Optimus Prime (G1)
| The name or term "Optimus Prime" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Optimus Prime (disambiguation). |
- Optimus Prime is the leader of the Autobots in the Generation 1 continuity family. Before he became Optimus Prime, he was named alternatively Orion Pax or Optronix in certain continuities.
Optimus Prime is the awe-inspiring commander of the Autobot forces. It was his leadership that turned the tide of the Great War. Originally a mere civilian, he was chosen by the Matrix to lead, the first in a number of heavy burdens he has been forced to bear. Another is his bringing of the Transformers' conflict to Earth. Every casualty, human or Cybertron, weighs heavily on his spark. He does not show this side to his soldiers, and he never succumbs to despair. The Autobots need a decisive, charismatic leader, and that is what he gives them.
On the battlefield, there are few who rival Optimus Prime's prowess. He is easily the strongest of any Autobot his size, and what he lacks in raw firepower he easily compensates with guts. His compassion for other sentient beings is his only real weakness... though it's also the source of his strength!
Prime carries within him the Matrix of Leadership.
Japanese name: Convoy
Italian name: Commander
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
Generation 1
- (Note: Events from the UK-only comic stories are in italics.)
Before the Great War broke out on Cybertron, the robot who would be Optimus Prime (his name before becoming the Prime Autobot remains unknown) was a Transformer of note, displaying his skills in the Infraformers Sharp-shooting Competition. Subsequently, when the war began, Prime quickly made a name for himself as a combat leader. On a mission with the Triggerbots to stop Megatron from claiming the Underbase, Prime was forced to jettison the massive databank into space to prevent anyone acquiring its power, but with this action, proved his wisdom and skill to the Autobot Council of Elders. The outbreak of the Great War saw Autobot territories falling under Decepticon dominion, one City-State at a time. The last City-State to be taken was the Autobot capital of Iacon. As Decepticons besieged Iacon, the Council of Elders prepared to surrender. Councillor Xaaron suggested that High Councillor Traachon step down and allow a military officer to assume Autobot leadership. Traachon then used his powers of veto and effectively elected himself out of office, allowing Optimus Prime to assume supreme command of the Autobots, becoming the first soldier to ever hold the mantle of Autobot leadership.
Four million years ago, Cybertron - shaken from its orbit and drifting through space - came under threat when it floated into the path of a massive asteroid swarm that could potentially devastate the planet. Prime led a group of his most powerful Autobot warriors on the Autobot starship, the Ark, on a mission to destroy the asteroids, and although successful, in the aftermath of this mission the Ark was attacked by Decepticons, hoping to overcome their weakened foes. Intent on keeping the secrets of the Ark's computer, Auntie, from the Decepticons, Prime set the craft on a suicide course, crashing it into the prehistoric planet Earth.
In 1984 C.E., a volcanic eruption reactivated Auntie, which in turn brought the Transformers back on-line. Prime led the Autobots in their opening battles to prevent the Decepticons from plundering Earth's resources, but following their initial victory, the Autobots were all deactivated by Shockwave. Prime was decapitated by Shockwave, and had the energy of the Creation Matrix leeched from his mind to give life to Shockwave's creations, the Constructicons (although Shockwave was unaware that the Matrix was not merely a program in Prime's mind, but a physical object in his chest). Before Shockwave could give life to his next Decepticon, Jetfire, Prime transferred the Matrix energy into the mind of Buster Witwicky, who used the energy to turn Jetfire on Shockwave, allowing Prime to reclaim his body and retake leadership of the Autobots, giving Jetfire true life as a reward.
Optimus Prime began to consider whether he was too important to the Autobots, and if they could carry on should he fall. To alleve his doubts, he and a reluctant Wheeljack plotted to fake Prime's death to teach the Autobots how to fend for themselves. While Prime was setting up an imposter version of himself to leave behind destroyed for the Autobots to find, Megatron sent the Predacons to attack Prime. In an ironic twist, would the Autobots stumble across a genuine dead Prime?
After a period of effective leadership, Prime engaged Megatron in a video game duel for possession of a super fuel. Prime was victorious, but Megatron implemented a cheat code, allowing him to re-enter the game. Prime was able to defeat him yet again, but in doing so, he also destroyed several of the game sprites, and refused to accept his victory, as he had performed an action that compromised his beliefs about the preservation of life, which he would never have done, had the duel been real. In accordance with the rules of the game, Prime's body exploded and he died. Autobot surgeon Ratchet's subsequent efforts to restore him were unsuccessful, and his body was launched into space. The funeral barge eventually crashed on giant moon where it lay for untold time. At one stage, an alien ship crashed near the barge. The dying alien reached out toward the Matrix, with the Matrix choosing to revive the being as Death Bringer. Much later, the Matrix would revive a small predatory animal which would prove instrumental to the conclusion of the Matrix Quest.
Prime's personality had been copied onto a floppy disk by the technician running the game, Ethan Zachary, who employed him in various video game scenarios he developed. Prime's damaged mind led him to belive that he himself was a video game character, and in an attempt to bring him back to life, Goldbug, Joyride, Slapdash, and Getaway took the disk to the planet Nebulos, where a new body was constructed for Prime. They built a new body for Optimus Prime, and even upgraded it with the ability to combine with the trailer to form a larger robot. In an effort to keep Transformers off their planet, however, the Nebulans had poisoned their fuel, and the sensation of dying convinced Prime that he was truly alive, and not a game character. To save his life, the Nebulan scientist Hi-Q bonded with him, creating Powermaster Optimus Prime.
Powermaster Prime and his Autobots later battled Deathbringer. Optimus Prime immediately sensed Matrix energies emanating from Death Bringer, and realised that the undead reaper was a creation of the Matrix. Although Death Bringer proved to be invulnerable, Optimus Prime was finally able to defeat it by convincing it to self-destruct in concordance with its primary function. The battle with Death Bringer alerted Optimus Prime to the fact that his old body was still out there somewhere in space, and more importantly, that the Matrix that it carried was also with it. With a war to win, the location of the Matrix was not a high priority.
