Optimus Primal
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Transformers character | |
 Optimus Primal's three Beast Wars bodies |
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| Optimus Primal | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Maximal, later Autobot |
| Sub-Group | Transmetal |
| Function | Starship Captain Maximal General Supreme Commander Maximal Commander Maximal Leader Autobot Spirit Guide |
| Motto | "Peace is the absense of conflict and the presence of justice." (Timelines) "Organic life is often hidden, sometimes overcome, but seldom extinguished!" (Deluxe Beast Machines) "The true key to victory lies in the strength of the mind, not the fist." (Mega Beast Machines) "We will win if we believe in ourselves and our unity." (Robots in Disguise and Universe) |
| Alternate Modes | Three-wheeled racer, gorilla, jet, land assault vehicle |
| Series | Beast Wars, Beast Machines, Robots in Disguise, Universe, Robot Masters |
| English voice actor | Gary Chalk |
| Japanese voice actor | Takehito Koyasu (BW/BM) Yuto Kazama (Robot Masters) |
Optimus Primal (Convoy or Convobat in Japan, later Beast Convoy to differentiate him from the original Convoy, Blackjack in some European markets) is a fictional character from the Transformers toyline, and the leader of the Maximal forces in the Beast Wars television series.
Unlike his ancestor, Optimus Prime, whose name he took in reverence, Optimus Primal is not a warrior by nature, but a young starship captain, unexpectedly thrust into a conflict that would define the fate of history. Although he shares his namesake's love of honor, life, peace and freedom, Primal is a much more grounded, down-to-earth individual than Prime ever was, unafraid of going the unorthodox route in solving a problem. His loyalty to his friends is matched only by the respect he gives his enemies, and he is dedicated to working for the betterment of others, so much so that he might even become depressed if he cannot accomplish it. What is most startling about Optimus Primal, however, is the fact that he has been able to distinguish himself from an iconic character like Optimus Prime, and possibly even surpass him in the heroism stakes.
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[edit] Fiction
Unlike the "Generation 1" universe, which had its story told in many different ways across many separate fictional universes and continuities, the story of Optimus Primal is one singular, extended coherent tale. Although some aspects of Primal's story are not in continuity with the larger bulk of the fiction, they are all related in a very strict, clear chronological order relative to each other.
[edit] Beast Wars
[edit] Animated series
[edit] Season 1
When the renegade Predacon Megatron stole the ancient Maximal relic known as the Golden Disk and fled Cybertron aboard a stolen space cruiser, the nearest ship that could pursue him was the Axalon, the craft under the command of Optimus Primal. The Axalon was on a scientific exploration mission to study other planets, but when they pursued Megatron's craft through a transwarp portal in time and space. It was Optimus Primal who ordered the majority of the Axalon crew, held in protoform stasis pods, launched into orbit around the planet before the ship crashed. The crew found itself stranded on prehistoric Earth. Discovering that the planet was saturated with dangerous levels of energon radiation, the Maximals and Predacons adopted organic-skinned "beast modes" to shield themselves from its effects; Primal assumed the form of a silverback gorilla. One of his first major battles on Earth was a duel with the renegade Predacon Dinobot, whose life Primal then saved - grateful, Dinobot joined the Maximals, and Primal dubbed the ensuing conflict for control of the energon "The Beast Wars."
Primal's body would be subject to several attacks and alterations during the Beast Wars, the first of which came when an alien probe arrived on the planet at a mysterious standing stone formation. The probe abducted Primal, pulling him within itself and disassembling his body for study, before he was liberated by Rhinox, his body restored. Later, a virus concocted by the Predacon Scorponok infected Primal's body, with the intent of turning his personality to cowardice, only to backfire and transform him into a raging, uninhibited warrior barely able to suppress his aggression. Under the influence of the virus, a fighting-mad Primal smashed his way into the Predacon base single-handedly and confronted Megatron for the anti-virus.
