Alpha Quintesson

Alpha Quintesson is a Quintesson from the Energon portion of the Unicron Trilogy continuity family.

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A mysterious manipulator, Alpha Quintesson, also known simply as Alpha Q (tee-hee-hee!) has his tentacles spread wide, influencing the actions of both Autobot and Decepticon alike. Physically weak and not adapted to combat, he created the Terrorcons to fight for him, and controls them with the assistance of his close ally: the vicious, prideful general Scorponok. His goals may seem unclear, and vary depending on accounts, but what remains constant is his desire to revive the chaos god Unicron!

Fiction

Cartoon continuity

Energon cartoon

Voice actor: Trevor Devall (English); Yūichi Nagashima, Yukie Maeda (Japanese), José María Carrero/José Carabias/Alfredo Martínez (Spain-Spanish), Johan Hedenberg/Anders Öjebo/Johan Wilhelmsson (Swedish), Bruno Lähteenmäki/Juha Paananen/Jari Salo (Finnish), Loris Loddi/Mario Bombardieri (Italian), Zoltán Tóth (Hungarian, red face, 1st dub), Olivier Destrez/Yoann Sover/Naiké Fauveau (French)

You hit me! Picard never hit me.

Among the many worlds that fell to the unending hunger of the world-eater, Unicron, was one little sphere known as Planet Q. This world would not go quietly, however, as its armies fought back valiantly, but it soon it became apparent that they would not be able to stop Unicron. The planet's grand chamberlain resigned himself to his world's fate, choosing a suicide ploy. The chamberlain instructed the planet's ruler to detonate Planet Q's core and defiantly deny Unicron his meal, but when the ruler could not, the chamberlain committed the act himself, destroying the planet as Unicron consumed it. The explosion failed to destroy Unicron, but it did heavily damage him, forcing him into a state of dormancy. And within Unicron's slumbering husk, the spark of Planet Q's ruler continued to exist.

"Victory? Victory, you say? Master Obi-Wan, not victory. The shroud of the dark side has fallen. Begun, the Clone War has."

Driven mad by the solitary existence over the ensuing years, the mind of Planet Q's ruler fractured, splintering into separate personalities. From Unicron's body, it sculpted for itself a new, armored form out of the "bones" of his devoured subjects, with four rotating face masks, through which each one of his personalities found voice, with his fifth personality—his original, true face—hidden away inside him, speaking only when the armour was closed, concealing his face from view. But within the shattered mind of the insane being that now called itself "Alpha Q," a kernel of genius existed—Alpha Q had discovered that, through the power of energon, all that Unicron had consumed could be reconstituted. Over the years that followed, he learned how to master the dormant Unicron's systems and, using what little energon he had, he recreated the armies of Planet Q as the Terrorcons. Once his agents were complete, Alpha Q sent them to Earth to gather energon for his plan: the complete recreation and restoration of Planet Q, and all the worlds Unicron had once consumed. Cybertron City Alpha Q: Identity

After the first few strikes by the Terrorcons, Alpha Q recreated the grand chamberlain in the form of Scorponok, as a general to lead the otherwise mindless Terrorcons in battle. Energon Stars Scorponok also served Alpha Q by recruiting old Decepticons to their cause. Alpha Q provided Scorponok with an image of Megatron's deactivated form, from deep within Unicron. Using this image, Scorponok was able to convince Tidal Wave, then Cyclonus, to turn against the Autobots and join the Terrorcons, claiming their goal was to gather enough energon to revive Megatron. Scorpinok Despite the steady supply of energon being brought in by the Terrorcons, Alpha Q lamented that it wasn't enough, and the Autobots were continuously getting in their way. Coming across Megatron's remains inside Unicron, Alpha Q detected traces of great power within him, and fed some energon through his circuits to retrieve a blade forged from Megatron's own spark. Alpha Q gave this sword to Scorponok to wield in battle, and destroy any Autobots in his path. Megatron's Sword

When Tidal Wave and Cyclonus began questioning Scorponok's motives, Alpha Q demanded they go out and capture more energon "for Megatron". The New Cybertron City Eventually, though, the jig was up as Megatron resurrected himself by diverting energon away from Unicron's systems. He quickly beat down Scorponok and confronted Alpha Q for control of Unicron. Megatron's connection to the Dark God appeared as strong as Alpha Q's, for he was capable of commanding the Terrorcon drones as well. Facing serious odds, Alpha Q chose the better part of valor and ran, disconnecting Unicron's head from the rest of his body and fleeing inside of it. Megatron Resurrected

