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[[Image:Hasbrobible-OPrimedescription.jpg|right|thumb|350px]]
[[Image:Hasbrobible-OPrimedescription.jpg|right|thumb|350px|Fusion canon.]]
The "'''Binder of Revelation'''" is the informal name used by [[Hasbro]] creatives for the 354-page [[production bible]] that undergirds fiction in the [[Aligned continuity family]].<ref>Hasbro IP panel at [[BotCon 2011]] [http://www.figures.com/forums/news/13305-botcon-2011-hasbro-panel-report.html (summary at Figures.com)]</ref> Co-written by [[Aaron Archer]], [[Rik Alvarez]] and other ''[[Transformers brand|Transformers]]'' experts from Hasbro and the [[fandom]], it charts billions years of history<ref>''[[Transformers Vault]]''</ref> combining concepts from all previous "[[franchise|generations]]" of ''Transformers'' lore.
The "'''Binder of Revelation'''" is the informal name used by [[Hasbro]] creatives for the 354-page [[production bible]] that undergirds fiction in the [[Aligned continuity family]].<ref>{{citesocial|quote=As overseers of the brand they work closely with all of the different internal departments as well, connecting the toys via the right looks and names to the market. As archivists they maintain the Transformers bible (currently at 354 pages), also known as the “Binder of Revelation.”|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20141004160956/https://www.figures.com/forums/news/13305-botcon-2011-hasbro-panel-report.html|name=Scott Rubin|site=Figures.com|title=BotCon 2011 - Hasbro Panel Report|year=2011|monht=06|day=07|archived=y}}</ref> Co-written by [[Aaron Archer]], [[Rik Alvarez]], and other ''[[Transformers brand|Transformers]]'' experts from Hasbro (with help from outside partners [[Fabian Nicieza]] and the [[fandom]]), it charts billions of years of history, combining concepts from all previous "[[franchise|generations]]" of ''Transformers'' lore.


==References==
Didn't quite turn out as planned.
 
{{bigquote|cost over $250k to produce - lives in the bottom of drawer|[[Rik Alvarez]]'s 2015 slideshow at TFcon Charlotte<ref name="beast hunters">{{citesocial|quote=New Design Director at Hasbro — Archer moved to VP. [He said that] Optimus should be '''GREEN!''' Disregarded HasLab — Pred Symbol. New team new rules: Previous team [said] NO BEASTS, NO FEMALES (Battle for Airachnid — FIGHT!) New team [said] WE NEED BEASTS!!! [as a] Way to reuse existing tooling [and] Keep costs down. [''Beast Hunters''] was a total curve ball to HasLab and Studio team. Design [gets] mad that ''Beast Hunters'' toys [are] not in [the] show. Studio [gets] mad that season 3 [is] scrapped and ''Beast Hunters'' is the new story. This lead to different designs — Studio vs Design — ''Beast Hunters'' Optimus. HasLab [was] stuck in the middle — ''Prime'' issues killed [the Binder of Revelation] and future show plans (Pirates/Season 4-ish). [The Binder of Revelation] — cost over $250K to produce — lives in the bottom of a drawer|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20151022013304/http://sunnybutte.tumblr.com/image/131368170623|name=Rik Alvarez|site=TFcon Charlotte|year=2015}}</ref>}}
 
==Published material==
As an internal publication ostensibly covering years of future plans, the Binder of Revelation was strictly confidential, meaning for many years the public understanding of its contents was limited to brief glimpses or secondhand sources. ''[[Transformers Vault]]'' contains three scans of the Binder:
 
*[[Optimus Prime (WFC)|Orion Pax/Optimus Prime]]'s [[bio]], essentially the version of the character adapted into ''[[Transformers: Exodus]]''. It is also mentioned as a data clerk he has a keen interest in history and will often find parallels in current events (a quirk carried over in ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Prime]]''). Furthermore, it is revealed Transformers have "polarities", equivalent to a human star sign and based on the [[Thirteen|Thirteen original Transformers]]. Optimus claims Prima and [[Alpha Trion]] as his primary and secondary polarity (but this was probably from before it was [[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|decided]] to make Optimus himself one of the Thirteen).
*An image of [[Prima]], wielding the [[Star Saber (Thirteen)|Star Saber]] (that contains the [[Matrix of Leadership]] in its hilt).
*A map of [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]] detailing locations, with a brief description and some of the characters who call it home. This was mostly followed in ''Exodus'', though the following were not mentioned:
**[[Barricade (WFC)|Barricade]] is from [[Iacon (polity)|Iacon]].
**[[Shockwave (WFC)|Shockwave]] is from [[Tarn (polity)|Tarn]].
**[[Grimlock (WFC)|Grimlock]] is from [[Simfur]].
**[[Mini-Con]]s live on [[Moonbase One|the]] [[Moonbase Two|moons]].
**[[Trypticon Asteroid Belt]] contains remnants of [[Primus]] and [[Unicron]].
 
Many individual pieces of artwork commissioned for the Binder have also been released separately over time, either in official publications or via the artists themselves.
 
==Continuity==
The Binder of Revelation charts the history of the Transformers from the beginning to the end of the [[universe (universe)|universe]].
 
Which universe, you might ask? Well, that's the thing.
 
It's clear that the Binder of Revelation was produced at a very specific point in the [[Transformers brand|brand's]] history: after the release of the 2007 ''Transformers'' movie, ''Transformers Animated'', and ''Revenge of the Fallen'', but before work was done on ''Transformers: Prime'' (whose showrunners were handed a copy of the production bible). While much of the Cybertronian history covered in the document is more-or-less what was depicted in ''[[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus]]'', the ''[[Transformers: Exodus|Exodus]]'' novel, and the ''[[Transformers: War for Cybertron (games)|War for Cybertron]]'' video games, the sections concerned with the Transformers' time on Earth directly pull from the first two live-action movies—and indeed, ''Transformers: Prime'' itself would start from a status quo which assumes events ''similar'' to those in the first live-action film to have already taken place. Artist [[Ken Christiansen]] was clearly directed to merge the G1 and movie styles for the character designs he produced for the book, resulting in an [[Optimus Prime (disambiguation)|Optimus Prime]] who turns into a long-nose truck, an [[Ironhide (disambiguation)|Ironhide]] with arm-mounted cannons, a green [[Ratchet (disambiguation)|Ratchet]], and a [[Sideswipe (disambiguation)|Sideswipe]] with sword-arms, among others. Characters are expressly ranked across several tiers of notability, with many B- or C-tier characters not deemed significant enough for new artwork typically recycling artwork from [[Dreamwave Productions]]' ''[[Transformers: More than Meets the Eye|More than Meets the Eye]]'' profile series. Although the Constructicons are depicted with Dreamwave's G1-accurate art, Bonecrusher and Hook are renamed Rampage and Hightower respectively, as a compromise with the team's depiction in ''Revenge of the Fallen''. Similarly, of the Primes listed, only seven actually have the word "Prime" in their names, possibly to fit with dialogue from that film. The document sidesteps [[Slag (disambiguation)|Slag]]'s [[Trademark#The international market|controversial name]] by omitting him altogether, conflating many of his traits with [[Snarl (disambiguation)|Snarl]]. Bafflingly, maybe a third of every single character profile is given over to discussion of "Polarity"—effectively Transformers astrology based on the Thirteen Primes—to say which Primes each character is spiritually descended from. As this concept never appeared in any published media, you can see for yourself how little this helped any writer who ever worked on the brand. [[Solus Prime]] is frequently (but not always) referred to as "Pandora Prime", and bafflingly, [[Ratchet (WFC)|Ratchet]]'s primary and complimentary polarity are "Pandoran" and "Solean" respectively—despite these being the same individual!
 
