Zeta Prime (G1)

Zeta Prime is anAutobotfrom theGeneration 1 continuity family.

Behind these cannon-arms and these elaborate cape-spikes and this deathmask face is a winning smile!

Thrust into authority by the death of the previous Matrix bearer,Zeta Primetook on the thankless job of heading the Autobot forces in the wake ofDecepticonconflicts. He's probably a pretty nice guy! After all, Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light, and Zeta looks downright friggin' evil. Is that masked, horned face the face of someone who would torture and brainwash the dissidents and suck fuel from his own citizens to fuel his army? Totally! So if he were actually bad, he'd probably try to hide it a little, don't you think?

Fiction

The Transformerscartoon

Voice actor:Phillip Clarke(English),Éric Etcheverry(European French)

The classic battle between evil and the narrator.

Zeta Prime inherited theMatrix of LeadershipfromGuardian Primewhen he was killed during the early days of the war with the Decepticons. His stint as Autobot leader appears to have been a short-lived one, as he died before the end of the war and was succeeded bySentinel Prime.

WhenRodimus Primejourneyed into the Matrix in 2005, Zeta Prime was the fifth guide he encountered, who gave a very short account of the continuing Autobot-Decepticon war.Five Faces of Darkness, Part 4

2005 IDW continuity

First appearance:Spotlight: Blurr(mentioned);Autocracy#2

What a friendly fellow.

Before the war,Zeta ofSistexAll Our Parlous Yesterdayscame in contact withSenator Shockwave,who saw him as a promising character with the potential to become a powerful leader who'd change Cybertron for the better, and had his body modified to incorporate aMatrixcavity in order to push him towards this path. After not hearing from Shockwave for a while, Zeta followed instructions left to him and sought outOrion Pax,one of theotherpromising Cybertronians befriended and modified by the Senator.An Intimate Beheading

When Pax went on the run, Zeta remained his contact in Iacon and a replacement mentor. In 1st cycle 502, he got wind of a newspark "hot spot"in theAlyonregion: one the Senate were keeping secret as it was in the shape of ahand,the mythical digits ofPrimuspressing the planet into shape. Rather than allow the religiousFunctionist Councilto use that for a power grab, the Senate were likely to kill the newborns. Zeta alerted Pax and his crew, who would later request reinforcements from him. He didn't receive the message butsomeoneshowed upanyway.All Our Parlous Yesterdays

Got put in charge of the planet and just decided to suddenly start wearing this death face mask, as you do.

Following the death ofSentinel Prime,Zeta did indeed live up to Shockwave's expectations and rose to the rank of Prime, and together with Pax reformed Sentinel's security forces into the new Autobot faction.Omega's ConundrumSpotlight: BlurrPart of this meant faking a 'Matrix affinity', as the glitter bauble was secretly a replica but stillbelievedto be divine.To Walk Among the Chosen

In order to facilitate a hostage exchange withDecepticonsin theRust Spot,Zeta commissioned a refit for Orion Pax, who led a group that consisted of Pax himself,Nightbeat,andAlpha Trionto saveRatchet.Omega's ConundrumDuring his tenure he brought about many changes, such as granting more rights to"disposable class"citizensBefore & Afterand instating a new, compulsoryDecepticon Registration Act.An Intimate BeheadingZeta Prime solidified the Autobot security forces into a true army to withstand the civil war Cybertron suddenly found itself embroiled in. Towards this end, he locked down most recreational activities, as they were magnets for terrorist activity by the Decepticons. This included a direct order to shut down the races which broughtBlurr's stardom.

Look at me, I'm such a protagonist.

