Editing Cyber Key

{{disambig2|personal power-up energy storage devices|the four mystical objects|Cyber Planet Key}}
:''Cyber Keys are personal devices in the [[Cybertron (franchise)|Cybertron]] portion of the [[Unicron Trilogy]].''
'''Cyber Keys''' are devices that give Transformers power-up abilities. Each one contains a fragment of the power of a [[Cyber Planet Key]]. A Transformer can use one to boost their abilities for a duration of time before the Cyber Key has to recharge itself.


:''Japanese name:'' '''Force Chip'''


==Fiction==
===''Cybertron'' animated series===

{{bigquote|Is that going to happen ''every'' time we need extra power?|[[Optimus Prime (Armada)|Optimus Prime]], ''[[Hidden]]''}}

The Cyber Keys are a small piece of the divine power of [[Primus]] {{storylink|Haven}} and are even capable of turning up if you invoke Primus' name. {{storylink|Invasion}} That said, even ''Primus himself'' has used Cyber Keys to boost his power. {{storylink|Titans}}

The Cyber Keys first turned up when [[Vector Prime]] used '''CYBER KEY POWER!!''' to drive back [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]]; he then gave the Autobot team the power to summon Keys of their own (both [[Earth]] Keys and [[Autobrand]] Cybertron Keys, depending on the bot). The Autobots had not seen or heard of the Cyber Keys before. {{storylink|Haven}} Soon after, the Keys showed the ability (much to Vector Prime's surprise) to turn up ''before'' the Transformers called them forth. The Autobots considered that this might happen any time they needed extra power. {{storylink|Hidden}}

Soon, the Decepticons gained some from [[To sell toys|somewhere]]. [[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]] had an Earth Key, [[Megatron (Armada)|Megatron]] and [[Starscream (Armada)|Starscream]] had Decepticon-branded Cybertron ones. {{storylink|Landmine (episode)|Landmine}}

The descendents of the ancient Transformer colonists have easy access to Cyber Keys: [[Crosswise (Cybertron)|Crosswise]] wielded Earth Cyber Keys {{storylink|Trap}}, while almost ''everyone'' on [[Velocitron]] {{storylink|Space}} and [[Jungle Planet]] {{storylink|Search}} seemed to have access to them. Why the ancients had Cyber Keys but the modern-day Cybertronians didn't (and had no record of them) is unknown. 

As first noted by [[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]] {{storylink|Space}}, different Cyber Keys on different worlds have different colours. Due to the effect of the Prime's Matrix and [[Rhisling|sword]], the original Autobot team had different coloured Keys. Velocitron and Jungle Planet, by comparison, all had red and green (respectively) Keys. Red Alert also theorised that different Keys would produce different results, and that they could [[reformat]] Autobots. {{storylink|Savage (episode)|Savage}}

Hot Shot was somehow able to summon a Velocitron Cyber Key through his [[Burning Justice|desire to go even faster]], though he initially couldn't handle the power. {{storylink|Speed}} On [[Jungle Planet]], [[Scourge (Cybertron)|Scourge]] could upgrade his beast mode into a three-headed form with his Key power, and used it to (successfully) intimidate Megatron.  Contact with the Keys would also reformat vehicular Transformers into beast-mode ones; feats of extreme bravery and courage, such as [[Overhaul (Cybertron)|Overhaul's]], could cause a foreign robot to contact the [[Cyber Planet Key]] and be granted access to this world's Keys. {{storylink|Detour (episode)|Detour}} When Starscream was wielding the Omega Lock's power, Megatron's sheer rage was able to tap into it and Earth's Cyber Planet Key, giving him a new Cyber Key that unlocked a hideously powerful firearm. {{storylink|Revelation (episode)|Revelation}} 

Once revived by the combined powers of the [[Omega Lock]], [[burning justice]], and some energy... wave... ''thing'' from Cybertron, Red Alert, [[Scattorshot]] and Hot Shot were given new bodies; with these came new ''Cybertron'' Planet Keys, marked with a prominent Autobot insignia. {{storylink|Critical}}

Agents of [[Planet X]], such as [[Sideways (RID)|Sideways]], wield orange Cyber Keys with prominent Decepticon insignias on them. As they're not actually Decepticons (though they started hanging with them), it's not clear why the insignia is there. {{storylink|Ship}}  


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===''Timelines''===
{{stub}}
{{storylink|Force of Habit}}

===Types and Powers===

Each Cyber Key derives its power from the [[Cyber Planet Key]] of its respective world (in the case of Cybertron's keys, their power comes from Primus himself). A Transformer does not have to be a planetary native to tap into the power of that world's Cyber Planet Key, nor do they have to be on-planet to call upon its power. Although visually distinct, the individual types of keys do not really have any kind of unified theme in the powers and abilities they bestow upon the Transformers who summon them; they all simply unlock a hidden weapon or supply a power boost for an existing one. These weapons are mostly fairly ordinary (if powerful) lasers, projectile launchers and melee weapons, but some Transformers have more esoteric accoutrements unlocked, like forcefields, high-power wind-fans or speed-enhancing "accele-wings".

