Starscream (G1)
| The name or term "Starscream" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Starscream (disambiguation). |
- Starscream is a Decepticon and briefly a Predacon from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Starscream is the treacherous Decepticon Air Commander and the deadliest of the Seekers. The self-proclaimed pride of the Cybertron War Academy, he's famous not only for his incredible skill, but also for his limitless (and troublesome) ambition. Starscream believes that he is more suited for command than Decepticon leader Megatron. Thankfully for Megatron, Starscream's mutinous, power-grabbing plots are almost always transparent, and he can never muster up enough patience to complete a grandiose power play. Even on the few times he has taken control of the Decepticons, he quickly loses control of a situation, but is too arrogant to realize when he's in over his head. He never learns from his mistakes, but then again, Megatron doesn't either, seeing as how he's never turned Starscream into slag. Despite his constant failures, Starscream believes it is only a matter of time before he prevails—his destiny is inevitable.
Starscream's never give up attitude extends even to the afterlife: unlike most Transformers, he has a mutant, indestructible Spark. His life-force cannot be destroyed and can persist even without a body to contain it. However, there is no indication that Starscream (or anybody else) was aware of this fact prior to his destruction.
| “ | Why? That's what they all asked me. Why him... why Starscream? Why, of all the Decepticons, did I decide to revitalize the one whose record of deceit and betrayal is legend? Because I'm an idiot, that's why! | ” |
—Megatron on Starscream, "Total War!" | ||
Fiction
Marvel Comics continuity
Formally the political figurehead of the city-state of Vos, Starscream sat ill in his position in the Decepticon ranks, but never posed a real threat to Megatron in their early days, delivering only the occasional snipe or criticism that the Decepticon leader would be quick to put down with a show of force. Deactivated following a battle with Omega Supreme, Starscream spent several years in stasis, but once reactivated, he quickly ingratiated himself with the new Decepticon leader Ratbat and through information gained from him was able to obtain the cosmic power of the Underbase. After going on a legendary rampage across Earth and slaying dozens of Transformers, Starscream himself was destroyed by the Underbase's unstoppable energies, but his corpse was recovered and brought back to life by Megatron as a mindless Pretender. Regaining his faculties thanks to Ratchet's sabotage, Starscream joined Scorponok's Decepticon cell on Earth, but his new powers led him to be feared and hated by his fellow Decepticons, even more than usual, and he proceeded to break away and help Shockwave start a Decepticon Civil War. Teleported to Cybertron to face the threat of Unicron, Starscream fled the planet aboard the Ark, and was knocked offline again when it crashed to Earth for a second time. Years later, Megatron defied common sense by once more reactivating him to join in his attempt to retake command of the Decepticons, and unsurprisingly, Starscream betrayed Megatron to Jhiaxus in order to briefly gain control of the Creation Matrix. The scamp!
Generation 1 cartoon continuity
A former scientist who joined the Decepticons with gusto after the loss of his friend Skyfire, Starscream quickly decided that Megatron's leadership was old and outdated, and that he was the one who should be in charge. Cue nine million years of backstabbing, treachery, cowardice, coups and general disobedience, which continued when the war moved from Cybertron to Earth. In fact, it was Starscream's refusal to listen to Megatron that kept the war going, when a petty parting blast that he delivered to the Autobot's crashed starship jostled the body of Optimus Prime into the path of Teletraan I's restoration beam. Starscream's scheming was a constant throughout the Earth conflict, and it culminated in his expulsion from the Decepticon ranks, following which he created the Combaticons to serve as his personal army, only to have them turn on him, forcing him to rejoin Megatron's ranks.
Even in death, Starscream was unstoppable. Following Megatron's climactic battle with Optimus Prime in 2005, Starscream set his commander's battered body adrift in space and promptly appointed himself the new Decepticon leader. In the midst of a grandiose coronation ceremony, however, Megatron returned, recreated as Galvatron by the power of Unicron, and promptly blasted Starscream to ashes. Surprisingly, Starscream's lifeforce persisted as a ghost, which continued to bedevil the Transformers, even across the gulf of time.
Big Looker storybooks continuity
Starscream and his fellow Seekers performed a threatening flyby over the Autobots' headquarters in order to distract the heroic robots while the other Decepticons stole a tanker of oil that would give them the power to rule the world. Thanks to Shooting Star, the Autobots got wise to the Decepticons' tactics and Swoop blew up the villains by dropping missiles on them. Starscream arrived on the scene to spitefully blow up the oil tanker so that no one could have it, then he and his fellow airborne Decepticons carried off the remains of their fallen comrades. Decepticon Hijack
Starscream was part of the battle that resulted when the Autobots came to rescue the mind-controlled Grapple from the Decepticons' clutches. When Grapple was freed from the effects of the cerebro-shell controlling him, he kicked Megatron over on top of Starscream and Skywarp, winning the day. Insecticon Attack!
At some point in the future, when Galvatron had taken leadership of the Decepticons, Starscream suggested to his leader that he create a city of his own to gather energy, as the Autobots did with their Autobot City. Galvatron decided to go about it in the most circular way possible, by stealing a robot car on display at a car show that night and duplicating its circuitry to create an army of drones to build said city. While investigating the Decepticons' presence at the show, Kup was captured by Starscream. When the Autobots arrived in response, Starscream threatened Kup's life to stay their hands, but luckily, Hot Rod soon saved Kup, and the Decepticons were defeated. Car Show Blow Up
Ladybird Books continuity
A brash and aggressive character, Starscream was constantly running up against the older, smarter Megatron. He once convinced Rumble to help him attack and destroy an Autobot tower (believed to be for communications) against Megatron's orders. In the process, he caused Megatron and the other Decepticons to come get him back. (They arrived just as he was slagging off Megatron.) Since that tower was actually used for channeling lightning storms into power, the entire Decepticon team was viciously injured by an electric surge due to his disobedience. Autobots' Lightning Strike
Starscream later tried to overthrow Megatron when the commander was off on a mission and requested the other Decepticons rendezvous with him. Starscream's act of rebellion was to blow up the building he thought Megatron was in and declare himself leader. Megatron turned out to be standing behind him, and he gave Starscream a valuable lesson on leadership (i.e., told him how dumb that was whilst punching him). Megatron's Fight for Power
When Galvatron time-travelled to the 20th Century and took command, Starscream served under him. He'd learnt his lesson since the early days, not trying to overthrow his commander once. Galvatron's Air Attack
Colorforms audiobooks continuity
- Voice actor: ???
Starscream was annoyed when Megatron called off the attack on the Autobots which he was leading, and instead instructed him to scout out Doctor Heath Blaisedale's solar plant. So annoyed was Starscream, that when he got to the plant and saw the Autobots there, he attacked them anyway. Optimus Prime wounded him before an enraged Megatron ordered him to call off the attack, and Starscream and his fellow seekers retired to a location a mile away. Megatron told him off for endangering the solar plant and ordered him to stay there while the other Decepticons went to secure the plant. Partway through the battle, Starscream pointed out to Megatron that the reactor had become too damaged to use, and he should probably retreat. Sun Raid
The Battle for Planet Earth
- Voice actor: Peter Marinker (English)
Starscream was one of the group of Decepticons who followed the Autobots to South America, and undermined Megatron's leadership whenever possible. The Decepticons attempted to attack the Autobots as the latter were examining Mount Sheelah, only for the volcano to erupt, trapping them with lava. Terror of Mount Sheelah Starscream took part in the kidnapping on humans for use as slave labor. When Bumblebee stole the Decepticons' global crystal, Starscream pursued him, but failed to locate the Autobot, and the Decepticons were forced to release their slaves. Bumblebee to the Rescue Flying over the Scranner Mountain Range, Starscream's patrol spotted Stanley Lake dam, prompting the Decepticons to take it over. Their invasion was again foiled by the Autobots who used the power of the dam against them. Menace at the Dam
During a meeting of the high-ranked Decepticons, Starscream volunteered to infiltrate the Autobots as a spy. His story about Megatron having a list of Decepticons to bump off after victory was achieved appeared to work, and Starscream was accepted into the Autobot ranks. They even showed him the Deuterium Orbital Laser Tracing System they'd developed, which would be hidden on Mount Levram. After Starscream reported back to the Decepticons by radio, he found himself being placed under the guard—the Autobots hadn't been taken in at all, and when the Decepticons all went to level Mount Levram, the Autobots destroyed their base. Starscream was let go afterwards, but faced a difficult time explaining how he'd been duped. Espionage!!!!!