With the subsequent threat of Unicron looming, priorites quickly changed and Prime began a quest to locate his old body and the physical Matrix object within it. When the Matrix was successfully reacquired, Prime sacrificed his life one more time to destroy Unicron by plunging the Matrix into his maw. However, the Powermaster process had been working to fully bond Prime and Hi-Q, and with Prime now destroyed, the process completed itself in Hi-Q's body, and the two minds and souls became one. Hi-Q's biomechanical body was stripped down and reconstructed by the Last Autobot, creating a brand new Optimus Prime.
"Another Time and Place" text story (retconned)
Generation 2
Prime was plagued by visions of the Swarm - a destructive by-product of Transformer reproduction - entering into an alliance with Megatron against it and the forces of the second-generation Cybertronians led by Jhiaxus. Prime's body was destroyed yet again when he confronted the Swarm, but upon releasing the energy of the Matrix into it, purifying it, Prime was reborn by the repentant creature. At the end of the battle, Prime’s dream of reuniting the two races of Transformers into a single force for good seemed to be a possibility when the Autobots and Decepticons fought side by side against a common foe.
Animated continuity
Voice actors: Peter Cullen (US), Tesshō Genda (Japan)
Optimus Prime began his life as a robot named Orion Pax, a simple dock worker during the Golden Age of Cybertron nine million years ago, with a girlfriend named Ariel, and a best friend named Dion. At the time, a new breed of robot had recently appeared on the planet - ones with new robot-mode flight powers that made Orion idolize them. Unfortunately for Orion, when Megatron, the leader of these robots, approached him with inquiries about using one of the dock warehouses, Orion fell for the deception and he and Ariel were fatally wounded when Megatron and his forces then attacked in order to claim the energy stored there. Searching for someone to help them, the time-displaced Aerialbots took Orion and Ariel to the ancient Autobot Alpha Trion, who used them as the first subjects for the new reconstruction process he had developed - rebuilding the frail Autobot frames into battle-hardy configurations. With this reconstruction, Orion Pax became Optimus Prime, the first of the Autobot warriors, who took the mantle of leadership as the civil war against Megatron and Decepticons erupted, while Ariel was rebuilt into Elita One, the commander of the Autobot resistance on Cybertron.
As leader of the Autobots, Prime headed up the Autobots' mission to search out new worlds with new sources of energy to revitalise the depleted Cybertron. However, shortly after its launch, the Autobots' craft was attacked by the Decepticon space cruiser and boarded by Megatron and the Decepticons. In the ensuing struggle, the g-forces of a nearby planet pulled both crafts down, and the Autobots' ship crashed into a volcano, thrusting all the occupants of the ship into emergency stasis. Four million years later, in the Earth year 1984 C.E., a volcanic eruption jarred the ship's computer, Teletraan I back to life, and it reactivated the Decepticons, programming them with new Earth-based disguise modes. As a petty parting gesture, Starscream fired upon the Autobot ship, creating a landslide that knocked Prime into the path of the computer's restoration beam, restoring him to life, and beginning the war anew on Earth.
Prime was perpetually at the forefront of the action throughout the early years of the war on Earth, usually confronting Megatron, and, in some rare instances, being forced to team up with him for the greater good (or the lesser evil). He has suffered his fair share of battlefield scrapes, almost meeting his end when his vital cosmotron component was critically damaged by the Decepticon jets and Laserbeak, and suffering a severe - though unfair - defeat when Megatron challenged him to one-on-one comabt while imbued with the different powers of all the Decepticons.
Generally, Prime acting in a commanding role as part of larger battles and event, but played prominent and solo roles in a few, also. In 1985, Megatron created a perfect duplicate of him, leaving the Autobots unable to differentiate between the two until the clone disregarded the safety of their human companion, Spike Witwicky, exposing the deception. Prime Problem Later in the same year, Prime's fame and prowess led him to become the target of the demented big-game hunter, Lord Chumley, who sought his head to go along with his other rare trophies. Entering the hunter's estate alone, Prime defeated all the traps and beasts lying in wait and brought Chumley to justice. Prime Target The same year also saw Elita One captured by the Decepticons on Cybertron and used to lure Prime there alone; although knowing it was a trap, he ventured in solo and was defeated by the Decepticons and nearly destroyed, until Elita's stasis-field powers froze time long enough for them to escape. Prime was forced to seek out Alpha Trion to save the wounded Elita's life, and in the process, rediscovered his forgotten connection to his creator. The Search for Alpha Trion
Over the course of the next twenty years, the Decepticons succeeded in seizing control of all of Cybertron, forcing the Autobots to operate from their new city on Earth, and from two bases on Cybertron's moons. In the Earth year 2005 C.E., Prime was stationed on Moonbase One, and dispatched troops to Earth to acquire energy for an upcoming strike on Cybertron. The Decepticons, however, got wind of the plan and used the shuttle run to attack Autobot City; a distress call summoned Prime and support troops to Earth, and in the ensuing battle with Megatron, Optimus Prime sustained fatal injuries, but not before turning the tide of battle and forcing the Decepticon to flee. Despite the efforts of Perceptor, Optimus Prime died. The Matrix of Leadership, and with it leadership of the Autobots, fell into the hands of Ultra Magnus, and subsequently to Rodimus Prime.
Prime's body was entombed in a massive deep-space mausoleum with the many other fallen Autobots, but his corpse was desecrated by the Quintessons in 2006, when they reanimated it as part of an attempt to destroy the Autobots by using Prime to lure their space fleet into a trap. However, the Matrix was able to purify Prime of the Quintesson influence, and he got the other Autobots clear while he piloted his flagship into the Quintessons' detonator, triggering the explosion of a nearby sun. Prime was believed to have been destroyed in the explosion, but in reality, before the flagship impacted with the detonator, his body was recovered from the craft by two human scientists, Jessica Morgan and Dr. Gregory Swafford. However, as their ship departed, it was coated in solar spores released by the explosion of the sun. Jessica's father, Dr. Mark Morgan, loathed the Autobots, and his hatred only grew when an attempt by the Decepticons to steal a heat-resistant alloy he had developed resulted in Jessica being paralysed. Swafford and Morgan reconstructed Optimus Prime's body in an attempt to use it as a delivery system for the spores, which induced hatred and madness, in order to destroy the Transformers. However, when they could not reanimate him, they used his body as a lure instead, bringing the Autobots to their lab, where they were infected. As this "Hate Plague" proceeded to spread across the galaxy, Sky Lynx retrieved a Quintesson, who fully restored Optimus Prime to life. Coating himself in Morgan's heat-resistant alloy, Prime reclaimed the Matrix from Rodimus and unleashed its concentrated wisdom to destroy the Hate Plague.
