Command Center (G1)

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A Command Center is both a device and a base from the S.T.A.R.S. portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.
Johnny knew he had to make the phone call, but he was no match for the allure of a flashing red light.

The term "Command Center" (or also "Control Center") can refer to either a particular section of the Autobot Refueling and Weapons Armory or to a similar-looking but extremely scaled-down device given by the Autobots to humans who join S.T.A.R.S. The Autobots claim that a human can use it to "command" their "own Earth sector," backing this up to a degree with the story of a young boy who utilizes his own to summon help when Thundercracker attacks his town.

Fiction

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S.T.A.R.S. continuity

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In a series of messages sent by the Autobots to human allies, the Command Center appeared with the first offer to join S.T.A.R.S. and remained a membership staple. The battle is far from over!

As part of the membership kit, the Command Center was accompanied by the Tech-Spec Manual, which provided an in-depth description of its components. The manual claimed that the Command Center was a part of the Autobot Refueling and Weapons Armory, where wounded Autobots were brought for "repair, reprogramming, and refueling." Familiarity with the Command Center was said to be paramount for any S.T.A.R.S. member wishing to assist the Autobots in their operations. Its components included:

  • Repair Station: With a full suite of diagnostic and instructional devices, repair equipment, and spare parts, an Autobot in need of "repair, reprogramming, and/or refueling" could be serviced with ease. To aid in the process, the Tech Spec Card Catalog provided additional information on specific Autobots.
  • Communication Central: Here the reader was given specific duties, such as changing radio frequencies at assigned times to foil Decepticon monitoring attempts. The reader was told to write down all incoming and outgoing messages and store them in the safe. The safe's ever-changing entry codes were said to be assigned by Optimus Prime himself. Communication Central's apparently-volatile power supply was regulated via the Central Control Panel, a complicated array of controls that required constant attention. Everything from power surges to volume control to message decoding to the self-destruct sequence was routed through that panel.
  • Primary Entrance: Entering the Command Center required passing through something akin to an airlock, starting with an initial hatch that lowered to be a ramp. S.T.A.R.S. personnel could open this hatch with their coded identification cards. Such access was overseen by the Security Sector, where a computer checked IDs against vital statistics and Tech Specs on record. If an entrant's identity could not be confirmed, Autobots would be automatically alerted to detain and interrogate the suspect. However, if the identity was confirmed, the ramp would lower, and the individual could proceed to the next stage, the Hatchway. Here a voiceprint and handprint were required for further passage, and if the entrant failed this test, they would not only be trapped there, but could also be subdued by stun-radiation emitted from the walls. On the other hand, a successful voice and hand recognition would open the Main Hatch and allow full access to the Command Center.
  • Air Equalizers: Air quality in the Command Center was strictly regulated to ensure the least possible communications interference and corrosion from atmospheric contaminants. This was apparently a very strong concern, as any equalizer malfunction would trigger an evacuation siren. This evacuation was said to apply to Transformers specifically; it is unclear whether humans would be in similar danger.

Tech-Spec Manual

Maybe it's just me, but I can think of far more horrible words. Like "moist."

The personal Command Center given to S.T.A.R.S. members was purported to give its users some sort of command abilities, but the practical application thereof was not demonstrated until a later message which told of a boy named Johnny who spotted the Decepticon Thundercracker draining energy from his town. While all the lights went out, Johnny was still able to activate his Command Center and summon a team consisting of several Autobot cars and the Omnibots. Have the Decepticons defeated us once and for all? He waited while the Autobots appeared one-by-one on his Command Center's various screens, then it succumbed to Thundercracker's energy-siphoning as well. Moments crept by as the walls of Johnny's house began to shake, but then the Command Center spontaneously reactivated and flashed only the words "CODE RED". Can one boy, alone, hold back the evil Decepticons?

Johnny's story was dropped there, but the Command Center continued to be offered as part of S.T.A.R.S. membership in future messages, the associated promises never changing.

Merchandise

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The Transformers

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I prefer my communications centers built out of straw or brick.
  • Transformers Command Center (1985)
Available only by joining S.T.A.R.S. via mail-order, the Command Center is a cardboard playset large enough to accommodate average-sized Generation 1 figures. Its design is [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}triptych|{{#if:||triptych}}]]-like, its three sections divided thusly: The left wing is an airlock-style entryway, the right wing is mostly just a wall with medical-type equipment illustrated on it, and the center looks like a complex computer console with a display meant for Tech Spec / bio cards. A properly-sized card will have its bio obscured and its Tech Specs "decoded" by a red cellophane strip. (Unfortunately, since the cards have no uniform size, many don't work.)
An illustration of the Command Center accompanying a British ad for S.T.A.R.S. membership shows an additional "floor" piece that locks the triptych into a certain configuration. It is unknown if this is an actual part of the European set.


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Notes

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  • Command Centers were actual merchandise sent to members of the S.T.A.R.S. fan club. As with many aspects of the S.T.A.R.S.-related fiction, the line between the real world and the story-universe was blurred heavily. The same statement that promised command of an Earth sector described the Command Center as "full-color graphic board [...] perfect for storing or displaying Transformers." For the purposes of documenting the fiction, we interpret the membership-drive offers as existing within the fictional universe, and we quietly ignore their most blatant real-world content.
  • The two different kinds of "Command Center" may be the result of poor editing. While the flyers and their stories consistently describe the Command Center as a device for use by S.T.A.R.S. members, the Tech-Spec Manual only refers to it (in great detail) as a part of the Autobot base. No single document describes it in both manners.
  • The nature of the Command Center isn't its only inconsistent aspect; its name is also in question. While the term "Command Center" is used in both the flyers and the Tech Spec Manual, the name "Control Center" appears frequently in the flyers as well.

Foreign names

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  • Japanese: Command Center (コマンドセンター Komando Sentā)
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