The Transformers Adventure Game Books
Behind the backs of the other Decepticons, Starscream recruited Bombshell to help him capture the Los Palmos observatory and its staff Jack and Sue Richards in order to track a weapons pod that had been launched from Cybertron. These weapons woud allow Starscream to defeat the other Transformers and conquer the Earth. It was only thanks to the intervention of the Autobot Jazz (with your help) that his plans for global domination were thwarted. Peril from the Stars
Transformers PD Type
As various Decepticons from across the timestream joined forces to track down the all-powerful Blackballs, Starscream proved most effective at the hunt. Discovering a Blackball, he immediately carried it over to Megatron for some praise. Unfortunately, the "Blackball" turned out to be a cartoon bomb, which promptly exploded in their faces. From a distance, Ultra Magnus and Optimus Prime were astounded that their plan actually worked. Inside the smoking crater, a badly singed Megatron strangled Starscream, frustrated at his consistent failures. Don't Cry! Megatron!!
Later, Starscream uncovered another Blackball. For a moment he considered giving it to Megatron, but then decided that if he kept it for himself, he could use the power to seize command of the Decepticons. He then immediately became suspicious that the Blackball might be another bomb, but dismissed the suspicion just as quickly. Then it exploded. Good Luck! Starscream!!
Beast Wars cartoon
- Voice actor: Doug Parker (English), Kazuki Yao (Japanese), Alfonso Obregon (Latin American Spanish), José Padilla (Castilian Spanish)
After the Ark crashed on Earth, Starscream's body lay in stasis lock next to his leader, along with the other Decepticons.The Agenda (Part III)
Little was known about Starscream among the Maximals, as the Maximal Elders had classified most of his information. At some point in time the Elders had attempted to duplicate Starscream's mutant indestructible spark effect, which led to the origin of the monstrous Protoform X.Bad Spark Dinobot, a student of military history, was familiar with Starscream's record of deceit and betrayal. It is possible that Megatron was also aware of his history, as he ordered Scorponok to keep an eye on Starscream when he arrived on Earth.
Starscream's ghost traveled through time and space to the prehistoric earth of the Beast Wars, where he possessed Waspinator's body during an electrical storm. He ingratiated himself with Megatron, claiming that he had been destroyed by Unicron while protecting Galvatron. After leading a successful raid on the Axalon, he was left in command of the captured Maximal ship, along with Scorponok and Blackarachnia—the latter having sufficiently impressed Starscream by seeing through his historical deception that he took her on as a "protégé". When the defeated Maximals surrendered to him, he took Dinobot and Optimus Primal hostage and ordered the remaining Maximals to attack the Darksyde. Scorponok objected, but he was very forcefully overruled. Shortly after the attack began, the two captive Maximals broke out and drove the Predacons out of the Axalon. Starscream fled, pursued by Primal, and abandoned Blackarachnia to her fate. After a spirited chase, Primal cornered Starscream at an energon deposit, paralyzing him. As he tried to bargain his way out of his predicament, his vengeful ex-partner Blackarachnia detonated the energon, blowing Waspinator to scrap and forcing Starscream's spark out of his body. Waspinator was restored back to normal by Megatron, and Blackarachnia explained her betrayal as an attempt to find Starscream's true motives, and at that point, Megatron pardoned her.
Adrift in space once more, Starscream's ghost screamed vengeance into the void. Possession
The Maximals (or at least Cheetor) had believed Starscream to have actually been destroyed after Optimus explained the propose of Protoform X Bad Spark
IDW Beast Wars Comics
After his defeat at the hands of the Maximals, Starscream's immortal spark wandered through space and time, until it found an alternate timeline with another Waspinator to possess. When the quantum surge hit prehistoric earth in this timeline, Waspinator was transmetalized, and Starscream, still inhabiting the Predacon's body, was somehow able to influence Waspinator's metamorphosis, giving him a third fighter jet mode resembling Starscream's own old alternate form. Although the two of them bicker over control of the body constantly, their two separate voices audible to whoever hears them argue, Waspinator secretly enjoys the enhanced skills Starscream grants him. Beast Wars Sourcebook
Transformers Legends anthology
While Starscream lay stasis locked in the Ark, Megatron broke in and implanted a fraction of the original Megatron's spark into the Air Commander, allowing the two Megatron's to control him. The Decepticon leader, whose spark had been implanted into Megatron, attempted to use Starscream to return to his own body, but was subdued in a battle of wills with beast Megatron. Starscream's services ultimately went unused until the Beast Wars ended, at which point the Maximals were able to extract the spark fragment. A Meeting of Minds
After a particularly harrowing fight with Megatron, Starscream went mountain climbing, and accidentally fell on his head. In this injured state, he was found by Hound, Bumblebee and Spike Witwicky, who took him back to the Ark. Ratchet and Wheeljack made repairs, having persuaded Prime to let them fiddle with Starscream's logic circuits if they found anything wrong. Starscream woke with amnesia.
As he slowly learned about the war and experienced the welcoming and forgiving nature of the Autobots, he found himself siding with his former foes. When Megatron turned up to reclaim his former lieutenant, Starscream refused to go, and was surprised when Optimus and Ironhide moved to protect him. Despite all this, the sight of Laserbeak finally restored his memory, and he returned to the Decepticons, claiming that he had been faking amnesia as a ruse to gain access to the Autobot base. He later reflected that he had learned something from the Autobots — that a leader like Prime who could pull together the Decepticons as a team could lead more effectively than Megatron had, and Starscream could be that leader. Redemption Center
Dreamwave comics continuity
Hailing from the city of Centurion, Hardwired Starscream was a competitor in Cybertron's underground gladiatorial matches, the breeding ground for what would eventually become the Decepticons. He enjoyed baiting his fellow combatant, Grimlock; in fact, he was a master at it. Once war broke out, he kept taunting his old friend, which eventually backfired when he told Grimlock exactly where the Seekers were going to attack, giving Grimlock time to set a massive bomb. Starscream's life was saved only by the fast action of Skywarp. The War Within Preview
In typical fashion, Starscream tried to seize power. While Megatron was deep within the bowels of Cybertron, Starscream instructed Scrapper to initiate the planet's long-hidden transformation sequence, hoping Megatron would be crushed in the process. Some people never learn. The War Within #5
A few millennia later, after the apparent death of Megatron, Starscream created a splinter group of Decepticons called Predacons. However, when your smartest subordinates are Motormaster, Astrotrain and Octane, you can't expect much of your forces. Fragmentation
Starscream was among the Decepticon boarding party that attacked the Autobot flagship Ark, causing its crash-landing on Earth and putting all Autobots and Decepticons alike in emergency stasis. In 1984 a volcanic eruption awakened the Ark's computer, Teletraan-I, and it repaired all on board. Starscream's actions over the next fifteen years are largely unrecorded, but he probably did what he did best: strafe the Autobots and fleshlings and attempt to betray Megatron, smirking all the while. In 1998, the combined forces of the Autobots and Earth defeated and captured the Decepticons. Starscream was secured on board the Ark II along with the other Decepticons when the ship exploded, killing the human crew and scattering the Transformers across the ocean. Arms dealer Adam Rook (aka. Lazarus) recovered several of the Autobots and Decepticons and used them as a reprogrammed weapons for hire for terrorists and despots. Prime Directive #1 As part of a demonstration to prospective buyers, Rook had Starscream join an assault against the Smitco Oil Refinery alongside half a dozen Transformers. When Megatron eventually broke free of Rook's control, he freed the other Decepticons. Prime Directive #2
