Dinobot (G1)
| The name or term "Dinobot" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Dinobot (disambiguation). |
- The Dinobots are an Autobot subgroup in Generation 1 continuity family. In some continuities, before they arrive on Earth, they are known as the Dynobots.
The Dinobots are a rowdy, arrogant, low-brow, disobedient band of warriors that some Autobots would rather scrap than deal with. They're also one of the most devastatingly powerful and close-knit combat units in the Autobot army.
The group's members are:
- Grimlock (the leader)
- Slag (the bad boy)
- Sludge (the himbo)
- Snarl (the quiet one)
- Swoop (the sensitive one)
In at least one micro-continuity, the Dinobots can combine to form a monstrous super-robot called the Beast. Grimlock explicitly states that this is not the case in the Marvel UK continuity, though he has been known to stretch the truth.
Fiction
Animated continuity
Built on Earth by Wheeljack and Ratchet, the Dinobots are a subgroup of Autobots with great physical power, but very limited intelligence. They were modeled after the Dinosaur fossils that Ironhide found in the volcanic caves near the Ark. Initially only three were built (Grimlock, Slag, and Sludge) in the episode "S.O.S. Dinobots", but two others (Snarl and Swoop) were added in the episode "War of the Dinobots".
It is unclear how to interpret this origin in concert with the idea, established later in the cartoon series, that new Transformers are granted life by the super computer Vector Sigma. Although slow-witted, the Dinobots give every indication of being fully "alive", sapient beings. Some fans suggest that Optimus Prime used the Matrix to give them life, but this is not supported by canon, particularly since in this continuity he carries the Matrix of Leadership, which was never shown to have the life-granting powers of the Creation Matrix until it was retconned by Beast Era fiction. Retroactively, it can be guessed that the Matrix may have been involved, but when the G1 cartoon is viewed in isolation, there is something amiss.
Marvel Comics continuity
The Dinobots in the comic were not created on Earth, but were a distinct and pre-existing unit of five Autobot soldiers that were aboard the Ark when it crashed to Earth. The comic Dinobots, while not exactly Perceptor-grade, were signifigantly more intelligent than their cartoon counterparts. (Their commander, Grimlock, served as overall Autobot Commander on more than one occasion.)However, the not as strong as their cartoon counterparts either. Shortly after the crash the Ark's computer detected Shockwave landing on the planet in the Antarctic land-out-of-time that would one day become known as the Savage Land. The Ark used the last of its capabilities to revive these five warriors and rebuild them to transform into the Savage Land's dominant lifeform: dinosaurs. They were then dispatched to deal with the Decepticon, where they sank to the bottom of a tar pit and remained dormant until Ratchet revived them in the 1980s.
Dreamwave Comics continuity
It was established that Grimlock once commanded a splinter-faction of Autobots known as the Lightning Strike Coalition, that included the pre-Dinobots. It was also established that following this, these five robots used the Cybertronic designation "Dynobots."
The Dynobots travelled to earth seperate from the rest of the Autobots. Grimlock emerged on his own, and the Ark Autobots found him battling the Insecticons. The fate of the other Dinobots was unknown, but somehow Megatron had captured them and kept them in stasis in a secret base. After freeing them they travelled to Cybertron and helped liberate it from Shockwave's control.
Legends anthology
The story "Paddles" features a sixth Dinobot of the same name. This is also the only appearance of the character.
IDW Comics continuity
From the Spotlight: Shockwave story: In a similar fashion to the Marvel and Dreamwave continuity, the Dynobots followed Shockwave to Earth on a revenge-fueled crusade. After engaging the Decepticon on Prehistoric Earth in their new dinosaurian beast-modes, The battle ended with the six robots buried in molten lava. They were later unearthed by a human archaelogical dig Spotlight: Shockwave which was taken over by government agents Escalation, Issue 5