The alien influence felt by the Beast Warriors earlier soon would later return in force when another extraterrestrial construct manifested on the planet and took Optimus Primal into itself. Confronted by the aliens behind these bizarre experiments, the Vok, Primal learned that they planned to use an orbital laser weapon - disguised as a second moon - to detonate the planet's energon and wipe their "experiment" clean. In order to stop them, Primal piloted an Axalon stasis pod, outfitted with explosive transwarp cells, into the heart of the weapon; although the intent was to abandon the pod before impact, Primal discovered that Megatron had sealed it shut, and when it detonated, Primal was killed in the explosion.
[edit] Season 2
It was not long before Rhinox sprang into action, using the residual transwarp energy to access the Allspark, the Transformer afterlife, from which he plucked Primal's spark, installing it within a blank protoform. Emerging in a new Transmetal body at a moment of great crisis, Primal used his new powers to save the Maximals from a massive Predacon attack with the aid of the Fuzor, Silverbolt. Further conflicts saw Primal captured by the Predacons when Megatron seized control of another alien device, and the revelation of the "dark secret" of the Axalon's voyage - the disposal of the insane Maximal genetics experiment, Protoform X, who was freed and joined the Predacons as Rampage.
Primal could not suspect, however, the true agenda Megatron was working towards, or the lengths he would go to see it complete. This deadly mission came to light with the arrival of the Predacon secret agent Ravage, who had tracked the transwarp explosion that had killed Primal back to its source. Ravage aided Primal and the Maximals in finally capturing Megatron, but switched sides when he discovered that Megatron was following instructions left by his former commander, the original Megatron. Ravage liberated Megatron, who headed directly for the ancient Transformer spacecraft, the Ark, which lay buried on Earth, with the intent of killing the legendary Optimus Prime, thereby ensuring Decepticon victory in the war to come. Primal and his Maximals pursued him, but failed to stop him delivering the deadly blast.
[edit] Season 3
Primal could, however, forestall Prime's death by taking his spark into his body while his shell was repaired. With the power of Prime's spark now inhabiting his frame, Primal's body was changed once more, mutated into a new "Optimal" form, with which he fought back the Predacons and saved Prime's life. During that time Primal speaks with a voice more reminiscent of the original Prime, and even quotes Optimus Prime by telling Megatron, "Freedom is the right of all sentient beings." He even used Optimus Prime's most famous command, "Transform and Roll Out!"
Setting up base around the Ark to protect it from further Predacon attacks, the Maximals were soon joined by Depth Charge, an old accquaintance of Primal's, who harboured some degree of hatred for him for his role in the preservation of Protoform X's life.
Even in his new body, Primal was subject to even more bodily invasions. After being infected with delirium-inducing cyber-venom from Megatron's new clone Cyber-Raptors, Optimus fell victim to Tarantulas, who developed a method of controlling his body by remote-piloting it with a suit of armor manipulated by Quickstrike. With Optimus under his control in this manner, Megatron was able to duplicate the process that had upgraded his foe, merging his spark with the original Megatron's and assuming a new transmetal 2 form. This, coupled with the addition of Tigerhawk to the Maximal forces, led Primal to realise that events were playing out in accordance with the Cybertronian holy text, the Covenant of Primus. Realising that Megatron sought to use the crashed Decepticon warship, the Nemesis to end the Beast Wars, Primal engaged him in a final confrontation, although per the covenant, he was aware he would not succeed. Salvation came in the form of Megatron's Transmetal 2 clone of the original Dinobot, who turned on his commander, allowing Rhinox to crash an Autobot shuttle into the Nemesis, blowing it out of the sky.
With all the other Predacons dealt with, and Megatron finally their captive, the Maximals clamped him to the hull of the Autobot shuttle, and, with the Beast Wars concluded, head back to Cybertron.
[edit] Beast Wars II movie
In the interim between the first and second seasons of the Beast Wars animated series, the Beast Wars II anime was produced in Japan to fill the gap, and produced a feature film entitled "Lio Convoy is in Imminent Danger!" In this film, the Predacons of the series discover a mysterious transwarp device that allows them to summon the monstrous Majin Zarak from Cybertron's past to aid them. In response to this, the Maximals use the device to pluck Optimus Primal, referred to as "Convoy" in the Japanese continuity, from prehistoric Earth at a point prior to his becoming a transmetal to join with their leader, Lio Convoy to battle the demonic Transformer. Combining the power of their Matrixes and transforming into "Flash Lio Convoy" and "Burning Convoy", they struck Maijin Zarak's weak spot and destroyed him, with Primal then returning to Earth.
