Subspace

"Where'd you get that?" "Editing mistake- in my favor!"

Subspace is one name used by Transformers to refer to the extra-dimensional "space" that exists between realities. Although more properly known as "Transwarp", those who use the "subspace" term do not commonly realize that the two concepts are related (or are not even aware of the existence Transwarp in the first place).

Specifically, subspace, referred to with that name, is used as a medium for faster-than-light communication, and as an extra-dimensional storage space for Transformers to keep their weapons and other personal paraphernalia.

Fiction

Binaltech

After numerous Autobots were rendered unfit for duty by the Cosmic Rust virus, Wheeljack invented the GT System to increase their manpower. Using this system, a Transformer's spark could safely be stored in subspace, and from there, they would be able to control multiple Binaltech bodies via translink ports installed on them. Smokescreen was the first to undergo the process. <ref>Binaltech story chapter #4</ref>

Later, when Prowl came under attack by the Decepticons in the vicinity of Saturn, Wheeljack attempted to use the GT System to save his friend's life. Operating from his workshop on Earth, Wheeljack attempted to transfer Prowl's spark through subspace into a new Binaltech body that he had built there. Alas, the system malfunctioned, and Prowl's spark was lost in the depths of subspace. <ref>Binaltech story chapter #12</ref>

A few years later, Prowl's spark found its way through the infinite vastness of subspace and materialized in a parallel timeline where the Binaltech project had died out. Unfortunately, this did not put him beyond the reach of his timeline's Decepticons, who used a neuro-net frame, hooked up to subspace node, to locate his spark across the dimensions and drain energy from it to power a synthetic electrum monster they had created. An Autobot from the timeline Prowl had travelled to, Bluestreak, voyaged across subspace to team up with the Autobots of Prowl's home time, stop the Decepticons, and restore Prowl to his true body. <ref>Binaltech story chapters #16 & 17</ref>

Timelines

Scattorshot explained the function of subspace storage pockets and their relation to Transwarp space to Jackpot and Hubcap, who had trouble wrapping their heads around the concept. The two were familiar with subspace radio, however. Gone Too Far

When his spark was hijacked and transferred into a "lowtech" body, Bulletbike had a subspace storage pocket in his left forearm. I, Lowtech

Unicron Trilogy continuity

Some Transformers have access to an "extra-dimensional storage pocket" for their own personal use. As their name implies, they are extra-dimensional pockets that are used for storage. To retrieve something, a Transformer "taps into" the pocket, thereby "summoning" the object.

Blurr, Runamuck, and presumably others keep their Cyber Key in their extra-dimensional storage pocket to be retrieved as-needed. Force of Habit

Animated

Swindle uses a "personal storage dimension." He accesses it by means of a drawer that opens from his chest where he can store and retrieve large amounts of technology. The Autobots were able to transport Optimus Prime directly into Swindle's personal storage dimension using a space bridge after Sari Sumdac was able to hack into Swindle's private transwarp frequency. Decepticon Air

Fanon

The idea that Transformers can store equipment or portions of their body in an extradimensional space has been popular in fandom for decades, essentially arising as an answer to perhaps the most famous question of all: "Where does Optimus Prime's trailer go when he transforms?" When the Autobot leader transformed into robot mode in the Generation 1 cartoon, his trailer would almost always slide out of the frame, not to be seen again until he transformed back into truck mode, at which point it would come sliding in to connect back up with him. Rather than believe that the trailer was constantly following Prime around like a puppy, conveniently perpetually out of shot, fans warmed to the notion that it was, in fact, being shunted into this extradimensional "subspace", where it remained until Prime summoned it back.

Say hello to my leetle friend!

This "subspace" theory also helped to explain where characters' weaponry disappeared to when they transformed into vehicle mode, and happened to line up well with very occasional instances in the show, which featured the animation "cheat" of having some characters' weapons appear or disappear in a simple flash of light. This technique occurred as early as "More than Meets the Eye, Part 2", when Ravage transformed into cassette mode, and his hip-mounted missiles vanished in a flare of purple energy. Despite this early precedent, the effect was very rarely used in the American series, occurring only a few more times: with Kickback in "A Plague of Insecticons", with Cyclonus in "Dark Awakening", and with Blurr in a Season 3 commercial bumper. Conversely, later Japanese series Super-God Masterforce and Victory used the effect like it was going out of style, with characters regularly manifesting weapons of all kinds in their hands, with light flashes of all colors, including white, golden, blue, green, purple and pink. Notably, in "Resurrection!? The Decepticon Fortress", the idea of plucking weapons out of thin air was actually made into a plot point when Deathsaurus was unable to summon his weapons due to depleting his personal energy supply.

"Jesus Christ, Doc! You disintegrated Einstein!"

This "subspace glow" effect also saw some limited use for other means in the American series. In "More than Meets the Eye, Part 2", when Jazz retracts his hand and replaces it with his grappling hook, his entire forearm glows orange in-between. In one particularly notable instance from "The Ultimate Doom, Part 2", the effect was even applied to Prime's trailer; although it still rolled in from offscreen, rather than materializing out of nowhere, it was shown to be glowing with yellow light.

Father, eject. Operation: Forgive them, for they know not what they do.

In a similar vein, subspace also helped to explain the assorted cases of size changing in the cartoon series, with the notion that characters who shrank when they transformed, like Soundwave, Megatron, Perceptor and others, shunted their extraneous mass into subspace (because their mass was going somewhere, since they became proportionately lighter when they shrank, rather than remaining the same weight). Again, the idea intersected well with one particular instance in "Transport to Oblivion", which saw Soundwave's body emit a "subspace glow" as he transformed and grew back to robot mode (although admittedly, out of the scores of times characters changed size when they transformed, this was the only time such an effect was employed). While the original cartoon never addressed the concept of size-changing, numerous explanations for the process would be featured in later continuities (see the concept's own article for details)

Dock it in yer pocket.

Although the subspace theory originated with the cartoon, evidence to support it could even be found in the Marvel comic series; specifically the 1986 story "Dinobot Hunt!", in which Jazz was shown to open a panel on his hip and remove a tiny version of his gun, which subsequently grew to full size. Years later, even Beast Wars would feature an animation cheat that subspace could be used to explain, which would involve characters drawing their weapons by reaching behind themselves, despite the fact that any shot of the characters' backs did not show a rear holster or anyplace to keep a weapon.

Regardless of the popularity of the concept in the fandom, subspace remained firmly in the realm of fanon for years, until it finally received its first named appearance in fiction when Hirofumi Ichikawa featured it in his Binaltech storyline in 2005 and used as a means for faster-than-light communication. A few years later, Greg Sepelak and Trent Troop canonized the whole shebang when they featured subspace by name in the Transformers Collectors' Club prose stories "Gone Too Far" and "I, Lowtech". These stories officialized the long-standing concept of subspace being used as personal storage space for Transformers (a previous story by the two authors, "Force of Habit", had mentioned extra-dimensional storage pockets without explicitly referring to them as subspace), while at the same time tying it into the cross-dimensional Transwarp space from the Beast Wars animated series.

Following these canonizations of long-standing fan concepts, about the only thing subspace hasn't been used to officially explain is size-changing. Even then, IDW Publishing has made use of the idea of extradimensional mass-displacement to explain characters' size-changing in their Generation 1 timeline. So we're just waiting for you to clarify where the mass is getting displaced to, guys!

References

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External links

• Subspace is discussed in Steve-O Stonebreaker's Transformers FAQ, from the late 1990s