Transformers: Prime is a computer animated children's television series produced by Hasbro Studios and animated by Polygon Pictures. It is based on the Transformers toy and entertainment franchise originally created in the 1980s by Hasbro out of Takara's robot toys. Most fictions in the franchise are about a race of giant, sentient robots that come from the fictional planet Cybertron and are able to change their appearance into cars, planes and other machinery. Like most pieces of Transformers fiction, Transformers: Prime focuses on the conflict between two warring factions of Transformer robots, the heroic Autobots led by Optimus Prime and the villainous Decepticons led by Megatron, who have brought their conflict to Earth and are fighting over deposits of Energon (the substance Transformers consume as fuel), as well as ancient relics and weaponry from Cybertron's past. The following is a list of characters that appear in the series.
Optimus Prime (voiced by Peter Cullen[1]) - Optimus Prime is the noble and chivalrous leader of the Autobots. He transforms into a red and blue long-nose truck cab that is based on his vehicle form in the live-action Transformers film series, and wields a legendary sword called the Star Saber. Before the Great Autobot-Decepticon war that made Cybertron uninhabitable, Optimus was a data clerk named Orion Pax, and worked in Cybertron's Hall of Records. This was until Primus (the creator of Cybertron and the Transformers) bestowed Orion with The Matrix of Leadership, which contained the collective wisdom of the Primes, and he took the role of Autobot leader. Following a near-death experience at the start of Season 3, Optimus Prime is restored with a new body when Smokescreen places the Forge of Solus Prime in his hand.
Ratchet (voiced by Jeffrey Combs[1]) - Ratchet is a veteran Autobot medic who transforms into a white and red ambulance. His robot mode design and grouchy personality are similar to the Transformers: Animated version of Ratchet. At first, he is apprehensive about humans becoming involved with Autobot activity and is hostile towards Jack, Miko and Rafael, but this changes throughout the course of the series as he develops a friendship with Rafael. Optimus Prime frequently refers to Ratchet as "Old Friend", because they knew each other long before the war started, when Optimus was still Orion Pax.
Arcee (voiced by Sumalee Montano[1]) - Arcee is a courageous female Autobot who transforms into a blue motorcycle. She is assigned to be Jack Darby's Autobot guardian at the start of the series, and she develops a close bond with him. Arcee's main character arc in the series is coming to terms with the deaths of her previous battle partners, Tailgate and Cliffjumper, who were both killed by Decepticons. Despite being the smallest Autobot on Team Prime, she compensates for her stature by being agile and acrobatic.
Bumblebee - Bumblebee is a young Autobot scout who transforms into a yellow and black sports car called an "Urbana 500" (a fictional make and model) that is based on his Chevrolet Camaro vehicle form in the live-action films. During the war where Bumblebee was captured at Tiger Pax, Megatron tore out Bumblebee's voice box in an interrogation attempt and as a result he is unable to speak properly where he communicates instead through a series of electronic sound effects. Bumblebee is the Autobot guardian for Rafael Esquivel, who is the only human in the series able to understand his alternative speech patterns.
Bulkhead (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) - Bulkhead is an Autobot warrior who transforms into a green SUV, and is based on the Transformers: Animated character of the same name. Before the war, Bulkhead was a construction worker, but when the war began he joined an Autobot commando unit called "the Wreckers" along with Wheeljack, Seaspray and several others. On Earth, Bulkhead serves as Miko Nakadai's Autobot guardian, and while he is often aggravated by Miko's reckless actions, they develop a strong friendship.
Wheeljack (voiced by James Horan[2]) - Wheeljack is Bulkhead's best friend from the days of the war, a former member of the Wreckers and a skilled swordsman, who pilots a star ship called the Jack-Hammer (Renamed "Star-Hammer" in the series' toy line). His robot mode design is based on the Generation 1 version of Wheeljack, and he transforms into a white, green and red sports car that is modeled on the Lancia Stratos vehicle form of the original character. Despite being offered a place on the team twice, Wheeljack has so far never joined Team Prime, preferring instead to travel around on his own. However, he often lends his skills to the team whenever he is needed in a situation.
