Ratchet (G1)
| The name or term "Ratchet" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Ratchet (disambiguation). |
This article is a featured article, and considered to be one of the most informative on this wiki.
- Ratchet is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Ratchet is the Autobots' Chief Medical Officer. If something's broke, he can fix it. Ratchet is known for his irreverent bedside manner; He loves having a good time, and his party-loving nature has given him a dry wit. He is not a particularly mighty warrior, which sometimes leads him to believe that he is expendable. Optimus Prime has trouble convincing Ratchet that this is far from the truth.
Although he's a healer, Ratchet often finds himself on the front lines of combat and, on occasion, the last hope the Autobots have. These pressures are sometimes too much for him to handle, but Ratchet ultimately never gives up.
His vehicle mode sometimes splits into his robot and a separate component. In some universes, he can combine with his fellow Autobots to form Defensor or Sky Reign.
Sometimes he will be the last Autobot alive, thus taking on the moniker The Autobot.
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
Ratchet was the chief medical officer aboard the Ark and continued to serve in that capacity for Optimus Prime's forces on Earth during the mid-1980s. In 2005, Ratchet was killed by the Decepticons just prior to the Battle of Autobot City.
The Special Teams
After crashing on Earth in the Ark and remaining dormant for millions of years, Ratchet, along with Sideswipe and Optimus, were the first Autobots to awaken after the Decepticons’ own resurrection. These three helped the other Autobots repair themselves with the aid of the Ark’s computer. The Special Teams
Deadly Paradise
Sideswipe was convicted of destroying the Nova Suspension Bridge and deactivated, despite his pleas of innoncence, in order to ease the strain on human/Autobot relations. Prowl became suspicious of the Decepticons being somehow involved, and discovered evidence that lead to the remote Carob Island. Ratchet accompanied Prowl, Windcharger, Hound, Bumblebee, and Brawn and headed to said island. Upon landfall, Prowl discovered a cave from where suspicious sounds were coming from. Leaving Bumblebee and Hound behind to guard the entrance, Prowl, Windcharger, Brawn, and Ratchet went inside. The Autobots exploring the cave came upon several Decepticon gophers and drilling machines gathering a rare ore for their evil masters. Working together, Ratchet and the others made short work of the Decepticon machines. When they exited the cave, however, they discovered that Bumblebee and Hound were missing. They were instead greeted by Madame Cee and her army of pig-robots. Madame Cee insisted that their friends were fine and brought the Autobots to her home, where she told them to rest and enjoy themselves. Prowl eventually discovered that Madame Cee was working for the Decepticons, and reactivated the captive Bumblebee and Hound. The Autobots learned that the Decepticons were forcing Cee to help build Autobot duplicates. After learning of the location of Megatron's temporary base on the island, Ratchet and the rest of the group entered it, finding themselves wandering in a vast, underground labyrinth. They finally came upon an open area, only to be captured in force cages by the Decepticons. Prowl managed to free the rest of the group, and Ratchet helped Brawn defeat Skywarp while the others dealt with Starscream and Megatron. Through a stroke of luck, the Autobots managed to escape Megatron's megamaze when they discovered that Ratchet's lubricant container had been leaking all day, thus leaving them a trail that led out of the facility. The Autobots returned to their headquarters where they were able to clear Sideswipes name, and presumably reactivated him. Deadly Paradise
Kid Stuff Talking Story Books
Ratchet retro-fitted Skyfire with external fuel tanks in order to allow the Autobot superset from reaching a Decepticon satellite in Earth orbit that was beaming down heat and destruction thanks to a gigantic diamond lens. When Skyfire failed to destroyed his satellite and burned up on reentry upon falling back to Earth, Optimus ordered Ratchet to weld together a square-mile sheet of polished metal. This would be used in the Autobot’s plan “B” in taking out the satellite. Satellite of Doom
When a boarding party encountered a time-delay booby-trap inside a Decepticon transport ship, two of its members were sent to Ratchet for repairs. When Continents Collide
Ratchet was busy fixing up Slag inside the Dinobots’ secret base when Megatron’s Thermo-borer burst through the wall of the medical room, activating the base’s alarms. Though Megatron and Soundwave retreated immediately, Ratchet managed to plant a Memory Scrambler Mine on the Thermo-borer’s hull. he then returned to fixing Slag, though he drew increasingly annoyed that repairs were taking too long, and distracting from his duty of reactivating the other Dinobots from their tar cocoons so they could join the Autobot ranks. Just as Rathet finished up his repairs on Slag, the Dinobots’ headquarters began to tremble as the Crusher forced its way inside. Ratchet and Slag both ran to a safer spot. But the vibrations caused by the Crusher’s entrance had inadvertently freed hundreds of Dinobots from their tar cocoons. Joining the newly activated robots, Ratchet beat back Megatron and Soundwave. Jaws of Terror
Marvel Storybooks continuity
Ratchet was among the Autobots active on Earth. When Prowl started having a fit right in the middle of a stand-off with the Decepticons, Ratchet moved over to see if he was alright. Later, after the Autobots had been blasted out of Decepticons headquarters, Ratchet pathed up their minor injuries to be sure they would be in top-condition for the battle to come. Battle for Earth
Marvel coloring books
When Mirage had been damaged by Ravage, Ratchet drove over to the battlefield to fix his friend. Decepticon Patrol
Either Ratchet or Ironhide helped the Autobots in protecting Hoover Dam from the Decepticons. The Deadly Fuel Shortage
Ratchet was one of the many Autobots who followed Optimus into battle when it was discovered that the Decepticons were stealing fuel from all across the globe with the help of a molecular transfer device. He tended to Windcharger after their first battle against the Decepticons that day, and noted that the Autobots were running low on fuel, while the Decepticons' reserves were still plentiful. Ratchet helped Ironhide transfer some of his fuel to Windcharger and Jazz so that the more fuel-efficient Autobots could continue fighting. When the Autobots succeeded in capturing the molecular transfer device and turned its power on the Decepticons, Optimus trasked Ratchet with dismantling the machine afterwards, so that the Decepticons would never be able to use its power again. Summertime Coloring Book
When Gears had fallen for a dastardly Decepticon trap and gotten himself crushed, Ratchet, Sideswipe and Mirage somehow knew about it instantly. They came to Gears's rescue, and once Mirage and Sideswipe had beaten the Decepticons back, Ratchet fixed Gears right up. The Autobot Smasher!
