Editing Skydive (G1 Aerialbot)

{{factions|autobot|autobotg2}}
{{disambig3|Skydive}}
{{picsneeded}}
:''Skydive is an [[Autobot]] [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbot]] from the [[Generation 1 (franchise)|Generation 1]] [[continuity family]].''

[[Image:Skydive profile.jpg|right|250px|thumb|Bookish flying ace extraordinaire.]]
'''Skydive''', it has been said, would rather read about an aerial battle than take part in one. He's the Aerialbot's resident bookworm and is fascinated by the history and science behind aerial warfare. Within the limits of his design, he's capable of duplicating the flight patterns of anything he sees. His knowledge of aerial warfare and tactics is unmatched. Skydive is probably the most skilled Autobot flier in existence. All of that, and you're more likely to find him secluded in a cozy library than actually in the sky. He's simply too modest and bookish to realize how smart and skilled he really is. Thankfully the rest of the Autobots definitely do.

Skydive combines with his fellow [[Aerialbot (G1)|Aerialbots]] to form [[Superion (G1)|Superion]].




:''Italian name'': '''Log'''
:''French-Canadian name'': '''Parachuto'''



== Fiction ==
===Cartoon continuity===
:''Voice actor:'' [[Laurie Faso]] (English), [[Takurō Kitagawa]] (Japanese)

At one point during the eternal war with the Autobots on Earth, Megatron grew fed up with how his opponents ruled the roads and created a group of Decepticon cars known as the [[Stunticon|Stunticons]]. In order to give his new warriors life, he brought them to Cybertron and tracked down the ancient supercomputer, [[Vector Sigma]], to input cybernetic personalities into the Stunticons. Thanks to a series of traps and drones in their way, the Autobots failed to prevent Megatron from succeeding and returning to Earth. Seeking to even the playing field, Optimus Prime conceived of the idea of retrofitting several broken-down Cybertronian ships into Earthen jets, and bring them to life as a team of Autobot flyers. With the help of his technical savvy soldiers, [[Hoist (G1)|Hoist]], Wheeljack, [[Ratchet (G1)|Ratchet]], and Prime's own creator, [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]], Optimus's plan was enacted and the Aerialbots were born. {{storylink|The Key to Vector Sigma, Part 2}}

[[Image:Skydive slingshot.jpg|right|180px|thumb|Skydive tries to explain to Slingshot why his wrist-mounted sundial doesn't work in the shade.]]
Because Optimus Prime specified to Vector Sigma that the Aerialbots be given personalities that required them to learn and grow, and make their own decisions, however, Skydive and his friends were not instantly bound to the Autobot cause. Their sense of pride in their flying ability caused many of them to look down on the other Autobots. Despite their personalities being like night and day, Skydive and Slingshot were frequent flying partners and often on the same side of any argument. Skydive's eye for aerial maneuvering left him just as impressed as the more emotional Slingshot when it came to the [[Seeker|Seekers]]' flight skills, and this innocent zest for knowledge led him and his partners into a Decepticon trap. Turning the [[Kronosphere]] on the hapless Autobots, Megatron sent the Aerialbots back in time nine million years. Their journey led them to the earliest days of the war, and they personally saw Megatron maliciously gun down unarmed Cybertronians in his quest for power. Skydive and the other Aerialbots returned to the present with an unshakeable commitment to seeing the Decepticons threat ended. {{storylink|War Dawn}}

Skydive and [[Slingshot]] were once carved up into pieces and somehow put back together by a street kid who also just happened to be a deposed royal prince of a Middle Eastern nation who is also a mechanical genius. Convenient. {{storylink|Aerial Assault}}

===Marvel Comics continuity===
====Generation 1====
{{noteukonly}}
''Thanks to his previous connection to the [[Matrix of Leadership|Creation Matrix]], [[Buster Witwicky]] began experiencing dreams and visions of new Transformers, beginning with an etching of Superion he made without even being consciously aware of it. {{storylink|Devastation Derby!}} By sharing his visions with [[Optimus Prime (G1)|Optimus Prime]], Buster was able to clarify the images and understand the future of the evolution of the Cybertronian race -- amalgam model robots like the [[Constructicon (G1)|Constructicons]]' [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]], capable of a more-streamlined merging into a more powerful form. It was these visions which allowed Optimus Prime and [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] to conceive of and construct the Aerialbots. {{storylink|Second Generation!}}''

