Editing Holomatter

[[File:Ratchet Holomatter.jpg|upright=1.66|thumb|Please state the nature of the [[Pīpō|medical emergency]].]]
'''Holomatter''' is a solid-light projection technology, used by [[Autobot]]s operating on alien worlds. Holomatter projectors can create projected facsimiles of native species which are too small or [[Human|fleshy]] for the Autobots to mimic with their mechanical [[Alternate mode|altmodes]]. The avatar isn't just a friendly image to fool human beings; it's also the Autobot equivalent of a remotely operated vehicle, allowing Autobots to go places and perform actions that would otherwise be prevented by their size and the need to camouflage their true identities. Having an avatar in a location is like the Autobot being there themself. An avatar can function up to at least 400 miles away from the controlling Autobot, even when separated by solid walls.

The avatar is created and maintained by "holomatter generators". They can cause the avatar to blink into sudden existence with no warning. Holomatter avatars can be intangible, or as solid as a real object. Much like [[Pretender]] shells before them, holomatter avatars carry a strong connection to the consciousness of its generating Autobot. Damage to the avatar can cause severe impairment to the controlling Autobot if their consciousness is not withdrawn in time. Holomatter disguises are also limited by their operator's understanding of the lifeform they mimic.

==Fiction==
===2005 IDW continuity===
All the Autobots operating covertly on [[Earth]] used holomatter avatars to act as their [[alternate mode|vehicle mode]] drivers. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 1|Infiltration #1}} Through a lack of understanding of humans, the holomatter avatars of the Autobots wore a fixed smile which their human friends found creepy, and the male Autobots [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]] and [[Sunstreaker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sunstreaker]] had female avatars. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 3|Infiltration #3}}

[[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]] was able to deliver a massive electrical surge at very close range through his holomatter avatar. This was powerful enough to stun [[Runabout (G1)|Runabout]], though at the cost of burning out Ratchet's holomatter generators. {{storylink|Infiltration issue 2|Infiltration #2}}

After [[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]] arrived on Earth, [[Hunter O'Nion|Hunter]] gave the Autobots a "crash course in Earth culture"; [[Jazz (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jazz]] noted that the Autobots never realized that humans found the smiles of their avatars disturbing. After this, the Autobots' holomatter avatars became much more expressive. {{storylink|Escalation issue 1|Escalation #1}}

In a [[Psycho-Prism]] fueled battle between Autobots and [[Avengers]], [[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]] used his avatar to distract [[Luke Cage]]. [[Wolverine (Marvel)|Wolverine]] was not fooled since the holomatter projection gave off no scent. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Two}} After that misunderstanding was resolved, vehicle mode Autobots used their holomatter avatars to carry on conversations with the Avengers and [[Doctor Doom]]. {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Two|Man and Machine, Parts Two,}} {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Three|Three,}} {{storylink|Man and Machine, Part Four|and Four}}

Holomatter could be detected by devices called "holomatter readers", which the [[Machination]] possessed. {{storylink|Escalation issue 4|Escalation #4}} Ironhide's avatar was capable of lifting [[Verity Carlo]] and [[Jimmy Pink]] at the same time, and he could increase the size of his avatar to over 9' (3m) tall so as to manhandle the pair through a hole in the ceiling. {{storylink|Escalation issue 6|Escalation #6}} 

[[Streetwise (G1)|Streetwise]] and [[Groove (G1)|Groove]] used their holomatter avatars to trick [[Sandra (G1)|Sandra]] into coming with them, to help in their investigation of [[Spike Witwicky (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Spike]]. {{storylink|Police Action Part 2: Only Forward|Only Forward}}

Over time, the long-range projection of holomatter avatars fell out of common use because of the energy cost and total concentration required (as well as the fact that hair never looked right). Ratchet used this technology to distract the traitorous [[Pharma (G1)|Pharma]] during their fight, and used it to retrieve the cure to the [[Red Rust]] virus when Pharma dropped it off Delphi's roof. {{storylink|How Ratchet Got His Hands Back}}

