Sideswipe (G1)/2005 IDW continuity

{{:{{#if:|{{{root}}}/suite|{{#titleparts:Sideswipe_(G1)/2005_IDW_continuity|1}}/suite}}}}
"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. 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.

First appearance: Spotlight: Galvatron
Find a Decepticon, blast a Decepticon...{{#if:|{{{quote2}}}}}{{#if:Sideswipe's mantra"The Mind Bomb"|Sideswipe's mantra{{#if:"The Mind Bomb"|, "The Mind Bomb"|}}|}}

Fiction

[edit]

The Great War

[edit]
Sideswipe's feeling small standing under Nova Prime's crotch.

Sunstreaker was Sideswipe's brother, 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. Spotlight: Sideswipe

Before the war, the two of them were employed as Senate law enforcers, and at one point arrested Impactor. The Chaos of Warm Things They simultaneously attended illegal underground arena deathmatches and witnessed Megatron's 54th victory. 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. Megatron Origin #3

Later, as war engulfed Cybertron, Sideswipe was one of the many Autobots trained by Kup. 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 and Megatron. Chaos Theory #1

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'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, 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. Spotlight: Sideswipe

His need for action was alleviated, however, when 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. Spotlight: Galvatron

Soon after, Optimus Prime apparently caved in to Sideswipe's pleading and put Jetfire in charge of Thunderhead Pass, transferring Hound's entire team, including Sideswipe, to Earth once Megatron began breaking Infiltration protocol. 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. 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 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' 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. Spotlight: Cyclonus Spotlight: Hardhead

He can punch and angst at the same time!

When his unit finally reached Earth, he personally took on both Grindcore and 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. 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. All Hail Megatron #7 Along with the others, Sideswipe stood around brooding about the situation, All Hail Megatron #1 occasionally staring at the similarly one-armed Trailbreaker. All Hail Megatron #4

Frustrated at being stranded on Cybertron, he listened to Tracks' story about how awesome and cool Jazz is to pass the time. Spotlight: Jazz

When the crew of the Trion ended up on Cybertron, Sideswipe listened to Hot Rod explain what had happened. All Hail Megatron #5

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, 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. 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. 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, who took them all back to Earth. All Hail Megatron #10

As the Autobots confronted the Decepticons in New York City, Sideswipe beat up Kickback with a street light and was jumped by Bombshell, who gleefully told the Autobot how he had dissected Hunter O'Nion, Sunstreaker's 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. All Hail Megatron #12

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. ...For All Mankind When 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's new leadership. New Arrivals, Old Encounters He was standing at strict attention when Ultra Magnus arrived to address the Earth troops, although he was confused by Magnus's over-use of Earth idioms and "lingo". A Rude Awakening He was later seen helping setting the Autobot's communications network on Earth. 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. 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. Orphans of the Helix He was among the Autobots who tried to listen in on Optimus Prime's questioning of a captive Megatron. Chaos Theory Part 1

After arriving on Cybertron, the Autobots fought against Galvatron's Sweep army. During the battle, Sideswipe bore witness to an escaped and upgraded Megatron completely massacring the Sweeps, then was himself attacked by 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. Kings Sideswipe watched part of the battle between Megatron and the monstrous Sweep-Decepticon combiner before making himself scarce. Genesis Once the combiner was broken apart, Ratbat negotiated a Decepticon surrender with Sideswipe in exchange for his own safety. Shockpoint

Post-war

[edit]
A Horri-Bull judge of horrible character. No wait, a horrible's judge of Horri-Bull character...Oh, forget it.

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 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 "NAILs" protested against the Autobots being in charge. When he reported to Prowl that the Autobots were outnumbered, he was ordered to let the Decepticons out and have them lend a hand. 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 and Horri-Bull for beating up Tappet. The Autonomy Lesson

When Starscream approached the Autobot headquarters, Sideswipe spotted him and joked about killing him. The World & Everything in It Sideswipe later provided crowd control again while Prowl had the deceased body of Ratbat removed from the Decepticon encampment. Stick Together While standing guard at crime scene of Skydive's murder, he was instructed by Prowl to deactivate the waste chutes and replied with sarcasm, though Wheeljack quickly did it for him. Devisive

He can drive, gripe AND angst at the same time!

