Transformers Generation: Optimus Prime

Friday, October 3, 2008

Optimus Prime

Affiliation Autobot

Japanese name Convoy

Sub-Group Action Masters, Autorollers, Combat Heroes, Deluxe Vehicles, Go-Bots, Primes, Powermasters, Voyagers

Function Autobot Leader

Partner Roller Hi-Q (Powermaster)Marissa Faireborn (Kiss Player)

Motto "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings." (Generation 1)"No sacrifice is too great in the service of freedom." (Classics)

Alternate Modes Freightliner Cab-over-engine Class 8 tractor (Later forms have usually been variants of the original)Cybertronian truck (Various Comics)Cobra Sentry Missile System tank (Devil's Due)1920s style truck (Devil's Due)Kenworth Truck (Combat Hero)Mid'90s Western Star 4964EX Tanker Truck (Laser Rod)Lamborghini Diablo (Go-Bot)Dump truck (Autoroller)Dodge Ram SRT-10 (Alternator)

Series

Transformers: Generation 1 Transformers: Generation 2 Machine Wars Transtech Robot Masters Transformers: Titanium Transformers: Alternators Transformers: Classics Transformers: Universe Transformers: Animated

Japanese voice actor Tesshō Genda

Optimus Prime is a character in the Transformers universe. He is the commander of the Autobots, a faction of heroic Transformers from the planet Cybertron who wage their battles against the evil forces of the Decepticons for control of their homeworld, and by extension, peace in the universe. Optimus Prime is depicted as a heroic, brave and compassionate character who puts all his talent to use to improve the world around him. Optimus has a strong sense of justice and righteousness, and has dedicated himself to the protection of all life, particularly the inhabitants of Earth; he will battle his foes with unyielding resolve to uphold this belief.

The original Optimus Prime transforms into a cab over semi truck. The truck's cab transforms into the robot mode of Prime himself, with vast strength and armed with a laser rifle. Contained within his chest is the mystic talisman known as the Autobot Matrix of Leadership (or Creation Matrix), carried by all Autobot leaders and passed down through the ages. The truck's trailer disconnects and transforms into the Combat Deck, a mobile battle-station/command headquarters with an "Auto-Launcher" robot armed with assorted artillery and beam weapons. It can also serve as a radio antenna for battlefield communications between the Autobots. The Combat Deck can launch Prime's third component, Roller, a mobile scout buggy that can easily slip behind enemy lines. Optimus' senses are tied into Roller's, and can perceive what Roller does. Injury to one component is felt by each of the others, and while Prime could survive the destruction of either, despite the slight degree of autonomy they possess, the Combat Deck and Roller would not be able to survive without him.

Additional powers included (somewhat inconsistently) in the animated series and comics are short-range optic blasts, holographic map projections, a palm mounted, triangle-shaped repulsor projector (similar in function to the Marvel Character Iron Man) and deployable hydro-foils designed by Wheeljack which allowed Prime and the other Autobots to traverse bodies of water with ease. One of Prime's more memorable[who?] abilities from the animated series was the ability to retract his right hand and replace it with a glowing energon axe; although used only once, the axe proved popular enough to be rendered in toy form several times in recent years, and made further appearances in both the Dreamwave Productions and Devil's Due Publishing comic series, and in the 2007 live action feature film.

Across the assorted continuities of the original Transformers universe, there have been various interpretations of Optimus Prime. One of Prime's most notable characteristics in any form was his adamant commitment to leadership by example, and avoidance of any hypocrisy in his command, but beyond this, the animated series leaned towards Optimus Prime as a straightforward, wise and essentially upbeat battlefield general. The Marvel Comics series, on the other hand, in addition to these more obvious characteristics, suggested a Prime secretly plagued by self-doubt and, more importantly, a conflicted sense of pacifism that often made him an extremely reluctant warrior. It was occasionally implied that the conflict with the Decepticons lasted as long as it did primarily because of his unwillingness to take a more aggressive stance.
The animated series revealed other minor details about Optimus Prime's personality and personal life - for example, his hatred of rap music ("Blaster Blues" and "Quest for Survival"), which set him at odds with music-loving characters like Blaster and Jazz. Prime also enjoys televised sports, most notably basketball which he even plays ("The Master Builder"), as well as setting up a basketball court outside the Ark. Though Prime's personality is like that of a human man age 40-50, he is not above watching afternoon soap operas (in the episode "Prime Target", he is heard groaning out loud when the soap opera he is watching with the other Autobots gets interrupted for a news report).

