Cyber Key
From Transformers Wiki
Cyber Keysare devices that give Transformers power-up abilities. Each one contains a fragment of the power of aCyber Planet Key.A Transformer can use one to boost their abilities for a duration of time before the Cyber Key is used up.
It may look like the Transformers have just the one Key per person, but there are actuallycountlessCyber Keys throughout space and the Transformers summon a different one each time: their awesome power burns bright for just a short while, and is then used up.[1]
Contents |
Fiction
Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity
Beast Wars Reborn
Cybertroncartoon
| “ | Is that going to happeneverytime we need extra power? | ” |
The Cyber Keys are a small piece of the divine power ofPrimusHavenand are even capable of turning up if you invoke Primus's name.InvasionThat said, evenPrimus himselfhas used Cyber Keys to boost his power.Titans
The Cyber Keys first turned up whenVector PrimeusedCYBER KEY POWER!!to drive backMegatron;he then gave the Autobot team the power to summon Keys of their own (bothEarthKeys andAutobrandCybertron Keys, depending on the bot). The Autobots had not seen or heard of the Cyber Keys before.HavenSoon after, the Keys showed the ability (much to Vector Prime's surprise) to turn upbeforethe Transformers called them forth. The Autobots considered that this might happen any time they needed extra power.Hidden
Soon, the Decepticons gained the power to summon Cyber Keys from somewhere.Thundercrackerhad an Earth Key,MegatronandStarscreamhad Decepticon-branded Cybertron ones.Landmine
The descendants of the ancient Transformer colonists have easy access to Cyber Keys: several of the Earth-based Transformers likeCrosswisewielded Earth Cyber Keys,Trapwhile almosteveryoneonVelocitron,SpaceJungle Planet,SearchandGigantionGiantseemed to have access to them. Why the ancients had Cyber Keys but the modern-day Cybertronians didn't (and had no record of them) is unknown.
As first noted byRed Alert,Spacedifferent Cyber Keys on different worlds have different colours. Due to the effect of the Prime's Matrix andsword,the original Autobot team had different colored Keys. Velocitron, Jungle Planet, and Gigantion, by comparison, all had red, green, and mauve (respectively) Keys. Red Alert also theorized that different Keys would produce different results and that they couldreformatAutobots.Savage
Hot Shot was somehow able to summon a Velocitron Cyber Key through hisdesire to go even faster,though he initially couldn't handle the power.SpeedOn Jungle Planet,Scourgecould upgrade hisbeast modeinto a three-headed form with his Key power, and used it to (successfully) intimidate Megatron. Contact with the Keys would also reformat vehicular Transformers into beast mode ones; feats of extreme bravery and courage, such asOverhaul's,could cause a foreign robot to contact theCyber Planet Keyand be granted access to this world's Keys.DetourWhen Starscream was wielding the Omega Lock's power, Megatron's sheer rage was able to tap into it and Earth's Cyber Planet Key, giving him a new Cyber Key that unlocked a hideously powerful firearm.Revelation
Once revived by the combined powers of theOmega Lock,burning spirit,and some energy... wave...thingfrom Cybertron, Red Alert,Scattorshot,and Hot Shot were given new bodies; with these came newCybertronPlanet Keys, marked with a prominent Autobot insignia.CriticalThis same Key is used by Primus himself,Titansso if you're a Decepticon we guess God hates you.
Agents ofPlanet X,such asSideways,wield orange Cyber Keys with prominent Decepticon insignias on them. As they're not actually Decepticons (though they started hanging with them), it's not clear why the insignia is there.Ship
Force of Habit
Ask Vector Prime
InViron 704.08 Gamma,the warlord leader ofPlanet X,a seeming non-singularity version ofUnicron,used a Cyber Key to merge his consciousness with his planet.Ask Vector Prime, 28/7/2015
Types and powers
Each Cyber Key derives its power from theCyber Planet Keyof its respective world (in the case of Cybertron's keys, their power comes from Primus himself). A Transformer does not have to be a planetary native to tap into the power of that world's Cyber Planet Key, nor do they have to be on-planet to call upon its power. Although visually distinct, the individual types of keys do not really have any kind of unified theme in the powers and abilities they bestow upon the Transformers who summon them; they all simply unlock a hidden weapon or supply a power boost for an existing one. These weapons are mostly fairly ordinary (if powerful) lasers, projectile launchers and melee weapons, but some Transformers have more esoteric accoutrements unlocked, like forcefields, high-power wind-fans or speed-enhancing "accele-wings".
- Cybertron's Cyber Keys are clear with silver detailing, with either an Autobot or Decepticon symbol in the middle.
- The Cyber Keys ofVelocitronare red with silver accents and decorated with the symbol of a speedometer needle. In addition to the inhabitants of Velocitron,Hot Shotalso uses a Velocitron key.
- Jungle Planet's Cyber Keys are green with a silver border, marked with a clawed paw print. After transforming into Leobreaker, Overhaul gained a new Jungle Planet Cyber Key.
- Earth's Cyber Keys are blue with silver edging and bear the image of a sunrise. Several of the Autobots and Decepticons from Cybertron used Earth Cyber Keys, including Landmine,Red Alert,Scattorshot,ThundercrackerandMudflap,as did the ancient Autobots and Decepticons who came to the planet ages ago.
