Nova Prime

Nova Prime is one of several fictional characters who appear in the Transformers series, usually in comics storyline. He is often depicted as a Prime who proceeded Optimus Prime and Sentinel Prime.

Transformers: Generation 1

Nova Prime (also called Prime Nova) is usually depicted as an early Prime known, who succeeded Primon and Prima and preceded Sentinel Prime as holder of the Matrix of Leadership. He is a white-armored Transformer, bearing some resemblance to Optimus Prime. His most common form includes large wings/fins in robot mode, with a truck form that includes a trailer; no official toy has yet been created for this form.

Marvel Comics

The Marvel Comics Transformers series named an early Prime known as Prime Nova, who succeeded Sentinel Prime as holder of the Matrix.

Animated series

Prime Nova succeeded Prima as bearer of the Matrix of Leadership through unknown circumstances, and went on to fight against the Quintessons in the robot uprising that ultimately forced the evil aliens off of Cybertron. It is unknown if he died during the rebellion or not, but by the time of the first Great War, he had been replaced as Autobot leader by Guardian Prime. When Rodimus Prime journeyed into the Matrix in 2005, Prime Nova was the third guide that he encountered. Prime Nova related to him the tale of the Quintessons' robots rise to true sentience and life, and their fight back against their alien masters.

3H Productions

Prime Nova is once again named as having succeeded Prima and preceded Sentinel Prime as holder of the Matrix.

IDW Publishing

Previously known as Nova Major, Nova was responsible for bringing an end to a war fought between the tribes of Transformers led by the Thirteen Original Primes. Aided by his lieutenant Galvatron-here a separate character from the Decepticon Megatron-and guided by Alpha Trion, one of the Primes, Nova successfully united the tribes on Cybertron and became the new Prime when the surviving members of the Thirteen departed the planet. However, as time went by Nova became convinced of the superiority of the Cybertronian race, and determined to spread their influence to other areas of the universe. He was aided in this by Galvatron and his chief scientist Jhiaxus, whose twisted experiments resulted in such horrors as the Combiner Monstructor. Eventually Nova and his hand-picked crew boarded the original Ark and departed Cybertron, only to be drawn into the Dead Universe and be presumed destroyed. He would subsequently be discovered to be alive, though corrupted and now known as Nemesis Prime, sending Galvatron back into the main universe to prepare for his return. He and his associates soon met to discuss the imminent fulfillment of their plans.^[1] He dispatched an assassin, Nightbeat, to eliminate Optimus Prime; Nightbeat's failure prompted Nova to set out to rid himself of his successor Prime by his own hands.

Using the power of the Darkness, a powerful force he had obtained power over in the Dead Universe, Nova attempted to eliminate Optimus, only to find that the Darkness sought to claim Optimus as its new host. He was then betrayed by Galvatron, who sought the Darkness for himself, and perished, with Optimus noting sadly that there was little to mourn as all that was good in Nova Prime had long ago perished. However, Nova would later return through the power of D-Void, the monstrous ruler of the Dead Universe, whose plans to escape into the main universe are thwarted by Optimus. Nova's scheming wouldn't end there, as Shockwave enacted a plan that would allow the Transformers in the Dead Universe to escape using the Space bridge built into Megatron. However, Optimus-having reverted to his former identity of Orion Pax due to the Matrix being drained-led a mission into the Dead Universe and challenged Nova, killing him once again and reclaiming the name and title of Optimus Prime.

Video Games

Nova Prime features prominently in the story for Transformers: Devastation, where it is revealed that he created a ship known as the Proudstar to reshape uninhabited planets in form similar to Cybertron. Sadly, Nova Prime fell victim to the taint of Unicron, and he and his crew began transforming planets where life already existed as well. The Proudstar subsequently crashed, and later fell into the hands of Megatron and his Decepticons, who attempted to use it to cyberform Earth. However, their plans were thwarted by the Autobots; unbeknownst to all, however, Nova Prime still lived in stasis aboard the Proudstar and awoke following the Autobot victory.

Toys

• Transformers Club Exclusive Nova Prime (2015)

A remold/recolor of Generations Orion Pax, which was also used for the club's Lio Convoy and the BotCon 2015 Customization Class figure, Galva Convoy. According to his tech spec, his motto is "'Till all are redeemed."

