Editing Thirteen

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{{disambig3|Thirteen}}
[[File:Original13.jpg|center|upright=4.5|thumb|Guess the one on fire!]] 


According to legend, the '''Thirteen''' were the original [[Transformer]]s created by [[Primus]] at the dawn of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s history. Rightfully huge and powerful, each member of the Thirteen, the first Transformers to bear the rank of "[[Prime (rank)|Prime]]", <ref>A Hasbro Q&A response would later try to alter this. See "[[#Conceptual history|Conceptual history]]."</ref> possessed unique abilities and wielded [[Artifacts of the Primes|weapons and artifacts]] of great power—indeed, some say that these thirteen Transformers formed the fundamental "archetypes" that all future generations of Transformers would imprint themselves upon.

Across the ''Transformers'' [[multiverse]], the origins, history, and even the full lineup of the Thirteen are shrouded in myth and legend. However, most historical accounts agree that the Thirteen walked Cybertron for a time until a betrayal forever shattered their ranks; the survivors of this epic conflict fled into deep space, retreated into private metaphysical realms, or simply faded into the annals of history, content to leave their very existence an open question to contemporary Transformers. Real or not, the ancient relics they left behind are still powerful enough to alter the course of Cybertronian history. 

Although the Thirteen helped lay the groundwork for contemporary Cybertronian civilization, they also left behind a complicated legacy for their descendants to untangle—the story of the Thirteen is one of heroic victories and heinous cruelties, and their fall is a cautionary tale of hubris, passion, and naivety. Indeed, when the remaining members of the Thirteen resurface in the modern era, these old wounds have a habit of flaring up again... 

{{bigquote|We are the 13, the first, the forgotten, each of us serving a function vital to the survival of the universe. Each of us designated a [[Prime (rank)|Prime]] and given a function to serve during the long march of infinity.|[[Vector Prime]]|"[[Vector Prime: In the Beginning]]"}}

==Conceptual history==
[[File:BW Covenant.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1|The [[Covenant (group)|Covenant]] shares the same base concept with the Thirteen, and served as their prototype.]]
The concept of the Thirteen wasn't introduced until around 20 years into the ''Transformers'' brand's history, and the slow drip-feeding of information that characterized the early stages of their story has not been presented in a very linear manner. The development of the concept is described in this section to minimize confusion; for details of their history and actions in specific bits of fiction, see below.

[[File:Vectorprimeut.jpg|thumb|upright=1|[[Vector Prime]] was a prominent member of the early Thirteen.]]
The very earliest seeds of the Thirteen can be found in material produced by [[3H Productions]] for [[BotCon]], most notably 1999's "[[Covenant (story)|Covenant]]". Written by [[Simon Furman]], this story introduces the undeniably similar concept of the [[Covenant (group)|Covenant]], a group of twelve zodiac-themed robots who are the first creations of [[Primus]], created as a test-run for the Transformer race. Despite the basic similarity between the Covenant and the Thirteen, there was no canonical connection between the two groups, aside from an ambiguous [[Ask Vector Prime]] entry published much later in 2015, which presented several different interpretations of how the groups might be related. Certainly, those same stories by 3H were incompatible with later lore of the Thirteen, as they introduced [[Primon]], a Matrix-bearer who preceded [[Prima]].

It was in the pages of 2004's ''[[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide]]'' that the mysterious "Thirteen Original Transformers" were first spoken of, and their basic origin was laid down: they were the first Transformers created by Primus to battle Unicron, and their number included Prima, the first [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]]-bearer from the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel Comics series]]; [[The Fallen]], an enigmatic servant of Unicron from [[Dreamwave Productions]]' 2003 comic, ''[[Transformers: War Within: The Dark Ages|War Within: The Dark Ages]]''; and the [[Liege Maximo]], an ancient evil [[Cybertronian (faction)|Cybertronian]] from the [[Transformers: Generation 2 (Marvel)|''Generation 2'' comics]] (whose implied status as one of the first Transformers had previously been affirmed only in Furman's unofficial novella, ''[[Alignment]]''). The book also contained a passing mention that the enigmatic [[Maccadam|manager]] of [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]], a Cybertronian pub introduced in the UK Generation 1 Marvel Comics, was rumored to be one of the Thirteen (though it also admits that this could be a fabrication by the pub's drunken patrons). Not surprisingly, it was the creator of all four of these characters—the aforementioned Simon Furman—who both wrote the guide and conceived the idea of the Thirteen,<ref>Simon Furman panel, BotCon 2012</ref> recycling the same general idea behind the Covenant.<ref>Simon Furman at BotCon 2022.</ref>

The concept of the Thirteen quietly bubbled under for the next year, until another element was added with the introduction of [[Vector Prime]] in 2005's ''[[Transformers: Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]]'' series. Created by lead Hasbro designer [[Aaron Archer]], Vector Prime was given a clockwork aesthetic to signify his old age and mastery over time itself, with his face evoking the [[Autobot]] sigil. While the original Japanese version of the ''Cybertron'' cartoon would simply treat him as a very ancient Autobot, Hasbro copywriter [[Forest Lee]] would canonise him as one of the Thirteen in [[Vector Prime: In the Beginning|the first story]] produced for the [[Transformers Collectors' Club]]. This story also introduced the idea that all of the Thirteen were [[Prime (rank)|Primes]], and that each had a specific function or purpose; Vector Prime's was stewardship of time, while a 2007 [[bio]] written for The Fallen's ''[[Titanium Series]]'' toy would later reveal he was the overseer of entropy.

[[File:ThirteenAaronArcherSketch.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|The roster of the Thirteen was not established from the outset.]]
While it was not immediately apparent, Hasbro had put a plan in motion for the Thirteen with the Collectors' Club comic: across the next five years, five separate robots were introduced who were gradually revealed to be components of the very first combiner, Nexus Prime, who was one of the Thirteen. Behind the scenes, Aaron Archer developed the remaining roster of the Thirteen, carrying forward Prima, The Fallen (whose true name became Megatronus), Liege Maximo, and Vector Prime, and adding [[Alpha Trion]], the Autobot elder from [[The Transformers (cartoon)|the original cartoon]]. The new members he introduced were intended to embody different kinds of Transformers: [[Onyx Prime]] (at first named simply "Maximus", after the [[Maximal]]s) represented the beasts, [[Micronus Prime|Micronus]] was the progenitor of the [[Mini-Con]]s, [[Quintus Prime|Quintus]] was tied to the [[Quintesson]]s, with a Japan-inspired "trickster", a female "forger" ([[Solus Prime]]), and an "elemental" proto-Transformer filling out the group.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=Really we were trying to create a representation of each of the classic Transformer forms. So as I was creating the Thirteen, some had been figured out, right? So Megatronus I think, Liege Maximo, Alpha Trion I believe were already named characters... but then I tried to figure out how to bring the concept of beasts and combiners [and the Mini-Cons] and different elements into the concept, so that you had the whole pantheon of gods, different shapes and sizes and whatnot. So I went through and I drew kind of visions of what they could be. So this is not trying to figure the character out, but get the vibe of what the character was about, other talented people would come in behind me and do that. So there's like the idea that—why did the Quintessons think that they might have made the Transformers? Well they come from the guy that was like the Johnny Appleseed, or the character that seeded some of the planets, so they were confused... try to shore up some of these ideas for the Aligned continuity, right? Here's an elemental kind of concept, gears and metal and magnetism, kind of a proto-Transformer, kind of weird thing. [...] Here's another weird version of Megatronus, how big he is compared to like what Megatron would have been.|link=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQLQ4VzuCGA&t=689s|name=Aaron Archer|site=''The Toy Armada''|title=Toy Armada Friday night LIVE: Creating characters and lore|year=2023|month=05|day=26}}</ref> While most of these are recognisable in the final roster, it appears that the design from the "elemental" was given to the "trickster" character, resulting in [[Amalgamous Prime]], while [[Maccadam|Alchemist Prime]] took over as the Prime of the elements. Additionally, [[Thirteenth Prime|one member]] of the group would remain a mystery.

[[File:NexusPrimeflankedbyotherPrimes.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1|Fun Publications also introduced the first [[combiner]], [[Nexus Prime]].]]
While these plans developed, Japanese writer [[Hirofumi Ichikawa]] introduced the character of [[Logos Prime]] in the 2006 text story ''[[Beast Wars Reborn]]'', which seemingly alluded to the idea that he was one of the Thirteen by presenting him as a peer to Vector Prime. Ichikawa did not intend this reading, however, believing it was not his place to add to the Thirteen.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=Vector PrimeとThe Fallen以外の人影は全く誰のことも想定していません。ファンの方々は「1人はLogos Primeだ」と推察していますが、それも間違いです（彼を勝手に13人とするのは図々しく不適当と感じたので、そうしたくなかった）。満足いく答えではないかも知れませんが、これが本当のところです。🙇‍♂️|link=https://twitter.com/Hirovmi/status/1627056614024036352|name=Hirofumi Ichikawa|site=Twitter|year=2023|month=02|day=18}}</ref> But fans who were aware of the character at the time latched onto the idea of Logos as one of Thirteen, unaware that that wasn't meant to be the case. 

During this time, most of the information on the Thirteen came from Q&A sessions with Hasbro representatives at BotCon—where it was established that the Thirteen were [[multiversal singularity|multiversal singularities]], a concept which purported that across all the different [[universal stream]]s, only one incarnation of each of the Thirteen existed, moving between worlds. This idea would later be canonized within the pages of Fun Publications' comics. The full story of the Thirteen was to be told in a comic book mini-series by [[IDW Publishing]], written by Simon Furman, but after numerous teases the plans were eventually nixed while Hasbro worked out what they wanted to do with the characters.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=The Thirteen is probably not going to happen for a while, as it’s become more of a Hasbro thing than an IDW thing, and Hasbro need to crystallise the whole concept before it can be turned into a comic book. I think and hope it will still happen, as it’s a story I’d dearly love to tell, but I have no firm grasp or when or in what form it will eventually see print.|link=http://web.archive.org/web/20110612025753/https://hombreimaginario.deviantart.com/art/Interviews-10-Simon-Furman-130246343|name=Simon Furman|site=deviantART|year=2009|month=07|day=20}}</ref> Hasbro's desire to control and fully conceptualize the story of the Thirteen was further made evident when, after [[Fun Publications]]' Nexus Prime story concluded in the same year, they effectively took "custody" of the character as part of their future plans.[[File:TransformersVault-Prima.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|The Aligned design for [[Prima]] was revealed at [[BotCon 2010]].]] This control, however, was evidently not all-encompassing, as The Fallen made a surprising appearance in [[2009]] as the titular villain of the second live-action ''Transformers'' film, ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'', where he not only received new backstory that removed any connection he had to Unicron, but was also presented as a member of only ''seven'' Primes instead of thirteen. Hasbro's [[Hasbro Q&A/October 2009#AllSpark.com|October 2009 online Q&A]] attempted to retroactively justify this by explaining that while all the Thirteen were Primes, only seven actually had the word "Prime" ''in their names''. However, this rationale wouldn't last.

Eventually, in 2010, the grand scope of the new [[Aligned continuity family]] became the "delivery method" for Hasbro's long-percolating tale of the Thirteen. However, the "Aligned" continuity was also established to ''not'' be part of the multiverse in which all preceding ''Transformers'' fiction took place, which until then had lain the groundwork for the Thirteen. As such, the new information introduced by the Aligned continuity was only true for ''that'' continuity, resulting in some incongruities: the surprise inclusion of [[Alpha Trion]], the inevitable omission of Logos Prime, and a second revised backstory for The Fallen that, like in ''Revenge of the Fallen'', further dissociated him from Unicron. From 2010 to 2013, various pieces of Aligned media—including the novels ''[[Transformers: Exodus]]'' and ''[[Transformers: Exiles]]'', the ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' cartoon, and the prose work ''[[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus]]''—finally detailed in full the complete roster and history of the Thirteen in the Aligned Continuity, which can all be read about further down this article.