Smokescreen (voiced by Nolan North) - Smokescreen is a young, impulsive and inexperienced Autobot who joins Team Prime in the series' second season, having found his way to Earth after escaping from a Decepticon prison ship. During the war, Smokescreen was given the duty of guarding the archivist Alpha Trion at Cybertron's Hall of Records, but he always longed to fight on the battlefield as a proper soldier, which he never had the opportunity to do until joining Team Prime. He transforms into a silver, blue and red sports car, and his robot mode design is based on the Generation 1 version of Smokescreen.
Ultra Magnus[3] (voiced by Michael Ironside) - Ultra Magnus was one of Optimus Prime's key lieutenants during the war, and after years of travelling through space he arrives on Earth following the beam of energy the Omega Lock gave off while creating the Decepticon's Darkmount fortress. He is a strict and methodical commander who sticks closely to military protocol and becomes aggravated when others fail to respect his chain of command. His robot mode design is primarily based on the Transformers: Animated version of Ultra Magnus, and while his vehicle form has never been shown in the series itself, the toy-line depicts it as a blue and red flat-nose truck.
Other Autobots
Cliffjumper (voiced by Dwayne Johnson in the first appearance, Frank Welker as a Terrorcon, and Billy Brown in later flashbacks) - Cliffjumper is a brash and talkative Autobot warrior, and Arcee's most recent battle partner. He transforms into a red muscle car that resembles a First Generation Dodge Challenger, decorated with bull horns on the hood. In the series' first episode, "Darkness Rising, Part 1", Cliffjumper is captured by a group of Vehicons and killed by Starscream. Megatron then uses Cliffjumper's dead body to demonstrate the effects of dark energon, and the substance turns the body into a mindless and aggressive zombie, which is later destroyed. Cliffjumper continues to appear in Arcee's flashbacks to the war, in the episodes "Predatory" (where he and Bumblebee rescue Arcee from Airachnid) and "Out of the Past" (where he worked with Arcee to sabotage Starscream and Shockwave's space bridge project).
Tailgate (voiced by Josh Keaton) - Tailgate was Arcee's original partner on Cybertron. He is killed by the Decepticon Airachnid during the war. Arcee witnesses his death as it happens and is severely traumatized by it, vowing revenge on Airachnid. While Tailgate's face is never fully shown, his body (recycled from Cliffjumper's CGI model) appears briefly in Arcee's flashbacks.
Megatron (voiced by Frank Welker) - Megatron is the tyrannical leader of the Decepticons, ruler of the Darkmount fortress and captain of the warship Nemesis. He transforms into a silver and purple Cybertronian jet that is based on his vehicle form in the first live-action Transformers film. Before the war, Megatron (then calling himself "Megatronus" after one of the original thirteen Transformers) fought as a gladiator in the city of Kaon, and he and Orion Pax were close friends. However, this changed when the war corrupted his ideals, and he became a brutal warlord. Megatron later Cyberformed a part of Jasper, Nevada to build his new base called Darkmount.
Starscream (voiced by Steven Blum) - Starscream is second-in-command of the Decepticons and transforms into a silver fighter jet resembling an F-16 Fighting Falcon. Like most incarnations of the character, he is cowardly, self-serving and treacherous, longing to overthrow Megatron as the Decepticon leader. After being exposed as a traitor, Starscream leaves the Decepticon ranks and tries to live independantly, but continuously found himself in awkward and life-threatening situations. He eventually convinces Megatron to allow him back in to the Decepticon ranks by offering him the Omega Keys (four ancient relics that, when inserted into the Omega Lock, are able to make Cybertron inhabitable again).
Soundwave - One of the first Transformers to join Megatron's Decepticons, Soundwave is an expert spy and hacker who transforms into a blue UAV drone aircraft resembling an MQ-9 Reaper. He never speaks, and it is unclear if he is able to, but he often records and plays back things that are said and done around him.
Laserbeak, a bird-like surveillance drone which deploys from Soundwave's chest and transforms into his chest armor.
Knock Out (voiced by Daran Norris) - Knock Out is a Decepticon physician who transforms into a red sports car that loosely resembles an Aston Martin DBS V12. He is extremely vain and narcissistic, taking great pride in his appearance, becoming enraged whenever his vehicle form's paint job is scratched or damaged in any way, and rarely showing consideration for his patients or medical work in general.
