Spark
From Transformers Wiki
| The name or term "Spark" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, seeSpark (disambiguation). |
Thesparkis the core ofTransformerlife, an electrically charged mass ofpositronsformed from the supernatural substance known asRarified Energon.A spark functions as a combined heart and soul for an individual Cybertronian: like a heart, a spark "pulses" at a certain frequency to animate a mechanical bodyframe; like a soul, a spark is generally accepted to contain some part of a Transformer's immaterial being, which persists after death by transcending into theafterlife.Indeed, most Cybertronian religions hold that each spark contains an infinitesimally small portion ofPrimus's divine essence. To protect their sparks, which usually can't survive outside of a compatible body for very long, most Cybertronians possess a specialized "spark chamber" somewhere in their body. Sparks come in a wide range of colors—most are some shade of blue, but Cybertronians across themultiversehave exhibited green, yellow, orange, white, and red sparks.
Most forms of Cybertronianreproductioninvolves the creation of a new spark—in many realities,supernatural artifactssuch as theVector Sigmasupercomputer or theAllSparkcan generate sparks at will, which can be implanted into a suitable receptacle to create a new Transformer. These newborn sparks contain thehard-coded design schematicsthat act as a Transformer's "genetic code", which dictates a Transformer's appearance and sometimes even theiralternate modes.Sparks can be safely stored instasis pods,"frozen" withinphotonic crystals,or even transplanted from one body to another with no ill effects, but they are susceptible to weaponsfire and exotic forms of radiation. When a Transformer's body can no longer support its spark, it is "extinguished" and the Transformer is considered dead. As long as the spark is intact, however, it is possible to repair a Transformer, re-implant its spark, and effectively bring them back from the dead.
| “ | When a spark goes online, there is great joy. When one is extinguished, the universe weeps. | ” |
Conceptual history
Although theBeast Warscartoon was the first piece ofTransformersmedia to introduce and codify the nature of the spark and its role in Cybertronian physiology, various works of "Generation 1"fiction had presented a number of similar concepts and ideas to prove that theTransformerswere true "living beings" and not just simple machines acting out preprogrammed directives.Issue #10of theoriginal Marvel comicintroduced thebrain moduleas the core of Cybertronian life, which could only be manufactured and activated with the help of the life-givingCreation Matrix—without one, the resulting Transformer would be a mindless, emotionless automaton, functional but not truly "alive". Although the word "spark" did appear offhandedly in someGeneration 1comic stories(a "spark of life", a "life spark","Let no spark remain flickering in a single Autobot microchip!","For as long as a spark exists within a single Mechabot..."), these were clearly metaphorical statements and otherwise unconnected to the concept that would eventually evolve.The original Generation 1 cartoonintroduced thelaser coreas a crucial component of Cybertronian anatomy, and the later episodes "Starscream's Brigade"and"B.O.T."featuredpersonality componentsthat governed a Transformer's ability to think, speak, and emote.
Early drafts ofThe Transformers: The Moviefeatured "Life Sparks", which were small glowing versions of the Transformers to whom they belonged. In one early draft, Life Sparks are said to depart the body of a Transformer upon death and dissipate into nothingness unless they are contained within another vessel. In this version of the script,Optimus Prime's Life Spark took the place of theMatrix of Leadership;upon his death, he bequeathed it toUltra Magnus,who became the next Autobot leader for a time.Megatronrequested to have his enshrined in an urn at the DecepticonHall of Heroesonly for his pleas to be ignored; his Life Spark then drifted into space, andUnicroneventually recreated it asGalvatron.Although this idea was discarded from the finished film entirely, a vestigial reference persisted in the UK comic story "Target: 2006"where authorSimon Furmanmisinterpreted "Life Spark" as the name ofa characterwho was rebuilt intoCyclonus.
The concept of the spark as we know it today was first detailed in theBeast Warsepisode "The Spark".[1]Compared to brain modules and laser cores,Beast Warscouched the idea of sparks in explicitly supernatural terms and all-but compared them to a tangible "soul" that served as a Cybertronian's animating life-force. Sparks remained prominent throughoutBeast Wars;events in seasons two and three further established that all Transformers—be theyMaximal,Predacon,Autobot,orDecepticon—possess sparks. Sparks played a major role in the follow-upBeast Machinescartoon, which gave more information about the Transformer life cycle: each spark was a fragment of the immaterialMatrix,the "Allspark" through which all sparks arose from and eventually returned to.
TheBotCon 1999prose story "Paradox"was the first to connect sparks to the benevolent creator-godPrimus,noting that each Spark contained an infinitesimal fraction of his divine lifeforce. In2004,Dreamwave Productions'Generation One continuityintroduced the supernatural "Well of All Sparks"as the mechanism through which new sparks entered the material world from the essence of Primus at Cybertron's core. In addition to thephysical AllSpark artifactfrom thefirst live-action film,the ability to generate sparks at will has since been backported to twoartifactsfrom the original Generation 1 cartoon: theVector Sigmasupercomputer and the AutobotMatrix of Leadership—this latterretconis almost assuredly based on the role the Creation Matrix played in the original Marvel comics.
Since their introduction, sparks have featured in basically all continuities in some way, shape or form. This includes new works set in the long-runningGeneration 1 continuity family,which has successfully introduced the concept into modern Generation 1 stories likeIDW Publishing's various comic continuities and contemporary universes like theAligned continuity familyandCyberverse.
Unusual sparks
Immortal sparks
Many versions ofStarscreamhave somehow cheated death, persisting as a kind of "ghost" even after the complete destruction of his physical form. TheBeast Warsepisodes "Possession"and"Bad Spark,"attributed this behaviour to the presence of an immortal, indestructible" mutant spark "—as a disembodied spark, he retained his memories, personality, and the ability to move around under his own power; he could travel through space and time and even possess other Transformers.
In theBeast Warscartoon continuity,Maximalscientists attempted to replicate Starscream's aberrant spark—their reckless experimentation created the murderously insane Profotorm X, who later took on the name "Rampage".Like Starscream, Rampage's spark could not be extinguished through the simple destruction of his body, though it could be" split "by carving with anenergon crystal.Megatron kept part of the spark in a case lined with energon crystals, and squeezing the case caused Rampage great physical pain. Rampage's spark turned out to not be completely indestructible, however; whenDepth Chargepierced his spark with "pure" crystalline energon, it created an explosion strong enough to destroy Rampage's physical body and the portion of the spark that he carried within his body, seemingly killing him for good.
Multiple sparks in one body
In rare cases, a Transformer may be able to take the spark of another Cybertronian into their body—essentially using their body to sustain this second spark while still maintaining their own sparks and personalities. In theBeast Warscartoon,Optimus Primaltemporarily housed the spark ofOptimus Prime;he grew into an enormous, exponentially more powerful "Optimal Optimus" form, and Megatron later pulled off a similar stunt by doing the same thing withthe original Megatron.When the aberrant disembodied spark of Starscream had earlier possessedWaspinatorthe only physical change was the body'sallegiance emblemsshifting fromPredacontoDecepticon.Based on information from the series there is no basis for determining whether this phenomenon is a result of a single body housing two sparks, a Beast Era body housing a Generation One spark, a body being implanted with an especially "powerful" spark conceivably like those of Optimus Prime and Megatron or some combination of these. TheBeast Warscomic miniseriesThe Gatheringimplies that Generation One sparks may be intrinsically more powerful than Beast Era sparks.
ThePrime MasterTransformers are specifically noted to carry the sparks of theThirteenwithin their bodies; when they link with another Cybertronian, they bestow a portion of that power upon the Autobot or Decepticon in question bygranting them supernatural power boosts and sometimes completely altering their personalities.It is unclear if these Prime Masters have sparks of their own, or if they are solely powered by the sparks of the Thirteen they carry.
Spark powers
Some rare Cybertronians possess spark-based powers that set them apart from average Cybertronians. Most prominenetly, Maximals and Predacons who had been mutated intoTransmetal 2forms by theTransmetal driverall possessed abnormal sparks with supernatural powers. AsCheetormutated into his Transmetal 2 form, tendrils of energy emerged from his spark chamber that changed his body; after fully becoming a Transmetal 2, he was able to telekinetically holster and unholster his pistol using his spark powers.
