User:Locoman/Sandbox/Reformatting

Reformatting methods

Physical reconstruction

Like any machine, a Transformer can be taken apart and put back together again, good as new. In many Transformers stories, taking on a new body is as simple as rebuilding a Transformer into the desired configuration. These modifications might be purely cosmetic in nature; on the other hand, a drastic full-body rebuild might alter a Transformer's size, shape, alternate mode, or weaponry, or reconfigure them into a shape capable of accepting a specific upgrade like a Pretender shell.

This kind of full-body rebuild was particularly prevalent in the Marvel's Transformers comic and its sequels. Because Marvel's universe predated the concept of sparks and a more supernatural take on Transformer death and the afterlife, a full-body rebuild was the de facto method of resurrecting "deceased" characters. Rebuilding was also prevalent in IDW's first Transformers continuity, in which taking on a new form or alternate mode usually--but not always--required an extensive mechanical refit. In many cases, a character might simply take on a new form between appearances: for instance, Optimus Prime appears with an entirely new appearance in Armada, Energon, and Cybertron; it is a reasonable inferrence that these are the result of "offscreen" upgrades of some kind.

While most Cybertronian medics can carry out a rebuild of this scale using conventional tools and some basic engineering know-how, some amoral scientists have attempted to reformat other Cybertronians by directly altering their genetic material. Tampering with a Transformer's CNA can have drastic, immediate effects on a Cybertronian's appearance, alternate mode, and mental state--in some cases, it is possible to splice the Transformer genome with alien DNA to create Transformers with powerful beast modes and other unusual abilities.

Transference

In many realities, a Cybertronian can obtain a new body by implanting their spark, brain module, or some other part of their consciousness into an entirely new body. Without the presence of an animating life-force, their prior form--if indeed it still exists--simply becomes an empty shell, to be used or discarded as needed. In some stories, this kind of transfer can be a risky, delicate procedure that requires the use of specialized technology; in others, it's as simple as connecting a few wires and pushing a button.

In many Transformers tales, this kind of emergency transference is an effective way to resurrect a dead character in a new body. In the Marvel comic, for instance, Ethan Zachary infamously downloaded a copy of Optimus Prime's mind onto a floppy disk; when the Autobots reconstructed their deceased leader some months later, they simply downloaded the relevant information into the new body, which immediately restored Prime to life. <ref>"People Power!"</ref> When Prime perished again in the battle against Unicron, a vestige of his consciousness persisted through his binary-bonded link to Hi-Q, and the Last Autobot used this to resurrect him once more, combining the two beings into a single Action Master form. <ref> "End of the Road!" </ref>

Supernatural powers

In many universal streams, Primus and Unicron are supernatural entities with access to vast reserves of cosmic power; they and their various supernaturally-empowered followers can channel a small portion of their energies to instantly alter the minds and physical forms of other mechanical beings—they may be granted new bodies, new abilities, and sometimes entirely new personalities and identities. In many Transformers stories, Unicron uses his powers to corrupt Cybertronians into his dreaded "Heralds of Unicron", awesomely powerful beings compelled to mindlessly serve their new master—it was in this fashion that Unicron reforged the dying Megatron and many other Decepticons into Galvatron, Scourge, Cyclonus, and the Sweeps. <ref>The Transformers: The Movie</ref>

It is rarer for Primus to take such direct action—one notable exception was when he used his powers to instantly reconfigure three mortally wounded Autobots into the Cybertron Defense Team <ref> "Critical" </ref>—but many supernatural beings and artifacts created by or affiliated with Primus have displayed similar abilities, inculding the Vector Sigma supercomputer, the Oracle, the Cyber Planet Keys, and individual members of the Thirteen. Perhaps most famously, the Matrix of Leadership instantly reconfigured Hot Rod into "Rodimus Prime", but various other artifacts have shown the ability to instantly recreate Transformers in new shapes: Smokescreen used the Forge of Solus Prime to instantly resurrect the dying Optimus Prime into a combat-ready configuration; <ref>"Rebellion"</ref>, the Enigma of Combination and its various deriviatives possesses the ability to instantly reconfigure any five Cybertronians into a combiner, and the Transformation Cog of Amalgamous Prime displayed the ability to mutate nearby Cybertronians into shapeshifting Mutacons. <ref>The Covenant of Primus</ref>

A Cybertronian's "burning spirit" can spontaneously unlock new weapons and powers; in rare cases, this kind of concentrated emotional energy can even cause them to spontaneously reconfigure into a new form, as was the case when Megatron generated an "aura of fury" that culminated in his rebirth as Galvatron. <ref>"Fury"</ref>

