Sentinel Prime (G1)

Sentinel Prime is an Autobot leader from the Generation 1 continuity family.

Well, shoot, who wants the Matrix?

Sentinel Prime is an imposing figure, standing head and shoulders over the average Autobot. Bristling with some of the most heavy-duty weapons and armor available to the Autobot army has instilled in Sentinel Prime a supreme confidence in his own abilities as both a leader and a fighter. Unfortunately such pride usually precedes a fall, and there will always be someone out there keen to prove a point, or who merely sees Sentinel Prime as an obstacle on the path to a bigger destiny.

Sentinel Prime is typically, but not always, depicted as Optimus Prime's immediate predecessor as Autobot leader.

Fiction

Generation 1 cartoon continuity

The Transformers cartoon

Voice actor: Jack Angel (English), Takurō Kitagawa (Japanese), Éric Etcheverry (European French), Older Cazarré (Brazilian Portuguese)

You've got the pre-Touch! You've got the pre-Power! Pre-Yeah!

Sentinel Major was originally one of the Quintessons' slave robots on Cybertron around twelve million years ago. Unusual among his consumer goods brethren, Sentinel Major was equipped for combat and was forced to participate in gladiatorial games for the Quintessons' amusement, wielding a spiked ball-and-chain weapon and a tire-shaped shield. He was once defeated in battle by Prima, who attacked their Quintesson masters when their match was over, only to be destroyed himself.

Subsequently, the consumer goods robots rose up against the Quintessons in a rebellion that ultimately forced the aliens off the planet. Sentinel Major survived this clash, but he and the rest of his race—now dubbed "Autobots"—were robbed of any chance of peace when the military hardware robots, now known as "Decepticons", set their sights on conquering Cybertron for themselves. Two Autobot leaders fell during the war that ensued, and Sentinel Major inherited the Matrix of Leadership and became Sentinel Prime, leader of the Autobots. Under his leadership, the Autobots realized that they would never be able to defeat the Decepticons with firepower, and they turned instead to stealth, reconfiguring their bodies to be able to transform into other forms. With the power of his new ability, Sentinel Prime defeated the Decepticons' leader, and the Autobots won the war.

He transforms into Rhi, the forgotten Beast Rider.

The ensuing period of peace was known as the Golden Age of Cybertron, but, around nine million years BCE, the Decepticon threat re-emerged when they too adopted transformation, and coupled it with robot-mode flight powers. One of the first of this new breed of Decepticons, the malevolent Megatron, killed Sentinel Prime in combat. As he died, Sentinel Prime handed off the Matrix to Alpha Trion, who kept it safe until the emergence of the next Autobot leader, Optimus Prime.

When Rodimus Prime journeyed into the Matrix in 2005, Sentinel Prime was the sixth guide he encountered. Sentinel Prime recounted the development of transformation, the Autobot victory in the war and the rise of Megatron. Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4

Legends comic

The U-Haul robot's spirit was present within the Matrix alongside It and Ultra Magnus when Alpha Trion approached Magnus with an offer to bring him back to life. Resurrection Chapter

Wings Universe

Sentinel Prime was presumably a descendant of the first of the Sentinel line, Sentinel EnN. A Team Effort Before ascending to the rank of Prime, Sentinel Prime was known as Sentinel Major. Ask Vector Prime, 2015/05/28 Sentinel Prime's legacy lived on in other 'bots who took on the "Sentinel" name, including another Sentinel Major. Wings Universe Sentinel Major profile

Marvel The Transformers comics

Sentinel Prime was mentioned in a recitation of Primes, after Prime Nova and before Optimus Prime, by the Creation Matrix. Dark Creation He passed it on during a violent situation. The Legacy of Unicron!

Beast Machines toy bios

"An ancient Autobot tracker" taught his apprentice Dillo how to use the mace bollo. Dillo toy bio

3H comics

The Matrix was passed from Prime Nova unto Sentinel Prime, who subsequently bequeathed it to Optimus Prime. Covenant

Dreamwave Generation One continuity

"Marley was dead to begin with..."

