Six monthsnote after the events of The Transformers: The Movie, the Autobots are ruling Cybertron in a new Golden Age, while the Decepticons eke out a meager existence as hungry scavengers on a dead planet. As the Autobots celebrate a new cultural renaissance, a mysterious third party watches from the shadows, preparing their revenge.
Tropes
- Adaptational Backstory Change: In the comics, Megatron was a gladiator who worked his way to a position of authority. Here, he was created to serve as the ultimate leader for the Decepticons.
- Alas, Poor Villain: Rodimus Prime takes no joy in seeing the famished Decepticons on the verge of wasting away.Rodimus: These guys are hurtin'. I never thought I'd feel sorry for the Decepticons.
- All There in the Manual: Ask Vector Prime gives a good deal of clarity on Rodimus Prime's flashback on Autobot history:
- Optimus Prime's six unnamed predecessors are (in order of appearance): Primon, Prima, Nova Prime, Gaurdian Prime, Zeta Prime, and Sentinel Prime.
- The previous Decepticon leader, defeated by Sentinel Prime, is Lord Trannis.
- The Primes are not explicitly showing Rodimus what we are seeing on screen, he is visualizing it in his head.
- Asskicking Leads to Leadership: When Cyclonus, Scourge, and the Sweeps suggest themselves as Galvatron's "elite guard," Galvatron decides to test their strength. The test ends when Scourge invokes this trope:Scourge: Mighty Galvatron, I have learned your lesson. I now know not only that you are the leader, but also why.Galvatron: Such insight is rare.
- Bad Boss: Galvatron has become one due to his mental instability, beating up his own troops for the smallest of slights. The First Magistrate of the Quintessons isn't much better, sacrificing an underling after the Autobots take him hostage. The contempt in the First Magistrate's voice indicates that he believes that any Mook who is weak enough to be captured by the enemy is of no use to him (though there is the fact that the captive agrees with this).Spike: Release us or I turn your buddy here into blooey juice!
First Magistrate: We sentence Judge Deliberata to death.
Spike: Tell me your name isn't Deliberata.
Deliberata: I praise your decision. Open the pit. - Behemoth Battle: Metroplex vs Trypticon, and both are city-sized Transformers that tower over everyone.
- Big Bad: The Quintessons.
- Borrowed Catchphrase: Pipes rallies the mini-bots with the catchphrase of their departed leader while defending the Ark against Trypticon.Pipes: As Optimus Prime used to say, transform and roll out!
- The Cake Is a Lie: The Quintessons offer Galvatron the Decepticon Matrix of Leadership in exchange for him helping them retake Cybertron. There is no Decepticon Matrix of Leadership (unless you count Laserbeak
◊). - Continuity Snarl: The ones commonly seen as the biggest (Alpha Trion already being old when a dying Sentinel Prime gives him the Matrix, Megatron being built by eight Constructicons back when they were supposed to be a neutral faction) don't actually count, as Rodimus is visualizing this in his head, with his own limited knowledge of history to fill in the blanks.
- Deal with the Devil: The Decepticons joining forces with the Quintessons.Swindle: They gave us energon! They led us on this raid! What can you give us that they didn't?
- Didn't Think This Through: Swindle's above quote to Galvatron was not the smartest move considering Galvatron fired on his own troops. Only Galvatron demanding to know who "they" are spares the greedy Combaticon.
- Enemy Mine: With Galvatron ignoring his warnings that Quintessons are manipulating them, Blitzwing allies himself with Rodimus and the Autobots to put a stop to the Quints' plan.
- The Federation: The Autobots have become this after winning the war and regaining Cybertron. They have established diplomatic relations with multiple alien worlds, negotiated peace treaties between other warring civilizations, and hosted interstellar events such as the Galactic Olympics.
- Ghost Planet: Chaar, a burnt-out husk of a world orbiting a blue dwarf star.Galvatron: This is the planet my Decepticons now inhabit?