- Gigantion's Keys are purple with silver detailing, bearing a gear symbol.
- The keys employed by the inhabitants ofPlanet Xare orange in color with silver accents and bearing a Decepticon symbol (despite the unaligned nature of these Transformers). These keys presumably derive from the power of Unicron, the secret benefactor of the Planet X survivors, given that the planet was not a colony world.
- The planetCombatronhas red keys with silver metal frames that resemble a grenade (complete with pull ring) and a symbol resembling a mushroom cloud.
Red Alert was the first to notice the different color-coding of the Cyber Keys and further speculated that the unique keys employed by Optimus Prime and Vector Prime were created due to a normal Cyber Key being affected by the objects of power the two wielded, namely Optimus Prime'sMatrix of LeadershipandRhisling,Vector Prime's sword. Although Red Alert did not comment on the unique key wielded by Megatron, presumably his is created through the power of theArmor of Unicronthat he wears. An animation error makes Galvatron look like he has TWO cyber keys. As each time Galvatron uses the cyber key power for his spiked gauntlet, the key itself doesn't appear, just the expanding outline. But the key appears when he uses his gun.
Symbols
Earth
Seen on Cyber Keys that belong to Transformers from Earth.
Velocitron
Seen on Cyber Keys that belong to Transformers from the planet Velocitron.
Jungle Planet
Seen on Cyber Keys that belong to Transformers from the Jungle Planet.
Gigantion
Seen on Cyber Keys that belong to Transformers from the planet Gigantion.
Combatron
Seen on Cyber Keys that belong to Transformers from Combatron.
Cartoon Screenshots
Toys
Cybertron
Just about every single toy released in theCybertronline came with at least one key, the only real exceptions being the Mini-Cons. In the US, the keys hadcodes printed on the backfor an interactive feature onHasbro'sTransformerstoy website.Takara's website did not incorporate this feature however, leaving the JapaneseGalaxy Forcekeys (referred to inGalaxy Forceas "Force Chips" along with the greater "Planet Force" ) without the code tampo. The toy packaging refers to all keys asCyber Planet Keys.This differs from the cartoon which only refers to the four colony keys as Cyber Planet Keys, and the other, everyday keys as simply Cyber Keys.
AnyCybertrontoy that was originally released in theArmadatoyline often included a Cyber Key instead of their partner Mini-Con partner. In order to still activate the toy's gimmicks, these keys had a molded Mini-Con port on the back of the key.
A common misconception among thefandomis that the keys all use theexactsame molds, and can be interchanged between one another—this isn't true. Despite being sometimes marketed as interchangeable, each key featuresslightlydifferent molding depending on the gimmick they're meant to activate on the respective figures they're packed-in with; with some keys featuring a couple of longer tabs on the underside molded to a different length by a few millimeters, and other keys having a few millimeters difference in the width and height of the main plug-section. Trying to swap keys between toys can often result in some keys getting jammed in the ports of the figures they're not made for, or not being able to push in all the way, due to the plug being either too big for the port, or the longer tabs on the key made for one figures' gimmicks not being taken into account for the ports on other figures that don't utilize said tabs to activate their gimmicks. For example:Thundercracker's key hasslightlylonger tabs on the underside, and a slightly thicker plug-section than the key packed-in withJetfire,and can get jammed in the port on Jetfire, despite both keys being Earth key molds. Some keys are also made with these different measurements in mind, to create enough friction or even a latch for the respective figures they're packed with, so that the keys can store in the ports—and sometimes—give the toy some added functionality, such asSideways,who uses his Cyber Key to switch between anAutobotandDecepticonby locking his key into his arm-mounted weapon; whereasSnarl's Cyber Key doesn't have any friction or any ability to lock into an open position, and instead features a pair of clips on his thigh for storing it.
Luckily, the codes printed on the back of the Hasbro keys make it easier to keep track of which key goes with which figure, especially for those that tend to throw all of their Cyber Keys into a bag (which appears to be a large majority of the fandom). The Takara keys on the other hand… well, you'll probably have to figure that out yourself through manual testing… good luck!
Other toylines
Cyber Planet Keys (most often simply called "Keys" ) were included in later toylines with toys that wereredecosfrom theCybertronline. There is (presumably) no cosmic technology underlying them.
Examples include: severalTimelinestoys—notably theBotCon 2006-exclusives,which came withGolden Diskkeys; multiple toys released in the2008Universetoylinethat represent Generation 1 characters; and several2007 movietoys released exclusively atWalmartandTargetin the US featuredSector Sevenkeys.
The 2024Legacytoyline includes smaller Cyber Key accessories, packed with updated versions ofCybertronera characters such asCybertron Universe StarscreamandStar Raider Cannonball.
Notes
- In "The Dark Heart of Sandokan"and"Force of Habit",the Cyber Keys are treated somewhat differently than they were in theCybertroncartoon. Here, they are depicted as tangible objects that must be manufactured from crystals, while they are portrayed as energy-ish manifestations of a Transformer'sburning spiritin the cartoon.
Foreign names
- Japanese:Force Chip(フォースチップFōsu Chippu)
- Korean:Force Chip(포스 칩Poseu Chib)
References
External links
- Force Chip catalog(Japanese)
