Summary
Transformers Onebrings forth some creative and beautiful renditions of theTransformersseries. Yet, while it keeps most of what is known as truth, there are some creative aspects taken fromTransformers Onethat alter the established canon to create its own playground of rules and narratives that add to the fun time before Cybertron is ravished by a civil war of Autobots and Decepticons.
Withthe removal of human charactersand a pure focus on the origins of Orion Pax and D-16 before they became Optimus Prime and Megatron, audiences who are familiar with theTransformerscanon and lore from comics, movies, and shows, can expect a few changes.
10Megatron & Optimus Prime Were Once Friends
They Weren’t Always Sworn Enemies
Transformers Oneestablishes that Optimus Prime and Megatron were not just friendly with each other but were, in fact, best friends, or as they were known, Orion Pax and D-16. The lore before this suggested that they weren’t really that close, and the two had opposing views from the start, especially when Orion was made a Prime, and Megatron was not.
Transformers Oneswitches up the rivalry by presenting the two as having been best friends since meeting each other while working. This certainly adds a different dynamic going forward in the franchise, as the two are perhapsthe biggest enemies in media history.
9Megatron & Optimus Prime Were Miners
Their Backstories Have Been Changed
It was considered that before he was Optimus Prime, Orion Pax was a scientist who earned the Matrix of Leadership and became the noble warrior that everyone loved. But this was changed inTransformers One, and he was made into a miner of Energon.
Likewise, it was established that Megatron was a Gladiator turned rebel who wanted to claim Cybertron as his own. Just like with Prime, he was given the less-than-glamorous backstory of a miner. This was changed to give the two central characters a common ground and to show that they came from the same place but would go on to lead very different lives.
8Cybertron Is Not Just Metal
There Is Organic Life On The Planet
With most ofTransformersmedia taking place on Earth, many fans don’t get a look at Cybertron too much, but the consensus is that the planet is comprised completely of metal. There are bustling megacities with no natural life, which makes sense as the planet is the body of amassive Transformer known as Primus.
However, when the characters leave Iacon City for the first time in their lives, they discover that there is natural life in the form of vegetation, which isn’t really shown to be the case in most depictions of Cybertron. There are also some deer-like creatures roaming in the lands of the planet. However, these do appear to be Transformer-like beings.
7Bumblebee Didn’t Always Know Optimus
The Two Met Later Than Originally Thought
Especially in the more recent Transformers media, thanks to Bumblebee’s rise in popularity due to live-action movies, it is thought that Optimus Prime and Bumblebee have been friends and fighters together for a long time, with some canon establishing Optimus as a father-figure.Transformers Oneexplains that the two met a little more recently.
When Orion Pax and D-16 are banished to the lower depths of Iacon City, they meet the Transformer Bumblebee, and they discover the potential whereabouts of the Matrix of Leadership. There then isn’t a lot of time that passes before Optimus becomes the leader of the Autobots. Previous media established that the two had been side by side long before this.
6Sentinel Prime Betrayed Cybertron Much Sooner
The Once-Regarded Autobot Is Portrayed As A Traitor to the Primes
InTransformersmedia, Sentinel Prime is set up as a well-respected Autobot leader who either dies, allowing Optimus to take charge, or betrays the Autobots to join the Decepticons. This was a big plot point in thethird live-actionTransformersmovie,Dark of the Moon.
Transformers Onechanged this, and it established that Sentinel Prime was never a hero, nor actually a Prime, and he betrayed Cybertron from the start. Eventually, meeting his end at the hands of Megatron, who was born of D-16’s rage and frustrations over the betrayal of Sentinel Prime and Sentinel’s removal of transformation cogs in younger Cybertronians.
5Starscream Was The Leader Of The Decepticons
Or At Least Its Predecessor, The High Guard
It was previously established that Starscream was the second-in-command of the Decepticons. But he secretly wants to be the leader, and he and Megatron certainly have a love-hate relationship. This was certainly explained in this movie as Megatron claimed his throne and reformed the High Guard into the Decepticons.
Although it remains true that Megatron was the original Decepticon leader, Starscream was, in fact, in charge of the High Guard, who would go on to form the evil group of Transformers. Something that was never established, especially in the live-action movies.
4Some Transformers Couldn’t Transform
New Cybertronians Lacked Transformation Cogs
A plot point in the movie is that there are Transformers who lack the ability to transform,literally a key element to their whole concept. This was because Sentinel Prime took out their cores so they could become miners and take part in his selfish quest to rule Cybertron and mine for Energon.
This was never a thing in previousTransformerslore, the natives of Cybertron could all transform. However, it was explained in the movie that all Cybertronians are born with this ability. But the idea that if a Transformer has its core removed, it cannot transform is a new concept.
3Airachnid Was Present On Cybertron
A New Transformer Got A Big Role In This Movie
The Decepticon, known as Airachnid, made its debut back in theTransformers Primeanimated series and made the jump to her first movie inTransformers One. Most of the previous incarnations of Cybertron never had this character as a central figure, but it was added that the spider was second-in-command to Sentinel’s reign over Iacon.
A unique character who prefers to go on her own, ifTransformers Onegains a sequel, it would be interesting to see the direction that Airachnid takes and establishes her rivalry with the Autobot Arcee, or perhaps Elita-1 instead, as this character is used instead.
2Megatronus Prime Inspired Megatron
Megatron’s Idol Becomes His Diabolical Symbol of Oppression
D-16’s favorite member of the Cybertron warriors, the Primes, was Megatronus Prime. Orion Pax even gives him a sticker in the movie, which has his face on it. It looks awfully similar to the Decepticon insignia. Sentinel Prime later engraves this onto his chest as a way to provoke him.
He then declares himself as Megatron, after Megatronus Prime, when he kills Sentinel and uses Megatronus Prime’s transformation cog for his own. Previously, there was no reason why they were called the Decepticons or why they used this mark, so this was added inTransformers One.
1The Quintessons Seemingly Played No Part In The Creation Of The Transformers
The Quintessons are a race of alien beings who created the Transformers, which was explained in live-action inTransformers: The Last Knight. But in this latest adaptation, this was never mentioned. Instead, they were born from the planet itself, a giant Transformer, Primus.
The Quintessons do make an appearance, but instead, as an enemy of Cybertron, which defeated the Primes and made a deal with Sentinel Prime in exchange for unlimited supplies of Energon. Perhaps in the future of this canon, this plot point will be better explored and lead into what was previously established.