Transformers: Timelines

A new Optimus Prime character appeared as the centerpiece for the 2008 BotCon exclusive toy set. This Optimus Prime leads the Autobots in a mirror universe where the Autobots are evil and the Decepticons are good. According to his tech specs, during Cybertron's Golden Age of peace, Optimus Prime served among the guardians of Cybertron's accumulated knowledge. He hungered for power and, through his studies, he determined that military might was the only way to achieve his goals.^[2] Optimus carries a laser cannon and ion blaster which combine into a shoulder cannon.^[3]

In the Shattered Glass comics, Nova Prime appeared not as Optimus' foe, but as a reborn version of Shattered Glass Optimus Prime. Having suffered a crushing defeat and been left adrift in space along with several fellow Autobots, Optimus was found by a benevolent Unicron and transformed into Nova Prime. He then led his reformatted forces to Cybertron, where they overthrew Rodimus Prime and threw him into Cybertron's core, unaware that they thus brought him into contact with a malevolent Primus.

Reception

The Botcon 2008 set was chosen as the "Action Figure Digest Hot Pick". This version of Optimus Prime was featured on their magazine cover.^[4]

Fun Publications

Optimus Prime appears as leader of the Autobot forces in the Transformers: Timelines story "Shattered Glass" by Fun Publications. When Cliffjumper, the Generation 1 character from a parallel universe, is seemingly discovered alive, Optimus welcomes his old friend back to the Autobot fold. After learning that Clffjumper is not the evil Autobot he remembers, he shoots Cliffjumper and leaves him to fend for himself in the Rad Zone. Optimus plans to launch his new warship, the Ark, to conquer Earth, but Cliffjumper aids Megatron's heroic Decepticon forces in a successful attack on the Ark's launch platform.^[5]

Optimus Prime also appears in the text-based fiction Dungeons & Dinobots. He commands the Autobots to attack the Arch-Ayr fuel dump. The attack is thwarted when the main Decepticon forces are augmented by the Mayhem Suppression Squad. When Wheeljack attacks both the Autobots and Decepticons with a massive force of drone Dinobots, Optimus offers to allow the outcast Autobot scientist to rejoin the Autobot ranks if the Dinobots destroy the Decepticons. The Dinobots prove unstable and go on a rampage, attacking everyone, including each other. Optimus punishes Wheeljack by having Ratchet painfully reformat him for Earth mode and assigning him to the Ark repair crew on the advice of Side Burn. He punishes Blurr for allowing his heroic Decepticon cousin, Crasher, part of the Mayhem Suppression Squad, to live. When Grimlock returns to the Autobots, Optimus lets him live because the Dinobot has gained useful intelligence and helps in work on the Ark.

Megatron is captured by the Autobot Targetmasters in the episode "Do Over". When Optimus learns Megatron has been captured, he rushes to be the one who kills his old enemy, despite the closing launch window of the Ark. When confronted by Optimus Prime, Megatron attempts to use the Autobot Targetmaster Nightstick to shoot the Autobot leader, but Nightstick takes control of Megatron's arm. Megatron then tricks Optimus into using Megatron's own sword to cut his hand off, freeing him from Nightstick. Optimus fails to kill his foe and misses the launching of the Ark, which has been taken over by Rodimus. He then takes out his anger on Blurr.

In Reunification, Optimus is seen building his new ultimate weapon, Omega Doom. He learns that Megatron has supposedly been killed by watching a broadcast from the Autobot reporter Rook. When Kup leads the Autobots Camshaft, Hound, and Warpath, in an attempt to assassinate Optimus Prime, the Autobot leader easily defeats the four rebels. Alpha Trion then attempts to kill Optimus, but Optimus uses Omega Doom against the ancient robot. Prime then sends Doom against the Decepticons.

Optimus appears in a flashback in "The Coming Storm: Part 1", shooting Nightscream. In the Botcon 2012 story "Invasion", Optimus Prime makes a brief appearance. His brother Ultra Magnus, who had once tried and failed to launch a coup against him, breaks out of the prison on Paradron. Ultra Magnus taunts Optimus before proceeding to Classicsverse Earth to execute his plan. However, Optimus transmits Ultra Magnus's signal to the Decepticons, knowing that Ultra Magnus's sworn enemy Treadshot would inevitably pursue Magnus.

In Another Light, Optimus and several of his loyal Autobots are left fatally injured, but find themselves brought before their universe's new benevolent Unicron. Seeking to help the broken Autobots, Unicron offers to reformat them into agents of good while freeing them of the chaos within their minds. Optimus reluctantly accepts, and is reformatted into the repentant Nova Prime, who leads his new forces-Checkpoint, X-Brawn, and the Autotroopers-into battle on Cybertron, where they engage and defeat the forces of Rodimus Prime.

References