The reactivated Starscream, along with his Seeker brothers Thundercracker and Skywarp, took a particular pleasure in dismantling the Autobot Minicars. When Megatron complained that he didn't rewire them so they could sit around and do nothing, Starscream playfully said they were only having some fun with their new "toys". Megatron ordered the three Decepticons to follow him, and when Skywarp asked Starscream what their leader's plan was this time, the air commander casually tossed Bumblebee's head over his shoulder and said that he didn't care, as it was going to be evil, and evil is always fun. Soon afterwards, the Autobots arrived and attacked. As Starscream attempted to choke Wheeljack, Sideswipe paid him back with a nice throat punch. All the combatants were then bombed by rogue members of the U.S. military. Prime Directive #3
The Decepticons escaped and attacked San Francisco. When Superion appeared to stop Devastator, Starscream led the other Seekers in bombing the Autobot giant, forcing the Aerialbots into their component team member forms and putting them at the mercy of Devastator. Prime Directive #5 Starscream and the other Decepticons secured the Autobots after Optimus Prime defeated Devastator. The Autobot leader managed to free his comrades after humans distracted the Decepticons, and the battle was rejoined. Fellow F-15 Air Raid punched Starscream in the face, repaying him for the earlier defeat. After the Aerialbots, as Superion, sacrificed their lives to save San Francisco from General Hallo's unauthorized nuclear strike, Starscream and the other Decepticons escaped. Prime Directive #6
Starscream led the Decepticons in joining Shockwave's Cybertronians after Megatron was defeated and was the first to recognize the mind-altering techniques being employed. Starscream escaped the CR chambers long enough almost to succeed in assassinating Megatron. Punishment didn't deter him, and Starscream was almost immediately creating a small sect of separatist Decepticons on Cybertron. He used the cover of Menasor's release to steal the incapacitated Combaticons to form his own army. If only he hadn't tried to hijack Sky Lynx. Yet another rebellion defeated by bad planning. Some people never learn. War and Peace
After returning to Earth, Starscream unleashed the Decepticons on the Autobots under the leadership of Jazz. Unfortunately, most of the Decepticons were incapacitated. Worse, Starscream's clone Sunstorm arrived on some bizarre mission. Starscream was forced to ally with the Autobots in exchange for getting his forces freed. After the misadventure, Starscream took the Combaticons for some practice against Sky Lynx. This also ended in disaster, for Predaking soon arrived, and Starscream discovered that Soundwave, his cassettes, and the other Seekers had allied with Predaking's master... Megatron! Starscream was again forced into a subservient position, with Megatron preparing to lead the Decepticons in the conquest of Earth... Generation One (ongoing)
G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers
When the nascent terrorist organization known as Cobra uncovered the buried hulk of the Ark, they removed the bodies of numerous Transformers with the intention of using them as weapons of war to threaten America. Cobra scientist Doctor Mindbender hacked the brain functions of the captive Transformers, reducing them to the level of remote-controlled drones, and dubbed them "Battle Android Troopers". Starscream was reconfigured to transform into a jet plane known as a "Night Raven", and was selected for use by the Cobra Commander as his personal aircraft.
Starscream was among the Transformers deployed during Cobra's opening attack on world freedom, when they targeted the United Nations Headquarters. Starscream transformed to robot mode and was punching his way through the building when a U.S. Military soldier code-named Snake-Eyes opened fire on him with a machine gun. Although unharmed by the attack, Starscream returned fire with his lasers, blowing up the missile tank upon which the soldier was perched and horribly scarring his face. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #1 Returning to Cobra's island base, Cobra Commander began his meeting with Destro by having Starscream dramatically fly by overhead and transform, for no reason other than to impress the arms dealer. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #2
Meanwhile, Autobot scientist Wheeljack had been able to avoid capture by Cobra, and had allied himself with America's newly-formed special mission force G.I. Joe. Hacking into Cobra's system, he was able to shut off the terrotists' control of the Transformers, liberating their minds and bodies. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #3 Naturally, the first thing Starscream did once he was free was to interrupt a battle between Optimus Prime and Megatron by shooting Megatron in the chest in a bid for leadership. Megatron returned the sentiment, blasting him with his fusion cannon, and Starscream slunk away as Megatron returned to more important matters. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #4
Lurking in the island's jungle, Starscream crossed paths with Snake-Eyes, who took revenge for his disfigurement by shattering the unsuspecting Starscream's eye with his sword and shoving a grenade into the socket. Clawing at his face, Starscream tumbled over a cliff and was badly damaged in the fall. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #5 His still-operational body was soon happened across by Cobra Commander, who was attempting to flee the escalating battle between the Autobots, Decepticons, Joes and Cobras that was engulfing the island, and Starscream made the human proposition: help him remove the grenade, and he would get him off the island. Naturally, the commander agreed. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers #6
Starscream and Cobra Commander resurfaced two years later, when Cobra Commander learned that human scientists had created an interstellar wormhole to Cybertron. With Starscream forced to do his bidding (via unspecified means), he used the portal to travel to Cybertron with the intention of gaining control of the wormhole technology by stealing the super-computer Teletran 3. However, a G.I. Joe ambush that struck just as they were carrying out their plan caused a catastrophic malfunction in Teletran 3, scattering numerous Transformers through the wormhole network across space and time. Starscream was not among those scattered, but he was promptly bound with energon chains by Perceptor and Ultra Magnus while they assessed the severity of the situation. It transpired that the chronal disruption caused by the time-lost Transformers would destroy the Earth, and teams of Joes and Cobras were soon dispatched through the timestream to retrieve the robots and save the planet. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #1
While the Joes and Cobras were off on their time-tossed mission, the forcefield protecting Magnus, Perceptor and Teletran 3 collapsed, at which point Decepticon commander Shockwave struck. Shockwave freed Starscream and reprogrammed Teletran 3 to prevent Transformers from being able to return to their proper times, so that Earth would be destroyed and he could invade it, as he had always planned to—it was Shockwave who had leaked the wormhole technology to humans in the first place. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #3 When a small team of Joes and Cobras that remained on Cybertron tried to undo his programming, Starscream spotted Lady Jaye modifying Teletran 3 and shouted a warning, but it came too late. The Transformers were returned, and Starscream escaped in the midst of the chaotic battle that resulted.
In the aftermath of the battle, Shockwave accused Starscream of deliberately trying to foil his scheme by trying to steal Teletran 3. Starscream denied any treacherousness on his part, and Shockwave was just starting to come around when a recording Cobra Commander had programmed into Starscream began to play, informing the Decepticon leader of Starscream's general uselessness. At that point, Starscream promptly exploded, taking out the Decepticon headquarters in the process, courtesy of forty-five pounds of plastic explosives that Cobra Commander had lined his housing with, in case the Decepticon had ever escaped his clutches. G.I. Joe vs. the Transformers II #4
Transformers/G.I. Joe
When the foundling terrorist organization known as Cobra discovered the Ark buried in the Fera Islands in 1938, they inadvertently awoke the Decepticons from their stasis. The evil robots entered into an alliance with the organization's leader, Cobra Commander, to conquer the world and strip it of its energy, but Megatron's true goal was to take the Matrix of Leadership—stolen from the body of Optimus Prime—from around Cobra Commander's neck. Starscream adopted the alternate form of a P-51 Mustang aeroplane.
