Editing Dawn of the Predacus

{{nav-CombinerWars}}

{{comicstory
|seriesissue=[[BotCon]] comic
|prev=Cybertron's Most Wanted
|next=
|seriesissue2=''[[Combiner Wars (franchise)|Combiner Wars]]''
|prev2=
|next2=The Hot Rod
|title="Dawn of the Predacus"
|image=DawnOfThePredacus-cvr.jpg
|caption= I've got no strings to hold me down, to make me fret, or make me frown...
|publisher=[[IDW Publishing]]
|date=[[April 7]], [[2016]] ([[BotCon 2016]])<br>
|writers=[[John-Paul Bove]]
|art=[[Corin Howell]]
|colors=John-Paul Bove
|color assists=[[Ed Pirrie]]
|letters=[[Chris Mowry]]
|editor=[[John Barber]]
|price=
|continuity=[[Beast Wars timeline (IDW)|IDW ''Beast Wars'' continuity]]. ''Supposedly''.
|chronology=Circa [[2035]]
}}

'''At [[BotCon 2016|the end]] of [[Fun Publications|an era]], a [http://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/index.php?title=Dawn_of_the_Predacus&oldid=1085435 huge] [http://tfwiki.net/mediawiki/index.php?title=Dawn_of_the_Predacus&oldid=1085554 fight] ends in [[The Transformers (franchise)|disaster]] for many of [[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|our heroes]]...'''

==Synopsis==
In the final days of the [[Great War (G1)|Great War]], [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]], [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]], and [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] watch [[Blades (G1)|Blades]]' live feed of the last major battle, a massive hole in place of the city that was once there. Prowl, horrified by the images he receives, asks Blades if he has a status update on [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]]. The news isn't good: Prime is dead once more. The dour Autobots are silent for a moment, and Prowl confirms to Blades he's received his report.

Elsewhere, in a secret base, three high-ranking Decepticons—[[Cicadacon]], [[Sea Clamp]], and [[Ram Horn]]—have been experimenting with [[transmatter]], a material that fluctuates between reality, derived from the [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]]. Having successfully evolved themselves with it in conjunction with the reformatting technology they've found in their secret base, the three have begun trying to evolve other Decepticons. Cicadacon breaks up an argument over between his fellow generals, reminding them that their "host" reacts negatively to anger. Their conversation is cut short anyway, when [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] arrives with news: [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]] is dead! The generals, nonplussed at their "beloved" leader's death, check in with the young Decepticon [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], the namesake of Galvatron's [[Megatron (G1)|former self]]. Megatron is eager to take the advantage with Prime dead, but the generals order him to stand down, with more pressing concerns ahead. Megatron ends the transmissions...and tells his troops to fight until there are no more Autobots. The generals return to their experiment, and [[Retrax|one Decepticon]] has been successfully reformatted! The generals explain to their new brother their plan: using transmatter, they will restore the Cybertronian race to their truest form, long lost over the successive generations of Transformers. The process, however, will not work on the dead, and they'll need both Autobots and Decepticons for their plan to be successful. Not trusting Megatron, the generals send Tarantulas to make sure a ceasefire comes to pass.

At [[Nova Plenum]], the highest ranking Autobots confer. With Prime dead, Prowl is the highest ranking Autobot...but he feels unworthy to lead. Instead, he proposes the Autobots form a [[Primal Council]], each of them leading the Autobots together. Silverbolt and Ironhide debate on what to do now; Silverbolt feels that they need time to recover, but Ironhide feels like going after the Decepticons now that they're down. Prowl suggests a compromise; with Galvatron dead, the Decepticons will be directionless, and so, he suggests that each Decepticon unit be reached out to for a chance to stand down. The others agree, but note that they'll need to send out updates to everyone. Silverbolt informs them that he's contacted most of them, but still hasn't reached [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], who was leading Unit-3. Just then, an Autobot enters, informing them that Perceptor and the other members of Unit-3 are dead; now, he ''is'' [[Under-3|Unit-3]]. Unit-3 demands to hunt down the Decepticons, but Prowl has already made up his mind; he has sent [[Tigatron]] out with Unit-2, hoping that Tigatron's respectability will aid in a ceasefire. Ironhide strikes up a conversation with the angry Autobot, impressed by his bearings, and asks Unit-3 if he wants to take Perceptor's place in their contingency plan. Prowl and Perceptor go over Unit-3's report, noting that Perceptor detected readings of [[unspace|transwarp]] energy, which they suspect is linked to the Decepticons. Silverbolt consoles Prowl, distraught over all the death, assuring him that they will finish what the others started. They send the exploration ship, the ''[[Axalon (BW)|Axalon]]'', to investigate the strange readings. The ship's captain, [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]], explains that they've been chosen, although one of his [[Rattrap (BW)|crew members]], pessimistic as ever, figures they've only been sent because there was no one else available.

At [[Omega Spaceport]], [[Scorponok (BW)|one]] of Megatron's soldiers alerts him to the approaching Autobot, but Megatron simply tells him to let them come. Tigatron, leading Unit-2, lets the Decepticons know of the Autobots offer of peace, putting and end to the war. But Megatron has already made up his mind—and his holding base falls apart as the [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]] combiner, [[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]], emerges, along with Megatron's other Decepticons! Predaking quickly tears through many of the Autobot; Tigatron takes on Megatron, believing him a fool for continuing the madness, Meanwhile, the flying Autobot [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] takes on [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] and [[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]], though the latter, unlucky as always, is accidentally crushed underneath Predaking's foot. Megatron pontificates, believing that even if Cybertron is razed, the Transformers will rebuild it to be better—and do so to other worlds as well. Predaking interrupts his speech when he grabs Tigatron, however, and, knowing that he cannot allow the Autobots to rally behind a new leader, heads off with his troops, telling Predaking to finish off the Autobots. Airazor saves Tigatron from Predaking's grasp, but, knowing that the Decepticons are headed for the Primal Council, tells Tigatron to go help the others. Tigatron is reluctant at first, but Airazor insists, knowing that he is important to the contingency plan. Tigatron promises her that he will see her again and heads off, Airazor watching sadly as he goes.

