Help:Nameless

Bah, characters without names, what a pain!

Most of the time, they're nameless spear-carriers you can just ignore, but sometimes they do something important enough (or are in themselves interesting for some reason) and they need an article. So what do you call them? "Unnamed Autobot #25" is...sucky.

Template

Be sure to attach the proper template {{noname}} to the top of the article. TFWiki.net distinguishes between four levels of "namelessness."

{{noname}}	A generic "No name" template. This template should only be used as a placeholder before shorting the character into a more specific category.	This article is about a character or concept that has no name. For more information see Help:Nameless characters.
{{noname-unconfirmed}}	No name has been officially established, but a name is nevertheless known. (Almost exclusively Shattered Glass characters.) Example: Dropshot (SG)	This article is about a character or concept whose name has never been officially confirmed. For more information see Help:Nameless characters.
{{noname-designation}}	Lacks a name, but has an official designation. (Either an in-fiction non-name title, or an internal designation.) Examples: el Presidente, Giant Decepticon Soldier	"New Narrator?" Talk about having your name determine your career choice! This article is about a character or concept that lacks a name, but has an official term or designation. For more information see Help:Nameless characters.
{{noname-nickname}}	Characters lacking any specific term at all. A description or nickname may be used. Examples: Big Red	This article is about a character or concept which lacks any official name or designation. For more information see Help:Nameless characters.

This template unambiguously points out the character's lack of name right up at the top of the article.

Naming convention

TFWiki.net does not allow fanon names to be used for nameless characters.

The best names are simple and descriptive, such as Piano Transformer guy. If the best description you can give isn't very distinctive, like Orange jet Autobot, it might be more appropriate to put the character in an "Associated Characters" section of a more distinctive character with whom they appeared. (Though not a main character, as that would get confusing.)

Finally, a to-the-point nickname can be used if a descriptive name proves too complicated. "That red and green Autobot who looks like Fortress Maximus but is the size of a normal Autobot," is kinda a mouthful, but Christmas Maximus (a reference to his distinctive color scheme) is just about right. Nicknames that could be confused with real names are not appropriate.

"But he's obviously..."

The appearance of Flat-Out and Redline's Decepticon masters in Linkage (Armada) is based on Generation 1 Slugslinger and Misfire. However, it is never correct to assume that these characters are called Slugslinger and Misfire. After all, the guy who looks just like Wheeljack isn't named (or even remotely like) Wheeljack. And a dead ringer for Swoop is instead named "Ravenus."

In fact, while characters actually named Slugslinger, Wheeljack, and Swoop all exist in the Unicron Trilogy, none of them appear to be related to their G1-homage lookalikes. It is possible (and in fact common) to pay homage to a character's appearance without actually being that character, so automatically assuming that a lookalike in a different universe is the same character doesn't make a lot of sense.

Thus our policy above: Descriptions or nicknames used to refer to unnamed characters should not be something it is possible to confuse with a real name.