Breakdown (voiced by Adam Baldwin) - Breakdown is a powerful and brutish Decepticon warrior who shares a long rivalry with Bulkhead. He transforms into a blue, heavily armored military truck equipped with a missile turret on the roof. In the episode "Crossfire", Megatron orders Breakdown and Dreadwing to kill Airachnid for plotting to overthrow him, but Airachnid overpowers and kills Breakdown by slicing his body into pieces with her claws. Breakdown's remains are later found by a group of M.E.C.H. foot soldiers, and M.E.C.H. scientists use the parts to construct a life-support system and suit of battle armor for the dying Silas.
Airachnid (voiced by Gina Torres[1]) - Airachnid is a devious female Decepticon who traumatized Arcee during the war by killing Tailgate in front of her. When the war ended, Airachnid left Cybertron and explored the galaxy on her own, collecting the severed heads of various alien species, but she becomes stranded on Earth when her ship crashes. She briefly rejoins Megatron's army, replacing Starscream as second-in-command, but goes rogue again when Megatron orders to have her killed for plotting against him. She accidentally fell into a stasis pod while fighting Arcee during the second season, and has remained there since. Her stasis pod is currently in the custody of the Decepticons. Airachnid transforms into a black helicopter, and while she is in robot mode the helicopter's rotors unfold and extend into long legs akin to those of a spider. She can also shoot spider webs from her wrists, produce a highly corrosive acid, and telepathically control Insecticons.
Dreadwing (voiced by Tony Todd[2]) - Dreadwing is the former captain of a Seeker armada, and has a penchant for planting explosives around the battlefield to surprise his enemies. He transforms into a blue and yellow fighter jet resembling an F-35 Lightning II, and shares the same body template as his twin brother Skyquake. Dreadwing came to Earth after sensing Skyquake's death from across the galaxy, and upon arriving he joins Megatron's army, replacing the treacherous Airachnid as second-in-command. When Starscream rejoins the Decepticons, Dreadwing discovers that Starscream tried to revive Skyquake's corpse with dark energon so he could have a Terrorcon army, and he angrily attempts to kill him. Megatron steps in and kills Dreadwing when he refuses to stand down. Afterwards, Megatron told Starscream not to make him regret on who he chose to spare.
Shockwave (voiced by David Sobolov) - Shockwave is a Decepticon scientist, Megatron's first lieutenant on scientific endeavors, and the creator of the Predacons. His robot mode design is largely based on the Generation 1 version of Shockwave, and he transforms into a purple Cybertronian tank. Despite being introduced in the series' second season, Shockwave only appeared in Arcee's flashbacks to the war, and did not become part of the series' main story until the third season, in which he is discovered by Knock Out and a group of Vehicons after spending years in isolation on Cybertron.
Soldiers
Vehicons (Various Voices) - The Vehicons are a legion of identical Decepticon foot soldiers that make up the bulk of Megatron's army. Some transform into sports cars resembling the EcoJet Concept, and others (sometimes referred to as "Seekers") transform into Cybertronain fighter jets, but they generally all share a uniform color scheme of black and purple, with the only exception being a squadron of jet Vehicons led by Starscream who are white and grey. Vehicons are adaptable to many different situations including aerial combat and security patrol. Unlike the Vehicons from Transformers: Beast Machines, they are not mindless and are shown to have individual personalities.[4]
Decepticon Miners (Various Voices) - The type of Vehicons that are programmed for mining detail in the Energon Mines
Insecticons (Various Voices) - The Insecticons are a race of Decepticons that transform into giant, mechanical insects. The generic Insecticons serve as the alternative foot soldiers for the Decepticons. Every Insecticon that has appeared in the series so far has shared the same alternate form: a giant insect that is black, grey, and purple and resembles a male Hercules beetle. Megatron commands an enormous hive of Insecticons that reside in a chamber on the Nemesis. The Insecticons in this series are much more feral and primitive than their Generation 1 namesakes, and while some are capable of speech, the majority behave like predatory animals and react violently to the sight of anything they recognize as an Autobot.
