Starscream (G1)/2005 IDW continuity
Ambitious. Treacherous. Opportunistic. Starscream.
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
After Zeta Prime was defeated and Megatron installed himself as ruler of Cybertron, he had the Decepticons hunt down all remaining Autobots. Starscream led a force to raid an Autobot hiding place in Ultrix and took special interest in Hot Rod, offering 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
After Megatron's first defeat at the hands of Optimus Prime, Starscream conspired with Scorponok to overthrow him and have him exiled to Junkion. Derelicts While Scorponok became the new Decepticon leader, Starscream seemingly preferred to stay in the background and showed no signs of being his second-in-command in public. Wreckage He annoyed Scorponok by urging him to take action rather than just hold grandiose speeches, causing Scorponok to let him in on his plan to capture the Toraxxis mega-refinery for the Decepticons. Starscream participated in this attack by leading his Seekers to the refinery. Faces of Darkness Scorponok ordered him to keep the Autobot defenders busy while he left to deal with Grimlock personally. Rage
Starscream was present when Megatron faced Optimus Prime in open 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 pretense 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 each other 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
Not long after the Turmoil incident, Starscream and Metalhawk paid a visit to Autobot High Command to pester Bumblebee about setting up elections. Dinobot Hunt That night, the pair returned to High Command, this time to check on the recently injured Wheeljack and to offer their assistance in locating Ironhide and the Dinobots, who had gone missing in the wilderness earlier that evening. Bumblebee refused their offer, and when Turmoil's spaceship disappeared shortly afterwards, Starscream and Metalhawk joined the Autobots at the spot from which it vanished. Night and the City
At dawn, the Decepticon and NAIL set out to search for the missing Autobots regardless. Shortly after spotting Blurr, also out searching, they saw the Autobot get caught in an explosion which revealed a cavern containing the original Crystal City. However, Prowl's security team quickly arrived, and prevented Starscream and Metalhawk from entering the cave. To put pressure on the Autobots, Starscream rounded up a crowd of NAILs and Decepticons and demanded that Prowl explain the situation to them. The Autobot admitted that a Metrotitan had teleported into the abandoned city, injuring itself in the process such that the surrounding area would shortly be destroyed. As Prowl returned to Wheeljack, at work in the cavern, Starscream snuck in after him, and a brief chase with the security officer led them to the Metrotitan's face. Suddenly, it awoke, and lauded Starscream as a conqueror who would unite Cybertron, something witnessed by the entire crowd, who had followed them down into the city. As the titan began to detonate, group fled together. On the way back to Iacon, the divinely blessed Starscream was held aloft by NAILs and Decepticons. All Good Things
The End of the Beginning of the World City on Fire The Verge Before the Dawn Plan for Everything Heavy Is the Head
Spotlight: Mirage
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