The book's later sections on human characters and worldbuilding concepts takes a far more encyclopedic, scattershot approach, jumbling together elements of the G1 cartoon, comics, ''Animated'', and the live-action movies. Again, the Binder's focus on the franchise as it existed at that specific moment in time leads to ''[[Transformers: The Veiled Threat]]'', an otherwise practically-forgotten tie-in novel to ''Revenge of the Fallen'', getting a shocking amount of airtime alongside these more-prominent pieces of media.
 
It seems that the Binder was left untouched until 2015, another hyperspecific point in history, when a few pages were updated and new ones added. The replaced pages are mostly those concerned with the Transformers' time on Earth; rather than summarising the events of ''Transformers: Prime'', as one might expect, the new versions summarise the events of ''[[Transformers: Dark of the Moon (film)|Dark of the Moon]]'' and the then-recent ''[[Transformers: Age of Extinction (film)|Age of Extinction]]''—despite the vast number of incongruities this introduces with the rest of the character profiles. New profiles are added for all of the Autobots from ''Age of Extinction'', a few characters from ''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 franchise)|Robots in Disguise]]'' (notably ''doubling'' the number of [[female Transformer]]s mentioned in the document), the remaining three major [[combiner]]s from ''[[Combiner Wars (franchise)|Combiner Wars]]'', and [[Fortress Maximus (disambiguation)|Fortress Maximus]] from the then-upcoming ''[[Titans Return (franchise)|Titans Return]]''. The ordering of pages was reshuffled slightly; again, speaking to the fact that nobody cared about "polarity", the explanation of this concept was buried towards the back of the book.
 
==Themes==
Perhaps the aspect of the Binder of Revelation which has best stood the test of time, from a creative standpoint, is its clear aim to encourage the creation of ''Transformers'' stories which are ''meaningful''. The ideological conflict between Optimus Prime and Megatron, whose goals are meant to appear superficially similar, is framed as one of free will ("Freedom is the right of all sentient beings.") versus determinism ("Peace through tyranny."). Certain worldbuilding concepts—such as the fragments of Unicron left embedded in Primus, which are said to have tainted the Transformers with evil; and the "Polarities" concept, which informs the present-day characters' behaviour—seem intended to raise the question of whether it is possible to overcome one's own past, to break the cycles of war, and truly change as a society.
 
Granted, many of these ideas are muddled at best. Optimus Prime is expressly referred to as a "libertarian", but he is appointed ruler of Cybertron by the planet's existing power structure, and is implied to be predestined to rule through divine right; meanwhile, Megatron, who ostensibly stands opposed to liberty, spends most of his backstory as a freedom fighter liberating the oppressed people of Cybertron. In the story bible's never-realised future plans, a race of "Ultimate Transformers" (implicitly the [[Maximal]]s and [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s) would set out to colonise the universe, free of the sins and imperfections of their forebears, which is certainly something.
 
The back end of the Binder focuses on many of these themes through the lens of marketing psychology, with discussion of archetypes like "The Ruler" (who obtains personal mastery over something, such as a child might obtain mastery over a Transformers toy by learning how to convert it), and "The Sage" (who knows lots about the Transformers, just like us here at {{SITENAME SHORT}}).
 
==Contents==
* 1: Cover
* 2-5: ???<ref name="removed">Removed in 2015.</ref>
* 6-7: Franchise {{w|Log line|Logline}}
* 8: ???<ref name="removed" />
 
===II. Overview of the New Universe===
* 9-10: Title
* 11: Introduction
* 12-13: Epoch I — [[Age of Origins|Origins]]
* 13: Epoch II — [[War of the Primes|The War of the Primes]]
* 13-15: Epoch III — The Fall of the Primes
* 15-16: Epoch IV — [[Age of Wrath|The Age of Wraith]] {{sic}}
* 16: Epoch V — [[Golden Age|The Golden Age]]
* 16-18: Epoch VI — The Rise of the [[Decepticon]]s
* 18-20: Epoch VII — [[Great War (Prime)|The Civil War]]
* 20: Epoch VIII — [[Great Exodus|The Exodus]]
* 21: Epoch IX — [[Earth]] Activation
* 22-25: Epoch X — Ascension, Epoch XI — The Return to Cybertron, Epoch XII — [[Unicron]]<ref name="updated">Updated in 2015.</ref>
* 26: Epoch XII — Unicron (cont.), Epoch XIII — A New Universe
* 27: [[Optimus Prime (disambiguation)|Optimus Prime]] vs. [[Megatron (disambiguation)|Megatron]]: The Fundamental Conflict of Transformers
* 28-34: ???<ref name="removed" />
 
