Transformers Animated timeline

This timeline covers the history of the Transformers Animated cartoon continuity, including the mini-comic "The Arrival", which is set firmly during the first and second seasons of the cartoon, and the reference books Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac and Transformers Animated: The AllSpark Almanac II. The dates given are relative to the 22nd Century. Stellar cycles are the Cybertronian equivalent of Earth years, and judging by how freely the terms are interchanged, they seem to be of at least roughly equal length. However, as the timeframes for some events are given in only vague terms, the exact ordering of portions of the timeline is only a "best guess".

Events that are presented only in "The Arrival" and The AllSpark Almanac are in italics. As with a few of the episodes, the comic's stories can often be placed at any point within the first season of the cartoon with little or no impact on the overall continuity, so their placing in this timeline is largely arbitrary.

"Before time began"

• Before time began, there was the AllSpark.

"10 billion years" ago

• Chronometric techniques suggest Cybertron is about this old. The AllSpark Almanac II
• The Transformer race is "born". Blast from the Past

"8 billion years ago"

• The oldest artifacts made by servo are this old. The AllSpark Almanac II

"7 billion years ago"

• The oldest written language, Cyberglyphics, is this old. The AllSpark Almanac II
• One of the Transformers uses a huge lightning-powered hammer to forge a container for the AllSpark. This hammer then becomes a status symbol to be wielded by each Magnus of Cybertron. The AllSpark Almanac

"6 billion years ago"

• The First Cybertronian War is fought against invaders from "beyond the sky." Following this conflict, Cybertron's Golden Age begins. The Hadeen System is colonized. The AllSpark Almanac II

"4 billion years ago"

• The Second Cybertronian War is fought between the Malignus and the Guardians, marking the end of the Golden Age.
• The Guardians emerge victorious, though the solar system is devastated in the process. The AllSpark Almanac II

"2 billion years ago"

• The private guard of Guardian leader Zeemon Magnus, the Protectons, successfully stage a military coup.
• They evolve into the new ruling class, the Protectobots. The AllSpark Almanac II

"1 billion years ago"

• The Third Cybertronian War is fought between the Protectobots, under the new leadership of Nova Magnus, and the Destrons, led by the charismatic Devron.
• The Destrons emerge victorious, though many Cybertronian records are forever lost due to the Great Purge. The AllSpark Almanac II

"750 million years ago"

• A faction of Protectobots called Autobots comes to prominence on an agenda of expanding Cybertronian influence to neighboring planets.
• The Age of Expansion begins. The AllSpark Almanac II

"300 million years ago"

• The Age of Expansion ends after several border skirmishes with the Quintesson Pan Galactic Co-Prosperity Sphere.
• Tension between the Autobots and the Destrons grows. The AllSpark Almanac II

"70 million years ago"

• The Decepticons come to prominence as a sub-faction of Destrons who want to use the AllSpark to bring life to Cybertron itself. The AllSpark Almanac II

"Over 30 million years ago"

• P.C. Magnus constructs Fortress Maximus, the Elite Guard headquarters. The AllSpark Almanac II

"14 million years ago"

• Megatron exiles Megazarak and becomes the new Decepticon leader.
• Megatron's rhetoric exacerbates Autobot / Decepticon tension. The AllSpark Almanac II

"12 million years ago"

• Ultra Prime is promoted to Ultra Magnus and passes the Decepticon Registration Act.
• Megatron publishes a manifesto which helps drive up Decepticon recruitment. The AllSpark Almanac II

"10 million years ago"

• The Great War begins over custody of the AllSpark with the Cycle of Infamy, a Decepticon sneak attack. Transform and Roll Out The AllSpark Almanac II

"Many millions of years" ago

• Many Autobot planets fall to the Decepticons.
• The development of space bridge technology halts the Decepticon advance.
• A young Ratchet meets Oil Slick on the battlefield at Hydrax Plateau, infected with Cosmic Rust, and they make an antidote together. Oil Slick double-crosses Ratchet and leaves him for dead, but Ratchet manages to keep hold of the antidote he just made, and takes it to be analyzed at the Ministry of Science. 'Bots of Science
• The Decepticons begin a strategic bombing campaign on Cybertron, demanding the AllSpark in exchange for a cessation of hostilities. The AllSpark Almanac II

• In a bid to keep it out of Decepticon hands, the Autobots throw the AllSpark through a space bridge to "some far-flung corner of the galaxy where no-one would ever find it". Transform and Roll Out

"4 million stellar cycles" ago

• Megatron begins his search for the missing AllSpark. Transform and Roll Out Megatron Rising - Part 2
• Starscream begins attempting to destroy Megatron and usurp his position as leader of the Decepticons. A Bridge Too Close, Part II

• The bounty hunter Lockdown is hired by Megatron to abduct Arcee, who holds the activation codes for Omega Supreme within her processor. He finds her on the battlefield together with field tech Ratchet, and captures them both. The Thrill of the Hunt
• Lockdown takes Ratchet's EMP generator as a trophy, but Ratchet fights him for it, causing it to overload. Ratchet and Arcee manage to escape amidst the chaos, but Arcee's memory banks are wiped by the overloading EMP generator and she is left unaware of her own identity or status. The Thrill of the Hunt

