- The Hydra Cannon is both a Mini-Con superweapon and a Decepticon starship from the Armada portion of the Unicron Trilogy continuity family
It does not actually launch hydras.
The Hydra Cannon is one of the single most powerful weapons in existence. A combination of the Mini-Con weapons, the Star Saber, the Skyboom Shield and the Requiem Blaster, the Hydra Cannon requires no fewer then nine Mini-Cons to form (hence its name) and possess enough raw power to destroy an entire planet!
The Hydra Cannon starship was constructed on the Moon, largely using Mini-Con slave-labour until the Autobots conducted a raid to free them. She was built as a means to contain the Hydra Cannon weapon itself, and serve as transport for the Decepticons under Megatron's command for their trip home to Cybertron.
Fiction[]
Cartoon continuity[]
Armada[]
After Starscream betrayed the Autobots and delivered both the Skyboom Shield and Star Saber to Megatron, the Mini-Con weapons were placed into a chamber that drew upon their energy, serving as both the ship's main power core and the main weapon. Slowly, the Hydra Cannon lifted off from beneath the Moon's surface, destroying what was left of the Exodus' hulk. However, the ship struggled against the moon's gravitational pull, forcing Demolishor to push the engines to over 190% of their normal output.
Thrust recommended testing the cannon first before using it in combat. Megatron concurred, and it was decided that a comet passing through the Solar System would be the Hydra Cannon's first victim.
It belongs in a museum!
As the unwitting population of the western hemisphere watched, the Hydra Cannon obliterated the comet, bathing the sky in light, then settling in an ominous green glow. Simultaneously, the computer systems at Lincoln's observatory shut down, much like when the Mini-Cons sent their distress signals to Cybertron. Threaten
Megatron was greatly pleased at the results, then decided to destroy the Autobots once and for all by targeting their base on Earth, much to the distress and objection of Starscream. After Jetfire captured images of the Hydra Cannon, he and Optimus Prime launched a desperate assault on the warship in an effort to stop the cannon from firing. After a struggle with the Decepticons, Optimus placed himself in the path of the Cannon's beam, and used the power of the Matrix to stop the beam and force it back towards the cannon itself. This caused a feedback overload that disengaged the Mini-Cons powering the core, shutting down the weapon.
Unfortunately, this cost Optimus Prime his life as he exploded into a million pieces, leaving only Sparkplug and his Matrix. As night fell, his debris rained down as shooting stars over Earth. Their human companions apparently found this very beautiful, 'as if the whole universe was mourning Prime's death'. Apparently they missed the morbid connotations of it raining Optimus bits. Crisis
After Starscream died and Galvatron realized the enormity of Unicron's threat, the Autobots and Decepticons reached a historic peace agreement and the alliance was formalized on board the Hydra Cannon. Alliance
She continued to serve as Galvatron's flagship until she was destroyed by Unicron to keep him busy long enough so Optimus and Galvatron could get inside him and free the Mini-Cons.
Known crew and specifications[]
The crew of the Hydra Cannon included:
- Megatron - Captain and Commanding Officer
- Thrust - First Officer
- Starscream - Tactical and Weapons
- Demolishor - Engineer
- Cyclonus - Strategic Operations Officer (Doesn't do anything, like Worf!)
- Wheeljack - Angsty Cabin Boy
The main power core of the Hydra Cannon depends upon the continued operation of the three legendary Mini-Con weapons teams. However, with, a significant portion of this goes into the Cannon itself, leaving little adequate power for the ship's already slow engines (which are inferior to the Autobot Axalon's).
The Hydra Cannon also has a powerful, six-thousand gigavolt electro-shield, able to withstand a direct chest cannon blast from Unicron. At least for a few moments. Before the ship explodes.
The cannon itself is not actually Cybertronian technology, as Megatron mentions when he finally wakes up and realizes that Thrust is not exactly on their side. It is implied that Sideways gave Thrust the plans, or at least the idea that the three weapons combined housed a greater power that could be channeled into an even more powerful weapon.
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