===III. Heroes and Villains===
* 35-36: Title
* 37: ??? (likely introduction)<ref name="removed" />
* Autobot Character Profiles<ref name="added">New page added in 2015.</ref>
* 38: Polarity: The Astrology of Transformers, The Signs, 1. Liegeians, 2. Vecorians, 3. Nexians<ref name="moved">Moved later in 2015.</ref>
* 39: 4. Micronians, 5. Onyxians, 6. Megatronians, 7. Amalgians, 8. Soleans, 9. Quintessians, 10. Alphanians, 11. Alchemians, 12. Primians<ref name="moved" />
* 40-43: [[Optimus Prime (disambiguation)|Optimus Prime]] (Main) (robot mode line art by [[Eric Siebenaler]] with final rendering by [[Emiliano Santalucia]], vehicle mode by [[Ken Christiansen]], axe pose by [[Massive Black]])
* 44-47: [[Megatron (disambiguation)|Megatron]] (Main)<ref name="moved" /> (robot mode by Emiliano Santalucia, vehicle mode by Ken Christiansen, various images by [[Dreamwave Productions|Dreamwave]], G1 box art, and [[Transformers: War for Cybertron (franchise)|War for Cybertron]] concept art)
* 48-49: [[Starscream (disambiguation)|Starscream]] (Main)<ref name="moved" /> (robot and vehicle modes by Ken Christiansen)
* 50-51: [[Bumblebee (disambiguation)|Bumblebee]] (Main) (''G1'' robot and vehicle stock images by [[Don Figueroa]] for Dreamwave, new robot mode rendering by Ken Christiansen, construction site image by Emiliano Santalucia)
====Autobot Character Profiles====
* 52: Key art
* 53: ??? (likely "Autobot Character Profiles" title page)<ref name="removed" />
* [[Windblade (disambiguation)|Windblade]]<ref name="two added">Two new pages added in 2015.</ref> (robot mode images from IDW sources)
* [[Strongarm (RID)|Strongarm]]<ref name="two added" /> (''[[Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2015 franchise)|Transformers: Robots In Disguise]]'' stock images by either [[Walter Gatus]] or [[Jose Lopez|José Lopez]])
* [[Optimus Primal (disambiguation)|Primal]] {{sic}}<ref name="two added" /> (artist unknown)
* [[Cheetor (disambiguation)|Cheetor]]<ref name="two added" /> (artist unknown)
* [[Drift (AOE)|Drift]]<ref name="two added" /> (artist unknown)
* [[Hound (Movie)|Hound]]<ref name="two added" /> (artist unknown)
* 54: [[Ironhide (disambiguation)|Ironhide]] (A) (robot and vehicle modes by Ken Christiansen)
* 55: [[Jazz (disambiguation)|Jazz]] (A) (robot and vehicle modes by Emiliano Santalucia)
* 56: [[Ratchet (disambiguation)|Ratchet]] (A) (robot and vehicle modes by Ken Christiansen)
* 57: [[Prowl (disambiguation)|Prowl]] (B) (robot mode line art by Eric Siebenaler with final rendering by Emiliano Santalucia, vehicle mode by Dreamwave)
* 58: [[Grimlock (disambiguation)|Grimlock]] (B) (robot and dinosaur modes by Emiliano Santalucia)
* 59: [[Sideswipe (disambiguation)|Sideswipe]] (B) (robot and vehicle modes by Emiliano Santalucia)
* 60: [[Jetfire (disambiguation)|Jetfire]] (B) (robot and vehicle modes by [[E. J. Su]])
* 61: [[Bulkhead (disambiguation)|Bulkhead]] (C) (robot mode line art by Eric Siebenaler with final rendering by Emiliano Santalucia, vehicle mode by Emiliano Santalucia)
* 62: ???<ref name="removed" />
* [[Crosshairs (AOE)|Crosshairs]]<ref name="two added" /> (artist unknown)
* [[Fixit (RID)|Fixit]]<ref name="two added" /> (artist unknown)
* [[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]]<ref name="two added" /> (art unavailable, but presumably would be stock images of ''[[Transformers: Rescue Bots (franchise)|Rescue Bots]]'' [[Heatwave (RB)|Heatwave]])
* [[Superion (disambiguation)|Superion]]<ref name="two added" /> (combined mode first image by artist unknown, second ''[[Combiner Wars (franchise)|Combiner Wars]]'' combined mode image line art by [[Marcelo Matere]])
* [[Defensor (disambiguation)|Defensor]]<ref name="two added" /> (''Combiner Wars'' combined mode image line art by Marcelo Matere)
* [[Fortress Maximus (disambiguation)|Fortress Maximus]]<ref name="two added" /> (robot mode line art by [[Guido Guidi]])
* 63: [[The Wreckers]]
* 64: [[Hot Rod (disambiguation)|Rodimus]] (C) (''G1'' stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
* 65: [[Arcee (disambiguation)|Arcee]] (C) (''G1'' stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
* 66: [[Mirage (disambiguation)|Mirage]] (C) (robot and vehicle modes by Ken Christiansen)
* 67: [[Swoop (disambiguation)|Swoop]] (C) (''G1'' stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
* 68: [[Sludge (disambiguation)|Sludge]] (C) (''G1'' stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
* 69: [[Snarl (disambiguation)|Snarl]] (C) (''G1'' stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
* 70: [[Wheeljack (disambiguation)|Wheeljack]] (D) (''G1'' stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
* 71: [[Ultra Magnus (disambiguation)|Ultra Magnus]] (D) (''G1'' stock images by Guido Guidi)
* 72: [[Springer (disambiguation)|Springer]] (D) (''G1'' stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
* 73: [[Brawn (disambiguation)|Brawn]] (D) (''G1'' stock images by Dreamwave)
* 74: [[Cliffjumper (disambiguation)|Cliffjumper]] (D) (''G1'' stock images by Dreamwave)
* 75: [[Blurr (disambiguation)|Blurr]] (D) (''G1'' stock images by Dreamwave)
* 76: ???<ref name="removed" />
* 77: [[Omega Supreme (disambiguation)|Omega Supreme]] (E) (robot and base modes by E. J. Su)
* 78: [[Sentinel Prime (disambiguation)|Sentinel Prime]] (E) (robot mode line art by Eric Siebenaler with final rendering by Emiliano Santalucia)
====Decepticon Character Profiles====
* 79: Title
* 80: [[Lugnut (disambiguation)|Lugnut]] (B) (''[[Transformers Animated (franchise)|Transformers Animated]]'' stock image robot mode by [[Derrick J. Wyatt]], vehicle mode by [[Byron Penaranda]])
* 81: [[Inferno (BW)|Inferno]] (B) (''[[Beast Wars: Transformers (franchise)|Beast Wars]]'' stock images by [[Dan Khanna]] for IDW Publishing)
* 82: [[Barricade (disambiguation)|Barricade]] (B) (robot mode line art by Eric Siebenaler with final rendering by Emiliano Santalucia, vehicle mode from ''War for Cybertron'' concept art by [[High Moon Studios]])
* 83: [[Soundwave (disambiguation)|Soundwave]] (B) (robot and vehicle modes by Ken Christiansen)
* 84: [[Ratbat (disambiguation)|Ratbat]] (B) (''G1'' stock images by Dreamwave)
* 85: [[Ravage (disambiguation)|Ravage]] (B) (artist unknown)
* 86: [[Laserbeak (disambiguation)|Laserbeak]] (B) (''G1'' stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
* 87: [[Rumble (disambiguation)|Rumble]] (B) (''G1'' stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
* 88: [[Frenzy (disambiguation)|Frenzy]] (B) (''[[Transformers (2007 franchise)|Dreamworks Transformers movie]]'' stock images by [[Industrial Light & Magic]])
* 89: [[Lockdown (disambiguation)|Lockdown]] (C) (''Transformers Animated'' stock image robot mode by Derrick J. Wyatt, vehicle mode by Byron Penaranda)
* 90: [[Skywarp (disambiguation)|Skywarp]] (C) (''G1'' stock image by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave, various ''War for Cybertron'' concept art images by High Moon Studios)
* 91: [[Thundercracker (disambiguation)|Thundercracker]] (C) (''War for Cybertron'' concept art images by High Moon Studios)
* 92: [[Shockwave (disambiguation)|Shockwave]] (C) (''G1'' stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
* [[Underbite]]<ref name="two added" /> (''Transformers: Robots in Disguise'' stock images by unknown artist)
* 93: [[Blitzwing (disambiguation)|Blitzwing]] (D) (robot and base modes by E. J. Su)
* 94: [[Devastator (disambiguation)|Devastator]] (D) (''G1'' stock image by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave, ''Dreamworks Transformers movie'' stock image by Industrial Light & Magic)
* 95: [[Mixmaster (disambiguation)|Mixmaster]] (D) (''G1'' stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
* 96: [[Long Haul (disambiguation)|Long Haul]] (D) (''G1'' stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
* 97: [[Rampage (disambiguation)|Rampage]] (D) (art unavailable, but presumably would be stock images of ''Dreamworks Transformers movie'' [[Rampage (ROTF)|Rampage]])
* 98: [[Hightower (disambiguation)|Hightower]] (D) (''G1'' stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
* 99: [[Scavenger (disambiguation)|Scavenger]] (D) (''G1'' stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
* 100: [[Scrapper (disambiguation)|Scrapper]] (D) (''G1'' stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
* 101: [[Bludgeon (disambiguation)|Bludgeon]] (D) (''G1'' stock images by Guido Guidi for Dreamwave)
* [[Menasor (disambiguation)|Menasor]]<ref name="two added" /> (''Combiner Wars'' stock photograph)
* 102: [[Bruticus (disambiguation)|Bruticus Maximus]] (E) (''G1'' stock images by Guido Guidi for Dreamwave)
* 103: [[Swindle (disambiguation)|Swindle]] (E) (robot mode line art by Eric Siebenaler with final rendering by Emiliano Santalucia, vehicle mode by Emiliano Santalucia)
* 104: [[Onslaught (disambiguation)|Onslaught]] (E) (''G1'' stock images by Guido Guidi for Dreamwave)
* 105: [[Blast Off (disambiguation)|Blast Off]] (E) (''G1'' stock images by Guido Guidi for Dreamwave)
* 106: Clamp Down (E)<ref>No, we don't know who the hell this is either.</ref> (art unavailable, but presumably would be a "giant transport helicopter" in "mustard [with] purple highlights")
* 107: [[Waspinator (disambiguation)|Waspinator]] (F) (''Beast Wars'' stock images [[Matt Frank]] for IDW Publishing)
* 108: [[Quintesson]] (F) (''G1'' stock images by Dreamwave)
* 109: [[Gnaw (disambiguation)|Gnaw]] (F) (''G1'' stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
* 110: [[Trypticon (disambiguation)|Trypticon]] (G) (''G1'' stock images by Dreamwave)
* 111-112: ???<ref name="removed" />
 