• Ratchet takes Arcee back to the Metroplex where he is forced to perform open-processor surgery on her to try and retrieve the codes. He unwittingly triggers a failsafe in which the codes are transmitted directly from her processor to his. Omega Supreme is then activated, with Ratchet himself replacing Arcee as his designated "mentor-bot". TransWarped

• The Autobots believe the damage done to Arcee's circuitry to be "completely irreversible", and she is left lying offline in a hospital bed in Cybertron Central Infirmary. This Is Why I Hate Machines

Over "a million stellar cycles" ago

• A delinquent Prowl attempts to avoid fighting in the Great War, but is caught by Warpath. He is taken to see Master Yoketron who accepts him as a student of the Cyber-Ninja Corps in the hopes of teaching him discipline through Circuit-Su. In the final stage of his training, Prowl is sent on an optics quest to "find his spark". Five Servos of Doom

• Lockdown, himself a former student of the Cyber-Ninja Corps, leads an attack on Yoketron's dojo in order to steal the protoforms being protected within for Megatron. Five Servos of Doom
• Having made no progress on his optics quest, Prowl returns to Yoketron for guidance only to find him lying mortally wounded. After an unsuccessful attempt to save his master's life, Prowl leaves Cybertron with the intention to finish his optics quest and thereby complete his training. Five Servos of Doom

• The Autobots crack the Decepticon codes and use this information, along with their newly developed Omega Sentinels, to ambush and destroy the Decepticon space fleet in the celebrated Ambush of Floron III.
• The Autobots begin "planet hopping", liberating captured territories one by one. Combatron, Vehicon, Gigantion, Velocitron, Vespa, Praum, Planet V, Alpha Nine, the Salvvatan system, Bk'n, Zone, Animatron, and the Beta system are all liberated. Antilla and Paradron are destroyed.
• The Battle for Omnitron concludes the planet hopping, with all former Decepticon territory in Autobot hands. The AllSpark Almanac II

"2 million stellar cycles" ago

• In a period known as the "False Calm", Megatron sends his troops to Cybertron at sub-light speed to avoid detection.
• Omega Supreme sacrifices his spark at the Battle for Iacon to win the Great War and is put into modified stasis thereafter. A Bridge Too Close, Part II

• The Tyrest Accord ends the Great War. The Decepticons accept exile in exchange for amnesty. The AllSpark Almanac II Dispatches

"A few thousand stellar cycles" ago

• Sentinel Prime last performs drill sergeant duty. First (and Second) in Flight

This seems to conflict with other events in the timeline. Possibly Sentinel was exaggerating how long it had been in order to cover for his mistake. It's not like the twins would know any better.

"A thousand stellar cycles" ago

• A young cadet named Optimus scores higher on his combat simulator test than any Autobot in the history of the Academy. Survival Skills
• Optimus and his fellow Academy bots, Sentinel and Elita-1, explore an alien planet in search of a crashed Decepticon ship and its store of energon. After a battle with indigenous giant spiders, the guys escape, but Elita is left behind where she unwillingly absorbs the spiders' organic element and metamorphoses into Blackarachnia. Optimus returns to the scene after things have died down a bit, but detects no Cybertronian energy signature. Blackarachnia doesn't reveal herself either, leading him to assume she is dead. The Decepticons later drop by, and she joins their ranks. Along Came a Spider Endgame, Part I
• Optimus and Sentinel are brought before Ultra Magnus on charges of trespassing on an organic planet, thus breaking Cybertronian law and causing the apparent demise of Elita-1. Sentinel blames Optimus for everything and, as the senior cadet, Optimus accepts full responsibility. As a result, he is expelled from the Academy and made ineligible for service in the Elite Guard. Endgame, Part I

• Sentinel, on the other hand, is promoted to the rank of Minor and becomes the drill sergeant of the Autobot boot camp, where he gives the recruits their names and punishes them with lots of Transform-ups. Jerk. Autoboot Camp

• Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Ironhide and Wasp enroll in the Autobot boot camp together with a bot who calls himself Longarm. Autoboot Camp
• Bumblebee catches a traitor in his midst whom he mistakenly identifies as Wasp. Longarm manipulates the evidence to support this mistake and the little green bot is arrested as a spy, vowing revenge upon his yellow counterpart. Bumblebee, however, opts to take responsibility for Bulkhead injuring Sentinel Minor, and so doesn't reap any rewards for his detective work. Autoboot Camp A Bridge Too Close, Part II
• After graduating from boot camp, Bulkhead becomes Cybertron's top space bridge expert by getting a higher score on his aptitude test than any Cybertronian scientist, and he and Bumblebee join Ratchet as the crew of a space bridge repair ship. Autoboot Camp A Bridge Too Close, Part I

• Ultra Magnus pulls some strings for Optimus, giving him the position of Prime and command of his own space bridge repair ship, complete with a three-bot crew. Endgame, Part I

• Sentinel Minor joins the Elite Guard and is promoted again, this time to the rank of Prime.
• Longarm goes on to graduate from the Autobot Academy and become a member of Cybertron Intelligence.
• Highbrow, the head of Cybertron Intelligence, mysteriously disappears. Longarm assumes the position he vacated and is promoted to Longarm Prime.

