. He helped his fellow Maximals fight back against the tyrant, but was knocked back when Shokaract threw Cheetor at him. Once Shokaract was defeated, space-time rebooted itself with the disappearance of the Dark Essence from the past, and these events were erased from Rhinox's timeline. {{storylink|Terminus (issue)|Terminus}}

[[File:Tankorrhinoxrevelations.jpg|left|upright=0.85|thumb|Stop hitting yourself! Stop hitting yourself!]]

When [[Primus]] gave [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] the ability to choose any Transformer, living or dead, from the [[Transformer afterlife|Allspark]] to assist him in the [[Universe War|multiversal war]] against [[Unicron]], Primal chose [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depthcharge]] and Rhinox. Depthcharge was bitter about being brought back from the dead, but Rhinox was thankful for the chance to atone for his actions as Tankor. {{storylink|Homecoming (Universe)|Homecoming}}

During the Universe War, Rhinox built a device to counteract Unicron's attempts to abduct Transformers. Two such attempts at deflection were only partially successful, necessitating the deployment of a rescue team. {{storylink|Voice Actor Drama}}

In the final battle of the war, Rhinox defeated the Minion general [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]], presumably redeeming his actions as his own universe's Tankor. He presumably escaped [[Unicron]] with Optimus Primal and the other Children. {{storylink|Revelations Part 2}}
{{-}}

====Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity====
During the Beast Wars, Rhinox designed a crawler vehicle, and sent Rattrap out into the wilderness to test it. On the way back to Cybertron after the end of the Beast Wars, Rhinox dozed off to sleep while Rattrap recalled his test run of the vehicle in a dream. {{storylink|Ain't No Rat}}

{{BW Shell Game}}
He awoke, affected by a Transwarp agitator planted on the shuttle by a new team of Predacons hiding on Earth. This device caused him and the other Maximals aboard to act aggressively towards one-another, and Rhinox tried to force Rattrap into the ship's C.R. Chamber due to its influence. Rattrap resisted, managed to get away, and deactivated the ship's Transwarp drive. Though this restored the Maximals to their senses, it also returned them to prehistoric Earth. {{storylink|Shell Game issue 1|Shell Game #1}}

====''Transformers Legends'' anthology (1)====
Not long after Megatron stole the spark of the original Megatron, he had Quickstrike plant a device in the Maximal base. The device magnified the Maximals' aggression, resulting in Rhinox trying to kill Blackarachnia while Silverbolt attempted to stop him. While Silverbolt failed, Optimus Primal arrived in time to pin Rhinox down, only to succumb to the device's effects himself. Primal was soon able to overcome the effect, and freed the rest of the Maximals who then fought off Megatron. {{storylink|A Meeting of Minds}}

After Tankor's death, Rhinox's spark and consciousness were cleansed and rejoined the Matrix. When Megatron was defeated by Nightscream, Rhinox saw an opportunity to redeem the fallen tyrant, and attempted to act as a spirit guide. Rhinox led Megatron through the ascending layers of Transformer afterlife, urging him to leave behind his fixation on worldly power. Megatron was briefly tempted, but his repeated returns to Cybertron convinced him that godhood was still within his reach. Tapping into the power of the Oracle, Megatron erased Rhinox's spark, killing him utterly. {{storylink|Singularity Ablyss}}

====IDW ''Beast Wars'' comics====
[[File:BWGatherRhinox.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Realising that he is functionally invisible to those around him, Razorbeast takes a moment to moon Rhinox.]]
The 'bot that would one day call himself "Rhinox" was aboard the ''Axalon'', along with the rest of its original crew, tasked with performing orbital scans of Cybertron. The crew's survey yielded Transmatter energy signatures coming from the head of [[Unicron]], in orbit around the planet. Upon their approach, they detected a whole lot of activity within the satellite; several units evacuating a concealed base. The ship's crew activated their shield just in time for a Transmatter bomb to erupt out of the satellite, and the Axalon to accidentally come to meet its path. The ship avoided any damage, and the bomb was deflected away from the planet. Some Transmatter debris did reach Cybertron however, and all those touched by it were reduced to protoforms. A few of these unfortunates were later entrusted to the crew of the ''Axalon''. {{storylink|Dawn of the Predacus}}

As Magmatron surveyed the timeline, he witnessed Rhinox standing over a stasis pod, while Cheetor and Terrorsaur battled some distance away. {{storylink|The Gathering issue 1|The Gathering #1}}

Rhinox stood outside the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' as [[Razorbeast]]'s [[Chronal phase|chronically-displaced]] Maximals passed by. Although Optimus Primal could vaguely sense their presence, Rhinox theorized that the sensation was just a side-effect of Primal's recent upgrades. {{storylink|The Gathering issue 3|The Gathering #3}}

After his (very) later death, Rhinox was reborn by the [[Vok]] and traveled the multiverse. He was supposedly fighting [[Unicron]]'s chaos, but knew the Vok really wanted him to manipulate Cybertronian history; however, out of guilt for his actions as Tankor, he still helped any Cybertronian he came across. He was probably [[Rhinox (Armada)|some other guy]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook #3}}
{{-}}

====''Timelines''====
During the prep for the ''Axalon'''s launch, the crew spent weeks on a space station getting everything ready. Rhinox assisted with the loading process as Protoform X's stasis pod was brought on board. As they launched, the bridge crew received word from Maximal High Command about the theft of the Golden Disk.

Mere moments after receiving their mission directive, the ''Axalon'' was attacked by a small assault craft piloted by [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] and [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]]. Rhinox attempted some emergency repairs of their damaged systems, but they would have been destroyed if the ''[[Chromia 10]]'' had not appeared in time to draw fire. Tragically, their rescuers were heavily damaged before Rhinox got everything back on-line in time to help. With leave from Optimus, he brought the two-mech crew's damaged bodies inside and stowed their sparks in blank protoforms to preserve them for later.

In pursuit of the ''Darksyde'', the ''Axalon'' came under fire from the Predacon ship. Rhinox kept the ship together as they pursued the ''Darksyde'' through transwarp space and then... {{storylink|Dawn of Future's Past}}

After [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] was reborn on [[Earth]], Rhinox fought the Predacons during a plot to launch an orbital weapon. The launching pad was destroyed by Airazor. {{storylink|The Razor's Edge}}

====Razorclaw continuity====
In one splinter timeline of [[Primax 496.22 Alpha]], minor atmospheric perturbations caused [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]]'s stasis pod to crash on the far side of Earth, and absent his presence, Megatron slaughtered all the remaining Maximals except [[Tigatron]] and [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]]. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/08/07}}

====Ask Vector Prime====
Due to the temporal machinations of [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] and the response by the [[Alternity]] in [[OG World|Primax 785.06 Alpha]], a quantum duplicate of Rhinox from just after the end of the Beast Wars in [[Primax 496.22 Alpha]] was spawned. The Alternity shepherded the "shipwrecked" Primal, Rhinox, Rattrap, and Silverbolt to [[Viron 102.0 Beta]] in order to fight the similarly-shipwrecked Megatron, who schemed to take over this reality's Cybertron by capturing the populace's sparks and converting their bodies into Vehicons. Guided by the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]], Primal's forces fought the long and arduous "Allspark Battles", eventually triumphing over Megatron's Vehicon hordes. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/30}}

====A Change to the Agenda====
After [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] attacked [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and was thrown out of the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] when [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] activated the ship's defense systems, Rhinox and the other Maximals attempted to heal the wounded Autobot. However, Megatron was not thrown far enough and the Predacon managed to reenter the Ark and blast the Autobot leader, decisively erasing the Maximals from the timeline. {{storylink|A Change to the Agenda}} In [[Primax 209.0 Gamma|the wildly different timeline]] that followed, Rhinox's life would take [[#Beast Wars: Uprising|a very different track]].

===''Beast Wars Metals'' manga===
[[File:RhinoxSuicideManga01.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Fun fact: Suicide is legal in Japan.]]

Following the [[Quantum surge]], [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] was dead and the [[Maximal]]s were left scattered all over [[Earth|Energoa]], with only [[Transmetal]] Rhinox and [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] holed up in the Maximal base. The [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] were in much better condition, having also been mutated into Transmetals but with their numbers still intact. As the Maximal base came under attack from [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] and his forces, Rhinox casually worked on a new machine while Rattrap freaked the hell out. Suddenly, [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] appeared and was attacked by [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]]. Much to Rattrap's chagrin, Rhinox shut Sentinel down to allow Airazor to get inside the base, though it considerably weakened their defenses.

Seeing an opening, [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] infiltrated the base and effortlessly took out Rattrap and Airazor. Rhinox proceeded to pull out a strange "gun," but instead of pointing it at ''her'', he pointed it at ''himself'' and proceeded to "blow his brains out." With the job well done, Blackarachnia left the base as it exploded.

As it turned out, the "gun" was part of Rhinox's machine, which was being kept safe from the explosion (along with Rattrap and Airazor) by a small force field. The "gun" allowed Rhinox to travel into [[Transwarp|Transwarp space]], where he found the [[spark]] of Optimus Primal, about to move on to his deathly reward. Reminding Primal of his duty to his Maximals, he helped Primal's spark escape Transwarp space and return to his body, turning it into a Transmetal. {{storylink|Beast Wars Metals issue 1|Beast Wars Metals #1}}

When Rampage became too much for Optimus Primal, he contacted Rhinox and asked for a map of undersea volcanic activity in their vicinity. Rhinox sent the data, which helped Primal set off a chain reaction that blasted Rampage into space. {{storylink|Beast Wars Metals issue 2|Beast Wars Metals #2}}

Rhinox later received a transmission from Dinobot, who was recovering from injuries in a [[protohuman]] village. {{storylink|Beast Wars Metals issue 3|Beast Wars Metals #3}}

He next watched the battle between Airazor and the mind-controlled Tigatron on a monitor and sent Optimus to help them. {{storylink|Beast Wars Metals issue 4|Beast Wars Metals #4}}

His monitoring skills came in handy again when he hacked into the security cameras of the ''Ark'' and found that Megatron was plotting to kill [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. {{storylink|Beast Wars Metals issue 5|Beast Wars Metals #5}}

Rhinox and Rattrap followed Primal in their vehicle modes, but were too slow to keep up. They arrived after the final battle was finished and Rhinox pondered how they were going to fix history. {{storylink|Beast Wars Metals issue 6|Beast Wars Metals #6}}

===''Transformers Legends'' anthology (2)===
The Maximals crashed in [[Mexico]] around 1,000 B.C.E., near where the [[Natiltec]] tribe lived. Their war with the Predacons eventually involved the local humans, and after the situation had been resolved, Rhinox recorded and encoded a message onto a cave wall alongside a Natiltec warrior's writings. Some three thousand years later, it was discovered by an archaeology team, who were able to use [[Laserbeak (Armada)|Laserbeak]] to play back an audio recording of Rhinox. {{storylink|Fire in the Dark}}
{{-}}

===''Beast Wars: Uprising''===
As one of the Maximals forced to continue the war which the Autobots were no longer able to fight, Rhinox was part of a small team under the command of [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] that went up against the [[Darksyder]]s. He and Silverbolt were both killed early in the conflict, spurring the others to rebel against Primal and the status quo. The Maximals later made use of the [[impercepton shield]] he had built, using it to infiltrate the [[Ferromax Detention Center]] so they could rescue Dynobot. {{storylink|Alone Together: Prologue}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
:*''First Appearance:'' [[The Crucible|''The Transformers: Robots in Disguise'' #34]] (distant past); [[Unstopped and Unstoppable|''Optimus Prime'' #22]] (present day)
[[File:TheCrucible RhinoxofMournsong.jpg|thumb|left|150px]]

One of many beast-type Cybertronians serving under [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Onyx Prime]] ten million years ago, '''Rhinox of the Mournsong''' was guarding his master's citadel in [[Kalis]] when [[Nova Prime|Nova Major]], [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]], and [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] appeared and demanded entry. Unwilling to fight, he let the three into the citadel where they confirmed that Onyx had already departed from Cybertron. As Rhinox wondered aloud what would happen to him next, Nova Major promised him he and the other beasts would [[Functionism|have a place]] in the new united Cybertronian society. {{storylink|The Crucible}}

Millions of years later, Rhinox was still in the service of Onyx/Shockwave, and watched as his master was paraded through the streets in chains after his recent capture. Rhinox sought out [[Starscream (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Starscream]] at Shockwave's request and extended an invitation to the former chancellor for a private chat with his master. {{storylink|Unstopped and Unstoppable}}

When [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] had begun his attack on [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], Rhinox had already traveled to [[Earth]] to meet with his master, presenting him with a replacement gun-arm when the [[Decepticon]] materialized in the streets of [[Toronto]]. At Shockwave's command, the Maximals then began razing the city to make way for the future. {{storylink|Road's End}} [[Snake-Eyes]], [[Agent Helix]], [[Tempest (Cobra)|Tempest]], and the [[Red Shadows]] arrived to engage them, as well as [[Stardrive]], whom Rhinox briefly faced off against. {{storylink|Unicron issue 5|Unicron #5}}

[[File:Unicron6 RhinoxVShockwave.jpg|thumb|right|230px|He's three gigabytes of attitude on a two-gig hard drive.]]
Rhinox returned to Shockwave's side in the [[CN Tower]] as his master attempted to compensate for the disruptions to the plan caused by the [[Talisman (G1)|Talisman]]'s removal from Cybertron and Unicron's continued survival. Shockwave tried to have [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] bring his ship down for an evacuation only for the mad scientist to unveil himself as an acolyte of Unicron and servant of chaos, much to Shockwave's disbelief. Rhinox chose that moment to reveal that all the [[Maximal]]s now served Unicron. The Decepticon easily overpowered Rhinox and attempted to execute him only to find Rhinox had rigged the cannon so it could not fire on any Maximals. Tearing off the weapon, Rhinox coldly denounced Shockwave's lies, manipulations and mockery of faith citing it as why the Maximals had turned against "Onyx Prime". Before Rhinox could execute his former master, he was slain from behind by [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]], who blew up his head with a [[vamparc ribbon]] shot. {{storylink|Ceremony}}
{{-}}

===''Legends'' comic===
The middle-aged section manager of [[Axalon Trading Company]], Rhinox was present when the company hired Rattrap. After Rattrap began talking about ''Transformers'', Rhinox revealed he was a fan as well, and though the two hit it off well at first with their shared fan vocabulary, they hit a snag when it turned out Rhinox only liked [[The Transformers (franchise)|Generation 1]] while the younger Rattrap preferred ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars]]''. {{storylink|The Generation Gap}} Like the other employees, he transformed into robot mode to do office work. {{storylink|Legends Vol. 4#The Transformation Gap|The Transformation Gap}} When Rattrap was ogling Airazor and [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]], Rhinox let him know the two weren't actually female, {{storylink|Legends Vol. 4#The Gender Gap|The Gender Gap}} a fact the two later lamented together. {{storylink|Legends Vol. 5#The Gender Gap Part 2|The Gender Gap Part 2}}

Together with the other toy nerds of Axalon, Rhinox visited the [[Transformers Celebration 2014]] event, where he got cried tears of happiness and nostalgia over a Generation 1 [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]-inspired truck with a Prime bust in its trailer, a recorded message from [[Tesshō Genda]], and a [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Lost Age|clear Prime toy]] he got. When the truck left, however, he was forced to comment that its single windshield wasn't accurate to Prime's design. {{storylink|Transformers Legends (comic)#Transformers Celebration 2014|Bonus Chapter: Transformers Celebration 2014}} As he and the others looked over the toys they'd bought at the event, Rhinox joked that Silverbolt's [[Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#AOELeader|movie Optimus Prime]] looked ready to go to school with the [[kibble|backpack]] he was wearing. He was very pleased with his own [[Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#EvasionMode|Classic Optimus Prime]] and its vehicle mode's resemblance to G1 Prime, but got violently upset when Silverbolt transformed it into its movie-based robot mode and had it ride [[Grimlock (AOE)#Voyager|Grimlock]]. When it came to Rattrap's [[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobots]], the three joked about the toy weapons' resemblance to food and utensils until they all got hungry. {{storylink|TF4 Toy Party}}

While visiting [[Tokyo Toy Show]] 2014, Rhinox and the others were reminded of the unsightliness of their hobby when they ran into company president [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]], who was only there for [[Optimus Minor|his son]]. As the oldest of the group and by proxy the most embarrassing, Rhinox took it upon himself to reassure the others there was nothing wrong with their liking toys by dancing to an ''Age of Extinction''-themed song for kids, which didn't help. Their discovery of ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Star Saber (Victory)#Masterpiece|Star Saber]], a toy aimed at adults like them, ended up cheering everyone up, after which Rhinox continued dancing. After witnessing Primal and his son bond over a Transformers toy, they softened up and admitted that Transformers was most certainly for kids. {{storylink|Tokyo Toy Show 2014 Report}} At work, Rhinox went on a tirade about why the '80s of his youth had been so great, almost scaring off Rattrap and Silverbolt until he caught their interest with the fact that Japan had no consumption tax back then. After looking it up, Silverbolt burst his bubble by telling him the tax was implemented in '89. {{storylink|Legends Vol. 9#The Era Gap|The Era Gap}}

One day, Primal left the office with a warning not to touch his [[banana]]s, which naturally prompted Rhinox and the others to eat them all as quickly as possible. {{storylink|Legends Vol. 10#Even Though I Told You Not To...|Even Though I Told You Not To...}} Rhinox later said goodbye to [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] after a night on the town. {{storylink|Legends Vol. 10#Cheetor at Night|Cheetor at Night}} When Rattrap, Cheetor and Primal were transformed into [[Beast Machines: Transformers (franchise)|weird new forms]] overnight, Rhinox was jealous and wished that if the same thing happened to him, he'd become a cool robot. {{storylink|Legends Vol. 15#LG03 Tankor Prologue|LG03 Tankor Prologue}} His dreams came true when [[Transformers sickness]] struck and turned Rhinox into [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 3|Bonus Edition Vol. 3}} After a series of failed attempts at forcing the world back to the way it was in the 80s, Tankor was defeated by [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] and reverted to Rhinox. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 7|Bonus Edition Vol. 7}}

[[File:G1 Megatron Legends manga.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]
The tall statures of Rhinox and the others at Axalon Co. was a source of grief for Rattrap, who disliked his small size. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 8|Bonus Edition Vol. 8}} When Rattrap's aunt [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] showed up at Axalon after being afflicted with Transformers sickness, Rhinox and Tigatron recognized her from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' and defended her from suspicious police officer [[T-AI|Ai]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 10|Bonus Edition Vol. 10}} The two were jealous of Rattrap's close relationship with Arcee as a child until they realized she hadn't been a giant robot back then. {{storylink|Transformers Legends: Arcee Chapter|Arcee Chapter}} Rhinox was among the adoring fans who welcomed [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] when he arrived in the Legends Universe, happily chanting "All hail Megatron!" at the bewildered Decepticon. {{storylink|Legends Vol. 23#Lord Megatron Goes to the Legends World|Lord Megatron Goes to the Legends World}} While attending Tokyo Toy Show 2015, Rhinox and friends witnessed [[Scourge (RID)|Black Convoy]] hostile takeover of a stage play. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Black Convoy)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}}

After [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] crushed their office, the employees of Axalon took up residence in his city mode, where they listened to [[Alpha Trion (G1)|their janitor]] tell them about Metroplex's backstory. To Rhinox's surprise, the old man's knowledge of G1 stories was even greater than his own. {{storylink|LG14 Ultra Magnus Prologue#The Mysterious Knowledgeable Grandpa Chapter|The Mysterious Knowledgeable Grandpa Chapter}} He later watched in awe when the janitor revealed himself to be Alpha Trion and summoned [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] into their universe. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 14|Bonus Edition Vol. 14}} After getting caught up in [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Armada Megatron]]'s toy thefts, {{storylink|LG-18 Armada Starscream Super Mode Prologue#2|LG-18 Armada Starscream Super Mode Prologue 2}} Rhinox was used as an example of those Legends natives whose desires served to power up the [[Zamojin (species)|Zamojin]], and he ''very much'' desired the rare [[Unicron of Light]] toy left behind by Armada Megatron. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 18|Bonus Edition Vol. 18}}

[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] and [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]], created by Rhinox during his time as Tankor, returned to him with a request that he work his magic again to build a new body for their leader [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], which he did. {{storylink|LG19 Sprung Prologue}} When the visiting [[Drift (G1)|Deadlock]] was sent back to his native [[Cloud World]], Rhinox and several others were accidentally dragged along with him and had to be returned home by [[SARA]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Deadlock)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}} Rhinox was later approached by the ghost of an [[#Beast Wars cartoon continuity|alternate version of himself]], {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Waspinator)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}} who had sensed his regrets over how he'd fought his friends during his time as Tankor. Explaining that he'd experienced something similar but died in the process, the other Rhinox tried cheering Legends Rhinox up with the fact that he was still alive and able to make up for his mistakes in the future. Grateful for his counsel, Rhinox repaid his counterpart by building him a new body to inhabit, thus giving him a future as well. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Rhinox)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}} Rhinox later joined his pals in stopping [[Skids (G1)#Quantum Operative|Skids]] from sending all their interdimensional friends back to their home universes. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 20|Bonus Edition Vol. 20}}

Rhinox put his robot building skills to work once more when Axalon Co. partnered with the Autobot [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]], lending a hand in creating a new [[transtector]] and [[Tankette|partner drone]] for [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 21|Bonus Edition Vol. 21}} Before sending the former Decepticon [[Headmaster Junior]]s to the Legends Universe, [[Grand Maximus|Grand]] showed them what to expect in the form of an image of Rhinox and his friends. {{storylink|LG24 Shockwave & Cancer Prologue}} He was alter among those tormented by the volume of [[Blaster (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blaster]]'s music, {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 27|Bonus Edition Vol. 27}} and had a hand in mass-producing [[Master-Brace]]s after [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] provided the company with blueprints. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 28|Bonus Edition Vol. 28}} The Autobot Axalon partnership went on to build a new HQ in the form of [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] transtectors, though Rhinox and Primal regretted that they had to sell Metroplex to make up for the costs. He treated Fortress after he suddenly collapsed from the side effects of controlling Maximus. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 31|Bonus Edition Vol. 31}}

Rhinox went on to build a transtector for [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 32|Bonus Edition Vol. 32}} as well as [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 33|Bonus Edition Vol. 33}} He was seen taking [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]]'s commuter service to work. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 40|Bonus Edition Vol. 40}} While assisting in the construction of a new [[Godbomber]], Rhinox was tricked into showing its blueprints to [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]], disguised as [[Minerva (Masterforce human)|Minerva]], allowing her to copy the data. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 42|Bonus Edition Vol. 42}} He later watched as the [[Dimensional Patrol]] placed the Legends World under martial law. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Black Convoy 2)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}} Having learned nothing from earlier, he was so taken with Nightbeat's '80s anime aesthetic that he joined her in helping the Decepticons build [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]. {{storylink|LG43 Trypticon Mobilization Chapter: Decepticon Civil War|Decepticon Civil War}} Alongside many others, he was then eaten whole by Trypticon and used as a power source. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 43|Bonus Edition Vol. 43}}

Following Trypticon's defeat, Rhinox was among those who voted G1 Megatron in as mayor of the rebuilt [[Akihabara|Neo Akihabara City]], {{storylink|Targetmaster Chapter Prologue}} and witnessed [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] battle [[Scourge (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Scourge]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 45|Bonus Edition Vol. 45}} He was granted [[Beastformer]] armor and the name "'80s King Punch Rhino" when [[White Leo]] tried to turn the locals into a Beastformer army, {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 51|Bonus Edition Vol. 51}} and was caught up in the [[Sweep (G1)|Sweeps]]' city-wide search for [[White Lune]]. {{storylink|TF Legends Late Xmas Present Chapter|Late Xmas Present Chapter}} Following the destruction of the city during another incident, he watched with joy as [[Topspin (G1)|Topspin]] repaired it. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 66|Bonus Edition Vol. 66}}

====The Beast Wars Road Map====
At some point before the [[Shroud|Shrouding]] cut off the [[Transcendent Technomorph]]s completely from the rest of the [[multiverse]], TransTech [[Rhinox (TransTech)|Rhinox]] contacted his counterpart in the "Legendsverse" to share information about the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] and its impact on the multiverse. "Legends" Rhinox wondered aloud why the TransTechs couldn't simply ask their [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] to open up some inter-dimensional gates for them, and asked if the source of their troubles didn't stem from Quantum Operative [[Skids (G1)#Japanese cartoon continuity|Skids]] isolating their universe with his "[[Quantum Keep-Out Seal]]." {{storylink|The Beast Wars Road Map}}
{{-}}

==Games==
===''Beast Wars: Transformers'' video game continuity===
====''Beast Wars: Transformers'' video game advertising comic====
Upon arriving on "[[Earth|Planet Energon]]," the dangers of Energon radiation forced the six surviving Maximals and their Predacon adversaries to take on beast alternate forms. {{storylink|Beast Wars: Transformers video game advertising comic}}

====''Beast Wars: Transformers'' video game====
{{voiceactor|??? (English), ??? (Japanese)}}

Many Beast Wars combatants had managed to construct personal bases, customized to their personal tastes, due to the extended duration of the war. Rhinox's own base was a sprawling Metropolis. Rhinox joined his fellow Maximals in battling not only an entrenched Predacon threat, but the interdimensional monsters known as the [[Skriix]].

=====Maximal campaign=====
Rhinox eventually expanded his "Urban Zone" base to within reach of [[Tarantulas's lair]]. Rhinox's base was judged a threat by the Predacons, who successfully took control of it. Tarantulas then personally took over operations of the annexed territory, until his demise.

Upon having eliminated the Predacon threat, Rhinox was part of Optimus Primal's roll call when he announced that the galaxy was now at peace.

=====Predacon campaign=====
Rhinox's "Urban Zone" base encroached too closely onto Tarantulas's territory, and had to be dealt with. Upon infiltrating the base however, the Predacons had to contend with Rhinox's giant Mech unit, styled after the Maximal scientist. Once Rhinox's defences were conquered by the Predacons, Rhinox himself met an untimely death by Predacon hands. {{storylink|Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)|Beast Wars: Transformers}}

{{Note|Due to the nature of this game, a player may select various individual characters to perform the feats required in every level, and complete the game's narrative. Thus, any playable Maximal can fill the role of protagonist in Maximal Mode, and any playable Predacon can fill the role of protagonist in Predacon Mode. To view the various feats Rhinox can accomplish throughout gameplay in Maximal Mode, it is told on the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)|''Beast Wars'' video game]] page, wherein Rhinox fills the role of the nameless Maximal.}}

===''Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals'' (PS)===
[[File:TMRhinox-Render.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|"Ayyyyyyy!"]]
{{voiceactor|[[Alec Willows]] (English), ??? (Japanese)}}

[[Transmetal]] Rhinox stayed behind at the ''Axalon'' as his fellow Maximals went to battle the Predacons. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals (PS)}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers Legends''===
During a tectonic upshift, a huge amount of [[Energon]] was exposed. Rhinox and the other Maximals found themselves the victims of a Predacon ambush as they tried to secure the Energon themselves, and the cache ultimately fell into Predacon hands. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Legends)|Beast Wars}}
===''Transformers: Battle Tactics''===
[[File:Battle-Tactics-Rhinox-Transmetal.jpg|thumb|left|400px| In this game, Transmetal Rhinox comes first.]]
[[File:Battle-Tactics-Rhinox-(BW).jpg|thumb|left|400px|Which is probably why this Rhinox has more health.]]
Rhinox participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He appeared in two different bodies:
*''Rhinox Transmetal'' — This Super Rare character first appeared in the "Transmetals: Beast Wars - Episode 1" event, and could be recruited by collecting 250 units of Cybermetal, 75 units of Transmetal, 35 event cores, and 10 cores of this character.
*''Rhinox (BW)'' — This Super Rare character first appeared in the "Beast Wars: Episode 4" event, and could be recruited by collecting 250 units of Cybermetal, 75 units of Transmetal, 35 event cores, and 10 cores of this character.
{{storylink|Transformers: Battle Tactics}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Forged to Fight''===
[[File:Rhinox-Forged-to-Fight.jpg|thumb|300px|Techno-organic gone scarier combat-rhino techno-organic.]]
Rhinox was one of the Maximals pulled from [[Beast Era|his universe]] by the [[Quintesson|Quintessons]] and forced to fight. He eventually joins the [[You|Commander]]. There are at least a few of him running around!
{{storylink|Transformers: Forged to Fight}}

Optimus Prime encountered Rhinox, and he tried to reason that he was just on a mission to gather resources. But Rhinox explained that resources are scarce and everyone wants them. He then introduced him to his "friends", the Chainguns of Doom! {{storylink|Transformers: Forged to Fight#Chapter 1:Realities Collide|A Beast to Start}}

*'''Class:''' Tech
*'''Basic Abilities'''
**''Shielding Passive''
***Start the fight with 6 Shield Buffs, each capping damage from one attack to 80% of the opponent's Attack Rating.
***Shield Buffs recharge in 12-8 seconds.
***+35% Heat and Shock Resistance while Shielded.
**''Basic Melee Attacks:'' +20% damage against Bleeding targets.
**''Chaingun Ranged Attacks:'' 30% chance to inflict Bleed, dealing 35-55% Attack over 5 seconds.
**''Rhino Ram Heavy Attack''
***90% chance to drain 12% of the target's max Power and inflict '''Power Lock''' for 4 seconds.
***When this ability is triggered, its chance to trigger again is reduced by 70%. This returns to normal after 16 seconds.
*'''Signature Ability: Overclock''' - Shield Buffs are more effective, but also more volatile.
*'''Special Attacks'''
**'''Special 1: Tactical Gore''' - ''A sensible, well-thought-out impaling is an effective way to settle an argument.'' - 90% chance to gore the target's weapons systems, Nullifying up to 1 Melee, Ranged, or Special Damage Buffs. If further upgraded, 100% chance to inflict Bleed for each Buff removed in this way, dealing 100-115% Attack over 13 seconds.
**'''Special 2: Chainguns of Doom''' - ''Sometimes you need to become war in order to survive.'' - 30% chance to inflict Bleed, dealing 35-55% Attack over 5 seconds.
**'''Special 3: A Beast Unleashed''' - ''A keen intellect won't solve problems with the small-minded.'' - 30% chance to inflict Bleed, dealing 45% Attack over 5 seconds. +55,25,10% Damage if Health is above 90,75,50%
*'''Synergy Bonuses'''
**'''Enemies''' with Waspinator - Angered by their partnership, Rhinox and Waspinator gains +1-8% Attack Rating.
**'''Weapon Specialists''' with Mixmaster - Mixmaster's damaging Debuffs lasts +2-9% longer. Additionally, Attack Rating is increased by +6% in Alliance Missions.
**'''Braindrain''' for Shockwave - Shockwave generates 2~4 Energy Charges at the start of the fight and every 25 seconds.
*'''Strong Match-ups:'''
* Ramjet - Rhinox’s Shielding will be highly effective against Ramjet’s powerful Special Attacks. Additionally the Rhino-bot is resistant to Burn damage.
* Waspinator - Rhinox’s Shield offers the perfect counter to Waspinator’s punishing Special Attacks. The Shield’s ability to withstand Waspinator’s Ranged Attacks ensure it is available when the Wasp unleashes his highest damage.
*Mixmaster - Rhinox’s Shield caps the maxmium damage that can be done to him in a single hit, making it a powerful counter to Mixmaster’s punishing Special Attacks.
*'''Weak Match-ups:'''
* Bumblebee (GS) - Bumblebee will tear through Rhinox’s shielding, leaving him prime for Bee’s critical hits.

