Perceptor (G1)

The name or term "Perceptor" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Perceptor (disambiguation).

• Main
• G1 cartoon
• IDW (2005)
• Toys & Merchandise

Perceptor is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.

"Back off, man. I'm a scientist."

Perceptor is a scientist, one of the most astute minds the whole of Cybertron can offer. He is perpetually seeking to increase knowledge, and his discoveries have repeatedly proven invaluable. Though his specialties lie in metallurgy, electrical engineering, and additional sciences closely concomitant to Transformer physiology, his thirst for knowledge has made him a kind of scientific jack-of-all-trades.

One of Perceptor's most infamous mannerisms is his tendency to engage in verbal communication using scientific terminology. This has the unforeseen result of exasperating and occasionally frustrating his comrades. One might hypothesize that the jovial mechanoid is unaware that not everyone with whom he seeks to communicate shares his extensive vocabulary.

Engaging in physical melee is not his preferred activity. He is content to make his contributions to the Autobot cause in the manner in which he deems sufficient, but will engage in combat if the situation requires. Optimus Prime often relies on Perceptor's perspicacity, and considers him as inestimable as any of his officers.

Sometimes he is partnered with the Titan Master Convex.

Fiction

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

Alongisde Wheeljack, Perceptor was one of the Autobots' leading scientists on Earth in the mid-Eighties. Perceptor continued to serve as a top scientist for Rodimus Prime during the mid-Noughties.

Marvel Comics continuity

Marvel The Transformers comics

Events from the UK-only comic stories are in italics.

An erroneous account placed Perceptor as part of a group of Autobots posted on Cybertron hundreds of years ago who, upon detecting the Underbase heading towards Earth, sent out two mini-cassettes to forewarn the Autobots posted on the organic world of its arrival. Club Con!

The flashback in "Club Con!" depicting Perceptor, Beachcomber, Sunstreaker and Defensor on Cybertron is screwy for all kinds of reasons. Aside from the fact that Sunstreaker was on Earth at the time and Defensor hadn't even been created then, Perceptor and Beachcomber would first learn that Optimus Prime still lived in "The Smelting Pool!", when they intercepted the signal that Soundwave sent in "The Next Best Thing to Being There!".

Oh, you mean we're drawing a mouth on him, and we shouldn't color his face like he has his toy's mouthplate? Well, crap.

On Cybertron, Perceptor was often considered an officer or otherwise highly ranked personage by other Cybertronic life forms in the vicinity, inspiring in the aforementioned others a tendency to view him as a "commander" of a faction of Autobots who engaged in armed conflict against localized enemy forces. The Autobot communications officer, heretofore known as "Blaster", would routinely cause superfluous amounts of mischief for Perceptor, largely due to the former's overdeveloped anti-hero circuitry. Annoyingly, this endeared Blaster to their shared peers more so than to Perceptor, despite Perceptor's rational decision-making and refusal to risk lives unnecessarily. A pertinent example, if we were to belabor the matter, would be when Blaster felt irrational concern over the unreliable Autobot scout, Scrounge. Despite the obvious danger and the expendability of Scrounge, Blaster's utilization of charisma and other personality-based social tools were able to persuade Perceptor's team to search Polyhex for him. Perceptor warned of the futility of such actions, and, true to the probabilities calculated, Scrounge was not located. Blaster would predictably leave to find Scrounge on his own, returning later to report that Scrounge had sacrificed himself to bring news of Optimus Prime's apparent survival, somewhere on a planet called Earth. The Smelting Pool!

Upon receiving word from Blaster that the Decepticons were in the process of constructing an inter-planetary teleportation device, or space bridge, Perceptor ordered the troops serving under his command to launch an immediate offensive on the enemy units. He feared that, should the Decepticons successfully establish the means to go to and fro an alien world, they would garner enough resources and manpower to render them invincible. This offensive was two-pronged; while Perceptor led the bulk of his troops on Darkmount, Blaster was sent off to bomb the space bridge itself. Unforeseen circumstances, wherein Blaster uncovered that the Space Bridge itself was the hapless neutral Spanner, re-engineered into the device by the Decepticons, caused him to hesitate in his task. Sensing something was afoot when the bridge was not destroyed on schedule, Perceptor rerouted his aforementioned combat unit, or the surviving portions thereof, to aid Blaster at his location. After ensuring that the bridge would be made inoperable, the Autobots crossed the multidimensional warp system for transport, to join the forces based on the planetary body known to the overwhelming majority of those of his species who had shifted their operations to its locality as Earth. The Bridge to Nowhere! Perceptor's band was immediately spotted by a squadron of airborne Decepticons, but it seemed, at least on a superficial level not readily able to withstand a more critical analysis, that the Decepticons were more generally annoyed than willing to engage in combat, and thusly departed. Command Performances!

The dubious function of counter-Autobot measures was instead transferred to a team of battle-acclimated natives, known amongst themselves as the anti-Transformers task force known as RAAT. These ruffians were led by a human female who was able to levitate herself using a patchwork coating of circuitry, in a surprising lack of modesty, if one must dwell on such matters. Suffice to say, this Circuit Breaker was able to disable Perceptor and his fellow Autobots through the release of atomic micro-batteries at a 300,000-volt blast of electricity, which short-circuited them succinctly. Heavy Traffic! The removal of Perceptor's face was subsequent, and it and the faces of his compatriots were hung up on a vertical surface, or wall, while his body was experimented on for educational purposes, admirably enough. Aerialbots over America! Perceptor would remain in such a sorry state for a short period of time, up until his services were needed, in conjunction with that of his fellow captors, to be rather ignominiously assembled into a mega robot designed specifically to counter a targeted duo of Decepticons until such a time that services had been rendered, thus guaranteeing their freedom. Decepticon Graffiti!