The Beast Wars II movie is an example of a story that is not in continuity with the American fiction, as it displays Primal in possession of a Leadership Matrix, which he does not have in western stories.
[edit] Robot Masters
The short-lived 2004 Transformers: Robot Masters toyline from Japan once again revisited the concept of Transformers coming together from different periods of time. Pursuing Megatron into the mysterious "Blastizone," pre-transmetal Optimus Primal arrived on Earth in the early 21st Century, where he joined forces with the original Optimus Prime (as both characters were named "Convoy" in Japan, Primal received the modifier of Beast Convoy to differentiate himself from this "G1 Convoy"). Uniting their powers, Primal and Prime could create the "Double Convoy Tornado," later bolstered by the addition of Lio Convoy's power, creating the "Triple Convoy Tornado Link Attack."
Optimus Primal was oddly depicted as standing as large as Optimus Prime in this series, and had the ability to use his weapons in beast mode, unlike how he was depicted in the Beast Wars television series.
[edit] Devil's Due comics
Pre-Transmetal Primal received an unusual namecheck in Devil's Due's comic book series, G.I. Joe vs. Transformers: The Art of War, when the android intelligence Serpent O.R. scanned Soundwave's databanks for information on Cybertron's history. Included among the recordings was a reference to and image of Optimus Primal, but this seems to be chronologically anomalous, as Primal would not yet exist on Cybertron. It may be a suggestion that the present-era Transformers have some knowledge of the Beast Wars from prehistory, but the reference remains unexplained.
[edit] Beast Machines
On the Maximals return trip to Cybertron after the end of the Beast Wars, Megatron was able to break free and exited the timestream, returning to Cybertron before the Maximals. When the Maximals arrived on the planet at their intended destination time, they found a world that Megatron had conquered using a transformation-freezing virus and an army of Vehicon drones. Exposed to the virus, Primal, Rattrap, Cheetor and Blackarachnia were reverted back to their original beast modes (which raises some question as Primal's original body was destroyed, a glimpse of his original robot mode was also shown in a failed attempt at transforming) and left amnesiac, fleeing from the Vehicons. Primal was contacted by the ancient Cybertronian computer known as the Oracle and lead the Maximals beneath Cybertron's surface, where the Oracle used its powers to reformat them into new, technorganic bodies immune to the virus. Primal's new form was that of a techno-organic gorilla, but he soon discovered that transformation was no longer simply a matter of command codes and onboard computers - now, he and the Maximals had to find their spiritual centers and focus upon their transformations, growing as both machines and animals. Using the power of the Oracle, Primal could technorganically reformat other Maximals that required it, such as Nightscream.
Led by Megatron to believe that he had lost the Beast Wars and caused the current state of Cybertron - all of its inhabitants' sparks removed and held captive by Megatron - Primal's fixation on correcting his mistake lead to a mindset comparable to zealotry. His spiritual connection to the Oracle and the visions it gave him caused him to believe that the computer wanted Cybertron to become a wholly organic world, and he would rarely entertain suggestions from his troops. The revelation that Megatron's Vehicon general Tankor contained the spark of Rhinox hit Primal hard, even more so when Rhinox revealed that he had adopted Megatron's techno-centric viewpoint. Using the Oracle to feed Primal a false vision, Rhinox tricked Primal and Megatron into unleashing the powers of the Plasma Energy Chamber and the Key to Vector Sigma respectively, almost destroying the planet. Primal saved Cybertron by taking the energies into his body, which was destroyed, and was then reborn by the Oracle with a new understanding - the Oracle did not desire a completely organic Cybertron, but a balance between the organic and technological.
With the Oracle now downloaded into his own mind, Primal redoubled his efforts to achieving the perfect technorganic Cybertron. Megatron, however, was able to deceive him and acquire a portion of the Oracle data by posing as a hologrammatic recording of Optimus Prime - but Primal was able to use this mind-link to his advantage, by stealing from Megatron's mind the knowledge of where the captive Transformer sparks were concealed.