In spite of the metaphysical complexities that had built up with the lore surrounding the ''Transformers'' multiverse and its singularities, Hasbro's Aligned roster for the Thirteen has pretty much served as the basis of every story they've appeared in since. In 2014, they were introduced to IDW Publishing's long-running continuity, receiving a whole new backstory beginning with [[The Crucible|''Robots in Disguise'' #34]]. Fun Publications would work to massage the continuity implications this had for the rest of the multiverse: Ask Vector Prime revealed that non-singularity versions of the Thirteen also exist within the multiverse (with the "Aligned Thirteen" being one such example) and finally established their own complete roster for the "Multiverse Thirteen", before the 2015 Collectors' Club comic storyline ''[[Another Light]]'' culminated in the Thirteen's existence as multiversal singularities being nullified entirely. Freed from the complex bounds of this concept, the story of the Thirteen is now free to be told any way, in any continuity.
{{--}}

==Members==
Because of their complicated fictional natures, conceptual histories, and status as multiversal "archetypes", {{SITENAME SHORT}} opts to break our standard rules a little and give most members of the group a single article that covers all different versions of that character, as opposed to separate articles (G1, Unicron Trilogy, Movie, etc...) for each incarnation.

===Covenant Thirteen===
[[File:OneShallRise1-WellofAllSparks.jpg|thumb|325px|"No, Harry, no! Don't look at the light!"<br>"I can't help it! It's so beautiful!"]]
The first full lineup of the Thirteen was originally formalized for the [[Aligned continuity family]], and properly revealed in [[2013]]<nowiki>'</nowiki>s ''[[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus]]''. The "Aligned Thirteen" were initially considered to be separate from the pre-existing "multiversal Thirteen", something backed up in fiction which described their [[universal stream|universal cluster]] as being previously separate from the multiverse. This proved not to last long outside the Multiverse Thirteen's own stories, however, and the core list (give or take [[Thirteenth Prime|a guy]]) has since rapidly propagated far beyond the bounds of Aligned media into such places as the [[2005 IDW continuity|2005]] and [[2019 IDW continuity|2019]] continuities of [[IDW Publishing]]'s comics as mentioned above, multiple yearly themes of the ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|Generations]]'' ur-franchise, and even [[Transformers One (film)|the big screen]] to become the definitive roster of the modern day.

<ul class="iconlist">{{Bp-pr1|'''[[Prima]]'''—The leader of the Thirteen, a warrior of light and the first [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix-bearer]] who wielded the [[Star Saber (Thirteen)|Star Saber]].}}
{{Bp-pr2|'''[[Vector Prime]]'''—The master of time and space, which he could manipulate through his [[Blades of Time]].}}
{{Bp-pr3|'''[[Alpha Trion]]'''—Holder of the [[Quill]], which he uses to record the past, present, and future of Cybertron in the [[Covenant of Primus]] as part of his role as recordskeeper of the Primes.}}
{{Bp-pr4|'''[[Solus Prime]]'''—The master artificer and creator of many of the Primes' weapons through use of her incredible [[Forge of Solus Prime|Forge]]. She was the first [[female Transformer|female Cybertronian]].}}
{{Bp-pr5|'''[[Micronus Prime]]'''—The conscience of the Thirteen, and the first [[Mini-Con]], able to [[Powerlinx|link up with and enhance the power]] of his siblings through the use of his [[Chimera Stone]].}}
{{Bp-pr6|'''[[Maccadam|Alchemist Prime]]'''—Student of the elemental structure of the natural world, aided in this by his [[Lenses]], which allowed him to see further and deeper than anyone, in both material and spiritual senses; fond of the occasional tipple, with some claiming that he still walks Cybertron in the form of a humble bartender.}}
{{Bp-pr7|'''[[Nexus Prime]]'''—The first and greatest [[combiner]], granted the ability to divide himself into separate forms by his [[Enigma of Combination]]. Unpredictable, fascinated by change, and a lighthearted prankster.}}
{{Bp-pr8|'''[[Onyx Prime]]'''—The first [[beast_mode|beast-form]] Cybertronian, a primitive and spiritual being able to view other times, places, souls, and even the afterlife through his three-faced [[Triptych Mask]].}}
{{Bp-pr9|'''[[Amalgamous Prime]]'''—The joker of the Thirteen and the first [[Shifter]], unpredictable and easygoing. He was the first Cybertronian with the ability of [[transformation]], granted him by his [[Transformation Cog (Thirteen)|Transformation Cog]], which became the basis for the cogs in all subsequent Transformer life.}}
{{Bp-pr10|'''[[Quintus Prime]]'''—A daydreamer and perfectionist whose drive to express his ideas led him to become a scientist. His artifact was the [[Emberstone]], which gave him the ability to create life; the [[Quintesson]]s were among his creations.}}
{{Bp-pr11|'''[[Liege Maximo]]'''—The "Prime of Lies", a black-hearted and amoral manipulator. Though his artifact was notionally the toxin-loaded [[Liegian Darts]], his real skill was his ability to talk others into his way of thinking.}}
{{Bp-pr12|'''[[The Fallen]]'''—Once known as '''Megatronus''', guardian of entropy and wielder of the [[Requiem Blaster (Thirteen)|Requiem Blaster]], the Fallen's name was stricken from history when the dark warrior turned on his siblings.}}
{{Bp-pr13|'''The [[Thirteenth Prime]]'''— the last and most mysterious of the Thirteen, all we can say for certain is that he bore a strong connection to the [[Matrix of Leadership]] and his depictions look [[Optimus Prime (disambiguation)|awfully familiar...]]}}</ul>

===Multiversal Thirteen===
[[File:AnotherLight-Thirteen.jpg|thumb|325px|Who are we? You'll never know!]]
Though the "multiversal Thirteen"—considered separate to the "Aligned Thirteen"—had almost half of their members revealed long before any non-multiversal incarnation was ever mentioned, the remainder of their membership was left ambiguous until a [[Source:Ask Vector Prime/Facebook#ThirteenList|June 2015 Facebook post]] from [[Ask Vector Prime]] listed off twelve of Vector Prime's siblings. The members established before either full roster were:

*'''[[Prima]]'''—The first [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix-bearer]] and first Transformer born from [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]], the leader of the Thirteen.<ref>''Sentinel Prime was one of a dynasty of Primes, stretching back to the original '''13 Transformers''' and their leader, Prima.''—''[[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide]]'' (2005) 1st ed p15, "Sentinel Prime"</ref> He wielded the [[Star Saber (Thirteen)|Star Saber]], a mighty blade capable of unparalleled destruction.
*'''[[Liege Maximo]]'''—A legendary schemer.<ref name="askvectorprime">[[Ask Vector Prime]] on Facebook</ref>
*'''[[The Fallen|Megatronus]]'''—Formerly the guardian of entropy, whose name was stricken from history when he betrayed his brothers and became a [[Herald of Unicron]] under the new name "'''The Fallen'''".<ref>''[[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide]]''</ref>
*'''[[Vector Prime]]'''—The guardian of space and time, who spent most of his life outside of reality, observing it and occasionally stepping in to help.
*'''[[Nexus Prime]]'''—The first combiner and the guardian of [[Rarified Energon]].

To these Vector Prime added four invented by the Covenant:

*'''[[Maccadam|Alchemist Prime]]'''—Rumored to have established [[Maccadam's Old Oil House|a bar]] on modern Cybertron, seeking to provide a respite from endless war.<ref name="askvectorprime"/>
*'''[[Solus Prime]]'''—A renowned smith who wielded a powerful [[Forge of Solus Prime|Forge]].<ref name="askvectorprime"/>
*'''[[Micronus Prime]]'''—The progenitor of the [[Mini-Con]]s.<ref>[[Rook - Axiom Nexus News: Investigative Journalist]]</ref>
*'''[[Onyx Prime]]'''—In-tune with nature and the organic.<ref name="askvectorprime"/>

And four other powerful figures from ''Transformers'' lore:

*'''[[Last Autobot|Autonomous Maximus]]'''—A lonely sentinel who renounced his name, becoming simply known as the Last Autobot.
*'''[[Logos Prime]]'''—An enigmatic figure who, operating in the present day under the name "Soundblaster", sought to pass on his incredible powers over time and space to an heir.
*'''[[Solomus]]'''—A gentle and kind individual, who is instead in some universes a member of the [[Guiding Hand]].
*'''[[Epistemus]]'''—A Cybertronian of unconventional intellect, also sometimes of the Guiding Hand.

===Other members===
Additional or alternative members of the Thirteen have been known to crop up, initially in subsequent Ask Vector Prime entries to illustrate the malleable nature of the multiverse: 

*'''[[Adaptus]]'''—Blessed with powers of change, ''also'' sometimes of the Guiding Hand; may or may not in some universes be the same individual as Amalgamous Prime.
*'''[[Mortilus]]'''—A solitary member of the Thirteen who stayed apart from the others, who was in some universes a member of the Guiding Hand.

Or, in the modern day, via creators taking advantage of the "free space" offered by the Thirteenth Prime in the Covenant lineup:

*'''[[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]'''—A Prime known for his wisdom.<ref>''[[Transformers: Titans Return (cartoon)|Transformers: Titans Return]]'' episode 4, "[[Overlord and Emissary]]"</ref>
*'''[[Zeta Prime (One)|Zeta Prime]]'''—A Prime that in some universes takes the role as leader and first Matrix-bearer from Prima.<ref>''[[Transformers One (film)|Transformers One]]''</ref>
*'''[[Nova Prime]]'''—A supremacist willing to break any taboo to position the Transformers as the "rightful rulers" of the multiverse. Referred to derisively by his fellow Primes as "'''The Nemesis'''."<ref>''[[Transformers: Earth Wars]]'', "[[Timeless Champions]]"</ref>

==Fiction==
===Generation 1 continuity family===
====Dreamwave ''Generation One'' continuity====
[[File:Thefallen.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|No, seriously guys, is it just me, or is it hot in here?]]

[[The Fallen]] was thwarted in his attempt to sabotage [[Primus]]'s [[Cybertron (planet)|physical form]], and the rest of the Thirteen died after casting the Fallen and his master [[Unicron]] through a [[black hole (phenomenon)|black hole]] into another dimension. {{storylink|Transformers: The Ultimate Guide|The Ultimate Guide}}

After [[Optimus Prime (G1)#Dreamwave Generation One continuity|Optimus Prime]] and [[Megatron (G1)#Dreamwave Generation One continuity|Megatron]] were lost in a [[space bridge]] explosion, the Fallen was free from his prison in [[unspace|underspace]], and returned to Cybertron. He immediately set about trying to undo the [[Seal of Primus]] that locked the Well of All Sparks. However, upon his success, the Fallen was promptly destroyed by his reawoken creator. {{storylink|Transformers: War Within: The Dark Ages|The Dark Ages}}

{{Unreleased DW G1 comic}}
In the present day, Jetfire discovered that Shockwave had broken the Seal for his cloning experiments. The Fallen's essence escaped and corrupted [[Sunstorm (G1)|Sunstorm]], and following his death, passed into Jetfire. This corruption caused Jetfire to be plagued by many visions, among them The Fallen beating down his brethren in an ancient battle. {{storylink|The Enemy Within}}

'''Known members:'''
*[[Prima]]
*[[The Fallen]]
*[[Maccadam]] (rumored)
{{--}}

====2005 IDW continuity====
[[File:Heavy-TheThirteen.jpg|thumb|left|350px|"I think the Thirteen were blurry, that's the problem. It's not the artist's fault. The Primes were blurry, and that's extra scary to me. There were thirteen large, out-of-focus Transformers roaming Cybertron."]]
After the departure of the mythical [[Knights of Cybertron]], Cybertronian civilization, deprived of their benevolent guidance, descended once more into a primitive state of barbarism, with lesser tribal leaders carving out kingdoms and territories of their own. It was to this landscape that the [[Decepticon]] [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Shockwave]] was cast back in time by the destruction of his [[chronal drive]], and—after an encounter with a kindly shepherd named [[Onyx Prime|Onyx]]—realised from his extensive historical foreknowledge that he could study why Cybertronians inevitably fell to war by ensuring that history followed the path he knew that it must. As such, Shockwave murdered Onyx and took his identity as "Onyx Prime" in order to engineer the rise of the Thirteen Primes; his first act was to christen the most fearless member of Onyx's flock as "[[The Fallen|Megatronus]]", taking him on as a student.