Deprived of most of his resources, Alpha Q concocted a new scheme to acquire energon. He resurrected the former Decepticon known as Starscream, using energon to partially reconstruct the warrior's disintegrated body. The result was an amnesiac quasi-energy being, a "ghost" to do Alpha Q's bidding. Megatron Raid Alpha Q told Starscream he had to assassinate Optimus Prime. With Prime out of the way, the energon would be freely available to revive Starscream AND Unicron to their rightful forms. Starscream the Mysterious Mercenary Alpha Q directed Scorponok and Starscream to push the Autobots and Megatron into a battle out in the asteroid belt, hoping one side would destroy the other, and leave room for him to control Unicron and the energon, but they failed. Battle of the Asteroid Belt Whent he Decepticons left Unicron's body behind to stage an attack on Earth, Alpha Q took the opportunity to send out his Terrorcons to steal some energon from them, using it to revitalize Unicron's head more. (Why he didn't just steal back the whole body of Unicron is a bit of a mystery.) Energon Tower

As Megatron recognized Unicron's energon supply was lower than it should be, Alpha Q gloated to himself over stealing the energon right out from under Megatron's nose. His winning streak didn't last long, though. Alpha Q sent Starscream into Unicron to assassinate Megatron, but the ghostly mercenary failed completely. Worse, Megatron forcibly reprogrammed Starscream to serve only him, costing Alpha Q the services of his minion. The Legend of Rodimus Alpha Q next attempted a new strategy. By outfitting his Terrorcons with "stealth modes", he dispatched them to Jungle City in the hopes that they could infiltrate the base and steal energon without alerting the Autobots. The stealth upgrade had no effect on Kicker Jones' sensitivity, however, and the Autobots began striking back against the Terrorcons. When Megatron joined in as well, the Autobots initiated a "scorched earth" strategy, sacrificing Jungle City so that no energon was recovered by anyone. Crisis in Jungle City

After Megatron learned from Demolishor about Kicker's unique sensitivity, and Alpha Q learned about it in turn from Scorponok, he was curious about the boy. In his internal struggles to deal with the concept, Alpha Q manifested his fourth face for the first time. Using a Battle Ravage as a medium, Alpha Q spoke to Kicker on the moon through the Terrorcon's voice, wanting to learn more about how Kicker could sense energon. Lunar City's new energon tower released a shockwave that destroyed the Terrorcon before the conversation could end, but Alpha Q remained interested in Kicker. Kicker Beware! Megatron soon launched a trio of artificial comets towards Earth, expecting to wipe out humanity and the Autobots and retrieve the energon from the ashes. Alpha Q initially approved of the plan, although of course he hoped to mine the devastated planet before Megatron did. Alpha Q's new, calmer face had some reservations about extinguishing humanity, however, and seized an opportunity to listen in to Kicker through a Blackout drone as he described the unique spark of humanity. To the confusion of his other faces, the calmer Alpha Q allowed his ally Rodimus to take a squadron of Shadowhawks to destroy one of the comets, which ultimately helped to save the entire Earth. Alpha Q began to orchestrate a new plan, involving Kicker. Energon Grid

In the meantime, however, Megatron finally recognized Scorponok for the spy he was, and that he was smuggling out energon for Alpha Q. In order to draw out his rival, Megatron strapped Scorponok to the outside of one of his artificial comets and launched it towards Earth. His intent was to lure Alpha Q out into the open to save Scorponok before he crashed into the deadly energon grid surrounding Earth's atmosphere. Though Alpha Q was distraught by this development, he recognized there was little he could do to come to his ally's aid. Rodimus Friend or Foe? Fortunately, Rodimus and his team were able to intervene on Scorponok's behalf, driving away the Decepticons and rescuing him without Alpha Q needing to reveal himself. Go for Unicron! As Scorponok recuperated in Unicron's head, Alpha Q prepped a new form of Terrorcons. Called Cruellocks, these Dinobot drones were dispatched to an icy planet where the Autobots and Decepticons were fighting over a newly discovered energon source. Although they took the opposition by surprise, the Cruellocks were ultimately overwhelmed and defeated by Alpha Q's rivals. The Return of Demolishor