Out in space, the ''Axalon'' nears closer to the source of the transwarp signals. Unfortunately, the signals are coming not from Cybertron...but from the disembodied head of [[Unicron]]! The generals realized their secret base has been located, but are unconcerned; Unicron is too drained of [[energon]] to react, and the transmatter bomb is prepped to go off in 20 cycles. Cicadacon, pleased that everything is going to plan, quotes a passage from the [[Covenant of Primus]], declaring that the last generation will become the first. Back on the ''Axalon'', the ship's [[Rhinox (BW)|science officer]] detects a build up of energy similar to stealth devices, unsure of its source. The energy suddenly shoots up, and the science officer deduces that whoever is inside is evacuating Unicron's head. Primal, realizing what's about to happen, orders the ship's shields up, as the transmatter bomb explodes, destroying Unicron's head. Tarantulas declares their plan ruined, as the shields of the ''Axalon'' have altered the trajectory of the bomb's fallout, preventing it from reaching most of Cybertron. Cicadacon simply states that it'll only take a bit longer than they had planned for. And Predaking, with Airazor grasped in his hands, watches as the transmatter falls to Cybertron...

In Nova Plenum, Megatron and his soldiers break through the Primal Council's tower. Megatron lets his name be heard...but he is confronted by an unafraid [[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]], who has faced the "real" Megatron, and roughs up the Decepticon. Megatron quickly regains his bearings, however, and knocks the Autobot back. He, Silverbolt, Prowl, and Unit-3 are quickly surrounded by the Decepticons...but the Autobots reveal they've planned for this! As Tigatron arrives, the five activate their contingency plan—and combine into [[Magnaboss (BW)|Magnaboss]]! Knocking Megatron back, the Decepticon orders his troops to hold Magnaboss off until Predaking can arrive. Meanwhile, Predaking watches as both Autobots and Decepticons are affected by the transmatter bomb, including Airazor, becoming [[protoform|featureless liquid-metal robots]]. As the generals arrive, Predaking inquires them into what's happening to them. Cicadacon simply explains that they're heading towards "greatness", evolving into "protoforms." Predaking is confused, and Cicadacon merges with his fellow generals, Tarantulas, and [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] into a combiner of their own, [[Predacus]]! Predacus apologizes to Predaking, wanting him to be remade too...but all good peacetimes need a martyr, and so Predacus knocks Predaking back, stabbing and killing him.

The bombs begin to reach Nova Plenum, causing much distress amongst both sides. As Magnaboss finds Airazor, Tarantulas rushes to Megatron. Tarantulas lies to his leader, claiming that the transmatter was part of a "doomsday device" created by Galvatron in the event of his death, and that when Predaking learned of this, the shameful combiner took his own life. Megatron doesn't believe Tarantulas, however, and pushes forward to take out the Autobots while he still can. Tarantulas radios Ravage that Megatron hasn't fallen for the bait, and so, Ravage snipes Megatron with a stun blast. Cicadacon steps forth, addressing the Autobots, declaring that the Decepticons have surrendered.

In the following days, the Autobot and Decepticon leaders meet together to discuss peace, signing a [[Pax Cybertronia|peace treaty]] to declare an armistice. Prowl declares that the Autobots and Decepticons are no more, those being the names of warriors. The Autobots become Maximals, while the Decepticons, using the example of Predaking, become the Predacons. Though they are not yet one race, in time, they will forge forth a new path as Cybertronians. Optimus Primal takes up guardianship of the transmatter victims on the ''Axalon'', promising to do what they can for them. Many come to visit their fallen friends; a heartbrokern Tigatron watches over Airazor, a grim Prowl over [[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]], and a young, respectful [[Dinobot (BW)|Predacon]] over [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]]. Those who have worked hard for peace on either side, like Ravage and Tarantulas, are given amnesty, while those who have prolonged the war, like Megatron, will be imprisoned and downgraded. Elsewhere, on [[Predacon Command Outpost One]], the generals, now the [[Tripredacus Council]], look over their continued experiments into weaponizing protoform technology. As he listens to his scientists' reports, Cicadacon smiles, looking over their plans for new [[Transwarp cruiser|ships]] and [[Magmatron|warriors]], preparing to make all one...

==Featured characters==
{{featuredcharacters
|h1=[[Autobot]]s / [[Maximal]]s|c1=
*[[Blades (G1)|Blades]] (1)
*[[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] (2)
*[[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] (3)
*[[Ironhide (G1)|Ironhide]] (4)
*[[Tigatron]] (13)
*[[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]] (14)
*[[Lio Convoy]] (15)
*[[Big Convoy]] (16)
*[[Under-3|Unit-3]] (17)
*"[[Rattrap (BW)|Rattrap]]" (18)
*[[Optimus Primal (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Optimus Primal]] (19)
*"[[Lio Junior]]" (20)
*"[[Rhinox (BW)|Rhinox]]" (21)
*[[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]] (23)
*[[Bigmos]] (28)
*[[Mainframe (G1)|Mainframe]] (29)
*[[Razorbeast]] (30)
*[[Magnaboss (BW)|Magnaboss]] (38)
*[[Inferno (G1)|Inferno]] (40)
*[[Air Hammer (BW)|Air Hammer]] (44)
*[[Blackarachnia (BW)|White Propionica]]<ref>The [[BotCon 2016]] script reading, "[[The Hot Rod]]" established this name as Blackarachia's pre-Earth name in this continuity.</ref> (45)
*[[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] (46)