Knowing that Megatronus's conquests would be the impetus for the founding of Cybertronian civilization, Shockwave allowed his pupil to run amok; {{storylink|The Falling, Interlude: The First Who Was Named|The First Who Was Named}} Megatronus thus began a new war of conquest to expand the [[Darklands]], annexing nearby regions such as the city of [[Protihex|Protohex]] and the [[Forgotten Plains]], murdering neighbouring ruler [[Septimus Prime]] and recruiting the fearsome twin [[gladiatorial combat|gladiators]] [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Galvatron]] and [[Arcee (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Arcee]] to become his vanguards. Other tribal leaders who had arisen, including [[Maccadam|Alchemist Prime]], [[Vector Prime]], [[Solus Prime]], [[Nexus Prime]] and [[Alpha Trion]], agreed in the face of Megatronus's conquests to work together, uniting their followers and founding a small village that they named "[[Crystal City]]." {{storylink|Origin Myths}}

[[File:OP18 Thirteen in Crystal City.jpg|thumb|right|375px|Ruling from an ivory tower. What could possibly go wrong?]]

While Megatronus's legions marched on Crystal City, the united Primes were bolstered by Onyx Prime and his ''other'' student, [[Liege Maximo]], {{storylink|The Falling, Interlude: The First Who Was Named|The First Who Was Named}} whose kingdom had been claimed by the Darklander advance. The two armies met in a battle that had the unexpected side effect of awakening three slumbering [[Titan (group)|Titan]]s—[[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]], [[Metrotitan (G1)|Metrotitan]], and [[Chela]]—from beneath Cybertron's surface, but while the armies were distracted by the arrival of the colossal beings, Onyx "realized" that their enemy was his "old friend" Megatronus. The two armies agreed to a truce, and all eight Primes vowed to work together to rebuild and unify their planet. Having been enlightened on the value of myths and stories by Alpha Trion, Onyx Prime began telling tales of his own, inspiring Alchemist with legends of a "Chosen One" and dreaming up a new [[Autobot|insignia]] to commemorate their alliance—{{storylink|Origin Myths}} all, of course, based on his own knowledge of what the future held. The [[Dark Cybertron (prophecy)|"Dark Cybertron" prophecy]] and idea of the Chosen One were specifically concocted to ensure [[Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Starscream]]'s future rise to power, as a "fool" like Starscream would not be able to see through Shockwave's machinations. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|The Hallowing}}

The eight original Primes were soon joined by five more, and over time Cybertron's inhabitants united under the banner of the [[Thirteen Tribes]], each Prime building a distinct civilization. {{storylink|The Crucible}} In this era of peace, the Liege Maximo was responsible for building and maintaining the alliance between the Thirteen; in honor of his feats, Liege Maximo's followers became known as skilled diplomats and negotiators. {{storylink|Heavy}} Each Prime commanded the loyalty of at least one [[Titan (group)|Titan]], {{storylink|The Sum and Its Parts}} {{storylink|First Contact (IDW)|First Contact}} while the diminutive [[Titan Master]]s served as their heralds. {{storylink|White Heat}} Over the years, however, the decidedly mortal Primes had come to believe that they were inherently superior to other Cybertronians due to their powerful artifacts and historic feats; indeed, it was commonly held only another Prime could kill a Prime, though this was decidedly untrue. {{storylink|Origin Myths}} {{storylink|The Crucible}}

[[File:TheFirstWhoWasNamed-MegatronusKillsSolus.jpg|thumb|left|350px|Sephiroth, you jerk!]]
With Cybertron now in a "golden age", Onyx advised the Thirteen's leader [[Prima]] to spread Cybertron's "enlightenment" to other worlds, with their expedition—led by Onyx and Megatronus, with Alpha Trion accompanying them as recordskeeper—being the first to leave the planet since the Knights of Cybertron. However, their first planetary landing on the world of [[Antilla]] ended in a brutal conflict and the extinction of the native [[Antillan]]s, with Prima blaming Megatronus for the expedition's failure. {{storylink|The Falling, Interlude: The First Who Was Named|The First Who Was Named}} {{storylink|Our Finest}} Liege Maximo, who (seeing helpful lies as more beneficent than harmful truths) had become increasingly manipulative and self-serving, {{storylink|Heavy}} acted on Onyx's orders to stoke Megatronus's resentment over this incident, leading him to attack Prima. Solus Prime intervened to save Prima's life, but Megatronus killed her with the [[Star Saber (Thirteen)|Star Saber]] that she had created. Megatronus fled the planet, while Liege Maximo was captured by the Primes and imprisoned within his Titan, [[Vigilem]], whom the other Titans deemed unworthy of remembrance and exiled into space. A repentant splinter of Liege Maximo's old tribe agreed to keep their former leader and his Titan permanently interred, renaming their dormant Titan "[[Vigilem|Carcer]]". {{storylink|Rubicon}} {{storylink|Heavy}} {{storylink|The Falling, Interlude: The First Who Was Named|The First Who Was Named}}

The fallout from Maximo's betrayal sparked the [[First Cybertronian Civil War]], turning the tribes against one another in a planet-wide conflict. {{storylink|The Crucible}} Battle lines were drawn, but allegiances shifted throughout the war, necessitating betrayals and new alliances; Onyx initially allied with Micronus, {{storylink|White Heat}} but by ten million years ago, with the war drawing to a close, his tribe of [[beast mode]] Transformers had joined forces with Nexus Prime and his [[combiner]]s. Together, they raised a new army of [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmasters]] using the [[Enigma of Combination]]. Disgusted by this fusion, [[Galvatron (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Galvatron]] abandoned his post in Megatronus' army to slaughter the Headmasters to the last 'bot. {{storylink|Earthfall Part 3: The Mind Bomb|The Mind Bomb}} 

Together, Onyx Prime and Prima hunted down Megatronus aboard Prima's Titan [[Emissary (IDW)|Emissary]], finding him on the planet [[Tsiehshi]]. Megatronus killed Prima before being slain by Onyx, his usefulness to Shockwave's machinations at an end; Emissary carried Prima's body to the stars, but Onyx ensured that he would crash on [[Elonia|a faraway planet]]. On returning, Onyx told Alpha Trion that Megatronus and Prima slew each other in final battle—the account of their deaths that he had learned from Trion in his youth. Megatronus's name was soon forgotten by history, and he became known only as "the Fallen". {{storylink|The Falling, Interlude: The First Who Was Named|The First Who Was Named}}

Eventually, Galvatron tracked down and confronted Nexus Prime, obliterating the Prime with a single blast. Realizing that they were as mortal as any other Transformer, the remaining few Primes fled the planet for other worlds, with the exception of Alpha Trion. The war finally ended when Galvatron and [[Nova Prime|Nova Major]] famously routed the bestial hordes of [[Onyx Prime]] and, with Trion's aid and blessing, united the tribes as one planet under Nova '''Prime'''. Only Galvatron and Trion were left aware of what had happened to the Thirteen Primes; Alpha Trion simply let himself fade into the background of Cybertronian society, his true background as a Prime forgotten by the general populace. {{storylink|The Crucible}}

One way or another, the Thirteen departed Cybertron and vanished from history at around the same time that the thirteen Titans departed Cybertron, with the intent of founding new colonies elsewhere in the galaxy. {{storylink|First Contact (IDW)|First Contact}} Exact details are unclear, but the mythologies of several of these colony planets claim that the Primes, including [[Solus Prime]] and [[Onyx Prime]], had spearheaded the colonization missions themselves and subsequently left these newly settled worlds to their own devices. {{storylink|The Sum and Its Parts}} {{storylink|Windblade vol. 2 issue 6|Windblade vol. 2 #6}} Either way, the developing civilizations on the colony worlds – cut off from Cybertron and the brutal injustices committed by Nova Prime and [[Nominus Prime|his]] [[Sentinel Prime (G1)|dubious]] [[Zeta Prime (G1)|successors]] – began deifying the Thirteen Primes, with some going so far as to worship any leader who wielded the [[Matrix of Leadership]]. The [[Way of Flame|dominant religion]] on [[Caminus (planet)|Caminus]] exalted Solus Prime as the greatest of the Thirteen, {{storylink|The Sum and Its Parts}} while the four tribes of [[Jungle Planet (colony)|Eukaris]] and their prophet [[Blackarachnia (BW)|Blackarachnia]] viewed Onyx Prime as a benevolent protector. {{storylink|Windblade vol. 2 issue 6|Windblade vol. 2 #6}}

The role that the original Primes had played in the establishment of Cybertronian society would eventually be immortalized on the silver screen in the "hella-racist" film, ''[[The Birth of Cybertron]]''. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 4: Dance Among the Shadows|Dance Among the Shadows}} {{storylink|Starscream: The Movie (comic)|Starscream: The Movie}}

[[Micronus Prime]], master of [[Prion (Titan)|Prion]], {{storylink|White Heat}} was known to have abandoned his native universe entirely after founding a colony of [[Mini-Con]]s. By the present day, his body lay dormant in the center of an alternate universe: the subatomic realm of [[Microspace]]. {{storylink|O Ship of State}} The ruler of Microspace, [[Baron Karza]] eventually [[enerchange]]d with Micronus and used the Prime's power to try and conquer the Earth, {{storylink|Wrath of Karza issue 1|Wrath of Karza #1}} only for [[Shazraella]] to use [[Time Traveler]] energy to separate the Prime from her husband and banish the Mini-Con through time. {{storylink|Wrath of Karza issue 5|Wrath of Karza #5}}

[[File:GhostStories-onyxprime.jpg|thumb|right|250px|"Stand and address your Almighty Tallest, Camien child."]]

The colony of Caminus detected a Cybertronian beacon emanating from the planet [[Antilla]] and sent three representatives to make contact with their ancestors. When they arrived, they found the planet to be a rusted wasteland ruled by Onyx Prime, who murdered [[Magrada]]. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 1: Surfeit of Primes|Surfeit of Primes}} Following the expedition's return to Caminus, the [[Torchbearer]] [[Pyra Magna (G1)|Pyra Magna]] encountered Onyx Prime when an army of robotic beasts terrorized the inhabitants of [[Parvus Oppidum]] so they could retrieve a sample of [[Ore-4]]. The experience left her traumatized, but with time she realized that the Primes were not the divine entities that she had believed them to be and began preparing to take up arms against Primes should the need arise. {{storylink|Ghost Stories}} {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 6: Unforgivable|Unforgivable}}

In the modern day, [[Shockwave (G1)/2005 IDW continuity|Shockwave]] unknowingly sent the [[Regenesis]] ores off to what he believed were random suitable worlds, but were, thanks to his future self's time-travelling manipulations, worlds touched by the Thirteen. {{storylink|The Crucible}} {{storylink|The Falling, Interlude: The First Who Was Named|The First Who Was Named}}

When Cybertron re-opened a [[space bridge|spacebridge]] link with Caminus after years of isolation, the [[Mistress of Flame]] believed that Optimus, wielding the Matrix of Leadership, was the legendary reincarnation of the Thirteenth Prime: a mysterious figure from Cybertron's past known as "[[Thirteenth Prime#2005 IDW continuity|the Arisen]]". {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 3: The Medium and the Message|The Medium and the Message}} Optimus's supposed divinity proved a double-edged sword as he grew increasingly bold and unilateral in his decision making; leaning on the faith of others to unconditionally support his choices, he wound up annexing Earth into the [[Council of Worlds]] and sparking an interplanetary diplomatic crisis. {{storylink|All Hail Optimus Part 1: Once Upon a Time on Earth|Once Upon a Time on Earth}} [[Colonist Soldiers|New recruits]] from Caminus, Eukaris, [[Velocitron]], and [[Devisiun (planet)|Devisiun]] believed wholeheartedly in Optimus's status as one of the Thirteen and began wearing [[mouthplate]]s to better emulate their leader. {{storylink|New Cybertron Part 1: To Walk Among the Chosen|To Walk Among the Chosen}}

