Cannonball (Cybertron)
- Avast! Cannonball do be a Decepticon from the Cybertron portion of the Unicron Trilogy continuity family.
Leader of a gang of interstellar pirates and captain of the Sea Slag, the dread pirate they call Cannonball is only a Decepticon because Megatron lets his crew roam free, provided they leave the Decepticon starships alone and focus their attentions more on the Autobots. Cannonball is all too happy to do so. When he and his crew aren't looting and pillaging, they're causing trouble in some seedy port on Cybertron, using their ill-gotten gains to purchase black-market energon stars or dubious-sounding "pleasure programs".
Cannonball's crew can be readily identified by the bright airbrushed graphics that adorn their alternate modes. Cannonball himself features bright green Oingo Boingo-style skeletons.
Though "Cannonball" has been terrorizing spacelanes for centuries, it has not been this Cannonball... he is in fact the tenth space pirate to use that name and legacy. One day he will train a replacement to take his name, and that pirate will take on the legacy with a whole new crew. Until that day, though, Cannonball plans to live it up!
On Earth, Cannonball and his then-landlubber crew prowl the highways, robbing shipments and retreating to the mythical Pirate Oasis.
Arrrr.
Fiction
Cybertron cartoon continuity
The latest in the line of pirates known as Cannonball was captain of the Kalis' Lament after the defeat of Megatron. He had recruited several former Decepticons into his crew, including Brushguard, Buzzsaw, Runamuck and his first mate, Skywarp. One dark night in space, a probe returned to the ship with information about possible treasure -- a Force Chip aboard an Autobot ship that had been shot down over the planet Sandokan. Cannonball cautioned his crew about journeying to Sandokan, for it was a cursed planet if the tales were true. He gave Buzzsaw a good thrashing for doubting the stories. Instead of proceeding directly for the planet, Cannonball decided to come at the treasure sideways -- he called in an old favor from the mercenary Astrotrain, sending him on ahead to test the planet's defenses and seek out the Force Chip. If he were successful, so much the better; if he failed, at least Cannonball would have a better understanding of the planet and what protected it.
True enough, Astrotrain was overpowered by Synthos, the dark creature who controlled the world, empowered by the ancient Dark Heart of Sandokan. Cannonball and some of his crew arrived in advance of the Kalis' Lament in a small shuttle, seeking to take advantage of the creature after Astrotrain softened it up. Unfortunately for Cannonball, he lost track of the Autobots in the melee, and they managed to sneak aboard his shuttle and hijack the vessel, making off with the Force Chip and leaving Cannonball and crew stranded waiting for a pick-up. It wasn't a total loss, though -- Cannonball managed to recover the Dark Heart itself from Synthos, and left it in the gleeful and capable hands of his science officer, Brushguard, to unlock the crystal's secrets. The Dark Heart of Sandokan
Toys
Cybertron
- Cannonball (Deluxe class, 2006)
- Accessories: Earth-style Cyber Planet Key, hammer and claw attachments
- Cannonball is a redeco of the Cybertron Deluxe Red Alert toy, transforming into a Dodge Magnum with roof-mounted lights. In both vehicle and robot mode, inserting a Cyber Planet Key into his rear window releases a pair of flip-out (non-firing) blasters. Hidden in his legs (his car-mode hood) are hammer and claw attachments for the "blaster" stub on his left arm in place of a hand.
- He came with a silver-bordered Earth-style Cyber Planet Key, with the online Key Code "d2rz" (detours, get it?) stamped on the back.
- This mold was also redecoed to make the live-action movie Crankcase, and retooled to make Timelines Kup.
Universe
- Search for the Pirate Moon (multipack, 2007)
- Cannonball comes packaged with Cybertron Downshift.
Notes
- The idea that the "Cannonball" persona is passed from pirate to pirate over the years is an obvious nod to the Dread Pirate Roberts from The Princess Bride.
- Cannonball's online bio note has a discrepancy from the version on the package back. The online note refers to Cannonball's crew spending their loot on (in addition to black-market Energon stars) something referred to as "pleasure programs"; on the package, the line is the same, but "pleasure programs" has been replaced by the more family-friendly "hot, airbrushed graphics for their vehicle modes".