One year later, in 1939, the American military formed a special mission force to counter the Cobra-Decepticon alliance named "G.I. Joe". Laserbeak spied upon the first meeting of this team and reported the information to Cobra; Starscream stood nearby as Cobra Commander vowed to kill the Joes, and opined that heroes were born to die. G.I. Joe's first attack came soon after, and Starscream distracted their aircraft in his jet mode while Megatron attacked them from above and downed them. The Line As it happened, the Joes bailed out and landed near to the buried Ark, where they wound up awakening the Autobots within the craft. Starscream watched as the ship sent out a repair drone to scan for alternate modes, aware of what it meant and seeing it as a threat to Megatron's leadership that he could exploit. Megatron happened upon Starscream as he was monologuing about taking the power of the Matrix for himself, and witnessed the drone going about its business. Knowing he would need the scheming Starscream for the coming battle, he ordered the Air Commander to help him move their stockpiled energon cubes to safer location. Transformed
Megatron proceeded to mass the Decepticons for a major battle with the Autobots, save for Starscream, who was left to languish within their base. Unfortunately for Megatron, this merely left Starscream with an opportunity to conspire with Cobra Commander's own traitorous second, Destro, and together the pair prepared to unleash the newly-constructed giant robot, Bruticus, upon everyone. Wolves
Even this conspiracy proved to be a deception on Destro's part, however, when he had his lover, the Baroness, shoot Starscream in his weak spot: an inch below his right ear, just behind his jaw hinge. Starscream's head flared with electricity and he collapsed, while Destro loosed Bruticus upon all his assembled enemies. G.I. Joe member Snake-Eyes ended the threat when he plucked the Matrix from Cobra Commander's clutches, and at Optimus Prime's direction, hurled it at Bruticus. The resultant explosion of creation energy destroyed Bruticus, but apparently killed all the Transformers in the process. The Iron Fist
Forty-six years later, in 1985, Starscream was revealed to have survived his injuries and the destruction of the Matrix through unexplained means. Discarding his archaic alternate mode for the form of an F-15, Starscream was performing a flyby over Cobra Island, seeking a means to return to Cybertron, when he intercepted a communication about an alien starship (actually a Cybertronian craft containing Blaster and Perceptor) crashing in Oregon. Starscream saw the craft as his ticket home, and while he was too low on energon to claim the ship for himself, he was content to let Cobra take it and then steal it from them later. Targets of Opportunity
IDW Generation 1 comics
Starscream and his comrades, Skywarp and Thundercracker, were recruited by Soundwave when Megatron requested fliers. They believed they had been called to join Megatron's gladiatorial team, but accepted the offer to join the Decepticons. Starscream immediately proclaimed his allegiance and declared how much of an honor fighting alongside Megatron would be. After going through some upgrades to boost their firepower, the Seekers' first duty was to capture a senator, who would be executed at Megatron's recruitment rally. He was also informed by Megatron of confidential plans in which he would play a key role. When the security forces intervened, Starscream was captured, and—surprise, surprise—offered to reveal Megatron's plans to save his own neck. Megatron Origin #3 However, this turned out to have been Megatron's plan—Starscream, together with Soundwave, executed the council questioning him, then freed every prisoner in the building, solidifying his loyalty to Megatron... until such time as Starscream felt like betraying his leader. Megatron Origin #4
In the very early stages of the war, one of Starscream's duties appears to have been recruitment, as he made a very pointed effort to convince Blurr to join the team. Spotlight: Blurr Around the same time he appeared as a delegate during one of Zeta Prime's security sessions, bringing with him a disguised Soundwave to spy on the Senate's plans for how to stop the growing Decepticon menace. When Zeta expressed surprise at how easily Starscream accepted his idea of draining energy from civilians to power weapons, he almost let slip that he'd done worse things in Megatron's name. To cover up his blunder, he yelled out that there was a spy in their midst, causing Soundwave to escape and distracting Zeta. Parasites
Having been unable to recruit Hot Rod to the Decepticon cause, Starscream was pleased to see that the insurgent was targeting the troublesome Autobot Orion Pax. Megatron let him know he was wrong about Hot Rod's intentions. Ruins When Zeta Prime then attacked Nyon's population with his vamparc ribbons and Omega Destructors, Starscream compared it to something Megatron would do, but Megatron assured him he was capable of much more. Purge In spite of Starscream's opinion that Megatron was a "stubborn wreck" for his repeated attempts to sway Orion Pax to his cause, they were successful, and the Decepticons joined forces with Orion's Autobots against Zeta Prime. Choices Together, they attacked Zeta Prime and his Omega Destructors. Starscream personally led the Seekers as air support. Overthrown
Starscream and his Decepticon forces had discovered the Autobots hiding place and raided it. Starscream then took special interest for Hot Rod and offered him to join the Decepticons. Transformation With new help, the Autobots began their all out assault on the Citadel. Starscream and the Seekers were ordered to take them out but were intercepted by the Aerialbots. Broadcast
Starscream was present when Megatron first faced Optimus Prime in battle on Sherma Bridge. Chaos Theory Part 1 During the war, he ended up as Megatron's bodyguard, a position largely for show, and developed a mutual hatred with Sixshot. Devastation #5 He would also appear to settle with Megatron instead of carrying on being an attempted traitor. Megatron viewed this as them moving on from such things but it was actually because Starscream feared him—a fear he initially thought was respect. Infiltration #6
| “ | Thanks to Ore-13, Megatron, I have evolved... beyond you! I am the future! | ” |
—Starscream, Infiltration issue 6 | ||
Millions of years later, Starscream was the leader of a Decepticon insurgent cell that had operated covertly on Earth for at least four years, working to destabilize Earth's governing organizations and create global anarchy. However, since the discovery of the mysterious, Energon-like substance known as Ore-13, Starscream had stepped outside standard procedure, establishing a second command bunker in Oregon above a richer seam of the ore than the one in Nebraska. Unfortunately, the abandoned Nebraska bunker had been infiltrated by a human named Stoker, who had managed to obtain data on Starscream's operations, forcing Starscream to have the human eliminated, though he didn't count on another human obtaining Stoker's SM-40 computer and an Autobot counter-insurgency agent bringing the evidence to the Autobots. Infiltration #1 Meanwhile, Starscream had ordered Blitzwing and Skywarp to cover his tracks by destroying all evidence of Stoker's travels and what remained of the Nebraska bunker. Infiltration #5 Starscream intended to use Ore-13 to challenge Megatron for leadership of the Decepticons, but when the moment of truth finally arrived, the energy source proved insufficient to destroy the Decepticon leader, and Megatron blasted Starscream with his fusion cannon at point-blank range, virtually obliterating him. Megatron told the other Decepticons, "See to the remains. If he lives, then I'll decide what to do with him." Infiltration #6
As it turns out, Starscream survived and was placed in a CR chamber for extensive repairs. The other Decepticons were worried that Megatron was jumping the gun by calling in Sixshot early, and Astrotrain realized Starscream might be the only one of them willing to tell Megatron this. Devastation #1 During an attack on Decepticon headquarters by the Reapers, Starscream completed his recovery and was confident that he would prevail in the upcoming battle. Devastation #4
When Sixshot arrived, he initially attacked the Reapers, but they insisted he join them or die. Starscream then emerged from base calling out Sixshot—his hatred of Starscream caused the living weapon to decide to switch sides after all, at which point Starscream promptly activated Sixshot's shutdown command, sending him crashing to the ground. Starscream then proceeded to bomb the Reapers, causing Megatron to agree to take the fight to the Reapers. (Based on the timing of his emergence and his co-plotter Astrotrain immediately going "look at brave Starscream, Megatron!", it seems having an excuse to take out Sixshot and thus force Megatron to go against the Reapers was all planned by Starscream) Devastation #5 Starscream once again accepted Megatron as his liege, and together they teamed up to destroy the alien invaders. Devastation #6
At some point during the following year, Starscream met with Sunstreaker and persuaded him to lead the rest of the Autobots into an ambush (under the pretence that Megatron would be defeated, the Autobots could leave Earth, and the Decepticons would get Earth to themselves), All Hail Megatron #8, where they were promptly defeated. Optimus was rendered almost offline, and Starscream watched in glee as Megatron delivered the news of a traitor. All Hail Megatron #7
