Energon cube
| This article is about garden-variety cubes of energon. For the really big cube of energon, see Energon Cube. |
The energon cube is the safest form of energon, used for transportation and storage.
Fiction
The Transformers cartoon
The energon cubes could be created by Soundwave More than Meets the Eye, Part 1, who generated the empty cube framework from his similarly-shaped chest; several other Decepticons were able to produce them as well. The Autobots were apparently unaware of them until their reawakening on Earth in 1984, when Hound described them to Prime as simply "some kind of cube". (This is a little perplexing in light of the fact that energon cubes were also shown to have existed by the time of Optimus Prime's creation at the end of Cybertron's Golden Age. War Dawn) By 2005, however, the Autobots had begun to use energon cubes for power as well.
Exactly how an energon cube operates is unclear, especially as their framework appears to be some sort of self-sustaining force field with no internal mechanisms. Most frequently, the empty cube is simply attached to or placed near the energy source from which it is to drain power, and the energy in question is automatically converted into liquid energon that fills the cube. Energon cubes have proven able to transform a vast array of resources into energon, including electricity, magma, oil and steam. Energon seems to have a much higher energy potential than carbon-based fuel sources: 1000 barrels of oil are needed to fill a single energon cube, Thief in the Night and the electrical energy within the synapses of the human brain are insufficient to generate even a few drops. The Ultimate Doom, Part 3
The liquid energon within energon cubes is a glowing pink color, although the cubes could also be compressed for easy storage and transport, causing them to take on an iridescent rainbow effect.
Marvel Comics
Shockwave builds an energy converter that's capable of converting both oil and the sonic energy from a Brick Springhorn concert into large purple energon cubes. Unfortunately when these cubes are exposed to x-ray energy from Shockwave's weaponry, they detonate in a blinding flash of light. Rock and Roll-Out!
Wheeljack invented the Geothermal Generator which converted the Earth's underground heat into energon cubes. Used Autobots
Concentrated energon cubes are a highly valuable form of universally accepted currency among alien cultures. These tiny green non-glowing cubes measure approximately 6 inches (15.2cm) on a side and are easily transportable, as well as being less combustible than normal energon cubes. Guess Who the Mecannibals Are Having for Dinner?
Beast Wars cartoon
The naturally-occurring energon on prehistoric Earth appeared only in an unstable, highly-explosive raw crystalline form. However, after the Planet Buster baked Earth's surface, the crystals were all either incinerated or somehow "converted" into more stable cubes. These cubes no longer emitted the dangerous radiation which prompted the Beast Warriors to adopt their beast modes in the first place. They were significantly smaller than Transformers from after the Great Upgrade and colored blue.
Blackarachnia threatened to detonate an energon cube near her head if Tarantulas would not remove the mind-link he had with her. The explosion would have killed them both via the link, so Tarantulas did remove it. Tangled Web
Animated cartoon
Energon cubes are purple. During the Great War, the Decepticons hoarded them in mass quantities on their battleships. However many centuries of neglect they suffered left them unstable.
They are also apparently delicious and nutritious to newborn giant spiders. Along Came a Spider
Energon becomes unstable if cut in its cube form, which combined with an elevator makes for a handy bomb in tight quarters. It is suggested that one not stare down the shaft while attempting this. Decepticon Air
There also exists 'demolition-grade' energon, which appears as palm-sized cubes and utilizes the potentially explosive properties of full-size energon. When used properly, they are very useful in clearing away rubble from space bridges. But using them incorrectly could lead to a messy accident—say, like the destruction of a small spaceship. Endgame, Part I
Prime cartoon
Starscream and Soundwave inserted Energon, kept inside a metal cube, into Skyquake's stasis pod to revive him. Masters & Students
Later, when Megatron and his troops harvested Dark Energon from a volcano, they cut some of it into cubes. One Shall Rise, Part 1
Games
War for Cybertron
Soundwave was capable of producing energon cubes. Both the Autobots and Decepticons used the cubes to regain energy they had lost in the heat of battle. Transformers: War for Cybertron
Battle for the Matrix
Bumblebee and/or Optimus can collect Energon cubes in order to repair themselves. Transformers: Battle for the Matrix
Things that look like energon cubes but aren't
- Personality components for some reason look like small energon cubes. Starscream's Brigade
- Refined Cybertonium looks like a green colored energon cube. Desertion of the Dinobots, Part 2
- The refined heat resistant alloy developed by Jessica Morgan's father resembles yellow colored energon cubes. The Return of Optimus Prime, Part 2
The reason why all share the shape of energon cubes is a mystery that plagues us to this day....
Toy
Energon Cubes were available with Takara's "TF Collection" reissue of the Insecticons, and the set's redeco, the Collector's Edition Insectron Clone Army (Shothole, Salvo and Zaptrap) box set released in Japan in 2004.
There were also "energon cube" accessories available with the fast-food kids meal premiums in European McDonald's restaurants. These cubes were little more than a cheap, battery powered gimmick (the battery couldn't be replaced; the triangle-headed screws used by McDonald's are notoriously impossible to remove) that would make sound or light the toy up. The cubes were interchangeable, but not all of them were "compatible", so to speak—Unicron's light-up feature didn't work on the more opaque plastic of the other toys.
Merchandise
Released along side the Movie Preview protoform figures, Energon now takes on the delicious form of candy! Held inside clear, plastic containers, the "energon" inside is more or less flavorless balls of condensed sugar with articial colors. The cubes are held together by stickers, depicting scenes from Generation 1. The larger cube, made of 8 smaller ones, can be open and folded, in one direction, until it returns to its original position.
Out of the eight cubes, only two have candy in them. Most of the art on the cube is taken from Dreamwave art by Superstar Funana, with the exception of two parts that feature art by Don Figueroa.
Notes
- Thanks to the exalted leader of Carbombya in "Thief in the Night", we know 1000 barrels of oil makes a single energon cube. This means each cube contains the equivalent power of 42,000 US Gallons of crude oil. If refined into gasoline (with a conservative 30% yield ratio) that much oil would keep Bumblebee's Volkswagen alt-mode (with a rough value of 40MPG) going for approximately half a million miles without needing to refuel! That's enough to circumnavigate the Earth over seventeen times without stopping! No wonder a few cubes of the stuff got ol' Megsy drunk off his rocker!
Foreign names
- English: Power pack (Omni Productions dub)
