Seeker (body-type)
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| The name or term "Seeker" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Seeker (disambiguation). |
The term Seeker refers to Decepticon jet troopers who all share the same body-type. That is, the Decepticons in Generation 1 that looked like Starscream, but in different colors or with minor variations in wing and head shapes, and also the Decepticons in later franchises such as Armada where similar "families" of jets appear.
The word "Seeker" hovered a long time in a strange gray area between official and fan-coined terms. It seems to have originated in extremely obscure official or semi-official writing, but somehow became widely used among fans. In 2002, the term appeared in dialog from the first issue of The War Within from Dreamwave Productions, making it truly official after years of controversy. It has subsequently appeared in many other places such as on toy packaging, books, and in other stories.
- Japanese name: Jetron
Generation 1 Seekers
Originals
In Generation 1, there were six Seekers originally given names and characterization: Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Thrust, Dirge, and Ramjet. The first three, the season one Seekers, had animation designs done primarily by Shōhei Kohara.
Coneheads
The last three Generation 1 Seekers are usually designated as "Conehead" Seekers by fans for their distinctive transformation that leaves the jet nosecone pointing up. The animation models for the Conehead Seekers were designed by Floro Dery,
Skyraiders
The term "Skyraiders," (see alternate terms) was assigned to the prototypical Starscream-like air warriors that Skyquake developed at the very beginning of the war. The ranks of the Skyraiders did not seem to include any of the usual Seekers, but instead were comprised of other flying Decepticon characters. In addition to Skyquake himself, the Skyraiders were Leozack, Hellbat, Hooligan, and Gaihawk.
And all the rest
In the Generation 1 cartoon there were large numbers of generic, unnamed Seekers in addition to the named characters. They came in a wide variety of colors, from extra duplicates of Starscream or one of the other named guys, to original and distinct looks all their own. They seem to have formed the bulk of the Decepticon forces on Cybertron, as well as among Megatron's initial troops on Earth. They gradually became less common, perhaps as a result of casualties... or the cartoon's production team becoming more careful, or more-likely having more "actual" Decepticons to work with as the toy line expanded. (Extra Reflector units and alternate color cassettes were also used along with these Seekers, early on, to fill out the comparatively thin Decepticon ranks.)
These unsung Seekers would be recognized years later in Heroes of Cybertron toy form as the Air Warriors (all using the common lavender/white color scheme). Soon afterward, the Dreamwave Generation One comic series introduced an army of similarly-colored Seeker drones.
Around the same time, another background Seeker was also given a new life through toys and Dreamwave comics: Sunstorm. This yellow-orange Seeker was a nameless background character in the first episode of the Transformers cartoon, until e-Hobby turned him into an exclusive toy (available with an Autobot also based on a first-episode cameo). Now Hasbro can't get enough of him. Another generic Seeker was given attention: Acid Storm. Like Sunstorm before him, he was based on one of the background Seekers from the original cartoon, in this case the episode "Divide and Conquer" (see below).
Unnamed Seekers with their own distinct color schemes appear in the following episodes as noted below:
- In the "return to Iacon" scene on Cybertron, five to seven Seekers appear (wide shots depict a group of five, but the close-ups give us seven distinct color schemes.) The first three are (as far as colors are concerned) Skywarp, Starscream (with a deeper voice), and Thundercracker. In a following shot, we see a lavender Seeker with a flamethrower pack, a medium-blue Seeker with white trim, holding his arm gun like a rifle, a yellow/orange Seeker who would become Sunstorm... and lurking in the back, a very dark-blue Seeker with white trim barely visible, but there if you look.
- The mother lode of unnamed Seekers. Especially if you like variations of blue and lavender. Crowds of them appear at the start of the final battle. At least six different Seekers of various shades and decos of blue and at least or four of various shades and decos of lavender (two with black tail fins in jet mode, two with white). Also, a blue variant (seen in the picture above) missing his wings and shoulder vents appears in "Part 3". (The infamous "Lady in Purple" a piece of well known fanon, for possibly being female due to weak line strength in the art also appears here)
- Avert your eyes! One deep blue, one eye-burning bright green, and one garishly bright yellow. This trio is often referred to by fans as "the Rainmakers" because they started an acid rain shower to irritate a group of Autobots. The green jet in this grouping was made into the Universe Acid Storm character, whose name was initially supposed to be "Rainmaker," then "Acid Rain."
