Editing Beast Wars timeline (IDW)

The IDW [[Beast Wars (comic)|Beast Wars]] continuity incorporates a variation of events of [[Beast Wars II: Super Lifeform Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars II]] and [[Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Neo (franchise)|Beast Wars Neo]] into its history creating a fairly unique timeline for the [[Beast Era]]. It appears to go something like this...

==1,000,0000+ years ago==
===The beginning of time===
The energy being [[Primus]] and his chaotic opposite [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] battle for many eons until Primus tricks Unicron and traps his essence within a rocky planetoid. Primus suffers the same fate, and as the eons pass he reshapes his essence into [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook}} 

===Millions of years ago===
An ancient civilization of multi-dimensional [[Celestial]]s rule the galaxy. When their empire collapses, the survivors became passive observers who monitor the universe through proxies and record their findings in a hidden library. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook}} At some point, the Celestials appoint [[Artemis]] and [[Moon (BWII)|Moon]] to monitor activity on the planet [[Gaia|Gaea]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook #2}}

[[Cicadacon]] is one of the first Transformers to be created, a Cybertronian forged from the [[living metal]] of ancient [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. {{storylink|#Combiner Wars|BotCon 2016 General Cicadacon profile card}} These early Cybertronians procreate via [[Reproduction|"budding"]], and the voracious [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]] arises as a byproduct of the process. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook}} These early Cybertronians must teach themselves how to [[Transformation|transform]], which takes a lifetime of practice and skill. {{storylink|The Reformatting}} At some point, the organic creatures who inhabited prehistoric Cybertron go extinct, crowded out by the burgeoning Cybertronian race. {{storylink|Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Machines}}

===9 million BCE===
[[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] begins the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]] with the intent of turning Cybertron into a cosmic dreadnought and conquering the galaxy. When [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]] perishes, [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]] inherits the [[Matrix of Leadership]] and takes command of the [[Autobot]] resistance.
Injured during one of the first battles of the war, Cicadacon switches off his emotional functions, undergoes an exhausting self-repair regime, and takes on a new Decepticon identity by burying his old self beneath [[Shockwave (G1)|an emotionless façade]]. {{storylink|#Combiner Wars|BotCon 2016 General Cicadacon profile card}}

===4 million BCE===
The [[Ark (G1)|Ark]] and the ''[[Nemesis (G1)|Nemesis]]'' leave Cybertron and subsequently crash on prehistoric [[Earth]].  {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)|The Agenda (Part III)}} {{storylink|Nemesis Part 1}}

==100+ years ago==
===70,000 BCE===
Time-travelling [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s from the future crash-land on prehistoric Earth, where they kickstart the [[Beast Wars (event)|Beast Wars]]. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}} Their conflicts provoke the alien [[Vok]], the hyper-evolved descendants of the Swarm, {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook}} and the [[quantum surge]] caused by the destruction of their [[Planet Buster]] superweapon knocks dozens of [[stasis pod]]s out of orbit. {{storylink|Aftermath}} {{storylink|The Gathering issue 1|The Gathering #1}}

After the [[Tripredacus Council]] intervenes by sending [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]], [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] discovers the ''Ark'' and attempts to alter the future by attacking Optimus Prime. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)|The Agenda (Part III)}} The conflict shifts as [[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]]'s Maximals relocate to the ''Ark'' to defend their ancestors from any further plots to change history. {{storylink|Optimal Situation}}

Around this time, the Predacon general [[Magmatron]] travels backwards from a slightly later date in Cybertron's history using [[chronal phase]] technology to conceal himself. At the behest of the Tripredacus Council, he aims to use the abandoned stasis pods to raise a new Predacon army; however, his operative [[Razorbeast]] is a deep-cover Maximal spy, and sabotages his operation by ensuring that at least half of the stasis pods are protected from Magmatron's [[shell program]]. {{storylink|The Gathering issue 1|The Gathering #1}} Magmatron attempts to capture Megatron but finds himself outmatched by the rogue Predacon, {{storylink|The Gathering issue 3|The Gathering #3}} and is eventually shifted out of existence entirely thanks to the last-minute intervention of [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]. {{storylink|The Gathering issue 4|The Gathering #4}}

