In our last installment we looked at Megatron’s replacement, Negator, Buzzsaw finally getting hid due alongside Soundwave, and that’s it. This is going to end up being a longer section because there’s still five more to go, including the human ally. I didn’t want to break the seekers up.
Seekers is the name collectively given in later years by fans to Starscream and all of the other planes that share his mold type. Ramjet, Thrust, and Dirge come later so we just have Starscream, Thundercracker, and Skywarp. The cartoons all but ignored their toy-given personalities, only keeping Starscream’s null rays and urge to command and Skywarp’s teleportation powers. Thundercracker…is there. He’s kind of a jerk to Starscream and that’s all we really know about Thundercracker. Even the comics back then barely acknowledged him, with more recent comics trying to lean into his questioning being part of the Decepticons and what they’re doing.
So what would our favorite trio of fighter jets have been like under the new CBS story of the Decepticons ruling the planet? Let’s find out.
At least now we know what happened to Laserbeak.
CODE NAME: STARSCREAM
RANK: STRATO-COMMANDER
FUNCTION: SURPRISE AIR ATTACKS
TRANS-FORM: FIGHTER JET {SILVER}
SIZE:{ROBOT} 28′ – {JET} 20′
I just checkout the tech spec to confirm: Starscream’s title was “air commander”, not “strato-commander”. I suppose there’s a logic to that. Starscream’s alt mode is good for stratospheric fighting. I know this wasn’t intended to show the kids in the audience but this is still a kids show. Plus, we know they’re just ripping off the Transformers Universe entries when it comes to the characters that actually had toys.
PROFILE: STARSCREAM MAKES NO SECRET OF HIS AMBITION TO OVERTHROW NEGATOR AS DECEPTICON LEADER. HE IS RUTHLESS, COLD-BLOODED AND CRUEL. IN THAT SENSE, THESE TWO RIVALS ARE VERY MUCH ALIKE. BUT STARSCREAM HAS A VAIN SIDE THAT CLEARLY DISTINGUISHES HIM FROM NEGATOR. HE CONSIDERS HIMSELF THE MOST SOPHISTICATED AND HANDSOME OF THE DECEPTICONS. HE EXUDES A HIGH-CLASS, URBANE AIR THAT PROVIDES A CERTAIN IRONY TO HIS MURDEROUS TENDENCIES. HE LOOKS DOWN AT NEGATOR FOR BEING ANTIQUATED IN HIS MILITARY STRATEGY; STARSCREAM BELIEVES THE DECEPTICONS SHOULD RELY MORE ON GUILE AND SPEED RATHER THAN DESTRUCTIVE FORCE TO DEFEAT THE AUTOBOTS. NEGATOR OVERLOOKS THE POTENTIAL PERSONAL THREAT STARSCREAM REPRESENTS FOR TWO REASONS: 1. STARSCREAM IS VERY GOOD AT HIS JOB, 2. NEGATOR IS BETTER.
Well, there is some editing done, unless they got an early draft from Bob Budiansky’s profile book text, beyond changing Megatron to Negator. Starscream is often depicted as vain, but never for his looks. He thinks he’d be the better leader because of his still, when the truth is he just wants to be in charge. He’s also never been shown to have much in the way of guile, instead making him into a idiot who acts without thinking and might be more into brute force than Megatron. Megatron’s show plans were often rather stupid when you really thought about it, but at least he had plans.
ABILITIES: STARSCREAM IS THE FASTEST OF THE DECEPTICON JET FIGHTERS. HE CAN CLIMB INTO ORBIT AND NOSE-DIVE TO WITHIN A FEW FEET OF GROUND LEVEL IN MERE MINUTES. THIS MAKES HIM PARTICULARLY EFFECTIVE IN SURPRISE ATTACKS AND HIT-AND-RUN ACTIONS.
I should mention that when I bring up how often these profiles have just been the Transformers Universe entries that they do break up abilities and weapons while the comic profiles put them all in one section. This is also a skill we never really get to see him use in media. Between here and The Clutter Reports when I review certain Transformers figures is how many play features were never used in the media, something I’m trying to keep in mind with my own Transformers lore story.
WEAPONRY: STARSCREAM POSSESSES A NULL-RAY RIFLE THAT CAN INTERRUPT THE FLOW OF ELECTRICITY IN ANY CIRCUITRY IT HITS, EFFECTIVELY PREVENTING THE OPERATION OF ELECTRONIC MACHINES, .. AND AUTOBOTS.