Ratchet was part of a small strike team of Autobots assembled by Ultra Magnus to help the Dinobots, who were currently engaged in battle against the Decepticons, just outside of Autobot City. Upon arriving at Oil Valley, Ratchet tended to the injured Slag. After they defeated the Decepticons, Ratchet and the others were cheered on by the nearby oil rig workers as they drove back to Autobot City. Battle at Oil Valley
Big Looker storybooks continuity
Upon awakening on Earth after being offline for about 65 million years, Ratchet met Sparkplug and his son Spike. With the Decepticons still not in the know of what forms the Autobots had taken, Ratchet was one of the troops that Optimus led into the desert in order to ambush their enemies. Though they successfully took by surprise a squadron of Decepticons, the Autobots had not anticipated a second group flying in from the opposite direction. Thanks to a warning from Spike and Sparkplug, the Autobots managed to fend off the Decepticons, and came to accept Earth as their new home. Battle for Cybertron
While Hound was taking part in a cross-country Car Rally, he was attacked by Thundercracker's missiles. Ratchet raced onto the scene to repair Hound, and joked that his patient sure falls apart when a missile hits him! Also, Hound complained that Ratchet was screwing him together too tightly, causing him pain.
Ratchet is kind of a jerk. The Great Car Rally
Following a battle with the Decepticons that resulted in many Autobot injuries, Ratchet and Huffer were busy trying to fix them. Optimus Prime asked them about their progress, but they both sighed. Ratchet noted that even the mighty Dinobots were out of commission, for they had suffered the heaviest losses. But suddenly, the Decepticons attacked, having repaired their warriors in record time! Optimus Prime called his remaining functional warriors to the highways while Ratchet and Huffer returned to their repairs. Decepticon Hijack
The Battle for Planet Earth
Ratchet was part of an Autobot expedition to South America to search for energy, but split from the rest of the group some time before they found Mount Sheelah. Terror of Mount Sheelah
Ladybird Books continuity
Ratchet gave Jazz a good tune up before he participated in a car rally / recon mission. Autobots Fight Back
Optimus Prime placed Ratchet in command of Autobot headquarters when he led a battle unit to confront the Decepticons. Laserbeak's Fury
While performing repairs on the Autobots, Ratchet became concerned by the lack of cybernite and other Cybertronian materials necessary for his work. Fortunately, Kup and the Autobots used radio transmitters to simulate the Northern Lights and trick a trio of Decepticon space stations into blowing each other up, causing cybernite to fall from the skies. (Long story.) Galvatron's Air Attack
Listen 'n Play audiobooks continuity
- Voice actor: ? (English)
When Jazz brought Steve Guymo to the Autobot base, Optimus asked Ratchet to treat the delirious man. Though Ratchet was no expert on carbon forms, he provided Guymo with some water while grousing about Jazz's joy rides. The Autobots learned from Steve that the Decepticons were abducting humans from airports, and helped him rescue Megatron's hostages. Sun Raid (Listen 'n Play)
S.T.A.R.S. continuity
When Johnny spotted Thundercracker stealing energy, he called his Autobot allies through his S.T.A.R.S. control center. Ratchet was amongst those who responded to Johnny's call. Have the Decepticons defeated us once and for all? Ratchet and the other Autobots struggled against Thundercracker energy-syphoning powers. Can one boy, alone, hold back the evil Decepticons? What happened afterwards is not known.
Later, Ultra Magnus pleaded for you to "requisition" Ratchet and other Autobots in order to combat the Decepticon threat. Using the human power known as "imagination," S.T.A.R.S. recruits could perceive what it was like to be Ratchet. You Have Been Chosen.
Before the construction of Autobot City on Earth, Optimus led a convoy of Autobots to find the ideal location for their new base's construction. Ratchet was amongst the troops accompanying Optimus. As they drove along, the Autobots were ambushed by the Decepticons. The battle that ensued later came to be known as "Digital Doom on the Highway to Destruction." Rodimus Prime remembers the Transformers greatest battle on Earth. The Autobots Are Under Attack!
