by HoliPrime » Wed Oct 31, 2007 5:31 pm
The nervous system of any sentient lifeform, whether it be Transformer or organic, can be thought of as being essentially one very complicated piece of computing hardware.
That being the case, there's two types of damage that can occur- hardware damage and software damage.
Sparks don't really have anything to do with the Marvel comics- the Transformers have brain modules, and there's nothing to indicate some sort of separate discrete personality data storage device (idiotic pseudo-Cartesian claptrap anyway).
It is perfectly feasible to disconnect a Transformer's head and reattach it without causing any serious damage- if you're sufficiently skilled, and know what you're doing.
Similarly, it is probably possible, if you have sufficient skill (no one does, yet) to disconnect a human's head, and, provided you reattach or otherwise sustain it before organic decay sets in, reconnect it to either the same or a different body.
If the head gets blown to smithereens and/or molten metal (i.e. Topspin in "Time Wars") then there's no question- the brain module is destroyed, along with all the memories, all the various algorhythms and unique cerebral pathways that go towards making up a personality. You might be able to make a fairly precise copy, if you have all the memory and personality data backed up somewhere (one 5"1/4 floppy should do the trick), but the original Transformer is dead, in every meaningful sense. They don't exist any more.
Surgically remove the head (or rip it off yourself, after having started various shutdown protocols, back-up programmes, etc etc, Fortress Maxitwit) and it just needs re-attaching, just as you could, with sufficient knowledge, power down your computer, open it up, take out the hard drive, replace the hard drive, and power up again.
Have Megatron grab Cyclonus' ears and rip his head from his shoulders, though, and there are two points to consider:
1. Physical damage. Components get wrenched- small, vital fuel lines, pneumatics and hydraulics, pieces of the nervous system, neural clusters, etc etc. The brain is connected to the spinal column, so violently severing that part of the endoskeleton at that point could well physically damage the brain to the point that the personality is no longer viable in any case, apart from anything else.
2. File corruption. A sudden, violent interruption of power and suspension of all brain functions mid-thought, in as complex and intricate a device as a Transformer's brain, could in itself lead to disk errors, corrupted files, even make the 'disk' 'unplayable'- so that, even after full repairs have been carried out be a highly skilled surgeon, the brain simply can't function any more- there's not enough left of the mind to keep the body alive, let alone thinking and sentient. Then, you might as well blast the body into space (but please, to avoid interstellar pollution, remove any divine essences from the corpse's pockets or chest cavity before doing this. Do not mutate alien wildlife with your unwanted gods. You never know when you might need them to drive off planet-eaters.