Attacking Megatron's "Grand Mal" spacecraft body to liberate the sparks within, the Maximals ousted his spark and seized control of the craft. A retaliatory attack by the Vehicons crashed the ship, and the Maximals subsequently fell one by one until only Primal was left to face off with Megatron, who had installed his spark in a copy of Primal's old "Optimal" body. The two enemies fought in a battle that raged across Cybertron until Megatron finally captured Primal and prepared to absorb all of the sparks into his own, and use the Key to Vector Sigma to convert Cybertron into the perfect techno-sphere. Primal struck back, however, using the strength of the sparks to force both himself and Megatron tumbling through the portal the villain had opened to the planet's core, where, using the power of the Oracle that existed within both of them, Primal sacrificed himself and Megatron to reformat Cybertron into a technorganic paradise.
[edit] Transformers: Universe
With this heroic act, Primal earned his place in the Allspark, but even this would not be the end of his ongoing battles. When a spirit guide was required for the Optimus Prime of another dimension, Primal's spark was chosen for the task. Then, when the dark god Unicron began his plan to pit Autobots and Decepticons from across the multiverse in conflict to initiate his resurrection, Vector Sigma and Alpha Trion chose Optimus Primal to lead the "Children of Primus" against this threat. Primal's spark was pulled from the Allspark and installed within a new body - an upsized version of his original beast form.
Optimus Primal found himself teamed up with War Within Grimlock and Armada Megatron in rescuing captive Cybertronians from Unicron.
His pleas to the Maximal High Council that the threat of Unicron be taken serious fell on deaf ears. Freed by Snarl, Primal was charged by Alpha Trion and Primus with selected warriors to fight with him; Primal selected Rhinox, happy to gain a chance at redemption, and Depth Charge, who did not take so kindly to be returned to life. The inextricable link that had been forged between them in the reformatting of Cybertron, however, meant that when Primal returned to life, so too did Megatron...
[edit] Transformers: Cybertron
Leading the Children of Primus in many battles against the Minions of Unicron, Primal discovered that the radiation from Unicron himself was slowly killing him. To survive, Primal was reformatted into yet another new body, immune to the effects of Unicron and carrying the Matrix of Purification, which can purge other Transformers of Unicron's influence.
In this new form, Primal was later seen leading the Children of Primus in yet another assault on Unicron in the pages of the Transformers: Cybertron comic available exclusively through the Official Transformers Collectors Club. Suddenly, caused by the collapse of Unicron in the parallel universe of the "Unicron Trilogy" and the formation there of a black hole containing his essence, Unicron began to crumble beneath Primal's feet. Primal and the Children of Primus were able to teleport safely back to Cybertron, although his team-mate Omega Prime was shunted into the Unicron Trilogy Universe to aid in the battles there.
[edit] Toys
- Optimus Primal vs. Megatron (1996)
- The very first Optimus Primal toy was a bat, packaged alongside an alligator version of Megatron. The pack-in comic book, however, indicated that this Primal and Megatron were in fact new incarnations of the original "Generation 1" Optimus Prime and Megatron - when the Beast Wars animated series began and established its fiction, this idea was dropped, and all subsequent toys had profiles written in-line with the show. The figure was later redecoed in traditional Prime red-and-blue colours for a Japanese-exclusive release as "Convobat."
- Ultra Optimus Primal (1996)
- Primal's original gorilla body, loaded with hidden weapons and special gimmicks. The toy features a set of spring-loaded cannons which flip up over its shoulders and fire rockets, spares of which can be stored in compartments behind the head, or loaded into the second double-barrelled launcher, which flips out of the left forearm. The other forearms contains a compartment with a flail weapon, and features other melee weapons in the form of two curved swords, which store in its back. There is a switch on the figures back which activates the movement of his arms - depending on the position of a sliding switches on either arm, Primal can either beat his chest gorilla-style, or spin his forearms for combat with his weaponry. The figure was the largest individual Maximal toy released in the pre-transmetal era. Because the animators made changes to the model, it was not totally accurate to the animated series - in addition to a "beast mask" and the lack of his mouth-slit (leaving him with a face looking much more like the original Optimus Prime), the toy was much larger compared to the other Beast Wars figures than Primal was in the show. This toy was sold under the name Optimus Primal Black Jack in Europe.
