Cheetor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cheetor is the name of several fictional characters from the Transformers toyline. The first appeared in the Beast Wars and Beast Machines. He is a Maximal and takes the beast form of a cheetah. The second was an Autobot from Transformers: Armada who was a remold of transmetal Cheetor, but was seemingly a different character.
Contents |
[edit] Beast Wars
| Transformers character | |
 Cheetor 10th Anniversary Box Art. |
|
| Cheetor | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Maximal  |
| Sub-Group | Basic Vehicles Deluxe Beasts Transmetal Transmetal II |
| Rank | 6 (original) 7 (Transmetal, Beast Machines) 7.1 (Transmetal II) |
| Function | Scout Jungle Patrol Robotic Jungle Patrol Warrior Nocturnal Warrior |
| Motto | "You can't beat the best". (Timelines) "Quick action equals quick victory!" "Act with quickness, and leave the enemy no time to think!" "What can't be seen cannot be defeated!" |
| Alternate Modes | Racing Car, Cheetah (later transmetal and transmetal II), Technorganic Cheetah. |
| Series | Beast Wars Beast Machines Transformers: Universe Transformers: Titanium |
| Voiced by | Ian James Corlett (English) Wataru Takagi (Japanese) |
Cheetor's original tech spec indicated he was a seasoned and confident warrior always in search of battle with the Predacons, seemingly in contrast to his youthful and impulsive portrayal in the original show. The tech spec released with his Tenth Anniversary Toy would be much more accurate to the show portrayal.
Cheetor is a speed freak and has a penchant for childishness. Everyone treats him like the rookie, which is appropriate, since he has been known to make brash decisions, like risking his life in an energon storm against Optimus' orders. Cheetor seems to have an affinity for Tigatron, as he is the only other with a feline beast mode, and Cheetor will often refer to him as "Big Cat", to which Tigatron would respond by calling him "Little Cat". An unusual trait of Cheetor's is his tendency to have somewhat-prophetic dreams from time to time, such as 'foretelling' Rhinox's words at the end of an episode Tigatron and Airazor's return, though where this talent comes from is unknown.
For the first half of the series, Cheetor idolizes Optimus Primal. He tries, with little success, to model himself after Optimus and gain his approval. He also commonly referred to Optimus as "Big Bot" (Optimus at one point calls Cheetor "little buddy"). He later begins to reject Optimus as a mentor after his second transmetal change, which drove Cheetor to carve out his own identity within the group while still respecting Optimus as his leader; he also seemed to idolize Rhinox as well, willingly trusting Rhinox wit his life to help Rhinox activate a new stasis pod. Cheetor had an unreciprocated love interest for Blackarachnia around the time of his second transformation. In pursuit of this, he conducted himself as he had in the beginning of the series with Optimus, by trying desperately to impress Blackarachnia and win her respect and admiration. He became jealous of Silverbolt for his relationship with Blackarachnia. His interest in Blackarachnia faded after she stated she was “sick of his stupid little crush”, although a alter comment about how she was really something would seem to indicate that he still felt something for her. Cheetor's character was similar to that of a teenager in the early series, and that of a young adult in Beast Machines. He matures into one of the more competent and dependable Maximals outside of Optimus, becoming second-in-command and leading the team during Primal’s bouts of weakness, instability and over-reliance on the Oracle during the middle run of Beast Machines.
[edit] Season One
Cheetor, Rattrap and Rhinox were members of the crew of the Maximal ship called the Axalon commanded by Optimus Primal, which chased the Predacon criminal Megatron on the stolen Predacon ship Darkside through transwarp space after the theft of the Golden Disc artifact. The Maximals and Predacons crashed on prehistoric Earth, where high Energon levels threatened to destroy the crew unless they adopted organic alternate modes. Cheetor was given the form of a cheetah.
Cheetor served as one of Primal's most trusted warriors for season one, battling against the Predacons on many occasions. However, his brashness and impulsiveness often made him a liability as well. On one notable occasion (“The Web”) Cheetor lost a valuable communications device. Determined to redeem himself in Primal's eyes, Cheetor tried to spy on Megatron's new Megacannon, but was captured by Tarantulas and had to be rescued by Rattrap before he was eaten by the spider Predacon. On another occasion, he was goaded into proving his bravery against the Predacons by Dinobot, by planting a series of spy probes. A freak accident with a bolt of lightning meant he was teleported into the Predacon base. Despite being hunted down, Cheetor managed to evade the entire Predacon team and stop the Maximal plan to destroy the Predacon base, realising an Energon seam ran below both bases and would destroy the Axalon as well if the Predacon ship was detonated.
