User:Daytonjhammon/Sandbox
Just as Star Wars wouldn't be the same without its titular wars, Transformers wouldn't be Transformers if it didn't have a Cybertronian Civil War or two. While the brand began by introducing the Great War on Cybertron, over the years new types of civil wars have been introduced outside of the Autobot-Decepticon conflict.
Types of Wars
Great Wars
The most well-known type of Cybertronian Civil War, the Great War is always almost always the conflict between the Autobots and Decepticons. Its exact beginnings vary from continuity to continuity: sometimes it's because of Energon supply shortages, sometimes it's started by the Decepticons wanting to establish a new Decepticon Empire across the universe, sometimes it's a war for powerful relics, and in many universes, the war begins after a long period of oppression or stagnancy on Cybertron. Optimus Prime and Megatron are usually the leaders of the Autobots and Decepticons, although occasionally other leaders step up to lead.
While the war always starts on Cybertron, the Great War tends to expand across the galaxy, and eventually finds its way to Earth, getting humans involved. While most children tend to become important allies to the Autobots, a few humans have allied themselves with the Decepticons. In a few universes, the Great War ends after the Autobots and Decepticons team up to defeat Unicron in the Unicron War, and in one universe, the Great War takes place before Optimus Prime and Megatron's teams battle each other on Earth.
Beast Wars
The conflict continues as two opposing factions renew their struggle for control of the universe.
Once again, on a new battleground, "The Beast Wars" have begun...Opening blurb for Beast Wars, from the official website BeastWars.com.
In an era long after the Great War, the Beast Wars is the conflict between the Maximals and Predacons, descendants of the Autobots and Decepticons. While the Beast Wars initially tends to play out similarly to the Great War, with both sides vying for Energon, it's usually started by Megatron's desire to alter history so that the Decepticons become the victors of the Great War. Notable aspects of the Beast Wars include its setting on prehistoric Earth, the use of beast modes, and the occasional presence of a non-Cybertronian third party: a mysterious race of energy-based aliens known as the Vok.
Optimus Primal and Megatron are usually the leaders of the Maximal and Predacon teams on prehistoric Earth. However, in one universe, the Beast Wars involves the Decepticons on Animatron during the Great War.
Other Civil Wars
The first civil war in the 2005 IDW continuity, the God War is the defining event that introduced information creep to the Transformers. It was a conflict between the members of the Guiding Hand, who were the first five Cybertronians: Primus, Mortilus, Solomus, Epistemus, and Adaptus.
- Thirteen Primes' Civil War
- See Also: War of the Primes and First Cybertronian Civil War
Toward the beginning of the timeline is the Thirteen Primes' Civil War. Known as the War of the Primes in the Aligned continuity family and the First Cybertronian Civil War in the 2005 IDW continuity, it is the tragic conflict that brings the Age of Primes to a close. Depictions of this civil war have drastically varied between universes, but the deceptions of certain members of the Thirteen, and the The Fallen's murder of Solus Prime, tend to be defining aspects of the war.
Also known as Fourth Cybertronian War or the War of Unification, the Grand Uprising is a civil war between the Builders of Cybertron and the Resistance. Its origins stem from the Great War, with the Autobots and Decepticons creating the next generation of Cybertronians to fight in Games. The enslavement of the Maximals and Predacons would lead to Lio Convoy calling for freedom, starting a generational war on Cybertron.
- Other Animated Civil Wars
- See Also: Second Cybertronian War and Third Cybertronian War
In one universe, there were two other civil wars before the Great War.
In many universes, the Combiner Wars were a series of conflicts, usually taking place in the post Great War-era, linked to the development and implementation of combiner technology. It tends to involve the Enigma of Combination, an artifact of Nexus Prime. The Council of Worlds is usually involved in picking up after the combiners' mess.
In one universe, the Mini-Con Civil War pitted the Mini-Con Council of Sages against a group of insurgents led by the malicious Thrust and his Sky Terror Team.
Among the Decepticons, there is one guiding principle: rule of the strong. Of course, when Megatron isn't in charge, this tends to lead to conflict among entire groups of Decepticons, each led by a potential Decepticon leader.
Fiction
Generation 1
Marvel The Transformers comics
The Great War came after a long period of tension between city-states and energy shortage, and a devastating war that wiped out Vos and Tarn. Iacon had deliberately left its rivals to burn and the last Overlord had died in the ruins, allowing Megatron (who had let the Overlord die) to form an army, the Decepticons, from the disgruntled Vos/Tarn survivors. State Games They were ignored as cranks. Legion of the Lost!