==Toys==
{{main|Rhinox (BW)/toys}}

==Merchandise==
{{main|Rhinox (BW)/toys#Merchandise}}

==Notes==
*Rhinox is the only member of the ''Beast Wars'' Maximal lineup who was there from the beginning and remains alive and unchanged for the entire course of the show.
*Rhinox spends all of season 3 in [[robot mode]] without transforming into his [[beast mode]] at any point. He is the only ''Beast Wars'' character to do this for an entire season.
*Skir's original intention was that Rhinox had "seen all sides of the argument, and chose to go more in Megatron's direction" in ''Beast Machines'', and that after a quiet chat, he and Optimus would part company. As Richard Newman played that scene with growling and shouting, Rhinox instead sounded not quite in his right mind after his experiences. The big storm in the background certainly didn't help either.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20071202095033/http://bigbot.com/beast-machines-transformers-bob-skir/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Fri_03_Dec_1999.html Q&A from Bigbot's "bobskir.com"] (archive copy)</ref>
*In the Japanese dub of ''Beast Wars'', Rhinox received the vocal tic of ending his sentences with the phrase ''-dana'', or chanting it to himself incessantly while firing his chainguns or running or doing just about ''anything''. He was also prone to using the phrase ''dosukoi'', a nonsense word generally associated with sumo wrestlers and typically applied to large, dumb, bruiser characters in shows ([[Bulkhead (Animated)|''Animated'' Bulkhead]] would also use the phrase). The verbal tic of chanting ''-dana'' would be passed onto Tankor and the Tank drones in ''Beast Wars Returns'', where it was played-up to manic excess.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Rhinox''' (ライノックス ''Rainokkusu'')
*''Italian:'' '''Rinox''', '''Metal Rinox''' (Transmetal)
*''Korean:'' '''Rhinox''' (라이녹스 ''Rainogseu'')
*''Mandarin:'' '''Xīniú''' (犀牛, "Rhinoceros")
*''Polish:'' '''Nosoron''' ("Rhinon")
*''Russian:'' '''Rogonos''' (first dub, Рогонос, "Horned"), '''Rinox''' (second dub, Ринокс ''Rinoks'')
*''Spanish:'' '''Rinox'''

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Beast Machines Maximals]]
[[Category:Beast Machines Vehicons]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Maximals]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Predacons]]
[[Category:Beast Wars: Uprising Maximals]]
[[Category:Children of Primus]]
[[Category:Cloud characters]]
[[Category:Defense specialists]]
[[Category:Engineers]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Maximals]]
[[Category:Legends Maximals]]
[[Category:Robots in Disguise (2001) characters]]
[[Category:Transformers with three modes]]
[[Category:Transmetals]]
[[Category:Turncoats]]
[[Category:Universe Maximals]]
[[Category:Vok]]

Daniel Witwicky (G1)

2018-12-29T02:02:20Z

RyRodrigo: /* The Headmasters cartoon */

{{factions|autobot|autobotg2}}
{{disambig3|Daniel Witwicky}}
:''Daniel [[Witwicky]] is an [[Autobot]]-allied [[human]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:TVMGuideHotRodDaniel.jpg|thumb|upright=1.95|ADVENTURE!]]
'''Daniel Witwicky''' is the human son of [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] and [[Carly|Carly Witwicky]]. He is approximately 12 years of age in [[2005]], and was presumably born sometime between [[1990]] and [[1993]]. He is the grandson of [[Sparkplug Witwicky]].

Daniel often gets into trouble, which requires either his father or the [[Autobot]]s to save him. He is very good friends with the Autobots, particularly [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]], [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]], and [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], but the one he's closest to is [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], who views him as a surrogate son. Come to think of it, he doesn't seem to ''have'' any human friends...

Daniel is (sometimes) a [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster partner]], and sometimes he is a [[Titan Master]] named '''Leinad''', both in conjunction with Arcee.

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[David Mendenhall]] (English), [[Mayumi Tanaka]] (Japanese, ''The Movie''), [[Masumi Gotō]] (Japanese, ''Transformers 2010''), [[Yoshiko Kamei]] (Japanese, ''The Rebirth'')|[[Zhang Anna]] (Chinese), [[Francette Vernillat]] (French), [[Francesco Pezzulli]] (Italian, ''The Movie'' first dub), [[Alessia La Monica]] (Italian, ''The Movie'' second dub), [[Dirk Meyer]] (German, ''The Ultimate Weapon'')}}
[[File:HotRodFishing1.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|Hot Rod's babysitting rates run at three shanix an hour. Four after nine.]]
In the year 2005, Daniel appeared to be in the care of [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] (smart choice) at [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]] while his father was preparing for an assault on the [[Decepticon]]-held planet [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] from [[Moonbase One]]. The separation from his dad had left Daniel feeling blue, but his spirits were lifted when he saw an incoming Autobot shuttle. Hot Rod gave him a lift to [[Lookout Mountain]] to get a better view, but Daniel found something he'd rather not see; a massive hole in the shuttle's side, revealing that it had been commandeered by the [[Decepticon]] army!

This chance discovery caused Hot Rod to attack the shuttle, forcing [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] to evacuate his troops and giving the Autobots a chance to prepare the city's defenses. Daniel nearly perished when Megatron blasted the observation platform below him, but Hot Rod managed to keep him safe as they headed for the besieged city with [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]].

[[File:Danielwitwickytftm.jpg|thumb|He wears a matching "D" on his underroos.]]
Following a brutal battle in which he was almost killed, Daniel tearfully witnessed the death of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], sobbing on the fallen commander's hand as the color left his corpse. (We forgive Daniel's crying on this occasion, as [[Fandom|everyone else]] cried as well.)

Escaping from a second Decepticon attack, Daniel and a group of Autobots were stranded on [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]], where Daniel donned his father's old [[exosuit]] to weather the harsh environment. He did not get much time to enjoy the suit, as yet ''another'' Decepticon assault left [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] dead and stirred the native [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]] into violent action. Daniel proved his worth in this battle by smacking Junkion leader [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] with an I-beam, saving a prone [[Springer (G1)|Springer]].

Hostilities with the Junkions were settled with the arrival of Hot Rod and [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]], Ultra Magnus was revived, and a brief celebration was held wherein Daniel showed he could boogey down.

Daniel joined the combined Autobot-Junkion attack force in the assault on [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]. He was on the ship that plunged into Unicron's eye, and soon became separated from the main Autobot group. As luck would have it, he ended up in Unicron's acid-based digestion center, where he was able to save his father, [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]], [[Jazz (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Jazz]], and [[Cliffjumper (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Cliffjumper]] from certain death.

Daniel and the rest soon met up with the other Autobots inside of Unicron. Everything around them was exploding! And then came this [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Rodimus Prime]] guy. Spike and Daniel hopped into his front seat, all of the Autobots drove out of Unicron's undamaged eye, ''through space'' (!), and back to Cybertron as Unicron blew up. Daniel looked on as Rodimus gave a heroic speech. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
{{note|Daniel Witwicky’s involvement in these events, or events mostly similar, were also chronicled in the comic mini-series “[[Transformers: The Animated Movie]],” the storybook “[[Transformers the Movie (Ladybird adaptation)|Transformers the Movie]]” and the "Special Edition The Transformers: The Movie extra page" of "[[Transformers: The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe]]."}}

The Witwickys attended the first [[Galactic Olympics]] on [[Athenia]]. The event was attacked by [[Quintesson]] forces, who kidnapped Daniel's father. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1}} Some time later, Spike and Daniel were on a mission with the Autobots when they sought refuge on the [[Autobot Mausoleum]]. Exploring on his own, Daniel encountered what appeared to be Optimus Prime, and they soon found that Optimus was back from the dead. After it turned out that Optimus had been resurrected by the Quintessons as a trap, and Optimus sacrificed himself to save the Autobots, Daniel grieved for the Autobot leader all over again. {{storylink|Dark Awakening (episode)|Dark Awakening}}

[[File:SurpriseParty Daniel and Wheelie.jpg|upright=1.3|left|thumb|Daniel and Wheelie knew that they weren't popular with the fans. After the events of this episode, they began to realize ''why''.]]
After the Autobots threw a birthday party for Daniel, he started to wonder if [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] had a birthday. The quest to find out led Daniel and [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] to steal a spacecraft and locate a [[Lost Cybertronian Storage Asteroid|lost storage asteroid]]. They were followed by [[Cyclonus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Cyclonus]] who took Daniel hostage and attempted to crash the asteroid into Cybertron, but Daniel and Wheelie escaped during a rescue by Ultra Magnus. {{storylink|Surprise Party}} Bored with a diplomatic event, Daniel went exploring on Cybertron with [[Grimlock (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Grimlock]] and the pair were inadvertently transported to [[Menonia]], a realm of magic. They met the Red Wizard—in reality the exiled Quintesson [[Mara-Al-Utha]], who tricked Grimlock into helping him while imprisoning Daniel. Daniel escaped with the help of [[Golden One's pupil|a fellow prisoner]] and, with the help of some Autobots who had followed him, freed the [[Golden One]] who overturned Mara-Al-Utha's rule. {{storylink|Madman's Paradise}}

[[File:MadmansParadise Daniel held up.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
When Daniel was plagued by bad dreams about a giant Galvatron, Rodimus advised him to visualize a giant Rodimus to fight the Galvatron. Daniel was later abducted by the Quintessons who projected his dreams into reality. He struggled to mentally help the Autobots caught up in the projection, but when a giant Galvatron appeared, Rodimus realized what was happening and encouraged Daniel to overcome the Quintessons' machine. Daniel was thus able to be rescued. {{storylink|Nightmare Planet}} Following the theft of [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]'s [[transformation cog]], Spike and Daniel disguised themselves as workers and stole [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon's]] cog to replace it. {{storylink|The Ultimate Weapon}}

[[File:HeadmasterDanielRebirth1.jpg|upright=1.55|left|thumb|That kid's therapist is gonna make a fortune.]]
To demonstrate [[Brainstorm (G1)|Brainstorm]]'s theory that human partners could help, Hot Rod engaged in a race with [[Blurr (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blurr]], with Daniel helping Hot Rod by shooting enemies from the driver's seat. Following an attempt by the Decepticons to open the [[Plasma Energy Chamber]], Spike, Daniel and a group of Autobots were hurled across space to the plant of [[Nebulos]]. After a slight misunderstanding with the locals, the Autobots had a brief battle with the Decepticons who had followed them there. When Daniel tried to help Arcee against [[Snapdragon (G1)|Snapdragon]], the Decepticon used him as a chew-toy, severely injuring him. Though he survived, he required extensive life support. [[Arcee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Arcee]] volunteered her own systems to assist in saving Daniel's life. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 1}} Arcee's head was reconfigured into an [[exosuit]], allowing Daniel to become Arcee's [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster partner]].

They tested out their new partnership on the [[Hive (G1)|Hive]]'s machines, and when Optimus arrived on the planet, the pair were able to recapture the key to the Plasma Energy Chamber from the Decepticons. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 2}} Unfortunately [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] arrived and grabbed Arcee in his mighty pincer. She and Daniel were taken back to Cybertron as captives aboard the fortress, and Arcee was forced to either turn over the key or watch Daniel be tortured. Spike, [[Binary bonding|binary bonded]] to [[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]], staged a rescue shortly before Scorponok was shot off into space. After Cybertron entered a new [[Golden Age]], Daniel and Arcee returned to Nebulos to help rebuild. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 3}}
{{-}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
{{note|The events of the Generation 1 cartoon occur in Japanese continuity as detailed above, except that the events of season 3 are pushed back to 2010, and "The Rebirth" does not occur (hence, Daniel never becomes a Headmaster). Japanese continuity inserts several new stories into different points in the timeline, as described below.}}

=====Rodimus Wars=====
Before the battle with Unicron, Daniel befriended Hot Rod, then "Crystal Rodimus", as well as [[Dark Hot Rod]]. On Dark Hot Rod's death, Hot Rod lamented that Daniel would be sad only to realize his clone had in fact merged with him. The "completed" Hot Rod then returned to Earth and took Daniel fishing. {{storylink|Rodimus Wars}}

=====''Kiss Players''=====
When the EDC banned Transformers from Earth in 2005, sympathizers like Daniel fled into space with his father. He got into an accident and was put into cryogenic stasis, emerging from it in the year 2010. {{storylink|Autorooper|Autotrooper packaging}}

=====''The Great Transformer War''=====
[[File:DanielGrimlockGreatTransformerWar.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|left]]
Daniel and Spike celebrated the success of Doctor [[Dalton]]'s upgrades to the Autobots. When [[Computron (G1)|Computron]] was coated in [[Cohesive Control Liquid]], Daniel offered to go help deal with it as humans wouldn't be affected by the substance, however Spike vetoed that notion and went himself. {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 2|The Great Transformer War #2}}
{{-}}

=====''The Headmasters'' cartoon=====
{{voiceactor|[[Tomiko Suzuki]] (Japanese)|[[Deng Changlan]] (Chinese), [[Davide Garbolino]] (Italian), [[Ivette González]] (Latin-American Spanish)}}
[[File:HM1 Daniel and Wheelie.jpg|thumb|upright=1.45|A boy and his car.]]
In [[2011]], [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] came under attack by the [[Decepticon]]s. While Daniel and [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] were planning to travel there, they encountered [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] and, thanks to some quick thinking from Wheelie, managed to trick him into plunging into a ravine. Donning his [[exosuit]], Daniel accompanied Wheelie on the [[Trainbot]]s to Cybertron, where he immediately managed to get into trouble, encountering [[Tantrum (G1)|Tantrum]]. He was rescued by [[Shouki]], who told the pair they should evacuate the planet forthwith. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}} Daniel joined his parents on [[Athenia]]. Following the battle, the triumphant [[Autobot]] [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] also arrived on Athenia to introduce themselves. Daniel went into mourning after [[Blaster (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blaster]] died while helping [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] find the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] on [[Earth]]. {{storylink|The Mystery of Planet Master}}

Back on Cybertron, Daniel and Wheelie played computer games while they waited for the outcome of Hot Rod and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]'s respective missions. {{storylink|Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime}} When the Autobot [[Autobot Mini-Cassette|Cassettes]] refused to go on a mission, Daniel spoke up for them, pointing out that they were still mourning Blaster's death. They were all overjoyed when [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress]] was able to resurrect Blaster as Twincast, though Daniel took a bit of reminding to remember his new name. {{storylink|The Great Cassette Operation}} Daniel and Wheelie stowed away aboard Battleship Maximus, and, as a result, paid a visit to planet [[Beast (planet)|Beast]], where they befriended [[Monkey Beastformer child|a young Beastformer]], were temporarily captured by the Decepticons, and helped free the [[Beastformer]]s from Decepticon rule.{{storylink|Rebellion on Planet Beast}}

[[File:HM6 Daniel regresses.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.3|''The Headmasters'' made Daniel into the character everyone '''remembers''' hating.]]
When the Decepticons sent a [[Metamorphose|metal-warping meteor]] towards Athenia and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] was too injured to go, Daniel volunteered to plant bombs on it. Partway there, he started having second thoughts, but after Fortress made funny faces at him, he calmed down and completed the mission on his own. {{storylink|Approach of the Demon Meteorite}} Daniel and Wheelie were shopping in [[Japan]] with the Trainbots when a mysterious figure began blackmailing the world's governments. Daniel was upset when [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] argued with the Trainbots over the shopping trip; however, a ninja star he'd bought caused Chromedome to remember the ninja [[Sixshot]], who it turned out was behind the blackmail. {{storylink|Terror! The Six Shadows}}

[[File:HM11 Daniel at party.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3]]
After the destruction of Cybertron, Daniel touched down on the remains of the planet with the Autobots, and watched as Rodimus Prime, [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]], and [[Blurr (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blurr]] departed on a mission to find a new home for the [[Transformer]]s. {{storylink|Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 2}} Though glum at Rodimus's departure, Daniel and Wheelie attended a party put on by Fortress to celebrate the completion of the [[Sol 1]] satellite. They also went to the launch itself. {{storylink|The Shadow Emperor, Scorponok}} Spike, Daniel and Wheelie rode along with the Autobots as they went to save the village of [[Pan]] from an erupting volcano, and Daniel met [[Pipiro]] and his sister [[Alyssa]]. {{storylink|The Dormant Volcano Mysteriously Erupts}}

Daniel took some seeds back to Athenia to plant, unaware they'd been switched for alien seeds. The resulting [[buridanka]] plant attacked the Autobot base there and Daniel courageously tried to fight it off with a stick, but it exploded anyway when the Headmasters destroyed another buridanka on Earth. {{storylink|Head On!! Fortress Maximus}} Spike and his father helped the Autobots conduct a geological survey on [[Mars (planet)|Mars]] (at least when Daniel wasn't playing jokes on Wheelie) until they detected some strange activity. Daniel, Wheelie, and Shouki were captured by Decepticons, but, by staging a fight, they used the Autobot [[insignia]] from Daniel's exosuit to alert Spike to their predicament. Once the Headmasters rescued them, they evacuated back to Athenia in the Trainbots. {{storylink|Explosion on Mars!! Maximus Is in Danger}} From there, they monitored the efforts of the Autobots as they unsuccessfully tried to prevent the Decepticons from destroying Mars. {{storylink|Explosion on Mars!! MegaZarak Appears}}

[[File:HM16 Daniel attempts to make contact.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.3|"Do you really think changing into a speak-and-spell is going to impress anyone, Wheelie?" "Shut up I say, along with it you should play!"]]
After Daniel and Wheelie were buzzed by [[Galvatron's UFO|a UFO]] on Athenia, Daniel became obsessed with calling the aliens back using a musical technique he'd seen in a movie. Unfortunately, the UFO later turned out to be a spacecraft carrying [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] and Daniel smashed his musical instrument in disgust. {{storylink|Return of the Immortal Emperor}} When the Autobots received an SOS from [[Sandra (planet)|Sandra]], a world nearly depleted of energy, Daniel and Wheelie went along on the mission of mercy. {{storylink|SOS from Planet Sandra}} Spike decided to try to negotiate with the Decepticons, and went to Earth with Daniel and [[Carly]] to meet with Galvatron and try to persuade the Decepticon leader that they could work together. The Decepticons insisted on holding Daniel and Carly hostage for the duration. When Galvatron insisted that one of the preconditions of any arrangement would be that Daniel would have to stay on Earth, apart from his father, Daniel tearfully agreed. It later turned out that it had all been a trick, and "Galvatron" was really [[Sixshot]]. With the subsequent destruction of the [[space bridge]] network, the Autobots opted to pursue the Decepticons into space in Battleship Maximus, and Daniel insisted on going too. {{storylink|Daniel Faces His Biggest Crisis Ever!!}}

[[File:HM21 Gunslinger Daniel.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|Yippee-ky-yay, mother trucker.]]
They first followed the Decepticons to [[Hive (planet)|Hive]]. {{storylink|Fight to the Death on Planet Hive!!}} When they were approaching the [[Twin Star]] system, Daniel and Wheelie were sent with [[Arcee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Arcee]] and [[Brainstorm (G1)|Brainstorm]] to Toruin for safety's sake. Instead, the foursome found that the population of neighboring Sperity had evacuated there to escape the Decepticon attack. {{storylink|Battle for Defense of the False Planet}} Daniel practiced his gun-slinging by playing ''[[Video Challenger]]'' and trying to shoot balls out of Wheelie's hand. When the Headmasters rescued some people from [[Daros]], one of them, [[Curl]], took Daniel hostage. With the help of his [[Challenge Blaster]], he broke free, and the Autobots subsequently helped Curl overturn the planet's corrupt rulers. {{storylink|Find MegaZarak's Weak Spot!!}}

[[File:HM23 Daniel with Challenge Blaster.jpg|left|upright=1.4|thumb|Give a boy a gun and you arm him for a day. Teach him how to make a gun... and the whole metaphor breaks down.]]
On [[Paradise]], Daniel met a young girl named [[Papika]] and the Autobots chased the Decepticons off the planet. {{storylink|Head Formation of Friendship}} As Maximus moved through the [[Space Graveyard]], Daniel was interested in a [[Space Pirate Ship|spaceship resembling a pirate ship]] though they couldn't stop to investigate further. He got the chance to when [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] later discovered a pyramid on the [[Pirate Planet]], and the spaceship's skull figurehead turned out to be the key. Daniel used his Challenge Blaster, upgraded by Highbrow, to fend off [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundblaster]] while they retrieved the skull. {{storylink|Mystery of the Space Pirate Ship}}

[[File:HM26 real men don't cry.jpg|upright=1.45|thumb|"Danny, boys can cry, but not out loud. Men don't cry; they only get stronger."]]
As they headed back to Earth, Daniel and Wheelie tried fruitlessly to help Highbrow find a weak spot in [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]'s [[transtector]] design. They reached Earth to find that Sixshot had attacked and killed [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]], much to Daniel's distress. {{storylink|Ultra Magnus Dies!!}} Back on Athenia, Daniel and Spike monitored the Decepticons' mounting devastation of Earth. {{storylink|The Emperor of Destruction Vanishes on an Iceberg}} When Spike was critically wounded during a Decepticon attack, Daniel refused to blame Chromedome (though Wheelie did). He paid a visit to his father in the medical bay before Fortress used telepathy to successfully remove the shrapnel that endangered Spike's life. Daniel later helped Chromedome unravel the secret of Scorponok's weak point. {{storylink|I Risk My Life for Earth}}

Daniel and Wheelie accompanied Spike to the [[United Nations]] as he tried to coordinate recovery efforts after the Decepticons abandoned Earth. Wheelie's "friends", whom Daniel had assumed he'd made up, finally arrived in the form of [[Pointblank]], [[Sureshot (G1)|Sureshot]] and [[Crosshairs (G1)|Crosshairs]]. Daniel went on board Maximus as the Autobots took some bombs into space for disposal. {{storylink|Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 1)}} Following the unexpected creation of the [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmaster]]s, Daniel persuaded his father to let him head to planet [[Master (planet)|Master]] with the Autobots to head off the Decepticons. He and Wheelie helped cheer Chromedome up after the death of [[Jack (Headmasters)|Jack]]. {{storylink|Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 2)}}

Wheelie claimed he was going to learn to become a Headmaster and sneaked off, only to be captured by the Decepticons. When they tried to ransom the tiny Autobot for information about the [[Master Sword]], Daniel immediately set out to mount a rescue with the help of Chromedome. As Scorponok's defenses were geared towards Transformers, Daniel slipped through them with ease and successfully rescued Wheelie. The Decepticons still got the information they were after, and Daniel, Wheelie and Chromedome were relegated to cleaning duties. {{storylink|The Master Sword Is in Danger!!}} Daniel and Wheelie caught [[Weirdwolf (G1)|Weirdwolf]] doing something on Battleship Maximus's hull, and Daniel took a few shots at the Decepticon with his Challenge Blaster until Fortress told him to get back inside. {{storylink|The Zarak Shield Turns the Tide}}

[[File:Sixshot Daniel Daira.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.67|A boy and his psychotic murdering wolf-tank-plane-gun-car.]]
Annoyed at the failure to stop the Decepticons constructing the [[Zarak Shield]], Daniel and Wheelie turned to video games, but found even those had lost their appeal. {{storylink|Operation: Destroy the Decepticons}} On the way back to Earth, Daniel decided to take a look at Maximus's laser turrets. Unfortunately, the ship got into a battle with the Decepticons, and the damaged laser turret was jettisoned, landing on the barren world of [[Daira]]. Also stranded there was Sixshot, who had no intention of dishonorably killing a small unarmed boy, and instead protected Daniel from the rock people until the Autobots arrived. Daniel stopped Chromedome from shooting Sixshot, as he'd come to regard the Decepticon as a friend. {{storylink|My Friend Sixshot!}}

When he subsequently found out that Sixshot had challenged Chromedome to a duel to the death, Daniel tried to talk the Headmaster out of taking part. When this failed, Daniel donned his exosuit and followed Chromedome to asteroid [[Juno]] where he interposed himself between the two fighters. It transpired that Scorponok intended to deal with two problems by blowing up the asteroid. With Sixshot's help, Chromedome and Daniel escaped, but the boy was upset when it appeared that Sixshot had perished in the asteroid's explosion. {{storylink|Duel on the Asteroid}}

Daniel brooded the rest of the way to Earth. When they arrived, Arcee reported that Spike and Carly's plane had gone down in the [[Andes Mountains|Andes]], and Daniel insisted on going with the Headmasters on the rescue mission. When they reached the location, Spike was pulling people out of a crevasse, and Daniel volunteered to be the one to haul his unconscious mother to safety. They returned to Battleship Maximus, where the Autobots had found the Decepticons were erecting [[Death Tower]]s across the planet. {{storylink|The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 1)}} With the Decepticon plan nearing completion, Daniel accompanied the Autobots to the [[Arctic|North Pole]]. He and Wheelie helped Fortress Maximus against Scorponok, but were threatened by [[Battletrap]]. After Battletrap was struck by laser fire, Daniel discovered that Sixshot had survived the explosion of Juno after all. Following their defeat, the Decepticons fled into space; as the Autobots departed as well, Daniel gave his friends a tearful send off. {{storylink|The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)}}
{{-}}

=====''The Headmasters'' manga=====
[[File:DanielWheelie.jpg|thumb|We find this picture works better WITHOUT the captions.]]
While chilling on the Battleship Maximus, Daniel let Fortress know just how little he thought of the Decepticons, likening them to parasites. After the Autobot Headmasters thwarted a Decepticon bombing attempt, Daniel showered them with praise. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 1|The Headmasters #1}}

Daniel later joined the [[Trainbot]]s on a mission deep beneath the sea to stop the Decepticons from stealing energy at a crack in the Earth's crust. Donning his exosuit, Daniel helped the Autobots fend off the Decepticons and their menacing robot squid. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 3|The Headmasters #3}}

After a raid by the Decepticon [[Sixshot]] to steal a spaceship's emergency rations, Daniel managed to follow the ninja in secret to a forest planet. There, he learned that the Decepticon was really a big softy who loved small woodland creatures. After mocking the startled Decepticon, Daniel took a bullet to the arm, as the denizens of the forest were attacked by a group of ruthless [[Space Hunter]]s. Enraged, Sixshot used all seven of his six modes to handily defeat the hunters. Daniel asked Sixshot to defect to the Autobots, but the ninja rattled off some nonsense about honor debts or whatever, then sent an SOS to the Autobots so they could pick up Daniel before flying off. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 4|The Headmasters #4}}

On an alien planet, Daniel joined Chromedome in scaling the [[Tower of Omega]] to retrieve a powerful weapon called the [[Charge Arrow]]. The [[Horrorcon]]s swiftly attacked and things started to look bad, at least until Chromedome summoned up enough [[burning justice]] to save the day. Daniel was then treated to a trite lecture on inner strength and righteous courage and so on. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 5|The Headmasters #5}}

Returning to Earth, Daniel joined the new Targetmasters no one had ever seen before, [[Ricochet (Headmasters)|Ricochet]] and [[Artfire]], in quenching a fire that was burning Shinjuku to the ground. He actually didn't do anything to help, but everyone praised him at the end for some reason. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 7|The Headmasters #7}}

Shortly after [[Scorponok (G1)|MegaZarak]] and the Decepticons were driven from Earth, [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundblaster]] showed up and took Daniel's family hostage. Upon seeing his father getting beaten down by [[Slugfest (G1)|Slugfest]], Daniel was propelled into action. He leaped onto Slugfest and covered the Decepticon's eyes, causing him to panic and blindly tackle down [[Overkill (G1)|Overkill]]. The pair of Cassette dinosaurs now defeated, Soundblaster was open to an attack from [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]]. Rodimus Prime then returned from his outer space quest and, having witnessed Daniel's bravery, told the young lad that he was growing up to be an inspiration to everyone. Emboldened by Rodimus's words, Daniel later ran along the beach with his parents, shouting "Transform!" at the top of his lungs. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 8|The Headmasters #8}}

=====''Unite Warriors''/''Legends''=====
In [[2021]], Daniel (wearing his exosuit) came with a bunch of Autobots on <s>vacation</s> ''special surfing training'' in [[Hawaii]], where he hung onto [[Ironhide (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ironhide]] for dear life as the Autobot rode the waves. {{storylink|Unite Warriors Offshot#Crossing the Pacific Ocean!?|Crossing the Pacific Ocean!?}}

{{note|It is unclear how Daniel could already have his exosuit which his "Train Wars"-associated bio indicates he had only recently acquired as of [[2035]].}}

That same year, Daniel worked with Sixshot to break the unjustly imprisoned [[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]] out of the [[Planet Micro Satellite Penitentiary]] by piloting Sixshot's new [[transtector]] body as an escape vehicle. They traveled to the [[Legends World]] to hide out at Chromedome's place but were tracked down by a revived Ultra Magnus, leading to Sixshot being fatally injured. Daniel rushed out to help, but Sixshot accepted his fate and seemingly perished after telling Daniel to cherish his life. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 50|Bonus Edition Vol. 50}} Daniel returned home after the false charges against Star Saber were dropped, and years later in [[2026]] he was reunited with Sixshot, who had survived and become the Autobot Greatshot. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Greatshot)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}}

=====Train Wars=====
[[File:TrainWars DanielWitwicky.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1]]
Having left the spotlight in the Transformers' war, Daniel grew into a man and became an expert in information warfare, acquiring an [[exosuit]] that let him disguise himself as a Transformer. He used it to infiltrate the Decepticons and steal information on the ''[[Thunder Arrow]]'', though he was caught by the [[Jet Corps]] and fled back to [[Metrobase]] where he was saved by [[Shouki]]. He then presented a plan to use the data to disguise Shouki as the ''Thunder Arrow'' while he himself was disguised [[Skystalker (G1)|its pilot]], though Shouki resented having to work with a partner. {{storylink|Train Wars: Shouki & Daniel Chapter}} Partnered with Shouki, Daniel could use his exosuit to transform into an electrical bow and a pantograph for him. Despite wanting to work with him on infiltration missions, Daniel was rejected by Shouki, who did not desire harm to come upon the human. {{storylink|#Generations|Shouki and Daniel bios}}

When [[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] arrived in a shuttle with stolen [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] plans, the duo lured him in as the "''Thunder Arrow''" before revealing themselves. Shouki used Daniel as the electrical bow to quickly defeat the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]]. Daniel congratulated his partner on their success, but Shouki was quick to reject any idea of partnership, still haunted by a previous loss he suffered.