Sentinel Prime was Autobot leader for the first 500,000 years of the Great War. With trithyllium alloy armor, an electro-disrupter and a large variety of other weapons, including various forms of artillery shell, a solar energy rifle and energon-charged sword, Sentinel Prime was a giant among giants. Hardwired

8.2 million years ago, Sentinel Prime faced Megatron on the battlefields of Tyrest. The Ultimate Guide He proved no match for the Decepticon leader; with his last words, he tried in vain to reason with Megatron, but Megatron was unmoved by his "sermon and doctrine" and slew him. Sentinel, however, had considered his death a likely possibility, and had already removed the Matrix of Leadership from his body before entering battle, preventing Megatron from acquiring it. The War Within #4

Millions of years later, during the war on Earth, the Matrix used a vision of Sentinel Prime to strengthen Optimus Prime's resolve during a battle with Megatron by confronting him with the claim that Megatron had chosen Optimus to be Prime, knowing that he was weak. Megatron's alleged influence over the Prime selection process was never substantiated. Soon after, the Keepers created a robotic duplicate of Sentinel Prime to confuse Optimus and undermine his confidence. Though possessing all of Sentinel Prime's considerable abilities, Optimus eventually realized that the duplicate had been created from his own memories of Sentinel Prime, and was incapable of doing anything new. Optimus destroyed the duplicate of Sentinel Prime, having largely overcome his own doubts about his fitness to be Autobot leader. Hardwired

Tranformers/G.I. Joe

Sentinel Prime was defeated by Megatron. Titanium Series Megatron toy bio

2005 IDW continuity

First appearance: Megatron Origin #1

Quick, shoot 'em in the back, while they're not looking!

Long ago, the Titan Master Infinitus served as a herald of his master Nexus Prime; when Nexus fell in the First Cybertronian Civil War at the hands of Galvatron, Infinitus joined forces with Nexus's ally, Onyx Prime. White Heat As the Primes faded into the realm of myths, Infinitus remained on Cybertron and used his Titan Master talents to control a larger body, taking on the identity of "Sentinel" to disguise his true lineage while he awaited Onyx's eventual return. In time, Sentinel decided that he would use the teachings of the Primes to bring "light" to the "tarnished world" of his birth... even if it meant killing everyone who stood in his way. White Light Ten to Midnight

My fellow Earthicans, we enjoy so much freedom, it's almost sickening.

In the years before the dawn of the Great War, Sentinel had worked his way up to becoming the head of security for the Senate; Chaos Theory Part 2 unbeknownst to his employers, he secretly assembled a militia of sleeper agents, recruited from his closest informants. Using a forerunner of the infamous shadowplay technique, Sentinel conditioned them to serve him if the time ever came. Last Light

One of the duties of his security force was to go around threatening and killing people who got in the Senate's way or risked embarrassing it. Shortly after an assassination attempt on Nominus Prime, he eagerly watched Senator Proteus announcing the implementation of the "Clampdown", which would improve security at the cost of "some of the freedoms" of the populace. He was constantly interrupted by reports that an intruder was fighting his way into the Grand Imperium, defeating all the security squadrons Sentinel sent at him. Interested in seeing how things would play out, he stood by as Orion Pax entered the Senate's chamber and confronted them over their corruption and detached relation to the populace. Proteus eventually ordered Sentinel to have him removed. Chaos Theory Part 2

As the Clampdown began, the Senate, who were behind the attack on Nominus Prime to begin with, had Sentinel try to tap into the powers of the Matrix of Leadership in the Prime's chest. Post Hoc The Chaos of Warm Things In the process, Sentinel discovered that the Matrix was merely a fake, and with this revelation the Senate decided they had no more use for Nominus and had him killed. They went on to spread rumours that Sentinel was showing signs of affinity for being a Prime Post Hoc while he got to work on planning a "Decepticon terrorist attack" that would give him an excuse to round up all proto-Decepticons and send them off for brainwashing. Patternism While Orion Pax thwarted this, Sentinel's men were still able to discover that Senator Shockwave was quietly forming an army of dissident outliers. Sentinel ordered Shockwave's academy destroyed in an "accident" and Shockwave himself taken into custody. The rebellious Senator confronted Sentinel and Proteus with his knowledge of their illegal takeover of the Senate, but they were nonplussed and had him subjected to empurata and Brainwashing. An Intimate Beheading Shockwaves Orion Pax and his team had a Dead Or Alive warrant put on their heads. All Our Parlous Yesterdays

Upon assuming office, Sentinel Prime operated out of the Security Services Headquarters in Kaon, generally regarded as "the worst place on Cybertron." By this point Sentinel had developed great disdain for government authority, irritated that they kept telling him how to do things instead of just giving him what he asked for. Megatron Origin #1 He would even claim he didn't get to set policy. Megatron Origin #3 Years later, Whirl would say Sentinel took the bad Senate and made it get worse. The Last Autobot He worked alongside Prowl, his lieutenant, and didn't seem that keen on him either, viewing Prowl's methodical approach as anathema to his more straightforward and brutal tactics. Megatron Origin #1 Last Light Sentinel also formed an Elite Guard for all the important work he wanted done and not known about, like secretly capturing a spark hot spot so it could be experimented on and the Functionist Council couldn't use it. All Our Parlous Yesterdays During this time, Sentinel and Prowl briefly visited Luna 2 to check up on the progress of a new energon mine supervised by Soundwave. Another Mine

I am not a crook's head!