(Note: There is a considerable continuity error concerning zombie Optimus. At the end of "Dark Awakening", Optimus is in pretty rough shape (as the screen shot shows), missing an arm, part of his face, a sizable portion of his shoulder, covered with cosmetic damage, etc. He is also apparently fully concious as he flies the ship into the Quintesson trap as it is being ripped apart by laser fire. However, when he is discovered in "The Return of Optimus Prime Part 1", he's both whole and shining new, and apparently comatose. There is no hint whatsoever of the battle that took place only minutes previous, no Quintesson laser-fire piercing Prime's pristine ship. Plus, the sun in question is about to go nova naturally rather than by Quintesson design, which is why Morgan and Swafford were there in the first place.)
"Rebirth" (America-only)
In 2007, Prime began to suffer visions following the release of the Matrix's energy, which foretold a great transformation for Cybertron. Events began with the Decepticons' theft of the key to the Plasma Energy Chamber, which forced Prime to consult Alpha Trion within Vector Sigma, learning that the mega-computer had orchestrated events in order to restore Cybertron's Golden Age. When the Plasma Energy Chamber was opened and threatened to drive Earth's Sun supernova, Spike Witwicky and the other organic Nebulans who had become involved in the conflict as a result of these events were able to drain off the excess solar energy and revitalize Cybertron.
Binaltech (Japan-only)
While Optimus Prime was fighting the Decepticon on Cybertron, he charged Ultra Magnus to protect the earth and to lead the construction of the new Autobot city. When the crisis annouced by Ravage arrived, he went with Ultra Magnus on a last chance mission to stop Unicron, while sending Skids into the past to restore the timeline.
Headmasters (Japan-only)
(The Headmasters anime ignores the events of the 3-part "The Rebirth" story arc and picks up a year after "The Return of Optimus Prime".)
One year after Prime's resurrection, the Autobots had entered into an even closer relationship with Earth and began the colonization of other worlds, the first of which was the planet Athenia, where Optimus Prime was stationed. It soon became apparent, however, that when Prime had released the energy of the Matrix to cure the Hate Plague, the consequences were more far-reaching than he had anticipated - without the energy of the Matrix to act as a balancing factor, Vector Sigma had become destabilized, and the Decepticons suddenly returned to exploit this, assaulting Cybertron in order to seize control of the mega-computer. Prime took a squad of troops to aid in the battle on the planet, and when the arrival of the Autobot Headmasters tipped the battle in their favor, Prime broke off from the main attack and headed down into the depths of the planet, planning on stabilizing Vector Sigma at any cost.
Guided through the dangers of the planet's catacombs by the spirit of Alpha Trion while the other Autobots searched for the Matrix on Earth, Prime eventually arrived at the computer, only to find his way barred by Cyclonus and Scourge. Hot Rod then arrived with the Matrix, with which Alpha Trion merged, re-energizing it and transforming Hot Rod back into Rodimus Prime; for the first time, the two Primes fought side-by-side and defeated Galvatron.
Before Rodimus could implement the Matrix to stabilize Vector Sigma, however, Optimus Prime sacrificed himself to perform the task, merging with the computer and restoring its balance to save the planet.
Battlestars: Return of Convoy (Japan-only)
In a sinister plot to destroy the Autobots, Dark Nova had Optimus Prime's sparkless body revived as the evil False Convoy. False Convoy battled the Autobots but was defeated. Using the power of the the Zodiac, Optimus Prime was brought back online and upgraded into Star Convoy. He was then reunited with Hot Rod, who became his Micromaster partner.
With the likes of Sky Garry, Grandus and Sixliner, Star Convoy did battle with the Decepticons and Dark Nova's hoard of Great Galaman drone warriors. Getting nowhere fast, Dark Nova then resurrected Galvatron (last seen buried in ice) as Super Megatron to counter Star Convoy. This didn't work all that well, and after defeating Super Megatron, his foe was resurrected again by Dark Nova as Ultra Megatron. After disposing of him yet again, Dark Nova merged with Ultra Megatron into Star Giant.
Star Giant proved to be virtually indestructible from the outside until Star Convoy got the bright idea of giving the villain indigestion. Holding Star Giant's massive mouth open, he ordered Sky Garry and Grandus to move in. After all 3 were swallowed, they began taking Star Giant down from the inside while simulataneously fighting off his various defensive systems. As soon as the trio escaped from Star Giant's interior, the monster exploded, leaving only his head slightly intact. As it happens, Megatron was housed inside Star Giant's noggin and survived the attack.
Generation 2 manga (Japan-only)
After the end of Battlestars, Optimus Prime down-graded back to his original body. Megatron eventually recovered from the Star Giant incident and supposedly turned over a new leaf. Megatron joined with Prime to form the Cybertron Alliance, and things were good for a little while, as Megatron's attempts at peace were genuinely sincere. The alliance ushered in what would be called the Second Generation of the Transformers. However, after human soldiers killed one of his dearest comrades, Megatron adopted a new body and started the war anew.
To counter Megatron, Optimus Prime upgraded his body into a new Missle Trailer mode. Rallying a new wave of Autobot warriors, Optimus dilligently repelled Megatron and the Decepticons. Megatron eventually wore Optimus down in battle, though, blowing him away with a barrage of devastating attacks. Megatron finally succeeded in delivering a fatal blow to Optimus, shooting him at point blank with his cannon. Prime would have been done for, except that the sparks of the previous Autobot Supreme Commanders withing the Matrix of Leadership activated the Reconfiguration Matrix to forge him a new body. Optimus Prime became Battle Convoy and easily trumped Megatron's power. After a lengthy and costly war, Battle Convoy managed to drive the Decepticon forces to retreat into deep space. Prime was last seen wounded, being aided off the battlefield by his fellow Autobots.