Exotic substances

Across the vast multiverse, there exist a wide array of super-fuels, rare forms of energon, exotic forms of radiation, alien technologies, and various elements with unusual properties--these include substances like nucleon, forestonite, organic goop, Super Energon, or Angolmois Energy. Transformers who ingest, interact with, or are unwittingly exposed to these unique energies may find themselves unexpectedly changing into a new form or manifesting unusual powers. Transformers who overfuel on Nucleon, for instance, may lose the ability to transform, <ref>"Still Life!" </ref> while the Maximals and Predacons exposed to the energies of a transwarp wavefront were mutated into Transmetal bodies. <ref>"Aftermath"</ref>

Concentrated pulses of energon--including the ultra-strong doses generated by artifacts like the AllSpark or its derivatives--can spontaneously upgrade mechanical lifeforms into new configurations.

Scanning

Most contemporary Transformers stories have established that Cybertronians possess a limited capability to reconfigure their own forms without any kind of external assistance--they can simply "scan" a vehicle, object, or animal, and their internal systems will immediately reconfigure their living metal so that they can take on that shape. The process generally "overwrites" whatever alternate forms the Transformer possessed before scanning a new form; it is this technology that allows Transformers to quickly adopt a suitable disguise after landing on planets like Earth, and, in some universes, grants young Cybertronians the opportunity to mature into a full-fledged Transformer as they select their first alternate mode.

The Beast Wars II cartoon was the first work of Transformers fiction to show this process on-screen, seemingly based on a scene from the first episode of the original Beast Wars cartoon where the Predacons and Maximals adopted their beast modes by using a shipboard DNA scanner and CR chambers. Although Beast Wars II never aired outside of Japan, the Beast Machines cartoon would—whether through coincidence or design—allude to a previous "Quantum Cycle Upgrade" in which all Maximals were fitted with on-board DNA scanners. <ref>"Survivor"</ref>

Scanning featured in the four subsequent Transformers anime series that aired on both sides of the Pacific--Robots in Disguise, Armada, Energon, and Cybertron--and the concept was further codified with the first live-action movie, which established that all protoforms could freely "trans-scan" new alternate forms at will. Subsequent works of fiction, including both Prime and EarthSpark, have explained the ability to scan new alternate forms as a biological function inherent to the transformation cog itself.

Fiction

Generation 1 continuity family

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comic

Events from the UK-only comic stories are in italics.

The computer aboard the Ark could scan its surroundings and rebuild Cybertronians with new alternate modes so that they could blend on alien planets. The Transformers Shortly after the ship crash-landed on prehistoric Earth, it rebuilt the Dinobots with dinosaur alternate modes so that they could battle Shockwave in the Savage Land. The Last Stand Four million years later, the ship's computers rebuilt the rest of the Autobots and Decepticons with new alternate modes based off human machinery. The Transformers Other Cybertronians who travelled to Earth, such as the Insecticons Aerialbots over America! and Predacons Gone but Not Forgotten! would speak of having adapted their bodies into more suitable Earth configurations. Aerialbots over America!

Spanner was rebuilt by Decepticon engineers to have a space bridge alternate mode. The Bridge to Nowhere!

The Ark created new bodies for five Autobots who had their minds encoded on crystalline containment vessels before the ship left Cybertron. Rock and Roll-Out! A critically damaged Bumblebee was rebuilt into the more powerful "Goldbug"; ...All Fall Down! Hunters however, when Goldbug was critically damaged, Ratchet later rebuilt him back into his original "Bumblebee" persona, citing his personal preference for Bumblebee's original configuration. Skin Deep The Throttlebots had their brain modules transferred to electronic toy cars before their bodies were destroyed by the Intelligence and Information Institute. Toy Soldiers! Later, Brainstorm put their brain modules into new bodies made to the same specifications as their shattered old ones. Pretender to the Throne! While travelling from Nebulos to Earth, Fortress Maximus underwent a significant rebuild that doubled his size and integrated Cerebros into his superstructure. Trial by Fire!

Before Optimus Prime's death, programmer Ethan Zachary encoded a copy of his mind on a floppy disk. Afterdeath! After the Autobots acquired the disk, acting Autobot leader Fortress Maximus initiated Project Prime in an effort to restore Optimus to life. The depleted resources of the Steelhaven following the creation of the Autobot Pretenders and Bumblebee's rebuild made the task more difficult; in the end, Goldbug travelled to Nebulos, where Hi-Q used Powermaster technology to create a new body for Optimus. Prime's personality was later downloaded from that disk into his new body, restoring him to life. People Power!

Unicron enslaved the Junkions to build him a new body out of junk. The Legacy of Unicron!