- Two blue variants and one really nice looking pine-green Seeker appear as part of Shockwave's forces trying to prevent the rescue of Sparkplug on Cybertron.
- One all-gray Seeker, one with Onslaught's coloration, and one with Silverbolt's. There's also an interesting Conehead variant. (All of which appear in the main image above.)
- One season 1-style Seeker with Dirge's colors appears in jet mode in the attack on Autobot City in the movie, and next to the actual Dirge in the episode.
- Puffy stickers
- A sheet of Transformer puffy stickers featured a rare generic with a Starscream-based color scheme. He is pictured above as well.
- This relatively obscure Sticker Adventures tale gives us a brief glimpse of a Seeker with a Thundercracker/Skywarp mix; blue body, purple tailfins and wing stripes. You can't tell much more about him, given that he is A: partially obscured and B: exploding.
UK Generation 2 comic
An unnamed seeker with a light blue body with white face, light red helmet and thighs, and yellow cockpit cover was hanging around when Megatron boarded the Ark. War Without End
Unicron Trilogy Seekers
According to one minor source in Armada, when any Transformer converts to a jet, he is called a "seeker"[1]. But the closest specific characters to the Generation 1 Seekers are this universe's own Starscream/Thundercracker/Skywarp trio. All three even used the same toy mold in their first release, although Skywarp was heavily retooled from the others (including getting an entirely new-mold Mini-Con partner). While new Decepticon-allied jet characters named Thrust and Ramjet were released in Armada, they each had their own unique molds. However, whereas Ramjet was simply the Mini-Con partner of Tidal Wave, Thrust was a bulk who even had a VTOL engine in jet mode, a conehead and vertically-oriented wings in robot mode. Although Thrust's original toy was green, redecos looked a bit more like his G1 incarnation.
Though only Starscream appeared in the follow-up franchise, Energon, several Seekers appeared in the final portion of the Unicron Trilogy, Cybertron. Starscream was back in a form heavily inspired by The War Within Starscream design (itself based on the "tetrajet" (see below)), while Thundercracker received a completely different body. A Skywarp was also released as a redeco of Thundercracker.
Further, the Legends of Cybertron Starscream toy, a tiny, simplified version of his main toy, was redecoed three more times: Skywarp as a giveaway at ComicCon 2005, Ramjet as a giveaway at BotCon 2005, and Sunstorm as part of the last wave of the LOC line at retail.
Live-action movie franchise Seekers
In the letters page for Titan's tie-in comic, the movie versions of Starscream, Thundercracker, and Ramjet were first referred to as Seekers—by Starscream himself, no less. Dreadwing was noticeably absent from Starscream's list, despite also being a jet and Thundercracker also being the name/body for a line of drones. This left it unclear what a Seeker is. #9's Star Screams
The term was used twice in IDW movie comics, meaning different things—Starscream's crack unit, and ancient spacefaring Transformers.
In the movie sequel, Jetfire describes himself as a Seeker. One of the early categories of Transformers, they were created to seek out stars which could be harvested for energon. Revenge of the Fallen
Shattered Glass
The term is taken to refer to a group of evil Autobots with car alternate modes who share the same color of black.
Alternate terms
The most obvious alternate name for these Transformers—and the one generally used by pack-in cross-sell catalogs—is Decepticon Planes. While usually clear enough from context, this term has the weakness that there are many Decepticon planes who are not "Seekers". Also, the term is rarely, if ever, used outside of toy-specific contexts.
The same Transformers are also sometimes referred to as tetrajets, which makes reference to their Cybertronian forms as seen in the cartoon episode "More than Meets the Eye, Part 1" and a handful of other episodes set on Cybertron. In these forms, their vehicular modes are shaped somewhat like tetrahedra, or "triangular pyramids" (that is, a pyramid with a triangular base).
