Zilong Qian
From Transformers Wiki
| The name or term "Talon" refers to more than one character or idea. For a list of other meanings, see Talon (disambiguation). |
- Zilong Qian is a G.I. Joe-aligned human from the IDW portion of the Generation 1 continuity family.
Zilong Qian is an operative of the People's Liberation Army Mecha Force, the new military division of China. He's not very friendly to Cybertronians.
Qian is currently operating with G.I. Joe with the code name of Talon.
Contents |
Fiction
2005 IDW continuity
Zilong Qian grew up in Beijing with a dog and a skateboard, having bad relations with a total square of an old lady who lived next door. Then the Decepticons invaded in 2008. A glancing blast hit his street and crippled the old lady, and Zilong knew just enough first aid to know his first aid wouldn't help much. In the aftermath, he joined the military as a pilot. A Lonely Pillar on the Plain
The Chinese government later struck up a temporary alliance with the marooned Predacons, only adding to Zilong's dislike of the Cybertronians. The Iron Klaw After the collapse of Skywatch, he joined the People's Liberation Army Mecha Force: China's domestic counterpart to the Earth Defense Command, an agency neither Zilong nor his peers trusted to be more than a U.S. proxy. A Lonely Pillar on the Plain
Zilong Qian led the Mecha Force in an attack run against the Transformers in Shanghai, ordering that nobody involved got to walk away. With organised tactical force, he killed several Transformers and forced both sides into retreat... not realising that in the Autobots' case, they didn't want to kill humans. Zilong was very unhappy when Optimus Prime subsequently broadcast a declaration that Earth was now an Autobot protectorate. Once Upon a Time on Earth
The President of the United States had the Mecha Force invited to operate on U.S. soil, with Zilong as the liaison between her and Beijing. (He officiously explained how the People's Liberation Army Mecha Force wasn't the same thing as the actual army but nobody cared except nerds.) New Worlds Order His first mission was, alongside Earth Defense Command and U.S. military, to raid a suspected Autobot base in the Sierras. (Notorious criminal and reckless killer Spike Witwicky liked him cos Zilong liked killing Transformers too!) When they got there, they found the Autobots had left a message of "WE ARE HERE TO HELP" for the humans to find. In a discussion about their agenda, Zilong opined that the real difference was the Decepticons wanted to kill them all and the Autobots just wanted resources. When Aileron accidentally helped his case by attacking the White House, he helped drive the Autobots off by using China's orbital laser death cannon at Marissa Faireborn's request. Edge of the Earth
Shortly after, and with a growing friendly relationship with Spike, Qian joined an attack on the Autobot field base at Monument Valley. He personally shot an Insecticon off Spike's ship and demanded Optimus surrender if he wanted to live. It's Beginning To And Back Again Soundwave eventually tired of playing dummy and rushed into battle effortlessly overpowering Qian's mech. Qian panicked and begged Spike to save him before Soundwave began melting both their minds with his telepathic powers. This granted the Decepticon a realization about humans and he surrendered to them. Optimus Prime then raised Metrotitan from beneath the ground and sent Qian and the other humans running away. As Above...So Below Back at the White House, he question why the humans should trust Blackrock (because Blackrock had charisma). He later observed Optimus place Galvatron's head on the lawn of the White House. No Fair Fights
When Joe Colton was placed in command of the EDC, Qian joined G.I. Joe under the codename "Talon". He was part of a squad sent to capture Galvatron's troops only to be beaten back by Victorion. He was dismayed to once again be humiliated by the Combiner before he managed to impale an unsuspecting Blitzwing, whom he began to transport back to Governor's Island. He considered this a victory and looked forward to picking through the ruined remains of the Nemesis. He was also pleased with the more violent approach of the new management. White Heat He was left behind to guard Governor's Island as the bulk of G.I. Joe was off fighting Dire Wraiths at Bikini Atoll and forced to listen to Spike's whining. Talon then barely managed to give the base an early warning before Action Man broke into the base, freed Kup, and turned M.A.S.K. on G.I. Joe. The Modern World Following that, he was given squad leader rank in the Joes: above that of Spike. He was left on edge in this once solely American agency, wondering if he was just a distraction for it still being U.S. run and finding it hard to get on with most of the old guard. A Lonely Pillar on the Plain