====Legendary Character Profiles====
* 113: Title
* 114: [[Thirteen|The Thirteen Primes]]
* 115: [[Alpha Trion]] (artist unknown)
* 116: [[Vector Prime]] (robot mode image by Ken Christiansen)
* 117: [[Prima]] (robot mode by Eric Siebenaler)
* 118: [[The Fallen|Megatronus]] (artist unknown, likely Don Figueroa)
* 119: [[Liege Maximo]] (robot mode image by Ken Christiansen)
* 120: [[Solus Prime]] (robot mode image by Ken Christiansen)
* 121: [[Nexus Prime]] (robot mode image by Ken Christiansen)
* 122: [[Micronus Prime|Micronus]] (concept image likely by [[Aaron Archer]], final rendering by Marcelo Matere)
* 123: [[Quintus Prime|Quintus]] (robot mode image by Ken Christiansen)
* 124: [[Onyx Prime]] (robot mode image by Ken Christiansen)
* 125: [[Amalgamous Prime]] (robot mode image by Aaron Archer)
* 126: [[Maccadam|Alchemist Prime]] (art unavailable, but would have been an earlier version of the ''[[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus]]'' robot mode image by Ken Christiansen)
* 127: The [[Thirteenth Prime]] (art unavailable, but would have been an earlier version of ''[[Transformers: The Covenant of Primus]]'' robot mode image by Ken Christiansen)
* 128: [[Galvatron (disambiguation)|Galvatron]], [[Ultimate Transformers]] (''G1'' stock robot mode image by an unknown artist and alternate modes by Dreamwave, ''Beast Wars'' stock robot mode images by Don Figueroa for IDW Publishing)
* [[Unicron]]<ref name="two added" /> (images from IDW ''[[Transformers: The Animated Movie]]'' adaptation)
* Auxillary Transformer Profiles<ref name="added" />
* [[Combiner]]s, [[Headmaster (technology)|Headmaster]]s, [[Titans]], [[Mini-Con]]s, [[Beast mode|Beast Transformers]]<ref name="four added">Four new pages added.</ref>
* [[Maximal]]s, [[Predacon (BW)|Predacon]]s, [[Dinobot (disambiguation)|Dinobot]]s<ref name="added" />
 
====Human Character Profiles====
* 129: Title
* 130: [[Witwicky (surname)|Witwickys]], [[Spike Witwicky (G1)]]
* 131: [[Sam Witwicky|Samuel James (Sam) / Spike]], [[Buster Witwicky (G1)|Buster]]
* 132: [[Sparkplug Witwicky|Sparkplug]], [[Carly (G1)|Carlee]]
* 133: [[Daniel Witwicky (G1)|Daniel]], [[Herbert Witwicky|Herbert]]
* 134: [[Clarence Witwicky|Clarence]], [[Judy Witwicky|Judy]]
* 135: [[Ron Witwicky|Ronald]], [[Archibald Witwicky|Captain Archibald Amundsen]]
* 136: [[Maggie Madsen|Maggie Madson]] {{sic}}, [[Glen Whitmann]] (Hackers)
* 137: [[Chip Chase]] (Hackers)
* 138: [[Reggie Simmons|Agent Reggie Simmons]], [[Theodore Galloway|NSA Deputy Director Theodore Galloway]] (Government)
* 139: [[Morshower|Admiral Morshower]], [[John Keller|Defense Secretary John Keller]] (Government)
* 140: [[Brigham|Admiral Brigham]] (Government)
* 141: [[William Lennox]], [[Robert Epps]] (Autobot-Human Allied Forces)
* 142: [[Kaminari Ishihara|Dr. Kaminari Ishihara]], [[Petr Andronov]] (Autobot-Human Allied Forces)
* 143: [[Pierre Morales]] (Autobot-Human Allied Forces)
* 144: [[Sari Sumdac (Animated)|Sari Sumdac]], [[Mikaela Banes]] (Civilians)
* 145: [[Erasto Khalfani]], [[Miles Lancaster|Miles]] (Civilians)
* 146: [[Sarah Lennox]], [[Monique Epps]] (Civilians)
* 147: [[Leo Spitz|Leo Ponce de Leon Spitz]], [[Colin Banes|Cal Banes]] (Civilians)
* 148: [[Carly Witwicky (Animated)|Carly]], [[Chumley|Lord Chumley]] (Civilians)
* 149: [[Colan|Professor Colan]] (Civilians)
* 150: [[Isaac Sumdac (Animated)|Isaac Sumdac]], [[Doctor Arkeville|Dr. Arkville]] {{sic}} (Scientists)
* 151: [[Doctor Fujiyama the Famous Scientist|Dr. Fujiyama]], [[Haley|Professor Haley]] (Scientists)
* 152: [[Circuit Breaker (G1)|Josie Beller]] (Scientists)
* 153: [[Shawn Berger|Sean Burger / Shawn Berger]], [[Astoria Carlton-Ritz]] (Industrialists)
* 154: [[G.B. Blackrock]] (Industrialists)
 
===IV. Locations===
* 155-156: Title
====Earth====
* 157: Introduction
* 158: Earth
* 159-160: [[Hoover Dam]], [[Sector Seven]]
* 160: [[Shanghai]], [[Rome]]
* 161: [[Mission City]], [[Diego Garcia|Diego Garcia Airbase]]
* 162: [[Pentagon|Pentagon Action Crisis Center]], [[Princeton University|Princeton]]
* 163: [[Paris]], [[Egypt]]
* [[Chicago]]<ref name="added" />
* [[Hong Kong]]<ref name="added" />
* 164: [[Mount St. Hilary]], [[Fox Creek Canyon]], [[Ruby crystal mines of Burma|Ruby Mines of Burma]]
* 165: [[Central City (Earth)|Central City]], [[:Category:Decepticon bases on Earth|Decepticon Base]]
====Cybertron====
* 166: Cybertron Projection Map
* 167: Introduction
* 168: [[Cybertron (planet)|Cybertron]]
* 169: [[Moonbase One|Cybertron Moon Base One]]
* 170: [[Moonbase Two|Cybertron Moon Base Two]], [[Trypticon Asteroid Belt]]
* 171: [[Underworld]], [[Iacon (polity)]]
* 172: [[Hall of Records|Autobot Hall of Records]]
* 173: [[Manganese Mountains]], [[Six Lasers Over Cybertron]], [[Mithril Sea|Mithric Sea]]
* 174: [[Unicron Ejection Site]], [[Praxus]], [[Crystal City|Crystal City Ruins]]
* 175: [[Polyhex]], [[Perceptoryn]], [[Kalis]]
* 176: [[Well of All Sparks|Well of Allsparks]], [[Altihex]]
* 177: [[Uraya]], [[Simfur]], [[Polities of Cybertron#Orbital Torus State|Torus States]]
* 178: [[Nova Cronum]], [[Tagan Heights]]
* 179: [[Stanix]], [[Blaster City]], [[Sonic Canyons]]
* 180: [[Kaon (polity)|Kaon]]
* 181: [[Slaughter City]], [[Vos (polity)|Vos]], [[Tarn (polity)|Tarn]]
* 182: [[Hydrax Plateau]], [[Rust Sea|Sea of Rust]], [[Astral Plane]], [[Unicron]]
====Distant Planets====
* 183: Title
* 184: [[Archa Nine|Akalo]], [[Antilla]], [[Bhul]]
* 185: [[Centaris Seven]], [[Chaar]], [[Ceti Alpha Seven]]
* 186: [[Combatron (planet)|Combatron]], [[Daffodil II]], [[Darhos]]
* 187: [[Ice Planet|The Ice Planet]], [[Dread (planet)|Dredd]], [[Eurythma]]
* 188: [[Femax]], [[Ganzvort]], [[Ghennix]]
* 189: [[Goo Number 8739-B|Goo]], [[Gorlam Prime]], [[Greengard]]
* 190: [[Hub (G2)|The Hub]], [[Hydrus Four]], [[Hyperion (planet)|Hyperion]], [[Jhi]]
* 191: [[Jörmungandr]], [[Klo]], [[Master (planet)|Master]]
* 192: [[Menonia]], [[Mumu-Obscura]], [[New Kaon]]
* 193: [[Nebulos]], [[Paradise]]
* 194: [[Paradron]], [[Planet Q]]
* 195: [[Pz-Zazz]], [[Quintessa (planet)|Quintessa]], [[Regalis V]]
* 196: [[Archa Seven|Spider Planet]], [[Talos Four|Talos IV]], [[Thrull]]
* 197: [[Torkulon]], [[Twin Star]]
* 198: [[Velocitron]], [[Wednesday]], [[Zarak (planet)|Zarak]]
 
