Thirteenth Prime
| The name or term "Thirteen" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Thirteen (disambiguation). |
The Thirteenth Prime is the last of the original epic warriors of Cybertron. Cloaked in mystery even more than his fellow Primes, this warrior's legacy is carried forwards in the present day by those who wield the Matrix of Leadership. He is sometimes known by the epithet of the Arisen, or simply as Thirteen.
Fiction
Aligned continuity family
The Thirteenth Prime was Optimus Prime, the mediator and visionary of the Primes, who united them by being the first of their number to raise a hand in greeting. After the Thirteen were torn apart by internal conflict, Optimus chose to be reborn as an ordinary Cybertronian through the Well of All Sparks, losing memory of his past and becoming known as Orion Pax. Pax would eventually take up the Matrix of Leadership to become Optimus Prime once again, and—after sacrificing his life to restore Cybertron—rejoined his brethren in the Realm of the Primes, where they trained him for a mission to Earth in order to defeat his fallen brother Megatronus.
2005 IDW continuity
- First appearance: The Transformers vol. 2 #47 (mentioned); Till All Are One #9 (obscured image)
Like the other Primes, the thirteenth of their number once ruled over one of the Thirteen Tribes in the ancient days of Cybertron. Along with four others, he was attracted to the Crystal City alliance and became one of the planet's Thirteen Primes. As Crystal City grew and expanded, he joined his fellow Primes in its citadel. The First Who Was Named
He and his brethren would later vanish from the planet when war tore the tribes apart, and disappeared into legend. For reasons unknown, his name was stricken from history, along with that of his brother Megatronus; whereas Megatronus became known only as "the Fallen", he was dubbed "the Arisen". Lagrange Eons afterwards, Shockwave would unknowingly send one of his Regenesis ores to a planet associated with the Arisen. Shockwaves The Crucible The First Who Was Named
Like his fellows, the Arisen would be deified by subsequent generations of Cybertronians. He in particular would go onto to be revered as the "true Prime", Unforgivable and was foretold to lead Cybertron's defence during Unicron's second coming, bringing peace to the universe when he slew the Chaos Bringer. Last Stand
In the present day, upon meeting Optimus Prime, the Mistress of Flame of Caminus came to believe that he was the Arisen. The Medium and the Message Pyra Magna and her Torchbearers considered this sacrilege, and departed from the Mistress's service for it. Lagrange Optimus did not believe it himself either, but he unwittingly lent credence to the Mistress's beliefs when he annexed Earth into the Council of Worlds, and raised Metrotitan from beneath the planet's surface. This seemed to prove both that Earth was one of the Thirteen Primes' colonies, and that, thanks to his ability to command its Titan, Optimus's divine identity was also true. The Medium and the Message Optimus would not even countenance the notion, but began to exploit the religious faith that Caminus and the other colonies placed in him in order to accomplish good deeds on Earth. Dance Among the Shadows
When Onyx Prime returned to Cybertron, Optimus Prime invited him down to the surface for a rational discussion. Onyx agreed, declaring the state of Cybertron as Optimus's responsibility, for the younger Prime was none other than the Arisen. Surfeit of the Primes
During the conversation with Onyx, he referred to Optimus as the Arisen, before Optimus requested to simply be referred to by his name, a request Onyx acquiesced to. When Windblade tried to take over the discussion, the Mistress came to Optimus's defence, reiterating her belief that he was the Arisen. Another Mine Once Optimus had seemingly perished, Liege Maximo would also refer to him as having been the Arisen. The Hallowing
As Optimus and Arcee fought their way to the heart of Unicron, the latter tried convince Optimus to retreat, citing the Antillan war as her responsibility. Optimus refused, claiming to be the Arisen and that he alone shouldered the responsibilities for the sins of the Primes' tainted lineage. Before he could elaborate on the statement to the confused Arcee, the two reached the black hole at the centre of Unicron. Ceremony Ultimately however, Optimus would pass before he could explain his claim to Arcee. Reflecting on one of her final conversations with Optimus, however, Arcee realized it hadn't mattered who the Arisen had been. What mattered was the inspirational legacy he had left behind. Post
Titans Return cartoon
During the clash between Metroplex and Trypticon, the Mistress of Flame prayed to Sentinel Prime and the other Primes, asking for his wisdom to help them solve the crisis. Overlord and Emissary
Power of the Primes marketing material
The Prime Master of the Thirteenth formed the core of the Matrix of Leadership, which selected Optimal Optimus as its bearer. Throne of the Primes packaging
Cyberverse cartoon
In a darker timeline, Optimus Prime was slain in his initial confrontation with Megatron and his spirit came to rest as the Thirteenth Prime within the accumulated wisdom of the Matrix of Leadership. When the Matrix was stolen away to another universe and pierced by a psychic shard of the native Windblade, Optimus' spirit guided her to destroy the Matrix so she could save her own universe. Optimus was presumably laid to rest for good when Windblade followed his orders and destroyed the talisman from within. The Other One
2019 IDW continuity
When the Matrix of Leadership merged with Orion Pax, its Mediator program explained that, although the talisman had been carried by a number of Cybertronians over the years, they were but stewards until the Matrix found the Thirteenth Prime, its true bearer. Prime
One film
The Thirteenth Prime was Zeta Prime, the first bearer of the Matrix of Leadership. After many years fighting against the Quintessons, Zeta and his brethren were lured into a trap by their aide Sentinel, who had betrayed them to their enemies. Sentinel personally killed Zeta with Nexus Prime's gun and took the Matrix from his corpse, only for it to crumble in his hands, Primus having deemed Sentinel unworthy. Zeta's spirit would eventually appear to Orion Pax within Cybertron's core, he and his fellow Primes bearing witness to Orion's reformatting as the Matrix's newest bearer, Optimus Prime.