In other continuities, Cybertronians with strange powers like technopathy or teleportation are known as "outliers". The exact relationship between these powers and the nature of the spark is not clearly understood; inMore than Meets the Eye#36,Sentinel Primeattempted to create an army of outliers by dousing the recently-arisen sparks at theAlyonhot spotwith radiation, but the attempt was thwarted early and it is unclear if his experiments succeeded.
Biological sparks
In rare cases, sparks can even graft themselves into an organic body. During a climactic battle againstOptimus Primal,Megatron'sbeast modebody somehow divided himself between his organic and technological components; his spark wound up inside a purely organic form and suffered no ill effects. When Megatron disentangled his spark from this form, the "Savage Noble"creature survived the process and became a mindless animal.
In theLost Lightcomic,Scorponokgenetically engineered a number of strange organic lifeforms with sparks like theTreecons;using the knowledge encoded within theMagnificence,he was able to extract the still-living spark froma Decepticonand implant it into the body of a genetically engineered humanoid creature he called "theFirstborn".Scorponok planned to engineer an entire race of spark-powered organics; he precipitated his plan on the theory that their sparks would divide and carry on to the next generation, and that he could one day" harvest "the sparks from their bearers and use them to repopulate the dying Decepticon race. As only one being was created before his plan was thwarted, it is unclear if this plan would have succeeded.
Cryak's spark was able to exist, apparently indefinitely, within the body of a cybernetically enhancedVoinape, although the experience drove her insane.
Technorganic sparks
Transformers who are reformatted intotechnorganicforms through the power of theOraclepossess unusually-colored sparks that generally match the color of their robot-mode eyes (for instance,Rattrappossessed red eyes and a red spark). Whenever the technorganic Maximals transformed, they would glow with the light of their spark color; after being infused with extra power from theAllsparkduring the final battle against Megatron'sVehicons,their sparks became visible as if parts of their torsos were translucent.
Technorganic Transformers appear to be able to sense and communicate with the sparks of other Transformers through a process that appears analogous to telepathy. According to dialogue from "Revelations Part III: Apocalypse" this ability is related to the sparks' mutual connection to the Allspark. While Blackarachnia's spark was outside of her body, her consciousness did not remain in the "real world". Instead, she experienced a conversation with the meditating Optimus Primal—not a hallucination—which took place on an abstract "higher plane of existence" perhaps within the Allspark itself.
Branched sparks
Much like a human zygote, a spark can, either naturally or through artificial induction, split into two healthy but inextricably linked sparks. The resulting Cybertronians are consideredtwinsand possess a "branched" or "split" spark. Some Cybertronians born with branched sparks, like the small Transformers who inhabit the planetDevisiun,maycombinewith their spark-sibling to form a single combinedalternate mode,though most possess independent transformations. Still others, likeSkidsandMudflap,can combine with their sibling or assume an independent vehicle form as needed.
Individuals who share a branched spark have been known to experience a phenomenon known as "vicarious perception", where one twin can feel the pain of the other. In extreme situations, the death of one twin can even kill the other.
Mitotic sparks
Cybertronians who possess a mitotic spark inhabit and control multiple Transformers simultaneously. Unlikecombiners,who are two or more individual beings who can temporarily unite their minds and bodies into a single gestalt entity, mitotic Transformers possessoneconsciousness and will spread across many separate bodies, usually somewhere between two and three independent forms who often possess their ownalternate modes.This unusual power grants them great flexibility on the battlefield and supreme durability—a mitotic Transformer can generally survive the destruction of one body.
Some mitotic Transformers likeSky Lynxpossess multiple interlinked Transformers who can all combine into one single shape; others likeMagmatronand theDuoconspossess multiple non-transformingalternate modeswho combine into a single robot.Exarchonpossesses a more dangerous version of this talent—he can forcibly overwrite the minds and personalities of other Transformers and subsume them into a "collective" of mind-controlled bodies.
Prime Spark
The Prime Spark has been entrusted byPrimusto at least three Transformers from different dimensions and time periods: "Generation 1"Optimus Prime,ArmadaOptimus Prime,andOptimus Primal.When they all encountered each other at moment of their respective deaths, the assembled leaders realized that their sparks all resonated as one.Ask Vector Primewould go on to elaborate on the concept, and it could be considered a loose precursor to the idea of "multiversal singularities"that Hasbro and Fun Publications would later introduce.
Embers
The Cybertronians who inhabit the backwards universe ofShattered Glasspossess red, electron-charged "embers" instead of blue, positron-charged sparks. Beyond this, there are no observable differences between embers and the spark of the dimension-hoppingCliffjumperduring his visit to this strange reality.
Anti-sparks
As each Transformer possesses a portion of Primus's divine life-force, so too isUnicronpowered by an animating force all his own—a malevolent "anti-spark". Transformers who useDark Energonas a fuel source invariably corrupt their being by binding Unicron's anti-spark to their own. Dark Energon has the power to resurrect dead Transformers as mindless, undeadTerrorcons,invariably hostile creatures who possess a portion of Unicron's own anti-spark in place of their own spark.
The Vehicons ofBeast Wars: Uprisingpossess anti-sparks, though theirs are only loosely related to Unicron, the result of experimentation with the energies ofGalvatron.In this universe, Vehicons with anti-sparks are able to assimilate other Cybertronians and forcibly transform them into more Vehicons.
Anti-sparks should not be confused with theDark Spark,the supernatural antithesis to theMatrix of Leadership.
Point One Percenters
In some realities, a small number of Cybertronians possess enhanced green sparks. These rare ‘bots are known as “Point One Percenters”, so named for their extreme rarity. Point One Percenters possess enhanced strength, speed, endurance, and durability compared to the baseline Cybertronian average, though justhowstrong a Point One Percenter is varies from one to the next. Some possess additional abilities; "loadbearing" Point One Percenters, for instance, were the only Cybertronians capable of safely wearing and operating the mightyMagnus Armor.
Titansparks
The enormous Transformers known asTitansare said to possess unique sparks; in the2019 IDW continuity,these are specifically identified as "Titansparks". What exactly differentiates Titansparks from ordinary Cybertronian sparks isn't entirely clear, thoughDriftclaims in theMore than Meets the Eyeannualthat these "super sparks" supposedly span multiple planes of existence and allow Titans to "commune with the divine". These unique sparks appear to be the differentiating factor between Titans and other giant Cybertronians—Leviathanis extremely large, roughly the size of acombinerlikeDevastator,but she is specifically noted to be no different from someone likeBumblebee.
Sparkless Transformers
Within the traditional Cybertronian worldview, a Transformer needs a spark to be considered truly "alive" —the spark gives them the ability to think, feel, and emote. Traditionally, Cybertronians without sparks are either mindlessdrones,who operate on a set of preprogrammed directives, orzombies,unliving shells forced back to life through science or sorcery. Across themultiverse,Cybertronians frequently utilize nonliving machines in their starships and buildings, which vary in both complexity and functionality—sophisticated artificial intelligences like theDiagnostic Drones,Deployers,orT-AIare by all appearance fully sentient beings, but lack sparks.
The Japanese Generation 1 continuity regards Transformers built without the assistance ofVector Sigma,such as theDinobotsand thePredacons,to lack sparks, resulting in more bestial and less intelligent personalities.
InTransformers Animated,Starscreamwas brought back to life with a fragment of theAllSparkin place of a normal spark, and Titan's tie-in comics would reveal that comic-original characterAfterburnwas really a sparkless drone. Although he showed emotion, initiative and thought beforehand,Optimus Primewrote him off as not having been a "real" bot after learning of his true nature and viewed it as pointless to mark Afterburn's death.
In rare instances, Transformers have somehow managed to transfer an engram of their mind into a new, Sparkless body—inAge of Extinction,Megatron's mind survived the destruction of his original body, then invadedKSI's sparkless "Galvatron" prototype and turned it into a new body for himself. The resulting "Galvatron" was by all accounts a sentient being with free will, but lacked a spark—but does he count as a "real" Cybertronian lifeform, or is he just an advanced copy?