Liege Maximo escaped from his imprisonment in Carcer in 2017, following a [[zombie]] Titan invasion on Cybertron. {{storylink|Rubicon}} The Camien [[Chromia (G1)|Chromia]] was released from prison by Cybertron's leader Starscream to hunt Maximo down, {{storylink|Heavy}} {{storylink|The Chosen One}} but Liege—who, by this point, had come to understand his master's decision to exile him aboard his loyal Titan—was found by Onyx, and brought with him in chains on his return to Cybertron. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 1: Surfeit of Primes|Surfeit of Primes}} Liege was taken into custody while Optimus and the [[Council of Worlds]] entered negotiations with Onyx, but the Prime's manipulations caused infighting and chaos, as well as an explosion that killed Alpha Trion. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 2: Another Mine|Another Mine}} With all of his plans falling into place, Shockwave discarded his "Onyx" identity, having no further use for it after he cast Optimus into the Crystal City singularity. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 4: The Hallowing|The Hallowing}}

Though Maximo soon perished and Shockwave was taken prisoner, the Decepticon's machinations had forced all of Cybertron accept a bitter truth: the Thirteen had been nothing more than ordinary Cybertronians. Upon hearing Pyra Magna vocalize this, Shockwave claimed this acceptance had been part of his plan to render all faiths and beliefs on Cybertron meaningless in preparation for [[Unicron/Generation 1|Unicron]]'s arrival. {{storylink|The Falling, Chapter 6: Unforgivable|Unforgivable}}

'''Known members:'''
:''See "[[#Covenant Thirteen|Covenant Thirteen]]" above''

As you can see, things got uncharacteristically granular for the Thirteen over the course of IDW Publishing's mammoth original continuity. Far from the usual name checks, by curtain call each Prime had (on average) led a [[Thirteen Tribes|tribe]] on feudal Cybertron and befriended a [[Titan (group)|Titan]]. At least five of these Titans went on to found [[Cybertronian colonies|offworld colonies]] during Cybertron's first age of expansion. With the collapse of Cybertron's first imperial phase, the existence of these colonies faded into myth and legend; future generations of Transformers would conflate the stories of these populated worlds with the other planets that had played a key role in the rise and fall of the Primes, eventually giving rise to a legend that ''thirteen'' lost colonies existed across the galaxy, one for each Prime. {{storylink|Transformers: Historia|Historia}} Years later, the younger Shockwave "seeded" these thirteen significant planets with [[Regenesis]] ores, each bearing various fantastical powers. Taken all together, known information gives us:

{|class="wikitable" border="10" style="width:95%" align="center"
|-
! scope="col" width="6.1%" |Prime
! scope="col" width="7.1%" |'''[[Prima]]'''
! scope="col" width="7.1%" |'''[[Vector Prime]]'''
! scope="col" width="7.1%" |'''[[Alpha Trion]]'''
! scope="col" width="7.1%" |'''[[Solus Prime]]'''
! scope="col" width="7.1%" |'''[[Micronus Prime]]'''
! scope="col" width="7.1%" |'''[[Maccadam|Alchemist Prime]]'''
! scope="col" width="7.1%" |'''[[Nexus Prime]]'''
! scope="col" width="7.1%" |'''[[Onyx Prime]]'''
! scope="col" width="7.1%" |'''[[Amalgamous Prime]]'''
! scope="col" width="7.1%" |'''[[Quintus Prime]]'''
! scope="col" width="7.1%" |'''[[Liege Maximo]]'''
! scope="col" width="7.1%" |'''[[The Fallen|Megatronus]]'''
! scope="col" width="7.1%" |'''[[Thirteenth Prime|The Arisen]]'''
|-
|'''[[Titan (group)|Titan]]'''
|[[Emissary (IDW)|Emissary]]
|[[Tempo]]
|[[Nemesis (BW)|Nemesis]]
|[[Caminus (Titan)|Caminus]]
|[[Prion (Titan)|Prion]]
|[[Metrobase (G1)|Metrobase]]
|[[Devisiun (Titan)|Devisiun]]
|[[Chela]]
|[[Navitas]]
|[[Necrotitan|Quintessa]]
|[[Vigilem]]
|[[Metroplex (G1)|Metroplex]]
|[[Metrotitan (G1)|Metrotitan]]
|-
|'''Planet'''
|[[Elonia]]
|[[LV-117]]
|[[Antilla]]
|[[Caminus (planet)|Caminus]]
|[[Prion (planet)|Prion]]
|[[Arduria]]
|[[Devisiun (planet)|Devisiun]]
|[[Jungle Planet (colony)|Eukaris]]
|[[Velocitron]]
|[[Gorlam Prime]]
|[[Vigilem|Carcer]]
|[[Tsiehshi]]
|[[Earth]]
|-
|'''[[Regenesis|Regenesis ore]]'''
|[[Ore-12]]<br>("Protection")
|[[Ore-1]]<br>("Time")
|[[Ore-7]]<br>("Change")
|[[Ore-4]]<br>("Gravity")
|[[Ore-3]]<br>("Size")
|[[Ore-6]]<br>("Cold")
|[[Ore-5]]<br>("Combination")
|[[Ore-11]]<br>("Evolution")
|[[Ore-9]]<br>("Space")
|[[Ore-2]]<br>("Death")
|[[Ore-10]]<br>("Deception")
|[[Ore-8]]<br>("Destruction")
|[[Ore-13]]<br>("Power")
|}
{{--}}

====''Prime Wars Trilogy'' continuity====
=====''Prime Wars Trilogy'' marketing material=====
[[File:Throne of Primes Thirteen.jpg|thumb|right|upright=2.0|Before time began, there was just a whole mess of cubes.]]
The [[spark]]s of the original Primes were carried by the [[Prime Master]]s, tiny Transformers who, when in spark mode, could unite with larger Transformers to grant them [[Prime Master/Combinations|the powers of the Primes]] to wield as they choose. To minimise unwanted attention from those who sought the power they held, the Prime Masters hid themselves inside special decoy armor, which cloaked their vast power from the outside world.

Rather than a Prime Master, the role of the Thirteenth Prime was held by whoever currently bore the [[Matrix of Leadership]].<ref name="POTPMatrix">Comments made by Hasbro representatives at [[San Diego Comic-Con]] 2017.</ref> The Thirteenth Prime was, however, made into a Prime Master too, transforming into a core resembling the Matrix of Leadership.

'''Known members:'''
:''See "[[#Covenant Thirteen|Covenant Thirteen]]" above''

The actual nature of the relationship between the incorporeal Primes and their diminutive "hosts" was thinly sketched at best and grew actively fuzzier as the ''[[Power of the Primes (franchise)|Power of the Primes]]'' franchise wore on, but the Prime Masters given explicit pairs of names were:

{|class="wikitable" border="10" style="width:70%" align="center"
|-
! scope="col" width="6.7%" |Prime
! scope="col" width="7.7%" |'''[[Vector Prime]]'''
! scope="col" width="7.7%" |'''[[Alpha Trion]]'''
! scope="col" width="7.7%" |'''[[Solus Prime]]'''
! scope="col" width="7.7%" |'''[[Micronus Prime]]'''
! scope="col" width="7.7%" |'''[[Maccadam|Alchemist Prime]]'''
! scope="col" width="7.7%" |'''[[Quintus Prime]]'''
! scope="col" width="7.7%" |'''[[Liege Maximo]]'''
! scope="col" width="7.7%" |'''[[The Fallen|Megatronus]]'''
|-
|'''Decoy Armor'''
|[[Metalhawk (G1)|Metalhawk]]
|[[Landmine (G1)|Landmine]]
|[[Octopunch (G1)|Octopunch]]
|[[Cloudburst]]
|[[Submarauder (G1)|Submarauder]]
|[[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]]
|[[Skullgrin]]
|[[Bomb-Burst (G1)|Bomb-Burst]]
|}

=====''Prime Wars Trilogy'' cartoon=====
The combined knowledge of the Thirteen was hidden away in the [[Athenaeum Sanctorum]]. In the wake of [[Solus Prime]]'s death at [[The Fallen|Megatronus]]'s hands, the remaining members chose to seal away the [[Requiem Blaster (Thirteen)|Requiem Blaster]] in [[Primal Swamp]], tasking a series of guardians with protecting it that culminated in [[Optimus Primal (BW)|Optimus Primal]]. {{storylink|Athenaeum Sanctorum (episode)|Athenaeum Sanctorum}}

During a crisis, the [[Mistress of Flame]] prayed to Primus and the Thirteen for spiritual guidance and aid. {{storylink|Overlord and Emissary}}

{{groupstub|{{storylink|All Things Must Pass}} {{storylink|The Swamp}} {{storylink|Volcanicus (episode)|Volcanicus}} {{storylink|Without Warning}} {{storylink|Consequences}} {{storylink|Collision Course}} {{storylink|Megatronus Unleashed}} {{storylink|Saga's End}}}}

'''Known members:'''
{{collist|3|
*[[Prima]]
*[[The Fallen|Megatronus]]
*[[Alpha Trion]]
*[[Vector Prime]]
*[[Solus Prime]]
*[[Amalgamous Prime]]
*[[Nexus Prime]]
*[[Liege Maximo]]
*[[Onyx Prime]]
*[[Micronus Prime|Micronus]]
*[[Quintus Prime]]
*[[Maccadam|Alchemist Prime]]
*[[Sentinel Prime (G1)|Sentinel Prime]]
}}

====2019 IDW continuity====
[[File:EndOfTime-Thirteen.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Prima and Megatronus, surprisingly ''not'' at each other's throats in this universe. Also, Liege Maximo in the background?]]

The Thirteen Primes were said to have lived in the [[Age of Primes]], before they vanished. {{storylink|War World: Prime|Prime}} [[Termagax]] considered them to be metaphors, avatars, or an expression of the life pattern that made up Cybertron itself, {{storylink|End of Time}} even postulating that the Thirteen might have been fabricated by the early Cybertronians to explain the origins of their [[Artifacts of the Primes|fourteen artifacts]]. Out of all these artifacts, only the Matrix of Leadership and the Enigma of Combination had been seen following the Primes' disappearance. {{storylink|Lord of Misrule: Sea of Rust I|Sea of Rust I}}

The Age of Primes gave way to the [[Age of the Firstforged]]. According to one creation myth, this new generation of Cybertron emerged from the [[Ur-Forge]] of Solus Prime. {{storylink|End of Time}} Though their time had passed, some of the Primes who had not fallen or departed lingered among the [[Firstforged]]. Legend said that Solus Prime and Alchemist Prime received [[Solomus]] to hear his plans for [[Crystal City]], and contributed to its construction. {{storylink|A Dust of Crystals}}

When forced to take [[Lodestar (Titan)|Lodestar]] on an almost certainly suicidal mission against a crazed [[Vigilem]], [[Lightbright (G1)|Lightbright]] prayed that the Thirteen would see the two through their task. {{storylink|The Change In Your Nature Part Five}}

Legends of the Thirteenth Prime, the final bearer of the Matrix, persisted into the present day, and how they would one day claim it. {{storylink|War World: Prime|Prime}}

'''Known members:'''
{{collist|3|
*[[Prima]]
*[[Vector Prime]]
*[[Solus Prime]]
*[[Micronus Prime]]
*[[Maccadam|Alchemist Prime]]
*[[Nexus Prime]]
*[[Quintus Prime]]
*[[Liege Maximo]]
*[[The Fallen|Megatronus]]
*[[Thirteenth Prime#2019 IDW continuity|The Thirteenth Prime]]
}}