That's one microscope you don't want to look in the wrong way.

Perceptor and his Autobots were being directed towards the Ark, the Autobots' headquarters, by an Autobot daydreamer designated "Skids," when suddenly Skids disappeared in a flash of light and sound, leaving nothing but a charred area of organic floor surfacing where he had stood previously. To make matters worse, that is to say unfavorably ranked versus other incidents along a spectrum of agreeableness, Perceptor's band of Autobots was soon under attack by a strange and powerful Decepticon named Galvatron. Despite Perceptor's rare usage of his tank alternate form, alongside his peer Warpath's similar mode, the two were responded to in kind and found themselves summarily removed from battle capability, that is to say, consciousness. Fallen Angel

Rescued from destruction by the vagrant Dinobots, Perceptor's group, regrettably still sans Skids, finally traversed the remaining distance between their arrival coordinates and the Ark, where the Autobots there were surprised to hear of Galvatron's return to their chronal locality. Perceptor attempted, valiantly, to explain to Ironhide that their surprise was without merit, but in a characteristically erudite fashion that left the simple-minded relic dumbfounded. But it was soon Perceptor's opportunity to be dumbfounded as it was learned that Optimus Prime had recently perished, his body found in tatters, no doubt the work of the Decepticons. A funeral was, indeed, called for in due course, and the Earthbound Autobots felt that their late commander would have wanted to be buried according to the customs of Earth's dominant simian life form. Blaster, in a rare moment of propriety, quietly expressed his misgivings about this approach to Perceptor, who quietly agreed with his colleague that this method of burial was crude. Their complaints were soon rendered moot, as before their eyes Optimus Prime materialized, no worse for wear, and revealed his death had been but a ruse. Resurrection!

Immediately after Optimus Prime's death had been declared a hoax, the Autobots' legendary Earthbound commander left with the Protectobots on a mission of medium importance and had returned in less than satisfactory condition. As Perceptor and the other functioning Autobots looked on, Ratchet failed, despite his best efforts as the Autobots' chief medical officer, to revive him, and Optimus Prime was declared deceased, that is, nonfunctional. Perceptor, though a newcomer to the Earthen stage of the Cybertronian wars, was selected to deliver Optimus Prime's eulogy before their late commander's inert chassis was ejected into the void surrounding their new home planet, via a rocket-powered funereal containment unit. Adjacent within the chronal dimension, a human intruder was able to repurpose the Ark's defensive instruments against the mourning Autobots, and destructive tools of various forms turned themselves on their makers. Perceptor, acting with regards to the long term, forbade the Autobots from responding in kind, noting that were the Ark to suffer damage, the Autobots would be unable to repair their home to the tolerances required to return them to their original planet. Ratchet, who had neglected to appear at Optimus Prime's funeral, was capable enough to disable the threat from within the Ark. Funeral for a Friend! Following the Funeral, Cobra Tele-Vipers attacked the Autobot base. Perceptor helped defend it, though he and the other Autobots had to do little more than pick off stragglers while Omega Supreme handled the bulk of the aggressors. Ashes, Ashes...

Why are you running things, Perceptor? You just got here!

With Optimus Prime deceased, it became pertinent for the Autobots to congregate and deliberate on a replacement for his managerial position, a crucial task for which Perceptor summoned high-ranking representatives. The proceedings were according to plan until, with reckless abandon, the brutish commander of the Dinobots, Grimlock, interrupted and threw the process into disarray. Grimlock carried no positive feelings about Optimus Prime's leadership style, and the Dinobot commander implied he would prefer to take his post by force, but Perceptor, Jetfire, and Blaster cut short his charade with a verbal assault. However, following a siege orchestrated by the massive but articulate Decepticon Trypticon, Perceptor had altered his initial position, having seen Grimlock's selflessness and leadership in battle against their opponent. The Autobots hailed Grimlock as their new commander. King of the Hill!

Fangirls, you can stop squeeing right now. We can hear you through the Internet.

After suffering through months of Grimlock's actual leadership style, Perceptor once again changed his assessment; moreso, he had decided that, in fact, Blaster would make the perfect replacement for their thuggish Dinobot leader, despite his appraisal of Blaster's strategic deficiencies back on Cybertron. He was among several gathered who urged Blaster to usurp the Dinobot from his leadership role, though Blaster was duped into forfeiting his freedom in order to secure the well-being of four young human allies. Spacehikers! Thereafter, Blaster challenged Grimlock to a duel in order to procure leadership of the Autobots. Perceptor attended these proceedings, alongside the near sum total of the Autobot forces housed within the Ark and the Steelhaven spacecrafts. The violent altercation between the two contenders was interrupted by a Decepticon offensive, which was only repelled once both Grimlock and Blaster agreed upon a temporary alliance. Totaled!

Regardless of such trivialities, Optimus Prime himself returned to command, and Perceptor was next seen among those summoned to the Arctic by an Autobot code one alert signal. Among the frozen wastes, Perceptor and his comrades were ambushed by their recurring and hated enemies, the Decepticons. Perceptor appeared to be suffering from defective circuits, preventing him from detecting the presence of the Seacon of the multipod variety as it lunged at him. This conflict came to a sudden halt when an agreement was struck between the two warring factions, allowing both sides to deal with a greater threat: Starscream, at the time making a bid for the legendary database known as the Underbase. The alliance managed to cut Starscream's absorption of the Underbase's cosmic energies short, though the expected results were not forthcoming; Starscream was still bestowed unimaginable might from the small portion of energy he had already taken into his frame. The Seeker reduced the space craft that Perceptor was occupying to scrap, sending the Autobot scientist hurtling out into the void. Thankfully, in anticipation of such events coming to pass, Optimus had ordered the Ark to be on standby before the confrontation, and once Starscream left, Perceptor was able to board the craft and be transported back to Earth. Dark Star

