Shell program

A shell program is a <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Spark" title="Spark">Spark</a>-manipulating control program from the <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Beast_Era" title="Beast Era">Beast Era</a> portion of the <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Generation_1_%28franchise%29" title="Generation 1 (franchise)">Generation 1</a> <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Continuity_family" title="Continuity family">continuity family</a>.

[[Image:|right|250px|thumb|Who says "Asteroids" is not about life and death?]] A shell program is a <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Predacon_%28BW%29" title="Predacon (BW)">Predacon</a>-designed personality altering program that can be installed within a Transformer to change the way they act. A shell program can even compel a Transformer to behave in ways diametrically opposed to what they would do without the shell program.

<a name="Fiction"></a><h2><span class="editsection">[<a href="http://tfwiki.net/w2/index.php?title=Shell_program&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Fiction">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline">Fiction</span></h2> <a name="Beast_Wars_cartoon"></a><h3><span class="editsection">[<a href="http://tfwiki.net/w2/index.php?title=Shell_program&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Beast Wars cartoon">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline">Beast Wars cartoon</span></h3> Upon the landing of each <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Stasis_pod" title="Stasis pod">stasis pod</a>, the <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Maximal" title="Maximal">Maximals</a> and Predacons would both rush to the scene in hopes of recruiting the <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Protoform" title="Protoform">protoform</a> inside to their team. The protoforms were Maximals by default, but the Predacons were able to turn some by implanting shell programs before waking the protoform up. <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Blackarachnia_%28BW%29" title="Blackarachnia (BW)">Blackarachnia</a> and <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Inferno_%28BW%29" title="Inferno (BW)">Inferno</a> joined the Predacons through this scheme. (<a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Rampage_%28BW%29" title="Rampage (BW)">Rampage</a> and <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Quickstrike_%28BW%29" title="Quickstrike (BW)">Quickstrike</a> joined without being reprogrammed.) Rhinox's brief stint as a Predacon was not explicitly explained, but may have also been the result of a shell program. <span style="border-style: solid; border-color: rgb(204, 204, 204); border-width: 0pt 1px; padding: 0pt 5px; font-size: 10px; background-color: rgb(236, 236, 236);" class="tt1_nowrap"><a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Dark_Designs" title="Dark Designs">Dark Designs</a></span>

Eventually, despite her shell program, Blackarachnia decided to side with the Maximals. When hidden code in her shell program began to threaten her life, the Maximals attempted to remove it entirely, a procedure which was very dangerous for her. <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Rhinox_%28BW%29" title="Rhinox (BW)">Rhinox</a> then conducted a strange kind of virtual, videogame-style "search and destroy" mission within Blackarachnia to accomplish this. Sadly, a safeguard that <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Tarantulas" title="Tarantulas">Tarantulas</a> included in the program terminated her before Rhinox could finish the removal. (She was then revived "magically" by the <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Transmetal_driver" title="Transmetal driver">Transmetal driver</a>.)

<a name="Beast_Machines_Cartoon"></a><h3><span class="editsection">[<a href="http://tfwiki.net/w2/index.php?title=Shell_program&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Beast Machines Cartoon">edit</a>]</span> <span class="mw-headline">Beast Machines Cartoon</span></h3> <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Megatron_%28BW%29" title="Megatron (BW)">Megatron</a> utilized the sparks of <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Silverbolt_%28BW%29" title="Silverbolt (BW)">Silverbolt</a>, <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Waspinator" title="Waspinator">Waspinator</a>, and <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Rhinox_%28BW%29" title="Rhinox (BW)">Rhinox</a> to power shell programs giving life to the original three <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Vehicon_general" title="Vehicon general">Vehicon generals</a>. Each of these programs seemed to have personalities the exact opposite of the spark (i.e. Thrust a dark, brooding type as opposed to Waspinator's wimpy personality.) <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Obsidian_%28BM%29" title="Obsidian (BM)">Obsidian</a> and <a href="http://tfwiki.net/wiki/Strika_%28BM%29" title="Strika (BM)">Strika</a>, however, did not appear to be altered in this manner.