- A transparent "Clear Convoy" redeco of this figure was released in Japan in 1997, and a flaming red-and-orange redeco was released as part of Beast Wars II in 1998 to represent his "Burning Convoy" form from the animated film.
- Micro Optimus Primal (1997)
- A small, non-transforming Optimus Primal toy that came with the Orcanoch Micro playset. This toy looked like a tiny version of bat Optimus Primal in robot mode.
- Transmetal Optimus Primal (1997)
- Primal's new transmetal form, released in the "Mega" size class, reducing him in height from his earlier "Ultra" size, bringing him closer in scale to his fellow Maximals as seen in the animated series. Transmetal Primal wields two maces, which can fire from his hand-held missile launcher or store on his backpack. The animated series also featured an alternate transformation for the backpack, where the maces became cannons; it is possible to configure the toy into this form. The toy still transforms into a gorilla, and features a "transport mode" in the form of a hover-board that deploys from Primal's legs. This toy was sold as Optimus Primal Metal Gorilla in Europe.
- Transmetal Primal was later redecoed into the BotCon 1998 exclusive toy, Apelinq.
- Optimal Optimus (1998)
- The only "Super" size-class Beast Wars figure, Optimal Optimus can transform from robot to transmetal gorilla, with the addition of land-vehicle and aircraft configurations. He features blast shields that can mount on his shoulders, or lock into his forearms, from which they can be "blasted" off with spring-loaded action, and is armed with a twin missile-launcher that lights up with the trigger mechanism is pulled back. This toy is often believed to be part of the "Transmetal II" line, but the box states it is only a "Transmetal".
- Optimal Optimus was later remoulded and redecoed into Primal Prime, a character created from the battlesuit briefly used by the Predacons to control Primal's body. For this version of the toy, the electronic lights were reworked to be activated by the press of a button, rather than a pull of the launcher.
- Beast Machines Optimus Primal (1999)
- Due to the rush involved in the production of the Beast Machines animated series, the design used for Optimus Primal's animated avatar was based on an earlier concept for the toy, which underwent extensive revision further down the line. Consequently, this deluxe-sized Primal figure bears little resemblance to his animated counterpart, save in the design of the head. It becomes a gorilla through an unorthodox method of transformation and is armed with an energy-shuriken, which can store in Primal's leg, or be launched from the hand of his spring-loaded arm.
- McDonalds Oprimus Primal (2000)
- Given away with Happy Meals in 2000 was a small, simple, and only slightly more show accurate Optimus Primal toy.
- Blast Punch Optimus Primal (2001)
- Despite the new qualifier added to his name, this toy of Optimus Primal continues to represent his one-and-only Beast Machines body, and is sculpted to much better resemble his animated self, although the coloration skews towards an abundance of orange. By cranking his forearm cover to charge the mechanism and pressing his spark crystal to release it, Primal's fist shoots forward in a "blast punch" action, also launching a spring-loaded missile. When Beast Machines was released in Japan as Beast Wars Returns in 2004, this was the figure they chose to release as the one and only Optimus Primal.
- Air Attack Optimus Primal (2002)
- Originally intended for release during the Transtech toyline, this figure was aborted, then revived for the Transformers: Robots in Disguise line, which had proven popular beyond anticipation and required bolstering. Primal was added to the line with the "spirital guide" fiction mentioned above included in his packaging bio to justify his presence. A practically perfect representation of his animated incarnation, the toy is brimming with electronics-related gimmicks - a press of his chest activates the electronics, then, pressing either his beast or robot head causes the toy to speak phrases lifted directly from the TV series, with Gary Chalk's voice. The figure can launch a disc from his stomach with an electronic blast, and has spring-loaded punching arm accompanied by a grunt. The primary feature of the toy, however, is his jets - by pressing a button on his back, the jets deploy with a constant electronic "flying" sound effect that alters in response to the way the toy is held, as if he were ascending or descending in flight. However, despite being the most "show-accurate" version of BM Primal, the figure is not particularly compatible with other toys of the BM line as the very large figure is gossly out of scale with his fellow Maximals.