After eons of planning, plotting, and building up strength, Megatron and the Decepticons finally attacked, setting off global conflict of staggering proportions. The Decepticon plan was to conquer the world and turn it into a mobile "cosmic dreadnought" that would conquer the galaxy! The Transformers Legion of the Lost! Decepticon tactics were well-orchestrated, and Autobot casualties continued to mount until Optimus Prime arose from the Autobot ranks to become a warrior of great firepower and leader of great skill. With his help, Autobots were able to hold their own against the Decepticons The Transformers and he was given full command of the Autobot forces after the successful defence of Iacon: halting the Decepticon's then-unstoppable advance. And There Shall Come...a Leader!
The very planet was knocked out of orbit, requiring the Autobots to clear its way through an asteroid field. The Decepticons attacked them as soon as it was done, leading to both Prime and Megatron to be lost. Before this happened, Optimus had been talking about the need to make peace with the Decepticons. The Transformers This would not happen: the war continued under Decepticon leader Trannis, who conquered the Prime-less planet but failed to crush the Autobot resistance. Cybertron: The Middle Years! Four million years later, the war on Cybertron still raged on and when Optimus and Megatron awoke on Earth, they carried on too.
Marvel UK future timelines
In the year 2510, the last Decepticon was killed. The next Great War, between embittered Autobot factions, broke out immediately after. Peace
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
The Transformers cartoon
The Great War is known by some chroniclers of Cybertronian history as the Third Cybertronian War. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4 It was during a time of peace known as the Golden Age of Cybertron that Megatron re-organized the Decepticons for the purpose of challenging the Autobots for control of Cybertron. War Dawn
Wings Universe
Nine million years ago, the Autobot High Command was keeping an eye on a nascent unorganized group of rogues called the Decepticons. However, open war erupted when the Decepticon movement became organized and conducted actions such as shooting down the Van De Graaff. After saving the precious cargo of the Van De Graaff from the Decepticons, the crew of the Eight Track, including Kup, was inducted into the newly formed Elite Guard to fight the Decepticons. Wings of Honor
Within 10 years of the war's commencement, the Decepticons were led by the Decepticon Warlords. However, Deathsaurus ensured that he and Megatron remained the only rivals for power by assassinating the rest of the Warlords with an unwitting suicide bomber. A Team Effort Megatron later became the sole leader of the Decepticons by defeating Deathsaurus in an unfair duel. Battle Lines, Part 5 Meanwhile, after being mostly massacred by the turncoat Combaticons, The Coming Storm: Part 6 the Elite Guard was replaced by the new Autobot military led by Optimus Prime. Battle Lines, Part 1 The war later cooled down for a time as energy became scarce on Cybertron, prompting many Autobots and Decepticons to go enter stasis hibernation pods or to go offworld aboard the Ark and Nemesis. Battle Lines, Part 6
Millions of years later, the Great War finally came to an end in 2013 C.E. with the signing of the Pax Cybertronia by the Autobots, Decepticons, and Jhiaxus's clones at Autobot City on Earth. The peace treaty had come about in part due to the actions of Jhiaxus: in starting the Machine Wars to achieve peace on Cybertron by exterminating all "First Generation" Transformers, he had unintentionally gotten Autobot and Decepticon alike to fight with each other rather than against each other. A Common Foe Unfortunately for the Decepticon commando unit Squadron X, their location in deep space meant that they did not receive word of the war's end until it was too late. Setting a trap on Torax Prime for their foes the Wreckers, who never came because they got word of the war's end, the members of Squadron X eventually killed each other off due to boredom. Tornado and Ferak were left as the unit's sole survivors. Tornado - Decepticon Saboteur
Beast Wars Neo cartoon
According to legend and rumor, Unicron was destroyed during the Great War. Illusion? Lio Convoy
Beast Wars cartoon continuity
Beast Wars cartoon
The key turning point in the Great War was when the Ark crew reactivated in 1984, on Earth. The Predacons Megatron and Blackarachnia stated the Great War started in 1984. The Agenda (Part III)
Shortly after the war began, Megatron would encode a message to Cybertron on the Voyager Golden Record (also known as the Golden Disk) just in case he lost. The Agenda (Part 2) The Agenda (Part III) Over time, he was reformatted into Galvatron by and the monster Unicron. Possession In the end, in large part thanks to help from the humans, the Autobots would win the Great War. Code of Hero
The Great War was officially ended by the forming of the Pax Cybertronia with the Autobots the victors and the Decepticons placed under heavy restrictions. A number of Decepticons were granted amnesty and retired. The Agenda (Part 2) Many records were restricted Possession and most of the Ark crew were considered legendary figures in the time of Predacons and Maximals.