Perceptor was deactivated as a result of the Underbase conflict, and along with his fellow deactivated Autobots, became a source of emotional torment for Ratchet; frustrated by his inability to repair all those under his care, Ratchet was plagued by nightmares, in which he was attacked by the reanimated bodies of his patients. Such a ghoulish scenario briefly became a reality when the Decepticon Sports Car Patrol infiltrated the Ark and took control of the damaged Autobots' motor controls in a plot to drive Ratchet mad. When this dastardly scheme failed to have the desired effect, it was abandoned and Perceptor was rendered inoperative once more. Back from the Dead Ratchet himself seemingly perished soon after, plunging Optimus into a deep melancholy. He had the Ark's computer recount to him all those who had fallen under his command, with Perceptor being among those name-dropped. Yesterday's Heroes!

Marvel UK future timelines

The movie adaptation, originally published by Marvel US, is in italics

I mean I guess it's better than having the wounds be immortal..?

In a possible permutation of the year designate 2005, Perceptor was among the Autobots taking residence within the confines of Autobot City. Upon spying Decepticon aggressors advancing towards the outpost, Perceptor warned his fellow occupants that, in due course, they would have to contend with Megatron and his militia. In response to the tactical intelligence that Perceptor had provided him, Ultra Magnus ordered Autobot City to be transformed into its defensive configuration. The Decepticons continued their aggressive advance nonetheless, and in the skirmish that ensued, Optimus Prime was fatally wounded. The Autobot leader was brought to a medical facility, where Perceptor confirmed that his vitals were quickly ebbing. Perceptor then witnessed Optimus using up the last modicum of his strength to transfer ownership of the Matrix of Leadership, previously stored within his body, over to Ultra Magnus, who was named Optimus's successor as head of the Autobot forces. The Planet-Eater!

A brief lull in action followed, interrupted by a telecommunication divulging distressing news; a machine of planetary proportions, Unicron, was displacing itself in ever-increasing proximity to the Transformers' homeworld of Cybertron in a menacing fashion. A report from two agents stationed in the planet's orbit, more specifically on Cybertron's satellite designate "Moonbase Two," disclosed that Unicron was capable of consuming celestial bodies, and had indeed already done so with "Moonbase One." The Autobots scrambled to become space-borne in order to attend to this threat, only to fall under attack by a new enemy: Galvatron, an upgraded Megatron now under the thrall of the aforementioned "monster planet." In a desperate attempt to waylay their pursuer, Ultra Magnus dislodged a large component from their shuttle he and his crew were occupying, allowing Galvatron to destroy it in the hopes he would believe he had succeeding in detonating the entire shuttle. The stratagem worked, though Perceptor's group were thereafter forced to land on the planet of Junk in order to attend the the mechanical needs of their vessel. Judgment Day!

Repairs were barely underway when Perceptor and his compatriots were once more tracked down by Galvatron and his lackeys. This encounter closed with Galvatron absconding with the fabled Autobot Matrix of Leadership in hand. There was little time to grieve, as Junk's hostile indigenous people, the Junkions, next made their presence known. But in a serendipitous turn of events, a group comprised of Hot Rod, Kup, and others then arrived on the scene, and managed to forge an alliance with the planet's natives. All those on Junk then prepared for a confrontation against Unicron, which culminated in Unicron's demise and Hot Rod acquiring the Matrix himself, the artifact engendering his ascension to Autobot leadership as "Rodimus Prime". The Final Battle!

In a parallel junction of quantum-temporal values, Perceptor aided his fellow Autobots in battling back legions of Decepticon enemies, themselves urged into a suicidal offensive against their sworn enemies by the malevolent cosmic being, Unicron. The Autobots managed to hold their own until the orchestrator of this conflict was summarily dispatched by Rodimus Prime, which directly resulted in the Decepticons abandoning the battlefield to regroup. The Legacy of Unicron! Later, Perceptor was among the residents of Autobot City who participated in the initiation of combat proceedings against unwanted Quintesson visitors possessing acutely nefarious intent. Unfortunately, said combat proceedings proved to be incapable of properly sustaining the necessary level of applied force to rebuke and rebuff the forward progress of the invading hostile xeno-biological entities, leading to a cessation of proper operating status for Perceptor and several of his Autobot co-actors. Space Pirates!

One solar-terrestrial revolution cycle later, Perceptor again responded to the presence of hostile activities when an Autobot interstellar transport shuttle made a sudden and disastrous relocation from space to earth at velocities far exceeding safety protocols. At the shuttle's location, Perceptor fell into a paradoxical situation necessitating that the Autobots save their commander Rodimus Prime from his own disparate mental status. Shadow of Evil Kup dissuaded his fellow soldiers from opening fire on their commander, as he had deduced that it was Unicron's essence, contained within the Matrix at an earlier date, that was the source of Rodimus's violent episode. Perceptor and the other surviving Autobots witnessed their elderly compatriot rip out the sacred artifact from Rodimus's chest, returning the Autobot commander to his senses. Perceptor, choosing to err on the side of caution, still kept his rifle pointed at his commander's head as he recovered, lowering his weapon only once he was certain that Unicron was no longer at the helm. White Fire

Marvel Generation 2 comic

Perceptor did not engage in random fisticuffs and altercations with the Cybertronians, for that would most emphatically be in a milieu of activity not of his preference. Alternatively, he participated in an expedition of a scientific nature to the lunar orbiting body of J'asik to determine what nefarious entity had structurally destabilized the populace at a molecular level. Swarm His findings unveiled astonishing and almost inarticulable obfuscations from deep in the Cybertronian past; an ancient offshoot of Cybertonian origins was the culprit behind the moon's desiccation. Tales of Earth Part Six

At a subsequent juncture, Perceptor applied reasoning to the impending conundrum of the Cybertronian pseudo-biologic entity dubbed "the Swarm" and its imminent arrival. A Rage in Heaven!

