User:Locoman/Sandbox/Reformatting
Reformatting methods
Physical reconstruction
Like any machine, a Transformer can be taken apart and put back together again, good as new. In many Transformers stories, taking on a new body is as simple as rebuilding a Transformer into the desired configuration. These modifications might be purely cosmetic in nature; on the other hand, a drastic full-body rebuild might alter a Transformer's size, shape, alternate mode, or weaponry, or reconfigure them into a shape capable of accepting a specific upgrade like a Pretender shell.
This kind of full-body rebuild was particularly prevalent in the Marvel's Transformers comic and its sequels. Because Marvel's universe predated the concept of sparks and a more supernatural take on Transformer death and the afterlife, a full-body rebuild was the de facto method of resurrecting "deceased" characters. Rebuilding was also prevalent in IDW's first Transformers continuity, in which taking on a new form or alternate mode usually--but not always--required an extensive mechanical refit. In many cases, a character might simply take on a new form between appearances: for instance, Optimus Prime appears with an entirely new appearance in Armada, Energon, and Cybertron; it is a reasonable inferrence that these are the result of "offscreen" upgrades of some kind.
While most Cybertronian medics can carry out a rebuild of this scale using conventional tools and some basic engineering know-how, some amoral scientists have attempted to reformat other Cybertronians by directly altering their genetic material. Tampering with a Transformer's CNA can have drastic, immediate effects on a Cybertronian's appearance, alternate mode, and mental state--in some cases, it is possible to splice the Transformer genome with alien DNA to create Transformers with powerful beast modes and other unusual abilities.
Consciousness transfer
Supernatural powers
In many universal streams, Primus and Unicron are supernatural entities with access to vast reserves of cosmic power; they and their various supernaturally-empowered followers can channel a small portion of their energies to instantly alter the minds and physical forms of other mechanical beings--they may be granted new bodies, new abilities, and sometimes entirely new personalities and identities. In many Transformers stories, Unicron uses his powers to corrupt Cybertronians into his dreaded "Heralds of Unicron", awesomely powerful beings compelled to mindlessly serve their new master--it was in this fashion that Unicron reforged the dying Megatron and many other Decepticons into Galvatron, Scourge, Cyclonus, and the Sweeps. [1]
It is rarer for Primus to take such direct action--one notable exception was when he used his powers to instantly reconfigure three mortally wounded Autobots into the Cybertron Defense Team [2] -- but many supernatural beings and artifacts who have allied with or originated from Primus have displayed similar abilities, including the Vector Sigma supercomputer, the Oracle, and the Thirteen. Perhaps most famously, the Matrix of Leadership instantly reconfigured Hot Rod into "Rodimus Prime", but various other artifacts have shown the ability to instantly recreate Transformers in new shapes: Smokescreen used the Forge of Solus Prime to instantly resurrect the dying Optimus Prime into a combat-ready configuration; [3], the Enigma of Combination and its various deriviatives possesses the ability to instantly reconfigure any five Cybertronians into a combiner, and the Transformation Cog of Amalgamous Prime displayed the ability to mutate nearby Cybertronians into shapeshifting Mutacons.
A Cybertronian's "burning spirit" can cause them to spontaneously unlock new weapons and powers; in rare cases, this kind of concentrated emotional energy can even cause them to spontaneously reconfigure into a new form, as was the case when Megatron generated an "aura of fury" that culminated in his rebirth as Galvatron. [4]