A period of uneasy peace followed with the Predacons biding their time in preparation for their chance to challenge the supremacy of the Maximals and start the Great War again, something that Optimus Primal couldn't understand. It was three hundred years after Pax Cybertronia when Primal was drawn into one such challenge. Beast Wars (Part 1)
Beast Machines cartoon
When Megatron impersonated Optimus Prime, he claimed that the Autobot leader had perished in the final battle of the war. The Search
3H comics
When Galvatron failed the Decepticons and the Great War ended, Cyclonus turned his loyalty to the gangster Cryotek. Wreckers: Finale Part II
Dawn of Future's Past
At the end of the Third Cybertronian War, the Decepticons ceased to be a viable threat to the Autobots. Razorclaw then led the emergent Predacons to become the main opposition to Autobot rule of Cybertron until he was assassinated by the Tripredacus Council. BotCon 2009 Razorclaw profile card
Buzzsaw was one of Megatron's most loyal soldiers during the Great War. BotCon 2006 Buzzsaw profile card
Waspscream continuity
Obsidian was an Autobot general during the Great War. Universe Obsidian profile
Beast Wars Neo comic
Longrack mentioned that Unicron was a terrifying lifeform killed by the Transformers in the Great War twenty million years ago. Double Cross
Dreamwave Generation One continuity
2005 IDW continuity
The seeds for the Great War (though it was not the first "great" war) were planted through many years of social stratification by an increasingly entitled upper class, who exploited everyone below them with the aid of a rigid and corrupt police system. The spark to the powder keg was provided when factions within the Senate, the corrupted government of Cybertron, arranged for an attack upon the leading Prime, Nominus Prime. By doing this, in a failed attempt to gain access to the Matrix of Leadership which had been secreted away centuries before, they also gained an excuse to introduce the "Clampdown", a planet-wide security regime which let them crack down on anyone who opposed them. Chaos Theory Part 1 As such, Kup considered the Matrix to be the root cause of it all. All Hail Megatron #6 During the Clampdown, the Autobots served as the Senate's peace-keeping force, enforcing their draconian rules. This caused frictions to rise even more and politically minded Transformers spoke out loudly against it, only to be silenced brutally; and even within the Senate itself, some - such as Ratbat - tried to exploit the extreme social unrest for personal gain. An energon miner turned fugitive from justice turned underground gladiator named Megatron rallied a force of gladiators, escaped convicts, and other bots dissatisfied with the current leadership of Cybertron to rebellion based out of the city-state of Kaon, naming his faction the Decepticons after their rallying cry of "You are being deceived." Megatron Origin After Megatron's defeat of Sentinel Prime, and the routing of the corrupt Senate, peace seemed possible when Zeta Prime took over command of the security forces and became the de facto leader of Cybertron; however he revealed himself as the most ruthless dictator of all. Orion Pax and Megatron found themselves working together to stop his army of Omega Sentinels, equipped with weapons of mass destruction, but after Megatron destroyed Zeta Prime with the proverbial 'Shot that started the war', the treaty ended...and the war truly began as Orion Pax - now Optimus Prime, after gaining the Matrix - and Megatron both strove to control Cybertron. Autocracy
The war continued for over four million years, turning Cybertron into a lifeless husk until the "Chaos War" against Galvatron, which ended with the planet's restoration. Most Decepticons were imprisoned, thousands of neutral Transformers who had fled during the war began returning home, and the Great War was considered over. The Death of Optimus Prime
Beast Wars: Uprising
The Great War, also known as the Third Cybertronian War, began eleven million years ago and ended in 2031 after the apocalyptic battle later dubbed "the Scouring of Nebulos". The Human Confederacy, along with other races in the galaxy, forcibly imposed an armistice on the battered combatants and restricted them to a small Allowed Zone consisting of Cybertron and nine colonies. Micro-Aggressions
After scrounging up some new Cyberdroid recruits from the backwater colony world of Master, Galvatron attempted to re-ignite the war by first taking out humanity in the Great Push. A Brush With Infamy–Prologue The battle against the Human Confederacy was a humiliating defeat for the Transformers, and as punishment the humans sterilized four colonies. Intersectionality Micro-Aggressions Thunderwing brought the war to a close after absorbing the Underbase, driving him mad and prompting him to launch the Grand Mal; the Autobots and Decepticons formed a temporary truce to take down their mutual enemy. Not All Megatrons
