Taste the not-so-rainbow-but-shiny-pink
Energon is the preferred fuel/energy source of Transformers. It has also been shown as food, intoxicating drink, ammunition, even currency. More, it has been discribed as the basic building block of all Transformer's bodies and sparks.
Typically, energon is highly volatile. Even a small impact can cause energon to detonate explosively.
In most continuities, the safest way to transport Energon is when it is condensed into the form of an energon cube. In this form energon is more stable, but still quite dangerous.
Generation 1
Generation 1 cartoon
Energon is at first the specific power source of choice of the Decepticons exclusively, with the Autobots never using the material in their recorded adventures in the late 20th Century. By 2005, however - by choice or necessity - the Autobots had adopted energon as their fuel also. Energon has also been used as currency, mostly by entities that do not use it as sustenance, on the gambling asteroid of Monacus.
Skywarp in his fat days, making a sandwich
Energon is "refined" or created out of other energy sources, sometimes through machinery, but most often simply by attaching an empty energon cube, or placing one next to, the energy source which will be converted. The cube then goes to work automatically, converting the power source into liquid energon which fills the cube. Liquid energon is a glowing pink in color, but should energon cubes be compressed, it takes on an irridescent rainbow effect.
Energy sources refined into energon have included electricity, magma, oil and steam, pillaged from Earth by the Decepticons a regular basis. When the Autobots began using energon, on the other hand, they set up Autobot City to harmlessly harness Earth's many renewable resources and acquire the energy that way. The level of power any energon possesses appears to be related to the original base material from which it was converted - the especially pure oil of Carbombya, for example, yielded a particularly potent "super-energon" that created an instantly perceptible increase in vigour and strength in those who consumed it.
Generation 1: Blackthorne 3D
The final molecule needed for pure energon, which cannot be manufactured, is highlighted at the right. There will be a quiz on Friday, so pay attention.
The first issue of Blackthorne Publishing's Transformers in 3D comics featured an unusually specific discussion of energon, although it is outside of mainline continuity, and this information has not been re-used in other canonical sources.
According to Blackthorne, "pure energon" consists of several molecules (perhaps in the form of a macromolecule), one of which contains an element actually named "energon", which cannot be synthesized. The whole macromolecule is often refered to simply as energon.
The element energon is required for the creation of "pure" energon. This implies that an "impure" energon may exist that can be manufactured without the element energon, but is still referred to as energon because of its similar physical properties.
IDW Comics Continuity
Energon is at the heart of the revised continuity introduced in Infiltration and Stormbringer arcs. The Transformers apparently stripped Cybertron of its resources (including Energon) during the Autobot-Decepticon War, precipitating the cataclysm that rendered the planet sterile. Thus, the Transformers are spread across the galaxy, seeking new or synthetic sources of fuel - Starscream mentions "artificial Energon derivatives" and "scrabbling for micro-ergs of some foul local brew".
The extent of Autobot energy-harvesting operations is as yet unknown, but it is clear that the Decepticons infiltrate and destabilise established societies with developed technology (presumably because local technology makes Energon harvesting quicker and easier) before stripping the infiltrated planets bare. The Autobots typically work to counter Decepticon infiltration units, possibly to deny the Decepticons new sources of energy as much as to protect the unwitting peoples of each planet from Decepticon pillaging.
An offhanded comment made by Ratchet indicates that one method for consuming Energon is the use of a delivery capsule. Presumably, this is the large, coffin-like device used by Starscream in the first two pages of Infiltration #6.
The discovery on Earth of Ore-13, an ore that can be purified into a unique and highly powerful form of Energon, threatens to throw humanity's home straight into the middle of the conflict as both Autobots and Decepticons vie for control of it. Unknown to either faction, Ore-13 was actually created by the Decepticon Shockwave, who seeded Earth with the substance millions of years ago as part of a project he called Regenesis.
Back on Cybertron, another form of Energon has been discovered by both an Autobot science team led by Jetfire and a Decepticon group led by Bludgeon; the latter group has used this "Ultra Energon" to resurrect the avatar of the Cybertronian apocalypse, the Decepticon Thunderwing, in a plot to restore Cybertron to its former glory. Given that Bludgeon had uncovered Shockwave's Regenesis project, Ultra-Energon and Ore-13 may be the same substance.
Beast Era
As the Blackthorne comics had done before them, the Beast Wars animated series treated energon as an element in its own right, rather than a refined product of other energies. The Beast Wars handling of energon was centered around the concept of the element existing in a naturally-occurring raw state as unstable crystals which generated powerful radiation. With extended exposure, this radiation threatened to overload the circuits of a normal Transformer, but could not penetrate through organic layers. When Optimus Primal and Megatron's crews arrived on prehistoric Earth and discovered the planet to be rich in raw energon, they adopted organic-skinned beast modes for the express purpose of shielding them from the radiation.
Although all appearances indicate that energon crystals can be naturally occurring, it was later revealed that the crystals on Earth has been seeded on the planet by the mysterious aliens known as the Vok, apparently as part of their back-up plan to sterilize Earth should the experiment they were conducting on it be disrupted some how. The Beast Wars qualified as such a disruption, and using their Planet Buster weapon, the Vok detonated the vast majority of Earth's energon with a massive energy beam. The Planet Buster was destroyed by Optimus Primal, and much of the energon not destroyed was converted into a stable state in the form of solid cubes, also known as "energon cubes."
To bring the Beast Era's portrayal of energon into line with G1's, further writings by parties such as Dreamwave have presented crystalline energon as the natural state of the mineral, which can then be manually processed to create the safer, more usable liquid energon of G1.
Energon
In the Energon series, energon is presented differently. According to the series' production notes, Energon is formed "as the planets came into contact with solar winds" and create "solar energy crystals from the sun's genetic material,". It is suggested that The Source who created Primus and Unicron was Energon itself, sort of a primordial entity. Once the big bang occurred, Energon manifested in the form of various planets and the like. Energon is the key and origin of life and continuously evolves new lifeforms. It is this reason that it is found everywhere in this universe. In this form, it functions much like solar photons. It is said that all life spawns from the 'genetics of solar energy', which is also the essense of Primus. Primus is also known as the Light God, in reference to his status connecting him to Energon. Energon signifies the presense of Primus.
The sub-factions known as Omnicons and Terrorcons have the unique ability to refine energon and to shape Energon weapons and power-enhancing Energon chips (also called Energon Stars). Omnicon-refined energon is red, while Terrorcon produced energon stars are a more yellowish-green. Terrorcon-produced Energon reacts badly when most Transformers even touch it, sending the one who grabbed it into system shock. However, it appears that those whose superstructures are in some manner Unicron-fashioned (like the Terrorcons) are immune to its negative effects. As such, it's possible these Transformers would have the same negative reaction to an Omnicon-forged Energon Star.
There is also evidence that refined Energon can come in a variety of other colors, including purple, black, and more metallic tones. What other effects these other Energon colors have is undetermined at this time.
There also exist other types of energon: green energon, a corrupted form of the substance that flows through the body of Unicron; and blue "super energon", which exists in a pool inside an ancient temple far below the surface of Cybertron.
Classics continuity
A huge store of energon is discovered on Earth. It turns out to be Rarified Energon, hidden there long ago by Primus as a reserve. In this rarified form energon is the basic primary component of all Transformer's bodies and sparks. According to the caretaker of this energon, the universe's supply of the material is running low and if this is not fixed no future Transformers will ever come online.
Trivia
- Drinking Liquid Energon makes robots get drunk, shout "Energy! Energy!", talk about the "good ol' days", then pass out when the enemy attacks them. Microbots