Star Saber (Thirteen)
| The name or term "Star Saber" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Star Saber (disambiguation). |
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Wielded by Prima, one of the original thirteen Transformers at the dawn of time, the Star Saber sword was a weapon unlike any other. Though several other swords throughout the multiverse share its name, only one could snuff out stars and crumble the stuff of planets into dust. Many legends swirl around this blade of blades, from its origin to it its precise nature to the circumstances surrounding its disappearance into the annals of history, but somewhere between fiction and fact, the Star Saber waits to be discovered again by one worthy enough to wield its power...
Fiction
Fun Publications comics
Long before recorded time began, Megatronus turned towards evil and began acting against his fellow siblings. To keep the all-powerful Star Saber from falling into evil hands, Nexus Prime decided to use his very body to conceal it. His fellow original Transformers Vector Prime, Alpha Trion, and Solus Prime agreed, and Solus Prime used her forge to smash the blade into five pieces. They then used the quantum edge of the blade (still functioning despite the sword's sad state), to carve Nexus himself into five pieces, each of which became an individual: Heatwave, Skyfall, Landquake, Topspin, and Breakaway. The five pieces of the Star Saber were then scattered across the multiverse, followed soon by the five components of Nexus Prime, their knowledge of the pieces' locations and of their own previous lives suppressed until such time as the sword was needed again. Nexus Prime profile Ask Vector Prime The blade's fragmented hilt, the Origin Matrix, was hidden on prehistoric Earth of Primax -408.24 Epsilon. Vector Prime then sealed the local spacetime in a time-lock so that no one could enter or exit. The Vok, already present to conduct one of their experiments, were entrusted with guarding the Matrix. Shattered Balance Ask Vector Prime
Uncounted aeons later, the components of Nexus Prime found each other once again, and the titan was re-formed. Reunification: Part 6 He proceeded to embark on a multiversal journey with the negative-polarity Quintesson Aquarius in order to recover the sword fragments, but one major obstacle stood in their way: Nexus Prime's memories had not returned entirely. He knew that he was searching for an artifact powerful enough to collapse the entire multiversal stack, but could no longer remember what the artifact was, what its pieces looked like, or where exactly they were. When the pair made a stop on the Cybertron of Primax 509.28 Epsilon, however, Nexus felt that the Cybertron Elite Guard symbol he spotted on a box was somehow a clue, one that finally got him started on the right track. The Coming Storm: Part 1
After unknown further adventures, Aquarius and Nexus succeeded in tracking down four of the five Star Saber fragments, with Aquarius picking up the fourth from a courier in Axiom Nexus. Transformers I.Q. last issue review #6 As payment, Aquarius then took the courier through a portal to her home dimension, but the pair were transferred by Nexus in-transit to Primax -408.24 Epsilon so that they could collect the fifth and final piece—the Origin Matrix, the gem from the blade's hilt—which had just been retrieved from its hiding place on the prehistoric Earth of that universe by Ultra Mammoth. Transformers I.Q. trivia bonus #12 It was agreed that Mammoth would hold onto the Matrix until Nexus Prime could come to collect it. Falling into Place
Later, as negative polarity Ultra Magnus was about to kill his positive polarity counterpart, Nexus Prime arrived, reformed the Star Saber with the Origin Matrix, and used it to slice Magnus's Terminus Blade-wielding arm cleanly off. The odds against him, Magnus attempted to escape, but Nexus simply used the Terminus Blade to open an interdimensional portal, exiling Magnus through it. Resolving to prevent multiversal crises such as that of Magnus's doing from ever happening again, Nexus Prime departed, Restoration traveling to a key point in interdimensional space. He then combined the powers of the Star Saber and the Terminus Blade together, strengthening the barriers between universes, rendering interdimensional travel nigh-impossible, and nullifying multiversal singularities. Out of the One, Many
Aligned continuity family
Aligned novels
The Star Saber was one of the greatest weapons created by Solus Prime. To hide the full truth of its nature from any single Cybertronian, many myths exist about it; some claim that it was created out of three bots and wielded itself, others that it was integrated into the chassis of one of the Thirteen, and others still that Solus forged it from the core of a star, using its own heat as her furnace. Exiles More concretely, it is known that the Matrix of Leadership once adorned the sword's hilt. Exodus
According to Alpha Trion, the Star Saber was shattered into five pieces after the defeat of Liege Maximo. Per Trion's story, Nexus Prime gathered the pieces, broke himself into five bots—Clocker, Mainspring, Chaindrive, Pinion, and Cannonspring—hid a piece inside each bot, and spread his component bots across the universe in order to keep the Star Saber away from Megatronus. Exiles