After Rodimus had a meeting with Optimus Prime, he brought back a stowaway Autobot named Ironhide to Alpha Q's abode. Despite Rodimus's protestations, Alpha Q and Scorponok chose to give Ironhide a trial by fire to see if he was made of the right stuff. Ironhide survived, albeit heavily injured, and Scorponok judged him worthy to appear before Alpha Q. A Tale of Two Heros As Ironhide underwent repairs, Alpha Q sent Rodimus out to collect Kicker Jones, in order to finally meet the boy face-to-faces. Battle Stations Kicker and his friend Misha Miramond arrived in Alpha Q's throne room, and the former ruler supplied Kicker with a recreation of his final moments on Planet Q before it fell to Unicron. Kicker struck out against Alpha Q during their meeting, demanding the "four-faced freak" fight for the good of the whole universe, instead of merely the restoration of his own single planet. Kicker eventually got through to Alpha Q, and he began to move Unicron's head for a rendezvous with the Autobot forces. Alpha Q: Identity

Alpha Q met with Optimus, Rodimus and Kicker aboard Unicron to discuss their tenuous alliance. Shockblast: Rampage As negotiations began, though, Unicron began to go wild. The continuous exposure to energon had reactivated Unicron's systems and, although he wasn't truly conscious, the entity began experiencing an instinctive hunger for more energon. These instincts overwhelmed Alpha Q's control of the planet, and he and Scorponok were restrained by a slew of tentacles in his throne room. Alpha Q rather meekly submitted to Unicron's assault until Kicker radioed him begging for assistance. The Autobots were attempting to reach Unicron's core with a fresh supply of energon, but needed help getting through Unicron's reactive barriers. Alpha Q managed to assert enough influence on Unicron to help them on their way. Survival Instincts

It was Misha Miramond who next made a connection with Alpha Q. The immature entity spotted Misha on her way to visit him, and decided to scare her with some Insecticons. Misha realized Alpha Q was just toying with her, though, and ignored his threats to insist on a conversation. Alpha Q and Misha connected with each other personally, and this renewed Alpha Q's determination to fight against Megatron on behalf of the Autobots. Each One Fights... As Unicron's body grew in power enough to threaten Cybertron, Alpha Q launched the head in a kamikaze assault on Megatron's portion of the Chaos-Bringer, breaking open Unicron's defenses for the Autobots to siege him from within. Unicron Unleashed

Now in direct contact with Unicron's body, Alpha Q used his influence to assist the Autobots on their passage through the Planet-Eater in search of Megatron. Kicker told Alpha Q to quit helping the Autobots, however, and concentrate on gathering the energy necessary to revive his planet. Once Alpha Q was struck by an enormous bolt of energon from Earth, he became strong enough to rework Unicron's systems and begin the process of recreating the planets consumed by the Chaos-Bringer. Open Fire! The head of Unicron was charged with massive amounts of energon, but this created a problem. The body of Unicron was charged with energon with an equal-but-opposite polarity, making the two potentially volatile if they came together. Megatron began pumping out his negatively-charged energon just for this purpose, and Alpha Q attempted to flee inside Unicron's head. He sensed Scorponok's efforts against Megatron, though, and couldn't abandon his protector. Alpha Q hesitated long enough for the two energon fields to react, creating a catastrophic wave that ripped a hole through space itself. Still inside Unicron's energon-charged head, Alpha Q passed through the spatial rift with the sparks of his planets, and into the universe beyond. Ripped Up Space

Beyond the rift, Alpha Q fulfilled his promise and recreated his planet, along with all the other planets consumed by Unicron. By remaking Unicron's head into a kind of star, he formed his own solar system with the planets manifesting in his orbit, and receiving life-enhancing rays of energon beaming out into the cosmos. Alpha Q was now effectively imprisoned inside Unicron's head, but he was still capable of remotely viewing events in his solar system and on the planets. He also remained in contact with Kicker, apparently due to the boy's unique sensitivity. Protection Alpha Q guided the Miranda II to Jungle Planet, a burgeoning paradise-like world growing strong under the energon sun. He proudly told Kicker this was what they had been working towards all along. Imprisoned Inferno Alpha Q watched over the Autobots as they defended Jungle Planet from an attack by the Decepticons. Jungle Planet He communicated with Kicker after Iron Planet was consumed by the Terrorcons, and watched nervously as the Autobots brought the first of a series of energon towers from Cybertron to protect Jungle Planet. Bulkhead