[[Rung (G1)|Rung]] and [[Brainstorm (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Brainstorm]] modified the holomatter avatars of the ''[[Lost Light]]'' crew to better reflect their personalities. The avatars were used during a trip to [[Hedonia]] to avoid annoying some of the more mech-unfriendly locals. {{storylink|Cybertronian Homesick Blues}} Several crew members later used their holomatter avatars to search for [[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]] on the bartender's projection of Earth. {{storylink|The One Where They Go to Earth}}

The [[Scavenger (group)|Scavengers]] used holomatter avatars to blend in with the natives on [[Magisteria VI]]. {{storylink|Some Of My Best Friends Are Autobots}} [[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]] and [[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]] disguised themselves as [[M.A.S.K.]] agents on a visit to Earth, but their poor grasp of human design led to some issues. {{storylink|Nothing Will Ever Be the Same Again!}}

====Known avatars====
*[[Bluestreak (G1)|Bluestreak]]—Young Hispanic or South Asian woman with headphones.
*[[Bumblebee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Bumblebee]]—Brunette white/Hispanic female based on {{w|Lindsay Lohan}}.<ref name=idea>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160322111449/http://www.protodepot.com/archive/2007_11_01_archive.html Idea: Holomatter Projection]</ref>
*[[Chromedome (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Chromedome]]—Young man of Mediterranean descent in a red sweater, khaki pants, and a white overshirt.
*[[Cyclonus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Cyclonus]]—Stern, handsome female Victorian school teacher of Middle Eastern or Indian descent.
*[[Frenzy (G1)|Frenzy]] and [[Rumble (G1)|Rumble]]—{{w|Pulp Fiction|Vincent Vega and Jules Winnfield}}.
*[[Groove (G1)|Groove]]—White police rider.
*[[Hot Rod (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Hot Rod/Rodimus]]—{{w|Steven Seagal}}; later <s>the physical embodiment of the 80s</s> a young, white male with a flame tattoo and [[Marty McFly]]'s outfit (with the addition of an [[Autobot]] t-shirt and minus most of the sleeves).
*[[Ironhide (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ironhide]]—Older "military brass-type" white male with silver hair and mustache in a gray suit.
*[[Jazz (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Jazz]]—Young black male in a black suit.
*[[Megatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Megatron]]—Scarred, elderly white man resembling a retired super-villain, with a lined face resembling the Decepticon insignia. Wears a long coat and a skull belt buckle (and initially featuring a cane with a [[Decepticon]] insignia).
*[[Misfire (G1)|Misfire]]—a male [[M.A.S.K.]] agent known as "Alex 'Anti-Spill' Higgins"; lacking the necessary knowledge and imagination to replicate a human visage, "Alex"'s face is a poorly-composited cyclopean affair. 
*[[Nautica (G1)|Nautica]]—White woman with short, auburn hair and wearing a tool belt and goggles around her neck. 
*[[Nightbeat (G1)|Nightbeat]]—{{w|Idris Elba}} as {{w|Luther (TV series)|Luther}}.
*[[Optimus Prime (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Optimus Prime]]—Well-built-and-bearded trucker modelled after {{w|Ulysses S. Grant}}.<ref name=idea/>
*[[Prowl (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Prowl]]—"Federal agent"-type: Red hair, receding hairline, middle-aged white male with dark sunglasses and a gray suit. In short: Horatio Caine.
*[[Ratchet (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ratchet]]—Blond middle-aged, sightly hefty white male. Wears EMT uniform (without jacket).
*[[Rewind (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Rewind]]—Blonde haired young white male with a camera and a T-shirt for {{w|The Divine Comedy (band)|The Divine Comedy}}.
*[[Rung (G1)|Rung]]—A tall, thin bespectacled white male with graying hair, wearing an orange formal suit and cap, later a short, thin, ginger-haired bespectacled man in orange Victorian dress.
*[[Scavenger (group)|Scavengers]]—at least three of the team had avatars resembling inhabitants of [[Magisteria VI]].
*[[Skids (G1)|Skids]]—{{w|Matt Smith}} as the [[Doctor|Eleventh Doctor]]; later {{w|Christopher Eccleston}} as the [[Doctor|Ninth Doctor]].
*[[Spinister (G1)|Spinister]]—a towering female M.A.S.K. agent known as "Dennis 'Suds' Taylor". 
*[[Streetwise (G1)|Streetwise]]—A white police man.
*[[Sunstreaker (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Sunstreaker]]—White, blonde female; after becoming a [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]], his avatar is [[Hunter O'Nion]].
*[[Swerve (G1)|Swerve]]—A short, rotund white male "surfer" wearing a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, sandals, and wraparound sunglasses.
*[[Tailgate (G1)|Tailgate]]—An infant; later a female toddler with white hair.
*[[Ultra Magnus (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Ultra Magnus]]—Various, including a [[Nebulan]] scientist & security guard (he switches avatars during the story), and a copy of [[Verity Carlo]].
*[[Wheeljack (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Wheeljack]]—Balding "mad scientist"-type older white male with blond/white hair, glasses, goatee.
*[[Whirl (G1)|Whirl]]—A young white girl with an eyepatch, a missing front tooth and two Mac-10 machine pistols; later a slightly older, more punk-influenced version of the former, with twin-pronged eyebrows, a few band-aids, and various "edgy" accessories.