Find Your Fate Junior
Dinobots Strike Back
In the path where Mirage used a hologram of Optimus Prime to lure the four cerebro-shell-controlled Dinobots over the edge of Bandit's Bluff and into the ocean, Ratchet was one of the Autobots crewing Seaspray's destroyer mode. He helped haul the unconscious quartet aboard for safe transport back to the Ark, then dried them off, chuckling, "This is one Decepticon plan that was all wet!" (The Autobots never learn about Operation Black Coral in this path)
In an alternate path, Bumblebee and Skids were exploring Dolphin's Bay in search of Decepticon activity when the former was paralyzed and left in an underwater cave by Frenzy. This leads to four possible endings, two of which involve Ratchet rescuing Bumblebee. In one, he first repairs a waterlogged and injured Skids on the deck of Seaspray after Sludge hauled his disabled mini-sub off the ocean floor. Skids then told his three teammates about Operation Black Coral, prompting a full-scale Autobot assault, during which Ratchet and Skids used the repaired sub to rescue Bumblebee. Another ending saw a similar assault in which Ratchet was part of the land-force and rescued Bumblebee on his own. Dinobots Strike Back
Attack of the Insecticons
Ratchet was a minor player in many possible adventures centred around the Sun-Pak, a device created by Sparkplug to solve the Autobots' energy woes. The Autobot medic was present to tend to depowered Autobots should the situation allow it, as well as ribbing his friend Ironhide about the later's old age. Attack of the Insecticons
Decepticon Poison
In one possible scenario, where a squad of Autobots recently cured from a Decepticon poison lead the charge against the Decepticons only to be overpowered by Megatron, Ratchet was quick to jump into action and tend to the wounded. His first patient was Sunstreaker, who had been struck down by a blast of Megatron’s fusion cannon. Though the Decepticons were eventually forced to retreat, Ratchet would undoubtedly have his hands full repairing all the Autobots severely injured that day.
In another possible turn of events, Ratchet helped Perceptor dispense his cure to the ailing Autobots. Unfortunately, Perceptor miscalculated how much of his antidote to give to each Autobot. The Autobots who received the antidote soon found themselves falling apart, and though Ratchet attempted to fix them as quickly as possible, the Autobots were left outmatched against the greater number of Decepticons, and quickly defeated.
In another possible sequence of events, Optimus successfully retrieved the antidote to the poison from the Decepticons’ poison lab, and with Ratchet’s help, brought the poisoned Autobots back from the precipice of death.
If Optimus later decided to bring a squadron of Autobots to the nearby water reservoir, in order to present the Decepticons from poisoning the nearby human population, Ratchet was amongst the Autobots who came along.
In one possible scenario, Ratchet was tasked with attempting once more with reassembling the many Autobots who had fallen on the battlefield. Decepticon Poison
Autobot Alert!
In one possible scenario, Ratchet was ordered by Ultra Magnus to prep the Autobots’ shuttle; the Decepticons were in the middle of taking over Earth’s communication satellites. After a few technical difficulties, Ratchet was able to have the shuttle ready for take-off, allowing Ultra Magnus’s team to head into space and attempt to foil the Decepticons’ ploy.
In another possible scenario, wherein Ultra Magnus agreed to prioritize theft of a coded message, Ratchet was part of the captive audience that listened to Kup divulge information about an ancient Autobot formula. Ratchet took off towards the Autobots’ desert research centre along with a number of other Autobots. Once there, he was tasked with fixing Springer.
With Springer fixed, Ratchet and the Autobots learned that the cybertite sphere containing the formula was discovered by humans during the 16th century. If the Decepticons had decoded Springer's message, they would be searching off the coast of California, where the ship containing the sphere had sunk. If they hadn’t decoded the message, the Decepticons would still be digging in the nearby crater.
If Ultra Magnus decided to assume that the Decepticons had already decrypted the message, he ordered his forces to split up to more efficiently address the situation. Ratchet was part of the main Autobot force being led by Ultra Magnus. Ultra Magnus’s troops were informed by Powerglide (who had flown ahead of the land-bound group) that he had discovered the location of the sunken ship containing the cybertite sphere. Simultaneously, Blurr caught up with the group to inform them that the Decepticons were quickly approaching. The Autobots then needed to decide whether they would raise the ship themselves, or try and ambush the Decepticons after they had done so.
In one possible scenario that ensued, Grapple had been tasked to retrieve the sunken ship containing the sphere via the use of his crane, only for it to suffer a mechanical breakdown. Though Ratchet was able to fix it, the Autobots had lost valuable time. The Decepticons showed up and destroyed both the ship and sphere within, leaving the Autobots to be pummelled by superior Decepticon firepower. Autobot Alert!
The Invisibility Factor
In one possible scenario, the Decepticons gained control of an Invisibility Device. When the invisible Decepticons attacked Metroplex city, Ratchet and the rest of the Autobots were reduced to scrap metal, unable to fight the unseen enemy.