As one of many battles took place near the gravitational field of his sun, Alpha Q caught a glimpse of Scorponok and tried to make contact with him. It seemed as if Scorponok briefly recognized Alpha Q's presence, but he quickly ignored it and returned to the Decepticons. Farewell Inferno

Alpha Q was initially pleased when the Autobots finished erecting their energon grid, an impenetrable barrier shielding the energon enriched planets in Alpha Q's solar system. He soon realized, however, that cutting the Decepticons off meant that Scorponok could not return to him either. Alpha Q still held out hope that Scorponok could be redeemed and come back to him. he tried to beg Kicker into shutting down the grid to let Scorponok through, but he wouldn't listen. In response, Alpha Q began focusing extra energon on a small, burgeoning planet outside the energon grid, causing it to develop at an accelerated pace into a recreation of the original Planet Q, his homeworld with Scorponok from long ago. Alpha Q hoped that after seeing Planet Q and their reconstructed palace, Scorponok would remember who he was.

This was not to be, though. Scorponok and his Terrorcons attacked the Q Palace without hesitation to reach the energon concentrated beneath it, and the Autobots had to step in to protect the planet and its energon. Alpha Q wailed helplessly as Ironhide confronted Scorponok at the palace, and made his own failed attempts to reach the original Scorponok's personality underneath Megatron's control. He failed, and Scorponok was posed to strike a killing blow against the Autobot when Alpha Q intervened. Alpha Q attacked Scorponok with a concentrated dose of positively charged energon beamed down from the sun, occupying him long enough for Ironhide to recover. After Megatron sounded a retreat, Alpha Q asked Kicker to tell Ironhide he was a true warrior, and that the old Scorponok respected him for it. Return! Our Scorponok

Alpha Q started laughing hysterically while watching the Autobots compete in their Grand Prix on Circuit Planet. Crash Course

As Megatron got Unicron up and running again, Alpha Q put his faith in their Autobots and the energon grid to defend his planets. Omega Supreme They were all unsuccessful, however, and Unicron came to the Energon Orb to reclaim his head. Alpha Q reached out to Kicker and told him to take the Miranda II to a new planet he had grown. Thinking this was a plan to defeat Megatron, Kicker agreed, but when he arrived on Grass Planet he found only wide empty pastures of green grass. Alpha Q explained to Kicker that he created this planet especially for him, as it matched the images in Kicker's mind of the peaceful place he and Misha played together when they were children. With this planet complete, Alpha Q expelled the last of his energon and died within the Energon Orb, as Unicron collected his head and became complete once more. A Heroic Battle

Following his demise, Alpha Q's body was recovered from inside Unicron's head by Kicker and Ironhide. The Power of Unicron He was laid to rest in a simple ceremony on Grass Planet, beneath a headstone. Optimus Supreme

Despite being dead, Alpha Q continued to comment on the Autobots' efforts to defend his planets. He rejoiced when Unicron was defeated, but was nonetheless worried about the well-being of his solar system, now that its centerpiece, the Energon Orb, was no longer there to nourish it. Unicron Perishes He called out for Kicker, imploring him to save his planets. Ambition When Galvatron (formerly Megatron) took control of Cybertron, Alpha Q bemoaned how terrible and hopeless the situation seemed to have become for the Autobots, Wishes elaborating on how the Autobots could no longer safely enter their own planet's atmosphere thanks to the Decepticons unleashing a toxic Energon gas into it. Galvatron! Alpha Q debated with himself whether or not Kicker could pull through and turn the situation around for the Autobots. When the boy succeeded in allowing Optimus to safely make planet-fall, Alpha Q grew in confidence and assured himself that the Autobots would prevail. Break Through

At some point, the Autobots partook in a "virtual training exercise" during their downtime. The whole thing played out like a tag-team tournament video game, and Alpha Q wondered aloud why he was wasting his time watching such "pointless fluff." He received no answer to his question. In the game itself, a virtual copy of Alpha Q fought alongside Scorponok against Hot Shot and Rodimus, but his team was defeated after an extended battle. Distribution Afterwards, Alpha Q noted how Cybertron had gone through space bridge to head towards his system, and that Galvatron had completely lost his marbles... before fully embracing his role of narrator and addressing the audience directly, telling them to tune in for the next episode. The Omega Train