{{note|Though the Thirteen's membership in this timeline is based off the "[[#Covenant Thirteen|Covenant Thirteen]]", only ten of the group's members were identified before the continuity came to a close. Of the missing three, the [[Transformation Cog (Thirteen)|Transformation Cog]] of [[Amalgamous Prime]] and the [[Triptych Mask]] of [[Onyx Prime]] were mentioned by Termagax and while [[Alpha Trion]] appeared, there was no explicit confirmation, or rejection, that he was one of the Thirteen—though he ''does'' appear in a stained-glass mural alongside other members of the Thirteen in [[The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Five|issue #11]].}} 
{{--}}

====''War for Cybertron Trilogy'' cartoon====
[[File:EarthriseEpisode5-SkyLynxfloating.jpg|thumb|left|300px|]]
{{groupstub|{{storylink|Earthrise episode 5}}}}

'''Known members:'''
*[[Solus Prime]]
*[[The Fallen]]
*[[Maccadam|Alchemist Prime]]

====''End of G1 Universe''====
[[File:End of G1 Universe Prime Council.jpg|thumb|right|upright=1.5|]]
When [[Maximal]] leader [[Lio Convoy|Leo Prime]] disbanded the "[[Convoy (rank)|Convoy]]" system of government following the end of the [[Cybertronian civil wars|Second Great War]], he replaced the [[Convoy Council]] with the '''Prime Council''' (プライム評議会 ''Puraimu Hyōgika''), a thirteen-seat board of democratically elected [[Prime Leader]]s known colloquially as the "Thirteen Primes." Leo ceded much of his own governing authority to the Council, concerning himself solely with defense of the realm going forward. The Maximal government granted blanket amnesty and eligibility for office to all and sundry, resulting in the bombastic one-time interdimensional invader [[The Fallen|Megatronus The Fallen Prime]] becoming a prominent voice on the body. 

As an epidemic of natural disasters signaled that the Maximals' universe had begun to reach the end of its lifespan, discovering a resource with which to slow the damage became the top of the Council's agenda. In this effort the Council dismissed outright the use of [[Angolmois Energy]] as a threat to public safety, a policy Leo Prime found increasingly exasperating as the energy crisis wore on.

When Leo Prime's patrols across [[Aligned continuity family|adjacent dimensions]] inadvertently resulted in a horde of wild beasts known as "[[Predacon (Prime)|Predacons]]" breaching the Maximals' universe, the Prime Council nearly called for his removal until Megatronus trotted out his own sob story of redemption to get the old lion out of hot water. The Council subsequently cajoled Leo into investigating the [[spirit energy]] of [[Legends World]] as a potential alternative to Angolmois. This proved to be little more than a stalling tactic. As soon as the senior Prime was offworld, the Council seized on the lack of oversight to implement the [[Anti-Angolmois Energy Act]]. Under this statute, the Thirteen had their [[Primal Vanguard]] round up any and all citizens found to be in possession of the substance— including the divine supercomputer [[Primus|Vector Sigma]], and Leo Prime's 100% Angolmois son, [[Lio Junior]]! 

The Council leaked that last bit to bait Leo Prime home with the intention of arresting him as the final Angolmois Energy user. In the course of the ensuing scuffle, Megatronus revealed the Thirteen's ultimate plan: to burn the [[Transformer afterlife]] itself as fuel, with the souls of the "unworthy" dead being used to power the evacuation of the Council and their hand-picked "model citizens" to a new dimension. Leo did not like that plan one bit, and put a definitive end to the Thirteen's schemes by slaying Megatronus at the cost of his own life. {{storylink|Age of Primes (End of G1 Universe)|Age of Primes}}

Following the battle, the distraught [[Dimensional Patrol]] cadet [[Blue Bolts (RID)|Bluebolt]] fled to [[Earth]] under a freed Vector Sigma's orders and revived the corpse of her fallen commander using a {{w|magic circle}} made up of the symbols of the Thirteen. Leo Prime's body merged with the remnants of [[Unicron]]'s Angolmois Energy within the planet as intended, but the ingredients reacted... unexpectedly, creating the mercurial [[Dark Amber Leo Prime]]. {{Storylink|Dark Amber Leo Prime (First)}} {{Storylink|Dark Amber Leo Prime#Masterpiece|Dark Amber Leo Prime bio}}

'''Known members:'''
{{collist|3|
*[[Onyx Prime]]
*[[The Fallen|Megatronus The Fallen Prime]]
*[[Solus Prime]]
*[[Prima|Prima Prime]]
*[[Maccadam|Alchemist Prime]]
*[[Amalgamous Prime]]
*[[Quintus Prime]]
}}
{{--}}

====Energon Universe====
[[File:TF2023 no. 22 - Hall of the Primes.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|]]
The departed essences of the Thirteen apparently resided in the [[Hall of the Primes]], an extra-dimensional realm within the Matrix of Leadership.  Giant effigies of each of the Thirteen stood in the Hall, dwarfing those who ventured through it.  {{storylink|Transformers (2023) issue 22|Transformers #22}}  [[Skywarp (G1)|Skywarp]] once swore by "the soul of the Fallen".  {{storylink|Transformers (2023) issue 3|Transformers #3}}  Optimus Prime and [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparky]] purged a corrupting infection from the Hall of the Primes, seemingly guided by the spirits of the Thirteen.  {{storylink|Transformers (2023) issue 23|Transformers #23}}

'''Known members:'''
{{collist|3|
*[[The Fallen]]
*[[Nexus Prime]]
*[[Liege Maximo]]
*[[Quintus Prime]]
*[[Solus Prime]]
*[[Maccadam|Alchemist Prime]]
*[[Prima]]
*[[Vector Prime]]
}}
{{--}}

===Fun Publications===
[[Vector Prime]] aided the [[Autobot]]s in finding the [[Cyber Planet Key]]s to close the [[Unicron Singularity]]. He regularly reported their progress to [[Alpha Trion]], but during one visit Unicron's servants [[Ramjet (Universe)|Ramjet]] and [[Nemesis Prime (Universe)|Nemesis Prime]] attacked. {{storylink|Balancing Act}} [[Skyfall (Cybertron)|Skyfall]] came to Cybertron looking for clues to his past, only to be attacked by [[Scorponok (Energon)|Dark Scorponok]], {{storylink|Balancing Act, Part 2}} but his forcefield protected him. Ramjet offered him clues to his past in exchange for his <s>soul</s> service. {{storylink|Balancing Act, Part 3}} They went to Primus's spark core to destroy him with the [[Dead Matrix]], but Vector and [[Sentinel Maximus]] fought back. {{storylink|Balancing Act, Part 4}} Ramjet said he would stop trying to kill Primus if Vector aided them in restoring the balance by resurrecting Unicron, but he refused. {{storylink|Balancing Act, Pt 5}} Skyfall tried to save Ramjet but his forcefield only ignited an explosion that killed Ramjet. {{storylink|Revelations Part 1}} Vector had drones repair Skyfall and found [[Omega Prime]]—the creation of one of Trion's [[Viron]] counterparts—had helped Sentinel defeated Nemesis. Omega's presence saddened Vector, as it confirmed the multiverse was falling apart, and he left for Earth. {{storylink|Revelations Part 2}}

Skyfall was helping Sentinel repair [[Vector Sigma]], when [[Over-Run (Armada)|Over-Run]] informed him he had found a twenty-million-cycle-old carving of him and another bot. {{storylink|Revelations Part 4}} Immediately during a battle between [[Mini-Con]] Autobots and [[Decepticon]]s, Skyfall found [[Landquake (Timelines)|Landquake]]. {{storylink|Revelations Part 5}} The two seemingly vanished when Unicron attacked, {{storylink|Revelations Part 6}} when they had been transported to [[Breakaway (Classics)|Breakaway]]'s universe, {{storylink|Crossing Over, Part 1}} and the trio and went through a [[space bridge]] {{storylink|Crossing Over: Part 6}} to find [[Topspin (Classics)|Topspin]] in [[Axiom Nexus]]. [[Cheetor (TransTech)|Cheetor]] and [[Silverbolt (TransTech)|Silverbolt]] introduced the trio to [[Alpha Trion#Shattered Glass|Alpha Trion]]. However, [[Shockwave (TransTech)|Shockwave]] had Breakaway quietly subdued and taken to his laboratory. {{storylink|Transcendent: Part 1}} Skyfall and Landquake realized Breakaway was gone, but Alpha Trion told them to come with him if they wanted to rescue their brother from the evil [[Transcendent Technomorph|TransTechs]]. {{storylink|Transcendent: Part 2}} He explained he was not from this dimension and was part of a resistance movement, introducing them to Topspin, whose job was to transfer their [[lowtech]] followers' [[spark]]s into their TransTech counterparts. Realizing Topspin was one of their kin, Skyfall and Landquake agreed to help. {{storylink|Transcendent: Part 3}} [[Nightscream (TransTech)|Nightscream]] found Breakaway was being held near the portal to Alpha Trion's dimension, {{storylink|Transcendent: Part 4}} and his acolytes attacked, rescuing Breakaway {{storylink|Transcendent: Part 5}} and entering the [[unspace|transwarp]] device. Alpha Trion explained to Skyfall he was the key to the reunification, and killed him as they entered [[Primax -408.24 Epsilon|his universe]]. {{storylink|Transcendent: Part 6}}

[[File:Reunification5-arisenexusprime.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.95|"It's beautiful..." <br> "Holy crap!" <br> "It's perfect!" <br> "This is the best thing!"]]
Despite his claim his was a peaceful world, Alpha Trion shot [[Downshift (SG)|Downshift]], and Breakaway realized Skyfall had been killed by an energy blade rather than shot from behind as the old Autobot claimed. Alpha Trion's troops arrived, took the four components and he proclaimed he would kill them all—as reunification still worked with one of them dead—and that his reign would begin. {{storylink|Reunification: Part 1}} Landquake manipulated the raw energon and used smokebombs to escape, with Topspin and Breakaway carrying Skyfall. Weeks later, after trying unsuccessfully to revive Skyfall, {{storylink|Reunification: Part 2}} the [[Quintesson]] [[Aquarius (SG)|Aquarius]] appeared to take them to [[Megatron (SG)|Megatron]]. {{storylink|Reunification: Part 3}} Landquake explained their situation to the Decepticons, and Megatron asked [[Cyclonus (SG)|Cyclonus]] to bring [[Heatwave (Timelines)|Heatwave]], but then Cyclonus, revealing himself to be an agent of Alpha Trion, assassinated Megatron. {{storylink|Reunification: Part 4}} Breakaway suggested they use their powers to revive Megatron, and found themselves in a white space with Skyfall and Primus. They made their choice: [[Nexus Prime]] was reborn. {{storylink|Reunification: Part 5}} Nexus resurrected Megatron as Galvatron and defeated [[Omega Doom]]. {{storylink|Reunification: Part 6}} Using Galvatron's gift of the [[Space bridge|stellar spanner]], Nexus and Aquarius began dimension-hopping to find the shards of the [[Star Saber (Thirteen)|artifact]] he had been entrusted with, so he could complete his memories. While Nexus outlined the artifact's background to Aquarius, the faces of Vector Prime and [[The Fallen]] flashed through his mind. {{storylink|The Coming Storm: Part 1}}

The TransTechs knew the [[Mini-Con]]s to be the children of [[Micronus Prime]] {{storylink|Rook - Axiom Nexus News: Investigative Journalist|Rook - Axiom Nexus News, 2015/05/09}} and early on in their history were threatened with an ultimately failed coup led by [[Jhiaxus (TransTech)|Jhiaxus]], a follower of the [[Liege Maximo]]. {{storylink|Rook - Axiom Nexus News: Investigative Journalist|Rook - Axiom Nexus News, 2015/05/06}}

