Editing Thirteen

{{disambig2|the group of ancient [[Transformer]]s |the comic series that might never be published|Transformers: The Thirteen}}
[[Image:Original13.jpg|center|500px|thumb|Guess the one on fire!]] 
{{quote|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 and given a function to serve during the long march of infinity.|Vector Prime|"[[Vector Prime: In the Beginning]]"}}

The '''Thirteen''' are the first [[Transformer]]s created by [[Primus]]. Rightfully huge and powerful, each was designated a [[Prime (rank)|Prime]],<ref>A Hasbro Q&A response would later try to alter this. See Notes above.</ref> and given unique roles and natures to battle Primus's ancient foe [[Unicron]].

==Conceptual history==
[[Image:BW Covenant.jpg|left|thumb|The [[Covenant]] shares a very similar base concept with the Thirteen, and may have been the original inspiration for them.]]
Despite how often their importance is trumpeted, the fact of the matter is, the concept of the Thirteen hasn't actually been around that long, hasn't been related in much detail, and hasn't 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.

The very earliest seeds of the Thirteen can probably be found in material produced by [[3H Productions]] for [[BotCon]], most notably 2000's "[[Herald, Covenant, Schism, Paradox|Covenant]]". This story introduces the undeniably similar concept of the [[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, though, the two groups have not been connected, and those same stories by 3H would ultimately contradict the later lore of the Thirteen by introducing [[Primon]], a Matrix-bearer who preceded [[Prima]], which should not be possible.
[[Image:Vectorprimeut.jpg|right|thumb|[[Fun Publications]] established [[Vector Prime]] to be a member of the Thirteen in 2005.]]
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 bearer from the [[The Transformers (Marvel comic)|Marvel Comics series]] and [[The Fallen]], an enigmatic servant of Unicron from [[Dreamwave Productions]]' 2003 comic, ''[[Transformers: War Within: The Dark Ages|War Within: The Dark Ages]]''. The book also noted that if ''[[Alignment]]'' had been published, the [[Liege Maximo]], an ancient evil [[Cybertron]]ian from the [[Transformers: Generation 2 (Marvel)|''Generation 2'' comics]], would have been counted among them as well. Not surprisingly, it was the creator of all three of these characters, [[Simon Furman]], who both wrote the guide and conceived the idea of the Thirteen<ref>Simon Furman panel, BotCon 2012</ref>, which was later taken and run with by Hasbro. While it was Furman who also created the Covenant, it is not yet known whether or not he was deliberately drawing upon his old idea when he introduced the Thirteen in this book.

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. Although presented merely as a very ancient [[Autobot]] in the original Japanese version of the ''Cybertron'' cartoon, Hasbro envisioned him as one of the Thirteen, and writer [[Forest Lee]] made this explicit 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.
[[Image:NexusPrimeflankedbyotherPrimes.jpg|left|thumb|Fun Publications also introduced the first [[combiner]], [[Nexus Prime]].]]
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 a combiner, [[Nexus Prime]], who was one of the Thirteen. During this five-year span, the subject of the Thirteen often came up at BotCon Q&A sessions, during which the idea of them being [[multiversal singularity|multiversal singularities]] solidified. 

Also during this time, current Transformers comic license holders [[IDW Publishing]] spoke often of a potential comic book mini-series about the Thirteen to be written by Simon Furman, but this was eventually nixed, with Furman noting in 2009 that this was because it had "become more of a [[Hasbro]] thing than an IDW thing."<ref>[http://hombreimaginario.deviantart.com/art/Interviews-10-Simon-Furman-130246343 Furman talks about the Thirteen in an interview on DeviantArt]</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.  This control, however, was evidently not all-encompassing: also in 2009, the Fallen made a surprising appearance as the titular villain of the second-live action Transformers film, ''[[Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (film)|Revenge of the Fallen]]'', where he was a member not of a group of thirteen, but only ''seven'' Primes. Hasbro's [[Hasbro_Q&A/October_2009#AllSpark.com|October 2009 online Q&A]] retroactively justified this by explaining that while all the Thirteen were Primes, only seven actually had the word "Prime" ''in their names''.
[[Image:TransformersVault-Prima.jpg|right|thumb|The new design for [[Prima]] was revealed at [[BotCon 2010]].]]
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. It began with the novel ''[[Transformers: Exodus]]'', which revealed [[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]] to be one of the Thirteen and revealed the Fallen's real name to be "Megatronus". New "Aligned" designs for Megatronus, Prima, Vector Prime, Alpha Trion and the now-canonized Liege Maximo were revealed at [[BotCon 2010]], with new member [[Solus Prime]] named and revealed the following year at [[BotCon 2011]]. It was here that it was explained that each of the Thirteen represented one aspect of the Transformer race, their ranks also including a beast-mode Transformer and a [[Mini-Con]]. Solus would later factor into the ''[[Transformers: Exiles]]'' novel, which also introduced [[Amalgamous Prime]] and [[Alchemist Prime]]. Right around this time, the story of the Thirteen finally made the leap to the small screen, when, after years of being consigned to fan-targeted comics and convention panels, their origin tale was told in the ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Transformers: Prime]]'' episode, "[[One Shall Rise, Part 1]]".