===V. Vehicles, Weapons, Artifacts & Technology===
* 199-200: Title
====Vehicles====
* 201: Title
* 202: [[Ark (disambiguation)|The ''Ark'']], [[Nemesis (disambiguation)|The ''Nemesis'']]
* 203: [[Omega Supreme (disambiguation)|Omega Supreme]], [[Trypticon (disambiguation)|Trypticon]]
* 204: ''[[Pearl of India|The Pearl of India]]''
 
====Weapons====
* 205: Title
* 206: [[Andronov Device]], [[Electromagnetic pulse|Narrowcast EMP]]
* 207: [[Voltronic Galaxer]], [[Transfixatron]]
* 208: [[Solar Needle|Megatron's Solar Needle]], [[SOSUS Detection Net]]s
* 209: [[Rail gun|Rail Gun]], [[The Immobilizer]]
* 210: [[Mode lock|Mode Lock]], [[Death crystal|Death Crystal]]s
* 211: [[Acid pellet|Acid Pellet]]s, [[Decepticon Hunter]]<ref name="updated" />
====Artifacts of the Primes====
* 212: Key Art
* 213: Title
* 214-215: [[Matrix of Leadership|The Matrix of Leadership]]
* 215: [[Covenant of Primus|The Covenant of Primus]]
* 216: [[AllSpark|The AllSpark]]
* 217: [[Star Saber (Thirteen)|The Star Saber]], [[Requiem Blaster (Thirteen)|The Requium Blaster]] {{sic}}
* 218: [[Quill|The Quill of Trion]], [[Forge of Solus Prime|Solus Prime's Forge]]
* 219: [[Emberstone|The Spark of Quintus]], [[Enigma of Combination|The Enigma of Combination]]
* 220: [[Transformation Cog (Thirteen)|The Transformation Cog]], [[Lenses|The Lenseers]]
* 221: [[Chimera Stone|The Chimera Stone]], [[Triptych Mask|The Tryptic Mask]] {{sic}}
* 222: [[Liegian Darts|The Liegian Darts]], [[Blades of Time|The Blades of Time]]
* 223: [[Sinisternal|The Sinisternal]]
====Technology====
* 224: Key Art
* 225: Title
* 226: [[Teletraan (disambiguation)|Teletran I]], [[Vector Sigma]]
* 227: [[Energon Trackers]], [[Star Harvester]]
* 228: [[Protoform]]
====Transformer Culture====
* 229: Title
* 230: [[Rite of the Autobrand|The Rite of the Autobrand]], [[Universal greeting|Universal Greeting]]
====Human Culture: Companies====
* 231: Title
* 232: [[Quantum Laboratories]], [[McClaren Robotics]], [[Hybrid Technologies]]
====Human Artifacts====
* 233: Title
* 234: ''[[The Arctic Grail: A History of Expeditions]]'', [[Archibald Witwicky's glasses|Archibald Witwicky's Glasses]], ''[[As the Kitchen Sinks]]''
* 235: [[The Real Effing Deal|Real-Effing-Deal.com]], [[GiantEffingRobots.com|Giant-Effing-Robots.com]]
* 236: [[Alien/Autobot Cooperation Act|Alien Autobot Cooperation Act]]
 
===VI. The Super Science of Transformers===
* 237-238: Title
* 239: Introduction
* 240-241: [[Transformer#Origins|Genesis]], [[Spark|The Spark]], [[Transformer#Transformer life cycle|Stages of Transformer Development]]
* 241-242: [[AllSpark|The AllSpark]], [[Second-born intellect|Artificial Intelligence]]
* 242-243: [[Energon]], [[Dark Energon]], [[Cosmic Rust (disease)|Cosmic Rust]], [[:Category:Power sources|Energy Sources]]
* 243-244: [[Space (the place)|Travel Through Space and Time]], [[Space bridge|Space Bridges]]
* 244: [[Time travel|Time Travel]], [[Cyberforming|Artificial Worlds]]
* 245: [[Transformer#Physiology and variance in form|Robot Divergence]], [[Transformation]]s and [[Scanning|Trans-Scanning]]
* 246-247: [[Weapon]]ry, [[Function|Special Science]]
* 247: [[Human#Technology|Earth Super-Technology]], [[Cybertronian language|Language Conventions]], [[:Category:Measurements|Units of Measurement]]
* 248: Units of Cybertronian Measurements
 
===VII. Archetypes, Messages & Themes===
* 249-250: Title
* 251: Introduction
====The Brand Essence of ''Transformers''====
* 252=253: What makes a ''Transformers'' Story?
* 253-256: Brand Archetype: The Ruler
* 256-257: Sage Archetype — New Witwicky
====The Theme of ''Transformers''====
* 258: What is ''Transformers'' about? In a universe where change is the only constant, how is peace possible?
* 259-260: The Central Theme Explained, Fundamental Conflict
====Messages of ''Transformers''====
* 261-262: Chaos & Order, Destiny and Fate, Avatar Theory and Reincarnation, A Single Action can Change the Course of History, Transformation
* 262-263: Achieving Success through Effort, Brotherhood, Responsibility
* 263: More than meets the eye..., Supporting Characters as Mirrors, Once you have found your bliss you can achieve the impossible.
 
====Aspirational Drivers====
* 264: Aspirational Drivers
====Major Aspirational Drivers====
* 265-266: Mastery, Power
* 266: Hierarchy
====Secondary Aspirational Drivers====
* 267: Multiplicity, Inner Pride
 
====Sensory Gratification====
* 268: Sensory Gratification
====Fantasy Journey & Fulfillment====
* 269: Fantasy Journey & Fulfillment
* 270: Key Art
 
===VIII. Epic Chronology===
* 271-272: Title
* 273-306: The Epic Chronology of ''Transformers''<ref>In the 2015 ed., pg 299 (Epoch X — Ascension) was replaced with three new pages expanding on this era following its depiction in media. Similarly, pg 301 (Epoch XI — The Return to Cybertron) was also updated with new information from recent media.</ref>
 
===IX. Distant Mountains===
* 307-308: Title
* 309: ??? (likely introduction of this section as covering unanswered questions, to be explored in future media)<ref name="removed" />
* 310: Epoch I — [[Age of Primes|Origins]]
* 311: Epoch II — The [[War of the Primes]]
* 312: Epoch III — The Fall of the Primes
* 313: Epoch IV — The [[Age of Wrath|Age of Wraith]] {{sic}}
* 314: Epoch V — The [[Golden Age]]
* 315: Epoch VI — The [[Age of Rust|Rise of the Decepticons]]
* 316: Epoch VII — The [[Great War (Prime)|Civil War]]
* 317: Epoch VIII — The [[Great Exodus|Exodus]]
* 318: Epoch IX — Earth Activation
* 319: Epoch X — Ascension
* 320: Epoch XI — The Return to Cybertron
* 321: Epoch XII — Unicron
* 322: Epoch XIII — A New Universe
 