Rifle? His null-rays are the weapons on the side of his arms, or wings in plane mode. My theory with the Transformers who have gimmick weapons is that the guns have two settings: good old fashioned lasers like we see them use or look like more often, and the special setting like the null rays. Then again, we never see him hit anything unless he or Megatron specifically calls out that he’s using his null rays for a particular use.
WEAKNESSES: STARSCREAM OVERRATES HIMSELF AT TIMES, FINDING HIMSELF IN SITUATIONS THAT ARE MORE THAN HE CAN HANDLE. HIS NOSE-DIVES OFTEN OVERLOAD HIS GYRO-CIRCUITRY, LEAVING HIM DISSORIENTED.
Again, we never get to see the diving ability while Starscream overrating himself is something he does so often you wonder why Megatron bothers. Profiles tell us he’s that good at his job as air commander and second in command, but it’s not something that has appeared in any story ever. Instead he’s rash, arrogant, treacherous, and incompetent. i wouldn’t mind seeing this take on Starscream over what we actually get in stories.
I have so few images of Thundercracker because too often he does so little.
CODE NAME: THUNDERCRACKER
RANK: STRATO-WARRIOR
FUNCTION: PRIMARY ASSAULT
TRANS-FORM: FIGHTER JET {BLUE}
SIZE: {ROBOT} 26′ – {JET} 19′
I wonder, had we known this whole “strato-warrior” rank, would that have taken the name for these fighters instead of “seekers”? I don’t know because I wasn’t part of the fandom when the name was chosen.
PROFILE: SOARING SWIFTLY THROUGH THE CLOUDS, THUNDERCRACKER GAZES WITH SCORN ON THE CREATURES BELOW. HE IS UTTERLY CONTEMPTUOUS OF ANYTHING THAT CANNOT LIFT ITSELF FROM THE GROUND AND CLAIM THE SKY. OCCASIONALLY HE EXPRESSES THAT CONTEMPT BY DIVING AND STRIKING, LEAVING FLAMES AND DESTRUCTION WHERE ONCE STOOD AN
ADVERSARY. THUNDERCRACKER IS NOT TOTALLY CONVINCED OF THE CAUSE THAT HE SERVES. ONLY THE WORDS OF HIS DECEPTICON COMRADES ABOUT THE RIGHTNESS OF THEIR GOAL, AND THE DESTINY OF CONQUEST THAT IS THEIR BIRTHRIGHT, CONVINCE HIM TO GO ON. HE IS PERSUADED BECAUSE HE WANTS TO BE PERSUADED. WITHOUT A SENSE OF PURPOSE, THUNDERCRACKER WOULD FIND HIS LIFE UNBEARABLE.
Again, it’s only more recent comics by IDW and Skybound that really tap into this. The cartoons just had him crack jokes at Starscream and that was it. If it wasn’t for that we might not remember him at all. He never even gets to use his special ability that he gets his name from, and that’s even in his tech spec profile, the stuff given to the toys.
ABILITIES: LIKE HIS FELLOW DECEPTICON JET FIGHTERS, THUNDERCRACKER CAN ATTAIN GREAT SPEED. HE HAS THE ADDITIONAL ABILITY TO PRODUCE CONTROLLED SONIC BOOMS OF DESTRUCTIVE AND DEAFENING MAGNITUDE.
Even Dirge got to use his fear-inducing jets in the comic…once. I wonder if the CBS version writes would have actually used these. Sometime in the future I want to do this with the bible for the show we got, since the Sunbow Marvel Archive has those on the same page as these pitches I’m doing in this series.
WEAPONRY: THUNDERCRACKER CAN LAUNCH A DRONE ROCKET THAT BEHAVES SIMILARLY TO A CRUISE MISSILE, AND EXPLODES WITH A SONIC SHOCK-BLAST THAT LITERALLY SUSPENDS ALL MOTION FOR A PERIOD OF SEVERAL MINUTES, ALLOWING THE OTHER DECEPTICONS TO ENTER THE AREA AND LEISURELY “SWEEP” UP THE REMAINS. THUNDERCRACKER HAS A WING {SHOULDER} MOUNTED GATTLING INCINDIARY GUN THAT SHOOTS IMPACT-IGNITING PROJECTILES.