Fiction
Generation 1 continuity family
Beast Warscartoon continuity
All Sparks stem from the mystical dimension known as theAllspark,a metaphysical matrix that contains the joined sparks of all Transformers who ever lived or ever will live. Each spark passes into the material world to learn and grow; when it is extinguished, it adds its knowledge to the totality contained within.Seeds of the FutureThe physical mechanism by which new Sparks enter the material world is not clear. Different sources have alluded to the existence of "Matrix" and "Pit" facilities where Maximal and Predacon sparks are respectively created, but details are scarce and sometimes contradictory.Beast Wars UniverseThe Razor's Edge
Though the intrinstic essence of the spark cannot be altered through any known means,shell programscan be used to overwrite a Transformer's personality. In extreme cases, shell programs can create entirely new beings with no apparent relation to the Maximal or Predacon they might've once been.Double JeopardyDiscovery
Beast Warscartoon
Newly born sparks were placed within aprotoform.On long-range exploration and colonization missions, they would be stored withinstasis pods,which would keep both the protoform safe until it could acquire abeast modeusing the pod's built-inDNA scanner.The SparkMost sparks were susceptible toenergon;theradiationfrom raw energon could short out mechanical bodies and damage the spark,Beast Wars (Part 1)and pure energon could completely destroy the spark.Nemesis Part 2Traditionally,stasis lockwas a way to preserve the spark by shifting into an energy-conserving low power mode until sufficiently repaired.Code of Hero
The Decepticon Air CommanderStarscreampossessed a mutant spark;Possessionwhen Maximal High Command sought to recreate this power, they got the murderousProtoform X.Bad SparkThe original Starscream found his way to theBeast Warsand possessedWaspinator's body for a time, butBlackarachniasoon exorcised the errant spark by detonating anenergoncache beneath Waspinator.PossessionWhen Rampage awoke on prehistoric Earth,Megatronlater used an energon knife to carve out a piece of the experiment's spark,Bad Sparkand tortured him by using a cage of energon crystals to squeeze half of his spark.Bad Spark
During a desperate battle to save the originalOptimus Prime,Optimus Primalmade the drastic decision to carry Prime's spark in his own body until the other Maximals could repair his body. Carrying two sparks at once drastically altered Primal's body into a powerful "Optimal" form, which carried over even after he returned Prime's spark to its correct vessel.Optimal SituationNot to be outdone, Megatron would later pull off a similar feat with the spark of theoriginal Megatron.Master Blaster
The enigmaticVoktook an interest in the Cybertronians that had contaminated their experiment and abductedAirazorandTigatronto extract their sparks.Other Visits (Part 1)TheirTransmetal driverhad a drastic effect on Cybertronian sparks; it displayed the ability to mutate both Maximals and Predacons into powerfulTransmetal 2forms, which all displayed abnormal Spark-based powers like telekinesis or enhanced healing.Feral Scream Part 2The Vok eventually createdTigerhawkfrom the sparkless bodies of their captives, and Tigatron and Airazor took the chance to merge into one spark and inhabit Tigerhawk as a new composite entity.Other Victories
Beast Machinescartoon
After the end of the Beast Wars, Megatron escaped Maximal captivity, returned to Cybertron ahead of his captors, and used this head start to construct an army of sparklessVehicondrones.DescentEager to ensure that his would become theonlyspark on a Cybertron stripped of free will, a "single elegant machine" of his own devising, Megatron successfully took over the planet with atransformation virusandextractedthe sparks from every other Cybertronian. He stored the disembodied sparks inside the formerCouncil Citadel,where he one day planned to abosrb them into his own spark.The SiegeMegatron laboured to purge himself of his now-hatedbeast modebut refused the simple option of simply transferring his spark to a purely mechanical frame, noting that doing so would leave his spark vulnerable.SurvivorWhen Optimus Primal and his Maximals finally returned to Cybertron, they were beset by the Vehicons and infected with the virus. Their escape from the Vehicons led them to thethe Oracle,who recognized Primal's "receptive spark" and reformatted the four intotechnorganicbodies.The ReformattingWhenever Primal used his powers to reformat another Cybertronian into a technorganic form, his spark would shine from his body.Forbidden FruitHome Soil
Though Megatron first sought to crush the Maximals through sheer numbers, he conceded that free will and the capacity for lateral thought had its uses and made the decision to place three of his captured sparks into Vehicon bodies, usingshell programsto create theVehicon Generals.Fires of the PastPrimal felt something familiar about the generalTankor's spark,Mercenary Pursuitsand the Maximals soon discovered the truth: Tankor was reallyRhinox,just asJetstormandThrustwere reallySilverboltandWaspinator.DiscoveryDescentThough the Maximals believed that the shell program had corrupted Rhinox's spark and turned him into an amoral villain, Optimus maintained that his former compatriot had voluntarily chosen to stand with Megatron and they had to respect this decision.Apocalypse
When a clash between the Maximals and Megatron resulted in the anti-organic energies of theKey to Vector Sigmameeting the anti-technological energies of thePlasma Energy Chamber,End of the LineOptimus sacrificed himself to ensure the powers did not destroy Cybertron. His spark went on a vision quest in the afterlife for a time before he returned to his body.FalloutAt the same time, Megatron attempted to purge his organic form once and for all by transferring his spark into a new mechanical form. However, his spark was instead transferred into the "Savage Noble"creature that had coalesced from his body's organic elements. Megatron posed as a Maximal to gain access to the Council Citadel and uploaded his spark into theGrand Mal,the body he'd intended to wear.Prometheus UnboundMegatron later moved the sparks into aspark containment unitinside his body, where he brought forth the sparks of the legendary generalsStrikaandObsidianand implanted them into Vehicon bodies to act as his new enforcers.The StrikeOptimus Primal baited Megatron with access to the Oracle so that the Maximal leader could learn where Cybertron's sparks now resided.The SearchMegatron used the knowledge he'd gleaned from the Oracle to begin absorbing the captured sparks into his own; his spark grew to an enormous size before Nightscream depolarized it with a powerful sonic scream.The Siege
Megatron's depolarized spark was unable to inhabit a material body for very long; it bounced across Cybertron, randomly possessing dead bodies before Rattrap was able to re-polarize the spark and trap it inside a helplessDiagnostic Drone.Spark of DarknessWith the Grand Mal still in their possession, the Maximals made defending Cybertron's sparks their priority as Megatron ordered his generals to recapture them.The Downward SpiralCommuning with the sparks, the Maximals tapped into their own sparks for a power boost when the battle turned against them. Though the Maximals managed to defeat the Vehicon Generals, Megatron had managed to transfer his spark into a new combat-ready body, Optimus Primal's "Optimal Optimus" form, and extracted the sparks of every Maximal save Primal himself.When Legends Fall
In the following battle, Megatron emerged victorious and absorbed every spark into himself. At the cusp of his ascension however, Primal managed to manipulate the technorganic matter to shove Megatron and himself into Cybertron'sorganic core.As Primal reformatted the core itself and initiated theGreat Transformationthat saw the entire planet transformed into atechnorganicworld, Megatron's stolen sparks were all released and promptly returned to their original bodies.Seeds of the Future
Transformers Legendsanthology
A portion ofthe original Megatronattempted to manipulate his successor into returning his disembodied spark to his original body. After the end of the Beast Wars, the Maximals ensured that this spark was returned to its original vessel to preserve the timeline.A Meeting of Minds
During his time as Cybertron's ruler, Megatron's disembodied spark flashed between the material world and the Allspark, which presented itself as ametaphysical "tree".Rhinoxexplained that all sparks can only "ascend" through the eight realms as far as they can share their self with the world around them.Singularity Ablyss
2006 IDWBeast Warscontinuity