Beast Wars
The Beast Wars raged on prehistoric Earth, eventually leading to the discovery of the buried Ark. Megatron, in a desperate gambit, decided to attempt to change history by killing Optimus Prime, who was still laying in the Ark in stasis lock. Megatron hoped that this would result in the Decepticons winning the Great War and eventually Predacon control of Cybertron. Megatron unleashed a full-power weapon blast at Optimus Prime's face, near-fatally injuring him. However, Optimus Primal proceeded to take Prime's spark into his body to protect it from surgical trauma while his injuries were repaired. The subsequent power increase caused by Prime's spark's connection to the Matrix mutated Primal into a large, Transmetal "Optimal Optimus" form. Then, with the repairs complete, Prime's spark was restored, and he briefly activated before sinking back into normal stasis.
Beast Machines
An enormous statue of Optimus Prime, bearing two Golden Disks, could be seen on Cybertron in front of the Hall of Archives. The statue was subsequently blown to pieces by the Vehicon forces. Later, Megatron beamed a hologram of Optimus Prime down to the ruins of Iacon to confront Optimus Primal. Primal mistook the hologram for the real thing and shared with it the code for the Oracle. Megatron quickly revealed his ruse. Primal explained to his Maximals that he knew the image was fake, but he needed the location of the missing sparks from Megatron's mind.
Universe: Primeval Dawn
The Vok took the Matrix of Leadership from an unconscious Optimus Prime, used it to create Primal Prime, then gave the Matrix to their new creation.
(Note: In the Beast Wars cartoon, Prime's spark was shown to be contained in a Matrix-like vessel. In Primeval Dawn, that vessel was shown to be merely a container for his spark, and the actual Matrix was hidden underneath.)
Kid Stuff Talking Story Books
Voice actor: Unknown
Optimus Prime is a "metallic nemesis." Megatron said so.
In "the Great Car Rally", a 2-part race was being held with a massive supply of oil and gasoline as the prize. The Decepticons wanted it badly, but so did the Autobots. Megatron entered the race by hiding himself inside a hollowed-out car, but ended up losing to Cliffjumper. Optimus Prime celebrated Spike's victory with a gargantuan smile as all the Decepticons starved to death.
Also, it would appear that Prime took off his face-plate to brush his teeth that morning and lost it. I'm sure it'll turn up sooner or later.
Dreamwave comics continuity
Optimus Prime started life as Optronix (Orion to his friends[1]), a data archivist. After taking note of a battle in which the Autobot leader Sentinel Prime had been defeated by Megatron, he was summoned to the council of elders and informed that the Matrix had chosen him to be the next leader of the Autobots. He received the Matrix of Leadership shortly thereafter, gaining a powerful new body in the process, and almost arranged for the Autobot evacuation of Cybertron, intending to leave the Decepticons to their own devices, until a battle with Megatron beneath the planet's surface, accompanied by visions from the Matrix, stirred him on to fight for the safety of his homeworld. Some time into his role as leader, Prime disappeared in a space bridge explosion along with Megatron, but returned some time later, having spent a period of time on Quintessa.
Following the awakening of the Transformers on Earth, the Autobots allied with humankind and eventually defeated the Decepticons at the turn of the century. They planned to return to Cybertron aboard the newly constructed "Ark II," but the ship was destroyed as part of a military conspiracy to take control of the Transformers. However, a terrorist organization run by the enigmatic Lazarus was able to seize control of several of the Transformers that fell back to Earth, while the U.S. military located Prime's body. Before his departure, Prime had entrusted a small portion of the Matrix to Spike Witwicky, who was forced by the product chief, General Robert Hallo, to use it to reactivate Prime. Functional again, Prime used the Matrix to reactivate more of his fallen comrades, and then faced off against Megatron in San Francisco.
Following this, Prime began to experience subconscious urgings, leading both the Autobots and the Decepticons to the Arctic Circle, where Shockwave arrived to greet them - and arrest them as war criminals. Shockwave had succeeded in ending the war on Cybertron, but Prime soon fell in with a rebel Autobot group that had discovered Shockwave had a greater agenda. Rallying Autobots across Cybertron to the cause, Prime faced Shockwave in battle but was defeated and had the Matrix ripped from him and used to activate Vector Sigma. Before Shockwave could make full use of the mega-computer's data, however, Prime's brother Ultra Magnus arrived and bested him. The injuries Prime took in this conflicted necessitated a prolonged restoration period in stasis.
IDW comics continuity
Optimus Prime commands the Autobot armed forces spread across the galaxy from the Autobot Orbital Command Hub. He was directly involved in the cataclysm (roughly 700 years ago) that reduced Cybertron to a dead husk, fighting alongside Megatron in a futile attempt to stop Thunderwing's rampage.
In the present, after the Autobot science vessel Calabi-Yau sends a distress signal from above Thunderhead Pass, he ordered the Wreckers to withdraw from Varas Centralus and meet him on Cybertron. Stormbringer, Part 2 Thunderwing had been restored by Bludgeon and his followers, and though the Wreckers made short work of them, the real fight would be met with Thunderwing. Jetfire discovered Thunderwing's weakness; Bludgeon had revived him using a new, unstable kind of Energon, so Optimus Prime fired massive amounts of energy at him until Thunderwing had spent through his own, halting into an energy coma. Stormbringer, Part 4
Shortly thereafter, Prime received a status update from Prowl's detachment on Earth and decided the situation there warrants his direct attention. Having undergone alteration so that he can disguise himself as an Earth truck Infiltration, Part 6, he slowly began to realize that he didn't have to worry only about the Decepticons on this planet, but the humans posed a possibly equal threat.
At some unspecified point in time, Optimus contacted Nightbeat to ask him to come to Earth and help him figure something out. Spotlight Nightbeat
Kiss Players
Radio play
After the Autobot leader was killed in the battle of Autobot City, Marissa Faireborn rescued Optimus Prime's carcass from the clutches of the Earth Defense Command and he was resurrected in Japan in the form of a Dodge Ram SR-10. In addition to his ion blaster, he carries a weapon that he originally named the High Frequency Blade: a sword that Prime created from Marissa's beloved surfboard. Marissa hated the name, however, and renamed it the "Surf Blade". Naturally, Prime agreed to this, because really, what're you gonna do? Women, eh? Am I right?