|h2=[[Decepticon]]s / [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s|c2=
*[[Cicadacon]] (5)
*[[Sea Clamp]] (6)
*Decepticon experiments (7/8)
*[[Ram Horn]] (9)
*[[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] (10)
*[[Megatron (BW)/Beast Wars cartoon continuity|Megatron]] (11)
*[[Retrax]] (12)
*"[[Scorponok (BW)|Scorponok]]" (22)
*[[Predaking (G1)|Predaking]] (24)
*[[Waspinator (BW)|Waspinator]] (25)
*[[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]] (26)
*[[Terradive (G1)|Terradive]] (27)
*[[Buzz Saw (BW)|Buzz Saw]] (31)
*[[Drill Bit (BW)|Drill Bit]] (33)
*[[Manta Ray (BW)|Manta Ray]] (34)
*[[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] (35)
*[[Beetle]] (36)
*[[Snapper]] (37)
*[[Predacus]] (39)
*[[Insecticon (BW)|Insecticon]] (41)
*[[Scarem]] (42)
*[[Dirge (BW)|Dirge]] (43)
*"[[Dinobot (BW)|Dinobot]]" (47)
*[[Magmatron]] (blueprints) (48)

|h3=Others|c3=
*[[Unicron]]'s head (32)
}}

==Quotes==
'''Blades''': —ime is dead. I rekkkkrr— —Optimus Prime is dead.<br>
'''Silverbolt''': No...<br>
'''Ironhide''': RAGH! ''(punches wall)''<br>
'''Blades''':—zzt—Do you copy? Kkkkkrt—<br>
'''Prowl''': Yes...we copy...
:—The Autobots react to Optimus Prime's death.



'''Tarantulas''': Generals! Galvatron is dead!<br>
'''Ram Horn''': Oh... How awful.<br>
'''Cicadacon''': Mmm.
:—The Decepticons react to Galvatron's death.



"He was a smart old son of a glitch, wasn't he? <br>
"That he was." <br>
"And he had quite the mouth on him, right?" <br>
"That he did." 
:—'''Prowl''' and '''Silverbolt''' eulogize '''Perceptor'''



"Our world is deeply scarred. Its surface runs '''black''' with the blood of our fallen brothers. It need not continue. No more need perish, no more need be lost."
:—'''Tigatron'''



'''Terrorsaur''': You're mine!<br>
'''Waspinator''': Wing-lady not stop Waspinator!<br>
'''Airazor''': Firstly, I belong to no one. Secondly, talking in the third person is not a healthy thing. You should look into doing something about that. Third—<br>
'''Waspinator''': Eep. ''(gets stepped on by Predaking)''<br>
'''Airazor''': —Never mind.
:—Thus began Waspinator's memorable career.



"You're right, of course, it ''is'' the end. The end of your insipid red badges and your pointless nobility. The old ways! So what if our cities fall down? We will build '''better''' ones. We will go to other worlds and we will build over theirs. Accept your fate. Before the end of this day, your line, your entire pathetic race will be—"<br>
''(Predaking grabs Tigatron.)''<br>
"ARRRGH!"<br>
"—I... I wasn't finished and I do ''so'' enjoy a speech... Never mind."
:—'''Megatron's''' speech to '''Tigatron''' is interrupted.



"... I '''fought''' Megatron. He '''killed''' me. And I '''came back'''. What makes you think you can frighten me, you cheap, third-rate '''knock-off?!'''"
:—'''Ironhide''' threatens '''Megatron'''

==Notes==
* Characters mentioned but not seen include: [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], [[Galvatron (G1)|Galvatron]], the original [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]], [[Springer (G1)|Springer]], [[Perceptor (G1)|Perceptor]], [[Jetfire (G1)|Jetfire]], [[Swoop (G1)|Swoop]], [[Sunstreaker (G1)|Sunstreaker]], [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]], and the [[Swarm (G2)|Swarm]].

===Continuity notes===
* Bove notes this story takes place some time after "[[The Rebirth]]", the three part finale of the original Sunbow ''[[The Transformers (cartoon)|The Transformers]]'' cartoon, with Optimus Prime and Galvatron in command of the Decepticons, respectively. Notably, Fortress Maximus is mentioned as one of the many fallen Autobots. 
* Optimus Prime was claimed to fallen in the "final battle" between Autobots and Decepticons in the ''[[Beast Machines: Transformers (cartoon)|Beast Machines]]'' episode, "[[Sparkwar Pt. II: The Search]]".
* Prowl, Ironhide, and Silverbolt begin here their transformation to their Maximal selves, with them being shown to be in charge of the Maximals in both ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars: The Ascending|The Ascending]]'' and the ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook]]'', the latter of which explicitly retconned the ''Beast Wars'' toys who formed Magnaboss into being the same characters as their ''Generation 1'' namesakes.
* Unicron's head is shown orbiting Cybertron, having fallen into the planet's orbit after his destruction in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'' However, see "continuity errors" below.
* Part of the transmatter evolution process uses the reformatting technology of Unicron, seen most prominently in ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]''.
* Both Primal's and Megatron's [[BotCon 2006]] toy bios and profiles in the retail edition of "[[Dawn of Future's Past]]" noted they were around for the very end of the last Great War. However, see errors below.
* Big Convoy and Lio Convoy are shown as members of the Primal Council—both ''[[Transformers, Beast Wars: The Gathering|The Gathering]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars: The Ascending|The Ascending]]'' depicted them as high-ranking members of the Maximals, as well as being members of the cross-faction [[Bi-Partate Committee for State Affairs]].
* In the cartoon, Galvatron's former existence as Megatron is one of the reasons they decided to retrieve him after being exiled to [[Chaar]], as seen in "[[Five Faces of Darkness, Part 1]]".
* Silverbolt notes that there has been rumors of experimentation with transwarp technology since before he came online. Megatron's message on the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]], seen in "[[The Agenda (Part 2)]]", had the Decepticon leader note that the technology was beginning to be developed. This was shortly after he and the other Decepticons awoke from stasis; Silverbolt was created not too long after, being infused with life by [[Vector Sigma]] in "[[The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2]]".
* Primal, Rhinox, Rattrap, Dinobot, and Waspinator are all depicted in their [[BotCon 2006]] toy bodies.
* Megatron is seen reading the Covenant of Primus, from which he gained his name, as seen in the two-part finale of ''Beast Wars'', "Nemesis". Later in the issue, Cicadacon quotes a passage from it.
* Predaking here serves as the inspiration for the Predacon faction, something established by both "Dawn of Future's Past" and [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]]'s [[BotCon 2009]] toy bio. However, see "continuity errors" below.
* Multiple ships based on Ravage's [[transwarp cruiser]] from "The Agenda" are seen in this issue, along with the Predacon Command Outpost One from the first part. However, see "continuity errors" below.
* Ram Horn claims to have come from the [[Pit]], the Cybertronian version of Hell first mentioned in ''Beast Wars'', and it's mentioned several other time in the issue.
* Ironhide mentions how he was once killed by the original Megatron, only to come back; his death was seen in ''The Transformers: The Movie''. Later, Prowl mentions Megatron's surprise attack on the [[Autobot shuttle]] he and Ironhide were on, and Magnaboss paraphrases Megatron's line to a dying Ironhide: "such heroic nonsense."
* Among the victims of transmatter is Grimlock, presumably to set up the Dinobot's appearances in ''The Gathering'' and ''The Ascending''.
* Dinobot is seen standing over Grimlock's stasis pod, implying that he got the idea for his Beast Wars name from the Autobot subgroup. This made even more apparent in the accompanying BotCon 2016 script reading "[[The Hot Rod]]", in which the yet-not named as such Dinobot was presented as an admirer of Grimlock. {{w|Geoff Johns}} literalism at its finest, folks.
* A blueprint for the design of Magmatron is seen on Cicadacon's datapad; the Predacon served the Tripredacus Council before eventually betraying them in ''The Gathering''. However, see "errors" below.

