Thirteen

Guess the one on fire!

We are the 13, the first, the forgotten, each of us serving a function vital to the survival of the universe. Each of us designated a Prime and given a function to serve during the long march of infinity.Vector Prime, "Vector Prime: In the Beginning"

When Primus first created Cybertron, he created a crew of thirteen living robotic beings to man him. These beings, in imitation of Unicron's transformation abilities, were able to change their forms into the likeness of vehicles, weapons, and machinery. They were the first Transformers and all "Primes".

Many of the Thirteen died in a cataclysmic first battle with Unicron, where he was sucked down into a black hole and trapped along with his acolyte known as the Fallen, one of the Thirteen who had turned against his brothers and joined Unicron.

Of those that survived many abandoned their original functions and were lost to time. Only Vector Prime is known to still be following the path he was set upon by Primus.

There are other living, transforming robots created by Primus who predate the thirteen. The Covenant were made on a small moon as the test models, the prototypes as it were, for the later creation of the Transformer race, and the thirteen described here are the first (production run) of the actual race made by Primus on Cybertron. Despite the Covenant, the thirteen are frequently referred to as the "original" Transformers and so will be referred to as such here.

The Thirteen

Vector Prime steps forward from the First Thirteen Tabernacle Choir with a heartfelt solo.

The identities of the Thirteen remain shrouded in mystery.

Confirmed members are:

• Prima, the first Matrix-Bearer and first Transformer.
• "The Fallen" (original name unknown), the guardian of the force of entropy in universe
• Vector Prime, the guardian of Space and Time
• An unnamed Prime, the guardian of Rarified Energon, the primal substance of which all Transformer life is composed. This yet unnamed Prime is composed of Skyfall, Landquake, Breakaway, Topspin, and one as yet unrevealed robot.

Possible members are:

• The Liege Maximo

It is established he was created at the same time as the first Prime, but implies that this was perhaps unintended, so leaving open whether he should count as one of the thirteen.

The Liege Maximo was confirmed in Simon Furman's "Alignment" story as one of the first thirteen, but that story was "unofficial" and of debatable canonicity.

• Last Autobot

According to the words he spoke "Since Cybertron's Creation, I have slumbered within the planet, awaiting a time long foreseen by your creator, Primus", it can be inferred that he might be one of the thirteen. He may also be Vector Prime, but that seems dubious. Yes, Dubious! Look it up.

• Maccadam

Rumor on Cybertron says that he is one of the thirteen and that his bar exists outside regular space-time, linking all realities, though sometimes this rumor is chalked up to the imaginations of the bar's drunken patrons. The story "Prime Spark" from the Legends anthology confirms the rumor and the nature of the bar, but its place within broader continuity is questionable.

• Alpha Trion (A3),

Alpha Trion described himself as a first generation creation of Vector Sigma, which serves as the internal computer of Primus, of which Alpha Trion is also the guardian of. Transformers: The Ultimate Guide also said that he kept watch over the Transformers for Primus before Cybertron was attacked by an alien race, and Alpha Trion served as Primus's agent during the Universe conflict.

Numerous other very ancient Transformers exist, Boltax, the Keeper of the Underbase, and the Keeper, the protector of the slumbering Primus, but none have been yet included in the ranks of the first thirteen.

Functions

Aside from their base functions as "crew" for Primus's planet form and their duty to battle Unicron, the quote above hints that each was given another charge. Two of the three known members of The thirteen were also charged with protecting specific aspects of the multiverse. It is possible, but unconfirmed, that each of the other thirteen might also have originally had an assigned role as guardian to some aspect of reality.

Vector Prime was tasked with overseeing the space/time continuum. The robot who would become the Fallen was tasked with overseeing the process of universal entropy and creation.

Multiversal singularities?

There is some evidence to suggest that the original thirteen are multiversal singularities like Primus and Unicron, with only one version of each of them existing throughout all the multiverse. This is however, unconfirmed.

IDW Publishing

Chris Ryall has said there will be a miniseries dealing with Transformer origins, called The Thirteen. [1] What similarity this will have to the previous Original Thirteen stories is unknown.

From Teletraan I: The Transformers Wiki, a Wikia wiki.