Hardshell (voiced by David Kaye) - Hardshell is a member of Megatron's Insecticon hive who is capable of speech. He has a habit of bragging about his achievements, and prides himself on being the fiercest and most powerful Insecticon in the hive. He has a slightly different color scheme than other Insecticons, being mostly black with yellow stripe patterns resembling claw marks. Hardshell almost kills Bulkhead in a fight over an Iacon relic, prompting Wheeljack and Miko to track him down and get revenge. After defeating Wheeljack in a one-on-one fight, Hardshell is eventually killed when Miko launches a pair of missiles from the Jackhammer at him. Hardshell's body was brought back to Megatron as an Insecticon tells him that a "human girl" was responsible for Hardshell's death.
Other Decepticons
Skyquake (voiced by Richard Green) - Skyquake is the identical twin brother of Dreadwing and a devoted follower of Megatron. He was entombed in stasis on Earth for centuries before Starscream re-awakened him in the episode "Masters and Students". He transforms into a green, silver and red fighter jet resembling an F-35 Lightning II, and shares the same body template as Dreadwing. He is shot down by Bumblebee and Agent Fowler in a fight with Optimus Prime, and the Autobots bury his remains. In the episode "Shadowzone", Starscream tries to revive Skyquake as a Terrorcon zombie using Dark Energon, but a ground bridge malfunction leaves the zombie trapped and wandering aimlessly in a parallel dimension.
Makeshift (voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson) - Makeshift is a Decepticon spy with the rare ability to take any form, provided that he has information on whoever or whatever he is impersonating. His true form is never seen in its entirety, all that is shown is a silhouette cast in shadows. In the episode "Con Job", Starscream sends Makeshift (disguised as Wheeljack) to discover the location of the Autobot base, but the real Wheeljack arrives and foils Starscream's plan. Makeshift discovers the base's location, but is killed in an explosion caused by one of Wheeljack's grenades before he could report back to Starscream.
Jack Darby (voiced by Josh Keaton) - Jack is a 16-year-old high school student. He is brought into the Autobot-Decepticon conflict after accidentally getting caught in a fight between Arcee and two Vehicons. He is initially reluctant to get involved with the Transformers, but comes to accept them as friends and allies as he forms a close bond with his Autobot guardian Arcee.
Miko Nakadai (voiced by Tania Gunadi[1]) - Miko is a 15-year-old foreign exchange student from Tokyo, Japan. She is loud and reckless, often following the Autobots into dangerous situations and showing little regard for her own safety. She has a strong friendship with her Autobot guardian Bulkhead.
Rafael "Raf" Esquivel (voiced by Andy Pessoa[1]) - Raf is a highly intelligent yet shy 12-year-old boy who has an extensive knowledge of computers and machinery. He comes from a large family who mostly ignore him, so he spends a lot of time with his Autobot guardian Bumblebee, being the only human character in the series to understand Bumblebee's speech impediment.
Special Agent William Fowler (voiced by Ernie Hudson[1]) - William Fowler is a government agent and former army ranger who serves as a liaison between the Autobots and the United States government. He usually only calls or appears at the Autobot base when the Transformers do something that threatens national security, but over the course of the series he steadily comes to value them as trusted comrades. He is also a skilled pilot, able to fly both helicopters and fighter jets, and he occasionally provides air support for the ground-based Autobots.
June Darby (voiced by Markie Post[6]) - June is Jack's mother, and works as an emergency room nurse. For a large portion of the first season, June is completely unaware of the existence of the Transformers, believing that Arcee is an ordinary motorcycle. She finds out the truth in the episode "Crisscross" when she is kidnapped by M.E.C.H. and Airachnid in a plot to capture Arcee. Afterwards, though sympathetic to the Autobots, June argues against actions that may put Jack and the others in danger.
M.E.C.H. - M.E.C.H. (whose acronym is unknown) is a terrorist organization that focuses on utilizing advanced machinery to start a Newer World Order. In their first appearance in "Convoy", M.E.C.H. attempts to steal a powerful nuclear device, but are stopped by the Autobots. They then primarily focus on the capture and dissection of any Transformer they can find so they can research their inner workings and create an army of their own Transformers as part of "Project: Chimera".
