Special power

Time stops for the One. Thought stops for the Empress.

A special power denotes a kind of ability that is unlike other abilities. Only two Transformers are known to have a special power, those being Elita One and Megaempress. Elita One's special power is to stop time and Megaempress's special power is to enslave Transformers. Disparate as these abilities are, they do have in common that when activated, their possessors emit a swarm of variously colored lights.

Fiction

The Transformers cartoon

Although it was ill-advised to use her special power to stop time because it would drain all of her life force, Elita One put it all on black when it was the only way to save Optimus Prime and herself from the Decepticons. After breaking free and dragging Optimus out of danger's path, she touched him to bring him into her flow of time, explained what was happening, and instructed him on how to save her. The Search for Alpha Trion

Legends comic

Elita One was among the heroic female Transformers who appeared in one of Tigatron's dreams to protect him from the evil female Transformers. She assured him that she'd keep him safe by using her special power. LG11 Chromia

Unite Warriors

Megaempress threatened Galvatron that she'd use her special power to bring him under her control. Although she was already gearing up as evidenced by the appearance of the lights, she didn't go through with it and suggested she'd drain his energy with a kiss instead. She also threatened Cyclonus and Optimus Prime with enslavement. Megatronia Chapter When Galvatron revealed himself to be a ghost, he stated that her special power doesn't work on ghosts so she couldn't use it to stop him from possessing her. Ruination Chapter, Part Two

Notes

• The term "special power" originates in "The Search for Alpha Trion" and is used by both Elita One and Alpha Trion to describe Elita's power. It is a generic choice of words there, notwithstanding the unique visual effect used to punctuate the power's useage. In the Japanese version of the episode, the wording of "special power" is replaced by "secret power", which works just as well in context and is just as generic. It solidified into a term when in 2015-2016 Hayato Sakamoto had Elita One mention her secret power again and assigned Megaempress a secret power of her own, reusing both the wording and the visual effect. Neither instance comes with any clarification what makes these powers different from other abilities, although not unlike how Elita's special power has at least two components—stopping time and unstopping it for selected individuals—Megaempress alludes to having the power to enslave and to absorb another's energy.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Secret power (シークレットパワー)