===Transformers references===
* Part of the transmatter process includes energy from the Swarm, the entity that served as the main antagonist for the last few issues of the Marvel ''[[Transformers: Generation 2 (Marvel)|Generation 2]]'' comic. Sea Clamp's comments seem to imply that they're using it for it's life-giving powers, which it gained after it had consumed Optimus Prime and the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]], having gained the life it lacked, in the [[A Rage in Heaven!|final issue]] of the series. This connection seems inspired by Larry DiTillio's desire to make the [[Vok]] an evolved form of the Swarm, who would have gave Cybertron protoforming technology. However, see "continuity errors" below. Latter in the issue, Cicadacon swears by it.
* The first Decepticon successfully reformatted with transmatter is the ''Beast Wars'' Predacon pillbug Retrax.
* The Primal Council is named for the [[Convoy Council]], the ruling class of Maximals seen in the ''[[Super Lifeform Transformers: Beast Wars Neo (cartoon)|Beast Wars Neo]]'' cartoon—since Optimus Primal himself was renamed "Convoy" for Japanese markets.
* Big Convoy questions Prowl's plan, calling it a "few bah weeps short of a ninni bong," referencing the [[universal greeting]] from ''The Transformers: The Movie''.
* Unit-3's name, replacing the moniker of "Under-3", is derived from Tigatron's codename from "Dawn of Future's Past", Unit-2. In fact, Tigatron's unit of Autobots is called "Unit-2".
* Big Convoy's unit is sent to the [[Rust Sea]] Peninsula; the Rust Sea was first mentioned in the letters page for the Marvel UK ''The Transformers'' comic, and has since then gone on to appear in many continuities. 
* Unit-3 calls the Decepticon's "Unicron's spawn," the same invective leveled at Tarantulas by Megatron in ''Beast Wars'' episode "[[Nemesis Part 1]]".
* The fourth ''Axalon'' crew member, originally drawn as [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], appears to have been redrawn and colored as young ''[[Beast Wars II: Super Lifeform Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars II]]'' Maximal [[Lio Junior]], though it's most likely not meant to be him. Either him or another in his colors shows up at the end of the issue.
* Primal tells "Rattrap" to "shut his trap", a call-forward to the name that he will eventually take while also being a variation on the oft-slung "Shut up, Rattrap" catchphrase used whenever Rattrap was being obnoxious in the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon.
* Among the Decepticons generic seen in this issue are those based on or colored as the ''[[Transformers (2010 toyline)|Hunt for the Decepticons]]'' live-action movie continuity character [[Terradive (TF 2010)|Terradive]], the [[BotCon 1996]] exclusive ''Generation 2'' Decepticon [[Nightracer (G2)|Nightracer]] (specifically in the colors her creator [[Raksha]] wanted her to be in), the ''[[Transformers Timelines (toyline)|Timelines]]'' [[Seacon (G1)|Seacons]], the ''Generation 2'' release of [[Firecon]] [[Sparkstalker]], and ''Machine Wars'' [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]].
* On the opposite side, various generics on the Autobot side are colored as: ''Generation 2'' [[Laser Rod]] [[Volt]], ''Generation 2'' [[Color Changer]] [[Jetstorm (G2)|Jetstorm]], the ''Generation 2'' [[Go-Bot (G2)|Go-Bot]] version of [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]], European and Australasia-exclusive [[Action Master]] [[Rumbler (G1)|Rumbler]], the black-and-red version of Lio Junior from the ''Beast Wars II'' toyline included with a jigsaw puzzle, the [[Technobot (G1)|Technobot]] [[Strafe (G1)|Strafe]], and [[R-Blade]].
* Aside from them, others bearing the color schemes (and hence, presumably ''are'' those characters) of ''Beast Wars'' Buzz Saw, Razorbeast Drill Bit, Manta Ray, Beetle, Snapper, Insecticon, Scarem, and Air Hammer, and ''Beast Wars II'' Bigmos and Dirge. Also, somewhat randomly, the Autobot Action Master Mainframe is seen both as part of Unit-2 and during the signing of the peace treaty.
* Ram Horn mentions "astro-seconds" and "quartrexes" in an attempt to annoy Sea Clamp, units of time mentioned in the Sunbow ''The Transformers'' cartoon episodes, in "[[Transport to Oblivion (episode)|Transport to Oblivion]]" and "[[More than Meets the Eye, Part 1]]", respectively.
*Cicadacon lays down the Decepticon sigil when surrendering, similar to how Optimus Prime surrendered to [[Scorponok (G1)|Scorponok]] in issue [[Surrender!|#74]] of the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic, by laying down the Autobot symbol.

