Ark (DOTM)

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This article is about . For other uses of "Ark", see Ark (disambiguation)|The name or term "Ark" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Ark (disambiguation).}}
The Ark is an Autobot starship from the Dark of the Moon portion of the live-action continuity family.
There's a star. There's another one. Star. Star. Star. Star. Star. Star. Getting bored of space.

The Ark was designed by the Autobots to be able to transport them away from Cybertron in order to find a new place to call home.<ref name="VectorSigma">The Ark's online Vector Sigma entry.[1]</ref> Piloted by Roller, the Ark is able to convert into a powerful space station.<ref name="ToyBio">The Ark's online toy bio.</ref> It is able to launch protoforms to nearby planets and features sophisticated sensor equipment which was used to track down the AllSpark's energy signal.<ref name="VectorSigma" />

Once the flagship of the Autobot fleet,<ref name="ToyBio"/> the Ark and its captain, Sentinel Prime, were lost in space centuries ago.<ref name="VectorSigma" /> (It lies wrecked on the Moon.)

Fiction

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Movies

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The five movies are the primary component of the live-action movie continuity family. Their events should be taken as canon for all other pieces of fiction listed below, unless otherwise specified.

Dark of the Moon film

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"We don't even bother putting landing gear on these bastards anymore."

The Ark left Cybertron with its space bridge pillars, but was waylaid by Decepticons. Though the Autobots thought it to be destroyed, in actuality the ship floated in space until it finally landed on Earth's moon in 1961. NASA detected the crash, and U.S. President John F. Kennedy initiated a plan to land on the moon and explore the wreck. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon and scouted the Ark in 1969.

Meanwhile, the Soviet Union's space program photographed Decepticons removing hundreds of pillars in 1963. Eventually, unmanned probes retrieved a fuel cell from the ship, which was transported to Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant for study, leading to the 1986 [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Chernobyl disaster|{{#if:nuclear meltdown|nuclear meltdown|Chernobyl disaster}}]]. Optimus Prime obtained the fuel cell in 2011, alerting him to the Ark's presence on the moon. Optimus and Ratchet journeyed to the moon on the Xantium, retrieving Sentinel's body from the crash vault and the control pillar.

Later on, Sentinel revealed the Ark's true mission: to take the pillars to Earth and summon Cybertron, enslaving humanity and putting them to work on rebuilding the war-torn planet. Dark of the Moon

The Last Knight film

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Several years later, the Ark's fuel cell became one of the many Cybertronian historical artifacts in the possession of Edmund Burton.

When Quintessa brought Cybertron into Earth's orbit, a trailing fragment of Cybertron collided with the Ark and uprooted it from the lunar surface as it passed the moon. The Last Knight

IDW movie comics

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As Cybertron was devastated by the worsening war, with Optimus Prime unwilling to take the decisive actions that would have brought the conflict to an end, Sentinel Prime was forced to make a deal with Megatron to seek out another planet whose resources they can exploit to restore their homeworld. Dark of the Moon The chosen planet was the resting place of the Primes' Star Harvester. Sentinel recreated the Primes' lost space bridge technology, fashioning hundreds of pillars that would form a bridge large enough to teleport Cybertron itself across the cosmos, telling the Autobots it would be used to instantaneously teleport soldiers, supplies, and refugees into and out of the battlefield, allowing them to defeat the Decepticons. The pillars were loaded onto a second Ark, while a strike team led by Optimus attacked Simfur in order to activate the control pillar for the space bridge by bringing it into contact with the AllSpark. Foundation #3 While most of the Autobots kept the Decepticons busy, Elita-One and her sisters Arcee and Chromia successfully reached the AllSpark and energized the control pillar, which Elita then delivered to Sentinel Prime.

Curse you, Starscream!

Sentinel took his Ark to ostensibly collect Optimus and the others from Simfur, but upon arrival, the ship was attacked by Starscream, who was unaware of the secret deal his leader had made with the Prime. Starscream's attack triggered a huge explosion which consumed the Ark, leaving the Autobots to believe Sentinel, the space bridge tech, and all others aboard had been destroyed. Foundation #4 Dark of the Moon Unbeknownst to anyone present, however, the Ark had not been destroyed: the space bridge tech aboard had in fact been triggered and thus teleported it away through space and time, with all on board knocked into stasis by the blast. Convergence chapter 1

Out in space, the original Nemesis and Sentinel's Ark (still jinking through space and time) zeroed in on the energy signature of the AllSpark (which had since been ejected from Cybertron by the Autobots), and were both crippled when the Ark blindly teleported directly into the same physical space as the Nemesis. The Ark made one final jump, leaving a lingering space bridge portal in its wake. After setting the ruined Nemesis down on the dead moon of a nearby gas giant, the Decepticons boarded the smaller ship Longshot and followed the Ark through the portal at The Fallen's urging, leaving his sarcophagus behind. Both ships were hurled into the future. Sentinel Prime's Ark and the Longshot emerged from the space bridge and into the vicinity of Earth in early 1961. The Ark violently crash-landed on Earth's Moon, killing all on board, save for Sentinel, who was safely sealed in the ship's crash vault. After examining the wreckage, Soundwave determined to keep the vessel out of the hands of the humans on the planet below. Convergence chapter 1