As events continued to unfold, Alpha Q was intrigued by Snow Cat and Demolishor discovering Insecticon drones at the Super Energon Pool, and relieved that Kicker was able to find his mother and sister safe and sound. Decepticon Army Alpha Q was glad to see that Kicker didn't get too distracted after being reunited with his family, and went back to work helping the Autobots. He had lost track of Optimus though, and was wary of the danger presented from the Decepticons controlling the super energon pool. Ironhide Team When Optimus, temporarily grown to planetary proportions by a combination of Primus's power and toxic energon gas, lost control of his senses, Alpha Q worried that the Autobot leader might lose himself to the evil in his spark. Formidable When Galvatron grew to the size of a titan himself, Alpha Q fretted over how Optimus had no idea what awaited him when he returned to the front lines, after recovering in Ocean City. Galvatron Terror Galvatron was not only growing in size, however; he was also becoming Unicron, and was drawn to a portion of the Chaos-Bringer's essence that still lived in Alpha Q's universe. Alpha Q pleaded for the Autobots to stop Galvatron/Unicron before the colossus reached his goal. Destructive Power Elsewhere, Kicker came upon what remained of Unicron's essence in space: a tiny, black orb of concentrated malevolence. Kicker grabbed the Energon Saber and swung to bring its blade down towards the orb. Alpha Q, unheard by the boy, cried out for him to stop. Spark Thankfully, Primus also reached out to Kicker, and convinced him not to destroy what remained of Unicron's essence. To Alpha Q's joy, the Transformer god crafted a new sun for Alpha Q's planets. Unicron's essence was used to ignite the new sun, bringing light and heat to Alpha Q's planet once again. The Sun

Ask Vector Prime

Vector Prime noted that Alpha Q was a Quintesson and that the Terrorcons of Aurex 802.23 Alpha were semi-sparked minions of them, similar to the Sharkticons and Allicons of the Primax cluster. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/05/04

Energon comic

Giger? I hardly know 'er!

Alpha Quintesson began the war over Energon by providing the Terrorcon group—led by Scorponok—with enhanced powers and "Hyper Modes", sending them to the undefended Earth to drain it of the newly discovered pure Energon ore. At the same time, he sent Unicron's Four Horsemen to Cybertron to wreak havoc, preventing the Autobots from getting to Earth. This Evil Reborn

Unfortunately for Alpha Quintesson, the Horsemen were repelled by the Omnicons and the newly enhanced Autobots, which gave them the time needed to reach Earth and sink the Terrorcons' plans. The Quintesson used his portals to recover the defeated Terrorcons. What Lies Beneath, Part Four

For a time, Alpha Quintesson's involvement in the war was minimal, but when he returned, it was in a big way. First, he reformatted Tidal Wave into a new body and rechristening him "Mirage," so that he, Slugslinger, and Sharkticon could more effectively track down Kicker. Multiplicity, Pt. 2 Then, he unleashed thousands of Terrorcon drones to decimate Los Angeles, Tokyo, Toronto and Moscow. Multiplicity But the Decepticons weren't the only ones Alpha Quintesson was working with toward his goal of restoring the shell of Unicron. Perhaps more dangerous than the Terrorcons was Alpha Quintesson's hidden ally, Avalon, a member of the High Council, Cybertron's ruling body! Multiplicity, Pt. 2 The two conspirators congratulated one another over their plans coming to fruition. But though Alpha Quintesson was ready to take their plan to its final stage, Avalon was hesitant. Unwilling to remain in his state of forced servitude any longer, Alpha Quintesson went ahead with completing the operation despite his ally's protests. Multiplicity, Pt. 3

But Alpha Quintesson's invasion nonetheless failed, thanks to the unforeseen intervention of a resurrected Megatron. After the Decepticon leader slaughtered innumerable Terrorcons, they were forced to retreat off planet. The greatest loss the army suffered was the death of Scorponok, who fell in single combat against Megatron. Through Avalon, Alpha Quintesson later learned that Optimus Prime was lost somewhere within Unicron. Though he was unable to pinpoint the Autobot's exact location, Alpha Quintesson assured Avalon that they only needed to wait as Unicron continued to repair himself; as his body regained its functionality, Unicron would eventually be able to detect any intruders within his frame. No Exit

Alpha Quintesson continued to make attacks on Earth's energon shield defenses, using his newly appointed Terrorcon commander, Doom-Lock. Meanwhile, he also directed the Horsemen to strike at another energon rich world named Nervissa, and somehow dispatched Demolishor to Earth through the energon grid to kidnap Kicker. Meanwhile, the Mini-Con Over-Run had managed to glimpse into Alpha Quintesson's past, and witnessed how he had nearly escaped Unicron, only for his ship to be pulled into the planet's maw after Quintessa itself had been devoured. Doomsday Redux!

