Sky-Byte (G2)
| The name or term "Sky-Byte" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Sky-Byte (disambiguation). |
- Sky-Byte is either a Predacon or ex-Decepticon from the Generation 1 continuity family.
Sky-Byte is a storyteller. A poet.
Fiction
Wings Universe
Created as an agent of the Quintessons, Sky-Byte is the commander of the new generation of Sharkticons. Unlike his dim-witted troops, Sky-Byte exhibits a scientific and creative nature, whether it be by making new advances in technology or writing haiku to express himself during tense and exciting moments.
In 2010, Sky-Byte was sent to Earth by the Quintessons as part of an alliance with the Decepticon outlaw Clench. His army of next-generation Sharkticons successfully empowered Clench’s Decepticon Syndicate, and they were able to take control of the Large Hadron Collider in Switzerland.
There, Sky-Byte worked with Clench to realize the potential of the low-grade fuel forestonite. He determined that bombarding the forestonite with high-energy particles allowed it to alter Transformers, granting them extraordinary power. Pyro teased Clench for hanging around with Quintesson flunkies, and Sky-Byte responded with pride about how his new forestonite fuel would tip the balance of power. Sky-Byte may have oversold the stuff, however, as Clench impulsively fed some to Cindersaur—and it wasn't meant to be taken orally!—and then insisted that Sky-Byte himself be one of the next round of test subjects.
When the Autobots burst into the facility in an attempt to rescue Spark, Sky-Byte taunted them with a haiku and, when that was poorly received, then tried to zap them all with his "Tsunami Blaster", a new and deadly ability bestowed upon him by the forestonite. The battle was ultimately decided when a nervous Breakdown shot the canisters of forestonite, thinking they would explode. Instead, the chemical spread out in gaseous form all over the remaining Transformers, equaling the balance of power for the Autobots. Rapido gained the power to outrun Sky-Byte's shark missile attack, and soon the Decepticons were thoroughly routed. At this point, Sky-Byte fled the scene with his Sharkticons and a sample of forestonite. Without his additional muscle, Clench was forced to retreat as well.
And, yes, even while running for his life, Sky-Byte had the frame of mind to write a pretty haiku. Generation 2: Redux
Two years later, Sky-Byte teamed up with Jhiaxus, providing the Decepticon with large quantities of forestonite. A Flash Forward, Part 2 His duties included preparing the ship for takeoff to Nebulos. A Flash Forward, Part 3 He was almost run down by Side Burn as the latter drove through the base, prompting him to shoot a furious haiku at the Autobot. A Flash Forward, Part 5 Following the destruction of Jhiaxus's base, Sky-Byte and his master watched the Autobots leave with several of the clones, and Jhiaxus confided in him that the whole experience had been a test. A Flash Forward, Part 6 After the construction of a massive clone army and its prolonged siege on Cybertron, Sky-Byte accompanied Jhiaxus when he arrived on the planet to offer the native resistance and his wayward clone commander a final choice. Termination
IDW Generation 1 continuity
More than four million years ago, Sky-Byte was a Decepticon, but atrocities committed by the Constructicons on Varas Centralus convinced him to flee the war and his homeworld. Before Sky-Byte's retreat, he had a rivalry with Ironhide.
In the current era, Cybertron was rebooted into a primordial state and Vector Sigma sent out a signal to its planet's scattered people to return. Sky-Byte heeded this call, but had reservations about the uneasy politics between the Autobots, the Decepticons, and the nonaffiliated. The ex-Decepticon poet pursued some solitude, musing over a decapitated Sweep, when he was interrupted by Ironhide. Sky-Byte expected a fight from his old rival, but Ironhide surprised him with his ease and candor. Still, Sky-Byte expressed his suspicions towards the Autobots, and so Ironhide suggested he check out the Decepticons as well to see if they were any better. Sky-Byte followed Ironhide's suggestion and met with the Decepticons, but he was followed by Prowl's Autobots so that they could make arrests. Things quickly got out of hand and a battle erupted until Ironhide settled everyone down.