Sentinel's Elite Guard clashed with Orion Pax's outlaws over the hot spot and, well, turned out not to be that elite: Sentinel hired bruisers, not people with brains. He lost the hot spot to Pax. All Our Parlous Yesterdays At some point, Sentinel did something later remembered as "lay[ing] claim to a populated world". New Worlds Order

When Senator Decimus was badly injured in a riot, Sentinel ordered Prowl to handle the situation as he didn't "have the struts to deal with another whining senator": if only they gave him "what I need"! Megatron Origin #1 After a surge in illegal gladiatorial bloodsports where Megatron's rose to prominence, he personally took charge of the investigation from Prowl, ordered tactical recon teams ("Panorama") to watch eight potential venues and intelligence officers to watch everything, and a core strike team ("Hammer") to hit Megatron's "cult" when the venue was identified. Officers Bumper and Fastback did indeed find a venue but unfortunately, both were murdered before they could report in. Megatron Origin #2

I remember my body. Flabby, pasty-skinned, riddled with phlebitis. A good Republican body. God, how I loved it.

Sentinel Prime vowed not to let their deaths be in vain, and at their funeral, the Autobot leader urged others to let their deaths be a call to arms. Megatron Origin issue 3 In private, he told his closest minions that he planned to find a Titan and unleash it on the Decepticons! Ten to Midnight Eventually, after Senator Decimus was kidnapped by the Seekers at Megatron's orders, Sentinel Prime led a raid on Megatron's base. They captured Megatron and most of the others, but were forced to free Soundwave per Senate directive, much to Prime's frustration. Megatron Origin #3 Unfortunately for Sentinel, this had been Megatron's plan all along and a "defecting" Starscream released all the prisoners in the Security Services' HQ!

As chaos broke out across Kaon, Sentinel Prime held the line until he decided to take things to the next level. Thus, Prime returned with his massive "Apex" mode, a battle-armor/super-powerful/more-firepower-than-god mode. Megatron Origin #4 His ensuing duel with Megatron was watched from behind the scenes by Soundwave and Shockwave. Soundwaves The additional firepower didn't make much of a difference, seeing as Megatron tore into it and pulled Prime off a cliff. Sentinel was defeated by Megatron. Afterwards, the former Prime's barely functional body was dumped into the middle of the Autobot forces. Prowl ordered a retreat. We would too.

The next morning, Megatron discussed his next moves with Soundwave... sitting on a throne made out of Prime's Apex Armor. Megatron Origin #4 Rumours spread that Sentinel had survived his battle until the replacement Senate put out footage of the body being retrieved. Sentinel's body was subsequently laid to rest, and received a state funeral at the Primal Basilica in which grieving crowds lined the streets. With his first body damaged beyond repair, Infinitus secretly abandoned his old body and went into hiding beneath Kaon. Unable to explain this baffling "mutilation", Prowl claimed that Sentinel's body had been desecrated by Decepticons, who had stolen Sentinel's head. Megatron was left irritated people would blame him for that. The Last Autobot Sentinel Prime was immediately succeeded by Zeta Prime, Spotlight: Blurr and, in spite of his many issues, Sentinel's last stand against Megatron meant that the Autobots remembered him as a hero, his last deed outweighing his many flaws. The Last Autobot

Time for Dicky to get tricky!

From his hiding spot, Infinitus worked to build a new body for himself. This took longer than he expected; according to Infinitus, he was "subconsciously attuning" himself to the spark frequencies of the Titans, and slipped in and out of consciousness over many millions of years. Last Light

Shortly before the Dead Universe invasion in 2006, Optimus Prime would recall Sentinel Prime as he ruminated on the supposed infallibility of a Prime versus the depressing reality. Spotlight: Optimus Prime

Following the end of the war in 2012, Prowl recalled Sentinel's militarism as part of the lineage of 'false Primes' and their failings, expressing that while the Decepticons may have had noble intentions back then, they were long lost by the modern era. Dinobot Hunt Nova Prime briefly took on the appearance of Sentinel Prime as he battled Optimus within the Dead Universe. Finis Temporis

NIXON'S BAAAAACK!

In 2016, an irate Starscream—now running Cybertron—was left spitting teeth at the idea anyone might give Optimus a pass for annexing Earth. He compared the action to Sentinel, saying he'd been the last Prime to lay claim to a populated world. New Worlds Order When the Council of Worlds next convened, Starscream cited Sentinel Prime as one in a series of increasingly corrupt Primes in an attempt to discredit Optimus's recent annexation of Earth. The Medium and the Message The crewmembers on the Lost Light discussed Sentinel frankly as a dangerous ideologue with Brainstorm calling him the first Decepticon. Since everyone usually referred to Sentinel Prime in heroic terms, Tailgate was left confused; Chromedome explained that he'd "lived badly but died well".

