The Energon Pub

How many of you remember The Underbase Sage from Marvels Transformers comics #47-50?

There are a lot of parallels between that story and this movie!

• The Underbase itself: The Underbase is a collection of the knowledge of the Transformers, somehow amassed into a single mass/energy object that looked like a giant cube, much like the Allspark.
LOOK: http://images.wikia.com/transformers/images/thumb/d/d4/Underbase.jpg/445px-Underbase.jpg

• The "knowledge" thing might not sound that much like the Allspark from the movie, but check out this explanation of the Underbase from #48:

"Within each Transformer is a core of knowledge called a database. Through that portal is something much more fundamental - a collection of knowledge that underlies all databases, much greater and broader in scope than anything in the universe. We call it the Underbase. What you seek is contained within...""

• In the movie Prime explains that the Allspark is too much for any one transformer to possess, and if they put it in their own chest, it might kill them. In the Underbase saga Prime explains:

...discovered that the knowledge contained in the Underbase was too much for any one Transformer to know, and that any attempt to input the Underbase would only lead to "madness.... and death"

• After being fought over by the 'Bots and 'Cons on Cybertron, the Underbase was blasted into space. This same scenario took place in the Prequel comics showing the Allspark being blasted away from Movie-Cybartron.

• Information about the Underbase/Allspark was left on earth a while back... In the comics Grandslam and Raindance ended up in pirate treasure chest (stuck in their tape modes) containing vital Underbase information. Of course it was on the special glasses in the Movie.

• The Underbase was absorbed by Starscream (Since Megatron was already dead at this point in the comics). It gave him amazing power, but eventually made him explode. Of course, a similar thing happened w the Allspark and Megatron.

• Jazz was destroyed in a city in both stories (probably coincidentally)

So... Is all of this a BIG coincidence, or did the writers use the Underbase saga as a jumping off point for the movie?

Wow, this is interesting... There ARE parallels. I just wish I could've seen the Underbase saga for myself...

You can buy yourself a copy of the Graphic novel contaning the underbase story here: http://www.amazon.com/Transformers-Vol-9-Dark-Star/dp/1840239603

Since the leak of the early script I've figured that the the Allspark in the film was inspired by (and perhaps originally based upon) the Underbase. I'd have really preferred it if they'd just used the Underbase, even with another name, as the condensed collective knowledge of an entire species seems like a much more serious and well thought-out concept than some mysterious cube that magically turns product placement into robots.

The problem with your analogy, is that, while there are some similarities, theyre are also glaring differences. Forst off, The Allspark is not a well of knowledge, it is a source of life. Secondly, the Underbase was not found on Earth, The Allspark was. In fact, the Underbase was travelling to Earth, and had it reached Earth, it would have destroyed the planet through its very presence.

Tramp wrote:The problem with your analogy, is that, while there are some similarities, theyre are also glaring differences. Forst off, The Allspark is not a well of knowledge, it is a source of life. Secondly, the Underbase was not found on Earth, The Allspark was. In fact, the Underbase was travelling to Earth, and had it reached Earth, it would have destroyed the planet through its very presence.

I didnt claim it was EXACTLY the same. Besides the differences you mentioned there were HUNDREDS of others. But I think the similarities are big enough that this should be looked at. I know Robert Orci and the other writer had been answering Transformers questions for a while, but I dont think they are any more. I would have liked to hear what they say about the underbase thing....

AbsumZer0- I agree that the Knowledge thing makes a little more sense.

Graz73 wrote:

Tramp wrote:The problem with your analogy, is that, while there are some similarities, theyre are also glaring differences. Forst off, The Allspark is not a well of knowledge, it is a source of life. Secondly, the Underbase was not found on Earth, The Allspark was. In fact, the Underbase was travelling to Earth, and had it reached Earth, it would have destroyed the planet through its very presence.

I didnt claim it was EXACTLY the same. Besides the differences you mentioned there were HUNDREDS of others. But I think the similarities are big enough that this should be looked at. I know Robert Orci and the other writer had been answering Transformers questions for a while, but I dont think they are any more. I would have liked to hear what they say about the underbase thing....

AbsumZer0- I agree that the Knowledge thing makes a little more sense.

Unfortunately, no, they aren't, and the thread was therefor locked, but it is still up for reference purposes.

Tramp- initializing killjoy mode. Yeesh.

But nah, that's pretty funny. I'd like to see Megs go on the maddest killing spree in the next movie, ala Starscream in the comics. (I don't care whta on, as long as there's death and plenty of it.