<gallery>
File:Bluestreak Avatar.jpg|Bluestreak
File:Bumblebeeholomatter.jpg|Bumblebee
File:TheOneWhereTheyGoToEarth-chromedome.jpg|Chromedome
File:TheOneWhereTheyGoToEarth-cyclonus.jpg|Cyclonus
File:PrimelessPart2-HolomatterAvatars.jpg|Frenzy and Rumble
File:Groove_avatar.PNG|Groove
File:Hotrodholomatter.jpg|Hot Rod
File:Infiltration6 Holomatter Ironhide.jpg|Ironhide
File:Infiltration6 Holomatter Jazz.jpg|Jazz
File:MTMTE43 the old man.jpg|Megatron
File:MTMTE Revolution-alex.jpg|Misfire
File:TheOneWhereTheyGoToEarth-nautica.jpg|Nautica
File:TheOneWhereTheyGoToEarth-nightbeat.jpg|Nightbeat
File:Primeholomatter.jpg|Optimus Prime
File:Infiltration6 Holomatter Prowl.jpg|Prowl
File:Ratchetholomatter.jpg|Ratchet
File:MTMTE13 Rewind's holomatter avatar.jpg|Rewind
File:MTMTE43 Rodimus's holoavatar.jpg|Rodimus
File:Magisteria vi some of my best friends are autobots.jpg|Scavengers
File:CybertronianHomesickBlues-SkidsRung.jpg|Skids and Rung
File:MTMTE Revolution-dennis.jpg|Spinister
File:Streetwise_avatar.PNG|Streetwise
File:Infiltration6 Holomatter Sunstreaker.jpg|Sunstreaker
File:Huntstreaker.jpg|Sunstreaker/Hunter
File:CybertronianHomesickBlues-holomatterswerve.jpg|Swerve
File:MtMtE13-BabyTailgate.jpg|Tailgate
File:SpotlightUltraMagnus_MagnusHoloavatar.jpg|Ultra Magnus (Nebulan)
File:MtMtE13-VerityMagnus.jpg|Ultra Magnus (Verity Carlo)
File:Infiltration6 Holomatter Wheeljack.jpg|Wheeljack
File:Whirlholomatter.jpg|Whirl
</gallery>

===Live-action film series===
The Decepticons [[Blackout (Movie)|Blackout]], [[Barricade (Movie)|Barricade]], and [[Starscream (Movie)|Starscream]] maintained their ruse of being human-driven vehicles by using a holographic pilot or driver known as [[Moustache Man]]. {{storylink|Transformers (film)|Transformers}} [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]] created a holo-driver for himself in the likeness of [[Peter Cullen]]. {{Storylink|Alliance issue 1|Alliance #1}} [[Mohawk]] sported a holographic rider. {{storylink|Transformers: The Last Knight (film)|The Last Knight}}

<gallery>
File:Movie MustacheMan.jpg|Blackout, Barricade, Starscream
File:AllianceOptimusHoloDriver.jpg|Optimus Prime
</gallery>

===Unicron Trilogy bios===
[[Strongarm (Cybertron)|Strongarm]] was equipped with a holomatter projector.<ref>[http://www.transformersclub.com/ Official Transformers Collectors' Club site] members' section, Micro-Sized Online! Mini-Con Profiles, 2007/03/02</ref>