When the [[Transcendent Technomorph|TransTech]]s detected significant multiversal chaos resulting from negative polarity Primax Autobots [[Invasion (issue)|crossing over into a mirror universe]], they suspected that [[Rarified Energon]] was somehow involved. [[Rhinox (TransTech)|Rhinox]] was also aware of (correct) rumors that the Thirteen were involved with Rarified Energon. {{storylink|Invasion Prologue}} As part of their response to the multiversal chaos, the TransTechs deployed [[Depth Charge (BW)|Depth Charge]] to prehistoric Shatteredverse Earth in order to keep the [[Origin Matrix]] out of evil hands. {{storylink|Invasion: Epilogue}}

After several unspecified adventures, Aquarius ended up in Axiom Nexus and took charge of a shard of the Star Saber from [[Chifumi Takahashi|a courier]]. In exchange, he promised to help her get home. {{storylink|Transformers I.Q.#issue 48|Transformers I.Q. last issue review}} To their surprise, however, they ended up on Shatteredverse Cybertron. It soon became obvious that Nexus had transported them there in order to receive the [[Origin Matrix]], the fifth and final piece, from [[Ultra Magnus (G1)|Ultra Magnus]], recently retrieved from prehistoric Shatteredverse Earth. {{storylink|Transformers I.Q.#issue 54|Transformers I.Q. trivia bonus #12}} {{storylink|Falling into Place}}

When he reunited the [[Star Saber (Thirteen)|Star Saber]] and the [[Terminus Blade]], Nexus Prime decided that he was going to return things to "how they used to be", {{storylink|Restoration}} and strengthened the walls between the various realities of the multiverse, which had the consequence of ending the existence of he and siblings as multiversal singularities. {{storylink|Out of the One, Many}}

'''Known members:'''
:''See "[[#Multiversal Thirteen|Multiversal Thirteen]]" above''

====Olympian universe====
In certain universes, the Thirteen visited [[Greece]] in a time before human technology was advanced enough for them to assume vehicular disguises. Instead, twelve of their number dwelled on [[Mount Olympus]] and used [[holomatter]] avatars to interact with the natives, {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/20}} while [[Mortilus]] remained beneath the Earth with their ship, alongside his vassal [[Bruticus (RID)|Bruticus]]. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/08/08}}

As "quasi-humans", the Thirteen would become known to the local humans as the {{w|Twelve Olympians|gods of Olympus}}. [[Vector Prime]] was {{w|Hermes}}; the rage-filled [[The Fallen|Megatronus]] was {{w|Ares}}; the hard-working [[Solus Prime]] was {{w|Hephaestus}}; the wise [[Alpha Trion]] was {{w|Athena}}; the eldest of their number [[Prima]] was {{w|Zeus}}; his close ally [[Nexus Prime|Nexus Maximus]] was {{w|Hera}}; the nature-loving hunter [[Onyx Prime]] was {{w|Artemis}}; the hard-drinking [[Maccadam|Alchemist Prime]] was {{w|Dionysus}}; the vain and manipulative [[Liege Maximo]] was {{w|Aphrodite}}; the healer [[Last Autobot|Autonomous Prime]] was {{w|Apollo}}; the chaotic [[Adaptus]] was {{w|Poseidon}}; the solitary Mortilus was {{w|Hades}}; and the knowledge-sharing [[Epistemus]] was {{w|Demeter}}. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/20}} {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/08/08}}

As the Olympians, several of the Thirteen deviated from both their more common gender identities and their status as siblings; Vector considered Hades and Poseidon to be his uncles, {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/20}} and because of the animosity between Hephaestus and Aphrodite, Zeus decreed that they should be [[Transformer romance|bonded together]] to avoid further conflict (which only made things worse). Amongst the Thirteen's many experiences, Hades and Demeter quarrelled over a woman named [[Persephone]]; Vector would later note that as "quasi-humans" their conflicts were far more petty and frequent. {{storylink|Ask Vector Prime|Ask Vector Prime, 2015/08/08}}

'''Known members:'''
{{collist|3|
*[[Vector Prime|Hermes]]
*[[The Fallen|Ares]]
*[[Solus Prime|Hephaestus]]
*[[Alpha Trion|Athena]]
*[[Prima|Zeus]]
*[[Nexus Prime|Hera]]
*[[Onyx Prime|Artemis]]
*[[Maccadam|Dionysus]]
*[[Liege Maximo|Aphrodite]]
*[[Last Autobot|Apollo]]
*[[Adaptus|Poseidon]]
*[[Mortilus|Hades]]
*[[Epistemus|Demeter]]
}}

===Live-action film series===
{{main|Dynasty of Primes}}

[[File:ROTF-sixprimes.jpg|thumb|left|upright=1.66|The Primes in the Matrix/Allspark/surreal part of Primus's imagination.]]
The Primes were the guardians of the [[AllSpark]], charged with replenishing it. They commanded [[Seeker (ROTF)|Seekers]] and [[Constructicon (ROTF)|workers]] to find stars and replenish the AllSpark with their energy. The Fallen began seeing himself as the AllSpark's chosen one and began destroying solar systems with sentient life to replenish the Cube. His brothers warned him not to do it again, so The Fallen tried it again on [[Earth]] to lure them. {{storylink|Tales of the Fallen issue 3|Tales of the Fallen #3}} The Fallen slaughtered all his brothers bar Prima himself, who gathered his brothers' lifeforce to trap The Fallen in his [[sarcophagus]]. Prima sacrificed himself to form a [[Tomb of the Primes|tomb]] with his brothers' bodies to hide the Matrix. {{storylink|Tales of the Fallen issue 4|Tales of the Fallen #4}} 

A long time passed, and The Fallen was eventually dug up. From his prison, he pushed [[Megatron (Movie)|High Protector Megatron]] into forming the Decepticons. {{storylink|Defiance issue 2|Defiance #2}} Thousands of years later, [[Optimus Prime (Movie)|Optimus Prime]], the sole surviving descendant of the Primes to survive The Fallen's rampage, {{storylink|Revenge of the Fallen issue 3|Revenge of the Fallen #3}} had been killed. The Primes appeared to [[Sam Witwicky]], giving him the Matrix to revive Optimus, and Optimus avenged The Fallen's brothers by killing him. {{storylink|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen}}

'''Known members:'''
*[[Prima]]
*[[The Fallen]]

{{note|The ''Revenge of the Fallen'' adaptations have thirteen Primes. While designs were made for twelve non-Fallen Prime heads, the finished film shows only seven Primes, and this change was followed in ''[[Transformers: Tales of the Fallen|Tales of the Fallen]]'' and [[Transformers (Titan Magazine)|the Titan magazine]].}}

===Aligned continuity family===
[[File:OneShallRise1-TheThirteen.jpg|thumb|upright=2.2|They're not a fan of direct lighting.]]

Seeing the endless stalemate between him and [[Unicron#Aligned continuity family|Unicron]], [[Primus]] created the Thirteen, warriors in the mold of himself and Unicron, to fight in his stead and introduce random variables. The Thirteen did indeed succeed in [[Expulsion of Unicron|defeating Unicron]] but were infected with a touch of the Chaos-Bringer's darkness as a result of direct proximity to the Dark God.

Following Unicron's exile, the Primes began reshaping their world before the manipulations of [[Liege Maximo]] caused the group to descend into civil war. The skirmish claimed both Maximo and [[Solus Prime]]. [[Onyx Prime|Onyx]], [[Micronus Prime|Micronus]] and [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] chose to descend into the [[Core]] and join Primus so they could aid in the creation of the Cybertronian race with [[Prima]], [[Alpha Trion]] and [[Maccadam|Alchemist Prime]] remaining on Cybertron to act as stewards for the newborn species while [[Nexus Prime]] separated himself into separate individuals to live among the ordinary Cybertronians. [[Quintus Prime|Quintus]], [[Amalgamous Prime|Amalgamous]], [[Vector Prime]] and [[The Fallen]] left Cybertron outright.

Following the [[Great Cataclysm]], Prima and Alchemist Prime disappeared with Alpha Trion choosing to fall into obscurity. As a result, the Thirteen became little more than a myth in the new era. {{storylink|Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|Covenant of Primus}} 

What lore regarding the Primes survived into the pre-War era is that their war made them "enemies of brothers, murderers of lovers, heroes of the insignificant, and cowards of the mighty". Allegiances formed and broke apart: Megatronus refused to bow before his brothers, and he believed he would be vindicated someday despite his destructive methods. The murder of one sent them across the stars, to battle among themselves for billions of cycles. Finally, there came a time when Prima had to relinquish the Matrix. Afterward, the [[Covenant of Primus]] decreed Cybertron could only have one Prime at a time. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}} The chamber of the [[Autobot High Council|High Council of Cybertron]] had statues depicting the Primes. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 3}} 

[[File:OneShallRise1-Thirteenattack.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.66|Three seconds of one episode made up for a lifetime of lack of Thirteen images.]]
[[Alpha Trion]] remained on Cybertron, recording these events into the Covenant, and the Primes became myths doubted by [[Jazz (WFC)|some]]. Alpha Trion retreated into becoming the Archivist of the [[Hall of Records]] when [[Sentinel Zeta Prime|Sentinel Prime]], the [[Autobot High Council|High Council]], and the [[Guilds of Cybertron]] ignored his protests about the [[Functionism|caste system]]. The [[Matrix of Leadership|Matrix]] did not bestow itself onto another until the unworthy Sentinel died, and [[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]] was imbued with it, while his nemesis had become known as [[Megatron (WFC)|Megatron]], who like his namesake had come to destroy that he believed in. {{storylink|Transformers: Exodus|Exodus}}

During his travels across the galaxy, Optimus Prime encountered both [[Vector Prime|Vector]] and [[Nexus Prime]] both of whom expressed surprise that Alpha Trion still lived and wondered if any of their other brothers might still be alive. {{storylink|Transformers: Exiles|Exiles}}

When Unicron stirred, Optimus Prime explained the history of the Thirteen to his human allies. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 1}}

Before Optimus Prime was to die, {{storylink|Predacons Rising (Prime)|Predacons Rising}} the Primes intercepted his [[spark]] and brought him to their [[Realm of the Primes|realm]]. {{storylink|Decepticon Island (Part 1)}}

After his death, Optimus was able to appear to Bumblebee when the Primes deemed the young bot's need was most dire. {{storylink|W.W.O.D.?}} As part of Optimus's training, Micronus challenged him to a test which resulted in him unlocking the capabilities of the [[Prime Decepticon Hunter]]. {{storylink|Out of Focus}} Though Optimus did not fully complete his training, he had six of the Primes in the [[Realm of the Primes]] send him to Earth to deal with the return of Megatronus, {{storylink|Battlegrounds, Part 1}} which he accomplished with the aid of the [[Bee Team (RID)|Bee Team]]. {{storylink|Battlegrounds, Part 2}}

'''Known members:'''
:''See "[[#Covenant Thirteen|Covenant Thirteen]]" above''
{{--}}

===''Portal'' cartoon===
{{groupstub|{{storylink|Transformers: Portal}}}}

'''Known members:'''
*[[Prima]]
*[[Nexus Prime]]
*[[Quintus Prime]]
*[[Vector Prime]]
*[[Micronus Prime]]

===''Cyberverse'' cartoon===
Legendary figures in Cybertronian society, the Thirteen were the first of the Primes, each having a psychic pillar dedicated to them in the Matrix of Leadership where their spirits persisted after their physical deaths. {{storylink|Dweller In The Depths (Cyberverse)|Dweller In The Depths}} Through this, the bearer of the Matrix could commune with the Thirteen and seek their power and wisdom in times of crisis. {{storylink|Silent Strike}}

In the modern era, the only known members of the Thirteen to survive were [[Alpha Trion]] and [[Maccadam|Alchemist Prime]]. {{storylink|Dweller In The Depths (Cyberverse)|Dweller In The Depths}} Under unknown circumstances, Alchemist adopted the alias of "[[Maccadam]]" and hid his connection to the group though rumours, ones that [[Bumblebee (Cyberverse)|Bumblebee]] personally didn't buy into, of his true origins circled around. {{storylink|Maccadam's}} Alpha Trion, meanwhile, carried the [[Matrix of Leadership]], seeking to pass it on to a worthy bearer; he eventually found someone worthy in [[Optimus Prime (Cyberverse)|Optimus Prime]], and passed the Matrix on to him after Trion was mortally wounded, inducting him as a Prime. {{storylink|Matrix of Leadership (episode)|Matrix of Leadership}}