During theGolden Ageof Cybertron, Transformers referred to sparks as their "Life Force" or "Laser Core". The term "spark" did not come into usage until after the end of theGreat Warand the rise of the Maximals and Predacons.Beast Wars Sourcebook
Japanese Generation 1 cartoon continuity
Sparks were a feature of robotic life in thePrecursor Worldthat preceded theG1 World.Seeking to bring hisPrimus Vanguardthrough the rebirth of the universe,Primusattempted to use hisGolden Noahto collect and ferry the wayward sparks of members of theBlue Orderafter they were done in by theStraxuses's betrayal.God Neptune comic 1In this world, at least the leaders of the Primus Vanguard were able to transfer their spirits to other objects, such as whenWhite Gallant Convoylived on withinGod Neptune'sNeptune Sword.Blue Big Convoywas able to do the same with theMatrix Sword,God Neptune comic 2which allowed Straxus to use his spark energies to createan experimental clone.Cybertron Magna Convoy prequel comic
Primus's efforts were in vain, as the only beings that would ultimately make it over to the new world were himself andPrimacron.But thanks to theMatrixthat carried Primus's essence, Primus himself was able to act as a conduit between the life from the previous universe and the present universe. As such, Primacron used Primus to create living robotic beings such as theJunkions,theLithone,and many others. Primus was able to escape Primacron's clutches, eventually settling on the planet that would later be known asCybertron.There, he was discovered and exploited by theQuintessonsto create another kind of robotic life with sparks: theTransformers.As Vector Sigma, Primus acted on the behalf of several to grant true life—sparks—to various Transformers.Generations Selects Special Comic FinaleTransformers created without Vector Sigma were of low intelligence, being considered as more akin to animals.The Road to Legends' Revival Chapter 3
However, the existence of sparks was unknown to Transformers in general, with them believing that thepersonality componentcontained the essence of a TransformerStarscream's Brigadeand that their "personality data" was executed by a unique energy signature referred to abstractly as "lifeforce" which was propagated throughout their bodies by laser cores.GT Units Online!This was the case tillWheeljack,inspired by a conversation with Primacron in2011,Controverseinvestigated the existence of the Transformer soul. His research led him to open up his personality component in2025and discover his own spark within. From this time onward, sparks were common knowledge, although the particulars of where sparks went to after death were still a mystery.The Road to Legends' Revival Chapter 2
In some cases, an individual's spark was used to animate another being, such as whenBrawl's personality component gave life to the rudimentary human-made robot,B.O.T.,in1985B.O.T.and when2005'sRavagewas used to give life toa copy of his future self.Ghosts of the PastAround2030,Violengiguarwas created by theVokfrom an aggregate of deceased Decepticons' sparks.LG-EX Big Powered Prologue Part Two
In theBT Worldthat split from the G1 World in2005,the Transformers learned of the spark earlier when theProtector's spark possessed the body ofNemesis Prime.Binal Time
DreamwaveGeneration Onecontinuity
Traditionally, the spark of a Cybertronian is created when aprotoformis imbued with enough energy to bring it to life. The spark can uses its hard-coded genetic instructions to reformat the protoform into a suitable robotic body with analternate mode,or it can simply animate a pre-built body. In ancient times, it was believed that the energies of theMatrix of Leadershipwere the font of all life and that all sparks possessed a connection toPrimushimself, but as Cybertronian society developed a more atheistic worldview this was eventually dismissed as superstition. In the years before the war, scientists attempted to deduce a rational explanation for the origin of sparks.
The spark is suffused throughout the body; when a Transformer dies, their corpse releases a measurable energy burst, which was speculated to be the spark leaving the body. Certain sparks were known to have aberrant properties that countedspecial powersamong them. A spark was known to sometimes split, resulting in the creation of siblings. The DecepticonShockwavemanaged to artificially replicate this to create clones, but this process was noted to be overall inferior to natural spark separation.More than Meets the Eye
During hisUnbindingritual,the Fallengathered four Cybertronians with unique sparks, specifically those with great "genetic potential":Grimlock,Blitzwing,Jetfire,andHot Spot.ConflagrationWhile Blitzwing would eventually mutate into aTriple Changerand Hot Spot was already a member of acombinerteam, anunproduced issue ofThe War Withinwould've revealed that Grimlock's spark was part of a "lineage" that dated back to theThirteenthemselves, though Jetfire's significance will forever remain a mystery.
Marvel Comics continuity
Classics
The nature of the Cybertronian body and spark is highly dependent upon the rarified energon that shapes it—the "base element" of Transformer life is present across themultiverseand is responsible for the highly varied, heterogeneous properties of the Cybertronian species. Though each spark reflects the nature ofPrimus,Rarified Energon is finite in nature and must be carefully guarded, soPrimustaskedNexus Primeof theThirteenwith guarding this miraculous substance so that it could not be used for evil.Crossing Over: Part 6
TheLast Autobotconsidered hisMini-Concreations to be "children of his own spark", though it is unclear if this sentiment is literal or metaphorical.The New World
Regeneration One
The malevolentDark Matrixcreature discovered a way to consume the vestigial sparks of warriors who had made the pilgrimage to Primus's chamber, and grew more powerful with each new spark he consumed.The War to End All Wars, Part 5
Following the second crash of theArk,a damagedShockwavewillingly wired himself into the craft's systems to preserve his spark.Natural Selection, Part TwoWhen theWreckerscrashed onEarth,Megatronordered his horde ofzombieDecepticons to bring them to him in a state where he could see dread in their optics before he snuffed out their sparks.Loose Ends, Part 2WhenOptimus Primelater engaged Megatron in battle theDecepticon leaderswore to open Prime's spark chamber with his teeth. His own spark was ripped out of his chest and crushed seconds later by an apologetic Prime.Loose Ends, Part 5
After the Cybertronians had been separated fromPrimusand the largermultiverse,they lost their biological immortality. Millenia in the future,Rodimus Primehad become the last Cybertronian; when he finally died, the vestiges of his spark energy provided the final catalyst for theDemonsto complete their millennia-long metamorphosis and emerge asa new generation.The War to End All Wars, Part 5
Transformers '84
Prior to the initial launch from Cybertron, the sparks of the woundedDynobotswere separated from their bodies and held within a magnetic containment field aboard theArkuntil their bodies could be mended; their minds, on the other hand, were removed from their bodies, uploaded ontocrystalline containment vessels,and stored in themind bankthat held the engrams of multiple Autobot reservists. When the Ark later crashed on Earth,AUNTIErebuilt the Dynobots with alien alternate modes and re-uploaded their sparks into their bodies.Secrets & Lies #2
Not long afterwards, AUNTIE would bring five more Autobots back to life as an ad-hoc defense against a berserkGrimlock;as these facsimile warriors contained only copied mind engrams and not their sparks, they were not truly alive, but possessed all of the memories and tactical knowledge they had possessed in life.Secrets & Lies #3
2005 IDW continuity
Across the galaxy, multiple mechanical races possess sparks, including theQuintessons,PreyJunkions,The Next Day, and the Nextand theTransformersthemselves. The durability of a spark and its role in mechanoid physiology varies from species to species;Pentius's spark contained a semblance of his memories and personality, which reasserted themselves when his disembodied spark found its way intoTrypticon's body,Belly of the Beastwhile the JunkionWreck-Garcould readily survive as a disembodied head after the apparent destruction of his spark.The Next Day, and the NextMachine races that did not possess sparks, like theCatharsians,derive their sentience from a "warm-wired" physiology.Chasing the Infinite
OnCybertron,the spark,brain module,andtransformation cogconstituteRossum's Trinity,three vital, interconnected organs essential to Transformer life.The Chaos of Warm ThingsThe light from a spark illuminates a Transformer'soptics,Zero Pointand affects the colour of theenergonin their systems; while most Cybertronian sparks pulse at a high frequency and turns their energon purple,CamienTransformers evolved lower-frequency sparks and "bleed" blue energon instead.The Last AutobotCybertronian science has identified at least eight known spark types,Twenty Plus Onethough some proposed variations like estriol-positive sparks have been discredited and abandoned.After Megatron