Finally, in December 2013, ''[[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus]]'' was released, detailing in full the complete history of the Thirteen in the Aligned Continuity.
{{--}}

==Members==
===Multiverse===
Within the multiverse in which most Transformers fiction occurs, the Thirteen are [[multiversal singularity|multiversal singularities]]—across all the different [[universal stream]]s, only one incarnation of each of the Thirteen exists, moving between worlds. The group's roster has not been fully revealed, and known members include:

*'''[[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) <small>1st ed</small>  p15, "Sentinel Prime"</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.
*'''[[The Fallen]]''' - Formerly the guardian of entropy, whose true name was stricken from history when he betrayed his brothers and became a [[Herald of Unicron]].<ref>''[[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide]]''</ref>
*'''[[Nexus Prime]]''' - The first combiner, and the guardian of [[Rarified Energon]].
*'''[[Soundblaster (Cybertron)|Logos Prime]]'''— an enigmatic figure who, in the present day, sought to pass on his incredible powers over time and space to an heir. 

The [[Liege Maximo]] was implied to be one of the group, but has not been confirmed in any canon source. Also, [[Maccadam]] was rumored to be one of the Thirteen in ''[[Transformers: The Ultimate Guide]]'', but this has not been touched upon since.

===Aligned===
[[Image:OneShallRise1-WellofAllSparks.jpg|right|thumb|300px]]
Within the Aligned continuity family, which exists separately from the rest of the Transformers multiverse, the full roster of the Thirteen is known. Each possesses a special [[Artifacts of the Primes|artifact]] of great power that is tied to their identity and role in Primus' plan. Listed in the order of their creation by Primus, they are:

*'''[[Prima]]''' - The leader of the Thirteen, a warrior of light who wielded the [[Star Saber (Prima)|Star Saber]].
*'''[[Vector Prime]]''' - The master of time and space, which he could manipulate through his [[Blades of Time]].
*'''[[Alpha Trion (WFC)|Alpha Trion]]''' - Holder of the [[Quill]], which he uses to record the past, present, and future of Cybertron in the [[Covenant of Primus]] in his role as recordskeeper of the Primes.
*'''[[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]].
*'''[[Micronus Prime]]''' - The conscience of the Thirteen, and the first [[Mini-Con]], able to link up with and enhance the power of his siblings through the use of his [[Chimera Stone]].
*'''[[Alchemist Prime]]''', co-founder of Cybertronian civilization.
*'''[[Nexus Prime]]''' - The first and greatest combiner, unpredictable, fascinated by change, and a lighthearted prankster.
*'''[[Onyx Prime]]''' - The first Transformer with a beast mode.<ref>[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=79726 AllSpark.com live transcript of Archer and Alvarez's 2011 BotCon panel]</ref>
*'''[[Amalgamous Prime]]''' - A trickster and the first [[Shifter]].
*'''[[Quintus Prime]]''' - A scientist and creator of the [[Quintessons]]. His artifact was the [[Emberstone]].
*'''[[Liege Maximo]]''' - The manipulator who caused the downfall of the Thirteen.
*'''[[The Fallen|Megatronus]]''' - The warrior of darkness, whose doomed romance with Solus led to his turning on his brothers and becoming known as '''The Fallen'''.
*'''[[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Optimus Prime]]''' - The visionary who united the Thirteen by being the first among them to raise an arm in greeting. He would subsequently be reincarnated as Orion Pax.

==Fiction==
===[[Dreamwave]] ''[[Generation 1]]'' comics===
[[Image:Thefallen.jpg|right|thumb|250px]]
[[The Fallen]] was thwarted in his attempt to sabotage [[Primus]]' [[Cybertron (planet)|physical form]], and the Thirteen allegedly died after casting The Fallen and his master [[Unicron]] through a [[black hole]] into another dimension. In truth, The Fallen was imprisoned in another dimension, while [[Alpha Trion (G1)|Alpha Trion]] kept watch over the Transformers in the [[Well of All Sparks]] while Primus entered his eternal sleep to hide Cybertron from Unicron. {{storylink|Transformers: The Ultimate Guide}}