===Real-life references===
*Ironhide refers to the Predacon Megatron as a "[[Knockoff|knock-off]]," toys made by other companies that are obvious copies of real ''Transformers'' toys.

===Continuity errors===
*To put it ''very'' mildly, this story was quite controversial within the fandom—aside from the admittedly subjective "''Beast Wars'' isn't supposed to be all about Generation 1" complaints, the story in general actively contradicts major pieces of lore from the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon. Some of these issues have their origins in plot points that author John-Paul Bove had in mind but either didn't have time for or didn't realize were unclear, which he has gone on to clarify [http://wordmongerer.tumblr.com/post/142758963250/this-past-weekend-my-first-transformers-story on his] [http://wordmongerer.tumblr.com/post/143819209495/greetings-now-i-am-not-the-most-online-person Tumblr]. However, many of his clarifications, based on his own [[authorial intent]], cause even further confusion. The story draws upon four major sources: the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon, the Sunbow ''The Transformers'' cartoon, the BotCon 2006 "Dawn of Future's Past" comic, and the various IDW Publishing ''Beast Wars'' comics. For organization's sake, we have divided each continuity error by which story they contradict, along with a section for other general errors  below.

====''Beast Wars'' cartoon errors====
* In the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon itself, the Autobots and Decepticons were treated as "Arthurian"-style figures, having long descended into legend by the time of the cartoon. This story chooses to brazenly ignore that, depicting a good majority of the ''Beast Wars'' cast as having existed at the end of the Great War. Some stories have done this before—Optimus Primal and Megatron's [[BotCon 2006]] toy bios and profiles in the retail edition of "Dawn of Future's Past" claimed that they both served in the last Great War—but in such cases the two were depicted as extremely minor figures in the war, serving only for the first few years of their lives at most.
* A particularly bad example of this is the Tripredacus Council: in "[[The Agenda (Part 1)]]", Ram Horn recounts how their "Decepticon ancestors" were defeated in battle, but this story decides to depict them as the ones who have surrendered. Bove claims that he ignored this line in favor of one from "[[Other Victories]]", where Tarantulas revealed that he and the Tripredacus Council were unconnected to either Autobot or Decepticon, and there's some vague lip service paid to this, with Sea Clamp noing that as far as the other Decepticons know, the generals are "as Decepticon as they are." However, even then, it's clear that Ram Horn and the others weren't literally meant to be the ones who surrendered to the Autobots. Even more baffling is Bove's choice to retcon Cicadacon and Sea Clamp (via their toy bios, and admittedly only implied) into being reformatted versions of [[Shockwave (G1)|Shockwave]] and [[Soundwave (G1)|Soundwave]]; the latter particularly stands out, as it would have meant that Tarantulas would have been fine with killing one of his masters by blowing up the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]'' in "[[Master Blaster]]".
* Megatron is depicted as high-ranking enough to lead large forces of Decepticons and take command after Galvatron's defeat—but in the cartoon itself, he was originally a lowly gangster and troublemaker. Bove notes that he didn't intend for this...but even then, the fact that the Tripredacus Council considers him a threat to peace is questionable, when in the cartoon they considered him a minor annoyance to their plans until they detected the [[transwarp wavefront]] in "The Agenda (Part 1)", only then sending Ravage after him. Megatron even referred to the Autobots and Decepticons as "archaic energon-guzzlers" in "[[The Agenda (Part III)]]"—but here, he is one himself! And that's without even bringing up how his toy, obviously based on his [[Transmetal 2]] form, is used to depict a pre-''Beast Wars'' Megatron (for [[to sell toys|toy-selling purposes]], of course, but still).
* The idea of protoforming being a new technology had previously been suggested in the Japanese guidebook ''[[Beast Wars Universe]],'' which held it as a new development in the Pax Cybertronia era. This was based on [[author intent|notes]] from show runners [[Larry DiTillio]] and [[Bob Forward]].  However, those were "behind the scenes" notes that [[pseudocanon|had not made it into any published stories before]], and were alongside other conceptual notes that were rendered impossible by later storyline developments.  Even if that concept is to be canonized by "Dawn," the depiction of protoforming as a specifically Decepticon superweapon that caused pre-existing Transformers to turn into protoforms, and the depiction of [[stasis pod]]s as life support systems are...dubious decisions, at best. Admittedly, the cartoon itself did cause some confusion as to whether or not the Maximal protoforms were newly brought online; the events of "[[The Spark]]" treated Airazor as part of a "newborn" metaphor, while both Tigatron's debut in "[[Fallen Comrades]]" and [[Silverbolt (Fuzor)|Silverbolt]] and [[Quickstrike (BW)|Quickstrike]]'s debut in "[[Coming of the Fuzors (Part 1)]]" mentioned that they had been damaged in the crash, with "lost memories"; many interpreted this line as them having had ''identities'' beforehand, rather than just having their innate sense of self having been lost. This, along with Rampage having existed before being turned back into a protoform as seen in "[[Bad Spark]]" has caused many authors to ignore the "newborn" idea of protoforms in favor of them existing beforehand. Still, the decision to make Tigatron and Airazor as prominent Autobots at the end of the war, with Tigatron serving as one of the Autobot/Maximal leaders on the Primal Council feels contradictory, at the very least. See more below in "Dawn of Future's Past errors" for more on the specifics of Tigatron and Airazor, and "IDW Beast Wars" errors for more on the protoforms in general.
* The cartoon established that the majority of the characters renamed themselves upon arriving on Earth—the only ones whose names remained the same (aside from Ravage, obviously) were Optimus Primal, Megatron, Tarantulas, and [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]]. The comic tries to continue that idea—Rhinox, Scorponok, and Rattrap are never referred to by name, but Terrorsaur is referred to by his name in his toy bio, and strangely, Waspinator refers to himself by his Earth name despite not having a toy made for this convention. And again, Tigatron and Airazor are shown to have their Earth names despite not apparently remembering anything else about their old lives.
* The ''Axalon'' is shown here to be an Autobot ship, scaled to their massive size. As seen in the cartoon, it was scaled to the Maximals—and when Primal was mutated by the power of Optimus Prime's spark into his "Optimal Optimus" form, he was shown to tower over the ship's bridge. It's ''possible'' that the ''Axalon'' could have been retrofitted since then to be smaller—but nothing in the cartoon suggests that. Additionally, Optimus Primal, while privy to some secrets like the experiments on [[Rampage (BW)|Protoform X]], was ultimately a lower-ranking Maximal, the captain of an exploration crew. The comic tries to pay some lip service to this idea, having Primal and his crew being sent because they're the only ship available...but he's shown to have enough authority to take the transmatter bomb victims into his care.
* Both Rhinox and Rattrap are depicted as crew members on the ''Axalon'' long before the start of the cartoon. With Rhinox, this isn't so unbelievable; Primal treats him as an old friend, and he's privy to secrets such as Protoform X being on board the ''Axalon''. However, the opening episodes of ''Beast Wars'' made it clear that Rattrap had only recently start serving under Primal's command at the beginning of the cartoon, consistently questioning Primal's decisions ("First day on the job or what?", "You sure you're cut out for this 'commander' gig?"), only warming up to him as time goes on. The story additionally suggests that Rattrap gave Optimus Primal his name, which, aside from the aforementioned issues with Rattrap's time on the ''Axalon'', is an utterly baffling idea. Even more baffling is that [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]] was at one point obviously drawn as a member of the ''Axalon'' crew, but thankfully, he was changed into a random generic.
* Ships based on the [[transwarp cruiser]] used by Ravage in "The Agenda" can be seen in Unicron's head and on Cicadacon's datapad, but Sea Clamp called the ship "experimental", implying it was only recently developed.
* In the cartoon, Ravage's service as a Predacon under the Tripredacus Council is little more than a rumor, only know by certain Maximals like Optimus Primal. While he's not seen by anyone in this story besides the Tripredacus Council and Predaking, the fact that he's publicly granted amnesty for his actions seems to contradict that.
* In the cartoon, Tarantulas was slipped into Megatron's gang of criminals to keep tabs on him for the Tripredacus Council. Here, he's shown to do the same while Megatron was a high-ranking Decepticon, and apparently is trusted by Megatron. While this isn't contradictory per se, it's yet another odd decision.
* Finally, Inferno is shown among those affected by the transmatter bomb explosion, implying that he would become the protoform that was reprogrammed into the Predacon [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]], a laughably stupid idea. Bove has claimed that he didn't explicitly show it to leave it up to interpretation, but still, it's very obvious what he was implying.