In ancient times,Vector Sigmacreated sparks by sending energy pulses across the planet, igniting "hot spots"that birthed clusters of newborn sparks. After the" first flash ", Cybertronians harvested these new sparks; they could either be implanted into a mass ofsentio metallicoto become a healthyprotoformThe Sound of Breaking Glassor "frozen" indefinitely within aphotonic crystal.The Lopsided TriangleThough most unharvested sparks evaporated soon after their first flash, a particularly strong spark like aPoint One Percentercould remain buried underground for some time.Remembrance Day
Although various Cybertronian religions held that sparks would burn forever as a result of the Cybertronian race destroying the death godMortilusin ancient times,You, Me, and Other Revelationsthe truth was that sparks were as mortal as any other life-force and could potentially burn out from old age or a disease likecybercrosis.The Fecund MoonSeveralTitanscarried perpetually-regenerating hot spots within their bodies and used these to colonize distant worlds during the reign of theThirteen.A 'Bot and Her CityExotic technologies likepositron coreswere once used to treat spark-related aliments but these miraculous devices were considered lost after theFirst Cybertronian Civil War.A Lonely Pillar on the PlainAt some point after this war, the enigmaticNecrobotbegan a tradition of harvesting the residual spark pulses from corpses and using that energy to create blue flowers to mark the graves of the many Cybertronians who had been killed in the conflict—a tradition that would only grow in complexity in the years to come.The Not Knowing
ByNova Prime's era, the hot spots weren't producing as many sparks and occurred less and less frequently, and the looming population crisis threatened Nova's vision of a grand galactic empire. In desperation, Nova's scientists found a way to tap theMatrix of Leadershipitself, and discovered a way to generate a limitless supply of new sparks from the mass of photonic crystals embedded within its frame.The Divided SelfRealizing that not all Cybertronians would approve of this act, the government established a cover story: they were creating life through "spark-splicing" experiments that supposedly used energy from existing sparks to ignite new ones, which were then implanted into pre-built bodies.The Fecund MoonThis "Silver Harvest"single-handedly revitalized the Cybertronian race, and Transformers who were born this way were said to have been"constructed cold".The Divided SelfDuring this time in Cybertron's history, wealthy Cybertronians who wanted to experience a new alternate mode could visit aRelinquishment Clinicto have their spark temporarily transferred into an empty body using aspark extractor;the donor's spark was held in a securewhiteout vacuum.Post Hoc
During the reign ofSentinel Prime,a lone, hand-shaped hot spot ignited inAlyon.Realizing that this portentous shape would only embolden the waningFunctionist Council,the Autobot leader deliberately kept the spot a secret and had his men experiment on the sparks by bathing them with radiation in an attempt to turn them intooutliersuntilOrion Paxand a group of time-travelling Autobots drove them off.All Our Parlous Yesterdays
When the war finally broke out, the Autobots were able to recover a stockpile of leftover sparks frozen within photonic crystals; these became the basis for an expansive program of"Made to Order" warriors,purpose-built soldiers literally raised from birth to fight and die for their cause.The Lopsided TriangleThe Decepticons possessed their own M.T.O.s, but where they sourced their sparks from is not entirely clear.The Not KnowingTheDecepticon Justice DivisionleaderTarnpossessed a fearsomeOutlierpower— he could synchronize his voice with the sparks of his victims and extinguish them, effectively talking them to death.Rules of Disengagement
In the early days of the conflict,ProwlandMesothulascollaborated on a number of inventions for Autobot use, including spark extraction, which they viewed as a humane method of keeping prisoners under control.Sins of the Wreckers #2The technology saw use at theGarrus-9detention center, where the Autobots incarceratedArcee.Arcee found this limbo peaceful but was later reunited with her body to deal with theMonstructorsix; despiteOptimus Prime's orders, the Autobots couldn't break through his destructive programming to safely extract the sparks for rehabilitation. To control her behavior, a "g-force crush" device was installed in her spark chamber, which could be operated via remote control.Spotlight: Arcee
After being possessed byVekktral,Ultra Magnusmanaged to resist enough to open his spark chamber soRomcould kill them both.Shining Armor #5
Kup's sparkhousing was unstable due to age andOre-8-induced radiation poisoning. While stranded onTsiehshi,he finally experienced sparkcore stabilizer failure which threatened to blow him up.Trailbreakersaved him by extending aforce fieldaround the crashing spark. Later, Kup recovered in aCR chamberfitted with a placeholder powercore to maintain his spark.Spotlight: Kup
Some years after the end of the war and the rebirth of Cybertron, two hot spots re-emerged. The first was discovered by the crew of theLost Lightwhile investigating Cybertron's lost moon,Luna 1;whenRungset foot on the lunar surface, it ignited a particularly large hot spot that contained over onebillionunborn sparks.The Fecund MoonThe sparks were not harvested in time, however, and the hot spot quickly burned out.The Sound of Breaking Glass
The second hot spot occurred on Cybertron, in the abandoned Alyon region. As the Transformers were mostly concentrated inIaconat the time, the rogue scientistBludgeonwas the first to find the site and began experimenting on the sparks—using some ofTrypticon's corrupted energon, he was able to implant newborn sparks into the bodies of unliving creatures liketurbofoxesand the countlessSweepcorpses that littered the wasteland to create mindless abominations. Around this time,Slug,the otherDinobots,and a group of Camiens discovered that the hot spot had already activated while transporting a cargo of unborn Camien sparks to plant in the Alyon region, and saved the unborn sparks by chasing Bludgeon off.Redemption
Later, however, Bludgeon returned to Alyon, slew the guards thatStarscreamhad posted to keep the sparks safe, and stole the sparks before using a replicaVoid Scepterto raise Trypticon. Once he'd been defeated, however, Trypticon announced that he wished to protect the sparks, took them into his own body, and allowed them to use his ownsentio metallicoto develop into full-fledged protoforms. Though Slug had perished during the initial hunt for Bludgeon, Starscream was able to bring him back to life by implanting anewspark—one of the mutant Sweep sparks recovered from Bludgeon's possession—into his body.Salvation
Scorponokutilized theMagnificenceto create theFirstborn,a spark-powered organic capable of sexual reproduction that would reproduce with others of its kind and create a new generation of Decepticon sparks.Kill All 'Cons
In a subsequent struggle with theDarkling Lords,theSpectral KnightGaladriawas able to cast amagicspell that healedIronhide's spark.The CurtainNot long afterwards,Wheeljackused some fresh sparks harvested from Trypticon's hot spot to create new bodies for Optimus Prime andBumblebeeto inhabit after they'd been rescued frominfraspace.Unstopped and Unstoppable
During the final battle against theFunctionist Council,Team Rodimusopened twelve Matrices of Leadership at thehot spotson Functionist Cybertron;Vector Sigmashunted the excess energy to the orbiting Luna 1, which reignited the hot spot.A Spark Among EmbersOver the following years, the new sparks harvested in the "Bronze Harvest"were brought online and became known as theLunarians.Taking after their progenitor Rung, they possessed an unusually high number of Point One Percenters to the point where the term would likely have to be changed in the coming years.How To Say Goodbye And Mean It: Part 2
Characters by spark type
| Ferrum-positive | Ferrum-negative | Isomeric-positive | Isomeric-negative | Vitreous-positive | Vitreous-negative | Unknown shared type | Either ferrum-negative or vitreous-positive[idw 1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
- ↑In "Elegant Chaos", Brainstorm's time-machine is coded for two spark-types: ferrum-negative and vitreous-positive, since Tailgate and Rewind can both use it. By extrapolation, Rodimus, Brainstorm, Megatron and Rung are either of those two.