"Eight hundred stellar cycles" ago

• Kup Minor trains Hot Rod, Blaster, Quickslinger, and Skram at Autobot boot camp. Hot Rod ends up graduating a decade ahead of his fellow cadets and moves on to the Academy. The AllSpark Almanac II

50 years ago

• While maintaining a space bridge on a remote asteroid, Optimus Prime and his crew of Ratchet, Bulkhead, and Bumblebee discover Prowl meditating in a cave, still trying to complete the optics quest he started a million stellar cycles ago. When they accidentally destroy his ship, Prowl agrees to help the bots with their work in exchange for a ride home. Endgame, Part I

• The crew stumble upon the lost AllSpark when it suddenly arrives through the space bridge they're maintaining. Transform and Roll Out
• The Nemesis quickly arrives on the scene, and the Autobots attempt to protect the AllSpark by taking it aboard their ship and getting the hell out of Dodge. Transform and Roll Out
• Megatron attacks the Autobot ship personally, but his plans are sabotaged with the detonation of a bomb planted on his person by Starscream. The explosion is so great as to not only massively damage Megatron, but also both the 'Bot and 'Con ships. Transform and Roll Out

• The AllSpark guides the damaged Autobot ship, including Megatron, through the nearest space bridge, which then promptly explodes. The Decepticons scatter, leaving Starscream alone with the Nemesis. Transform and Roll Out
• The Autobot ship is warped to the vicinity of Earth's moon and enters the planet's atmosphere during which time it is separated from Megatron. The Autobots opt to go into stasis to brace for impact, and their ship comes to rest at the bottom of Lake Erie. Megatron meanwhile lands in pieces in a field near Isaac Sumdac's family farm. Transform and Roll Out Dispatches

• Blitzwing and Lugnut make their way back to the Decepticon refugee colony New Kaon, where Blitzwing announces that "Megatron is no more", but Lugnut refuses to believe it. At the same time, Sentinel Prime is at the Autobot Memorial Plaza in Iacon City giving a markedly tepid eulogy for Optimus and his crew. Jerk. Dispatches

• Unaware of Starscream's involvement, Blitzwing hires Lockdown to track down and capture Optimus Prime so that he may be held accountable for destroying Megatron. The Thrill of the Hunt A Few Loose Strands

• Sumdac spends the next fifty years reverse-engineering the parts of Megatron that he salvaged and builds his own robotics company from the knowledge he obtains, eventually moving into Sumdac Tower. He decides to decorate his office with the Decepticon leader's giant severed head, and also uses his hand as a chair. Transform and Roll Out Megatron Rising - Part 2 Dispatches

• At some point, Sumdac stumbles upon a Cybertronian protoform. It samples his DNA and thus becomes a Cybertronian-human hybrid. He adopts the protoform, names it Sari, and raises it as a normal human girl. TransWarped

Present day (22nd Century)

Season One

• The Autobot repair crew awaken from stasis and fast become local heroes by saving the citizens of Detroit from various dangers. They meet Sari Sumdac, who meets the AllSpark, which turns her security key into an ultra-powerful plot device. Transform and Roll Out
• Sari introduces the Autobots to their new home, an abandoned warehouse that her father acquired as part of a business deal and "doesn't even know he owns". Transform and Roll Out
• Having tracked the AllSpark to within the solar system, the Nemesis picks up some transmitted news broadcasts showing the Autobots in Detroit, and follows their point of origin. Transform and Roll Out Dispatches
• Blackarachnia catches up with the Nemesis, boards it, and manages to plant a tracking device on Starscream before he kicks her out again. Dispatches

• The Nemesis crash-lands on the Moon. Lost and Found Dispatches
• Starscream travels the final stretch to Earth and causes a whole heap of mayhem whilst loudly announcing the part he played in Megatron's downfall. Starscream is sent packing by a burst of AllSpark energy, and Optimus Prime manages to get himself killed in the process. The Key comes to the rescue and brings Prime back to life by channeling another burst of the AllSpark's power. Transform and Roll Out

• Blackarachnia arrives on the Moon and, sensing the AllSpark nearby, takes a look around the crashed Nemesis. Lockdown shows up soon after and the pair of them come to blows, during which the bounty hunter loses consciousness. He awakens to find the techno-organic nowhere in sight and makes his way to Earth, unaware that she is stowing away aboard his ship. Dispatches A Few Loose Strands

• Back on Cybertron, the Decepticons and the Autobot Elite Guard also pick up a signal from the AllSpark, and begin preparations to leave for Earth. Dispatches

• The Autobots first encounter the Angry Archer when his plan to steal money from an armoured security van is thwarted by Optimus Prime. Home Is Where the Spark Is

• Prowl develops a fascination with organic life. Home Is Where the Spark Is Nature Calls
• Thanks to Sari and her key, Megatron awakens to find himself little more than a disembodied head imprisoned in Sumdac Tower. He patches himself into Sumdac's computer system, and through archived news footage he quickly learns of Starscream's betrayal and the close proximity of the AllSpark. He uses his position to control machinery all over the city. Home Is Where the Spark Is