Later, Sky-Byte joined Prowl for a drink at Maccadam's Old Oil House, which Ironhide and Blurr had re-opened as a place where Transformers could meet in peace regardless of affiliation. Ironhide explained to them why he had changed -- he had seen a vision of the distant future where he was alive but the war was dead... because so were Sky-Byte, Prowl, and the rest of the Autobots and Decepticons. A Better Tomorrow Sky-Byte was later performing a musical/poetic duet with Jazz at Maccadam's Old Oil House. Interference Patterns Some time after sharing some poetry with Starscream, Sky-Byte joined a crowd of neutrals and Decepticons recruited by him in an attempt to pressure Prowl into revealing one of his secret discoveries below ground on Cybertron. When they followed Starscream and Prowl into the cave, they witnessed a Metrotitan declare that Starscream was the Cybertronian destined to unite their whole race. Primus: All Good Things
When the Decepticon population began rioting in the wake of Megatron's return, Sky-Byte holed up inside Maccadam's alongside Jazz and some other neutrals. City on Fire They were eventually forced to abandon their hideout after the rioters burned it down, The Verge and relocated to Fixit's med-center. Before the Dawn During Megatron's subsequent conquest of the city, the med-center was the attacked by Devastator, and Sky-Byte offered to help his partner Jazz fight the giant. Jazz turned him down, telling him to get the injured to safety instead. Plan for Everything Together with some of his neutral friends, he later prevented Needlenose from killing Swindle for helping injured Autobots. Heavy Is the Head
After the battle ended with Starscream claiming leadership of the neutrals and banishing both Autobots and Decepticons, Sky-Byte returned to Maccadam's to help rebuild it. Three Monologues When the Necrotitan unleashed a destructive energy wave upon Iacon, Starscream used his body to shield several of his citizens, including Sky-Byte. Winners & Losers In the wake of the destruction, the poet listened to Scoop accuse Starscream of embodying a dark prophecy that would destroy them all. Into the Abyss He was then injured during the Necrotitan's assault on the city and had to be carried to safety by Scoop and Rattrap. Burning Bright He recovered in time to celebrate the Titan's defeat alongside other survivors. The Becoming
Six months later, Sky-Byte was still hanging out at Blurr's bar. Windblade didn't know what to make of him. A 'Bot and Her City When Windblade and several neutrals were imprisoned by Starscream, he and Swindle aided Chromia in breaking them out. Windblade #3
Games
Transformers Legends
Sky-Byte was part of a group of Decepticons who were sent to investigate a mysterious enemy. They teamed up with Nightbeat and Windblade to fight the Ammonites, but soon fell out with their Autobot allies. Defeated by the pair, the Decepticons returned to their own starship. Into the Abyss
Toys
Robots in Disguise
- Sky-Byte (Mega, 2000/2001)
- Japanese ID Number: D-005
- Accessories: Launcher, 2 missiles
- An extensive redeco of the Transmetal 2 Maximal Cybershark, Sky-Byte transforms into a large, monstrous, bio-mechanical great white shark. His tail has a gear system that spins the fins like a propeller when a wheel in his side is turned. This system becomes his left arm, forming a spinning claw weapon. He also has a double spring-loaded missile launcher concealed in his shark mouth that also serves as a hand weapon.
- First available as part of the Car Robots line in Japan, there are no noteworthy differences between the Takara and Hasbro versions.
Timelines
At the time we were confused.
Now we understand.
- Generation 2: Redux (BotCon 2010 box set)
- Accessories: 2 missiles
- Sky-Byte is a retool of Energon Sharkticon with a new head, transforming into a Cybertronic submarine/battleship with dimly animalistic styling. His colors and head sculpt are heavily based on Robots in Disguise Sky-Byte. His small gun turrets are movable, plus his side panels can extend outward to reveal spring-loaded missile launchers. The area where Sharkticon's spark crystal once resided is now considered Sky-Byte's "Tsunami Blaster".
- Sky-Byte is part of the BotCon 2010 boxed set, alongside Breakdown, Spark, Streetstar and Clench.
- The original version of this mold was also used to make Sky-Byte's fellow BotCon 2010 exclusives, the Sharkticons, as well as United Axalon.
Generations
- Sky-Byte (Voyager, 2014)
- Series / Number: 02 / 007
- Accessories: 1 missile
- A new-mold toy released in wave 5 of the Voyager Class Thrilling 30 series of the Generations toyline, Sky-Byte once again transforms into a bio-mechanical great white shark. He lacks the mouth-based missile launcher of his previous toy, instead having a single missile firing from the center of his (still gear-activated) spinning claw weapon. His beast mode articulation consists of an opening mouth and a tail that moves up and down. There is a hexagonal peghole underneath him which is compatible with some collector display stands.
- In robot mode the missile launcher in his claw weapon still functions. Sky-Byte is much less of a shellformer than his original form, with many parts of his robot mode actually becoming parts of the shark mode, though much of it still piles up on his back. These parts can be arranged in a variety of ways to form a more show-accurate or cleaner robot mode.
Notes
- The identity of Sky-Byte was the subject of the "Who is the Wildcard?" contest held by Fun Publications on their Transformers Collectors' Club forums, with Revenge of the Fallen Voyager Megatron and Breakaway as prizes to who guessed the character first. Other than the "wildcard" hint, the only other hint given was that the character was "never seen in Generation 2". TCC board member EmeraldBeacon guessed Sky-Byte soon thereafter, ending the contest, but whose among all the guesses that day was the correct guess was not known until the BotCon 2010 brochure went online.
- Although Sky-Byte's design in the Robots in Disguise comic is not exactly the same as his namesake's, it is based on it.[1]
- Generation 2: Redux Sky-Byte wears the insignia of the Beast Wars Predacons. On the other hand, in the Generation 1 cartoon (which is the basis for the Wings Universe continuity), the Predacons were originally presented as being under the command of the Quintessons, like Sky-Byte is. So he might be both kinds of Predacon at once.