No comments:

Post a Comment

PROLOGUE

Four million years ago, on a distant planet called Cybertron, life existed in the form of sentient robots which could think and feel, called Transformers. The race of Transformers was divided into two main clans. Autobots (known as Cybertrons in the Japanese cartoon), led by Optimus Prime, wished for peaceful co-existence. Decepticons (known as Destrons in the Japanese version), under the command of Megatron, sought conflict and universal conquest. Both sides were embroiled in an ages old war for supremacy.

With both sides running low on energy, the Autobots, aboard the Ark, sought out a new source, but the Decepticons, aboard their space-cruiser (later given the name Nemesis in the Beast Wars animated series), ambushed them in hopes of gaining a decisive advantage. The Decepticons boarded the Ark and the ensuing space battle resulted in both the ships crash landing on a pre-historic Earth, the Ark crashing into the side of a dormant volcano. (The fate of the Nemesis is subject to retroactive continuity. For the full story, see the Nemesis article.)

Four million years passed while the Autobots and Decepticons lay dormant aboard the Ark. In the Earth year 1984, the volcano housing the Ark erupted, reawakening the ship's computer, Teletraan I, which then set out a probe to scan Earth life, and modified the Transformers so as to give them alternate modes that could blend in on Earth, but the probe did not recognize carbon-based life, and instead chose vehicles like a truck for Prime and F-15 Eagles for 3 Decepticons.

The Autobots and Decepticons, now stuck on Earth, continued their war more ferociously than ever. The Decepticons wished to drain Earth of all its resources, converting it into energon for their use, while the Autobots were committed to stopping them, and to protecting the human race. This era would later be referred to by Transformers as the "Great War." The war was almost ended as soon as it began, as the Decepticons gained an early lead, and were even able to build a space cruiser to leave Earth, however Autobot intervention prevented them from escaping orbit.

New allies were gained on both sides. Humans Sparkplug Witwicky, and his son Spike Witwicky, allied with the Autobots, while the human Doctor Arkeville sided with the Decepticons. Jetfire and the Insecticons were discovered already living on Earth. Both sides even built new allies to join their cause, the Autobots building the Dinobots and the Aerialbots, and the Decepticons building the Stunticons and the Combaticons. They were later joined by some allies who had been elsewhere in the universe including Omega Supreme and the Constructicons.

Despite wild gimmicks on both sides, including attempts to build better weapons, to undermine history through time travel, and even a temporarily successful attempt to warp Cybertron into Earth's orbit, neither side gained an overwhelming advantage, despite the Decepticons being defeated by the Autobots in nearly every episode. In the long run however, the Decepticons took the lead in the Great War, creating a Space Bridge that allowed them to warp individual Transformers to and from Cybertron at any time. This allowed them to claim rule of Cybertron, which gave them the winning edge for many years.

All of this changed in 2005, over 20 years after the start of the Great War. The Decepticons launched a surprise attack on Autobot City, on Earth. Countless Transformers lost their lives in the battle for Autobot City, but the Decepticons were repelled thanks to Optimus Prime's victory over Megatron, a victory that came at the cost of his own life.

Megatron and the other wounded Decepticons were abandoned by the stronger members of the team, in part due to Starscream's desire to usurp Megatron as leader. The god-like Unicron found them drifting in space. He rebuilt Megatron as Galvatron, and sent him on a quest to destroy the Matrix of Leadership. The Autobots' new leader, Rodimus Prime, was able to stop the Decepticons however. In his first battle as leader, he destroyed Unicron, reclaimed Cybertron for the Autobots, and expelled Galvatron into deep space.

The Decepticons, without focus and dangerously low on energon, retreated to the burnt out world Charr. It was there they waited, until Cyclonus discovered Galvatron was simply expelled and not killed. Upon rescuing Galvatron, the Decepticons renewed their efforts to vanquish the Autobots and to claim complete control of Cybertron.

Transformers Generation

Friday, October 3, 2008

Optimus Prime

No comments:

Media Downloads

Blog Archive

Labels

Additional Link

Followers

Counter

My Resources

Advertisement

PROLOGUE

My Widget