• Prometheus Black experiments with bio-technologically enhanced humans, presenting the idea to Police Captain Fanzone as a possible alternative to Sumdac's robots, but his test-subject Colossus Rhodes goes berserk and has to be taken down by the Autobots. Total Meltdown
• Black's benefactor Porter C. Powell cuts his funding, and he trashes his lab in a fit of anger. The various acids and chemicals spilled turn him into Meltdown, and he vows to take revenge upon Sumdac and the Autobots. Total Meltdown

• Megatron reveals to Prof. Sumdac that he has regained consciousness, and under the assumption that he is an Autobot, Sumdac tells him where he is and how he got there. Sumdac agrees to help rebuild Megatron, and the 'Con makes him promise not to tell the "other" Autobots about him until they have finished. Blast from the Past
• Megatron advises Sumdac on how to upgrade the animatronic dinosaurs from the Dino Drive theme park. Sari's key accidentally turns these dinosaurs into Dinobots. Blast from the Past
• After they go on a rampage, the general consensus is that the Dinobots should be slagged. Instead, Prowl and Bulkhead secretly exile them to a remote island where they figure out how to transform. Blast from the Past Survival of the Fittest

• Powell Motorworks unveil the Bulkhead, much to the resentment of the real Bulkhead, who disguises himself and kidnaps Powell. He secretly films Powell admitting that his vehicles are "nothing but gas-guzzling death traps". The Bulkhead is swiftly pulled off the market. The Insincerest Form of Flattery

• Lockdown and Blackarachnia arrive on Earth, where the bounty hunter succeeds in capturing Optimus Prime, and contacts Blitzwing. The Thrill of the Hunt

• Lockdown manages to defeat all Autobots who come after him, except Ratchet, who calls upon previous experience to defeat him. Ratchet rescues Prime and reclaims the EMP generator that was taken from him 4 million years ago. The Thrill of the Hunt

• Back on New Kaon, Lugnut is not happy about Blitzwing dealing with a bounty hunter, and the two come to blows. Swindle is on-hand to sell them bigger and bigger weapons to use on each other. They eventually learn that the arms dealer has been manipulating them, and team up again to kick his skidplate before leaving for Earth. Everything Must Go

• Nanosec is contracted by Megatron to steal some Destronium, but his going-really-fast gimmick quickly destabilises the chemical. Bumblebee uses a pair of new prototype rocket boosters given to him by Sari to carry it into Earth's upper atmosphere, where it detonates safely. Nanosec suffers rapid premature aging and is left to rot in prison. Nanosec

• Stiletto is also hired by Megatron to steal a laser scalpel and an experimental metal alloy, which she uses to make a lovely pair of shoes with very sharp heels. She decides to test out her pointy shoes by using them to destroy Ambassador Bridge, but the Autobots stop her. Stiletto

• Sari teaches the Autobots about the fine human tradition of Halloween. Along Came a Spider
• Blackarachnia kidnaps Sari. Optimus comes to the rescue, and learns of Blackarachnia's true identity. Along Came a Spider

• The Angry Archer is back and looking for a new set of wheels. During an attempt to steal a car from Motor City Motors and Mechanoids he is caught by Bumblebee, Prowl and the supernatural vigilante The Wraith. The 'Bots innocently uncover the secret that The Wraith is merely an ordinary human using holograms to appear spooky, and as a result he loses the respect of people and criminals alike. He then flips out and tries to use those same holograms to frame Bumblebee for causing a riot, but is stopped by the Autobots and sent to a mental institution. Attention Surplus Disorder

• Starscream awakens in a forest to find himself in stasis lock and unable to move. Professor Princess turns up and he asks her to help him by pressing his manual reset switch. She instead responds by attacking and humiliating him, but that works equally well and he is soon up and on his way. Whatever Happened to Whatisname?

• Professor Princess attacks Bulkhead and Sari outside a toy shop in town. Bulky decapitates her pet unicorn Powdered Sugar. Sound and Fury

• Megatron "helps" Sumdac create a present for Sari: a musical robot named Soundwave. After a few upgrades from Sari's key, Soundwave eventually gains sentience and begins a brief robot revolt against the humans, which is thwarted by the Autobots. Sound and Fury

• Blitzwing and Lugnut arrive on Earth's moon, having tracked the AllSpark's signature. They see the crashed Nemesis, and reason that Megatron must be somewhere near, so travel the final stretch to Earth. Lost and Found
• Megatron sees all. He contacts Lugnut and has he and Blitzwing go after the AllSpark. Lost and Found
• To avoid putting more humans in danger, the Autobots plan to use Sari's key to bring their ship back online and take the AllSpark away from Earth. Ratchet starts by reactivating some of the ship's defences and using them to defeat the two Decepticons, explaining that "even with the key, it'll take a while for the ship to become fully operational". Lost and Found
• Starscream appears and offers to help Lugnut and Blitzwing, and all he asks in return is their undying allegiance. Sounds fair. Lost and Found

• Meltdown, having taken refuge on Dinobot Island, uses his acid to manipulate the Dinobots. They kidnap Sari for him, whom he intends to use as his test-subject in a new experiment to make human Transformers. Survival of the Fittest