Classics

Classics continues from the Marvel US series, and does not include the UK stories or any subsequently published stories.

Ultra Magnus commissioned Perceptor to build him Cerebro Shell jammers. This device would be put to good use in stopping Bug Bite from taking over the Decepticons. Games of Deception

As the Autobots renewed their connection with Earth after the Unicron war, Perceptor took up residence at the Ark II in Canada. When the Terminus Blade opened a rift in space-time, Perceptor and the Autobots attempted to protect the human population as their universe was literally destroyed around them. Only the Earth itself survived the cataclysm, passing over into the negative polarity universe. Invasion

Perceptor was interviewed by Esmeral of the Decepticon Broadcasting Network when they arrived on negative-Cybertron. Solar Requiem

He continued his research into Rarefied Energon on his own Earth, and discovered anomalies indicating the substance was actually alive. As the planet itself came apart transforming into a robot mode, Perceptor and his allies were ferried off-world by Grimlock in a shuttle. The Future Buried...

Regeneration One

Twenty-one chronological solar intervals subsequent to the ultimate conflict on the cosmological body commonly referred to as Klo, Perceptor was operational on Cybertron. He ably provided assistance to the Wreckers special operations team as they rebelled against the explicit orders issued by Optimus Prime and performed a non-lethal siege-breaking manoeuvre within the Pax Cybertronia Decommissioning Depot located in the polity of Kalis, necessitating the defusing of a Type-K Warbird ballistic missile and its cobalt-60 warhead through the issue of an emergency stand-down protocol code, which he readily supplied. Loose Ends, Part 1

Postliminary to the Dinobot Grimlock's return from his sojourn to the planet Nebulos, the temporary Autobot commander Hot Rod ordered Perceptor to interrogate him concerning his experiences during the span of his time away, not least with regard to the restoration of his transformative abilities. Grievously, the tergiversating Grimlock seized upon this circumstance as an opportunity to upload the nefarious resurrected Decepticon villain Scorponok's Gene Key into Perceptor's personal infrastructure, supplanting his CNA and functionally overwriting his core programming into that of a Decepticon. Subsequently, the now-morally compromised former resistance cell leader issued a most sinister indication to the inattentive penal custodian Kick-Off that he could, in all safety, facilitate Perceptor's egress from his current confinement. Natural Selection, Part Two

The former Headmaster commander put Perceptor to work on the construction of a considerably upscaled version of the Gene Key in the vicinity of the Sonic Canyons, with the calamitous intent of utilizing the unique properties of the canyons to propagate the Key's CNA-overwriting signal across all of Cybertron, facilitating the forced conversion of every Autobot on the planet. Natural Selection, Part Three As Perceptor put his talents to use in the creation of the Key, Scorponok aggrandized about his role in the ultimate unification of the Transformer race under the Decepticon banner, closing the rift in Primus's grand plan that he perceived to have developed due to the incitement and prolongation of the Cybertronian civil war. Perceptor offered the opinion that, with chaos being the natural order of things, perhaps the conflict was part of Primus's design. Scorponok was forced to repress a sudden swell of rage at the thought of his plan being questioned, as Perceptor observed, without interrupting his work. Natural Selection, Part Four

Perceptor announced another delay in the successful completion and activation of the Key, citing a minor technical difficulty. The statement infuriated Scorponok enough to forcefully remove Roadblock from his immediate vicinity in a pique of anger, sending the hapless Decepticon lackey plummeting into the depths of the canyons. Scorponok was not impeded in his ranting, as the other Decepticons in the area observed with silent concern, until Grimlock unexpectedly arrived via Sky-sled and engaged the would-be conqueror in battle. Gaining a distinct tactical advantage over Grimlock, Scorponok ordered Perceptor to activate the Gene Key, while continuing to pontificate to the Dinobot about the true unification of Cybertron and his role in it. Much to Scorponok's astonishment, however, the Key's effect caused a regression of the alterations that had already been individually performed on various Autobots, restoring them to their original personalities!

It was revealed that Grimlock had merely demonstrated the existence of the Gene Key to Perceptor, choosing not to actually utilize its full capability upon him. Thus, Perceptor's CNA had not been overwritten, allowing the scientist to serve as Grimlock's "inside man" so that he could actually sabotage the larger Key, foiling Scorponok's scheme. Scorponok prepared to turn on Perceptor, but Grimlock was joined by his fellow Dinobots in striking back at Scorponok. With their temporary commander's plans reduced to a shambles, the remaining Decepticons opted for a discretionary withdrawal, leaving Perceptor behind to bear witness as Grimlock dislodged Scorponok and himself from the bridge over the Sonic Canyons, the two warriors grappling as they plummeted into the murky depths. Natural Selection, Part Five In the aftermath, Perceptor briefed Hot Rod and the others on the lingering effects of the Gene Key, resembling shock or PTSD among the Autobots afflicted. Destiny, Part One

During the Decepticon invasion of Cybertron, Perceptor and Prowl correctly identified the Warworld as the broadcast source for the Blitz Engines' power, identifying it as primary target for the Wreckers. Destiny, Part Four

Perceptor and the Autobot leadership assessed the damage after the Decepticon assault. The War to End All Wars, Part 1 He also ran sensor probes of Jhiaxus's vessel when it arrived, but was unable to penetrate their security. The War to End All Wars, Part 2 As the shadow-creatures raced over Cybertron, it was Perceptor's analysis that confirmed they were former Cybertronians transfigured by some dark force. The War to End All Wars, Part 5

Sticker Adventures books

Perceptor was part of the crew of an Autobot ship that was studying the Universe. After being hit by meteors, they were forced to make landfall on the nearby Junk planet. There, he helped Springer and Arcee fix the ship, until the native Junkions attacked them. The fighting stopped when Kup arrived on-world, and used the universal greeting to calm down the Junkions. Now friends, the Junkions and the Autobots worked together to fix the damaged ship. Perceptor and the Autobots then blasted off and went on their way. Battle on the Junk Planet

Find Your Fate Junior

The following summarizes one or more multipath adventures. Details vary depending on the paths taken in-story. See the book's page for information on alternate paths.

