Sludge (G1)
| This article is about the Generation 1 Dinobot brontosaurus. For the Wal*Mart-exclusive Dinobots series dimetrodon, see Sludge (Dinobots). |
- Sludge is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.
"Sludge dumb," is how Grimlock, the Dinobot commander himself, describes the plodding Autobot. The Dinobots have a perhaps undeserved reputation for being dimwitted, but Sludge is the genuine article. He makes the other four look like scholars in comparison.
As Sludge can't make much of an impression in the mental department, he likes to make his presence known physically. He'll stomp his hefty hide around just so you know he's there. None of the Dinobots really like Optimus Prime, but he and Slag share an especially intense dislike for him. Sludge believes that the strongest should lead, and in his mind, Grimlock is the strongest Autobot. But Sludge genuinely believes in the Autobot cause, so he tolerates Prime. Beyond that, Sludge is actually what you might call nice... Maybe not to Swoop's level, but nicer than the other guys.
| “ | Sludge no like Predacons. Let's stomp! | ” |
—Sludge's solution to every problem, "Call of the Primitives" | ||
- Preliminary names: Brontobot, Piledrive,[1] Bronton[2]
- Italian name: Bronto
- Portuguese name (Brazil comic): Chafurda
- Hungarian name: Iszap
- French-Canadian name: Terro
- French name : Slug
Fiction
Cartoon continuity
- Voice actor: Frank Welker (English), Kenyū Horiuchi, Minoru Inaba (The Movie only) (Japanese), Georges Atlas (French)
Sludge was developed, along with his fellow Dinobots Slag and Grimlock, after the Autobots discovered dinosaur bones in their volcanic headquarters. Inspired by the power of the prehistoric beasts, Wheeljack and Ratchet built a trio of Dinobots to add firepower to the Autobot forces. The Dinobots proved too dangerous at first, and Optimus Prime ordered Wheeljack to abandon the Dinobot project. Wheeljack continued improving the trio of titans in secret, crafting memory components that made them smarter and easier to control. When the rest of the Autobots were captured by the Decepticons at the Great Falls hydroelectric power plant, Wheeljack dispatched the Dinobots to free their comrades and destroy the Decepticons. The Dinobots succeeded in forcing a Decepticon retreat and were welcomed as members of the Autobot team. S.O.S. Dinobots
Sludge's greatest weakness was his sheer stupidity. Megatron exploited the Dinobots' weaknesses to turn them against Optimus Prime, Sludge merely choosing to follow whichever leader was "strongest". When Optimus Prime risked his life to boldly save Grimlock, the Dinobots rejoined him. War of the Dinobots
The Ultimate Doom, Part 2 Countdown to Extinction Heavy Metal War Atlantis, Arise! Day of the Machines Dinobot Island, Part 1 Dinobot Island, Part 2 Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 1 Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2
During the Battle of Autobot City, Sludge and the Dinobots attacked Devastator. During the attack, Devastator struck Sludge so hard his optic sensors bulged out of his head. Later, the Dinobots escaped with Kup and Hot Rod, only to be shot down over Quintessa. The Dinobots later located the two Autobots with the help of Wheelie, and Sludge and Slag dispatched a Quintesson prosecutor—by standing on top of a door under which he'd been caught. Later, Sludge was able to tail-whip the butt of a god. TFTM
Sludge and Snarl were later left to guard Cybertron when a seemingly resurrected Optimus Prime returned, saying that Hot Rod, Kup, Ultra Magnus, and Arcee had been killed by the Quintessons. When the aforementioned Autobots turned up on Cybertron alive, Arcee said that she was happy to see them, but Sludge was not happy, as he thought that meant he and Snarl were dead. Dark Awakening
Thief in the Night Webworld Grimlock's New Brain
Later, he was among the Primitives who were summoned by Primacron's assistant to fight Tornedron, along with the Predacons and the Terrorcons. When Headstrong insulted Grimlock, Sludge, who didn't like the Predacons, suggested that they stomp them. When Tornedron arrived on the Oracle's planet, Sludge and the Autobots were defeated during an attempted ambush on the creature. Call of the Primitives
Japanese cartoon continuity
The Headmasters cartoon
When the Decepticons invaded Cybertron to conquer Vector Sigma, Sludge defended the planet alongside his fellow Dinobots. The Mystery of Planet Master
Marvel Comics continuity
Generation 1
While the Autobots remained dormant inside Mount St. Hilary, the Ark detected Cybertronian life. Dispatching a probe, the Ark learned that Shockwave had come to Earth and was wandering the Savage Land. The Ark used data gathered from the Savage Land to convert five of the dormant Autobots into the Dinobots. They traveled to fight Shockwave, but all combatants became trapped in a tar pit. The Last Stand The Dinobots were later freed by Ratchet and helped him fight and defeat Megatron. Repeat Performance!
