Boltax (G1)

This article is about the keeper of the Underbase in the normal universe. For the keeper of the Underbase in the mirror universe, see Boltax (SG).

Boltax is a Transformer from the Marvel portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.

Before the war, High Circuitmaster Boltax began storing the accumulated knowledge of the Transformer race in a database called the Underbase. He remained a neutral when the wars between the Autobots and Decepticons began, and his Temple of Knowledge is off-limits to all its participants. It is guarded by his disciples.

It is not known to many that Boltax is no longer a robot, but instead he himself is the Temple of Knowledge; the robot known as Boltax which presides over the estate is merely a puppet.

Sometimes he is a Technobot named Cybaxx. In this capacity he serves as Scrounge's partner and a component of Computron.

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

"But... Oreos!"

Boltax is... a Boohbah?!

Millions of years ago, when the war on Cybertron was young, an equally young Optimus Prime sought the knowledge of Boltax to aid the Autobots in ending the war. Bringing the Triggerbots with him, he evaded the multiple traps outside the Temple of Knowledge, but was deterred by the Disciples of Boltax. The Triggerbots remained outside, while Optimus Prime continued inside to question Boltax.

Boltax welcomed him but could not give Prime exactly what he sought. Nevertheless, he allowed Prime to bathe in the knowledge of the Underbase in a chamber just beyond where they were standing. Optimus entered, but Megatron and the Triggercons were not far behind. Having already destroyed the disciples, they threatened Boltax as well. Boltax refused them access, and Megatron punched his fist through Boltax's chest, leaving his lifeless body outside the chamber.

Wonk wonk wonk!

In the resulting skirmish, Optimus Prime launched the Underbase off into space, destroying the Temple of Knowledge (the real Boltax), to keep it out of the hands of Megatron. Optimus Prime regretted his careless actions for the millions of years to come, though ironically it made his reputation as a great Autobot warrior. The Flames of Boltax!

Regeneration One

Regeneration One continues from the Marvel US series, and does not include the UK stories or any subsequently published stories.

In Cybertron's distant past, High Circuitmaster Boltax was one of the world's five greatest minds, alongside Jhiaxus, Decanus, Rokan, and Tallus. Recognizing the benefits of their knowledge, the quintet regularly met as a "Brain Trust" to combine and share information mentally. However, Jhiaxus had plans of his own and took advantage of the merger, absorbing all the knowledge from his victims' cortices, and then wiping all memory of him from Cybertronian history. Jhiaxus left Cybertron, leaving Boltax and the others in the dark. Less Than Zero

The "spirit" of Boltax and the others later reconstituted in their creation, the Underbase, which in turn reconstituted inside its one-time thief, Starscream. Through Starscream, the Brain Trust confronted Jhiaxus in the present day and forcibly absorbed him back into their quintet gestalt. The War to End All Wars, Part 4

Timelines

Among the many historical artifacts the Predacon Dirge managed to acquire was the Boltaxian Codex. Timelines Dirge profile

Toys

Generations

Scrounge's special partner. There is no other like him!

• Computron (Giftset, 2016)

Available only as a part of the Combiner Wars Computron Collection Pack, Cybaxx is a redeco of Thrilling 30 Payload who transforms into both a modified X-37B space shuttle and a 5mm double-barreled blaster that can be wielded by his larger partner Scrounge or any of the other Technobots in the set.

This mold was also redecoed into Lost Age Astrotrain and Timelines Spacewarp.

Notes

• Boltax is named after Janet Boltax, one of writer Bob Budiansky's longtime friends. [1]
• Whilst Cybaxx is referred to by name in the Computron set's instructions, the official product description for the set used by numerous online retailers exists in three versions which acknowledge his existence to a varying degree: While otherwise identical, one version refers to a "Cybaxx mini space shuttle figure", another to a "Cybaxx mini-UFO figure", and a third to a "Scrounge mini-UFO figure". Considering it's a list of what the set includes on top of the main six figures, only the first version actually makes any sense. On top of that, an official Hasbro designer desk video with Hasbro designer John Warden refers to the Cybaxx figure as Scrounge's "special arm".