Ever the maverick, Grimlock defied orders and used Nucleon from Hydrus Four on himself and the four deactivated Dinobots. The Pri¢e of Life! Exposure to this unusual fuel source caused parts of his body to freeze; ...All This and Civil War 2 following Unicron's defeat, Grimlock's entire body locked up. Hi-Q correctly realized that Grimlock had entered a "chrysalis state" and used his Powermaster abilities to accelerate Grimlock's rapid evolution into an Action Master. Still Life! Soon afterward, the Last Autobot was able to resurrect the recently deceased Optimus Prime as an Action Master by using the information encoded on Hi-Q's brain through the binary bonding process, recreating the two Powermaster partners as a single merged lifeform. End of the Road!

Marvel Generation 2 comic

After Megatron cut a deal with Cobra, the villainous organization used their advanced technology to rebuild him into a new body with a tank alternate mode, which incorporated an experimental rail gun in place of his usual fusion cannon. Realignments

Classics

Classics continues from the Marvel US series, and does not include the UK stories or any subsequently published stories.

During the reconstruction of Cybertron, Swoop was caught in an explosion at a Nucleon processing factory and even more severely mutated. The Autobot Mini-Cons stepped in and were able to get that reaction under control, but Swoop himself was transformed into a Mini-Con by the Nucleon. Mini-Con Swoop's bio

After the Autobots returned to Cybertron at the end of the war, the defeated Megatron, who'd been left behind on Earth with many other fallen warriors, slowly rebuilt himself into a new form. While in exile, the Decepticon leader spent many years wandering the Earth, slowly resurrecting his comrades with a mixture of salvaged Cybertronian parts and human technology. Megatron's profile in Club magazine #17

Several years later, while shipwrecked on the prehistoric Earth of an alternate universe, a group of Autobots led by Ultra Magnus combined Pretender and Powermaster technology to adopt beast modes based on the local wildlife to protect themselves from energon radiation. Meanwhile, Megatron's Decepticons instead chose to reformat themselves into new configurations that incorporated a layer of Energon armor and upgraded weapons systems. Shattered Time

Regeneration One

Regeneration One continues from the Marvel US series, and does not include the UK stories or any subsequently published stories.

Following the end of the war, a group of Nebulan scientists led by Borx embarked on Project Lazarus, which would construct new bodies for the Autobots who had given up their original bodies to become Headmasters. However, when Borx attempted to decrypt Lord Zarak's old database, Scorponok's original head reactivated, secretly took control of Project Lazarus by brainwashing the scientists, and ordered the enthralled organics to construct a new body for his disembodied head to inhabit. Natural Selection, Part One

Eventually, a remorseful Grimlock turned his attention to restoring his ability to transform. When he travelled to Nebulos, he reluctantly cut a deal with Scorponok; in exchange for helping Scorponok with his plan to unleash the Gene Key on Cybertron, Grimlock received a new body with the power to transform. Natural Selection, Part One

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Transformers cartoon

At the dawn of the Great War between the Autobots and Decepticons, the wise sage Alpha Trion rebuilt the critically wounded Orion Pax and Ariel into Optimus Prime and Elita One. War Dawn

Before the crash of the Nemesis on prehistoric Earth, three Decepticons jumped ship and wound up stranded in Indonesia. Their idento-computers adapted them for life on Earth by reformatting them with insectoid alternate modes that could metabolize organic material into energy, which allowed the "Insecticons" to sustain themselves without using energon. A Plague of Insecticons Millions of years later, Teletraan I's systems rebuilt the other Autobots and Decepticons into Earth forms. More than Meets the Eye, Part 1

During one of his many ill-fated coups, Starscream liberated the Combaticons' personality components from the Decepticon Detention Center and installed them into some abandoned military hardware. This transference somehow reconfigured the mundane machines into fully functional Cybertronian bodies with new alternate modes to match. Starscream's Brigade

In the year 2005, Unicron reformatted Megatron and some other Decepticons into Galvatron, Cyclonus, Scourge and the Sweeps. Hot Rod was reformatted into Rodimus Prime by the power of the Matrix of Leadership. The Transformers: The Movie However, losing or voluntarily relinquishing the Matrix would cause him to revert into his "Hot Rod" self. Dark Awakening The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2

After being severely injured, Bumblebee was rebuilt into Goldbug by a Quintesson. The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2

Japanese cartoon continuity

Story of Binaltech

In the year 2003, Swindle incapacitated many of the Earthbound Autobots with a Cosmic Rust infection. With their original bodies hopelessly corroded, the Earth Defense Command launched the Binaltech Project, which brought together a number of automotive companies and high-tech industries to build new bodies for the afflicted Autobots, which would allow them to transfer their personality data into these new forms. Binaltech Is...