'''Known members:'''
:''See "[[#Covenant Thirteen|Covenant Thirteen]]" above''

{{note|The fact that Optimus Prime is not, apparently, an ancient Cybertronian like he is in the [[Aligned continuity family]] makes it unclear how he fits into the Thirteen, despite having one of the thirteen pillars in [[Matrix of Leadership#Alternate universe|a divergent timeline's Matrix]]. ''Cyberverse'' writer [[Mae Catt]] suggested that it was possible that there were additional pillars for other Primes within the Matrix that just happened to be "offscreen".}}

===''EarthSpark'' cartoon===
[[File:Disarmed-TheThirteen.jpg|right|thumb|300px|Solus has been hulking up.]]
The Thirteen Primes established [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]'s culture in its early days. {{storylink|Age of Evolution, Part 1}} One of their number, [[Liege Maximo]], eventually went rogue, seeking to use the Primes' [[Artifacts of the Primes|artifacts]] to turn other planets into sources of [[energon]] and make Cybertron the centre of a galactic empire. The other Primes imprisoned Liege in a "lightless void" and erased all mention of his name from Cybertronian history. {{storylink|Legacy of Hope}}

Eventually, [[Quintus Prime]] left Cybertron, using his [[Emberstone]] to seed life on other planets. {{storylink|Age of Evolution, Part 1}}

During the era of the [[Great War (ES)|Great War]], Liege Maximo managed to escape his prison. Returning to Cybertron, Maximo discovered the [[AllSpark]] and poisoned it with one of his [[Liegian Darts]], preventing it from healing the planet and allowing him to convince those Cybertronians still active on the planet that his plan would restore their world. Still committed to his original plan, Maximo began to hunt down his siblings, slaying them and taking their artifacts for himself. {{storylink|Legacy of Hope}}

When explaining the power of the Primes to the Malto family, [[Optimus Prime (ES)|Optimus Prime]] showed them the [[Matrix of Leadership]], granted to him by the Primes, briefly touching on the history of the Primes and their artifacts. {{storylink|Disarmed}}

When a [[space bridge]] opened to [[Earth]], Maximo sent [[Hot Rod (ES)|Hot Rod]] through to recover the Emberstone and bring it to him. When Optimus Prime led other Autobots into the portal after him, {{storylink|Hometown Heroes}} Maximo captured them, seeking the Matrix. After [[Robby Malto]] had found and removed the Dart that Liege had placed in the AllSpark, allowing it to start healing Cybertron, the Autobots and [[Terran]]s destroyed Maximo's horns, banishing him back to his prison. {{storylink|Legacy of Hope}}

'''Known members:'''
*[[Prima]]
*[[Quintus Prime]]
*[[Liege Maximo]]
*[[Optimus Prime (ES)|Optimus Prime]]

{{note|While the rest of the Primes went unnamed, the existence of [[The Fallen|Megatronus]], [[Nexus Prime]], [[Onyx Prime]], and [[Vector Prime]] was indicated by the Liege Maximo using the [[Requiem Blaster (Thirteen)|Requiem Blaster]], the [[Enigma of Combination]], the [[Triptych Mask]], and the [[Blades of Time]] in "[[Legacy of Hope]]".}}

===''One'' film===
[[File:TransformersOne-ThePrimesholograms.jpg|thumb|300px|'''Hasbro''': "''Power of the Primes'' wasn't that successful. How are we gonna make the Thirteen popular enough to make toys out of them?"<br>
'''Josh Cooley''': "I'm going to do what's called a pro-gamer move!"]]
The original thirteen Primes were created by [[Primus]] at the dawn of Cybertron, the first Transformers and the leaders of the race's Golden Age. The [[High Guard]] served as their elite bodyguards. The Primes ruled in peace for eons until the Quintessons attacked and threw Cybertron into violent war. The war raged for years until [[Sentinel Prime (One)|Sentinel]], the Primes' secretary, informed them of a secret gathering of Quintesson generals. The Primes, realizing that a decisive attack could decimate enemy leadership and win the war, went as a group to attack the council in a hidden cave. When they arrived, they found a waiting Quintesson ambush. The Primes fought and gained the upper hand when Sentinel betrayed them, stabbing Nexus Prime through his chest, decapitating Megatronus Prime, and using Nexus' weapon to kill several of the others, including Solus Prime and Zeta Prime. Sentinel attempted to take the Matrix of Leadership from Zeta's body, but it rejected him and disintegrated. Instead, Sentinel took Megatronus' [[Transformation cog (biology)|transformation cog]] as his trophy. Sentinel declared himself the new Prime and left to take control of Cybertron, unaware that Alpha Trion survived the battle in stasis. To the public, Sentinel disseminated a cover story in which he was the last survivor of the Primes, the rest of whom died heroically to defeat the Quintessons.

Fifty cycles later, the [[cogless]] miners [[Optimus Prime (One)|Orion Pax]], [[Megatron (One)|D-16]], [[Elita-1 (One)|Elita-1]], and [[Bumblebee (One)|B-127]] discovered the Primes' resting place following an S.O.S. beacon from Trion. They reawakened the sleeping Prime and he recounted Sentinel's betrayal to them, denouncing him as a false Prime, before bestowing them with transformation cogs borrowed from Prima, Alchemist, Micronus, and Onyx. The four left to take the evidence to Iacon while Trion held off Sentinel's forces, killing several Death Trackers before being captured by [[Airachnid (One)|Airachnid]]. Trion was taken to face Sentinel, who gloated with him before killing the Prime for trying to give him a speech.

Later, during a battle with Sentinel's forces, D-16 accidentally shot Orion and allowed him to fall towards Cybertron's core. There, the spirits of the Primes appeared and informed Orion that Primus had chosen him to carry the Matrix of Leadership, and he was reborn as Optimus Prime. While this was happening, D-16 killed Sentinel and took Megatronus' cog for his own. Embittered by Sentinel's misuse of the Primes' legacy to deceive Cybertron into slavery, D-16 declared that there would be no more Primes, and renamed himself Megatron. {{storylink|Transformers One (film)|One}}

'''Known members:'''
{{collist|3|
*[[Prima#One film|Prima Prime]]
*[[The Fallen#One film|Megatronus Prime]]
*[[Alpha Trion#One continuity|Alpha Trion]]
*[[Vector Prime#One film|Vector Prime]]
*[[Solus Prime#One film|Solus Prime]]
*[[Amalgamous Prime#One film|Amalgamous Prime]]
*[[Nexus Prime#One film|Nexus Prime]]
*[[Liege Maximo#One film|Liege Maximo]]
*[[Onyx Prime#One film|Onyx Prime]]
*[[Micronus Prime#One film|Micronus Prime]]
*[[Quintus Prime#One film|Quintus Prime]]
*[[Maccadam#One film|Alchemist Prime]]
*[[Zeta Prime (One)|Zeta Prime]]
}}

===''Age of the Primes'' marketing material===
[[File:AOTP Thirteen Awaken Cybertron Con 2024.jpg|thumb|250px|AWAKEN \ AWAKEN \ AWAKEN \ AWAKEN<br>[[Transformers: Cybertron (franchise)|SAVE OUR WORLDS]] \ SMITE FORSAKEN]]
The Thirteen Primes were the first Transformers ever made. To a bot, each Transformer could trace their [[Energon bloodline|lineage]] back to one of the Thirteen. They fell into some manner of dormancy at some point, and were awoken by the battles of the Transformers of the present day. {{storylink|Cybertron Con 2024|Age of the Primes reveal cinematic}}

'''Known members:'''
{{collist|3|
*[[Prima|Prima Prime]]
*[[Vector Prime]]
*[[Alpha Trion]]
*[[Solus Prime]]
*[[Micronus Prime]]
*[[Maccadam|Alchemist Prime]]
*[[Nexus Prime]]
*[[Onyx Prime]]
*[[Amalgamous Prime]]
*[[Quintus Prime]]
*[[Liege Maximo|Liege Maximo Prime]]
*[[The Fallen|Megatronus the Fallen]]
*[[Thirteenth Prime|Star Optimus Prime]]
}}

{{--}}

==Games==
===''Transformers: Earth Wars''===
The Thirteen appointed the warrior [[Sentius Nobilius]] to guard [[Artifacts of the Primes|their stuff]], granting him his own holy weapon, the [[Sword of Balance]], for the task. Sentius was betrayed by one of the Primes, who turned his own sword against him to cleave him in two, creating the Relic Guardian of Light, [[Sentius Magnus]], and the Relic Guardian of Darkness, [[Sentius Malus]]. {{storylink|Source:Transformers: Earth Wars/2018#Sentius Magnus|Sentius Magnus bio}} {{storylink|Source:Transformers: Earth Wars/2018#Sentius Malus|Sentius Malus bio}}
{{chargamestub|Nova's backstory, Artifact stuff, more probably}}

====The Prime Core war====
[[File:Earth Wars Megatronus Core.jpg|thumb|upright=0.6]]
{{see|Prime Master#Transformers: Earth Wars}}

The [[Prime Master#Transformers:Earth Wars|Prime Cores]]—each the "heart" of one of the Thirteen Primes—appeared and fell to Earth, becoming a hotly contested new resource in the [[Earth Wars (conflict)|Earth Wars]]. {{storylink|Power of the Primes (Earth Wars)|Power of the Primes}} 

{{chargamestub|''Power of the Primes'' storyline (starts with [[Warpath & Skullsmasher Saga]])}}

====The Great Resetting====
[[File:EW-Nova Prime.jpg|thumb|right|250px|]]
Upon [[Vector Prime]]'s arrival into regular spacetime, [[Cliffjumper (G1)|Cliffjumper]] and [[C.L. (G1)|C.L.]] took only a moment to recognise their saviour as one of the original Thirteen. Vector had broken his vow of non-interference to stop the machinations of his renegade sibling, [[Nova Prime]]. {{storylink|Enemy of My Enemy (Earth Wars)|Enemy of My Enemy}} Vector also approached the time-lost [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], who was very honoured to meet his forebear. {{storylink|Timeless Champions#Vector Prime|Vector Prime arrival}}

{{chargamestub|[[Tarnation|Alpha Trion's saga]], rest of [[Timeless Champions]] and subsequent time warp storyline}}

====The Age of Primes====
{{see|Transformers: Earth Wars#Primes}}
{{chargamestub|{{storylink|New Armada}} {{storylink|Second Armada}} {{storylink|Third Armada}} {{storylink|Prime Relics}}}}

'''Known members:'''
{{collist|3|
*[[Prima]]
*[[The Fallen|Megatronus]]
*[[Alpha Trion]]
*[[Vector Prime]]
*[[Solus Prime]]
*[[Amalgamous Prime]]
*[[Nexus Prime]]
*[[Liege Maximo]]
*[[Onyx Prime]]
*[[Micronus Prime|Micronus]]
*[[Quintus Prime]]
*[[Maccadam|Alchemist Prime]]
*[[Nova Prime]]
}}
{{-}}

===''Transformers Roleplaying Game''===
Some Transformers theorized that the Thirteen may have been the original combiners. {{storylink|The Enigma of Combination}}
{{Gamestub|{{storylink|Transformers One Sourcebook}}}}

==Toys==
===''Power of the Primes''===
[[File:TF-POTP-Vector-Prime-Prime-Master.jpg|upright=1.4|thumb]]
{{main|Prime Master}}
{{toydesigner|[[John Warden]] and [[Lynsey Urban]] (Hasbro)|[[Robby Musso]] (concept artist), [[Marcelo Matere]] (packaging artist)}}

:The centerpiece of the [[2018]] ''[[Power of the Primes (toyline)|Power of the Primes]]'' line, the Prime Masters represent the [[spark]]s of the Thirteen.