Decepticon Poison

After the Autobots’ latest batch of fuel had been poisoned by Ramjet, leaving a number of Autobots unable to assume their robot forms, Perceptor tasked himself with finding an antidote. Perceptor also suggested that the Autobots who hadn’t been been poisoned stay at Decepticon headquarters to guard against Decepticon attacks. Prowl disagreed with the scientist, opting for a more aggressive course of action.

If Optimus went along with Perceptor’s plan, the Autobot scientist worked feverishly to concoct a cure, and was soon told to dispense the untested formula he had created when Optimus informed him that the Decepticons were already moving in on their position. Before Perceptor complied, he informed Optimus of some of his findings; the poison put into the Autobots’ fuel was not a complex one, and could be used to create a poisonous smog if the fuel was burned. Perceptor presented Optimus with two choices; either the Autobots could risk his untested antidote, despite whatever side-effects it might have, or they could burn the remaining tainted fuel they had on hand, putting the rest of the Autobots at risk, but also gain the chance of poisoning the Decepticons themselves.

If Optimus decided to risk Perceptor’s antidote, the scientist had to try and figure out on the spot how much antidote to give to each Autobot. Too little, and the poison would not be neutralized. Too much, and the Autobots would risk an averse reaction to his solution.

If Perceptor decide to dispense one millilitre of his solution to each Autobot, his cure successfully cleared the Autobots’ systems of the Decepticon poison, allowing them to resume their robot modes and ready themselves against the incoming Decepticons.

In another possible scenario, where Optimus followed a plan courtesy of Prowl, the Autobot leader instructed his troops to transform into vehicle mode and play dead. The Decepticons, believing the Autobots’ ruse, disarmed themselves in order to carry out the Autobots’ “carcasses.” Now with the element of surprise against unarmed opponent, the Autobots Transformed and were able to easily defeat the evil robots.

In another possible turn of events, Perceptor gave out too much of his antidote to each Autobot. The Autobots who received the antidote soon found themselves falling apart, leaving Perceptor and the rest outmatched against the greater number of Decepticons.

In yet another possible sequence of events, the Autobots decided to use the tainted fuel as a weapon against the Decepticons. Lighting the fuel to create a toxic cloud allowed the Autobots to ward off the Decepticons, allowing Perceptor enough time to safely create a cure for the poisoned Autobots. Decepticon Poison

Autobot Alert!

Perceptor had been recently busying himself inventing new devices and weapons for the Autobots. Among these were “laser-ignited explosives,” and a “rapid-fire, high-intensity rifle cannon." He told his fellow Autobots that the later invention could “blow away a skyscraper at a close range.”

In one possible scenario, the Autobots had retrieved a cybertite sphere containing the formula for an ancient Autobot power-booster. Perceptor went to work, and successfully produced a first batch of the power-booster, ensuring that the war would soon tip in favour of the Autobots. Autobot Alert!

3H comics

"Rodimus, a cursory evaluation of Decepticon capability indicates a distinct tactical deficiency! ...it's you."

Perceptor counseled Rodimus Prime against making a leadership decision that, when one considers both the opinions of observers that are generally regarded as wise, to such an extent as observers with finite capacity for knowledge can comprehend the infinite, and the final results of the decision in question, could be regarded as less than optimal.

Knowing the commander in question, many of those reading this documentation may surmise the result... Betrayal

Universe toy bios

The future Minion of Unicron Reptilion had an intellect on par with that of the Autobot professor Perceptor. Universe Reptilion online bio

Dreamwave Generation One continuity

You should see me when I'm not on steroids!

Following Optimus and Megatron's disappearance into a prototype space-bridge, the Autobots and Decepticons splintered into several sub-factions. Perceptor remained with the "main" Autobot team during this time, operating under Prowl out of their base under the ruins of Iacon. Fragmentation

Perceptor became held to be an officer or leader, a position he occupied with Blaster, among a group of underground Autobots on Cybertron after the unexpected return of Megatron commanding the Aerospace Extermination Squadron, an army of Seeker-form drones. The combat efficiency of these Air Warriors, as they were also known, led to a Decepticon conquest of Cybertron, as well as the enslavement of many Autobots. The Age of Wrath Pt.2 During this period, Perceptor theorized that if Megatron had survived the space bridge explosion, one could logically conclude that Optimus Prime also survived. At Iacon Command, Perceptor designed and built a device intended to locate Optimus Prime. Before a proper test of the device could be conducted, Perceptor's group managed to capture an Air Warrior, with the intentions of examining its systems with the hope of finding an effective counter measure against the drones. The Age of Wrath Pt.3

Due to Dreamwave's closure, the War Within series ended prematurely. Years later, Simon Furman released the unpublished scripts to the final three issues: After the disappearance of Flash through Perceptor's Dimensional Interface Assembly during the scientist's absence, Perceptor realized that the Turbobot had been warped away to wherever Megatron and Optimus had been drawn to when they disappeared into the prototype space-bridge. Unfortunately, he didn't have the means to retrieve Flash, as he was preoccupied with the captured Air Warrior drone. Examining it, Perceptor discovered that the drone was powered by pure Cyberstatic Energy. The Age of Wrath Pt.4 Using this information, he was able to implement the means to shut down the drones' entire shared neural network. The Age of Wrath Pt.5 After doing so, the newly returned Optimus Prime tasked Perceptor with rebuilding Grimlock, who's essence had escaped death by persisting inside the body of an Air Warrior. The Age of Wrath Pt.6

Perceptor use small words for dumb friends.