Daniel and Shouki responded to an emergency alert on Cybertron, and found [[The Fallen]] trying to steal [[Vector Sigma]]. They were joined by a half-dozen new soldiers summoned by the Oracle-enhanced [[Quantum Dial]] of the [[Omnibot (G1)|Omnibot]], [[Overdrive]]. Although he acquired reinforcements for them, Overdrive vanished into quantum space from the effort. {{storylink|Train Wars}}

These new Autobots were not enough to defeat The Fallen. In a last ditch effort, Daniel joined forces with [[Shūta Gō]], human partner to the new arrival, [[Goshooter]]. They were snared in the same tentacles The Fallen used to grasp Vector Sigma. The Fallen attempted to assimilate knowledge about organic life from Shūta as well, and Daniel fired his suit's weaponry to defend the younger human. He only succeeded in angering The Fallen, though, and the villain backhanded Daniel into a dimensional rift. Daniel pleaded with Shouki to carry on in his absence as he fell out of sight.

Luckily, Daniel was found by the displaced Overdrive as he entered the rift, and Overdrive used Daniel as a beacon to lead them both back to Cybertron. Back in his electrical bow configuration, Daniel and Shouki shot Shūta and the Vector Sigma node free of the Fallen's grasp. Through the assistance of Alpha Trion and Metroplex, Shouki became an immensely powerful "train bazooka" strong enough to defeat the Fallen. In the aftermath of the battle, Shouki and Daniel developed a stronger partnership than before. {{storylink|Train Wars 2}}

=====e-HOBBY comics=====
[[File:EldedroidMPBlack01.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb]]
At some point beyond the year 2035, Daniel (now going by "Dan") underwent the process to have his personality programmed into an [[Eldedroid]] (codenamed "Black Convoy"). Dan joined a strike team of Autobots sent to destroy an undersea mining operation overseen by the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]]s. Unknown to Autobot intelligence, however, the operation was actually being commanded by Megatron, who proceeded to hit Dan with a surprise attack. Dan attempted to fool Megatron into thinking that he was really Optimus Prime (as Eldedroid bodies are modeled in Prime's likeness), but Megatron didn't fall for it. Bitter at having been overthrown by [[Galvatron II|Galvatron]], Megatron decided to ditch the entire operation in disgust rather than continue fighting, leaving the strange creatures the Decepticons had freed in their mining operation to the Autobots. Dan was then promptly attacked by one of those very creatures. {{storylink|MP-1B Cybertron Commander / Convoy Black Ver.}}

After Dan failed to report back, the Autobots dispatched a rescue party. When they found Dan in the core chamber of the undersea base, he had been strung up and molested by the tentacles of the sea creature. To make matters worse, the gigantic ghost of [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] traveled forward in time or something and attacked the Autobots still on the surface. {{storylink|MP-3G Destron Air Commander / Starscream Ghost Ver.}}
{{-}}

====''Kre-O'' online comics====
Daniel was caught up in [[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]]'s attack on the Autobots. {{storylink|Behemoth Combination! But They're Cute? The Predacon Unit}}

{{-}}
====''TransTech''====
A version of [[Grimlock (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Grimlock]] who ended up in [[Axiom Nexus]] mentioned [[Madman's Paradise|the time he helped Daniel in an alternate universe]] as proof that he could be [[Ask Vector Prime|an advice columnist]]. {{storylink|Rook - Axiom Nexus News: Investigative Journalist|Rook - Axiom Nexus News, 2015/10/01}}

====Ask Vector Prime====

In and around the Decepticon attack on [[Autobot City]], [[Sideways (RID)|Sideways]] and [[Gong]] interfered with the integrity of the universal streams. As a result, Daniel Witwicky was supplanted by Nick Burns early on in the conflict. Daniel later resurfaced, but his friends Hot Rod and Kup were replaced by members of the Robo Rebels in the narrative. By the next reality shift, Daniel was once again replaced, this time by Nick Burns and A.J. Foster together. {{storylink|Echoes and Fragments}}

====''Deviations''====
In a universe where Optimus Prime survived the Battle of Autobot City, Daniel accompanied Ultra Magnus's team of Autobots back to Cybertron. Along the way, Hot Rod confessed to Daniel that he'd been having strange visions of seeing Optimus dying, but Daniel tried to assure him. Things quickly started going wrong after "Megascream"—a Unicron-upgraded form of Starscream—attacked, and Hot Rod's recklessness sent their shuttle hurtling towards Junkion. Daniel clambered into an exo-suit, and he and Hot Rod boarded an escape pod.

The only two survivors of the crash, Daniel tried to cheer up Hot Rod by reminding him of what he'd said about the Matrix and the ways in which it worked. The duo were soon picked up by Optimus Prime, Kup, and the Dinobots, and together they travelled back to Cybertron. He later celebrated the defeat of the planet-eater and the Decepticons with his father. {{storylink|Transformers: Deviations|Deviations}}

===Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics===
{{note|The movie adaptation, originally published by Marvel US, is in italics}}
[[File:Arcee daniel the final battle.jpg|thumb|upright=1.8]]
''In [[2005]], Daniel was friends with the Autobot [[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Hot Rod]]. The pair were out fishing when Daniel detected an Autobot shuttle nearing Autobot city. Daniel was eager to watch it land, and though Hot Rod wasn't nearly as excited as his young friend, he obliged him, driving Daniel to "lookout point." There, they saw not Autobots disembarking from the ship, but [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] and his soldiers! The pair fled to Autobot City, where an epic clash between the Autobots and the Decepticons took place. After the Decepticons were forced to retreat, Daniel was at [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus]]'s bedside as the fatally wounded Autobot leader passed on the Matrix of Leadership to [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]] before expiring.'' {{storylink|The Planet-Eater!}}

''Daniel and his friends were only given a brief respite before more bad news reached them: Daniel's father, [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]], and [[Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Bumblebee]] reported a monster planet advancing menacingly towards Cybertron. There was little time to contemplate the situation however, as the group was then assaulted by a new enemy: [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. The Autobots were forced to split up into two groups and blast off aboard a couple of shuttles in their attempt to escape him, but Galvatron remained in pursuit. In a last-ditch effort to lose the Decepticon, Magnus ordered an emergency separation of their shuttle. After Galvatron destroyed the jettisoned portion of the vessel (and declared the Matrix destroyed), Daniel's group landed their craft on the [[Junkion (planet)|Planet of Junk]] for repairs.'' {{storylink|Judgment Day!}}

[[File:Danieluk.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|Fifteen years old, and still wearing matching outfits with his dad... and still a hysterical wreck too.]]
''When Daniel asked to be allowed to help, [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] dismissed him at first, telling him to "play with crayons or something." [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] made a more productive offer, and brought out one of Spike's [[Exosuit]]s from storage. Though Daniel had trouble with the suit's workings, Arcee assured him that he was doing well for his first time operating it. The Autobots barely managed to get any work done before Galvatron tracked them down again. Daniel was able to evade both [[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] and [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] when they tried to gun him down by converting his Exosuit into its vehicle mode and driving away. Ultra Magnus wasn't as lucky in his clash with Galvatron, which ended with him being drawn in quarters and Galvatron taking off with the Matrix of Leadership in hand. There was little time to grieve afterwards as the hostile [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]] then sprung forth! Thankfully, another ship carrying Hot Rod and several other Autobots arrived, and managed to talk peace with [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]], leader of the Junkions. Wreck-Gar's troops rebuilt Ultra Magnus, and everyone on Junk readied for a confrontation against Unicron. This clash ended with Daniel's group crashing through the titan's eye. Daniel and the others were separated from Hot Rod inside Unicron, but his team found Spike, Bumblebee, and [[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]]. They were soon rejoined by Hot Rod, though in his absence he had reacquired the Matrix of Leadership, which had both upgraded him into "Rodimus Prime" and begun a chain reaction inside Unicron. As Unicron was blown to smithereens, Daniel and Spike rode within Rodimus to safety.'' {{storylink|The Final Battle!}}

In [[2009]], the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]] and the rest of the Decepticons rampaged across Earth unhindered, and Daniel and his father Spike were rescued from the carnage by [[Kup (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Kup]]. Kup brought them to Autobot City, where Daniel convinced Rodimus Prime that he wasn't devoting enough resources towards defending Earth. {{storylink|Time Wars}}
{{-}}

===Marvel coloring books===
Daniel was visiting [[Oil Valley]] with Hot Rod, admiring the oil drilling area. Then Hot Rod spotted some Decepticons nearby, and drove Daniel to the safety of Autobot city stopping only momentarily to inform the Dinobots of the situation. {{storylink|Battle at Oil Valley}}

[[File:LostTreasureofCybertron-BusterDanielwhoknows.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|left]]
Returning home from a road trip with his Autobot friends, Daniel had a sandwich while listening to Kup's story about a lost stash of [[energon cube]]s on Earth. While Daniel wanted to participate in the ensuing treasure hunt, the Autobots deemed it too dangerous for the boy, and Hot Rod drove him home to his parents, [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster]] and [[Jesse (G1)|Jesse]]. {{storylink|The Lost Treasure of Cybertron}}

{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Hot Rod's Escape}}}}

===3H comics===
[[File:Departure-WheelieDaniel.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Rebel without a cog.]]
Supposedly, Daniel met [[Devcon (G1)|Devcon]] at some point after 1987. Centuries later, the latter would comment he liked [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] better when she still had "that kid" [[Headmaster (technology)|in her head]]. {{storylink|Betrayal}}

Daniel detonated an explosive to destroy a legion of [[Nightbird (G1)|Nightbird]] drones, killing himself and [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] in the process. This event caused Arcee to enter a deep depression, setting the stage for her personality change as she became a [[Wrecker]]. {{storylink|Departure}}
{{-}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
{{notekeepers}}
[[File:DW Extermination Witwickyfamily.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|It was either this tiny, near indecipherable shot of him in the bottom right corner or the horrible [[Pat Lee]] monstrosity. ''You're welcome''.]]

{{quote|Thanks kiddo. What would I do without you?|[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]]}}
{{quote|Get your head knocked is what.|Daniel}}
A day after a reactivated [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] attacked and destroyed a South American rebel militia, a young Daniel reminded Spike to wear his [[hard hat]], which he scrawled his father's name on so he wouldn't forget (the hardhat, not his name). Spike told him to go upstairs when General [[Robert Hallo]] invited himself into Spike's home. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 1|Prime Directive #1}}
{{charstubfiction|[[The Transformers Trilogy]] ({{storylink|Transformers: Hardwired|Hardwired}})}}

Sometime after that, Daniel joined his mom and dad in unloading the groceries from their minivan. Once again, Daniel was forced to watch as his father abruptly ran out on him when a [[Bumblebee (G1)|mysterious stranger]] stepped into their lives. {{storylink|Extermination}}
{{-}}

===''Mini Mayhem!''===
After a vending machine caught Bumblebee's eye, he wound up spending all of his money on "her." This left him with a surplus of granola bars. He got rid of these by feeding them to Daniel. {{storylink|Mini Mayhem!}}

===''Beast Wars: Uprising''===
Daniel Witwicky was the son of Spike, husband to [[Llyra]], and father of [[Galen Witwicky|Galen]] and [[Olin Zarak|Olin]]. Daniel succeeded his father as the Headmaster partner to Cerebros; together they were the second set of controllers of the double-Headmaster [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]]. Some time after the [[Scouring of Nebulos]], the Autobots deployed Fortress Maximus on the colony world [[Master (planet)|Master]]. Unfortunately, Maximus hesitated in this round with [[Scorponok (G1)|MegaZarak]], and the Decepticons held control of the planet.

Some time after the Master War, Daniel was succeeded by Galen as a Maximus controller. It is unknown if Daniel was still alive to witness this and how he felt about Olin joining the Decepticons. {{storylink|A Brush With Infamy–Prologue}}

When Cerebros got wind of the [[Human Confederacy]]'s [[Eutychus Project]], he asked them to resurrect his former human partners, but they refused and gave him the [[Energon Matrix|energon matrix]] instead.

By the late 24th century, an etching of "Daniel Witwicky" existed in the now-stationary Fortress Maximus, along with "[[Galen Witwicky]]" and "[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]]". [[Cerebros (RID)|Plasma]], part of the trio that controlled Fortress Maximus, claimed to be Daniel, among many other individuals related to the giant. {{storylink|Head Games}}

==Games==
===''Transformers Legends''===
Daniel and Arcee encountered a group of Decepticons while hunting for their friends inside Unicron. After fending off an attack by Unicron's internal defenses, the pair managed to reunite with Daniel's father and their other friends and escape before Unicron exploded. {{storylink|Belly of the Beast (Legends)|Belly of the Beast}}

==Toys==
===Unreleased===
[[File:Concept-HeadmasterArcee.jpg|thumb|Every boy dreams of his own car. Daniel is head over wheels for his.]]
A pink [[redeco]] of [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] as Headmaster Arcee was considered by Hasbro/Takara at one time. Presumably, Daniel would have been the Headmaster partner.

{{canceledtoy}}
{{-}}

===''Brave-Goukin''===
[[File:BraveGoukin exosuit.jpg|thumb|upright=2.33]]
*'''Excel Suit''' (<s>2014</s>)

:A Daniel figure was to be included with [[CM's Corporation]]'s ''Brave-Goukin'' [[Exosuit]] toy, alongside Spike. The figure's head and shoulders would have been removable, allowing you to place Daniel inside the suit, with an alternate "driving" head provided for its vehicle mode. This toy went unreleased following CM's Corporation's bankruptcy.

{{canceledtoy}}
{{-}}

===''Generations''===
[[File:Generationstoy shouki.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Shouki and Daniel''' ([[2014]])
:''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' Daniel is a [[redeco]] of the ''[[Power Core Combiners]]'' [[Mini-Con]] [[Groundspike#Toys|Groundspike]] in [[Skystalker (G1)|Skystalker]]'s colors, meant to represent an exosuited Daniel disguised as the [[Skystalker (G1)|pilot]] of the ''[[Thunder Arrow]]'' during a secret mission with [[Shouki]]. Available only with Shouki through [[Hero-X|Million Publishing]]'s ''[[Transformers Generations 2014]]'' Vol. 1 book, Daniel triple-changes into a bow weapon for Shouki and a pantograph for his train mode.

{{-}}{{anchor|HasCon}}{{anchor|Titans Return}}
[[File:TitansReturntoy-Leinad.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.67|If you say his name backwards he disappears for 30 years.]]
*'''Arcee''' (Special Edition, [[2017]])
: ''[[Titans Return (toyline)|Titans Return]]'' [[Arcee (G1)/toys#Titans Return|Arcee]] is a retool of Deluxe Class [[Blurr (G1)/toys#Titans Return|Blurr]], and includes [[Titan Master]] Leinad–''pssst'', that's "Daniel" backwards! A retool of [[Haywire#Generations|Hyperfire]], Leinad turns into Arcee's G1 head; his own robot mode is based on an [[exosuit]]. Leinad and Arcee debuted at [[HasCon 2017]] ahead of a later release at [[New York Comic Con]] 2017 and a standard release<ref>[http://io9.gizmodo.com/hasbros-own-convention-will-sell-you-a-giant-transforme-1797331311 Hasbro's Own Convention Will Sell You a Giant Transformer That Actually Charges Your Phone]</ref> at [[Toys"R"Us]]. Leinad's listed healing power is focused on the bot he unites with<ref>Titans Return Arcee's bio note in her instructions</ref>, turning Arcee not into a kindly medic, but into an unkillable rapid-healing berserker. Bub.

{{TRHyperfireMold}}
{{-}}

===''Masterpiece''===
[[File:Masterpiece Bumble Daniel.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Bumble''' (2014-[[November 29|11-29]])
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''MP-21'''

:''Masterpiece'' [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Masterpiece|Bumble]] includes a new toy of Daniel clad in the [[exosuit]] he wore in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. The suit can be transformed into vehicle mode. The stock photos (as seen right) have the helmet mistransformed in Vehicle mode, as the helmet should be rotated 90 degrees to make it more in line with cartoon appearance. This move is shown in the instructions.

:While mostly referred to as just "Excelsuit" on the packaging and instructions, the figure is both identified as Spike in one instance of the box back and as Daniel in the lineart included in ''[[The Transformers Masterpiece Official Guide]]''.
{{-}}
{{anchor|MP22}}
[[File:MP22-UltraMagnus-SpikeDaniel.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]
*'''Ultra Magnus''' (2014-[[December 27|12-27]])
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''MP-22'''

:''Masterpiece'' MP-22 [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/toys#MP22|Ultra Magnus]] includes articulated figurines of Daniel and his father [[Spike Witwicky (G1)#MP22|Spike]], based on their appearances in the movie and Season 3 of the cartoon. Both can fit in seats inside the truck cab.
{{--}}

==Merchandise==
===''Super Collection Figure''===
[[File:Hoc arcee and daniel.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|''A & D'', this fall on Fox.]]
*'''Arcee & Daniel''' ([[2001]])

:A PVC figure of Daniel in his exosuit was released in [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s ''[[Heroes of Cybertron|Super Collection Figure]]'' series. It was only available in ACT-4, coming in the same blind-packed box as [[Arcee (G1)/toys|Arcee]] (who was unchanged from her ACT-1 release).
{{--}}

==Notes==
*Originally, in Japanese continuity, there was no explanation as to why Daniel did not seem to age between ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' and ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|Transformers 2010]]'', which were separated by a 5-year gap. It was a long-standing, unaddressed continuity error until a brief, obscure blurb in the [[Autorooper]] toy packaging [[retcon]]ned the situation with a note that he was placed in cryogenic stasis for many years after a serious accident.
*At [[HasCon 2017]], Hasbro representatives pronounced "Leinad" as "Lee-uh-nad".<ref>[https://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/133785-the-hascon-2017-thread/?p=3595692 Post by Sabrblade at the Allspark Forums, 2017/09/09]</ref>

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Daniel Witwicky''' (ダニエル・ウィトウィッキー ''Danieru Witowikkī'')
*''Mandarin:'' '''Daniel Witwicky''' (丹尼尔·维特维奇 ''Dānní'ěr Wéitèwéiqí'')

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Witwicky, Daniel (G1)}}
[[Category:Beast Wars: Uprising humans]]
[[Category:Generation 1 humans]]
[[Category:Generations]]
[[Category:Headmasters]]
[[Category:Legends humans]]
[[Category:Mail order exclusives]]
[[Category:Masterpiece]]
[[Category:The Headmasters humans]]
[[Category:Titan Masters]]
[[Category:Titans Return]]
[[Category:Unite Warriors humans]]
[[Category:Universe characters]]
[[Category:Witwicky family|Daniel Witwicky (G1)]]

Daniel Witwicky (G1)

2018-12-29T01:59:56Z

RyRodrigo: /* The Transformers cartoon */

{{factions|autobot|autobotg2}}
{{disambig3|Daniel Witwicky}}
:''Daniel [[Witwicky]] is an [[Autobot]]-allied [[human]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''
[[File:TVMGuideHotRodDaniel.jpg|thumb|upright=1.95|ADVENTURE!]]
'''Daniel Witwicky''' is the human son of [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] and [[Carly|Carly Witwicky]]. He is approximately 12 years of age in [[2005]], and was presumably born sometime between [[1990]] and [[1993]]. He is the grandson of [[Sparkplug Witwicky]].

Daniel often gets into trouble, which requires either his father or the [[Autobot]]s to save him. He is very good friends with the Autobots, particularly [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]], [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]], and [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]], but the one he's closest to is [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]], who views him as a surrogate son. Come to think of it, he doesn't seem to ''have'' any human friends...

Daniel is (sometimes) a [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster partner]], and sometimes he is a [[Titan Master]] named '''Leinad''', both in conjunction with Arcee.

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[David Mendenhall]] (English), [[Mayumi Tanaka]] (Japanese, ''The Movie''), [[Masumi Gotō]] (Japanese, ''Transformers 2010''), [[Yoshiko Kamei]] (Japanese, ''The Rebirth'')|[[Zhang Anna]] (Chinese), [[Francette Vernillat]] (French), [[Francesco Pezzulli]] (Italian, ''The Movie'' first dub), [[Alessia La Monica]] (Italian, ''The Movie'' second dub), [[Dirk Meyer]] (German, ''The Ultimate Weapon'')}}
[[File:HotRodFishing1.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.2|Hot Rod's babysitting rates run at three shanix an hour. Four after nine.]]
In the year 2005, Daniel appeared to be in the care of [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] (smart choice) at [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]] while his father was preparing for an assault on the [[Decepticon]]-held planet [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] from [[Moonbase One]]. The separation from his dad had left Daniel feeling blue, but his spirits were lifted when he saw an incoming Autobot shuttle. Hot Rod gave him a lift to [[Lookout Mountain]] to get a better view, but Daniel found something he'd rather not see; a massive hole in the shuttle's side, revealing that it had been commandeered by the [[Decepticon]] army!

This chance discovery caused Hot Rod to attack the shuttle, forcing [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] to evacuate his troops and giving the Autobots a chance to prepare the city's defenses. Daniel nearly perished when Megatron blasted the observation platform below him, but Hot Rod managed to keep him safe as they headed for the besieged city with [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]].

[[File:Danielwitwickytftm.jpg|thumb|He wears a matching "D" on his underroos.]]
Following a brutal battle in which he was almost killed, Daniel tearfully witnessed the death of [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]], sobbing on the fallen commander's hand as the color left his corpse. (We forgive Daniel's crying on this occasion, as [[Fandom|everyone else]] cried as well.)

Escaping from a second Decepticon attack, Daniel and a group of Autobots were stranded on [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]], where Daniel donned his father's old [[exosuit]] to weather the harsh environment. He did not get much time to enjoy the suit, as yet ''another'' Decepticon assault left [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] dead and stirred the native [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]] into violent action. Daniel proved his worth in this battle by smacking Junkion leader [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]] with an I-beam, saving a prone [[Springer (G1)|Springer]].

Hostilities with the Junkions were settled with the arrival of Hot Rod and [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]], Ultra Magnus was revived, and a brief celebration was held wherein Daniel showed he could boogey down.

Daniel joined the combined Autobot-Junkion attack force in the assault on [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]. He was on the ship that plunged into Unicron's eye, and soon became separated from the main Autobot group. As luck would have it, he ended up in Unicron's acid-based digestion center, where he was able to save his father, [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]], [[Jazz (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Jazz]], and [[Cliffjumper (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Cliffjumper]] from certain death.

Daniel and the rest soon met up with the other Autobots inside of Unicron. Everything around them was exploding! And then came this [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Rodimus Prime]] guy. Spike and Daniel hopped into his front seat, all of the Autobots drove out of Unicron's undamaged eye, ''through space'' (!), and back to Cybertron as Unicron blew up. Daniel looked on as Rodimus gave a heroic speech. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}
{{note|Daniel Witwicky’s involvement in these events, or events mostly similar, were also chronicled in the comic mini-series “[[Transformers: The Animated Movie]],” the storybook “[[Transformers the Movie (Ladybird adaptation)|Transformers the Movie]]” and the "Special Edition The Transformers: The Movie extra page" of "[[Transformers: The Ultimate Pop-Up Universe]]."}}

The Witwickys attended the first [[Galactic Olympics]] on [[Athenia]]. The event was attacked by [[Quintesson]] forces, who kidnapped Daniel's father. {{storylink|Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1}} Some time later, Spike and Daniel were on a mission with the Autobots when they sought refuge on the [[Autobot Mausoleum]]. Exploring on his own, Daniel encountered what appeared to be Optimus Prime, and they soon found that Optimus was back from the dead. After it turned out that Optimus had been resurrected by the Quintessons as a trap, and Optimus sacrificed himself to save the Autobots, Daniel grieved for the Autobot leader all over again. {{storylink|Dark Awakening (episode)|Dark Awakening}}

[[File:SurpriseParty Daniel and Wheelie.jpg|upright=1.3|left|thumb|Daniel and Wheelie knew that they weren't popular with the fans. After the events of this episode, they began to realize ''why''.]]
After the Autobots threw a birthday party for Daniel, he started to wonder if [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] had a birthday. The quest to find out led Daniel and [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] to steal a spacecraft and locate a [[Lost Cybertronian Storage Asteroid|lost storage asteroid]]. They were followed by [[Cyclonus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Cyclonus]] who took Daniel hostage and attempted to crash the asteroid into Cybertron, but Daniel and Wheelie escaped during a rescue by Ultra Magnus. {{storylink|Surprise Party}} Bored with a diplomatic event, Daniel went exploring on Cybertron with [[Grimlock (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Grimlock]] and the pair were inadvertently transported to [[Menonia]], a realm of magic. They met the Red Wizard—in reality the exiled Quintesson [[Mara-Al-Utha]], who tricked Grimlock into helping him while imprisoning Daniel. Daniel escaped with the help of [[Golden One's pupil|a fellow prisoner]] and, with the help of some Autobots who had followed him, freed the [[Golden One]] who overturned Mara-Al-Utha's rule. {{storylink|Madman's Paradise}}

[[File:MadmansParadise Daniel held up.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1]]
When Daniel was plagued by bad dreams about a giant Galvatron, Rodimus advised him to visualize a giant Rodimus to fight the Galvatron. Daniel was later abducted by the Quintessons who projected his dreams into reality. He struggled to mentally help the Autobots caught up in the projection, but when a giant Galvatron appeared, Rodimus realized what was happening and encouraged Daniel to overcome the Quintessons' machine. Daniel was thus able to be rescued. {{storylink|Nightmare Planet}} Following the theft of [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]'s [[transformation cog]], Spike and Daniel disguised themselves as workers and stole [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon's]] cog to replace it. {{storylink|The Ultimate Weapon}}

[[File:HeadmasterDanielRebirth1.jpg|upright=1.55|left|thumb|That kid's therapist is gonna make a fortune.]]
To demonstrate [[Brainstorm (G1)|Brainstorm]]'s theory that human partners could help, Hot Rod engaged in a race with [[Blurr (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blurr]], with Daniel helping Hot Rod by shooting enemies from the driver's seat. Following an attempt by the Decepticons to open the [[Plasma Energy Chamber]], Spike, Daniel and a group of Autobots were hurled across space to the plant of [[Nebulos]]. After a slight misunderstanding with the locals, the Autobots had a brief battle with the Decepticons who had followed them there. When Daniel tried to help Arcee against [[Snapdragon (G1)|Snapdragon]], the Decepticon used him as a chew-toy, severely injuring him. Though he survived, he required extensive life support. [[Arcee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Arcee]] volunteered her own systems to assist in saving Daniel's life. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 1}} Arcee's head was reconfigured into an [[exosuit]], allowing Daniel to become Arcee's [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster partner]].

