IDW timeline

A timeline for the events of IDW Publishing's mainline Generation 1 Transformers series.

1,000,000+ years ago
~ 6.7 million B.C. — The first Ark was launched and subsequently lost.

? B.C. — After Nova Prime and his strategist Jhiaxus disappeared, Omega Supreme locked away Jhiaxus' experiment, Monstructor, in an inter-dimensional prison.

? B.C. — The Autobots evolve into a corrupt galactic police force and spark a riot when shutting down an energon-mining operation. One of the miners, Megatron, escapes in a shuttle and joins the illegal gladiatorial games in the city of Koan. Megatron takes over the games and is approached by Soundwave, an emissary of Senator Ratbat to cause terror throughout Cybertron. Megatron unites his gladiators under a common banner — the Decepticons, but they are captured by Sentinel Prime's forces.

100,000+ years ago
~650,000 B.C. — Shockwave begins planning Regenesis, and begins distilling energon into a catalyst which he then launches at various planets, including prehistoric Earth.

1,000+ years ago
? B.C. — Shockwave openly leaves the Decepticons to begin stabilizing his Regenesis planets. However, he is followed by the Dynobots, out for revenge; and on Earth — the first of the planets — they engage him in combat. While he defeats them, he is deactivated by a failsafe set by Grimlock, as the Dynobots' ship triggers a volcanic eruption which buries all six in Eureka, Nevada.

? B.C. — Megatron, on discovering Shockwave's absence, assigns Bludgeon to investigate his projects — and Soundwave to watch over Bludgeon.

100+ years ago
~1550 A.D. — Thunderwing renders Cybertron uninhabitable.

1900–2000
1984 — Soundwave investigates Bludgeon's activities on Earth and is deactivated when Bludgeon, after some of Shockwave's Regenesis ore — called "Ultra-Energon" by him — triggers the eruption of Mount St. Helens (4 years later than in the real world.)

1985 — Soundwave, Ravage and Laserbeak are excavated by Skywatch. Interest is taken in the cassettes, found in "robot mode", but Soundwave is apparently discarded.

~1988 — Ultra Magnus tracks the Decepticon criminal Scorponok to Nebulos, but despite damages, he escapes.

2002

 * Current era of Transformer activity on Earth begins.

2006

 * Shockwave's hand is discovered in an excavation in Nevada.
 * Starscream's Infiltration unit on Earth discovers Shockwave's Regenesis ore, dubbing it "Ore-13".
 * Thunderwing is reactivated on Cybertron by Bludgeon using the "Ultra-Energon", and decimates Nebulos before returning to Cybertron and running out of fuel in front of Optimus Prime.
 * Megatron arrives, and blows a hole through Starscream for disloyalty.
 * After the Thunderwing debacle, Optimus Prime follows to Earth, following Shockwave's and Bludgeon's records.

2007

 * Soundwave, trapped in alternate mode since 1984, is purchased from a pawn shop.
 * Excavation of Shockwave continues, now under Skywatch supervision, Shockwave's and Grimlock's torsos exposed.
 * Ravage and Laserbeak reactivated under Skywatch control.