To quickly boost the number of active Autobots on Earth, Chip Chase developed the Genetronic Translink System, which shunted a Transformer's lifeforce into subspace and allowed them to control multiple bodies at once via translink ports. GT Units Online! Wheeljack attempted to use the GT System to transfer Prowl's spark into a new body from across the solar system by moving it through subspace. Unfortunately, a Decepticon attack caused the system to malfunction, and Prowl's spark was lost to the void. Prowl & Chase Eventually, the Bluestreak of an alternate timeline helped return Prowl's spark to his original body. Unfinished Business, Part 2

Kiss Players

The Kiss Players possessed the unique ability to reformat Transformers infected with with EDC's Parasitech into new forms by giving them a kiss. Kiss Players #3

Victory cartoon

After being critically wounded, Ginrai was given a new body and a new identity as Victory Leo. Fight!! Victory Leo

G-2 story pages and pack-in comic

Wheeljack, Perceptor, and Jetfire formed a research team which studied the properties of the Matrix of Leadership and eventually discovered the Reconfiguration Matrix mechanism within it, which allowed Prime to spontaneously reconfigure his body into a number of different configurations. G-2 Part 5

In an epic battle with Megatron, Optimus Prime's weaponry was disabled by Hooligan. He was then badly injured by an attack from Dreadwing and Smokescreen. Megatron finally administered the fatal blow and believed his enemy was finally finished. The sparks of past Autobot leaders within the Matrix of Leadership then activated the Reconfiguration Matrix, reviving Optimus Prime as Battle Convoy. G-2 #13

Legends comic

Optimus Prime used the Reconfiguration Matrix again to reformat into a new body similar to his original form. Lord Megatron Goes to the Legends World

e-HOBBY comics

When the universe came under threat from an alternate-reality incarnation of Galvatron, Prime used his Reconfiguration Matrix to once again transform his body into a form resembling his original. Armed with powerful solar-powered missile launchers created by the Decepticons that were so energy-consumptive that Prime required a sunlight-absorbing black body coating to operate them at full power, Prime put his new body to use rescuing Laser Ultra Magnus from Galvatron's clutches. Hybrid Style Convoy Black Version

Wings Universe

Wings Universe is based on the Generation 1 cartoon, but deviates from it in cosmetic ways and continuity points.

When Decepticon Syndicate leader Clench needed a live test subject for Sky-Byte's improved forestonite, Clench convinced the simple-minded Cindersaur to eat a canister of it despite Sky-Byte's warning that it wasn't meant to be taken orally. Cindersaur survived the digestion and was mutated into a new dinosaur form complete with fire-breath ability. Generation 2: Redux

Hearing a voice calling him to a transwarp portal leading to an unknown cave sometime in the past, the Star Seeker Hunter found the Matrix of Conquest. He touched it and was transformed into Shokaract. Hoist the Flag

When Starscream stole the body of Cannonball, he instantly altered the pirate captain's body into a form resembling his old body. Tornado - Decepticon Saboteur

Beast Wars cartoon continuity

Beast Wars cartoon

When the Axalon and Darksyde crashed on prehistoric Earth, the Maximals and Predacons deployed external DNA scanners to select new beast modes that would protect them from energon radiation. Once they had found suitable forms, the Cybertronians used their shipboard CR chambers to assume their selected beast modes. Beast Wars (Part 1)

Partway into the Beast Wars, the destruction of the Vok Planet Buster triggered a massive quantum surge of transwarp energy. Some Cybertronians exposed to this unique form of energy were mutated into Transmetal bodies; Aftermath Optimus Primal would be resurrected as a Transmetal after Rhinox retrieved his spark from the Matrix. Coming of the Fuzors (Part 2) Residual transwarp energy caused Depth Charge to spontaneously morph into a Transmetal shape as his ship approached prehistoric Earth. Deep Metal

When Megatron attempted to change history by killing Optimus Prime as he slumbered aboard the crashed Ark, Optimus Primal volunteered to carry Prime's spark until Rhinox could repair the Autobot leader. The power of Optimus Prime's spark caused Primal's body to become an enormous "Optimal" form capable of assuming four separate forms. Optimal Situation Not to be outdone, Megatron would later steal the spark of the original Megatron, and was reformatted into a towering Transmetal 2 dragon. Master Blaster

An enigmatic piece of alien technology known as the Transmetal driver had the power to mutate Cybertronians into monstrous Transmetal 2 bodies. Crossing the Rubicon When Cheetor was exposed to its energies, he began spontaneously morphing back and forth between his Transmetal and Transmetal 2 forms; Feral Scream Part 1 eventually, in a moment of stress, Cheetor permanently shifted into his Transmetal 2 form. Feral Scream Part 2

References

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