• Prowl, Bulkhead and Captain Fanzone manage to save Sari and regain the trust of the Dinobots. Meltdown and Colossus Rhodes are taken into police custody. Survival of the Fittest

• A newly hired Sumdac employee, Henry Masterson, is fired for building technology for warfare use, not to mention endangering citizens with a demonstration of said technology. A bitter Masterson vows to take revenge in the guise of the Headmaster. Headmaster
• Masterson steals Bulkhead's body and wreaks all sorts of havoc, culminating in a threat to "frag the entire state of Michigan" by blowing up the solar power plant. The Autobots defeat him, reclaim Bulkhead's body, and stop the power plant from exploding, but Masterson escapes with the Headmaster unit. Headmaster

• Sari, Prowl and Bumblebee go camping in the mountains on the outskirts of Detroit, and as luck would have it a monster made of space barnacles with a Cybertronian energy signature shows up. It takes control of both of the Autobots, but the spud-faced nipper manages to kill it and rescue her friends. Nature Calls
• Sari's father traces the Cybertronian energy signature and finds what was at the heart of the barnacle monster; another part of Megatron. Nature Calls

• Prof. Sumdac uncovers the rest of Megatron's body nearby, and gets to work on restoring the Decepticon leader to his former glory, still under the assumption that he is an Autobot. Megatron contacts Lugnut again and orders him to steal the AllSpark Key. Having only just finished repairing themselves after their scrap with the 'Bot ship, he and Blitzwing go for it, while Starscream opts instead to track down the source of the transmission. Megatron Rising - Part 1
• Prowl reveals the whereabouts of the Dinobots to Prime, who flips out and confiscates the AllSpark Key from Sari. She runs away, followed by Bumblebee, but is kidnapped by Blackarachnia (again). The two establish a rapport over similar feelings towards Optimus and Sari agrees to lead Blackarachnia to the AllSpark. Megatron Rising - Part 1 Megatron Rising - Part 2
• Ratchet is told to take the Key back to the Autobot ship while Prime goes off with Bulkhead and Prowl to try and recruit the Dinobots to their cause. Blitzwing and Lugnut ambush Ratchet, stealing the Key along with his right hand. Megatron Rising - Part 1

• Starscream finds Megatron in his weakened state in Sumdac Tower. Bumblebee sees Starscream and thinks he may have abducted Sari. He calls for backup before charging in to attack, but succeeds only in distracting Starscream long enough for Megatron to use the building's defence system against them both. Blitzwing and Lugnut turn up and Prof. Sumdac learns of Megatron's true nature. They use the AllSpark Key on Megatron's head, which in turn restores and upgrades his body. Prime, Prowl and Bulkhead show up just in time to see a new, powerful Megatron... rising! Megatron Rising - Part 1

• The Autobots fight Megatron, lose, and retreat. Megatron uses the Key to kill Starscream before following it like a homing signal to find the AllSpark, with Blitzwing and Lugnut in tow. Sumdac confesses his sins to the Autobots, and helps repair them as penance. Megatron Rising - Part 2
• Sari leads Blackarachnia to a frozen-over Lake Erie, and keeps her distracted until Ratchet and the ship take off through the ice. Sari then escapes Blackarachnia's grip and is taken on board the ship. Ratchet manages to get the ship to Sumdac Tower to pick up the other Autobots and Sari's father before the Decepticons attack. The 'Bots are shot down and crash on Dinobot Island, where they duke it out with the 'Cons. Megatron Rising - Part 2

• Prof. Sumdac tells Sari he has something important to tell her, but she doesn't listen and instead runs off to try and get her Key back. She asks the AllSpark for help, and it gives her a clue as to why it "chose" her, but she doesn't get it. Megatron Rising - Part 2
• Megatron breaches the Autobots' defence line and succeeds in merging the AllSpark with his own spark, but gets an electrical uppercut from Prof. Sumdac at the last moment and drops the AllSpark Key. Sari picks it up and gives it to Optimus, who uses it to overload the AllSpark. Megatron explodes and the AllSpark is dispersed across Detroit, but he survives. On top of that, he somehow managed to kidnap his former captor Prof. Sumdac amidst all the chaos. Megatron Rising - Part 2

Season Two

• Blackarachnia washes up on Dinobot Island and takes refuge in Meltdown's old laboratory. Black Friday

• The rest of the Decepticons set up camp inside an abandoned mine shaft, wherein their energy signatures are masked by the surrounding coal deposits. Megatron commences his new plan to use schematics he stole from the Autobots to create a space bridge of his own, with Prof. Sumdac reluctantly assisting to fill in the blanks. Sumdac is also drafted into creating signal dampeners for the 'Cons to mask their energy signatures even when outside of the base. The Elite Guard A Bridge Too Close, Part I
• The Elite Guard finally arrive on Earth expecting to take the AllSpark away with them. Optimus Prime fills them in on recent events, but because they detect no Decepticon energy signatures, they are skeptical to believe him without proof. The Elite Guard
• Sari is placed in charge of Sumdac Systems in her father's absence. As chairman of the board, Porter C. Powell resents this, so he does a little research on the kid. He discovers that not only is she not in Prof. Sumdac's will, but also that there is no legal record of her existence whatsoever. Using this knowledge, Powell is elected CEO of the company and kicks Sari out of her home in Sumdac Tower. She goes to live with the Autobots instead. The Elite Guard The Return of the Headmaster

