The Energon Pub

So, I have a question about Takara's G1 that's been bothering me for a while, and I think I may need a living Transformers encyclopedia to help clear this one up.

When in the balls is Cybertron restored?

Obviously it's destroyed in The Headmasters, and never restored throughout the subsequent two shows. Nor, to my knowledge, is it restored using the Zodiac energy of Zone or Battlestars, because presumably using energy known to be able to restore planets to restore their own would make too much sense.

So, when does it happen? Or does it? TFWiki states the following: "When the Autobots and Decepticons finally laid down their arms and forged the Cybertron Alliance, they rebuilt and restored Cybertron, using the energy known as Nucleon, which Optimus Prime recovered from the core of a black hole."

But, unusually, it doesn't cite a source. I'm also pretty sure I've read through most of the G2 story pages and don't remember this getting a mention. In fact, I don't remember them specifically stating whether Megatron and Optimus were on Cybertron at all.

So, what piece of fiction does this come from? Was it part of the original G2 run, or was it a later retcon meant to appease the addition of the Beast era?

Finally, what does it actually say about Cybertron? Was a new one created, or was the original one restored? Because either explanation wreaks a certain amount of havoc on the revelations regarding Cybertron we get in Beast Machines/Beast Wars Returns, which is otherwise ostensibly in cartoon continuity.

Anyone?

It occurred after Operation Combination and before G-2.

I see you were reading their Cybertron (planet) article, correct?

On this timeline page, however, under the section titled "After 2025", it gives the following line of text:

Planet Cybertron is revived, but suffers a deadly energy shortage. Optimus Prime becomes a Powermaster, fuses with a Nebulan, and protects himself with a phase modulation shield. He enters a black hole to get the super energy Nucleon.

with a citation of "Nucleon Quest Super Convoy's toy bio".

The toy bio in question reads as follows:

Background: Once there was era in which the planet Seibertron had been struck by a fatal energy shortage. At this time, Convoy and Hi-Q, a scientist from the planet Nebulos, undertook a perilous journey in search of a new energy to replace Energon.
Abilities: In order for him to extract the super-energy "Nucleon" that exists in black holes, his entire structure is now protected by a phase modulation shield. He can now carry out activity in super-gravitic environments.
Personality: A protector of freedom, he possesses enormous intelligence and courage.
Weapons: Concussion blaster, twin particle beam cannons

How this toy bio fits into the timeline is like this. In 2006-2007, TakaraTomy produced two timelines in two Kiss Players reference books. Both of these timelines took a lot of fiction and grouped them together in an attempt to form a single, coherent timeline. This included the Nucleon Quest Super Convoy toy bio, which was placed between Operation Combination and G-2. These timelines also added additional information written by the author directly for the timelines to help make things work, and the bit about Cybertron being restored with Nucleon was likely one of these newly-added bits. Therefore, the source for Cybetron's restoration comes from the timelines themselves.

A translation of these two timelines (merged togehter as one) can be found here. As you can see, the Wiki's timeline page is very much based on the source translation page, but with additional content added to it and the Binaltech story bits given their own sections to split them from the main timeline.

Hope that helps.

Hey, thanks! Glad I got a reply.

That's interesting. So not even Nucleon Convoy's bio provides a proper description; it really is a retcon from Takara's later timelines.

That must've been strange for Japanese fans who were suddenly thrust into Beast Wars with no explanation for the return of Cybertron. Although I guess the restoration process is just kind of just vague enough for Beast Machines to still happen.

Thanks for clearing that up. I'd been wondering for ages. It's a shame the Japanese continuity is such a mess. Ah well.

Cipher wrote:That's interesting. So not even Nucleon Convoy's bio provides a proper description; it really is a retcon from Takara's later timelines.

That must've been strange for Japanese fans who were suddenly thrust into Beast Wars with no explanation for the return of Cybertron. Although I guess the restoration process is just kind of just vague enough for Beast Machines to still happen.

Though, the first mention of Cybertron being back (not restored, but just as the setting of the story again) was in the G-2 story pages. so it was even before Beast wars aired in Japan that Cybertron was mysteriously back again.

But even before Beast Machines was brought over to Japan (no sooner than 2004, even, as Beast Wars Returns), Beast Wars II and Beast Wars Neo had Cybertron back as well. And with this timeline putting them both after Beast wars Returns, that leaves everyone wondering how the planet went from a technorganic paradise back to the fully metallic world it used to be. Guess they decided they didn't like the new look and did a global lawn mowing or something.

Cipher wrote:Thanks for clearing that up. I'd been wondering for ages. It's a shame the Japanese continuity is such a mess. Ah well.

No problem. Though not perfect, I don't think it's that much of a mess. I've got a good enough understanding of it based on this timeline. What's that confusing about it?