In another scenario, Rathet inspected Kup and Hot Rod’s circuits after Springer and Jazz told him they suspected the former two had a few wires loose. Ratchet gave the pair a clean bill of health, but Kup and Hot Rod’s claims of seeing spaceships with invisibility capabilities were dismissed and forgotten nonetheless. Then, Ratchet and the rest of the Autobots within Metroplex were caught by surprise by a fleet of identical ships swooping down upon them. The Autobots were all destroyed as Galvatron gloated of his victory. The Invisibility Factor
St. Michael The Transformers Sticker Book
Ratchet served on an alien spacecraft with the Autobots Hot Rod, Springer, and Sandstorm under the command of Ultra Magnus. While fighting Decepticons, their spaceship took heavy damage and crash-landed on the planet Barrenikon. There, he met you, having just emerged from the Vortex, a portal through space and time contained within the planet. Together, you went on an adventure, fighting Decepticons, braving Barrenikon's barren desert or its putrid swamp, and trying to find a way to get the Autobots space-bound once more. The Transformers Sticker Book
Beast Wars cartoon
Four million years ago, Ratchet, Optimus Prime, Prowl, Ironhide, and Jazz were on the bridge of the Ark when it was suddenly attacked by the Nemesis. It crashed in a dormant volcano for untold years until it was disturbed by the Predacon Megatron, who had traveled from the far future. Ratchet's body was sprawled across a pile of boxes. Frozen in stasis lock as he was, Ratchet was unable to stop the Predacon from assassinating the equally comatose Optimus Prime. The Agenda (Part III) This act would have rewritten history from that moment forward, but the ensuing time storm was stopped as Optimus Primal held Prime's spark in trust until his troupe of Maximals, led by Rhinox, could repair Prime's body. Optimal Situation
Dreamwave Generation One continuity
"Tone down your audio amplifiers, will ya? That didn't hurt... much."Starscream and Ratchet, "Skyfire"
8.2 million years ago, Ratchet accompanied Optimus Prime, Prowl, and Red Alert to the Sub-Orbital District of Iacon, which had been devastated after Megatron activated the planetary engines. He found no life signs in the entire blast radius. The War Within #2 600,000 years later, Ratchet remained with the Prowl-led Autobots after Optimus Prime disappeared in a space bridge explosion. He repaired Skids after the theoretician was damaged in a battle with Trypticon. Confrontation
Ratchet was among the crew of the Ark when it crashed on Earth, and awoke in 1984 to battle the Decepticons. After years of fighting, Ratchet and the other Autobots took part in Operation Liberation in 1998, a joint human/Autobot operation that defeated and captured the Earth-bound Decepticons. However, the Ark II, which was meant to convey the Autobots, the captured Decepticons, and a number of humans back to Cybertron, was sabotaged by General Robert Hallo, sending Ratchet and his comrades to the bottom of the Arctic Ocean. Years later, Ratchet was brought back by the sinister Lazarus, who had recovered and reprogrammed a number of Transformers for his nefarious ends. However, when Megatron broke free of Lazarus's control, he hooked up Ratchet and a number of other Autobots to a device that generated a deadly "metal virus". Prime Directive #3 Soon after, Optimus Prime detached Ratchet and the others from the doomsday device, Prime Directive #4 and he eventually recovered.
When the alien Keepers took over Las Vegas, Ratchet was among the Autobots assembled by Optimus Prime to invade the occupied area. While the others engaged in battle, Ratchet was tasked with dealing with the collateral damage, and leading the human residents of Las Vegas to safety. He returned to the protection of Optimus Prime and his Matrix augmented power before a nuclear strike hit the city, and lent his skills to repairing the Autobots who had given their energon to power up Prime's "Finishing Move". Annihilation
Over the next few days, Ratchet brought all the Autobots back on-line, including Bluestreak, Bumblebee and Sideswipe, who had each been drastically injured over the course of the preceding events. No sooner had Bluestreak been reactivated, though, that he was drawn back into the Keepers' control by their pawn, Franklin Townsend. Franklin's status as an "augment" — a human specially engineered using Cybertronian technology — allowed him to bypass Teletraan I's security and infiltrate the Ark. Ratchet blamed himself for allowed that loophole in the security system. Later, Ratchet diagnosed the effects of the deconstructionites—reverse-engineered nanotechnology used by the government against the Transformers to drain away their processing power. Fusion
Ratchet took part in a battle on the shores of Alaska with the Decepticons over possession of a crashed spacecraft containing Scourge. As the Autobots overwhelmed their foes, Shockwave arrived on the planet and gave them an ultimatum: surrender and return to a newly unified Cybertron, or be destroyed. While the Decepticons were overwhelmed by these new arrivals, the Autobots managed to retreat from the battleground. Returning to the Ark, Ratchet tended to the wounded, including Ironhide, who had gotten several explosive shells lodged into his backside. Grimlock rejoined their ranks, and though it caused a stir among the other soldiers, Ratchet welcomed back the Dinobot, claiming that his bravado was exactly what the Autobots needed at the moment, faced with their new powerful enemy. New World Order Optimus Prime assigned Ratchet to a Jazz-led team that was to remain on Earth while he surrendered himself to Shockwave, having been left with little other options on the matter. Brothers' Burden After Shockwave's lieutenant, Ultra Magnus, took Prime and others back to Cybertron, Ratchet and Wheeljack remained at the Ark as Jazz, Brawn, and Windcharger attempted to locate Scourge and his ship. Unfortunately, Jazz informed Ratchet that both the ship and its passenger had vanished from the battlefield in their absence. Cold War