• The 'Bots and 'Cons both learn that the AllSpark still exists when its fragments are found to be the cause of various robot malfunctions. The Elite Guard
• Powell's first act as CEO of Sumdac Systems is to re-hire Henry Masterson, who promptly sets an ambush for the Autobots and steals Sentinel Prime's body. Optimus helps restore the jerk to normal, and is actually thanked for doing so, but Masterson avoids being arrested thanks to Powell. The Return of the Headmaster
• Ultra Magnus receives reports of Decepticon uprisings from "all along the rim of the galaxy". Still having no proof that Megatron is on Earth, the Elite Guard plan to leave the planet taking Optimus's team with them. Mission Accomplished
• Starscream is brought back online by an AllSpark fragment embedded in his forehead, which keeps him alive as he fails several times to eliminate Megatron. Starscream eventually resorts to setting a trap using another AllSpark fragment as bait, which draws the attention of the Autobots. The Elite Guard arrest the 'Con and take him with them back to Cybertron, and since he is living proof of Decepticons on Earth, Optimus and his team are given permission to stay behind to keep the remaining AllSpark fragments out of their enemies' hands. Mission Accomplished

• A new (hilarious) robot is born out of the union between an AllSpark fragment and a garbage truck. He causes several mishaps, including innocently assisting in the Angry Archer's latest exploits, who gives him the name Wreck-Gar. Wreck-Gar (sort of) learns the error of his ways, though, and saves Detroit from the threat of over-consumptive microbots. Garbage In, Garbage Out
• The Elite Guardsman Blurr is posted on Earth undercover to keep tabs on the 'Bots and 'Cons, but falls under the control of Master Disaster and is forced to take part in the illegal street races he hosts. Bumblebee sees the mysterious self-driving blue car on TV and thinks that it may be a Decepticon. He and Sari free Blurr from the manipulation of Master Disaster, who gets arrested for hosting the illegal races. The blue car drives off into the sunset, its identity still a mystery. Velocity

• Two new oil-guzzling bots are created by AllSpark fragments embedded within construction vehicles, and they name themselves Scrapper and Mix. They initially befriend Bulkhead, but after causing a whole heap of trouble for him and the Autobots, they defect to the 'Con team, where they are immediately put to work on Megatron's space bridge project and fitted with their own signal dampeners. They return to the Autobots' warehouse to steal the AllSpark, where Bulkhead feeds them poisoned oil that scrambles their memory circuits, and they wander off somewhere. Rise of the Constructicons
• Starscream escapes captivity aboard the Steelhaven and makes his way back to the crashed Nemesis, wherein he uses Megatron's cache of stolen protoforms to create several clones of himself. A Fistful of Energon First (and Second) in Flight
• The 'Bots at the Ministry of Science use data they acquired by observing Starscream's Decepticon programming to launch Project: Safeguard, in which a pair of critically damaged Autobot twins are rebuilt and given new, flying alt-modes. Sentinel reprises his role as boot camp instructor to train the twins, and bestows them with the names Jetfire and Jetfire Jetstorm. First (and Second) in Flight

• Ultra Magnus sends a message to the Earthbound Autobots warning them of Starscream's escape, which is intercepted by Megatron. The Decepticon leader quickly puts a price on the head of the treacherous Starscream, which is picked up by none other than Lockdown. Prowl goes a bit loopy and teams up with the bounty hunter, from whom he receives some serious modifications in the form of a samurai-styled armour upgrade. Together, Prowl and Lockdown apprehend the first two Starscream clones to have been given life, which are revealed to have been rigged to explode shortly after capture. Prowl sacrifices the flying parts of his new armour to send them skyward so they can detonate at a safe distance above the city, and Lockdown escapes amongst the hubbub. Prowl renounces his new mods when they cause him to endanger the organic lifeforms he reveres so much. A Fistful of Energon
• An unhinged Wasp also escapes his captivity and swears revenge upon Bumblebot for causing his wrongful imprisonment many moons ago. Autoboot Camp First (and Second) in Flight

• Jetfire and Jetstorm ably prove their capabilities in a combat simulator, and they are inducted into the Elite Guard as junior officers. Ultra Magnus wastes no time in sending them on their first mission—assisting Jazz and Sentinel Prime as they track down the renegade Wasp. First (and Second) in Flight
• Slo-Mo recruits the Angry Archer, Nanosec, and Professor Princess (with a newly re-capitated Powdered Sugar) to form the Society of Ultimate Villainy, supported by the intergalactic arms dealer Swindle. The Decepticon instructs the Society to steal various items and build a time-freezing weapon for him before double-crossing them. Pissed off, they team up with Bumblebee and thwart his plans to sell the weapon to Megatron. The weapon is ultimately used against Swindle himself, leaving him stuck in vehicle mode, completely immobile, and with a flat tyre. SUV: Society of Ultimate Villainy
• Ultra Magnus contacts Optimus's team again to let them know about the fugitive Wasp's current situation, and soon after, Bulkhead and Bumblebee intercept a transmission between Megatron and the real Decepticon spy. Still assuming it to be Wasp, they go out to search for the Earthbound 'Cons, but soon give up and instead report the message to the head of Autobot Intelligence. Autoboot Camp

