Slag (G1)


 * Slag is an Autobot from the Generation 1 continuity family.



Slag is the Dinobot most likely to live up to the team's bad reputation. Slag is surly, mean-spirited, nasty, and disturbingly violent, to the point where it really is a wonder he's not a Decepticon. Slag will fight anyone, over anything, at the drop of a microchip, and fight dirty. Slag enjoys nothing more than reducing his enemies (and he's more than willing to include annoying Autobots on that list) to pools of molten metal with his fire-breath. He'd swim in the pools to celebrate if he could.

None of the Dinobots really like Optimus Prime, but he and Sludge share an especially intense dislike of him. But it's not just Prime's orders he questions. He'll even mouth off at Grimlock every now and then, but somehow does not end up as scrap or lunch. Slag's bad attitude means the rest of the Autobot forces are unlikely to come to his aid when he bites off more than he can chew.

"Me Slag no like anything."

- Slag on Life, the Universe, and Everything


 * Preliminary name: Tricerabot
 * French-Canadian name: Scories
 * Italian name: Tricex
 * Hungarian name: Salak

Generation 1
''Slag was constructed without the necessary emotional dampeners that would allow him to regulate his moods and rage. This fact made him unpleasant company at the best of times, but also caused a regular glitch in his circuits, turning him into a raging homicidal berserker for a brief period every four million years. Shortly before leaving aboard the Ark with Optimus Prime and the rest of the Autobot crew, Slag experienced one of these "glitches" and wiped out his entire tactical unit. His fellow Dynobots managed to cover up the incident, and Prime and Autobot High Command never learned about it. ''

As temperamental as he was, he at least had the sense to point out during the Underbase fiasco that the people of Tokyo are not well aware of Transformers as a whole, and possibly mistook the Dinobots for movie props. Unfortunately, this was right before the Dinobots had to deal with Starscream, and like his teammates, Slag got, well, slagged.

Marvel UK future timelines
''In 2008, Slag and the Dinobots were one of several special units unleashed on the Decepticon attack force when Scourge and Cyclonus led the 'Cons on a siege of the Autobots' main base on Cybertron. Slag was seen barrelling through the Decepticon forces like a living juggernaut. Autobot High Command soon learned this assault was only a distraction, however, engineered by Unicron himself who was reconstructing himself on the planet of Junk. When Smokescreen returned from Junk with this news, Rodimus Prime gathered Scattershot, Grimlock, and the rest of the Dinobots with him to make an assault on Junk. Much to Rodimus's dismay, Slag and the Dinobots didn't hold back at all when attacking the Junkions Unicron had mind-controlled into doing his bidding, and tore through them as if they were any other enemy. ''

Earthforce
''Sometime shortly after the Matrix Quest, Slag and his fellow Dinobots were revived by Grimlock and returned to action in the Autobot army. Their more brutal methods didn't sit well with Optimus Prime, but ultimately he chose to leave Grimlock in charge of a special Earthforce, guarding the planet while he led the Ark ' s crew out in space to deal with the threat of Unicron. While the Autobot Earthbase was under construction, Slag and his fellow Dinobots decided to engage in an Earth custom known as April Fools' Day and have a little fun at their leader's expense. Slag used his vast technical knowledge to rig up a fake video message from Decepticon commander Shockwave, and the Dinobots used it to lure Grimlock out into a blizzard, convinced that he was going to a one-on-one duel with the Decepticon. Instead, he found a snowman with a cardboard sign, proclaiming him an "April Fool". Amusing as it was, Grimlock was last seen heading towards the Dinobots with a massive snowball over his head, so he might not have taken it too well. ''

''When the Survivors joined up with Earthforce in order to get help for their ally Carnivac, Slag was part of the strike team that went to attack the Mayhems' island, and he fought the Pretender Stranglehold. He was present at Earthbase for the unveiling of Wheeljack's new defense system and, shortly thereafter, fought back against a major Decepticon offensive led by Soundwave. He roasted the Constructicon Scavenger with his flame breath, and the 'Cons eventually retreated. ''

''With the sort of bad timing that only happens in comic books and soap operas, Optimus Prime came to Earthbase for a tour and inspection right when Slag's next 4,000,000 year berserker rage came due. This led to a hilarious romp through Earthbase, as the Dinobots desperately attempted to keep Slag under control while Grimlock tried to keep Prime unaware of what was going on. Comedy gold! ''

''Later, when Snarl was suffering from Corrodia Gravis, the Autobots were forced into the unpleasant circumstance of seeking out the only known compatible Transformer for a transfer: Starscream. What's worse, their petition for aid came right in the middle of Megatron and Shockwave's assassination attempt on the treacherous Seeker. Forced to fight for Starscream's life, Slag held his own against Megatron in combat. He rear-ended the Decepticon with his horns and then set him on fire with his flame breath. Megatron tore out of there as if his reactor linkage was on fire. Which, incidentally...

