Ask Vector Prime
Ask Vector Prime is a recurring feature where humans could submit questions about Transformers. Based on unknown criteria, Vector Prime selected certain questions and answers them to the best of his ability. Vector Prime will sometimes 'misunderstand' a question he'd rather not answer.
Vector Prime is aware of Transformers as fiction and as a toy line such as in the Marvel UK letters pages, which were answered by Transformers who were even shown working in Marvel UK's office. Vector Prime explains this as being aware of which universes were manifested as fiction in the Quadwal cluster.
The column has occasionally provided important information not found anywhere else and, in the fan-run revivals, has clarified (and created) lots of obscure trivia.
Hasbro website
"Ask Vector Prime" started as a feature on Hasbro's official Transformers website, back during Transformers: Cybertron. The questions answered by Vector Prime varied widely in nature, but most concerned the universe where the search for the Cyber Planet Keys took place, the toyline and cartoon in Hasbro's own universe which parallel said search, or Vector Prime himself. Unfortunately, updates were rare, and ceased entirely after Vector Prime became one with time itself. Which is fair enough.
Through the site, Vector Prime had revealed the existence of two Transformers who have not been seen in any other form: a female Alternator, apparently from his home universe, and a Mini-Con with a disco ball alternate mode. He has also mentioned that he has met both Alpha Trion and Alpha Q, that, "yes, she is a girl," that he considers Safeguard his best friend, and that he is aware of (and impressed by) the story of Beast Machines. Additionally, it was here that he stated that "I am not here to blend." However, when asked about his weight, he simply said it depended on what planet he was on, and made no further comment on the subject.
It was this column that confirmed the Cybertron cartoon took place ten years after the end of Energon, and confirmed that Cybertron Sideways was the same character as Armada Sideways.
The AllSpark Almanac
Ask Vector Prime made a comeback in The AllSpark Almanac II in the form of easter eggs scattered throughout the book written in Cybertronix lettering. While questions were solicited on Jim Sorenson's blog a few months before the book came out, the few responses to that request seem to indicate that most of the questions were written by the Almanac II's authors.
Later, more questions and answers appeared in The Complete AllSpark Almanac.
From May 13 to September 30, 2015, Ask Vector Prime made yet another comeback in the form of a Facebook page created by the Transformers Collectors' Club as part of the Club's prelude material that led up to the BotCon 2015 comic story "Cybertron's Most Wanted". Similar to the original version from Hasbro's website, this new installment enabled fans to once again post actual questions for Vector Prime to answer on his Facebook.
Vector's answers continued to include a mix of jokes, evasions, and intentional misunderstandings. Many answers focused on Vector Prime's own history. A lot of universal stream designations were identified or introduced this time around, and many previously-unnamed individuals and teams would receive official names. A new type of answer, elaborate stories set in the distant futures or pasts of obscure universes, became a regular part of the feature.
On 5th June, he ended up in a crossover with sister Facebook page "Rook - Axiom Nexus News: Investigative Journalist" when Rook started to ask why he sounded like Rhinox. Prime trolled him for a while until Rook accused him of being a guardian of time and space pretending to be an old duffer, at which point Vector Prime complained to the journalist's editor.
The column took a hiatus between June 27, 2015 and July 8, 2015 before coming back, to facilitate...
Ask Sideways
On June 27, 2015, Axiom Nexus News journalist Andromeda reported that Vector Prime had been kidnapped by Sideways. Andromeda - Axiom Nexus News Reporter Shortly following this announcement, the Ask Vector Prime Facebook and Twitter feeds were taken over by Sideways. His tone was decidedly unhelpful, and he promised to "lie like a girder", as he gleefully made his way through Vector Prime's outstanding questions and answered questions directed at him. A lot of questions about obscure Transformers trivia got the answer of "sure, why not?", and invariably answers about who did any kind of atrocity were some variation of "me!"
After a few days, Sideways started to employ heavy sexual innuendo, which was initially well-regarded by the fan community. <ref>http://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/116666-3-new-botcon-facebook-character-pages-rook-andromeda-and-axiom-nexus-news-editor/?p=2956638</ref> Unfortunately, it led to an answer about Airazor that, although unintentional in wording and overtones, the creators agreed was badly phrased, and thankfully edited out within an hour, immediately followed by an apology from the creators.<ref>http://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/116666-3-new-botcon-facebook-character-pages-rook-andromeda-and-axiom-nexus-news-editor/page-72#entry2963353</ref> Further questions that would have had such elements were toned down cut out completely. (But the wiki remembers, Sideways).