Colonel Leland "Silas" Bishop (voiced by Clancy Brown) - Silas is M.E.C.H.'s leader. He was once a member of the Special Operations branch of the US Military, but went rogue after being discharged for building Project: Damocles, a satellite-based laser weapon system. In the episode "Nemesis Prime", Silas is crushed by falling rubble and the body of Nemesis Prime (M.E.C.H.'s man-made Optimus Prime clone) when the roof of M.E.C.H.'s hideout collapses. To keep him alive, M.E.C.H. scientists build a life support system from Breakdown's parts which Silas dubbed C.Y.L.A.S. (short for Cybernetic Life Augmented by Symbiosis). Seeing no further use for M.E.C.H. he terminates all of its members and approaches Megatron, wishing to join the Decepticons and offering Project: Damocles as a peace offering. When the satellite is destroyed however, Megatron has C.Y.L.A.S. taken away to be dissected by Knock Out.
M.E.C.H. Surgeon (voiced by Josh Keaton) - The Surgeon is a high-ranking scientist who oversees and manages M.E.C.H.'s experiments. He has a unique uniform resembling a lab coat. Upon awakening in Breakdown's body, Silas kills the Surgeon and the rest M.E.C.H. after they have served their purpose.
M.E.C.H. Agents - M.E.C.H. employs dozens of personnel that serve as both foot soldiers and scientists. Regardless of occupation, they all wear a matching green uniform with masks covering their faces. Silas is the only member of M.E.C.H. who doesn't wear a mask. Agent Fowler voices a suspicion to General Bryce that some M.E.C.H. agents may be treacherous members of the U.S. military (the reason why they wear masks) and urges him to conduct an investigation. The remaining agents are later killed by Silas after they have served their purpose.
Sierra (voiced by Alexandra Krosney) - Sierra is a girl who goes to Jack's high school, where she is the head cheerleader. While Jack has romantic feelings for Sierra, she rarely notices him.
Vince (voiced by Brad Raider) - Vince is an obnoxious bully who attends the same school as Jack and Sierra. He often harasses Jack, usually for owning a motorcycle instead of a car.
General Bryce (voiced by Robert Forster) - General Bryce is Agent Fowler's superior and a representative of the United States government. Despite Fowler's efforts to persuade him otherwise, Bryce distrusts the Autobots believing that there's nothing stopping them from turning on humanity.
Other Cybertronians
Unicron[7] (voiced by John Noble[8]) - Sometimes referred to as "The Destroyer" and "The Chaos-Bringer", Unicron is an ancient and powerful being who is the source of dark energon, a form of energon with the ability to revive the bodies of dead Transformers as mindless zombies. After Primus and the original thirteen Transformers defeated him, Unicron drifted through space in a state of hibernation for millions of years, with his body attracting rocks and debris that eventually formed the planet Earth, with Unicron's spark chamber at its core. He is mentioned several times throughout the first season, but only makes his first appearance in the season finale, forming an army of avatars based on his original body from rocks and soil. When he awakens, Unicron threatens to devastate Earth with natural disasters, but the Autobots successfully defeat him with the Matrix of Leadership.
Terrorcons - The Terrorcons are the bodies of dead Transformers revived as mindless zombies by dark energon. The corpses of Cliffjumper and Skyquake have been turned into Terrorcons throughout the series, and Megatron also uses dark energon to revive a mass burial ground full of dead Transformers in the episode "Darkness Rising" Pt. 3. In season 1, the term "Terrorcon" is never used, the terms "undead" and "zombies" are used instead, but the name was used in the series' toy line for an action figure of the zombified Cliffjumper. The name is first used in the series itself in "Loose Cannons" when Arcee mentions Starscream's attempt to revive Skyquake as a "Terrorcon".
Alpha Trion (voiced by George Takei) - One of the first thirteen Transformers created by Primus, Alpha Trion is an archivist who ran Cybertron's Hall of Records in the city of Iacon before the war. Smokescreen served as Alpha Trion's personal bodyguard during the war, and they developed a strong friendship, but they lost contact after Smokescreen was captured by Decepticons during a raid on the Hall of Records. Alpha Trion then took several ancient relics from the Vaults of Iacon (including the Star Saber, the Omega Keys, and several others) and hid them on Earth. His fate afterwards has not been revealed.