Apparently they never got a look at the toys or even the model sheets which, I keep bringing up for a reason, were used in the show the same production company worked on before. Thundercracker doesn’t have shoulder-mounted weapons, though Soundwave does. These would have to also be the ones on his arms in robot mode, though the wing mounting would be accurate. Starscream has null rays, Thundercracker has boring old exploding bullets.
WEAKNESSES: LINGERING DOUBTS IN THUNDERCRACKER’S SUBCONSCIOUS CIRCUITS SOMETIMES SURFACE TO IMPEDE HIS EFFECTIVENESS, PARTICULARLY WHEN INNOCENT HUMAN LIVES ARE ENDANGERED. USUALLY HIS FEAR OF NEGATOR COMPELS HIM TO OVERLOOK HIS DOUBTS.
I don’t understand this in the Universe profiles, either. He hates anything that doesn’t fly on its own and wants to blow them up…but is concerned about the flesh creatures who can’t fly without a plane?
I thought Iron Man’s crossover figures were pretty good, but I only have the first jet. Would love the others.
CODE NAME: SKYWARP
RANK: STRATO-WARRIOR
FUNCTION: SEARCH & DESTROY
TRANS-FORM: FIGHTER JET {OLIVE DRAB}
SIZE: {ROBOT} 27′ – {JET} 19′
Skywarp’s more of a purple, maybe black or dark blue depending on the figure. Olive drab would be more of a green, given to later figure Acid Storm if memory serves. Later seekers in collectors lines are based on other seekers we saw on Cybertron while fans gave miscolored “extras” names as well so they wouldn’t feel left out.
PROFILE: SKYWARP IS THE SNEAKIEST OF THE DECEPTICONS. ON CYBERTRON HE WAS KNOWN TO APPEAR OUT OF NOWHERE IN THE MIDDLE OF PEACEFUL AUTOBOT VILLAGES TO RAIN TERROR AND DESTRUCTION UPON THEM. SKYWARP SOMETIMES USES HIS TELEPORTATION POWERS {ACTUALLY A SPACE-WARP LOCATION TRANSFER} TO PLAY PRANKS ON HIS FELLOW DECEPTICONS, PRANKS WHICH ONLY HE SEEMS TO FIND FUNNY. SKYWARP IS THE LEAST INTELLIGENT OF ALL DECEPTICONS; HE IS TOTALLY USELESS WITHOUT THE GUIDANCE OF NEGATOR.
I don’t think Skywarp has ever been depicted as a pranker. He only uses his teleportation to get behind Autobots and sometimes rarely that.
ABILITIES: SKYWARP CAN MAKE UP FOR HIS SLOWER SPEEDS WITH HIS ABILITY TO INSTANTLY CHANGE HIS LOCATION IN SPACE. USING HIS WARP-TRANSFER TECHNIQUE, SKYWARP CAN APPEAR AND DISAPPEAR AT A MOMENT’S NOTICE, THUS GIVING HIM THE ABILITY TO ENTER A HOSTILE AREA, FIND A TARGET, DESTROY IT, AND GET OUT … ALL BEFORE HIS ENEMIES KNOW WHAT HIT THEM.
The power is much cooler in description than we’ve seen in execution.
WEAPONRY: SKYWARP ALSO CARRIES HEAT-SEEKING “ACID-WARHEADS” THAT CAN HOME IN ON AUTOBOT NUCLEAR BATTERIES AND PENETRATE THEIR METALLIC ARMOR, SENDING THEIR ACID PAYLOAD INTO THE AUTOBOT’S MECHANICAL INNARDS AND DISSOLVING THEM.
Another weapon we’ve never seen him use, even in the comics written by the man who wrote the tech specs these bios are based on. What is it with Transformers media not using these things to their full extent? No wonder we don’t see superpowers and specialty weapons anymore. The cartoons and comics never knew what to do with them anyway.
WEAKNESSES: SKYWARP’ S CONTROL AND ACCURACY OF HIS WARP-TRANSFER TECHNIQUE DIMINISHES AS THE DISTANCE HE TRANSPORTS INCREASES. AS A RESULT, IF HE’S NOT TOO CAREFUL HE’S LIKELY TO CRASH INTO THINGS
UPON ARRIVAL OF HIS TELEPORTATION POINT. HIS LOW INTELLIGENCE ONLY MAKES MATTERS WORSE.