Millions of years after the aforementioned events, Perceptor again allied with a group of Autobots who opposed the oppressive regime of the Decepticon Shockwave, but these activities were covert in nature and he publicly remained a respected Autobot scientist. While monitoring the planet's power network, Perceptor noted a series of anomalies resulting in Cybertron's orbit becoming irregular. Brothers' Burden He later presented evidence of Shockwave's unorthodox experiments on various Transformers, as well as the fact that Cybertron's spatial coordinates seemed to have changed, to the High Council. The High Council was unwilling to take any constitutional action against Shockwave, over feelings of gratitude for his assistance in restoring the peace, even after they were verbally accosted by Ultra Magnus. Ultimately, any censure or movement against Shockwave was discontinued due to a rampage on the part of the Stunticons. Cold War After Optimus Prime escaped custody and united the various resistance movements, Perceptor participated in the Autobot leader's offensive against Shockwave's fortifications within Hub Capital Iacon. He also helped to repair Grimlock, commander of the Dinobots, despite the latter's well known bias against intellectuals. Countdown to Extinction Grimlock left Perceptor's care prematurely to rejoin the battle against Shockwave's troops. Shortly after, Perceptor himself joined active combat duty, and participated in the final push that ended Shockwave's reign. Revelation There were several victims of the revolution, however, including Optimus Prime and Ultra Magnus. Perceptor personally attended to their recuperation cycles. Generation 1 #0

Later, Perceptor helped Prowl in piecing together information about the mysterious warrior-clone, Sunstorm. He confirmed that Shockwave's download of the Vector Sigma program had been transferred to lab where the clone had been created, and posited that it was possible that Sunstorm's personality had been influence by this flow of information. Original Sin When the Autobots in Iacon were left unable to contact those stationed on Earth, Perceptor suggested that the radiation Sunstorm emitted was to blame. Atonement

G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers

You never see him do this in any of the slashfic.

Perceptor accompanied Ultra Magnus to Teletran 3, where he providing covering fire for Magnus and captured Starscream with energon chains. He then tapped into Teletran 3 and learned that it had transported a random number of Cybertronians into various points in Earth's timeline, which would cause a temporal feedback that would destroy the planet unless they were retrieved. Thankfully, G.I. Joe and Cobra were happy to save their planet, and Perceptor operated Teletran 3 to send them after the missing Transformers. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #1 After that, all he could do was wait inside the slowly dying force field erected around Teletran 3. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #2 Unfortunately, the field went down before all the rescue teams had returned, and the Autobots were captured by Shockwave, who taunted Perceptor as he allowed his Earth-destruction scenario to play out. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #3 It was not to be, however, as the Dinobots were retrieved from Earth's distant past and ripped Shockwave's forces apart, saving Perceptor and the other prisoners. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #4

Some time later, Perceptor was sent to Area 52 on Earth to oversee the decommissioning of Cybertronian technology along with Grimlock, Bumblebee and Arcee. Before he had time to do much other than greet Mainframe and deliver a message from Optimus Prime, the facility came under attack by Cobra, and Perceptor had to help fight them off. The Art of War #1 Bumblebee went missing during the battle, and the Autobots followed his energy signature to the lowest areas of Area 52, only to find the head of Megatron, deactivated two years earlier. Perceptor was outraged that the humans had been experimenting with something so dangerous, but Hawk insisted that he had been completely unaware. As it turned out, Megatron's remains had been used to make the dangerous and hostile Serpent Organic Robot, who forced the Joes' mech suits to fight against Perceptor and the other Autobots before warping to Cybertron. The Art of War #2

The Autobots and Joes followed him, and Perceptor called Capitol City for reinforcements before discovering the movement signals of several cannibalizers around them. They escaped from the monstrosities, only to run straight into Serpent O.R.'s newly recruited Decepticon army, who captured them before Perceptor's reinforcements had time to arrive. The Art of War #3 They were eventually freed thanks to Snake-Eyes's ninja tricks. The Art of War #4 While fighting their way out of the Decepticon base, the Autobots learned that Serpent O.R. had also captured Optimus Prime, and they went to rescue him. When they arrived, Serpent O.R.'s body had been transformed by the Matrix and was now being controlled by Cobra Commander. The Cobra leader used his tentacles to smash Perceptor's shoulder to pieces, and with a cry of "Goodness!", the scientist was taken out of action. After Cobra Commander was defeated by Hawk, Perceptor listened to Roadblock tell funny stories about Barbecue. The Art of War #5

Transformers/G.I. Joe

In the year 1985, Perceptor and Blaster hastily took off for Earth in an starship poorly-suited for interstellar travel, despite Perceptor's protests. Upon arrival, they unsurprisingly crashed, landing in the forests of Oregon near Mount St. Hilary. They were discovered there by a G.I. Joe team led by Flint. Targets of Opportunity

Due to Dreamwave's bankruptcy, Blaster and Perceptor's motivations for coming to Earth—and pretty much anything else—were never revealed.

