Unicron Trilogy continuity family

The Unicron Trilogy may be over, but we'll always have redecos.

The "Unicron Trilogy" is Hasbro's designation for the continuity family consisting of Armada, Energon, and Cybertron.

The Unicron Trilogy continuity family includes these individual continuities:

• Cartoon continuity

A continuity composed of the Armada, Energon, and Cybertron television series and its related material, such as the Fun Publications Cybertron comic.

• Dreamwave comics continuity

A continuity composed of the Armada and Energon comics published by Dreamwave.

• Panini Comics continuity

A continuity composed of the Panini Armada comics published in the UK.

• Various stand-alone storybooks and short stories.

The Unicron Trilogy is so-named because of the central role Unicron plays in the overall story. All three series feature Unicron in some pivotal way, even Cybertron, where his destruction resulted in the creation of the series' primary threat, the universe-threatening black hole.

Distinctive elements

Transformer physiology in the Unicron Trilogy seem to be subtly but fundamentally different from that in many other continuity families. Transformers' sparks, rather than being fragile flickers of life sustained and protected by their bodies, are fantastically durable things, capable of being removed for upgrades and, in several instances, floating freely in space, still alive after the bodies which once housed them were atomized, and then being easily implanted into a new body.

Unicron Trilogy Transformers also have a disconcerting habit of referring to one another as "men" or, when they wish to be disparaging, "ladies". Whether this is an element translated from the Japanese scripts, a product of the level of sexism still existent there, or a product of ill-considered dubbing is uncertain. It's still fantastically annoying either way.

For further information, see: Unicron Trilogy cartoon timeline

Notes

• The term "Unicron Trilogy" was first mentioned by Aaron Archer at BotCon 2005. Later, the term was officially canonized by the back of Universe Vector Prime's packaging, superseding fan-coined names such as Armadaverse, Armadagon and the AEC (Armada-Energon-Cybertron) universe.
• The Unicron Trilogy is called the Micron Trilogy in Japan, named by Hisashi Yuki of Takara.[1]
• In-universe, the Unicron Trilogy continuity is referred to as "Aurex" in the TransTechs' universal stream designators.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Micron Sanbusaku (マイクロン三部作 Maikuron Sanbusaku, "Micron Trilogy")