Meanwhile, the emergence of Metrotitan on Earth had prompted the creation of Autobot City, accompanied an energy broadcast immortalizing the deeds of Optimus Prime. This burst awoke Sentinel Prime, still hiding beneath Kaon. The former leader viewed Metrotitan's transmission... only to be disgusted by the sight of Autobots fraternizing with Decepticons and the "malformed" colonists from the Titan colonies—signs of compromise that he could not abide. Sentinel activated his new body, then headed to the Decepticon ghetto outside of Metroplex, vowing to purge his planet of "inferiors" The Last Autobot Trouncing Ironhide's security forces, Sentinel opened fire indiscriminately and killed 23 individuals before attacking Starscream with a spark disruptor. Ten to Midnight The Last Autobot Windblade managed to save Starscream's life by taking the weapon into her own Spark chamber, but the two were unable to stop Sentinel from bridging to Earth. After arriving outside Autobot City, he took down Aileron and destroyed the spacebridge behind him. Sentinel took a moment to appreciate Optimus Prime's imperialistic spirit... a moment that was cut short when Infinitus detached himself from his host body, vowing to burn down everything that his successor had created. The Last Autobot

"Now look here, you drugged-out Communist. I paid for this body and I'd no sooner return it than I would my little cocker spaniel dog, Checkers!"

His first obstacle was Alpha Trion, who he sneered at for only ever talking and doing nothing during his reign. In a brief fight, Sentinel cut Trion's head off and took control of his alternate mode as a personal plane, while Sentinel's headless body stayed behind to engage the Autobots as a distraction. Wearing Trion's body, Sentinel retrieved his fellow Titan Master Sovereign, who had been under a deep-cover identity as the human Garrison Blackrock, and flew him back to Metrotitan to be fully transformed. After reuniting with his main body, he had Sovereign warp them, Soundwave, and Optimus Prime away. White Light

The quartet traveled to the remains of the planet Prion, abandoned by Micronus Prime to die with the Mini-Cons he had watched over. Sentinel explained his history to Optimus, revealed that the identity of "Sentinel" had always been a lie to conceal his true heritage as a Titan Master, and, with Onyx's return imminent, offered his successor a chance to join him and Sovereign in their new crusade. When Soundwave insulted his Primehood, Infinitus had Sovereign impale him using Alpha Trion's body before Optimus then tackled Sentinel into Sovereign, freeing Soundwave and giving the Decepticon enough time to reawaken Sovereign's "Blackrock" persona. Undeterred, Sentinel simply grabbed Sovereign and fled through Prion's spacebridge vowing to destroy the current Cybertron. White Heat

"I've become bitter, and, let's face it, crazy over the years."

The Titan Master duo arrived on Luna 1, where Sentinel intended to finally put his old contingency plan into play by first reactivating the hordes of dead Titans that littered the moon's surface. Along the way, Sentinel cut down the Autobot Outrigger and ordered Sovereign to devour his spark to power his own system; when Sovereign refused and Outrigger escaped, Sentinel hardwired him into a Titan's brain module and had it make a beeline for the moon's thrusters. Red Alert tried to stand up to Sentinel, but the evil Prime revealed that Red Alert had been one of his many sleeper agents, and promptly triggered the mental conditioning that led him to shoot Prowl, leaving only Fortress Maximus and Cerebros to stand up to Sentinel. Ten to Midnight

As Red Alert battled Fortress Maximus, Sentinel gloated to Cerebros and revealed the full scope of his plan: using the quantum foam from Luna 1's engines, he would supercharge a spacebridge to Cybertron, allowing a horde of reanimated Titan corpses to travel through the portal and destroy everything on Cybertron, leaving a blank slate on which he could rebuild his "perfect" Autobot society. But before he could deliver the final blow, Prowl smashed a M.A.R.B. over his head; Fortress Maximus commandeered one of the many Titans to fend off the zombie horde, holding off as many of Sentinel's Titans as he could, while Prowl and Cerebros confronted Sentinel himself. Sentinel quickly dispatched the pair and ordered Red Alert to shoot Prowl in the back of the head—but Red Alert had already broken Sentinel's conditioning, and shot his Titan Master self off of his larger body. Sentinel was quick to reassert a measure of control over Red Alert, nearly forcing him to blast his own head off before Beak slammed into Sentinel, sending the Titan Master plummeting into one of the moon's thrusters where he unceremoniously perished. The spacebridge closed without his thoughts keeping it open; Last Light although Fortress Maximus had not been able to prevent all of the Titans from making it through the bridge, the disruption meant that the Titans would materialize far away from Cybertron and ultimately took many weeks to finally arrive. Ping

2006 IDW Beast Wars continuity

Sentinel Prime died during the Great War, and Optimus Prime succeeded him. Beast Wars Sourcebook

Transformers vs. G.I. Joe

Among others, Sentinel Prime appeared to haunt Megatron through the Matrix. Sentinel in particular mocked the Decepticon's gladiatorial origins and the fact that he considered himself an emperor. Megatron, however, refused to break and continued with his plans. Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #12

Titans Return marketing material

I'm meeting you halfway, you stupid hippies!

