The Autobots are a fictional faction of sentient robots in the Transformers multimedia franchise. The Autobots are living robots from the planet Cybertron who, like most Transformers, are each imbued with a unique "life force" known as a "spark." Led by Optimus Prime in most stories, the Autobots believe that "freedom is the right of all sentient life" and are often engaged in a civil war with the Decepticons, a faction of Transformers dedicated to military conquest and usually headed by Megatron. In a mirror universe portrayed in Transformers: Shattered Glass, the Autobots are villains opposed by the heroic Decepticons.

The transformation cog ("T-cog") and the living metal of each transformer's body allows them to change from their natural robotic body into an "alternate mode" based on some form of technology or life that they have scanned. When they were first introduced, most Autobots transformed into cars, trucks and other road vehicles. Over time, Autobots have been introduced with alternate modes that include aircraft, weapons, robotic animals, or a variety of devices (such as music equipment or microscopes). In most Transformers media, the Autobots originally transform into alien-style vehicles and technology native to their home planet Cybertron, but they later adopt alternate forms based on human technology after journeying to Earth. but are referred to as in the film series, Transformers: Animated and Transformers: Prime. In Italy, they are called "Autorobot." The Autobot insignia is also sometimes referred to as an "Autobrand", a term that first appeared in issue #14 of the Marvel Comics series. The descendants of the Autobots, the Maximals from Transformers: Beast Wars, are also known as Cybertrons in Japan.

Physical traits

Autobots are living beings, sometimes referred to as "bio-mechanical" and often depicted as being forged from the same "living metal" that makes up their home planet Cybertron. This living metal can heal, grow, and regenerate like organic cell structures. and is unique to each transformer, granting them their basic personality and influencing certain physical traits. while other media portrays the source to be an ancient artifact simply called the "Allspark". Some stories have shown characters being able to preserve a dead transformer's spark under the right circumstances, allowing that fallen transformer to return in a repaired body (though this possibility involves great risk and becomes more unlikely as more time passes). The capital of Cybertron is Iacon.

Starting with the original series The Transformers, Cybertron is shown to house a seemingly living super-computer called Vector Sigma. Often, the Matrix is shown to have a direct connection to Primus, a god-like being who became the planet Cybertron itself and created its race of living robots. The video game Transformers: War for Cybertron give a backstory to the Autobots days on Cybertron.

Transformers: Prime The Game

Set within an alternate timeline that parallels the show's second season, the Autobots (Team Prime) appear in Transformers: Prime The Game. Optimus Prime, Arcee, Bulkhead, Bumblebee, Ratchet, Jack, Miko and Raf embark on a journey to defeat the villainous Megatron and the Decepticons in his plan to use his secret new weapon. The Decepticons intercept a mysterious meteor approaching the Earth, and the Autobots arrive to try and thwart the Decepticons' plans. A massive eruption of power during the battle on the meteor breaks out, and the Autobots become separated from Jack, Miko and Raf, who are monitoring them at base. Unknown to the Autobots and their human friends, the Decepticons have uncovered Thunderwing, an ancient power that they will use to try to take over the Earth.

Transformers: Prime

In Transformers: Prime, with Cybertron dead, the Autobots scattered across the universe. A group landed on Earth consisting of Optimus Prime, Ratchet, Bumblebee, and Bulkhead and which Arcee and Cliffjumper join later. This small team of Autobots led by Optimus is rechristened Team Prime. During the final four episodes of the season, the Autobots unwillingly team up with Megatron to battle a legendary threat to Earth's existence, Unicron.

Transformers: EarthSpark

Many years after the end of the war, the Autobots, now working with Megatron and the secret human organization G.H.O.S.T. to protect Earth from the remaining rogue Decepticons, reach out to the Malto family and offer the Terrans the chance to be mentored by Bumblebee. With new threats on the horizon, such as the mad scientist Dr. Meridian (Mandroid) and the various Decepticons still at large, the Autobots and Maltos work together to keep each other safe and find their place in the world while learning what it truly means to be a family.

One year after the successful defeat and death of Mandroid, a group of Decepticons led by Starscream goes rogue sometime after the shattering of the Emberstone. It is up to the Terrans, the Autobots, the humans, and those Decepticons on their side (namely Megatron) to collect the shards before those Decepticons that sided with Starscream do. This leads to the creation of the Chaos Terrans and the discovery of some secrets about Witwicky itself; the secret includes an Earth-born female Titan Terran named Terratronus whose body was covered by mounds of rocks and soil that would later become the site of Witwicky.

The stakes eventually get higher when the Quintessons get involved and threaten the Maltos, the Autobots, and Earth following the Decepticons' departure from Earth on Prowl's ship. Luckily the Autobots, and the Maltos along with the Chaos Terrans readily team up with Terratronus and successfully destroy the Quintessons for good so that the Quintessons would never harm anybody or anything on the planet Earth anymore.

Following the victory of the Malto and Autobots, things take a turn for the worse when they discover that a powerful enemy named Liege Maximo, a former Prime long imprisoned, plans to transform other planets into Energon sources to recreate Cybertron. With some Autobots like Hot Rod and Decepticons siding with Maximo, the Malto and Autobots will do everything in their power to stop him and save Cybertron by finding the AllSpark, leading to a final battle.

Transformers One

In this film, the Autobots were merely a group of Cybertronian miners without transformation cogs who mined Energon for the Quintessons, and they and all Cybertronians are led by their leader Sentinel Prime, having him as their trust. After discovering the truth about Sentinel by Orion Pax, they follow him to help him expose the truth against Sentinel's crimes. Pax's former friend D-16, kills Sentinel after letting Pax fall to his demise into the core of Iacon City, rechristening himself as Megatron. At the city's core, Pax is blessed by the thirteen Primes and bestowed the Matrix of Leadership, becoming reborn as Optimus Prime. Prime returns to the city's surface and successfully defeats Megatron and the High Guard, who defect to his side, eventually banishing them for attempting to destroy Iacon. The miners are given their transformation cogs by Optimus Prime, who officially reforms them as the Autobots to protect Cybertron against the threat of the Quintessons, as well as Megatron and the High Guard, who are now rechristened as the Decepticons, and promise that they will maintain peace, order and fight for justice throughout the galaxy.

See also

  • Decepticon
  • Maximals

References

  • Autobots at TFWIKI.Net, The Transformers Wiki
  • Marvel (US) Comics Transformers series, issues 1-80.
  • Dreamwave Productions Transformers series.
  • Marvel (UK) Comics Transformers series.
  • Paramount/DreamWorks 2007 Transformers Film.
  • Hasbro Transformers toy line, 1984 through present (both toys and packaging).