Too decrepit to continue the war but unwilling to completely let old grudges go, the Autobots and Decepticons renamed themselves the Builders of Cybertron and used the energon matrix to create their successors, the Maximals and Predacons. They then crafted a system of gladiatorial Games that Maximals and Predacons would have to participate in, functioning as proxies for the Autobots and Decepticons' old grudge forever and providing endless entertainment for the mostly immobile Builders. That is, until Guardian of Order Lio Convoy, holder of the energon matrix, had his eyes opened to the injustice of the status quo. Publicly exposing the Builders' conspiracy, he set the Fourth Cybertronian War, the Grand Uprising, in motion. Broken Windshields
Timelines
In Primax 096.0 Beta, General Optimus Prime led the reconstituted Firestormer Squadron in the final battle of the third Cybertronian war against Megatron's Decepticon Star Empire at Mirtonia. The Autobots emerged victorious when the Decepticons accidentally blew up an experimental energon refinery and themselves with it. However, the massive explosion also blasted General Optimus Prime and Sergeant Hound out of their own reality and into Nexus 208.0 Epsilon. General Optimus Prime profile card Sgt. Hound profile card
Of Masters and Mayhem
While the cause of the Great War is unknown, it swept across Cybertron in a fury, wiping away any trace of the once glorious civilization that had existed. The Decepticon aggressors quickly proved the better fighters, keeping the former Autobot ruling class on the back foot. As the war ground on, it began to spread to other planets, The Truth We Make with some combatants from both factions choosing to abandon Cybertron and live elsewhere in the galaxy. Life Finds a Way
Facing defeat, the Autobots undertook Project: Ark as a means of carrying their hopes beyond Cybertron, and their desire to see the war end. The Toxic Transformer An installation was also established on the planet Athenia where the Autobots worked on a project that was their last hope of winning the war. This facility was attacked and destroyed by Counterpunch, though footage of this found its way to Autobot High Command. The Truth We Make
Combiners were a valued asset in the war, both sides devoting great time and resources to fuelling them. The Decepticons eventually managed to create the combiner that called itself Thunder Mayhem, its destructive power bringing a decisive end to the Great War by razing the surface of Cybertron and the near-extinction of the Cybertronian race. Deadly Aim
2019 IDW continuity
When Orion Pax first interfaced with the Matrix of Leadership, its mediator software warned him that a war the likes of which had not been seen since the Age of the Firstforged was coming to Cybertron. Prime
Following the Autobots managing to escape Cybertron, Shockwave and Flamewar congratulated Megatron on conquering the planet but the Decepticon leader was keenly aware that the Autobots' escape meant that the war had only just begun. Fate of Cybertron
Transformers/Ghostbusters
Megatron started the Great War to liberate Cybertron from Autobot rule. On the cusp of Decepticon victory, the planet was invaded by Gozer shortly after the Autobots fled. After Gozer destroyed Cybertron, the surviving Autobots - thinking themselves the last of their kind - considered the Great War to be over. Ghosts of Cybertron Part 1 Ghosts of Cybertron Part 2
Last Bot Standing
The Great War broke out before Rodimus' forging. Rapidly expanding outwards from Cybertron, the conflict eventually decayed into a stalemate that consumed more and more resources across the galaxy, destroying stars and planets while driving countless alien species to extinction. As time passed, the Cybertronians became victims of their own success, having used all up the energon and other resources that they needed to repair themselves and continue the conflict. As the Cybertronians began to die permanent deaths, the conflict was considered over. Last Bot Standing #2 When Rodimus discovered that the planet Donnokt was rich with energon crystals, he decided to keep it a secret, confident that if more Cybertronians learnt about the fuel, the war would restart. Last Bot Standing #4
Energon Universe
As recounted by Optimus Prime, the Great War followed an age of peace and prosperity, the extremist Decepticon launching attacks on the rest of Cybertron. Transformers #2 By Megatron's own account, he started the war seeking to restore his planet to its "rightful and glorious place among the stars". Transformers #14