If I ever got to write Transformer stories, and with Skybound currently going in the opposite direction of how I would go, I would hope I remember these extra talents and weapons as well as the weaknesses.
In a sense we did get the figure. Just do a color pallet swap.
CODE NAME: WHIRLPOOL
RANK: AMPHIBIOUS COMMANDER
FUNCTION: OCEANIC CONTROL
TRANS-FORM: AMPHIBIOUS FLYING CRAFT {SUBMERSIBLE}
SIZE: {ROBOT} 26′ – {AMPHIBIOIUS CRAFT} 18′
It wouldn’t be until the Japanese maga version of Transformers Victory until we saw the first female Decepticons, while female Autobots wouldn’t show up until season two of the G1 cartoon this would have replaced. Again, this was CBS demanding female characters and Hasbro demanding it not be Starscream.
PROFILE: WHIRLPOOL IS THE ONLY FEMALE DECEPTICON. SHE IS, HOWEVER, ONE OF THE MOST VISCIOUS. WHIRLPOOL’S MOST DEADLY TRAIT IS HER SEDUCTIVENESS. SHE CAN CHARM EVEN AN AUTOBOT INTO THINKING SHE IS A FRIEND, ONLY TO TRANSFORM INTO A TREACHEROUS ENEMY FASTER THAN A SQUALL COMES OVER A CALM, TROPICAL BAY. SHE IS THE ONLY DECEPTICON WHO WAS ONCE AN AUTOBOT, THUS SHE HAS A SPECIAL CONNECTION TO OPTIMUS PRIME: HE WANTS TO REFORM HER WHILE SHE SEEKS TO DESTROY HIM, PROVING TO HERSELF ONCE AND FOR ALL THAT HER DECISION TO JOIN THE SUPERIOR DECEPTICONS WAS A CORRECT ONE.
So if she didn’t switch sides there’d be no female Decepticons? There are shades of so many later characters I don’t have time to go over them all.
ABILITIES: UNLIKE THE OTHER DECEPTICONS, Wl-lIRLPOOL CAN CHANGE INTO MORE THAN JUST ONE VEHICULAR FORM. WITH A MERE IMPULSE OF ELECTRONIC INTENTION SHE CAN TRANSFORM FROM HER ROBOT FORM INTO AN AMPHIBIOUS ASSAULT VEHICLE, CAPABLE OF TRAVERSING ANY GROUND TERRAIN AS WELL AS MOVING OVER BODIES OF WATER. SHE CAN ALSO RAISE HER ROTOR BLADES, ENABLING HER TO TAKE TO THE AIR. YET ANOTHER TRANSFORMATION AND SHE CAN RETRACT HER ROTOR BLADES AND EXTEND DIVING FINS, ALLOWING HER TO SUBMERGE BENEATH WATER. ALTHOUGH ALL DECEPTICONS ARE CAPABLE OF UNDERWATER EXCURSIONS FOR SHORT
PERIODS OF TIME BEFORE THE CRUSHING PRESSURE RUPTURES THEIR ARMOR, WHIRLPOOL CAN TRAVEL TO ANY DEPTH, AND FOR FAR GREATER PERIODS.WEAPONRY: WHIRLPOOL POSSESSES TWIN LAUNCHERS, EACH CAPABLE OF FIRING A HIGH-SPEED “IMPLODING” TORPEDO THAT CAN SUCK ANYTHING WITHIN SEVERAL HUNDRED YARDS INTO A COMPRESSED MASS AT THE IMPLOSION
POINT. THESE IMPLOSION TORPEDOES CAN BE FIRED IN THE AIR OR UNDERWATER.AS HER NAME SUGGESTS, WHIRLPOOL ALSO HAS THE ABILITY TO CREATE MASSIVE WHIRLPOOLS; SIMPLY BY EXTENDING HER ROTOR BLADES UNDERWATER AND VARYING THEIR SPEED SHE CAN SUCK SHIPS {OR AUTOBOTS}
INTO HER DESTRUCTIVE MAELSTROM.
Wait, what Earth vehicle was she based on? Even those cars that go on water like a boat can’t turn into a submarine or an airplane. Even Firecycle potentially had an Earth mode, and here we have the first multichanger who can go over all terrain and she has the most destructive weaponry next to not-Megatron…oh no, did they make a Mary Sue Decepticon? Tell me she has a decent weakness. Please tell me she had a decent weakness.