Alpha Quintesson was informed by his co-conspirator Avalon that Over-Run was seeing through space and time, divining information about Alpha Quintesson's plans. They arranged to divert the energon-feeding Starscream to unwittingly attack Over-Run on their behalf. Armageddon Part 1 In order to maintain a free reign over Unicron's reactivating systems, Alpha Quintesson needed to prevent the loyalist Horsemen from returning to Unicron. He diverted the quartet to attack the Alterenergy base on Mars to keep them occupied. Armageddon Part 2

The attack on Mars was intended to force the Autobots to drop their defense grid long enough to send out reinforcements for Earth...and give Demolishor the chance to escape with Kicker. Meanwhile, at Alpha Quintesson's direction, Avalon transported a seismic-shock warhead from Cybertron's vault directly to the surface of Unicron. Armageddon Part 3 With all the pieces in place, Alpha Quintesson prepared to execute his final scheme. The Initiator was activated, opening a portal to a parallel universe where an alternate Quintesson invasion fleet emerged, destabilizing Cybertron's already weak defenses. Once Demolishor returned with Kicker, the boy would serve as an organic replacement for the mechanical Conduit lost eons ago on the original Quintessa. His power would permanently connect Cybertron to the alternate Quintessa, linking the cores of both planets. The Quintessons would have absolute control over Cybertron's energon resources, and the planet itself. Armageddon Part 4

Unfortunately for Alpha Quintesson, however, he underestimated the need for vengeance in a certain Decepticon leader. Megatron fought his way to the core of Unicron, obliterating the defenses Alpha Quintesson manifested to protect himself. As the Quintesson attempted to teleport to the safety of the invading fleet, Megatron blasted Alpha Quintesson, causing his mangled and smoking carcass to materialize in the flagship instead. Armageddon Part 5

Ask Vector Prime

Alpha Q and Vector Prime knew each other. Ask Vector Prime

Spacewarp's Log

In Spacewarp's home reality, Alpha Q resurrected Ulchtar sans memories. Spacewarp's Log (2), 2015/11/11

Toys

Energon

I do hope you'll bring these gadgets back in one piece, 007.

• Alpha Quintesson (Mega Class, 2005)

• Accessories: Missile launcher, missile, base, three tentacles
• Known designers: Marcelo Matere (packaging artist)

One of the last toys in the Energon line, Alpha Quintesson is fairly unique in that he is one of the only toys in the history of the main Transformers line that does not transform in any manner or even come with any kind of transforming accessory (like the Action Masters).

Alpha Quintesson requires quite a bit of assembly out of the box, coming in six separate pieces: his main body, a solid "bed of tentacles" that serves as a wheeled base that the body plugs into, a firing missile launcher which plugs into his back (via a standard 5 mm peg that also allows other characters to wield it) and points up over his head, and three rubber, wire-poseable tentacles which attach to the base. The tentacles end in a large yellow clamp, a red chainsaw, and a purple energy arc, and spin around via a gear-wheel system when the base is rolled back and forth. The figure features nine circular ports (three on each arm and three on the base), to which either energon chips or any weapons featuring 5 mm pegs can be attached.

The main body is notably very accurate to the CGI model from the animated series, save for its coloration and the addition of the missile launcher. As a toy that was entirely dull green from top to bottom would not have been a very interesting sight, the figure features several shades of green with yellow highlights, plus a red paint wash on its "underbelly" and arms. The main body contains its own gimmick, involving Alpha Q's spinning faces as seen in the cartoon. Opening the armor's jaws reveals Alpha Q's head, recessed within the body (though unable to move forward into a more prominent position as seen in the show), and pressing the trigger on the back of the body, disguised as one of the spinal fins, causes the head to spin from face to face. The toy only features the character's first three faces (Angry, Whiny and Crazy); the purple, calm face is not featured.