*Cybertron's Cyber Keys are clear with silver detailing, with either an Autobot or Decepticon symbol in the middle.
*The Cyber Keys of [[Velocitron]] are red with silver accents and decorated with the symbol of a speedometer needle. In addition to the inhabitants of Velocitron, [[Hot Shot (Armada)|Hot Shot]] also uses a Velocitron key.
*[[Jungle Planet (Cybertron)|Jungle Planet]]'s Cyber Keys are green with a silver border, marked with a clawed paw print. After transforming into Leobreaker, Overhaul gained a new Jungle Planet Cyber Key. 
*[[Earth]]'s Cyber Keys are blue with silver edging and bear the image of a sunrise. Several of the Autobots and Decepticons from Cybertron used Earth Cyber Keys, including Landmine, [[Red Alert (Armada)|Red Alert]], [[Scattorshot (Cybertron)|Scattorshot]], [[Thundercracker (Armada)|Thundercracker]] and [[Mudflap (Cybertron)|Mudflap]], as did the ancient Autobots and Decepticons who came to the planet ages ago.
*[[Gigantion]]'s Keys are purple with silver detailing, bearing a gear symbol.
*The keys employed by the inhabitants of [[Planet X (Cybertron)|Planet X]] are orange in color with silver accents and bearing a Decepticon symbol (despite the unaligned nature of these Transformers). These keys presumably derive from the power of Unicron, the secret benefactor of the Planet X survivors, given that the planet was not a colony world.
[[image:Combatron Cyber Key.jpg|right|100px|thumb|A Combatron key.]]
*The planet [[Combatron (planet)|Combatron]] has red keys with silver metal frames that resemble a grenade (complete with pull ring) and a symbol resembling a mushroom cloud.

Red Alert was the first to notice the different color-coding of the Cyber Keys and further speculated that the unique keys employed by Optimus Prime and Vector Prime were created due to a normal Cyber Key being affected by the objects of power the two wielded, namely Optimus Prime's [[Matrix of Leadership]] and [[Rhisling]], Vector Prime's sword. Although Red Alert did not comment on the unique key wielded by Megatron, presumably his is created through the power of the [[Armor of Unicron]] that he wears.

==Toys==
===Cybertron===
{{picsneeded|An example of each key design.}}
Just about every single toy came with at least one key, the only real exceptions being the Mini-Cons.  In the US, the keys had [[Cyber Key Codes|codes printed on the back]] for an interactive feature on Hasbro’s Transformers toy website.  Takara’s website did not incorporate this feature however, leaving the Japanese ''Galaxy Force'' keys (referred to in ''Galaxy Force'' as "Force Chips" along with the greater "Planet Force") without the code tampo. The toy packaging refers to all keys as [[Cyber Planet Key|Cyber Planet Keys]]. This differs from the cartoon which only refers to the four colony keys as Cyber Planet Keys, and the other, everyday keys as simply [[Cyber Key]]s.

===Other toylines===
Cyber Planet Keys (most often simply called "Keys") were included in later toylines with toys that were [[Redeco|redecos]] from the Cybertron line. There is presumably no cosmic technology underlying them. Examples include the [[BotCon 2006]] exclusive ''[[Timelines (fiction)|Timelines]]'' promo toys, which came with [[Golden Disk (Voyager)|Golden Disk]] keys, and several [[Transformers (2007)|Movie]] toys that featured [[Sector Seven]] keys.

==Trivia==
* In "[[The Dark Heart of Sandokan]]" and "[[Force of Habit]]", the Cyber Keys are treated somewhat differently than they were in the ''Cybertron'' cartoon.  Here, they are depicted as tangible objects that must be manufactured from crystals, while they are portrayed as energy-ish manifestations of a Transformer's [[Burning Justice|burning heart of justice]] in the cartoon.
*[[Brushguard]] is of the opinion that Cyber Keys are more powerful than [[Energon star|Energon chip]]s. {{storylink|Force of Habit}}

==External link==
*[http://snakas.web.infoseek.co.jp/cybertron/forcechip.htm Force Chip catalog] (Japanese)


[[Category:Cybertron]]
[[Category:Technology]]