Angry as ever due to Soundwave destroying his battle armor, Concorde Hymn Talon led the unit to the Matterhorn where the Autobots had made first contact with the Junkions. Talon fired on the Autobots, ordering them to return to their ship but this prompted the Junkions to join their mechanical brethren and ignore the humans. Angry at the United States for its seeming imperialism, angry at the Cybertronians for waging war on Earth, Talon took his anger out on Spike as the humans were forced to watch the spaceships hover above them. Continuing his temper tantrum, he checked up on the progress of breaking through both ship's cloaking fields. Without Blackrock, progress was non-existent and Spike suggested contacting Thundercracker but Talon adamantly refused, citing the need for a purely human-won victory. A Lonely Pillar on the Plain
Soundwave soon arrived at the human base camp to seek the aid of Mainframe and Hi-Tech much to Talon's aggravation, though Soundwave didn't much care. Behind My Bleeding Back Watching the communications chief work, Talon was able to deduce that he was acting without Optimus' approval and suspected that the Prime was holding something over him. The next morning, Talon was left on the ground as world leaders arrived at Autobot City only for the Junkions to let loose their Sharkticon army. Dance Among the Shadows Talon asked Spike for advice but this proved an unfruitful endeavor. Future Glories Lost After the Sharkticons turned on the Junkions, Talon reported to the world leaders that the invasion was worldwide and that Scarlett was sending reinforcements. Feel Safe Without Regrets
When Jazz gave an interview on Mexican television, Talon led a squad to arrest him for the killing of John Powell only to find that the Autobot had deduced their stratagem and was long gone. What It's Really Like
When Marissa Faireborn was sworn in as Earth's representative on the Council of Worlds, Talon was part of her security force. First Strike #1 When the Iron Ring struck, Talon was among those taken prisoner by Major Bludd and his Red Shadows, being saved by Ironhide. First Strike #2
Some months later, when Trypticon space bridged atop Mount Rushmore, Talon was part of the G.I. Joe force that quarantined the site. When Jazz surrendered himself to allow Rom to use Trypticon's space bridge, Unstopped and Unstoppable Talon oversaw him being locked up. When the Colonist Soldiers rushed in to try and rescue Jazz, Talon, to no avail, tried to deter Jazz from helping them, highlighting that the Autobot had followed the law. The fighting came to an abrupt halt when Unicron showed up over Earth. Time Will Rust When Sofía Orozco arrived, Talon and Spike attempted to bar her access only for Jazz to allow her in. A Sunrise Dark
When the Maximals made a run for the Talisman, Talon led a G.I. Joe air fleet to meet them in battle only for the bestial Cybertronians to reduce the fleet to scrap metal. Assembly When Spike was knocked out of the sky, he somehow brought Talon down with him, the two winding up in an African jungle. As Spike apologized and bemoaned that everyone else would have to manage without him, Talon, finally at wit's end, told Spike to, just for once, shut up. Ceremony
Retrieved once the threat had passed, Talon was later part of the G.I. Joe delegation that attended Optimus Prime's funeral. Post
Renegade Rhetoric
Notes
- The name Zǐlóng (子龍/子龙) is best known as the courtesy name of the ancient Chinese general Zhàoyún (趙雲/赵云), a major character in the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In real life, however, it is not part of Chinese culture for parents to copy the names of historical celebrities for their children, so Zilong's actual name would likely be spelled differently in Chinese text.
- "Qian" could be one of two possible Chinese surnames, but is likely Qián (錢/钱).