Transformers Legends anthology

When Ratchet began feeling lost and disillusioned while on Earth, he began going on more and more combat missions, increasingly leaving his medical duties in the hands of Perceptor, Wheeljack, and Sparkplug. This presumably stopped after he had a perception-changing experience in a chance meeting with a disabled war veteran. Healers, Fighters, and Transformers

IDW Generation 1 continuity

FRAG, yeah.

Mini Mayhem!

Perceptor overheard Grimlock proclaim that he had resolved to become a waiter, so he could spit in people's drinks. Mini Mayhem!

Transfromers (2010) toy bio

One of the most brilliant minds from Cybertron, Perceptor rarely invented anything himself, but his insights made it possible for the Autobots' other engineers and inventors to maintain their fast pace of development. Transformers Perceptor toy bio

United

With the Autobots on Earth infected with a deadly nano-virus, Perceptor worked tirelessly to find a cure, despite being afflicted himself. With the Autobots' ally, Supreme Scientist Zella, having successfully synthesized a cure, Perceptor sent out a team of Headmasters and Targetmasters, the only Autobots unaffected by the virus, to retrieve it. The Fierce Fighting on Planet Nebulos

Cloud

Transformers vs. G.I. Joe

Together with Wheeljack, Mirage, and Brawn, Perceptor investigated Iacon after the abandoned city had been covered in foliage due to a G.I. Joe attack on Cybertron. Perceptor inspected one of the creeper plants left behind by the Joes' attack, only to be taken aback by the organism's rapid growth. The Autobots were then caught up in a Decepticon attack against the invading humans, and Perceptor was captured by Scourge. Thankfully, Mirage escaped the Decepticons' notice, and managed to save his allies from Megatron's throne room within Trypticon. Targetmasters

The trio made it back to Metroplex, bringing the Joes along as captives. The humans were presented to Grimlock, who promptly dropped them in a pool filled with Sharkticons. Not waiting around for the show, Perceptor, Brawn and Mirage took off to find Wheeljack. They found the Autobot being vivisected within the Joes' base camp. Perceptor and his friends charged in, exchanging fire with the off-worlders until blasts from both sides knocked everyone unconscious. Funeral for a Friend

Both teams eventually awakened and readied to take up arms once more when Grimlock showed up, accompanied by Breaker, Jinx, Cover Girl, and Clutch. Grimlock declared a truce between the Joes and the Autobots had been reached, and both factions partied together to cement their alliance. Form Follows Function After the Joes moved into Metroplex, Perceptor confided in Wheeljack that he had reservations about the Autobots allying themselves with the humans. Everybody Hates Metroplex As it turns out, Perceptor had more elaborate reasons to express his distrust of the Joes... As Tunnel Rat found out, he was really a double-agent, working for the Decepticons! Under Dreadwind's supervision, Perceptor performed an autopsy on Wild Bill's body. Expelled from the Garden

Ask Vector Prime

In Primax 085.0 Eta, the Autobots defeated the Decepticons on Earth and recaptured control of Cybertron. Peace reigned for a time, but a series of cyberquakes and Devastator storms began, threatening Cybertron. Perceptor eventually determined the source of the crisis to be the planet Moebius in an alternate universe, designated the 22nd Strata. Perceptor devised a method of crossing dimensions, the Reality Bridge, and sent a Sky Spy through. The Sky Spy returned with hazy images of local cyborg lifeforms. Optimus Prime assembled a team to travel to the 22nd Strata to stop the crisis. Modifing themselves based on Perceptor's technical readouts, they dubbed themselves the Spy Changers. Eventually, the Spy Changers succeeded in securing Cybertron's safety. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/30

IDW Beast Wars comics

Having survived countless battles of the Great War, Perceptor became a component of Magnaboss, the newest Autobot combiner. During the final battle of the war, Perceptor served in the third unit of the Autobot army, where he discovered anomalous transwarp energy readings. Ultimately, Perceptor died with the rest of his unit in a Decepticon attack, leaving "Unit 3" as the only survivor.

Unit-3 would ultimately fill in for Perceptor when the Autobots formed Magnaboss to take out Megatron. Dawn of the Predacus

Commercial appearances

• Perceptor joined the battle against the Decepticons just as Megatron unleashed Triple Changers, "the most evil Decepticons of all!" In the middle of a fight against Astrotrain, Optimus used Perceptor's microscope mode to inspect some Decepticon debris. Triple Changers and Perceptor commercial
• Blaster, Cosmos, and Perceptor had a dance-off against Soundwave, Rumble, and Frenzy. Blaster VS Soundwave 2013

Games

The Transformers (PS2)

Perceptor is a non-playable character. He appears among the legion of Autobot duplicates in the Decepticon campaign.

The Transformers

Transformers Legends

Perceptor was around when a short alliance was formed between several bots with a love for construction from both side of the Autobot/Decepticon war. Perceptor himself was not an active participant in the event proper, however. The Master Builders

Perceptor was an active participant in the Autobot/Decepticon war when Ultra Magnus decided to reunite with his unit from the planet Junkion, only to be attacked by the Insecticons. Junkion Reunion Perceptor was shocked when Omega Supreme rushed off to battle the Constructicons after the Decepticon team took over an asteroid. He and Smokescreen attempted to warn Omega about the space beast contained in the asteroid, but were forced to defend San Diego when the creature was released. The Secret of Omega Supreme

Transformers: Battle Tactics

Perceptor participated in battles against a variety of opponents, both Autobots and Decepticons. Sometimes there were many of him! He appeared in multiple different bodies, both of which appeared in the Halloween "Scary Smart" event:

• Perceptor (G1) — This Epic character could be acquired as a reward in the "Scary Smart" event.
• Perceptor (Gen) — This Epic character could be recruited by collecting 500 units of Cybermetal, 250 units of Transmetal, and 50 cores of this character. Transformers: Battle Tactics

Transformers: Earth Wars

Sniper sniper, what do you see? I see a target, good enough for me!