After the end of Shockwave's despotic rule over Cybertron, the Autobots on Cybertron made contact with Ratchet's crew for an update and promised to send supplies. Generation 1 #0 When Starscream and a team of Decepticons arrived on Earth, they attacked the Ark's inhabitants, wanting the starship for themselves. In the initial assault, the Autobots managed to take Soundwave, his cassettes, Thundercracker, and Skywarp prisoner, but eventually all the Autobots but Ratchet and Brawn were defeated by the mighty Bruticus. Expecting the arrival of the supply ship from Cybertron later that day, Ratchet and Brawn slipped past the Ark's defense systems, made haywire by Bruticus's assault, in order to contact the ship and warn them. Unfortunately, Bruticus caught up soon after, and they were forced to destroy the Ark rather than let the Decepticons have access to Teletraan I. Night of the Combaticons Before the battle could escalate further, it was interrupted by the arrival of Sunstorm, a Seeker seemingly powered by supernatural forces. While the Decepticons' attention shifted to this new arrival, the Orion supply ship also came on the scene, only to be downed by Sunstorm. Thankfully, most of the Decepticons were also knocked offline by the radiant super-warrior, and Sunstorm left in pursuit of Starscream. After being cheered up by Bumblebee somewhat, Ratchet set up three Powerdasher drones to repair the damages done to the Orion. They completed their task in a few hours, only for Starscream to then turn up again, now accompanied by Jetfire. Black Sunshine An uneasy truce was formed between the small group of Autobots and Decepticons, and Ratchet begrudgingly put his medic skills to work on Starscream. Using his expertise, he built a homing device that duplicated Starscream's energy signature, and an energy-siphon for his allies to attach to Sunstorm when he inevitably returned. Thanks to Jetfire's help, the Autobots managed to attach the siphon onto Sunstorm, forcing the super-clone to flee. Skyfire However, after Jetfire left the Orion to go after Sunstorm, Starscream used his null-ray on the remaining Autobots, including Ratchet, and deserted them. The Omega Effect The Autobots recovered, including several that were fixed up by the EDC to help them out in ousting an Insecticon infestation in the town of San Desto. After the completion of their mission, they were picked up by Ratchet in the Orion, who filled them in on what had happened to the rest of the Autobots in their absence. Lost and Found
Ratchet later aided in the construction of Autobot City. The Route of All Evil
G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers
The newly formed human terrorist organization named Cobra uncovered the Ark buried in a dormant volcano. Finding two armies of giant, transformable robots, they repurposed these aliens for their own use, rebuilding them so they could reconfigure into various Cobra-designed vehicles. Ratchet was reprogrammed and rebuilt into a Cobra HISS tank. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #1 After Cobra's initial attack on Washington, D.C., Ratchet was put on display within the Cobra armory while Destro was shown about Cobra Island. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #2 Optimus Prime was eventually able to break free from his reprogramming and awakened the other Transformers, G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4 and, with the help of the human anti-terrorist task-force G.I. Joe, he defeated Megatron and Cobra. An alliance between the Autobots and the United States government was formed. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #5
Two years later, a malfunction in Teletran 3 sent dozens of Transformers into various points in history, an act which, if not reversed, would result in a perpetual holocaust being unleashed across Earth. To retrieve one Transformer and bring him home, a team of Cobra and G.I. Joe agents were sent 15 years into an apocalyptic future where Shockwave and his Decepticons ruled. The remaining cyborged humans had formed a resistance which had only one Autobot warrior who stood between them and utter annihilation. The last Autobot alive, Ratchet had grown bitter and battle-hardened after years of guerrilla warfare, and he demanded the team sent to bring him back to the present day help him complete one more mission. Ratchet, the Joes, and the Cobra agents were successful in freeing a factory nearby that was manned by enslaved humans, but Ratchet refused to go home with them and abandon his calling. Barbecue returned Ratchet home against his wishes, and as Ratchet cursed the stupid little creature, the Shockwave of the present day shot Ratchet in the back, putting him out of commission. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #3
Later, when Serpent O.R. took Optimus Prime prisoner, Ratchet (still in his post-apocalyptic body) was part of Hot Rod's rescue team. The Art of War #4
Transformers/G.I. Joe
Ratchet was among the Autobots who were awakened by G.I. Joe in 1939, and joined their war on Cobra and the Decepticons. During the assault on the Cobra Terrordrome, he wondered why the Decepticons were so easy to defeat now, after having been such a pain in the neck back on Cybertron. Ratchet most likely perished when the Matrix of Leadership was smashed to pieces shortly afterwards. The Iron Fist
The Beast Within
During a particularly violent battle between the Autobots and the Decepticons, Ratchet looked on in horror as The Beast dispensed wanton carnage onto the battlefield. He attempted to tend to Jazz, one of the many Autobots wounded during battle. The Beast Within
As Ratchet, his patient, and a small number of other surviving Autobots rode in Optimus Prime’s trailer in an effort to outrun The Beast, Ratchet warned Prime that Jazz would not make it if they didn’t slow down. Thankfully, Jetfire showed up just in time to rescue Prime’s passengers, save Skids, who was crushed moments before Jetfire’s arrival. The Beast Within Part 2, Consequences
Universe comic
When an alternate universe's Ratchet groused about how he was not sent back to his home universe as most of the rescued abductees of Unicron were, it was suggested that he was needed now on the local Cybertron as in the past, the local Ratchet had been a great healer.
An iteration of Primax Ratchet was one of several Transformers from all eras and all realities across the multiverse suggested by Alpha Trion for Optimus Primal to recruit into his Children of Primus. Optimus Primal decided to pluck Rhinox and Depth Charge back from death instead. Homecoming
Transformers Legends anthology
Ratchet was happy enough to repair a badly-damaged Starscream, when the latter was brought in to the Ark. He agreed with Wheeljack that they should take the opportunity to take a look at Starscream's logic circuits, and maybe see if there was anything untoward which was making him such a disagreeable fellow, and Optimus was eventually talked around. It wasn't long before Ratchet had Starscream back online, amnesiac and surprisingly benign (it didn't last). Redemption Center
While on a mission to retrieve Sky Spy, Ratchet encountered Stitch, a veteran army medic, and helped him save a woman trapped in a swollen creek. The woman needed emergency medical treatment, so Ratchet used Sky Spy to scan the necessary information from Stitch's mind in order to complete surgery on the woman. Sometime later, Ratchet checked on Stitch and presented him with a new cybernetic arm to replace the one he used to repair Sky Spy. Healers, Fighters, and Transformers
Descent into Evil
Years after the Decepticon and Autobot Wars had ended, Ratchet and five other Autobots were sent to Ceti Alpha Seven to destroy General Deathsaurus's Insecticon clone lab and stop his planned Decepticon uprising. After a team of four (consisting of Fallback, Chromia, Flareup, and Ricochet) failed, Ratchet and Ironhide followed to help. After battling swarms of Virulent Clones and Buzzclaw, they finally met up with Deathsaurus himself. Ironhide stayed to fight the general, and Ratchet separated to find their fallen friends.