Now Prime and Marissa spend their days hiding from the E.D.C. and their nights hanging out at the beach. He longs for the day when he can see her bathing in the sun, rather than the moonlight, although he thinks all that ice cream she's eating is making her a little fat.
One night while Marissa was surfing, she had a squid latch onto her. Then a Legion that had infused itself with both an octopus and shipwreck attacked her. With tentacles. Prime fought it off and saved Marissa, but the E.D.C. Autroopers were soon dispatched to the scene, and the two had to beat a hasty retreat.
Marissa enjoys washing Prime, especially his... um... stick shift and the rim of his gas tank. Which makes Prime shudder and moan.
(Note: This is all actually part of the official fiction. Really.)
Manga
Following his death in America, Optimus Prime's body was covertly flown to Japan by the E.D.C. Soon thereafter, as the organization transported the robotic corpse by truck, the convoy was ambushed by a group of young female resistance commandos. Believing that they had secured Prime's body, the commandos were taken by surprise and slaughtered by the Ne squad Kiss Player Ringo and her Autrooper partner, who burst out of the torso of the false Prime.
Marissa Faireborn, the remaining member of the squad, discovered that the true body was being transported within Prime's nearby cargo trailer. Slicing the trailer open, she was too late to prevent an E.D.C. Autrooper from partially fusing with Prime. Reflecting on her childhood memories of playing with the kindly Autobot leader, Marissa lovingly kissed his faceplate. In an explosion of energy that destroyed the trailer, the two fused and Prime was converted into his new, living body.
(Note: The fake Prime corpse was represented in art by the Masterpiece Convoy toy with an E.D.C. logo attached over its Autobot symbol. The real Optimus Prime was illustrated as the original toy.)
Toys
Generation 1
- Optimus Prime (1984, 1985, 1991, 2000, until the end of time)
- Japanese ID number: C-01
- Convoy Jnr. (1985)
- Japanese ID number: TF Jnr-01
- Convoy Jnr. was a smaller, simplified version of G1 Convoy. He featured a very similar transformation sequence, but had no clear windows nor rubber tires. He was intended as a low-cost alternative for younger children.
- He did not have a plastic trailer included, but did have a cardboard trailer that the owner was supposed to construct themselves.
- Convoy (Versus set, 1985)
- Japanese ID number: VS-X
- This japanese-exclusive release of Optimus Prime came with the japanese release of Megatron. There are no differences between this release of Convoy and the individually released toy.
- Good-Bye Convoy (Multipack, 1986)
- This set contains a special version of Convoy with blue windows and was packed with Ligier and Alert.
- Optimus Prime (Powermaster, 1988, 2003)
- Powermaster Optimus Prime is the first new toy of the Autobot leader since the original toy's release in 1984. He is an all-new design, utilizing the Powermaster gimmick of requiring the partner figure, who transforms into an engine module, to be inserted into a special area on the main toy before it is able to transform.
- Optimus Prime is comprised of two parts, his truck cab and his trailer. His new truck cab is reminicent of the original Optimus Prime truck cab, but is constructed entirely of plastic, lacks vacuum-metalized plastic and has no clear windows. It also transforms differently in that the front of the truck is no longer the robot mode's chest. His chest is now formed out of the truck's cabin rear, styled after his cartoon apperance. He is armed with two long black rifles, based in part upon his cartoon rifle.
- Prime's new trailer is essentially a heavily armed version of the original, with two double-barreled heavy laser cannons mounted on two arms with visible fists. The rear has a fold-down ramp to allow the storage of a smaller transformer, or perhaps spare accessories. The trailer can be tranformed into a Powermaster battlestation that can allow other Powermaster engine figures to man the heavy laser cannons.
- The main selling point of the toy is the ability of the truck cab to combine with the trailer to form Powermaster Optimus Prime. The cab portion folded in half and sat in the chest cavity of the trailer's torso, giving him the classic Optimus Prime truck-chest appearance. The two double-barreled cannons were attached to his shoulders and a large, seperate head piece was mounted onto the hole on top of the truck cab.
- The Japanese release actually represented a new character named Ginrai and had a cab that was partly constructed out of die-cast metal, vaccum-metalized plastic and had clear blue windows. The trailer was retooled so the super robot's fists could slide in and out of the arms. This Japanese version was eventually used for Hasbro's own reissue in 2003 as part of the Commemorative Reissue collection. This set also included the originally Japanese-exclusive God Bomber drone trailer that attached onto the back of Ginrai's trailer in vehicle mode, and could become extra armour in super robot mode.
- Optimus Prime (Action Master, 1990)
- The largest Action Master set, Optimus Prime came with long nose truck pulling a large, heavily armed trailer, referred to as an "Armored Convoy". Optimus Prime could sit in the cab of the truck, while other Action Master figures could stand on the guard rails or sit in the turret in the trailer.
- As with all Action Master toys, Optimus Prime himself could not transform. His sculpt is based heavily upon the Generation 1 cartoon model, though the colour scheme appears to be based upon his Powermaster body. However, his truck cab vehicle and the trailer do transform, though neither have robot modes. The truck cab can transform into a small plane, while the trailer transforms into a battle station with turrets that several Action Masters can man.
- Action Master Optimus Prime's figure and rifle was included with the japanese-exclusive "New Year" reissue of G1 Convoy in 2002.
- Star Convoy (Powered Master, 1991, 2005)
- Japanese ID number: C-372
- A japanese-exclusive, the final new-design G1 Convoy toy was a departure from previous versions. He now transformed into a small long nose cab truck pulling an implausibly large trailer equipped with motorized caterpiller treads. The trailer could additionally pull along the auxilery trailer transformer Grandus, on which the shuttle Sky Garry could land, forming the spaceship "Battlestars".
- Unlike previous Convoy toys, the cab section did not seperate from the trailer, instead forming the arms of his imposing 12-inch tall robot mode. He lacks any sort of leg articulation in this mode, but his battery powered treads can provide him with locomotion. Star Convoy's chest can open to reveal a control center for Micromaster figures such as his partner figure Hot Rodimus to ride in.
