Rom
- Rom is an alien Space Knight from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Rom K'atsema is a Space Knight, Lord of the Solstar Order. One of their most powerful Knights, the evil Dire Wraiths fear him more than all others, earning him the nickname "Wraithslayer". He has hounded them and kept them underground for centuries. He alone could wipe them off the face of existence. He is Rom, Lord of the Solstar Order! Rom, the Wraithslayer! Rom, the Space Knight!
Fiction
Ask Vector Prime
Vector Prime got into a pick-up game of Basketrek with an Iocus-cluster space knight. As he had underwent the Silver Modification process, he had quite a jump shot. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/27
Island Revolutions
According to Mark Weber, Rom rescued Dr. Biggles-Jones from the Cobra Island lab explosion. Rom then restored Air Raid to his proper age. Island Revolutions
IDW Generation 1 continuity
Two hundred years ago, Rom K'atsema lived an idyllic life with his brother and mothers on the peaceful world of Elonia, a world constantly protected by a powerful planet-wide shield that blocked debris and potential invaders. As a young man, Rom studied under the protection of a planetary shield, he studied geology at the Elonia University of Arts and Sciences, where he befriended Livia and Fy-Laa. One day, the three of them investigated a mysterious meteor shower that had breached Elonia's shield and discovered that the explosive meteors were of Dire Wraith origin: weapons designed to penetrate the shield in advance of a a potential Wraith invasion and responsible for killing his family. When the Space Knights of the Solstar Order intervened, Rom learned that one of his mothers, Shah, had been infected by a Wraith and transformed into one of their number. Vowing to avenge his family, Rom and his friends joined the Solstar Order as Space Knights.
As a cadet, Rom would be responsible for discovering the miraculous shape-changing ore that all future Space Knights would adopt as part of their de facto equipment. In a battle against the Wraith who had killed his mother, he became the first to fuse with the metal, becoming permanently bonded to its life-support systems. The Solstar Order would go on to mine the rest of the ore — the real reason why the Wraiths had been drawn to Elonia in the first place — as raw material in their war against the Wraiths. Rom would depart his homeworld shortly afterwards, leaving behind a beacon in memory of his family. Rom profile Cold Fire
Over the course of their war, the Solstar Order won a major victory against the Wraiths after destroying their homeworld inside a Dark Nebula. The Dire Wraiths proved adaptable, however, and the Space Knights spent centuries pursuing remnant Dire Wraith forces across backwater planets within Solstar territory.
Some fifty years after becoming a Space Knight, Rom was patrolling the Gray Area on the fringes of Solstar space, where he witnessed a Galactic Council warship shoot down a fleeing starship. Placing himself between the wreckage and the aggressor, Rom demanded that the Council explain themselves, only for them to warp away the instant he was distracted. Rom investigated the Transformer ship — unbeknownst to him, of Camien origin — and discovered that it had carried a cargo of protoforms, most of which had died in the crash. A single protoform had survived, however; compelled to help the orphaned Transformer, Rom brought it to a nearby world. Solstar scientists reverse-engineered an Energon synthesizer based off fuel he retrieved from the crash site, and helped the protoform mature into a female Cybertronian who would call herself Stardrive. On the planet Mato Grosso, Rom and several other Space Knights drove off the Wraith leader Vekktral, saving Stardrive's life for a second time. The young 'bot would soon come to see Rom as her hero and joined the Space Knights to emulate him.
Five years later, Rom and Livia led new recruits Auxin and Sata to Mining Colony 25-6-41 as part of their training. Rooting out the Wraith infestation, Rom and Livia engaged several Wraiths in battle and encountered Stardrive, who had been staking out the colony for a week. Though Livia suggested that the colony would have to be destroyed, Rom agreed with Stardrive's assessment and spared the planetoid, noting that there was insufficient Dire Wraith activity to justify its sterilization.
With Stardrive in tow, Rom led the group to their next mission: security function at a diplomatic meeting between the Order and Galactic Council to discuss the threat of Dire Wraiths fleeing into territory beyond Solstar space. The flight there was tense, with Livia and Rom repeatedly arguing about Stardrive's compassion; on arriving at the Orchid Crossing over Xetaxxis, Rom and Livia explained to Stardrive that they had brought her along to show Council representatives that the Solstar Order could keep Cybertronians "in their place." Hurt by this revelation, Rom tried to console Stardrive by telling her that she was capable of more than the rest of her species.