Ask Vector Prime
InPrimax 185.0 Beta,during a war between theDecepticon Empireand theQuintesson Pan Galactic Co-Prosperity Sphere,Galvatron sought to turn his homeworld into the ultimate weapon, intending to transfer his spark into Cybertron and becomeGrand Galvatron.As the transfer occurred however, the Decepticon's spark was destroyed through the sacrificial efforts ofThe Autobotand theDreadnoks.Ask Vector Prime, 2015/06/04
Beast Wars: Uprising
Traditionally, the Vector Sigma supercomputer was the source of Cybertronian life, which continually generated new sparks. During theGreat War,however, Vector Sigma was extinguished.Broken Windshields
WhenUnicronattacked Cybertron, he was repelled by a small number of Cybertronians who possessed unusually powerful Point One Percenter sparks. Inspired by the sight—and foreseeing a day when the Point One Percenters would be needed again—Delugeand a number of other Cybertronians began studying the properties of sparks in the hopes of artificially creating a new generation of Point One Percenters. His work after the end of the war yielded only two successes, however: the immortalRampageand the deceptively powerfulTrans-Mutate.The Inexorable March
The Great War came to an end when theDecepticon leaderThunderwing claimed theUnderbase,absorbed its contents into his own body, and used its power to fuse his spark with the other members of theMayhem Attack Squad.Not All MegatronsWith the Cybertronian race damaged, divided, and teetering on the brink of extinction, the Autobot scientistCerebrosbartered with theHuman Confederacyand received theEnergon Matrixas an alternate method of generating sparks. His fellowBuildersused the device to create the Maximals and Predacons, proxy armies who would carry on the war in a series of ritualizedGames,and hid the artifact away insideLio Convoyonce they'd grown their population to a sufficient number.Broken Windshields
After Lio Convoy went rogue and kickstarted theGrand Uprising,Ejectcreated a clone with his own Matrix. The clone,Galva Convoywas influenced by adark sourceand eventually utilized theG-Virusto corrupt the Matrix within him and birthed theVehiconswho had "anti-sparks".Micro-AggressionsNot All Megatrons
Second-born intellectswere mechanical entities created by organic beings and not animated by sparks. When the highly advanced second-born intellectLord Imperious Deliriouslearned of the Cybertronian race, he initially believed them to be an entire race of beings like himself; when he learned that they possessed sparks, however, he was instinctually disgusted by the idea of "energy beings" animating mechanical shells and began a genocidal campaign against the Cybertronian species.Derailment
Of Masters and Mayhem
Thunderwingperformed several arcane experiments on his spark, which enhanced its power and turned it green. Learning of this,Shockwavehad the spark extracted and placed it into what would become theMatrix of Malice.When thecombinerThunder Mayhemincorporated this Matrix into itself,Fractylsuspected that the additional spark was what gave the combiner such power and stability. In the process of makingWreckageto defeat Thunder Mayhem, Fractyl hoped that the introduction ofgreenergon,which radiated the same signature as Thunderwing's spark, would react withToxitron's spark and produce a similar power boost.Deadly Aim
When theTeklaansbegan rebuilding Cybertron's ruined biosphere,Cergoremarked that understanding the Wreckers' sparks was necessary to resurrect the Cybertronian race. WhenBluestreakwas convinced to turn against the aliens and joined Wreckage, the combiner highlighted his spark as proof that he was not a thing, but a true being, unlike the static Teklaans.Lively Pursuit
Prime Wars Trilogycartoons
In a bid to resurrectSolus Prime,Megatronusbegan draining the sparks of every Cybertronian to reconstitute her.Collision CourseWhen his scheme was halted, thanks in part to Solus herself, the majority of the drained sparks were returned to the living universe—including the spark of Optimus Prime, who had been previously killed by Megatronus.Saga's End
Power of the Primesmarketing material
ThePrime Masterswere diminutive Cybertronians who each held the sparks of one of the originalThirteenPrimes.Power of the Primes
2019 IDW continuity
New sparks emerged from the AllSpark,War's End Part Twoascending to the surface via the Well of All Sparks. By theAge of Expansion,the Cybertronian government had constructed thePyramidatop the Well, so that new sparks could be diverted directly into the forges that would provide the new sparks withliving metalharvested from the surface of Cybertron. In ancient times, these included Titansparks; however, after theWar of the Threefold Spark,Nominus Primedecided that forging new Titans and keeping them fuelled would exceed the limits of theNominus Edictand restart the cycle of conquest and colonization that he sought to avoid, and as a result deliberately had all new Titansparks diverted to a secret chamber underneath the building, where they would remain in indefinite stasis.Titans
When a Transformer grew tired of living, they would traditionally go "immersant",a kind of prolonged stasis that segues into some kind of death. During this journey, the spark begins to travel to the next world, a gradual dissolution of the self as the spark returns to a place where" all are one ".Escape Part ThreeAll but immortal, this leisurely perspective on life and death made it difficult for short-lived organic species like theA'ovansto comprehend the Cybertronian worldview.Escape Part One
An unknown alien race captured and modifiedExarchoninto a new breed of life entirely, something no longer wholly Cybertronian: although he still possessed a spark, it now acted like a living virus that could infect potential hosts, snuff out their own sparks, and turn them into receptacles for his consciousness.Darkness, Once Gazed Upon: Part OneWhen he used this ability, it involved opening his own spark chamber, which manifested a torrent of swirling black energy that ensnared his victims.EnigmaticExarchon's ultimate plan was to use his abilities on the AllSpark itself, becoming Cybertron.War's End Part Two
Clones,like theSkywarp dronesproduced during theWar of the Threefold Sparkor theInsecticon clonescreated by theInsecticons,lacked sparks.Escape Part ThreeSoundblaster,a more advanced breed of clone, possessed a "demi-spark".War's End Part Four
When faced with the looming threat of a returned Exarchon, the Decepticons masterminded a plan to bait him with the last surviving Titanspark and trap the Threefold Spark in its cage.War's End Part TwoAfter being compelled byMindwipe,Exarchon used his abilities on the Titanspark, being sealed in its cage which was quickly destroyed byPyra Magna.War's End Part Four
War for Cybertron Trilogycartoon
TheAllsparkwas the source of all Cybertronian life, and generated sparks as it travelled across the planet. With the devastation wrought by the Great War, the mindlesszombiehordes known as theSparklessattempted to reanimate themselves by feeding on the sparks of the living.Siege episode 5After the Allspark had been ejected from Cybertron, Megatron willingly drained the sparks of both Autobots and Decepticons in order to hasten the construction of his new starship, theNemesis.Earthrise episode 2
In one alternate timeline, the AllSpark was extinguished, although theMaximalsandPredaconswho inherited Cybertron still possessed sparks generated through some unknown method.Dinobot's spark persisted after his death; acting on the will of the AllSpark, it displayed the ability to take on a semi-corporeal form as it guidedOptimus Primalto the AllSpark.Kingdom episode 4
2021 IDWBeast Warscomic
The artificial intelligences aboard theAxalonandDarksydereconstructed Maximals and Predacons with techno-organic material to protect the sparks of their crews from harmfulenergon radiation.Savage Landing Part 1
When an enragedSkoldturned onTerrorsaurafter he'd murderedRazorbeast,she killed him by ripping his spark from his chest.Maximals Strike Back, Part 2
2001Robots in Disguisecartoon
Megatronused his spark energy to turn six Autobotprotoformsinto Decepticons.The DecepticonsAfter becoming Galvatron, the Predacon leader used his spark to forcibly turn them into loyal servants.Surprise Attack!