Ratchet managed to gather the victims but was captured by Deathsaurus along with Ironhide. Both were restrained inside the lab, which was set to detonate. Before this happened, Ricochet sneaked in and freed them, allowing them to gather the wounded and escape as the clone lab was destroyed. Descent into Evil
IDW Generation 1 continuity
The Autobots' Chief Medical Officer, a close friend of Optimus Prime and someone who had treated every Prime since Nominus Prime, Ratchet somehow ended up in a bog-standard Tactical Response Unit on a tenth-rate planet called "Earth" circling around a fourth-rate star called "the Sun" populated by strange creatures known as "humans". There, after several years, he went rogue to track down a human who had somehow found his way into a Decepticon Infiltration Bunker. Finding him dead, he found his palmtop computer with photos of the base in the hands of a runaway called Verity Carlo, triggering the discovery a series of events that would bring Optimus himself to Earth after even Prowl, his unit commander, ultimately had to admit was significant despite his hatred for Ratchet's "playing hero".
After the Decepticon Surge, Ratchet was amongst those stranded first on an uninhabitable Cybertron, then Earth for an extended time. After these and Galvatron's Chaos War were over, finished, he joined the crew of the Lost Light, aiming to find a successor as CMO - and while he did so, by the name of First Aid, he also found a new pair of hands to replace his worn-out set, courtesy of the mad Pharma who would become his new arch-enemy. Groovy.
Hearts of Steel
Ratchet fought in the "Ice Age Wars" on ancient Earth, transforming into an unidentified animal with scales and spikes. As the increasingly colder climate began to threaten the Autobots and Decepticons, they powered down underground to finish their conflict at a later date, and were eventually awoken by humans in the mid-19th century. Ratchet and Prowl agreed that it was too early to awaken Optimus Prime and interfere with humanity, but they were disregarded by Bumblebee who wanted to help the humans reach their goals. Hearts of Steel #1
Upon learning from the humans that the Decepticons were also awake, Bumblebee reported this to Ratchet and Prowl, who were seemingly in charge while Prime was asleep. Now that he knew Decepticons were involved, Ratchet felt it necessary for the Autobots to do something. Hearts of Steel #2 Taking on a medical boxcar altmode, he joined the other Autobots in forming a train and pursuing the Decepticons' Astrotrain as it headed towards New York. Hearts of Steel #3 They were briefly held back when the Decepticons collapsed a tunnel entrance on them, forcing Ratchet and the others to stop and dig their comrades and human allies out of the rubble. Once the Astrotrain was stopped and the Decepticons were defeated, the Autobots went back underground to continue fighting another day. Hearts of Steel #4
In 1888, the Elder Gods began threatening Earth, causing the Autobots to resurface. Seeking the energy needed to reactivate Optimus Prime, Ratchet and several other Autobots brought inventors Tobias Muldoon and Nikola Tesla to their deep-frozen leader. Infestation 2: The Transformers #1 After sacrificing their energy to awaken Optimus Prime with Tesla's invention, Optimus Prime granted his soldiers some of his personal energon reserves. Soon, the Autobots set out to save Port Cenotaph; there, they found Ironhide, who had been infected by the Elder God. While Ratchet handled Ironhide, Optimus Prime defeated the Elder God and it retreated to the ocean depths, releasing its hold on its thralls on the surface. Infestation 2: The Transformers #2
The Autobots continued to protect humanity for many years, keeping an eye out for the reappearance of Decepticons. In the 21st century Ratchet investigated a possible Decepticon signal, but it turned out to be a trap set by the human organization Skylogic Systems, who captured him. The humans extracted Ratchet's DNA and combined it with mutated human genes to engineer a deadly virus, mistakenly believing it was the key to preventing a supposed invasion of human-alien hybrids. He was eventually rescued from the Skylogic labs by Optimus Prime, Bumblebee and a trio of heroic humans known as the Lone Gunmen. The X-Files: Conspiracy: The Transformers
Lil Formers
When he met an alternate-universe version of himself, Ratchet was taken aback over just hold old the other fellow was. Lil Formers
Universe cartoon
Ratchet was one of the many oppressed Cybertronians who sought freedom when their planet’s halls of power grew dark with corruption, greed and malice. After the war had raged for some time, he was one of the few Autobots privilieged with seeing Optimus insert the Matrix of Leadership into his chest for the first time. Ratchet was one of the first Autobots to travel to Earth, and took on an alternate form to disguise himself amongst its populace. Action Blast 1
Henkei! Henkei! Transformers -Visualize-
Henkei! Henkei! pack-in manga
Despite rescuing a girl from a burning building, she had fallen unconscious, so he offered to drive her and her mother to the hospital. Unfortunately, Starscream was tailing them from above. He would have blasted Ratchet, but Inferno blocked the shot with his fire truck mode, transformed, and then knocked Starscream out of the sky with his water cannon. Thanks to Inferno's help, Ratchet was able to successfully deliver the girl to the hospital.