Negotiations got off to a poor start as not only was the Council representative a bit of an arse, he soon revealed himself as Vekktral, co-leader of a Decepticon/Dire Wraith alliance that had been formed to steal Stardrive's energon synthesizer. Rom moved to protect Stardrive as Starscream tried to recruit her, only to receive a shot to the chest. By the time Rom had recovered, Starscream had found Stardrive's synthesizer... only for the Autobots Ultra Magnus and Bumblebee to burst through the wall, ignoring Rom's weak protests. Shining Armor #1
Unwilling to let the fragile peace between the two galactic powers crumble under a Cybertronian assault, Rom fired on Ultra Magnus, but soon deduced that the Autobots and Space Knights might yet be on the same side — only for Magnus to shoot him (and Stardrive and Starscream) through a wall for being annoying and talking too much. Back in the chaos of battle, a horrified Rom watched as a Dire Wraith merged with Sky Blast, engaging the resulting monster to buy time for the crew to evacuate. As the damaged station fell into Xetaxxis' atmosphere, Rom shouted for Stardrive to leave with them... only for the Cybertronian Space Knight to choose to help the Autobots escape instead. In the skies of Xetaxxis, Rom and Livia argued about whether Stardrive had fully defected or not; arriving over the Autobot impact site, Rom shot Magnus in the chest and offered Bumblebee the chance to surrender. Shining Armor #2
Magnus quickly recovered from what Rom had assumed would be a killing blow; gearing up for another fight, Rom and Livia engaged Magnus, only for the blue Autobot to withstand every attack. Confused by Magnus' attempts to protect Stardrive, the cadet stepped up to stop the fighting, accusing her superiors of lying to her about her heritage. Learning from Ultra Magnus that, unlike the worlds of the Solstar Order, Cybertron had never permanently unified — and that different Cybertronian factions could stand for different principles —the Autobots and Space Knights agreed to a temporary alliance, with he, Livia, and Stardrive heading off to search for the Energon synthesizer in the ruins. Arriving after another terse argument between himself and Livia, the group discovered the natives salvaging the wreckage of the ship. Despite Livia's disgust, Rom was content with letting the aliens scavenge for what they could and allowed Stardrive to evacuate them before Starscream landed on Rom. Quickly recovering, Rom socked Starscream in the jaw and vowed that he would protect Xetaxxis from both Wraiths and Decepticons. Shining Armor #3
Rom and Livia battled Dirge and Ramjet, managing to temporarily take them out and force Starscream into a retreat. Rom prepared to pursue the Decepticons when Livia suggested an alternate course of action: destroying the energon synthesizer to sterilize the planet, eliminating the Wraith infestation and putting the machine beyond Starscream's reach. Attempting to mediate between Livia and Stardrive, Rom's careless words caused Stardrive take the synthesizer and cut ties with her Space Knights, lashing out at Livia before Bumblebee and Sata arrived. Rom and Bumblebee managed to convince Stardrive to stand down, and, together, the alliance agreed that their next course of action would not involve taking innocent life. Before they could move, however, they were attacked by Vekktral, who had managed to possess Ultra Magnus's body and regrouped his hordes. In the ensuing battle, Rom and the others were quickly overpowered and surrounded... before Vekktral turned on his former allies and began infecting Starscream's forces. Shining Armor #4
Another battle broke out as the Decepticons joined forces with the Autobots and Space Knights to defend themselves; though Stardrive attempted to stop Starscream from getting away, Starscream was able to cut his losses and run, blasting the energon synthesizer so that the volatile detonation would take out the ground-bound Autobots. In the meantime, Ultra Magnus was briefly able to reassert his own consciousness and wrest control of his body back from Vekktral, opening his outer armor so that Rom - despite his misgivings - could deliver a fatal blow. Confused by the presence of a smaller robot inside Magnus's body, Bumblebee briefly explained the nature of the Magnus Armor. Outrunning the exploding energon synthesizer, the Space Knights and Bumblebee retreated to orbit. Disgusted by her ordeal, Stardrive shed her armor, renounced her ties to the Space Knights, and flew away, and Bumblebee used the Magnus Armor's recall switch to return home.
