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| “ | Stand down, Megatron. | „ |
| ~ Optimus Prime after his arrival on Earth. |
| “ | Till all are one! | „ |
| ~ Optimus Prime |
Optimus Prime is the main protagonist of the Transformers Unicron Trilogy. He is the supreme leader of the Autobots and the arch-enemy of Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons. In search for the Mini-Cons, he traveled to the planet Earth alongside his growing group of comrades in order to stop the war between the Autobots and Decepticons. He is voiced by Gary Chalk (who also voiced Optimus Primal in Beast Wars and later portrayed Vice Principal Grimes in Scooby-Doo: The Mystery Begins), in the English adaptations of Transformers.
History
Backstory
Millions of years ago, a young Optimus Prime fought with the Decepticon Scavenger. Over time, the pair became friends, and Scavenger joined the Autobots. Scavenger taught Optimus Prime how to fight in hand-to-hand combat. He was also taught the art of Metallikato by Landmine. Ascending to the position of Autobot leadership, Optimus led his army against the Decepticons in the war for the Mini-Cons, until the small robots expressed a desire to leave the planet, hoping they could take the war with them. Optimus and the Autobots helped the Mini-Cons escape Cybertron aboard a spaceship, but the war on Cybertron raged on even without them.
Armada
Arriving on Earth
In the year 2010, in First Encounter, the Mini-Cons were reactivated on Earth, and Optimus went to the planet first via space bridge first, confronting Megatron. In Metamorphosis, Optimus immediately engaged Megatron in battle, buying time for the three human targets, Rad, Carlos, and Alexis, and the Mini-Con they befriended, High Wire, to escape. Hot Shot and Red Alert, joined him, as did Megatron's troops, but the Decepticons retreated, and both sides set up bases and scanned alternate modes. The three children, having awakened the entire Street Action Mini-Con Team, were the Decepticons' first targets, but Optimus and the Autobots came to their rescue again.
Searching for Mini-Cons
Optimus led the Autobots against the Decepticons in a race to recover the Mini-Cons. In Comrade, a Mini-Con activation signal drew the Autobots and Decepticons to the Grand Canyon, where Prime found himself outmatched by Megatron thanks to the additional power of his Mini-Con partner. Thanks to an intervention from the Street Action Team in the form of Perceptor, Optimus was able to activate the Mini-Con panel, revealing that its occupant was his old Mini-Con partner and friend, Sparkplug. Powerlinked together, they activated Optimus's Maximum Blast which sent the Decepticons into retreat.
The Mini Con Weapons
After recovering the Mini-Con Runway from a volcanic island, in Swoop, Optimus found he would not awaken, as with Jetstorm, because it was part of a set of three. The Decepticons were in possession of the third, Sonar, and invaded the Autobot base to complete their collection. Forced to order a shut down of the internal defense lasers to protect their human allies, Optimus gathered up the Mini-Cons in his hands and tried to get them to safety, only for Megatron to catch up to him, combining the Mini-Cons into the Star Saber. Optimus was able to blast the blade from Megatron's hands, and Hot Shot used it to beat the Decepticons into retreat.
Hot Shot quickly became overconfident while wielding the Star Saber, to Optimus's displeasure; he warned the young Autobot not to let his ego get the better of him several times. in Overmatch, Optimus's old tutor Scavenger arrived on Earth, having taken on a new life as a mercenary, and was working with the Decepticons. After Hot Shot lost a duel to Scavenger, Optimus prevented Megatron from gaining the Star Saber. Scavenger's interference cost the Autobots another Mini-Con. However, in Gale, Optimus's team was aided in recovering the Mini-Con Spiral in a highway battle by the mysterious Sideways. Optimus welcomed the recruit to the Autobot ranks. Soon after though, in Credulous, Optimus and Smokescreen searched for a Mini-Con during the next battle, and later discovered Sideways was a traitor and stole the Star Saber for the Decepticons.
to be added
Self Sacrifice
In Threaten, with the Mini-Con weapons now in Decepticon hands, Optimus had his hands full trying to keep his soldiers in-line. Optimus still hoped that Starscream would come around and return to the Autobots. The Decepticons used their newly-finished Hydra Cannon to destroy a comet passing near the Earth. Optimus and his troops realised that the Cannon's next target was Earth. In Crisis, the Autobots scrambled to prepare a preemptive strike before the cannon could be turned upon Earth. Optimus, fearing he would not survive the battle, attempted to pass the Matrix of Leadership to Hot Shot. However, the young Autobot refused. Accepting his decision, Optimus and Jetfire headed off. The two Autobots were unable to overpower the Decepticons, and Optimus's only option was to hurl himself in the path of the cannon's planet-destroying beam. Using the Matrix's power, Optimus halted the beam and saved Earth, but at the cost of his own life, with his bleached body crumbling away to space dust.
In the short story Prime Spark, Following his destruction by the Hydra Cannon, Optimus Prime found himself in Maccadam's Old Oil House on Cybertron, where he encountered an Optimus Prime from another universe, and two versions of Optimus Primal. The other three were able to help Optimus Prime overcome some of his doubts over his leadership abilities.