===[[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 (Energon)|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' 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]]—Trion's creation from a [[Viron]] universe—had helped Sentinel defeated Nemesis. Omega's presence saddened Vector, as it confirmed the multiverse was falling apart, and he left. {{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]]. {{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 (SG)|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 [[TransTech]]s. {{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 [[transwarp]] device. Alpha Trion explained to Skyfall he was the key to the reunification, and killed him as they entered [[Shattered Glass|his universe]]. {{storylink|Transcendent: Part 6}}
[[Image:Reunification5-arisenexusprime.jpg|left|thumb|350px]]
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 [[stellar spanner]], Nexus and Aquarius began dimension-hopping to find the shards of the [[Star Saber (Prima)|artifact]] he had been entrusted with, so he could complete his memories. {{storylink|The Coming Storm: Part 1}}

===''Beast Wars Reborn''===
[[File:Bwreborn text.jpg|thumb|]]
The original clan of Transformers, possessing extraordinary powers over space and time, were created by Primus before he became [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]. One of them, [[Soundblaster (Cybertron)|Logos Prime]], lost sight of his objective and memory of him faded away. {{Storylink|Planetfall (BWR)|Planetfall}} He would return under the name of Soundblaster, abducting [[Optimus Primal]] and [[Megatron (BW)|Megatron]] so he could apparently appoint Megatron as his successor. [[Vector Prime]] was sent by Primus to stop the plot and was taken aback when confronted with his fellow Ancient who he thought lost. {{Storylink|Master of the Game}}

===Live-action film series===
{{main|Dynasty of Primes}}
[[Image:ROTF-sixprimes.jpg|thumb|left|300px|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}}

{{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]]. Prima's appearance was retconned by Hasbro at [[BotCon 2010]].}}

===Aligned continuity===
{{note|"Anything you know from past generations of the brand may or may not be factual in the new continuity."<ref>[[Hasbro Q&A/September 2010: Answers|Hasbro Q&A, September 2010: {{SITENAME SHORT}}]]</ref><ref>[http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=74182 Hasbro Q&A, September 2010: AllSpark.com]</ref>}}
[[Image:OneShallRise1-TheThirteen.jpg|thumb|400px|They're not a fan of direct lighting.]]
Legend says that [[Primus]] created the Thirteen to defeat [[Unicron]]. The Thirteen succeeded, and Unicron's defeated form was cast by them into space.  {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 1}}

Statues of the Thirteen were created at some point after they defeated Unicron. {{storylink|One Shall Rise, Part 3}}

What is known about the Primes is that their war made "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. Afterwards, the [[Covenant of Primus]] decreed Cybertron could only have one Prime at a time.
[[Image:OneShallRise1-Thirteenattack.jpg|left|thumb|300px|Three seconds of one episode made up for a lifetime of lack of Thirteen images.]]
[[Alpha Trion (WFC)|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 [[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}}
{{--}}

==Notes==
*''Transformers: The Ultimate Guide'' asserts that all of the Thirteen were destroyed in the early battle between Primus and Unicron, but the statement was disproven by the book itself, since it recounted how The Fallen was not destroyed but exiled to a transdimensional prison from which he later escaped. Fun Publications comics would later depict Vector Prime as the sole surviving member of the Thirteen, and then go on to introduce Nexus Prime as a co-survivor alongside him.
*''The Ultimate Guide'' made mention of a rumor on Cybertron that [[Maccadam]]—proprietor of [[Maccadam's Old Oil House]] — was supposedly one of the 13 and that his bar existed outside the normal flow of space-time.  The prose story "[[Prime Spark (story)|Prime Spark]]" confirms the latter half of that rumor, depicting the bar as a multiversal nexus of sorts, but it makes no revelations about Maccadam himself. [[Aaron Archer]] declared that when the full identities of the Thirteen would be revealed, Maccadam would not be among them. Moral of the story:  rumors are dumb.
*In Hasbro Q&A on October, 2009 from [http://www.allspark.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=63609 ''The Allspark Forum''], The Thirteen are referred to as "the Original Epic Warriors of Cybertron" by Hasbro.
*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]].
*In "[[Primus: You, Me, and Other Revelations]]", [[James Roberts]] came up with a completely different creation story for [[IDW Publishing]]'s Transformers, just because he ''can''. There is still [[Guiding Hand|an original group of Transformers]] and a war caused by treachery, but in that version the traitor is another god named [[Mortilus]].

==References==
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[[Category:Classics subgroups]]
[[Category:Cybertron subgroups]]
[[Category:Generation 1 subgroups]]
[[Category:Prime subgroups]]
[[Category:Primus]]
[[Category:Revenge of the Fallen]]
[[Category:Shattered Glass subgroups]]
[[Category:Subgroups]]
[[Category:Thirteen| ]]
[[Category:TransTech]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron subgroups]]