Another Time and Place
Several months after the golden age of Cybertron was reintroduced, more and more Transformers were succumbing to the effects of Nucleon. Slag was the only Dinobot still able to transform at this time. When Grimlock received information that the Hydrus Four facilities had reopened and discovered a means of reversing Nucleonic changes, the Dinobots jumped at the idea. Despite Prime's half-hearted warnings, Slag and his teammates followed Grimlock back to Hydrus Four in the hopes of becoming Transformers once again. They were followed by the "exiled" Decepticons, however, and a battle with a huge native creature delayed the Dinobots long enough for Bludgeon's crew to get ahead of them and take over the Nucleon facility. The Dinobots were laid low by a Holocaust Trigger, overloading their sensory circuits so that they were helpless before the Decepticons. Cruelly tortured, the Dinobots were still left alive so that they could witness the rebirth of Megatron, thanks to the Nucleon infusions Bludgeon was feeding him. Luckily, the Autobots had long since learned to become worried whenever the Dinobots were out of sight for too long, and had followed them to Hydrus Four. Roadhandler, Tote and several Micromasters managed to free the injured Dinobots, and an Autobot strike force brought down their Decepticon captors. The Nucleon reversion process was a success, and Slag and his comrades were restored as fully operational Transformers.

Generation 2
Slag and the Dinobots were fighting alongside Grimlock and a small group of Autobot firestormers when they uncovered the Cybertronian Empire and their terraforming measures. After calling in Optimus Prime and the rest of the Autobots, they became part of a major offensive against not only Jhiaxus and his ilk, but everything they represented. Despite Prime serving as overall commander, however, Slag and his buddies were still Dinobots first and foremost. So when Grimlock wanted to take first strike action against Prime's orders, there was no question whom they'd follow. Slag and the others were captured almost immediately, though, and only escaped thanks to the timely intervention of Optimus Prime and his more loyal group of soldiers.

Slag continued to fight alongside the Autobots with his Dinobot comrades, on both Earth and Ethos. Later, after the Autobots forged an alliance with the first-generation Decepticons against the Cybertronians, the Dinobots got into the spirit of things—they teamed up with Headstrong and Weirdwolf in a metal-munching contest to see who could chow down on the most Cybertronians.

Man, too bad Hun-Grrr and Skullcruncher weren't there to make it a real contest.

In the final battle with the Swarm, Slag was seen arranging the alliance's defenses against the voracious creature. He later gave his life in a futile attempt to protect Slingshot from the Swarm, proving once and for that all Dinobots truly do care about their other Autobots...as long as they're also obnoxious loners.

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

 * Voice actor: Neil Ross (US), Toshiro Ishii (Japan)



Slag was developed, along with his fellow Dinobots Sludge and Grimlock, after the Autobots discovered dinosaur bones in their volcanic headquarters. Inspired by the power of the prehistoric beasts, Wheeljack and Ratchet built a trio of Dinobots to add firepower to the Autobot forces. The Dinobots proved too dangerous at first, and Optimus Prime ordered Wheeljack to abandon the Dinobot project. Wheeljack continued improving the trio of titans in secret, crafting memory components that made them smarter and easier to control. When the rest of the Autobots were captured by the Decepticons at the Great Falls hydroelectric power plant, Wheeljack dispatched the Dinobots to free their comrades and destroy the Decepticons. The Dinobots succeeded in forcing a Decepticon retreat and were welcomed as members of the Autobot team.

Later, when the Dinobots were sent to Cybertron after trying to secure Cybertonium, Slag rammed Shockwave and then tried to turn him into a chew-toy. For this, the logic-driven Decepticon altered the Dinobots' memory circuits and put them to work in the Cybertonium Pit. Two squishies ended up saving them.

During the Battle of Autobot City, the Dinobots battled Devastator. Slag was the only one that managed to get a hit on Devastator, ramming into him at full speed. After evacuating Autobot City in the wake of Galvatron's attack, the Dinobots refused to leave, and Kup was forced to push Slag into the ship. Possibly to avoid being killed, Kup told the Dinobots about one of his encounters with an Ick-Yak. The Dinobots, along with Kup and Hot Rod, were shot down and crashed on Quintessa. The Dinobots searched for the two Autobots, with Grimlock believing they were close by, but Slag disagreed. They started hurling insults, and things might have turned violent, had Wheelie not appeared and pointed them in the right direction. He and Sludge broke down a door as Sharkticons prepared to execute the Autobots, giving a belated "Excuse me!" to a Quintesson prosecutor—who was being crushed under the combined weight of Slag, Sludge, and the door. Later, Slag literally burned the butt of a god.

Slag was one of the Primitives who were called by Primacron's assistant to battle Primacron's newest creation, Tornedron. When Grimlock was believed destroyed when Trypticon crashed on him, Slag took command of the Dinobots. He came up with an incredibly innovative strategy—lead the Dinobots away until he got a better idea. Hun-Gurrr thought it was the best idea yet. After Tornedron dispatched the other Primitives, Slag and the Dinobots attacked him, only to have their energy sucked from them. Fortunately, Grimlock survived Trypticon's weight and destroyed Tornedron, fixing everything.