- How the Mighty Have Fallen: The Decepticons were once very powerful warriors who could go toe to toe with the Autobots. Now, after the movie, they're a bunch of bots who are nearly out of energy.Cyclonus: Once Decepticons nearly held the quadrant through terror. Now we scrap like Slaargs over a few Energon cubes. Is this how you honour the memory of Galvatron? Is this the fate of the mighty Decepticon Empire?
- Landfill Beyond the Stars: Goo #8739B. Centuries of aliens dumping garbage on it has left it covered in a sticky gum-like substance.Spike: I used to stick stuff like this under my seat at school.
- Morton's Fork: The Decepticons are in one. Most of them are starving with no indication of where their next meal will be coming from; the little energon they have managed to accumulate can be used to either revive Galvatron or feed a few of them. If Galvatron isn't able to restore them to their former strength, they're screwed. But without a charismatic leader they can rally behind, they fight amongst themselves until they starve to death.Dead End: If we surrender our energon, we're doomed.
Breakdown: If we don't, we're doomed, too.
Dead End: Face it. We're doomed. - Multi-Part Episode: Five parts.
- No-Holds-Barred Beatdown: The Decepticons pull one on Rodimus after they run out of ammo.
- No Name Given: Aside from Deliberata, the Quintessons are not named. The Marvel-UK comics call the First Magistrate Lord Kledji and some fans run with that.
- Not Me This Time: The terrorist attack on the Galactic Olympics, and subsequent kidnapping of Kup, Spike, and Ultra Magnus, are initially suspected to be the work of the Decepticons.
- Not Quite Dead: Unicron turns out to be not as dead as Cyclonus and the Sweeps think.Cyclonus: There’s nothing to fear; Unicron is dead.
[An ominous groan is heard]
Cyclonus: Must be the wind.
Scourge: There is no wind in space. - Only Sane Man: Blitzwing is the only Decepticon that is Properly Paranoid of the Quintessons.
- Origins Episode: Part 4 ultimately proves to be this for the cartoon continuity.
- Perfectly Cromulent Word: Rumble is eager to "pulverowderize" the Autobots.
- Previously on…: Part 1 begins with a recap to Transformers: The Movie.
- Qurac: First appearance of the Socialist Democratic Federated Republic of Carbombya, ruled by Supreme Military Commander, President-for-Life, and King of Kings Abdul Fakkadi.TFWiki.net: One gets the feeling that if you were to inform him that, by definition, a republic cannot have a king (much less a "King of Kings"), his likely response would be to stare blankly for a long moment, and then order your immediate beheading.
- The Reveal: Rodimus Prime discovers that the Quintessons are the Transformers' creators."We Transformers have looked into the face of our creators... and seen the face of an enemy."
- Sanity Slippage: After spending a year submerged in the lava pits of Thrull, Galvatron's sanity has obviously taken a massive hit. By the time Cyclonus and the Sweeps pull him from the lava, Galvatron is mentally fried.
- Spanner in the Works: The Quintessons' plan to activate a mechanism that would render the Transformers inert works... for a few minutes, only. They forget to consider that Spike isn't a Transformer, so he isn't affected. Spike grabs Rodimus's gun and shoots the mechanism, freeing the Transformers.
- Stupid Evil: The Quintessons try to kill Rodimus and company by blowing up their home planet with them on it, destroying many of their minions and the majority of their resources in the process. As such, they're left crawling to the Decepticons for help and nearly get killed by Galvatron if not for some quick thinking and manipulation.First Magistrate: I shall miss Quintessa, but the destruction of the Matrix is worth even this.
- Took a Level in Dumbass: It is here that Grimlock goes from a Proud Warrior Race Guy with average intelligence to a Dumb Muscle Idiot Hero written with broad comedic strokes.
- Vision Quest: Rodimus goes on one, learning the Autobots' true origins.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: Rumble is revealed to have survived the events of the movie, but disappears without explanation after part 3.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Rodimus short-circuits himself (the robotic equivalent of giving himself a heart attack) to trigger his Matrix vision quest. Springer and Arcee call him out on it, reminding him that he could have died.
- The Worf Effect: An odd example with the Predacons who are completely ineffectual, trying and failing to kill Wheelie, Blurr and Marissa Fairborne before being easily taken out by Sky Lynx when they merge into Predaking.