Some time later, Starscream, was back in a subordinate position under Megatron and getting increasingly annoyed with it. He joined in Megatron's attack on New York City, quite enjoying that whole "killing humans who can't fight back" thing. All Hail Megatron #1
Starscream personally shot down the fleeing Air Force One in Washington, D.C., after which he returned to join Megatron in New York City. Upon his arrival, Megatron mused that it was fitting to have Starscream beside him, as a Decepticon who had been with the cause since the start. Starscream, believing Megatron to be sarcastic, retorted that he'd been there before even Megatron. A somewhat weary Megatron clarified, congratulating him and complimenting his skills. He further explained that Starscream was very nearly the living embodiment of the Decepticon ideal, but a step short of realizing it. All Hail Megatron #3
With the conquest completed, Starscream stood at Megatron's side as he addressed the gathered Decepticons. All Hail Megatron #4 However, he soon reverted to type when he noticed Megatron didn't have a proper plan now that he'd won and the fun on Earth was a distraction for the troops. He taunted Megatron with the knowledge that he knew this and told him other Decepticons would start getting restless, so Megatron's position would soon be challenged by hordes of bored sociopaths whom Megatron had indoctrinated to be violent and take things. All Hail Megatron #6
Later, Starscream met with the Insecticons (passing a depressed Reflector on the way) and discussed the possibility of overthrowing Megatron. They agreed. All Hail Megatron #8 He made his move a short while later, sending the Insecticons to attack Megatron. His allies were summarily defeated, however, and Megatron revealed that he had known about Starscream's plans all along. Starscream explained his reasoning behind the revolt: while he once idolized Megatron for teaching the Decepticons to fight the "old order" and take what they want, all he had done since was lead them into a war without end. He then revealed that the Insecticons weren't his only loyalists, as he had also managed to sway the Constructicons to his cause. All Hail Megatron #10
Starscream's uprising was suddenly cut short when the Decepticons came under attack, first from human jets arrived from Europe, and then the returning Autobots. Starscream was forced to team up with Megatron, who assured him that someday he would get be in charge, someday after the Decepticons won... but not now. After giving this some thought, Starscream organized his troops to fight back, ending his orders with "All hail Megatron!" All Hail Megatron #11 When Megatron was eventually defeated, Starscream picked up his injured leader, refusing to let the Autobots finish him off. When Optimus Prime asked why, he replied that leadership of the Decepticons is to be taken, not offered up by chance. Before retreating, he reminded Prime that the Decepticons still had the advantage in most parts of the galaxy. All Hail Megatron #12
Along with a few other Decepticons, Starscream took off into space aboard Astrotrain. Despite what he had told Prime, he was not pleased that Soundwave was keeping Megatron on life support, but his attempts to dissuade the loyalist were met with failure. He considered just throwing his former leader out Astrotrain's airlock, but had a nagging feeling that he'd "somehow return, even more powerful than before." Starscream was ready to give up, knowing that the Decepticons had no real reason to follow him, and that the faction would fall to infighting as soon as others challenged his rule. All he had was the Autobot Matrix of Leadership, which Megatron had seized from Optimus Prime earlier, but he had failed to find any supposed "ultimate power" within it, and prepared to throw it away. When Shrapnel stopped him, saying that the Matrix was used by the Autobots to choose their leaders, Starscream suddenly realized that it was just what he needed to rally people to his cause. Gathering his followers, he told them that he had unlocked the unlimited powers of the Matrix, and that he had been chosen to light their darkest hour. While the roused Decepticons started hailing his name, Starscream knew fully well that his newfound leadership was wholly reliant on a seemingly useless Matrix, and wondered if this was really the right thing to have done. Uneasy Lies the Head
Starscream quickly proved to be an incompetent leader, gathering his troops on a lifeless asteroid and doing nothing to expand their territory or improve their conditions. As the Decepticons resorted to stealing energy and cannibalizing eachother for parts, he demanded Bombshell do something about it, but the Insecticon would rather work on his cerebro-shells. Though initially angry, Starscream conceded that he could use these devices after he used one to take out a rebellious Quake. All His Engines When he went to ask Shockwave about the same issue, he found him and Soundwave cutting open Megatron's body to make weapons. Just as Starscream began to express fake outrage about this "coup", Megatron himself appeared, revealing that the two had built him a new body with a built-in space bridge. He grudgingly admitted he knew Megatron would be back sooner or later, though Megatron neglected to take back leadership as long as Starscream had the Matrix, which he considered a possible threat. Altered Carbon
Some time later, Bombshell approached Starscream to report that an Autobot ship had crashed on their defenses, but he did nothing but shrug it off and stare emptily at his Matrix, responding violently when Bombshell offered to take it from him. As it turned out, the wrecked ship had contained Rodimus, on a quest to take back the Matrix. After first using a cerebro-shell on Razorclaw to make him attack Starscream, he confronted the Decepticon leader on his own. Starscream was unimpressed, having used his rank to give himself nigh-impenetrable armor, only to be taken by surprise when Rodimus shot the Matrix around his neck instead, causing it to release a burst of energy and incapacitate Starscream. Rodimus snagged the Matrix, and Megatron subsequently took back control of the Decepticons. Heart Like a Wheel
As Megatron put his new plans into action and had the Decepticons return to Earth, Starscream went off on his own to meet with Thundercracker, who had abandoned the Decepticon cause following their previous defeat. Altered Carbon He tried to convince his fellow Seeker to join with him and overthrow Megatron again, seeing him as obsessed with petty revenge on humanity and lacking long-term goals. When Thundercracker refused, Starscream lost patience and gunned him down, but before he could finish the job he was attacked by Brawn. As the Autobot accused him of shooting down a plane carrying Optimus Prime, Starscream pleaded for his life and revealed that Megatron was to blame. Woken Furies Fortunately for him, Brawn chose to carry Thundercracker to safety rather than capture him. Burning Chrome Starscream returned to the other Decepticons and watched Optimus Prime confront Megatron in a one-on-one battle. Enemy Mine
Megatron would later use the space bridge technology built into in his new body to summon Starscream and the rest of the Decepticons to him on Cybertron. At first they did battle with the Autobots, but were soon mind-controlled by Galvatron into combining with his Sweep army and forming a huge monster. Kings Once this "Deceptigod" was defeated, the weakened component Decepticons were captured by the Autobots and outfitted with I/D chips. Starscream spent his time in prison snarking at Ratbat's attempts to take control of the situation. The Death of Optimus Prime
Starscream was present when Prowl visited the Decepticon camp to lecture Ratbat, who had begun to put a plan in motion. The Autonomy Lesson Believing Ratbat's methods and goals were regressive, Starscream departed the Decepticon camp to talk to the Autobots, only to be shocked by the distrusting Bumblebee's taser-cane and taken into custody for his troubles. Interrogated by Prowl, Starscream explained that Ratbat was planning to assassinate Bumblebee during the memorial ceremony for the Lost Light. While the Autobots dealt with that threat, Starscream proceeded to gate-crash the ceremony himself and announced his desire to be part of the planet's new government. The World & Everything in It Naturally, all the Autobots were suspicious, but Starscream soon proved his good faith when he helped Wheeljack rescue some NAILs from a series of mysterious explosions, convincing Bumblebee to let him join the government. Stick Together Bumblebee, Starscream, and NAIL representative Metalhawk soon held a public assembly to introduce their joint governance, although Starscream did most of the talking, much to Bumblebee's chagrin. Devisive
Starscream joined Metalhawk in greeting ex-Decepticon Sky-Byte when he returned to Cybertron, but the new arrival's obvious distaste for his former faction prompted Starscream to step back and leave the welcoming to his fellow leader. A Better Tomorrow
Given his genuine desire to see the new government work out, Starscream was just as suspicious as his fellow leaders when noted Decepticon warmonger Turmoil returned to Cybertron with claims of altruism. Turmoil immediately began to foment distrust among the government by planting more doubts about the Autobots in Metalhawk's mind, so Starscream took the NAIL to Maccadam's Old Oil House to talk the matter out, calling upon bar owner Blurr to recount his own experiences with Turmoil as evidence for the prosecution. Interference Patterns
