Transformers Timelines (fiction)
| The name or term "Timeline" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Timeline (disambiguation). |
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Timelines is the franchise under which much of Fun Publications' Transformers fiction is published. It encompasses most of the stories released in conjunction with BotCon and the Transformers Collectors' Club. Some stories build on existing continuities, while others create new ones from scratch.
Timelines began in 2005 with the release of Fun Publications' first BotCon fiction, and it denoted a new approach to convention-based fiction. The previous convention organizers, 3H Productions, had released lengthy storylines with complex ties to existing mainstream stories; these stories sluggishly unfolded across various years' conventions. Timelines instead promised a series of unconnected stand-alone stories, starting with a short comic accompanying the 2005 boxed toy set.
The brand has since expanded to include various other stories in multiple formats, primarily text stories with illustrations made available through the Transformers Club web site, but also script readings and even a computer-animated short feature. Despite the focus on stand-alone tales, many Timelines stories have tied in to the larger ongoing story told through the fan club magazine's monthly comic (which is not itself branded as part of the Timelines umbrella.)
The only stories under the Timelines banner to receive a numbering system are the hard-copy-published comic book issues, listed below.
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Original continuities
Continuities original to Timelines fiction (and related magazine comics) are:
BotCon stories
Most of the Timelines stories have been made available at the BotCon convention, and mostly feature the characters available as convention exclusive toys that year.
BotCon 2005
Format: comic book
Continuity: Indeterminate Generation 1
Story: Ironhide and a team of Autobots attempt to stop Deathsaurus from reviving the Decepticon Empire with a clone army of Insecticons.
Format: Live-action script reading.
Continuity: Indeterminate Generation 1 (as above)
Story: Several Predacons test the loyalty of Flamewar.
BotCon 2006
Format: Comic book
Continuity: Beast Wars
Story: A Maximal relic has been stolen, and a team of explorers is called to catch the thieves.
BotCon 2007
Format: Comic book
Continuity: Classics
Story: A team of Autobots led by Ultra Magnus and Grimlock face the mysterious Decepticon Bug Bite and his crew of mind-controlled followers.
Format: Computer animation.
Continuity: Beast Wars
Story: Megatron and his flunkies match wits with Cryotek.
BotCon 2008
Format: Comic book
Continuity: Shattered Glass
Story: Cliffjumper is transported to a mad world where the bad guys are the good guys.
Format: Live-action script reading
Continuity: Animated & TransTech
Story: Optimus, Bumblebee, and Sari are accidentally teleported to Axiom Nexus, and hilarity follows close behind.
BotCon 2009
Format: Comic book
Continuity: Wings Universe
Story: Kup tells a story about one of his earliest missions at the beginning of the war.
BotCon 2010
Format: Comic book
Continuity: Wings Universe
Story: When Clench hijacks the Large Hadron Collider for his lackeys' experiments, can Pyro's Autobots save the day?
BotCon 2011
Format: Comic book and live-action script reading
Continuity: Animated cartoon
Story: Following Megatron's incarceration, Sideswipe and Cheetor investigate The Motor Master's Stunt Convoy.
Format: Live-action script reading
Continuity: Prime cartoon
Story: Transformers: Prime Episode 15, featuring three voice replacements, some adlibbed humor, and a newly-added scene.
BotCon 2012
- "Invasion"
Format: Comic book
Continuity: Classics & Shattered Glass
Story: SG Ultra Magnus invades the Classicsverse, and Treadshot tries to stop him.
Format: Live-action script reading
Continuity: TransTech & a G1 universe
Story: Megatron attempts to ruin Transformers forever by replacing Bumblebee as the face of the brand with himself.
BotCon 2013
Format: Comic book
Continuity: Wings Universe
Story: Autobot generals Strika and Obsidian lead a united Autobot/Decepticon force in a bid to take back Cybertron from Megaplex and his clone armies.
Format: Live-action script reading
Continuity: Aligned
Story: Kup relates to Hot Shot one of his old Wreckers stories, in which he and Wheeljack once bested a team of Decepticons led by Shockwave.
BotCon 2014
Format: Comic book
Continuity: Wings Universe
Story: Captain Cannonball and his crew of Star Seekers attempt to loot Cybertron of its energy, as a brave team of Cybertronian Knights stands in their way.
- "Prevenge"
Format: Live-action script reading
Continuity: MANY! (Rescue Bots/G1/IDW G1/Shattered Glass/RID (2001)/Beast Wars/Animated/Armada)
Story: A multitude of diverse characters from across the multiverse are abducted from their respective realities by a mysterious captor for an unknown purpose.
BotCon 2015
Format: Comic book
Continuity: TransTech
Story: The TransTechs must resort to having a band of criminals save Axiom Nexus.
Format: Live-action script reading
Continuity: Animated cartoon
Story: Sari Sumdac stumbles upon an incapacitated Autobot intelligence agent on Cybertron.
Club stories
Text stories
Some club stories were made available via the Transformers Collectors' Club in prose form with illustrations, usually about then-recent toys and/or Club exclusives.
2007
Continuity: Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity
Story: Cannonball pursues an artifact.
Continuity: Beast Wars
Story: Airazor does some stuff.
Continuity: Classics
Story: Strife emerges among the Mini-Cons on the newly reformed Cybertron.
Continuity: Universe
Story: The conclusion of the Beast Era Wreckers' adventures.
2008
Continuity: TransTech & Classics
Story: Deep in the outworlder city of Axiom Nexus, Jackpot and Hubcap get caught up in the locals' intrigues.
Continuity: Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity
Story: A team of Autobots, searching for the Cyber Planet Keys, finds a dead colony world with some dark secrets.