The Beast Wars end when Optimus Primal captures Megatron and takes him back to their native time aboard a borrowed [[Autobot shuttle]]. {{storylink|Nemesis Part 2}} {{storylink|The Ascending issue 1|The Ascending #1}}

The Predacons fight on under the command of a revived Ravage, until the chronologically-displaced Magmatron warns Ravage of the imminent threat of Unicron's return in their native timeframe. {{storylink|The Ascending issue 2|The Ascending #4}} When Lio Convoy's [[Pack]] arrives to take the Maximals back to their era, Unicron's herald [[Latolata|Rartorata]] invades and attacks Razorbeast with Angolmois and turns him into an out of control berserker. While the other Maximals and Predacons board Lio Convoy's ship and return to their own era, the stragglers kill Unicron's two other heralds [[Drancron]] and [[Elphaorpha|Elephorca]] before [[Optimus Minor]] puts down Razorbeast himself. {{storylink|The Ascending issue 4|The Ascending #4}}

==1900s==
===1984===
The eruption of [[Mount St. Hilary]] reactivates [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], and their followers. The Great War begins anew on Earth. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part III)|The Agenda (Part III)}} 

===1984-2005===
During his time on Earth, Megatron hijacks the [[Voyager spacecraft|''Voyager'' space probe]] and inscribes a message on its [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|golden disk]] in the hopes that his descendants can use [[transwarp]] technology to alter history and ensure a Decepticon victory. {{storylink|The Agenda (Part 2)}}

[[Human]]s and Autobots pool their resources to create new Transformers that infuse a human mind into a Cybertronian form. One of these new warriors takes on the identity of [[Prowl II|Prowl]]". <ref> No specific date is given for this incident; however, as Prowl II's origin is a pretty obvious riff on the Japanese-exclusive ''[[Story of Binaltech]]'', which took place between the cartoon's second season and ''[[The Transformers: The Movie|The Movie]]'', we're taking the cautious route of assuming a roughly-similar placement in this chronology. </ref>{{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook #3}}

==2000s==
===2005===
[[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]] attacks Cybertron. [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] kills [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] and later becomes [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]]. {{storylink|Dawn of the Predacus}} Galvatron then kills [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]]. {{storylink|Possession}} [[Hot Rod (G1)|Hot Rod]] becomes Rodimus Prime and destroys the planet-eater, {{storylink|The Hot Rod}} and his severed head remains in orbit around their homeworld. {{storylink|Dawn of the Predacus}}

The destruction of Unicron's physical scatters capsules of [[Angolmois Energy]] across the galaxy that contain a portion of his lifeforce--a contingency plan initiated by the planet-eater, who had foreseen his own destruction. A significant amount of this substance lands on the planet Gaea. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook}}

===2005-2035===
It is a time of rapid evolution as the first [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s arise as subgroups within their respective factions. The cataclysmic battle against Unicron reawakens Cicadacon's original persona. Disgusted by the degeneration of his race across factional lines, he eventually hatches a new plan to forcibly evolve the Cybertronian race to a new, unified state of being. He establishes a secret base of operations in Unicron's severed head, where he experiments upon other Cybertronians to create [[Sea Clamp]] and [[Ram Horn]]. {{storylink|Dawn of the Predacus}}

Elsewhere, a superintelligent Grimlock creates the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobot]]s, {{storylink|The Hot Rod}} while Ironhide is somehow restored to lilfe; he joins forces with [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]], [[Tigatron]], and [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] to become the [[combiner]] [[Magnaboss (BW)|Magnaboss]]. {{storylink|Dawn of the Predacus}} <ref> The ''Beast Wars Sourcebook'' presents the creation of Magnaboss as having taken place ''after'' the [[Great Upgrade]] to counter the Predacon combiner [[Tripredacus]]. ''Dawn of the Predacus'', on the other hand, shows Magnaboss as a full-sized combiner in the last days of the Autobot-Decepticon war with no connection to, or apparent knowledge of, the Predacon combiner [[Predacus]]. </ref>

