Overdrive

Overdrive is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Fearlessly he strikes at the White Dimension from his safe haven in the Orange-To-Yellow Gradient Dimension!

Overdrive is an Omnibot, commanding the group with the expertise of a master strategist, though they find him sometimes cool and off-putting. The truth is, his desire to win at everything he does is his overriding concern, no matter the situation. For better or for worse, he seems to have the chops to back himself up, with an amazing amount of both physical and mental speed and acuity. His obliviousness to the risk of alienation may catch up with him one day, but until then, he seemingly can't help but revel in his superior talents.

For example, while the Omnibots are all said to be dimension-hoppers, Overdrive has grown remarkably adept, able to simply sense disturbances in the timestream before anyone else is aware. It is therefore impossible to say whether his various appearances throughout the multiverse are different entities or the same individual.

Fiction

S.T.A.R.S. pack-in flyers

The most embarrassing part of dimension-hopping is seeing your own doofy alt-mode.

Overdrive and the other two Omnibots were featured in several recruitment messages directed at human allies. The first message detailed the Omnibots' arrival on Earth: The Autobots marooned on that planet had sent an S.O.S. to Cybertron, despite not knowing if anyone would be there to receive it. Luckily, their plea was answered in the form of the Omnibots, Powerdashers, and Time Warriors. The Omnibots quickly adapted to Earth's highways, scouting for and attacking Decepticons. Reinforcements from Cybertron! This message was later repeated almost verbatim, with minor changes made to accommodate a recruitment drive for S.T.A.R.S. The battle is far from over!

Overdrive personally narrated the next message, describing how he and his comrades had turned the tide in the Autobots' favor and were gearing up to strike at hidden Decepticon bases. However, Optimus Prime was holding back until human allies had been mobilized. As with the other messages, Overdrive offered S.T.A.R.S. membership, but unlike the others, this one seemed to be aimed at specifically military personnel. Several vehicles were made available for the recipients' "G.I. Joe missions" against Cobra. Earthlings: THE S.T.A.R.S. need your help now!

The next pair of messages told the story of Johnny, a young S.T.A.R.S. member whose town came under Thundercracker's energy-draining attack. He summoned a squad of Autobot cars as well as the Omnibots, but it is unknown how the presumed battle unfolded. Have the Decepticons defeated us once and for all?Can one boy, alone, hold back the evil Decepticons?

The final message involving the Omnibots was delivered from Ultra Magnus to the potential new S.T.A.R.S. Commander. Magnus presented another glimpse of Overdrive's personality (that he was a strategist), then claimed that the Omnibots were "destined to fight a war in another universe on March 31, 1987" if the S.T.A.R.S. Commander did not requisition them. You Have Been Chosen. And, indeed, they were absent from all future messages.

Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers

Overdrive (left) politely kneels so no one realizes he's twice as tall as he should be.

During a massive battle on Cybertron, Galvatron introduced his latest combining warrior, Predaking. Predaking simultaneously took out Defensor, Omega Supreme, and Superion with a single punch, causing much worry for the Autobots, as Sky Lynx was already engaged in battle on Earth.

A flying car? How droll.

From out of nowhere came Camshaft, Downshift and Overdrive. They swiftly shifted into their vehicle modes and circled Predaking, tying up his legs with cable. Predaking swatted at them to no avail!

Then the Omnibots transformed into their battle modes and...drove at Predaking, which caused him to topple backwards onto Bruticus, Devastator, and Menasor, taking them all out.

The assembled Autobots cheered for these three mighty warriors of great justice, who were subsequently never seen or heard of again. The Story of Super Robot Lifeforms: The Transformers #5

Story of Binaltech

During the second wave of reconstructions under the Binaltech Project, Overdrive recovered from the Cosmic Rust virus by transferring into a new body designed by Honda's Wako-based Technology Research Center. Outfitted with new weapons and the Quantum Dial, an old version of his dimension-traveling apparatus, Overdrive assumed the place of high tactician among Ultra Magnus' soldiers at Autobot City. Reality Check It was his experience voyaging the dimensional fabric that enabled Overdrive to recognize the future Ravage's manipulations of the timestream. His efforts, combined with Prowl's, finally allowed the Autobots to capture Ravage. Prowl & Chase

After Operation: Distant Thunder neutralized the random time-warps appearing throughout the universe, Overdrive used his dimension-hopping powers to confirm that the main timeline had been restored, separate from their own Binaltech reality. Binal Time

Marvel Comics continuity

Regeneration One

This section covers fiction that is ongoing. It will be added to as the story progresses. If it isn't current, you can help by updating it.