At the war's end, Starscream and a small team of Decepticons accompanied the mercenary Mirage to the Pegasus Star Cluster. He led the Decepticons into the Autobot bunker after Mirage destroyed the Autobot security system, but stood back during the ensuing fight. After Megatron ordered the Autobot prisoners executed, Starscream held Ratchet back as Mirage prepared to kill Hound. Spotlight: Mirage
Hearts of Steel
Starscream is the nominal leader of the Decepticons on 19th-century Earth, while Megatron sleeps in stasis lock. He decides to conquer the Earth in this time, and use that power to overthrow Megatron when he should wake up. Posing as a benefactor to humanity, he enlists the help of inventor Tobias Muldoon to design new altmodes for the Decepticons. Hearts of Steel #2 In particular, Starscream builds (or reformats) Astrotrain for an assault on New York City, and the new electrical generators there. Hearts of Steel #3 It all ends badly. Hearts of Steel #4
Henkei! Henkei! pack-in mini-comics
Starscream was among the Decepticons who joined Megatron in attacking the Earth in the 21st century. During an attack on Tokyo, Starscream got the drop on some human military operatives who were observing a fight between Megatron and Optimus Prime, but before he could take them out, Bumblebee got the drop on him, spraying him with a fire engine's hose. This gave Grimlock the opening he needed to lash Starscream with his tail and send him crashing into Megatron, prompting the villains to retreat. Henkei! Henkei! volume 1
Starscream later concocted a plan to have Astrotrain keep the Autobots busy while the Decepticons raided a power plant, but he had not factored in the Autobots' newest warrior, Hot Rod, who took them by surprise and blasted Starscream in the back. Henkei! Henkei! volume 2 Seeking revenge, Starscream tried to return the favor, only for Hot Rod to dodge the blast, and cause Starscream to shoot Megatron instead! Henkei! Henkei! volume 3
Knowing that his friend Skyfire had been stranded on Earth tens of thousands of years ago, Starscream had Ramjet search for his body, which was eventually located frozen in a glacier. Starscream thawed out Skyfire and placed a mind-controlling helmet on him, to ensure that his kind-hearted old friend would serve the destructive Decepticon cause. Together, they attacked a power plant, but while they fought off the plant's Autobot defenders, Skyfire began to struggle against the helmet's influence, eventually overpowering it and turning on Starscream. Realizing he was outnumbered, Starscream fled, as Skyfire called after him to remind him that even thousands of years ago, they'd never gotten along that well anyway... Henkei! Henkei! volume 4
Following Megatron's use of energon cubes to power himself up into Galvatron, Starscream attempted to repeat the process on himself, and had Ravage steal a sack of cubes for him. Before he could put them to use, however, he was ambushed by Cheetor, who defeated him and reclaimed the cubes. Henkei! Henkei! volume 8 Later, Starscream was led by Cyclonus to a volcanic field, where Megatron was in the process of using the magma to again power up into Galvatron. Seething over his own inability to obtain the power Galvatron wielded, Starscream thought his chance to lead had finally come when a team of Autobots arrive and collapsed the volcano on top of Galvatron. His gloating was short lived, however, as Galvatron burst out from under the rubble, and, entirely unaware that a fight had even gone on, began berating Starscream and Cyclonus for being lazy idiots. Henkei! Henkei! volume 9
When Ratchet was trying to take a human girl to the hospital, Starscream arrived to take potshots at him. Ratchet's comrade Inferno blocked Starscream's shots, and the enabled Ratchet to escape by blinding Starscream with a blast from his water cannon. Henkei! Henkei! volume 10
Henkei! Henkei! Bun Bun manga
Years ago on Cybertron, Starscream was a scientist and explorer. Together with his friend Skyfire, he embarked on a search for energy on other planets, but when the duo visited Earth, Skyfire was caught in a blizzard and frozen in ice. Starscream subsequently returned to Cybertron and became a warrior, joining up with Megatron's Decepticons.The Enemy from the Arctic Untold years later, when the legendary power source known as the Energon Cube was lost to the reaches of space, Starscream was among a small team of Decepticons who departed Cybertron in pursuit of it. The Cube crash-landed on Earth in the Japanese town of Hoshinochō and shattered into fragments, so Starscream and the other Decepticons took on the forms of local vehicles and machinery to remain hidden while searching for the shards. Optimus Prime and his Autobots had also followed the Cube to Earth, and so the Transformers' war continued in secret on this new world. Kingdom of Giants
Eleven years after arriving on Earth, Starscream and Ramjet tracked Prime's Autobots to the human building known built over the Cube's impact crater called the Star Dome, and launched an attack. Starscream was surprised to find a human boy, Wataru Hoshinoumi, caught in the middle of the conflict, but gave the fleshling little thought and aimed his gun to destroy it. The human, however, had a protector: the littlest Autobot, Bumblebee came bursting out of nowhere to nail Starscream with a flying kick and save the boy. Enter! The Transformers Starscream didn't take kindly to this insult upon his person, and pinned Bumblebee beneath his foot, but before he could finish him off, Wataru blinded the Air Commander with a fire extinguisher! Unfortunately for Starscream, it was at that point that Megatron himself chose to arrive, and he violently berated Starscream for going behind his back, throttling him and using him as a shield to block Optimus Prime's fire. After some further shots were exchanged, Megatron's attention was piqued by Wataru, and he decided to call retreat. The Emperor of Destruction Appears! Back at the Decepticons' underwater base, Starscream opined that Megatron was growing old, but Megatron simply replied with equal sarcasm that the weakest dog barks the loudest. Starscream stalked off, vowing to himself that he would be leader of the Decepticons, then summoned Ramjet to join him on a personal mission to the Arctic. Kingdom of Giants
Starscream and Ramjet located the glacier that Skyfire's body was trapped in, and released him from his frozen sleep. Skyfire was happy to see Starscream again, but Starscream soon proved how much he had changed when he sent a watching group of humans to their deaths by shooting the ice out from under them. Just as Skyfire demanded an explanation for his actions, Starscream slapped a helmet onto his head that took over his mind and co-opted him into the Decepticon ranks. Starscream proceeded to lead the brainwashed Skyfire in an attack on a power plant back in Hoshinochō, but through it all, Skyfire refrained from outright killing any human workers. Displeased with Skyfire's resistance to the helmet's control, Starscream set an example by opening fire indiscriminately. Just before he shot Wataru, who happened to be visiting the plant, Skyfire seized his arm at the last second, insisting they were researchers, not murderers. Luckily, this was enough of a delay to save Wataru's life, as Optimus Prime's Autobots then came blasting into the plant. The Enemy from the Arctic In the battle that followed, Skyfire continued to struggle against the helmet, shielding Wataru and Bumblebee from Starscream's attacks. Starscream was shocked to learn that Wataru was a "Booster", a being born with the ability to control energon, when Wataru used his powers to liberate Skyfire from the control helmet. Skyfire turned his guns on Starscream, blowing off his left null ray cannon, then informed him of one important fact he had remembered: they never actually got along that well in the first place. With no options left, Starscream was forced to retreat. Wataru's Power
When both Optimus Prime and Megatron were left badly damaged after a fierce battle, Starscream, Ramjet and Astrotrain exploited the Autobots' reduced manpower by raiding a hydroelectric power plant. Together, they made short work of the Autobots who did turn up to fight them, but just as they were preparing to leave with a haul of energon cubes, the revitalized Optimus Prime came speeding onto the scene. The three Decepticons beat a hasty retreat, but only Starscream got away, the other two taken down by a powered-up blast from Prime's ion blaster. Time of Resurrection With nothing to show for his efforts, Starscream returned to the volcanic caves were Megatron was recuperating from his injuries, bathing in a "bath" of molten energon cubes. Deeming it a waste of their energon resources, Starscream saw his chance when Optimus Prime and Bumblebee arrived in the caves, the Autobots having received a message that gave Megatron's location. Starscream greeted the two Autobots and gleefully led them to the chamber Megatron was in, serving them up the Decepticon leader in the hopes that they would destroy him and leave his throne free to be usurped. Starscream kept Megatron's newest soldier, Cyclonus, busy so Prime could deliver the killing strike, but against everyone's expectations, Megatron did not die from Prime's sword slash, and was instead transformed by the power of energon into the deranged Galvatron! Creation! The New Emperor of Destruction!!
