Dinosaur (dinosaur)
| The name or term "Dinosaur" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Dinosaur (disambiguation). |
Dinosaurs are prehistoric reptiles that dominated the Earth during their existence. Scientific consensus holds that they became extinct 65 million years ago. In the various Transformers continuities, this belief is often reassessed.
Dinosaurs' most prominent influence in Transformers culture is serving as the altmodes for some of the most dangerous (and occasionally ludicrous) Transformers of all time.
Fiction
Marvel Storybook continuity
When the Autobots' spacecraft crashed into the Earth four million years ago, the mighty dinosaurs fled in terror. Battle for Cybertron
Marvel Generation 1 comics
Dinosaurs survived in a part of the Antarctic known as the Savage Land.
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
Generation 1 cartoon
Dinosaurs were understood to have been sluggish and stupid. They dragged their tails on the ground, and theropods walked fully upright. S.O.S. Dinobots
Dinosaurs survived the mass extinction of 65 million years ago and lived on into the present on the time-displaced, and energy-rich, Dinobot Island.
The most prominent saurians were the Dinobots, five rebellious (yet extremely powerful) Autobots, who proved time and again a match for an army of Decepticons. Other dinosaur Transformers are Trypticon, Sky Lynx, and the cassette warriors, Slugfest and Overkill.
Transformers who have Dinosaur altmodes have something known as "dinosaur electrons" within their systems. Transformation causes these electrons to release dinosaur transform static. Thief in the Night
Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity
Victory cartoon
The Dinoforce consisted of six Decepticons with sentient Pretender shells and the ability to combine into Dinoking. Five of them possessed true dinosaur Pretender shells, while Yokuryū's was a pterosaur.
Beast Wars II cartoon
Gigastorm, Galvatron's younger brother, took the form of a theropod dinosaur. He then made several Predacons into Cyborg Beasts including Thrust, rechristened Thrustor, a cyborg raptor.
Beast Wars Neo cartoon
The Predacon lineup consisted primarily of a number of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals.
Beast Wars cartoon
After crash-landing on a primitive world that was later revealed to be Earth, the Predacon renegades Megatron and Dinobot assumed the forms of extinct dinosaurs, a dwarf Tyrannosaurus rex and a giant Velociraptor respectively, as their beast modes to survive on this energon-soaked planet. Evidently, the simulated organic coverings in beast mode protected them from energon overload. Beast Wars (Part 1)
After Dinobot's betrayal, Megatron cloned him. This clone was completely biological. Double Dinobot
When the alien Vok Planet Buster superweapon that threatened Earth was destroyed, the resulting quantum surge hit the planet, altering Megatron's structure, giving him a new, more powerful Transmetal body that allowed him to transform into entirely mechanical tyrannosaurus with flight capabilities. Aftermath Later, Megatron used the alien Transmetal driver to create a drone army of Velociraptors with Cybertronian enhancements. Cutting Edge Refining his experiments, Megatron subsequently created Dinobot II, a Transmetal 2 clone of Dinobot. Feral Scream Part 1
Beast Machines Comics
The Dinobots were created by the Oracle using dinosaur DNA information from Dinobot's spark. Most of the members had true dinosaur alternate modes of a Tyrannosaurus, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, a Pachycephalosaur, and a mechanical Velociraptor. Magmatron also joined the team although only one of his multiple beast modes is actualy a dinosaur. The other members had non-dinosaurian alt modes. Airraptor transforms into an Archaeopteryx and Terranotron transforms into a mechanical pteranodon.
Armada cartoon continuity
Energon cartoon and comic
The Terrorcon Cruellock is a theropod dinosaur, but with a distinct Japanese giant monster influence.
Dinobot Toyline
Walmart released an exclusive mini wave of figures in 2003. It is unclear what continuity these figures belong to but they were released along with Armada figures. There is really no story behind these figures other than the fact that they are the Dinobots. The members with true dinosaur alternate modes are Grimlock, Snarl, Triceradon, and Slapper. The other two members are Terranotron, who has a Pterosaur alternate mode, and Sludge, who has a Dimetrodon alternate mode.
Cybertron cartoon
One of Scourge's underlings, Undermine transforms into a Spinosaurus.
IDW Generation 1 comics
Six hundred thousand meta-cycles ago, Shockwave foresaw Cybertron's eventual exhaustion of natural resources. To ensure their survival, he seeded many worlds with Ultra-Energon and waited. He arrived on the world later to be known as Earth to regulate the growth of the valuable resource. Unfortunately, the Autobot Dynobots, lusting for revenge after Shockwave had defeated them in a skirmish, followed him to this world. To endure the intense energon radiation on this world, the Dynobots assumed the form of the long-extinct dinosaur species. Spotlight: Shockwave
Hearts of Steel
Both the Autobots and Decepticons assumed the forms of these doomed reptiles upon arriving on Earth, which was in the grip of one of its ice ages. Hearts of Steel issue 1
Animated continuity
Animated cartoon
Dinosaurs were now understood to have been quick and agile, with T.rex holding its body parallel to the ground. Grimlock and Snarl are dinosaurs (a T.rex and a Triceratops), while Swoop is a Pteranodon. They form the Dinobots, based on animatronic robots that had entertained the public. Blast from the Past
Zaur lives on Cybertron and is frightened of organics. He is an Apatobot, a species which bears a remarkable resemblance to sauropod dinosaurs. This Is Why I Hate Machines
Time-Quake
While conducting time experiments, Professor Simion Hawkins time-displaced a number of dinosaurs, including a T. rex which Bulkhead fought. When the Autobots tracked the professor down, he held them off by transporting more dinosaurs forward in time, leading them to fight a Triceratops. Time-Quake
Movie continuity
After being awoken by an All Spark fragment, Jetfire, confused and disoriented, had trouble remembering what his mission profile was. In his confusion, he briefly believed that the Seekers were there to destroy the dinosaurs, but Mikaela Banes informed that they were long since dead. Revenge of the Fallen (novel)
Power Core Combiners
The Autobot Grimstone, who transforms into a mechanical Styracosaurus, can combine with three dinosaur drones, a Parasaurolophus, a Pachycephalosaurus and an Ankylosaurus, and one Dimetrodon (which is actually not a dinosaur at all).
Shattered Glass
Grimlock, who transforms into a tyrannosaurus as usual, was created by the heroic Decepticons. He was deactivated by Megatron for being too violent. Optimus Prime reactivated him and he joined the Autobots. Wheeljack created the Dinobots based off of Grimlock's design. Some of these Dinobots were kept by the Decepticons and renamed Dinocons. Dungeons & Dinobots
In search for Soundwave, Heatwave went to Wyatt's Roadsideaganza, where he mistook two of the displays for real dinosaurs that tried to attack him. He destroyed both displays and some more. The Desert Heat!
Notes
- A number of of Transformers, such as Terrorsaur, Brimstone, Sling, Swoop and two thirds of Magmatron, are treated as if they have dinosaur alternate modes. However, in all cases, these are animals which are either only closely related, very distantly related, or so distantly related it's like saying you're a fish. But that's pretty much par for the course when it comes to the casual portrayal of dinosaurs in popular culture, so we're not judging.
