Soundwave (Cybertron)
| The name or term "Soundwave" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Soundwave (disambiguation). |
- Soundwave is a Planet X Decepticon from the Cybertron portion of the Unicron Trilogy.
Soundwave is possibly Planet X's most physically intimidating warrior, but his true talent and the real threat comes from his "mad skillz" at creating confusion. His audio-altering abilities let him change his voice to sound like virtually anyone, or focus devastating sonic attacks. He also seems to be able to create illusions, though of limited duration, to further confuse his targets. The abilities of his companion Laserbeak only increase Soundwave's ability to confound and crush.
Even his speech seems to be geared towards throwing people off-balance; though his tone is often a deadpan monotone (at least, when he's not impersonating someone else), his speech is that of a rave-club DJ, announcing loudly to "all the bots in the hizzouse" that he's here to "lay some science down on you all". Despite the appearance these mannerisms give off, he's actually a very serious-minded and focused robot, far more than his fellow Planet X agent Sideways. His mission is manipulating Autobot and Decepticon alike to get his revenge on the citizens of Gigantion, and serving the will of Unicron.
Fiction
Animated continuity
Cybertron animated series
Special Attacks: Blaster Gun
Fan club Cybertron comic
Soundwave is said to be from a long-destroyed planet with an unforgiving list of ties to Unicron. He has served the planet destroyer for about a million years, once locating him a thousand years after Planet X's destruction. Planet X, being a long dead vessel of Unicron, contained his vast and endless memory to which Soundwave studied and learned of a source of power. This power was their creator, their homeworld, and also the creator of the Mini-Cons that Gigantion held so dearly.
It took him a thousand years to finally locate Unicron, a thousand years spent in isolation amongst the galaxy that eventually helped to surpress his social capabilities. Once finding Unicron, he struck a deal with the Chaos Bringer -- one million years of servitude for the power and chance to destroy Gigantion, the Giant Planet. Ironically, the singularity appeared at roughly the expiration date of Soundwave's agreement. After peering into Unicron's mind, Soundwave is said to be driven by a mad vision of universal destruction. Soundwave's desire for revenge is so linear, he has not realized how expendable he is against Unicron's greater agenda. (It's said that the other Planet X survivors serving Unicron eventually fell into madness.)
After arriving at Nemesis Prime's point of failure, he and Laserbeak are able to retrieve Unicron's spark from within the black hole by returning the dark matrix before chucking it into the singularity. This move led to Unicron's rebirth at the cost of a nearby planet. He is currenly serving Unicron at an undisclosed location.
Toys
Cybertron
- Soundwave w/ Laserbeak (Voyager-Class, 2005)
- Japanese ID number: GX-02
- Soundwave transforms into a Cybertronic stealth bomber somewhat akin to a F-117A Nighthawk. He comes with three hexagonal prism "bombs"; one converts into his partner Laserbeak, the other two unfold into non-firing blaster weapons. Any one of these "bombs" can be stored in his robot-mode chest, which opens by plugging a Cyber Planet Key into him. The other two store in indents on the underside of his wings. He comes with a silver-bordered Planet X style Cyber Planet Key; the Hasbro version has the Key Code "vmj8" tampographed on the back.
- The Japanese version has more elaborate paint applications, particularly around the face and wings. This version also has vaccum-metalized plastic, but lacks the Decepticon sigil.
- This mold was later used to make Galaxy Force Soundblaster.
- Soundwave (Legends of Cybertron, 2005)
- This incredibly-simplified version of the original Soundwave toy was made available in the third wave of Legends of Cybertron product. It is worth noting that his jet-mode cockpit does not attach to his left arm, but rather just kind of hangs awkwardly off his left hip.
Trivia
- Many Soundwave figures in the initial run of the Japanese Galaxy Force version had a serious misassembly issue preventing the toy from correctly transforming into fighter mode. The large hinge bar that connects the upper torso to the waist is bolted crookedly on one side, making it impossible for the legs to properly form the sides of the fighter.