Sentinel Prime unexpectedly returned after unspecified circumstances. He proved himself to be an unpredictable force, with his own plans to return Cybertron to its former glory.^[1] When the Titan Masters reemerged into the modern Autobot-Decepticon war, Sentinel Prime was partnered with the Titan Master Infinitus, whose ability to slow time allowed Sentinel to unleash precision attacks even in the middle of raging battles. Titans Return Infinitus/Sentinel Prime toy bio

When Scourge and Crashbash attacked Velocitron during the planet's biggest race, Sentinel Prime fought alongside Hardhead and Optimus Prime to repel the invaders, defending Hyperfire from Decepticon abduction. Titans Return: The Power of the Titan Masters

When Fortress Maximus returned to full size and unleashed his power on the universe, Sentinel Prime went rogue and sought to control him by using a loyal Titan Master. His plans for domination put him in conflict with Brainstorm, Teslor, and Windblade.^[1]

Prime Wars Trilogy cartoons

When the Mistress of Flame visited the Primal Basilica, she invoked the names of the Thirteen Primes in prayer, calling for the wisdom of Sentinel Prime. Overlord and Emissary

2019 IDW continuity

First appearance: Transformers #3 (mentioned); Transformers #10 (full appearance)

"This is incredible. It’s God’s most wondrous miracle."
"Sir, I think your wife wants to hold the baby."
"My wife?? Where? WHERE??" (Runs off)

During the reign of Nominus Prime, Sentinel was called in into investigate an unprecedented accidental forging at the site of Iacon's Pyramid, and was thus the first 'bot encountered by the newly forged Cliffjumper. Wannabee, Part 2 Eventually, Sentinel would himself rise to the rank of Prime after Nominus Prime surrendered leadership of the Autobots; accepting the Matrix of Leadership, Sentinel Prime took over as the new First Senator. All Fall Down In his new role, the Prime adhered to his predecessor's doctrine: his party continued to uphold the historic Nominus Edict that limited Cybertronian expansionism, The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Four supported Nominus's decision to keep the Great General Pyra Magna indefinitely imprisoned, All Fall Down and restrict the forging of new Titans, Titans as well as abolishing the traditional sport of gladiatorial combat. Transformers Valentine's Day Special Before long, Sentinel had developed a reputation for a straightforward and unsubtle approach to diplomacy, Nautica: Home although the gravitas that his force of personality exerted over the Senate was indisputable: without his presence, the Senate would be paralyzed by indecision and infighting. The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Four Wannabee, Part 2 To keep the existence of hidden-away Titansparks under the Pyramid a secret, Sentinel bribed Starscream with the position of Head of Intelligence. Titans

An image of Sentinel Prime appeared over the Senate as Termagax promoted her new Ascenticon political party, in opposition to his ideals. End of Time

""Demand?" Who are you to demand anything? I run this town! You're just a bunch of low income nobodies!"

Just before the outbreak of the Great War, Sentinel Prime and his inner retinue conducted a goodwill tour of Cybertron's various colony worlds aboard the Titan Lodestar, unaware of mounting political tensions on Cybertron between Senator Orion Pax's Autobots and Megatron's Ascenticons. The World In Your Eyes Part Three With Sentinel Prime offworld, Orion opted to take command of the Senate in between filling in for Sentinel's other duties, such as welcoming newly forged Transformers like Gauge into the world, The World In Your Eyes Part Four while instructing Ironhide to keep Sentinel Prime informed. The World In Your Eyes Part Three

The situation quickly escalated beyond Pax's ability to control the Ascenticons, and upon learning of both Brainstorm and Rubble's murders Sentinel Prime promptly cut his tour short. At the colony world of Hexagon, Sentinel informed his cadre of specialists and diplomats that they would set course for Cybertron immediately after all visiting aliens had departed. As Lodestar prepared to set course for home, Nautica informed him that she and Road Rage had foiled a Thraal plot to destroy their Titan in an attempt to intimidate Cybertron into surrendering their A'ovan refugees. Unwilling to import such troubles into Cybertronian society, Sentinel ordered Nautica to be silent on this incident and allow it to be handled quietly. Nautica: Home