For a time, the term Skyraider saw increasing popularity. This term originated from European Generation 2 marketing. When Starscream and Ramjet were released in this line, their packaging referred to them as Skyraiders. The UK Generation 2 comic also featured some character profiles (much like the old Transformers Universe comics), and those profiles for Starscream and Ramjet used the word as well. It is a relatively small leap to extend usage to all similarly-built Decepticons. The push to use "Skyraider" was largely founded on the idea of using an official term instead of one that was, seemingly, coined and used only by fans. When Simon Furman made use of "Seeker" in The War Within, however, this primary motivation was lost. "Skyraider" was used once again to describe the Starscream-like jet warriors in the BotCon 2009 set "Wings of Honor," and Skyquake was indicated as the body-type's developer.
The first UK cross-sell catalog referred to the group as strike planes.[2]
In Japan, they received the subgroup designation of Jetrons.
Origin of term "Seeker"
Although the most well-known name for these Decepticons, the wide use of the term "Seeker" is still somewhat mysterious.
The only known, documented use of the term is from the 1984 J.C. Penney holiday catalog (sometimes called a "wishbook"). On the page which shows the Christmas season's available Transformers, the following entry is found: "Decepticon Silver Plane. Airplane with sensational F-15 styling scours the countryside searching for Autobots. When they're found, the Seekers set out to destroy them. Transforms to an exciting robot with hi-tech weapons and Decepticon logo." A photo of Starscream and Thundercracker is displayed.
Also on the same page in an ad for Soundwave, he's said to send out messages to the Seekers and other Decepticons.
It has been rumored, but not demonstrated, that the term "Seeker" was used in some other early promotional materials. If so, then the term must have been handed down by Hasbro at some point. It hardly seems possible that the term could have been invented by a lowly copywriter at J.C. Penney who also just happened to decide to capitalize it. Still, though, if this catalog is the only primary source in which the term appears, it seems strange that it could have inspired the entire fandom to use the term. "Seeker" was in wide use among internet Transfans even in the early 1990s, when the fandom was just getting off its feet. Did somebody in the days of the Transformers email list have a memory of the word from when they saw this catalog at age 10 and start the trend? It is probably impossible to know at this point.
It is sometimes erroneously claimed that "Seeker" is derived from a line of dialog in the first episode of the G1 cartoon, in which these jets are referred to as "hunter-seekers". This line does not exist.
The term "hunter-seekers" is used in issue 17 of the US comic, "The Smelting Pool!". However, the Decepticons it is applied to are shown only in their flight modes, which look nothing like the "Seekers" that we are familiar with. In fact, the Conehead Seekers make their first appearance in this same issue, and their Cybertronian flight modes appear very similar to their Earth jet forms (if not completely identical), and completely different from the craft which are referred to as hunter-seekers. The only real connection between the hunter-seekers we were shown and the "Seekers" is that there's more than one of them and they fly.
Toys
Generation 1
- Decepticon Planes (1984)
- Decepticon Planes (1985)
- The original Seeker mold was the F-15 Diaclone design, noted for its detailed jet mode, extremely limited robot-mode articulation, and the need to remove/add many parts during transformation.
- The mold was initially decorated as Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker. In 1985, Ramjet, Dirge and Thrust were created out of this mold, each with unique new wing toolings and color schemes. Redecorated retools of the mold also appeared in Generation 2 as Starscream and Ramjet, featuring new accessory soundboxes.
- This mold subsequently has been extensively reissued and redecorated; see Starscream (G1) toys for a ridiculously long list of examples. The reissues have included the original six characters as well as the retro-Generation-1 character Sunstorm.
- Action Masters (1990)
- This non-transforming action figure mold was sold as Starscream, and later redecorated as Thundercracker for the European market.
Machine Wars
- Basic (1997)
- A small flipchanger mold, originally intended for Generation 2, was issued as Thundercracker and Skywarp.