The Headmasters cartoon


In the year 2011, Slag, along with his fellow Dinobots, was deployed by Wreck-Gar to deal with the sudden invasion of the Decepticon forces. Slag and his team attempted a resistance but were quickly disabled by one of Mindwipe's hypnotic spells, which forced them all to fall asleep.

Slag was adorable. (Rumor has it the animator of this scene was later found horribly mauled and burned to a crisp...at least, what they found of his corpse.)

Dreamwave comics continuity
Slag was chosen by Grimlock to join his commando unit, and was with them in the Dark Ages when they split off to become the Lightning Strike Coalition. Upon learning that Jetfire was meeting with Shockwave in the Neutral Territories, Grimlock took the Dynobots to kill them for treason. The others, however, were more worried about the new Decepticon battlestation that was massacring the Prowl's Autobots (Slag didn't care about the bots, he wanted a piece of the action). Grimlock got pissed, poked Slag, and ordered him to follow his orders or get physical. Swoop finally convinced Grimlock to let them go while he went for Jetfire and Shockwave. After the battle, they discovered that someone had taken Grimlock and Jetfire, and there was no sign of Shockwave. When the Fallen was discovered, the LSC were forced into a temporary alliance with Shockwave's Decepticons to rescue Grimlock and the others.

Despite the truce, Slag still decked Shrapnel. Nobody cared.

After the Ark and the Nemesis crash-landed on Earth, the Dynobots followed the Insecticons there. They owned the Insecticons, who subsequently played dead until Grimlock and Slag got bored and wandered off. However, the Dinobots became trapped in stasis lock. After awakening, Megatron captured the Dinobots, using their imprisonment to force Grimlock to side with the Decepticons. Grimlock freed them after Shockwave captured Megatron and Optimus Prime. After returning to the Shockwave-controlled Cybertron, Octane poked Slag in the head and called him a "primitive".

Octane doesn't have a body anymore.

IDW comic continuity
Slag and the other Dynobots followed Grimlock to revenge themselves against Shockwave, who blew up a cache of energon they had stolen. When Shockwave traveled to Earth, the Dynobots pursued him. Slag appeared to be Grimlock's go-to tech specialist, originating the idea of organic beast modes as a defense against energon overload. That's pretty innovative for a guy who spends most of his time thinking how better to kill everyone around him. Sadly, it did not protect the Dynobots from Shockwave's energy blasts, which melted the artificial skin and caused the Dynobots to go into stasis lock due to excessive Energon radiation. Due to a dead man's switch, the Dynobots' ship (the Skyfire) blasted a volcano that buried everyone in molten lava.

The Dynobots were eventually excavated by Skywatch, and though Grimlock was the first to be brought back online, he was freed from Skywatch's control through a virus implanted by a Machination spy (under orders from Scorponok). Scorponok wanted Grimlock to join him, but Grimlock refused, fought Scorponok and escaped, vowing to find and rescue Slag and the other Dynobots. Scorponok, however planned to take control of the Dynobots himself and use them to assassinate Grimlock.

Generation 1

 * Slag (Dinobot, 1985/1986/1991/1992)
 * Japanese ID number: C-28
 * Accessories: "Energo Sword", "Electron Blaster", "Rocket Pod", 3 rockets




 * Slag was released as part of the second series of Transformers in 1985. The toy transformed into a robotic Triceratops, and came with a missile launcher that could fit in the shoulder socket of both the robot and dinosaur, a red sword, a silver "electro blaster" and three silver rockets. Like many Diaclone-era toys, Slag had a conspicuous driver compartment contained in his chest.


 * Slag was later re-released in the European-markets "Classics series. In Japan, he and the other Dinobots were offered as mail-away items during Operation Combination, at a cost of 2300 yen (his original retail price) and two robot points.

Generation 2

 * Slag (Dinobot, 1993)
 * Accessories: "Kinetic Sword", "Blaster Gun"


 * The original Slag toy went through several iterations in the Generation 2 line. First, he was re-released in the original silver base color; the only notable difference in the toy proper is the inclusion of the "AUTOBOT" tampograph on one of his robot-mode legs.


 * The toy then had its silver changed to red, and then changed again to dark green. The final green coloration is the most common, while the red and silver variations go for a little more on the secondary market.


 * All three versions retain his original sword and rifle (which were renamed), but do not have the rocket pod or missiles from the Generation 1 release.

Trivia

 * Slag's original toy was originally a Diaclone Dinosaur Robo Triceratops. In the Diaclone lore, this dinomech was a pilotable vehicle that could travel at speeds up of to 250 kilometers per hour and was designed for grasslands operation and melee combat. It also had a slightly different color scheme for its robot-mode bits.


 * The European exclusive Action Master Decepticon Charger cribs Slag's quote, his function, much of his bio, and his Tech Specs. Whether there was any relation intended between the characters or if the copywriters just got lazy is unknown.


 * Slag's name is also a popular Cybertronian expletive. That just seems right, for some reason.


 * Apparently, Slag also smokes...something, because he made an ashtray out of Octane's head in the Dreamwave comics.