The One

So it's your fault! You know, for Carrot Top.

The One, also known as the Source<ref>Ask Vector Prime</ref> and the sentient core of the universe,<ref>"Primal Scream"</ref> is an extradimensional entity from before time, in whom Order and Chaos exist in perfect harmony. It created Unicron (boo!), then cut him in half to make Primus (yay!). The Vok claim to be guardians of The One and followers of its will. They also seem to think that either it created the multiverse, or it is the multiverse. Details are fuzzy.

Fiction

Marvel comics

After the Big Bang, the sentient core of the universe noticed that Unicron was eating everything, and so it birthed Primus to destroy him. The Void! It promised that Primus could return to his reserved place within the Omniversal Matrix once he was victorious. Primal Scream

This "sentient core" wasn't called The One, and it didn't seem to create Primus from Unicron, but, well, multiversal singularities and all that.

3H comics

The Vok were the first known source of information about The One, whom they tended to describe in relation to themselves, or vice-versa.

Capitalization of Vok quotes is at editor's discretion; their lines were printed in all caps.

We are the Vok. Guardians of The One. Defenders of the ultimate — of that which must be. [...] For The One is power ultimate, and there are those who would divert its creation to their own ends. These enemies must be detected and destroyed — wherever and whenever they appear.{{#if:|{{{quote2}}}}}{{#if:|{{{2}}}{{#if:|, {{{3}}}|}}|}}

The enemy in question at the time seemed to be the resurrected Tarantulas, who in fact had captured the power of two Vok and was preparing to wreak havoc upon prehistoric, post-Beast Wars Earth. The Vok sought to protect "the sleepers," by whom they meant the stasis-locked Autobots and Decepticons aboard the Ark. They believed this to be "the will of The One". Primeval Dawn Part 1

Later, they explained themselves again to their creation, Primal Prime:

We are the Vok, the guardians of The One. We are of the source, the core, forever committed to safeguard the plan. [...] We saw the entirety of the creator's vision. The One... and The All. A unity of worlds, timelines, and dimensions. A multiversal confluence, harmonized and organized. In perfect synchronicity.{{#if:|{{{quote2}}}}}{{#if:|{{{2}}}{{#if:|, {{{3}}}|}}|}}

That time, they seemed to be referring to The One as not the creator, but the creation. Notably, they never referred to Primus by name (nor Unicron, for that matter), though they did fear "the enemy of all creation," to whom Tarantulas was attempting to deliver the Matrix of Leadership. Primeval Dawn Part 3 As Tarantulas would later be seen inside Unicron during the Universe war, Unicron is likely that enemy. Escape This raises the question of how Primus fit into their cosmology, and in fact whether he was what they meant by the creator-One. Answers remain unclear.

DK Ultimate Guide

Yes, you read that right.

The One existed before time itself, witness to the birth of the universe. The One was curious about this new realm and created a new being, Unicron, to explore it. For some reason, The One then split its creation in two, one half still being Unicron while the other became Primus. In keeping with their creator's nature as a perfect balance of Order and Chaos, the twin "exploratory heralds" became the embodiments of those two principles, but separated. Transformers: The Ultimate Guide

Wings of Honor

When Landshark's boring mission aboard the Eight Track was cut short due to complications at home, he quietly thanked the One. Wings of Honor

During an Elite Guard mission briefing, Alpha Trion noted that all Transformers believed that the One—or the Ones—created them equal. Flames of Yesterday

The AllSpark Almanac

The Core was one of ten figures that made up the Cybertronian zodiac. Its associated aspect was "unity" and assigned orbital cycle was Chōkoneon. Its constellation forms a familiar spiral. The AllSpark Almanac II

Notes

• The One's method of creating Primus from the substance of Unicron mirrors Primus's creation of the Transformers, whose sparks are fragments of his own being, as stated in "Abduction". This process was explored in slightly more detail in Simon Furman's apocryphal text story "Alignment".
• He seems to be kinda similar to this guy. No known relation between the two, though.
• The One's method of splitting off portions of its lifeforce all have a strong correspondence with Emanationism, specifically the Gnostic flavor, wherein an all-powerful God known as "The One" responds to the unresolvable conflicts in the world by "emanating" polarized aspects of itself to fight them out until they achieve resolution and then return to enlighten The One with their findings.

References

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