Working on a plan to reverse engineer the gestalt technology the Decepticons used to create Devastator, Optimus Prime and the Autobots staged a daring raid on the Decepticon base of operations, giving [[Bumblebee (G1)|Bumblebee]] enough time to digitally record the Constructicon's electrical transformation pattern for study. {{storylink|Command Performances!}} Working off that blueprint, Wheeljack successfully created Skydive and the Aerialbots. During the new warriors' testing phase, however, the Autobots were alerted to a Decepticon operation at Hoover Dam. Only the Aerialbots were fast enough to reach the location in time, and so Prime was forced to send them into battle before their programming was completed.

Arriving to find a giant energy siphoning device being channeled through the [[Space Bridge]], [[Silverbolt (G1)|Silverbolt]] deferred to Skydive's strategic knowledge on how to deal with the target. Skydive's preliminary attack run failed to even damage the device, however, and before he could make a second pass the Decepticon jet [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]] took the offensive, temporarily grounding Skydive with the disruptive power of his engines.

The Aerialbots eventually turned the tide on the Decepticons and drove them off, giving them time to focus on the energy siphon which was the core of the problem. At Silverbolt's command, they merged into Superion and began dismantling the drill device. A problem arose, however, when [[Bombshell]]'s [[cerebro-shell]] controlled pawn [[Ricky Vasquez]] pointed [[Megatron (G1)|Megatron]] (in his gun mode) at the giant Autobot. Because the majority of the Aerialbots were not programmed specifically to protect human life, Superion only saw a potential threat that needed to be eliminated. As the human fought against the Decepticons' control, Silverbolt too fought inside Superion's gestalt mind to protect the human. In the end, Silverbolt was forced to disengage Superion to keep him from destroying the human. Luckily, Ricky was more successful and managed to break the cerebro-shell's hold long enough to point Megatron at the drill and destroy it, ending the threat. {{storylink|Aerialbots over America!}}

After the near disaster at Hoover Dam, Optimus Prime had the Aerialbots shut down and their programming completely erased. Returned to a blank slate, he then inputed fully-programmed personalities for them with the Matrix before their next mission. It, uh... didn't help. In battle with [[Menasor (G1)|Menasor]] as Superion, the Aerialbots were attacked by [[Circuit Breaker]], deactivated, and captured by [[RAAT]]. It was only a lucky break that they were eventually freed. {{storylink|Heavy Traffic!}}

As [[Grimlock (G1)|Grimlock]] took over the Autobots, Skydive and the other Aerialbots took an extended leave of absence from the war, since the [[Dinobot (G1)|Dinobot]] commander focused Autobot resources on repairing their fallen comrades and prepping the Ark to become spaceworthy again.

Sometime later, it was Skydive, [[Fireflight (G1)|Fireflight]], and [[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]] who were the first to respond to a distress call from Buster Witwicky, the Autobots' old human ally who had been prisoner to the Decepticons for nearly a year. This led the combined Autobot and Decepticon forces into battle with [[Starscream (G1)|Starscream]], who had acquired the nigh-infinite power of the [[Underbase]] for himself. The Aerialbots were his first victims, wiped out in a single blast of cosmic power in the skies over New York City. {{storylink|Dark Star (issue)|Dark Star}}

Along with the other deactivated Autobots aboard the Ark, Skydive and the Aerialbots were eventually revived by the [[Nucleon]] super-energy Grimlock and the Dinobots recovered from [[Hydrus Four]].

=====Earthforce=====
{{earthforcefiction}}
''Fresh off the RE-assembly line, Skydive screwed up an Autobot mission by broadcasting the location of [[Prowl (G1)|Prowl]] and his hijacked Decepticon ozone rocket over an uncoded frequency. Luckily, Prowl managed to remove the poison gas cannisters before the Decepticons got there, and the two 'Con factions ended up fighting over nothing of value. {{storylink|Life in the Slow Lane}}''

''A few nights later, Skydive was coming to relieve [[Wheeljack (G1)|Wheeljack]] from a late-night guard shift when he found signs of a skirmish. Wheeljack was gone, and some animal tracks he took for signs of [[Predacon (G1)|Predacon]] activity were all over the place! Tracing them to the main base, Skydive found it had been forced open, and a shadowy figure was creeping through the halls. He leapt into action!...right on top of poor Wheeljack. It turned out Ol' Wheels had tripped over his lamp and heating unit at the guard post, run into a polar bear, and scampered away out of sheer fright, forcing the door when he couldn't find his key.''