- He can also form a Micromaster base, that is more like his legs opened up, with his upper torso more or less staying exactly the same. Like Dai Atlas, his base mode can connect with other Micromaster base sets.
- Star Convoy was reissued by Takara in 2005, with notable paint deco and sticker improvements, such as his white parts being painted metallic silver and the star crest on his chest painted with plated gold chrome paint..
- Orion Pax (2006)
- Japanese ID number: 67
- This Japanese e-Hobby exclusive was a redeco of Targetmaster Kup, made to represent the character Orion Pax from the G1 television series episode War Dawn. He came with a redeco of Wheelie as Dion.
Generation 2
- Optimus Prime (1993, 1994)
- The first Generation 2 Optimus Prime toy was largely identical in sculpt to the original release. However, his trailer was cast in black plastic, with the original blue and silver striped sticker replaced with a red and silver one that had "Optimus Prime" in large block letters on it. The trailer also featured a soundbox attachment with a sculpted Autobot sigil on the front. The soundbox could activate a truck engine noise, a laser gun sound effect and a (badly) garbled voice that said "I am Optimus Prime!". This soundbox could also be attached onto Optimus Prime's back and be used as a sort of backpack.
- The other new additions were two black spring-loaded missile launchers that fire red projectiles. In vehicle mode, these attached to the soundbox (an echo of Powermaster Optimus Prime's cannons, perhaps), and could be held in Optimus Prime's fists in robot mode.
- Optimus Prime (Hero, 1994)
- Japanese ID number: TRF-1
- Hero Optimus Prime was the first new-mold Optimus Prime toy in the Generation 2 line. He transformed into a longnose Kenworth truck of unknown model. The truck and trailer forms his robot mode, but cannot disconnect.
- In robot mode, the front halves of his truck cab become his feet, with the bottom of the trailer section becoming his chest and arms. His primarily gimmick is an air-powered missile launcher, that can fire one of three foam missiles using an air bellows.
- This mold was later redecoed as the Kay-Bee Toys-exclusive Destructicon Scourge.
- Laser Optimus Prime (1995, 2006)
- Japanese ID number: TRF-13
- Perhaps the most popular Generation 2 toy of Optimus Prime, Laser Optimus Prime was another new-mold toy that transformed into a longnose truck of unknown origin, pulling a grey and black fuel tank trailer. On the sides of the trailer is a humourous sticker depicting Laser Optimus Prime using a flamethrower to burn down a forest, with the words "Optimus Prime Octane" over the image.
- In robot mode, like Combat Hero Prime, the bottom of the truck became his familiar windowed chest based upon the original Optimus Prime toy. His main gimmick was light up headlights, and a light up right fist that was activated by pressing the sunroof-like depression on the roof of the truck. His clear sword or his double-barreled rifle can be used in this fist.
- The trailer unfolds to form a battle station bristling with many firing weapons. Primarily, it can fire a air-powered missile launcher, a ripple rocket launcher with 5 missiles that can be launched individually (this turret can also be mounted in Laser Prime's hand) and a 'disc launcher', that fired several blue plastic discs adorned with the Generation 2 Autobot sigil. This disc launcher is the only weapon that can be used in vehicle mode.
- This mold was redecoed in 2000 as Car Robots Black Convoy, and slightly retooled as Scourge.
- A modified version of this mold was reissued in 2006 in Japan as Battle Convoy, which was the name of this toy during the Japanese Generation 2. The reissued used the Robots in Disguise modified tooling, with a slightly modified deco using silver vaccum-metalized plastic on his chest and trailer sides along with additional paint aplications and G2 sigils..
- Optimus Prime (Go-Bot, 1995)
- Gobots Optimus Prime transforms into a red Hot Wheels-sized Lambourghini Diablo. In robot mode his transformation and headsculpt greatly resemble Sideswipe. Like most Go-Bots, he features high speed axels and can roll very well across smooth surfaces, but lacks the weight to propel him quickly. He is armed with a small red laser rifle.
- The Japanese release of this toy swapped out the orange plastic for neon yellow, and had a large tampograph on the car's hood that was shaped like a stylised letter 'T', with the Transformers logo in it. Going against the grain, this toy was released in Japan with the name "Optimus Prime" instead of "Convoy".
- This toy was redecoed from the Generation 2 Gobot Firecracker.
Smallest Transformers
- G1 Convoy (2003)
- Japanese ID Number: GTF-01A (truck) and GTF-01B (trailer)
- Smallest Transformers Convoy is the smallest fully transforming Optimus Prime toy yet. He features an accurate transformation sequence based on the original full-sized toy, but understandably has no detachable hands, and has little articulation. His sculpt is based upon his cartoon appearances. He comes with a tiny version of his photon rifle.
- His trailer was available separately as a shortpacked figure.
- This mold was repainted in wave 2 of STF, this time in cartoon colours and as a limited 'chase' variant based upon Ultra Magnus' colours. In wave 2.5 he was again available in cartoon colours, with the chase figure being the trailer painted in cartoon colours.
20th Anniversary/Masterpiece
- Optimus Prime (2003/2004)
- Japanese ID number: MP-01
- Possibly the finest toy representation of G1 Optimus Prime ever made, the 20th Anniversary toy is a mostly sucessful attempt to have a somewhat authentic 1980s Freightliner cab-over truck transform into a cartoon-proportioned robot mode of Optimus Prime.
- Sculpted with great detail, 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime is a masterpiece of toy engineering, loaded with non-obtrusive gimmicks such as working spring-loaded suspension, a 'talking' mouth movement, flip-up communications panels and a light-up Matrix chamber with a removable vaccum-metalized Matrix of Leadership that can also be pulled open.
- In robot mode, he features superb articulation, able to assume many poses, limited to the top-heavy design of the robot mode. In vehicle mode, he has a hitch for a trailer, but none was included due to cost. He is partially constructed of die cast metal and features rubber tires.
- Optimus Prime features many accessories including the aformentioned Matrix, his photon rifle and Megatron in gun mode, with stock, silencer and scope accessories. This small Megatron can be held in his hand, but cannot transform.