After two centuries, Autobot High Command fled aboard the Ark only to be attacked by the Nemesis, both ships crashing on Earth. Transformers #2 Thrown from the Ark before it crashed, Beachcomber eventually made his way back to the ship but chose to leave his fellow Autobots in stasis, fearing that his comrades' presence would simply restart the war on Earth. Transformers #10 On Cybertron, Elita One continued to lead a guerrilla resistance against Decepticon rule, Transformers #7 while other Autobots took their chances in the larger galaxy, searching for new supplies of energon. Void Rivals #11
A century after the Ark crashed, Jetfire found the ship and - unaware of the war - reactivated all aboard, restarting the war on Earth. Transformers #1
2005 IDW continuity
In this continuity, the First Cybertronian Civil War erupted between the Thirteen Tribes when Megatronus along with Liege Maximo plotted and betrayed Solus Prime. However, when Megatronus's former follower Galvatron killed Nexus Prime, revealing the belief that only a Prime could kill a Prime to be false, the Thirteen Primes fled the planet, leaving their tribes leaderless. Nova Major was left as the sole soldier of Prima's tribe defending the Citadel of Light until Galvatron emerged from the wilderness. Together, they vanquished Onyx Prime's beast hordes, turning the siege into a byword for courage. It later transpired that Alpha Trion, last of the Thirteen on Cybertron, had arranged Nova and Galvatron's meeting in order to end the war and forge a better future for the Cybertronian race. With Trion's blessing, Nova took on the title of "Prime" and subsequently unified the planet. The Crucible
The opening skirmishes of the more well-known Great War broke out during economic and civil unrest due to greed from senators such as Decimus and Ratbat. A former asteroid miner rose to glory in the gladiatorial pit known as the Forge and made a name as Megatron. With financial and material aid from Ratbat via Soundwave, he gathered an army of malcontents and began a series of daring raids upon the establishment. With the death of Sentinel Prime, Megatron secured his reputation as a warlord to be feared. Megatron Origin
As the war spread across Cybertron, Decepticon scientist Thunderwing saw the devastation it was visiting upon the planet and warned his peers that the Cybertronian race would need to adapt. Roundly dismissed by them and even by his commander Megatron, he became desperate. Testing his newly invented Pretender process on himself, he accomplished what he had set out to do, but at the cost of his sanity. Spurred on by forces he could not comprehend, he became the avatar of the planet's destruction, wreaking havoc upon Autobot and Decepticon alike. Though he was eventually defeated, Cybertron had to be abandoned, its environment unlivable. The mad genius was given a dubious honor as Thunderhead Pass was named for him. Stormbringer
As the war spread beyond their home planet, the Cybertronians at some point reached an agreement in the Code of Interplanetary Conflict. This accord limited the ability to wage war openly upon non-aligned planets and had strict provisions against Cybertronian technology being sold on the open market. Spotlight: Ultra Magnus
Around or prior to 2006, the discovery of the Energon derivative known as Ore-13, seeded on an insignificant backwater world by the AWOL Decepticon genius Shockwave, threatened the status quo of the conflict. Realizing its potential, even Megatron felt tempted to discard the careful planning which had allowed the Decepticons to take many worlds. With this prize within his grasp, the warlord called in the Decepticon weapon of mass destruction Sixshot. Devastation
Later, in 2008 or so, Optimus Prime returned to Earth to battle Megatron once more. Unfortunately, this battle would see Prime lose the Matrix of Leadership to Megatron and subsequently come close to dying. At some point, the Decepticons won the entire war due to an Autobot traitor. As a result, many Autobots were killed on a galaxy-wide scale. Optimus Prime's men, or what was left of them, had to hole up back on Cybertron. All Hail Megatron
Hearts of Steel
2019 IDW continuity
2001 Robots in Disguise cartoon
Very little is known about how this war began. We know Ultra Magnus and Optimus Prime both fought in it, with Magnus distinguishing himself. Who the enemy was is unconfirmed, though it would presumably be the Predacons. It appears the conflict had ended on Cybertron by the time Vector Sigma was choosing a new Autobot Commander-in-Chief. (Ultra Magnus and Optimus both refer to the Civil Wars being in the past tense at this time.)