In the wake of these shutdowns, he increased Autobot recruitment heavily, and many former entertainers joined the Autobot forces, only to find they were ill-prepared for the realities of war. Many attempts on his life were hatched, including one which was intercepted by a group of Autobots that included Orion Pax, then going by the name Optimus. Optimus was able to convince Blurr to carry news of the plot to Zeta Prime before the assassins could reach him.Spotlight: BlurrAt the surface, Zeta appeared to be a change from the corrupt regime of theSenate,a view which he encouraged by rebranding his changes as "new", including a New Senate and aNew Imperium.Changes were slow but happening, to the extent that Pax could no longer understand why the Decepticons might feel violent change was neededRemembrance DayOmega's Conundrumand himself admired Zeta.Finis TemporisRatchet agreed to be Zeta's new Chief Medical Officer to give him a chance.To Walk Among the Chosen

In truth Zeta turned out to be not much better than the old guard, having secretly created theNew Instituteto brainwash both Decepticons as well as Autobots in need of... a push in the right direction.Remembrance DayEven soon into his time as Prime, he showed an arrogant and authoritarian attitude: 'gently' reminding Orion Pax that he wasn't just called Zeta now.Omega's ConundrumOver time, this side of him became more obvious as he grew overzealous in his fight against the Decepticons and prone to outbursts of rageLaw and Disorder,to callous dismissals of everyone wrongly killed in the fight against "anarchy", and repeated admonishments for Pax to talk to him as "Prime" to 'keep appearances'. Orion Pax gradually began to realise Zeta was corrupt too, with Ratchet disgruntled that much of the old bigotries like functionism were simply continuing as 'de facto' rather than as the public establishmentTo Walk Among the Chosen,but nevertheless, Orion Pax and the other Autobots continued to act as enforcers of his authority.Law and DisorderThough he grew increasingly conceited with his newfound power, Zeta remained on good terms with Orion and told him that he believed the copper might follow him as Prime one day.Dance Among the Shadows

Just slapping his face on state-sponsored propaganda broadcasts, nothing wrong with that.

With Zeta's forces cracking down harder and harder on potential Decepticon sympathizers, incidents of police violence grew to the point where the Autobots were regarded with suspicion by the general populace.To Walk Among the ChosenWhen aDecepticon sympathizer and suspected arms dealerdied in police custody—sparking riots acrossIacon—Zeta broadcast an announcement to Cybertron reassuring the populace of the integrity of his police forces. Though Orion Pax was concerned that Zeta was glossing over the question of whether or not Hefter was guiltyat all,Zeta dismissed his concerns, maintaining that his pageantry was in the name of the greater good.Dance Among the Shadows

Starting to get a bad feeling about this guy.

Frustrated with the growing Decepticon rebellion, Zeta Prime procuredJhiaxus'svamparc ribbonand outfitted his troops, including theOmega Destructors,with it. Unfortunately, the weapon came with a high energy cost, which Zeta was more than happy to draw from the citizens of Cybertron themselves, starting with the terror cell-infested city ofNyon.ParasitesHe deployed Orion Pax's team to the city, then had information on their mission leaked to the insurgents in hopes that the team would fail and be killed. Their deaths would allow Zeta Prime to declare the citizens of Nyon enemies of the state, providing him with ample pretext to invade the city and take all its energy.Cause and EffectThough Orion survived, Zeta nevertheless went on to present his insane plan to the New Senate, brushing aside any and all protests. The spyingSoundwavewas witness to his his speech and fled once his cover was blown, prompting Zeta to order Orion Pax to hunt down the Decepticon before his vamparc ribbon became public knowledge.Parasites

To Zeta Prime's annoyance, Orion not only returned empty-handed, but had learned of his plan and questioned it. Zeta brushed him off and reminded him that he had twice led his troops into Decepticon ambushes, ignoring Orion's suspicion that he'd been set up, then sent his team back into Nyon to capture the insurgentHot Rod.Cause and EffectWith Orion out of the way, Zeta Prime quit bothering with subterfuge and personally led several Omega Destructors into Nyon, devastating the city and draining its citizens dry, forcing Hot Rod's rebels to self-destruct the city rather than let it become fuel for his army. This only turned out to be part of Zeta's plan, as it meant he finally got rid of Nyon and its rebels once and for all. Having witnessed the attack, Orion Pax and his troops turned on and attacked Zeta, but he defeated them all with a vamparc ribbon.PurgeBefore he could finish Orion off, Zeta was interrupted by the arrival ofMegatron,who caused his weapon to overload and forced him to retreat.Choices

Wait, the guy who looks like THAT is EVIL? Huh!