Armada
- Max-Con (2002)
- An all-new mold sold at the $20 price point was originally issued as Armada Starscream, redecorated as Armada Thundercracker, and retooled as Armada Skywarp. The retooled version was later issued as the new character Ramjet in the first Universe toy line.
Smallest Transforming Transformers
- The Smallest line, issued in Japan in 2003, featured a reduced-scale version of the original Generation 1 Seeker mold.
- It was issued as Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker, and retooled as Thrust.
Robot Masters
- A new Seeker mold was created for Japan's Robot Masters subline. It is based on the original toy, but redesigned at a smaller size and with enhanced articulation.
- It was issued as Starscream, Skywarp and Thundercracker.
Titanium
- A new Seeker mold created for the Titanium Series subline features a Cybertronian-based alternate mode, derived from the characters' appearance in The War Within (itself loosely based on the original pyramid jets seen in "More than Meets the Eye, Part 1".) This mold has been issued as Thundercracker, Starscream, Skywarp (a convention exclusive), Sunstorm, and Thrust (a Target Exclusive).
Cybertron
- Voyager (2006)
- This mold, based on G1 Starscream's War Within appearance, was issued as Armada Starscream, and later redecorated as Generation 1 Dirge.
- Deluxe (2006)
- Though Thundercracker wasn't the same mold as Starscream in this series, his deluxe toy was redecoed as Skywarp.
- Legends of Cybertron (2006)
- A tiny version of the Voyager mold, issued as Armada Starscream, and redecorated as Universe Ramjet, Armada Skywarp and Sunstorm, and Generation 1 Ramjet and Thrust
Classics
- Deluxe (2006)
- An all-new mold at the $10 price point, the Classics Seeker design retains the F-15 alternate mode, but with a new transformation scheme and modern articulation.
- Like the original, this mold has been redecorated numerous times. In addition to the original six Seekers (some of which were BotCon-exclusive retools), it has also been issued as the character Acid Storm. The mold was sold in Japan under the Henkei! Henkei! line.
Masterpiece
- A larger-scaled, highly complex mold. Issued as Starscream in 2005, with later redecos as Skywarp and Thundercracker.
Movie (2007)
- Voyager
- The mold used for the the Transformers live-action movie Voyager class Starscream figure was remolded and repainted into Thundercracker (as well as a G1 recolor of Starscream.) For the Revenge of the Fallen line of toys, the mold was recolored again as Skywarp and Ramjet respectively.
- Fast Action Battler
- The Fast Action Battler version of Starscream was recolored into Ramjet in 2007.
Animated
- Voyager
- The Voyager class Starscream from Animated has been recolored into two of his clones already, Skywarp and Sunstorm with a release of Thundercracker on the way.
- Activator
- Starscream's Activator mold, a smaller, auto-transforming design based on the larger toy, was recolored into Thundercracker and Dirge, also based on the clones from the cartoon.
Merchandise
Super Collection Figure
- A small, PVC plastic figure based on the Seekers' animation model design. It was imported from Takara in the 2002 Heroes of Cybertron line.
- It was issued as Starscream, Thundercracker, Skywarp, Sunstorm, and as a three-pack of generic light purple Air Warriors. It was retooled and redecorated as Dirge and Ramjet.
Titanium Series
- A small, non-transforming die-cast metal figurine, based upon the Generation 1 cartoon appearance of the Seekers was available decoed as either Starscream or Thundercracker.
Myclone
- A super-adorable figurine mold of Starscream was issued for this line, and redecorated as the chase figure Thundercracker. A Coneheads mold was also available, issued as Ramjet and chase figure Dirge, and retooled as Thrust.
Robot Heroes
:Another super-adorable figurine of Starscream, this time launching himself into the air. Redecorated as Skywarp and Thundercracker. A Thrust mold from the same line has yet to be redecorated.
References
- ↑ Transformers Armada: The Awakening DK Readers book.
- ↑ Catalogue image at Transformers @ The Moon