But Ratchet's work wasn't done, as he had taken note of Inferno's heavy injuries. Henkei! Henkei! #10
Universe toy bio
On Cybertron before the war, Ratchet was a top mechanic and a partier. Years of tragic encounters with Megatron tempered Ratchet's good nature, leaving him melancholic and sour. Universe Autobot Ratchet toy bio
Robot Heroes
Ratchet was Optimus's oldest pal. They both traveled with their other Autobot friends to Earth, and hid away their ship. Afterwards, the Autobots tussled with the Decepticons and Ratchet knocked Skywarp out of the air! The Decepticons were defeated, but in case they should ever return, the Autobots swore to keep vigil over the Earth. I Am Optimus Prime
United
Millions of years ago, Megatron thought Optimus Prime to be forever vanquished. He was proven wrong when the Autobot leader rushed into battle alongside Ratchet and his other compatriots against him in a surprise attack. A New Battle!
Transformers: All Spark
BeCool shorts
- Voice actor: Kōichi Toshima (Japanese)
Ambulance (救急車 Kyūkyūsha) was a medic in his world who liked to help others. The Self-Introduction Chapter Among others, he was caught in a traffic jam, but Trailer made them all transform into robot modes so that they could walk past the jam. The Story of the Surprising and Big Traffic Jam! Ambulance again got stuck with others because of a hole in the road. When Trailer used his body to bridge the gap, Ambulance drove over. The Story of Mister Trailer's Big Success!
Ambulance, Highway Patrol Car (ハイウェイパトカー Haiwei Patokā), and Rescue Car (レスキューカー Resukyū Kā) were part of the audience of Quiz! BeCool. The Story of Quiz! BeCool Ambulance went to Yellow Sports Car's aid after he slipped on a banana peel while driving and got caught in an accident. The Story of Protecting the Signal! As part of a fire brigade headed by Firetruck, Ambulance and Rescue Car attempted to put out a building on fire, not realizing it was a set for a movie. Highway Patrol Car was part of the crowd that witnessed this embarrassing mistake. The Story of the Fire Brigade Dispatch!
Cloud
Ratchet was one of the Autobot residents of Cloud World, an inter-dimensional police force stationed within Metropolis, who used the power of the super-robot SARA to keep peace across the cosmos. He was stationed at the Autobots' Directorate of Operations when an assault was launched on the city. He relayed damage reports to Optimus Prime, alerting his leader to the severity of the attacks, and identified the criminals responsible: the Decepticons! With the crisis escalating, Optimus ordered Ratchet to come into contact with the other Autobots, and organize them to better fight back against the enemy. Raid
Ratchet resumed contact with Optimus while the later was clashing against Megatron. He had dire news for his leader: the Decepticons had succeeded in kidnapping SARA during the raid! Fate As the Decepticons retreated back to the Underground, Optimus gave Ratchet an order to relay to the other Autobots; reconvene to base for their next move. Optimus was the last to return to the Directorate of Operations. Once he arrived, Ratchet informed him of how the Decepticons had managed to get past their defenses. The attack had been a distraction, and when Optimus had sent out troops to each district, Decepticons laying in wait had forced their way into their headquarters. Though Ratchet felt guilty over not doing more to protect SARA, Optimus took the blame onto himself; he hadn't properly assessed the situation before forming a strategy. Optimus resolved to journey to the Underground to retrieve SARA, but Ratchet advised against it; Optimus had been injured during the attack, as had many other Autobots. But Optimus was steadfast in his decision, and once the other Autobots found their courage, they agreed to join him on his mission. Resolve
Transformers vs. G.I. Joe
After members of G.I. Joe came to Cybertron and formed an alliance with the Autobots, Ratchet talked with Doc about the possible medicinal advances that could be achieved with the two species working together. Their chat was interrupted by an attack by the Decepticobra alliance. Then, Imhotep Rodimus came to him with a wounded Blaster, and pleaded Ratchet to give him immediate medical attention. Everybody Hates Metroplex
Ask Vector Prime
After the Galvatron of Primax 185.0 Beta ravaged the galaxy with his Zod army, he intended to transfer his gargantuan Spark into Cybertron in order to become Grand Galvatron. However, Ratchet, by now known simply as The Autobot, alongside the Dreadnoks, destroyed his Spark at the cost of their own lives. Ask Vector Prime, 4/6/2015
e-HOBBY comics
Ratchet was part of a team of Autobots charging into battle against the Decepticons when the dimensional intruder Grand Scourge dropped in through a rip in space-time. Ratchet noted that the new arrival bore a resemblance to Optimus before Grand Scourge dissassembled Menasor and forcefully combined with the Decepticons that had formed the gestalt's limbs. Decepticon Dark Commander Grand Scourge
Commercial appearances
Ratchet helped fend off Astrotrain alongside his fellow Autobots. Triple Changers and Perceptor commercial
Games
Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons
When Optimus embarked on his mission to rescue the Autobots' Minicar troops from the Decepticons, Ratchet could come to his aid when Optimus was broken down. Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons packaging blurb and game
The Transformers (PS2)
- Voice actor: Jack Merluzzi (English)
Autobot story
Decepticon story
During the search for the Gem of Mystery, the Decepticons needed a key to proceed through the ruins. While searching for Chromedome and the key, they came across Ratchet. Ratchet delayed the Decepticons for a short time before they continued their pursuit of Chromedome. The Transformers
Transformers G1: Awakening
Ratchet was among the Autobots who left Cybertron aboard the Ark, and spent four million years in stasis after it was shot down over Earth by the Decepticons. He was among the first of the Autobots to recover, and sent Bumblebee on a series of energy gathering missions while he attempted to repair Optimus and the others. Ratchet worried about involving the humans in their war, but Optimus awoke in time to announce they had no choice. During a battle at Dyson Dam, the Autobots captured Jetfire, whom Ratchet repaired after it turned out Jetfire wasn't a Decepticon after all. Discovering that the Decepticons had built a space bridge, the Autobots used it to return to Cybertron, onto to find that their home world had been conquered by Shockwave during their four million year nap.