They tested out their new partnership on the [[Hive (G1)|Hive]]'s machines, and when Optimus arrived on the planet, the pair were able to recapture the key to the Plasma Energy Chamber from the Decepticons. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 2}} Unfortunately [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] arrived and grabbed Arcee in his mighty pincer. She and Daniel were taken back to Cybertron as captives aboard the fortress, and Arcee was forced to either turn over the key or watch Daniel be tortured. Spike, [[Binary bonding|binary bonded]] to [[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]], staged a rescue shortly before Scorponok was shot off into space. After Cybertron entered a new [[Golden Age]], Daniel and Arcee returned to Nebulos to help rebuild. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 3}}
{{-}}

====Japanese cartoon continuity====
{{note|The events of the Generation 1 cartoon occur in Japanese continuity as detailed above, except that the events of season 3 are pushed back to 2010, and "The Rebirth" does not occur (hence, Daniel never becomes a Headmaster). Japanese continuity inserts several new stories into different points in the timeline, as described below.}}

=====Rodimus Wars=====
Before the battle with Unicron, Daniel befriended Hot Rod, then "Crystal Rodimus", as well as [[Dark Hot Rod]]. On Dark Hot Rod's death, Hot Rod lamented that Daniel would be sad only to realize his clone had in fact merged with him. The "completed" Hot Rod then returned to Earth and took Daniel fishing. {{storylink|Rodimus Wars}}

=====''Kiss Players''=====
When the EDC banned Transformers from Earth in 2005, sympathizers like Daniel fled into space with his father. He got into an accident and was put into cryogenic stasis, emerging from it in the year 2010. {{storylink|Autorooper|Autotrooper packaging}}

=====''The Great Transformer War''=====
[[File:DanielGrimlockGreatTransformerWar.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|left]]
Daniel and Spike celebrated the success of Doctor [[Dalton]]'s upgrades to the Autobots. When [[Computron (G1)|Computron]] was coated in [[Cohesive Control Liquid]], Daniel offered to go help deal with it as humans wouldn't be affected by the substance, however Spike vetoed that notion and went himself. {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 2|The Great Transformer War #2}}
{{-}}

=====''The Headmasters'' cartoon=====
{{voiceactor|[[Tomiko Suzuki]] (Japanese)|[[Deng Changlan]] (Chinese), [[Davide Garbolino]] (Italian), [[Ivette González]] (Latin-American Spanish)}}
[[File:HM1 Daniel and Wheelie.jpg|thumb|upright=1.45|A boy and his car.]]
In [[2011]], [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] came under attack by the [[Decepticon]]s. While Daniel and [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] were planning to travel there, they encountered [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] and, thanks to some quick thinking from Wheelie, managed to trick him into plunging into a ravine. Donning his [[exosuit]], Daniel accompanied Wheelie on the [[Trainbot]]s to Cybertron, where he immediately managed to get into trouble, encountering [[Tantrum (G1)|Tantrum]]. He was rescued by [[Shouki]], who told the pair they should evacuate the planet forthwith. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}} Daniel joined his parents on [[Athenia]]. Following the battle, the triumphant [[Autobot]] [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] also arrived on Athenia to introduce themselves. Daniel went into mourning after [[Blaster (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blaster]] died while helping [[Hot Rod (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Hot Rod]] find the [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] on [[Earth]]. {{storylink|The Mystery of Planet Master}}

Back on Cybertron, Daniel and Wheelie played computer games while they waited for the outcome of Hot Rod and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]'s respective missions. {{storylink|Birth of the Fantastic Double Prime}} When the Autobot [[Autobot Mini-Cassette|Cassettes]] refused to go on a mission, Daniel spoke up for them, pointing out that they were still mourning Blaster's death. They were all overjoyed when [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress]] was able to resurrect Blaster as Twincast, though Daniel took a bit of reminding to remember his new name. {{storylink|The Great Cassette Operation}} Daniel and Wheelie stowed away aboard Battleship Maximus, and, as a result, paid a visit to planet [[Beast (planet)|Beast]], where they befriended [[Monkey Beastformer child|a young Beastformer]], were temporarily captured by the Decepticons, and helped free the [[Beastformer]]s from Decepticon rule.{{storylink|Rebellion on Planet Beast}}

[[File:HM6 Daniel regresses.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.3|''The Headmasters'' made Daniel into the character everyone '''remembers''' hating.]]
When the Decepticons sent a [[Metamorphose|metal-warping meteor]] towards Athenia and [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]] was too injured to go, Daniel volunteered to plant bombs on it. Partway there, he started having second thoughts, but after Fortress made funny faces at him, he calmed down and completed the mission on his own. {{storylink|Approach of the Demon Meteorite}} Daniel and Wheelie were shopping in [[Japan]] with the Trainbots when a mysterious figure began blackmailing the world's governments. Daniel was upset when [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] argued with the Trainbots over the shopping trip; however, a ninja star he'd bought caused Chromedome to remember the ninja [[Sixshot]], who it turned out was behind the blackmail. {{storylink|Terror! The Six Shadows}}

[[File:HM11 Daniel at party.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3]]
After the destruction of Cybertron, Daniel touched down on the remains of the planet with the Autobots, and watched as Rodimus Prime, [[Kup (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Kup]], and [[Blurr (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blurr]] departed on a mission to find a new home for the [[Transformer]]s. {{storylink|Cybertron Is in Grave Danger, Part 2}} Though glum at Rodimus's departure, Daniel and Wheelie attended a party put on by Fortress to celebrate the completion of the [[Sol 1]] satellite. They also went to the launch itself. {{storylink|The Shadow Emperor, Scorponok}} Spike, Daniel and Wheelie rode along with the Autobots as they went to save the village of [[Pan]] from an erupting volcano, and Daniel met [[Pipiro]] and his sister [[Alyssa]]. {{storylink|The Dormant Volcano Mysteriously Erupts}}

Daniel took some seeds back to Athenia to plant, unaware they'd been switched for alien seeds. The resulting [[buridanka]] plant attacked the Autobot base there and Daniel courageously tried to fight it off with a stick, but it exploded anyway when the Headmasters destroyed another buridanka on Earth. {{storylink|Head On!! Fortress Maximus}} Spike and his father helped the Autobots conduct a geological survey on [[Mars (planet)|Mars]] (at least when Daniel wasn't playing jokes on Wheelie) until they detected some strange activity. Daniel, Wheelie, and Shouki were captured by Decepticons, but, by staging a fight, they used the Autobot [[insignia]] from Daniel's exosuit to alert Spike to their predicament. Once the Headmasters rescued them, they evacuated back to Athenia in the Trainbots. {{storylink|Explosion on Mars!! Maximus Is in Danger}} From there, they monitored the efforts of the Autobots as they unsuccessfully tried to prevent the Decepticons from destroying Mars. {{storylink|Explosion on Mars!! MegaZarak Appears}}

[[File:HM16 Daniel attempts to make contact.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.3]]
After Daniel and Wheelie were buzzed by [[Galvatron's UFO|a UFO]] on Athenia, Daniel became obsessed with calling the aliens back using a musical technique he'd seen in a movie. Unfortunately, the UFO later turned out to be a spacecraft carrying [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]] and Daniel smashed his musical instrument in disgust. {{storylink|Return of the Immortal Emperor}} When the Autobots received an SOS from [[Sandra (planet)|Sandra]], a world nearly depleted of energy, Daniel and Wheelie went along on the mission of mercy. {{storylink|SOS from Planet Sandra}} Spike decided to try to negotiate with the Decepticons, and went to Earth with Daniel and [[Carly]] to meet with Galvatron and try to persuade the Decepticon leader that they could work together. The Decepticons insisted on holding Daniel and Carly hostage for the duration. When Galvatron insisted that one of the preconditions of any arrangement would be that Daniel would have to stay on Earth, apart from his father, Daniel tearfully agreed. It later turned out that it had all been a trick, and "Galvatron" was really [[Sixshot]]. With the subsequent destruction of the [[space bridge]] network, the Autobots opted to pursue the Decepticons into space in Battleship Maximus, and Daniel insisted on going too. {{storylink|Daniel Faces His Biggest Crisis Ever!!}}

[[File:HM21 Gunslinger Daniel.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2]]
They first followed the Decepticons to [[Hive (planet)|Hive]]. {{storylink|Fight to the Death on Planet Hive!!}} When they were approaching the [[Twin Star]] system, Daniel and Wheelie were sent with [[Arcee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Arcee]] and [[Brainstorm (G1)|Brainstorm]] to Toruin for safety's sake. Instead, the foursome found that the population of neighboring Sperity had evacuated there to escape the Decepticon attack. {{storylink|Battle for Defense of the False Planet}} Daniel practiced his gun-slinging by playing ''[[Video Challenger]]'' and trying to shoot balls out of Wheelie's hand. When the Headmasters rescued some people from [[Daros]], one of them, [[Curl]], took Daniel hostage. With the help of his [[Challenge Blaster]], he broke free, and the Autobots subsequently helped Curl overturn the planet's corrupt rulers. {{storylink|Find MegaZarak's Weak Spot!!}}

[[File:HM23 Daniel with Challenge Blaster.jpg|left|upright=1.4|thumb|Give a boy a gun and you arm him for a day. Teach him how to make a gun... and the whole metaphor breaks down.]]
On [[Paradise]], Daniel met a young girl named [[Papika]] and the Autobots chased the Decepticons off the planet. {{storylink|Head Formation of Friendship}} As Maximus moved through the [[Space Graveyard]], Daniel was interested in a [[Space Pirate Ship|spaceship resembling a pirate ship]] though they couldn't stop to investigate further. He got the chance to when [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] later discovered a pyramid on the [[Pirate Planet]], and the spaceship's skull figurehead turned out to be the key. Daniel used his Challenge Blaster, upgraded by Highbrow, to fend off [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundblaster]] while they retrieved the skull. {{storylink|Mystery of the Space Pirate Ship}}

[[File:HM26 real men don't cry.jpg|upright=1.45|thumb|"Danny, boys can cry, but not out loud. Men don't cry; they only get stronger."]]
As they headed back to Earth, Daniel and Wheelie tried fruitlessly to help Highbrow find a weak spot in [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]]'s [[transtector]] design. They reached Earth to find that Sixshot had attacked and killed [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]], much to Daniel's distress. {{storylink|Ultra Magnus Dies!!}} Back on Athenia, Daniel and Spike monitored the Decepticons' mounting devastation of Earth. {{storylink|The Emperor of Destruction Vanishes on an Iceberg}} When Spike was critically wounded during a Decepticon attack, Daniel refused to blame Chromedome (though Wheelie did). He paid a visit to his father in the medical bay before Fortress used telepathy to successfully remove the shrapnel that endangered Spike's life. Daniel later helped Chromedome unravel the secret of Scorponok's weak point. {{storylink|I Risk My Life for Earth}}

Daniel and Wheelie accompanied Spike to the [[United Nations]] as he tried to coordinate recovery efforts after the Decepticons abandoned Earth. Wheelie's "friends", whom Daniel had assumed he'd made up, finally arrived in the form of [[Pointblank]], [[Sureshot (G1)|Sureshot]] and [[Crosshairs (G1)|Crosshairs]]. Daniel went on board Maximus as the Autobots took some bombs into space for disposal. {{storylink|Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 1)}} Following the unexpected creation of the [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmaster]]s, Daniel persuaded his father to let him head to planet [[Master (planet)|Master]] with the Autobots to head off the Decepticons. He and Wheelie helped cheer Chromedome up after the death of [[Jack (Headmasters)|Jack]]. {{storylink|Miraculous Warriors, Targetmasters (Part 2)}}

Wheelie claimed he was going to learn to become a Headmaster and sneaked off, only to be captured by the Decepticons. When they tried to ransom the tiny Autobot for information about the [[Master Sword]], Daniel immediately set out to mount a rescue with the help of Chromedome. As Scorponok's defenses were geared towards Transformers, Daniel slipped through them with ease and successfully rescued Wheelie. The Decepticons still got the information they were after, and Daniel, Wheelie and Chromedome were relegated to cleaning duties. {{storylink|The Master Sword Is in Danger!!}} Daniel and Wheelie caught [[Weirdwolf (G1)|Weirdwolf]] doing something on Battleship Maximus's hull, and Daniel took a few shots at the Decepticon with his Challenge Blaster until Fortress told him to get back inside. {{storylink|The Zarak Shield Turns the Tide}}

[[File:Sixshot Daniel Daira.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.67|A boy and his psychotic murdering wolf-tank-plane-gun-car.]]
Annoyed at the failure to stop the Decepticons constructing the [[Zarak Shield]], Daniel and Wheelie turned to video games, but found even those had lost their appeal. {{storylink|Operation: Destroy the Decepticons}} On the way back to Earth, Daniel decided to take a look at Maximus's laser turrets. Unfortunately, the ship got into a battle with the Decepticons, and the damaged laser turret was jettisoned, landing on the barren world of [[Daira]]. Also stranded there was Sixshot, who had no intention of dishonorably killing a small unarmed boy, and instead protected Daniel from the rock people until the Autobots arrived. Daniel stopped Chromedome from shooting Sixshot, as he'd come to regard the Decepticon as a friend. {{storylink|My Friend Sixshot!}}

When he subsequently found out that Sixshot had challenged Chromedome to a duel to the death, Daniel tried to talk the Headmaster out of taking part. When this failed, Daniel donned his exosuit and followed Chromedome to asteroid [[Juno]] where he interposed himself between the two fighters. It transpired that Scorponok intended to deal with two problems by blowing up the asteroid. With Sixshot's help, Chromedome and Daniel escaped, but the boy was upset when it appeared that Sixshot had perished in the asteroid's explosion. {{storylink|Duel on the Asteroid}}

Daniel brooded the rest of the way to Earth. When they arrived, Arcee reported that Spike and Carly's plane had gone down in the [[Andes Mountains|Andes]], and Daniel insisted on going with the Headmasters on the rescue mission. When they reached the location, Spike was pulling people out of a crevasse, and Daniel volunteered to be the one to haul his unconscious mother to safety. They returned to Battleship Maximus, where the Autobots had found the Decepticons were erecting [[Death Tower]]s across the planet. {{storylink|The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 1)}} With the Decepticon plan nearing completion, Daniel accompanied the Autobots to the [[Arctic|North Pole]]. He and Wheelie helped Fortress Maximus against Scorponok, but were threatened by [[Battletrap]]. After Battletrap was struck by laser fire, Daniel discovered that Sixshot had survived the explosion of Juno after all. Following their defeat, the Decepticons fled into space; as the Autobots departed as well, Daniel gave his friends a tearful send off. {{storylink|The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)}}
{{-}}

=====''The Headmasters'' manga=====
[[File:DanielWheelie.jpg|thumb|We find this picture works better WITHOUT the captions.]]
While chilling on the Battleship Maximus, Daniel let Fortress know just how little he thought of the Decepticons, likening them to parasites. After the Autobot Headmasters thwarted a Decepticon bombing attempt, Daniel showered them with praise. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 1|The Headmasters #1}}

Daniel later joined the [[Trainbot]]s on a mission deep beneath the sea to stop the Decepticons from stealing energy at a crack in the Earth's crust. Donning his exosuit, Daniel helped the Autobots fend off the Decepticons and their menacing robot squid. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 3|The Headmasters #3}}

After a raid by the Decepticon [[Sixshot]] to steal a spaceship's emergency rations, Daniel managed to follow the ninja in secret to a forest planet. There, he learned that the Decepticon was really a big softy who loved small woodland creatures. After mocking the startled Decepticon, Daniel took a bullet to the arm, as the denizens of the forest were attacked by a group of ruthless [[Space Hunter]]s. Enraged, Sixshot used all seven of his six modes to handily defeat the hunters. Daniel asked Sixshot to defect to the Autobots, but the ninja rattled off some nonsense about honor debts or whatever, then sent an SOS to the Autobots so they could pick up Daniel before flying off. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 4|The Headmasters #4}}

On an alien planet, Daniel joined Chromedome in scaling the [[Tower of Omega]] to retrieve a powerful weapon called the [[Charge Arrow]]. The [[Horrorcon]]s swiftly attacked and things started to look bad, at least until Chromedome summoned up enough [[burning justice]] to save the day. Daniel was then treated to a trite lecture on inner strength and righteous courage and so on. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 5|The Headmasters #5}}

Returning to Earth, Daniel joined the new Targetmasters no one had ever seen before, [[Ricochet (Headmasters)|Ricochet]] and [[Artfire]], in quenching a fire that was burning Shinjuku to the ground. He actually didn't do anything to help, but everyone praised him at the end for some reason. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 7|The Headmasters #7}}

Shortly after [[Scorponok (G1)|MegaZarak]] and the Decepticons were driven from Earth, [[Soundwave (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Soundblaster]] showed up and took Daniel's family hostage. Upon seeing his father getting beaten down by [[Slugfest (G1)|Slugfest]], Daniel was propelled into action. He leaped onto Slugfest and covered the Decepticon's eyes, causing him to panic and blindly tackle down [[Overkill (G1)|Overkill]]. The pair of Cassette dinosaurs now defeated, Soundblaster was open to an attack from [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]]. Rodimus Prime then returned from his outer space quest and, having witnessed Daniel's bravery, told the young lad that he was growing up to be an inspiration to everyone. Emboldened by Rodimus's words, Daniel later ran along the beach with his parents, shouting "Transform!" at the top of his lungs. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 8|The Headmasters #8}}

=====''Unite Warriors''/''Legends''=====
In [[2021]], Daniel (wearing his exosuit) came with a bunch of Autobots on <s>vacation</s> ''special surfing training'' in [[Hawaii]], where he hung onto [[Ironhide (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ironhide]] for dear life as the Autobot rode the waves. {{storylink|Unite Warriors Offshot#Crossing the Pacific Ocean!?|Crossing the Pacific Ocean!?}}

{{note|It is unclear how Daniel could already have his exosuit which his "Train Wars"-associated bio indicates he had only recently acquired as of [[2035]].}}

That same year, Daniel worked with Sixshot to break the unjustly imprisoned [[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]] out of the [[Planet Micro Satellite Penitentiary]] by piloting Sixshot's new [[transtector]] body as an escape vehicle. They traveled to the [[Legends World]] to hide out at Chromedome's place but were tracked down by a revived Ultra Magnus, leading to Sixshot being fatally injured. Daniel rushed out to help, but Sixshot accepted his fate and seemingly perished after telling Daniel to cherish his life. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 50|Bonus Edition Vol. 50}} Daniel returned home after the false charges against Star Saber were dropped, and years later in [[2026]] he was reunited with Sixshot, who had survived and become the Autobot Greatshot. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Greatshot)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}}

=====Train Wars=====
[[File:TrainWars DanielWitwicky.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1]]
Having left the spotlight in the Transformers' war, Daniel grew into a man and became an expert in information warfare, acquiring an [[exosuit]] that let him disguise himself as a Transformer. He used it to infiltrate the Decepticons and steal information on the ''[[Thunder Arrow]]'', though he was caught by the [[Jet Corps]] and fled back to [[Metrobase]] where he was saved by [[Shouki]]. He then presented a plan to use the data to disguise Shouki as the ''Thunder Arrow'' while he himself was disguised [[Skystalker (G1)|its pilot]], though Shouki resented having to work with a partner. {{storylink|Train Wars: Shouki & Daniel Chapter}} Partnered with Shouki, Daniel could use his exosuit to transform into an electrical bow and a pantograph for him. Despite wanting to work with him on infiltration missions, Daniel was rejected by Shouki, who did not desire harm to come upon the human. {{storylink|#Generations|Shouki and Daniel bios}}

When [[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]] arrived in a shuttle with stolen [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] plans, the duo lured him in as the "''Thunder Arrow''" before revealing themselves. Shouki used Daniel as the electrical bow to quickly defeat the [[Insecticon (G1)|Insecticon]]. Daniel congratulated his partner on their success, but Shouki was quick to reject any idea of partnership, still haunted by a previous loss he suffered.

Daniel and Shouki responded to an emergency alert on Cybertron, and found [[The Fallen]] trying to steal [[Vector Sigma]]. They were joined by a half-dozen new soldiers summoned by the Oracle-enhanced [[Quantum Dial]] of the [[Omnibot (G1)|Omnibot]], [[Overdrive]]. Although he acquired reinforcements for them, Overdrive vanished into quantum space from the effort. {{storylink|Train Wars}}

These new Autobots were not enough to defeat The Fallen. In a last ditch effort, Daniel joined forces with [[Shūta Gō]], human partner to the new arrival, [[Goshooter]]. They were snared in the same tentacles The Fallen used to grasp Vector Sigma. The Fallen attempted to assimilate knowledge about organic life from Shūta as well, and Daniel fired his suit's weaponry to defend the younger human. He only succeeded in angering The Fallen, though, and the villain backhanded Daniel into a dimensional rift. Daniel pleaded with Shouki to carry on in his absence as he fell out of sight.

Luckily, Daniel was found by the displaced Overdrive as he entered the rift, and Overdrive used Daniel as a beacon to lead them both back to Cybertron. Back in his electrical bow configuration, Daniel and Shouki shot Shūta and the Vector Sigma node free of the Fallen's grasp. Through the assistance of Alpha Trion and Metroplex, Shouki became an immensely powerful "train bazooka" strong enough to defeat the Fallen. In the aftermath of the battle, Shouki and Daniel developed a stronger partnership than before. {{storylink|Train Wars 2}}

=====e-HOBBY comics=====
[[File:EldedroidMPBlack01.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb]]
At some point beyond the year 2035, Daniel (now going by "Dan") underwent the process to have his personality programmed into an [[Eldedroid]] (codenamed "Black Convoy"). Dan joined a strike team of Autobots sent to destroy an undersea mining operation overseen by the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicon]]s. Unknown to Autobot intelligence, however, the operation was actually being commanded by Megatron, who proceeded to hit Dan with a surprise attack. Dan attempted to fool Megatron into thinking that he was really Optimus Prime (as Eldedroid bodies are modeled in Prime's likeness), but Megatron didn't fall for it. Bitter at having been overthrown by [[Galvatron II|Galvatron]], Megatron decided to ditch the entire operation in disgust rather than continue fighting, leaving the strange creatures the Decepticons had freed in their mining operation to the Autobots. Dan was then promptly attacked by one of those very creatures. {{storylink|MP-1B Cybertron Commander / Convoy Black Ver.}}

After Dan failed to report back, the Autobots dispatched a rescue party. When they found Dan in the core chamber of the undersea base, he had been strung up and molested by the tentacles of the sea creature. To make matters worse, the gigantic ghost of [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] traveled forward in time or something and attacked the Autobots still on the surface. {{storylink|MP-3G Destron Air Commander / Starscream Ghost Ver.}}
{{-}}

====''Kre-O'' online comics====
Daniel was caught up in [[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]]'s attack on the Autobots. {{storylink|Behemoth Combination! But They're Cute? The Predacon Unit}}

{{-}}
====''TransTech''====
A version of [[Grimlock (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Grimlock]] who ended up in [[Axiom Nexus]] mentioned [[Madman's Paradise|the time he helped Daniel in an alternate universe]] as proof that he could be [[Ask Vector Prime|an advice columnist]]. {{storylink|Rook - Axiom Nexus News: Investigative Journalist|Rook - Axiom Nexus News, 2015/10/01}}

====Ask Vector Prime====

In and around the Decepticon attack on [[Autobot City]], [[Sideways (RID)|Sideways]] and [[Gong]] interfered with the integrity of the universal streams. As a result, Daniel Witwicky was supplanted by Nick Burns early on in the conflict. Daniel later resurfaced, but his friends Hot Rod and Kup were replaced by members of the Robo Rebels in the narrative. By the next reality shift, Daniel was once again replaced, this time by Nick Burns and A.J. Foster together. {{storylink|Echoes and Fragments}}

====''Deviations''====
In a universe where Optimus Prime survived the Battle of Autobot City, Daniel accompanied Ultra Magnus's team of Autobots back to Cybertron. Along the way, Hot Rod confessed to Daniel that he'd been having strange visions of seeing Optimus dying, but Daniel tried to assure him. Things quickly started going wrong after "Megascream"—a Unicron-upgraded form of Starscream—attacked, and Hot Rod's recklessness sent their shuttle hurtling towards Junkion. Daniel clambered into an exo-suit, and he and Hot Rod boarded an escape pod.

The only two survivors of the crash, Daniel tried to cheer up Hot Rod by reminding him of what he'd said about the Matrix and the ways in which it worked. The duo were soon picked up by Optimus Prime, Kup, and the Dinobots, and together they travelled back to Cybertron. He later celebrated the defeat of the planet-eater and the Decepticons with his father. {{storylink|Transformers: Deviations|Deviations}}

===Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics===
{{note|The movie adaptation, originally published by Marvel US, is in italics}}
[[File:Arcee daniel the final battle.jpg|thumb|upright=1.8]]
''In [[2005]], Daniel was friends with the Autobot [[Hot Rod (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Hot Rod]]. The pair were out fishing when Daniel detected an Autobot shuttle nearing Autobot city. Daniel was eager to watch it land, and though Hot Rod wasn't nearly as excited as his young friend, he obliged him, driving Daniel to "lookout point." There, they saw not Autobots disembarking from the ship, but [[Megatron (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Megatron]] and his soldiers! The pair fled to Autobot City, where an epic clash between the Autobots and the Decepticons took place. After the Decepticons were forced to retreat, Daniel was at [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Optimus]]'s bedside as the fatally wounded Autobot leader passed on the Matrix of Leadership to [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Ultra Magnus]] before expiring.'' {{storylink|The Planet-Eater!}}

''Daniel and his friends were only given a brief respite before more bad news reached them: Daniel's father, [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]], and [[Bumblebee (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Bumblebee]] reported a monster planet advancing menacingly towards Cybertron. There was little time to contemplate the situation however, as the group was then assaulted by a new enemy: [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. The Autobots were forced to split up into two groups and blast off aboard a couple of shuttles in their attempt to escape him, but Galvatron remained in pursuit. In a last-ditch effort to lose the Decepticon, Magnus ordered an emergency separation of their shuttle. After Galvatron destroyed the jettisoned portion of the vessel (and declared the Matrix destroyed), Daniel's group landed their craft on the [[Junkion (planet)|Planet of Junk]] for repairs.'' {{storylink|Judgment Day!}}

[[File:Danieluk.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|Fifteen years old, and still wearing matching outfits with his dad... and still a hysterical wreck too.]]
''When Daniel asked to be allowed to help, [[Springer (G1)|Springer]] dismissed him at first, telling him to "play with crayons or something." [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] made a more productive offer, and brought out one of Spike's [[Exosuit]]s from storage. Though Daniel had trouble with the suit's workings, Arcee assured him that he was doing well for his first time operating it. The Autobots barely managed to get any work done before Galvatron tracked them down again. Daniel was able to evade both [[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] and [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] when they tried to gun him down by converting his Exosuit into its vehicle mode and driving away. Ultra Magnus wasn't as lucky in his clash with Galvatron, which ended with him being drawn in quarters and Galvatron taking off with the Matrix of Leadership in hand. There was little time to grieve afterwards as the hostile [[Junkion (species)|Junkions]] then sprung forth! Thankfully, another ship carrying Hot Rod and several other Autobots arrived, and managed to talk peace with [[Wreck-Gar (G1)|Wreck-Gar]], leader of the Junkions. Wreck-Gar's troops rebuilt Ultra Magnus, and everyone on Junk readied for a confrontation against Unicron. This clash ended with Daniel's group crashing through the titan's eye. Daniel and the others were separated from Hot Rod inside Unicron, but his team found Spike, Bumblebee, and [[Jazz (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Jazz]]. They were soon rejoined by Hot Rod, though in his absence he had reacquired the Matrix of Leadership, which had both upgraded him into "Rodimus Prime" and begun a chain reaction inside Unicron. As Unicron was blown to smithereens, Daniel and Spike rode within Rodimus to safety.'' {{storylink|The Final Battle!}}

In [[2009]], the [[Terrorcon (G1)|Terrorcons]] and the rest of the Decepticons rampaged across Earth unhindered, and Daniel and his father Spike were rescued from the carnage by [[Kup (G1)/Marvel Comics continuity|Kup]]. Kup brought them to Autobot City, where Daniel convinced Rodimus Prime that he wasn't devoting enough resources towards defending Earth. {{storylink|Time Wars}}
{{-}}

===Marvel coloring books===
Daniel was visiting [[Oil Valley]] with Hot Rod, admiring the oil drilling area. Then Hot Rod spotted some Decepticons nearby, and drove Daniel to the safety of Autobot city stopping only momentarily to inform the Dinobots of the situation. {{storylink|Battle at Oil Valley}}

[[File:LostTreasureofCybertron-BusterDanielwhoknows.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|left]]
Returning home from a road trip with his Autobot friends, Daniel had a sandwich while listening to Kup's story about a lost stash of [[energon cube]]s on Earth. While Daniel wanted to participate in the ensuing treasure hunt, the Autobots deemed it too dangerous for the boy, and Hot Rod drove him home to his parents, [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster]] and [[Jesse (G1)|Jesse]]. {{storylink|The Lost Treasure of Cybertron}}

{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Hot Rod's Escape}}}}

===3H comics===
[[File:Departure-WheelieDaniel.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Rebel without a cog.]]
Supposedly, Daniel met [[Devcon (G1)|Devcon]] at some point after 1987. Centuries later, the latter would comment he liked [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] better when she still had "that kid" [[Headmaster (technology)|in her head]]. {{storylink|Betrayal}}

Daniel detonated an explosive to destroy a legion of [[Nightbird (G1)|Nightbird]] drones, killing himself and [[Wheelie (G1)|Wheelie]] in the process. This event caused Arcee to enter a deep depression, setting the stage for her personality change as she became a [[Wrecker]]. {{storylink|Departure}}
{{-}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
{{notekeepers}}
[[File:DW Extermination Witwickyfamily.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.1|It was either this tiny, near indecipherable shot of him in the bottom right corner or the horrible [[Pat Lee]] monstrosity. ''You're welcome''.]]