Continuity: GoBots / TransTech / Classics
Story: Six explorers from a doomed dimension wind up in Axiom Nexus.
Continuity: TransTech
Story: Power Master Bulletbike goes on a homicidal rampage.
Continuity: Shattered Glass
Story: A new intellect within Grimlock is awakened by mysterious forces.
2009
- "Do Over"
Continuity: Shattered Glass
Story: The Autobots try to fly their Ark to Earth once more.
Continuity: Shattered Glass
Story: The Autobots and Decepticons have their first round of clashes on Earth.
Continuity: Shattered Glass
Story: Blitzwing gets turned into a broadcast transmitter that could be deadly to both factions.
Continuity: Classics
Story: The Decepticon Civil War comes to a close as Megatron advances on Bludgeon.
2010
Continuity: Wings Universe
Story: The Elite Guard is charged with protecting a discovery related to Cybertron's past from falling into Decepticon hands.
Continuity: Wings Universe
Story: The Stealth Team has to go undercover to keep Gutcruncher and his lackeys from getting their hands on a mysterious power force.
2011
Continuity: Shattered Glass
Story: The balance in the war between the Transformers shifts when amazing new technology is given to a human.
2015
Continuity: Beast Wars: Uprising
Story: Lio Convoy sets an uprising in motion.
Continuity: Beast Wars: Uprising
Story: Buzzclaw joins the rebellion.
Continuity: Beast Wars: Uprising
Story: Stiletto's past haunts her as she and Overshoot defend a bridge from the rebels.
2016
- Spatiotemporal Challengers Part 1: "Sunrise"
Continuity: Shattered Glass/GoBots/Classics
Story: A team of GoBots surveys Earth.
Comic stories
Outside of the BotCon and the magazine, additional Club comics have been produced either in print form or online.
2008
- "Shattered Expectations" (3-page April Fools Day comic)
Continuity: Shattered Expectations
Story: Evil Autobots and heroic Decepticons battle over a new technology.
- "Cheap Shots" ("Spring Special" comic)
Continuity: Classics
Story: Nightbeat and his crew search for a kidnapped pilot.
2009
- "The Desert Heat!" (2-page comic)
Continuity: Shattered Glass
Story: Heatwave and Soundwave have some adjustment problems after landing on Earth. Prelude to "Eye in the Sky".
2011
- "Moving Violations" (2-page comic)
Continuity: Animated cartoon
Story: Officer Cheetor apprehends a couple of miscreants with his wantonly destructive totally awesome policing skills.
2012
- "Invasion Prologue" (6-page comic)
Continuity: TransTech & Classics
Story: The TransTech observe an incredible multiversal phenomenon which they trace back to one universe's Overlord.
- "Invasion: Epilogue" (2-page comic)
Continuity: TransTech
Story: In the aftermath of a multiversal crisis, the TransTechs seek assistance from a skilled hunter.
2013
- "Timeless" (6-page comic)
Continuity: TransTech/Aligned/psuedo-IDW G1
Story: Heinrad foreshadows what is to come and promises to help an acquaintance.
2014
- "A Common Foe" (22-page Transformers: Timelines comic)
Continuity: Wings Universe
Story: Immediately following the events of "Termination", the united Autobot/Decepticon army makes one last effort to take back Cybertron from Jhiaxus.
2015
- "Collections" (3-page comic)
Continuity: Indeterminate Beast Wars & TransTech
Story: What Packrat was up to before arriving in Axiom Nexus.
- "Legacy" (1-page pack-in comic)
Continuity: Wings Universe
Story: Shokaract is ready to conquer Cybertron.
Promotional videos
From 2009 to 2013, Fun Publications teamed up with media professionals Randall Ng and DR.SMOOV to produce several short videos to promote both BotCon and the Collectors Club. For 2016, Fun Pub worked instead with voice actor David Kaye to product that year's video.
2009
Continuity: Wings Universe
Story: Kup wants you to join the Cybertron Elite Guard!
Continuity: Generation 1
Story: Optimus Prime gives Megatron a call about going to BotCon.
2010
Continuity: Generation 2
Story: Optimus Prime and Ramjet have a redux of a familiar showdown.
Continuity: Generation 2
Story: The Autobots and Decepticons all decide to go to BotCon.
Continuity: Generation 1
Story: Megatron advertises the Transformers Collectors Club.
2011
Continuity: Generation 1
Story: Starscream and Starscream talk BotCon.
Continuity: Generation 1
Story: Starscream gets ready to reveal the first BotCon 2012 exclusive toy.
2013
Continuity: Generation 1
Story: Soundwave and Blaster have their most epic duel yet!
2016
Continuity: Beast Era
Story: Megatron speaks ill of the Tripredacus Council and its allies.
Facebook fiction
Beginning in 2014, the Club took to using Facebook to expand its horizons of storytelling mediums, creating Facebook pages for Transformers characters who post about the their fictional lives and things they know.
2014
Continuity: Wings Universe
Story: Tornado chronicles/vents about his time as a crew member of Captain Cannonball's Star Seeker space pirates.
2015
Continuity: TransTech
Story: Andromeda reports to Axiom Nexus.
Continuity: TransTech
Story: Rook digs deeper into the happenings in Axiom Nexus.
Continuity: TransTech
Story: The editor corrects any mistakes in Andromeda and Rook's reporting.
Continuity: TransTech
Story: Vector Prime spends some time in Axiom Nexus to answer questions. After he leaves, others host his column.
Continuity: TransTech
Story: Spacewarp reports on her adventures in space in the TransTechs' universe.
Continuity: GoBots
Story: Cy-Kill dispenses terrorist propaganda the word of the heroic Renegades.
