Transmutate


 * Transmutate is a non-aligned Transformer from the Beast Wars continuity family.



Transmutate is a mutant Transformer, partially Transmetal, born from a heavily-damaged stasis pod. The creature possesses very little intelligence and is utterly innocent in personality, curious and childlike.

However, it also contains inconceivable destructive power (i.e. super-sonic screams and the ability to fly) to boot, making it extremely dangerous to keep unsupervised and uncontained. Though it has no alternate form, it does have the ability to ffffflllllyyyyy.

Beast Wars
Voice actor: Susan Blu (US), Haruna Ikezawa (Japan)

Both factions considered Transmutate to be too dangerous to recruit, and decided to do away with it, but by different means. This caused considerable concern for both Silverbolt and Rampage. Silverbolt felt it was a Maximal's duty to protect all sentient life, and Rampage simply found a kindred spirit in Transmutate's tortured existence.

Transmutate managed to befriend both Transformers, which caused some friction between them. Eventually, they came to blows. Transmutate sacrificed itself in order to prevent the two Transformers from killing each other.

Beast Wars
Transmutate was never sold as an individual toy. Rather, it was only available with the first two waves of Beast Wars 10th Anniversary toys in 2006; each of the first six releases had a part to "Trans-Mutate" packaged with it. All six parts combined to form a non-transformable figure with limited articulation... but the simple fact that an official figure of a one-episode show character got made is itself an extraordinary occurrence.


 * Head - Waspinator
 * Torso - Cheetor
 * Waist & right leg - Rhinox
 * Left leg - Tarantulas
 * Right arm - Rattrap
 * Left arm - Dinobot

Trivia

 * A minor point of argument among fans is exactly why the Maximals were so quick to stasis-lock Transmutate instead of transferring its spark to another body like Rhinox did with Optimus Primal following the latter's unintentional sacrifice. It was stated only that its core consciousness and body structure were mutilated beyond recovery; no mention was made about the condition of its spark. Of course, the euthanasia metaphor of the character's titular episode would fall apart if they did that, but hey, semantics.
 * In regard to the previous bit of trivia, the script for this episode explicitly states that Transmutate's spark was unstable: "Energy ERUPTS throughout Its body as Its own unstable spark begins to tear It apart." Although stage direction and narration from scripts are only pseudocanon, this may nonetheless satisfy some fans that the spark was indeed as damaged as the body.  The script, like many Beast Wars scripts, can be found on BWTF.com.
 * According to Ben Yee on Madman Entertainment's Beast Wars Season 2 DVD commentaries, Hasbro attempted to replicate Transmutate's sonic scream attacks first as a spring-loaded projectile, then as a static decoration. Fortunately for the sake of good taste, they abandoned those plans.