- The initial Hasbro release of 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime featured his photon rifle cast in grey plastic, with later assortments cast in black plastic. Further releases included a small poster featuring artwork by Pat Lee.
- The main difference between the US and Japanese releases is the fact the US release has much smaller smokestacks, while the japanese release has full-size stacks. Hasbro reported that this change was due to safety concerns.
- The Japanese Takara release of this toy, dubbed "Masterpiece Convoy", has a cardboard trailer that the owner must construct himself.
- Convoy Perfect Edition (2006)
- Japanese ID number: MP-04
- For the re-release of Masterpiece Convoy, Takara packed him with a proper full-size, fully transforming plastic and die-cast metal trailer. The trailer can open up to reveal his combat deck, with storage for his accessories and a functional repair drone.
- Roller is conspiciously absent from this 'Perfect' edition. Additionally, there have been reports that this release of Masterpiece Convoy has much poorer quality control, as the paint on his chest chips much more easily.
Robot Masters
- G1 Convoy (2004)
- Japanese ID number: RM-01
- Robot Masters G1 Convoy is essentially a simplified version of 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime, featuring a similar sculpt and a similar (though significantly easier) transformation sequence. However, due to his size and pricepoint, he does not feature a Matrix chamber or the number of gimmicks in his larger toysake.
- Included is his photon rifle and a small missile launcher.
- G1 Convoy with DVD (2004)
- Japanese ID number: RM-10
- This special edition release of G1 Convoy featured a retooled right shoulder so he has two Autobot sigils on each shoulder, is decked out in metallic paint and his photon rifle is painted black. Otherwise he is the same toy.
- He comes packed with a DVD disc containing a short cartoon detailing the Robot Masters storyline up to that point.
- G1 Convoy Limited Black Version (2005)
- This release is simply a black repaint of Robot Masters G1 Convoy.
- Available only via mail-order through Dengeki Hobby magazine
Universe
- Optimus Prime (Spychanger, 2004)
- Universe G1 Optimus Prime is a redeco of the Robots in Disguise Scourge's Spychanger toy. He replaces most of the black plastic with predominantly red and blue, with silver for detailing, with an overall deco making him resemble the original Optimus Prime. Like most Spychangers, he features high speed axles and can roll very well across smooth surfaces, but lacks the weight to propel him quickly.
Hybrid Style
- G1 Convoy (2006)
- Japanese ID number: THS-02
- THS-02 G1 Convoy is a finely detailed, partially die-cast metal transforming toy of G1 Optimus Prime. As with most modern G1 Optimus Prime toys, he is based somewhat upon 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime, but is a totally new designed created under the supervision of famed Macross mecha designer Shoji Kawamori.
- Standing at 3' 3/4 inches tall in robot mode, THS-02 Convoy features possibly the most complex transformation sequence ever seen on a Transformers figure this small. However, the small size also works against the design, as concessions from the vehicle mode truck cab had to be made to accomodate the proportions of the robot mode.
- He comes with a fully-tranforming and highly detailed trailer that opens up into his Combat Deck/repair bay, with a functioning repair drone and Roller, who features six-wheel steering. His other accessories include his Photon rifle (with adjustable grip, his energy axe, Sideswipe's jet pack, and several different hands, all of which can be stored in individual compartments within the trailer.
Alternators
- Optimus Prime (2006)
- Alternators Optimus Prime transforms into an accurate 1:24th scale Dodge Ram SRT-10. The vehicle mode features rubber tires, functional steering, opening hood, tail gate and doors with a detailed cabin interior. His robot mode body sculpt details are based upon the 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime toy. However, his headsculpt is based upon Powermaster Optimus Prime. He is armed with a small pistol that is formed from his engine.
- This mold was later redecoed into Kiss Players Convoy and Alternators Nemesis Prime.
Kiss Players
- Convoy w/ Marissa Fairborne (2006)
- Kiss Players Convoy is a redeco of Alternators Optimus Prime. Unlike the Alternator's bare red plastic, he is covered in a deeper red paint. Some of his body parts are cast in different colours, such as his shins, and has a much more intricate paint deco based upon Masterpiece Convoy. He is armed with his small engine pistol and a pink surfboard that can be recognfigured into either two small blades or a large double-bladed sword.
- He comes with a small figurine of Marissa Faireborne and a Kiss Players CD featuring recordings of the radio play.
Titanium
- War Within Optimus Prime (3" Robot Masters, 2006)
- War Within Optimus Prime is the first toy representation of Optimus Prime as he appears in the popular War Within comic book series. Constructed partially of die-cast metal, this three inch version cannot transform and has some articulation, limited to his shoulders, head and waist.
- Optimus Prime (3" Robot Master, 2006)
- The first Titanium representation of G1 Optimus Prime has a well-proportioned sculpted based on his 20th Anniversary toy. Constructed partially of die-cast metal, this three inch version cannot transform and has some articulation, limited to his shoulders, head and waist.
- War Within Optimus Prime (6" Cybertron Heroes, 2006)
- The second War Within Optimus Prime toy in the Titanium series, but also the first official transforming toy from the War Within series. Personally designed by comic artist Don Figueroa (who created much of the War Within comic designs), Optimus Prime transforms into a cybertronic truck. He is armed with a silver painted photon rifle, on which the words 'DON' can be clearly seen sculpted into the body.
- He is partially constructed out of die-cast metal and plastic, but some design flaws lead to relatively weak plastic joints holding up heavy die-cast parts.
- Optimus Prime (Battle Damaged) (3" Robot Master, 2006)
- This is a repaint of the 3" G1 Optimus Prime titanium figurine, with a 'battle-damaged' deco.
Classics
- Optimus Prime (Voyager-class, 2006)
- Classics Optimus Prime is an all-new modern Optimus Prime design based upon the original Optimus Prime, as is the intention for the Classics toyline. He transforms into a modern cab-over style truck of made up model, dominated by a large aerofairing on his roof. He was not designed to pull a trailer, and subsequently does not come with one.