Following the Great Exodus of Cybertronians from Cybertron, Optimus Prime was led across the galaxy by the Matrix of Leadership that he now bore, discovering on each stop blade-like fragments of Cybertronian metal. Optimus presumed them to be pieces of the Star Saber, but they were in actuality the Blades of Time, another artifact entrusted to Nexus. However, Prime's journey had also led to the discovery of the five components of Nexus Prime, who reformed during a battle with the Decepticons on Junkion. The sword he proceeded to summon was, contrary to legend, named the "Cyber Caliber", calling into question whether or not the story about him being guardian of the Star Saber was true. Exiles
Prime cartoon
The Star Saber was held in the Iacon vaults near the end of the war, and ejected into space with the rest of the items stored there. It found its way to Earth where it became entombed in rock. When Megatron uncovered it, he found that its energy rendered the rock around it indestructible and he was unable to extract it. The Decepticons attempted to lift the whole rock face with the Nemesis, but Optimus Prime was able to pull it from the stone. With it, he split the entire mountain in half and unleashed a wave of energy that struck the Nemesis. Alpha Trion later sent Optimus Prime a message using the sword. Legacy
Desperate to match Optimus' newfound power, Megatron transplanted the arm of a dead Prime onto himself, which allowed him to use the Forge of Solus Prime to forge the Dark Star Saber. He challenged Optimus to a battle for the latest relic, and though their swords seemed to be equal when it came to flinging energy waves around, the original Star Saber proved to be less durable when Megatron managed to shatter it with his own blade. The shards from the blade dissolved into dust, and Optimus took the hilt back to base with him. Alpha/Omega
After regaining the Forge of Solus Prime, Optimus used it to reforge the Star Saber and took it with him to Cybertron. He used it in battle with Megatron, matching the Dark Star Saber, and keeping his opposite busy while the other Autobots reclaimed the Omega Keys. Once they'd succeeded, he used the sword to knock Megatron flying so the Autobots could retreat. Regeneration
With the Decepticons threatening the kids, Optimus had no choice but to throw down the Star Saber. When it turned out Megatron intended to destroy Earth, he picked up the sword again, using it to slice off Megatron's right arm and destroy the Omega Lock. He later used it to destroy the GroundBridge controls so the Decepticons couldn't work out where the Autobots had retreated to, though as moments later the Decepticons destroyed the base with Optimus and the sword still in it, the act was rendered moot. Darkest Hour The Star Saber was pulled from the remains of the base by the Decepticons, and it was stored aboard the Nemesis. Prey
When the Autobots assaulted the Nemesis, Smokescreen took the opportunity to retrieve the Star Saber. Bumblebee attempted to pass the weapon to Optimus, only to be blasted and killed by Megatron. The scout was subsequently restored by the power of the Omega Lock which the Decepticons had built into the starship, and he ran Megatron through with the Star Saber, ending the tyrant's life. Deadlock
Optimus Prime used the Star Saber during the ceremony to make Bumblebee a warrior in a fashion similar to human knighting. Predacons Rising
IDW Generation 1 continuity
According to the legends of Caminus the Star Saber was forged by Solus Prime and wielded by Prima with the Matrix of Leadership adorning its hilt. The Sum and Its Parts A statue of Prima within the Grand Imperium depicted him with the blade. Chaos Theory Part 2 Alpha Trion included the sword on a list of artifacts and weapons belonging to the Primes, along with the Enigma of Combination and the Onyx Triptych, that he considered unbeatable by 'ordinary' Cybertronians. Aphelion
Video Games
Transformers Devastation
The Star Saber was one of the melee weapons that the Autobots could find in their quest to stop Megatron. It was usable by any of the Autobots.
Toys
Prime
- Optimus Prime (Voyager, 2012)
- Series / Number: 01 / 001
- Accessories: Battle blaster/Cannon & battle sword
- Prime: Robots in Disguise Optimus Prime includes a sword which, although not acknowledged on the packaging as such, is based on the Star Saber's show model. The hilt is slightly modified from the original design, losing the hand guard and gaining a wider pommel, whilst the blade has accurate detailing but is vastly scaled down from its gargantuan show proportions. The Saber has a 5mm handle, with an additional post and post hole on opposite sides of the hilt.
- Battle Shield Optimus (Voyager, 8-12-2012)
- Exclusive to Japanese ToysЯUs stores, Optimus Prime is a redeco of the Arms Micron version of the figure and includes a recolored version of the Star Saber, cast in a darker, warmer shade of gray.
- Arms Master Optimus (Weaponizer, 9-29-2012)
- ID Number: AM-21
- Accessories: "R.A." Arms Micron & Matrix Blade
- Part of the seventh wave of TakaraTomy Prime toys, the Japanese release of Weaponizer Class Optimus Prime comes with a very large Matrix which can tab onto his chest as armor or mount onto the back of the truck cab, with the Matrix also being covered in 5mm posts and holes so that Arms Microns can be attached to it. He additionally comes with a clear-blue "Shining" version of the Arms Micron, R.A., who can combine with the Matrix to form the colossal Matrix Saber.
