Dynasty of Primes
From Transformers Wiki
The Dynasty of Primes was the ruling class of Cybertron eons ago. Formed by the first Thirteen Seven Cybertronians, the Dynasty ruled Cybertron and protected the AllSpark until they were betrayed by one of their own.
The only named Primes are Prima, the first Prime, Sentinel, who remembered his ancestry, Bendy-Bus, whose status is unknown, and Optimus, the last of the Primes.
| “ | Primes are born. Not made. | ” |
Contents |
Fiction
Movies
Revenge of the Fallen
- Voice actor: Michael York, Kevin Michael Richardson, Robin Atkin Downes (English), Banjō Ginga, Daisuke Gōri, Yasuyoshi Hara (Japanese), Bai Ma, Gai Wenge, Zhao Xiaoming (Chinese), Ayrton Cardoso, Ronaldo Júlio, Carlos Seidl (Brazilian Portuguese), Uli Krohm, Thomas Wolff, Dietmar Wunder (German), Ramón Rocabayera, Javier Amilibia, Carlos Vicente (Castilian Spanish), Andrés Gutiérrez Coto, Jorge Roldán, José Luis Miranda (Latin-American Spanish), Oğuz Özoğul, Mazlum Kiper, Ali Ekber Diribaş (Turkish)
At least by 17,000 BC, ancient beings known as the "Seven Primes," reached the Solar System in their quest to build a Star Harvester, but they discovered the chosen system contained a life-bearing world, and so six of the Primes objected to using the Harvester on the system's sun. The seventh, however, insisted on using the Harvester anyway upon weighing the longevity of his planet and his race against a seemingly meaningless organic world. This Prime quickly turned on his brothers and their creed, waging war against them, with those who agreed with his ideals by his side. After attacking and killing many of his fellow Primes and slaughtering a large number of early humans he was thereafter ever known as "The Fallen." The remaining Primes mounted an attack on their new nemesis and hid the Matrix of Leadership—without which he could not activate the harvester—in a tomb composed of their own bodies on the very planet he sought to destroy, using the last of their energy left from the epic battle to completely seal it.
According to Sam Witwicky, who had absorbed the AllSpark, Sentinel Prime led an expedition where it took him fourteen galactic convergences to get an echo of something, seemingly related to the existence of other dimensions where the theory of relativity was not applicable.
In the present day, their descendant Optimus Prime perished in battle whilst protecting the human adolescent Sam Witwicky, the chosen vessel of the AllSpark after the Cube's physical destruction. With the seemingly confusing knowledge of an advanced alien civilization in his mind, Sam and his companions set out to find the Matrix of Leadership after learning it might be the only thing that could resurrect Optimus—the last of the Primes—who was the only being who could defeat "The Fallen". Travelling to Petra in Jordan, Sam discovered the Tomb of the Primes hidden within, quickly discovering the small Matrix. His hopes were soon dampened however, when the artifact crumbled into dust upon it being moved. Nevertheless, he held onto his faith and gathered up the dust in a tattered sock, intending to revive Optimus with it in any way feasible.
During a climactic battle around the Star Harvester between the Autobots and The Fallen's Decepticon forces, Sam died in an attempt to use the remnants of the Matrix to resurrect Optimus Prime. Appearing to leave his body, the six Primes soon appeared before Sam, telling him that they had been observing him for a long period of time, praising his sacrificial acts to save the last Prime's spark. They pronounced him worthy of receiving the Matrix, revealing to him that it is now never merely found but instead earned, then instantaneously resuscitated him. Brought back to life by the six Primes, he was able to fulfill his destiny by reviving Optimus. The Fallen stole the Matrix and used it to activate the Star Harvester, but thanks to Jetfire donating his parts, Optimus Prime was given the power needed to battle the Fallen. Optimus destroyed the Harvester, defeated and seriously injured Megatron and finally (and rather brutally) killed the Fallen. Revenge of the Fallen
Dark of the Moon film
When Sentinel Prime was about to kill Optimus Prime, he mentioned that all the Primes were once considered gods. Dark of the Moon
The Last Knight film
Quintessa referred to herself as the "Prime of Life", though it is unclear if or how this fits into the Dynasty of Primes. The Last Knight
Revenge of the Fallen adaptations
According to Jetfire, the Dynasty of Primes was formed by the first Thirteen Cybertronians. These beings could not transform, but they and their transforming descendants possessed powers beyond that of the average Cybertronian. The Dynasty ruled Cybertron and protected the AllSpark, replenishing it with the energy harvested from stars. However, the Dynasty of Primes was also benevolent, believing that all life was sacred, and refused to harvest stars with worlds inhabited by sentient races. To better prevent abuse, the Dynasty guarded the Matrix of Leadership, an artifact formed by the AllSpark to power the Great Machines used to harvest stars. However, one of these Primes believed that they should harvest the star Sol, which promised to yield vast amounts of energy, even though Sol was orbited by a small world with primitive inhabitants, humans. After this plan was unanimously rejected by the others, this Prime betrayed and killed most of his brothers, but one survived and hid the Matrix in the Tomb of the Primes on Earth, fusing it shut with his own life essence. The Fallen, as the renegade Prime was now known, dispatched the Seekers to retrieve the Matrix, but they were unsuccessful and eventually abandoned. On Cybertron, the Fallen hunted down and killed every last Prime he could find, knowing that they were a threat to him. A single orphan was hidden away with no knowledge of his lineage: Optimus Prime.