Age of the Primes marketing material
The Thirteenth Prime was Star Optimus Prime, bearer of the Zodiac orb and "guiding light" of the Primes. Age of the Primes reveal panel He was amongst the first generation of Transformers created by Primus, with all subsequent generations flowing from he and his siblings' Energon bloodlines. Eons later, a young Optimus Prime was granted immense size and power by the Zodiac orb to become Star Optimus Prime in the present day. Age of the Primes Star Optimus Prime bio
Games
Transformers: Forged to Fight
Megatronus immediately recognized Optimus Prime as 13, a fellow original Prime, and asked him to accept the truth of his past. Optimus Prime didn't really seem to understand what Megatronus was talking about. Forged to Fight
Transformers: Earth Wars
Transformers Roleplaying Game
The Arisen was a mysterious figure prophesied to one day return. In ancient times, he wielded the Scepter of Sparks, and some ancient humans knew him as the mythical Heracles. Some mystically-inclined Cybertronians believed that the Arisen still lives today, all memories of his previous self lost to time. Transformers One Sourcebook
Toys
Power of the Primes
- Throne of the Primes (Leader Class, 2018)
- TakaraTomy ID number: PP-43
- TakaraTomy release date: January 26, 2019
- Known designers: Marcelo Matere (throne designer, packaging artist)
- Power of the Primes "The Thirteenth" is a retool of the Vector Prime/Metalhawk inner robot, replacing that toy's blue parts with newly molded parts based on Prima's appearance in the Marvel Generation 1 comic, packaged in the Throne of the Primes set.
- This toy has identical features to the other Prime Masters in the line. The Titan Master-like robot can store inside decoy armor or ride Legends Class figures in vehicle mode, and is fully compatible with toys from the previous Titans Return line. The "Power Swap" gimmick means its spark form can plug onto any decoy armor's weapon form (which has a 5 mm post to be held by larger figures), Deluxe Class figures' chest armor, Voyager Class figures' bucklers, Leader Class figures' Matrix (in place of their Matrix core), combiners' torsos (in place of their Enigma of Combination), or the included Scepter of Sparks or Halo of Primus accessories. With the power of your imagination, this bestows the Prime Master's unique power on the larger figure.
- This set debuted at San Diego Comic-Con 2018, and was later sold via Hasbro Toy Shop online. It was also available at general retail in Taiwan.