WEAKNESSES: WHIRLPOOLS MAIN WEAKNESS IS OPTIMUS PRIME. SHE WANTS SO BADLY TO PROVE HER DEFECTION TO THE DECEPTICONS WAS RIGHT THAT SHE WILL OFTEN RISK MORE IMPORTANT MISSIONS TO DESTROY HIM.
That would be a no. Her weapons don’t have a weakness. Her abilities and her transformation don’t have weaknesses. It’s just her trying to prove how Decepticon she is. That is so lame! Even Firecycle was better, so it’s not a 1980s girlboss thing. It’s almost pet character syndrome and she never eve say action. Can’t wait to see what happens when we get to the full sample episode in the next document.
They make the connection, not me. I assuming he least would have had hair. Maybe I should have used Sean Berger’s picture?
NAME: ARTHUR KROLL
LIFE FORM: HUMAN – MALE
FUNCTION: TRAITOR – SERVANT OF NEGATOR
HEIGHT: 5′ 8″
I wonder what need they’d even have for Kroll now that they rule the Earth? Sure, in the second season they tricked Sean Berger into helping them exile the Autobots with their smear campaign, but in the first draft Kroll was supposed to get them into places the Decepticons needed to build more bodies for the almost-ghost Decepticons. Here they run the place. Even if then needed him during the operation it’s been five years. Unless Negator has more use for him than Megatron would have, you’d think he’s be in trouble or as much a slave as the others.
PROFILE: ARTHUR KROLL IS A WEAK, GREEDY, SELFISH, CRIMINAL TYPE, WHO SEES THE DECEPTICON TAKEOVER OF EARTH AS HIS ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY TO GAIN POWER AND WEALTH, SOMETHING HE WAS NEVER ABLE TO ACHIEVE FOR HIMSELF HONESTLY. HE MADE A FAUSTIAN DEAL WITH NEGATOR: HE’LL HELP THE DECEPTICONS ACHIEVE THEIR GOAL IN EVERY WAY HE KNOWS HOW, LIKE SPYING ON OTHER HUMANS, REVEALING THEIR PLANS OF RESISTANCE, INFORMING, ETC. ALL HE ASKS IN RETURN IS THAT HE BE SPARED FROM THE FORCED LABOR AND INDIGNATION THAT HIS FELLOW HUMANS MUST FACE. THOUGH A BARGAIN WAS REACHED, THERE IS VERY LITTLE INWARD TRUST BETWEEN NEGATOR AND ARTHUR KROLL- LIKE THE EVIL LEX LUTHOR, KROLL IS OUT FOR HIMSELF. UNFORTUNATELY, THE DECEPTICONS REALIZE THAT CERTAIN HUMANS CAN BE HELPFUL TO THE AUTOBOT CAUSE AS WELL. ONE OF THESE, MATT CONROY, HAS A SPECIAL DISTASTE FOR “TRAITORS” THE LIKES OF ARTHUR KROLL- HE’D JUST LOVE TO GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO “GRIND KROLL’S GEARS.”
So how is Kroll able to spy on the other humans if people already know he’s a traitor? Or is it just the Autobot allies who are aware of it?
WEAKNESSES: KROLL’S GREATEST WEAKNESS IS HIS SELFISHNESS AND GREED. THINKING ONLY OF HIMSELF, HE WILL OFTEN GET INTO SITUATIONS WHICH HAVE ALL SIDES OF THE CONFLICT PITTED AGAINST HIM. KROLL IS ALSO EASILY MANIPULATED IF OFFERED SOME REWARD THAT WILL INCREASE HIS WEALTH OR STATUS.
Kroll reminds me even more of Dr. Braxis from Challenge Of The GoBots except that Braxis shared Luthor’s genius. While Lex did betray humanity in the Superman/War Of The Worlds crossover book that came out decades later, I’m not sure why he was mentioned here other than to list a famous villain. Kroll is nothing like the original mad scientist or the John Byrne evil businessman that has become Lex’s default because businessmen evil in the entertainment industry…despite funding the entertainment industry.
We’re done with characters but not this pitch. Our file printer is about to ask about the show format, so we’ll learn more about the show next time.
BW Media Spotlight 