Cheetor would also form a close relationship with the two new Maximal protoforms discovered during this time - Airazor and Tigatron. Cheetor looked up to and respected the wiser Transformer, while he gave some of his circuitryto give life to Airazor, resulting in her taking on a few of Cheetor's personality traits and becoming like a sister to him. During this time Cheetor learned to use his other senses to fight after being blinded in an explosion, and reverted to savagery after being trapped in his beast mode due to the Predacons stealing a component from the Axalon.
[edit] Convention Comics
Cheetor was one of the stars of the 1997 Botcon Convention Comics, a story set near the end of season one of the Beast Wars television series.
In the Convention Comics plot, Inferno and Blackarachnia watched as the Predacon scientist Fractyl attempted to invent energon armor capable of protecting them from energon build up. Although seemingly successful, the armor was stolen by the Maximal thief Packrat. Blackarachinia and Fractyl realized the energon armor was flawed and could destroy the planet if it came in contact with large amounts of energon. Inferno pursued Packrat, but since Packrat didn't need to assume beast mode with the armor on, he got the upper hand in the fight with Inferno. Hearing the battle, Airazor, Cheetor and Rhinox joined Packrat. Fractyl convinced Rhinox that the armor was a threat to them all. Rhinox was able to talk Packrat into giving up the armor, which Fractyl aided them in doing. When Blackarachnia arrived with Megatron, Packrat suggested that Fractyl pretend to be attacking the Maximals, who fled. Megatron was impressed with Fractyl's new found battle prowess.
[edit] Season Two
After Primal's seeming destruction in disabling an alien weapon, the quantum wave from the destroyed Vok weapon altered Cheetor's structure into atransmetal form, along with Rattrap. After adjusting to his new flight rockets, Cheetor and Rattrap battled a similarly transmetallized Megatron, only surviving due to Rhinox' intervention. Along with Dinobot they defended the Axalon against overwhelming odds, until they were saved by Optimus Primal's return.
Cheetor continued to serve as one of the Maximals, helping to stop Megatron from returning to Cybertron with a Vok ship, helping to subdue Rampage and being present for Dinobot's last words. In the three-part episode "The Agenda", the Maximals teamed up with the former Decepticon Ravage to apprehend Megatron. Sent to locate an Energon cache, Primal and Cheetor were ambushed by Inferno and barely escaped. After Ravage switched sides the Maximals entered a desperate race to stop Megatron from entering The Ark - but they were too late. Megatron shot the stasis-locked body of Optimus Prime in the head - causing a timestorm that threatened all of history.
[edit] Season Three
The defection of Blackarachnia helped to repair the damage done, and Prime's spark survived. However, the Maximals suffered a crippling blow when their base was destroyed by Rampage. The Maximals then moved into the volcano surrounding The Ark.
Cheetor continued to serve as a devoted Maximal soldier, being the first to spot Depth Charge's ship. Shot down by Rampage, he was rescued by the marine Maximal.
Later, after Blackarachnia joined forces with the Maximals against Megatron, Cheetor started to develop a crush on her, even going to the trouble of helping her escort the proto-humans home. This greatly displeased Silverbolt and lead to some short lived friction between the two, even though Blackarachnia didn't reciprocate Cheetor's feelings.
After almost inadvertently scrapping Optimus, Cheetor disobeyed orders to help Depth Charge stop Megatron using the Transmetal Driver. Exposed to the device itself, Cheetor slowly mutated into a feral transmetal II, trying to hide it from his friends out of fear of his new, feral instincts. However, he transformed fully in order to save Optimus from the transmetal II clone of Dinobot, the two engaging in a fearsome struggle while in beast mode. Primal then helped him to gain control over his feral beast mode. It is noticeable that Cheetor's voice became deeper after his change. Also, he became less willing to listen to Optimus Primal, almost as though he was now an adult who no longer wished to be treated as a child.
As Silverbolt and Cheetor continued to clash over their attraction to Blackarachnia, Blackarachnia did gain an attraction to Cheetor - or rather the powerful new transmetal body he possessed, which would eventually see her gain one of her own. However, Blackarachnia would put a stop to his affections by declaring she was sick of it (and threatening to shoot him at one point). Despite this, Cheeter still appeared to feel something for her, commenting that she was really something when mourning her apparent death. Cheetor also became a 'teacher' to the proto-human children he and Blackarachnia helped, teaching them how to fight Predacons and use basic tools.