Template:Noterg1 Twenty years after the war ended, Overdrive noticed that many Autobots were acting ...strangely. He ran into the fugitive Grimlock, who was seemingly aware of - but unconcerned with - the rampaging Autobots as he wandered Cybertron looking for his fellow Dinobots. Immediately afterward, Overdrive was blind-sided by a mysteriously alive (and mysteriously eeevil) Brainstorm and was summarily turned.Natural Selection #3

Dreamwave comics continuity

Overdrive and Downshift stood guard on Cybertron over a detention facility under the united government. Cold War After Shockwave unleashed Menasor on Iacon, the Omnibots were sent by Ultra Magnus to stop him. They did not succeed and may have been killed by the rampaging giant. Passive Aggression

IDW Generation 1 continuity

"Did you see that, Pincher? We're actually in fiction again!"

Overdrive served aboard the Autobot Orbital Command Hub under Optimus Prime's overall supervision. Stormbringer #1 After Prime had left for Earth, Overdrive and Pincher gawked at the returned Blaster. Spotlight: Blaster

TransTech

Overdrive (in his Binaltech body) was seen on a signboard in Axiom Nexus, though it's unclear what its purpose was. Gone Too Far

Toys

Generation 1

• Overdrive (Omnibot, 1985)
  • Accessories: "Neutron Blaster", "Plasma Beam Rifle", "Twin Electron Cannon"

Overdrive transforms into a Ferrari BB Diablo with flip-out wings and a bumper-mounted flip-out blaster. He was available as a mail-order exclusive starting in the second series of Transformers toys in 1985 (or the first year in Japan, where he was also mail-order-only). These Transformers did not come shipped with tech specs.

In the US, Overdrive cost $5 and 4 Robot Points. In Japan, he cost 980 yen and only 2 robot points.

• Overdrive information at TFU.info

Binaltech

Windcharger could never figure out why Overdrive was more popular with the ladies.

• Overdrive (Binaltech, 2004)
  • Japanese ID number: BT-12

The toy that was released as Windcharger in the US (due to inability to secure the Trademark on the character name) got released as the dude he was designed to be in Japan. He transforms into a 1:24-scale licensed Honda S2000 sports car with a removable "ragtop" roof.

Aside from the addition of painted die-cast metal, the major difference between Overdrive and Windcharger is that Overdrive retains the long drive-shaft/barrel for his engine/rifle accessory. The removal of it from the US version was at the request of Honda's USA branch, who didn't like the idea of "their" toy toting a gun around. Since Honda's Japanese department had no such objections, however, Binaltech Overdrive did include an unchanged barrel. Other minor differences include slightly different visors, the paint applications on the front grille, and Overdrive being right-hand drive for Japan, while Windcharger is left-hand drive for the US.

This mold was retooled into Alternator Decepticharge and Binaltech Arcee. The former (or the latter, depending on how one looks at it) was at one point planned to be released in Japan as Wildrider and later as Black Widow, but those plans were ultimately scrapped.

Notes

• The road to having a personality has been a long and rocky one for Overdrive:
  • The bio included with his North American toy was buried in his instructions, and all it said was that the Omnibots were in the early stages of their evolution and had not yet been tested.
  • He was given his "Strategist" function in the last mail-in flyer that offered him, just in time for him to venture off into "another dimension." That would be the long and short of his official English-language characterization for almost twenty years.
  • In Japan, Takara did release a bio with the toy, though his function of "Commander" did not quite match up with the American one.
  • None of this particularly reflected the profile found in the Marvel comic bible, which was written in both Transformers Universe form and in the pared-down style of an on-package bio (with Tech Specs, even!), portraying him as a speedy personality focused on winning. This was never officially released to the public.
  • The English-speaking public finally got an official profile for Overdrive in Dreamwave's 2003 More Than Meets the Eye comic. This description matched up shockingly well to his comic-bible profile, considering that the two other Omnibots had much more disparate portrayals.
• The trio of Omnibots were originally Diaclone "Doublechangers", named for their ability to transform into both standard car and combat car modes.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Overdrive (オーバードライブ Ōbādoraibu)