Sweeps (Transformers)
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The Sweeps were a group of Decepticons in The Transformers.
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[edit] Bio
The Sweeps were created by Unicron from several damaged Decepticons. Scourge, one of Galvatron's aides, was the leader of the Sweeps. The Sweeps and Scourge transformed into futuristic hovercraft, and were capable of travel in space (The Sweeps have no visible cockpit and, excluding Starscream's ghost, have only been seen carrying a passenger once - Wingspan in part 1 of "The Rebirth" in the original Transformers cartoon series). Due to Scourge's location on 1986 & 1987 American Transformers product catalogs, the Sweeps are alternatively called "Decepticon Planes" (despite not resembling any known aircraft) and "Seekers" (a fan-created term used to describe the original Decepticon jets--Starscream, Skywarp, Thundercracker, Dirge, Ramjet, and Thrust), despite not having the F-15 fuselage/body common to the previous jets.
Different VAs voiced the Sweeps: Jack Angel, Christopher Collins, Richard Gautier, Jerry Houser, Aron Kincaid, Hal Rayle, and Frank Welker.
[edit] Number of Sweeps
In The Transformers: The Movie, Unicron transforms one Decepticon jet, (Thundercracker), and two Insecticons (Kickback and Shrapnel) into Scourge and his Sweeps. Cyclonus, on the other hand, was created from either the Decepticon jet Skywarp or, the Insecticon Bombshell, with the other becoming a duplicate Cyclonus robot that was never seen again. As the group transforms to vehicle mode, the two Cyclonus robots, Scourge, and five Sweeps can be seen. In the animation following Galvatron's speech to Unicron, he is then escorted by Scourge, three Sweeps, and only one Cyclonus. The number of Sweeps remains fairly consistent throughout the rest of the film.
The number of Sweeps in the post-movie episodes varied dramatically (with many Sweeps being destroyed on-camera), and the Sweeps were voiced by a number of different actors. Given that at least 1 Insecticon became a sweep, and given that the Insecticons could clone themselves, many fans have argued that they retained this ability in their new bodies, leading to the variable number of Sweeps in the television series. In The Rebirth, the Sweeps are not seen, and their roles have been replaced by the individual Decepticons Misfire, Slugslinger, and Triggerhappy. It is unknown whether or not they are still active. The exact number of Sweeps is unknown, but judging by dialogue from Call of the Primitives, there are at least seven of them ("Sweeps Six and Seven coming in for a strike!").
[edit] Dreamwave Productions
The Sweeps would make their first comics appearance in Dreamwave Productions Generation One Series. Here they were also created by Unicron, but were not recreated Decepticons, but original creations of Unicron created from the raw materials of the worlds he had destroyed. A massive armada of Sweeps, with Scourge at their head, were dispatched to all over the galaxy to locate Unicron's nemesis Primus, and by extension, Cybertron. Dreamwave's closure prevented this plot thread from coming to fruition.
[edit] Devil's Due Publishing
The Sweeps would also appear in the G.I Joe/Transformers crossovers from Devil's Due Publishing. When a team of G.I Joes trying to fix a space-time tear arrived in a nightmare future where Shockwave had conquered Earth, they encountered an armada of Sweeps acting as patrol craft and Hunter-Killers.
In the third crossover (this time with IDW Publishing) several Sweeps are seen amongst the Decepticon troops trying to hold back the Autobot/G.I Joe force trying to rescue Optimus Prime.