As an allegiance was needed to brand the figure with for marketing purposes, Alpha Quintesson's toy is sold as a Decepticon, despite that faction not really being where his loyalties lie. There were also many reports of the toy coming misassembled, missing the hard point where the figure connected to the base, making it nigh impossible for the toy to stand up on its own.

• More information on Alpha Quintesson at TFU.info

Notes

• Alpha Quintesson's connection to Unicron was likely inspired by the Quintesson profile in issue #4 of the Transformers Universe comics, which was based on an outdated version of the Transformers: The Movie script and stated the species to be Unicron's enforcers. While the concept was excised from the Quintessons' portrayal in the movie, Transformers Universe would have been one of the only English-language Transformers guidebooks available to the Hasbro team of the early 2000s to use as an inspiration.
• Although the Dreamwave comic books and Hasbro toy packaging refer to the character by his full name of Alpha Quintesson, the Energon cartoon series preferred instead to call him by his Japanese moniker, Alpha Q, almost all of the time.
• In the Japanese episode previews, Alpha Q would provide the narration, each time ending by telling the viewer that "something cool might happen" in the next episode; this is paid off in the final episode preview, in which he announces "something cool finally happened!"
• Heh, heh, Alpha Q.

Origins

At the time of the Energon franchise's release, there was a very vague connection between Alpha Q and actual Quintessons. While he did share many of the features that Quintessons have (multiple faces and signature-shaped body-type), he was also released around the time that Hasbro started reusing faction/species titles as character names (e.g. Predacon, Insecticon, Sharkticon, Constructicon Maximus, etc.), making the connection a little more fuzzy. His packaging, like most Energon toys, also never included a bio. To top things off, the cartoon scewed his origins even further by identifying the Terrorcons as originally being other members of his race, and more or less singling him out as the only one who looked the way he did. Early production materials for the cartoon also featured a further distancing from the traditional Quintesson origins, making Alpha Q's original form a humanoid princess (see below). The only connection to the Quintesson species that one could make in the cartoon was in the first episode's DVD dub, where he refers to himself as "the Alpha Quintesson", but even then, the Energon cartoon was riddled with dubbing flaws, so even that could be taken with a grain of salt.

Though not set within the same universe as the cartoon, the Dreamwave comic (had it not been cancelled mid-run) would've taken a deeper look into Alpha Q's history, revealing that he was part of a larger Quintesson race, with his origins not far off from their Generation 1 counterparts—even establishing that the character came from Quintessa, rather than the cartoon's "Planet Q".

Eventually, Ask Vector Prime in 2015 helped clear up any confusion that the cartoon may have set with his origins, establishing Alpha Q as most definitely a Quintesson and the Terrorcons being not unlike the Sharkticons and Allicons of Generation 1.

Cartoon development and translation

Pre-production materials^[1] for Super Link offer further details on Alpha Q's history that did not make it into the final version of the series. His original, true form was originally conceived as being the humanoid princess of her planet, a young girl whose face would be the fifth and final face of Alpha Q, that would eventually be revealed when Kicker would "shatter her shell". The materials note, however, that if Hasbro vetoed the idea, the princess would be replaced with either a young prince, or simply a ball of light. Whether this veto occurred is unknown, but what is certain is that none of this was officially established in the finished show, and Alpha Q's fifth face remains hidden inside his closed armor (assuming it exists at all).

There is some vague reference to this material in the series. In Super Link, when Alpha Q speaks with his true voice, it is the voice of a young child (identified in Japanese writing as あるふぁQ). In contrast, in these scenes in Energon, a multi-layered voice is used, professing to be the voice of all lives lost in the destruction of "Planet Q" (which went unnamed in Super Link). The vision of the planet's destruction viewed by Kicker, which shows Alpha Q and Scorponok existing as the same robotic entities they are in the present day, would appear to contradict this notion.

What affection Alpha Q feels for Scorponok in the finished show is not displayed as clearly in Energon as it is in Super Link. During the episode "Return! Our Scorponok" (which was never translated or shown in Hasbro markets), he repeatedly refers to Scorponok as "my Scorponok" and shows him images of their home planet in an effort to reverse Megatron's brainwashing. As well, during the Special Dream Match, Alpha Q responds to Scorponok's statement of "I don't know you" with "say I love you", showing what seems to be some sort of surrogate parent/child emotional connection.

Foreign names

• Japanese: Alpha Q (アルファQ, あるふぁQ^[2] Arufa Kyū)
• Hungarian: Alfa Q

References