Prima

We are Primus. We are Prima. We are Prime Nova. We are Sentinel Prime. We are Optimus Prime.The essence of the Primes, "Dark Creation"

Prima? What? It's a manly name.

Prima was the first Transformer. Created by Primus, he was appointed the Warrior of Light and given the legendary Star Saber sword with the Matrix of Leadership in its hilt. Chosen to lead the Thirteen against their eternal enemy Unicron, he and the rest of the Thirteen were made stewards of Primus' planetary form, Cybertron. Its planetary engines carried Cybertron across space to Unicron, where they sought battle, but Prima and the Thirteen were betrayed by one of their own, a being who would be known as The Fallen.

Despite this betrayal, and despite the Thirteen's apparent demise, The Fallen and Unicron were defeated and sucked through a black hole and into another dimension.

It is uncertain what relationship Prima has, if any, to Primon, another early Matrix bearer.

Fiction

The Transformers cartoon

Voice actor: Neil Ross (English)

I am Sparktacus!

Prima was created from the corpse of another robot which the Quintessons deactivated for its underperformance in its tasks. The robot was instantly smelted down and reformed into Prima, who, through unknown circumstances, became the second documented bearer of the Matrix of Leadership. Prima was unusual amongst his consumer goods brethren in that he was equipped for combat, and was made to battle in the Quintessons' gladiatorial pits. He found the endless fighting repellent, and, after a battle with Sentinel Major, decided to strike back at his masters, leaping at the group of Quintessons that had been watching the match. He was blasted out of the air, and fell to the ground in a smoking wreck, apparently deceased. He was succeeded as Matrix-bearer by Prime Nova.

When Rodimus Prime journeyed inside the Matrix, Prima was the second guide he encountered, and told him the story of the Quintessons' gladiatorial matches. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4

Marvel Comics continuity

Prima. For reals.

After Primus had imprisoned his and Unicron's astral forms in asteroids, he reshaped his new body into the planet Cybertron. From the material of this world was born the first Transformer, Prima. Prima and his fellow Transformers were given the gift of transformation, an ability that mirrored Unicron's own powers, so that one day they would be able unite against him and defeat him. Prima was given the Genetic Matrix, a powerful artifact endowed with Primus' own life essence, which would allow Prima to create further generations of Transformers. Primal Scream The Power and the Glory

It is not known what Prima's fate was, but Prime Nova is recorded as the next Matrix bearer.Dark Creation

IDW Generation 1 comics

Transformers Vault is popular reading in the Grand Imperium.

Before the war, a statue of Prima wielding his sword oversaw the Senate chamber within the Grand Imperium. Chaos Theory Part 2

Live-action movie continuity

IDW comics

Optimus got his father's everything.

Prima proposed to the Dynasty of Primes that they should make it a rule to not destroy the stars from systems with life. He also renamed the Fallen after the latter intentionally destroyed such a system. When the Fallen attempted this again on Earth, the original seven Primes battled him and fell one by one, until only Prima was left. Prima let the Fallen chase him around the planet until he was weakened by overusing space bridges, allowing Prima to gather his brothers' bodies and use their remaining power to banish the Fallen to his sarcophagus. Tales of the Fallen #4

Prima presumably created a tomb from his and his brothers' bodies to hide the Matrix of Leadership, giving his own spark to seal it from within. Though the Fallen's evil would return to Cybertron to kill the rest of the Dynasty, it would be his orphaned descendant who would be hidden away. Revenge of the Fallen #3

Revenge of the Fallen film

After the Fallen was caught trying to harvest a star from a system with life, he turned on the other Primes and made war on them. In order to prevent the Fallen from harvesting the star, the remaining Primes (including Prima) hid the key to the harvester inside a tomb made of their own bodies and sealed it with their own life essence. Revenge of the Fallen

All of the Primes in the film are stylistically different from the protoform Optimus Prime toy, so identifying which one is Prima is not possible.

Timelines

In order to protect the location of Prima's incredibly powerful Star Saber sword, Vector Prime and Alpha Trion cut Nexus Prime into five pieces and scattered them across the cosmos. Nexus Prime's profile

Aligned continuity

Whoever lives by the sword shall die by the sword.

Prima was the first Transformer on Cybertron, and the leader of the 13. A hero known as the Warrior of Light, he is white in appearance and carries a massive sword with the Matrix of Leadership embedded within its hilt. Transformers who claim Prima in their lineage possess a "Primian" polarity. Among these Transformers are Optimus Prime, whose primary polarity is Primian. Transformers Vault

Prime cartoon

He's the leader of the bunch. You know him well.

According to legend, at the beginning of time, Unicron and Primus battled each other for eons, with neither side remaining victorious for long. Till, that is, Primus created the Thirteen. These Thirteen defeated Unicron and cast him into space. One Shall Rise, Part 1

At some point statues of Prima and his brothers were made. They were placed in the chamber of the High Council. One Shall Rise, Part 3

Toys

Transformers (2007)

File:Movie ProtoformOptimusPrime toy.jpg

Guess who ya gotta buy now to finish your Thirteen collection?

• Protoform Optimus Prime (Deluxe Class, 2007)
  • Japanese ID number: MA-05
  • Accessories: Gun with flame attachment

Prima was repurposed from Protoform Optimus Prime. Based upon the "Protoform" (Cybertronian) appearances of the Transformers in the Movie, Protoform Optimus Prime transforms into his "entry" mode. This mode somewhat resembles a cybertronic truck, with false wheels sculpted onto the sides and Optimus Prime's trademark windows in front. A flame decoration piece fits to the back of the "vehicle", creating the illusion of a flaming comet's tail. The bottom of the vehicle has small wheels to roll the toy across smooth surfaces. Oddly, it has NO Automorph Technology gimmick at all, a feature most main-line figures have.

In robot mode, he resembles previous Optimus characters: His angular chest windows are reminiscent of Cybertron Optimus Prime, while his near-animalistic limbs and color scheme are evocative of Beast Wars Optimus Primal. He has excellent articulation due to his many ball joints, and is armed with a rifle. The flame attachment can fit onto the end of the (non-firing) gun barrel.

Some packaging variants of this figure (perhaps a Wal-Mart exclusive) included a free movie poster depicting a Cybertronian eye overlooking Earth. While an added sticker to the outer plastic bubble says "Exclusive movie poster!", it is more of a preview of upcoming figures.

Notes

• The Generation 1 cartoon incarnation of Prima was never named in the cartoon, instead being named "Powerful Robot" in the dialogue script for "Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4". An edition of Ask Vector Prime in The AllSpark Almanac II came along and dubbed the character Prima. How that gels with other appearances of Prima, who knows.
• Prima's Generation 1 cartoon character model appears to use Cyclonus as a base, with heavily-re-worked details.

Footnotes

	"Five Faces of Darkness" spirit guides
Primon Prima Prime Nova Guardian Prime Zeta Prime Sentinel Prime Optimus Prime