===2035===
The ambitious Decepticon commander [[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] breaks into the [[Advanced Plasma Energy Reactor]] and battles [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] until [[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]] defeats the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]] leader and puts him into [[stasis lock]]. {{storylink|The Hot Rod}}

In the final battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons, Optimus Prime and Galvatron both perish, and leadership of the combined Autobot-Maximal forces falls to the ad-hoc [[Primal Council]] at [[Nova Plenum]]. Their experiments with swarm-derived [[transmatter]] a success, Cicadacon and his compatriots attempt to forcibly evolve the population of Cybertron by detonating a [[transmatter bomb]], and attempt to manipulate a ceasefire to make this so—however, the younger Megatron goes rogue in an attempt to push their advantage, and his recklessness necessitates direct intervention. Optimus Primal and the crew of the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'' shield the planet from the brunt of the explosion, but the bomb destroys Unicron's head and the fallout from the blast reduces many Cybertronians to helpless [[protoform]]s, including the comatose Grimlock. Using their combined "[[Predacus]]" form, the Tripredacus Council kill Predaking, incapacitate Megatron, and announce their intent to surrender. {{storylink|Dawn of the Predacus}}

==2300s==
===2035-2335===
The [[Great Upgrade]] sees almost all Cybertronians reformat themselves into smaller, more energy-efficient bodies and shed their old factions to become either Maximals or Predacons. Grimlock returns to life {{storylink|The Hot Rod}} and reluctantly downsizes into a Maximal body. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook #2}} Prowl, Silverbolt, and Ironhide rise to an esteemed position in Maximal society to become the revered "[[Maximal Elder]]s" while heroic figures like Optimus Prime and Galvatron pass on into the realm of myth and legend. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook}}

Despite the apparent ceasefire on Cybertron, some version of the conflict continues on for a period as various rogue Predacons refuse to surrender.<ref>Events surrounding the Great War and its precise end are quite muddled. The glossary included with the complete ''Beast Wars Sourcebook'' notes that the Great War ended when the Decepticons surrendered to the Autobots--however, in the same breath, it speaks of another "Great War" fought between the Maximals and Predacons, one that dragged on beyond the initial Autobot-Decepticon conflict and ended with the ratification of the [[Pax Cybertronia]]. ''Dawn of the Predacus'', on the other hand, appears to depict the surrender of the Tripredacus Council as the definitive end of the war--there is a ''little'' weasel room here, however, as the end of ''Predacus'' never actually refers to the peace treaty they sign as the Pax Cybertronia.</ref> The Predacon [[BB]] is held prisoner in a Maximal prison and subjected to "re-education" that traumatizes him. He escapes with the help of [[Starscream (BWII)|Starscream]]. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook #1}}Several rogue Predacons begin to call themselves "Destrons", {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook}} and one Destron named [[Galvatron (BWII)|Galvatron]] discovers Angolmois energy and sees it as a path to power. He gathers a crew loyal to him including [[Megastorm]], Starscream, and BB, and takes them to the planet [[Gaia|Gaea]] to find the Anglomois. He is opposed by [[Lio Convoy]] and his crew of Maximals. When the battle on Gaea becomes fierce, the robot Moon deserts his Celestial masters and joins the Maximals.<ref>Events roughly parallel to those of the ''[[Beast Wars II: Super Lifeform Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Wars II]]'' anime occur at this point, though a few specifics may vary.</ref>