During a meeting with the Senate, Zeta Prime and his Omega Destructors were attacked by a joint Autobot-Decepticon force, with Megatron and Orion Pax personally battling Zeta himself. After Orion destroyed his vamparc ribbon, Megatron was able to get close and use his fusion cannon to destroy Zeta Prime's head.Overthrown

In spite of having been kind of a madman, Zeta Prime was still honored with a memorial statue nearSherma Bridge.Zero Point

For many years, Blurr would regret saving that psycho bastardNight and the Cityand Optimus was disgusted with himself for having ever believed in him.Into the AbyssPrime would remark that by working for Zeta, he used to be "part of the problem."To Walk Among the Chosen

After the war,Prowlmentioned Zeta Prime's death at the hands of Megatron in a series of examples to remindBumblebeeof the hollow ideals of the Decepticon movement.Dinobot HuntNot long thereafter, asOptimus PrimeOrion Pax andNova Primebattled within theDead Universe,the latter momentarily shape-shifted into Zeta Prime's appearance, taunting Pax over the fact he'd admired and been mentored by Zeta, to bring home the point that the Prime lineage was inescapable.Finis Temporis

Starscreamlater cited Zeta Prime—along with Nova and Sentinel—as examples of the corrupt lineage of the Primes in an attempt to discredit Optimus before theCouncil of Worlds.The Medium and the Message

Kre-Ocartoon

Zeta Prime's story about the movement ofenergonto theAutobot City Bankwas published in theJuly 23,2012edition ofAutobot City News.Quest for Energon, Part 1

Transformers vs. G.I. Joe

Zeta Prime was among the spirits of former Autobot leaders who resided in theMatrixand hauntedMegatronafter he stole the artifact.Transformers vs. G.I. Joe #12

2019 IDW continuity

Zeta Prime carried theMatrix of Leadership,and was succeeded byNominus Prime.WhenOrion Paxinherited the Matrix, he glimpsed the spirits of Zeta and all of his other predecessors in theAllspark.Prime

Games

Transformers Legends

Zeta Prime ordered a young Orion Pax to escort the Decepticons Rack'n'Ruin in a prisoner exchange. Although an altercation ensued, and Alpha Trion was captured by the Decepticons, Orion Pax was able to return the elderly Autobot to Zeta Prime's protection.Orion's Gambit

Notes

• According toABNinRecordicons#9,Vector Prime "always lies about Five Faces of Darkness". If true, this would mean that the cartoon character isn't necessarily Zeta Prime; this page is kept as is because there is no objective evidence either way, and "Zeta Prime" is more convenient, and memorable, as a page title than "New Narrator".
• Zeta Prime is not included in the lineage of Primes depicted inIDW PublishingSpotlight: Optimus Prime,as the character was created after that story was published.
• Zeta Prime is first been mentioned in2008'sSpotlight: Blurr,but is not seen tillAutocracy#2in 2012. This causes a few inconsistencies, such as his being given a statue as if people liked him and "Bullets"referring to him being assassinated by a sniper's bullet.
• Chris Metzen's thinking is that Zeta Prime hadn't always been a monster but became one in response to the growing civil war: he wanted to restore order and "over time, he concluded that fighting fire with fire was the only reasonable response to what Megatron represented."^[1]This doesn't make it into the comic but does fit with his pre-Autocracyappearances inJames Robertsstories.
• On the other hand, a dropped scene in Roberts'sMore than Meets the Eye#36would have had Zeta as a sneaky sod long before that. We'd have seen Zeta negotiating with Sentinel Prime, with Zeta saying he could get Pax's resistance fighters to stand down in exchange for him getting some influence in the Senate. He'd have been saying he wanted reforms but was willing to work with Sentinel, while mainly working towards getting power for himself.^[2]

Foreign names

• Japanese:Zeta Prime(ゼータプライム, ゼータ・プライムZēta Puraimu)

References