Reflector (Transformers)
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Reflector is a Decepticon character from the fictional Transformers toy range and associated universe.
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[edit] Generation 1
Reflector is a gestalt entity comprising three separate robots which together transform into one hand-held camera. Like other Transformers which converted into household (mock) electronic applicances (e.g. Soundwave), Reflector was sized to fit the hands of children. It featured a working, if weak, magnifying lense, housed in the central of the three robots, Spyglass. The names of the other two robots are Spectro and Viewfinder.
The toy was only available by mail order, the recipient of the product having provided both monetary payment and a number of 'Robot Points' clipped from other Transformers packages, and coincided with the 1985 Transformers catalogue (see List of Decepticons).
[edit] Animated series
In the Transformers Generation 1 cartoon, Reflector was depicted as a gestalt in robot mode, speaking with the same voice, and moving in unison. Reflector had very few significant action roles in Season 1 (1984), mostly serving as part of the overall Decepticon forces, and was rarely ever seen in Season 2 (1985), seemingly phased out as more Decepticon toys were introduced. In those few episodes in which Reflector did have a role, it was as a spy, and the character seemed to be at the bottom of the Decepticon pecking order. Reflector is seen briefly in some The Transformers: The Movie (1986) scenes, such as during the attack on Autobot City, however the character is never seen in subsequent seasons. It is notable that in the animated series all three Reflector robots are based on the Spyglass component, despite Spectro and Viewfinder having completely different appearances.
[edit] Speculated Fate of Character
Given that one purpose of The Transformers: The Movie was the removal of older characters to make way for new characters, corresponding to the discontinuation of some toys and the introduction of others, it seems likely that Reflector was killed during the movie, however the character is absent from the pivotal scene in which several Decepticon characters are abandoned in space. Some fans consider this a lost opportunity to establish correct continuity: Reflector, no longer a character of any significance, could have provided three robot bodies to be converted into followers of Galvatron (e.g. Sweeps), rather than using the Insecticons, which still featured in Season 3 (1986) and also the post-movie toy catalogue. However, this is purely speculation.
[edit] Dreamwave Productions
Reflector would make his first comics appearance in Dreamwave Productions's second Generation One mini-series. Here, he was a soldier of Shockwave, assigned to spy on Cybertron and all its' inhabitants (Autobot or Decepticon) from a special computer network so that Shockwave could maintain absolute power without appearing to be actively spying on anyone. He was killed by Starscream as a show of force to Soundwave.
Reflector also appeared in the iBooks trilogy written by David Cian, set somewhat in continuity with the Dreamwave G1 universe. In the first book, Fusion, they are part of the Decepticons on Earth and, after Megatron's disappearance and Skywarp's defeat by Starscream, joined Starscream's leadership to save their own necks. This seemingly marks a continuity error with the Dreamwave series, as it is established that Reflector was on Cybertron during the time of the battles on Earth. However, the second book, Annihilation, resolved this by noting that the Cybertron-bound Reflector was a copy of the real one - the Earthen one. It is notable here that Reflector's three components all have separate personalites.
[edit] Devil's Due Publishing
In the third G.I Joe vs the Transformers miniseries from Devil's Due Publishing, Reflector would appear again in a toy accurate form as part of the Decepticon army under Serpentor. Delivered by Menasor, they delivered Serpentor's ultimatum to Optimus Prime, although they were attacked by Jetfire. With Serpentor's defeat their fate is unknown.