Galvatron immediately attacked Optimus Prime, and Starscream exploited the opened, attacking his former leader from above. Galvatron proved able to shrug his shots off, and destroyed the rocky outcrop on which Starscream was standing, bringing him tumbling into Galvatron's clutches. After being slammed around a bit, Starscream fired his jets and blasted from Galvatron's grip, looping back around to deliver a jet-powered kick, but the attack accomplished little other than to thoroughly tax Galvatron's patience. Powering up his cannon, Galvatron unleashed a single earth-shattering blast that appeared to reduce Starscream to atoms. The Threat of Galvatron
Starscream proved hardier than Galvatron expected, though: after Galvatron had torn his way through the assembled Autobots, Starscream re-appeared, broken and crippled, but nonetheless determined to bring Galvatron down. His weapons still proved ineffective, however, and so Starscream demanded that Wataru use his powers to give him a boost. Naturally, Wataru was hesitant, but saw the logic in Starscream's plan and acquiesced, providing the Decepticon with a forcefield and a powered-up gun. Starscream was only able to get off one shot before Galvatron destroyed the field and his cannon, but the blast successfully reopened the original wound Optimus Prime had torn in Galvatron's armor. Taking the opening, Prime repeated the tactic and plunged his energon sword into the gash, ripping Galvatron open. A catastrophic release of energy from Galvatron's body ensued, which began to the collapse the cavern. The Autobots raced for the exit, but Starscream did not move, and Wataru could only look back to see a smile form upon the Air Commander's lips as he watched Galvatron's defeat, seconds before he too disappeared beneath the tumbling rocks. Revenge
Later, as Prime's Autobots prepared to return to Cybertron, Skyfire announced that he would be staying on Earth in order to search for Starscream, indicating that he believed his old friend was still alive. To the Sea of Stars
Alternity
A Starscream from an unidentified universal stream was selected by Megatron to become the leader of his team of cross-dimensional Questors. Imbued with a small portion of the incredible powers over space and time that his leader had acquired from the god-beast Hytherion, Starscream became incredibly powerful, equipped with an uncharacteristic sports car alternate mode, a Timaeus drive that allowed him to travel through dimensions, a "Retroactive Nullifer" capable of erasing victims from history, and four "Evil Optics" that can send an enemy into stasis lock with only a look. Despite all the new powers that this infusion of Hytherion power conveyed about him, Starscream was wary, wondering why Megatron would so empower him given his record of deceit. Despite fears that he might be the subject of some strange cosmic experiment that Megatron was conducting, Starscream still took to his new role with glee, seeking ways to put his new power to use overthrowing Megatron.
On a mission to Earth, Starscream confronted one of Optimus Prime's auto-avatars. Surprising Prime with his sports car form, Starscream scored a hit with his Nullifer, which slowly began killing the Autobot. Starscream had heard other species call the Alternity "gods", but taunted Prime by telling him that any story of gods must end with a Ragnarök. However, Starscream did not expect Prime to tell him that the Alternity were already well aware of the time and circumstances of their prophesied end, and were already prepared. Foreshadows
Learning that Megatron intended to use a magic tablet to seize control of the all-powerful Planicrons of Flatworld, Starscream made his inevitable power play, hunting out a tablet of his own and mastering its abilities. Just as Megatron was in the process of taking control of the Planicrons, Starscream stepped in, paralysing his fellow Questors with his Evil Optics and using his tablet in an attempt to collapse Flatworld in on itself. It came as a rude shock, then, to find that Megatron had anticipated his treachery and was able to override his tablet's control of the Planicrons. Megatron explained that the only reason Starscream had been chosen to be a Questor at all was so that he would have a test subject to see if it was possible to kill a being infused with Alternium—and as it turned out, it was, as Megatron had the Planicrons enter Starscream's body and cause the Alternium within him to multiply rapidly, exploding his body from the inside out.
Of course, that was not quite the end for Starscream, who naturally survived as a ghost, like so many other versions of himself throughout the multiverse. Megatron was subsequently defeated by the Alternity when Thundercracker freed the Planicrons from his control, and Starscream's ghost appeared before his fellow Questor after the battle was done to taunt him with the fact he would never be forgiven for his betrayal. Though unclear, it seems possible Starscream may have actually possessed Thundercracker and caused him to free the Planicrons in the first place. Alternation
Wings Universe
Starscream was the captain of Deathsaurus's Skyraider-Seeker Brigade until Deathsaurus used Falcon to assassinate most of the other Warlords by suicide bomb. With the new opening, Starscream was promoted to the rank of lieutenant. A Team Effort
Starscream was happy to report the success of the Combaticons' success against the Elite Guard with their new form of Bruticus. He warned Deathsaurus that the five ex-Autobots were likely stab him in the back, but Deathsaurus told Starscream that it was ambition that made them the perfect Decepticons, and instructed him to tell Lyzack to ready the medibay for their return. Starscream passed on the message, and noted that Lyzack seemed overly formal, suggesting he would be able to get her out of her timid shell. Battle Lines, Part 1
As that repairs on the Combaticons proceeded, Starscream admired Deathsaurus's foresight in adding an override control to Bruticus, but admitted he bore bad news: Elite Guard forces were closing in on their base. Deathsaurus instructed him to deploy the troops. All of the troops. Battle Lines, Part 2 Starscream led the initial wave of defenders, shooting Ricochet out of the sky. While he was still ranting at the barrage of missiles unleashed by Flak, he was cut off mid-sentence by a missile strike which struck him square on. Battle Lines, Part 3 When more Autobot reinforcements showed up, one of Starscream's subordinates asked if they should retreat, and Starscream's response was an emphatic order to counterattack. After belting Ironfist, he was distracted by the sight of Lyzack savagely dealing to Magnum with a huge sword and could only stare open-mouthed. Starscream came to his senses after she was belted by Thunderclash, but he was too late to avoid being blasted by Side Burn. Battle Lines, Part 4
When Starscream arrived back at base to find Megatron had taken over, he readily switched allegiances, though he vowed under his breath that he would someday take his place as rightful heir to Deathsaurus. Megatron sent him with Soundwave to retrieve the data on the Combiner process that Deathsaurus had perfected. A week later, Starscream was part of the Decepticon forces who broke through Iacon's outer walls, thanks to Devastator. Battle Lines, Part 5 He was still by Megatron's side when Devastator fell and took part in the subsequent retreat. Battle Lines, Part 6
Commercial appearances
Starscream's commercial appearances include:
- An appearance in the first Transformers animation, a commercial for Issue #1 of Marvel's The Transformers comic book. Alongside Thundercracker and Skywarp, Starscream attacks an Earth power plant, then defends himself against an Autobot counterattack.
- Starscream and Thundercracker are seen strafing three Autobots, then getting shot down, in the Jetfire/Shockwave commercial.
- A 1985 commercial for Omega Supreme. Starscream leads Thrust over the desert to attack the Autobots' new defense base, brushing off Thrust's concerns about the whereabouts of the Autobots themselves. He is caught off-guard when the base transforms into Omega Supreme. Good goin' there, Starscream. This is the only ad in which Starscream has a speaking part; he's given his usual cartoon voice.