However, the Predacon Council were still plotting conquest, and Megatron's forces began a campaign of attacking and destroying alien worlds for their energy. Optimus Prime was chosen to lead an army against them. This would eventually reach Earth, when the Council sent Megatron there to find Fortress Maximus and the tyrant kidnapped a prominent scientist Doctor Onishi. Prime and his Autobots were already in wait, having established a base, Earth disguises, and a Global Spacebridge network.
Unicron Trilogy
Cartoon continuity
Unlike G1 or any of the future continuities that followed, the Unicron Trilogy does not refer to the Autobot-Decepticon conflict as a "Great War". This civil war, beginning millions of years ago, would include the Unicron Battles of 2010, the Powerlinx Battles of 2020, and a quest for the Cyber Planet Keys in 2030. Another unique aspect of this continuity's civil war between the Autobots and Decepticons was introducing the Mini-Con race, who played an important role throughout the war.
Long ago, a new race was created by Unicron Drift, which caused the Transformers' war to escalate. Prehistory These beings, the Mini-Cons, would attain sentience and eventually try to escape Cybertron via the spaceship Exodus, but the Decepticons attack the ship, causing it to split in two - half of the ship crashing on the Moon, and the other half crashing on Earth. First Encounter
In 2010, the war comes to Earth when Rad White and Carlos Lopez discover the remains of the Exodus, which leads to the revival of the Mini-Cons. Megatron promptly leads a small team of Decepticons to Earth via warp gate, while Optimus Prime pursues him with his own contingent of troops, and these Autobots befriend Rad, Carlos and their friend Alexis Thi Dang, who have developed a telepathic bond with the Street Action Mini-Con Team. First Encounter The Autobots and Decepticons begin gathering more Mini-Cons, many of whom form three powerful weapons. The weapons ultimately fall into the Decepticons' hands Credulous Sacrifice Crack, and are used to power the Hydra Cannon. Crisis
Throughout the war, it becomes clear that both sides are being played by Sideways and Thrust, who are minions of Unicron. Gale Chase Dash Sideways and Thrust steal the Mini-Con weapons Dash and use them to reactivate Unicron's dormant body inside Cybertron's moon. Portent Unicron is eventually defeated Origin, but a battle between Megatron (now Galvatron) and Optimus Prime threatens to reactivate Unicron. Galvatron sacrifices his life to stop Unicron's return, and the two disappear in a flash of light. Mortal Combat
In 2020, seeking to use the power of energon to recreate Planet Q, Alpha Q creates the Terrorcons out of Unicron and sends them to attack the Cybertron Cities and gather the mineral for his plan. Cybertron City The Autobots fight back using the new combination powers given to them by Primus, and in retaliation, Alpha Q creates Scorponok and the Energon Sword to turn the Decepticons to his side, beginning the Powerlinx Battles. Scorpinok Megatron's Sword The plan works, but soon, Megatron—his body trapped within Unicron's dormant husk—steals enough of Alpha Q's energon to engineer his own resurrection. Megatron Resurrected Megatron takes control of most of Unicron's body, and co-opts Alpha Q's plan as his own, intending to use Unicron as a weapon. Megatron Raid Unicron's full body would eventually be restored, and Alpha Q would be killed. A Heroic Battle
After various battles in space and on various planets, the Autobots are joined by Omega Supreme, Omega Supreme who combines with Optimus Prime to combat a restored Unicron, ultimately destroying Unicron's body. The Power of Unicron Unicron Perishes Unicron's consciousness manipulates Megatron into finding the Super Energon Temple, and Megatron - now transformed into Galvatron again, Wishes begins a new plan involving moving Cybertron. Formidable Galvatron and Unicron struggle for control over Galvatron's body, and Galvatron eventually plunges himself into a sun created from the Super Energon and Unicron's spark, preferring to die than be a servant. The Sun
After another ten years of peace, the war resumes again with the threat of a black hole threatening Cybertron, and the return of Galvatron Megatron and Starscream, who now seek the power of the Cyber Planet Keys to empower the black hole and remake the cosmos. The Autobots are aided by Vector Prime and new human allies Coby, Bud Hansen, and Lori Jiménez, who sense the Omega Frequency. Fallen
Ultimately, the Autobots acquire the Keys of both Velocitron and Jungle Planet, at which point the existence of Earth's own Cyber Planet Key is revealed. Trap Starscream makes his power play and overthrows Megatron, stealing the Omega Lock and all three keys from the Autobots and using them to grow in size and power. Starscream The Autobots defeat Starscream United, return to Cybertron, and use the Omega Lock and Cyber Planet Keys to awaken the spirit of Primus, causing Cybertron to transform into the god's body. Cybertron
Starscream attempts to tap the power of Primus and grows to planetary size, only to be defeated by Primus himself. Titans Soon, the Autobots identify the location of Gigantion, while the Decepticons have to be led there by Soundwave. Warp Bested by the planet's leader Metroplex, Giant Megatron taps the key's power to become Galvatron yet again, Fury and blasts Starscream, Sideways and Soundwave into another dimension to acquire the Lock and Keys for himself. Guardian and the five planet leaders confront Galvatron within the black hole and defeat him. With all the Cyber Planet Keys now in his possession, Primus uses their power to finally seal the black hole, ending its threat. End As the planet's various civilizations attempt to return to life as normal, Galvatron attacks the Autobots for one final time. Without any troops to call his own, Galvatron engages Optimus Prime in a one-on-one duel, and is finally destroyed for good. Unfinished With this final victory, Optimus Prime begins a new space bridge initiative, and the Transformers set sail for the four corners of the universe. Beginning
Live-action film series
The movie continuity family features two civil wars: a conflict involving the Dynasty of Primes and The Fallen, and the war between the Autobots and Decepticons.