By rewiring the circuitry in his embedded tool set, Ratchet was able to free himself and Bumblebee and the pair liberated Optimus and Metroplex before the Autobot team retreated back to Earth. They arrived back in time to help Grimlock in battle against the Decepticons. When the Autobots detected a distress call, Ratchet thought it might be Grimlock, but as it turned out, it was a trap. They managed to survive that, and hurried back to the Ark, where they had to repel a Decepticon assault on their ship. Transformers G1: Awakening
Bot Shots Battle Game!
Ratchet participated in numerous one-on-one matches against other Autobots and Decepticons, using his fists, his sword, or his gun to defeat his opponents. Sometimes, he even faced off against himself! Bot Shots Battle Game!
Transformers Legends
When Megatron challenged Optimus Prime to a duel, Ratchet was one of the few Autobots left at HQ to defend it from an attack by the Constructicons. He joined Ironhide, Wheeljack, and Brawn in mounting a defense, but they were no match for the Decepticon team. Heavy Metal War - Part 1 During a Decepticon attack on a major human city, Ratchet, Inferno, and the Protectobots launched rescue operations. Unfortunately their efforts were hampered by Thundercracker and Dirge, who unleashed all manner of sonic attacks on them. To the Rescue He was among the Autobots affected by Megatron's sabotage of the Autobot recharging chamber, and on Megatron's orders attacked Rutter Military Base. He and the other Autobots were returned to normal by Sparkplug's attitude exchanger. Attack of the Autobots
Ratchet went missing, and somehow became fused to Megatron. The other Autobots located him in inter-dimensional space, where he had come under attack by a time-displaced Galvatron. The Autobots were able to rescue him, taking him back to their base where he was successfully separated from Megatron. Savage Circle
After Optimus Prime's defeat at the hand of Megatron, Ratchet was involved in the skirmishes in Autobot city that ensued. The Omega Corps
Transformers: Battle Tactics
Ratchet participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He was an Uncommon characters that could be recruited for 20 units of Cybermetal, and 8 units of Transmetal. Transformers: Battle Tactics
Transformers: Frontiers
Transformers: Earth Wars
Transformers Online (2016 video game)
| “ | Broken? I'm here to fix ya. | ” |
Ratchet is one of the oldest members of the Autobots. This was evident in a chipped corner of his helm, a reminder of the Cybertronian civil war. As a skilled medic, Ratchet was praised for his charisma and positive attitude towards others. When Ratchet comes to mind, he is first perceived as a comedian who's able to describe things in an interesting manner. To any Autobots, he is both their friend and medic. As long as his iron will lives on, Ratchet's performance on the battlefield will always be exceptional.
In battle, Ratchet wielded the "Laser Scalpel" and the "Toxic Syringe". His active skill was "Vital Linkup":
- Vital Linkup — Transformers Online [1]
Toys
Merchandise
Notes
- Bob Budiansky has said that he named Ratchet after the less-friendly medic Nurse Ratched from One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
- Ratchet never really showed his party animal spirit in Marvel, outside of the start of "Warrior School". Budiansky gives two answers for why: "1) in the comic book stories, he always found himself in situations too serious to allow his party personality to emerge. 2) I screwed up and forgot I had written that as part of his profile. I prefer to go with answer number 1."[2]
- In the Shout! Factory Matrix of Leadership Special Edition DVD set, an interview with Bob Budiansky features close-ups of his original character notes for several characters, Ratchet being one of them. Oddly, his handwritten notes refer to Ratchet as "her" and the Autobots' "go-to gal" for repairs. While this obviously was not the final direction the character took, it is an odd coincidence... and a fact that makes the early nicknames "Cool Hand Lube" and "Greasefinger" even more embarrassing.[3]
- In a different gender-related coincidence, the French Diaclone release of Ratchet, "Ambulance", was referred to as female in one of Joustra's pack-in minicomics.
- The Hall of Fame banner that was outside the Pasadena Civic Auditorium during BotCon 2011 depicted Ratchet with inverted shoulder colors. While ostensibly done to avoid the legal wrath of the Red Cross organization, it suggests that Ratchet has either suddenly become Christian and/or decided to align himself with Switzerland.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Ratchet (ラチェット Rachetto)
- Czech: Zdravotník
- French: Mécano (Canada)
- Hungarian: Racsni
- Italian: Doc
- Mandarin: Chìh-luén-chī (Taiwan, 制輪機, "Ratchet"), Jiùhù Chē (China, 救护车, "Ambulance")
- Portuguese: Alavanca (Portugal comics), Trinco (Brazil comics, "Lock")
- Russian: Khrapovik (cartoon, Храповик, "Ratchet")
References
- ↑ Ratchet on the Transformers Online website
- ↑ Budiansky interview at Metal Machine
- ↑ Nicknames in profiles published in The Transformers Comics Magazine.
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