In time, The Fallen encountered Megatron, and directed him to form the Decepticons, promising him the powers of a Prime in exchange for his loyalty. When Megatron left Optimus Prime in stasis lock, the last threat to the Fallen was removed, and he prepared for his return to Earth. However, Sam Witwicky, using the knowledge of the AllSpark within his mind, found the Matrix in Petra, Jordan. Unfortunately, it had turned to dust in the millennia in the tomb. When his heart stopped after an attack by Megatron, Sam communed with the sparks of the Twelve original Primes, who had judged Sam worthy of stewardship of the Matrix, and instructed him to merge the Matrix with Optimus. The Dynasty then returned Sam to life and transferred the knowledge of the AllSpark into the restored Matrix. With the Matrix restored, Sam used it to revive Optimus Prime and give him the knowledge of his ancestors. Unfortunately, the Fallen then attacked and stole the Matrix, activating the harvester.
Using parts donated by a critically injured Jetfire, Optimus went to the star harvester, recovered the Matrix, and confronted the Fallen. In the battle that followed, Optimus proclaimed that the Fallen had forfeited his right to be a Prime when he slaughtered his brothers, and told Megatron that Primes were born, not made. Realizing he had been betrayed, Megatron and Starscream abandoned the Fallen and used the space bridge he had created to escape. Optimus then impaled the Fallen through the head with his own spear. With the death of The Fallen, Optimus Prime became sole inheritor of the Matrix and the last of the Dynasty of Primes. Revenge of the Fallen Revenge of the Fallen
IDW comics
Eons ago, the AllSpark created thirteen beings, the first Cybertronians, who had the ability to move between dimensions. They soon realized that the AllSpark's power, though vast, was not infinite, and required the energy of stars to be replenished. Once a nearby star went nova, the AllSpark created a worker race, the Transformers, who would assist the Dynasty in replenishing the AllSpark. One of the thirteen, later known as the Fallen, Defiance #4 believed the AllSpark was talking to him and that it wanted him to harvest any sun, local lifeforms or no local lifeforms, rather than spend ages searching. He harvested the sun of a living world behind his brother's backs, only to be caught and told off. This didn't stop him Tales of the Fallen #4 and eventually, the Dynasty ruled that all thirteen seven of them would decide on the harvester's use.