Age of the Primes
Changin' the world to be ours
- Star Optimus Prime (Titan Class, 2025)
- Accessories: MT-13 Micro Trailer, 2-part tread unit, rifle, ammo clip, Energon bullet, swivel turret/blaster, Matrix/hilt, shoulder cannons, Zodiac orb, 14 blast effects
- Known designers: Mark Maher (Hasbro), Shuhei Umezu (TakaraTomy)[1]
- The Age of the Primes incarnation of the Thirteenth Prime is Titan Class "Star Optimus Prime," a full, proper update of the original Star Convoy figure, turning into a large truck with a wheeled cab and treaded trailer and a base almost identical to the design of the original. He comes packaged with a rifle evoking the design of the original's "Galaxy Bomber," as well as 2 removable pairs of shoulder turrets, a second smaller turret, and a "sword hilt" adapter doohickey resembling the Silver Matrix included with the Generations Selects iteration of Star Convoy, all 5 mm port compatible. The rifle and turret can combine with the hilt to form a longer rifle, reproducing the "Big Bang Cannon" configuration of the Selects figure. A removable Energon bullet is included that can store in the gun, in homage to the bounteous bullet casings flying in Ban Magami's original TV Magazine illustrations.[1] The bullet is undocumented in the instructions, and doesn't attach to 5 mm gun barrels or 3 mm blast effect nodes. The hilt/Matrix is stored in the back of one of the legs when not in use, while the guns are simply attached to the roof of the trailer. Like most past Titans, Star Optimus Prime also includes multiple Fire Blast effects, though he comes with more sets than others. The hilt can connect to any of them and be wielded by Optimus as a flaming sword. Lastly, the figure comes with a small Zodiac orb that serves as his Artifact, and is accordingly marked with his personal emblem. The Zodiac can store in his chest as seen in The Battlestars story pages. The hilt can be used as a dais to center the otherwise-dwarfed Zodiac within the chest cavity.[2]
- As with the original figure, Star Optimus Prime comes with a Micromaster version of Hot Rod and a Micro Trailer to transport him. The vehicle's cab can be lifted up to expose a pair of cannons, and it can be equipped with the turret and one of the shoulder cannons to serve as a battle platform for Hot Rod resembling the battle station of the original Rodimus Prime toy. This battle station, sans the turret, is meant to be added to the base mode. The Micro Trailer is labeled as "MT-13," both because it comes with the Thirteenth Prime, and about the original Star Convoy coming with the fourteenth, unnumbered entry in Return of Convoy's assortment of Micro Trailers whose numbering stopped at MT-12.[3] The Micro Trailer can store inside one of the figure's legs, while Hot Rod fits his chest cavity (easily cohabitating with the Zodiac). A "tread unit" intended to be a new version of Roller's "Micro Carrier" form is also included in the form of the 2-piece, A.I.R. Lock-compatible, ramp assembly for the base mode, which can store on the back of the legs. The Micro Carrier is intended to act as the primary home of the larger turret and features a spinning gimmick for the purpose.
- Star Optimus Prime has a minor misassembly - in many specimens, the clear plastic chest windows are not fully pressed flush into the chest cavities, leaving visible gaps at the corners. This can be fixed by unscrewing the clear plastic piece and maneuvering the corners better into position.
- Notably, Star Optimus Prime is smaller than his Titan Class predecessors, standing at a mere 15 inches. This coincides with the price decrease of Titans from $199.99 USD to $149.99 USD.
- Designer commentary on Age of the Primes Star Optimus Prime from Mark Maher on Instagram:
- Machine translation of Star Optimus Prime's TakaraTomy bio
| Siege accessory mold: Jetfire's Fire Blast effects | ||
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| Siege accessory mold: Omega Supreme's Fire Blast effects | ||
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Notes
- The "Multiversal" Thirteen established by Fun Publications in Ask Vector Prime do not seem to have an especially significant thirteenth member.
- The Prime Master of The Thirteenth is visually based on Prima as he appeared in the Marvel Transformers comics.
- It's not entirely explicit what's going on with The Thirteenth in Power of the Primes, but context clues seem to indicate that he's in some way the embodiment of the Matrix of Leadership itself: he isn't mentioned in the description of the Halo of Primus, which only mentions the "12 Prime Masters", but shows The Thirteenth as the core of the Matrix, and the exclusive Prime Master collector card marked with his symbol only describes how the Matrix has chosen Optimal Optimus to lead Cybertron into a new era.[4] This would seem to line up with comments made by Hasbro representatives at San Diego Comic-Con 2017 that the Thirteenth Prime was whoever bore the Matrix of Leadership.
- Age of the Primes is similarly light on details, with Hasbro characterizing Star Optimus Prime as created at the dawn of time with the other Primes via inclusion in the line's "descendant" gimmick while TakaraTomy employed a version of the original Star Convoy's characterization as a modern-day Optimus Prime upgraded by the Zodiac in the Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity. Little attempt is made to bridge the two, though the most straightforward No-Prize is some iteration of Aligned Optimus Prime's reincarnation schtick.
- The Transformers One Sourcebook for the Transformers Roleplaying Game suggests that the Arisen could turn out to be Optimus, Rodimus or Sentinel Prime, or even a player character!
Foreign names
- Japanese: The Thirteen (ザ・サーティーン Za Sātīn)
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Transformers Age of the Primes Reveal | Dive into the Legacy of the Thirteen Primes | Hasbro Pulse with Mark Maher and Nate Purswell
- ↑ Part II of Hasbro designer Mark Maher's design notes on Age of the Primes Star Optimus Prime, on Instagram
- ↑ "When I realized that Microtrailer 13 was the natural next number for the trailer I realized it was all truly meant to be. What a wild ride. I love Transformers!"—Mark Maher, Instagram reel, 2025/01/20
- ↑ The description of the Halo also mentions that "the powers of Primus are united as one", but whether this means as one bearer or as one Prime Master is left frustratingly vague.
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Alternate members
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