Sludge, like the other Dinobots, went a-wandering after this but reverted to his base instincts after his primary cybo-dendrons burnt out, probably because the insulation that protected them had been eroded by 4 million years submerged in a tar-pit. Sludge ended up in the waterways of Littlewood, California, where he was befriended by Joy Meadows. Unfortunately, the Decepticons attacked, took him away from his newfound love, and made him fight Grimlock. Dinobot Hunt!
While Sludge was recovering from brain surgery, he dreamed of Joy Victory!, and when he'd recovered, he saw her on TV and decided to search her out. It was lucky he did, because the Intelligence and Information Institute had marked her for death to protect their Robot-Master story. Sludge saved her life, and she hooked up with the Dinobots, though both she and they viewed Sludge's open crush as quite weird. However, even the power of unrequited love couldn't stop the Decepticons from defeating the Dinobots and forcing Joy to stop her investigation. In the National Interest. Later on, he ended up fighting Galvatron, Fallen Angel being destroyed by an Underbase-powered Starscream before being revived with Nucleon by Grimlock, and fighting Unicron before being killed and then resurrected by the Last Autobot as the Autobots finally won...
Marvel UK future timelines
In 2008, Sludge and the Dinobots were one of several special units unleashed on the Decepticon attack force when Scourge and Cyclonus led the 'Cons on a siege of the Autobots' main base on Cybertron. Autobot High Command soon learned this assault was only a distraction, however, engineered by Unicron himself who was reconstructing himself on the planet of Junk. When Smokescreen returned from Junk with this news, Rodimus Prime gathered Scattershot, Grimlock, and the rest of the Dinobots with him to make an assault on Junk. Much to Rodimus's dismay, Sludge and the Dinobots didn't hold back at all when attacking the Junkions Unicron had mind-controlled into doing his bidding, and tore through them as if they were any other enemy. The Legacy of Unicron!
Earthforce
After Grimlock revived the Dinobots under mysterious circumstances, Shockwave and his Decepticons attempted to beat the information out of the Dinobots. Didn't work too well. Sludge engaged in some serious swordplay with Motormaster, pitting energo-sword against ionizer sword. The Decepticons were quickly driven off. Two Steps Back! Naturally, when Optimus Prime put Grimlock in charge of Autobot activity on Earth, Sludge and the Dinobots joined his new Earthforce. Break-Away!
Early on, the Dinobots tried to teach Grimlock the value of a good joke; he pelted them with the world's largest snowball. Snow Fun! Later, they tried to teach Slag the value of not killing everyone in sight and chewing on their circuitry; he got a little hot and bothered and left them a little... run down. The 4,000,000 Year Itch!
Later, Snarl began to suffer from the rusting disease called Corrodia Gravis, leaving Earthforce in the uncomfortable position of getting help from the only Transformer who could give Snarl a compatible systems boost: Starscream. Fortunately, they found the perfect opportunity for quid pro quo when they came upon the Decepticons' Louisiana headquarters and found Starscream under attack by Megatron, Shockwave and a group of assassins. Grimlock stuttered a bit on the order, but he sent Sludge and Swoop to keep Starscream alive. They fought off the Mayhems and kept Starscream around long enough for him to give Snarl the boost. The Lesser Evil
Another Time and Place
Several months after the golden age of Cybertron was reintroduced, Sludge and most of his fellow Dinobots had succumbed to the transfiguring effects of Nucleon and lost their ability to transform. When Grimlock received information that the Hydrus Four facilities had reopened, and discovered a means of reversing Nucleonic changes, the Dinobots jumped at the idea. Despite Prime's half-hearted warnings, Sludge and his teammates followed Grimlock back to Hydrus Four in the hopes of becoming Transformers once again. They were followed by the "exiled" Decepticons, however, and a battle with a huge native creature delayed the Dinobots long enough for Bludgeon's crew to get ahead of them and take over the Nucleon facility. The Dinobots were laid low by a Holocaust Trigger, overloading their sensory circuits so that they were helpless before the Decepticons. Cruelly tortured, the Dinobots were still left alive so that they could witness the rebirth of Megatron, thanks to the Nucleon infusions Bludgeon was feeding him. Luckily, the Autobots had long since learned to become worried whenever the Dinobots were out of sight for too long, and had followed them to Hydrus Four. Roadhandler, Tote and several Micromasters managed to free the injured Dinobots, and an Autobot strike force brought down their Decepticon captors. The Nucleon reversion process was a success, and Sludge and his comrades were restored to fully operational Transformers. Another Time and Place
Generation 2
Sludge and the Dinobots were fighting alongside Grimlock and a small group of Autobot firestormers when they uncovered the Cybertronian Empire and their terraforming measures. After calling in Optimus Prime and the rest of the Autobots, they became part of a major offensive against not only Jhiaxus and his ilk, but everything they represented. War Without End! Despite Prime serving as overall commander, however, Sludge and his buddies were still Dinobots first and foremost. So when Grimlock wanted to take first strike action against Prime's orders, there was no question who they'd follow. Sludge and the others were captured almost immediately, though, and only escaped thanks to the timely intervention of Optimus Prime and his more loyal group of soldiers. Devices and Desires!