{{quote|Thanks kiddo. What would I do without you?|[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike]]}}
{{quote|Get your head knocked is what.|Daniel}}
A day after a reactivated [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] attacked and destroyed a South American rebel militia, a young Daniel reminded Spike to wear his [[hard hat]], which he scrawled his father's name on so he wouldn't forget (the hardhat, not his name). Spike told him to go upstairs when General [[Robert Hallo]] invited himself into Spike's home. {{storylink|Prime Directive issue 1|Prime Directive #1}}
{{charstubfiction|[[The Transformers Trilogy]] ({{storylink|Transformers: Hardwired|Hardwired}})}}

Sometime after that, Daniel joined his mom and dad in unloading the groceries from their minivan. Once again, Daniel was forced to watch as his father abruptly ran out on him when a [[Bumblebee (G1)|mysterious stranger]] stepped into their lives. {{storylink|Extermination}}
{{-}}

===''Mini Mayhem!''===
After a vending machine caught Bumblebee's eye, he wound up spending all of his money on "her." This left him with a surplus of granola bars. He got rid of these by feeding them to Daniel. {{storylink|Mini Mayhem!}}

===''Beast Wars: Uprising''===
Daniel Witwicky was the son of Spike, husband to [[Llyra]], and father of [[Galen Witwicky|Galen]] and [[Olin Zarak|Olin]]. Daniel succeeded his father as the Headmaster partner to Cerebros; together they were the second set of controllers of the double-Headmaster [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]]. Some time after the [[Scouring of Nebulos]], the Autobots deployed Fortress Maximus on the colony world [[Master (planet)|Master]]. Unfortunately, Maximus hesitated in this round with [[Scorponok (G1)|MegaZarak]], and the Decepticons held control of the planet.

Some time after the Master War, Daniel was succeeded by Galen as a Maximus controller. It is unknown if Daniel was still alive to witness this and how he felt about Olin joining the Decepticons. {{storylink|A Brush With Infamy–Prologue}}

When Cerebros got wind of the [[Human Confederacy]]'s [[Eutychus Project]], he asked them to resurrect his former human partners, but they refused and gave him the [[Energon Matrix|energon matrix]] instead.

By the late 24th century, an etching of "Daniel Witwicky" existed in the now-stationary Fortress Maximus, along with "[[Galen Witwicky]]" and "[[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]]". [[Cerebros (RID)|Plasma]], part of the trio that controlled Fortress Maximus, claimed to be Daniel, among many other individuals related to the giant. {{storylink|Head Games}}

==Games==
===''Transformers Legends''===
Daniel and Arcee encountered a group of Decepticons while hunting for their friends inside Unicron. After fending off an attack by Unicron's internal defenses, the pair managed to reunite with Daniel's father and their other friends and escape before Unicron exploded. {{storylink|Belly of the Beast (Legends)|Belly of the Beast}}

==Toys==
===Unreleased===
[[File:Concept-HeadmasterArcee.jpg|thumb|Every boy dreams of his own car. Daniel is head over wheels for his.]]
A pink [[redeco]] of [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] as Headmaster Arcee was considered by Hasbro/Takara at one time. Presumably, Daniel would have been the Headmaster partner.

{{canceledtoy}}
{{-}}

===''Brave-Goukin''===
[[File:BraveGoukin exosuit.jpg|thumb|upright=2.33]]
*'''Excel Suit''' (<s>2014</s>)

:A Daniel figure was to be included with [[CM's Corporation]]'s ''Brave-Goukin'' [[Exosuit]] toy, alongside Spike. The figure's head and shoulders would have been removable, allowing you to place Daniel inside the suit, with an alternate "driving" head provided for its vehicle mode. This toy went unreleased following CM's Corporation's bankruptcy.

{{canceledtoy}}
{{-}}

===''Generations''===
[[File:Generationstoy shouki.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Shouki and Daniel''' ([[2014]])
:''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' Daniel is a [[redeco]] of the ''[[Power Core Combiners]]'' [[Mini-Con]] [[Groundspike#Toys|Groundspike]] in [[Skystalker (G1)|Skystalker]]'s colors, meant to represent an exosuited Daniel disguised as the [[Skystalker (G1)|pilot]] of the ''[[Thunder Arrow]]'' during a secret mission with [[Shouki]]. Available only with Shouki through [[Hero-X|Million Publishing]]'s ''[[Transformers Generations 2014]]'' Vol. 1 book, Daniel triple-changes into a bow weapon for Shouki and a pantograph for his train mode.

{{-}}{{anchor|HasCon}}{{anchor|Titans Return}}
[[File:TitansReturntoy-Leinad.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.67|If you say his name backwards he disappears for 30 years.]]
*'''Arcee''' (Special Edition, [[2017]])
: ''[[Titans Return (toyline)|Titans Return]]'' [[Arcee (G1)/toys#Titans Return|Arcee]] is a retool of Deluxe Class [[Blurr (G1)/toys#Titans Return|Blurr]], and includes [[Titan Master]] Leinad–''pssst'', that's "Daniel" backwards! A retool of [[Haywire#Generations|Hyperfire]], Leinad turns into Arcee's G1 head; his own robot mode is based on an [[exosuit]]. Leinad and Arcee debuted at [[HasCon 2017]] ahead of a later release at [[New York Comic Con]] 2017 and a standard release<ref>[http://io9.gizmodo.com/hasbros-own-convention-will-sell-you-a-giant-transforme-1797331311 Hasbro's Own Convention Will Sell You a Giant Transformer That Actually Charges Your Phone]</ref> at [[Toys"R"Us]]. Leinad's listed healing power is focused on the bot he unites with<ref>Titans Return Arcee's bio note in her instructions</ref>, turning Arcee not into a kindly medic, but into an unkillable rapid-healing berserker. Bub.

{{TRHyperfireMold}}
{{-}}

===''Masterpiece''===
[[File:Masterpiece Bumble Daniel.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Bumble''' (2014-[[November 29|11-29]])
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''MP-21'''

:''Masterpiece'' [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Masterpiece|Bumble]] includes a new toy of Daniel clad in the [[exosuit]] he wore in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''. The suit can be transformed into vehicle mode. The stock photos (as seen right) have the helmet mistransformed in Vehicle mode, as the helmet should be rotated 90 degrees to make it more in line with cartoon appearance. This move is shown in the instructions.

:While mostly referred to as just "Excelsuit" on the packaging and instructions, the figure is both identified as Spike in one instance of the box back and as Daniel in the lineart included in ''[[The Transformers Masterpiece Official Guide]]''.
{{-}}
{{anchor|MP22}}
[[File:MP22-UltraMagnus-SpikeDaniel.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]
*'''Ultra Magnus''' (2014-[[December 27|12-27]])
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''MP-22'''

:''Masterpiece'' MP-22 [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/toys#MP22|Ultra Magnus]] includes articulated figurines of Daniel and his father [[Spike Witwicky (G1)#MP22|Spike]], based on their appearances in the movie and Season 3 of the cartoon. Both can fit in seats inside the truck cab.
{{--}}

==Merchandise==
===''Super Collection Figure''===
[[File:Hoc arcee and daniel.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|''A & D'', this fall on Fox.]]
*'''Arcee & Daniel''' ([[2001]])

:A PVC figure of Daniel in his exosuit was released in [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s ''[[Heroes of Cybertron|Super Collection Figure]]'' series. It was only available in ACT-4, coming in the same blind-packed box as [[Arcee (G1)/toys|Arcee]] (who was unchanged from her ACT-1 release).
{{--}}

==Notes==
*Originally, in Japanese continuity, there was no explanation as to why Daniel did not seem to age between ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' and ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|Transformers 2010]]'', which were separated by a 5-year gap. It was a long-standing, unaddressed continuity error until a brief, obscure blurb in the [[Autorooper]] toy packaging [[retcon]]ned the situation with a note that he was placed in cryogenic stasis for many years after a serious accident.
*At [[HasCon 2017]], Hasbro representatives pronounced "Leinad" as "Lee-uh-nad".<ref>[https://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/133785-the-hascon-2017-thread/?p=3595692 Post by Sabrblade at the Allspark Forums, 2017/09/09]</ref>

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Daniel Witwicky''' (ダニエル・ウィトウィッキー ''Danieru Witowikkī'')
*''Mandarin:'' '''Daniel Witwicky''' (丹尼尔·维特维奇 ''Dānní'ěr Wéitèwéiqí'')

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Witwicky, Daniel (G1)}}
[[Category:Beast Wars: Uprising humans]]
[[Category:Generation 1 humans]]
[[Category:Generations]]
[[Category:Headmasters]]
[[Category:Legends humans]]
[[Category:Mail order exclusives]]
[[Category:Masterpiece]]
[[Category:The Headmasters humans]]
[[Category:Titan Masters]]
[[Category:Titans Return]]
[[Category:Unite Warriors humans]]
[[Category:Universe characters]]
[[Category:Witwicky family|Daniel Witwicky (G1)]]

Exosuit

2018-12-29T01:54:18Z

RyRodrigo: /* The Headmasters cartoon */

{{disambig2|the suits worn by humans in the Generation 1 cartoon|the Action Master UK vehicles|Action Master Exo-suit}}
:''Exosuits are technology from the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|cartoon portion]] of the [[Generation 1 continuity family]].''
[[File:TFTM Daniel in exosuit.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]
An '''exosuit''' is form of powered armor used by humans and other humanoids. They are typically used to protect the wearer from hostile environments such as the vacuum of space, deep underwater, or the middle of a battle between warring factions of [[Transformer|giant robots]]. Many models possess arm blasters, thrusters and the ability to transform into a vehicle mode, giving the user a leg up when dealing with [[Decepticon]]s.

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''The Transformers'' cartoon====
[[File:TFTM Daniel rams Decepticons.jpg|left|upright=1.55|thumb|Daniel's first driving lesson.]]
[[Spike Witwicky (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Spike Witwicky]] wore an exosuit while on [[Moonbase Two]] with [[Bumblebee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Bumblebee]]. Later, [[Arcee (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Arcee]] gave [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel Witwicky]] one of his father's exosuits that was stored aboard the forward section of the [[Autobot shuttle|shuttle]] they escaped [[Autobot City (G1)|Autobot City]] in. This model was able to transform into an all-terrain vehicle. Daniel used this suit to escape [[Shrapnel (G1)|Shrapnel]] and [[Scavenger (G1)|Scavenger]] on planet [[Junkion (planet)|Junkion]], and later was able to save his father along with Bumblebee, [[Jazz (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Jazz]], and [[Cliffjumper (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Cliffjumper]] from [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]. {{storylink|The Transformers: The Movie}}

A similar suit was worn by [[Jessica Morgan]] when she accompanied [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]] and the Autobots to planet [[Chaar]] to retrieve an experimental metal alloy from [[Galvatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Galvatron]]. Despite the suits being equipped to allow humans to survive in space, it was not able to keep Jessica from being infected with the [[Hate Plague]] {{storylink|The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2}}

Later on the planet [[Nebulos]], both the Decepticons and Autobots converted their heads and weapons into new types of exosuits for the Nebulan [[Hive (G1)|Hivemembers]], and resistance fighters respectively, [[binary bonding]] to the Transformers to become [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] and [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmaster]]s. Although all the Nebulan suits were considered exosuits, only Daniel's, which bonded with Arcee, resembled the classical model seen earlier. {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 1}} {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 2}} {{storylink|The Rebirth, Part 3}}
{{-}}

====''The Great Transformer War''====
Spike used an exosuit when he had to enter the battlefield to clean [[Cohesive Control Liquid]] off [[Computron (G1)|Computron]]. {{storylink|The Great Transformer War issue 2|The Great Transformer War #2}}

====''The Headmasters'' cartoon====
[[File:HM23 Daniel with Challenge Blaster.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb|He's ''Exo Squad''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s biggest fanboy.]]
Daniel put on an exosuit when he was going to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], because it was under Decepticon attack at the time. {{storylink|Four Warriors Come out of the Sky}} Exosuits were also in use by the [[Beastformer]]s—[[Hedgehog]] and [[Rabbit Kid]] were found drifting in space in Exosuits by [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Battleship Maximus]]. {{storylink|Rebellion on Planet Beast}}

When preparing to sabotage [[Metamorphose]], the Decepticon meteorite-turned-weapon, Daniel was forced to wear an older, non-metallic, model of spacesuit for the mission. He asked for an exosuit, but was told that it would be destroyed by Metamorphose's metal-warping field. {{storylink|Approach of the Demon Meteorite}}

The exosuits were used by Daniel and Spike when they walked on [[Mars (planet)|Mars]] for a survey mission. The Autobot symbol on Daniel's exosuit was used to alert his father of his location in a Decepticon cell. {{storylink|Explosion on Mars!! Maximus Is in Danger}}

[[File:HM33 Daniel in exosuit vehicle.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Not one to call it quits, Daniel was determined to beat Wheelie's high score in Galaga.]]
Daniel again donned an exosuit when he accompanied [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]] to a [[Space Pirate Ship|derelict ship]] in space. His exosuit sported a holster for his [[Challenge Blaster]], which he made good use of during the mission. {{storylink|Mystery of the Space Pirate Ship}}

When [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] headed off to fight [[Sixshot]], Daniel put on his exosuit so he could try to make them both stop, as he'd befriended the Decepticon. Using the suit's vehicle mode, he followed Chromedome to the asteroid [[Juno]] and interceded in the fight, only for the whole thing to be called off anyway when [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] decided to blow up the asteroid. {{storylink|Duel on the Asteroid}}

He wore his exosuit once again when the Autobots took him to the [[Arctic]] and he took part in the battle to save Earth from the Decepticons' [[Death Tower]]s. {{storylink|The Final Showdown on Earth (Part 2)}}
{{-}}

====''The Headmasters'' manga====
When the Headmasters faced a robot squid beneath the ocean, Daniel put on his exosuit so he could help them fight it. {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 3|The Headmasters #3}} He used it again in a fight with [[Sixshot]], only to be inadvertently carried on the Decepticon's back to an alien planet. Whups! {{storylink|The Headmasters issue 4|The Headmasters #4}}

====''Legends'' comic====
In his research into technology that would allow [[human]]s to wield [[Masterforce]], [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress]] devised an exosuit that could transform into the head of a [[transtector]] and let Spike test pilot it. The technology was eventually refined into [[Master-Brace]]s. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 54|Bonus Edition Vol. 54}} Daniel wore an exosuit while helping Sixshot break [[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]] out of prison. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 50|Bonus Edition Vol. 50}} Spike kept his prototype Headmaster suit and used it to control Fortress's transtector during a trip to the [[Legends World]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 54|Bonus Edition Vol. 54}}

====Train Wars====
[[File:TrainWars DanielWitwicky.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.1]]
Years later, Daniel acquired a new model of exosuit that let him disguise himself as a Transformer and transform into an electrical bow or pantograph for his partner, [[Shouki]]. {{storylink|Train Wars: Shouki & Daniel Chapter}} He used it to disguise himself as the pilot of the ''[[Thunder Arrow]]'', then let Shouki wield its bow mode against [[Kickback (G1)|Kickback]]. {{storylink|Train Wars}} Daniel used the exosuit's weapons in the battle with [[The Fallen]], though they only served to anger him, and Shouki used its bow mode again to free a restrained [[Shūta Gō]]. {{storylink|Train Wars 2}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
The production of exosuits, reverse-engineered from Transformer technology, was the goal of [[Earth Defense Command]]'s "[[Project Centurion]]". {{storylink|The Route of All Evil}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
[[Verity Carlo]] wore an exosuit. It was modular so she could wear just the arms {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 1|Last Stand of the Wreckers #1}} or legs without having to put the whole thing on. The lower legs could transform into wheels. She put the whole exosuit on when she stowed away for the mission to [[Garrus-9]]. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 2|Last Stand of the Wreckers #2}} It didn't stop her ride in [[Pyro (G1)|Pyro]]'s chest cavity from being distinctly uncomfortable though. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 3|Last Stand of the Wreckers #3}} Also the arms contained telescoping cannons. {{storylink|Last Stand of the Wreckers issue 5|Last Stand of the Wreckers #5}}

{{stub}}

===''Transformers: All Spark''===
While fighting alongside the Autobots, Spike wore an exosuit that could transform into a [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] head. He wore it in a battle with [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] during which he formed the head of the [[Ginrai (human)|God Ginrai]] transtector. {{storylink|Looming Threat}}

==Toys==
===Brave-Goukin===
[[File:BraveGoukin exosuit.jpg|thumb|upright=2.33]]
*'''Excel Suit''' (<s>2014</s>)

:A poseable Exosuit toy was to be produced by [[CM's Corporation]] as part of their ''Brave-Goukin'' line, complete with vehicle mode and transforming arm blasters. It would have included static figures of [[Spike Witwicky (G1)#Brave-Goukin|Spike]] and [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)#Brave-Goukin|Daniel Witwicky]] who could be displayed separately or have their heads placed inside the suit, with alternate upward-looking heads included for the its vehicle mode. The Exosuit would also have come with a small figurine of [[Grand Galvatron]] and the [[Master Sword]] data disc from the ''[[Transformers: The Headmasters (cartoon)|Headmasters]]'' episode "[[The Master Sword Is in Danger!!]]".

:This toy only made as far as the painted [[prototype]] stage before CM's Corporation was forced to file for bankruptcy, leaving it unreleased.

{{canceledtoy}}
{{-}}

===Masterpiece===
[[File:Masterpiece Bumble Daniel.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Bumble''' ([[2014]]-[[November 29|11-29]])
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''MP-21'''

:''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Masterpiece|Bumble]] includes a toy of [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)#Masterpiece|Daniel Witwicky]] in a transformable exosuit.

:While mostly referred to as just "Excelsuit" on the packaging and instructions, the figure is both identified as Spike in one instance of the box back and as Daniel in the lineart included in ''[[The Transformers Masterpiece Official Guide]]''.
{{-}}

===Generations===
[[File:Generationstoy shouki.jpg|thumb|upright=1.66]]
*'''Shouki & Daniel''' ([[2014]])
:''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' Daniel is a [[redeco]] of the [[Mini-Con]] [[Groundspike]] in [[Skystalker (G1)|Skystalker]]'s colors, meant to represent an exosuited Daniel disguised as the [[Skystalker (G1)|pilot]] of the ''[[Thunder Arrow]]'' during a secret mission with [[Shouki]]. Available only with Shouki through [[Hero-X|Million Publishing]]'s ''[[Transformers Generations 2014]]'' Vol. 1 book, Daniel triple-changes into a bow weapon for Shouki and a pantograph for his train mode.
{{-}}

====Masterpiece====
[[File:Hasbro-MP-Exosuit-Spike-Witwicky.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb]]
*'''Bumblebee & Exosuit Spike Witwicky''' ([[2016]])
**''ID Number'': '''MP-08'''

:The Hasbro ''[[Transformers: Generations|Generations]]'' release of ''Masterpiece'' [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#HasbroMP|Bumblebee]] comes with a repaint of the Exosuit figure, which is Spike Witwicky rather than Daniel.
{{-}}

====Titans Return====
[[File:TitansReturntoy-Leinad.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.66|]]
*'''Arcee''' (Deluxe Class, [[2017]])
: ''[[Titans Return (toyline)|Titans Return]]'' [[Arcee (G1)/toys#Titans Return|Arcee]] is a retool of [[Blurr (G1)/toys#Titans Return|Blurr]], and includes [[Titan Master]] Leinad–''pssst'', that's "Daniel" backwards! A retool of [[Haywire#Generations|Hyperfire]], Leinad turns into Arcee's G1 head; his own robot mode is based on an the exosuit. Leinad and Arcee debuted at [[HasCon 2017]] ahead of a later release at [[New York Comic Con]] 2017 and a standard release<ref>[http://io9.gizmodo.com/hasbros-own-convention-will-sell-you-a-giant-transforme-1797331311 Hasbro's Own Convention Will Sell You a Giant Transformer That Actually Charges Your Phone]</ref> at [[Toys"R"Us]].

{{TRHyperfireMold}}
{{-}}

===Legends===
[[File:TF-Legends-Bumble-and-Excel-Suit-Spike.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.66|]]
*'''Bumblebee & Excelsuit Spike''' ([[2017]]-[[December 30|12-30]])
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''LG-54'''

:''[[Transformers Legends (franchise)|Legends]]'' [[Spike Witwicky (G1)#Legends|Excelsuit Spike]], despite possible appearances, is an all new sculpt transforming from a small robot based on Spike's Excelsuit into [[Cerebros (G1)|Cerebros]]'s head which is compatible to any Deluxe-to-Larger ''Legends'' Headmaster/''Titans Return'' figures, although he is meant to form Fortress's head. Excelsuit Spike comes with [[Bumblebee (G1)/toys#Legends|Bumble]], a redeco of the ''Titans Return'' Legends Class Bumblebee figure.
{{--}}

==Notes==
===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Excelsuits''' (エクセルスーツ ''Ekuserusūtsu'')
*''Italian:'' '''Exo-Vestito''' (''The Movie'' first dub), '''Exorobot''' (''The Movie'' second dub)

[[Category:Generation 1 technology]]
[[Category:Masterpiece]]
[[Category:Mechanical suits]]
[[Category:Legends technology]]
[[Category:The Headmasters technology]]

Dai Atlas (G1)

2018-07-15T15:29:30Z

RyRodrigo: /* Zone manga and story pages */

{{factions|autobot|senator}}
{{disambig3|Dai Atlas}}
:''Dai Atlas is an [[Autobot]] [[Powered Master]] from the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[File:DaiAtlas1.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|An atlas helps you find stuff. ''Dai'' Atlas shoots you in the face.]]
'''Dai Atlas''' (ダイアトラス ''Dai Atorasu'') succeeded [[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]] as [[Supreme Commander]] of the Autobot forces. A skilled swordsman, his prowess with a blade is considered almost equal to that of his predecessor. Dai Atlas has sworn to defeat the forces of the new [[Decepticon]] [[Emperor of Destruction]], [[Violen Jiger]], and protect the [[Zodiac]] at all costs.

Dai Atlas is a [[Powered Master]] who can combine with his partners. When combined with [[Sonic Bomber]], they become [[Sky Powered]]. When combined with [[Roadfire]], they become [[Land Powered]]. And finally, when combined with Sonic Bomber and Roadfire, the three form the massive [[Big Powered]].

His son [[Speeder]] accompanies him in battle as his [[Micromaster]] partner.

==Fiction==
===Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity===
====''Zone'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Yūsaku Yara]] (Japanese)}}
[[File:Zone daiatlas03.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|Nothin' I love more than a lens flare.]]

Dai Atlas, along with his fellow Powered Masters, created the technological planet [[Micro|Zone]] which eventually developed the super energy source, [[Energon Z]]. After the [[Nine Great Demon Generals]] attacked and destroyed the planet [[Feminia]], and the [[Supreme Commander]] [[Star Saber (Victory)|Victory Saber]] was lost in the explosion, Dai Atlas and Sonic Bomber left to search for their leader.

The pair eventually found the injured Autobot and returned him to Zone for repairs. On Zone they received word that they were needed elsewhere, so they left for [[Earth]], to counter an attack from the Demon Generals.

[[File:Zone daiatlas01.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|Isn't flying too close to the sun more Dai [[Icarus]]'s thing?]]
Dai Atlas and Sonic Bomber arrived just in the nick of time (because... y'know, heroes always do), saving the Autobot [[Micromaster]]s from the all-powerful Decepticons. Dai Atlas then raced [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] to the underground location of the [[Zodiac]], an energy source capable of creating an entire universe.

Devastator beat Dai Atlas to the punch thanks to the intervention of [[King Poseidon]], who caught the Autobot leader with a chain weapon. Devastator handed the Zodiac to Poseidon and took the chain from him, intending to kill Atlas. But Dai Atlas drove forwards using the treads in his feet and then transformed into his drill form and smashed through into a wall, killing Devastator in a flood of hot lava.

[[File:Zone daiatlas02.jpg|left|upright=1.1|thumb|This drill tank mode can effortlessly drive through solid rock. Wait... what?]]
Free now, he chased King Poseidon to the surface, where he wrestled the Zodiac away from him. However, [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]] got pissed off and unleashed his [[Energon Z Beam]], which Sonic Bomber threw himself in front of to protect Dai Atlas, nearly getting himself killed by the attack. Taking a risk, Dai Atlas unleashed the power of the Zodiac, and both he and Sonic Bomber (now healed from Trypticon's attack) transformed into their base modes and blasted Trypticon and King Poseidon into oblivion.

[[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]] saw this and decided it was time to get the hell out of there. Dai Atlas pursued, riding on Sonic Bomber. He merged his wings into his Z sword and sliced Predaking neatly in half.

After returning to Zone with the Zodiac, Victory Saber inaugurated Dai Atlas as the new Autobot Supreme Commander. {{storylink|Enter the New Supreme Commander, Dai Atlas!}}
{{-}}

====''Zone'' manga and story pages====
[[File:Starsaber and daiatlas manga.jpg|thumb|250px|Becomes much harsher in hindsight in the IDW universe, doesn't it?]]

Following the upgrade of planet [[Micro]] into the Autobot Zone, rumors abounded that not [[Star Saber (Victory)|Victory Saber]], but a ''new'' [[Supreme Commander]] would be in command. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Zone (story page)|Zone Part 1}}

Later, [[Violen Jiger]] ordered his [[Nine Great Demon Generals]] on a campaign to conquer planets and create a [[Decepticon Zone]] to counter the Autobot Zone. The Decepticons attacked planet [[Feminia]] and destroyed it completely, with Victory Saber lost in the destruction. However, Dai Atlas and [[Sonic Bomber]], the [[Powered Master]] space explorers, had arrived in time to rescue the badly wounded Autobot Supreme Commander. The Decepticons then shifted their focus to [[Earth]], where they hoped to obtain a powerful energy source called the [[Zodiac]]. Dai Atlas and Sonic Bomber intercepted them on Earth, defeated them, and regained the Zodiac. Impressed with Dai Atlas' courage and power, and too injured to lead any longer, Victory Saber inaugurated Dai Atlas as the new Supreme Commander of the Autobots. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Zone (manga)|Transformers: Zone}}

[[File:Zone12FinalPage.jpg|thumb|left|250px|[[Rhinox (BW)|Yay, pretty flowers.]]]]