====Sunbow ''The Transformers'' errors====
* Of note, the original ''Beast Wars'' cartoon was written to be in a vague, unspecified ''Generation 1'' continuity, drawing on both elements of the Sunbow ''The Transformers'' cartoon and the Marvel ''The Transformers'' comics. However, as with the majority of post-cartoon ''Beast Wars'' stories, the comic opts to make it a continuation of the cartoon, with elements that couldn't have happened in a comic based continuity being incorporated (Unicron's head orbiting Cybertron, Ironhide and Prowl's death at the hands of Megatron, Megatron's transformation into Galvatron). However, this doesn't prevent from continuity errors arising from the cartoon, some of which are the results of kind-of sort-of trying to include elements of Marvel continuity that simply just don't work with the cartoon.
* Unicron's head is shown to be orbiting Cybertron, as it famously was at the end of ''The Transformers: The Movie'' after his destruction. However, in the subsequent third season of the cartoon, Unicron's head was blasted out of orbit in "[[Ghost in the Machine (G1)|Ghost in the Machine]]", and was last seen floating in empty space in "[[Call of the Primitives]]".
* Cicadacon claims that the earliest generations of Cybertronians were forged from the "primordial metals" of Cybertron, similar to the origin given to the Transformer race by [[Simon Furman]] in both the Marvel US and UK ''The Transformers'' comics, and the ''Generation 2'' comic that served as a sequel to the former. However, this just straight up isn't true for cartoon continuity; the "[[Five Faces of Darkness]]" mini-series that served as the premier for the third season of the cartoon revealed that the Cybertronians were mechanically manufactured by the [[Quintesson]]s, who used Cybertron as a factory world.
* Similarly, the Swarm connection is hard to reconcile with the cartoon continuity. In the ''Generation 2'' comics, the Swarm was the result of continued using of the "budding" method of [[Reproduction|creating]] new Transformers, which obviously doesn't exist in the cartoon continuity. Additionally, the Swarm's recreation by Optimus Prime by using the Matrix couldn't have happened in this version, with the Matrix having been drained eradicating the [[Hate Plague]] in "[[The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2]]". Again, the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon incorporated several Marvel continuity concepts, and any encounter with the Swarm almost certainly wouldn't have happened the same way it did in the comic, but the use of it with the rest of the comic being almost entirely Sunbow cartoon-based is certainly strange at the very least.