Sludge continued to fight alongside the Autobots with his Dinobot comrades, on both Earth and Ethos. The Gathering Darkness Escalation! Later, after the Autobots forged an alliance with the first-generation Decepticons against the Cybertronians, the Dinobots got into the spirit of things -- they teamed up with Headstrong and Weirdwolf in a metal-munching contest, to see who could chow down on the most Cybertronians.
Man, too bad Hun-Grrr and Skullcruncher weren't there to make it a real contest. Total War!
Classics
Dreamwave comics continuity
Sludge was originally part of Grimlock's Lightning Strike Coalition. They were a small squad that basically ran amok disrupting the Decepticons (which typically involved stealing energon and taking names). He didn't have much of a speaking role (like at all) and basically plodded along and smashed whatever Grimlock told him to. Later he and his fellow Dynobots (minus Grimlock who was busy executing other people for treason) aided Prowl's group with Trypticon before joining forces with good ol' one eye to help against The Fallen. Later, he went to Earth along with the other Dynobots to go crush some bugs and eventually wound up under Megatron's control. They were used to blackmail Grimlock to serve the Decepticons once again; however, Meg's defeat allowed them to be freed by their mighty leader and taken to Cybertron (in a stolen Decepticon vessel no less) where they did what they did best, causing massive destruction against Shockwave's regime. However this was cut short as old one eye let loose the Guardian Robots after them, leading to some 'rest time'. They were last seen being briefed by Ultra Magnus as well as standing around being huge.
Devil's Due G.I.Joe vs Transformers comics
When Teletran 3 malfunctioned and sent a random number of Transformers into different points in Earth's timeline, Sludge and his comrades ended up in the planet's distant past, where they were reformatted into dinosaurs and took on the "Dinobot" moniker. They were eventually brought back to present day Cybertron by a group of G.I. Joes and a Cobra Viper, where their powerful dinosaur modes easily overwhelmed Shockwave and his troops. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II issue 4
Transformers Legends anthology
Sludge agreed with Grimlock's plan to deal with a helpless Starscream by slagging the Decepticon and scattering the pieces. Redemption Center
IDW Generation 1 comics
Sludge and the other Dynobots followed Grimlock to revenge themselves against Shockwave, who blew up a cache of energon they had stolen. When Shockwave traveled to Earth, the Dynobots pursued him and reformatted themselves to transform into robotic dinosaurs with a synthetic skin as a defense against energon overload. Sadly, it did not protect the Dynobots from Shockwave's energy blasts, which melted the artificial skin and caused the Dynobots to go into stasis lock due to excessive energon radiation. Due to a deadman's switch, the Dynobots' ship (the Skyfire) blasted a volcano that buried everyone in molten lava. Spotlight: Shockwave
Thousands of years later, the Dynobots were eventually excavated by Skywatch, and though Grimlock was the first to be brought back online, he was freed from Skywatch's control through a virus implanted by a Machination spy (under orders from Scorponok). Scorponok wanted Grimlock to join him, but Grimlock refused, fought Scorponok and escaped, vowing to find and rescue Sludge and the other Dynobots. Scorponok, however, plans to take control of the Dynobots himself and use them to assassinate Grimlock. Spotlight: Grimlock
Skywatch activated Sludge, and in a test run, had him attack a bi-plane. When Grimlock showed up in Fallon, he and the other Dynobots were sent to intercept him. Maximum Dinobots #1
He smashed through buildings, rammed Grimlock and got chucked around by his neck before his reprogramming was toned down, allowing him to find out Grimlock had set up a dead man's switch without telling the team and then hear Grimlock's defense. Sludge's face went ":(" during this. Maximum Dinobots #2
Along with the other Dinobots, Sludge walked away after Swoop read Grimlock the riot act. When Grimlock was attacked and almost destroyed by the Sunstreaker clones, however, the team reunited once again for battle. Although fighting valiantly, they might have been destroyed, if not for the intervention of the Monsterbots, who were earlier contacted by Grimlock. Maximum Dinobots #3