Dai Atlas helped to complete the Zone Operation, leaving Victory Saber relieved he had passed the role of Supreme Commander on to him. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Zone (story page)|Zone Part 4}} Dai Atlas's mere presence enhanced the Autobots' morale by a tremendous degree and they enforced the peace of the galaxy with an even greater resolve. Soon after, Evil Spirit General [[Scorponok (G1)|BlackZarak]] attacked the Earth and took [[Landshaker]] and [[Sky Hyper]] hostage. Driven by the need to rescue their comrades, Dai Atlas and Sonic Bomber defeated BlackZarak and rescued their friends. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Zone (story page)|Zone Part 5}}

Dai Atlas and Sonic Bomber then focused their attention on Super-God General [[Overlord (Masterforce)|Overlord]] and Saurian General [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]], whom they vowed to defeat in under eight seconds. Dai Atlas took on Overlord, the strongest of the Generals, and defeated him with his "Galactic Dash" attack. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Zone (story page)|Zone Part 6}}

Violen Jiger then created [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]] as a rival for Dai Atlas and unleashed him on the Lunar Zone Base on the [[Moon (moon)|Moon]]. Dai Atlas heard the SOS and rushed to aid Sonic Bomber in battle. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Zone (story page)|Zone Part 8}} Dai Atlas arrived and combined with Sonic Bomber into [[Sky Powered]], but they were quickly frozen solid by Metrotitan's Freeze Beam Gun. All hope seemed lost until [[Roadfire]] appeared and took Metrotitan out. Freed, Dai Atlas and Sonic Bomber happily welcomed Roadfire into the club. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Zone (story page)|Zone Part 9}}

Violen Jiger at last came out of the shadows and attacked the Earth in person. Dai Atlas and the other Powered Masters attempted to stop him with their "Triple Powered Attack" but failed. Violen Jiger escaped back to the [[Tenth Planet]] with the Zodiac and a [[Galaxy Rocket]] full of hostages. Dai Atlas and the Powered Masters then combined into [[Big Powered]] and gave chase. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Zone (story page)|Zone Part 10}}

Arriving at the Tenth Planet, Violen Jiger split into his three forms, Vion, Lenja and Igern, and attacked. Dai Atlas destroyed Vion with his Powered Cutters while Sonic Bomber and Roadfire took out the other two. However, the battle was not over. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Zone (story page)|Zone Part 11}} Violen Jiger returned as a horrible phoenix-thing and attacked. Upgraded with the power of the Zodiac, the Powered Masters combined into Big Powered yet again, but this time their strength was enhanced thirty-fold. They flew through Violen Jiger and destroyed him with the "Powered Rainbow Attack". The Zodiac then reformed the desolate Tenth Planet into a lush utopia where [[human]]s and robots could live in harmony. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: Zone (story page)|Zone Part 12}}

{{--}}

====''The Battlestars''====
To counter the threat of [[Dark Nova]], Dai Atlas charged the [[Battlestars]] with the task of resurrecting [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Optimus Prime]]. Giving the [[Zodiac]] to their leader, [[Sky Garry (ROC)|Sky Garry]], Dai Atlas inaugurated the youthful Autobot as temporary Supreme Commander, at least until Optimus Prime was brought back online. {{storylink|Fight! Super Robot Lifeform Transformers: The Battlestars (story page)|The Battlestars Part 1}}

===Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity===
[[File:DaiAtlas cameo.jpg|thumb|Dai Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Randroid.]]
Dai Atlas was an [[Cybertron (G1 faction)|ancient Transformer]] from Cybertron's lost past. While searching for clues about Cybertron's history, [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] stumbled across a hidden chamber beneath the planet's surface containing two massive statues of [[Deathsaurus (Victory)|Deathsaurus]] and Dai Atlas, holding a [[Golden Disk (ancient)|golden disk]] between them. This chamber apparently told of a vast Cybertronian Empire that ended prior to recorded history. {{storylink|The Route of All Evil}}
{{-}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
:*''First Appearance:'' [[Drift issue 2|Transformers: Drift #2]]

[[File:PrimusAllGoodThings-introdump.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|This is as close as he'd get to G1 marvel, sadly.]]
Dai Atlas was one of the old Cybertronians dating back to the era of [[Nova Prime]] 8 million years ago. In [[Ancient Cybertronian|Old Cybertronian]] his name was "Dei Atlas", meaning "God Map", which reflected his desire to find the legendary [[Knights of Cybertron]], a group of Cybertronians who supposedly made Cybertron perfect before leaving to spread enlightenment and peace to the rest of the universe. {{storylink|Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime}}

A strict believer in pacifism and in [[Primus]], Dai Atlas was part of Nova Prime's inner circle and was present when he located the legendary [[Crystal City]] and its guardian, [[Omega Supreme (G1)|Omega Supreme]], allowing him to bring about a new [[Golden Age|era of peace]] on Cybertron. With time, an increasingly ambitious Nova began planning for aggressive expansion into space to "free" other races from "the tyranny of will" as well as authorizing [[combiner]] experiments in the name of [['Til all are one|all becoming one]], both of which horrified Dai Atlas. When Crystal City was destroyed in a battle between Omega Supreme and [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus's]] creation, [[Monstructor (G1)|Monstructor]], he confronted Prime with the consequences, but was rebuffed and told he had lost his place on the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]''. Omega then approached Atlas to show him something he hadn't trusted Nova with: the location of [[Metrotitan (Zone)|Metrotitan]], one of the last [[Titan (IDW)|Titans]] on Cybertron. Atlas was told that someday he would have to leave Cybertron "to keep the light of the [[Guiding Hand]] burning in its endless circle", and the Titan's energies would aid him in this endeavor. {{storylink|Primus: All Good Things|All Good Things}}

Following the departure and subsequent disappearance of the ''Ark'', Dai Atlas became a [[Senate|senator]] in the new government that formed on Cybertron under the new Prime, [[Nominus Prime|Nominus]]. Although initially wary of his colleague [[Shockwave (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Shockwave]], on the grounds of his apprenticeship to the amoral Jhiaxus, the two came to develop a friendship around their shared dislike of the prominent senator [[Proteus]]'s [[functionism]]. Shockwave confided in Dai Atlas with his worries that Cybertron would face a critical resource shortage thanks to the planet's development into a metropolis, and the two would both champion the cause together.

Eventually, Shockwave's continued dissidence against Proteus and the rest of the Senate would lead to him being subjected to the [[empurata]] ritual and a [[mnemosurgery|mnemosurgical]] "personality inversion", turning him into a coldly logical person who accused Atlas of lying about the resource crisis so as to allow his own experiments into the matter to continue unfettered. Concerned, Dai Atlas asked another former friend of Shockwave, the upstart police officer [[Optimus Prime (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Orion Pax]], to try and contact the other senator and talk sense into him.

This effort failed, and before long Dai Atlas, along with the rest of the Senate, was summoned to an emergency meeting in [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]] regarding the burgeoning [[Decepticon]] movement. Before he could leave, however, Shockwave visited him at his home. Unbeknownst to Atlas, Shockwave had been recruited by the Decepticons and was aware that the Senate would be massacred at the meeting. Through some vestige of sentimentality, Shockwave attacked his former friend to ensure he did not travel to Kaon, sparing him the fate of the rest of the Senate. {{storylink|Shockwaves}}

Rather than join the "new Senate" assembled under the ascendant [[Zeta Prime]], Dai Atlas went on to form a group dedicated to preserving Cybertron's ancient culture, naming it the [[Circle of Light]] after Omega Supreme's prediction. The Decepticons, now holding Kaon, continued their campaign of terror, but were halted temporarily after Zeta's death and the [[Matrix of Leadership]]'s selection of Orion Pax to become Optimus Prime. In spite of the new Prime's successes, Atlas considered him a warmonger and refused to accept his authority. Even though he had no faith that Prime could lead Cybertron back to peace, he grudgingly participated in the [[Grand Convocation]] out of respect for the Matrix. {{storylink|Derelicts}}

[[File:Monstrosity-Dai Atlas.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67]]
When he refused to let Prime use his Circle of Light as recruiters for the [[Autobot]] army, Prime warned him that pacifism would only mark him as a target for the [[Decepticon]]s. In response, Atlas proved himself to be neither pacifistic nor weak by destroying a group of [[auto-combatant]]s, explaining that while he didn't believe in violence, he was primarily a patriot, not a pacifist. {{storylink|Faces of Darkness}}

When Optimus Prime responded to a Decepticon attack on the [[Toraxxis mega-refinery]], Dai Atlas came with him as an observing non-combatant and ended up witnessing his arrest of [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]. He suggested that they hear Grimlock out and give him and his [[Dinobot (G1)|Dynobots]] safe passage off Cybertron like they wanted, but Prime refused, causing the situation to escalate. Although Grimlock was eventually talked down, [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]], current leader of the Decepticons, triggered the detonation of the refinery, {{storylink|Rage (IDW)|Rage}} causing widespread devastation and compounding the energon crisis. After hearing Prime vow to restore unity to the planet at the memorial service for the disaster, Dai Atlas attempted to convince Optimus that that Cybertron was a lost cause and that seeking new energy reserves on other worlds was the best option. The Autobot leader instead reaffirmed his decision to continue to fight for Cybertron. Nevertheless, many citizens began an [[Exodus (G1)|exodus]] off-world, and Dai Atlas was later interviewed by [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]] on his news broadcast, where he expressed his lack of belief in the Prime. {{storylink|Fallout (issue)|Fallout}} During the exodus, he worked with [[Tyrest (G1)|Tyrest]] to help millions of civilians leave the planet. {{storylink|Remain in Light 2 of 5: House of Ambus|House of Ambus}}

While the Autobots did locate a new energon resource, Dai Atlas rejected the possibility that it could save Cybertron. He was present when Optimus Prime personally told the evacuees that they were free to go, but while he gave Prime praise for this act, it did not change his decision to leave. As he boarded a ship off-world, Atlas turned down Prime's last offer to stay, causing the two to trade insults before separating on bad terms. {{storylink|Massacre}} After fleeing their homeworld, Dai Atlas and his Circle of Light moved further and further away as the war spread before Cybertron. Eventually, they formed a new Crystal City deep underground on [[Theophany]], a utopian society hidden from all other Transformers. {{storylink|Drift issue 2|Drift #2}} As per Omega Supreme's instruction, Atlas brought the Titan with him, building Crystal City on top of it and using it as the city's power source. {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}}

[[File:Dai Atlas Leads Drift 4.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.5|Shouldn't he preface that with "Would you kindly"?]]
Dai Atlas's utopia was threatened by its first serpent when an idealistic swordsman named [[Wing (G1)|Wing]] broke their laws and brought a Decepticon into their midst after an encounter with Slavers on the planet's surface. Although Dai Atlas and [[Axe (G1)|Axe]] condemned Wing for this mistake, he insisted [[Drift (G1)|Drift]] would not be trouble. {{storylink|Drift issue 2|Drift #2}} This proved to be false weeks later when Drift stormed into the meeting chambers and announced he had made a deal with the Slavers to sell them out for his own freedom. But, um...he didn't mean it! He hoped to stall long enough to arm the Knights of the Circle with knowledge in advance of the Slaver's attack, and catch them off-guard. Dai Atlas was furious at Drift for forcing them into a position where they'd have to fight to protect their peace, the very thing they had long criticized the Autobots for doing. When other Knights seemed prepared to listen to Drift, he refused to allow them access to the weapons vault, willing to do anything he could to ensure the Crystal City remained secret and at peace. Dai Atlas ultimately relented, but refused to have any part in the battle. As the oldest of the Knights, he had seen his share of warfare, and dreaded seeing it again. {{storylink|Drift issue 3|Drift #3}}

Safe inside Crystal City, Dai Atlas wrestled with his decision as he watched his friends and comrades battle from afar. The death of Wing at the hands of the lead Slaver was too much for him to bear, and it rekindled his fighting spirit. Dai Atlas raised Crystal City from beneath the sands and led the full compliment of Cybertronians into battle against their foes. The tide of battle turned quickly with these reinforcements, and the citizens of Crystal City soon stood triumphant. Dai Atlas declared that the Circle of Light would no longer hide in secret, and that the Knights would go forth and allow their message to be heard. He named Drift the latest of the Knights and passed on Wing's great sword to him. {{storylink|Drift issue 4|Drift #4}}

Dai Atlas's certain belief in the Knights of Cybertron was one of the reasons Drift used to try and convince others to join him and [[Hot Rod (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Rodimus]] on a quest to find them. Optimus Prime and [[Prowl (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Prowl]] remained unconvinced, with Optimus describing Dai Atlas and his Circle of Light as a cult. {{storylink|Transformers: The Death of Optimus Prime|The Death of Optimus Prime}}

[[File:Dai Altlas Cylonus and Whirl face the Legislators.jpg|thumb|upright=1.95|right|]]
Meanwhile Crystal City was attacked by an army of [[Legislator]]s, led by [[Star Saber (Victory)|Star Saber]], who had betrayed the Circle and now worked under Chief Justice [[Tyrest (G1)|Tyrest]]. Although it cost 10,000 Legislators to subdue the population, eventually Dai Atlas and the survivors were captured and taken to the fabled miracle moon of [[Moonbase One|Luna 1]]. The ''Lost Light'' would later find only the city in ruins. {{storylink|Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations|You, Me, and Other Revelations}} {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}}

For the Circle, Luna 1 became a prison slaughterhouse, and they would lose 90% of their population before their accidental discovery by [[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] and [[Cyclonus (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Cyclonus]]. Once freed, Dai Atlas joined the pair as they faced off an army of Legislators sent by Tyrest to quell the breakout. {{storylink|Remain in Light 3 of 5: The Divided Self|The Divided Self}}

[[File:StarSaber Primushatesyou ArmtheLonely.jpg|thumb|upright=0.85|left|''Cierra tu cara, culo.'']]

While the battle raged, Dai Atlas noticed that, just like his own, Cyclonus's [[Great Sword]] was glowing with light, his devout spark igniting the nexus in the sword's hilt and turning it super-charged.

He would not have the time or chance to explore the notion of having a fellow 'bot with a similar talent, for Star Saber teleported himself close to the battle. His appearance prompted Dai Atlas to abandon the battle and confront him, denouncing Star Saber for his betrayal and fanaticism. Star Saber countered with nothing but criticism for Atlas, calling him a heretic and unbeliever, and that his faith in Primus was only an affectation. Star Saber also accused Dai Atlas of waiting arrogantly around at Crystal City for the Knights of Cybertron to show up instead of taking action. Moments later, Star Saber shoved his fist into Dai Atlas's chest, killing him with the final words, "''Primus hates you''". {{storylink|Remain in Light 4 of 5: Arm the Lonely|Arm the Lonely}}
{{-}}

===''Kre-O'' online manga===
[[File:Dai-Atlas_Kre-O_Character_Image.jpg|upright=0.6|thumb|Thank goodness [[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]] hadn't met this guy.]]
Dai Atlas was shocked by the very appearance of the [[Combaticon (G1)|Combaticon]] combiner [[Bruticus (G1)|Bruticus]]. {{storylink|New Military Unit Combaticon! Bruticus, Combine!}}

===Ask Vector Prime===
[[Vector Prime]] noted that, though rare, there were realities where Dai Atlas became a [[Prime (rank)|Prime]], or more commonly, was upgraded into '''Atlas Convoy'''. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/08/26}} He also noted that in many realities, Dai Atlas and the Powered Masters were fated to defeat the [[Thirteen Great Demon Generals]]. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/12/19}}

In [[Primax 092.0 Beta]], Dai Atlas was one of [[Hyperdrive (Turbomaster)|Hyperdrive]]'s predecessors as Autobot leader. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/16}}
{{-}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: Legends''===
The Circle of Light, under Dai Atlas's leadership, was in search of a peaceful place to call home when they encountered the Decepticon Deadlock. They aided him when the bounty hunter [[Lockdown (G1)|Lockdown]] came looking, and Dai Atlas's actions helped Deadlock turn over a new leaf and become Drift. {{storylink|Circle of Light (Legends)|Circle of Light}}

==Toys==
===Zone===
[[File:Zone daiatlas toy.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Three of these things belong together...]]
*'''Dai Atlas''' (1990)
**''Japanese ID Number:'' '''C-348'''
**''Accessories:'' Gun, drill, runners/skids, gun platform, dual cannon, 2 wings (left & right), tail fin, 2 large ramps (left and right) 2 ramps, 2 radar dishes, pipe

:Released only in Japan, Dai Atlas is a quad-changer with four distinct (well, that might be stretching it a bit) modes. Robot mode, drill-tank, 'jet', and base mode. He contains a battery-powered motor as a gimmick which could rotate the treads on his legs, allowing him to move under his own power in [[alternate mode|vehicle]] and [[robot mode]] and spins his drill. In base mode his tank treads become moving walkways, and his gun platform can spin.

:He includes a cockpit for Micromasters, which can also become a gunnery station. The gun platform and the two large ramps can be combined to form a shield, while his wings can be combined together to form his Z-sword. In base mode, Dai Atlas can connect to other Micromaster bases, as well as his buddies Sonic Bomber and Roadfire, using Micromaster connector ramps.

:In robot mode, Dai Atlas's articulation is limited to mobility in the arms.

:Dai Atlas also came with the Micromaster partner Speeder.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/1990/Cybertron/DaiAtlas/daiatlas.htm More information on Dai Atlas at TFU.info]''

[[File:ZoneToy bigpowered giftset.jpg|thumb|upright=1.67]]
*'''Big Powered''' (Multi-figure giftset, 1990)
**''Japanese ID Number:'' '''C-353'''

:Dai Atlas was also released in a giftset with Sonic Bomber and Roadfire.
{{-}}

===Alternity===
[[File:Alternity-dai-atlas-toy-tt.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|The, Atlas, the.]]
*'''Dai Atras {{sic}} [Aurora Flare Blue Pearl]''' (2012)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''A-01D'''

:''[[Transformers: Alternity|Alternity]]'' Dai Atlas is a redeco of ''Alternity'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Alternity|Convoy]]. Dai Atlas transforms into a 1:32 scale Nissan GT-R, featuring die-cast metal parts, an opening hood, trunk and doors, as well as an interior, complete with his feet and thighs being sculpted to form the back seats. This complex figure stands at 6.5" tall, and is armed with a pair of blasters on each arm.

:The mold suffers from a [[Design flaw|minor design oversight]], wherein the rear Nissan badge collides with his left leg strut when the left foot is hinged over and pegged into a clear plastic socket during transformation, with the results being that the connection is slightly crooked, isn't very secure, and sometimes pops off, and that the crooked pegging often causes the socket to crack.

:The mold was used for [[Nemesis Prime (Universe)#Alternity 2|Convoy Super Black]] and ''Alternity'' [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/toys#Alternity|Ultra Magnus]].
::*''[http://www.seibertron.com/transformers-toys/gallery/alternity/dai-atlas-aurora-flare-blue-pearl/2944/1/ Image gallery of Dai Atras at Seibertron.com]''
{{-}}

==Merchandise==
====Super Figure Collection Act 8====
[[File:Transformers SCF Act 8 Dai Atlus.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|Dai Atlas? That sounds like the name of a Welsh geography teacher.]]
*'''Dai Atlas''' (Super Collection Figure, 2002)

:A soft-plastic PVC of Dai Atlas was made in "Act 8" of [[TakaraTomy|Takara]]'s ''[[Heroes of Cybertron|Super Collection Figure]]'' line. It was available in both full-color and pewter-finish versions, one of each per case of twelve.

::*''[http://www.tfu.info/2002/Cybertron/DaiAtlas/daiatlas.htm More information on ''Super Collection Figure'' Dai Atlas at TFU.info]''
{{-}}

====Mega Action Series====
[[File:SunriseMegaAction Dai Atlas.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|I'm a [[Toei]] character but line up with [[Wikipedia:Sunrise (company)|Sunrise]] [[Brave (franchise)|characters]].]]
*'''Dai Atlas''' ([[Wikipedia:Wonder Festival|Wonder Festival 2007 Summer]] exclusive, 2007)
**''Accessories:'' Reflec Shield, Magna Shot, Z Powered Cutter, hand (clench)*2, hand (spread)*2, hand (for holding weapons)*2
:''Mega Action Series'' Dai Atlas is a highly poseable figure (and also a redeco of the [[Brave (franchise)|The Brave Express: Might Gaine]] BRAVE-BOX2 DVD set exclusive Gōryū figure, with some new parts like the retooled Dai Atlas head, Reflec Shield, Magna Shot, & the Z Powered Cutter) from the [[wikipedia:Sunrise (company)|Sunrise]] Mega Action Series of mecha action figures, made by [[CM's Corporation]]. With articulation and scaling on par with a [[Revoltech]] figure, this set included several alternate hands as well as the character's signature gun and shield accessories. As seen in the image, the wing pieces can be clipped together to form a rough 'Z shape' to simulate the Z Sword of the original Dai Atlas.

:However, the series is notorious for its fragile joints.
{{-}}

===Transformers Gum===
*'''Dai Atlas''' (2012)

:Part of the sixth wave of Kabaya's revived ''Transformers Gum'' Series, Dai Atlas is a snap-on kit which can transform into his other 3 modes if finished. Dai Atlas can also combine with Sonic Bomber and Roadfire (sold separately) to form Big Powered.
{{-}}

==Notes==
[[File:Zone daiatlas05.jpg|thumb|Baby got back.]]
*''Dai'' (大) is a Japanese word meaning "great" or "big", and can refer to physical size, rank, or prestige. Similarly, [[Wikipedia:Atlas (mythology)|Atlas]] was a giant in Greek mythology so big that he literally held the sky on his shoulders.
*[[Grandus (ROC)|Grandus]]'s [[instructions]] show that Dai Atlas can use his motor gimmick in [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]] to tow Grandus.
*Oddly enough, in the industry pitch reel included as a special feature (under 'ads') on the Madman ''Victory'' DVD set, all of Dai Atlas's action features are demonstrated using the Micromaster Freewheeler, and not Speeder. Sonic Bomber, on the other hand, is demonstrated using Sonic.
*During the [[title sequence]] for the ''Zone'' OVA there is a strange mini-montage of shots of Dai Atlas (all of the cartoon screencaps of his [[robot mode]] on this page are from that montage) including... a random shot of him from behind.
[[File:BraveGoryuModel.jpg|thumb|Ronald McDonaldpants.]]
*The Dai Atlas toy was [[redeco]]ed in Takara's ''[[Brave (franchise)|Brave Express Might Gaine]]'' toyline as "Gōryū" (轟龍), which served as the second mech of the series's anti-hero, Joe Raibaru. The [[character model]] was altered in various ways, such as straightened wings in robot mode and a creepier face, but the toy itself had no remolding—although the Gōryū toy did lack Dai Atlas's shield handle, for some strange reason. In a seeming nod to the toy's ''Transformers'' origins by the ''Brave'' staff, the robot was originally dubbed "Atlas" by its creator on the show, but Joe chose to rename it to his liking. Dai Atlas's design was also used for the "Atlas Mk.II" drones from the same series, which were never made as toys.
*''[[Transformers: Universe (2003 franchise)|Universe]]'' [[King Atlas]] was created as an [[homage]] to Dai Atlas. The character's lack of any form of bio meant that for several years, there existed the possibility he ''was'' Dai Atlas (thanks to ''Universe''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s multi-dimensional story). Eventually though, King Atlas was established as his own separate character hailing from the [[Unicron Trilogy]] [[continuity family]] in "[[Force of Habit]]".
*Cameo Kreons only mean one thing: existing ''Kre-O'' parts. Dai Atlas utilities the [[Bumblebee (Kre-O)|Bumblebee]] helmet (with additional yellow decorations), a backpack piece, a gun (with orange detailing) and 2 clip-on wings.

[[Category:Alternity Autobots]]
[[Category:Autobot leaders]]
[[Category:Combiners]]
[[Category:Convention exclusives]]
[[Category:Convoys]]
[[Category:Dreamwave Generation 1 Transformers]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Transformers]]
[[Category:Japanese-original Transformers]]
[[Category:Kre-O Autobots]]
[[Category:Kreons]]
[[Category:Legends Autobots]]
[[Category:Primes]]
[[Category:Return of Convoy Autobots]]
[[Category:Senators]]
[[Category:Transformers with multiple modes]]
[[Category:Zone Autobots]]

Rhinox (BW)

2018-03-05T23:33:16Z

RyRodrigo: /* Beast Wars cartoon */

{{factions|maximal|predacon|vehicon|autobot|onyxprime}}
{{disambig3|Rhinox}}
{{suite}}
:''Rhinox is a [[Maximal]] from the [[Beast Era]] portion of the [[Generation 1 continuity family|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[File:Rhinoxbw.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|"I will usher in a new age of technological perfecti — er, I mean, yay, pretty flowers."]]
[[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] was on the mark when he said that '''Rhinox''' was the best of them. He's a Renaissance Bot. Intelligent, massive, strong, and stalwart, there are few Maximals one could depend on more. Rhinox is of a rare breed — he's incredibly tech savvy, but mystically-inclined... without coming off as a burnt-out technohippie. He's quick and decisive in a crisis, with spectacular results, but is slow and steady. He loves to sniff the flowers. A behind-the-scenes charismatic and an on-his-feet strategist, he could lead the Maximals if he wanted to, but he doesn't.

If he sounds too good to be true, it's because he just might be. At times he can be borderline obsessive and single-minded, but his strong moral center keeps it from getting out of hand. The Maximals are glad for that, because if he ever lost his ethical restraint, woe be to them. No, woe be to the ''galaxy''.

Still, you can't help but love a bot who can fight Megatron to a standstill without breaking a sweat yet would rather take a nap in a patch of daisies. Rhinox considers [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] to be his best friend, though he also has a close friendship with [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]]. He appears to have some "older sibling/parental" emotions toward [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] due to his role in bringing her online.

Rhinox's only weapons—besides his intimidating strength and brilliant mind—are his twin chainguns, affectionately named "[[Machine gun|Chainguns of Doom]]" by the fans.

Rhinox's core was an integral part of the evil [[Vehicon general]] [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]].

{{bigquote|Make a device to extract molecular structure from an alien probe... man, I gotta be a miracle worker!|Rhinox|"[[Chain of Command (BW)|Chain of Command]]"}}

==Fiction==
===Toy bios===
Rhinox was a territorial warrior who stampeded his way through the jungle whenever Predacons drew near, crushing everything in his path. Although he was known to be courageous and cunning, what mades him stand out from other warriors was that he had never been injured. EVER. Even though he had never backed down from a fight, his triple-thick, steel-plated skin protected him from all harm, even double-barreled laser cannons (which were presumably very powerful weapons). {{storylink|Rhinox (BW)#Toys|Rhinox bio}}

Following the [[quantum surge]], Rhinox found himself in a new Transmetal body, and couldn't be happier; thanks to his new [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]], his new body is a lot faster then his previous one. One of his new battle moves involves pulling off wheelies on the battlefield. Furthermore, the semi-organic nature of his [[robot mode]] granted him additional fluidity and skill in combat.{{storylink|Rhinox (BW)#TM1|Transmetal Rhinox Bio}}

While collecting the exploded spark of [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]], Rhinox became a [[Transmetal|Metals]] as well. His knowledge and inner serenity were still intact. {{storylink|#TM1|Metals Rhinox bio}}

===''Beast Wars'' cartoon continuity===
====''Beast Wars'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Richard Newman]] (English), [[Daiki Nakamura]] (Japanese)|[[Yang Guang]] (Chinese), [[Alexandr Novikov]] (Russian, 2nd dub), [[Felipe di Nardo]] (Portuguese), [[Hervé Joly]] (French), [[Maurizio Trombini]] (Italian), [[Gerhard Marcel]] (German), [[Miguel Ángel Ghigliazza]] (Latin American Spanish), [[Vicente Gisbert]] (Castilian Spanish), [[Byeong-sig Lee]] (Korean)}}
[[File:BeastWarsPt1 Primal and Rattrap ride Rhinox.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.4|"Right, I've changed my mind: Optimus, become a damn truck."]]

Rhinox was a crewmember of the exploration ship ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'' when captain [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] got word that the [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]] criminal [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] had stolen the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]] and a [[Darksyde (BW)|ship]] with [[transwarp]] capabilities. The ''Axalon'' was the closest vessel that also possessed a transwarp drive, so Rhinox's ship was sent to engage them. After following the Predacons through a transwarp portal and appearing above a mysterious planet, both ships were damaged in the ensuing space battle, and before both ships crashed into the planet's surface below, the [[stasis pod]]s carrying the rest of Rhinox's crew were ejected into orbit.