===="Dawn of Future's Past" errors====
* This story follows on with the retcon that Tigatron and Airazor existed ''before'' the events of the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon. However, in that story, Tigatron was a Maximal beat cop, only known as "Unit-2" and not having enough clearance to know about the [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]], while Airazor was the pilot of the ship ''[[Chromia 10]]'', who didn't know each other prior to meeting in "Dawn of Future's Past". What's especially strange is the decision to have Airazor one of those affected by the transmatter bomb-meaning at some point she was cured and released from the ''Axalon'', only to have her spark transported into a blank protoform after her ship was heavily damaged saving the ''Axalon'' from [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]].
* The original Predacons being the source for the ''Beast Wars'' faction comes from "Dawn of Future's Past" and [[Razorclaw (G1)|Razorclaw]]'s subsequent [[BotCon 2009]] toy bio card. However, them being the source of the name is about the ''only'' thing this story shares with those two sources. In Razorclaw's profile, it claimed that at the end of the war, Razorclaw rose to power after most of the Decepticons were destroyed, forming the Predacons, and nearly leading them to victory, only to be assassinated by the Tripredacus Council as part of their machinations. Here, the Predacons are killed before the Predacon faction is created, and are just random Decepticons whose deaths are used by the Tripredacus Council as propaganda, killed while they were combined. Additionally, [[Divebomb (G1)|Divebomb]] was shown to still be alive in "Dawn of Future's Past", aiding Megatron's theft of the Golden Disk with his agents, [[Laserbeak (G1)|Laserbeak]] and [[Buzzsaw (G1)|Buzzsaw]]. The bio of Laserbeak even stated that Divebomb was the one who gave both them ''and'' Ravage their new Predacon forms, with Ravage only later defecting to the Tripredacus Council's side.

====IDW Publishing ''Beast Wars'' errors====
* In general, the only major continuity errors that pop up are those that contradict the events given in the ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars Sourcebook|Beast Wars Sourcebook]]'', and given that the guidebook also contradicted both the cartoon ''and'' ''[[Transformers, Beast Wars: The Gathering|The Gathering]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Beast Wars: The Ascending|The Ascending]]'', it's not ''quite'' as egregious as some of the other errors. Still:
* Galvatron is depicted here as having fallen in his final battle with Optimus Prime. However, the glossary published in the trade version of the ''Beast Wars Sourcebook'' claimed that Galvatron's fate was unknown, the subject of legend and conjecture.
* What does contradict ''The Gathering'' and ''The Ascending'' is the depiction of many of the Predacons from that series—reprogrammed from Maximal protoforms—are seen active as Decepticons on Cybertron, along with a few of the Maximals from said series, including Retrax, Buzz Saw, Manta Ray, Snapper, Insecticon, Scarem, and Air Hammer. It falls under the same error with protoforms mentioned above, but in what are definitely errors is the depiction of Retrax as the first successful experiment of the generals (he was depicted as a Maximal protoform reprogrammed by Magmatron's Predacons) and the depiction of both Snapper and Scarem as Decepticons (his profile in the ''Beast Wars Sourcebook'' depicted him as a former Maximal who joined the crew of the ''Axalon'', before being reprogrammed on Earth into a Predacon, while Scarem's profile noted that his Predacon reprogramming was imperfect, shades of his Maximal self still showing through).
* In keeping with the above notes about Megatron, issue [[The Gathering issue 1|#1]] of ''The Gathering'' had Lio Convoy explicitly describe Megatron as little more than a "loose cannon," not worth worrying about... but here, Lio Convoy one of the Autobot commanders who is around as Megatron nearly pushes the Decepticons to defeat the Autobots!
* The aforementioned Glossary gave a muddled and confused origin for the Pax Cybertronia, claiming that the [[Great Upgrade]] that turned the Autobots and Decepticons into Maximals and Predacons occurred after the Great War ended, only for another [[Great War (BW)|Great War]] to break out again between the Maximals and Predacons (allowing room for events akin to ''Beast Wars II'' to occur during this time),  and ''then'' the Pax Cybertronia signed by the Maximal and Predacon rulers comes after ''that'' Great War. Here, the peace treaty depicted in this story predates the Great Upgrade, and is signed by the remaining Autobot and Decepticon leaders—which, at the very least, fits the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon's timeline better. The Glossary also claimed that the Tripredacus Council first came into power only after the Pax Cybertronia was signed, but here, they're all high-ranking members of the Decepticons. Also, Cicadacon is seen creating designs for Magmatron—but in Magmatron's profile in the ''Sourcebook'', it was claimed that he originally tried to stop the Pax Cybertronia in its infancy, obviously existing before its signing. Overall, both of these sequences of events don't ''really'' work with the cartoon as is, so it's not like it matters that both cancel each other out.
**'''''HOWEVER''''', there ''is'' some wiggle room for the Glossary's version of history to still play out in this comic's future since the treaty signed here is never actually ''explicitly'' referred to as the Pax Cybertronia, only [[authorial intent|intimated to be by external commentary from the author]]. Ignoring that would allow for at least some of this to be smoothed over.
* The Glossary also noted that the ''Axalon'' was built after the Pax Cybertronia as part of a Maximal-led space exploration initiative, but again, it's shown here as existing as an Autobot ship at the end of the Great War.
* Magnaboss's profile in the ''Sourcebook'' claimed he was developed in response to the Tripredacus Council's own combined form, [[Tripredacus]]. However, Magnaboss is here shown to be created as part of an end-of-the-war contingency, with his components apparently being unaware of Predacus.

===Art and technical errors===
* Sea Clamp and Ram Horn's names are consistently spelt as "Seaclamp" and "Ramhorn."
* Prowl, Ironhide, and Silverbolt have their combiner modes (and in Ironhide's case, his vehicle mode) of their ''[[Combiner Wars (toyline)|Combiner Wars]]'' toys, but their robots modes are depicted as mostly being modified versions of their classic character models, with Prowl having his hood chest and Ironhide his windshield chest.