• Blackarachnia finds Meltdown's research notes and has the Dinobots spring him from prison so that he may attempt to cure her of her "organic contamination". After seeing Grimlock and co. on the security camera footage, Optimus, Prowl and Bumblebee make their way to Dinobot Island where all three are captured by Spider-Lady. She injects two of the Autobots with her deadly venom, and promises to give Prime the antidote only if he goes with Grimlock to retrieve Meltdown's genetic modifier from the renamed Powell Tower. With modifier in hand, Meltdown plans to double-cross Blackarachnia, but is almost killed when the gadget zaps him during a fight with Optimus. Blackarachnia makes a clean getaway, but leaves Prime the antidote needed to save his friends anyway. Black Friday
• The amnesic Constructicons show up on a local news broadcast. The Autobots, and Blitzwing, head out to look for them, but succeed only in keeping each other busy. Meanwhile, Scrapper and Mix follow a leaking Bumblebee's oil trail straight to the Autobots' warehouse base, where Sari is the only one there to stop them. She uses the AllSpark Key together with Prowl's training doohickey until they run away screaming. Blitzwing picks them up and takes them back to Megatron, who makes them into full-fledged Decepticons. Sari, No One's Home A Bridge Too Close, Part I

• Megatron abducts Bulkhead and uses the Headmaster unit to threaten him into helping the Constructicons complete his space bridge. A Bridge Too Close, Part I
• Blurr shows up again and finally reveals his identity after Bumblebee blows his cover. He informs the Autobots of Megatron's space bridge project, and Prof. Sumdac's involvement therein, before leading Optimus, Prowl, and Bumblebee to the Decepticon base where they are ambushed by Blitzwing and Lugnut, who are quickly incapacitated by the speedy blue bot. A Bridge Too Close, Part I
• Starscream donates some pieces of his AllSpark fragment to give life to another bunch of his clones and leads them in an attack on the Decepticon base. A Bridge Too Close, Part I
• During the big fight, the Autobots are incapacitated, Blurr, Skywarp and Thundercracker are sent through the space bridge, and Prof. Sumdac decapitates Starscream with the Headmaster unit. The remaining clones pledge their allegiance to Megatron, and Longarm Prime reveals himself to the 'Bots as the Decepticon spy Shockwave. A Bridge Too Close, Part II

• Ratchet and Sari, using the AllSpark fragments retrieved so far, revive the Autobot ship's true identity, and attack the Decepticons. A Bridge Too Close, Part II
• Megatron overloads the space bridge by plugging Starscream's AllSpark-fragment-powered head into it, and they are both dragged into the warp field. Omega Supreme sacrifices himself for the sake of the Autobots (again) by pulling the space bridge apart as he passes through it. A Bridge Too Close, Part II
• Sari discovers that she is more than meets the eye. A Bridge Too Close, Part II

Season Three

• Oil Slick infects Rodimus Prime with Cosmic Rust during a fight between their respective teams over space bridge 687-030. TransWarped
• Megatron and Starscream's head materialise in a remote corner of the universe and are soon apprehended by Omega Supreme. He transforms back into his vehicle mode and uses his personal transwarp drive to transport the Decepticons to Cybertron for a fair trial. Unfortunately, the amount of effort needed puts Omega into "sleep mode" and the 'Cons take him under their control by plugging the Starscream directly into his circuits. A Bridge Too Close, Part II TransWarped
• Henry Masterson finds and takes control of the Headmaster unit attached to Starscream's body and causes a bunch of trouble. However, he brings about his own undoing when he tries to transform, which detaches the Headmaster unit and sends the Starscream's body flying into the Detroit River. Masterson is arrested, and the Headmaster unit is taken back to rest in Sumdac Tower. TransWarped Three's a Crowd

• Blurr escapes the clones and quickly makes his way back to Cybertron. He discovers Longarm Prime's true identity, and is slagged as a result. TransWarped
• Sari learns of her origins as a Cybertronian protoform and uses the AllSpark Key to upgrade herself, which drains it of its power and sends her temporarily berserk. TransWarped
• The Decepticon-controlled Omega Supreme warps to Earth looking to slag some Autobots, but the 'Bots are able to randomize his transwarp jumps, sending him and his passengers warping around space randomly. TransWarped

• Prof. Sumdac disables the signal dampeners he was previously forced to create for the Decepticons, and he and Bulkhead start to rebuild Megatron's space bridge inside Sumdac Tower with the Constructicons' help. An accidental merging of the Headmaster unit, an AllSpark fragment, and a forklift truck creates Dirt Boss, who leads Scrapper and Mixmaster in a host of oil-thefts around Detroit until the Autobots intercept them at the Fossil Fuel refinery. Three's a Crowd

