The Saga of the Transformers — So Far!

A human discovers the Autobot mainframe and reads an overview of the Autobot/Decepticon war.

Published in: Transformers Annual 1989 Followed by:  Altered Image!

Writer: Simon Furman Art: ? Colouring: ?

Characters: Adam Reynolds

Synopsis

 * Two years ago Adam Reynolds accidentally hacked into the Decepticon Mainframe Computer and learnt about the Autobot/Decepticon war. However the computer fought back, destroying his records. Since then he has searched for the Autobots' computer...

Adam has reached Mount St. Hilary and discovered that the Ark was once here, but has now gone. But left behind is the biggest computer he has ever seen. And now he seeks to discover more about the Autobot-Decepticon war.

First the computer tells of how the war began on Cybertron and brought the Transformers to Earth...


 * Cybertron was at peace until Megatron rose in the ranks of the Decepticons and made them a powerful force. War broke out when Megatron announced his plans to turn Cybertron into a battle station. The Autobots initially fell heavily but were rallied by Optimus Prime. However the impact of the war knocked the planet out of its orbit and sent it loose through space, heading towards an asteroid field. The Autobots constructed the Ark to blast a safe path through the field. But once they had done so they were attacked by the Decepticons. To prevent a Decepticon victory Optimus Prime crashed the Ark into a nearby planet, coming to rest in a young volcano.  The Decepticon spaceship remained in orbit where Shockwave saw the Ark's fall and headed to Earth to investigate. The Ark's last remaining systems recognised the threat and converted five Autobots so they can transform into native creatures of the Savage Land - dinosaurs.  The Dinobots battled Shockwave and buried him under a rock pile, but fell into a tar pit themselves where they would lie for the next four million years.

Next the computer brings the story to the present day:

'':In 1984 the volcano erupted and reactivated the Ark. The computer reconstructed all the Transformers aboard to change into Earth machines, regardless of whether they were Autobots or Decepticons. War began again as both sides sought a source of fuel. The Autobots befriended Sparkplug Witwicky and his son Buster. Sparkplug agreed to help the Autobots covert Earth fuel for their needs, but was captured by the Decepticons. Sparkplug ticked the Decepticons by adding a corrosive element. The Decepticons attacked the Ark and were beating the Autobots when their fuel failed them. The Autobots were triumphant - but suddenly Shockwave, freed by an Autobot probe, arrived and blasted them unconscious. ''


 * Shockwave usurped Megatron and used the Creation Matrix to create new Decepticons, whilst the Autbots lay deactivated. However Ratchet had survived and he reactivated the Dinobots then the other Autobots.   The Decepticon leadership would continue to be contested by Shockwave and Megatron, until they agreed a joint leadership.  Meanwhile many humans were caught up in the war, including Circuit Breaker,  Donny Finkleberg  and Professor Morris.  

Adam already knows most of the details so far from his previous encounter. He is impatient to find out the truth behind many news reports over the last two years. The computer starts telling him new information:


 * A radio message was sent by Soundwave which reached Cybertron.  There the Decepticon ruler Straxus constructed an inter-dimensional space bridge to link Cybertron and Earth.  Several Autobots attacked the bridge and destroyed Straxus's body and then were transported to Earth  where they were captured by the newly formed RAAT.  Many new Decepticons came to Earth over the Bridge, including the Insecticons, Thrust, Ramjet, Dirge,  and the Predacons.  Shockwave had the latter transported from Cybertron as part of a further plot to depose Megatron. The Predacons engaged on a hunt for Optimus Prime but then attacked and weakened Megatron, with the hope that Prime would kill the Decepticon leader at the last minute.  Megatron instead activated the space bridge and Prime threw them both over it, returning to Cybertron for the first time in four million years.  On Cybertron Prime worked with the Wreckers and Ultra Magnus ("see cross ref: GALVATRON") to destroy the Decepticon operation. Straxus had survived, albeit only as a head, and sought to rid himself of Megatron. Using a mind transference device Straxus attacked and the two Decepticons ended up sharing a mind. This sent Megatron even further over the edge and Ratbat had Prime, Megatron and Ultra Magnus returned to Earth via the space bridge. 

Although Adam wants to find out what happened to both Prime and Megatron he is intrigued by the reference to Galvatron and investigates further...


 * ''Galvatron was a Decepticon from the future who travelled back in time to the year 1986 together with his lieutenants Cyclonus and Scourge. There he overcame both the Autobots and Decepticons, whilst constructing a hugely powerful solar weapon for an unknown purpose. However Ultra Magnus, who had travelled from present day Cybertron, and three future Autobots, Kup, Hot Rod and Blurr, destroyed the weapon and convinced Galvatron that he had landed in an alternative timeline, where nothing he did could affect his own future. Galvatron returned to the future. However he later returned to the present day. He first tried to take over the leadership of the Decepticons but was defeated by the Dinobots.  Later he tried to tap the energy of the volcano Mount Verona to transform himself into a god, but was defeated by the future Autobot leader Rodimus Prime, a bounty hunter and Ultra Magnus.     Magnus and Galvatron were buried in an eruption until an explosion freed Galvatron.  Galvatron sought once more to secure the leadership of the Decepticons.  This prompted Shockwave to locate Megatron, who had plunged into the

River Thames in conflict with the human mechanoid Centurion. Shockwave had Megatron recovered and was last heard of intending to use him against Galvatron. ''

With Galvatron and Ultra Magnus both explained and the fates of Shockwave and Megatron brought up to date that leaves only Optimus Prime. Adam searches for what happened to him...


 * Optimus Prime and Megatron reached an impasse where they could not fight without destroying everything around them. So they agreed to continue the fight in a computer game. Prime beat Megatron, but caused the deaths of inhabitants of the computer world in the process. Arguing that he had compromised his principles, he insisted that he had lost and was blown up. However a copy of Prime's mind survived on a floppy disk. With Prime dead Grimlock became the new Autobot leader.  But Grimlock's leadership style proved too much for many Autobots and they turned to Blaster.  By this time the original Autobots had left Earth. 

Finally Adam learns about a new set of Transformers - the Headmasters and the Targetmasters.


 * Led by Fortress Maximus a group of Autobots fled the war on Cybertron and sought a peaceful existance on Nebulos. In order to make peace with the Nebulans several Autobots removed their heads and gave them to the Nebulans. But they were still opposed and the Nebulan Lord Zarak contacted the Decepticons on Cybertron under Scorponok in the hope they would come and remove the Autobots. In order to fight against the Decepticons several Nebulans underwent conversion so they could transform into new heads for the Autbots.  But the Decepticons copied the technology as well and the war esculated, threatening to devastate Nebulos.  Both sides also developed Nebulans who could transform into guns, but realising the destruction that was being wreaked the Autobots fled to Earth, following a distress signal, with the Decepticons following.  In the first battle on Earth the Nebulan leader Galen was slain, but Spike Witwicky (Buster's brother) took his place as the partner of Fortress Maximus.

This intrigues Adam and he thinks perhaps the next stage for him should be to get involved in the war as a Headmaster. He wonders if he can use the computer to contact the Autobots...

Items of note

 * The summary goes up to the events of issue #161 of the UK comic, perhaps indicating when it was written.


 * The reference to Blaster becoming leader would appear to be a consequence of the cliffhanger at the end of "Spacehikers!" in issue #144 which was not returned to until issue #174.