- Transformers: Universe (2003)
- A brown, green, burgundy and yellow redeco of Primal's original Beast Wars toy, representing his new body after his rebirth in the Transformers: Universe comics. Although the same size as the Beast Wars coloration of this mold, he was depicted as much larger in the comics, standing eye-to-eye with Depth Charge and Razorclaw, and slightly shorter than Alpha Trion (who may have been upgraded as a Maximal and therefore smaller than his Generation 1 form, which stood as tall as Optimus Prime). Unlike all previous versions of Optimus Primal, this was sold as an Autobot, not a Maximal.
- Robot Masters (2004)
- A newly-designed toy based on Primal's original gorilla body, this "Beast Convoy" figure features over-the-shoulder rocket launchers, two wrist cannons, and a pair of swords. It was later redecoed into the "Burning Beast Convoy" color scheme, and again into a black color scheme, as "Black Beast Convoy," representing a virus-infected body, exclusive to Hobby Japan.
- 10th Anniversary Optimus Primal (2006)
- Representing Primal's new body after he is upgraded to rid himself of Unicron's taint, this toy was released as part of a series of figures commemorating the tenth anniversary of the Beast Wars line. Although the other figures in the series were simple redecoes of earlier figures designed to be more accurate to the cartoon, Primal and Megatron received entirely new sculpts with Jungle Planet Cyber Planet Key gimmicks. Primal, specifically, comes with a hoverboard that transforms into a cannon when the key is inserted, and also comes with a small model of the Axalon. In the comics this toy is depicted as being as large as Universe Optimus Primal, despite only being a Deluxe sized figure.
- This figure was quickly redecoed in brown and cream and released in the Transformers: Cybertron toyline itself, presented as a new, Jungle Planet body for that universe's Optimus Prime. Oddly, this repaint was in the colors of Universe Optimus Primal.
- Beast Wars 10th Anniversary Optimus Primal (2006)
- Japan's take on the tenth anniversary of the Beast Wars franchise saw them remold and redeco the original Primal and Megatron toys in a two pack with more show-accurate appearances. Primal received a new head mold removing his "mutant face" and adding his mouth slit, and several other modifications to his paint applications. This version will be released with this version of Megatron in a two-pack as a Toys R Us this exclusive in winter 2006/2007.
- Titanium Optimus Primal (2006)
- A three-inch non-transforming die-cast representation of Primal's original gorilla body in robot mode, including a translucent Autobot-symbol display stand.
- Titanium Optimal Optimus (2006)
- A six-inch die-cast version of Optimal Optimus, this Triple Changer is able to to transform from robot mode to land vehicle mode and jet mode, but strangely lacking in his transmetal gorilla mode. Some fans have likened this toy to Optimal Megatron, the form Megatron took in the Beast Machines finale, which was Optimal Optimus without the gorilla mode.
- Transformers: Timelines (2006)
- An exclusive toy available only at BotCon 2006, this incarnation of Primal is a retool of the Transformers: Cybertron Crumplezone figure, representing Primal in his original Cybertronian body before acquiring his gorilla mode. The figure transforms into a three-wheeled racing car, and, with the insertion of his "Golden Disk holder" key (a redecoed Cyber Key) into its port, its deploys two massive missile-firing cannons over his shoulders. This contradicts Transformers: The Ultimate Guide by Simon Furman, which notes that his original alternate was that of a Cybertronian Monster Truck. Because of this reference, many fans expected the Timelines Optimus Primal to be a remold of Cybertron Dirt Boss.
- Knockoff Optimus Primals
- A Non-Takara/Hasbro Chinese-made toy was sold under a variety of bootleg and knockoff toy lines like "Beast Tech Robot Fighters" and "Animism Defenders" line which is actually more accurate to the cartoon version than the Deluxe or Blast Punch versions are. It stands about the same size as the original Beast Wars gorilla Oprimus Primal and came with black versions of that toy's swords.
- A variety of other knockoff Optimus Primal toys have appeared over the years, including a scalled down version of his original gorilla form with white robot features (similar to Ultra Magnus), an enlarged version of his bat form in rainbow colors and a variety of smaller, cheaper versions of Optimal Optimus in a variety of colors.
[edit] Trivia
- In a Toys R Us Christmas magazine they called Optimus Primal Optimal Primus.