- In robot mode, he transforms similarly to Powermaster Optimus Prime and the recent Cybertron Optimus Prime in that the back of the truck forms the front of the robot mode's torso. His proportions are based heavily upon the cartoon and comic models of Optimus Prime. In this mode, his aerofairing transforms into a large photon rifle, and his smokestacks transform into a smaller blaster. Additionally, both can combine together to form a back-mounted shoulder weapon.
- As with most Classics toys, he features a heat-sensitive rubsign.
- This mold was repainted into Classics Ultra Magnus.
- Optimus Prime (Multi-pack, 2006)
- This Classics Optimus Prime is a smaller, deluxe-class toy bearing a greater resemblance to the original G1 toy. He is only available in a special Versus pack with a similarly unique Classics Megatron toy. His vehicle mode and robot mode is based upon the original toy, but due to limitations in design, budget and gimmick, does not suceed very well. His thighs cannot collapse into his lower legs, meaning they are exposed in vehicle mode, as his his head. Due to the spinning punching gimmick in his upper torso, the torso cannot lock into place.
- He comes armed with a small machinegun that can be mounted on the back of his truck like a turret.
- Optimus Prime (20th Anniversary DVD Edition, 2006)
- This is a redeco of the 2004 20th Anniversary Optimus Prime, released to coincide with the 20th Anniversary of the original Transformers animated movie and DVD release. He is painted in flatter, non-metallic colours to more closely resemble the original cartoon model, as well as the Voyager-class Classics Optimus Prime figure. The color of the light of his feet has changed too. As a cost-cutting measure, all vaccum-metalized plastic has been replaced with with silver and gold paint. Confusingly, his photon rifle is now cast in blue plastic.
- He comes with all the accessories he was packed with in his previous release, but includes a display base that can say phrases and sound effects from the movie. However, original actor Peter Cullen was unavailable, forcing Hasbro to use an in-house voice that sounds nothing like Optimus Prime.
Trivia
- According to Bob Budiansky, longtime comics writer Denny O'Neil named Optimus Prime prior to Budiansky being brought on to the Transformers project.
- Aside from occasionally having Alpha Trion as a father figure, Optimus Prime may have a mother! In an advertisement for Pepsi Convoy that shows him in a refrigerator (along with Destron Pizza), a note attached to a nearby piece of tupperware reads:
- Dear Convoy
- Warm it before you eat
- Mom
- Although the ad itself is for Pepsi Convoy, he is a separate character, and it can be assumed that the note was left for Convoy/Optimus Prime himself.
- The first prototype for Battle Convoy, the Diaclone originator of Optimus Prime, was vastly different from the final version, complete with an entirely different transformation and a car carrying trailer. The head lacked the faceplate.
- At BotCon 2005, Hideaki Yoke revealed that Optimus Prime (or more accurately, Diaclone Battle Convoy) was not designed by a single person, but rather a team of Takara designers as the one who was originally assigned the job had fallen behind. It is said that a young Shoji Kawamori was also a member of this team at some point, who would design THS-02 Convoy over 20 years later.
- It's believed that there were some trademark issues with the name "Optimus Prime" in the Netherlands due to a manufacturer of kitchen utensils named "Optimus"[1]. Whether or not this was actually the case, Milton Bradley did not initially release Optimus Prime's toy, referred to Jetfire as the Autobot leader, and called Optimus "Jetfire" in the Dutch translation of the Marvel comic! Whatever the problem was, it was eventually rectified, as the Optimus Prime toy was later released and they stopped calling him "Jetfire" in the comic.
- Powermaster Optimus Prime, being the grand toy rebirth of Optimus Prime post-movie, apparently received a lot of thought during the design process. Prime went through an inordinate number of design changes from concept to final with at least three very major revisions:
- The earliest version, as shown in the first patent application for the toy, was to have the Prime cab be a triplechanger, turning from truck cab to jet or robot. The nosecone of the jet and robot legs were released by the Powermaster lock in the same fashion as the legs in the final version. Optimus would have had winged arms in non-super robot mode. The super robot mode's head was also integrated into the trailer's hitch... and lacked a faceplate.
- The second known version [2] ditched the triplechanging gimmick on the cab and simplified things a good bit. Interestingly, this design was used for the animation model for the commercials. The animation model was apparently also used by Marvel, as Powermaster Prime has several distinct characteristics only seen in the second design, such as the wider "block head" and two faux smokestacks on top of either shoulder as opposed to one. Also, in a rather odd twist, this design features a black head and fists for both super and regular modes rather than the traditional blue. It also had yellow eyes in either mode a la the original Optimus Prime.
- The third version [3] would quite possibly have been the most gimmick loaded Transformer in the history of the line, simultaneously being a Powermaster, Headmaster, and triple changer. The Headmaster also would have been a triplechanger, turning into a sort of armored four-wheeled rover (Roller II?) and robot as well as a rather silly looking Optimus Prime head with four vertically aligned wheels jutting off the sides. It seems that when the extra Headmaster gimmick was scrapped, the super mode head remained separate rather than being reintegrated into the trailer hitch such as on the earliest design. Notably, the body of this design is extremely close to the final design.
- A fourth version is shown in the 1987-88 Transformers product catalog that has several minor differences from both Powermaster Prime and God Ginrai, such as having God Ginrai's sliding fists but in red, a completely different trailer hitch assembly partially based on the third design, an offset Autobot symbol in base mode, extended feet also based on third design, far more detailed super mode outer leg panels, completely different front bumper, and the first instance of single faux shoulder smokestacks rather than two. It is still unknown as to why Powermaster Prime has completely different arms from God Ginrai or all earlier concept versions.
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ The Keepers Trilogy novels set in Dreamwave continuity
- ↑ Transformers Generations Deluxe, p22, p106
- ↑ Transformers Generations Deluxe, p106
- Pages with broken file links
- Action Masters
- Alternators
- Attacktix
- Autobots
- Autobot leaders
- Battlestars characters
- Beast Wars characters
- Classics
- Combiners
- Convention exclusives
- Generation 1 characters
- Generation 2 characters
- Go-Bots
- Kiss Players
- Machine Wars characters
- Mail order exclusives
- Matrix bearers
- Powermasters
- Robot Masters characters
- Titanium Series
- Toys "R" Us exclusives
- Unreleased toys
- Zombies