Unicron Trilogy
Unicron Trilogy cartoon continuity
Unlike most Cybertronians, theMini-Conspossessed unique "Digital Entity Frames"instead of sparks. This mass of energy functioned similarly to a Cybertronian spark, but was connected to theLinkage dimensionthat served as a repository of their souls.Linkage Part 8
After being shot by theRequiem Blaster,Sacrificeninety percent ofSmokescreen's body was damaged beyond repair but his spark was intact allowingRed Alertto extract it and build Smokescreen a new body.RegenerationAfter his death, theMini-Conswere able to summonOptimus Prime's spark back to the physical plane via theMatrix of Leadership.Miracle
After seizing theOmega Lockand three of the Cyber Planet Keys,RetreatStarscreambegan absorbing the spark of Primus into himself which eventually caused him to grow to titanic proportions and enhanced his physical abilities.Starscream
Once all four Cyber Planet Keys were placed in the Omega Lock, Primus's spark was fully restored.End
In their final battle,Optimus PrimestabbedRhislingdirectly intoGalvatron's spark, finally ending the Decepticon's threat.Unfinished
DreamwaveArmadacomic
After his defeat, Megatron's essence was imprisoned within Unicron's spark core, where the Chaos-Bringer attempted to subsume his essence.This Evil Reborn
At some point in the brief peace that followed, Cybertronian scientists conducted experimental research to determine a connection between Energon and the "core life force" of the Transformer race.More than Meets the Eye #3Snow Cat'sSpark Rewritercould forcibly convert Autobots into Decepticons.Omni-Potent
Movie continuity
Live-action film series
Sparks were generated by theAllSpark,a sacred artifact of unknown origin which could bring any machine to life by imbuing it with a spark.TransformersThis spark contains a Transformer's memories and feelings; this manifestation of their metaphysical being has been compared to a human soul. Sparkless robots composed from the sameelemental metalsas the Cybertronian race, like the human-built drones mass-produced byKinetic Solutions Incorporated,were considered to be "soulless" and not truly alive, even if they displayed the ability to speak and think independently.Age of Extinction
Megatronwas said to devour the sparks of his fallen foes,Optimus Prime Versus MegatronTransformers (novel)and the mercenary bounty hunterLockdownwas fond of tearing the spark chambers of his victims from their lifeless bodies.Age of Extinction
While searching for the AllSpark on Earth, Optimus planned to put the artifact beyond Megatron's reach by inserting the artifact into his own spark chamber, which would assuredly kill him but deny Megatron the opportunity to raise an army from Earth's machines. Ultimately, however,Sam Witwickysaved the Autobot leader by forcibly inserting the AllSpark into Megatron's exposed spark chamber and killing him instead.Transformers
Two years later, the Decepticons revived Megatron by inserting a shard of the AllSpark into the remains of his spark chamber, and the Decepticon leader soon felledOptimus Primeby shooting him through his own spark chamber. Sam was able to reignite his spark by inserting theMatrix of Leadershipinto Prime's empty chamber; not long afterwards, a wounded Jetfire deliberately sacrificed himself by ripping out his own spark chamber so that Optimus could use his parts, and the Autobot leader eventually killedThe Fallenby crushing his spark.Revenge of the Fallen
After his second defeat inChicago,Megatron'sconsciousnessmanipulated KSI into producing a new body for him and its lack of a spark proved an invaluable asset when he later fought Optimus as "Galvatron". Thanks to aVortex Grinderin place of his spark chamber, he was able to fight Optimus and win. After Optimus left Earth to confront theCreators,Optimus asked his family on Earth to think of a star in the night sky as his soul.Age of Extinction
IDW movie comics
After the failedEjoornianinvasion of Cybertron,Ratchet's post-mortem on one of them led to him discovering that they possessed internals eerily similar to the Cybertronians, including what may have been a spark core.Defiance #2
Following the destruction of the AllSpark inMission City,Starscreamconspired to useSector Seven's data on the artifact to create it.The Reign of Starscream #2After using slave labor to construct theReplica AllSpark,Starscream sacrificed five Autobot sparks to ignite it but the device remained inert.The Reign of Starscream #5
Animated continuity family
Animatedcartoon
TheAllSparkwas the wellspring of sparks; life began when a spark was created,Five Servos of Doomand when a spark expired it returned to the Well of All Sparks.Transform and Roll OutTraditionally, Autobot protoforms were forged from theprotomattermined from theSonic Canyons,incubated in the Matrix Chamber of theCyber-Ninja Corps,and eventually exposed to the lifegiving energies of the AllSpark to bring a new Transformer online.The AllSpark Almanac II
A spark could be preserved indefinitely by putting the Transformer intostasis lock;during theGreat War,theOmega SentinelsOmegaandSigma Supremewere both able to permanently transform into their starship forms at the cost of their higher functions.TransWarpedThe AllSpark Almanac IIToward the end of the conflict, the young martial artistProwlattempted to save his mentorYoketronby transferring his spark into a blankprotoform,but Yoketron voluntarily allowed his spark to fade.Five Servos of DoomLockdown delivered Yoketron's stolen protoforms to the Decepticons but they found no method of igniting a spark in them without the AllSpark.Endgame, Part I
As the Autobots had deliberately jettisoned the AllSpark into space to keep the artifact out of Decepticon hands,Transform and Roll Outthe victorious Autobots turned to Vector Sigma as an alternate method of generating new sparks.The AllSpark Almanac II
Sari Sumdac's uniqueAllSpark Keycould reignite extinguished sparksTransform and Roll Outand even generate new sparks under the correct circumstances—when she used the key to enhanceBumblebee'sstingerweapons during a battle with theDinobots,the AllSpark energy gave the human-built robots sparks, granting them sentience and the power to transform into robots.Blast from the Past
Upon his reconstruction via the AllSpark Key, Megatron used it to drainStarscream's spark as punishment for his earlier betrayal. When Megatron later claimed the AllSpark, he inserted it into his spark chamber before his equilibrium sensors were short-circuited byIsaac Sumdac.Though impressed by the human's ingenuity, Megatron quickly recovered, proclaiming that the spark was the core of all Cybertronians and that compared to it, such things asarmor-platingand servo mechanics were superficial.Megatron Rising - Part 2
After the destruction of the AllSpark, its individual shards were scattered acrossDetroit;these "AllSpark fragments" caused havoc by interfering with human machinery and occasionally bringing them to life as new Transformers. One shard brought Starscream back to life and acted as a substitute for his extinguished spark; Starscream was then able to subdivide this crystal even further and used each fragment to animate an army ofclones.A Bridge Too Close, Part IIn the battle for Megatron'sspace bridge,Ratchet used a handful of AllSpark fragments and the AllSpark Key to jumpstart Omega Supreme's spark.A Bridge Too Close, Part IIMegatron used a similar tactic when he brought theLugnut Supremesonline, using the same AllSpark fragments that had revived Omega Supreme.Endgame, Part IWhen Prowl andJazzusedprocessor-over-matterto summon together all the AllSpark fragments,Prowlrecognized that they could not summon the totality of the pieces in time to saveDetroitforcing him to surrender his spark back to the AllSpark, granting it the power it needed to protect the city.Endgame, Part II
Titan Magazines
Afterburnwas a sparkless drone sent byMegatronto bring down the Autobots from within. Although Afterburn displayed signs of an independent personality, when the truth of his nature came to light after his death Optimus toldBumblebeethat he was never truly alive.Megatron's Revenge
TransTech
The DecepticonTopspinpossessed the unusual power to manipulate sparks—without any kind of mechanical assistance, he could telepathically remove the spark from a body, implant it into a new shell, or even rip it to its component atoms with a single thought. After arriving in the multiversal city ofAxiom Nexus,Topspin fell into the employ ofAlpha Trion,who saw Topspin's power as a way to facilitate his escape back to hisnative reality.Topspin's profile in Club magazine #25Using this power, Topspin was able to incapacitate variousTranscendent Technomorphsnative to the reality and swap their sparks with those of his various acolytes, secretly building up a powerbase in high places that would assist Trion's master plan.Blackarachnia's profile in Club magazine #25Topspin could not bring himself to destroy the helpless TransTechs' sparks, though, and hid them away inside life-sustaining containment capsules.Rook - Axiom Nexus News, 2015/12/02
TheGoBotCy-Killwas fascinated by the concept of Sparks, and considered Transformers to be hybrids of machinery and energy in the same way that GoBots were hybrids of machinery and organic tissue. While stranded in Axiom Nexus, he stole six sparks;Renegade Rhetoric (1), 2015/10/15upon returning to his home reality, he used those stolen sparks to create a new version of the GoBotcombinerPuzzler.Renegade RhetoricThrustinatorrecruited theSpy ChangersofPrimax 085.0 Etato travel to Cy-Kill's reality to rescue the six hostage sparks.Renegade Rhetoric (2), 2016/07/14
Shattered Glass
Fun PublicationsShattered Glasscontinuity
In this backwards universe, Transformers are created when the malevolentOmega Terminussupercomputer implants an negatively-charged "ember" into a newborn Transformer. Though he was originally built as an artificially-intelligent warrior who lacked an ember,Grimlocklater received one from the Omega Terminus. Under its influence, he rapidly evolved into a fully-sentient Cybertronian and unlocked the power to transform into a robot mode.Dungeons & Dinobots
After the dimensionally-displacedCliffjumperarrived in this negative universe, the native Decepticons were confused when they analyzed his body and found evidence of a "backwards", postiron-charged energy matrix.Shattered Glass
IDWShattered Glasscomic
Before the Great War,Starscreamwould've used his unique spark to communicate with the dormantMetroplex,butJetfire's last-second betrayal forced him to bind vital information regarding hisTitanresearch to his spark to keep it out of the hands of the Autobots. The process was only a partial success, however, and Starscream's internal files were left damaged and corrupted for many megacycles until he returned to Cybertron and attempted the data transfer again. This time, the process succeeded, but his efforts drew the attention ofGoldbug's Autobots.Shattered Glass #3After killing Starscream and ripping out his spark, Goldbug was able to use the information encoded on his spark to awaken Metroplex.Shattered Glass #5
Powered by Starscream's spark, Metroplex reactivated and began a lumbering march towards New Kaon. This began merging his and Starscream's minds into one before Jetfire andSoundwavemanaged to remove it. As Metroplex, bereft of a power source, fell back into stasis, Jetfire fled with the spark to theStatic Zone.Shattered Glass II #5
Aligned continuity family
The Covenant of Primus
Of the originalThirteenTransformers, it wasOptimus Prime,the thirteenth and final Prime, who possessed a spark closest to that of their progenitorPrimus.During their first battle againstUnicron,their plan was that this unique spark would hopefully react with Unicron's anti-spark and knock both of them offline—a plan that ultimately worked, but not before Unicron nearly crushed the sparks of the remaining twelve with apocalyptic visions of doom and despair.