===Ask Vector Prime===
The [[Thirteen]] and the [[Guiding Hand]] visited Earth in the days of ancient [[Greece]], utilizing holomatter to interact with the humans while the Thirteen themselves sat at the top of [[Mount Olympus|a mountain]] since Earth technology at the time was not developed enough for them to be able to assume inconspicuous disguises. Their presence on Earth inspired the legends of the {{w|Twelve Olympians}}. [[Vector Prime]] presented himself as {{w|Hermes}}; [[Prima]] as {{w|Zeus}}; [[Onyx Prime|Onyx]] as {{w|Artemis}}; [[Last Autobot|Autonomous Maximus]] as {{w|Apollo}}; [[The Fallen|Megatronus]] as {{w|Ares}}; [[Nexus Prime|Nexus Maximus]] as {{w|Hera}}; [[Liege Maximo|Liege]] as {{w|Aphrodite}}; [[Solus Prime]] as {{w|Hephaestus}}; [[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]] as {{w|Athena}}; and [[Alchemist Prime]] as {{w|Dionysus}}; [[Epistemus]] as {{w|Demeter}}; [[Adaptus]] as {{w|Poseidon}}; and [[Mortilus]] as {{w|Hades}}.

Vector Prime sometimes had difficulty finding depictions of himself and his fellow Olympians that did not trip the [[Axiom Nexus Auto-Censors]], due to frequent depictions of his external socket configuration. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/14}}

After the Shroud, the Vector Prime of [[Nexus 208.0 Epsilon]] was dispatched to Nebulos, where he planned to disguise himself as a factory and use his holomatter avatar to interact with the locals. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/11/01 }} Taking the appearance of an elderly Caucasian human male, dressed in a dark suit with accompanying opera cape, Vector's hope was his apparent status as a non-native would cover any gaps in his knowledge of the planet to the native Nebulans. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime|Ask Vector Prime, 2016/02/15}}

<gallery>
File:Hermes.jpg|Vector Prime
File:Prima's Holomatter Avatar Zeus.jpg|Prima
File:AutonomousApolloAVPHolomatter.jpg|Autonomous Maximus
File: OnyxArtemisAVPHolomatter.jpg|Onyx Prime
File:AphroditeLiegeMaximoAVP.jpg|Liege Maximo
File:HephaestusSolusPrimeAVP.jpg|Solus Prime
File:DionysusAlchemistPrimeAVP.jpg|Alchemist Prime
File:DemeterEpistemusAVP.jpg|Epistemus
File:AresMegatronusAVP.jpg|Megatronus
File:HeraNexusPrimeAVP.jpg|Nexus Prime (right) with Prima
File:PoseidonAdaptusAVP.jpg|Adaptus
File:HadesMortilusAVP.jpg|Mortilus
File:AthenaAlphaTrionAVP.jpg|Alpha Trion
</gallery>

===''Beast Wars: Uprising''===
Human-built [[second-born intellect]]s such as [[Screwball]] and [[Pox]] interacted with their organic [[Confederated Terran Colonial Fleet|CTCF]] colleagues through holomatter avatars, which could be easily and quickly customized to encompass a wide variety of contradictory and sometimes fantastical appearances. {{storylink|Intersectionality}} {{storylink|The Inexorable March}}

==Toys==
===Masterpiece===
*'''Loudpedal''' (2016)
**''Japanese ID number:'' '''MP-25B'''
:A recolor of the Raoul figurine release with ''Masterpiece'' Tracks, this time Raoul is done up in his deco from "[[Auto-Bop]]" but is otherwise the same. Technically, this figure represents '''C Shadow''', the human musician alter-ego of [[Loudpedal]]'s holomatter avatar.

==Notes==
*Holomatter bears a resemblance to the [[solid light simulation]]s from the Marvel comics, also created by Simon Furman, based on TV show ''Red Dwarf''.

===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Holobussitsu avatar''' (ホロ物質アバター ''horobussitsu abatā''), '''holomatter avatar''' (ホロマター・アバター ''horomatā abatā''), '''solid light avatar''' (ソリッドライト・アバター ''soliddo raito abatā'')

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Cybertron technology]]
[[Category:IDW (2005) technology]]
[[Category:Movie technology]]