Hydra Cannon

The Hydra Cannon is both a Mini-Con superweapon and a Decepticon starship from the Armada portion of the Unicron Trilogy continuity family.

It does not actually launch hydras.

The Hydra Cannon is one of the single most powerful weapons in existence. A combination of the Mini-Con weapons, the Star Saber, the Skyboom Shield and the Requiem Blaster, the Hydra Cannon requires no fewer than nine Mini-Cons to form (hence its name) and possess enough raw power to destroy an entire planet!

The Hydra Cannon starship was constructed on the moon, largely using Mini-Con slave-labour until the Autobots conducted a raid to free them. She was built as a means to contain the Hydra Cannon weapon itself, and serve as transport for the Decepticons under Megatron's command for their trip home to Cybertron.

Fiction

Armada cartoon

After Starscream betrayed the Autobots and delivered both the Skyboom Shield and Star Saber to Megatron, the Mini-Con weapons were placed into a chamber that drew upon their energy, serving as both the ship's main power core and the main weapon. Slowly, the Hydra Cannon lifted off from beneath the Moon's surface, destroying what was left of the Exodus' hulk. However, the ship struggled against the moon's gravitational pull, forcing Demolishor to push the engines to over 190% of their normal output.

Thrust recommended testing the cannon first before using it in combat. Megatron concurred, and it was decided that a comet passing through the Solar System would be the Hydra Cannon's first victim.

It belongs in a museum!

As the unwitting population of the western hemisphere watched, the Hydra Cannon obliterated the comet, bathing the sky in light, then settling in an ominous green glow. Simultaneously, the computer systems at Lincoln's observatory shut down, much like when the Mini-Cons sent their distress signals to Cybertron. Threaten

Megatron was greatly pleased at the results, then decided to destroy the Autobots once and for all by targeting their base on Earth, much to the distress and objection of Starscream. After Jetfire captured images of the Hydra Cannon, he and Optimus Prime launched a desperate assault on the warship in an effort to stop the cannon from firing. After a struggle with the Decepticons, Optimus placed himself in the path of the Cannon's beam, and used the power of the Matrix to stop the beam and force it back towards the cannon itself. This caused a feedback overload that disengaged the Mini-Cons powering the core, shutting down the weapon and destroying most of the ship's bow from the energy backlash, permanently disabling the cannon.

Unfortunately, this cost Optimus Prime his life as he exploded into a million pieces, leaving only Sparkplug and his Matrix. As night fell, his debris rained down as shooting stars over Earth. Their human companions apparently found this very beautiful, 'as if the whole universe was mourning Prime's death'. Apparently they missed the morbid connotations of it raining Optimus bits. Crisis

With Earth's usefulness at an end to him, Megatron ordered the Hydra Cannon to set a course back for Cybertron. Remorse As they sailed away from Earth however, the Decepticons detected the launch of the Axalon with Thrust lamenting that the more technologically advanced Autobot ship would overtake them. Depart Megatron simply ordered the Hydra Cannon turned around so they could destroy their foes. As the two ships duelled however, the Autobot Mini-Cons used the Matrix of Leadership to resurrect Optimus Prime, ending the battle. Miracle

After Hot Shot and Red Alert had been sucked through an energy anomaly, they sent out an SOS beacon to their comrades which the Hydra Cannon picked up on. The planet turned out to be a trap lain by Sideways but both the Autobots and Decepticons who'd ventured onto its surface got an upgrade from their Mini-Con counterparts. Puppet When the ship arrived at Cybertron, it was met by the Autobot fleet, its powerful arsenal allowing it to blast its way through the resistance. Uprising

After Starscream died and Galvatron realized the enormity of Unicron's threat, the Autobots and Decepticons reached a historic peace agreement and the alliance was formalized on board the Hydra Cannon. Alliance

Along with the rest of the Decepticon fleet, the Hydra Cannon sailed into battle alongside its Autobot counterparts, using its powerful shields to defend Cybertron from Unicron before the Chaos Bringer's power proved too much for the ship and it was destroyed. Union

Notes

Foreign names

• Japanese: Hydra Cannon (ヒュドラキャノン Hyudora Kyanon)