===Appendix I. The Language of the Primes===
* 323-324: Title
* 325-326: [[:File:Aligned font.jpg|Cybertronian Alphabet]]
 
===Appendix II. Glossary of Terms===
* 327-328: Title
* 329-334: Glossary of Terms
 
==Issues==
Rik Alvarez claimed in 2015 that the "B.O.R." had been repeatedly ignored or subverted. First, the creatives behind ''[[Transformers: Prime (cartoon)|Prime]]'' didn't want to be beholden to older material, not even other parts of Aligned, even as the B.O.R. had to flesh out the world for them; [[IDW Publishing]] had established too many backstories for the Binder to be logistically applicable for them; and ''[[Transformers: Rescue Bots (cartoon)|Rescue Bots]]'' was not part of the Binder's plans, yet in it came!<ref>{{citesocial|quote=WHY DID THIS ALL FALL APART? 1. Hasbro never had control of ''Prime''. Studio didn't want anything to do with [''War for Cybertron/Fall of Cybertron'']. Left HasLab scrambling to change everyone else's projects. Studio claimed ''Rescue Bots'' was part of ''Prime'' story... ''Beast Hunters'' (we'll get into that later...). ''Prime'' had to end after 3 seasons [as the] Budget ballooned out of control, Hasbro dropped the ball on toys, NOBODY had the HUB... 2. No IDW tie in comic book. 3. MMOG disaster — team kept changing. 4. No cross branding marker.|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20151021235106/http://sunnybutte.tumblr.com/post/131367083128/that-explains-a-lot-of-the-mess-that-was|name=Rik Alvarez|site=TFcon Charlotte|year=2015}}</ref> Then the incoming toy design director at Hasbro abruptly changed the plans for ''Prime'' season 3, swerving to ''Beast Hunters'' instead of a return to Cybertron that would have included [[Star Seeker|pirates]]. ''Prime'' being cancelled, according to Alvarez, shot the B.O.R. in the head.<ref name="beast hunters" /> [[Andrew Hall]], who had also worked on [[Transformers: Prime (toyline)#Super Robot Lifeform Transformers Prime (Arms Micron)|Aligned product]], weighed in to confirm that this lined up with what he had heard from other people.<ref>{{citesocial|quote=No, the aspects of it that people are seeing as complaining was pretty much stuff I heard after he had left. So I just wanted to say that it's definitely not fabricated. [...] I'm just sympathetic because I've seen very clearly that working in a large corporation can be like being wrapped up in a massive war, where you're only in control of your own little unit (if that), and not the entire battlefield. I know plenty of really talented people who had their careers swept away with the tide, due to no fault of their own. I'm not even being slightly dramatic here.|link=https://web.archive.org/web/20160522191018/http://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/121416-everything-that-went-wrong-with-the-transformers-prime-show-panel-at-tfcon-charlotte/page-8#entry3060551|name=Andrew Hall|site=The Allspark|title=Everything that went wrong with the Transformers: Prime show panel at TFCon Charlotte|year=2015|month=10|day=19}}</ref>
 
==Footnotes==
<references />
<references />


[[Category:Prime]]
[[Category:Aligned]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron]]
[[Category:Hasbro]]
[[Category:Prime media]]
[[Category:War for Cybertron media]]

Latest revision as of 01:13, 21 January 2026

Fusion canon.

The "Binder of Revelation" is the informal name used by Hasbro creatives for the 354-page production bible that undergirds fiction in the Aligned continuity family.[1] Co-written by Aaron Archer, Rik Alvarez, and other Transformers experts from Hasbro (with help from outside partners Fabian Nicieza and the fandom), it charts billions of years of history, combining concepts from all previous "generations" of Transformers lore.

Didn't quite turn out as planned.

“ cost over $250k to produce - lives in the bottom of drawer ”

—Rik Alvarez's 2015 slideshow at TFcon Charlotte[2]

Published material

[edit]

As an internal publication ostensibly covering years of future plans, the Binder of Revelation was strictly confidential, meaning for many years the public understanding of its contents was limited to brief glimpses or secondhand sources. Transformers Vault contains three scans of the Binder:

Many individual pieces of artwork commissioned for the Binder have also been released separately over time, either in official publications or via the artists themselves.

Continuity

[edit]

The Binder of Revelation charts the history of the Transformers from the beginning to the end of the universe.

Which universe, you might ask? Well, that's the thing.

It's clear that the Binder of Revelation was produced at a very specific point in the brand's history: after the release of the 2007 Transformers movie, Transformers Animated, and Revenge of the Fallen, but before work was done on Transformers: Prime (whose showrunners were handed a copy of the production bible). While much of the Cybertronian history covered in the document is more-or-less what was depicted in The Covenant of Primus, the Exodus novel, and the War for Cybertron video games, the sections concerned with the Transformers' time on Earth directly pull from the first two live-action movies—and indeed, Transformers: Prime itself would start from a status quo which assumes events similar to those in the first live-action film to have already taken place. Artist Ken Christiansen was clearly directed to merge the G1 and movie styles for the character designs he produced for the book, resulting in an Optimus Prime who turns into a long-nose truck, an Ironhide with arm-mounted cannons, a green Ratchet, and a Sideswipe with sword-arms, among others. Characters are expressly ranked across several tiers of notability, with many B- or C-tier characters not deemed significant enough for new artwork typically recycling artwork from Dreamwave Productions' More than Meets the Eye profile series. Although the Constructicons are depicted with Dreamwave's G1-accurate art, Bonecrusher and Hook are renamed Rampage and Hightower respectively, as a compromise with the team's depiction in Revenge of the Fallen. Similarly, of the Primes listed, only seven actually have the word "Prime" in their names, possibly to fit with dialogue from that film. The document sidesteps Slag's controversial name by omitting him altogether, conflating many of his traits with Snarl. Bafflingly, maybe a third of every single character profile is given over to discussion of "Polarity"—effectively Transformers astrology based on the Thirteen Primes—to say which Primes each character is spiritually descended from. As this concept never appeared in any published media, you can see for yourself how little this helped any writer who ever worked on the brand. Solus Prime is frequently (but not always) referred to as "Pandora Prime", and bafflingly, Ratchet's primary and complimentary polarity are "Pandoran" and "Solean" respectively—despite these being the same individual!

The book's later sections on human characters and worldbuilding concepts takes a far more encyclopedic, scattershot approach, jumbling together elements of the G1 cartoon, comics, Animated, and the live-action movies. Again, the Binder's focus on the franchise as it existed at that specific moment in time leads to Transformers: The Veiled Threat, an otherwise practically-forgotten tie-in novel to Revenge of the Fallen, getting a shocking amount of airtime alongside these more-prominent pieces of media.

It seems that the Binder was left untouched until 2015, another hyperspecific point in history, when a few pages were updated and new ones added. The replaced pages are mostly those concerned with the Transformers' time on Earth; rather than summarising the events of Transformers: Prime, as one might expect, the new versions summarise the events of Dark of the Moon and the then-recent Age of Extinction—despite the vast number of incongruities this introduces with the rest of the character profiles. New profiles are added for all of the Autobots from Age of Extinction, a few characters from Robots in Disguise (notably doubling the number of female Transformers mentioned in the document), the remaining three major combiners from Combiner Wars, and Fortress Maximus from the then-upcoming Titans Return. The ordering of pages was reshuffled slightly; again, speaking to the fact that nobody cared about "polarity", the explanation of this concept was buried towards the back of the book.