After the War of the Primes,Solus Prime's body was returned to the core of Cybertron, leaving theWell of All Sparksbehind; once the Well was "ignited" through the sacrifices ofMicronusandOnyx,the well became the passage through which new sparks created by the AllSpark would emerge into the physical world. when the Quintessons invaded Cybertron and ushered in theAge of Wrath,their malign influence was such that newborn sparks were born without names and defaulted to bland alphanumeric designations.
In the subsequent Golden Age, miniature Wells would be ignited on Cybertronian colony worlds likeArchonandVelocitronto provide the inhabitants of those planets with a steady source of new sparks.
During theGreat War,Primus entrusted Optimus Prime with a portion of his spark, which also restored Optimus Prime's long-forgotten memories of his time as a member of the Thirteen.The Covenant of Primus
Aligned novels
In a galaxy predominately populated by mechanical beings, alien races like theQuintessonsused the term "spark" to refer to the life-force of any given creature, biological or robotic.Retribution
ThroughShockwave's experimentation, theTrypticonresearch station was given a spark and imbued with life.Exodus
During a later encounter with the Quintessons onAquatron,the aliens fed several Autobots and Decepticons to their legions ofSharkticonsand harvested their sparks to power aspace bridgeto Cybertron.Retribution
Primecartoon
Before the war, new sparks were generated by the AllSpark. During the war, Optimus was forced to jettison the artifact offworld so that Megatron could not use its powers for evil.Predacons Rising
Over the protests ofStarscream,Megatroninserted a shard of Dark Energon directly into his spark.Darkness Rising, Part 2The shard managed to keep him alive after being at ground zero of a Space Bridge explosion,Masters & Studentsbefore another shard, plunged directly into his spark, restored his body to full functionality.Out of His Head
DreadwingandSkyquakeshared a split spark. This allowed the former to feel the latter's emerging from stasis and subsequent death.Loose Cannons
A variant ofTerrorcons,born from a mixture of Dark andSynthetic Energon,could only be destroyed if their spark was extinguished.Thirst
After Megatron perished,Deadlockthe lasting consequence of his abuse of Dark Energon was revealed with Megatron's polluted spark now severed from theAllSparkand bound to Unicron's Anti-Spark, allowing the Dark God to possess Megatron's corpse.
In order to prevent Unicron from devouring the physicalAllSpark,Optimus Prime merged the AllSpark with theMatrix of Leadershipand thus his own spark. Unable to separate the three, Optimus willingly surrendered his life to allow new generations to exist onCybertron.The AllSpark rejoining theCorecaused it to ignite and birth a multitude of new sparks.Predacons Rising
Robots in Disguise(2015 cartoon)
Before Optimus could pass into the afterlife, the Thirteen intercepted his spark and brought it to theRealm of the Primes.Decepticon Island (Part 1)To provide Optimus with the power needed to defeatMegatronus,the Primes empowered him using their own spark energy.Battlegrounds, Part 1When they eventually took that power back, it left Optimus substantially weakened for some time.Overloaded, Part 1
Rescue Bots Academycartoon
TheSparksayerwas an ancient piece of lost technology which could scan the spark of a Cybertronian and grant them an appropriate tool.Power Up And Energize
Ask Vector Prime
Any part ofThe Source—Primus, Unicron, theChronarchitectand even supernatural substances likeAngolmois EnergyorDark Energon—can be harnessed to create Cybertronian life. Vector Prime noted that it was not theoriginof a spark that mattered, and firmly believed that even sparks generated from "evil" sources like Dark Energon had the capacity for good.Ask Vector Prime, 23/07/2015
In one Cybertronian folktale regarding a friendly contest between aMetrotitanand aMalignus,the prideful Malignus tried to scan entropy itself, which only destroyed his body and scattered his spark to the cosmos.Ask Vector Prime, 2015/07/17
TheHate Collectorswho dwelt within the abandonedCauldronwere particularly drawn to thePrime Sparkcarried by many iterations ofOptimus PrimeandOptimus Primal.Ask Vector Prime, 2015/09/29
Cyberversecartoon
ByCheetor's account, his spark had been brought out of theAllSparkto serve as its guardian.Dark Birth
WhenStarscreamhad acquired the AllSpark and used it to birth a race ofscraplets,Trialshe believed that they held the sparks of theAncients,Dark Birththough Cheetor would later denounce his creations as sparkless abominations.Starscream's ChildrenAfter witnessing Cheetor's affinity for the AllSpark, Starscream attempted to extract the guardian's spark and merge it with his own. When he tested the procedure onBumblebeehowever, Cheetor managed to stop the transfer and escape with his friend.Spotted
Upon gaining full control of the AllSpark, Starscream merged it with his spark. His first act was to extract the sparks of hisSeekers,merging them with his own. He would have done the same to the other Autobots and Decepticons beforeOptimus Primemanaged to use theMatrix of Leadershipto punch the AllSpark out of Starscream, saving everyone.I Am The Allspark
After Bumblebee and Cheetor had returned the AllSpark to Cybertron's core,Shockwavewillingly extracted his own spark and used it to corrupt the AllSpark. Without hesitation, Cheetor did the same, his spark purifying Shockwave's malignant energies from the AllSpark.Battle For Cybertron IV
When theQuintessonsinvaded Cybertron, they trapped the populace in a virtual reality while their sparks were drained to fuel Starscream's metamorphosis into a QuintessonJudge.The End Of The Universe IBeforeHot Rod's resistance managed to free the Cybertronians, some of their sparks had been completely drained.The Scientist
Toys
Masterpiece
- Rhinox(June2024)
- ID number:MP-59
- MasterpieceRhinox comes with aBeast Warsstyle spark with it's display stand. The spark can also be cradled in his hands.
Merchandise
ReAction
- Optimus Primal Hyper Steel(2023)
- Accessories:2 swords, spark
- Part of the long-running series ofReAction3.75-inch "retro" action figures, thisTargetexclusivesemi-clear plastics version ofOptimus Primalcomes with a spark accessory (not found in other decoes of the figure) he can actually hold in his hand thanks to a small thumb-hole.
Notes
- Beast WarswriterLarry DiTillioenvisioned Maximal and Predacon sparks as small fragments split fromNexus Zero.When a spark is split from the Vok nebula, a "good" one travels to theMatrixand an "evil" one to thePit.[2]
Foreign names
- Japanese:Spark(スパークSupāku)
- German:Mastermodul(Armada)
- Mandarin:Huǒzhǒng( hỏa chủng, "spark" )
- Portuguese:Centelha( "sparkle" ),faísca( "spark" ),fagulha( "spark" ),chama( "flame" )
- Swedish:Gnista( "spark" )
- Latin Spanish:Chispa( "spark" ),Spark
- SerbianИскра/Iskra( "spark" )
See also
References
- ↑An earlier episodeincluded an offhanded reference toOptimus Primal's spark, but its significance was not explained.
- ↑Beast Wars Universe