Once Lodestar touched down on Cybertron, Sentinel dismissed Ironhide and made his way directly to the Senate. The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Four When he arrived, Chromia briefed him on the situation, specifically the events concerning Barricade, who had sought asylum at Ascenticon Headquarters. Though allowing Orion Pax to try and reason with Megatron, he only gave him until sundown to retrieve Barricade, whereupon he would give Chromia carte blanche to get to the rogue. The Cracks Beneath Your Feet Part Five Sentinel spent the next few days catching up on what had been going on while he was away, which began to rapidly chip away at what little patience he had. The last straw came when Senator Soundwave delivered the Ascenticons' demand that, in light of the situation, there be an immediate election. Sentinel emphatically said "no" and subsequently ordered literally every Security Operations agent out into the field to root out The Rise. The Change In Your Nature Part One

"I propose that I use what's left of the town treasury to move to a more prosperous town and run for mayor. And, er, once elected, I will send for the rest of you."

Flanked by Orion, Sentinel made a public address where he condemned the Ascenticons and their empty promises. When Pax and Chromia later brought Sentinel an update on the situation, the First Senator allowed the rules of the Nominus Edict to be bent for the purposes of Security Operations' mission but also made several other changes to their normal operations while stressing success over a zero-fatality rate, deputizing Colonial Security chiefs Novastar and Hound to organize proactive response teams. The Change In Your Nature Part Three To stamp out the Ascenticons before they could do any more damage, Sentinel also planned to arrest Senator Soundwave at an upcoming debate in a sting operation, only for fellow senator Heretech to covertly forewarn Megatron of the plan. The Change In Your Nature Part Four

"Uh, election in November, election in November."
"What? Again?! This stupid country..."

Following a major terrorist attack on Cybertron and the destruction of the Tether, Sentinel and Orion met to assess the scope and scale of the damage. Although Orion urged caution and restraint—rebuilding and reassessing rather than going after the Ascenticons—Sentinel would not be dissuaded from his course of action, and Orion's suggestion that Pyra Magna be released from prison to coordinate an anti-Ascenticon crackdown eroded Sentinel's patience to nothing. Storming from the room, Sentinel shouted that he would pass the Matrix to Ultra Magnus when he stepped down, not Orion. All Fall Down When inflaming societal tensions led to protest marches, Sentinel ordered Ironhide to clear out the crowd. Swindle's

When Quake had finally been detained, Sentinel arranged for the murderer to be publicly marched directly to the Senate building in the hopes that the spectacle would discourage the Ascenticons and their supporters. However, his unwise pageantry only led to a coordinated strike that ended with Bumblebee murdering the escaped Quake before he could be tried. Prisoners Finally, Sentinel convened an emergency session of the Senate without the Ascenticons, and coined the name "Decepticons" as a way to condemn Megatron's underhanded tactics. He didn't get far into this speech before Megatron and his retinue barged into the Senate floor; while Strika restrained Sentinel, Megatron made his own speech that began with him reclaiming Sentinel's off-the-cuff insult and ended with his Decepticon troopers taking over the Senate. We Have Deceived You

"I'll bet I get blamed for this..."

While Megatron kept most of his prisoners on the Senate floor itself, he had Sentinel and Orion moved to a high-security prison wing, and took a moment to gloat in front of the imprisoned First Senator. Despite Sentinel's final warning—that if Megatron restarted the cycle of colonization and expansion that had defined Cybertron's past, other races would surely fight back against Cybertron—Megatron was more interested in the Matrix he carried. Ironhide and the Senate Guard eventually broke into the Senate building and freed Sentinel, but stopped their leader from going to personally settle his score with Megatron. After escaping to the Autobot fallback point, Sentinel instead decided to find a relay tower and broadcast a message that Megatron had not yet won—but as he transformed and flew off, he recklessly ignored the fact that the Autobot resistance didn't have any fliers to cover his departure. Sure enough, Megatron ordered the Rainmakers to bring him back, and the three knocked him out of the sky and sent him crashing into a nearby bar. While Sentinel easily pounded Ion Storm into a nearby wall, Acid Storm's corrosive barrage weakened him and Nova Storm sliced him in half. Chromia and Orion arrived too late to save him. Prime Deducing Starscream's betrayal, to protect the Titansparks from the Decepticons, Titans Sentinel, with his last words, told Orion to warn Perceptor, kill Starscream, and pass his Matrix on to Ultra Magnus before he succumbed to his wounds and died. After taking the Matrix, Orion Pax glimpsed Sentinel Prime's spirit among the many other Cybertronian leaders who had carried the artifact before accepting the mantle of Optimus Prime. Prime

Laying Sentinel Prime's tattered body to rest, Optimus and Ironhide reflected on his last words and their meaning. Despite their past differences, Optimus Prime respectfully praised Sentinel for rising to meet the demands of leadership the Matrix placed on him and hoped to do the same. Awakenings

Games

Transformers Legends

The last card here's a little redundant on this page if you scroll back up a ways.

