NAVI (technology)

*Gung Ho* NAVI (left), *Yukikaze* NAVI (center) and DNAVI (right) lament their inability to drink sake.

A NAVI, short for Navigational-type computer,<ref>"The Stolen Gung Ho"</ref> is a type of shipboard artificial intelligence used in Maximal and Predacon starships during the Beast Era. NAVIs either always or often are female and possess more autonomy than "dumb" computer systems like Sentinel. Although originally one with their starship and computers in the same network, the technology behind them advanced so that they could have their own bodies while still being connected to, but no longer dependent on, their original systems. Most of these bodies are simple and, for instance, lack functional limbs, but there are cases of NAVIs having their programming uploaded into full-fledged transforming robot bodies.

NAVIs form strong attachments to their ship's crews and likewise are considered part of the team. Although programmed to execute orders as received, NAVIs can boast definite opinions which shape how they choose to interpret said orders and they can put in conditions before they set themselves to their task. Their personalities range from saccharine sweethearts to exacting taskmasters.

Fiction

Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

Beast Wars cartoon

The Predacon computer on board the Darksyde was referred to as "NAVI-ko" by Megatron and the other Predacons.

This is true only for the Japanese dub, in which the computer demonstrated a decidedly different personality than in the English version.

Beast Wars II cartoon

NAVI was the computer for Lio Convoy's space craft, the Yukikaze. She originally had no corporeal form but was given a small, hovering LED screen for a body by Skywarp. The Lio Convoy Assassination Plot

Beast Wars Neo cartoon

The NAVI for Big Convoy's ship, the Gung Ho, was identical to the NAVI of the Yukikaze save for having different colors for her LED body.

The Predacon ship, the Dinosaur, on the other hand, had DNAVI, who looked like a bug with a big bow on her head instead of wings.

Kre-O comic

NAVI was with Optimus Prime when he gave advice to Inferno. Dive Into the Fire! The Rescue Operation of Friendship

Yokohama Decepticon Secret Base

NAVI-ko acquired her own Transformer body with a dolphin beast mode (which she used to travel through time and space). Yokohama Decepticon Secret Base

2006 IDW Beast Wars continuity

White Propionica used a computer called "Navi". The Hot Rod

Timelines

Bug Bite created several Bug Bite II bodies as backup for himself. With each Bug Bite II, he also created another B-Navi drone to accompany it. Bug Bite II's profile

Shattered Glass

Jetstorm's ship was equipped with a NAVI assistant. When Emulator demanded that the rest of her human parts were taken out, Jetstorm began drawing up designs with NAVI. Not much later, Jetstorm and his colleagues were ordered back to the Underbase and Jetstorm ordered NAVI to activate the engines. As they were now stuck on the enemy ship, Emulator and Rick hid themselves inside one of NAVI's floating monitors. Just as they were meaning to leave their hiding place, Jetstorm grabbed the monitor because it displayed a warning of the approaching Annex. They got out when he left to deal with it. Coalescence

Known NAVIs

Notes

It is likely that the term "NAVI" is derived from a line of dialogue from Megatron in "Beast Wars (Part 1)", when he asks the Darksyde computer: "Navigation! Is this the right planet?" [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Japanese abbreviated and contracted words|{{#if:Japanese regularly abbreviates words|Japanese regularly abbreviates words|Japanese abbreviated and contracted words}}]] and the abbreviation of "navigation" is navi, so it appears that the Japanese production staff misconstrued or perhaps deliberately repurposed Megatron's declaration of "Navigation!" as the computer's name.
Although not a NAVI, the human-made Martian emissary has similar design aesthetics to the NAVIs and his programming is compatible. The drone OPE is also not a NAVI, but fulfills the same function as one with a key difference being that she has to manually control her station while NAVIs are linked-up with their stations.
Between the original fiction of Beast Wars II and Beast Wars Neo, there are eight female Cybertronians. Along with their peer OPE, the NAVIs account for half that number.
As per the Kiss Players/15 Go! Go! compilation book, there were plans to include a third extension of Teletraan I in 15 Go! Go!. Called LNAVI (エルナビ), she would have been younger then her peers Teletraan 10 and Teletraan 15. 10's mission would have been to drop her in the future, with her being the sole survivor of all Teletraans.

References

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