After Megatron was captured, Cheetor returned with the other surviving Maximals to Cybertron on board the Autobot shuttle Omega Delta
[edit] Beast Machines
Cheetor's character was carried over to the Beast Machines series, which was a sequel to Beast Wars. Although a few believe that his personality instantly changed from child-like to serious, the rest argue that Cheetor's character arc through Beast Machines and Beast Wars was the only complete one. Throughout Beast Wars Cheetor progressed from a young child to a more mature teenager, eventually growing into a mature adult in Beast Machines. He received a new technorganic form and was promoted to Second-in-Command under Optimus Primal after Cheetor's instincts proved correct when even Optimus made a fatal mistake. However, as Primal slowly became more of a spiritual figure-head, Cheetor rose to the challenge of becoming the military leader. Although even in his adulthood he still held some of his younger, brash, tendencies.
According to its Tech Specs, Cheetor created the Beast Rider called Che. Che never appeared in the television series, but did appear in the unreleased issue 4 of Transformers: Universe - Wreckers.
Bob Skir stated on DVD commentary for Beast Machines that Cheetor was inspired by the character of DC Comics Robin when he was Dick Grayson growing from a sidekick as Robin to an independent hero as Nightwing.
[edit] Transtech
After the Beast Machines line ended, Hasbro planned a follow-up series called Transtech. The Transtech concept was a line intended to take Transformers to their most futuristic. Hasbro commissioned sets of designs from Draxhall Jump. The series was supposedly to bring back some of the characters who died in Beast Wars along with some characters from the original cartoon series, all in new, more organic-looking bodies, though with vehicle alternate modes instead of the animals used in Beast Machines. Many concept sketches and even a few toy prototypes were made, but Hasbro scrapped the idea in favor of bringing Car Robots to their markets as Transformers: Robots in Disguise.
Concept sketches or prototype toys have been seen for Blackarachnia, Cheetor, Depth Charge, Megatron, Nightscream, Optimus Prime, Scavenger, Shockwave, Silverbolt, Soundwave, Starscream and a new character called Immorticon. There were also rumors of a Transtech Dinobot.
It is generally believed that the concept for Transtech Cheetor inspired the design of Transformers: Cybertron Brakedown and the concept for Transtech Megatron inspired Armada Megatron. The concept was to have Cheetor transform into something that resembled a racing car.
[edit] 3H Enterprises
Cheetor appeared in the short lived Transformers: Universe comic book series in his technorganic body.
Shortly after the reformatting of Cybertron at the end at the end of Beast Machines, Cheetor was amongst those who welcomed back some of the heroes of the Great War (Roulette, Shadowstriker, Sideswipe, Sunstreaker and Trailbreaker) back to Cybertron. However, he was left helpless when they, Silverbolt and Blackarachnia were abducted by Unicron. After this Optimus Primal was resurrected by Primus as a response, and Cheetor once again served as his right hand man.
In 2005, a toy of Cheetor was released in the Transformers: Universe line which depicted Cheetor as an Autobot named "Night Slash Cheetor" (left). Presumably he would have changed to this form if the series could have continued. He did appear in this form in a flashback in the Transformers: Cybertron series, in a final battle with Unicron's forces.
Although 3H Enterprises losing the licence would forestall the conclusion to the Universe storyline, an explanation of sorts would be found in issue 8 of the Transformers Collectors Club magazine Cybertron/Robots in Disguise, where Optimus Prime told the tale of how Unicron's forces were defeated in one last battle by Optimus Primal's forces, including Cheetor, as Unicron disappeared due to the black hole opened in Transformers: Energon.
[edit] Transformers Collectors Club magazine
In the comic story found in issue 8 of the Transformers Collectors Club magazine Cybertron/Robots in Disguise Optimus Prime told the story of the last battle he was in, set in the Transformers: Universe storyline. Alongside 10th Anniversary Optimus Primal they attacked the last of Unicron's forces when Unicron suddenly disappeared, and they barely escaped. Among the Autobot forces were Universe Fireflight, King Atlas, Universe Night Slash Cheetor, Universe Longhorn, Universe Prowl, Universe Repugnus, Rhinox, Roulette, Universe Side Burn, Sideswipe, Universe Silverbolt, Sunstreaker, Tap-Out, Trailbreaker, Cybertron/Robots in Disguise Ultra Magnus and Universe Whirl. Among the Decepticons were Universe Blackaracknia, Nemesis Strika, Universe Obsidian, Universe Razorclaw, Reptilion and Universe Skywarp.