''This incident was mercifully left off the official duty logs. {{storylink|Mystery!}}''

''Skydive was present with the entire Earthforce team outside Autobot Earthbase when Wheeljack unveiled his brand-new unbreachable defensive system. This was unfortunate, as Wheeljack had forgotten that, once activated, the system could only be turned off from the inside. Prowl elected to run the gauntlet and reach the shutdown console inside, and the Aerialbots provided air support for him. Skydive and his buddies gunned down the [[Acid Bats]] at the entryway, giving Prowl his chance to get through. {{storylink|The House that Wheeljack Built!}}''

{{note|Unlike the rest of Earthforce, the return of the Aerialbots (besides Silverbolt) was never explained on panel. Presumably, Wheeljack rebuilt them in the Bodyshop much like he did for [[Tracks (G1)|Tracks]].}}

=====Marvel UK future timelines=====
''In 2008, Skydive was on monitor duty at [[Autobot City]] when he detected a "disappearing blip" on the radar screens. He alerted [[Blaster (G1)|Blaster]], but before they could ID the contact, the contact ID'ed itself: [[Quintesson]] [[Trident]] attack craft on bombing runs! Skydive was knocked out by the oncoming blast, but Blaster dragged him to a safe place. {{storylink|Space Pirates!}}''

=====''Another Time and Place''=====
When [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]] and the Decepticons took control of the Nucleon supply at Hydrus Four, Skydive joined Air Raid and Silverbolt in bombing the medical center to announce the Autobots' imminent arrival. {{storylink|Another Time and Place}}

====Generation 2====
After the Autobots split into smaller combat units throughout the universe, Skydive was sent to Earth with a group of Autobots under [[Hot Spot (G1)|Hot Spot]]'s command to deal with the re-emergence of Megatron. The Decepticon's new abilities and [[Cobra]] allies proved a considerable challenge, though. After half their number were killed and their transport destroyed, Skydive volunteered for a strategic play to get inside the enemy-controlled Ark. Shutting off his systems on a time-delay to appear as lifeless machinery to the sensors Megatron had set up in the ship, he was smuggled aboard the Ark by some disguised [[G.I.Joe]] soldiers. {{storylink|Final Transformations}} Once inside, he received some surprise help from [[Spike Witwicky (G1)|Spike Witwicky]], who had returned just in time to reconnect with his [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]] partner, [[Fortress Maximus (G1)|Fortress Maximus]]. With Fort Max sacrificing his life to distract Megatron and destroy the Ark, Skydive got to safety with [[Sidney Biggles-Jones|Dr. Sidney Biggles-Jones]], the human scientist Megatron had taken prisoner. {{storylink|All or Nothing!}}

Once Megatron resurfaced with Starscream and reassumed command of the Decepticon army from [[Bludgeon (G1)|Bludgeon]], Skydive sent a transmission to Optimus Prime and soon left Earth duty to reunite with his fellow Aerialbots in the stars. {{storylink|The Gathering Darkness}} He was later involved in the ill-fated defense of the planet [[Ethos]], {{storylink|Escalation!}} and the battle for Earth against [[Jhiaxus (G2)|Jhiaxus]]'s [[Cybertronian]] armada. {{storylink|Total War!}}

===Dreamwave comics continuity===
Skydive and his fellow Aerialbots became one of the first Autobot "[[Special Teams]]" several million years ago, adopting the process used to create [[Devastator (G1)|Devastator]] in order to become Superion. The unchecked destructive power of these super-robots was eventually recognized by the Autobot and Decepticon factions, however. By the time of the Dark Ages, the [[Crisis Intervention Accords]] had been ratified, strictly forbidding Special Teams from operating together on any given faction, in order to prevent these titans from tearing the planet apart. {{storylink|The War Within: The Dark Ages}}