• Still on the lam as an alleged Decepticon spy, Wasp arrives on Earth, closely followed by Sentinel Prime, Jazz, and the Jet twins. The crazy little green dude switches places with Bumblebot in an attempt to have him imprisoned in his stead, but the Autobots reveal the deception, and clear Wasp's name while they're at it. Where Is Thy Sting?
• The Elite Guard finally learn the identity of the true spy, but before Shockwave can be arrested he attacks and critically injures Ultra Magnus and makes off with the Magnus Hammer. Where Is Thy Sting? Five Servos of Doom

• Sentinel Prime secretly contracts Lockdown to catch the Decepticons on Earth for him. Swindle (still stasis-locked in vehicle mode), Blitzwing, and the sycophantic Starscream clone quickly find themselves in the Steelhaven's brig, soon joined by Lugnut. A suspicious Prowl uncovers the truth by following Sentinel as he goes to collect the bounty hunter's latest acquisition, the liar clone, where the ninja-bot learns of Lockdown's involvement in Yoketron's death. The two fight it out, and Prowl claims another set of samurai armor mods together with his former master's helmet, but Lockdown ultimately escapes. Five Servos of Doom

• Wasp is picked up by Swoop and taken to Dinobot Island, where Blackarachnia uses transwarp technology to turn him into Waspinator, planning to later experiment on removing his techno-organic element. As Sentinel, Optimus, Bumblebee, and the jet twins closely follow, the jerk learns the fate of Elita-1. After a brief tussle, both of the techno-organic bots are warped to a mysterious place teeming with organic wildlife. Optimus convinces Sentinel to return to Cybertron and take his place as acting Magnus. Predacons Rising

• Using patents he acquired as CEO of Sumdac Systems, Porter C. Powell mass-produces the Sound Wave toy just in time for Christmas. The original Soundwave also resurfaces, and abducts the Autobots as they are all taking a stasis nap. He takes them to his secret lair, conveniently located directly below their own warehouse base, where he hooks them up to a virtual reality machine, makes them dream that their minds have been transferred into human bodies, and attempts to reprogram them into Decepticons. Human Error, Part I

• Whilst he keeps the 'Bots incapacitated, Soundwave also leads an army of his tiny lookalikes in hypnotizing the humans of Detroit. Unfortunately for him, this doesn't include Sari, who recruits Scrapper, Snarl, and Wreck-Gar to her cause. The Substitute Autobots go after Soundwave, and they manage to free the real Autobots from his control. Prime eventually slags the Decepticon with his own weapon, but a small part of him survives and escapes thanks to the birdbot. Human Error, Part II

• En route to Cybertron, the Steelhaven passes through an electrical storm, which pulls Swindle out of his stasis lock. He quickly frees and re-arms his fellow Decepticons, and they hijack the Elite Guard's flagship. Back on Earth, the Autobots finish building the space bridge atop Sumdac Tower, and thanks to Sari's newly found expertise, they connect it to Swindle's personal transwarp field. Optimus uses this connection to board the Steelhaven, and he and Jazz set a trap and re-capture the rogue 'Cons, except for Swindle, who escapes with a pile of loot, and Lugnut, who is left floating in space until he is picked up by Megatron in Omega Supreme. The Elite Guard then fly all the way back to Earth to drop off Prime before finally making it back to Cybertron, where Sentinel officially adopts the position of Magnus. Decepticon Air

• Megatron manages to stop Omega Supreme from warping randomly, transform him back to robot mode, and take him into orbit around Cybertron. Meanwhile, Ratchet is using the Sumdac Tower space bridge to locate Omega when he and Captain Fanzone are accidentally transwarped to the mechanical planet, where they encounter Shockwave and unwittingly lead him to where Arcee is being kept. The Decepticon spy makes off with the robot dame and boards Omega Supreme, who promptly transwarps away. Ratchet takes possession of the Magnus Hammer and he and Fanzone warp back to Earth, followed by Jazz. This Is Why I Hate Machines

• The Decepticons station Omega Supreme on the Earth's moon, where Shockwave manages to bring Arcee back online and Megatron uses her activation code together with Starscream's cloning lab to create the Lugnut Supremes. The Autobots track Omega's energy signature, and Ratchet, Sari and Prof. Sumdac create a jetpack upgrade to help Optimus fight the Decepticon leader. Meanwhile, Prowl strives to finally complete his cyber-ninja training and discovers his ability to pull AllSpark fragments together using processor-over-matter. Endgame, Part I

• Megatron leads the Lugnut Supremes to Earth and orders them to attack Sumdac Tower. Optimus uses his new upgrade together with the Magnus Hammer to fight Megatron, while Prowl and Jazz use processor-over-matter together to pull together AllSpark fragments, including the one that was keeping Starscream alive. Meanwhile, Ratchet, Bumblebee, Bulkhead and Sari warp to the Moon where they restore Arcee's personality and re-awaken Omega, reverting the Lugnut Supremes personalities to their default as Starscream clones. Prowl sacrifices his spark by merging with the newly rebuilt AllSpark, destroying the giant clones and greatly damaging Megatron. The Autobots take the remaining Decepticons prisoner aboard Omega Supreme and return to Cybertron. Endgame, Part II

See also

• Units of time