The planet was rich with [[energon]]—so much so that prolonged exposure would short out their bodies, so the Maximals and Predacons were forced to take organic forms from the local creatures. Rhinox took the form of a rhinoceros. He soon took part in a rescue mission to retrieve [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] after the young Maximal ran into the Predacons, and forced [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] to give Primal cover. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}}

During Optimus's battle with [[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]], Rhinox pulled the pair to safety after they almost plunged off a ledge. The Maximals subsequently were forced to tail the Predacons, and when Dinobot almost accidentally slagged Rhinox, it caused the ex-Predacon and Rattrap to come to blows. The two factions eventually reached the mountain topped with energon and fought over it while in their [[beast mode]]s, until Megatron ended up destroying it. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 2)}}

[[File:TheWeb Rhinox closeup.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|"Bah, stuck in the base ''again''! To get more scenes, I need some sort of ''weapon''... a really ''impressive'' one...]]
Being the handyman of the crew, Rhinox quickly developed a new comlink to overcome the problems with energon interference. After Cheetor got into trouble while testing it, Rattrap gave the cat a hard time, causing him to race off, and Rhinox pointed out that Cheetor was about to do something stupid. He ordered Rattrap to go after Cheetor. {{storylink|The Web}} Rhinox's next developments were some energon monitoring devices, though Optimus initially scrubbed the mission to install them. After Cheetor went anyway, and a series of events almost destroyed the Maximal base, Rhinox and the other Maximals thanked Cheetor for preventing the explosion. {{storylink|Equal Measures}}

[[File:ChainofCommand Rhinox with chaingun.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.34|"-OF DOOM."]]
Rhinox had to dive for safety during a battle at the [[Standing Stones]], after [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] blew up the energon cache at its center. After Primal went missing, Rhinox had to break up a fight between Dinobot and Rattrap over who would lead, insisting on a secret ballot. The ballot ended in a deadlock, but they were then contacted by Primal, who'd become trapped in an [[Vok probe|alien probe]] at the Standing Stones. Rattrap was placed in charge during the bossmonkey's absence, and his command to Rhinox was to build a device to extract Optimus from the probe. Whether or not this device would actually have worked is unknown, as shortly before he had a chance to use it, Rhinox was ambushed by [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], but turned the tables by blasting the Predacon with his chaingun. Waspinator stumbled into a stone, and Rhinox realized the whole structure was a mechanism as it caused the probe to disgorge Optimus Primal. {{storylink|Chain of Command (BW)|Chain of Command}}

When Cheetor reported that [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] had found a [[flying mountain]], Rhinox theorized that the high concentration of energon on the top of it might be responsible for the strange gravity-warping effect. {{storylink|Power Surge (episode)|Power Surge}} After Primal was taken out by a Predacon sneak attack, Rhinox, Cheetor and Rattrap headed for a crashed stasis pod. The trio were delayed further, and beaten to the pod, however the [[protoform]] had already been awakened as [[Tigatron]]. {{storylink|Fallen Comrades}} Like the other Maximals, Rhinox was shocked by Rattrap's apparent defection to the Predacons, but as it turned out, it was a ploy to discover how the Predacons had been spying on the Maximals, and they were soon rescuing their comrade. {{storylink|Double Jeopardy}}

Rhinox later developed [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]], a hi-tech security system for the Axalon, which unfortunately went berserk when its control panel was damaged in a struggle between Dinobot and Rattrap, forcing the Maximals from their own base. Rattrap however, was able to infiltrate the now-heavily guarded ship and deactivate Sentinel, which was then repaired and made fully-functional by Rhinox. {{storylink|A Better Mousetrap}} The Maximals were forced to restrain Optimus after he was infected by a rage virus in a [[cyberbee]] developed by [[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]] and Rhinox was unable to work out how to remove it. After Primal undertook a one-bot assault on the Predacon base, Rhinox took part in the mission to rescue their leader, laying down suppressing fire to allow Cheetor to slip inside the base. {{storylink|Gorilla Warfare}}

[[File:Victory Rhinox sit down.jpg|thumb|260px|"I'm telling you, Optimus...this planet's core is made of creamy chocolate and I'm going to drill to the center of it whether you like it or not!"]]
He was unsuccessful in contacting a Maximal [[temporal probe]] which flew past the planet. Though he blamed himself, he and the other Maximals rallied themselves to build a communications array on Predacon soil. Unfortunately while they were doing so, [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]]'s latest invention the [[Transformation Lock Lens]], prevented them from sending the signal before Megatron destroyed the array. {{storylink|The Probe}} When a Predacon plan to fake a Maximal victory was exposed, Rhinox was dismayed when Optimus and Cheetor insisted on leaving the ''Axalon'' with liftoff imminent in order to rescue Dinobot. Tigatron attempted to go as well, leading Rhinox to order him to sit down. Liftoff eventually occurred without Primal, however Megatron got on board and damaged the controls. Rhinox attempted to control the ship and, with some assistance from Optimus, managed to get it down at least in one piece, though it would never fly again. {{storylink|Victory (episode)|Victory}}

[[File:DarkDesigns Rhinox monologues.jpg|left|upright=1.4|thumb|Evil has silver detailing. Who knew?]]
Some time later, when the Maximals found themselves cornered by a Predacon ambush, Rhinox was able to take out their attackers with a carefully aimed spray of chaingun fire. Megatron was so impressed that he decided to make Rhinox a member of his merry band of thieves, by force. Rhinox was captured by Tarantulas and then reprogrammed into a Predacon by a device designed by Megatron called a "[[Transmuter (BW)|Transmuter]]". However, the newly malevolent Rhinox proved to be too much for Megatron to handle, as Optimus Primal had correctly predicted. He quickly dispatched most of the Predacons, working his way up to Megatron himself in an attempted coup. Rhinox very nearly succeeded, but fortunately, Megatron was able to revert him back into a Maximal using the Transmuter, and Rhinox escaped to rejoin his Maximal comrades and smell some flowers. {{storylink|Dark Designs}}

The Maximals arrived back at base after being sent on wild goose chases by Megatron's [[Clone One|clone of Dinobot]], only to find that the clone had already been dealt with by the real Dinobot. {{storylink|Double Dinobot}} Later, a stasis pod crash landed in a barren wasteland. Rhinox intercepted it and, with the help of [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]]'s [[locking chip]], managed to save the protoform Maximal's [[spark]]. The protoform then became [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]], who repaid the favor by saving the weakened Rhinox from Terrorsaur. {{storylink|The Spark}}

While Rhinox was communicating long distance with Tigatron, his fellow Maximal was attacked by Waspinator and Terrorsaur, leading the Maximals to discover the existence of a [[Brigadoon|flying island]]. {{storylink|The Trigger, Part 1}} [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] took control of the island and piloted it towards the ''Axalon'', forcing Rhinox, Cheetor and Dinobot to evacuate the base. The only thing Rhinox took with him was a potted plant. When the island's destruction sent a beam into space, the Maximals wondered who received the signal and what they'd do next. {{storylink|The Trigger, Part 2}}

At one point, a [[magna pulse]] triggered by Tarantulas knocked out the power in the Maximal base, and Optimus Primal left Rhinox struggling to get things working again. {{storylink|Spider's Game}} The loss of the ''Axalon''<nowiki>'s</nowiki> [[rectifier coil]] forced the Maximals to stay in their beast forms at all times, which resulted in their beast instincts taking over and sending them off to wander the jungle. It was only with Tigatron's help that they deleted the programming blocks separating their core programming, and they were able to fight the Predacons who were hunting them. {{storylink|Call of the Wild}}

[[File:Dark Voyage Rhinox listening.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|Rhinox's Yoga phase]]
When Scorponok detonated a pile of energon near a group of Maximals, rendering them blind, it was Rhinox who led the group on the dangerous trek back to the Axalon, teaching them how to use their other senses. They were able to overcome the obstacles both nature and the Predacons could throw at them, and succeeded in reaching safety. Afterwards, Rhinox again went off to smell some flowers. {{storylink|Dark Voyage}} After the Maximals were ousted from their base by the Predacons assisted by a [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]-possessed Waspinator, they attempted a ruse to get the ''Axalon'' back, resulting in Rhinox and the others mounting an assault on the Predacon base. {{storylink|Possession}}

[[File:LowRoad fart.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.5|Thunder Crack Blast]]
Later, Tarantulas infected Rhinox with an [[energon discharge virus]], which made him expel his energon reserves via his nasal passages in bursts powerful enough to tear through the hull of the Axalon, threatening both to destroy the Maximals' base and completely drain Rhinox of energy. Rattrap and Dinobot were dispatched to acquire a countervirus, while Rhinox ate some wild bean vines to keep his strength up. When the bickering duo nearly failed in their mission, the other Maximals, including Rhinox, showed up, and the rhinoceros blew away the Predacons with a massive energon... *ahem*"derriere-based"... discharge which was caused by his ingestion of wild beans; Megatron would remember this moment as the most humiliating defeat in his entire career. Rhinox was later cured by the countervirus via a Cybertronic beer hat. {{storylink|The Low Road}}

After Megatron called a truce, Rhinox assisted "non-violently" in helping Tigatron escape after infiltrating the Predacon base to find out more information. He non-violently held up a sheet of metal for Terrorsaur to crash into, and then non-violently sat on him. Tigatron reported that the aliens were coming. {{storylink|Before the Storm}} Indeed, an alien construct appeared and, while the other Maximals were investigating it, Rhinox and Dinobot were bushwhacked in the Maximal base by Tarantulas and Blackarachnia. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 1}} The rest of the Maximals found their two comrades webbed to the ceiling, and placed them in [[CR chamber]]s. Rhinox stirred in his chamber as he sensed Primal's impending destruction. {{storylink|Other Voices, Part 2}}

[[File:ComingFuzors2 Rhinox searches for Primal.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.34|They warned us to not to take the brown acid!]]
Protected by the CR chamber, Rhinox avoided being upgraded into a [[Transmetal]] by the [[quantum surge]]. After recovering, he took leadership of the Maximals to forestall any bickering and sent Rattrap and Cheetor out to protect the base against Megatron. Unfortunately Inferno was already loose in the base, and managed to blast Rhinox before fighting Dinobot. Rhinox quickly recovered, throwing a badly-battered Inferno out and forcing Megatron to retreat. {{storylink|Aftermath}} Rhinox later initiated a dangerous plan to bring the recently deceased Optimus Primal back to life by using the hole in space-time caused by the destruction of the Planet Buster to astrally project his spark into the [[Transformer afterlife|Matrix]]. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)}} Rhinox followed the transition left by Primal's spark and led it back to the land of the living, where it was reborn as Transmetal Optimus Primal. Primal was able to come to the aid of the Maximals right when they were on the verge of defeat. {{storylink|Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2)}}

[[File:OtherVisits2 Rhinox emerges from chamber.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|"Ohhhhhh... What ''had'' I been taking in that last screencap?"]]
Rhinox conducted tests on Optimus Primal to attempt to determine what the new Transmetal forms were capable of, with limited results. {{storylink|Tangled Web}} His research into the alien sites predicted that there would be one located in an area Tigatron and Airazor were patrolling, however a Predacon jamming tower prevented the Maximals from warning the pair, who were shot into space by some sort of alien planet device. While the others were off the base, Rhinox was attacked by Megatron, Blackarachnia and [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]], who made off with the [[Golden Disk (Vok)|Golden Disk]]. After repairs, Rhinox and the other Maximals went to the alien site, only to be blasted by the alien construct that appeared. {{storylink|Other Visits (Part 1)}} The Transmetaled Maximals recovered quickly, and [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] and Cheetor took Rhinox and Dinobot back to base for repairs. Rhinox was barely recovered when he was again pressed into action, attacking the [[Metal Hunter|alien construct]] which Megatron had taken over, to allow Rattrap and Tarantulas to slip inside. {{storylink|Other Visits (Part 2)}}

When [[Rampage (BW)|Protoform X]]'s stasis pod was discovered, Rhinox worried that its contents had survived the crash. {{storylink|Bad Spark}} Rhinox calculated that the [[transwarp wavefront]] from the Planet Buster explosion would soon be reaching [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], though the good news was tempered a short time later when Dinobot perished saving a group of [[protohuman]]s from the Predacons. {{storylink|Code of Hero}} Rhinox's tests on [[Transmutate (character)|Transmutate]] were not promising, and he suggested putting the creature in stasis. Silverbolt wasn't happy with the suggestion. {{storylink|Transmutate (episode)|Transmutate}}

[[File:Agenda3 Rhinox forcing door.jpg|right|upright=1.3|thumb|"Hey Rhinox, we just found the garage door opener after all... never mind."]]
Continuing to track the transwarp wavefront, Rhinox and the other Maximals celebrated their impending rescue, however instead they got Predacon agent [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]]. After fighting off the Predacons, Ravage helped the Maximals storm the ''Darksyde'' and arrest Megatron. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 1)}} With Ravage's defection, Rhinox and Rattrap found themselves under heavy assault in the ''Axalon''. Some daring-do on Rattrap's part saved the day, but the Maximals had to chase Megatron. Rhinox was forced to ride on Primal's surfboard, much to his visible discomfort at the height. They tracked Megatron to [[Mount St. Hilary]], where the Predacon leader had located the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] and attempted to reach the ship first. Though Rhinox physically forced the ship's doors open, they were too late — Megatron had blasted [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], causing a [[timestorm]] as history began to change. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)}}

With Blackarachnia's help, the Maximals stabilized Prime ad Rhinox stayed to supervise the repairs while the others went to defend the ''Axalon''. His work was interrupted by Silverbolt's "situation" — Blackarachnia had been shot by Megatron during the conflict, but as Rhinox pointed out, she just needed repairs. The ''Axalon'', on the other hand, was lost, and the Maximals were forced to set up base in the cavern housing the Ark. {{storylink|Optimal Situation}}

Rhinox had difficulties interfacing Maximal and [[Autobot]] technology, and expressed doubts that help was still on the way, though it did turn up in the form of [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]], who'd come looking for [[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]]. {{storylink|Deep Metal}} An attempt by Rhinox to rig up [[Teletraan I]]'s force field to protect the base failed, forcing the Maximals to attempt to salvage Sentinel. He later had to restrain Rattrap from trying to attack Depth Charge, who had caused the mission to fail. {{storylink|Changing of the Guard}}

[[File:CuttingEdge Rhinox chainguns.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.3|You wouldn't like him when he's angry.]]
Analysing the [[cyber raptor]] which Primal had encountered, Rhinox reported that it was fused with Transmetal technology. Once the others had all left the base, he and Rattrap found themselves under siege from Megatron and a group of Predacons. Rhinox finally made a desperate attempt to see them off with a barrage of chaingun fire, only to be blasted backwards. Depth Charge fortunately came to the rescue and saved them both. {{storylink|Cutting Edge}}

When the Maximals thought that Cheetor had been killed, Rhinox told Primal not to give up hope, and went to get the long-range sensors online. As it turned out, his optimism was correct, as Cheetor later turned up outside the base. {{storylink|Feral Scream Part 1}} After Cheetor was apparently spirited away overnight by a strange creature, Silverbolt and Blackarachnia went out looking, but to Rhinox's surprise, didn't find anything. {{storylink|Feral Scream Part 2}}

[[File:CrossingtheRubicon Rhinox operating.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.34|"Everyone, shut up! I'm finally gonna beat the first level of ''[[Transformers: Mystery of Convoy|Mystery of Convoy]]!''"]]
Rhinox scanned Blackarachnia's internals, with a view to extracting her Predacon [[shell program]] and restoring her to a Maximal state. Some time later, he and Primal discovered that she had overheard their conversation about the concept, and fled in the belief they'd force her to go through with it. {{storylink|Proving Grounds}} A huge buildup of energy on a mountain top caused alarm for the Maximals, who braced for a possible attack, but all that happened was that the top of the mountain exploded. How odd. {{storylink|Go with the Flow}}

When Blackarachnia's attempts to become a Transmetal caused her shell program to deteriorate, threatening to erase her [[core consciousness]], Rhinox carried out a very delicate procedure to surgically remove the shell program directly. Unfortunately, certain failsafes installed by Tarantulas, combined with a Predacon attack, caused the operation to fail. Fortunately, Blackarachnia was mysteriously resurrected anyway by the [[Transmetal driver]]. {{storylink|Crossing the Rubicon}} Megatron's next gambit involved [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] remote controlling Optimus Primal. Once this was achieved, the subverted Primal's first order was for Rhinox to order everyone back to base, where Quickstrike was able to knock them out and stick them in a cage. Fortunately Blackarachnia was able to free Primal and the others and they fought off Megatron, who had upgraded himself using the original [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]]'s spark. {{storylink|Master Blaster}}

[[File:Nemesis2 Rhinox yelling in shuttle.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|'''I AM NOT GETTING AGGRESSIVE!!!!''']]
Detecting an alien signature inbound to Earth, Rhinox realised that it meant that Tigatron and Airazor were coming back. Indeed, the Predacon base was soon destroyed by [[Tigerhawk]], the emissary the [[Vok]] had created using the two Maximal sparks, though Rhinox wasn't in the mood for celebrating. {{storylink|Other Victories}} Once the situation was sorted out, the Maximals began searching for Megatron and his scattered forces. Rhinox monitored the situation from base, as the others discovered that Megatron was attempting to raise the [[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]. He and Rattrap were overjoyed when Primal reported that Depth Charge had taken out the warship, but it turned out the news was a little too premature. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

Rhinox was ordered by Optimus Primal to execute [[Operation Eternity]], which apparently only Primal and he knew about. The purpose of the operation was to "move the Ark" by activating its engines and taking off; little is know beyond that, because the Maximals failed when the Ark's engines proved beyond repair. However, [[Dinobot II]] downloaded emergency data to the Ark about an [[Autobot Shuttle Omega Delta|Autobot shuttle]] hidden within the Ark. Rhinox piloted the shuttle and flew it directly into the bridge of the Nemesis, taking down Megatron and causing the warship to spiral out of control and crash somewhere beyond the horizon. Thus, the Beast Wars were won. Rhinox and the other Maximals left prehistoric Earth aboard the aforementioned Autobot shuttle and began the voyage home to Cybertron. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}}
{{-}}

====''Beast Machines'' cartoon====
{{voiceactor|[[Richard Newman]] (English), [[Daiki Nakamura]] (Japanese)|[[Yang Guang]] (Chinese), [[Gerald Paradies]] (German)}}

{{see|Tankor (BM)}}
[[File:Revelations3 Rhinox vision.jpg|upright=1.2|thumb|Rhinox suffers the horrors of symbolism.]]

Rhinox returned to [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] with the surviving Maximals to discover the entire population had been replaced by mindless [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon drones]] created by Megatron. {{storylink|The Reformatting}}

Rhinox, like the other Maximals, was exposed to Megatron's [[Transformation virus|virus]] at this point. Although the [[Transmetal]] Maximals merely reverted to their original shapes, the Maximals who were still ''in'' their original shapes were instantly paralyzed. As a result, Rhinox and [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]] were captured, stripped of their organic bodies and placed in the new bodies of [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]] and [[Jetstorm (BM)|Jetstorm]]. {{storylink|Revelations Part II: Descent|Descent}} Much later on, Rhinox's mind was freed by Optimus' spark connection with him, and he watched and observed, eventually turning his back on his Maximals to go along with Megatron's cause of a purely technological, one-mind Cybertron. {{storylink|Revelations Part III: Apocalypse|Apocalypse}}

Rhinox pretended to still be Tankor and sneaked around Megatron's ranks, reprogramming the [[Diagnostic Drone]] as his agent. He'd decided Megatron's ''cause'' was right, but it needed a different, more efficient person at the helm... someone like ''him''. He went off to fulfill this new mission, in a highly malevolent and sadistic manner. {{storylink|Survivor}}

[[File:BeastMachinesRhinoxFuneral.JPG|left|thumb|Optimus struggles with the "make-your-own Transformer" toy.]]

Rhinox went looking for the legendary [[Key to Vector Sigma]] that was supposed to turn organic life into technomatter. He found it, took control of it, and then faked his death. {{storylink|The Key}} Now on the underground and spying on both sides, he used the Diagnostic Drone to reveal the Key had been discovered, intending for Megatron to use it on himself (to eradicate his [[beast mode]]) and go insane in the process. When this didn't work, he set it up so Rattrap would find and use a catalyst program that would cause mutant plant life to erupt in [[Cybertropolis]], scaring Megatron into arming the [[Tank Drone]]s with copies of the Key... {{storylink|The Catalyst}}

[[File:TankorRhinox Spark.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb]]

...only to find he no longer had remote control of the drones, and would need to trick Megatron into using them instead. By this point, he'd already been tampering with the Oracle (an interface for Vector Sigma) and used it to trick Optimus into finding the [[Plasma Energy Chamber]] that could destroy all technology. While he (wrongly) thought Primal would never use it, he knew Megatron would never take the chance! Unfortunately for him, he overplayed his hand: Megatron thought Optimus wouldn't use it either, grew suspicious with the Diagnostic Drone pushing him to strike first, and disabled it. Rhinox decided to launch an ambush assault and take out both enemy leaders while they were fighting... only to find, whoops, Megatron had programmed his generals to be ''incapable'' of shooting him. Rhinox was swiftly offlined, his plan stolen by Megatron, and then killed by plasma energy: a humiliating demise. {{storylink|End of the Line|End of the Line}}

Rhinox's spiritual form appeared once more with Optimus in the Matrix, bidding his friend farewell and to telling him to embrace his Spark. For his sins, he told Optimus, he himself would be remaining in the Matrix; he expressed regret for his actions. {{storylink|Fallout (episode)|Fallout}}
{{-}}

====Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity====
=====''Cloud''=====
{{charstubfiction|{{storylink|Shock (Cloud)|Shock}} {{storylink|Wild (Cloud)|Wild}} {{storylink|TFC-A03}}}}

=====''Beast Wars Diorama Story''=====
After Starscream's leave from the Beast Wars, a battle broke out between the Maximals and Predacons. {{Storylink|Optimus Primal Chapter}} Rhinox found himself challenged by the mysterious new Predacon [[Wolfang (Predacon)|Wolfang]]. {{storylink|Rhinox Chapter}} {{storylink|Wolfang Chapter}} Eventually, [[Autobot]]s and [[Decepticon]]s from another dimension joined the battle, with [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] and his troops joining the Maximals. {{storylink|Tigatron Chapter}} The combined Maximal-Autobot and Predacon-Decepticon forces eventually faced off against one other, with the Maximals and Autobots unleashing their fused energies on their foes first. {{storylink|Motorarm Chapter}}

=====''Transformers Legends'' comic=====
Following his death as Tankor, the remorseful Rhinox's spark traveled to the [[Legends World]], sensing that there was an alternate Rhinox there who had similar regrets and could use some counseling. Thanks to this universe's unique wish-granting "spirit power", he manifested as a ghost identical to his form on Earth. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Rhinox)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}} He proceeded to go find his counterpart, introducing himself as another Rhinox. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Waspinator)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}}

The two talked about their regrets as their respective Tankors, and Rhinox explained that though he'd accepted death as his penance, his alternate self was still alive and had a future during which he could change for the better. They were interrupted by the ghost of [[Starscream (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Starscream]] attacking the [[Axalon Trading Company]] using the body of Waspinator, prompting Rhinox to use his own ghostly form to exorcise and defeat the Decepticon in defense of Legends Rhinox's friends. He was then reunited with Rattrap, who had been sent to find him and bring him back to their own world, but said that he'd done what he came for and that his fate was to was move on to the afterlife. To his surprise, however, Legends Rhinox was a skilled roboticist and whipped up a new body for his spark to inhabit, granting him a future as well. Thus alive once more, Rhinox returned with Rattrap to post-[[Great Reformatting]] Cybertron, where he was reunited with his friends. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Rhinox)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}}

====3H comics====
[[File:Groundzero-rhinoxandfractyl.jpg|thumb|upright=0.55|left]]
Rhinox was trying to teach Cheetor the value of peace and quiet when a firefight broke out in the Badlands. Finding the normally skittish [[Packrat]] trading heavy firepower with Inferno, Rhinox realized something was up. Although cautious at first, he listened to the Predacon geologist [[Fractyl]]'s explanation that Packrat had stolen some experimental energon armor, which was slowly degenerating into the unstable anti-energon. Rhinox convinced Packrat that the respect he craved would not come from power, but from giving up power when it was necessary. After Fractyl neutralized the armor, Rhinox threw the geeky Predacon scientist a bone and pretened to run in terror from the "might of Fractyl" so that the arriving Megatron would give his underling some respect. {{storylink|Ground Zero}}

[[File:Terminus-CheetorandRhinox.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|right|Good thing he's wearing that cushy parka.]]
By the time the Maximals were operating out of the Ark, Rhinox had taken it upon himself to make regular planetary sweeps with the base's scanners. After one such scan, he detected a Transwarp disruption, and a trail of chronal particles left behind by a newly arrived time-traveler. He informed Optimus Primal of his find, hoping that it was finally a means to return to their place in space-time. Rhinox and the rest of the Maximals set out to investigate the temporal trail, encountering the Predacons en route. The two factions were locked in a firefight, though the advantage lay with the Predacons. Megatron then took off to reach the time-traveller, and Rhinox insisted that Optimus go after him, while he and the other Maximals held back Megatron's troops. Though hesitant to do so, Optimus followed Rhinox's advice, and the Maximals were left behind against overwhelming odds. The Predacons eventually began to push the Maximals back towards a cliffside. As they encroached, an explosion hit Rhinox, and he was knocked offline. {{storylink|Paradox}}

Rhinox recovered just in time to watch as the newly arrived Shokaract attempted to rip Optimus's spark from his body. He helped his fellow Maximals fight back against the tyrant, but was knocked back when Shokaract threw Cheetor at him. Once Shokaract was defeated, space-time rebooted itself with the disappearance of the Dark Essence from the past, and these events were erased from Rhinox's timeline. {{storylink|Terminus (issue)|Terminus}}

[[File:Tankorrhinoxrevelations.jpg|left|upright=0.85|thumb|Stop hitting yourself! Stop hitting yourself!]]

When [[Primus]] gave [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] the ability to choose any Transformer, living or dead, from the [[Transformer afterlife|Allspark]] to assist him in the [[Universe War|multiversal war]] against [[Unicron]], Primal chose [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depthcharge]] and Rhinox. Depthcharge was bitter about being brought back from the dead, but Rhinox was thankful for the chance to atone for his actions as Tankor. {{storylink|Homecoming (Universe)|Homecoming}}

During the Universe War, Rhinox built a device to counteract Unicron's attempts to abduct Transformers. Two such attempts at deflection were only partially successful, necessitating the deployment of a rescue team. {{storylink|Voice Actor Drama}}

In the final battle of the war, Rhinox defeated the Minion general [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]], presumably redeeming his actions as his own universe's Tankor. He presumably escaped [[Unicron]] with Optimus Primal and the other Children. {{storylink|Revelations Part 2}}
{{-}}

====Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity====
During the Beast Wars, Rhinox designed a crawler vehicle, and sent Rattrap out into the wilderness to test it. On the way back to Cybertron after the end of the Beast Wars, Rhinox dozed off to sleep while Rattrap recalled his test run of the vehicle in a dream. {{storylink|Ain't No Rat}}

{{BW Shell Game}}
He awoke, affected by a Transwarp agitator planted on the shuttle by a new team of Predacons hiding on Earth. This device caused him and the other Maximals aboard to act aggressively towards one-another, and Rhinox tried to force Rattrap into the ship's C.R. Chamber due to its influence. Rattrap resisted, managed to get away, and deactivated the ship's Transwarp drive. Though this restored the Maximals to their senses, it also returned them to prehistoric Earth. {{storylink|Shell Game issue 1|Shell Game #1}}

====''Transformers Legends'' anthology (1)====
Not long after Megatron stole the spark of the original Megatron, he had Quickstrike plant a device in the Maximal base. The device magnified the Maximals' aggression, resulting in Rhinox trying to kill Blackarachnia while Silverbolt attempted to stop him. While Silverbolt failed, Optimus Primal arrived in time to pin Rhinox down, only to succumb to the device's effects himself. Primal was soon able to overcome the effect, and freed the rest of the Maximals who then fought off Megatron. {{storylink|A Meeting of Minds}}

After Tankor's death, Rhinox's spark and consciousness were cleansed and rejoined the Matrix. When Megatron was defeated by Nightscream, Rhinox saw an opportunity to redeem the fallen tyrant, and attempted to act as a spirit guide. Rhinox led Megatron through the ascending layers of Transformer afterlife, urging him to leave behind his fixation on worldly power. Megatron was briefly tempted, but his repeated returns to Cybertron convinced him that godhood was still within his reach. Tapping into the power of the Oracle, Megatron erased Rhinox's spark, killing him utterly. {{storylink|Singularity Ablyss}}

====IDW ''Beast Wars'' comics====
[[File:BWGatherRhinox.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Realising that he is functionally invisible to those around him, Razorbeast takes a moment to moon Rhinox.]]
The 'bot that would one day call himself "Rhinox" was aboard the ''Axalon'', along with the rest of its original crew, tasked with performing orbital scans of Cybertron. The crew's survey yielded Transmatter energy signatures coming from the head of [[Unicron]], in orbit around the planet. Upon their approach, they detected a whole lot of activity within the satellite; several units evacuating a concealed base. The ship's crew activated their shield just in time for a Transmatter bomb to erupt out of the satellite, and the Axalon to accidentally come to meet its path. The ship avoided any damage, and the bomb was deflected away from the planet. Some Transmatter debris did reach Cybertron however, and all those touched by it were reduced to protoforms. A few of these unfortunates were later entrusted to the crew of the ''Axalon''. {{storylink|Dawn of the Predacus}}

As Magmatron surveyed the timeline, he witnessed Rhinox standing over a stasis pod, while Cheetor and Terrorsaur battled some distance away. {{storylink|The Gathering issue 1|The Gathering #1}}

Rhinox stood outside the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' as [[Razorbeast]]'s [[Chronal phase|chronically-displaced]] Maximals passed by. Although Optimus Primal could vaguely sense their presence, Rhinox theorized that the sensation was just a side-effect of Primal's recent upgrades. {{storylink|The Gathering issue 3|The Gathering #3}}

After his (very) later death, Rhinox was reborn by the [[Vok]] and traveled the multiverse. He was supposedly fighting [[Unicron]]'s chaos, but knew the Vok really wanted him to manipulate Cybertronian history; however, out of guilt for his actions as Tankor, he still helped any Cybertronian he came across. He was probably [[Rhinox (Armada)|some other guy]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook #3}}
{{-}}

====''Timelines''====
During the prep for the ''Axalon'''s launch, the crew spent weeks on a space station getting everything ready. Rhinox assisted with the loading process as Protoform X's stasis pod was brought on board. As they launched, the bridge crew received word from Maximal High Command about the theft of the Golden Disk.