Perceptor remained on Cybertron for some time and kept in touch with the Autobots on Earth to help with anything that needed scientific expertise, like the Enigma of Combination and fortress doors. Combiner Wars Campaign Arctic Saga

But recently, he was targeted for assassination by Lockdown and desperately needed to get to Earth. But Huffer had some trouble with the Space Bridge as Sharkticons were coming through instead. Feeding Frenzy

The Autobots eventually flushed all the Sharkticons out, but they couldn't lock onto his signal because he was being relentlessly chased by Lockdown. Working the Sharks Out

With his Energon nearly depleted, he was soon cornered and prepared to stand and fight. But both sides were attempting recall their bots, and he was erroneously warped to the Decepticons' base! And he was immediately taken prisoner.

Shockwave was contemplating running experiments with Sharkticon behavior processing cores on Perceptor, but Megatron contacted Optimus to "negotiate" a ransom. Through his unencrypted transmission, Huffer was able to lock onto Perceptor and bring him home. Lockdown was sent back too to maintain the matter transfer. Target Locked!

Jetfire and Wheeljack rejoiced that Perceptor had arrived and would join the scientific community on Earth. Jetfire then joked that he should be flattered that Megatron put quite a price on his head.

• Class: Special
• Lowest Star Rating: 2 star
• Attacks and Weaponry: He uses a rifle to rapidly shoot targets, and can dodge cannon and mortar fire. But being agile means he is actually smaller than he looks.
• Ability: Defense Hack: Hack a defense making it attack other defenses with double attack speed but 75% damage for several seconds.
  • Cost: 4 ability points + 3 for reuses

Perceptor at Transformers: Earth Wars Wiki

Notes

Perceptor's long-lost fraternal twin, Perceivor.

He couldn't stop at just one.

• The initial inspiration for Perceptor came from the anime series Armored Trooper Votoms. Shinji Aramaki, designing toys for Takara at the time, liked the microscope look of the heads of the mecha from that series and applied it in a more literal sense with the Micro Change toy, but his involvement ended at the conceptual stage.
• Perceptor's toy has a mouthplate, whilst his character model doesn't. Bizarrely, his original Marvel comics colour scheme has a splash of blue across the bottom half of his face, where his non-existent mouthplate would be. Unlike certain other characters, Regeneration One chose to maintain Perceptor's unique Marvel colours, and the artwork depicted the blue area as a recessed mouth, ala Beast Wars Blackarachnia.
• According to Aaron Archer at OTFCC 2004, he chose to name the Armada Mini-Con combiner robot "Perceptor" to honor the Takara employee who engineered the Street Action Team because that employee was also responsible for engineering the original Perceptor toy. It's likely this was Hideaki Yoke, given his favorite Transformer is G1 Perceptor, but Archer did not specify at the time. Since Shinji Aramaki was long gone from Takara and directing the animated movie Appleseed in 2004, though, Occam's razor suggests that Hideaki Yoke engineered both of the Perceptors in question.
• In the animated portion of Perceptor's original toy commercial, he is presented as being quite small, the size a microscope would be in relation to Prime's robot form, and not growing at all, but remaining just as tiny in robot form.
• While the color scheme of the original Perceptor toy was created for the North American market (the Microman Micro Change toy was black and silver), there was apparently some indecision about its exact layout. A prototype toy in the 1985 U.S. catalog and Perceptor's own box art show him with his colors shifted around; compared to the final toy, the prototype's black parts are red, the blue parts are black, and the orange parts are blue. Although the same prototype resurfaced in an early Japanese guidebook for the toyline, Perceptor's only known fictional appearance in this color arrangement is the original, Dreamwave-colored version of "Betrayal", the second part of Transformers: Enter the Wreckers.
  • Rather than the bright blue originally intended, the finished Perceptor toy uses a greenish-blue for his biceps and thighs. The original, blue-limbed figure can be seen in Perceptor's commercial; his character model was also created and colored based on this earlier layout, so he appeared blue all throughout the Generation 1 cartoon and comic. Modern fiction and toys of the character tend to oscillate back and forth between cartoon-blue and toy-greenish-blue.
• Perceptor's Generation 1 character model and toy instructions position his scope/cannon of his left shoulder. You can put it in that position on the toy, but it won't sit flush; it's supposed to go on his right shoulder.
• A Perceptor Action Master was planned at one point, but apparently went no further than a concept sketch. Unlike some other Action Masters, the art is based solely on the toy, including its faceplate. It has the distinction of carrying on Perceptor's well-armed legacy, with not just one but TWO shoulder-mounted microscope cannons, arm shields, and a large crossbow-like handgun.
• Like a lot of other Transformers, Perceptor was never released in the UK. As a result, the Commemorative Edition was the first version sold in the country and was an Amazon exclusive.
• In a rather surprising twist of events, part of this article has been placed on the cover of All Hail Megatron #15. The result is a micro-continuity in which Perceptor reads this Wiki. What is this "fourth wall" you speak of, reader?

Foreign names

• Japanese: Perceptor (パーセプター Pāseputā)
• English: Doctor Baster (Omni Productions dub)
• French: Percepto (Canada)
• Hebrew: Taffsán (תפסן, "Perceptor")
• Hungarian: Észlelő ("Perceptor"), Látó ("Seer", 1st movie dub)
• Italian: Supervista ("Supersight")
• Mandarin: Kǎn-Yìng Chě (Taiwan, 感應者, "Perceptor"), Gǎnzhīqì (China, 感知器, "Perceptron")
• Russian: Microscope (Микроскоп Mikroskop)
• Ukrainian: Lovillnik (Ловильник, "Catcher")