Themes

[edit]

Perhaps the aspect of the Binder of Revelation which has best stood the test of time, from a creative standpoint, is its clear aim to encourage the creation of Transformers stories which are meaningful. The ideological conflict between Optimus Prime and Megatron, whose goals are meant to appear superficially similar, is framed as one of free will ("Freedom is the right of all sentient beings.") versus determinism ("Peace through tyranny."). Certain worldbuilding concepts—such as the fragments of Unicron left embedded in Primus, which are said to have tainted the Transformers with evil; and the "Polarities" concept, which informs the present-day characters' behaviour—seem intended to raise the question of whether it is possible to overcome one's own past, to break the cycles of war, and truly change as a society.

Granted, many of these ideas are muddled at best. Optimus Prime is expressly referred to as a "libertarian", but he is appointed ruler of Cybertron by the planet's existing power structure, and is implied to be predestined to rule through divine right; meanwhile, Megatron, who ostensibly stands opposed to liberty, spends most of his backstory as a freedom fighter liberating the oppressed people of Cybertron. In the story bible's never-realised future plans, a race of "Ultimate Transformers" (implicitly the Maximals and Predacons) would set out to colonise the universe, free of the sins and imperfections of their forebears, which is certainly something.

The back end of the Binder focuses on many of these themes through the lens of marketing psychology, with discussion of archetypes like "The Ruler" (who obtains personal mastery over something, such as a child might obtain mastery over a Transformers toy by learning how to convert it), and "The Sage" (who knows lots about the Transformers, just like us here at TFWiki.net).

Contents

[edit]

II. Overview of the New Universe

[edit]

III. Heroes and Villains

[edit]
  • 35-36: Title
  • 37: ??? (likely introduction)[3]
  • Autobot Character Profiles[5]
  • 38: Polarity: The Astrology of Transformers, The Signs, 1. Liegeians, 2. Vecorians, 3. Nexians[6]
  • 39: 4. Micronians, 5. Onyxians, 6. Megatronians, 7. Amalgians, 8. Soleans, 9. Quintessians, 10. Alphanians, 11. Alchemians, 12. Primians[6]
  • 40-43: Optimus Prime (Main) (robot mode line art by Eric Siebenaler with final rendering by Emiliano Santalucia, vehicle mode by Ken Christiansen, axe pose by Massive Black)
  • 44-47: Megatron (Main)[6] (robot mode by Emiliano Santalucia, vehicle mode by Ken Christiansen, various images by Dreamwave, G1 box art, and War for Cybertron concept art)
  • 48-49: Starscream (Main)[6] (robot and vehicle modes by Ken Christiansen)
  • 50-51: Bumblebee (Main) (G1 robot and vehicle stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave, new robot mode rendering by Ken Christiansen, construction site image by Emiliano Santalucia)

Autobot Character Profiles

[edit]
  • 52: Key art
  • 53: ??? (likely "Autobot Character Profiles" title page)[3]
  • Windblade[7] (robot mode images from IDW sources)
  • Strongarm[7] (Transformers: Robots In Disguise stock images by either Walter Gatus or José Lopez)
  • Primal [sic][7] (artist unknown)
  • Cheetor[7] (artist unknown)
  • Drift[7] (artist unknown)
  • Hound[7] (artist unknown)
  • 54: Ironhide (A) (robot and vehicle modes by Ken Christiansen)
  • 55: Jazz (A) (robot and vehicle modes by Emiliano Santalucia)
  • 56: Ratchet (A) (robot and vehicle modes by Ken Christiansen)
  • 57: Prowl (B) (robot mode line art by Eric Siebenaler with final rendering by Emiliano Santalucia, vehicle mode by Dreamwave)
  • 58: Grimlock (B) (robot and dinosaur modes by Emiliano Santalucia)
  • 59: Sideswipe (B) (robot and vehicle modes by Emiliano Santalucia)
  • 60: Jetfire (B) (robot and vehicle modes by E. J. Su)
  • 61: Bulkhead (C) (robot mode line art by Eric Siebenaler with final rendering by Emiliano Santalucia, vehicle mode by Emiliano Santalucia)
  • 62: ???[3]
  • Crosshairs[7] (artist unknown)
  • Fixit[7] (artist unknown)
  • Heatwave[7] (art unavailable, but presumably would be stock images of Rescue Bots Heatwave)
  • Superion[7] (combined mode first image by artist unknown, second Combiner Wars combined mode image line art by Marcelo Matere)
  • Defensor[7] (Combiner Wars combined mode image line art by Marcelo Matere)
  • Fortress Maximus[7] (robot mode line art by Guido Guidi)
  • 63: The Wreckers
  • 64: Rodimus (C) (G1 stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
  • 65: Arcee (C) (G1 stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
  • 66: Mirage (C) (robot and vehicle modes by Ken Christiansen)
  • 67: Swoop (C) (G1 stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
  • 68: Sludge (C) (G1 stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
  • 69: Snarl (C) (G1 stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
  • 70: Wheeljack (D) (G1 stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
  • 71: Ultra Magnus (D) (G1 stock images by Guido Guidi)
  • 72: Springer (D) (G1 stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
  • 73: Brawn (D) (G1 stock images by Dreamwave)
  • 74: Cliffjumper (D) (G1 stock images by Dreamwave)
  • 75: Blurr (D) (G1 stock images by Dreamwave)
  • 76: ???[3]
  • 77: Omega Supreme (E) (robot and base modes by E. J. Su)
  • 78: Sentinel Prime (E) (robot mode line art by Eric Siebenaler with final rendering by Emiliano Santalucia)

Decepticon Character Profiles

[edit]
  • 79: Title
  • 80: Lugnut (B) (Transformers Animated stock image robot mode by Derrick J. Wyatt, vehicle mode by Byron Penaranda)
  • 81: Inferno (B) (Beast Wars stock images by Dan Khanna for IDW Publishing)
  • 82: Barricade (B) (robot mode line art by Eric Siebenaler with final rendering by Emiliano Santalucia, vehicle mode from War for Cybertron concept art by High Moon Studios)
  • 83: Soundwave (B) (robot and vehicle modes by Ken Christiansen)
  • 84: Ratbat (B) (G1 stock images by Dreamwave)
  • 85: Ravage (B) (artist unknown)
  • 86: Laserbeak (B) (G1 stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
  • 87: Rumble (B) (G1 stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
  • 88: Frenzy (B) (Dreamworks Transformers movie stock images by Industrial Light & Magic)
  • 89: Lockdown (C) (Transformers Animated stock image robot mode by Derrick J. Wyatt, vehicle mode by Byron Penaranda)
  • 90: Skywarp (C) (G1 stock image by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave, various War for Cybertron concept art images by High Moon Studios)
  • 91: Thundercracker (C) (War for Cybertron concept art images by High Moon Studios)
  • 92: Shockwave (C) (G1 stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
  • Underbite[7] (Transformers: Robots in Disguise stock images by unknown artist)
  • 93: Blitzwing (D) (robot and base modes by E. J. Su)
  • 94: Devastator (D) (G1 stock image by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave, Dreamworks Transformers movie stock image by Industrial Light & Magic)
  • 95: Mixmaster (D) (G1 stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
  • 96: Long Haul (D) (G1 stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
  • 97: Rampage (D) (art unavailable, but presumably would be stock images of Dreamworks Transformers movie Rampage)
  • 98: Hightower (D) (G1 stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
  • 99: Scavenger (D) (G1 stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
  • 100: Scrapper (D) (G1 stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
  • 101: Bludgeon (D) (G1 stock images by Guido Guidi for Dreamwave)
  • Menasor[7] (Combiner Wars stock photograph)
  • 102: Bruticus Maximus (E) (G1 stock images by Guido Guidi for Dreamwave)
  • 103: Swindle (E) (robot mode line art by Eric Siebenaler with final rendering by Emiliano Santalucia, vehicle mode by Emiliano Santalucia)
  • 104: Onslaught (E) (G1 stock images by Guido Guidi for Dreamwave)
  • 105: Blast Off (E) (G1 stock images by Guido Guidi for Dreamwave)
  • 106: Clamp Down (E)[8] (art unavailable, but presumably would be a "giant transport helicopter" in "mustard [with] purple highlights")
  • 107: Waspinator (F) (Beast Wars stock images Matt Frank for IDW Publishing)
  • 108: Quintesson (F) (G1 stock images by Dreamwave)
  • 109: Gnaw (F) (G1 stock images by Don Figueroa for Dreamwave)
  • 110: Trypticon (G) (G1 stock images by Dreamwave)
  • 111-112: ???[3]