When people replied to his answers, they could sometimes end up in a comment discussion with Sideways. <ref>http://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/116666-3-new-botcon-facebook-character-pages-rook-andromeda-and-axiom-nexus-news-editor/?p=2962394</ref>
On July 8, Ask Sideways ended with the conceit that the TransTech had found him by tracking our questions to him. One such question blew his head up! (But Sideways Headmaster-linked with Rook and escaped Nexus 208.0 Epsilon.) Rook - Axiom Nexus News: Investigative Journalist
Grim Grams
On September 30, Vector Prime secretly departed Axiom Nexus on the behest of his brother Nexus Prime, much to the chagrin of the overworked Rook. After putting out a request on Cragun's List, Grimlock eagerly took the job, and celebrated by renaming the column Grim Grams. The Dinobot... did his best to work through the backlog of questions intended for Vector Prime while answering new questions about himself and his adventures. Ratings swiftly plummeted, prompting Rook- who was more concerned with the potential destruction of the multiverse- to fire the Dinobot and replace him with "someone clever"...
Swindle's Spiel
On October 3rd, Swindle - to be more precise, one of the three Swindles running Swindle, Swindle & Swindle- took the job, renaming the column "Swindle's Spiel". Although decidedly more coherent than his immediate predecessor, Swindle tended to turn potential answers into platforms to shill his various products. Swindle was fired on October 6th for subverting the terms of his contract. At the behest of his editor, Rook put out a call for someone "straightforward" and "earnest", which couldn't possibly bite him in the afterburner, could it?
Sentinel Shouting
On October 7, Sentinel Minor took over the column, this time renaming it "Sentinel Shouting". Unsurprisingly, Sentinel was rather confrontational and aggressive with his readers.
(Rook is a pretty bad judge of character.)
By October 9, Sentinel Prime realized that he was corresponding with a bunch of organics. He didn't take the news well and abdicated the position.
Notes
- The Facebook version of Ask Vector Prime is written by Jim Sorenson and edited by Jesse Wittenrich. Additional contributors<ref>https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153272529184902&set=a.53930589901.64442.584094901&type=1&theater</ref> include:
- Chris McFeely
- Alexis Carlo
- Hirofumi Ichikawa
- Matthew Karpowich
- Brandy Dixon
- Betsy Blackie
- Bill Forster
- James Roberts
- Simon Furman
- Glen Hallit
- Matt Kuphaldt
- Louis Sun<ref>http://www.allspark.com/forums/topic/116666-ask-vector-prime-axiom-nexus-news-on-facebook/?p=3041854</ref>
- Andrew Hall
- Allspark forum user Gearshift <ref>https://www.facebook.com/AskVectorPrime/posts/727800610685245?comment_id=731054300359876&offset=0&total_comments=6&comment_tracking=%7B%22tn%22%3A%22R%22%7D</ref>
- Peter Spellos
- Matthew Reinhart
- As of July 16, Ask Vector Prime had a total readership of 7,263 people.<ref>https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153272529184902&set=a.53930589901.64442.584094901&type=1&theater</ref>
- Notably, Ask Vector Prime:
- Provided English translations for the entire cast of Transformers Online
- Invented names for pretty much every frigging Mini-Con team in existence
- Established the Thirteen as having visited Earth during the time of ancient Greece and inspiring/coopting the legends of the [[wikipedia:{{#if:|:}}Twelve Olympians|{{#if:||Twelve Olympians}}]], along with providing holomatter avatars for each of them
- Published G.I. Joe-style biocards for every toy-original character from Human Alliance
- Revealed the universe of origin of every character to participate in the Universe War
References
External links
- Ask Vector Prime archive at the Transformers Wiki
- Ask Vector Prime Facebook archive at the Transformers Wiki
- Ask Sideways Facebook archive at the Transformers Wiki
- Grim Grams Facebook archive at the Transformers Wiki
- Swindle's Spiel Facebook archive at the Transformers Wiki
- Sentinel Shouting Facebook archive at the Transformers Wiki
- Ask Vector Prime on Facebook