Following an uprising of working-class robots, Sentinel Prime sent Alpha Trion to investigate the gladiatorial pit fights in Kaon, and the emergence of the Decepticon movement. Alpha Trion uncovered Senator Ratbat's involvement in the whole affair, and reported his findings to Sentinel Prime. Megatron Origins

As Megatron's forces made their way to activate Cybertron's planetary engines in order to wipe out the Autobots, Sentinel Prime went to meet with the Decepticon leader in Tyrest, believing Megatron could be reasoned with. Instead Megatron ambushed Sentinel Prime's group and slew the Prime. Sadly for Megatron, Sentinel was not carrying the coveted Matrix of Leadership, having sensibly left it behind. The War Within

Transformers Online (2017)

During the Cybertronian Civil War, Sentinel Prime was killed. Prior to his destruction, he bestowed the Matrix of Leadership to Optimus Prime, who became the new leader of the Autobots. Transformers Online

Toys

Titans Return

He's easily confused with Astrotrain. No, he's not Quintessa.

• Autobot Infinitus & Sentinel Prime (Voyager Class, 2016)

• Accessories: 2 guns, Infinitus Titan Master
• Known designers: John Warden (Hasbro)

Sentinel Prime is part of the first wave of Titans Return Voyager Class toys. He transforms from a robot to a shuttle to an armored train and back. Both vehicle modes use many flip-out panels to fill in his vehicle mode, leaving minimal robot kibble visible. Sentinel takes design cues from both Generation 1 Astrotrain and Alex Milne's IDW Sentinel Prime, while Infinitus's robot mode is entirely the Sentinel design.

His Titan Master partner Infinitus transforms into his head (but any Titan Master-class figure is compatible), and he features spring-loaded pylons that pop out of his shoulders on either side of his head to "bulk up" his noggin, like all Titans Return Voyager-class figures. Despite restricting the articulation of his neck, the towers themselves are in an assembly that can be rotated for a better range of motion. Sentinel can be transformed into his shuttle mode without removing his head, leaving it somewhat hidden on its backside.

He includes two hand-held, non-firing blasters which can be combined to form a larger double-barreled weapon. The larger gun or the combined mode can be piloted by a Titan Master. Each weapon has multiple pegs which can be mounted on the wing struts, wing tips, knees, or shoulder slots. Sentinel himself can be piloted from a translucent yellow cabin between his rear stabilizers.

The computer-generated promo art and additional stock photos for this figure are inaccurate, depicting Sentinel with the ends of his train mode for feet, while his instructions use the nose cone portion of the shuttle mode. The train engine ends can be used as feet, but they sit at an awkward angle that makes it hard for Sentinel to stand upright. He also appears darker, less saturated orange than the final product.

Unfortunately, due to being used for transformation, the port for the collector display stand on his two-piece rear waist tends to be misaligned, and the hole is not shallow enough to fully secure its connection.

Sentinel also comes with a collector card based on his packaging art.

This mold was also made into Titans Return Astrotrain and served as the model for Omega Sentinel in the Primus Vanguard.

• More information on Titans Return Sentinel Prime at TFU.info

Now with extra BURNING SPIRIT!

• Titan Force (Multi-pack, July 21, 2016)

• Release date: July 21, 2016
• Accessories: 2 Guns, Infinitus Titan Master

This recolored version of Sentinel Prime with translucent orange parts was only available in a giftset together with "Titan Force" redecoes of Brainstorm and Windblade, each with unique decoration. Rather than being marked as an Autobot, he instead bears the symbol of the Security Forces that his troops wore in the Megatron Origin comic.

In the United States, this set was exclusive to the Hasbro Toy Shop website and the Hasbro Toy Shop booth at San Diego Comic-Con 2016. In the United Kingdom, it was exclusive to the A1 Toys website and their booth at London Film & Comic Con 2016 (with Brainstorm renamed into "Charon" for trademark reasons); in China, it was exclusive to Cybertron Con Shanghai; in Hong Kong, it was exclusive to Animation-Comic-Game 2016; and in Canada, it was exclusive to the HasbroStore booth at Fan Expo 2016.

This toy is used for Red Sentinel Prime in the Generations Selects comics.

Missing Link

EXPLORE EXPLORE! REDECO REDECO!