In response, the Fallen assembled his own army, the Decepticons, and deliberately built a harvester on Earth... in order to draw his brothers into a trap. Tales of the Fallen #3 A great battle erupted as the Fallen fought to gain the AllSpark's power for himself. However, once he had destroyed his six twelve brothers' sarcophagi, he still had to face the final survivor, Prima, who tricked him into running out of power and then used the remaining power in the Dynasty's corpses to imprison the Fallen in his own sarcophagus. The last Prime then built a tomb for the Matrix out of the corpses and sacrificed himself to close it. Knowledge of the thirteen faded, and the Dynasty of Primes became little more than a myth. Tales of the Fallen issue 3 Tales of the Fallen #4 Defiance #4
Thousands of years later, the Science Division discovered the Fallen's sarcophagus and the remains of the other Twelve's sarcophagi. As the Fallen influenced Lord High Protector Megatron, the members of the Science Division, under the direction of their leader Optimus, studied the remains of the other relics and discovered the symbol of the Primes. This was the first proof that they had found of the Dynasty, and what's more, the symbol was etched on the head of the Science Division's leader, who was soon dubbed Optimus Prime by his fellow scientists. After the Autobots refused to follow Megatron's Decepticons, the term Prime came to denote Optimus as leader of the Autobots. Defiance #3
Titan Revenge of the Fallen comic
The original Transformers are explicitly stated to number only seven. There's also a legend they might actually be created by some guy called Primus, which they don't believe The Fallen Profile... but it's true! He was the first Cybertronian. Sentinel Prime Profile
They were imprisoned by the Fallen Jetfire Profile except when they weren't. The Fallen Profile
Toys
See also: Optimus Prime (Movie)/toys and Sentinel Prime (ROTF)#toys.
Transformers (2007)
- Protoform Optimus Prime (Deluxe Class, 2007)
- TakaraTomy ID number: MA-05
- Accessories: Gun with flame attachment
- Based upon the "Protoform" (Cybertronian) appearances of the Transformers in the 2007 movie, Protoform Optimus Prime transforms into his "entry" mode. This mode somewhat resembles a cybertronic truck, with false wheels sculpted onto the sides, and Optimus Prime's trademark windows in front. A flame decoration piece fits to the back of the "vehicle", creating the illusion of a flaming comet's tail. The bottom of the vehicle has small wheels to roll the toy across smooth surfaces. Oddly, it has NO automorph gimmick at all, a feature most main-line figures have.
- In robot mode he resembles previous Optimus characters: his angular chest windows are reminiscent of Cybertron Optimus Prime, while his near-animalistic limbs and color scheme are evocative of Beast Wars Optimus Primal. He has excellent articulation due to his many ball joints, and is armed with a rifle. The flame attachment can fit onto the end of the (non-firing) gun barrel.
- Some packaging variants of this figure (perhaps a Wal-Mart exclusive) included a free movie poster depicting a Cybertronian eye overlooking Earth. While an added sticker to the outer plastic bubble says "Exclusive movie poster!", it is more of a preview of upcoming figures.
Merchandise
Revenge of the Fallen
- Bendy-Bus Prime (2009)
- Bendy-Bus Prime is a life-sized non-transformable sculpture with the dimensions 13×11×6 feet. There was only one produced by Paramount Home Entertainment and Pinewood Studios or Propshop, which was given away on December 9, 2009 in a contest hosted by The Sun in conjunction with the release of Revenge of the Fallen on DVD.
- He is made out of 100 original bus parts, and even has an Oyster card reader.
Notes
- In an early draft of the 2007 movie called the Prime Directive, Optimus reveals that before the war, him and Megatron were twin sons among the dynasty of Primes.
- The novelization and comic book adaptation vary quite differently from the version told in the movie, as they were based on early versions of the final script.
- For example, IDW's film adaptation shows 13 Primes instead of 7. In a later comic, only 7 are shown.
- But then The Fallen's bio in the Revenge of the Fallen DVD/Blu-ray bonus material says there were in fact 13.
- Hasbro tried clearing the matter up in a Q&A exchange, saying that there were 13 "Original Epic Warriors of Cybertron," but only 7 of them were Primes.[1] This distinction has not yet appeared in the fiction.
- A 2010 quiz in the Titan comic asked how many Primes there were, and the answer was "Seven (though you could have said 13!)". At least they're both prime numbers.
- Though barely glimpsed in the film, Josh Nizzi designed somewhat unique bodies and heads for each of the 12 during the film's pre-production. Interestingly, all of them appear to have energy glowing within their armor just as The Fallen does.[2] Only 7 of them made into the film, of course.
- The Dynasty is a bit more lenient in the IDW tie-in comics than in the film and other spin-offs: There, the Fallen killed a planet before, and their reaction to this deliberate omnicide is little more than wagging a finger and saying "now don't do it again!"
- Two unique designs for members of the Dynasty make an appearance in the storybook "I Am Optimus Prime".
Foreign names
- Japanese: Prime Ōchō (プライム王朝 Puraimu Ōchō, "Prime Dynasty")
- Turkish: Prime Hanedanlığı ("Prime Dynasty")