In the 1980's, Skydive and the Aerialbots were active on Earth with Optimus Prime and the crew of the ''[[Ark (G1)|Ark]]''. They did not arrive on that ship, however, and the actual manner of their arrival was never explained. After the destruction of the ''[[Ark II]]'', the Aerialbots were some of the few Transformers who were not recovered by Lazarus for his reprogramming venture. Instead, they were reactivated as Superion in 2002 by Optimus Prime, using the power of the [[Matrix]]. During the battle of [[San Francisco]], Superion was broken down into his individual components while battling Devastator and the [[Seeker|Seekers]]. Skydive and his team eventually reunified in order to intercept a nuclear missile headed for the California coastline. Superion, and by extension the Aerialbots, were destroyed in stopping the missile. {{storylink|Prime Directive}}

==Toys==
===Generation 1===
* '''Skydive''' (Aerialbot, 1986)
**''Team ID number'': '''A2'''
**''Japanese ID number'': '''C-51'''
**''Accessories'': "[[Nega-gun]]"

: Skydive transforms into an [[Popular Earth vehicle alternate modes|F-16 Falcon fighter jet]]. As a "[[Scramble City]]" style combiner, he can form the arm or leg to any super robot of compatible construction, though his nominal placement is as the right leg to [[Superion (G1)|Superion]].

:All five Aerialbots were made available as mail-away offers in Japan during ''[[Return of Convoy (toyline)|Return of Convoy]]''. Skydive (like all the other limb-jets) cost 1000 yen and two [[Robot Point|robot points]].

*'''Superion''' (Multi-pack, 1986)
**''Japanese ID number'': '''C-55'''

: All five Aerialbots were made available in a gift set, released in most markets. The toys are identical to their individually-packaged versions.

===Generation 2===
* '''Skydive''' (Aerialbot, 1994)
**''Team ID number:'' '''A1'''
**''Accessories'': "Mega Gun"

: Skydive was [[Redeco|redecoed]] for his ''[[Generation 2 (toyline)|Generation 2]]'' release, gaining a fetching gray and blue scheme.

===Universe (2008)===
====Classic Series====
*'''Aerial Rivals''' (multi-pack, 2008)

: A redeco of the ''[[Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' [[Soundwave (Cybertron)|Soundwave's]] ''Legends of Cybertron'' figure, Skydive's colorscheme is based upon his ''Generation 2'' incarnation. He was only available in a set with [[Blades]], [[Air Raid (G1)|Air Raid]], [[Ramjet (G1)|Ramjet]], and [[Thrust (G1)|Thrust]].

{{-}}

====G1 Series====
[[Image:Universe2008 Skydive.jpg|right|300px|thumb|]]
*'''Superion''' (Multi-pack, 2008)
**''Accessories:'' Shield/double-cannon, Autobot-type [[energon star]]

:Available only as a component of ''Universe'' Superion, this version of Skydive is a lavender and grey redeco of the ''[[Energon (toyline)|Energon]]'' [[Sky Shadow (Energon)|Sky Shadow]]/[[Terradive (Energon)|Terradive]] mold, transforming into an A-10 "Thunderbolt" plane. He can also form a leg or arm to any ''Energon''-series "[[Powerlinx]] [[Combiner]]" super robot, though his nominal placement is as the right leg to Superion. He comes with a shield/double cannon that can become a footplate or "hand" for his combined mode, plus a blue "super energon" Autobot-style energon star that fits over his [[spark crystal]]. 

:He shares his mold with fellow Superion pack-mate [[Fireflight (G1)|Fireflight]]. 

:Skydive was released, along with the others in this box set, in ''[[Universe (2008 franchise)|Universe]]'' (2008) packaging in Australia and Singapore, but it is unknown if this version will be released anywhere else. This set has recently been announced as a Target-[[exclusive]] set in ''[[Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen]]'' [[Superion (ROTF)|Superion]] packaging for North America.  Thus, this toy doubles as [[Movie (toyline)|Movie]] [[Skydive (Movie)|Skydive]].

:This mold was also used to make [[Fun Publications]] [[Transformers Collectors Club]]-[[exclusive]] ''[[Cybertron (toyline)|Cybertron]]'' [[Skyfall (Cybertron)|Skyfall]].

==External links==
*[http://www.tfu.info/1986/Autobot/Skydive/skydive.htm Skydive at TFU.info]
*[http://www.ntfa.net/universe/english/index.php?act=view&char=Skydive Skydive's ''Universe'' profile at NFTA.net]

[[Category:Aerialbots]]
[[Category:Generation 1 characters]]
[[Category:Generation 2 characters]]
[[Category:Headmasters characters]]
[[Category:Mail order items]]