===Other trivia===
*We're going to remind you now that the ''Beast Wars'' cartoon did not establish a definitive in-universe history for itself, merely making it highly plausible that events closely resembling (but not precisely matching) the [[The Transformers (cartoon)|original Sunbow ''The Transformers'' cartoon]] and/or the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel ''The Transformers'' comic]] happened offscreen. While "Dawn of the Predacus" is likewise light on details about the precise details of the Great War, the author notes that this story takes place thirty years after ''[[The Transformers: The Movie]]'',<ref>[https://twitter.com/wordmongerer/status/716433907621736448 Tweet by John-Paul Bove, 2016/04/02]</ref> pushing it closer towards the ever-popular "Generation 1 cartoon as background" route that most other ''Beast Wars'' tie-ins have utilized. Other interviews and statements from Bove note that, in his mind, the events of "[[The Rebirth]]" also happened, furthering the idea that it was meant to take place in the cartoon continuity.
*This book was produced by [[IDW Publishing]] instead of [[Fun Publications]]. As such, it was promoted as being in continuity with IDW's other ''Beast Wars'' books as well as Fun Publications' "[[Dawn of Future's Past]]"<ref>http://wordmongerer.tumblr.com/post/142758963250/this-past-weekend-my-first-transformers-story</ref>—although it doesn't slot in perfectly into that chronology either (see "[[#"Dawn of Future's Past" errors|'Dawn of Future's Past' errors]]" above).
* Several background characters were initially going to be pre-existing characters, only for the author to change his mind about including them. Among these was [[Cheetor (BW)|Cheetor]], whose appearance on the ''Axalon'' was deliberately modified because it was decided he wouldn't be part of the crew quite yet. 
* Before it was given to IDW, [[Jim Sorenson]] was asked to write a pitch for this as a ''[[Beast Wars: Uprising]]'' story. He briefly mentioned "the ghost of [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] ([[Prowl II]] maybe)" working to create [[Magnaboss (BW)|Magnaboss]] as a [[Builder of Cybertron|Builder]] weapon. In the end, the Tripredacus Council would have to stop its rampage by forming Predacus.<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/133737-beast-wars-uprising-ama/?p=3360055 Beast Wars Uprising AMA at Allspark]</ref> Sorenson and [[Jesse Wittenrich]] later added more detail: that Magnaboss was created after the Tripredacus Council and [[Predacon Secret Police]] had started investigating combiners, and the plot would have also had Megatron creating the beast mode upgrade (a plot later done in the prose fiction). Prowl had left behind a "[[Prowl II|Prowl 2.0]]" backup copy with a plan for a last-ditch weapon and when Tigatron, Airazor, and Tarantulas try to stop it, Tigatron just becomes part of the Magna-beast. "Predacus rises to (more-or-less) heroically battle Magnaboss to the death." The ending would have Megatron's beasties (who'd have just saved Airazor) taking advantage of the power vacuum created after the combiners died trashing the Predacus and [[Maximal Command Security Force]] armies, with Tarantulas and his combiner knowledge now working for Megs...<ref>[https://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/140167-ama-bish-jesse-jim/?p=3516260 Wittenrich at Allspark]</ref><ref>[https://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/140167-ama-bish-jesse-jim/?p=3516969 Sorenson at Allspark]</ref>
**Sorenson warned us too that ''all of this'' (and anything else demanded) would have to fit into 22 pages "and FP or Hasbro might have said no. So, don't romanticize it too much."<ref>https://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/140167-ama-bish-jesse-jim/?p=3517483</ref>
*An early plan was to have Optimus on the Primal Council as Head of Science but that was dropped as "making him too prominent".
*This was originally planned as a miniseries. Cut bits would include:
**An explicit [[canonizing|canonization]] of the fan theory that [[Pretender]] and [[Micromaster]] tech had been the starting point for the Beasties (half of this longstanding theory appeared in 2013 in ''[[Beast Wars Shattered Glass]]'').
**The Golden Age, as established in "[[The Rebirth, Part 3]]", had indeed happened with just pockets of Decepticon rebellion but Galvatron blew it all up. It would've been more clearly established that there were many fighters who weren't in either main faction but were allied to them (Bove comparing this to how, in the [[World War II|Second World War]], there were multiple countries, groups, and sympathizers attached to the Allies and Axis).
**There would have been material on "the status of a number of Autobots before DotP and the some of the Cold War events after to properly begin to fill in some of the picture of a post-war world."
*This story treats "Transmatter" as something the readers are already supposed to be familiar with, but this was the first time the term had ever been used in ''Transformers'' fiction.

===Covers===
*'''BotCon Edition Primus Cover :''' [[Tigatron]], [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]], and [[Under-3|Unit-3]] are attacked by [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] as he cycles through his six modes, by [[Robby Musso]] and [[Jesse Wittenrich]].
*'''BotCon Edition General Admission Cover :''' The heads of the [[Tripredacus Council]] along with [[Tarantulas (BW)|Tarantulas]] and [[Ravage (G1)|Ravage]] loom over [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]], [[Terrorsaur (BW)|Terrorsaur]], [[Airazor (BW)|Airazor]], [[Tigatron]] and [[Under-3|Unit-3]], by [[Sara Pitre-Durocher]].
<gallery>
File:DawnOfThePredacus-PrimusCover.jpg
File: DawnOfThePredacus-cvr.jpg
</gallery>

===Reprints===
* '''''[[Transformers 100-Page Giant: Power of the Predacons]]''''' <small>([[February 19]], [[2020]])</small>
:*Collection includes "[[Spotlight: Jazz]]", "Dawn of the Predacus", ''[[Transformers, Beast Wars: The Gathering]]'' [[The Gathering issue 1|issue 1]], "[[What's in a Name?]]", and "[[Grudge Match!]]"
<gallery>
File:100-Page-Power-Predacons.jpg|'''''Power of the Predacons'''''; cover art by [[Don Figueroa]] and [[Josh Burcham]]
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Beast Wars (2006) issues]]