Lightning Bug

"For slag's sake, Lord Megatron, let it go!"
"NEVER!"

The Lightning Bug is a strange device that looks vaguely like a giant beetle on an altar; when the wings are moved into the proper position, it fires lightning bolt-like blasts of heat energy from its antennae.

Megatron took any excuse he could to hump it.

{{#if:Starscream| {{#if:Astrotrain"Cosmic Rust"|

Fiction

The Transformers cartoon

The Lightning Bug was found on the dead Autobot colony of Antilla by a small group of Decepticons in the year 1985 who took it back to Earth with them.

While leaving the planet, Megatron was struck by a meteor carrying Cosmic Rust spores. When Perceptor was abducted for his scientific expertise, he determined that the heat from the Lightning Bug was accelerating the spread of the disease. After Megatron refused to destroy the weapon, Perceptor correctly theorized that corrostop could cure the disease. After claiming the chemical, Megatron infected Perceptor with the disease and sent him back to the Autobots, using the Lightning Bug to quickly enhance the spread before he settled in to sadistically watch his foes crumble.

When the reprieve allowed the Autobots to find a way to produce more corrostop after harvesting some from the Statue of Liberty, Megatron ordered the Decepticons to destroy the Statue, giving the Lightning Bug to Menasor. When Menasor prepared to turn the Lighting Bug on the infected Autobots, the arrival of the uninfected Aerialbots caused him to drop the weapon. When the Aerialbots combined into Superion, the two combiners began a brawl for the weapon, the Autobot managing to destroy the Lightning Bug after separating Menasor. Unwilling to engage the combiner without Menasor or the Lighting Bug, Megatron ordered a retreat. Cosmic Rust

Wings Universe

Wings Universe is based on the Generation 1 cartoon, but deviates from it in cosmetic ways and continuity points.

In a conversation about ancient weapons, Swindle brought up the Lightning Bug and noted that people would pay top dollar for it. Over-Run didn't believe Swindle. Flames of Yesterday

Transformers Go! Go!

The Decepticons procured a Lightning Bug through means unknown and turned its destructive power on Perceptor, Ironhide, and Bumblebee while the three Autobots were out watching fireflies, not only endangering the Autobots but also threatening the fireflies' habitat. Though Ironhide's initial attempt at counterattacking failed as the weapon's glare rendered him unable to see where his opponents were, Perceptor applied his quick thinking to the situation and had Ironhide freeze a piece of Bumblebee's kibble with liquid nitrogen, turning it into a frozen mirror with which he reflected the Lightning Bug's glare back at it. The overheated weapon exploded, sending the Decepticons flying off into the distance with their tailpipes on fire. Go! Go! issue 40

Games

Transformers Legends

Megatron found the Lightning Bug on an old Autobot colony world and stole it, unaware that he and his men had been infected with Cosmic Rust. Cosmic Rust

Notes

Foreign names

• Japanese: Laser Hotaru (レーザーホタル Rēzā Hotaru, "Laser Firefly")