A Predacon soldier named [[Shokaract]] discovers Anglomois; over many stellar cycles, he is reborn as a terrifying monster empowered by his newly-forged "[[Matrix of Conquest|Matrix of Chaos]]". {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook #3}} After an unclear period of prolonged conflict, the [[Pax Cybertronia]] is signed, though many Predacons feel that the treaty treats them unfavorably. His power no longer needed in peacetime, Magnaboss disappears and is not seen again. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook #2}} Intent on destroying the fragile peace, the ambitious [[Magmatron]] seeks to pick up where Galvatron failed, sieze the remaining Anglomois, and end the newly founded peace. He is opposed by [[Big Convoy]] and his crew and eventually defeated.<ref>Events roughly parallel to those of the ''[[Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Neo (cartoon)|Beast Wars Neo]]'' anime occur at this point, though a few specifics may vary.</ref> Despite his history, Magmatron is respected enough to be offered a position on the [[Bi-Partate Committee for State Affairs]] opposite his formal rival Big Convoy. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook #2}} Between the Maximal Elders, the Tripredacus Council, and several bipartisan assemblies, peace reigns for a time as the Tripredacus Council secretly re-arm themselves in anticipation of a future conflict. {{storylink|Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook}}

At some point, the [[Vector Sigma]] supercomputer evolves into the immaterial [[Oracle (BM)|Oracle]] and buries its original form beneath a shell program. {{storylink|The Reformatting}}

===2335===
Megatron steals the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]] and a [[transwarp]] vessel to travel back in time to change history. He is pursued by Optimus Primal and the crew of the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'', and the two ships wind up on prehistoric Earth. {{storylink|Beast Wars (Part 1)}} At some point after this, the [[Quantum Cycle Upgrade]] renders [[stasis pod]]s and [[DNA scanner]]s obsolete. {{storylink|Survivor}}

The [[transwarp wavefront]] caused by the destruction of the Vok's [[Planet Buster]] superweapon hits Cybertron, and the Tripredacus Council dispatch Ravage to eliminate Megatron. When he does not return, the Tripredacus  Council send Magmatron there to raise an army from the ''Axalon'''s abandoned stasis pods. {{storylink|The Gathering issue 1|The Gathering #1}}

Unbeknownst to the populace of Cybertron, Unicron's [[Blentron]]s have used [[Angolmois Energy]] to turn Shokaract into the herald of Unicron's ascension. Unicron's malign influence spreads across Cybertron in the form of Angolmois, and as more and more Transformers imbibe this toxic brew they provoke riots and civil unrest that strengthen Shokaract himself. {{storylink|The Ascending issue 3|The Ascending #3}}  Returning from prehistoric Earth, the Maximals and Predacons join forces to fight Shokaract and his heralds; when Shokaract learns that his true purpose is to facilitate Unicron's rebirth he commits suicide and dies, and his death creates a "timelash" that returns Magmatron to normal space-time. [[Bump]] engineers a cure for the Angolomois, but a recently-returned Megatron has other ideas, and easily conquers the weakened planet using hordes of mass-produced [[Vehicon (BM)|Vehicon]]s and a [[transformation virus]]. {{storylink|The Ascending issue 4|The Ascending #4}}

Some time after Megatron's conquest, Optimus Primal and his crew return to Cybertron, but fall pretty to the Vehicons and their virus. Primal and his team find their way to the Oracle, who reformats them into [[technorganic]] beings. {{storylink|The Reformatting}} As they gather allies and battle the Vehicons, Primal's group discover evidence of extinct organic life, and eventually deduce that the Oracle has chosen them to evolve Cybertron into a technorganic world. {{storylink|Fallout (episode)|Fallout}} The final battle between Optimus Primal and Megatron ends when they both plunge into the planet's [[organic core]], triggering the [[Great Transformation]] that sees the entire planet reconfigured into a technorganic utopia. {{storylink|Endgame Pt. III: Seeds of the Future}}

==Notes==
* "[[Dawn of the Predacus]]" was clearly written with some version of "[[Dawn of Future's Past]]" in mind; several characters sport the Cybertronian bodies they wear in that comic, and overall the story slots in (relatively) neatly into the chronology. However, as ''Future's Past'' was published by [[Fun Publications]], ''not'' IDW, we're not including it in this timeline for that reason. 

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Beast Wars history]]
[[Category:Chronologies]]