- He makes a short appearance in the 1986 commercial for Hot Rod/Kup/Blurr.
- He is seen in jet mode leading an attack on the Autobots' power station in a commercial for Ultra Magnus.
- He can be glimpsed flying into battle alongside Galvatron - yes, Galvatron! - in the Galvatron/Magnus commercial.
- He and the other two standard Seekers are seen battling the Dinobots on the ground in a commercial for the Predacons.
- Starscream briefly features in the Pretender Classics commercial. He's shown lurking in the dark of an Earth city as Optimus Prime is reunited with Jazz and Bumblebee. Narration from Victor Caroli leads the viewer to believe that his lurking is quite evil.
- Still in his Pretender Classics body, Starscream is seen dunking Wildfly and company into colorful vats to create the Pretender Monsters in their commercial.
- He features alongside Prowl and Over-Run in a commercial for Action Master vehicles; he's shown battling Prowl aboard his Turbo Jet on Cybertron.
- His jet form is shown in an early Generation 2 commercial, rendered in CGI and flying over a rocky landscape alongside Ramjet.
Games
Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons
When Optimus embarked on his mission to rescue the Autobots' Minicar troops from the Decepticons, Starscream could hinder Optimus Prime's progress, pushing him back towards Optimus's point of origin in the Decepticon's maze-like base. Adventure Game: Defeat the Decepticons packaging blurb and game
Transformers: Mystery of Convoy
Starscream, alongside many of his fellow Decepticons, menaced Ultra Magnus while the Autobot was on a journey. Transformers: Mystery of Convoy
The Transformers (Commodore 64)
The Transformers (Commodore 64)
The Transformers (PS2)
- Voice actor: Jack Merluzzi
While the Autobots were on their way to ELTA, Starscream appeared and told them to stop right where they were. Transforming to robot form, he announced that he would be their opponent. Optimus Prime asked him where he had been during the whole adventure, but Starscream just told him to shut up and warned him that his null ray was not like the others. Despite saying that he was going to shut Optimus' mouth forever, Starscream was defeated by the Autobots. Deciding to make a strategic withdraw and that discretion was the better part of valor, despite knowing that Megatron was going to chew him out, Starscream transformed to jet form and flew off. The Transformers
Transformers Beast Wars: Transmetals video game
Starscream returned to the Beast Wars following the quantum surge, with a strange but powerful new Transmetal body. Fearing that the Beast Wars would alter history against his liking, Starscream set out to destroy any Maximal or Predacon that opposed him. After vanquishing his foes, Starscream entered the Ark and infused himself with the power of his old body, just as Megatron and Optimus Primal had increased their power. This fusion of old and new allowed Starscream to finally achieve his eons long goal of restoring his original body. Finally whole, Starscream undertook the long journey through transwarp back to Cybertron. Transformers Beast Wars: Transmetals
3D Battle-Card Game
Starscream serves under Megatron as one of his Decepticon soldiers, battling Optimus Primal's many Autobot allies in what might possibly have been an inter-universe battle. Energon Wars Expansion Set
Sector Seven Alternate Reality Game
Disguised as an F-15 Eagle fighter jet, Starscream was active on Earth in 1982, with documented sightings of jets sporting his unique colors on several continents before he was caught on camera transforming to robot mode in California. This sighting (and its subsequent leak) was the direct impetus for Hungry Dragon 1.
Later, during late April/early May of 2007, Sector Seven intercepted two sound clips through Agent Cod3x and another source (currently unknown). Apparently, Starscream wanted to make his presence known and left a message announcing that he would have the All Spark, and that Agent Powers would be the one to hand it over. These messages were somewhat garbled, as they were apparently received over a SETI@home system. So far, only these two "blips" have been analyzed (the second still needing work), but more may come in the near future. Sector Seven
Revenge of the Fallen - The Game (Xbox 360/Sony PS3/PC)
- Voice actor: Charlie Adler
Transformers Battle Universe
At the edge of time, when the Matrix needed a new host, Starscream was among several warriors summoned from the multiverse to battle for control of the prize. Transformers Battle Universe
Transformers G1: Awakening
Toys
Notes
- In Jim Shooter and Denny O'Neil's original Transformers treatment, Starscream was named "Ulchtar." Yes. When Bob Budiansky took over Transformers preproduction from them, he changed it to "Starscream." [2] And "Starscream" was the name given to Thundercracker's bio, so who knows what else was going on. This may be related to a mix-up that involved all three jets' Tech Spec numbers being switched around (Starscream was given Skywarp's stats by mistake).
- An early Universe-style character profile published in The Transformers Comics Magazine gave Starscream the smirk-worthy nickname of The Silver Snake. A second "alternate name" for Starscream shows up in Bob Budiansky's hand-written write-up of his bio, which is briefly visible in one of Shout! Factory's DVD featurettes. In addition to "The Silver Snake", the hand-written bio gives Starscream the alternate name of Pretty Poison. Oookay then...
- An actor in a Starscream costume was among "live" Transformers one could meet at the 1985 Universal Studios Tour.
- According to the line art of Starscream by Studio OX, each side of his chest has a turbine mounted on it. This concept has influenced his Action Master, The Transformers: Masterpiece, and Classics toys and the art of the Robot Master version.[3]
- In Genesis: The Art of Transformers is a picture by Matt Kuphaldt of Machine Wars Starscream wearing a purple cape and brandishing Galvatron's torn-off arm cannon. To date, this remains the only canonical appearance of Starscream in this body—so far as the canonicity of art books can be placed.
- Starscream appears in the DLC for Revenge of the Fallen on the Playstation 3 and Xbox 360 in his G1 appearance with quite a few new features, not the least of which is the fact that he can summon and fire Megatron's gun mode (despite the fact that Megatron is already playable as a separate downloadable character).
- When seen in stasis lock aboard the Ark in "The Agenda (Part III)", Starscream almost looks kind of peaceful. It's kind of creepy, really.
Foreign names
- Japanese: Starscream (スタースクリーム Sutāsukrīmu)
- Cantonese: Seng Seng Giu (星星叫, "Star Shouting")
- Czech: Hvězdolam ("Starbreak")
- Euskera: Izaroihu (Basque)
- French: Égo (Canada)
- Hungarian: Üstökös ("Comet")
- Italian: Astrum, Tornado("Set Commandos" four-pack),Scintillor (Beast Wars)
- Mandarin: Hǒu Hsīng (Taiwan, 吼星 "Roaring Star"), Hóng Zhīzhū (China, 紅蜘蛛, "Red Spider")
- Polish: Gwiazdowrzask ("Starscream"), Gwiezdny Krzyk (Beast Wars, "Star Cry")
- Portuguese: Estrela-Estridente (Portugal comics, "Shrill Star"), Cometa (Brazil comics, "Comet")
- Russian: Skandalist (cartoon, Скандалист, "Troublemaker")
- Spanish: Grito de Estrella ("Star Cry"), Destello (America Beast Wars, "Sparkle")
- Ukrainian: Zorekryk (Зорекрик, "Starscream")
Footnotes
External links
- Pages with image sizes containing extra px
- Character stubs missing fiction
- Action Masters
- Alternators Decepticons
- Alternity Decepticons
- Beast Wars Decepticons
- Classics Decepticons
- Decepticon leaders
- Decoys
- Dimension hoppers
- Gender-switch characters
- Generation 1 Decepticons
- Generation 1 Predacons
- Generation 2 Decepticons
- Ghosts
- Hall of Fame
- Henkei! Henkei! Decepticons
- Live-action film ARG characters
- Kiss Players Decepticons
- Machine Wars Decepticons
- Matrix bearers
- Predacon leaders
- Pretenders
- Revenge of the Fallen Decepticons
- Robot Masters Decepticons
- Scientists
- Seekers
- Unicron-related characters
- Wings Universe Decepticons
- Zombies