The crash of the Ark was detected by both the United States and the Soviet Union, and a "space race" began to be the first to reach the Moon and plunder this alien treasure. On July 16, 1969, NASA carried out the Apollo 11 mission, successfully sending astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin to the Moon, where they discovered the Ark. Dark of the Moon Convergence chapter 4

From 1970 to 1972, the United States staged three further manned missions to the moon to continue plundering the Ark. Incensed over his failure to stop the Apollo 11 mission, Soundwave had Ravage scout for viable agents within the American space program, and made contact with a NASA accountant named Gould. By tapping the stock market to provide Gould with all the money he desired, Soundwave procured his services to manipulate the NASA budget and make further moon missions financially unfeasible. Dark of the Moon Convergence chapter 4 Consequently, the sixth mission, launched in December 1972, was deemed the last, and the astronauts triggered explosives to hide the wreck of the Ark beneath lunar dust. Dark of the Moon #1

Similarly, also in 1972, Soundwave employed his Soviet agents to ensure that the first Russian manned mission was cancelled. Soundwave spent the remainder of the decade manipulating his pawns, and "recruiting" more and more human agents in various areas of the American and Soviet government to ensure that the Ark was never re-discovered. Dark of the Moon

Ask Vector Prime

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In Tyran 609.23-PX Kappa, Soundwave planted clues about the Ark's presence on Earth's moon for Sam Witwicky to find. Falling for the bait, Optimus Prime took the Xantium to the Moon, where Megatron captured him with the aid of the traitorous Sentinel Prime. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/22

Toys

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Dark of the Moon

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A giant, flying space-clam: perfect for road trips.
  • Autobot Ark (Cyberverse Playset, 2011)
  • Japanese ID number: CV01
  • Accessories: 2 missiles, spring-loaded cannon, static cannon, 2 pivotable guns, 2 missile racks, repair claw
  • Known designers: Joe Kyde (Hasbro), Hisao Nishimoto (TakaraTomy){{#if: |, {{{2}}}}}
Coming with Autobot Roller, the Ark is a playset which transforms from a starship to a space station, scaled to work with Cyberverse Legion Class figures (and notionally work with Commander Class figures too, though they don't fit too well inside it). It features several electronic lights and sounds and includes all the generic "playset" special features that you'd expect: an elevating "repair bay" with a detachable repair claw to the right side of the ship, a "prison cell" for Decepticon figures with spring-shut doors at the back, a tilting ramp at the front for vehicles to roll down at the front, and a rotating light-up turret in the center. For more Transformers-specific fun, the right bay of the base mode features a decagonal platform with five flip-up space bridge pillars (which can be interpreted as a teleportation platform if so inclined), and the ship comes with six removable weapons, all outfitted with MechTech 5 mm posts: two swiveling guns mounted on its rear, two forward-mounted missile racks, and two prominent cannons (with absurdly long posts) that sit beside them. Both of these two larger cannons can hold a transparent missile, but only the one to the left of the prow features a spring-loaded firing mechanism.
In ship mode, placing Roller or any suitably-sized Cyberverse figure in the opening cockpit depresses a hinged panel on the cockpit floor, which triggers engine and (continuous) flight noises, and a pulsing light within the ship. Pressing the golden button just beside the cockpit lights up the twin guns beneath it, and triggers electronic laser firing noises.
Pulling or pushing on either side of the ship initiates a partial automatic transformation, as the central tower raises/lowers and a slow version of the classic transformation noise plays. In its space station mode, pressing a button on the base floor sets off blasting sounds and lights up the central turret. Placing a vehicle-mode Cyberverse figure on the central ramp depresses a button hidden beneath it, which causes a power-up noise to build, accompanied by steadily-brightening lights in the forward cannons, until the switch beside the ramp is tilted to send the figure rolling off with a whooshing noise.
The ship is decorated with numerous 5 mm and 3 mm ports and C joint bars all over its hull to hold a veritable arsenal MechTech and Cyberverse weapons; the base mode, in particular, features four C joint bars on the left side and four clips on the right, allowing other Cyberverse playsets to connect up to the Ark, a la Metroplex or the Micromaster Stations, to create a sprawling micro-world.
Out of the box, the missiles and repair claw are not found inside the ship. Instead, they can be found bagged and taped right behind the small cardboard display that Roller is cradled in. Batteries are not included.


  • Autobot Ark with Roller and Bonus Value Sentinel Prime (Cyberverse Playset, 2011)
  • Accessories: 2 missiles, spring-loaded cannon, static cannon, 2 pivotable guns, 2 missile racks, repair claw
This Target-exclusive release includes otherwise unchanged Ark and Roller toys, along with a free and equally unchanged figure of the first Cyberverse Sentinel Prime toy. Good luck getting him into the cockpit.

Notes

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References

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<references/>

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