Some time later, Rom and Orphion participated in another meeting with the Galactic Council, where they were informed that the Council would not join their war against the Dire Wraiths. Rom turned his attention to Livia and Sata, and sadly watched as they imparted their ruthless ideals on a new group of Space Knight recruits. Shining Armor #5
Circa 2016, Rom came to Earth to eradicate the Dire Wraiths that had hidden themselves among its populace. Landing in northern California, his elimination of several Wraiths — which, to outsiders, looked like indiscriminate murder — caught the attention of the Earth Defense Command and G.I. Joe. Secret Raiders Learning that an alien ore on Earth had the power to amplify the magic of the Wraiths and render them invisible to his Energy Analyzers, Rom also discovered that G.I. Joe had been recently compromised by Wraiths. Field Test Rom intervened in a battle between the Joes and the forces of Optimus Prime in Portland, Oregon, where he slew the four Wraiths posing as the Joes Red Zone, Hi-Tech, Wreckage, and team leader General Joe Colton. Believing he had just killed their human teammates, the other Joes opened fire on him, but Rom refused to counterattack and flew off. Unfortunately, Rom's mechanical armor led the Joes to believe he was a Cybertronian, forcing Optimus Prime's team to pursue him so they could get some answers and clear their names. Concorde Hymn Prime's team chased Rom to the Umpqua National Forest and fought him. Rom was initially able to outmaneuver Prime, but — outnumbered by the Cybertronians — was soon defeated and "urged" to explain himself. The Divine Source of Liberty
Making peace with the Cybertronians, Rom was brought to Autobot City where he glimpsed the darker aspects of the legacy of the Primes. Informed Later on he gave his information on the Wraiths' interest in Ore-13 comparing it to Windblade's data on Micronus Prime's universe before admiring the nearby spacebridge. Somehow, Rom's armor resonated with both the bridge and the Ore-13 deposit. When the bridge became active he exploited this to send the Ore-13 into Microspace, desiring to put it beyond the reach of the Wraiths. When Windblade and Optimus made him realize that he was allowing his desire to defeat the Wraiths to blind his reason and logic, Rom stood down and was placed in stasis cuffs by Soundwave who sympathized with what he did. O Ship of State
When the Heliopolis and Snake Eyes were discovered within the city, Rom and Windblade deduced the crew of the former were the natives of Micronus's universe. Despite the Micronauts being unable to understand him, he offered a heartfelt apology to them for endangering their universe before Optimus Prime rallied everyone together to form a defense against the Dire Wraiths. Rom's Analyzers soon detected a massive army of Wraiths bearing down on Autobot City backed up by M.A.S.K. forces. Rom joined the others in fighting them off and defending both the spacebridge and the Ore-13 personally, engaging the lead Wraith in combat. The Wraiths outnumbered them however and were enhanced by the Ore-13 managing to breach Rom's armor. Things only became worse when Baron Karza emerged from the spacebridge and merged with the Wraiths becoming a fusion of Cybertronian, Wraith, and Microspace power. The New Colossus
Rom found himself engaged in combat with Snake Eyes, even as Optimus tried to rally everyone to fight Karza. Along with Snake Eyes and Acroyear, he was forcibly grabbed by Optimus and strapped into the Autobot's seats so the Autobot leader could explain that Karza was their true foe. Karza proved too powerful however, so Rom, Soundwave, the Micronauts, Mainframe and Trakker concocted an alternate strategy. Rom's armor acted as a buffer between the nearby spacebridge and the Micronauts' "Enerchange" ability while Trakker would use his helmet to beam a counter-frequency that Soundwave had calculated. The plan, while succeeding in defeating Karza, destroyed the Space Bridge but Rom managed to fly Trakker to safety. On solid ground, he offered his apologies to Scarlett for all the trouble he'd caused her team before he flew off in somber silence. Valley Forge
Later on, he tracked a large Wraith presence to the Schletevan capital Verenya, where he encountered a G.I. Joe unit led by Mayday and joined forces with them. He informed them however, that the creatures were not true Dire Wraiths, but humans mutated with Wraith genetics. Using his Neutralizer to stun the creatures, Rom followed the Joes to the source of the mysterious transformation. Once there, the group discovered the human Action Man engaged in battle with the Cybertronian Garrison Blackrock over the Talisman that had caused the mutations. Before Blackrock could slay Action Man, Rom intervened which allowed Mayday to talk down Blackrock. When the Oktober Guard attacked, Rom informed Blackrock he was not a Cybertronian before the two attacked the Guard. The obelisk was triggered in the fight however forcing Rom to use his Neutralizer to create a forcefield to shield Action Man and Mayday. Major Bludd attempted to flee but was thwarted by Kup who expressed surprise at seeing Rom. Rom then tried to use his Analyzer to gleam the obelisk's origin before Bludd suddenly teleported away with Action Man. When the group was still without an answer hours later, Rom had to take his leave to fight off the true Wraiths. Blackrock seemed glad to have him leave. Crisis Intervention
Aw Yeah Revolution!
