Highbrow (G1)

The name or term "Highbrow" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Highbrow (disambiguation).

Highbrow is an Autobot Headmaster from the Generation 1 continuity family.

File:Highbrow.gif

Try to imagine Perceptor and Sky Lynx had a kid...

To put it in terms even your obviously limited intellect can easily understand: "Highbrow is smarter than you are." No, no, don't allow your comparably plebeian cerebral encumbrance to strain itself beyond endurance in a futile attempt to grasp the intrinsic universal magnitude of Highbrow's innate mental acuity, for it will bear no arboreal reproductive spheres. The ultrascopic trans-infinite sublimity of his diurnal ponderances transcend the circumference of most sentient species' entire thought-spheres, if he does vocalize the notion personally (and you can be certain he will).

The greatest tragedy of his existence is to be clearly so far beyond all those around him, entrapped as they are by their own primitive psyches and abysmal ignorance in a barbaric escalation of pugnacious defenestration and rebuttal. That a paradigmatic mind such as his own should be bound or beholden to a lesser being, especially a rude, primitive swain such as the Nebulan biped Gort is a supreme and vexing irony.

Japanese name: Gorter (see below)

French-Canadian name: Intellect (refers to the French term that combines both spirit and intelligence)

Chinese name (Taiwan): Gomet (高眉 Gāu Méi, literally "High Brow")

Italian name: Cruiserbot

Fiction

Marvel Comics continuity

Events from the UK-only comic stories are in italics.

During a mission on Nebulos, the Autobot Headmasters were being chased by Decepticons. Chromedome taunted Highbrow about how wrong his predictions were, but the tables turned when Highbrow wound up saving Chromedome from the Horrorcons. Mindwipe faked a retreat, something that Highbrow found very suspicious. Hardhead criticized Highbrow's tendency to think things over, but Brainstorm defended him. The Headmasters decided that rescuing the Targetmasters from the Decepticon Fortress of Despair was more important, but found they were tricked. The ensuing clash saw Highbrow captured by Scorponok, and with his partner Gort conflicting with Highbrow's decisions, he was at a disadvantage. Figuring out the two's incompatibilities, Scorponok attacked, but with encouragement from Chromedome, Gort and Highbrow teamed up and defeated the Decepticon, learning the true meaning of being a Headmaster. Worlds Apart!

Lured into Scorponok's clutches by Nebulans hypnotised by Mindwipe, Highbrow battled the Horrorcons, but was defeated and also hypnotised. While Highbrow thus suffered from amnesia, the Decepticons attempted to convince him that they were on his side. Gort, however, was unaffected, and when he recombined with Highbrow, the two ripped off Scorponok's head. All in the Minds! He kept the head without telling the other Autobots, knowing he should destroy it and thus end Scorponok for good, but couldn't bring himself to do it. Though this led to the Decepticons coming for their leader's head, Optimus Prime told Highbrow he'd done as an Autobot should. To make matters worse, Highbrow was among the Autobots displaced into Limbo by Rodimus Prime and the Future Autobots. Time Wars

When the Transformers gathered by Primus, Highbrow looked ready to punch out Dreadwind if he'd tell Darkwing one more joke during the exposition. The Void!

During Unicron's attack on Cybertron, Highbrow accidentally got into Cloudburst's way and made him steer into the path of Unicron's flame-breath and explode. Jerk. This caused Highbrow to lose it and perform a full frontal assault on Unicron, who clapped his hands and crushed him. It'd be worse if it happened to someone else. On the Edge of Extinction!

Earthforce

These stories do not fit into the normal Marvel continuity. See Earthforce for details.

Highbrow was among the "new age" Autobots who attended Optimus Prime's meeting with Grimlock and the Dinobots about their more brutal methods. When Grimlock threatened to quit the Autobots, Highbrow cautioned Prime that they were already too short on soldiers to allow this. Instead, Prime seemed all too willing to get rid of Grimlock, and the two of them actually came to blows. After beating some sense into each other, however, Optimus Prime agreed to allow Grimlock his autonomy, to lead "Earthforce" while he and the Ark's crew took off for space. Break-Away!

Generation 1 cartoon

Voice actor: Johnny Haymer (English), Eiji Yanagisawa (Japanese)

The Rebirth, Part 1 The Rebirth, Part 2 The Rebirth, Part 3

Japanese cartoon continuity

"Highbrow" is the name of the combined small Master robot and the larger transtector vehicle/robot body. When separated from his transtector, Highbrow is called Gorter.

The Headmasters cartoon

Voice actor: Michitaka Kobayashi (Japanese)

Four million years ago, Highbrow was among a group of diminutive Cybertronians who departed Cybertron under the leadership of Fortress, seeking to escape the eternal war that had consumed the planet. The Mystery of Planet Master Alas, engine trouble caused their craft to crash land on the planet Master, an inhospitable world whose murderous environments and wildly changeable atmospheric conditions threatened the lives of the Cybertronians almost as soon as they stepped off their ship and were caught in a desert of sinking sands. Fighting against the odds, the Cybertronians made several technological quantum leaps to survive on Master, including the creation of larger, lifeless Transformer bodies called Transtectors. Highbrow and many of his comrades underwent rigorous physical and mental training to master the art of transformation, learning to transform into heads that connected to the Transtectors and placed them under their control. The Four-Million-Year-Old Veil of Mystery Highbrow was one of ten warriors who became one of these "Headmasters", but unfortunately, half their number soon rebelled against Fortress's leadership and sided with a traitor named Scorponok against him. Via the Decepticon ninja Sixshot, Scorponok soon forged an alliance with the Decepticon leader, Galvatron. The Mystery of Planet Master

The events of "The Great Transformer War" manga occur at this point.

In the year 2011, when Galvatron launched his latest attack on Cybertron with the added power of his new Decepticon Headmasters, Highbrow and his fellow Autobot Headmasters travelled to the planet to help their comrades defend their homeworld. Four Warriors Come out of the Sky

Toys

Generation 1

• Highbrow (Headmaster, 1987)
  • Japanese ID number: C-103
  • Accessories: 2 "Corrosive Acid Rainmaker Rifles"

Highbrow transforms into a cybertronic twin-rotor helicopter. His two "Corrosive Acid Rainmaker Rifles" can attach to the underside of his wings or under the helicopter's nose to create Highbrow's "attack helicopter" mode. His Headmaster partner Gort can sit inside his cockpit in either vehicle mode.

In robot mode, like all Headmaster toys, Highbrow has a flip-down panel on his chest which covers a spring-loaded mini-Tech-Spec-meter which gives readouts for Speed, Strength and Intelligence. The tumblers are activated when Gort (or any other Headmaster unit) is plugged into his neck socket. With Gort plugged in, Highbrow's tech spec tumblers display 7 for Speed, 7 for Strength, and 7 for Intelligence.

• More information on Highbrow at TFU.info

Notes

"Does this head make me look fat? It does, doesn't it?"

• In the television commercial for Marvel Comics' Headmasters limited series, the Autobot and Decepticon Headmasters are shown having different head designs than the ones their Nebulan partners would later turn into. These designs were seemingly never used in any other piece of Transformers media. The models for most of them, however, turned up in the Transformers Generations guidebook.

External links

• Highbrow's Universe profile at NTFA.net