Around 17000 B.C.E., a Star Harvester had been built to convert Earth's Sun into Energon, but the Primes disagreed with using it, believing that life (in this case, human life) was sacred. The one dissenter, whose name would later become The Fallen, waged war against his brothers, intent on activating the device. The Primes stole the Matrix of Leadership from The Fallen and sealed it away in a tomb made of their bodies. Revenge of the Fallen
Thousands of years later, the last Prime, Optimus, led the Autobots in "the war" against the Decepticons, led by The Fallen's disciple, Megatron. Megatron sought control of the AllSpark until it became lost to the stars and Cybertron was ruined. The Cube landed in the Colorado river around 10,000 B.C.E., while Megatron himself crashed and became entombed in the Arctic before he reached it. Both factions reached Earth in 2007, with humanity becoming involved in the war by forming an alliance with the Autobots called NEST.
After the destruction of the AllSpark and the Fallen's death, Transformers Revenge of the Fallen Megatron orchestrated the revival of long-lost ally and Autobot traitor Sentinel Prime, leading to the invasion of Chicago. A particularly devastating event, the invasion would end after the destruction of the space bridge pillars and the deaths of Megatron and Sentinel Prime. Dark of the Moon After the Invasion of Chicago, tensions between humans and Cybertronians led to the creation of Cemetery Wind, an elite CIA unit that began killing all Transformers, regardless of faction. They would ally themselves with the neutral bounty hunter Lockdown. At the same time KSI would use the abundance of Transformium to create Galvatron, the new body of a resurrected Megatron. Age of Extinction Cemetery Wind would be replaced by the Transformers Reaction Force as more Cybertronians came to Earth, while Megatron would ally himself with Quintessa in a new plot involving the Staff of Merlin and Unicron, but the Autobots would also stop this plot. The Last Knight
Some unique things of note in this continuity family include the introduction of the AllSpark relic and its role in the Great War to the Transformers mythos, and the first media depiction of a conflict among the Primes, a concept that would be further explored in the Aligned continuity family.
Animated
The AllSpark Almanac II introduced the concept of Cybertron having not one... not two... but three Cybertronian Civil Wars. The first civil war, known as the Second Cybertronian War, was fought four billion years ago by the Malignus and Guardians. Unlike most continuities, this non-Autobot/Decepticon-involved war brought about the end of Cybertron's Golden Age. Three billion years later, the Third Cybertronian War was fought between the Protectobots and the Destrons. These factions were ancient predecessors to the Autobots and Decepticons, who emerged as sub-factions before taking prominence during an Age of Expansion.