The Unicron Battles
In Miracle, during the Autobots confrontation with the Decepticons,the Mini-Cons united their powers to resurrect Optimus from within the Matrix, and the reborn Autobot leader used all his Super Mode to end the battle. Soon after, in Puppet, the ship was pulled to a dead world, where they were menaced by a evil double of Optimus, Nemesis Prime. Prime ended his threat with the added firepower of his new weapons system, Overload.
to be added
Energon
Returning several years later, Prime united the Autobots, Decepticons and humankind in an effort to mine Energon. In 2020, the revelation that Unicron still lived shattered the alliance, and Optimus led the Autobots in an attempt to prevent the planet-eater's reawakening. Now empowered with the Spark of Combination, which allowed him to forge new and more powerful combinations with his fellow Autobots, Optimus claimed ultimate victory over Unicron by uniting the sparks of all his troops in one gigantic body and casting Unicron's spark into a sun made of pure Energon.
Cybertron
At some point over the next ten years, Optimus rescued Overhaul from a solo mission, having had a close eye on him for some time. This led to the two to regard reach other as friends. However, as revealed in United, Optimus Prime and Wing Saber were involved in an attempt to save a stranded astronaut in the Chaar asteroid belt. The pair were able to safely navigate the asteroids by combining into "Sonic Wing Mode", but Wing Saber, tired of Optimus's command, left the Autobot ranks some time later.
The Unicron Singularity
Ten years later, the sun collapsed into a black hole that threatened to destroy Cybertron, and the rest of the universe, and the revived Megatron and Starscream escaped. When attempts to close the black hole failed, Optimus realised there was no choice but to evacuate the population of Cybertron to Earth, and had Jetfire scout ahead to gather alternate mode data. As preparations for departure were being made, the mysterious Vector Prime appeared, advising Optimus to search for the long-lost Cyber Planet Keys, which could restore Primus's power and allow him to close the black hole. Unconvinced of the keys existence, Prime put the safety of his people first, and was one of the last through the space bridge to Earth. Upon arrival, Optimus immediately set out with Scattorshot to search for the missing Landmine. Prime was forced to break his own orders to hide from the human population in order to save the injured Landmine and three human children he had befriended from Thundercracker.
With help from the children, Coby, Bud and Lori, Optimus and the Autobots set about constructing a base. The Decepticons nearly discovered its location, but Optimus, Vector Prime, Hot Shot, and Jetfire held them off while the kids and the rest of the Autobots finished the stealth coating. At the battle's end, Optimus Prime was granted the power to summon a Cyber Key by Vector Prime, which he later used to fell Starscream in a mid-air battle. After further attempts to seal the black hole proved fruitless, Optimus agreed that Vector Prime's plan to search for the Cyber Planet Keys was the only hope they had left.
Quest for the Cyber Planet Keys
Evacuating his Autobots to Earth, Optimus allied with the ancient Transformer Vector Prime and embarked on a quest to recover the four lost Cyber Planet Keys from Transformer colony worlds all across the galaxy.
Sealing the Black Hole
To be added
Final Duel with Galvatron
In Unfinished, Optimus could not stop worrying about Galvatron's survival, and the Decepticon leader returned to challenge him to one final duel. While the other Autobots helped safely return Jungle Planet to its system, Optimus and Galvatron dueled on Cybertron's moon, which seemed poised to end with Optimus's defeat as all his troops watched. At the last moment, Vector Prime's planet map and flew into the path of Galvatron's sword, flooding the battlefield with light. A vision of Vector Prime appeared before Optimus, and granted him the gift of Vector Prime's sword. Glowing with the light of the Matrix, he used the blade to finally end Galvatron's threat once and for all, impaling his body and disintergrating it.
A New Mission
Some time later, in Beginning, Optimus called for an intergalactic peace conference among the Transformers' colony worlds, and proposed they fulfill their ancestors' dream of building the universal space bridge. Optimus announced that he would lead the mission himself, and appointed Jetfire leader of Cybertron in his absence. The colony starships were assembled for launch, and Bud gave Optimus the planet map, asking him to return it to Vector Prime if they ever met again. Boarding the Atlantis, Prime ordered the ships to lift off, and they launched into space. While Optimus held the planet map, it glowed once more, and Prime saw out in the sea of stars the face of Vector Prime, who smiled upon them. Optimus called for the engines to be put at full throttle, and the Transformers blasted off into deep space, on course for new adventures.
Appearance
Personality
Power and skills
Relationships
Trivia
- In the first two episodes of Transformers: Armada, Optimus' pre-Earth form resembles his original G1 design prior to scanning an alternate Earth mode vehicle while in the final two episodes of Transformers: Armada, his powerlinx colors make him resemble Nemesis Prime.
- Optimus' design in Transformers: Armada looks very reminiscent to that of the Generation 2 Laser Optimus Prime while his design in Transformers: Energon looks similar to his original G1 design and in Transformers: Cybertron, his design looks very reminiscent to both Star Convoy and his Transformers: Robots in Disguise (2001 cartoon)) design with the face looking similar to the Beast Wars Season 1 Optimus Primal.
- Optimus' vehicle forms include a truck in Armada and Energon, and a fire truck in Cybertron.