Aboard the Monsterbots' ship, Sludge and the others wonder why Grimlock would side with the outcasts. They gave Grimlock a stern look when he exited the cockpit. The Dynobots didn't see the point of fighting Scorponok, but Grimlock said that Scorponok made it their fight when he turned the Dynobots against him. Snarl disagreed, saying that it has always been Grimlock's fight, that he and the other Dynobots went along with him, and that it was now Grimlock's wounded pride at stake. After the Monsterbots blasted away the defenses, Grimlock exited the ship, saying that there was no way he could let this go, and that with or without the Dynobots, there would be a reckoning for Scorponok. The Dynobots decided that arguing is pointless and followed Grimlock. When Hunter O'Nion pulled the cords from Sunstreaker's head, shutting him down, the clones ceased to function. Sludge cried out in victory, but the moment is short-lived as Scorponok blasted Sludge into stasis. Maximum Dinobots #4
Grimlock stared down at Sludge's dead body, brooding about how it was his fault Sludge was dead... while a battle between Scorponok and Shockwave (for rights of revenge upon Grimlock) raged on around him. Eventually Snarl, Slag, and Swoop decide to get to the Monsterbots' ship while the getting was good, but Grimlock stayed behind with Sludge. Grimlock tried infusing some of his spark energy into Sludge to revive him, but it seemed to have no effect. Shockwave got the upper hand and let Scorponok escape, and in frustration, Grimlock attacked Shockwave. Grimlock and Shockwave were too busy fighting to notice the return of Slag, Snarl, and Swoop, who reasoned that, while helping Grimlock might not be much of a cause, it still beat being no better than the Monsterbots. They were noticed by Sludge, however, who seemed to have recovered due to Grimlock's treatment after all. The four of them dove into the fray proper, but Grimlock ordered them to go after Scorponok instead. When Hot Rod was about to get squished by Scorponok, the remaining Dynobots showed up in just the nick of time. At Hot Rod's urgings, Swoop severed the connections keeping Scorponok's head conscious. But before the Dynobots could kill the rest of Scorponok, Ultra Magnus showed up and told them that Scorponok would be revived and made to answer to a tribunal instead. He then said they should purge the entire Machination facility, gather up all related Machination technology, and get as far away from Earth as possible as soon as possible—a plan that the Dynobots, Hot Rod, and Hunter were all perfectly OK with. Ultra Magnus later told Grimlock that having Scorponok and Shockwave in custody could help offset Grimlock's own sentence, and that the other Dynobots' warrants had been canceled, and Grimlock was content with that and the fact that Sludge was alive again thanks to him. Sludge and the others meanwhile happily repaired the Skyfire. Maximum Dinobots #5
Toys
Generation 1
- Sludge (Dinobot, 1985/1986/1991/1992)
- Japanese ID number: 27
- Accessories: "Energo-Sword", "Electron Cannon", "Rocket Pod", 3 rockets
- Sludge was released as part of the second series of Transformers in 1985, transforming into a robotic "brontosaurus". He has a trio of silver rockets, a rocket launcher, a black gun, and a red sword. Like most Diaclone-era molds, Sludge also has a conspicuous driver compartment located in his chest.
- Sludge was re-released in the European "Classics" line in 1991. In Japan, he and the other Dinobots were offered as mail-away items during Operation Combination; Sludge cost 2300 yen (his original retail price) and two robot points.
- In stark contrast to most Transformers toys of his era, Sludge is fairly well articulated in robot mode. He has a waist swivel, his legs move in and out at the hips as well as back and forth, and he has articulated knees. He also has articulated elbows and wrists, although they can only bend inward. Still, impressive for his time. He can totally facepalm.
Trivia
- Sludge was originally a Diaclone "Dinosaur Robo Brontosaurus". The only differences between this incarnation and the Transformers release is that the Diaclone version has a gold-chromed sword, plus came with a red-and-black Diaclone pilot figure.
- Sludge turns into a Brontosaurus (a sauropod dinosaur), a dinosaur that, due to skeletal misidentification at its discovery, does not actually exist. However, in the IDW continuity, he was depicted as an Apatosaurus.
- Sludge is the only one of the original Dinobots not to share his alt mode with another character in another series (although considering that it doesn't exist, that ain't too difficult).
- Swoop and Sludge's absence from the Generation 2 toyline has never been fully explained, though rumors of what might have been persist. Recently, packaging art of both in new colors was put up for auction on eBay — seemingly from the collection of a former Hasbro employee — indicating what he might have looked like in the line. This art surfaced alongside a screaming yellow-orange and turquoise Grimlock, so it is possible that the three were at one time planned for a second wave of Dinobots.
References
- ↑ The Generation 1 cartoon series bible features a descriptions of him typed with the name "Piledrive", then crossed out by hand and relabeled "Sludge".
- ↑ "Bronton" is from the Sunbow Productions cast list page for "Countdown to Extinction", and was evidently coined by writer Donald F. Glut.[1]