Ten million years before Earth's 22nd Century, the Great War for the AllSpark began as tensions between the new leaders, Megatron and Ultra Magnus, reached a breaking point. Lasting eight million stellar cycles; it ended with the Decepticons being driven from Cybertron by the Autobots, although they were granted amnesty. The AllSpark Almanac II Dispatches The Autobot's victory was attributed to three vital strategies: control over the space bridges, the creation of the Omega Sentinels, and throwing the AllSpark through a space bridge. Transform and Roll Out TransWarped A Bridge Too Close, Part II
Unique to this Great War were several "mini-wars" taking place across various worlds in the Autobot Commonwealth. These wars include:
- The Atlas War on Combatron
- The War of the Dunes on Praun
- The Energon Wars on Paradron
- The Asphalt Wars on Velocitron
- The Beast Wars on Animatron
- The Data Wars on Bk'n
- The Lava Wars on Magma
- The Machine Wars on Vehicon
- The Pangea Wars on Gigantion
- The Software Wars centered around Polyhex, a polity of Cybertron
- The Time Wars in the Salvvatan System
- The War of the Waves on Antilla The AllSpark Almanac II
Aligned continuity family
The Cybertron of this continuity family experienced two civil wars: the War of the Primes, which ended the Age of Primes, and the Great War, which began at the end of the Age of Rust.
The War of the Primes was a series of skirmishes among the Thirteen, with The Fallen, Liege Maximo, Prima, and Solus Prime playing key roles in the conflict. Caused by tension concerning Liege Maximo's farm and Prima's suspicions of The Fallen, the War of the Primes led to Solus Prime's and Liege Maximo's deaths. The Covenant of Primus However, a different account claimed that Liege Maximo survived the War of the Primes and fled Cybertron, and was pursued by Alchemist Prime. Exiles The Thirteen's civil war had immense consequences for the Cybertronian race, with Solus Prime's body creating the Well of All Sparks, and Onyx Prime's Triptych Mask being used to make Cybertronians more unique than the initial Primes. Another consequence of the War of the Primes was Quintus Prime leaving Cybertron, eventually creating the Quintessons, who would enslave Cybertron during the Age of Wrath. The Covenant of Primus
The Great War was a far deadlier civil war, spanning across the universe. After cycles of social stratification caused by the caste system, the bloated bureaucracy established during the Age of Wrath, and the trauma of the Rust Plague, The Covenant of Primus a gladiator named Megatron from Kaon gathered a following, which would eventually be known as the Decepticons. Megatron desired to become a Prime, but at a hearing in the High Council Tower, the High Council was inspired by the words of Megatron's Iaconian ally, Orion Pax. A humble archivist from the Hall of Records, Orion Pax became Optimus Prime, which led to the war between Decepticons and Autobots starting. Exodus War For Cybertron One Shall Rise, Part 3
Significant moments from the Great War include: Megatron destroying Bumblebee's voice box at Tyger Pax after the AllSpark is fired into deep space, Transformers: Exodus Bumblebee at Tyger Pax Operation Bumblebee, Part 1 Megatron poisoning Cybertron's core with Dark Energon, Optimus Prime receiving the Matrix of Leadership from the Core, Exodus War For Cybertron One Shall Rise, Part 3 the population's Great Exodus from the planet, Exodus War For Cybertron Fall of Cybertron and the war eventually making its way to Earth, whose core is eventually revealed to be the sleeping body of Unicron. Transformers: Prime The Covenant of Primus
Cyberverse
The Great War in Cyberverse was a civil war between the Autobots and Decepticons. Lasting over 66 million years, it began as a political response to corruption, but Megatron's lust for power plunged the planet into war. Megatron Is My Hero
Significant moments from the Great War include: Megatron murdering the High Council, Matrix of Leadership the AllSpark being launched from Cybertron after Megatron's plans for it were discovered, Megatron Is My Hero Allspark the war entering a "Cold War" period, Fractured Sabotage and the war's arrival on Earth. Sea of Tranquility
The Allspark's return to the Well of the Allspark was the de-facto end of the war, Battle For Cybertron IV with the signing of the Treaty of the Wall formally ending the conflict The Immobilizers.
In another reality, Megatron killed Optimus Prime in the early stages of the Great War and claimed the Matrix of Leadership. Without Prime leading the Autobots, the Decepticons quickly won the war with Megatron using the Allspark to create his Decepticon supersoldiers. The Other One
EarthSpark
The Great War in EarthSpark, also known as the "Transformers' War", began as a fight for equality on Cybertron that dissolved into civil war. Warzone Megatron initially led the "dastardly Decepticons" against the "heroic Autobots", with the war eventually spilling over to Earth on September 17, 1984 via spacebridge. Secret Legacy, Part 1 Unique to this universe, Megatron began to realize the error of his ways, and would defect to the Autobots. Shockwave would become the Decepticon leader, and the war would be declared over after the Allspark was sent through a spacebridge back to Cybertron, its final fate left unknown. Warzone Secret Legacy, Part 1
