Transformers: Cybertron (franchise)

Unicron Trilogy continuity family « Cybertron Toyline Cartoon Manga Commercials

Transformers: Cybertronis the third and final Transformersfranchisein theUnicron Trilogy.It was made concurrently and cooperatively withTakara,who named the franchiseTransformers: Galaxy Force(トランスフォーマー ギャラクシーフォースToransufōmā Gyarakushī Fōsu) in their markets.

TheCybertronfranchise featured the following primary components:

• A toyline
• A cartoon series

A comic book series was initially planned forCybertron,but its intended publisher,Dreamwave,went out of business before the line began.IDW Publishingoriginally discussed doing aCybertronseries, starting it off with a Generation 1 crossover, but this was dropped (the pitch is included in theBest of Simon Furmantrade).^[1]

TheTransformers Collectors' Clubpublished a 12-part story arc titledBalancing Actin comic form, in themonthly magazine,branded with theCybertronname. This comic, while featuring Unicron Trilogy characters, also stars various characters from other universes, and is loosely tied to3H'sThe WreckersandUniverseseries.

The Transformers Collectors' Club fiction:

• Balancing Act
• "The Dark Heart of Sandokan"
• "Force of Habit"

Galaxy Force

Galaxy Force,the Japanese version ofCybertron,is somewhat different than its English counterpart.

Before the cartoon series

As originally intended by Hasbro and Takara, the story was a continuation of the previousArmada/Legend of the MicronsandEnergon/Super Linkseries. Many of the toys were clearly designed to be recurring cast members from those series. An October 2004 press release byWe've,the producers of the cartoon, treatedGalaxy Forceas a continuation. However, a few weeks later, the November issue ofNewtypemagazine did a special feature on the upcoming show where there was no connection to the previous series.^[2]A list of toys dating to February 2005 showed how many characters had been renamed to distinguish them as entirely new characters: Hot Shot/Exillion, Red Alert/First Aid, Landmine/Guardshell, and Jetfire/Dreadrock.^[3]As written, theGalaxy Forcecartoon wound up having no story ties toanypreviousTransformersseries, instead presenting a standalone continuity.

When dubbed into English asCybertron,the cartoon's plot was treated as a continuation ofEnergon.Most notably, the "Grand Black Hole" which drives the plot was explicitly recontextualized as the "Unicron Singularity",created in the wake of Unicron's destruction at the end ofEnergon.For the final episode, Hasbro even went so far as to commission original animation calling back toArmadaandEnergon.However, simply by nature of how the show was being written,many inconsistenciesarose with the previous series along the way.

All that said,TakaraTomythemselves consistently treatedGalaxy Forceas being part of the Japanese Unicron Trilogy, as per the original plan. In addition to liner notes published with theGalaxy ForceDVDs making references to previous series in a manner that mirrored the American material before the show was even off the air, atimelinepublished in early 2007 on TakaraTomy's officialTransformerswebsite outright stated thatGalaxy Forcetook place in the Unicron Trilogy universe (albeit onlyoneyear afterEnergon/Super Link,rather than the ten years established in American material). Aflowchartpublished on the then-contemporary "World of the Transformers"website, as well as later charts and timelines published by Japanese magazines in the years since, have likewise groupedGalaxy Forcewith its two immediate predecessors, but also took a more ambiguous stance on its exact placement in relation to them.

Notes

• WhenIDW Publishingpicked up theTransformerslicense,Simon Furmanpitched an idea for an ongoingCybertroncomic that was ultimately never used. The plot would have been generally similar to that of the cartoon; however, planet Cybertron would have been tethered to Earth's "energon core" to delay its destruction. The comic would also have tied in to an ongoing G1 comic that Furman pitched simultaneously, with Vector Prime travelling between both universes to guide the Autobots of both worlds. Furman intended both series to eventually converge in an epic clash uniting Transformers from across themultiversein a huge battle over the fate of existence.^[4]

References

1. ↑Simon Furman Q&A Volume 2 LIVE!via Wayback Machine
2. ↑22 October 2004 and 10 November 2004, Fantofan.jpvia Wayback Machine
3. ↑"A mysterious document. Thần bí の công văn." —Monzo, Twitter, 2019/04/27
4. ↑Pitch printed inThe Transformers: The Best of Simon Furman.

External links

• Takara's official timeline placingGalaxy Forcein continuity withLegends of the MicronsandSuper Link^{(dead link)}