Mere moments after receiving their mission directive, the ''Axalon'' was attacked by a small assault craft piloted by [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]] and [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]]. Rhinox attempted some emergency repairs of their damaged systems, but they would have been destroyed if the ''[[Chromia 10]]'' had not appeared in time to draw fire. Tragically, their rescuers were heavily damaged before Rhinox got everything back on-line in time to help. With leave from Optimus, he brought the two-mech crew's damaged bodies inside and stowed their sparks in blank protoforms to preserve them for later.

In pursuit of the ''Darksyde'', the ''Axalon'' came under fire from the Predacon ship. Rhinox kept the ship together as they pursued the ''Darksyde'' through transwarp space and then... {{storylink|Dawn of Future's Past}}

After [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] was reborn on [[Earth]], Rhinox fought the Predacons during a plot to launch an orbital weapon. The launching pad was destroyed by Airazor. {{storylink|The Razor's Edge}}

====Razorclaw continuity====
In one splinter timeline of [[Primax 496.22 Alpha]], minor atmospheric perturbations caused [[Silverbolt (BW)|Silverbolt]]'s stasis pod to crash on the far side of Earth, and absent his presence, Megatron slaughtered all the remaining Maximals except [[Tigatron]] and [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]]. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/08/07}}

====Ask Vector Prime====
Due to the temporal machinations of [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] and the response by the [[Alternity]] in [[OG World|Primax 785.06 Alpha]], a quantum duplicate of Rhinox from just after the end of the Beast Wars in [[Primax 496.22 Alpha]] was spawned. The Alternity shepherded the "shipwrecked" Primal, Rhinox, Rattrap, and Silverbolt to [[Viron 102.0 Beta]] in order to fight the similarly-shipwrecked Megatron, who schemed to take over this reality's Cybertron by capturing the populace's sparks and converting their bodies into Vehicons. Guided by the [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]], Primal's forces fought the long and arduous "Allspark Battles", eventually triumphing over Megatron's Vehicon hordes. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime#Facebook|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/30}}

====A Change to the Agenda====
After [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] attacked [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] and was thrown out of the [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] when [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] activated the ship's defense systems, Rhinox and the other Maximals attempted to heal the wounded Autobot. However, Megatron was not thrown far enough and the Predacon managed to reenter the Ark and blast the Autobot leader, decisively erasing the Maximals from the timeline. {{storylink|A Change to the Agenda}} In [[Primax 209.0 Gamma|the wildly different timeline]] that followed, Rhinox's life would take [[#Beast Wars: Uprising|a very different track]].

===''Beast Wars Metals'' manga===
[[File:RhinoxSuicideManga01.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|Fun fact: Suicide is legal in Japan.]]

Following the [[Quantum surge]], [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] was dead and the [[Maximal]]s were left scattered all over [[Earth|Energoa]], with only [[Transmetal]] Rhinox and [[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]] holed up in the Maximal base. The [[Predacon (BW)|Predacons]] were in much better condition, having also been mutated into Transmetals but with their numbers still intact. As the Maximal base came under attack from [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]] and his forces, Rhinox casually worked on a new machine while Rattrap freaked the hell out. Suddenly, [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] appeared and was attacked by [[Sentinel (BW)|Sentinel]]. Much to Rattrap's chagrin, Rhinox shut Sentinel down to allow Airazor to get inside the base, though it considerably weakened their defenses.

Seeing an opening, [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] infiltrated the base and effortlessly took out Rattrap and Airazor. Rhinox proceeded to pull out a strange "gun," but instead of pointing it at ''her'', he pointed it at ''himself'' and proceeded to "blow his brains out." With the job well done, Blackarachnia left the base as it exploded.

As it turned out, the "gun" was part of Rhinox's machine, which was being kept safe from the explosion (along with Rattrap and Airazor) by a small force field. The "gun" allowed Rhinox to travel into [[Transwarp|Transwarp space]], where he found the [[spark]] of Optimus Primal, about to move on to his deathly reward. Reminding Primal of his duty to his Maximals, he helped Primal's spark escape Transwarp space and return to his body, turning it into a Transmetal. {{storylink|Beast Wars Metals issue 1|Beast Wars Metals #1}}

When Rampage became too much for Optimus Primal, he contacted Rhinox and asked for a map of undersea volcanic activity in their vicinity. Rhinox sent the data, which helped Primal set off a chain reaction that blasted Rampage into space. {{storylink|Beast Wars Metals issue 2|Beast Wars Metals #2}}

Rhinox later received a transmission from Dinobot, who was recovering from injuries in a [[protohuman]] village. {{storylink|Beast Wars Metals issue 3|Beast Wars Metals #3}}

He next watched the battle between Airazor and the mind-controlled Tigatron on a monitor and sent Optimus to help them. {{storylink|Beast Wars Metals issue 4|Beast Wars Metals #4}}

His monitoring skills came in handy again when he hacked into the security cameras of the ''Ark'' and found that Megatron was plotting to kill [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. {{storylink|Beast Wars Metals issue 5|Beast Wars Metals #5}}

Rhinox and Rattrap followed Primal in their vehicle modes, but were too slow to keep up. They arrived after the final battle was finished and Rhinox pondered how they were going to fix history. {{storylink|Beast Wars Metals issue 6|Beast Wars Metals #6}}

===''Transformers Legends'' anthology (2)===
The Maximals crashed in [[Mexico]] around 1,000 B.C.E., near where the [[Natiltec]] tribe lived. Their war with the Predacons eventually involved the local humans, and after the situation had been resolved, Rhinox recorded and encoded a message onto a cave wall alongside a Natiltec warrior's writings. Some three thousand years later, it was discovered by an archaeology team, who were able to use [[Laserbeak (Armada)|Laserbeak]] to play back an audio recording of Rhinox. {{storylink|Fire in the Dark}}
{{-}}

===''Beast Wars: Uprising''===
As one of the Maximals forced to continue the war which the Autobots were no longer able to fight, Rhinox was part of a small team under the command of [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]] that went up against the [[Darksyder]]s. He and Silverbolt were both killed early in the conflict, spurring the others to rebel against Primal and the status quo. The Maximals later made use of the [[impercepton shield]] he had built, using it to infiltrate the [[Ferromax Detention Center]] so they could rescue Dynobot. {{storylink|Alone Together: Prologue}}

===IDW Generation 1 continuity===
[[File:TheCrucible RhinoxofMournsong.jpg|thumb|right|150px]]
One of many beast-type Cybertronians serving under [[Onyx Prime]] ten million years ago, '''Rhinox of the Mournsong''' was guarding his master's citadel in [[Kalis]] when [[Nova Prime|Nova Major]], [[Galvatron (G1)/IDW Generation 1 continuity|Galvatron]], and [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] appeared and demanded entry. Unwilling to fight, he let the three into the citadel where they confirmed that Onyx had already departed from Cybertron. As Rhinox wondered aloud what would happen to him next, Nova Major promised him he and the other beasts would [[Functionism|have a place]] in the new united Cybertronian society. {{storylink|The Crucible}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers Legends'' comic===
The middle-aged section manager of [[Axalon Trading Company]], Rhinox was present when the company hired Rattrap. After Rattrap began talking about ''Transformers'', Rhinox revealed he was a fan as well, and though the two hit it off well at first with their shared fan vocabulary, they hit a snag when it turned out Rhinox only liked [[The Transformers (franchise)|Generation 1]] while the younger Rattrap preferred ''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars]]''. {{storylink|The Generation Gap}} Like the other employees, he transformed into robot mode to do office work. {{storylink|Legends Vol. 4#The Transformation Gap|The Transformation Gap}} When Rattrap was ogling Airazor and [[Nightscream (BM)|Nightscream]], Rhinox let him know the two weren't actually female, {{storylink|Legends Vol. 4#The Gender Gap|The Gender Gap}} a fact the two later lamented together. {{storylink|Legends Vol. 5#The Gender Gap Part 2|The Gender Gap Part 2}}

Together with the other toy nerds of Axalon, Rhinox visited the [[Transformers Celebration 2014]] event, where he got cried tears of happiness and nostalgia over a Generation 1 [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]-inspired truck with a Prime bust in its trailer, a recorded message from [[Tesshō Genda]], and a [[Optimus Prime (G1)/toys#Lost Age|clear Prime toy]] he got. When the truck left, however, he was forced to comment that its single windshield wasn't accurate to Prime's design. {{storylink|Transformers Legends (comic)#Transformers Celebration 2014|Bonus Chapter: Transformers Celebration 2014}} As he and the others looked over the toys they'd bought at the event, Rhinox joked that Silverbolt's [[Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#AOELeader|movie Optimus Prime]] looked ready to go to school with the [[kibble|backpack]] he was wearing. He was very pleased with his own [[Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys#EvasionMode|Classic Optimus Prime]] and its vehicle mode's resemblance to G1 Prime, but got violently upset when Silverbolt transformed it into its movie-based robot mode and had it ride [[Grimlock (AOE)#Voyager|Grimlock]]. When it came to Rattrap's [[Dinobot (AOE)|Dinobots]], the three joked about the toy weapons' resemblance to food and utensils until they all got hungry. {{storylink|TF4 Toy Party}}

While visiting [[Tokyo Toy Show]] 2014, Rhinox and the others were reminded of the unsightliness of their hobby when they ran into company president [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]], who was only there for [[Optimus Minor|his son]]. As the oldest of the group and by proxy the most embarrassing, Rhinox took it upon himself to reassure the others there was nothing wrong with their liking toys by dancing to an ''Age of Extinction''-themed song for kids, which didn't help. Their discovery of ''[[The Transformers: Masterpiece|Masterpiece]]'' [[Star Saber (Victory)#Masterpiece|Star Saber]], a toy aimed at adults like them, ended up cheering everyone up, after which Rhinox continued dancing. After witnessing Primal and his son bond over a Transformers toy, they softened up and admitted that Transformers was most certainly for kids. {{storylink|Tokyo Toy Show 2014 Report}} At work, Rhinox went on a tirade about why the '80s of his youth had been so great, almost scaring off Rattrap and Silverbolt until he caught their interest with the fact that Japan had no consumption tax back then. After looking it up, Silverbolt burst his bubble by telling him the tax was implemented in '89. {{storylink|Legends Vol. 9#The Era Gap|The Era Gap}}

One day, Primal left the office with a warning not to touch his [[banana]]s, which naturally prompted Rhinox and the others to eat them all as quickly as possible. {{storylink|Legends Vol. 10#Even Though I Told You Not To...|Even Though I Told You Not To...}} Rhinox later said goodbye to [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] after a night on the town. {{storylink|Legends Vol. 10#Cheetor at Night|Cheetor at Night}} When Rattrap, Cheetor and Primal were transformed into [[Beast Machines: Transformers (franchise)|weird new forms]] overnight, Rhinox was jealous and wished that if the same thing happened to him, he'd become a cool robot. {{storylink|Legends Vol. 15#LG03 Tankor Prologue|LG03 Tankor Prologue}} His dreams came true when [[Transformers sickness]] struck and turned Rhinox into [[Tankor (BM)|Tankor]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 3|Bonus Edition Vol. 3}} After a series of failed attempts at forcing the world back to the way it was in the 80s, Tankor was defeated by [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]] and reverted to Rhinox. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 7|Bonus Edition Vol. 7}}

[[File:G1 Megatron Legends manga.jpg|thumb|right|200px]]
The tall statures of Rhinox and the others at Axalon Co. was a source of grief for Rattrap, who disliked his small size. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 8|Bonus Edition Vol. 8}} When Rattrap's aunt [[Arcee (G1)|Arcee]] showed up at Axalon after being afflicted with Transformers sickness, Rhinox and Tigatron recognized her from ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' and defended her from suspicious police officer [[T-AI|Ai]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 10|Bonus Edition Vol. 10}} The two were jealous of Rattrap's close relationship with Arcee as a child until they realized she hadn't been a giant robot back then. {{storylink|Transformers Legends: Arcee Chapter|Arcee Chapter}} Rhinox was among the adoring fans who welcomed [[Megatron (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Megatron]] when he arrived in the Legends Universe, happily chanting "All hail Megatron!" at the bewildered Decepticon. {{storylink|Legends Vol. 23#Lord Megatron Goes to the Legends World|Lord Megatron Goes to the Legends World}} While attending Tokyo Toy Show 2015, Rhinox and friends witnessed [[Scourge (RID)|Black Convoy]] hostile takeover of a stage play. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Black Convoy)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}}

After [[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]] crushed their office, the employees of Axalon took up residence in his city mode, where they listened to [[Alpha Trion (G1)|their janitor]] tell them about Metroplex's backstory. To Rhinox's surprise, the old man's knowledge of G1 stories was even greater than his own. {{storylink|LG14 Ultra Magnus Prologue#The Mysterious Knowledgeable Grandpa Chapter|The Mysterious Knowledgeable Grandpa Chapter}} He later watched in awe when the janitor revealed himself to be Alpha Trion and summoned [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Ultra Magnus]] into their universe. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 14|Bonus Edition Vol. 14}} After getting caught up in [[Megatron (Armada)/Cartoon continuity|Armada Megatron]]'s toy thefts, {{storylink|LG-18 Armada Starscream Super Mode Prologue#2|LG-18 Armada Starscream Super Mode Prologue 2}} Rhinox was used as an example of those Legends natives whose desires served to power up the [[Zamojin (species)|Zamojin]], and he ''very much'' desired the rare [[Unicron of Light]] toy left behind by Armada Megatron. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 18|Bonus Edition Vol. 18}}

[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]] and [[Roadbuster (G1)|Roadbuster]], created by Rhinox during his time as Tankor, returned to him with a request that he work his magic again to build a new body for their leader [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], which he did. {{storylink|LG19 Sprung Prologue}} When the visiting [[Drift (G1)|Deadlock]] was sent back to his native [[Cloud World]], Rhinox and several others were accidentally dragged along with him and had to be returned home by [[SARA]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Deadlock)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}} Rhinox was later approached by the ghost of an [[#Beast Wars cartoon continuity|alternate version of himself]], {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Waspinator)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}} who had sensed his regrets over how he'd fought his friends during his time as Tankor. Explaining that he'd experienced something similar but died in the process, the other Rhinox tried cheering Legends Rhinox up with the fact that he was still alive and able to make up for his mistakes in the future. Grateful for his counsel, Rhinox repaid his counterpart by building him a new body to inhabit, thus giving him a future as well. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Rhinox)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}} Rhinox later joined his pals in stopping [[Skids (G1)#Quantum Operative|Skids]] from sending all their interdimensional friends back to their home universes. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 20|Bonus Edition Vol. 20}}

Rhinox put his robot building skills to work once more when Axalon Co. partnered with the Autobot [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]], lending a hand in creating a new [[transtector]] and [[Tankette|partner drone]] for [[Hardhead (G1)|Hardhead]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 21|Bonus Edition Vol. 21}} Before sending the former Decepticon [[Headmaster Junior]]s to the Legends Universe, [[Grand Maximus|Grand]] showed them what to expect in the form of an image of Rhinox and his friends. {{storylink|LG24 Shockwave & Cancer Prologue}} He was alter among those tormented by the volume of [[Blaster (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity|Blaster]]'s music, {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 27|Bonus Edition Vol. 27}} and had a hand in mass-producing [[Master-Brace]]s after [[Rewind (G1)|Rewind]] provided the company with blueprints. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 28|Bonus Edition Vol. 28}} The Autobot Axalon partnership went on to build a new HQ in the form of [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]] transtectors, though Rhinox and Primal regretted that they had to sell Metroplex to make up for the costs. He treated Fortress after he suddenly collapsed from the side effects of controlling Maximus. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 31|Bonus Edition Vol. 31}}

Rhinox went on to build a transtector for [[Chromedome (G1)|Chromedome]] {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 32|Bonus Edition Vol. 32}} as well as [[Highbrow (G1)|Highbrow]]. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 33|Bonus Edition Vol. 33}} He was seen taking [[Astrotrain (G1)|Astrotrain]]'s commuter service to work. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 40|Bonus Edition Vol. 40}} While assisting in the construction of a new [[Godbomber]], Rhinox was tricked into showing its blueprints to [[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]], disguised as [[Minerva (Masterforce human)|Minerva]], allowing her to copy the data. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 42|Bonus Edition Vol. 42}} He later watched as the [[Dimensional Patrol]] placed the Legends World under martial law. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. EX (Black Convoy 2)|Bonus Edition Vol. EX}} Having learned nothing from earlier, he was so taken with Nightbeat's '80s anime aesthetic that he joined her in helping the Decepticons build [[Trypticon (G1)|Trypticon]]. {{storylink|LG43 Trypticon Mobilization Chapter: Decepticon Civil War|Decepticon Civil War}} Alongside many others, he was then eaten whole by Trypticon and used as a power source. {{storylink|Legends Comic: Bonus Edition Vol. 43|Bonus Edition Vol. 43}}

====The Beast Wars Road Map====
At some point before the [[Shroud|Shrouding]] cut off the [[Transcendent Technomorph]]s completely from the rest of the [[multiverse]], TransTech [[Rhinox (TransTech)|Rhinox]] contacted his counterpart in the "Legendsverse" to share information about the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]] and its impact on the multiverse. "Legends" Rhinox wondered aloud why the TransTechs couldn't simply ask their [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] to open up some inter-dimensional gates for them, and asked if the source of their troubles didn't stem from Quantum Operative [[Skids (G1)#Henkei! Henkei! Generations manga|Skids]] isolating their universe with his "[[Quantum Dial|Quantum Keep-Out Seal]]." {{storylink|The Beast Wars Road Map}}
{{-}}

==Games==
===''Beast Wars: Transformers'' video game continuity===
====''Beast Wars: Transformers'' video game advertising comic====
Upon arriving on "[[Earth|Planet Energon]]," the dangers of Energon radiation forced the six surviving Maximals and their Predacon adversaries to take on beast alternate forms. {{storylink|Beast Wars: Transformers video game advertising comic}}

====''Beast Wars: Transformers'' video game====
{{voiceactor|??? (English), ??? (Japanese)}}

Many Beast Wars combatants had managed to construct personal bases, customized to their personal tastes, due to the extended duration of the war. Rhinox's own base was a sprawling Metropolis. Rhinox joined his fellow Maximals in battling not only an entrenched Predacon threat, but the interdimensional monsters known as the [[Skriix]].

=====Maximal campaign=====
Rhinox eventually expanded his "Urban Zone" base to within reach of [[Tarantulas's lair]]. Rhinox's base was judged a threat by the Predacons, who successfully took control of it. Tarantulas then personally took over operations of the annexed territory, until his demise.

Upon having eliminated the Predacon threat, Rhinox was part of Optimus Primal's roll call when he announced that the galaxy was now at peace.

=====Predacon campaign=====
Rhinox's "Urban Zone" base encroached too closely onto Tarantulas's territory, and had to be dealt with. Upon infiltrating the base however, the Predacons had to contend with Rhinox's giant Mech unit, styled after the Maximal scientist. Once Rhinox's defences were conquered by the Predacons, Rhinox himself met an untimely death by Predacon hands. {{storylink|Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)|Beast Wars: Transformers}}

{{Note|Due to the nature of this game, a player may select various individual characters to perform the feats required in every level, and complete the game's narrative. Thus, any playable Maximal can fill the role of protagonist in Maximal Mode, and any playable Predacon can fill the role of protagonist in Predacon Mode. To view the various feats Rhinox can accomplish throughout gameplay in Maximal Mode, it is told on the [[Beast Wars: Transformers (video game)|''Beast Wars'' video game]] page, wherein Rhinox fills the role of the nameless Maximal.}}

===''Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals'' (PS)===
[[File:TMRhinox-Render.jpg|upright=0.85|thumb|"Ayyyyyyy!"]]
{{voiceactor|[[Alec Willows]] (English), ??? (Japanese)}}

[[Transmetal]] Rhinox stayed behind at the ''Axalon'' as his fellow Maximals went to battle the Predacons. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Transmetals (PS)}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers Legends''===
During a tectonic upshift, a huge amount of [[Energon]] was exposed. Rhinox and the other Maximals found themselves the victims of a Predacon ambush as they tried to secure the Energon themselves, and the cache ultimately fell into Predacon hands. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Legends)|Beast Wars}}
===''Transformers: Battle Tactics''===
[[File:Battle-Tactics-Rhinox-Transmetal.jpg|thumb|left|400px| In this game, Transmetal Rhinox comes first.]]
[[File:Battle-Tactics-Rhinox-(BW).jpg|thumb|left|400px|Which is probably why this Rhinox has more health.]]
Rhinox participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He appeared in two different bodies:
*''Rhinox Transmetal'' — This Super Rare character first appeared in the "Transmetals: Beast Wars - Episode 1" event, and could be recruited by collecting 250 units of Cybermetal, 75 units of Transmetal, 35 event cores, and 10 cores of this character.
*''Rhinox (BW)'' — This Super Rare character first appeared in the "Beast Wars: Episode 4" event, and could be recruited by collecting 250 units of Cybermetal, 75 units of Transmetal, 35 event cores, and 10 cores of this character.
{{storylink|Transformers: Battle Tactics}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers: Forged to Fight''===
[[File:Rhinox-Forged-to-Fight.jpg|thumb|300px|Techno-organic gone scarier combat-rhino techno-organic.]]
Rhinox was one of the Maximals pulled from [[Beast Era|his universe]] by the [[Quintesson|Quintessons]] and forced to fight. He eventually joins the [[You|Commander]]. There are at least a few of him running around!
{{storylink|Transformers: Forged to Fight}}

Optimus Prime encountered Rhinox, and he tried to reason that he was just on a mission to gather resources. But Rhinox explained that resources are scarce and everyone wants them. He then introduced him to his "friends", the Chainguns of Doom! {{storylink|Transformers: Forged to Fight#Chapter 1:Realities Collide|A Beast to Start}}

*'''Class:''' Tech
*'''Basic Abilities'''
**''Shielding Passive''
***Start the fight with 6 Shield Buffs, each capping damage from one attack to 80% of the opponent's Attack Rating.
***Shield Buffs recharge in 12-8 seconds.
***+35% Heat and Shock Resistance while Shielded.
**''Basic Melee Attacks:'' +20% damage against Bleeding targets.
**''Chaingun Ranged Attacks:'' 30% chance to inflict Bleed, dealing 35-55% Attack over 5 seconds.
**''Rhino Ram Heavy Attack''
***90% chance to drain 12% of the target's max Power and inflict '''Power Lock''' for 4 seconds.
***When this ability is triggered, its chance to trigger again is reduced by 70%. This returns to normal after 16 seconds.
*'''Signature Ability: Overclock''' - Shield Buffs are more effective, but also more volatile.
*'''Special Attacks'''
**'''Special 1: Tactical Gore''' - ''A sensible, well-thought-out impaling is an effective way to settle an argument.'' - 90% chance to gore the target's weapons systems, Nullifying up to 1 Melee, Ranged, or Special Damage Buffs. If further upgraded, 100% chance to inflict Bleed for each Buff removed in this way, dealing 100-115% Attack over 13 seconds.
**'''Special 2: Chainguns of Doom''' - ''Sometimes you need to become war in order to survive.'' - 30% chance to inflict Bleed, dealing 35-55% Attack over 5 seconds.
**'''Special 3: A Beast Unleashed''' - ''A keen intellect won't solve problems with the small-minded.'' - 30% chance to inflict Bleed, dealing 45% Attack over 5 seconds. +55,25,10% Damage if Health is above 90,75,50%
*'''Synergy Bonuses'''
**'''Enemies''' with Waspinator - Angered by their partnership, Rhinox and Waspinator gains +1-8% Attack Rating.
**'''Weapon Specialists''' with Mixmaster - Mixmaster's damaging Debuffs lasts +2-9% longer. Additionally, Attack Rating is increased by +6% in Alliance Missions.
**'''Braindrain''' for Shockwave - Shockwave generates 2~4 Energy Charges at the start of the fight and every 25 seconds.
*'''Strong Match-ups:'''
* Ramjet - Rhinox’s Shielding will be highly effective against Ramjet’s powerful Special Attacks. Additionally the Rhino-bot is resistant to Burn damage.
* Waspinator - Rhinox’s Shield offers the perfect counter to Waspinator’s punishing Special Attacks. The Shield’s ability to withstand Waspinator’s Ranged Attacks ensure it is available when the Wasp unleashes his highest damage.
*Mixmaster - Rhinox’s Shield caps the maxmium damage that can be done to him in a single hit, making it a powerful counter to Mixmaster’s punishing Special Attacks.
*'''Weak Match-ups:'''
* Bumblebee (GS) - Bumblebee will tear through Rhinox’s shielding, leaving him prime for Bee’s critical hits.

==Toys==
{{main|Rhinox (BW)/toys}}

==Merchandise==
{{main|Rhinox (BW)/toys#Merchandise}}

==Notes==
*Rhinox is the only member of the ''Beast Wars'' Maximal lineup who was there from the beginning and remains alive and unchanged for the entire course of the show.
*Rhinox spends all of season 3 in [[robot mode]] without transforming into his [[beast mode]] at any point. He is the only ''Beast Wars'' character to do this for an entire season.
*Skir's original intention was that Rhinox had "seen all sides of the argument, and chose to go more in Megatron's direction" in ''Beast Machines'', and that after a quiet chat, he and Optimus would part company. As Richard Newman played that scene with growling and shouting, Rhinox instead sounded not quite in his right mind after his experiences. The big storm in the background certainly didn't help either.<ref>[http://web.archive.org/web/20071202095033/http://bigbot.com/beast-machines-transformers-bob-skir/Beast-Machines-FAQ/Fri_03_Dec_1999.html Q&A from Bigbot's "bobskir.com"] (archive copy)</ref>
*In the Japanese dub of ''Beast Wars'', Rhinox received the vocal tic of ending his sentences with the phrase ''-dana'', or chanting it to himself incessantly while firing his chainguns or running or doing just about ''anything''. He was also prone to using the phrase ''dosukoi'', a nonsense word generally associated with sumo wrestlers and typically applied to large, dumb, bruiser characters in shows ([[Bulkhead (Animated)|''Animated'' Bulkhead]] would also use the phrase). The verbal tic of chanting ''-dana'' would be passed onto Tankor and the Tank drones in ''Beast Wars Returns'', where it was played-up to manic excess.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Rhinox''' (ライノックス ''Rainokkusu'')
*''Italian:'' '''Rinox''', '''Metal Rinox''' (Transmetal)
*''Korean:'' '''Rhinox''' (라이녹스 ''Rainogseu'')
*''Mandarin:'' '''Xīniú''' (犀牛, "Rhinoceros")
*''Polish:'' '''Nosoron''' ("Rhinon")
*''Russian:'' '''Rogonos''' (first dub, Рогонос, "Horned"), '''Rinox''' (second dub, Ринокс ''Rinoks'')
*''Spanish:'' '''Rinox'''

==References==
<references />

[[Category:Beast Machines Maximals]]
[[Category:Beast Machines Vehicons]]
[[Category:Beast Wars Maximals]]
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[[Category:Cloud characters]]
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[[Category:Engineers]]
[[Category:Generation 1 Autobots]]
[[Category:IDW Generation 1 Maximals]]
[[Category:Legends Maximals]]
[[Category:Robots in Disguise (2001) characters]]
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User talk:RyRodrigo

2014-02-10T12:33:23Z

RyRodrigo:

Campbell Lane

2014-02-08T20:34:34Z

RyRodrigo: Garry Chalk just announced on his Facebook page that Mr. Lane had passed away.

{{picsneeded}}
'''Campbell Lane''' (1939-2014) was a Canadian actor. A familiar face to viewers of Canadian-produced television, his more prominent roles include Baron Strucker in ''[[Nick Fury]], Agent of [[S.H.I.E.L.D.]]'', the First Hybrid in ''Battlestar Galactica: Razor'', and George in ''Alienated''. His more prominent voice roles include Skeletor on ''The New Adventures of He-Man'', Dr. X on ''Action Man'', and Mastermind on ''X-Men: Evolution''.

==Voice roles==
===''Beast Wars''===
*[[Rampage (BW)|Rampage]]

==External links==
*[http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0132655/ Campbell Lane at the Internet Movie Database]

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lane, Campbell}}
[[Category:Mainframe Entertainment]]
[[Category:English voice actors]]