- Optimus Prime (Dark Energon Voyager, 2012)
- Number: 002
- Accessories: Battle blaster/Cannon, battle sword
- Prime: Dark Energon Optimus Prime is a BigBadToyStore-exclusive redeco/retool of RID Optimus Prime, and includes the Star Saber, colored a pale blue.
Cyberverse
- Optimus Prime (Cyberverse Commander, 2013)
- Series / Number: 3 / 001
- Accessories: Launcher & missile (combine to form Thunder Lance), Star Saber
- Part of the first wave of Prime: Beast Hunters Series 3 Cyberverse Commander Class toys, Optimus Prime is an all-new mold, and comes with the Star Saber. The Star Saber features 3mm posts for its handle and on its hilt, allowing it to be held by his hands, or mount onto one of the two ports on the rear sides of his vehicle mode.
- Optimus Prime vs Predaking (Cyberverse Commander 2-pack, 2013)
- Accessories: Launcher & missile (combine to form Thunder Lance), Star Saber
- Part of the Target-exclusive "Predacons Rising" subline, Optimus Prime is a redeco of his Series 3 Cyberverse Commander Class toy. He still comes with the Star Saber.
- Beast Blade Optimus Prime (Cyberverse Commander, 2013)
- Series / Number: 3 / 008
- Accessories: Launcher & missile (combine to form Thunder Lance), Star Saber, Battlewing Shield
- Part of the fourth wave of Prime: Beast Hunters Cyberverse Commander Class toys, Beast Blade Optimus Prime is a jungle-themed green and blue redeco of his Series 3 Cyberverse Commander Class toy. The Star Saber is still included, and is unchanged from the original release.
Beast Hunters
- Optimus Prime (Voyager, 2013)
- Series / Number: 2 / 001
- Japanese ID number: G11
- Accessories: Two "Ionic pulse launchers"/"Eaglefire missile launchers", two missiles, Star Saber
- Part of the first wave of Prime: Beast Hunters Voyager Class toys, Optimus Prime is a larger, all-new mold, and comes with a larger version of the Star Saber. The Star Saber features 5mm posts for its handle and on its hilt, allowing it to be held by his hands, or mount onto various ports on his backpack, front wheel panels, or upper wings.
Go!
- Hunter Optimus Prime (Voyager, 4-27-2013)
- Japanese ID number: G11
- Accessories: Two missile launchers, two missiles, Matrix Saber
- Part of the first wave of TakaraTomy Go! toys, Hunter Optimus Prime is a redeco of the Voyager Class "Beast Hunters" Optimus Prime toy. His "Matrix Saber" has been redecoed with a translucent blue blade, and uses a bluer shade of gunmetal paint for its hilt and handle, accurate to the Saber's depiction and color in the cartoon.
Notes
- At BotCon 2010, Fun Publications said that Hasbro had, in effect, taken custody of the character of Nexus Prime due to their plans for the Thirteen. Because of this, Fun Pub was unable to directly continue the story of Nexus Prime's quest for a long time, only able to make small nods to the storyline in magazine issues #48 and #54 before finally resolving the quest in 2015 in issue #65.
- The sketchy relationship between the "Aligned" continuity family (named in-universe as the Uniend universal cluster and the rest of the multiverse that Fun Publications' stories take place means that the Saber's appearance in the Prime cartoon does not have any bearing on Nexus Prime's quest.
- The exact connection between Nexus Prime and the Star Saber in the Aligned novels is a bit of a mess, simply because Exiles is so riddled with plotting and continuity errors that it's hard to tell if the "Cyber Caliber" is actually a different sword from the Star Saber, or if the book just used the wrong name for a few pages. While continuity between the Prime cartoon and the novels is decidedly wobbly, the sword's later appearance in the cartoon—while probably not intended to solve the novel's errors—can be seen to suggest that Nexus never had the Star Saber, that just being another of the many myths surrounding the blade.
- The Star Saber was taken out of action almost immediately after its introduction in the Prime cartoon, presumably to keep a weapon so powerful that Megatron feared it from destroying the show's status quo. Even when it was reconstructed in the second season finale, it played absolutely no role in the story until the series finale, and even then, it was in the hands of non-Primes, rendering it an ordinary but giant sword.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Matrix Saber (マトリクスセイバー Matorikusu Seibā)
- German: Sternensäbel ("Starsaber")
- Mandarin: Xīngchén Jiàn (星辰剑, "Star Sword")
- Portuguese: Sabre da Estrela (Brazil, "Star Saber")
- Spanish: Sable Estrella ("Star Saber")