:Largely recycling the engineering of the previous line's "[[Titan Master]]" [[Headmaster (technology)|head guys]], the Prime Masters transform from tiny robots to vague mystical blocks prominently emblazoned with each Prime's [[Insignia/Gallery#Religious symbols|personal sigil]]. They were initially packed on individual cards with "[[Pretender#Power of the Primes|Decoy Armors]]" based on various classic [[Pretender]] characters before becoming pack-ins to various big-ticket box sets as the line reached its conclusion.
 
:Operating solo, the Prime Masters have the ability to reconfigure with their Decoy Armors into chunky [[Targetmaster (technology)|Targetmaster]]-style weapons for larger figures to wield. When slotted into the chest armor/[[combiner]] fists of the line's Deluxes, forearm bucklers/combiner feet of the Voyagers, the chests of fully assembled combiners in place of their [[Enigma of Combination#Power of the Primes|Enigmas of Combination]], or the [[Matrix of Leadership/toys#Power of the Primes|Matrices]] of the Leader Class figures, the Prime Masters grant the bearer the abilities of their respective Prime via [[Prime Master/Combinations|the power of your imagination]].

:In the toyline's grand finale, twelve of the thirteen Prime Masters can combine with the [[San Diego Comic-Con]]-exclusive [[Throne of the Primes]] to create the almighty plastic spinner wheel known as the [[Halo of Primus]], with the straggler intended to ride in the included [[Optimus Primal (BW)/toys#SDCC2018|Prime-ified Optimus Primal's]] chest or the related [[Scepter of Sparks]].

{{--}}

===''Legacy''===
[[File:Legacy-A-Hero-Is-Born-Alpha-Trion.jpg|thumb|upright=1.4|]]
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-a1|'''A Hero Is Born''' (2-pack, [[2022]])<br>([[Alpha Trion/toys#Legacy|Alpha Trion]] and [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generations toys#HasbroPulse|Orion Pax]] w/ [[Vector Sigma#Legacy|Vector Sigma]])}}
{{Bp-multi|'''[[Nova Prime#Legacy|Nova Prime]]''' (Leader Class, [[2023]] / [[2025]])}}
{{Bp-a1|[[Vector Prime#Legacy|'''Cybertron Universe Vector Prime''']] (Voyager Class, [[2024]])}}</ul>
{{toydesigner|[[Evan Brooks]] and [[Mark Maher]] (Hasbro), [[Takio Ejima]], [[Takashi Kunihiro]], and [[Yūya Ōnishi]] (TakaraTomy)|[[Lenny Panzica]] (initial concept, Alpha Trion)}}<ref>[https://youtu.be/vuZHDR3ZBd8 Transformers Panel] at [[Hasbro Pulse Con 2022]] Day 1 on the [[Hasbro Pulse]] YouTube channel.</ref><ref>[[April 25]], [[2024]]'s [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s06YE02e844  Hasbro Pulse Transformers Fanstream | April 2024] on YouTube, with [[Ben MacCrae]], [[Mark Maher]] and [[Evan Brooks]].</ref>

:[[Alpha Trion/toys#Legacy|Alpha Trion]] and [[Vector Prime#Legacy|Vector Prime]] both received Voyager Class toys styled after their original solo appearances in the grab-bag ''[[Transformers: Legacy|''Legacy]]'' toyline, retooled from from ''[[Studio Series]]'' [[Scourge (G1)/toys#Studio Series|Scourge]] and the earlier ''Legacy'' [[Jhiaxus (G2)#Legacy|Jhiaxus]] respectively.

:While the figures feature little to no influence from their [[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|''Covenant'']]-forward depictions, they do nonetheless include mystical doohickies that eventually featured in more Thirteen-centric stories, including Alpha Trion's longstanding conduit to Primus himself [[Vector Sigma#Legacy|Vector Sigma]] and the [[Cyber Key]] later characterized as the [[Zeonomicon#Legacy|Zeonomicon]] that Vector wrested from lesser-known Thirteen member [[Logos Prime]].

:[[Nova Prime#Legacy|Nova Prime]], meanwhile, received a Leader Class toy based on his non-Thirteen appearance in the ''[[Transformers: Devastation|Devastation]]'' video game retooled from ''[[War for Cybertron: Siege|Siege]]'' [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generations toys#S40|Galaxy Upgrade Optimus Prime]] (itself retooled from ''Siege'' [[Ultra Magnus (G1)/toys#War for Cybertron: Siege|Ultra Magnus]]) that subsequently colored his adventures as a member of the Thirteen in the ''[[Transformers: Earth Wars|Earth Wars]]'' mobile game.

{{--}}

===''Age of the Primes''===
[[File:TF-Age of the Primes-Solus Prime.jpg|thumb|300px]]
<ul class="iconlist">
{{Bp-pr4|[[Solus Prime#Age of the Primes|'''The Thirteen Solus Prime''']] (Deluxe Class, [[2025]])}}
{{Bp-pr6|[[Maccadam#Age of the Primes|'''The Thirteen Alchemist Prime''']] (Deluxe Class, 2025)}}
{{Bp-pr5|[[Micronus Prime#Age of the Primes|'''The Thirteen Micronus Prime''']] (Deluxe Class, 2025)}}
{{Bp-pr1|[[Prima#Age of the Primes|'''The Thirteen Prima Prime''']]  (Voyager Class, 2025)}}
{{Bp-pr3|[[Alpha Trion/toys#Age of the Primes|'''The Thirteen Alpha Trion''']] (Voyager Class, 2025)}}
{{Bp-pr12|[[The Fallen/toys#Age of the Primes|'''The Thirteen Megatronus the Fallen''']] (Leader Class, 2025)}}
{{Bp-pr8|[[Onyx Prime#Age of the Primes|'''The Thirteen Onyx Prime''']] (Leader Class, 2025)}}
{{Bp-pr13|[[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generations toys#Age of the Primes|'''The Thirteen Star Optimus Prime''']] (Titan Class, 2025)}}
{{Bp-pr10|[[Quintus Prime#Age of the Primes|'''The Thirteen Quintus Prime''']] (Deluxe Class, [[2026]])}}
{{Bp-pr9|[[Amalgamous Prime#Age of the Primes|'''The Thirteen Amalgamous Prime''']] (Voyager Class, 2026)}}
{{Bp-pr7|[[Nexus Prime#Age of the Primes|'''The Thirteen Nexus Prime''']] (Voyager Class, 2026)}}
{{Bp-pr11|[[Liege Maximo#Age of the Primes|'''The Thirteen Liege Maximo''']] (Leader Class, 2026)}}
</ul>
:{{toydesigner|[[Mark Maher]] (Hasbro),  [[Yūya Ōnishi]], [[Shuhei Umezu]], [[Takashi Kunihiro]], [[Shogo Hasui]], and [[Hisashi Yuki]] (TakaraTomy)|[[Marcelo Matere]] (concept artist), [[Aaron Archer]] and [[Ken Christiansen]] (original concepts)}}

:Seven years after ''Power of the Primes'', hot off the heels of their role in ''Transformers One'', the Thirteen return to toy store shelves in the ''[[Transformers: Age of the Primes|Age of the Primes]]'' in full force as full-scale figures remixing aspects of their various depictions into "definitive" versions, [[Artifacts of the Primes|artifacts]], personal insignias and all.

:All Thirteen Primes are slated for production within the bounds of this two-year toyline with [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Generation 1 Optimus Prime]] in his [[Optimus Prime (G1)/Generation 1 cartoon continuity#The Battlestars manga and story pages|Star <s>Convoy</s> Optimus Prime form]] cast in the role of the [[Thirteenth Prime|normally mysterious 13th member]], using the [[Zodiac]] as his artifact equivalent.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=The best part of the next 2 years is, you’ll not only collect the 13 primes but theres an amazing plethora of bots that are all descendents of the primes, you can collect them all, finish mini collections, and guess their energon bloodline.|link=https://www.instagram.com/p/DC2tKXARTg3/|name=Mark Maher|site=Instagram|year=2024|month=11|day=26}}</ref>  All of their figures (barring [[Vector Prime]], who received [[#Legacy|a toy]] in the immediately preceding ''[[Transformers: Legacy#United|United]]'' [[subline imprint]] of the ''Legacy'' toyline) are new molds for the line,<ref>{{citesocial|quote=All 13 primes will be present but it will be broken over two years. They are all new molds (except vector)|link= https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/2025-generations-listings-united-wave-5-age-of-the-primes.1259609/page-965#post-22925515|name=Evan Brooks|site=Instagram|year=2024|month=12|day=8}}</ref> and those released in wave 1 have no currently-planned reuses (a rarity for the ''[[Transformers: Generations (toyline)|Generations]]'' toyline).<ref>{{citesocial|quote=As for Prima, there currently no plans for retools of those primes molds|link=https://www.tfw2005.com/boards/threads/2025-generations-listings-united-wave-5-age-of-the-primes.1259609/page-1080#post-22950126|name=Evan Brooks|site=Instagram|year=2024|month=12|day=18}}</ref>

{{comingsoontoy|Nexus and Maximo}}

==Merchandise==
{{toystub|The inordinate amount of Thirteen swag produced by Hasbro Asia for ''Age of the Primes''}}

==Notes==
[[File:End of G1 Universe Thirteen Circle.jpg|thumb|right|300px|The [[Halo of Primus|Halo]] of [[Mortilus]], more like.]]
*The notion of the Primes being originally huge is similar to early ''Revenge of the Fallen'' concepts where the Fallen dwarfed Optimus and was almost the size of a pyramid, as evident from [[Defiance issue 4|''Defiance'' #4]] and the [[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (novel)|novelization]].
*Brand mainstay [[Marcelo Matere]] purportedly designed the Thirteen's [[Insignia/Gallery#Religious symbols|sigils]] for the ''[[Power of the Primes (franchise)|Power of the Primes]]'' franchise in a ''single day''.<ref>"Spotlight: Marcelo Matere" panel at TFNation 2025</ref>
*It feels somewhat implausible that the paranormal beings [[Blue Bolts (RID)|Bluebolt]] invokes in her botched attempt at reviving [[Lio Convoy|Leo Prime]] from the dead in the [[Dark Amber Leo Prime (First)|first issue]] of ''[[The Transformers: End of G1 Universe|End of G1 Universe]]'' are intended to be the same group as the power-mad bureaucrats the duo were just brawling with in [[Age of Primes (End of G1 Universe)|issue #3]], but hey, we just work here. Presumably author [[Hayato Sakamoto]] did not expect to be hawking an entire Thirteen-centric toyline in the form of [[2026]]'s ''[[Transformers: Age of the Primes|Age of the Primes]]'' when slipping in the [[Halo of Primus]] for a cheeky ''Power of the Primes'' reference in [[2022]].
*[[Alpha Trion]], [[Vector Prime]] and [[Nova Prime]]'s character models in the ''[[Transformers: Earth Wars|Earth Wars]]'' mobile game's tie-in story arc for ''[[Transformers: Age of the Primes|Age of the Primes]]'' are all [[Show-accuracy|heavily styled after]] their respective ''[[Transformers: Legacy|Legacy]]'' toys. 
**Somewhat unsurprisingly those Primes introduced since ([[The Fallen|Megatronus]] and [[Solus Prime|Solus]] as of this writing) have used their designs from ''Age of the Primes'' proper.
===Foreign names===
*''Japanese:'' '''Saisho no Jūsannin no Prime''' (最初の13人のプライム, "Original 13 Primes")
*''Mandarin:'' '''Shísān Tiānyuán''' (十三天元, “Thirteen Ancestral Primes”)
*''Turkish:'' '''On Üç''' ("Thirteen")

==See also==
*[[Covenant (group)|Covenant]]
*[[Ancient]]
*[[Primus Vanguard]]

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{Thirteen}}
{{IDWPrimes nav}}

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