Legendary Character Profiles

[edit]

Human Character Profiles

[edit]

IV. Locations

[edit]
  • 155-156: Title

Earth

[edit]

Cybertron

[edit]

Distant Planets

[edit]

V. Vehicles, Weapons, Artifacts & Technology

[edit]
  • 199-200: Title

Vehicles

[edit]

Weapons

[edit]

Artifacts of the Primes

[edit]

Technology

[edit]

Transformer Culture

[edit]

Human Culture: Companies

[edit]

Human Artifacts

[edit]

VI. The Super Science of Transformers

[edit]

VII. Archetypes, Messages & Themes

[edit]
  • 249-250: Title
  • 251: Introduction

The Brand Essence of Transformers

[edit]
  • 252=253: What makes a Transformers Story?
  • 253-256: Brand Archetype: The Ruler
  • 256-257: Sage Archetype — New Witwicky

The Theme of Transformers

[edit]
  • 258: What is Transformers about? In a universe where change is the only constant, how is peace possible?
  • 259-260: The Central Theme Explained, Fundamental Conflict

Messages of Transformers

[edit]
  • 261-262: Chaos & Order, Destiny and Fate, Avatar Theory and Reincarnation, A Single Action can Change the Course of History, Transformation
  • 262-263: Achieving Success through Effort, Brotherhood, Responsibility
  • 263: More than meets the eye..., Supporting Characters as Mirrors, Once you have found your bliss you can achieve the impossible.

Aspirational Drivers

[edit]
  • 264: Aspirational Drivers

Major Aspirational Drivers

[edit]
  • 265-266: Mastery, Power
  • 266: Hierarchy

Secondary Aspirational Drivers

[edit]
  • 267: Multiplicity, Inner Pride

Sensory Gratification

[edit]
  • 268: Sensory Gratification

Fantasy Journey & Fulfillment

[edit]
  • 269: Fantasy Journey & Fulfillment
  • 270: Key Art

VIII. Epic Chronology

[edit]
  • 271-272: Title
  • 273-306: The Epic Chronology of Transformers[10]

IX. Distant Mountains

[edit]
  • 307-308: Title
  • 309: ??? (likely introduction of this section as covering unanswered questions, to be explored in future media)[3]
  • 310: Epoch I — Origins
  • 311: Epoch II — The War of the Primes
  • 312: Epoch III — The Fall of the Primes
  • 313: Epoch IV — The Age of Wraith [sic]
  • 314: Epoch V — The Golden Age
  • 315: Epoch VI — The Rise of the Decepticons
  • 316: Epoch VII — The Civil War
  • 317: Epoch VIII — The Exodus
  • 318: Epoch IX — Earth Activation
  • 319: Epoch X — Ascension
  • 320: Epoch XI — The Return to Cybertron
  • 321: Epoch XII — Unicron
  • 322: Epoch XIII — A New Universe

Appendix I. The Language of the Primes

[edit]

Appendix II. Glossary of Terms

[edit]
  • 327-328: Title
  • 329-334: Glossary of Terms

Issues

[edit]

Rik Alvarez claimed in 2015 that the "B.O.R." had been repeatedly ignored or subverted. First, the creatives behind Prime didn't want to be beholden to older material, not even other parts of Aligned, even as the B.O.R. had to flesh out the world for them; IDW Publishing had established too many backstories for the Binder to be logistically applicable for them; and Rescue Bots was not part of the Binder's plans, yet in it came![11] Then the incoming toy design director at Hasbro abruptly changed the plans for Prime season 3, swerving to Beast Hunters instead of a return to Cybertron that would have included pirates. Prime being cancelled, according to Alvarez, shot the B.O.R. in the head.[2] Andrew Hall, who had also worked on Aligned product, weighed in to confirm that this lined up with what he had heard from other people.[12]

Footnotes

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  1. ↑ "As overseers of the brand they work closely with all of the different internal departments as well, connecting the toys via the right looks and names to the market. As archivists they maintain the Transformers bible (currently at 354 pages), also known as the “Binder of Revelation.”"—Scott Rubin, Figures.com, "BotCon 2011 - Hasbro Panel Report", 2011
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "New Design Director at Hasbro — Archer moved to VP. [He said that] Optimus should be GREEN! Disregarded HasLab — Pred Symbol. New team new rules: Previous team [said] NO BEASTS, NO FEMALES (Battle for Airachnid — FIGHT!) New team [said] WE NEED BEASTS!!! [as a] Way to reuse existing tooling [and] Keep costs down. [Beast Hunters] was a total curve ball to HasLab and Studio team. Design [gets] mad that Beast Hunters toys [are] not in [the] show. Studio [gets] mad that season 3 [is] scrapped and Beast Hunters is the new story. This lead to different designs — Studio vs Design — Beast Hunters Optimus. HasLab [was] stuck in the middle — Prime issues killed [the Binder of Revelation] and future show plans (Pirates/Season 4-ish). [The Binder of Revelation] — cost over $250K to produce — lives in the bottom of a drawer"—Rik Alvarez, TFcon Charlotte, 2015
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 Removed in 2015.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Updated in 2015.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 New page added in 2015.
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 Moved later in 2015.
  7. ↑ 7.00 7.01 7.02 7.03 7.04 7.05 7.06 7.07 7.08 7.09 7.10 7.11 7.12 7.13 7.14 Two new pages added in 2015.
  8. ↑ No, we don't know who the hell this is either.
  9. ↑ Four new pages added.
  10. ↑ In the 2015 ed., pg 299 (Epoch X — Ascension) was replaced with three new pages expanding on this era following its depiction in media. Similarly, pg 301 (Epoch XI — The Return to Cybertron) was also updated with new information from recent media.
  11. ↑ "WHY DID THIS ALL FALL APART? 1. Hasbro never had control of Prime. Studio didn't want anything to do with [War for Cybertron/Fall of Cybertron]. Left HasLab scrambling to change everyone else's projects. Studio claimed Rescue Bots was part of Prime story... Beast Hunters (we'll get into that later...). Prime had to end after 3 seasons [as the] Budget ballooned out of control, Hasbro dropped the ball on toys, NOBODY had the HUB... 2. No IDW tie in comic book. 3. MMOG disaster — team kept changing. 4. No cross branding marker."—Rik Alvarez, TFcon Charlotte, 2015
  12. ↑ "No, the aspects of it that people are seeing as complaining was pretty much stuff I heard after he had left. So I just wanted to say that it's definitely not fabricated. [...] I'm just sympathetic because I've seen very clearly that working in a large corporation can be like being wrapped up in a massive war, where you're only in control of your own little unit (if that), and not the entire battlefield. I know plenty of really talented people who had their careers swept away with the tide, due to no fault of their own. I'm not even being slightly dramatic here."—Andrew Hall, The Allspark, "Everything that went wrong with the Transformers: Prime show panel at TFCon Charlotte", 2015/10/19
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