[edit] Toys
- Beast Wars Cheetor (1996)
- The original Cheetor toy was sold with a tech spec which said his function was Jungle Patrol. Cheetor had the largest number of variants in the early Beast Wars line, have one with both red and blue (feline) eyes, and in 1997, a third original version was released with bright green feline and robot eyes. (The feet and lower arms were painted gold.) Cheetor's figure was repainted for the characters of Tigatron and the Japanese-exclusive Shadow Panther. (Tigatron would get a show-accurate repaint of himself when sold on the Japanese market.) Cheetor received two post-Beast Wars (1999-present) recolorings; one in 1999 to promote Fox Kids' acquisition of the Beast Wars cartoon (most recognized for its dull yellow color and red spots), and another in 2006 to represent Beast Wars' official 10th Anniversary. The 10th Anniversary features nearly show accurate colors (excluding its now blue lower arms and feet), and most resembles a black-spotted version of the Fox Kids Cheetor.
- Transmetal Cheetor (1998)
- In 1998, Cheetor and other characters would be remade as transmetals. Transmetal Cheetor came with a metallic feline form, partially coated in vacuum-metallized gold. His robot form was made to appear more organic, with colors coming from his original cheetah form. While transmetal Cheetor would receive mold recoloring in 2000 when an all-red Fox Kids version was released, his entire mold was retooled to produce a show-accurate representation of the former Decepticon Ravage. The Ravage version of the figure was used to create BotCon 2001 exclusive transmetal Tigatron.
- This toy was later slightly remolded into Armada Cheetor, and then heavily remolded into Beast Wars Ravage and Botcon Tigatron.
- Transmetal II Cheetor (1998)
- In late December 1998, transmetal II Cheetor was released, while losing the third mode the toy featured a rocket fix atop the cheetah mode's back. Transmetal II Cheetor was repainted as Tripredacus Agent.
- Fox Kids Cheetor (1999)
- A slight redeco of the original Cheetor toy.
- Fox Kids Transmetal Cheetor (1999)
- A red metallic redeco of the transmetal Cheetor toy.
- Beast Machines Cheetor (2000)
- This toy was recolored black and silver as a Takara exclusive Lucky Draw toy.
- McDonalds Cheetor (2000)
- A Happy Meal pack in toy of Beast Machines Cheetor.
- Supreme Cheetor (2000)
- Night Slash Cheetor (2001)
- A Deluxe sized toy.
- Transformers: Universe Night Slash Cheetor (2005)
- A recolor of Night Slash Cheetor.
- 10th Anniversary Cheetor (2006)
- In 2005, the original Cheetor toy was one of the toys selected for the Beast Wars 10th Anniversary toyline. He was repainted in more show-accurate colors. He came packaged with one of the six pieces used to make the Transmutate toy. He was also packaged with a DVD with the Beast Wars episode Equal Measures on it.
- Transformers: Timelines Cheetor (2006)
- One of the Botcon 2006 exclusive figures is a repaint of Cybertron Clocker and Swerve called Cheetor. This figures is supposed to represent Cheetor before he was reformatted into his animal form. He turns into a race car.
- Transformers: Titanium Cheetor (2007)
- The upcoming Transformers: Titanium Cheetor is a 6 inch tall transforming model based on his Beast Machines form, and is highly show accurate, unlike the Beast Machines toys. Unlike other Maximal toys in the Titanium line, this Cheetor will be sold with a Maximal symbol base, not an Autobot one.
[edit] Transformers: Armada (2003)
The transmetal Cheetor toy was recolored and released as an Autobot. He was partnered with the Mini-Con Cliffjumper.
His motto is "Some cats roar - I just pounce."
[edit] Dreamwave Productions
In the Dreamwave Productions Armada comic book series, he became one of the Four Horsemen of Unicron.
Armada Cheetor appeared as one of the Four Horsemen of Unicron in the Transformers: Energon comic book series. His mind corrupted and his body enhanced by the Chaos-Bringer's power, Unicron and his servant sent him and his fellow Horsemen - Airazor Rhinox and Terrorsaur - to attack Cybertron. They devastated much of the planet, before being stopped by Optimus Prime (now in his Powerlinking Energon body) who drove off all four.
Cheetor also was set to appear in the unreleased issue 31 of the Transformers: Energon comic series.