When 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, who wanted a better future for both Autobot and Decepticon. A Better Tomorrow Sideswipe stood guard as others investigated and discussed the disappearance of Turmoil's starship. 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 declare that Starscream was the one who would unite all Cybertronians. All Good Things

"It's, like, one of them Decepticon ships, five guys on it, headed our way."
BOOM
"Correction. Four guys on it."
BOOM
"Correction. They're not headed our way anymore."
BOOM
"Correction. No ship."

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. 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. 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 kill Sideswipe by impaling him, pinning him to a wall. 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. Plan for Everything

Quit while you're behind, Sideswipe.

Sideswipe was briefly beaten down by 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. 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. Second Exodus

When the Lost Light resurfaced during the rampage of the Necrotitan, Sideswipe warmly reunited with Sunstreaker after their long period apart. The Becoming He stood with the other defenders of Cybertron against the oncoming horde of Ammonites. Black Planet In the aftermath, Sideswipe watched with Prowl and Arcee as Optimus conversed with newcomer Windblade. As Prowl talked to Arcee about how different the 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. The Mind Bomb

Return to Earth

[edit]
Stealth Force Sideswipe. No, not 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. When the ship reached Earth orbit and found itself under attack by missiles despite its deflectors and ghost shields, 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 as part of a team headed down to Earth. 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. Detonation Boulevard Sideswipe watched as 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. The Mind Bomb After the Autobots learned that Alpha Trion was being held in the EDC's Bikini Atoll base, Sideswipe participated in an attack on the facility, being all too happy to shoot up its automated defenses. Full Fathom Five Sideswipe was not too fazed when the 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. I Dream of Wires

At least she didn't yell at you...

Sideswipe and Sky Lynx were both sent out to help 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 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. Signals, Calls, and Marches While watching Sky Lynx take Prowl and the 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. 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. ONoffON Sideswipe then went with Kup and Sky Lynx to help stop a rampaging Devastator at Onyx's Wanmu facility. The Onyx Interface Conclusion: The Obliterati

After a team investigating the Onyx Interface on Earth was trounced by Garrison Blackrock's Thrust/Ramjet clone-combiners, 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. The Nothing Man Sideswipe thought that Arcee's subsequent plan to escape to Cybertron for reinforcements through the Ark-7'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. 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! Lagrange

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 shot the defenseless Sideswipe in cold blood. 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. 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. Edge of the Earth Concerned for his life, Arcee began visiting and sitting with the unconscious Sideswipe. The Medium and the Message On one such occasion, before Optimus's 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. It's Beginning To And Back Again

Sideswipe's tube was at some point moved from the Skyroller to a medbay inside Metrotitan, the new Autobot City. White Light Still feeling responsible for his current condition, Arcee visited him once again and complained to him about Optimus's 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 leaders 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. A Lonely Pillar on the Plain

Arcee continued to visit Sideswipe's comatose body, periodically sparring with D.0.C. to "keep him company." 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. 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. 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. 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.

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. The Life of Sideswipe

After the Iron Ring's invasion of Cybertron, Optimus presided over Sideswipe's funeral. The Dead Come Home, Part 1 Shortly afterwards, Arcee and Optimus discovered Cybertron's first protoforms since the planet's reboot. After one of them tried to kill her, Arcee named him after Sideswipe. The Dead Come Home, Part 2 When Soundwave sacrificed his life to help defeat Unicron, he glimpsed Sideswipe's spirit among many others, welcoming him into the Afterspark. After Unicron had been defeated, Sunstreaker took a moment to fondly remember his brother and wished he had lived to see the day. Ceremony

Notes

[edit]
Retrieved from "https://tfwiki.duckdns.org/index.php?title=Sideswipe_(G1)/2005_IDW_continuity&oldid=1886362"