When Worlds Collide
Rom was one of the many heroes that joined Optimus Prime and the Autobots after Cobra Commander and Megatron stole the Matrix of Leadership. When Worlds Collide
Toys
Bot Shots
- Rom the Space Knight (2013?)
- Series: 2
- Number: B007
- Fist strength:
- Blaster strength:
- Sword strength:
- Presumably intended as part of a Series 2 single-pack assortment, Bot Shots Jump Shot Rom the Space Knight is a redeco of Cindersaur (which was itself originally based on Prime Skystalker). He transforms into a beaky-looking reptile thing on wheels. An impact to the front of his beast mode causes him to spring up and autotransform into a robot armed with a pistol. He has a "spinner" in his chest that shows his three attack types and power levels.
- This mold was also used to make Skystalker and the similarly-canceled Buzzclaw.
 Proceed on your way to oblivion. |
Revolution
- Revolution Set (SDCC Gift Set, 2017)
- Accessories: Neutralizer
- Released as part of a San Diego Comic-Con 2017 exclusive set, Rom the Space Knight is an action figure based on the character's original Marvel Comics appearance, made up of redecoed parts from various G.I. Joe action figures with a new head, torso and weapon. He was packed with several other Hasbro Universe action figures: Jetfire, Matt Trakker of M.A.S.K., Action Man, Visionaries' Leoric, Roadblock of G.I. Joe, a Dire Wraith, and 9 Micronauts mini-figurines.
Notes
- Rom was originally a toy released by Parker Brothers in 1979. One of the great predecessors of the "toys-to-cartoons" media boom of the 1980s that Transformers are a prime example of, Rom would almost certainly have been forgotten by history had he not been the star of a successful and fondly-remembered comic book tie-in series from Marvel Comics (which was actually presented as part of the "Marvel Universe" and had many crossovers with the company's superheroes, unlike the Transformers). Parker Brothers merged with Kenner in 1985, who were bought by Tonka in 1987, who were in turn bought by Hasbro in 1991, placing the character under Hasbro ownership—but aside from Rom himself and a few pieces of relevant terminology, that appears to be all Hasbro owns, as his villains, setting, and supporting cast were all created and owned by Marvel and have been periodically used by them ever since. In 2016, IDW Publishing launched a revived version of Rom, stripped of all Marvel elements, co-written by IDW Editor-In-Chief Chris Ryall, as part of their Revolution event, crossing over several of IDW's Hasbro titles. To celebrate, all of IDW's Hasbro comics, including the Transformers titles, received variant covers featuring Rom.
- Prior to his IDW revival, Rom was almost featured in the Bot Shots toyline, as seen above. The silver and red redeco of the Bot Shot mold based on Prime Skystalker was first shown at Toy Fair 2013 amongst a pile of other Bot Shots, but due to a lack of name placards at the event, the identities of those toys were unknown at the time. Even after the names of other Bot Shots shown at Toy Fair were revealed, the silver Skystalker remained unidentified until a massive product listing leak from the Hasbro Customer Service website landed in the fandom's lap in late October/early November 2013. Among those Customer Service listings was "TRA BOT SHOTS ROM THE SPACE KNIGHT A2587," and Rom's classic silver color scheme clearly marked him as the Skystalker redeco. Why there was going to be a Bot Shot of Rom the Space Knight is anyone's guess—possibly to secure a trademark—but the intent is clear. It's not known what faction Bot Shots Rom would have been released under, but it can at least be assumed that this ID number is "B007," as there was no Series 2 figured with this number.
- In Spain, Rom's relation to Transformers went a bit further, as Comics Forum (the Spanish editorial that had the Marvel rights in the 80s) had Rom as the back-up feature of the Transformers comic book.
- In the U.K., Rom was released under the toyline of fellow Revolution star Action Man.[1]
References
External links
- Rom at BugEyedMonster.com
- Rom on the IDW Hasbro Wiki