• Sentinel Prime (センチネルプライム, 2024)

• ID Number: C-01S
• Release date: 2024 September 12
• Accessories: "Rust Cannon", Matrix, "Zeta Module", "Rage Axe", 4 Missiles, Fuel Pump, Nozzle and Hose
• Known designers: Hirofumi Ichikawa (deco, bio)^[2]

Missing Link Sentinel Prime exclusively debuted at the 40th Anniversary Transformers Expo 2024 in Tokyo, Japan as a redeco of Missing Link C-01 Convoy in predominantly yellow with a trailer in shades of grey, as a no foolin' homage to the truck scanned by the Sky Spy in the The Transformers episode "More than Meets the Eye, Part 1"^[3] (albeit in a less saturated tone thanks to Takara's color schemes descending from the LaserDisc releases of most episodes). The color also homages Sentinel Prime from the 2005 IDW series. As the mold is a direct recreation of the original The Transformers Optimus Prime toy but with the benefit of forty years of advances in toy engineering, it retains almost all of the original toy's gimmicks, and adds a bunch more.

Sentinel Prime retains the Convoy toy's accessories, including the transforming Combat Deck with repair drone, now recast as Sentinel's "Zeta Module" which can detach from the trailer and roll around on its own wheels. The Roller accessory (now Dillo in an amazingly deep cut) can mount the toy's Rust Cannon, a port that is hinged to rotate out of sight. Dillo's wheels and the toy's missiles are packed still attached to their sprue just like in the old days, complete with an extravagant spare set of missiles. The fuel pump, hose and nozzle are also included; in addition to these classic parts, the toy also comes with a chrome green Matrix of Leadership which fits in his chest. A special mounting piece for the Matrix sits behind the truck windows, but can be removed to reveal the classic seats for smaller Diaclone figures.

The toy has rubber tires (with the classic real-world "Desert Dog Formula" brand), die-cast parts, and features all the same vacuum metallized surfaces as the vintage toy, with the gas tanks being in a darker gunmetal color. The details of the original stickers (on the arms, knees, and toes) have been fully molded into the plastic and picked out with paint and the entire head is painted in yellow.

The packaging for Sentinel is a grayscale version of C-01 with the name changed to Sentinel Prime. The sticker sheet remains unchanged, and unlike the box art the card includes a recoloured Optimus into the new Sentinel colors.

Merchandise

Transformers Character Card

• Sentinel Prime and Ratbat Set (December, 2024)
  • ID number: 97 & 98

Released as part of the thirteenth wave of the e-HOBBY exclusive Transformers Character Card series, this pair of holographic trading cards depict super-deformed art of Sentinel Prime (with Infinitus) in his Titans Return form and Ratbat (himself in his "Senator" form from the 2013 Generations toyline toyline) along with character profiles and tech specs.

• Translation of Sentinel Prime's Transformers Character Card

This item is currently scheduled for release, but is not yet available at mass retail.

Notes

• In an impressive case of size changing, U-Haul Robot's head alone forms the entire driver's section of the truck cab!
• In a few instances throughout the third season of the Generation 1 animated series, the Constructicon Long Haul appears in the U-Haul Robot's color scheme. Guess AKOM got their "Hauls" mixed up!
• The retelling of Unicron's origin in the UK comics included a brief glimpse of a dying Matrix bearer passing the Matrix of Leadership to Optimus Prime. However, as he is unnamed, the only way we can presume this being is Sentinel Prime is because, as we are told later, Sentinel Prime was the leader before Optimus. Fun fact: "State Games" calling Optimus Prime "Optimus Prime" means Sentinel does this pre-war!
• Sentinel's 2007 IDW design was based on his first (and otherwise only prior) appearance in the 1988 Marvel comics panel shown above. The resemblance is a little more obvious in Spotlight: Optimus Prime than it is in his more stylized appearance in Megatron Origin, but his yellow-red-and-orange armor, crested helm, and the row of three small "windows" on his chest are all derived from his Marvel look. IDW's Sentinel is also very heavily armed, not unlike the description of the character given by the Hardwired novel.
• Sentinel Prime didn't receive a proper toy until 2016, but he did come close previously. As revealed in the Transformers Collectors' Club roundtable panel at BotCon 2007, the original concept for the convention-exclusive redeco of Deluxe Class Cybertron Defense Hot Shot was Sentinel Prime. The mold DOES bear a decent resemblance to his IDW appearance, but in the end it was decided that Springer was a better choice for the mold (and likely for the ongoing club comic story).
• The resurrected Sentinel in the 2005-2018 IDW continuity appears to be wearing modular, black armor over his toy design, rather than having the toy design itself.
• According to ABN in Recordicons #9, Vector Prime "always lies about Five Faces of Darkness". If true, this would mean that the guy from Five Faces isn't necessarily Sentinel Prime; we're keeping this page as-is because there's no objective evidence either way, and Sentinel Prime is more convenient as a page title than "U-Haul Robot".

Foreign names

• Japanese: Sentinel Prime (センチネルプライム Senchineru Puraimu)

References